The Long Hard Road

Chapter Twenty-Six: A New Beginning

Forward Base

Kuwait

6^th May 1942

Hanover sucked in the dry air of Kuwait as the hatch opened on the plane, allowing the hot air to wash into the plane. He waited the exact amount of time for the soldiers to line up, and then he stepped out of the plane onto the stepladder.

“Present arms,” General Flynn bellowed. Two hundred men, all from the 2^nd Armoured Division, presented armed. “Salute!”

They saluted, as one. Hanover, a veteran himself, saluted back, and then saluted the flag. He stepped off the stepladder, still holding the salute, and stepped onto the small podium. Microphones and three small cameras were pointed at him, but the media people were keeping well back. This was for the soldiers. Everyone knew that.

“At ease,” General Flynn bellowed. He hadn’t wanted to do that, but Hanover had insisted. The last thing the troops would want was to stand at attention while he gave a speech, even the short one he’d written for the occasion. The men deserved better than a long speech in uncomfortable surroundings.

“Thank you, all of you,” Hanover said. It was sincere; it meant more to them than flowery phases. “Your work today should hopefully lead to a more peaceful Middle East in the future, one where the virus of Islamic Extremism has been stamped on before it ever truly developed. You have the thanks of thousands yet unborn, and perhaps the people here will appreciate us more.”

He smiled wryly. From the reports, the Iranians and Iraqis – having lived under Soviet rule for nearly a year – had been very relieved to see the British. He didn’t know how long it would last – not many Iranians wanted the Shah back and he didn’t really want to upset them – but for the moment the Middle East was enjoying a period of peace.

“There is one final task left to do,” he said. “We have to march to Berlin, and then Moscow, completing the task of eradicating fascism from the Earth. We have done so much, and now there is only one task left. For the day, however, everyone has a day on liberty.”

He stepped off the podium as General Flynn ordered a second salute, then the troops dispersed. Hanover saluted Flynn as he stepped up to him, and then shook hands firmly.

“It’s a honour to have you here,” Flynn said. “What do you think?”

Hanover glanced around Kuwait, at the results of nearly a year and a half of development. The makings of a formidable port were already laid, linked to the growing railway network, built with American-supplied rails. It wouldn’t be perfect, far from it, but a transport network would help boost the economy forward.

“It’s impressive,” he said. “I’m very pleased with it.”

Flynn grinned. “Blame Shahan McLachlan,” he said. “The man is a font of positive energy and an absolute disregard for the previously established rules here. Do you know that we have seven different ethnic groups in Arabia, all thanks to the Turks?”

“They’re still forcing out the Kurds?” Hanover asked. “What are we doing to do with them?”

“Shahan has been developing the fields of Arabia,” Flynn said. “As you know, he has two desalination plants and they’re both working hard. It’s not quite as simple as adding water, but it will help to feed everyone in Arabia.” He smiled. “Given twenty years, they might just succeed in forging a real country.”

Hanover nodded. “It looks as if he will get most of Iraq,” he said. “Iran’s provisional government, while committed to democracy, wasn’t keen on the idea of joining up.” He shrugged. “The Americans are planning to invest heavily, provided they continue their path towards democracy, so they won’t be a problem in the long term. In the short term, however… what’s the security situation like?”

Flynn grinned. “We have five divisions of armoured infantry that belong to the Republic of Arabia,” he said. “With the death of Ibn Saud, the Saudi tribe seems to have come apart, although it’s hard to be certain. Now that our satellites have improved, hunting them down if they pose a problem shouldn’t be difficult. I don’t think that there are any more worries from that quarter.

“In the north, the Russians have dug in along the Caucasus Mountains,” he continued. “They don’t have the ability to push an offensive against us any more, but we’re going to keep some troops in Tabriz, just to make certain. Unfortunately, they pretty much wrecked Baku before retreating, and the natives are revolting.”

“I’m sure they are,” Hanover said dryly. “Have they asked for support?”

“Not yet,” Flynn said. “The collapse of Soviet power led to a civil war. The mutual slaughter hasn’t stopped yet.”

Hanover nodded. “And the Jewish problem?”

“Shahan is supposed to be meeting with the Jewish leader now,” Flynn said. “God only knows what they’ll come up with; we can do without a civil war in our new ally’s territory.”

“No,” Hanover agreed. “Still, a peaceful Middle East is important, no matter how many noses get bent out of joint.” They reached the command building, neatly guarded by a British soldier, and stepped inside. “Is this building secure?”

Flynn led him into a quiet room. “Yes,” he said. “We have a full security suite in here, even though we haven’t met any bugs yet. We can talk about anything.”

Hanover’s gaze softened. “I’m sorry about Ibn Saud,” he said seriously. “I never meant to put you in that position.”

Flynn shrugged. “I saw what happened to a desert campsite when he and his people went through it,” he said. “It wasn’t hard at all.”

Hanover nodded. “You may have realised that this front is being wound up,” he said. “Attacking up north would strain our logistics to breaking point, which we cannot allow. We also have commitments to attacking in France, along with the Americans.”

Flynn blinked. “Sir, attacking in France would be repeating history – with the Germans knowing what’s coming.”

“I know,” Hanover said. “Officially, the attack’s target is France. Unofficially” – he outlined the plan – “we’re going elsewhere.”

Flynn sucked in his breath when Hanover had finished. “Sir, that’s…”

“Daring, yes,” Hanover said. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a better idea; we have the option of there, or places which will prolong the war into the next year.” He frowned. “There are signs that the Germans are getting desperate.”

“I heard about the rocket strikes,” Flynn said.

“Some of our media is blowing the whole thing out of proportion,” Hanover said grimly. “That, and the American strikes back against Germany. We were trying to avoid a bloody war of civilians, but Himmler has raised the stakes higher than ever before.”

Flynn frowned. “I would have expected Hitler to do that, but Himmler?”

“He knows that we are worming away at Stalin’s state,” Hanover said. He looked sharply at Flynn. “That does not leave this room, by the way.” Flynn nodded. “He may fear that Russia will collapse, which will leave Germany alone, or that the Russians will come into the war on our side.”

Flynn gaped at him. “Is that even possible?”

Hanover shook his head. “I very much doubt it,” he said. “The only thing we’re certain of is that the rise of resistance to Stalin’s rule is weakening him.”

“That must be why he ordered Zhukov to stand and fight,” Flynn said. “Are we going to be using the Russian prisoners as an army?”

“Perhaps,” Hanover said. “Given… what the Americans are planning, the USSR might come apart sooner rather than later. However, that’s beside the point.” He tapped the map. “Politics have been interfering in the military situation again,” he said.

“That always happens,” Flynn said. “Which politician has decided to stick his oar in this time?”

“Harry Truman, President of the United States of America,” Hanover said. “As I told you, the plan to invade Europe is growing into coherent form; a mixture of our finesse and American brute force.”

“The Citizen Force and the Janissaries,” Flynn said. He grinned. “They have become popular, haven’t they?”

“I wonder if Major Stirling is related to him,” Hanover said absently. “However, the issue at hand is command; who is going to command the mission.” Flynn lifted an eyebrow. “The Americans were very determined to have their own commander in overall control, so we argued them into accepting you as tactical commander.”

He held up a hand to prevent Flynn from saying anything. “You’ll have overall command of the invasion force, with Patton and Bradley as your seconds,” he said. “I came this far for one important reason; General, do you wish to accept the command?”

Flynn looked at him for a long moment. “Why me?” He asked finally. “Why am I honoured? Why not General Cunningham, or General Barrington-Smythe?”

Hanover considered the question. “You are the most successful commanding officer we have had in this war,” he said. “You have the confidence of the Americans, which is not to be overrated, and you are used to working with allies. You also understand modern warfare, something that the Americans don’t, not yet; they either see us as supermen or overrated.” He frowned slightly. “Both General Cunningham and General Barrington-Smythe hold high enough ranks to raise hackles at being subordinate to Eisenhower, while you don’t.”

He smiled. “Does that answer your question?”

“Yes,” Flynn said. “I accept the command.”

“Excellent,” Hanover said. “You’ll be flying back to Britain tomorrow. Colonel Jordan will take over your command here.”

“Thank you, sir,” Flynn said. “Will you be joining us for the mess dinner? They made it just like you had back in Iraq.”

Hanover laughed. “I’d be delighted,” he said. “Then we’ll have to head back to Britain.”

Shahan McLachlan removed his skullcap as he entered the room, leaving it carefully on the table, before washing his face and hands. He checked his appearance in the mirror; he wore a proper suit instead of his normal Muslim robes. He’d never been able to develop much of a beard; shaving it off had been a small sacrifice. He smiled as he looked at the picture his one-year-old daughter had drawn for him, and then he entered the room.

He shook hands with the man who was waiting for him, giving him a neutral smile that could be turned into charm or ice, depending. A bigger smile threatened to break out; the man reassembled one of the Green Lantern Guardians of the Universe. If he’d had blue skin, David Ben-Gurion would have been a dead-ringer for one of the little aliens.

“It is a pleasure to meet you at last,” he said. Ben-Gurion controlled the Haganah, the Jewish Defence Force, which had fought fanatically against the Germans and some of their allies, including the now-dead Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The famed Irgun – the most fanatically anti-British and anti-Arab force – had fought even harder… and had been defeated badly for it.

“I suspect that I will be not so pleased,” Ben-Gurion said finally. The Jew knew what would have happened – and what would happen if the situation deteriorated. “I imagine that you are here to tell us to clear off.”

Shahan shook his head. “Nothing of the sort,” he said seriously. “I have an offer to make to you, and a request.” Ben-Gurion lifted an eyebrow. “Allow me to summarise the situation as I see it,” Shahan said. “We are about to start shooting at each other – and that cannot be allowed.”

Ben-Gurion nodded his great head. “I would prefer not to have my new country torn apart by civil war,” Shahan said. “I suspect that you would feel the same way too. However – I am not prepared to tolerate a second state of Israel; it was a disaster for all concerned.”

“That depends on what books you read,” Ben-Gurion said. “Some sources state that the Jewish state was a complete success.”

Shahan lifted an eyebrow. A Jew in the Government somewhere must have shipped Ben-Gurion some future history books. He made a mental note of it and continued. “The situation on the ground is very different,” he said. “Like you did, I have the task of producing a government out of several different ethnic groups. A war with you would help that in the short term, but not in the long term.”

“We would tear Israel out and into existence if we had to fight you by any means necessary,” Ben-Gurion said. “You know that we would.”

Their eyes met. “You know that we would win,” Shahan said, “and in the process disgrace ourselves before Allah.”

Ben-Gurion smiled. “Is survival more important than the good opinion of God?”

“Is survival possible without the good will of God?” Shahan asked. “I won’t, I can’t, fight such a war… and yet it seems that I will have no choice, unless you agree to my proposal.”

Ben-Gurion smiled. He thought he had the edge. “I will listen,” he promised.

“This nation is intended to be based upon democracy,” Shahan said. “We have five different types of Muslim here alone, not counting the Christians in Lebanon and Iraq. Any attempt at setting up a religious-based nation would be doomed to failure.”

“Of course,” Ben-Gurion said mildly.

“The fact that the existing power structure has been badly damaged offers an opportunity to change it,” Shahan said. “We – the founder members – will create a state based on democracy, where the sexes are equal before the law, and where all religions are equal before the law.” He smiled. “Even Jews.”

“I imagine that you’ll have a lot of opposition from your own people,” Ben-Gurion said finally. “We bought that land – but look at all the people who claimed we stole it.”

“Land won’t be such a problem in a few years,” Shahan said. “The techniques for making the desert bloom are well understood in 2015. Give us five years and we’ll have gardens surrounding Mecca.” He smiled. “As for opposition, how many of them can really afford to start a pogrom against such a useful minority?”

“As they’d also be minorities,” Ben-Gurion said. “I trust that you will allow immigration?”

Shahan shook his head. “Not for the first few years, except for family members,” he said. “South Africa is accepting Jewish refugees, so they will have somewhere to go. If any of your people have problems with the agreement, we can buy them a ticket there and wave goodbye.”

“It’s tempting, I admit,” Ben-Gurion said finally. “What guarantee do we have that you’ll keep your word?”

“We would absorb the Haganah into the ranks of the Arabian Army,” Shahan said. “You would be in a strong position.”

“But not strong enough to force Israel out of you,” Ben-Gurion said. “You’re a very brave young man, President McLachlan; your own people will behead you.”

“Perhaps,” Shahan said. “To paraphrase a very great man; keep running if you stumble and you won’t fall. Mr Ben-Gurion; I need to know soon.”

“I can’t say that I like the actions of Turkey,” Ben-Gurion said slowly. “I will have to consult with my allies, but I think I will accept. There is one condition, however; you agree to the Haganah regiments being based within the Jewish regions.”

“Some of them, yes,” Shahan said. He’d expected that demand. “However, we will rotate the divisions around, just to ensure that they do build up a relationship with the entire country.”

“Then I agree for myself and the Haganah,” Ben-Gurion said. “Now, how will the Government be organised?”

Shahan smiled as they started to discuss the nuts and bolts of the proposal. Perhaps this crazy idea will work after all, he thought. Perhaps we can build a proper nation for us all.

When he was younger, he’d known a girl called Anisa, who’d been a good friend before he married. With his wife’s permission, he’d named his daughter after her, and was playing with her by the fire. Tomorrow, they would be heading back to Salaam, to oversee the integration of the Jews into the provisional government, but for the moment there was peace.

“A fine daughter,” Hanover said. Shahan looked up; they’d all been placed in the same building. A flicker of suspicion passed through his mind; Hanover could have organised it. “What is her name?”

“Anisa,” Shahan said. “Did you arrange for us to have the same block?”

“It would have been impolitic to have given each of us separate buildings,” Hanover said. His voice was coolly amused. “Did you have a good meeting with David Ben-Gurion?”

“Didn’t you have the room bugged?” Shahan asked. “We agreed that we would try to integrate the religions.”

Hanover nodded. “Thank you,” he said seriously. “Have you thought about long-term status?”

“We’re going to model it on Britain,” Shahan said. “A Parliament; districts which will elect Members of Parliament, but with a proper constitution.”

“There have been demands for one in Britain,” Hanover said absently. He bent down and gently picked up Anisa. “You’ll have to be careful not to leave any loopholes.”

“We will,” Shahan said. “So… what next for you?”

Hanover shrugged and passed Anisa to Sameena, who had just entered the room. “You mean, British relations to here?” He asked. “I imagine that we won’t have any difficulty in continuing to provide you with support, particularly since you’re going to be a member of the Commonwealth. Given ten years, you could really develop this region.”

“We hope so,” Sameena said. She held their child closely. “What else did you want to say?”

If Hanover was surprised, he didn’t show it. “We will not support you if you turn this into a religious dictatorship,” he said seriously. “That’s the warning you had before, and now you have what you want… well, getting what you want can be very dangerous.”

Shahan looked up at him. “I understand,” he said. “We won’t mess this second chance up.”

“Please don’t,” Hanover said. “You carry the only hope of Islam’s survival in this strange new world.”