of the nigh "
"hold your tongue, woman," the mullah said angrily, then turned on dayati. "whotre you?"
when dayati saw the man was a mullah, his demeanor changed and at once he became deferential. "i'm... i'm iran-timber's manager here, excellency. what's the matter, please, what can i do for you?"
"the helicopter. at dawn i want it for a flight around the camps."
"i'm sorry, excellency, the machine is in pieces for an overhaul. it's the foreigner's policy an "
azadeh interrupted angrily, "mullah, by what right do you dare to come here in the middle of the night to "
"imam khomeini has issued ord "
"imam?" she echoed, shocked. "by what right do you call ayatollah khomeini that?"
"he is imam. he has issued orders an "
"where does it say in the koran or the sharia that an ayatollah can claim to be imam, can order one of the faithful? where does it sa "
"aren't you shiite?" the mullah asked, enraged, conscious of his followers listening silently.
"yes, i'm shitite, but not an illiterate fool, mullah!" the way she used the word it was a curse. "answer!"
"please, highness," dayati said, pleading with her. "please leave this to me, please, i beg you."
but she began to rage and the mullah to rage back, and the others joined in, the mood becoming ugly, until erikki raised his ax and let out a bellow of rage, infuriated that he could not understand what was being said. the silence was sudden, then another man cocked his machine pistol.
"what's this bastard want, azadeh?" erikki said.
she told him.
"dayati, tell him he can't have my 212 and to get off our land now or i'll send for the police."
"please, captain, please allow me to deal with it, captain," dayati said, sweating with anxiety, before azadeh could interrupt. "please, highness, please leave now." then turned to the two mechanics. "it's all right, you can go back to bed. i'll deal with it."
it was then that erikki noticed azadeh was still barefoot. he scooped her up into his arms. "dayati, you tell that matyeryebyets and all of them if they come here again at night i'll break their necks and if he or anyone touches one hair of my woman's head i'll crawl into hell after him if need be." he went off, massive in his rage, the two mechanics following.
a voice in russian stopped him. "captain yokkonen, perhaps i could have a word with you in a moment'?"
erikki looked back. azadeh, still in his arms, was tense. the man stood at the back of the pack, difficult to see, seemingly not very different from the others, wearing a nondescript parka. "yes," erikki told him in russian, "but don't bring a gun into my house, or a knife." he stalked off.
the mullah went closer to dayati, his eyes stony. "what did the foreign devil say, oh?"
"he was rude, all foreigners are rude, her high the woman was rude too."
the mullah spat in the snow. "the prophet set laws and punishments against such conduct, the people have laws against hereditary wealth and stealing lands, the land belongs to the people. soon correct laws and punishments will govern us all, at long last, and iran will be at peace." he turned to the others. "naked in the snow! flaunting herself in the open against all the laws of modesty. harlot! what are the gorgons but lackeys of the traitor shah and his dog bakhtiar, eh?" his eyes went back to dayati. "what lies are you telling about the helicopter?"
trying to hide his fear, dayati said at once that the fifteen-hundred-hour check was according to foreign regulations imposed upon him and the aircraft and further ordered by the shah and the government.
"illegal government," the mullah interrupted.
"of course, of course illegal," dayati agreed at once and nervously led them into the hangar and lit the lights the base had its own small generating system and was self-contained. the
"hold your tongue, woman," the mullah said angrily, then turned on dayati. "whotre you?"
when dayati saw the man was a mullah, his demeanor changed and at once he became deferential. "i'm... i'm iran-timber's manager here, excellency. what's the matter, please, what can i do for you?"
"the helicopter. at dawn i want it for a flight around the camps."
"i'm sorry, excellency, the machine is in pieces for an overhaul. it's the foreigner's policy an "
azadeh interrupted angrily, "mullah, by what right do you dare to come here in the middle of the night to "
"imam khomeini has issued ord "
"imam?" she echoed, shocked. "by what right do you call ayatollah khomeini that?"
"he is imam. he has issued orders an "
"where does it say in the koran or the sharia that an ayatollah can claim to be imam, can order one of the faithful? where does it sa "
"aren't you shiite?" the mullah asked, enraged, conscious of his followers listening silently.
"yes, i'm shitite, but not an illiterate fool, mullah!" the way she used the word it was a curse. "answer!"
"please, highness," dayati said, pleading with her. "please leave this to me, please, i beg you."
but she began to rage and the mullah to rage back, and the others joined in, the mood becoming ugly, until erikki raised his ax and let out a bellow of rage, infuriated that he could not understand what was being said. the silence was sudden, then another man cocked his machine pistol.
"what's this bastard want, azadeh?" erikki said.
she told him.
"dayati, tell him he can't have my 212 and to get off our land now or i'll send for the police."
"please, captain, please allow me to deal with it, captain," dayati said, sweating with anxiety, before azadeh could interrupt. "please, highness, please leave now." then turned to the two mechanics. "it's all right, you can go back to bed. i'll deal with it."
it was then that erikki noticed azadeh was still barefoot. he scooped her up into his arms. "dayati, you tell that matyeryebyets and all of them if they come here again at night i'll break their necks and if he or anyone touches one hair of my woman's head i'll crawl into hell after him if need be." he went off, massive in his rage, the two mechanics following.
a voice in russian stopped him. "captain yokkonen, perhaps i could have a word with you in a moment'?"
erikki looked back. azadeh, still in his arms, was tense. the man stood at the back of the pack, difficult to see, seemingly not very different from the others, wearing a nondescript parka. "yes," erikki told him in russian, "but don't bring a gun into my house, or a knife." he stalked off.
the mullah went closer to dayati, his eyes stony. "what did the foreign devil say, oh?"
"he was rude, all foreigners are rude, her high the woman was rude too."
the mullah spat in the snow. "the prophet set laws and punishments against such conduct, the people have laws against hereditary wealth and stealing lands, the land belongs to the people. soon correct laws and punishments will govern us all, at long last, and iran will be at peace." he turned to the others. "naked in the snow! flaunting herself in the open against all the laws of modesty. harlot! what are the gorgons but lackeys of the traitor shah and his dog bakhtiar, eh?" his eyes went back to dayati. "what lies are you telling about the helicopter?"
trying to hide his fear, dayati said at once that the fifteen-hundred-hour check was according to foreign regulations imposed upon him and the aircraft and further ordered by the shah and the government.
"illegal government," the mullah interrupted.
"of course, of course illegal," dayati agreed at once and nervously led them into the hangar and lit the lights the base had its own small generating system and was self-contained. the
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