"Yes, Kang is finally gone. He departed an hour ago. If only we could rid ourselves of his father so easily."
Swei allowed himself a rare smile and waved Tan to a chair. "Colonel Sak Po will be with Kang, and he knows what must be done once the funds are transferred. Forget Stephen Kang. Now, bring me up to date on our operation.
I'll have to call the prime minister in several minutes and tell him about the 'terrorist attack.' He will not be pleased. He's having problems enough now with the minority leaders, and he's been pressing me for a date to announce the loan guarantees."
Tan took a small notebook from his pocket and flipped to his notes from the morning briefing. "The first freighter left Singapore a week ago; the second left this morning. The third's cargo is being moved to a Malaysian-registered ship like the others. The cargo has been 'purchased and sold' three times and is now Malaysian. It has all the necessary supporting documentation and cannot be traced back to us.
You will meet with the Triad representative in a week, the day the first shipment arrives in Seattle. As of today the operation has had no setbacks. White Storm is on schedule."
Swei felt a rush of pride course through his body upon hearing how smoothly his meticulously planned operation was running, but it was more than the update on the freighters. It was hearing the code name he had given to the operation years before. The name was spawned in his mind when, like a storm, a sudden, unexpected chain of events occurred and made the operation possible. The Soviet Union crumbled and China needed allies. She came offering what she had never offered before, support and recognition of Burma's military government. The junta accepted and became a legitimate government in the eyes of the world. Within a year, with China's help, the army was finally able to crush the rebel insurgencies that had plagued the country for forty-five years.
But Swei and his colleagues had to face facts. The junta had consolidated power throughout Burma, but it was a hollow victory. There was nothing left to rebuild the country, now one of the world's poorest. Then came another reality:
The rebels had provided the Hong Kong Triad with its opium. With the insurgents scattered, the Triad had come to Swei, the director of the DDSI, and made a proposal that would give his country renewed hope. These events led him to design and propose a master plan to his leaders-White Storm, a symbol of change.
Swei smiled inwardly, knowing his leaders didn't appreciate the powers his storm was capable of unleashing. But soon they would learn.
Seeing his general's distant stare, Tan coughed to regain his attention and picked up the phone receiver. "You need to make the call, my general."
Swei took the phone handset. He pushed two numbers to access his direct line and waited only a moment. "Prime Minister, I'm afraid I have bad news. It appears the U. S. Embassy was the site of the explosion. At this time we don't know what caused it, but it appears the damage was very severe."
Northern Burma.
The ground rumbled from the hoof beats of galloping ponies, and the yells of the riders echoed down the valley.
"AYEEE! AYEEE!"
Colonel Banta got out of a new Toyota four-wheel pickup to watch the hunting party and smiled at the war cries. He had joined the Chindit twenty years before, and yet he still marveled at the old leader and his gray-haired Horsemen's dedication to the old ways. Weapons and tactics had changed over the years, but not the Horsemen. They still wore their useless swords and rode homes as the ancient ones had done hundreds of years before. Of the original one hundred, only eight remained; battles had claimed many, but now time was their enemy. Not one was under sixty.
Xu Kang broke off from the others and reined his stallion up just short of the pickup painted in camouflage. "Greetings and blessings, Colonel. Are you the only one left?"
"Greetings and blessings, Chindit,"
Swei allowed himself a rare smile and waved Tan to a chair. "Colonel Sak Po will be with Kang, and he knows what must be done once the funds are transferred. Forget Stephen Kang. Now, bring me up to date on our operation.
I'll have to call the prime minister in several minutes and tell him about the 'terrorist attack.' He will not be pleased. He's having problems enough now with the minority leaders, and he's been pressing me for a date to announce the loan guarantees."
Tan took a small notebook from his pocket and flipped to his notes from the morning briefing. "The first freighter left Singapore a week ago; the second left this morning. The third's cargo is being moved to a Malaysian-registered ship like the others. The cargo has been 'purchased and sold' three times and is now Malaysian. It has all the necessary supporting documentation and cannot be traced back to us.
You will meet with the Triad representative in a week, the day the first shipment arrives in Seattle. As of today the operation has had no setbacks. White Storm is on schedule."
Swei felt a rush of pride course through his body upon hearing how smoothly his meticulously planned operation was running, but it was more than the update on the freighters. It was hearing the code name he had given to the operation years before. The name was spawned in his mind when, like a storm, a sudden, unexpected chain of events occurred and made the operation possible. The Soviet Union crumbled and China needed allies. She came offering what she had never offered before, support and recognition of Burma's military government. The junta accepted and became a legitimate government in the eyes of the world. Within a year, with China's help, the army was finally able to crush the rebel insurgencies that had plagued the country for forty-five years.
But Swei and his colleagues had to face facts. The junta had consolidated power throughout Burma, but it was a hollow victory. There was nothing left to rebuild the country, now one of the world's poorest. Then came another reality:
The rebels had provided the Hong Kong Triad with its opium. With the insurgents scattered, the Triad had come to Swei, the director of the DDSI, and made a proposal that would give his country renewed hope. These events led him to design and propose a master plan to his leaders-White Storm, a symbol of change.
Swei smiled inwardly, knowing his leaders didn't appreciate the powers his storm was capable of unleashing. But soon they would learn.
Seeing his general's distant stare, Tan coughed to regain his attention and picked up the phone receiver. "You need to make the call, my general."
Swei took the phone handset. He pushed two numbers to access his direct line and waited only a moment. "Prime Minister, I'm afraid I have bad news. It appears the U. S. Embassy was the site of the explosion. At this time we don't know what caused it, but it appears the damage was very severe."
Northern Burma.
The ground rumbled from the hoof beats of galloping ponies, and the yells of the riders echoed down the valley.
"AYEEE! AYEEE!"
Colonel Banta got out of a new Toyota four-wheel pickup to watch the hunting party and smiled at the war cries. He had joined the Chindit twenty years before, and yet he still marveled at the old leader and his gray-haired Horsemen's dedication to the old ways. Weapons and tactics had changed over the years, but not the Horsemen. They still wore their useless swords and rode homes as the ancient ones had done hundreds of years before. Of the original one hundred, only eight remained; battles had claimed many, but now time was their enemy. Not one was under sixty.
Xu Kang broke off from the others and reined his stallion up just short of the pickup painted in camouflage. "Greetings and blessings, Colonel. Are you the only one left?"
"Greetings and blessings, Chindit,"
Similar Books
