“I wouldn’t be certain of Admiral Soriva’s final loyalties. He is a loyal Japanese officer certainly, but he sees the Tokyo Government as the disloyal betrayers. Remember also it is common knowledge in the Chipanese armed forces that the Government has been supplying shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to the Caliphate who immediately gave them to the Tibetans to use against Chipanese forces in Tibet.”
“Urn, Ma’am, we supplied those missiles to Tibet, from stocks we’ve captured in Indo-China, Mindanao, Burma and the Northwest Frontier.”
“Details Sir Eric, don’t be so concerned with mere details. I think Admiral Soriva will be persuadable on this issue. As for money, don’t underestimate Taiwan. They have a significant industrial structure already and the potential to build more. Chipanese industrial weakness has always been a matter of mismanagement rather than actual lack of strength. Managed properly, Taiwan could become quite a prosperous little country, if it gets the chance. A worthy member of the Triple Alliance in fact. But, that is for the future. In the short term, the Americans are prepared to make short-term financing available for the deal on very generous terms. And, of course, we are in a position to charge premium prices for our products.”
“So, in effect, we are the cut-out in a deal between America and Taiwan?”
“Precisely Sir Eric. The Americans have a C-144 supersonic transport waiting for us at Clark Field. By the way, Sir Eric, please try to persuade Sir Martyn to remain here and, preferably, take a rest. I am deeply concerned for his health. Every time we meet, he appears to be suffering from a more serious illness than before.
Parliament Building Taipei, Taiwan
If he listened very carefully, he could hear the thunder of artillery. The Imperial forces on the other side of the Formosa Strait were pounding Quemoy and Matsu islands again. They’d been doing so daily, ever since the administration here on Taiwan had established itself as a rival government for the Imperial Empire of Japan and China. Not a serious rival of course, in fact Taiwan’s pretensions to representing the Empire as a whole were little short of a joke. Yet, it was a very important joke, for as long as Taiwan claimed to be the rightful rulers of the Empire, they were stating that the Empire was a unified whole. Thus, their actions could be - and were being - presented as a dispute between members of the ruling class, not a rebellion against that class. It was a power-play game, not a revolution.
And, like most games, this one had rules. Taiwan didn’t claim independence, Tokyo didn’t erase Taiwan from the face of the earth. Tokyo restricted its attacks to offshore islands, Taiwan didn’t attack the mainland. Taiwan kept its contacts with the outside world muted, Tokyo made only formal objections to essential trade. There had been no meetings, no conferences, no written agreements. Everything had been done through third- and fourth parties, by inference and suggestions.
When Taiwan had mentioned it wished to buy replacement military equipment, Tokyo had objected ferociously but buried within the protests was a subtle distinction. Certain items of equipment were the subject of bile-filled warnings of grim consequences if the plans went through but others received only a pro-forma rebuke. The message was obvious, Japan would accept some Taiwanese defense purchases provided they were limited in nature and did not provide a strategic capability. Tokyo had threatened nuclear attack if Taiwan purchased Australian aircraft such as the TSR-2 and the Arrow but studiously not mentioned the purchase of Indian Gnats. They’d fulminated against the purchase of the heavy Indian Centurion tanks but only objected to the purchase of the lighter Australian Monash II.
At first, the Taiwanese approaches for trade links had been ignored, but now they had a response. A message from the Triple Alliance indicating that they were prepared to sell Taiwan military equipment after all. A hundred Gnats, including twenty for immediate delivery from Indian Air Force stocks, two hundred Monash II tanks and forty Nulla self-propelled guns. Soriva grinned at that one, Tokyo had seen the caliber, less that 100 millimeters and only made formal noises. They hadn’t looked at the range or accuracy figures. The game had rules but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be bent a little.
Even better, the Triple Alliance message contained the offer of a financing package on extraordinarily generous terms. Long payment periods, low interest rates, no cash down payment. That was both good and curious. Good because Taiwan had a financial shortfall that would take years to correct. Curious because the prices the Triple Alliance was charging for the equipment were outrageous. They were asking for five times the amount the Triple Alliance air forces were paying for their Gnats. Generous financial aid and usurious asking prices were an odd combination.
Still, even at these inflated prices, the tiny Gnats were worth the cost. They were so small they could be flown off roads and hidden in buildings when on the ground. The history books told how the German bomber group that had sunk the Shiloh had survived the carrier-based aircraft sweeps because its commander had spread the aircraft across the countryside, hiding them in barns and flying them from roads. Of course, the same history also told how the group had been wiped out when it flew its attack. One of the things Taiwan was planning was a new road network. Those roads could have straight sections for flying and hangars built into the bridges for the Gnats. Soriva had heard the Americans were doing the same thing with their LeMay Interstate Highway system. He paused for a second, contemplating Japan’s reaction to Taiwan purchasing the new American bomber, the Valkyrie, shuddered and returned to the subject troubling him.
The kicker for the deal was in the tail. The message said that the Triple Alliance was interested in purchasing anti-aircraft missiles and requested details of the fire control systems on the land-based systems in Imperial use. Soriva snorted. That was transparent. Face-saving at most. News that one of the American’s vaunted bombers had been shot down had ricocheted around the world and everybody was waiting for the rumble of explosions that would signal another country joining the select group of ex-Nations. The Americans were being clever though, they would rescue the crew of the shot-down aircraft first so they could find out what had happened and they wanted this data so they could work out what had happened. Then they would take their revenge.
Soriva paced his office. He was, for all his current position, a loyal Japanese officer. The idea of giving away what amounted to state secrets appalled him. But, on the other hand, had not the Tokyo authorities made an even worse betrayal? Giving away a few technical manuals was bad but they were supplying missiles to people who were using them to shoot down Japanese airmen. If Tokyo found out - and they would find out - about the leak of the manuals, they would be furious but Taiwan was already on their to-do list. Taiwan didn’t need more enemies but giving away the data wouldn’t make any, only confirm the position of an existing foe. What Taiwan did need was equipment and friends.
It was an agonizing decision to have to make. Soriva sat at his desk. The top draw was open a little and he could see his American .45 automatic, the gun that had saved his life and the lives of most of his family. In the decision he was making, the sight of that gun counted for no greater weight than that of a feather yet when scales are evenly balanced, a feather on one pan or the other will cause a decisive tilt. Soriva decided to give the Americans the information they wanted.