Read Online Indonesian Gold by Kerry B. Collison - Free Book Online

dilemma, how to avoid

involvement with Pipi without offending his sponsor. At Subroto’s insistence, he had escorted

Pipi to the movies once, and attended an outing to the Bogor gardens with members of her

immediate family. Stunned when he discovered that it was assumed they were to become engaged,

Baird had seriously considered leaving the country altogether, and had remained only because of

Mardidi’s ineligibility to obtain a visa for Australia. ‘ Pak ‘Broto ,’ Baird’s hands were

clasped in anxiety, ‘ I have the greatest respect for Pipi, but I am not ready for another

commitment just yet. ’
    Subroto’s eyes narrowed considerably. ‘ Are you still

involved with that banci? ’
    Baird’s stomach squeezed with the word. ‘ Mardidi is not

a banci, Pak .’
    â€˜ I am very disappointed, Eric ,’ Subroto’s voice

dropped so staff eavesdropping could not hear. ‘ I thought I’d made it quite clear how I felt

about that relationship? ’
    Bereft of an answer, Baird’s shoulders slumped, and he

looked down at his feet, submissively.
    â€˜ He is just my very good friend, Pak ,’ he said,

knowing that he was on dangerous ground.
    â€˜ Is he the reason you don’t like Pipi? ’ Subroto

challenged.
    â€˜No!’ Baird worried where this was leading. ‘ I really

do have deep feelings for Pipi, Pak, but I don’t want to take on any additional responsibilities

until I know that I can handle these, financially .’ A wave of nausea threatened, and again

Baird looked to the door for escape.
    Subroto accepted the compromise. ‘ Then don’t leave it

too long, Eric ,’ he admonished, ‘ ladies like Pipi don’t grow on trees! ’
    â€˜ I know, Pak, I know .’ Baird then mumbled something

as he rubbed his stomach and grimaced, apologizing that he was not feeling well, and fled the

office before Subroto could further advance their conversation.
    ****
    Subroto squeezed into the Mercedes’ rear seat and

instructed the driver to take him home. Fine, German engineering groaned underneath as the

vehicle made its way through the congested city, heading south through Kebayoran Baru, through

Kemang, and onwards to Cilandak. In pensive mood, the retired air force General leaned back into

the deeply indented, leather seat and closed his eyes, pondering the import of Baird’s future

involvement in terms of their consultancy arrangement.
    When Baird had first come to him more than five years

before, he had not hesitated in offering the young Australian geologist sponsorship, and the

corporate structure to facilitate his business dealings in Indonesia. Subroto recalled that time

of great excitement and promise, as the New Order, under President Suharto, forged ahead,

dragging the country up to competitive speed with the emerging tiger economies of Singapore and

Malaysia.
    In the years following Suharto’s 1966 successful coup,

Subroto had watched as many of the four hundred generals appointed under the Soekarno regime were

either retrenched, or shifted to inconsequential positions. Fortunately, at the time of the

bloodbath, he had been seconded to the AURI rocket program that had successfully launched the Kartika 1 the year before. The Air Force’s “ Project Prima ”, Indonesia’s rocket

research project had been conceived with the intention of developing commercial and military

rockets together with the Institute of Technology in Bandung, and P.T. Pindad , the Army

weapons’ factory. Subroto had been instrumental in arranging for the Japanese cooperation which

had seen the Kappa 8 rocket launched, also in the year preceding the turbulent period,

predicted by one Indonesian Minister as becoming ‘ The Years of Living

Dangerously .’
    Suharto’s armed forces had inherited a number of quasi,