Crimson Skies/WMG

The Los Muertos gang survives to become a drug cartel in Pacific City
Though the Los Muertos were badly crippled after their encounters with Nathan Zachary and the Fortune Hunters, they survived. Though they had lost their leader, a new one rose to take his place. The Garcia family, previously just grunts in the bandit gang, took control in the power vacuum left after El Muerte's demise. This started a dynasty that lasted for the better part of a century. They moved west, into the Nation of Hollywood, and after the Second World War, got some connections in South America, which provided them with weapons. The gang rebranded itself as a drug cartel, and started making money through the sale of illicit substances, like narcotics. Then, about the same time the Shai-Gen Corporation became the main force in Pacific City, The Agency set loose one of their Agents and brought them down. They survived a seemingly suicidal attack on the Navajo Nation, but a lone Agent brought them down. Hmph. Serves 'em right for getting into illegal drugs.

The world of Crimson Skies takes place in the same world as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Think about it, zeppelins as passenger vehicles, no mention of World War II, and the style is the same for both. Of course, now this calls for a crossover fanfic between the two.

It's going to get a HELL of a lot worse
In the unlikely event that somebody feels like continuing this for future installations, the Crimson Skies world is going to go to hell in a handbasket even moreso than anybody imagined. So you save the US by killing Von Essen and effectively crack the back of Die Spinne outside Chicago, and everybody lives happily ever after, right?

Wrong. For one, How the HELL did what is supposed to be a fringe German expat group on the run from the Allies after World War One get anywhere near CLOSE enough to even CONSIDER the conquest of the entire United States at LEAST? Yes, Von Essen MAY be a crackpot, but he has acted fairly competently during the time we knew him, and there are STILL hundreds of Die Spinne pilots we see in game without a chance to actually have the same pilot get into a new plane after being shot down. And since virutally of them parachuted out, these guys are still out there in the woodwork. And this is before we talk about where in the world they got all of their hundreds of plains, their very proper uniforms and small arms, and the machinery to dig their base in South America. The conclusion: they were being supported by someone. And since we KNOW a large segment of New England is apparently hosting a German fleet, the obvious suspect is either the Nazi German government itself if it exists, or some German fascist movements in high places if it doesn't. That, and several Communist states have apparently established themselves with support from the Soviet Union. And the Monroe Doctrine is effectively dead.

So, what is the obvious likelyhood? Somebody is going to try again. Perhaps a charismatic leader will arise to reunite the shattered remenants of Die Spinne and go for a second try at conquering the Americas. Perhaps a new threat will arise in the form of an indigneous Fascist or Communist movement with outside aid. But what is obvious is that the historical guarenteeors of the WWI peace- Britain and France- are even weaker than they were historically with the loss of at least Canada, and that they alone were woefully insufficient to stop the Germans, Soviets, and Japanese from promptly ripping that peace to shreds as the 30's wore on. And so any war in Europe or Asia is probable to get even nastier than IRL due to the fragmentation of the historical US. And it is likely to spill over into fighting between the various nation states supporting the Western Allies, the Nazis, the Soviets, and maybe even the Japanese. And this is ignoring the VERY great possibility of a hostile power coming in from the South via Latin America or for the Soviets to try and bring the world revolution to all of North America via Alaska. The entire continent and by extention the world is basically a massive tinderbox asking for a match.

So, sooner or later, somebody gets around to tossing a cigar onto the powder keg and all hell breaks loose. Perhaps the Soviets direct their Far Eastern navy to begin landings in Alaska. Perhaps the Germans begin trying to increase their influence in North America. Perhaps Mexico wants a rematch over the South West. Perhaps Die Spinne reforms and begins trying to take over. Perhaps the Japanese begin to think Hollywood would be a tasty snack. Perhaps the Falangists in Spain and Salazar's Portugal decide that now would be a nice time to get back into North America. Who knows? Perhaps all of them happen at once?

In any event, the outbreak of a truly major war- either in Europe or North America- would likely stir up a great deal of unity to varrying extents amongst the citizens of the various North American basket cases, particularly if it involves one or more participants "close to home", and the Colombian government (the last refuge of the US Federal Gov't) may begin to make a comeback to some extent. But sooner or later, one of the hostile major powers will get through with the Western Allies and decide that it's time to try and bite off parts of North America while they assume they are all still divided. Since one of the major Aesops of the universe is that some things transcend borders, all hell is liable to break loose as the US begins to reform with varrying cohesions. Zachary will- of course- start the fight looking for a nice way to profit, but sooner or later decides to put his old ways behind him and pitch in to help for real. At which point in time we will see how the freel the world blows itself up.

Crimson Skies & World War Two
Following on the previous one, the Crimson Skies universe is two years from the Second World War. The world outside the US hasn't been altered much (at most, zeppelins are still popular), so the war will likely happen on schedule. The question becomes, who will join which side?

The first factions to choose sides will be Ontario, Quebec, French Louisiana, and the Industrial States of America. The first three will join their British and French allies, while the ISA will join the Axis. This leads the ISA's enemies - the Empire State and the People's Collective - joining the Allies. In an inversion of World War One, which got big as different nations joined their allies, the sides of the North American theater would be determined by nations' enemies. Here's my guess for the sides:


 * Allies: Empire State, French Louisiana, Ontario, Pacifica, People's Collective, Quebec
 * Axis: Hollywood, ISA, Texas
 * Unknown: Appalachia, Arixo, Atlantic Coalition, Colorado, Dixie, Columbia, Hawai'i, Maritime States
 * Neutral: Alaska, Disputed Western Territories, Lakota, Navajo, Utah

As for the pirates, many would be contracted by various nations. The ISA would do well to hire the Red Skull Legion. The Fortune Hunters would probably align with Hawai'i, given that one of the news items from the old website had him being given an honorary rank in the Hawai'ian air force, IIRC.