Not Quite a White Knight Vol. 04.5

Well, we knew there was at least one spy with the shipment, and Chin Li was supposed to find her. But we did not expect her to announce herself so quickly.

The assistant loadmaster, standing next one guard, stuck him with a needle as soon as the ramp was closed far enough. The loadmaster, next to the other guard, did the same. They were quick and efficient taking the carbines out of play, and their speed shocked the spy. After a moment she produced a knife. That hesitation gave the loadmaster time to draw a dart gun and shoot. He hit and the spy was looking in shock at the dart in her belly when she slumped over, dropping the knife. The assistant loadmaster also drew a.22 automatic, a long-barreled automatic target gun, to make sure there were no more problems.

With the sudden violence the other girls were upset and noisy, but they soon realized that only the bad people were targeted, and they were okay. Except they were chained up on a plane taking off.

A few moments later Chin Li's voice came over the loudspeaker. This was a female voice, speaking Chinese with authority as she addressed the captive girls. First, she assured the girls that they were being freed from the men who wanted to rent their bodies out as whores and drug mules. "More than two decades ago I traveled the same path you chose, to escape my situation. Now I can set you free. But first, I must order my men to check for weapons, and to see if their are any other spies among you. Please, help them. Once we are in the air your chains will be removed as we fly to a safe refuge."

The words "order my men," spoken in Chinese, changed everything. No reassurance could be stronger.

There were no other weapons found, the Five were too cheap to pay for a second spy. As each girl passed inspection their chains and tape were removed, followed by water bottles, juice boxes, and snacks. Chin Li came into the cabin and talked to the girls, saying they were allowed to sit where they wished.

The 2 guards and the spy were chained together and cuffed. Breathing was an effort at cruising altitude as curare flowed in their veins, so tape wasn't used. Some of the girls thought that maybe the knife should be used, "to slice something open," with the universal sign for cutting a throat.

But Chin Li said that was a bad idea. "My Master cannot waterboard dead people, he has many question and slower, less unpleasant ways to get answers from these. They will beg for death. Also, blood is very hard to clean up on an airplane." Her calm authority and the words made an impression on the girls. Again, it was the secondary message, that the Chinese woman had a "Master" which calmed them. That was something they could understand.

The man who was chained with the girls was named "Snik." He was a new member of the crew who said he did not sign on for taking money from desperate girls only to sell them into sex-slavery. Two of the girls, sisters, had befriended him, so he was planning to free the captives when they got close to shore. He was turned in by the Spy, clapped in irons in mid ocean, and questioned by the Captain. The Five had some hard questions for him, and would use him for leverage with the girls, otherwise he would have been sharkbait.

The spy sat next to the ship's Captain when Snik was questioned, so he confirmed that the paralyzed girl who pulled the knife was the one who turned him in.

Two girls who were openly lesbians identified themselves and asked what might happen to then. Chin Li said that their feelings would be respected by most where they were headed, but that "people are people and acceptance was not shared by everyone." Then she mentioned that her own daughter was a concubine of a powerful man, "the Prince" who gave her a diamond and a new car. "But she is free to enjoy several female lovers as well." Noting that the hour was early at their home, Chin said, "in fact, she is in bed with two women as we speak."

After she said this a number of the girls started to show some interest for other girls. As a general rule, those who do not fit the conventions have a harder time in Chinese society, so it made sense they would make up a higher-than-the-normal 10% of those who try to escape that society.

In less than two hours after takeoff the plane landed at the colony, which was a lush, green wonder to all including Chin. Instead of pulling into the new hanger carved in the rock wall, the plane taxied to the spot on the runway closest to the building used for Tango's party a few weeks ago. When they deplaned some Colony women were at the door with jackets for those who asked, and there was a path marked.

It was a walk of more than a mile, over terrain that was like a tropical park in a city. There was no hurry. The path was well marked, they were invited to walk without guides or guards, at the own pace. After the rigid life in China and the weeks in the cramped quarters of the ship, the freedom of a walk in such a place was very welcome. There were no fences in sight, no chains or guards. They met some people tending the plants who smiled and said hello, but that was all. Female greeters at the building had signs that explained this was a short-term arrangement, until other quarters could be arranged. There were both cots and sleeping pads, plus some couches and chairs arranged in social areas, and a long table with fresh food. Showers had also been set up, with boxes of clothes for after they dried. Only women were present, and they were all helpful.

There were questions about Snik, the one man in the group, but a half-dozen women surrounded him and vouched for his presence, even in the shower and overnight. The consensus was that everybody was happier to have "their new brother" with them instead of him being someplace else.

The last ones off the plane were the two guards and the spy. A truck brought them to me where all three got the same treatment as the Five. There were enough shacks to house these two guards, and because they were operating independently I assumed that at least one of them had extra information as a NCO or leader for the rest of the guards. They would get special attention.

-

Captain Thomas planned to work quickly securing the property of the Five in Moyobamba and Salaverry. Men in the uniforms of the Military Police SWAT took control of the two residences used by the Five, which were also their business offices. People wearing standard security uniforms secured the drug company locations, and selected valuable inventory was quickly loaded onto lift trucks. The regular security people were allowed to work their shifts, but they were accompanied by my men and were under my officers, plus they were limited on their routes in the facility.

Thomas knew that the inventory at the drug company was valuable so he flooded the place with new security personal from the colony and put the old staff on lie detectors. He also patched some holes in the basic security systems.

No debate was tolerated, when one of the security supervisors objected he was fired on the spot and told he would be arrested if he did not leave the property immediately. What the other employees did not know was that the fired employee was snatched up in a van as soon as the door was closed behind him. He was in for a bad 24 hours as my people questioned him. That stretched into a week.

The questions found that a significant robbery was planned for next weekend, and that the new guards disrupted the plan. Some pilferage was tolerated by higher-ups, to make up for the low pay, but a group of security employees decided to try for a bigger score. After all the questions were answered and the other troublemakers were fired and beaten (or beaten and fired, which sometimes worked better) he was released some distance from his home. If the guy was loyal to his fellows he would have reported what happened. Instead he packed a bag and took the next bus to Lima.

My new personnel had forged orders with the appropriate signatures, addressed to the proper department heads. The Five had made plans to be gone for several weeks, were out of contact, and had all their "special" bodyguards with them. That extended opportunity - which was known in advance - had been the trigger for the robbery plan by the low-level security guys. They all cracked pretty easy.

At the dock a group of 20 marines from the Cousins seized the ship as soon as the truck returned and dropped off the crew members. Once in command they immediately set sail, effectively claiming the ship for the Patron. My Cousins had their own ways of dealing with the officers and crew.

At all locations my people searched for papers that might indicate any assets of value or intelligence data. At the Guz house boxes of papers were loaded onto the Chinook which flew to the Colony in mid-afternoon. The bagged and chained guards were also on the helicopter, some requested a second shot of the drugs, but most figured that sitting still and playing dumb was the smarter move.

Thomas had pilots with basic training in the types fly the Twin Otter and the Global Ranger helicopter to the colony. The papers from Moyobamba were on a Cessna by mid afternoon. By sundown all the major assets, including the M-113, were back at the Colony. A handful of soldiers were left at the Guz mansion, plus there were the people at the drug company HQ. But other than those, it looked like just what the Five had planned - to take a two to three week vacation away.

The people who had applied for the invasion force were emailed that their services would not be required, a group of professional mercenaries from "Solo Walker Inc." was in place instead, and they would deal harshly with anyone else who showed up. Reading between the lines was the message that coming to Troma might be dangerous for independents. Real mercs are like that.

The M-113 (with the FBI painting washed off) and the Hummer had to drive through the center of Troma and load onto the Hercules at the landing strip on Sunday afternoon. The troops made it a parade. Most of the town turned out to watch, they were curious and the troops with the M-113 were not subtle. My people wore Peruvian military uniforms, so the people knew better than to ask questions. But they would tell stories to any rough types who might show up.

When the 10 captured guards arrived at the Colony in the Chinook they were housed in makeshift cells created in the hangers blasted in the rock wall. The helicopter also had the intel items removed from the mansion. This was a temporary measure, I wanted the guards close at hand so they could confirm things learned from the Five. I had not yet decided if the guards merited extra punishment (well, I really had only one type to offer) or if they were just guys who were unlucky in picking an employer when they were booted out of the military.

I did insure that they had no idea where they were, or who they were held by. Anyone who could figure out where they were being held had to be killed, so keeping them in the dark cave actually counted as a form of mercy on my part.

Well, there were only so many condors to feed.

Besides the papers and Guards, the Chinook also carried a number of weapons from the armory in the house. There were a racks of Winchester-type lever action rifles, revolvers from 1935, BARs and Tommy guns, all from the period when the mine prospered. These were still very effective weapons. The most interesting find was a L-39 anti-tank rifle made in Finland for their short wars with Russia. The gun weighed over a hundred pounds, it had built-in ski's so the two-man crew could move it in the snow. The gun could penetrate Russian tanks of the era (1930's), and it may well have penetrated the aluminum armor of the M-113, assuming the bullets were still good. The men also found some quality explosives.

Heavy duty drilling, mining and blasting items remained at the house where they could be evaluated safely, but they might speed up the blasting of hangers we needed in the rock wall. We had some new aircraft to house.

In short, the war was over, the only shot fired was the dart used on the spy. It was all due to the idea Irene sketched on a paper. She deserved a bonus, but I already knew what she wanted as a reward.

Well, I would make it very nice for her after the excitement died down.

Now, I had a lot of questions to ask, and very little time to do the asking. I took a bandolier of dictaphones along to meet my guests.

-

Chapter 45. Sunday Afternoon Chats

I made it a point to visit each of the Five, as well as the two extras from the house, plus the spy and the two guards from the airplane. That was really all I could get to.

If you want to get useful quality information from somebody the worst thing you can do is brutal physical punishment. It is a waste of time and they resent you so they lie and shade the truth. You have to build a rapport with a proper mix of brain-bending punishment when merited. Well, my grandfathers were going to ruin that tomorrow using the damn bullwhips in a primitive ritual to show the people they were safe. Maybe the people needed that. Plus, I was on my honeymoon so I had neither the time or the information to get the detail needed. I would be limited to trusting my interrogators, playing information and extraction techniques they were taught against the Five is various ways. I didn't have many people to do this type of work. They were good at their job, so it would just take time.

I was curious to get some basic information, so I started with the two guards who were with the Chinese captives. Each man was brought to an interrogation room bagged but otherwise naked. They stood, one hand was cuffed overhead, they felt very exposed. I spoke Spanish but let a few English words get out. (My men all spoke old Spanish, which had the prisoners confused.) The last thing my men said as they left me with each prisoner, was "here is you cattle prod sir, all charged up." Then they sparked it. For a naked man, hanging by one hand, it is a terrible sound.

I told each prisoner that they got one question, at the start, for free, which I might answer. After that any question I chose to answer would cost them a prod sparking they didn't want. Mostly they would answer my questions.

In every case the prisoners asked to know where they were. Just as I expected.

Most folks would, it is natural. Generally one does not give the captive information, unless it will be useful for the future. I was actually hoping for this question as a way to cut off hope, so I gave a speech. "We had been flying you toward Asuncion, but didn't go all the way. Instead we stopped at the airbase and went someplace... close by, someplace very private. You should know, China and the US both take a very dim view of human trafficking."

It was common knowledge in South America that, a few years ago, Paraguay gave blanket immunity to US soldiers within the country. Also, the US made financial payments as part of the war on terrorism. Soon after that an unknown number of Green Berets and support troops moved into a remote but strategically placed large airbase in northwest Paraguay. The government refused to acknowledge the formation as a "black site" but the US military stayed and paid. Communist activists in nearby countries (like Brazil and Argentina) began to worry about a late night visit as they watched for black stealth helicopters in the night.

The two guards reacted differently. One, who was clearly a trusted and confident leader, shut up tight after his first stupid question. (The knowledge really did not help him, and might not be true, so it was really stupid.) He would not even give his name. After a short conversation with the cattle prod I let him imagine what new experiences tomorrow would bring.

The other guard, Mauricio, was the opposite, he was hard to shut up. He claimed he only did what he was told, that he had not been with the Five very long, that this was his first "ship pickup." He intended to quit when his contract was over. (We discovered his 3 month probationary contract started a month ago.) After that he answered a lot of questions. I even got him a chair and a glass of water for our time together.

He admitted spending the night at the cheap port brothel with one of the girls. "None of them looked good, I took the ugly one because I figured she had seen fewer guys. She stayed with me all night, so she considered me a good guy." That actually checked out, but the 'good guy' thing was relative, given a chance and a dull knife the girl, Xha Win would have gladly carved her name in him.

I stayed away from the "Pizarro" theme and worked on the Chinese females as an angle. He knew the Five ran two brothels, were running short of girls and they were going to "try out" the new women at the mine. He was told not to mark any of them because they might be sold to drug dealers as mules. As soon as he saw they were all Chinese he "knew it was all so wrong." He was eager to give away his whole chain of command.

He named each of the Five plus the two extras and all the guards. The guard he was with was called "Hawk." As I figured he was sort of a sergeant who scheduled men, led drills, did special jobs, like an NCO. The woman with the Five was Solange and they all called her their sister, which he admitted was confusing. The lawyer, Iker, had been with the family for some time, he was treated as Solange's friend, although he had seen Solange naked in bed with at least "three of the Five."

"She is so attractive, you know? I did not want to look, but I had too. She didn't mind throwing me a pose. But looking more than a few second can be dangerous."

All he knew about the Chinese captive who made a fuss was that "it would happen, and Hawk (the other guard) would handle it. He liked to make her wait. I guess they had been lovers but now hated each other."

I agreed that happened sometimes. Loving somebody on the job is hard.

It seemed to me that this fellow could be useful so I decided to push him on one point - when and how was the money collected from the brothels.

He said that Hawk always visited them on Mondays, after the busy weekend. Hawk always took three soldiers along in body armor to make sure there was no trouble. Mauricio went about half the time so he knew the locations and routines, but he might not have all the details. The first visit was at noon, and the second, in the port, was at four. One of the Five flew the helicopter and took the money.

The helicopter was always expected and very recognizable. There was never trouble because they were well armed, their hosts knew that if the guards saw a weapon the brothel guys were all dead. The helicopter was marked as medical, so "cops and military were never a problem, it could be a real emergency."

Since the brothels were open for business as usual he did not see any reason for it to be any different this weekend.

I told him we would talk again, and when we did he would owe me a favor.

-

I immediately told Thomas to get the truth twins working on Hawk right away, using Mauricio to check what he told them. They were to put him to sleep, make it seem like it was late Monday, and then get the truth from him fast. Since he would think they were past the deadlines, he might be more inclined to give it up.

To break Hawk quickly the truth twins were given a free hand, getting the facts, then double-check and using punishments to correct the story. We would have people take Hawk's place getting the money, they would say that "Hawk was not available - he has a nasty Chinese flu."

Actually, the money from the weekend was not the main concern, that would go to the girls when we freed them. But with criminals and corrupt authorities in the picture, any change of routine would be read by somebody as an opportunity to take advantage, and we did not want that until we were done with the Five and had freed the girls. Also, it was a way to get a look at the operation.