University student protest against the military regime under Georgios Papadopoulos, the leader of the Regime of Colonels, as it became known. Their primary goal was to get the Americans, especially the CIA and military bases, out of Greece. And they wanted to embrace the Marxist teachings that had drawn them together.
The very first target 17N had taken down had been a CIA station chief, the first ever to be killed in a terrorist attack. It was an impressive achievement.
At first, though, none of the American or Greek military officials had taken seriously 17N’s claims for the execution. They started paying attention shortly after that, though, when 17N killed Evangelos Maillios, the former intelligence chief of the Greek security police.
They were taken seriously after that.
For the past forty years, the terrorist group had remained active but had gone deep underground. Still, some splinter groups had remained in existence under the old name. Terrorists never completely disappeared.
With the economy as bad as it was now in that country, Linko knew that Greece was as ripe for “reunification” as the Ukraine.
“This will be a bold move.”
“I know, comrade, and that is why I am asking you to take this meeting with these people. I want you to be my liaison and to break ground between 17N and the other groups in that country that will be sympathetic to becoming part of this greater dream we are building.”
“I understand. What am I to tell them?”
“In the 1970s, the Russian government under Yuri Andropov funded 17N. Your contact there will be Nicolas Aigle, the current head of 17N. I want you to tell him that I stand ready, willing, and able to give him funding the like of which his organization has never before seen if he can pull the various troops together.”
“And if he is not amenable?”
Nevsky hesitated. “Then there is a younger man. Loukas Pappas. If need be, we will open negotiations with him.”
“I understand.”
“First the 17N, comrade. Then the professor. But do not lose sight of the professor.”
“It will be done.”
“Be safe, comrade. We are building a brand new world, and this must be done at a reasonable pace. But soon.”
40
The Aegean Sea
Hellenic Republic (Greece)
February 20, 2013
Getting into the country wasn’t a problem, but obtaining the necessary papers for Fitrat and his men to carry weapons had been difficult. Lourds had been forced to cool his heels in the hotel while the ANP officer had worked out the details.
“It would be easier to just buy guns from black market dealers here.” Lourds had gotten frustrated by the enforced wait and from the lack of sleep. He knew he was on the verge of putting together everything the scroll hid.
Fitrat had looked at him, obviously shocked. “You know about such things from the novels you read?”
The discussion of Lourds’s reading matter had come up on the six-hour plane flight. He hadn’t wanted to bring out the scrolls for obvious reasons, and his mind was too active to simply veg out. The captain had had his own emergency details to iron out, not the least of which was street clothing for himself and his men. Not to mention getting the proper credentials for the guns they now carried.
Lourds had simply nodded to the question. He hadn’t wanted to get into the gun acquisitions made by Natashya Safarov or Cleena MacKenna or Miriam Abata when they’d traveled with him.
Finally, the papers had come through diplomatic channels. According to them, Lourds was there seeking information about an archeological find based in Afghanistan that was important to that country and had to be protected from the Taliban.
Lourds hadn’t exactly been thrilled when he’d read the classification. “You do realize that if the Taliban weren’t interested before, if they weren’t behind Boris’s death and the pursuit we’ve been avoiding, they’ll be interested now. They have spies in many places.”
Fitrat nodded. “It is a risk, but one we must take in order to protect you. If we carry illegal weapons and a situation arises where we must employ them, then they will be taken away.”
“You can get more.”
“Not if we, too, are taken away. On the chance that you are not arrested with us, you will then be alone. Easier prey than if you remained with us.”
Lourds acknowledged that.
“And if you are arrested and put into jail with us, it would be in a very bad environment. It would be too easy for whoever is pursuing us to find you and to have you killed.”