The last parade is coming by Sergei Godin read online

The binding uses an illustration by the artist. A. Zaikina

Prologue

In one cozy beer bar located in a small provincial town, two unusual visitors were sitting. One of them was about twice as old as the other and was at least old enough to be his interlocutor’s father. A gray beard, glasses, gestures and demeanor indicated that this man clearly belonged to the intelligentsia and visiting such establishments was by no means an everyday occurrence for him. But the second guest looked like a very ordinary person, in no way standing out from the rest of the people gathered under the roof of the bar.

The dialogue between two people belonging to different generations was also unusual.

“Please understand, professor, that in no other war was there such a coefficient of luck on one side,” the younger interlocutor argued in his hearts. – Yes, “golden bullets” happened in other wars, but the inexorable flow of the river of history, as a rule, immediately corrected the consequences of all “lucky shots” 1
Lucky shot is a Russian free translation from the English Lucky Shot, which literally means “successful, lucky shot.”

By placing a statuette of Lady Fortune on the unlucky side of the scales. The most obvious example is the famous Bismarck shell, which sent the British battle cruiser Hood to the bottom. Even the most ardent Germanophiles do not dare to argue with the fact that this hit was a “lucky shot”. But let's look at what happened after the terrible explosion that destroyed the pride of Britain. And then the incredibly successful hits continued, but exclusively from the British. Firstly, the Prince of Wales shell hit the Bismarck’s fuel tank, which is why the German battleship was forced to stop its raiding and go to its nearest port. Then came the canonical torpedo, which, contrary to all probability theories, deprived the German battleship of controllability. And towards the end, Lady Luck finally returned the favor to the British when, during a classic artillery duel, the Bismarck was sunk without achieving a single hit.

– I completely agree with you and absolutely share this point of view! - said the man whom the interlocutor called with the respectful word “professor”. – But I would still like to hear your theory to the end, in order to make sure that we are talking about the same thing.

– Well, I understand that you were interested in my article about time travelers. And now you want me to explain my vision of the Russo-Japanese War in the context of the article that interested you.

– This is exactly what I want to hear from you! – the professor perked up. – You are one of the most famous experts on this war on the Internet.

Therefore, it would be extremely interesting to analyze your vision of the Russo-Japanese War in the context of this well-known article.

- Well then, get it! – the interlocutor said with a malicious smile. – The Russo-Japanese War as we know it is the dumbest alternative, written by an ardent Japanophile. Moreover, its author, even for the sake of decency, did not deign to observe the simplest laws of history. I have collected a huge amount of facts confirming my theory, but I simply don’t have enough time to voice them all before the bar closes. Therefore, I will focus only on the most well-known ones.

The professor's interlocutor slowly stretched. This is usually done by people who are confident that they are right, in anticipation of the presentation of irrefutable evidence.

– Let’s take, for example, the moment of the death of the battleship Petropavlovsk with Admiral Makarov and the entire squadron headquarters on board. In theory, this sometimes happens in wars. But the laws of history are unique in that they immediately do nasty things to the opposing side. What do we see in the Russo-Japanese War? And absolutely nothing! Fortune did not give the Russians any compensation.

- Well, why not? A little later, two Japanese battleships were killed by mines,” the professor objected.

– And how did this influence the course of further actions? – his interlocutor parried the attack. – You see, the death of “Yashima” and “Hattsuse” occurred at the most favorable moment for Japan. It’s simply impossible to find a good time. I realize this is a controversial statement, so let's move on.

“Come on,” the professor enthusiastically encouraged the continuation of the conversation, pouring beer from a decanter.

– Let’s take the battle in the Yellow Sea as an example. I get the impression that his turn was handled in some kind of naval game, like "Jane" 2
Game "Jane" is a famous board operational-tactical game that simulates naval combat with high realism.

The Japanese squadron, taking advantage of its speed advantage, circles the enemy for several hours, shooting at his ships from a long distance. But the Russian commander easily parries all these maneuvers, turning on a counter course in time. Thus, he minimizes the damage to his ships and stubbornly continues to break out from Port Arthur. That is, speed and better training of crews in no way contribute to the success of the fleet of the Land of the Rising Sun. And what does the person who wrote this alternative do? And he indulges in outright cheating and “draws” a shell that hit the wing of the bridge of the Russian flagship battleship, which kills Admiral Vitgeft. But the squadron headquarters remains intact and decides to hide the fact of the death of the commander from the ship captains. The fight continues as before. That is, this hit does not yet entail serious consequences. And here the Japanese alternative “draws” the second shell, which hit the conning tower of the “Tsesarevich” and killed all the headquarters officers! That is, within five minutes, two shells hit our flagship, killing the admiral and his entire headquarters! It should be noted that if there had been only one “lucky shot”, that is, either Vitgeft or the headquarters had died, then this hit would not have changed anything. A prerequisite for victory was precisely two consecutive hits, since it was impossible to destroy both the admiral and the headquarters with one. I personally don’t know any more examples of such fraud!

– You have a very interesting view of history, Sergei! Very curious! – the professor said thoughtfully, stroking his gray beard with familiar movements.

- Or let's take the Battle of Tsushima. The alternative writer who wrote its history had to try a lot to make this battle a household name. To begin with, before the battle, the Japanese watched the Russian squadron for a very long time, and Admiral Rozhdestvensky made no attempt to drive them away, despite the fact that his plan to secretly cross the Korean Strait failed. Then follows the miraculous drowning of the Oslyabi at the start of the battle and knocking out the flagship Suvorov at the most inopportune moment, when it decided to turn another two points away from the enemy. Then the auxiliary cruiser Ural was somehow strangely sunk. Moreover, for some reason historians do not attach much importance to the destruction of this ship. But everyone forgets that the next day the Japanese were able to tighten the steel noose around the remnants of the Russian squadron solely with the help of radio communications. But if the Ural had been intact and its captain had dared to interrupt enemy radio communications, then the enemy’s chances of catching all the Russian ships would have been significantly reduced. Well, okay - it was a lyrical digression. We continue to consider the battle. As a special anecdote, it can be noted that the last twelve-inch shell fired on the first day of the battle also became a “golden bullet”, hitting the shell magazine of the battleship Borodino. Well, we especially need to dwell on those shells that fell to the lot of the remaining ships of the Russian squadron. It is no secret that the four lead Russian battleships of the Borodino class bore the brunt of the battle. Hits on our other heavy ships were quite rare, and their number was small. But look how well they were distributed! In fact, the same “lucky shots” completely decided the fate of “Svetlana”, “Sisoy the Great”, “Ushakov”. And one more note on shells. Take any naval battle from any other war and look at the statistics of shells that hit but did not explode. The share of such people sometimes reaches fifty percent. The famous shell from the Prince of Wales, which hit the Bismarck's fuel tank, also did not detonate. In principle, if we consider the Russo-Japanese War in this context, then our shells do not stand out much. Quite acceptable unexploded ordnance ratio. But! There's that "but" again! Look at the Japanese! The percentage of undetonated shells is extremely small. Doesn't this make you think of cheating? But let's return to Tsushima. Admiral Enquist, with three powerful and fast cruisers, for some reason turns away from the set course and shamefully flees to Manila. But if anyone had a chance to reach Vladivostok, it was these ships. Well, so on and so forth. In almost every single episode of this epoch-making battle for Russia, one can see the intervention of higher powers on the side of its enemy.

– Tell me, Sergei, have you ever thought that a group of people who are now so fashionable have fallen into time played for Japan in this war? Have you considered such a theory?

“I considered it,” Sergei responded instantly, “but a number of issues still remain unresolved.” How can targets direct projectiles? By the power of thought, or what?

- Of course not! – the professor interrupted his interlocutor. “But I can partially explain a whole series of random, as you say, “lucky shots.”

- Yes? – Sergei stared at the professor in bewilderment. “Then I will listen to you carefully.”

“I put forward a theory according to which a group of victims causes fluctuations in the time continuum. That is, by the very fact of their appearance, these people pull the luck factor to their side. And the only way to counteract this is the participation of people from the other side.

“I think I understand what you’re trying to say, Professor.” But no matter how sad it is to talk about this, you and I are only putting forward theories and there is no way to test them in practice.

– Who knows, young man. Who knows...

Chapter 1. Awakening in a new world

No one lived in the past, no one will have to live in the future; the present is the form of life.

Arthur Schopenhauer

- Damn it! How your head is splitting! Holy shit!!! And these fucking professors said that everything would be normal... Damn, it’s impossible to even open your eyes to look around... No, it’s absolutely impossible to bear it anymore! Interestingly, at the beginning of the century there was already an aspirin? If yes, then I would take twenty tablets now - such a dose should help. Okay, I gather my strength and open my eyes on the count of three! Once! Two! T...R...III!!! Ay-ah-ah - the pain is so hellish - as if the eyelids are being opened by a rotary lever, the center of which is fixed somewhere in the back of the head... Yes, you are afraid of pain, Zinovy Petrovich, like a child of a slipper!

- Stop! What the hell is Zinovy Petrovich? Apparently, after this damn movement I still haven’t come to my senses... It’s so hard! So, we slowly look around in a circle... What do we see?! The cabin is quite nice, well, there shouldn’t be another one on the Bayan - it’s a French assembly, after all... But what kind of thoughts are running through my head?! What the hell is the “First Armored Detachment”? What a reprimand for a “prostitute” 3
Admiral Rozhdestvensky called the 1st rank armored cruiser Aurora a prostitute.

For yesterday's maneuvering?! And what kind of flashed thought was it “to overload coal, because there is not enough of it in Vladivostok”?! So, sir... Let's put our thoughts in order...

In a past life my name was Sergei Vladimirovich Chasovskikh, and in this life my name should be Robert Nikolaevich Viren. I am the commander of the first-rank cruiser of the Russian Imperial Fleet "Bayan", located in Port Arthur. There are ten days left before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, and we discussed the plan of events in detail with friends... But now the Bayan has already been sunk by the Japanese in Port Arthur, and Viren, the bastard, participated in the shameful surrender of the fortress to the Japanese, and after arriving in Vladivostok I I will personally lead the trial of this... Stop!!! What the hell is Vladivostok? What the hell is the court? Over yourself, or what? Yes, Mr. Adjutant General... My thoughts are completely confused... Why do I call myself Zinoviy Petrovich? As far as I remember, there was only one Zinovy Petrovich in the Russian Imperial Navy, and his last name... Oh, my knees were shaking with fear - God forbid I get into his body... Of course Zeprofils 4
Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky, abbreviated as ZPR. ZPRophiles on naval forums are people who believe that Rozhdestvensky correctly commanded the squadron during the campaign and the Battle of Tsushima.

There are on all naval forums, but I’m definitely not one of them... So, what did they tell me there: I need to think clearly and clearly in order to get a hint? Landing into the past. Mission number one, damn it!!! Oh, I need to say this out loud, maybe - I remember the professor muttered something on the topic: if mentally pronouncing the reset keys doesn’t work, you need to repeat it out loud, loud and clear... So, it seemed like I managed to get up - oh wow, now I have a sprout me! Okay, I don’t remember Viren’s anthropological data... What kind of morning staff comes to mind? Lord, it’s time to put my thoughts into God’s form - now I’ll say the cherished words out loud, and I will be happy.

Taking a deep breath, Sergei said loudly and clearly: “Landing into the past. Mission number one." The thought flashed through my head that from the outside he now resembles some kind of medieval sorcerer. Only a staff and a cap with a sharp tip are not enough to add to the ambience. Suddenly his entire vision was obscured by a black background, and a pleasant female voice sounded in his head, saying the following:

“Chasovskikh Sergey Vladimirovich, born in 1982. You have consented to an experiment that transports you through time into the body and mind of another person. According to the terms of our agreement, you had to fall into the shell of the captain of the first rank of the Russian Imperial Navy, Robert Nikolaevich Viren. However, during Operation Landing to the Past, unforeseen difficulties arose that prevented you from being transported to the desired time and location of your choice. Due to your problems with the law, canceling the experiment did not make any sense for you, so Professor Lipovetsky decided to move you to another facility. According to the theoretical model of time transfer, some of the thoughts and basic skills of the object into which you are transferred should be preserved. Since the time contour turned out to be insufficiently stable, it was also not possible to maintain the time frame. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. To listen to information about the object of your movement and your colleagues, you need to clearly think: “Landing into the past. The purpose of the mission."

It was at this moment, when the last sounds in his head died down, Sergei discovered that from a small window located in the wall of the cabin, an elderly man with imperious features, strikingly reminiscent in appearance of the vice admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy, was looking at him with a slightly clouded gaze Zinovy Petrovich Rozhdestvensky...

– There’s something I can’t understand a damn thing... My head is pounding! What does it mean “during Operation Backward Landing, unforeseen difficulties occurred that prevented you from being transported to the desired time and location of your choice”? What kind of “other object” did Lipovetsky move me to? And why is this guy staring at me from the window? And he looks so much like Rozhdestvensky! Well, he's the spitting image! But just what is he doing here? And why is he somehow suspiciously copying my movements - they had a joke like that at the beginning of the century, or what? Wait a second... What is this suspicious window on a warship? So this is...

Mommies... KA-RA-UL!!! It's a MIRROR!!! Lord forgive me - what is happening?! I was shoved into the shell of Admiral Rozhdestvensky?! Well, that’s figs - most likely I’m just glitching, and I should have looked more closely at Viren’s photograph, otherwise I won’t recognize myself anymore... So, now let’s go out on deck and make sure that I’m on the Bayan.

While these and many other thoughts were chaotically forming in Seryoga’s head, he walked with the slow but confident gait of an experienced sea wolf along the winding corridors of a warship of the early twentieth century. Moreover, he walked along them in only pajamas, not paying attention to the sailors standing at attention at the sight of him.

- So, here to the right, and around the next corner to the left, and up the ladder. I can already see the sky above the hatch, now I’ll rise and see Port Arthur! Wow, there must be beauty there! Just a couple more steps left...

Chapter 2. Instructions before time travel

What is in a person is undoubtedly more important than what a person has.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Outskirts of Moscow. October 2018

Five people gathered in a small hall. Most of them were between twenty-five and forty years old, and only one was clearly older than everyone else gathered. Professor Lipovetsky today gave his final farewell address to people whom he will never see again in his life. Taking a deep breath, he addressed those sitting:

– Good day, dear gentlemen! Today our project “Landing into the Past” starts, on which I congratulate you! So, I'll start from afar. According to the theory, the basis of which was laid by the Strugatsky brothers, the entire world history has a number of branching points. Let me remind you that the branching point is a short period of time in which humanity chooses its development path for the near future. The most striking example for us is the seventies of the twentieth century. After all, the world depicted by the Strugatsky brothers in their novels is quite real and achievable if during these years humanity had embarked on the path of space exploration. But instead of this excellent alternative, humanity chose the path of information processing. As a result of this choice, all progress turned out to be aimed at creating and improving information technologies: all kinds of computers, cell phones, smartphones, laptops, the Internet and God knows what else... But there was another alternative... After all, if all those resources that were spent on developing information technologies would have been redistributed to space exploration, then the Moon would have been colonized a long time ago, and manned expeditions to Mars would have become an everyday reality. Sort of like a typical commercial satellite launch these days. Just like all of humanity, the history of each specific country has branching points in its development. For Russia in the twentieth century, the brightest point was the period of the Russo-Japanese War. It was there that the people's trust in the king was undermined. It was as a result of this war that the first Russian revolution broke out. It was as a result of this war that various political parties were able to grow stronger, which set themselves the goal of destroying Russia as such! But you, dear audience, are given a unique opportunity to return to this branching point and, by the power of your will and the power of your “after-knowledge,” force the history of our country to go in a completely different direction. As you already know, it is impossible to transport you to the past in your own bodies. But there is a much better alternative - your mind will be transferred into the body of the military leaders you choose. Moreover, part of the knowledge and skills of the people into whose body you are transferred should theoretically be preserved, which will serve as an important help. After the transfer, you will be able to return to our world only after physical death. But this is just a hypothesis that has not been tested in any way. Therefore, take care of your lives in that world. For ease of orientation, a small cheat sheet will be embedded in your memory, and in order to use it, you either need to clearly think with a clear mind: “Landing into the past. Mission number one,” or say the same thing loudly and clearly.

Now let me remind you a little about the initial conditions you will find yourself in. You inhabit the bodies of the military elite of the Russian Empire ten days before the start of the Russo-Japanese War. Your task is to win this war by any means necessary. But it is very important not to get carried away with cannons and machine guns, so as not to undermine the economic potential of Russia. Japan must be overthrown completely and irrevocably, and China must become a sphere of exclusively Russian interests. Then, on the way to the First World War, you yourself have to choose how to act in a given situation and how to deal with the cart of unresolved Russian problems. In general, you yourself now become the creators of history and will make it at your own discretion! And, as you understand, this does not mean that everything will be fine for you. It is quite possible that the country under your leadership will be brought to a terrible fratricidal civil war earlier than in our version of history. I would not rule out such a possibility.

And in conclusion, I would like to tell you my theory of alternative branching points. Personally, I believe that as soon as one of the countries is able to construct a sarcophagus, similar to mine, to transfer a person’s mind to any of the personalities of the past, then it immediately sends its “Landing Forces into the Past” and creates alternative realities. I have never lost the feeling that such a sarcophagus was already designed by the Japanese - otherwise it is simply impossible to explain many moments of the Russo-Japanese War. It always seemed to me that Japanese alternativeists met with Russian contemporaries and, based on their after-knowledge, were able to win this war. As a result, we have our version of the story.

And if we proceed from this theory, then those who fell on the Japanese side came to this world from a completely different reality. What it was like, you and I don’t know. We can only evaluate the result of their labors, which is expressed in the terrible defeat of our fleet. If any of you are ever lucky enough to enter into a dialogue with a Japanese loser, then at least clarify for yourself what happened in another reality, in which two empires fought without aliens from the future.

"The last parade is coming ! Our victory at Tsushima" Sergei Godyna

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Title: "The Last Parade Is Coming"! Our victory at Tsushima

About the book by Sergei Godyn “The Last Parade Is Coming”! Our victory at Tsushima"

It’s good for the “accidents” who prepare in advance to “correct history” and penetrate into the past long before key events - they have time to rebuild industry, commission new battleships, prepare crews... What if you woke up in the body of Admiral Rozhdestvensky in just 20 days before the Tsushima tragedy? What to do to avoid disaster? How to save the Russian squadron from slaughter? Is there a chance to win a hopeless battle?

Eat! Never before in any alternative history has the Russian fleet defeated the Japanese with such a devastating score!

Up, comrades, everyone is in place!

The last parade is coming!

But in this novel, Tsushima will be the last parade not of the Russian, but of the Japanese fleet!

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “The Last Parade Is Coming” by Sergei Godyn! Our victory at Tsushima" in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

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Sergey Godyna

The last parade is coming! Our victory at Tsushima

Part 1. Before the fight

Chapter 1. Awakening in a new world

Nobody lived in the past

no one will have to live in the future;

the present is the form of life.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Damn it! My head feels like it’s splitting! Holy shit!!! And these fucking professors said that everything would be normal... Damn, it’s impossible to even open your eyes to look around... No, it’s absolutely impossible to bear this anymore! Interestingly, at the beginning of the century there was already an aspirin? If so, then I would take twenty tablets now - such a dose should help. Okay, I gather my strength and open my eyes on the count of three! Once! Two! T….. R….. III!!! Ai - ai - ai - the pain is so hellish - as if the eyelids are being opened by a rotary lever, the center of which is fixed somewhere in the back of the head... Yes, you are afraid of pain Zinovy Petrovich is like a child's slipper!

Stop! What the hell is Zinovy Petrovich? Apparently after this damn movement I still haven’t come to my senses... It’s so hard! So - we slowly look around in a circle... What do we see??? The cabin is quite nice, well, there shouldn’t be another one on the Bayan - it’s a French assembly after all... But what kind of thoughts are popping into my head??? What the hell is "First Armored Squad"??? What reprimand to the “prostitute” for yesterday’s maneuvering??? And what was the thought that flashed “to take overload of coal, because there is not enough of it in Vladivostok”??? Okay... Let's put our thoughts in order...

In a past life my name was Sergei Vladimirovich Chasovskikh, and in this life my name should be Robert Nikolaevich Viren. I am the commander of the first-rank cruiser of the Russian Imperial Fleet "Bayan", located in Port Arthur. There are 10 days left before the start of the Russian-Japanese War, and we discussed the plan of events in detail with friends... But now the Bayan has already been sunk by the Japanese in Port Arthur, and Viren, the bastard, participated in the shameful surrender of the fortress to the Japanese, and after arriving in Vladivostok I I will personally lead the trial of this... Stop!!! What the hell is Vladivostok? What the fuck is the court? Over yourself or what? Yes, Mr. General - hell...mir...ral... My thoughts are completely confused... Why do I call myself Zinovy Petrovich? As far as I remember, there was only one Zinovy Petrovich in the Russian Imperial Navy, and his last name was…. Oh, my knees were shaking with fear - God forbid I get into his body... Of course, there are ZPRophiles on all naval forums, but I’m definitely not one of them... So, what did they tell me I needed to think clearly and clearly in order to get a hint? Alto, Contral, Divide, damn it!!! Oh, maybe I should say this out loud - I remember the professor muttering something on the topic: if mentally pronouncing the reset keys doesn’t work, say it out loud, loudly and clearly... So, it seems like I managed to get up - oh wow, now I have a sprout! Okay, I don’t remember Viren’s anthropological data... What kind of morning staff comes to mind? Lord, it’s time to put my thoughts into God’s form - now I’ll say the cherished words out loud, and I will be happy.

Having taken a full lungful of air, Sergei loudly and clearly said: “Alt, contra Delit!” The thought flashed through my head that from the outside he now resembles some kind of medieval sorcerer. Only a staff and a cap with a sharp tip are not enough to add to the ambiance. Suddenly his entire vision was obscured by a black background, and a pleasant female voice sounded in his head, saying the following:

“Chasovskikh Sergey Vladimirovich, born in 1982. You agreed to an experiment that transports you in time into the body and mind of another person. Under the terms of our agreement, you were supposed to get into the shell of the captain of the first rank of the Russian Imperial Navy Robert Nikolaevich Viren. However, during Operation "landing into the past" unforeseen difficulties occurred that did not allow you to be moved at the right time and to the object you had chosen. Due to your problems with the law, canceling the experiment did not make any sense for you, so Professor Lipovetsky decided to move you to another object. According to the theoretical model of time transfer, some of the thoughts and basic skills of the object into which you were transferred should be preserved. Since the time contour turned out to be quite unstable, it was also not possible to maintain the time frame. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. To listen to information about the object of your transfer , and your colleagues need to think clearly: Alt, Shift, Tab."

It was at this moment, when the last sounds in his head died down, Sergei discovered that from a small window located in the wall of the cabin, an elderly man with imperious facial features, strikingly reminiscent in appearance of Vice Admiral of the Russian Imperial Fleet Zinoviy Petrovich, was looking at him with a slightly clouded gaze Rozhdestvensky...

There’s something I can’t understand a damn thing... Why, my head is pounding! What does it mean “during the operation “landing into the past”, unforeseen difficulties occurred that did not allow you to be moved at the right time and to the object of your choice”? What kind of “other object” did Lipovetsky move me to? And why is this guy staring at me from the window? And how similar he is to Rozhdestvensky! Well, he's the spitting image! But just what is he doing here? And why is he somehow suspiciously copying my movements - they had that joke at the beginning of the century, or what? Wait a second... What is this suspicious window on a warship? So this is...

Mommies….. KA - RA - UL!!! It's a MIRROR!!! Lord forgive me - what is happening??? I was shoved into the shell of Admiral Rozhdestvensky??? Well, figs - most likely I’m just glitching, and I should have looked more closely at Viren’s photograph, otherwise I won’t recognize myself anymore... So, now let’s go out on deck and make sure that I’m on the Bayan.

So, here turn to the right, and around the next corner turn to the left, and up the ladder. I can already see the sky above the hatch, now I’ll rise and see Port Arthur! Wow, there must be beauty there! Just a couple more steps left...

Retreat 1.

Outskirts of Moscow. October 2012.

What is in a person is undoubtedly more important than what a person has.

Arthur Schrpenhauer

16 people gathered in a small hall. Most of them were between 25 and 40 years old, and only one of them was clearly a head older than everyone else gathered. Professor Lipovetsky today was going to give his final farewell address to people whom he will never see again in this world. Taking a deep breath, the professor addressed those sitting:

Good day, dear ladies and gentlemen! Today our project “Landing into the Past” starts, on which I congratulate you! So, I'll start from far away. According to the theory, the basis of which was laid by the Strugatsky brothers, the entire world history has a number of branching points. The branching point is a short period of time in which humanity chooses its development path for the near future. The most striking example for us is the 70s of the twentieth century. After all, the world depicted by the Strugatsky brothers in their novels was quite real and achievable if during these years humanity had embarked on the path of space exploration. But instead of this excellent alternative, humanity chose the path of information processing. As a result of this choice, all progress was aimed at creating and improving information technologies: all kinds of computers, cell phones, smartphones, laptops, the Internet and God knows what else... But there was another alternative... After all, if all those resources that were spent on developing information technologies would have been spent on space exploration, the moon would have been colonized long ago, and manned expeditions to Mars would have become an everyday reality. Sort of like launching a regular commercial satellite these days. Just like all of humanity, the history of each specific country has branching points in its development. For Russia in the twentieth century, the brightest such point was the period of the Russian-Japanese War. It was in this war that the people's trust in the king was undermined. It was as a result of this war that the first Russian revolution broke out. It was as a result of this war that various political parties were able to grow stronger, which set themselves the goal of destroying Russia as such! But you, dear audience, are given a unique opportunity to return to this branching point, and by the power of your will and the power of your “after-knowledge”, force the history of our country to go in a completely different direction. As you already know, it is impossible to transport you to the past in your own bodies. But there is a much better alternative - your mind will be transferred into the body of various government and military leaders you have chosen. Moreover, part of the knowledge and skills of the people into whose body you are transferred should theoretically be preserved, which will serve as an important help. After the transfer, you will theoretically be able to return to our world only after physical death. But this is just a theory that has not been tested in any way. Therefore, take care of your lives in that world. To make it easier for you to navigate, you will have a small cheat sheet embedded in your memory, and to use it you need to either clearly think with a clear mind: “Alto, contra, divide,” or say the same thing loudly and clearly.