The Lure of Rockets and the Shadow of Communism

Beria spoke of the Tsarina as if she were a goddess, using every word to persuade Goddard. It was a new tactic he had honed through the Russian Civil War and the Siberian labor camps: cast out bait intriguing enough to hook the prey, then when interest flickered, press the attack without giving them a moment to think. Let the momentum carry them along. That was the essence of it.

“How exactly does the Tsarina know anything about rockets?”

As expected, Goddard’s curiosity was piqued. Why would his new Russian patron take such an interest in him? Honestly, if Beria were in Goddard’s shoes, he would have felt the same. If a group of Russians suddenly appeared one day and said ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their Tsar had taken a keen interest in your technology, who wouldn’t be curious?

“I don’t know the details myself. But one thing is certain. Because she possesses such knowledge, she led us to victory in the civil war.”

“Hmm. That does give me something to think about.”

“She says your strength will be needed in the coming future. You must decide here and now.”

And now that the prey had been properly warmed up, it was time to offer a choice. A very brief one. Demand an immediate decision right here, clouding their judgment in the process.

“What exactly is going on?”

“I don’t know that either. What I do know for certain is this: the development of the rockets you desire can be fully supported by Russia. Our Tsarina has shown great interest in rockets and intends to commit even the imperial treasury to the project.”

“Hmm.”

Now was the moment to deliver the decisive blow. The contingency she had prepared in advance. The moment judgment grew hazy, they would use this.

“This is something the Tsarina instructed me to show you if you hesitated. She drew it herself from what she envisioned. Please take a look.”

Beria himself had no idea what it was, but the Tsarina had assured him that Goddard would find it interesting. So he handed it over.

“Isn’t this simply a type of firearm? Wait… an anti-tank weapon?”

“She asked that you apply your technology to this design.”

To Goddard’s eyes, the blueprint the Tsarina had provided was missing all the intermediate steps. It felt like something that could simply exist in its finished form. A recoilless gun and an anti-tank rocket—areas of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠possibility Goddard had not yet reached. But the potential was clearly visible.

The Tsarina had taken a genuine interest in this technology. If he went to Russia, he would receive support. There was nothing left to ponder.

“Mm. Very well. I’ll go.”

After all, Goddard himself had been frustrated that his research had stalled. Especially now that the war had fizzled out into such an unsatisfying end. His own technology had likewise failed to attract any real attention.

Beria smiled with dark satisfaction.

Good. Excellent. Now all that remains is to find Igor Sikorsky.

Trotsky was a problem, but they could simply track down some communist agitator in America. That Trotsky had always been considered too radical even within the party. Even Beria, who had been at the very fringes, had known of Trotsky’s extremism.

Beria spread his arms with a broad smile.

“A wise choice. Our Tsarina will welcome you with open arms. The Ohrana will prepare passage for you, so simply follow their instructions.”

“Understood.”

And so Goddard’s journey to Russia was decided. At least in this era, his rockets would develop far earlier than in the original timeline, with their advancement continuing in Russia.

And around this time, communist Germany was proceeding exactly as expected into a Season Two of the Soviet Union. Political officers were dispatched everywhere, monitoring the population. Private gatherings among workers were strictly forbidden. Especially with so many Germans fleeing to Austria, political officers personally intervened in everything to maintain surveillance.

Around this time, American journalists had arrived in Germany to assess the true state of communist Germany. On the surface, they claimed to be studying the positive aspects of communism, but in reality they wanted to see how the system actually functioned. It was unsettling to be watched by what appeared to be soldiers everywhere they went, but they had still managed to obtain permission to report.

Yet the atmosphere was uniformly cold. Communism—the supposed earthly paradise—had factory workers glancing nervously over their shoulders, forcing their exhausted bodies to move with artificial diligence as they kept the factories running.

One American journalist approached a worker.

“Are you happy with your work?”

“Y-yes! Of course! The Party’s guidance is truly leading Germany down the path of prosperity and progress!”

The German worker flinched at the question, then forced a smile as he answered. It was a fake smile. The kind someone might wear when they were truly suffering but had been threatened into pretending otherwise.

The American journalists dispatched to Germany did not find the sight encouraging.

“I didn’t ask quite that intensely. So… you find your work enjoyable?”

“Yes! Yes! I’m delighted!”

Was that delight? Or just a forced grin? Perhaps they could press a little further. The American press needed to properly understand the reality of communism. After all, they would have to formulate a response to the nation that would become the heartland of communism.

“I see. We’re curious about the advantages of communism, you see. So—”

The moment they tried to ask more, the worker’s face twisted into something close to tears.

“Please, that’s enough. I beg you. Just go back.”

The journalist interviewing the worker fell silent. Looking closer, a political officer was watching from behind. The journalist carefully withdrew.

Just as the propaganda from Russia had claimed, communism was not what it pretended to be. Even in America there were some who quietly sympathized with communist Germany, but this… this was clearly wrong.

They couldn’t grasp the full reality of communist Germany, but seeing that worker nearly sobbing and begging them to stop was enough to understand how the country truly operated. The American journalists who had observed the situation in Germany left the country shortly afterward.

Meanwhile, even the skilled technicians from various fields who had received relatively decent treatment found the German system equally intolerable. They were monitored constantly, bombarded with orders about what to do and how to do it, all from people who clearly didn’t understand the technical realities yet still applied pressure. On top of being forced to comply, there was also the Freikorps carrying out terrorist attacks against anyone cooperating with the Communist Party. They no longer wanted to remain.

Going to America was too far. But if they could reach the Polish Corridor, they could use it to travel to East Prussia or Russia. Austria? The communists had flooded into Austria in the early days of seizing power in Germany, increasing surveillance there to the point that crossing the border meant immediate execution.

The answer that emerged was Volga Germany.

“I hear there are Germans living inside Russia too. They call it Volga Germany. I’m thinking of heading there.”

“You’re saying we should go to Volga Germany instead of East Prussia?”

“Do you really want to go to the East Prussia created by that Kaiser who caused this mess? I’m heading to Volga Germany. I hear the Tsarina treats technicians extremely well. She even bribed the People’s Army near Danzig.”

To anti-communists who weren’t monarchists, East Prussia was not a particularly attractive option. Who had created this damned situation? That very Kaiser. They could never bring themselves to work for him.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Many German technicians made their way to Russia through various routes. Communist Germany had been creaking at the seams from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, in East Prussia, there was someone else grinding his teeth.

“Just you wait. I will borrow Russia’s strength and take revenge for my children!”

The Kaiser of East Prussia was also sharpening the blade of vengeance, building up East Prussia’s power.

The communist paradise was neither as prosperous nor as peaceful as promised.

Around that time, in Surgut, Russia—

“The Tsarina said that Siberia holds boundless resources sleeping for our sake!”

“There must be something here. Let’s dig quickly!”

The Russian geological survey team dug vigorously in Surgut. Resource exploration had become a national priority, and they had received drilling technology transferred from American oil companies to develop it in earnest.

And then—

“We’ve found something? Whoa… this is…”

“Isn’t this exactly what the Tsarina predicted?”

Finally, the national project that the Tsarina had launched by committing even the Romanov imperial fortune began to bear fruit. They had discovered an oil field.

The propaganda about Volga Germany had worked even better than expected. The number of Germans who had crossed into Russia had already surpassed several thousand. The fact that most of them were skilled professionals in their respective fields was especially important. After all, Russia had been vigorously promoting the message that they would treat Germans properly. It was only natural that people would prefer to come to Volga Germany rather than suffer under communist oppression. Going to East Prussia felt somewhat unappealing, and they had heard the route to Austria was now blocked. So many chose to come to Russia instead.

On top of that, an oil field had been discovered in Surgut. The students being graded by the Tsarina were stunned.

“How on earth did you know about that oil field?”

“It was simply a ‘hunch.’”

And there was also a gift that had arrived from East Prussia.

“The Kaiser of East Prussia sent a dog as a gift?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Kaiser has sent a German Shepherd.”

So even in that situation, he was in a position to send a dog. She had heard that the imperial family there had been decimated as well. The fact that Prince Louis and his wife had survived was perhaps the most surprising part. It was eerily similar to her own circumstances.

“It seems he wants to get along with us. Hmm.”

She wasn’t particularly fond of dogs. She was more of a cat person. Besides, she had some rather unpleasant memories involving dogs from when the world had fallen apart. Yes, she had once been bitten by a dog kept by a biker gang in the shelter. It wasn’t this dog, of course, but still. She supposed she could simply let it roam the palace grounds and assign a handler to look after it.

“Have the roles of and been reversed?”

Strictly speaking, Britain could hardly be called the superior party when it had merely followed orders, but she had never imagined a day would come when that one-armed fellow would be begging Russia for help.

Well, that was all fine. But there was something else.

In her hand was a personal letter sent by Wilhelm II. Its contents were utterly absurd.

“What exactly is this?”

He wanted to discuss the matter of the German throne with her. In other words, he wished to have a serious conversation. He was probing in detail about how she had ascended to the throne.

“With all his children dead, it seems that’s all that’s left for him.”

“Their imperial family has also been shattered.”

That was the assessment from the Duma. Looking only at that point, it aligned with her expectations. Ah, and at the end of the letter, he mentioned wanting to place Louise on the throne.

“But why discuss that with me? Why is my name coming up in relation to the matter of Princess Victoria Louise’s ascension?”

“Is the Kaiser of Germany not attempting to establish her as Empress by following Your Majesty’s precedent?”

My precedent? Ah, yes. Whether it was the Salic law or any other succession laws, she had thrown them all out and ascended directly as Tsarina. But in her case, there had been no other choice. Given the circumstances, Russia could only revolve around her.

The people gathered in East Prussia were monarchists to the bone. Would the Junkers truly be all right with this?

“Making his eldest daughter the Kaiserin? There is the Salic law, and it’s not as if there are no male heirs at all, is there?”

“From what we can gather, it seems they wish to build a favorable relationship with us as fellow nations ruled by empresses.”

In other words, your affairs are our affairs, and our affairs are your affairs. Germany and Russia have suffered the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pain and face the same situation. That was what he was trying to express. Certainly, once a country has been torn apart, it is possible to create special laws according to the times. Exceptional clauses, one might call them.

“I see. Having both experienced communist civil wars, and now both raising empresses, he wishes to increase our common ground and receive our support. Is that it?”

It seemed the Kaiser had learned that she was supporting the Austrian side. He probably wanted to claim that the nation opposing communist Germany was East Prussia. But realistically, wouldn’t Austria have more weight? If one were to desperately protect East Prussia, it would be Poland that mattered.

Unlike in the original history, Poland—having not fought Russia thanks to Britain—had a slightly different history, but it had still taken Danzig. In any case, communist Germany, which hated Britain, would never accept Poland’s occupation of Danzig, a de facto pro-British state. On the other hand, the one-armed man, if only to survive, would need Poland’s support and would therefore recognize Danzig. Thus Poland would likely help the one-armed man who was willing to acknowledge their occupation of Danzig.

Of course, even if Wilhelm refused to recognize it, if Poland insisted, what could Wilhelm do with only East Prussia? From the start, Poland had poor relations with both Germany and Russia. The fact that they were trying to create common ground by making Louise the Kaiserin in order to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠appear favorable to Russia might also be an attempt to check Poland.

Besides, Bermondt was already stationed in East Prussia. Maintaining friendly relations with East Prussia would be good for the future.