Chapter 25

“What exactly was I thinking when I decided to take this job? Was I insane?” I asked.

“While I wasn’t present at the time, I believe you were getting the shit kicked out of you, and when you finally quit screwing around and grabbed the ring on the merry-go-round by killing the Thug, you ended up with a bit more of a prize than you expected.”

I shook my head. “I’ll grant you that’s a rather succinct way of phrasing things, but is that any way for someone of your exalted diplomatic status to talk to a King?”

Brent Cain shrugged and said, “Well, it’s not like I’m an Ambassador, or anything like that. Oh, wait. I am. But I’m not an Ambassador from the United States to the nation of Punjab. I’m an Ambassador of the United States to you, because you’re the King of more than one people. And besides, you’re just whining, anyway.”

I looked across the dinner table at Niranjana. “Do I have to tolerate that from him?”

“Master, if you decided to kill everyone who gave you good advice just because you disagreed with it, you would only have people remaining who give you bad advice.”

From the seat to her left, Sukhjeet said, “Besides, were we not part of the, I believe the phrase is, entire prize package? One that has given you great pleasure?”

“Yes, you were, and yes, you have. I do hope both of you keep that in mind in about nine months, when you give birth to our children.” I turned back to Brent and said, “Does that mean I’m not allowed to bitch, moan, and complain about the job?”

“Oh, you’re allowed to do that all you want. Just back here, where you’re surrounded by friends, family, and your supporters. Which, considering all of the personal staff that’s serving as your valets, cooks, and otherwise, happen to be related to one or more of your wives, means you’re covered under all three of those categories. You don’t do that out front, when you’re sitting on the throne or in public. That can lead to concern from those who might consider themselves your enemies, such as those that exist. And make no mistake, they do exist,” Brent said.

“I know,” I quietly replied.

He chuckled, then. “It could be worse. At least you don’t have a hostile country on your border. Let me rephrase that. You won’t have a hostile country on your border for much longer. The most recent report I had was from this morning. Courtesy of there being peace between Persia and Mesopotamia, and their use of the same rail gauge, one division of Mesopotamian armor and another of infantry are on their way to Mashad. There are already two divisions of Persian armor and four divisions of Persian ground forces staging along the Afghanistan border. Since both nations still use Soviet style tactics, their command staffs are working together to coordinate operations. Neither country has much of an air force for some reason, so the Royal Saudi Air Force has graciously volunteered to assist in both ground support missions as well as helicopter insertions and medevac operations. The Pakistani army has pretty much sealed their border with Afghanistan tight. You’d have to get the final word from your military commanders, but the issues the Soviets had with the assorted groups of Mujahideen courtesy of both who was supporting them and religions, um, is sort of a moot point. You have too close of ties with the Pashtun people for anyone to hide in the mountains and then come back out to fight an invading force.”

I looked to my right, where Sayel was casually leaning against a wall.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about that, do you?”

He blinked, then said, “I actually don’t have nearly the influence you might think. Mina and Shinkai are daughters of the two largest Pashtun tribe’s chiefs. When you consider than half of Peshawar is related to half of Jalalabad, and when you also consider a large number of your Gurkha warriors have Pathan blood in them – which means they’re also related to ... well, somebody from Farah to Kandahar to Jalalabad – you’ve got a rather large family network that’s already predisposed to telling the people in Kabul to, politely, go fuck themselves.”

“In other words, the British in their finite wisdom completely ignored reality when they were deciding what to do with the – as they called them – wogs,” I said with bitterness.

“Pretty much. Oh, I’ve seen the magnificent achievements modern society has brought to the backwards hill tribes. I’ve also seen enough of the modern world that, quite frankly, I consider those backwards hill tribes to be foolish and ignorant for not wanting those achievements as well. It’s certainly one thing to cover yourself in sand while you’re on the hunt. It’s quite another to continue to live that way when there are alternatives that don’t actually require you to remain in the stone age, in your housing, your medicine, or your family life.”

“Since I’m the closest thing Cal has to an Ambassador to Persia and Mesopotamia at the moment, what would you recommend I tell them, Sayel?” Brent asked.

“I am not the best person to ask about this, Mister Cain. I have a long memory, and I have made many enemies – some of whom actually still live, simply because I haven’t had the time to kill them yet – that live in that region. I would ask the Queen of her thoughts,” Sayel said.

Niranjana said, “I am the Queen of the Punjab nation, Mister Cain, not of the Pashtun people. Having said that, I know that my sister-wives and I have relatives that live in Jalalabad, and in the mountains between there and the Hindu Kush. Perhaps the world is ready to replace what the British did in their ignorance and apathy, and restore part of this region to what it should be, instead of what it is.”

I nodded in agreement, and stated, “Brent, obviously whatever moron is in charge in Kabul has to know what’s about to drop on them from both sides. One of the reasons I want a corridor to Persia is for trade. The silk road once ran from Constantinople and Cairo through Baghdad and Tehran all the way to Hangzhou. There’s no reason it couldn’t be rebuilt with maglev trains powered by wind turbines and nuclear reactors, with side tracks and networks off of it. Sure, it’s easy to get cargo from Cairo to Hangzhou via ship today – but that misses all of the places in between. Railroads are already the cheapest way to move bulk freight from one landlocked place to another. Let’s bump things up a little bit.”

Brent placed his glass on the table, and then pushed his plate back. “I’ll give you credit. You don’t think small, do you?”

“I know whatever else happens, there’s going to be resistance to doing things like this in the United States. Well, as much as I am an American, I’ve also got a bigger loyalty, and that’s to the whole damned planet. I think Ronald knows and understands that. If he, or Jeane if she replaces him after the next election, gets a Congress that gives a damn about actually doing their jobs, there’s a lot that could be accomplished there. I’m not going to wait on them. You know my history – my real history. I know a planet-wide network of maglev trains works. Even with natural disasters, they’re ridiculously easy to repair and maintain. It’s not going to take Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel long to prove the concept beyond a shadow of a doubt ... maybe another five years. I’d like us – and by us I mean Earth – to already be working on the infrastructure.”

Niranjana took a sip of her water, then said, “My husband, this is the first time I’ve really heard you talk about what we’re going to do after next month.”

“Yes, my love, it is. There are going to be bad times in a lot of places around the world. I accept that. We’ll fix them, we’ll get over them, and we’ll already have plans for what we’re going to do after that.”

Nodding, Brent said, “Okay, that sounds good, but do you have some specifics for me?”

I grinned. “Of course. How good of a horse trader are you?”

He said, “Smile and let me see your teeth, and take your shoes off so I can check your hooves.”

“Sorry, no cloven hooves on me. There’s even photographic proof from some beach pictures that seem to have been popular around the world. No, I’m thinking more along the lines of talking to President’s Haddad, Khosravi, and Khan, and see if there might be a mutually advantageous terrain swap that could be performed. Say, giving Pakistan that southern chunk of Afghanistan and the part of Persia that ethnically are Pakistani anyway, in exchange for Persia getting the northern chunk of Afghanistan, while the rest becomes a new nation of ethnically Pashtun people ... since that’s what it mostly is, anyway. Most of the people that live along the western border of Persia are related to the people of Mesopotamia, so the borders shift twenty to fifty miles east. The only ones who don’t win are the current government of Afghanistan, and they’re already forfeit.”

“Well, it’s not like what Hugo’s doing in Africa, anyway,” Brent said. “It still strikes me a little bit of being a warlord type action, where you’re slicing up another country and giving it away as spoils.”

I shook my head. “It’s exactly like what Hugo’s doing in Africa, just on a smaller scale. I recognize and accept that. My explanation for doing so is going to sound pretty cold-blooded, but it’s because there’s going to be so many technological innovations over the next thirty to fifty years ... well, like Sayel said, choosing to remain in the stone age just isn’t going to be an option. I have a responsibility to all of the people who live in the Punjab, to their children, and to their children’s children. I have that same responsibility to every member of the Kingdom of the First People. I truly don’t know if other Indian tribes in North America are going to ask to join that Kingdom. Hell, I’m not even sure that a couple of states might not end up asking to join that Kingdom.”

Brent shook his head. “Boy, you’re not thinking small, are you?”

I smiled and said, “It’s a matter of time and scale, Brent. There have been a tremendous number of changes in the way national governments think and act in the last eighteen months. I suppose you could consider it almost a forced evolution. ‘Mutually assured destruction’ is no longer an option. Dealing in harmful and addictive drugs is no longer an option. Going out and conquering your neighbor because he has something you want is no longer an option. The Bilderberg group was right in that Earth needed a world government. They were just, well, completely wrong in both how they went about trying to reach that goal and then in what they planned on doing with it if they ever got it. I think most of that was due to being short-sighted on their part.”

Niranjana asked, “Isn’t that because of normal biology, though? They were making their plans based upon an effective human lifespan of between eighty and one hundred years. I know you’re less than five years of work away from creating medications that will increase that lifespan between three and five times. That’s why you’re doing all of this rearranging of national borders, because when people realize they’re no longer limited to just such a short time, relatively speaking, you anticipate a change in world culture.”

I nodded, then frowned. “Please, please, don’t take what I’m going to ask the wrong way. You’re absolutely correct. It’s just I wasn’t expecting that kind of analysis from you.”

She smiled, then. “The eight of us have been your slaves for more than a year. One of the things we learned was to ... conceal is the wrong word. Keep in reserve, yes, thank you, Sukhjeet. We learned to keep things in reserve while we were children, to not let our parents know that we as girls and then women were more than what our parents and the tribe would allow us to be. That was never more necessary than when we were taken by Ramaeshwara Randhawa. That night when I agreed to be your Queen for the Punjab, you were taken by surprise by the vehemence and disgust in my voice. You did not disagree with it, but you were struck by the depths of the emotions I had and shared with you. That night was when I finally let that anger and hate that remained within me out, and was truly the night when I became ... what I am now.”

She smiled again. “Even when the eight of us let the rest of our sister-wives in, we each kept some things hidden from them, from each other. I was quite truthful with Lady Sati – that is how I will always know her – about my inner fears and doubts. I felt that you had given me the job as military coordinator for India and Pakistan as a make-work job, because you were concerned about my ability to actually have a real position, because I was not worthy to have something more due to my own failings. I put forth all the effort I had in my studies at Stanford, so I could be at least equal with some of my sister-wives. I had forgotten about the enhancements we all receive from you, and from those blessed like you.”

I nodded in understanding. “Brent, in case you didn’t know, direct exposure to certain proteins from me has an ... effect ... upon others. Continued exposure, well...”

He blinked, then laughed. “Now, I get the joke.”

Then he raised his hand at my expression. “It’s nothing bad, just locker room humor. You know the funny thing is, after your demonstration at the White House, President Reagan wanted to know if you were working on anything else in your lab.”

I shook my head and said, “I didn’t demonstrate anything at the...” The puzzled look on my face went quickly away as I blushed, realizing just what Brent was talking about.

“He didn’t!” I exclaimed.

“Master, the Secret Service normally patrols the halls and corridors of the residence during the overnight hours. They entrusted that to me that evening,” Sayel said.

“Did you charge them extra over and above whatever amount you won from them?”

He smiled and said, “No. It was only eighty dollars total that I took from them. But when I mentioned that, unlike them, I would not be distracted, they were ... eager, shall we say ... to take me up on my offer.”

Niranjana had a slight smirk on her face.

“What?” I asked.

“Our Master was in ... fine performance that evening. All three of your Queens were very satisfied,” she said.

“You know, I can actually handle the whole telekinesis and other powers thing, but for some reason, the telepathy just throws me,” Brent said.

A slight smile on my face, I replied, “It’s not just telepathy, at least as the mentalists describe it. They don’t just talk to each other like I’m talking to you now, they can also share each other’s feelings and emotions. So when Niranjana says she was satisfied even though I was physically in Washington and she was here ... well...” I just stopped talking when I saw the look on Brent’s face.

“Pardon me for asking an indelicate question, but can’t that cause you ... um, issues?” Brent asked, looking at Niranjana.

She and Sukhjeet both grinned, then she said, “It can. We are no longer always connected. We can have privacy if we wish, or choose who we talk or otherwise share ourselves with. The State of the Union address and medal presentation was such a special event, we were all linked then – and in the Lincoln Bedroom afterwards. If Sukhjeet and I had been involved in something of importance here, we would, of course, have not listened in.”

“I think I could use something a bit stronger than tea while my mind wraps its way around what that conjures up,” Brent said.

“In the cabinet, bottom left shelf,” Niranjana said.

I glanced that way, then mentally opened the door and brought out a bottle of Glenlivet. I opened it, poured a couple of ounces into a glass, then closed the bottle and returned it to the shelf. I then floated the glass over to the table, took an ice cube out of the bucket on the table, put it into the glass, and then placed the glass on the table in front of Brent.

“There. Now, keep your dirty thoughts to yourself,” I said with a grin.

“Thank you. Um, realizing that you’re the King, is this going to cause you any trouble with your subjects?” he asked, picking up the glass.

I shook my head. “I am neither Islamic nor Brahmin. Part of the discussion earlier was on increasing normal lifespans. As a subset to that, eliminating some things, like the Indian caste system, is part of the eventual agenda. While some of our servants here in the Palace are Islamic, I also avoid disturbing their cultural beliefs by having my bacon for breakfast prepared and delivered daily by the US Embassy.”

Niranjana nodded, and said, “It’s probably not necessary, but after some of the meetings with other leaders from this region, it’s simply easier to do and avoid any potential problems. There are enough issues with many of the smaller mullahs as is.”

“Oh?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not here in Punjab. Again, across the border in Afghanistan. You have failed to be obsequious to them, and are obviously not a child of Islam, so they must declare fatwa and jihad against you. There are some from other Islamic nations that are in Afghanistan as well that are angry at what their governmental and religious leaders have said that are joining them.”

“Is there any threat to either of you?” I asked.

“We are women, so we are not important. When you were gone, they simply tried to do with us like they do with all their women,” she explained. “Unfortunately for them, there is one minor detail they are ignoring.”

“Let me guess. Kewal Khalah and his band of assassins.”

Niranjana shook her head. “No. The First Gurkha Regimental Combat Team: two thousand warriors, four battalions of artillery, two companies of heavy armor, two companies of light armor, two squadrons of ground attack helicopters, one squadron of ground support aircraft. That’s one advantage I have, as I was the one in charge of coordinating what Pakistan and India were giving to Punjab. The armor is from India, consisting of former Soviet units, the field artillery is from Pakistan and are American units, while the air units are all American, from your personal stocks. That’s not our entire military, of course, but courtesy of a ruling by the Federation legal counsel that verbal threats across national borders by nations already violating the precepts of the Messenger are considered actionable items, they’re already dealing with them on a permanent basis.”

I frowned, then asked, “So, we’re already invading Afghanistan. We’re not going to get tied down making the same mistakes the Soviets did, are we?”

She shook her head. “No, Your Majesty. The Soviets came in as conquering invaders. Our forces are going in with the support of many of those who already live there, as they are already related to us through our families and tribes in the region. The Imams from the major nations that witnessed your demonstration have – as much as it goes against some of their own prejudices against women – been in communication with me and made additional visits here. Since Sukhjeet and I have shivalingam ourselves, while we were not able to give them the ‘magic carpet ride’ that you did, we were able to allow them to see additional and more in-depth visions than you were able to do during your limited time with them.”

Sukhjeet grinned and said, “Kewal Khalah was present for all of those meetings, both to be a responsible male under any culture, so there were no improprieties, and as an unspoken threat, of course.”

Niranjana nodded, then continued with, “That is another reason Persia and Mesopotamia are cooperating to the extent they are, with both approval and assistance from Saudi Arabia. Both Sunni and Shia versions of Islam have been shown to be, well, as wrong as most of the Christian New Testament or the major basis of most Hindu religions. While reincarnation is also incorrect, at least having a soul living within someone is considered acceptable. As for the remainder of Afghanistan, once Persia and Pakistan are done with it, instead of forming a small Pashtun nation, we simply absorb it into Punjab.”

I sighed, then said, “Brent, if Mesopotamia and Persia can get things going by the end of the week, I’d like to have everything done and wrapped up by the first week of March.”

He nodded and said, “I’ll talk to them in the morning, Your Majesty.”

We finished our dinner, with my wives and I retiring to our bedchamber for the night. After properly showing them how much I loved them and appreciated them in private, we took showers so nothing would be stuck in the morning and actually got some sleep.

After breakfast at the American Embassy the next morning, I went to the throne room to see what I’d be doing today. The palace majordomo – who was young for his position, but since he was one of my former Thuggee assassins, was acceptable to Sayel and Khalah – stepped inside.

“Good morning, Your Majesty. There are two people who feel they have concerns that are worthy of your direct attention this morning.”

I moved around a bit on the throne, trying to get to where my khukuri wasn’t digging into my back. “That’s fine. When I’m done with them, would you get whoever is in charge of furniture here?”

“Is there a problem, Your Majesty?”

“I’m quite certain that the Queen has a similar issue, but she won’t say anything. This is a most uncomfortable seat. While I don’t actually need a chair to sit in, it seems that every other chair I regularly use is a lot more comfortable. I appreciate that I shouldn’t have a big recliner like I do at home, simply for appearances, but a bit more padding in the bottom and at least some in the back would be nice.”

Sighing, he said, “That is not possible, Your Majesty, and for a very specific reason that Queen Niranjana both knows about and approves of.”

“Okay, are you going to share that reason with me?” I asked.

“Ah, of course. I forgot for a moment you are from America, where your government is run by bureaucrats in comfortable offices, with luxurious chairs where it is easy to sit and not do the work needed to accomplish the job. While additional padding upon the seat is something that could be added, keep in mind that you are the King. If you decide you need to get up and walk around, you can do so. Everyone else will defer to you in that matter. If you are too comfortable on your throne, two things can happen. Well, only one, courtesy of who you are, of course. Normally, a King who is too comfortable on his throne becomes like the bureaucrat, where all he does is sit and not do anything. Perhaps he even falls asleep. He is the King, who will wake him? Then, of course, the one who wakes him is the one who would take his throne – and his head – from him. That cannot happen to you, of course.

“The other thing that can happen when a King is too comfortable on his throne is he spends too much time there, and decides that he is the only one fit for it. He will stay there long after he should have stepped down and allowed one of his children to take over the throne. While being the reigning monarch is normally a lifetime position, very few monarchs actually live their full lives in that position, as they tend to be deposed either by someone who thinks they, or someone else, should be in that position. Just in my lifetime, there have been three Kings of nations removed from office this way.”

Then he grinned. “Of course, there have also been fifty-two Presidents and Prime Ministers who found this was also their way out of office, as well. Amateur work, really. Only one was truly done in a relatively professional way, and even that was childishly done.”

I shrugged, then said, “Please see about a little more cushion in the bottom of the throne. You’re correct. I did not understand the history behind why they are supposed to be uncomfortable.”

He nodded while smiling, and said, “Of course, Your Majesty. My Master did say you were an incredibly fast learner, after all.”

I looked at him and said, “You know, I broke your leg once. Don’t ever think I can’t do it again.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “My Master also said that as well. And now, I must ask, do you remember Asis Phogat?”

“The priestess of the Temple of Sati near Budhanpur,” I said.

“Exactly. She has traveled here with one of the followers from her temple, to seek guidance from us. Well, not just about religious things. She has been sent here by Gopal Dodi to find out if you were going to continue with building the factories in the area or not, as well as what you wished to do with the estate itself, as you are now no longer just the Prince of Punjab, but the King.”

“I could’ve saved her a trip. Did she recognize you?”

He shook his head. “I am not dressed as a Thuggee assassin any longer. I am properly known as ‘Chamberlain’ for both of Your Majesties to all who enter your palace. That is my public position, and actually one I am well suited to fill. My private position is that of private defender for Her Grace, as I am always in the room when she discusses matters of state with those who could do her harm.”

I snorted and said, “And at least two of your fellows are always in the room as well, just not where they are seen by anyone else.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he replied with a simple nod. “You are truly wise to the way of the assassin.”

I grinned then and said, “You do know that Sayel is less than three feet from you at this very moment.”

He nodded. “My Master would never pass up an opportunity to train one of us if possible. Unfortunately, I did not detect him until he was only six feet from me, so I would have been at a disadvantage if he were truly hostile to me.”

Sayel said, “You’ve improved. You didn’t used to be able to detect me even at three feet.”

“Thank you, Master. Kewal Khalah has not just kept up our training, he has made sure we are as proficient as we physically can be. It was a great honor to see the reports of your activities in California and France, and we hope we can be of use to His Majesty in the future as well.”

“Protect my wives and children and you will. Now then...” I motioned to the door.

“Of course,” he said, and went to it. Sayel moved to a side of the room and simply sat.

Asis Phogat walked in, with the man who’d been with her before. She was no longer wearing as much jewelry as when we’d met before, and something inside her had changed as well, which was reflected in how her face looked. But she was still obviously a Priestess of Sati from her apparel.

They approached the throne and when ten feet away, stopped and went to the floor, prostrating themselves before me. I’d already been through this with others, so I knew my side of things.

“You may arise and approach the throne,” I said.

They got up. “We thank Your Majesty for His kindness in allowing us here,” Phogat said as the two of them came to the bottom of the dais our thrones were on. That was still five feet away from my throne, and a foot down.

“It is not kindness. It is confusion. Our Chamberlain informs us that there is some doubt as to our personal estate. Could you please enlighten us?”

“Your Majesty, Gopal Dodi has performed his job as manager of your personal estate flawlessly. It is now the jewel of our region. The roads have been paved, the crops produced a record yield this past harvest, and there is new construction of factories proceeding apace to give jobs for many within the region. In all things within the region, there is no question that life for all is better than under Ramaeshwara Randhawa. The question we have is about those of us of the estate.”

I frowned, shaking my head. “Again, a bit confused. The last time we were present at our estate, we were informed that while those of the region were our subjects, the people of the estate were not. They – you – were our personal bond servants, of your own free will. In return for our continuing to provide for you, your status would remain that as our bond. Is that not correct?”

She frowned. “It is. Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding on our part of an action Your Majesty took regarding your personal concubines.”

I leaned back in my throne, resting my elbow on one arm and then my chin in my hand. “Go on,” I said.

“Those women were your slaves, like us. However, due to their status, if they were ever freed by Your Majesty, their families would be honor bound to kill them. Word has reached us that, due to something we do not completely understand, they have been freed from your service. That is quite obvious as one of those women is now our Queen. Just as obviously, they have not been – nor are they in fear of – being put to death under the strictures of their tribes. This change to their status brings confusion to us as to whether our status has changed.”

I leaned back on my throne, my khukuri digging into my back. I leaned forward again, and pulled it and the sheath out. “Chamberlain, this is why I was mentioning things before. I wear my khukuri always, and as you noted, I am still carrying it as if I were in America. I’m certain one of my Gurkha warriors can devise a way for me to wear it comfortably while seated here, such that it is still easily accessible to me should I need to use it to kill another of my enemies.”

He nodded and quietly said, “Yes, Your Majesty. It is good that your khukuri has tasted the life blood of your enemies.”