Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan - Year 2

IX

The remainder of our patrol was uneventful and we went home after six days of wandering, slightly filthy, tired but happy that everything went so well.

Erk went to see Lin, to report. Fatso told me later that Lin had asked him to get out at some point and that when the Viking came out, he was sniffling a little. He must have told her about his attack.

We all went to take an "atomic shower", as Quenotte said, since the mini-battery is installed and works perfectly. Jo has been trained to read and understand the information on the control screens but continues to maintain the generators. It's supposed to rest his brain, or so he says.

That evening, after dinner, Lin, the brothers, Fatso and I held a war council. Why me and not the others? Because it was about the R&R and I already knew some of it.

Lin pulled out the map Katja had marked and spread it out on her desk.

- Fine. You were at the infirmary, boys, and Fatso in the Ops room. If the R&R were there to save your ass, it's because they were prospecting in that area. And in that area, there's copper, gold and lithium.

- Lithium? Fatso said, thoughtfully. It explains a lot of things and among others why the Pashtun is so territorial.

- What do you mean, Fatso? Lin asked.

- He has the means to eradicate the SRH yet he never did. Because he would have to come too close to the Dotard's territory, which he could also have gotten rid of, but risked losing too many: too many men, too many territories, and these mineral riches.

- I guess that's been known for a while, Kris said, so why only now?

- Let's see if my memories serve me right, Fatso answered. Afghanistan has never succeeded in exploiting these deposits, for lack of means. When the Taliban regained power, they hoped that Beijing would keep the promises made to the previous regime, but that never happened. Then the country collapsed and although some warlords did all they could to maintain some semblance of order, the Chinese were scared. Then Xi Jinping, the president, died suddenly and his successor, I forget his name, preferred to deal with internal problems, which slowed down the Chinese expansion that scared everyone.

He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

- There were, at the beginning of the successor's reign, internal riots much larger than those in Tiananmen Square, because this time the students did not stop the tanks. People started boycotting "Made in China" things in response. It started with a few people, then it spread and the containers stayed on the docks. Riots + fewer economic opportunities, the president brought back the troops stationed in Africa, in Djibouti among others, to the homeland, to subdue the rebels. It almost backfired, but the Chinese people ended up following him. Especially since, with the deaths and material damage, their society had to rebuild itself and that is always good for a society. Case in point, France and Europe after the Second World War.

- Okay, and what is it about lithium?

- Well, we still need it, for our military technologies, for all those things that some people have a hard time living without. And I think that since its fall, Afghanistan no longer has the same weight on the international scene as before. A set of small provinces fighting among themselves, it is no longer scary. It doesn't interest anyone. Except maybe ATS, for the lithium.

- Why do you say ATS? Lin asked dryly.

- Lin, between the atomic battery, our quarter-price helmets, the R&R E-Assaults... Do I need to continue?

- Why the hell did I choose officers that are too smart? Lin shook her head. Well, I'll ask you not to tell anyone. Coming to the subject of this meeting, Tugdual was there, we decided, Katja and I, to help each other because, in the end, we are a bit isolated here. So, what I would like is for you to think about the best way to help them here, on this future lithium mine.