Page 96 of Rising Tiger

Asha nodded. “So, may I call you Scot? Or do I have to call you JJ?”

Harvath smiled. “For right now, don’t call me anything. It’ll be easier.”

Asha smiled back. “So, it sounds like we’re in similar boats, with very little support, and pursuing a similar goal.”

“With the stakes rising by the day. I’m sorry about the attempt on your life this morning. I didn’t mean to make light of it.”

“It’s okay.”

“I was also sorry to hear about the helicopter crash that killed your chief of Defense Staff. Do you have any more information on it?”

“We believe some sort of directed-energy weapon may have been involved,” she replied. “The Chinese have begun fielding a couple of different kinds. We have a piece of video evidence, which we believe shows one in action in Coonoor.”

“You should encourage your boss to share that video with my boss. We just recovered a directed-energy weapon that was being used against a colleague of mine back in the U.S. Our top scientists are currently all over it.”

“I will encourage him to forward it. You know the Chinese also used some sort of energy weapon against Indian forces in the Himalayas a few months ago.”

“I read the reports,” said Harvath. “Some sort of microwave device. Heated up the water molecules under their skin, caused a lot of headaches, dizziness, and vomiting. Allowed the attacking Chinese soldiers to retreat.”

Asha nodded. “I interviewed the Snow Warriors’ commander. Gathering further intelligence about the event was part of my portfolio. His personal account is gut-wrenching. Both the telling of the attack and the aftermath. While I appreciate the political message it sends to China, I can’t believe they’ve decided to winter in the Galwan Valley.”

“It was the right decision. And I’m proud to admit that my organization had a little bit to do with it.”

“Yourorganization?”

Harvath nodded. “The Snow Warriors are an amazing regiment. India is right to be very proud of them. But they lacked the infrastructure for a prolonged, high-altitude, overwinter deployment. We fixed that and sourced everything they needed—all premium, top-of-the-line gear. Insulated tents, camping stoves, snowshoes, subzero sleeping bags. We wanted your soldiers to have the absolute best.”

“There was a lot of speculation in the ranks as to where it came from,” she replied. “No labels. No made in ‘X’ country.”

“We employed a team, around the clock, for two weeks that removed all the tags and erased any signs of origin. While we hate Beijing as much as you do, Washington wanted this to be off the radar.”

“Like the negotiations over an Asian version of NATO.”

Suddenly she was striking right at the heart of why they were both standing in this abandoned building, ready to let Vijay do whatever he was about to do to Sayed.

Harvath nodded. “Yes.”

“And why shouldn’t America and India formalize an alliance?” she asked. “The threats to democracy are only growing. From Pakistan’s relationship with China and Iran, to what the Russians have done to Ukraine. We can’t pretend that strong coalitions don’t serve as the ultimate bulwark and aren’t absolutely necessary.”

He really liked the way she saw the situation. “Agreed. India is a natural partner for the United States. As our ambassador to the United Nations has said, you’re a nuclear power with over one million troops, a growing navy, a top-tier space program, and a proven history of economic and military cooperation with the United States. Together, with Japan and Australia, we wouldn’t just maintain our global strength, but expand it.”

“It also makes a lot of sense on our end,” Asha replied. “The Chinese Communist Party has been providing far too much support to our number one enemy, Pakistan. Through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Beijing has not only shored up Pakistan’s faltering electrical grid, but has provided medical supplies, and helped ease Pakistan’s growing national debt. At this point, there isn’t anything China could ask that Pakistan wouldn’t do.”

“And,” said Harvath, “there’s all the ways we can assist each other in the cyber realm. We got hit by a crippling Russian attack on one of our major pipelines recently and the Chinese hit you with an electrical grid attack that cut off power for twenty million residents in Mumbai. It just makes sense for the world’s oldest and largest democracies to be aligned.”

Asha now nodded. “I agree. And, more importantly, my boss agrees and wants us to work together.”

“Good. That means that everything comes down to what we learn from Aga Sayed.”

“I’m with you.”

“Are you?” Harvath asked. “Because I agree with Vijay. A couple of minutes ago, you were sounding a lot like a lawyer. When we go back inthere, it’s not going to be anyplace a lawyer wants to be. I’m just going to warn you.”

“A couple of minutes ago, I didn’t know what I do now. In India, knowledge is a virtue. As a wise person once said, we cannot control the direction of the wind, but we can always control how we trim our own sails.”

“So you’re going to be able to handle what is going to go down in there?”

“Meaning can I stomach it?” she asked.

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