The "Iraqi War," Murdock knew, referred to the bloody struggle between Iran and Iraq from 1980 to 1988, a conflict that had claimed over a million dead on both sides.

"It happens that both Ramazani and Sahman oppose the mullahs in Tehran. Since the Shah was overthrown fifteen years ago, Iran has been held back, paralyzed. They believe, as I do, that an Islamic state can also be a modern state.

"In any case, they've kept their opposition secret while they built their own power bases and allied with other revolutionary groups. By now, they have connections with groups throughout the Gulf region, including the NLA."

The NLA, the National Liberation Army, was a brigade-sized band of Iranian rebels and defectors, perhaps 4,500 men in all, armed with captured or stolen equipment and operating out of southern Iraq. Murdock had seen the background and pre-mission intelligence on the NLA when he'd taken command of Third Platoon; the SEALs who'd gone in on Operation Blue Sky — the hostage rescue at the Basra airport — had been briefed on the possibility that they might encounter NLA elements in the Iraqi swamps.

"I believe Ramazani met the Ohtori through his NLA contacts," Aghasi continued. "The Ohtori are a... how is the English? A splintered fraction?"

"A faction. A splinter group."

"Yes, a splinter group of the old Japanese Red Army. They are strange people, absolute fanatics."

Murdock had heard plenty of the religious fanaticism of the Iranian Pasdaran, but he merely nodded. "Go on."

"Apparently, Ohtori established links with the NLA in Iraq. Both groups maintain training camps in that country. Now they are working with a splinter group within the Iranian military. Their plan was for the hijacking of the Japanese plutonium ship."

"How does that help the NLA? Or the Ohtori, for that matter?"

"Power, of course. Political power. It provides the rebels with lever, with lever..."

"Leverage?"

"Precisely." Aghasi's face twisted in a wan, nervous smile. "The plutonium gives Ramazani a weapon strong enough, dramatic enough to induce the rest of Iran's military to join him."

"What weapon? An atomic bomb?"

Aghasi's eyes widened. "Na!" he said, momentarily lapsing back into Farsi. "No! Plutonium itself is dangerous enough!"

Murdock nodded impatiently. "I understand all of that. But is that what this thing is all about? A military coup? A power play by some of your officers?"

"It is more than a power play, Lieutenant. It is a first battle in the war for the soul of my people."

"Okay. So your side gets the plutonium. Your army joins your cause and overthrows the mullahs. Then what?"

"They install a military government in Tehran, under General Ramazani. They... they then have the, how you say, the advantage against our enemies in the region. Iran, Iran's people, will be secure at long last."

Murdock chewed on that for a long moment. He had the feeling that Aghasi was telling the truth as he understood it. He also had the impression, however, that Aghasi was holding quite a bit back. That bit about Iran being secure at last was a bit too pat, a bit too neat. Murdock could think of several other possible outcomes to the scenario Aghasi had just described. Iran's new rulers might decide to launch a preemptive strike on Iraq, for instance, using plutonium-loaded bombs and SCUD warheads. The Iran-Iraq war had not been settled by the armistice of 1988. Far from it, in fact. That war had been only the most recent round in a bloody conflict of rival peoples that went back at least fifteen hundred years. Iraq had provided a safe haven for the NLA, hoping to use it one day to topple the Shiite regime in Tehran. From what he knew of the history of conflict in the region, Murdock doubted that the new ruling clique in Tehran would remain grateful for the help for long. If nothing else, a holy war with apostate Iraq would help unify the Iranian people and take their minds off the inevitable shortages and difficulties brought on by the change of governments.

And there was worse. Operation Blue Sky had been launched because some UN observers had discovered intelligence relating to Iraq's nascent atomic weapons program. What if Iraq was farther along toward an atomic bomb than American intelligence believed? Iran's attack using radioactive dust, possibly even the mere knowledge that they'd acquired the stuff, might be answered by a volley of Iraqi atomic warheads.

Nuclear war at the head of the Persian Gulf could kill more millions, not to mention contaminating half the world's oil supply for generations to come.

"I notice," Murdock said at last, "that you refer to 'them' when you talk about Ramazani's coup, not 'us." What's your part in all of this? Why are you here?"

"I was part of it. I suppose I still am. But... I no longer believe."

"What happened?"

The Iranian shrugged. "Lieutenant, I needn't remind you that my people have suffered a very great deal in the past fifteen years. I am a religious man, but I cannot honor the twisted fanatics who rule my country, who hold it trapped in an earlier century." He brought one long finger up to his head, tapping at his temple. "These eyes have seen the effects of their, their fanaticism. My own son, my Amin, was one of thousands of Iranian children who marched singing into the Iraqi mine-fields and machine-gun cross fires and mustard gas. That was eight years ago. He was thirteen then. It was the mullahs who commanded that the supreme sacrifice must be made, even to the sacrifice of our firstborn in their war against the Iraqi. It was then that I decided that I would do all in my power to fight the mullahs, the dictatorship that grips my nation. But..."

"But?"

The man sagged, and Murdock was aware of something behind those tired, tired eyes, a profound weariness. "I found myself working with fanatics once again, Lieutenant. It seems that I cannot escape them."

"Who? The Ohtori?"

He nodded. "Yes. These are men who... I don't entirely understand this, but I have heard that they believe they will be turned into stars if they die. The Prophet promises the faithful who die in jihad a place in paradise, but these men are, are monsters. You have a saying in your language, the ends justificate the... the..."

"The ends justify the means."

"Precisely so, yes. For these men, any act, no matter how terrible, is justified if it makes success for them in the end. The Ohtori leader who engineered the capture of this sailing vessel was ready to kill everyone aboard, to order my men to abuse the women, even to torture them if it would advance his cause. I spent a great deal of time last night wondering about this, wondering if I was fighting on the right side. On the side of Allah."

"And what did you decide?"

Again an eloquent shrug. "Nothing, Lieutenant, save that there are no easy answers to be found. And then I began to wonder if I was worthy of the martyrdom promised by Allah. That he did not permit me to die this night is, perhaps, an expression of his will."

Murdock pushed back from the table. "Colonel, I don't know about Allah, but I'd say that there's been enough martyrdom for one day."

"Ensha'allah."

Murdock knew that phrase, which could be heard in various related forms throughout the Islamic world. As God wills.

"Tell me, Colonel. What sort of radio schedule were you keeping aboard this vessel? How often were you supposed to check in?"

Aghasi pursed his lips. "There was no schedule, Lieutenant. We were ordered to maintain radio silence. Unless, of course, we came under attack. Then we were to call on a frequency of 440 megahertz, and a patrol boat would close to render assistance."

"And did you get that message off?"

"No, Lieutenant. Your attack was too swift."

Murdock stood. "Thank you, Colonel. You have been most helpful."