Tyranny of Steel

Weeks had passed since the day that the Indian delegation began their long journey home. Currently, the Regent of the AnangpurEmpire Chandra Tomara stood within the confines of the Imperial Palace, in the northwestern corner of the Indian Subcontinent. While his nephew was technically the Emperor, he was, in the fact, the one who held all the power that remained within the hands of his dynasty. 

In his hands was an ancient scroll which contained a prophecy as foretold by an obscure oracle whose name had been lost to history. However, one thing was certain: every word that this prophet spoke had come to pass throughout the course of history. This included the rise of the Anangpur Empire, the centuries of prosperity they had lived through, and its eventual decline. 

As a fervent believer in the prophecies spoken by this oracle, Chandra was worried about one sentence in particular. Though the passage was short and rather cryptic, he believed it was only a matter of time before it became reality. As he read through the lines of the prophecy for the millionth time in his life, the Regent's lips quivered in trepidation.

"In an era of strife and regression, a princess will seduce a one eyed devil from the west. At her behest, this fiend shall bring his endless hordes to bear upon the Indus River Valley, deposing the shadow behind the throne while placing the offspring of their unholy union as sovereign over all of India. In doing so, the halfbreed will ensure centuries of his people's servitude to their foreign masters."

The moment Chandra read these words, he shivered. He had consulted many scholars over the years, and the wisest of them all had confirmed that they were living within the era of strife and regression, as foretold in the prophecy.

Though the Princess of the Empire was only a little girl at the moment, Chandra knew that one day she would grow into a great beauty and fulfill the prophecy, ensuring that he would ultimately lose the wealth and power he currently held. 

There was nothing more important in the Regent's mind than living out a life of hedonism during the last days of his family's empire. In his mind, there was no conceivable way to save them from their current problems. Even the vast fortune that his ancestors had gained was depleting at an astonishing rate. 

Yet, the Emperor foolishly wished to waste what remained of their wealth on weapons from the west that held no certainty of functioning as advertised. Thus, the man sighed heavily as he placed the scroll back within the confines of the palace's library. He internally to prevent this prophecy from becoming reality no matter what the cost. 

After returning the scroll whence it came, Chandra returned to the great hall where his nephew Dharya sat on the throne. The regent sneered at the boy-emperor. Though he may sit on the seat of power, he held no influence over the Empire's politics, or even the wealth of its treasury. However, when he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see that his own son was kneeling before the boy, and spouting nonsense about his journey. 

Evidently Ishwar had taken an Austrian Clipper as transport to the Red Sea, before boarding another vessel on the other side, which brought him back to his homeland. It was the only way to explain the swiftness of his journey between the two kingdoms. 

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Austria in the west is where those weapons were manufactured. It is a realm like no other. Such wealth and prosperity are truly unfathomable. I rode on a device called a train, which was like a chain of long carriages, that operated entirely without animal power, and at speeds so high I could hardly believe it. 

Not only was this device fast, but it was luxurious too, displaying the wealth of the Austrian Kingdom to all foreigners who wished to buy a ticket. On top of this, the King was kind enough to show me around the weapons factory where they manufactured the weapons you saw. They had thousands of them lying in wait to be sold and could produce hundreds a day. 

I saw the weapons employed against western style armor, and at a distance of thirty feet, they could penetrate through the thickest portion of a knight's breastplate as if the projectile were going through butter. It is of my opinion that if we wish to quell the unrest within our borders, and defeat the enemies who are at our gates, then we should invest in these weapons."

Upon hearing this last part, Chandra could no longer contain his inner fury, and burst out of his hiding spot where he lectured his son for his overeager behavior.

"Do you honestly expect the emperor to believe such tall tales? A chain of wagons carried across the lands at high speed with no horses to power it? What next, ships made of steel!?! It is simply absurd! Your Majesty, do not listen to the foolishness that your cousin spouts. The boy must have been intoxicated during his stay in this foreign land." 

When Ishwar heard these hard words, he reached into his luggage and pulled out a gift that Berengar had prepared for the boy emperor, which was covered in a silk cloth. Ishwar removed the covering to reveal a magnificent firearm that was more a work of art than a weapon.

In his hands was a G-22 rifle, which was far from standard issue. Rather than a blued steel finish, the metallic components were made of blackened steel, which was inlaid with gold damascene in the form of an elephant and floral pattern. The stock itself was hand-carved from polished Ebony which was imported from the Indian Subcontinent, and had an elephant pattern. 

A case of specialized .45-70 cartridges were provided alongside the rifle. These were unique, as they were a prototype munition that used solid lead Spitzer bullets. These projectiles were far more accurate than the standardized munitions because of this improvement. 

Dharya gazed upon the magnificent weapon with awe in his eyes. This weapon looked very different from the arkebuse he had seen before. Upon noticing the expression on the young Emperor's face, Ishwar smiled before reading the words inscribed on a card that Berengar had entrusted him with.

"For the mighty Emperor of the Anangpur Empire, I gift you this firearm, which is current issue to my armed forces, as a sign of my friendship. I hope this weapon acts as proof of my Kingdom's capabilities, and can at the very least entertain you for years to come.

-Sincerely, King Berengar von Kufstein"

After reading this message, Dharya grabbed hold of the rifle and began to play with it. While this was happening Ishwar relayed anothe message that Berengar had given him. 

"This rifle, aside from all the embellishment, is the current issue firearm in the Austrian Royal Army to their standard soldiers. I must admit, I did not get to witness its effects, but it is a proof of their manufacturing capability. I regret to inform you that these weapons are not for sale, but the arkebuses are still more than capable of providing an enormous advantage on the battlefield.

After witnessing the glory of Austrian Engineering, Dharya was more adamant than ever to spend the funds necessary to obtain their weapons. Despite his desire to purchase the arkebuses, he was not in charge of Anangpur's finances, and thus could not easily do so. Thus, he ignored his uncle and instead inquired about the cost of such weapons. 

"Ishwar, tell me, what is the price to pay to supply my army with arkebuses?"

The Emperor's cousin frowned when he heard this response. He knew that the asking price was not something that his father would easily agree to. However, he did not hide this and answered honestly. 

"The Austrians were adamant that we use their currency to purchase their weapons. Apparently, in the western world, the Austrian Thaler and Gulden have become the staple of international trade because of their purity and value. 

For example, one one Austrian Gulden is worth 490 Austrian Thalers, however, the Thaler, which is their silver coin, is worth substantially more than ours. This means we would have to spend a significant sum of our silver coins to exchange for a single gulden. Your Majesty, I hate to say it, but if you wish to outfit your armies with these weapons, it will be a considerable expense..."

While Dharya was eager to spend the money necessary to outfit his army, Chandra stepped in and prevented the transaction from continuing.

"Absolutely not! I will not allow you to waste so much money on such novelties. For the good of the Empire, I must put my foot down and prevent this transaction. These Austrians are trying to con you out of your family's fortune."

Dharya sneered when he heard his uncle's retort. He knew the only reason the man was preventing this arms deal from occurring was because he wanted to waste that sum on frivolous luxuries for himself. Despite this, he was not in any place to overrule his decision, thus he sighed heavily and admitted defeat. Perhaps he was doomed to lose all of his authority as the Emperor. 

However, fate would have it that Berengar left a good impression on the young ambassador, and in doing so, more importantly Ishwar wanted to continue to visit Austria in the future, after returning to his family's medieval Empire he felt an overwhelming sense of depression. Thus, he was quick to negotiate on behalf of the Emperor, despite it being against his father's wishes. 

"Father, surely we can spare some funds to update the equipment of the Tiger Guard? It is no secret they are currently issued centuries old equipment that is well past the point of serviceability. How can we expect them to protect the Emperor from our family's enemies if they are under-equipped!?!

The Royal Guard of Anangpur, also known as the Tiger Guard, was an elite military unit of roughly 1,000 men designed to protect the Emperor and the Royal Family. Unlike the army, which answered to various corrupt generals who were in Chandra's pocket, the Tiger Guard acted solely on the orders of the Emperor. It was explicitly because of this that Chandra had ensured they were under-equipped and under-funded. 

Until now, there had been no objection to this lack of funding and supplies. However, it was something that was well known, and if Chandra denied this request, he could not deny his plot to keep the Emperor poorly protected in preparation for the eventuality of his usurpation. Such a thing would easily be considered treason. 

Thus, he had no choice but to agree to this request. In doing so, he sighed heavily before responding.

"Very well. If you truly believe these new weapons are suitable for the Tiger Guard, I suppose we can afford the expense. However, if they do not live up to their reputation, and the Emperor is harmed because of this, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand my son?

Ishwar nodded his head in silence. He understood what his father was planning and secretly despised it. Ishwar was a man who still had faith in his Empire's ability to survive its current troubles. However, so long as his father was in charge of the Empire, it will decline rapidly. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about such a thing. Corruption was rampant in every facet of society, and anyone who could end Chandra's tyranny was either dead, or paid for by the tyrant himself. 

However, if the tiger guard was appropriately supplied with arkebuses and falconets, they could at the very least hold off any attempt to overthrow the Emperor long enough for the boy to escape. A life in exile was certainly better than death.

Ishwar turned and faced his cousin with a look of pity on his face. He did not envy the boy in the slightest, or the burdens he had to bear. However, If there was one person in this world who could invoke a greater sense of sympathy in Ishwar's young heart, it was the princess. Doomed to be locked away from the world at large, a prisoner in her own room simply because her uncle was obsessed with a long forgotten prophecy. Truly, it was a shame....