The Burning Cloud [Earth II]

[Tolorian Empire]

Fawzi Amjhad
2100 hours (UTC+1), August 2, 2016
The Rare Barrel
Adrar, Algeria


“More on tonight’s news, 120,000 jobs have been lost this month, which brings this year’s total up to 1.1 million people who have lost their jobs,” said a Tolorian National News Network (TNNN) anchor. “The current economic recession since the Nigerien conflict has been a devastation for the country.” Back in 2014, the Tolorian Empire had an incident with the neighboring country of Niger. Because of this, the Empire attempted to invade Niger. All was going according to plan until the Apilonians stuck their nose in the situation. After a few weeks of standoffs and negotiations, the Emperor decided it was best to withdraw all forces from Niger to avoid drawing the ire of the Apilonians. As a result of this failed invasion, the economy went into a recession. Unemployment rose to eight percent and inflation rose to five percent. The Tolorian Empire was becoming a developing nation, but this mistake had taken them on a downward spiral over the course of the last year.

The news quickly faded to background noise in the local bar. Fawzi Amjhad took a sip of his vodka, then carefully placed the glass back on the bar. Fawzi, in his mid-forties, was a brawny, olive-colored man. He was a man of great discipline, always keeping his shirt tucked in when in public, keeping his hair close shaven instead of buying into fads, and always being punctual, which was aided by the pocket watch that was given to him by his grandfather. Fawzi thought of his grandfather as a role model and had strived to please him all the way up until his death a few years ago. Fawzi was a very devout religious man, showing up at church every Saturday. He worked for a construction company, which kept him in good physical shape. Recently, he had been notified that because of the economic recession, he was likely going to lose his job within the next month. Fawzi was not normally a rebellious person, but because of the widespread job losses, he was fed up with what was going on. Tonight, he and some friends had decided to go to the bar for some drinks.

”This is outrageous. People are losing their jobs and their homes, meanwhile all of these politicians and the Emperor are all living like there isn’t a problem,” Fawzi said. “Something must be done to bring the attention of the Emperor to the suffering of the people. If nothing is done, the people will revolt and his reign will end.”

”Those sound like words of treason, Fawzi” one of his friends said.

”Treason? This man speaks the truth,” another said,”what has the Emperor done in the last couple years for us besides getting us into trouble? Something needs to be done quickly or else, as Fawzi said, there will be a new Emperor very soon.”

”Easy, my friends, said Fawzi in a calm, hushed manner. ”We must remain patient and hope that our Emperor will soon come to his senses.

The group of friends debated the future of the country for a few moments before changing the subject. Soon after, they all decided that it was time to go. They all got and walked towards the door, every step being heard because of the creaks of the old wooden floor.

As soon as they left, they felt the warmth of the Tolorian night. The streets were not very busy. Because of the recession, riots had become more common in the city. Small pockets of rioting in the city had caused a greater police presence, which caused most people to go inside to avoid any trouble with the police. The trio was walking down the street towards their houses. Near their path home were five police officers standing around their two squad cars, chatting amongst themselves. The officers were all wearing Kevlar vests, and each carried an SP 22 semi-automatic pistol, and a taser for weapons. While Fawzi and his friends were walking past the officers, the officers were inspecting the group.

”Might we ask where you gentlemen are going at this time of night?” one of the officers asked.

The group stopped and turned towards the officers.

”Just on our way home, Officer,” answered Fawzi.

The officer questioning them, walked up to them.

”And what business were you attending at this time of night? Is it possible that you group of gents were causing any trouble?”

Fawzi began to explain where they had been when one of his friends shot out with an answer.

”This “trouble” is caused by the neglectful ways of the people you work for. So technically, you guys are the ones responsible for this trouble,” said one of his friends, who was slightly intoxicated.

The officer glared at the man who had given him that answer. ”What did you just say to me?”

The officer and the man had a heated exchange before the officer went quiet. He turned towards the other officers witnessing the exchange and gave a nod. ”I hereby place you three under arrest for disorderly conduct.”

”Disorderly conduct? We’ve done nothing wrong,” Fawzi said.

The three all had shocked looks on their face. As the officers were trying to handcuff them, they started resisting arrest. Because of this, the other officers standing around the patrol cars came and aided the officers trying to arrest those men. After a brief struggle, the three men were handcuffed and were escorted to the cars.

”Well if you’re not satisfied by that, then we can change the charge to resisting arrest,” said the officer.

[Terra Reborn]

Group Captain Dame Karen Dallona GCS DSO DFC* IAF
IAF Pegasus, Arlit
The Republic of Niger
Monday 1st August 2016, 2100hrs Local Time (1100hrs Imperial Capital Time, 2000hrs Zulu Time)

Group Captain Dame Karen Dallona was not one to shirk her duties. One simply didn’t reach the rank she had in the Imperial Air Force, and earned a Knighthood, the Distinguished Service Order and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, if you did. Never the less she had to admit that paperwork was a pain the ass, and for all the efforts of her personnel and administration staff there was still an inordinate amount that had to cross her desk, especially at this time of year when quarterly performance reports were due. So she had procured herself a liberal supply of tea, dismissed her aide for the night and settled down to work. Group Captain Dallona had made her name flying strike fighters throughout many of the Empire’s conquests and interventions in the 2000s, and despite her strike role had not only become a bonafide fighter ace, earning her the two DFCs, but she had matured into a competent and respected senior officer, with a career trajectory that could take her to the very top. When the Imperial Air Force had needed a Station Commander for its first major air base in Africa, outside of the Duchy of Sierra Leone obviously, she had been at the top of a very short list.

Imperial Air Force Station Pegasus had, once upon a time, been the Arlit Airstrip in the Republic of Niger. It had been occupied by the Parachute Regiment, hence the name, during the Imperial intervention which had staved off Tolorian aggression to the north. After the end of the war the entire complex had been gifted to the Empire of Apilonia in return for continued defensive support, the Empire had funded the construction of a new civilian airport for the city, and IAF Pegasus had grown from there into a sizable facility. It was home to No. 45 Wing of the Imperial Air Force, part of No. 12 Group attached to IAF Strike Command, and aside from being tasked with defensive counter-air for the Republic of Niger was also the IAF’s principal tactical strike wing in north Africa. Boasting a flight line of eighteen Thunderbolt GA.3s and fifty-four Viper FGR.1s it was a formidable presence, and one of the IAF’s largest air bases, inside the Empire or out. From a geopolitical perspective, it was also highly important; not only was it a very real reminder to the Tolorian Empire that aggression in North Africa would not be tolerated, but it also gave the Empire significant options all over the theatre, and was a very real commitment to the Empire’s Walker Doctrine, which stated that the Empire of Apilonia would defend its interests wherever they were threatened.

Of course, the station would be important and complex enough if it wasn’t for the added presence of the 1st Fighter Squadron of the newly formed Republic of Niger Air Force (RNAF). Although the Empire’s presence in Niger wasn’t going anywhere, for various reasons, it had been deemed beneficial if the country could shoulder some of the defensive burden going forwards. Whilst the PMC Global Defence Solutions had been integral in getting the Niger Army up to a respectable state it was ill-suited for raising and training an air force from scratch, and as such that role had also bene given to IAF Pegasus, with a flight training detachment from the Directorate of Flight Training being deployed to the station. The Empire had gifted the Republic of Niger a full squadron worth (plus float) of Tornado F.3 interceptors, only recently out of service with the IAF, largely as payment for a long-term lease on IAF Pegasus.

Naturally one of the most important thing for IAF Pegasus, from a strategic point of view, was the disposition of the Tolorian Empire to the North; it was to deter their aggression that the base was principally present in the first place after all. The Empire had watched as the Tolorians had suffered as a result of their failed venture into Niger, and very few could bring themselves to feel particularly sorry for them; after all their aggression and their Imperialism had failed and they were now facing the consequences of that. No one within the Imperial Government or the Military felt any guilt with regards to the situation in the Tolorian Empire, after all not only had no shots ultimately been fired but Apilonia had been standing up for the Republic of Niger against false charges and expansionist aggression; everything the Tolorians were now suffering they had brought upon themselves. There were many in the Empire who hoped that deteriorating situation in the Tolorian Empire would result in the removal of their deplorable Kumpo and, perhaps, the repeal of the One God Act which the multi-faith Empire had consistently condemned for decades now.

Group Captain Dallona only cared about the politics of the situation in so far that they had the potential to impact her Station and the assets under her command. As such in addition to her administrative workload she also had a considerable amount of intelligence reports and briefs to read every day, and every page made her miss flying even more. In the time that had passed since the failed Invasion of Niger the Apilnian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS, or Section Six of the Imperial Intelligence Directorate) had put a great deal of effort into its operations within the Tolorian Empire, whilst Defence Intelligence had worked to gather other intelligence from military means such as Rivet Joint aircraft operating over the Mediterranean. In short there were a lot of Imperial eyes on the Tolorian Empire, comparatively speaking, ready to ensure that the Empire could respond quickly and decisively if the Tolorians decided they needed to be spanked again. If such a strike was required, it would almost certainly be IAF Pegasus and No. 45 Wing that carried it out.

Of course right now, as she was battling her way through a veritable mountain of un-delegable paperwork, the Tolorian Empire was very far from the mind of Group Captain Dallona.

[Tolorian Empire]

Abdul al-Fayad
2200 hours(UTC +1), August 6, 2016
Adrar, Algeria

It had been a few days since the incident involving Fawzi Amjhad and law enforcement had happened. The public had learned about what happened but did not cause a great uproar, partially because of the fact the police were still a heavy presence in the town, and any sort of riot would be put down very quickly. However, there had been a small group of people that had heard about the arrest and decided that action must be taken to right the wrongs. They called themselves the Sons of Toloria and they had decided that a new leader was needed for the country to make any sort of comeback, on an economic and political level. They had all come to meet in an abandoned house on this night. The room they were in was warm, damp, and dimly lit. The only light that was available was that of two candles that were lit and placed on the table in front of them. The table was 8 feet long and 3 ½ feet wide, able to comfortably seat the nine men who were in attendance. At the moment, they were debating their next plan of action.

The group did not have an official leader, but the person everyone looked up to was Abdul. He naturally stepped into a leadership role and became the unofficial leader of the group. Everyone in the room was wearing either a black or dark brown hoodie and a ski mask that had not yet been put over their faces. Abdul was sitting at the head of the table and stood up as he began to speak.

“Brothers, tonight is the night in which justice will take place to right the wrongs of this nation.”

He paused as the group nodded and shouted in agreement with what he said.

“Firstly, the only way this will work is if this anti-government sentiment was spread across the nation. We must go door to door to find others who are willing to join our cause. The only way that change will be made is if we find as many allies as we can that will stand against this government. Secondly, we must take direct action against this government. We must go to the streets and stand in solidarity against those that side with this regime, peacefully and with force. If all plans work out correctly, we will force the hand of our government to turn the country into a police state, which should further increase the anger of the people. These two things should end with open rebellion and hopefully a change in power.”

He paused again as the men looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“Now I have a plan in place for tonight, which should help spread our cause. Tonight, half of us will go from house to house to try to get more to join us. The other half will send a direct message to the forces of this regime. The target will be the police.”

The room grew very silent as realization of his words had set in.

“I have mapped the police routes and we have the weapons available to get the job done. I will take three others with me. It will be quick and silent.”

“If we go through with this plan and it should fail, we will be charged with treason and be put to death,” one of the men argued. “I have a family that I have to look out for. I cannot leave them without a protector.”

The men agreed with the argument and looked to Abdul for a response.

“Yes, brethren, I understand your concern, but change cannot be made without the sacrifice of a few individuals. What we are fighting for is for our children to get a chance at a good life. We are trying to improve their quality of life for the future. Without your sacrifice, no change will happen. Now I must know—do you stand with me or against me?”

The room sat silent for about a minute. The men were looking around, waiting for someone else to make a decision before they made theirs. After a minute of silence, one man stood up and pledged his allegiance to Abdul and the Sons of Toloria. One by one, each of them stood up and pledged their allegiance.

“Now that it is settled, it is time for us to move on to phase one of our plan.”

[Tolorian Empire]

Abdul al-Fayad
2300 hours, August 7, 2016
Adrar, Algeria

The group of nine finished praying before setting out on the night’s activities. The plan was that half of the group would actively go and spread their propaganda and the other half would carry out an assault on a police unit.

As soon as they finished praying, the men embraced each other and said their goodbyes. This would be the last time that they met in a group like this to avoid looking suspicious. The only way that they would be able to communicate with each other would be through a messenger.

Abdul and the other three men that were accompanying him all were wearing black hoodies, black pants, black boots, and a ski mask which they now had pulled down over their faces. The had gone over the plan forwards and backwards, so to speak. While a certain police car was on its patrol down a quiet street, two of the men would impede its path. This would cause one, if not both, of the officers to step out of their car and make themselves vulnerable to attack. The other two men would then come from behind and stab the officers with their tactical knives. The purpose of the whole plan was to quick and quiet, while also sending a message to the Empire that opposition was growing.

On the way to their location, the men shared stories about themselves and their family members. They all knew the risk that they were taking and knew that if they were caught, they would never see their family members again. Upon reaching their destination, they prayed one more time for safety and then found an individual hiding spot.

Around thirty minutes later, a patrol car showed up. The two men that were to be used to for the distraction came from each side of the street and stood in the way of the car’s path. The officers inside the cars blew the horn once, but the men stood still, staring into the car’s lights as if they were statues looking at a setting sun. Both officers opened the doors and got out on one leg, keeping the other leg in the car.

”If you do not remove yourselves from the road, we will place you under arrest,” one of the officers barked.

”Just like you arrested Fawzi Amjhad and his friends?” one of the men asked.

”We had nothing to do with that arrest, but we fully believe that the arrest was justified. Now I will ask you one more time to move out of the way. If you do not comply, we will use force.” One of the officers put his hand on gun, implying to the men in the road that they meant deadly force.

As the officers were in a standoff, Abdul, along with another man, chose their target, and quietly stalked their way towards them. Every time they took a step, it was with precision and they were careful not to make any noise. The loudest noise that they were making was the beating of their hearts, which was caused by the adrenaline rush. A few seconds after the officers made their threat Abdul came right behind the officer that had his hand on his gun. Almost with precise timing, both Abdul and the other man grabbed the officers by the mouth and stabbed them in the neck, close to the jugular vein. After a few seconds, they dropped the lifeless bodies onto the pavement as the officers continued to bleed out. Bloodied, Abdul looked at the bodies of the officers one last time.

”Tyrannical scum,” he said.

All the men fled the scene of the crime. Once they were a safe distance away, they took off their clothes, and burned them to cover their tracks. They had a spare set of clothes that they had stashed. Once they had put all their spare clothes on, Abdul addressed them one last time.

”You all did a great service for your country today. There is no doubt that they will find the body and commence a manhunt for us. Now we must disperse until this commotion has died down. I wish you all good luck in your venture. Goodbye, my brothers.”

And with that, all the men went on their own way.

[Tolorian Empire]

Emperor Hosni Darzi
0900 hours(UTC+1), August 9, 2016
Capitol
Algiers, Algeria

News of the killing of the police officers had spread like wildfire all across the nation. Chaos had erupted in Adrar, which was the location of the first police murder. The further chaos had resulted in four more officers getting killed and two other getting seriously wounded. The actions of this city had lit a spark under citizens around the country that were demanding change. Protests had begun, especially in the capital city of Algiers. The protests had caused a shutdown and no work could be done. As a result, the police in the city had to do the something that could end up being a bad decision in the long run, use force to disperse these protests.

The Emperor had been stressed out and become unable to sleep once the story had first appeared on the morning news. He had correctly predicted that the situation would spiral out of control, and had tried to implement measures to curb the violence, to no avail. Interior Minister Ahmed Allya had also tried to come up with a plan to appease all the citizens, which also had no effect. Now, he felt like he was in a compromising position and felt he had only one choice left.

”Sir, the only way to stop this shutdown would be to call in the military. Now, I understand that it may not affect the opinion of the people, but it is the only way to stop these protests before they turn into full scale riots,” argued the Interior Minister.

”I hate to say it, but you might be right” agreed the Emperor. ”In the short term, the people will get even more upset at this. Something must be done to gain back my support.”

”Yes sir, understood, but we must focus on the current state of affairs.”

”Alright, tell me your plan, Minister.”

Minister Allya cleared his throat before beginning.

”Well, sir, if the military is not to get involved, then we must outfit all of our police officers with riot gear and increase their patrols—something they would not be happy about. On the alternative, if we send the military in, we would slowly increase their numbers evenly throughout the country, as not to cause the people to think that we will take an aggressive approach to this. All we want is to bring peace to the land, and once that is accomplished, their presence will slowly fade until the police force can effectively carry out their tasks with no trouble. Sir, I would advise you to choose the latter but ultimately it is up to you.”

The emperor did not think too long before he answered.

”Very well, I authorize you to order the military to restore the peace. In the meantime, we will search for ways to appease the populace. You are dismissed.”

The minister bowed respectfully and turned and left.

[Tolorian Empire]

Colonel Anwar Afolabi
1420 hours(UTC+1), August 10, 2016
Adrar, Algeria

Col. Afolabi was the head of the Tolorian 11th Infantry Battalion, which was rapidly deployed into the city of Adrar. This battalion now possessed the sole responsibility of restoring order in the city, which would be no small talks. During these protests, the people had turned to violence towards police, burned down buildings, and had just flat out become a threat to the people who only wished to stay in their own homes and have nothing to do with the riots. Over the last few days 4 police officers had been killed, 2 wounded, 16 citizens had been admitted to the hospital with riot-related injuries, 1 had been killed, and 3 people had been reported missing.

Col. Afolabi had been explicitly told to not retaliate to anything the protesters say or do unless it is a direct threat to him or any of the members of his battalion. His battalion’s purpose was to only make sure that the city did not dip into complete anarchy. The actual numbers of the battalion were only around 200, while 400 were mainly the people who worked behind the scenes by keeping them fully supplied. The battalion was outfitted with a bulletproof vest, a protective helmet, a riot shield, a stun gun, a baton and a handgun, which is only to be used if things get too rowdy and would be at the discretion of Col. Afolabi, who was known to be a very level-headed leader.

Afolabi had relayed the message to his men and they were to be specifically stationed right in front of the steps of the local government building. They were going to be in a block formation and were to repel any attempt for anyone to breakthrough.

Before now, the rioters had not paid much attention to the government buildings, they were more focused on less important ones. Upon noticing the presence of the military, the people had a change of mind. They made it their top priority to go to the governmental building and heckle the battalion.

Once at the building, the rioters went right up to Col. Afolabi and the rest of the men on the front line. The battalion stood like statues, at first unaffected by the actions of the rioters. The latter tried all sorts of ways to evoke a reaction from the former. They yelled out all sorts of insults and did provocative acts but it did not cause any anger from Afolabi and his men. They then started throwing rocks or any object that was within arm’s reach, which also had no effect. One man ventured so far as to get in one of the soldiers’ faces, which was met with swift action. The soldiers quickly pinned the man to the ground and arrested him. They would then request the police come to the scene and take the man into custody. This reaction caused a reaction out of the rioters which made them even more rowdy.

Col. Afolabi knew that he and his men were going to have to keep their cool if they were to resolve this situation without causing any true harm. Help was on the way, however, with another 2 battalions coming in to the city to give him some support. Until then, they would be tested on their mental fortitude.

---

Emperor Hosni Darzi
1600 hours(UTC+1), August 10, 2016
Capitol Building
Algiers, Algeria

Small pockets of protests had been happening in the capital city, however, it was nothing compared to the riots in Adrar. Meanwhile, in his safe, secure capitol building, Emperor Darzi had been discussing with his aides on how to stop the violence in the nation. Currently, he was sitting in his desk with his two aides sitting opposite of him. He had been sipping on a cup of green tea. He was not a huge fan of coffee, saying it would cut your life short.

”Sir, I could get someone to write up a speech for you that could churn in the minds of the people and could settle them down a bit,” one of the aides said.

”No,” the Emperor argued,” Something more must be done immediate action. Something to get this economy up and running before we go into a depression.”

Emperor Darzi took a sip of his green tea. The room sat quiet for a few moments before the other aide broke the silence.

”Sir, I believe the way to jumpstart the economy would be to create more jobs. In doing that, we could add to our capital city and build our surrounding cities. We may not currently have the capabilities to do that right now, but we can hire the likes of Manchurian Global to help build up our cities and train our own workforce to produce construction workers, to further that plan. Obviously, the more jobs we can create, the unemployment rate will go down and the people will be happy.”

The Emperor pondered for a moment.

”Very good point. And on top of that we must pump more of our money into the school systems. Educated kids grow up to make an excellent workforce. I think you both have helped me a bit, but we must go to someone who could give me the right answers. Bring me Fawzi Amjhad.”

[Layarteb]

August 18, 2016 - 09:30 hrs [UTC-5]
Layarteb City, New York
Manchurian Global Corporate HQ
(40° 42' 23" N, 74° 0' 27" W )

Manchurian Global was the largest corporate conglomerate in the Empire and among the top five in the entire world. Nearly 100 years old, the corporation had eight major divisions, each one a sector of its business ventures. It employed just over 350,000 people worldwide and claimed over §1 trillion in corporate assets and the corporation had only just disclosed having taken in §123.7 billion in revenue for the 2016 fiscal year, which had ended on June 30. The story of Manchurian Global was something of an enigma, especially considering the broad stroke that the Layartebian government used against corporate corruption and illegal practices following the Second Layartebian Civil War. Manchurian Global had been fined upwards of §19.5 billion by the new Layartebian government and the corporation was suddenly thrust into the question of closure but as the Conquests wore on, the corporation positioned itself as a major rebuilding partner and thus its wealth grew exponentially.

MG's eight divisions included a dedicated canal operations division that had 100% ownership of the Suez Canal, 4.5% investment in the Panama Canal, and 33% investment in the Thai Canal. There was a capital services group that specialized in private equity and debt structuring. There were over three hundred corporations worldwide that owed their existence to MG's investments. The largest division was its construction or infrastructure division. Its most controversial division was its defense contracting division, which employed eight thousand people overall but had fifty-five hundred "contractors" or mercenaries. There was an energy division that owned several power plants and specialized in resource exploitation. Two uranium mines in Niger were wholly owned by this division. There was also an information technology division that manufactured microchips and personal computers and also served as IT consultants to corporations and governments. There was a shipping division that maintained a fleet of aircraft, cargo ships, rail cars, and trucks that moved an estimated 24,000 loads per day in just the Empire of Layarteb and owned over 35,000 containers worldwide. Lastly there was a space division that specialized in satellite maintenance and manufacturing as well as private, rocket launch systems.

The corporation was gigantic to say the least and its corporate headquarters was located at 70 Pine Street, in southern Manhattan in the Financial District. The entire building was owned by Manchurian Global and their entire corporate headquarters was located on the buildings 67 floors. It was the largest building in the Empire that was owned and staffed by one company; and at 952 ft (290 m) in height, the building was also among the tallest in the city. Manchurian Global had moved into the building in 1933, the year after it was built and by 1958, they occupied more than half of the building's floors. In 1973, they purchased the building outright and occupied it completely by 1976, when the last lease of the last tenant expired.

At the building's topmost floors were the highest officers. The building's layout was truly one status. The higher you were to the top, the higher you were in the company. If an intern managed to go to the fifth floor he or she would be considered in very high regard. No one above the forty-eighth floor was anything less than a senior vice president and the top three floors served not only as the offices for the five directors but also contained the corporate boardroom where the most important meetings were held and the company penthouse, which was where the CEO lived. The only thing they lacked was a helipad atop the building though they could utilize a heliport just one half of a mile away, built onto a pier on the East River. It was frequently used by the corporation's executive officers of whom it had four men and one woman on the board of directors and five men and four women on its executive board.

At the helm was Joshua Barron, who had only just turned fifty-nine the previous November. He'd taken over the corporation in early 2014 after the retirement of John Patrick, who had been chairman of the board and CEO for an eight year period. Barron had found the position to his liking and he planned to remain there until he reached sixty-eight, provided he didn't get ousted. Retirement age was sixty-five but if one worked an extra three years they could reap even more benefits. For a man of his salary and stature, an extra three years would mean a considerable nest egg to pass on to his grandchildren. Considering his salary, with stock options and benefits, was in excess of §20 million, he had plenty to keep and pass downwards.

On this particular morning, days after the most intense heatwave in a long while had finally broken, Joshua Barron found himself seated at his desk with a cup of coffee and a cluttered inbox to comb through before he could begin to think about the day. He looked first through his e-mail for keywords in the subject lines or particular senders. He received upwards of five hundred messages per day and only read about twenty percent of those since that was - on average - how many were relevant. There was nothing that was an emergency but one e-mail in particular caught his attention. It had been sent the previous evening from Gloria Hairston, Senior Vice President of International Business Development and the subject line quickly drew him into the body of the e-mail, which was but a single paragraph.

Intrigued by it, he picked up his phone and dialed his secretary, who answered at once. "Do you think you could get Gloria up here for me? I want to ask her about yesterday's e-mail."

"Sure thing will do Mister Barron," the secretary responded and less than fifteen minutes later, Gloria was seated across from him. She was wearing what she called her "power heels" and "power outfit" not because she expected to be sitting across from the CEO but because she had a big meeting at 15:00 with a major client. The entirety of the international business development sector was under her control and she'd been there for twelve years now, too embedded to move elsewhere and too good at her job to oust. She was the longest serving SVP in the company and that created some friction but Gloria was a seasoned professional when it came to friction. She wasn't going anywhere without something major in her favor.

"Gloria tell me all about this one," Barron said, "pretty unusual don't you think?"

"Extremely unusual Mister Barron but I spoke with the contacts personally. They're interested in our services to build up their infrastructure. As far as I've found there are no specific embargoes or restrictions for Toloria but we'd still have to clear it with regulatory and GR [Government Relations] before we could go further."

"This could be a very lucrative deal for us. We're tracking close to our projections for the year and this could give us some breathing room if we secure this. Who is our competition?"

"The way the Tolorian representative spoke there is no present competition."

"No competition," Barron repeated. "Very well then keep the line open and do all of the due diligence on our part. If we can secure this contract that will be a big boost for us. Where is our nearest office to Toloria?"

"We have an office in Libya Mister Barron, in Tripoli."

"That's close enough, good, good, I'll hold this from the board until we know more. You've done well Gloria keep up the good work." Gloria thanked him and departed, heading back to her own office where she could make the necessary calls and get the entire contract going. Should Manchurian Global secure it they could secure a cushion for their budget.

[Tolorian Empire]

Fawzi Amjhad
2300 hours(UTC+1), August 10, 2016
Adrar, Algeria

A loud rattle erupted as the guard beat his baton against the prison bars. ”Get up and put this on. Someone special wants to see you.”

Still a little woozy, Fawzi sat up in his bed. Still shaking off the cobwebs, he was trying to focus on what the officer had thrown in his cell. He was soon able to figure out that it was a cheap suit. He rubbed his back, which was aching from the hard bed he had slept on for week. His prison cell was very small and only included his bed, a toilet, and a sink. Although he was in this mess, he never complained to the guards, as his companions had.

It had been a little over a week, and Fawzi still had no explanation as to why he had been arrested or sent to prison. His spirits remained fairly high for a man in his position, for his family had come to visit him every day since the day that he never came home. Fawzi had rarely left his cell since he got there, however. The only time he left was to go to the cafeteria and to go to visitation. The rest of the time, he had stayed in his cell, either replaying the incident in his head or praying. He had decided that he would take this time to reconnect and build a strong relationship with the Almighty.

Fawzi had slowly gotten up and put the suit on. He was not certain of where he was going or who had summoned him, but he considered this to be a gift from the Almighty. After he had put on his suit, he called for the guard, who then guided him out of his cell and into the back of a transport vehicle.

---

Fawzi Amjhad
1000 hours(UTC+1), August 11, 2016
Emperor’s Palace
Algiers, Algeria

Fawzi awoke from his sleep as he sensed the vehicle coming to a slow stop. He sat up as soon as he heard the driver door slam shut. Seconds later, the back doors of the vehicle opened and bright light of the morning came shooting in, momentarily blinding Fawzi. Before his eyes were able to adjust for the light, the armed guards yanked him from the back and onto the pavement that led to the steps of the Emperor’s Palace. Step by step, Fawzi slowly made the connections of where was at and who had brought him out of prison.

The trio was met outside by Interior Minister Ahmed Allya.

”Good morning, gentlemen. I believe I can handle him from here.”

”Sir, we should accompany you inside to make sure there is no trouble,” one of the guards said.

Minister Allya smirked a bit.

”I appreciate your concern, gentlemen, but I have read up on our guest here, and I must say, that he seems like a well-behaved character. I assure you if there is trouble, you will be the first to go. Now let us walk in peace.”

The two guards saluted, then turned and left the Minister with Fawzi.

”Come.”

The minister waved his hand, motioning for Fawzi to follow him.

Fawzi followed him up the steps and into the house. When in the house, Fawz stopped and looked at the grandeur that was the Emperor’s Palace. The floor was made of white marble slabs that were covering a stone base. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and portraits plastered the walls. He was amazed at how everything was of fine quality. He then questioned how someone could live like this knowing that his city was suffering. This was one of the rare times that Fawzi thought that the Emperor was not looking out for the good of the people.

Minister Allya led Fawzi to the back of the house, where the Emperor’s office was.

”The Emperor is waiting for you in there,” the minister said.

Fawzi walked up to the door, gave two knocks, and walked in. The Emperor stood up from his chair and went to meet Fawzi at the door, something that was very uncommon for him to do.

”Ah, Mr. Amjhad, welcome.”

Fawzi hesitated when going to shake the Emperor’s hand.

”Please, come, and sit.”

The pair went and sat down. Emperor Darzi took a sip of the water that was on his desk, as Fawzi sat in a blank stare.

”How are you feeling, Mr. Amjhad?”

Fawzi decided not to answer and chose rather to sit in silence.

”Listen, during the last few days, I have reviewed your specific case, and I have found that there was no credible charges that were made against you. That was why I ordered your immediate release from prison.”

Fawzi still sat in silence. The Emperor was becoming impatient with the lack of responses he was getting from his counterpart. He made one last effort to get him to speak up.

”Alright, let me be frank with you, the economic situation across the country is deteriorating quickly, and I need help from someone who operates daily in these environments. Now, I took a look at your personal files, and I must say, I think you are a man who is qualified to help. Mr. Amjhad, I am asking for anything that could help fix this mess we are in. I’m not usually a man to beg, but this situation is becoming worse with every passing day.”

Fawzi remained quiet for a moment, and then opened his mouth to respond.

”Sir, people in my city are losing jobs every day. Firstly, we must find jobs to give back to the people. This productivity will provide a jumpstart to the economy. Second, you must realize that there are corrupt people in your own government that are being swayed to act certain ways on certain situations. Thirdly, we must educate our youth. Less and less people now have the capabilities to do some of the more demanding jobs. Without these things, we cannot turn this situation around.”

The Emperor nodded in agreement as Fawzi continued.

”We still have a problem, however. We lack the men capable of undergoing any type of infrastructure project.”

”Worry not about that, I already have an idea about that in mind. Mr. Amjhad, I would like to offer you a job.”

---

Minister Ahmed Allya
1100 hours(UTC+1), August 11, 2016
Emperor’s Palace
Algiers, Algeria

After delivering Fawzi to the Emperor, Minister Allya went to Mrs. Stangerson, the Emperor’s secretary.

”Mrs. Stangerson, I need you to send a message to Manchurian Global.”

[Tolorian Empire]

Fawzi Amjhad
1030 hours(UTC+1), August 19, 2016
Capital Building
Algiers, Algeria

A little over a week ago, the Emperor met with Fawzi and offered him a job as the head of the newly created Infrastructure Department. A little skeptical about it at first, Fawzi decided to take the reins and fix this problem himself. It provided him with a job, as well as forty-six others. The Department was going to be adding more jobs in the future, but as of right now, it would have to roll with what it had,

During his first day, Fawzi had been trying to drum up ways to fix this infrastructure problem, and he got the idea of hiring a foreign company to help them. After a little research, he came across Manchurian Global. He noted that they had a good track record in all of their departments except for the PMC department, which did not have a great reputation. Fawzi had read about their history, seeing how they became the powerful corporation that they were today. He believed that they would be a quality fit on helping the country improve upon its poor infrastructure.

Coincidentally, Minister Allya had already reached out to the head of the International business development sector, Gloria Hairston. When she had sent a response to the Minister, he then forwarded it to Fawzi. The message showed that MG would be willing to do the work, provided that their price was met.

Now, Fawzi was leaving his office to meet the Emperor and inform him on his progress. Upon confirming his appointment with the Emperor’s secretary, Fawzi stepped right into his office.

”Fawzi, welcome back,” the Emperor said as he leant back in his chair,”come and sit. Tell me of your progress so far.”

Fawzi walked over and sat down in the chair in front of the Emperor’s desk.

”Well, sir, while you were meeting with me, Minister Allya, sent a message to the Senior VP of Manchurian Global’s International Development sector, Miss Gloria Hairston. I did a little research in to the company, and I found that I must agree with his decision to reach out to them. Their infrastructure department is of high quality and I do believe that they would be able to help us in this case.

“A few days ago, Miss Hairston sent a message back to Minister Allya, who then forwarded it to me, that said that the company would be happy to offer their services to us, as long as their price was met. I have come to you to ask what you shall proceed to do in regards to offering them a contract.”

The Emperor thought to himself for a moment.

”Fawzi, I will not be the one to close this deal,” said the Emperor to the surprise of Fawzi. ”You are now the head of the Infrastrucure Department, which means you will be the one to set up all of the arrangements. As far as the budget goes, I will let you use your own discretion. Fawzi, I trust your abilities to get the job done.”

”Thank you, sir. We will begin our upswing very soon.”

The two exchanged goodbyes and then Fawzi left the Emperor’s office. He was now headed back to his office to draft an email to send to MG, to request that they send a representative to hammer out any contract details.

[Tolorian Empire]

Colonel Anwar Afolabi
1300 hours(UTC+1), August 19, 2016
Military Outpost
Adrar, Algeria

Over the past week, the situation in Adrar had calmed down significantly. Federal authorities had taken control of a little over 80% of the city and things had looked to be calming down. During this time, ninety-three arrests had been made on those that were directly linked to crimes committed during the riots, such as vandalism, breaking and entering, theft, assault on an officer of the law, or any other act deemed “criminal” by authorities. A few casualties had even been reported. They had also successfully captured two of the founding members of the Sons of Toloria, who had recently changed their official name to the Tolorian Revolutionary Front.

This “organization,” inappropriately coined, was named a terrorist organization by Emperor Darzi, himself. Because of this label, it was now considered an enemy of the state. This meant that the Empire would actively try to root out and completely and permanently eliminate these terrorists.

Colonel Afolabi and his battalion had been relieved of their duties a few days ago, and he and his men had now exited the main places of action and had enjoyed a few days of rest. Now with the branding of a terrorist organization in the city, the 11th Infantry Battalion was now going to lead the charge to find anyone linked to the TRF and apprehend them, or if necessary, eliminate them.

Col. Afolabi was fully preparing himself to deploy when he noticed that one of his men seemed very hesitant and sluggish in his actions. He noticed the soldier had a bit of a somber look on his face. This caused Afolabi to stop and reflect on everything that had happened the past week. He had been so concerned with quelling this rebellion and this had caused him to come to the point of exhaustion. This had, in turn, caused him to neglect checking on the morale of his men. He had not, until this moment, stopped and realized the emotional toll it had taken on his men to turn their weapons on their own people. Out of this moment of contrition, Col. Afolabi had decided to pause what he was doing to check on his men. As he closed in on the man, he noticed that he held the insignia of a corporal. The man noticed that his commanding officer was approaching him, so he snapped back into reality and hurriedly started preparing himself again.

”Corporal, what is your name?” Afolabi barked.

The man turned and saluted Afolabi before speaking. ”Corporal Walid Massi, sir.”

”Alright Corporal Massi, at ease,” Afolabi said as he shot a quick smile to the corporal. ”I noticed as we were all getting ready that you seemed to be a little slow in performing your tasks.”

”I’m sorry, sir. I will get right on it—“

Afolabi put up his hand to signal to the man to stop talking.

”Easy, Corporal. I’m not here for discipline purposes. I am here because of my own faults. I have failed to make sure that all my men were in a good condition to go out and do their jobs. Now, it looked as if something was bothering you, Corporal, and I would like to know what the cause is.”

”Well, sir, a few days ago, I had to open fire on someone in my own country. Someone who is of my own race. Someone that has connections of my blood running through their veins. Someone who could possibly be distant family of mine. And that just makes me think. I’m here to defend the honor of my country, not turn the gun on its own people.”

Afolabi put a hand on Massi’s shoulder.

”Corporal, I understand your concern, but you must understand that these people have rebelled against their own country first. Yes, I understand the reasons that they are upset and I sympathize with them, but they are going about it in the wrong way. Taking up arms against your own country separates you from the relationship that you share with your countrymen. That’s what these people have done. They have decided that they would rather try to dispose of the current authorities than pursue more peaceful ways of accomplishing their goals.”

Massi nodded as if he understood.

”Corporal, you are honoring your country the most when you fight against those who wish to see it fall.”

After those words, Afolabi felt like he had gotten through to the man. He patted him on the shoulder and returned to what he was doing.

Right before they departed to their assignments, Afolabi gathered the men together to speak a few words of encouragement.

”I know this last week has been hard for you, whether it be a physical toll, emotional toll, or both. I must remind you that you are doing a tremendous honor for your families and for your country by doing exactly what you are right now. Fighting those which seek to destroy the peace that we have. These people have made a choice to openly defy the Tolorian government, which makes them an enemy of our great nation, and we all know what is done to enemies of our nation. It is of the utmost importance that you go out there and do your job. Millions of lives are dependent upon your ability to contain this mess within this city, and eventually wipe out. You all have done your duty so far, but there is still work to be done. Your country thanks you for your service. Your Emperor thanks you for your service. Your families thank you for your service. Keep those thoughts in mind when you step into the city.”

The men gave a brief round of applause and headed out to find the TRF.

[Tolorian Empire]

Colonel Anwar Afolabi
1800 hours(UTC+1), August 19, 2016
Military Outpost
Adrar, Algeria

The last few hours for the 11th Infantry Battalion had been anything but peaceful. They had finally finished neutralizing all the resistance in the city. The last uncontrolled parts of the city had put up more of a fight than all the rest of the city combined. Most of the remaining members of the TRF had armed themselves and bunkered down in this small part of Adrar. The 11th’s progress was very slow because of this and that made the outcome all the more sweeter. Now the men could receive the rest they deserved.

Col. Afolabi was currently going to get a full report on casualties and injured of his battalion.

”Sir, we have a reported 3 dead, 13 wounded, an 0 missing in action.”

Although he never liked hearing of any of his men being wounded or killed, he felt like this was a relatively small number for what it could have been. The 11th was the only battalion that was deployed to take back the last districts of the city.

”Rebel casualties number 59 dead, and 10 wounded.”

”Excellent, I will go inform—.“ Afolabi was interrupted by the man, who still had more to say.

”Sir, I have one more important piece of news. In our final sweep of the city we found another leading member of the TRF. We have sent word back to the Intelligence Minister and they are sending an NIA operative as we speak. In regards to the other members, they have either fled the city or we missed them in our last sweep. My answer would be the former rather than the later.”

The National Intelligence Agency, or the NIA, was the responsible party for tracking down any domestic terrorists or relaying any threats of public safety to the proper authorities. They would soon be the sole agency responsible for tracking down the rest of the leaders of the TRF. In previous years, they had tracked down a few Al-Shams cells, but they knew that there were still more in the country and they were actively searching for them.

”That is a good report except for that last part. In any case, I will order one final sweep of the city as a whole, in a joint effort with the 23rd. If we still cannot locate them within the city, then we will relay that to NIA and they will take over operations from there. What was the report of those arrested?”

”Citywide, there have been 395 arrests made on charges of murder, theft, vandalism, breaking and entering, assault, and sympathizing with terrorists. Trials will begin as soon as we report that the city is under control. In the parts that you were operating in today, 128 arrests were made, with most of those charges being sympathizing with terrorists.”

”Very well. Thank you, Private. I will need this information to make my official report.”

[Tolorian Empire]

Fawzi Amjhad
1400 hours(UTC+1), August 22, 2016
Algiers, Algeria

”Please make sure Ms. Hairston and her associates are comfortable for the duration of their trip. And be sure to thank her one last time for coming out personally.”

After Fawzi finished, his aide left the room and went to accompany Gloria Hairston and Manchurian Global’s representatives on their way to their boarding for the rest of the day. The next morning they would board a plane and head back to Layarteb.

Fawzi was now tidying up his desk post-meeting. He and Ms. Hairston had just finished finalizing an infrastructure deal that would dramatically improve the country’s failing infrastructure. The deal was worth $89 billion and would allow for MG to establish an office in the country if they so desired. The deal would mainly affect the country’s roads and energy infrastructure. The idea was that an improvement of the infrastructure would create jobs, and the job uptick would provide a spark for the stagnant economy. This spark could then allow for the economy to enter into a period of steady growth, thus ending this crisis that the country was in now.

The meetings went by fairly quickly, or at least that’s how Fawzi felt. One thing that surprised him was that Ms. Hairston had decided to personally fly out instead of just sending representatives. He respected that and made sure to mention it to her. MG and his team got to work immediately on hammering out a deal and he made sure to make a fair deal, but not to overcompensate the company. He did not just want to throw large amounts of money their way just because this would make it look they were in a desperate situation and looking for a quick fix. In all fairness, they were in a desperate situation and looking for a quick fix, but Fawzi did not want to show that to any of MG’s representatives, lest they see this and try to up the price tag.

The project would start to take effect in the next six months and would provide a boost for domestic job growth. If it stayed on schedule, the whole project would only last for five years. Afterwards, Fawzi hoped to maintain good relations with Manchurian Global and to develop new projects over the coming years.

For now, Fawzi was going to relay the news to the Emperor. A few weeks ago, Fawzi had shaken confidence in the Emperor and now he felt like he could trust the Emperor. He now felt like they had a budding relationship and he thought he was now considered a regular at the Emperor’s table, so to speak.

---

Emperor Hosni Darzi
1600 hours(UTC+1), August 22, 2016
Imperial Palace
Algiers, Algeria

Emperor Darzi was more than pleased to hear that the infrastructure deal had been closed. He felt like some of this pressure had been lifted. The situation in Adrar had almost come to a complete stop, and now the deal which would boost the economy had been completed.

In regards to the situation in Adrar, the military had complete control of the city, but order had not been fully restored just yet. There were still a few trouble makers there that had not been caught and the arrests were still being made, although the rate at which they were happening had dropped tremendously. The citizens were still in a tough situation, but they had now felt like their frustrations were being heard and had a little peace. In their eyes, they were the real winners of this situation.

Emperor Darzi had now learned from this situation that he would need to start improving his country’s standard of living or he would be in serious trouble. The creation of the Tolorian Revolutionary Front did not necessarily concern him, but his worry was with the possibility of other “terrorist groups”, as he called them, being formed in response to this situation or for any possible situation that could happen in the future. Because of this, the Emperor decided that he would create an agenda that he would need to accomplish to appease the needs of the people.

[Layarteb]

August 24, 2016 - 09:30 hrs [UTC-5]
Layarteb City, New York
Manchurian Global Corporate HQ
(40° 42' 23" N, 74° 0' 27" W )

In the corporate boardroom, Gloria Hairston had found her place at the table and unpacked her briefcase before most of the meeting's invitees arrived. She'd adjusted her skirt before she left her office to avoid any embarrassing malfunctions with the short-but-not-too-short skirt that she opted to wear on the day she was presenting the culmination of a major contract for Manchurian Global. She hadn't yet informed the majority of the board though she had informed Joshua Barron, the CEO, the sum value of the contact with the Tolorian Empire and he was quite pleased with the deal, which would result in a sizeable bonus to her for sealing the deal, as they said. She'd opted for what she perceived as a "power outfit," which included a pair of uncomfortable but extremely flashy high heels that she wore only for the meeting. In her office, she had opted to sit at her desk without her heels on, lest they blister her feet from just being on them.

One by one, the five board members entered the room and took their seats. No one else would be joining them today. The first to arrive was the company's chief technology officer, Brenda Porter. She was followed by the chief business officer, Glenn O'Donnell. The chief financial officer and the vice chairman of the board, William Brennan and James Matson, arrived shortly thereafter and Joshua Barron arrived last. All five of them had assigned seats at the table and Gloria was seated at a seat normally reserved for guests. Her own boss could not be present though he was informed of the details as per protocol.

Gloria's trip to Algiers had not been a cheap one. She'd flown on the company's corporate jet to and from the country, which meant fuel, flight hours, and all of the comfort associated with a privately constructed VIP jet. Manchurian Global had three VIP jets and Gloria had flown on the newest and most elegant, a Boeing 787-9. To travel aboard this jet was to travel truly in the lap of luxury. The jet itself seated fifty-six passengers but Gloria had traveled only with a small staff of three persons, one of whom was the company's legal counsel. The jet itself was outfitted with five compartments, so to speak. At the head of the aircraft was a galley and a lavatory. Immediately aft was the forward lounge, which sat up to nine persons. Then there was the main stateroom, which could seat up to three. The stateroom included a lounge area with a fold out couch, a private bathroom and shower, and a queen-sized bed. The aft lounge sat up to eight persons. Two smaller suites were aft of the aft lounge and each featured a sitting chair and a fold out couch, the latter, which became a full-sized bed for two persons. Aft of these suites was a general seating area, which could hold up to thirty-two persons in four rows of three-two-three arrangement. There was an aft galley and two lavatories.

The entire aircraft was state-of-the-art and no expense was spared. It had a range of ten thousand nautical miles and flying to and from Algiers had been over four thousand nautical miles each way, not a particularly long flight but an expensive one nonetheless considering the salaries of the air crew, the cost of fuel, the cost of maintenance, and the cost of the amenities provided the four passengers. Needless to say, the price of each passenger well exceeded §20,000 per passenger but for the company, this was chump change considering what the flight had yielded, which was now up to Gloria to disclose. The deal might have been signed with the Tolorian government but it still needed board approval.

"On Monday, I sat with Emperor Darzi and his head of infrastructure development, Minister Allya personally in Algiers at the Imperial Palace," Gloria began. "He explained to be the plight of the Tolorian people. Their country is on the cusp of revolution. Unemployment is rampant and the country's infrastructure is crumbling. They are in the crisis of their lifetime and without aid or assistance, they would be left to suffer. The governments of the world have ignored the plight of the Tolorian people and NGOs have largely turned their backs. Politics aside, it is the people of the Tolorian Empire who will suffer and not necessarily its rulers, who may have the means to escape any situation. I see no reason to sympathize with them except for the fact that Emperor Darzi wants nothing more than to help his people.

"One would think that even Windhoek would take sympathy upon this country but they have not. This is why the Tolorian government turned to us. Our reputation precedes us and as a company, look what we have done for the Empire alone. The Tolorian government is looking for a long-lasting contract with Manchurian Global for assistance.

"What this contract contains is a long-lasting relationship with the Tolorian government and the opportunity to expand into Northern Africa with opportunities that to this day we have not had. The meat of the contract is simple. We will assist the Tolorian government in rebuilding its roads, improving its water and sewage treatment facilities, we will help reconstruct the country's failing and inadequate energy system. This contact contains power plants, it contains roads, and it contains everything that involves keeping them viable for a modern nation. The caveat is that while our officers can manage the project, we are to hire Tolorian citizens for labor.

"What I have here thus is a contract worth eighty-nine billion African marks," at this, the boardroom lit up with excitement. "Our take of the profit is no less than thirty-nine billion African marks. We benefit greatly from the domestic labor pool and from the fact that it will be cheaper to simply tear down parts of the infrastructure to rebuild it from the ground up, which allows us near total control over this project. The Tolorian government will have a representative affixed to this contact who will oversee matters. Our building codes in Layarteb are not the same as they are in the Tolorian Empire. We would not even need to use cheaper materials to maximize this profit margin. In addition, and I have pointed it out here in my report, we have the opportunity to test new energy solutions without the regulations of the Layartebian government." This piece alone was very attractive to the board. Manchurian Global had over §80 billion tied up in new, experimental power systems that were hamstrung by the protectionist regulations imposed by the Layartebian government, not to mention the safety constraints. The Tolorian Empire was not a free-for-all but they did not have the same regulations that the Empire had as few nations did.

"Miss Hairston," said Joshua Barron, "we knew this was a slam dunk from the start and that is why we sent you along. This is excellent work and I think, based purely on the reactions of my colleagues here that we will accept his contract, lest anyone disagree?" Heads shook all around the table. "Quite impressive work Miss Hairston and I believe, per your salary agreement that a specific percentage of this deal would be paid out as a bonus?"

"That is correct Mister Barron," she said, knowing the figure in her head. Per her salary contract, she was entitled to a bonus of $390,000, a small portion of the profit but more than her yearly salary.

"Well you've earned it and gentlemen and ladies," Barron addressed the room, "I spoke last night with legal and the deal not only complies with all existing, Layartebian laws but it does not take advantage of any loopholes that might garner negative press. As we are all aware, our corporate image is everything. This is the biggest PR coup of the decade. Manchurian Global, a mega corporation with over one trillion shingrots in assets is helping to bring power, water, and transportation to the Tolorian people. We, a corporation, have done something that no government and no NGO has been willing to do. Why? Do political differences mean that the average person cannot be helped? I would say that is where these NGOs and government are weak." Here he smiled, "We can help these people and we will help these people and we won't do it for free because nothing is free but we are willing to do it. That is the message we will press on to the world. The governments of the world have turned their backs on the Tolorian people. Look at Windhoek, the great 'cause of human rights' and they allow this country to squalor because of political disagreement. What good are NGOs with their limited funds of volunteer coordinators if they cannot help these people. Imagine the joy on the faces of the Tolorian people when they have clean water, reliable electricity, and smooth roads. We will provide employment to hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. Sure the wage is less but that is besides the point. We are providing them with a wage. We are putting money in their pockets. No NGO or government is doing that right now. This is our time." Joshua said before clapping and honoring Gloria who would be celebrating over very strong drinks this particular evening with her long-term boyfriend, a man who worked for an international legal organization who traveled as much as she did. This would be a major moment of celebration for them and they intended to celebrate it right.

[Tolorian Empire]

Emperor Hosni Darzi
0900 hours(UTC+1), August 24, 2016
Briefing Room
Algiers, Algeria

The room was full of chatter as the attendees came in. They quickly found their seats and exchanged a few members with their fellow members. This was the briefing room, and it was being used at this time for the National Security Council of the Tolorian Empire. In attendance was Interior Minister Ahmed Allya, Intelligence Minister Chikondo Boulous, Foreign Minister Musa Mohammed, Defense Minister Adisa Obama, Prime Minister Akeem Ahmed, National Security Advisor Tafari Adebayo, Finance Minister Ihsan Muhammed, and General of All Armed Forces Udoh Ali. The group has been criticized by foreign nations for their lack of female leaders, but the Emperor’s handpicked Council has stayed true to its traditions despite criticism. The constant chatter stopped and all the attendees stood at attention once the Emperor entered the room. He shot them a quick salute in return and proceeded to take his seat at the head of the table.

”Good morning, gentlemen. I am glad to see that you were all able to make it to the meeting today. We have found ourselves in a peculiar situation. Over the past year, our great country has deteriorated at an alarming rate. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our economy has hit a wall, and we need to create an agenda to bring glory back to our nation. Other world powers consider us an afterthought now and we need to reestablish ourselves as a regional power on our great continent. First, let us start with our current situation domestically. Minister Allya, what is the current situation regarding control of Adrar?”

”Sir, I am happy to report to you that control has been fully reestablished in the city, and the military has almost completely withdrew from the city. Local police have resumed their normal duties and have had very little problems. They have also wrapped up most of the arrests and trials are set to begin soon.” The minister gave this report very confidently, but his tone changed as he shifted to the latter part of his report.

”However, the riots did cause massive property damage and collateral damage. It will cost us a great deal of money to repair the damage and get everything back to the way it was.”

The Emperor nodded.

”Well, Minister Allya, regarding the infrastructure damage, we have successfully agreed to a contract with Manchurian Global out of the Empire of Layarteb. To the rest of the members of the Council, I would like to announce that I have decided to put into place a special council to oversee the trials and the verdicts. This council’s main purpose is to determine who went to the extreme when they broke the law and who should be punished. They will also determine whether or not the actions shown should be punished. It is my hope that this council will pardon the majority of those arrested because they acted out of desperation.”

The Council all nodded in agreement.

”Minister Muhammed, how soon would our contract with MG be able to be put into effect into the city of Adrar.”

The Minister of Finance Ihsan Muhammed gathered his reports. ”Well, sir, work would not begin until towards end of the year. My estimate would be November, given everything goes to plan. Sir, when I received the report from Mr. Fawzi Amjhad, he put that the work would begin in the capital first and then move to Adrar.”

Emperor Darzi nodded, showing his approval.

”Sir, as I was looking at the reports, i had my team run a few financial estimates for each individual city. The city of Adrar had great potential. A significant portion of the work done by MG will be done in Adrar. Also, the infrastructure would actually improve drastically from what it was before it was destroyed. Basically, the economy will receive a great boost from the improvement of infrastructure in cities such as Adrar and Algiers.”

”Thank you, Minister Muhammed. That’s always a pleasant thing to hear. Minister Boulous, how has the progress been with this rebel group?”

”Sir, we have operatives out right now looking. We found one of the leaders in the city of Reggane. Our intel reports we have only two leaders left and we believe Timimoun, which is right outside of Adrar. We believe that they are there with most of the remaining members of the TRF. Their numbers are around 450. A brief sweep with the military would either completely eradicate them or force them to give themselves up. Either way, their days are numbered. Sir, we could coordinate with General Ali to remove them from the picture.”

”Thank you, Minister Boulous, we will further discuss with General Ali on finishing them off at a later date. Minister Mohammed, how are we doing with our foreign contacts?”

”The situation in the Kingdom of Libya is somewhat stable at the moment. Our past attempts at having a cordial relationship with them has failed, because of their disdain for our way of doing things. As of the moment, however, it does not seem that they are a serious threat to us nor have they shown that they want to make themselves a threat to us.”

”Very good. Whether or not we can get on good terms with them is not of the utmost importance. What is, however, is that no one is threatening our borders during this time.”

”I agree whole-heartedly, sir. To the west, we have the Birean Empire. From what I understand, they are neutral towards us. Their current situation is an interesting one. In theory, they are really just a military state. They have a decent economy and a decent sociopolitical situation.”

”Minister Mohammed, if I may interrupt you for one moment.”

The table suddenly turned to Prime Minister Akeem Ahmed, who was a relatively new face at the table. He had replaced the previous PM in wake of the failed coup attempt. He was lauded by the emperor for his unwavering loyalty and determination. It was unusual for anyone to interrupt whoever currently had the floor until they were completely finished with their briefing. This made it even more odd that the new guy at the table would do this.

”I think we may have been presented with an opportunity to secure our border and to possibly even expand our territorial borders. The Birean Empire does not currently have any friends, at least not any that could significantly help them in their time of need. Sir, if I may, I would like to suggest the possibility of sending an ambassador to Birea. This could improve our relationship with Birea and could potentially enable us to form an alliance with them.”

”Prime Minister Ahmed, I appreciate your vigor regarding that proposal, but I think the Council would all agree that that is not a viable option. The Emperor of Birea is known to be very stubborn. He is not the friendly type and believes that the sword is mightier than the pen. In either case, dragging us into an alliance, a military alliance no-less, could be very devastating to our economy if they were to drag us into a war. And our economy is currently struggling, so that would be very detrimental to us.”

”I agree, sir, but to a certain point,” said FM Mohammed. ”I agree that an alliance would be devastating to our economy so we must hold out on that for now. But Minister Ahmed is on to something with his idea. If we were to spread our influence into Birea, it would be our first step towards us regaining the power in North Africa. Maybe down the road, we would be able to build some sort of commonwealth involving not only Birea, but other North African countries as well.”

”You two make very good points, but you both have overlooked one very big thing. The Emperor of Birea is not a man who likes to make friends. There is a reason that they have no considerable allies. He is a very headstrong man who likes to fix problems on the battlefield rather than on paper.”

”Yes, sir, I understand, but we must at least try.”

”Very well, we will put it to a vote. All in favor of sending an ambassador to Birea?”

Six of the members raised their hand including the PM, the FM, the Finance Minister, Minister of Defence, the General, and the Interior Minister.

”Alright, there we have it. In the next coming days we will send an ambassador to Birea and see what we can do.”

[Tolorian Empire]

Ambassador Tahir Najem
1200 hours(UTC+1), September 14, 2016
En route to Bamako, Mali (Birea)

(Take note of the date jump)

Thousands of feet in the air in the cabin of a Bomardier Challenger 350, Ambassador Tahir Najem sat going over his briefing one last time before he was to land in Birea. The jet that he was in was one of the few that existed inside the Empire. There were roughly three or four owned by the government, and they were only used for certain purposes, such as foreign visits. It allowed enough seating for himself and the three aides that were accompanying him, as well as the two-man crew piloting the aircraft. The engines allowed the plane to speedily travel at through its cruise speed of Mach 0.80. They also carried along a flight attendant, just in case any of the passengers were in need of a refreshment.

Ambassador Najem was currently reading the last parts of his briefing. The ambassador was very young, in his late-30’s, and lacked much experience in foreign visits. But he was chosen to head this mission because of his fervor and diplomatic skills. Many, including the Emperor, felt that his youth and passion could make up for his inexperience and could complete the task at hand. Najem had attended one of the nation’s top colleges, and was very successful in his studies there. This eventually led to him pursuing a career in diplomatic relations.

“So today, we will only be able to meet with the council of the Emperor, instead of meeting him directly. That is a little disheartening.”

“But, sir, we do still have a meeting scheduled with him tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes, but I would have liked to be greeted by him on the tarmac. But, in times like these we must practice patience. When we do meet with the Emperor, however, we must make a strong case as to why an alliance would be beneficial for us and them. They are a very isolated peoples, and that leaves them vulnerable to the changing world. However, they do have a very strong standing army. One of the fiercest of the continent, might I add. While I would not encourage a war between our people, I still have faith that our Imperial forces would get the job done.”

The ambassador smirked as that last sentence came from his mouth. Then he continued.

”I feel very confident in our course of action for now. Let me rest, and wake me up when we have reached our destination.”

---

After the plane had gotten the all-clear to land, it made its way for its final approach. As this was happening the Ambassador was woken from his short-lived nap. The plane then made a smooth landing and the passengers inside waited, as the security measures were taken for the Birean soldiers to search the interior and exterior of the plane for any causes of danger. After everything was cleared, the door of the plane was opened and Ambassador Najem stepped out onto the tarmac. He was immediately greeted by the members of the Birean council and a platoon of soldiers standing at salute. Ambassador Najem and his aides exchanged pleasantries with their counterparts and proceeded to the vehicles that would transport them to the capital.