1636: Mission to the Mughals

After carving a free state for itself in war-torn 17th-century Europe, citizens of the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia, go on a quest for the makings of medicines that have yet to be invented in 17th-century Europe. The United States of Europe, the new nation formed by an alliance between the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and the West Virginians hurled back in time by a cosmic accident - the Ring of Fire - is beset by enemies on all sides. The USE needs a reliable source of opiates for those wounded in action as well as other goods not available in Europe. The Prime Minister of the USE, Mike Stearns, sends a mission to the Mughal Empire of India with the aim of securing a trade deal with the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The mission consists of a mixed group of up-timers and down-timers, including paramedics, a squad of soldiers with railroad-building experience, a spy, and a pair of swindlers. On reaching India the mission finds a grieving emperor obsessed with building the Ta