King Bis exited his conference room with much on his mind. Ever true to his duty as sovereign to the Northern region of the empire, his thoughts were with his countrymen. War would affect his people the most and it was something he wanted to avoid.
He walked slow towards his office deep in his thoughts. King Bis was a man in his early forties, dark skinned, with a lean muscular build. He wasn't nearly amongst the tallest of the royals at 5'8 (173cm). He had light brown hair buzzed cut to the point where you could still see the various scars he received from his days in the field over the years on the side of his head. All of his facial hair was clean shaven except for a thin mustache that he kept cleanly on his upper lip.
His mind was filled with ways to keep the peace between the two empires without losing state secrets. There were always paths, but they required sacrifices he wasn't willing to make. To be more accurate, he wasn't authorized to make those sacrifices. He may have had complete control of the Empire's military and intelligence, but he still had to answer to the emperor.
He slowly came to a stop in the middle of the hallway to reset and think about the situation as a whole and from the beginning. The countries formerly a part of the Israeli 'alliance' have stopped acting as separate states and started acting together militarily and economically. This is the information we've obtained from our agents inside all the governments that make up the New Israeli empire.
What they have failed to figure out is the why. Who is pushing the unification and what's the end goal? The quietest place probably has the most information not for foreign ears. Our spies in Saudia Arabia miss check-ins repeatably and they have given us little to no information about the inner workings of government there.
Either our spies defected or they've been identified and are kept out of anything substantial. No matter the reason it's safe to assume that the unification is centralized there. Working from that viewpoint as fact, how does this affect us?
Not much, even though they are our neighbors they don't affect the resources we have access to. The combined military strength of the region doesn't amount to much either. That's just assuming they wouldn't redirect personnel from tech to military operations. The difference in population out strips us by 100s of millions of people.
I feel we are jumping to conclusions when it comes to violence. Paranoia of the position. When they were all separated, they were wasting resources and squandering the advantages of working together with different cultures and ideology. From intel in other countries they reached a bottleneck when it came to innovation. Coming together destroys that bottle neck and reinvigorates progress in the region.
That would be enough for me to unify with my neighbors if I truly wanted what was best for my people in the years to come. If the A.I War taught us anything, we can't sit on our hands and not progress as a species. We'll become extinct otherwise.
If I consider all of this there's really no reason to panic, nor is there a reason to intervene but...
"Knowing nothing is the most dangerous thing on the planet." Queen Keket's voice broke through his deep thoughts and brought him to a decision.
Queen Keket never left his vicinity as they both left the conference room. She had just given him his space as he thought through things as he always did. When he got in that space, years of marriage and partnership had taught her to leave him be and wait until he came to a conclusion before voicing her own. They usually came to the same conclusion, but confidence came from considering every detail.
Bis turned around and looked at his 'joy'. Queen Keket was just as tall as his 'pride', their daughter and just as fierce but in different ways. She had black medium straight hair, faded bald on both sides. She was more feminine and beautiful than her daughter. However, she was perfectly fit and lean.
Where Bis excelled in on the spot, short term political and military strategy; Keket complimented him being the better long-term strategist. Her mind and keen perception allowed her to anticipate most events that took place.
Emperor Amare knew better than anyone that if Bis and Keket ever coveted his throne there was little he would ever be able to do about it. He thanked his ancestors every day that they were fulfilled governing their homeland and protecting the empire.
"So, what do you propose we do?" King Bis wrapped his arms around his Queen and looked into her oval shaped hazel-colored eyes. Keket smiled back at him enjoying his embrace.
"You what to do, you're just stuck on who to send." Keket responded burying her face into his chest. They stood in silence for about five seconds before stepping away from each other.
"I'm pretty sure Amare will agree with it, he probably foresaw a situation like this playing out anyway. I doubt he sent him here for anything else." Keket reassured her husband's conclusion. Confirming they were of the same wavelength.
"Not only does this give Baako on the job training but also if he succeeds this gives him an achievement, he can take credit for in front of the Senate when the time comes." Thinking out loud Bis tried to make sense of the Emperor's decision to put his first born in his care.
"He's already well versed in strategy and he's more powerful than he lets on when sparring with the other cadets. More so than a typical royal would be. He has taken the training of his mind just as seriously as his body."
"I'll confer with the emperor, and you go find a suitable partner. This will be an important and dangerous mission. We can't afford this to fail." Keket caressed her husband's face and left back towards the conference room to call the emperor leaving her husband there with a new dilemma.
How not to get the First Prince killed.
***
Baako walked towards the command center from the barracks with as much pace as he could without openly sprinting. He was minding his own business reading when he got orders to get to central command as soon as possible.
His first day here hasn't been a cakewalk, he's been put through tests since the moment he touchdown in Cairo. He had taken everything seriously only holding back not to humiliate an opponent or reveal a secret he knew he couldn't show common soldiers.
His father's words were on the forefront of his mind, and he wanted to make sure he lived up to the Askiya name. Whatever his father expected of him here he was going to shatter his expectations like he had done his whole life. He was eager to display that he wasn't just a prince but the Emperor in waiting.
He entered the Central Command building being scanned on entry. His ID displayed on the screen showing all of his personal information. Or it would have if most of his information wasn't blurred. Only his photo, first name, and birthplace was displayed. The guards only narrowed their eyes for a second and let him through.
They were experienced enough to know that meant that he was a V.I.P, either a part of the intelligence group or someone that was above their paygrade to know about and left it at that. It wasn't worth to pry further.
He was directed to his destination by guards at each checkpoint leading him to the mission debrief room. When he finally arrived he was patted down for any foreign objects or weapons. Baako wasn't used to going through so much security and it was a reminder how little importance he actually held.
The first prince was not a recognized title. Heirs of the royalty families weren't publicly disclosed. Unless they decided to run for senate or work in government publicly, they would never be distinguishable from regular citizens. This was to keep royalty the option to live a normal life and to also keep them humble and or protected.
Being seen and treated as celebrities was viewed as a detriment moving forward for the development of the Askiya Empire. They had to want to serve the empire not feel obligated to do so because of status or birthright.
Once he was allowed inside, he took one step and look to see King Bis making small talk with a young woman who was already stood before him at attention. On reflex he fell to one knee and kept his head down before announcing his presence.
"Cadet Baako, present awaiting your orders sire."
He may be the Emperor's son but nowhere on this continent did he command more authority than a king. Especially on his own turf. King Bis eyes fell on the youth and gave him a calm smile.
"You may rise Cadet, come and stand at attention with Commander Stevens."
Baako walked over till he was level with the commander and stood at attention towards King Bis. This was the first time the two had met. Baako was a head taller than the King but instinctually he felt intimidated by him. Due to their battle instincts they both knew who would come out on top in a clash. Baako knew that it wouldn't even be close.
After a moment of looking Baako over, King Bis stepped back and the room lit up with a hologram of the globe appearing in front of them. King Bis then started the briefing.
"As you may have guessed I have a mission for you both. I'm not going to sugarcoat it this is one of our most dangerous and unpredictable missions." The globe zoomed in on the region bordering their current position in Cairo.
"You are to travel over to Suez and board one of our trade trips to be smuggled into the city of Jeddah, from there-"
"Jeddah in Saudi?" Baako spoke up and immediately regretted his outburst. The commander kept her head straight forward but he could feel her side eyeing him. King Bis had one eyebrow raised as he looked at him in contempt?
"Is there a problem with that cadet?" King Bis asked with a controlled voice.
"No, sir" Baako was sweating bullets. He felt like his big mouth would be the death of him.
"Good, I know where you're from that they don't tolerate interruptions, so listen and don't speak until I ask you to do so. Are clear?"
"Crystal sir." King Bis relaxed his face and continued the debriefing.
"As I was saying, from there I need you to make your way over to Riyadh by any means you can find discreetly. Along the way and when you get there, I need you to gather information on the current state of the country."
"The mood, the infrastructure, current events, and any information of our agents supposedly already station there. If they turned traitor or compromised." Baako and the commander just nodded waiting for permission to speak.
"Another thing before you go that is important and part of the dynamic of this mission." King Bis looked Commander Stevens in the eyes. "Commander you are the top available agent left here in Cairo I expect you to conduct this mission with the pride of the Northern Kingdom in mind.
"However, understand that you will not be in charge of Cadet Baako, you two are equal partners." Commander Stevens face stayed stoic if she was puzzled she didn't let it show.
"Baako has tested on par with any of our top agents around the world including above what you tested when you first entered the service. So, you can be assured that he won't slow you down. With that being said..." King Bis glanced at Baako quickly and finished addressing the Commander.
"I don't know Baako true character and on a mission like this I need you both to watch each other's back so I'm taking away any variable that might compromise your relationship or the mission. Baako is the first prince of the Empire." This broke the commander's stoic expression as her eyes widen a bit but she kept her face forward. Baako face grimaced as he looked at the commander to gauge her reaction.
"It means nothing, and he's to be treated as any other precious soldier would. I'm telling you this now so it won't be used as a card for manipulation or thinking his life is above yours. The truth is talented soldiers such as yourself and stuck-up heirs hold the same if not more value. So, operate with that confidence in mind. Any questions?"