Chapter 11Chapter 11Sir Jonothan's narrative continues ...
I had the reputation of being able to remain calm and think clearly during times of crisis. These qualities were about to be tested to their limits.
First of all, I had to ensure that the batch of laced medication destined for Sodom Maddafi was destroyed. BPC's laboratories were unstaffed from Saturday noon until 8am Monday. The complex which manufactured and stored psychotropic medicines was razed by fire during the early hours of Sunday 2nd April: the subsequent investigation attributed the cause to an electrical fault.
Secondly, if the mass grave in North West Borpal could be located and its contents exhumed, the United Nations would have no alternative but to act. However, photographs on their own were insufficient evidence: accusations of producing false evidence to discredit the Talabashi could enhance their support from the erstwhile more moderate Muslim communities. It was Sir Donald Vale who suggested that we both spoke to one of his closest friends, Dmitri Pulovich, Cultural Attaché at the Russian Embassy in London.
The meeting, held at Sir Donald's country residence on 3rd April, marked the beginning of the end for Suzukstan's angels of death. Dmitri Pulovich was one of the very few people who, upon first acquaintance, I felt I could trust with my life should the need arise, and therefore I decided to tell him everything, including events leading to the tragedy of 31st March. My gamble proved successful.
A fortnight later, three armoured divisions and several contingents of army engineers, supported by units of the Russian Air Force, entered North West Borpal from Kurdastov in response to reports of a major seismic disturbance having been detected by the monitoring station situated on the border of the two provinces. This was a ruse: the Russian armed forces located the site of the fissure within 24 hours of entering Borpal and excavation work commenced immediately. Two days later, the terrible discovery featured throughout the world media. Already, over eight hundred thousand corpses had been brought to the surface by teams of army engineers working in rotation: it was clear that the death count would exceed one million within the next twenty-four hour period.
The Russian Government issued an ultimatum to the United Nations on 20th April: if the Security Council failed to organise and commence operations against the Talabashi authorities, then a state of war would exist between Russia and Suzukstan. In an emotionally-charged address to the Russian people, President Bela Yavrikov poured scorn on the United Nations' legacy of incompetence and impotence during the previous twenty years. He made particular reference to the situation in Q'rai, accusing the UN of victimisation and failure to recognise the real menace lurking in the Gulf.
The military might of Russia did not wait for a response. On 22nd April, two further armoured divisions entered Borpal and this tidal wave of steel made relentless progress southwards to the heart of Suzukstan. The Russian soldiers, having witnessed manifestations of the Talabashi's declared aim of Islamic purification were in no mood to adopt half-measures. However, very little opposition was encountered and by 7th May, the capital city of Kobal had been occupied. There, the Russian forces found further evidence of the Talabashi's savagery: the administration had fled but not before exacting a terrible price on Kobal's populace. The streets were strewn with the bodies of women and children ...
While the United Nations dithered, the World Islamic Council met in emergency session and passed two resolutions, the first being an unequivocal condemnation of the Talabashi. The second was a demand that, once Suzukstan had been liberated, its administrationshould be the responsibility of the UN until a suitable government could be formed. President Bela Yavrikov endorsed the council's findings, remarking that he did not want the Russian army to be seen as a force of occupation.
On 5th May, an army group comprising units from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka entered Suzukstan from the south-east: a week later, it linked up with the Russian forces. On 7th May, a large contingent from the Revolutionary Grand Army of Nira (the state lying to the east of Q'rai) crossed Suzukstan's western frontier. By 17th May, the country had been partitioned into three zones, each under the military authority of Russia, The Indian Sub-Continental Alliance (ISCA) and Nira respectively.
On 1st June these regions, whilst retaining their administrations, became the responsibility of a UN/World Islamic Council interim government based in Kobal.
In Q'rai, Sodom Maddafi exacted a terrible revenge against the Talabashi: between the end of April to early June 2006, over four thousand of its cohorts had been publicly executed and more arrests were to follow. On 2nd June, the World Islamic Council declared the Talabashi a proscribed organisation and, in absentia, its leaders - responsible for the slaughter of over three million people - were sentenced to death. You are already familiar with some of these events: I do not need to dwell on later developments.
Sir Jonothan's narrative concludes ...
I am torn between a deep sense of guilt and shame over Prince Adrian's death and pride in the way that Sir Donald Vale and I manipulated events to ensure the Talabashi's demise. I accept full responsibility for the dreadful blinder which occurred on 31st March 2006 and words alone are inadequate to express my sorrow.
I have had many Muslim friends and my respect for their religion and culture remains undented despite the legacy of Borpal. At present there is stability in the Middle-East, the gulf and Southern Asia. I leave it to your imagination, in the light of having read my text, to construct scenarios which would not have been a far remove from actuality, had the Talabashi hordes gained ascendancy in these regions.
The few United Nations officials who knew of - but could never prove - my role in preventing a global blood-bath will never thank me: my scathing contempt for that ineffectual body is common knowledge.
I will not attempt to justify The Inner Cadre's raison d'être, since many of our actions were despicable, and caused untold hurt to ordinary decent people. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to live with the aftermath: at least, in reading this, you have allowed me to outline some mitigating factors.
However you may judge me, I want you to remember - -and never forget - the bravery of Sam Greenshaw and his team, whose gruesome discovery eventually led to the destruction of a terrible pestilence. They did not die in vain. I made sure of that.
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