Rogue Command (The Kalahari Series) by A J Marshall Page A

of that, Richard. Planning has it in hand and has asked the Mexican Government for help, but by all accounts they haven’t got anything left either. Their reserves are quoting zero, but the military might spare some in an extreme case. That will take a call from the PM – I haven’t gone there yet. I certainly do not think it sensible to rely on local sources.”
    “What about the Americans?”
    “We know they found a small pocket recently in southern Texas – enough to keep the state going for another month, perhaps two. It’s likely the Government took a share and we heard that there may have been a little gas too. The Federal Energy Commission is distilling some domestic oil from their remaining coal stocks and perhaps some kerosene. Problem is, with this briefing coming up I’m loath to ask them. The PM may authorise a flight with NetJets Global using a Royal Flight allocation. You flew with them before, you may recall. Apparently, they have a little bio fuel remaining in Germany.”
    Richard nodded. “And elsewhere? Stocks around the planet?”
    “South America dried up a year ago to all intents and purposes. They were not very good at saving for a rainy day. What little coal and oil they had at the beginning of this year was sold to international buyers on the black market – quite amazing really. Actually, we bought about three hundred thousand barrels ourselves.”
    Richard shook his head. “Unbelievable!”
    “Europe and Africa are the same. Canadian and Alaskan oil shale stocks are depleted and their Kerogen holding is almost exhausted too. Apart from that there are some isolated pockets of gas and oil here and there, but they aren’t really anything to speak of; nothing of note has been reported for some time. South Africa rushed into constructing a new fission reactor eighteen months ago, near Port Elizabeth, but the technology they are using is forty years old. Nothing has progressed in that field since the New Geneva Convention banned nuclear power stations. They are on a road to nowhere in my opinion. Even under normal environmental conditions it would take six or seven years to complete a facility like that. Their plan was just two years, and without the cooperation of the international community. Not a chance. I am beginning to think that a blanket ban on all nuclear power was a mistake – then and now.”
    “Yes, but two major accidents in as many years and half-a-million square miles of pollution gave a lot of weight to the ‘greens’. It was a lobby that gathered pace across the globe . . . It was ‘save the planet and not worry about humankind’ back then. Now it seems to be the other way round. Anyway, Peter, what about the East?”
    “Japan is trading some of its territories west of Nagasaki and the home island of Kyushu to China in exchange for an undisclosed quantity of light fuel oil – again mainly distilled from coal stocks. Japan is saying that it is necessary in order to keep the central government and local administration in operation. How long that will last, God only knows. While the Chinese are keeping tight-lipped about what they actually have left, we do not think it can be much. Total global stocks were declared three years ago as part of an international pooling protocol; it was mandatory to declare all holdings and a satellite monitoring programme was agreed. Based on that data they simply cannot have much remaining – maybe six months. Their agenda is as inscrutable as ever. Exchanging land for fuel and so depriving their own people of heat and light – how can you put a value on those commodities?”
    “You know the Chinese, Peter, always long-term.”
    Rothschild considered that remark for a few seconds. “Um, yes, long-term,” he said. “What do we mean by that phrase these days I wonder . . . ? What do they know that we don’t?”
    Richard shook his head.
    “There are a lot of deals going on at the moment between various states,” Rothschild