After three years of accumulation, Jim had amassed plenty of tech. He had quite the network of drones keeping watch over the kingdom, making him the most informed person in the realm.
For good measure, Jim had kept a close eye on the palace, noting the coming and going of everyone, including the Queen. He would take time to watch her.
According to the people, the Queen of the Asis was a symbol of their purity and the pillar of their strength and morality. She was the agent of their goddess, Caar, the bringer of rain, the mother of all.
To Jim, she was just a young girl. If she was in their colony world, she would be thinking of joining a suitable college, or get a skill, not run a kingdom. He also noticed how stunningly beautiful she was, and how any man would be fortunate to have her.
Jim noted the high number of priests milling about around her night and day, and the constant pressure she was under. At night, when she was all alone, he also observed her crying and wishing for a way out.
It would seem that the decision has been made, Jim thought. The Queen was going to be married off to this brute, just to keep the peace. Worry not Queen, Jim thought at her, that will not happen, not if I have anything to do with it.
Now you're all caught up. This was the auspicious day, the beginning of his plan. On the surface, Jim was only armed with a bow and some arrows. Under his heavy cloak, he had all kinds of weapons and ammo.
His plan was to get to the town of Tain by nightfall, where the operation would begin. Everything was going smoothly at this point, and the night was moonless, just as he'd predicted. Watching to make sure the no one was following, Jim drew as close as he could to the palace, without raising any eyebrows.
Eventually, one of the palace guards approached him, trying to chase him away. They assumed he was a drunk who had unwittingly wandered off in the night. That's when Jim struck.
Using a tranquilizer gun, Jim fired numerous darts rapidly. Each shot finding its mark. He had been practicing this several months, so his actions were smooth. The unsuspecting guards were knocked out before they could shout.
Once inside the palace grounds, Jim followed the directions using his visor, where he had a Heads-Up Display (HUD) to watch for any heat signatures. He moved stealthily, never once being caught. He almost felt like a ninja given how skillfully he moved.
After several tries, Jim finally ended up locating the Queen's chambers, where the beauty was sound asleep after a few hours of sobbing. He could tell just by looking at her.
"This part is going to be awkward," Jim thought to himself as he approached her. The guards were all knocked out cold, and no one else was awake. Jim took of his visor and slowly placed his hand on her mouth, before tightening the grip.
Feeling the offending hand on her mouth, the Queen woke up with a scare. She then noticed there was a strange man in her private chambers. She wanted nothing more than to scream her guts out, but the hand was firmly holding her.
She fought with all her strength, fear and desperation fueling her. However, no matter how much effort she put, she was always fated to lose, the difference in strength between the two was too much.
"Enough," Jim hissed, once she had spent much of her strength, "I mean you no harm."
The Queen answered by trying to bite the hand away, but once he'd spoken, she was visibly a lot calmer.
"You want me to move my hand, I will," Jim said, "if you promise not to scream. Do you promise?" He asked. She nodded, but as soon as his hand loosened, she started wailing. Jim had no choice but to quickly cover her mouth. In so doing, he ended up roughing up accidentally, her nose started bleeding.
"Your guards will not hear you, and anyone who comes through that door will die!" Jim hissed as he stared down at her. She looked back at him with eyes filled with defiance. Clearly, she was either not buying what he was saying or determined to not go down without a fight. Either way, his words were having no effect on her.
Jim roughly grabbed her and took her to the door, where he opened it. They both went into the hallway, where here guards were lying, fast asleep. Jim didn't let her examine them, so she thought they were dead.
Her fear and dread multiplied by several folds, and she wanted to run. However, Jim was ready, and he held her. He turned her to look at him, and once they had eye contact, he asked, "now will you listen?"
"You want to marry me?" The Queen asked, once she heard Jim's proposal. Of all the things she expected from the masked man, this was definitely not it.
"Your Majesty, the Zithilites are a vile people, undeserving of our Queen," Jim quipped. He had taken his mask off for the conversation, so the two were looking at each other eye to eye. "If anyone deserves you, it should be the best and the brightest among the Asis."
Despite the situation, the Queen couldn't help marveling how bold and self-assured this man was, "Those are bold words."
"Indeed, they are. I speak such because I can back them up, Your Majesty," Jim assured her, "after all, I got to your chambers without spilling blood."
In some level, the Queen couldn't help admiring the daring of this man. She even found his antiques quite impressive. However, this did not mean she would forget herself.
The Zithilites were the most brutal and vile scourge to walk the world, and if they could be controlled somehow, then was the price too high? If it meant saving the lives of her people, she was willing, albeit half-heartedly, to marry their king. Of course, this was tantamount to sacrificing herself, but what choice did she have?
"What do you suggest we do when their hordes come charging in?" The Queen asked suddenly.
"This is the reason I am here," Jim answered. "If you so desire, appoint a hundred men under my command. To prevent suspicion, send these men to my village, Cesia, to come in the dark of night, the day after tomorrow."
"You want to use a hundred men to destroy a horde of hundreds, possibly thousands?" She asked incredulously.
"Your Majesty, there is nothing much I can say to convince you. All I ask is that you trust me enough to delay the marriage. Give me time to push back these barbarians from our land." Jim replied. He wanted to say that he alone could do it, but what was the point.
If he was going to help out this kingdom, he had to get something out of it. He had come here to chat with the queen, lay his cards on the table. If she failed to cooperate, who was he to interfere further.
"The delegation of the Zithilite king is coming to visit, what should I tell them?" The Queen asked. Jim could tell that she was liking his idea more and more.
"We should be ready in a week, two at the most." Jim replied thoughtfully. He had the weapons, the ammo, and the armor, now all he needed were the soldiers and time to train them. "Tell them something provoking, see what they'll do with that."
As he left, Jim saw the smile on the Queen's face, and he shivered, pitying the foreign king. Who knew what manner of insults awaited him?