Chapter 2: Down, But Not Out (Before Paradise)

Charlie Compton was a U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilot. He was flying a General Dynamics F-16CJ Fighting Falcon, also known as a Viper, in support of some activity going on just west of where he was shot down by the third of three surface to air missiles which were pursuing him from the area in question. After an extended period floating down from above, he found solid ground in Iraq, and after walking a couple of miles, he was seeking help at a large estate in an oasis by a small river.

After calling out and announcing his presence, Charlie was confronted by the owner, Amir Hassan, who tried his best to kill him, but Charlie defended himself, quickly enough it seems, and instead wound up killing the other man, Mr. Hassan. Hassan had to reach for a weapon, whereas Charlie merely drew his and when he knew it was a ‘him or me’ decision, fired on and killed the man, thereby gaining ownership of the man’s property, his mansion, his three wives, two servants, several mules, a couple of camels, two Land Rovers, a Jeep, and a Bentley. Shockingly, he found that the Bentley had a boot full of gold, a whole bunch of American, British, and German money, many millions of dollars in liquid stock certificates, mostly bearer bonds, and digital keys, codes, and titles to six different accounts laden with Bitcoin and other cyber currency.

The head servant explained the laws of their tribe, a tribe which was looking pretty thin and bleak right then, and told Charlie it was all his, and why. He explained how the laws of ascension in that tribal region worked. The man, the owner of the massive estate, was despised by everyone in the compound and no trouble would come Charlie’s way for ending the life of the master of the castle, as it were. Charlie contemplated the situation for almost four minutes. Three and a half of those were spent catching his breath and drinking a glass of water.

Only one of the women was even halfway acceptable looking, so Charlie gave her to Hasim, the head servant, as a wife, since he could speak pretty good English and was the one helping Charlie navigate the happenings. He gave the other two to his brother Nasim, the grounds keeper, on the advice of Hasim, and signed a paper turning ownership of the house, property, Land Rovers, and livestock over to the both of them. They could sort out the details later. One word of advice Charlie left with them, though, was to keep the pool clean at all times. Once you let them go, especially in the heat, you’ll find it hard to get them back into shape again. He also left them with enough money to keep the place running for a few decades and told them to drive the Jeep once in a while, but he wanted to keep it for his own use just in case he came back to visit. Hasim thought that was an excellent idea.