What If: Matahari meets Alindari

Posted on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 @ 12:49am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Earth: 1915 Amsterdam Netherlands
1009 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure

Arrianna walked towards a pub in Amsterdam and stepped into it. She was there to meet someone... Sitting down in the pub, she kept her hood in place. She was waiting for an informant that had information on the company the Kaiser had been keeping lately.

Across the street, in a cross alley, Kyle kept her under close watch. While he knew she could certainly handle herself in a fight, he wasn't about to let his wife and the mother of their children go into a hostile area alone.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Cragen." A dutch woman sat down in the pub, checking her shoulder.

"What do you know?" Arri asked.

"The Russian Man has been asking questions?" She noted.

"Who?" Arri asked.

"His name is Gigori Antonpov. And he does vice for someone named Stalin. He's been working for the Austrians in trying to get a man named Lenin back into Russia for some reason I do not know." The Dutch Woman noted. "But in reality, Grigori wants the whole of Europe to fall apart. He's part of some kind of organization that speaks in some language I never heard of. And when they gather, they command a great number of people. German Officers, French, British. High up. The Same people who send thousands to die every day of this war." The Dutch woman noted.

Lady Arrianna Cragen took this in. "Insane.. Why would they want us to fight ourselves."

"Why wouldn't they want it, my dear. Because when we're all weak enough, they can come and take over. How do you conquer someone without firing a shot? Lady Cragen? They want to rule, but they they don't have an army, so they're using our armies."

As they spoke, a few of the pub's patrons suddenly stood up and moved up to Arrianna and the Dutch woman. One of men, with his trench coat draped over his right forearm, raised it slightly to reveal the barrel of a pistol pointed directly at Arrianna's midsection. "You two are coming with us." They both reached out and grabbed each woman by her upper right arm and forced them to head towards the rear entrance. The one with the gun, stuck the barrel into Arrianna's side, just below her ribcage. If he fired at this close range, she would not survive.

Arri nodded to Matahari to play along for now and walked with the men out of the pub. They walked down the nightime street for a bit.

As they neared a large covered truck, another man stepped out from the shadows in front of the two pairs. He immediately pulled out a pair of 1911 semiautomatic pistols and shoved them i to both men's faces. Not only were both weapons chambered for the powerful .45 caliber rounds, but when they were pointed at one's face, they looked as large as the main guns on a battleship.

"Now now, boys." The man, wearing a mask, spoke in a familiar English accent. "That's no way to treat the ladies, is it?"

Arrianna took this chance while they were distracted by Kyle and elegantly disarmed the both of them. In a graceful dance of self defense. She siezed one of the thugs handguns and aimed it at his head. "Who sent you?" She noted.

The men seemed to blanch noticeably after they were caught and disarmed. The one on the left puffed out his chest and spoke in a superior attitude. "Ve vill say nothing to you!" He then moved his tongue around in his mouth and bit down, a soft crunching sound clearly heard.

Nearly immediately afterward, both his and his cohort, started to chock as a white froth started to pour from their mouths.

"Russians..." She noted. "We're back at Square One." She mentioned.

Matahari spoke. "Let me do my thing a bit more, Lady Cragen."

"It's dangerous." Arri noted.

"I'm close.. Close to learning their plans. If you can stop them. It is a sacrifice I will make." She noted. "Just when I learn who they are. Do me a favor... Stop them. Even if they kill me."

"We will," Kyle replied softly as he finished clearing the two corpses from the sidewalk. He managed to dump them both in the nearby alley without any pedestrians noticing. He then did a quick search of their pockets, finding se identification papers, money and weapons. He quickly pocketed the items and moved back to the women.

"Just make sure you stay as careful as possible. While we know you would willing give your life for the cause, it would be much better if you lived for it instead."

Arrianna nodded. "Be careful, Matahari." She then walked with Kyle. "This confirms what I suspect within the Russian Empire." She noted. "Their Czar is not ready to rule. He's taken a Charlatan named Rasputin as an... 'Advisor.' They say he's some kind of Sorceror." She noted.

"Yeah, I've heard of him," Kyle replied as he offered his wife his left arm. "Apparently, even for a human, he is disgusting in his habits. And, apparently, very difficult to kill. Almost makes you wonder if he really is human."

"Unbelivable." Arrianna heard the echoes, sounds of a distant battle across the border into belgium. She climbed up a nearby church's bell-tower and watched. "And when humans are weakened just enough...." Arri let Kyle finish.

Kyle had a grim look on his face as he replied. "Then whomever is behind the scenes, pulling the strings of this hoping strife, will roll right on over what is left of the Humans." He was thoughtful for a few beats, as the sounds of warfare slowly grew louder.

"Of course, if the threat is extraterrestrial, then why all the subterfuge? With their advanced tech, why not just strike themselves? The Humans wouldn't stand a chance. They haven't even split the atom yet!"

The couple stayed where they were, in silence, for a few more minutes.

Finally, it was time to leave the city, while they still could.

~TBC~

 

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