No Brave New World
Prologue - Not Meant to Be
It was utter chaos.
The United States had been caught with it's pants down.
No one knew what had happened. All they knew was that the peace and tranquility were over.
On the morning of September 19th, 2003, presumably while the desk jockeys at NORAD were napping, massive waves of Soviet aircraft swarmed over the eastern and western seaboards of the US, striking military bases and dropping hoards of Russian paratroopers right outside of major population centers. Ivan, in an uncharacteristic display of brilliant political acumen, had stationed three whole armored corps across the border of Mexico under the guise of "military, economic and political assistance". In an effort synchronized with their air offensive, these troops began sweeping north, across the border into the American southwest, and laying waste to America's heartland. The US armed forces reeled in response to the blows taken upon it by the Red menace as they struggled to organize a defense.
This wasn't supposed to happen. The last war was supposed to be the last one. After a catastrophe of epic proportions that was the Great World War Two, the nations of the world had been shellshocked into pacificity. Europe had been devastated. Whole people groups had been wiped off the map. Economies sank into depression for decades, struggling to rebuild in the wake of the greatest tragedy the world had ever witnessed.
The US involvement in the war, which many saw to be the turning point in that conflict, had propelled the country into the position of international hegemon on the world stage. It's nemesis, the USSR, on the other hand, was left a bloody and defeated mess. It's people were broken, it's coffers bankrupt, and it's infrastructure devastated. The once powerful titan of a nation had been reduced to a two-bit third world conglomerate. The victorious Allies had considered dissolving the USSR altogether, establishing each individual republic in the newly minted status of an independent state. This proposal was dismissed, however, on the grounds that such a political shakeup would cause more harm than good. The Soviet people had been put through too much already, having seen their lives utterly destroyed before their eyes. Rather, it was decided that the Allies' greatest enemy would be turned into a client state, a puppet, a marionette which could be easily manipulated and controlled to dance to the tune of whatever it's masters wanted it to. The Stalinist economic system was gutted, the great Red Army disbanded, and free elections established in the once single-party state. It remained the USSR in name only.
The years passed, and the people of the world steadily began to move on with their lives, striving to forget the horrific past which had been inflicted upon them.
Then he came.
The man's name was Alexei Romanov. Touted and praised as a man of great vision on both sides of the Atlantic, he was the choice favorite of American president Harling to lead the Soviet Union into a new era of prosperity. The capitalistic system installed in Russia had done much to alleviate the economic burden imposed upon her in the aftermath of the war, but was never able to bring true affluence to the Soviet people, thanks to the ever-watchful eyes and ever-meddling hands of the western governments. No decision left the Kremlin unless it had been rubber-stamped by Washington and her allies. This all changed when Romanov came to power. As perceived, he was a man of great vision, and his vision was to make Russia strong again, a motherland worthy of respect; and reverence.
Romanov had learned from the mistakes of Stalin. He had adopted a system of socialism, though he abandoned the self-defeating ideals of the Second Revolution, and instead reverted back to the ideas of the New Economic Policy of the 1920's. He once again stressed the importance of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and while supporting some privatization of production, he adhered to the Marxist-Leninist idea of collectivization, the importance of the needs of the state as a whole taking precedence over the needs of the individual. In a monumental step towards achieving his aims, Romanov proceeded to ban all political parties other than his own, restoring the single-party political system seen in the old Soviet Union. He crushed all opposition through the sheer force of his will. His popularity was immense; he restored faith in the political structure, and revived the self-confidence and pride of the Soviet people. The leaders of the West, though somewhat taken aback by how just how much "vision" Romanov truly possessed, dismissed his actions as the trifling antics of a callow upstart; some even supporting him in his quest to restore the dignity and self-respect of Mother Russia. No one dared believe that he, or anyone, would seek to reignite the crucible that was the Great World War Two.
Romanov's spirit had spread like wildfire amongst his countrymen. Production soared, the nation's GDP doubled in under ten years, and nationalism was rampant among the population. The people loved their leader, and he loved them. Romanov pursued his own foreign policy agenda, free of influence from the west, and established the World Socialist Alliance, a treaty of mutual protection and economic cooperation between socialist nations throughout the globe. The North American state of Mexico, embroiled in it's own political upheaval, was quick to enlist in this new coalition when, on one morning in August, 1986, the Mexican parliament was set afire by an unknown party. The two main factions in the government blamed each other for the incident, which started a civil war between the left's Social Democrats and the right's Federal party. The Soviet Union put a quick stop to this event by pledging support for their fellow members of the proletariat, and dispatching troops to fight the Federals. The war was over within the span of weeks, and a permanent Soviet military presence was established in the country to aid and safeguard the fledgling republic.
All of this went on without interference from the rest of the world. The Western powers, in their blind naivety, and some would say their arrogance, watched the show play out on the world stage while enjoying the benefits that an economically restored USSR, one capable of lucrative trade and commerce, afforded them. The geopolitical situation was a win-win for everyone. The Soviets had regained their pride and self-respect, and the west had gained a flourishing, friendly trading partner. Had you asked any common citizen if they felt that their security was in jeopardy in those days, you would have been laughed out of the room.
Now, however, that attitude of drunken optimism had disappeared in an instant. Romanov had unleashed his legions upon the unsuspecting United States, the nation who in his eyes had been most responsible for the Motherland's defeat forty years previously. This time, the job would be done right. This time, Russia's great ambitions of global empire would finally be realized.
The Great World War Three had begun.