Dale Brown - Shadows of steel

“It is nothing more than a fancy helicopter, damn you!” Tufayli shouted in response. “Get down here and destroy them!”

The lone MiG-29 wheeled back and set up for a stern gun pass—but his fate was no different than his leader’s. Seconds before flying into cannon range, the CV-22 wheeled around, locked its laser designator onto the approaching fighter, and fired another salvo of Hellfire laser-guided missiles. The MiG-29 exploded into a huge fireball long before the pilot could press his trigger.

The CV-22 wheeled around again and was on the Iranian Mil-8 helicopter in less than a minute. “You’re next, Admiral,” Paul White’s voice echoed on the GUARD frequency. “Surrender now or you’ll die.”

“We have wounded sailors on board this aircraft,” Tufayli said.

“You will not dare to harm them. That is a barbaric act of a coward!”

“Their blood will be on your hands, Admiral, not mine,” White said. “Surrender, and I will see to it that your wounded receive all the medical care they need and are then immediately returned to Iran.”

“Go to hell, filthy American terrorist pig!” Tufayli shouted in response. “We are in Iranian airspace, over Iranian waters. If you shoot us down, it is an act of war! You go to hell!”

“After you, Admiral Tufayli,” White radioed—seconds before the CV-22’s last two Hellfire missiles plowed into the Mil-8 helicopter, blowing it to pieces and sending it crashing into the Gulf of Oman.

“Oh, man, that looked good,” Paul White said, uncharacteristically angry, almost bloodthirsty. “That felt real good.”

“We’ll turn you into a mad-dog killer yet, Colonel,” Hal Briggs added with a wry smile. “A stone mad-dog killer.”

“About as likely as you becoming a chaste monk,” White shot back.

“Speaking of which, where did that charming young lady of yours run off to? I’m sure she’s a capable agent, and I know the United Arab Emirates must have plenty of safe houses in Tehran, but do you think it was wise for her to stay down there?”

“She’s not just a capable agent—she’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Briggs said. “And as much as I want her with me, she’s got a job to do. I can’t wait to see her again, boss White noticed the unexpected intensity in Briggs’s voice. “This sounds serious, Hal,” he said with a smile. “is it?”

“Could be, Colonel,” Briggs said. “Could be …”

TEHRAN, IRAN “Your incredible incompetence has nearly resulted in bringing this entire government down, General Buzhazi,” the Faqih Ayatollah Ali Hoseini Khamenei said angrily. He and the members of the Council of Guardians, the twelve-member legal and religious tribunal that advised the Faqih on government matters, were meeting with Buzhazi in the Council’s chambers. “You almost single-handedly managed to create a third world war, with the military forces of nearly the entire planet directed against us—only the incompetence of your military commanders on board the aircraft carrier saved the Islamic Republic from disaster. Further, you directly violated our orders that President Nateq-Nouri not be harmed. Allah and his faithful servants demand an answer. Speak, General. What have you to say for yourself’.?”

“Your Excellency, I demand to know why you ordered our air and naval forces to cease their operations,” Hesarak akan Buzhazi said in response, ignoring the Ayatollah’s demand. “The aircraft carrier Khomeini and several vessels in the battle group sustained heavy damage, but our air forces had the upper hand …”

“We ordered the operations to stop because our armed forces were facing virtual annihilation, General,” Khamenei said. “Our carrier was barely able to return to Chah Bahar, and I now understand that it is still in danger of sinking, even though several hundred workers are struggling to save it.”

“Your Excellency, I was one or two days away from completely eliminating all foreign threats to Iran!” Buzhazi said angrily.

“In just a few hours, my air forces could have destroyed or damaged every military base within fifteen hundred kilometers of our shores. With no American or foreign military forces to support them, every nation in the region would have been forced to sign non-aggression pacts with us. With this cease-fire, we allow the United States to deploy more air defense forces to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey, Kuwait …”

“Several bases in the Islamic Republic, a radar plane, and our carrier battle group were attacked by the Americans—and it is said that it was a single American bomber,” Khamenei pointed out.

“Our destruction was imminent. Your failures have angered Allah, and it was his command that this senseless waste of lives and resources of the Islamic Republic stop immed-“

Buzhazi shot to his feet before the Faqih and the Council of Guardians. “Enough of this religious tripe, Khamenei,” he said angrily. “My war has not ended—it is just beginning.”

Every member of the Council of Guardians recoiled in horror at Buzhazi’s words—everyone but Khamenei himself. “How so, General?” the Faqih asked calmly.

“Iran is suffering under men like you—small-minded men who actually believe that Allah is going to elevate this country ahead of all others simply because you invoke his name,” Buzhazi said.

“Iran will be powerful and take charge of the true believers around the world only if its leadership has the guts to do so—and you need a powerful military force to do it.

“My men control the government now, Khamenei,” Buzhazi went on.

“I control the press, the Cabinet, and all telecommunications in and out of this capital. I have a military force of two million men under arms, and I have begun the mobilization of the Basij under the direct control of my Pasdaran forces—that is another million men and women under arms. We do not believe that Allah is speaking to you, any of you. Iran is under attack, and Allah has commanded me to lead her, to drive the non-believers away, and to secure our borders and our future.

“I have a suggestion for all you tired, shriveled-up old men,” he said as he turned to depart. “Finger your worry beads and pray in silence, or stand up and support me and your warriors. If you attempt to involve yourself in military affairs again, I will see to it that this Council is disbanded or replaced. You have been warned.”

“We will discuss your suggestion—and your warning with our military advisers,” the Ayatollah Khamenei said calmly.

“Our military advisers,” Khamenei said, raising a hand. From a side room, several men, some in uniform, entered—including one who made Buzhazi’s jaw drop in surprise. “I am sure you know the leader of our new military advisory panel: the honorable Dr. Ding Henggao, Minister of National Defense Science, Technology, and Industry of the People’s Republic of China. He was kind enough to bring along General Fu Qanyou, Chief of General Logistics, and Vice Admiral Qu Zhenmou, commander of the East China Sea Fleet of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. The others with him are-“

“What in God’s name is this?” Buzhazi retorted. “What are they doing here? I did not request this-“

“These gentlemen are representatives of the Chinese government, come to inspect their equipment and inquire as to the status of their country’s considerable investment in the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei said with a satisfied smile. His smile dimmed dramatically as he went on: “They were very, very disappointed to learn of the attack and destruction on their aircraft carrier and their cruiser.”

Buzhazi was thunderstruck. Khamenei, the man who hated all foreigners and disdained almost anything having to do with the military, had secretly called a high-level delegation of Chinese military advisers to Tehran! Next to Russia, China was Iran’s largest arms supplier; most of Iran’s naval and missile technology had come from China, the agreements signed by most of these gentlemen now present and delivered by these very military commanders. “I am prepared to brief these distinguished visitors from the People’s Republic of China at any time on the nature of the attacks by the Americans.”