Part 55: Bonus Chapter 6: What If? - Alternate Paths as Imagined by Servant, Ekaterine
Bonus Chapter 6: What If? - Alternate Paths as Imagined by Servant, Ekaterine
Servant provided me with information from the Prima Strategy Guide for this game, and went on to provide the alternate paths that I wasn't going to replay through to get the details involving them. However, the way he did it surprised me: he actually went through and wrote all-original dialogue between Prokofiev and other members of the Novistranan Coalition quickly running through the alternate paths!
What follows is entirely his work. All I did was and edit it so that it was clean to read, but dialogue, alternate interpretations of characters, and dialogue text formatting remain his. Due to SA's limitations in character length per post, I'm splitting his three alternate paths into each city.
Excerpts From "What If?: The World's Foremost Historians Imagine What Might Have Been in the History of the Third Glorious Revolution"
Ekaterine
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Releasing Pyotr Chenko from Vostok Green
: Thank you, Pyotr Chenko, for joining me after I freed you from Vostok Green. I expect that you have a really good idea for how to liberate the proletariat from Kasarov's rule.
: Yes. I do in fact have an idea... in fact, I've been considering it for quite some time. Take a look at this picture.
: That's just a picture of some obscure buildings in Kutuzov Works, right? What's so interesting about it?: That building is actually Novi Storage Co., located in the northwestern section of the district, near the border of Prokovief Plaza. Go there during the night, tell them the secret password, and you'll gain access to an underground printing press... I knew that place back when I was a Captain, and extracted lots of bribes from its owners. For purely altruistic reasons, of course, we needed the funding to crack down on "real" criminals. They're really the only underground printing press in town, Kasarov shut down all the rest.: An underground printing press? This could be my big break in Ekaterine! I'll write some articles for whatever undergound newspaper you have, and gain popularity with the masses. This is perfect.: ...Articles? We don't print any newspapers with our underground printing presses.: I don't like where this is going.: We print revolutionary books and pamphlets. People love to read large, huge books full of valuable knowledge and propaganda, especially if everything else is "officially sanctioned lies". It's where most of the money comes from.: ...Right, capitalism at "work" again. I guess I could write my memoirs explaining my revolutionary struggles. If people knew that I firebombed a Secret Police HQ, stole valuable goods from the mayor of Ekaterine, and broke the arms of a spy... maybe the proletariat would be inspired to do the same. The writing will be terrible though, I'm no good at this "influence".: ...Wait, you were the Mad Firebomber? ...Ih, I mean, don't worry about it too much. Writing a book is easy, and, from what I heard of course, people really like if you write from the heart, and don't use too much fancy jargon. Also, provide much detail about all the crimes you committed against the state; that'll also encourage people to rebel against the regime while helping me understand how you got away with them.: ...I also want these books to be free. Studies in revolution should be accessible to all, not just to the elite, moneyed class.: ...Now we have a problem. Vsevelod Nikolishin runs the printing presses, and he'll only print stuff that will sell in this market. If you don't put a price tag on your book, he won't publish it. Simple.: Nikolishin is going to serve as a roadblock then. But I mean, there must be a reason why he founded the printing presses other than simple money. There's lots of better way to generate income.: Nikolishin was a journalist who chaffed under Kasarov's censorship policies. He formed the underground printing press as a way to put pressure on the regime and hopefully overthrow it. But breaking the law cost money... bribes make up 78% of his expenses.: Then Nikolishin isn't a short-sighted fool. I can deal with him then. You can't run an underground printing press by yourself, where are his workers?: At Kutuzov Works.: Then that's where I need to target. I want to develop an "Underground Movement" amongst Nikolishin's lackeys, make them support the Novistranan Coalition. Eventually this movement will attract the attention of Nikolishin. If I could persuade him that I have a chance at overthrowing the regime, then he'll publish and advertise my book for me.: ...: He doesn't do any advertising at all... does he?: Nikolishin is a jerk. However, he does have a network that allows us to know what district would like our book... if we did advertising in that district, it would catch like wildlife throughout Ekaterine.: There's many actions I can send the Coalition to do. Canvassing, Poster Campaign, and Graffiti. It'll be easy to drum up support. Once the book is popular, then I can lay back and wait for Nikolishin to distribute the books for the masses.: Actually...A few days later...
: This is the stupidest thing ever.: Keep on handing out those books. I heard a rumor that the Mayor has taken an interest in your revolutionary book. He might invite you over for some private political discussions: he could authorize for us to hold a rally and thereby help our cause.: Well, at least this couldn't be worse. I could be promoting the launch of a new blood-sucking casino. Now that would be insane.* * *
Releasing Robert Tarasov from Vostok Green
: Let me say that I have the greatest admiration for you and your cause, and therefore I am willing to listen to your "trade secrets". How did you get Democracy Now to grow so big that Kasarov sent in the Alpha Squad?
: I only am working for you, Piotr Prokofiev, because Democracy Now is dead. Don't confuse me for being a "useful idiot".: We both have the same goals, just different means to achieve it.: Fair enough. It's not really that big of a "secret". I just have connections to the Church of Novistrana. The priests that were in my pockets subtly inserted propaganda favoring my party, and made hints that failing to join up with my rallies would lead to damnation, both in this world and in the Hereafter. And there we go.: ...That's it? Seemed a little "artificial". And manipulative.: I understand you may not like my methods... but it worked right?: Can't argue with success. The arrests likely disrupted your connections with the clergy.: Actually, I've been wanting to expand my plan on a... larger scale...
: The Church have became increasingly unreliable, and during the last days of Democracy Now, I became concerned about a public reconciliation between Kasarov and the Church. I want to destroy the Church entirely, and replace it with a new religious hegomony more to my liking, and the best way to do that is to take over their main headquarters: the Church of Lissitzki Towers.: Oleg Baturin might really like this idea, he could be the figurehead of your "hegomony". And Lissitzki Towers, isn't that a so-called "power node"?: Yes it is! Seizing it would help increase the effectiveness of all your Influence actions. When you have religion in your pocket, anything is possible. Yet... I know of this "Baturin" figure, he's too linked to your movement to be of any use to me. We need a different, more established figurehead to lead this religious hegomony.: ...Who do you have in mind?: Bishop Bresshnov. He's the Faction Head of the Church of Novistarana here, and thus has enough "religious cred" to get my message heard. But this guy hates politics, preferring instead to use religion as a way to secure wealth for himself. I'm sure people like him have a price; I just am not sure what.: So you want me to try and "convince" Bishop Bresshnov to establish this "religious hegomony"... because you couldn't do it before.: Pretty much.: I hate you.A few days later
: How did you pull it off?: Once I gained control of Lissitzki Towers, I heard rumors that Bishop Bresshnov had a 'gambling problem'. I went over to Morozov Manor, and then dug deeper at the Casino. I found out he was stealing Church money to fuel his gambling addicition. I took some photos, showed them to Bresshnov, and he's willing to support creating a religious hegomony that will fight for the proletariat in the international struggle against the bourgeois. I even gave him a speech to read out loud; I don't want him to make a doctrinal error when he's preaching Marxism.: That's nice, really nice... Blackmail. Ingenious! Why didn't I think of that before?: We're not done yet though. Bishop Bresshnov likes having a huge audience for his speeches before he launches the Hegomony. This means I have to send my people to gather support in Martov Estate, Kutozov Works, and Voronozh Fields.: I didn't even have to spend my time worrying about organizing nighttime protest marches and calling for free elections. I could have just walked up to the Casino of Morozov Manor, and this city would have been in the palms of my hands.
: As soon as we do that, he'll deliever the speech, thereby heralding the creation of the religious hegomony. This speech would also help us gain the attention of the Mayor, which would likely provide us with some valuable assistance to help the Coalition.: I wouldn't even be here if I blackmailed Bresshnov; I could have left this town to Pugachev and start fighting against the Red Mafiya. But noooo... "Pointless protest marches are the wave of the future, Tarasov!" "Think outside the box!"