In the Stars ✅

Chapter 13- Like the sword.

   

    

     Lieutenant General Shagari paced about in his office while the phone call he was deeply engrossed in lasted. He appeared restless, and the words that slipped out of his sinful mouth had me frozen in my place beside one of the windows that gave access to his office. My eyes were stuck on him, trailing his every move as he paced about. His words were loud and clear enough for them to be etched in my head in a way that could never be forgotten. He didn't bother to lower his voice, probably insinuating the area was deserted.
  Of course, everyone else was busy.
  I listened on as he spoke.

   " Ranka ya dade, we need to let go of the Boko Haram. We are risking too much on their behalf. They are simply crazy..."

   What on earth?
   I couldn't believe my ears. So we are stuck in a god-damned matrix with this division of the army. This has to be some sick jest. I thought I had heard it until he continued to rant over the phone.

  "... we supported them with the army's fund, gathered arms for them, and even, I had to withhold an order from the headquarters to buy them more time..."

  Now, everything was starting to make sense. The case of embezzlement that was going around, the decline in quality arms, and many more things from the past. No wonder our division was beginning to fail.
   I adjusted my phone to get him back into the frame of the video I was discreetly recording as he paced away. I had to follow his every move and make sure not to get caught. This piece of recording might come in handy.
   He walked to the desk in his office, rounded it, and took a seat on the swivel chair behind it. He went silent for a while, probably listening as the person at the end of the line spoke. He cleared his throat before picking up again.

   "We can send the division to them before they reach us. We should clear them off. Our positions will be put at risk if they make the first attack. We might secure our promotions if this plays in our favour."
  How selfish. So, he should have delayed the execution of the order in the first place. He got off his seat, seemingly restless.
   " Listen, my division is strong and they can make it through. Trust me on this. The senator's death not being an accident as many perceive it to be should give you enough reasons to trust me. If we want to continue this, just let go of the Boko Haram. They'll be our downfall if we don't. I'll reissue the order as soon as possible."

    Lord of mercy.
  This is some kind of a messed up situation. Could the order he spoke about be the file I was asked to deliver to him days ago? This was long overdue, and I can't believe we have to face the consequences of their selfishness. There was clearly an impending battle. An impromptu one. I have faced many of those battles. Mostly, such high-risk operations are planned properly based on the resources we have in hand. Some of them even involve spies. He was dragging us to the jaws of death. More like a suicidal mission. The high-ups never really care when go and search for our missing colleagues after operations only to find their corpses in the enemy's territory. All they cared about was glistening their uniforms with medals. Medals soaked in the blood of innocent people. Do they expect to get promoted at the expense of our lives? Not again. I won't let such a reckless thing happen.
   We had been planning perfectly for the operation before it got called off without any tangible reason. Now, it all made sense. Just so he could get a suitable timing for his selfish deals with Boko Haram. Now that they have turned their backs on him, we have been put on the front line to pay for his mistakes. No, never.
   Eid was just around the corner, and no one would want to hold funerals in their household during such a festive season. Probably, that was why the Headquarters scheduled it earlier, but he and his accomplice thought they knew better.

   My eyes drifted back to the screen of my phone where I was still recording. It was over seven minutes now since I started. He went on to rant more about the outrageous things he has done. All to prove his loyalty to the person he was speaking to.
   I noticed something. More like a figure of a person at the top corner of the screen. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I looked up from the phone only to see a pair of eyes staring at me. The person wore a smug on his face as he leisurely sat back in a chair at the far end of the office, beside a bookshelf.
   It was the Sa'eed.
    Someone I had never expected. He seemed unfazed as his gaze dropped to my phone that captured the video.
   The way he stared at me made me question how long he had been watching me.