Tyranny of Steel

Ghazi stood at the gates of Ribāṭ with a stoic expression on his youthful face. In under seventy-two hours, he had steamrolled through the Sultanate of Morocco and obliterated their pathetic army. Now all that was left was to claim their capital for himself, and force the Sultan to surrender.

It had been many years since Hasan died in these very lands, and despite avenging his uncle, Ghazi did not feel an ounce of pride. The conquest of his neighbors was a feat so easily accomplished that he was not even needed on the battlefield to begin with. 

The young man was not entirely sure what he was expecting his first war to be like, but certainly he expected something more than what had occurred thus far. Even though he was at a loss on how he should feel in this exact moment, Ghazi still conducted his duty, and that was to surround the enemy capital in a bid to force his enemies to surrender. 

After having his entire army obliterated in a single battle, the Sultan of Morocco did not dare engage with the enemy who now surrounded his home. Instead, he sought to negotiate, and thus, the city gates opened, while a man on the back of a camel rode out to meet with his Iberian counterpart. 

The two sultans could not be from more different worlds. Ghazi appeared dressed in a military uniform. Despite his lofty position, he had not awarded himself any medals or honors. Instead, he appeared like an average officer in the rank and file of the Iberian Army. 

Whereas the Sultan of Morocco appeared dressed in medieval attire, the man was rather fat, and had long curly hair with a mustache. He was, in many ways, a stereotypical Arab from a western perspective. Or at least those from Berengar's past life. This man had a stern expression on his face as he approached Ghazi and spoke with a murderous tone in his voice.

"I'm assuming then that my son is dead? At least tell me how he died?"

There was not a single expression of emotion on Ghazi's face as he coldly informed the Sultan of Morocco just how his eldest son had perished.

"Instantly. I dropped a shell on his head. He was dead before he could even feel pain..."

For just the briefest of moments, the Sultan of Morocco's face twitched. He did not exactly know what a shell was, but he supposed that an instant death was better than a long and painful one. Thus, he could only sigh in relief before getting down to business.

"is that so? You invade my lands and murder my son. For what? What exactly is it that you want from me?" 

It was only now that Ghazi showed the slightest bit of emotion on his face as his lips curled into a sneer. He then chuckled briefly before outlining his desires.

"It is not a matter of what I want, but justice that is demanded of you and your people. You killed my uncle, so now I have come to claim your lands as my own. You will surrender, and agree to the annexation of Morocco as a state of the Iberian Empire, or I will raze your capital to the ground. Every man, woman, and child, who resides within this city, will by dead by nightfall. The choice is yours." 

The Sultan of Morocco was livid. His son had just been killed by this man, after his Kingdom was invaded with little warning, and now his family was being held hostage. He was just about to curse out Ghazi when a something frightening roared through the air. 

As the barrier of sound was broken, two F-5e Tiger II Jet fighters flew over the city. They were going so fast that the Moroccans barely had enough time to witness what it was that had zipped on by. As part of the fleet of F-5s stationed in Granada, these jets were painted with a distinctive arid camo pattern. 

The loud noise that resulted from the sound barrier being broken had struck fear in the hearts of every Moroccan as they gazed upon the invading army with utter terror. The Sultan of Morocco even had a difficult time finding his words, as he stuttered his way through his question.

"W..W...What was.. th...that?" 

Ghazi chuckled when he heard this before boldly pointing out just what those two aircraft were, and who they belonged to. 

"That would be the Germans, who, as per our treaty, are allowed to keep a certain number of their armed forces in my country. Though I do not currently see a reason to get my allies involved, with a simple request, they will dispatch several hundred more of those fighter jets, each of which is more than capable of obliterating your palace with a single bomb. So, knowing this, will you still refuse my demands?" 

While Europe and Asia were dreadfully familiar with just how advanced the Reich had become, the arabic sultanates and emirates were not as well educated on the subject. They didn't even know that the Germans could fly, let alone break the sound barrier, not that they knew what that was. 

To suddenly see two aircraft zip through the sky, and leave behind a thunderous roar that put artillery to shame, it was as if the gods had descended upon the earth themselves. Naturally, the Sultan of Morocco could no longer hold any hope of stalling long enough to get the other Arab states involved like he had initially planned, and thus after realizing this war was lost from the moment the Iberians declared it, he fell to his knees. Sobbing has he accepted Ghazi's terms. 

"As the Sultan of Morocco, I hereby accept your terms..."

With this said, the Iberian Empire had fully annexed the Sultanate of Morocco. Now that his enemies had surrendered to all of his terms, Ghazi felt like sitting upon the Moroccan throne and was quick to give his demands. 

"Good, now as my newest subject, you will lead me to your palace. I want to make myself comfortable before returning to Granada."

The former Sultan of Morocco had to bite back the insults he wanted to say, as he obeyed the commands of his conqueror, and thus he clenched his teeth when he spoke. 

"As you wish, your Majesty." 

After saying this, Ghazi was led into the Palace, while protected by his soldiers. The former Sultan of Morocco's family came to greet the man, curious as to how the negations had gone. They only needed one look at the man's expression, and the modern troops marching beside him to know that all was lost. Included amongst the former sultan's family were his teenage daughters. Where one of the three young women immediately caught Ghazi's interest. 

She was roughly the age of his sister and was a beauty in her own right. Though her body was not as voluptuous as Zara's, she was still very well endowed. However, what immediately caught Ghazi's attention was not her pretty face, which was hidden behind a veil, or her substantial assets, but instead were her emerald eyes, which shone beneath the light of the sun. 

Ghazi was so stunned that he stood in silence for some time as he followed the former Sultan of Morocco around his palace, his alluring daughter only steps behind. In the end, Ghazi was led to the great hall, where he mindlessly sat upon the throne, and stared at the beautiful young woman in front of him.  Without even thinking about what to say, a single question escaped from his lips, one which would change his life forever. 

"You there... What is your name?"

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