have been sent.’
‘And?’
‘I was told to come,’ said Sahurah.
‘That’s all?’
‘Perhaps you should begin by paying your respects to the general,’ said Dazhou from the side.
Sahurah bowed his head. ‘I am not here on my own, or I would offer profound apologies.’ The words came slowly at first, but as he found the formula they began to flow. ‘I am not worthy of the people who have sent me. They, however, are your equals, and should be treated with the respect due. As I am their representative, then I must also be accorded respect.’
‘Please, little puppy, don’t lecture me,’ said the general.
He glared at Sahurah. The general’s hostility stiffened Sahurah’s resolve – he was here not on his own but as the representative of his imam, of men who had the word of the Prophet deep in their soul and could pass it to others. He would not disgrace them.
‘I am not here on my own,’ repeated Sahurah.
Dazhou found the Muslim madman’s impertinence rather amusing, though of course he did not laugh in front of Udara. The terrorist was showing commendable backbone. Of course, there was always the danger that would provoke Udara into having him bound and taken to the basement; whatever amusements that provided, it would set back their plans several years, if not derail them completely. And so he decided finally to interrupt and move things to their conclusions.
‘No one is insulting your masters,’ said Dazhou. ‘The fact that you were brought into the general’s presence rather than being shot on the street – as any rebel is apt to be – proves that the general holds them in very high esteem.’
Dazhou glanced over at Udara. The general’s cheeks were a shade of bright red, and beads of perspiration were now arranged in a row on his forehead. Dazhou decided to proceed quickly.
‘Were you told to say anything?’ he asked the messenger.
‘Nothing.’
‘Then your master understands the gravity of the situation, and the generous concessions that the general has made to him.’
Dazhou turned and once more looked at Udara. For a moment, he feared all was lost, and decided he would have his revenge against Udara as well as the terrorist. But then the general spoke very calmly.
‘Tell him to proceed on the third day after your arrival,’ he told Sahurah. ‘The third day. Do you understand?’
The messenger might have been insulted – Dazhou surely would have been had the tone been used toward him – but all he did was bow his head.
‘Very good,’ said Udara, addressing Dazhou. ‘Let us have some lunch.’
Though he had not planned to stay, Dazhou thought it wise to agree.
Brunei, Office of the Defense Ministry 1100
Mack fought hard to control his temper, knowing from experience that displaying any emotion would only bring smiles to the lips of the others in the room. To a man, the other ministers hated him and would seize on any excuse to stab him in the back somehow.
There were fourteen different ministers and ‘realm advisors’ here, along with members of their staffs, crowded into a conference room that might make a good-sized closet back home. The air-conditioning didn’t work very well, and more than one of the gray faces around the table looked as if it were about to nod off into oblivion. The chief of staff – officially the sultan’s personal counselor for matters of defense – sat at the head of the table, eyes gazing at the ceiling fan. One of the navy ministers was explaining, for the third time, how it was impossible for the ship that sank to have been attacked by a ship.
The minister was speaking in Malaysian. A translator sat behind Mack, whispering the words in English. Everyone in the room could speak English perfectly; Mack suspected that they conducted the meetings in Malaysian simply to emphasize that he was an outsider.
When the navy minister stopped speaking, Mack put up his finger, though he knew from experience that he would not be recognized. Sure enough, the floor went to one of the army people, who began explaining why the Sukhois Mack had encountered did not exist.
That was it. ‘I’ve had enough,’ said Mack, standing up. ‘Enough.’
The translator looked at him, awe-struck. He thought he heard snickers as he walked out the door, but didn’t give them the satisfaction of looking back.
Prince bin Awg was somewhat more sympathetic than the ministers, or at least polite.
‘The Sukhois have to be dealt with,’ Mack told him over lunch at the prince’s palace a few miles from the capital. ‘It’s possible that they attacked the ship.’
‘I think a bomb planted aboard remains the most likely possibility,’ said the prince. ‘It would account for the total destruction. And your aircraft did not detect the attack.’
Mack couldn’t argue with that. It was possible that his crew, only rudimentarily trained, had missed it. But given the course and location of the aircraft when they were detected, it seemed to him unlikely that they were responsible for the attack. But perhaps they were part of a larger attack package, or a reconnaissance flight. In any event, they were still a threat.
‘The question in my mind,’ said Mack, ‘is why did Malaysia bring them onto the island secretly? What are they up to? How are the planes equipped?’
‘Very good questions,’ said the prince. ‘But you are assuming they are Malaysian. If so, where would they have flown from? I have checked with our sources myself – there are no jet fighters at any of the bases on the island.’
‘I think they built a strip near Kalabakan, as part of a highway,’ said Mack, ‘I want to fly over it and find out.’
‘Kalabakan?’
‘That’s my theory,’ said Mack. He’d decided it was best not to share the source of his information unless absolutely necessary – the back door might come in handy in the future.
‘Flying that far over Malaysian territory – it’s very far. It may be seen as provocative,’ said bin Awg.
‘I’ll take the Megafortress,’ said Mack. ‘They won’t see us.’
‘I don’t know, Mack. I will have to talk to the sultan personally.’
‘Okay,’ said Mack. ‘When?’
‘Tonight. Or perhaps in the morning. The timing needs to be right.’
‘Look, we have to deal with this, and we have to deal with it now,’ said Mack. ‘Even if they didn’t sink that ship, why are they sneaking interceptors onto the island?’
‘Perhaps they see the Megafortress as provocative,’ offered bin Awg.
Before Mack could
