Chapter 78

Saturday Jason brought Prince Rashid to Hawk’s suite and introduced him to Hawk, Maria, and Brenda. Following the short introduction Jason informed the three of the special relationship between the two families, and explained why. After a pleasant lunch the Prince and Hawk ended up alone.

“Hawk, though my country has considerable wealth we anticipate some severe problems in the future. It’s my belief you can be of great assistance to us.”

“I’m not sure how I might help, but from what Jason has told me I’m obligated to try. Can you be more specific?”

“In summary, the problems we foresee involve our rapidly increasing need for water and energy.”

“Water I can understand, but energy? I thought you were one of the major oil producers in the world.”

“We are, but modern cities utilize electricity, not oil. We also know our oil reserves aren’t infinite, and the security required to protect the oil fields from terrorists is becoming a nightmare. A few well-placed attacks by these fanatics could cut my country’s annual revenue by ten to thirty billion dollars. Of course, we’d eventually be able to repair the damage, but it’d take us decades to recover economically.”

“I didn’t realize things were so fragile,” remarked an astonished Hawk.

“Let’s just say we’re much more vulnerable than we’d like to be. Because of this we’ve decided to use more of our oil revenue to diversify our economy. By doing so we believe we’d be less affected by any short term disaster, and it’d help prepare for that inevitable day when the wells run dry. We’ve already started by trying to become the financial hub of the Middle East, and by investing in a variety of mid-sized companies around the globe.”

“It sounds like a wise approach to me, Your Highness. How do you see me helping your plans?”

“Hawk, to continue to develop this new economy, we need to become more self-sufficient, both in food production and in manufacturing. To accomplish this we need additional sources of water and electrical production, along with the expansion of our power grid to provide a larger portion of the country with inexpensive and dependable electrical power.

“At the same time, we want to reduce our own dependency on oil, reduce the greenhouse gases we produce, and stay away from the inherent pitfalls associated with nuclear power. As we’ve watched the world’s reaction to the attempts by our neighbor to the North to develop nuclear energy we realize, as an Arab country, those pitfalls include issues far beyond potential radiation leaks or the disposal of spent uranium.”

Nodding his understanding Hawk replied, “That’s a logical approach, your Highness, but building desalination and power plants takes a lot of time, and what I still don’t understand is where you see me fitting into this picture. I’m not an engineer, I’m a computer programmer, at least, that’s what I’m supposed to be.”

“Hawk, your ‘fitting into the picture’ involves the new wire you’re about to start producing. Utilizing that wire to replace and expand our current electrical grid would enable us to improve our economic stability, and give us time to build these other facilities in the future. Beyond that, who knows what breakthroughs your research group may develop in the future!”

A flustered and slightly frightened Hawk asked, “Your Highness, how did you acquire that information?”

“Hawk, as Jason explained earlier, he entered Kuwait City at the peak of that Iraqi Madman’s reign of terror and recovered my senior wife, my children and my sister. What he doesn’t know is we’ve subsequently learned one of Hussein’s objectives was the capture of my family. It didn’t cause the invasion, but the timing coincided with their entry into the country. Because of this Maria’s grandfather has a very special place in the hearts and minds of my family.”

“I can see why you think a lot of the man. I also think he’s rather special.”

“We know. You’ll find we’ve a far stronger intelligence network than most countries realize, and one of the roles of this service is to try to protect our special friends wherever possible. Because of this we’re well aware of your real identity, and some of what you’re trying to accomplish.

“Just some?” queried a rather surprised Hawk.

“In all honesty, we see only parts of the puzzle, but there’s too much locked in your head for us to connect the dots. The one thing we’re sure of is you’re not a threat to our friend, but instead have become his strongest ally.”

“Your Highness, I love that man more than I ever loved my own father. I also know that for the good of the Apache people he and I are now walking a very dangerous path. At the same time, please know I’d never sacrifice Jason for the sake of our goals, no matter how noble they are.”

“So, helping the Apache people is the primary objective in all your endeavors. This is part of what we don’t understand, as you were born a Caucasian.”

“Your Highness, I didn’t chose my ancestry, but now Jason’s blood, Apache blood, flows through my veins. My first wife is an Apache, and her golden haired and fair skinned sister / wife also considers herself an Apache. Believe me, every cell of my body now considers itself Apache. This is not about helping Jason’s or Maria’s people, but my people, the Ndee.”

“Hawk, this does help, as now we know you’re not playing the role of an Apache, but have truly become part of them. We also know, in addition to wanting to provide job opportunities and raise the level of their education, there’s something else, something major that’s lurking in the shadows. This unknown has been an element of great concern for us.”

“Then, without revealing any particulars at this point, I’ll say my objective is not just to help the conditions of my people, but to create a nation - an Apache Nation.”

“A rebellion?” asked the deeply concerned Prince.

“Not in the normal sense. I can’t say there won’t be activity that could technically be defined as terrorism, but it won’t consist of the bombing and killing of innocent Americans. In fact, if I have my way, no one will die over this.”

“That doesn’t sound like a rebellion that has any chance of success. I hope you’re not giving a false hope to these people.”

“Your Highness, I wish I could tell you more, but timing and perception are everything in this situation, and the fewer who know what’s going on, the better. Though Jason knows much of it, and my wives know only slightly less, they’ll learn considerably more in the next few weeks. Personally, I think it’ll all be done within a year; possibly even within six months.”

“That amount of certainty? This doesn’t sound like something that just sprang up overnight.”

“No, Your Highness. The foundations were laid over a hundred and fifty years ago, and though nothing is certain, I think the snowball rolling down the hill will soon become an avalanche.”

“I will be watching with great interest as these events unfold. Is there anything we can do to help?”

“When our independence is a reality, at least on paper, formally recognizing that independence and ensuring we’ve access to the oil we’ll need will be critical. Even if we’re successful, in the end we could find ourselves with the hands of our former masters at our throat choking the life from us by cutting off our oil and water. It’d be quite possible to win the war and lose the peace.”

“I can see you’ve put more thought into this than I imagined. What are your ideas for a solution?”

“Can I show you something on my laptop?”

“Certainly.”

Hawk took his laptop out of sleep mode, displaying the programming he was writing.

“So, you do keep up with your programming.”

“This is the first I’ve done in over eighteen months. Fortunately for me writing code is easier than writing English. If I can visualize what I want I can easily make it happen. In a short time this will be a key component in revolutionizing the computer industry.”

“Interesting, but from what I’ve seen and heard, it’s not surprising. How long have you been working on this?”

“In my head, off and on for several years. I didn’t actually start writing the code until yesterday morning.”

“And how long do you expect it to take you?”

“It’ll probably take some fine tuning and some additional interface connections, but I expect to be basically finished by Monday.”

“And if a company like Microsoft took your ideas and wrote the software, how long would it take?”

“If they could even do it, I’d say a minimum of two to three years.”

A little put off by the young man’s seeming arrogance, Prince Rashid said, “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Your Highness, that code is for Microsoft, and if they could write it in house I assure you they would - and would’ve written it eight years ago.”

“OK, son, you’ve put me in my place, now what do you want to show me?”

Hawk pulled up Google Earth and homed in on Northern Shore of the Gulf of California.

“Your Highness, here is an area not unlike your country, and it’s a potential gold mine. There are beautiful beaches, potentially fertile soil, and a population imprisoned by their poverty, lack of education, and a hopeless future. Yet, all of it’s within a few miles of the United States. Their immediate needs are also water, energy, and jobs. The education and reduced poverty should follow.”

“I can see this,” acknowledged the Prince.

“Now look at the other side of the border. Much of the same holds true for that area south of Yuma and east toward Phoenix. In contrast, here we have the vast growing cities in Southern California and in Arizona north of Interstates Eight and Ten - cities that need gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, etcetera, products that are getting increasingly scarce and more costly every day. What makes this so serious is these problems come more from the result of limited refinery capacity than from the barrel price of crude.”

Picking up on Hawks thought, Prince Rashid added, “And based upon the current attitude in your country, there won’t be any more refineries built for a while.”

“Exactly. So why not offer a ‘sweetheart’ deal to the Mexican Government. In a joint venture, we’ll build one or more power / desalination plants to help remedy those two needs, enter into some additional partnerships with Mexican nationals to build resorts along the coast and build an off-shore station to send oil from your country and Mexico to an inland refinery. From there it can be shipped by pipeline or truck to cities in both the US and Mexico. After all, a hundred mile underground pipeline wouldn’t be a daunting cost.”

The Prince nodded as he said, “I can see both the profitability of this, as well as the resulting increase of jobs in this area of Mexico. How does this help your problem of being potentially strangled by the US Government?”

“Because this area south and east of Yuma will be the western edge of our Nation. By the time the pipeline is built we’ll know those exact positions, and we can adjust the location of the pipeline terminus accordingly. Also, we can send water and electricity over the same path, because the gas and water lines can be buried side by side in the same hole. If we find a way to produce underground electrical transmission lines, so much the better, but if not, they can be placed overhead.”

Hawk paused to let Prince Rashid assimilate the information before adding, “We can also use this to develop and test the technology needed for your country without having to travel half way around the world to do so. As you alluded to earlier, we’re discovering a lot more than just a new wire, and as a result, there will be many new products coming in the future.”

“Hawk, it’s a brilliant plan, and a win-win situation for everyone as long as they don’t get greedy.”

“Your Highness, by the time this is finished you’ll no longer be partnered with someone from the United States, but with the Apache Nation, and no one will want to piss us off. Jason’s Apache Warriors will make the Mossad and the SAS look like a Cub Scout troop.”

With memories of the past the Prince began to laugh, and replied, “Hawk, I do believe you’re right.”

“So, Your Highness, do you think it’s possible?”

“Hawk, we’ll find a way to make it happen. Here is a rough outline of what I was already considering. We’ll provide your company with a one and a half billion dollar research grant that can be drawn from a bank in Dubai as needed. This money is to be used to support research into energy alternatives which will aid your nation and mine, as well as the rest of the world. We’ll also find a way to keep this money from being taxable income. Of course, you probably won’t be able to deduct the related expenses, either, but, if you handle your accounting correctly you shouldn’t have a problem.” After pausing for a second the Prince added, “Hawk, we’re also aware you and Jason have amassed a fortune in offshore accounts which we assume is to fund your acquisitions and new operations. Any of those funds you want quietly passed into the US could be wired first to our bank and then drawn out as if it was part of this money.”

A stunned Hawk replied, “Your Highness. I’m overwhelmed. It’s a most generous grant, as well as your solution to our problem of bringing the money back into the US. All I can say is we’ll try to make you proud of the results. Though I do have a question. What about research in areas that will reduce our dependence on oil, such as electric cars? Won’t that be a conflict of interest on your part?”

“Hawk, think of it as a public relations measure, and it’s just that kind of research we can use to justify the grant’s tax exemption. Unfortunately, if we use it for publicity there will be all sorts of companies lining up for their share like farm animals at a feeding trough.”

“Then we’ll set up a separate company to evaluate ideas from different groups, and as your agent, distribute funding to those who offer the most promise. I’m not so arrogant as to think we’ve a monopoly on useful ideas. At the same time, if the idea proves valid another of our companies could act as a venture partner to assist in funding production, and as much as possible, we can see our companies provide the materials needed for that production. We don’t have to own the rights, or actually produce the products, to make a profit on the deal.”

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