“So, they’ll have to use outsiders who can go relatively unnoticed in this environment, such as Shiites, Yemenis or Palestinians. None of these are well-trained agents or soldiers. The Palestinians come the closest and the PLO has extensive connections to the KGB, so they’re the most likely candidates. However, most of their training reflects terrorist and urban hit-and-run, as opposed to true military training, nor are they a desert people, so they’ll want some kind of cover for an ambush, like hills or dunes. And the only hills between here and Riyadh—”

“Are at Wadi Haradh!” Youssef exclaimed.

“Just so,” the Scorpion grinned.

“Allah be praised. This is most ingenious,” Youssef said glancing sideways with approval at the Scorpion like a proud father at a son who has just won a prize.

The Scorpion shrugged. “It’s just a skill acquired with practice. The whole art of the soldier is to put yourself in the enemy’s place and try to think like him. All the rest is just logistics and training.”

“Fascinating, my brother. War is most instructive.”

“Oh yes,” the Scorpion replied.

“So how will they attack us?”

“Assuming they don’t have access to anything heavy, like a tank, or the training on Americani equipment, which is the only kind available inside Arabia, they’ll probably try to stop us with light stuff they’ll have smuggled in from Syria or South Yemen. They’ll probably use an MA to make the ambush, then hit us with RPGs, LMGs and maybe a few AK-47S depending on how many of them are out there.”

“Surely, you said something just now, my brother, but in the name of Allah, it had no meaning for me,” Youssef said, rolling his eyes heavenward in exasperation.

“Asfa, my brother. When speaking of such matters, my thoughts slip into the language we used in Vietnam. To make the ambush, they’ll have to stop the lead vehicle and then try to destroy the rear vehicle to block our way out in both directions. A moving target is always difficult, so they’ll probably try to stop the lead truck with a so-called ‘mechanical ambush.” Given the Palestinians’ experience in guerilla tactics I suspect they’ll use either a pressure mine or a remotely detonated electronic mine. Then they’ll try to destroy the trucks with rocket-propelled grenades (probably B-40S) or mortars while laying down light machine-gun and small-arms fire from Russian-made RPDs and Kalachnikov 7.62-mm assault rifles.”

“Allah forbid! It sounds like a deadly trap,” Youssef cried, his brown face turning pale under the layer of dust.

“It can be—in fighting there is always the unknown,” the Scorpion said with a nod.

“What would you have done in Vietnam against such an awesome attack?”

“Stayed low and called in a Cobra helicopter. With its rockets and mini-guns it would have shot the living excrement out of them.”

“Mini-guns?”