On Board the Elga River Cruise Ship, Sprau River, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire
On this early October morning, Howard H. Leach was holding a fish.
"Don't worry about your fingers, Sir. Old Nessie here won't bite. She's as calm as any good domestic sea drake," translated Dr. Banks.
Howard watched the sea drake handler place a fish directly into one of the two creature's toothy mouths to demonstrate. Her head retreated as her long neck bent back and tilted towards the sky before chomping up and swallowing the fish.
"See, she has manners befitting a lady." The handler chuckled.
Howard only thinly smiled. He carefully put his fish into the remaining beckoning mouth and yanked his hand back quickly. The sun shined against the head's white teeth as it pulled back to consume the snack. As it did so, the third head of the sea drake, still dutifully looking forward as the sea drake pulled the river cruise ship, mewled. The black whale-like skin of the sea drake glistened under the new sun.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Howard wished the doctor was inaccurate in portraying the handler's near condescending temperament. The handler was at least ten years his junior.
Contrary to expectations, the Sprau River was remarkably clean, which meant that the sewage system was either better than their 19th-century equivalents on Earth or was being released further down river.
"Was the river always this clean, Captain?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact, no. Just a couple of generations ago the river was brown enough to make anyone who swam in it sick. It was by Imperial decree that the river was cleaned up to protect the health of sea drakes, with sewage being rerouted and treated at great expense."
Howard nodded. The level of cleanliness in Esthirant observed thus far could put New York to shame, although it had significantly fewer residents than the economic center of the United States. There was not a single horse in sight that did not have a manure catcher, and the lack of chimneys on rooftops showed that no smoke was produced by the piped heating system. At the residence, Howard had observed the household staff light up fire gems whenever hot water was needed for tea and showers.
One of the sea drake heads had come back down and allowed herself to be petted by William Harris. As the FSO petted the creature, he asked, "Did sea drakes always have three necks and heads?"
The handler tilted his head slightly to the FSO. "Do you mean if they're natural?"
"Natural?"
"Non-genetically modified, rather than simply selectively bred. Sea drakes as we know them today are certainly not natural."
Howard's attention sharpened onto the conversation. "So this three-headed creature of yours did not evolve to have three necks and heads?"
There was a gap as Dr. Banks had to think to translate Howard's question to Lourin. She initially used the root word ēvolvere, which meant 'to unroll'. Then she quickly clarified with an on-the-spot clarification of 'changing gradually over many generations.'
"Indeed not, her species was created, according to historical records. I believe if you go to the Natural History Museum, you can find a fossil of the base species I believe were labelled as sea wyrms that were modified into sea drakes. Those fossils have one neck and one head like every other natural creature with heads."
"Let me get this straight," said William. "You mean people here can add entirely new heads to animals?"
"Oh by the stars, no!" The handler shook his head. "Such power is unknown to us. Sea drakes were created by… the Ancient Sorcerous Empire."
"The Ancient Sorcerous Empire?"
"They had an official name, but I dare not speak the name out loud. The Ancient Sorcerous Empire was an empire from ancient times that was said to have unparalleled power over blood and mana. I'm not well educated on that matter of history so."
"Perhaps I may provide info here," said a woman's voice in Lourin. Howard turned to see an elegant black-haired woman step up. Her hair was done up in a ponytail.
"Director Elt Wolff."
"Mister Howard Leach. I overheard your conversation turning to the subject of ancient history and wanted to see if I can help enlighten you all."
"I take it you're an expert."
"Hardly," smiled the Director, "just enough to know the fundamentals required to then understand the history of the Mirishials. The High Elves are intrinsically linked to the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. Over ten millennia ago, the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, according to what is currently considered mythological texts, conquered the world by enslaving one race after another, using enslaved races to conquer the remaining free races.
The myths tell that during the time of their rule, the ancient sorcerers created wondrous arcane constructs and transformed many species of animals into new ones to suit them. These include giant armoured wolves said to strike down soldiers with lightning, wyverns to spot their enemies from the air, sea drakes for patrolling the coasts and rivers, and krakens to sink the boats of anyone who manages to get out onto the open ocean. The lightning wolves, to our knowledge, are extinct within the three civilization areas. The other three I mentioned are, of course, still thriving.
Then, one day after many generations of rule, the ancient sorcerers suddenly abandoned their conquests. The enslaved races were able to free themselves from their shackles and fend off the counter invasions by the demons, the servants of the sorcerors, under the leadership of the Four Heroes, though not before being scattered across the world."
There was a moment of silence as everyone absorbed the Director's tale.
Eventually, William spoke to her. "That seems like an oddly believable myth. No gods or anything?"
"Oh, there were gods involved in the myth. I just chose to omit the more fantastical aspects of the stories. Even though there is no elf alive today who witnessed the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, we are certain of their mastery of magic and biology."
"How?"
"The Holy Mirishial Empire is built on the ruins of their colonies. It's why the HME is the pre-eminent power in the world. They reverse spell-weaved the work of the sorcerors. Here, let me show you the actual name of the Great Enslavers in writing since it's taboo to say it out loud, in both Lourin and the Ravernal language."
The Director took out her PC and began writing on it with a stylus. Once done, she showed the neon green handwriting on its black crystal "screen" to the Americans.
'Imperium Ravernal'
'Ravernal riket'
Howard knew just enough Latin to be able to translate the Lourin title into English himself.
The Ravernal Empire
Riverside Pavillion, On the Sprau River Bank, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire
Upon getting off the boat, the delegations were greeted by a Parpaldian Army band and a US Marine band formed up side by side to the right of the celebration venue. There was a large crowd of reporters and onlookers blocked off from the venue by rope and a few police officers.
Once the Parpaldian Army band started playing their national anthem, the crowd's chatter immediately died down and reflexively began anew as a chorus. As the Parpaldian delegation joined in singing the lyrics of their anthem, Vlad looked around and noticed that even the three heads and necks of the sea drake lined up in the air in a seeming salute to the anthem.
Eventually, the US Marines followed up with their rendition of the United States national anthem. Vlad joined his delegation in attempting to sing as best as they could for the onlookers. Then, mercifully for him, it was over.
Howard H. Leach and Director Elt Wolff walked over to each other and shook hands for the cameras and crystals of the event's media personnel, then moved in between two parallel tables enveloped by dark blue cloth covers. As the guest, Howard pulled off the cover of the table closest to the river first.
An array of US state gifts were revealed to the Parpaldians, and Howard took the time to present each of the gifts to the Director. They ranged from crates of bottled wine, cases of Coca-Cola, coffee powder, an orrery of the Solar System, ceremonial sabres, watches, simple calculators, binoculars, and outdoor knives to full-wooden chess sets, American footballs, AAA battery RC model-boats, cars, and trains.
The Parpaldians reciprocated with crates of bottled wine, full sets of tableware, tea sets, chests of tea bags, brass handheld telescopes, officer-issued combat sabres, ship-in-a-bottles, gem powered model-sliders which could not be started or turned off by any American, and finally a painted portrait of Emperor Ludius I riding a wyvern in military regalia.
Upon looking at the painting, Howard H. Leach frowned as he pondered the difficulty of commissioning a painting of a young George W. Bush majestically flying an F-102 for presenting to the Parpaldians later.
With the exchange of state gifts over, the pomp and ceremony concluded with an outdoor barbeque. US Marine cooks served up burgers, hotdogs, and fries with the full standard condiment options. After the delegations were served, the cooks first served the members of the Parpaldian Army band before moving on to feed their own. A platter of cut pieces on toothpicks went out for the crowd to sample.
The menu had been pre-confirmed with the Parpaldians beforehand, along with the requisite explanation of exactly why the Americans would ever want to share 'dressed meat' with their hosts. The practice of pre-slaughtering and partially processing meat as 'dressed meat' had only recently started entering the food stores of the working class in the cities of the empire over the past few years. For anyone making above factory floor wage, the idea of not eating freshly cut meat brought from one's local butcher still seemed abominable and potentially unsanitary.
As a former businessman who started in the food processing industry, Howard found himself in his area of expertise. Along with assuring the Parpaldians that as a wealthy 71-year-old man he would not subject himself to food with any probable chance of food poisoning along with technical details on why food poisoning from American-sourced meat was unlikely, he explained that as a former colony that successfully revolted against its overlords, the United States took pride in serving comfort food that nearly everyone could afford and enjoy. To have an outdoor barbeque with some cold soda and beer was one of the most popular pastimes of the common American.
As they sat down, Howard warned the Director about the propensity of the foods to drip oil if she did not wrap it up properly in the provided paper napkins. She took heed of the warning and added additional layers to protect her coat from the food.
"So how do you like your bacon cheeseburger, Director?" asked William after she had taken her first full bite after nearly burning her tongue.
"I find it a bit salty for my preferences, especially coming from your fried pork slices, though this is the softest beef I have ever tasted. I've never imagined that beef could be minced and then flattened. The idea of melting cheese slices is something I'll have to try with sandwiches later. Also, why are your wrapped sausages called 'hotdogs'? They may be hot, but Dr. Banks assured me they're from pigs and not dogs."
"I'm not sure Director, but I think it was a joke about how sausages were as similar in shape to a breed of dogs from another country back in our old world."
"A sausage-shaped dog? Now that is a first. I would like to see one." Elt moved on to the fries and dipped one into the ketchup as the Americans did. She grimaced. "Pardon me. Is this some kind of pickled sauce? It's sour."
"No pickling, but ketchup does contain the vinegar used in pickling and is made from a naturally sour vegetable."
To the horror of the Marines watching nearby, Elt proceeded to dip the fries in mayonnaise.
"What is this sauce called? It tastes much better."
"Umm, mayonnaise."
The other members of the Parpaldian delegation seemed to share Elt's disdain for ketchup and preference for mayonnaise with fries.
'How Belgian of them', thought Howard.
William demonstrated to Elt how to open a can of Coke. Her reaction was unexpected. "Why would you sweeten mineral water?"
Howard laughed before the two parties went into a spirited discussion about why Coke is not a medicinal drink and the usefulness of 'mineral water', better known as seltzer in the United States, as medicine which appeared to be the sole use of carbonated water in Parpaldia. Later, she, upon trying, commented that American beer was too weak and flavourless. Tonight she would offer every member of the American delegation a glass of high-quality Parpaldian beer to prove her point.
At the end of lunch, the delegations separated for final preparations for the first day of formal negotiations between the United States of America and the Parpaldian Empire. As Director Elt was talking to the press, Dr. Banks thanked the Marine cook profusely when he handed over a paper bag of freshly cooked food and a can of cold Coke after noticing she had let her plate go cold and her drink go warm amidst all the non-stop translating earlier.
"Just doing my job, Ma'am," said the cook before heading back for cleanup.
By the end of the day, the parties had come to an initial agreement. Signed before the press, as the crowds had longest since dissipated at lunchtime. The Convention of Esthirant laid out the following 15 articles:
§ I - Mutual peace between the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia
§ II - Trade transactions to be permitted
§ III - Currency exchange to facilitate any trade transactions to be allowed
§ IV - Designated ports to be opened for trade between the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia
§ V - Assistance to be provided to shipwrecked sailors and downed aircrew
§ VI - Temporary housing, care, and protection to be given to shipwrecked sailors and aircrew until repatriation can occur
§ VII - Agreement to quarantine measures upon the first arrival on the land of the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia per visit, which may be later lifted
§ VIII - Establishment of embassies in Esthirant and Washington, D.C. and appointment of ambassadors
§ IX - Establishment of diplomatic and consular immunity
§ X - Recognition of exclusive economic zones of the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia
§ XI - Recognition of the Kingdom of Topa as a Protectorate of the Empire of Parpaldia
§ XII - Agreement to allow a limited quantity of simultaneous military overflights above an altitude of 50000 ft in the airspace of the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia
§ XIII - Agreement to pursue trade agreements between the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia
§ XIV - Agreement to pursue resolution of conflicts between the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia through diplomacy
§ XV - Convention to be ratified within 4 months of signing
The finer details required for a trade agreement would have to be made later, but happily, for SAC, its nuclear-armed bombers effectively had free reign to conduct their reconnaissance missions over Parpaldia. Coincidentally, the Parpaldian system of measurements matched the Metric system, though confusingly they referred to measurements as being part of Imperial Standard Units. The altitude of 50000 ft or 15240 m was begrudgingly agreed to by the Parpaldians after the US gave a semi-truthful excuse that any lower altitude would run the risk of collisions with civilian aircraft. Regardless, the Parpaldian's highest flying wyverns were estimated by the US to have a max-ceiling of 16400 ft, with recorded observations of wyverns at an altitude of 12500 ft. For the foreseeable future, this article was a one-way deal.
The ratification deadline of 4 months was relatively soon for international agreements, which would help give businesses in the United States confidence that relief was coming.
Unfortunately, it became clear that aside from iron, tin, copper, coal, and wood no substantial natural resources that the United States sorely needed could be acquired from the Parpaldian Empire. The Parpaldian Empire's most valuable strategic resources appeared to mainly consist of magical gems, which were useless to the Americans. The United States delegation would have to look elsewhere, first by attempting to schedule meetings with the other countries with embassies in Esthirant.
After a long day of meaningful progress, the delegations retired to a multi-course fresh seafood dinner at the Sommer Hotel, where after a blind taste test, a majority of the U.S. delegation agreed with Elt's assertion that Parpaldian beer was better as it somehow remained pleasant even when it warmed up to room temperature. A competition between similarly aged American and Parpaldian wine proved indecisive. The tallies were no further apart than could be explained by random chance.
Thanks to an inordinately large number of alcoholic palate cleansers served between each course relative to modern American standards, every American envoy (except their translators who were once again gifted some takeout) was rather sloshed by the time they piled into awaiting slidercars and were escorted by dutifully sober and bored Marines back into the safety of the residence.
Howard later vaguely remembered being informed by a Marine that a letter had arrived for him.
"A letter? At this time?"
"It arrived this afternoon, Sir. It's addressed from-"
"Place it on my desk. I'll read it in the morning."
The next morning, with an aching head, he dragged himself up and went through his morning routine later than typical. The next negotiation meeting was scheduled for after two days, to give time for each party to inform their respective heads of government and state. When finally Howard saw the letter in his bathrobe, it was already 10 a.m.
The letter was without an envelope, so Howard quickly looked through it. The writing was all in Latin, no, Lourin. Doctor Banks would have to read it. He went ahead and dressed for the day.
Half an hour later, he called up the good doctor to go over the letter. She translated it out loud as she jotted down notes in her short form.
Esthirant, Parpaldia,
Narquelië 3, 1639.
Mister Howard H. Leech of the United States of America,
Residence of the United States Envoy,
7th Avenue,
Esthirant, Parpaldia.
Sir, - I humbly invite you, and whichever members of your delegation you choose to bring, to the Embassy of Mu on 5th Avenue, for a discussion that concerns the acquisition of 'fossilized' resources I believe are of utmost importance to your nation. If you accept my invitation, please arrive at eleven o'clock before noon. Should the discussion prove to be of merit, brunch will be provided.
Yours respectfully,
Mugei of First Fire,
Ambassador of Mu to the Empire of Parpaldia.
Howard looked at his watch. The time was now 10:39. "We're going now," he declared. "Get William, the hipster guy, and Doctor Andrews."
The lead translator ran out of the room as Howard pressed a button on his intercom, then reached for his bag, and then pulled open his desk drawer to start looking through stacks of paper.
"Mister Leech? How may I help you?" echoed the intercom.
"Arrange for an escort for four-no, five people plus the local as soon as possible. We're headed to the Embassy of Mu on 5th Avenue."
"Right away, Sir. Five people plus the local to the Embassy of Mu." The intercom clicked off.
He found an information package titled 'Fossil Fuels' and threw it into his bag. He went to the door, turned around and grabbed an overcoat for the chilly morning air, and speed walked down the hallway, stairs, and out the lobby. Luckily, everyone quickly gathered outside as the residence's valet stood by the slidercar. The commander of the LAV in front of the slidercar gave a thumbs up, and everyone piled into the slidercar. As soon as the delegation and two Marines squeezed themselves into seats, the valet pressed the crystal at the front to get the slidercar moving. The doors slid closed and the vehicle lifted off the ground to follow behind the LAV as the convoy drove away to its destination.
Ambassadorial Office, Embassy of Mu, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire
Mugei of First Fire looked at the gold-plated hands of his watch. It was now three minutes past eleven, and there was still no sign of the Americans.
He frowned. Had he misjudged his invitation? His intelligence team had gotten information that 'liquid fossil fuels' was on the list of topics up for discussion between the United States and the Empire of Parpaldia. No further elaboration was available, but liquid fossil fuels had to refer mainly to one thing: crude oil.
Did he make a mistake by writing 'fossilized' resources? Coal was a fossil fuel, and one that the Parpaldians had plenty of. However, coal was abundant everywhere. Surely even the new country that suddenly appeared in the east has plenty of coal.
Mugei had procured information that the American envoys were scheduled to be free for two days, though admittedly that was an assuming they were focused on the Parpaldians and had not already booked meetings with other parties.
Perhaps they were simply not in as big a need of crude oil as he assumed. Despite the reported size of their economy and status as a mechanical nation, perhaps the Americans relied on an alternative energy source that Mugei would not be able to conceive of.
Or, perhaps today was a special day that the Americans simply did not work on. In that case, he might receive a letter later today informing him of their declination to attend.
He checked his watch again. 11:07. He sighed. He would wait until noon. If the Americans did not arrive then, he would move on to other activities.
Unfortunately, there was no newspaper available today as the printers were closed on rest days. They would only be available if something major occurred, like the death of a notable person of international standing or another outbreak of fighting. This far away from home, he did not have access to the radio stations that would be transmitting music across half a continent. He rummaged around a stack of old newspapers, found an empty crossword puzzle, and began to practice his Parpaldian. The first word had something to do with mana. He skipped that.
He had filled in a couple of words when his head of security interrupted him. "An armoured convoy is approaching, Sir. From the colour of the armoured cars, I believe it's the Americans."
Mugei checked his watch, then dismissed the man. The time was now 11:11. For Muan boarding school students, being as late as the Americans would be grounds for detention. Mugei neatly folded up his newspaper, placed it on his desk for later, and checked that his ponytail was properly held back in the full profile mirror. As he walked down the steps, he was relieved that his bait had managed to hook the Americans.
Stepping outside, he immediately saw two large green armoured cars flanking either side of the slidercar awaiting past the gates of the embassy. The backs of the green hulks opened up and American soldiers covered in a uniform pattern Mugei did not recognize formed up to secure the street. A man who seemed to be a local valet conversed with the Muan guard at the gate in Parpaldian. As they talked, the occupants of the slidercar got out one by one. Mugei observed that the soldiers appeared to be of many different skin colours, indicating the wide-reaching power of their nation over many peoples. Notably, all the envoys were as pale as the Parpaldians.
The guard accepted the invitation passed over by the valet and confirming its authenticity, called for others to open the gates. As the gates were pulled inwards, Mugei stepped forward as he recognized the American envoy from the prints.
"Mister Leech of the United States of America, I am Mugei of First Fire, Muan Ambassador to the Parpaldian Empire. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said in Lourin.
A woman at the side of the American envoy translated to the American tongue, then translated back as the envoy held out his hand.
"It is mine also."
Out of customary respect for personal space, Muans normally never shook hands, but as a seasoned diplomat, Mugei recognized the gesture and shook the hand firmly. He turned to the woman. "And how may I refer to you, Madam?"
"I am Doctor Banks," she shook his hand, "lead translator for this expedition."
Mugei nodded. He turned to the other two Americans behind them.
"William Harris, U.S.A. Foreign Service Officer."
"Doctor Baris, secondary translator."
Mugei kept a slight smile as he accepted their introductions. "You may bring two of your… guards inside the embassy for your wellbeing. The rest will have to remain beyond the walls. Is this acceptable?"
There was some chatter amongst the Americans. Two American soldiers stepped forward. They carried what appeared to be carbines as Mugei guessed by the length of their black unusually ridged barrels.
"Well come on in. Let us go inside and warm up from this cold air. I imagine the streets must have been unpleasant today."
"Oh yes, absolutely. There were many other slidercars and carriages this morning. I do apologize profusely for being late."
"No harm done."
As they walked across the paved courtyard, Mugei glanced back at his guests and noticed that most of them briefly gawked at the Year 19 armoured car parked in front. The six-wheeled Armoured Car 19 was about half a meter shorter than the American vehicle in width and height and about a meter and a half shorter in length. Despite the size difference, without further examination, the Year 19 appeared to roughly match the larger vehicle in armament with its 37mm cannon and light machine gun in a turret. Uniquely amongst most vehicle designs that Mugei had observed thus far, the Year 19 was equipped with a ball-mounted water-cooled Light Machine Gun 11 in both the front and rear sloped 10mm steel hulls. This gave its 5-member crew improved capability to respond to attacks that might be made against it while it was on reconnaissance and patrol.
Author's Note: Please refer to the Wattpad version for Figure 1.
Figure 8.1 Mu Armored Car 19
They walked up the front steps, passed two guards equipped with Rifle 95s at the vestibule, and entered through the ornate double doors into the building. Here they paused as the house staff took the coats of the envoys at the main hall. Turning left, Mugei showed them into the parlour. Upholstered armchairs surrounded a round marble-topped table.
"Please, take any seat you like."
As they settled in, the butler arrived and offered coffee or tea. At the mention of coffee, Mugei observed the Americans suddenly perk up, no doubt excited to try something local that was not tea.
"This is coffee shipped across the world from my home country of Mu," explained Mugei.
"This is good," said Leech after sipping, "Much better than the coffee I have been drinking for the last few days."
"Hmm, you have coffee in the United States of America?"
"Yes, though the best varieties available came from other countries."
"Ah, and so lost after your nation's transference."
The envoy stopped drinking for a second. "That particular detail was not publicly announced, though I suppose it would be part of the information you obtained to arrange for this meeting, Mister Mugei."
Mugei smiled openly. "I believe Mu and the United States of America can become good partners, Mister Leech."
"How so?" asked the older man.
"As a mechanical nation, Mu has conducted extensive surveys into the non-crystal natural resources of this world. In a nearby country, we have found what may be best described as black liquid gold."
"Oil."
"Yes, oil. Arguably the most important of all fossil fuels. We would offer your country the general location of such deposits."
"For?"
"In exchange for half of all oil extracted from the country containing those deposits."
"Half!"
"We are willing to allow you to pay directly for our half of the share temporarily as you ramp up extraction."
"... Why offer us such a deal? Shouldn't you have secured this source of oil already?"
"Unfortunately. Mu currently does not have enough ocean transport capability to make transporting oil from this country back home commercially viable. Plus, this oil is what we classify as heavy oil, which is different from the light oil we currently extract and refine at home. Of course, there is the difficulty of dealing with the locals and getting them to agree to extraction."
"So the United States would be dealing with the host country and building and operating the infrastructure required on its own for a while, and the shares would be based on extracted oil and not merely the rights for extraction of verified reserves. Yet you want half?"
"Your country's transference must be placing a strain on your energy supplies. If you do not choose to pay for our information, how much longer do you think you can last while searching on your own? Not without a lot of pain, I imagine."
Leech's brows furrowed. "I believe that even if your country begins deploying equipment later to cover half of the deposits, the United States will be able to extract its sources faster. Therefore, Mu would receive more oil or compensation via direct payment sooner than it normally would if it relied solely on its labour and equipment. Would you be willing to show us the location for one-third?"
"Two-fifths. No less."
"Deal, as long as the oil reserves truly exist."
"I can assure you they do."
They shook hands.
"It's good to come to an agreement. I'll prepare a draft in Lourin and send it over later for your perusal. Once it's signed in all the legal languages required, we'll provide you with the locations and the experts to guide you there on your expedition."
"That sounds good."
"Alright, now how about for some brunch."
Servants Quarters, Residence of the United States Envoy, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire
Vlad Baris woke up to the ringing of the phone. As he groggily opened his eyes the day after the meeting with the Muan ambassador, he saw that it was still dark outside. He reached out his hand and fumbled around for the phone that hounded at him. Finally finding it, he picked it up and put the corded receiver to his ear.
"Hello, this is Vlad Baris."
"Dr. Baris, this is Doctor Milo Varshavski, chief medical officer for this mission. Can you confirm that William Harris is in the room with you?"
He looked across the room to the other twin-sized bed. The outline of his roommate was buried in the covers.
"Yes, the FSO is with me."
"How are you feeling, medically?"
"Umm, ah. Fine I think? Just tired. What time is it now?"
"... It's 5:21 am. How about Harris?"
"Hold on a second." Vlad covered the transmitter with his hand. "Hey, Harris. Are you okay?"
There was a murmur from the other bed.
"Harris? I need a yes or no."
No response. Vlad got out of bed and walked over to the man. "Harris?"
"Ugh, I don't feel so good," finally murmured William. He still had his eyes closed in bed.
Vlad instinctively felt around the walls for the light switch to get a better look at the man. Then he remembered that there were no physical light switches in the room. He walked over and felt William's forehead. It was warm. Really warm. He returned to the phone.
"William's temperature feels high. I think he might have a fever."
"Okay, Dr. Baris. Stay in the room with Mister Harris. Do not open your door or attempt to leave the room. Someone will arrive shortly to check on him."
"Don't leave the room? Is something going on, Doctor?"
Doctor Varshavski ignored his question. Instead, his voice rattled through what must have been a prepared statement. "Ahem, under the authority provided by Title 42 Section 264 of the United States Code, the Surgeon General with approval of the Secretary has ordered quarantine to be put into effect for persons of the United States Mission to the Empire of Parpaldia and persons of the U.S.S. Wasp. I, Milo Varshavski, per the duties outlined in Title 42 Section 268 of the United States Code, hereby order Vlad Baris and William Harris into quarantine. Failure to adhere to quarantine rules and regulations as made by the Surgeon General without permission of the quarantine officer in charge is punishable by a fine of not more than $1000 or by imprisonment of not more than one year, or both."
Vlad was shocked. Quarantine measures would be put in place only in the event of a mass outbreak. After a second, he spoke into the phone, "How bad is it, Doctor?"
"Almost everyone who's remotely involved in meeting with the locals here is showing flu-like symptoms. Samples are already on their way to the CDC. Got to hang up now. I have more people to check on." The phone clicked.
Vlad put down the phone into its cradle. This could not have happened at a poorer time for the mission. Today they were supposed to sign the contract with the Muans and plan for departure as soon as possible with Michael leading Vlad, a geologist, and some engineers to follow the directions of the Muan partner to find petroleum while the rest of the team stayed behind in Parpaldia.
Ambassadorial Office, Embassy of Mu, Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire
Mugei lounged outside in the cooling morning air in the shade of a table patio umbrella. He unfolded the newspaper delivered with the coffee and began reading as he drank. After a second, he coughed violently as he choked a bit on the liquid.
The front page was dedicated to covering the death of the Landgravine of a province of the Parpaldian Empire who had outlived her husband by three decades. On page two, however, was a headline announcing that the Kingdom of Louria had declared war on the Principality of Qua-Toyne. Soldiers were already marching over the border, thereby triggering Qua-Toyne's long-standing defensive treaty with the Kingdom of Quilla. According to the writer, there have been no reports that the Lourians had invaded Quilla yet.
This was followed by guest commentary from a retired Parpaldian Army officer who predicted that the Lourians would surely win with overwhelming numbers and new weapons and training provided by Parpaldian advisors. A simple map showed the likely routes the Lourian invasion would take with an arrow travelling northeast over the City of Gim, Fortress Ejey, and finally the city capital of Qua-Toyne. Another arrow curving from Jin-Hark over the South Parpaldian Sea to the Qua-Toynian port city of Maihark and then southwest to the city capital.
Quilla was the fabled land of oil and the destination of the planned joint Muan-American expedition. This war would change things up a bit.
He called for his aides. There was some bad news he would have to deliver to the Americans after they signed the contract today.