The Voyage Part 1

MS Arabia; Across the Persian Gulf. July 22, 2030; 1440 hours (Arabia Standard Time)

A roll-on/roll-off ship, the MS Arabia, traveled across the Persian Gulf. On the bridge, Wouter Vos personally went inside and found Yusuf al-Saqqaf talking to the ship’s captain.

“What are you doing here, Vos?” Al-Saqqaf asked without looking at the mercenary.

“I just want to know, where in Iran are we going?” Vos asked.

“We’re to land near Banak Beach Park. Some of Farahani’s cell will meet up with us there and we’re to travel to their mountain hideout.”

“Won’t we get caught?”

“Farahani’s men have scouts always patrolling that area. We even have someone alerting us of Eurasian patrols.”

“Any chance you’ll tell us why we’re coming with you once we reach Iranian shores?”

“Not yet. Not until we’ve reached Farahani’s hideout.”

“Fine,” Vos said before leaving the bridge.

#

1459 hours

“How did it go?” Sunan Wattana asked as Vos rejoined her, Anita Hamilton, and Tarou Ganji at the Arabia’s starboard top deck.

“No luck,” Vos answered. “He’s still not answering.”

“I can infiltrate and find out,” Tarou offered.

“Bad idea,” Hamilton argued. “They got cameras all over the ship except here.”

“I wonder how Crawley is doing?” Wattana asked.

“He’d be as bored as we are had I made him come with us,” Vos answered. Everyone but Tarou laughed at the idea.

#

1534 hours

Vos was now alone with Hamilton joining him and the former noticing the latter. “You came to tell taking this job was a bad idea?” Vos asked.

“I guess you could say that,” Hamilton answered.

“Maybe I should have just told Mirzoyan to decline. That way, we wouldn’t be bored with this.”

“But we’re mercenaries, are we not?”

“I feel like the longer we continued guarding Hoshikawa, we forgot that. Sure we’re getting paid monthly but I turned to mercenary work for the sense of excitement I wouldn’t get if I had to live lifestyle like waiting for my next paycheck. I know that’s not why you joined but-”

“You know, Tarou doesn’t seem to regret this.”

“Ever since he heard Vahid Farahani is alive and that we’re meeting up with him, he doesn’t seem to express boredom. Truth be told, Ganji’s been like this ever since we recruited him.”

“If there’s one thing I realized ever since we took up the job of assisting the Intelligence Collective in guarding Miss Hoshikawa, it’s that we can find out about Tarou’s past.”

“It did seem strange for a kid from Iran to be half-Japanese. Not only that, there was the way he used Solbein.”

“Do you think we will need to use it?”

“I doubt this mission will go smoothly now that we have to help train Farahani and his cell. Now I’m tempted to order Ganji to find anything about the weapons we’re delivering because if it’s small arms, why do we need to train those rebels? Not only that, why are we taking a RoRo?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

#

Kuwait City. 1547 hours

At an ice cream parlor named “Ice Oasis,” an individual in a trench coat, sunglasses, hat, and mask left an envelope on a table. Without looking back, the individual left. However, a janitor appeared to take the envelope.

The janitor then went to the men’s room in Ice Oasis. He left the envelope behind a mirror and left.

A man with fair skin, blond hair in a buzz cut, and sunglasses covering his eyes arrived at Ice Oasis. He made an order, paid for it, took a number to receive his order, and went to the men’s room.

Inside, the man with sunglasses found the envelope behind the mirror. After that, he returned to claim his order, a chocolate milkshake, then left the ice cream parlor.

#

MS Arabia; Across the Persian Gulf. 1620 hours

In a room in the MS Arabia, Tarou Ganji was reading books. One of which was an English-Persian dictionary.

“What are you doing?” Sunan Wattana asked as she stood by the open door

Tarou then reared to find Wattana behind him. “Miss Wattana, what are you doing here?”

“You were being loud,” Wattana answered. “Well, not too loud. But I was able to hear.”

“It’s alright. Mind if I look around?”

Tarou offered no answer. Despite that, Wattana approached the room with Tarou resuming what he was doing with his books. “What’s ‘pedal’ in Persian?” Tarou asked as he went over his English-Persian dictionary.

“A dictionary?” Wattana asked as she joined Tarou. “You’re practicing your Persian?”

“I am,” Tarou answered. “I haven’t been to Iran in a long time so I need to practice it.”

“And yet you were able to perfect your English and Japanese in weeks.”

“Somehow, that’s how it was whenever I’ve heard a new language. I can pick it up and read it easily for everyday conversations but if I don’t practice the language constantly, I’ll forget much of it.”

“So, how do you feel about meeting your old comrade?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Tarou answered as he put down his dictionary. “I’m even more surprised he’s alive. I thought for a long time he died seven years ago.”

“Oh… I apologize for asking.”

“It’s alright.”

“Speaking of which, how are you and Hoshikawa?”

Tarou was unable to answer as looked at the dictionary again. “I honestly don’t even know,” Tarou answered. “She came to my apartment three days ago. She caught me attempting to have instant ramen for dinner and it led to me telling her I will be gone for who knows how long. The day after that, she came to my apartment with homemade lunch for me but somehow, Misa Todoh followed her and it led to an argument of sorts.”

“How is that your fault?”

“I don’t think I did anything to deserve Maria making lunch for me. Somehow, I feel guilty for making Maria do that.”

“Wait, you’re on first-name basis with her?”

“When we’re alone. I honestly don’t know why?”

“It’s simple, you might be in love with her.”

“W… What makes you say that?”

“You’re worrying about her at a time like this? Come on! You even saved her by yourself.”

“That was our mission, after all. Though… somehow I felt that I didn’t do it for the sake of the mission.”

“See? You must be feeling something? Well, I best be going now. Good luck on practicing your Persian but please keep it down a bit.”

“Got it.”

#

Capital Governorate. 1700 hours

At a small apartment, the man with sunglasses who came from Ice Oasis took off his sunglasses. After that, he brought out a disk with an antenna at its center and opened the window of his apartment, but as he placed the dish on the window he closed the window to tie down the dish. Bringing out a wire and connecting it to the dish, the man used the other end of the wire to connect it to his smartphone.

With the smartphone, the man accessed an application called “SatCom”. “This is Gadyuka,” the man typed.

The man waited for a minute. “You have something for us, Gadyuka?” someone called “Nizhny” wrote.

“Da,” the man called “Gadyuka” replied. “I have information from the FIA. Hold on, let me get it and use the phone to scan it”

“Acknowledged,” “Nizhny” wrote.

The man turned off SatCom and disconnected his phone from the wire that connected it to the dish. Putting the smartphone onto a table, the man brought out the envelope he took from Ice Oasis and opened it on the table. He removed documents with the insignia of the FIA, which consisted of a black-colored crescent. As he removed every document, he turned on his smartphone and used it to scan the documents one-by-one.

As he finished, he re-connected the phone to the wire already connected to the dish and turned on SatCom again. “Gadyuka here,” the man wrote. “I finished scanning the documents. Please wait.”

“Gadyuka” began to type in the next message, or rather, press the icon that consisted of a folder. He was then taken to another application titled “Documents” and in that application were the scanned documents. He pressed each scanned document one-by-one and pressed “Upload” afterward.

“Gadyuka” was then taken back to SatCom. Now that the scanned documents were all collected for his next message, he pressed the “Send” icon.

#

Unknown Location. July 22, 2030; 1833 hours (Unknown Time Zone)

“Grand Gatekeeper, I have a report from our Devotee-Infiltrator in the Middle Eastern League,” a hooded figure said to the individual seated on a throne called the “Grand Gatekeeper.”

“From where?” the “Grand Gatekeeper” asked.

“From our branch in the Middle Eastern League. A ship containing weapons just left for Iran and the Iron Dutchman members hired by the FIA are on board.”

“Any word from Šap?”

“She’s currently in Iran inspecting both Eurasian and Brotherhood movements.”

“Please keep me updated.”

“By your will, Grand Gatekeeper.”

#

Nizhny Novgorod, Eurasian Tsardom. 1805 hours (Novgorod Time)

The door to the office of OVR Director Vyacheslav Puzanov opened. Ivanov, who came to the office before, presented Puzanov with an envelope.

“What’s in here?” Puzanov asked.

“Documents scanned by our operative in the Middle Eastern League.”

“Gadyuka?”

“Da. He got these from Mamluk”

“Show me.”

Ivanov opened the envelope. He brought out each document one at a time for Puzanov to use. The latter brought out his reading glasses—proof of his age—and read the first document Ivanov brought out. After reading the first document, Puzanov went to the next document while Ivanov finished distributing the last document to Puzanov’s desk.

“I haven’t finished reading all of it, but it seems to be that the FIA had hired Iron Dutchman Services to not only guard their latest shipment of weapons, but also to train one particular rebel cell.”

“Should we inform His Majesty about this?”

“Yes, but I’ll do that. You’re dismissed.”

“Zamatano.”

#

1919 hours

A car approached the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. As the car parked, Vyacheslav Puzanov came out and after he showed his identification card to a guard, the latter escorted the former to a particular room in the Kremlin.

The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was built in the 16th Century as the city became as a fortress city during the reign of Ivan III. Miraculously, the city and by extension the Kremlin survived both World War III and the Unification War that created the Eurasian Tsardom. Puzanov came to visit the Kremlin’s current occupant.

The guard brought Puzanov to a certain room. The former opened the door for the latter. Puzanov now saw the man he came to the Kremlin for—Tsar Ivan Vladimirovich Tsulukidze—in the Kremlin’s dining room.

Seventy-three years old, Ivan still showed the character that stemmed from his physique. Light-skinned, Ivan had gray hair that was once brown and gray eyes. The man bore the name “Tsulukidze” because his father was the descendant of a Georgian aristocratic family while his mother was a history teacher. Despite being born and raised in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR), Ivan Vladimirovich Tsulukidze dreamed of living as if the Russian Empire hadn’t collapsed in 1917 but kept this to himself, especially when he became an officer in the Soviet Ground Forces. That changed while he was stationed at the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan when an alien ship crash-landed in 1985. Miraculously, Ivan survived, but kept it secret for a while, but that too changed when a nuclear weapon struck the USSR’s capital of Moscow in the year 1989. When Ivan returned, he found his country ruined after three years of war and divided, yet he found hope as his wife Yekaterina and their twin sons Viktor and Iosif alive.

Seeing that his country no longer existed, Ivan saw an opportunity that would never come to him again had he refused to act upon it. Gathering like-minded soldiers, officers, and civilians tired of the armed factions killing each other across the USSR, Ivan began the war known as the “Unification War”, creating the Eurasian Tsardom in the process with himself as Tsar.

As he stood, Puzanov saw the man he once followed since Afghanistan up to the present as an old man. Despite that, he was still loyal, yet they weren’t alone as Ivan ate his dinner, so did his son and heir Iosif. Forty-seven years old, Iosif was the spitting image of his father, save for his blue eyes. Iosif, however, wasn’t meant to succeed his father yet the sudden death of his older twin brother Viktor in 2013 made Iosif the Tsesarevich. Secretly, Puzanov dreaded the day Isoif would become Tsar.

“Nice to see you again, Vyacheslav,” Ivan said to Puzanov. “Come and sit.”

“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” Puzanov asked.

“Why not?" Iosif asked. "You’re practically family since you’ve taken care of my sister.”

Puzanov took the Tsar up on his offer and sat down. Ivan silently asked his butler to come to him and whispered that he should bring food and water to Puzanov. The butler nodded in compliance and left.

“I assume you came here to tell the Tsar about something he shouldn’t be told during dinner?” Iosif inquired.

“Iosif, I don’t mind,” Ivan said to his son before facing Puzanov. “I should have known you would come here about work.”

“I really am sorry, Your Majesty,” Puzanov replied. “It really is urgent and I wouldn’t have bothered you while you were having dinner if this was not so urgent.”

“Then tell us,” ordered Iosif.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Puzanov replied before he coughed. That told the Tsulukidze men that Puzanov really did come for something urgent. “I’ve received information from our infiltrator in the Middle Eastern League. Their FIA had hired Iron Dutchman Services to not only guard their latest weapon shipment into Iran but also to train a resistance cell.”

“Which resistance cell is it?” Iosif asked.

“The Brotherhood.”

“Anything else?”

“It wasn’t in the documents that our infiltrator scanned for us, but I believe the FIA have managed to transport Shagokhods for those rebels to use and that the mercenary group was hired to train them in using Shagokhods.”

“What do you propose we should do?” Ivan asked.

“We send Mirov and his team to Iran,” Puzanov answered.

“Why Mirov?” Iosif questioned. “That man failed in securing that prototype Shagokhod a month ago. Not only that, Mirov’s failure has allowed the New United Nations to use that prototype as a way to develop a new type of Shagokhods.”

“Iosif, enough!” Ivan shouted before he faced Puzanov. “Vyacheslav, although my old age has forced me to delegate most of my duties to my son here, but are you certain that the FIA are delivering Shagokhods?”

“I swear upon life that the FIA are delivering Shagokhods.”

“Then well go with your suggestion.”

“But Fa-” Iosif argued before Ivan used his right hand to stop him. “Iosif, please pass on this request to Admiral Khachikyan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Iosif replied before bowing and leaving the dining room. The butler then appeared with the food and water Ivan asked for, but it was for Puzanov.

“Now will you please stay and eat with me?” Ivan pleaded.

“Of course, Ivan,” Puzanov replied.

#

Kansai City, State of Japan. 0137 hours

In her room at the office building they occupied in Kansai City, the sole female occupant of the building woke up because her phone rang. Reluctantly, she answered.

“Tatiana, are you there?” Puzanov’s voice asked from the other end of the smartphone.

“I am,” answered the woman named Tatiana.

“I told your father about the mercenaries. They’ve been hired by the FIA to help deliver weapons to the rebels in Iran.”

“What!?” Tatiana exclaimed. “Where are they now?”

“I can assume the ship the FIA used is still in the middle of the Persian Gulf. Listen to me, it hasn’t been proven yet but the mercenaries were also hired to train the rebels in Iran. Because I told your father about this, they’ll send Mirov to pursue them in Iran.”

“Not good. What of Miss Hoshikawa?”

“Continue keeping an eye on her. Spokonoy nochi.”

“Spokonoy nochi.”

#

MS Arabia; Across the Persian Gulf. 2206 hours

A knock came from the other side of the door in the room where Wouter Vos stayed at in the MS Arabia. “Who is it?” Vos asked.

“al-Saqqaf,” a male voice answered from other end of the door. Vos then opened the door in response, seeing Yusuf al-Saqqaf outside the room. “I’ve been thinking… how would you like to know what we’re really transporting to the rebels in Iran?”

“And you’re telling me this why?”

“It would be in both of our interest that you know.”

“And what of my subordinates?”

“Best tell them tomorrow.”

“Very well. Lead the way.”

#

2244 hours

Vos and al-Saqqaf reached the vehicle deck of the Arabia. There were two trucks, each filled with cargo; one truck filled with wooden crates and the other truck had its cargo hidden underneath beige-colored sheets.

“So this is what we’re delivering?” Vos asked.

“Yes,” al-Saqqaf answered. “Once we land, we’re to drive the trucks across Banak until we reach the nearby mountains. The Brotherhood have a hideout there.”

“Are you sure we’re not going to get caught?”

“If there’s a slight chance of us getting caught, I would have been warned by our agent within the Brotherhood and we would be turning back to Kuwait City. Now, enough questions and let me show you what we’re carrying.”

al-Saqqaf took Vos to the truck with crates. Using a crowbar, al-Saqqaf opened one crate to show Vos semi-automatic pistols. “We’re getting them Sikiyns?” Vos asked.

“Not just those,” al-Saqqaf answered before sealing the box again. “Follow me.”

Carrying the crowbar, al-Saqqaf took Vos to another crate, the former opened it, showing black-colored rifles. “The G3… a real classic,” Vos remarked as he looked at the rifles.

“Indeed,” al-Saqqaf replied. “Despite the destabilization that ensued during World War III, Iran always saw the G3 as its service rifle. Moving on.”

Both Vos and al-Saqqaf then reached another crate with the latter opening it. “I present to you the Sayf assault rifle,” al-Saqqaf explained as he showed a black-colored assault rifle that consisted of a circular barrel and a telescoping stock. “We hope to supply more of these after this shipment.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Now then, I will show you what we’re really offering to Farahani’s cell.”

“By all means,” Vos replied before he and al-Saqqaf moved on to the next truck.

Upon reaching the truck, al-Saqqaf opened the sheets. To Vos’ surprise, the truck contained two dome-shaped Walgears painted beige. However, there appeared to be a wheel below a caterpillar thread with more wheels inside each leg, with the former hidden by a foot, and that each pair of arms used pincer claws. “Th… These are… ” Vos said.

“Yes, the EG01 as it’s called in the Euro-African Alliance,” al-Saqqaf continued. “Or as we call it in the Middle Eastern League, the Fāris.”

“And you’re going to supply these to the Brotherhood!?”

“Farahani’s cell only… for now. After this, maybe can supply to the other cells.”

Vos turned away from al-Saqqaf and sighed. “I’m a mercenary. With a few exceptions, I do anything for money, but I’m having a hard time grasping the idea of training Brotherhood fighters in piloting Walgears. How will we be able to deliver these without getting caught by Eurasian forces?”

“Then we need to be fast.”

“Fine,” Vos said as he got off the truck and turned away from al-Saqqaf. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

#

Nizhny Novgorod, Eurasian Tsardom. 2319 hours (Novgorod Time)

On a dark night in Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanov walked alone. Everywhere he walked, he stopped to look. As an OVR member, he had to be careful, as someone might follow him.

After looking around, Ivanov continued walking. He then stopped again but only to look around as he was going to a particular place: the headquarters of the Eurasian Tsardom branch of the Gatekeepers of Knowledge.

Because the Gatekeepers accessed the technological fruits of the alien ship that crashed into Afghanistan in 1985, the nations of the world reluctantly accepted their aid and the conditions that came with it when rebuilding the world after World War III. Those conditions were for the Gatekeepers to be an independent and neutral organization and that they maintain custody of what used to be Afghanistan, now called Enlightenment Point.

It’s for that reason the Gatekeepers maintain branches in most countries except for African and South American countries that collapsed because of the fires of World War III. The Eurasian Tsardom, formed by Ivan Vladimirovich Tsulukidze’s desire to recreate the Russian Empire, was one such nation-state that hosted a branch of the Gatekeepers but there were reports of the Gatekeepers having worked with Tsulukidze before he unified most of the former USSR.

Ivanov then passed the gate of the headquarters of the Gatekeepers’ Tsardrom branch. After walking past the gate, a Universal Storage Bank (USB) device was now inside the Gatekeeper headquarters. A Gatekeeper guard then picked up the USB in confusion, but after a partial shrug, he continued his shift.

#

Unknown Location. July 23, 2030; 0949 hours (Unknown Time Zone)

“Grand Gatekeeper, I have a report from our Devotee-Infiltrator in the Eurasian Tsardom,” the hooded individual reported to the “Grand Gatekeeper,” who sat on his throne.

“What is it time?” the Grand Gatekeeper asked.

“The OVR believe that the FIA are attempting to deliver Walgears to the Brotherhood and that this is why Iron Dutchman Services was hired.”

“And where is Šap now?”

“Still in Iran, Grand Gatekeeper.”

“And is there any mention of where in Iran the weapons will be delivered?”

“In Banak, Grand Gatekeeper.”

“Contact Šap and tell her to go to Banak.”

“By your will, Grand Gatekeeper.”

#

MS Arabia; Across the Persian Gulf. 0840 hours (Arabia Standard Time)

“So, why did you call us out here after breakfast?” Sunan Wattana asked Wouter Vos as they, Anita Hamilton, and Tarou Ganji gathered in Vos’ room in the MS Arabia.

“Listen, last night, al-Saqqaf told me the real reason we were hired,” Vos announced.

“And what is it?” Hamilton asked.

“There are Walgears inside this ship. Two EG01s and that we’re to train Farahani’s cell in using them.”

“You’re must be joking, right?” Wattana asked.

“No,” Vos answered.

“I can imagine why the FIA didn’t want to tell us, but why did al-Saqqaf tell you last night?” Tarou inquired.

“He’s hoping we’d do the job without further issue,” Vos answered, with a hint of regret in his tone.

“It sounds like you’re hesitating,” Hamilton remarked.

“I know. My problem is the same as it was when we arrived at Kuwait City: will this succeed without a hitch?”

“We’ll make it work,” Wattana proclaimed. “A job’s a job, right?”

“Agreed,” Tarou added.

“We’ve come this far,” added Hamilton. “We’re not turning back.”

“Thanks, guys,” Vos replied.

Someone knocked on the door. Vos reached for the door and opened it, finding Yusuf al-Saqqaf outside.

“I assume you all know by now?” al-Saqqaf asked.

“We do,” Tarou answered.

“Then follow me.”

#

0911 hours

On the vehicle deck of the Arabia, Vos, Tarou, and Wattana put on body armor; from the vest up until the knee pads. Although a mercenary herself, Hamilton also put on body armor despite having no combat training until she joined Iron Dutchman Services as their medic. al-Saqqaf, also in body armor, watched.

“Thanks for the body armor,” Vos replied. “But how much will this cost?”

“Nothing,” al-Saqqaf answered. “But you’ll have to return it when we’re done.”

“Understandable,” Wattana replied.

“Other than that, you’ll be needing these,” al-Saqqaf added as he grabbed one of four Sayf assault rifles and threw it at Vos.

“These too?” Vos asked.

“That’s right. Those you can take back with you but not on your plane ride back to Japan. We’ll deliver that for free as well.”

al-Saqqaf continued handing out Sayfs to Vos’ subordinates. As he gave one to Hamilton, she returned it.

“I haven’t been wielding a rifle for long,” Hamilton explained as to why she refused the Sayf. “I don’t suppose those rebels have AKs? I’ve wielded one in Libya.”

“Is that true?” al-Saqqaf asked with Vos, Tarou, and Wattana giving a silent nod. al-Saqqaf then resumed facing Hamilton. “Then I’ll take it and exchange it with my operative in the cell in exchange for his AK.”

“Thank you.”

“And why are you being nice to us all of a sudden?” Wattana asked.

“Can I not make up for lying to you? I wasn’t even ordered to keep the contents of the shipment a secret in the first place.”

With disbelief, the four mercenaries looked at al-Saqqaf. Vos then coughed to continue the conversation. “What about helmets?”

“If there are any left by the time we meet them, Farahani and his men should still have,” al-Saqqaf answered.

“What about attachments for our rifles?” Wattana asked.

“We have those too, but attaching them will wait until we reach Farahani’s hideout. My operative within that cell will assist.”

“You really thought of everything, haven’t you?” Vos asked.

“We did. Now, we must make preparations for departure-”

“Wait!” Wattana exclaimed while raising her hand. “Do you have a sniper rifle?”

“You’re a sniper?” al-Saqqaf asked.

“That I am.”

“Follow me,” al-Saqqaf instructed as he went to another crate with Wattana following. Using the same crowbar, al-Saqqaf opened the crate and inside were sniper rifles.

“An Artashir,” al-Saqqaf said as he offered the sniper rifle to Wattana. “A licensed replication of the Greek Kefefs sniper rifle.”

“Thanks,” Wattana replied.

“Anything else?” al-Saqqaf asked to Vos, Hamilton, and Tarou just as Wattana rejoined the latter three.

“No,” answered Vos and his subordinates.

“Then prepare your respective belongings because we’ll be approaching Iranian shores in an hour.”

“Yes, sir!”

#

Banak, Eurasian Tsardom. 1150 hours (Tehran Time)

The MS Arabia arrived at the shores of what used to be the Islamic Republic of Iran, now the Iran Governorate of the Eurasian Tsardom. As it neared the old Beach Park, the Arabia turned made a 270-degree turn as it got closer to the shore.

The ship then stopped. Its stern-quarter ramp was then lowered. Yusuf al-Saqqaf and the Iron Dutchman members stood beside one truck; all of them, except for Anita Hamilton carrying Sayf assault rifles, while Sunan Wattana had the Artashir sniper rifle slung across her back.

“We’re here,” al-Saqqaf. “Now we can beg-”

“Hold on,” Vos interrupted. “The drivers with us are MEL citizens. If they come with us and they’re caught, it’s all over. Not only that, should the OVR hear of this, which I hope they haven’t, they’ll be able to figure out the New United Nations was involved with this too.”

“What do you suppose we should do?” al-Saqqaf argued.

“Let us do the driving. Nearly everyone in Iron Dutchman Services has driving experience.”

“Fair enough.”

al-Saqqaf turned to the respective drivers of the two trucks. Without saying anything, the order was communicated. Each truck’s driver got out and walked away.

Vos turned to his subordinates. “Wattana, Ganji, to the truck with the crates,” Vos ordered to Wattana and Tarou.

“Roger,” Wattana and Tarou replied in unison before leaving and Vos turning to Hamilton.

“Doc, you and I will handle the truck with the Walgears.”

“Roger that.”

“And I’ll be with Mr. Ganji and Miss Wattana,” al-Saqqaf added.

After a pair of the Iron Dutchman members boarded the trucks with al-Saqqaf joining Tarou and Wattana, the trucks were started up. One by one, the trucks got off the Arabia and continued toward Banak.

However, as the four mercenaries and al-Saqqaf pressed forward, they stopped as they encountered three men; one armed with a Type 56 assault rifle, one armed with a rifle colored black similar to the Type 56, albeit it had a telescoping stock and a thinner magazine, and one carried a G3 rifle. al-Saqqaf got off the truck with the crates and put aside his Sayf as he approached the men.

“You’re ‘Nasr’, right?” the man with the Type 56 asked.

“I am,” al-Saqqaf replied.

“These are the weapons you brought us?”

“They are.”

“We best hurry. The Tsarist forces will come back here in an hour.”

“Then get in.”

“Wait, mind if I sit beside you this time?” al-Saqqaf requested to Vos.

“Fine,” Vos begrudgingly replied before facing Hamilton. “Doc?”

“It’s fine with me.”

The three armed men and al-Saqqaf rushed back to the truck with the crates. After that, Vos and Wattana started up the trucks they were respectively driving and continued moving.

Unbeknownst to everyone, a hooded figure watched from afar. The hooded figure then moved away and brought out a smartphone.

“This is Šap,” the individual, whose voice was that of a girl’s, said. “The Brotherhood have received their weapons. Moving to distract incoming Eurasian forces from the Brotherhood.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gadyuka – Russian for “Viper”. Cyrillic: Гадюка

Da – “Yes” in Russian. Cyrillic: да

Mamluk – a term used for soldiers from Central Asia who fought for the Muslim Abassid Dynasty before ousting them. The term meant “owned” as Mamluks were boys from Central Asia treated like slaves yet trained to fight until they came of age. The individual calling himself “Mamluk” uses it as a code name when contacting the OVR. Original Arabic: مملوك

Tsar – the Russian equivalent of the term Caesar. Once it referred to the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire but after its downfall in 1453, the Prince of Moscow was seen as a “Third Rome”. The foundation for Tsar referring to the sovereign ruler of the Russian people started with Ivan IV. Cyrillic: царь

Tsesarevich – a term used for the first-born son of the Tsar and thus, his heir to the throne. Cyrillic: Цесаревич

Shagokhod – Russian for “walker”. This is the term used by the Eurasian Tsardom for Walgears. Cyrillic: Цесаревич

Spokonoy nochi – “Good night” in Russian. Cyrillic: Цесаревич

Sikiyn – “Knife” in Arabic. Original Arabic: Цесаревич

Sayf – “Sword” in Arabic. Original Arabic: سيف

Fāris – an Arabic term for military equestrianism. The term made sense as the Walgear is an armored fighting vehicle piloted by one man or woman only. Original Arabic: فارس

Artashir – Arabic for “Archer”. Apt for a sniper rifle. Original Arabic: آرتشر

Nasr – “Eagle” in Arabic. Original Arabic: نسر