“The Lady will not care, sir. But do as you wish. It’s this or the loincloth. She keeps several in her hut, so she can humble proud men.”

Chapekar glared at the young man, then squatted, scooped up dirt, and began rubbing it into his own clothing.

A few minutes later, he was inside the hut. It was lighted by three small flickering oil lamps. Shadows danced on the dried-mud walls.

She greeted him with a smile that seemed warm and friendly. Maybe this would go better than he had feared.

“Tikal Chapekar,” she said. “I’m glad that our people are returning from captivity.”

“The new emperor is weak,” said Chapekar. “He thinks that he’ll appease world opinion by letting his prisoners go.”

She said nothing.

“You’ve done an excellent job of annoying the Muslims,” he said.

She said nothing.

“I want to help you.”

“Excellent,” she said. “What weapons are you trained to use?”

He laughed. “No weapons.”

“So…not as a soldier, then. Do you type? I know you can read, so I assume you can handle record keeping on our military computers.”

“Military?” he asked.

“We’re a nation at war,” she said simply.

“But I’m not a soldier of any kind,” said Chapekar.

“Too bad.”

“I’m a governor.”

“The Indian people are doing an excellent job of governing themselves right now. What they need are soldiers to drive out their oppressors.”

“But you have government right here. Your aides, who tell people what to do. The one who covered me with dirt.”

“They help people. They don’t govern them. They give advice.”

“And this is how you rule all of India?”

“I sometimes make suggestions, and my aides put the vid out over the nets,” said Virlomi. “Then the people decide whether to obey me or not.”

“You can reject government now,” said Chapekar. “But someday you’ll need it.”

Virlomi shook her head. “I will never need government. Perhaps someday India will choose to have a government, but I will never need it.”

“So you wouldn’t stop me from urging exactly that course. On the nets.”

She smiled. “Whoever comes to your site, let them agree or disagree with you as they see fit.”

“I think you’re making a mistake,” said Chapekar.

“Ah,” said Virlomi. “And you find this frustrating?”

“India needs better than a lone woman in a hut.”

“And yet this lone woman in a hut held up the Chinese Army in the passes of the east, long enough for the Muslims to have their victory. And this lone woman led the guerrilla war and the riots against the Muslim occupiers. And this lone woman brought the Caliph from Damascus to Hyderabad in order to seize control of his own army, which was committing atrocities against India.”

“And you’re very proud of your achievements.”

“I’m pleased that the gods saw fit to give me something useful to do. I’ve offered you something useful, too, but you refuse.”

“You’ve offered me humiliation and futility.” He stood to go.