A small platform stood in front of them. If not for the investigative team around the drone wreckage, one might mistake this for a parade or decoration ceremony.
It was Lena’s idea.
There were a few important lessons that Lena had learned from what happened the night before. One of which, was that the soldiers on the base were woefully unprepared for the conflict that lay ahead. That needed to be remedied.
The Chinese base commander had no question as to who was in charge when Lena showed up. His leadership had given him strict orders to do whatever she said. He had wanted to disperse his men immediately and begin looking for the team that raided the communications compound.
But the Ecuadorian general had intervened. He wanted an investigation completed first. Lena had been in the field, training with the Leishen Commandos. They had sent for her immediately, but it was hours before she arrived back at the base. Hours of lost time.
She needed to contact Jinshan, and inform him of the lost crypto key. She needed to track down the Americans — she assumed it was the Americans — and attempt to retrieve the stolen equipment. But first, she needed to send a message to the soldiers on this base.
Lena walked up to Natesh. “Are the swarm drones ready?”
“They arrived yesterday afternoon. We’re working to unload them now.”
She looked in the hangar. Captain Lin was there, overseeing some of the logistics personnel as they unpacked the cargo. He stared back at her, a suspicious look on his face. A part of her wanted to walk over there and take care of him right now. But he was not a priority.
The base commander walked up to her and Natesh. “Ms. Chou, I don’t think we have time for this gathering. We need to go after the men who raided our base.”
She raised her hand. “Please be patient, Colonel. We will.”
“But they stole our cryptologic key. We must gain it back. If that got into the wrong hands—”
“Colonel, have you heard any aircraft? Have your radars picked up any aircraft?”
“No.”
“Then they are on foot, and we have the advantage. We will find them, but first I need to make a statement to the men.”
Two jeeps screeched through the gate and came to a halt just off the platform. The Ecuadorian general and his staff got out. He was fuming, screaming and swearing as he looked at Lena and the colonel.
Lena just watched him, a serious expression on her face. Perfect timing.
“What is the meaning of this? Who called my men here like this? You do not give orders to my men. First you crash an airplane on the runway last night, and now you have… what is this, an award ceremony?”
Curious eyes snuck quick glances among the hundreds who stood silently at attention, eager ears waiting to see how the normally restrained Lena would respond.
Lena said, “This is not an awards ceremony, General. Quite the opposite.”
He approached her, standing below the platform, suddenly aware that close to a thousand well-trained Chinese Special Forces troops stood very close to him. His voice grew much quieter. “Well, then, what is this?”
By sunrise, Chase’s team was joined up with the others under Captain Calhoun’s unit.
“We probably didn’t need the drone diversion.”
Calhoun cursed. “Sorry. I was worried about that. But I figured it was better to stick to the plan. We couldn’t see shit up here.”
“What’s been going on since we left?”
“The sky’s cleared up, as you can see. They had a repair crew working on the runway, patching it up. And they moved the drone wreckage over to one of those hangars. The Chinese have been inspecting it all morning. Your girl is with them. The one you said is important.”
Chase said, “When did she arrive?”
“Early this morning. Take a look. I have to admit, I was not expecting this… ceremony. I thought they would have a search party out for us by now.”
“Ceremony?” Chase looked through his scope. “Damn. They must have a thousand men there. What the hell are they doing formed up like that? Why aren’t they coming after us?”
Several companies stood at attention in front of a small stage. Lena and a Chinese officer stood on the stage, facing the men. Then a couple of jeeps rolled up and came to a halt right next to the stage.
“Who’s that guy?”
“It’s the Ecuadorian general,” one of the Marines on the recon team answered. “He’s been in and out of the base several times since the Chinese have been here.”
The Ecuadorian general stood very close to Lena. Neither looked happy. The general crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. Lena turned and began to address the men in formation.
Chase wished he could hear what she was saying.
Lena stood with her fingers touching while she spoke, as if she was in prayer. Her voice was strong and carried well over the windless morning.
“Last night, a military special operations team infiltrated our base. They stole something very important. They then set off an explosion on the runway and made their escape.”
Lena watched their faces as she spoke. The Chinese soldiers were stoic. The Ecuadorians and the young Chinese Junxun recruits were squinting and fidgeting in the morning sun.
The Ecuadorian general looked surprised at her words. Perhaps this was the first time he was hearing all the details. Well, it was too late for him now.
Lena continued, “If we are to accomplish our mission here, there can be no mistakes like this again. The time for training is nearing an end. As many of you Leishen must suspect, you would not all have been sent here if this were only a simple training exercise. So what is it, then? Why are we here? And who has infiltrated our base?”
She pointed at the drone wreckage, laid out on a sheet like a crime scene. “That is an American drone. They attacked your brothers in arms. Just as the Americans attack peaceful nations all over the world.”
She looked at their faces as they listened. The general was quiet now. Confused, but listening.
Lena said, “China has been oppressed by the West for too long. The Americans cripple us through unfair trade, leaving our families poor and helpless. They invade countries in the name of national security, all the while making their own nation rich by stealing natural resources. The Americans encroach on our territorial boundaries in the South China Sea and fail to recognize all of our territory. They promote religions of hatred. They worship violence and materialism. They demonize our Chinese society that only wishes to bring peace and equality to all of its citizens.
“But China will stand for this no more.
“You soldiers are here because China is seizing its destiny as a great global power. You men have become the instrument of this great evolution in our national expansion. You are our warriors. Our pride. You are the sword that will bring peace to the world, and make China the dominant global force.”
The Chinese commandos didn’t move. They just took it all in. Lena could see the pride in their eyes, though. Every soldier… every man… liked hearing that he was important. That he was special. Elite. Destined for greatness.
Napoleon was right. It was amazing how much one would go through to earn a little piece of ribbon on their chest. Pride was a powerful tool in the commander’s toolbox.
So too, however, was fear.
Lena looked at the Ecuadorian general. “Unfortunately, there is not yet the appropriate level of professional attention being paid to our daily duties. Let what happened last night serve as a reminder. Training is over. From now on, everyone here should consider us at war. Conduct yourselves appropriately.”