Historical Background
The Sino-Soviet War of 2020 crippled the industrial economies of both Russia and China and set free their satellite nations. In the aftermath of the war, many of the surviving Asian nations relied on the sale of natural resources, especially oil, to finance their reconstruction. They turned to the Mid-Asian Consortium, a commercial alliance dominated by Mid-Asian oil exporters, to counterbalance Western oil importers.
By 2023, the Mid-Asian Consortium, foreseeing oil reserves running low, struck to obtain higher prices. Western stealth bombers forced an end to the embargo and imposed a peace treaty fixing prices for Asian oil. Many Asians died in the short but brutal war.
Asian economies faltered in the aftermath of the Oil Embargo War, and recessions, unemployment, and religious strife ignited civil wars. To regain order, Asian militarys commanded by Habeed Khan united the war-weary nations under a secular government called the Mid-Asian Alliance.
Although the Embargo War ended, growing populations and diminishing resources continued to aggravate tensions between Asia and the West. And some who had survived the Embargo War could not forget those who did not.
Chapter1. The Dream
June 2031, Dubai City
In a famous hotel of gold-colored stone, MIT Professor Bashir Abba once again dreams the nightmare that has haunted him the last eight years:
It is once again that spring on the shore of the Gulf. The May sun and a temperate breeze from the land warms the sandy beach below the bluff where our cottage stands. Majida, my wife and my love, is eager to get out of the cottage and into the fresh air. She and our five-year-old daughter, Aisha, prepare a picnic basket.
We carry it through the village, passing cottages and a dozen stores. Like our community, the stores and cottages are small but well kept. We pass the largest building in the village, a three-story mansion purchased by an oil company. They use it for executive retreats, and the limousines parked around town suggest that they are having one now. But most of us who live here year around are academics, young professionals, artists and writers.
We reach the stairs and step down the 60 feet to the Gulf shore. Majida and I spread a blanket on the sand. She is happy to get back to the beach and looks so beautiful it pains my heart. We picnic on the blanket. After we finish lunch, Majida lies in the sun, as if it could improve her flawless skin.
Aisha, to whom all things are new and worthy of enthusiasm, runs along the shore, splashing in tidal pools and rescuing stranded sea creatures.
I, a young and newly-minted professor of materials science, pull out The Journal of Solid-State Physics to prepare in advance for the fall semester. At the same time, I keep at least one eye on Aisha. Soon she tires of splashing pools. She tries to make sand castles, but she needs guidance. I give up on my journal and help her build.
The wind changes direction in the late afternoon, blowing in cooler air from the water, so we retreat to our cottage. After dinner we tuck Aisha into her bed. Later, Majida gives me a provocative smile as she backs into the bedroom, and we appropriately celebrate the arrival of spring. Afterwards we hear coughing from Aisha’s bedroom.
Majida checks on her. “No temperature, but the coughs keep her from sleeping. Unfortunately, we are out of cough syrup.”
