Watch the Skies: It's Again
What follows is an in-character retelling of the President of Russia’s perspective from Dallas Megagames’ Watch the Skies game on 3/4/23.
Despite our very best efforts, the world has descended into chaos. There are rumors of a chaos free United South America but the rest of the world has devolved into a lawless wasteland. Here's the story of how the world fell.
Year 2025
The sovereignty of Mother Russia and strengthening our Asian alliances are of utmost importance to our regime. We immediately sign an all encompassing treaty with our neighbors to the south, China. Our Chinese counterparts are invaluable allies and we agree to a free share of information immediately.
Additionally, I try to complete an all-Asian alliance by aligning with Japan. However, they double cross us and refuse our trade deal after previously agreeing to it. I make a fuss about their broken promises to the media. I have to scramble the rest of the year to secure a one year deal with India. They're weirdly hesitant to speak with us.
Elsewhere, my council informs me that a UFO was shot down over our country. I'm delighted to hear of our military success. My Chief of Intelligence begins to plant the seeds of chaos as we spread rumors of Biological Weapons in Eastern Europe, with the hopes of using these rumors as a basis for invasion in future years.
The UN announced that the Pope has been assassinated by Argentinian rebels and maybe some other people? I'm not sure. My Foreign Minister is elected the Speaker, or something, though and is in charge of bringing votes to the table. The UN sends in people to investigate the assassination.
Our Chief Scientist is focusing on Biology. I trust he will get things done.
As the year ends, the media reveals that China and France have made contact with the aliens.. So much for keeping that under wraps….
Year 2026
The aliens have established a base in China, that was fast. We successfully find ‘Bioweapons’ in Eastern Europe. China shares that the US has pointed Ultra Sonic Missiles at Asia. France adamantly denies the whole abduction thing. Things have gone off the rails already.
China begins an amazing 'Save the Pandas' campaign and donates a breeding pair to a Russian zoo. Rumors begin to fly that the pandas are aliens or something. Spoiler alert, they’re just pandas.
In an effort to save face, I let Ox News know that their competition, GNN, has been accepting bribes. I save him some research time by bribing him.
Bad things are happening in South America. We register twice for their World Cup but rebel factions intercept the paperwork both times. I hope they get that figured out.
The bribe taking GNN reports that our Foreign Minister is railroading the UN and pushing his own agenda. Ox News immediately discredits him with the whole bribery story. Megabucks well spent, if you ask me.
With China fully bought into whatever the aliens are selling, we switch our strategy…. The aliens are our ally's ally, so I guess we're cool with them too? We have switched to defense mode. Also, the alien line is that they aren't real? I really don't understand it.
Year 2027
A hoax alien interrupts the World Cup finale to announce their presence, world leaders scramble to figure out how to handle it.
Meanwhile, we're pulled into a four-way war as India attacks China and mutual defense treaties activate. Russia and China vs USA and India.
I finally get to speak with an alien and they say they're sending down a spider tank to help. That's neat, I guess. We learn that there's one giant alien faction working to help Earth.
As tensions escalate, we send Russian tanks into Belarus to deal with an exploded Bioweapon. The USA pulls some shenanigans to bring a tank battalion into the territory. Belarus is one of our closest allies and we, along with the Belarusian government, see this as an attack. We try to sabotage the tank as shots are fired. The President of Belarus pleads with the US to withdraw the tank, which they eventually do.
I repeatedly try to get the DefCon 1 countries to step down but no one will speak with me. I want to find peace but I won't leave my countrymen vulnerable.
Meanwhile, a GNN reporter is in the middle of breaking a Brazilian corruption scandal when he's assassinated live on air. No one does anything about it….
Year 2028
I can feel the very fabric of society is beginning to unravel, so I reluctantly call a peace summit with the DefCon 1 countries. Eventually, they show up but the US refuses to negotiate. I storm out of the negotiation room with the proclamation that it's time for the nukes to fly. As I make my way to the war room, I'm ambushed by a French assassin. Luckily, a single French assassin is no match for a team of highly trained Russian SpecOps and he's easily dispatched before anything happens. This moment of pause helps bring me down from my moment of frustration (also, Control wouldn’t let me do it).
Other things occur this year, I'm not sure what it was though.
Year 2029
In an attempt to deescalate, we assassinate the US President and the replacement is also assassinated by someone else shortly thereafter. Reports say it was the US Chief of Defense…nobody believes the reports. A third attempt is tried but it is defeated before any further harm can come to the position.
Two of our nukes are sabotages but our Chief of Intelligence tells the news that we have denuclearized as a show of wanting peace. I step us down from DefCon 1 after signing a treaty with the United Kingdom to have them defend us from any nuclear attacks.
Our scientist is taken by the aliens as a test subject to solve World Hunger. Apparently, it was successful. That seems good.
Also, the Ox News reporter buys the country of South Brazil with all his bribery money as Brazil has taken over the whole continent.
Year 2030
The Russian Confederation would like to formally acknowledge and thank the UK pilot who sacrificed himself in an attempt to save the motherland from a US nuke. He went toe-to-toe with a number of US SIFs and valiantly gave his life in the name of world peace. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful and the alien base in Russia was destroyed.
In retaliation, we assassinate the US President (again) and the Indian Chief of Defense . A massive space battle rages over the US as the aliens drop a massive fleet and establish a base on the continent. A joint Russian/Chinese offensive is launched into India at the behest of the aliens.
The aliens invade the United States
As the smoke clears from the year, the population of the world has descended into chaos. The Russian Federation successfully advanced its Western border by annexing Belarus but as terror takes hold of the planet…it's all for naught. Rumors state there's a Brazilian moon base and some sort of space station but they won't last long with the world burning beneath them.
It’s over.
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This was another crazy game! I was definitely lost for the majority of the middle of the game, as I just said ‘yes’ to China when they said ‘let's go all in with the aliens.’ I really didn’t trust them for a while but followed my ally’s lead. Despite the world ending in chaos, I feel like team Russia played a good game. Outside of the whole ‘world descending into chaos’ thing, I feel like we can say we accomplished our goals. That said…. The world ended…so there's that…
