"I most strenuously deny-!"
"Don't bother responding, Ambassador-Aenials will only
embarrass you," Freeman went on bitterly. "More recently,
we've received information that you are sharing nuclear-
weapons information with Israel, and that you have a nuclear
warhead on some license-built versions of the Gabriel anti-
ship cruise missile. Finally, we received information from the
HO of the Australian Ministry of Defense that you have been
sharing nuclear and chemical weapons technology with Indo-
nesia. Australia is so sure of its information that it has consid-
ered a preemptive air strike on Indonesian weapons plants-
and some attacks on certain Taiwanese vessels suspected of
carrying weapon-making equipment into Indonesia." Kuo's
eyes bulged at that news-he was completely unable to con-
tain his surprise. "If any of this news ever leaked out, Mr.
Ambassador, it would be a political disaster for the Republic
of China and a great embarrassment for the United States of
America."
"We trust you'll do the right thing," Secretary of State
Hartman said, "and eliminate any sharing of nuclear weapons
technology, with an eye on completely eliminating your nu-
clear weapons programs in the very near future. It would be
extremely difficult for the United States to support any country
secretly violating American nuclear weapons antiproliferation
regulations. Very difficult."
The President hadn't said a word, but when Ambassador
Kuo looked into his eyes, he saw disappointment and distrust
conveyed to him as surely as if Martindale had screamed it in
his face. The Taiwanese ambassador had noted with amuse-
anent the American people's preoccupation with their new
President's hair, but now he saw what they all fixated on-
the two silver-gray curls that had drooped acros s his forehead
and eyes, making him look sinister, like a gray wolf ready to
attack. "I ... I will convey your message and request an im-
mediate response," Kuo stammered, averting his eyes apolo-
getically. "I assure you all, the Republic of China will obey
international law and honor our treaty obligations, and, most
importantly, we would not knowingly do anything to harm our
82 DALE BROWN
strong and steadfast relationship with the United States of
America."
Then our commitment will remain equally strong to the
Republic of China," the President said, in a light voice that
seemed to clear the room of a dense choking haze. Magically,
without a touch, the silver curls were now gone from the Pres-
ident's forehead. It is true, Kuo thought-this man certainly is
bewitched!
Kuo looked very wobbly in the knees as he got to his feet
when the President stood, signaling an end to the meeting. He
extended a hand to Kuo, who accepted it and added a deep
bow. "We'll set up a hot-line system with President Lee's
office as soon as possible," the President said. "Until then,
we'll be in contact with you, and you may contact my office
or Secretary Hartman's office twenty-four hours a day, for any
reason whatsoever. It was a pleasure to see you again. Please
convey my best wishes and support to President Lee and Pre-
mier Huang. Good day." Kuo looked pale and a little sweaty
as he was shown out of the Oval Office.
"God bless it," the President muttered, after Kuo had de-
parted. "I'm getting ready to put our political necks on the
chopping block for Taiwan, and the whole time Taiwan is
handing over the ax to use on us. I'd like to talk with President
Lee first thing in the morning-set it up," he told his chief of
staff. Jerrod Hale nodded and picked up a phone to relay the
order.
In the reception area down the hall from the Oval Office, Am-
bassador Kuo was on his way to the staircase down to the
West Wing driveway when several men walking toward the
reception area from the National Security Advisor's office
caught his attention. Kuo stopped, then turned and walked over
to them. "Forgive me, sir," Kuo said to the youngest of the
men walking by, "but do I have the pleasure of addressing
Jon Masters was surprised to hear his name. "You got it,"
he replied. "And who are you?"
"My name is Kuo Han-min, Ambassador to the United
States from the Republic of China, at your service, sir," Kuo
replied, bowing and then extending a hand. "It is a great plea-
sure to meet you. We met many years ago at the Singapore
FATAL TERRAI N 83
Air Show. Your company's exhibit was most impressive."
"Thanks, Mr. Min," Masters said, shaking hands with him,
not real izing he had mixed up his surname and given name.
When Kuo's eyes wandered over to the other men, who had
walked on past them, Masters, feeling obligated to make in-
troductions, pointed to them and said, "Mr. Ambassador,
that's Brad Elliott, Patrick Mc--
"No you don't, Dr. Masters," Patrick McLanahan said. Jon
Masters didn't know, or had forgotten, about the extremely
high security classification under which they were working, a
classification definitely off-limits to foreign nationals. "Let's
go.
"Elliott ... General Bradley Elliott?" Kuo said, with a
knowing twinkle in his eye. "And so you, sir, must be Colonel
Patrick McLanahan of the United States Air Force. May I
ask ... ?"
Just then, two Secret Service agents stepped in front of Kuo,
blocking his view, and said in a stem voice, "I'm sorry, sir.
Please move along." Masters, Elliott, McLanahan, and the big
black general Kuo recognized as Terrill Samson, commander
of all the heavy bomber forces in the United States, were
quickly hustled away into the Cabinet Room to wait for their
meeting with the National Security Council, and Kuo was po-
litely but firmly escorted outside.
So! Kuo thought. The President was meeting with the three-
star general in charge of all the long-range bomber forces, and
also with Elliott, Masters, and McLanahan. Those three had
an international reputation for developing very high-tech attack
weapons that were reportedly put to effective use in conflicts
from Russia to eastern Europe to the Philippines. Now that he
saw them all together, it made very good sense that such forces
were used recently against the Islamic Republic of Iran-to
extraordinarily great effectiveness. Now, with a probable con-
flict between China and Taiwan brewing, the President was
conferring with them once again? Could the President be con-
sidering the use of stealth attack bombers in the defense of the
Republic of China?
Kuo Han-min filed that brief but extremely interesting
chance encounter away in his head-the information might be
vital someday very soon.
84 DALE B ROWN
"Okay. We're getting ready to side with Taiwan against
China, which is bound to stir up some shit in the Pacific for
s
ure," the President said. "What about Japan and South Ko-
rea? I hope they're not reacting."
"I've spoken with Japanese deputy prime minister Kubo
and President Kim of South Korea, and they're watching
events closely but not reacting, except for a few South Korean
reinforcements along the DMZ," Hartman replied. "North
Korea is blasting Taiwan and saying they're provoking war in
Asia, but they don't seem to be exacerbating any conflicts-
at least, not more than usual."
Hartman looked a little uneasy, and the President picked up
on it. "What else? Did Nagai have a comment?" Kazumi Na-
gai was the new prime minister of Japan, an ultra-left-wing
politician of the new Kaishin Party, a coalition of left-wing
political parties including the Japan Communist Party. Nagai
was staunchly but carefully anti-West and anti-United States;
he'd won the recent elections by opposing continued U. mil-
itary bases in Japan, by extending a two-hundred-mile Japa-
nese economic exclusion zone around islands also claimed by
South Korea, Taiwan, and China, and by calling for gradual
increases in Japan's military expenditures and total Japanese
propositions had been passed, but the favorable attention he
was receiving in Japan was cause for concern in Washington.
Si Exactly what you might expect," Hartman replied with a
gh. -Kubo told me the Prime, Minister is going to give a
speech tomorrow, calling for the U. to end its support of
Taiwan as long as they claim ownership of the Senkaku Is-
lands. The buzz is that Nagai will call for the Diet to withdraw
basing rights for U. warships if we continue support for Tai-
wan.'
'Christ almighty," the President muttered. "Jerrod. .
'I'm ahead of you, Sir," Hale shot back, getting on the
phone to order the staff to schedule a call to the Japanese prime
minister's office. From his years as vice president, Martindale
had learned that a simple phone call to a foreign leader was
worth a dozen communiques and State Department visits, and
he spent quite a bit of time on the phone.
' IOkay, so Japan and South Korea aren't saying anything
about Chinese military moves," the President summarized. "It
FATAL T ER RAI N 85
seems no one would really shed a tear-except Taiwan, of
course-if China took back Quemoy, Matsu, or even For-
osa."
M "That's because Taiwan has a fairly balanced trading ledger
and is a stiff trading competitor with everyone else in Asia-
except the U. and China," Hartman explained. "Taiwan is
the ninth-largest economy in the world and competes as an
equal with Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Singapore. But
Taiwan has a ten-billion-dollar trade surplus with the United
States and holds two billion dollars' worth of U. currency
and bonds. Its balance of trade is even more one-sided with
China-all in Taiwan's favor. Most Asian nations see the Tai-
wanese Nationalists as rabble-rousers supported by the United
States, similar to Israel. They feel that China should absorb
Taiwan as it is absorbing Hong Kong-as long as the Com-
munists allow them to keep making money."
"What's the balance of trade between Japan and South Ko-
rea and China?" Vice President Ellen Christine Whiting asked.
A former governor of Delaware, Ellen Whiting's expertise was
economic matters, whether on a local, national, or international
arena-she believed the world revolved around money, and
she was most often correct. "China's total economy has got
to be, what? Ten times larger than Taiwan's?"
"Something like that," Hartman admitted.
"China is the trading partner everyone wants. Over a billion
potential customers-that's why almost every nation in the
world, officially including the United States, has abandoned
Taiwan in favor of mainland China," Whiting maintained. "If
China wants Taiwan back, who says the other Asian countries
would stand in their way? Why would they make an enemy
of China in favor of Taiwan?"
"So we shouldn't expect too much help from our allies in
Asia, should Taiwan come under attack," National Security
Advisor Freeman summarized.
"'Privately, even secretly, I think we can count on Japan's
and South Korea's support of any actions we undertake against
China," Hartman said. "Both countries still rely on us for their
security and for general stability throughout Asia. If we want
to support Taiwan against China, I feel Japan and South Korea
will support us."
"So we're it," the President said. "If the Chinese are going
after Taiwan, we're the only ones who seem to give a shit."
86 DALE BROWN
He paused, and the Oval Office turned quiet-everyone knew
that the President was absolutely right. "And the bottom line
is, I do give a shit. I don't want war with mainland China, but
I also don't want mainland China taking Taiwan by force.
They got Hong Kong back peacefully. If Taiwan and the main-
land are going to be reunited, it should be done peacefully too.
It would hurt our country if Taiwan was taken back by force."
"No question," Vice President Whiting joined in. "Trade,
financial markets, multinational business, our national debt
structure, our standing in Asia would all suffer if Taiwan was
attacked and absorbed by Communist China."
"Agreed," the President said. "Question is, if the Chinese
are moving against Taiwan, what do we have to stop them?"
"Ordinarily, I'd recommend instituting economic sanctions,
pulling China's most-favored-nation trading status, setting up
another embargo of high-tech and military goods," Hartman
said. "But with China amassing this naval task force, I think
it's beyond economic warfare. We should hear some military
options-low-key, quiet, not too bombastic."
"We've got two briefings set up for you, Sir," Freeman
said. "Admiral Balboa will brief the first recommendation, and
Lieutenant General Terrill Samson from Eighth Air Force will
brief the second."
"Okay, let's get to it," the President said. "Where's Ad-
miral Balboa?"
Jerrod Hale was on the phone instantly to the White House
Communications Center; he got his answer a few seconds later.
"En route, Mr. President," he replied, and motioned for the
Secret Service to show the others in.
The President got to his feet as Terrill Samson, Patrick
McLanahan, and Jon Masters were escorted into the Oval Of-
fice. "Damn, it's good to see you again, Patrick," the Presi-
dent of the United States said warmly, as he greeted each of
them. "How the hell are you?"
"I'm fine, Mr. President," McLanahan said, shaking hands
and receiving a brotherly clasp on the shoulder. "I'm glad to
see you, and very glad to see you here, where you belong."
"Sometimes I wish I was back in the Vice President's of-
fice, working with troops like you-lots of power but
no re-
sponsibility," Martindale said, rather wearily. "How's your
wife? Wendy, right? Doing well, I hope."
"She's well, thanks."
FATAL TERRAI N 87
Shit hot. It's a miracle, after her accident. Congrats. " Mar-
tindale knew all about the aerial duel between Wendy Mc-
Lanahan in the original EB-52 Megafortress and the
thought-controlled fighter that had been piloted by the Russian
deep-cover spy Kenneth Francis James. "And thank you for
what you and Tiger Jamieson did over Iran and the Persian
Gulf. You averted a major world oil crisis, and possibly an-
other Desert Ston-n. Job well done."
"I hope we get a chance to talk about the recent cuts -in the
bomber force, Sir," McLanahan Said. "Speaking as a con-
cerned and knowledgeable individual and not just as a defense
contractor, I have some ideas about the bomber force structure
that you should know."
"You will get a chance to talk about it, I promise," the
President said. "You've earned that right. Just keep in mind,
the cuts were made long before I came into office, and the
money has already been spent on the back end. But we'll talk
about all this later. I've heard some good things about what
you and this young man here have been doing." The President
shook hands with Jon Masters. "Good to see you too, Dr.
Masters. I'm looking forward to you naming a satellite after
me soon. Make it a good one, okay?"
"The new space-based surveillance and targeting satellite
needs a name," Masters said with a boyish grin. "At the risk
of being accused of out-and-out brown-nosing the President of
the United States, I wonder if I should skip Taylor and Clinton
and go right to Martindale?" They all laughed-the answer to
that one was obvious.
"General, good to see you again," the President said as he
shook hands with the big three-star general. "I know I haven't
had time to thank you for all the hard work you did getting
Colonel McLanahan here back in the air for that Iranian mis-
,Sion. Your work was instrumental in averting a certain disaster
in the Persian Gulf. We were very impressed with the proposal