Rebel Blast by Don Pendleton

Author:Don Pendleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worldwide Library
Published: 2013-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Captain Daman Tankian had a name that caused him, with his knowledge of the English language, to smile wryly at his fate. That a military man with the first syllable of his last name should end up in a tank regiment was an irony that was not lost on him, even though he knew it would sail right over the head of the man who sat beside him, sourly staring out the window with a face that resembled nothing less than a slab of condemned meat.

General Sergei Azhkov was not an easy man to get to know, or even to get on with in the most superficial of ways, but since Tankian had joined the regiment he had found that beneath the old warrior’s teak veneer there lurked a keener mind than many would give him credit for. His reputation was purely for being a hard, driven soldier. The truth was, the general had a keen interest in military and social history, and as Tankian was a graduate of Moscow University in pre-Soviet history, he had found a mutual interest that the general had cautiously breached before opening up a little more.

“General, the men are billeted and the hardware is being overhauled, ready for the morning. Are there any other orders before I stand down?”

“Yes. There is a bottle in my briefcase. Pour yourself one and pour one for me,” the general said in a flat voice. “You are off duty as far as I am concerned, Daman. All is ready for the final push tomorrow morning.”

“You say that as though we rode to defeat rather than victory,” Tankian remarked as he took two metal cups from the general’s bag, along with a quart of vodka.

Azhkov snorted. “What is victory?”

Tankian shrugged. “An interesting question, Sergei.” He handed the general his vodka. “I doubt the president would appreciate such philosophical niceties. However, I would assume that a victory in his eyes would be the routing of the rebel forces, even if it entailed leveling the town.”

“Indeed. A show of force. Put the rebels in their place. As long, of course, as the Americans are saved. Which, if we adopt the kind of tactic favored by our leader, is a highly unlikely eventuality...to say the least.” The general screwed up his face and shook his head before downing his vodka.

“I would hazard, Sergei, that from the way you say this, you believe that the latter is what our president would like to happen.”

“He did not say so directly, of course,” Azhkov replied, being as circumspect as his superior before continuing. “The rebels have good reason to be so bold. This is tied up with our foreign friends, though how is not something I know for certain. I do know that having all of them out of the way may give our leader opportunity to establish martial law.”

“And under cover of this, he will be able to find out what was going on, and so profit from it,” Tankian mused, pouring another measure for them both.

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