Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [46]
Mustafa noticed an appreciative smile on General Ali Jabar’s face, as he continued. “Under the pretext of protecting, not overthrowing, the royal Saudi government, we will order the regular army and air force units under our command to take out the military and political leaders deemed to be supporting the infidels. The situation will be chaotic, and rank-and-file soldiers are unlikely to question our orders—they’ll obey orders from their superior officers without hesitation.”
Ali Jabar will enjoy settling scores with a legion of air force officers and will probably enjoy doing some of the killing himself, Mustafa mused.
“The beauty of our plan,” Mustafa beamed, “is that while we are the over throwers of the royal Saudi regime, we will position ourselves as the protectors of it from Zionist and CIA infidels. We will brand everyone we kill as infidel supporters, and we’ll blame the assassinations of the royal family on the infidels. Once our opposition is eliminated, I’ll go on the air and express my regrets that the royal family had been assassinated. I’ll reluctantly agree to assume the leadership of the Saudi government under the terms and provisions of the 1992 Law of Succession and, as a direct descendent and legitimate heir of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, I will take the throne of power.”
Mustafa could sense that his summary was whetting the appetites of his compatriots and continued: “Upon overthrowing the Saudi government and booby trapping our oil fields with dirty bombs to deter foreign aggressors, we will start the purification process to rid our new regime of enemies and infidels. We may eventually be branded as the attackers and not protectors, but by the time the opposition finds its voice we will hold all the levers of power.”
“But remember, my brothers: we must not categorize the Saudi government overthrow as jihad. Always remember, we are protectors of the regime from outsiders, not perpetrators of the overthrow. Once the coup is consummated and consolidated, we’ll commence our international jihad. We will begin by issuing our ultimatums, first to the infidels, leading to the fall of Israel; second to other OPEC nations, announcing our expectations and the consequences if they fail to comply; and third to any countries hoping to purchase OPEC oil without our knowledge. In the process, we will make every effort to marginalize Iran and neutralize Iraq.”
The very thought of disempowering the hated Iranian government pleased Mustafa to no end, and he noticed the satisfaction on the faces of his coconspirators. Iran was an unacceptable threat and a roadblock to the true teachings of Allah.
“I will then call on our Gulf Cooperation Council partners—particularly Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—for support, along with our Monotheistic brothers in Pakistan and Iraq.” As lead partner in the GCC, Mustafa knew his stock was high among key leaders in the cartel. If personal diplomacy failed, his secret plan B would certainly change their minds.
“We will cut off all oil shipments for a limited period of time to let the magnitude of our actions sink in for all oil-importing nations—particularly the United States and China. After a short period of time we will partially lift our moratorium on oil sales but charge penalty fees that will increase weekly for nations failing to comply with our directives.”
Bawarzi interrupted, asking, “Could you refresh me, Prince Mustafa, on the final penalty fee number upon which we have decided?”
“Of course,” he answered politely, amazed that Bawarzi couldn’t remember this all-important detail. “For every week a government fails to meet our demands, we will add a ten percent surcharge. So, if oil is trading at $300 per barrel and they are not in compliance after the first week, oil prices will increase to $330. Add another ten percent to the total for every week they fail to comply, and it will be only a matter of time before we bring the infidels to their knees.” Irritated with Bawarzi’s interruption, he continued.
“This move will