As the dust settled within the Palace, Samaan stood up and dusted himself off. He looked to his right, where the now blown-out windows once were, and he looked outside. Not too far away, he saw a column of dark smoke billowing up into the sky, and he could smell something pungent in the air, like burning rubber or chemicals. He coughed, and wrapped his face with part of his outfit. He went to his vehicle, the car’s windows also broken. He sighed irritatedly. He got in and drove to the National Capital Building, a little ways away. He had to play the maze game as he avoided other stranded vehicles and debris or people running or observing the scene unfolding. He arrived and parked horribly, and entered the building. There he found the other Emir-Consul, and several other members of the government. He cleared his voice and spoke up.
“Ahem, I am sure you are very well aware of the situation unfolding here. We are at war with Tepror.”
The room buzzed with fearful and angry chatter. Eventually, the other Emir-Consul, Ya'eesh el-Shaheen, spoke up. “Where is Abdelnour?”
Samaan’s expression darkened. “I don’t know.”
The room fell into an eerie silence. “What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?” Shaheen asked, shocked. “You were with him in the Palace!”
Another person in the room spoke. “This is a conspiracy! A coup!”
Samaan’s expression flashed with anger. “It is not! I would never work with Tepror to stage a coup. It is disgusting that you would think I would betray our nation like that.” That remark silenced any other theorists in the room.
Shaheen spoke again. “What happened, then? Please explain.”
Samaan took a deep breath. “I had just gotten off the phone with the Prime Minister. That is when we got word of the planes flying over the country. We were given warning to seek shelter underground, and that’s what I did. Underground, Abdelnour asked if he could speak with his wife on the phone in private. We agreed, and stepped out of the room. After a few minutes, we - me and four of the Emir’s Guard - heard commotion and we quickly opened the door to find him gone.” He paused. “That’s when I ordered the Guard to split up and find him. I went searching, making my way back above ground. That’s when I heard the guns fire, followed by a massive explosion that knocked me to the ground. Soon after that, the sirens went off, and he was nowhere to be found.”
Shaheen spoke next. “Could he be at his home, with his family?”
Samaan shook his head. “It is unlikely. I have due reason to believe he was abducted, likely as part of the same plot that had Tepror flying their planes over our capital. We’ve been infiltrated.”
The room once again fell silent. Nobody wanted to accept this fact, but everyone knew that it was true: there were traitors and spies among them, and they have to tread lightly if they are going to survive this conflict.
Shaheen broke the silence. “Get the Prime Minister on the phone and tell him of Abdelnour’s disappearance. He’s in charge now. Also tell him to ready our armies, our reserves, everything. We are in for one hell of a fight, and we need to stay alive long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Tell the nation: We are at war.”
The room emptied as each person had their own imperative tasks to attend to. In the East, the We’Buwo recon force was informed to go on the lookout, for they were most likely going to be the first ones to face Teprorian troops. In the Eastern Emirates, the armies were mobilizing as fast as possible, making their way east to set up their first line of defense while the rest of the nation booted into action.
