Josephine

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 66: 𝓜𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓡𝓾𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓪, 𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓢𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓢𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓢𝓷𝓸𝔀

A.N: Hello comrades! So this chapter is dedicated to one of my close friends on Wattpad, KingColumbar40 who requested a while back that if Josephine were to visit Russia that I had to put in the Papers Please OST because it is the most Russian music to ever exist. This is a small token of my gratitude to you my friend, as he has been my most loyal follower and reader for over a year and a half, since October 2019. Thank you my friend, you have no idea how much your votes and comments mean to me!

Now, onto the chapter...

November 18, 1979

Moscow Proper, Russian Federative Supreme Republic

As the train comes to a screeching halt in the Moscow train station. When it did the sound of a band beginning to play filled our ears. The music was deep, bold, and loud.

"Those Russians do love their loud music don't they?" Mattéo asked as we stood up.

Two Imperial guards, the ones from Paris to be precise joined us as we walked forward.

"I think Russians like anything loud,"

Mattéo smirked as the guards escorted us out into the cold November air. I immediately wrapped my arms around my body and tightened my coat.

"Bloody hell it's cold!"

My husband nodded as a well-dressed man, with a long beard and an ushanka on his head walked forward to greet us.

"Privyet majesties, welcome to Moscow! My name is Josef Smirnov, and I am the premier of Russia!"

He had the most Russian accent I've ever heard in my life.

"Thank you for this opportunity Mister Premier," I replied with a small smile.

I had never been to Russia before, and the rumors appeared true. Cold, drab, lacking infrastructure... Did I mention cold? Son of bitch it's cold! 

The capital of Moscow was a sprawling city, which had endured much hardship. After the ascension of Anastasia Romanov as premier in 1929, the Poles invaded in 1931 with a land army the largest of the time. The Poles pushed them back to Moscow, Tsaritsyn and Astrakhan, where Anastasia gave the famous 'No Step Back' speech. The Russians held for months, making the Polish fight for every street, house and room if they wanted the great cities. The cities were nearly leveled before the Russian Army encircled the Poles and wiped them out. From there on out, Poland's military was crippled, and was on the retreat for another year before Warsaw fell. The city was massive, and showed itself as a beacon of Russian power. 

Since the 1960s, Russia had changed its foreign policy to a more... offensive doctrine. After taking chunks of land in the Crimea and Bukovina in the Ottoman Civil War, they took on what was left of Poland while Konrad ripped away its short-lived freedom. In fact my mother's first husband was a not so nice Polish prince, who after fleeing the country following the 1946 Russian Invasion, mysteriously died. 

Take that however you will.

They drove the Caucasians back to the mountains, and the border with the Persian vassal of Qazaqia was adjusted to fit Russian demands. Only Japan and ourselves had not faced Russian vengeance, and I think the Russians are either smart enough to know not to take us on as a unifying force... or they were preparing for something big. 

I knew also that in the case of war with Russia... America would lose. The war would be fought in the frosty lands of Eastern Siberia, and no matter how long we fought, the Russian political and industrial heartland would be safe. Even if Japan was involved, it would be suicidal to try and march across Siberia, through the tall peaks of the Urals and try to invade Russia proper. We'd end up like the Poles. If peace wasn't maintained, we'd be in an endless struggle for supremacy and dominance... which we would lose.