After exploring the cupboards and some industrious beating he had knocked up a pretty hefty Ham, onion and fresh tomato omelette by the time she appeared. She had looked about, inhaled the aroma of fresh coffee and said
“God, are you spoken for, sir?” he had turned to answer but her back was to him as she collected king sized Italian pottery plates from another cupboard.
“I was” he replied, “How about you?” making the table she’d replied that as he had access to her file he should know. He mentally rebuked himself, of course he knew. A windsurfing instructor on holiday in Crete, a ski instructor and her husband on another holiday, and the not infrequent one and two nighters picked up in singles bars, but nothing that could in any way be termed as a serious or lasting relationship.
“It doesn’t go with my real job, besides I intimidate all but the vain ones who only want a trophy fuck” her matter of fact way of speaking and use of that word in such a casual way had made him turn. She had her back turned again, sorting out napkins
“Before you say it sir, I didn’t succumb to the vain ones, on those occasions I was using them “. Napkins selected she had turned and flashed him a quick smile, laughter and mischief danced in her eyes “A girl has needs too you know”.
Constantine had laughed. The clock on the wall had brought him back to matters at hand. He had to meet Peridenko’s unsavoury pair in half an hour from then. He knew that it was unsafe to turn his back on them, not now. It had not been possible to arrange back up in so short a time.
The girl seemed recovered; she had shown she had guts so he had asked her.
“Ready?” she nodded and exited the car
The Russian’s were already waiting outside the council chambers when the Chinese politburo members began arriving. Today was a late start for them. They may leave all the lights burning throughout the night at the politburo. That was for the benefit of the peasantry, a con that they sat up all hours’ working for the greater good of the people. However, they did start the day earlier than most government’s.
The previous day had been a very long sitting. The council chamber doors locked and guarded. Food and refreshments had been brought in. Serge had watched the arguments flow to and fro between this faction and that. Tables had been thumped and voices raised. Eventually the Premier had halted the session, ordering everyone home to bed. Serge knew that the debating had continued in homes between the groups. It was far too sensitive to be spoken of by ‘phone, not even the members’ secure telephones.
When everyone was settled Marshal Lo Chang bowed low to the Premier and faced the Russian’s.
“I have spent most of the night discussing your proposed invasion plan with the Premier and Defence Minister Pong. Your point that surveillance satellites negate a classic, working up of arms and later deployment to jump off points is accepted fact. We had believed that only two things, deception, what you call a mastroika and a full nuclear pre-emptive strike could succeed. Your plan is daring, it has genius in its boldness, but we still have no counter for the American aircraft carrier groups”.
Peridenko stood, before speaking he nodded to an aide who distributed thin folders to all the committee members. “Comrades, I believe you are all familiar with the highly placed asset in America’s FBI which our intelligence service ran for many years” he paused whilst the interpreter translated for him. “His arrest has been another example of their failures. We have arrested and executed every single name upon the lists before you. American and IMF loans have provided regular, generous salaries to certain key workers. America believes the ‘Russian Mafia’ had circumvented large amounts, in fact they did, although not as much as we had them believe. An asset has for the last three years been altering, by means of a computer program, certain areas of interest to their surveillance satellites”. He nodded to the display screen technician; the screen came to life. “Behold, displacing 72,156 tons, I give you, quite literally, the People’s Liberation Army Navy nuclear powered aircraft carrier ‘Mao’”. The interpreter went into rapid-fire mode to deliver the coup de main.
Marshal Lo Chang was out of his seat swiftly. He approached too close to the screen to see clearly and stepped back a few paces. Removing his spectacles he first cleaned and then replaced them, eyes squinting as he peered at the display. Finally he looked at the Russians.
“Is this more computer generated wizardry?” He turned back to study the image, then turned back again “It is the Varyag, or the Admiral Gorshkov, yes?”
The Soviet navy had once had an expanding carrier arm. The Minsk, Leningrad, Novorossiysk, Kiev, Moskva and Admiral Kuznetsov, inferior in design to the American carriers and their engines oil fired. The USSR had three nuclear powered carriers under construction at the time of the regimes fall. Ul’yanovsk, Varyag and the Admiral Gorshkov. All the old carriers except the Kuznetsov had been scrapped. Ul’yanovsk was recycled before completion; her sisters had survived although partially built. India had made noises about buying the Gorshov and a Japanese hotelier voiced plans to convert Varyag into a hotel and casino.
Lo Chang stepped closer to Serge, not waiting for the Russian to answer.
“You completed one of them?” he asked excitedly.
Serge answered him.
“Marshal, this is no trickery, the vessel carries all of twelve Sukhoi Su-32FN fighter bombers, sixteen Su-27 and twelve Mig-29s, all naval variants and all carrier capable naturally, and of course air refuelling and airborne early warning airframes, plus helicopters.” After a pause to allow it to dawn on his audience what new horizons now availed themselves, he continued.
“This is a massive multi trillion Rouble investment that we hand to you, that you may chase the Americans from striking range of your borders. Not as they are now, but in six months’ time, when you have rolled up the Pacific and are sat on Australia’s doorstep. Close enough you can smell their ‘Barbie’s’ on the wind” Serge paused “There are risks, of course there are risks” he was passing along the backs of the politburo members chairs, forcing them to turn and face him.
“Only from a cold start, a standing start if you will… .on the heels of the devastating strikes delivered by terrorists groups, this weak, corrupt West we face now will be defeated. The West is chasing Al Qaeda and Bin Laden, they have few forces in place and no warning!” he returned to his seat. All eyes turned to the Premier who was nodding slowly. The Premier took a deep breath.
“A vote then, all for the plan” pausing he looked at each of the members
“Raise your hands”. His own was foremost, quickly followed by the Defence Minister and Marshal Lo Chang. After a minute there were only three dissenters, all three cast their eyes down at the table top in front of them. Ignoring them, the Premier stated.
“Carried”. He rose and approached Serge and Peridenko “My congratulations on an innovative plan comrade”.
Serge shook his head