Lethal Trajectories by Michael Conley Read Free Book Online

he girded himself for the ordeal he was sure would follow.
    “Good morning—or should I say good evening, Chairman Lin. How are you?” Burkmeister opened, feeling a slight stomach pain as he awaited an answer.
    “I am doing fine, Mr. President,” Lin replied in a soft and sincere voice, “and thank you for taking my call.”
    The next few minutes were spent exchanging pleasantries as each man gauged the mettle of the other. It was a friendly, collegial conversation that contrasted sharply with the contentious call he had last night with Sato, and Burkmeister felt comfortable waiting for Lin to state the purpose of his call. He sensed that Lin also appreciated his patience.
    “Mr. President,” said Lin—Burkmeister braced himself for the onslaught—“I am calling to discuss with you the Chunxiao conflict that has arisen between China and Japan.”
    “Please go on, Chairman Lin. I thought that was why you were calling, and I am most interested in hearing your perspectives on this unfortunate incident.” So far so good, he thought.
    Lin Cheng spent the next few minutes methodically explaining events from the data China had been able to gather. Burkmeister appreciated the calm and noncontentious presentation Lin was making, and he agreed that everything Lin said tracked with the intelligence he had been given by the CIA.
    “I am not trying to sell you a bill of goods, Mr. President. These are the facts as we understand them, but I would expect you would want to cross check them with those of your own intelligence sources. I believe you will find them to be accurate.”
    “Thank you for your account, Chairman Lin,” Burkmeister replied, mentally comparing Lin’s rendition with the serious errors of commission and omission in Sato’s version last night. “Where do you see things going from here, and what does China expect from the United States?” he added.
    “I won’t lie to you, Mr. President.” Lin responded, remembering Wang Peng’s advice, “There are those on the Politburo who are pushing hard for aggressive military action against Japan. Frankly, it has not been easy to keep a lid on it, but then I’m sure you must feel the same sorts of pressure from your Congress.” Burkmeister silently chuckled, feeling a kinship with Lin as he thought about the likes of Senator Tom Collingsworth.
    “I understand what you are saying, Chairman Lin, and I appreciate the challenges you must have in seeking a peaceful settlement. Is there anything the United States can do to help you keep the peace?”
    Lin sounded grateful as he said, “I appreciate your empathy, Mr. President, and I would ask one thing of you.”
    Uh-oh, here it comes, Burkmeister thought as he responded, “What would that be, Mr. Chairman?”
    “I would humbly ask that you weigh all the evidence before taking an official position one way or another. I’m sure you will be pressured to react strongly against China by some, and, indeed, you may eventually come to the conclusion that that is what you must do. I believe you are a fair man, Mr. Burkmeister, and only ask that you consider my request.”
    That’s it? Just weigh the facts before responding? I was going to do that anyway. It wouldn’t take long to respond to this modest request.
    “That sounds like a perfectly reasonable request to me, Mr. Chairman, and you have my word that the United States will remain neutral until we can fully evaluate the situation.”
    “I appreciate that, Mr. President. Your patience will help me keep the Politburo in line and avoid a potential conflict between our countries that neither of us wants.” Burkmeister could sense the sincerity of Lin’s remarks and felt a personal kinship with him.
    “Thank you, Mr. Chair …” Burkmeister started to say before a knife-like stomach spasm took his breath away.
    “Are you okay, Mr. President?” Lin asked with concern.
    “Yes, yes, I’m perfectly fine and sorry for the interruption,” he responded with