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Category: Science Fiction/Mainstream
Description: In this non-stop action packed 13th novel in the Second Chance series there are organizations that want to impede and/or halt the extraction of oil from the ground in Justin's Kingdoms. Justin's security people want to catch the troublemakers and throw them in jail. Justin can read minds, at least to some extent. However, to conceal this talent, he uses a method of gathering intelligence, called by security people, 'beating the crap out of the troublemakers.' Justin then gathers a Commando strike force and raids a terrorist base. During the raid, Justin finds that the terrorists have been dealing with a 'minor bureau' in the nation of Ruthenia. Jason sends 'a communique' to the very same 'minor bureau.' Near the North coast of Ifrequeh, there's a large valley, known as the Qattara Depression. The valley is both large and deep. It's really of very little use at the present, however, Justin has a plan. Justin has managed to contact an advanced civilization and has managed to obtain a number of very powerful atomic explosion devices. Justin plans to use the atomic devices to blast a channel from the sea to the valley and change the very climate of the region for the better. As the sea begins to fill the depression, the people of the country of Kemet begin to rejoice. Their country was, very long ago, the preeminent country on Corin. Now, a major engineering project has brought back some of the glory of the old days. However, the celebration turns to rioting, when the police try to stop things. Justin can then use his new found fame to become the King of Kemet, after he topples the old government. A spaceship has dropped a young woman off with the battlewagon that defends Corin. The young woman is dazzlingly beautiful. The young woman wants to see Justin. Justin realizes that the young woman has probably been sent to control or kill him, but then again ... Justin then becomes involved with pirates. In the process of dealing with the pirates, Justin learns that an advanced civilization is going to invade another world. Justin suspects that the reason for the invasion is an interplanetary gate that leads to his world, Corin.
eBook Publisher: Club Lighthouse Publishing USA LLC/Club Lighthouse Publishing USA, 2011 2011
eBookwise Release Date: November 2011

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [231 KB]
Words: 52166
Reading time: 149-208 min.

AVULS, CLEGODANIA AND MESODANIA all have oil. The oil is extracted from the ground and then either refined by operations within the kingdom, or sold to other operations that will refine the oil.

The problem is, the people running the operations that extract the oil from the ground are not very good at running such complicated operations and the oil extraction process is decidedly suboptimal.

I hire and bring in oil extraction experts, mainly from Averon, but also from Ariby or Zaya. The oil extraction experts I bring in are causing more oil to be extracted from the ground, more oil to be sold and more taxes to be paid. In addition, the oil experts that I bring in are also training citizens of Avuls, Clegodania or Mesodania to efficiently run the oil extraction operations, in the future.

I really need the tax money from the oil extraction profits to better run Avuls, Clegodania and Mesodania.

Unfortunately, there are other organizations who want to impede and/or halt the extraction of oil from the ground.

The other operations are sending in troublemakers to at least impede the flow of oil from the ground and also to reduce the amount of taxes that I can collect.

The troublemakers are just that. My security forces in Clegodania have captured a couple of carloads of troublemakers, when the troublemakers tried to leave a restaurant without paying for the food they ordered and ate. My security forces are hard working people, but maybe a little slow mentally. My security people want to throw the troublemakers in jail.

Now, you have to consider my situation. I'm the King of Avuls, Clegodania and Mesodania. I run the countries for the benefit of the people and especially for the benefit of the taxpayers in the countries. Throwing troublemakers in jail means that the taxpayers of the country have to furnish the troublemakers with free room, board and supervision. This last makes no sense. I have better uses for my tax monies than spending sums to provide troublemakers with free room, board and supervision.

In the current case, I strongly suspect that the troublemakers were dispatched by a terrorist organization that wants to rule at least some of Avuls, Clegodania and/or Mesodania. I need to find and eliminate the terrorist organization. I can probably do this by reading the minds of the troublemakers, finding out who the troublemaker leaders are, using the information in the minds of the troublemaker leaders and then tracing the troublemakers back to at least the place where the troublemakers were dispatched. The place where the troublemakers were dispatched is at least a weapons depot, maybe a headquarters.

I can read minds, at least to some extent. However, it works better if the people that I rule have no idea that I can read minds. Thus, I must obtain the information that I need from the troublemakers, by reading their minds. However, it must seem that I obtain the information by means other than reading minds.

As I stated before, I'm the King of Avuls, Clegodania and Mesodania. I run the countries for the benefit of the people and especially for the benefit of the taxpayers. I must waste as few resources as practical while extracting the information from the troublemakers. The troublemakers are less than nothing.

What I do is to travel to Clegodania and interview the troublemakers. I obtain information, from the minds of the troublemakers that tells me that they have indeed been dispatched from a terrorist weapons depot and headquarters. I then cover the fact that I obtained the information by reading minds. What I do is to appear to use a method of gathering intelligence, called by security people, 'beating the crap out of the troublemakers.' I'm actually quite good at this last, especially since I can read minds and tell when I have inflicted about the maximum pain that an individual troublemaker can stand before he dies.

How can I justify this sort of treatment of prisoners? As I stated before, I'm the King of Avuls, Clegodania and Mesodania. I'm personally exempt from the laws of each and every country that I rule. Thus, I don't have to waste my time justifying anything that I do.

Once I have efficiently extract the information I need from the troublemakers, I have the Cleg security people abandon the troublemakers naked and in the middle of a desert region of Clegodania. The troublemakers are then free to pursue legal remedies for their situation; provided that they can find someone to whom to complain.

I then gather a Commando strike force. I brief my Commandos on the layout of the terrorist weapons depot and headquarters. I tell the mogs, "I have found a terrorist base. I have already dispatched a couple of teams of spies who'll gather information about sentry posts, patrolling schedules, things like that. When we get to the area of the terrorist base, I'll develop an attack plan. We'll go in and take over the terrorist base. As necessary, you'll kill the security people inside the terrorist base. However, you aren't to mistreat the people in charge, other than to protect the lives of Commandos. The people in charge are to be delivered to me, in as good condition as you can manage. Do you understand?"

All of my Commandos understand.

Later on, my Commandos will likely be interviewed by human rights types from the Association of Nations. My Commandos will repeat my instructions. The AoN human rights people will then ask my Commandos, "Why is it that the people in charge of the base that you attacked look like they were run through a meat grinder?" My Commandos will reply, "I don't know nothin' 'bout that. We was told by the King, 'no rough stuff.' If you want more information, yuh needs to talk with the King."

I'm the King. Talking with me about problems with the mistreatment of troublemakers is a complete and total waste of time. I just don't understand the basic concept.

As we travel to the terrorist weapons depot and headquarters, I discuss the philosophy of the attack with my Commandos. "We goin' in quiet. We gonna use this (I brandish a large, razor sharp Commando knife.) We gonna use these (I show 'em my trained hands.) If you gotta, you use an assault rifle. However, an assault rifle is a weapon of last resort. We gonna try to take the terrorist place down quiet. Unfortunately, an assault rifle ain't quiet."

(Okay, it wasn't the type of speech that they print on the front page of a newspaper, however, all of my Commandos understand what our method of operation is gonna be.)

When we get to the vicinity of the terrorist weapons depot and headquarters, we go to ground. We have sand coloured tents that will hide us from anything other than close quarter, direct examination.

My spies have obtained the layout of the terrorist weapons depot and headquarters. They have also discovered something very, very useful. The lower level people in the weapons depot are devoutly religious and they pray at times mandated by their religion. The higher level people are just terrorists and not devout at all. Thus, the lower level people pray and the higher level people use the prayer time to communicate with the outside world. That means that the lower level people will have no leadership if we choose the right time to invade. Also, the higher level people will be talking with those who finance and supply them. Thus, the identity and location of the outside suppliers will be fresh in the minds of the higher level people and thus available to me.

Long distance communication requires at least one antenna, probably more. In the case of the terrorist weapons depot and headquarters, it's more. The antennas are located in the centre of the roof of the main building. Fortunately for us, the antennas require frequent adjustment and/or maintenance. Thus, there's a stairway that leads to the roof and a door in the roof. Normally, I would fear a booby trapped stairway. However, my spies have managed to contact a former communications mog who worked at the terrorist headquarters.

It seems that the antennas used by the terrorists are mostly directional. Thus, the antennas are pointed at the intended transmission destination or the presumed broadcast location. The positioning of the antennas requires electric motors and the electric motors require constant maintenance. Thus, there's so much traffic, up and down the stairs that it's considered not practical to booby trap the stairs. Similarly, there was an alarm, but it went off too often and it's been disconnected.

The story that the former communications mog tells is that he wasn't devout enough for the lower level guys or terrorist enough for the higher level guys. Thus, he was thrown out.

I interview the mog and what he says is what he believes. I also observe that the mog is below dirt poor and needs a job really badly. The mog also knows where the communications traffic comes from and where it goes to.

The vast majority of the communications traffic comes and goes from or to Ruthenia, a very large country at the north end of two Old World continents. Ruthenia is a member state of the Association of Nations. However, I wouldn't trust the Ruthenian government any further than I could throw their whole damn country.

One thing that I do get from the mind of the former communications mog is the address of the 'minor bureau' of the Ruthenian government where the majority of the communications with the terrorist camp originate or end.

I'm about to send a communique to the very same 'minor bureau.' (Anything that the Ruthenians do that wouldn't be well received by the international community is always due to the unauthorized actions of 'minor bureaucrats' operating from 'minor bureaus.' Yeah, right.)