"For 2 decades, I’ve been writing and illustrating the accounts of the fictional Frenglish Empire and its exploits from 1658-1880. Frengland was based on the supposition that after the death of Oliver Cromwell, the empire’s of the UK and France merged into an unstoppable global superpower but always at odds. This particular painting takes place at what would be the Napoleonic era although, the wars were fought in different places around the globe. This particular battle revolves around the subjugation of the island of Rhodes by non state actors (mercenaries) in the employ of various commercial interests to harass Frenglish sea power from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. An ambitious pirate commander, Apollo sought to decapitate the resistance leadership, particularly the general, Helios. The way I juggle my history from past, present, and future, I took from the Ancient Greek story of the relationship between the goddess Rhode and the sun god, Helios. I added a jealous rivalry between Apollo, the god of light and music and the living embodiment of the sun. Rhode was the prize. The battle took place in 1799." Umar Rashid, 2025