Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 3: Guardian

He had earned a reputation as the “unicorn” of the Special Operations Forces, the unattainable flower growing on a mountain top, forever out of reach. He was the perfect
specimen everyone coveted, but that could only be admired from afar.

Sidharth gazed at the deep blue night sky beyond the window as he breathed out wispy circles of cigarette smoke.
He was mentally going over the lines of the speech he was about to present to the Senate.

Suddenly, his bluetooth headset began to ring.

Someone was calling him on his private, military-use only, top-secret number. He had only ever given this number to Sandeep, and Sandeep was supposed to only call him when it was a life-or-death situation for Shehnaaz.

Had something happened to
Shehnaaz?

Sidharth composed himself, flicked his cigarette into the bin, and said, tonelessly, “Speak.”

His headset immediately established a private line, meant only for the military. Sidharth’s deep, mellow voice shot through the connection and into Sandeep’s ear on the other end.

Sandeep let out a long sigh of relief, as though finally free of a heavy burden. He quickly explained what had happened to Shehnaaz.

Sidharth’s thick, oblique brows contorted. “An aphrodisiac? You’re calling me, on this line, because of
something as silly as that? Just give her the antidote!” His voice was low and indifferent, but Sandeep could tell that Sidharth was annoyed.

“I have a few different antidotes for sexual stimulants, yes. But this is an act of sabotage. Someone tried to ruin her, which is why I thought that you, her guardian, might want to know about it. Also, this is no ordinary aphrodisiac! It’s highly potent and I don’t know if I can neutralize it… here, just listen to her.” Having finished his angry outburst, Sandeep placed his phone close to  Shehnaaz’s cheek and said, “It’s Sid [1], your guardian.”

It was as though a ray of sunlight had penetrated Shehnaaz’s fuzzy, muddled brain. Mustering all the strength she had left, she called out “Sid…” before fainting dead away.

“Sid”—the two words came out soft and purring. Sidharth felt as though a newborn kitten had reached out a
fleshy paw and playfully caressed the palm of his hand.

Sidharth was a solemn and restrained man, standing in a stately and dignified place. He had never thought of Shehnaaz as anything other than a young child under his care. And yet, despite all that, he felt his scalp go numb all over at the sound of her voice.

Something wasn’t right here.

Sidharth immediately asked, “How long does she have?”

Sandeep glanced at Shehnaaz, who was now tossing and turning on the sofa, trying to get her clothes off. He said, his temples throbbing, “I don’t know. I’m going to try giving her an antidote. I have to warn you, I don’t know what’s in the aphrodisiac so I can’t guarantee that the antidote will work– oh no, I have to go, can’t talk, she’s taking her clothes off…”

Sidharth’s brow raised at this, but when he spoke his voice remained level. “Tie her up and gag her. Just think of it as Special Operations Forces training.”

“I know, but I don’t have anything handy here…” Sandeep looked around. “Hey, do you have ropes in your villa?”

“There should be some in the storeroom. Stop wasting time.
Take her to your clinic at the military base, as soon as you can.” The veins on Sidharth’s temples were standing
out by now. He ended the call, and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag on it before slowly breathing out, the smoke dissipating in the twilight.

Sandeep glared at his phone. He tossed it aside and hurried to the storeroom. He found the ropes and trussed Shehnaaz up like a Chinese rice dumpling.

Shehnaaz was now tightly bound. The plaintive, protesting moans coming from her were still too much for  Sandeep, even with his medical training, so he gagged her with some
gauze. He carried her from the house and towards the villa’s basement carpark. He then secured her in a car before driving out of the Andheri villa precinct and towards the C City
Special Operations Forces base.

Sidharth’s face remained calm and composed, but inside, he was beginning to worry. It was just an aphrodisiac, hardly a poison. Sana’s life was not in danger. There was
no need for him to hurry back home.

But… who could say for certain?

He checked his watch for the time, then called for his orderly, Kaushal Kapoor. “Prep a military plane for me. As soon as the meeting is over I’m heading back to base. I’m taking the
fastest plane, Gray Shadow. This is non-negotiable. Tell them it’s for a test flight.”

Gray Shadow was the latest two-seater supersonic fighter jet to come out of military R&D, and it was still in the testing phase.

Sidharth was not concerned by this. He had been trained as a fighter pilot, and his skills as a pilot were second to none in the entire military.

The orderly, Kaushal, immediately stood at attention. “Yes, sir!” He then hurried off to secure the plane.

Sidharth had just finished giving out his orders when a pretty woman with a shapely figure came out of the
assembly hall. She bowed and said, “Major General Shukla, it’s your turn now.”

Sidharth strode solemnly into the hall; his face was the very picture of collectedness and composure.

The main assembly hall for the
Imperial Senate was set up like a giant shell, with the seating arrangements for the senators resembling an open fan. Those at the front had the
lowest seats, while those at the back had the highest. Each row was distinct and no one obstructed the view of another.

The speaker’s podium was placed at the center, right where the pivot of the fan would be.

Behind the podium was a massive electronic screen: it was so large that it took up the entire wall.

Sidharth stepped onto the podium and snapped his heels together in military salute to the senators below. He
introduced himself: “I am Sidharth Shukla, Major General of the Imperial Military, and also the Commander of Special Operations Forces, operating under direct military command. I am here today to request that the Senate
allocate the funds necessary to support the 6th Military Region through the next 10 years.”

The floor was quiet.

After a moment, a gray-haired senator seated in the front row said, in a tone that conveyed his skepticism, “Major
General Shukla, there are only five military regions in our empire: East, South, West, North, and Central. Where is this 6th Military Region you speak of?”

[1] “Sid” is Shehnaaz’s nickname for Sidharth Shukla.

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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.

I would like thank all of you who have read, voted and commented on these three chapters.

I hope this journey will be exciting for you.

A heartfelt gratitude to you all.