by Les W Kuzyk
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The other Canadian’s returned, and Vince stared as the opposition sat at the table.
Harry began. “The Minister wishes to speak to Her Excellency Nishat Jabbar.”
“No.” Tamanna shook her head. “Her Excellency is not available.” She paused. “However, she has suggested we accompany you back to COP. Due to time constraints and as we have more to disclose, we propose reconvening this meeting on your plane.”
“More to disclose.” Harry stared.
“Yes.”
“The two of you.”
“Vince for logistics, myself for contact with Her Excellency.”
Harry looked at his team, his eyes falling. He glared sideways at Tamanna, but spoke evenly. “Yes, follow us to the airport. Here are my contacts. We need speak car to car.” He loosened his tie and removed his suit jacket, exposing his wet sticky shirt. But a determined look remained on his face.
“Brilliant. Her Excellency assumes your Minister will be communicating with your Prime Minister...we must speak to that.”
Vince rode beside the climatologist in one presidential car listening. She expanded on the politics; the fact that five Sahel nations could synchronize national volcanoes together would send a clear signal, a powerful signal. And that those volcanoes all released then, in the early morning hours of influence, must be revealed most strategically. He could push further the mid-Atlantic topic, allude to the special design business jets being ready. But what would she say now? For reference only, they had officially been told. Shit!
“On the plane, Vince, when you talk.” Tami’s voice was soft. “Create if you can a picture in their minds. So when we land, what they remember seeing out the plane window was a string of volcanic explosions down there all across the Sahara. We want the color of fire, of conflict, of challenge imprinted vivid in their minds.”
Vince looked at her, nodding, then away. He couldn’t tell thrill from terror–what was a terrorist anyway? He stared from the limo at that horizon, knowing the string of invisible-fire volcanoes blasting off must grab world attention. So to start, the line of fire was not just here on the Niamey outskirts, not just in Niger, but on the urban edges of Bamako in next door Mali. Had the president there been out in the streets, hearing cheers? And others would be souring high across the western deserts of Mauritania, then the sands of Chad to the east, and throughout the mountains of the Sudan.
His mind raced, forming all into a storybook picture. Tell it as you would a seven year old, but twist it into political pitch. Not one, but five, smoking holes in the planet, like gunshot wounds. Five blossoming North Koreans, fire-bursting volcanoes, and a lineup of other High Impact Countries waiting eagerly in line. But, those five were not North Koreas–not dictatorships with some archaic obsession, but democratically popular with their people, cooperating hand in hand...this had to be his daughter’s best chance for a friendly future.
He sat in silence beside Tami with her secret political directives from Nishat. Vince had to learn how to play this new game career. He could almost feel his daughter sitting there next to him, her tiny hand in his.
End
Discover other Writings by Les W Kuzyk
If you like the ideas in Green Sahara, my novel Pinatubo II follows Vince when he meets another engineer Brad in Niger where they design geoengineering for the HICCC and seek out a political climate change solution.
The Climate Reality Stories section of my site Our Near Future links to other short stories based on near future climate change scenarios that vary between darker and more optimistic outlooks. If you wish to follow Vince later in time, read Blown Bridge Valley back in Calgary with his now teenage daughter. Even further into the future his daughter Annalise addresses climate refugee as a PHD student in Tribe 5 Girl.
My soon to be published novel The Shela Directive follows youth in a speculative science fiction novel. The new adult characters in 2029 struggle with the social justice issue of the wealthy, of who owns the wealth and what wealth should really be used for. They had their needs met by the first woman president, but with her assassination each had their social world degraded in this near future urban setting.
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Thank you for reading Green Sahara. If you took something away from this story, please take a moment to leave a review at your favourite retailer.
Thanks!
Les W Kuzyk
About Les W Kuzyk
Testing the waters of writing through a graduate university Anthropology and Religious Studies study, Les composed a thesis themed on a morals-based world order. Having thus learned of his passion for words and after publishing several non-fiction writings, he now focuses his writing voice on fiction. He has life experience with various cultures including the pura vida lifestyle of Costa Rica and the Polynesian culture of the South Pacific island nations. He lives with his Eastern European wife and daughter in Calgary.
Connect with Les W Kuzyk
Our Near Future site