What If: The Isolated Mistress

Posted on Mon Nov 29th, 2021 @ 9:32am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: England
Timeline: 1662 Alternate Timeline
2317 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

***Note to Reader, what you are about to read, never happened in your dimension. But, there are uncountable others out there where, a single choice, can create an entirely new reality. Sit back and let's enjoy looking through the folds of time and space at yet another reality.***


It was said Lady Arrianna of Whitehaven kept to herself mostly. And the mysteries behind a woman many lords fantasized over was enough to draw bandits to her small castle one evening. A group of about five of them showed up looking for easy plunder. They gathered and began to break the door open.

Inside. Arrianna was waiting. It had been six months since the crash. Six months since she buried her crew. She was the only survivor. She had time to grab a sword and a phaser when the bandits came and pounded on the door.

"Let us in... Poppet. We only want to be friends with your ladyship. Open the door and we can partake of your bounty."

Suddenly, a man's voice could be heard speaking to the attackers. "Hold there, scoundrels! Stand away, or prepare to be thrashed!"

Arrianna drew what appeared to be a pistol. One of the first known. She then came from her cover as they were distracted by someone. Her eyes calculated a probable trajectory from the pistol and a probability of accuracy, bearing in mind not to hit the individual that came to her aid. A shot rang out with a bullet that pierced two of their heads. There was three left.

"Vagabonds.." Arrianna stated. "If you want me. Come and get me." The remaining thugs were forced into two fronts with Arrianna and her fluid swordmanship. Or Swordwomanship.

Seeing two of their cohorts' heads explode from the blunderbus, the other men suddenly lost their nerve and ran for the woods.

Arrianna walked out onto the porch and examined the man. "You have my gratitude. Your intervention provided me with the opportunity to test something." She opened the breach and checked it. "I am Lady Arrianna of Whitehaven. I see I need to a finer charcoal."

Riding closer on his horse, the man removed his hat in salute of the woman. "Greeting, m'lady. I am glad I was able to come to your aid." He dismounted and stepped closer to her, bowing respectfully. "And I am Sir Kyle Cragen, Defender of the Realm. Forgive me if my arrival was not swift enough. I had just recieved word of a band of thieves and murderers moving through the county. Did they cause any major damage to your home?"

"Just the door, Sir Cragen." She snapped the breech shut and sheathed her sword. "I live here... alone..." Arrianna mentioned. "My family died during the war." Her visage was shown by the torchlight, and the rumors were true. The Lady of Whitehaven was stunning.. "Come inside.. I must reward you for your valor."

Kyle was immediately taken aback by what he saw. Though the stories of her beauty were known far and wide, they paled in comparison to what was actually seen. Her flaming red hair was the color of the sun on a cool winter's eve, when the spring was approaching. Her lips were full and seemed to shine with an inner heat. Her eyes, however, no bard nor poet would ever do them justice. Their brilliance was breathtaking, and they seemed to have the ability to stare straight into a man's soul.

After collecting himself, Kyle followed her into her home.

She brought him into her study and what he found was astounding. She thought he couldn't understand it, but she had books on shelves everywhere. Two chalkboards filled with mathematical equations and theorems that would flabbergast the great Sir Isaac Newton. This went beyond it.. It was gravitic anomaly data on the VOID. The thing that she lacked was a computer powerful enough to calculate the finer calculations of temporal physics. She covered the boards quickly.

Kyle noticed the writing and equations before the boards were covered. It was beyond anything this world's inhabitants should know yet. He had to tread carefully over the next several moments.

As he moved around her well-appointed study, he took note of the books that were on display. Most seemed normal enough. There were several that would seem odd in the study of a Lady. Finally, he turned to look her in the eyes. He asked the question. "So, my good Lady. How long have you been here?"

"Six months since the recent war ended." Arrianna noted. "This was my cousin's home with her family. They're buried outside. I am Arrianna of Whitehaven. Since the war ended, England has been in flux. I am content to remain outside of the politics and day-to-day of this kingdom, and I attend court only when it is necessary. I prefer my studies m'lord, and I am not a common woman." She mentioned. "My father prized my education. He felt women were better to handle the house holds of their lords when well educated and well cared for, and because of that ideology, I run the daily risk of being accused of witchcraft. You will find nothing unholy here, as I am a woman of science and reason. Tea, Sir Cragen?" She noted.

Kyle moved over to one of the covered chalk boards and lifted the canvas covering, revealing the math equations written underneath. "If this is truly your cousin's former home, then why are you running warp drive computations?"

She gasped... Looking at him a moment. She knew this was not a common human. "Not only warp drive computations... A course through a temporal anomaly." Arrianna noted. "I believe you might have learned who I am sooner or later. I am Lieutenant Arrianna Salannis an Vantar.. And I come from the year 2389. In this time I am... was an officer in this world's starfleet." She noted as she uncovered the chalkboards. "I was assigned with several other crewmembers to explore a mysterious void. My team intially believed the void was a result of a dark matter mass.. But I was incorrect. I have been sent back seven hundred years and trapped here in this time."

Kyle nodded thoughtfully as he listened. He knew there was something different with this woman! He wondered how she would react when she learned who he really was. "And what was the source of this mass?"

"The mass is the result of a hypothetical quantum rift. My current theorem is that somehow a black hole has come into contact with a very localized subspace fissure that is disrupting time and space, and I believe it extends into multiple universes and realities, making its properties... impossible to determine." Arrianna noted. It could exist simultaneously in any number of realities." Arrianna noted. "However the point is mute.. my ship was critically damaged.. My crew dead. And the only thing I can do.. is maintain the prime directive."

He was silent for a few minutes, as he considered the ramifications of this encounter. "Well, if you look at it from a different dimension, then your math is all wrong. See here," he took a cloth and wiped a few sections clean, then redid the math. "If you use our dimension as the focal point...." he started speaking in an alien tongue to himself as he finished the equation.

"Fascinating." Arrianna watched in amazement as the man corrected her math.

"There," he said as he stepped back to show his work. "Now all you need is a ship capable of achieving warp five point seven-three, to escape the gravitational pull of the blackhole just before you enter the event horizon, and you should be able to gain enough breakaway speed to get you back to your time, plus or minus a few days."

"You are not from this world are you?" Arri looked in amazement then went to retrieve a tricorder.

Looking over at Arrianna, he grinned. "Oh, I'm not from this planet either. Well, my parents weren't. I was born here in 1419. I'm El-Aurian. My parents, before they were killed and our home destroyed, taught me all about this type of science and math. Learned it when I was ten years old."

"I am Alindari. But not from the Imperium. I am from the future." Arrianna noted. "Five hundred years from now, the Borg will destroy the Imperium. Just like they did you world. However..." Arri mentioned. "In their arrogance, the Borg will fail to destroy the last Althir Princess; Princess Anara IV. The Borg concentrated on our core worlds, so she gave a command for the colonies to board whatever ship was available... and purge our own colonies with orbital bombardment."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I suspected you were. It's the eyes. They are too pure for a human. Too perfect."

"I have nowhere to go. Even if I can use your formulas to return to my time.. I have no ship that can make the journey." Arrianna noted. "I am alone here.. and yet... It is not good for my kind to be alone.. I cannot help but to achive.. and become excellent... and here I am in a human world, and in a society that views its women as chattel and breeding stock. This world is the antithesis of the Alindari. Thriving on pure ignorance and stupidity. Some believe their world to be flat here."

"Well, from my studies as a child, I learned that our two peoples were allies. Is that still the case in your time? Are there even still El-Aurians in the future?"

"A misunderstanding about protected races caused an uproar in the senate and relations suffered." Arrianna noted. "There are few of both our races. We're struggling to rebuild our race, but with only two hundred thousand Alindari. Life has been difficult for us." Arrianna noted. "But we are Tirielle's Children, Sir Cragen. Just because life is not easy, does not mean it's not worth fighting for. It's heartbreaking at times.. being alone here... for the centuries that an Alindari has to live." Arri noted. "Being desired by every lord that sees me, and refusing them all. They want me in a cage.. I do not want their slavery."

Kyle considered all that Arrianna said. He had to admit, he was lonely as well. Certainly, he had had a few trists and romantic liaisons over the past two centuries. However, to be with a partner who was a true contemporary, someone who knew who he truly was...

"Arrianna," he started slowly, "perhaps it's the will of the Fates that we met tonight. While I know there is much we would need to learn about each other, would you be willing to a partnership? To keep the humans away, we could have a wedding, showing them we are no longer available for their games of pursuit? I am not asking for you to love me, or bear my children but, perhaps, we could find the comfort and companionship that we are both craving?"

"You've already shown me great kindness, Kyle.. Hmm..." She smiled. "Kyle... You remind me of a cadet that once cared for me a great deal during my academy days. We drifted apart somewhat.. But you remind me of him. I want to make this more than just some arrangement. I want to be your companion. I'm willing to give you a chance.. To make us both happy. But understand I cannot tamper with history in any way. If we live here.. this world must be whole."

"Of course," Kyle nodded in agreement. "My parents taught me and trained me well in staying out of history's way."

--- Six Months Later, Westminster Abby. --

Arrianna walked with Kyle down the Isle. Which they were met by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and surprisingly the King. Arri gave an elegant curtsy. The king spoke. "And finally a man comes who has won the heart of Arrianna of Whitehaven. What man wins the hand of such a excellent woman."

"An exceptional one, your majesty." Arri noted.

Kyle was dressed in his finest knightly garb. When they reached the King, he moved to one knee, as was expected, seeing as he was a knight of the king. "Your Majesty, I am the lucky man to have earned Lady Whitehaven's esteemed favor. With your blessings, Sire."

"I could not deny such a match if I tried." He noted as the Archbishop began to wed them.

--- 1771, New York --

One thing could be said about Alindari. They had comparable lifespans to El-Aurians, and they aged like fine wine. She smiled as she approached her husband looking at a billboard. "Trust me, Husband. Now will not be a good time to go to Paris."

"Oh?" Kyle smirked as he turned and kissed his lovely wife. "And why not? Or are you ensuring that I survive any calamities that you know will happen?" He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, his hot breath blowing over her neck. "What about your Prime Directive?" He winked at her as he pulled away slightly.

"Now, now. My love. You wouldn't want to lose your head now, and the word; revolution is becoming quite popular these days. France is on the verge of being ruled by very cross men. All a Jacobin plot, I assure you." Arri winked.

Kyle chuckled. "Fair enough, my love. I've kept my head this long, I'd hate to lose it now. I've grown rather attached to it." He leaned in and kissed Arrianna. Nothing too passionate, didn't want to disturb the prudes that walked around them. When he was done, he released his hold on her, put his hat back on, turned and offered his left arm to her. As the started to walk, he asked, "Well, it is your turn to choose, sweetheart. Where would you like to go?"

~TBC~