Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

"Hmm, alright then," Akhil nodded. Although he did not get enough information, he was still satisfied with the important details.

---

In the next few hours, intense visual observation was conducted, and all the details, including the number of ships visiting Socotra as well as whether the ships looked Arabic in origin or European, were documented.

Not only that, a stable communication channel was established with the Bharatiya base in Seychelles. The communication channel was established with multiple Kolkata- and Chennai-class clippers acting together. Dristhi-class catamarans pre-equipped with arkha dristhi communication devices would have been much faster, more stable, and secure, but unfortunately, due to the Socotra island being nearly 3,000 kilometres from the western coast of the Bharatiya Empire, Vijay rejected the idea.

Instead, clippers were placed every 50 kilometres on the path between Socotra and Thesul, and these clippers would pass on messages from one to another.

Exactly four hours after the watchtower was built, the communication channel was officially established, and the Bharatiya Naval Fleet 2 was officially connected with the extensive intelligence network of the Bharatiya Empire.

"Commander, the communication is established."

A naval officer saluted Akhil as he informed him.

"Finally..." Akhil muttered as he quickly got up, boarded a rescue boat, and sailed back to the Delhi-class battleship.

He immediately entered the war room, where all the members of the research and analysis wing had gathered.

"So, what's the status of the Ottomans? Are they going to act?" Akhil got straight to the point. The whole reason why he was allocated 30% of the naval strength, while Prasanna was only allocated 25%, was because, for one, it was unexpected that Prasanna would be battling with the naval fleet of the Dutch in the Malacca Strait, and number two, there was a high chance that the Ottoman Empire would intervene if the Bharatiya Empire captured the strategic island of Socotra.

The analysts, researchers, and tacticians kept quiet as the question was clearly directed to the intelligence agent.

A middle-aged man stood up and replied with a confused expression on his face, "We got the reply, sir, but it is somewhat unexpected," he said.

Akhil's eyebrows were raised; he was now intrigued. "How so?" he asked as he leaned back onto his chair, cracking his fingers.

"Um," the agent scratched his head and moved closer to the map. "According to the intelligence we received from Bharatiya External Pragya, all the naval ships of the Ottoman Empire present in the Red Sea are concentrated in the ports of Aqaba, Yanbu, and Jeddah."

He drew three different circles, pointing out the three ports that held the most naval strength.

"Although we do not know the exact numbers, we do know that there are at least 25 1,000-tonne battleships and nearly 200 800-tonne and 400-tonne battleships. Not too strong when compared to our navy, but it is still enough to defend the Red Sea."

"Then why are they not?" Akhil asked.

"Um," the agent hesitated. "After investigation by agents of Bharatiya External Pragya in Mecca and Medina, we came to the conclusion that the Ottoman Empire is looking to avoid any confrontation since they are already dragged into a naval conflict with the Venetian Republic that they cannot get rid of. "

"Moreover, rumours in the noble circles suggest that the Ottoman Empire is saving up resources to get involved in the civil war of the Safavid Empire."

"What!" Akhil exclaimed in shock, not expecting that the Ottomans would be interested in participating in the conflict within the Safavid Empire.

'Does the Empire know this news?' was what he wanted to ask, but since he was receiving the news from Bharatiya External Pragya, he assumed the Empire would already be aware of it. So, he remained silent.

"This is indeed a worry for the future, but for now, it does make it easier for us to accomplish this mission," he said, staring at the agent. "But this alone cannot prove everything. Is there any other proof to show that the Ottomans will not interfere with our operation?"

The agent thought for a while and replied, "Well, sir, from the news obtained by European channels, it is said that the Ottoman Empire is upgrading its navy by retrofitting it with the latest artillery and improving its survivability in the line of action."

"This news just reached the intelligence department a few days ago, and considering the time for travel, it should be safe to assume that the Ottoman Empire, which was modifying its navy in the Mediterranean Sea nearly a month ago, is now, nearly a month later, modifying and upgrading the ships in the Red Sea."

"Moreover, agents in Mecca and Medina also confirmed the fact that timber materials are constantly being consumed by the three shipyards, further solidifying the conjecture."

Akhil nodded his head in acceptance; however, he didn't look very happy. When he was assigned to the task of capturing Socotra, he had dreamt and hoped that the Ottoman Empire would stop him, but unfortunately, it looked like he was wrong.

"So overall, the Ottoman Empire is very unlikely to stop our actions, isn't it?"

The agent nodded his head. "Presisly, sir."

'Oh well, forget it,' Akhil let out a breath of turbulent air. "Is there any information about the Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra?" he asked.

The agent did not understand why the commander had such a disappointed expression just now, but he knew that knowing things he should not know would be dangerous, so he did not delve too much into the matter.

He simply nodded his head and replied, "Yes, sir, although it is not too much, we still have some information.

"Currently, the island of Socotra is controlled by a sultanate called the Mahra Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra. As far as we know, it was established in the mid-16th century, and its size is only around a few hundred thousand square kilometres.

"The population, by rough estimates, is only around a few hundred thousand people. Except for this knowledge, we have no other information."

'So it should not be a big problem to capture this island with force, but is it possible to reach a deal with the sultanate?' Akhil fell into deep thought. From beginning to end, the Bharatiya Navy didn't consider the opinion of the sultanate. Its only worry was the reaction from the Ottoman Empire, but now that the Ottoman Empire is taken out of the equation, things have become anticlimactic.

Akhil quickly called his subordinate and ordered, "I will try to have a dialogue with whoever the leader of this sultanate is. Enquire at headquarters about what conditions should be put forward in order to reach the deal."

---

Soon, Gangadhar, stationed in Chacos, received the information. However, he couldn't decide on this matter either, so he directly passed it over to the Lakshadweep Islands, the place where His Majesty himself was located.

'Oh!' Looking at the battle situation in Socotra, Vijay was surprised. He did not expect that the Ottomans would not react at all, but since he could get to Socotra Island without a fight, it was always a good thing.

He quickly wrote down the instructions and passed them over.

---

24th August 1659

A Delhi-class battleship, along with a pair of Pune-class battleships, a dozen Colombo-class frigates, and a few dozen Amravati-class frigates, arrived near the vicinity of Socotra Island.

"Run! We are under attack, run!"

"Ah, the Bharatiya Navy is here!"

The merchant ships from Arabia were immediately startled and began to sail away. The last time the Bharatiya Empire's Navy was in the Gulf of Aden, they fought a war with the Ottoman Empire, so the Bharatiya Navy did not have a very good reputation in the cities of the Red Sea.

---

Al Mahrah Region, Yemen

Qishn is a prosperous coastal city in the Arabian Peninsula, in what is known in the 21st century as Yemen. Qishn is the main administrative and political capital of the Mahra Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra.

The sultanate was ruled by the Afrar dynasty, established in 1549. The current ruler of the sultanate is a third-generation leader called Khalid Ibn Umar Al Mahri.

Khalid Ibn Umar Al Mahri was surprised when his subordinate informed him that a person from the Bharatiya Empire wanted to see him. Khalid was confused as to why someone from the Bharatiya Empire would want to meet him since they didn't have much connection, but once he was informed that the person was the commander of the Bharatiya Naval Fleet, Khalid immediately became nervous.

His first thought was that he did not want to attend, but thinking about the fleet of the Bharatiya Empire right off the coast of Socotra, he reluctantly agreed to the meeting.

A few hours later, Akhil and Khalid finally met each other.

"Namaskar."

"Salaamwalekum."

Akhil didn't beat around the bush and directly got to the point. "Your Highness, the Sultan, I'll be honest with you. The Bharatiya Empire has taken an interest in Socotra Island under your control for its commercial and strategic positioning. So, if possible, please state a price that would make you comfortable enough to part with it." His gaze directly met Khalid's without any fear.

Khalid would have thrown a fit of rage in any other situation, but looking at the behemoth 2,000-ton warship right off the coast, he began to reconsider his own position.

"Sir Commander, I'm very grateful that the Bharatiya Empire has taken a liking to the island under my control. If it were up to me, I would indeed sell it to you at a favourable price, but unfortunately, I cannot make the decision in this matter."

Akhil was taken aback. "Why is that?" he asked. He could clearly see that Khalid was sincere in his words, which made him curious about what was stopping him.

"Um," Khalid hesitated for a bit and explained, "You are not familiar with Arabia, so it is natural that you don't know. But in fact, my sultanate is a subordinate of a larger kingdom called Qasimid. It is an Imamate ruled by a religious leader, an Imam, like a king."

'A religious leader becoming a king and ruling a country?' Akhil scratched his head as he found it incredible, but he did not stop Khalid from explaining.

"The current Imam, Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il, is the ruler of the Qasimid State. If you like, I will make the introduction," Khalid promised.

Akhil rubbed his head in annoyance. He did not expect that for an island, he would have to go through two different rulers. If he had conquered it, it would have been over by now.

Khalid, noticing the impatient expression on Akhil's face, became panicked. "It won't take long, sir. The Imam is usually in the capital, Sana'a, which is far inland, but the Imam has come to Aden for a religious event. If you can wait one more day, I can bring him to you."

In a panic, he tried to convince Akhil in every way possible. "Moreover, I think the Bharatiya Empire, being in conflict with the Ottoman Empire, has a lot in common with the Qasimid State since the Qasimid State was established after breaking away from Ottoman rule. So, the current Imam, Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il, is quite against the Ottoman Empire, which always tries to extend its borders. And more importantly," he whispered, "the Imam thinks the Ottoman Empire has distorted Islam and wants to take back Mecca and Madina under their control."

Akhil's eyes immediately lit up. He immediately understood that there was some room for diplomacy.

"Alright, Your Highness, let's do as you wish," Akhil said. In fact, he could have directly sailed to the port of Aden, but he didn't want to accidentally provoke the nobles of the Ottoman Empire and injure their pride, which could cause them to backlash and ruin the good scenario.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

To be continued...