ACV's 1 Operation Black Gold (63 page)

CHAPTER 70

The helicopter took me to Edinburgh airport where a very happy looking Donald Filer was waiting with a two-seater interceptor trainer.  His grounding had been cancelled to give me a lift to Geneva.  As he pulled me into a flight suit he told me what was happening to him.  When they had got home his CO had shook their hands then grounded them; only allowing them up for training and domestic flights.  However, as soon as war was declared their proposed court martial would be dropped and they would be put back on full operational duties and credited with the aircraft they’d destroyed.

‘By the way, where did you get the money for a Ferrari and a five year comprehensive insurance?’

‘It’s a long story Don.  The next time I’m home on leave we can meet up for a few beers and I’ll tell it to you.’

‘I’ll look forward to it, ooh, and while we’re on the subject of beer, that container load of beer you sent to my wing man.’

‘Aye it wasn’t the wrong kind was it?’

‘Christ no, but it is finished.’

‘Already!’

‘Aye we threw a bloody great party and got half the base pissed as farts, he says the next time you need a favour just whistle.  That goes for the rest of the flight crews as well.’  We laughed halfway across to the parked aircraft.  ‘Be careful,’ he warned, ‘make sure you only step in the toe and hand holds.’

‘Why is that fragile?’

‘Lord no an elephant could dance a jig on it and it wouldn’t break.  No the problem is the skin of the aircraft it’s like glass.  I know it doesn’t look it but believe me, last week a rigger slipped out of his harness when he was working on a wing.  He slid right off and broke an arm.’

‘OK I’ll be careful.’

He strapped me in tight.  ‘When we take off don’t touch anything and keep yourself pressed hard into the seat OK.’

‘OK.’

He climbed into the instructor’s seat behind.  ‘Are you ready Jim?’

‘Let’s go.’

He received clearance from the tower and taxied to the end of the runway then we received clearance to take off.  ‘Brace yourself.’

‘I’m braced, I’m braced.’

He slammed the throttles home and I howled in delight as I was slammed back into the seat, we were airborne within seconds.

‘How do you feel?’  He asked, once he’d put us on course.

I hadn’t been able to stop laughing since we’d taken off.  ‘What a bloody rush Christ this must be addictive.’

‘It is believe me.’

‘Oh I believe you.’  I’d seen many movies of combat jets.  In every one the camera juddered and jumped about.  This wasn’t like that at all; it felt as smooth as silk.  We broke free from the clouds and climbed into the deep blue.  The view was breath taking.  I’d always enjoyed flying but staring out the small window of a commercial aircraft didn’t have a patch on this.  I made up my mind there and then, if I lived through the coming war, I was going to learn to fly.  ‘Don I think I just fell in love with your world.’

‘Welcome aboard Jim.’  I could almost hear him grin into his mask.  ‘Would you like to try a few rolls?’

‘Would I!’

‘Take a hold of the stick in front of you, don’t touch anything else, got it?’

‘Aye got it.’

‘Gently push it to the side.’

The aircraft came alive in my hand.  A thrill ran up through my fingers and up my arms.  I almost cried out as it hit my spine and the feeling infused my whole body.  It only took a twitch and she rolled right over.  It caught me by surprise and I let her roll too far.

‘Try and…’

‘Aye Don I’ve got it.’  I righted her then rolled her again.  He let me have my head and for the next ten minutes.  I practiced rolls, full rolls, half, three quarter.  I began to feel a little dizzy and said so.

‘That’s pretty normal.  Would you like to try diving and climbing.’

‘Aye OK.’

He had me diving, banking, and climbing.  ‘Are you sure you haven’t done this before?’

‘Positive, what’s that over there?’

‘Where?

‘Four o’clock below us.’

‘I’ve got them; that will be our escort; I’ve got her.’  We banked the other way.  There was another.

‘Why so far away?’

‘Protection against stealth fighters.’

‘Right.’

‘Want to go visit?’

‘Aye why not; hey have we any weapons?’

‘Nose cannon for self-defence.  Our gears in the weapons bay.’

‘Is that what they are?’

‘Yes we can carry a wide variety of ordnance at any one time.  We can still carry hard points for other weapons or drop tanks if necessary but the speed these birds fly at make them unviable.’

‘They don’t look big enough to carry the kind of weapons you normally find on these things.’

‘That’s technology for you Jim.’

‘Aye I suppose.’

We pulled up alongside an English fighter.  The pilot waved and we waved back.  He signalled something to Don, there was a crackling in my earphones then a very English voice sang in my ears.  ‘Tuned in old chap?’

‘Yes I’ve got you.’

‘Splendid, good show; what’s your call sign old man?’

‘India Sierra one two.’

‘India Sierra, oh I say are you the chap that buzzed the Yank carrier?’  That started it; there was a lot of fighter chatter being banded back and forth.  I relaxed and listened to Don give a description of his fight to our eager escort.  Soon they wanted to race to test Dons claims.  Then one wanted to dogfight.  Don took him out with a finesse that astounded the English flyers.  I was having a whale of a time but the flight passed all too quickly.

We had travelled almost the full length of Britain without seeing land but as we crossed the English Channel, the clouds opened and I looked round to see the white cliffs of Dover behind us.  It gave me a vague feeling of disquiet.

A quiet French flight escorted us into Geneva.  Once down I was whisked away to a hotel where Mr. D’Ord met me.  He seemed a lot more nervous than I was as he bullied me into my Ceremonials then escorted me to where the committee was in session.  There we were separated. 

I was shown into a bare room with a few hard chairs and a coffee table with a few magazines on it.  They were all in French with very few pictures so I just sat and waited.

When I was finally called, I was taken into a large room; it was beautiful with marble pillars and everything.  The room was roughly circular.  The committee sat along a semi-circular table with the flag of their particular country behind them.  Behind me sat the public gallery, if you could call it that and it was full.  Cameras flashed.  Between the two were a number of desks like those you’d expect to see in a court of law for the clerks; there was even a witness stand, which an usher tried to guide me into.

I ignored him and walked round it, when he grabbed my sleeve I slapped his fingers hard.  It brought the room to heel quickly.  I wondered over to where the clerks sat and pulled over a folder.  It was written in a foreign language.  I pushed it back; the old man received it with a weak smile.  The usher appeared with a small microphone, I took it off him and pinned it on myself and gave it a little tap and it buzzed nicely in the relative quiet.

‘Well that works,’ I told the usher.  It was really weird hearing my own words coming back at me.

The President of the enquiry cleared his throat.  I looked up at him.  ‘Would you like to take the stand Lt Murisonee?’

‘The name’s Murison.’  I looked at the stand.  ‘Am I on trial for anything, have any formal charges of any kind been brought against me?’

‘Not as yet Lt Murisonee; that is what this Committee has been brought together for.’

‘In that case I will not stand in the dock like a common criminal.’

‘You are here at this committee’s request to give evidence---.’

I interrupted him, ‘I’m sorry did you say your request?’

‘Yes I did.’

‘I am here sir at my Prime Minister’s request, not yours.’

He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again turning to his companions.  They held their hands over their microphones while they discussed something; he got back to me.

‘Do you question the legality of this committee Lt Murison?’

‘Not at all.’

‘Good.’

‘Only where it concerns me and my country, you see I wasn’t aware that my country was actually a member of the Geneva Convention.’

That caused a bit of an uproar in the public gallery and a lot of whispering in front of me.  ‘Your country signed the Geneva Convention as part of the British Forces when it was first drawn up.’

‘I see.’  He seemed quite pleased with himself.  I took a few paces then turned on him.  ‘Was it signed by a personal representative of my country at that time or just by the Prime Minister of Great Britain?’

More murmuring.  ‘By the Prime Minister of Great Britain.’

‘That’s interesting, I presume that’s because our country was being run from Westminster at the time?’

‘Yes that’s right.’

I paced some more.  ‘As it was when Britain became a member of the EEC and NATO and the EMU and a hundred other treaties since?’  Stillness descended on the room.  The silence grew as I paced, the only noise being the tapping of my brogues.  Of course, there was no answer to that question.  ‘I see.’  I took a few more paces before turning on them again.  ‘I’m afraid I’m not very good at politics gentlemen but I’m sure such an august body will be able to keep me right.’  I took a deep breath.  ‘I seem to remember, when I was a young man our Prime Minister; Mr. Grey was refused entry into all of those treaties.  If I remember correctly, he even fought a lengthy legal battle with the European Community on it and lost.

He was told he would have to apply to any and all treaties formally signed by any British Prime Minister again as an Independent nation.  To this day, to the best of my knowledge we have still been refused entry in to all of them.’

‘Except the European Peace Keeping Force,’ blurted one.

I faced him directly, ‘which if I remember correctly was signed by the English Prime Minister on behalf of the United Kingdom Defence Force, a force that was dissolved about six weeks ago.  I believe Mr. Grey was refused entry into the European Peace keeping force as an independent nation a week later.’

The silence returned, as I began pacing again.  ‘I suppose that only leaves me one question.  Did the ruling by the European Courts apply to every treaty including the Geneva Convention or just the ones they felt like excluding at the time?’

The whole place erupted.  One of the committee tossed a large stack of documents; they skittered across the marble floor, one slid right up to my feet.  I picked it up.  More foreign stuff, I placed it on the table beside the clerk and resumed my pacing.  The President of the enquiry was having a hell of a time resuming order.  But eventually things settled.

‘It would seem you have brought to light a valid legal point Lt Murisonee, I am going to adjourn this meeting until these questions are answered.  In the meantime would you be able to stay in Geneva, as our guest of course?’

‘As my Prime Minister has suspended my unit from action, out of respect for this committee, I am free until he orders me otherwise.  Until then I will be at your immediate disposal.’

‘Thank you Lt Murison, I hereby adjourn this meeting until further notice.’

I was whisked away back to the hotel, where there wasn’t so much as a complimentary cup of coffee.  I stripped off my jacket and waited, because I didn’t know what else to do.  It was almost two hours before Mr. D’Ord arrived with the Prime Minister, they were grinning from ear to ear.  ‘You two look happy.’  I greeted them; the Prime Minister grabbed my hand and shook it.

‘It’s just nice to see someone else on the receiving end of that tongue of yours for a change.  How do you do it?  You’re right of course, our commitment to the Geneva Convention ended with the dissolving of the United Kingdom Defence Force; did you spend your leave in a library?’

‘No, I spent a morning in the Elgin library, then took to the hills.’

He shook his head in disbelief.  ‘You are truly and utterly amazing.’

‘I am utterly bloody starving, is there anything to eat and drink around here or am I going to have to shoot it here too.’

That brought laughter from both men.  

The Prime Minister to my great relief spoke fluent French and within minutes, a waiter arrived with coffee and soon after food.  Both men had been on the phone constantly, but now the food had arrived, they switched them off and joined me.