The U.S. government was well aware that its "pet dog"—the ever-loyal Japan—was secretly supporting Turkey, which was currently at odds with U.S. interests. Yet, for some unknown reason, neither President Benjamin nor Congress expressed any dissatisfaction.
Confused, Castle called his friend Moz, the President's National Security Advisor, to get some insight. And what he learned left him disgusted by just how dirty American politicians could be.
Why was the U.S. government uncharacteristically silent despite knowing that Japan was aiding its adversary?
Because, from the American perspective, Japan secretly supporting Turkey actually made the U.S. and Britain's plan to weaken Turkey even more effective.
With Western-backed Kurdish and Syrian forces fighting Turkey to a stalemate, the long-term plan was to keep Turkey embroiled in conflict. After all, with a steady stream of U.S. and British military aid, Turkey would eventually collapse under the pressure.
But what if Turkey surrendered too soon? That wouldn't serve U.S. or British interests at all.
Turkey needed to keep bleeding—slowly.
For that to happen, someone had to keep "refueling" Turkey so that it could continue fighting and keep losing.
The U.S. and Britain had no intention of outright conquering Turkey. Instead, they wanted to prop up a pro-Western faction within Turkey that would fight the existing government, keeping the country in perpetual turmoil.
A permanently unstable Turkey would never have the opportunity to strengthen itself and become a regional power.
So, as long as Japan's secret aid to Turkey helped maintain balance—ensuring that neither side could fully defeat the other—then it actually benefited American interests.
And there was another, even deeper motive:
If Turkey couldn't hold out, it might be forced to seek help from Russia.
Hadn't Russia already intervened in Syria?
Dragging Russia further into the conflict was part of the plan all along.
So even though the U.S. was pissed that Japan was defying its "master" by aiding Turkey, it ultimately decided to turn a blind eye.
After hearing all of this from Moz, Castle was disgusted.
No wonder people always said, "There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests."
Ever since Japan had secretly funded Amir's attack on the White House, the entire U.S. government had been furious with them.
Sure, the U.S. had retaliated by forcing Japan to shoulder the full cost of U.S. military bases in Japan.
Sure, Moz had taken President Benjamin's orders and used trade policy as a club to beat Japan into submission.
But now, despite everything, the U.S. was allowing Japan to support Turkey?
Castle scoffed.
Yeah, I'm definitely not cut out to be a politician. This game is way too deep.
This time, Turkey might have really bitten off more than it could chew.
According to the intel Castle had gathered, the U.S. and Britain were furious at Turkey for announcing its withdrawal from NATO, claiming it had been treated unfairly.
From the American perspective, Turkey's move was infuriating.
You sent spies into our country to steal technology, we caught you red-handed, and now you're playing the victim?
Sure, the U.S. had meddled in Turkey's politics in the past—but so what?
We're the world's only superpower. We don't need to explain ourselves to you.
And now, Turkey had gone so far as to shut down U.S. military bases on its soil and expel American troops.
Then, to top it all off, Turkey was publicly acting like a martyr—telling the world it was withdrawing from NATO because it had been bullied.
The audacity!
There was no way the U.S. was going to let Turkey get away with that.
What Castle didn't know was that just two years before he had transmigrated into this world, the U.S. and NATO had pulled off almost the exact same playbook in Eastern Europe.
They had baited Russia into conflict with a certain former Soviet state known for its beautiful women.
And now, they were running the same trick again—this time with Turkey.
One particularly interesting aspect of this geopolitical mess was Japan's recent deal with India.
Japan had just secured a contract to build high-speed rail in India—a deal they had stolen from China.
To win the contract, Japan had practically given it away for free:
A 30-year loan to India Ridiculously low interest rates (just 0.1% per year!) A personal visit from the Japanese Prime Minister to sign the agreement
Through this, India learned that Japan was secretly aiding Turkey to push back against the tyrannical U.S.
And what did India think?
"Wait a minute... Didn't the U.S. slap us in the face recently too?"
Even though Britain—their former colonial master—was also involved in Turkey's destabilization, India wasn't about to let Japan outdo them.
So, India asked Japan:
"Hey, can I join in too?"
What Japan didn't realize was that while India was known as a cash cow for Russia, it was also incredibly skilled at scamming Japan.
Japan, completely oblivious to the trap it was walking into, actually agreed to India's request.
After some backroom dealings with Turkey, a so-called "Asian Tri-Nation Alliance" was formed, aimed at secretly opposing U.S. and NATO efforts.
From his quiet life at home, Castle was stunned by the sheer chaos unfolding on the global stage.
Even he was struggling to keep up with all the political maneuvering.
But he was self-aware enough to know one thing:
"Politics isn't my game."
So instead, he focused on what mattered—spending time with his son, teasing his AI assistant, and enjoying the flight simulator he had spent months developing.
Life was good.
As Castle watched his son grow day by day, the world kept spinning.
And before he knew it, Christmas had arrived.
This year's Christmas at the Castle household was lively.
Castle, Beckett, and their newborn son, Alex
Beckett's mother, Martha
Castle's daughter, Alexis
Beckett's father
Sean, who had flown back from North Africa
Numerous friends
Gianna and John, however, had already flown to Rome on December 20th, bringing their baby daughter, Onona, to reunite with their family.
Neil Caffrey, Castle's old friend, was bringing his girlfriend, Kate Moreau, to spend Christmas with them.
Henry Morgan, his girlfriend Jo Martinez, and his quirky adoptive son, Abraham, were also joining.
Moz wanted to come, but as National Security Advisor, he was too busy dealing with the Turkey crisis.
Even President Benjamin Arthur had invited Castle to Camp David for Christmas.
But Castle declined, promising to meet with the President after the holidays.
Had Gianna been in New York, Castle would have sent her to Camp David instead.
After all, thanks to the White House attack incident, Gianna had built a strong connection with the First Lady.
And when it came to navigating high-society politics, Gianna—raised by an elite European family—was far better suited than Castle.
But Christmas was the Western equivalent of Chinese New Year.
So, even though Gianna would have loved to network with the President, she had to put family first.
Her father had called from Italy, eager to see his granddaughter after a whole year.
So, she had no choice but to fly back to Rome.
And so, as Castle settled in for a warm, cozy Christmas with his family and friends, the world outside continued its slow descent into chaos…
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