Clancy, Tom - Op Center 09 - Mission of Honor

by Mission of Honor [lit]

  "Hear, hear," McCaskey said.

  "Do we let them go ahead on their own, do we abort this thing, or do we allow them to lead the Spanish soldiers to the target?" Hood asked.

  "If the Spanish are killing Botswana citizens, we don't want to be a part of that," Coffey said.

  "Why not?" Herbert asked. 'The president might view that as a viable coalition." • ""*

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  "Spain and the U.S. ganging up on Botswana?" Rodgers said.

  "No," Herbert replied. "Two nations surgically striking against the rebels, who are holding a Catholic priest as a hostage. Botswana wiil thank us for not having to move against their own people."

  "I'm not so sure of that," Rodgers said. "None of us has been given permission by the 'lawful' government to stage any action."

  "We'll get that authority after the fact, assuming it all works out," Herbert said. "They'll be happy to give it to us."

  "Mike, I'm inclined to agree with Bob, but not for the reasons stated," Hood said. He was looking at the photograph. "A third party, as yet unknown, killed Bishop Max. Maybe Spain, maybe Gaborone, but maybe someone else. The someone else is the one that scares me. Especially with Beaudin on the perimeter. It would suggest that there is something larger going on. The sooner the Brush Vipers and the Vatican are removed from the equation, the sooner we can find out who is behind the killing."

  "You're assuming the Brush Vipers can be removed from the equation," Rodgers said.

  "They haven't fought for years," Herbert said.

  "True. But there are dozens, possibly hundreds of them," Rodgers said. "And they will be fighting on terrain they know well."

  "Yes, but we have an advantage they do not," Herbert said.

  "Which is?" Rodgers asked.

  "We have someone on the inside," Herbert said. "Someone of whom they are unaware."

  "Someone who isn't going to be risking her life to stop what smells like a revolution we have no business in," McCaskey said.

  "Darrell, she has no instructions to intervene," Hood said. "We'll monitor this closely, I promise."

  McCaskey's arms were folded tightly across his chest. He leaned back in the chair and was rocking. Hood considered ordering him home. He would see how things developed.

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  "You know, I'm missing something here," Coffey said. "How does having Maria on site help us? We can't contact her directly."

  "Aideen and Battat will be able to do that," Herbert said. "And we'll make sure they are fully briefed via voice mail. They'll check for instructions and fresh intel before they do anything."

  "Gotcha," Coffey said.

  "We'll let them know the Spaniards are going to move in," Rodgers said. "Their job will be to get to Father Bradbury, if possible. Get him out if they can. That accomplishes our original goal, and it gives us the moral high ground."

  "In other words, our people get in and out before the shooting starts," Coffey clarified.

  "Either that or they lay very, very low," Herbert said.

  Rodgers's hands were folded on the conference table. He was staring at them intently. "I do want to make this observation," he said. "This started as an intelligence-gathering operation. It now has a potential political objective with a military component. The military end will be undertaken by soldiers who will not have the time nor inclination to check passports before they open fire. The people we have sent are not qualified to participate in that kind of operation. I don't want them involved in any way."

  "Maria speaks Spanish, doesn't she?" Coffey asked.

  "Yes," McCaskey said. "But Mike is right. They should not be interfacing with the Spanish soldiers."

  "I didn't mean to suggest that," Coffey said. "Only if it comes down to that, she can communicate with them."

  "Yes," Rodgers said. "Communicate. Not collaborate." He looked at Hood. "Are we on the same page about that?"

  "Unless I'm mistaken, it's your call," Hood said.

  Herbert made a face. "I have a couple cents to put in, too, Mike. Darrell's not going to like this, but safety aside, they are our only resource in the region."

  "For intelligence," McCaskey reminded him.

  "Yes, but only if we exclude the one objective we have not discussed," Herbert said.

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  "Which is?" Hood asked.

  "Whether our people can prevent bloodshed," Herbert said. "We aren't just there for the greater glory of Op-Center. I believe that part of our mission is to try to save lives."

  "Starting with the lives of our team," McCaskey said. "You heard Kline. He wants them to lead his soldiers to Dhamballa."

  "That doesn't necessarily mean 'For a bloodbath,' " Herbert said. "Our people can be a moderating force. And for that matter, the Spanish soldiers can help to protect them."

  "Like they protected the bishop?" McCaskey asked.

  Hood held up his hands. "People, these are all good points. But I'm thinking that maybe we can do both."

  "Do both what?" McCaskey asked.

  "Keep the peace and free Father Bradbury," Hood said.

  "How?" McCaskey asked.

  "Aideen and David will be intercepting Maria before long," Hood said. "Suppose they tell her and Seronga what is coming. If they can persuade him that the cause is in serious jeopardy, they may convince him to split up. One or two of our people go with Seronga to free the priest. The other one or two lead the Spanish soldiers off-trail. Meanwhile, we work with Kline to convince Gaborone that the Brush Vipers were not responsible for the killing of Bishop Max."

  The Tank was silent for a moment.

  "Not bad," Herbert said.

  "What if Seronga is not as reasonable as you think?" Rodgers asked. "He's a soldier. If he decides to fight, we could be leading the Spanish soldiers and our own people into an ambush."

  "Seronga cannot want that kind of a showdown," Hood said. "Especially if Maria can convince him that we're on the trail of whoever it was that really did kill Bishop Max."

  "It's not risk-free, but it's solid," Herbert said as his wheelchair phone beeped. "I like that better than cutting bait and running." He picked up the phone and wheeled himself from the table.

  Hood turned to Rodgers. "Mike?"

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  Rodgers thought for a moment. "There are still a lot of variables," he said.

  "When are there not?" Hood asked.

  "True, but the biggest is what three men will do-Seronga, Dhamballa, and Beaudin, if he has any influence in this. Religious zealots are not known for rational behavior. Even when it comes to survival. And industrialists are not known to give up plans for mega-expansion, if that's what he has in mind."

  "Nothing's guaranteed," Hood agreed.

  "And of course, it's not our asses on the line out there," Coffey added.

  "No, but we're going to get them through this," Hood said as Herbert wheeled back over. "Bob, you want to get Kline back on the phone?"

  "In a minute," Herbert said. He tapped the photo of the airplane. "That was my guy at Air Force Intelligence. He tracked the identification number on the airplane and located the registration."

  "And?" Hood asked.

  "It was rented from a local company named SafAiris" Herbert said. "The plane landed in a field and was abandoned."

  "Who rented it?" Rodgers asked.

  "The name they gave was Don Mahoney of Gaborone," Herbert said. "I'm willing to bet there's no such person."

  "Fingerprints?" Rodgers asked.

  "If there are, we may not be able to get to them before the plane is impounded by the Botswana military," Herbert said. "Police in the region have already spotted the aircraft. Anyway, it probably wouldn't tell us much. People this thorough don't forget to wear gloves."

  Hood knew the intelligence chief well. There was something else on Herbert's mind. "Out with it, Bob," Hood said. "What's the rest of it?"

  "
The rest is a real kick in the head," Herbert said. "Air Force Intelligence Signal Surveillance picked up a transmission from those same coordinates at four-thirty-one P.M. Botswana time."

  "Why were they listening to that area?" Rodgejp asked.

  "They weren't. They picked something up because they've

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  been monitoring our outgoing calls," Herbert said.

  "Come again?" Coffey said.

  "It seems that since the showdown in Kashmir, the AFISS has been keeping track of our foreign communications," Herbert said.

  "What are they doing?" Coffey asked. "Making sure that we behave ourselves?"

  "On the books, they probably want to make sure we don't field any military missions that might backfire," Herbert said. "Trigger something that could involve more U.S. forces."

  "We haven't done that so far," Coffey said.

  "That's a bullshit reason," Rodgers said. "The Air Force is doing this because they don't want us showing them up."

  "That would be the off-the-books reason," Herbert agreed. "Look-the fact that our own people are spying on us is not what, surprised me. It was the nature of the signal they received."

  "What about it?" Hood pressed.

  "The AFISS routinely monitors radio transmissions that are sent to major intelligence agencies around the world," Herbert said. "Even if they can't decipher the code, they keep track of activity. Not just content but volume and frequency are also important."

  "Like a surge in credit card activity sending up flags," Coffey said.

  "Bingo," Herbert replied. "That's how we knew when the Russians were going to move into Chechnya. Increased cornmunication. The radio transmission from the landing area in Botswana was noticed by the AFISS computer because it matched a foreign office we've been calling."

  "Which one?" Hood asked.

  Herbert replied, "Shigeo Fujima at the IAB."

  FIFTY

  The Trans-Kalahari Highway,

  Botswana Friday, 8:07 P.M.

  Battat was at the wheel as he and Aideen left Gaborone in their rented Jeep Wrangler Sahara. They got on to the TransKalahari Highway. Almost at once they were struck by the scope of the countryside. Battat had been across Texas and had taken the Trans-Siberian railroad. When he was a teenager, he had crossed the ocean working on a yacht for some international oil tycoon. But he had never seen expanses as level and featureless as these. On both sides there was nothing but scrub, rock, and tawny earth to the horizon. Occasionally, the setting sun would catch a snow-topped mountain. But the peaks were so remote they were quickly hidden by the dusty winds that blew across the veldt.

  As the Americans began their drive toward Maun, Aideen called the embassy at Gaborone to access the voice mailbox at Op-Center. Battat was surprised to hear that they had received new instructions. They were no longer going to be linking up with Maria Corneja in Maun.

  "Is something wrong?" Battat asked.

  "Maria managed to sneak off with Leon Seronga," Aideen said. "They believe he's taking her to Dhamballa's camp."

  "Damn, that woman gets around," Battat said.

  "There's more," Aideen told him. "Undercover Spanish troops are searching for Seronga and Dhamballa. Op-Center is inclined to assist them."

  "What about assisting Maria instead?" Battat said. "We have an agent on site who may be in a position to defuse the situation."

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  "That's international politics for you," Aideen said. "I suspect we're helping the Vatican, not Spain. The United States needs to maintain good relations with Rome and, through them, help keep peace in Africa. We don't want another Somalia."

  "Whoever we're helping, Maria is with Seronga. That puts her in the line of fire," Battat said.

  "Maybe not," Aideen went on. "Hood wants the Spanish soldiers delayed. That's why we have to get to Maria first. We'll split up, one party going with Seronga, the other taking the Spanish along a different route. Whoever goes to the Vodun encampment is to try to get Father Bradbury away. That has to happen before the Spaniards arrive to take him by force. Ideally, we would also convince the Brush Vipers to lay low."

  "Cornered and desperate men do not always do what you want," Battat remarked.

  "But there's a chance they might," Aideen said.

  "Yeah, and there's a chance an elephant stampede will save us the way it used to save Tarzan," Battat said.

  "They might do it if Seronga or Dhamballa do not see another way out," Aideen said.

  "Do we know exactly where Maria is?" Battat asked.

  "Op-Center is going to send her coordinates through the embassy to my laptop in a few minutes," Aideen said.

  "God bless wireless," Battat said.

  "They're going to take a little longer getting that same data to the Vatican Security Office," Aideen added.

  "Did Rodgers give any indication which of us is supposed to lead the Spaniards off course?" Battat asked.

  "No," she replied. "I suppose Maria has to be part of the group that goes with the Spanish soldiers. Her countrymen may be more willing to follow her."

  "Why?" Battat asked. "Because she's Spanish?"

  "No," Aideen replied. "Because she's a great-looking woman."

  "God bless the male libido, too," Battat remarked, shaking his head slowly. "And did the Op-Center brain trust tell you

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  where we're supposed to lead the Spanish army?"

  "General Rodgers said the field operation is under my direction," Aideen told him. "He wants to try to give the other team, the one that sticks with Seronga, a minimum of two hours to work with Dhamballa."

  "That's just great," Battat said.

  "What is?" Aideen asked.

  "Never mind," Battat said.

  "You don't like the plan?" Aideen pressed.

  "No, it's fine," he lied. He did not want to get into it. cornplaining wouldn't change anything.

  "If you want, we can call Rodgers through the embassy," she suggested. "I'll ask him to clarify things."

  "No," Battat replied. "He'll just tell us to use our initiative. And he'd be right."

  "General Rodgers said he would feed Maria's locater beacon into the computer beginning at half past eight," Aideen went on. "That way we can be sure to intercept Maria. The general said the map coordinates would be refreshed every three minutes."

  Battat glanced at the car clock. The download was just over fifteen minutes away.

  "General Rodgers also said Op-Center was instituting an SSB," Aideen continued. "I did not see that term in any of my files. Do you have any idea what it stands for?"

  "It's a simulated systems breakdown," Battat told her. "American intelligence agencies share locater beacon technology with several international intelligence services, including Interpol. Interpol has a Spanish division. Rodgers obviously does not want the information being accessed by Spain or the Vatican Security Office prematurely. He needs at least a half hour to purge the download system of cooperative links. The beauty of SSB software is that it allows them to lock out our allies without making it look as if it's intentional. There will be static, wireless disconnects, software crashes, a whole menu of impediments. It spares hurt feelings and mistrust in future dealings."

  "I see," Aideen said. "That should give you^some idea of

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  how many different issues they're dealing with over there."

  "While we, luckily, have just one problem," Battat said.

  "Father Bradbury," she said.

  "Sorry, that's two problems," Battat said. "Father Bradbury is number two. Number one is getting out of Botswana alive. This was supposed to be simple recon, not search and rescue and deceive elite Spanish soldiers."

  Aideen frowned. "I'm not going to worry about that," she said. "We've read the material, we've studied the maps. We're prepared."

  "Are we?" Battat asked.

  "As prepar
ed as we can be," she replied.

  "Exactly. There's always the stuff you can't plan for," Battat said. "I've had some experience with that. A couple of months ago, I was hunting for one of the world's most elusive terrorists."

  "The Harpooner," Aideen said.

  "That's the SOB," Battat said. "I wanted to be the one to bring him down. I needed to redeem myself. I collected data, zeroed in on where the bastard had to be, searched the region yard by yard, and waited. The bastard was literally one hundred and eighty degrees from where I thought he'd be. He coldcocked me. He would have killed me except that he needed me alive. We're improvising on a stage where there's no room to screw up."

  "We won't."

  "How can you be sure?" Battat asked. "Tell me something. If this car had been a stick shift, could you have driven it?"

  "What does that have to do with anything?" Aideen asked.

  "Just answer me," he said.

  "No," she replied. "Could you have driven it?"

  "Yes," he replied.

  "So where's the problem?" she asked.

  "My point is, at any given moment, we are going to face those kinds of unknowns even with a plan," Battat said. "Without a game plan or a playbook, the risks are extreme."

  "Then we have to be that much more alert," Aideen said. "We have knowledge, and we have skills. That's why General

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  Rodgers put the two of us together. We obviously make a good team."

  "Aideen, we were the only ones who showed up in time to be shipped here," Battat reminded her.

  "It wasn't just that," the woman replied.

  "Oh?"

  "Mike Rodgers would not have sent us if he didn't think we could pull this off," Aideen said.

  "Mike is a general, and generals have to field armies, or they have nothing to do," Battat said.

  "He's not like that," she insisted. "Besides, I think you're looking at this all wrong. We have options. We have the right to exercise our own judgment."

  "Do we? If I wanted to turn around and go back to Gaborone, is that what we would do?" Battat asked.

  "You would," she said.

  "And what would you do?" he asked.

  "I would stay here," she said. "I'd walk."

  "You'd be dead before morning," Battat said. "This is Africa. There are predators that don't check passports."