Mr. Hu, you are one of our most important customers at the moment. When you extended your invitation to join you here, my superiors let me know that I had no other duties save making this appointment. I am pleased to say that this does not feel even remotely like business.”
“That is good to hear.” The Englishman was reserved and cool, yet Hu found himself liking the man. From the moment they had met, he’d showed the proper respect to both an elder and a top customer. He took a moment to look out over the sea, watching the ship traffic come and go around the city. “I agree with your sentiment, but unfortunately, I’m afraid that business must intrude upon what has been a very pleasant outing so far. Let us hope that it won’t intrude too much. You are a very worthy opponent, and I would hate to distract you from our game.”
Again a slight nod from Davis-Smythe. “By all means. I was fairly certain that this wasn’t a purely social call. I will endeavor to answer whatever questions you may have, and anything that I cannot speak to I will look into upon my return to the office, and have an answer for you not later than the end of the day.”
“Excellent. To begin, please give me a current status report of the assets in play,” Hu requested as they approached his ball.
“Well, sir, the mission you requested certainly tasked the majority of our available personnel, but I am pleased to report that we were able to mobilize and transport more than eighty percent of our active personnel within forty-eight hours of the finalization of the contract. Currently there are 357 men awaiting orders to strike the designated target location.”
“Excellent. Please detail the vehicles and equipment that you plan to use to achieve my stated objectives.”
“Of course. To begin with, we have mortar teams ready to entrench in their designated zones to supply preassault fire to soften up the target before the main assault. Our support aircraft are two Boeing AH-6 gunships, armed with 30 mm chain guns and 2.75 mm rocket pods. The ground forces will launch their initial assault in a dozen M1117 Guardian ASVs, each equipped with a 40 mm grenade launcher, a .50-caliber machine gun and an M240H medium machine gun.Also, there will be more than a dozen Humvees mounting both wire-guided TOW missiles and turret-
mounted .50-caliber heavy machine guns, to achieve maximum fire penetration, supporting the individual combat units. As the majority of the attendees will be carrying light arms at best, we expect to achieve a kill rate of at least eighty percent.”
“Most impressive. And what about the additional mission we had discussed?”
Davis-Smythe cleared his throat. “Yes, well, as the vast majority of our men are currently tasked under the primary mission, we have had to outsource the two teams for that one. However, I am pleased to let you know that we have two top freelance teams under contract for each target. We have worked with each group before, and can highly recommend them. They are under contract with us, and are bound by our insurance and liability.”
“Very good.”
“Just to verify, the men’s orders are to set the autopilot, set the munitions that they will bring on board, and then debark from the ship, leaving it aimed toward the harbor to detonate when it reaches its final destination?”
“That is acceptable, as long as the freighters make it as close to shore as possible. That is key.”
“I will inform our men of this and ensure that they execute your directives to the utmost of their ability.”
Hu nodded. “Excellent. The recommendations I received when investigating whom to contract to handle these tasks were most accurate. I’m also very pleased with your readiness and efficiency.” Satisfied with the answers he’d received, Hu addressed his ball again with a six iron, drew back and swung. His shot arced high and landed on the far end of the green, approximately twenty yards from the pin.
“Another excellent shot. Given the generous terms of the contract you signed with us, Force Forward made absolutely every effort to meet your requests, and we are very pleased that you are satisfied with the results so far. I trust that our people will continue to live up to the high standards that you expect.” Davis-Smythe began walking toward his own ball again. “Are there any other questions that you have?”
“Not at this time. If all goes well, I should be able to give you the go-ahead instructions within the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours.”
“Very good, sir.”
Hu’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket as they walked. “I’m afraid it is my office calling. If you will excuse me for a moment, gentlemen.” He walked several yards away, then answered. “Yes?”
“It is done,” Zheng Rong’s calm voice replied.
“Excellent. We should contact our other parties. No doubt they are getting restless, as well.”
“Yes, sir, however, I would not do so on an unsecured line. May I suggest that you do so when you are back in the office? I will get in touch with each of them and set up an appropriate call for each.”
“That would be excellent, Ms. Zheng. Is everything else proceeding as we desire?”
“Yes. The men are preparing themselves right now. All we need is for the right pair of vessels to come along, and we will be ready to go. I have been reviewing the shipping schedules, and have identified several likely possibilities. I have also marked several vessels that will be suitable for the longer-range aspects of your plan. A complete report will be available for you upon your return.”
“Very good. I will return later this afternoon.” He disconnected and rejoined his foursome to head to their various shots. “Gentlemen, let us proceed. On the way, Mr. Davis-Smythe, perhaps you can enlighten me as to how you are enjoying your time in our city?” As he spoke, Hu spotted the other man’s shot land on the green, less than five yards from the pin, where he had been consistently hitting all day.
Smiling at the challenge, Hu prepared himself for a demanding round of golf.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have just been informed by the tower that we are cleared for our final approach, and will be touching down in the next few minutes. We appreciate your patience during the delay, and hope that you have enjoyed your flight with us. Flight crew, please prepare for landing.”
John Trent relaxed in his business-class airline seat, sparing a pitying thought for the folks crammed back in coach after their fifteen-hour flight. Returning his seat to its upright position, he stowed his tray table then turned to the window, looking down on the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, the southern jewel of China.
Skyscrapers dominated the landscape, reducing the still-thick forests surrounding the sprawling city to tiny green trees. The morning sun glittered on the water, its rays refracting into thousands of brilliant diamonds that lit the harbor, interspersed with dozens of ships that plied the waterways, from the classic, trendy tourist junks to the ponderous, massive cargo ships and tankers that sailed through the strait daily. Everywhere he looked, Trent saw a thriving city, even amid the oppressive overall global recession that had sapped the business center’s strength. Although the economic markets had receded from their lofty highs of a few years ago, in Hong Kong, it still looked as though business was quite good, at least on the surface.
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