Chapter 37
FOREIGN MINISTER’S OFFICE—MOSCOW, RUSSIA—2049
Valentin Chekov barely survived, both physically and politically, the undeclared war between the United States and Russia. The battle lasted several months, during which cruise missiles and drone strikes destroyed Gregarin.
Back-channel communications avoided a Guns of August escalation. Valentin was the driving force in the negotiations that avoided World War III, not only because Russia would be committing suicide to enter one but also because he knew his oil reserves would bring unprecedented wealth with the increased use of fossil fuels. War was avoided, and Chekov made tens of billions in the ensuing years, but recently, things had changed.
Valentin sat in a large brown leather chair next to a five-foot-wide roaring fireplac
