Prometheus's Child

Lee smiled to himself but Roosevelt caught the look. “Something on your mind, Steve?”

The West Pointer leaned back, drumming his fingers on the desk. “Oh, I was just thinking — that’s how we got involved in Vietnam.”

SSI COMPOUND

J. J. Johnson was the lead briefer, but he did not relish the task. He much preferred instructing to lecturing, but his fluency in French military terminology made him the hands-down favorite for delivering the SSI Counterinsurgency Brief. It was essentially boilerplate, distilling the conventional wisdom of Co-In philosophy for use almost anywhere the company might operate.

Facing a room full of Chadian Army officers, Johnson introduced himself, minimizing his Legion background by referring the audience to the SSI personnel sheets in their packets.

In his Parisian accent, the American began by apologizing for duplication of any subject matter that the Chadians might already have studied. Privately, he felt that probably few had ever given ten minutes’ thought to counterinsurgency doctrine, but he did not want to alienate potential allies. It was dogma with SSI to avoid the appearance of condescension toward any clients.

Johnson had practiced the presentation with PowerPoint and a flip chart, depending on local facilities. He was pleased to see that the electronic option was preferred, at least in the elevated ambience of the security offices. He inhaled, focused, and began to summarize the six points.

“Premier: Identifiez qu’il n’y a aucune solution purement militaire. Recognize that there is no purely military solution. Nearly all insurgencies are caused by dissatisfaction with the status quo, for whatever reason. Therefore, while military methods might gain a temporary advantage, political and economic measures must go hand in hand.

“Deuxieme: Obtenez l’intelligence fiable. Obtain reliable intelligence. That’s often easier said than done, gentlemen. There are many sources of information on rebellious factions, including disaffected members of those groups. But you should beware of relying too heavily on prisoner interrogations. Torture seldom provides reliable intel, especially for long-term plans. Instead, consider infiltrating the groups, paying informants for accurate information, and bribing marginally committed rebels.

“Troisieme: Etablissez une politique coordonnee de gouvernement a tous les niveaux. Establish a coordinated government policy at all levels. This of course is beyond the military’s control, unless the army runs the government. But it is essential to have all agencies and organizations working toward the same goals with a consistent approach. If insurgents see the agriculture department as being lax while the health agency is hardcore, they will only want to deal with agriculture.

“Quatrieme: Separez les insurges de leur appui. Separate the insurgents from their support. In some cases physical separation can prove successful, as the British did in Malaya in the 1950s. In Vietnam the so-called strategic hamlet concept was employed with less success, partly because the locals still needed to return to their villages and farms. A better method is political and economic separation: make it in the interest of the population to support the government rather than the insurgents, especially where the rebels are not of the same ethnicity.

“Cinquieme: Neutralisez ou detruisez l’organisation insurgee. Neutralize or destroy the insurgent organization. That requires a closer look at the second principle: intelligence. Once you know where to find the rebels, you can make plans for military action. Or you can employ financial or other methods, such as making it difficult or impossible for insurgents to move about.

“Sixieme: Prevoyez une strategie continue soulignant la stabilite politique. Provide for a continuing strategy emphasizing political stability. This principle is related to the first. Once you have gained the upper hand militarily, keep up the pressure on the insurgents by continuing successful policies and expanding others, such as food, medical, and financial aid. In time the combination of these factors will drive the insurgents away.”

With that brief preview, the American turned to his audience. A Chadian lieutenant colonel raised his hand. “Mr. Johnson, I wish to ask about specifics in our current crisis.”

Johnson nodded. “Certainly, sir.”

The officer, who bore a nasty scar on his chin and left cheek, clearly had seen combat. “Our concern is not so much with local dissidents as with outsiders. They make little pretense of caring for the Chadian people. Mainly they wish only to cause us problems, to spread our troops too thin and expend money on more security forces.” He arched an eyebrow. “When the enemy lives in Libya and Sudan, which of your principles apply?”

It was an unexpectedly astute question, and Johnson glanced toward Steve Lee, sitting in the third row. A slight nod of the head. Your call, J. J.

“Well, in that case, sir, it depends on the specifics, as you say. If the insurgents are operating on their own, obviously the local population is far less a factor. In that case, it’s no longer really an insurgency.”

Johnson stopped speaking French and turned to Lee. “Major, is it safe to say that State and our attache would have to approve if we became involved in repelling cross-border attacks?”

Lee stood briefly, knowing that some of the Chadians understood English. “Mr. Johnson is correct. Our team is limited to a training and advisory capacity. Any operations beyond those positions would require approval of U.S. Government agencies and probably renegotiation of our contract.”

Johnson summarized the team leader’s response.“Toutes les operations au dela de ces positions exigeraient l’approbation des organismes gouvernementaux des Etats Unis et probablement de la renegociation de notre contrat.”

* * *

After the briefing, Johnson sidled up to Lee, both pretending to appreciate the local tea and wafers. “Boss, what do you make of the colonel’s question? Are they asking us for help beyond the Co-In contract?”

Lee squinted behind his glasses. “I don’t know, J. J., but we damn well need to find out.”

“Hey, I’m just a multilingual grunt. Want me to ask him one to one?”

Lee nodded. “See if you can steer him over here. Maybe we can get some straight answers if nobody else is listening.” He tipped his cup to his lips, barely feeling the hot liquid, staring straight ahead.

“Something else?” Johnson asked.

“Oh. Well, I was just thinking. This coming after my meeting at the security ministry the other day. I’ll tell you what, J. J.: I think we’ve stepped into something more than we expected over here.”

24

N’DJAMENA

“There is another team. American this time.”

Etienne Stevin delivered the news dispassionately, as was his wont. It was one reason that Marcel Hurtubise valued the man: he was immune to panic. Whenever his time came, he would die with a far lower pulse than most men, that seemed certain.

It also meant that Stevin lacked a certain amount of imagination, excepting a sentimental romanticism about dying as befitted a Legionnaire. But such men were valuable nonetheless.

Hurtubise swiveled in his padded chair and laid down La Chanson de Roland. The mercenary seldom tired of reading the ancient account of the Battle of Roncevaux. “Tell me.”

Stevin detoured to the refrigerator, extracted a beer, and slid into a straight-backed chair. He twisted off the cap in one swift motion. His hands were large, powerful, experienced.

“I do not know the full number yet, but at least six. Paul and I saw that many get off the bus at the training compound. He stayed to watch them but others stayed aboard. I followed the bus awhile, but it didn’t stop before I lost it in a traffic jam.” He drained one-quarter of the beer and wiped his mouth. “You know how these niggers drive.”

“What about Paul?”

“He can take a taxi or maybe Gabrielle…”

“No!” Hurtubise regretted the sharp tone. Not because of concern for Stevin’s feelings — the man hardly possessed any — but because it was not wise to indicate any undue concern for the young woman. He thought