“You know, willing subjects are easier to study than unwilling ones. And Aeriel corpses might have their place in a laboratory,” Ashwin’s voice was impassive, silver eyes fixed intently on Dr. Visht. “But nothing beats a living, cooperative specimen for inspecting the variation in biochemical reactions to regular and reinforced sif at different levels of thermal intensity. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Ruban stared at Ashwin. What was he playing at?

Behind thick-rimmed glasses, Dr. Visht’s bushy eyebrows climbed his forehead. “A willing, cooperative subject?” He let out a mirthless little laugh. “You know the nature of my research, yes? The only time my subjects are ‘cooperative’ is when they’re dead. Not that I blame them.” He shrugged narrow shoulders, crossing his legs under the table. “It’s not in their best interests to cooperate with me.”

“At the moment, that’s true enough.” Ashwin intertwined his fingers, elbows propped on the armrests of his chair. “But if Vaan and Vandram were allies, our interests would be more compatible. As the defence minister rightly pointed out,” his eyes flicked momentarily to Rifaq. “Not all the Aeriels in this country are under our control. That’s as much of an inconvenience to us as to Vandram.

“If your research can help subdue the various factions of the Exiles and bring them under government control,” he pressed his intertwined fingers to his lips. “I’m sure my sister would consider it a worthwhile endeavor.”

Dr. Visht smiled wryly. “Worthwhile enough to order her own brother to be my lab rat?”

“Why not?” Ashwin shrugged. “I spent a significant portion of my childhood being hers. Let’s just say you won’t need a recording to study Janak Nath’s experimental techniques, once this alliance is finalized.”

Dr. Visht held out both hands in front of him, his smile widening. “In that case, you have my vote.”

One by one, Ruban studied each of the faces around the table. Dhriti and Rifaq were wholly opposed to the alliance, although for very different reasons.

Ashwin had won Prahlad and Jheel – the ministers of commerce and external affairs, respectively – over to his side, with a combination of charm and cold hard logic that only he could deploy. Now, Dr. Visht had also been ensnared.

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That left Raizada, Unnati, and Hiba – who had yet to make a decision.

Raizada probably didn’t like the idea of an alliance with Vaan, but as he’d said himself, he liked the idea of a war even less. If push came to shove, Ruban thought he’d vote for the alliance simply to minimize the risk of further bloodshed.

Unnati’s decision was a coin-toss. She had sufficient reason to oppose the alliance, but she was also a pragmatic woman. She wouldn’t push them into war over an ideology, if a better option presented itself.

Whether or not she considered Ashwin to be that better option…well, that might just prove to be the pivot on which their fates turned.

Across the table, Hiba exhaled sharply. Ruban did appreciate the complexity of her position. Unlike the others, she was here as a representative of the prime minister. This gave her significant power, but she had to be careful not to exceed her mandate. Her decision wasn’t solely hers to make.

Fixing her droopy gaze on Ashwin, Hiba drawled, “I’m six months away from retirement. Just for that, I’m inclined to reject your proposal. After all the drama your lot caused at Reivaa’s castle last year, you now expect me to deal with the public outrage that’ll inevitably come the moment we endorse this alliance?

“Besides, the prime minister will never sanction it. Elections are just round the corner, and his approval ratings are already down – thanks largely to your antics these past few months. And there’s not a single voting bloc in this country that’d approve of an alliance with Vaan. Agreeing to this would be political suicide. You’re too sharp not to have realized that already.”

“I’m glad someone noticed.” Ashwin turned to look at her. “So, am I to understand that you’d endorse the alliance, if it had the support of a significant section of the prime minister’s voter base?”

“Would I eat the moon if it was a loquat?” Hiba smirked. “Why not? You’d probably have an easier time convincing the public that the moon actually is a loquat than that an alliance with Vaan is in their interests. But if it’d make you happy to try, don’t let this old woman’s skepticism stop you.”

“Old?” Untangling his intertwined fingers, Ashwin smiled serenely at Hiba. “You’re barely more than a child to me, my dear. No need to fret about the public outrage, I’ll handle it.” He glanced at Unnati, who was watching them converse from the other end of the table. “Nor will there be any damage to the reputation of the Hunter Corps. I do understand your concerns, but if this Cabinet will only grant me two weeks’ time, I can promise you that both these issues shall be resolved.”

“How can you possibly be so sure of that?” Unnati frowned, a tinge of curiosity coloring her voice.

Eyes sparkling with glee, Ashwin answered her with a question of his own. “Will you let me show you?”