What If: Studies of the VOID

Posted on Mon Nov 29th, 2021 @ 9:45am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Alternate Universe, 1121 Chesterfield Lane
Timeline: London England 1821.
1773 words - 3.5 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.***

Arrianna was dressed in a very elegant yet simple Victorian Dress as she continued to use the large telescope in the Cragen Manor observatory to take measurements of the VOID... Chalkboards and numerous papers lined her study.

"Hmm... Just as I hypothesized.." Arrianna noted. "It has grown by five lightyears in radius. It's reacting to... what I believe... is the supermassive black hole in Saggittarius A. Gravity draws it out in multiple directions, but its growth is pointed towards the ultimate force of gravity. Even the great attractor itself."

Kyle moved up behind Arrianna and gently kissed the side of her neck. "When we finally reach your correct time, you will have gathered so much information on the Void, you will recieve every scientific honor in creation. Possibly a few new ones made just for you." He paused a beat, hesitant to ask a question that had been rolling through his mind for the past seventy-five years. "Arri, when we do reach your correct time, will you...stop yourself from entering the Void?"

Arri looked at Kyle. "No..." She noted. "I cannot predict what will happen to time, if I meddled that much with it. Not even if I had a century to plot the reppercussions." She smiled as she placed her hand on her stomach. Their first children were taking form in her womb. "Would I deny them existence? Their children, and theirs afterwards. It would be a cruelty no Alindari would unleash upon anyone. I love you, Kyle. To deny you that... Even Tirielle herself would be shocked at such selfishness." Arri stood "Besides..." She smiled. "The Anomaly may prove to be dangerous approximately thirty thousand years from now. It must be dealt with in the Twenty-Fourth century." She pushed her pregnant body up and walked to another chalkboard. "The rate of expansion is increasing exponentially. This century, it was five lightyears. in a thousand years... It will be five hundred... Ten thousand years; the anomaly will be larger than the entire radius of the Milky Way Galaxy. And even though it has mass, it is not collapsing into a black hole." Arrianna noted. "The physics of this thing do not conform to anything that has been established in either El-Aurian nor Alindari science. I want to be here Kyle, I am needed here.. I am supposed to be here." She put her head on his shoulder. "I am fated to be here, my love."

Kyle wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife. He was so fortunate to have found someone who had similar longevity in life as he had. They both knew though, barring any catastrophic injury, he would still outlive her by at least five hundred human years. He silently hoped and prayed, the day Fate decideds to take his heart, to take him as well. "I love you, Arri, twice as much as yesterday, but only half as much as tommorow."

Arriannna kissed him. "That's not for centuries to come. We'll live in the moment. Enjoy the past, the future.. Everything." She noted as someone knocked on the door.

Kyle returned the kiss and smiled warmly at the woman who owned his heart and soul. He was about to reply when there was a knock on the door. A confused look crossed his face. "Who would that be at this time of night?" He released his hold on her and started to move towards the door. "Stay here."

When he reached the door, he stood off to the side, "Who goes there?"

A young man spoke. "I here to speak to Lady Cragen." A proper young man's voice noted.

Kyle looked to his wife and carefully opened the door, to reveal an average looking gentlrman, carrying a black cat in his arms.

The man entered. "Gary Four..." Arrianna noted. "Husband, this man is named Gary Four, and he's from another party who's interested in Earth's Survival. I meet him in Austria-Hungary last year."

"Indeed." He noted.

Kyle considered the man briefly, then extended his right hand in friendship. "Any ally of my wife's is an ally of mine. Please, come in. Would you care for a beverage?"

"Thank you, my Lord. But I'll have to leave soon and quietly." Gary Four noted.

"It is as you suspected, Arrianna. The elements behind the Jacobins were driven by parties who wanted the French Revolution to be as violent as possible, they failed when Napoleon was defeated." Gary noted. "They'll try again. This time with the growing tensions in the American Continent."

"It will result in war." Arrianna noted.

"Humans are such a violent race," Kyle noted.

"But they have unlimited potential. That is why they are being targeted." Gary Four noted. "There are those who are trying to change history from the far future. A temporal cold war. They want to ensure that their empires are the ones who will rise to dominance over this world." Gary Four noted. "But they are simply repeating history before it even happens. You can say we are trying to prevent the interference of insidious third parties upon this world and culture, m'lord. They want this culture to obliterate itself."

Nodding slowly, Kyle replied. "Well, they certainly are at a crucial time to do so. As the technology level of the Humans keeps jumping forward in leaps and bounds, as it is starting to, a possible extinction-level conflict could be on the horizon. Only time will tell, I'm afraid."

Arrianna sighed. "We may have to let their plan succeed partially in order to stop them. Let these wars start in order to draw them out."

Nodding again, Kyle spoke. "And what then, who will ensure those responsible are removed from the equation when they are revealed? And in such a way as to ensure no reprisals are levied against the Humans?"

Gary Four sighed. "I wish we didn't have to nearly destroy this world, just to save it. I need to use your tunnels, m'lord. I'm being followed by some very unpleasant gentlemen."

Arri walked towards an armorie and pulled out a saber with her musket pistols. "Not to worry, my friend. I and my husband will make sure they do not report back to their superiors. And if they investigate, they will not find anything substansial. Take care of yourself, Gary Four."

She pulled a book in her library and a secret passage opened.

After seeing Gary to the entrance of his tunnel network, Kyle extended his hand again. "May we meet again under more ideal settings, Sir."

Gary Four nodded. "Know this, Lord Cragen. These evil men... They were behind the tensions between the Alindari Imperium and the El-Aurian Alliance. If they see an El-Aurian married to a Alindar, They will kill you."

Kyle's jaw clenched, then relaxed slightly. "Thank you for this warning, good sir. Now go, quickly!"

After the hidden door closed, Kyle moved to claim his long sword and then moved back to stand in front of Arri. "My love, though I know you are a formidable warrior, our unborn children are who you must protect now. Please, go to the saferoom. I will deal with these interlopers personally."

Arrianna nodded and handed Kyle a mask used for the Masqurades they often went to. "Conceal your identity. Do not let one of them escape. And place their bodies in East London. The Inspectors will believe there was a fight between the various criminal elements there."

Taking the mask, Kyle reached out and pulled Arrianna to him and kissed her deeply, inhaling her sweet perfume as he did so. When they came back up for air, he released ger. "Now go, my love. Protect our children." He pulled on the demon mask and turned towards the door. As he passed through, he pulled it closed behind him. Then he moved to stand in the middle of the path, his sword still in its scabbard, as he waited for the fools to arrive.

Arrianna proceeded to the safe room and entered it. Taking out one of her books as she awaited her husband's return.

Outside, the three men that Gary had warned them about came into view. Kyle spoke aloud to them. "Hold! Come no further, lest you wish to taste my blade!"

The man in the middle smirked evily. "Where is Gary? Hand him over and no harm shall befall you."

Kyle remain silent, as silent as a golem, standing in defence of its master’s home.

The one who had spoken nodded to his compatriots, and the men started to move to surround the man in their way. "Why the mask? Are you afraid that some one will recognize you? Well, don't worry, we won't tell anyone who you really are. We'll just show them!" As if on cue, all three men advanced.

Kyle took a step back, dodging the attacker on his left, drawing his sword as he moved, and in one fluid motion, flicked the blade up as it cleared the scabbard, slicing the attacker's head clean off. He then spun to his right and slashed the attacker on his right across his entire torso, opening him up from his right shoulder to his left hip. As he finished the spin, he lunged forward, driving the tip of his sword into the leader's heart, killing him instantly. From start to finish, the fight lasted about ten seconds.

After wiping the blood from his blade, Kyle resheathed his sword. He then got to work disposing of the bodies. A little over an hour later, he was reentering his home. After placing his sword back over the mantle, he made his way to the saferoom. Upon opening the door, he saw the vision of beauty that was his wife. Looking her over, he had a very hungry look in his eyes. He always did after he killed someone.

Arrianna immediately approached him and placed a hand on his cheek. "Don't feed that.. my love." She noted. "Kyle, for millennia, the Alindari feasted on carnage and slaughter. It nearly destroyed our entire race." She embraced him. "Yes... Calm your emotions."

For a few beats, Kyle vibrated under Arrianna's loving embrace. Then, as he started to calm, he slid his arms around his loving wife. "I will never allow anyone to harm you or our children, Beloved. I love you, Arrianna Cragen."

~TBC~