Read Online The Fifth Season by Kerry B. Collison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kerry B. Collison
Tags: Fiction
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education.â For a moment there was silence as the import of what had been said, hung in the air. Ibu Purwadiraâs eyes filled with tears, and she rose and moved around the table to embrace her husband. Her dream had come true! He had been promoted in rank, and would become the new Jakarta Garrison Police Commander. The three teenagers broke into excited chatter, overwhelmed with their fatherâs wonderful news.
That night, Hani lay quietly conjuring up in her mind, visions of things to come. She would attend a fine university and have even finer clothes than those now hanging in her cupboards. She would be given her own car, and who knows, she might even find the right suitor to marry, in time.
With her head resting comfortably against the soft, feather pillow, Hani fell into a deep, restful sleep, her last thoughts centering on the promise of things to come, in the national capital, Jakarta.
* * * *
East Jakarta - Cijantung
Kopassus (Special Forces) Command HQ
General Praboyo
Major General Praboyo raised the baton, touching his beret in arrogant style as the command vehicle swept past his father-in-lawâs home on Jalan Cend-ana , the Presidential Guard already at attention for this morning ritual.
His driver slowed measurably, maneuvered the vehicle around the barbed-wire blockade and around the two armed personnel carriers, before accelerating away through the elite suburb of Menteng, Jakartaâs central residential district. The traffic was typically slow. Praboyo used the time to prepare for the morningâs scheduled appointments, ignoring the cityâs undisciplined drivers as they angrily flashed headlights, braked unnecessarily and constantly blew their horns contributing to the early morning cacophony and suffocating pollution.
The general glanced at his wrist, and decided that he would not be late for his first appointment. The gold Piaget watch, a gift from his wife to celebrate his forty-sixth birthday, caused him to smile as he was reminded of the gift his mistress had also pleasured him with just a few hours later.
Praboyo made a mental note to ring the beautiful Menadonese girl later in the day and arrange a quick visit to the home he provided in Tebet Village.
His thoughts then turned to Colonel Carruthers, and the Americanâs terse call the day before insisting they meet. Praboyo had been concerned with the officerâs tone, conscious that Carruthers was one ally he could not afford to lose, particularly at this point in his career. The United States had been particularly supportive, and although he recognized that the origins of their relationship related directly to his marital situation, nevertheless Praboyo believed that he was deserving of the accelerated promotions he had enjoyed since marrying the Presidentâs daughter. After all, he mused, had he not acquitted himself admirably in a number of campaigns, such as in East Timor?
Praboyo recalled his first exposure to the Americansâ involvement in training the Special Forces anti-terrorist squads, and how their ongoing relationship with the Indonesian military had survived the purge which followed President Suhaptoâs successful 1966 coup dâetat . Although still in high school at the time, he had already decided to enter ABRI , the Indonesian Armed Forces, once he had graduated, and make the army his career. He had first become interested in Kopassus when it was still known as Kopassandha , the Covert Warfare Forces Command, and boasted three battalion-sized para-commando units and a support battalion specializing in covert warfare.
It was obvious to the young officer, even then, that the Special Forces enjoyed privileges not afforded to others, and he had decided to work towards achieving a position within the well-funded command. When the United States covertly organized the formation of Detachment 81, an anti-terrorist unit comprising some 350 highly trained soldiers, Praboyo was
That night, Hani lay quietly conjuring up in her mind, visions of things to come. She would attend a fine university and have even finer clothes than those now hanging in her cupboards. She would be given her own car, and who knows, she might even find the right suitor to marry, in time.
With her head resting comfortably against the soft, feather pillow, Hani fell into a deep, restful sleep, her last thoughts centering on the promise of things to come, in the national capital, Jakarta.
* * * *
East Jakarta - Cijantung
Kopassus (Special Forces) Command HQ
General Praboyo
Major General Praboyo raised the baton, touching his beret in arrogant style as the command vehicle swept past his father-in-lawâs home on Jalan Cend-ana , the Presidential Guard already at attention for this morning ritual.
His driver slowed measurably, maneuvered the vehicle around the barbed-wire blockade and around the two armed personnel carriers, before accelerating away through the elite suburb of Menteng, Jakartaâs central residential district. The traffic was typically slow. Praboyo used the time to prepare for the morningâs scheduled appointments, ignoring the cityâs undisciplined drivers as they angrily flashed headlights, braked unnecessarily and constantly blew their horns contributing to the early morning cacophony and suffocating pollution.
The general glanced at his wrist, and decided that he would not be late for his first appointment. The gold Piaget watch, a gift from his wife to celebrate his forty-sixth birthday, caused him to smile as he was reminded of the gift his mistress had also pleasured him with just a few hours later.
Praboyo made a mental note to ring the beautiful Menadonese girl later in the day and arrange a quick visit to the home he provided in Tebet Village.
His thoughts then turned to Colonel Carruthers, and the Americanâs terse call the day before insisting they meet. Praboyo had been concerned with the officerâs tone, conscious that Carruthers was one ally he could not afford to lose, particularly at this point in his career. The United States had been particularly supportive, and although he recognized that the origins of their relationship related directly to his marital situation, nevertheless Praboyo believed that he was deserving of the accelerated promotions he had enjoyed since marrying the Presidentâs daughter. After all, he mused, had he not acquitted himself admirably in a number of campaigns, such as in East Timor?
Praboyo recalled his first exposure to the Americansâ involvement in training the Special Forces anti-terrorist squads, and how their ongoing relationship with the Indonesian military had survived the purge which followed President Suhaptoâs successful 1966 coup dâetat . Although still in high school at the time, he had already decided to enter ABRI , the Indonesian Armed Forces, once he had graduated, and make the army his career. He had first become interested in Kopassus when it was still known as Kopassandha , the Covert Warfare Forces Command, and boasted three battalion-sized para-commando units and a support battalion specializing in covert warfare.
It was obvious to the young officer, even then, that the Special Forces enjoyed privileges not afforded to others, and he had decided to work towards achieving a position within the well-funded command. When the United States covertly organized the formation of Detachment 81, an anti-terrorist unit comprising some 350 highly trained soldiers, Praboyo was
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