Chapter 1: From Earth with Love
Everything was ready, and Hannah knew it. Finally she would be...
Everything was ready, and Hannah knew it. Finally she would be...
Dr Moritz or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Laser (Draka/Villain Crossover)
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Chapter 1: From Earth with Love
Everything was ready, and Hannah knew it. Finally she would be able to take her revenge. She remembered all too well what had happened, even if she was only a child at the time. She had seen it happen, and narrowly escaped with her life. Her father, a peaceful scientist working on laser technology, and her mother, who specialized in solar energy. They were close to a true breakthrough, they had told her that themselves. It would make them wealthy. Not that they weren't already, but they would have been even richer. There were security guards on their island of course, to keep everyone safe. And they failed. She remembered it all too well, that accursed secret agent arriving, guards being found dead, and finally, the explosion.
Of course, she had escaped, carried away in a helicopter, along with the files with all the technical data, but she had known that she would never see her parents again. And she had vowed revenge. Revenge that would finally be there. No one was left to oppose her. They had tried, and she had killed them, tested much weaker versions of the massive weapons that she would now use on them. Weapons that would make her the terror of nations.
She observed from the central control room as the covers of the first of the rockets was lifted. There were twelve in total, each carrying two satellites. This was the moment it all came down to, the reason why she had kidnapped dr. Vorshov, why she had robbed a dozen banks. What she had worked on ever since she was a child. Hannah looked at the screens, watching the countdown. Everything had to be perfect.
She was at a safe distance, together with her minions. They were loyal, bribed and threatened to do so. For a moment she missed the presence of Caesar, the bodyguard who had been like a father to her. He had died, fighting to save her life. She honoured him by naming one of the satellites after him, one that would be used to hit the headquarters of MI6. Suitable revenge for a first shot, and a perfect way to put a bit of strength behind her threats.
The launch sequence however was the most important part, taking place over twenty-four hours. It was expensive, almost idiotically so according to almost anyone. But she would show them, she would show everyone!
"Dr. Moritz?", one of the minions responsible for the launch asked, "everything is ready for your command."
Hannah looked out of the window, into the crater of the Longonot Volcano. Of course, she had chosen the location because it was close to the equator, provided a way to hide her activities in the caldera, and of course, for dramatic effect. It had taken a few bribed, and considerable funds to set herself up, but she liked it. And in a way, she supported the local economy. All that was visible from outside was the mansion that she had built into the edge, and of course, part of the scientific institute it all pretended to be.
The time was almost there, and she didn't think anymore. She was about to speak, when she saw a blue ripple across the sky, a bit like lightning. She had never seen anything like it, but immediately she thought that she knew who was responsible. One of her rivals, only they would dare to do such a thing. Probably Hedgwood, he always tried to one-up her. But not anymore. Soon she would have her satellites launched, and the world would be hers to extort for enormous sums. And to dominate of course. She would be indisputed.
Her thoughts however changed when one of her staff approached: "Dr. Moritz? We have lost contact with Longonot."
An attack! That was the only explanation why they wouldn't report. Her minions had taken over months ago. She was afraid, perhaps they would even shoot down her missiles. That couldn't happen, she had worked too hard to prepare the satellites. She couldn't tip her hand without certainty. "Delay the launch, and secure the rockets. Call all security, I want to know exactly what is happening!"
XXXXXXXXXX
At the same time Alexander de Witt looked over the landscape again. He would soon leave it all again, he has been called to return to duty. He longed for war, he missed fighting on his plantation. He would have loved to kick those decadent Italians into their proper place, but he wasn't needed yet for the Race. But now the call had come again. He would however miss the view, the beauty of the African lands. He looked at the mountain, he wouldn't be climbing it for a while anymore, he would have something better to do.
Suddenly there as a blue haze around it, crackling. Moments later it lifted, and the mountain changed. The geography remained the same, it couldn't change much, but he could see a house built into the side. There never was one, no one would live there. And the building looked large. Very large even.
For a moment Alexander wondered what he should do. He had to leave for his post, but this was too strange to not investigate. He had to know what happened, even if it meant travelling throughout the night. He headed back inside, taking what he will need. The foremost of course as his rifle, which he normally used to just keep his instincts sharp, although there was that one time when one of the serfs ran… He remembered that time with more than a little fondness.
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah didn't understand what's happened, and that says something. She knew that she was brilliant, but this didn't make any sense. There were no attackers, nothing strange going on. Longonot just wasn't there anymore. Mot a lack of contact, no, it actually was a lack of being there. Instead, there just was a field there, where the station used to be. It's crazy. The landscape was a little different too, more structured in a way, the buildings are different, a completely different style. And then there were the broadcasts. She couldn't receive any of the usual stations, but traffic has been detected. It however was weak, and strange, sounding like senseless rubbish
For a moment she thought that she might have been displaced somehow, she has read suggestions for it. But that seemed too exotic, too far-fetched, which is why she simply focused on orbital superlasers. But what if she had been wrong, and her rivals had built a device just to hit her? So they could take her out at their leasure. That would mean an imminent attack. Luckily, she had mobilized already, even if she had no clue what they would be capable of.
She returned to her rooms, to change. Or rather, to ensure that she wouldn't seem like such a target as she would dressed in her best clothes to hold the UN hostage. She put on what basically was the uniform of her security, green. It made her look martial, and she finished the look by those most distasteful things. Weapons. A pistol and a knife. She hardly ever used violence, despite her position. She had people for that, she preferred to do the thinking. And if she had to kill, she would do it cleanly, with poison. But one couldn't be careful enough, not with those annoying agents running around.
When she had finished, she returned to her command post: "Have you detected anything?"
"No madam. Nothing at all."
"Not even satellites?", she asked, starting to be curious. This might be an opportunity.
"We failed to make contact with anything, and receive nothing at all."
"Then keep an eye on the sky. Give me an update of your process in an hour. I want to know where we are. Also monitor all radio traffic you can catch, and alert me as soon as there is anything interesting."
She looked over everything. Why did her plans have to be ruined like this? Just a few more hours, and the world would have been hers. But no, she was too unlucky for that. Even the satellites didn't respond, which meant that she wouldn't be able to listen to them. Or protect her own, a few minor things had been smuggled onto others, to ensure that no one would blast her operation from the sky.
Hannah needed to know more before she could continue. She anxiously touched the pistol at her leg when someone approached: "Dr. Moritz! There is an intruder. He is approaching directly, over the southern slope."
"Good. Disarm him, and break his legs. I want him brought to me for questioning, but incapable of violence.", she knew all about secret agents allowing themselves to be captured, and then escaping. She wouldn't fall for that again.
XXXXXXXX
Alexander liked the walk up, it was hard. Yes. It always was a challenge, and he enjoyed it. Sometimes he would go hunting there, but not now. He had a hunter's eye. And he saw something. People. But not of the Race. There were niggers in the woods. Bushmen. He dropped to the ground, raising his rifle. But he wasn't fast enough. Shots rang out before he was ready.
He fell indeed, but there was pain. He had been hit, several times at least. He heard the shooting, how many shots were those? Dozens? It must have been a revolt. He tried to aim, but the strength was leaving him with his blood. He looked down, seeing ragged holes in his clothes, red liquid gushing through them before everything went black.
XXXXXXX
Hannah looked at the man who was barely alive. Her doctors ensured her that he would live, but warned that waking him might be dangerous. She didn't care. There was nothing dangerous to her about him dying. But she had to know as fast as possible. She watched. He was of European descent, that was rare around these parts. And he was alone. That was even stranger. He had some sort of hunting weapon with him, but she didn't care for those. She however knew that he had tried to shoot at her guards. That had gone too far.
She had his effects with her, there were some peculiarities, especially in what seemed to be his identification. It said that he was some sort of Citizen of a Dominion of Draka. She had no clue what that was, but she was certain that he would tell her. She didn't let herself be limited by little things like morals or the like when interrogating someone.
Hannah glanced at her captive, looking up from the papers. "Good afternoon, Mr. de Witt. I was hoping that you could clarify a few things for me."
He looked at her with what was almost tangible disgust. Of course, the good doctor had no idea why that would be, she might be known to some people as a bit of a madwoman, and a bit murderous, but that was no reason to be impolite.
Alexander said nothing. He was still in pain, and he could feel that he was bound. He had opened his eyes, only to see a filthy chink sitting right next to him. She even was dressed in some sort of uniform. It looked a bit like a Soviet one, but what were they doing in the heart of the Dominion? He felt terrible, not because of his wounds, he could live with wounds, but because he had been taken alive by bushmen.
"Sir, I am well aware that you have reached consciousness. Would you please answer a few of my questions?", she sounded arrogant. If he was unbound, he would have strangled the little bitch for the way she spoke. He would love nothing more than that.
"Fuck you chink.", he muttered. He would not give in to the wishes of such a degenerate.
Hannah was shocked. He must be an Afrikaner, judging from the way he spoke. But what would they be doing in Kenya? "Now that is truly impolite, Mr. de Witt. I simple wish to have a conversation, but if you insist on trying to insult me by using such unpleasant words to point out my mother's ancestry, I hope that you won't mind me demonstrating a little of my expertise. You see, I am an expert in lasers, and I think that you might find a direct demonstration useful. Just so you know that I am being serious."
He had no idea what the bitch was talking about, but Alexander watched her take up some strange black box, with a little handle on it. She moved it around, and he heard a soft whizzing sound. Something moved from the ceiling, towards him. "Let us start with something simple. I hope that you will understand that any question you refuse to answer, or any further impoliteness, will be met with more severe applications."
She pushed a button, and his hand was on fire. He looked at it, and he saw his wrist burn, right through. Not just the edge, but somehow, even though he saw nothing, it was burning. Smoke rose, and he saw a beam of light through it. It hurt so much, and he screamed.
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah sighed. He prisoner had been stubborn. But in the end he had talked, and now she knew. She knew that there was some sort of South-African empire that was about to conquer and enslave the world. She knew that they were slavers, and she knew that they were in 1942. And they had no spacefaring capacities. She was in their lands, deep inside them. But she knew that there was a way. "Initiate the launch sequence."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
EXPLANATION
I wrote this story some time ago, and decided to also post it here. I really want to thank @liberty90 for helping me retrieve it. The basic idea is that someone who is a bit of a Bond-villain ends up in the Drakaverse, which causes all sorts of issues. I needed a villain, and I had just the right one around from a roleplay that unfortunately ended, Dr. Hannah Moritz. The first part of this post actually came from there, when Hannah had finally gathered everything she needed and was about to launch her totally scientifically possible killsats to hold the world hostage for enormous amounts of money. Funnily enough, her base was in Kenya, putting it right in the middle of the Dominion.
Everything was ready, and Hannah knew it. Finally she would be able to take her revenge. She remembered all too well what had happened, even if she was only a child at the time. She had seen it happen, and narrowly escaped with her life. Her father, a peaceful scientist working on laser technology, and her mother, who specialized in solar energy. They were close to a true breakthrough, they had told her that themselves. It would make them wealthy. Not that they weren't already, but they would have been even richer. There were security guards on their island of course, to keep everyone safe. And they failed. She remembered it all too well, that accursed secret agent arriving, guards being found dead, and finally, the explosion.
Of course, she had escaped, carried away in a helicopter, along with the files with all the technical data, but she had known that she would never see her parents again. And she had vowed revenge. Revenge that would finally be there. No one was left to oppose her. They had tried, and she had killed them, tested much weaker versions of the massive weapons that she would now use on them. Weapons that would make her the terror of nations.
She observed from the central control room as the covers of the first of the rockets was lifted. There were twelve in total, each carrying two satellites. This was the moment it all came down to, the reason why she had kidnapped dr. Vorshov, why she had robbed a dozen banks. What she had worked on ever since she was a child. Hannah looked at the screens, watching the countdown. Everything had to be perfect.
She was at a safe distance, together with her minions. They were loyal, bribed and threatened to do so. For a moment she missed the presence of Caesar, the bodyguard who had been like a father to her. He had died, fighting to save her life. She honoured him by naming one of the satellites after him, one that would be used to hit the headquarters of MI6. Suitable revenge for a first shot, and a perfect way to put a bit of strength behind her threats.
The launch sequence however was the most important part, taking place over twenty-four hours. It was expensive, almost idiotically so according to almost anyone. But she would show them, she would show everyone!
"Dr. Moritz?", one of the minions responsible for the launch asked, "everything is ready for your command."
Hannah looked out of the window, into the crater of the Longonot Volcano. Of course, she had chosen the location because it was close to the equator, provided a way to hide her activities in the caldera, and of course, for dramatic effect. It had taken a few bribed, and considerable funds to set herself up, but she liked it. And in a way, she supported the local economy. All that was visible from outside was the mansion that she had built into the edge, and of course, part of the scientific institute it all pretended to be.
The time was almost there, and she didn't think anymore. She was about to speak, when she saw a blue ripple across the sky, a bit like lightning. She had never seen anything like it, but immediately she thought that she knew who was responsible. One of her rivals, only they would dare to do such a thing. Probably Hedgwood, he always tried to one-up her. But not anymore. Soon she would have her satellites launched, and the world would be hers to extort for enormous sums. And to dominate of course. She would be indisputed.
Her thoughts however changed when one of her staff approached: "Dr. Moritz? We have lost contact with Longonot."
An attack! That was the only explanation why they wouldn't report. Her minions had taken over months ago. She was afraid, perhaps they would even shoot down her missiles. That couldn't happen, she had worked too hard to prepare the satellites. She couldn't tip her hand without certainty. "Delay the launch, and secure the rockets. Call all security, I want to know exactly what is happening!"
XXXXXXXXXX
At the same time Alexander de Witt looked over the landscape again. He would soon leave it all again, he has been called to return to duty. He longed for war, he missed fighting on his plantation. He would have loved to kick those decadent Italians into their proper place, but he wasn't needed yet for the Race. But now the call had come again. He would however miss the view, the beauty of the African lands. He looked at the mountain, he wouldn't be climbing it for a while anymore, he would have something better to do.
Suddenly there as a blue haze around it, crackling. Moments later it lifted, and the mountain changed. The geography remained the same, it couldn't change much, but he could see a house built into the side. There never was one, no one would live there. And the building looked large. Very large even.
For a moment Alexander wondered what he should do. He had to leave for his post, but this was too strange to not investigate. He had to know what happened, even if it meant travelling throughout the night. He headed back inside, taking what he will need. The foremost of course as his rifle, which he normally used to just keep his instincts sharp, although there was that one time when one of the serfs ran… He remembered that time with more than a little fondness.
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah didn't understand what's happened, and that says something. She knew that she was brilliant, but this didn't make any sense. There were no attackers, nothing strange going on. Longonot just wasn't there anymore. Mot a lack of contact, no, it actually was a lack of being there. Instead, there just was a field there, where the station used to be. It's crazy. The landscape was a little different too, more structured in a way, the buildings are different, a completely different style. And then there were the broadcasts. She couldn't receive any of the usual stations, but traffic has been detected. It however was weak, and strange, sounding like senseless rubbish
For a moment she thought that she might have been displaced somehow, she has read suggestions for it. But that seemed too exotic, too far-fetched, which is why she simply focused on orbital superlasers. But what if she had been wrong, and her rivals had built a device just to hit her? So they could take her out at their leasure. That would mean an imminent attack. Luckily, she had mobilized already, even if she had no clue what they would be capable of.
She returned to her rooms, to change. Or rather, to ensure that she wouldn't seem like such a target as she would dressed in her best clothes to hold the UN hostage. She put on what basically was the uniform of her security, green. It made her look martial, and she finished the look by those most distasteful things. Weapons. A pistol and a knife. She hardly ever used violence, despite her position. She had people for that, she preferred to do the thinking. And if she had to kill, she would do it cleanly, with poison. But one couldn't be careful enough, not with those annoying agents running around.
When she had finished, she returned to her command post: "Have you detected anything?"
"No madam. Nothing at all."
"Not even satellites?", she asked, starting to be curious. This might be an opportunity.
"We failed to make contact with anything, and receive nothing at all."
"Then keep an eye on the sky. Give me an update of your process in an hour. I want to know where we are. Also monitor all radio traffic you can catch, and alert me as soon as there is anything interesting."
She looked over everything. Why did her plans have to be ruined like this? Just a few more hours, and the world would have been hers. But no, she was too unlucky for that. Even the satellites didn't respond, which meant that she wouldn't be able to listen to them. Or protect her own, a few minor things had been smuggled onto others, to ensure that no one would blast her operation from the sky.
Hannah needed to know more before she could continue. She anxiously touched the pistol at her leg when someone approached: "Dr. Moritz! There is an intruder. He is approaching directly, over the southern slope."
"Good. Disarm him, and break his legs. I want him brought to me for questioning, but incapable of violence.", she knew all about secret agents allowing themselves to be captured, and then escaping. She wouldn't fall for that again.
XXXXXXXX
Alexander liked the walk up, it was hard. Yes. It always was a challenge, and he enjoyed it. Sometimes he would go hunting there, but not now. He had a hunter's eye. And he saw something. People. But not of the Race. There were niggers in the woods. Bushmen. He dropped to the ground, raising his rifle. But he wasn't fast enough. Shots rang out before he was ready.
He fell indeed, but there was pain. He had been hit, several times at least. He heard the shooting, how many shots were those? Dozens? It must have been a revolt. He tried to aim, but the strength was leaving him with his blood. He looked down, seeing ragged holes in his clothes, red liquid gushing through them before everything went black.
XXXXXXX
Hannah looked at the man who was barely alive. Her doctors ensured her that he would live, but warned that waking him might be dangerous. She didn't care. There was nothing dangerous to her about him dying. But she had to know as fast as possible. She watched. He was of European descent, that was rare around these parts. And he was alone. That was even stranger. He had some sort of hunting weapon with him, but she didn't care for those. She however knew that he had tried to shoot at her guards. That had gone too far.
She had his effects with her, there were some peculiarities, especially in what seemed to be his identification. It said that he was some sort of Citizen of a Dominion of Draka. She had no clue what that was, but she was certain that he would tell her. She didn't let herself be limited by little things like morals or the like when interrogating someone.
Hannah glanced at her captive, looking up from the papers. "Good afternoon, Mr. de Witt. I was hoping that you could clarify a few things for me."
He looked at her with what was almost tangible disgust. Of course, the good doctor had no idea why that would be, she might be known to some people as a bit of a madwoman, and a bit murderous, but that was no reason to be impolite.
Alexander said nothing. He was still in pain, and he could feel that he was bound. He had opened his eyes, only to see a filthy chink sitting right next to him. She even was dressed in some sort of uniform. It looked a bit like a Soviet one, but what were they doing in the heart of the Dominion? He felt terrible, not because of his wounds, he could live with wounds, but because he had been taken alive by bushmen.
"Sir, I am well aware that you have reached consciousness. Would you please answer a few of my questions?", she sounded arrogant. If he was unbound, he would have strangled the little bitch for the way she spoke. He would love nothing more than that.
"Fuck you chink.", he muttered. He would not give in to the wishes of such a degenerate.
Hannah was shocked. He must be an Afrikaner, judging from the way he spoke. But what would they be doing in Kenya? "Now that is truly impolite, Mr. de Witt. I simple wish to have a conversation, but if you insist on trying to insult me by using such unpleasant words to point out my mother's ancestry, I hope that you won't mind me demonstrating a little of my expertise. You see, I am an expert in lasers, and I think that you might find a direct demonstration useful. Just so you know that I am being serious."
He had no idea what the bitch was talking about, but Alexander watched her take up some strange black box, with a little handle on it. She moved it around, and he heard a soft whizzing sound. Something moved from the ceiling, towards him. "Let us start with something simple. I hope that you will understand that any question you refuse to answer, or any further impoliteness, will be met with more severe applications."
She pushed a button, and his hand was on fire. He looked at it, and he saw his wrist burn, right through. Not just the edge, but somehow, even though he saw nothing, it was burning. Smoke rose, and he saw a beam of light through it. It hurt so much, and he screamed.
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah sighed. He prisoner had been stubborn. But in the end he had talked, and now she knew. She knew that there was some sort of South-African empire that was about to conquer and enslave the world. She knew that they were slavers, and she knew that they were in 1942. And they had no spacefaring capacities. She was in their lands, deep inside them. But she knew that there was a way. "Initiate the launch sequence."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
EXPLANATION
I wrote this story some time ago, and decided to also post it here. I really want to thank @liberty90 for helping me retrieve it. The basic idea is that someone who is a bit of a Bond-villain ends up in the Drakaverse, which causes all sorts of issues. I needed a villain, and I had just the right one around from a roleplay that unfortunately ended, Dr. Hannah Moritz. The first part of this post actually came from there, when Hannah had finally gathered everything she needed and was about to launch her totally scientifically possible killsats to hold the world hostage for enormous amounts of money. Funnily enough, her base was in Kenya, putting it right in the middle of the Dominion.
Chapter 2: A View to a Kill
Chapter 2: A View to a Kill
Anele looked up. The work in the field always was hard, but at least she was mostly left alone. In the distance, from the old volcano, she saw flames and smoke rising, following behind what seemed to be a white stripe of sorts. She had never seen anything like it. It rose higher and higher in the sky, riding on the flames. She had been told that the masters had built great flying machines, was this one of them? She didn't know what it was, and certainly didn't know that it was a weapon that could decide the fate of millions.
XXXXXXXX
Hannah watched the first of her rockets rise up into the sky. It was a wonderful sight, one that she had dreamt of for years. From what she understood from the wretch this was a dangerous world, and within a few days she would be ready to strike anywhere in the world, with a kind of force beyond the understanding of its people. Just the way she liked it. Of course, others would see it, others would see the rise of such a terrific tool. But they would be too late to stop it. These Draka might try sending troops, but it would have to be at short notice. And that meant that it would never be enough to stop her. Or so she hoped.
Hiding was no option, and every moment she had waited would have given more time to her enemies. Unfortunately, the launch schedule couldn't be rushed, it had to fit with the exact hours to ensure the right positioning. Luckily, the rocket hadn't exploded, that would have been a true disaster. A new idea came to her, and she gave another order: "Mr. Kandinsky, please see to it that anyone who approaches your positions is killed. I do not want any sightseers."
But still, this was a disaster. How could she hold the whole world hostage if she could only inform them by radio? She had prepared for a wonderful message, to go right onto every screen. Of course, she would do it without hacking into networks or something impossible like that, just blowing up some place and then phoning in would easily do the trick. And then she would make the direct connection to the UN. Just like she always wanted to.
But now she would do it differently. She needed a proper way to get her demands across. And she needed more information, the monster was dead, and he didn't tell her nearly enough. Of course, there was the radio traffic, but that was meaningless. Just idle chatter, and news about some distant war against the Nazis. She would also have to hit them, and she would hit them hard. She might not always have been the most moral person, or actually, she was far from moral, but some things just went too far. Even for her.
Of course, all that was secondary to her getting what she wanted in the first place. She would be unbelievably rich, and no one would be allowed to oppose her. Especially not a bunch of racist superpowers. She didn't really believe it, it was impossible that they held all of Africa and the Middle East. That simply was beyond comprehension. She knew that she was being deceived. Her prisoner must have misinformed her out of sheer spite.
She looked at the departing rocket one last time, it was far away by now, but this would be the last time she could see it. Soon, very soon even it would leave her sight forever. All those years of work, all the calculations, all the testing, and of course, all the other less savoury things. She had done it, even with this annoying intervention in the way.
XXXXXXXX
Centurion Yvonne Black leaned back. She was bored, utterly and completely bored. Her task was simple, and she often thought that it would have been better if she could simply be on the battlefield. This was a serf's work. It was her task to gather the Citizens who were called up to serve in the whole area. But of course, one of them was late. He should have arrived by this morning at the latest, and now she had to collect him at his plantation.
It really was incomprehensible, how could anyone betray the Race like that? He had better have a very good excuse, or he would be very sorry. It was a long way by autosteamer, and she was about to fall asleep. If it weren't for the fact that it would reflect really poorly on her with her men. She had brought along a whole Lochos. Perhaps there was a revolt going on, and that explained why de Witt didn't show up.
In the distance she could make out the building where he had lived, all alone with his serfs. The vehicle stopped, and she stepped out. There were serfs, but they were still working. There were no signs of revolt, and all of them bowed their heads to the Citizens. She looked over them, and asked in a commanding voice: "Where is your master?"
She could see the fear. That was good. It meant that they had been disciplined. One of them spoke after a few moments: "He's gone up the mountain, madam."
He bore scars across his face, another good thing. It meant that he had been beaten enough to know how to behave to his betters. "When did he go?"
"Yesterday, madam.", came the answer.
Something was wrong, she knew it. And she gave the order to go up the mountain. With the whole Lochos. She would find the possible deserter, giving up was no option.
XXXXXXXX
Hannah was tired, she had been awake throughout the night, witnessing each of the launches. She couldn't sleep. This was too important for it. Of course, her people changed shifts, but she remained there, taking in all the news. There were no sighting reports being broadcast, but that meant nothing. This would be an agricultural area, with poor communications. She sipped her tea, savouring the taste. And of course, enjoying the little fact that it helped keep her awake. Soon everything would be finished, and she could sleep a little bit.
Suddenly she received a message: "Dr. Moritz, some sort of vehicle approaches. It appears military."
"Open fire when it comes within range. Nothing can be allowed to disturb the plan."
She remained where she was. There was no point in waiting. But then she thought a little more. Some sort of vehicle? What was the meaning of that? If it was a car or a truck he could just have said that. But what else could it be? Some sort of armoured vehicle? She hardly had anything to deal with that, only having purchased a few small rockets after the incident with an Aston-Martin that simply couldn't be damaged with normal weapons. She hated those spies, and now she couldn't even blow them up anymore.
That didn't matter, and she couldn't call again. It was better to not disturb her troops when they were getting into a firefight. They should be able to handle almost anything, and if they couldn't, they would simply inform her.
XXXXXXXX
One moment, Yvonne was watching the landscape, when she saw a plume of flame ahead of her. A moment later something slammed into the autosteamer, and the whole world exploded.
She staggered, not knowing where she went, or what she was doing. Her ears were screaming, and she couldn't see properly. She was too dizzy. Everything hurt, and she staggered further. And she fell.
On the ground she recovered her sight, and it shocked her. The autosteamer was a burning wreck, with corpses hanging from it. There were parts of bodies and the vehicle everywhere, and she saw one of her men simply being gunned down. They were under heavy fire. She didn't understand. Not in the middle of the Domination. Bushmen didn't have such weapons. The centurion reached for her weapon. Any weapon, but she found that she only had her pistol. She aimed it in the general direction of the enemy, but it refused to fire.
She had to do something. She couldn't just remain there. They had been ambushed by someone with heavy weapons, and she had to tell others. She had to get reinforcements. Slowly, the wounded woman started to crawl away, keeping to the undergrowth, hopefully remaining hidden.
XXXXXXXX
Everything had went perfectly, Hannah thought as she heard the news of the brief firefight. Unfortunately, the vehicle had been damaged too heavily to draw any conclusions from it, but she was told that it looked like some sort of steam engine. There were no survivors, and her men were in the process of gathering useful bits of information. Mostly in the form of mangled weapons, uniforms and the like. Although she had been told that they had found part of a newspaper.
But if a military patrol had come, it meant that they were part of a bigger force, and that she would soon come under attack. And she still needed seven more hours to launch everything. And then everything had to be readied. She fidgeted with her pen, and was actually getting nervous. She needed something to do, something other than what was already turning into the monotony of the launches. Of course, she liked the continual sequence of perfectly ordered work, but sometimes she wished for something more. Or she would simply fall asleep.
XXXXXXXXX
As soon as she was clear, Yvonne broke into a run. She had to get back as fast as possible. They needed reinforcements to deal with these bushmen. They were too strong. Far too strong. They needed to bring serious forces here, and some questions had to be asked. Where on earth did such savages get that sort of weaponry? And how could they just set up a base in the heart of the Domination?
She didn't know, but at least she wasn't badly wounded. Unlike the others. This would be the end of her career, she knew it. She heard a roar behind her, and looked back. Smoke was rising over the caldera, behind her. And above that smoke something soared up into the air. Some sort to aircraft, but different. Driven forwards, no, upwards by flames. It was huge, almost the size of an airship. She simply stood still, she couldn't explain what it was, but it certainly wasn't something that some bushmen could have. Perhaps one of the savage nations outside the Domination, or their own scientists could build such a monstrous thing, but not here, not in the wilderness.
With that sight burned into her, the centurion ran as fast as she could, hopefully de Witt would have a telephone in his house. She had to contact her superiors. This was far greater than a missing man.
Anele looked up. The work in the field always was hard, but at least she was mostly left alone. In the distance, from the old volcano, she saw flames and smoke rising, following behind what seemed to be a white stripe of sorts. She had never seen anything like it. It rose higher and higher in the sky, riding on the flames. She had been told that the masters had built great flying machines, was this one of them? She didn't know what it was, and certainly didn't know that it was a weapon that could decide the fate of millions.
XXXXXXXX
Hannah watched the first of her rockets rise up into the sky. It was a wonderful sight, one that she had dreamt of for years. From what she understood from the wretch this was a dangerous world, and within a few days she would be ready to strike anywhere in the world, with a kind of force beyond the understanding of its people. Just the way she liked it. Of course, others would see it, others would see the rise of such a terrific tool. But they would be too late to stop it. These Draka might try sending troops, but it would have to be at short notice. And that meant that it would never be enough to stop her. Or so she hoped.
Hiding was no option, and every moment she had waited would have given more time to her enemies. Unfortunately, the launch schedule couldn't be rushed, it had to fit with the exact hours to ensure the right positioning. Luckily, the rocket hadn't exploded, that would have been a true disaster. A new idea came to her, and she gave another order: "Mr. Kandinsky, please see to it that anyone who approaches your positions is killed. I do not want any sightseers."
But still, this was a disaster. How could she hold the whole world hostage if she could only inform them by radio? She had prepared for a wonderful message, to go right onto every screen. Of course, she would do it without hacking into networks or something impossible like that, just blowing up some place and then phoning in would easily do the trick. And then she would make the direct connection to the UN. Just like she always wanted to.
But now she would do it differently. She needed a proper way to get her demands across. And she needed more information, the monster was dead, and he didn't tell her nearly enough. Of course, there was the radio traffic, but that was meaningless. Just idle chatter, and news about some distant war against the Nazis. She would also have to hit them, and she would hit them hard. She might not always have been the most moral person, or actually, she was far from moral, but some things just went too far. Even for her.
Of course, all that was secondary to her getting what she wanted in the first place. She would be unbelievably rich, and no one would be allowed to oppose her. Especially not a bunch of racist superpowers. She didn't really believe it, it was impossible that they held all of Africa and the Middle East. That simply was beyond comprehension. She knew that she was being deceived. Her prisoner must have misinformed her out of sheer spite.
She looked at the departing rocket one last time, it was far away by now, but this would be the last time she could see it. Soon, very soon even it would leave her sight forever. All those years of work, all the calculations, all the testing, and of course, all the other less savoury things. She had done it, even with this annoying intervention in the way.
XXXXXXXX
Centurion Yvonne Black leaned back. She was bored, utterly and completely bored. Her task was simple, and she often thought that it would have been better if she could simply be on the battlefield. This was a serf's work. It was her task to gather the Citizens who were called up to serve in the whole area. But of course, one of them was late. He should have arrived by this morning at the latest, and now she had to collect him at his plantation.
It really was incomprehensible, how could anyone betray the Race like that? He had better have a very good excuse, or he would be very sorry. It was a long way by autosteamer, and she was about to fall asleep. If it weren't for the fact that it would reflect really poorly on her with her men. She had brought along a whole Lochos. Perhaps there was a revolt going on, and that explained why de Witt didn't show up.
In the distance she could make out the building where he had lived, all alone with his serfs. The vehicle stopped, and she stepped out. There were serfs, but they were still working. There were no signs of revolt, and all of them bowed their heads to the Citizens. She looked over them, and asked in a commanding voice: "Where is your master?"
She could see the fear. That was good. It meant that they had been disciplined. One of them spoke after a few moments: "He's gone up the mountain, madam."
He bore scars across his face, another good thing. It meant that he had been beaten enough to know how to behave to his betters. "When did he go?"
"Yesterday, madam.", came the answer.
Something was wrong, she knew it. And she gave the order to go up the mountain. With the whole Lochos. She would find the possible deserter, giving up was no option.
XXXXXXXX
Hannah was tired, she had been awake throughout the night, witnessing each of the launches. She couldn't sleep. This was too important for it. Of course, her people changed shifts, but she remained there, taking in all the news. There were no sighting reports being broadcast, but that meant nothing. This would be an agricultural area, with poor communications. She sipped her tea, savouring the taste. And of course, enjoying the little fact that it helped keep her awake. Soon everything would be finished, and she could sleep a little bit.
Suddenly she received a message: "Dr. Moritz, some sort of vehicle approaches. It appears military."
"Open fire when it comes within range. Nothing can be allowed to disturb the plan."
She remained where she was. There was no point in waiting. But then she thought a little more. Some sort of vehicle? What was the meaning of that? If it was a car or a truck he could just have said that. But what else could it be? Some sort of armoured vehicle? She hardly had anything to deal with that, only having purchased a few small rockets after the incident with an Aston-Martin that simply couldn't be damaged with normal weapons. She hated those spies, and now she couldn't even blow them up anymore.
That didn't matter, and she couldn't call again. It was better to not disturb her troops when they were getting into a firefight. They should be able to handle almost anything, and if they couldn't, they would simply inform her.
XXXXXXXX
One moment, Yvonne was watching the landscape, when she saw a plume of flame ahead of her. A moment later something slammed into the autosteamer, and the whole world exploded.
She staggered, not knowing where she went, or what she was doing. Her ears were screaming, and she couldn't see properly. She was too dizzy. Everything hurt, and she staggered further. And she fell.
On the ground she recovered her sight, and it shocked her. The autosteamer was a burning wreck, with corpses hanging from it. There were parts of bodies and the vehicle everywhere, and she saw one of her men simply being gunned down. They were under heavy fire. She didn't understand. Not in the middle of the Domination. Bushmen didn't have such weapons. The centurion reached for her weapon. Any weapon, but she found that she only had her pistol. She aimed it in the general direction of the enemy, but it refused to fire.
She had to do something. She couldn't just remain there. They had been ambushed by someone with heavy weapons, and she had to tell others. She had to get reinforcements. Slowly, the wounded woman started to crawl away, keeping to the undergrowth, hopefully remaining hidden.
XXXXXXXX
Everything had went perfectly, Hannah thought as she heard the news of the brief firefight. Unfortunately, the vehicle had been damaged too heavily to draw any conclusions from it, but she was told that it looked like some sort of steam engine. There were no survivors, and her men were in the process of gathering useful bits of information. Mostly in the form of mangled weapons, uniforms and the like. Although she had been told that they had found part of a newspaper.
But if a military patrol had come, it meant that they were part of a bigger force, and that she would soon come under attack. And she still needed seven more hours to launch everything. And then everything had to be readied. She fidgeted with her pen, and was actually getting nervous. She needed something to do, something other than what was already turning into the monotony of the launches. Of course, she liked the continual sequence of perfectly ordered work, but sometimes she wished for something more. Or she would simply fall asleep.
XXXXXXXXX
As soon as she was clear, Yvonne broke into a run. She had to get back as fast as possible. They needed reinforcements to deal with these bushmen. They were too strong. Far too strong. They needed to bring serious forces here, and some questions had to be asked. Where on earth did such savages get that sort of weaponry? And how could they just set up a base in the heart of the Domination?
She didn't know, but at least she wasn't badly wounded. Unlike the others. This would be the end of her career, she knew it. She heard a roar behind her, and looked back. Smoke was rising over the caldera, behind her. And above that smoke something soared up into the air. Some sort to aircraft, but different. Driven forwards, no, upwards by flames. It was huge, almost the size of an airship. She simply stood still, she couldn't explain what it was, but it certainly wasn't something that some bushmen could have. Perhaps one of the savage nations outside the Domination, or their own scientists could build such a monstrous thing, but not here, not in the wilderness.
With that sight burned into her, the centurion ran as fast as she could, hopefully de Witt would have a telephone in his house. She had to contact her superiors. This was far greater than a missing man.
Chapter 3: OpenEye
Chapter 3: OpenEye
As soon as Yvonne reached the house, she made the call to her commanding officer. "Centurion, why do you require me this urgently?"
"Sir, as was reported, one of my men, Alexander de Witt, failed to muster. I took a Lochos to investigate, and we went up Mount Zisa. We were ambushed, and the whole patrol was wiped out. The enemy used heavy weapons. I survived, and retreated to report. During my retreat, I was witness to the departure of some sort of gigantic airplane, the size of an airship, but projecting flames below it. When I arrived at this house, I saw a second one depart, following the same path."
"Are you trying to tell me that some bushmen wiped out a full Lochos? And that you fled?", he asked, his voice hinting at anger. Of course it was, she had been beaten, and the Race was never beaten.
"Not bushmen, sir. Bushmen don't have heavy weapons, and they certainly don't have large aircraft.", she replied. Outside, she heard strange sounds, a little like "whop, whop, whop", over and over again. She had no idea what it was, but she had to finish her report. "The enemy appeared to be well-trained, and they used automatic weapons, as well as some sort of cannon."
The noise got louder and louder, and she heard shouts outside. It was almost impossible to make out what her superior was saying. But he seemingly didn't understand.
XXXXXXXX
This had been one of the strangest periods in Anele's life. First the mountain changed, and she saw the pillars carried by fire and smoke rise from it. And then the masters had come, and had gone to investigate. Of course, she simply worked, she didn't want to provoke the overseers. Mere hours later, only one of the masters had returned, bleeding and wounded. Something was happening there, and she was afraid of what would be done to her and her friends.
And now, now she saw flying craft, looking a little like insects and making strange noises approach. They were dark green, and were faster than anything she had ever seen. Except perhaps for the pillars that kept appearing regularly, even in the night. She could hardly sleep in the little hut she shared with six others, no one could. Everyone watched, and whispered about what it could mean. What sort of strangeness it was.
And now the strangeness was coming right towards them. Carried through the air, even though Anele feared that it might be the masters, or that these people might have terrible intentions towards her. The insects lowered, and she stood rooted to the ground. She couldn't just walk away, even if she wanted to run. Her heart started beating faster and faster.
Men jumped from the green beetles. They were armed, and dressed in green. She couldn't see faces, they were hidden behind helmets and bulky clothes. One pointed his weapon at her, and she fell to her knees, hoping to be spared. Others did the same, knowing that their place was to submit. One of the men however didn't. James, the overseer. His father had been the previous master, and that gave him a favoured position. And now he tried to defend it, rushing at one of the strangers. She heard a shot, and he fell, screaming and bleeding.
One of the strangers pulled down the black cloth covering his face, and Anele was shocked. His face, dark like her own. She had never seen someone not of the Race with a weapon, and here was one. She feared him, he might be a janissary, and she had heard tales about them. He houted, dispelling all her fears: "Allright, you lot are safe now. No need to be afraid of us. We're just here to fuck up some racist dimwits. And to get you lot out of here of course. Just get into the choppers, and everything will be fine."
She had no idea what he meant, but was shocked about how he spoke about the masters. Was he a bushman? Would he get all of them tortured? She didn't know, but had no choice, and like always in her life, she obeyed, climbing into what she assumed to be a chopper, one of the strange insects.
James remained on the ground, yammering. Old Sefu, who often bore the brunt of the lashings, as was clear enough from his face, passed by the prone overseer, and gave him a kick in the face. The sight brought a smile to Anele's face, despite her fear for the future. And then, then the chopper took to the air, and she screamed.
XXXXXXXXX
Michael reflected on his career as he entered the building. It looked like some sort of huge villa, and he saw the small huts as well. For a change, he didn't feel bad about signing up to work for Dr. Moritz after his stint in the marines was over. He didn't always feel very good about working for that madwoman, but what he had found here, after the transplantation, well, he saw it as a way to make up for some of the bad shit he had done.
He had not had the luck of being one of those ambushing the slavers, but he had heard about what they had found. And of course, what Dr. Moritz told everyone. He had been elated when he got the mission, and felt good about himself. No matter what else he had done so far, he had saved those poor souls from slavery. One of them remained, he had a whip with him, and that showed him as what he was. A filthy, disgusting pig. He saw one of the former slaves kick him, and he struggled to not smile. Or to not simply blow his brains out.
He however had his orders, and at the head of his team, he went into the villa. Keeping his gun ready to fire. They encountered a group of people, huddled together, and Clarkson escorted them outside, to safety. He wouldn't leave anyone behind in that terrible place. And they might have info. The objective of this little mission. Up ahead he heard a voice. One. He gave the sign, and the three of them burst through the door. Immediately, someone stabbed at him. In his belly. Luckily, he had a steel plate there, and nothing happened. He struck back with bone-crunching force, but the attacked somehow evaded it, throwing him to the ground.
Michael was a strong man, and he knew how to fight dirty all too well. But he was unarmed, against someone with a knife. He struggled to keep it away from him. His enemy was a woman, but one who was exceptionally strong, and knew what she was doing. Slowly, she drove the blade closer to his exposed face.
Until she just slumped away, and blood sprayed over him. He looked up, to see Baracus with a smoking pistol in his hand: "Sorry, but I couldn't let your pretty face be cut up."
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah yawned. The helicopters were returning from their first flight, bringing with them liberated slaves. And perhaps a few others as well. They would have to be separated, she couldn't use any spies, but needed someone to talk to. She stood waiting at the landing strip, she would welcome them herself, they might be useful.
Somehow, the transtemporation, as she has come to call it, offers a wonderful set of possibilities. This is a world ripe for the taking. On Earth, she couldn't have gone further than blackmail, but here. Here the possibilities are endless. If she plays her cards right, and she will play them right, she can carve out her own empire. And perhaps, she can finally take the place she deserves, as empress of the world. At least, if she can find out how this world works. But if they all lack nuclear weapons, she can make up for it by keeping a monopoly of it. In a few days, she can see the whole world, she can destroy even the best-defended target. And perhaps, she can actually build an army worthy of herself.
She watched the helicopters approaching, she has been told that there are almost forty people stuffed into them. She feared that some of them might be sick, but they should still listen to her. Of course, she wasn't alone. She wasn't insane. She had six men with her, all fully armed and ready to gun everyone down. Hannah didn't care for their lives, or anyone's for that matter. Except for her own. She just wanted obedience.
XXXXXXX
Anele stumbled from the chopper as soon as the doors have been opened. On the ground, she saw a woman, backed by soldiers. It was hard to make out, but she guessed that she is important. Once everyone was on the ground, the helicopters flew away again, leaving them all on the stone surface, looking at the strange woman.
When the noise had died down, she spoke: "I am Doctor Hannah Moritz, and this is my home. You are here, because I desire it. Not because of any other reason. I offer you your freedom from your oppressors, but there is something that I want in return. I want your cooperation. I want knowledge. My people will question you, and those who show the most knowledge will be led to me to explain things in greater detail."
This Doctor Hannah Moritz looked strange, her skin was different from anything she had ever seen, and her eyes looked slanted in some way. She had seen some things in the master's books, but that was always in secret. There were people like that in faraway lands, but that was beyond the plantation, and she had never been anywhere else. She thought for a few moments, before she did one of the rashest things in her life. She drew attention to herself, betraying what perhaps was her greatest secret. "Madam, I can read. And I have read the master's books."
As soon as Yvonne reached the house, she made the call to her commanding officer. "Centurion, why do you require me this urgently?"
"Sir, as was reported, one of my men, Alexander de Witt, failed to muster. I took a Lochos to investigate, and we went up Mount Zisa. We were ambushed, and the whole patrol was wiped out. The enemy used heavy weapons. I survived, and retreated to report. During my retreat, I was witness to the departure of some sort of gigantic airplane, the size of an airship, but projecting flames below it. When I arrived at this house, I saw a second one depart, following the same path."
"Are you trying to tell me that some bushmen wiped out a full Lochos? And that you fled?", he asked, his voice hinting at anger. Of course it was, she had been beaten, and the Race was never beaten.
"Not bushmen, sir. Bushmen don't have heavy weapons, and they certainly don't have large aircraft.", she replied. Outside, she heard strange sounds, a little like "whop, whop, whop", over and over again. She had no idea what it was, but she had to finish her report. "The enemy appeared to be well-trained, and they used automatic weapons, as well as some sort of cannon."
The noise got louder and louder, and she heard shouts outside. It was almost impossible to make out what her superior was saying. But he seemingly didn't understand.
XXXXXXXX
This had been one of the strangest periods in Anele's life. First the mountain changed, and she saw the pillars carried by fire and smoke rise from it. And then the masters had come, and had gone to investigate. Of course, she simply worked, she didn't want to provoke the overseers. Mere hours later, only one of the masters had returned, bleeding and wounded. Something was happening there, and she was afraid of what would be done to her and her friends.
And now, now she saw flying craft, looking a little like insects and making strange noises approach. They were dark green, and were faster than anything she had ever seen. Except perhaps for the pillars that kept appearing regularly, even in the night. She could hardly sleep in the little hut she shared with six others, no one could. Everyone watched, and whispered about what it could mean. What sort of strangeness it was.
And now the strangeness was coming right towards them. Carried through the air, even though Anele feared that it might be the masters, or that these people might have terrible intentions towards her. The insects lowered, and she stood rooted to the ground. She couldn't just walk away, even if she wanted to run. Her heart started beating faster and faster.
Men jumped from the green beetles. They were armed, and dressed in green. She couldn't see faces, they were hidden behind helmets and bulky clothes. One pointed his weapon at her, and she fell to her knees, hoping to be spared. Others did the same, knowing that their place was to submit. One of the men however didn't. James, the overseer. His father had been the previous master, and that gave him a favoured position. And now he tried to defend it, rushing at one of the strangers. She heard a shot, and he fell, screaming and bleeding.
One of the strangers pulled down the black cloth covering his face, and Anele was shocked. His face, dark like her own. She had never seen someone not of the Race with a weapon, and here was one. She feared him, he might be a janissary, and she had heard tales about them. He houted, dispelling all her fears: "Allright, you lot are safe now. No need to be afraid of us. We're just here to fuck up some racist dimwits. And to get you lot out of here of course. Just get into the choppers, and everything will be fine."
She had no idea what he meant, but was shocked about how he spoke about the masters. Was he a bushman? Would he get all of them tortured? She didn't know, but had no choice, and like always in her life, she obeyed, climbing into what she assumed to be a chopper, one of the strange insects.
James remained on the ground, yammering. Old Sefu, who often bore the brunt of the lashings, as was clear enough from his face, passed by the prone overseer, and gave him a kick in the face. The sight brought a smile to Anele's face, despite her fear for the future. And then, then the chopper took to the air, and she screamed.
XXXXXXXXX
Michael reflected on his career as he entered the building. It looked like some sort of huge villa, and he saw the small huts as well. For a change, he didn't feel bad about signing up to work for Dr. Moritz after his stint in the marines was over. He didn't always feel very good about working for that madwoman, but what he had found here, after the transplantation, well, he saw it as a way to make up for some of the bad shit he had done.
He had not had the luck of being one of those ambushing the slavers, but he had heard about what they had found. And of course, what Dr. Moritz told everyone. He had been elated when he got the mission, and felt good about himself. No matter what else he had done so far, he had saved those poor souls from slavery. One of them remained, he had a whip with him, and that showed him as what he was. A filthy, disgusting pig. He saw one of the former slaves kick him, and he struggled to not smile. Or to not simply blow his brains out.
He however had his orders, and at the head of his team, he went into the villa. Keeping his gun ready to fire. They encountered a group of people, huddled together, and Clarkson escorted them outside, to safety. He wouldn't leave anyone behind in that terrible place. And they might have info. The objective of this little mission. Up ahead he heard a voice. One. He gave the sign, and the three of them burst through the door. Immediately, someone stabbed at him. In his belly. Luckily, he had a steel plate there, and nothing happened. He struck back with bone-crunching force, but the attacked somehow evaded it, throwing him to the ground.
Michael was a strong man, and he knew how to fight dirty all too well. But he was unarmed, against someone with a knife. He struggled to keep it away from him. His enemy was a woman, but one who was exceptionally strong, and knew what she was doing. Slowly, she drove the blade closer to his exposed face.
Until she just slumped away, and blood sprayed over him. He looked up, to see Baracus with a smoking pistol in his hand: "Sorry, but I couldn't let your pretty face be cut up."
XXXXXXXXX
Hannah yawned. The helicopters were returning from their first flight, bringing with them liberated slaves. And perhaps a few others as well. They would have to be separated, she couldn't use any spies, but needed someone to talk to. She stood waiting at the landing strip, she would welcome them herself, they might be useful.
Somehow, the transtemporation, as she has come to call it, offers a wonderful set of possibilities. This is a world ripe for the taking. On Earth, she couldn't have gone further than blackmail, but here. Here the possibilities are endless. If she plays her cards right, and she will play them right, she can carve out her own empire. And perhaps, she can finally take the place she deserves, as empress of the world. At least, if she can find out how this world works. But if they all lack nuclear weapons, she can make up for it by keeping a monopoly of it. In a few days, she can see the whole world, she can destroy even the best-defended target. And perhaps, she can actually build an army worthy of herself.
She watched the helicopters approaching, she has been told that there are almost forty people stuffed into them. She feared that some of them might be sick, but they should still listen to her. Of course, she wasn't alone. She wasn't insane. She had six men with her, all fully armed and ready to gun everyone down. Hannah didn't care for their lives, or anyone's for that matter. Except for her own. She just wanted obedience.
XXXXXXX
Anele stumbled from the chopper as soon as the doors have been opened. On the ground, she saw a woman, backed by soldiers. It was hard to make out, but she guessed that she is important. Once everyone was on the ground, the helicopters flew away again, leaving them all on the stone surface, looking at the strange woman.
When the noise had died down, she spoke: "I am Doctor Hannah Moritz, and this is my home. You are here, because I desire it. Not because of any other reason. I offer you your freedom from your oppressors, but there is something that I want in return. I want your cooperation. I want knowledge. My people will question you, and those who show the most knowledge will be led to me to explain things in greater detail."
This Doctor Hannah Moritz looked strange, her skin was different from anything she had ever seen, and her eyes looked slanted in some way. She had seen some things in the master's books, but that was always in secret. There were people like that in faraway lands, but that was beyond the plantation, and she had never been anywhere else. She thought for a few moments, before she did one of the rashest things in her life. She drew attention to herself, betraying what perhaps was her greatest secret. "Madam, I can read. And I have read the master's books."
Ooooh I like it. "I can read!" the very fact that that is being announced has to tell Dr. Moritz a lot. It also has to help confirm a lot of the information she's currently doubting, even without finding out what Anele has to say. This is a terribly playful story and I'm enjoying it a lot. What I am curious about is how Dr. Moritz's logistics chain is. Is she in a self sufficient evil lair? Will she run out of ammo, fuel, food? Or are all of these things that she's already thought of on either a long term or perpetual basis?
Chapter 4: Risico
Chapter 4: Risico
Hannah was tired, but still she made time for this woman. She claimed that she had read things, and that would save her time. Of course, her people were bringing back dozens of books, but reading a book took time. Talking to an unwashed stranger was better than that. She simply had too much to do. The girl entered, dressed in a simple dress. A poorly made one at that. At least Hannah tended to dress her people well, she after all had to look at them.
"Please, take a seat", she smiled. She was good at faking to be friendly, it helped with getting the things she wanted to have. Her guest hesitated, before sitting down on the edge of the sofa in front of the one Hannah was lying on. She could at least give herself that. "Do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger perhaps?"
She seemed surprised, completely and utterly, and remained silent. "I won't bite. I promise. So please, make yourself comfortable."
Hannah stood up, she might have been lazy, but she still liked getting her own drinks. It made her feel a little more in control. And it helped with presenting an innocent front, more so than having a butler do it for her. She looked back, and the reply came: "I, eh, I'm sorry, but I don't know any of those things."
"Tea it is then.", Hannah stated, she was a virtual addict to it, and of course, it was easier for her. She really hated the Nespresso machine, it was far too expensive, and there always was something wrong with them. Luckily, she had had a system installed for boiling water, so she simply pushed the button, and it came out. For herself it was simple, Lady Grey, her eternal favourite. But what should she give her guest as a first taste? She decided to simply give her the same, and soon returned with two cups. She didn't ask if she wanted milk or sugar, she wouldn't have known anyways.
"So, I want to thank you for offering your help with this little issue. But first things first, could you tell me your name?"
"Anele, madam.", the nervous girl replied.
"Well, Anele, please call me Doctor Moritz. The owner of this little facility, but I only recently arrived here, and so I have a few questions."
"Yes Doctor Moritz", she replied.
"First of all, it appears that this area is under the control of some Domination. Is this correct?"
"Yes Doctor Moritz"
"Furthermore, my sources tell me that this society practices slavery."
"No doctor Moritz.", the answer surprised Hannah, what she had seen and heard clearly showed slavery.
"Would you please explain to me then what for instance your role was, and what your rights were?"
"I am a serf belonging to Mr. de Witt", she started, "I worked on the plantation since I was a child. I do not have any rights, as I am a serf."
Hannah listened, and she saw the opportunity. A wonderful, perfect chance to become what she always dreamt of. "That sounds like slavery to me.", she started, "and there is something that I want to offer you. You will be a free woman, owned by no one, and with the rights that every human being deserves. How would you feel about that?"
XXXXXXXX
The whole experience was utterly alien to Anele. She had been led to a large room, where the woman in charge was waiting. She was lying on a strange piece of furniture, and Anele clearly saw the pistol by her side. And then she was told to sit down, and Anele naturally obeyed.
And then the real strangeness started. She was afraid of what this meant. The woman actually got a drink for her, it looked like what the master sometimes had. And she was given it. Just like that. It had never happened before. And then there were the questions, the strange questions. She answered like she had been taught, politely but short. Never waste more of someone's time than necessary. And then there was the offer. The strange, almost impossible offer. How could she be free? She was born a serf! The masters would torture her to death for even thinking it, but she wanted it. More than anything in the world: "Yes!"
She had shouted, and immediately felt ashamed. Doctor Moritz smiled, and she felt at ease. This might actually work. "Excellent. I intend to put an end to this whole serfdom, it is simply barbaric. And I want your help with it."
"What can I do?", Anele wanted to help, she somehow believed that this woman could do it. That she could tear down the masters. That she could free the serfs.
"It is quite simple really. You see, I am newly arrived here, and there is certain information that I lack. And you said that you have read. Would you by any chance be able to tell me where the central government of this Domination is located? And how it is structured?"
She didn't know that? Everyone knew that it was in Archona. For a moment Anele felt worried again, how could someone who knew nothing at all hope to stand against the Race and the janissaries? But then again, she had seen the strange flying machines, which were different from what could be seen in the books and newspapers. "It is in Archona, Doctor Moritz, and is headed by the archon, who is chosen by the parliament, which is chosen by the Citizens."
Doctor Moritz seemed thoughtful for a few moments, and produced what looked like a darkened mirror. Suddenly, it lit up, showing a map of Africa. Anele gasped, she had never seen anything like it. "I fear that my map is a bit wrong, I believe that the general geography is correct, but I am not aware of any city named Archona. Could you tell me where it is?"
Anele looked for a few moments, she saw names that made no sense, and lines everywhere. She saw some of the names, they seemed African. It was truly strange, but soon enough she found the rough location, but the map was too small to properly point it out. "It is here."
She didn't touch it, but the woman did, and the strangest thing happened. The map grew, showing a smaller part of the continent, only the southern tip. She looked again, and found it easily enough. On the map, in exactly the same place, was a city. Pretoria.
"Thank you. And would there be other major cities?"
XXXXXXXX
At the same time, Cohortarch Faulhaber tried to figure out what to do. He had received the call from Centurion Black, but then there was only the sound of gunfire. He waited at the telephone, no knowing what he should be doing now. Suddenly, he hear breathing on the other side of the line. "Who is this?", he demanded.
"This, this is your death, you racist piece of shit. We're coming for you, and we're gonna kick your honky ass.", the man on the other side laughed. He sounded American, "I would run if I were you, 'cause, when we're done with your kind, there won't be dust left to wipe of our boots. And before I forget, the boss wants you to send a representative of your government here, or she'll fry you to ashes. You have forty-eight hours. I hope you don't show. And remind your peeps to take a look at the Table Mountain in twelve hours."
XXXXXXX
"Michael, you were supposed to give them our first demands, not to tell them that they are racist dicks.", Clarkson said, a broad smile on his face. "Not that it isn't true, but this is diplomacy you know?"
"If she wanted me to be nice, she would have let someone else do the talking. The boss wanted me to make things clear.", he replied. He had looked in a paper, and what he had seen was seriously messed up. These people actually sold people as slaves. And they were waging war to get more slaves all the time. And the rest of the world just let it happen.
"You think they will listen?", Baracus asked.
"No, they won't. And that gives the boss a good excuse to show that she can fry their asses. I don't know what it is she's doing, but I heard that it is some seriously messed up shit. Clarkson here should know, he dates one of these sciency types."
"I'm not dating her! She's my cousin for God's sake.", Clarkson snapped, "Don't make up such stories. But yeah, she told me that the boss has built some sort of satellite cannon, and that it is more powerful than a nuke. So yeah, she can seriously fuck them all up."
XXXXXXXX
Anele had no idea what was happening, but at least the tea tasted wonderfully. Doctor Moritz was strange, and frightening even. She was so quick, she knew so much. But she also knew so little. Anele however liked her, especially after she told her what had happened to de Witt. But she didn't understand, how could you cut someone to pieces with light? It seemed almost like magic. But so did many of the other things she saw.
Luckily, she had been given leave, and was escorted to a room. It was beyond her wildest dream. There was a bed, which was almost too soft for words. There was an electrical light in the ceiling, there was a table with a chair, there was what looked like a basin, with a strange handle. When she touched it, water came out, and Anele widened her eyes. There were two other doors, and she opened the first. It revealed a small room, with two more basins, one which looked like it was meant to sit on it, and another one enclosed by glass.
The other one showever only a closer, but there were clothes there. Dark green, like the doctor's. And a strange little hat. And others. There were several dresses, and what looked like underclothes. Was this for her? She had been told so, and she had also been told to wash herself, but she didn't know how to. She guessed that the enclosed basin was meant for it, and after undressing stepped into it. It was cold, and she pulled the handle. Water came from above, it was cold. Very cold even, but soon the strangest thing happened. It became warm, there was nice, warm water coming from above. She had never felt better.
XXXXXXX
Cohortarch Faulhaber had no idea what he should be doing. Of course, he couldn't just tell his superiors that there was a bunch of bushmen setting up shop, and that they wanted to negotiate. But they sounded like yanks, and they were fighting on the same side as those decadents. Were they more intelligent that he had thought? No, that was impossible. They wouldn't dare to do such a thing, they were too weak. But it was still troubling.
He picked up his telephone, and did what officers who don't know what to do have always done, he went up the chain of command.
Hannah was tired, but still she made time for this woman. She claimed that she had read things, and that would save her time. Of course, her people were bringing back dozens of books, but reading a book took time. Talking to an unwashed stranger was better than that. She simply had too much to do. The girl entered, dressed in a simple dress. A poorly made one at that. At least Hannah tended to dress her people well, she after all had to look at them.
"Please, take a seat", she smiled. She was good at faking to be friendly, it helped with getting the things she wanted to have. Her guest hesitated, before sitting down on the edge of the sofa in front of the one Hannah was lying on. She could at least give herself that. "Do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger perhaps?"
She seemed surprised, completely and utterly, and remained silent. "I won't bite. I promise. So please, make yourself comfortable."
Hannah stood up, she might have been lazy, but she still liked getting her own drinks. It made her feel a little more in control. And it helped with presenting an innocent front, more so than having a butler do it for her. She looked back, and the reply came: "I, eh, I'm sorry, but I don't know any of those things."
"Tea it is then.", Hannah stated, she was a virtual addict to it, and of course, it was easier for her. She really hated the Nespresso machine, it was far too expensive, and there always was something wrong with them. Luckily, she had had a system installed for boiling water, so she simply pushed the button, and it came out. For herself it was simple, Lady Grey, her eternal favourite. But what should she give her guest as a first taste? She decided to simply give her the same, and soon returned with two cups. She didn't ask if she wanted milk or sugar, she wouldn't have known anyways.
"So, I want to thank you for offering your help with this little issue. But first things first, could you tell me your name?"
"Anele, madam.", the nervous girl replied.
"Well, Anele, please call me Doctor Moritz. The owner of this little facility, but I only recently arrived here, and so I have a few questions."
"Yes Doctor Moritz", she replied.
"First of all, it appears that this area is under the control of some Domination. Is this correct?"
"Yes Doctor Moritz"
"Furthermore, my sources tell me that this society practices slavery."
"No doctor Moritz.", the answer surprised Hannah, what she had seen and heard clearly showed slavery.
"Would you please explain to me then what for instance your role was, and what your rights were?"
"I am a serf belonging to Mr. de Witt", she started, "I worked on the plantation since I was a child. I do not have any rights, as I am a serf."
Hannah listened, and she saw the opportunity. A wonderful, perfect chance to become what she always dreamt of. "That sounds like slavery to me.", she started, "and there is something that I want to offer you. You will be a free woman, owned by no one, and with the rights that every human being deserves. How would you feel about that?"
XXXXXXXX
The whole experience was utterly alien to Anele. She had been led to a large room, where the woman in charge was waiting. She was lying on a strange piece of furniture, and Anele clearly saw the pistol by her side. And then she was told to sit down, and Anele naturally obeyed.
And then the real strangeness started. She was afraid of what this meant. The woman actually got a drink for her, it looked like what the master sometimes had. And she was given it. Just like that. It had never happened before. And then there were the questions, the strange questions. She answered like she had been taught, politely but short. Never waste more of someone's time than necessary. And then there was the offer. The strange, almost impossible offer. How could she be free? She was born a serf! The masters would torture her to death for even thinking it, but she wanted it. More than anything in the world: "Yes!"
She had shouted, and immediately felt ashamed. Doctor Moritz smiled, and she felt at ease. This might actually work. "Excellent. I intend to put an end to this whole serfdom, it is simply barbaric. And I want your help with it."
"What can I do?", Anele wanted to help, she somehow believed that this woman could do it. That she could tear down the masters. That she could free the serfs.
"It is quite simple really. You see, I am newly arrived here, and there is certain information that I lack. And you said that you have read. Would you by any chance be able to tell me where the central government of this Domination is located? And how it is structured?"
She didn't know that? Everyone knew that it was in Archona. For a moment Anele felt worried again, how could someone who knew nothing at all hope to stand against the Race and the janissaries? But then again, she had seen the strange flying machines, which were different from what could be seen in the books and newspapers. "It is in Archona, Doctor Moritz, and is headed by the archon, who is chosen by the parliament, which is chosen by the Citizens."
Doctor Moritz seemed thoughtful for a few moments, and produced what looked like a darkened mirror. Suddenly, it lit up, showing a map of Africa. Anele gasped, she had never seen anything like it. "I fear that my map is a bit wrong, I believe that the general geography is correct, but I am not aware of any city named Archona. Could you tell me where it is?"
Anele looked for a few moments, she saw names that made no sense, and lines everywhere. She saw some of the names, they seemed African. It was truly strange, but soon enough she found the rough location, but the map was too small to properly point it out. "It is here."
She didn't touch it, but the woman did, and the strangest thing happened. The map grew, showing a smaller part of the continent, only the southern tip. She looked again, and found it easily enough. On the map, in exactly the same place, was a city. Pretoria.
"Thank you. And would there be other major cities?"
XXXXXXXX
At the same time, Cohortarch Faulhaber tried to figure out what to do. He had received the call from Centurion Black, but then there was only the sound of gunfire. He waited at the telephone, no knowing what he should be doing now. Suddenly, he hear breathing on the other side of the line. "Who is this?", he demanded.
"This, this is your death, you racist piece of shit. We're coming for you, and we're gonna kick your honky ass.", the man on the other side laughed. He sounded American, "I would run if I were you, 'cause, when we're done with your kind, there won't be dust left to wipe of our boots. And before I forget, the boss wants you to send a representative of your government here, or she'll fry you to ashes. You have forty-eight hours. I hope you don't show. And remind your peeps to take a look at the Table Mountain in twelve hours."
XXXXXXX
"Michael, you were supposed to give them our first demands, not to tell them that they are racist dicks.", Clarkson said, a broad smile on his face. "Not that it isn't true, but this is diplomacy you know?"
"If she wanted me to be nice, she would have let someone else do the talking. The boss wanted me to make things clear.", he replied. He had looked in a paper, and what he had seen was seriously messed up. These people actually sold people as slaves. And they were waging war to get more slaves all the time. And the rest of the world just let it happen.
"You think they will listen?", Baracus asked.
"No, they won't. And that gives the boss a good excuse to show that she can fry their asses. I don't know what it is she's doing, but I heard that it is some seriously messed up shit. Clarkson here should know, he dates one of these sciency types."
"I'm not dating her! She's my cousin for God's sake.", Clarkson snapped, "Don't make up such stories. But yeah, she told me that the boss has built some sort of satellite cannon, and that it is more powerful than a nuke. So yeah, she can seriously fuck them all up."
XXXXXXXX
Anele had no idea what was happening, but at least the tea tasted wonderfully. Doctor Moritz was strange, and frightening even. She was so quick, she knew so much. But she also knew so little. Anele however liked her, especially after she told her what had happened to de Witt. But she didn't understand, how could you cut someone to pieces with light? It seemed almost like magic. But so did many of the other things she saw.
Luckily, she had been given leave, and was escorted to a room. It was beyond her wildest dream. There was a bed, which was almost too soft for words. There was an electrical light in the ceiling, there was a table with a chair, there was what looked like a basin, with a strange handle. When she touched it, water came out, and Anele widened her eyes. There were two other doors, and she opened the first. It revealed a small room, with two more basins, one which looked like it was meant to sit on it, and another one enclosed by glass.
The other one showever only a closer, but there were clothes there. Dark green, like the doctor's. And a strange little hat. And others. There were several dresses, and what looked like underclothes. Was this for her? She had been told so, and she had also been told to wash herself, but she didn't know how to. She guessed that the enclosed basin was meant for it, and after undressing stepped into it. It was cold, and she pulled the handle. Water came from above, it was cold. Very cold even, but soon the strangest thing happened. It became warm, there was nice, warm water coming from above. She had never felt better.
XXXXXXX
Cohortarch Faulhaber had no idea what he should be doing. Of course, he couldn't just tell his superiors that there was a bunch of bushmen setting up shop, and that they wanted to negotiate. But they sounded like yanks, and they were fighting on the same side as those decadents. Were they more intelligent that he had thought? No, that was impossible. They wouldn't dare to do such a thing, they were too weak. But it was still troubling.
He picked up his telephone, and did what officers who don't know what to do have always done, he went up the chain of command.
It indeed says a little about the setting she finds herself in, which is quite different from what she's used to.
Her logistics basically just collapsed completely. She has supplies, of course, but there is no way to replenish them. She doesn't even have money anymore. Aside from that, she doesn't have the means to manufacture new weapons, although she can make a few rockets and the like.
Uh oh, that lack of logistics is going to be a serious issue. But, on a lighter note I'm terribly amused by the fact that she just went from having paid mercenaries and the moral low ground, to what appears to be a highly motivated and loyal army and the moral high ground overnight!
Now I'm sure there are some among her men that are not going to be onboard only, simply, or just to do away with slavery, but I suspect she will be able to keep their loyalty through incentives and the knowledge that yes, the money she was paying them with is now worthless but she'll be able to more than make up for that by conquering Africa.
She will need to task a few people with 'onboarding' of natives. Poor Anele might not have hit the hot water knob and had to suffer a very VERY cold shower simply through bad luck, and getting them all properly uniformed and fitted and learning the minimum expectations will be an important task. Of course that might become Anele's future job description, when she's not helping to be a conduit of understanding for this world.
Chapter 5: In her Augestness' Service
Chapter 5: In her Augestness' Service
Jeremy Blunt still had no idea of what had happened. He had traced that madwoman, Moritz, to somewhere around Nairobi, and after picking up a few things from the Q department he would fly there. He didn't know what she was up to, but she had to be found, especially after the incident with the sarin. Luckily, the bombs had been found and disarmed, but she had escaped, and had taken the diamonds with her. He had one regret, all those years ago, on his first mission, he should have blown that helicopter from the sky, he should not have felt compassion for the little girl in it.
He knew that he was in London, but not really. It was like some comedy version, but an evil one. He had woken up in a strange room, which wasn't all that strange to him. And he was alone. Now he looked from the window, out into the street. He knew it, the buildings were the same. But the people weren't. They wore uniforms or strangely coloured suits, and the cars didn't make any sense at all.
He looked at what he had with him, in this strange room. He had his clothes, a nice grey suit, his watch, including a few extras, his gun, the explosive pen, and a few other toys. He dressed, he had to find out what was happening.
XXXXXXXXXX
Anele felt strange, wrong even. She sat at a table with six others. Doctor Moritz was at the head, flanked by a man introduced as Mr. Valenkov, a short blonde man, who was starting to turn grey and who had eyes that frightened her. They were so cold. He wore clothes like the Doctor's. She sat next to him, and on her other side was an olive-skinned woman, miss Nalbandian, who was covered in burns.
On the other side of the table were Sefu and Nala, both of them in the same green as Anele, and the only ones she really knew. And on the other side of Moritz there was a tall, dark-skinned man she already knew. Her saviour. Michael Washington. He looked angry, but she knew that he meant well.
And then there was the strangest thing of all. Someone was bringing them food and filling glasses with wine. For her!
"I want to thank all of you for accepting my invitation", the bespectacled woman started, "and I presume that you will be curious about the reasons for it. So, allow me to explain. Since the Transtemporation steps have been taken to gain an understanding of this world. This has led to the conclusion that we require an army, to augment our defense. To that end, I want to ask several things of you. First of all, my associates here have volunteered to oversee the training, and I want you to be aware of their expertise in the field. Secondly, I would ask you to comminicate this to your fellows, and to ask them if they would volunteer for this. I would also truly appreciate it if you would volunteer as well. And finally, I want all of you to get to know each other better. We will after all have to cooperate."
Anele smiled, Moritz was such a good person, but she did wonder where she came from, and why she had a small army with here in this place. Perhaps she was a revolutionary who was preparing for something?
XXXXXXXX
He had never feared as much for his career as when he had called his superiors. He had been told to simply go there, with all the men and women under his command. And to put an end to this uprising. And so he would. He couldn't fail, and the cohortarch wouldn't fail. He looked out over the autosteamers carrying them to battle, at the pulled artillery pieces. The bushmen would die. He would of course capture the survivors, and they would be made to suffer. Especially the Yankee. He hated him already, even if it only was for threatening his career.
They might have ambushed Black, but that was only a small group, not a full cohort. He would swat them aside, and the greatest difficulty would not be winning, but preventing escape. He would hate to have to be hunting savages here while he could be fighting where it mattered. In Europe.
The volcano was in sight as they drove past one of the plantations. He saw flies covering what looked like bodies, abandoned without ceremony. He ordered his car to stop, to take a look. He had seen enough death to be inured to it, but he was curious. Were the bushmen advancing?
He looked closer, and he was certain. The dead were overseers, serfs with whips. And then there were two others, a man and a woman. Well dressed and without tattoos. Murdered. He was certain now, this was a threat.
He looked at his column, these unfortunate people would be avenged. He swore it.
XXXXXXXX
Michael saw the column of strange trucks. Military. Only an army moved like that. "This is Red Three to Center. Column identified, artillery is present. Request instructions. Over."
He hated it, but this was different from the liberation raids. This was actually dangerous, and politically important. Said the boss. If it was up to him, they would just waste those assholes.
"Red Three, do not engage. Inform them over the speakers that they are to withdraw. One vehicle will be allowed to proceed."
"Acknowledged", he replied, cursing under his breath. But he obeyed, everyone obeyed the boss.
XXXXXXXX
Cohortarch Faulhaber had no idea of what was happening. A flying machine of some sort appeared over them, and told him to retreat. He didn't know the type, but he had anti-air guns and ordered them to be prepared. What sort of idiots were these people? The column moved on, they were bound by the road. He would dismount when they were closer, so they wouldn't have to lug the heavy weapons all the way there. In the front were armoured cars, they would be able to deal with an ambush.
He looked to the horizon when he saw six dots approaching, they quickly turned into these peculiar aircraft. He ordered the aa guns to bring them down. It shouldn't be hard, those things were awfully slow.
He looked at the approaching craft and saw streaks running from them. Through the air. Almost like some fireworks. The first gun started firing, but then it was hell. Blasts rocked the column, trucks were thrown through the air and torn to pieces. Something touched his leg, and he fell. Looking up, he saw half his leg, meters away from him.
Jeremy Blunt still had no idea of what had happened. He had traced that madwoman, Moritz, to somewhere around Nairobi, and after picking up a few things from the Q department he would fly there. He didn't know what she was up to, but she had to be found, especially after the incident with the sarin. Luckily, the bombs had been found and disarmed, but she had escaped, and had taken the diamonds with her. He had one regret, all those years ago, on his first mission, he should have blown that helicopter from the sky, he should not have felt compassion for the little girl in it.
He knew that he was in London, but not really. It was like some comedy version, but an evil one. He had woken up in a strange room, which wasn't all that strange to him. And he was alone. Now he looked from the window, out into the street. He knew it, the buildings were the same. But the people weren't. They wore uniforms or strangely coloured suits, and the cars didn't make any sense at all.
He looked at what he had with him, in this strange room. He had his clothes, a nice grey suit, his watch, including a few extras, his gun, the explosive pen, and a few other toys. He dressed, he had to find out what was happening.
XXXXXXXXXX
Anele felt strange, wrong even. She sat at a table with six others. Doctor Moritz was at the head, flanked by a man introduced as Mr. Valenkov, a short blonde man, who was starting to turn grey and who had eyes that frightened her. They were so cold. He wore clothes like the Doctor's. She sat next to him, and on her other side was an olive-skinned woman, miss Nalbandian, who was covered in burns.
On the other side of the table were Sefu and Nala, both of them in the same green as Anele, and the only ones she really knew. And on the other side of Moritz there was a tall, dark-skinned man she already knew. Her saviour. Michael Washington. He looked angry, but she knew that he meant well.
And then there was the strangest thing of all. Someone was bringing them food and filling glasses with wine. For her!
"I want to thank all of you for accepting my invitation", the bespectacled woman started, "and I presume that you will be curious about the reasons for it. So, allow me to explain. Since the Transtemporation steps have been taken to gain an understanding of this world. This has led to the conclusion that we require an army, to augment our defense. To that end, I want to ask several things of you. First of all, my associates here have volunteered to oversee the training, and I want you to be aware of their expertise in the field. Secondly, I would ask you to comminicate this to your fellows, and to ask them if they would volunteer for this. I would also truly appreciate it if you would volunteer as well. And finally, I want all of you to get to know each other better. We will after all have to cooperate."
Anele smiled, Moritz was such a good person, but she did wonder where she came from, and why she had a small army with here in this place. Perhaps she was a revolutionary who was preparing for something?
XXXXXXXX
He had never feared as much for his career as when he had called his superiors. He had been told to simply go there, with all the men and women under his command. And to put an end to this uprising. And so he would. He couldn't fail, and the cohortarch wouldn't fail. He looked out over the autosteamers carrying them to battle, at the pulled artillery pieces. The bushmen would die. He would of course capture the survivors, and they would be made to suffer. Especially the Yankee. He hated him already, even if it only was for threatening his career.
They might have ambushed Black, but that was only a small group, not a full cohort. He would swat them aside, and the greatest difficulty would not be winning, but preventing escape. He would hate to have to be hunting savages here while he could be fighting where it mattered. In Europe.
The volcano was in sight as they drove past one of the plantations. He saw flies covering what looked like bodies, abandoned without ceremony. He ordered his car to stop, to take a look. He had seen enough death to be inured to it, but he was curious. Were the bushmen advancing?
He looked closer, and he was certain. The dead were overseers, serfs with whips. And then there were two others, a man and a woman. Well dressed and without tattoos. Murdered. He was certain now, this was a threat.
He looked at his column, these unfortunate people would be avenged. He swore it.
XXXXXXXX
Michael saw the column of strange trucks. Military. Only an army moved like that. "This is Red Three to Center. Column identified, artillery is present. Request instructions. Over."
He hated it, but this was different from the liberation raids. This was actually dangerous, and politically important. Said the boss. If it was up to him, they would just waste those assholes.
"Red Three, do not engage. Inform them over the speakers that they are to withdraw. One vehicle will be allowed to proceed."
"Acknowledged", he replied, cursing under his breath. But he obeyed, everyone obeyed the boss.
XXXXXXXX
Cohortarch Faulhaber had no idea of what was happening. A flying machine of some sort appeared over them, and told him to retreat. He didn't know the type, but he had anti-air guns and ordered them to be prepared. What sort of idiots were these people? The column moved on, they were bound by the road. He would dismount when they were closer, so they wouldn't have to lug the heavy weapons all the way there. In the front were armoured cars, they would be able to deal with an ambush.
He looked to the horizon when he saw six dots approaching, they quickly turned into these peculiar aircraft. He ordered the aa guns to bring them down. It shouldn't be hard, those things were awfully slow.
He looked at the approaching craft and saw streaks running from them. Through the air. Almost like some fireworks. The first gun started firing, but then it was hell. Blasts rocked the column, trucks were thrown through the air and torn to pieces. Something touched his leg, and he fell. Looking up, he saw half his leg, meters away from him.
There are several ways to resolve this. Of course, making a deal is made a little bit harder by her ancestry (she's half-Asian). Otherwise, she could very easily just join up with the baddies here.
The logistics indeed are a big issue. And don't forget the megalomania. Hannah tends to believe that she is much better than she actually is, and she tends to not really think too much about her minions. She doesn't have the best people skills, instead, she has very powerful lasers and the sheer insanity needed to use them on people without caring at all.
She will indeed need people to run the native side for her, just like she has people for all sorts of fighting, and for untold other tasks.
And for those who are interested, the original version of Hannah Moritz, who was created for a roleplaying game that unfortunately never really got off the ground. All of this lies a few years in the past, because I figured that it would be more interesting to have the story start when she actually is about to launch her great plan.
Name: Dr. Hannah Moritz
Appearance:
History: Hannah is the daughter of two renowned scientists, dr. Karl Moritz and dr. Zhao Li. Her parents specialized in lasers and solar energy, and sought to combine the two. Hannah of course believed it to be for peaceful purposes, that they were working on a highly efficient system to transfer energy, to make power lines unnecessary. Of course, they were actually building a solar-driven laser cannon with which they were planning on using to shoot down airplanes and rockets. They would then sell their services to whichever side in the Cold War paid the most, essentially letting them win a hot war.
The plan however failed, a British secret agent infiltrated the island, and killed his way through the guards. Hannah doesn't know exactly what happened, but she knows that she was put on a helicopter with her backpack, which contained papers which were important, and a few clothes. That was everything she had left when she saw the explosions rocking her old home, killing almost everyone she knew.
She was all alone, except for Caesar, the only surviving guard, who had always been loyal to her parents. He took up the task of raising the orphan. Hannah was brought to London, where she attended private schools, and at home she learned more. Caesar owed it to Karl, who was almost like a brother to him. What he wanted was simple. He wanted revenge for what had been done. And Hannah had it in her to be the tool of that revenge. From an early age she showed a stunning brilliance, and more than that. She was strong, even if she was a little shy.
At the same time, Caesar kept in contact with some of his old associates, people who he knew would be there to help when the time came. He practically became the head of a shadowy organization, but he knew that he was only a placeholder.
Her choice of studies was more than predictable; she started with physics, and specialized in optics, and lasers. But she seemed to be even better than her parents were, she had an instinctive grasp on even the most complicated concepts, and completed her PhD with a thesis on high-energy photons.
She could have chosen an academic career, but Hannah thought that the time was there to become something else. She still wanted to take revenge, and ever since she was a little girl, she had dreamt of tearing the world apart. This in turn led to the meeting with Caesar and his associates, and she hopes that it will be enough to achieve her goals. Her revenge.
Personality: Hannah is a little shy, she isn't a social creature, even if the potential is there. She however is very driven, and unlikely to divert from a course she has taken. She is convinced that she is brilliant, and that she is better than nearly everyone else. Furthermore, she is a little lacking in the moral department. Hannah can kill and torture without truly caring for it, all based on her sense of complete superiority. She is very ambitious, she wants to be known and feared by all. Her method for this is simple, highly advanced terrorism.
Abilities: First of all, Hannah is extremely intelligent, which has fed her arrogance. She has always been the best, and she is a scientist first. Her expertise in her chosen field is the greatest in the world, and she has heard whispers of a Nobel Prize in the future, but she abandoned all that, to simply head an international organization, or rather, to disappear from the public eye. Aside from this expertise, she is moderately proficient with weapons, but fighting is not her strength. Her strength is her mind. She is the one who can find solutions to the most complicated technical problems, and for the rest, she relies on the others.
Weaknesses: Hannah is arrogant, which can easily lead to her missing minor threats. Furthermore, she is a little shy, she doesn't like being around people, even if she now has the responsibility of leadership. She also lacks the combat skills many agents display, making it relatively easy for her to be captured.
Name: Dr. Hannah Moritz
Appearance:
History: Hannah is the daughter of two renowned scientists, dr. Karl Moritz and dr. Zhao Li. Her parents specialized in lasers and solar energy, and sought to combine the two. Hannah of course believed it to be for peaceful purposes, that they were working on a highly efficient system to transfer energy, to make power lines unnecessary. Of course, they were actually building a solar-driven laser cannon with which they were planning on using to shoot down airplanes and rockets. They would then sell their services to whichever side in the Cold War paid the most, essentially letting them win a hot war.
The plan however failed, a British secret agent infiltrated the island, and killed his way through the guards. Hannah doesn't know exactly what happened, but she knows that she was put on a helicopter with her backpack, which contained papers which were important, and a few clothes. That was everything she had left when she saw the explosions rocking her old home, killing almost everyone she knew.
She was all alone, except for Caesar, the only surviving guard, who had always been loyal to her parents. He took up the task of raising the orphan. Hannah was brought to London, where she attended private schools, and at home she learned more. Caesar owed it to Karl, who was almost like a brother to him. What he wanted was simple. He wanted revenge for what had been done. And Hannah had it in her to be the tool of that revenge. From an early age she showed a stunning brilliance, and more than that. She was strong, even if she was a little shy.
At the same time, Caesar kept in contact with some of his old associates, people who he knew would be there to help when the time came. He practically became the head of a shadowy organization, but he knew that he was only a placeholder.
Her choice of studies was more than predictable; she started with physics, and specialized in optics, and lasers. But she seemed to be even better than her parents were, she had an instinctive grasp on even the most complicated concepts, and completed her PhD with a thesis on high-energy photons.
She could have chosen an academic career, but Hannah thought that the time was there to become something else. She still wanted to take revenge, and ever since she was a little girl, she had dreamt of tearing the world apart. This in turn led to the meeting with Caesar and his associates, and she hopes that it will be enough to achieve her goals. Her revenge.
Personality: Hannah is a little shy, she isn't a social creature, even if the potential is there. She however is very driven, and unlikely to divert from a course she has taken. She is convinced that she is brilliant, and that she is better than nearly everyone else. Furthermore, she is a little lacking in the moral department. Hannah can kill and torture without truly caring for it, all based on her sense of complete superiority. She is very ambitious, she wants to be known and feared by all. Her method for this is simple, highly advanced terrorism.
Abilities: First of all, Hannah is extremely intelligent, which has fed her arrogance. She has always been the best, and she is a scientist first. Her expertise in her chosen field is the greatest in the world, and she has heard whispers of a Nobel Prize in the future, but she abandoned all that, to simply head an international organization, or rather, to disappear from the public eye. Aside from this expertise, she is moderately proficient with weapons, but fighting is not her strength. Her strength is her mind. She is the one who can find solutions to the most complicated technical problems, and for the rest, she relies on the others.
Weaknesses: Hannah is arrogant, which can easily lead to her missing minor threats. Furthermore, she is a little shy, she doesn't like being around people, even if she now has the responsibility of leadership. She also lacks the combat skills many agents display, making it relatively easy for her to be captured.
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