Malcoeur waited until his chief seemed satisfied with that answer before continuing, "With the support of an international community outraged at the fraud and violence in the elections, the President will be in a good position to refuse to abide by the results. At that point, the mercenaries are placed in the unenviable position of acquiescing or of starting a war. We believe, if the scale of the current deployment is as large as it seems, that they will feel they're in a very poor position to commence a war. Acquiescence, therefore, seems assured."
The minister of police harrumphed and said, "If you're wrong about that, Major Malcoeur, I feel I ought to tell you that my police are heavily infiltrated with ex-legionaries. I can only rely on a few of my units and all of those are in the city. The countryside, to include my own police, is heavily in favor of Parilla."
"The general understands that," Malcoeur reassured the policeman. "Those units of yours which are reliable will be critical to the eventual arrest of the mercenary leadership to break the impasse. We will, of course, back you up in that. And as for the countryside, does it really matter? The Transitway and the two terminal cities do not depend on the countryside nearly so much as the countryside depends on them. With those remaining under our control, the countryside will feel the pain."
"Which is all well and good," the policeman agreed, "except for one thing. Those mercenaries going to Pashtia are not going to stay there. They will return."
Before Malcoeur could answer, Janier said, "I'm counting on it, Mr. Minister."
15/8/467 AC, Wappen von Bremen
Girls will sleep with girls. Oftentimes, even most often, sex has nothing to do with it. Instead, they seek only the comfort of a warm body nearby.
For Marta and Jaquie, however, it was about sex, at least in good part. After years of sex with altogether too many men, it wouldn't be too far off to state that neither of the girls cared for men anymore as sexual partners. That didn't eliminate the desire for sex, of course, and like many prostitutes they'd turned to women or, more specifically, turned toward each other.
In the warm aftermath, still entwined in each others arms, Marta suddenly burst out with, "I think we should do it."
Jaquie smiled and answered, "In case you weren't paying attention, love, I think we just did."
"I meant . . . "
"Shush. I know what you meant. I talked to Rodriguez about it . . . well, indirectly I talked to him about it. There's one big problem. If the Legion caught us in bed together while we were members they'd put us both against a wall and shoot us."
"They'd what? Just for making love? That's insane! Or is it because we're both girls?"
"No . . . the way Rodriguez explained it, it not only isn't insane it's the only sane policy. If we're having sex then there's a dangerously good chance we're in love . . . or will be. If we're in love with each other, personally, there's an also dangerously good chance either one of us would put the welfare of the other ahead of the Legion's or the mission's. Rodriguez said he'd never heard of a regulation against girls being with girls or boys being with boys, but there's an expansive rule against mutiny, and we'd fall under it."
"I wouldn't want to give you up," Marta sighed.
"Well . . . I've been thinking about it, too. Four years and the Legion would pay for us to go to school. We could learn business . . . or nursing . . . pretty much anything. We'd never have to sell our asses again. We could be together, free and clear."
Jaquie and Marta both went quiet at that, laying on their backs and thinking hard. After what seemed a long time, Marta rolled over and put her face between Jaquelina's breasts, careful not to press too hard where Jaquie had been wounded. As she slipped one hand down between Jaquie's legs, Marta said, "If we're going to have to stop this, for a while, let's enjoy what we can, now."
16/8/467 AC, Kirov Tank Factory, St. Nicholasberg, Volgan Republic,
Khudenko and Kuralski clashed glasses full of vodka. "Vashe Zdorovie,"
The Volgan said. Your health.
The glasses were considerably larger than the usual fifty-milliliter jobs. Indeed, it took Kuralski several gulp to empty his though Khudenko managed with two. Practice tells.
"So your boss got the contract he wanted, did he?" Khudenko asked.
Kuralski grinned. "He did. He always knew he would. It goes well with you, Victor? With the plant?"
The Volgan put down his glass and extended his hand, palm down and fingers slightly spread. These he wriggled. So, so.
In explanation, he said, "We've never managed to acquire a second customer as good as the Legion, though we've made some sales to the oil wogs and a few in Uhuru, Colombia del Norte, and western Taurania. Right now we're operating at less than full capacity though, and it hurts."
Dan Kuralski reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a list he'd prepared in Cyrillic. "I think this can keep you fully employed for a while longer."
Khudenko scanned down the list quickly. "We can provide about half the armor from on hand stocks," he said. "The rest will take . . . say . . . five weeks. Is that soon enough?"
"It is if you can get it to the railhead at Thermopolis within three weeks after that."
"This, I think, we can do. But I'll need to hire a lot of guards for the trains. I think I can get a regiment from the army for not too much."
"We've already got a Volgan regiment for that. Don't sweat it."
Khudenko nodded. He knew about Samsonov's group and its relationship with the Legion. "We don't make the rest of what's on this list. You know that, right?"
"We don't want you to produce the other material, of course, but to acquire and ship forward," Kuralski answered. "I'm here for the next two months to assist in that."
"There will be many bribes needed. Large bribes. A third of the rolling stock in this country is in private, and generally criminal, hands."
Kuralski shrugged. "Whatever the market will bear. Money's not really an issue. There's something else we need, too. We'd like you to set up at Thermopolis a forward maintenance depot from your workers here to match the one you've set up in Balboa. We'll provide a rather generous bonus to them, if that helps. And Samsonov's boys will be staying on to guard."
Khudenko rubbed one hand across his face. He removed that hand and began to tap on the table, thinking hard.
"There's no way to both produce the tanks and provide the depot. Unless . . . is it acceptable for us not to be ready until a week or so after the last equipment or supply train reaches the railhead?"
"Mmm . . . sure; that will work," Kuralski answered. "We shouldn't have lost much or need much higher level maintenance until then, anyway."
18/7/467 AC, Isla Real, Quarters #1
The phone rang. Lourdes answered it, then called out, "Patricio, it's Adnan on the phone for you. The secure line."
Carrera patted her posterior lightly and took the phone. "Carrera."
"Pat, you bastard, what do you think you're doing?" Sada shouted.
"Huh?"
"You're going to war in Pashtia and you forgot about me," the Sumeri chided. "And I thought we were friends."
"What are you talking about, Adnan?"