Lords of the East - Council Chambers

[Thanatos Eclipse]

As Malek enters the court and makes his way towards the Omani table, Zurm and Em jump to their feet and meet him halfway. They get through telling him most of the Khwarezm speech when-

“Ha, ha, ha”

Malek’s booming laugh fills the chamber, but Em interrupts him and finishes catching him up on the Khwarezm and Sindh speeches. At this point Malek’s cheer disappears and a frown appears on his face, “I see.”

He contemplates the news for a second, then addresses the court, “Interesting this news the Sindh send to us, I will of course have to have my people check on the authenticity of this information, but even if this is true it changes nothing for Oman. Our interest in the plight of the people of Sindh started long before befriending the Rajputs. We only just recently began talks with our new friends. Once our liberating forces had landed on the shores of Sindh, we thought it best to announce ourselves to our new neighbors. We are not a greedy people and would have little use for inland colonies; plus, very few Omani would be willing to travel so far inland to help rebuild the tattered lands, so we invited our neighbors to help. The Rajput Empire was both eager and well positioned to help liberate the people of Sindh; all the while the Khwarezm remained silent to our letters. Knowing that the Khwarezm are already a vast empire, with both rebel settlements and the carcass of the Seljuk for them to scavenge and grow, we took the Maharajah up on his offer.”

“You must understand, dear Khwarezmi...” at this point Malek turns his full attention towards the Shah’s representative, “...although your lands lay so close to ours, our people could not be more different. My people’s hearts beat to the sound of crashing waves; whether it’s against the wooden planks of a boat or on the shores of a warm sandy beach, while your people thrive on earth and rock. No offense, but in our stories of old, thus is the fate of only our most infamous villains and a trial of our greatest heroes. Your a people of lands truly not suited to the needs of the Omani, so please forgive me when I laugh at the image of an Omani people stuck in the northern reaches.” Malek smiles at the thought again, but it goes away when he returns his attention to the Khwarezm. “Yes, you are right that we did not seek an alliance with the Rajputs to defend against the Sindh. You were an unknown quantity to us and with your habit of berating your smaller neighbors when they seek lands that you have silently claimed (we are not the Qara-Suu, we have no mystics to tell us what you are thinking), we thought it best to make a strong front just in case. The Omani seek merely to protect the progress that is being made in Sindh and for its people.”

As Malek finishes and is about to sit down, Em whispers in his ear one more time. “Oh yes,” Malek says, “I almost forgot. Mercenary! Tell your masters that if they expect us to take their words seriously, they should not send them by the mouth of a slave that is tethered to your hands like a puppet, when you yourself embody all that they claim they are not!”

As Malek sits down, he grumbles to his companions, “Damn Amr, off playing battleships, while I’m stuck here with real work. Come on, a mercenary and a slaver! How can anyone be expected to communicate with the Malikate of Sindh through that; the only language they understand is money. I may as well try communicating with the dead through a goblet of wine.”

“It would probably work better, sir.” Em adds.

Malek glares at Em, “Don’t be a suck-up!”

Em falls silent.