[h3]Constantine Petroleum Headquarters, Constantine, Algeria - June 1960[/h3][hr]Constantine. The City of Liquid Gold. The vast network of oil pipelines, connected to countless oil digs and refineries, all lead to Constantine. Several more were in construction with plans for more pipelines in the works, natural gas pipes also joining in the vast web (although some of the natural gas was directly sent to the port cities themselves). It is said that the hydrocarbon industry is the lifeline of Algeria and most would agree. The lack of diversity within the country's exports have been raised as an issue numerous times within both the executive and provincial branches of government. Crop growing in the [i]hamadas[/i] of Béchar was going well, agriculture was growing and being tended to carefully by the government. They hired the best agriculturalists, farmers and scientists to fix the dry [i]hamadas[/i] to make Béchar the food supplier of the entire country. They were all aware how much food they imported and how vulnerable their people was to famine. Without food, their armies would run dry, their people would riot and their enemies would feed on Algeria's corpse. Without their imported foods, the most optimistic prediction for their survival was only a little over a week. Even now, the government continued to search for sustainable ways to feed their populations with fishing boat armadas being set out into the Mediterranean. Agriculture majors in universities were given interest free student loans and farmers themselves were paid through the "Feed the People" program.

Samia Lellouche, the Secretary of Resources, had the unenviable job of overseeing all of these projects plus the current construction of oil pipelines. It was also her job to look after the state-owned Petroleum company [i]Constantine Petroleum[/i]. She had control over all oil digs, refineries, offshore oil platforms and the transport of all barrels of oil in the country. She was the lifeline of this country and some would say that she worked harder than anyone else in the executive branch even over the President. She secretly agreed, especially as she looked at the large stack of papers she had to sign. It was a mixed stack, from the approval of construction for one more oil platform to the contracts of private fishermen hired by the government. She put her head down on her desk and groaned out loud. Migraines was a constant in her life and she thought about resigning right now and then. The amazing pay was nothing compared to the amount of work she had to do. She was unsure why the President chose her to be the Secretary of Resources but she cursed his name under her breath. Some people heard her whenever she did but as the second most powerful person in the country, no one dared to question her loyalty. She was also the President's childhood best friend which gave her an "untouchable" status during his term.

As she rested her forehead on her desk and closed her eyes, Samia pondered as to why she was given the ass-end job of government. She was supposed to be a millionaire CEO of an international corporation right now, not drowning in paperwork. It came to her as clear as day. Farid's earnest, smiling face stared back in her mind's eye, holding her hands as he talked in that suave voice of his. Her face heated up and she sat up, shaking the images from her head. He was too charming for his own good even when he was a little boy. Forgotten childhood promises slipped into her mind and as quick as they came, she banished them from her mind and cursed her stupidity. She knew he wouldn't refuse her if she brought it up but his ambition would just make her a background character in her life. She was one of the few people on the planet to hear his mutterings during his sleep. That man held an uncountable amount of plans and was far too busy for a relationship. She propped her head up and her gaze returned to the pile of paperwork, groaning again. Far too busy.

It was best not to unravel that pile of rumours and gossip. The rumour mills were going crazy when she had last met the President for a private meeting in his office. They had talked about the status and rights of illegal fishermen beyond Algeria's ocean borders. It was nothing as scandalous as the gossipers thought it was, just a simple meeting. Her "childhood best friend" status always helped to fuel the fires of gossip. Her parent's immigrant status as Persians brought more fuel into the fire. The entire country's population of gossipers constantly chattered about her "foreign beauty" and the President's "exotic taste". It was all bullshit, his Presidency had no interest in women or men currently, no matter how beautiful.

The most overworked woman in Algeria flicked her eyes to the clock on her desk. 0700 exactly. It was actually time to work. A headache grew in her head and Samia knocked her head on the desk, the impact making a dull [i]thud[/i]. A small chuckle was heard in far corner in her room and she sat up, looking for the offending voice with annoyance clear on her face. The Presidential Guard personally assigned to her kept stoic, the MAS-36 leaning against his shoulder as stiff as possible. She studied his face and found the small curl of his lips. She sent a very unladylike gesture to her guard of three years and his lips curled even more. He had saved her from Traditionalist ambushes and attacks more than she could count but he could be a right bastard at times.

Samia looked back down at her desk and found something missing. Her lifeline, the thing that kept her alive. "Amir! Where's my fucking coffee?!"

She really shouldn't be so harsh towards her secretary. She often dumped unnecessary amounts of her own work on his desk and he was in office before she started waking up. Samia never understood how a human being could function like her secretary did. It confused her and should have made her respect him. Instead she despised the young man even further because of his usual morning cheeriness and punctuality. She could barely drag her ass out of bed and she had woken up in an especially angry mood. She growled and shouted again "Amir! I swear by Allah, if you don't come in here with a hot cup of Ethiopian coffee, I will fire you!" This was a heavy promise that she made often, fully aware that the severity of the promise would hurry her secretary. There was commotion behind the door. With a few yelps and a muffled shout of indignation later, her secretary entered with a mug of coffee in hand and a manila folder in the other. His hair was neat and tidy, suit as immaculate as possible. She wished she could wipe that stupid grin of his from his face but just sighed as he came up to her desk and placed both items down.

Samia took the mug in both her hands and took a sniff. She sighed pleasantly at the aroma filling her senses. Those Ethiopians sure knew how to grow their coffee beans. This delectable liquid was rare within the country and most of the coffee imported came through the Suez from Latin American country. She got her Ethiopian beans personally shipped to her every month and it was one of the few luxuries she had. Who could blame her for wanting more energy while she was drowning in paperwork. She took sips of it, making sure she swirled it in her mouth before swallowing it. She repeated this a few more times, savouring the taste. At times like these, she loved her apprentice. His dedication and perfectionism made sure that her coffee was how she wanted it every morning. She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling the heat of the coffee mug heating her hands. She sat there, contemplating whether she was a coffee addict or not, which she most definitely was, before someone cleared their throat. The sound broke her euphoria and her eyes flew open.

Amir stood in front of her desk, pointing at the folder while looking at her with amused eyes. "Ma'am, you should probably look at that before you go into your coffee state." he said, mirth in his tone.

Samia looked at the offending piece of what was most likely paperwork. She let go of the mug of godliness with one hand and placed the folder on top of her pile. She went back to grabbing on to her mug with a smile on her face, taking more sips. "I don't think it's that important over coffee Amir. Be a darling and leave my room please." This coffee seemed especially delicious today.

"Ma'am," Amir started, grabbing the folder and placing it in front of her once more "this is very important. Your eyes only, came from the President himself." He stared at her with a serious look. Samia glanced at the coffee mug in her hands and back at the folder. She sighed and gulped the whole coffee down and placed the depressingly empty mug down. She took the folder and analysed the seal on the front. The red crescent with a white rose in the background. That was the presidential seal alright. She looked back at her secretary and pointedly made a gesture towards the empty mug before dismissing him with a wave. The eager man smiled at her and walked away triumphantly, mug in hand.

The doors closed and Samia was left alone with her guard and paperwork. The sour look on her face was wiped away. It was unusual for the President himself to send anything to anyone personally. The presidential seal was a rare sight and she only saw it once before. This was much more important than coffee, she grudgingly admitted. She opened the folder and read the contents. And read it again. And again. And once more. Her eyes scanned up and down the page, reading each word carefully. He came with her with good news. The alliance with the Duchy had been successful and that the only sacrifice to be made was selling oil and natural gas to Germany. That was a deficit that could be easily dealt with so she dismissed it. It was more important that Algeria would be able to continue and that her peoples will be safe from famine. The oil was under her direct control and she could always threaten the natural gas companies with treachery if they didn't follow Presidential orders. It was in the fine print in the contracts they signed after all.

This brought her relief but as she read on, her mood was brought down. There was a siege on Tindouf. An unprecedented amount of Traditionalists overwhelmed the sentries and the town was now under siege. It was completely surrounded with every road going in and out blocked by insurgents. The elements of the 4[sup]th[/sup] Army of Algeria was split up throughout Tindouf and was being overwhelmed with surprising firepower. Elements of the 2[sup]nd[/sup] Army and an entire air fleet was being mobilised but problems arose with the Moroccans. They built their own forces around the borders as they felt threatened by the Traditionalist forces and the conflict. They were also worried by the military buildup and extensive recruitment within Algeria. They claimed the military buildup was "threatening to Morocco and her people". The President was worried that it was just an excuse for the Moroccans to bring up problems with the Western Saharan border which they had presumably resolved years prior. All in all, it was delaying the deployment of Armed Forces and he speculated that the Moroccans were funding the Traditionalists. Most importantly, their brave boys and girls in Tindouf, Outpost X-ray and Garet Djebilet were separated and were currently under fierce attack. Farid included that elements of the Algerian Special Forces were deployed within all three locations. She repeatedly read that sentence.

Her little brother. He was in Tindouf, fighting for his life. This was why the President sent this to her. Samia finished reading the letter for fifth time and sat up. "Bernard." She addressed her guard. The Frenchman stood into attention, gripping his rifle and turning towards her. "Tell Amir to bring that coffee pronto and to contact Sir Gerald. He is flying to Rabat tonight." The special soldier nodded and exited the room, truly leaving her alone. She slumped in her chair and sighed. This was going to be a pain and give her headaches by the dozens but she steeled her resolve. This was for her brother.

She couldn't lose him like she did Farid.