Minister Dong
The Minister’s convoy quickly made its way across the narrow, dirt road that ran through Cloud Forest. The convoy consisted of two Humvees accompanied by four motorcycles; President Zaripov had given the order himself regarding the security of Derbaran’s Minister of Science and Research. After all she had promised much to The President and Zaripov did not take failure kindly.

After a bumpy ride, a tough looking, pale stone structure stood out in a clearing. The hummers pulled over as close to the front entrance as possible. The guards on the motorcycles got off their bikes; two of them stepped forward, armed with MP7s and checked the way they came from for any danger. One of the remaining two approached the big metal door... Read More

Dr. Black
Malcolm Black was jarred awake by the rocking of the Land Rover. The roads in this part of China were not as well maintained as one might hope, and he hadn’t been able to get much rest on his way to the airport. He turned to look out the window, and noticed light creeping over the horizon. This would be the last sunrise he would see in China, because he was finally going home.

Malcolm reached into his jacket and retrieved a small photo of his wife and daughter, smiling back at him from their small apartment in New Jersey. He had brought it to remind himself why he had taken this assignment; thanks to the substantial consultant’s fee he had been paid, they could finally have the life they deserved.

A couple of months ago, he had been contacted by a military officer named Selik; he had heard about Malcolm from his thesis paper on yellowcake uranium and its potential applications for military use. Hailing from a relatively unknown country known as Derbaran, Major Selik had indicated that his government had an interest in uranium R&D and needed a... Read More

The War Begins
In the northern tribal regions of the Republic of Derbaran, a small town began to stir as the pink light of dawn colored the desert mountaintops in the distance. Bakers and merchants, midwives and school teachers, emerged from their mud brick homes to begin their day. As always, they threw nervous glances at the razor wire and concrete compound of the Derbaran military depot that squatted below a yellow banner just beyond the village. The coexistence was an uncomfortable one; the Derbaran government had little love for the tribal minorities in the area.

Cries of alarm rose from the men stationed at the depot when a column of tanks and trucks crested a rise. They flew green banners, the colors of the National Independence Union, the rebel coalition of minority tribes. But these were not poor peasants with cheap rifles. The Derbaran soldiers scrambled in panic as the NIU tanks rained explosive rounds on the ammo depot, shattering concrete... Read More