On the upper corner of the writing desk was an open copy of Le Monde; oddly out of place on the otherwise quite Vietnamese desk. The date on it read April 26, 1961. A nameplate sat on the desk; that of Major Nguyen Cao Ky. On it laid a series of documents; outlining squadrons, flight plans, aircraft maintenance records, and other miscellaneous documents.

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Major Ky, however, was not at his desk. At least not presently. He was down on the flightline, a line of parked A-1 Skyraiders present across from a line of DC-3s. As a Skyraider rotated, Ky could be seen in close proximity to two men; their uniforms indicating their status as lieutenants; presumably pilots, and one whom watched for more than a minute could easily tell that there was some sort of conversation going on, though only someone standing right next to them could possibly listen in.

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In the upstairs of a modest home in Saigon, a handful of men--and one woman--met, in small wooden chairs, raising hands, taking a vote. There were books piled high all around; some in Vietnamese; some in Classical Chinese; even a few in English--but virtually none in French. As the meeting closed, furious whispers could be heard between the participants as they filed out, leaving the building one by one, randomly, while no-one was looking.

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Brigadier General Dong was eating dinner with Mr. Colby. The subject was, of course, the increasingly dire situation in Vietnam, and how Diem was still ignoring it, covering it up, even. Vuong, as usual, left without much, other than a promise that after the vice-presidential visit he could probably expect more support and more pressure on Diem to play ball.

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General Thi was at home, or what stood in for home at the moment, in a palatial villa that had once belonged to a French businessman before the recent trouble. He didn't appear to be doing anything in particular, other than enjoying the more comfortable facilities offered back in Vietnam that had been notably absent in Laos. His expression, blank, innocent, failed to betray any hidden knowledge that he may or may not have had.

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Saigon lay quiet as the hours ticked by into the early morning, unaware of what was to come.