Part 56 (2/2)
”Fine, so long as it gets done. I have to go to the FSC for a bit anyway.”
Hamilton, FD, 21/5/462 AC Campos was considerably warmer in his greetings than he had been the first time he and Carrera had met. He was practically effusive in shaking Carrera's hand and welcoming him back.
”Legate Hennessey, it is so good to see you once again.”
”I go by Carrera now,” came the dry answer. ”That, or Pat.”
”Fine, fine,” Campos said. ”I wanted to talk to you about your new and expanded area of responsibility. That, and the way you are conducting the war in your sector.”
”For that,” Carrera answered, ”I could have spoken to your commander in Sumer or your amba.s.sador. I didn't need to traipse halfway across the world with my...secretary. And I fight the war in accordance with the law, so don't bother.”
Campos decided to drop the question of war crimes. After all, technically the legion did stay within the bounds of the law, at least insofar as anyone could prove. Shrugging, he continued with the important part, ”Both General Abramovitz and the Amba.s.sador thought it would be better coming from me. They seem to feel you're maybe a little hard to control.”
”I am,” Carrera admitted. ”I'd still have at least listened listened.”
”I'm sure you would have,” Campos tactfully lied. ”By the way, how many men do you have in Sumer now?”
”About seventy-seven hundred. And another five thousand or so back home, not counting those still in initial training. Why?”
Campos didn't answer directly. Instead he asked, ”And we're paying you how much?”
”Now? Now it's fifty-five percent of what it would cost you to field an equivalent combat force. It was just under eight billion per annum. It's now over twelve. It's still still a bargain for you,” he added defensively. a bargain for you,” he added defensively.
”Didn't say it wasn't,” Campos conceded easily. ”It's a great bargain. But... But... ” ”
”But?”
”We need to adjust your sector from what we originally agreed to.”
I should have seen this coming, Carrera thought. Carrera thought.
”Show me.”
Campos led him over to map spread across his desk.
”Going to cost you another one point two billion,” Carrera announced when he had seen the border s.h.i.+ft Campos wanted.
”We're already paying you the agreed rate,” Campos insisted, growing heated.
”Let me point out that our current contract is not for major conventional operations,” Carrera pointed out. He stuck his finger to the map, resting it on the mid-sized city of Pumbadeta, Sumer. ”Your people lost control of that town months ago. To get it back...and...” Carrera thought for a moment before his face lit in a broad smile. ”Ohhh, I see. You're having an election soon, aren't you? You need the town reduced before then, but you don't want to take any serious casualties before then, either.”
Campos scowled but admitted the charge.
”Yes...well, our contract is for low intensity operations. This is something different. It's going to take a s.h.i.+tpot of ammunition, fuel, food, air movement. It's also likely to cost me a thousand men dead or wounded. For that matter, I really don't have the force yet. In another year I would...”
”We can't wait...”
”...another year,” Carrera finished. ”Yes, I can understand that you can't wait. Even so, I don't have the forces myself.”
”We can give you control of three or four battalions of ours, provided you you do the bulk of the actual clearing,” Campos conceded. do the bulk of the actual clearing,” Campos conceded.
”No, you can't,” Carrera contradicted. ”I fight my way. The old way. The true true law of war way. You either can't or won't.” law of war way. You either can't or won't.”
”I don't see...”
Carrera clasped his hands behind his back, turned from the map, and began to pace. ”Do you know how I'd take that place?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer he continued, ”I'll surround it. I'll cut off the food. I'll announce what I'm doing and let leave only those I am required to allow out: the very sick, pregnant and nursing women, and such. I will will check for actual pregnancy and actual illness. And I'll take my time about just when they'll be allowed to leave, too. After that, if any civilians try to escape I'll engage them and drive them back so that they help eat up the food. I will do my d.a.m.nedest to destroy any food stocks I can identify, too. Any humanitarian effort to bring food in by ground will be stopped and the food confiscated. Any aerial attempt will be shot down; I do have that one maniple of air defense troops I've been using for checkpoints, after all.” check for actual pregnancy and actual illness. And I'll take my time about just when they'll be allowed to leave, too. After that, if any civilians try to escape I'll engage them and drive them back so that they help eat up the food. I will do my d.a.m.nedest to destroy any food stocks I can identify, too. Any humanitarian effort to bring food in by ground will be stopped and the food confiscated. Any aerial attempt will be shot down; I do have that one maniple of air defense troops I've been using for checkpoints, after all.”
He stopped his pacing and turned back to the map. One finger made a rotating motion over the spot of the city of Pumbadeta. ”About a week or two after aerial reconnaissance informs me there isn't a dog or cat left walking the streets of the town in other words when I am sure sure they've been eaten because the people are starving I'll let the civilians out. The women and children, that is. No men will be allowed to leave, period. Then I'll let them starve some more. They'll attack, of course; it's a quicker death than starving. But I still won't let any out. And I will refuse to recognize any emissaries that try to surrender as lacking authority. Individual attempts at surrender will be treated as the civilians were. After all, if I can engage civilians and use them as a weapon to eat up the food then the law of war, despite what it seems to say about there being an absolute right to surrender, makes no sense if it requires that I let men, potentially armed men, go. Anyway, no surrender will be accepted until I am very nearly ready to a.s.sault. Then I'll go in and kill d.a.m.ned near everything. they've been eaten because the people are starving I'll let the civilians out. The women and children, that is. No men will be allowed to leave, period. Then I'll let them starve some more. They'll attack, of course; it's a quicker death than starving. But I still won't let any out. And I will refuse to recognize any emissaries that try to surrender as lacking authority. Individual attempts at surrender will be treated as the civilians were. After all, if I can engage civilians and use them as a weapon to eat up the food then the law of war, despite what it seems to say about there being an absolute right to surrender, makes no sense if it requires that I let men, potentially armed men, go. Anyway, no surrender will be accepted until I am very nearly ready to a.s.sault. Then I'll go in and kill d.a.m.ned near everything.
”Now, Mr. Secretary, are you suggesting that FSA and FSMC troops will stand for that? That they'll be willing to shoot up women and kids to drive them back to starve? I don't think so. What's more, you don't want them to. Remember me? I'm supposed to be the heavy in this play.”
”But in any case, I can't do it. Not counting the river, the place has a perimeter of nearly thirteen kilometers or about eight miles. That's too much for me alone while still clearing the place and holding the ZOR I already have, even with the Sumeris that I I, at least, was smart enough to keep under arms.”
”Well,” Campos answered. He didn't even want to think think about the disaster of letting all the Sumeri ex-soldiers go. ”Maybe you can and maybe you can't. But I am allowed, by our about the disaster of letting all the Sumeri ex-soldiers go. ”Maybe you can and maybe you can't. But I am allowed, by our contract contract, to adjust your boundaries in accordance with your combat strength and what we pay you for it. And remember that the penalty clauses run both ways. So, Bubba, you own Pumbadeta anyway. How you deal with it is your problem.”
Lourdes had expressed an interest in shopping and, since they had a couple of days before they had to return to Sumer and since Carrera knew the city ”I hate this f.u.c.king place!” and she didn't, he took her on a shopping expedition.
He'd hired a car and driver from a limousine service, though he'd expressly insisted that they not be driven in a limo. ”No d.a.m.ned tacky, nouveau riche, limousine bulls.h.i.+t,” was the way he'd expressed it to the company. He'd also taken on three guards, fairly expensive, high-end guards, from a security company that was recommended to him by a friend in the War Department. A perusal of resumes led Carrera to call McNamara, who vouched for one bodyguard. That one vouched for the others.
Good as it's going to get, I suppose.
Lourdes had wanted to see the city as well, so the shopping trip began with a tour. For that, Carrera didn't need to hire anybody, though he took the guards along. He'd spent a few of the most miserable years of his life in Hamilton and knew where the monuments and museums were.
As they drove through the crowded streets, Lourdes looked out at the people. ”The women all look so...desperate,” she observed.
”They are,” Carrera agreed. ”This place not only has the greatest population, per capita, of young, unattached women in the world, most of them working for the FS government or companies that do business with the FS government, the women themselves tend to come here looking for husbands. And they're not just looking for any old husband. They want movers and shakers; rich and powerful men, preferably not too old. They have a hard time finding any and so their lives are lonely, and given the cost of living in this place and the need to dress for success the women here tend to become bitter and, yes, desperate very quickly.”
The driver parked the car not very far from the War Department, in a multi-story parking garage that attached to one of the major department stores.
Carrera expected Lourdes to head for ”Ladies Fas.h.i.+ons” immediately. He was surprised then, when instead she headed to ”Children's”.
Actually, surprised wasn't quite the word. Shocked silly? That came close.
”You're what what?”
”About two months along, Patricio. You had so much on your mind I didn't want you to worry. Besides, I wasn't really sure sure until two weeks ago.” She looked, unaccountably, shame-faced when she asked, ”Do you mind?” until two weeks ago.” She looked, unaccountably, shame-faced when she asked, ”Do you mind?”
”Mind? Are you insane? It's...wonderful. But...”
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