Above the Game
December 21, 2009 – 4:30 PM – Aritra's Villa, Jadavpur
The afternoon sun hung low, golden light spilling lazily across the living room floor, catching the edges of Katherine's hair as she sat curled up on the couch. Aritra stood by the glass doors leading to the balcony, hands resting on the metal railing, his gaze distant — fixed somewhere beyond Dakuria Lake.
Haryana.
A state where politics and land were inseparable, where the power of a man was often measured by the size of his fields and the influence he wielded within the farmer unions. For decades, the same families had controlled both — distributing seeds, fertilizers, and false promises in exchange for loyalty at the ballot box.
That equation was about to be rewritten.
Aritra turned away from the balcony, walking back toward his private study. The Legendary System Interface glowed to life as he took his seat. This time, he bypassed the usual finance and infrastructure sections, heading directly into the Biotech Store. The air seemed to hum with the weight of the decisions about to be made.
The Seed Catalog opened, a vast digital scroll cascading down with offerings that didn't just promise incremental improvement — they shattered the very limits of what the farmers of Haryana had ever dared imagine.
The Arsenal of Seeds
PlatinumHarvest-5 Wheat
Yield: 42 quintals per acre (6x current average)
Water Usage: 40% lower than standard varieties
Growth Cycle: 80 days
Resistant To: Rust, smut, and bacterial blight
Cost: $9 million per ton of seed
TitanGold Basmati Rice
Yield: 55 quintals per acre (8x current)
Aroma Retention: Enhanced even after mechanized harvesting
Pest Resistance: Stem borer and leaf folder resistant
Growth Cycle: 85 days
Cost: $11 million per ton
InfernoShield Mustard
Yield: 15 quintals per acre (4x current)
Oil Extraction Rate: 48% (industry max ~33%)
Heat & Drought Tolerance: Extreme
Cost: $7 million per ton
SolarRoot-CN10 Carrot
Yield: 25 times higher than conventional carrot strains
Soil Adaptability: Grows even in saline soil
Nutrient Density: 2x Vitamin A content
Cost: $6 million per ton
PrimeHarvest-TN11 Tomato
Yield: 18x current varieties
Pest Defense: Built-in anti-fungal and aphid resistance
Pollination Method: Self-pollinating hybrid
Cost: $8 million per ton
EmeraldVein Spinach
Yield: 14x current output
Seasonal Adaptability: All-season crop
Iron Content: Enhanced 300%
Cost: $5.5 million per ton
AquaPod Lentils
Yield: 15x current
Water Efficiency: Thrives in low-irrigation zones
Pest Resistance: Root-knot nematode proof
Cost: $7 million per ton
GoldenStalk Barley
Yield: 20x current
Maturity Time: Just 45 days
Alcohol Industry Suitability: Premium-grade barley
Cost: $9 million per ton
NovaPulse Chickpeas
Yield: 12x current varieties
Drought Resistance: 70% improved over local strains
Protein Content: 25% higher than standard chickpeas
Cost: $6 million per ton
VelvetCane Sugarcane
Yield: 10x current output per acre
Sugar Recovery Rate: 18% (compared to usual 11%)
Growth Period: 8 months instead of 12-14
Cost: $11 million per ton
Each seed was a revolution — a biological hammer shattering the grip of seed cartels, corrupt distributors, and generations of exploitation. Once the farmers saw the results, they wouldn't just buy seeds — they would become lifelong loyalists.
Aritra didn't believe in marketing campaigns or press conferences when it came to convincing farmers. They believed in proof. Real, tangible, soil-under-their-fingernails proof.
He drafted the proposal directly from the system console, sending it to the Agricultural Development Board through the new BVM administrative pipeline in Haryana. It was clean and direct:
Nova AgriTech Pvt. Ltd. would lease 200 acres of government pilot land.They would pay above-market lease rates upfront to avoid any appearance of exploitation.Each acre would be dedicated to one specific crop, demonstrating not just yield but the superior resilience, lower water use, and early maturity of each seed variety.Local farmer unions and agricultural university students would be invited to document the entire process — from tilling to harvest.
Every metric — seed-to-yield ratio, water consumed per quintal, pest outbreaks, input costs — would be logged, published, and verified in real-time. No exaggeration. No selective showing.
The Farmer's Cut
Aritra knew farmers weren't just concerned with harvest — they wanted certainty about prices, especially in volatile markets. To that end, Nova AgriTech would also announce:
Guaranteed Purchase Contracts: Nova AgriTech would buy back 60% of harvested output at a fixed premium price directly from farmers who used Nova seeds.
Risk Insurance Fund: If crops failed due to natural disasters, Nova would reimburse 50% of seed costs — unheard of in 2009.The Real Target
The entire project was less about selling seeds and more about breaking the supply chain stranglehold of:
Political middlemen who controlled bulk seed sales.Corrupt agri-cooperatives inflating prices.Private seed companies with hidden monopolies.
By offering direct purchase guarantees and insurance, Nova AgriTech was cutting them all out — leaving only the farmer and the government in the equation.
It wasn't charity — it was engineering loyalty at the genetic level.
If a farmer used Nova seeds, and Nova bought the harvest, and Nova protected against losses — why would that farmer ever vote against BVM?The farmer wouldn't care about ideology, caste, or religion.
They would vote for the hand that fed them — literally.
Investment Total
The total cost for purchasing the 10 seed types in sufficient quantities to cover the pilot project came to just over $112 million — a small fraction of Aritra's available funds.
It wasn't the price that mattered — it was the effect.
The Legendary System Interface flickered briefly as the purchases were confirmed, the seed stocks appearing in his System Inventory, ready for delivery through Nova AgriTech's logistics arm.
There was no speech or declaration, no media splash or dramatic unveiling.
But in a dusty field in Haryana, the first cracks were appearing in a system that had held farmers captive for generations.
And it was happening without a single poster, slogan, or rally.
It was happening through seeds.
The seeds were secured — Haryana would soon be woven into his long-term plans, but it was Arunachal Pradesh that tugged at his attention now. A state draped in mountains, rivers carving its veins, and a desperate thirst for development without destroying its natural beauty.
If Haryana was about food sovereignty, Arunachal was about energy sovereignty. And Aritra had no intention of relying on coal plants, oil imports, or aging dams from past governments.
He navigated into the Energy Systems Catalog, and the sheer range stunned him for a brief moment. The system didn't just offer conventional solutions — it laid bare technologies across the entire technological spectrum, some rooted in cutting-edge modern science, others venturing into the outer edges of possibility.
Glance into the Energy Arsenal
The first few options were relatively grounded — advanced, but understandable within Earth's 2009 technological grasp:
NovaFusion Modular Nuclear Reactor
Output: 500 MW
Safety Level: 6 layers of failsafe
Fuel: Low-enriched uranium pellets
Build Time: 3 months
Price: $5.8 billion per reactor
SolVault Atmospheric Solar Array
Output: 300 MW (daytime peak)
Efficiency: 65% (world average was 22%)
Structure: High-altitude tethered platforms
Build Time: 2 months
Price: $3.4 billion per array
MagNova Geothermal Core Tappers
Output: 220 MW per well
Depth: 7 km super-deep drilling
Build Time: 4 months
Price: $2.1 billion per well
Orbital Beam Collector (OBC) - Prototype Only
Output: 5,000 MW
Status: Classified
Build Time: Locked
Price: $45 billion (unaffordable)
DarkCurrent Tidal Platforms
Output: 150 MW per platform
Efficiency: 88%
Build Time: 2 months
Price: $1.9 billion per platform
Aritra frowned slightly. All impressive, but none fit perfectly into Arunachal's reality. Nuclear was too controversial for the delicate region. Solar arrays needed too much clear land. Deep geothermal required specialized terrain. Tidal? Arunachal was landlocked.
He scrolled deeper — and found his answer.
The Water Dominion Systems
These weren't just dams — they were evolved forms of hydro-energy harvesting, utilizing everything from small hill streams to roaring mountain rivers, capable of generating power at magnitudes beyond conventional turbines.
The 10 Advanced Water-Energy Systems Available in the System Store
HydraBlade Kinetic Channel System
Power Output: 200 MW per 5 km stretch
Efficiency: 92%
Installation Time: 1 month
Operation: Direct kinetic-to-electric transfer from river flow
Price: $1.5 billion per system
AquaSpiral Micro Turbine Grids
Power Output: 60 MW per micro-turbine cluster
Ideal Use: Low-flow hill streams
Installation Time: 20 days
Price: $700 million per cluster
VortexGate Pressure Modulation Plant
Power Output: 400 MW
Efficiency: 96%Operation: Controlled pressure gradients within artificial cascades
Build Time: 45 days
Price: $2.3 billion per plant
PulseCurrent Submerged Flow Extractors
Power Output: 110 MW per unit
Ideal Use: Fast, narrow mountain rivers
Installation Time: 15 days
Price: $950 million per unit
CascadeLine High-Elevation Reservoir System
Power Output: 750 MW
Efficiency: 97%
Build Time: 2 months
Special Feature: Multi-tiered waterfall energy capture
Price: $4 billion per site
HydroWeb Distributed Net Harness
Power Output: 50 MW per net section
Deployment Time: 10 days
Operation: Captures micro-kinetic flows across wide riverbeds
Price: $500 million per section
CryoCurrent Glacier Melt Harvesters
Power Output: 180 MW per site
Efficiency: 91%
Special Feature: Converts glacier runoff directly into power
Price: $1.2 billion per harvester
OmniLock Run-of-River System
Power Output: 250 MW
Build Time: 1 month
Key Feature: No large dam required — preserves natural flow
Price: $2 billion per unit
StormFlow Rapid Surge Plants
Power Output: 350 MW
Efficiency: 93%
Key Feature: Captures peak flow during monsoon surges
Price: $2.5 billion per plant
HydroStratum Layered Aquifer Exploiters
Power Output: 120 MW per layer
Special Feature: Works even with underground aquifers
Price: $1.1 billion per site
Aritra's fingers hovered over the purchase panel. For Arunachal, his strategy was clear — spread, not cluster.
He ordered:
2 HydraBlade Systems – $3 billion
3 AquaSpiral Micro Turbine Clusters – $2.1 billion
1 VortexGate Plant – $2.3 billion
1 OmniLock System – $2 billion
Total Spend: $9.4 billion
A New Company – Arunachal HydroCore Pvt. Ltd.
He registered the new energy company, fully owned by his holding company. The project would begin with:
7 unique sites across Arunachal's river systems.Full self-sustained construction teams sourced from system capabilities.All installations guaranteed operational within 30 days — an impossible timeline for any conventional contractor, but routine for system-bought assets.The Promise to the State
The BVM-led government would announce a statewide commitment: by 2013, Arunachal would:
Become the first Indian state to fully eliminate power shortages.Generate surplus hydro-electricity for export to neighboring states and even other countries. Cap electricity tariffs at 20% below national average for all residents and industries.
There would be no grand announcements, no press conferences, and no ribbon-cuttings. Just quiet construction crews, gear arriving at remote sites under cover of local transport companies, and equipment rolling out of system inventory directly into deployment zones.
And every family switching on a lightbulb powered by BVM-backed infrastructure would know who had delivered it.
December 21, 2009 – 8:15 PM – Aritra's Private Study
The faint glow of the system interface cast sharp shadows across the polished surface of Aritra's desk. Katherine had long since wandered off to the rooftop terrace, her usual restlessness taking over after dinner. Aritra, however, hadn't moved from his chair since finalizing the Arunachal hydro-energy plans. The map of Jharkhand hovered before him, crisscrossed with mineral veins, iron ore deposits, coal belts, and manganese clusters—a silent testament to the state's buried wealth.
Jharkhand had always been rich in resources, but cursed with exploitation—corrupt contracts, land disputes, environmental destruction, and labor abuse. Now, with BVM securing its grip on the state's political machinery, it was time for a new player to quietly take over the mining industry itself.
The interface flickered, transitioning from Energy Systems to Industrial Infrastructure.
A World Beneath the Surface – Jharkhand's Sleeping Wealth
Aritra wasn't planning a hostile takeover—not yet. He knew how the opposition's allied mining corporations would react after BVM's victory. Many would suspend operations, citing regulatory confusion, labor disputes, or false environmental concerns.
That hesitation was exactly what he needed.
Any firm that stalled operations would soon find an offer on their desk, from a newly formed, well-funded, and seemingly independent mining company. One with no political ties on paper, but entirely under Aritra's quiet control.
Company Creation – Eastern Earth Minerals Pvt. Ltd.
He tapped the panel.
[Company Registered: Eastern Earth Minerals Pvt. Ltd.]
A holding company subsidiary, fully owned through layers of anonymous trusts, with an official headquarters listed in Jamshedpur. The front-facing leadership would consist of hired management slaves, bought directly from the system—a team of mining experts, environmental negotiators, and logistics specialists, each programmed with a full life history, career background, and perfectly tailored CVs.
These weren't AI automations. They were real human beings, bought and paid for—discreetly, efficiently, with no loyalty beyond Aritra's will.
Advanced Steel Production – The Backbone of Jharkhand's Future
The Legendary System Interface expanded into Industrial Metallurgy & Processing. This was where Aritra needed to tread carefully. Fully autonomous plants were an option, but BVM's political strength came from jobs—visible employment that created loyalty at the ground level.
He selected high-efficiency, partially automated steel plants, capable of:
Processing low-grade ore into high-purity steel.
Reducing industrial waste by 74% compared to 2009 technology.
Cutting processing energy consumption by 48%.Customizing alloys on demand for defense, automotive, and infrastructure sectors.
Key Purchase – Integrated Steel & Alloy Complex (Hybrid Manual-Automated)Production Capacity: 12 million tons per year.
Workforce Required: 8,500 direct jobs.Land Footprint: 470 acres.
Construction Time (System Supported): 3 months.
Price: $2.5 billion.Infrastructure Takeover Strategy
Aritra's strategy wasn't to start mining operations immediately. Instead, Eastern Earth Minerals would begin by offering to partner with struggling local firms, providing advanced equipment and investment in exchange for a minority stake—at first.
For firms refusing to restart operations, Eastern Earth would offer to purchase the mines outright, citing BVM's pro-business development policies.If firms still resisted, citing political uncertainty, Eastern Earth would then offer lease-to-own agreements, taking control without outright ownership—at first.
The system catalog provided every piece of equipment necessary to make this work:
Equipment Purchases – Mining Division
OmniCore Deep Extraction Drills (semi-autonomous)
Depth: 1,200 meters
Extraction Efficiency: 96%
Cost: $120 million each (5 units purchased)
GeoPulse Ore Scanners
Real-time composition analysis
Mapping range: 10 km radius
Cost: $35 million each (3 units purchased)
MagDrive Haulage Vehicles
Payload Capacity: 250 tons per trip
Electric Drive System
Cost: $15 million each (20 vehicles purchased)
EcoShield Dust Suppression System
Air quality monitoring & active suppression
Cost: $8 million per site (4 sites covered)
Total Equipment Spend: $1.3 billionTotal Steel Complex Spend: $2.5 billionCreating the Illusion of Local Partnerships
To the outside world, Eastern Earth Minerals would look like a pragmatic newcomer, capitalizing on BVM's pro-development stance. No one would suspect that every offer letter, every equipment loan, every partnership contract had passed through Aritra's hands before reaching the negotiating table.
And when the first handful of companies accepted Eastern Earth's help, the rest would either fall in line or be left behind—watching as their former rivals secured contracts, equipment, and guaranteed profits under the new regime.
Buy Low, Produce High
The most strategic part of the plan was the link between Eastern Earth Minerals and the steel complex. By controlling both raw material extraction and final product refinement, Aritra could:
Lower raw material costs for his own steel plants.Set internal pricing to crush competitors.Control supply to infrastructure projects in all three BVM-led states.
Steel from Eastern Earth Steel Complex wouldn't just be affordable—it would be the only viable option for contractors in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Arunachal.
Seeding the Narrative
BVM's media wing would quietly leak stories of:
Revitalized mines creating thousands of jobs. High-tech equipment bringing Jharkhand into the future. Foreign companies exploring partnerships with Eastern Earth Minerals.
Every narrative would frame BVM's policies as the catalyst, while Eastern Earth remained a silent player, avoiding unnecessary publicity.
The Forgotten State, Finally Remembered
Jharkhand had always been a battleground for exploitation and neglect, but with BVM's victory and Eastern Earth's rise, the state would become the foundation of India's industrial future.
Aritra stared at the finalized plans, his finger hovering over the confirm purchases button.
With a quiet exhale, he tapped it.
[Transaction Complete – Eastern Earth Minerals & Eastern Earth Steel Complex Established]
The future wasn't just above the ground anymore.
It was buried deep, waiting to be unearthed.