Operation Relentless by Damien Lewis

Author:Damien Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus Editions Ltd
Published: 2017-04-26T09:42:07+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Willemstad, Curaçao, January 2008

The morning after their first meeting, Mike, Carlos and Smulian gathered for a fine Hilton breakfast. Smulian seemed refreshed after a good night’s sleep. He was keen to talk more about the business of the day, but Carlos demurred. They needed to await the ‘Commander’s’ arrival. Smulian had met the client’s moneyman; he now needed to speak to their weapons guy, El Comandante.

The four rendezvoused at the Hilton’s beach bar. Mike did the introductions, after which there were a few moments’ confusion as to which table to take. Carlos had noticed that someone – quite possibly just a nosey tourist, but you never knew – had become very interested in their gathering.

They moved to a furthermost table, well out of earshot. There they ordered drinks. Carlos leaned back in his chair, gesturing at the sun-drenched beach and the well-stocked bar. ‘This is the good life. This is the good life here . . .’

Ricardo – El Comandante – didn’t appear too interested in taking things easy. He dived right in, jabbering away in Spanish and waving his hands about expansively. Carlos had to slow the guy down, for he was playing the role of translator.

‘So, he said . . . he is very interested to see what you can offer to us. That we need a lot of different things.’

Mike squared his shoulders and eyed Ricardo. ‘It’s not necessary to beat around the bush . . . All general Russian . . . infantry weapons we can supply.’

Ricardo glanced from Mike to Smulian, as if measuring them up. ‘Does he have access to Iglas?’ he barked in Spanish. ‘Ask him.’

‘You can find us . . . Iglas?’ Carlos ventured.

Smulian looked nonplussed.

‘Iglas,’ Carlos repeated. ‘Iglas.’

‘Eagles?’ Mike queried, feigning ignorance.

As well he knew, the Igla – Russian for ‘needle’ – was a man-portable heat-seeking surface-to-air missile (SAM). By asking for the much-coveted anti-aircraft missiles up front, El Comandante had plunged in at the very deep end. Mike studied Smulian’s face for any telltale reaction; any sign of suspicion at the mention of the SAMs.

Ricardo leaned closer to Carlos. ‘Tell him it’s the new generation of the SAM-7.’ Carlos translated, the SAM-7 – also known as the ‘Strela’ – being the precursor to the Igla.

For a moment Smulian appeared flummoxed. ‘Ooof!’ he exclaimed.

‘Iglas,’ Carlos reiterated.

‘Nueva Strela,’ Smulian ventured – the ‘new Strela’ – trying out a touch of Spanish. He reckoned they could supply the Igla, but he’d clearly need to check with his boss. Carlos explained that whatever anti-aircraft hardware they purchased, it had to be ‘something simple’, because they were guerrilla fighters operating in the bush.

‘What I think you guys need is, uh, RPG-29V,’ Smulian suggested.

At the mention of the RPG-29V Ricardo leaned forward excitedly. Everyone in this line of work recognized that acronym: R-P-G. Ricardo knew the 29V – V for Vampir; vampire. The warhead could penetrate the frontal armour of a NATO main battle tank, and it was simple to operate, reliable and robust.

Smulian had actually fired the weapon when serving in the South African military.

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