Reverberations

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*******

Central Calendar 22nd Day of the 2nd month of the Year 1635,

Esthiarnt, Parpaldia Empire

Mugei walked up to the First Department of Foreign Affairs early in the morning. It was unusual to be summoned with such urgency unless something horrible had happened.

'They have already questioned me about Mu's relationship with Kalinga. What else do they want?' He stepped into the office to find the Parpaldian Emperor himself sitting on the chair, sipping a cup of tea.

"Emperor Ludius, I was not expecting to meet you this early in the morning." Mugei gave a short respectful bow which the Emperor acknowledged with a nod.

"Ambassador Mugei, what do you think of the Rowlia Kingdom?"

"We have no strong feelings about that barbarian nation, Your Majesty. They don't have anything that could be of use to Mu, and thus of little concern."

"Is that so? I received this intelligence late night yesterday from my spies in Rowlia. Please have a look." The Emperor forwarded a file to Mugei whose eyebrows shot through his forehead as he read the file.

"Truly this has to be a mistake. Over 20,000 dead in a single night and no one knew where they were being attacked from? I can't think of any weapon that can do this."

"What if I tell you that it was the Kalingans who did this?"

"That is impossible. Such feats are beyond mortals, let alone barbarians like the people of Kalinga."

The Emperor put his cup of tea on the table and looked sharply at Mugei. "I don't care what games Mu likes to play, but I will not tolerate them messing around in my backyard. Make sure that your leaders understand this."

"Should I take this as a threat or as an unjustified allegation?"

"Take it however you wish. You are dismissed."

After Mugei left, Emperor Ludius asked Kaios for his opinion regarding the

"Kalinga is a nation of technology, just like Mu without any aptitude for magic. So clearly this is no spell. I believe this to be a weapon leased to Kalinga by Mu."

"Is Mu intending to use Kalinga as a stepping stone to conquer Rodenius?" Emperor Ludius asked.

"Most likely, Your Majesty. The fertile fields of Qua-Toyne alone would feed their army for months while they wage wars on us. We can't allow them a foothold in this region."

"Indeed. Kaios, make sure that the aid to Rowlia is increased. Impress upon Hark Lowria the need for conquering the continent as quickly as possible. We will lend him more ships and weaponry if they need it but I want Rodenius under my foot!"

"It will be done, Your Majesty." Kaios bowed and rushed off to the Third Department of Foreign Affairs.

***

King Hark Louria XXXIV sat pensively in his private bath as Patagene finished his report. The rest of the war councils were horrified and repulsed in equal measures.

"This must be Kalinga's counterattack after we punished them for killing our sailors! How dare they?" Patagene clenched his fist. The men garrisoned at Barast were good, hardworking men. Some of his finest. To find all of them dead or dying had unnerved him to the core.

"Don't be ridiculous, no human can summon this level of death and destruction. I have been researching magic ever since I was a child and I have yet to come across any spell this dangerous." Chief Mage Yamirei replied. "And those Kalingans are born without magic if our intel is to be believed."

"Then maybe they powered those spells using magic stones from Quilla, or Qua-Toyne!"

"You are not listening! There are NO such spells. Whatever it is, it's most likely demonic in origin."

Prime Minister Maus intervened "Demonic or not, it does not change the fact that Barast is vulnerable. Two thousand of our best soldiers have died, and it would take a while to replace them. With over twenty thousand civilians dead, people will hesitate to settle down in that town. This leaves our southern border vulnerable to an attack by the Quilla. It is surely going to throw a wrench in our plans to conquer the continent."

King Louria swirled the glass of wine he had in his hand, gulped it all down and instructed the serving wench to refill his glass. He got out of his bath and walked towards a window "That's not all, gentlemen. That wretched country has allied with Mu," he looked at Kalinga's general direction. "I wonder if my destiny would be derailed by these pathetic worms."

"My King, this is but a minor setback. By your will, we could attack before the sun rises tomorrow. We could storm their beaches and lay waste to their towns!" Patagene exclaimed. "I would punish them personally, Your Majesty!"

"QUIET!" The king threw his wine glass at his general. "We attack them, and we anger Mu. If Mu decides to hunt us down then our transactions with Parpaldia would be revealed. Do you want to be the catalyst for a shitstorm between two superpowers, with us caught in the middle?" the King started breathing heavily as he tried to compose himself. "No, this is just a setback. We will continue building up our forces. In four years, we attack Qua-Toyne."

The rest of the war council could only nod in agreement, fearful for the first time in their lives about the future of the kingdom.

***

Central Calendar 28th Day of the 3rd month of the Year 1635

Saurav reached Paradip port on a Mu cargo ship loaded with raw materials to kickstart the dormant chemical industry in Kalinga. The same ship would return to Mu with the first shipment of iron ore and bauxite pellets.

Chief Minister Birju ratified the Ainak Treaty and permitted Mu ships to dock at Paradip port for maintenance and repairs. The chemical plants started operating at full swing, producing fertilizers, detergent and the like for the first time since the Transference. While production was nowhere near pre-transference levels, it alleviated the worries of Kalingan people who had been depressed since the Muri Massacre became public knowledge.

New shipyards were built at the smaller Dhamra port wherein small cargo vessels were built to transport crude oil and other raw materials from Quilla along with patrol boats and fast attack crafts to protect these cargo ships from possible pirate attacks and stop future Lourian misadventures. The presence of other Transferred countries made the higher ups nervous and the Secretariat declared Wartime state of emergency. The decision was taken to set up new factories to build automobiles, ships, arms and ammunition.

Over the next week, Kalinga Ordinance Board was formed which would oversee production of arms and ammunition for both military and civilian use. The Right to bear arms was included as a fundamental right in the Constitution so that people could protect themselves from future raids. Strict background checks were put in place so that criminals and mentally unstable individuals don't get their hands on guns.

The Kalinga Ordinance Board also set up the Armored Vehicles Ltd. for producing infantry transport similar to BMP-2 but without the advanced electronics and anti-tank missiles. While resources were still scarce, the fresh alliance with Mu could solve a lot of their problems. Plans were made to build howitzers to bolster the Army's capabilities, but they were put on hold due to lack of engineers who knew how to build one.

That's not to say that there was no one who knew how to build bigger guns. Ravi Chandran, the Army chief knew one such man personally. It had been ages since he had to visit that man. The last time he saw him was when he was shoving him into the Central Jail.

Ravi walked into the jail premises with two guards and made his way to the maximum security cells. The prisoners were mostly Maoist insurgents who were too dangerous to be left alive but would be celebrated as martyrs if killed. After a while he reached the cell of the man

"Babuli." Ravi said to the man praying to his Gods in the cell. The man gestured him to keep quiet and continued praying. Ravi gestured to a guard to unlock the doors of the cell and sat beside Babuli, joining him in his prayers.

A few minutes later, they both finished praying.

"It's been a while, Ravi. Did the insurgents ramp up their activities again?"

"The insurgents surrendered, Babuli. Almost all of them." Ravi replied.

"Impossible…" Babuli sounded impressed. "What black magic spells did you weave to get them under your heel?"

"I did not cast any magic, the universe did. Roughly two months ago Odisha was transported to a new world. With this transference, the insurgents are no longer receiving supplies, arms and ammunitions from the Chinese anymore. All my men had to do was to siege them. No pesky politician in New Delhi forcing me to stay my hand anymore."

"If you were any other man I would have laughed at your face." Babuli closed his eyes. "How's Birju coping?"

"Extremely well, if I must say. Independence from New Delhi has rejuvenated him. He even renamed Odisha as 'Republic of Kalinga.' To be honest, I can see him crowning himself the King. But talking about our past and our old friends is not why I am here."

"Okay you joyless stick in the mud, what do you want?"

"Your co-operation. We need weapons, Babuli. We need them by a metric crapton."

"Bah! You don't need my help for that." Babuli replied dismissively"I am pretty sure there are hundreds of criminal gunsmiths who can make your AK-47s."

"But none of them can craft a 40mm cannon and its shell in their garage at the age of 17, like you did. No one can rig scrap metal into a V-1 cruise missile, like you did."

"Those days are behind me. Does the Secretariat know that you are here?"

"All of them know about my presence in the Central Jail. Only some of them know *why* I am here." Ravi replied. "Babuli, there is no time to waste anymore. Kalinga's very existence is at threat here. We are an island now with enemies lurking in every direction, waiting for the right moment to strike. We CANNOT afford to be passive anymore."

"I… I understand the magnitude of the threat, Ravi. I really do. But I don't think the Secretariat or your men would welcome me. My weapons have caused them a lot of pain and suffering. Why do you think I religiously pray to our God Jagannath every waking moment? It's because I wish to atone for my sins!"

"If you do not help Kalinga when it needs you the most, you will be indirectly responsible for all the suffering caused when the foreigners invade us!" Ravi shot back. "Maybe this is the chance provided to you by our Gods. A chance to make up for your past crimes!"

Several minutes of uncomfortable silence passed between the two men before Babuli spoke. "Very well then. I will help you out. But I don't want a full pardon for my crimes. The moment I am not needed by Kalinga, I want you to personally shove me back in this cell. I want a private workshop. Two of my most capable assistants are imprisoned in this jail, I want you to pardon them and let them work with me. And for my own security, I want you to handpick the men who would be working with me."

"It will be done." Ravi let out a sigh of relief at his friend's sensible demands. "I will talk to Birju and you would be out before the week's over." He shook Babuli's hand. "The people of Kalinga would hail you as a hero when your weapons save the lives of our people."

As the satisfied leader of Kalinga's Army walked out of the cell, Babuli muttered a prayer to his Gods wondering if he made the right choice.

***

Central Calendar 6th Day of the 5th month of the Year 1635

The Secretariat, Bhubaneswar, Republic of Kalinga

"This is the finalized design of our new Mark-2 universal unguided rocket system." Babuli started his presentation. "This rocket could be used in anti-armor, anti-personnel and anti-ship roles. It can also be used for saturation attacks. It can incorporate both conventional and chemical warheads. The rocket nozzles are twisted slightly to impart a spin as it launches. The effective range is 5 kilometers."

"Wouldn't howitzers would be more efficient?" Nitesh asked.

"Of course, but I have not yet nailed the metallurgy required for building the howitzer. These rockets would serve as a stop gap solution until then. After I design an build those howitzers, these rockets could be used as an auxillary weapon, or even as a baseline for future ballistic missile projects." Babuli twirled his moustache. It might have been decades since he got the chance to observe Soviet artillery and its inner workings but that won't be a problem for him.

The Secretariat spent the next hour discussing on other armaments and their production lines. But when they started discussing the location of a new factory to mass produce sarin, Krishnan objected.

"That is not our way of doing things! How can you be so callous about the death of so many innocent Rowlians who probably had nothing to do with this mess? I understand the need for revenge, but surely you could just target the garrison and be done with it! And if that was not enough, you have now decided to include chemical weapons in your arsenal formally. Planning to butcher more cities, are we?"

"Krishnan, we had to retaliate or they would have gotten bolder. Please calm down mate…" Saurav reached out to Krishnan's shoulder but was pushed off.

"I AM CALM! As calm I can get after watching literal warcrimes unfold in front of me!" "You bastards will probably kill, murder and butcher every man woman and child that gets in your way and probably justify it by saying it was for the greater good."

"So you want OUR people to suffer? You want OUR countrymen to die instead?" Saurav shot back.

"I want no one to die! And if gassing civilians was not enough, you get this bloody merchant of death on board!" Krishnan pointed to Babuli. "This is unjust, this is so bloody inhumane.."

"That was uncalled for." Birju said. " Babuli is an important part of the war effort. I will not have you disrespect him."

"And the both of you being childhood chums surely does not have anything to do with him walking free." Krishnan replied sarcastically. Saurav just rolled his eyes and gave up on trying to calm his friend.

"The civilians were a necessary casualty. If we did not impose upon them the consequences of messing with us, they would only get bolder. I assure you, unless our hand is forced we would not use our chemical weapons against civilians in the future."

"Oh, the No First Use policy? But you would still use it, right?" Krishnan scoffed.

"Yes. Now on to the more important topics. We are yet to make diplomatic contact with Qua-Toyne. Do we have any idea of what it is that they -" Birju's question was interrupted by Krishnan violently standing up and marching out of the room.

"I am sorry, gentlemen. He gets a bit emotional at times, I will talk to him later." Saurav said awkwardly.

The other guys just looked at the door Krishnan had stormed out of in disappointment.

"Shame, he was such a promising diplomat." Nitesh grumbled as the gentlemen got back to business.

***

Outside the Meeting Hall

Deep in his heart, Krishnan knew he had made a stupid move by storming out of the room but someone had to make a stand. The Chief Minister had changed, drastically so. Gone was the man who was content serving his state and did not give two fucks about the shithole of national politics that was New Delhi. In his place, Krishnan could see signs of a maniac. CM Birju's ambitions grew by the day and the rest of the Secretariat just rolled on with it.

'Atleast the tobacco is still good.' Krishnan lit a cigarette and took a puff. He was not a smoker but a few puffs of cancer gas calmed him down.

"Hey, aren't you the bigshot diplomat in the Secretariat? I thought you guys had a meeting?" Krishnan heard a feminine voice behind him. He cursed under his breath and was crushed his cigarette.

"Oh, don't stop on my account." The voice said. Krishnan turned around and saw a tall woman lighting her own cigarette. She had a dusky skin and her face was as sharp as it was feminine. She managed to look both calm and aggressive at the same time. The woman handed him a cigarette in lieu of his now ruined one. "The name's Kamala. Nice to meet you, Mr..?"

"Krishnan, Krishnan Roy."

"So Mr Fancy Suit, what's got you so agitated?"

Krishnan sighed. "It's our Chief Minister and the Secretariat that I am worried about. They are being imperialistic brutes. I can't stand them talking about plans and contingencies involving deaths of tens of thousands of innocents. Not to mention, they hired that insurgent bastard Babuli as well!"

"Funny, Dr. Babuli happens to be my mentor." Kamala smirked.

Krishnan involuntarily took a step back but composed himself. "So you were a Maoist insurgent as well?"

"Not quite. I was tasked with supplying Dr. Babuli with the raw materials he needed for his projects and maintained his connections in the capital. I don't care about Maoism, I just wanted to be part of the brilliance that's Dr. Babuli."

"His missiles and bombs killed hundreds of civilians and police officers. Is this the brilliance you were talking about?"

"He did not kill a single soul, the Maoist insurgents did. Will you blame the creator of AKs for all the deaths that happened?"

"…"

"Back to your point, I CAN understand the point of view of the other bigwigs." Kamala said. "We never had lots of moments in our history that we can be proud of. King Kharavela was an exception to our otherwise lackluster history. What's more, our most prominent moment was when Emperor Ashoka the Great massacred us so much that he had a change of heart and adopted pacifism.

"I don't want to be on the losing side of history anymore, Krishnan. I think the same goes for the rest of us. For once, we want to win."