Ibrahim Palace.
Imam Faisal was jolted awake by the sound of cannon fire. He opened his eyes to the urgent, panicked voices of the steward and servants. Sitting up, he rebuked them, "What is it? Why are you all acting as if your asses are on fire? What happened outside?!"
"Something terrible has happened, sir! The East African Army has entered Hasa!" Steward Afif hurriedly bowed in reply.
"What?" Imam Faisal's entire body shook. "How could the East Africans have come to Hasa at this time? Didn't their ultimatum say they would take over Hasa in a week?!"
Afif said, "Sir, the East Africans deceived us! I saw it with my own eyes—the East African Army's vehicles and personnel entered Hasa's urban district."
Imam Faisal furiously demanded, "Then why did no one stop them? How were they allowed in?"
Afif said helplessly, "Sir, we couldn't stop them! The East Africans have some kind of iron-skinned boxes leading the way. Bullets cannot penetrate those things at all."
"Moreover, even their ordinary soldiers are armed to the teeth. They have all sorts of artillery and machine guns in great numbers. Our rammed-earth walls could be blasted apart by a single shell."
"Our men did not even have the courage to resist. The guards in the outer city have already all run away."
With bloodshot eyes, Imam Faisal cursed, "Those damned bastards! They eat my food and wear my clothes, yet the moment they encounter an enemy, they run away. They're utterly worthless!"
Afif said to Imam Faisal in terror, "Sir, this is not the time to pursue responsibility. What should we do now? We still need you to make the decision! The East Africans are already heading this way."
As the two spoke, Imam Faisal could already hear the clatter of East