[b]Syuzhet[/b] [spoiler]Sorry for the long wait :D[/spoiler] [i]This story assumes that the USSR never fell apart in 1991 and that the Cold War is still going on. Lieutenant Mikhail Vasilijivich, National Institute of Intelligence Analysis, 16th of September 2021[/i] Mikhails footsteps echoed through the long hallway, as he walked over the polished black marble tiles. In front of him walked Colonel Fyodorov, who, as always, walked at a pace unhealthy for a man his age. They were flanked by two men of the Red Guard, which was responsible for guarding the most important and iconic building in all of the USSR: the Kremlin, home to the Presidium, the council leading the world’s largest country. After a long walk through the countless hallways, decorated with all kinds of pictures and paintings from past leaders, they reached a high mahogany double door, which was opened by another pair of guards. Mikhail and Fyodorov entered the room, where thirteen men were seated along a long table, all looking in their direction. Outside of a picture or on television, the two soldiers had never even seen these men, who single-handedly possessed more power than the rest of the country combined. They immediately stood to attention, waiting to be told to speak. After about a minute, which seemed to last an eternity to Mikhail, the tall man in the back , seated at the head of the table spoke up. “Welcome, Comrades. Stand at ease” Both Fyodorov and Mikhail shifted their gaze from the back wall to the man speaking, and instantly knew who they were looking at: Alexei Kerachev, General Secretary of the USSR, by many considered the most powerful man on Earth, a claim only contested by the Americans. “It has come to my attention that the National Institute of Intelligence Analysis has made a… peculiar discovery, regarding a rather strange situation in the state of Georgia, United States. Tell us more, Comrade Colonel”, Kerachev continued. “Of course, Comrade Secretary. To introduce all of you to the subject, I will be showing a brief clip of a news broadcast, sent out merely an hour ago by the Americans”, Colonel Fyodorov replied, nodding towards Mikhail to start the tape. On a large screen behind Mikhail and Fyodorov, the broadcast started playing. “Good morning, America, this is Monica Fenner from CNN, reporting on the situation in Georgia right now. Yesterday, the US Army has closed off the border into Springfield, for reasons they were not willing to share. We do not have any images just yet, but we are actively trying to film camera footage of the location. Thus far, the Army has been blocking all of our attempts. We do however have spoken to witnesses, who state that they can hear the gunfire coming out of Springfield from miles away. Still, the Army remains silent, so there’s one pressing question that bothers us all: what is going on in Springf-” The woman on the screen got interrupted by someone off-screen, who handed her a sheet of paper. The news anchor turned pale before commencing her speech, clearly trying in vain to remain calm. “The following notice has been sent directly from the White House”, she stuttered, and the face of the United States’ President, James E. Langley, appeared. “Yesterday, an unknown biological disaster has struck the state of Georgia, shocking our beautiful nation”, the charismatic president commenced. “We know neither the cause or nature of this event, but the casualties tell us that it’s extremely contagious and lethal. At this very moment, our brave Army is trying to contain this disaster, be it with limited success. I will be nothing but honest with you, citizens: we are in dire straits. That is why I have decided to declare the state of siege, especially in the states surrounding Georgia. To those affected: stay in your homes, don’t open doors or windows and await evacuation. I wish you the best of luck, and may God be with you all” The screen turned to black, and Colonel Fyodorov took this opportunity to turn it off altogether. In front of him, thirteen men were looking directly at him, expecting an explanation. “As you have seen, the situation in the United States is critical. Luckily, we seem to be better informed about the disaster than the Americans themselves. Allow me introduce you to Lieutenant Vasilijivich, who’s an expert on the case”, Fyodorov said, gesturing Mikhail to take a step forward. Mikhail coughed before commencing his explanation. “This, according to the American capitalists, biological disaster seems to be more resembling an uprising. However, the rebels aren’t normal human beings, no, on the contrary: they’re vile creatures that are clearly intent on…” Lieutenant Mihail continued to explain every single bit of information they had, mostly provided by Major Yegorov, who had somehow managed to send his pictures and reports to Lubyanka. He finished his presentation with a series of Yegorov’s pictures, and an ending conclusion. “...I believe that the situation is critical in America. If not contained by the Army within a few weeks, it’s a possibility that the enemy will become unstoppable, meaning that by 2050 no life would be left on the American continent. This will destroy the world economy, and furthermore, we would be next up as the plague’s target”, Mikhail concluded. Kerachev nodded, and asked the Lieutenant: “And what do you suggest as a solution, Comrade Lieutenant?” Mikhail looked at Colonel Fyodorov before answering. “Send military support to the Americans, General Secretary” The room was silent for a few seconds, before it exploded into a chaos of shouting men. Mikhail could hardly make out what was said by who. “The Soviet Union will never come to the United States’ aid, as long as I have a seat in this council!” Viktor Tukachevsky, the Army Chief of Staff, declared, his face as red as tomato. The Minister of Foreign Affairs stood up in protest. “International repercussions will be immense if we remain neutral, we might start another World War!” “Not a single true Russian would ever even think about helping those American pigs!” Tukachevsky replied, having long lost his calmth. He was now standing up, leaning over the glass table. “Are you accusing me of treason, Comrade Field Marshal?!?” The Minister growled. A short fat man, to Mikhail only known as the Minister of Propaganda, tried to support the Field Marshal, his old friend. “Those capitalists don’t deserve Russian blood to be spilled for them!” This back-and-forth discussion continued for several minutes, until one bald, scrawny man raised his hand, urging the Presidium to listen. This was Vladimir Krovotkin, head of the KGB and the most feared man in all of Russia, and he only had to utter a few words before everyone stopped shouting. “I urge you to remain calm, Comrades”, his hoarse voice whispered softly. “Refusing to help the Americans will not go down well with the other western countries. It has already been extremely difficult for me to maintain peace in Europe. Our actions in the Crimea Peninsula and Finland haven’t been appreciated by the West, and fur-” Tukachevsky interrupted the KGB Chairman. “Actions, actions? We merely claimed what rightfully belongs to us, Comrade! Europe, and most of all America, have been doing this for centuries! Those imperialists are nothing more than a few hypocrites, hiding behind there fake values of freedom and-” Krovotkin coughed, and this subtle sign was enough to silence Tukachevsky, allowing Krovotkin to finish what he had been previously saying. “Regardless of the justice that may have been in our actions, the Westerners will always believe their own lies. I’ve received formal complaints from the UK, France, Western Germany, Belgium and Spain, and that’s in Europe alone. I can’t keep terminating the journalists and spies that are against us, eventually one of their secret services will trace it all back to us. And we all know what will happen next. The eyes of the world are upon us, Comrades, we are the only nation with the manpower to help the US. If we indeed remain neutral, leaving the Americans to it, we might be indirectly causing a war with the West. In that case, and I will , as always, be completely honest here, I don’t know how well the Warsaw Pact will withstand the combined NATO forces, even without the US to back them up. However, this is merely my own opinion, and I think we must vote to make a correct decision” The Presidium agreed, and the vote, done by raising hands, commenced. It resulted in an seven to five votes pro helping the US, but there was one man who hadn’t voted: Alexei Kerachev, General Secretary and most likely the most important person in the room. He slowly stood up, the sound of his chair scraping along the floor echoing through the dead-quiet room. CONTINUED IN COMMENTS [spoiler]Main page: https://www.bungie.net/nl/Forum/Post/245402812/0/0[/spoiler]