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 outcomes. 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 came from a lifetime of chasing breakthroughs.
The door opened. Prime Minister Arjun Mehra entered, and the room seemed to shift around him. Not dramatically, just that quiet sense of authority some people carried naturally.
"Dr. Multhopp," Arjun said. "Thank you for accepting my invitation. I trust Minister Menon conveyed the urgency. Unfortunately, he has other matters to handle tonight and cannot join us."
Multhopp turned from the fireplace. "Prime Minister Mehra. Yes, the urgency was clear. As for Minister Menon, I understand. A man in his position rarely has idle moments." He paused.
"As for Dr. Ghante and what he showed me, 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 moment. The silence felt deliberate rather than awkward.
"So," Arjun began. "You have had time 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 time 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 me most, actually."
Arjun said nothing, letting him continue.
"I tried to apply the principles myself," Multhopp went on. "Run some preliminary calculations. The results showed minor improvements. Small, but real. And that tells me this is legitimate."
Arjun nodded. "Hm."
Multhopp met his eyes. "I will not pretend I understand how this knowledge came to exist. But I understand what it means for aviation. For aerospace engineering. That is why I agreed to meet. 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 means 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."
Something in Multhopp's posture relaxed. For the first time since that initial meeting 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 commitments 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 announcement was spreading through the city.
In the Australian suite, Prime 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 Mehra is radically different from when it was under Nehru. 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, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent saw things differently. Canada had its own complicated history with British authority.
"Mehra has a point about the UK being at the center of Commonwealth gathering even though the times 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 mention that it doesn't have any leader spot and all members 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. Prime Minister D.F. Malan, leading a segregationist government, 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. I have always felt India's non alignment as deception. This clarifies where true Commonwealth loyalty lies."
His government would use this to force Britain to introduce new changes in Commonwealth, mainly removing the clause to recognize Crown as the supreme. All that while strengthening ties with Britain on their own terms.
Ceylon's Prime Minister Don Stephen Senanayake, still processing his tense meeting with Krishna Menon, saw India's move as a warning.
"This is a clear message," he told his advisors. "India will not tolerate any perceived subservience from neighbors. Our balancing act with Delhi just became far more precarious. We need to deepen our cooperation with them immediately, as Menon 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 documents when a soft knock came at the door.
An aide entered. "Prime Minister, a message from 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister Attlee requests an urgent bilateral meeting 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 Menon. He will accompany me. 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 moment 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 same can't be said for the other ones.
While he was scheming his next move, somewhere across the city, Attlee and his cabinet were still awake, trying to figure out how to salvage something from this mess.
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[A/N: Thanks to Hersh Jobanputra for the chapter name suggestion]