by James Rosone
The others in the room let out a collective sigh of relief.
“It has been determined that I should assume control of the Russian Federation. I have the full backing of the men who matter, and you will either fall in line and support me and this government, or you may leave. If you stay, there is no turning back, and no questioning of my orders.” Petr’s statement made it sound like he was giving everyone a chance to leave...of course, no one left. To leave would have meant a bullet in the back of the head.
Seeing that he had their undivided attention, Gromley snapped his fingers, letting the guards know to send in the others. Eight other men in dark suits, some known and others unknown to the men at the table, walked in and sat down at the empty seats and opened their tablets, ready to begin work.
“Effective immediately, Russia is stopping our work on the Pan Asian Alliance. We are not going to join the Chinese and become a puppet to them. Russia will not surrender its sovereignty to a ruling committee.”
Petr gestured towards a few of the others in the room as he began, “These three men are going to handle the negotiations with the Chinese, and will convey our decision to not continue with the alliance.”
Those three men nodded, and then proceeded to get up and leave the room, heading out to implement their tasks.
“The loss of the Kola Peninsula has placed our country in a precarious position. The Americans have once again surprised the world with yet another breakthrough technology, their enhanced humanoid drone, the Reaper. We have no counter to this new superweapon. We also do not have the ability to create our own version of it, at least not right now with our current technology and available resources.”
One of the newcomers to the room linked his tablet with the holographic display at the center of the table. He immediately brought up several clips of the EHD in action. The group watched as several of them advanced on a Russian machine gun position in the Kola Peninsula, and saw the EHD get hit several times but still continue to advance. In short order, the drone had killed the men operating the gun position and then moved on to the next target.
“Gentlemen, I do not need to explain to you what will happen when the Americans begin to deploy tens of thousands of these drones on our soil. Combing through the footage, we estimate it took our men nearly 50 soldiers to kill or disable one of those drones. These are odds we simply cannot sustain. The war is lost. The question now is--when will we accept that?”
“I am immediately promoting General Viktor Lodz to take over as commander of all Russian military forces. He will oversee the winding down of the war with NATO and bring us an honorable peace we can live with.”
As Gromley was explaining this, one of the other generals at the table, a man who was clearly angry that he had just been passed over as the next in line to take over, asked, “And what if he cannot secure us an honorable peace? Will the war continue?”
Knowing this was also a possibility, Petr had a prepared response. “If General Lodz is not able to secure an honorable peace, then we will remind President Stein and the allies that Russia can and will still bring this war to their streets. We may not be able to use our nuclear weapons as a deterrent or threat like we had in the past, but we certainly can unleash biological weapons and cyber-attacks in perpetuity.”
The general was clearly taken aback by the mention of biological weapons. No matter how bad the war had gotten, President Fradkov and President Stein had come to an understanding that neither side would use weapons that would destroy the people of either nation. This included the use of neutron and biological weapons. The devastation of the neutron weapon used against the IR was still being calculated, and had been responsible for the death of over a hundred million people up to that point.
Petr motioned that he was gearing to wrap up the meeting. “After we announce the death of President Fradkov and my taking over as the leader of the Russian Federation, I am going to call for an immediate 48-hour ceasefire and ask for an opportunity to talk with President Stein directly to determine if we can work out an honorable end to the war.”
They looked solemn but also accepting of the fact that Russia could no longer win the war. The best that they could hope for now was obtaining a ceasefire that allowed Russia to maintain its dignity in defeat.
Negotiator in Chief
16 October 2042
Washington, DC
The sudden death of President Fradkov and the change of leadership within the Russian Federation sent shock waves throughout the world. The Russian government requested a ceasefire and direct talks between the man who had emerged as the new leader of Russia, Petr Gromley, and President Stein. The key questions being asked in Washington were--who is Petr Gromley, and how did he become the President? No one seemed to know the answers, and this concerned President Stein and his senior staff. How did a seemingly unknown individual suddenly become the President of Russia?
President Stein did ultimately decide to agree to a 48-hour ceasefire and direct talks with President Gromley. As the intelligence community scrambled to learn as much as they could about Petr Gromley, an appointed time for a holographic telecom was set. Twenty-three hours after the ceasefire went into effect, the two leaders would have their first discussion.
As the President sat on one of the two couches in the Oval Office, he stared out the window for a second, collecting some of his thoughts. The President nervously asked Director Rubio, “Have we learned anything more about who Petr Gromley is? I’d like to know a bit more about the man I will be speaking with in a few hours.”
Director Rubio gestured towards a middle-aged analyst he had brought with him to this meeting. “Mr. President, this is Dr. Jason Strom. He’s from our Russian division, and had studied and worked for many years in Russia for us before returning to the US and official cover with the Agency. I will let Dr. Strom brief you on what he has been able to dig up.”
Dr. Strom was clearly anxious about briefing the President. He stammered at first before clearing his throat to start over. “Mr. President, while I was in Russia, I came across the name Petr Gromley only once. I learned that he was a successful businessman, but also had deep ties with the SVR, part of the FSB foreign intelligence arm. There was relatively little information I could compile while in Russia and through my subsequent dive back into his history these past 23 hours; however, we were able to link him to several the major oligarchs that run the various industrial sectors in Russia. We also linked him to several senior military and intelligence officials who are also now in charge of the government. What we found interesting about his connections was how diverse they are. He is well-connected both with Russian power brokers and military leaders, and also with members of the financial sector, both domestic and abroad. For instance, his wife is an active member of the Rothschild family.”
The President digested the information and sat silently thinking about what it meant before asking a follow up question. “So, what you are saying is, this guy is a very well-connected man both in Russia and outside of Russia. He has money, influence and contacts in critical areas within the government. Yet he also appears to have some sort of connection, a deep connection, with the SVR. What was his connection with Fradkov before he died?”
Glancing at his notes for just a second, “Gromley knew Fradkov; they had attended the same military school and college, and they worked in the FSB together for a short period. I have not had enough time with my sources still in Russia to really gain a full understanding of their relationship, but it is safe to say they knew each other for a very long time.” Dr. Strom spoke with increasing confidence as he started to feel more comfortable with briefing the President.
President Stein took a sip of coffee; he was in the process of cutting out his steady diet of Red Bulls. His physician had said they were partly to blame for his headaches, so he had to find another source of caffeine. As the President placed his mug down on the table between his guests, he looked at Director Rubio and asked, “Do you believe there is a
bit more to Gromley than we may think? Looking at what I’ve read and now heard from Dr. Strom, Gromley seems to be more of the spy master or chess master, moving players around the board. I find it strange that most of the individuals with whom we know he had strong connections prior to the death of Fradkov, suddenly find themselves in critical positions within the Army. Not to mention the very suspicious sudden deaths of nearly a dozen other figure heads within the government right around the time of Fradkov’s death--it almost seems like his death was planned, but that’s just me speculating.”
Director Rubio nodded in agreement. “I believe you may be right, Mr. President. This could have been an internal well thought out plan. The question then, is if this is, then what is their end state?”
Dr. Strom knew he should probably not say anything since it was clear his section of the brief had concluded, but he could not help himself. “Mr. President, if I could, I believe Gromley’s intensions will be to bring some sort of honorable end to the war. If he truly represents the oligarchs and elites within the country, then they know the war is no longer winnable, at least not without destroying Russia in the process. They have too much to lose in that scenario, and they must have believed that Fradkov would probably never pursue peace.”
The President thought about this for a moment. “You may be right, though I think their decision probably had more to do with the likelihood that Fradkov was going to move forward with the Pan Asian Alliance. Joining the alliance was probably the only way to save his war. Our capture of Murmansk has shaken them to their core, and we are now positioned to strike deep behind their European lines.”
CIA Director Rubio responded, “I think that is a safe assumption, Mr. President. From the intercepts we have from China, they were not going to provide Fradkov with reinforcements or additional military equipment unless he agreed to join the alliance. They had promised him one million PLA soldiers if he agreed to join, and it looks like he was probably going to get Russia to accept the agreement.”
The President let out a soft sigh and looked out the window again, drifting away to a far-away world before returning. “Gentlemen, you both have given me a lot to think about. If you will excuse me, I am going to spend the next hour thinking about this meeting and formulating some questions and potential responses to them.” With that, the President indicated that it was time for them to leave the Oval Office and allow him some time alone.
As President Stein sat at his desk, he began to pen several scenarios out, and wrote some goals he wanted to achieve during the meeting. He also put together a list of demands, if the Russians did want an end to the war.
*******
Two hours later, President Stein walked down to the PEOC to have his virtual meeting with President Gromley. As the President walked into the communications room, he sat down at the center of the table. Just out of sight was General Branson, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Jim Wise, the Secretary of State, Eric Clarke, the Secretary of Defense and Patrick Rubio, the Director of the CIA. Monty, the President’s Chief of Staff and senior advisor was seated next to the President with a pad of paper and a pen. The President signaled that he was ready to receive the call. In seconds, a message was sent to the Russians to let them know President Stein was ready to start the meeting.
A minute later, the holographic screen came to life, and a life-size image of President Petr Gromley appeared opposite of President Stein at the table. President Gromley spoke perfect English, and initiated the discussion saying, “Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to meet with me and for the immediate ceasefire. As you know, President Fradkov suffered a massive heart attack. I was asked to step in as interim President until a new election can be held in two years. One of my goals as the new President is to work with you to find a way to bring this war between our nations to an end.”
With the ball now in his court, President Stein now had to decide; did he want to pursue an end to the war then? Or did he want to fight on and end the war on their terms, as an unconditional surrender?
“Thank you for reaching out to me, President Gromley. Congratulations to you on becoming President. I am glad to hear that your government would like to pursue an end to this war. I must tell you; I am not sure Russia is willing to agree to our terms. We have been committed to nothing less than an unconditional surrender of Russia,” Stein said, laying out his initial starting point for these talks. He wanted the new Russian leader to know that America was committed to continuing this war out to its conclusion; they did not need to agree to a peace just yet.
Gromley knew President Stein would want to set his terms. From everything he had read about Henry Stein, he knew he was a shrewd negotiator…tough, but fair. Russia had inflicted some serious wounds on America, and President Stein was going to want America’s pound of Russian flesh in return.
“I am sure you understand, Mr. President; the Russian Federation cannot accept those terms as they are presently laid out. We have suffered some battlefield defeats, but we are far from defeated as a nation. My government’s goal is to end this war and the bloodshed. As you are aware, the reinforcements from our Indian allies have arrived. Their forces have not been committed yet, but their introduction to the European front will have an impact. I would like to negotiate an honorable end to the war and not have to commit them to the defeat of NATO.”
The President shifted slightly in his chair before responding, “Thank you, President Gromley, for being open and more importantly direct. So, let me be direct with you as well, so we can save each other a lot of time and remove any confusion. The Russian Federation, in coordination with the Islamic Republic and the People’s Republic of China, launched a massive surprise attack against the United States, Israel and our NATO allies. This was an unprovoked attack that has claimed the lives of tens of millions of people in the United States and our allied nations. I would like to find a way to end this war with your nation, but it will be on favorable terms to the United States and our allies, or we can continue this war until my forces have either captured or killed you and your government.” Stein spoke forcefully but respectfully.
Gromley shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Mr. President, what terms would you find acceptable?”
“For starters, Russia would need to withdraw all military forces from NATO member territories. Russia would also need to begin an immediate demobilization of your military force, allowing no more than 330,000 active duty soldiers. This number is consistent with your force structure from ten years ago, prior to your military buildup.”
President Stein glanced at his notes very briefly before he continued, “Next, the Russian government would have to take responsibility for any war crimes your forces may have committed in the occupied territories, and pay reparations to the families. The exact amount would be determined by an international tribunal. Russia would also have to agree to an end of the ongoing cyber-attacks, cyber-espionage and cyber warfare being conducted against the United States and our allies. Finally, Russia would have to agree to a ten-year moratorium on any space exploration or space activities.”
Gromley had figured that the President would most likely ask for everything he had just mentioned, with the exception of the space exploration moratorium. That was one area the oligarchs wanted to pursue since the advent of the EmDrive. Once the news had been made public about the American Pegasus project, space exploration and mining had become a top priority of the oligarchs. The mining and exploration possibilities were endless, and the war was the inhibiting factor in allowing Russia to pursue them.
“Mr. President, I can agree to most of these terms. What Russia will not give up is our possession of our former satellite nations, including the Caucus region and the ‘Stan’ countries. We can agree to withdraw our forces from the Scandinavian countries, Eastern Europe and Turkey. Would this return of territory be acceptable?”
Looking to his advisors for guidance, the President saw General Branson, Secretary Wise, and Director Rubio nod their heads.
Stein summoned a bit of acting to make himself appear very reluctant as he replied, “We can agree to those terms; Russia can keep the Caucus region and the Stans.”
Gromley continued, “I am not sure I can agree to the force reduction to 330,000 soldiers. We have more than four million men and women in uniform right now. I cannot simply release that many millions of soldiers without experiencing severe unemployment and civil unrest. We can work towards that number over a multiple year period, but I cannot cut that many soldiers overnight.” Petr said as he offered his first bit of resistance to the American President.
President Stein’s advisors just shrugged their shoulders and nodded. “Thank you for that clarification and justification. Let’s agree to a force reduction down to two million soldiers over the next six months, one million soldiers in eighteen months and five hundred thousand soldiers in two years and we leave it at that level,” Stein said, trying to offer a concession.
Gromley and Stein continued to negotiate for an hour about other details of the peace agreement, hammering out the major sticking points leaving the smaller points to their advisors and assistants who would pick it back up later.
Finally, things seemed more or less settled, until Gromley interjected, “Mr. President-- about the space moratorium--the Russian Federation cannot agree to a ten-year moratorium on space exploration and activities. Our government has done many years of research on the EmDrive technology Just as America is now establishing space mining operations, with the war concluded, Russia would like to pursue this opportunity as well. It would be a boon to our economy, and help aid Russia in recovering from this devastating conflict. It would also create a lot of employment opportunities for our citizens in the domestic economy as opposed to in the defense industry,” Gromley explained.