The training grounds in Prince Colin's loyal territory, now discreetly overseen by Scorpian personnel, were a symphony of jarring discord: the sharp, disciplined shouts of Army Ranger veterans mixed with the crude, echoing cracks of muskets and the low, guttural curses of men struggling to master the heavy recoil of a Napoleonic cannon. This was Operation: Trojan Horse in action, and while the Zanzeer Kingdom was still reeling from the collapse of Duke Wilmar's keep, the Kingdom Alliance was about to be stabbed in the back by one of its own.
Maximilian had fully committed to his proxy. The vast industrial apparatus of the newly formed Empire of Scorpia had delivered thousands of new muskets and cannons, weapons utterly obsolete to Colonel Vance—the Army Ranger commander operating under DEA cover—but revolutionary to the men of Quarth. Vance, a man who lived and breathed the kinetic efficiency of SARs and Fighter Jets, despised the primitivism of the black powder arms, yet recognized their overwhelming destructive potential against an enemy reliant on swords and volatile, unshielded magic. "We don't have time for theory, Prince," Vance had stated on the first day, watching the ragtag recruits attempt to align their muskets. "Your men are angry, but anger doesn't kill mages; discipline and black powder do. We teach them the volley: load, fire, reload. They learn to ignore the mages' sparks and focus on putting a kinetic shell through the center mass. Muskets and cannons defeat swords and staffs." The focus was brutal and immediate: six weeks to transform raw, loyal men into the two battalions capable of overwhelming the Quarth nobility.
Prince Colin, no longer the supplicating merchant but a figure regaining his royal bearing, spent hours overseeing the training, mesmerized by the simple, terrifying finality of the cannons. The airships Max had sold him—the large, unarmed logistical haulers meticulously stripped of any combat tech—now provided the true, game-changing edge. Colin watched one of the vessels gently lower a new shipment of ammunition. "With these airships, I can move my forces faster than the nobility can send a frantic raven," he told Vance, his voice ringing with conviction. "They will never know where the attack is coming from. My logistical advantage, supplied by the Emperor, will win this war before the first musket is fired." Vance offered no verbal confirmation, simply a curt nod; Max's doctrine held that logistics was the first principle of Order, and Colin was rapidly absorbing that truth.
Ambassador Theron, ensuring the political bonds were tighter than the musket barrels, finalized the commercial framework that would govern Quarth's future under Colin. The mineral contracts, the lifeblood of the empire, were secured. Theron carefully reviewed the intricate division of spoils with Colin. "The mineral sector is paramount, Prince. Our Scorpian companies will begin development immediately. Of the net profits, Scorpia receives forty percent for our technology and risk; you receive fifty percent—enough to modernize your kingdom and pay your loyalists. And of the total, nine percent will go directly to Emperor Maximilian." Colin signed the documents without hesitation. "Nine percent for the key to my throne is a bargain, Ambassador. My uncle's court only ever managed to extract five percent through brute force; Max does it legally, efficiently, and with the promise of stability." The agreements also dictated that all future infrastructure—the roads, power grids, and sanitation—would be constructed by Scorpian firms on long-term contracts tied to Quarth's own revenue, ensuring that every piece of the kingdom's development would be financially and logistically bound to the Empire of Scorpia.
Within two months, the moment of execution arrived. Colin's forces, though still raw, possessed the critical elements of success: Scorpian discipline, kinetic firepower, and overwhelming logistical mobility. Standing with Colonel Vance, Colin studied a large-scale map of the Quarth capital and the surrounding mountains. "The day after tomorrow," Colin declared, his voice carrying the finality of a king. "We move. The Scorpian airships will ferry the cannons to the high ground overlooking the capital, bypassing all land defenses and magical wards. We will rain down the Emperor's fire on the old regime, and then we will restore Order to Quarth." Colonel Vance offered a precise salute. "The training is complete, Prince. The rest is simply execution. The Kingdom Alliance will be fractured by the time they even realize you've fired a shot. They are about to learn what happens when you combine old resentment with new kinetic power." The fuse was lit, and the collapse of the Kingdom Alliance from within was imminent.