Monstrous nights, p.22
The Primary Objective, page 22
“May I introduce my son and heir, Fawaz?”
“You are very welcome, Fawaz. I am delighted to show you Posyan Garrison, the biggest and newest of its type north of Tehran.”
He led father and son to a window opposite looking across the base.
“From here we run all the Islamic Republic’s military operations in the north-west, including the borders with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. Our responsibilities include managing penal services for offenders against the state, training freedom fighters aligned with the state’s foreign policy and providing logistical support for the state’s trading and emergency relief activities. We have 500 Revolutionary Guards based here, a fluctuating number of freedom fighters under training, probably around 100 at the moment, and another 200 maximum-security offenders housed at the far end of the compound. This is not really an offensive asset, so we don’t keep squadrons of fighter planes here, but have four Mi-24 helicopter gunships, two in maintenance, but two always available to scramble to remote corners of our territory if required.
“As this is primarily a logistics base, we tend to cater for heavy-duty air transport, so storage and warehousing takes up quite a bit of room. And, naturally, as a military facility we are protected by a surface-to-air missile system, which we always hope never to use.”
The chime of the elevator signalled the colonel’s other two guests, Governor Mayor Moussavi, dressed in blazer and tie, and another figure in military uniform, Major Ho Li Sen of the People’s Liberation Army. Ho was accompanied by an interpreter and a uniformed personal guard. Greetings were exchanged, before Rahman led his guests to an anteroom, with a round table set with places for a meeting.
The colonel had a confident, easy and informal style aimed at simultaneously making his guests feel at home but letting them know he was in charge.
“There are refreshments on the table over there. Please help yourselves, take a seat and we’ll get started.”
Once all were settled, he began:
“It’s great to welcome faces old and new. Apart from extending the warmest of welcomes in particular, to our honoured guest, Major Ho, I should acknowledge the participation of Mr Fawaz al-Fouadi, son of our community representative, Hafiz, who will act as our project manager to ensure our future activities are coordinated. And now, Mr Moussavi, can I ask for you to provide an update on affairs with Tehran?”
The governor mayor paused to light a cigarette and took a sharp intake of breath.
“Thank you, Colonel. For the benefit of young Mr al-Fouadi here, I should say this is an informal local contact group which meets from time to time to ensure the interests of the government of the Islamic Republic and those of its principal external investor, the People’s Republic of China, are fully realised in the Khoda Afrin Prefecture – this locality, which is the key beneficiary of Chinese investment in our country. The colonel commands the infrastructure and apparatus to drive the required outcomes. I manage political liaison with Tehran on inter-governmental issues, so, if we find there are matters that we cannot agree between us, I can escalate them to the Foreign Ministry. The focus of our work is to deliver the classified cooperation agreement between the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran that will enable a sixty-million-dollar US investment in our North West Region. My interest is of course creating jobs for local people. The colonel’s focus is to safeguard the implementation of the Islamic Republic’s commitments under this agreement. Mr al-Fouadi Senior is the area’s leading civilian entrepreneur and has a consultative role to assist in civil compliance with the agreement’s terms and conditions.
“The first phase envisaged the creation of a research facility in Ibrahim Sami, established by the Revolutionary Guard to develop fertiliser-based chemical and biological weapons and antidotes. After a number of local incidents, it was agreed the Islamic Republic would benefit from additional technical expertise and resources to develop this facility successfully. The People’s Republic has now taken full control of the site and in return the Islamic Republic has agreed to cede full territorial rights. In a minute, we will review progress to ensure the full conditions of this arrangement have been implemented.
“The second phase of the cooperation agreement relates to the facility here at Posyan, which is due to be ceded to the People’s Republic to be developed as an international free port as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Apart from facilitating the global transportation of goods from the People’s Republic to the Middle East region, it is expected to prime the major development in the environs of this base, leading to the construction of hotels, warehousing, component assembly plants and infrastructure links, as well as exports from Iran – in particular oil, minerals and cotton.
“In view of the sensitive nature of global geopolitics, the Islamic Republic and the People’s Republic anticipate a negative reaction from both the United States and the Russian Federation, as well as their respective allies – in particular Israel, Syria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It is understood that the plan is vulnerable in its early stages and needs to be kept classified until its development is close to completion. Major Ho, you have been in Sami for a month now, having taken over from Commander Chen. Perhaps you could provide a review of your recent experiences.”
Ho leaned forward, elbows on the table. “My experience so far is mixed. Commander Chen’s mission was to consolidate the status of the site, to make it safe for our workers and those nearby. The carelessness of the previous management was a serious problem. The outbreak of anthrax in local livestock, in which I understand you, Mr al-Fouadi, were involved, as well as the potential of failing to destroy the body of a test prisoner infected with smallpox safely, was beyond our initial understanding. The very weapons you sought to create could have impacted heavily on your own countrymen, which would also have prevented the prospect of us working together if a major contamination had occurred. You, Mr al-Fouadi, are a scientific miracle to us. As we monitored you in the months since the outbreak, we are genuinely surprised you did not contract the condition. We were not so lucky with the smallpox – the soldiers who handled the body were put into isolation and had to be killed and cremated according to our rules. Since taking over the Sami site we have had to restructure its management. Commercial organ harvesting has now been restricted to a distinct unit with separate staff and management. Chemical warfare and biological warfare also have their own separate operations. We have been happy with the supply of human collateral for testing and have made our own arrangements to supervise disposal of samples where necessary. The issue is, now we have the structure to run an effective operation, we need to scale up, as proven results are required urgently. The geological confines of the site itself are limited and so we must expand by opening up new subterranean levels. Plans have been approved by Beijing and we will be flying in a specialist team to start the work at the end of next week.
“You should be aware this requires special construction and engineering skills we cannot find in Iran and, even if we were to do so, we would not be happy about the security arrangements. Talking of which, the immediate challenge for you here is to arrange the accommodation of these temporary workers. There will be sixty of them. I have taken it upon myself to visit potential sites nearby with Mr al-Fouadi, when I have been staying at his guest house.” He paused, fixing Hafiz with a stare, before continuing, “I assume Mr al-Fouadi has consulted Mr Moussavi about this already. I suggest these are prefabricated units, which can be easily transported by road and stacked in position, I note each is capable of taking four persons. Please ensure these are ready in time.”
Moussavi looked at Hafiz. Hafiz nodded to Fawaz to note.
“Anything else?” asked Moussavi.
“Not at the moment. Completion of our activation plans for Ibrahim Sami must take priority for now. I must say, Colonel, from what I have seen of your planning to date, you have demonstrated a good understanding of our requirements. Please ensure you keep your fuel reserves on site high in the next few weeks as I anticipate an increase in the number of flights in and out.”
Rahman enjoyed the moment; a bit like being the school class “know it all”, he just nodded and smiled.
“OK, if that is the end of the meeting for now, there is a selection of mezes and juices out on the observation deck before you go.”
The major was quick to respond.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Colonel. Unfortunately, my time is limited. I must go, but I hope we can plan for a banquet when the blueprint for Ibrahim Sami is complete.”
He stood, shook the hands of Moussavi and the two al-Fouadis, and saluted the colonel before heading for the elevator.
The rest waited until they heard the sound of the door shutting.
“Pompous little prick,” muttered Moussavi.
“That may be true, but he’s the one with the cheque book,” said Rahman. “I’m more concerned we get this rare earth business under way before the Chinese takeover, otherwise they’ll try and buy the rights to that before the Islamic Republic has had any commercial advantage. By the way, Hossein, what’s happening with the land disposal options around the base? I thought that was the reason why the three of us had set up Golden Goose Investments – that’s my pension.”
“… and mine,” added Hafiz.
“I have meetings at the Ministry in Tehran next week. Last I heard, they were still assessing the geologists reports from the Arasbaran Protected Zone before committing to further test extraction work. Also, the Finance Ministry needed one final piece of legislation through the Islamic Consultative Assembly in order to release the tenders for land sales. Getting agreement to excavate under a UNESCO World Heritage site is not easy; in fact we may have to redraw its boundaries before it goes ahead. Don’t worry – all the documentation will come to me for implementation and I can amend it to suit our circumstances.”
“That’s all very well, Hossein” said Rahman, “but I think we can be clear that it is Ho who is driving the timetable. You must push things forward.”
“The Chinese are creating pressure all over the place now,” said Moussavi. “They know the Yankees have got us by the balls, so I think even the Supreme Leader understands we have to get on with it. These riots and highway blockages over the doubling of petrol prices have really got the establishment worried. The public don’t understand why we’re having to raise the price of our own home-produced product. If we don’t get the land reforms and our export trade going again, we’ll have to start scraping the bullion reserves and if that happens, it will be much more than ministerial necks on the line. We also need a quick win for Ho.
“Hafiz, you must get hold of these prefabs. I don’t really care where they come from, I don’t really care where they are built, but you must fix it. If anyone gets in your way, call me.”
The Governor Mayor and the al-Fouadis shared the elevator to the main entrance to the officers’ mess. The encounter with the Chinese major had left the three principals in a subdued mood, realising they had responsibilities to deliver on behalf of their country which might prove to be outside their personal control. It was clear Ho was a different character to Chen, and possibly less open to influence, but Hafiz still had the insurance of his guest house video if relationships became strained.
Once father and son returned to the Land Cruiser they followed Moussavi’s white Mercedes with darkened windows along to the perimeter road towards the exit.
“What did you think of that?” Hafiz asked.
“I’m not sure I can believe it,” Fawaz said. “It feels like the Supreme Leader has sold Khoda Afrin to China for sixty billion dollars and you’re helping to make it happen.”
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. When I got involved, I was only trying to win some contracts to supply food to the military. I didn’t have any idea what was happening before my sheep were killed. Back then I was so broke I got involved with some bandits raiding and trading in Azerbaijan, but then I started to pick up business from the military and got to know Rahman. I owe them a lot. They’ve helped me to change my life and, as a good Muslim, I have found ways to share my success with others in Sami. That won’t change. We will still make money, perhaps even more, by trading with the Chinese. This is and will always be our country, whatever outsiders may say.
“I think you have just got your first job for me – find these prefabs and get them to Sami. I use a lawyer in Tehran who does a lot of contracts in the construction sector. He’ll know what to do and who to speak to. His name is Hasan Alrakahthan. I’ll give you his number when we get home.”
TEN
“Thanks, Fawaz – I think we’re starting to get the picture now,” said Dave.
“Have you called this Hasan – whatever his name is?”
“He was out but I’ve left a voicemail,” Fawaz replied. “Summarising what we have learned so far:
“One: PI were right about the use of the Sami base. But we didn’t know about the organ harvesting operations.
“Two: the Sami research compound was set up by the Revolutionary Guard but was taken over by the Chinese because the Iranians fucked up.
“Three: security within the base is managed by the Chinese.
“Four: the Revolutionary Guard have a ‘low key’ security post (probably about ten strong) in Sami at the bus station, which supplies personnel to man the anti-aircraft defences outside the research base and other materials into the research compound nightly, as well as making the return trip each morning.
“Five: staff at the research base are changed every six weeks.
“Six: staff at the research base have a nightly bus into Sami for off-duty and recreational activities.
“Seven: Posyan serves as a logistics support centre for the Sami operations.
“Eight: Chinese and Iranian personnel are separated in all activities (duty and off duty) and Iranian participants are reluctant.
“What we don’t know:
“One: how the research base works in detail.
“Two: who are the people involved in testing?
“Three: what harmful materials are stored on site?
“Four: what steps are being taken to make these weapons operational?”
Fawaz stared at the ground through Dave’s analysis and interrupted his summary: “When I got involved in this mission, I had no idea about the extent of my father’s personal role. I understand enough about him to realise he was not a career criminal but was forced by poverty to participate. He isn’t some big ideological strategist, just a little guy trying to get along. Although it is clear his employees do as they are told, I’m pretty sure my mother and sister are innocent victims. I think he has underestimated the situation he is in and can’t get out. The only thing he thinks about is the next deal.”
“This is you pulling out, right?” Jack had always been nervous about Fawaz.
“On the contrary – this thing is so much bigger, so much worse and so… personal to me that I want you to know my commitment is total. I just want to make sure the innocents caught up in this don’t suffer as a result.”
“Nice speech, friend, but life’s a bitch and the floor is littered with the dead who had good intentions.” Jack favoured irony above sarcasm.
Anya nodded, but again Jo intervened to defend Fawaz.
“This is your place, your country; none of us understand it like you do. It’s a good sign that you are choosing to share your feelings with us. Because of your inspiration I don’t mind anyone here knowing I am between nervous and scared. I hope I am on the road to becoming excited. Like your dad, I feel this is a much bigger and more dangerous exercise than I realised. The only way I will get through this is to concentrate on what I have to do.”
Rodg was always better in a tight situation when he was chewing. With no gum or cheroot, he made do with a piece of straw.
“I think you are worrying too much, bokkie. Those who swagger with guns tend to be poor at using them. The ones I’ve seen here so far are lightweights. Let’s get the evidence on all this and we can piss off home.”
Dave was quick to lift the moment. “Couldn’t have put it better, mate. We are up to date and up to strength, which means we are ready to act.”
There was only one person who could call Abdullo Alrakahthan to an immediate meeting, and that person’s private secretary had just been on the phone. He had been heading back to Karaj from a viewing of a new water purification plant at Qarchak, south-east of the capital. It was sometime after five, and his limousine with blue-tinted windows was stuck in a jam off Highway 44. He tapped on the glass and spoke to his bodyguard. He gazed out at a taxi driver next to him. Like most of the occupants of neighbouring cars, the cabby tried to see who was inside, but the exterior lamination only offered a mirror image in return. Alrakahthan was tired, having spent most of the afternoon studying a plan to export a kit version of a new water purification plant to Turkmenistan.
It was essentially a good product built with technology developed at Tehran University, but it was still a bit of a Heath Robinson creation, with random parts added and taken away as its relative effectiveness was assessed. The final system had not been built in mass produced ‘kit’ form and so it was necessary to commission the components in order to test its assembly, prior to signing the deal. Although he was confident – after all, he had spent several weeks on it – this project had been filled with annoying glitches, which if they weren’t resolved in the near future could put the whole venture in doubt. With a multi-million-dollar price tag and a projected margin of 65%, he concluded that failure was not an option in this case. His next meeting was due to be at the machine tools manufacturer, but this sudden appointment was getting in the way.
He stared out at the taxi driver, who had swapped playing with the beads on his rear-view mirror for a thorough examination of his right nostril with the digit he would have been better off using to keep his missus amused. He looked at the cabby carefully; he was now looking at his finger in wonder, as through he had discovered a gold nugget. Yes, his mind was wandering, and he was trying to anticipate his next new, hastily arranged meeting. Why had he been summoned? What was expected of him? Why now? Why was he stuck in this fucking jam? This last question was directed to his bodyguard, who was fiddling with the car’s satnav and gesticulating to his driver. The indicator for a left turn came on and the car edged forward seeking to leave the main highway.
