‘What are we going to do about them? You know the Chinese are going to come for that,’ Tao said, nodding her head toward the burning helicopter.
‘You can bet they reported sighting us before starting their attack,’ Han added.
‘And what about the bodies of our people?’ Gates asked. ‘We can’t let the ChiComs get ’em.’
‘I was thinking the same thing,’ Kilkenny replied, ‘and I have no intention of leaving our buddies behind.’
‘How can we take them with us?’ Han asked. ‘We have more passengers than seats.’
‘One problem at a time. First, I think we need to offer a hecatomb to our fallen warriors.’
‘A heck of what?’ Han asked.
‘He’s going Greek on us.’ Gates rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve seen this before. It’s what happens when you read too much.’
‘Would our Tibetan friends be offended if we cremated the remains of our dead?’ Kilkenny asked Yin. ‘We don’t want their bodies desecrated by the Chinese military.’
Yin posed Kilkenny’s question to the group. After a brief discussion, he had an answer.
‘Tibetan Buddhists bury their dead in earth or water, or in the sky.’
‘The sky?’ Kilkenny asked. ‘You mean cremation?’
‘No. Sky burial is an old and honored tradition in Tibet. After the spirit has departed, the body is dismembered into small pieces and fed to a gathering of vultures. The bones are ground into powder and mixed with flour to make bread, which is also fed to the birds. It is the birds that take the body into the sky.’
‘Not exactly a proper Christian burial,’ Gates groused, disgusted by the idea.
‘No, but the symbolism of the ceremony is quite moving. It reinforces the belief of oneness. I have attended sky burials and find them most poetic.’
‘But what about cremation?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘Burning the remains of the dead is an accepted practice, but rarely done in this region as it requires a fuel, which is scarce.’
‘At the moment, we have plenty of fuel.’ Kilkenny turned to Han. ‘You want to give me a hand?’
Kilkenny and Han approached the body of Bob Shen. With the greatest care they moved it to the burning helicopter and cast it into the center of the flames. Next they added the remains of Gene Chun and Jim Chow. Finally, they cast into the fire the helmets of the fallen men and the dismantled wreckage of BAT-2 to prevent the technology from falling into Chinese hands.
Yin joined the Tibetans in a Buddhist prayer for the dead. Kilkenny did not understand the words but was moved nonetheless.
‘We honor the sacrifice of our fallen comrades,’ Kilkenny said in conclusion, ‘and offer them to the winds that they, too, may find their way home.’
‘Nice hecatomb, Nolan,’ Gates offered seriously.
‘Just what is a hecatomb?’ Han asked.
‘Originally, it referred to the practice among ancient Greeks and Romans of sacrificing a hundred cows or oxen to commemorate a significant event and curry favor with the gods,’ Kilkenny explained. ‘It also refers to the slaughter or sacrifice of many victims.’
‘I’d say our guys are worth a lot more than a hundred head of cattle,’ Gates added.
‘After their victory at Troy,’ Kilkenny continued, ‘many of the Achaeans, impatient to return to their homeland, failed to offer a proper sacrifice. Their gods were displeased, and the Achaeans never made it home.’
Gates leaned close to Han. ‘As I said, he’s going Greek on us.’
‘Keep talking that way and I might go medieval on you instead,’ Kilkenny offered.
‘Hey!’ Gates said excitedly. ‘I know that movie.’
‘I thought you might. Now, to deal with our other problems.’
Kilkenny joined Yin and the Tibetans who were deep in conversation. ‘Bishop Yin, I have several requests for our new friends.’
‘Yes?’ Yin asked.
‘First, after the fire dies down, would they please grind the bones of our people to dust? Second, we need to leave soon. Is there a boat we can use? Sadly, we will be unable to return it.’
Yin nodded.
‘I don’t want them to be harmed for helping us, so when the Chinese arrive, I would like them to be truthful when questioned, but not too truthful.’
Yin relayed Kilkenny’s questions, and the Tibetans took a few moments to discuss the matter before responding.
‘Norbu, the elder, says they would be honored to scatter the remains of our friends. He also says there is a boat we can use, something that was left by a tourist this past summer. His sons will show you where it is.’
‘That’s very kind.’
‘Relations between the Chinese and Tibetans are not always good,’ Yin explained. ‘Norbu says he and his brothers will tell whoever comes as little as possible.’
‘Perfect. They can say that the bodies of the dead were burned in the fire by the survivors, and that they saw only two people in the aircraft when it left, you and me.’
‘And the others?’
‘I was hoping they would just “forget” to mention them.’
Yin relayed Kilkenny’s comments, starting another round of conversation that ended with Norbu posing another question to Yin.
‘They will do as you ask, but they also have a request.’
‘I’ll do whatever I can,’ Kilkenny promised.
‘The request is for me. They ask that when we reach the West, I convey their respects to Kundun.’
Kilkenny thought a moment. ‘I think we can arrange that.’
Kilkenny left Yin with the Tibetans and rejoined the rest of his team by the fire.
‘What’s the plan?’ Gates asked.
‘You three and Yin are taking a boat to India, and I’m going to play decoy in the BAT.’
‘You can’t be serious,’ Tao said.
‘It’s a bad move,’ Gates agreed. ‘Anytime a guy splits off from the group in a horror movie, he ends up dead.’
‘The Chinese know we’re trying to fly out. And since we downed their helo, they have to assume we’re still flying. We can’t all fit in BAT-1, and if we leave it here they’ll know we’re trying to get out some other way. If I give them something to chase, you’ll have a better chance of making it across the border.’
‘I’m the pilot,’ Han countered. ‘I should be taking the BAT.’
‘You have a wife and kids, right?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘I don’t, and this expedition has created enough widows and orphans.’
‘If being a family man is your criteria, then let me fly,’ Gates said. ‘There’s still hope for you.’
‘I appreciate that, Max, but I’d still rather have you in the boat. Look, this isn’t a kamikaze run — I fully intend to get out of China alive. We just need a distraction to cover your escape.’
‘But why you?’ Han asked.
‘Peace of mind. If things go bad, I would rather it be me than any of you. Since I’m the boss, my order stands. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I have a nuke to stow and a message to send.’
Kilkenny strapped BAT-2’s RITEG into the back of BAT-1 and pulled on his helmet.
‘Satellite uplink on.’
SATELLITE UPLINK ACTIVATED
‘Message encrypt, five words: One born every minute initially’
CONFIRM: ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE INITIALLY
‘Message confirmed.’
SEND TO?
‘Bombadil.’
MESSAGE TRANSMITTED TO BOMBADIL
Kilkenny pulled off the helmet and scratched his head. He looked over at Yin. The Tibetans were treating the Bishop with as much reverence as if he were a high lama of their faith.
‘Gather ’round, everybody,’ Kilkenny called out.
Everyone, including the Tibetans, joined Kilkenny beside the BAT.