Lions, Leopards and Donkeys

[Ebria]

Prelude to Eileen
Que Que Military Garrison
19th of December 0945 hours

General Adem Vorster was a man in his early 50s. His once blonde hair has gone grey already, but it was hart to observe it, as he was keeping it extremely closely trimmed. He was tanned by the Himyari sun and was wearing a Natalian cream coloured bush uniform, with a green beret. He was overseeing the unloading of equipment from three big planes that bought three tanks and six Ratel IFVs. It was the last shipment Natalia will give to the FTU before Operation Eileen. With this, the Mai Mai boasted 10 Elephant Mk.3 tanks, 30 Ratels an around 50 APCs. The NADF has deemed it enough for the Mai Mai to fight an asymmetric war against the LLC and then to push the government into the sea.

The base was very agitated, with people running all over the place, making the last preparations until the order will be given. Adem Vorster looked at the Fante soldiers manning the Elephants out of the plane and could not but cringe a bit, seeing how rough they were in using it. "If I see a scratch on them before the order is given, I'm gonna afkak you all! I want soldiers manning them, not floppies, you hear me?" Vorster shouted towards them, but he knew they didn't hear them, as a helicopter was landing nearby and its sound covered everything.

After he observed that the Mai Mai soldiers were pretty decent and they parked the tanks and the other vehicles as requested, he went into the main building, where in his office, Commandant Chee Akachi was waiting for him. "My friend, I really want to thank you in the name of the whole tribal union for all this. I am pretty sure that all your efforts have made sure that the communists have not overwhelmed our side of Loago too," said the Fante officer. He was a young man, in his 30s, with his hair put into small dreadlocks. It was a strange image to see the experienced general in his 50s referred to as so informally by a pseudo-officer of an informal army, but Vorster knew that there were some cultural elements of Elbener and Gunnish culture that made the Natalians much polite and caring more about titles and such than the Fante, so he simply let it slip. "My friend, as the Sylvanians say, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Soon Eileen will start and then you will prove your mettle. Natalia will provide support, but it won't fight your battles for you," said Vorster and the Fante man nodded in approval. As the two were doing some small chat and drinking a cup of mint sea, an Azraqi cultural import that can be seen all over Loago, an aide knocked on the door.

"Sir, two men saying they are from the INTAF are looking for you," the man said in Natalian, with a strong accent. The two men entered the room as they were invited by the general. One of them was a white Natalian, the other a mulatto. The white one, presented himself as Andries van Heerden He was only 24 year old, with a short light brown hair, of stocky build and the other, presented himself as Ruben McLean. He was tall and had long dark curly hair, a darker skin tone than Andries and Vorster but it was clear he wasn't a Nethian. While van Heerden was wearing the cream bush uniform with a green beret, as Vorster, McLean was wearing some khaki cargo trousers, a white shirt and over it a worn black leather jacket. Vorster couldn't understand how he could resist in the Himyari heat wearing that, but the smell of sweat coming from him answered to Vorster's enquiries. The general also observed that while van Heerden had no weapon on him, McLean had a pistol holster under his leather jacket.

"I have been informed of your arrival and of your mission. You will have to take care, as you will be functioning as a commando behind enemy lines, but your mission will begin only after Eileen starts. Until then, you will be in the recon cavalry, with the roles of political commissioners. That will give you enough leeway to function independently, without having people asking too many questions about you," said Vorster. "I don't care about all this. I'm here for the Guldens. I've been promised alot by Nkosi Dingane," said McLean. As he spoke, both Vorster and van Heerden retched a bit from the stench of alcohol and sweat that was coming from him. "So you are typical NAAFI, are ya?" asked Vorster smirking, but when he saw McLean's confused faced, he explained: "No Ambition and Fuck All Interest." That made McLean let out a short laugh. "I already told you my ambition and interest. It comes on the form of banknotes showing Rhinos, Zebras and Giraffes," he said smiling, showing a golden teeth.

"You're in Loago, son. Not in Chama, where the chief can protect you. As long as you are here you will follow instructions. You are functioning outside of us, so I will simply not care what you do, as long as you stay away from restricted areas and wear a uniform while on base, you hear me?" said Vorster slowly, but fiercely. "Aye, sir," said McLean barely mimicking a salute. "Dismissed," said Vorster annoyed.

"I hope you know who you work which," said Vorster after a short pause for McLean to leave the room, as he turned towards Andries van Heerden. "This guy is dangerous and he doesn't play by the rules. Fucking bounty hunters... They should all be executed, but Himyar is a continent that breeds too many of them..." continued Vorster sourly. He went to his desk and handed Andries a dossier. "Present this to Captain Chika Okparo. He is leading a joint Natalian-Fante unit of reconnaissance. Also, don't be surprised. They are all mounted on horses. This is Loago, where a decent vehicle is too expensive and precious to lose it in the shitty bush," said Vorster smiling. "Son, you are between friends here. While I know that you need to complete your original mission of the INTAF, I want you to know that we protect our friends, so when you are in the bush only with that creature, always keep your guard up and count on us to protect our men," said Vorster as van Heerden nodded, saluted and left afterwards.

 

[Ebria]

Prelude to Eileen II
Bulawayo, North Side
22th of December 0850 hours

Yesterday, General Vorster lead a convoy from Que Que to Bulawayo, made of the latest arrivals from Natalia, a few more tanks, Ratels and other APCs. They were divided in two groups and during the night, one travelled to Bai Bokoum and the other to Lai.

Vorster slept during the night at the Natalian Permanent Mission, where he was invited by John Acton, the main representative of the Federation in Loago. The two had a traditional Loagan meal made of stewed zebra meat and then Vorster went to sleep as he knew that Eileen is approaching.

In the morning, Cornelius Holden Ndjoba, the supreme commander of the Mai Mai held a meeting to do the last preparations of the operation. Ndjoba was a peculiar character compared to the others in the FTU. He was a catholic Fante hailing from Maseru. He was one of the main voices in the FTU that wanted instead of just declaring independence for the Fantelands to take control of the whole of Loago. Still, whole Loago was plan A, and should Eileen be a failure, defence of the Kaskazi river and declaration of independence was plan B.

"The next step will be extremely important. The mission is simple and clear. We must overwhelm the LLC as fast as pussible, with as much power as possible. That way we can overwhelm them in the central lowlands and then march on Maseru," said Ndjoba. He took a map and pointed out Bulawayo, Bai Bokoum and Lai. "General Vorster, I leave the western flank on your hands. You will cross the Kaskazi at Lai and move towards the lakes and the Kati Plain. The last offensive of the LLC was towards the Kasoko Depression, so their counterattack should come from there, as that is the place they have the bulk of their forces. Once you secure the Kati Plain, take defensive positions to keep their attacks at bay," said Ndjoba and after Vorster nodded in approval, he turned to Sefu Tamu. "Commander Tamu, you will lead the central attack. You will cross the river in Bulawayo itself and take control of the south side. Then you will move south until you will reach Aribinda," Said Ndjoba as Sefu Tamu took notes. "I personally will lead the attack along the coast. Crossing the river east of Bai Bokoum will be the most difficult, but as the region is marshy and depopulated, we do not expect much resistance there. We will cross it at Bai Bokoum and then move towards Ndala. Another unit will come from Linia to support us from the north," said Ndjoba.

"Gentlemen, this is Eileen. I know we have been very cryptic but I am happy to conclude that the Mai Mai is so well trained and disciplined that they followed orders without asking too many questions. I know there were many gaps in the info along those last weeks, but now it comes together. From now on, keep your radios and communication lines open at all times to wait for the code to begin the Operation. God be with us," he said as he concluded the meeting.

South of the Kaskazi River, 10 km south of Ouara
1750 hours

The horse neighed as Andries van Heerden pushed it into a gallop to catch Ruban MacLean from behind. The two stopped next to a pond so that the horses can rest and drink some water. Andries didn't liked it, as he hoped they will begin their mission during Operation Eileen, but MacLean insisted they cross the border in the LLC dominated lands before, as the military operations will make things much more complicated.

"If it's true that the LLC is preparing for some sort of congress to set up their government, we should head to Dano. It feels that its the most central town and thus the safest from both the FTU and the government," said MacLean as he unmounted his cream Urudoah horse. "That is what AP said in their latest news on Loago. Dunno where they got their source or why they reported Dano as the place of the meeting. Surely now that they have seen the article they will be moving it to somewhere else," said Andries.

MacLean stopped for a bit to think. "Do you know any of the lingo spoken here?" he asked. "Other than a few words, no," responded Andries. "Good, then you will be a Natalian I captured and I want to offer it to Masimba. How do you fancy being a slave?" asked MacLean smiling maliciously. "Like any other person, I'm really not that much into it," responded Andries. "Even so, when we will be approaching outposts manned by the LLC, I will tie your hands and you will act like a prisoner. Maybe they will lead us to Masimba," said MacLean as he mounted his horse and the two started riding south.

 

[Ebria]

The Message
30 km S-W of Koro Toro
26th of December 1958 hours

Andries looked at the clock. He knew that he had to tune in, as he might receive info, orders or sit-reps. He waved to MacLean to stop and he dismounted his horse and went through his backpack to take out a shitty radio and then he took out his phone. On his smartphone, Andries had a one time pad for decrypting messages. It was very secure, as he had first to go through a password, which he had to change every week, and then it had to take the fingerprints from five different fingers. He had to be careful about it, because it was made in such a way that if he made three mistakes, either with the password or with the fingerprints, which had to even be in a certain sequence, the phone would format itself. Should he make such a mistake, he had to go to an embassy or meet with a higher up to set it up again.

Andries tuned in on 3 MHz to 20 MHz on shortwaves and looked at the clock. It was 20:00.

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The interval was the same used by Radio Impala, the commercial radio station of the Natalian Broadcasting Corporation and one of the most popular Engelsh language radio stations in Himyar. It was using a tune from the 70s that every Natalian was recognising, so it made identifying the station easier. As the tune ended, a sythesiszed voice of a woman started talking with a Langfield accent in Setlaar: "Leeu, Oranje, Georg...Two Three Six Nine Six... One Six Four One Two... Two Two Six Five Zero... One Three Two Seven One... Nine Six Eight One Two... Nine Four Two One Four... Five Eight, Three, Zero, Six... Four Four One Six Three.. Five Four Four Four Eight... Eight Six Six Four Six... Six Four One Eight Nine... Four Seven Four Two Four... Eight Three Seven Zero Six... Three Zero Five Four Three... Six Eight Zero Zero Four... One Four Seven Five Zero... Seven Seven Six Four Three... Two Six Nine Zero Three... Four Two Five Four Five.. Zero Three Two One Four... Eileen! Eileen! Eileen! Over! Over! Over!" Ether sounds started to come from the radio as the transmission ended. Andries recognised the from the first letters that it was something about Loago, so he naturally thought it was something for him. He started to put the numbers on the decryption app as they came from the radio, but when he heard the Eileen part, he froze and started panicking. The app didn't have letters to use, only numbers and Eileen wasn't in the phonetic alphabet as the letter 'e'. "Fok," he muttered.

"What's the problem?" asked MacLean, but Andries made a gesture with his free hand to make him shut up to hear the rest of the message, but it ended. "I have no idea what this Eileen is," said Andries as the app started decrypting. "It's not even on the decryptor itself. Like, you can't write letters on it, only numbers... I never seen something like this," he said. MacLean frowned as he said that. "Something huge is ready to happen and it will be bad," said the bounty hunter. By this time, the app decrypted the message, but all it returned was a random series of letters, making up gibberish words. Andries relaxed, as it meant that the message wasn't for him, but still he was intrigued by what MacLean was saying. "What do you mean and how do you know?" he asked. "I wasn't born yesteryear. I am in the business for about twenty if not even more years. I listen to this shit and even if I don't understand the numbers, sometimes things change in the way they present it. Look at the Pelasgian Titan station. On a daily basis they say either Titan one or two but when shit gets serious they say three. That is clearly a defence readiness scale. You have to be blind or death or both those and an idiot to not observe that. When such differences appear in those number stations, I know I need to keep my guard up, as some shit is about to take place and that Leeu Oranje Georg tells me its the 'Log' code for Loago. With the words Eileen being added, it is clear that something will happen. I would say that we should keep our guard up and be on extremely high alert," MacLean said.

The two mounted their horses and continued to Mulume, where it was reported that the leaders of the LLC were to meet to proclaim their new government. Andries knew that the plan was extremely poor, as no one would let them get close to Masimba to ask if there is a Dumisani Buhle around that acts as a liaison for the Rhinos, but he also felt that MacLean didn't actually want to speak to Masimba himself but rather get close to him see if Buhle was around and then just kill him. He needed to stop him, as he needed to take Buhle back home for interrogation. He was making up his own plan which was to literally surrender himself to the LLC and present himself as an agent of the Rhinos to see if Buhle exists as a liaison and if the LLC actually knows anything or is in contact with the organisation, but he wasn't sure such a thing would work. Until then, the idea of what Eileen must have meant was on his mind. Probably it meant something for the agent it was sent to, but he was unsure, as it was strange to have the word said like that, instead of it being encrypted. Maybe it meant something for more agents, and the encryption was a single agent?

"That's Shume," said MacLean in his rasp voice as a village could be seen with some lights already on in the twilight. Behind it, a large open field and two hangars made Andries think that it might be an airport. The two approached the village as Andries followed MacLean's orders and tied up his hands to present himself as a prisoner of the bounty hunter.

"Howzit, bru," MacLean greeted two soldiers that were standing on guard in front of a run down building, which clearly was abandoned some time ago and now it was turned into some sort of a local command centre of the LLC, as the red flags with the hand bearing the torch were waving above the door. MacLean dismounted and he was followed by Andries. Van Heerden observed that an image so stereotypical of Loago was present here too. Men were mostly sitting on their asses either smoking or talking, while women were going about doing chores or errands.

"Acha! Usikaribie zaidi!" one of the soldiers screamed at the bounty hunter, putting his weapon, a Kadiki-made KA-74 on his hip, aiming at the two. "Kulia chini, mimi ni rafiki," said MacLean with a slow, honeyed tone. Andries didn't understood what they were saying, but he felt a bit disgusted by his tone. "Nini hii, wewe ni nani?" the soldier asked in a calmer tone, but still very sternly. The other soldier prepared his gun too. MacLean, raised his hands slowly but was still approaching them, pulling Andries after him. "Sisi ni marafiki! Mimi ni wa Kikomunisti, ninapigana kwa Loago, dhidi ya wavulana mweupe. Yeye ni mfungwa, mimi kumleta kama mtumwa wa Masimba," continued MacLean with his peaceful tone and smiling, showing his crooked teeth. Andries understood something about communists and Masimba, but was thoroughly confused about what was happening. The soldier frowned and responded sternly: "Ofisi imefungwa, kwenda mbali!" It seemed this didn't stop MacLean, who was still getting closer and pulling Andries. "Je, hamkunisikia mimi, mgeni?" yelled the soldier as he prepared his gun again. This stopped MacLean. It seems it wasn't going as he wanted, thought Andries. Suddenly the sound of a plane quickly approaching could be heard. It was too high pitched to be a sound of a plane landing on the airport he saw before, but at the same time,too uniform yet intermittent to be a plane. No, it was a helicopter.

It came low and all it did was to launch two rockets towards the hangars. The explosions rocked the earth and created two balls of fire. In the fraction of a second the form of the helicopter could be seen and Andries recognised it as being an Atlas made one, even if he didn't see the insignia and probably it never even had one. The attack created panic in the village with the men and the women running around to take cover in their houses. The two soldiers panicked too, the one who was silent started running towards the small aerodrome, while the other who screamed at MacLean put for a fraction of a second his gun down in shock of what happened. This was all MacLean needed as he unholstered his pistol and quickly shot him in the chest. "We need to leave, NOW!" screamed MacLean, as he turned and started running towards the horses. In all the adrenaline infused and frantic event, he forgot he still had Andries' hands tied and he was still pulling him. The Natalian tried to keep up, but he stumbled and fell. Three soldiers came out of the command centre as the alarm started ringing. Another helicopter came by and started firing machine guns towards the command building.

Andries tried to rise up but he lost his balance and fell again. He could see that MacLean reached the horses and in the chaotic moves to untie them, he let van Heerden's horse loose. As he mounted he shot towards the LLC soldiers around the command building a few times and then started galloping out of the village. Andries manage to rose up and he ran across the road, trying to untie his hands, but as he did that, he fell again. He tried to rose up again, right at a third helicopter flew above him, over the mud houses. He heard a gun shot and his right thigh started burning. He started to feel extremely exhausted but his body was full of adrenaline and he knew he had to escape, he had to survive. He tried to rise again, but a gun shot was heard again and his right forearm started hurting. It was the worst pain he ever felt. He might have grunted or moaned in pain, as he felt he was loosing control of everything, especially his life, everything was getting darker, but he tried again to rise, only to fall down again and this time, everything went pitch black and the deafening sounds of battle stopped.

 

[Ebria]

A Faraway Command Centre
Combs House, Kampheuwel
5th of January, 1920 hours

Combs House was two century earlier the headquarters of the Elbener Central Himyari Company, one of the biggest companies that brought settlers and developed Lower Natalia. It is seen as a prime example the Elbener Johannine architecture, mixing the shapes and decorative motifs of northern Germania with the the traditional Himyari technologies and styles of cooling a building under the tropical sun. The room where the cabinet was meeting was very laconic. It had a big window which provided a view over the main square of the old town, Kerkplein, with the skyscraper buildings that were the headquarters of the Central Himyari Airlines, the Federal Investment Corporation, Hartnett Auto, SunElectric and Suid Bank. The line of skyscrapers situated along the Leah Mangope Avenue were delimiting the Old Town from the CBD and far away, between the skyscrapers, the peaks of the Grans could be seen. The room was up to date and very vanguardist technologically, but it was lacking in much of the expensive decorations you would see in many other Himyari or Gallo-Germanian government houses, being a continuation of the tradition started by Dr. Thando, the Lord Protector of Natalia from 1984 to 1993, when the building was refurbished the last time.

The meeting was organised only between the main leaders of the country itself and the intelligence and defence services. The situation in Loago was developing and all the plans needed to adapt on a daily basis. Present in the meeting were Sibylla van Heerden, the Lady Protector, Luke Mtoto, the PM, Marshall Danie Breytenbach, the commander of the NaDF, Ronella van Onselen the Director General of the DBV and James Woodward, the Commander of the INTAF.

The situation was presented by Ronella van Onselen together with Danie Breytenbach as they all hovered over two main maps, one showing Eastern Himyar, east of the Wadjet Sea and the Northcott Channel and another, showing Loago specifically. "General Vorster has left the Mai Mai as we redeployed him to Maseru, before Operation Eileen began, but the Fante have been following his plans, especially with the raids across the Kaskazi, from Lai and Ouara. In the other two crossing points there have been problems, as Masimba is leading the counterattack and the commies are pushing the Mai Mai back in Bulawayo, while at Ndala, the whole operation was a huge disaster. We expect the Mai Mai to have lost more than a third of the equipment we have gave them," stated Ronella van Onselen. "Well, that was a sound investment..." said James Woodward, but he was interrupted by the Lady Protector: "Did the Fante leaders comment anything regarding our aligning with the NUG?" she asked. "As of yet they concentrated more on Vorster leaving their ranks. I think they really believed that he was there to stay," responded Marshall Breytenbach.

Sibylla went closer to the map showing the entire of Eastern Himyar. "The Azraqi are struggling with us to gain more influence over the Fante," she said as she pointed the Azraqi Empire on the map. "The Pelasgians are recognising the rebel government," she continued as she pointed towards the western fringes of the map. "ETCOS is eyeing the CHC and the Justosians are sending a carrier group north," she said thoughtfully. "That carrier group is a joke. One or two 212 subs can easily fuck it up," commented Breytenbach smirking. "The non-aggression treaty with Justosia has been signed exactly to be sure that they aren't our problem," stated Luke Mtoto. "As much as I too would love to see those pompous gits disappear, I would say that we should concentrate on more pressing and real matters," he continued.

"The FIC has bought enough shares to give us a simple majority in the CHC, we believe that it will be enough to keep Natalia and the NUG bonded, though not enough to give is control over the board of directors of the CHC," stated James Woodward. "I believe that if the government would offer one more billion Gulden, we could manage to reach a 50% of the shares, if not more..." he continued, but he was interrupted by Mtoto. "Out of question. We believed that even so, 5 billion is a sum of biblical proportions, especially when given to such enterprises. Don't forget that should Masimba have only a slight more luck, he could overwhelm all the defences and go in a full march up to Maseru. If that happens, we have lost so much of the money that could have been sent in rebuilding the townships. I currently have on my hands a project to rebuild District 9 of Swartperd and replace corrugated iron shacks with ten story high apartment buildings. I would prefer to give money to that, rather than Loagans killing each other," continued the Prime Minister sternly. "Mr. Mtoto is right. We have been voted to provide for Natalians and then for the rest of the Himyaris. Even so, we can't isolate ourselves. Loago is now fully linked to the destiny of Natalia and it is in our interest to keep in Maseru a friendly government," stated Sibylla van Heerden.

"We have send two oil tankers to Maseru, that shall restart them. Also, the Security Forces there have the necessary tanks, APCs and helicopters, but they lack spare parts to fully field their equipment. We are ready not to offer them for free, but to set up a lend-lease program with Maseru, and from what I understand, Mosi Kamara is actually open to the idea," stated Luke Mtoto. "We need to think pragmatically too. We have invested much in Loago and we need to be sure that our assets there are now protected," he continued.

The room fell silent for a bit, waiting for a comment of the Lady Protector, by Sibylla was looking at the map of Loago. "Marshall Breytenbach, the second phase of Eileen is to send peacekeepers in northern Loago, right?" she asked still looking at the map, making no eye contact with the others. "Yes ma'am, if the Fante offensive doesn't have the necessary strength to take control of the whole of Loago, we are moving our assets in defensive posture and they will fight for breaking the country up, declaring an independent Fante state and we are to sent peacekeepers there, to be sure that whoever would control Maseru, be them Caledonians, NUG or communists don't invade them," he said robotic, as if he was saying a poetry he hated. "Well, now that our plans changed and we don't put our hopes in the FTU and also acquired assets in the south, I'd say that we move to this phase and adapt it," she stated. "Mr. Mtoto, would Mosi Kamara and the NUG accept Natalian boots on the ground, on his side?" she asked as she raised her sight and eyed the Prime Minister. "I think that he will be glad to have reinforcements that he can trust to replace the PACFOR soldiers," said Mtoto. "Let us not forget that the Azraqi have stated that they are willing and ready to send peacekeepers in Loago. I have a feeling that what our plan B was with the Fante, that is their main plan. I fear that their peacekeepers will be in Northern Loago and will remain there, supporting a potential Fante separatist polity," he stated. "As long as they aren't used to invade the rest of Loago and push us out, I'd say we are safe," said Sibylla.

With this the meeting concluded. As the people were preparing to leave the room, Danie Breytenbach, Sibylla van Heerden and Ronella van Onselen. As Ronella too was preparing to leave, the Lady Protector stopped her. "Director-General, is there any news about agent Zebra?" she asked. "Your excellency, all we know is that before new year's eve, both agent Zebra and the bounty hunter were active around Koro Toro, but there was a governmental raid against a local airstrip there and that is where we lost track of him. The crypting device he had on his PDA was used as a way to track our agents, but us losing him must be because it was destroyed during the chaos. We have still managed to track the bounty hunter two days later, but he disappeared again from our radars," said the Director-General of the Department of Foreign Reconnaissance. "Thank you, Ronella," said Sibylla as the Director-General left the room. After she left, Sibylla sighed and left a tear run down her cheek. Danie Breytenbach knew that agent Zebra was a nephew of her, that they used set this up because they needed someone they could fully trust on the ground and who known Dumnisani Buhle and he observed that as much as van Onselen told her that it might only his PDA be destroyed, he could see that Sibylla started to regret this whole endeavour. She broke down in the end and hugged him, as he tried to comfort her.

 

[Azraq]

The Intervention
Moos Airbase, Dawamalia
14th of January, 0815 hours

After weeks of dithering, the time had finally come for action.

Flying from Moos airbase was a squadron of Cussian-made CAS-10 Buzzardhawks, adorned with the light blue and white roundel of the Azraqi Imperial Armed Forces. Designed to support ground attacks, their mission was to support the Mai Mai militia of the Fante tribes in repelling the Loagan League of Communists.

Azraqi special forces, including units from the feared headhunter tribes of the Spice Islands, were already on the ground coordinating with Fante militia commanders, supported by agents from the Imperial Security and Intelligence Service, better known as Isis.

Azraq's approach to the conflict in Loago had been chaotic from the start.

After lamely calling for peace and stability and stopping any refugees from getting in, the return of white minority rule and then growing interest from outside powers forced the Empire to take a stand. Jugol threw its weight the national unity government in Maseru on the condition Caledonian peacekeepers, backed up by Elbener volunteers, withdrew. The two Catholic kingdoms in the Far North acquiesced, giving the young left-wing coalition ruling Azraq an early foreign policy victory. However, the creation of a rival regime recognised by the LLC, swiftly recognised by Pelasgia, followed by the arrival of Natalian peacekeepers, soon saw the Empire on the back foot again.

The air strikes taking place today and tomorrow were meant to change that.

While the bombing raids would make little difference militarily, they would be a propaganda coup at home and show the rest of the world Azraq, long a sleeping giant, meant business in Loago.

 

[Ebria]

The Scorching Sands
30km S-E of Baki, Cabaon
7th of January, 1530 hours

The sounds made by the tent as the wind was blowing woke him up. As he opened his eyes, a his head started pounding, so he closed them again, as it was too much light around him and his eyes weren't used to it. His right arm, bit underneath the shoulder was pounding too, with a fading burning and it felt itchy. He tried to say something, but only a weak grunt came out. He just felt as if he kept silent so much that his vocal cords simply weren't functioning anymore. After a two or three minutes, after he felt his eyes adapted enough for the light, he tried to get up from the bed. He fell at the beginning, as his muscles weren't used to even basic effort, but he managed to keep his balance in the second try and went outside.

All around him was sand and a scorching heat. He never felt something like this before. He was used to the humid and hot weather of Baja Natalia, but this was something else. His feet were burning as the sand was probably over 60 degrees hot. In front of him was a small oasis, with palm trees growing around it, three camels were sitting close to the water. He could hear some goats somewhere and some voices speaking in a strange language, but he couldn't see anyone. There were around ten tents in the camp around the oasis. The hot air was unbearable so he went to the closest tent. As he entered it, he observed some food on a small table and famished as he was he went and started stuffing his mouth with figs, coconuts, goat cheese, and some flatbread. Only after eating two or three mouthfuls, he observed the woman sitting in a divan behind him.

"You should take it slower, indigestion is the last thing you would want now," she said in a perfect Aurarian, with a soothing voice. He looked at her but she was covered in a burka, showing only her eyes. She had tanned skin and her eyes were black. Uroduah, was the first thing that came into his mind. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Where are we?"he asked inquisitively. "Around 50km south of Baki, in Cabaon, very close to the Azraqi border," she said. "How did I end up here?" he asked in a rasp voice.

The woman shower her face and smiled. "My name is Zahira el-Javid. I am a part of the NDFLC, the National Democratic Front for the Liberation of Cabaon, but if that is too complicated, we are sometimes only called the Ahmari, the reds in Cabaonian, to distinguish us from the Azraqi, who are the blues. You were brought here by your friend, Ruben MacLean, the bounty hunter,"she said. "I don't remember... Last thing I know was that all hell broke loose in Loago... Koro Toro I think it was..." he said making pauses to continue eating. "You were shot in the arm. It was just a flesh wound as the bullet barely touched you but it got infected. Your friend, the bounty hunter..." she continued but she was interrupted. "He's not my friend... We just had the same target. Dumisani Buhle and the Rhinos," he said as he finished the coconuts. "Either way, MacLean brought you to us," she said and then she rose, going to take a carafe of water and gave it to him. "You were lucky. In the state you were in, with fever and being delirious, its is a miracle from Allah that you survived," she said as she smiled at him.

A man came in, he wasn't Urudoah as her, but a Cyanopian. He was a mountain of a man, two metres tall and over 110kg, he thought, with a very dark skin, wearing light grey robes. He told something to the woman in Cabaonian, and she translated. "So, are truly whom MacLean says you are?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow. "It depends... what did the bounty hunter say of me?" he asked back. "That you are Andres Iniesta, a Natalian agent of the Dirección de Reconocimiento Extranjero, known as Agent Zebra," she said smiling as she saw that Andres wasn't even trying to hide his surprise that they knew about him.

"I may be," Andres said. "What of it?" he asked, putting himself psychologically on guard, but a contraction of his shoulder sent waves of stabbing pains from his wound and he grimaced. "We need your help. Natalia, together with Azraq managed to put pressure on Caledonia to leave. But now we need more support. Fela Kazi, the leader of the independence movement, and one of the sheikhs managed to survive an assassination attempt in Ajdir a few weeks ago and he is in hiding since then, but we are ready to start the fight for real liberation. All the sheikhs that sucked it up to the Caledonian authorities are now presenting themselves as the face of the new, free Cabaon, but we all know that what the Caledonian Himyari Company is in Loago, the Aid Program is here and Dun Eidyn still holds the life line for this new regime. We need to begin the fight to liberate this country once and for all," she said.

Andres was trying to understand what was happening, but he was just too confused. "Why me? Why not a Natalian embassy?" he asked. "You really think that we wouldn't have been observed if we would have gone into the Legation of Natalia in Ajdir and asked for support to overthrow the government," she said letting off a short laugh at the end, which Andres felt to be a bit hysterical. "MacLean promised us a liaison with the DRE and he brought you here. We payed a lot for this. Just do us a favour and tell your commanders of us," she said sternly. "How would I know that this isn't a trap?" Andres asked. "My mission was in Loago, to see if there is Rhino activity festering there," he continued. "Rhinos are there," the woman said as she saw that he captured the interest of Andres, she continued. "We too had our military training done by in Loago, by the LLC. At that time, it took place in the zone of the Burukova Syndicate, where Maseru had no reach, even during peacetime. All, and by all, I mean all dissident groups are being trained there, from the LLC guerrillas to us, to DKKP militias, to Azraqi communists to anti-Engellexic Otalinans, everything you can think of as a rebel group in Himyar was being trained by the LLC there, even RANU," she stated.

"So the Burukova Syndicate is behind all this?" Andres asked, but the woman smirked, making him feel like an idiot. "You think like a white man, coming from a country set up by the white men," she said. "Burukova doesn't care what the LLC did as long as they did their main duty, to protect and police the territory of the Syndicate. Opium is being produced there in huge quantities and transported by the LLC into Azraq and from there to Toyou and over the Kubwa Lake by the Rhinos into Port Stanley, they Natalia and from there, the Aurosphere, Gallo-Germania and the Westernesse. The opioid epidemic in Sylvania is the product of this trade. When the current Masimba took control of the LLC, they broke their deal with the Burukovas and that has been seen in the decrease of opioids flooding into Azraq and have moved into their People's War to conquer Loago. We moved with them first and I know where they have set up camps in central Loago. I will give you the location of two of those camps, where I know that Rhinos, together with DKKP and even some Eiffellandian KPE guerrillas are being trained, so you can send them over to your superiors. With this I hope to win your trust and you can help us liberate this contry once and for all," she said full of emphatically.

"But why Natalia and not Azraq?" Andres asked. "Azraq is the home of other Cyanopians. If we wanted to just sell this country to them, we would have gone there, but we, like I said before, want it free. A foreign flag is a foreign flag even if its a white dhow on a blue background or a white saltire on a black background," she said. "I will need to find a way to contact my superiors," he said, but the Cyanopian man handed him his old PDA from Loago. "MacLean said you had this with you and you really needed it." she concluded.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

To New Beginnings
Haaga lentoasema (Haaga International Airport), Tikkurila
17th of January, 0600 hours

“...I’m ready when you are.” —A girl slipped on her flight headphones and pointed to her ear. The coordinator pointed to her microphone and she pulled it up to her mouth. “I didn’t hear what you said!” She replied shouting. The coordinator responded, “You don’t need to shout, the microphone picks up mostly everything you need to say, despite the loud engines on this plane.” She gave a thumbs up in response, “Ok!”

Twenty men and women had volunteered to be part of this group. They were the first wave, responsible for the expansion of Post Delegationism in Himyar. Over the past two weeks their training gave them basic firearms, parachuting, and medical skills. Of course none of them were masters of these skills, and it would be up to the main coordinators to guide them while there. That included a doctor, a nurse, two former army soldiers, and a head coordinator. In total that made twenty-five. Most of the members of this team were university students. They volunteered to go abroad and embark on a mission of cultural trade, but also general national progress. They’d receive periodic help from home, mostly in the form of medical gear, food, and ammunition.

All of them equipped with books and guides in the local language, they’d likely struggle trying to communicate with anyone they met that didn’t speak English or by some miracle, Finnish. Additionally, they all had the latest Kuopio mobile telephone. Kuopio was known for their popular brick mobile phones in the 1990s and 2000s. The newer ones came with the new Cyborg OS. Each member had a Kuopio brick phone for emergencies, but otherwise had a new Kuopio 8 Sirocco featuring Cyborg OS Walnut. This phone would hopefully have the Halløj! Translator to help them speak with the natives if necessary.

The Main Coordinator repeated himself, “This is your leader, Artuu Niemi, let’s do a roll call check in. I’m ready when you are.” Once again everyone began their roll call. Finally it got to the girl who messed it up last time. “Kaisa Rantanen, ready!”

All twenty-four of them had spoken. The point of no return had been past. Artuu slapped the door to the cockpit twice and the pilots began to drive the plane forward to the runway. After a couple of minutes stopped, the plane began to turn, stopped briefly again and then picked up speed. As the plane began to lift up into the air, Artuu closed the door to the outside and locked it. It wouldn’t need to be opened again for quite sometime. At least not until they arrived over the territory of the Burukova Syndicate and their designated drop point.

The airplane itself was slow and old, designed for parachute drops of supplies and people. They did not expect any direct attacks or fire upon them in Loago due to the scouting that was done prior for the route. Of course, there was an emergency protocol in the event that occurred. The actual expectation was the rendezvous with a local guide and a man named Jesse Kapanen who had made contact with some locals who seemed at least interested in helping them. From there they needed to find a way to speak with the Burukova Syndicate leadership and try to get in touch with the locals who worked in the area to spread Post Delegationism.

In some ways, this First Wave had it good. They got to go on a wild adventure. The Second Wave would only get to piggyback on their accomplishments. This was however more dangerous. A lot of things could go wrong. Kaisa began to close her eyes... they had woken up at 0300. She was tired.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

Arms and Friends
Somewhere off the coast of E.T.C.A.S.
17th of January, ~2200

"Raise that Austwegian flag! We're rounding the coast!"

"Aye, sir!"

The water of the broad South Thaumantic Ocean was rough as the vessel cut a path through the waves. The crew was men of questionable origin - cut throats, gunmen, robbers, and convicts. The cargo manifest was officially just potatoes and grain. Hidden beneath the tons of food was the true cargo - rocket launchers, assault rifles, explosives, medicine, and even illicit drugs. The ladder was not officially sanctioned by the people that had hired them, but they turned a blind eye to the business.

The ship had no true documents outside of fabricated materials by the very best Northern Mafija fraudsters. The seals, the shipping licenses, everything - it was faked to near perfection, or so it seemed. This was a joint operation between two close families and a third asset, one which Captain Ozols was ignorant about. The fat, barrel-chested man chainsmoked cigars of dubious quality imported illegally from Occidentia. He was a gregarious man who treated his crew well if they did the same. The crew members operated under the code of conduct for the Mafija and returned respect, but this was not always the case. That's why Captain Ozols and his staff were armed and prepared in case of mutiny or pirates. They had formal training, just as every Northern male had, in combat.

Captain Ozols' vessel was the first of the Mafija's illicit black market to visit the Loagan Conflict Zone, and it would not be the last.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Just Like Summer
Uudenmaan leiri (Camp Uusimaa: Roughly 100km south of Umtali near Lake Kubwa)
31st of January, 2300 hours

“We’ve accomplished a lot here so far. We’ve parachuted from an airplane, set up a healthy looking camp. Kept the wildlife away, had a successful first contact with the locals, we traded with them too... and now we have set up a meeting with someone from the Burukova Syndicate. I’m satisfied.” The man opposite to her nodded, sipping his beer. He was a typical man from Pohjanmaa. He wouldn’t talk unless he had to. Kaisa continued because she wanted some discussion. “Do you miss home?”

He stumbled with his words, “Me? No. It is too hot here though.” She nodded, “Yes, far too hot. Would you like a sauna?” He nodded. The two stood up, and left the kota (

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) walking to their own lavvu for swimming clothing (

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) and meeting up at a sauna building. It was hastily constructed but could fit twelve people. It was right on the lake, so it wasn’t uncommon to see people run out of the sauna and jump into the lake. They were told to be clothed as to not disrupt the image they might give to other locals, but occasionally this was done nude. Especially if anyone was drunk enough, a common occurance for night time saunas.

They took a seat in the sauna with three others already inside and were greeted. “Hey Kaisa and Sami!” Sami nodded at the greeting while Kaisa returned the greeting vocally. A bottle of viina was shared with the newcomers. “I’m so happy that we finished making this sauna! —Kiipis!”

Everyone was tired from the hard work that had to be done to build Camp Uusimaa. They did need a base of operations though. Something away from everyone else to avoid confrontation. They had been told that it was ok to settle there according to the first man in. They had to be on guard though. With the fact a war was raging, anyone could randomly happen upon their settlement and cause problems. Part of the reason in the mornings marksmanship was practiced, and teams of 10 always held the parameter. Wave Two was inbound the first week of February and that would make sentry watch easier. Thus far, the group only had spent time trying to speak with natives who lived very close and passing out literature on post-delegationism to those who could read. When delivered with a bag of sugar and potatoes, the literature was gladly taken.

Their leader, Artuu Niemi was expected to meet with the leadership of the Burukova Syndicate tomorrow. Kaisa was hoping earlier that she could speak with Sami about how dangerous she felt it could be for this meeting to happen. Either way, they were told that intel suggested this was the most reasonable group to meet and that Pohjanmaan supplies and aid would be welcomed. The alcohol was helpful though. They’d need to be awake tomorrow for sentry duty though.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Mountain Hermits
Loviisan leiri (Camp Lovisa: Near River Maisha)
15th of February, 0600 hours

Camp Lovisa was set up to be a lot like Camp Uusimaa. Riddled with kota and lavvu, the camp was easy to pack up and move if necessary. Over the course of the last fifteen days since their meeting with Lev Burukova, the leader of the Burukova Syndicate, the Pohjanmaan expedition had moved south rapidly.

The meeting with Lev had gone well. Lev allowed the Pohjanmaans to keep Camp Uusimaa in exchange for arms and protection. Should the conceptual integrity and thus the status quo for the Burukova Syndicate be compromised by the Communists or any other faction, the Burukova Syndicate would officially join the post-delegationists which promised Lev the status quo, but just under a new roof. It was not a scenario Lev was supportive of. He certainly preferred his present arrangements, but he would not say no to more guns and the promise of armored vehicles if the Pohjanmaan project would succeed.

The intel provided from Lev was simple, there would be a vacuum of power in the Maisha River Valley and the surrounding mountains, as forces would fight to the south and cause enough commotion to allow for post-delegationist forces to make their own terrain defenses throughout the mountains. What began as an expedition had now been reinforced by wave two and wave three. It would be here that “freedom” would make its first stand in Loago, by capturing the city known as Dori... or as the Pohjanmaans had begun to write it, Dorii.

This was supposed to be an easier task than the fighting the Communists directly, and the entire region was distracted by affairs to the south. 300 men were to capture Dori once the coast was clear and southern ops began. They waited in the wilderness for the signal. Meanwhile, parachute teams were supposed to deploy across the river valley. The scale of the Loago mission was growing quickly as funding continued to come in for the program.

Now here was Kaisa and Sami building small scale runways for

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to be brought over from Jurchen. They’d fly tight and low air support for the men in Dorii. When they could they’d offer to preach the beliefs of Savolainenism, the most personal and independent form of Christ. Of course also spreading ideals of post-delegationism too. They were on their second small runway, and with the help of the catapillar vehicles it did not take too long to set up random runways across the country for these planes to be based in pairs. From what they understood the first pair was already on their way to the runway attached to Camp Uusimaa. The pair to be attached to the current Camp Loviisa was supposed to be there next week. The Camp Uusimaa pair was supposed to do a propaganda leaflet raid as well from what they understood. Being part of wave one gave them a lot of insight into the inner workings. They were friends with Artuu after all.

Hard work, but hopefully in the next week a new flag would fly over Dorii, and with that the free people of Dorii and soon the surrounding region would be able to appeal for aid from the Anti-State and Pohjanmaa directly.

 

[Ebria]

The Bloody Zebra Offensive
Tshala-Moyo Road
1920 hours

"Watch out, bru, I've seen some flat dogs in the reeds there, before," said Mudiva, the Rozvian machine gun operator, as Daniel Sanford, has gone out to take a dump. The soldiers were part of the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles, a light infantry unit, component of the larger NaEC (Natalian Expeditionary Corps), in Loago. Daniel Sanford was the driver of an Eland Mk Armoured car, whose other team comprised of Mudiva, a large Rozvian volunteer, over 2 metres tall and weighting over 120 kgs and of Christopher Gordon a newly graduate of the Robert Wyatt School of NCOs in Camp Hill, but very mature for his 22 years, who was commanding the vehicle.

"Alpha 2-2, this is 2-1 actual. Do you copy? Over," the car's radio buzzed before the captain's voice could be heard. "This is 2-2 actual, loud and clear, over" said Gordon with a rasp voice after he was startled by the radio. He seemed to be looking over the horizon. "2-2 come to the command vehicle for a debrief, over and out." Gordon let out a short groan but he got out. "Mudiva, tell Daniel to watch the radio when he returns and be on the lookout. It's been too silent in the last days," he said as he left the car and started walking along the convoy of Elands and Ratels.

The armoured cars were stopped on the side of what was considered "Highway 15", which was actually just a two lane road with crumbling asphalt. The sun was setting quickly, but it was still extremely hot and humid.

"We need to be on the lookout. After Luboya, it has been extremely quiet on the coast. We have received orders to be on high alert, as Command is expecting ambushes to follow..." said Captain Collin Bower. He looked around for a moment, "if we're not into one already..." he continued as he took out the map of the area and a small lighter for the other vehicle commanders to see. "Gents, we are currently moving towards Moyo on Highway 15. We expect resistance to be stiff in the city, as its one of the main points of entry of weapons for the terrorists. Our sister companies, moving in our northern and southern flank have encountered hunter-killer RPG teams. Bravo company, in our north, has been hit hard. Two Elands and a Ratel have been destroyed his morning only," said the commander. "Sir, three cars, that's crazy!" commented a sergeant. "In only half a day, three cars... Should be continue or take defensive positions?" he asked. "We continue. After Luboya we managed to gain the upper hand and stop letting the floppies to dictate our moves. General Perez has no intent of letting this slip and probably this offensive won't be stopped until we reach the Mai Mai, breaking the terrs from the coast," said the commanding officer.

The radio from the commanding vehicle started buzzing: "Alpha 2-1, this is 2-2, we have potentially armed hostiles, creeping to our 4 o'clock armed with what seems to be and RPG, request permission to engage." The voice was of Mudiva, Christopher has heard someone in the group of vehicle commanders commenting something about his boys calling in a false alarm, but he didn't care, as he was following the captain. "2-2, we have received new rules of engagement as of this morning. Along the route to Moyo, everyone carrying a gun is to be declared hostile. Do not wait for them to fire first," the captain responded.

Christopher started walking back to his vehicle and he saw the machine gun of the Eland firing around three or four bursts towards the field of reeds. "The captain forgot to tell us the change in the ROE in the morning. God damn it..." he said as he entered the armoured car. "The floppies came right 'bout from 4 o' clock, that's to our south. Delta Company should have met with them by now... Hell, the whole of the Security Forces should have met with them..."said Daniel Sanford, the driver of the car, annoyed, but he was interrupted by Christopher: "Just don't remind me anymore. We're here to help Maseru by being the... better army, more prepared, better equipped, but we are doing so many noob mistakes I can't even..." He was interrupted on his turn by the radio: "All vehicles, this is Alpha 1-1 Actual, we are Oscar Mike. Out".

Daniel put into the first gear and started driving as the Eland in front of them started moving out. The convoy was moving for only two to three minutes, when the convoy stopped. The radio went crazy, with multiple voices going one over the other, but at the end the voice of the captain could be heard: "We're taking fire from 9 o'clock! We're under attack!" Christopher put the radio down and he looked on the hatch and then on his GPS, then he took the radio. "This is Alpha 2-2, that is friendly fire, I repeat, that is friendly fire. That is blue on blue fire!" After a few seconds the shooting and the shouting ended.

"You see, Daniel, why I am disappointed? We, together with the Azraqi were supposed to be the best armies in this part of the continent. And here we are, lacking good communication and firing at eachother like a bunch of lemons, while the houties are snotsquirting us with their smuggled RPGs, all of that, while the Loagan Army, which should support us, pull a fade, every time we feckin' need them. That was clearly blue on blue fire, as on this segment of the road, Bravo company is literally a mile away to the north and the fire came from a Ratel..." he stopped for a bit and put his radio on back. Daniel was just slowly nodding, as he could see that the sergeant was fuming. "Do you know that Loago has lost 30 Kadikistani made T-55 tanks in the first offensive of the commies in the central plains? Since we came, we haven't met any. The Mai Mai haven't reported any such contact. But somewhere around there, the rebels have 30 tanks and we, it seems so bad at it, that we will probably just sit in front of them arguing while they shoot at us..." He continued and ended with a long sigh. "We're Oscar Mike", he said as he reported further the orders from the radio and the convoy started moving.

 

[Ebria]

The Scorching Sands II
Undisclosed Location, Cabaon
24th of February, 1950 hours

As the sun was setting, coldness crept in the ruins of the medieval Caravanserai transformed into a tent city by the followers of Fela Kazi and the Ahmari. The old sandstone bricks which were used for the building were eroded by the years of continuous blowing winds, with the small sand particles hitting them for centuries, every day and every night. During daytime, the sun was shining so strong that your could cook an egg in the sand. As a matter of fact, the locals were making coffee by half-burying copper kettles in the sand, making the water boil in less than a minute. During nighttime, temperatures would go down my nearly 40 degrees to 0 Celsius, as the lack of foliage meant that no heat was stored by plants and the sand and rocks would cool down quickly.

Drew by now started to get used to the extreme weather patterns. It was so close to Natalia, but so much different, he used to think. By now, his wounds have healed and he has been officially authorised to be the liaison of the Natalian Directorate of External Reconnaissance (DER) and the Ahmari, the Cabaonian nationalist group led by Sheikh Fela Kazi. That didn't mean that he was doing nothing but passing messages, but with his experience with the Rhinos and Loago he has become of the lieutenants of the "Sublime" or the "Great Advocate for Reorganisation", as Sheikh Fela Kazi was known by Cabaonians.

He was missing Natalia, the good and peaceful life in Harton, the bright lights and adverts along the Seafront Avenue, the musical theatre on Coogee Street, the morning horse rides on Umbani, and Cyrus. He missed him. His presence, the feeling of being hugged by him, he smile and the general state of safeness he felt when he was in his arms. Now, he is drifting in the Sea of Fire, in some of Himyar's most inhospitable places, ending up as one of the leaders of a rebellion he didn't even knew it existed.

He didn't know what kept him going. While he never ever thought of deserting, because he would know he would be a fugitive, he still didn't knew what kept him going. He felt a sense of duty, but it was extremely general. He knew his duty was there, but it was his duty to whom? To Natalia? He never felt that patriotic about the Federation. To the Ahmari? He barely met them two months ago. To Cabaon? He never thought much of this shit hole. The future? Yeah, that was most likely. The was motivated to survive this ordeal to return to a normal life in the future. And for a normal future to exist, the Rhinos and their allies must be defeated. He chuckled as he thought of that. "Trickle down motivation," he whispered, "from a normal man wanting a normal life you end up with the geopolitics of the continent," he mumbled slowly.

The flapping of the tent as a man entered it, made him stop his daydreaming. "Sahib, the scouts have returned, the Great Sheikh requires your presence," He said, bowing his head respectfully and then leaving after Drew acknowledged him. He rose, adjusting his desert robes and his keffiyeh and went to Kazi's tent.

"You were right, southerner. There are foreigners in this land," said Fela Kazi, as he showed Drew some pictures taken by the scouts before sunset. "In a country as small as Cabaon, when you have at some point a new tent city appearing, especially along the rail line linking the miles to Ajdir, everyone finds out. Do any of those look familiar to you?" said the Sheikh as he pushed the photos closer to Drew and then he went to a smaller table close by and poured a cup of mint tea. She sheikh was a man in his late 50s, with a black skin tone similar to the other nethians, not having a drop of Urudoah blood in him. He looked tall and slender but he was stronger and more resistant than anyone would have thought when they first saw him. He was shaving his head, but had a moustache which couldn't be seen as he was nearly always wearing a Cyanopian veil which covered his head and lower face. Drew looked at the pictures and immediately recognised the scarification marks, typical of the Rozvians, from the 70s becoming a simbol of the Rhinos, especially on the face. His eyes concentrated on a short man with fuzzy hair, wearing an olive green military uniform, without any marks on it. "Dumisani Buhle..." he whispered.

"We can win this war in a matter of days," said Fela Kazi. "I know that we might break some taboos," he continued as he made eye contact with Zahira el-Javid. "The iron serpent is still functioning and the usurpers are afraid that with no foreign recognisance, this is their only lifeline of bringing hard currency in Cabaon. This base that the foreigners have set up, it is situated along the rail line. We destroy it and as fast as possible, put our men in a train and reach Ajdir in a matter of hours. That way we take the usurpers by surprise and minimise the number of casualties," said Fela Kazi moving his sight to all the ones present in the tent. They were all silent, but Drew was a bit confused. "Forgive me to interrupt, but what is the iron serpent?" he asked. "It's a train, transporting iron ore from mines in the south west to Ajdir. It is owned by the Caledonian Himyari Company, through a subsidiary. It is seen as a lifeline for the country as the iron ore mines in the south west are the only ones still functioning after the phosphate ones were depleted," said Zahira el-Javid. "There are two consists of it, each extremely long, up to 250 carriers, pulled by 3 locomotives. A huge train, more than 2.5 km long. When one comes from the south-west filled with ore, the other comes from Ajdir empty and they meet at the point where the Rhino camp is," continued Zahira as she shown on the map the layout of the track to Drew. "Kabyiesi, It was always considered untouchable. We can't use the train," she said as she addressed the Sheikh. "That is why we need to win this, Zahira. Otherwise we will bogged down in a long battle and currently Hamza Alin doesn't have the necessary power and support to counter attack us, but he is bringing in allies from the south and east. Communists like the LLC, infidel cultists like the Rhinos; if we don't win now, we won't ever win in our lifetimes," said Fela Kazi.

"Your government promised me their support. Tell them that we have Rhinos trapped in our sands. Tell them to bring some hunters. All I want is a fire force to disperse them and from there we can hunt them easily," said Fela Kazi as he pointed towards Drew's PDA, through which he was communicating with the higher ups of the DER.

150km N-N-W of Baki; 230 km W-S-W of Ajdir
27th of February, 0445 hours

The Ahmari moved in the desert using camels and still employed the camelry as a military formation. In the huge dunes of the Sea of Fire, it was impossible to use any sort of wheeled vehicle and a camel still remained the best may of moving around. The tent city of the Rhinos was surrounded by the Ahmari, whom were waiting for the Natalian air strike to sow chaos in the base, until they were to charge in. The railway was 2 killometres to the east, while the tents were set up around a small oasis.

"You can clearly see they are foreigners," said Zahira el-Javid, this time replacing her traditional burka with a khaki desert uniform, and a cream keffyieh. She gave thee binoculars to Drew as her camel started to become agitated. "The sentinels in the front are drunk and the ones to the left are drinking," she said as Drew started looking. "Are you sure they can't hear us?" Drew asked as both his and her camels grunted. "The wind is blowing against us, so they sound doesn't reach them that easily. The ones on the other sides are on foot, so we are okay," she said. Drew gave her the binoculars back and looked at the PDA. "10 minutes until the planes arrive," he said. Zahira turned to a nearby soldier and told him to wire the message to the others.

The waiting was the most annoying, Drew thought. It was the same when he was in Loago, when they took Baki, when they raided some villages in central Cabaon. When the battle is imminent, the wait before it starts was the hardest, because you are creating a so many scenarios of what can go wrong, but when if finally starts, a mix of adrenaline and a sense of conservation sets in.

The buzzing sound of three jet planes started to be heard. They flew over him and each launched six rockets towards the tent city. The explosions illuminated the desert, with balls of flames engulfing the tents. The planes made a turn for another go and each released six more rockets, before returning to base. The blasts agitated the camels, but Drew and the others managed to relatively calm them down. He could feel the camel moving as the ground shook from the explosions. The wails of the men could be heard up to them and that was the point the ambush itself started. Ahmari soldiers which were surrounding the camps from three sides started shooting at the Rhinos. The victims who could survive the bombing and the shooting, trying to run were then either shot by the soldiers mounted on the camels or captured.

It didn't last long, but Drew barely shot two or three times during the whole scene, as he said that he would keep himself at a professional Natalian level and respect the ROE, which by default in the NaDF would say to open fire only if you are fired upon. He knew that whoever was coming towards their side, they would have abandoned their weapons and wanted to escape the fiery hell, but the Ahmari Camelry was ferocious and lacking in mercy. As he saw Zahira shoot a man who was cowering and begging for his life in front oh her, the words of Fela Kazi came to his mind as he told them to show no mercy, as they will only received it from Allah, not from them. As he saw that her glance stopped on him, he fired three more shots in the air.

It ended quickly, with 32 prisoners taken and around 500 enemies killed. The Ahmari suffered only 10 casualties. It was a resounding success. Fela Kazi, the sheikh came, followed by and when he saw the little losses he had, he hugged Drew. "My friend, we have written history! Let there be known that only with Natalian friendship we have managed to win. I am telling you, this battle is signalling the end of our war for liberation, as Ajdir will welcome us with open arms," he said and then turned to Zahira to forward the orders to have the soldiers prepare to board the first iron ore train to Ajdir, but then he turned and saw the prisoners. "Kill them, I don't want them to slow us down," he said. Drew tried to protest but he was stopped by Zahira.

"For your own sake, shut up. You've won the Sheikhs approval. Now stop being the overly righteous white fella," she said with a hint of disgust in her tone. She smelled fear, in me, thought Drew. "These men, as prisoners are protected by the rules of war. We can't just kill them," he said pointing at the prisoners. "Look whose talking. rules of war? You need to accept the fact that those over 500 deaths are sitting on your and your Natalian brothers' backs, not that much on ours. You may be thinking of us as savages who still use camels to move from side to side, and yourself being chivalrous and great, but even if you don't see your enemies in the eyes, like your pilots did, you can still have them on your conscience. So yeah, the rules of war were just a myth. They died when even your white fellas up north decided to ditch them and use child soldiers like the Occitans or chemical weapons like the Serenierre. War is hell and if it isn't reminded to us of what it looks like, we forget and we will do it too often, so stop thinking of yourself as being so morally superior and either follow orders and shoot them yourself or forward it to someone else and be ready to board that train," she said sternly and then left towards the rail tracks.

 

[Ebria]

The Bloody Zebra Offensive II
Tshala-Moyo Road 10 km East of Moyo
28th of February 0340 hours

"I can definitely hear it, bru... It growls..." said Mudiva as he was concentrating to hear a fain noise coming from the north. The wind changed direction, after the rain and that is when they started to hear it. The Buffalo Battalion has stopped as it moved too far and too fast from the rest of the Natalian lines. They were ordered to stop and dig in over the night. Because they were inside enemy lines, it was ordered that they should keep a 66% watch, meaning that one member of the crew of the Elands was to sleep, while the others were to remain awake.

"I think they know we're here," said Daniel as he opened an MRE pack and took out a brownie from it. "Up there is muddy right now, so whoever comes, he is slow," responded Mudiva. "You know," said Daniel talking muffled with his mouth full, "I think Major Matonga really tries to suck it up to General Perez, making us the first to reach the city..." he continued after he took another mouthful of the brownie. "You know, some days ago we talked about the unaccounted for tanks. That growl doesn't come from light vehicles..." said Mudiba. "No, tanks are coming against us," said Christopher as he interrupted them. "Charlie Company send some scouts and they saw that 35 tanks are coming and the Major's orders is for us to meet them head on," he continued. Daniel started chocking with his brownie. "Bass, meet them head on? Eish, this is some higher grade shit that the Major is smoking... This is jas..." said Daniel as he was still holding the MRE pack and took out a small pack of power on which it was written with small letters "Guava and Tangerine refreshing drink". Chris sighed asking rhetorically why did he got a naafi in his unit, but he was interrupted by Mudiva: "Bass, those are tanks, and we have only those tuna cans," commented Mudiva. Chris looked at his face. He didn't knew what to read on it, it was a bit of a hysterical smile, but his attention was drawn by Daniel who put the packet directly in his mouth rather than in water. "Ag man, we're gonna get so diana'd by the morn..." he said after he managed to swallow it. "I start to get hyped already, when do we start?" he asked. "Now now, get in the LAVs," said Chris as he took his Vektor rifle, night goggles and his spade and started going towards the car.

One by one, the Elands left their encampment and started going off road in a very sparse formation. "You are too close to Alpha 2-3, Daniel, move a bit to the right," said Chris. "Also, ouens, the Major has called in for air support. Loagan Air Force will come to help us, but by the time they come, just hope that we won't be caught in the missile fire..." said Chris but he has interrupted as the battery from his night vision goggles was depleted and he quickly had to take them off and replace it. "Eish, we are in a 5 ton tin can... we're gonna get slotted by them tanks," mumbled Mudiva. "Think of it this way, Mudi, if you die now, you can meet your Ancestors," said Daniel smirking. The Eland car was going though the rough terrain at 50 km/h, making all the hops in the terrain to be felt badly inside the car. Chris already his his head three or four times by the time he managed to restart his goggles. "Stop baffing your trap 'bout the ngozis, you drol. We managed to survive with their support and maybe we will even see the sun again..." said Mudiva annoyed.

After he listened to the instructions coming company command, Chris forwarded them to the other two. "So, we are to expect 25 to 30 tanks. They are slow in this muddy environment, especially as they are to heavy. We need to disperse and move at maximum speed. Our goal is to go between the tanks and shoot them in the back, where they have the reservoir and the light armour. Ouens, it's time to write our own stories," he said as breathed heavily two or three times. The other two observed that he was nervous too. "Mudi, prepare the 90mm mortar and be ready to fire," he said in a cold voice.

"We're dispersing now, Daniel follow Alpha 2-4, movement, turn ten o clock, raise speed to 80km/s. I don't want to be seen as an easy target by a T-55," said Chris a the silhouettes of the tanks could be seen by now. And then they fired. Long tongues of fire could be seen in front of the tanks as they started firing on the dispersing Elands. A tank at their 2 o'clock fired, missing them by around 20 metres. Chris cursed when he hit his head on the cupola as the Eland took a dive into the crater and then went out of it at 80 km/h.

"Alpha 2-4, distract the target, we'll move to neutralise it, Alpha 2-3, Alpha 2-5 and Alpha 2-6, move to its back, try to target the reservoir or the back of the turret," he said on the radio. Daniel slowed down another Eland went in front of them and approached the tank from its left. As Chris was following them, he estimated that in the muddy terrain, the T-55s were moving with 20km/h. "It's your chance to be a wind-arse, Dany, don't slow down!" he yelled to the driver. The tank was trying to turn its turret to follow the Elands but it could not catch up. Alpha 2-3 fired first, but they rushed, their shell hitting the side armour and ricocheting. "Daniel, stop!" yelled Chris. The Elands didn't have a turret that could automatically follow the target, so they had to stop. Around them, tanks and armoured cars were firing at each other, but the tanks were missing, and the Eland's shots needed to his specific spots to penetrate the armour, and they were usually missing, as they needed to move as quickly as possible to avoid being shot. The rising number of craters made the entire environment to look like a lunar landscape and turned everything into a muddy mess. It was clear that it was a race against time, as the worse the terrain gets, the Elands will become jammed in the mud too and become an easy target for the tanks. Chris turned the turret, targeting the exhaust pipes of the tank. He pressed the firing button. The recoil made the whole car shake, in a fraction of a second another Eland fired in the same spot.

"Drive, Chris, drive! Mudi, quickly reload the mortar!" he yelled. "Where?" Daniel yelled back as he pressed the pedal and the car started moving after its wheels slid in the mud for a few seconds. "A tank at two o clock!" yelled Chris after he looked outside. "Move on its back, let's repeat the move!" Chris yelled. "There's another one at ten o clock!" yelled Daniel back. Chris looked towards it and said: "Its aiming at towards its back, not towards us, drive!" Chris shouted. He then took the radio "Alpha 2-3, Alpha 2-5 and Alpha 2-6 repeat the move at two o' clock! Over!" he screamed into it.

The car was shook with a powerful force as a tank was targeting them and managed to misfire by less than two metres. "Fuck!" Daniel yelled. "Drive, Dany, drive, or we'll get slotted!" yelled Chris. "Just press the gas!" Chris continued as he tried to stretch to reach the wheel. "I can't see! My goggles turn on and off because of the explosions! Gatvoi!" cursed Daniel as he turned off his night vision. By now, the tanks turned on their lights too, as the LLC lacked in nigh vision. The two elands fired in the tank's right tracks and when Daniel stopped the car, Chris fired in the back of the turret.

By now, up to ten tanks were put out of service, and four or five Elands have been knocked out. Chris has observed a change in tactics of the communist tank operators. They saw that they are at a disadvantage with their vulnerable back and sides so they started moving back, wanting to form a sort of star formation, covering their backs. Chris tried to reach Alpha 2-1 on the radio but they weren't responding.

A series of explosions rocked many of the tanks as the planes from the Loagan Air Force have arrived, firing from above towards the new tank formations, but the LLC had received new weapons and were ready to use them. Three ZU-32-2 guns started firing and managed to bring down a plane, which crashed two kilometres to the north. For a moment, it felt as if the whole battlefield stopped as everyone was surprised by the crashing of the plane.

"Drive, Dany!" yelled Chris as he saw a tank firing and destroying an Eland, fifty metres from them and then slowly turning its turret towards them. "It doesn't move!" shrieked Daniel desperately, as the engine was revving up to its maximum power and the car was just sitting. "Bass, we're stuck in the mud!" telled Mudiva too. Chris only managed to curse a little when he saw that an Eland fired at the tank's reservoir, disabling it. "Fuck, we're sitting ducks, here, ready to be slotted," he mumbled as he took the radio. "Alpha 2-5, come and tow me! As fast as possible!" he said with a stern voice and he was preparing to open a hatch to go out, but met with the shocked faces of both Daniel and Mudiva. "You're not kassam, bass..." commented Daniel. "Aye, I am. This lorry needs to get out of them mud or else we die," said Chris as he went out.

The cold air of the early morning hit him, hollowed by the smell of fire, gasoline and cordite. Alpha 2-5 stopped in front of his own Eland. Other armoured cars were going around, preparing neutralising the last tanks. The ZU guns were still firing, but some Elands were firing back already. He went outside not thinking at all at what might happen, as he knew that such a thing would only impede his efficiency. If he will die, he will die and that was it. He quickly tied the cable of the other Eland to his and on his radio ordered both of them to go forward. With a little effort, his armoured car was out of the muddy and watery crater and he untied the steel cable and went back inside. The whole ordeal didn't last more than a minute.

"Alpha 2-2, Alpha 2-3, this is Alpha 1-1 actual. I need you to up north and see if there is a survivor from the plane crash and to fully disable the plane, over!" the 1st troop commander ordered him. It was clear to him at first that with the lack of communication with Alpha 2-1, their own commander was MIA, if not KIA. "Roger that, out," he responded and then he turned to Daniel. "Go where the plane crashed," he forwarded the order. As the two Elands started going a kilometre up north, where the light from the fire caused by the plane crash could be seen, the rest of the armoured cars started to round up the LLC survivors, as what tank wasn't destroyed, was abandoned, with its crew trying to escape.

The cars stopped near the crash site, but the plane looked pretty bad. Chris, together with the 2-3 vehicle commander and Daniel went out, but immediately they were fired at from nearby bushes. They crouched behind the wheels of the Elands and waited for Mudiva and and other gunner to provide covering fire. The machine guns of the Elands provided enough firepower for the LLC shooters to stop, whoever wasn't shot by them preferring to retreat. As they approached the plane, Chris saw that the pilot was dead. He was a mangled mess, with a broken neck both his feet and an arm severed. "I will take him in our car, you make sure the plane is fully disabled," said the other vehicle commander. As they took the corpse out, Chris decided to just throw and explosive grenade in the cockpit and then returned to the car.

"All units, this is Battalion Command, return to point Delta, on the road, we are to rendezous with the rest of the units in 15 minutes," a radio announcement came. "Lets go back where we spent the night," said Chris, sighing. "We managed to get through this too..." he said with a low voice. He took an MRE pack and opened it to look for the brownie, what was considered the only edible thing in it, together with the salt and pepper crackers. "I could get a good night's sleep now," he said laughing. "Bass, I'm hyped too much adrenaline, I dunno how you could think of sleeping or eating," said Daniel excitedly. "You see, white fella, the ngozi were there and they defended us," said Mudiva laughing.

"All units, this is battalion command, after rendezvous we are to continue towards Moyo," the radio announcement followed.

 

[Azraq]

Short sharp teeth
Fante Highlands
14th of April

The political situation in Azraq may have changed but Azraqi involvement in Loago hadn't.

Supported by the Azraqi Imperial Army Air Force, the headhunters battalion of the Azraqi Imperial Guard - named after the cannibalistic tendancies of their forefathers - had helped the Fante tribal militia secure the Highlands to the north of Loago.

It was somewhat ironic that Azraq had sent men with prehistoric beliefs to answer the call for Muslim solidarity from the Fante, who feared losing to the Christian Wala or godless communists. Yet these plucky soldiers, snatched from birth, knew jungle warfare - even if it wasn't a jungle they were familiar with - as if it was base instinct.

Nicknamed Negritos - little black men - by the
Aurarians , these small dark skinned island dwellers had largely resisted civilisational contact until early modernity, living effectively in the Stone Age until relatively recently.

Azraqi sailors, impressed by their ferocity, insisted on enslaving them and having them fight in their armies. As the First Azraqi Empire flourished, and adopted the same racial ideologies of white colonial powers, pseudo-scientific theories that the Negritos - along with the Alamese and Irulans of Kollam - were on fact stranded Nethians originally from Himyar. While widely debunked in the 20th century, the ideas still lingered on in some circles, usually to justify continued Azraqi rule.

So here they were - Implarian islanders fighting a war in some forsaken part of Himyar to answer the rallying cry of a religion they didn't believe in.

Their diminutive stature made navigating the dense undergrowth easy and gave them the element of surprise when it came to attacking the poorly equipped and trained guerillas of the Loagan League of Communists. A rustle in the bushes would be followed by a hail of bullets, before a blood curdling shriek as the headhunters, faces daubed in war point, burst from their darkness, guns still firing.

Only when their weapons fell silent, confident the enemy had been eliminated, did they set about to the victory tradition that had given them their name. The curved knifes came out, slicing through windpipe, tendon, flesh, muscle and bone before the head was finally wrenched off and brought back as proof of mission accomplished to their Dawamalian masters.

 

[Ebria]

Acton
Kibombo, Lunda Kingdom, Loago
5th of July 2019

The green-orange-yellow coloured Hartnett Oryx helicopter, painted to mimic the colours of the Natalian savanna was quite a queer sight in the lush and green environment of the deep south of Loago. The rotor engine was humming as the wind going through the blades of the rotor. John Acton, the head of the Natalian Permanent Mission to Loago was de jure the Natalian ambassador and head of the diplomatic corps of the federation to the eastern Himyari nation, but de facto, his mission was more to pacify and set up a pro-Natalian regime in Maseru. Now that the direct and immediate threat of the Rhinos has been annihilated, his mission was to plant the seeds for the Loago of tomorrow, one that is a sovereign, yet fully integrated nation in the EHTO, that has the means to provide for it's citizens to that such episodes like the last summer's one, with the LLC onslaught might never happen. Moyo Kamara and his National Unity Government disappointed John in this sense. There was nothing national in that goverment. Nothing united either... Actually it was barely a government. "Just a clique made of Moyo Kamara and fictionalist Wala cronies", stated Acton as he described the government of Loago to State President Adrianne Stone.

As the helicopter's crew requested permission to land on one of the helipads of the airport of Kibombo, which was nothing more than a small terminal and a short airstrip, John Acton looked around and was surprised to observe what a great difference was between the deep south of the Lunda Kingdom, compared to the central, war thorn regions of Loago. There was literally no difference between this airport and some isolated and small airport one would find in the Golden Plateau in eastern Natal.

The doors of the helicopter were opened and the suffocating hot, humid air of south Loago hit him. In the past year, he lived in Bulawayo, in the north, closer to the equator, but very high in the Fante Highlands, or in Maseru, where the Breeze of the Bahari Sea was cooling off the air. But here it was horrendous, as only a second has passed and he could already feel droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. Two of the soldiers of his guard, wearing the NaDF nutria uniform have gone outside and then helped him get off from the helicopter.

"His magnificence, Mwene Kanyembo Ntemena, is expecting you, sahib," stated a very tall nethian man, wearing white robes, with golden borders and a white and red turban. John Acton was a bit surprised by the perfect Engelsh with a slight Dulwich accent of the man and he nodded his head respectfully. A motorcade of three Hartnett Grysbok cars was waiting for them, and the Natalians have been seated in the middle one.

As the convoy was rushing through the streets of the city of Kibombo, Acton could not but be surprised at how things were in the south. Where warlords, highwaymen, banditry, general lawlessness have taken over, especially in the town of the central lakes, where gunshots could be heard at any time of the way, the south was ordered and disciplined. The old colonial buildings, built in the style of the mid-century modernism in the city centre were given a new paint, with the fresh white covering the years long accumulated dust and use, their shutters painted in the omnipresent emerald green. The old Virunian built wide boulevards were well maintained, with the lanes' delimitation freshly painted, something that he only now thought that he never seen neither in Maseru nor in Bulawayo. On the sides, Jacaranda and Golden Shower trees were omnipresent and many of the flats had murals painted on them showing all sorts of Himyari animals and landscapes. Acton could feel that he is in just one affluent Natalian city, not in a major city of a nation that kinda was at war with itself.

The motorcade went through the boulevards and entered the old town, in which one could see the history of the place and the influence the Kollamese and Muslim communities have played along the time, only then to go through a checkpoint and then through the magnificent gates of the Mwene's Palace. The halls were high, a remnant of the medieval fortress that was once the centre of Kibombo. The convoy drove minutes on end on a strip road through fields of exotic proteas, lobster claw flowers, orchids burying their roots deeply in the bark of huge jacaranda, cacao and passion fruit trees that created a huge dome under which the car passed. The palace itself was right in front of them, a big building made of golden white sandstone with white and pink decorations made of marble around the arches of the doors and windows and the corners. The Urudoah influence of the building could be seen as Kibombo itself at it's roots was a city funded by an Urudoah filibuster that was tried his luck to carve his own kingdom in the middle of the Mweneluaga, during one of it's many civil wars, many centuries before. He became extremely rich from from this risque adventure, but being at a crossroads of the Seashell Road had it's perks. Of course, it didn't last long, as the Nethian Lunda people revolted against their Urudoah oppressors and pushed them back into the scorching sands of the Sea of Fire desert, but the mixture of Muslim and Nethian architecture was something that the Lunda Kings loved and perfected, transforming a quite modest qasbah with a mosque into a palace that was nothing else but a symbol of decadence and richness that would have probably been a model for many Gallo-Germanian painters of the 19th century that started the artistic current of Meridional-Orientalism, showing paintings of arched palaces, minarets, men in robes and turbans enjoying hookahs while laying on pillows and of suave women that were kept in harems. Of course, the scenes portrayed then were a faraway cry out from reality, but the impressive buildings stood witness to that era too.

The group has got out of the cars and were escorted to the main room of the palace. The Natalian soldiers surrendered their weapons to the guards and Acton was invited immediately in. He didn't fail to observe that the soldiers who were policing the city and the guards weren't wearing the nutria Natalian inspired uniform of the Loagan National Defence Force, but they were still using the elegant dark green uniform with berets of the old Imperial Army of Loago, a style that looked more similar to the uniforms of the 1940s.

"Mr. Acton, how good to finally meet you. I have heard quite a lot about you and your work here in the East," said Mwene Kanyembo Ntemena, a man tall, thin man, but with a very strong and rasp voice. He was wearing an interesting costume, having a western style jacket with a shirt, but he was also wearing a Kollamese style sarong, with a brass ring around his forehead, signifying his Benue style crown, out of which three colourful parrot feathers were showing up in the back of his head. He looked more like a Nethian wearing Gunnish style clothing, mixing the western, eastern and southern style in such a way that was typical to that part of the world. "Please, there is no need to do that," he said after Acton bowed his head, following the protocol. "From what I understood, you are an aristocrat too. I viscount, if I am not mistaken," he continued.

"Your majesty, it is true, that my family, through their ownership of the lands of the Bad River Cattle Station, have the titles of viscounts, only the direct owned and administrator of the station itself is the Viscount. I am a mere public servant of the Natalian people and I hope to be a liaison with the aforementioned and all the peoples of Loago," said Acton as he rose his head respectfully.

"A wise choice of words," said Ntemena, chuckling. Only now did Acton observe that on his side, the king has a Twa pygmy servant, standing anxiously beside him, waiting to promptly respond to any order he is given. "Mr. Acton, I know that in Natal, beside Engelsh, everyone is taught a second language and they have to choose between the native languages of the land. What language did you choose?" he asked.

Acton was a bit taken by surprise by the question. "The one that everyone said that I won't need. I chose BaLozi, the one at the roots of them all," he said a bit circumspect, but the kind smiled. "Ke puo ea melimo ea khale, kapa joalo*," said Ntemena in a perfect BaLozi. Acton could not help but show his surprise. "Ke seo ba se buang**," he responded in a quite rusty pronounciation. "Of course, those Old Gods are dead, and their creation has died with them," he continued. The king smiled. "Of course, that is what your Engell education tells you, yet, as you studied the Benue cultures, you clearly know. There never were gods. There never was THEIR creation. There are only ancestors and they were humans, and the creation of the world, is theirs, " he said smiling to the Natalian diplomat. As much as he felt that a discussion into the philosophy of the Lunda and the old Lozi and Nuk Nuk civilisation of Natal would be interesting, he felt that Ntemena would probably play rounds around him and he didn't want to make a fool of himself.

"Your majesty, as you know, the Natalian mission to Loago is evolving from the fighting of the Rhinos to developing a stable partner in the eastern fringes of the subcontinent, but we fear that the National Unity Government has lapsed into tribalism and sectarianism. It seems that we might have put the spotlight on the wrong character in this whole tragedy show," said Acton, trying to get into the subject. "So you already want to speak business..." the king said. He immediately clapped and the servants and guards went out of the room, while another servant, this time a white man, came in carrying a pillow. Acton was surprised to see a white fella, a mzungu, in that role. But he remembered that the Lunda culture has a traditional disgust for slavery of all kinds and probably that man receives quite a good salary for being in the retinue of the king.

"Of course you chose the wrong actors for it all. You might have created the NUG with political movements from all around the country, but you put in power a Wala. That is what Walas do. They are not to be trusted with such powers like wartime emergencies," said the king after he invited Acton to sit on the pillow in front of him. "What is Loago, in it's current form, but the Mweneluaga? It is a statal institution that is built upon the military strength and divine grace of the Wala Emperor. That is Loago. What Natalians did by pushing for the creation of the Republic of Loago was to cut the head of the hydra. As long as there is no long term political education that will make, in time, the Wala see themselves as equals to the other peoples of the land, there will be no democracy and no republic. I will be ready to bet with you, Mr Acton, on my own kingship, that if the Natalians fully retreat tomorrow, by spring Moyo Kamara will proclaim himself Emperor," continued Ntemena as he slowly took a red hot piece of charcoal from a canopic jar and put it on his hookah.

"That is the problem. In the current situation it will be extremely problematic if the Walas are hoarding all the power to themselves. We have the Fante who already don't want to disband the Mai Mai, we have the Post Delegationists in the Maisha Valley, we have Masimba and Punda and generalised lawlessness. The only moments in central Loago when there is peace and quiet is when a Natalian group patrols nearby, but everything explodes after they leave," said Acton. "What we need is a new political and social moral in Loago. The Lunda are Benue, they are from the same family of peoples like my Natalian brothers, the Rozvi, Loda and Mbunda. They are descendants from the great Nuk Nuk civilisation and empire of the Lozi people. Their traditional culture and customs are what have made traditional Himyari society great. Tribal democracies and today modernised in Post Delegationist lands as localised council democracies. That is what Loago had in the past and needs now more than ever..." said Acton, but he was interrupted.

"I know what you will say, for I have eyes and ears all over the subcontinent. I will have two conditions: first, that the Fante Tribal Union will break away. They are more Azraqi than Nethian and if they have rejected the calls for the disbandment of the Mai Mai from Maseru, they will do the same for the one from me and I don't want to go to war with them, as I want to foster peace. Secondly, Loago's rediscovery of it's democratic and free past will be a long and arduous process. It will need a strong presidency. The Loagan National Himyari Congress will be the main party that will have the mandate of bringing peace to the land and then fostering the authenticity process. I think the Gallo-Germanians called it Enlightened Monarchy, that system where a strong king was reigning for the benefit of their people. I think the Engells now call it the Alignment Committee or something. Thirdly, it will be done my way. You will have my promise that Natalian assets will be defended, as I know that is why you are mainly here, but things will be done my way. Are we clear?" said Ntemena with a strong and stern tone.

"I am sure that my chiefs will be happy with it. Currently it is imperative for peace to finally come to Eastern Himyar and the NEAC will still remain here to aid," said Acton, happy that he might have won a strong ally.


*It is the language of the Old Gods, or so they say...
**That is what they say.