“I was intending to have the American ambassador intercede on your behalf with the prime minister,” she said. “You said you’re seeking credibility, and there’s an advantage in having a respected third party recommend you to represent your nation.”
“It’s never too late for the American ambassador to intercede on my behalf.”
She tagged his comment as a point in her favor. He wanted the triangulated support of the Americans in convincing the British to deal with him, and she controlled that access.
“If the prime minister doesn’t know that you can stop the landing force,” she said, “he may order the Royal Navy to try to stop it.”
“You mean with the Ambush?” he asked. “The vessel I just took credit for sparing? Give me credit for skills in negotiation.”
“You don’t mind me asking? What have you and the prime minister agreed to?”
“No, I don’t mind you asking. I’m rather confident that we’ve struck an agreement that aligns with the exact outcome that you came here to convince me to pursue.”
The server cleared her half-eaten salad and replaced it with a stew of vegetables, beef cubes, and broth.
“I can only imagine,” she said.
“Candor, Officer McDonald. I believe you’re shrewd enough to recognize that you have no secrets that I need revealed and that you hold no power of which I am unaware. Share what you know, state what you want, and trust me that we can reach an accord that suits both our agendas.”
“Fine,” she said. “The private submarine that harassed the Ambush and crippled the Santa Cruz is loyal to me. It heard the Ambush sprinting toward the landing force less than an hour ago. I don’t believe that the Ambush can stop all your troops from landing, but despite any defense you can put together, it can kill hundreds or even thousands of your men. I would like to avoid this.”
“I agree,” he said. “A hostile encounter between the landing force and the Ambush would be catastrophic.”
He sipped his stew and swallowed. He then extended her suspense as he washed his food down with a sip of Malbec wine.
“I assume, then, that you have an agreement with the prime minister to prevent this?” she asked.
“Of course. I have enough contacts within our military forces to predict that Gomez intended to send the landing force. My staff and I have considered the possibility of a British submarine standing between that landing force and the islands for weeks, and we’ve been able to draft an agreement that I expected the prime minister would consider seriously.”
“What did you offer him?” she asked. “What did he say?”
“It’s very simple,” he said. “He allows the forces to land. They hold the western islands while his forces remain entrenched in the east. I take control of Argentina and its military, and I rattle my saber at him. Meanwhile, he sends a task force to the islands, and he rattles a saber at me. We then reach an agreement that prevents the loss of many lives, makes each of us appear magnanimous, and allows each of us to appear strong in claiming political victories.”
Accustomed to privileged information, she hated being three steps behind Ramirez. She needed to know what he knew.
“How? What agreement could that possibly be?”
“I will buy the islands from him.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes. Just like that. Since I don’t have enough money to purchase the islands, I won’t be buying them with cash but instead allowing Britain to lease the islands for fifty years free of charge. Call it owner financing, if you will.”
“The prime minister has agreed to this?”
“Directionally, yes. The lease will give the island’s inhabitants and both nations two generations to adapt, and it will give his nation time to reap the reward of the petroleum reserves it has found to date. Any new reserves discovered will be shared. We haven’t yet discussed how to conduct joint exploration for new reserves, but I’m confident we can agree. He seems to be very direct and uncaring about trivialities.”
“You’ve offered him nothing else?”
“I needed to offer him something he could claim as a territorial gain. I’m conceding a small patch of land in the Tierra del Fuego province that he can use as a base for whatever military or Antarctic exploration needs he desires. But without my nation challenging him for the Malvinas, his military needs in the region and the costs for supporting them become a mere fraction of their present state. This is an obvious gain for both sides.”
“You’re sharing the details with me because you want me to get consensus from Washington?”
“Yes. You will tell your leaders about the agreement I’ve reached with the prime minister so that they agree to support me as the new leader of Argentina prior to taking the role through the emergency election process. That will still take days, and I need support from Washington immediately.”
Her head spun, but she digested the plan’s simplicity. She wanted to ask why he needed her, instead of having his ambassador to the United States handle the communications. But then she remembered he had challenged her to prove her value to him.
The Specter.
“There are two problems in your way,” she said. “The San Juan and the Dragon. I’m going to guess that you already have a solution to deal with the Dragon.”
“Correct,” he said. “The destroyer is staffed by a small team who can barely operate its basic systems. It’s still close to shore and defenseless against any submerged attack force. The only challenge is to minimize damage to the destroyer itself in doing so, but the prime minister assures me that there are British warriors stationed in the Malvinas Islands who have the appropriate skills.”
Something about the British destroyer’s fate bothered her.
“Hold on,” she said. “If you retake the Dragon, won’t the forces loyal to Gomez know about it?”
“I expect that they will.”
“Won’t that force Gomez to order the San Juan to sink it?” she asked. “If the Dragon returns to British control, the Royal Navy would own the air again. Your side would have no power in negotiating a settlement.”
“Correct,” he said. “The prime minister and I discussed the possibility of using the Dragon as bait to expose the San Juan to the Ambush, but it is too risky to both the Dragon and the Ambush, and I prefer to avoid destroying a submarine staffed by my countrymen.”
“That leaves you with the sticky problem of the San Juan,” she said.
Then it dawned on her.
“And I’m your link to the Specter, which is only submarine that can stop the San Juan without killing its entire crew.”
“Congratulations,” he said. “You have just stated why I need you.”
“Plus, the prime minister doesn’t want to use the Ambush, or any his submarines, against the San Juan since the outcome would be the loss of at least one crew, which would complicate your effort to resolve this without stirring up emotions from either nation while you’re both trying to resolve this peacefully.”
“Correct again. The limpet weapons used against the Ambush and the Santa Cruz are clever, and they can solve this cleanly. Do you know if the Specter has any such weapons remaining?”
“I expect that it does, but I’ll have to double check.”
The server replaced her untouched stew with a filet mignon accompanied by steamed asparagus and a baked potato.