SOAR: A Black Ops Novel

The president nodded. “I agree. He knows we’re in our own war against terrorism. The summit’s coming up. He’d like to be able to demonstrate that he’s doing his part.”

Rockman fingered his tie. “Do you think Wu’s using the terrorists as a pretext for anything else, sir?”

“You mean our people?” The president turned to face the NSC adviser. “I don’t think so. But what’s the latest, Monica?”

Wirth said, “I’ve been checking NSA’s intake carefully. There’s not a whiff of anything untoward. I don’t think Wu suspects. And as you say, Mr. President, Beijing has been looking for an excuse to bring the Xinjiang region firmly under control for years.”

“Good.” Pete Forrest paused. “Now I’ve saved the best for last Wu gave me an opening that may actually help us extract our people.”

Rockman’s eyebrows went up. “Sir?”

“He requested a favor. He asked me to backchannel a message to Delhi. He wants to assure the Indians that although his troops will be moving into the northwestern portion of the autonomous region, they will not approach within two hundred kilometers of the disputed area on the Indian border. He asked me to persuade the Indians not to react negatively.”

“Did you agree?”

“Not immediately,” Pete Forrest said. “Never give without getting; right, Monica?” “Amen, Mr. President.”

“So I asked him precisely where his troops would be deployed, Rocky. I told him I couldn’t go to my good friend the Indian prime minister unless I knew the request could be absolutely explicit, detailed, and precise.”

An approving smile spread slowly across Rockman’s face. “And what did Wu say?”

“He hemmed and hawed, I guess is the best way to put it. He tried to keep to generalities. But the bottom line, Rocky, is that he’s going to concentrate his forces on the northern side of the Taklimakan Desert — between Kashgar and Ürümqi. His worst seepage—” Forrest read the bemused expression on Rockman’s face. ‘That’s how the translator interpreted, Rocky—’seepage.’ Anyway, it’s from Kyrgyzstan.”

“Interesting,” Rockman said. He turned to the national security adviser. “Has the Agency weighed in on this?”

Wirth grimaced. “Langley — that Margaret Nylos woman — faxed me a one-page boilerplate analysis, without any conclusions. I swear, Mr. Secretary, those people over there have no clue what’s going on. They might as well work for the State Department. I’d like to fire the lot of them.”

Rockman’s eyes flicked in the president’s direction. “He’s the commander in chief,” he said. “According to what I read in the Washington Compost this morning, Monica, you have an all-powerful, Svengali-like influence over the man. You have brainwashed him. Turned him into a hard-liner.”

“Rocky, don’t instigate.” The president frowned. “Believe me, after that screwup with the satellite imagery it wouldn’t take much right now to can everyone from the DCI on down … “ He paused.

Rockman coaxed, “And so, Mr. President?”

“I said, don’t instigate. Believe me, Rocky, when we’re out of the woods on this, I’m going to make changes. But for now, I don’t want to hear another word about what Nick Pappas is or isn’t doing.” Pete Forrest’s expression told both Rockman and Wirth the subject was closed.

Rockman pursed his lips. “Back to business,” he said. “What did you tell President Wu, sir?”

“I told him it would be at least eight hours before I could get to Prime Minister Chowdhery. The man’s seventy-six years old and he goes to bed early — but he gets up about four and is in the office by six. Wu agreed not to initiate any major action until he’s heard back from me.” Pete Forrest checked his watch. “Now, I’m not sure I believe Wu — or his motives — either. But let’s take him at his word for the moment.”

Wirth pulled a map of Western China from a credenza and spread it on the president’s desk. “Wu spoke about a Kashgar-Ürümqi axis.” She drew her finger over the map. “He’s worried about the Kyrgyz border.”

“That makes sense,” Rockman said. “Our intelligence shows much the same thing. So it would clear the way for Ritzik to move his people into Tajikistan.”

Monica Wirth said, “Why there as opposed to anywhere else?”

“There’s a twenty-man Special Forces training group in Dushanbe,” Rockman said. “They have choppers with them. They can be moved up to the Chinese border area under the guise of a joint exercise.”

“But not into China,” Wirth broke in.

“No,” Rockman said. “No border crossings. That would be provocative.” He paused, frowning.

The president read his SECDEF’s face. “What’s up, Rocky?”

“I just thought of something, sir. Wu said he wouldn’t initiate any major action, right?” Pete Forrest checked his notes. “That’s what he said.”

“ ‘Major action.’ His precise words.”

“That’s right, Rocky.”

“But Wu didn’t say he wouldn’t initiate small-unit activity, did he?”

Forrest wrinkled his brow. “No, he didn’t. He didn’t say anything at all about small-unit activity.”