The thick mahogany doors of the command office creaked open as Captain Tade Odo stepped inside. His boots echoed off the cold marble floor, cutting through the silence like a blade. The room, draped in military regalia and war maps, smelled faintly of cigars and tension.
General Odo sat behind his wide desk, flanked by towering bookshelves and a large map of Forun marked with red and green pins. He didn't look up immediately. His eyes were on a classified dispatch, but the frown on his face told Tade this wasn't a routine summons.
"You called for me, Father?" Tade said, standing straight, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his belt-holstered pistol.
General Odo looked up, his face a granite mask. "Enoch Gadaf is dead."
Tade blinked. "Dead? How?"
"Assassinated. Shot this morning on his way to the Administrative Office. Two bullets to the chest. Died before the convoy could turn around."
Shock gripped Tade's chest like a vice. "But… who would—"
His father cut him off. "Who else? Raf Chizo?"
The name lingered in the air like a curse. Tade opened his mouth to question further, but the General didn't elaborate. He rose instead, stepping toward the large window that overlooked the military compound.
"I received a message from President Chizo this morning," General Odo continued. "He wants us to take full control of Forun before the next election. He says the 'rebellion must be buried, and its ghost burned.' His exact words."
Tade stiffened. "That's impossible," he said, his voice low. "Not with the way Asa is moving these days. His people are growing stronger. Bolder. He has weapons. Intel. Morale. We can't uproot a revolution in a few months."
General Odo turned, his stare hard and cold. "Then we make it possible. You know Raf. He doesn't accept failure. If I can't deliver, he'll send someone else. Another general. Maybe someone with less regard for protocol—or lives."
The words landed like hammer blows. Tade exhaled slowly, bitterly. He didn't respond at once. His mind drifted—past the warfront, past the bloody orders and rebel ambushes—straight to his mother and sister. Thank God I brought Bianca and Didi here with me, he thought. At least they're close… Safe, for now.
He looked back at his father. "What's the plan then?"
General Odo's eyes narrowed, voice dropping to a low growl. "We go hunting."
Tade stepped into the strategic war room minutes later, where Commanders Otunba and Helda stood before a digital map of Forun, red lights blinking over rebel strongholds. The air was heavy with unease.
"Captain," Otunba greeted him with a curt nod. "We just received word. Gadaf?"
Tade nodded grimly. "Dead. Shot in Greenland. On his way to the Administrative Office."
Helda's brow furrowed. "You think Asa's hands reached that far?"
"No," Tade said sharply. "This wasn't Asa. This was internal. Gadaf made the mistake of wanting more—he wanted to be president. Raf Chizo doesn't take kindly to ambition that threatens his throne."
Otunba grunted. "Then we're on borrowed time."
"Exactly," Tade replied. "And Raf made it clear—he wants Forun crushed before the next election. He wants a clean victory to parade before the people. We need to act."
He stepped toward the map, tapping his finger on three red zones. "We target key figures: Asa, Mora, Rhea, and Devon Keal. We remove them quietly. Cut the roots, and the rebellion dies."
Otunba tilted his head. "How do we find them? We don't know where they're hiding, and they're not the type to walk into traps."
"We need someone who can lead us to them. Someone who knows their faces, their movements," Tade said.
Helda leaned on the table, her tone calm but assertive. "We use someone from Forun. One of the citizens in Sector 3. They're already under our control. One of them will talk. We offer food, safety—whatever works."
Tade narrowed his eyes. "Why a Forun citizen? Why not one of our own operatives?"
Helda looked at him, voice steady. "Because it'll be easier for one of them to blend in. No accent issues. No suspicion. If they get caught, they'll be treated like any other local. Our soldiers would be spotted a mile away."
Otunba nodded. "And let's be honest—some of them would sell out their own if it gets them out of this war."
Tade was quiet for a moment, then gave a single nod. "Find someone loyal or desperate. Someone with access, or with something to prove."