Emperor Hakim was reading through the report his advisors gave when he looked up and gave each of them an ice-cold stare. The Attorney General, Feisal Martak, had become attuned by now to the Emperor's body language to know he was beyond displeased.

"So this is how Siregar got the funds for his pitiful rebellion," the Emperor said. "By begging the Saudis for money, even after we trounced them in Kuwait and Yemen all those years ago."

Inspector General Qadir Alattas, head of BKN's division for Arab and Mid-East affairs, sat directly across the Emperor, seemingly unperturbed by his foul mood. "So it would appear, my lord," he said. "Siregar not only holds sway among certain Saudi elite, but some of their highest-ranking leaders as well. There's no doubt they'd assist him."

Martak looked to his left. Alattas was seated beside him. Further away sat Advisors Jaka Gifari and Ridwan Asher, both representing the Ruling Council. Behind them stood Evander Kwan, BKN's liaison to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We have the Muscat Agreement to hold the Saudis accountable," Gifari said, "yet it didn't stop them from meddling in Yemen or giving aid to Islamist hardliners here at home. Given the divided state of our military in the aftermath of Siregar's coup attempt, we can ill afford to send additional troops to the Middle-East."

"I concur with Minister Gifari's statements," Kwan said. "We have no means of persuading the Saudis to change their behaviour. Mere diplomatic pressure won't work for as long as they hold the allegiance of the Sunni Arab states. Absent a stronger response, the Saudis will continue with their meddling unopposed."

The Emperor remained silent, his face still sullen with rage. Martak could only watch as the others continued to talk among themselves. Finally, unable to bear the impasse, he decided it was his turn to speak.

"Gentlemen, Your Highness, Minister Asher and I have not yet been given the chance to speak. I'd like to hear his opinion on the matter."

All eyes turned to Asher as soon as Martak had finished speaking. Even the Emperor stopped looking straight ahead and turned his gaze towards one of his longest-serving advisors.

Asher sat motionless with his arms crossed. His eyes were half closed, his expression calm, meditative, and scholar-like. At certain angles one could even mistake him for Marshal Assegaf, only portlier.

"I'm well aware of your concerns, gentlemen," he said at last. "And I have a solution."

Meeting Asher's gaze, the Emperor steepled his fingers and spoke for the first time in minutes. "Tell us then."

Asher pressed a button on his right armrest. A holographic map of the Middle-East flashed above the Emperor's desk. He then magnified the map several times to include only the Arabian Peninsula at first, before finally settling on the porous border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

"Herein lies my proposed solution," Asher said. "You see, for years the Saudis had tried every method possible to bring Yemen to heel. We all know how that turned out, of course. They not only lost their foothold in North Yemen to Zaydi militias, but their defeat also sparked a separatist uprising in Asir Province, which lies well within the Zaydis' sphere of influence and no border could possibly separate.

"With their hold over North Yemen broken," he continued, "the Saudis are now focused on taking control of the oil-rich regions of Shabwa and Hadhramaut in the South. Though South Yemen is still divided along tribal lines, most of its populace are opposed to Saudi attempts to exert power over the region. With the right persuasion, one can build a sizeable army from these disparate forces, sparing us the need to send additional troops to the Middle-East."

The rest stared at the holomap in silence. Martak and Gifari, both of whom had been watching with great interest, fixed their gaze on the Saudi-Yemeni border. Finally, the latter decided to speak.

"We have a few thousand troops stationed in Hadhramaut as part of Middle-East Command. However, as long as the Muscat Agreement is still in place, we can't get them to assist any local resistance movements, lest we provoke another war in the region."

"The Saudis don't care to honour their end of the agreement," Asher said. "All it takes is a good casus foederis to justify mobilising our troops and helping South Yemen resist Saudi encroachment."

The Emperor rose from his seat, his expression showing a renewed sense of determination. "That may happen sooner than later," he said. "I just recently spoke with Marshal Assegaf about his upcoming deployment. For years I've been planning to expand our presence in the Mid-East, and the ongoing crisis in Yemen might just be the opportunity we seek. As with any military engagement in the region, I've decided to entrust the command of our forces to him."

Alattas raised an eyebrow. "Marshal Assegaf?" he asked. "No wonder I saw him at the strategic conference last week. Where is he?"

"Striking the final blow to Siregar's forces," the Emperor said. "I have no doubt he'd come out victorious, as always."

It was Martak's turn to raise an eyebrow. He and Assegaf had attended the same high school while growing up in Surabaya. "I never had the slightest doubt myself," he said with a hint of nostalgia. "Zack always gets things done."

As always, Asher assumed a more serious expression. "Well then, my lord," he turned to the Emperor, "make sure you inform Marshal Assegaf of what we discussed once he returns."

"I shall," the Emperor said. "Now, moving on. Since you're responsible for compiling the report," he turned to Martak, "were you able to verify your sources?"

"Most of them, yes," Martak replied. "In fact, some even went to great lengths to prevent me from doing just that. That's what all the extra security in my office is for, if you recall."

The Emperor fell silent once more. In the aftermath of Siregar's coup, there had been several attempts on Martak's life, all taking place at his residence and the Attorney General's office. "Of course," he said at last. "Do you have any suspects in mind?"

"Right now I can't think of anyone," Martak said. "But I believe the money trail can reasonably be traced back to the Saudi Embassy. Problem is, there's just not enough evidence for me to build a case against them."

"Then you'd better hurry," the Emperor said. "Before they catch wind of your intentions."

"Yes, my lord. Of course."

The Emperor was just about to conclude the meeting when the intercom built into his desk sounded a tone. He then pressed a button to receive the call.

"Emperor Hakim speaking. What is it?"

The holoimage of BKN Lieutenant-Colonel Ryan Lee, his adjutant and head of security, stared back at him. "Sorry to disturb, Your Highness. Someone's here to see you. Captain Bin Sanad, Marshal Assegaf's adjutant."

"Bin Sanad," the Emperor mumbled the name. "Yes, I remember. What's his reason for wanting to see me?"

"He says he has an urgent message from Marshal Assegaf. For your eyes only."

"Very well," the Emperor said. "Send him in."

"Gentlemen," he looked back at his advisors. "We will continue this discussion later."

Kwan and Alattas were the first to leave, followed by Martak, Gifari, and Asher. On the way out they came across Bin Sanad heading towards the Emperor's suite, escorted by two members of the Emperor's Guard.

"My lords," Bin Sanad saluted. "How's His Highness?"

"He's expecting you," Asher said.

"Thank you, Minister."

-----------

Bin Sanad had no sooner arrived than the Emperor beckoned him to take a seat. "I hear you have an urgent message for me," the latter said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bin Sanad said. "Bogor is under attack by rebel forces. Our troops are caught in the crossfire, and Marshal Assegaf has no way of contacting you and High Command."

The Emperor's eyebrows twitched. Bin Sanad had only seen Hakim a few times, back when he was only a subordinate to his predecessor Emperor Byoma. It felt surreal seeing him, with his Arabid nose and slanted eyes behind a pair of round glasses, occupy a position of executive power that had once been mostly held by the Javanese.

"Under attack? By rebel forces?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Bin Sanad said. "Here's a footage of what's happening."

Bin Sanad pulled out his datapad and placed it in front of the Emperor. The datapad then flashed a footage of various cars exploding in government buildings across Bogor, followed by an intense firefight between police personnel and rebel militias in front of the Bogor Metropolitan Police Headquarters.

This time, the Emperor's eyebrows didn't just twitch. They leaped, high enough to put Bin Sanad on edge. "Impossible," he exclaimed. "Bogor is supposed to be secure. How could they have carried out these attacks right under our noses?"

"I don't know, Your Highness," Bin Sanad said. "Marshal Assegaf suspects they had help from someone high up in our ranks."

The Emperor reached over and pressed a button on his desk. "Emperor Hakim to High Command," he said over the intercom, "requesting immediate response."

The call was immediately picked up by Colonel Iswahyudi, High Command's Chief of Communications. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Commander, our operation against the rebels has been compromised," the Emperor said. "Bogor is under attack by rebel forces. Meanwhile, our task forces are trapped in the crossfire, with no way of contacting the outside world."

"I'll inform the Joint Chiefs immediately," Iswahyudi said. "Is there anything else I can do, Your Highness?"

"No. Have them contact me as soon as possible."

"Yes Your Highness."

The Emperor looked back at Bin Sanad as soon as Iswahyudi had signed out. "Is that all?" he asked.

"Marshal Assegaf has also tasked me with an important mission, Your Highness," Bin Sanad said. "With your permission I'd like to stay a while longer."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and steepled his fingers, as if trying to choose his response carefully. "Yes, you may," he said at last. "Please tell me what your mission is about."

"You'll see, Your Highness," Bin Sanad said. "It's time we root out all remaining traitors in our ranks."

Casus Foederis – Latin for 'Case for the Alliance'. In diplomatic terms, it describes a situation in which the terms of an alliance come into play, such as one nation being attacked by another.