A leading United Nations Human Rights lawyer is set to file a suit against oil giant European Conquer Group for allegedly collaborating in the execution of African writer Wol Waewying and several others in an NWA tribe. Waewying had led the accusation against Conquer of razing villages to install pipelines, flaring billions of dollars of natural gas, polluting rivers and lakes. The lawsuit will claim that Conquer conspired with the military government to capture and hang the writer along with ten other men and women. Conquer will also be accused of other human rights violations, including working with the NWA Army to kill and torture protesters …

‘Great piece!’ Haut said, in an email to Cavalier, who wrote back: ‘It may well make our federal government think twice about letting such a monster take control of the biggest energy source.’

‘The timing is perfect,’ Haut said. ‘My contacts tell me Conquer has made a takeover bid for Shelf Energy.’

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Two weeks later the New York Times reported:

The Australian government today rejected the European Conquer Group’s proposed takeover of Shelf Energy Petroleum Ltd. The Australian finance minister (known as ‘the treasurer’) said that foreign ownership of Shelf Energy would be contrary to the national interest. Sources say that claims of Conquer’s ‘disturbing’ activity in African countries, including NWA, may have played a part in this surprise decision …

Haut phoned Cavalier and said, ‘Well, you’ve really put me in it now!’

Cavalier was thoughtful before he said, ‘If that turns out to be the case, they must be desperate to build up their reserves. I’ll have to examine their claims, their balance sheets.’

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Bleulance leant back in his chair at his Champs-Élysées Paris office and put down a report he had been reading on the Thai-style dark teak desk. Opposite him sat three senior executives from Conquer, in which he had a thirty-eight per cent share.

‘So you failed to acquire control of Shelf Energy,’ he said with a patronising wince. ‘You still have a thirty per cent shortfall in reserves compared to what’s on the books.’

‘There is still Tasmania,’ de Cobb said.

‘You’ve tried to acquire that for years.’

‘The lease owner, Al Haut—’

‘I know who he is,’ Bleulance said, his cool façade broken for a split second. ‘He is unable to be persuaded by normal means. Correct?’

‘That’s right. He was offered twenty-five million dollars to hand over the leases years ago,’ de Cobb said with a look of bewilderment. He turned to the other two executives for support. ‘You know what his response to the offer was?’

Bleulance stared, unprepared to waste his breath on saying ‘What?’ De Cobb quoted Haut saying, ‘I’ll accept the money if you can tell me how I explain to God why I am giving up on the mission he has set me to fulfil on Earth.’