by Dale Brown
brother-in-law and Secretary of Defense Preston. "What do you think,
Thomas?" the President asked. "What's Cheung up to?"
"I think it is fairly obvious, Mr. President, that he intends to use
this episode to fortify his position in the Philippines and fill the
void created by our departure, " Preston replied. "He's created a
substantial resupply line from China to the Philippines that we might
find impossible to break, and he's found a way to get the government to
offer him basing facilities and local support. We may never be able to
shake him loose if he manages to consolidate all his gains."
"So we have no military options?"
"We have many military options, sir, " Preston replied, "but it'll mean
a serious escalation of our military commitment. Cheung has both the
military power and at least the appearance of legitimacy-that's an
unbeatable combination no matter how you look at it. If we want to
counteract the advantage he has, we have to risk stepping up to the
brink of a superpower war. "We'll wait to hear what the ASEAN has to
say, " the President said finally. "If they vote to condemn the
Chinese, world opinion will start to turn away from them-we can add our
evidence of the Chinese firing that nuclear missile if we can get
someone to confirm that Sky Masters data. Cheung won't have any choice
but to back down then." To the Defense Secretary the President asked,
"But in case they won't back down, Thomas, what can we do then?"
"Mr. President, this may be more of a political decision to make with
Dennis Danahall and the Congressional leadership, but I see the Chinese
as a serious military threat to our national interests in the region, "
Preston replied. "If they take the Philippines, they can militarily and
economically threaten every other Pacific Rim nation. We'll have no
choice but to build up our own military forces in the region to
counterbalance them. We must act."
"So what do we do?" the President asked. "Are you considering sending
in the Marines or this Air Battle Force thing?" Preston considered the
question for a moment, then replied. "Yes, sir-in limited numbers and
in total secrecy. General Curtis mentioned the equipment installed on
Brad Elliott's experimental planes-that may be a good place to start.
Sending the entire Air Battle Force would be difficult to keep secret,
but sending three or four aircraft would be a simple matter. I
recommend approving the STRATFOR's plan to deploy the PACER SKYequipped
combat aircraft as soon as possible." The President's eyes glanced over
to his brother-in-law, Benson, who was enthusiastically nodding his
agreement; Secretary of State Danahall looked grim and undecided, but
eventually gave a slight nod. "Approved, Thomas, " the President said.
"Keep it quiet. 1 want those planes kept under wrap until I decide to
tell the world they're there." He paused, rubbing his eyes wearily,
then added, "And I hope to hell we get some good news from Ambassador
O'Day in Singapore." ASEAN HEADQUARTERS CONFERENCE HALL, SINGAPORE
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 1994, 0821 HOURS LOCAL (29 SEPTEMBER, 2121
WASHINGTON TIME) The emergency meeting of the Association of South East
Asian Nations began shortly after the first of five daily prayers for
its Moslem members; the crier's call to prayer was played over the
building's public-address system, and a shining silver and crystal
chandelier on the right-hand wall of the conference center indicated the
direction of Mecca. Deborah O'Day, the United Nations ambassador from
the United States, had been reminded to stay in the ladies' room until
prayers were overwomen, even foreign nonbelieving women, were not
encouraged to be nearby during prayers. O'Day was familiar with most
aspects of Moslem life; she was especially versed on its feudalistic
treatment of women. In many ways ASEAN, where four of the seven member
nations were predominantly Islamic, was little more than an exclusive
all-male country club, their play interrupted occasionally by short
periods of more or less serious work and debate. Women performed the
usual secretarial duties and little more-except, of course, for the
courtesans who could be seen wandering the halls of the adjacent hotel
where most of the delegates and foreign ministers stayed. It was
important for these delegates to not look upon her as a woman, but a
representative of the United States government. She even went as far as
wearing a very male-cut outfit, with a double-breasted jacket, a long
ankle-length skirt that resembled a Muslim robe, and had even cut her
hair very short for this meeting. Anything to blend in was fair game.
The meeting got under way with the last series of short speeches
concerning the Chinese presence in the Philippines, and one by one the
delegates voiced their opposition to China sending so many troops and so
many warships to those islands. As expected, the delegation from the
Philippines urged restraint, patience, and understanding through these
troubled times. O'Day had not met the new ambassador from the
Philippines, knew nothing about him, and had not been granted an
appointment with him. The ASEAN executive council had immediately
credentialed him, however, so he had full authority to vote and debate
during the meeting: "The Philippines are in the process of enacting the
first meaningful, productive change in our nation's history, " the
Philippine ambassador said. "Our nation has been dominated by
foreigners almost since our inception . O'Day cocked an eyebrow. She
got the drift-the ambassador was obviously somebody's parrot. Well, she
sure as hell wasn't buying it. "Mr. Ambassador, let's cut to the chase,
shall we? Where is President Mikaso? Has he been assassinated? Taken
captive?"
"Silence, Ambassador O'Day, " the chairman of the executive council, the
ambassador from Indonesia, said. "You are not permitted to speak in
this forum.. She ignored him. "I would like proof that it was an
American weapon that detonatedoff your shores, as you claim. This
council has been given substantial evidence that it was a Chinese
warhead-"
"Lies, " Ambassador Perez spat. "I demand that this woman be removed
from our presence and that her government apologize for her insulting
behavior . "Sit up and take it like a man, Ambassador, " O'Day said
evenly. "After all, I'm only a woman. That was too much for the ASEAN
delegates; even the Brunei Crown Prince, who could not keep his
lascivious eyes off her and had nodded approval when she first spoke up,
shook his head. "Ambassador O'Day, you have been granted observer status
only, " the chairman said. "You are not permitted to speak. You will
not be warned again. Ambassador Perez, continue with your statement."
"Thank you. My country has been bled by the former regime's failed
economic policies and by American imperialism. The Chinese were victims
of rebel aggression as well. When they offered humanitarian aid after
the nuclear attack-a gesture that was not made by any other nation until
days later, including many nati
ons represented here-we also requested
assistance in quelling the well-armed and bloodthirsty rebels . "You
ought to write techno-thrillers, Mr. Perez, " the Crown Prince from
Brunei said with a laugh. "They are very popular in my country.
Unfortunately, your lies are not." Perez pressed on. "I urge my fellow
delegates to vote to disapprove sanctions against my country and to
follow continued relief and police efforts by the Chinese government. My
people beg for your help and understanding. Thank you." He turned and
gave O'Day a murderous glare, then stared straight ahead, waiting for
the Council's decision. "The resolution before the council would approve
full economic sanctions against the Republic of China and the
Philippines, " the chairman summarized, "and would restrict all trade
and commerce with China, and would authorize the Association to
implement all policies and invoke all measures to urge China to withdraw
its military forces from all members' territorial or disputed waters. We
vote by open-voice ballot. Five votes are required to pass the
resolution. If all discussion is concluded, please record your vote."
One by one, they voted. Indonesia. Malaysia. Singapore. The Kingdom of
Brunei. All in favor of the resolution. The Philippines voted against
it. As did Thailand, who along with Vietnam-the last two ASEAN countries
to vote-had waived any closing arguments to the resolution. That had
O'Day worried. She had tried to talk to each ambassador before the
meeting, but had no luck. Both were critical countries; both had
borders with China, and their huge neighbor was always a major presence
in any political and military situation. But both were members of ASEAN
to counter China's influence, and so far it was working. They finally
had the political clout to stand up to their powerful neighbor. "The
kingdom of Thailand, " its ambassador said, "is convinced that such a
resolution, made in the heat of passion and without extensive study and
debate, would be counterproductive. As much as Thailand seeks an end to
violence and fear, we cannot support such a resolution without further
study. Thailand abstains." O'Day couldn't believe it. Of all
countries, Thailand stood to lose the most if China were allowed to
exert a greater influence in the region; she had never expected them to
abstain. That left Vietnam as the deciding vote. They would have to
vote yes, O'Day thought. After all, Vietnam and China were all but
enemies. True, Vietnam was the only Communist country in ASEAN, and
true, Vietnam and China had once been uneasy allies, but. "Republic of
Vietnam."
"Vietnam abstains." Deborah O'Day shot to her feet in absolute shock.
"What!" she shouted. "You're abstaining? Why?" The chairman was
pounding his gavel over the sudden flurry of excited voices. "Ambassador
O'Day, your outbursts will not be tolerated! You are ordered to leave.
I will have order in this chamber... "I want an explanation!" O'Day
shouted. Security guards were quickly rushing to her side. "Don't you
understand? You're handing over the keys to your cities to the Chinese
if you don't stop them now!" O'Day was still shouting as she was
unceremoniously pulled to her feet and half-dragged, half-escorted to
the rear of the conference room and outside. Her aide was deposited
beside her a few moments later. "I don't believe this, " O'Day told her
aide as they made their way to the entrance. What the hell is going on?
Vietnam should certainly be opposed to Chinese aggression. ...
Something is very odd..."
"We've got to notify Washington about this immediately, " her aide said
as they made their way to the limousine. "We'll have to brief the
President... The Marine Corps driver from the embassy staff, in full
dress blues-spotless white gloves, white belt with .45-caliber sidearm,
spit-shined boots, and round hat with the brim pulled down so low it
almost obscured his racing-style sunglassesquickly stepped around from
the driver's side to the curbside rear door, opened it, and stood at
attention as O'Day and her aide entered the car. "How's the traffic on
Bukit Timah Road, Corporal?" she asked her driver distractedly. He
grunted a perfunctory, Poor, ma'am, " in reply and quickly closed the
door. "Go ahead and take the central avenue to Government House, then, "
O'Day's aide said as the driver re-entered the limousine. "Call ahead
and ask Communications to get a line open for us." The driver pulled
out into the traffic and, with usual Marine flair and urgency, roared
down the wide central city avenue toward Singapore's Embassy Row.
"China's just been given the green light to occupy the Philippines and
make a grab for the rest of the Pacific, " O'Day's aide said. "The
President won't have any choice but to respond militarily."
"But he won't like it, " O'Day said. "He wants the endorsement of some
Pacific Rim government or organization before he commits troops, and he
just lost the most important one. God, is he going to be pissed."
"This will be one phone call I don't envy you, " her aide said. He
turned to the Marine Corps driver. "Corporal, you didn't call the
embassy communications office like the ambassador asked. Now please do
it." His order was answered with a clunk! as the locks on all the doors
engaged. O'Day immediately scanned all the windows, looking for pursuing
cars or any sign of a threat; there were none. Her aide immediately
reached down below the seat to the hidden compartment where a Uzi
submachine gun was stored. "Corporal, why'd you lock the doors?" O'Day
asked. "What's going on?" "The Uzi's gone, " her aide said. He
fingered the door unlock buttons and power window switches-none were
operable. "What the hell is going on?" He reached for the cellular
phone in the backseat, but the "Ready" lights were all out-the phone too
was dead. A .45-caliber Colt semiautomatic pistol appeared in the hand
of the driver; he showed it to O'Day and her aide but then immediately
lowered it, out of view. "Please sit still and do not try anything
foolish, " the driver said. "You will not be harmed unless you try to
resist." It was not until O'Day looked at the man through the rearview
mirror that she realized he was wearing sunglasses-their Marine driver
had not been wearing them before because of the early hour and overcast
skies. "Where's our driver?"
"Safely asleep in the trunk, Ambassador O'Day, " the man replied. "He
put up quite a struggle before we could subdue him. He will awaken in a
few minutes." The driver eased off the main avenue toward a hotel
parking lot where the car could be partially obscured, but not appear
too conspicuously isolated. He parked the car and immediately began
removing the uniform. "What are you going to do with us?"
"Nothing, " the driver said. Underneath the blue uniform, he wore a
T-shirt with palm trees on it, khaki shorts, and white tennis socks; he
replaced the spit-shined shoes with tennis shoes. He looked like a
tourist from any number of Asian or European countries. Gripping the
.45 in his rig
ht hand, he glanced nervously at his watch, leaned through
the dividing window between the compartments, and said, "I know your
embassy tracks all its vehicles by microtransmitter, so I will not stay
any longer. I have a message from Second Vice President General Samar.
"Samar!" O'Day exclaimed. "Is he still alive? Is he in hiding.. .?"
Samar had disappeared the day Mikaso had been killed. It had been
assumed Samar was dead, too. "Silence, " the man said; then, realizing
he might have sounded too demanding, added, "Please." Then, "General
Samar requests help from your government to relieve Davao on the island
of Mindanao. He is resisting the Chinese invaders but cannot hold on for
much longer-Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga have fallen, and Cotabato and
Davao will be next... "If Samar wants help, " O'Day told the man, "he
had better stop playing hide-and-seek and take control of the
government. The non-Communist citizens will follow him, but everyone
thinks he's dead..."
"He may be dead if you do not help, " the agent said. "We need more
than just..."
"Silence. I have stayed too long already. Listen carefully. General
Samar says that the Ranger carrier battle group will be attacked by
Chinese air forces from Zamboanga if they attempt to enter the Celebes
Sea."
"What? How in hell do you know that ?" "General Samar is on Mindanao,
organizing his people and his resistance forces. He is carefully
monitoring the Chinese military's movements and communications, and he
concludes that on the first of October-Revolution Day-Admiral Yin Po
L'un's forces will attack any foreign military forces that attempt to
pass near Mindanao."
"But that's crazy, " O'Day's aide said. "The Chinese wouldn't be stupid
enough to attack an American carrier. . "I will not debate you. The
General has risked his life to bring this information to you-in
exchange, he officially requests military and humanitarian aid from the
United States. Please help. Contact him at this number immediately. Do
not alert your embassy by radio or telephone; there are spies
