Thursday, September 12, 2013

It was a pleasant evening in Northern Afghanistan’s bustling and rapidly growing city.

Mazar-i-Sharif was the crossroads of trade flowing between the UAT and its neighbors, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, by facilitating truck haulers utilizing the new national highway system.

The city had been the center of war, violence, and human rights violations during the occupation of the Taliban because of its strategic location.

The prosperity experienced by the locals was largely thanks to the heroics of the Uzbek Horse Warlord, General Dostum, who was now both the ethnic tribal leader of Uzbek Afghans and Governor of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Dostum was famous for assisting United States forces in pushing back the enemy in 2001. He continued his military service by supporting President Karzai’s reforms and Future Tech’s local interests, such as the UAT military’s modernization.

A unit of soldiers escorted the middle-aged Uzbek politician as he exited a recently built orphanage, one of many throughout the populous cities of the UAT.

After avenging his family’s death at the Taliban’s hands by involving himself with Future Security’s clean-up operations of remnant insurgent sympathizers, Dostum spent his free time wandering his domain, searching for problems to solve.

It pained him to imagine the face of his beloved daughter after noticing an orphan playing with toys, yet Dostum felt hope and a bit of closure knowing he’d done the best to honor his family and provide for the community._.

Dostum entered a government CAV that easily accommodated his escort and guided the aviator towards his favorite Uzbek restaurant, owned by a long-time friend, for an early dinner.

It was quite a large traditional Uzbek restaurant. Still, it was fairly packed for a weeknight that mainly consisted of locals and Chinese employees that worked at the nearby CNPC petroleum drilling facility.

Aside from trading imported goods to neighboring cities, a significant portion of Mazar-i-Sharif’s economy revolved around mineral prospecting, extraction, and transportation, so it was common to find foreign nationals living in the city.

The front desk hostess greeted the revered warlord and tribal chief before accompanying his entourage to a VIP room at the rear of the fine establishment.

She respectfully asked in Uzbek, “Pasha, would you like anything else other than your usual order?”

The middle-aged General replied, “I’ll get an extra Shashlik with the usual Naryn. Thank you very much, Elnura.”

The young woman bowed her head lightly before submitting the VIP guest’s order to the kitchen.

Dostum reached for a TV remote and turned on the widescreen Samsung TV, a VIP exclusive feature for the guests’ entertainment while waiting and eating delicious food.

The default setting directed the TV to the Afghan Infinity Channel broadcast that almost anyone who owned a media-capable device could access.

Though it wasn’t 7 pm yet, Dostum was excited to watch the nightly IC News with Diana Strong because he appreciated the concise reporting and didn’t mind her massive bosom. Not at all.

Instead, a video similar to the typical Infinity Channel programming played featuring beautiful vistas of India with a calming voice narrating the cultural significance of each site.

Oliver, Future Tech Broadcasting’s Director, had implemented more functions to the Infinity Channel based on ideas from Vince Dalton, mainly focusing on categorizing video content like craftsmanship and culinary and purchasing rights to independently produced videos directly from the Infinity Marketplace.

Selling content to FTB was another avenue for promoting Future Tech consumers in creating value for themselves and others.

Dostum wasn’t too interested, but fortunately, the Infinity Channel App was compatible with almost every brand of Smart TV featuring on-demand videos.

He was about to select Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking until his food arrived alongside his good friend and brother-in-arms, Usman Pardayev.

The Uzbek man in his late-20s was lowkey and greeted Dostum in a hushed yet polite way.

Usman sat casually across Dostum before the General sincerely said, “Salam. Your restaurant’s food always looks delicious, Usman. Never forget; the meals you cooked up during the war’s height for our men and foreign allies held morale high enough to reconquer Afghanistan’s major cities.”

Usman nodded his head and sighed before replying, “I’ll never forget because you always remind me, Dostum. I was young and green, but I had a talent for cooking, so it was the least I could do for the cause. Though I slowly learned plenty from the Americans, especially the guy who called himself Kansas. It was a laughable fake name for a CIA field agent but easily forgettable.”

They both shared a chuckle of memories gone by before Dostum said, “I remember Kansas lugging around duffle bags full of cash for bribing the other warlords and me to join the coalition. We wouldn’t have had a fighting chance against the Taliban without the spook, Price’s Ranger Platoon, and Felix’s Airborne Battalion.”

Usman didn’t mind the old gentleman’s small talk about reminiscing the past as he greatly respected General Dostum. The younger man replied, “I owe my craft to Kansas and his generous lessons and insights. Now I proudly serve the United Afghan Tribes from the shadows.”

His exceptional cooking skills during the Northern Alliance’s offensive against the Taliban in 2001 endeared him amongst the US allies that gained him valuable lessons from highly trained combatants like Price.

Usman learned the basics of spycraft from Kansas, mostly tips and techniques the spook acquired from the CIA’s 18-month course at Camp Peary in Virginia.

On the other hand, Usman practiced rifle and pistol sharpshooting under the guidance of Felix.

The General thoughtfully responded, “President Karzai’s administration holds your Intelligence Services department in high regard. However, running a successful restaurant wasn’t your only calling in life. Has anything significant changed since we last spoke a week ago?”

ɴ[0)ᴠᴇʟ Usman honestly replied, “Our ears from the region are noticing a sharp decrease in Taliban and Al-Qaeda presence within our borders since enacting the firing squad death penalty for treason. The UAT Army’s hunting task force had swept the remaining insurgent sympathizers with the help of Future Security. It seems like our enemies have vacated Afghanistan to lick their wounds but left a goodbye gift. Rumors of a bounty on Hamid Karzai’s head of 50 thousand barrels of oil worth $5 million, and 100 thousand barrels of oil for Vince Dalton, dead or alive, have been spreading in the Levant. Sponsored by the new caliph himself, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.”

Dostum raised an eyebrow as he scoffed at the recently emerged Jihad Warlord before saying, “Hmph. A mere publicity stunt. True warriors admit defeat and bare the consequences of their actions, not hide behind larger entities like Al-Qaeda and Daesh.”

Usman smirked in agreement and continued reporting, “We never had honorable adversaries, only honorable brothers-in-arms. I’ve already notified Director Price and The Arg regarding the bounties, so you won’t have to worry about writing a report. Intelligence from outside the UAT is primarily sourced from Future Security, but I’ve heard rumors about Russia rapidly expanding its military for a key offensive in East Ukraine.”

The fire in the older man’s eyes ignited as he imagined giving Russians hell on the battlefield but understood he was way past his prime.

Instead, General Dostum calmed himself and replied, “I’ll ensure my department will prepare our nation’s military if the Russians decide to invade us again. Are there any more updates from abroad?”

Usman amicably replied, “The last piece of news involves the UAT’s monetary system, BitCash. It seems the nation’s patron, Vince Dalton, has been targeted by New York banking executives attempting to capitalize on Afghanistan’s recent prosperity. One of them even called the young man a communist, of all labels, and questioned the UAT’s democracy. Quite absurd. Though I’ll give him props, the kid doesn’t back down from anyone or anything. That’s probably why Director Price only speaks praises of him.”

Dostum abhorred the underhandedness of politics and honestly said, “Pssh. American politics is always so random yet the same. Capitalists are evil, but so are communists. It just doesn’t make any sense. Sure, the US lost the wars in Korea and Vietnam, yet they’ll eventually need to get over it. In Afghanistan, people are too busy improving their lives to engage in useless political drivel. Though, regarding BitCash, I’m sure President Karzai will not let the banker get away with tarnishing the UAT’s newfound international image without retaliation.”

Usman nodded and explained, “Rais had already banned all JP Morgan Chase-related businesses from operating within the UAT and funded a public smear campaign against Jamie Dimon to maintain Afghanistan’s pride in its reformed government.”

The United Afghan Tribes’ economy heavily relied on the BitCash Union to continue the country’s growth and prosperity. Therefore, President Karzai and Future Tech had a mutual interest in protecting the digital currency from external forces.

Usman respectfully asked, “General, will you attend the United Nations Assembly in two weeks with the President?”

Dostum answered, “Of course! It’ll be a momentous occasion for the United Afghan Tribes, officially ending US occupation and Operation Enduring Freedom. The President and I will also take the opportunity of finally meeting the UAT’s esteemed patron, Vince Dalton.”

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Check the glossary chapter for current business stats.

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