31. Discussion

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"Sir, your coffee," A german soldier scaredly brought Hector a cup of coffee. Their entire ship had been taken over by who they knew to be the US president. Their commanders had already gotten their teeth knocked out and Hector treated the whole submarine like his home.

He pulled Subhas to the cafeteria to talk to him, the Indian man was confused and also a bit scared, Hector was really famous right now, stories about him were being told everywhere, in allied countries, he was told to be the greatest hero, protecting this or that, while in Axis counties, stories told him to be really ugly and big, a demon who eats babies.

"How can I help you, Mr President?" Bose asked. [A/N: Subhas' last name is Bose.]

"Haha, don't look so tense now, son. Here, have a drink. I came here to talk with you about the future of your nation. I know what you've been doing, gathering Indian POWs to make them your soldiers. But, do you really think you will get your freedom this way? And let's say the Axis wins, do you think Germany and Japan won't colonise you? After all, Hitler does consider Indians inferior people, while Japanese consider themselves divine beings, to them, all are below, even the Germans." Hector asked him.

Bose silently thought, fidgeting the glass in his hand, "I know you will win. I know the allies will win. I know I am shaking hands with the devil, but I have no other choice, to me, the Germans and the British Empire both are devils. Desperate times require desperate measures. Didn't the United States take France's help to defeat the British?"

Hector nodded, "Good point, anyway, why do you think that the British will give you independence if you kill a few dispensable soldiers of theirs? Unless your INC stands up, unless your Gandhi stands up, they won't leave."

"Do you want me to not fight? I thought you would be the one to understand me the most. To get freedom, one needs to fight." Bose said.

"When did I say I'm against you? I am against you joining the Axis. Other than that, you have my support, perhaps you will be better for your nation than the last time." Hector purposefully left some words at the end.

"What do you mean last time? You sound as if you know the future." Bose scoffed at the idea.

"Hah, I do know. I know exactly when and how the war will end. I know the sorry state your country will be in coming decades, poverty, corruption, death and discrimination, casteism and what will not plague it. Even 50 years later your nation will have many religious riots, casteism, corruption, and poverty. All thanks to socialist policies." Hector said, sounding very confident as if he really knew everything.

Bose stared into Hector's grey eyes, there was no malice or look of superiority in them. The eyes made him feel as if to Hector, nothing mattered, he was just a pest, like any other. "Do you want me to trust your words?"

"No, I want you to trust this, *BAM*" Hector smacked on Bose' head and made him fall unconscious. Being sleeping or unconscious was one of the criteria he needed to ensure to show people visions.

Bose, in his sleep, saw a great many visions. Hector made sure not to show him the fuckups that the US made in the original world, that was already null and void since he was the US President now. As for India, well, he showed everything he knew. 1945, the war ended. In 1947, the UK decided to let India go as maintaining the colony would cost them more than they would earn. Redcliffe Boundary commission was made to divide the colony into Pakistan, a Muslim state and India, a secular state.

Radcliffe did a shit job, ended up creating a boundary due to which some 14 million people left their homes and set out by every means possible—by air, train, and road, in cars and lorries, in buses and bullock carts, but most of all on foot—to seek refuge with their own kind." Many of them were slaughtered by an opposing side, some starved or died of exhaustion, while others were afflicted with "cholera, dysentery, and other diseases". Anywhere between 200,000 and two million died, with the consensus being around one million dead.

What followed were countless violent riots, multiple wars with Pakistan and one with China. Over-reliance and trust in USSR, following USSR's policies, messing Indian economy by not utilising the huge population and opening up. Casteism persisted even after Independence, the system that should have been abolished remained and plagued the nation.

Hector showed the man everything from the day of Independence to the year 2021 of Pandemic. Bose's eyes were closed but his pupils were violently moving. The final scene Hector showed him was his own death, in 1945, without even seeing his nation be free, he died while fleeing Southeast Asia, in a Japanese hospital in a Japan occupied Taiwan as a result of burn injuries from a plane crash. Countless conspiracy theories soon followed, putting questions about his death.

...

"Bwahaha... you do look like Hitler," Hector laughed as he drank with the crew of the German submarine. Even the Japanese crew had to come and join as his punch had damaged their sub too much. They too laughed since Hector spoke with them in Japanese.

"Hahaha... He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future!" a German soldier acted like Hitler and gave a funny speech.

"Bwahaha... why do you numbskulls even follow that half brain?" Hector inquired.

"Sir, what other options do we have? Although we do not like Jews, we do not hate them enough to kill them. We just want to live a good life, get a salary every month, and send some home." a soldier said.

Hector nodded, indeed, the worst assholes were actually the SS. The rest of the soldiers were like any other army's soldiers. "What about you, kids from the Land of the Rising Sun? Why do you fight?"

"Because our Emperor says we are the purest divine race and it's our divine right to rule the world." a Japanese soldier replied.

*Sigh*

"And you believe it?" he implored.

The Japanese soldiers looked at each other's faces, confused about what to say. They feared being rated out if what they said was wrong. "We believe what our emperor says, he's our god."

"God damn, you brainwashed fools. There is no god on Earth in this day and age. I guess I will visit your emperor soon. Anyway, make sure the sub reaches South Africa as quickly as possible. You all know the penalty." he scared the hell out of them.

Giving his command, he went back to Bose, who had just woken up. His eyes showed fear, anxiety and different light as if he knew everything there was to know. He faced Hector in confusion, "What are you? A blessed one?"

"President of the United States of America, and I have no idea what you mean by blessed one." Hector proudly replied.

"I mean... what do you call them in your country... yes... a Mutant? Are you a mutant?"

"No, you think I would have been the president if I was? But yes, I do have many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Anyway, what have you decided? Are you still going to join Axis?" Hector straightforwardly asked him. He had not much time, the moment he reached South Africa, he'd return to Italy.

"Why should I not join Axis? All the visions you showed me, they will still occur." Bose asked.

Smiling, Hector pulled out a small file from his bag, "Here, this is my official offer to you. As long as you take it, everything will change. Of course, you will have to spearhead this entire plan, you shall only have my support."

Bose read the file. In it, the first thing it revealed was that Bose will still create an Indian National Army and fight beside the Allies against Japan. Then, he and his army will be publicised to the level that his popularity shall compare with Gandhi.

Hector will force the UK to declare an independence date as soon as the war ends, and they will verbally say that they were motivated by Bose to do this. Then, the UK will appoint not its own, but instead Hector, to divide the nation, as the partition was inevitable at this point, and too much hate had spread.

Then, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will be included in the Marshal Plan of post-war redeveloping the world, but it will have a status akin to Japan. India will join the US as its allies and even become a member of a special group, where the attack on one will mean an attack on another. It shall allow the US to have one base in one of its southern states. The country shall forgo its socialist policies and instead take some sort of capitalistic policies but with emphasis on healthcare and education.

Hector will covertly help Bose take care of Gandhi and his friends' opposition to these reforms. At the same time, there shall be no East or West Pakistan. Having a country divided with a higher landmass between them was nothing but inviting future trouble, even more, when the two speak different languages. Hence, instead of two, there will be three new countries. Pakistan, a Muslim nation. India, a secular nation. Then Bangladesh, a Muslim secular nation.

"Well, I hope you give me a reply before I leave. Now, I should go and see what they cooked for their esteemed guest." he left the man to think.

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