Yorin Binyamin, the Israeli ambassador sat next to Vargän. He was visibly overjoyed. For so many years Israel had lived in fear of their Arab neighbors. Now finally, they had found a true savior; someone who kept to his word. Vargän and the UWN had remained loyal and had upheld the treaty they had all worked so hard to draught. The State of Israel would be eternally grateful and would no doubt honor Vargän. As a special honor, Yorin had arranged a private tour of the newly rebuilt Jewish Temple. However the Jewish High Priest had objected at first, but after careful research into Vargän’s Jewish ancestry through his mother, he was granted access. Perhaps the wheelchair had helped to harvest a sympathy vote.
"All our heartfelt thanks and gratitude goes to General Nicolai Khrushchev and the brave soldiers of the UWN, who have risked their lives in the pursuit of peace and stability. I thank you, General, on behalf of the people of Israel," Yorin Binyamin said as he turned to the General and began to clap.
Everyone in the room stood and applauded the General, even Vargän turned in his chair to join in the applause.
"It's my duty to serve all the people of the United World of Nations and those who strive to build a peaceful New World Order.”
Vargän sat in silence. All the pieces were in play and he was blissfully satisfied with the outcome. Not only had he successfully regained complete control of the region and all the shipping routes, the UWN now held sway over 90% of all remaining oil reserves worldwide. Nothing could stand in their way.
America's concerns were noted but with a civil war only months away, it wouldn’t be long before they too became preoccupied with their own internal problems. With the USA economy now in ruins and its military powers financially strapped, they would have no means to fund any kind of war, even against a far weaker foe. All had been carefully planned and the USA masterfully manipulated into bankruptcy by the world’s super bankers. President Rutherford would lose the next election, and the civil war would be instrumental in the plan to deploy the five million Peacekeepers to maintain peace and security.
"Ok, we will answer questions now," General Khrushchev said in his Russian accent.
A sea of hands shot up as journalists competed for the opening question.
Standing at the back of the auditorium was Lucia; he was not entirely convinced of anything anymore. He had seen Vargän stand up and walk to his dresser and he was now convinced his old friend was just using the chair as a ploy to make his enemies think he was weak. When the truth was anything but……Vargän's strength had just been displayed and the world rejoiced once more at the show. It seemed whatever the man wanted, he somehow miraculously achieved.
A pretty blond reporter in a red jacket from Russia Today got the first question. It was obvious where the General's loyalties lay. But Lucia knew all too well how the game was played. She was probably positioned and primed to ask a specific question and he couldn’t wait to find out what angle they wanted to pursue.
"General, now that the UWN controls all shipping through the Suez Canal, and the regions oil supply. Do you think the Egyptians will ever regain control of their waterways?" she asked.
"At this stage all shipping falls under the protection of the UWN, so no, not at this stage. Also the Suez Canal has been permanently annexed to the UWN.
Next question," he said, pointing to another reporter.
"General, regarding the EMP attacks; some experts say they came from space. Is that true, and if so, why destroy the Egyptian infrastructure with such a massive show of force?" she asked.
The General looked at Vargän before he answered the question.
"We have moved into a new era of warfare and yes, the EMP deployed against Egypt's electronic infrastructure did originate from our own space defense systems."
More hands shot up; this was the exact response they expected.
"General, the Egyptian military has been decimated with a high loss of life, their electronics infrastructure has been destroyed, and millions of Egyptians will be starving due to the EMP weapons. Why the extreme force against a fellow member of the UWN?" another reporter asked.
Vargän leaned forward to answer the question.
"Egypt has been at war with Israel five times already; every time with the exact purpose of destroying the Jewish state completely. Our intention was not to destroy Egypt at all, but to render any further hostilities against Israel null and void. There is no need for an Egyptian military anymore, as the UWN will protect Egypt against any hostilities with the same resolve as we protect all our member states. An injury to one is an injury to all. The UWN will begin in the rebuilding of Egypt within the next few weeks. One more question," he said.
The pretty reporter in red shot up her hand again.
"Chancellor, how are you feeling? It's good to see you up and about, and when will the Israeli Temple be officially opened?"
"Yes, Natasha, I am feeling much better thank you, despite the rumors about my health. My doctors tell me I've made a remarkable recovery. Perhaps you haven't noticed," he said as the room burst into laughter.
Lucia observed the other players on the stage, and how they had risen into positions of power. It was all falling into place. But he’d now seen enough and he couldn’t help but think that his part in the game was coming to an end. Perhaps it was his age, but never the less, the outcome would be the same. However his own thoughts, he couldn’t fathom as fears of losing control of Vargän and what he may become.
Vargän's moods fluctuated to different levels of extreme; it seemed his old friend had a split personality. There was still something not right about Vargän, but the world loved him anyway.
Lucia wished he could ask Vargän some personal questions, but he realized his time with his old friend was now over. Others in play would protect the agenda.
When the address was finally over, everyone stood once again as Vargän and his entourage left the room. A cold shiver went down Lucia’s spine and he instinctively knew he had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Making his way to the side entrance he snuck out into the restricted area. The guards knew Lucia and opened the door for him as he made his way down the passage and towards the street. It was swarming as usual with press and the ever present UWN peacekeepers.
Looking back at the impressive UWN building that stood alone made him realize that he too began to stand out of place. Already he had been sidelined by two new appointees that Vargän personally had chosen.
Many years ago his mentor had once warned him that all tools eventually wear out, and if he wanted to survive he would have to re-align himself with those who needed him the most. Lucia had become a security liability, especially someone with his knowledge. His many years of long service would no doubt be silenced by his involuntary retirement.
It had been many years since Lucia felt alone and scared, he knew all too well how those who had reached their expiry date were silenced. As he walked down the road Lucia remained deep in thought pondering his next move. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he noticed the changes in Vargän, the signs were as clear as day.
So much had changes in such a short time.
No longer was Lucia allowed to drive with Vargän, or even enter the private offices without being escorted by security. Vargän had re-assigned Lucia to the outer security division. A demotion was evident of the final removal to come, which would no doubt end in a fatal accident.
As he walked alone without the protection he once enjoyed, he knew that if they really wanted him dead, there would be nothing he could do about it. His security clearance was still active but he feared it was only to monitor him until someone would be dispatched to remove him silently forever.
Looking at the blue, white and gold flags that now decorated Jerusalem, it was now very evident that the UWN was more powerful than it had ever been before.
As Jerusalem fell directly under the protection of the UWN, it was declared an international city state on the same level as the Vatican, The city of London and Washington DC.
Not even Jews dared to challenge the UWN. It seemed that Rome had surfaced again and Vargän had become the new Caesar, now far more powerful than any Pontifex Maximus of old.
In times of the Caesars, executions were done in the arena in front of thousands of applauding crowds. His would no doubt come in silent, in some back ally and out of the way, without too much fuss, but not if he had anything to do with it.
Lucia Lombardi always had a contingency plan for his retirement.
His brothers from Bohemian Grove would welcome his council. Yes, Vargän had caught them all by surprise but that could still play into their hand and be an advantage. There power stretched across the globe and their loyalty to the order was un questionable. All he needed was to get to the states as quickly and quietly as possible.
China had far surpassed America in Military might and GDP production, and now openly boasted the largest standing army of two hundred million soldiers; far greater than the UWN.
One thing was for sure; they would all need oil.
The next fight will be for complete world domination, and the Brotherhood was well prepared.
Chapter 41
"We shall have World Government whether or not you like it.
The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent."
James Warburg - Council on Foreign Relations – 1950
Torrential rain descended heavily upon the Western Cape UWN HQ as the South Easter drenched Cape Town once again. Steenkamp had reached breaking point and did not know how much of this weather he could take. It had been a long day at Central Command and it was almost time for his rounds.
Thoughts of the half empty bottle of Brandy in the bottom draw put a smile on his face. He had much to think about.
Chantel's betrayal had plagued Steenkamp. Perhaps he’d misjudged her, but nevertheless, she was out of the equation now. Her ISIS device and tracker chip had been recovered on the 14th of April in Wupperthal, at a municipal road-works facility. That was forty days ago.
After administering a tot of brandy, he downed the coffee mug with its medicine content and stood up from his desk, making his way to the lift at the end of the corridor, he waited a few seconds before it opened. He knew it would be empty.
Steenkamp punched in the floor number and whistled as it descended below ground level.
Once it opened, he walked towards a large steel door where two guards stood on duty. They snapped to attention. A junior officer made the salute then approached Steenkamp for his access code. He scanned the iBand device around the Commander's wrist.
The Bunker Room was what they called it, situated deep underground beneath the UWN compound; safe and secure. As the main operations and communications center for the Western Cape, all Zone Check points and CCTV cameras could be accessed at a touch of a button. Displayed across the central viewing wall was a large plasma screen flanked by smaller dedicated units, each allocated to a direct feed that was continuously being updated with the latest info from the zones.
Steenkamp stood by himself, taking it all in.
The room had twenty three highly trained and specialized operators that kept a constant watch on all activities across Zone 1. They worked as a team, some yelling commands to others who relayed Intel to patrols on location. Air and sea transport was also monitored, nothing escaped their sensors. In Operations, no one saluted or left their station - it was all about optimum efficiency.
"Another crazy night," the duty officer said to Steenkamp as he came forward.
They watched the operators at their posts, each of them totally focused on their task, performing their duties with military proficiency.
"Yes Lieutenant, we've had many of those lately," Steenkamp answered as he made his way towards the main control table situated in the middle of the room.
At almost five meters square, the digital operations table bathed the entire ops room in an ominous pale blue light, it was the central nervous system, the hub that connected all check points and mobile units together. All ISIS devices could be tracked and monitored within the grid. The enormous touch screen table had pop up control panels that activated at the touch of a finger. A high resolution map of Cape Town was displayed; the city area was clearly visible, thanks to the Google Corporation who had virtually digitized the entire planet. Roads and buildings clearly marked with access nodes to all CCTV cameras, zone access points, police vehicles and eyes in the sky. They all had a specific color assigned to them. Simply touching the node gained the operator instant access to the unit, viewing all its statistics and CCTV viewpoints.
Steenkamp walked around the table as the Officer of the Watch trailed him. They all knew the Zone Commanders, especially the likes of Steenkamp, who had put them through their paces on many occasions. Operators tried to change their shift when they heard he was the duty officer.
Yet tonight Steenkamp was in a good mood. The brandy had taken the edge off.
All hotspots where zone patrols were engaging criminals were displayed as flashing red. The board then calculated and displayed available units and dispatched them to areas that needed assistance.
"We have a busy night, I see," Steenkamp said to the duty officer.
"Every night is a busy night, Sir, since the curfew began," he replied.
They both looked at the table as the on-duty operators touched hotspots to see live camera views. A helicopter came into view as it hovered over an accident scene. All actions were recorded for the urban efficiency analysis, specialists who would assess the operations data and make adjustments.
Managing mega cities within the UWN took serious technology. Cape Town's population had already surpassed 7 million and it was now tightly controlled. The zone access points monitored the flood of daily workers in and out of the city. All those who did not have a residency permit were required to return to their allocated zones before 19h00 p.m. Those found without it were simply rounded up and deported back to their respected zone. A city could only accommodate so many people before it would implode upon its self.
Steenkamp watched the operators at their posts, each an expert in security monitoring, performing their duties like air traffic controllers managing checkpoints across zone sectors. In essence, they controlled the grid and gave orders to those on the ground.
"Well gentlemen, I see you have your hands full this evening," he said as he bid them a pleasant shift and headed out of the bunker.
The day watch would take over in a few hours' time, however, Steenkamp's main concerns were far away from Cape Town, on the R364 motorway.
Finally reaching his office he sat down behind his desk and removed his shoes. Only a few more things to follow up on before he could finally get some sleep. Mounted on the wall across from his desk was the plasma screen that gave him access to the ISIS network. It was now 2.35am and his men were almost in place.
The technology invested in modern city management came at a high price, but the security advantages far outweighed any monetary expenditure. State-of-the-art systems in surveillance and detection gave the Zone Security Services a tactical advantage in their fight against criminals, and their Commanders a viewpoint of the action.
Steenkamp at fifty eight was not accustomed to the technology and was only getting a handle on the systems much later on in the game. Entering his ISIS code, he waited a few seconds until the feed came online. He watched the screen pick up the exact location of Modisa's convoy and watched it snake along the R364 motorway until he activated the link.
"Ah Lieutenant, good going, I see you and your men are very close now!" Steenkamp said as the screen showed Lucas and his men less than twenty five kilometers from Lamberts Bay.
"Yes Sir, we're all very excited to finally be on the road again," Lucas replied after a few seconds.
They had left earlier that evening under cover of darkness to slip past watchful informers that no doubt would detect them approaching. Setting up road-blocks and grid closures took very little effort, however the
element of surprise was always key to their success.
Steenkamp watched the convoy close in onto Lamberts Bay, everything was falling into place and he was sure Modisa and his troops would have the extremists in custody with a few days.
Twenty four vehicles in total with two helicopters as air support. They would only arrive once the area had been sealed off. Then his special consignment of two hundred and fifty UWN German troops would begin to sweep the area.
"When will you have your eyes in the sky?" he asked Lucas, whose face now appeared on the monitor.
Modisa was situated in the command vehicle which was placed in the middle of the convoy; a converted troop carrier with all the hi tech surveillance equipment to coordinate the operation.
"We start the operation officially at 05h00, so they will arrive within minutes Commander," he answered.
Weather still played a factor in the modern world.
"Okay, just inform me the moment you track them down," Steenkamp said.
He was anxious to get Nathan and his followers behind bars. The latest information was uplifting. A local informer had confirmed that a group of whites were living in the bush close to the beach. They had been spotted by an NSRI coastal patrol.
His orders to Modisa were clear: Lock down the Lamberts Bay and Strandfontein district tight, and to confirm the exact location of the extremists. Only then will Steenkamp personally fly out to handle the arrest. Lucas was not going to get the credit for capturing Nathan, who was now a priority target.
With a full battalion at his disposal Steenkamp was confident they would seal off all the major routes in and around Lamberts Bay. He just hoped that Modisa wouldn’t blunder this golden opportunity, especially with his new battalion of UWN soldiers. Regardless that the operations area extending a little beyond two hundred square kilometers, and Modisa and his men were spread very thin. Steenkamp was still confident that Modisa would locate them.
Dawn of Defiance Page 33