Lord Hagama’s Castle,

Maihark

May 12, Central Calendar, 1639.

Maihark and the castle of its Lord had been a hub of activity for the past week. This was because the Prime Minister, along with a delegation led by him that included the Foreign Minister and some of the most important bureaucrats and diplomats from the Principality of Qua Toyne, were coming to the town, from where they would embark on an official visit to their new neighbour, the Republic of India. The delegation had been hosted by Lord Hagama for the past two days, and the delegation members themselves had varying degrees of excitement, with Prime Minister Kanata appearing to be the most excited.

The same could not be said for Rinsui, the Foreign Minister of the Qua-Toyne Principality.

"I hate ship travel. It's dark, damp, mouldy and the stink goes everywhere." This was how Foreign Minister Rinsui opened the day’s conversation as everyone waited for their breakfast. Everybody stopped for a moment to stare at the Foriegn Minister.

“Really? We’re doing this now? First thing in the morning?” Prime Minister Kanata asked, exasperated.

“I was just expressing my personal views on our mode of transport, Prime Minister.” FM Rinsui said as the activity slowly resumed following a gesture from Lord Hagama.

“Our journey is for only two days, you know, Foreign Minister.” One of the senior diplomats said.

“Yeah right.” FM Rinsui said with a disbelieving snort. “And I’m the King of the World.”

“I did see the thing they called a ‘helicopter’ however.” The diplomat said. “And their ships, off Maihark Bay. I’m sure Lord Hagama could corroborate on that.”

“I would agree with that Foreign Minister.” Lord Hagama said after he swallowed his bread.

Soon, after they all finished breakfast, the delegation was met by Pradeep Kumar Sandhu, who was standing in front of an Indian Navy Westland WS-61 Sea King flanked by two Indian Navy Marine Commandos.

“Gentlemen!” Mr. Sandhu yelled loudly to be heard over the loud roar of the helicopter’s engines. “We will be using this helicopter behind me which will transfer us to the yacht that’s waiting for us!” When the Indian diplomat saw the wary looks of many members of the delegation, especially the pure distrust on FM Rinsui’s face, he couldn’t help but give a chuckle. “Yeah… Many people have that same reaction for the first time! Don’t worry, we’ll only have to go through ten minutes of discomfort because this is a troop transport! We couldn’t get the VIP helo on short notice so… Come on!” Mr. Sandhu said as he stood aside to allow the Qua-Toyne Delegation to climb in.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Prime Minister Kanata stepped forward and made his way closer to the helicopter entrance. The nervousness the man carried was palpable, but he still braved through it and climbed through. To prevent slipping, one of the Commandos helped the Prime Minister board the aircraft. Seeing their Prime Minister taking the first step, the others followed slowly until there was only one left.

“Don’t worry, Foreign Minister!” Mr. Sandhu yelled. “Ten minutes of discomfort for a luxury experience of two days! I’m sure you can take it!”

“Ten minutes?!” Foreign Minister Rinsui asked with honest trepidation.

“Ten minutes!” Mr. Sandhu confirmed.

With unsure steps, FM Rinsui stepped forward and boarded the aircraft with a heave before he settled himself in the cramped seating of the helicopter. Once FM Rinsui sat down, the two Marine Commandos climbed into the helicopter and shut the doors. A few seconds later, the helicopter lifted off the clearing, making its way to the open sea.

While the noise was dampened inside, it was still unbearably loud. Sandhu, noticing that PM Kanata wished to speak, pointed to a pair of headset comms above him and gestured the PM to put them on as he did the same.

“Forgive me, Mr. Sandhu, but what happened to our luggage?” PM Kanata asked.

“You didn’t see it?” Mr. Sandhu asked in surprise. “The flight crew already put them in the baggage hold.”

“Ah. I see.” PM Kanata said.

“We’re heading out to the sea where a private yacht is waiting for us. It belongs to a billionaire who was in India for business when the shift happened. For now, his vessel has rented by the Indian Government for the week.” Mr. Sandhu informed. “Your security is already on board and our Marines are co-operating with them to ensure your safety during this voyage.”

“Will it only be our ship?” A bureaucrat asked.

“No.” Mr. Sandhu replied. “We’ll be escorted by a task force from the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet. You know, to make sure nothing untoward happens.”

“We have fighter jets conducting CAPs as well.” One of the Marine Commandos informed him.

“CAPs?” PM Kanata asked.

“Combat Air Patrols.” Mr. Sandhu replied. “It’s routine stuff they do.”

The rest of the helicopter ride went in smooth silence as the Qua-Toyne Delegation were still marvelling at the fact they were flying, not in a wyvern, but in a man-made machine that was perhaps faster and could fly higher than wyverns. Some time later, an announcement was heard in the helicopter.

“This is your pilot. One minute to touchdown.”

“Just a warning gentlemen.” Mr. Sandhu started as the helicopter began lowering its altitude. “When we leave, make sure you duck and bend and then quickly walk off.”

“Why is that?” PM Kanata asked.

“Rotors are sharp.” One of the Marine Commandos replied. “It’ll cut your head off clean. It’s happened many times before.” The delegation collectively paled at that.

“Unfortunately that’s true.” Mr. Sandhu added. “So please be careful.”

“Why can’t it fully stop then before we get out?” FM Rinsui asked.

“That’s because they will be returning to their ship immediately after we’re dropped off.” Mr. Sandhu replied. “Switching the engine off and on is time consuming.”

As the pilot said, the helicopter landed within the minute, and the Marines were the first to get out followed by the flight crew who worked with the ship crew to take out the delegation’s luggage.

Once the delegation safely disembarked from the helicopter, the rotorcraft along with the two commandos lifted off the helideck and returned to its base ship. As for the delegation itself, they all stared in muted awe of the large ship they were now in.

“Gentlemen.” Mr. Sandhu called, breaking them out of the stupor. “The crew will take you to your rooms. After you freshen up, we can take a tour of the yacht if you wish. We should arrive at the Bombay Naval Dockyards in about two days, preferably in the morning. Before we disperse, do you have any questions for me or the crew?”

“How is this ship moving?” FM Rinsui asked as he looked around. “I don’t see any sails.”

“An engine” Mr. Sandhu said. “The engine room is probably downstairs. Though will the crew allow us to see it is a different matter altogether.”

“What technology…” PM Kanata said, transfixed.

“Anyway, rooms are this way.” Mr. Sandhu gestured as everyone made their way inside.

---[+]---

Two days later 25 January 2000

Bombay Naval Docks

0715

Because a private yacht was about to berth in a dockyard belonging to the Indian Navy, the berthing procedures were longer and more complicated. While the unnecessary bureaucracy of the Navy got on Sandhu’s nerves, the guests he was escorting could manage to catch the sunrise on a city that never slept.

As the delegation from Qua-Toyne slowly saw the city of Mumbai wake up, they saw an arched structure that was seemingly looking out of place from the other buildings. Failing to temper his curiosity, one of the diplomats asked Sandhu about it.

“Oh that?” Mr. Sandhu asked, pointing to the structure. “That’s the Gateway of India. It’s kind of… synonymous to the city.”

“What do you mean?” The diplomat asked as everyone else paid attention to the conversation.

“So, in 1911, the Emperor of India, and his consort, King George V and Mary of Teck, were visiting this country, which was at the time, under British Colonial Rule. It was the first time a British Monarch was going to visit the ‘Jewel of the British Empire’ for the 1911 Delhi Durbar. This Triumphal Arch was made to commemorate that visit.” Mr. Sandhu started, noticing the attention his guests had to his brief history lesson. “Funnily enough, the Emperor and Empress only saw the cardboard model of it, because construction did not begin until 1915. To make a long story short, until 1947, the year when India became independent, prominent British officials used to cross the arch. Following our independence, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, the last British troops in India left the country on 28 February 1948 through the Gateway in a ceremony of pomp and splendour that even saw a 21-gun salute.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, PM Kanata asked his question. “What is the Delhi Durbar?”

With a smile, Mr. Sandhu answered. “All in good time, Prime Minister. By the time we reach Delhi, you will have an information packet that should answer many of your questions regarding our history.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Sandhu.” A bureaucrat from the Qua-TOyne Defence Minister called. “What is that over there?” He asked while pointing to a small island in the distance.

“I believe… that is the Middle Class Coastal Battery.” Mr. Sandhu said in response. “It’s a heritage site of an antique coastal gun battery that the Indian Navy manages.”

“What does that mean?” FM Rinsui asked as he looked at the island.

“It doesn’t have any combat duties anymore. It used to at one point, but no longer. At most, it only has ceremonial functions.” Mr. Sandhu said as he was approached by a Navy Officer who had come from the docks.

“All checks out.” The navy officer said, as he handed over a folder of papers to the MEA official. “Cars and buses are at the dock, and Navy Police will give a police escort for this area. Once you’re out, it will be the Mumbai Police escorting you to the airport. I think it’s a flight to Delhi and then to whatever hotel you’re staying in with escort from Delhi Police, right? ”

“Understood. Thank you very much.” Mr. Sandhu said as he shook hands with the Navy Officer after he skimmed through the folder. “And to answer your question, I can't confirm anything.”

The Navy Officer smirked at that, before turning to the delegation from Qua-Toyne. “On behalf of my country, please allow me to be the first to say this: Welcome to the Republic of India.”

---[+]---

11 AM, 26th January 2000,

Rajpath,

New Delhi, India.

Kanata sat in the Presidential car with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. When he was brought to the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the King of Quila as the first State Guests following their transfer, the previous day, he was awed by the splendour of the complex. As far as he was concerned, this was a palace worthy of a King despite its unassuming name and the unassuming title of the official resident. Now, he and the King of Quila were sitting with the President of India in the latter’s vehicle as part of the Presidential Cavalcade and were making their way to the Podium at ‘Rajpath’ where they would accompany the President as Chief Guests to review the parade, and from what Kanata had seen so far of hs host country, he was expecting a treat.

So far, this trip was a journey that shattered many pre-conceptions the Qua-Toynians held dear, consciously or not. They travelled in a helicopter, which while uncomfortable, because it was usually used by soldiers, was an exhilarating experience on its own. That was followed by a two days voyage in a luxury yacht. PM Kanata wondered how rich the owner of that yacht might be.

Then he was introduced to the city of Mumbai, his host nation’s financial capital. His views on Mumbai were both exhilarating yet disappointing. From what he could see, everyone had somewhere to be. The inhabitants of that city were permanently in a hurry to get somewhere. It was the same here in Delhi, and PM Kanata could not help but wonder whether that was the sacrifice these Indians made for their technological advances.

Technological advances that included magical machines such as horseless carriages called cars and buses and the ‘Passenger Jet’ that flew at around 35,000 feet. So high that PM Kanata and his delegation were above the clouds! A feat no Wyvern rider could ever achieve, and even the civilised nations struggled to reach. The entire journey made PM Kanata and his entourage feel as if they were in another world.

Nothing in the civilised world could match what the Qua-Toyne Delegation had seen until now. Everything they had seen, was apparently the most normal things for the people of India, as if this was how things should be. But from the way things seemed, there were perhaps more surprises in store for them, and they steadied their nerves for the main part of the show, the military parade. PM Kanata knew that FM Rinsui and the bureaucrat from the Defence Ministry were going to pay extra attention to this.

Soon, the Cavalcade reached its destination and the Cavalry escort from the President’s Bodyguards (PBG) peeled off to take their place for the national salute while the Special Protection Group (SPG) flooded the area. Kanata’s guide, Mr. Sandhu, led him from the vehicle and introduced him to the three chiefs of the Armed Forces, Ministers of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, himself.

Of course, Kanata would be a fool if he did not acknowledge the burning gaze of the Indian public. All of whom in attendance, were watching him and the King of Quila. According to Mr. Sandhu, their… physiology, served as the last proof the Government of India could provide that they had been transferred to another world. Despite all that, Kanata did his best to ignore those gazes and focused on smiling and waving.

Kanata soon took his position next to the President before the PBG gave the national salute and a 21-gun salute artillery began firing in the distance to match the national anthem’s beat. While the barrage may have sounded muffled to humans because of the distance, Kanata’s sensitive elf ears could clearly hear it and it took everything in Kanata’s will to not jump for cover. Seeing the rigid expressions on the many members of the delegations from Qua-Toyne and Quila told Kanata they were not expecting it either

Once the national salute ended, everyone took their seats. Sandhu sat behind Kanata, guiding him through the parade. A short second later, a mechanical rumbling could be heard. growing louder and Kanata’s jaws dropped in muted horror. Seven metal elephants, with what seemed to be cannons pointed downwards towards them. In the lead one, was a man saluting towards the dais and in turn, the President saluted back.

"One of the best main battle tanks we have in our inventory, the Karna Mark Two, our licensed production of the Leopard 2A5 tank, as you can see in the leaflet we have provided you with." Sandhu explained with enthusiasm, his heart delighted at watching the will of those poor souls slowly fade away upon the sight of the Indian armoured might.

"A main… battle tank?" Kanata asked, trying to digest the word.

"An armoured vehicle that is capable of front line combat and is able to dish out a world of pain towards whoever or whatever decided to be its victim of that cannon of it." Sandhu explained, nearly getting pleasure from seeing the reaction of the Qua-Toynian PM.

"Does your army have a lot of these… tanks?" Kanata asked as he watched other Indian tanks drive past them. As they did, Kanata was glad about the diplomacy they opened with the Indians.

“To be honest, I don’t know the exact amount.” Mr. Sandhu said. “But I think it’s in the thousands.”

“What do you require thousands of these things for anyway?!” PM Kanata asked in surprise.

“We were at war just a few months ago, Your Excellency.” Mr. Sandhu reminded him.

“That along with the fact we were surrounded by enemies from three of the four cardinal directions, I believe our equipment numbers are justified. Honestly, I would have said that it was still lacking compared to the combined might of our enemy.”

PM Kanata became silent after that and continued observing the parade while Mr. Sandhu quietly explained them. Artillery, Self-Propelled Guns, Anti-Air Guns, Missiles. These terms confused him. But more importantly, they scared him. PM Kanata saw the way the representatives from Quila and his own people looked at everything in front of him. One of awed fear. Even the infantry marched in perfect unison.

“Coming up is the HAL HF-95, our indigenous fighter aircraft. Its reporting name is ‘Vidya’. Mr. Sandhu informed as he pointed to the sky.

“What does that mean?” PM Kanata asked.

“It has many meanings such as science, learning, knowledge and scholarship.” Mr. Sandhu said as a screeching sound could be heard. “There they are!”

PM Kanata looked up to watch three wyvern-like flying objects rip through the air. The wyverns had fixed wings with blocky camouflage and fire spewing out of its back. The wyverns left a trail of smoke in the three colours of orange, white and green, the colours of the Indian Flag, PM Kanata realised. All this once again reminded the foreign dignitaries that this was a powerful nation and Lord Hagama’s claim that they had defeated an Empire in their previous world could maybe hold merit.

---[+]---

26th January 2000

Central Secretariat Building, Raisina Hill

Rajpath, New Delhi, India

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tapped his fingers as he sat at the head of the table. Surrounding him were his aides and other ministers, having been summoned for a critical meeting before they could proceed with the signing of a treaty with their foreign guests.

The preceding month was filled with chaos, as the government had to run from pillar to post to deal with the catastrophic damage that had been inflicted by the teleportation. It had gotten to the point that just last week martial law was lifted. No precedent to fall back on meant that the Indian Government had to initiate policies by relying on trial and error, with varying success.

The Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha, stood across the table with a pointer in hand as he pointed towards the projected image. Meanwhile, one of his aides changed the slides in the Carousel slide projector. It started to become more droning as he went over the fine details of everything, focusing particularly over the missing imports.

“So, we know how messed up the economy is, I do not need to have a degree to see that with my own eyes. The main question is what do we do to stabilise it?”

The sudden teleportation had severed India’s connection to the global market. A product made in India does not necessarily be made in the subcontinent. Fertilisers and Nuclear technology from Canada, automobiles from Germany, electronic devices from Japan, military and economic aid from the United States and even a small, but significant percentage of oil from the Soviet Union and the People’s Democratic People’s Republic of Persia. While suddenly switching to a self-sufficient economy was possible, that would come with a painful (economically and politically) drop in the quality of life an average Indian liked to enjoy.

“The economy… is damaged.” Finance Minister Sinha finished as his presentation ended, and woke up everybody who was half asleep, including the Prime Minister, who was just imagining himself putting tapes up his eyelids to keep them open like Tom the Cat from Tom and Jerry. Finance Minister Sinha continued speaking, pretending to not notice how the majority of his audience were asleep for half the presentation. Not that he could blame them. He fell asleep the previous night in his office reading the numbers. “No matter what we do, the scale of damage is not something that can be repaired by us in the short term. Thus, we can only mitigate some of the damage.”

“Alright.” Prime Minister Vajpayee said. “What’s on the table?”

“I’ve prepared the main points as a list. They are as follows.” Finance Minister Sinha said as thick binders were distributed to all attendants. Everyone took one look at it, and mentally groaned in pain. Prime Minister Vajpayee was sure someone actually groaned loud enough for him to hear it. Or maybe it was his imagination.

“I am aware how big the binder is. But all of that is for the Civil Service. For the purposes of this meeting, we only have to concern ourselves with the first few pages.” Finance Minister Sinha said sympathetically.

“Let’s see what this says then.” Prime Minister Vajpayee said as he opened his binder and went to the designated page.

Advisory on Economic Actions to be Taken by the Government of India

Abstract: This is a list of bulleted points on the actions the Ministry of Finance believes the Government of India must take as quickly as possible to mitigate, what the MoF and all consultant economists predict as the ‘Worst Financial Crisis in the History of Independent India’. These points are all explained in detail within this document. This document has been compiled following consultation with all stakeholders, including other Ministries.

i) Free all subsidies that are currently being provided by the Government of India. ii) Price caps for essential items to prevent steep increase in prices because of demand outstripping supplies.

iii) Effective and efficient investments in key economic sectors such as technology, heavy industry, shipbuilding etc.

iv) Continue providing financial support to Colleges and Universities to ensure that the standard of education does not fall. v) Provide more support to trade schools and promote its importance to the people to ensure the workforce will have skilled labour. vi) Expand and modernise the military. Bulletproof jackets are held as a priority for the personnel of the Armed Forces, followed by small arms and other equipment. The possibility of shifting to a war economy is high according to the MoF’s calculations.

vii) Nationalisation of all assets belonging to foreign companies, civilian and military to ensure their continued production and economic output. While this may cause friction with many foreign companies, their country’s no longer exist. However, a possibility remains of the Nationalisation being challenged in Court.

viii) Activation of the Strategic Resource Reserves to prevent any shortages.

ix) Rationing of essential goods (Listed in Table-420.69 on page 1198). x) Trade agreements with other nations as soon as possible to allow our businesses to gain access to their economies and resources and export of items not listed under the Prevention of Outflow of Sensitive Technologies (POST) Act 2000.

---[X]---

“So be it.” PM Vajpayee declared as he closed the file. “Can I say that I have Cabinet’s approval to have these measures implemented?”

“All for Aye?” The Cabinet Secretary called as the meeting was minuted.

“Aye… Aye…” Cabinet Ministers said in agreement.

“Those for Nay?” The Cabinet Secretary asked. There was only silence, punctured by the shuffling of papers. “Motion passes unanimously.”

“Excellent.” PM Vajpayee said as he rubbed his hands together along with a sigh. “I trust that these proposals will be implemented by all Ministries to get our economy back in action.”

---[+]---

Hyderabad House

New Delhi, India

Led by Mr. Sandhu, the Qua Tyonian Delegation entered the Conference room in the Hyderabad house, the State Guest House of India.

As they were making their way to the venue, Mr. Sandhu gave a little history of the location. It formerly belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the wealthiest persons in the previous world, as his Royal Residence before it was taken over by the Government of India.

“What happened to this Nizam of Hyderabad?” PM Kanata asked as the convoy made its way to Hyderabad House.

“Well… we had a standstill agreement post 1947 with Hyderabad as they wished to remain independent. However, it was a multi-fold issue of the fact that not only would there be a… gaping hole known as Independent Hyderabad and thus a security threat, there was also the fact that the Soviet MGB, which would go on to call itself the KGB a few years later, was already setting up shop in the region along with the Pakistanis. We couldn’t have that. So we did a… police action in September 1948 after instituting an economic blockade.” Mr. Sandhu said.

“Police Action?” FM Rinsui asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course.” Mr. Sandhu said with a smirk. “That’s what sensible people call it.”

“Uh-huh.” FM Rinsui said sarcastically. He was replied with a smile from Mr. Sandhu as the convoy made its way inside Hyderabad House.

As the delegation entered the conference room, they were welcomed by the Prime Minister of India, who was leading his own delegation and folded his hand in greeting. “Namaste, Mr. Kanata. Welcome to our humble nation.”

PM Kanata, at the head of the delegation, bowed, followed by his own delegation. “You have my gratitude for welcoming us on such short notice.”

With the greetings and pleasantries dealt with, the preliminary discussions began. Multiple topics such as the cultures and histories of the two nations were discussed. The Indians were very interested in ‘magic’ once it was demonstrated by a member of the Qua-Toyne Delegation, Yagou. FM Rinsui privately wondered whether he was seeing things when he thought he saw the Indian Defence Minister, George Fernandes’ eyes shine with interest. Meanwhile the Qua-Toynians were interested in the Indian’s technology. Especially their military technology.

Once everyone settled down and refreshments were served, both parties sat down for the proper negotiations to begin. PM Vajpayee began the meeting.

“Given that last night most of the details were ironed out, it is time to focus on the more important parts of these negotiations. I believe you are already aware about the agreement that exists between us and the Kingdom of Quila. Salient points of that can be found in the folders in front of you.” PM Vajpayee said.

The Qua-Toynians opened their folders and skimmed through the agreement between India and Quila. It was mainly related to the Burning Water that flowed below the Kingdom and destroyed their farmable land. In return for exclusive access to the Burning Water and the set up of a military base to protect their investment, India would help contain the environmental damage and provide food and economical aid.

The folders also contained the items that India wished to import from Qua-Toyne. Kanata read the list of items requested by India. It consisted of various kinds of cereals, sugar, exotic vegetables and fruits and coffee to be provided in massive amounts. Kanata knew his nation could easily keep up with this demand for listed items, as his nation was famous amongst the ‘Barbarian Lands’ for its unusually high amount of fertile lands and ability to produce food around the year without much problem. However there was just one issue he had to clear out.

“The items on the list, most of them can be provided with ease, however, our infrastructure cannot keep up to transport this vast amount of food, exotic items and other materials.” PM Kanata said, highlighting the main issue he had with the list of items his country was being requested to export.

“That’s not an issue.” The Finance Minister said. “I have already consulted the Chamber of Commerce, and they are willing to invest in Qua-Toyne to build the required infrastructure. On top of that, the Government of India, is also willing to pitch in. We’ll begin by expanding your ports. Then, we will begin introducing railway lines. We aim to complete this as soon as possible, while also making sure to meet safety requirements to prevent any accidents in the future.”

“Of course, we will invest in the necessary infrastructure your country needs, starting with the expansion of your ports and in due time the introduction of railways into your economy. Given time, our companies will also invest into the economy and support you further."

"Your generosity knows no bounds." Kanata replied.

"We treat our friends well and support them as long as they do not turn their backs against us." Vajpayee responded to the statement.

“Yes.” The Finance Minister said in agreement. “However, we also have to implore you to further open your economy to free trade.”

“What do you mean?” PM Kanata asked.

“Have market forces and demand and supply control prices. Not the government.” The FInance Minister said.

“And have those robber barons steal everything away? I think not!” FM Rinsui replied hotly, understanding what the Indian Finance Minister meant.

“Well…” The Finance Minister started. “I can assure you that you’ll be hurting yourself. But very well.”

Further topics were agreed upon, such as export of Indian products to Qua-Toyne, the travel of citizens of both nations, and sales of weapons. While India restricted the sale of its modern weapon systems, they agreed to consider the option of arming Qua-Toyne in foreseeable future, but that would only be possible after the proper infrastructure was set up and the Parliament of India cleared any possible future sale. In other words, India was not going to provide military equipment until Qua-Toyne was able to secure the trust of the country.

“As for the last item, which is regarding magic, we are willing to impart our knowledge. In exchange for a Defensive Agreement between our nations.”

One did not need to be an expert in defence or geo-politics to know that India would be doing the heavy lifting in this ‘Defensive Agreement’, but the Indian delegation was willing to ignore that. ‘Getting this through Parliament and the Opposition would be a different war altogether’, Vajpayee thought.

“We can deal with the fine print later. However, we will be required to control some of your infrastructure to provide you with military support.”

Kanata took a minute to thoroughly think about the impact of his following decision. He was no fool. Agreeing to this part could easily lead to signing away the sovereignty of his nation to become India’s puppet. He was unpopular because of his stance of fence sitting, but this could quite easily see him crucified, politically and literally. Yet, he could not deny India’s military might. If they took the gloves off, Qua-Toyne could fall via force of arms in days. Magic was his only real bargaining chip, but as far as he was concerned, India’s technology easily outstripped their magic. Yes, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But considering how favourable the terms of the agreement were, Kanata knew he had to take a gamble. Plus, it would be better to have such a nation as a friend.

With a smile, he answered, "Of course you have my approval to do so, however I will have to gain the approval of the Royal Assembly for final permission.”

“I would expect nothing else. For what its worth, I hope you can convince them on this.” PM Vajpayee said. “I hope that this treaty will serve as the first step in strengthening our nations’ relationship and become closer in the coming decades.”

"To those decades then.” Kanata said as he and Vajpayee stood up and shook each other’s hands, marking a major historical moment for both nations and a new chapter for a new world.

---[+]---

…, Central Calendar Year 1639,

The Grand Bath, Harkian Palace

Jin Hark, Kingdom of Louria.

Hark Louria XXXIV, the current Monarch of Louria, had grand ambitions for his realm. For a longtime he dreamt of conquering the last two remaining countries of the Qua Toyne Principality and Kingdom of Quila. These two countries were the last remaining obstacles in his quest to uniting Rodenius under the banner of Louria, and to finally achieve the dream his forefathers failed to achieve. That is the establishment of the Great Lourian Empire.

The King’s imagination ran wild as he dreamed about a nation capable of projecting such military might that even the Civilised world would shake in fear and stay out of his way.

He smiled in self satisfaction as his back got washed by one of his concubines. Another one washed his chest and the King could not help but allow his eyes to wander.

A knock at the grand bath’s doors brought King Louria back to reality.

“Come in!” He ordered.

An old balding man in grand robes and a knight in silver armour entered the bath and bowed before the King.

King Louria nodded before speaking.

“The subject must be of great importance, Prime Minister Maus, or you would not have disturbed me.” King Louria rumbled. “You could have waited for me to return to the throne room.” The King said, giving a glance at the two men standing behind him.

“Sincere apologies, Your Majesty, but we thought it would be wise to bring you the report for our Army's preparation post haste.” The knight replied.

“Thank you, General Pentagene.” King Louria responded with a nod of approval to the kingdom’s highest ranking army officer and a good friend from his childhood days. “However, the question was for our old Prime Minister. I can understand you cannot hold your excitement to march to war and teach those pesky demi-humans a lesson and to show them their place.” Hark said with a chuckle as he waved his hand for an attendant to bring him a drink. “Don’t worry, you will get your chance. Until then just dream with me how your old friend here is going to be crowned as the Emperor of Rodenius and you the Marshal of the Empire.”

“Of course, Your Majesty, I always do.” The General nervously said, which led to the ladies in the bath house chuckle at him.

General Pentagene ignored them. Just like how he ignored how many of his liege’s dreams have allowed their country to nearly become the proxy of another great power from the civilised world. Then there were other things the General ignored, including the jokes the Kingdom’s subjects and soldiers made that all important decisions made by the King were made in Royal Baths, which saw the King gaining the nickname of the ‘Royal Bath Freak’. How King Louria never heard about this was beyond the General, but he would not snitch.

“Your Majesty, the Eastern Subjugation army is fully mobilised and is amassing at the border we share with the Principality of Qua Tyone. Our Vanguard of 20,000 men under the command of Lieutenant General Adem is ready to cross the border and annihilate any Qua Tyonians defenders stationed in Gim and occupy the town to use it as a staging ground and supply point for our siege of Fort Ejey.”

“So that sadistic creep will be leading the vanguard then?” King Louria asked with a raised eyebrow. The unasked question of ‘Couldn’t you find anybody else?’ hanging between Monarch and General.

General Pentagene simply nodded.

“Good heavens, that man loathes Demi humans even more than I do. He better leave some of them alive for us to enjoy.” Hark remarked as he stood up, making his servants quickly move up to dry their master up.

Pentagene clears his throat before continuing. “As I just said, Lt. Gen. Adem’s army will seize the supplies in the town before continuing to move up to lay siege to the mountain fortress of Ejey and wait until the main army arrives. To maintain morale, I have… authorised… Adem’s army to ‘live off’ the land for their nourishment and entertainment.”

“Excellent, General, good work. What about Qua Tyone’s allies?”

“General Pentagene and his staff have envisioned a strategy of divide and conquer.” This was said by Prime Minister Maus.

“While Lt. Gen. Adem’s forces strike Gim, before moving on to Ejay, our vassals in the east and a small detachment of special operation troops from our army will take the responsibility of tying up the forces of the Quila Kingdom at their own border and harassing their supplies and logistics behind the frontline.

Similar actions will be taken by a small detachment from our wyvern corps who will make sure that the attention of the Quila Kingdom is focused on their own border. This will ensure they are not able to assist Qua Toyne. Once Ejay falls, our armies dealing with Quila will punch through their defence.

Considering that if everything goes to plan, the Quila forces will be starving and demoralised, we expect our offensive against the Quila Kingdom to be a very simple affair, the equivalent of just marching through. At most, our soldiers will only have to deal with a few pockets of resistance. However, once we burn and raze a few towns, perhaps even their capital, and slaughter the inhabitants, the rest of the country should comply.”

“That’s all well and good, Prime Minister. What concerns me is this so-called ‘new ally’ those knife ears and their human collaborators have made.” King Louria said as he spat on the ground. “What was that country’s name again?”

“I believe you are referring to the Republic of India, Your Majesty.” Prime Minister Maus answered. “They had sent diplomats to establish relations, however, the moment I was informed that they have diplomatic relations with Qua Toyne and Quila, I ordered our Foreign Ministry to refuse all contact and conveyed to them a grace period of 48 hours, which they should have utilised to leave, or we would use drastic action.”

“Did they take your grace period?” King Louria asked as one of his servants put on a bathrobe on him.

“They did. Your Majesty. They left Jin Hark almost immediately after some protest, and their ship departed our waters a few hours later.” Prime Minister Maus said in reply.

“Hm…” King Louria mused as he clasped the servant’s arm, pulled the servant closer and ran his hand across her body with no care of who else was present. “I think you were being too generous in giving them 48 hours. We could have used them not leaving as an excuse to detain them. But oh well, what’s done is done.” King Louria turned to look at General Pentagene. “Did you take a look at their ship?”

“Not me personally, Your Majesty, but many sailors and naval officers did.” General Pentagene replied. “They believe it to be a civilian vessel.”

“Don’t we have spies in Qua Toyne?” King Louria asked as the servant gasped in pleasure. “What have they said? And what is your personal opinion, Prime Minister? General?”

“I do not believe we have any reason to worry about this ‘India’, Your Majesty.” Prime Minister Maus said confidently. “Based on the reports sent from our spies all across Qua Toyne, we believe that they are a newly raised barbarian nation who are situated north of the Port City of Maihark. While they may have some large ships, we have seen no evidence of them having any wyverns. They are an underdeveloped nation, frankly, not even worth the dust below your shoes and they do not pose any threat to our army, who has a force numbering to hundreds of thousands of men.”

“Strong words.” King Louria said just before the servant gave a loud scream of pleasure and dropped to the ground. Two other servants propped her back up, and without any prompting, the servant started sucking on the King’s fingers with eyes lidded by lust. Ignoring her, King Louria turned to General Pentagene. “And what do you say, old friend?”

“I agree with the Prime Minister.” General Pentagene said. “However, I will also add that, even if this new nation tries to send help, our navy and Wyvern force, who had been doubled in strength in preparation to this war, will be more than enough to deal with them. That’s not withstanding the aid we received from our benefactors. Add that, these new barbarians will be annihilated in short order.”

“Good.” King Louria said with a wide grin, that in the right light could look terrifying. He retreated his hand from the servant and made his way to the door. “You made the right choice in not opening diplomatic relations with them.” King Louria told the Prime Minister who silently lowered his head to accept the praise. “Once we deal with these inhuman mutants, and then send the heads of the Royal families of Quila and Qua-Toyne, along with our Navy and Wyvern Corps who will surround and blockade their barbarian nation, these Indians will beg us to allow them to be made our vassals!”

King Louria’s brief speech saw his concubine servants clap in support of the King’s ambition, and after a brief moment of wrapping their heads around what just happened, Prime Minister Maus and General Pentagene joined in as well. This gave the King more faith that he would eventually achieve his ambition of becoming the Emperor of Rodenius.

"Tell Adem that by his leave, he can attack Gim. Also ensure he knows that his soldiers have their fun, but not overdo it as they also have to move on to Ejey." King Louria ordered as the entourage neared his private chambers.

“I shall send a missive at once.” General Pentagene said.

“Excellent.” King Louria praised. “Dismissed.”

With a bow, both General and Prime Minister left and now only the King and his servant concubines were remaining.

“You. You and You.” King Louria said as he pointed at three women as the doors of his chambers opened. “Inside. Now. The rest of you will remain and will come when I order.”

“By your leave, Your Majesty.” All the women said together, much to the delight of the supposed future Emperor of Rodenius.

As King Hark Louria XXXIV ploughed through one of his concubines, making her scream in pleasure, while pleasuring the other two with his hands, as he dreamt of glory, he was not aware that by his actions, he was willingly putting himself in the crosshairs of a Tiger that was merciless when its territory was threatened. In its old world, that Tiger did not hesitate rumbling with mighty Bears and dangerous Dragons, regardless of whether its allies, the Eagle or Lion supported it. Over here, neither King Hark Louria XXXIV or his benefactors amounted to even a fraction of the power of the old foes the Tiger used to stare down.