East and West

By Lon Turner

Espionage, in the early 1900s was a clumsy affair for the Americans. They tried but had not caught up to the level of spying associating with other nations. Japan was especially good at covert operations.

When the Americans developed a new gunnery system for the Navys big guns, the Japanese caught wind of it and sent five secret agents to San Francisco to steal the plans. They hooked
up with Atsuto Suzuki, a Japanese super spy in the bay area and brought their plan together. Things would have gone smoothly had it not been for Joe McBride. He stumbled on to the plot and became a nemesis for the Japanese.

Trying as hard as they could, they soon discovered that Joe McBride was very difficult to discourage or to kill.

Follow Joe and his life and loves along with Atsutos history as they battle each other in West against East.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503554894

Lon Turner

Lon Turner was born in Waynesburg, PA and after four years in the Navy, worked in sales of construction products. He is now currently retired, living in Cheat Lake, WV and writing books as a hobby. His previous two books are : "The Lady and the Woods" and "The Hook."

Book preview

HALF MOON BAY

June 1909

At least it wasn’t very hot as Joe McBride maintained a watchful eye on the house about 400 yards below him. The wind off the ocean was blowing hard and it kept him cool, but it would affect his bullet if he had to send one or two.

His position was comfortable because he was laying on a small ledge about half way down a tall cliff and it provided a great view of most of the house where the suspects were hiding.

With his eye against the scope and the barrel resting on a bag of sand, his view consisted of most of the back and all of the north side of the house. For him, there were trees in the way that blocked off some of the rear of the house, but he knew that Bill Ryder had that area covered.

Bill was about a hundred and fifty yards away from Joe and further south. This put him much closer to the target. With his Winchester 94, Joe knew he could rely on Bill to handle anything or anyone on the south side and the portion of the rear of the house obscured from Joe by the trees.

The front of the house faced the ocean. This made it impossible for the police and the sheriff to approach the house from the front without being detected. Joe knew that detectives Nate Washington, Andy Tubbs and Sheriff Russell with his deputy, Wes Horton, would be inching through the trees and approaching the southeast corner of the house right now.

Joe tried to control his breathing. He realized that the critical part of this operation was about to begin. Although, if any shooting started, this would not be his first firefight. He had been used as a sharpshooter in many fights during his tour in the Army and a couple after that as a private contractor for an oil consortium out of Texas, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

The weapon in his hands is a specially modified, bolt action, Springfield Mk4 sharpshooters rifle. It’s painted black with a Leupold scope, shortened barrel, and a suppressor. Much of the wood was removed to make it lighter. It had been designed by a German Countess and Joe was happy to have it. With three extra clips of five each laying in the grass beside him, he is ready for anything that might happen.

He moved the scope away from the house for a moment to see if he could see the guys in the trees, but could see nothing. Aiming a little further to his left, he saw Bill laying in some rocks and bushes. Bill’s concentration was on the house and anyone that might try to get out in his direction.

Centering the scope back on the house, he saw that there was no movement or guards, but there were two vehicles sitting on the north side. He got an idea to shoot the tires, because, with the suppressor on the barrel, no one would hear the report. His second thought was that he didn’t know if the tires would make a sound when he hit them. They may blow up and alert the guys inside.

As he was contemplating his lack of tire knowledge, a few pebbles fell off the cliff behind. He thought there must be an animal above him and so he looked up briefly and saw nothing. Turning his attention back to the house, he centered his scope back on the area he could see.

It surprised him when he heard a shot ring out from Bill’s direction. He checked everything around the house and saw no movement. His mind raced quickly to try and get an handle on why Bill was shooting. The two of them were there to cover the four men converging on the house, not to start anything.

Just as Joe was about to swing the scope over to Bill’s area, a body slammed onto the ledge, bounced once and then came to a stop about six inches from Joe. He still had a gun in his hand. Joe leaned away from the body and tried to get his breath. It scared the hell out of him. He took a glance in Bill’s direction and saw him waving.

It took Joe a few seconds to understand that this guy must have been up on the top of the cliff behind him and that Bill probably just saved his life.

Neither Joe nor Bill had much time to think about what just happened because gunfire erupted from the house. Joe realized that he was sitting up and exposed, so with his feet he kicked the body further away and resumed his original prone position.

Focusing on the house, he saw gunfire coming from three windows on the first floor. The only shooting he heard was from the guys from inside. He picked out a window and sent a .30 caliber piece of lead toward the right side of the opening. Not waiting to check the results, he pulled the bolt and inserted another round.

As he again started to focus on the window, he briefly noticed movement in an upstairs window. Looking up there again, there was a strange barrel of a weapon jutting out of the window. Throwing off a shot at the upstairs window, he chambered another cartridge and watched in amazement as the weapon in the window started firing. It was a machine gun and it was ripping up the trees in which the law officers were hiding.

Joe was awe struck by the amount of lead going into the small batch of trees. Branches and leaves were flying everywhere. He didn’t know how anyone could live through that murderous fire. Getting himself under control again, he allowed a little more for the wind and tried to put one right in the middle of that window.

This shot must have been successful, because the firing from the machine gun stopped. Now he could tell that the guys in the trees were firing back and so was Bill.

Joe picked out another window, aimed high and to the left and sent another round. This time he saw a body fall.

No shots were coming his way because of the suppressor and the fact that he was so far away, but Bill was catching hell. Joe could see him hunkered down behind a rock while bullets whizzed by him or ricocheted off the rock.

All of a sudden the machine gun started up again and Joe saw two men from the trees retreat back to a safer spot behind some big trunks. Swinging the scope to the north side, he saw three men sneaking along the building trying to get to one of the cars.

He knew that he had time to put one into the upstairs window again, so he aimed for the same spot as before and sent another. The five clip magazine pinged out and Joe inserted a fresh clip of five. Again, the firing stopped and a man and the machine gun fell out to the ground.

The three men hugging the wall of the house made a sprint for the vehicle and Joe watched them throw themselves into it. Joe knew that they would have to back up, turn around and then go right past Nate and his men, then get past Bill. He figured they would never make it, but kept the scope on them as they turned around.

As Joe watched, he noticed a solitary figure starting to get into the other vehicle. He trained his scope on that guy and threw off a shot. Missed! As this guy was backing up to turn around, Joe chambered another round and waited until the guy was broadside to him and fired again. He never got to see the exploding head shot because he was working the bolt mechanism to chamber another round.

The first car with the three men were now going past the officers and firing into the whittled down grove of trees. Joe watched through the scope as the front windshield shattered and the car turned hard right and into the house. He knew this crippling shot came from Bill.

Quickly, Nate, Andy, Clint and Wes surrounded the wrecked vehicle and two men came out with their hands in the air. Joe moved the scope to the windows in the back of the house and saw nothing. The fight seemed to be over, but he continued to scan the area for more bad guys.

Andy and Wes handcuffed the two prisoners to the spokes in the wheels of the car and Nate and Clint went in the back door. Andy and Wes went around the south side and Joe lost sight of them. He knew, however, that Bill had their back.

Joe waited on the ledge until Nate came out and waved at him to come down. He stood up and looked in the direction of Bill who was already walking toward the house.

Fifteen minutes later Joe was standing beside Bill and thanking him for saving his life.

Good shot. I never even thought that they would have a guard behind me. How’d you see him?

I donno. I just looked up and saw movement. When the guy started aiming toward you, I figured he was a bad guy.

Well, thanks again.

Bill gave a mock salute with his right hand and said, You’re welcome.

Joe thought that the salute was odd, because Bill had lost the two bottom fingers on his right hand in a fight with an Indian so his salute looked more like a cub scout salute.

With the machine gun in hand, Detective Nate Washington walked up to Joe and Bill saying, This is the first one of these that I’ve seen.

He handed the weapon to Joe, Me too.

Bill remarked, That was an awful lot of firepower. I’m surprised that none of us were hit.

Nate said, Yeah, I feel the same way.

Andy walked over, looked at the weapon and said, It’s a Hodgekiss. I wonder where these guys got their hands on one of these?

Nate replied to the rhetorical question, Just about everything is on the black market.

Joe looked at the machine gun and said, Odds are that it’s an Army experimental gun stolen from an armory somewhere.

Wes drove up in the county sheriff’s van, got out and put the gun in the front seat. With Andy’s help, he put the two prisoners in the back and handcuffed them to a bar on the interior sides.

Sheriff Russell said, Wes and I will clean up from here, but before you leave, can I have my badges back?

Joe, who had forgotten that he was sworn in for just this operation, reached up to his left chest and removed the six pointed bronze medallion. Both he and Bill handed them back to the sheriff.

Sheriff Russell took them and said, You two may have written a new chapter on police work. I’ve never had the added security of a sharpshooters protection before. The feeling is great knowing some one has your back.

Joe looked down, shuffled his foot and said, Aw shucks, sheriff. Twern’t nuttin’.

The sheriff chuckled then said, I’m gonna try to get some money from the county to hire my own sharpshooter. Do either of you want the job?

Fifty eight year old Bill Ryder said, No thanks. I already have a job with my son-in-law and it’s pretty cushy. Maybe Joe will take you up on that offer.

Everyone turned and looked at Joe. Even though he doesn’t have any work right now, he’s not sure this is what he wants. He said, I’ll give it some thought.

The sheriff shook with everybody then Joe, Bill, Nate and Andy started walking over the hill to where Andy had hidden the SFPD van. As they were walking, Bill asked, What are you going to do? This seems tailor made for you. It’s what you were trained to do.

Joe has been doing nothing for the past thirteen months. He finished his last job as an independent contractor hunting down a woman that killed for money. He was paid handsomely and still has most of it in a bank collecting interest. With his modest expenses, he discovered that he can live quite well on that interest. The fact that he has a lot of money in the bank may have made him a little less hungry and might have taken some of the edge off his ambitions.

He looked at Bill and said, You’re right. It seems right up my alley.

Nate said, I agree. It’s probably the best thing you could do and it will keep you in San Francisco instead of running all over the country. Sally will like that.

Joe walked a little further and said, I never thought of that. She really liked having me around this past year.

They all four walked in silence for a while and Joe thought about Sally Core. He fell in love with her last year and they have been living together for the past year. She works with Bill in the law firm of Goldberg and Waters and is patiently waiting for Joe to pop the question. At thirty eight, Joe is content to go on with life just as it is right now. To him, the commitment of marriage is very scary.

Bill broke the silence and said, I guess you’d have to wait until Sheriff Russell actually got the budget to do such a thing. Probably no reason to make up your mind until that happens.

Joe said, Yeah.

Reaching the van, they all got in and headed north to San Francisco.

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN

July 1909

Sixty year old Rear Admiral Osamu Watanabe stood behind his massive desk and looked out of his big picture window. The view took in most of the sprawling Yokosuka Naval Station and the beautiful entrance to Tokyo Bay.

Regaled in his admiral’s uniform, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back and contemplated his latest decision of approving his son to command a small force of men in the United States. These are the challenging times that are the tough part of rising to a high level in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Standing there, he remembered the first time he saw the naval base. It was right after graduating from the naval training center in Etajima. Loosing himself in his thoughts, his chest swelled as he recalled another day sixteen years later that he came into this port on the battleship Matsushima. As the executive officer, he had just defeated the Chinese at the battle of the Yalu River and he remembers standing proudly on the bridge wing as thousands of people lined the docks and cheered loudly.

His hand unconsciously went to his chest of ribbons and he lightly touched the one signifying him as the recipient of The Order of Kite. How proud he was to have received the award for playing such a significant part in winning a major battle for the Emperor.

Still watching the harbor entrance, he fought to keep his thoughts on the task at hand. He turned to his desk and looked at the file laying on top. Pulling the big leather chair out, he sat down, rolled himself up to his desk and opened the file. A picture of a young seaman stared back at him. It was his son Genta. Placing the photograph to the side, he rifled through the papers just to make sure everything was there. Everything that his son would need to complete his assignment and return safely back to Japan.

Hearing the door to his office open, he looked up to see Yeoman Tottori coming in.

The yeoman stood at ridged attention and announced, Lieutenant Watanabe is here,

Thank you yeoman. Give me five minutes and then show him in.

Yeoman Tottori said, Hai, turned and smartly went back outside the Admiral’s office.

The Admiral continued to check the papers. He has sent many men out on assignments, but never his flesh and blood, so he wants to assure himself that everything has been taken into consideration. The fact that this has all been prepared by subordinates over the past six months and, most likely, all contingency’s have been thought of, means very little to the admiral. Gathering intelligence is relatively new to the Japanese Navy and they made him head of Naval Intelligence for a reason.

Before he could read all the papers over again for the fourth time, his son, Lieutenant Second Class Genta Watanabe entered the room and stood at attention in front of the admiral’s desk.

The lieutenant was outfitted in his dress blues and struck the perfect pose of a proud seaman for the Japanese Imperial Navy. Admiral Watanabe looked up and said, You may stand down, lieutenant.

Genta looked at the admiral and asked, How are you, father?

Softening his eyes the admiral said, I’m well my son. Take a seat.

There was no hug or even a handshake. This was the tone that the head of the Watanabe family set. Hugs between father and son were rare since Genta has become an adult and this meeting had to stay as professional as possible.

Your mother sends her regards.

I intend to visit her on this trip.

The admiral nodded and said, I presume you’ve gone over the report thoroughly.

Yes sir, and I might say that I’m extremely excited about this operation. The Americans have no idea what’s in store for them.

Genta’s father didn’t enjoy the same unabated enthusiasm as his son. He leaned more toward cautious scepticism than anxious underestimation. The admiral made hard eye contact with his son and said, The Americans are a growing country and still have yet to establish any long tradition, but they are a hardy breed and should be taken as a legitimate foe. Your assignment is difficult already so don’t make it any tougher by underestimating the Americans.

Genta looked at his father and said, Hai.

There was an awkward silence between father and son for a few seconds. Finally, the admiral asked, Are you all set with your other appointments?

Genta answered, Yes. I am scheduled to meet with Commander Hara and his staff every day for the next three days, then one last meeting the day before I board the Fuki Maru.

Admiral Watanabe nodded and kept his emotions in check. He suddenly had to fight the urge to go around his desk and hug his son. Looking at the file then back up at Genta, he said, There are no details I can add to what you’ll discuss with the commander. I just wanted to know if you had any specific questions for me?

Genta gazed out the big picture window for an instant and then met his father’s stare. He asked, Did you pick me for this mission?

The admiral replied, It was a combined decision, but I did have the final word. You appear to satisfy every situation we could imagine.

Genta nodded and said, Thanks for your confidence. I know it must have been a tough decision for you.

The admiral thought that his son doesn’t really know how difficult, and said, Probably the toughest of my life, but I know you are the man for the job.

My intentions are to be successful for both you and the Emperor.

Is there anything that you need? Anything that an admiral can get for you?

Not really. Commander Hara has set me up with just about everything I would need. Do not worry about me, father. I will be very cautious and return home before you realize.

I will try not to worry, but I will again emphasize, that the Americans are no fools. You should always assume that they are going to know your every move, so don’t be predictable.

Lieutenant Watanabe said, I won’t. I will leave all my predictability at the wharf before I leave.

Admiral Watanabe held back a smile and said, Come see me one more time before you leave.

Genta knew that this meeting was over and stood up at attention. He was surprised when his father came around the desk and shook hands. He thought he heard his father’s voice crack when he said, Good luck, son.

Fighting the desire to hug his father he didn’t know what to do. There was an akward moment of silience and he just said, Thanks father, turned and went out of the office.

Rear Admiral Watanabe watched his son leave, went back behind his desk and started to look through the file again. His mind wasn’t in it. Swiveling around to look at the harbor, he knew that this was going to be a long six months. Why was his son so right for this job? Damn!

SAN FRANCISCO

July 1909

Bill Ryder finished his work for the day and went outside the offices of Goldberg and Waters to attempt to ride Joe McBride’s Harley Davidson over to his daughter’s house for dinner. This was going to be a test and he wasn’t sure he was up to it. Joe taught him the basics for riding the thing, but Bill was still a little hesitant.

Putting on the skull cap and goggles, he straddled the machine and tried to remember everything Joe had instructed. Going through the mechanics of starting the single cylindered engine, he used the hand crank and was surprised when he heard it cough and then roar to life.

He twisted around to see black smoke coming out of the exhaust and noticed his son-in-law, Earl Waters and their secretary Sally Core standing on the sidewalk with wry smiles on their faces. They were both waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Bill turned back to the problem at hand which was how to get this thing going forward. He knew it was just a few blocks to Earl and Cissy’s house and thought that he might be able to make it all the way without changing gears, if he could just get it moving and moving smoothly.

Pushing the gear shifter forward into first gear, he tried to remember just how much to let out the hand clutch. He must have let it out too quickly because the front wheel came off the ground and he roared out into the street much too fast. Luckily, when the front wheel came back down to the ground, he turned the handlebars and went down the road as fast as first gear would take him.

Although he couldn’t hear them, Sally and Earl were applauding the exit.

Bill knew that he would have to shift sometime and with some internal strength, took his right hand off the handlebar to reach for the shifter along the side of the gas tank. He squeezed the clutch with his left hand and pulled back one click on the shifter. As he released the hand clutch, the excessive noise became quieter and the bike, in general, was much smoother. In his mind, he thought that this wasn’t too bad. Taking it slow, he was able to make it to his daughters without shifting again.

When he arrived at Cissy’s house, he went up the alley and tried to go through the back gate but forgot to shift down and the bike died. Leaning to his left, he got off and pushed it through the gate and into Earl and Cissy’s back yard.

Cissy Waters had come out on the back porch to welcome her father. She said, Well, at least you’re still alive.

Bill looked up, smiled at his daughter and said, I don’t know why Joe wants such a thing. Maybe it feels a little better out on the open road.

He leaned the bike against the back porch, nimbly ran up the stairs and gave his daughter a big hug.

She said, You know where the whiskey is. Pour one for both of us.

They went into the kitchen where she got two glasses and he pulled down a bottle of whiskey from an upper cupboard. After pouring one for each, they went out on the front porch to wait for everyone else to arrive.

Their wait was short because, soon, Cissy’s husband, Earl and Sally Core got off the trolley and started up the long slate sidewalk to the house. Cissy jumped up to get two more glasses.

Earl fell into a wicker chair and said, Good job on getting the bike going. That was pretty spectacular getting that front tire in the air like that.

Bill took a sip then said, So you think that was intentional.

Earl chuckled and said, No, not really.

Sally who was leaning on the short outside porch wall said, Joe never did that. Maybe you should teach him that trick.

I’ll let him learn that one on his own.

Cissy returned with two more glasses and the bottle of whiskey. Earl took his, but Sally refused.

Just then Jake Goldberg, Earl’s partner, got off the next trolley and walked up to the Waters’ porch. Cissy splashed a little whiskey in the extra glass and had it ready for Jake when he stepped on the porch. Everyone was there for dinner except Joe McBride who had been interviewed that afternoon by the SFPD.

Cissy went back into the house to check on dinner and Jake sat in one of the many wicker chairs. He said, Joe never showed up at the office so I guess he’ll probably take a trolley or maybe Nate will bring him back.

Earl said, Well, we can wait a while. There’s plenty of whiskey left in this bottle.

Inside, Cissy checked on the pot roast and her thoughts wandered to her life. She is one of only a few colored women in San Francisco that lives in such a fine house and can afford to cook a big dinner for many guests. Born a slave in Alabama, she and her mother and father escaped to Erie, PA via the underground railroad. They took the name of their plantation owner, which was Ryder, and fled to the north.

Stirring the pot, Cissy is ever thankful for her lifestyle. Her husband, Earl Waters, is the first colored man to get a law degree in San Francisco and maybe the whole state of California. She is very proud of him, as she also is for her dad, Bill Ryder. Her mother passed when she was eight, and Cissy still has moments when she misses her dearly.

She checked the table to make sure everything was in proper order and from a big glass pitcher began to fill everyone’s water glass. Just as she was finished, she heard Joe coming up on the porch.

Taking another glass out on to the porch and handing it to Joe while he was hugging Sally, she announced. Dinner will be ready in seven minutes.

Joe said, Seven! I can’t catch up to these guys in just seven minutes.

Cissy gave him a hard look and Joe said, Ok. Hurry up and pour. I’ll make the best of the next seven minutes.

As Cissy was going back into the house, Jake asked, Where did you come up with seven minutes? It seems like such an odd number. Why not five or ten?

Cissy stopped at the open screen door and answered Jake, I figured that it would take Joe about five minutes to brief everyone on how the interview went and then two minutes for everyone to file inside and get seated.

Fifteen minutes later they all filed in to the dining room and took their places at the table. Cissy always sat at the end of the long dining room table closest to the kitchen with Earl at the other. Joe and Sally sat on the same side so they could touch each other when they wanted and Bill and Jake sat on the other side. Cissy sat a basket of homemade bread on the table and pointed out the hot sauce and horseradish sitting in the middle.

There was a moment of silence while everyone loaded their plates and prepared for eating, then Earl said, So, Joe, let me get this straight. The San Francisco Police Department offered you a special and unique job as their first sharpshooter, but you turned it down?

Well, not yet, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to take it.

Bill swallowed a carrot and said, It seems like such a good thing. The police have never had a sharpshooter to cover their backs and you proved how valuable you are in that fight in Half Moon.

Joe nodded his head while chewing a piece of roast and everyone at the table waited for him to finish so he could speak.

Finally Joe swallowed and said, I’m not saying that it isn’t a good situation having a sharpshooter to cover your back. I just don’t want to work for anyone but myself.

Joe turned his gaze away from Bill and looked at Earl and Jake. He said, Guys, with your help at Goldberg and Waters, I would like to set up my own company and sell my services to the various police departments and sheriffs offices. In other words, be an independent contractor.

Earl looked at Jake and they both shrugged. Earl said, Sure, we’ll help in any way we can.

I need a couple of days and then I’ll show you just what I would like to do. After that, I’ll go to the police and pitch my plan as an independent businessman.

Sally reached over and gave him a squeeze on his knee that basically said she was behind him all the way.

Bill pointed his fork over toward Joe and said, Good idea. I like that thinking.

Joe, who had just taken a drink of water sat his glass down and said, I’m glad you do, ’cause I want you to help me. That is if your son-in-law will let you go.

Earl never hesitated and said, Good. He’s yours. What else?

Well, right now, I’ll need to rent some of your office space, Joe answered.

Earl studied that request for a while and said, That will work, but it means that I won’t really be getting rid of Bill. He’ll still be at the office.

Looking hurt, Bill said, Hey, I’m sitting right here.

Earl chuckled and said, This seems better suited for you than just doing my investigative work and spying on cheating husbands.

Bill nodded in basic agreement.

Joe went on, I got the idea on the way here tonight, so I’m going to need a lot of guidance from a good law office to get things set up just right.

Earl finished eating a piece of potato and said, I’ll do all I can, but really, this is right up Jake’s alley. You should work with him on this.

Jake asked, When do you want to get started?

Joe, who was starting to get excited said, Tomorrow, I guess.

Jake said, It’ll have to be in the afternoon.

Joe nodded, put a piece of roast in his mouth and thought that this might actually happen.

SEABROOK, TEXAS

August 1885

The little grey wooden soldiers were lined up in a row and the opposing enemy was placed on the mound of dirt in no semblance of order. The enemy was in blue and in Joe McBride’s imagination, the Confederacy had just routed the Union at the Battle of Bull Run.

For Joe’s tenth birthday, his father bought him a set of wooden hand carved soldiers of which he painted most of them grey and a few of them blue. Joe had no idea of the sacrifice his father had made, he just knew he loved the gift. That was four years ago and now at fourteen, they still are his favorite toys.

Growing up around a huge seaport just south of Houston, one would think that his greatest interest would be about the Navy, but that’s not the case. It was the Army that he liked and someday he knows that he’ll be a great soldier.

Joe didn’t notice that his father was sitting on a little hill right behind him and analyzing the soldier placement. From what the father could see, his son Joe was favoring the soldiers in grey.

As Joe was rushing some of the confederacy’s best calvary after the fleeing men in blue, his father cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Captain McBride knew something about the battle at Bull Run which is also referred to as the battle of Manassas by the union.

Joe turned to see his father sitting on the hill and heard him say, There’s a lesson to be learn here. Can you figure it out?

Absentmindedly, Joe knocked over another soldier in blue and said, The Confederates were better fighters?

"No, that’s not what I had in mind. The point I would like you to know is that the union soldiers underestimated the boys from the south. The union sympathizers treated this battle like a sporting event and there were even couples and family’s setting up picnic tables to watch. By the time the union realized that this was not a game and that they were outmatched, it was too late. The union officers were soft and didn’t know how to control the panic. The point here is to never underestimate your future adversary’s, as the