Beyond the Shield

by Nachman Kataczinsky

  The deputy manager of the Israel Electric Corporation was the first to speak up. “I can see why the oil and gas industry may be interested but why do you think we would want to operate there?”

  “Actually, I’m sure that when your management team digests the information they will be the first to rush in. As of now you are making a modest profit but it’s mostly the result of no longer having to supply free power to the Palestinians. Your margins are low because of the cost of fuel and the interest you’re paying on capital investments. Even when the supply of natural gas from the platforms on top of the Leviathan field is resumed your costs will be higher than if the power generation was done in Iraq or Kuwait, right on top of gas sources on solid ground.

  “You’re using emergency gas turbines to keep up with demand. It’s both wasteful and expensive. Our population is growing and will reach close to twenty million in a couple of years. You will have to build new power stations very soon. The question is where? It will be much more efficient to have power transmission lines going from Iraq than ship the fuel to stations in Israel.”

  “But we have no option to build power stations in Iraq!” The representative exclaimed.

  “I apologize for not being clear. I was talking about Iraq 2. The equivalent place in our new domain.”

  “But how do we transfer power between universes?”

  Ze’ev smiled. “The same way you transfer it now: by cable. The same way we are powering this auditorium.”

  The auditorium exploded with noise as everyone began talking. Finally Ze’ev used his mike to quiet them down. “I see that you’re surprised. Please take a look.” He gestured and one of his assistants opened the doors on the west side of the room. The view was a green plain gently sloping towards the Mediterranean.

  The CEO of a food processing business asked, “Apparently the climate there is not as hot and dry as here?”

  “Generally, that is correct but the reality is a bit more complicated than is apparent just looking out these doors. For reasons that will be explained to those of you who sign the contract and the secrecy agreement, settlements will be built outside the borders of the current State of Israel. The best close place for agricultural communities in this domain is in Mesopotamia – in other words Iraq. There’s plenty of water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the soil is fertile and unspoiled by thousands of years of primitive agriculture. The agronomists who examined the area told us that several thousand farmers can feed more people that we expect to live in Israel for the next thirty years. Provided of course that they use modern techniques and machinery. Combine this with all the auxiliary services they will need and position them close enough to the oil fields and we have the makings of a large settlement.”

  “How soon can we start moving people there?” asked a petite redhead. She was the Secretary General of a kibbutz in the Negev that had been scratching out a meager living from the desert for many years. By now the kibbutz had several successful industrial ventures but a sizeable percentage of members would be happy to revert to agriculture.

  Ze’ev yielded the lectern to the CEO of Second Domain Oil. “We have been drilling in the area for three months and have several operational oil and gas wells. Our partners are laying a pipe line to a terminal on the Israeli border as fast as they can. We’re also working on the construction of our first refinery. The infrastructure is being developed very fast, mainly to support our own operations although it’s suitable for other uses. Maybe I’ll let our main construction subcontractor explain.”

  Another man came to the lectern and switched on an overhead projector with maps and aerial photographs. “Our company will be ready to start construction of villages, roads, and other infrastructure in about six to nine months, assuming everything goes according to plan. We will construct wherever our customers want. All work will have to be paid for by the customers, although I understand that there are government guaranteed loans available to both individuals and groups.”

  “Do we have to use your services?” the kibbutz secretary asked.

  Ze’ev came back to the lectern to answer the question. “You can use any construction company you like, provided they sign our contract.”

  The president of a large furniture maker had a question. “I am familiar with the concept that an armed society guarantees freedom but isn’t it going too far to remove all limits on gun ownership?”

  Ze’ev expected a question like that. “The short answer is no, it’s not going too far. As it is now we have very wide gun ownership, including all the people serving in the reserves who bring their weapons home on leave. Here we will have a society of people that have been carefully screened. I see no downside. There is a significant upside. You will be crossing into a world that has a lot of wildlife, mostly identical to ours and with lots of predators. You remember the Biblical stories, like Samson killing a lion? Well, there are plenty of lions, tigers, wild boar and other predators. They are much more dangerous than they were here in Biblical times. They have never encountered a human being and don’t have an ingrained fear of us. To a lion you just look like a tasty morsel. If you’re not armed your life expectancy may be very short. This is not to say that you’ll see lions coming into a factory, but, like in some areas of the U.S. and Russia where bears come into settlements, you might encounter a lion or tiger on a street.”

  ***

  Sir Thomas Harvey, the British ambassador to Israel, was patiently waiting to be invited into the Foreign Minister’s inner office. Two years ago he would have fumed and complained but now he just sat and waited. Britain was an ally of Israel and he had come to understand that it would be extremely foolish to alienate this ally.

  Finally the receptionist said, “Mr. Ambassador, the Foreign Minister can see you now.”

  The Foreign Minister shook hands with Harvey and invited him to sit on a couch in the corner of his office. “Would you like something to drink?”

  Harvey used this question to mildly hint at the twenty minute wait. “Thank you, but I already had two cups of tea.”

  The Foreign Minister ignored the dig. “I’m glad that my staff took care of you while I was busy. What can I do for you today?”

  “I would like to clarify a couple of questions for His Majesty’s Government. We understand that you offered King Abdullah of Jordan military assistance. What are your aims?”

  “I wasn’t aware that we are required to explain the aims and means of our foreign policy. According to your agreements with King Abdullah he was obligated to inform you. Didn’t he do so?”

  “He did, but his report was vague. Whether it was so on purpose or just the result of his not knowing all the details is uncertain. Can you shed more light on this?”

  “Let me start from the beginning so we have a some context. As you know the Arab Legion - which is another name for the Jordanian armed forces - was organized, armed, and trained by Britain starting in 1920. By 1939 it was a force of more than 6000 troops, including armored cars, mortars and artillery. John Bagot Glubb commanded the force beginning in 1939. He was also their commander during our war of Independence in 1948-49. Under British command and with British encouragement the Arab Legion burned Jewish villages, executed some of the Jews living there, destroyed every Jewish synagogue in the old city of Jerusalem and either killed or expelled the Jewish population in a number of areas. Britain also turned over its forts and police stations to the Arabs in contravention to its obligations under the Mandate for Palestine.”

  “Yes, Minister. I know the history, although there’s always another side to the story.”

  The Foreign Minister leaned towards the British Ambassador and said, “Mr. Harvey, murder is murder. The modern term for what the Arab Legion did, with British support, is ‘ethnic cleansing’.

  “But let me continue. We found Mr. Glubb in command of the Arab Legion here and now. We could not condone the force being trained and groomed for anti-Jewish activity. We asked the British Foreign Office to remove
him and other like-minded officers and to initiate a training program that would result in a literate armed force less likely to commit mindless acts of genocide. You know of these communications since some of them went through you and you were copied on the rest.”

  “That’s true. But Britain is a sovereign country and is free to act as it chooses in its domains.”

  The Foreign Minister smiled a humorless smile. “That is true indeed but Britain is also an ally of Israel, which is also a sovereign country free to act as it chooses.

  “Since your government chose not to act, we decided to defend our vital interests in the region. Since Britain recognized Abdullah as King of Jordan he was free to sign agreements with foreign powers. We offered him a deal: we will arm and train his army and personal bodyguard. In return he agreed to get rid of the British trainers and accept our methods.

  “For some reason” - the Foreign Minister’s voice carried clear irony – “the king believed we would be both a more reliable and a much stronger ally than Britain. You see, he also read some of the future history books. Not being stupid he realized we had a great interest in keeping his kingdom safe and stable and the ability to do so, which could not be said for Britain.

  “The Royal Jordanian Army we are creating will not be inherently hostile to us and will be able to defend Jordan from foreign threats. Does His Majesty’s Government have a problem with that?”

  “I can’t answer that question. I will transmit your remarks to my government. They will certainly appreciate the clarification.

  “Could you elaborate on your plans - the weapons you are giving Abdullah or anything else that might be of interest?”

  “No, I don’t think that we need to keep you informed on our plans and progress. I’m sure that His Majesty’s Government has its own means of finding out what it needs to know.

  “Are there any other matters you wished to discuss?”

  “As you know, the price of oil has been dropping for the past month or so. This is becoming a problem for our oil companies. If the price drops by more than an additional 10%, they will start losing money. According to our information the drop in price is caused by two of your companies selling oil below costs. His Majesty’s Government would like to arrive at an agreement regarding this issue.”

  “I understand the problem your oil producers are experiencing but I see no reason to involve our governments. Maybe your oil producers should talk to ours directly to find out how they can improve their efficiency. As far as my government is concerned this is a private business matter.”

  ***

  Hans Paulus walked slowly along one of the paved trails in the Australian Soldiers Park of Beer Sheva - a nice place to take a stroll and mostly empty this time of day. He took a seat on one of the benches in the center of the park and, after carefully looking around, placed a plastic bag with some papers in a trashcan to his right. He sat there for another minute, got up, put a pebble on the bench and walked back to his apartment.

  Hans was relived. This was his last delivery, marked as such on the front cover. He had copied more than a hundred pages for Rudolph Gerzitz. Hopefully they were delivered to the right people. His job was done.

  A couple of minutes after Hans left, a casually dressed older man walked by the trash can. He extracted Hans’s package and replaced it with a similar looking one, also containing printed pages.

  Half an hour later the Third Secretary of the German Embassy walked by. On seeing the pebble he approached the trash can and removed the plastic bag with its papers. He also placed the stone back on the ground.

  ***

  “Hi, Jacob. Haven’t seen you in a long time. How are things going?” Ze’ev looked around the spacious, sparsely furnished office.

  “Things are both better and worse than I expected. We are selling computers at a rate that exceeds our ability to assemble them. That’s our problem.”

  “Your company is doing well. ‘Hirshson Computers’ is among the largest computer manufacturers and still growing. So what specifically is bothering you?”

  “Will you accompany me for a quick tour of the facility?” Jacob responded.

  Half an hour later they were back in Jacob’s office.

  “You have seen my problem,” Jacob said. “We’re assembling computers not making them. Because of our size we get some customized parts from manufacturers and our name is on all components but we don’t make them.”

  “How much vertical integration do you want? Do you want to make your own processors? Motherboards?”

  “I would like to be able to make my own processors, but that would be stupid. I can’t compete with the likes of Intel and AMD. It is also impractical to make our own memory chips. It would be advantageous to design and make our own motherboards - expanding into memory for solid state drives at some point - and displays and printers.”

  Ze’ev smiled. “Be careful and don’t overreach. That leads to disaster.

  “So what is preventing you from setting up a motherboard manufacture?”

  Jacob fidgeted uncomfortably. “The problem is capital. I started this business with a couple of loans. Most of the money came from a bank and some from friends. I paid off the bank loan and still owe some money to a couple of old time friends. I can’t do the same with a motherboard assembly plant. The equipment is expensive and requires a significant investment up front.”

  It finally dawned on Ze’ev why Jacob had invited him. “I think that I can convince the board of Consolidated to either loan you the funds directly or guarantee such a loan.” He saw Jacob start shaking his head. “But it will not be free.”

  Jacob stopped the negative head shake and looked thoughtful. “What would be your terms?”

  “How much money do you need to set up this factory?”

  Jacob pulled out a spreadsheet. “The assembly line and prep equipment cost about five million shekels. We can lease the rest of this building and install the air filtration equipment. Because of the dusty conditions the cost of that will be approximately four million shekels.”

  “There are several ways to do this. I estimate that your company will be worth about fifty million in five years. I’m also sure that you are underestimating your startup costs. In any case, I think that Consolidated will make a good deal buying 10% of your company now for five million. Just so you know, I own all of Consolidated and on my death Chaim gets 51% equity, with the rest equally divided between my other children.

  “I could also arrange to give you a loan or guarantee a bank loan. The disadvantage of that is loans have to be paid off on schedule, with interest. You’d be in a much better position with Consolidated as a 10% partner.”

  “Only if I can buy back my shares at any time,” Jacob responded. “What bothers me is interference from my partner.”

  “Not for 10% of fifty or even a hundred million. Consolidated has sales of about 500 million shekels and it will be ten times as much in a couple of years. I could just give you the money but I know you won’t accept a handout.”

  “That’s true. Okay. I will sell you 10% of my company. I’ll tell my lawyer to prepare the papers. Thank you very much. Maybe now Esther will agree to set a date for our wedding.”

  Ze’ev didn’t even try to suppress the laugh. “Good luck. She’s very stubborn and I doubt that the state of your finances will influence her decision. But keep trying. In my past you out-stubborned her.

  “To change the subject, I am setting up a new company, the Portal Corporation. It will develop, manufacture, set up, and manage portals to alternate universes. I would like you to be on the board, possibly an executive board member, time allowing.”

  “Chaim mentioned this portal business a while ago, as did Omer Toledano, your chief of research, but I thought this was all theory. I know nothing about it and doubt that I can be of any use.”

  “You will be surprised what you can do. You have the distinction of being a successful business owner, a family member, and intimately familiar with
the psychology of the here and now as well as with modern technology and thinking. Your input would be important and on some issues critical.”

  ***

  The chief of the European desk assembled his senior staff for an urgent meeting. The Mossad needed to act quickly.

  “Several weeks ago we discovered a Nazi plot to develop a nuclear bomb in Switzerland, of all places. We have two agents inside the facility. We’re feeding the scientists there false data. We need to stop this activity once and for all. The only way to do this is to shut down their funding and eliminate the source.

  “Our people know that the money is transferred to a private bank in Zug, Switzerland. We need to discover where it’s coming from. Any ideas?”

  The communications expert raised his hand. “It will be easy to tap into their phone and telex lines. That way we can catch the next wire transfer. Assuming we can decrypt it.”

  One of the cryptologists smiled. “That’s easy. Give me the telex or teletype and I’ll decrypt it in five minutes on my laptop.”

  The chief raised an eyebrow. “It can’t be that easy. The Swiss banks are supposed to be secure.”

  “So they are,” the cryptologist responded, “but we know the algorithm they’re using. If I know the date of the transmission and have access to our historical archives I may be able to do it in less than a minute.”

  The historian of the team had been busy on his laptop. Now he spoke up. “According to the records the Beerli bank accepted a shipment of gold in 1942 - a small shipment from Goering. At that time in our timeline Goering wasn’t in a great hurry to move his stolen riches to Switzerland. He might have transferred more in this timeline.”

  The chief nodded. “That may be very useful. Can we find out the amounts, the account number and the password for the account?”

  “In our original timeline the shipment was accompanied by Goering’s assistant, one Dr. Friedrich Goernnert. I would assume that he was also the one to do it this time. We find him, we find all the information.”