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her than God。 Mary Pat left the office with a special spring in her step。 Ryan waved for his Vice President to stay as the rest walked toward the West Entrance。
〃What do you think？〃 SWORDSMAN asked TOMCAT。
〃This looks pretty damned hot； Jack。 Jesus； boy； how the hell do they get stuff like this？〃
〃If they ever get around to telling me； I can't tell you； Rob； and I'm not sure I want to know。 It isn't always pretty。〃
The retired fighter pilot agreed。 〃I believe it。 Not quite the same as catapulting off the boat and shooting the bastard in the lips； is it？〃
〃But just as important。〃
〃Hey； Jack； I know。 Battle of Midway； like。 Joe Rochefort and his band of merry men at FRUPAC back in '42 saved our country a lot of hassles with our little yellow friends in WestPac when they told Nimitz what was ing。〃
〃Yeah； Robby； well； looks like we have more of the same sort of friends。 If there's operational stuff in here； I want your opinion of it。〃
〃I can do that already。 Their army and what passes for a navy are talking in the open about how they take us on； how to counter carriers and stuff like that。 It's mostly pipe dreams and self…delusion； but my question is； why the hell are they putting this in the open？ Maybe to impress the unwashed of the world…reporters and the other idiots who don't know shit about war at sea…and maybe to impress their own people with how smart and how tough they are。 Maybe to put more heat on the ROC government on Taiwan； but if they want to invade； they have something to do first； like building a real navy with real amphibious capability。 But that would take ten years； and we'd probably notice all the big gray canoes in the water。 They've got some submarines； and the Russians； of all people； are selling them hardware…just forked over a Sovremenny…class DDG； plete with Sunburn missiles； supposedly。 Exactly what they want to do with them； I have no idea。 It's not the way I'd build up a navy； but they didn't ask me for advice。 What freaks me is； the Russians sold them the hardware； and they're selling some other stuff； too。 Crazy；〃 the Vice President concluded。
〃Tell me why；〃 POTUS manded。
〃Because once upon a time a guy named Genghis Khan rode all the way to the Baltic Sea…like； all the way across Russia。 The Russkies have a good sense of history； Jack。 They ain't forgot that。 If I'm a Russian； what enemies do I have to worry about？ NATO？ The Poles？ Romania？ I don't think so。 But off to my southeast is a great big country with a shitload of people； a nice large collection of weapons； and a long history of killing Russians。 But I was just an operations guy； and sometimes I get a little paranoid about what my counterparts in other countries might be thinking。〃 Robby didn't have to add that the Russians had invented paranoia once upon a time。
〃This is madness！〃 Bondarenko swore。 〃There are many ways to prove Lenin was right； but this is not the one I would choose！〃 Vladimir Il'ych Ulyanov had once said that the time would e when the capitalist countries would bid among themselves to sell to the Soviet Union the rope with which the Soviet Union would later hang them。 He hadn't anticipated the death of the country he'd founded； and certainly not that the next Russia might be the one doing what he had predicted。
Golovko could not disagree with his guest。 He'd made a similar argument； though with fewer decibels； in the office of President Grushavoy。 〃Our country needs the hard currency； Gennady Iosifovich。〃
〃Indeed。 And perhaps someday we will also need the oil fields and the gold mines of Siberia。 What will we do when the Chinks take those away from us？〃 Bondarenko demanded。
〃The Foreign Ministry discounts that possibility' Sergey Nikolay'ch replied。
〃Fine。 Will those foreign…service pansies take up arms if they are proven wrong； or will they wring their hands and say it isn't their fault？ I am spread too thin for this。 I cannot stop a Chinese attack； and so now we sell them the T…99 tank design。。。
〃It will take them five years to bring about series production； and by that time we will have the T…10 in production at Chelyabinsk； will we not？〃
That the People's Liberation Army had four thousand of the Russian…designed T…80/90 tanks was not discussed。 That had happened years earlier。 But the Chinese had not used the Russian…designed 115…mm gun； opting instead for the 105…mm rifled gun sold to them by Israel Defense Industries； known to America as the M…68。 They came plete with three million rounds of ammunition made to American specifications； down to the depleted uranium projectiles； probably made with uranium depleted by the same reactors that made plutonium for their nuclear devices。 What was it about politicians？ Bondarenko wondered。 You could talk and talk and talk to them； but they never listened！ It had to be a Russian phenomenon； the general thought； rather than a political one。 Stalin had executed the intelligence officer who'd predicted…correctly； as it turned out…the German attack of June 1941 on the Soviet Union。 And that one had e within sight of Moscow。 Executed him； why？ Because his prediction was less pleasing than that of Levrenti Beriya； who'd had the good sense to say what Stalin had wanted to hear。 And Beriya had survived being pletely wrong。 So much for the rewards of patriotism。
〃If we have the money for it； and if Chelyabinsk hasn't been retooled to make fucking washing machines！〃 Russia had cannibalized its defense infrastructure even more quickly than America had。 Now there was talk of converting the MiG airplane plants to automobile production。
Would this never stop？ Bondarenko thought。 He had a potentially hostile nation next door； and he was years away from rebuilding the Russian Army into the shape he wished。 But to do that meant asking President Grushavoy for something that he knew he couldn't have。 To build a proper army； he had to pay the soldiers a living wage； enough to attract the patriotic and adventurous boys who wanted to wear their country's uniform for a few years； and most particularly those who found that they enjoyed uniformed life enough to make a career of it； to bee sergeants； the middle…level professional soldiers without whom an army simply could not function； the sinews that held the muscles to the bone。 To make that happen； a good platoon sergeant had to make almost as much money as a skilled factory worker； which was only fair； since the demands of such a man were on the same intellectual level。 The rewards of a uniformed career could not be duplicated in a television plant。 The radeship； and the sheer joy of soldiering； was something to which a special sort of man responded。 The Americans had such men； as did the British and the Germans； but these priceless professionals had been denied the Russian Army since the time of Lenin； the first of many Soviet leaders who'd sacrificed military efficiency in favor of the political purity the Soviet Union had insisted upon。 Or something like that； Bondarenko thought。 It all seemed so distant now； even to one who'd grown up within the misbegotten system。
〃General； please remember that I am your friend in the government；〃 Golovko reminded him。 Which was just as well。