Chapter 2: Africa

A New Age

"The Imperium" as it was now called had claimed new territories of northern Africa. These territories included what it is now Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. It was the single most powerful government and military force in the world, enough put the Roman Empire in its shadow, but its reach did not extend everywhere. While all the nations within its knew a better life, the world outside of the empire remained quite brutal. On the outskirt of the empire illegal gun runners sold weapons to war torn nations, increasing the number of dead by the thousands. The Imperium, concerned with the needs of its own citizens, lacked the will and the resources to continue conquests at that time.

In this power vacuum Babatunde Adisa stepped not as conqueror, but as a corporate leader. The Corporate Alliance was a collection of corporations and small business who stayed together for protection even in the most unstable countries. The Alliance had its own military force and rules, which extended to everyone who joined their membership. This military force was able to hold off warlords and bandits who wanted their riches. As the head of the large corporation Babatunde had the power to accept and offer new contracts for the benefit of members. Using his authority he offered military contracts to nations and groups in need of protection. Keeping prices as fair as he could, Adisa hired new people, and after an extensive screening process and training period put them in the field.

Going further he tried to gather inventors who didn't serve the Imperium and created think tanks for new types of vehicles, weapons and armor. Adisa even offered up some ideas of his own, which they jumped on immediately. Trying to keep his mercenary groups flexible, Adisa created them to operate as small forces working together in order to accomplish a greater goal. They would use whatever was available to them, including local military units they found trustworthy, which weren't many. Corrupt militia leaders and generals sold themselves and their armies to the highest bidder. If any member of the corporation thought to join them they only had to remember what Adisa had done in the Sudan. A captain of one of the Alliance's mercenary squads accepted a bribe, and allowed the extermination of three towns. Upon hearing about this through his intel sources Adisa personally took command of another unit and hunted the renegade squad down. The captain and all who had side with him were captured, tried in a corporate tribunal, and executed days after the verdict was handed down.

Not comfortable with only bringing war a goods to people inside and outside the Imperium, Adisa hired and trained new medic and doctors to service countries who needed them. Their success rate in both rates was such that they were asked to provide permanent services in most African countries. No matter how much he was offered Adisa refused to help anyone who wanted to oppress and harm the innocent. It was this stressing point that proved his downfall as a collection of warlords offered a huge sum for the Alliance to stay out of their territories, and Adisa as usual flatly turned them down. A vote was made by the ruling board with the backing of powerful investor, which forced Adisa into early retirement. Dejected and furious Adisa secretly hired away many of his most trusted employees to serve as a new mercenary group called the, "Wild Dogs" Skilled and efficient they began to challenge the much larger Alliance for military contracts, forcing the Alliance to lower recently jacked up prices.

Adisa moved the Wild Dogs underground when he heard that the corporation had put bounties out on its former employees, but this was not the end of the Alliance's trouble. Secret organizations began to sprout up out of nowhere under Adisa's direction who challenged the Alliance's control. Each represented individuals who were being forced out due their monopoly and wanted something better for the world. Picking a small town near Mogadishu he established his groups a small group of nomadic of mixed race called the Wamuhu. Largely keeping to themselves they only visited Somali settlements to trade.

It was during this time Adisa met Amina, who was the daughter of a farmer and was very beautiful. She became enamored with the older Adisa who was still single by choice and proved to be a skilled merchant and leader. Amina would often watch him haggle over prices with merchants concerning milk and cowhides. He carried a semi-automatic rifle slung across his back, as well as a knife and pistol. No one saw this as strange since neighboring warlords had made incursions into Somalia, and nomads like the Wamuhu were largely on their own when it came to most things, including protection. To the people of Amina's village he was still very interesting, but was mostly due to his demeanor and the amount of knowledge he seemed to hold.

He better educated than most of them, and had an accent from a Somali group to the west in Kenya. Judging by his accent this was his native language, and he often slipped into it unconsciously when he spoke to them. Amina also met the women of his clan, who were friendly enough, but refused to answer any questions about his past. Amina's father, noticing her interest the man invited Adisa to court her. Not wanting to raise any red flags by refusing Adisa agreed. Spending time with him under the watchful eye of her family, Amina was able to learn more about him, and noted he seemed to be in no hurry to marry. He barely looked at any woman aside from just noting her entrance and exit to a room, and sometimes glancing at what she was doing. To Amina this was one of his standard behaviors, and many members of his clan performed similar activities. It was if they never felt safe and had to be watchful, like being out in a dangerous wilderness. Adisa was much better at it than them, so it took her longer to notice it in his case, but eventually she made the connection.

"Why do you do that?" Amina asked.

Turning his gaze from a merchant on the road near her farm Adisa replied, "Do what?"

"You watch people as if they were wild animals that you should be wary of, as if they were dangerous to you." Amina commented.

"Because humans can be. When I was a child a warlord came to my people and took many young boys to raise in his army. I once saw a father who tried to beg the warlord for his son's life." Adisa said.

"What happened to the father and the son?" Amina asked.

"The warlord shot the father and took the son anyway. The last thing I remember that day was his family and my mother weeping as they took us away." Adisa said.

"I'm sorry." Amina said as her heart went out to him.

Adisa shrugged, "I learned a very valuable lesson that day: be strong or people will take things from you."

Amina kept quiet for awhile and eventually Adisa rode off after the trading was done that day to rejoin his people.

She told Adisa's story to her father and said, "I think he still blames her."

"His mother?" Amina's father said.

She nodded and answered, "Yes. He tries to hide it, but the lesson he mentioned makes it clear: he believe if she had been stronger he wouldn't have been taken away."

"Your intuition has never been wrong Amina. All of them move and act as if they have come from a bad past. Even the name of their tribe points to it. It speaks of "ashes". I imagine this young man has never been home since." He said.

"What should I do?" Amina asked.

Taban, a kind man who had come to respect Adisa despite the differences in their beliefs said, "Be patient with him and provide him with an open ear when he chooses to open up to you."

"Yes father." Amina said with a quiet smile.

When the Wamuhu visited again Adisa was strangely absent. Dayo showed up instead as a representative their clan.

"Where is Babatunde?" Amina asked.

"Regrettably he was called away on clan business, but he will return, and he told me he looks forward to seeing you again." Dayo said.

Adisa was meeting his contact at a bar miles away. When the man entered through the front entrance, Adisa tracked him as he moved through the crowd in the middle of the room talking and drinking. His table was situated in the farthest corner of the room so they would have plenty of privacy, and he would be able to see anyone coming. This was meeting was supposed to be between him and an unofficial ownership transfer that would give him land to create a nearby manufacturing plant. When his contact came across the room Babatunde noticed the barest flash of a gun under his robes. Quietly pulling out his own pistol Adisa had his already under the table by the time the man sat down.

"Gerald Fox?" The middle aged man asked, referring to Adisa by the fake name that he had been given.

With the name came a detailed back story designed to give him credibility as an Imperial business looking for new markets to exploit. The man across the table had a friendly enough face, which belied his true intentions. He had been told not to enter the room armed, as the public setting was supposed to provide the contact with the sense of safety he might need.

"Yes and you must be Mr. Green. I was told that you are the man to call about my situation." Adisa said showing an equally friendly face to put the man at ease.

"I am indeed. Do you have the money I asked for?" Green asked.

"Under the table." Adisa answered, noting the small seemingly harmless movement of the man going for his gun; he was very good.

Adisa pulled the trigger with out hesitation and saw the man jerk upward in his seat as the first bullet hit home. Two more shots finished the job, and Adisa heard the pistol clatter to the floor before the dying man slipped out of his chair. Getting up he checked for vitals before checking the other man for the deed he was supposed to bring. After a thorough search he found nothing of the sort. One of his people broke off from the crowd and joined him.

"If Mufasa has not already been taken into custody, see that he is." Adisa said before following the man outside minutes later after paying for his food.

Once outside he found two men holding the traitor between them and Eliam awaiting his next order.

Looking at the traitor Adisa said, "You were ordered to search the man for weapons. Since I trained you myself, I know you aren't lazy or incompetent, which leaves only one other option: someone paid you to allow that man to kill me."

"I don't know what you are talking about sir! It was just a slip up." Mufasa said, with a panicked tone.

Adisa's face was unflinching as he said, "We shall see. Taking to one of our hideouts for interrogation, and making sure you don't kill him. Short of that I'll leave up to your discretion, but I want names."

"Yes sir." Eliam said with a nod.

Adisa turned his back on the man as he was being dragged away begging for mercy. It didn't take long for Mufasa to talk thanks to the skill of Adisa's interrogators. When he did they were able to back track Mufasa's movements and find the contact's domicile. Searching the place they found the deed Adisa wanted, and it was clear to Adisa what had happened.

"You got the deed, but planned to sell it to someone else. He would double-cross and murder me, keeping the money so he could in turn sell the deed later for twice the profit." Adisa said.

"Should we look further into the matter? Mufasa could be questioned further." Eliam asked.

Adisa shook his head as he stood in the middle of the home, "The man has suffered enough. Put a bullet in him and be done with it after he has been offered his last rights."

"As you wish sir." Eliam said, wisely hiding his frustration.

As far as he was concerned the man shouldn't have been offered such a quick death, but he knew better than to question his master's wishes considering Adisa's religious views. In his master's mind Mufasa had already paid for his crime. His death was only insuring he would not pose a future threat to all of them. When it came to his people Adisa took few chances, and when he did he always prepared for the worst just in case when it came to any of his group's operations. By the time he was ready to return to his other cover the ground work was already being laid at the construction site. Following detailed plans the building itself would be up in a matter of months, and Adisa's own specially trained work crews would begin working on the inside, building the machines he would need to make the plant fully operational. This particular plant would produce much needed medical supplies in the area, and be a precursor to more plants in the future that would have other specializations Adisa was looking into. From behind the scenes he would run each of them by putting some of his most trusted people in management positions to keep track of each plant, and insure his wishes were obeyed.

Adisa was not concerned with his own personal profits rather that his people could be supported by, and a new secret empire of businesses could be built to accomplish his goals. Upon arriving back home Dayo was waiting for him outside his home.

"How did your meeting go?" Dayo said.

"The contact tried to kill me and we uncovered a traitor in our midst." Adisa said entering the hut so he could set his things down.

"Are you alright?" Dayo asked in shock.

"I'm fine. We found the deed for the plant at the contact's home. Construction has already begun." Adisa said.

"The traitor?" Dayo asked.

"Mufasa." Adisa answered.

"What happened to him?" Dayo asked.

"He's dead." Adisa said.

"How?" Dayo asked.

Turning around to look her in the eye he said, "Do you really want to know?"

Shaking her head Dayo said, "No."

"How have things been around here?" Adisa asked.

"Our cover here is still intact, and the flocks are doing well." Dayo answered.

"Amina and her village?" Adisa asked.

"Business with the village continues to be satisfactory, and she seemed healthy last time I saw her." Dayo replied.

Adisa seemed content to leave things at that, but Dayo did not.

"She asked about you." Dayo mentioned.

"Amina?" Adisa asked.

"Yes." Dayo said.

"It would be best for you to go to her village to gather supplies instead of me." Adisa said.

"You don't plan to see her?" Dayo asked with surprise.

Adisa shook his head.

"Why not?" Dayo asked him.

"Because it would only cause further complications." Adisa said.

"She is in love with you. Do you feel the same about her?" Dayo replied.

"Both are irrelevant when weighed against larger considerations." Adisa said.

"Such as?" Dayo asked.

"Our goals, your lives, and hers." Adisa answered.

Dayo was approaching the town when she saw smoke ahead coming from several homes. Pulling her wagon off to side she retrieved her spyglass hidden among her baggage. Using it she saw what looked like bandits killing and looting. A sound to her right on the other side of a dune caught her attention. Keeping low she snuck around the right side with a knife drawn and ready. She came up behind a cloaked figure looking over the top of the dune down at the village. When Dayo got within striking distance Amina for some reason turned and went still, frozen in fear.

Relaxing Dayo put away her knife and said, "We have to get out of here Amina."

Tears coming to her eyes Amina replied, "But my father, my people..."

"Nothing can be done for the right now. First we must get you to a safe place, and then we will see what can be done." Dayo said.

"What can you do?" Amina asked having seen the guns the bandits carried before she was able to escape with her father's help.

"Trust me Amina. Now let's go." Dayo said.

Hiding Amina in the back of her wagon Dayo turned around and returned to her comrades intent on informing Adisa what had happened.

Upon hearing the news Adisa orders a force to be mobilized quickly. He would lead an advance scouting unit while Dayo would lead the main force that was still organizing. Riding out on horseback they made good time. Dismounting when he felt they were close enough he got out his binoculars and crawled up a sandy dune with his best sniper by his side. The rest of the unit fanned out to at the base of the dune, setting up communication gear and digging in just in case the enemy came their way. While they made these preparations Adisa communicated the first set of coordinates to his sniper.

"Firing." The sniper said.

The large 50 cal. Sniper rifle roared as it sent the round down range.

"Miss. The shot hit too low. Re-adjust angle one click." Adisa said.

"Adjusting." The sniper said making the adjustment, "Firing."

Adisa saw a spray of blood as one of the bandits was knocked off a rooftop, "Hit. Second target five hundred yards scan left at the base of the second closest building."

"Got him, firing." The sniper said firing off another round.

A bandit carrying a assault rifle was spun around as the round punched through one side of his chest, gouging a huge hole in his body, "Hit."

By this time the bandits were scrabbling for cover, afraid they might fall next to sniper fire. Adisa noted this since it was not normal behavior for bandits and militias of the area. Most of them simply weren't accustomed to dealing with snipers.

"Hold." Adisa said as he zoomed in with his binoculars.

"Those weapons look brand new. Since when can bandits afford weapons in such good condition?" Adisa commented.

"I don't know sir. What should I do?" The sniper replied.

"Keep scanning while I call it in." Adisa said pulling out his walkie-talkie, "Lieutenant Zora do you copy."

"Yes sir." A female voice came in.

"Be advised: bandits well armed. I suspect that they might have alliance connections." Adisa said over the secure channel.

"Roger that sir. I will pass the information along to Major Dayo." Zora said.

With Adisa's help Mira, Adisa's protégé kept the enemy pinned down and killed anyone who tried to hide outside. Normal 50 caliber bullets could punch through walls and body armor, and specially modified ones could exploded on impact, multiplying the damage. By the time Dayo arrived none of the bandits dared come out and their numbers had been reduced by half. With several sniper teams supporting them Dayo and her troops moved into the town and searched each home for hostiles. Gunfire was exchanged, but the enemy couldn't do much damage, since Dayo's people used flashbangs before storming in. Any hostiles who weren't immediately stunned by the flash or the concussion fired wildly, largely missing their targets. Wearing top of the line body armor any friendly troops who were hit suffered only a few broken ribs that Adisa's medics could easily fix. Some of the enemy simply threw down their arms rather than fight back. The town's survivors were extracted while the bandits were rounded up.

"Apparently running and hiding is proving not to be an option. Our enemy is too well trained, I should know I set the policies for finding insurgents. Instead I plan to take the fight to anyone who would attack us or our friends, but new allies will be needed and preparations need to be made." Adisa said.

Babatunde Adisa and his people offered protection to several towns in return for supplies and access to land to build more plants and gather resources to build what his army would need. Handing out plans to his engineers for a bomber made mostly out of wood. This would be the first aircraft the world had ever seen providing Adisa's army with an immense advantage. While patrols kept enemy incursions at bay by using snipers and hit and run tactics, the engineers worked hard to produce a working model. Adisa in his former life had enjoyed building model planes and looking over detailed schematics, so his designs proved quite possible which saved time. In about a year the first bomber was created. It was limited to a dozen miles due to its crude design, but could carry weapons and very small bombs if needed. While the bombs did not provide huge explosions individually, when dropped in bundles or in close proximity they were great for anti-personnel work. Ordering the building of landing pads and roads Adisa supplied the locals with new jobs, better access to trade and places for his planes to land.

With more people moving into the area and new settlements asking the Wild Dogs to build a coalition with them Adisa began hiring more engineers while he also tried to create a centralized civilian government that would make decisions for the whole coalition. A contract was made with the Wild Dogs to be the main military force with each settlement providing a militia force to support them. Believing that superior range both in the ground and in the air would provide the citizens of Somalia with the safety they needed, he poured his resources into building new types of aircraft and artillery. Huge guns were produced at a plant in central Somalia and transported by horse or cattle to where he needed. Next came rockets and radio towers. The rockets provided additional firepower for the artillery and proved easier to transport when it came to ammunition. The radio towers were a technology his personnel were already trained in, and since the Imperium regularly used radio technology experts could be hired from there. The rockets started out with simple fuses that had to be lit individually, which were simple enough for the militia to use, but Adisa wanted something more for the Wild Dogs.

Wagon platforms were built with multiple tubes that could be adjusted as a group to fire at new targets. Locked in place by a metal pin when they were ready to fired to provide to provide a stable platform a group could be lit by a electrical signal that could ignite the rockets with an electrical burner. The burner was powered by a generator that was a part of the wagon and was powered either by ethanol or a simple hand crank which could hold the charge needed. As military victories mounted a few nations outside Somalia wanted to join them stretching the Wild Dogs beyond their limit. To fill the gap a civilian standing army had to be trained. Simple militias were not enough, so some of the Wild Dogs were detailed to provide additional training and equipment to prepare them for their new responsibilities.

The Alliance saw this transition as their best chance to attack this new threat to their control of the region and put an army in the field. The rag-tag civilians were deployed to provide whatever support they could manage while the Wild Dogs prepared a counter-attack. Ten new single man bombers rained death down on the Alliance forces flying four sorties day and night. The civilian army did their best to keep the Alliance at a distance using their artillery stationed on high hills or dunes in Ethiopia and Kenya near border towns. This worked for several weeks before the civilians were forced to retreat to the walled towns where they could possibly hold out for months. With their lines stabilized Adisa was determined to push out the enemy once and for all. Putting his aircraft production into overdrive the first metal fighter planes were created. Unlike the earlier aircraft these were single wing and manned by a pilot and a rear gunner. The gunner seat allowed a 360 degree horizontal radius of cover that the gunner could provide. This meant that fire could be kept on the target as long as there wasn't some kind of obstruction and the gunner's aim was good. This new aircraft was easier to arm and re-arm, cutting down on the turnaround time. As sorties increased the enemy was forced to retreat since they couldn't fight back against the air strikes and couldn't press their advantage against the locals. With their control broken over the region it gave other nations hope for a new life without the warlords, and the coalition grew still further.

With a temporary peace in place for the moment Adisa ordered that the civilian army finish its training. Confident after their first taste of combat they took to their training with even greater gusto. The civilian army soon became a professional with uniforms and standardized arms and protocols. Adisa was asked to become the Commander in Chief of the army, and he accepted. The Wild Dogs were kept as a mercenary group so they could remain independent, and free of any bureaucracy. Living independently from the main army they acted as the special forces of what was being called the United Nations of Africa. What is now Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania became part of the coalition and even the Imperium took notice. Interested in the weapons the new African government had access to they established trade with them. The new nation's power and success grew quickly and in six months time it stretched from as far north as the Sudan and as far south as along Africa's east coast as South Africa. Warlords and the Alliance still held most of Africa and with the Imperium's help and insistence the UNA built a navy to transport and protect their goods.

Amina had become one of the leading representatives of Somalia and met up with him at the new capital of Maja near the borders of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. Neither had forgotten each other, but it was Amina who pursued a relationship. First they started out as friends and political allies, which later turned into a romantic relationship. While Adisa didn't want marriage they were committed to each other and even lived together. A natural leader Amina was voted in as the first president when the UNA became a full-fledged republic and changed its name to the United Republic of Africa or URA. Borrowing ideas from the political system of the Imperium they put the military under civilian control, making Amina the Commander in Chief, and Babatunde Adisa head of the new Joint Chiefs since the URA now had three branches of the military: A navy, an army, and an air force.

With a military treaty signed with the Imperium Adisa turned his attention towards the rest of Africa and controlling its waters far more aggressively. Creating plans for the first aircraft carriers he gave the plans to the Imperium as well, asking that it be a joint venture. Four were created by the URA, ten more were created by the Imperium after two years of testing proved the idea was sound. Running on diesel they could not stay at sea indefinitely, but they would each carry at least four aircraft and be supported by other naval vessels while they carried out operations for a few months before they needed to return to port for refueling. Nation by nation they blockaded and stripped territory away from the Alliance and their allies until all their enemies held were central African nations like the Congo. Most of the freed nations joined the URA while the rest chose to become independent like Morocco and Senegal.

With both great nations tired of war they were comfortable to leave things like that and brought their soldiers home to better protect their own borders. The Imperium had benefited most of all economically from the arrangement as new trade was open, while the URA now had to build new infrastructure for its new citizens and raise troops to patrol their new territories. Wanting to ensure a long lasting alliance the Imperium offered a marriage between Amina and a member of the imperial line since she was not already married. In the interest of politics Amina accepted without talking to Adisa first. Despite the fact that they had been together some years now and had two children, she had been unable to convince Adisa to marry her. While many who knew them expected a public disagreement or at the very least a private discussion on the issue, Babatunde Adisa shocked everyone by moving out of the couples home without further word, and only returning when he wanted to see their children. All of this was done quite quietly, so when the imperial delegation showed up they had no idea how much trouble they had caused.

With the marriage of Prince Aaron to Amina her political rivals in the URA saw a chance to bring her down, believing Adisa was no longer guarding her flank. In that judgment they were quite wrong. Without hesitation he stepped into the fray and through blackmail and innuendo crushed anyone who sought to hurt her politically. The lives of career politicians were destroyed and their dirty laundry aired for everyone to see. Rather than thanking her former lover for his assistance Amina took a negative view of it. She had never supported the use of "underhanded tactics" and withdrew all her political support from Adisa. Isolated and vulnerable he resigned his position and returned to his Wild Dogs. With his medical and military technology businesses booming, Adisa was able to setup new plants as far east as China, along with military basis where more mercenaries could be hired to support their operations and protect the plants if needed. For Babatunde Adisa it was ideal for pursuing secret projects like building the first submarines and missile systems, and jet engines.

To build the more complicated systems computers had to be created, but thanks to advancements in electronics in the Imperium they already had most of the materials they needed. Keeping the technology for his organization alone they were able to secure and transport information far easier than before using small disk to store them on. To help pay for these advancements Adisa introduced the idea of cameras, which quickly became a novelty in whatever country he had easy access to. Money poured in making the Wild Dogs rich, but he still kept them a mercenary outfit so no one would raise eyebrows about providing their own security. Video technology became the next step so he could further increase his security, and discourage anyone trying to leak information to the outside world. To transport the good back to Africa and still keep it secret Adisa bought the island of Madagascar and made it a storage area for finished projects. Placed there was a new jet fighter, a short-range missile system, jeeps for transport of personnel and towing equipment, two submarines that could carry a crew of fifteen people and ran on bio-diesel so they wouldn't have to drill, and could instead live off the land. New submarines were created to transport vehicle in specialized storage compartments which would open up after they reached their destination. Underwater caves were drilled that would allow them to reach secret bases inside the island itself and keep them well hidden from prying eyes.