Here's the gratuitous alternate history part. I honestly picture the SxF version of the Cold War as the future of an anime steam punk universe. Also, the persons mentioned here are real people.
Fiona followed Steven as Chloe pushed his chair into the cozy living room of the cottage. "Do you have your own projector?" she asked.
"Actually, I have my own video tape recorder," Steven said. Fiona had, of course, seen and recognized the machine under the television in the living room. She noted that this one could be used to copy the contents of one tape to another, which normally not only quadrupled the price of an already costly item but required a special permit. "They are still expensive, but I used my privileges this once. It lets me record my interviews, and my old films when they are on the air, just in case a wee bit gets lost."
Steven chose a tape in a proper box with the markings of the state Youth Education department. It was Skies of Red, released two years before the outbreak of war with Westalis. It was a supposedly historical epic of the Badaro-Hugarian War, full of bat-winged ornithopters, lumbering land ironclads and enormous airships. He played Major Steele, a Badarian from the imperial colony of Luwen who learned to fly from the Mad Pomperanian. His classmate was Commander King, played by a blond, steely-eyed actor named Owen Wilde, an aristocrat of Westalia. When the Emperor of Badarland exiled the reform-minded Prince for marrying a commoner, as a further pretense to reclaim the realms of Lower Badaria from the Confederation of Ostania, Steele took the side of the Prince and King joined the Emperor. They faced each other both in battle and for the heart of a beautiful leading lady, who in turn was challenged by a spunky lady pilot who wanted Steele for herself. Fiona still only belatedly recognized the last as Melinda Desmond.
"She appeared in 20 films before the war, mostly cameos and supporting roles," Chloe said. "She was already more involved in politics. She faded out after this film. By the way, Steven, you sound as much like a Badarian as Melinda looks like a blonde."
"I was always playing Badarians," Steven said. "Ostanians can't tell the accents apart." He frowned. After a time, he said, "We shot most of the film in Frigis. It was a joint production between our studio and their national film board. It was supposed to be a peaceful gesture after the Klutz compromise. The director was theirs. He was very good, I worked with him a few more times."
Fiona nodded as he continued to regale them with anecdotes. The young Prince was on-screen with his wife in her peasant garb, pleading with the decrepit but evil-tempered Emperor for a ceasefire in Thurindia so that they could oppose the rebellion of Baron Frigis. "The real prince was forty-five," Fiona commented. "The emperor was 67. And the Duchess wasn't a commoner, just a noblewoman who wasn't royal enough to have a throne."
"She would have been in line for the throne of Balkania," Chloe said.
"Not bad, considering Balkania never had a king," Fiona said.
"Listen to the two of you," Steven said. "You could both be Radicals." That got a subtle glare from Chloe. "Anyway, they got the big picture right. It all came down to changing names to impress someone else. Ostrich turned into Badarland for Westalis. Morlakia turned into Upper Hugaria for Ostania. Borabia turned into Frigis for Nortica. And everybody just acted like it was how it had always been."
Onscreen, a tragic twist saw the leading lady killed off trying to deliver a message to Steele. "Donovan Desmond always said this movie changed his mind on policy," Steven said abruptly. "He already knew the history. He said trading land for peace is like paying a wolf with half your cow. I told him taking land your enemy can't hold is like eating a free sausage from a vegetarian butcher."
In the finale, King was sent to destroy a cathedral that he was told was a munitions dump, in fact a hospital full of refugees. A flyer who loved the lady pilot in vain rammed the airship leading the attack, but King's plane escaped the fiery wreck with a jury-rigged bomb aboard. The lady pilot damaged the plane but had to make a desperate emergency landing. As the villain prepared to dive into the cathedral, the hero faced him head to head but would not fire. At the last moment, he unfurled a school banner, and King turned away and dropped his bomb into a lake before his plane crashed. The film ended with Steele embracing his dying foe, who repented of his deeds and pleaded for the restoration of the Confederation.
Steven shook his head, but smiled. "Everyone who mattered hated it," he said. "The Pacifists said it was militarist propaganda. The Nationalists said it was unpatriotic. It still made a lot of money. I am told it was even more popular in Westalis than in Ostania."
"It's still not that late," Fiona mused. "I could watch another one."
"Why not?" Steven said. He picked out a more recent film. It showed the day-to-day life of a crippled veteran, played of course by him after his accident. Fiona recognized a star of Berlint In Love as his nurse. Naturally, she became infatuated with her patient after her own man abandoned her. The film remained focused on the veteran's progress, however. It ended simply with the man asking her to dinner.
"They said this was going to be my prestige role," Steven mused. "It certainly impressed the right people. As far as money, it did all right, not great. They said this would get people interested. So far, I have heard from plenty of people, but nothing ever seems to go further." He swiveled his chair to face Fiona. "Now, young lady, I suppose it's time I got you home."
Fiona considered her options, briefly. "If it's all the same," she said with a smile, "I don't mind staying."
"Then I suppose we will have to find you a bed," Steven said.
Chloe showed Fiona to a room she had known was there. It had one fold-out bed, which the other woman had clearly been using. Chloe matter-of-factly changed the sheets. "I've seen him do this before, you know," she said to Fiona. "Every two months, maybe three, he starts this with someone new. He runs a few variations. For what it's worth, he won't ask you into his bed, yet. And don't fall for the religious bit. He's always said his prayers, but it never stopped him from doing what he wants. Back when he was making those movies, he could go through three women or more in a week."
Fiona looked at Chloe thoughtfully. "Have you been one of those ladies?" she asked. She started saying it as an honest question, but the time it took to speak was enough to finish with an ironic tone.
"Oh, no," Chloe said. "That guy he talked about is the only man I could ever think of being with. Even with him… He's still figuring out if he likes girls or boys, or either. Anymore, I'm not sure myself. The colonel told me that on my third day."
She turned to leave the room without further comment. She paused in the doorway and looked back. "I'm going to be giving Colonel Stahl his bath," she said frankly. "If you want to get clean yourself, do it now. For what it's worth, he still looks good, if that's your thing. But you're better off with me to handle it." Then she closed the door behind her.
"Handler," Fiona breathed aloud, "you kuja…"