“There is still fighting going on in the city, sir.”
“Not much longer. It looks as if the Iranians are bottled up at the airport now, and the executing of citizens is finished once and for all.”
This man was a big tipper and always seemed to be a harbinger of useful information, so Karam started running the profit possibilities. Peace would mean a return of commerce to normal levels, and his family could benefit from that by getting an early start, bringing in fresh supplies and repair material. They could rent trucks, buy food elsewhere cheap, hire African immigrants for labor …
“Karam? Hello? My room?”
“Oh, pardon me. Of course, Mr. Swanson. Fortunately it escaped damage during the awful attack.”
“Believe it or not, I still have my key, since I did not have a chance to check out properly before the shooting started. I hope my suitcase is still in your left-luggage storage room, and I would like it sent up immediately. Also send up a medium steak, potatoes, and a salad, with a twenty-four-bottle carton of bottled water. A stack of fresh towels, too. Can you do that?”
“Yes. Of course. Welcome back, sir. May I ask your immediate plans?”
“Not very complicated, Karam. I’m going to shower until my skin falls off, eat a huge meal, and then sleep the rest of the day. I don’t want to be bothered.”
“Depend on it, sir. Have a good rest. Whatever you need, sir, just call me.”
In the distance, toward the airport, they heard the running thumps of exploding bombs and the whine of attacking jet planes. “What was that?”
“Just someone carrying on the good work, Karam.” Kyle rapped the desk with two knuckles and headed for the elevators. Those distant explosions meant the Egyptian military had finally gotten off its collective ass and decided to do something about the foreign interlopers. The only question was, would it be a prolonged fight to the death, or would reason take hold and things finish peacefully? The Iranians could not win, but they had to decide how they would lose.
He went to the suite, unlocked it, and stepped into a cool, clean area that seemed to be on a different planet. The Blue Neptune had been badly damaged, but if his guess was right, that little mercenary concierge, Karam, had made a small fortune in organizing rebuilding and repair. Now, at least in his suite, nothing seemed out of place. Even the little soaps and shampoo bottles were in a wicker basket, and colorful fresh flowers stood in glass vases. The broad window in the bedroom opened onto the harbor, and fresh air blew in. He took a deep breath, looking up as a lone helicopter flew along the coast, heading north: a Sikorsky SH-3 in Egyptian colors.
The Sea King chopper, adapted for executive transport, had cushioned seats and extra sound-absorbent padding around the cabin, easing the nerves of Brigadier General Mohammed Suliamin of the Egyptian general staff. The flight had departed Hurghada as soon as the MiG fighters returned and reported their total success. It was Suliamin’s job to negotiate a settlement. As the big bird approached in a wide circle, the pilot radioed for landing permission and advised that General Suliamin would be on the ground within five minutes to confer with the base commander. Permission was given, and the Sea King settled down near the control tower. The hatch opened, stairs were lowered, and Suliamin, looking fresh and rested in a crisp uniform, stepped onto the tarmac.
Brigadier General Medhi Khasrodad of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard walked out to meet him while the helicopter blades were still revolving, and the two officers formally exchanged salutes, then retreated into the darkness of the operations center, where a pot of hot tea and plates of warm breads were waiting. All maps had been removed and the radios turned off, and the two men were alone.
“How did you get yourself into such a mess, Medhi?” The two generals were on a first-name basis from having bumped into each other frequently during their respective careers, usually at conferences in foreign capitals.
Khasrodad shrugged his big shoulders. “Politicians, Mohammed.”
“As always,” replied the Egyptian. “Did they really think this would work, dropping you into Sharm on the hope that the Muslim Brotherhood would ride to the rescue?”
“I don’t know what was said in the halls of power. I guess they determined it was worth a try, to capitalize on Egypt’s ongoing political unrest and seize control of the Suez and the Red Sea ports. The Brotherhood was supposed to destroy the moderates and take over your government, and the Egyptian military would become a puppet that we would operate, an unpredictable knife on your border with Israel.”
“Preposterous. Our general staff doesn’t care who the president is. The generals will never give up power in Egypt.”
The Iranian agreed and poured some more tea. “So let’s get to business. What offer do you bring?”
General Suliamin did not open his briefcase. “First, admit that your military situation is hopeless. You have no heavy weapons, no airpower, no offshore naval support, no armored columns rushing to save you, no more ammo, food, or supplies. The Muslim Brotherhood realized it was not an army and is pulling back on all fronts, cushioning its extreme demands in hopes of gaining broader support for their candidates in a new round of elections. As you said, politicians.
“Meanwhile, I have all of those things I name, and more, not counting thousands of local citizens who would like to destroy every one of you. How many men do you have left, Medhi? About a thousand?”
Khasrodad sidestepped the question about troop numbers. “My men are highly trained, Mohammed. They are not some riffraff off the streets. We could fight a long and hard battle to the last man before you overran us.”
“I might point out it was riffraff from the streets of this little city that defeated your elite troopers. But why opt for a full battle when the result will be the same in the end? You are locked in place by the desert and the water, so we would just stand off and bomb the crap out of this place before ever having to move in ground troops. With a snap of my fingers, I can call in those pesky and deadly American drones to eradicate some final pockets of stiff resistance and simultaneously take pictures of your ignominious defeat. You might give us a bloody nose, General, but you have no hope of victory.”
“Are you demanding an unconditional surrender?” The Iranian sucked in a deep breath. “You want us to stack arms and parade in shame through the streets so old women can throw rotten fruit at my men? I will not allow that.”
“No, not at all. You have done some terrible things here, but we have no intention to make you and your country lose face in the international arena, brother, for we are of the same region. Our countries are bound through antiquity, and we will undoubtedly share common interests in the future. Right now, we just want you gone.”
“So, how?”
“The same way you came in, by air. Egyptian aircraft will take you back to Tehran. Leave behind your guns.”
“The runway is useless.”
“I can have engineers and heavy equipment here to repair that within a day.” General Suliamin paused. “The one final thing is that, regretfully, you must stay behind as my prisoner, the man who led the invasion. You will be treated honorably and eventually repatriated back to Iran.”
Khasrodad nodded, and a bitter smile crossed his face. “I understand. That’s fair enough. I will recommend that my senior commanders in Tehran accept these terms, particularly that idea of following the UN request. Now I have something extra, my friend, something that will make this your lucky day. Instead of fighting to the death, I’m going to present you a gift.”
General Suliamin crossed his legs. “What kind of present?”
“I want you to take someone prisoner in addition to myself. The fool who planned the whole operation is a top intelligence officer by the name of Colonel Yahya Ali Naqdi, who has been organizing this for months, if not years. He operates out of Cairo but flew in yesterday to bother us. The public executions were his idea. You don’t have to treat him with any honor whatsoever as far as I am concerned. In fact, I almost shot him myself yesterday. You can now do it for me.”