The second son

Chapter eleven

On the first of July, the West Hendosia tired of abiding by the rules of war, broke every humanitarian law possible when they attacked Mmiri. eight hundred fighter jets and attack aircrafts flooded the East leaving a destruction in their wake as the the sensors in the Cyber Military went mad,  the alarms ringing non-stop. The drones set up to protect the borders that were manned by engineers at the Cyber Military, under supervision of an air force commander were reducing in number with each passing minute, the Cyber Military created for this specific purpose was in it's element, destroying enemy aircrafts by the use of artificial intelligence but for every one aircraft that was brought down, there were still twenty more.

   On ground, the airmen of the royal command all assembled at the airforce base. The sun was shining very bright in the way it does in dreams or visions, the airmen all stood in a full salute as they listened to their General's speech before they went into battle, it was not a long speech, it lasted only three minutes but in that short time, modern day warriors were birthed. The airmen were reminded of the reason they had voted against a surrender, they were reminded of their love for their country and of the tommorow they would this day create for their children. Most of them were married, some with children and it was the faces of their loved ones they had imprinted in their heart as they took off in fighter jets to protect the sovereignty of thier homeland. Most of them roused from the everyday life of an airman where already in battle mode. The Kingdom of Mmiri was in a great shortage of arsenal, they had only fifty two fighter jets but they had airmen who were ready to die for their country, the war was on.

   Citizens of Mmiri who lived close to the borders ran helter skelter, screaming as bombs and missiles rained down creating terror and utter chaos. The day marked the most gruesome battle in the history of Africa, a day when the enemy soldiers did not target only the military but civilians alike. Royal soldiers helped direct people into a raid shelters, reassuring them that everything would be fine, carrying old people and children and helping them dodge bombs and collapsing buildings as they made their way to the shelter. Churches were bombed, artifacts raised to the ground, all around women seeped and children not understand the sudden chaos that had distrupted their peacefull existence wailed uncontrollably. As the battle raged on with the invasion by Hendosia coming on the east, West and south at Glava, Pryier and Radapam. Enemy jets scattered the air, covering the airspace of Mmiri as air-to-air missiles flew around between airmen of the Royal airforces and the Hendosia fighters.

   The homeland soldiers under the General Ejiofor's command were surrounded by enemy jets and in the the open city of Shobar, they were as good as sitting ducks yet they fought on, being taken out one by one by the enemy, watching fellow soldiers fall and knowing they could be next,  they soldiers fought for the hope of a better tommorow, taking down enemy aircrafts and getting taken down by bombs.

   Somewhere, for those who had the privilege to watch the television in a time like this, there was a broadcast on Awake Africa by the president Themi Thoka declaring war on the kingdom of Mmiri. " Since the people of the self acclaimed kingdom of Mmiri have rejected peaceful diplomatic measures, continuing in the treasonable act of secession and trying to break up the unity of the great country of Hendosia, the federal government declares full war on the kingdom of Mmiri which is actually a civil war against tribalism and to clamp down on insurrection. The war is on.

   At the coastlines of Ugwu and Pryier, the Debye sensors pickled up a few enemy submarines on each coast and they were distroyed by the royal navy.

   At about twelve o clock in the afternoon  that day, after an hour of blood birth the enemy jets retreated suddenly, leaving behind the anguish and chaos they had created. Families gathered themselves, search parties were created to look for displaced people and hospitals were overcrowded with the injured and dead, both civilians and soldiers alike and citizens who wanted to volunteered at hospitals that were grossly under staffed.

  Flora had not left her home throughout the attack, there were times when bombs hit houses very close to her's and she was sure the next one would be her own. Her house did not have a basement or any form of raid shelter and she knew that if a bomb hit her house, it would kill her as well yet it was not for herself that she feared but for her father who lived a thirty minute drive away from her .She had turned on the TV to Awake Africa and followed the progress of the war. Horrified she watched as enemy planes bombed houses and shot at civilians. Strangely, watching those video footages of the war, apart from making her angry only served to fuel her zeal and her passion for her country.

   As soon as the bombings ceased, she checked up on he father and having found him okay albeit a little shocked, she joined search  teams to help people look for their lost ones. 

                                                                                  ***

   Jaachi sat at conference with the director of the Cyber Military, the director of the special warfare intelligence the president of the task force set up to protect the interest of the countries economy during the war and five General, including his Uncle. They were deliberating the way forward and the next steps to take to ensure that the blood birth that just took place didn't repeat.

   "So what is the body count ?" Jaachi asked the director of warfare.

   " Of the military or the Civilians ?" The director asked gravely.

   " What is the body count of the Citizens of this kingdom."

   " We lost twelve airmen, two hundred soldiers and two naval officers." he answered.

   " and the civilians?"

   " we are yet to find out the exact number but we already have fifty two confirmed dead across the country."

   " And how much of our armoury was destroyed ?"

   " We lost twelve fighter jets and two army tanks."

   Jaachi nodded " so what does this mean?" Jaachi asked the director of warfare and the man looked confused. It was Ejiofor who answered.

   " It means that the enemy now thinks through their anus."

   " Pardon me if I don't follow." the president of the task force said.

   " The enemy invaded our airspace and did not target our weaponry to weaken us but instead shot at civilians and bombed non military buildings, breaking every known humanitarian law on warfare - the soldiers we lost were those fighting to protect the homeland. " The director of warfare answered.

   " Do you think this was the enemy panicking or making a statement ?" This time Jaachi asked Ejiofor.

   " In my opinion it was both." The director of warfare answered in place of Ejiofor. "Hendosia has been following our progress,  we've written a constitution, have held a coronation. They know the world is watching and they are afraid. We've had many celebrations, they could see the people did not want a surrender they were afraid that the more they hold back, the stronger we get and so they set up this mock battle to distabilize us, I think the blood birth today was merely to instill fear in the hearts of the people."

   Jaachi looked at his Uncle and he merely shrugged.

   "Exactly what I was going to say. Look I don't know if we're ready to hear this but the enemy has played right into our hands, we've been given the opening we need to end all this, the best wars are not won on the battle field but on the platform of great strategies." Ejiofor kept quiet and studied the faces of everyone at the conference, he wondered why the president of the ELOE had not been invited, it would have been better to deliberate with him than with the pig headed director of warfare.

   "What are you suggesting General Ejiofor ?"  Jaachi asked.

   " Hendosia has played by the rules up until now, their operations have been according to the textbook, this is a nation known for its dynamic foreign policy, it's ability to stand in solidarity with allies and they can be generous even to their own detriment, plus we have not really been recognized as a nation but merely as insurrectionists and so the international organizations feel justified to play the non - interference card and look the other way ."

   "I think it is wrong for this nation to keep looking up to international organizations and foreign powerful nations, instead let's just find out how to win this war." The president of the economic tax force said and Jaachi made a note to himself never to invite the man for important deliberations concerning the war again. "I .ran General Ejiofor, you sounded so bitter about the fact that we  have not received foreign aid but this nations and I international organizations do not owe us anything, this is our country and we are totally responsible for it." The task force president finished a little breathlessly.

   " Up until now, the international world has stood as a silent observer,"  Ejiofor continued as if he had not been interrupted. " But now, as much as we morn the loss of so many lives, this might actually be the big break we need or let's say we can harness this unfortunate happening to our advantage. Let's play up the sentimentality, there were video footages of the m******e, these idiots actually shot at civilians ! Amnesty should get involved, let's make as much noise about this war and even if we don't get the sympathy of foreign nations then we would be on their conscience so much that they would be forced to help - of cause when I mean being on their conscience I mean the fact that we provide evidence that things they stand against have taken place in this war. And while we do all this, let's not make it like p********a, instead let it more of a cry from the people. The Ochia can give one of his heart- moving speeches and let's pray it stimulates the emotions of the people into acting the way we want them to.". He said , wondering just how many people really got the picture he was trying to paint. if the president of ELOE were here......  " It's a very subtle battle strategy so we would need to thread careful. The good news is we may not have to do more than just allow everything to unfold naturally, like I said Hendosia has already put the ball in motion."

   " And while we are at that, we should apply to join the United Nations. With the current development .... And I mean the referendum where the people openly declared that they wanted Mmiri, the newly restructured system of government and the fact that we now have a written constitution, I think we can be called a sovereign nation - facing some external aggression. "

  " And trow in the fact that Hendosia actually granted us secession and this is them renegading on that, I think we would make a good point at the international court of justice.". The director of warfare intelligence added.

   Jaachi nodded. " So while we are at that, let's talk about defence. Mr James, the Cyber Military was created to protect this nation from external aggression especially air raids without the disadvantage of putting the lives of our airmen and soldiers at risk and with artificial intelligence, we shouldn't be taken by surprise, what exactly happened?"

   " Numbers." The director said simply. "Hendosia knew we had anti aircraft systems in place so they overwhelmed us with numbers, the sensors picked them up, we got alerted, those manning the drones were great, we took down a number of enemy jets but there was just so many, for every jet we took down, there was so much more on air."

   "The  army suffered the greatest loss,"  Ejiofor said, we were surrounded all over, and without trenches, we were an easy target." Ejiofor said

   " Well let's not start a game of who lost more men and who didn't, we need to focus on how to win this war." The president of the task force said.

   Jaachi tried not to get irritated. " Mr Rogers," he addressed the president of the task force. " You were invited here to protect the economy from recession, so that what ever we deliberate here today would not be injurious to the economy, so stick to that unless you have reasonable contributions to make."

                                                                                             ***

   After helping to joining three search groups and helping to find two teenagers and an old man, Flora noticed a government hospital opposite her and she walked in. What she saw made her cry. The entire hopital was full of injured people, most of them lay on the floor writhing in pain as family members crowded around crying and trying to keep out from the way of the very busy nurses. It was not the injured in all their pain that caused Flora to dispair, it was the look of utter hopelessness on the faces of their family that got to her. For a moment, she wondered if it was all worth it, all those lives lost, such destruction of properties just because the people who were at the helm of affairs in the two countries could not agree but she knew heaven was on their side, the fought for their rights they fought for freedom. 

   She suddenly got an inspiration and she rushed outside and spoke to a few people and got directed to meet others. In the next thirty minutes, she returned to the hospital with a band. They played 'keep hope alive' and initially, they were ignored by the patients and their families then a man who lay on the floor with one of his legs splintered into fragments who  either had no family living around or they were faced by was situations joined in the song, and then another patient and then another untill the entire hospital was singing.

   " Let us keep hope alive

     That's one thing that they can't take

    They may shoot and they may hate

     But we'll keep hope alive

     Let us keep hope alive

     Living everyday by faith

     We cannot be killed by hate 

     Cause we'll keep hope alive"

   They emergency band played on and on and the people sang, smiling through their tears because at that moment they saw beyond their present situation and they saw freedom.