This near-kidnapping, mafia-style method was the cheapest and most peaceful solution Solomon could come up with; every other option was either deploying weapons of mass destruction or carrying out genocide, each leading to massive casualties—and the Eternal City didn't have time for that now. Negotiation and cooperation would be left to Victor von Doom; Solomon trusted the regent's domestic governance completely. He himself needed to return to Latveria to set up defenses, to prevent NATO from snapping and launching weapons of mass destruction at Latveria.
As for the bombing tragedy at the Vienna International Centre, Latveria had already obtained "evidence" proving it was the work of Hydra remnants. The Sisterhood passed it to all news outlets and pre-seeded it, shaping it into an unshakable "fact," forestalling those media from spinning conspiracy theories. In Euro-American political circles, King T'Chaka of Wakanda was merely a Black African strongman. They would express condolence and then forget him entirely; for those politicians, King T'Chaka was less convenient to exploit than the families of the dead security personnel.
From beginning to end, a Wakanda purportedly "depleted of vibranium reserves" had never mattered; King T'Chaka's efforts were one-sided. If not for the Wakandans who died in Nigeria advancing the Sokovia Accords, he wouldn't have gotten that speaking slot—and wouldn't have died in that blast because of it. T'Chaka's death was fated, but not to be so wretched.
After the super-heavy shuttle transferred the king's remains to Wakandan craft alongside the Royal Guard, Prince T'Challa flatly refused Solomon's advice to return to Wakanda and ascend the throne, insisting on staying in Vienna to hunt the killers—the "evidence" had only hardened his resolve. The negligent Royal Guard could not force their future king to overrule himself, but they had to return to Wakanda. They could only leave a few to aid Prince T'Challa's quest for vengeance until Wakanda's follow-on forces arrived.
The Royal Guard's commander told Praetorian Konstantin that, after the bombing, she recognized their protection had been wholly inadequate. She hoped their ally, the Eternal City, would supply arms to equip the Guard members remaining in Vienna; Wakanda could not lose its future king. The request was granted. Konstantin provided the Guard with a batch of laser and plasma weapons. Wakandan research had left fingerprints on the earliest development of both; they were exactly what Wakandans knew best, requiring little extra training to operate. The commander hurriedly thanked Konstantin, then led her despondent Guard aboard the Wakandan craft.
Both the Eternal City and Wakanda, without prior agreement, ignored local air defenses and sovereignty.
"My lord asks me to convey his apology. He must return to Latveria to guard against an ICBM strike," Konstantin said to T'Challa, who remained on-site. Solomon had no desire to face anyone from Wakanda—not even the reasonable Prince T'Challa. When T'Challa said he understood why Solomon protected everyone else but hadn't saved his father, Solomon's face had gone ashen, as if a sword had been driven through his heart. He did not regret what he had done, but he still sent Konstantin to face T'Challa while he alone returned to Latveria to deploy anti-air and missile defenses. "But before leaving, my lord gave us our orders: the Eternal City will support everything you need—intelligence gathering and large-scale personnel deployment included."
"Thank you, but this must be done by me," T'Challa said, lips pressed tight, thumb rubbing the ring on his finger stained with blood—the symbol of the Wakandan king. He did not blame Solomon's seemingly premeditated actions, nor that Solomon saved every dignitary but failed to save his father, because he had always known the Eternal City's code was 'let the majority live.' He simply had to choose. Wakanda's political system did not guarantee a hundred percent that he would succeed to the throne, and Princess Shuri, calling from the Eternal City, strongly advised that he remain in Vienna for now and pursue the culprit. "But I do need help. I need intelligence. They won't agree; they'll turn this into… political leverage."
"Of course—the Eternal City will support you fully." Konstantin nodded thoughtfully and returned to the super-heavy shuttle. Prince T'Challa's judgment matched the Sovereign's almost exactly: King T'Chaka would be used as a political prop, and T'Challa would not tolerate that. Compared to Euro-American politicians, T'Challa's skin was still thinner. He believed Wakanda could not seek international standing by exploiting a slain king. Konstantin knew his lord admired the Wakandan prince, and he also knew the Sovereign's heart was heavy now. But it was all for a greater goal—one for which anyone could be sacrificed. Konstantin, Hammurabi, Victoria Hand, Stephanie Malick, Tita, Daina… even the Sovereign himself.
Konstantin watched Prince T'Challa get into a car, then told the technicians still ogling the Fortress-class combat robots to offload the arms and hand them over to the Royal Guard. After that, he took a party and departed Earth, heading for the S.W\.O.R.D. space station. His next task was to make sure that, during the dignitaries' tour of the station and the Martian Foundry, none of them got themselves killed—or to order the execution of any idiot who tried to steal secrets. Beyond that, his most important job was to prosecute strikes on the NATO satellites they had already locked in. He was the commander of this campaign. The Sovereign had decided NATO would be kicked back to WWII-era communications, its missile guidance systems completely crippled.
Solomon, having returned early to his Latverian office via portal, arranged defenses while continuing to game out what would happen next. In seven days, he would go before the UN Security Council for an answer—cooperate or be destroyed. It was a simple choice, but the road to it would never be peaceful. Diana List had just gone to Latveria's state TV station to schedule the broadcast of his Vienna speech for prime time. Then Solomon sent her back to the Eternal City via the teleport chamber beneath the castle to fetch from Stephanie the latest local munitions production list and next week's grain consumption sheet. After finishing the paperwork at hand, he heard briefings from the heads of the military police, then spoke with interior officials responsible for building factories and coordinating production, as well as Martian technicians.
Diana List had moved the original Latverian throne into the hall that was already meant to be a throne room and hung a bearskin behind it. Sitting on the throne in power armor was quite uncomfortable—partly because the chair wasn't that big, partly because he always thought the throne was a bit tacky, and the bearskin made his neck itch. Once Diana removed the desk, he couldn't even sneak yogurt anymore. He could only sprawl back on the throne and face the empty hall alone. Everyone else was delighted, including Diana List at the little clerk's table. She felt it looked imposing, fitting the identity of the King of the Eternal City and Latveria.
"My lord." Hammurabi pushed the door open. "Tea?"
"Of course, Baldrick, a splendid idea." Solomon cocked his head, dropping a very old Blackadder gag. He cast himself as Blackadder and Hammurabi as Baldrick—the goofy, grubby sidekick whose IQ and personal hygiene always seemed to decline as his master's rose. Hammurabi took it as praise, and bowed with grave ceremony, because Baldrick's loyalty was absolute, even under his master's abuse—and for a Praetorian, that was the highest compliment. Hammurabi's sense of humor made Solomon wonder more than once whether the mental conditioning for Konstantin had been too strict. Even the latecomer Hammurabi had developed his own feelings, while Konstantin remained cold as steel. "I think I should clock out and go home. What do you think?" Solomon asked. "I can already imagine what's on the menu."
"I'm hoping for spaghetti and meatballs tonight instead of nutrient paste. Supiluliumas can only eat that stuff now."
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