This plot began eight real-life months ago. See: Clash in Dominance V.
The Fifth Dominance is the area of the CCD typically described as the Middle East. Following the Energy Disaster of the 2020’s and subsequent tours by the then-President of the Ascendant Soviet Union, Nikolai Brandon successfully negotiated the annexation of what was historically a tumultous part of the world to unite beneath one flag, the DV hypocycloid.
The Dominance was overseen by a Patron from Dubai and represented in Moscow by a Privilege in the food industry, Daan Nasser Al-Rajhi. While energy was supplemented by DI (aka: Russian) pipelines, the Dominance soon became dependent on the larger CCD economy. Intra-Dominance politics remained uneasy, but war was suspended in the region for the first time in thousands of years.
Twenty years later, the Ascendancy found himself flying through the region on a quarterly basis. By 2044, he was touring one part of the region or another every six weeks – four times the frequency of traveling the rest of the CCD. By mid 2045, a new charismatic religious leader emerged. Likely a ta’veren, his presence countered the balance achieved by the ta’veren nature exuded by Nikolai Brandon. Tensions rose and by the end of the year, violence broke the peace.
The violence centered around the city of Mecca, considered the holiest city in the religion of Islam. Although the Dominance was assigned the same freedom of religion as the rest of the CCD and allowed to express religious culture woven through the governing body, these leaders were no longer content to be a part of the CCD.
While the Ascendancy was in route to the city to negotiate their malcontent, Mecca revolted. Despite the sanctity of the city, they struck at any and all CCD presence who were only there to maintain the security of prominent officials coming for the Summit. Any and all foreigners became targets, including medical personnel and journalists reporting on the event. The Ascendancy cancelled the Summit and returned to the air, but the Custody was otherwise caught unawares. A number of important individuals were trapped in Mecca, and in the case of Doctor Victoria Weston and Commander Michael Vellas, taken captive.
In the city was another presence that was neither local nor CCD. Jacques Danjou had a contingent of Legion Premiere, security soldiers, seeking private contracts in the region. To take advantage of their immediacy, the Ascendancy negotiated, through the Custody of Defense, a contract to hire Legion Premiere to counter the insurgency and rescue civilians, both those trapped at the overrun international airport, and those taken captive in a hospital.
Five hundred million dollars paid for the lives of two-hundred Legionnaires. Jacques Danjou, the CEO of the Legion, was given special access to CCD intelligence under the watch of Special Forces Assault Team Vega Major Zagori Mitzman.
Continue on to read the rest of The Battle of Jeddah.