This story is a continuation of the previous scene Tea in Peshawar. Devasheesh has made contact with an odd fellow that was feeling out for support for Bahadur Shah II leadership in a possible future rebellion.

The machine

While Devasheesh was waiting for an invitation from Delhi, he paid a visit to Salim Akbar in an attempt to find more about what the man was going after on their first chat.

The textile store was a musty place. There was, however, a lot more inventory than people around. The two men chatted for the best of an hour. Devasheesh found out that Salim believed that the Mughal emperor was the least capable of ruling without a coalition once that the English were expelled from Punjab. When the men parted, Salim shook Dev’s hand.

“Remember friend, we are all small cogs inside a large machine.”

Salim has a good reaction with Devasheesh.