Ratan De Singh is a senior research officer aboard a deep-space NY-class research vessel operated by humanity. The year is 2710. By this time, humanity has established dominance over nearly half of the Solar System and routinely deploys long-range missions into deep space to scan, document, and preserve extraterrestrial life forms encountered beyond known territory. These organisms are transported for controlled study and, where possible, for introduction into secured biospheres.
Ratan De is one of the most experienced Indian research scientists in xenobiology. His work focuses on the classification and behavioral analysis of non-terrestrial organisms. Over the course of his career, he has studied numerous rare life forms, including extremophiles capable of surviving hostile environments and parasitic entities that integrate into host organisms and alter their genetic structure. His professional interest in such organisms is intense, and he approaches each discovery with analytical enthusiasm.
The mission deteriorates when the vessel encounters an organism that does not conform to any known biological framework. The crew is unable to identify its physical structure or mode of existence. Shortly after first contact, unexplained fatalities begin to occur. Autopsies and containment measures fail to yield results. Ratan De is unable to isolate or neutralize the organism because its method of attack remains unknown.
As casualties increase, Ratan De concludes that the organism cannot be allowed to return to human-occupied space. If transported to Earth, it would pose an existential threat to humanity. Acting alone, he alters the vessel's trajectory and directs it toward a black hole, fully aware that this decision ensures his own death.
After an extended period, the organism appears to recognize that Ratan De intends to destroy both himself and it. In a final attempt at survival, it initiates a takeover of Ratan De's biological systems. For a brief interval, both entities coexist in a state of unstable equilibrium. The gravitational field of the black hole then overwhelms the vessel. In the final moments before structural collapse, Ratan De identifies the organism's core capability: it survives by parasitizing other life forms and converting them into genetic replicas of itself. This realization is his last conscious thought before both entities are destroyed.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. As his vision adjusted, he realized he was surrounded by a traditional and ancient room. Panic rose immediately where was he, and was he even alive? Before he could gather his thoughts, an overwhelming surge of memories and knowledge flooded his mind. It took time to process, but once the information settled, the truth became clear.
He had transmigrated into late-18th-century India, reborn in the body of Ratandeep Singh, a prince of Bharatpur. His elder brother, Khairi Singh, was dead, and by birth and custom, the throne had passed to him. However, Khairi Singh's death was not natural. Too many details were unclear, and too many questions remained unanswered. What was known was dangerous enough his uncle, Ranjit Singh, controlled the court, the military, and the nobility. Rumors strongly suggested that Ranjit Singh had engineered Khairi Singh's death.
Now Ratandeep found himself trapped in the center of a deadly struggle for power. Though he bore the title of king, he possessed no real authority within the court. Every decision, every movement, was watched. At any moment, he could meet the same fate as his brother. If he wished to survive, he would have to maneuver carefully, patiently, and intelligently to survive.
As he examined the stream of memories further, he suddenly realized that this period was extremely crucial. Multiple powers were eyeing this region. The Mughal authority was weak, the Marathas were advancing, Awadh was observing carefully, the Pashtuns were moving eastward, and the East India Company was also seeking its share, aiming to exploit India and bend its economy entirely to support Britain.
However, he also noticed that many events did not align with the history he remembered from his previous world. While the broader historical structure appeared familiar, several details were different. This made it clear to him that this was a parallel world one with many changes, yet still following a recognizable historical trajectory.
Understanding this, he began to think that he had to act. He knew too well how British rule had devastated India not only before independence, but even after it, through policies that became deeply rooted obstacles to the nation's development. If there was any moment where intervention could alter the fate of the land, this was it.
The most frustrating realization was that this goal was far too large for him at present. Before anything else, he had to survive his immediate predicament. He did not know when he might be killed, or when his uncle Ranjit might decide to have him assassinated. Survival had to come first; only then could he think about larger ambitions.
At this moment, he had no real means to counter his uncle. His knowledge of the future was effectively useless for now, because a single individual could not change the course of events alone. At best, he could provide direction but even that required authority. Without power, guidance meant nothing. Until his uncle either granted him some leeway, or he managed to find a way to carve out space for himself, he had no reliable means to ensure his survival, whether for the coming year or even the next.
Thinking through all of this, Ratandeep decided that his first step would be to observe the situation outside. He would assess, think carefully, and act accordingly, finding a way forward for himself. With this resolve, he rose from the bed and walked toward a mirror.
It was an ancient mirror, its surface slightly dulled by time. As he looked into it, he saw a young and handsome face staring back at him a beautiful twenty-year-old man, adorned with signs of wealth and royalty, gold visible in his attire. The reflection confirmed what his memories had already told him: whatever dangers surrounded him, he now inhabited the body of a prince at the very beginning of his life.