Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara state, capital city - Hampi.


    After the year-end summit, things actually started to pick up in the empire. All the ministries, having set goals, began scheduling tasks for the entire year with the aim of eventually reaching or even surpassing their objectives. An environment of mutualpetition was created in the empire, leading to various ministries starting apetitive rivalry with each other.


    While this was happening, Vijay’s focus was on another matter: taking control of the ind clusters around the Empire. Everything had been prepared, and the new frigates were finally ready to be used in battle after extensive testing.


    In the royal pce, a military meeting was held among four of the most powerful men in the empire: Admiral Gangadhar, Marshal Kiran Pujari, Prime Minister Vinod, and his majesty the Emperor, Vijay Devaraya.


    In their presence, Vijay signed the Samudra Vyuham operation, marking the first overseas operation of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire where only the empire’s interests were concerned, unlike what happened with the Ahoms, which was a reinforcement operation.


    Meanwhile, at the eastern military base located in Paradip port, Commander Gautam routinely conductedbat drills with the sailors. He had been ordered by Admiral Gangadhar to be ready at any moment, as His Majesty may dere the Samudra Vyuham operation a go at any moment.


    With his troops meticulously trained and preparations for the uing naval operation conducted with the utmost seriousness, Vijay found himself restless. While leading fleets into battle was not new to him, havingmanded numerousmissions between the Bhartiya Empire and the Mughal Empire, this time felt distinctly different.


    It marked an independent operation where he was granted full autonomy and tasked with achieving a specific objective by any means necessary. Though bound by certain rules and regtions, he retained the freedom to make most decisions.


    As he awaited his orders, it felt as if fate had finally smiled upon him, granting his wish soon after.


    *Step step step step*


    His deputy arrived bearing a sealed document, piquing Gautam’s curiosity. Breaking the seal, he eagerly unfolded the letter to reveal a series of numbers and letters encoded within. Recognizing the coded message, he swiftly dismissed the deputy with a serious demeanour before retrieving another document from a concealedpartment within his desk.


    As hepared the contents of the hidden document to the coded letter from His Majesty, Vijay’s excitement grew. Confirming the match between the numbers, realization dawned upon him, and his face lit up with a joy akin to that of a child receiving a long-awaited PS5 after a year of pleading with their parents.


    "Finally, it is time," Gautam said, eagerly anticipating the start of the Samudra Vyuham operation.


    "Ready the fleet."


    Gautam ordered as he left the office and informed his deputy.


    Within a few hours, a fleet consisting of a single man-of-war battleship, 10 Vinayaka-ss frigates, and 50 Hampi-ss sloops was dispatched from the eastern naval base. Their destination was the inds of Andaman and Nicobar.


    Due to the strong sea breeze throughout the duration of their travel, the fleet travelled at a speed of 7 knots collectively, bringing them to the vicinity of the Andaman and Nicobar Ind chain in just over four days.


    they stopped near an inhabited small ind near therge Andaman ind


    In an effort to gain a thorough understanding of the battlefield, Gautam deployed escorting boats to chart the geography of the cluster of inds.


    The fleet was presently positioned just a few kilometres from the northern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Inds, specifically at a location called the Reef Ind in Vijay’s past timeline, which was a small ind situated in the northern region of the Andaman and Nicobar Ind cluster.


    "Will there be Europeans?" one of the crew members pondered.


    "Or will there be North Asians?" another crew member mused.


    "I wonder what type of ships they have," Gautam himself began to daydream as he awaited the return of the scouting boats. After a few hours of scouting, the boats returned with a rough map of the geography of these inds.


    Unfortunately, due to these inds being a little too far away from the maind, normally taking 5-7 days for a single trip from Paradip Port to the Reef Ind through merchant ships, Bhartiya External Pragya could not prate this far.


    The operation Gautam and his fleet were performing was actually a dangerous one as they did not know what awaited them on these inds. However, for Vijay, the decision was straightforward because he knew that the Andaman and Nicobar Inds were not yet upied by the Western powers.


    Additionally, he was aware that the people living in the Andaman and Nicobar Inds still lived in tribal societies where each tribe controlled various parts of the ind.


    Unfortunately, Gautam did not have all this information. Hence, he decided to take a cautious approach. With the map in his hand, Gautam chose a location to perform a trial reconnaissance operation at a part of the ind where signs of human activity were found.


    He was doubtful why there were no boats in the waters off the ind’s coast since there were humans, but unfortunately, he couldn’t know now. For further information, a group of three sloops was separated from the fleet andnded on the northwestern shore of the Andaman and Nicobar Inds. This was the location where Elizabeth Bay was located in the previous life.


    The reason for thending here was because they could see a tribal vige existing beside the ocean.


    With the sloops, a toon of infantry was also dispatched.


    "Second Lieutenant Varma, sir, I think they have noticed us."


    "Sergeant, pass my orders. Put on a defensive formation."


    *Click, clink, click, thud.*


    Within a few seconds, a defensive formation was taken.


    Inside the tribal vige.


    *Hurried footsteps.*


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Chief, chief, Hunter Crow, there are intruders from the Evesting Ocean."


    The one called Hunter Crow, dressed in leather clothes and an animal bone ne, quickly reacted as he picked up his spear and went to meet with the intruders. His movements showed proficiency in this action, but his face bore a doubtful expression as if the intruders were not supposed toe at this time.


    As he joined his men in establishing a defensive formation against the intruders, a frown creased his brow. The invaders bore a resemnce to their own people, particrly in their facial features, albeit with slightly lighter skin tones. However, what truly set them apart were the gleaming metal armour and weaponry—a sight unfamiliar to anyone in their world.


    He immediately realized that these men could have obliterated his small defensive formation if they wished. Drawing from his four years of experience as a chief, he concluded that these new intruders were not enemies.


    "That also exins why they rowed their boats in the week of angry water, but are their men all as strong as me if they can row the boat even in these harsh waves? Aren’t they afraid that the water god will swallow them in his anger?" he thought, fear gripping him as he remembered the monstrous waves during thest moon’s angry water week.


    He quickly asked his men to lower their weapons in order to show that he and his tribe held no hostility to the unknown group of men.


    "Second Lieutenant Varma, sir, it looks like they are not hostile," the sergeant said.


    "Lower your guard," the Second Lieutenant Varma said as he felt like he couldmunicate with the obviously more decorated tribal person in front of him.


    He took a chest of gifts from the supplies of the military, which was ording to the tribal encounter code. Both of the men who came face to face did not know each other’snguages, but still, they somehow managed tomunicate through gestures.


    Confirming that the people were not hostile to his tribe, Chief Hunter Crow invited them inside his vige. They held a small banquet for the guests. Fortunately for the soldiers of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, the food was not unusual. It consisted of normal fish soup along with a gravy made with red ants as the main ingredient.


    Although they found the taste to be somewhat crude, it surprisingly provided a satisfying meal.


    "So what brings you people here and where are you from?" Chief Hunter Crow asked with now proficient hand gestures.


    "We are from and that is hundreds of your ind length away. We are here to conquer this ind of yours," the Second Lieutenant Varma replied bluntly.


    Silence.


    Pin-drop silence.


    Chief Hunter Crow was stunned. Didn’t the guy just say that he had no hostility towards their tribe just a moment ago? Now suddenly he was dering that he would conquer the whole ind which he concidered as his world just a moment ago. How bold.


    Both sides started a confrontation immediately inside the vige.


    Swords were unsheathed and spears were pointed.


    "What is the meaning of this action of yours?" Hunter Crow asked in anger.


    To be Continued...


    P.S. wanted to write 2 chapters today because of getting the app opening rmendation, but unfortunately, I have a lot of notes to finish, I have only 1 day to get the no-due signature from all the teachers, and practical exam on Monday, and I still don’t know which subject it is.