1Chapter Four: Bloodbath on the Riverbend

Jenne, Mali

Amadou was nervous and he should be. Kumbi Saleh had

just fallen and an entire army was trapped inside of the city.

He had to rescue that army before it was destroyed and

keep Jenne at all costs. These were bad times for Mali but

other nations did care. India was sending over rice, tanks and

planes and also instructors to fly the Indian jets. Also the

Malinese intelligence service was trying to get Egypt into

this war. If that happened it'd be over for Carthage but until

that time he would have to organize a defense for Jenne.

He was in a room where a table was centrally located. On

the table was an enlarged map of Jenne. He gave the colonels

in his room a task. Stop the Carthaginians from crossing the

Niger. Not one step back.

Diara Hamadou was a civilian. Technically he is a civilian

but Total War needs conscripts and he was one. He's far

from his village near the Atlantic coast but now things are

different. The Empire is at stake and he had to do his duty.

Everyone in his company had to. He looked at his friend

Moses. Moses was not a Malian name but his parents worked

in the Egyptian embassy and right now Egypt isn't the

enemy. He whispered to him.

' How do you think the Carthies are gonna come?" he asked

nervously. Moses stared out into the scrub land surrounding

Jenne. He responded.

" Bombers first. Tanks second. Infantry to mop us up. It's

how they fight nowadays," he said with absolute surety.

" That's probably why Lieutenant gave us so many

grenades and mortars. The key to victory is wiping out those

tanks. Without them we'll surround the infantry and kick

their asses!" Moses said gruffly. Moses was an always on

the bright side of things. He wasn't a worrier like Diara.

They both decided to go back inside the city and wait for

the tanks to come along. Then they'll see what happens when

you cross Mali's path.

Thebes, Egypt

Foreign Secretary for the Empire of Mali Bembara was

a worrier. He worried his way thorough the Universities he

attended in China and America and he worried his way to

his current position and now he was worrying his way

through his nation's current crisis. His nation needed

Egypt to defeat the Carthaginians but that might be difficult.

The Egyptians were careful observers, after all they were

surrounded by: Carthage, Mali, Nubia, Israel and they had a

sea border with the Arabians. Not really a good position to

declare war. Attack someone then someone would attack you

in the rear. Not that pleasant. Still Egypt was keen to greet

Mali. After all, Mali had oil which Egypt hasn't any at all.

The current Pharaoh was Ahmose the Fifth and he was

eager to see what the Malians offered.

" Welcome to Egypt, Gift of the Nile. What is that you

must say today friend?" said Ahmose sincerely.

" As you see the Carthaginians have attacked without

warning or any provocation on our part. They've crossed

the Sahara and now are in the Sahel! Kumbi Saleh is in

their greedy paws and now Jenne is threatned! Will you not

assist your friend Mali?" pleaded Bembara.

The Pharaoh paused for a moment then smiled a great wide

smile.

" What's in it for us?" he said. His tone of voice had

changed due to his smile.

Bembara sweat glistened on his ebony skin. He pulled out

a document from his briefcase.

" I-I-I give... no we give you 20 years of subsidized oil and

we will be in your favor if the international community

requires if-if-if you have to give back land to Carthage.

R-Remember a strong Carthage makes a weak Egypt,"

He barely managed to stammer out what he had to say.

The document was passed around the viziers who

constantly surrounded the Pharaoh. Each whispered

things into the Pharaoh's ear. The Pharaoh's stonewall

reaction to the whispering made Bembara shake. Then with

one quick hand gesture from the Pharaoh the viziers

stopped.

" We have ourselves a war Bembara!" exclaimed the

Pharaoh.

All across the Egypt the rally for war was heared and now

Carthage has a new foe.

Three days later near the Egyptian- Carthaginian border

The Carthaginians didn't see this coming but if they did

they would've been quivering. Assembled just waiting

to roll in was 3 tank divisions, the Army of Prince Ptah and

some conscript forces. To the sea on the right were

Destroyers whose mission was to obliterate the Carthaginian

battleship C.S. Dido. In the sky above were the squadrons

whose former first priority was the Kingdom of Israel but

now it was Carthage. Through the crisp night air they roared

out to Carthage.

In Carthaginian airspace

This was Wing Commander Aten's zone. His space where

he worked. Doctors had hospitals, Taxi drivers had taxi's.

He had the sky and he moved his jet aircraft almost

gracefully through it as if the air was pushing him.

His mission however wasn't graceful. He had to destroy a

series of hangers where the Carthaginians airforce was based.

He knew they had SAM's. Who doesn't these days? And

Egypt lacked the stealth bombers necessary to evade

the missiles but any sacrifice is necessary. If it wasn't in a

week the Carthaginians could be in Memphis! He looked

at his radar instinctively and he say two fast moving objects.

They were Carthaginian alright.

" Carthaginian jets, prepare for combat over," he yelled

over the com.

He wasn't even going to let them get close. From a distance

that wouldn't give them time to escape or explode

dangerously close to him he let go a missile. An instant later

the enemy jet was a fireball but the other jet however rose

in altitude and was trying to get home and by this time was

on the com warning the Squideaters to scramble. Oh no.

Aten rose with him but this was only to deceive him. The

enemy veered left and this was Aten's chance to dive and

come right up after him which he did. Luckily radar didn't

have depth perception . Well at least not yet anyways... He

turned his craft nose up at the enemy at let lose a missile.

The missile nearly missed but it hit the edge of the wing tip

at that was enough to send this bastard to hell. Aten went

back to his com. He was now clearly behind his squandron.

" Continue ahead at full speed. We still have some surprise!"

He yelled over the com. And it was then Aten knew Egypt

still had Africa.

Moses and Diara were hunkered low in a small crater

caused by Carthaginian bombings earlier. Between them

wasn't much weapons. Two Kalashnikovs, a mortar with

six shells and two stick grenades. But they still hoped to take

out a tank or two.

Suddenly missiles coming from out of the city blazed

overhead.

" Must be those missiles India gave us," said Moses. His

face betraying a grin.

" Yea, they should hurt some units," replied Diara. He

wasn't really sure what the missiles could do.

Artillery opened up a minute later as well as some more

rockets.

" They're close... I can smell the stench of squid people

now!" yelled Moses.

They heard a boom, then felt a rumble then saw a mech

infantry with some troops in tow as well. Firing the mortar

shell wouldn't be easy considering using a mortar as a TOW

isn't really the best idea but they had to work with what they

had.

They found an angle and fired. The Mortar found a direct

hit. On the infantry though. Good enough. Now it was up

to Diara to throw a stick grenade.

Nervously Diara unscrewed the bottom mechanism. He

aimed the throw at the soldier who was using the machine

gun at Malian in his company who had found that windows

were better. He let the grenade fly. It was chucked inside the

vehicle and the machine gunner hadn't even had time to

scream before-

BOOM

Debris went flying all around. The air had the scent of

charcoal to it, that and burning flesh.

Diara and Moses breathed a sigh of relief but they were

both very shaken. Very shaken. Diara turned and saw

the river. More troops were coming. To join a bloodbath.