Edward Miles
Edward Miles is a character that appears in the novel, Rainbow Six. He was a local plumber working on Hereford Base who frequently conducted maintenance of Rainbow Headquarters and the homes of Rainbow operatives.
Biography
Miles is a former member of the Queen's Regiment of the British Army. He was later promoted to Corporal before separating. His previously rank later enabled him to obtain a job as a plumber on Hereford Base since 1987. Following the formation of Rainbow in 1999, Miles was responsible for installing new plumbing systems in several homes of Rainbow operatives such as John Clark. Miles was an avid supporter of Rainbow and the SAS and would frequently praise them while at a local pub off-base named the Brown Stallion. Miles later met Dimitriy Popov at the pub who was there to gather information about Rainbow from the locals. Miles was overheard by Popov telling the bartender about fixing a sink for one of the Americans on the base. This prompted Popov to ask Miles if he worked on base, to which Miles confirmed. Miles was then asked by Popov if some Americans were stationed on base. This was also confirmed by Miles who said that were at least ten Americans and their families. Popov than told of how he knew John Clark. Miles stated that Clark was the boss for the new unit and that his wife was a nurse at the local hospital. Popov then asked if the unit was involved in the World Park incident. Miles said that while that information wasn't shared with him, he did see a Hercules fly out of the airstrip the day of the attack. Additionally, Miles' friend Andy told him of how the soldiers were later looking pleased with themselves at the base club after the incident had been resolved. Miles then went on to praise the soldiers and told Popov of how his time with the Queen's Regiment landed him a job as a contractor on base. Popov later departed after finishing his drink.
A few days later, Miles was back at the pub when Popov. He asked about Popov's profession and was told that he sold plumbing supplies to distributors and retailers. Popov asked Miles if there was anything unusual about the work on base or the Americans. Miles said there was not and that the Americans on the base were fairly friendly. Miles then asked Popov what he was doing in the area and was that he was meeting with local ironmongers Lee and Dopkins. Miles scoffed at the idea and told Popov that he would have better business with smaller shops. This prompted Popov to ask Miles if he could sell him some tools. Miles said that while he had a tight budget, he would be willing to look at Popov's stock. Due to security, Miles offered to pick Popov up from the pub the next day and bring him onto base after lunch to do business, to which Popov agreed.
The next day, Miles had already ordered lunch by the time Popov had arrived at the pub. He told Popov of how he had fixed a water heater this morning and that he would have to fix a watercooler in the Rainbow Headquarters building in the afternoon. Miles then went on to complain about the aging infrastructure of the base and the difficulty of securing parts to make repairs. This prompted Popov to remind him of his tools. After lunch, Miles drove Popov onto Hereford Base and took him to his office building. Not long after entering, Miles received a call to fix a watercooler at Rainbow Headquarters. Popov agreed to accompany him and the pair traveled to the building. While fixing the watercooler, they were approached by John Clark who thanked them for their work before walking off. After leaving, Miles was asked by Popov where Clark lived and proceeded to show him Clark's home. They saw Sandra O'Toole walk out of the home to head to work as they arrived. Miles told Popov that Clark had a daughter who worked at the same hospital as her mother and that she was married to another soldier on base.
Trivia
- Miles is described as a tall, powerfully built man with tattoos on his arm.
- Miles unknowing divulgence of information to Popov is an example of failing to adhere to Operational Security standards.