Free Warriors by Barrett Tillman by Barrett Tillman Page B

disappeared. The bomb never landed. Bennett wondered what would happen if the dream ever lasted to completion. He thought once or twice that if that happened, he might die ....
           A high-pitched sound woke Bennett with a start, an eerie wailing piercing his ears. Momentarily distracted, he felt for the familiar nightstand by his bed. It was not there. Then he rolled over a notepad and he remembered. He was a guest of the King of Saudi Arabia and had been sleeping in the palace. The startling sound was an imam's call to first prayer of the day, when a silver thread first becomes visible in the dark.
           Bennett checked the luminous dial of his watch: 0530. He tried to sleep again, to no avail. Rolling on his back, he placed an arm over his eyes. Exhaling, he muttered one word. "Damn!"
     
           SAFAD FATAH ESCORTED BENNETT TO THE ANTE-chamber before the morning meeting. The American learned that the men who had attended the previous day's conference would be present again. Entering the conference room, he was directed to a chair and the king entered moments later. All stood.
           With a wave of his hand, Rahman spoke in English. "Be seated, gentlemen. This should not take long."
           The king sat down and leaned forward, hands clasped on the polished table. "Gentlemen, last night at dinner Commander Bennett said that he believes what we propose can be done. Additionally, he received my assurance that we would not call upon him to jeopardize his American citizenship, nor his status as a retired U.S. officer. "
           Looking around the table, lingering upon his two air generals, the monarch continued. "The self-defense force which Commander Bennett would establish would be administratively separate from our existing air force. In matters of acquisition, funding, and policy, I shall make the decision as to which organization is to have priority in specific matters. That must be understood by all."
           The air force officers nodded solemnly. Bennett hoped the king's words would pave over any rough spots with the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force--the Al Quwwat el Jawwiya Assa'udiya. To Bennett, one of the attractions of the king's offer was elimination of just such bureaucratic infighting.
           The monarch turned to Bennett. "Commander, you have had some measure of time to contemplate the offer. Will you accept?"
           Bennett inhaled. Here goes . "Your Majesty, this is the greatest challenge of my life. I believe that I understand what is necessary to build a first-rate fighter force. And I have the aircraft in mind, the Northrop F-20 Tigershark."
           The two Saudi generals looked at one another in astonishment.
           Bennett knew what was coming and quickly continued. "Sir, gentlemen, I believe I should explain my background and preferences. This may help you better understand how my opinions are formed.
           "Most of my professional life, some three thousand hours, was spent in the Vought F-8 Crusader. It was a single-seat, single-engine fighter with mixed gun and heat-seeking missile armament. This configuration gave U.S. Navy pilots the highest kill-loss ratio of any aircraft employed in Vietnam. It is the configuration of most other successful fighters, from the F -86 in Korea up to the General Dynamics F-16 today. Because this type of fighter is relatively simple, it is reliable. You can fly more sorties per aircraft than most larger, more complex types. So it really doesn't matter how many aircraft you own, provided you can keep more than ninety percent of them flying all the time. At least, within rather broad limits. "
           The king was intrigued. "I see. You would rather have six aircraft which fly nine-tenths of the time than ten aircraft which fly half the time."
           "Exactly. It is better from an operational viewpoint, and from an economic one."
           General Mustafa Halabi interjected.