Brother Fitham waited for him to finish eating and then led him back to his room. Already, he seemed steadier on his feet. They stopped off at the large communal outhouse. Joe thought that “an out-chalet” would be more descriptive of the elaborate facility. Back in his room, Joe undressed, lay on the bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin.
I’m alive. They’re feeding me, giving me clothes, and a place to stay. What’s next? What am I going to do here?
With no answers forthcoming, he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 5: A Gathering Storm
Five men stood in General Okan Akuyun’s office. Two stood at the window overlooking the Preddi City harbor: Admiral Morfred Kalcan, commander of all Narthani naval forces in Caedellium waters, and Nizam Tuzere, head administrator of Narthani non-military personnel. Facing the wall map of Caedellium were General Akuyun; Colonel Aivacs Zulfa, in command of all Narthani ground forces; and Sadek Hizer, who carried the title of Assessor and reported directly to the Narthani High Command.
Zulfa waved a hand across the map. “General, information shows the mountains of this island contain sources of minerals the Caedelli haven’t exploited, either because they don’t realize what’s under their ground, or because they lack markets. And that’s on top of the agricultural potential here.”
“All the better for us.” Hizer shrugged and tugged an ear. “Otherwise, some other realm might have gotten here ahead of us, like one of the Iraquinik states or even the Fuomi.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t, given the strategic location of the island,” Zulfa commented.
“It may be considered strategic for us, but not anyone else—yet,” said Akuyun. “The High Command is looking for options on how to break out of our current stalemate. The coaltions on our western and eastern borders have successfully staled us for many years. Caedellium has the potential to serve as a staging site for direct action against the rears of the Landolin continent and the Iraquinik Confederation. So far, they haven’t become aware of our interest in Caedellium, and we want to be firmly in control of the entire island before our enemies realize our control of Caedellium puts a dagger pointed at their backs.”
The other four men continued talking, but Akuyun only pretended to pay attention. He asked questions, but his mind was elsewhere. This was the traditional day of rest and worship of the god Narth: Narthday, Godsday to the Caedelli. It was Akuyun’s custom to schedule an afternoon meeting with his senior commanders the day before beginning the five workdays of every sixday. However, today’s meeting was not routine.
“All right, gentlemen, let’s start.” Akuyun turned from the map and took his seat. The other four men followed and sat at the round table, shuffling papers, adjusting chairs, and clearing throats.
Akuyun waited, his right hand on the tabletop, thumb lightly tapping the surface until the other four were ready. These men were among the best the Empire had produced, yet only Akuyun knew their selection by the High Command was deliberate compensation for the poor quality of troops they commanded and the limited resources assigned to achieve their objective.
“Gentlemen, as you’re aware, there’s only one item to discuss today.” His eyes went from one man to the next. “To consider the formal decision of whether it’s time to move into the next phase of our ultimate goal here on Caedellium—bringing it into the Empire.” Akuyun’s hand lay on his notes, though he didn’t need to consult them. While he wouldn’t be saying anything they didn’t already know, he believed in formalities and clarity of purpose.
The silence of the four men belied their anticipation.
“None of us at this table were here for Phase One, establishing a Narthani presence on the island. Granted, we’ve all studied the reports, but I’ll review how we’ve gotten to this point. It began six years ago with the establishment of a Narthani trading presence in Preddi City, the largest city on Caedellium and capitol of the Preddi Clan and Province. The city had an original population around twenty-six thousand and was the center of external trade for the entire island—the source of the Preddi Clan’s wealth. Our agents, acting as trading companies, established themselves in the city with the cooperation of the clan’s leadership and traders.”
Akuyun allowed himself a small smile. “This part of the plan went so easily as to be absurd. The Preddi leaders, eager for our gold, either ignored or didn’t recognize our agents as arms of the Narthon Empire. After all, money was money, and the cheap goods we supplied, along with contributions to Preddi infrastructure and bribes to all sectors of the province, greased the acceptance of our growing presence. The Preddi also sold us land adjoining the city for a Narthani enclave. By the end of the third year of Phase One, the locals were accustomed to having Narthani around. Though our people weren’t liked, they were scrupulously honest in business dealings and took care not to offend Preddi laws or customs. And that, gentlemen, is when it was determined Phase One was complete, and we moved on to Phase Two.” Akuyun raised an eyebrow and gestured with his left hand to solicit comments.
“This was a critical stage,” offered Tuzere, shaking his head. “The Preddi could have rejected our opening ploys and made things much harder for us. However, I think the Preddi leaders became addicted to Narthani gold, and it numbed their reasoning powers.”
“Now, now, Nizam.” Zulfa smiled. “Let’s not be too critical. They did some of the hard work for us.”
“Whatever motivated the Preddi,” Akuyun said, “our people moved on to Phase Two, undermining the Preddi and the adjacent clans, Selfcell and Eywell. Despite being the richest of the Caedellium districts, Preddi had one of the smallest land areas, the result of being on the losing end of a series of border disputes with the Eywell and Selfcell clans.” Akuyun used a wooden pointer to touch clan territories on the wall map. “By judiciously manipulating trade and playing on Preddi resentment, we stoked tensions among the three clans, leading to a series of clashes.
“This gave us the excuse to claim we needed to provide security for our enclave.” A sardonic smile graced his face. “We argued that since the best Preddi fighting men were concentrated on the borders, then our trade center was at risk if there was a raid on the city. The Preddi Hetman was so focused on the other clans, he allowed us to bring in several hundred soldiers to ensure the security of our trading houses. Our numbers grew until the enclave included more than three thousand traders, craftsmen, and their families, and security forces.”
Tuzere grinned. “Still, hard to believe they accepted our story.”
Akuyun nodded. “Indeed, and by orchestrating a chain of events, we arranged for Selfcell and Eywell to attack the Preddi in a series of major raids and inconclusive minor battles, with casualties on all sides, thus weakening the Preddi Clan. In a gesture of support, the leader of our mission at that time offered to help the Preddi by bringing in more troops.” His smile broadened. “Troops, on their way to another destination, that just happened to come to Caedellium to replenish stores. The Preddi leaders, afraid of being dismembered by the other two clans, agreed, and two thousand more of our troops disembarked.”