Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [94]
“While the choice we offer between good and evil may seem obvious, it is, nevertheless, a choice you must make. Saudi Arabia could threaten you with military actions or economic sanctions, but that is not our way. Instead, we are brothers in a common cause with common enemies, and that is all the motivation we, as fellow OPEC partners need.
“We thank all of you for your friendship, support, and partnership in this new world order. Allahu Akbar!”
As the high command applauded and shouted, vowing their renewed allegiance, Mustafa all but dismissed his earlier reservations. Still, he wasn’t entirely sure of how OPEC members and oil importers like China would react to his message. Pushing his nagging concerns to the back of his mind, he stood up to receive the praise of his dedicated brotherhood.
34
Camp David
30 September 2017
Lin Cheng awoke at Camp David feeling refreshed despite his fitful night’s sleep. After getting his bearings, he began his morning ritual of stretching and deep breathing exercises. The increased flow of oxygen to his brain supercharged his energy level and gave him greater clarity of mind.
His thoughts turned to yesterday’s discussions with delegates from three Pacific Rim countries. While the Chinese delegation had fielded many questions about Chunxiao, the incident had clearly been relegated to secondary status as the implications of the Saudi situation started to sink in—a feeling reinforced by briefings from his own intelligence forces. He was grateful for the positive tone of the conference call with his nine-member Politburo Standing Committee. Their support was crucial, given the consensus nature of his government, and they had been receptive to the idea of his meeting at Camp David—more open to it, anyway, than they had been when he first proposed it. They offered their words of caution, but it seemed they were more preoccupied with Chunxiao than with the far greater threat of the Saudi crisis. After leaving their last meeting of the day, he and Wang Peng made a surreptitious departure from their hotel to a nearby helipad and boarded an unmarked helicopter bound for their secret rendezvous.
Upon last night’s arrival they had enjoyed a relaxed three-hour meeting with the McCarty brothers. Lin appreciated their efforts to establish a relationship before getting down to business—something that Americans often failed to do—and he was actually eager for today’s meeting. Still, he knew better than to get carried away over gut feelings. An objective analysis was always best, and for that reason he had arranged to take his morning walk with Wang Peng. He jumped out of the shower, dried off, dressed briskly, and then walked out to the front door.
“Good morning, Mr. Chairman,” came the familiar voice of Wang Peng. “I hope you were able to get a good night’s sleep.”
“Good morning to you, Peng, and I slept quite well—thank you for asking.”
The heavy morning mist was refreshing as they set out for their walk along the lighted pathways. Wang almost always waited for his boss to start the conversation, but this morning he asked almost immediately, “What were your impressions of last night’s meeting with the McCartys, Mr. Chairman?”
“I liked them both, Peng. Unlike so many American diplomats we’ve met—even members of our own Politburo, for that matter—they projected an honesty and directness that I found refreshing. They were candid in answering our questions, and they weren’t afraid to challenge me when my answers needed clarification. I appreciated Clayton’s assessment of the American political scene as well as the challenges he faced before being sworn in as president. He didn’t have to tell us that, but it made me more comfortable being candid with him.”
Wang replied, “I have always found both of them to be a breath of fresh air; they were always less concerned about what I wanted to hear and more interested in telling me what I should hear. It has made for many interesting discussions over the years.”
They continued their walk in silence for a while