Land of Promise (25 page)

The sudden departure of the Akinses was missed by the FBI agents. When they interviewed the morning shift clerk at the hotel where the two were saying, he seemed confused.” He said, “Like I told your other agent, they left without checking out. They were pre-paid with a credit card, so that’s not a problem.”

Traci shook her head and asked, ‘
What
other agent?”

“Special Agent Aziz. He took the security camera DVD. He left here about 45 minutes ago. ”

Traci asked, “Did he say he was an FBI Special Agent?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he leave you a business card?”

“Nope.”

Traci put on an incredulous face and said, “Well, we’re famous for leaving a littered trail of business cards with everyone we contact. So that doesn’t sound right.”

After a moment, Special Agent Jackson interjected, “The badge that he showed you: Did it look like
this
?”

He handed his photo badge and credentials card to the clerk for a long look.

“His badge was sorta like this, but it didn’t have one of these ‘Title 18 Delegation’ things.”

Traci put on a frown and said, “No delegation card. Sounds like an impostor.”

Delon asked, “Can you show me the video of when he was at your desk?”

“Sure.”

They went to the back office but discovered that the video surveillance system’s recording console had been unplugged.

The clerk shouted, “What a tricky bastard. I shouldn’t have trusted him when he said, ‘You can go back to your desk, I’ll be right out.’”

A quick call to the FBI headquarters confirmed their suspicion: There was no Special Agent named Aziz, and in fact the only FBI employee named Aziz was a female records clerk in Denver, Colorado.

After that call, Traci said, “We’ll be making arrangements for an FBI suspect portrait artist to visit you as soon as possible. We’ll need your contact information at home.”

The clerk was shaking his head, and he put on a little grin. “A fake Fed. Who would’ve thunk it.”

It was not until Thursday evening that the agents got word relayed from the State Department that the Akins couple had taken a flight to Dallas and cleared Customs before taking a flight to Manila.

On their way back to Mobile, Traci did the driving while Delon wrote their report on his Macbook. He complained, “I’m having to use the word ‘inconclusive’ a lot, Trace.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. That’s what they get for sending us in blind, and just two of us. No surveillance support, and we couldn’t even tag the couple’s car. The only one who would agree to talk with us about them was some drunk at the VFW. And now there’s a Middle Eastern Male who is posing as an FBI agent. That means a whole ‘nother investigation.”

Delon sighed. “And since we initiated, guess who gets to make another drive all the way to Mother Rucker.”

“
We
do.”

After taking a long time to reflect, Traci said, “When I was in my motel room last night, I had another vid chat with my brother Antoine, up in New York. He told me that a lot of his clients and even
he himself
would love to get Ilemi citizenship. So there seems to be this huge disconnect: The American mass media, the POCLC, and The Administration are telling us that the Ilemi Libertarians are some kinda racist criminals. But near as I can figure, their intentions are good, and the facts don’t support a charge of racist.”

“I thought you were of the opinion that
all
white dudes were racists.”

“I did back when I was in college. But now I’ve adjusted that opinion to just
most
white folks.”

Delon gave a snort and then asked, “Can I assume you don’t want to mention any of your conclusions in our report?”

“Of course not. It’s dangerous to be right when your government is wrong. As one of my professors at Tulane was fond of saying, ‘Label this Food for Thought and Grounds for Further Research.’”

Chapter 22: Lumpia

“The current age of warfare is what could be termed the post nuclear age. Here the time of huge battles is gone and Western warfare is dominated by projecting power to trouble spots around the world and fighting insurgents. Politically loss of life is virtually unacceptable so the infantry element although important is heavily supported and B.B.C. to reduce casualties. Numbers of infantry deployed have shrunk further and development of very hi tech infantry equipment is under way. Mobility is the key and much of the infantry element is mounted in helicopters or armoured vehicles, yet its role of taking and holding ground especially in the urban battlefields of the Third World remains vital. The shock element is under pressure to become smaller, lighter and more flexible , the days of the 70 tonnes MBT are numbered, with helicopter gunships and air cavalry making up a large part of this element. Fire support is now long ranged and highly accurate, not only artillery guns but unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles, with the focus on highly accurate strikes and interdiction rather than sheer mass of weapons delivered on target. Air power itself is becoming more unmanned with a clear indication that most air support will be unmanned within the next 50 years.”
-- Martin Van Creveld,
On Future War
, 1991

Solus Christus, The Ilemi Republic -- Late July, Four Years After Declaration of the Caliphate

Their trip to the Philippines was abbreviated -- both because of their nervousness about the possible assassination attempt they’d avoided and because there were fewer potential candidates available. The one advantage of the Philippines was that it was the last government on the planet to still extensively use Blackhawk-type helicopters. After retiring the last of their UH-1s in 2038, they still had, scattered across the archipelago, 26 Sikorskys (a mixture of former U.S. Army UH-60s and S-76 export model) in service, primarily for Search and Rescue and as air ambulances. However, they were all scheduled to be phased-out completely in the next three years and replaced by S-100s. Old flexible-rotor helicopters were considered passé, after being supplanted by faster and more versatile hybrid aircraft with rigid counter-rotating blades, FADEC engines, fly-by-wire controls, and pusher propellers.

The highest concentration of Blackhawk-era Sikorskys (and Sikorsky crew members) in the P.I. was on Luzon Island, in and near Fernando Airbase near the town of Lipa. This was the home of the Philippine Air Force Air Education and Training Command -- their equivalent of the U.S. Air Force Officer Academy, the Air Force NCO Academy, and Fort Rucker, all rolled into one.

Rick and Meital were able to drive on base after guards gave just a quick glance at their diplomatic passports. They were directed to the Air Education and Training Command headquarters. They learned there that the flight school’s commandant was on a liaison trip to the U.S., but his Executive Officer, a Philippine Air Force Colonel, sounded enthusiastic about the formation of the Ilemi Republic.

Sensing that they had found an ally, Rick spelled out why they had gone to Fort Rucker and why they were now in the Philippines. The Colonel lifted his hand and said, “Wait, I have to show you two things on my tablet comp!”

He jabbed and swiped at the screen several times and said, ‘Look at this! This is a pic taken six months ago of my cousin Ramon with Harry Heston’s agent when they signed the deal for our surplus UH-60 birds.”

After jabbing some more at the screen he said, “And this,
this
… is the
Drudge Report
article that I bookmarked about the forming of the Ilemi Republic. And there you both are, in the picture of the flag-raising. I guess that makes me a Pinoy Ilemi Fan Boy.”

The Colonel let out a long chortling laugh. Then he stroked his moustache contemplatively. Next he started counting off names, holding up a thumb and fingers for each. He named five senior helicopter flight instructors, three recently retired and two nearing retirement, who might be interested. He suggested that he invite all of them and their wives to a banquet the following evening at the Fernando Air Base Officer’s Club. Rick immediately offered to cover all of the costs for the event.

Then the XO asked, “Where are you staying?”

Rick replied, “Last night we stayed at The Suites at Mount Malarayat, but we checked out.”

“Wait just one sec,” the Colonel said and picked up his phone and made arrangements for Rick and Meital to be given VIP married accommodations at the air base’s Visiting Officers Lodge.

Before he walked them to their car, the XO said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make all the arrangements for the banquet. If none of those five officers are interested personally, then they will at least know of someone who is both qualified and interested.”

After a day and a half of sightseeing on Luzon, with another change of lodging for greater safety, they arrived in formal attire for the banquet, which started at 5 p.m. and lasted all evening. The guests sat around a long table that was set for 14. The Executive Officer and his wife also attended. The officers all wore PAF mess dress uniforms adorned with lots of gold braid, and their wives wore intricately-embroidered colorful Piña Silk Filipiniana gowns, which had never gone out of fashion for formal occasions. Meital wore her wedding dress (
sans
train), so she looked just as elegant as the Filipinas, although they wore more makeup. Now entering the third trimester of her pregnancy, she showed just a small baby bulge. The food was sumptuous, with five different types of
lumpia
, two rice dishes, a chicken dish, and copious quantities of
otap
,
bocarillo
,
puto
cheese,
palitaw
, and
minasa
. Both lemon water and wine were served with dinner.

Over dinner, Rick and Meital had the chance to talk with all five of the prospective pilots. By pre-arrangement, Rick and Meital shifted places around the table between courses of the four course meal to give them proximity to speak with each of the five pilot officers, who ranged in rank from
Capitan
(Captain) to
Coronel
(Colonel). The evening also included lots of toasts. Knowing what was coming, Rick asked that since both he and Meital had “Traveler’s Tummy,” they be allowed to take just tiny sips of wine as they toasted in sequence: The U.S. Air Force, the Ilemi Republic Defense Force, the Philippine Air Force, President of the Philippines, the President of the United States, the President of the Ilemi Republic, and “last but not least,” Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. Meital noticed that most of the other guests needed to recharge their glasses at least once to complete all of the toasts.

Rick left the Philippines with firm agreements for two candidates -- one available to relocate within a month, and another who would be released from active duty in seven months. They also made arrangements for the base’s pair of UH-60 XXI flight simulators to be made available for sale “at nominal cost” within two years. “Coincidentally,” the XO hinted that he would be interested in a big game safari sometime in the next few years. He said he had always wanted to bag a kudu.

They flew out of Manila on an Airbus bound for Bangkok. The seat next to Rick was occupied by an Australian businessman who had been just behind Rick in the check-in line and had spotted his Ilemi passport.

The man was fascinated and quizzed Rick for nearly an hour. While not blatantly angling for discounted citizenship, he definitely was interested in finding ways that his expertise might benefit the country without relocating there permanently.

Finally Rick said, ”You really should be talking with our Citizenship Through Investment staff. My duties are more geared toward internal development.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“In essence it means lining up the materiel and manpower resources we need to develop our infrastructure and our citizens’ militia.”

The man handed Rick his business card and said, “Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Shoot me an e-mail if you need any gravel screening, rock crushing, or conveyor equipment.”

When the Australian left his seat to use the restroom, Meital leaned over and whispered in Rick’s ear, “When he asked you what ‘Internal Development’ meant, you could have said: ‘Running guns and hiring mercenaries,’ but I suppose that the answer you gave him was more diplomatic.”

Rick chuckled and said, “Well, we are diplomats and we’re
paid
to be diplomatic, darling.”

They stayed at a Holiday Inn with a prominently-placed portrait of the Thai king (The Tenth Rama) in the lobby. There had been a recent change of government -- the fourth military coup in the past 25 years. It seemed like their civilian and military governments alternated like pendulum clock swings. With just two hours’ time difference from the Philippines, they had no jet lag, so they spent a day sightseeing. The streets of the old city within the moat and the city’s four gates were narrow, and many were twisting. The air was humid and hot, and the smell of Thai cooking was pervasive. The “tuk-tuk” sound of motorcycles was constant. In the late afternoon, they started seeing children helping their parents with their work as food, clothing, and handcraft vendors.

That evening they fulfilled a promise to meet Grace Pilcher’s mother. Alan had entrusted eight Canadian Maple Leaf one-ounce gold coins with Rick to give to his mother-in-law to help fund her retirement. Rick had carried the coins in his money belt all the way through his recruiting trip. Because of Thailand’s onerous gold importation ban enacted in 2042, there was a huge demand for gold in Thailand, particularly pure (soft) gold, so Maple Leafs, which were made without a hardener, were the ideal choice. Grace’s mother was a delightful hostess and served them a dinner with several Thai delicacies. Like most Thai homes in cities, her apartment lacked a kitchen, as most meals were bought from street vendors or the local market. The apartment’s main room had just a table, sink, and small refrigerator. She had promised to buy things that were “not too spicy,” but the peppers tested even Rick’s Texan palate.