The black water lapped at the side of the harbor, and the thematic Baltic gale swept across the Free City of Gdansk. The black silhouette of a vessel could be seen on the horizon, the sharp lines of its artillery puncturing the sky, although the colors were not visible. Some locals whispered that it could be an American, but the majority were confident that the Russian patrols would never let the communists venture past Denmark, let alone veer so close to Gdanski shores.
As dictated by the traditions of this world, my contact was taking his time, emphasizing his superior position to me. I did not take offense, as such expressions of status were not limited to this timeline, but it had be said that waiting exposed to the wind was starting to become somewhat irksome.
Finally, a black Dzhugashvili-76, usually going by the moniker of ‘zhug’ or ‘beetle’, gently rolled up next to me, it’s Russian license proudly displayed. A somewhat short, yet broad shouldered man stepped out, his close haircut glistening in the rare spots of sunlight. He wore a double-breasted coat, as was the unofficial uniform for a Russian dignitary, and the only otherwise distinguishing accoutrement of his was a solitary medal, commemorating some battle or other. As he stepped out, the rare characters scattered across the plaza noticeably perked up, confirming my suspicions that I was never far from a member of the legendary, or perhaps even infamous, Sluzhba.
We quickly exchanged a courteous handshake, and proceeded to begin our walk along the paved roads of the ancient city, never out of sight of the rare agent. “I trust you weren’t harassed at the border?”
“It didn’t cause me too much difficulty, although the guards did seem somewhat on edge.” The man smiled, somewhat amused by my description of the Gdanski border patrols.
“I do have to apologize for their manners, but one must admit that they are justified in their behaviour. After all, we can’t ignore the communist threat. You’ve the read the newspapers, I assume,” a curt nod followed from me, “so you’ve obviously heard of those red conspirators in Brandenburg.” At this point his voice become far more impassioned, his gesticulation more expressive. “We preserve their cities, we rebuild their economies, we trust them to manage their own affairs...we even neglected to rid them of their archaic monarchies. And how do they repay us? That goddamn Debsian tripe is still sold in bookstores across the Europe.”
“Speaking of communism,” I interjected before my companion could continue his diatribe against the evils of the Red Horde, “how is it that your government came to pose such an aggressive stance against Washington?” The Russian seemed to be somewhat stumped by this question.
“Well, I wouldn’t quite label our relationship with our neighbors across the sea as aggressive. The Gosudardom of Russia is always seeking a detente with the Americans and their allies, and it is only they who constantly seek to disturb the stability of the international commonwealth of nations. However,” The man’s intonation noticeably changed, no longer working off of a government supplied script, “I must admit that Russian culture has an ingrained animosity towards communism and its proponents, a hatred that can be traced to the great revolution of 1917.”
The world in which I resided today had its characteristic divergence in 1917, as the Empires of Russia, France, the United States, and Great Britain locked themselves in a conflict with the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. Arguably the weakest amongst its allies, Russia suffered under the chains of an oppressive government and was oftentimes burdened with an incompetent and inefficient administration. This very regime lead Russia into an unpopular war, and, struggling against famine, economic depression, and a rightfully indignant population, it soon collapsed.
The result was extremely chaotic. Several nations declared independence, encouraged by their German allie, and newly created democratic government in Petrograd was shaky and mired by competing factions, specifically between the provisional governance of Alexander Kerensky and the communist Bolsheviks.
Unfortunately, although the Provisional Government was the more rational of the two parties, Kerensky’s unwillingness to abandon the war effort and his indecisiveness made the provisional government unpopular amongst the people. Fortunately, our exalted Lavr Kornilov was able to salvage the situation when, using his position as the supreme commander of the Russian forces, he liberated Petrograd, assumed leadership, and exhumed all communist influences from the city.
Obviously, not all agreed with this decision, and the nation soon descended into civil war. Although there were numerous competing factions, the main combatants consisted of the communist Reds, the neo-monarchist and pro-Republican Whites, Kornilov’s ‘Azure Battalion’, and the various anarchist and local militias. It must be noted at this point that Kornilov was nowhere near being the strongest participant, and many regarded him either as a rogue warlord or as an immoral usurper, hoping to promulgate his own agenda.
However, several of Kornilov’s tactics and administrative decisions slowly yielded an increasing pool of supporters. His unwillingness to continue the war with Germany and his efforts to facilitate the creation of local councils on captured territory quickly swayed the opinions of the greater Russian citizenry. Furthermore, his benign treatment of non-Russians and relative level-headedness compared to other warlords, as well as his anti-communist rhetoric made him a figure which appealed to groups of varying religions and cultural origin, not just the Russian majority.
By 1921, although Russia had lost much of its territory in the Caucasus, Europe, and the Far East, it once again stood as a united government under the leadership of Lavr Kornilov. Most surprisingly, where most international observers expected Russia to slowly slide into dictatorship, Kornilov relinquished many of his powers to a newly congregated State Assembly. However, fearing a new era of instability that was seen during the years of Kerensky, Kornilov did not allow a full democracy to sprout, maintaining extensive executive powers behind the new position of Gosudar-General, an entity that would hold both military and civil authority. Russia would remain a semi-democratic militocracy, with a legislature beholden to the people that balanced out a nonpartisan, pseudo-civilian executive.
Thus, a strong, national institution was created, and when the Great Depression hit, Russia resisted, having preserved itself using Tsarist gold and fervent industrialization. In Washington, the hammer and gear rose above the cupola of the White House, whilst black banners swayed over Tokyo and Paris. But in Petrograd, the blue vexillum of morality and decency was never tarnished. Peace reigned in Russia, until it was once again disturbed by foreign enemies.
Although Russian textbooks tend expunge the subject from their pages, it cannot be denied that the Russian position of neutrality was somewhat cynical and cruel. As the neo-Bonapartist French swallowed Catalonia, Wallonia, and Westphalia, and the Japanese continued to ravage China and Mongolia, Petrograd stood silent, humming to itself the music of subtle modernization. Europe was illuminated by the flashes of bombs and explosions, whilst Russia was for the first time illuminated with wires and cables. Finally, in 1938, Russia entered the war against France and Japan, assisted by its ideologically-opposed yet strategically aligned ally, the United Peoples Cooperative Commonwealths of America (UPCCA). Whilst the American Crimson Army stormed Tokyo and Paris, Russian cossacks liberated Berlin, Munich, and Rome.
Of course, this tranquility did not last long. Now, the Bear and the Eagle stare at each other across the Rhine and the Yangtze, and although the Russian Gosudardom is mighty, the Americans are in command of not only their hemisphere, but also have allies in the Latin Commune and the Celtic Cooperative Republic, and every day, the protests grow just a little more crimson.