Calcutta, 1873
Midnight
The workshop smelled of oil, rust, and burnt coal.
Arjun sat cross-legged on the floor, dismantling a broken telegraph relay like it was a puzzle from another lifetime.
The British Empire ruled India through three pillars:
1. Military superiority.
2. Economic extraction.
3. Information control.
Telegraph lines stitched the subcontinent together — not for unity, but for command. Orders traveled faster than rebellion.
Arjun rotated the copper coil between his fingers.
"You control communication," he murmured, "you control reaction time."
And reaction time wins wars.
A Mind 100 Years Ahead
Harish Chandra watched him carefully.
"You talk like a general," Harish said.
Arjun smiled faintly. "No. Generals fight battles. Engineers decide who wins before they begin."
He began sketching.
Instead of crude single-coil relays, he designed improved electromagnetic efficiency — tighter windings, better insulation layering using treated cotton and resin. Victorian India had the materials. It just lacked optimization.
"Why improve their telegraph?" Harish asked.
"We won't," Arjun replied. "We'll understand it."
He tapped the schematic.
"Every British command travels through these lines. If one day those lines fail… selectively… at key moments…"
Harish's eyes widened.
"You speak of treason."
Arjun looked at him steadily.
"I speak of freedom."
Silence filled the workshop.
Outside, a patrol of red-coated soldiers marched past.
Step Two: Build Power Before Power Exists
Arjun's next obsession was electricity.
In 1873, electricity existed — but as novelty and laboratory curiosity. No widespread grids. No industrial electrification.
He needed:
-Copper windings
-Iron cores
-Rotational motion
-Mechanical input
Steam engines already provided rotational motion.
All he had to do was convert motion to controlled electrical output.
He sketched a primitive dynamo based on principles known in his time — but optimized with future understanding.
"If we build this," Harish said slowly, "what does it do?"
"It changes everything."
Electric light extends working hours safely.
Electric motors remove dependence on inefficient belts and shafts.
Electrolysis enables chemical production.
Communications become modular.
And most importantly—
Factories become scalable.
Arjun wasn't thinking about bombs.
He was thinking about industry.
Because industry wins empires.
Meanwhile – Government House
Inside the administrative chambers of Calcutta, a young intelligence officer named Edward Harrington reviewed dock records.
Something bothered him.
Three different mechanics had submitted unusually efficient repair reports in the last week.
Valve optimization. Pressure correction. Improved seal techniques.
All linked to the same workshop.
He tapped the page thoughtfully.
"Progressive natives are useful," his superior muttered. "Keep them loyal with coin."
But Harrington frowned.
Innovation without British supervision was… dangerous.
"Keep watch," he ordered quietly.
The Prototype
Weeks passed.
Arjun barely slept.
He modified scrap iron into a crude armature.
Hand-wound copper coils.
Reinforced the shaft using techniques decades ahead of the era.
Finally—
They connected the dynamo to a small steam engine.
"Ready?" Harish asked.
Arjun nodded.
The engine roared to life.
The shaft spun.
For a moment — nothing.
Then—
A filament glowed.
Dim.
Flickering.
But unmistakable.
Electric light.
Harish staggered backward.
"By the gods…"
Arjun stared at the bulb like it was a sunrise.
"This," he whispered, "is the first spark of a nation."
Vision Beyond Revolution
He wasn't planning a 1857-style uprising.
That failed because it was emotional.
He would build capacity.
First:
-Train craftsmen quietly in improved metallurgy.
-Introduce standardized parts.
-Establish covert night classes teaching mathematics and mechanical drawing.
-Begin nitrate extraction for fertilizers — prevent famine, earn trust.
Slowly create parallel infrastructure.
When the time came, the British wouldn't be fighting rebels.
They would be fighting an industrializing civilization.
A Private Oath
That night, Arjun climbed to the roof of the workshop.
Calcutta stretched before him — lantern-lit, divided, unequal.
British mansions glowing bright.
Indian quarters dim and cramped.
He clenched his fists.
"In my time," he whispered to the wind,
"India builds rockets."
"In my time, we design nuclear reactors."
"In my time, we send missions to Mars."
He didn't know if he would ever return.
But maybe—
He didn't need to.
If he advanced this timeline enough…
The future he remembered might never exist.
Because a stronger one would replace it.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow he would begin organizing education circles.
After that — steel refinement.
After that — arms research.
Not for terror.
For deterrence.
Behind him, unseen in the shadows of the alley below, Edward Harrington watched the faint electric glow from the workshop window.
And for the first time in his career…
He felt uneasy.
The Empire believed it had centuries left.
It had just lost its monopoly on the future.
End of Chapter 2