The Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
Previous Instalments:
- T.I.C: The Crete Disaster – Surviving the Imperium: Morgan’s Escape and Redemption
- Coming From the Shadows T.I.C: Aftermath – Dreadnought and Betrayal: The War Against the Imperium
- Thomas’ Love – Santorini Secrets: Passion and Pain in 1911
- The Imperium Chronicles: The Scars of Crete – The Rise and Fall of the Cult of the Minotaur in Crete
- T.I.C: The Dying Flame – The Dying Flame: A Tale of the Imperium
The Imperium Chronicles: William’s War
Back Ground:
Since 1905; William Smythe has organised and led his own rebellion against the Shadowy Organisation; the Imperium – a unifying body since Ancient Times comprised of various Cultist Movements that worship a Dark Celestial Being – William’s act of betrayal stemming from his father’s callous betrayal of his younger Half-Sister; Lydia Langdon.
After George Smythe declared the intention to use Lydia as a sacrificial lamb for slaughter; William rebelled, suspecting that if George could sacrifice his own daughter, then nothing would stop him from threatening the lives of the rest of his children – forming a fragile alliance with his younger half-sister; William staged the beginning of his rebellion.
The burning of his fathers estate; the Smythe’s Family Manor nearly destroyed George’s influence and power within the Imperium and fractured his Business Empire – but, George would still claw back a position of strength even if barely.
Within the intervening years between 1905 to 1911; William would continue to build allies amongst Anti-Imperium groups, acquiring a Dreadnought through military connections, a modern marvel of war; his first use of such a weapon would come in 1908 when it was used to stage the first attack against an Imperium-operated facility along the Burmese Coast, a demonstration of power that revealed the Imperium’s weakness, not just to William’s act of rebellion but also direct military action taken by an Imperium Power – When Britain, mistaking the events to be a local uprising would seize the Imperium’s Coastal Facility.
In 1911; William took things further; organising around the information gathered regarding his father’s plans to uncover and potentially unlock an Ancient Temple; William meticulously planned out his mission, positioning the Dreadnought within the Port of Heraklion – using its positioning to enable a bombardment of the nearby mountains to a devastating effect, William unleashed chaos – the Imperium saw the death of Cult Leader; George Smythe which would send the Cult of the Minotaur into chaos.
Now; capitalising on his success; William continues his act of Rebellion.
Introduction:
10th of January, 1912 A.D.
The sun, a cold and indifferent eye within the wintery sky glinted off the peaceful waters of the Mediterranean sea; a calmness had settled in a the Merchant ship ‘The Blue Pearl’ sailed across, it flew proudly the Red Ensign – a ‘Red Suster’ adopted by Merchanmen since the 17th Century.
The Ship’s hold was laden with goods bound for Alexandria; smoke plumed lazily from its stacks, a symbol of the industry on the vast waters of the Mediterranean.
Then, without warning; the entirety of that peace was shattered; violently with an explosion.
A deafening roar tore through the air followed by the sickening screeching of tearing metal; the Blue Pear shuddered violently, listing sharply to port; panic erupted amongst the crew as they began to scramble for lifeboats, their faces clear indicators of their terror.
Before a single boat could be launched; a second, much more devastating attack struck – a colossal explore erupted midship, it tore the ship in half like it was paper, the screams of the dying were swallowed by the sea as the shattered remains of the Blue Pearl disappeared within the cold embrace of the sea.
Further away at sea; the shadow of a menacing figure graced the peaceful waves; a Steel Levithan; a Dreadnought – sliced its way forwards, it’s dark hull a sharp difference against the azure water; it was a predator, and it had just claimed its prey.
Chapter 1
Within the Dreadnought; William Smythe leaned against the mahogany planning table, his dark blonde hair cut short, his dark eyes burning into the map laid out across the table; the atmosphere hummed with a low thrum of the engines, a constant reminder of the immense power of modern warfare.
A younger officer came into the room, standing before the table holding some papers “William” he said “We can confirm the Blue Pear’s destruction; and with it, the Imperium’s cargo; whatever Lord Edwards-Hamilton was expecting, has been claimed by the sea”
William nodded “Good; another one can be marked off our list” William said with an almost detached tone “The Imperium is like a wounded beast; so long as we keep up the pressure, we can cause so much damage they could begin fracturing and fighting themselves in desperation”
The officer slowly nodded; though there was something he was growing concerned about “William; most of these ships we’re targeting though, are crewed by innocent people; people that have no clue the people they are working for”
William thought carefully about what he just said; raising his head; his eyes meeting with the young offer “I understand the concern; but, if we don’t attack; then how do we bring them down?, we have made so many success since what happened in Crete, I am not blind to the cost of our actions” he said, his voice not carrying the same determined strength, there was a softness present “I sacrificed my step-mother to ensure my fathers death; destroyed whatever possible alliance that could have been made with Lydia as a result”
The young officer thought for a moment, he said nothing more simply left the room as William returned to his focus on what his next step would be.
Serbia
Hundreds of miles to the northeast; within the war-torn landscape of the Serbian Kingdom; a starkly different scene was unfolding; within a rundown safehouse in Belgrade; Damir – a former soldier and a part of Cathryn Langdon’s Anti-Imperium group sat at a rough-wooden table, gathered around were a motley collection of men, faces hardened by hardship and the stresses of many battles.
Within Serbia; the Imperium’s Cultist movement; the Cult of White Eagle was already in a dire position, the fragility of Serbian, normally a breeding ground for the Imperium proved far too volatile for them to operate effectively, and now with internal fighting and external threats, the Serbian Cultists were without the support from the Imperium.
“We strike now” Damir said; his voice low and gravelly “With the Imperium still reeling from what happened in Crete, we can strike against their operations here in Serbia”
Damir looked about carefully “We can remove them from Mother Serbia entirely”
A wiry man with a cautious expression leaned forwards against the table; Aleksa, spoke up “It is too risky; the politicians in power have been bought and paid for already; the Imperium’s grip maybe weakened, but it is still right there” he paused for a moment, shifting his gaze around before returning his eyes to Damir “Not to forget the Austrians have begun show more interest in Serbia; they could use that to their advantage if we cause some kind of chaotic outcome by openly attacking the Cultists”
“Cultists within the Austro-Hungarian Empire would use any form of open attacks against their own allies as a tool to embolden the Austrian realm into pushing their agenda against Serbian; it is far to great a risk” another man; Andrej added
Damir grew frustrated slamming his fist against the table as he stood up; the men present jumped at the sudden impact “I understand the risks; but, we cannot allow this poison to regain ground” Damir looked around carefully “We strike; and we shall strike hard, we will free Serbia”
The men exchanged wary glances; despite the uncertainty; they would follow Damir’s lead – Serbia would be freed.
Chapter 2:
12th of January, 1912 A.D.
New York State, United States
A frosty air engulfed the moderate airfield that had been created; a crowd had gathered, men and women were impeccably dressed, they waited in anticipation; among this crowd was Victor, a man with a powerful, almost regal presence; a Scottish-Born individual, he was the leader of the Imperium, its official elected Leadership – he held the look of a benevolent father, his eyes missed nothing and he always held a stern gaze, exuding an aura that commanded both respect and fear.
Today, he was attending a demonstration; aircraft while still in their infancy were marvels of engineering that promised to revolutionise not just warfare, but also transportation; Victor understood the importance of such technologies, it would benefit the Imperium greatly to begin investing into the future of such technological advancements, perhaps aid in restoring the cracks that were forming within the Imperium.
As the aircraft; an experimental Biplane – its wings gleaming with the morning sun made a perfect landing; a young woman, smartly dressed in a tailored suit approached Victor, she held a telegram in her gloved hand “Sir” she said, her voice clear, professional and; American “I have an urgent message for you”
Victor raised an eyebrow as he looked to her, gesturing her to continue “A report has been sent in from our bureau in Naples; a series of attacks have been made against merchant ships within the mediterranean”
Victor frowned, brushing it off “Ah…, it is of no concern, what importance could that be to us?”
“Sir…, these attacks were specifically targeted; they are owned by members of the Imperium’s Inner-Council; the Edwards-Hamilton Family are amongst the most recent family to have felt the impact with one of their owned ships being sunk; these aren’t random acts of piracy, they are coordinated”
Victor narrowed his eyes “Explain” he said, his tone becoming more serious
“A report made to the Italian Bureau in Naples reported a panicked message between one of the latest ships to its nearest point of communication in Catania before it was relayed back to Naples claimed that they were attacked by a large vessel, descriptions match that of a Dreadnought” the young woman told him carefully
The blood drained from Victor’s face; a Dreadnought – it had caused the Imperium so much trouble, he recognised this news as most likely William’s continued aggression “William Smythe” he shifted his gaze a moment, then looked back to the young woman “Return to the Bureau; I shall be along shortly, for now, instruct Isabelle Mason to prepare for travelling to Italy, I believe she maybe the preferable option for overseeing some changes to our operations in Italy”
The Young woman nodded before turning to leave; Victor, he returned his gaze to the airfield, but, he wasn’t watching the display anymore, he was lost in thought; how would the Imperium deal with William and the Dreadnought – his eyes eventually landing onto the Experimental Aircraft as new thoughts began to run through his head.
Written By: Westley H.
Leave a Reply