NEO: Near Earth Objects: Book Three, The New Frontiers Series by Jack L Knapp

Author:Jack L Knapp [Knapp, Jack L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jack L Knapp
Published: 2016-07-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Several months had passed when Chuck called Mark into his office. After greetings were exchanged, he brought Mark up to date.

“China and Korea have decided to hold talks. Japan will host, because they’re more-or-less neutral. They trade, but it’s purely a business arrangement. None of them really like each other. Another reason is because Japan isn’t a long trip for either of them, meaning they can return home for consultations. They might do that if an issue is raised that’s too sensitive for messages.

“Anyway, they’ve asked us to send a representative and you’re it. They didn’t specify what they had in mind, but they could have said ‘observer’. Since they didn’t, I interpret that as meaning they expect NFI to be a participant. As far as I’m concerned, you’re there to be a mediator.

“You’ve got two weeks to prepare. That’s not a lot of time, but you’re already somewhat knowledgeable about what needs to happen. Just to make it clear, you’re there to represent our interests. Let them work out their differences, if they can do so without war. The two principals will have assistants, so you’ll need experts of your own. You’ll also need to leave someone in charge here in case I need advice. Can do?”

“Can do. What would you think of using General Dahan as your advisor? There’s no immediate threat of war, so he will be available.”

“Well, maybe. Let me think about it. I’m not sure that a man with a fighter pilot mentality has the judgment I need. He can command fighters, even lead them if necessary, yes; but find a peaceful solution?”

“You might be surprised. The two of us have spent quite a bit of time talking; I’ve learned more about the military role in diplomacy, he’s learned when it’s better to back off and see whether negotiation won’t lead to a solution.”

“I’ll think about it,” Chuck repeated. “Meanwhile, keep me in the loop. I want China to accept Korea on her southern border, Russia too. The Koreans and Russians don’t really share much of a border, but sometimes it doesn’t take much. My desire is no war, and absolutely no world war. I’ll do what I have to in order to keep that from happening. I hope you can get them to agree. It’s in both their interests to avoid letting matters escalate. I don’t want an armistice and a new DMZ on the Yalu.”

“I’ll see what I can do. You’re right, they really don’t like each other.”

“They can learn to. If, that is, they don’t spend the next generation killing each other. Korea isn’t interested in invading China, and as for China she can get most of what she needs by not invading Korea. Korean ships are already in space and Chinese ships will get there soon. Remind them privately that North Korea was a drain on the Chinese economy, but Unified Korea can be a trading partner and source of hard currency. I hope the economic argument makes sense, but if necessary remind both of them that NFI holds the whip hand in space.

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