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　　 苏联沉浸在新的一年到来。

　　 随着1986年的临近，全世界的公民都在准备他们的庆祝活动。

　　 新希望，新梦想，新世界。

　　 地球上的国家共同努力创造一个更美好、更和平的世界。

　　 但是，地球上的国家也在为新年的到来做准备。

　　 国际社会正在齐聚一堂，建立一个新的世界秩序。

　　 世界人口约为65亿。

　　 每年生产数十亿吨粮食。

　　 每年都有数十万人死于饥饿。

　　 每年，成千上万的儿童死于母亲的怀抱中。

　　 数百万人生活在赤贫中，每天靠不到一美元生存。

　　 每年，成千上万的儿童被卖为奴隶。

　　 每年，数以百万计的妇女和女孩被当作童婚出售。

　　 每年都有数亿人被奴役、压迫和虐待。

　　 同时，人们也在迎来新科技的巨变。第三次科技革命将会把全人类生产力又发展到一个全新高度，尽管只要生产关系不改变…人们依然是奴隶。

　　 资本主义和共产主义是两种相互竞争的经济制度。

　　 这两种制度都声称它们是唯一能够为所有人的福祉提供保障的制度。

　　 问题是，这是一个谎言。

　　 这两种制度都依赖于人民的压迫，依靠少数有权势的人对自然资源的所有权来维持自身的存在。

　　 是时候建立一个新的世界秩序了，一个人们将奋起创造更好生活方式的时代。

　　 只有这样，未来才是我们的。

　　 新年到来了，特雷古波娃从睡梦中苏醒，唯一会来见她的人打来了电话。一个男人。他很奇怪。

　　 她在床上坐起来，环顾房间。墙上挂满了奇怪的符号。她从床上爬起来，走到窗前。

　　 “新年快乐，特雷古波娃。”罗曼诺夫的声音通过座机电话进入她的耳朵。“你不说点什么作为回报吗？”

　　 她凝视着外面。“你真奇怪。首先你问我想要什么，然后你以为我想要什么。”

　　 “我毕竟不会读心，你知道我想要什么。”

　　 “你知道你有多奇怪吗？”

　　 她在电话的另一端听到了他的笑声。

　　 “你恰恰相反，我喜欢你的陪伴。”

　　 “真奇怪。我也喜欢你的，但我不确定我是否那么喜欢你。”

　　 “我明白，下次我还会打给你的。我女儿与外孙要过来了。”

　　 “他们就是你访问的原因吗？”

　　 “不，我只是在社交。几周后我会见到他们。我好久没见到他们了。”他停顿了一下。“明年我也会见到你的。”

　　 “你要带我去你女儿家吗？”

　　 她问。

　　 “你愿意吗？”他问。

　　 “不太好，但是如果你想让我去的话，请……”

　　 “我带你来。”

　　 她点了点头，电话挂断了。

　　 特雷古波娃回到床上。她坐下来，开始思考罗曼诺夫说的话。

　　 她想，“我不知道他是否会带我去我女儿家。他看起来很奇怪。”

　　 她笑了。“他并不奇怪。他是一个非常聪明的人，也是一个出色的演说家。我听过他多次讲话。”

　　 “但他是个好人吗？”

　　 “他当然是个好人。他是苏联中央委员会的第一书记。他是个政治家，但政治家也是人。”

　　 “我还是不喜欢他。”

　　 “为什么不呢？他是个好人。他是个革命者。”

　　 “我只是不确定我是否喜欢他。”

　　 特雷古波娃打了个哈欠，躺了下来。她很累。这是漫长的一天。她睡了一整天。晚上，罗曼诺夫来看她。

　　 “给你，特雷古波娃。我给你带来了一些糕点。”

　　 她抬起头说：“谢谢，但我不饿。”

　　 他说：“你一整天都在家里睡觉？”

　　 “是的，我一直呆在家里休息。”

　　 “你为什么睡了一整天？”

　　 “我担心的时候睡不好。”

　　 “你担心吗？”

　　 “是的，我非常担心。我正在考虑离开组织。我要做我想做的事，而不是为了更大的事业而牺牲自己。我这样做纯粹是出于自私的原因。你不担心你会失去一个强大的盟友吗？”

　　 “我一点也不担心。我准备做需要做的事。如果你要离开，最好快点。”

　　 特雷古波娃叹了口气，“我就知道这会发生。当我担任这个职位时我就知道了。我应该保护你，但如果我死了，我不能这么做。你必须明白这一点。我有责任。你必须……”

　　 “不，我没有，”他说：“我不要你的怜悯，也不要你的牺牲。你可以随心所欲，但如果你能活着，我将不胜感激。”

　　 “我会尽力的。”

　　 罗曼诺夫点点头坐在床边上说：“当然，我们年龄差距很大。但是，我希望我们能继续下去。我习惯你在我身边。”

　　 “我不想比你老那么多。如果我们年龄差不多，也许会更好。”

　　 “我想是的。”他笑了。“你到底多大了？”

　　 “六月份我就二十三岁了。”

　　 “哦，我明白了。那是好几年了。”

　　 “是的……”

　　 “我想躺在你身边。可以吗？”罗曼诺夫脱下黑色外套放在床头柜上。他躺在床上，握住特雷古波娃的手。她盯着他看。

　　 “我要你躺在我旁边，特雷古波娃。求你了。”

　　 “是的……好的。”

　　 特雷古波娃闭上眼睛睡着了。她知道她今晚会筋疲力尽。罗曼诺夫可能会熬夜读书，但他总是尊重她睡眠的需要。

　　 当她醒来时，他不见了。她从床上爬起来寻找他，但他却无影无踪。她回到床上，又睡着了。

　　 这是全苏联的冬日，与此同时世界形势依然像所有事物一样不断变化。

　　 海地爆发了革命，阿富汗游击队与苏联军队依然在厮杀。

　　 苏联和波兰边境的紧张局势加剧。

　　 在波兰，一个新政府试图取代苏联支持的政府。

　　 在阿富汗，战斗只会愈演愈烈。

　　 埃塞俄比亚爆发了饥荒。

　　 在中国，政府试图平息各省的动乱。

　　 在国内，经济继续恶化。

　　 至少现在，穿越者罗曼诺夫要享受下家庭时光了。在原本的历史上，罗曼诺夫被戈尔巴乔夫开除出政治局后就住在大女儿瓦伦蒂娜的家里。

　　 门响了，他的妻子安娜·斯捷潘诺夫娜打开门看到了大女儿瓦伦蒂娜与女婿奥列格·伊万诺维奇•盖达诺夫以及小女儿娜塔莉亚。

　　 “爸爸！”瓦伦蒂娜·罗曼诺夫喊道。她跑到父亲跟前拥抱他。“一切都很不一样。”

　　 “那么你现在是家里的领导了，”她的父亲说。

　　 “我想是的。”

　　 “孙子在哪里？”

　　 “安德烈·阿纳托利耶维奇·库拉科夫，过去叫爷爷。”娜塔莉亚抓住14岁的少年说。她把他带到她父亲身边。“爸爸，这是安德烈。他有点……”

　　 “有点什么？”

　　 “有点胆大包天。”

　　 罗曼诺夫笑了笑说：“孩子都这样，都进来坐吧。今天必须留在这里过夜，我很想你们。”

　　 “当然。我们想念你，”瓦伦蒂娜说。“只是这里没有你有点无聊。”

　　 他们坐了下来。在厨房里，安娜·斯捷潘诺夫娜给他们做了一些食物。

　　 “我也很想你，”她父亲对她说。

　　 饭后，他们走进客厅。

　　 “盖达诺夫，你在乌兹别克的工作怎么样？检察官很辛苦吧？”罗曼诺夫询问了女婿说，如果他没有记住的话，历史上盖达诺夫之后成为了叶利钦时期一年的俄罗斯代理检察长之后辞职从商。瓦伦蒂娜在历史上苏联解体后在1992年从事一家银行委员会主席工作。

　　 “这很难，”盖达诺夫说。“找人共事越来越难了。形势越来越紧张。”

　　 “这有什么原因吗？”

　　 “有些。分离主义者一直在制造麻烦。他们的声音越来越大，而且越来越多。警方一直在打击他们。”

　　 “你的部门怎么样？他们还好吗？”

　　 “这个部门很好，”盖达诺夫说。“但是，与政府其他部门一样，我们的资源有点捉襟见肘。”

　　 罗曼诺夫点点头，他最近忘了中亚五国的分离主义者了。之后，必须让人清理一下。战后，苏联试图开发该地区尚未开发的自然资源，如石油、天然气和煤炭，以弥补几十年来的忽视。战后，一股新的民族主义浪潮席卷该地区，但这些项目很快就遭遇了规划不力和腐败。前苏联国家的新政府几乎没有什么不同，有时甚至比旧政府更糟糕。

　　 罗曼诺夫看着他的女儿们。

　　 “嗯，我们现在有一些家庭时间，对吗？”

　　 “是的，爸爸，”瓦伦蒂娜说。“我们需要回到现实生活。”

　　 “我怀念我们过去的美好时光，”他说。“我们玩得很开心，不是吗？”

　　 “哦，是的，爸爸，”娜塔莉亚说。“不知不觉，你就快100岁了。”

　　 “我想我会成功的，”罗曼诺夫说。

　　 也许她们是对的，穿越到62岁的罗曼诺夫如果不准备医疗团队负责延长寿命的话，那可没有机会活到更远的未来。

　　 罗曼诺夫一家将一如既往地生活。

　　 与此同时，海地局势则继续发展。

　　 1985年的最后一个月对海地人民来说至关重要，经过前几个月的苏联军火与古巴士兵的帮助，海地反抗者迅速在解放神学神父的领导下对小杜瓦利埃政权进行了全面攻击。

　　 在包括暗杀、伏击和破坏在内的一系列袭击中，叛军与政府军争夺国家控制权，并迅速陷入全面战争。

　　 然而，政府得到了美国和其他西方国家的支持，他们认为推翻该政权是对该地区先前建立的秩序的威胁。“海地人民有战斗的意志，不会被剥夺。”

　　 在接下来的几个月里，发生了一系列残酷的战斗。这些叛军没有苏联的技术优势，无法建立控制。尽管军事优势站在他们一边，但他们无法战胜得到更好支持的政府。叛军最终被迫撤退和重新集结，但流血事件仍在继续。

　　 1986年2月12日，日内瓦签署了一项和平协议，但战斗并未停止。

　　 ------

　　 1986年1月13日

　　 “南也门什么情况？阿里·纳塞尔居然发动流血政变。”苏联内务部部长维塔利·瓦西里耶维奇·费多尔丘克把南也门政变情况报告扔在桌上，对此早就知道的罗曼诺夫保持沉默。房间里一片寂静，除了书页在翻阅时发出的沙沙声。最后，罗曼诺夫发言。

　　 “长期会发生的一定会发生，南也门即然会陷入内战状态就让他们自己残杀吧，让南也门的苏联与古巴驻军保证我们军事基地与大使馆的安全。”

　　 这份报告是对局势的简洁、残酷和坦率的评估的混合体。

　　 英国人更关心的是南也门从该国其他地区分裂出去的问题，尽管苏联人和古巴人都担心一系列可能导致他们卷入冲突的暴力事件的可能性。

　　 然而，尽管受到英国人的一些刺激，美国仍然对冲突置若罔闻。

　　 目前，反帝国势力的形势看起来很严峻。

　　 “形势严峻，”罗曼诺夫说。“美国可能会保持官方中立，但伦敦的傀儡政府将利用其所有影响力确保美国不会卷入其中。”

　　 “苏联应该参与进来，必要时使用武力，”内务部长建议。

　　 罗曼诺夫考虑了一下，勃列日涅夫时期已经给南也门投入了许多援助，也使南也门社会党得以施行共产主义福利政策（免费还是免费…）。最终结果只是现在这样南也门人民不满、各派系斗争激烈。

　　 “不，我们不要干预南也门内政。即使他们没有强力人物能维持现状的话，我们为什么要帮助南也门进行表面上的和平？”

　　 “这不是要求，同志。美国对该地区负有责任。我们有很大的影响力，我们可以利用这种影响力来帮助维持和平。我们不能让与法国结盟和反帝派之间的战争由英国或美国赢得，特别是因为主要战斗人员都在同一个国家。”

　　 罗曼诺夫沉默了一下说：“格里申同志你怎么看？我们需要干预南也门内战吗？”

　　 格里申搓着下巴。“就我个人而言，我不这么认为。只要苏联不直接介入，如果该地区自己解决这个问题，情况可能会更好。我认为苏联不应该派遣士兵参加内战。”

　　 “我同意这一点，至于南也门只要保持苏联军事基地的安全，我们就不要干预南也门。只要防止北也门统一就可以了。”

　　 “这就是我害怕的！”博布科夫说。“从目前的情况来看，阻止北也门和南也门联盟的唯一办法似乎是我们这样做。”

　　 “这就是为什么我认为我们需要谨慎，考虑所有的因素。我同意格里申同志的观点，我们不要仓促行事。”

　　 会议又持续了一个小时，英国国防部长迈克尔·曼利就苏联干预的性质提出了尖锐的问题。

　　 “你打算长期留在南也门吗？”他问道。

　　 罗曼诺夫说：“我们计划留在那里，直到国内局势正常化。”。

　　 格里辛说：“如果你需要更多的军队，我们可以提供。”

　　 曼利考虑了一下，说：“谢谢你，我想我们到此为止。”

　　 会议休会，部长们离开了。

　　 “进展顺利，”博布科夫说。“英国人很担心。他们在南也门甚至没有一支强大的军队，他们也很担心我们干预也门。也许如果我们给他们一些时间，他们会恢复理智的。”

　　 “也许吧。”

　　 ---

　　 第二天，南也门的局势迅速恶化。

　　 在晚间新闻中，他们报道说，南也门政府已经控制了该机场，并阻止往返该国的航班。他们还宣布总统府遭到了一个支持独立的派系的袭击和接管。

　　 夜幕降临时，第一批炸弹在首都爆炸，第二批炸弹袭击了其他几个城市。

　　 亚丁市是主要目标。

　　 晚上9点40分，第一波空袭警报响起。

　　 ---

　　 亚丁对这次袭击完全没有准备。

　　 反对阿里·纳赛尔的各派系迅速引发了南也门内战，而这个国家卷入冲突只是时间问题。

　　 第一波空袭警报在晚上9点40分响起。

　　 为了安抚民众，政府广播了以下消息:

　　 敬亚丁人民!空袭警报只是一个警告。没有必要恐慌。留在你们的岗位上。政府将为您提供最新的信息。谢谢！

　　 信息结束了，警笛声沉寂了。

　　 亚丁空袭警报响起，城里的每个防空洞都被填满了。

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　　 The Soviet Union is immersed in the arrival of a new year.

　　 Citizens all over the planet prepare their celebrations as the year 1986 approaches.

　　 New hopes, new dreams, and a new world.

　　 The planet\\u0027s nations work together to create a better and more peaceful world.

　　 But, the planet\\u0027s nations are also preparing for the arrival of a new year.

　　 The global community is coming together to create a new world order.

　　 The world\\u0027s population is around 6.5 billion people.

　　 Every year, billions of tonnes of food are produced.

　　 Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die of starvation.

　　 Every year, thousands of children die in their mother\\u0027s arms from hunger.

　　 Millions of people live in abject poverty, surviving on less than a dollar a day.

　　 Every year, thousands of children are sold into slavery.

　　 Every year, millions of women and girls are sold as child brides.

　　 Every year, hundreds of millions of people are enslaved, oppressed, and abused.

　　 At the same time, people are also ushering in huge changes in new technology. The third technological revolution will take the productivity of all mankind to a whole new level, although as long as the relations of production do not change...people will remain slaves.

　　 Capitalism and communism are two competing economic systems.

　　 Both systems claim that they are the only system that can provide for the well-being of all people.

　　 The problem is, this is a lie.

　　 Both systems rely on the oppression of people, on the ownership of the natural resources by the powerful few, for their own existence.

　　 It\\u0027s time for a new world order, a time when people will rise up and create a better way to live.

　　 Only then will the future be ours.

　　 The New Year came, Tregubova woke up from her sleep and the only person who would come to see her called. A man. He was rather strange.

　　 She sat up in bed and looked around the room. The walls were covered with strange symbols. She got out of bed and went to the window.

　　 \\"Happy New Year, Tregubova.\\" Romanov\\u0027s voice entered her ears through the landline phone. \\"Won\\u0027t you say something in return?\\"

　　 She stared outside. \\"How strange you are. First you ask me what I want, then you assume I want something.\\"

　　 \\"I can\\u0027t read minds, after all, and you know what I want.\\"

　　 \\"Do you have any idea how strange you are?\\"

　　 She listened to his laughter on the other end of the line.

　　 \\"You\\u0027re quite the contrary. I enjoy your company.\\"

　　 \\"How odd. I enjoy yours as well, but I\\u0027m not sure I like you all that much.\\"

　　 \\"I understand, and I\\u0027ll call you next time. My daughter and grandson are coming over.\\"

　　 \\"Are they the reason for your visit?\\"

　　 \\"No, I\\u0027m just being sociable. I\\u0027ll see them in a couple of weeks. I haven\\u0027t seen them for a long time.\\" He paused. \\"I\\u0027ll see you next year too.\\"

　　 \\"Are you taking me along to your daughter\\u0027s house?\\" she asked.

　　 \\"Would you like to?\\" he asked.

　　 \\"Not really, but please, if you want me to go...\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027ll bring you.\\"

　　 She nodded, and the line went dead.

　　 Tregubova went back to bed. She sat down and began to think about what Romanov had said.

　　 She thought, \\"I wonder if he\\u0027s going to bring me to my daughter\\u0027s house. He seems strange.\\"

　　 She laughed. \\"He\\u0027s not strange. He\\u0027s a highly intelligent man, and a wonderful speaker. I\\u0027ve heard him speak many times.\\"

　　 \\"But is he a good person?\\"

　　 \\"Of course he\\u0027s a good person. He\\u0027s the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union. He\\u0027s a politician, but politicians are people too.\\"

　　 \\"I still don\\u0027t like him.\\"

　　 \\"Why not? He\\u0027s a good man. He\\u0027s a revolutionary.\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027m just not sure if I like him.\\"

　　 Tregubova yawned, and lay down. She was very tired. It had been a long day. She slept the whole day away. In the evening, Romanov came to see her.

　　 \\"Here you are, Tregubova. I brought you some pastries.\\"

　　 She looked up, and said, \\"Thank you, but I\\u0027m not hungry.\\"

　　 He said, \\"You\\u0027ve been sleeping at home all day?\\"

　　 \\"Yes, I\\u0027ve been staying at home to rest.\\"

　　 \\"Why did you sleep all day?\\"

　　 \\"I don\\u0027t sleep well when I\\u0027m worried.\\"

　　 \\"You\\u0027re worried?\\"

　　 \\"Yes, I\\u0027m terribly worried. I\\u0027m thinking of leaving the organization. I\\u0027m going to do what I want to do, and not sacrifice myself for a greater cause. I\\u0027m doing what I\\u0027m doing for purely selfish reasons. Are you not worried that you\\u0027ll lose a powerful ally?\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027m not worried in the slightest. I\\u0027m prepared to do what needs to be done. If you\\u0027re leaving, you best do it quickly.\\"

　　 Tregubova sighed. \\"I knew this would happen. I knew it when I took this position. I\\u0027m supposed to protect you, but I can\\u0027t do that if I\\u0027m dead. You have to understand that. I have responsibilities. You have to...\\"

　　 \\"No, I don\\u0027t,\\" he said. \\"I don\\u0027t want your pity, and I don\\u0027t want your sacrifice. You\\u0027re free to do as you wish, but I would appreciate it if you\\u0027d stay alive.\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027ll do my best.\\"

　　 Romanov nodded and sat on the edge of the bed and said, \\"Of course, we have a big age difference. But I hope we can continue. I\\u0027m used to having you by my side.\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027d rather not be all that much older than you. Maybe it\\u0027s better if we\\u0027re about the same age.\\"

　　 \\"I suppose so.\\" He laughed. \\"How old are you anyway?\\"

　　 \\"I\\u0027ll be twenty-three in June.\\"

　　 \\"Oh, I see. That\\u0027s quite a few years, then.\\"

　　 \\"Yes...\\"

　　 \\"I want to lie next to you. Is that okay?\\" Romanov took off his black jacket and put it on the bedside table. He lay down on the bed and took Tregubova\\u0027s hand. She stared at him.

　　 \\"I want you to lie next to me, Tregubova. Please.\\"

　　 \\"Yes... Okay.\\"

　　 Tregubova closed her eyes to sleep. She knew she\\u0027d be exhausted for the night. Romanov would probably stay up reading, but he always respected her need for sleep.

　　 When she woke up, he was gone. She got out of bed and looked for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. She went back to bed, and went back to sleep.

　　 It was winter in the whole Soviet Union, while the world situation was still changing like everything else.

　　 Revolution broke out in Haiti, and Afghan guerrillas and Soviet troops were still fighting.

　　 Tensions rose over the border between the Soviet Union and Poland.

　　 In Poland, a new government sought to replace the one the Soviets had supported.

　　 In Afghanistan, fighting only got worse.

　　 In Ethiopia, a famine broke out.

　　 In China, the government sought to put down the unrest in the provinces.

　　 At home, the economy continued to worsen.

　　 At least for now, Romanoff the Traveller is going to enjoy some family time. In the original history, Romanov lived in the house of his eldest daughter Valentina after he was expelled from the Politburo by Gorbachev.

　　 The door rang and his wife Anna Stepanovna opened it to see his eldest daughter Valentina with her son-in-law Oleg Ivanovich Gaidanov and his youngest daughter Natalya.

　　 \\"Dad!\\" Valentina Romanov cried. She ran up to her father and hugged him. \\"Everything is so different.\\"

　　 \\"So you\\u0027re the leader of the family now,\\" her father said.

　　 \\"I suppose I am.\\"

　　 \\"Where are the grandchild?\\"

　　 \\"Andrei Anatolievich Kulakov, go over and call Grandpa.\\" Natalya said as she grabbed the 14-year-old. She brought him up to her father. \\"Dad, this is Andrei. He\\u0027s a bit of a...\\"

　　 \\"A bit of a what?\\"

　　 \\"A bit of a daredevil.\\"

　　 Romanov smiled and said, \\"Children are like that, come in and sit down all together. I must stay here overnight today, I miss you all.\\"

　　 \\"Of course. We miss you to,\\" Valentina said. \\"It\\u0027s just that it\\u0027s a bit boring around here without you.\\"

　　 They sat down. In the kitchen, Anna Stepanovna made them some food.

　　 \\"I miss you too,\\" her father said to her.

　　 After the meal, they went into the living room.

　　 \\"Gaidanov, how is your work in Uzbekistan? It was hard for the prosecutor, wasn\\u0027t it?\\" Romanov asked his son-in-law saying, if he didn\\u0027t remember, that historically Gaidanov later became acting Russian prosecutor general for a year under Yeltsin before resigning to go into business. Valentina worked as the chairman of a banking commission in 1992 after the historical collapse of the Soviet Union.

　　 \\"It was hard,\\" Gaidanov said. \\"It\\u0027s getting harder to find people to work with. The situation is getting more tense.\\"

　　 \\"Is there any reason for that?\\"

　　 \\"Some. The separatists have been stirring up trouble. They\\u0027re becoming more vocal and there are more of them. The police have been cracking down on them.\\"

　　 \\"What about your department? Are they doing okay?\\"

　　 \\"The department is fine,\\" Gaidanov said. \\"But, like the rest of the government, our resources are stretched a bit thin.\\"

　　 Romanov nodded, he had recently forgotten about the separatists in the five Central Asian countries. After that, it was necessary to have someone clean it up. After the war, the Soviet Union had sought to exploit the region\\u0027s untapped natural resources such as oil, gas, and coal in order to make up for decades of neglect. A new wave of nationalism surged through the region after the war, but the projects soon suffered from poor planning and corruption. The new governments of the former Soviet states were little different and sometimes even worse than the old ones.

　　 Romanov looked toward his daughters.

　　 \\"Well, we have some family time now, right?\\"

　　 \\"Yes, Dad,\\" Valentina said. \\"We need to get back to real life.\\"

　　 \\"I miss our good old days,\\" he said. \\"We had some fun, didn\\u0027t we?\\"

　　 \\"Oh, yes, Dad,\\" Natalya said. \\"Before you know it, you\\u0027ll be turning 100.\\"

　　 \\"I think I\\u0027ll make it,\\" Romanov said.

　　 Perhaps they are right, crossing to 62 years old Romanov can not have a chance to live farther into the future if they do not prepare a medical team responsible for extending life.

　　 The Romanov family will live as they always have.

　　 Meanwhile, the situation in Haiti continued to evolve.

　　 The last month of 1985 was crucial for the Haitian people, and after the previous months of Soviet arms and Cuban soldiers, the Haitian resistance quickly launched an all-out assault on the Petit Duvalier regime under the leadership of liberation theology priests.

　　 In a series of attacks that included assassinations, ambushes, and sabotage, the rebels battled government troops for control of the country, which quickly descended into all-out war.

　　 The government, however, had the backing of the United States and the other western countries, who saw the ouster of the regime as a threat to the region\\u0027s previously established order.

　　 The United States supported the government through financial aid, military advisers, and the supply of weapons. The United States Ambassador to the country, a career diplomat and the brother of the assassinated president, reminded the world that \\"the people of Haiti have the will to fight and will not be denied.\\"

　　 Over the next few months, a series of brutal battles were fought. The rebels, who did not have the technological advantage of the Soviet Union, failed to establish control. Despite the fact that the military advantage was on their side, they could not overcome the better-supported government. The rebels were eventually forced to retreat and regroup, but the bloodshed continued.

　　 On February 12, 1986, a peace agreement was signed in Geneva, but the fighting did not stop.

　　 ------

　　 January 13, 1986.

　　 \\"What\\u0027s going on in South Yemen? Ali Nasser actually staged a bloody coup.\\" Soviet Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Vasilyevich Fedorchuk threw the report on the situation of the coup in South Yemen on the table, about which Romanov, who already knew, remained silent. The room was silent apart from the rustling of the pages as they flicked through them. Finally, Romanov spoke.

　　 \\"What will happen in the long run will happen, and if South Yemen will be in a state of civil war let them kill themselves and let the Soviet and Cuban garrisons in South Yemen guarantee the security of our military bases and embassies.\\"

　　 The report was a mixture of terse, brutal, and frank assessments of the situation. The British were more concerned with the issue of the secession of South Yemen from the rest of the country, although the Soviets and Cubans were both concerned with the potential for a chain of violent events that could draw them into the conflict.

　　 The United States, however, remained aloof from the conflict despite some prodding from the British.

　　 For the moment, the situation looked grim for the anti-Imperial forces.

　　 \\"The situation is grim,\\" Romanov said. \\"The United States will probably remain officially neutral, but the puppet government in London will use all its influence to make sure the United States doesn\\u0027t get involved.\\"

　　 \\"The Soviet Union should get involved, use military force if need be,\\" suggested the minister for internal affairs.

　　 Romanov considered that the Brezhnev period had already invested a lot of aid in South Yemen, which also enabled the Socialist Party of South Yemen to implement communist welfare policies (free or free...). The end result is just that now the people of South Yemen are dissatisfied and the factions are fighting fiercely.

　　 \\"No, let\\u0027s not interfere in the internal affairs of South Yemen. Even if they don\\u0027t have powerful figures who can maintain the status quo, why should we help South Yemen make an apparent peace?\\"

　　 \\"It\\u0027s not a request, comrade. The United States has a responsibility to the region. We have a lot of influence, and we can use that influence to help keep the peace. We can\\u0027t leave a war between French-aligned and anti-Imperialist factions to be won by the British or the Americans, especially since the main combatants are in the same country.\\"

　　 Romanov was silent for a moment and said, \\"What do you think, Comrade Grishin? Do we need to intervene in the civil war in South Yemen?\\"

　　 Grishin rubbed his chin. \\"Personally, I don\\u0027t think so. As long as the Soviet Union doesn\\u0027t get directly involved, it could be better off if the region sorts this out among themselves. I don\\u0027t think the Soviet Union should be sending soldiers to fight in a civil war.\\"

　　 \\"I agree with that, and as for South Yemen as long as we keep the Soviet military bases secure, we should not intervene in South Yemen. Just prevent the unification of North Yemen.\\"

　　 \\"This is what I was afraid of!\\" said Bobkov. \\"The way things are going, it seems the only way to prevent the union of North and South Yemen is for us to do so.\\"

　　 \\"And that is why I think we need to be cautious, and consider all the factors. I agree with Comrade Grishin. Let\\u0027s not be hasty.\\"

　　 The meeting continued for another hour, with the British minister for defense Michael Manley asking pointed questions about the nature of the Soviet intervention.

　　 \\"Do you plan to remain in South Yemen long term?\\" he asked.

　　 \\"We plan to remain until the internal situation has been normalized,\\" said Romanov.

　　 \\"If you need more troops, we could provide them,\\" said Grishin.

　　 Manley considered this and said, \\"Thank you. I think we\\u0027re done here.\\"

　　 The meeting was adjourned, and the ministers left.

　　 \\"That went well,\\" said Bobkov. \\"The British are concerned. They don\\u0027t even have a strong army in South Yemen, and they\\u0027re concerned. Perhaps if we give them some time, they\\u0027ll come to their senses.\\"

　　 \\"Perhaps.\\"

　　 ---

　　 The next day, the situation in South Yemen deteriorated rapidly.

　　 On the evening news, they reported that the government of South Yemen had taken control of the airport and were preventing flights to and from the nation. They also announced that the presidential building had been attacked and taken over by a pro-independence faction.

　　 As night fell, the first bombs exploded in the capital, and a second wave hit several other cities.

　　 The city of Aden was the primary target.

　　 At 9:40 p.m., the first wave of air raid sirens went off.

　　 ---

　　 Aden was completely unprepared for the onslaught.

　　 Factions opposed to Ali Nasser quickly sparked a civil war in south Yemen, and it was only a matter of time before the nation was drawn into the conflict.

　　 The first wave of air raid sirens went off at 9:40 p.m. In a desperate attempt to calm the populace, the government broadcast the following message:

　　 To the people of Aden! The air raid sirens are a warning only. There is no need to panic. Remain at your posts. The government will provide you with the latest information. Thank you.

　　 The message ended, and the sirens went silent.

　　 The Aden air raid alert was called, and every air raid shelter in the city was to be filled.