It was 1600 when the congressional people decided they had heard enough. I was tired of the double talk as it was. It’s funny how many different ways someone can ask the same question and expect a different answer.

            I was surprised when a JBG helicopter landed outside the White House. I wasn’t expecting anyone so I walked out to it with several agents. It was a big helicopter – as big as or bigger than the luxury one we had at the Islands.

            All my mates were in it plus JJ, RJ, Takeo and Sara. Lorrie wanted to show off the new helicopter of which she had ordered several for the commercial leases.

            Marcy explained that they had decided to sell more of the diamonds from the mine. That, plus Pirates Bank ordered another shipment of gold bars and gold had gone up five hundred dollars an ounce since the last order. All that extra income needed off setting with deductible purchases.

            They had also purchased some land in Nebraska at Jeanna’s request. For the lack of a better term it was an inside bank job. It was next to Jeanna’s oil and natural gas dome property. Midwest Bank held the paper on it.

            It was a four thousand acre corn farm and according to seismic testing, there was no oil on it. When news broke of oil with producing test wells on Jeanna’s massive property, investment firms from Wall Street went crazy buying property in the area while paying horrendous prices. Now they were panic selling. It seems there was just one large dome in the county and Jeanna owned it.

            As usual Jeanna had a plan to siphon off part of the oil through the new property as oil found on our property by angle drilling. The goal behind that was to transfer more of Jeanna’s wealth to Marcy without paying the massive income taxes that would happen if she died and left it to Marcy in an estate or gave the money as a gift.

            The deal was so liked by our and Jeanna’s tax professionals that angle drilling had already started. I wondered if that made us oil tycoons or oil barons. Would it be sold as new oil or sold as old deferred oil – it made a big difference on the tax game. Sold as new, oil had high taxes on it, sold as old oil was nearly no tax. Either one required offsetting investments or if I remember correctly, it would have to be in the oil or energy industry. Either way I expected red flags flying very soon.

            I was sure as we got into the living area I would find out a lot more about the deal and I was sure there was more. But first we went to the kitchen to have dinner.

            Marcy covered the conversation about the oil deal with Jeanna and then expanded. The Cameroon security deal was in its infancy; JBG was clearing the right of ways and building security outposts. Along the way the security contract was broadened from just the pipe line security to refineries and oil terminals and more.

            When the contract was first signed there were just a few hundred JBG security personnel there. Now there were over a thousand and soon to be more. But there was still one problem. None of the major producers – because of the terrorist and kidnappers – were willing to be currently involved in production – drilling oil wells in the out lands.

            Black and Bear floated the crazy idea about JBG showing confidence in our security personnel and its application to the area by getting involved in production, transport, and the refineries. All of it was there waiting to be repaired, completed or started.

            The leadership in Cameroon thought it was an excellent idea. If we had more investment into the arrangement than just security, we could not walk away from protecting it and that would make it a company priority.

            I wondered why they thought we were just going to walk away if things were to heat up?

            I was sure Black and Bear, Jenny, Marcy and Jenna were in on the expanded negotiations. When all was said and done, they had rolled the dice for one thousand acres in the prime oil region which included surface, mineral, gas and oil rights, right of way to the pipelines and full owner ship of the Julin-arco refinery.

            Julin-arco refinery was a nearly finished refinery where all construction had stopped after multiple kidnappings and murder of construction workers and executives. Nearly a hundred executives and key employees had been kidnapped and/or killed. The oil companies threw in the towel and just walked away. The government of Cameroon now owned the uncompleted refinery.

            JBG had to supply security for two other operating refineries in the same industrial area, security for the pipelines (the original contract) for twenty years which was ten more years than the original contract.

            Twenty years is a long time in third world security business. Most of the employees we had that worked there had served ten years in the military; a few had gone into the service right out of high school did twenty and were in reasonable shape to do ten for us.

            There was a problem with old men and women – we slowed down, we weren’t as sharp in the jungle, we missed signs and clues of the enemy. At that point in life most had families and the idea to give your life for a job wasn’t that appealing any more – there was too much to lose.

            That was one reason countries preferred assassins with a terminal illness. They wanted big money up front to leave to their families. They would take ridiculous chances to carry out the contract even if it meant they were killed; they were dying anyhow. All in for the money.

            That was one thing that worried me about the Iranian bounty on me and my family. All they had to do was find the right person that would throw the will to live aside for the money.

            Twenty year security contracts meant a high turnover rate along the way. Also, what did you do with the ones who said they didn’t want to do that anymore? There were only so many mall cops required.

            We knew nothing about the oil business except we used a lot of it. But we knew two people that did. Dan Ortiz of Brazilian Mining and Manufacturing, and G.W. Mclintock. Both agreed it was one heck of a risk but the area had promise of vast wealth – if you could afford to take the risk.

            My question was: how many people it would take to secure all we would be responsible for? What would the cost be for twenty years, hundreds of millions of dollars and more?

            Jeanna was friends with McClintock and I was as sure as the sunrise that he was the advisor to Jeanna on the oil deal. He owned several refineries in Texas so he had to have people that knew how to run them. I advised Marcy to have Jeanna call him, the refinery in Cameroon needed a thorough evaluation and somebody to make it run.

            Hell, we needed somebody that knew how to operate drill rigs. But then there was Texas – where money moved everything. For the right money wildcatters and riggers would walk off one job to another for a few dollars more or for the promise of a fist full of dollars as a bonus.

            It was in the girls’ domain now and I could not help them much in any way. Marcy seemed to have a lot of confidence and I was sure she was getting help.

            The family was going to stay the night. We spent the night talking about business – something I shouldn’t have done – but I did. We talked about the six men JBG lost on Tuesday night and the arrangements for them and their families.

            We talked about the oil deal in a lot more detail with more facts. The biggest fact was it would take two months to get the equipment located there checked out, parts rounded up and repairs made. There was also the issue of getting a new drilling rig there.

            There was no code among drillers in third world countries. A drill rig sitting any length of time soon became scavenged for hard to get parts in the wilderness. Simply buying a new or used complete rig would save lots of time and headache.

            It wasn’t just drill rigs, but the de-sanders, mud pumps, generator sets, massive air compressors and tons of quick gel to seal the bore hole. Thousands of feet of drill rod and well casing needed to be delivered to the site. Then there was the blowout prevention equipment.

            Another was a bunk house and cafeteria. Once a deep oil well was started the job ran 24/7 until it was finished. Each well was a huge job and a well that came up dry was a loss of millions of dollars. I had no idea how many million.

            I did learn that BM&M had completed a complete site survey and all the necessary tests to confirm the prospects of underground oil reservoirs. When they finished I felt better. I was worried that there would be nothing but dry wells and JBG would still be stuck for twenty years of security.

            We talked for over an hour about politics, the last of the fund raisers we were going to and the convention. Then we talked about the cluster that was the party and the four hard heads who were unwilling to budge.

            My phone signaled a text, it was the night shift for the generals. They said I needed to come down for updates before turning in.

            While my mates were getting ready for bed, I went to the war room to see what was up.

            It was well past midnight in the gulf. The Navy and Air Force had vented my fury at the Iranians. The heavy bombing campaign stopped with the last MOAB dropped at 2359.

            Ten C130s started dropping millions of pamphlets suggesting that Iran surrender unconditionally to end the bombing and further destruction. The back side had instructions on how to approach American troops, surrender and not get shot.

            Surrender messages were being broadcast on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq radio beamed at the Iranians. Time would tell if it had any effect on them.

            My mates were waiting for me, the little ones were sleeping soundly. We were intimate and quiet; it was a relaxing and pleasing night.

            At 0600 we were eating breakfast; my family wanted to be back at the office at 0700 to get things started. They had a lot to do again with the oil and security mix going on. I was happy that they were considering putting the oil business in a separate division.

            Andy and Paul Drake were back from the Middle East. There was a lot for Vicky and Ching Lee to discuss. There was a big meeting planned with them and Black and Bear, along with video meeting with Dan Ortiz of BM&M and GW McClintock at 0800.

            My mates left and I went to Oval Office to begin my day.

Edit by Alfmeister

Proof read by Bob W.