56 56. Hector's Decision
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Back in the United States, some strange thing was happening in the state of Pennsylvania. When the world wars started, around 10 million young men were drafted in for the war. However, 40,000+ of these young men refused to participate in the war because their religion told them not to kill another man.
These men were called Conscientious Objectors, these mainly included Quakers, Mennonites, Church of the Brethren and Seventh Day Adventists. During WW1, Five hundred objectors were court-martialed, 17 received death sentences for refusing to fight. Although none of the death sentences were carried out, almost 150 objectors were jailed for life, and others were harassed and beaten.
In World War II, the draft law exempted from military service those who "by reason of religious training and belief" opposed the war. The objectors still served. They were assigned to "work of national importance." This service fell into two types.
First, about 25,000 objectors served in the military in "noncombatant" roles. They were medics who were in the Army but didn't carry a gun.
Second, those who objected to being in the military served on the home front. About 20,000 objectors fought forest fires, built conservation projects in rural areas, or took care of the mentally ill in hospitals.
There were objectors who refused to even register for the draft, believing that the draft itself was supporting the killing. About 6,000 of these men went to jail.
But something was happening in a mental hospital that sent shivers down the spines of four young soldiers drafted in to take care of the mentally ill. They decided enough was enough and with whatever means possible got a hold of a camera. They clicked photographs and sent them directly to the President of the United States, hoping for a response as they truly loved their president and felt the man would understand.
But it had been 3 months and no response had come. They were slowly losing hope that something would even happen. They tried to talk to a few news outlets, but none dared show their photographs. In the end, they too became silent, just like many who came before them.
But they didn't know, they didn't get a response from the White House because Hector was not in the country and Truman had not even tried to look at the letter, as it was addressed to Hector's name specifically.
...
January 1945
Tokyo, Japan
Hector did not come to waste time here, he did not need the permission of some self-proclaimed descendant of some goddess to meet him. He was here to save Japan from the misery of two atomic bombs, he was the one doing a favour.
So, after waiting for an hour, eating the snacks, even playing with Moony, his patience gave up, there were American soldiers dying in Okinawa as he sat there after all.
He stormed out of his room, proceeding to where the Emperor's room was. Many tried to stop him, but only one was able to pique Hector's interest, "Why be in such a hurry, Emperor of America, won't you share some tea with me?"
It was a young woman in her 20s, wearing some sort of dark robes, she had crystal earrings and a necklace around her neck. With her being so close, Moony sniffed her twice, then barked towards Hector.
~Dad, she smells just like uncle Logan,~
A smile grew on Hector's face, "Hmm, a mutant wants to drink tea with me?"
Immediately the woman's eyes widened, fear appeared clear on her face, She frowned, looking left and right, thinking of a way to save herself. Hector chuckled, "So they don't know. Don't worry, little one. I won't tell. Care to tell me what are your gifts?"
"Gifts?" she inquired in question.
"Your powers, I call them gifts," he clarified.
Her eyes shined, nobody had ever called a mutant's power gifts in her lifetime, most called it a curse instead. "I can see the probability of a favourable or unfavourable outcome of a situation,"
He rubbed his chin, that was a pretty neat thing to have honestly, he can know if food will cause him constipation or not. Or Moony is about to poop or not. "That's pretty good. Say, wanna work for me? Mutants are treated better in my nation, I already know a few who work for me,"
She was taken aback, "W-why would you? I am Japanese, your enemy,"
Hector shrugged, "Well, isn't it the Japanese who you're afraid of too? And no, I don't see every Japanese as my enemy, only those who follow the destructive ideology of war and expansion are my enemies, that includes your prime minister, the generals and possibly your Emperor, by the way, what's your name,"
She bowed and introduced, "Yui Fujiwara,"
"Ah, the famous Fujiwara clan?" He remembered about it, the Fujiwara clan, a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, holding the title of Ason.
She affirmed, "That is how I am still alive, Emperor Washington,"
He laughed heartily, "Bwahaha... stop calling me that, I am just the President." He ruffled her head, "My offer still stands, kid. Take care,"
Leaving her flabbergasted and confused, he entered the royal chambers, forcing the door open. Moony and Kennedy walked close behind him.
Finally, the man he wanted to see was there, wearing some sort of official ceremonial garbs. There were also two men beside him, on one side his chief of staff and on the other someone unknown.
Hector laughingly spoke, using simple english, "I expected you to be taller."
Emperor Hirohito felt truly terrified by the giant man who ran one of the strongest nations in the world, he felt so small when face to face, he had to look up to address him.
"And I... expected you to be shorter," Hirohito replied.
This earned him a chuckled from Hector, "Good funny lad, and what are you wearing? Are you cosplaying or something? Get some nice fitting suits, these garbs make you look smaller,"
"W-What is cosplaying?" Hirohito inquired confusedly. He had honestly never thought the meeting would start like this, so informally.
He waved his hand, "It's nothing. So, where do I sit? Where are the tables and chairs so we can drink some tea and talk?"
At that point, the unknown man on Hirohito's side spoke up, "Mind the language, American, nobody gets to sit as an equal to the living God, you shall sit on the floor, like all commo... *GHK... GAH!"
The man suddenly found himself lifted in the air by the throat, Hector looked straight into his eyes, "If he was a god, he wouldn't have to send his men to war, he wouldn't have to make young boys commit suicide with their planes, he wouldn't have forced innocent women to become sex slaves. Why is Japan losing if you have a god among you?"
"H-He does not c-concerns with m-mortal matters," the man, even while being choked to death, uttered.
Hector pressed harder, making his eyes nearly pop out, and doing irreversible damage to the throat, "Really? So this translates to "I don't give a crap about the people who worship me, I don't care they are dying of hunger, I am happy, that's all I care for?" Is that it? That's your god?"
He looked at Hirohito, "I am leaving, and when tomorrow you wake up to see Japan covered in a sea of fire, remember, this was the man who caused it,"
*THUD*
He threw the man away and turned around, he hated being disrespected like that when he was being polite. He had self-respect, and if someone harmed it, he was ready to harm their lives.
*THUD*
"FORGIVE HIM! PLEASE TALK WITH ME! You two, leave," Hirohito himself sat down on the floor and ordered the two men.
Hector did not stop until he reached the door, what made him stop were the cries of the people that would perish in the blink of an eye. Sure, he had sanctioned Tokyo Bombings, but they had not been as extensive as they were in his previous world. He had kept himself restrained from killing hundreds of thousands of people in a night as he knew nukes would be made. He had done so much, there was no point in letting that all go to waste.
"Fine, you sit down and listen to me," he turned back and sat down right in front of Hirohito. The two men also silently left, feeling alone, the young Emperor gulped. (He's 44 but still pretty young compared to Hector.)
"Listen to me, son. Call me whatever you want, but I can tell you the future. If you chose to do as I say, Japan will develop into a beautiful and civilised nation, one that is rich with the lives of people better than anywhere in the world. Your art and culture shall influence the world, be it man, woman or child. Japanese women would become independent, work alongside the man of the house and contribute. A truly progressive society in some aspects. I really like your small nation or at least a version of it.
"You must have gotten an idea of what I want. So, stand down, do not waste any more time," He gave Hirohito a vague version of Japan from the future.
But this left Hirohito more confused, first of all, he was not as well versed in English, and Hector spoke too fast. The idea of surrender did not even cross his mind, but what he did hear multiple times was the word woman, "Um... I am sure we can provide you as many as you want,"
(=_=)?
~What the fuck is he on about?~ Hector wondered, "What do you mean?"
Hirohito took a pause, then made a face as if he gained enlightenment, "Oh, if it's something else, we can bring you that too, we have all kinds of people, thin, tall, fat or short."
~Hold up, is he implying...?~ He stood up in disgust, "No, son, I am straight, I like tall, big-boobed, chubby ass thick thigh women only,"
Hirohito rubbed his chin, "That's very specific, hard to find, but nothing is impossible,"
Moony laughed in his voice, "Wawawawa..."
Hector slammed his fist on the floor, "Get your head out of the gutter. I am talking about the total unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan,"
There was silence now, the atmosphere immediately turned serious and oppressive. Hirohito took a long breath and chose his next words carefully, "I can not do that, I do not have the power to do it. The war faction controls the government and the military. Tojo will never stop,"
Hector sneered, "And you are supposed to be a god? You are the bloody emperor, the supreme authority, they are making war in your name. When they shout Banzai, they do it in your name. You only need to make a radio announcement to your citizens, they will stop because of you, and if my words can't make you, then look at these photos."
He threw a stack of photographs, Hirohito picked them up to see, initially, they showed the dead Japanese people, men, women and children, who died in bomb blasts and fires. Then there were Kamikaze pilots. Then came the photos of atrocities committed by the Imperial forces, the photos from Nankin, rapes, murders, photos of Japanese soldiers with a sea of chopped heads decorated in front of them(A/N: I saw this one.), all the gore was in them. Then came the photos of Nazi concentration camps that can make anybody's heart shiver. One thing was killing a man, another was destroying him alive.
"These are either your dead people, those your forces tortured, and in the end, the work of your good Nazi friends. IS THIS WHAT YOU STAND FOR? Do you think you will reach heaven after death? After being the enabler behind this?" He scolded Hirohito, but there was one small part in his mind telling him, this fool won't listen.
And he was right, Hirohito repeated his earlier words, "I do not have the authority,"
Hector sighed, looked at his own feet, every minute he spent here trying to convince him, an allied soldier died. He spoke to himself in his mind, ~Of course, these fools still think they have a chance to win. They have not seen the destructive powers of nukes yet, why would they, why would he be afraid?~
"Fine, you left me with no option. Major Kennedy, bring it," he commanded.
Kennedy quickly ran to the room to bring the satellite communicator, it was the size of a common military backpack. Hector picked up the phone and connected with the White House receiver. He spoke directly to Roosevelt, giving the command, "Drop them,"
"We shall talk again the day after tomorrow, Hirohito, you should get the reports by then," he left the emperor's chambers soon after.
The coming day, he roamed the gardens of the Palace in Japanese robes silently, looking all serious. He would often drink as well, wondering about his choices. But he knew he was doing the right thing, though the only solace he could take in was the fact that he had initiated some precautionary measures.
[A/N: A few big things happened before the Emperor was able to give his recorded speech on the radio in the real world.]
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Special thanks to *DougErNuts* *Oluwatimileyin Olayemi* *BirdRant* *Franklin Walley* *Brennan Tubbs*
