Today's article is part of a series of stories from EVE Online. The first installment introduced the elusive leader of the GoonSwarm Intelligence Agency, The Mittani, and detailed his network of spaceship spies.

RedSwarm Rising
In September of 2006, a historic meeting between officials of EVE Online's player-run corporations took place. Red Alliance, the notorious Russian organization, reached out to offer a partnership with the equally-infamous GoonSwarm. For the first time, the traditionally straightforward Russians were using the olive branch, actively seeking a major ally through diplomatic means--and Westerners at that.

Of course, it's not surprising that the American leadership of GoonSwarm rejected the initial offer. Separated by both practical and cultural divisions, the two organizations had never before spoken--and in a throwback to the Cold War, it would take some convincing before the Americans could trust an alliance known for being even more ruthless than they.

"Some [GoonSwarm directors] didn't trust the Russians because of anti-RA propaganda that the Southern Coalition had been vomiting forth for the previous two years," says The Mittani, former director of the GoonSwarm Intelligence Agency.

Across the table, thousands of miles away, the feeling was somewhat mutual. "I did not especially trust in them as strong allies," said Russian director Mactep, recalling his first impressions.

Adding to the problem, language issues cropped up immediately. "It was like speaking to angry aliens from the planet of Murder or something," recounted Mittani, who participated in the talks while on vacation in Alaska--a state separated from Russia by only three miles. "Russian is an extremely unusual language to listen to if you're not used to it. Mactep has a very deep voice and sounds like a gangster... He would speak in a bunch of Russian and [his lieutenant] Nync would 'speak for' him. It was wild."

Along with their time-zone differences--which would allow them to exploit weaknesses in their enemies around the clock--both factions stood to gain much from the merger. Red Alliance director UAxDeath, who engineered the deal, was confident from the beginning: "We both knew what we needed."

In a sales pitch to the GoonSwarm leadership, Mittani concluded that the Red Alliance was a logical match--and that it was better to be with them, than potentially against them: "What really scares me about the Reds is that they don't follow the normal rules of alliances. Usually if you defeat an alliance they shatter. The Reds have lost all their territory and still come back with disciplined, vicious, and effective assaults against innumerable foes, and they've been in nonstop combat for almost three full years now. It's just insane."

Though the conversation flowed unevenly, and the proceedings slowed due to unnecessary middlemen, the voice-chat utility Ventrilo eventually helped the Americans and Russians to cross the vast cultural boundary, like an online River Elbe. By the end of the first round of talks, the two sides had formed a seemingly-solid pact.

But for the grizzled veterans of RA, alliances have come and gone. Behind the scenes, the story of the Red Alliance is peppered with racial animosity and shocking battles. The story of the Red Alliance is about learning to make new friends, while at the same time learning to put your enemies through the meat-grinder.

The story of the Red Alliance really begins with its destruction.

The Real Red Alliance
On September 8, 1941, the German army laid siege to the Russian city of Leningrad, known today as Saint Petersburg. Over the next three years, around one million Russian soldiers and civilians would be killed by shelling, bombing, gunfire, and starvation.

Despite overwhelming odds, the citizens of Leningrad refused to give in. As civilians survived on meager rations of bread measured by the gram, industries continued to function. As soldiers futilely charged enemy lines, symphonies continued to be written.

In January 1944, before a single Allied soldier had touched the beaches of Normandy, the Germans were finally expelled from Leningrad by a surge of Russian troops. The Siege of Leningrad would end at a total of 872 days. It remains the longest siege of a single city in history.

Though it suffered devastating losses over the course of the war, Russia persevered in the end, and would become a global superpower. This resurgence in the face of destruction is par for the course when it comes to Russian history, whether the nation's indefatigable people are under attack by Hitler, Napoleon, or a fleet of enemy spaceships--which is exactly what Russian pilots faced in August of 2006.