Part 26 (1/2)

As Pat stood to walk into the sanctum sanctorum sanctum sanctorum, the holy of holies, he thought, Hennessey...Carrera....s.h.i.+tbird and motherf.u.c.ker. I have so many names now. Hennessey...Carrera....s.h.i.+tbird and motherf.u.c.ker. I have so many names now.

Campos was polite, at least. He stood, walked around his desk and offered his hand in welcome to the man he thought of as Patrick Hennessey, and more importantly thought of as the heir to the Chatham, Hennessey, and Schmied empire.

Hennessey took it while, at the same time, taking the measure of Campos. Tall man. Old but not worn. Good bearing and good health. I wish he didn't have the face of a technocrat. Tall man. Old but not worn. Good bearing and good health. I wish he didn't have the face of a technocrat.

Campos began the chat. ”Mr. Hennessey, how can I help you? Senator Rodman thought it imperative that we speak and, since she is on the Defense Appropriation Committee, I thought it wise to listen.”

”Mr. Secretary, it's more a question of how we can help each other,” Hennessey replied, in what had to be the oldest intro to a confidence game ever played. Campos took it as such but, in his line of work, expected no less.

”Please call me Ron.”

”Pat, then...Ron. Look, I know know that sounded like bulls.h.i.+t. But it's the truth. I have something that sounded like bulls.h.i.+t. But it's the truth. I have something you you need. You have something need. You have something I I need.” need.”

”And those would be?” Campos enquired, innocently.

”I have an ally for you. I have an infantry brigade to a.s.sist you. I have people who will bleed and die so that fewer kids from the Federated States need to. I have people who will do so for less, much less, than it would cost you to have your own do it.”

”But I need money, a lot lot of money, though less money than you would need for you own forces.” of money, though less money than you would need for you own forces.”

”Oh, really.” Campos sounded, at best, skeptical.

”Yes, really. Shall I tell you?”

Campos consulted the watch on his wrist. Oh, what the h.e.l.l? I cleared my slate for two hours at that t.w.a.t, Harriet's, insistence. I can at least hear the man out. Oh, what the h.e.l.l? I cleared my slate for two hours at that t.w.a.t, Harriet's, insistence. I can at least hear the man out.

”All right,” he said. ”You have my undivided attention for the next thirty minutes. If you can engage my genuine interest in that time you can have more.”

”Fair enough,” Hennessey answered. Then he began to explain what he had on offer, and a portion of why he had it. Thirty minutes stretched to an hour, to an hour and a half, to two hours, to...”Mildred, clear my calendar for this afternoon. I'll be busy until this evening.”

That led to, ”And how much is this going to cost me?”

Hennessey inhaled deeply then sighed. ”As I said, a lot lot. But less than it might.

”We believe, my people and I, that the cost for you to use one brigade in full up combat for one month is approximately twelve billion drachma. To have that brigade in action over a longer term requires you to maintain a full division. That costs an additional four hundred million per month, base. That, you'll agree, is chicken feed compared to the cost for actual combat.”

”Whenever someone talks about that kind of money,” Campos corrected, ”it's never never chickenfeed.” chickenfeed.”

”All right,” Hennessey conceded, smiling. ”It's not not chickenfeed. That also means that it wouldn't be chickenfeed if you could save that much, doesn't it.” chickenfeed. That also means that it wouldn't be chickenfeed if you could save that much, doesn't it.”

Quick b.a.s.t.a.r.d, isn't he? Campos mused. Campos mused.

”Further,” Carrera said, ”I will deploy my legion to al Jahara in time for the upcoming campaign. I will partic.i.p.ate in that campaign. I will undertake any mission you or your commander in the field should care to a.s.sign us that does not involve going up against ma.s.ses of heavy armor or which requires that we operate more than one hundred miles from a logistics base. We're not equipped for that and frankly you don't need us for that; you need us for clearing fortifications and built up areas. I will do so for sixty percent of the cost to you, per month, of using FS troops. That is to say, it will cost you seven point two billion FSD per month of active operations. Neither my staff nor, might I add, yours yours expects active operations to last past six weeks. Later on, if there needs to be a pacification and stabilization phase, we can also be hired. I estimate the cost to you of that to be on the order of six billion, per year, for our one brigade...or legion, as we call it. Since that saves you billions, you'll agree that you will not be saving ”chickenfeed,” yes?” expects active operations to last past six weeks. Later on, if there needs to be a pacification and stabilization phase, we can also be hired. I estimate the cost to you of that to be on the order of six billion, per year, for our one brigade...or legion, as we call it. Since that saves you billions, you'll agree that you will not be saving ”chickenfeed,” yes?”

Campos sighed. The leathery face grew a tad weary. ”And there you had me going for a while. We can't afford that. I'd have to hide it and frankly I couldn't hide that much.”

”You can't afford not to...Ron. And you can hide enough of it.”

Campos pointed out, ”We've already been helping you, you know. Harriet saw to that. Can't you come down on the price a little?”

Hennessey smiled, thinking, We've already established what you are, young lady. Now we are merely negotiating your price. We've already established what you are, young lady. Now we are merely negotiating your price.

The next morning Campos sent for an officer stationed there in the War Department who knew Patrick Hennessey from long years' service together.

”Is this guy Hennessey on the level, Virg?”

The officer addressed, one Colonel Virgil Rivers, shrugged, sighed, looked up and finally answered, ”Pat Hennessey? Well, Mr. Secretary, the first thing you have to understand about Pat is...well...he's insane. I don't mean a little odd; I mean clinically insane. Great guy, actually, but nuttier than a fruitcake.”

”You mean this was all bulls.h.i.+t from a lunatic, this ”legion” he claims to have?”

Rivers laughed, white teeth s.h.i.+ning in a cafe au lait face. ”Oh, no, Mr. Secretary. If he says something is so, bet your last drachma that it is is so. He's not crazy so. He's not crazy that that way. He sees reality perfectly well and is annoyingly honest and irritatingly precise to boot. But he interprets it differently. It means something different than it does to the rest of us.” Rivers face grew contemplative for a moment. ”That; or the rest of us are just idiots. I've sometimes wondered about that.” way. He sees reality perfectly well and is annoyingly honest and irritatingly precise to boot. But he interprets it differently. It means something different than it does to the rest of us.” Rivers face grew contemplative for a moment. ”That; or the rest of us are just idiots. I've sometimes wondered about that.”

Campos, who was quite certain that he he was the most intelligent man who ever lived, bridled a bit at the thought that anyone could see was the most intelligent man who ever lived, bridled a bit at the thought that anyone could see him him as an idiot. ”So how is he insane?” he asked. as an idiot. ”So how is he insane?” he asked.

”He's uncontrollable,” Rivers answered without hesitation. ”By that I mean there is nothing, nothing nothing, you can do to him to deter him from something he decides is right and proper to do. Worse, his version of right and wrong come straight out of ancient history. I've never been entirely sure if it's a case of the civilized man holding the barbarian in check or if the barbarian puts the civilized man out as a cover and controls even that from behind the scenes. Of course, it could be a case of symbiosis, too.

”I have also heard him say to his own commander, and this is exactly what he said, ”You fat-f.u.c.king-pig-eyed toad, you incarnate insult to the military profession, you can't make me me do anything. You just don't have the b.a.l.l.s for it.” I treasured that, actually. And Pat pegged the piece of s.h.i.+t pretty well, too.” Rivers do anything. You just don't have the b.a.l.l.s for it.” I treasured that, actually. And Pat pegged the piece of s.h.i.+t pretty well, too.” Rivers tsked tsked. ”It was a shame about the relief for cause.”

”Insubordinate then, is he?”

Rivers shook his head, more or less ruefully. ”Oh, Mr. Secretary, you have no idea. Pat Hennessey hasn't the tiniest inkling of a clue about subordination. Mind you, he'll take any mission you give him and perform it superbly, even artistically. Any mission. But he will never let anyone else have a say in how how he goes about performing it. He'll tell you to your face that it's none of your business. And he doesn't care what your rank is. he goes about performing it. He'll tell you to your face that it's none of your business. And he doesn't care what your rank is.

”By the way, if I can ask, Mr. Secretary, just what is the deal he's offering?”

”A large brigade, roughly equivalent to four Army or two and a half Marine battalions, for five point three billion drachma a month for a mid-intensity campaign and five point five to six billion a year for counter-insurgency. For that price we have to provide all medical support to include long term care and medical evacuation, to the same standards we provide our own. We also must provide a suitable log base at no greater distance from the front than his own transportation a.s.sets can support, about one hundred miles. And we can deduct the cost of air and artillery support he he asks for munitions only, not wear and tear from the base figure. f.u.c.ker bargains hard.” asks for munitions only, not wear and tear from the base figure. f.u.c.ker bargains hard.”

Rivers whistled but not for the expected reason. ”That is is a bargain, you know, sir. I've been intimately involved with the figures and it could represent a savings of about seven and a half to eight billion for either the active campaign or for a year of pacification if we need that, or both, not even counting the number of our own killed and wounded we'd save.” a bargain, you know, sir. I've been intimately involved with the figures and it could represent a savings of about seven and a half to eight billion for either the active campaign or for a year of pacification if we need that, or both, not even counting the number of our own killed and wounded we'd save.”

”Yeah, Virg, I know. But how do I hide that much money?”

Rivers, who had a sneaky creative streak, answered, ”Generally speaking, funnel some of it through his government in the form of foreign aid. Some can be purely black. And some can be paid up front...say, on a cost-plus basis.”

”Yeah...maybe. Tell me, Virg, if you were in command of the operation and this Hennessey person came to you, knowing him as you do, and making this offer, would you take it?”

”Sir, I gave you the bad side up front. It isn't all bad. For one thing, within certain limits, he's much the most intelligent human being I've ever met, excepting only my wife and I confess I may be prejudiced there. Pat's very loyal to anyone who deserves loyalty. Loyalty...” Rivers began to laugh.

”What's so funny, Virgil?”

”Well...he is is very loyal. Just because he's an insubordinate son of a b.i.t.c.h doesn't mean he's disloyal. There was one occasion, where that same commander tried to get at Pat by busting one of his NCOs from staff sergeant to sergeant. The man...his name was Morse or something like that...anyway, he came out on the promotion list for platoon sergeant a couple of days later. Pat sat on the paperwork to bust him until that commander left command. He then talked the next guy into suspending the bust. Was that illegal? Probably. But it was right. very loyal. Just because he's an insubordinate son of a b.i.t.c.h doesn't mean he's disloyal. There was one occasion, where that same commander tried to get at Pat by busting one of his NCOs from staff sergeant to sergeant. The man...his name was Morse or something like that...anyway, he came out on the promotion list for platoon sergeant a couple of days later. Pat sat on the paperwork to bust him until that commander left command. He then talked the next guy into suspending the bust. Was that illegal? Probably. But it was right.

”And he really can do amazing if I hadn't seen them I would say impossible things with regard to training troops. I've got stories I could tell you....ah, never mind, too complex. He is tactically and operationally...well...”deft” is not a strong enough term.