Sign the [ Darn ] Thing: An Excerpt

Tayfun Ulusoy flew into Baghdad as his first foreign assignment as Grand Vizier. The international airport at Baghdad was captured by Türkiye's special forces, the Bordo Bereliler—the Maroon Berets—not long before they had liberated the American Embassy there.

Windows throughout the airport were still blown out. The airport terminals were, consequently, wide open-air hallways. The daytime heat was stifling, and it was still only 9 a.m. Glass crunched beneath his shoes as he and his entourage of Maroon Berets toured the airport.

Official events and honors awaited him at the American Embassy that the Maroon Berets had liberated. Daddy Longlegs was there to personally thank him. Tayfun remembered finding Daddy in his embassy's backyard after he had climbed the wall separating Türkiye's embassy from Guyana's. He was trying to avoid protesters lined up on Massachusetts Avenue, the main road in front of Türkiye's embassy, and to keep his presence there discreet.

He appealed to Türkiye as a member of NATO. He pleaded for immediate assistance; the American Embassy was under a sustained assault and the United States had no assets in the vicinity to protect or evacuate its personnel.

He promised a Great Rapprochement between America and Türkiye after nearly three decades of diverging interests. This would be a brotherhood forged in blood.

But first things first.

Thirty minutes later his convoy avoided the American Embassy altogether and crossed the Tigris River. They stopped at the Amanat Baghdad, the headquarters of the city's municipal government.

The Amanat Baghdad was in as bad shape as the airport. Its windows were blown out, too, and large gaping holes pockmarked the building. Unbeknownst to Tayfun, Amanat Baghdad stood astride the Al Khilani Mosque, whose courtyard was the initial staging ground for the Iranian-backed Shia militants that had launched the attack on the American Embassy.

He presented his diplomatic credentials to the building's guards, but there really was no need. The guards stood aside the moment they saw the Maroon Berets.

Tayfun found his way to the office of the Ameen Baghdad—the Mayor of Baghdad.

There was no door to the office. It had apparently been blown off its hinges in the fighting.

A chubby, balding, mustachioed middle aged man sat behind a large wooden desk that was also damaged and chipped. He looked up when he heard glass and debris crunch under Tayfun's feet.

"Who are you?" he demanded. Maroon Berets filed in behind Tayfun and the man pushed himself away from his desk. His demeanor changed in an instant.

"W-what may I d-do for you, gentlemen?" he asked.

"Your Excellency, your city has endured much. The Parliament of the Treaty Union of Ankara stands ready to act, pending only your signature."

Tayfun presented an opened ornate leather binder. It contained a beautifully calligraphed document.

The Ameen looked it over. It was titled "Petition for Stabilization Assistance to the Parliament of the Treaty Union of Ankara, submitted by the Municipality of Baghdad."

"I don't understand," the Ameen said. A sweat had broken out on his forehead. "Th-this should b-b-be—"

"Be what?"

"B-be from the P-p-president. I am only the Ameen."

"The president of what?" Tayfun asked.

The Ameen's eyes were large. He looked from Tayfun to the Maroon Berets and back to Tayfun.

He licked his lips.

"Iraq." His voice was a whisper.

"What is this Iraq you speak of?" Tayfun walked around the desk. "Where is it?"

"Americans, for one, would surely like to know." Tayfun continued: "They appealed to this so-called Iraq to protect their embassy. There was no Iraq to be found."

"Now, I look around and I see Turks—" he swept his hand over the Maroon Berets—"providing security for the Americans." Tayfun was nearly nose-to-nose now with the Ameen.

"And for you."

Tayfun placed the document on the Ameen's desk. He reached into his breast pocket and retrieved a pen.

"You know, the Qur'an teaches that those who return with sincerity are to be welcomed, not punished. Baghdad is returned to the bosom—and we will shelter her."

Tayfun tapped the document with his finger.

"Now sign the fucking thing."

Keep an eye out for book #3 in early 2026.