Amazon's Coliseum III (ENG)

Chapter 73: Mercyful Fate

The City

Tamara 'Chocolate' Cholokashvili had been more than busy in the past few days. The Queen knew the continuity of her empire was at stake. She was well aware that, three weeks after Ekaterina's victory, she would face the daughter of the man she eliminated... an action she fundamentally hadn't wanted to commit, stemming from a mere trifle. Yet, life's twists and turns had led Dragana and her to this very situation, on the verge of a decisive battle.

The woman trained rigorously, alternating between various calisthenics, cardio, and resistance exercises. She also sparred with the top martial artists she had personally contacted.

While training, Chocolate reminisced about her life, starting with her time in the Georgian army, where she was one of the most respected commanders. She reached the rank of Major and was on the brink of becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. However, she didn't escalate because her superiors demanded sexual favors, which she consistently refused. Many officers saw Chocolate's growing influence within the army ranks with contempt, yet they knew they couldn't dismiss her, as she was the daughter of one of the most powerful businessmen in the Caucasus. Therefore, their only recourse was to block her promotion to prevent her from usurping their positions within the general staff.

Chocolate desired to rise through the army's ranks because she wanted, one day, to wield influence in the region... Why did you crave such power, Chocolate? Was it perhaps because you witnessed what transpired in the region? The ethnic wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia? The Georgian Civil War? Nagorno-Karabakh? Chechnya? Dagestan? Ingushetia? Watching little children perish from ethnic hatred in a region subjugated by Russia... and then you start to think... it's not just Russia... it's Europe, it's the United States, China, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia... Yes, it would be difficult to gain influence in a small country that many confuse with a U.S. state; although, now that you think about it, Chocolate... What if it was for revenge when Russian soldiers raped your brother and your father couldn't do anything because the country was trying to get closer to the northern nation to avoid being crushed in another war? The whole world was a grand chessboard and innocent people were mere pawns... well, she would simply take the board for herself, to one day play alone.

Tamara, realizing she couldn't achieve her objectives through legal or institutional channels, decided to operate outside of them, while simultaneously manipulating them to her advantage. Even while in service, she was known as an exceptional fighter, capable of defeating any opponent, male or female. During her time in the army, she began her criminal career, organizing illegal fights and bets, arms trafficking, and even employing her own men (or herself) as hitmen or bodyguards if the price was right. Her charisma and strength not only earned her loyal followers in her own country but also across the rest of the Caucasus. By the time her superiors realized what was happening, it was too late: Chocolate had already established significant influence throughout the nation and beyond, building a colossal criminal network that grew discreetly. They ordered her arrest, but her connections within the country saved her from court-martial; she managed one way or another to be discharged from the army... with numerous men already at her service.

Why didn't Russia notice? Because she also bought off several politicians and oligarchs there, enriched them, and helped them in their own wars... and also in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Chocolate began to gain renown as a prominent businesswoman, but her enterprises were merely fronts for her criminal activities that spanned almost all former Soviet republics and the Middle East; then Europe, and later the Americas. Of course, something happened: one day she could benefit you, and the next she could go against you, regardless of which side of the global chessboard you were on. This led political enemies to ally against Cholokashvili, yet they simply couldn't contend with her, as her networks were already everywhere, to the point where no one knew who worked for her, with infiltrators everywhere.