African Adventure Ch. 02

"You're serious? Who will pay for that?"

"If the Minister of Fisheries approves the plan then the government will waive the import taxes on the pens and I'll put up the initial money. We'll expand as, and if, we get investors."

"And what other plans do you have?" the Minister laughed.

"Sara?" Robert said.

"In the area of agriculture we have the bamboo plantation and the crop diversity program. The bamboo will be used in light manufacturing: building materials, bicycles, furniture. The crop diversity program seeks to identify plants unique to Belize and evaluate their potential as export items. We run that in conjunction with the University's biology program. In the area of aquaculture we have the pens and the study project on how to increase lobster yields. A student at the University came up with an idea for lobster pens to protect the young until they are larger and have a better survival rate. In the area of energy we have the solar roof plan and the tidal energy generators and breakwater project. In the area of social services we have the grant programs for schools, the orphanages, and the medical clinics. In the area of tourism we have the bed and breakfast entrepreneur program, the advertising cooperatives program, and the ecology friendly tourism program. In the area of defense we have the volunteer border patrols and, now, the security company. I think that encompasses all of the programs, sinjoro."

"You're very ambitious, Mister Taliaferro."

"I don't know any other way to be, Minister."

______________________________________________________________

Robert reflected, as the convoy of vehicles drove from the airport to Bukavu, that he had not expected to ever return to the Congo. The sights, sounds, and smells were bringing back some strikingly unpleasant memories. He suspected that those memories, combined with jet-lag, would make sleep difficult for the next few days. He turned his attention to Diyon in an attempt to turn his mind to other avenues.

"What does the security picture look like now that you're on the ground, Captain?"

The little Sri Lankan nodded his head noncommittally. "A mouse trap, sir. Stable so long as no one sets it off, but lethal when it is sprung. The situation in Rwanda seems to have stabilized. Ethnic tensions are simmering, but not yet boiling. The situation here is less satisfactory. Officially the factions have demobilized or been absorbed into the new government. But this simply means the factions have changed uniforms. They still struggle for power, but they do it by directing violence at the civilians rather than fighting each other. The peacekeepers would come down as hard as they ever do on open warfare, but this shadow violence is crime and they are less able to deal with it. I think you picked a good area for operating, there is definitely a need for private security forces."

"How about our base of operations?"

"Secure against infiltration, sir. Most of the support positions are filled by members of our families and the remainder are filled by the Belizeans you hired. We've already run a security drill, so they know that they will be protected. That was a nice suggestion, by the way. Since we're not allowed to openly fortify the compound we are vulnerable to an armed attack. I have my men turning some rooms and buildings into bunkers. A big attack can hurt us, but we'll have some nasty surprises ready to turn back anyone stupid enough to attack us."

"That's the best we can do for now," Robert mused, "I want you to look around for helicopters. I can't afford to buy or lease one, but I want to contract with someone for emergency support. If we need to pull a team out of a bad place, I want to be able to do it in a hurry. Bearing in mind that we might have to pull a team out under fire, I'd like to find someone with military experience."

"I think I know just the people," Diyon replied, "There's an air charter service flying Mi-8s and Mi-17s. Some of them flew for Executive Outcomes."

"That'll do. The medical support personnel should begin arriving in the next few days. Are their quarters secured?"

"They have a segment of the compound. Nothing fancy, I'm afraid, but adequate. Your assistant Sara has been supervising the set up. She seems a very capable woman."

"I'd be lost without her," Robert replied, "Any issues I should be aware of?"

The captain looked nervous for a moment but plowed on. "The comfort women, sir. They should also be arriving in the next few days. We had to bend your rules a little bit, but I hope you'll approve. Normal methods call for contracting with a supplier. This would bring us a steady supply of debt-slaves. What we did instead was outright purchase some debt-slaves. We offered them a good job or a lump payment and their freedom. Some chose freedom and the money, but most of them took the job offer. We have fifteen women coming in. We've tried to make it clear that they are free employees, but I don't think they really believe us."

"Why wouldn't they?" Robert asked, puzzled by the situation but glad that he wasn't going to have to fire or kill anyone.

"Debt-bondage is an old institution. Many of these women are coming from families that have been debt-slaves for generations. They simply don't believe that anyone would just give them their freedom and pay them to do what they were doing as slaves. Then there was an incident during recruiting."

Robert made gesture for Diyon to continue.

"One of the suppliers decided to make a profit on our manumission policy. He grabbed the girls who took their freedom and put them back into slavery. Beat them pretty badly and took their money away from them, too. My agent crucified the bastard under a sign indicating what he had done to deserve this punishment. The supplier's boss was angry and there was a minor riot. But only a minor one," he hastened to clarify, "So some of the women don't really believe that freedom is possible. They seem to have chosen to come with us because we're stronger than their last masters."

Robert blew out a large lungful of air and then laughed.

"Turn them over to Sara, Captain. Make your arrangements through her. What a fucking world."

"Just as you say, sir."

The compound was a collection of warehouses and a few smaller buildings that had been purchased from the previous owners and re-purposed. It was a compound almost only in name. There was no wall and the only visible barrier was razor-wire fence. The Land Rovers were admitted through a serpentine, razor-wire gate only after guards had verified the identity of each occupant and searched the vehicles themselves. Robert looked for, and found, a few telltale open windows where a machine gun might cover a large swath of the compound. He felt that his decision to hire Diyon and Vidu was proving to be a good one.

Inside the compound there was a small group of people waiting. Robert stepped out of the Land Rover and was knocked back against it by an incoming Sara. She clung tightly to him, breathing heavily, for several minutes. Robert waved everyone on as he hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Bad?" he asked.

She nodded. "Very bad nightmares," she whispered, "And I've had a major anxiety attack building since I stepped off the airplane. It's the smell, I think."

Robert nodded. "I know what you mean. We'll help each other through it. For now, I want you to remain close to me. Africa discipline from here on in, deviate and I'll beat you."

Sonia inhaled raggedly and gratefully accepted the familiar role as the shield he intended it to be.

"Jes, sinjoro," she said, as she let go and moved to stand behind him.

"Captain Paranagama is going to be giving the comfort women over to your care. Get a full explanation from him, or his agent, and take whatever steps you think are necessary."

"Jes, sinjoro."

Robert offered his hand to Luke, who was hovering a few feet away from Sara.

"Saluton, Luke."

"Saluton, sinjoro. Better than old times," the young man commented.

"I hope it stays that way."

The next half-hour was spent greeting old friends and new. Sonia and Ilse were delighted to be re-united with Sara and concerned over the obvious signs of stress she was showing. Several of the African personnel that had volunteered to accompany the household were standing around in a daze as the familiar feel of the land they grew up in washed over them. The Sri Lankans were introduced to people and vice versa and there was a certain optimistic air to the proceedings. Robert finally had to give orders to break things up.

"I'm tired after the travel. Everyone settle in, please. I want a shower and dinner and a staff meeting."

The knot of buzzing people slowly fell apart into several streams of directed chaos as people were led to their lodgings. Robert was conducted to the second story of one of the larger buildings. Sara conducted them through the three interconnected rooms that had been set aside for their use and introduced some of the staff who happened to be on duty.

"Captain Paranagama insisted on having guards in each building," Sara explained, "So there is a wandering guard team moving through the building at all times. They're really very pleasant men and the captain has already started them learning Esperanto. Unnecessary, really, since most of them speak at least a little English."

"The captain isn't thinking about right now," Robert replied, "He's thinking about the future. He really wants to fit in with us. I have a good feeling about that. For right now, we want to avoid too much public use of Esperanto. Some of the people we might encounter might remember a certain mercenary who made use of Esperanto."

"You're not that memorable, sinjoro," Sonia joked, "Besides, you look completely different now."

"A blonde beard and longer hair does not make me look completely different," Robert pointed out.

"I like you as a blonde, sinjoro," Sara said, "And the longer hair gives us something to run our fingers through. What does his beard feel like?" she asked Ilse.

"It scratches your thighs," Ilse complained with a look of distaste on her face.

"I like it," Sonia said, "It's rough."

Robert gave her a slap on the ass. "Go find the kitchen, voluptulino, and get some lemon juice."

"Jes, sinjoro," Sonia replied.

"I can do that, sinjoro," Sara said, "I know where the kitchen is."

"Sonia will do it. She needs to learn her way around. I want you for other purposes. Ilse, get a shower ready."

"Jes, sinjoro," Ilse replied. She pulled her dress off and shimmied out of her thong and bra before heading towards the bathroom.

Robert walked over to Sara and pulled her into his arms. He reached up to pull her braid, exposing her neck and bending her backwards and off balance. She leaned back against his arm, trusting him to support her weight. He leaned forward and nibbled at the throbbing flesh on the side of her neck. She sighed, a drawn out exhalation that left her body limp. He let go of her braid and scooped her up into his arms, depositing her onto the bed. He took his belt off and used it to secure her wrists behind her back before he flipped her over and arranged her on the edge of the bed, stepping between her legs and hiking her skirt up around her hips. He unbuttoned his fly and pulled his penis out. A quick flick of his fingers pulled her thong aside to expose her naked labia and he pushed forward against her, and then into her in a deep stroke.

"Oooh ..." she breathed, and tilted her head back, eyes closing.

Robert slapped her, once, across the face.

"Okuloj malfermij, sklavino," he ordered.

Sara snapped her eyes open and looked at his face, baring herself completely to him as his fingers unbuttoned the front of her dress and undid the clasp of her bra. His eyes fixed hers, never deviating, never blinking, as his hands wandered her body. She bit her lower lip as he played with her flesh, making it dance beneath his attentions.

"Mia," he asserted.

"Via," she confirmed, "Konstanta via, amasinjoro."

He began to play with her clitoris, brushing it with his fingertips in small circles. She squirmed beneath this, hips bucking up in reaction to the sensations jumping through her muscles and in an attempt to increase the pressure. Still she met his gaze as he increased the pressure and began to slowly stroke back and forth into her. She squeezed him, silken muscles clinging to his hard member as he moved.

"Via, via, via," she repeated in whispers that grew rapidly in a drawn out scream of surrender as she came. His hands stroked her again in broad motions that traveled the length of her body and brushed away the tears on her cheeks. She saw Ilse smiling benevolently at her from the doorway to the bathroom and smiled back at her.

"Konstanta mia," Robert agreed softly, kindly.

He pulled out of her then and flipped her over onto her belly.

________________________________________________________

The comfort women arrived two days after the medical personnel, which proved to be something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand it gave Sara enough time to question Vidu, who turned out to be the agent Captain Paranagama had been referring to, about the women and set up quarters and a procedure to process everyone. On the other hand, it precipitated the first confrontation with the medical personnel.

Doctor Vishaal Jyoti was a general practitioner with an interest in disease. She had been hired to be the hygiene specialist and her file, compiled by Sonia, indicated that she was an idealist. The youngest of the doctors at twenty-nine she also had the best credentials and some of the best experience in working in poverty-stricken conditions. Sonia had noted that her idealism, youth, and evident temper would make her difficult to manage and a likely leader in any confrontations. Her photo showed a woman with the dark, almost black, skin coloring typical in many South Indians and fine, narrow features that were less typical.

She had accosted Robert while he was talking to Sonia.

"Mr. Thompson," she said.

"Uhm? Oh, hello Doctor Vishaal. I'm talking to Sonia right now, can it wait?"

"It cannot," she replied in the same clipped, British-accented English that Diyon and Vidu spoke.

Robert hesitated for a moment and then held up a hand indicating that Sonia should wait. She bowed her head once in acknowledgement and waited. Robert turned to face Jyoti.

"What is it, Doctor?" he asked.

"Those slaves your thugs just dragged in. What in the name of heaven are you thinking? You can't import slaves to service your mercenaries," she spat out.

"Would you prefer that we use local slaves?" Robert asked.

She sputtered in a fury that fled almost as quickly as it had come, realization dawning that Robert was twitting her.

"You know what I mean," she said, "You've violated several international laws and treaties on trafficking in people and you're guilty of kidnapping and other crimes as well. I demand you free those women at once!"

Robert visibly considered this for a moment before replying.

"In the first place, international law is enforced by national organizations and the government of Congo is not particularly interested in enforcing those laws when none of their citizens are being injured. In the second place, if someone forced the situation to their attention and then threatened to make a public stink then I would be forced to close down the security for this agency. That would mean pulling the agency out of Congo and leave you and a lot of other people out of work, not to mention leaving a lot of people without access to desperately needed medical care. In the third place, those women used to be slaves. If I send them back to Bombay and wherever else they came from, they'll likely go back to being slaves. They, as much as anyone else in this country, are victims who need help and we are in a position to provide some help. In the ... what now?"

"Fourth place, sin ... sir," Sonia replied.

"Right. In the fourth place, those women aren't slaves. They are employees being paid a decent, but not magnificent, sum of money in return for providing a service. Just like you. They will be living in the female employees' quarters. Just like you. They will be working on a fairly rigorous schedule. Just like you. And to ensure that there are no misunderstandings on this regard, I am appointing you their personal physician. You were scheduled to give them their initial physical examinations anyway, but now you are in charge of their medical well-being. You will coordinate this with my assistant Sara. You will also attend their first orientation sessions, Sara will give the schedule. You will also assist in setting up a counseling schedule, again, see Sara for details. You will do this without saying another word to me, with a smile on your face. You will do this because it is a good and decent thing to do to help people, which is why you came here, and because if you say another word to me today I will have you on a plane to wherever it is you came from within an hour."

He paused and gave her a moment to speak, to make a mistake.

"No comment? Good. You demonstrate a commendable intelligence and self-control. Sara is, I believe, in the clinic. Go see her now."

He turned his attention back to Sonia, not bothering to see if Doctor Vishaal obeyed.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Sonia, you were saying?"

Sara was glad to have Doctor Vishaal back and even happier when she was informed, by Jyoti, of what her new responsibilities were.

"You're confused and angry," Sara stated, "That's to be expected. Mister Thompson has that effect on people when he gets into his goal-oriented frame of mind. Focus that energy. We need to ensure that every single one of these women gets a thorough physical examination. I've got several Hindi-speaking nurses lined up. But you're going to have to supervise the exam. Whatever else you might think, these women deserve the best medical treatment we can provide, so be true to your oath. If that is insufficient motivation for you, then I suggest you focus on the fact that your records would be useful evidence to convince someone to bring charges against Mister Thompson."

Doctor Vishaal gaped at Sara for a moment. "But, you work for him!" she protested.

"So do you, Doctor," Sara pointed out, "My job right now is to motivate you. Survive the now and worry about the future later, okay?"

Shaking her head and confused to the very core of her being, Doctor Vishaal went to prepare to run fifteen examinations. This turned out to take all of a twelve hour day to complete. Even after the examinations were completed, Jyoti was not allowed to go rest. She accompanied Sara as the women were processed. This impersonal term turned out to be far kinder than Jyoti had expected. After the medical examination each woman was issued new clothing, toiletries, make-up, and assigned to a room with four other women. Sara inspected each room personally, which meant that Jyoti did too. The rooms were large with five narrow beds of local manufacture. Each bed had a lockable footlocker beneath it and all of the rooms had windows and stools and a table. The rooms were larger than the room Jyoti shared with another doctor, but there was no appreciable difference in quality.

Late in the evening the women were fed in the women-only dining room and treated to their first welcome lecture. Sara cleared the room of everyone else, but Jyoti was required to stay.

"Welcome," Sara said, through an interpreter, "How many of you were purchased from your pimps?"

Every hand in the room went up.

"How many of you were offered your freedom and some money?"

Again, every hand in the room went up.

"Would any of you like to have some money and go back to India?"