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That was one incredible battle scene, Draco! Just breathtaking! I disagree though, it didn't read like Tom Clancy. It read a lot more like James Bond. :D (Well, except for the lack of gadgetry and Bond getting shot of course.)

I agree with coz, this isn't going to weaken the monarchy. I think the Soviets expected the EWUP to get away without detection, or they seriously understimated Britain's resolve. The EWUP's doomed - most of the members they had are going to become loyalists overnight, and the diehards are going to fall. And if Britain ever finds out about Red Hammer .... well, WW II might begin just a little early. :)
 
G'day Folks!

I just wanted to drop a line and let you all know that I shall be soon back among the normal work schedule peoples of the world, hopefully by the end of the week. Once I'm back, I should be able to start working on the next update and be able to get this story back on it's break-neck pace.

Now, does anyone have any requests as to whom we shall follow next? The new king, His Majesty George VI, Malcolm Drake, or his brother Gordon Drake? Or, would my loyal readers prefer this story to slide more toward a historical text style?

Just sing out an' let me know, eh?

Until next we read, have fun stormin' the castle!
 
Let's see the brothers Drake in action! After the dastardly assasination of the King I think HM's Secret Service should conduct a little operation of their own in Russia. :D
 
VILenin said:
Let's see the brothers Drake in action! After the dastardly assasination of the King I think HM's Secret Service should conduct a little operation of their own in Russia. :D
Time to knock off a Communist leader, me thinks.
 
Nice to know you shall soon return Draco :) I think it will be very interesting to read more about Drake brothers, and it would seem like it is time for the Secret Service to take revenge on the commies ;)
 
Glad to see you are back. I read the entire! :eek: imperial france AAR waiting on your return. I hope everything went OK
 
Good to know that you'll be back shortly.
 
What a smashing AAR you have here Draco. Well written, giving the details of the era and lot's of dialogue. I'm intrigued and left craving for more such good reading material to be posted.

I'm going to subscribe this for sure! :cool:

Oh and, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi! Long live the King.
 
therev said:
All of it....

I want all of it and everything!

The people, the battles, the history.... All of it!

Glad your back among the land of the living
GOT MY VOTE! :) sorry, could not help yelling! ;)
 
Thanks for the votes of confidence, friends and neighbors!

Just a head's up, I'm working on the next update and I'm having a hard time tweeking it just so it works the way I want and still doesn't come out as gibberish, so please bear with me a bit more, eh? It's coming soon, never you fear!
 
In Draco I trust... ;)
 
CHAPTER TEN


St. James Palace
London


Two days after the announcement of the death of King Edward and the proclamation of King George, the new king held his first official meeting in his office at St. James’ Palace. The surviving members of the Privy Council were joined by General Montgomery-Massingbeard of the Imperial General Staff, Brigadier Petrie of MI-5, Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair of MI-6, aides to the Home Secretary, War Secretary, and Sir George Bellew, Garter Principal King of Arms. While there was conversation between the members of the Council, it was bleak and listless. Very few of the men in the room were strangers to violence or at least the possibility of violence, however, none of them would have ever considered the violence dune to the British Empire to be within the realm of possibility. The fact that an attack had been conducted against their sovereign and that it has succeeded, concerned them all to what the future held for the world, and while they were loathe to voice it even to themselves, frankly frightened not a few of them.

As only the Prime Minister, Home Secretary and his own aides had seen the new king since the attack on Clarence House, when the door to King George’s private office opened and the new king strode in, there was an inaudible gasp from the room. Realization struck home to the men who were quickly rising to their feet that, while they had lost their monarch, this man had lost two of his brothers in the audacious attack and that grief was clearly etched upon his face. Waving them to his feet as he walked to the head of the table, the king could be seen setting aside his personal pain and taking upon himself the mantle of the monarchy and those who were close could see the fires of vengeance being flamed within his eyes. Taking a pen from his suit pocket as he sat, the King reached for a blank sheet of paper and after writing something along the top looked at his Council. “Gentlemen. I know how this… event happened, and I don’t care to waste time casting blame about, so what I want is an update on what our response has been since.”

“Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, with the assistance of MI-5, have rounded up what members of the EWUP that they have been able to run to ground, Your Majesty,” the Home Secretary answered at the cue from Churchill. “And there is a coast to coast search currently being conducted for the remaining known Party members unaccounted for.”

“And what sort of timeframe are we looking at for completion of this operation, Sir John?”

Sliding forward in his seat as he replied for the Home Secretary, Brigadier Petrie said, “Your Majesty, we are uncertain at this point. We know, thanks in large part to the information provided by Captain Gordon Drake, that the EWUP has three cadres of hardened men whom they planned to use to conduct their version of the October Revolution. As of this morning, we have been able to account for two of those groups.”

“Two?”

“Aye, Your Majesty,” Petrie replied with a heavy sigh. “The first cadre was the one that conducted the attack on Clarence House. I must commend your ADC’s coolness in the heat of the moment for keeping the bloodlust of the Guardsmen in check and allowing several of those men to be captured alive, for we were able to obtain from them the information that allowed for the neutralization of the second cadre last night.”

“Young Malcolm has proven to be quite an asset to the Crown, Your Majesty,” MI-6’s Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair said. “From the reports given to me by my men involved, he conducted himself quite admirably in last night’s operation.”

“It’s in the family blood, as Your Majesty has commented on before,” Prime Minister Churchill said.

“Quite true. What about this third cadre, Brigadier,” the King asked, bringing the meeting back to his intended subject as he jotted down a few more notes on his paper.

“There, Your Majesty, we run into a stone wall. While we were able to take some of the second cadre’s members more or less alive, it has been proven to be somewhat difficult in obtaining any useful information from them.”

Looking up from his notes, the King fixed a cold stare upon the Brigadier that also cast itself upon Admiral Sinclair as well as the Home Secretary. “We want any and all information these communists scum have, whatever it takes,” he said using the royal plural in obvious displeasure. “We will not have a repeat scenario, is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” all three men replied in unison, the MI-5 and MI-6 chiefs clearly understanding that the leashes had just been released.

“Now, Quex,” the King said turning his attention solely on MI-6’s chief, “what has Six found about EWUP’s international support?”

“While we still have agents investigating leads across the Continent, the information that looks the most promising is from Paris. It seems that back on September 22, the Soviet’s former London Rezident, Anatoli Gorsky, was seen leaving Paris in quite a hurry and was followed by one of our agents as far as the Channel coast where he boarded a small fishing trawler.”

“Are you insinuating that my brother’s assassination was a Soviet operation,” the king growled ominously.

“That I am, Your Majesty,” Sinclair said without flinching, “however, I cannot be certain until I’m able to get more information.”

“Your Majesty,” the Foreign Secretary spoke up quickly, “I must stress that we must tread carefully with this information. If even a hint of it gets out, the results could be disastrous.”

“I understand, Anthony,” the king retorted sharply, “I am not a simpleton blind with grief.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty,” Eden replied clearly embarrassed.

“Forgiven, Anthony, you were just doing your job, for which I thank you. What else do you have for me, Quex?”

“As I mentioned, Your Majesty, we have agents investigating several leads but that’s everything at this moment.”

In response to the nod in his direction, General Montgomery-Massingbeard cleared his throat and reported, “Your Majesty, since the time of the attack, all forces of the Empire have been put on alert and we have moved an additional brigade of troops, consisting of the Fourth and Fifth battalions of the Grenadier Guards and the Third and Seventh battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, in the area surrounding London. As of two hours ago, all stations and commands are reporting nothing overtly suspicious. However, General Ironside of the Imperial Grenadier Army has alerted us that Bristol is seeing the congregation of large numbers of Communist Party members as well as Worker of England members, protesting a “cover-up” of the facts and clamoring for the truth about the attack on Clarence House. General Ironside states that the mood, in his opinion, is ugly as the Communists are antagonizing the Grenadier Guards, and the Guardsmen are clearly itching to inflict vengeance for Your Majesty’s brothers.”

Pausing for the expected vehement response from the well known Socialist and Communist hating monarch, the General and rest of the room were shocked when the king simply leaned back in his chair and thoughtfully clasped his hands before his face. After a minute of silence, King George leaned forward with a grim look on his face. “Gentlemen, I will come back to this issue, but I would like to hear from Sir George first. Sir George?”

Sir George Bellew held the ancient and arcane Office of Garter Principal King of Arms, and as the title suggests, is the King of Arms for the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the chivalrous order of knighthood created by Henry V in 1415. Sir George’s duties included running of the College of Arms were armorial bearings are granted and pedigrees prepared and recorded in the tomes of the Empire. However, at this time, Sir George’s primary duty, as deputy and principal lieutenant of the Earl Marshal of England, was the marshalling of State ceremonies such as King Edward and Prince Henry’s funerals and the coronation of King George.

Nodding his head briskly at the rest of the room’s occupants and respectfully to his new sovereign, cleared his throat and began. “Your Majesty, m’Lords, gentlemen. The planning for the State funerals is moving forward. The Prime Ministers of all the Dominions and Colonies are scheduled for arrival within the next week and we have been notified through the Foreign Office that the Royals of the Scandinavian nations as well as most of the Heads of State for Europe and the President of the United States are planning on attending both funerals. Security has been raised as a concern; however, the Home Office and Imperial General Staff have already seconded enough manpower to assure that concern.

Now, Your Majesty, while I understand the rawness of this topic, I must broach the subject as King of Arms, and beg of you to reconsider your holding off of your coronation until after the burial of your brothers.”


Erupting out of his seat and knocking his heavy chair to the floor while slamming his fists on the table top, King George barked angrily, “We have had this discussion one time to many, Sir George, and my answer will not change! I will not take up my brother’s crown and scepter until all due respect has been paid to his person, is that understood?”

Flinching and paling at their monarch’s naked expression of his still quite raw grief, the room’s occupants all silently felt sympathy for Bellew, and found interesting minute details of the table, walls, or ceiling to suddenly distract them from the scene unfolding in their midst. Sir George, however, quite secure in the weighty ancient traditions of his office, while flinching at his king’s anguish, failed to wilt in the face of the royal displeasure. “Aye, Your Majesty, it is understood.”

Tearing his eyes away from Bellew and taking a deep breath to calm his ragged nerves, King George mentally cursed himself. Watch yourself, Albert me boyo, the man is only doing his duty, no need to be taking his head off. Taking a second breath and releasing it slowly, the king straightened himself and said sincerely, “I apologize, Sir George, you did not deserve that.”

Standing upright in the face of the royal wrath, Bellew now wilted in the face of the royal act of contrition and stuttered to reply, “No apology is necessary, my liege.”

“Thank you, Sir George, but it is,” the king replied. Turning to look at the rest of the room, he continued, “And that goes for all of you. Now back to business before the rest of you start falling over yourselves telling me there’s no need for my apology.”

Being answered with chuckles, the monarch of the British Empire smiled softly, started to pace and began to dictate. “Right then, here’s what I want done. Sir John, Brigadier, I want that last cadre of those EWUP scum located and eliminated. Quex, track down this Soviet and find me details about any foreign involvement. As for the rest of you, prepare for some rough times, because effective immediately, the Communist Party and any organization with Communist ties are hereby illegal.”

“Your Majesty,” Churchill replied, “is that wise?”

“Winston, back when I was a young lieutenant upon the Collingwood,” the king answered, alluding to his time in the Royal Navy, “I had an old bosun’s mate by the name of Grayson who told that sometimes, you just have say ‘I don’t give a rat’s ass!’”

Giving a cold hard look to the members of his Privy Council, the Empire’s new monarch said simply, “I’ve just lost two of my brothers, the Empire has lost its King and several of its Lords and that can all be placed at the feet of the Communists. Anyone involved with them are persona non grata, and I just don’t give a rat’s ass what the world or anyone else thinks about it. Make it happen.”



*******************************
Next.... Red Hammer, Part Deux ;)
 
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Draco Rexus said:
Next.... Red Hammer, Part Deux ;)

What do you mean? Surely the Russians have had their pound of flesh?

That third cadre better be found and found quickly.

BTW was there an event to cover these activites and banning of commies or is it just part of the story?

Great story-telling as usual!
 
That was simply excellent. Now that they are aware that the Soviets were behind the assasination of King George, retribution can not be far off.