As they drove away, Shan tried not to be conspicuous in scanning the outcropping. He was certain he had seen someone there. The distance had been too great for Ren and his colleagues to understand what had happened, but he recalled how Jaya had collected newspapers, tape, string, and dried sticks. She had brought the drone down with one of her kites.

Tan seemed to be having difficulty in suppressing his amusement. He had briefly watched through the binoculars and was canny enough to understand that even eagles and lammergeiers have to flap their wings from time to time. The colonel disliked Public Security nearly as much as Shan, but neither of them had many opportunities to see the knobs embarrassed.

Director Ren was visibly upset. Clearly, he was not an engineer in any technical sense. He was an overseer, a Party diplomat, and his job was mostly to polish the image of his project to a high sheen. He was miserably failing with the most important man in Lhadrung. Tan herded the director back to the car and made sure they drove away without Jiao before he pressed Ren harder.

“A report will have to be submitted, Director,” the colonel pointed out. “That was a very expensive piece of military equipment. If you like, I can certify it was an accident. If only I had been consulted when someone decided to use my railcar, I might have been able to call it a loss on one of my training exercises. But I can still try. Whom should I speak with?”

Ren was still recovering from his shame. “Speak with?”

“The one who approved the use of the army’s equipment for a civilian project. Corners were cut. Maybe we can take advantage of that. It must be someone else’s fault. I would hate to see your record stained.”

Ren brightened. “My deputy did all that. Someone in the Lhadrung military depot arranged it, and Major Xun said we should take advantage of a military shipment to keep things quiet. Jiao was hoping to surprise”—the director glanced uncertainly at Shan—“to surprise them,” he said with a gesture toward the top of the mountain.

Tan weighed the response for a moment. “Does Major Xun visit you often?”

Ren stiffened. “Our first official visit from the Lhadrung government was that of Inspector Shan.”

“So he visits, just unofficially.”

“They are friends, Jiao and Xun. Served together somewhere before this. They have meetings.”

“Meetings?” Shan asked.

“Like a working group. That Public Security lieutenant from Lhasa, he’s in the group too. It’s all kept very quiet, since Jiao says they are working on special Beijing assignments, very confidential stuff.”

“Surely you know everything your own deputy does,” Tan chided.

“Everything the Party wants me to know.”

“Spoken like a true patriot, comrade,” Tan said, patting Ren on the shoulder.

Ren nodded gratefully. “Even in the army there are secret missions outside the usual command structure.”