“Fully one-fifth of our military forces were decimated at Mersa Matruh, including almost a third of our naval forces,” Salaam said. “We redeployed troops to protect the capital; we have only a token ground force in Salimah. General Baris informs me that it would take several weeks at a minimum to recall the reserves and generate enough forces to stage an effective attack. Besides, we don’t want to make war on Libya.”

“So why don’t you tell us what the real problem is, Madame President?” President Thom asked. “Why is the president of Libya, this King Idris, threatening you?”

“The real issue is, Mr. President, that Zuwayy of Libya wants Salimah—and he’s willing to kill everyone there with more neutron weapons if he doesn’t get what he wants.”

“What makes Zuwayy think he can have Salimah?” Robert Goff asked.

“You would have to ask Zuwayy that, Mr. Secretary.”

“We’re asking you, Mrs. Salaam.”

“I’m sure I don’t know, sir, except for the obvious reasons—money, power, influence.”

“Is it possible that perhaps Zuwayy was promised a piece of Salimah?” the President asked.

“Salimah belongs to Egypt, Mr. President,” Susan responded.

Thomas Thom lowered his head briefly and tightened his interlaced fingers together. “Mrs. Salaam, I feel as if we’re dancing around the issue here,” he said with more than a hint of exasperation in his voice. “You requested this videoconference with us, Madame—why don’t you just tell us what’s happening here?”

“Sir?”

“What the President is saying, Mrs. Salaam,” Kercheval interjected angrily, “is we think you promised Zuwayy something, and for some reason you can’t or won’t fulfill that promise, so he’s threatening to attack Salimah. Why don’t you just fill in the blanks for us, ma’am?”

Susan Bailey Salaam hesitated, lowered her head, then nodded. “You’re right, Mr. Kercheval. I promised Zuwayy that I would grant him twenty percent of the ownership of the partnership that’s developing Salimah.”

“Very generous of you,” Thom said.

“However, Zuwayy was supposed to purchase ten percent of the outstanding shares from the Central African Petroleum Partners for nine hundred million dollars. Naturally, he reneged,” Salaam went on. “He wanted the payments taken out of his royalties. I refused, and he got angry.”

“Will you agree to do so now?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what you say, Mr. President.”

“Why should it matter what I say?” Thom asked. “The United States is not part of this.”

“Because Egypt is powerless to stop Zuwayy,” Salaam said. “I believe he will use neutron weapons against Egypt, certainly against Salimah and most likely against a major Egyptian city or another military base, as he did against Mersa Matruh.”

“Do you have evidence that Libya was behind that attack, and that he used neutron weapons?” Goff asked. “I know he’s the main suspect, and he would have the most to gain by slaughtering all those people at Mersa Matruh, but as far as I know, there’s no direct evidence that Libya did it.”