“I could be a great help. I can still shoot well. Mostly trapshooting now, but the rifle is an old friend who—”
“No. You can’t go. It’s too dangerous. Now, give me your word.”
Vice President Adams scowled and muttered something under his breath while Mojombo grinned and waited.
“Hell, all right. I’ll give you my word this time. But before this is over I want to be in the shooting war, you hear me?”
“I hear you, Mr. Vice President Adams. I’ll be back in your tent in time for the six o’clock radio talk.”
The leader of the Bijimi Loyalist Party slipped out the flap and Adams followed him, then went to his tent and took out the SATCOM. He had it set up and the small dish antenna aimed at the satellite an hour before it was time. He couldn’t sit still. What would he say to the ambassador that he hadn’t already told the President? He’d just tell him the truth. It was time the United States gave this regime a hard time, and helped out this struggling young party leader who wanted to return the government to the people. The U.S. told the world that it supported democracy, so it was time to stand up on this one and make its weight known. He hoped the Navy was sending a task force this way. They wouldn’t even have to come all the way. The Navy jets could do a combat radius of almost 650 miles. At least the F-18 could, and it was an air-to-ground fighter. A couple of passes without any firing and these government troops would panic. He wondered how close the Navy was. Was there a carrier task force anywhere around?
They could pump up a destroyer with a C-53 chopper on it, scoot down this direction at thirty-three knots, and beat the slow aircraft carriers here by a day or two. He’d be sure to ask the ambassador about that.
Promptly at six o’clock the SATCOM just inside Vice President Adams’s tent came on with a call.
“This is Oberholtzer calling Adams. I say again, this is Oberholtzer calling Adams.”
The Vice President lifted the mike he had been holding and pushed the send button. “Adams here waiting for your call. This is all encrypted, isn’t it, so no one else can know what we’re saying?”
“Right, Mr. Vice President. Only those U.S. units that have SATCOMs that are tuned to this frequency at this time. Which makes it tremendously secure. I’m glad to hear from you. Despite your messages, Washington has become increasingly concerned about your situation there. The President doesn’t want you running off on a fire mission somewhere and getting your head blown off your shoulders.”
“Don’t worry. I tried, and Mojombo won’t let me go along. When are you going to send some help for these men? They are fighting their hearts out and have only made a dent in the corrupt Administration that Washington seems to support. We need the Navy to send in some aircraft and some surface craft and threaten the hell out of President Kolda. We’re only two hundred miles from the Atlantic, for God’s sakes. Navy jets can do that in ten minutes. What’s the matter with you people anyway?”
“Mr. Vice President, decisions like that are way out of my hands. As you know, that has to be done in Washington. There is a Navy task force on its way. I’m not sure where it is, but they did say they would send a destroyer at flank speed that will outrace the task force. I’ve had a signal from the task force commander that the destroyer should be offshore here sometime tomorrow. She has two helicopters usually used for antisubmarine warfare, but they can be slightly adapted.”
“That’s not going to help much, Oberholtzer. We need about twenty F-18’s to do a flyover of the Government Building fifty feet over the roof and scare the shit out of these crooks. Why not drop in six or seven platoons of SEALs to grab the President and the head of the Army and do it up quickly?”
“Like I said…”
“Yeah, I know. Not your decision to make. So I’ll call the President again. His set must always be on. What good news do you have for me? A pair of SEALs visited this area today. One was called Blake. A commander.”
“Right, Mr. Vice President. Commander Blake Murdock and another SEAL moved up your way and delivered the message you must have received.”
“So why don’t you send me the whole platoon? What is it, sixteen men? Send them to me so we can get some real firefights going here.”
“Now that we can talk about. The SEALs have guns free for any operation except against the Loyalist people. Maybe we can work out some kind of a joint attack. Hit them from both sides. The SEALs can lay down a devastating amount of gunfire once they get in position.”
“Mr. Ambassador, Mojombo Washington wants to talk to you. He’s right here.”
“Mr. Ambassador, Washington here. We met once, but you wouldn’t remember. What can you do to help us up here?”
“Not a lot, but we’re talking with the President and the Navy. I’ll let you know the minute we have any good news.”
“That is sounding better,” Washington said. “We have a small operation going down tonight, but if it works, it will happen without a shot being fired. Let you know how it comes out tomorrow. So when can you send the SEALs upriver?”
“Have to talk to the commander about that.”
“Is he there? Give him the mike.”
“Just a minute and I’ll get him. What I’m wondering is, will the people follow you if you can get a full-scale revolution going? Can you get enough support for a mass march on the Government Building and throw President Kolda out of office?”
“Probably not without half of the Army coming over to my side. Then we’ll have a chance. The Army is the big factor. A lot of the top officers are unhappy with the current command. I’m working on it.”
“Mr. Washington, this is Lieutenant Commander Murdock.”
“I hear you were almost in Camp Freedom today.”
“Close enough, Mr. Washington. Glad you received the letter. I hope the sentry we gave it to was not punished. He did nothing wrong. He’s a good soldier.”
“Actually I promoted him to corporal. Now. When can you bring your platoon up here and help us plan some attacks and then help us to take down President Kolda?”
“I’d say as soon as you get the support of and control the countryside and half of Sierra City. Then we’d have a chance of taking down the government. A revolution is a tricky affair. The people and the Army are the keys. Like you just told the ambassador, you need half the Army to desert to your command.”
“You’re not very encouraging.”
“There’s a lot we can do from this end, or with your help. Hit at some strategic points that won’t harm the civilians. If you want them on your side, you can’t start by killing half of them.”
“Right. One of my rules is that we will strike at no position where any civilians will be hurt or inconvenienced. For instance, we won’t blow up the water-filtration plant in Sierra City.”
“Good move. I’d like to meet you, Mr. Washington, and talk. You tell your outposts and lookouts that three motorcycles will be coming up the trail tomorrow and not to blow our heads off. We’ll use the password of Harley Davidson.”
Washington laughed. “Oh, yes, the Harley Hog. I rode one once. Then I wanted one for five years. Done. I may not be here by the time you get here, but talk with the Vice President and look over my men. Now, put the ambassador back on.”
“Yes, Mr. Washington,” Oberholtzer said.
“You contact the Navy. Tell them what we need. Also tell the President that tomorrow I’ll be making my demands that the U.S. must meet in order for me to turn the Vice President over to the embassy there in Sierra City.”