Fatal Terrain

by Dale Brown

"I most strenuously deny-!"

  "Don't bother responding, Ambassador-Aenials will only

  embarrass you," Freeman went on bitterly. "More recently,

  we've received information that you are sharing nuclear-

  weapons information with Israel, and that you have a nuclear

  warhead on some license-built versions of the Gabriel anti-

  ship cruise missile. Finally, we received information from the

  HO of the Australian Ministry of Defense that you have been

  sharing nuclear and chemical weapons technology with Indo-

  nesia. Australia is so sure of its information that it has consid-

  ered a preemptive air strike on Indonesian weapons plants-

  and some attacks on certain Taiwanese vessels suspected of

  carrying weapon-making equipment into Indonesia." Kuo's

  eyes bulged at that news-he was completely unable to con-

  tain his surprise. "If any of this news ever leaked out, Mr.

  Ambassador, it would be a political disaster for the Republic

  of China and a great embarrassment for the United States of

  America."

  "We trust you'll do the right thing," Secretary of State

  Hartman said, "and eliminate any sharing of nuclear weapons

  technology, with an eye on completely eliminating your nu-

  clear weapons programs in the very near future. It would be

  extremely difficult for the United States to support any country

  secretly violating American nuclear weapons antiproliferation

  regulations. Very difficult."

  The President hadn't said a word, but when Ambassador

  Kuo looked into his eyes, he saw disappointment and distrust

  conveyed to him as surely as if Martindale had screamed it in

  his face. The Taiwanese ambassador had noted with amuse-

  anent the American people's preoccupation with their new

  President's hair, but now he saw what they all fixated on-

  the two silver-gray curls that had drooped acros s his forehead

  and eyes, making him look sinister, like a gray wolf ready to

  attack. "I ... I will convey your message and request an im-

  mediate response," Kuo stammered, averting his eyes apolo-

  getically. "I assure you all, the Republic of China will obey

  international law and honor our treaty obligations, and, most

  importantly, we would not knowingly do anything to harm our

  82 DALE BROWN

  strong and steadfast relationship with the United States of

  America."

  Then our commitment will remain equally strong to the

  Republic of China," the President said, in a light voice that

  seemed to clear the room of a dense choking haze. Magically,

  without a touch, the silver curls were now gone from the Pres-

  ident's forehead. It is true, Kuo thought-this man certainly is

  bewitched!

  Kuo looked very wobbly in the knees as he got to his feet

  when the President stood, signaling an end to the meeting. He

  extended a hand to Kuo, who accepted it and added a deep

  bow. "We'll set up a hot-line system with President Lee's

  office as soon as possible," the President said. "Until then,

  we'll be in contact with you, and you may contact my office

  or Secretary Hartman's office twenty-four hours a day, for any

  reason whatsoever. It was a pleasure to see you again. Please

  convey my best wishes and support to President Lee and Pre-

  mier Huang. Good day." Kuo looked pale and a little sweaty

  as he was shown out of the Oval Office.

  "God bless it," the President muttered, after Kuo had de-

  parted. "I'm getting ready to put our political necks on the

  chopping block for Taiwan, and the whole time Taiwan is

  handing over the ax to use on us. I'd like to talk with President

  Lee first thing in the morning-set it up," he told his chief of

  staff. Jerrod Hale nodded and picked up a phone to relay the

  order.

  In the reception area down the hall from the Oval Office, Am-

  bassador Kuo was on his way to the staircase down to the

  West Wing driveway when several men walking toward the

  reception area from the National Security Advisor's office

  caught his attention. Kuo stopped, then turned and walked over

  to them. "Forgive me, sir," Kuo said to the youngest of the

  men walking by, "but do I have the pleasure of addressing

  Dr. Jonathan Colin Masters?"

  Jon Masters was surprised to hear his name. "You got it,"

  he replied. "And who are you?"

  "My name is Kuo Han-min, Ambassador to the United

  States from the Republic of China, at your service, sir," Kuo

  replied, bowing and then extending a hand. "It is a great plea-

  sure to meet you. We met many years ago at the Singapore

  FATAL TERRAI N 83

  Air Show. Your company's exhibit was most impressive."

  "Thanks, Mr. Min," Masters said, shaking hands with him,

  not real izing he had mixed up his surname and given name.

  When Kuo's eyes wandered over to the other men, who had

  walked on past them, Masters, feeling obligated to make in-

  troductions, pointed to them and said, "Mr. Ambassador,

  that's Brad Elliott, Patrick Mc--

  "No you don't, Dr. Masters," Patrick McLanahan said. Jon

  Masters didn't know, or had forgotten, about the extremely

  high security classification under which they were working, a

  classification definitely off-limits to foreign nationals. "Let's

  go.

  "Elliott ... General Bradley Elliott?" Kuo said, with a

  knowing twinkle in his eye. "And so you, sir, must be Colonel

  Patrick McLanahan of the United States Air Force. May I

  ask ... ?"

  Just then, two Secret Service agents stepped in front of Kuo,

  blocking his view, and said in a stem voice, "I'm sorry, sir.

  Please move along." Masters, Elliott, McLanahan, and the big

  black general Kuo recognized as Terrill Samson, commander

  of all the heavy bomber forces in the United States, were

  quickly hustled away into the Cabinet Room to wait for their

  meeting with the National Security Council, and Kuo was po-

  litely but firmly escorted outside.

  So! Kuo thought. The President was meeting with the three-

  star general in charge of all the long-range bomber forces, and

  also with Elliott, Masters, and McLanahan. Those three had

  an international reputation for developing very high-tech attack

  weapons that were reportedly put to effective use in conflicts

  from Russia to eastern Europe to the Philippines. Now that he

  saw them all together, it made very good sense that such forces

  were used recently against the Islamic Republic of Iran-to

  extraordinarily great effectiveness. Now, with a probable con-

  flict between China and Taiwan brewing, the President was

  conferring with them once again? Could the President be con-

  sidering the use of stealth attack bombers in the defense of the

  Republic of China?

  Kuo Han-min filed that brief but extremely interesting

  chance encounter away in his head-the information might be

  vital someday very soon.

  84 DALE B ROWN

  "Okay. We're getting ready to side with Taiwan against

  China, which is bound to stir up some shit in the Pacific for

  s
ure," the President said. "What about Japan and South Ko-

  rea? I hope they're not reacting."

  "I've spoken with Japanese deputy prime minister Kubo

  and President Kim of South Korea, and they're watching

  events closely but not reacting, except for a few South Korean

  reinforcements along the DMZ," Hartman replied. "North

  Korea is blasting Taiwan and saying they're provoking war in

  Asia, but they don't seem to be exacerbating any conflicts-

  at least, not more than usual."

  Hartman looked a little uneasy, and the President picked up

  on it. "What else? Did Nagai have a comment?" Kazumi Na-

  gai was the new prime minister of Japan, an ultra-left-wing

  politician of the new Kaishin Party, a coalition of left-wing

  political parties including the Japan Communist Party. Nagai

  was staunchly but carefully anti-West and anti-United States;

  he'd won the recent elections by opposing continued U. mil-

  itary bases in Japan, by extending a two-hundred-mile Japa-

  nese economic exclusion zone around islands also claimed by

  South Korea, Taiwan, and China, and by calling for gradual

  increases in Japan's military expenditures and total Japanese

  nuclear self-reliance. Few of his more radical programs and

  propositions had been passed, but the favorable attention he

  was receiving in Japan was cause for concern in Washington.

  Si Exactly what you might expect," Hartman replied with a

  gh. -Kubo told me the Prime, Minister is going to give a

  speech tomorrow, calling for the U. to end its support of

  Taiwan as long as they claim ownership of the Senkaku Is-

  lands. The buzz is that Nagai will call for the Diet to withdraw

  basing rights for U. warships if we continue support for Tai-

  wan.'

  'Christ almighty," the President muttered. "Jerrod. .

  'I'm ahead of you, Sir," Hale shot back, getting on the

  phone to order the staff to schedule a call to the Japanese prime

  minister's office. From his years as vice president, Martindale

  had learned that a simple phone call to a foreign leader was

  worth a dozen communiques and State Department visits, and

  he spent quite a bit of time on the phone.

  ' IOkay, so Japan and South Korea aren't saying anything

  about Chinese military moves," the President summarized. "It

  FATAL T ER RAI N 85

  seems no one would really shed a tear-except Taiwan, of

  course-if China took back Quemoy, Matsu, or even For-

  osa."

  M "That's because Taiwan has a fairly balanced trading ledger

  and is a stiff trading competitor with everyone else in Asia-

  except the U. and China," Hartman explained. "Taiwan is

  the ninth-largest economy in the world and competes as an

  equal with Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Singapore. But

  Taiwan has a ten-billion-dollar trade surplus with the United

  States and holds two billion dollars' worth of U. currency

  and bonds. Its balance of trade is even more one-sided with

  China-all in Taiwan's favor. Most Asian nations see the Tai-

  wanese Nationalists as rabble-rousers supported by the United

  States, similar to Israel. They feel that China should absorb

  Taiwan as it is absorbing Hong Kong-as long as the Com-

  munists allow them to keep making money."

  "What's the balance of trade between Japan and South Ko-

  rea and China?" Vice President Ellen Christine Whiting asked.

  A former governor of Delaware, Ellen Whiting's expertise was

  economic matters, whether on a local, national, or international

  arena-she believed the world revolved around money, and

  she was most often correct. "China's total economy has got

  to be, what? Ten times larger than Taiwan's?"

  "Something like that," Hartman admitted.

  "China is the trading partner everyone wants. Over a billion

  potential customers-that's why almost every nation in the

  world, officially including the United States, has abandoned

  Taiwan in favor of mainland China," Whiting maintained. "If

  China wants Taiwan back, who says the other Asian countries

  would stand in their way? Why would they make an enemy

  of China in favor of Taiwan?"

  "So we shouldn't expect too much help from our allies in

  Asia, should Taiwan come under attack," National Security

  Advisor Freeman summarized.

  "'Privately, even secretly, I think we can count on Japan's

  and South Korea's support of any actions we undertake against

  China," Hartman said. "Both countries still rely on us for their

  security and for general stability throughout Asia. If we want

  to support Taiwan against China, I feel Japan and South Korea

  will support us."

  "So we're it," the President said. "If the Chinese are going

  after Taiwan, we're the only ones who seem to give a shit."

  86 DALE BROWN

  He paused, and the Oval Office turned quiet-everyone knew

  that the President was absolutely right. "And the bottom line

  is, I do give a shit. I don't want war with mainland China, but

  I also don't want mainland China taking Taiwan by force.

  They got Hong Kong back peacefully. If Taiwan and the main-

  land are going to be reunited, it should be done peacefully too.

  It would hurt our country if Taiwan was taken back by force."

  "No question," Vice President Whiting joined in. "Trade,

  financial markets, multinational business, our national debt

  structure, our standing in Asia would all suffer if Taiwan was

  attacked and absorbed by Communist China."

  "Agreed," the President said. "Question is, if the Chinese

  are moving against Taiwan, what do we have to stop them?"

  "Ordinarily, I'd recommend instituting economic sanctions,

  pulling China's most-favored-nation trading status, setting up

  another embargo of high-tech and military goods," Hartman

  said. "But with China amassing this naval task force, I think

  it's beyond economic warfare. We should hear some military

  options-low-key, quiet, not too bombastic."

  "We've got two briefings set up for you, Sir," Freeman

  said. "Admiral Balboa will brief the first recommendation, and

  Lieutenant General Terrill Samson from Eighth Air Force will

  brief the second."

  "Okay, let's get to it," the President said. "Where's Ad-

  miral Balboa?"

  Jerrod Hale was on the phone instantly to the White House

  Communications Center; he got his answer a few seconds later.

  "En route, Mr. President," he replied, and motioned for the

  Secret Service to show the others in.

  The President got to his feet as Terrill Samson, Patrick

  McLanahan, and Jon Masters were escorted into the Oval Of-

  fice. "Damn, it's good to see you again, Patrick," the Presi-

  dent of the United States said warmly, as he greeted each of

  them. "How the hell are you?"

  "I'm fine, Mr. President," McLanahan said, shaking hands

  and receiving a brotherly clasp on the shoulder. "I'm glad to

  see you, and very glad to see you here, where you belong."

  "Sometimes I wish I was back in the Vice President's of-

  fice, working with troops like you-lots of power but
no re-

  sponsibility," Martindale said, rather wearily. "How's your

  wife? Wendy, right? Doing well, I hope."

  "She's well, thanks."

  FATAL TERRAI N 87

  Shit hot. It's a miracle, after her accident. Congrats. " Mar-

  tindale knew all about the aerial duel between Wendy Mc-

  Lanahan in the original EB-52 Megafortress and the

  thought-controlled fighter that had been piloted by the Russian

  deep-cover spy Kenneth Francis James. "And thank you for

  what you and Tiger Jamieson did over Iran and the Persian

  Gulf. You averted a major world oil crisis, and possibly an-

  other Desert Ston-n. Job well done."

  "I hope we get a chance to talk about the recent cuts -in the

  bomber force, Sir," McLanahan Said. "Speaking as a con-

  cerned and knowledgeable individual and not just as a defense

  contractor, I have some ideas about the bomber force structure

  that you should know."

  "You will get a chance to talk about it, I promise," the

  President said. "You've earned that right. Just keep in mind,

  the cuts were made long before I came into office, and the

  money has already been spent on the back end. But we'll talk

  about all this later. I've heard some good things about what

  you and this young man here have been doing." The President

  shook hands with Jon Masters. "Good to see you too, Dr.

  Masters. I'm looking forward to you naming a satellite after

  me soon. Make it a good one, okay?"

  "The new space-based surveillance and targeting satellite

  needs a name," Masters said with a boyish grin. "At the risk

  of being accused of out-and-out brown-nosing the President of

  the United States, I wonder if I should skip Taylor and Clinton

  and go right to Martindale?" They all laughed-the answer to

  that one was obvious.

  "General, good to see you again," the President said as he

  shook hands with the big three-star general. "I know I haven't

  had time to thank you for all the hard work you did getting

  Colonel McLanahan here back in the air for that Iranian mis-

  ,Sion. Your work was instrumental in averting a certain disaster

  in the Persian Gulf. We were very impressed with the proposal