by Dan Haronian
I rose. "I-i-i need to-to-to go. I was ha-ha-ppy to have met you and I h-h-hope the ch-ch-checkup will g-g-g-go well," I said and walked away.
"Raban," he said quietly when I was just behind him. I immediately froze. A shiver went through my whole body and my heart fell. My knees started to shake. I looked back. He was still sipping his soup as if nothing had happened. I walked slowly back to my chair and sat down in front of him. He looked at me and grinned.
"W-w-who are y-y-you?" I asked shaking.
He sighed. He pushed the bowl to the side. "I'm Oziri-Dos."
I blinked. I wasn't sure I’d heard right.
"I was once the rebels' commander," he said and I stared.
"You," I said and he nodded.
I started to sweat. I felt my face warming up and my lips started to shake.
"Don't worry, no one knows," he said. His voice suddenly became tough and serious, as if all at once he removed the mask of the boring old man.
"H-h-how d-d-did you dis-dis-discovered me?"
He smiled bitterly. "I follow everything that's going on in Naan, and especially what is happening at the chosen. Your face is disfigured, but it wasn't hard for me to recognize you. You look very much like your father, and I will never forget his face. Now why don’t you tell me what exactly is going on? Why are you here when everyone thinks you're a dead?"
I shook my head. I couldn't believe I was sitting in front of my… Grandfather. I looked at him in fear.
"Don't worry. If you are innocent no one will hurt you."
"I ca-ca-cannot go b-b-back ho-home. I cannot e-e-expose m-m-myself."
"Why?"
"They think I s-s-scrambled in-in-information for you. They think I ca-came here to hurt Ma-ma-mampas."
"And this is not true?"
I shook my head and I started to choke. I swallowed. "My sh-sh-sh….My shuttle," I said. I lingered. My throat started to fill. I wanted to tell him about my shuttle, my plans and how everything was ruined, but the words didn't come out.
"Why are you here?"
"I w-w-was kid-kid-kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?"
"My co-co-cousin N-n-naan. The-the-the son of Daio, go-governor of N-naan." I took a deep breath and looked up trying to recover.
"Relax," he said quietly.
"I w-w-was kidnapped from N-n-naan on my sh-sh-shuttle. It was to l-l-leave for a vo-voyage. I was d-d-drugged and wo-wo-woke up here."
He leaned back. "How do you know it was him?"
I tightened my lips. "He w-was here. He s-s-spoke to me. It ma-made him feel, feel go-good to see me hu-hu-humiliated."
He growled and pulled at his beard. "You know there are simpler ways to kill someone."
"He didn't wa-want to just ki-ki-kill me. He wa-wa-wanted to destroy the Ci-ci-city of the Ch-chosen too. To des-troy e-e-everything that my father and mo-mother worked to build for thirty years."
He nodded and I continued. "You saw wh-wh-what they wr-ote a-a-about what ha-ha-happened. They b-b-blame me for s-s-scrambling in-in-information for you. It won't be long until the-they s-s-tart to take ac-actions."
He growled again. "Everyone knows you're the son of Su-Thor and you have rebel blood in your veins," he said completing the logic in my words.
I nodded and he growled once more and leaned back.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at him. "W-why we-weren't you in co-co-contact with us all the-these years?"
He sighed. "Thirty years ago I planned to kill your father," "If I had done so this conversation would never have taken place." Wrinkles appeared on his forehead. “I guess at some point I gave up. I ran the war here, and time passed. I knew Su-thor had started a new life and I assumed she wasn't interested in meeting me."
I shook my head. "You're mi-mi-mistaken."
He scowled "I was very angry as well. I felt betrayed. She ran away from here with your father. That hurt our cause and it hurt me."
"Yes, I know," I said. "The da-da-damage I have done is m-much bi-bigger."
"But it wasn't really you," he said. He lingered over his words for a moment before saying, "In any case I knew she was okay. My involvement in her life would've only complicated things."
"It all st-started with he-her. It was all h-h-her idea. To de-de-develop high quality pro-products you could never find any-anywhere else."
He smiled. "I know she managed everything in the beginning."
"Now e-e-everything is in je-je-jeopardy."
He growled and sat up straight in his chair. "So you are afraid to go back there because of Naan?"
"I am not a-a-afraid of what he'll do-do-do to me. Not a-a-anymore. I'm a-a-afraid it will start a war the Ch-ch-chosen has no chance of wi-wi-winning. Not a-a-against Daio, and Mampas be-be-behind him."
"So what you want to do?"
"I do-don't k-k-know."
He pulled at his beard.
"Ma-ma-maybe I should expose him, e-e-expose Naan and who-whoever is working with him. Ma-maybe I could prove that I'm inn-innocent."
"So you do know."
"I am not s-s-sure it will he-help."
"To expose them," he said and sighed. "We have been trying to take back Mampas for over one hundred years. We have tried to expose their real faces. We have tried to show everyone that they are invaders who threw the real Mampasians out into the desert. It's not a simple undertaking. It's an endless war." He looked at me and continued. "Now I'm not sure if it's possible at all."
"That's probably very f-f-fru-frustrating, but I don't want to con-conquer a-anything."
"Of course you don’t," he said and after additional silence he added, "We were very efficient all those years. We took every opportunity we were given, and made sure not to make any mistakes."
"You m-m-made one with-with me."
"And we paid heavily. We lost a whole base. More than 300 people."
I stared at my soup.
"I don't know how you can achieve your goal, but I'll help you in any way I can."
I lifted my head. "I don't k-k-know wh-where to start. N-n-naan is very well co-co-connected. I don’t k-k-know if I'll be able to-to-to e-e-expose him."
"Naan is connected to Mampas, not to the rebels."
"I’m not so s-s-sure about that."
"I am."
I looked at him.
"I'll take care of you here and in Mampas, but you need to lead this thing. I won't be able to fight for you."
"I n-n-need to go to the City of Ma-ma-mampas, and I need f-f-ree acc-access to the ne-ne-network."
"I'll take care of it," he said and stood up. "So they call you fortunate son?" he said.
I nodded.
He growled. "I'll call you Sonny," he said.
"S-s-sony sounds good."
He looked behind him and two tall men suddenly appeared at the entrance of the dining hall. They walked towards us and stood on either side of him. He gave me an odd smile and lifted his eyebrows twice as if he was signaling something. He then turned and walked away. He was the rebels' commander, and he had two bodyguards, but he was also an old man coming in for a routine checkup. I wondered how much help he would be.
Naan's embassy was one of the buildings on the perimeter of the Campus Park in the middle of Mampas’ government campus. The offices of embassy were located on the second and third floor. The first floor and the lower level housed a small detention center. The detention center had been a visible part of the Mampas government for many years. Past leaders had used it as a deterrent and a means of education. Lawbreakers and embassy workers were in full view of the citizenry on the other side of the bars.
Thesh Monash, the current president of Mampas, also embraced this concept, although he wasn't so sure the difference between the two groups was so great.
Across the Campus Park, opposite the embassy, stood the Mampas government building in all its glory. It was the tallest and largest structure in Mampas city. The building filled the entire window of Naan's office. Sometimes he would p
ut his head against the window and crane his neck to see the higher floors. Thesh's chamber was up there at the top. Fog sometimes hid the upper stories from view, but Naan still stared into the mists obsessively. His hungry gaze was filled with his ambitions as his mind spun with the plans that no fog could ever obscure.
Naan hated the detention center. Its location on the government campus was required by loyalty clauses in the Mampas Constitution that had lost their value decades before. He also hated the fact that the embassy shared the building. The setup created small incidents that continually grated on Naan’s pride. More than once he’d bumped into chained criminals being led inside. Sometimes they had fresh bruises on the faces, and sometimes they smiled at him. He knew they found his height and his light skin amusing. Sometimes the guards joined in, which made him even angrier.
He had plans to build a new embassy building. He was impatient to leave the old building, but it was also part of his megalomania. The plans were ready but he was waiting impatiently for the right time to go forward with the construction. His wait was finally almost over. The plan had been a success and he had put the rebels in an awkward position. Thesh had doubted him, but now Naan had no doubts President Monash, would be happy to reward him.
And so, the month after he’d destroyed Base 33 and left Raban’s body in the rubble, he made his way along the clean trails of the park at the center of the campus to a meeting with the president of Mampas. The trail was lined with carefully trimmed trees and bushes sprinkled with nice combinations of flowers. Benches and statues carved from white stones were scattered throughout the park beside small pools and water fountains. The place was peaceful. It was the complete opposite the tall buildings surrounding it.
Naan's steps were determined. He felt uplifted. Everything was going according to his plans. The atmosphere had changed as well. People's thoughts were being influenced by the reports that he’d had implanted in the news network. It was already possible to hear the voices of worried citizens talking about the threats lurking in the City of the Chosen. The city of the chosen has chosen to embitter our lives, he remembered reading in one of the news report. Other reports were discussing the need to purify Naan of scramblers and fanatics. Yes, things were progressing nicely. It wouldn’t be long before the City of the Chosen would disappear and be as forgotten as the Sinners Plague.
The elevator took him to floor 200. He turned right and walked towards the elegant entrance to Thesh's chamber. He laid his hand on the panel to the left of the door and thin needles penetrated random points of his palm. They sampled his blood and compared it to a genetic database. Seconds passed and a female voice issued from the panel.
"Welcome Naan," it said and the door clicked open.
He entered the chamber. Essy Dores, Thesh’s secretary sat behind the desk to the left of the big doors separating the entry chamber from Thesh's office. Naan always found it hard to understand why there was a need for two doors and why they needed to be so large. He could understand all of the fancy decorations, but the doors stretched to the ceiling and they took up almost half of the wall. He wondered if it was simply the megalomania of the designer or if the doors were meant to humble anyone visiting the President of Mampas.
Essy nodded to him expressionlessly and waved him in the direction of president Monash’s office. Naan didn't like her much. She looked like a Desertian and she never smiled at him as she did with others guests. He pushed on one of the doors, trying to make it look effortless, and entered the president office.
"Sir," he said as he walked in. Thesh was sitting behind his desk against the far wall. To his left was a massive window overlooking the city.
"Hello Naan," said Thesh not looking up from the screen to his right.
"I assume those are the plans I sent you?" asked Naan as he approached the desk.
"Yes," confirmed Thesh with a hint of hesitation. He twisted his neck and the plans appeared on the big screen on the wall to his right.
Naan stood in front of the screen. "So what you think?"
Thesh tilted his head as if he was weighing things. "I think it's too big. Are you sure you need that many floors?"
"I do. I think the building will be filled very fast. As you know it's not only Naan's embassy. We do many things that are unrelated to Naan."
"Yes, yes I know," said Thesh.
He gave Naan a quick look. "Silor told me there were only seven survivors of the attack."
"Yes, it was quite successful," said Naan. "Overall I think everything went quite well. We eliminated both the scramblers’ base and the new threat from Naan. With a bit more pressure the time will be right."
"Yes. I'm very happy to help you but it won't be that simple here. Eliminating the base does not eliminate our troubles here."
"It's a beginning," said Naan. "With a bit more effort their end will come soon."
"This war is more than a one hundred years old. Eliminating one base means nothing. There are hundreds of bases like it. We can destroy them, but their people are everywhere. They live among us. We can’t afford for this war to enter our cities."
"I'm not proposing a military action against the other bases, and I'm not proposing military action on Naan, even though the situation there is much simpler. We need to let the people do the dirty work for us. We need to let the Mampasians understand the threat on their daily routine is real. The elimination of this base was not because of the scramblers. Silor knows they are useless. But the public must believe that we destroyed a scramblers’ base that was a serious threat to their personal lives. That is what they will remember. All that we need is a few more incidents with these scramblers so that the public will understand that these rebels are a real threat to their lives. It doesn't really matter what really happens, it matters what people think."
"That doesn't solve my problem if we eventually go to war. At best the people will understand the reasons behind the conflict and forgive us if it leaks to the cities. Besides, what you just described conflicts with Silor’s plans. He agreed to eliminate the base because he thought it would lead to negotiations. You on the other hand are talking about inciting a war."
"Silor and I are on the same page," said Naan and walked to the window. "Clearly I'm not against negotiations if it would make the rebels disappear. Our actions so far do not contradict negotiations. If the people think the rebels are a threat they will give you the okay to set the desert on fire. If that happens I'm sure the rebels will rush to the negotiation table and accept any solution you offer." He turned to Thesh. "True, this war has been going on for over one hundred years, but it's currently in a stalemate. You need to change the balance. The rebels know you can eliminate them but they also know the only reason you are holding back is because they're behaving properly. If you want to break the stalemate you need to push them. You need them to make some mistakes, or at least make it look like they have.
"Yes," said Thesh contemplating. He didn't think it was that simple but he didn’t want to discuss this with Naan. He glanced at the screen to his right again. "Let's talk more about this building. I still think it's too big."
"As I said it will be filled in no time, I promise you. You will see that it's not a waste."
Thesh sighed, "I’ll present this at the upcoming meeting. We’ll see what the ministers have to say. Even if it is approved, you know it's not a done deal. It will go out to the building committee for review and I'm not sure they'll rush to approve it. They are a very conservative bunch. If they decide they don't like it they won't say no. They’ll find all sorts of deviations from the municipal bylaws that will bury it."
"Yes, I know," said Naan and thought silently that they too would need some convincing.
"So how are things on your side?" asked Thesh changing the subject.
"It will take some time. I'm waiting for the people in Naan to feel desperate enough. I want them to feel a sense of relief when we enter the City of the Chosen. No one in Naan thinks that Raban was here on an innocent t
rip, but I need to create a few more incidents to strengthen those feelings before we start moving." He walked to the front of Thesh's desk. "Some more pressure from you would help. There's nothing better to raise fear in people than a threat from big brother."
Thesh looked at him as Naan walked back to the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He wondered how much he could trust the man. It seemed that nothing could hold him back in his quest to mold the future in the way he wanted. He’d promised not to tell Daio about this plan, but he wasn't so sure anymore. How different was Naan’s plan from the scrambling they were constantly fighting against? Was the war against the rebels so important that he was willing to use any means necessary? Could he be sure that he wasn’t himself falling victim to some scam of Naan’s?
Two strongly built men appeared in my room one morning. They walked around as if they were looking for something and even checked under the beds. After they were satisfied they walked to the door and stood there, arms barely folded. They were too wide to fully fold them.
A skinny guy, simply dressed, walked into the room. He looked around then walked over to the vacant bed. I thought he was some big commander who had come for treatment. He gazed at me for a moment in silence.
"My name is Gu-Dos," he said finally. "I'm the rebels' chief commander."
"H-h-h-hello," I said. I sat straight up in surprise.
"I'm just here on a routine visit. Oziri told me about you."
What exactly had my grandfather told him, I wondered.
"I understand that you were a scrambler at the base."
"Yes."
"I thought there were no survivors."
"The-the-there were s-s-seven," I said.
"I mean scramblers," he corrected impatiently.
He tilted his head and studied my face as if he was looking for something. I thought that maybe he’d known the scramblers in the base and was trying to remember my face.