‘Their word,’ Stephens repeated bitterly, ‘they didn’t hesitate to break it as soon as we started to inflict real damage on their mining operations.’
‘Well, if we want to regroup, we should at least scale back the operation, pull our forces back and create a lull in the fighting. The Chinese will think that we’ve succumbed and the public will feel like we’re looking after them,’ Fletcher offered. ‘In a month or two we start up again, but this time we take it a bit easier. That way the Chinese may not retaliate in the same way.’
‘Damn it! Listen to us — we sound like politicians!’ Stephens cried. ‘Worrying about what people will think of us. We need to stay focussed on what’s best for this country, not worry about the polls. We’re in the middle of a major operation right now, an operation that could make the Chinese seriously reconsider their strategy.’
‘Right now,’ said Fletcher calmly, ‘what’s best for the country is to eliminate the threat of reprisal attacks. The public won’t stand for another attack like the bridge.’
Stephens stared at Fletcher, his face flushed, eyes tired and red. He was calm now, a powerful wave of exhaustion washing over him. ‘What a nightmare, what a fucking nightmare,’ he muttered to himself. ‘You’re right, Fletch. You’re absolutely right. What were we thinking? Guerrilla tactics only work when there is nothing for the enemy to hit back at. Christ, that’s what made it so damn impossible to deal with insurgents in Afghanistan and Namibia.’
‘Why don’t you get some sleep?’ said Fletcher, standing. ‘How can you make decisions when you’re in this state?’
Pondering the suggestion, Stephens knew Fletcher was right. ‘Perhaps just a couple of hours,’ he said reluctantly.
Standing slowly, he felt like an old man, crippled by the weight of a nation in shock, the weight of the bridge, the weight of all those people who had died and their loved ones left behind. He shuffled over to the couch and lay down.
Walking out of the general’s office, Fletcher went straight to Sarah’s adjoining office, knocking once and walking straight in, as was his habit.
Sarah was at her desk, talking to someone on MiLA. She looked up at Fletcher and waved him in. ‘Okay, well look, I have to run,’ she said firmly. ‘Perhaps you should put down your thoughts in an email and send it through to me. I’ll make sure that the general understands your point of view.’
Hanging up the receiver, she let out a deep breath. ‘That was our friend over at Foreign Affairs, wondering when the general is going to make a public acknowledgment of our defeat and pull back all the armed forces.’
‘My God, what a nightmare. We really are stuck between a rock and a hard place, aren’t we?’ said Fletcher, leaning back in the leather chair opposite Sarah.
‘Fletch, can I share something with you?’ Sarah asked, looking nervous. ‘Something I’ve been working on privately that I think might be a consideration right now.’
‘Sure, what is it?’ Fletcher asked, intrigued.
‘Well, it’s a last-resort strategy I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I’m not even sure if it’s possible, but… well…’ she trailed off.
‘Shoot. Let’s hear it, Sarah,’ said Fletcher, sitting up in his chair.
‘Okay, well,’ Sarah said, putting on her no-nonsense presentation voice, ‘we can’t get the Chinese out of here using traditional force. They have the ability to easily kill civilians and destroy infrastructure, coupled with the fact that we don’t have the ability to retaliate like-for-like, let alone adequately defend ourselves.’
‘No question of that after the other day,’ remarked Fletcher.
‘So, we are somewhat powerless to get them out of our own accord. We don’t want them to be here because, well, who’s to say they’ll stop with the mines? Plus, this nation will never grow and prosper while we have a foreign power in our borders, right?’
‘Absolutely,’ nodded Fletcher. ‘Where are you going with this, Sarah?’
‘Well, the question is, would we be prepared to live in an Australia that existed without the Chinese and without the mining industry?’
‘Without question, yes. We have nothing to lose on that front — the mines are completely controlled by the Chinese and will continue to be as long as they occupy this country,’ replied Fletcher, getting more animated.
Sarah looked hard at Fletcher and paused for a brief moment, continuing slowly for effect. ‘Then would we be willing to detonate nuclear devices in our own country?’
‘Nuclear bombs…?’ said Fletcher, gobsmacked.
‘Yes, nukes,’ said Sarah firmly, leaning forward. ‘What if we detonated a series of tactical nuclear weapons, specifically at the key Chinese-held mines? Australia is one of the few countries in the world that can actually use nuclear weapons on its own soil to defend itself. We could minimise civilian casualties by evacuating the area under the guise of a complete submission to the Chinese occupation. When the conditions are right, we launch.’ She sat back with a satisfied look on her face.
‘The mines would be useless for hundreds, if not thousands of years — the Chinese would have no reason to occupy Australia,’ said Fletcher, thinking it through.
‘That’s right. We’re being held hostage by our own resource wealth. By taking out the ransom, China has no reason to stay and continue to fight what they know will be a pointless and drawn-out war.’
‘So, we would be making the ultimate sacrifice to get them out.’
‘It would be a good sacrifice,’ replied Sarah, more introspectively.
‘So, where do we get a nuke from?’ Fletcher said, almost to himself. ‘The Americans, I guess.’
‘That’s right. They’ve been sitting on those nukes for decades, just waiting for a good reason to use one,’ said Sarah quickly, then pausing. ‘I’m sure they will have some caveats, some requirements from us, but we shouldn’t underestimate their willingness to cling on to what slender primacy they think they still have in Asia.’
‘Oh, I don’t doubt it,’ said Fletcher, impressed at how much thought Sarah had obviously put into this. He suspected she’d fall at the next hurdle, though. ‘How do we sell this to the Australian people, then?’
Sarah was ready with her answer. ‘We don’t.’
‘Sarah,’ said Fletcher, almost laughing now, ‘we have to get approval from a number of people. It’s likely to go to cabinet for a vote. We need to consider how it gets sold to the politicians.’
Sarah, sensing she was losing him, replied with urgency. ‘Fletch, we can’t afford the time or the possibility of it getting back to the Chinese. If they catch wind of an operation like this, they will no doubt threaten us with another strike on one of our cities. Probably much bigger than the last attack. Do you think the politicians will have the stomach for that? Not a chance.’
‘Perhaps not, but doing something like this on our own is insane.’
‘I don’t think we have a choice, Fletch. There’s too much at stake.’
‘Are you sure it’s even possible to execute this without endangering civilians?’
‘I’ve spoken to a few people, and it is feasible,’ Sarah said eagerly.
‘People?’ Fletcher said, suddenly suspicious. ‘Who have you told about this, Sarah?’
‘I asked Connor to look into it. I thought he’d be perfect — an ex-defence minister, he’s got a lot of good contacts as you know. And he’s not officially part of this administration, so it can’t be linked back to General Stephens if it got out.’
‘I’m pretty new to this politics game, but one thing I do know is that you can never be too careful,’ Fletcher said sternly. ‘You’re positive nobody else knows?’
Sarah blinked, suddenly doubting herself. ‘No, nobody else knows.’