-------------------------------------------------------------------------- [u][b]June 19th: Sheikh, Adal Province, Ethiopian Empire[/b][/u] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hassan sat in the shade of a tamarisk tree, its many branching trunks creating an umbrella protecting half of the garden from the sun. Nearby myrrh trees filled the air with an earthy smell like fresh incense. Over the wall of foliage, a rough stone minaret pointed at the sky, rising beside an unimpressive square mosque. In the garden, two stools sat either side of an octagonal table, borrowed from a nearby cafe and ported over in a [i]Doofarka[/i]. Hassan mounted one of those stools, his sheathed scimitar tapping against its legs whenever he moved. The heat was severe. The air throbbed with it, and in the distance the desert shimmered. With the rainy season over, the scrub-blanketed mountains faded from green to brown, and the desert became a place of death. Hassan sipped at a glass of iced tamarind juice and waited silently, white-wrapped Dervish warriors all around him, no flesh visible but their hands and a strip around their eyes. He heard the engine before the Landrover came into view. Doors opened, and slammed closed. A man in his thirties with a close-cut black beard, wearing white robes and a keffiyeh, exited the passenger's side. He was accompanied by two guards wearing khaki military uniforms and keffiyehs. Hassan stood up. "Ali ibn Talal!" he greeted, "How is your grandfather? Is he well?" "He is fine, by the will of Allah. You are looking well too." "Yes, yes. I invite you to sit. Would you like something to drink?" "Yes. Thank you." they both sat down. Hassan snapped his fingers. A Dervish brought the young man a glass of iced tamarind juice. Ali watched the servant with interest. "Aren't these your favored soldiers?" Hassan smiled. "Yes, but soldier is the operative word. They live to serve at my pleasure, not to grow fat on pride." "That is a strange philosophy." "It may be, but I have no problems with discipline." Ali took a drink. "Well, let's get down to real talk. What is it the Caliphate can do for you?" "Let me be blunt. I seek independence from the infidel Emperor." The statement hung heavy in the hair for a moment, neither man speaking. Ali broke the silence. "You need help with that? You seem to have your land under control" he said. "It is better to have more support than you need than to be evenly matched. To lose a war like that would be the end of my legacy. I only intend to win." "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I cannot help." Ali held his arms wide open and shrugged, "The Caliphate cannot go to war with their neighbor. It is simply not an option. A war fought over the Red Sea would attract attention from every nation in the world." "I don't necessarily need soldiers, but support in arms and money would be fine. Both are precious to me." Ali leaned back. "I would need to talk to my father. You understand this. Though I don't know if a rebellion is even advisable, to be honest with you. Is your arrangement not for protection against the West?" Hassan licked his lips. "Europe is not coming back. Such worries are the foolishness of our time. I have heard of the dealings the old European powers have among themselves, and it is a joke. They killed their best men in the Great War and those who have come to inherit it are cowards and idiots. The Emperor in Ethiopia uses that excuse because he is weak. He is controlled by his court, uninterested in his country, and confounding to his friends. It is an opportunity for anybody willing to take it, and I plan on taking it for all it is worth. One out of every three Ethiopians are of the true faith. I intend to restore them to their ancient rights. I would leave Ethiopia with the borders of Tewodros II. That is more than a war for independence, it is Jihad." "It is a fantasy" Ali scolded, "Are you bewitched? I always thought you were a reasonable man. You do not have airplanes. You do not have armored vehicles. Not enough to counter the Ethiopians at least. And though your soldiers are brave, and the fire of the true faith is in their hearts, they are only flesh, and their small-arms are not enough to carry a modern war." "I have some armor, and some planes." "As I said, that is not enough." "I know that loyalty is a rare commodity in Ethiopia. Their highlands are afire with shifta bands. That is not a unified country we should fear." Hassan paused for a moment, the fact he had something else to say clearly present on his face. "I have a thing to show you, if you would be willing to follow." "I am your servant." Ali conceded. Hassan climbed into the driver's seat of a [i]Doofarka[/i]. Ali climbed into its passenger seat. His two guards crowded into the turret. The steel poles that made up the bare-bones vehicle were baking hot to the touch. The frankenstein vehicle purred alive, its engine raspy and kicking. Hassan piloted into the desert. It skipped across the desert as naturally as if it were a paved road. Sand kicked up in a cloud all around the vehicle. Hassan squinted his eyes and floored it, gripping the steering wheel tightly, enjoying the feeling of power in his hands. They came to a place facing the mountains. The sun pounded unshielded upon their heads. The Sheikh Mountains were true mountains, but not mighty ones. They looked worn down and old, weathered peaks covered with fading green shrubs. Hassan pulled a pair of binoculars from his belt and trained them on a couple of white dots. He handed them to Ali. "Up there, near the peak where I am pointing. You will see two men." Ali looked. "Those are your men?" He asked. "Dervishes." Hassan confirmed. "Taking their exercise." "An interesting track." "Those men haven't slept for three days. At all." Ali put his binoculars down. "Are they ill?" "They are kept awake by modern medicine. Military drugs I have procured. I don't sit on an ancient army like the Emperor of Ethiopia, hoping things may be the same. I seek updates. I seek improvements. Anything that gives even the slightest edge, I employee it." "And the Emperor allows this?" "I'm sure the Imperial government is aware, but I am allowed to cultivate my own defenses. That is in the Treaty of our union with Ethiopia. They take solace in those facts you mentioned, that the Ethiopian air force is updated and organized, that they can afford maintaining armored units. But there is more to war than equipment. If one of my Dervishes were to face down ten of the best Ethiopian soldiers, I'd put my money on the Dervish." "Many a fool has uttered that line, Hassan. I am not convinced." "If I were to convince you with victories, what would you say?" "Facts cannot lie. But we are a long way from these things being fact."