Sunset Over the Nile

Excerpt from ‘The Suez Crisis’ by Amir Hassan, a retelling of the crises events through the eyes of various regime-loyal citizens: “As the sun began to dip below the Great Pyramids of Giza, Mahmoud lay awake on his mattress. A construction worker by day, his body ached with the stones he fetched. Rationing from the occupation left him restless, with hunger plaguing what would otherwise have been a fruitful Friday evening, spent with his two teen sons, Rashed and Omar.

 

The small family of three were residents of the Southwestern Cairo Governorate, an Aku controlled section of the city. The area was strangled by businessmen who took advantage of their desperate situation; NATO and allies had granted the corporation dominion over this sector of Cairo, with the catch that they made routine checkups of it’s condition and stability in case of an Eurasian assault. Described as ‘a false formality’ by the locals, these checkups were paid off generously by Aku patrols, who assured the Sweepers that everything was under control, all the while lining their pockets with stolen Allied rations and medical supplies, as if their cold hearts even needed it.

 

Distraught by the treatment received from the conglomerate, civilians began to question the resolve and integrity of the Democratic regime, paving the way for a significant rise in unrest and calls for war-time equity. The people’s outrage was not confined for long, as the now coined ‘Suez Ration Riot’ ensued.......

 

The pop-pop of firecrackers and piercing shrieks jolted Mahmoud upright. Stumbling with fatigue towards the window, he noticed a large crowd gathering below, with demonstrators looming over a downed figure. Urgency flushed through his head. “Where are my boys?”, he thought as he darted down the hall, only to find an empty room with an open window. Mahmoud rushed down to the street, as the yells and taunts grew ever louder; “For Egypt'', the crowd exclaimed. The mob was congregated at the front gate of the residence of an Aku businessman, known as the Mad Lion. The stout Indonesian man was notorious for his shady business dealings and exceptionally cruel nature, especially during the occupation. It was no irregular sight to see a protest outside the gate from time to time, but as Mahmoud drew closer, he could see what they were gathered around. Peering between their robes and t-shirts, a guard lay dead, brutalized from head to waist. He grimaced at the remains, watching a young man chop away at him even further with a hatchet. The crowd jeered while Mahmoud frantically searched for his sons. As if on cue, Rashed and Omar ran out of the crowd towards their father, eyes blackened with fear. Filled with relief, he pushed them upstairs; a few scolds and curses followed for good measure. Not even before he turned the key in his doorknob, a multitude of shots rang out, followed by curdling screams in the direction of the gate. Fire was returned, but soon the chaos grew quiet, only to be followed by a loud voice above the murmurs; “Return to your homes, or be fired upon like the rest of these disloyal pigs.”

 

 

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It was moments of insurrection like these that ultimately led to the failing of NATO’s occupation in Cairo, and their loss of control of the Suez Canal. The populace rallied behind the promises of the UAPR and the newly coined “Eurasian liberation”, due to exceptional neglect of the people’s well being by the regime. Hundreds of areas were left to the liberty of corporate mercenaries like that of the Aku, who took every opportunity to mistreat and disrupt the livelihood of the commoner. Protests grew, riots escalated, and interior violence rivaled that of the frontline. Control for the Suez was not won by the Eurasians, it was taken from the inside by the Arab peoples, through large scale disruption and sabotage. While the UAPR militias reigned in the streets, most outlying areas around Cairo were given up without a shot fired. Crumbled has the regime under the voice of the people, but in the end it was not truthful declarations they uttered. The bliss of the moment did not prepare them for the cruelty that was to come. False promises of freedom from the communist bloc would soon come to fruition….

 

This is my entry into the World In Darkness end of the year contest. I am really pleased with how this turned out, although I regret not being able to make multiple scenes.

Done