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| Grand Vizier to Caliph Musa |
Hadji was becoming increasingly nervous as we climbed out of
our technical and moved closer to the guards on the gate of Musa’s palace. They
were making a good attempt at lounging around but were eyeballing everything,
at least in a cursory manner.
As it turned out his fears were well founded. I was trying
to think of a way to get us all inside when Jakari laid a huge haymaker on
Hadji’s jaw and started shouting about having captured a spy. Hadji, who was
sprawled in the dusty street looked up at him with blood running freely from
his mouth and said ‘What are you doing?’ Jakari ignored him and kicked him in
the face still shouting about bringing the spy to the Caliph.
The guard had of course noticed what was going on and become
hyper alert to the situation. Not speaking English they were struggling to
understand what was going on but seeing Jakari beat the shit out of Hadji
was enough, along with all the noise he was making, to get one of them to
scurry off and find someone who did... especially once Jakari had thrown the
now unconscious Hadji over his shoulder and was headed for the gate.
I have to say it was not the way I would have handled our
entry but it was effective. I found myself wondering if perhaps Jakari had
planned this all along? Hiding in plain sight can only be effective a small
percentage of the time and this time our luck was like one of Ras Hafun’s
whores... well and truly ridden. We were ushered at gunpoint into the palace
and the differences between Muhktar’s and Musa’s compounds were immediately
evident. Musa’s palace was an oasis of cleanliness compared with the filth and
squalor outside the three metre deep mud brick walls.
Musa’s Vizier met us in a pleasant courtyard along with half a dozen heavily armed militiamen. His English was good and as this was Jakari’s play I waited in the background while he played his hand with the vizier. Jakari told him how we’d been separated from our ‘mechs and tasked with trying to earn them back by bringing the spy, indicating Hadji, here to spy on Musa’s Caliphate. The Vizier didn’t look like he was buying it to begin with so I chipped in with how we had been welcomed as guests, treated well and encouraged to eat and drink our fill at Muhktar’s table before falling into a chemically induced stupor.
The Vizier asked how we had then been separated from our
‘Mechs and I replied it was difficult to form an argument with an assault
rifle’s muzzle holding your tongue down. We offered him our services in
exchange for his aid in getting back our ‘Mechs and in the meantime we would do
what we could to bring Muhktar down.
While he may not have completely bought our story he offered
us the hospitality of his Master’s home. We were taken to a new area of the
palace where slave girls washed our feet and were offered a change of
clothes... more than welcome after wearing the borrowed stuff we’d been wearing
all day.
The slave girls soon disappeared and we were left with four
guards and the vizier’s assurances that we had the freedom of the compound... a
freedom that we soon took advantage of by indicating to the guards that we
wanted to see the ‘Mechbays.
The three of us left our ante-room following the lead of our
guides as they took us deeper into the complex. We walked through a picturesque
garden and came across a group of four ‘MechWarriors lounging in lawn chairs in
front of an improvised ‘Mech hangar. Jakari continued on towards the hangar and
its contents while Thornton and I checked out the guys we had been sent to
secure or destroy.
The four ‘MechWarriors looked to each other in an effort to
try and gauge who we were and what it was we wanted. The silence stretched
between us and I knew the longer we could hold it the more likely we would be
to gain the upper hand. It wasn’t long before they cracked. A guy in a
ridiculous cowboy hat and some sunglasses stood up from his chair and said “and
who the fuck are you??”
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