“General Romero,” greeted General Manitow, “welcome to Alamar. What is the purpose of your visit?”
“Straight to the point as usual, Manitow,” noted General Romero. “You should learn to ease into such negotiations.”
“Negotiations?” echoed General Manitow. “What is there to negotiate?”
“The surrender of Alamar?” tested General Romero.
“I think not,” General Manitow shot back. “You may have more men at the moment, but that is sure to change soon. Alamar is built for defense. We will never surrender. If that was the purpose of your visit,” Manitow said as he rose from his chair, “I will have you escorted back to the gates.”
“Why the rush?” objected General Romero. “Surely the war can wait a few minutes while we discuss things?”
“You may have idle time,” General Manitow said as he towered over General Romero, “but my time is at a premium. In addition to my army, I have to rule over the citizens of Alamar. I know the citizens are only trying to be helpful, but you should try managing thousands of people who want to help the war effort.”
“I heard about your Citizens’ Brigade,” replied General Romero. “Is it any good?”
“The Citizens’ Brigade is a potent fighting force,” declared General Manitow, “but that is not what I was talking about. I was talking about the women and children who want to pamper my soldiers by bringing them food, or singing them songs, or help in any way they can. I was talking about all of the Khadoran ships waiting off the coast for a chance to dock. I was talking about people listing their homes for visiting Sakovan dignitaries. You can’t imagine how much time all of this takes.”
A deep frown fell over General Romero’s face. He looked up at General Manitow with confusion.
“Khadoran ships?” asked the Omungan general. “What does Khadora have to do with Alamar?”
“You don’t know?” asked General Manitow. “They hide more from you than I imagined. The Sakovans and Khadorans are allies. The only thing stopping the Khadorans from invading is that the Star of Sakova feels that we do not need them. All they do now is send shiploads of food and supplies.”
“Incredible,” sighed the Omungan general. “Alright, Manitow, sit down and let me get to the point for which I came.”
General Manitow hesitated a moment and then made a show of sitting down impatiently.
“Thank you,” General Romero said. “Somehow your people continue to manage to destroy my siege engines. It is getting quite tedious now. I am willing to make you a generous offer.”
“And what is that?” asked General Manitow.
“Share some of that Khadoran food,” smiled General Romero, “and I will order a retreat. We can both put this foolishness behind us.”
“I see no reason to feed my enemies,” declared General Manitow. “If you wish to retreat, you are free to do so.”
The Omungan general stared at Manitow with disbelief. The Omungans were offering to turn away from Alamar, and Manitow was acting as if he could not care less.
“We can’t retreat,” snapped General Romero. “We have no food. Look, I am offering to end this siege. What is a little food to you when you have so much? Your people won’t have to man the walls any more. Your city can get back to normal.”
“And let your army return to Okata?” General Manitow shook his head. “I cannot allow that.”
“What are you talking about?” bellowed General Romero. “What do you care about Okata or western Omunga? They have nothing to do with you.”
“That is where you fail to grasp what is going on,” retorted General Manitow. “There is no Omunga any more. There is Okata and Tanzaba, and there is the Sakova. I cannot allow your army to return to defend Okata, because that city will fall soon. The Sakovans like your army right where it is.”
“You can’t be serious,” gasped General Romero. “How could the Sakovans defeat the west? Where did they get their armies?”
“From Omungan cities,” answered General Manitow. “You know, General Romero, a country can only expect so much from its citizens. The Katana left the people of Omunga to starve to death. He showed how little he cares for them. Do you find it so surprising that so many Omungans have defected to the Sakova? My own citizens here in Alamar demanded to join the Sakova. They were willing to fight my Imperial Guards to defect. I imagine that the citizens in all Omungan cities would react the same, except for Okata. That is where the real battle will take place. So now you know why I cannot allow you to retreat.”
“Allow me to retreat?” echoed General Romero. “That is preposterous. Will you listen to what you are saying? You cannot disallow an adversary to retreat.”
“You can when that adversary is starving to death,” General Manitow said softly. “You have a choice to make, General Romero. You can surrender to me or die. For now that choice is yours. I urge you to seriously consider your position.”
“What do you mean that the choice is mine for now?” questioned General Romero. “Why would that change?”
“You have the option of surrendering to me now and ending this mess,” declared General Manitow. “If you refuse, I will make the same offer tomorrow directly to your troops. I have no doubt what their reply will be. The question you should be asking is what will they do to you when they defect.”
General Romero’s eyes dropped to the desktop as he pictured the chaos that would result if General Manitow followed through on his threat. Inwardly, he agreed that his control over the army would shatter as thousands of storming men threw down their weapons and raced to the gates of Alamar. Finally, he lifted his eyes and met General Manitow’s gaze.
“I surrender,” General Romero said so softly that General Manitow barely heard it. “I expect that my men will be treated with respect and fed promptly. Are you agreeable to that?”
“You and your men will be treated well,” promised General Manitow. “In fact, I think you will enjoy being a part of the Sakova. Let’s go gather your men.”
* * *
The two black-clad figures stole along the alleyway a block away from the central square of Okata. When they reached the mouth of the alley they stopped and gazed at the building across the street. One of the figures raised an arm and pointed to a window three stories up. The window was remarkable because of the flickering light passing through it. In the dark city of Okata on the moonless night, the torchlight passing through the window was a beacon.
“Are you sure that is his office?” asked HawkShadow.
“I am positive,” replied SunChaser through the cloth of the black hood hiding her long golden hair. “He stays there many a night when he has a bottle to sip. Rumors say that he gets so drunk that the soldiers find him collapsed in his chair in the morning.”
“Not much of an officer,” replied HawkShadow. “Why doesn’t he go home and drink? Surely he’s not spending his hours planning the orders of his troops for the next day.”
“He lives with his brother,” answered SunChaser. “I am not sure why he stays in the headquarters of the Imperial Guard, but maybe he doesn’t wish to share his alcohol.”
“Especially the bottle you had delivered to him this evening,” smiled HawkShadow. “It looked very expensive.”
“It was outrageously expensive,” replied SunChaser. “Still, the money will be well spent if he stays up and drinks it all.”
“I am sure that he is drinking it,” quipped HawkShadow, “but I will not guarantee that he will finish the bottle. You should return to your home now. Thank you for showing me the window.”
“I will wait here,” countered SunChaser. “A number of things might go wrong. It would be safer for you to have someone watching out for you.”
“It would be safer for me,” nodded HawkShadow, “but more dangerous for you. Your identity in this city is still a secret. Do not throw it away by trying to save me. If I fail in this mission, you will need to assassinate him another way.”