Multan, Pakistan – March 10th, 1949

The March wind swept across Multan. It carried dust from distant deserts and smoke from cooking fires. The city was busy with its usual evening activity. Horse drawn carts clattered over uneven streets. Children ran between market stalls. The call to prayer echoed off old minarets.

Inside a simple compound on the southern edge of the city, everything was quiet. Peterson sat hunched over a radio transmitter. His hands were steady but his mind was alert. Every crackle and hiss of static connected him to the men in Washington who waited for news about Turbat.

Through the encrypted line, Donovan's voice finally came through. "Peterson, report."

Peterson adjusted the dials carefully. He knew every word would be analyzed in Washington. "Sir, Turbat operation completed. Fourteen Kalat backed levies are dead. Two of our tribal operatives were killed. The rest withdrew successfully.

We delivered weapons through smuggling routes via Makran, and used our contacts in Iran for getting in touch with the tribal leaders. Local brokers confirm that tribal leaders have confidence in the promised protection and rewards."

There was a pause on the line. When Donovan spoke again, his voice was sharper. "Two operatives lost? That could complicate things. If Indian forces find those bodies and investigate these casualties, they might start connecting dots. Are there any traceable elements?"

Peterson felt his chest tighten slightly. "Sir, the weapons were a mix of British, Italian, and Soviet surplus. Each one is untraceable individually. But yes, the deaths are a risk. If India finds the remains, they could examine equipment and personal effects.

Direct links to our operation are unlikely though. We planned for potential exposure. We are monitoring communications for any unusual activity."

Donovan tapped a pen against his desk. "Peterson, explain the reasoning. Why Turbat?"

Peterson kept his voice calm. "Because Turbat is remote and off major roads, sir. It is lightly patrolled. The terrain prevents interference while giving us clear conditions to test Indian capabilities. The goal wasn't destruction, sir. It was measurement.

How quickly does Indian intelligence detect activity? How do the levies coordinate with reinforcements? How strong is India's actual control over these new territories? Everything was designed to look like normal tribal unrest. From Multan, I could manage the operation while staying secure."

Donovan exhaled slowly. "And what's your assessment after...all this?"

"Within expectations," Peterson replied. "The levies' response showed they follow rigid procedures. No improvisation beyond minor delays. Tribal units withdrew as planned. The Makran corridor remains viable for future operations.

The only concern is still the two casualties. They could be potentially traceable if recovered."

Donovan's voice became more thoughtful. "Hmm. Also, Peterson, remember that Mehra is useful right now. His intelligence is quietly helping Chiang Kai shek's successes in China. That benefits us indirectly.

But useful men can become dangerous. We need to know exactly where Indian control reaches without exposing our operations. Did you document everything?"

"Every detail, sir," Peterson confirmed. "Intercepted communications, response times, coordination patterns. All recorded. To India, this would look like local tribal trouble, with some imported weapons."

Donovan leaned back. He studied his map of the Indian subcontinent with Turbat marked on it. "Good. Keep watching. Make sure the corridor stays operational. Track any unexpected responses or changes in Indian intelligence procedures.

This is about gathering information and maintaining control. Not about causing destruction. The first test is done, but this is just the beginning."

After ending the transmission, Peterson spent the next hour encoding his detailed report. He used a complex cipher system. The operation had multiple layers beyond what he had discussed with Donovan.

The tribal leaders they had recruited were carefully selected. These were men with genuine grievances against Khan's and Indian rule. But they were also practical enough to accept American funding and guidance.

The weapons selection had been strategic beyond mere traceability. They had chosen firearms that matched what local tribes might realistically obtain through existing smuggling networks. This created a believable cover story.

Each weapon had been deliberately weathered and marked. They appeared as if they had changed hands multiple times through regional arms dealers.

The radio equipment required careful shutdown procedures. This would prevent detection by hostile signals intelligence. Peterson methodically powered down each component. He made sure all encryption keys were properly cleared from memory.

The transmitter would remain silent for at least a week. During this time he would monitor Indian communication channels for any signs they had detected the transmission.

After making sure he secured his equipment in hidden compartments, he then prepared for the long wait that characterized intelligence work. Operations moved in predictable cycles. Plant assets, observe responses, analyze patterns, plan next moves, then repeat.

Outside his compound, Multan settled into its familiar evening rhythm. Somewhere in the remote Makran hills, tribal leaders were counting American money. They were planning their next actions based on Peterson's guidance.

What they didn't know was that they were dealing with someone who had seen their game from miles away. Someone who would do something far crazier than they had expected.

Balochistan – March 11th, 1949

And so, unbeknownst to Peterson, the other side was already moving.

Back in Delhi, Arjun had quietly mobilized small Intelligence Bureau teams with specific instructions. Nothing flashy, nothing obvious. Just patient, low-profile intelligence gathering. Scrape at the edges of the story, collect the small details, and wait for the pattern to emerge.

The reason he didn't order IB to operate at full capacity was simple. He can't do that without bypassing the Khan's authority, not until he accepts the official merger. Not to mention, it might end up alerting those who he was after.

IB officers slipped into bazaars and traveled with caravans. They talked to dhobis, schoolteachers, and grocers who moved between the coastal routes and tribal districts. They recruited muleteers and water-carriers as informants, the kind of people nobody noticed.

These were men who could tell you if a truck had passed through at odd hours or if a stranger's accent didn't quite match the region. Information came back slowly in coded notes and careful maps marked with times and eyewitness names.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army's Western Command was quietly started to patrol along the frontier. It that had been sporadic and mostly ceremonial shifted into longer, more methodical sweeps.

Levy units that normally handled only local security now found themselves escorting reconnaissance parties along the Makran approaches, checking passes and caravan routes for irregular traffic.

These weren't full-scale deployments. They were deliberate shows of controlled attention, making life harder for smugglers and creating opportunities for listening posts to pick up careless conversations.

Peterson's plan had counted on having a quiet week to work with. What he couldn't know from Multan was how quickly the other side was already picking up signals. Small, local incidents started adding up.

In Delhi, these slender clues were being stitched together with army patrol logs. The information was thin, yes, but when layered together it was starting to form a map that would help them triangulate the general regions.

Of course, in the end, this was more or less a plan B of sorts, if the Khan rejected the merger. After all, if the merger does happens in next couple days, IB and Indian Army would have all the freedom they would need get to hasten the entire process.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.