India had spent vast sums importing 59 Mirage 2000 fighters from France's Dassault Aviation, only to lose 52 of them to crashes by 2018. Frustrated, India grumbled, "These French jets just don't crash-proof enough! One star, terrible experience..."
But that's a story for another time.
For now, India's relationship with Dassault remained amicable. Although Dassault had refused to grant India a license for local production or assembly of its Mirage aircraft—distrusting Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)'s "technical capabilities"—the two parties still shared overlapping interests.
With Israel rejecting their proposal and Russia being too treacherous to approach, India deemed Dassault an ideal partner for its plans.
As luck would have it, Dassault was intrigued. Although they didn't immediately agree to HAL's proposal, they began evaluating the feasibility of cooperating with India to extract technology from Castle, the elusive writer with groundbreaking innovations.
Dassault's leadership had gathered intelligence about Castle and were acutely aware of his significance. The company knew that France had already made an attempt to exploit him, with dismal results. While Castle had not publicly commented on or retaliated against the failed abduction attempt orchestrated by Pompeo—a scion of the French elite—anyone with insight could see that Castle was simply preoccupied with other matters.
The evidence? Pompeo's middleman, Le Chiffre, had his Montenegro base obliterated by the D'Antonio family, an Italian mafia clan allied with Castle. The operation left Le Chiffre's influence in shambles, forcing him to flee Montenegro and jeopardizing his illicit activities in Africa.
India's overture to Dassault, though nominally made by HAL, was clearly backed by the Indian government. Everyone understood that HAL, as a state-owned enterprise, acted as an extension of India's national interests.
Dassault saw potential in Castle that extended far beyond his cloaking technology. His semi-autonomous flight control systems, licensed to the Italian D'Antonio family's aerospace firm, were revolutionary. His innovations in upgrading jet engine performance were mystifying. Dassault, and indeed all of France's defense industry, saw Castle as an invaluable asset.
France's ambitions in aerospace were also motivated by rivalry. In the global market for fighter aircraft exports, Dassault, the U.S.'s Lockheed Martin, and Russia's Sukhoi dominated. France even held significant shares in the Eurofighter consortium. However, many European Union nations had decided to partner with Lockheed Martin on the next-generation F-35 fighter jet, a move that deeply frustrated the proud French.
In the EU, France and Germany were considered equals, but France harbored leadership ambitions. However, with Germany's financial strength overshadowing them, France begrudgingly accepted a subordinate position.
Thus, Dassault couldn't outright reject India's proposal. Still, India's infamous track record made them cautious. The company decided to deliberate internally before making any commitments.
India, satisfied that Dassault hadn't immediately rejected them like Israel had, returned home optimistic, eagerly awaiting a favorable response.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials observed India's frantic maneuvering with a mix of disdain and amusement.
"These cow-urine-drinking fools," they sneered, "thinking they can drag us into their nonsense?"
Israel's influence in the U.S. was immense. With control over voting districts amounting to approximately 130 electoral votes—nearly half the 270 needed to win the presidency—the Jewish community held unparalleled sway in American politics.
Moreover, Castle's technology was already intertwined with companies backed by Jewish capital, like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Israel had no need to collaborate with the notoriously unreliable India to gain access to such innovations.
"India," they thought, "you're audacious, but your shamelessness almost mirrors the Americans themselves."
While India scrambled to forge alliances and secure Castle's technology, it didn't bother considering whether HAL was even capable of utilizing such advanced systems.
Another major player watching closely was Russia, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. However, Russia's approach was far more subtle.
To Russia's surprise, Castle's personal security team was composed entirely of former Russian MVD (Interior Ministry) special forces operatives. These individuals were deeply trusted by Castle and had even played a crucial role in rescuing the U.S. First Lady during the recent White House attack.
Recognizing an opportunity, Russia sent a message to Castle through his head of security, "Big Ivan." Although Big Ivan had obtained a U.S. green card, his Russian nationality made him an ideal intermediary.
When Big Ivan hesitantly approached Castle, the latter was in his mechanical lab, overseeing Jarvis-controlled robotic arms assembling cloaking components.
Big Ivan conveyed the message with trepidation: Russia hoped to discuss potential collaboration or licensing of Castle's groundbreaking technology.
Castle couldn't help but laugh.
"Buddy," Castle said to Big Ivan, "have you considered the consequences if I actually partnered with your country?"
The geopolitical implications were staggering. Russia, while yearning for Castle's tech, was acutely aware of its limitations. The once-mighty superpower was still recovering from the economic crisis orchestrated by the U.S. To survive, Russia had relied on a lifeline from China, signing a $25 billion oil-for-loans agreement that helped stabilize its economy.
With its economy weakened and its defense industry struggling to match its former glory, Russia knew it couldn't afford to alienate global powers. They approached Castle not with demands but with cautious diplomacy.
Meanwhile, China, having developed the J-20 stealth fighter—more advanced than the U.S.'s F-22—showed no interest in Castle's work. They were one of the few nations capable of independent innovation at such a level.
However, for every other country with the ability to produce fighter jets, Castle's technology was a tantalizing prize.
Hearing Big Ivan's message, Castle pondered his next move. Would he entertain Russia's proposal or maintain his current alliances? For now, the writer-turned-tech mogul found himself at the center of a global tug-of-war, a "juicy target" in the eyes of the world.
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