Center of the Crescent

22 June 2010 0900 Hours

A bespectacled middle-aged man sits in front of a wall-sized computer map of the world. The entire world is colored in various tones, each denoting areas of control for eight powers.

Blue- United States of America. Covers the whole of Canada minus Quebec. Also contains Alaska, Hawaii, Cuba, and the Continental U.S. minus California south of San Francisco Bay, far southern and far western Texas, and the states of New Mexico and Arizona.

Orange- Euro-Russia. In this color rests Scandinavia, Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Russia, the Baltic nations, northern Germany, far northern Poland, the Balkans, Northern Greece, and the European steppe nations of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.

Red and Yellow Stripes- China, which is in the throes of civil war.

Black- Indo-Africa. Consists of India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and fully half of Sudan, Chad, Niger and Mali; and all of Senegal and Gambia.

Brown- Koryo-Japan. Currently, most of Japan. Korean peninsula is currently occupied by Islamofascists, as is southeastern Kyushu, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima.

White- Pan-Hispanist Union. All of South and Central America, most of the Caribbean islands, and the US States of Arizona and New Mexico, southern and western Texas, and California south of San Francisco Bay.

Gray- Oceanic Alliance. A uniting of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific Islands, and Vietnam north of Hue.

Green- Islamic Imperial Republic. All of the Arabian Peninsula; Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the conquered nations of Burma, Thailand, Laos, and most of Vietnam in South Asia. In Europe, the Islamofascists hold France, Iberia, Italy, southern Greece, and the northern half of the following: Sudan, Chad, Niger, and Mali.

As he scours the map, the rest of the Command Council enters. At the doors stand two white-clad guards. The other men file in: Mahmud Hejazi, Interior Minister; Osama Janzawid, Military Advisor; Zanj Mahadi, Foreign Minister; Sheikh Ali bin-Qadi, Religious Conformity Minister; Umadi Farq, Intelligence Advisor; Faisal bin-Yusuf, Economic Minister; and Ibrahim Zarqad, Justice Minister. As they take their seats, their leader, Caliph Ayatollah Rudahallah Bejazi, turns around.

"Gentlemen, esteemed friends, you know the general world situation. Our armies bring Islam to the far reaches of the world, and the infidels tremble. I have called you here to report on your various spheres. I am sure you have much to tell," he proclaims.

"Caliph," began Interior Minister Hejazi, "Resource collection is at the highest efficiency yet. Our conscript workers are working day and night, and output is at an all time high."

"Excellent, Mahmud. Does the economic Minister have anything to add?" inquires the Caliph.

"As a matter of fact, Caliph, yes," the Economic Minister says. "Our factories produce weapons faster than we can use them. Our people prosper, thanks be to Allah. Even with Russian bombings, we outstrip all but the Japanese and Americans in armaments production."

Economic Minister Faisal bin-Yusuf knows, however, that supplying the armies is becoming a problem. American, British, and Israeli submarines sink nearly half of all shipments, and the failure of the military on the ground to knock the Indo-Africans out of the war bodes ill for continued supply of slave workers.

He dares not speak of this, however. He remembers well what happened to his predecessor when he gave the Caliph bad news. Instead, he defers to the Foreign Minister.

"Caliph, our 'allies' in Central and South America continue to tie up significant American forces. They are hoping to use Vatican envoys to negotiate an American surrender of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas," states the Foreign Minister.

"What chance to you think there is of that succeeding, Mahadi?" the Caliph asks.

"To be honest, Caliph, none," Mahadi hesitantly admits. "The Americans, at minimum, want the Pan-Hispanists OUT of the United States."

"Wouldn't America's Hispanic population press the government to accede?"

The Intelligence Minister interrupts, "Caliph, I don't think so."

"Why not, Umadi?"

"Our spies in Nuevo Tenochtitlan indicate that the entire Pan-Hispanist intelligence network in the United States has been destroyed."

"Impossible! The have more than a million agents there. The Americans cannot possibly find them all! It would require a large portion of the American population to do that!" Caliph Ayatollah Bejazi asserts.

"That is precisely what has happened. Mass riots throughout the country have occurred. All Hispanics who couldn't prove citizenship were rounded up. Some have even been lynched."

"What has the American government done about that?"

"Nothing."

"See? Their precious constitution is worthless! A lie!"

Here enters the Justice Minister. "Actually, the Constitution of the United States applies only to citizens, technically. In United States v. Khalid, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that Constitutional protections applied only to citizens of the United States of America. That decision was rendered in 2008."

"What precedent did they refer to?" the Caliph asks.

"Scott v. Sanford, 1857."

"Ah, the infamous Dred Scott decision. I thought the American Civil War and their constitution's 13^th Amendment had abrogated that decision."

"Yes, where slaves[1] were concerned"

"What else do you have to report?"

"Our plans for Operation Sky Thief proceed apace. As soon as we can seize either the Russian space port in Central Asia or Cape Canaveral in Florida, we can move to take the International space station. Also, our labs have nearly finished the secret bio-weapon 'Swine Star'."

"Excellent!"

As the Intelligence Minister continues on with mostly mundane matters, one of the guards is memorizing the entire meeting. He knows that this information is vital to the fate of nations, peoples, and civilizations. His mind works to remember all that he sees and hears.

Now the meeting moves on as the Religious Conformity Minister, Sheikh Ali bin-Qadi, begins to speak. "Gentlemen, in the Home Area, Islam has a 97% adherence rate. Conversion in conquered areas moves more slowly. Our failure to capture the Pope and most of the College of Cardinals hampers the conversion of Catholics to Islam. Protestants are even harder to convert."

"Increase the jizya[2] from 75% to 90%. That should spur these greedy Christians to convert," the Caliph gloats.

"I am not sure that is such a wise move, Caliph. That may actually drive them into open revolt," Ali bin-Qadi sighs.

"Noted. Anything else, Ali?"

"Conversion in Buddhist and Hindu areas is nearly nonexistent. They absolutely refuse to convert."

"Slay them."

"Caliph! Such a move would only stiffen resistance..."

"Do it! They will submit if we kill enough of them!"

"Yes, you are right. However, I wonder if it would be better to take them as "conscript workers."

"They might sabotage production," the Economic Minister interjected.

"No, my dear Bin Qadi," sighs the Caliph, "they must be exterminated."

There is silence in the room as everyone assent to the order. Finally, the Caliph breaks the silence. "Osama, what goes on at the front?"

"Berlin continues to hold out. The Euro-Russians cling tenaciously to most of the city," General Zanjawid reports.

"I know. During the Second World War the Soviets had a 30 to 1 advantage in manpower and equipment, and it took them two weeks to take the city," the Caliph recalls.

"Yes. We have but a 10 to 1 advantage," Gen. Zanjawid intones. "We estimated six weeks to seize Berlin. We are now entering the sixth month of the battle. Somehow, the infidels continue to hold out."

"No. Perhaps the Russians and Americans are getting supplies and troops into the city."

"No. The Americans are focusing any surplus troops they have into Vietnam."

"You may be right. All the same, send an additional three armor divisions to Berlin. Strip the West African front, if necessary."

"We cannot. Our armies are barely holding on there as it is. We can, however, take divisions from Southeast Asia, as the forces there are already more than adequate.

"Do so. Anything else?
"Yes, Caliph. There are rumors of a Mongol-Russian army in Central Asia that is gearing up for war. Also, Military Intelligence has seen indications that Japan is set to acquire nuclear weapons."

"Irony of ironies! Japan was the first nation to suffer a nuclear attack. Now, they may become the first nation in this war to use them."

"What of our attacks at Washington, Chicago and Atlanta?"

"Those were simply high explosives that scattered radiological material," interrupted the Intelligence Minister. "We are talking actual thermonuclear weapons that Japan may be producing."

"If Japan does acquire nukes, they will become even more dangerous. The warrior spirit of the Japanese has returned with a vengeance. They bear watching. Now, if there is nothing else, gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned."

As the council disperses, Ayatollah Bejazi cannot help feeling satisfied. He rises to depart, and then orders the two guards relieved. They depart for their separate apartments in the Guards' barracks.

Three days later, a man disappears into the desert. He goes there to relay what he has learned to his handler. In hours the information arrives at a secret facility in North Dakota, where a youngish black woman begins to develop a secret protocol which, if implemented, will kill the sixth part of mankind.

[1] Slave(s) is a term used pejoratively by Muslims for black people.

[2] Jizya- a heavy tax levied by Muslims in areas Islam rules upon non-Muslims of "tolerated" religions