Just for fun, I present for your consumption a list of 'quotable quotes' along with various little factoids. Feel free to contribute your own, comment, question, inform me of how cheesy these are, and so forth.
These particular quotes are from the first few rulers of a renewed Russian Empire based on a timeline where (among other events) Anastasia escapes from the massacre of the Russian imperial family and is found by White army elements advancing on Ekaterinburg, leading to a focused White movement which eventually defeats the Red Army and goes on to engineer a world where Communism never takes hold and imperialism lasts well into the future. A full list of rulers from this timeline (as well as some historical summary) can be found on the 'future history' forum.
As I said above, I would be very interested to see similar quotes from others on their own timelines.
"For the Empress! Not a step back, lads!"
-Lt. P. Aznabaev of the Izmailovski Guard during the Battle of Nikolayevsky Station. 1,556 men held off over 10,000 Bolsheviks to allow the Empress Anastasia I to escape Moscow
Lt. Peter Aznabaev is regarded as the ideal of the Russian soldier, standing firm in the face of insurmountable odds and fighting to his last breath. When the recently crowned Empress Anastasia found herself cut off after the ill-fated Battle of Moscow in 1919, he, as the only remaining officer of the regiment in the city, took command and stood his ground until they were, at last, overrun. His actions allowed the Empress to escape, thus permitting the White Movement to continue and eventually triumph over the Communist forces.
He was later canonized as a saint, along with the members of the Imperial Family who died in 1918, and is frequently invoked by Russian commanders who expect to be taking part in a last stand of some sort.
The Order of Aznabaev is a medal issued to soldiers, usually posthumously, who fight against incredible odds and achieve their objective. A statue to him stands before the Tsar Nicholas Station in Moscow, along with the St. Andrew's Crosses marking the locations where each man of the regiment fell.
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"Retreat? We are advancing on Siberia, General."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' to General Kolchak after the defeat of the White Army at Moscow
"Any sympathy I felt for them died with in the basement of the Ipatiev House, sirs. Do as you will."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' to her staff on the lingering resistance in Moscow
"It is done."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' on hearing that the last Communist stronghold in China had surrendered
"The nobility is the glue which holds Russia together. Our country fell to pieces because it was weak. What holds Russia together now is tape, chewing gum and positive thoughts, until we can make some new glue."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' in 1923
"My father, mother, sisters and servants died in a basement, my brother bled to death on the snow, my uncles and aunts were hunted like animals across their own nation. They drove us from our home, they shattered our country, they stole my childhood and the childhood of a generation of Russians. God forgive me, but I will see them all dead."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' on the Bolsheviks
"I will strike your name from every record in Russia, your body will be burned and the ashes thrown into the sea. Your name will never be spoken again on this world. The Motherland has turned her back on you, as has God and every true Russian. May you burn in Hell forever, knowing that nobody remembers you."
-Empress Anastasia I 'The Savior' to Vladimir Lenin on the day of his execution
Empress Anastasia I is known as 'The Savior' for her role in reuniting Russia in the chaotic period of the Civil War, rallying White forces and leading a counter revolution. In her youth she was known as 'the imp' for her mischievous and occasional cruel nature, but the events of her family's murder are said to have changed her personality significantly. She proved to be a strong military leader, and her talents proved useful over the course of the war, despite the social issues of her age. It is very hard to tell an Empress what not to do.
While most of her reign was fairly peaceful, lasting until the turn of the 21st century, she held a strong hatred for Communists and Socialists, and her brutality in dealing with them has become somewhat legendary. Despite this, her reign saw a marked improvement in the lot of the average peasant, allegedly as part of her attempts to prove that Communism was not a requirement for the average man to prosper.
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"Alaska! Gateway to Empire!"
-Empress Elizabeth II on the war in Alaska
Daughter of Anastasia I, Elizabeth II launched the renewed Russian Empire into its first colonial war with the collapse of the United States after its war with China early in the 21st century, rapidly securing Alaska and setting the stage for further expansion southwards. This was, initially, simply to 'secure the state of Alaska against Communist revolutionaries" but the occupation became permanent when the United States fell into civil war.
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"California, here I come. Gonna slaughter some Meks-i-kuns."
-Tsar Boris II, colloquially known as 'Boris the Sociopath'
"They look like Mongols to me. I'm pretty sure Mongols killed somebody I'm related to."
-Tsar Boris II on Mexicans
Boris II was a curious ruler, who combined great charm and social skill with a ruthlessness which caused some to speculate that his mother had copulated with a viper. Holding no qualms about large-scale, expansionist, wars, he invaded Oregon, Wasington and California in the mid 21st century, his blitzkrieg-style campaign resulting in a quick victory known as the "One Month War". Even to this day, he is used as a bogeyman of sorts among the Spanish-speaking population of Kalifornia.