Pholomir Zarmal
General Pholomir Zarmal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 26, 1943 |
| Allegiance | Against Pontanore |
| Intelligence Service | Damosca |
| Active duty | 34 |
| Rank | Bureau Chief |
General Pholomir Volmar Zarmal (born: 26 October 1943) was a high-ranking Caropsyne military official and Bureau Chief of the Damosca before its dissolution in 2000. He is currently at large and wanted by Pontanore authorities for committing treason against the Pontanore Government and for either participating or ordering a series of assassinations, bombings, and possible acts of genocide while he was the de facto leader of the Damosca. He is widely regarded as the most ruthless individual in the world has seen in the last fifty years. During his time at the Damosca when it was considered a legally recognized institution of the state, the general had a reputation for secrecy and a sinister calmness in dealing with problem cases.
Under the Fostana
Any information on Zarmal's childhood, education, or personal life is unknown. The first official reference to Pholomir is his induction into the Damosca at the age of 23 in 1966. He would prove to his superiors his deep-rooted talents and skills from self-defense to codebreaking and counter-intelligence, all of which would prove useful throughout his career. The Fostana would engage in a conflict with Loslakia in the 1970's which resulted in the State taking control of the territory Gregon. Zarmal was an active agent in the field in assisting in a disinformation campaign where he was instrumental in convincing the Loslakians that the Caropsyne forces would be attacking from a completely different direction. He would crop up again in 1982 when war broke out between Carops and Ardalia where he acted as a double agent within the Ardalian military, feeding critical information to the Caropsyne forces. Zarmal would be promoted to colonel at the end of the war by General Golmas Jarmald, then-leader of the Damosca and the Fostana's military advisor. His elevation into the upper echelons of the intelligence service would enable him to build up an extensive network throughout the military that he could make use of in the future.
Communist and socialist organizations, covertly supported by Loslakia, began calling for the overthrow of the Fostana and replace the Caropsyne State with a marxist system of government in the wake of the Caropsyne-Ardalian War. In an effort to head off a potential insurrection, Communist Party Chairman Garel Hermalas was assassinated in 1988. The Damosca denied any involvement in the killing though everyone regarded it as a show of force by the authorities in an effort to maintain power. It is known today that Colonel Zarmal was responsible for arranging the hit on orders by his superior General Jarmald. Garel Hermalas' death did nothing to halt tensions. Both the aftermath of the assassination and the numerous scandals, controveries, and pro-democracy and socialist movements in 1990 would accelerate the decline of Fostana rule. 1991 would see a communist-led nationwide uprising in 1991 led by Meltham Hermalas, Garel's son. Damosca agents under Zarmal's command would proceed to not only assassinate him but would also arrest, torture, and kill thousands of others. This would bring an end to the insurrection. For his actions in protecting the state, the colonel was tapped as Damosca Bureau Chief in late 1991 making him second-in-command.
When protests errupted in Ariatra in 1992, he oversaw agency activities. Though he managed to curtail the worst elements, the Fostana were eventually forced to concede to the demands of the crowds. Fostana Chair Rolmand Roth declared that the Pontiana, the lower chamber of Parliament, would be reopened after being shuttered by them in 1933 and elections would be held in April 1993. General Jarmald, believing that an elected government would attempt to bring him to court for actitivites he had undertaken while in charge of the Damosca, started assembling support for Zarmal's appointment as Chair of Damosca but he was unable to achieve this as incoming Premier Phodric Dormond stated that he would be making his own appointment. Zarmal told his superior he was not worried. While he would show his support for the government on the surface, behind the scenes he was solidifying his power base. An inevitable power struggle was brewing.
Under Dormond
Premier Dormond proceeded to appoint decorated General Larimas Folmer as Chair of the Damosca with Zarmal remaining as Bureau Chief, a position he would capitalize extensively. Although not in charge of the agency, the Bureau Chief would build up a close relationship with both the Premier and his closest political ally, Defense and Interior Minister Haldric Maldian. During Dormond's tenure, Zarmal was able to sway the government invest three times as much in the military and police forces than what the Fostana had expended at the height of its rule. Making use of his connections, he was able to siphon tens of millions that would have gone to the army or navy to the Damosca. By 1996, the Damosca was the best-equipped and modernized of the Pontanore's forces.
When Dormond first ran for Premier, he made it a priority of his government to make concerted efforts to rebuild relationships with nations hurt by the Fostana during their sixty-year rule but it would become clear very quickly into his tenure that this would not be happening. Dormond would pursue an aggressive and antgonistic foreign policy against countries whose own foreign policy disagreed with those of the Pontanore's. This course was influenced by Zarmal who instructed Damosca agents to commit a range of assassinations, bombings, and poisionings upon numerous countries including Curiastan. He believed (and made Dormond accept) that the Curians and others were threats to the Pontanore's long-term influence in developing countries.
In early 1996, formal negotiations between Carops Oil and Jaj landowners in Jajiland on acquiring rights to untapped oil-rich land they possessed reached a stalemate. The Premier, wanting immediate results, enlisted Zarmal and the Damosca to force the landowners to 'change' their minds. This backfired as Zarmal had some of them killed which triggered the Great Oil Crisis of 1996 and his then-Forign Minister Seranoda's 'speech.' This led to his subsequent resignation. The Bureau Chief's involvement in the crisis would forment into a far bigger crisis a year later. Using his power as Bureau Chief secretly gave the former Premier a desk job at the Damosca for his cooperation in progressing his agenda. Zarmal would keep a very close eye on Seranoda as the two would be enemies here on out. Dormond was succeeded by Maldian in a snap election. Zarmal would continue building up his support inside and using his influence over the new Premier.
Under Maldian
The time had come to finally resolve the power struggle between himself and his superior General Larimas Folmer. Over the first six months of Maldian's Premiership, he was successful in transferring most of the executive powers of the Damosca Chair to his position. This effectively reduced Folmer's role to that a civil servant. Under Pontanore law, the intelligence service was accountable to not just the Premier but also the Defense Minister, Goriath Moscana. While Moscana was one of the major government ministers, he virtually had no ability to rein in the Damosca let alone the military due to Zarmal's widespread influence and ability to effectively dictate government policy. Folmer, having lost the struggle for control of the agency, would join the Defense Ministry and serve as the Pontiana's military liason. By October 1996, the Bureau Chief was de jure in charge of the Damosca and would use his influence to sway Premier Maldian to increase his aggression against Curiastan, espeically with the rise of Dictator Andart Sadner. He was promoted to General in December 1996.
In April 1997, Zarmal was informed that Curian Intelligence was planning on kidnapping Maldian's (and his) sworn political enemy Miria Seranoda from her hiding place in Ardalia and bring her back to Curiastan due her knowledge of Damosca activities and the information she had on Operation Greensloth. General Zarmal was able to convince the Premier that it was imperative for the Pontanore to get to her first to prevent the Curians from using the opportunity not only win a propaganda victory but also use her information against the state. Although Maldian was initially angry at the suggestion, he ultimately relented and gave permission for the extraction operation. Damosca agents, led personally by Zarmal, snuck into neighboring Ardalia and captured her just in advance of the arrival of the Curians and brought her to Euvodora. In exchange for keeping her criticizing of the government private, the Premier would give her the position of Administrator-General of Euvodora. This would put Seranoda in her place for now but he knew it would not be the end of his personal conflict with the former Foreign Minister.
A year following the events of the Oil Crisis, the Pontanore State of Chonoré (informally called Jajiland) broke out into total rebellion by Jaj Independence Front led by Soso Lamorra. Pressured by Zarmal, Maldian decided to put down the insurrection with overwhelming force. Tens and thousands of soldiers were deployed to the state to put down the JIF. Damosca forces were deployed to support the military to supress the movement before it could spread across all of Polythia. He organized dozens of smaller squadrons to eliminate JIF fighters and their supporters in major cities. His men also carried out the assassination of the JIF's second-in-command Chandi Zaka. As their undertook their efforts against the JIF, Damosca agents spotted Curian Intelligence operatives amongst the rebellion (who were sent by Sadner to support the rebels). Upon learning this, Zarmal ordered them to be dealt with ruthlessly and publically. One CIS operator had his brutalized body shown on international television after being mauled by dogs. Zarmal's men would also kill an uknown, but possibly high, number of innocent Jaj's during their supporting operation.
Throughout Maldian's Premiership, the Bureau Chief would open several secret bases around the world in which would operate covert operations, all in the name of the Pontanore, and without informing the Premier. Many of these actitivies would be directed towards Curiastan and its allies (or the Curian Bloc). For the next two years, Zarmal's clandestine efforts would increasingly cause global instability and infuration by the international community against the Pontanore. The Premier's aggressive foreign policy (spurred on by Zarmal) would eventually provoke political chaos at home.
In April 2000, a secret meeting occurred between Defense Minister Moscana, Health Minister Permentanna, former Foreign Minister and Administrator-General of Euvodora Seranoda, and Fostana Chair Roth where the four agreed that Haldric Maldian's government had to be removed from power before it could cause irreputable damage at home and abroad. Roth, as the leader of the appointed upper chamber of Parliament, institgated a constitutional crisis by marching on the Pontiana. He and the Fostana demanded the Executive Committee to remove Maldian as Premier and call immediate elections. Seranoda presented a damning dossier of evidence showing the enormous links between the Dormondists, the military, and Zarmal's high influence over government policy. She also had documents proving the Damosca's involvement, at his direction, in a wide range of horrendous bombing attacks, assassinations, and possible genocide in Jajiland.
The General was not without knowledge of activities occurring inside the Pontiana. Upon learning that the Executive Committee had passed a resolution that would remove Haldric from his position, Pholomir decided to take matters into his own hands. Zarmal and several dozen Damosca agents sneaked into the basement of the Pontiana building through the sewer system with the intention of using force to keep Maldian in power. He ordered his men to attack the members of both legislative chambers with no regard for affilation. His agents attempted to get to Seranoda and after several hours and the death of sixty-seven legislators and some Damosca agents, his coup failed. Zarmal and his most loyal men were able to elude capture by the Casmara and fled to parts unknown.
Since the Siege of the Pontiana
Following discovery of Haldric Maldian's suicide and a snap election several weeks later, Miria Seranoda became Premier. On her very first day in office, she dissolved the Damosca and proclaimed it as a terrorist organization. Moscana, who had become both Defense and Interior Minister in her government, issued a warrant for Zarmal's arrest and would offer a fifty million Credita reward. The Casmara and the Sadriana spilt up the former organization's responsibilities and exert sigificant pressure upon Zaraml and his supporters, forcing them to eek out a dangerous existence in the shadow of Caropsyne society.
After the failed coup of 2000, Zarmal and his most loyal and armed supporters managed to hide to undisclosed hideouts throughout the continent of Polythia. Making use of secret encypted communication channels, he would be able to maintain connectivity with sympathic individuals including former Premier Dormond, former Foreign Minister Thormond, Civil Directorate Secretary Limia Cattanna, other Dormondist government officials, and businessman who would quietly finance his secret war against the New Left Ponatnore Government led by Seranoda and her successors through many shell companies. Numerous Polythian-based military generals including Vilmer Zarpalde, Lenas Gelmer, Garel Gormento, Larimas Gresc, and Jenas Malvanzo all would covertly supply with military weaponry and vehicles.
Over the next eighteen years, Pholomir and his supporters would refused to acknowledge each incoming Pontanore Government, each time threatening to strike back and make the Pontanore great again stating that the Damosca is what helped secure Caropsyne dominance around the world. Damosca agents would carry out occassional terrorist acts against the Pontanore both on Thearea and Polythia. When Almas Josc became Premier in 2019, Zarmal ordered a daring assassination attempt on him to destablize the weak government. He was almost sucessful, only to be stopped by the Casmara who rebuffed him at the last moment. Undeterred, he would begin plotting a repeat of the twenty-year old coup attempt.
Zarmal, currently 78, is no less a cruel and ruthless man than he was decades ago. He still seeks the destruction of the Pontanore government and those individuals and their allies who brought him down. Global law enforcement organizations have labeled him Wanted Man #1 and he is capable of anything...at any time...