Red Phoenix

by Larry Bond

  Bae finished his walk-around and started moving toward the small cluster of officers nervously waiting for his verdict on their troops. Then he stopped.

  Two black staff cars had just driven through the main gate. They were followed by three canvas-sided trucks. The car lurched off the camp’s main road and turned toward the parade ground. The rest followed it, their tires crunching over the compacted surface of snow and ice.

  Bae started moving again but one hand dropped, almost unconsciously, to rest on the pistol holster at his right side. The sergeant major followed suit.

  He rejoined his officers as the staff car pulled up and slid to a stop in a spray of snow and gravel. The trucks stopped right behind it, and Black Berets carrying submachine guns jumped down off them, fanning out to cover the little group of officers.

  Once they were in position, the staff car’s doors popped open. Bae’s eyes narrowed. There could only be one reason for all of this, but surely they were making an unnecessarily large production out of what should be a simple procedure. Why hadn’t they simply waited until his inspection was over?

  A small, nervous man wearing a thick officer’s overcoat and carrying a swagger stick levered himself out of the rear door of the staff car. He shivered in the cold air and pulled the overcoat tighter around him. Then he flipped open a file and studied it for a moment. Bae’s officers clustered around the general, waiting for him to take the lead.

  Finally the man walked over to them, followed closely by two submachine gun-toting guards with DSC collar tabs. He stopped, facing Bae. “General Bae?”

  Bae stood silent for a moment and then nodded.

  One side of the thin man’s mouth curled upward and he reached into his pocket for a single, folded piece of paper. He handed it to Bae. “I’m General Kim of the DSC. Those orders come from General Park himself, and they authorize me to take command of your division.”

  Bae studied them and then looked up sharply. “For what reason has General Park done this?”

  Kim smiled. “For a very good reason, General Bae.” The smile disappeared. “You’re under arrest for treason.”

  Even though he’d been half-expecting arrest since the failure of Chang’s coup, the words still shook Bae and he stepped back a pace.

  One of the DSC troopers with him stepped forward and yanked Bae’s pistol out of its holster. The other kept Bae’s officers covered with his SMG.

  Bae stood rigidly still as the guard frisked him for other weapons. Kim smiled pleasantly again. “What? No protestations of innocence and wronged honor? You disappoint me, General.”

  Bae said nothing. How had they known? Chang had told them he’d never kept written notes, so someone must have talked. But who? Chang was dead. Who had betrayed him?

  Kim nodded to the DSC guard who now had his SMG trained directly on Bae. “Take this traitor to the car.”

  Bae swallowed, trying to clear his throat. “May I have a moment to inform my family of what has happened? I give you my word as an officer that I shall not attempt to escape.”

  The DSC general laughed, a harsh, braying sound. “Don’t worry yourself. They’ll be informed of your fate. And your word means nothing to me.” He nodded to his guards. “Take this dog away. The sight of him sickens me.”

  Bae was stripped of his coat and hustled away into a waiting car. As it drove off, Kim turned back to face the shocked officers. “Very well, gentlemen. Now that this unpleasantness is behind us, we can get on with my other business here today.”

  He looked at the battalion commander. “We will start with your battalion. Have your companies return their weapons to the armory. The entire division is confined to quarters until I’ve had time to sort out this mess to my satisfaction. Clear?”

  The battalion commander nodded quickly. Kim was satisfied to see the man’s hands trembling. Good, it was time to throw fear into these soldiers. Fear would keep them in line until he’d had the chance to purge this unit of every traitor and malcontent.

  He stood back to watch as the process was begun.

  DECEMBER 11 — MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

  McLaren waited while the uniformed aide cleared away the tea and then looked hard at General Park. “You do realize how goddamned stupid your government’s behavior is right now, don’t you?”

  Park spread his hands. “I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to, General.”

  “Come off it, Park. I’m talking about the mass arrests made by your security forces. I’m talking about the way your DSC goons are ripping the guts out of your command structure.”

  “There have been arrests, yes.” Park laced his fingers together and sat back in his chair. “But surely that is an internal matter, General McLaren. It does not concern you or come under your authority.”

  “Bullshit!” McLaren’s fist crashed down on the low table between them. “You’ve thrown half the best officers in your Army, Navy, and Air Force into detention camps, and the rest are too busy looking over their shoulders to run their units properly.”

  “I’m well aware that the necessary steps my government has taken to quell General Chang’s rebellion may have affected some elements in our officer corps.” Park’s eyes shifted away from McLaren’s face and then came back. “But they are necessary, General. The rot was widespread and we must burn it out.”

  “Damnit, man, you’re burning the heart out of your army.” McLaren lowered his voice. “Have you been up to the DMZ lately? Have you seen what’s happening up there?”

  Park shook his head and said stiffly, “Matters of state have kept me here in the city.”

  “Well, let me tell you, General Park, your ‘necessary measures’ are a fucking disaster for military preparedness. I’ve never seen morale so low. Christ, how do you expect the troops to react to seeing their officers hauled off under guard?”

  “Loyal officers have been left in command. That should be enough.”

  McLaren shook his head. “No, it’s not. You really think your troops are going to follow a bunch of HQ Milquetoast ass kissers into battle?”

  “If it is necessary, yes.”

  McLaren took a deep breath. Time to calm down before he throttled the obstinate s.o.b. “General, it’s my duty as Combined Forces Commander to ensure the readiness of all the units under my authority. I can’t do that while you’re stripping them of the most experienced and dedicated officers. So I’m asking you, in my official capacity, to suspend these arrests and to release all the officers who haven’t been directly tied to General Chang’s coup attempt.”

  Park’s lips thinned. “You pick a strange time to … how do you say?… throw your weight around, General. You and your men will be gone from my country in a few months, and your authority will end with your departure. Why should we pay any heed to the advice of those who are deserting us?”

  McLaren had no answer for that. It would have to come from Washington.

  DECEMBER 12 — CAMP HOWZE, NEAR TONG DUCH’ON, SOUTH KOREA

  Kevin Little knocked once on Rhee’s door and waited.

  No one answered, but he could smell cigarette smoke. The South Korean lieutenant hadn’t been at Captain Matuchek’s morning commander’s meeting. He hadn’t been at dinner the night before. And he hadn’t signed out through the gate guardhouse. That left only one place he could be.

  Kevin knocked again. This time the door opened.

  “Lieutenant Little?” Rhee sounded surprised. His English, usually perfect, was a little slurred. “What can I do for you?”

  Kevin pushed the door open wider. “For starters, Lieutenant Rhee, you could let me in out of the hallway here.”

  The South Korean nodded slowly and stepped back out of the way. Kevin closed the door behind him and studied both Rhee and his quarters carefully. Though normal looking by most standards, they were a shambles when judged by the impossibly high standards that he knew Rhee set for himself.

  Rhee stood swaying slightly in the middle of the small r
oom. His eyes were red-rimmed and bleary, and the top button of his uniform shirt was undone. The sheets on Rhee’s cot were slightly rumpled, as though he’d been lying on top of them and had gotten up without bothering to straighten them out. A lit cigarette smoldered in the ashtray on the desk, perched atop the twisted, crumpled remains of more than a dozen others. An open bottle and a half-full glass of clear liquid sat next to the ashtray.

  The room smelled like a hellish combination of rum and furniture-polish remover. Kevin recognized the smell from trips to Korean restaurants and bars that had always been followed by monstrous hangovers. It was Soju, a cheap, grain liquor. He looked from the glass to Rhee. “A bit early in the day, isn’t it?”

  Rhee lowered his own gaze. “Perhaps.” He let the word hang there.

  “You missed the captain’s meeting this morning.”

  Rhee’s head snapped back up. “Did he ask where I — ”

  Kevin interrupted him. “I told him you were out running down a missing equipment requisition for me.”

  The other man’s eyes fell again and he sank back onto his coat. “You should not have lied for me, Lieutenant. I have failed in my duty. To drink when I should be at my post is … unforgivable.” The South Korean’s voice faded completely.

  Kevin stared at Rhee’s slumped shoulders and felt his irritation vanish. He pulled the chair away from the desk and sat facing his liaison officer. “Look, Rhee, you’ve got to snap out of this funk. Just what the hell is wrong?”

  “General Chang’s coup attempt …”

  Kevin felt cold. They’d all heard the scuttlebutt about the slaughter outside Seoul and the DSC’s ongoing wave of mass arrests. “Jesus Christ, Rhee, you weren’t involved in that, were you?”

  “No.” Rhee shook his head slowly. “I was too junior to be involved. I had no hand in it.”

  “Well, then, you haven’t got anything to worry about.” Kevin forced a cheerful note into his voice. “This’ll all blow over in a few more days and things’ll get back to normal.” He winced. That sounded fatuous even to him.

  Rhee locked his fingers together and stared at his clasped hands. “I do not think so, Lieutenant. My country being destroyed from within before my eyes, and I can do nothing. My friends and relatives are being thrown out of work in the midst of the winter. And I can do nothing for them. Now the Army, our last bulwark against the enemy, is being broken on the wheel.” He raised his bloodshot eyes to Kevin’s face in a mute appeal. “And what can I do to prevent this? Nothing.” His eyes strayed toward the Soju bottle.

  Kevin stared at him for a second, framing his reply carefully. He had to find a way to rouse Rhee from his depression. If Matuchek found the South Korean in this state, there’d be hell to pay — both by Rhee and by Kevin. Another thought crossed his mind and chilled him further. If any of the DSC men in the area heard about this reaction to Chang’s coup, Rhee would probably find himself on a short ride to a long prison term, guilty or not guilty. Kevin shook his head. He really didn’t have any choice. He had to get Rhee back to some semblance of normal, and fast.

  He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word as he thought of it. “Look at me, Lieutenant.” Rhee’s eyes swung back toward him. “Neither one of us is in a position to do much about the big things that are going wrong over here. I’m not the president, so I can’t undo that stupid trade bill. And you’re not a general, so you can’t call off this DSC witch-hunt. Right?”

  Kevin saw the South Korean starting to pay attention to him. Encouraged, he continued, “But that’s not what they’re paying us for. They’re paying us to soldier. And you’re a damned good soldier, Lieutenant Rhee. You’re a hell of a lot better at this game than I am.” He narrowed his own eyes and stared hard at the Korean. “Or at least you are when you’re not drunk.”

  Rhee hung his head in shame again.

  Kevin softened his voice. “C’mon, Rhee. Everybody screws up once or twice. But you can’t let it grind you down.”

  The South Korean slowly lifted his head. He stared back at Kevin for a moment in silence and then answered, “You are right, Lieutenant Little, I should concentrate my energies on the things that I can affect. On the platoon and on my own preparedness.” He shook his head in disgust. “I’ve been indulging in nothing more than weak self-pity. That was foolish and wrong.”

  Rhee stood abruptly.

  Kevin followed suit.

  “If you’ll allow it, I’ll get cleaned up and join you for the rest of the day’s schedule.” Rhee suddenly bowed slightly to him. “I must apologize for my behavior today, Lieutenant. And I must thank you for your kindness.”

  Embarrassed now, Kevin awkwardly sketched a return bob of the head. “Ah hell, Rhee. No need for that.”

  He turned toward the door and then turned back with a sudden grin. “After all, I didn’t want to get left facing Sergeant Pierce and Captain Matuchek on my own.”

  Slowly Rhee returned his smile. “I see. Well, that is understandable. They are indeed a formidable pair. But perhaps they will meet their match in us.” He reached out and recapped the bottle of Soju.

  The South Korean lieutenant was a soldier once again.

  DECEMBER 13 — THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

  Blake Fowler slid General McLaren’s telex across the desk to the President and sat back in his chair. He waited while the President skimmed through it.

  “You’re sure this general knows what he’s talking about?”

  Admiral Simpson answered, “I’ve known Jack for a long time, Mr. President. He’s not a genius at spotting political trends, but he’s a damned fine soldier. And if he says that South Korea’s turning its army into mush, well, I believe him.”

  The President turned to Fowler. “What do you think, Blake?

  “I’ve got to concur with the general’s assessment. The reports we’ve picked up show a complete government overreaction to this coup attempt. They’ve already arrested everyone fingered by some internal security chief who was in on it, and now it seems that they’re hauling off any officer who’s shown any signs of competence — just on general principles.

  “The results out in the field aren’t good. Morale in most units has hit rock bottom. There are even unconfirmed reports that some battalions have refused to obey orders from their new officers. The government’s Special Forces are supposed to have come down very hard on them.”

  The President shook his head. “Why are they doing this? Hasn’t the South Korean government got enough trouble in its streets without looking for even more by wrecking its armed forces?”

  “That’s just it, Mr. President. That’s exactly why they’ve reacted so badly. The government has always counted on the military as its bulwark against the mobs. Now that’s gone. I’d say that South Korea’s leaders are feeling increasingly isolated and increasingly paranoid — with some justification, of course, because there are people out to get them.”

  Simpson nodded. “That’s why I agree with General McLaren that we’ve got to find a way to calm the government over there down. Maybe it’s time we sent someone over there to assure them that we’re not pulling out anytime soon.”

  “Damn.” The President picked up a letter from his desk and flipped it so that Blake and the admiral could see the congressional seal embossed at the top. “I got this from our fine friend, the Speaker, this morning.” His tone made it clear that he considered the Speaker of the House anything but a friend.

  “He writes that the congressional leadership is, quote, gravely concerned by the continuing turmoil in South Korea, unquote. He goes on to say that they’re most concerned that American troops still in the country might get caught up in this ‘cycle of violence.’ And they’re asking for an immediate troop pull-out, with every last American soldier to be out of South Korea by the end of January.”

  “That’s impossible.” Blake looked at the admiral for confirmation of what he’d said.

  “Blake’s right, Mr. President. Even if we hadn’t been holding thi
ngs up, there’d be no way to meet that kind of timetable. It’ll take months alone just to ship our heavy equipment back across the Pacific.”

  The President nodded. “They know that. The letter goes on to propose leaving the equipment there in storage until it can be moved. But they want our people out as fast as possible.” He tossed the letter back onto his desk. “Naturally this ‘private’ letter has already been released to the press.”

  Goddamn all congressmen. Blake knew that the Speaker’s letter had probably been dreamed up by some congressional staffer as the ideal way to exploit South Korea’s troubles to get some TV time for the Speaker and his favorites. Congressmen were always looking for a way to stay in the public eye when the House and Senate weren’t in session. All right, that was understandable. But their publicity stunt had just drastically narrowed the President’s options.

  Blake looked across the desk. “So I suppose we can’t take the chance that our reassurances to the South Korean government might leak?”

  The President nodded again. “Dead on, Dr. Fowler. If the leadership hears that I’m delaying the pull-out after they’ve publicly asked me to expedite it, they’ll have no choice but to seek legislation setting an explicit timetable. And that’s something we can’t risk, true?”

  “Yeah.” There wasn’t anything else Blake could say.

  “Okay, then. We’ll just have to hope that the government over there comes to its senses soon. Maybe the North Koreans will do us a favor and try some kind of commando raid — something that’d bring the military back into favor.”

  Admiral Simpson shrugged. “Anything’s possible with those sons of bitches, Mr. President. I know Jack’s got his boys on rotating alert just in case something like that happens.”

  “Good.” The President rolled his chair back a few inches and opened a drawer. He pulled out a folder and laid it open on his desk. With a quick flourish he signed the bottom of one of the papers in the folder. “There. That’s the one other thing I can do, gentlemen.”

  He smiled at their puzzled looks. “I’ve just taken one of your earlier suggestions, Phil.” He handed the paper to the admiral. “That’s an order putting MAC on standby alert. Ostensibly I’m doing this to boost our ability to evacuate speedily should the situation in South Korea deteriorate further. Ostensibly.” He emphasized the last word.