26/08/2018
The early morning rays filtered through the blinds, casting a muted warmth across Rohan's room. He sat on his bed rubbing sleep out of his eyes, still half asleep. DL's voice rang out in his mind with a clarity that cut through the quiet like a scalpel.
"Let's talk tech transfer."
Rohan raised an eyebrow. "Already? I just woke up."
"Do you want coffee, or should I brush your teeth? India needs a spark, and you're holding the match. Time to decide what to offer them."
DL's tone shifted from snarky to serious. A large holographic screen materialized in Rohan's mind. Maps of geopolitical hotspots, timelines, and technological advancement arcs unfolded before him.
"Here's the truth," DL began. "As of 2018, India is behind in one critical area—jet engine manufacturing. Their Kaveri engine program is stalled, and they rely heavily on foreign imports. But they're close to cracking it by 2027 and will have their first domestically manufactured jet by 2032. If we hand them the right piece now—the manufacturing process for single-crystal turbine blades—we fast-track their engine independence. They'll have their own fighter jets by 2025. Not top-tier like the US, Russia, or China, but it's a start."
[EXPLANATION: The Kaveri Engine Program]
The Kaveri engine is India's long-standing indigenous jet engine project, launched by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the 1980s. Intended to power the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the project aimed to give India independence from foreign propulsion technologies. However, the program has faced decades of challenges, including issues with temperature tolerance, weight-to-thrust ratio, and materials science—especially for high-performance turbine blades that can withstand extreme heat and pressure.
The project failed to meet original deadlines and performance requirements, leading India to rely on foreign engines like the General Electric F404/F414 for Tejas and other platforms. In recent years, efforts have shifted toward reviving the technology for future aircraft and UAV applications, with support from foreign partners (notably Safran from France). Mastery of single-crystal blade manufacturing, which improves engine efficiency and lifespan, is one of the key technological gaps India seeks to close.
[EXPLANATION: Jet engine turbines are made of extremely heat-resistant materials. Single-crystal turbine blades are superior because they lack grain boundaries, which makes them far more resilient at high temperatures and stresses. This tech is guarded closely by a handful of countries because of its military implications.
Rohan tilted his head. "Why not something more powerful? Give them a leap."
A new window opened, a matrix of color-coded predictions.
"You see this screen; this focal point is your decision, and this green line means low-impact and manageable. Red? Political fallout and border skirmishes with China resulting in loss of life mean you lose Karma Points (KP), and trade sanctions mean the economy suffers, resulting in inflation, which means, yes, you guessed right, you lose KP. Black? Well… that's world war."
Rohan blinked. "What?"
DL's voice was calm. "Every action you take is simulated across millions of alternate branches. We call it causality mapping. Green is safe. Red means trouble. Black is catastrophic. Your file has a black branch where you gave India something strong, something powerful like a blueprint for 5th-gen fighter jet technology or quantum encryption tech; the US and China panicked, war escalated, and 90% of humanity was wiped out."
[EXPLANATION: Quantum encryption, if widely adopted prematurely, could render traditional intelligence infrastructure obsolete overnight. Nations relying on current systems would perceive this as a threat. The same applies to giving 5th gen fighter jet blueprints: a massive leap would shatter the existing military balance.]
Rohan swallowed. "Alright. We go slow."
"Good boy."
He frowned. "But what about the dangers of people finding out? If word gets out that an 18-year-old kid made some breakthrough, someone will want it. Or want me gone. They could even threaten my family for me to cooperate."
DL paused, almost impressed, his tone shifting ever so slightly—less mocking, more curious. "You're adapting quickly. I was expecting naive altruism. You understand that innovation attracts monsters. There are always dark forces at play that want stagnation, not change. They want monopoly, not competition. They want control, not progress."
Rohan's fists clenched. "Then what do we do? I can't just sit on this knowledge forever."
DL chuckled. "Relax, Socrates. You don't need to build the engine. You just need to show them what they've been missing. Nudge the pieces into place. Spark innovation. That's the whole point of this ridiculous cosmic babysitting gig I've been assigned to."
He sighed dramatically. "Also," he added with a digital yawn, "changing the balance of aerospace power subtly without triggering global sanctions? That's the kind of butterfly effect the Library lives for."
Rohan stared into the distance, thinking. "So… what now?"
"Get some rest," DL replied. "Tonight, I'll introduce you to the Brahmāṇḍa Jñāna Kośa—the Library of the Cosmos. That's when your real lessons begin."
Rohan raised an eyebrow. "Can't I just… I don't know, absorb everything instantly? Like in the Matrix?"
"Oh, sure," DL said with a mock gasp, "Why not just plug your head into a cosmic USB port and become a demigod overnight?"
Then, more seriously, he added, "No. Your mind is still fractured—trauma, exhaustion, and a literal death aren't great prep work for infinite knowledge. You need to heal. We start slow. Learn to walk before you try to fly—or in this case, before you download the schematics for propulsion-based divine flight."
Rohan exhaled slowly. "Okay… so I learn. Then what?"
"When your Access Level reaches One, you'll be eligible to absorb knowledge directly from the Library by spending Karma Points. But until then, it's classroom time with yours truly."
He flashed a smug holographic grin. "I expect apples on my desk and punctuality, mortal."
Later that night, Rohan entered his Dream Space.
Reality bent around him, dissolving like ink in water. He stood in a vast hall, ceiling lost in clouds, bookshelves stretching into eternity. Volumes flew by with gusts of knowledge whistling in the air.
A monotone voice boomed, "Host detected. Initiating access to Brahmāṇḍa Jñāna Kośa."
Another voice—calmer, amused, familiar—followed: "Welcome to your tutorial, mortal. This is the Library of the Cosmos, curated by beings older than your planet. Rule one: Try not to break reality. Rule two: If you do, make it look like an accident."
A transparent window blinked into existence before Rohan with a soft chime—hovering silently, as if projected from thin air.
It looked eerily familiar, like the status screens from video games or anime he'd watched growing up—clean, glowing edges, neatly arranged data, and faint circuitry patterns running beneath the surface like veins of light. But unlike fiction, this one felt alive—responsive, subtly humming, its presence anchored in something far deeper than code.
Lines of information pulsed into clarity, as though syncing to his awareness:
Name: Rohan Ram
Age: 17 (True Age: 25)
Access Level: 0
Karma Points: 10,000
"Initialization complete. Awaiting Directive."
The screen hovered patiently, waiting—as if expecting him to understand the meaning. Rohan blinked, staring at the line that read "True Age." A chill crept into his spine. He was seventeen. And yet… not?
The words "Access Level: 0" blinked dully, almost mockingly, as if to remind him that whatever this place was—he was just getting started.
Karma Points.
"That's a lot," Rohan muttered.
"A donation from the departed souls that blessed your new path," DL explained. "Spend it wisely."
A search tab appeared next.
"Search what you want to learn," DL said. "I'll calculate causality, KP cost, and help you acquire the knowledge—safely."
Rohan typed: Jet Engine Blade Manufacturing
DL's blurry humanoid form emerged, dressed like a pompous professor, glasses perched on a featureless face, pointer in hand.
Rohan laughs.
"You really went with the teacher get-up?"
DL: "Sarcasm is how I cope with being stuck with you."
"Let us begin with the basics of single-crystal turbine blades. Try to keep up, human. But first, welcome to Class 101: How Not to End the World."
That night, as the world slept outside his window, Rohan closed his eyes with purpose. No longer broken. No longer lost. His journey had begun.