“When we use the transport again the chemo will want to carry much more equipment and probably more men” Feldhandler said.
Feldhandler’s use of the common term for the commandos—boys or fellows—was unusual. Perchansky hoped that this meant he saw himself as a little less isolated. Or maybe he was just trying to impress her as “one of the boys,” which he most certainly was not. She’d met the grim colonel, Yatom, and his equally severe deputy Mofaz. The two commandos were so alike, they clearly disliked each other. They were killers, and they treated Feldhandler—maybe the smartest man on earth—like a transportation corps officer; a rear area shit whose job it was to get them to the fight and nothing else. She shook away the thought with a vague toss of her hair.
“The capsule is capable of hauling a lot more freight, as the chevre might say,” said Perchensky, tossing the term back at him, “and carrying several more men by my calculation. We were cautious on this mission. But I don’t think we should just pile equipment in because they say they want it. They should have a tactical requirement.”
“That’s for them to decide,” Feldhandler said. “Let’s be generous anyway. See what you can do to modify the power generation. I’ll have Moshe re-rig the capsule, so that they can take most of what they want. Let’s keep the cherva happy” with a sardonic grin.
“Is that it?” she asked.
“There is something else I’d like to discuss with you” he said a bit hesitantly “but it can wait. Maybe, we can grab lunch here tomorrow—if we have the time.”
“Aren’t you going up to Tel Aviv to brief the government?”
“Not if I can help it” Feldhandler concluded, awkwardly pushing away from the table, scraping the cheap plastic chair along the canteen floor.
Chapter 3
Feldhandler arrived in Tel Aviv by helicopter the next day, May 21. It was a fine, if hot spring day, but Feldhandler was angry at having his professional time wasted. He was also annoyed that he’d missed lunch with Perchensky.
Mina had come with him, even though the Prime Minister refused to accept a briefing from her alone. Well, she would give the briefing anyway, Feldhandler decided. He’d sit by her side like a prop if that’s what the government big-wigs wanted. Mina was perfectly qualified to do the job—she was his big sister after all, and almost as bright. If Feldhandler’s mother had miscarried him, as almost happened several times, Mina would have become the nation’s genius in residence, rather than her kid brother. Not that Mina ever acted as though she were jealous of his successes. She’d been his main encourager, aide, promoter and protector throughout his career.
Mina had blazed a trail through Israel’s educational system so that by the time Feldhandler arrived they were ready for him. Likewise, she’d preceded him at Gottingen, and it was there that he finally caught up to her. They received their degrees in theoretical physics together, even though she was two years older. From there Feldhandler launched one of the greatest scientific careers since Einstein, although this was recognized only within a small circuit of Israeli and international experts, while Mina carried his water. She deserved half-a-share of credit for Feldhandler’s accomplishments and he alone did not begrudge her. Feldhandler’s insights and inventions were the culmination of effort from two extraordinary and sympathetic minds.
But that was not the way the military or scientific community saw it, and so they demanded the presence of one half of the whole, and couldn’t care much less about the other. They would get both, figured Feldhandler, whether they liked it or not. In any case, he would give them as little a piece of his mind as possible.
The Prime Minister flew in from Jerusalem for the briefing, which was held at the Kirya, the IDF’s headquarters facility in downtown Tel Aviv. The defense minister arrived separately. The foreign minister had been deliberately sent away before the raid, to give the impression that the Israeli government was still concentrating on diplomatic and not military solutions to the Iran problem, but two other ministers of the country’s special security cabinet, and political allies of the Prime Minister were present.
Representatives of Israel’s two primary civilian intelligence services, Mossad and Shin Bet were also present. These services, while technically civilian, were run and staffed mostly by former professional soldiers. The military was represented by the Chief of Staff, and the heads of the air force, ground forces, and military intelligence, and Danny Yatom, commander of his eponymous sarayet.
Yatom’s sarayet comprised commandos who at one time or another were members of the ground forces, air force and navy.
Most, like Yatom, came from the famous Sayeret Matkal—the Chief of Staffs dedicated reconnaissance unit. But Mofaz was from the air force unit Shaldag, and Shapira, his other team leader, had come through the tough naval commando unit, Shayetet 13. Brom, as leader of the IDF infantry, supervised the training and operations of the various sarayets regardless of service. Sarayet Yatom as the ad hoc unit was simply called, was known only to a tiny group of cleared officers, men and civilian officials. In any case, did not officially exist.
The underground briefing room was modestly crowded when Feldhandler and Mina were ushered in. Feldhandler was given a seat near the center of the massive conference table, while Mina was shunted off to a chair on the periphery, where a few aides and mid-level officers were seated. In total there were slightly more than two dozen people present. All had been fully vetted and briefed about the Device and the successful mission against Iran the day before.
Feldhandler was happy to see Yatom at the table, also looking uncomfortable. Feldhandler liked Yatom, although he sensed that the grizzled commando did not return the sentiment. Feldhandler knew that in Yatom’s world, guys like him just didn’t matter. Indeed, Feldhandler got the impression that Yatom felt that way about just about everybody else in the room with the exception of his immediate superior, Brom. Yatom would likely be in line for that job if he survived his current stint.
The Prime Minister began the proceedings in a typical insincere way, congratulating Feldhandler and Yatom for their success on a mission that “may well have saved the State!” He praised the commandos’ bravery and the technical prowess of the Dimona facility, which had fostered such a success, but he did not mention the Device itself.
The assembled worthies accepted this hyperbole without comment, though both Yatom caught Feldhandler’s eye, and they both silently noted the hypocrisy of the sentiment. The Prime Minister had been reluctant to launch the mission, hemmed and hawed until the last possible moment, and put the two men through at least a dozen false alarms before the mission finally got a solid go. Feldhandler though, was flattered that Yatom had looked his way.
The Prime Minister turned the floor over to the Dov Harel, the Chief of Staff, who assessed the latest intelligence from Teheran. Harel reported that the Iranians had not publicly acknowledged anything amiss, other than an accident at the Natanz plant. A modest evacuation of neighborhoods downwind of the facility was underway. This was as good a situation as the Israelis could hope for diplomatically. Militarily, the Iranians had placed all their forces on alert, including their missile units, but done nothing more. There was a general murmur of satisfaction through the room.
The Chief of Staff continued his analysis. It was unlikely that the Iranians would act. How could they? They only knew that somehow, one of their hated enemies, either Israel or the U.S., had penetrated a vital and secure facility and destroyed it. The Iranian leadership surely figured that if Natanz could be raided so easily, why not other strategic sites, including the leadership hierarchy itself? The Iranians could appear brash and aggressive, but they proceeded in most cases like chess masters, carefully plotting several moves in advance. Somehow they had been checked out of the blue.