In the Lap of the Gods

by Tony Criddle

  “Mohammed Arak.” Arak sounded bored, but came instantly awake as some of the babbling on the other end made sense.

  “Slow down. You said there were three, maybe four, and they fired something heavy at you?”

  He sat up quickly and started writing.

  “They headed south-west towards the Gulf, you say. Okay leave it with me. I’ll get back to you.”

  Arak scratched a stubbly chin while he read what he had written. Three or four was impossible, there were only two of them, and where would they get heavy weapons from. He felt uncomfortable about passing on something so loose, but then he thought again. How many didn’t really matter much. They’d cut the chains and gone and what they’d fired wasn’t that important either. This was above his pay grade. He dialled Tehran, there was a much more agile brain up there.

  And the mullah put at least half together quickly, the other half he had an hour to think about.

  “Mohammed get to Qalah Murget airfield in the south as fast as you can. There will be an air force Learjet waiting for you. I have a team of four who were very useful during the embassy take-over. We will meet you there.”

  Arak took off running.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “Come ten-degrees north Nick, the wind’s pushing us towards Hamadan. We’re a little left of track and it’s coming up to your first hour mark as well.” Nick had been weaving around tall, rounded hillocks where spiky grass hardly grew at all, and he’d buried the machine in any crevices he could find. Twisting and turning around the peaks wasn’t helping the track much.

  “The river on your right is the line to follow Laleh. It bends sharply to the south soon so pick a point some way ahead and fly to that. You’ll hit a big grassy plateau once we’re over these hills, so keep close to the deck. Hamadan’s approach radar is sited on a hill and can see up here for about ninety clicks. Okay. If you’ve got all that, you have control.”

  She grunted “I have it.”

  Nick took the map and smiled indulgently when she descended by pushing the speed up with a quiet whoop. “I’d kill for a coffee Jock.”

  “Choose better words when I’m in the bloody chopper Nick, I’m getting more sensitive as I get older.” Nick snorted before opening the map for the next leg. The tension was easing. He looked at Laleh.

  “It’s spring, we’ll be a lot lower and it will be greener down there, so expect some occupied villages from now Lil. They should be friendly, but watch out for sheep and goat herds, we don’t want to piss anybody off by scattering them. If you bias to the left you’ll avoid most of them, and we might even see some wildlife close to the bigger hills.”

  Laleh took the machine further to port and tucked in under the shadow of a long, tall ridge. And just as he’d said, the flats were a lot greener. New verdant grasses pushed tall through the dead tussocks, and stunted, gnarled trees and bushes were already dusted a vivid lime green. There was no snow on the grasslands either, just a glistening cover on the mountain tops with thicker drifts occasionally reflected in the higher valleys.

  Almost immediately after she’d reached the hills a herd of silver-grey donkeys broke for a canyon dead ahead. They were running hard and fast, looking more ghostly pale than their domestic cousins, and were gone in the beat of a heart. It got the flyers chattering. Initially it had been too tense for that.

  There were other signs of occupation down there now, but the small sepia villages were few and far between. The ones they did see were snuggled unobtrusively amongst trees and shrubs, fighting doggedly to appear permanent alongside the glistening run-offs from the higher snow. The houses were cruder than those in Shahabad also, squarer and lower, but still built with the inevitable dung-covered adobe. No glass windows glistened up there at all, the dark, frugal slits marked only by colourful shutters pinned over gloomy wall openings. Animal pens alongside them were also built mostly of mud brick, although a few were constructed from tortured, weathered branches.

  Before he’d flown in the Zagros hills, nomads had evoked images of people following herds with collapsible skin tents, but Nick soon realised that the harsh climate demanded something more substantial than that. Here it meant that villagers owned two or even three tiny settlements, and the whole village moved between them depending on the animal feed around. The unpredictable climate demanded stouter, better insulated accommodation than canvas or skins could provide for those long, cold springs and autumns. Wintering up there wasn’t even contemplated.

  The small, wiry ponies the stockmen used were the only other domestic animals they saw. Isolated flocks of sheep or goats were tended by herdsmen riding across wiry grass flats at some distance, but Nick knew that if they weren’t Bakhtaran they wouldn’t be up there. The locals treated strangers with more than average suspicion and getting around wasn’t an easy thing to do. He felt comfortable skimming the waving tussocks.

  With the tension bottoming Nick led a light and frivolous chatter, mostly about the animals they saw, about the rolling hills around them, and the barren, difficult way of life it must be. He kept the conversation away from the future.

  “We’ll be crossing the Qezel Owzan River in a few minutes Lil. It’s fairly big so you can’t miss it. Come port twenty when you hit it and climb to about 500 feet AGL. Don’t lose speed, do it with power. It mustn’t look like a deliberate climb and at that speed we could be any type of light aircraft. The mountain ridges run north-south around here as well, so when we do climb Sanandaj’s radar should paint us a few times on a track south of Lake Urmia. They may not have been alerted yet but they’ll log it for sure. Okay with that?”

  Laleh nodded, her concentration unwavering.

  “Have they got anything to chase us with Nick?”

  “It’s mainly a commercial terminal for the area, but it’s also got an elementary flying school for their air force. I don’t know what they’re flying since they broke with the Yanks but it will be some sort of light, fixed wing. No-one uses military jets or helicopters in elementary flying. The training area is due east of the base, and light aircraft, mountains and students don’t mix. We shouldn’t see much up here.”

  Laleh reached a river that tumbled and bubbled through a winding rocky depression not long after. She turned towards the south and started climbing. Nick gave her ten minutes at the new height.

  “Okay love, down on the deck again then right to 330. There’ll be a tributary of the Qezel on the new track, and a small town called Bijar thirty odd clicks after that. It’s probably okay, but keep about fifteen clicks south of it and I’ll take over about then.” He stretched his arm and squeezed her shoulder. Her flying had been exemplary.

  “I know roughly where Sanandaj is Nick. We’ve come quite a way in less than a couple of hours.”

  “It confuses people even at the lower speeds that helicopters fly at Fred. We’ve come about 200 nautical miles, but it’s in a straight line, so you can’t equate it to how long it would take in a car. A half hour or so from now we’ll be stopping on the tarn to refuel from the cans, and if we were flying directly to Tabriz we’d be there in less than an hour.”

  “Tabriz in just over three hours though. It would have taken nearly ten by car or train, even though it’s fairly straight.”

  “I don’t want to burst your bubble mate, but Iran has fighters that could be over Tabriz not much more than an hour after leaving Tehran, and their Learjets would be there twenty minutes after that. They inherited a couple of those from the shah’s royal flight. I’ll wait until we’re in Turkey before I breathe easier.”

  Amini was sobered by the thought. Sinclair said nothing.

  “Okay Laleh. I have control.”

  Laleh relinquished with a deep sigh and nodded at the Scot to pour from a second flask. She savoured the first sips then looked at Nick.

  “Do you know, I finally understand a pilot’s obsession with this stuff Nickie. This seems like the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.”

  Nick grinned. “It’s all about k
eeping the brain charged up Lil, and nothing does it like rushes of caffeine and sugar. That was the longest you’ve ever flown in one hit love and you did real good, so enjoy.” It was true. He wasn’t into inflating her ego anymore and Laleh sensed it. She felt good as she stretched her lithe body appreciatively.

  Not long after they weaved through yet more rounded crags before the horizon dropped dramatically, allowing the higher, lilac peaks to blend slowly into the hazy distance. Ridges towered endlessly left, right and ahead, but the valley was a lush green and dotted with clumps of taller trees. Bulbous, healthy tussocks leaned drunkenly north-east, away from a strong prevailing wind, and the valley itself was a vast green tablecloth. It stretched for miles before the ground climbed on the far side again. She pointed to a dark, smoky smudge to the right.

  “That’s Bijar over there.”

  “Okay. I’m coming left and bringing the speed back a bit, I need to keep really low here. Twenty minutes from stretching our legs, guys.”

  Arak’s private sedan was not that young, and sharp, abrasive sands had been hard on the paint job, but the Qom atmosphere was as dry as it gets with no salt air to hasten the rusting process. The vehicle motored some too, so he was pulling through the mesh steel gates of Qalah Murget in little more than an hour. He flashed his ID without braking fully, knowing that the prominent purple corner ensured he wouldn’t be stopped. There was a Lear and a small group waiting for him when he pulled up near the tower.

  Even from several paces away he could see where the shah’s insignia had been sloppily painted out on the royal blue. A mullah dressed in drab grey robes and rounded peak-less cap hurried forward with an outstretched hand. He was the only one who had shaved in several days. Behind him four religious cops dressed in similar black shirts and blue jeans leaned sloppily on their carbines. Three were thin and hard, like angry whippets, but one was so obese his belt almost cut him in half. That one was already sweating profusely.

  “Time is limited Mohammed so introduce yourselves later. I need you on your way now.” Arak looked at the other four then turned back to the clergyman and nodded.

  “Where are we going Mullah?”

  “The air force base at Ardabil. You are expected by the base commander and he knows you carry our authority.” Arak raised his eyebrows but the other four shuffled their feet. They seemed to know already.

  “This seems very urgent Mullah.”

  “I will explain Mohammed. I think there were four in that helicopter and I’m sure I know who they are and where they are headed.”

  Two of the four troopers looked at each other and smirked, they obviously had been briefed. “So who are they Mullah?”

  He started at a tangent. “I checked the American company files. Evans has got dual citizenship. He was a flying instructor in the British Navy before he started flying for civilian companies, and according to Farhad Amini’s file he did a lot of his earlier training at the naval college in Britain. Both he and the pilot were there at the same time. It all fits. I don’t know where or when it happened but Evans flies helicopters and there weren’t any restrictions until recently. I know he picked Amini up somewhere.”

  Arak nodded. “Is all this effort worth it for a few people who will probably be able to leave before too long anyway Mullah?”

  “This is, Mohammed. It was one of your people he killed at Abadan and we can’t let that go unpunished. We must make an example of them.”

  “Is one of his crew the fourth?”

  “No. Amini’s sister I think. She was working in the American Embassy when we took it over and hasn’t been seen since. There weren’t any casualties we don’t know about.”

  It all began to make sense to Arak too. “They were heading to the south-west when they left Mullah. Wouldn’t Kuwait be a lot closer?”

  “Normally it would be the quickest route yes, but we are almost in a state of war with Iraq, and Kuwait is their other neighbour. It would be very dangerous to go that way right now, especially with a long track over the sea. I’ve alerted the Gulf surveillance units just in case but I think they are flying to Turkey.”

  “So that’s why we go to Ardabil?”

  “Yes. Almost all the resources we have in the north-west are up there. And don’t forget that two of them were in the services and Evans was in combat and has a Military Cross. They would know not to try the Gulf.”

  “So when do you expect them in that area. When should we flood it with aircraft?”

  “Not so fast. The CO complained that only five of his eight F14s are flyable, and only three of his helicopters are airworthy. We can’t get spares from America anymore and Turkey is close and the border is long. The base commander got quite worked up when he realised what we wanted and won’t risk his aircraft until there is something to go on. You will be on standby at the helicopter squadron. Try to talk him into more surveillance if you can.”

  Arak chose his words carefully. “Those restrictions could change everything Mullah. They might not even be spotted at all.”

  “I know Mohammed, but you must not fail me. That could undermine a lot of things. If we don’t act quickly it could give other people ideas. The base commander has been authorised to shoot on sight and you should be in the area maybe two hours before they will be. You are in charge, the others know that.”

  Arak shrugged. “We’d better get going then.”

  “I’ll make some more phone calls while you head for Ardabil. May Allah guide you Mohammed.”

  Arak nodded and shepherded his team up the flight stairs. One sported a large class ring. “When were you in the United States?”

  The man was surly. “I wasn’t. Someone lost it at the American Embassy.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  A supervisor and two radar operators shared the afternoon watch in the approach room at Sanandaj.

  Air traffic was light. It was Iran’s Sabbath, but the Islamic Republic of Iran’s air force had two trainers out to the east because persistent low cloud had delayed progress for a few of the students. The afternoon DC9 wasn’t expected for another hour.

  One controller monitoring the eastern sector read his scope occasionally, but the supervisor and the other controller chatted over coffee at the other. The northern quadrant showed up high flying commercial jets to the north-west, but not much more. It was ignored more than it should have been. Two controllers and a supervisor were an overkill for the Sabbath.

  The watch boss had just delivered a punch line and was reaching to put his mug down when movement on the screen caught his eye. He gestured, but there was only the smudge of stationary peaks showing when the operator flicked his eyes up. Then a fuzzy echo blipped again.

  The supervisor broke the silence. “What’s that?”

  “There aren’t any high flyers or lighties scheduled through, and nothing has flight planned in the area either boss. Could be a flock of birds.”

  “It looks too solid. I’ll see if the tower knows anything.” He picked up the nearest phone, spoke, then put it down thoughtfully.

  “Tehran put out an alert for a helicopter about an hour ago but wasn’t sure if it was headed for the Gulf or through the mountains. It was pretty sketchy and it wasn’t coming this way so they virtually ignored it. What do you think?”

  “The trainers have finished their sortie and are headed back by now. They could have a look but they’ll need to refuel first. The instructors will probably go in one aircraft as well, they won’t want raw students in the mountains with them.”

  The supervisor nodded and turned towards the other radar screen. “Get them back to refuel and tell them what it’s about ASAP.”

  Over forty-five minutes later a Swizz Pilotus P3 bored north on supercharger with the squadron training officer in the rear seat and a new instructor in the front.

  “Keep to 6000 feet at top speed around the next peak Hassan, then left to 280 to intercept. Our target was fifty kilometres north-east, steering 250 at about 100 knots, but that was at l
east a half an hour ago. Our chances of running it down aren’t that good. Air traffic didn’t even know if it was an aircraft or a flock of birds anyway, so keep your eyes peeled.”

  “What did they send us for if there is little hope Ali? By my calculations they could be as much as sixty kilometres ahead of us already.”

  “It’s a game we all learn to play in the military Hassan. It’s called coating your arse with tin. Air traffic acted late, but they did react, and now if nothing is found it’s our fault. You’ll get used to it. Speed up to max again after the turn and watch the clock. Cut some corners as well. We won’t have endurance for more than another 150 kilometres before we go back.”

  Hassan nodded and opened the throttles to full.

  Nick gave control back to Laleh while he checked the map over another coffee. She thundered up a climbing funnel with rounded rocks eaten away by relentless erosion, yet still some time away from becoming valleys. Huge boulders squeezed in tightly as she followed the prominent silver run-offs, and stunted, sickly grasses struggled doggedly to live anywhere the meandering water twisted and gurgled. The surface was more a quagmire than a plateau, dropping dramatically lower just ahead, the exuberant water now running quickly down both slopes. Nick drained his coffee as he scanned casually, then he swore. He dropped the empty polystyrene mug.

  “I have it Lily. Something flashed at nine o’clock, above ground level, at about eight miles. I think it’s a windscreen.” The others strained to see as Nick flared harshly. He dare not crest the ridge. He eased into a small fissure to land, his rotor blades just feet from the unforgiving rock.

  “Farhad, climb high enough up that slope to see him, I think he was turning this way. Keep an eye on the bloody blades as well, we’re pretty tight.” Amini eased out and disappeared behind the chopper as stress levels went off the clock.

  Nick was trying not to show his anxiety, but it went even higher when Farhad climbed in again a few minutes later.