In watching the TV news in the coming weeks, Jake discovered that the Emperor’s question had not been merely academic. It started with the Black Emperor making a public announcement that all military forces of the Red Kingdom had approximately two hours to evacuate the isthmus and mountain-bounded valley. The Red Kingdom made no immediate response. Subsequent news footage showed the Red Kingdom troops withdrawing without a fight, just as the Emperor had predicted. It also provided Jake with his first view of Replini aircraft. They had jets that were similar to the ones in his time on earth. They also had helicopters but they were different from his experience. They were similar to the quadrocopters he had seen in 2068 but on a much larger scale and with surprisingly small blades due to the denser atmosphere. The helicopters and jets seemed to be just for show; mostly it seemed that stationing ground-troops everywhere was the strategy.
In the following days, it became clear that the Red Emperor was angry. He publicly denounced the Black Emperor as a dangerous aggressor. In return the Black Emperor published a video in which he visited the people of the newly annexed land, gave a speech, and highlighted the impromptu celebrations that were held. He especially commended the people for painting their tail horns with black paint.
The Yellow Kingdom and the Red Kingdom joined in trade sanctions against the Black Kingdom. A relatively small city in the northern part of the Red Kingdom had a near monopoly on luxury cars which would no longer be available. Jake also overheard the guards bemoaning the lack of certain food items that only grew in particular parts of the Red Kingdom. Other than these, there were no impacts of note.
Jake felt relieved that the advice that he had given the Emperor had not only worked out but also avoided bloodshed entirely.
