What's new

Pax Sicandricus

Serenierre

Established Nation
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
6,692
Location
Karachi, Sindh
Capital
Villesen
AMC Sikandara
Headquarters


Stepping into his office, Raheel Dadakhel slumped on the sofa under the window, feeling tired and frustrated. He had become the Chief Engineer at AMC Sikandara - the local branch of the Ivernian aeronautical firm - and had been summoned in his very first week to the Council for Defence in Old Shahdara, along with his counterparts from the two domestic Sikandari aeronautical firms which had begun expanding their focus on jets. The meeting had not been held in the Grand Councillor's office but rather in an anonymous conference room in the council's building. As he had arrived, he had felt a very apparent feeling of anxiety and tension amongst the few people he saw scurrying to and fro in the long empty corridors of the government building. Only later would he know that the reason was the Yujin Front, information for which remained strictly classified.

As he had arrived, Ahmed Nanjiani and Kareem Falahbakht, the Chief Engineers from VVT Aeronautics and Qizilbash Industries, respectively, had already taken their seat. There was a polite nod of acknowledgement but other than that, there was a cold silence in the room before the Grand Councillor for Defence arrived. Their companies were rivals, that much was clear. While AMC Sikandara had the support of the main Ivernian company's reputation it lacked the experience of its domestic competitors, VVT Aeronautics had extensive experience in upgrading the Mezhist jets that had been bought in the past, while Qizilbash Aeronautics had maintained and serviced the Ivernian AME100 jets in Sikandari service.

Dadakhel, at thirty, was the youngest of the three men. Though in other respects, the three men shared nearly everything in common, all three were from upper-middle class backgrounds, all of them had completed their aeronautical engineering courses in universities in Germania, and all of them had a very strong competitive streak in them.

"Gentlemen," the Grand Councillor said, as he entered, "Sorry if I kept you waiting, I was occupied with an important matter" (He had been authorizing the napalming of communist guerrilla garrisons in the Yujiner Province of Xianbei)

Taking his seat, the man had gotten down straight to business, "As you may know, the technological advances of our friends and foes abroad have left our own capabilities considerably weakened. You, or should I say your firms, have great reputations and now is the time for you all to serve the Empire. It has been decided that it is not a sustainable situation for us to rely on foreign nations to fulfill the future needs of our air force. So, gentlemen, we are authorizing a domestic fighter to be constructed... solely for own use." He then proceeded to outline what were the requirements of the Imperial Air Force.

Three hours later, in his office, Dadakhel opened his briefcase and looked at the documents that had been given to him, along with the other Chief Engineers, all classified documents. Walking up to his telephone, he dialed the number for Aodh-Mor Headquarters: His intention was to brief them about the developments and the possible opportunity for the company. He also asked whether they could send over a team of advisers to assist them. Then, he called a meeting of his design bureau. He was excited but tired and overwhelmed at the task at hand.
@
 
Last edited:

Serenierre

Established Nation
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
6,692
Location
Karachi, Sindh
Capital
Villesen
SCANDAL IN SHAHDARA
Walking with their servant-girls trailing behind them, the ladies of the upper class Sikandari elite made their way from the Empress College - the premier girl's college in Sikandara. The fresh champa blossoms had begun appearing on trees all along the courtyard in the early summer months, their distinctively sweet smell rising high. They spoke in crisp, ever so polite tones, of the latest fashions of dupatta lacework and of gossip from the court. Apparently, Shahzadi Roshanara - the Emperor's own grand-daughter - was involved in some passionate love affair with the married Duke of Marwar, a man much older and not to mention married. It was scandalous.

Finding an empty pavilion, away from the heat of the mid-day sun, the three young maidens sat on the benches. Writing in a beautiful, clean hand, they listed the dishes they sought and sent off two of the accompanying maids to the cafeteria to fetch their order.

Though the servants spoke only the coarsest variant of the language, so much so that they would only barely understand the refined dialect of the ladies, once they were dispatched on their mission to the kitchens, only then the details begin to trickle out from the delicate lips of Gulara.

As much as could be gathered, the most beautiful princess had met this gruff and masculine general at the Ceremony of a Thousand Pardons – the annual event where the Emperor pardoned petty offenders and granted the destitute alms. And when their eyes met, Gulara said with a sigh, the Princess was unable to restrain her longing for the Duke. Thus, began a love.

Mehrbano, the eldest among them, and a student of History at the College, started: "My mother was in shock when she heard about Her Highness. The older generation just can't imagine such behavior from a princess no less."

"One just hopes that they won't think that letting us come here will 'sow the seed of desire' in us," Gulara said with a gentle laugh.

"They shouldn't bother," interrupted Dildara, the youngest of the ladies, who had arrived in Shahdara the previous winter and was excited by the intrigues and culture of the ancient imperial citadel, "Those princesses are known to be 'enlightened', as they would say."

"Hush, don’t be disrespectful," Mehrbano said, stifling a laugh, "But yes," she pointed to Gulara, "You and I are sisters, in that which we fear. It just won't do to have the College be disrupted... I just have one year left. But continue... with the story."

And that she did. So once the Princess and the Duke initiated their liaisons, in the private gardens of the Imperial Fortress, a complex so vast it was easy to hide illicit activity within, only her chief eunuch would know where the two lovers met. And as fate would have it, one day, the mother of the Princess, the third wife of the Emperor’s sixth son, happened to see Shahzadi Roshanara returning from her rendezvous, with the Duke following her path, a few strides behind. Intrigued, she summoned the chief eunuch, who tried to cover the tracks of his mistress.
As one would expect, this royal wife was not pleased with the blatant deception, and so had the eunuch buried up till his shoulders for a day until he revealed the secrets of Princess Roshanara to her.

And so, it was she, who rang the alarm in the harem. Oh, it was pandemonium, by all accounts. The older women of the harem, burst into tears and lamented having to see the day when the noble House of Sikander would be tarnished by someone within its own ranks. The other princesses knew that their own chances of gaining imperial favour would rise following this episode.

“How do you know this, Gulara?” Dildara asked, her eye-brow arched out of curiosity.

Patting her head softly, Mehrbano said, “Don’t you know? Her mother is a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager.”

“His Majesty’s mother?” she asked in surprise.

“The same,” Gulara nodded with pride.

By the time Princess Roshanara’s father got to know of the scandal, news had spread but he arranged for a private examination by the Imperial Physician to ensure that the princess remained free from pregnancy. The Duke was reprimanded and banished on command of HRH The Shahzada Hoshiyar (Roshanara’s father) from the court. And while all of this was occurring, rumours were beginning to fly in the harem that the young princess had found for herself a lad from the musician’s quarters to teach her the lyre. He is a full two years younger than the seventeen year old Shahzadi Roshanara, but it is presumed that she is in full command of this lad.

Mehrbano let out a loud laugh. “I don’t know whether to envy her or to berate her?”

The maids that had been sent to the cafeteria arrived, laden with trays of food fresh from the hot stoves of the College’s cafeteria. The time in between their classes had become a much needed relief for these three friends.

A rare moment where the restrictive social etiquette could be avoided, at-least partially, and honesty could surface. For you see, Dildara, the youngest of the three friends, was being courted by the son of Rustum Ghaznavi – the Grand Councillor for Diplomatic Affairs. But unlike the happenings in the life of Princess Roshanara, this love was chaste.

“Dildara Banu,” Mehrbano said affectionately to her friend, “when are you becoming the daughter-in-law of the Grand Councillor?”

She blushed. “I don’t know. He hasn’t asked. Nor have his parents approached my own. But I know... God willing... it will happen.”

“Just remember to finish your degree,” Gulara spoke up, “Mehr and I both continued after our marriages and so should you. It’s not every day one gets to see a woman studying Agriculture.”

“But I hate it, I’m only doing this since it’s the proper thing for ladies now.”

“Well, hate it now... your husband will love you for it.”​

 
Top