The End Of Honour

[jackl]

Prologue.
Thebes 1997
The sky was as crimson as blood through the haze of smoke and ash which hung over the shattered heart of the city. In the east the entire horizon appeared to be engulfed in flames, to the west, through the cloying, dense and choking smoke nothing could be seen. And in the middle of all this, lying prone on his back as he struggled for life was the shadow of what had once been the most powerful man on earth, president Therhumani of Egypt.
Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he tried to turn his head to look for his wife. He could not see her nor could he move to try and find her. He feared his back was broken. His legs presence only indicated by a slight tingling below his waste. Above him and to the left he could just make out the mangled wreck of his official state helicopter. It hung precariously from the edge of a shattered building, the body of the pilot hung limply through the smashed window. The president didn’t recall the crash, couldn’t decide whether it had happened minutes or days ago, though common sense told him if it had been days he would surely be dead by now. He remembered the sirens, the frantic scramble to evacuate the palace. Remembered how his bladder had nearly gone when he was informed that Memphis had been obliterated just as he entered the chopper. He also remembered the dizzying flight up and away from the palace and as they had passed over the down town area of the city he remembered seeing the flash…. And nothing more.
The presidents mind began to drift, he began to slip in and out of consciousness. The tingling in his legs spread to his arms and fingers and as he died his last thoughts were of the past and the future and of how things could have been so different.


Part one

Thebes 1964

Thebes, the political and geographical heart of the Egyptian Empire had stood for three thousand years on the banks of the great Nile. Great leaders had come and gone, other Empires rose and fell but Thebes, like Egypt, remained constant. Situated in the very centre of the city lay the sprawling Governmental District that had grown up around the city’s ancient Palace. Stretching for miles the G.D incorporated the huge royal gardens as well as the Prime Ministers residence. On the north side of the river were the massive buildings that made up the Defence Ministry and the Foreign Office. One the South Side, across the impressive Babylonian Memorial Bridge were the Ministries of Culture and Internal Affairs, the imposing 98 storey Royal Egyptian Ministry of Finance Building and the Head Quarters of the E.I.S. (the highly secretive and much envied Egyptian intelligence service).
During his years in government the newly appointed Prime Minister had worked in all but a small number of these departments, but he had enjoyed his time in the Finance Ministry most of all. His attention to detail and mathematical wizardry had led to his advancement to Finance Minister very quickly and from there he moved on to become P.M. Now he sat in his old office as his new F.M explained to him why the economy was about to collapse.
“ This is ridiculous.” Exclaimed the P.M “ why the hell was I not notified sooner?”
The foreign minister shifted uncomfortably in his seat “sir” he began “ we have been attempting to contain the situation ourselves. We were hoping the negotiations with England would produce desirable results but alas the English are as strapped for cash as we are.”
“So the English won’t help us?” the P.M interjected, clearly shocked. He had ordered not only his financiers and industrial suppliers to aid the English but over the last fifty years the Egyptian military had aided the beleaguered English twice in their battles with the French. And now they were to be denied. And old adage about biting the hand that feeds you ran through the P.M’s mind but he pushed it aside. “ Have you contacted the Russians? My last Intel report said they had plenty to spare.”
The minister shook his head “ we have spoken to them but they claim that last month their Gdansk wells ran dry and that their own supplies must be maintained. We have even asked the Romans but their price is higher than that wanted by the Japanese. I don’t see an alternative sir. We must have oil. That much is certain. The nation is highly dependent on it, not to mention the armed forces! If our wells are dry then we must pay for it. And if those bastard japs want us to empty the treasury and cut of all other funding to pay for it, well, were just going to have to do it. The economy may recover in time. We can get the money back by upping the price of gems to extortionate levels when the current deals expire. But the country won’t survive if Roman tanks start rolling into Thebes the second they realise were back to horses and carts.”
The P.M shook his head slowly “ok, ok issue the paper work. Get a deal going. But just remember to let President Tokigawa know that Egypt has a long memory and that we won’t soon forget the price we pay today.”

Within the next month the oil began to flow in to Egypt once again but the cash began to flow out. Schools and universities were forced to close for 3 days a week due to lack of funds. Numerous public buildings were closed or torn down in a bid to save money. In every city across the nation the once nationally owed granaries were sold off to keep the government coffers from emptying completely. The nationally owed theatre companies and entertainment complexes were closed down; the lack of funds available for luxuries such as these causing unhappiness across the empire.
Crowds gathered to protest in streets as the newest batch of tanks rolled of the production lines in Pi-Rammeses. The people found it hard to comprehend how even with the treasury running into the red their government could continue to spend its precious resources on weapons of war. Soon every county and city within Egypt was ordered to cancel all production, stop buying and start selling. Government funding for everything began to whittle away and then stop completely.
The Prime minister was becoming more and more anxious about the situation. Every day more and more reports were dropped on his desk. The ministry of Defence requesting funds to upgrade the badly out dated cannons in the 3rd Artillery Division. Requests from the cultural department to rebuild the cathedral in Kahun after its destruction in recent rioting. The E.I.S demanding more money to replace their agents in Rome after a botched attempt to infiltrate the Roman army had led to their capture. All of these requests were turned down time and again. The final straw came when the five nations buying gems from Egypt cancelled their contracts during renegotiations and left Egypt well and truly bankrupt. After that debacle the P.M was forced to convene an Emergency cabinet meeting.
The cabinet members arrived in good time, each one interested in only one thing for a change, how to stop Egypt from slipping from a world super power to the worlds largest but poorest, and most backward nation. There seemed to be only one option to those gathered around the table. The Defence minister, as expected, was first to voice.
“Gentlemen.” He spoke loudly enough to be heard without his microphone “we have talked for hours.” His gaze passed across each and every face in the room “but we have avoided the very thing we came here to discuss. We have no oil with which to run our country. No oil to keep the factories producing goods. No oil to keep our Armed forces supplied. We all know we cannot afford to pay the price the Japanese ask for their oil, but neither can we afford to go without it. Therefore we must ensure we have oil to keep the nation running and if we cant buy it…” he paused took a sip from his glass “we must take it.”
There were no mummers of disagreement, no gasps of horror just a slow, gentle, resigned nodding of heads.
“Do you have a plan?” asked the P.M knowing full well what the answer would be.
The defence minister nodded “Yes sir. We have a Plan.”

Part Two
Cry Havoc
The Peninsula of Nagasaki was probably the richest place on the planet. Actually a small island linked to the Japanese main land by a tiny land bridge only ½ mile wide the peninsula held not only the worlds two largest oil fields but also the Japanese economic capital, Nagasaki City. It was here that the japs had gambled with their future and won, big. The city was home to the japs version of Wall Street and the great economic centre called Smiths trading company. Not only that it was a vast military port and air base with the entire Japanese south fleet based there. It was a prize too big for Egypt to pass up. It was also the point where Egyptian forces, led by the Queens own Son prince/general Rameses, would make their first move.
The Egyptian armed forces had been quickly prepared and mobilised. The plan called for a triple pronged attack against the japs and their allies the Germans. The initial plan had been to attack Japan alone but three weeks prior to the target date; Japan and Germany had signed an m.p.p. and the third fleet had been redirected towards the German island of Gordium (once a Roman province) to secure the coal and iron mines there and deny the Germans of those two resources. The second fleet would feign an attack into Japan itself, striking right along the northern coast and landing nearly forty units on the beaches, these units were a miss match of obsolete cavalry and musket men backed up by a few units of the new mechanised infantry. These forces were designed to be sacrificial, to draw the japs north and away from the real target.
In the south the first fleet and its contingent of carrier based bombers were to secure Nagasaki and its oilfields. Over 60 of the Egyptian’s new modern armour were to be poured into this area supported by 20 units of mechanised infantry and the 15 guns of the 3rd artillery Division (upgraded at great cost only a month before). The plan called for the forces to secure Nagasaki and the land bridge before smashing north into Japan proper. Hopefully the japs would not risk losing their final oil supply at Kagoshima in the desert north of Nagasaki and would sue for peace. That was the Plan.
The morning of the attack the seas were as calm as a mill pond, the skies were bright and blue and it seemed to General Rameses that the day was too perfect to start a war. But start one he would. He looked down at his watch. 7.32am. Only three minutes until the japs were to be shown what it was to rob Egypt. His mind flicked back across the ocean, imagining the surprised look on Ambassador Himasheki’s face as the P.M handed him the note. The declaration was to be timed perfectly, giving the ambassador just enough time to call his government before the bombs started falling.
Ahead of him smashing through the waves he could see the transports as they headed for the shore. He could make out the huge guns of the massive Cleopatra II battle tanks sitting high on their decks, primed and ready. A sound like roaring thunder dragged his attention to the skies just in time to see ten of the newly commissioned Havoc bombers scream towards the coastline. He looked at his watch one last time 7.35.am and right on queue the entire Japanese coast before him erupted like a volcano. Massive columns of flame broke the ground and tore into the air. The sound of the explosions reached him a split second later, so powerful as to nearly knock him of his feet. The second wave of bombers released their cargo and the horizon was engulfed once again and as the flames and smoke began to drift northwards on the wind the transports hit the beaches.
Even after seeing the drills and practice runs Rameses couldn’t help but be impressed by the speed and efficiency of his troops. No sooner had the transports arrived than they were heading back to sea, their decks and cargo bays empty. The only reminders they had been were the huge columns of Cleo II tanks heading in land. It was a pretty impressive reminder. His radio crackled as the first reports poured in. The air force reported no losses. The leading elements of his armoured division reported only slight resistance and were pushing up the coast towards Nagasaki. Everything was going to plan. The beachhead was secure and the fleet was moving into position to blockade the city. His aide reported the news from the German and Northern fronts. Gordium had been taken and the German fleet badly mauled in the seas of off the West Coast. The forces in northern Japan had managed to secure the town of Tokyo and were hunkering down to last out the war. Losses had been heavy on both sides but the japs seemed to be sending everything they had north wards. Everything was going to plan.



Part three
...and let slip the dogs of war.


Deep in the heart of his citadel, hundreds of feet below the streets of Rome, Ceasar quickly scanned through the reports on his desk. His eyes were dark with amusment as he looked back to his trusted advisor

"The Japs have been cought totally off guard." said the advisor "As you can see, sire, the Egyptians have pulled off a master stroke. The Japs have been basically defeated already. Our intelligence sources tell me that even though most of their army is still intact they will more than likely seek a political end to the war. This will most definately be on terms favourable to Egypt. I doubt we could have done better ourselves sir."

Ceasar's smile faded. His brow creased as the implications of a quick Egyptian victory hit home. His country had shared the continent with Egypt since time began and though the two nations held a mutual hatred for each other this had managed to never spill over into a major conflict, the two countries mutual hatred held in check by a mutual fear of a long, bloody and ultimatelly victor less conflict. But with Egyptian victory in japan came a sudden advantage that neither Rome nor Egypt had ever held and that left Rome in a much weakened position. Already bogged down in a seemingly endless fight with the Zulus in the north, Rome could ill afford to allow egypt to gain the upper hand on the continent. For the first time in his life Ceasar felt a twinge of fear in his gut.
"This could be a disaster for Rome, Lucius." his voice was low, almost a whisper "We cannot allow the Egyptians to dominate events in this way. Rome must once again take the initiative. We must make a bold statement. Make the egyptians realise that they are not the only ones capable of winning wars."

Lucius thought for a moment "we could launch a final offensive against the Zulu sire. Perhaps throw in a nuclear strike on Ngome. That would show that were not to be pushed too far."

"No Lucius." said Ceasar, a smile playing across his lips " I have a much, much bolder plan than that. Tell me, how many units have the Egyptians committed to their Japanese adventure."

" Most of their southern armies and even some from their eastern and Athribis contingents. Latests estimates i belive were roughly 60 to 70 % are currently overseas."

" So their homeland lies relatively undefended." asked ceasar.

Lucius shook his head, realising what his master was thinking "sir. They may be overseas, but once the Fighting is over...they could be back within days, their fleet is huge and their transport capabilities are..."

Ceasar cut him of with the flick of the wrist " but if the fighting in japan continues? what then Lucius. If we were to attack and the japs were to fight on What then?"
Lucius cleared his throat " If that were the case sire. Well. They would be faced with an impossible choice. Abandon the oil fields and lose their ability to reinforce their forces or Abandon EGYPT."

Ceasar nodded solemnly before breaking into a wide smile.."Call General Tyranus and Admiral Lativa..tell them to make plans" his smile broadened " oh and get me Ambassador Toja..tell him i have an offer he can't refuse.."


To be continued

[unscratchedfoot]

Good stuff. Well-written and interesting. The prologue did a good job of avoiding the 'yeah yeah and you kick butt' feeling.

[jackl]

The End of Honour

Part Four

As the prime minister arrived a expectant hush fell over the cabinet. The defence Minister entered just behind him his face grim. The prime minister took his seat at the head of the table and motioned for them all to sit.
"Gentlemen." his voice was croaky, close to breaking "I am unfortunately the bearer of difficult news. Our negotiations with the japs are going badly. Ambassador Yasa informs me that they refuse to accept our offer of a ceasefire and are arrogantly demanding reparations and our total withdrawal from Nagasaki before they will consider further talks."
The Minister of culture spoke up first "mr prime minister, this is not good. the people are becoming more and more weary of this war already. I have done all i can to keep them sweet but..well...you promised us a short war... a week, two at most but if we are to continue fighting, if our young men are to be sloughtered still" he paused "sir the results could be disasterous"
"i agree" interjected the Foreign minister "already our overseas neighbours are calling us bullies, if we continue we risk our reputation abroad as well as revolution at home."
The defence Minister stepped forward and his gaze passed slowly around the room, each man there felt the weight of it and one by one they tried to hold his gaze, and failed
"I know, as much as any one in this room what this war is costing us but we cannot pull back now, to do so means not only risking our soldiers lives for nothing but national humiliation and the country goes without oil. We all know the consequences of that. Gentleman now is the time to stand strong."
Behind him an aide slipped through the door handed the P.M a hand written note, bowed and slipped back out. The P.Ms hand shook visably as he finished reading the note. All eyes fell on him. The defence minister fell silent.
The P.M looked up, his eyes like hollow pits, lifeless and dark. "what have we started." he whispered. Too quietly to be heard.
"What is it Prime Minister?" asked the cultural advisor. The P.M just stared blankly ahead "Prime MINISTER? what does the note say?" he asked again.
The P.M shook his head and pulled himself together
" It says our garrison at Athribis has been over run." answered the P.M
"see" screached the foreign minister " I knew this war was a mistake. we should never have..." he broke off, his eyes growing wide "did you say, ATHRIBIS...but P.M thats impossible. Thats on the Mainland. the japs cant have attacked Athribis. I mean its just 100 miles from HERE."
"I never said the japs." belowed the P.M "I said they'd been over run."
"Well if it wasnt the japs" asked the foreign minister "then who..."
As if to answer his question the world was suddenly filled with light and noise and heat. The cabinet found themseves being man handled outside by huge men in black suits. Around them the city was awash with screams and explosions. The P.M was dragged into a car, which hurtled away from the Parliament buildings.
What the hell is going on" asked the P.M shakily. The man sitting next to him said nothing.
The car didn't slow until the city faded into the distance. After an hour the car pulled over and a man in camoflage uniform pulled the door open. He smile widely.
"Good day mr prime minister. My name is General Silas. I have been ordered to escort you to Alexandria."
The prime minister tried to clear his head. He had heard of Silas many times but never met him. Remembering who he was the P.M pulled himself together. "Whats the situation General?"
The general was looking around, seemingly unintrested in the P.M
"Sir, the Enemy have taken us by suprise. Information is scetchy but i do know we have held them at the outskirts of Thebes and i can tell you that the cabinet and your family are safe." he finally looked at the P.M "It would appear we have lost control of a large number of cities to the Enemy but..."
The P.M held up his hand cutting the general off "I have just one question General. Who is the ENEMY. Who has invaded egypt?"
The general looked up as over head a squad of ten bombers headed towards the port of Alexandria. The tips of their wings were crimson red. "The Romans sir. The Romans have invaded Egypt."...



to be continued...

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Fantastic stuff this, cant wait for the next installment

[SKILORD]

I am seeing an infusion of new blood, and I like it. This is brilliant stuff and, as Chrisus would say, more power to your elbow.

[Paddy]

Bring it on, thanks for this.... good work...

[jackl]

The end of honour

Part five...


The P.M awoke with a jolt, his skin slick with sweat. His duvet lay in a heap on the floor, kicked of in the throws of the nightmare. The same nightmare which had visited him each night for the past two weeks. The images were so vivid they seemed burned into his retinas, even in the middle of the day they were still with him. Taunting him. "Oh god." he moaned as he looked around the room. It was stark and bare, concrete walls and strip lighting. the government shelter was designed for comfort. He couldn't decide which was worse, his dreams or reality. He settled for reality. It was truly a stark picture he thought. Never in his life had he imagined the scale of the disaster with which he, and egypt were faced.
The initial roman assault had cought them totally of guard, there had not even been an hour to prepare a deffence and with most of the army away fighting in japan the romans had managed to secure four of the northern provinces before any sort of counter attack could be mounted. When the attack was finally launched it came close to smashing the roman lines, driving them away from thebes and liberating Elaphantine. But the effort had been too much and the cost too high in men and munitions. Too many units had been decimated in the thrust that too few were left to take advantage of the breaks in the enemy lines and the romans were allowed time to regroup and launch their own counter strike. The P.M had watched those battles live on T.V along with the rest of the terrified nation. He had wathched as the Romans Elite Modern Armour had smashed through column after column of exhausted, obsolette infantry units and had watched as the city of Alexandria, Egypts Largest and weathiest eastern port had been razed to the ground by the advancing hordes.
There was a quite tap on the steel door. "Enter." called the P.M as he reached for his robe. The door opened and the Defence minister shuffled in, his head bandaged and left foot set in a cast,injuries recieved during the crazy dash from the capital two weeks earlier. "was it only two weeks" thought the P.M, it seemed like a lifetime.
"Yes minister." asked the P.M, deciding to forget his robe and get dressed he reached for his shirt. The defence minister sighed "sir, we have discovered the bodies of the foreign minister and his family in the woods near Kahun."
The P.M recoiled as if slapped "what happened?"
"It would appear that they were assasinated. Sir he was the last member of the cabinet besides ourselves to survive the initial assault. I have reason to belive that the E.I.S were involved in the ministers death, if this is the case. You and I are in real Danger.!"
The P.M shrugged "The entire nation is in Danger, mr Asad. I hardly think that at a time like this the E.I.S is going to make an attempt at a coup. now if you'll excuse me i am required upstairs." he gave the minister a harsh glare. "i think you should start concerning yourself with DEFENCE mr Asad and leave the politics to me."

The lowest level of the government bunker housed the command and control centre for the Egyptian armed forces. Huge screens arayed around the walls were usually dedicated world maps, pinpricked with lights to indicate egyptian forces and places of influence across the globe. As the crisis at home had deepened and defeat at the hands of the romans had become a real fear those dots had quickly receded, the troops being dragged home with all speed. With them had gone egypts influence across the globe. Only a week after egyptian forces had been recalled from england, France had declared war and invaded. In the east Russia had finally relaunched her offensive against china knowing full well egypt could not intervene.
The screens now showed only eqypt and a small part of japan. To the prime ministers eyes there were far too many green and red dots and not enought yellow on the screens. "General Siras." called the P.M as he spotted the newly promoted cheif of staff "any developments. I need to brief the queen in an hour."
The general sneered "you tell her majesty the only thing she should be interested in is leaving the capital."
The P.M shook his head, as if he hadn't tried "She refuses to leave. She says if egypt falls, she falls too." said the P.M as he reached the generals side. The general Pointed to the screens.
"Thats a real posibility." was his grim prognosis. "i got word from General Ramses today. We've lost Nagasaki. That means no more oil Prime minister. I lost contact with the general about an hour ago."
The P.M sagged. He would need to inform the queen that general Ramses, Prince Ramses, her son would not be coming home.
"Is there any good news?" the P.M pleaded.
"None." was the reply " The 1st fleet reports another two transports lost. Those two were carrying a battalion of infantry back from Gordium. All hands were lost. The 2nd fleet reports heavy damage to the carrier Steel Skies and that the battleship Alexandria has been lost. Gordium is likely to be retaken by the germans and whats left of the northern army reports roughly fifty to sixty thousand romans backed with artilliary and armour massing near Giza. So no sir we have no good news."
"and what do we have to counter this?" asked the P.M optimistically.
"About three tanks and a prayer sir." the general shook his head " We also have our stratigic forces sir. and at this point i belive we should make use of them."
The P.M Knew this day was coming, knew that one day he would have to face this question. had known since that first alwful attack. Had been reminded of it every night since the war began by the nightmares which plagued his sleep. Now it came down to it. Did he have the guts to do it. "Do you belive there is no other option general?"
The general shook his head "I wish there was sir but at this point i must tell you that our conventional forces have failed. The romans attack was well planned and expertly actioned and our deffences ill prepared and under manned. I can see only three ways out of this, the first is military defeat and occupation, the second is a negotiated setlement in which we accept Roman control of half the country or the third, a limited strike using our stratigic forces giving us a much better bargaining stance when it comes to a settlement. However sir, I am just an advisor and the decision is yours to make."
"can we prevent a roman counter strike" asked the P.M "what if they launch on us. How would we ever reach the negotiating table if we start a full scale nuclear war?"
The General straightened "We cannot guarantee the romans wont respond with a overwhelming strike. But what i can guarantee is that if we dont use EVERY weapon we have to defend Egypt. Egypt will cease to exist. Its a gamble, but at the moment we have no more cards to play."
The PM was shaking, he knew that he would never be able to look his family in the face again.
"Ok general. But it will be a limited first strike against TROOPS only. Troops only general."
The general sighed, a wave of reflief washed over him
"We will save Egypt sir, we can do it."
Across the room the huge double doors suddenly crumpled inwards, smoke billowed into the room and too late an alarm klaxon begin to sound. The P.Ms mind shot back to events in the cabinet room two weeks earlier. "General." he yelled as the noise of gunfire filled the corridor outside "we must get out. Only i know the lauch codes for the missiles. If the romans take me then we are all doomed." The general nodded and grabbed the PMs arm. "quickly. Theres an exit through the staff office."
The two men ran for the rear of the room as the guards at the wreakage of main doors finally crumpled and died in a hail of bullets. Ahead of the general and P.M the door to the staff office flew open and four men in Egyptian army majors uniforms poured through. They raised their guns. "Guards" screamed the general "The romans are storming the bunker. We must get the P.M to saftey. The leading major leveled his gun and calmly shot the general through the head. The PMs jaw dropped open "What the hell are you doing."
The first Major stepped forward and struck the PM across the face. " You will be silent."
Behind him more and more soldiers poured into the command centre, the gunfire died down and finally stopped. The PM was shoved into a seat and his hands were tied.
"Who are you." he demanded "what is going on here?"
No one answered for a second, until a tall dark haired man stepped up to the prime minister. The PM recognised him imidiately as Jalid Asaf, the shadowy figure who headed the E.I.S.
"Asaf? Whats going on ." the PM asked again but the dark figure before himsimply smiled.
"God damn you." Screamed the PM "Asaf i order you to tell me whats going on."
Asaf leaned forward close to the PM's face "you are in no position to give orders." he waved around the room "these men represent the Egyptian Democratic Socialist Union. The people are in charge now.... Comrade."
The PM shook his head "Asaf your crazy, the people would never.."
Asaf cut him off " but the people HAVE. We are in charge now. And you. You have been charged with crimes against the state."
"What?" the PM nearly laughed "this is madness"
Asaf continued as if the PM hadent spoken "for a crime as heinous as this there is only one penalty acceptalbe to the PEOPLE." H raised his gun and aimed squarely at the PMs face
" For your crimes against the people of egypt..."
The PM squeezed his eyes shut tight, waiting for the pain
" I sentence you to death..."


to be continued....

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Superb stuff , just watch out for the typo's

[unscratchedfoot]

Aw c'mon, at least get those nukes off before the left-wingers spoil everything!

[PLATO]

Wow! More...More...More!!!

[jackl]

more on the way guys.....i've been busy working up to a worthy ending

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by jackl
more on the way guys.....i've been busy working up to a worthy ending

I've been doing the same for 6 months...

[vovan]

Originally posted by jackl
i've been busy working up to a worthy ending

Cool, cool, can't wait to read it. I just got a chance to read this, and if that means anything, I liked it a lot. Please do go on. Looking forward to finding out what you got up your sleeve.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Hows the next update of this here story coming along then, were all waiting to see what happens next my good man

[jackl]

The End of Honour.

Part Six

The gunshot echoed through the command centre and the soldiers gathered there fell suddenly silent as the body slumped forward onto the floor. Blood spread in a sticky pool around his head as each man stared for just a second too long into his now lifeless eyes.
The room burst into activity as two more gunshots rang out, another two men slumped, motionless to the ground and a full squad of royal guards men poured into the room. They were led by Admiral Vana, the most decorated man in the Egyptian navy, personal friend of the PM and (with the death of General Silas) now the highest ranking officer in the Egyptian armed forces. The Royal Guards were the Queens most elite unit, usually charged with protecting the royal family they had been alerted to the attack on the government bunker by an escaping sentry. They now poured into the room, firing short controlled bursts into the unorganised rebels. One or two rebels dove behind furniture or tried to return fire. Most were cut down in seconds.
The remaining rebels turned and ran for the doors at the rear of the room, seeking to escape in the same way as the PM had planned not ten minutes earlier but their escape too was cut off and they were quickly rounded up. Admiral Vana strode quickly across the room, stepping over bodies and pushing his way between the men. He reached the Prime Minister and knelt by his side. Lifting his head he looked into his old friends eyes.
“Are you hurt.” He asked as one of the guardsmen reached round and untied his hands. It took the PM a second to tear his eyes away from the body of Jalid Asaf. The Mans blood was splattered over the Prime Minister’s face and chest, a grim reminder of just how close the PM had been to his now dead replacement. He could not erase the image of Jalid’s face as it disintegrated under the impact of the single bullet fired from the admiral’s pistol. He looked up at his old friend and for what seemed like the first time in years took a deep breath and relaxed.
“I’m Fine.” He said as he stood, accepting the handkerchief offered by the admiral, he wiped his face. “ Where is my wife?”
The Admiral placed his hand on the PM’s shoulder “She’s safe and well. She will be here shortly. You’re children are en-route to Kahun, they will be evacuated along with many others to the island off the south coast.”
“And this scum.” He pointed to the body lying at his feet “Does he have the support of the people. Are we losing control.”
“For a few hours there things were touch and go.” Admitted the admiral “ you must understand that we haven’t really had a fully functional government since the invasion began. You are all that’s left now. You have the armed forces and you have the people. We have defeated this rebellion. We must now defeat the Romans.”
The PM shook his head “That doesn’t seem likely. General Silas said the only way to stop them is to use our nuclear forces.”
The Admiral shook his head “ That can’t be the only way.”
The PM was tired; he had endured many things over the past two weeks, survived death by mere inches twice in as many days. His family was now spread over half a war torn continent; he was likely to never see his children again. He was tired and scared. Lonely and at the same time hemmed in by people. His ability to think rationally had been diminished by lack of sleep and unbelievable events. His nation was on the verge of collapse and so was he.
“It is the only way.”


Part Seven

Caesar too, was tired, he had been awake for nearly 72 hours. The reports kept flooding in and with each new document his temper and his fatigue grew. The harsh strip lighting had set of a deep throbbing headache when he first entered this bunker a week earlier, it seemed now to be his only companion as he stared at the latest figures and statistics. Each list was longer than the last. They showed everything from ammunition usage to losses in the air and at sea (these had been exceptionally bad) to overall casualties. They were all too long.
Caesar had never been a peaceful man, he had sent his nations youth into battle many times before. Often for no other reason than mere boredom and power cravings. He had never concerned himself with the minutiae of figures, never worried if the men and women he sent to war came back. In the Zulu wars he had ordered tens of thousands of troops into battle after battle, many had not returned. This however, he stared blankly at the pages before him was different. Two hundred fifty thousand dead at Alexandria. Four hundred thousand in the northern Provinces. Sixteen thousand at the gates of Thebes, and that was only the latest battle for what was now little more than a broken pile of rubble. Maybe he was getting old. He shook his head. No, maybe he was just realising he was human.
A tap at the door brought Caesar back to the real world. “Enter.” The door opened and a tall dark skinned man in a general’s uniform stepped inside, Caesar broke in to a wide grin.
“Marc Anthony.” He waved to a chair “Sit down. Sit down. Tell me. How goes it at the front.” Caesar wanted some good news, needed to hear that Egypt was ready to surrender. That the guilty hollow feeling he had never had before would leave him in peace. That he would not have to send more of Rome’s children to die a horrible violent death. Marc Anthony shook his head, his eyes, now that Caesar looked close, were like dark pools. Hollow and haunted.
“Things Progress slowly, my friend.” Was the solemn response “Our attack is bogging down and the Egyptians are fighting for every last inch of ground. They are like wild animals. I have witnessed this first had. Just yesterday, during a tank assault against the town of Gaza I watched 3 divisions of our best Modern Armour obliterated by their infantry. They were at half strength and still they defeated us. The day before that I heard that two units of our infantry were cornered in the Port of Heliopolis by a mob of civilians. They slaughtered the garrison and retook the city just hours later.”
“They retook the city?” interjected Caesar “Have we got it back?”
Anthony shook his head “I ordered it burned to prevent further rebellion.” He looked straight at Caesar face “My friend.” He said solemnly “We must find a way to stop this.”
Caesar shook his head “It is too late for that. We cannot stop now. We must defeat the Egyptians. If we falter now then we risk all of the Empire. If we show weakness then others will seek our destruction.”
“This is Madness.”
“It is madness. I agree.” Caesar admitted “A madness which I began, Marc Anthony. And for which I will answer to the gods. But it is not a madness that I can now stop. We have gone too far, committed too much and our people have bled too much for us to fail.”
“To continue is to fail.” Pleaded the younger man “Surely you can see this. The nation is on the brink. The armed forces are exhausted. Our strategic reserves of steel and oil are gone. The treasury is empty. We are spread too thin over too many fronts. The Egyptians are close to defeating us and driving us out. I believe the only thing stopping them is their fear that we are stronger than they at present. As soon as they learn different they will turn this war back on us.”
“They are close to collapse themselves.” Boomed Caesar “We have them running scared.”
“Exactly” parried Marc Anthony “But at what cost to our own troops. Last I saw it was three of our to one of theirs. And if they truly are running scared then a frightened man is a dangerous man. Especially when that man is armed with nuclear weapons.”
“They wouldn’t dare?” Caesar was suddenly very pale.
“If they are as scared as you think…” Marc Anthony finally had his masters’ attention “Then they believe they have nothing to lose.”
“And if we pull back now? Will they accept that? If I offer peace, a return to pre-war lines will they accept that we have ravaged their country, killed millions of their people? Will they just accept a treaty.”
“What is the alternative?”
Caesar was silent for a long time, in his mind he ran through all the mistakes he had made and remembered a phrase he had once heard somewhere “An error is an error, it only becomes a mistake when you refuse to rectify it.” He looked up at Marc Anthony.
“Call the cabinet together. We need to discus terms with Egypt.”
“It’s the right thing to do sir.” Said Marc Anthony as he stepped in to the corridor. Caesar sat silently, alone once more. The phone ringing broke into his contemplation. He lifted the receiver and for the first time since he was a child his hand began to shake. The door burst open a second later and Marc Anthony was back. The look in his eyes said it all. Above them there was a sound like rolling thunder. The Floor vibrated slightly.
“Looks like they did it.” Said Caesar as klaxons began to sound outside. Marc Anthony shook his head “How do we respond sir.”
Caesar smiled forlornly “Rome will respond in kind to this attack. She has to.” The smile faded “You and I however are unlikely to see that.”
Reaching into the drawer of his desk he removed a small black brief case, inside were the controls for Rome’s own Nuclear deterrent. He looked back at his old friend as he pressed the controls. Marc Anthony winced as the phrase “Launch Authorised” flashed across the display unit in the case. Caesar sank back into his chair and closed his eyes as the bunker was split open to the carnage above and as he and his companion were bathed in flame and destruction his last thought was of mistakes and how even with the best intentions it was just too hard to set them right.

THE END




EPILOGUE

The tribe had wandered for a thousand years before they had found this place. In the beginning they had numbered in the tens of thousands, but time and the harsh trek south had thinned their ranks. They had survived by hunting wild animals and gathering berries and plants for food. They had sheltered in caves and amongst the huge mounds of grey rocks that littered the plains. They had travelled across mountain ranges and forded great rivers. Sometimes they found the going harsh, as the very land reached up to defy them. At other times they had found the long march eased by the long black strips of rock which crossed the land. They had walked until they found this place. And it was where they would call home.
Their wise men had told them about this place. Told them how from here they would build a great world. In their minds eye they could see it though many believed this nothing more than a fantasy. An archaic legend from times past. Until HE came.
He had been born a little over thirty seasons since and had grown into their leader. HE was a strong confident man and had told them to believe in themselves when all else seemed lost. And he had led them here. Amongst the great piles of broken stones he had taught them new skills to help them on their journey. He had helped them plant and grow crops. Taught them how to take the broken dust rock and build homes and shelter. And he had led them here.
He stood before them now, his huge staff held high as they gathered around him, at his side stood the great mystic and it was he who spoke, but not to the crowd. He spoke to him.
“You have risen to became king of the egyptians.” He smiled and whispered “is that how it goes..”
HE looked down at the faded paper before him, carried by the leaders of the tribe for a thousand years since the great cataclysm “Yeah” he nodded “that’s how it starts…”

[vovan]

Great stuff, jackl! Definitely an exciting and satisfying read. I'll be sure to put this baby up as soon as the next Contest's nomination thread is up.

Hope to see more from you.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Seconded a cracking finish to a superb story, well done and I will look forward to seeing more from you

[Verto]

Bravo!

[PLATO]

Excellent!

[jackl]

AWWWW shucks guys


Thanx for all the feed back ..it's really apreciated.

And I will be back with another EPIC...just as soon as i can come up with a worthy idea.

[Paddy]

that is great..

looking forward to your next piece... very inspiring...

[sprudl]

Great story, jackl.
Write more, write more

[Philosphy]

A purely entertaining and on the edge of your seat story! Great work!

[Shogun Gunner]

AWESOME

AWESOME

AWESOME


I was glued to this story from start to finish. The beginning glipse and the ending was a great touch. Good characters and intrique!