ONE DAY LATER
OCTOBER 6, 2020—10:30 / 10:30 A.M. EET
You can tell a lot about a person by how they sit in a room, Saad thought as he lowered himself into a plush high-backed chair. General Mousavi sat to his left on a couch. His legs were crossed, and his arm rested above the pillows. Kamal was to his right. His back was against the arm of the couch, and his feet were up on the white cushions. Each man had a bottle of sparkling water and a bowl of fruit on a table next to them. All were dressed for a day on the upper deck, which likely wouldn’t happen because of the cool rain falling outside.
Probably for the best. Some discussions are best held indoors.
Saad poured water over a large cube of ice in a glass. “I trust you gentlemen had a pleasant night?”
The paid entertainment had been loaded onto one of the ship’s tenders and taken to shore early this morning.
“I would trade three of my wives for just one of those girls,” answered Kamal.
Saad laughed along even though he found the joke distasteful. Actually, there was little about this man that he didn’t find distasteful.
“My night was excellent,” said Mousavi. “And I thank you.”
Looking at Kamal, Saad said, “I have invited you here, Ali, because I think we may have some interests in common. Surprisingly enough, I think that may be true of our Iranian friend as well.”
“Any enemy of the royal family is a friend of mine.”
“I can understand that. I must admit, I have been very disappointed to watch Saudi Arabia warming up so much to the Zionist Occupiers.”
“Me too! Trust me. The king is a doddering old fool. And the crown prince cares only for power and money. He is everything that is wrong in Riyadh. There are no principles left in the royal palace.”
Mousavi said, “First the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with the Occupiers due in large part to the Abraham Accords and the Zionists’ part in stopping the drone attack on the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai. Now the rumor is that Sudan, Bahrain, and Morocco could be the next to cave to the pressure.”
“Along with my country,” Kamal said. “Our disgusting behind-the-scenes flirtations with the Jews are an open secret in the Middle East.”
“It’s true,” said the general. “Quite honestly, habibi, I have been in high-level discussions where we have spoken of placing your country ahead of the Jewish Occupiers on our kill list.” He lifted an orange wedge to his mouth.
Kamal sat up, his feet now on the floor. “Don’t you include me with those heretics. Allah gave them power and resources, and look what they have done with it. They have squandered their influence in the name of riches and decadence.”
Saad stifled a smile by popping a large purple grape into his mouth. Riches and decadence? This is the multimillionaire prince who took four women to his quarters last night. The lack of self-awareness is astounding.
The Saudi continued his rant. “If we cut off the head of the royal family, plenty like me would be ready to step in. We are the faithful. We are the true followers of Allah.” Turning to Mousavi, he said, “You and I, General, may have major doctrinal differences. And truth be told, in any other venue we might hate each other. But as we sit here this morning, you are my friend. Why? Because we share the same enemies.”
“Which are…” asked Saad.
“The Saudi royal family, Israel, and the United States.” Kamal ticked them off on his fingers one by one.
“And you are comfortable if my ordering of that list differs from yours?”
“As long as we are all committed to wiping out them all, I don’t care what order you personally put them in.”
Saad dropped another grape into his mouth, then said, “Tell me, General, what is your country’s view of the upcoming U.S. election?”
Mousavi groaned, eliciting a smile from Saad. “I just wish it would happen and be over with. It feels as if we are in limbo until they do.”
“How so?”
“If the current president stays in power, life is much more difficult. Of course, we continue our nuclear development and our support and training of the militias. It’s just that we must be diligently covert about it. Also, this president is much more likely to sanction any action the Zionists take against us.”
“And if the other one is elected?”
The general smiled as he tilted his bottle to fill his glass. “We think we know what we are getting with him. When he was vice president, he was very favorable toward us. Even now he is campaigning on a return to the JCPOA. If he plays along with his party, then it will be very good for us. We’ll ratify a new nuclear deal, which will essentially allow us to work carte blanche enriching our uranium. It will also be more difficult for the Zionists to gain approval for a military attack on our nuclear infrastructure.”
“That brings up a question, General.” Kamal was back on the couch again with his feet up. “When you finally achieve nuclear weapons, will you use them? You can imagine my curiosity, because I recognize that my country may be on the receiving end of one of your missiles. But you need to know that if the royal family is removed, the leadership that takes its place will be much more amenable to your ayatollahs. Yes, we will have our faith difference. However, as we are showing now, that should not hinder our working together against a common foe.”
The general sipped his sparkling water, then returned the glass to the table. “Let me address the second part of your statement first. Yes, I agree that we could work together, and I will pass your assurances on to those who need to know.”
Kamal gave an appreciative nod.
“As to whether we would use our nuclear weapons, that has not been determined.”
Saad suppressed an eye roll. This was an ongoing discussion between the general and him, and the Iranian had always said that weapons are made to be used, not just polished and displayed.
The general continued. “However, if we use them, it would likely not be as you think. Yes, we are developing our missile technology. However, we are also putting much research into developing small, portable weapons. Imagine one of those finding its way into the hands of a Palestinian freedom fighter in Gaza.”
Kamal laughed and clapped his hands. “It would be glorious.”
“That is why my friend here is pouring some of his billions into training our militias in the handling of portable nuclear devices,” Mousavi said, lifting his glass toward Saad.
Kamal lifted his own and drank. Then addressing the general once more, he said, “Speaking of your militias, if we act against the Saudi regime, can you give me the support of the Houthi rebels? I will make a promise to them to stop the air attacks into Yemen. They will be free to do whatever they want in their own country.”
“That, my new friend, I believe I can deliver to you.” He stood and walked to Kamal, and the two men clinked their glasses together.
Saad stood as well. “I think that concludes our business for now. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a swim in the indoor pool.”