Chapter Five - part nine

   James was in his office doing part of the mountains of paperwork that went along with everything else he had to do. He wasn't expecting anyone to bother him today. Everybody else had taken a three day weekend and they were making the most of the break in the training routine. When his phone rang he wondered who would be calling his office when nobody was supposed to be in. He answered it to find it was Brigadier General Holt. Actually it was her exec, but the request was from Holt. James was to report to her office ASAP. James arrived at her office still wondering what this could be about. He was surprised once again to see Jeremy already there as well. This didn't bode well for them. A sudden summons to the base commander's office for both of them wasn't something to be desired. James could tell without asking that Jeremy was just as uncertain about things as he was. They didn't have to wait long though. The exec had buzzed her when James arrived and they were both told to go in almost immediately.

   James stepped into the office with Jeremy one step behind him. Holt was seated at her desk, but she wasn't alone. Another man was getting up and turning to face them as they came in. He was much shorter than James and slightly older. James had never met the man in person before, but he knew him immediately. Brigadier General Holt didn't bother standing up. She just made the introductions from where she was seated. "General Sang, I believe you already know Colonel James Cooper and the gentleman with him is his 2nd in command, Lt. Colonel Jeremy Adams. They are the ones who are in charge of the training of the ROCAF pilots. Colonel Cooper, I believe you already know General Chin Lo Sang. He tells me that he has long looked forward to meeting you in person."

   General Sang laughed as he extended his hand and spoke in reply to her words. "I didn't think we would ever actually meet each other face to face, but I hope the Colonel remembers me as well as I remember him. Our last meeting was a most interesting day in my life. One I won't be likely to forget." James shook his hand while giving him a smile in return for the one he was getting. He hadn't been expecting exactly this today, but he had been expecting something like this soon, but not this! He said nothing as Jeremy moved to shake hands with General Sang next. After that and the exchange of a few pleasant words the men all took seats in front of Holt's desk. She was watching them all intently and her voice was filled with tension when she spoke. "Now that we all have been formally introduced I would very much like to know what brings you here today General Sang. I wasn't aware that you were planning a visit or I would have had a proper reception for a man of your stature."

   General Sang smiled at her and shook his head. "As I have told you already, there is no need to be concerned. In fact very few people knew that I was coming here or even planning to come here. I needed it to be a secret, at least until it was done. Depending on how things work out it may need to remain a secret, if that is possible." He turned his attention to James and chuckled softly. "You being here is both the reason I wished to come and the reason my visit was done in secret. I don't know what your intelligence heard about my situation after our last meeting, but I doubt they heard much that was true. You caused me great difficulties then and might yet cause me more. I was shocked to learn that you were to be in command of training these ROCAF pilots. I came here unannounced so that I might speak with you directly about that. As General Holt has already been told, it is critical that all of you understand what is expected from this training. I know what the agreements say will be done, but I wished to hear if the instructor finds those expectations not only agreeable, but also possible. Much more rests on this than any of you may yet know."

   James had listened closely, but now he looked to see what Holt's reaction was to this. She managed to smile and spoke directly to James. "I was told that you knew how to handle unexpected situations and deal with people during them too. I have seen the way you deal with your people, and while I doubt that I could ever deal with people that way. It works well for you. Now I think I would like to see how you handle this most unexpected situation and deal with people that aren't under your command." General Sang burst into laughter. They all looked at him, but he only laughed harder. It took him several tries to control his laughter. Then he spoke quickly. "I am sorry, but I fear that all of you misunderstand. Perhaps I need to explain better. I sense that you think I still serve the in the PLAAF. I no longer fly under the flag of China. I now serve under the flag of the ROCAF in shall we say, an advisory position."

   Brigadier General Holt was clearly stunned to learn this. Jeremy just whistled softly again while shaking his head. James alone seemed to be relatively undisturbed by the news. In fact he was chuckling along with General Sang now. James nodded his head and spoke to Sang. "I wondered what had become of you when you went off the intelligence radar in China. A man like you can't simply disappear without a trace. You are too good a pilot and too well know to the people of China for that to be possible, even as upset as I understand your leaders were after our last meeting. I doubted that you had simply disappeared." Sang was just smiling and nodding as James continued. "I had heard whispers, but only whispers. Perhaps we can share our stories while you are here... but for now I would like to know why you felt it was worth this risk to talk directly with me. You may serve the ROCAF flag, but I know that you are still loyal to your home. What is it that you want and need from me? What do you have to offer me in exchange for it?"

   Brigadier General Holt almost seemed to choke at James questions. Jeremy was sitting there with his mouth open, looking from one man to the other is disbelief. Only James and Sang seemed to be at ease. General Sang leaned back in his chair still smiling and spoke very quietly. He was speaking to Holt, but his eyes never left James. The pair of them sat there with eyes locked on each other as Sang spoke. "General Holt, I know that I am asking a great deal of you. But I would like to speak with this man alone, if that is possible." James immediately spoke just as softly. "No! Perhaps we can talk alone later, if it works out, but we all need to hear this together. I have faced the 'Dragon' alone once, but I won't this time. Say what you came to say and I will give you my answer." That remark had made Brigadier General Holt stand up and glare at both men. It had no effect on either of them. She started to say something, but then just sat down and remained silent. There was fire in her eyes for both of these men now.

   After a long moment Sang turned his head to look at her for a moment. Then he looked back at James and nodded. "The Ironman is a fitting name for you, as is the Dragon for me.  You are as cold and hard as iron. You are as skilled and on target with your words as you are with your weapons in the air. You are also just as direct and deadly, but you are also willing to take great risks, as I have also done." General Sang leaned forward. "I think you know that it makes no real difference which flag you see, the same people are now in control of both. I came very close to 'disappearing' after our last meeting. I may indeed 'disappear' after this meeting, but I believe even that is worth the risk. I need to know if you plan to train these pilots or simply try to overwhelm them with your F/A-48, much as you did me and then send them home to spread more tales of your power to frighten us. I feared that was the plan when I received word back about the F/A-48 pilots training alongside us. That will go badly for all sides. These pilots are among the best we have, but they aren't the best. I have trained those pilots myself! And they will soon be arriving. They will be flying the best and newest jets we have when they come. The plan was to make you fear us, if not because of sheer numbers then because of superior jets and pilots. Much has changed since we last faced each other. I fear that little of it was for the better. Many were deeply offended when you won that meeting so easily. Now I fear that everything being done here may work to force us towards a conflict that neither side truly wants or needs at the moment. I offer you only my help to avoid it growing much worse, what little help I can give you."

   James nodded his head slowly. When he spoke, he chose his words carefully.  "I hope you can help more than a little. As I said I have heard whispers, some from contacts I have and some from the pilots I now train.  I have been instructed to both train those pilots and put fear of us into them too. In truth I don't know how that will all work out. I am doing all I can to make these pilots the best pilots they can be. I worry about what I am doing and why I am doing it though. I worry that the day will come when we will meet again and it won't be a game we play to train pilots then. I worry that I will have to face these same pilots in combat. The world grows more troubled and dangerous with each passing day. I would appreciate any help you can offer me General Sang. I am trying to show all of the pilots I train how bad it will be for them if we ever do meet in combat. There are no real winners in war, only survivors. I can offer you nothing more than the same promise I gave to my own commanders. I will do my best to train these pilots and to make them afraid too... afraid of war! The world seems to be losing all fear of war. I have spent my career fighting or trying to stop fighting all around the world. These young men you sent me seem to see only the glory and the adventure. Even now I see them in love with the thrill of the fight. They need to learn that the two things that cause the greatest problems and the most pain are pride and fear. If they go into battle too proud or too afraid they likely won't survive. Tell me one thing General Sang. Can you help me take the thrill out of it? Can you help me show them the danger of both too much pride and too much fear? That would help us all. I love to fly, but I hate to fight! I hope you feel the same way. Can you help me make them feel that way?"

   General Sang had leaned forward again and was watching James closely as he spoke. When James was done talking Sang said nothing. He simply stood up and extended his hand to James once more. As James stood and took his hand Sang did speak. "I fear that I cannot do what you ask. I have learned that only time or death will teach the young the dangers of too much pride or fear. I don't know if they will have enough time to learn those lessons before death is the teacher and then they will have learned the lesson too late. I will speak with General Holt alone now. You have answered my questions. You will do all that can be done to avoid making things worse between our nations. I will do what I can to help you. I thought that I had learned the dangers of fear before our first meeting, but I saw it only as a weapon or a weakness. You taught me that while it often is those things, it can also be used for other things. It took me many months to understand that fear was a tool for you. You used it against me and you used it moderate your own actions as well. You were afraid of what could have happened that day we flew against one another, but still you did your duty as I did mine. I wasn't afraid at first. I was angry, mostly with myself for my foolish pride. You turned my pride and finally even my anger into fear, but you then used my fear to teach me a lesson. That fear can sometimes be a good thing to have."

   General Sang shrugged and shook his head. "You could have easily destroyed me and many of those who were under my command. That would have pleased many of those who sent you there. It would have proven the strength you had, but it would have made things much worse in the end. Instead you simply demonstrated what could have been done that day. I wouldn't have done the same for you. I would have, indeed I planned on, wiping your forces out that day. I would have driven us into a war, because I was too proud and too afraid of showing weakness. I would have been using fear as a weapon... against both of us. Instead you used it as a tool to do your work. I saw what you could do and I was afraid. It would have been easier to turn and fight, but I knew I would lose. I feared losing more than death though. I didn't actually understand the truth of things until months later. When I did, I knew that I had to change. I knew that fear could no longer be only a weapon or fear would become my greatest weakness. I realized that you had been afraid too, but that you used the fear inside you as strength not weakness. Now I will do the same. I fear what a war between our nations may bring. I will help you show those that are sent to you how to fear that war, if I can. Perhaps one day we will both have to face our deepest fears. Perhaps we will have to finish our fight in a war against one another. Until then I think we can work together to avoid that. Perhaps we can fight together against war by using fear of war as our weapon."

   James simply nodded and said his goodbyes. Brigadier General Holt was still silent and very upset from the look on her face. He and Jeremy left the office even more quickly than they had arrived. Once they were alone Jeremy spoke for the first time in a long while. "If that man can't make his people afraid nobody can." Then he looked at James as they walked back towards his office. "You scared me too! I thought Holt was going to take your head when you cut her off and spoke up to Sang like that. What were you thinking? She may still have your head for that! Oh man, I can't believe the 'Dragon' himself came to see you! How the heck did he get in the country without anybody knowing?" James shrugged. Jeremy continued talking, but James wasn't listening. He knew that Holt would have a few choice words for him, but that was of no concern. General Sang was. If the man had come here in secret, then he had to be worried about something in a major way. The question was about what. James could only hope that he would find out sooner rather than later.