TERRA EMPIRE: ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR
Episode 3: MAINLAND PREFECT
Brown-skinned woman with a sturdy body walked gracefully down the luxurious building which is a workplace as well as her second home since decades ago, he may even know this place better than his own home in Cairo, Egypt. He turned spontaneously to his study while he was busy reading the reports coming into Auris, or his communication device.
Once at the desk, the woman inserts the files in Auris for download by her work computer which immediately displays some video reports from somewhere called Abadan onto a hologram screen. The woman asked,“Status?”
The squinty man dressed in a leather jacket on the hologram screen replied, “Total damage.”
“Soul sacrifice?”
“Three hundred people. Two-thirds military.256 men, 44 women.”
“There are our citizens there?”
“Fortunately no!”
The woman breathed a sigh of relief, “General Sulaimandi right including the dead?”
“Confirm,” replied the man in uniform.
The woman shook her head, “Do we know that it's a military activity?”
“Yes! This place is indeed registered as belonging to the Iranian Air Force,” replied the man.
“Is there anything as strange as it has been accused of?”
“This place does not store heavy weapons such as guided missiles or nuclear bombs. Only armament and grenades.”
“Good, thank you for the report, Constable Ming!”
“Ready, Prefect! Heil Terra!”
“Heil Terra!” the woman slammed back. Place the index and middle fingers between the eyebrows followed by five fingers in the air.
Just now that he had finished communicating with his men in the field, his communication connection was active again. Immediately the call was picked up as soon as he found out who was contacting, “Salam, Mr. Janus. Heil Terra...” said as he saluted.
The man called Mr. Janus is a man with a gaze as sharp as an eagle, a grey beard, curls, and wears a neat white suit. She replied to the woman's greeting with a similar tab, “Heil Terra! Good night, Mainland Prefect! I think it's still seven o'clock at your place, isn't it?”
“What a happy time for some people, is not it, Mr. Janus?”
“I think so for those who live in the Middle East. Especially the one receiving the bad news,” Mr. Janus nodded. “How severe is his condition?”
“No one survived the attack,”
“Subject?”
“Drone. The latest unmanned aircraft models that the US has just developed with input from us.”
Mr. Janus clucked in annoyance, “Not for something like this should they use his new technology.”
“The reality Howard Tramp made Sulaimandi a guinea pig.”
“I agree with you. Despite General Sulaimandi's bad reputation, I don't think this should have happened.”
“Have you talked to Howard Tramp?”
“That's why I called you,” the grey-bearded man responded. “I want to take you to talk to him three.”
“Why aren't you alone to meet him? I don't think she's going to listen to me,” the woman groaned in annoyance. “His ego as President of the US is too big. I didn't like it from the beginning.”
“The problem is that Hector Pustin is a strong supporter, and that also makes Tramp dare to act,” said Mr. Janus
“Political decisions must be made and that person is Pustin's recommendation to me.”
“I have no intention of giving up responsibility but if the Prefect Atlantic Territory can be filled immediately then I will not take such a decision.”
The Prefect's speech made the look on Mr. Janus stiffens for a moment, but the man thaws the atmosphere because he realizes that blaming each other will not solve the incident that has happened, he said, “We can argue about this all day but the most important thing now is to make sure that no fatal decision is taken by either side after this.”
“I'll see the Shah of Iran after we talk to Howard Tramp.”
“Then see you in three hours at White House, Clementine.”
“See you later, Mr. Janus!” the woman saluted. “Heil, Terra.”
“Heil, Terra.”
Clementine Cointa presses the intercom button and gives instructions, “Set up her Teleporter. I'll leave for Washington now.”
“Yes, Ma’am!” the voice from the intercom gave an answer.
Clementine Cointa threw her body into the chair, glimpsed a bottle of Cognac on the table which she then poured into a small glass to drink. He needs freshness, which he gets from this drink. Sipping a glass of cognac before returning to work and meeting annoying people is fun.
A drink that is impossible to enjoy in Cairo because it will make himself drunk with the temperature there, he said, but another case with in this place where the temperature is almost below zero degrees Celsius. Retrieved the empty glass to the side of the Cognac bottle and opened his desk drawer.
No need to carry a lot of stuff. All it needs is a gadget, which is already attached to his neck, a small handbag of women in which contains powder, lipstick, perfume, and not to forget Tazzer for self-security. He saw his watch in three hours in Washington.that means he had to rush to leave if he did not want to be late and make Theodor Janus more irritated…
Ten minutes later the woman was already in the runway room in the basement of the building that became her workplace and entered into a three-meter diameter gray capsule equipped with a thrower upstream at the every curve. He wore glasses given by the Teleporter control officer when he entered the room. The glasses serve to protect his eyes from the coming light and project the path he will take to the destination.
“Ready with cue from you, Ma’am,” the attendant told from the loud speaker installed on the side of the glasses.
“Launch!” the Prefect responded.
“Destination headquarters in Washington, origin of St. Petersburg..glide.”.
The window on top of the tube slowly opened, exposing itself to the star-studded dark sky, before the tube was filled with the dazzling white light that appeared first from the headwaters of the busy catapult buzzing and as the light shot upwards, Clementine Cointa's body disappeared as fast as a flash of lightning.
***
The thin mustachioed man was sitting on the sofa of the room facing the window where the view of the city of Tehran was filled with lights from the west end to the east end. The man looked at the panorama even though his gaze was empty because his heart was filled with deep sadness.
The news that he had just received was shocking, not only because General Sulaimandi was a close person but the General was also a strong ally who always gave support to face the problem of nuclear disputes with western countries. Without the help of Sulaimandi, this country may have long been controlled by the hands of greedy countries such as China or America who are busy with their own trade war but instead destroy the surrounding country.
His phone vibrated and found that the number on the screen was a number that he did not want to serve at this time so he pressed the off button to disconnect. Apparently the person who contacted him did not give up, even though his connection was cut off the annoying person made a last resort by sending a text message…
‘R√ We have to meet. Much I want to talk about’
The man snorted then typed in a reply message…
‘S√ Nothing to talk about.’
‘S√ We will clear this with our own hands.’
Not needing to know the reply from the interlocutor, the man with the thin mustache put his phone on the table and walked over to the window. Just a few minutes to look at the view that was there the door of his room was knocked from outside.
“Log in!” the man responded with half a shout.
The middle-aged man who was the housekeeper in his palace entered with his head bowed, “Your guests have come, Shah!”
“Good, I'll be down in a minute.”
While the Shah walked down to the living room, three people were waiting for him, two of them in positions he would call for consultation when the state was in a state of emergency, he is the head of SAVAK - the state intelligence agency - and the Minister of State Security.
***
