Beyond the Shield

by Nachman Kataczinsky

  “We continue to look for Hans Kammler but I have to warn all present that we will have to continuously guard our nuclear secrets.

  “The Swiss banker who refused to cooperate with us agreed to do so after the Institute exploded. He’s still running the bank but we have full access and will use it to repatriate all the assets taken from Jews.”

  ***

  Yaron Weizmann, the Israeli Ambassador to the Kingdom of Jordan, was seated in an overstuffed armchair opposite the King. He sipped from his cup of coffee. “Your Majesty, we realize that your neighbor Ibn Saud is in a bit of trouble. He lost huge amounts of money when oil prices collapsed and he can’t pay his army. But this is not a reason for you to attack him.”

  “On the contrary. I think this is a perfect time. I have no idea how long the oil slump will last, and in the meantime he’s defenseless against the Royal Jordanian Army. The Americans have barely a presence there and the whole kingdom will be easy pickings.”

  “True, but are you prepared for a prolonged war and possible American involvement? Our intelligence is that while you could defeat the Saudi army quite handily, after that you will have to contend with uprisings by his client tribes. Your army isn’t large enough to intimidate them into submission.”

  “You’re absolutely correct, Ambassador. The thing is that I don’t need to intimidate them or even conquer them. If I topple Ibn Saud, take the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and a swatch of land between my current border and the two cities, I will be the ruler of the most important part of Arabia. In time I will pacify the rest of it.”

  Ambassador Yaron Weizmann thought for a long while. Finally he said, “I know that my government is wary of military adventures of the kind you’re proposing. There may be a better way. What do you think of putting your son Prince Naif bin Al-Abdullah on the Syrian throne?”

  Abdullah eyebrows climbed up. “Is this possible? Won’t it entail a war even worse than if I try to take over the Arabian Peninsula?”

  “It could get complicated but it may be possible to arrange for it to happen. The republican factions in Syria are fighting each other. They are superficially united to get the British and French out. That will end as soon as the colonial powers leave, which the French are already preparing to do. We know all the players, both minor and major, and dislike them all. We can persuade one of the large Syrian factions to support a friendly ruler as king. They are open to the idea of a constitutional monarchy.”

  Abdullah was silent for several minutes. Finally he said, “What is your interest in this?”

  “It’s really very simple. As I said, we know the Syrian factions. They will end up fighting each other. In our time, a dictator won out and attacked us.”

  “What do you care? You can defeat them without lifting a finger. So destroy them if they attack.”

  “Would you have us kill all Syrians?”

  “You don’t have to kill them all, just the leadership.”

  “And how long would it take new leaders to take revenge on us? There would be no end. Arranging for Syria to have leadership that is friendly to us and slowly getting the population used to the idea of being friends with Jews seems like a much better idea.

  “By the way, we already see some changes in your kingdom. With religious leaders not spewing venom against us, relations should stay on an even keel for many years to come.”

  “This is to my advantage also, but I will need more assistance to make the people peaceful. I am worried about the British and French machinations and the Americans’ influence in the Arabian Peninsula.”

  “We’re also watchful of the colonial powers. All three are interested in the Middle East only because of its oil reserves. If the price of oil falls low enough they will lose interest. Left to our own devices we will manage just fine.”

  “True, but how do you drop the price of oil?”

  “We already have. Our oil companies discovered huge reserves. We are exporting oil at a price that neither the British nor the Americans can match. Our output is growing and in a couple of years will be more than the combined output of the British and American interests in this region. I expect that they will try pressuring us to raise the price.”

  “And will you?” Abdullah inquired.

  “I don’t think so. We are negotiating to supply oil to them so they will become our allies. Our aims are political, not economic. We want them to leave us in peace and leave this region to its inhabitants. Of course, there’s a strategic aspect to oil. Countries want a secure source to supply their energy needs. We’ll see how this develops. Hopefully with a cheap, steady and secure supply no one will worry about strategic problems. At least not for a long time.”

  ***

  “Gentlemen, I have some bad news and some good news.” Nitzan Liebler, the Defense Minister paused. “I guess I’ll give you the bad news first: We decided to scale back our tank manufacturing program. We will go back to our original one tank per week schedule.”

  The bosses of the big companies looked at each other. Ze’ev Hirshson of Consolidated and Itamar Herz of the Israel Aircraft Industries said nothing. The Chairman of the Military Industries looked upset. The commander of the Engineering Corps said nothing.

  The Defense Minister continued. “Now the good news. We need large numbers of four wheel drive vehicles. We’ll also start building our own helicopters and transport planes and restart the development of our own jet fighter.

  “The companies represented here have some knowhow in most of these areas but will need partners. We will distribute basic specifications for the equipment we need and give you a couple of months to respond.”

  Itamar Herz, president of IAI, raised his hand. “Jets and cargo planes we know. It will take us a while but we can restart the Arye fighter program. We can copy cargo and passenger jets. I have doubts about helicopters. Our knowhow is limited to maintenance. How soon do you want a working model?”

  “As soon as you can make one. We have no set timetable.

  “Maybe I should explain where the need is. We are expanding into a parallel Earth - call it Earth 2. It is mostly identical to our Earth with the keyword being ‘mostly’. We need to explore it and be able to move quickly. The government will lay claim to some areas and leave the rest to private enterprise.”

  Herz nodded. “Dr. Hirshson and I were discussing this before the meeting. I think that Israel Aircraft Industries would be interested in setting up facilities on Earth 2. We have a surveying party out and they will, hopefully, find an appropriate site. We might partner with Consolidated in developing the area.”

  The Israel Military Industries’ chairman perked up. “I’ll have to obtain my board’s approval, but we will likely want to join you.”

  The Defense Minister smiled. “You have this Board member’s vote.”

  Ze’ev nodded. “This is all well and good, but we have a problem. The government decided at an early stage that Israel 2 has to be kept empty so that we can move there in a hurry if the need arises. That creates a hardship. We build on sites outside our current borders. This means a long commute over undeveloped land. Building on Earth 2 next to our current locations in Israel it would make everything so much easier.”

  Nitzan Liebler smiled. “I’m sure you have an idea that will solve both the need for a short commute and the government’s restrictions.”

  “Yes, it’s simple. We open up Earth 3 and reserve it for the state. We develop the industries that need more space on Earth 2. Completely private, no government investment at all. If the state has move to Earth 3, Earth 2 will be ready to support it. We will soon have massive amounts of goods flowing through the gates from Earth 2. This traffic can easily go to Earth 3, solving our emergency supply problems.”

  Liebler nodded. “I’ll bring it up at the next cabinet meeting. I doubt you will get a private planet all to yourself. The State of Israel will probably retain control.”

  Chapter 19

  April 1944

  “Wolf, w
hat plans do you have for after your army service?” Ze’ev smiled. “Did you think of taking a job?”

  “My army service will end in six months. Afterwards I want to go to college.”

  They were sitting in Ze’ev’s study at home, after a family Sabbath dinner.

  “Yes, college is a good idea. What do you plan on studying?”

  “I’m undecided between electrical or mechanical engineering.”

  “Engineering is good. Plenty of interesting jobs. The Technion offers a degree in industrial management. Have you consider that?”

  Wolf shook his head. “I didn’t. I have some ‘management’ experience as an officer but never thought of it as a career.”

  “Yes, I know how that works. Which engineering schools are you considering?”

  “A year ago I thought I’d like to attend the Technion. Now things are more complicated. We haven’t announced it yet, but Sheina and I are going to get married as soon as I’m out of the army. As you know, she’s studying computer science at BGU in Beer Sheva. She’s agreeable to transfer to the Technion, which might work out, although there are difficulties.”

  “Yes, my alma mater is difficult to get into. They have high admission standards and make it hard to transfer credits from other schools even if you are accepted. Difficult but not impossible, especially for students that are at the top of their class.

  “Excuse me for the direct question - How do you plan on paying for college?”

  “You’re not the first one in the family to ask this question. My parents offered to help. I plan on getting a part-time job to pay the rest.”

  “Unless you’re a lot more gifted than most people, you will have problems working during the first two years. At the Technion they keep you extremely busy and if you screw up you’re out.

  “What about Sheina? She’s graduating next year, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, but we want to start a family.”

  Sheina entered the room at that point. “Mind if I join you, or are you two discussing secrets?”

  Ze’ev smiled. “Please, come in. I was just going to look for you anyway. We were discussing what you and Wolf are planning.

  “I have a proposition that might make life easier for you. Last year Consolidated started a scholarship program funding studies at the Technion, including tuition and living expenses. The company needs engineers and managers. Your grades must be in the top half of your class and you have to sign up for four years of employment with us after graduation.”

  “What if we decide to stay in Beer Sheva, next to family?” Sheina asked.

  “We will think of something,” Ze’ev responded.

  ***

  The Prime Minister opened the weekly Cabinet meeting by summarizing the agenda.

  “As you all know we approved several government-owned corporations expanding their facilities on Earth 2. Since the approval, many private companies have joined in and we now have a sizeable industrial infrastructure in close proximity to the Israel 2. The Israel Electric Corporation concluded that a Mediterranean to Dead Sea canal to generate hydroelectric power is feasible there. Israel Chemicals objects because it might elevate the level of the Dead Sea and reduce their profits. Our experts disagree. I recommend that we allow the construction of a second hydroelectric plant on Earth 2. The project will be funded by private investors and will sell electricity on every Earth.”

  The Foreign Minister waved a hand. “How should we respond to questions from foreign governments about Earth 2?”

  The Defense Minister responded, “The same way we respond to questions about nuclear weapons.”

  “But no one asked about nuclear weapons,” the Foreign Minister responded.

  “Exactly. The only way a foreign government will become aware of the other Earth is by spying and I doubt that they will ask questions,” responded the Defense Minister.

  The Prime Minister added, “If they do ask, we should, in my opinion, ask for clarifications. For the time being the whole thing is classified. There are several thousand people who know the truth and eventually, with the growth of employment there, the secret will leak out. We will deal with it when it does.

  “Going back to my summary, our relations with the big powers are reasonably good. Both the Americans and the British are complaining about the low price of oil. There are others who are quite happy about the low price, including all the other European countries.

  “We hinted to both the British and French that it may be to their advantage to clear out of the Middle East. The French are likely to get out of Syria very soon. The British say they will leave but are dragging their feet. They don’t want to abandon their empire.”

  The Infrastructure Minister asked, “Can you update us on the situation in Russia?”

  The Foreign Minister responded, “Lots of things are happening there. Nothing we haven’t seen before. Ukraine and Belarus declared independence, as did most of the republics that don’t belong to the Russian Federation.

  “Up to this point the Soviet Union has fractured along the same stress lines as in our timeline. One difference seems to be that the NKVD and the Communists are much less popular here and now. In our timeline the people got used to them whereas here their rule was much shorter and people remember both Stalin’s atrocities and the relative freedom of Kerensky’s government. There’s still fighting so it’s difficult to say how it will settle out.

  “The Russian situation has repercussions in China. In our timeline Mao received help - arms and military advice – from the Soviets. Mao parted ways with Stalin quickly, but in this timeline Stalin disappeared before the Chinese Communists received much assistance. The same is true about the Chinese Nationalists who got arms from Stalin to fight the Japanese. The Nationalists are still being supported by the U.S. We will see how this develops.

  “One thing that didn’t happen here is the French attempt to re-take Indochina. They probably read some of the uptime history books and decided against it. So no U.S. involvement and no Vietnam War in the future. On the other hand, without Soviet or Chinese support there may be no Communist Vietnam to fight.”

  “We started supplying Jordan with water from Earth 2 and are building a desalination plant in Aqaba. This should strengthen Abdullah and make our alliance stronger. If the Brits and Americans get out of the region, we hope to build stable alliances and avoid most of the grief in our timeline.”

  ***

  Michella spent the last week mostly on the beach in Tel Aviv with her friend, and maybe future husband, Zohar Kimmel, known to the Germans and Swiss as Karl Merkel.

  “Michella, do you want me to re-apply your sunscreen?” Zohar asked. “If not can you re-apply mine.”

  Michella knelt beside Zohar with a tube of sunscreen. “I was meaning to tell you that I’m not going back to the office. I was offered a job that is very interesting and decided to take it.”

  Zohar turned his head trying to see her from his belly down position on the sand. “What kind of job?”

  “Head of intelligence for the Portal Corporation. I can’t wait to start. Exploring a new planet and maybe eventually settling in the wilderness on Earth 2.”

  Zohar rolled over on his back. “Must be a well-paying job for you to abandon all the excitement of the service.”

  Michella Stern smiled. “It does pay very well, and I’m getting tired of the kind of excitement we get at the office. Aren’t you?”

  She got down on the blanket and snuggled up to Zohar.

  “Will we continue dating?” Zohar asked.

  “If we want to. I’ll be spending most of my time just twenty steps from the gate in Herzliya, so nothing will change unless you move far away.”

  “So you’re planning to go exploring the wilderness on the other side?” Zohar inquired.

  “That’s one of the perks of the job. I will also be able to claim some land as my own. I’m going there tomorrow and will take a week to travel and see the sights. Want to join me?”

&nbs
p; Chapter 20

  August 1948

  Jacob Hirshson woke with a start. It was very early; the light outside was grey. He took a couple of seconds to orient himself, and finally figured out that the baby was crying. Jacob promised Esther that he would take care of the second child so it was his turn to get up and see what was wrong. He extricated himself from his wife’s embrace, careful not to wake her, and went to the next room. The baby was sound asleep - a false alarm of his imagination. Since he was up already Jacob checked on their toddler daughter. She was also asleep.

  By now he was wide awake and decided to do some work. There was a lot to do. Uncle Chaim was still running the surveying company and had ideas of expanding into construction. Jacob had doubts but needed to review the business plan before deciding. His main business, Hirshson Computers, was prospering but needed a lot of attention. The main issue was quality control. Hirshson Computers commanded an above average price that was justified by performance and quality. His other concern was marketing, or rather not doing too much of it. Hirshson was the largest personal computer company in the world and he had to be careful not to sell more than he could deliver.

  At 6:30 a.m. Jacob heard the alarm clock go off in the master bedroom. Esther emerged a little later.

  “How early did you get up?” she asked.

  “At five. Leo woke me but went right back to sleep.”

  Esther nodded. “Yes, Mira used to do that too sometimes. Well, I’ll get ready to go.” She was a year away from graduating from the Ben Gurion University Medical School in Refidim and was busy.

  Jacob got up from his desk. “I’ll start getting ready as well. Gina should be here soon.”

  Gina was their baby-sitter/housekeeper. She took care of the children and supervised the cleaning lady and cook. Esther’s parents considered her family - She had been their next door neighbor in the old country. Now in her mid-sixties, with grown children living in Refidim, she enjoyed being their housekeeper.