London, India House, May 14th, 1949, Evening
The drawing room was quiet, a stark contrast to the diplomatic chaos still unfolding across London. Hans Multhopp stood by the fireplace, his mind still turning over what he had seen a month ago.
How the seemingly revolutionary aerospace research called Area Rule popped in his life. And that too from people he probably never expected.
Of course, it's not that similar research aren't happening elsewhere, in other developed countries. They are. But either they were in their infancy or led to failed outcos. Unlike what he saw.
He wore a well-maintained suit, though it had clearly seen better days. His features were sharp, his eyes restless with the kind of energy that ca from a lifeti of chasing breakthroughs.
The door opened. Pri Minister Arjun hra entered, and the room seed to shift around him. Not dramatically, just that quiet sense of authority so people carried naturally.
"Dr. Multhopp," Arjun said. "Thank you for accepting my invitation. I trust Minister non conveyed the urgency. Unfortunately, he has other matters to handle tonight and cannot join us."
Multhopp turned from the fireplace. "Pri Minister hra. Yes, the urgency was clear. As for Minister non, I understand. A man in his position rarely has idle monts." He paused.
"As for Dr. Ghante and what he showed , I still do not know how to explain it. The knowledge he presented is simply groundbreaking."
Arjun smiled faintly. "I am pleased it resonated with you, Doctor. Please, sit."
They settled into armchairs. Neither spoke for a mont. The silence felt deliberate rather than awkward.
"So," Arjun began. "You have had ti to consider everything. Given that you are planning to move to India soon, do you have any doubts? Questions?"
Multhopp nodded slowly. "I have had enough ti to confirm it is not an error. Not an exaggeration." He paused.
"The Area Rule contradicts several accepted assumptions in aerodynamics. But it does so with such clean mathematics that I cannot dismiss it. That is what troubles most, actually."
Arjun said nothing, letting him continue.
"I tried to apply the principles myself," Multhopp went on. "Run so preliminary calculations. The results showed minor improvents. Small, but real. And that tells this is legitimate."
Arjun nodded. "Hm."
Multhopp t his eyes. "I will not pretend I understand how this knowledge ca to exist. But I understand what it ans for aviation. For aerospace engineering. That is why I agreed to et. I want to see this through."
"Every benefit we proposed is genuine," Arjun said. "The resources, the funding, the facilities. All waiting for you in India."
Multhopp folded his hands. "Which ans I would not face institutional politics. No committees questioning my work. No oversight from people who do not understand what I am trying to achieve."
"You would be constrained only by physics," Arjun replied. "And by discretion, of course."
"And loyalty?" Multhopp asked carefully.
"To your work," Arjun said. "And to the nation that allows you to pursue it without interference."
Sothing in Multhopp's posture relaxed. For the first ti since that initial eting with Dr. Ghante, he felt like he could breathe properly.
Arjun leaned forward slightly. "So when can we expect you in India?"
Multhopp smiled. "A week at most. I have finished all my commitnts here. My affairs are in order."
"Excellent," Arjun said, leaning back. "We will have everything ready for your arrival."
London, Various Commonwealth Delegations, May 14th, 1949, Late Evening
While Arjun was securing India's technological future, the fallout from his Commonwealth announcent was spreading through the city.
In the Australian suite, Pri Minister Ben Chifley sat with his foreign minister. "India is gone," Chifley muttered. "Just walked out like that. Can you believe it? And now they are proposing this Conference of Sovereign Nations as an alternative, even though he says it's not."
His foreign minister nodded grimly. "It weakens our Asian connections significantly. Creates a vacuum that China or the Soviets might try to fill. But then again....," he paused and sighed.
"India under hra is radically different from how Nehru handled it in 1946. They're unpredictable. So, its tough to accurately guess what he'll do."
Australia was loyal to Britain, but they weren't out of touch from the reality. India had economic power and one of the UN Security Council leaders. Their departure mattered strategically, not just symbolically.
"We express public regret," Chifley decided. "But privately we can consider the CSN as well. If other Asian nations join, we cannot afford to be isolated from that network. It's not like we have to leave the Commonwealth for it. We can participate in both."
In the Canadian chambers, Pri Minister Louis St. Laurent saw things differently. Canada had its own complicated history with British authority.
"hra has a point about the UK being at the center of Commonwealth gathering even though the tis have changed," St. Laurent said to his advisors.
"The Commonwealth structure is outdated. But this withdrawal and even a counter proposal, it subtly forces everyone to choose sides. Not literally, but rather symbolically.
It is…confrontational."
His foreign minister agreed. "We must push for internal Commonwealth reform. Try to bridge the gap. But we cannot antagonize Delhi either. Instead, I think joining that new forum will be the smart choice. It keeps us connected with the Asian countries.
Not to ntion that it doesn't have any leader spot and all mbers can take turn to host it. Its quite close to many reforms that we want in Commonwealth."
Laurent nodded at the suggestion. "Let's first wait and see who all joins this new forum. We'll proceed ahead accordingly. For now, let's ensure we maintain the predicted lead in the upcoming elections."
South Africa's reaction was rather uglier, but not in a way others would expect. Pri Minister D.F. Malan, leading a segregationist governnt, saw India's departure with satisfaction.
"Good riddance," he told his aides, his tone carrying an unpleasant edge. "I guess we'll have more white faces on the table now. If anything, this clarifies where true Commonwealth loyalty lies."
His governnt would use this to force Britain to introduce new changes in Commonwealth, mainly removing the clause to recognize Crown as the supre. All that while strengthening ties with Britain on their own terms.
Ceylon's Pri Minister Don Stephen Senanayake, still processing his tense eting with Krishna non, saw India's move as a warning.
"This is a clear ssage," he told his advisors. "India will not tolerate any perceived subservience from neighbors. Our balancing act with Delhi just beca far more precarious. We need to deepen our cooperation with them imdiately, as non suggested, or risk isolation."
The CSN idea appealed to smaller nations like Ceylon. A forum with no hierarchy, no British dominance. Just sovereign equals. It was what many newly independent nations wanted but were too afraid to propose.
London, India House, May 14th, 1949, Late Night
Multhopp had left recently to prepare for his move. Arjun sat reviewing docunts when a soft knock ca at the door.
An aide entered. "Pri Minister, a ssage from 10 Downing Street. Pri Minister Attlee requests an urgent bilateral eting tomorrow morning."
Arjun looked up from his papers. A faint smile crossed his face.
He had expected this. The British, cornered and desperate, would try one last maneuver.
"Good," Arjun said. "Inform Minister non. He will accompany . And have all our financial briefs and strategic papers prepared. Every number, every projection. I want all the advantage we can get when we walk into that room."
The aide nodded and left.
Arjun stood and walked to the window, looking out at the London night.
This was the perfect mont to do the other thing that he wanted to do. Which was to discuss the return of all the Indian gold stored in Britain, and also talk about investing the remaining debt into UK companies that'll make it big in future.
Of course, they won't allow an outsider to get the stakes in their crown jewels, but sa can't be said for the other ones.
While he was scheming his next move, sowhere across the city, Attlee and his cabinet were still awake, trying to figure out how to salvage sothing from this ss.
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[A/N: Thanks to Hersh Jobanputra for the chapter na suggestion]
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