Red Storm

**Red Storm** is an alternate history project, depicting the horrors of war, the struggles of early 1900s politics, and what could have been, if just a few historical events were altered. This combines the alternate histories of Teddy Roosevelt, Nikola Tesla, and the Swedish Royal Family to the project of Red Storm in the format of timelines, accounts, and historical events.

### Summary

In the 1890s King Oscar II of Sweden begins funding Nikola Tesla and Rudolf Diesel. Rudolf develops the Diesel Engine, and leaves when he finds out Oscar plans to use their tech in active war. In 1912 Teddy Roosevelt wins the election, and joins the Great War in 1915. From 1900 to 1914 there was a struggle between two different lifestyles and technology types, Steam and Diesel (Nikola & Rudolf). The US joining the Great War in 1915 led to a successful Provisional Government in Russia, leading to a stronger White Army and more loyal puppet states. Sweden invades Denmark-Norway in 1919. In 1920 the Soviets rebel, driving the Whites west. The following war sees the use of Mechs and Automatons as well as chemical warfare, leading to a chemical zone in western Russia. And the zone is eventually walled off and declared abandoned.

## Timeline & History

### History

#### Tesla & Bernadotte (1887-1900)

In 1887, King Oscar II Bernadotte of Sweden-Norway invited the young inventor Nikola Tesla to Stockholm to give him an opportunity to 'showcase his brilliance'. The King had learned of Tesla's rising stardom in the scientific fields due to his invention of the Induction motor. Tesla accepted the invitation, and arranged a private viewing of his inventions and theories for the King, who reportedly enjoyed it greatly. Bernadotte implored Tesla to stay in Sweden, and promised he would have as much funding as he needed, as the King was determined to use the Induction motor for something great so that his name would be remembered in time.

By 1890, Tesla had been designing many vehicles, tools, and machines, as the King had asked. Including something that would change the world forever, the Automaton. The Automaton, in its earliest conceptions, was a very basic machine, with only a diesel powered motor, and three wheels, but as it was developed it became a more complex and interesting invention.

##### Rudolf Diesel

Until 1897, Rudolf Diesel was working alongside Tesla and Bernadotte, and developed his Diesel Engine, a type of Combustion Engine. The Automatons Tesla had designed were meant to run with these Diesel Engines, but when Rudolf was made aware of Bernadotte's intentions to use this in a war against Denmark, he resigned from the project and took his plans and prototypes with him. Tesla tried to replicate his Diesel Engine, but failed.

##### Automaton

The 'Automatisierte mechanische Servicemaschine', or Automaton, was a machine original patented by Nikola Tesla under the name Аутоматед Мацхине, or Automated Machine, but in 1900, at the turn of the century, Rudolf Diesel finally built the first operational prototype of the Automaton. Funded by German manufacturers, he developed it with the assurance that it would only be used for factory work and civilian jobs. The Automaton was powered by Rudolf's own Diesel Engine, with a set of commands you can input and queue up.

While Rudolf was making these in Germany, Tesla, still funded by the Swedish Government, developed his own Steam Powered Automata. Known for it's sleek design, it was largely favored by companies in Britain and France. However the Diesel Automaton was known for it's practicality and harsh steel design, and was favored by Germany and Russia.

##### Mechs

The 'Mechanische Landpanzer-Kampfmaschine', or Mech, as it's known (Also the Panzerkampf), was a machine created by Rudolf Diesel. In contrast to his Automata, the Mech was designed to be manned by at least one person. And spite the staunch use of Automaton in *only* civilian contexts, the Mech was often designed to be used in active combat, as by the Nordic War, Diesel saw the potential gains from using these in war, and began allowing the production of these machines by most western countries.

#### Utopia/Dystopia (1900-1914)

The Steam/Diesel divide defined the pre-war attitude, with people in the west clinging to the Victorian attitude, with extravagant styles and beautiful designs, and with the East moving on with a much more practical, and some would describe as 'dystopian' style, especially after the Great War. Although Mechs and Automata were not used in the Great War, Tanks, Airships, Airplanes, machines guns, grenades, and bombs were used [In a very similar way to our timeline]. After the Great War, the Steam Automata would largely fall out of the market, in favor of the Diesel Automaton, however in countries in the West (Germany, France, Britain, Sweden, Italy etc.), they were often decorated and painted.

#### Great War (1914-1917)

The Great War was simply a teaser of what was to come in the Red War. And while Mechs and Automata existed during this period, Diesel Automata were still only for civilian use, as per Rudolf Diesel's request, and Steam Automaton were not designed for warfare at all, and with their weak shells and no defenses, were completely inept in combat.

#### Nordic War (1919-1925)

The Nordic War, in the shadow of the Red War was seemingly an afterthought. Instead of being fought with Great or Red War tactics, due to the unique staging ground of the Norwegian mountains, the war was fought almost exclusively using Zeppelins. Flying battlegrounds towering over the northern landscape, with the invention of the Arial Flying Skipping Machine, aka the Skipper during the war, sky combat was wildly revolutionized.

## Red War

### Outcome

Revolutionary defeat, New Russian Democratic Republic established

Combatants| * Provisionals

White ArmyPolandUkraineBaltic StatesFinlandGerman VolunteersFrench VolunteersBritish Volunteers | * Revolutionaries

### Battles and Events

[In chronological order]
Battle of Warsaw

##### November Revolution

After the Great War, famine and distrust of the Tzar led to a rift between the populace and the aristocrats, eventually coming to an end with the November Revolution. The February Revolution was a Socialist uprising which kicked out the royalty and installed a provisional government on the Russian, but after a few years, a more radical socialist group, the Bolsheviks, rebelled. Due to their grip on much of the worker population, they were able to hijack machines, railroads, and whole power grids, pushing the Provisionals (Whites) to the Western States (Poland, Baltic States, Ukraine and Finland).

##### Eastern Front

Volunteers from the Weimar Republic, France, Denmark, and Great Britain came flooding to the White's side, and to the north, the Baltic States and Finland had joined together in military forces to defend themselves against the Reds, forming the Northern Trench Line, expanding on parts of the Eastern Trench Line.

The Red War saw the first use of Trench Suits in active combat, although prototypes had been designed in the Great War, both sides began producing new Trench Suits en mass past the Lublin Proclamation & the Pskov Conference. During the latter years of the Red War, different versions of the Trench Suit began to be produced, with some changing prototypes like the RSM Valkyrie being more of a mechanical tank-like walking suit instead of armor.

##### The Ottomans

In 1911, prior to the outbreak of the Great War, Lenin began developing relations between the Soviet party and the Ottoman Sultanate, specifically Lenin and Sultan Mehmed VI became close friends, eventually convincing the Sultan to hate the Tsar as much as he did, saying that they both had land to be gained if they fought together someday. In 1914, the Ottomans joined the Central Powers to try and gain Russian land in Georgia, but largely ignored their western front, only fighting the British in their Middle East holdings. In 1920 Lenin showed Mehmed that the Russian Union was strong enough to push back the Provisionals to the Western States, and that with the Ottoman's help, they could take over Eastern Europe together. Finally, in June of 1920, Mehmed VI declared war on the Provisionals (Postponing the abolition of the Sultanate), and took over Hungary and Romania to form a Southern Front. Hungary & Romania remained puppet states of the Ottoman's until their dissolution in 1928.

##### End of an Era

By 1930 the Red War had been going on for a decade, and both sides were suffering. The Reds had held the Whites back along the Eastern Front, and the Provisionals were tired of these endless skirmishes for barely any more land. The reason the Reds were able to pull off this seemingly impossible task was support from China. Until the 1922 agreement, the war seemed short-lived, but after a Communist Revolution occurred in China, the two decided to band together to protect their ideology. The Chinese bombers and troops finally arrived on the Eastern Front in 1923, and along with the Ottomans backing the Soviets, the Provisionals were barely even. Thanks to British and French volunteers however, gave them a slight edge, but due to the distance of the active war-front, artillery and air support from the Western Powers were essentially non-existent.

And in 1931, Commander Revel Ivanov of the Soviet Army decided that drastic actions needed to be made. He proposed a plan code-named 'Project Red Storm'. The highly controversial project proposed the idea that the war was unwinnable due to the constant support for the Provisionals, and that the only way to actual secure a Soviet win was to chemical bomb the Eastern Front, and the Provisional armies. The project received heavy scrutiny due to the fact it would also take out the Red Army.

Using base compounds discovered in a Siberian drilling site, the Soviet's began working on a highly toxic gas named Vorkutya-Krasniun-13 (AKA Red Gas).

#### Post-War Era (1933-1950)

##### Roaring Thirties

The post war era was largely defined by the attitude towards technology following the Red War, and the use of said technology in civilian and commercial contexts. The 30s were largely known for the post war economic reforms, making the west a munch for stable and peaceful place.

###### Germany's Rebirth

Following the Great War, the Weimar Republic came to embrace industrialism, using mechs, trench suits, and automatons from the Red War for regular jobs and the like. The nation prospered in the years following the war, although in the beginning there were small unsuccessful rebellions and revolutions, the Republic eventually regained stability, reforming old laws and policies to try and move away from their autocratic past.

The Republic, in a controversial move, began trading with Sweden-Norway in 1937. Due to their proximity and holdings cross sea, the trade agreement was very successful, bringing both nations into a golden age. However many in Germany protested this action as the previous Nordic War was seen by some as an act of rapid expansionism by Sweden-Norway, and associating with them could lower Germany's reputation.

## Equipment

### Chems

#### Aethyloxide-Chethylate-13

Aethyloxide-Chethylate (AC-13) was a chemically engineered toxic gas used by the Soviets in the Red War.

#### Trench Suits

Trench Suits, officially named Amoured Trench Warfare Defense Suits (ATWDS), are, as the name implies, metal pieces attached to clothing, or full welded suits. Often used with either built in or seperate gas masks, this technology was largely in use in the Red War, although a few makeshift prototypes were designed in the Great War. Trench Suits used by different sides of the war had many variations and names, with the most recognizable being the Polish Pancerzów, also known as Pancerz, meaning Trench Armor.

Trench Suits stopped being developed in their current form in 1952 for active combat, although antiques are often used for display or sold for large amounts of money. Within the Toxic Belt, trench suits are described as rare and important by survivors and escapees.

## Trivia & Notes

* Mechs: The original Mech prototype was nicknamed "Iron Horse" due to its clunkiness and reliance on steam power.
* Trench Suits: The first Trench Suits were highly impractical, weighing over 300 pounds and severely limiting mobility.
* Automatons: Despite their widespread use, Automatons were never able to fully replicate human dexterity and intelligence.
* Red Gas: The chemical formula for Red Gas remains classified, even after centuries.
* The Toxic Belt: The largest living organism on Earth is a massive fungus colony thriving within the Toxic Belt.
* The Iron Wall: The construction of the Iron Wall employed over 1 million workers and took 2 years to complete.
* The United Nations Bureau of Hazard Containment: The UNBHC's headquarters is located in a heavily fortified neutral zone between Germany and Russia.
* The Roaring Thirties: The post-war economic boom led to a surge in artistic and cultural expression, with Art Deco becoming the dominant style.
* Nikola Tesla: Tesla secretly designed a weapon capable of negating the effects of Red Gas, but it was never built.
* Teddy Roosevelt: Roosevelt's involvement in the Great War led to a significant shift in American foreign policy.
* A rare species of butterfly that thrives within the Toxic Belt has developed a bioluminescent glow.
* A thriving black market exists for salvaged technology and artifacts from the Red War.