A Trial of Time- India/US Transference.

---

Washington DC, United States of America (2025 Timeline)

The Map of Portugal appeared on the big screen in the White House's situation room. It has both Allied and Axis positions pinpointed in real time from satellites above.

General Marcus Graves is seen briefing the president on the current battlefield conditions in the front. "The good news is that we have on the ground intelligence from the brits. As we speak, allied troops are currently on their Last Stand here." He points to the river banks. "They are defending the Tagus river crossing from the Axis."

"Beginning with the allies: Portugal, with a population of 7.5 million on the mainland. According to the British, they are fielding a standing army of about 116,000 with reserves. Their arsenal comprised Great War to interwar period weaponry. Bolt action rifles, old artillery pieces, and export variants of the British Challenger and Cromwell tanks in their tank fleet, and several other types of outdated armored vehicles. Their air force had built around 13 fighter squadrons, mainly the late spitfire series and 3 Squadrons of Avro Lancaster Bombers, all exported from the British during the Spanish Civil War."

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought this timeline had 1950s technology?" Scorch asked.

"That is correct," General Graves replied. "However, technological advancement in the 1950s was one sided. The Armies of the world were still using WW2 rifles and tanks. It was in jet power, missiles, radar, rocket, nuclear and other technologies that advanced."

Seeing that everyone is on the same page, General Graves continued, "However, all of this is dated information. As we speak, the Portuguese might only sport less than thirty-thousand, and a very limited amount of heavy weapons left to hold the Axis onslaught. An additional forty-thousand Americans from the 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions, but they were under strength and depleted as they were rushed over."

"On the matters of the Allied expeditionary forces present in this front, the Americans of this timeline, before getting replaced by us, had deployed the 101st Airborne and the 10th Mountain Infantry Divisions. Fighting alongside the British who have sent their 51st Highland Infantry Division; reorganized after most of the Division was destroyed during their previous deployment at the battle of France. The overall command of the AEF Portugal front is under British Commander General Harry Darter. Got to say, the Portuguese got some guts. Their Prime Minister/ Dictator António de Oliveira Salazar has not fled the country even if, as per our calculations, Portugal might capitulate within a month."

"Is it really wise to place them under British command?" Mark Monarch asked.

"Can we really trust their Commander General capable of executing this play? After all, they have no experience with our technology." Mark had nothing against Harry Darter, who was indeed the Commander General he spoke of, nor did he find the man incompetent or lacking common sense.

However, the time era and technological advances were different by leaps and bounds which meant greater risks and potential for error.

Potts' breath caught for a moment before she found a way of response,

"Yes, but under strict conditions and agreement. They do know the situation better than us right now so we have to compromise if we want to win this war. Doesn't mean they don't get to listen and do what they want, however. They still have to take what our officers say and implicate it. No Politics this time. It's about being efficient and logistic."

Peering down at the file before her she shifted through some of the documentations idly,

"Speaking of no politics, has the Portuguese Prime Minister yet to flee the country? I thought him a man of little standard, it seems he is proving me wrong. He may have some courage afterall."

Mark then nodded.

General Connor Mitchells, swiping the clicker from Graves then switched to the next slide on the large screen, showing the approximate strength of the opposing forces on the front and their current positions on the battlefield.

"The Axis forces in this front, currently outnumber the allies 3-to-1, with multiple divisions from the Spanish army and a full army of Moroccan colonial troops from the Spanish Army of Africa spearheading the charge. A full division of Heer's elite Panzergrenadiers, and an infantry regiment of the Waffen SS. Last but not least, an Italian Infantry Division and supporting units."

"All of these units hold a clear edge against all available Allied forces in the front, the most dangerous being the Germans and the Spaniards. The Spanish army might not be as advanced as the Germans, but they make up for it with a lot of combat experience from their own civil war."

"With all that said, we need to start our European campaign in Portugal by sending Reinforcements to stabilize the dire situation our British allies, and the downtime American forces are in. The fall of Portugal would not only cripple the British but also strengthen the hold of the Axis forces in Europe. They have already bombarded everyone while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, who are not flying their flag. Crippling the Allied war effort on the African front. Losing Portugal will further tighten the noose around those troops there. We also have to consider that American lives are at stake. They may not be from our time, but they still are Americans."

President Potts gave a thoughtful look "Can we use our air based carrier assets to immediately support our beleaguered allies?"

Fleet Admiral James Hipper nodded, "We can, Madam President. But the sheer amount of areas our aviation units have to cover is massive. The munitions stored on a carrier are finite, and a carrier can only carry out so many missions before being forced back to the States for resupplying. The number of carriers we had earlier have been reduced and with our carriers divided into two fronts. Our bombing campaign will not be as effective as we could've before the transfer. The only way to sustain a consistent and effective bombing campaign is to have air bases."

"And what about our bomber fleet?" President Potts asked again.

General Dave Yang of the Air Force now replies, "While we can reactivate the reserves, the logistics would take some time. The closest air base housing our bombers is nearly 6000 Kilometers (3500+ Miles) away, our B-52H can fly to Europe drop their payload and make their way home with no need for refueling, but the problem is they are the only ones capable of that, they also have to go with no fighter escort, even though the Germans as per our findings do not possess they have fighters capable of reaching that high but we do not know, this world still has a lot of surprises for us. Another point is that most of the RAF airfields at the north had been damaged, and the Luftwaffe cratered their runaways. Thus making them useless for the time being, so for now, we cannot have our own Airforce fighter stationed there for future operations into Nazi-controlled Europe."

Potts nodded, "Ok. Admiral, provide a screening mission. Focus on the U-Boats and the Axis air superiority. When the Marines hit, they need to capture an airport for our F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15 Eagles IIs. Once we stabilize the current situation we will begin preparing a counter-offensive."

"What of the Indians, have they replied to our request to send forces to the African front quickly?"

CIA Director Mike Morell said,  "No Madam President, all we got are empty promises. From what we have gathered, they are planning on an opening dialogue with the Japanese."

The rest of the occupants of the Conference gasped.

"How can they do this?! Don't they know what the Imperial Japanese are capable of? What they had done to countless innocents all over Asia in the name of expanding their Empire?!." Scorch said, fuming with anger.

"Scorch, I can understand, but we cannot do much here- but to sit down and see how it goes." Mark says,

"Jason, calm down. We will deal with this later. Our priority now is to help our Allies, and the Americans stuck in Portugal."

Potts nods in agreement. "As much as I want to go back to the oval office, and ring new Delhi to have a serious talk with Prime Minister Tharoor regarding this, our current agenda of this meeting is regarding Europe; and I, for one, do not want to see more American lives either be our time or this timeline lost. Brave, young men dying in vain, waiting for the support they so preciously require to preserve the freedom of man in this world. They have been fighting all alone, without aid, for two months, holding the tide against immeasurable odds.

There is silence in the room before other members nod in agreement and Scorch calms down for now.

"Yes, Madam President, American lives matter more now. I am sorry for losing my temper."

"It's alright Scorch, I can understand your anger and frustration on that matter, but for now we need to focus on the situation in front of us."

She then turns back to the rest of the assembled government officials.

"So, what is the plan now?"

---[-]---

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona

Teams of technicians and officers inspect all the aircraft present at the boneyard. Ever since the draft had been re-insulated, veterans of the service were also called up for duty. This would prove rather helpful, as technical skills which would have been lost.

They set multiple teams up, each designated for each aircraft, from B-52s, B-1s, to even older fighter aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom IIs and F-117 Nighthawks. While obsolete, they are more advanced than the present European counterparts.

Colonel Taylor was in charge of this effort, as teams scrabbled to inspect the aircraft. For once, administration worked faster, allowing this to be done after reviving their talent and technical pool.

One of the technical officers came up and reported to him,

"There are forty-three B-52s in repairable status, Sir. Of those, 22 require a medium level of remedial repairs. The rest, well, they're a real mess. Take months, if not years, to fix them up. Shortage of engines is the fundamental problem, they've all been stripped of those. However, we're not short of spare parts."

"I see. Is there nothing we can do about it?"

"No sir, however, we have been through the line of F-111s. There's 169 of them here, and they reckon we can salvage enough to equip a group- fifty or sixty if we're lucky."

One officer said, "We talked with our Defense Contractors who are helping us with bringing back old planes from the boneyard to active duty. Same with the reserve fleet. The main issue is drafting enough people and then training them."

--------------------------------

48 hours before American forces landed in Portugal, Atlantic Ocean.

In Norfolk, Virginia, Three Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) were being prepared for deployment in Portugal. Amphibious assault ships (LHDs), amphibious transport docks (LPDs), and dock landing ships (LSDs) were being gathered. A newly formed Carrier strike group, based on the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), with its strike group, is the most advanced of its kind. Along, too, were the latest escort ships put in place for their departure to Europe.

For the deployment, the II Marine Expeditionary Force, comprising the 2nd Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. Along with the marines, the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division would be deployed as well.

The morale among the troops was high. Unlike previous conflicts, the idea of fighting Nazis, real Nazis with tilted swastika arm bands had really brought the nation together. The idea of Imperial Japanese lurking in the Pacific only doubled the number of recruits each branch of the Military was receiving. Slowly, America is prepping herself for the long, hard and audacious fight ahead. With the right mind, they are actually going to fight the evil incarnate on this very Earth and steel themselves for it. Many came to wave at the departing troops as they sailed towards to re-fight the war their grandparents have fought.

---[-]---

2 Hours Before American Arrival in Portugal, Atlantic Ocean.

The Kennedy Carrier Strike fleet was in charge of launching air missions against the axis aerial units in the area, providing CAP missions over the area. Another mission was to contact the Portuguese High Command and inform them of their arrival, even though the British had done the same.

Behind them, the Fleet Marine Force of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, as well as the 1st BCT of the 101st. It is one of the largest deployments overseas since the Gulf war. The entire amphibious fleet had to be used to transport the task force across the Atlantic.

The 2nd Marine Division is headed by a headquarters battalion and has a lot of subordinate units. In replacement of the Iconic M1A2 tanks used by the marines; Stryker MGS, AAV7s (Amphibious Assault Vehicles) of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, engineering equipment from the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, and the M777A2 artillery of the 10th Marine regiment. In addition to this is the infantry from the 2nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Regiment, 8th Marine Regiment, and 2nd Recon Battalion.

---[-]---

Lisbon Waterfront, Portugal.

There was an aura of panic flooding the capital. The frontline had come dangerously close to the ancient city. The air raids by the axis airforce was the first indicator of it. Even when Porto fell, the Portuguese people still believed that they could fight back the Spanish war machine. The sounds of battle at the Tagus River could be heard, and they knew that the city would soon fall. Retreating units evacuating via the ocean did not help to assure the people, though.

Every sound of artillery scared the citizens, the time it would take for the news to arrive of the result of the battle would take too long if the frontline collapsed, with the German Blitzkrieg doctrine would have Germans in Lisbon before the people understood what happened, just like in Paris.

Leonardo Abreu is an eleven-year-old boy. He used to loaf around with his friends, talking about how their nation's army would heroically fight back, and what they would do if they were in the army, and that was when the bombs began to drop on Lisbon. Now, he was busy running with bags of food, trying to make it home to his mother, friends being on the back of his mind as surviving with his mother was more important.

Inside his small home, he found his mother in the kitchen, washing dishes. He put the bags on the table before going to his mother.

"Mãe, I am back with the groceries," Leo announced.

"Good Leo, clean yourself up and sit with me," His mother shouted from the kitchen.

"Before that, mãe, I need to ask you something," Leo inquired.

"What is it, filho," His mother asked.

"Are the Espanhol going to take over?" Leo said innocently.

"What makes you think of that? You know the Major announced the Americans are coming." His mother informed.

"What is the point? They came, and they got beaten back. That is what is going to happen," Leo stated.

"Do not say that Leo," his mother said sternly.

"Why mãe?" Leo asked.

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" His mother questioned as she put down a cleaned plate on the counter.

"Yes, but how will that make a difference?"

"Just watch Leo, just watch."

---[-]---

On the USS Bataan (LHD-5)

Sergeant Rene Levesque, squad leader of 2nd Squad, and part of the First Platoon of the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd MEF, was making sure his team was checking their equipment as he loaded on to the MV-22B Osprey.

"Listen up boys! We do not know what'll happen when we hit the frontlines, but when we do, we are moving forward and we are going to kick some nazi ass!"

"Hoorah!" They responded.

"Remember to make your forefathers, those who landed on the beaches of Normandy that punched Hitler on his teeth, to the ash-filled beaches of Iwo Jima where the Devil dogs raised the stars and stripes on that damn volcanic mountain! Proud and with their chests pumping in pride as they guide us from the heavens, for we are going to do the same AGAIN!"

"Oorah!"

"We have more than Eighty years of technology, and better tactics than the Krauts, we can beat them" Private Dylan Turner spoke under his breath showing a bit of confidence over America's Technology superiority.

"That's similar to what they said before the Gulf war or Afghan war, and look what that got us into," Private Scott Allen scoffed.

"Don't jinx us you asshole !" Turner retorted as he punched Allen's arm.

'Relax boys, keep the punches for the enemy." Rene stated as he looked at his squad.

<< This is Overlord, locals have to be notified of our presence and friendly units in the city will assist us. Air Assault units will be deployed to the front, with the Amphibious marines moving in to provide reinforcement. >>

<<May God be on your side>>

Just as the radio announced this, multiple squadrons of F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets began launching from the aircraft carriers. Their mission is to have total Air superiority of the region, and protect the rotary-wing aircraft about to deploy.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in the sky was watching the air, directing Super Hornets to engage targets in the region.

Soon, the Ospreys and AH-1Z Vipers took off, along with AAV-7s and LAV-25s. Strykers deployed via landing craft, all heading to Lisbon's waterfront.

---[-]---

Back in Lisbon the panic-ridden populace keep on piling up on anything that is floatable to escape before the Germans and the Spainards arrive. Rumors have already been going around the the Spaniards especially their Moroccan troops looting, pillaging, raping all their way towards the Captial, the same fate always awaited many of them. Many lost their lives in stampedes or drowned when a boat capsized. It was a rout as soldiers that had lost any will to fight deserted their posts also joined the common masses. The government had already fled.

The capital was considered lost, the airfields that were the only thing standing between a German terror bombing just got blown to oblivion by multiple V2 and V3 rockets. Those who could gather their belongings and started heading towards nearby ports to find a way out. It was then when the Air raid sirens began to sound again and the buzzing of the Luftwaffe planes echoed all over the sky. It was another air raid, people scrambled to safety running to their nearby bomb shelters.

"Come Leo quick we have to go" Leonardo mother shouted as she held her son's hand firmly as they both left their home and ran towards the nearby shelter.

But as they ran in the midst of the crowd Leo slipped and fell down.

"Mãe !" He yelled for his mother, but she could do nothing as she herself was swept away by the surge of people trying to find shelter. The AA batteries now echoed.

The Boy laid on the ground covering his head when a good samaritan picked him up.

"Come on boy," The man said in English, Leo now saw his savior was a Canadian soldier who had half of his head bandaged, he held him on his shoulders as he also ran.

But Leo's eyes were fixed towards the sky, he could see the silhouettes of the German or Spanish planes. Then out of nowhere one of the planes flying a bit lower is hit by a rocket flying very fast and leaving a trail of white smoke.

The aircraft exploded in the sky, then one by one other bombers also got hit as they tried to evade the incoming rockets. The Canadian also stopped looking at the sky as he now saw aircrafts faster even than their American Sabres snooping in for the kill and destroying another group of planes and chasing the rest of the Luftwaffe crafts trying to run away.

They were not alone as many in the crowd started to turn and look towards the sky, the fear of death replaced curiosity and a sense of safety as more of these faster planes were seen in the sky, clearing it of any more Axis bombers.

It was then one of these planes flew closer to the city turning to its side showing its US marking.

"Well look at it the Yanks are back." The Canadian said with a smile.

"Leo!" A voice is heard as Leo looks over to his side to see his mother coming towards him.

The Canadian also noticed and drops him down.

Leo runs towards his mother and embraces her "Mãe you were right, they are back."

"Yes my son," She said, picking him up.

The sky is now filled by more aircrafts they looked like a mixture of a transport plane and the rotorcrafts the Americans and Germans extensively used were also other rotorcrafts flying alongside them.

Leo raised his hand and began to wave at them with a big smile. He was not alone again as many Portuguese cheered and waved at them as well.

He along with many began to feel, the tide is about to be turned and their time of their suffering will soon end.

---[-]---

On Warbird 22

"Hey! You should look at the faces of the locals! They look like they're seeing Aliens!" Turner laughed as he looked outside.

"Bet this is the first they even saw a helicopter." Squad's Machine gunner Riley Cooke commented as he checked his M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle.

"This still does not feel right, all this morale and everything, feels like there is a surprise waiting for us." Allen commented.

"Alpha Platoon, quiet down." 2nd Lieutenant Sean Young ordered the Marines followed without a hitch.

"Now, Sergeant Evans and Sergeant Rene,squad's will be on the front and will support our downtimers in the defenses and relieve them, Sergeant Colon's squad will help in moving the wounded and if needed will join the fight to plug any holes in the lines. Any questions ?"

None raised one

"Good, as much as our flyboys pummel the Nazis and their lapdogs to the ground, our enemy will still armed and dangerous and have the ability and motivation to keep on their attack and will cause a lot of casualties if we start becoming cocky because we have more flashy tech than them, We are going to hold the lines and show those Germans what us devil dogs are made up."

"Oorah!" His platoon responded

---

As their V-22 Osprey flies in formation with other Marine V-22s, four Super Hornets were on a mission.

"Vulture team, I have radar painted on eight targets, Infra-red signature on 6 targets. Vulture aircraft, take targets from your flight positions, and use the AIM-9s. You can fly close and use your cannons as well, it's just people in the air."

The pilot of Vulture lead turns on the annunciator of the AIM-9, with a steady growling, that indicated that the targets were being logged into the missile's seeker head.

"Vulture team, open fire."

The launch of AIM-9 Sidewinders were simultaneous, a total of 6 streaked in the air towards their unsuspecting victims. One by one, the missile met their targets. 9.4 kg (21 lb) WDU-17/B annular blast-fragmentation, the payload of 1 AIM-9 was capable of destroying even tanks, so their human victims stood no chance. 69 years of continuous development and improvements ensured that this is one lethal missile.

"Vulture team, skies are clear, proceed on mission."

As the Super Hornets took their course towards target, their targeting computers designated drop points as they flew to deal one last blow before having to Winchester RTB. As they flew over the battlefield, they dropped CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition over the attacking axis forces.

It is a free-falling bomb, capable of being dropped from any aircraft. CBU-87 consists of an SUU-65B canister, a fuse with 12 time delay options and 202 submunitions (or bomblets) designated BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb.

Each bomblet is a yellow cylinder with a length of 20 centimeters and a diameter of 6 centimeters. The BLU-97/B bomblets are designed to be used against armor, personnel, and soft skinned targets. Consisting of a shaped charge, a scored steel fragmentation case, and a zirconium ring for incendiary effects.

As the bomblets opened up, their contents opened up in an explosive way, with metal fragments and incendiary contents being ignited as it dropped over the germans. The fragments tore apart soft tissue and liquid metal penetrated the steel of the german tanks. As the Zirconium rings ignited, the soldiers exposed to it were burnt alive. Screams of men in agony, as their flesh melted away, haunted the survivors of the airstrike.

This dealt a devastating blow to the Germans, more moral than casualties. Watching friendly forces being burnt alive and melting, while your unit's tanks are wiped out by cluster munition is something no soldier wishes for. While the area affected was not huge, it was enough to deal a crucial blow as the Uptime Americans were landing their air assault units.

The Ospreys landed, and modern American soldiers deployed, amongst the surprised survivors of the artillery strike which wiped out the 2nd axis wave along with the downtimes and Portuguese soldiers.

Marines ran into positions, with some deploying hand-held drones to provide surveillance and intel about the battlefield.

The Marine corps designated attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Viper, continuously evolved from its parent AH-1, capable of taking off and landing and also being transported on Marine Amphibious Assault ships, making it a vital air power tool of the marines. Armed with 2.75-inch (70 mm) Hydra 70 rocket pods, and AGM-114 Hellfire quad missile launchers and one 20 mm M197 three-barreled rotary cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret.

Two of these vipers flew overhead, providing air support to the Marines, firing its cannons at enemy infantry. These iron pegusi brought forth the death of many, with a few Hellfire missiles knocking out armour and the Hydra rockets destroying fortification.

The sudden appearance of the Modern Uptime Americans threw the Germans off the loop. It literally seemed like shooting fishes in a barrel. Totally unexpected for a professional army like the Heer. However one cannot expect victories such as these, as soon the element of such surprise would soon disappear, one cannot forget that these are the very Germans who were able to knock France out of the war with obsolete reserve equipment.

---[-]---

5 Kilometers away from the Tagus River Frontlines.

Achim Schmetterling, Unteroffizier Der Magier, awarded with the Spanien-Krenz, Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, for his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and his continuous bravery against the enemy, was carrying his friend as they fled from the battlefield, in an attempt to retreat back to battalion headquarters.

This was the first time in a while that the battlefield shocked him. After the enemy bombardment had unfortunately wiped out the shock soldiers, the main element of their force had arrived to cross the river.

Everything was going according to plan until those- "things" arrived, they had wiped out the enemy FOB, conducting probing attacks tricking the enemy into sacrificing itself against shock infantry, and it was soon time to cross over and lead the attack on Lisbon.

But that all changed when those lightning fast things streaked out. Using his observation magic, he was able to identify it as a jet aircraft, but it was too fast to make out more details. He had even watched one of these fast rockets make an unnatural turn towards his Hauptmann and blow him out of the sky. Only his helmet remained.

Rotorcraft, multiple of them landed, and out of them, soldiers exited. They looked like nothing they had seen before. Their uniforms had a similarity with the Waffen-SS, their webbings were way bigger, they seemed to be carrying new weapons and seemingly smaller radios, but one thing was common, all the new crafts had US Marking.

This all was crucial information, and he had to make it back to Headquarters to get his friend treated and inform his superiors of this vital information.

"What just happened, Achim?" His wounded friend coughed.

"I have no idea Jorg, all I know is we have to make it back to headquarters."

"Did your mage device capture this? Mines bro-" Jorg winced in pain as he held his arm and leg.

"Yes, now we have to leave that aside, I managed to heal your arm and leg as much as I could but you need to get to the Sanitaters first."

"My arm is not as important, Achim. Just fly away and leave me, I'll make it back-"

''I will not leave you, and flying now is suicide, haven't you seen those things?"

"You do have a point, also could you give me your morphine"

"Yeah, sure" Achim replied as he grabbed his injection of morphine and injected it into Jorg's arm."

"That's better, now what were those things?"

"No idea, but I do know it has something related to these rumours we heard about"

"Yeah, those rumors."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syonan-to (Japanese Occupied Singapore), Singapore Naval Base.

"Welcome to Syonan, your excellency." Lt.General Takuro Matsui said with a smile as he shook hands with an Indian man with a red turban and a business suit. An army propaganda photo journalist is quick to click a picture of them, while another one is seen filming from top of a truck. Capturing everything, including the highly advanced looking cruise ship Agariya the delegation used to sail from India.

Agariya's naval escorts from the Indian navy, consisting of a couple of destroyers and a corvette, remained at a distance away from the range of Japanese shore batteries; they were not taking any chances here.

Naveen, an Indian origin College professor now working for the Japanese after his institution was turned into an Imperial army depot, translated each and every word the Major said to the Indian delegates making no mistakes.

In the background, the IJA military band is heard playing a welcoming tune for the delegation

Short introduction soon followed, and pleasantries are exchanged, the man with the red turban is the head of the Indian delegation Upindar Singh the External Affairs minister of the Republic, it was quite odd for him as from what he know he never read this name in any of the top Indian National Congress leadership those were leading the struggle back in India. But he decided to ignore that.

Like him, his employer General Matsui also had the same degree of confusion, as he shook hands with a Japanese man called Ishitami Tyga in the Indian delegation. From all he got, he represented the Japanese residents in India. Keeping his questions for the latter he went back to the leader of the delegation.

"Thank you General for the warm welcome." The minister said with his own diplomatic smile.

General waits for Naveen to translate and then nods "And we the Japanese and the free people of Syonan are also happy to welcome the delegates from a nation which also broke the shackles of Western Imperialism with force of arms."

He then gestures to the Indian delegates to follow him. "Please this way, your transports are waiting for you to take you to the Government house in the city."

The delegation follows and soon boards their designated vehicles, as per Matsui's instructions, Naveen joins the Delegation leader and his secretary in their vehicle, his job is to listen and report back on what the delegation's reaction is going to be to the spectacle they have prepared for them. Their security detail consisting of heavily armed soldiers dressed in complete black with even their faces covered by masks were provided with an army truck for transportation.

The convoy took a scenic route through the occupied city, bypassing the parts of Singapore still in the rebuilding phase caused by the Japanese air raids before the fall. Every corner the convoy took the Indian minister saw the growing influence of the Japanese, every house, shop, office they passed through had the flag of the rising sun. People lined up at the side walks to welcome them, but Upinder could notice one thing clearly, it was all just for a show. Being a career politician he could see through the Japanese charade, these people were forced to stand at the side walks and wave, very few of them are actually happy to see them, many from being Indian residents and migrants.

But as the convoy drew closer to the Governor's palace the scenery changed.

Upidar could stare in complete shock as the flag waving ordinary common citizens were replaced by British and Commonwealth POWs all standing at either side of the road. Under the watchful eyes of their captors. They all were made to stand in attention regardless of their physical conditions, many men didn't have legs and were also forced to join, it will later be found all these men had two options either, stand and be humiliated or die. The few who refused, many officers were summarily executed by beheading and thrown into a ditch in front of their own men to make an example out of them, that anyone who refuses to obey the Japanese will meet the same fate.

Upidar quickly brought his phone and bear and started to record, Naveen noticed this and was a bit surprised by this small and compact camera, small enough to fit inside your trouser's pockets and a thing that can go unnoticed by guards and a perfect instrument to spy on someone.

But the way the minister was handling it openly without fear of being found out, he concluded it as a new instrument made in the west and the minister is wealthy enough to afford these expensive gizmos, though made a mental note of informing his Kempeitai handler later on.

Meanwhile an Indian journalist camera crew attached to the delegation travelled with the MARCOS (Marine Commandos) security detail on their truck and took their sweet time filming and documenting everything on the way, skillfully capturing the faces of despair of many Singaporeans from all walks of life and the sorry state the POWs were in.

Finally the convoy reached the grand Government House of Singapore the delegates were then taken to a conference hall where the Imperial Japanese delegation were waiting with their own requests and demands. Many scholars and historians in the future will consider this meeting as the one where the future and freedom of South East Asia from the clutches of Imperial powers was decided upon.

---[-]---

Government House of Singapore, Conference Hall

Ishitami Tyga blankly stared at his countrymen from another time as they were imposing the Indian Foreign minister to accept their version of the unequal treaties in a charade of good will which would put the republic in a position of massive disadvantage.

The first error Mr. Upindar did by bowing down his head and apologizing for the Japanese lives lost in the Naval battle between the two nations near the Andaman Islands and going as far as promising monetary compensations to the dead soldiers and sailors families after a peace treaty had been settled.

For the sake of making peace the minister knowingly ignored the fact that the Imperial Japanese were the aggressors here leading to the bloody skirmish and to the ire of his own staff and also disregarding the advice he had given him on how to deal with Japanese of this time.

These starting statements at the beginning of the meeting were enough for the Japanese delegation headed by General Tomoyuki Yamashita and the conqueror of Malaya and Singapore and ambassador (name) to now treat India as a weak and a defeated power, with enough might to lash out once before giving up and will be no match against the might of the Imperial Japanese Empire. He could see in the very eyes of his downtime countrymen how much satisfied they were, not realizing the mistakes they were making.

As the talks began the Indians first proposed for ending any hostilities between the two states, the Imperial Japanese countered by first politely proposing the Indians to accept their invitation to enter into the co prosperity sphere as a member state and to allow the Japanese to use the Indian waters and let them construct one of their military bases for 'Protection of India from the British and American imperialists',catching the minister completely off guard and as for compensation control of key ports in the Indian Ocean for further naval operations. The man had a wrong perception that dealing with these ultra nationalists was similar to talking and negotiating with any modern Japanese politician or representative from 2025.

Yes he was a patriot, yes Ishitami did not want to see his beloved homeland being turned into a pile of ash, Barren and irradiated by Atomic fire, but he was also not proud of the amount of blood that was spilled in the name of the Emperor who was controlled by the hardliners those were dragging his nation to its doom. So he sought the help of his good friend the external affairs minister of India to try to end the conflict between India and Japan before it escalates beyond his control, and if they are able to achieve this nigh impossible task then, a ceasefire with the Americans will also be not impossible, the rest of the Allied powers will be dealt later on.

But all the hard work he had done in convincing the Indian government through his friend that peace was even a possibility is now slowly being flushed down the gutter as the hardliners are sitting on the negotiation table representing the worst of what Japan had to offer back then. Half of the Imperial Japanese delegation were tried as war criminals for committing heinous crimes against humanity on civilians and POWs alike and executed back in his timeline. For all the suffering and pain they brought to millions, the curses of tortured souls will manifest in the suffering of their own people in return.

The Indians now realised what the Japanese wanted, for them to become one of their satellite states, they refused all the proposals or more like demands presented by the Imperials. Upindar now losing his own cool also made it clear to the Imperials, India is not bowing down to any Imperial power, may it be the British or the Japanese and asked the Imperials to withdraw their troops from Burma and to stop all the atrocities conducted by the imperial army on the civilian population on all their occupied zones especially focusing on the crimes done in China and to common Chinese populace. He even went ahead and brought about the Sook Ching massacre, a systematic purge of the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya by the occupying army that happened just a few months ago.

He felt helpless when the imperials dropped the final bomb, infuriated by Upindar's outburst General Yamashita went ahead looking directly into the Minister's eyes and said.

"If you do not accept our agreement, what has happened to the subhuman Chinese and to anyone foolish enough to stand before us will happen to you and your nation, not to forget the ten of thousands of Indians now living under our glorious administration and with relative ease will also feel the pain of their chinese neighbors as my troops will now go door to door to do what is needed. The fair treatment we were giving to the Indian POWs will also stop, they will all die in starvation like the white monkeys are receiving for giving up without much fight. Their lives depend on your decision Mr. Upindar, what will you choose ?"

It is what will be known as the most controversial decision in the future as it sealed the fate of many to die in agony as the external affairs minister stood up, "We choose to avenge them, their lives will not be lost in vain and will fuel our resolve to keep on fighting in the name of freedom and against tyranny and oppression."

Ishitami also stood up as he watched his friend turning and walking out of the room.

"Your arrogance will doom us all." He said pointing his finger at the Imperial Japanese delegation all stunned by this sudden outburst. "You all do not know what you have done, what our Homeland and our people are going to suffer for your foolishness. Japan is going to be ravaged and brought to its knees, the heavenly sovereign disgraced and our proud cities will be in ruins and all of this will happen and YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE THE CAUSE OF IT."

"Shut your trap you defeatist, traitor SCUM, if you weren't under diplomatic immunity I would have gone ahead and cut your head off myself." "General Yamashita now yelled in fury, resting his hand on his ceremonial sword but stopped by his navy counterpart. "NOW GET OUT of my sight before I lose control of myself, you are not worthy to be called a Japanese, if you are then you should commit Seppuku in an instant for sprouting such none sense and be done with your worthless life."

Ishitami, who was also fuming, turned around. "It is not me who is a traitor to our people, but you all for dragging us into this war and also losing the only chance for peace. I hope we will see each other again."

He walked out of the room as Yamashita spat "Sub human scum"

The Delegation would return back to India and as promised unmolested on the way by the IJN, bringing the news of the breaking down of the peace talks and the ill intentions of Imperial Japanese.

The general mobilization orders were finally given as India gripped itself for a long war ahead as the official declaration of war against the Japanese Empire relayed over the radio waves all over Asia and the world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Research Centre Imarat (RCI), DRDO, New Delhi

Doctor Raghavan Raj, Head of the Missile development team, was busy in a meeting with his team.

The recent naval battle, plus the lack of effect by regular Anti-ship missiles on heavier ships like battlecruisers was concerning.

Modern missiles had a High Explosive Warhead, which are very effective against Modern Destroyers, the USS Stark incident is a good reference, just two AM-39 Exocet missiles, even with one failing to explode, was able to knock out the USS Stark from operational status.

World War 2 Battlecruisers and Battleships on the other hand, are designed to face rounds similar to the cannons they have. The IJN Kongu which the Indian Navy faced off had even a 14 Inch cannon, capable of going through anything below 14 inches of armor (355.5mm of metal). The Navy was lucky that one Su-30MKI was carrying one KAB-1500L Bunker Buster which through sheer luck had blown the Kongu's ammunition stores. HE warheads would never do the trick, other than damage other vital equipment like radio systems and rangefinding equipment. AP warheads could be used as well, The AP warhead is basically a shaped charge, while it could penetrate 14 inches of armor theoretically, the post penetration damage would be pathetic as crew compartments would act as spaced armour.

Lucky for the team, Russian specialists in missile technology were still in India, busy designing the future missile technology as part of the Indo-russian cooperation. Unfortunately for them they were still in India when the "wall of light" incident occurred.

While most of the new missile was developed, a way to incorporate and at the same time create a payload capable of damaging those massive steel beasts was required. What was obvious is that the Americans would also be doing so, leading for an unknown secret race to being first.

Raj could only sigh, as he watched his team furiously plan out and design the new missile's payload, what was supposed to be an Anti-Ship version of the BraMos Block 2 Missile was soon going to be a battleship killer, even if more than 3 of them were required.

-------------------------

Some years prior, 1939, Eastern China

Daisy white,

Encompassed by spike,

Foreshadowed on blue,

Painted quite crude,

Monotone broken on steel,

Covered by muds scrannel.

A lone sniper holds tight to his rifle as the apocalyptic city engulfs around him. Nauseating smells of smoke and blood brims the depressive atmosphere, as all that was once a bustling city's zig-zagging streets lay in ruins. The dazzling sun hangs high, brighting the ruins of the dead city; as if belittling the humans for their deeds, driven by tribal instincts.

The sniper takes a deep breath, tasting the mixture of blood and steel along. Slowly turning around, he peaks the corner of an obliterated apartment.

Aiming down his marksman scope, the magnified coloured panels of a half-intact church reflect the sun's light, glittering in an incoherent dance. Through the holes of the panels, he spots the blurred movement of an enemy. Their tan uniform is all so familiar to him, since he had fizzed these lots like candles.

Taking in a deep breath, he says a prayer. Gripping firm, he steadies his aim.

Bang!

A single shot from a marksman rifle interrupts the uneasy quiet of the charred city. The bullet cuts through the air in lightspeed, penetrating a red coloured windowpane, annihilating it to bits, as its fragments jets inwards. The enemy became still, as it dropped face first, out of view from the window.

After a few seconds of silence, a distant whistling echoes the landscape.

The sniper chamber another round, and aim at the door of the church.

Suddenly, it bursted open, as a squad of his enemy flooded out, armed, and filled with animosity.

But he came prepared.

In the shadows, he aims at a discarded stick hand grenade he planted sometime prior in the rubble of the deserted streets. Taking another shot, it lands on the explosive, blowing a few of the enemy to pieces. A deafening roar, followed by the shockwave knocked the enemy to their feet.

He cycles another round. The casing ejected swiftly, as it fell on the rubble'd floor.

The enemy officer takes a peep from behind a telephone post. Seeing a grey helmet peeping up from the second floor of a blown-out apartment, and shouting something to his subordinates.

As he was about to peep out with another go, he gets bombarded by recurring rifle fire.

"操!" he curses.

The officer orders something, with some of his subordinates dashing forward towards the supposed sniper nest. The enemy throws their inventory of grenades up the side, rocking the building to its core.

Unexpectedly, the sniper emerges from behind them in another building, and takes one out with a headshot. The bullet penetrated the thin steel helmet wrapped in a net.

Taking cover, the enemy officer orders his subordinates. Disregarding his mistake of the sniper nest earlier, and the loss of life of one of his subordinates.

Gunfire rains down on the sniper's position as the enemy machine gunner gets on his belly, his MG relishing the ammo.

The sniper hastefully maneuvers the chaotic situation he found himself in. Jumping, rolling, and dashing; until he found a good view, blowing the machine gunner's brain to bits through a hole.

The enemy officer shouts angrily, as if he is cursing at the death of his machine gunner.

A diabolical grin appears on the sniper's dirtied face.

The enemy pushes forward, and throws their grenade again, this time at the sniper's relative location. Caught off guard by the sudden rain of grenades, he unconsciously pointed his rifle out. Maraciously, as if his hip-shot was guided by an angel, it blows one of the grenades mid-air. With the shockwave blowing him back.

With no activities heard from the building. The enemy officer and his men carefully clear the damaged building until the officer sees blood dripping down from a hole above. With his subordinates, they make their way to the top. His bloodshot eyes once again violated by the radiance of the sun.

As he clears his view, he sees the charred, bloodied body of his enemy. A boy no less than 20. Debilitated, the boy leaned against the edge of the building. His marksmen rifle a few feet in front.

A deathly silence ensues as the two lock eyes. Bloodshot and dirtied. Where both seen hell and back. The officer points his pistol at the boy hastefully, seeing the unnatural beneficence expression- for someone who is backed to a wall.

Shouting something, his subordinates fire at the half-dead sniper. The boy thrust back, triggering a ruse as he fell to his death.

Once the officer realized what happened, it was too late.

The building explodes.

As the boy falls, his last grain of consciousness makes a doleful smile.

Crashing on the crippled street, he dies on the molested soil of his motherland, dragging his enemies along, too.

[-]

Present day, United States of America.

A caucasian man exits a cab.

On the doorstep of the St. John's Episcopal Church, Queens; he enters the broad entrances. Seeing a quite empty chamber of worshippers. Walking down the lanes of wooden bleachers, he stops just shy of a sharply dressed Asian man staring aimlessly at the coloured panels, above the podium. His nebulous expression- forgetful to passers.

Sitting down behind him, the two sat in silence, as the footsteps resonated.

"Agent Song." the man said.

"Cut to the point." Agent Song replied.

"Very well. Let's talk somewhere... with less prying eyes."

Mr. Song paused, then nodded.