Jump 409: East vs West

Jump #409: East vs West
>The Moon, reversed: Clarity, control and peace in troublesome times. The dawning of a new day.
>Age: 23
>Location: New York, 1946
>Identity: Drop-In
>Drawbacks: (0) Import Saved Game
I think in an era where ICBMs could be stockpiled, it's a good time to avoid taking drawbacks.
>Solid Judgement (Free, Drop-In)
It's good to know that I'll be able to keep a cool head under pressure, at least.
>Pulling Back The Curtain (700, Drop-In)
It's good to be able to understand things beyond cultural barriers. One could argue that was one of the biggest issues in this particular world. Aztecs, Africa, Nazis... no more. No more.
>National Foci (500)
I kind of hope that I can use this for ANY given nation, but hey.
>Bug-Out Bag (Free, Drop-In)
Honestly, I do not intend to live under the threat of nuclear armageddon. But this would be handy to keep on hand in case I feel like going camping!
>Next Week's Paper (300, Drop-In)
It's like Early Edition, but in miniseries format!
>Armageddon Alarm (0, Drop-In)
Considering all the places I'm going, it does not hurt to know if I've got someone planning to kill me with some sort of giant bomb. Sure, I've got other means to know similar things, but they're not quite the same. Being able to point at it and go 'oh, look, a missile is coming HERE RIGHT NOW' is quite tremendous.

The second world war has calmed down, and everyone is at peace. Until 1948, when the Soviet Union tests an atomic bomb. And then a second one a month later.

At this point, I just have to throw my hands up in the air and give up. Because I'm all for goodwill and self-determination, but left unchecked, the Soviets will export their brand of communism across Europe, causing the British Commonwealth to splinter, and eventually a global nuclear apocalypse.

Writing up the details of Path To World Peace Under Global British Rule at this point would be a bit silly. The Korean war sparked a greater war in China, and a few strings pulled caused China to splinter. The smaller nations that resulted were friendly, had no communists in charge, and the Korean war sputtered out when the four nations that had been China Divided all threw forces in on the side of the Republic of Korea. Further attempts by the USSR to cause Communist revolts and subversions failed miserably, until one day Khrushchev opened his closet and the heads of the entirety of the USSR's secret police and intelligence agencies rolled out, and the shock caused him to die of a heart attack. That was the same day, in 1955, that a man who many said was King Arthur tore down the Berlin Wall - that is, he started swinging Excalibur at it to hack away and rip it apart, and then others joined him with sledgehammers and other tools.

Another pulled string saw the USSR implode; the separate nations that had been pulled together under Russia's wing splitting off, while Russia itself suffered... ahem, British-aided regime change, ensuring the kleptocracy was rooted out before it became too firmly established. And so communism in this world died an ignoble death, left as a footnote in history, little more than an excuse for totalitarian rule.

By the time 1991 rolled around, man had been to the Moon and Mars, computers were a household item around the globe with the internet reaching the masses, medical technology was reaching breakthrough after breakthrough, and mankind had entered what could easily be called a golden age.

All in all, I'd say it was a decent day's work.