"Yes, sir. He claims that the purpose of the President's cabinet is to not only administer the government but to advise the President," Patrick said. "He claims it's the way our government was set up. He thinks bureaucrats like national security advisers distort and politicize the decisionmaking process."
"What do you think of that?"
"I think any leader, especially the leader of the free world in the twenty-first century, needs all the advisers he can get," Patrick replied. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at Martindale carefully. "Why?"
"Because your name was being bandied about as being on the President's list for national security adviser." Patrick stopped and looked at Martindale in complete surprise. "He's putting together his reelection campaign, and the word is that folks would be more comfortable with him in a second term if he had a more identifiable, complete set of advisers-national security adviser being the number-one pick. That, it appears, is you."
"Me? That's insane!" Patrick retorted.
"Why insane?" Martindale asked. "After you put together and then commanded that Air National Guard EB-1C Vampire unit over United Korea, you're one of the most popular and well-known military guys out there. Some folks equate you with Jimmy Doolittle putting together the Tokyo air raids in World War Two, or with Colin Powell. The guys who have access can look at your record and just be amazed and awestruck at the stuff you've done. Plus, you have one more advantage."
"What's that?"
"You're not Brad Elliott," Martindale said with a smile. "They look at what you and your team did over Russia and Romania in the Kazakov incident, over Korea, over China, over Lithuania, and all the other secret missions you've been involved in over the years, and they realize that you were fighting for your people-that shows pride, determination, and tenacity. Brad Elliott didn't fight for his people-Brad Elliott gladly sacrificed his people to do whatever he wanted. They know where you're coming from. Thorn likes that. I know you disagree with Thorn on military policy… "
"'Disagree'? It goes way beyond 'disagree,' Mr. President! Thorn was the one who had me involuntarily retired from the Air Force! Thorn ordered my wife and son arrested by the FBI, and his Justice Department has got agents watching and listening in on Sky Masters Inc. night and day. Thorn and I have absolutely nothing in common except loathing for each other."
"In case you haven't noticed, Thorn likes surrounding himself with advisers that disagree with him," Martindale said. "In fact, I can't think of one person in his entire administration that thinks like him or is even remotely simpatico with his throwback Jeffersonian ideology. Even his close friend Robert Goff and he constantly butt heads."
"I'd work with Goff, Kercheval, or even Busick any day," Patrick said. "But there is no way in hell I'd ever serve under Thorn."
"Why?"
"We don't just disagree-I feel his views of the military and America's role in the world suck," Patrick said. "America has the moral wisdom to use its military forces to protect peace and freedom around the world. This 'stick-yourhead-in-the-sand' attitude is causing widespread uncertainty in the world, and scumbags like Pavel Kazakov are crawling out of the woodwork and taking advantage of it."
"Then why wouldn't you go to the White House and tell Thorn what you think?"
"Because you can't talk to guys like Thorn. He's a fanatic, an extremist ideologue. I'd be arguing real-world situations and alternatives to crises that require fast responses, and he'd be quoting Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. No, thanks."
"You would decline to accept the nomination?"
"Loudly and publicly," Patrick said finally.
Martindale nodded. "Good. You're the heart of this team, Patrick-I hope you know that," he said sincerely. "We'd exist without you, but we wouldn't be the samenot nearly as dedicated, not nearly as hard-charging. I'd move heaven and earth to keep you here."
"Thank you, sir," Patrick said. "That means a lot."
Patrick and Hal followed Martindale into a secure conference room in the main headquarters building of the Sky Masters Inc. campus, a large industrial and research center in what was the old Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas, now called the Arkansas International Jetport. They warmly greeted Patrick's brother Paul, one of the first members of the Night Stalkers and the most experienced Tin Man battle armor user, along with Chris Wohl, a retired Marine Corps master sergeant and Hal Briggs's longtime partner. Martindale took his place at the apex of the conference table while Patrick secured the room, then motioned for Chris Wohl to begin:
"We are closely monitoring developments on the border between Libya and Egypt," Wohl began. "Libya has recently sent several thousand troops to the Sudan, on Egypt's southern border, supposedly to support the president of the Sudan against rebel insurgents that are using Chad as a safe haven. However, the insurgency was crushed last year, and Libyan forces remain deployed in three Sudanese bases-all within a day's armored vehicle march of five major Egyptian oil fields. Egypt has reinforced its armed forces in the region and maintains a rough parity with Libyan forces."
"So Libya wants to take Egypt's oil fields?"
"That's nothing new," Martindale said, "although they've preferred in the past to try to form a partnership with Egypt in developing its oil reserves. However, Egypt wants to form a consortium with some Western oil companies to tap its oil fields."
"Lots more money that way, I'd guess," Briggs offered.
"Exactly right-and Exxon Mobil and Shell don't bring troops with them to the contract-signing ceremonies," Martindale said. "The consortium wants to build a fourhundred-and-sixty-mile-long pipeline from southern Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea capable of shipping two million barrels of crude per day, along with building refineries. It's a three-billion-dollar project that Libya desperately wants to get involved with."
"Doesn't Libya already export oil?" Paul McLanahan asked.
"Yes, but with U.S. sanctions still in place, they don't ship much to the West," Martindale replied. "The new president of Libya, who calls himself King Idris the Second, is even worse than Muammar Qadhafi. Idris, whose real name is Zuwayy, has reorganized the Muslim Brotherhood, the group of Muslim fanatics that seeks to make every Arabic-speaking nation in the world a theocracy governed and steered by strict fundamentalist doctrine. Libya, Sudan, and Yemen are solidly in his hip pocket; Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are leaning toward him; Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt so far oppose him."
"And the Muslim Brotherhood has been linked with the assassination of President Salaam of Egypt and his wife," Hal Briggs added. "Sounds like recruitment by intimidation to me. Join-or else."
"It looks like Zuwayy's going further than just assassination," Martindale said. "Sergeant Wohl?"
"Intelligence experts suspect that Libya has imported surface-to-surface missiles from someone-China, Pakistan, Russia, we don't know for sure yet-and has set up several bases from which to stage attacks into Egypt to destroy their military forces," Wohl went on. "The rumor is, the missiles have chemical, biological, and nuclear warheads, as well as conventional high-explosives. We have been tasked to find those missiles, identify them, and destroy them if possible."
"'Intelligence experts'?" Patrick asked suspiciously. "Who might they be, sir? I know we're not getting any cooperation from U.S. agencies."
Kevin Martindale looked at Patrick with a mixture of irritation and surprise in his features. "A group hired by the Central African Petroleum Partners," Martindale replied uneasily.
"You mean the oil consortium with a stake in the Egyptian oil fields?"