Vargän was alive, but it was not the Vargän he knew so well, something else had awoken, and it wasn’t his friend anymore.
Chapter 36
"What luck for rulers that men do not think.”
Adolf Hitler
X-rays confirmed that Vargän Barchevski had sustained a serious skull fracture; the medical evidence was irrefutable. However, the doctors still could not explain how the Chancellor had recovered so quickly. By all accounts he should've been brain dead.
Lucia was not at ease, thoughts of Vargän’s sudden revival plagued him. As much as he was thrilled at the unexpected recovery, it just seemed that something else had interfered with his friend.
Reporters and news crews had set up a media camp outside the Barchevski Estate and waited patiently for the Chancellors return. But secretly he had arrived by military helicopter instead with doctors and a full contingent of medical staff arriving by bus. Vargän was adamant he was going to recover at home. However, those closest to him, those who knew his slightest gestures and nuances, noticed some changes in his behavior. But nevertheless they remained silent to the outside world, only discussing his strange mannerisms between themselves. Lucia tried to speak to Claudia about it, but she was still in denial as she was sure in no time he would be back to normal again.
Katiyana had been given a cocktail of sedatives to calm her. This was the first real tragedy in her life, which only made it worse as she idolized her father. He was her pillar of strength, not only to her but to the countless millions who admired him. Her emotions balanced on a knife's edge as she struggled with the enormity of this situation. A man of such great stature bound to a wheel chair.
"Will he ever walk again?" she had asked Claudia, who was also wondering the same herself.
Claudia however remained poised and dignified as she prepared herself for the worst. They both remained by his side, unwavering in their love and support for him.
The sporadic twitching of his hands and the expressionless stare on his face was a concern, yet he was alive and that was all that mattered at this stage. Specialists were monitoring his neuron responses, which had improved since the accident. Regardless of the misgivings surrounding his condition, they were just relieved that he had stabilized to the extent that he was able to speak.
When Lucia visited his friend the next morning to see how he was doing, he was shocked to see that Vargän was already sitting up in bed, delegating orders to an aid. The doctors had ordered him to remain in bed, but that didn’t stop him from working. Papers and reports lay strewn around the room; many still on his bed.
"Wow, you haven’t wasted any time getting back to work now have you," Lucia commented as he stood beside the bed.
"With so much to do in so little time, "Vargän said in a cold, distant voice.
There it was, Lucia thought; something was not right with the way he said that. Lucia had known Vargän long enough to know what phrases he used and which ones he didn’t.
He never said that before!
"How much sleep did you get last night?" Lucia asked.
Vargän didn’t bother to answer; he just looked at Lucia with an expressionless face.
"Egyptian rockets have just struck the heart of Jerusalem - they hit both temples," he answered.
Lucia could not believe what he was hearing. Vargän was suffering from some form of delusion, he thought.
"Nonsense, we would've heard something by now," Lucia looked at Vargän as if he had lost it completely.
"Get me the Egyptian ambassador on the line," he ordered Lucia who was still in a state of confusion. Perhaps it was a mistake for the doctors to release him so soon. He was not going to let Vargän embarrass himself with his wild assumptions; so much hung in the balance.
It was the expressionless glare on Vargän's face that sent a shiver down Lucia's spine. There was an authority within him that Lucia had never encountered before.
"When I ask you to do something, do not question me," Vargän said as he reached for the remote.
Lucia was still taken back when he focused on the news images coming in from the BBC.
He watched with utter disbelief.
'News just in, Israel in a State of Emergency, rockets strike Jerusalem.'
The ticker tape flashed across the bottom of the screen.
"Now, get me the Egyptian Ambassador!"
Lucia complied instantly, his mind still trying to fathom how Vargän knew before anyone else did. Now he understood why the aide was a nervous wreck when he left.
It was not even 7.30 in the morning.
'The Dome of the Rock has now been hit,' was the next ticker tape headline. This would ignite the Arab response that Vargän had most dreaded. From that moment on Lucia knew it was going to be a day from hell.
After receiving no response from the Egyptian embassy, Vargän started to get dressed.
"What are you doing? You cannot start..."
Lucia was cut off.
"No, you listen. I do whatever I do, and the doctors have no say," he said in the same cold tone he used before.
"Now, everyone, get out!" he ordered as Lucia and the morning-nurse left the room.
Vargän sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes for a while. He rocked to and fro for what seemed like ten minutes. Light had started to creep in through the old Victorian windows. There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Vargän had not given anyone permission to enter. He turned around to confront whoever dared to disturb him, only to discover it was his wife Claudia. He stared at her in the same expressionless glare as she came closer to the bed.
She stopped just out of his reach.
"What's the matter?" she asked as she looked at him.
Suddenly Vargän snapped out of it; he felt for a moment as if he was someone else.
"I don't know…… it's nothing," he said.
She relaxed, came forward and kissed him on the forehead.
Later that morning Vargän summoned the Egyptian ambassador to answer to him personally, he was concerned about the Israeli response as they had begun calling up reservists and preparing their remaining but effective grounds forces for an attack. Their military power had been reduced but nevertheless they would retaliate with what they had.
"You have not kept your side of the bargain, Ahmad. Now I am faced with the aftermath, for which I promise you, the Egyptians will pay dearly, if not by the UWN then by Israel herself" he said.
The ambassador had not even answered yet as he looked at Vargän, bound to his wheelchair.
"I know full well of your personal involvement, so don't lie to me. The Egyptian Government has been kept in the dark by your actions, for which they will pay."
Ambassador Ahmad Nassar of the Egyptian High Council looked down at Vargän with disgust and pity, as the once great man had now been reduced to a cripple.
"How dare you accuse me and the Egyptian Government of these attacks? I assure you we had nothing to do with it," he said.
"You dare to question me; I would not take that tone with me you stupid little man. I have all the proof and you know it's true. You cannot lie to me, unless you wish me to expose your dirty little deeds, many of which occur at Abu Al Lana, where you and your friends engage in wild orgies with young men and women."
From the look on the ambassador's face, Vargän had hit a nerve.
"I have no doubt that your plans to ignite the Arab league against Israel will fail and your country will be destroyed by your foolish actions."
Ahmad Nassar now stared at Vargän in shock. Yes, he had engaged in sexual pleasures at Abu al Lana, an exotic and very private club in downtown Cairo. Few knew of its existence, except for the inner core of the Mukhabarat Secret Service. Valued for its secrecy, the club was discretely used by a small and exclusive membership. Pleasure slaves available only to the privileged few who could afford it.
"That's all I wanted to say to you; now get out!" Vargän said as he dismissed Ahmad Nassar who had turned a pale
gray.
Vargän was sure he would never see the Ambassador again. Sometimes he instinctively knew when someone's life was at an end, and for Ahmad Nassar, it would be soon.
The time was now ripe to rebuild the UWN into the ultimate empire, one the world has never seen before. A war was needed to bring drastic change, unquestionable and unchallenged. But first he would need a war and the perfect scenario had been carefully constructed and given to him on silver platter; it was almost artistic in its design.
In a way he felt sympathy for the Egyptians who had been manipulated once again like pawns on a chess board. The weak must make way for the strong - that was his motto for the day.
"Lucia, you can send him in now," he said, now with more friendliness in his voice.
It was uncommon for presidents or ambassadors to visit the estate unannounced; however some did enjoy a special relationship with the Barchevski Family. Royalty on the other hand, had for some reason never gained favor with Vargän. They just seemed so out of touch with real humanity, they irritated him no end, he could never support there lavish lifestyles and the way they treat the common man. Many of them were nothing more than pompous brats who lived a life of extreme privilege, while so many of their subjects lived in utter poverty.
In confidence one evening after a little too much scotch, he once told Lucia his true distaste for the old Royal Families, especially the House of Luxembourg and Orange, but most of all, the House of Windsor. With wealth and privilege came responsibility, but for the Royal Households, they missed the mark completely. In the end it was always about money and power, they cared less for the peasantry.
Yet here was a man after Vargän's own heart; someone who understood socialism and the need to ensure a stable foundation to build a new empire.
"It's been far too long, Nicolai," he said as he wheeled his chair forward.
The General still stood at attention in utter dismay as Vargän approached.
"Please, sit down," Vargän gestured, pointing at a sofa.
"Can you please give us a moment, Lucia?" he said, indicating they needed to be alone.
This was new territory for Lucia who had always been included in top secret meetings.
"Certainly Chancellor," Lucia said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
He didn’t like this new Vargän at all and he made it known. When the door closed behind Lucia, Vargän motioned to the General to move closer.
"Yes, the chair is new to me too; my doctors believe I may not walk again. But I will show them," he said.
The General was still speechless.
"As I'm sure you have heard by now, the Israeli Temple has been struck again, and the Israeli's are ready to go to war over this."
"Yes, I have just heard, it's complete madness," the General said.
"The Islamic Brigade, an Egyptian extremist organization, has once again claimed responsibility. We have to respond, Nicolai. We have to honor our treaty with the Israelis, we are bound to protect them at all costs against all enemies," Vargän said, waiting for it to sink in. "The United World of Nations now looks weak and leaderless as they openly defy us, especially now." He gestured to himself in the chair. "We cannot and will not allow this insult to go unpunished.
So General, what plans do you have in place?" Vargän asked.
"Ah, Chancellor, we always have plans in place.
What response did you have in mind?"
Vargän wished he could stand up and walk but instead he wheeled himself to the other side of the room. Nicolai stood up to assist him but Vargän would have none of it. He turned the chair to face the General.
"I want a clear all-out response to show the entire world and the Arab league that we, the UWN, honor our treaties and we have the military mandate to enforce it."
General Nicolai Khrushchev stood up. His medals were impressive; a clear indication that he had earned his rank and stature as supreme leader of the UWN armed forces.
"War is sometimes necessary to maintain peace, we know that Chancellor. When the time comes we will be ready."
Vargän moved his chair again as he looked at the General with a cold expressionless grin.
"Our objective is not only to restore peace and confidence, but to send a very clear signal to the world at large, especially to the USA and China."
"How much damage do you want done?" the General asked.
Without even thinking about it, Vargän knew the answer.
"Unleash the full might of your army, General. We need to show the world the true strength of the UWN and what happens to those who defy us. I do not want a long, drawn-out affair. Do it quickly and strike at the heart of the nation, shatter them completely. But, protect the Temples at all costs, as that is part of our shared humanity."
"Chancellor, I will have a plan for your approval within a week," Nicolai answered.
"No, General, I want a strike within twenty four hours. Deploy your fleet and prepare those already within range. Close down the Suez-Canal and order the Baltic fleet to sail immediately."
The General looked shocked.
"You do know I have the executive authority to override your command and, if necessary, order a full scale nuclear attack within the hour."
"That would be foolish, Chancellor," he said.
Vargän liked this General; he spoke his mind.
"Yes, I know, but the message must be clear, because if Israel launches an attack against Egypt while we plan our response, the Arab league will retaliate, and then my friend, we're all at war anyway. So we strike before anyone makes a mistake, and our message must be loud and clear!"
General Nicolai Khrushchev smiled.
“I will give the world something they have never seen before.”
Chapter 37
"The United States brag about its political system, but the president says one thing during the election, something else when he takes office, something else at mid-term and something else when he leaves." Deng Xiaoping
Steenkamp always spent the first hour of his morning catching up, reading the local newspapers. He ordered the steward to serve his breakfast in his side office as he was not in the mood to make idle conversation with junior offices in the wardroom today.
Sleeping over at Central Command by far lacked the comforts of his plush Durbanville home which he had not returned to since Operation Clean Sweep had begun. Steenkamp was tired and on edge and his felt his temper shorten with each and every day as all Zone Commanders and their units were ordered to base and kept on standby.
EGYPT STANDS ALONE! The headlines read in the Cape Times
The hot topic of interest in the wardroom was the war in Egypt, and the rapid response by UWN forces in protecting Israel from further rocket attacks. Most officers wished they were seeing some action, serving under General Nicolai Khrushchev who was deploying his Baltic fleet against the vastly inferior Egyptian Military forces. Some felt the response was too excessive.
With the war now in its fourth day, what remained of the Egyptian military now posed no threat to Israel. Yet the operations of the UWN military machine continued, neutralizing all future threats against Israel and securing the Suez Canal. Throughout the military campaign, Israel continued to build its sacred Temple, while its 'big brother' did all the hard work.
This was something Steenkamp disliked, as he believed the ‘Jews” controlled the world and the banks. After reading the article it seemed the war was almost over as the UWN Military had already destroyed the Egyptian Air Force and Navy. Yet the Egyptian soldiers still fought on, knowing it was just a matter of days before the order to surrender was given. No doubt some would continue to fight on, regardless.
He would, if South Africa was ever attacked like that.
Scanning over security updates sent from other Zones Commanders, Steenkamp realized they were also at war, but on a much smaller scale. He doubted that his war would even get a mention on any of the news networks, like UWN Today, CNN or even BBC.
A report
came in that the N2 Motorway had been closed down completely at Sir Lowry's Pass, rebels had barricaded trucks and farm equipment across the highway and set them ablaze.
With the army engineers already hard at work and backed-up by additional UWN Peacekeepers, the road would be secured in a matter of hours. It was of paramount importance to keep the road open as it was the trade lifeline for the East Coast.
As Capetonians struggled to come to grips with the restrictions and the unrest, they welcomed the International Peacekeepers patrolling the streets, as long as they could go about their business as usual.
It was not even 10:00am and already Steenkamp was dreading the long day ahead, confined to barracks and his office. Lt. Commander Modisa had a more challenging task ahead in his pursuit of the cult leader and his crazy followers, which at least gave Steenkamp something else to occupy his thoughts with. Lutzville was the focus now, a forgotten little town in the middle of nowhere.
Who could have guessed they would be that stupid to flee there? Steenkamp thought to himself, as he studied the map displayed on the plasma screen.
The mere fact that a group of extremists now taunted the Police over the captured police radio with their religious rhetoric, told him they were becoming more dangerous.
"Just find and isolate them. Do not move in until I get there." That was his last command to Modisa.
If anyone was taking the credit for capturing the cult rebels, it was going to be me.
It was vital they track Nathan and his followers down as soon as possible before things escalated out of control. Kathryn Baxter, another concern, had already caused far too much media damage. Rumors suggested she had now slipped back into Cape Town. It was from the streets that she fed the rebellion with information and images that fueled the uprising. Yet, she was becoming bolder by the day so it would only be a matter of time before she was captured.
A sting to bring her out of hiding had already been put into play by other undercover agents with the PRM. It was only a matter of time. But for now all efforts were targeted towards Nathan and the cult, capturing the leader would signal the beginning of the end for the uprising.
Dawn of Defiance Page 30
