Very shitty TL-191/Anastasia/Doctor Zhivago crossover fanfic

>December, 1917
>World War I is about to enter its fourth and final year
>the United States of America, dominated by the war-hungry Republican Party, has entered the war on the side of Entente Powers
>American troops have begun arriving in France in preparation for offensives planned for the following year that the Entente hope will break the stalemate
>its Southern neighbor and arch rival, the Confederate States of America, remains neutral
>despite widespread anger at the revelation of the Zimmerman Telegram, which offered German recognition of Mexican claims to the state of Texas in exchange for Mexico joining the Central Powers. Economic problems at home, perceptions that joining the war would result in massive casualties, and the potential awkwardness of the Confederacy fighting on the same side as its oldest and most bitter rival forestall any entry into the conflict
>not that any of this bothers Confederate President Woodrow Wilson
>he’s more than happy to let the trigger-happy Yankees do the fighting and dying
>nonetheless these are extraordinary and dangerous times
>he’s concerned that the United States will use any excuse to turn its new war machine on the South
>the Confederacy is on war footing
>conscription has been reintroduced in all 13 states (Louisiana has even started raising regiments of colored soldiers), the navy escorts all Confederate merchant ships coming in and out Europe, and the Army is undergoing modernization
>knowing it has no hope of outproducing the United States, the CSA invests in new technologies, hoping it combined with traditional Southern martial skill will even the odds in a potential showdown
>so far, Wilson’s been lucky
>the only significant Confederate involvement in this war has been the rescue of drowning soldiers and sailors after the troopship Mauritania was sunk by a U-Boat (thankfully the Germans had the grace to quietly slip away while survivors were picked up) and the landing of Confederate Marines on the coast of Turkey to evacuate Armenian refugees after they had spent several days watching Ottoman troops massacring them
>although the rescue was conducted without prior approval from Richmond and resulted in Confederate and Ottoman forces exchanging fire, Wilson let the commander of the ship off with a slap on the wrist (merely demoting him with the promise of reinstatement once the current world crisis is over)
>Wilson knows he can get away with this because the Ottoman Empire is crumbling and even its ally, Imperial Germany, has no desire to defend their persecution of Christians
>Wilson attends his daily briefing, the news is no good
>Civil War has broken out in the Russian Empire
>the Romanov family has been taken into custody by Lenin’s Bolsheviks and are now being held at an undisclosed location
>asylum requests for the Tsarina and the children were denied by Great Britain, making them trapped
>Wilson is told that a representative of the “Whites” would like an audience with him
>having no desire to recognize the Bolsheviks as the legitimate successor to the Russian Empire (seeing as their success might embolden malcontents in his own country to try something similar), Wilson agrees
> Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich enters and introduces himself as a representative for both White Russian leader Alexander Kolchak and Maria Feodorovna and has instructions to relay an offer to Wilson
>the Whites know the CSA seeks a technological edge over its rival, the United States and they can help provide it
>in exchange for joining the war against the Reds and sending a force to rescue the Tsar and his family, the White government is willing to turn over many of its most closely guarded military secrets to the Confederacy. Including blueprints for an experimental combat vehicle code-named “Netopyr”, a 76mm “air-defense gun”, and 100 working prototypes for a new Russian rifle capable of fully automatic fire, along with the schematics, operating manuals, and tooling required to produce it.
>if that isn’t enough, the Whites are prepared to allow the Confederacy to mine Russia’s remaining supply of byzanium
>byzanium is a rare-earth mineral theorized to be a near-inexhaustible power source. For this reason, it is highly sought after by the Confederate States Nitre and Mining Bureau for potential use in a secret weapons project. A “death ray” proposed by a Serbian-American scientist that would firmly put the Confederate military decades ahead of the United States
>Wilson flatly refuses to provide any kind of military assistance, pointing out that the Confederate military does not possess the training or logistics to do so, that the Entente (including the Americans) are already preparing an intervention force that will be deployed to Russia within the year, that it could potentially put them in direct conflict with the German Empire, and that public support for such an expedition would be non-existent. Owing in large part to the perception that the White Movement is a continuation of the Tsar’s undemocratic government and widespread Russian antisemitic violence, both of which the Confederate public find offensive.
>however, Wilson is no more a friend of the Bolshevik and is prepared to offer an alternative
>the Confederacy is willing to turn over a fleet of merchant vessels (mainly composed of Entente and Central Powers flagged ships that were seized by Confederate authorities when hostilities broke out in 1914 as well as surplus ships awaiting disposal) under civilian contract for the Whites to use to supply their forces. Provide non-military aid in the form of food, medical supplies, and civilian vehicles. Finally, a small team of agents from the Confederate Secret Service and Nitre and Mining Bureau will infiltrate Bolshevik territory to “evaluate” potential byzanium mining and “ascertain” the Tsar’s condition
>although disappointed that this wasn’t the help he had been hoping for, Nikolaevich nonetheless agrees to the terms on one condition. The Confederates will only be given access to the byzanium if the Tsar’s wife and children (whom he knows personally and is quite close to) are rescued safely
>Wilson agrees and the two shake hands on it, although they are unable sign any written agreement
>some weeks later…
>the Confederate government is transferring the ships docked in Chesapeake Bay to Russian custody who will operate them via a front company
>meanwhile in Richmond….
>former CS Army sergeant and mining expert Jake Hobart is assembling a special team to enter war-torn Russia
>some are miners from the coalfields of Western Virginia
>some are Overmountain Men from Tennessee
>some are from the mixed race upper class families of Louisiana
>some are the sons of small communities of Jewish and Shtundist immigrants who arrived following the pogroms of the 1880s
>some are recent Wolgadeutsche who fled the intensifying persecution of their minority following the outbreak of war in 1914
>Hobart himself is the son of a Russian Jewish girl and a Virginian mining engineer and was selected because of his being the only miner who spoke fluent Russian and his military record
>Hobart was officially booted out of the Army for insubordination, but was in fact accepted into the Confederate Secret Service, thereby making it possible for the government to disavow him as a filibuster in the event of capture
>Hobart briefs them on the importance of their mission
>although many of them have ample reason to hate the Tsar, they all consider themselves patriots first and foremost, and will do what is asked of them by their government
>the mission is dangerous and some of them will not come home
>any man is free to back out now and he will not be considered a coward
>not one of them does
>February, 1918
>the team arrives in the Russian SFSR, posing as socialist intellectuals and revolutionaries, hoping to bring the workers’ struggle to the shores of the CSA
>in Moscow they receive an audience with a curious Lenin himself
>a young Bolshevik commander named Stalin voices his concern that the men might be foreign agents, but is prevented from taking any action by Lenin
>Hobart and his team eventually track the Tsar’s family to the city of Yekaterinburg and set up shop near the Amerikanskaya Hotel, using their profession as miners as a cover
>they find out the Romanovs are being kept under guard at a “House of Special Purpose” and approach the Ural Regional Soviet to become guards, claiming they have no reason to be loyal to the Tsar and can thus, be trusted to perform “uncomfortable” actions
>Alexander Avdayev however correctly suspects the men of being spies and turns them away
>unable to get direct access to the Romanovs, Hobart’s men instead begin 24/7 surveillance of the property
>they notice two of the daughters, believed to be Anastasia and Maria, are fond of flirting with the younger guards
>Maria in particular is observed to be close to one of them
>at a nearby bar, the agents use bottles of Tennessee whiskey (an expensive liquor rarely found outside of the Confederate States) they had brought with them from home to ply the guards at the “House of Special Purpose”  for information
>eventually they come into contact with Ivan Skorokhodov, the one they had observed chatting with Maria
>Skorokhodov is love-struck and apparently so is Maria
>were she not a Grand Duchess, she would love to do nothing more than to marry a Russian soldier and raise a large family
>Hobart decides to use this to his advantage
>he encourages Skorokhodov to begin a relationship with Maria, hoping to use it to blackmail him later on
>as expected, Skorokhodov and Maria’s tryst becomes increasingly intimate over the next few weeks, culminating in a night of passion in an abandoned wing of the Ipatiev House, barely avoiding discovery by the other guards
>July, 1918
>Hobart comes across Skorokhodov, he’s a nervous wreck
>Maria’s pregnant and he’s the father
>they’re keeping it hidden from her family and the rest of the guards, but they won’t be able to for long. She’s barely a month along and already showing.
>they’re both terrified
>this couldn’t have gone any better if Hobart had planned it
>now, he doesn’t just have the ability to blackmail Skorokhodov, but flip him too
>Hobart tells Skorokhodov that he an agent for the Whites and is here to rescue Maria and needs his help
>meanwhile at the Ural Regional Soviet, plans are being drawn up for the Romanov family’s liquidation
>Commandant Avdayev charges into the meeting in a rage, having heard of the plan to drive the Romanovs deep into the surrounding forest and shoot them
>he argues to spare the Tsar’s wife and children for hours, but to no avail. The decision has been made. The Romanovs will be executed in the coming months.
>as punishment for his defiance, Avdayev is stripped of his command and replaced with Yakov Yurovsky
>Yurovsky points out that the guards have become too friendly with the Romanovs and recommends that they be replaced with his own men
>he also suggests that since Avdayev can no longer be trusted and the White Army is closing in on Yekaterinburg, that the plan for the execution be changed, and the timetable be moved up
>the Soviet agree and order Yurovsky to begin preparations for the family’s liquidation by the end of the month
>hearing about the removal of Avdayev, Hobart realizes the guards who are friendly to the Romanovs will be removed as well. He instructs Skorokhodov to be verbally abusive to Maria to make it appear as if the two had a falling out and to get close to Yurovsky
>Skorokhodov is distraught at the prospect of being cruel to the girl he loves but Hobart explains that it is the only way to remain close enough to her to be any use
>the following day, Avdayev detains Hobart and takes him to the local Cheka interrogation center
>Avdayev says he knows Hobart and his men are mercenaries
>realizing his cover is blown but suspecting from previous observation that Avdayev’s loyalties are torn, Hobart acknowledges that he is indeed an agent, not of the Whites, but the Confederate States of America
>Avdayev tells Hobart of the Ural Regional Soviet’s plan to execute the Romanovs and that he will let Hobart go if he agrees to help rescue them
>Hobart explains that’s the reason he was here all along
>Avdayev releases Hobart from custody and agrees to meet him to begin formulating a plan to save the Romanov family
>over the next few days, Avdayev and Hobart go over details of the defenses of Ipatiev House to draw up plans for a rescue
>Avdayev suggests convincing sympathetic guards to turn on Yurovsky’s men, overpower them, and to have Hobart’s team rush the Romanovs out of the city and to the Whites’ lines
>Hobart rejects the plan for several reasons. First, the escape would almost certainly degenerate into a running gun battle, which would result in annihilation as the Red Army still have several thousand men stationed in and around the city who would be brought to bear on them as soon as the first shots were fired. Second, the Soviet has already stripped Avdayev of his command, so he no longer has any official authority over the guards. Third, there are almost certainly Cheka agents reporting to Yurovsky mixed in with the regular men by now, so anyone they approach to join the plot is a possible informer.
>Hobart instead proposes to have Tennessee sharpshooters using rifles equipped with Maxim Silencers ambush the convoy taking the Romanovs to their execution location at a secluded spot outside of town and slip away into the forest before anyone can raise the alarm
>Avdayev doesn’t like that this plan is cutting it close with timing but agrees that it is more likely to succeed
>Hobart begins preparations for the ambush
>noon, July 16th, 1918
>Skorokhodov bursts into Hobart’s hideout in a panic
>he’s heard that the Romanov family is to be liquidated tonight around midnight and that preparations are being made to kill them in the Ipatiev House
>with only a few hours before the execution, Hobart realizes it’s impossible for him to carry out the original rescue plan and he’ll have to improvise
>the house is too well defended to assault directly, even if Hobart’s men could somehow fight their way past the 100+ guards, it would take too long to do so and the entire family will almost certainly be killed immediately
>they can’t save all of them
>so they’ll just have to save one
>Hobart gives Skorokhodov a bottle of chloroform and instructs him find a way onto that execution squad, wound Maria in the leg, drug her to make her become unresponsive to finishing blows, join the burial detail and somehow get her away from the rest of the guards and meet Hobart’s men in the forest
>Skorokhodov agrees to do it for Maria, but asks how will he get onto the execution squad
>Hobart says to leave that to him
>after Skorokhodov leaves Hobart has one of his men track down Peter Ermakov
>they’ve been watching Ermakov for the past several weeks
>he’s a violent, bloodthirsty, sociopath who’s despised even by the other hardline Bolsheviks, and Yurovsky’s right hand man
>but most important of all, he’s a raging drunk
>Ermakov is drinking at the local bar as usual
>one of Hobart’s men drinks him under the table with a Jack Daniels No. 7
>Ermakov leaves the bar so drunk he can barely stand
>Hobart lures Ermakov into an alleyway and cuts his throat with an Arkansas Toothpick
>when Ermakov fails to show up for the execution, Skorokhodov will take his place
>covering Ermakov’s body with garbage and a hat to make him appear to be a sleeping vagrant, Hobart heads to the local Soviet motor pool to do some “maintainance”
>night of July 16th, 1918
>Maria is in argument with her parents and sisters
>she’s become increasingly moody, appears to be gaining weight (while everyone else is losing it), and they all suspect she might be hiding something
>Nicolas speaks to Maria in private and prods her to come clean
>Maria finally breaks down and reveals she’s pregnant, expecting her father to become enraged
>Nicolas breaks the silence by joking to her how that as badly as he wants to be a grandfather, she could’ve chosen a better time to do so
>although a Grand Duchess having an unplanned pregnancy would have been tremendous scandal in previous years, now that Nicolas has abdicated, it means little
>Maria quips that maybe Bolshevism isn’t so bad after all
>Nicolas has to cover his own mouth to avoid laughing too loud and tells Maria they should go to bed. They can give the good news to everyone else in the morning
>later that night…
>Yurovsky awakens the Romanovs and their servants, and tells them to get dressed for travel
>the family is gathered in the cellar for a “photograph”
>Skorokhodov enters with a chair to seat the Tsarina and quickly pulls Maria aside, quietly whispering into her ear to “play dead”
>Nicolas overhears him and begins to realize what’s about to happen
>before he can warn the others, Yurovsky and his men enter
>the Romanovs are informed that they are to be shot
>hoping to spare his unborn grandchild, Nicolas side steps in front of Maria at the last second, absorbing the bullets that were meant for her
>Nicolas II, the last Tsar is cut down in a hail of gunfire
>the rest of the execution goes badly
>outside, Hobart can hear the gunfire and screaming clearly, the massacre is underway
>some of his men voice the desire to intervene now but are rebuffed, there’s nothing they can do besides wait
>all Hobart can do is hope Skorokhodov did what was asked
>it takes nearly 20 minutes of firing before the last Romanov falls
>Maria lies bleeding from a wound in the thigh
>she uses the smoke and confusion to her advantage and covers herself with the body of her dead brother, the pooling blood soaking into her dress as if she had suffered more serious wounds
>little by little, the Cheka officers cease their firing, there’s nothing standing to fire at
>the half-deafened Maria overhears Yurovsky ordering his men to check the bodies make sure they’re dead
>fearing for her unborn child, Maria lies completely still as Anastasia sits up bleeding and screaming for help and is rewarded with a bullet to the head
>eventually she feels her brother’s body being pulled off of her, a wet cloth going over her mouth, and a voice telling her “quiet”
>everything goes black
>Yurovsky nerviously watches as Skorokhodov and the other strip the royals of any valuables on their persons
>at least Ermakov didn’t bother showing up, he would’ve made an even bigger mess of things
>his men begin loading the bodies onto a flatbed truck
>Anastasia wakes up, screaming but is quickly silenced for good with a bayonet through her throat
>the truck takes off into the night but suffers repeated breakdowns for some reason
>Yurovsky can’t understand it, these are perfectly good trucks
>so busy are they attempting to deal with mechanical problems that the Bolsheviks don’t notice that they are being quietly tailed by shadowy figures on horseback
>after finally arriving at the planned burial site, Yurovsky’s men begin to offload the bodies
>Skorokhodov approaches him, asking if he can take one of the Duchess’ bodies off to bury it privately
>since he was already planning on separating the bodies to confuse any potential search parties, Yurovsky allows it
>just as Yurovsky is beginning to contemplate why Skorokhodov would insist on burying the body by himself, he spots two men of the burial detail groping the corpse of the Tsarina and flies into a rage, pointing his pistol at them and ordering them to back off
>Skorokhodov treks through the dark forest for the next half hour carrying the comatose Maria
>he eventually spots a green and red lantern and walks toward it
>upon reaching the light, he is immediately set upon by armed men who surround him
>he lays Maria down and one of the men, a doctor checks on her
>she’s got a pulse, albeit a weak one
>Hobart emerges from the shadows and after confirming Skorokhodov’s identity asks if Maria is the only one alive
>Skorokhodov replies that she is indeed the only survivor
>two scouts who had been trailing Skorokhodov the entire time arrive and confirm that the rest of the Tsar’s family is dead
>Hobart has two of his men bring up a cadaver they had taken from a local morgue and shot full of holes to serve as a body double
>Maria stirs
>opening her eyes to see herself surrounded by shadowy figures, she opens her mouth to scream in terror but is quickly silenced by the hand of Skorokhodov
>he’s tells her that she’s safe
>Maria sits up and is greeted by Hobart who converses to her in Russian that is a rescue
>Maria askes him if  he’s with the Whites
>Hobart replies that the Whites are “mutual friends”
>Maria is surprised by Hobart’s very noticable accent, but thanks him all the same
>Hobart switches back to his native tongue and begins discussing with his men where they should dump Skorokhodov’s body while fixing a sound suppressor to his pistol, not realizing that Maria herself speaks English and can understand everything they’re saying
>they never intended to let him live
>Maria becomes hysterical, falling to her knees begging for her lover’s life in front of a surprised Hobart
>Hobart raises his pistol to Skorokhodov and replies that he has to seen too much
>he would do the same to Avdayev, but plans have changed, they need to get out of town now
>Maria blocks his shot and threatens to scream to alert the Bolsheviks, she’s got nothing to live for except Skorokhodov and their child
>realizing that rescuing the Grand Duchess will be even harder if she’s uncooperative, Hobart relents and lowers his weapon, saying Skorokhodov can accompany them as Maria’s personal guard, but that they need to leave and now
>several days later…
>Maria and Skorokhodov have been hiding in a secluded Lutheran Church operated by an ethnic German pastor who was contacted by a child who once attended his Church who now serves as one of the Confederate agents protecting them
>the pastor and his congregation are persecuted by militant Tsarists and Bolsheviks alike
>he shelters them out of a pure sense of Christian compassion rather than any political or financial motive
>the White Army finally takes Yekaterinburg after prolonged fighting
>enraged at the execution of the Tsar, the royalist contingent of the Whites retaliate by attacking the local Jewish population, whom they blame for the massacre
>Hobart and his men are horrified, but largely avoid intervening (apart from using discreet violence to save Jews in isolated cases), as it would endanger the mission
>Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich arrives and meets with Hobart
>Nikolaevich is infuriated that Hobart had his men stand down and let the massacre take place
>Hobart explains that he had no choice, as any attempt to free the royal family would have failed and resulted in his own men being killed in the process
>however, they were able to save one, the Grand Duchess Maria
>the despair over the loss of his brother, nieces, and nephew is somewhat lessened by the knowledge Maria survived
>Hobart inquires about the byzanium, the reason his men came here to begin with
>although Nikolaevich feels no desire to turn over one of Russia’s most precious resources to men who allowed the Tsar to be killed within earshot, Hobart notes that the Confederacy has fulfilled its end of the bargain in good faith
>Nikolaevich relents but insists that Maria’s survival is to remain a secret and she must be kept under Confederate protection for the time being, as the White Army is fractious and the revelation of the Grand Duchess’ survival will cause a leadership struggle
>Hobart agrees and Nikolaevich provides him with a map listing an abandoned byzanium mine nearby
>Hobart and his mining crew arrive at the mine to find it half submerged in rainwater
>while attempting to drain the mine, they make a horrifying discovery
>they find the dead Romanovs’ belongings and even body parts dumped in the mine
>the Bolsheviks had attempted to dispose of the bodies here
>the bodies themselves are not found though
>Maria, who is at the mine being kept under Confederate guard, faints at the sight of bones and fat of her family members being removed
>the evidence is turned over to White Investigator, Nikolai Sokolov although he is prevented from viewing the actual burial site
>the Confederate engineers continue their excavation of the mine, searching for the byzanium
>Maria is increasingly disturbed by what she perceives at their desecration of her family’s last resting place
>she and Skorokhodov eventually corner Hobart alone and demand to know what’s going on
>figuring there’s no use in hiding the truth from them, Hobart explains that his men are not agents of the Whites or Royalists, but the Confederate States of America. Their government had struck a deal with the Whites to rescue the Tsar’s family in exchange for the byzanium. And that he had talked Skorokhodov into starting a relationship with Maria as a means of blackmail
>Maria and Skorokhodov are both furious at the idea her family are thought of as little more than objects to be traded and that they were both manipulated
>Hobart confronts them with the fact Maria would have perished along with the rest of her family were it not for his intervention and that they should consider themselves lucky to be alive
>Maria, overwhelming the events of the past few weeks collapses into Skorokhodov’s arms and sobs for everything she’s lost
>Skorokhodov abruptly asks her to marry him, saying that the only thing they have left to live for is each other
>Maria tearfully accepts
>Late September, 1918
>Hobart wires Richmond that his engineers have managed to mine nearly 300kg’s worth of byzanium from the mine, more than enough for their plans
>unfortunately there is yet another complication
>the Russian Civil War is in full swing, and the Whites are losing
>it’s only a matter of time before Yekaterinburg is in Bolshevik hands again
>Nikolaevich has requested that the Confederates take Grand Duchess Maria out of the country to keep her from falling into Bolshevik hands again
>since they’ll already be transporting substantial cargo, an additional two passengers shouldn’t be difficult
>Richmond wires back granting Hobart permission to bring the Grand Duchess so long as her identity remains a secret
>meanwhile in Moscow…
>Lenin is furious
>how could he have been so stupid?
>despite careful preparations, at least one of the Grand Duchesses survived the massacre
>one of Yurovsky’s men was found dead in an alleyway the night of the killings, another one vanished without a trace
>later Yurovsky realized that one of the bodies had wounds in the wrong place and was found in regular clothing rather the diamond-laden undergarments the other Romanovs had worn
>unfortunately the bodies had been so badly deformed beatings and attempted dissolution with acid that it made identifying which Duchess difficult, but it’s believed to be Anastasia
>Yurovsky and Avdayev are being held responsible for this failure
>Lenin’s certain that the Confederates were responsible for taking the Duchess
>Bolshevik spies report English-speaking foreigners guarding a pregnant girl near Yekaterinburg, meaning that the Duchess is still within their reach
>to redeem themselves for their failures, Yurovsky and Avdayev will lead a special Cheka detachment to track down the Duchess Anastasia and kill her
>Yurovsky and Avdayev, knowing they both could’ve been executed, thank Lenin for this second chance and leave
>with the two gone, Lenin turns to Stalin
>Lenin admits he was wrong and that Stalin is vindicated in his distrust the Confederates
>as a reward for his apparent clairvoyance, Lenin give Stalin a promotion  and allows him to join his inner circle
>October, 1918
>loading the byzanium, prototype weapons onto a railcar, Hobart and his team with Maria and Skorokhodov in tow begin the long journey for the Baltic Coast
>during the trip to Russia’s Western border they are attacked by Cheka agents commanded by Yurovsky and Avdayev and suffer casualties
>thankfully they manage to keep the Duchess and their cargo safe
>but the attack prevents them from making their scheduled rendezvous, leaving them stuck in on the Russian-Polish frontier
>fate intervenes when Imperial Germany abruptly collapses and sign an armistice on November 11th, ending the First World War and allowing Hobart and his men to continue their journey by overland
>however the Cheka are in hot pursuit, beginning a running battle across Europe
>in Warsaw, the Confederates are saved from another attempted ambush by soldiers of the newly formed Polish Republic. The new Polish head of state, Józef Piłsudski, meets with the agents (although he is not told they are protecting a member of the Romanov family), comes to see that the threat Russian Bolsheviks pose to Poland’s hard-won independence, and promises to do whatever he can to disrupt their pursuit
>in Munich, the Cheka catch up to the Confederates once more and both sides find themselves caught in the middle of demonstrations between the German Communist Party and the “German Workers Party”
>why two groups of socialists would be fighting each other is a mystery to Hobart but he decides to use it to his advantage. His men open fire on both crowds, starting a city-wide riot that results in many deaths and injuries (including a young Austrian-born corporal who is nearly crushed to death in the stampede), allowing them to slip away in the confusion
>in Frankfurt, the Confederates are given shelter at the home of a demobilized artillery observer named Otto
>Otto remarks that this isn’t the first time he’s dealt with Southerners. One of his art professors was Nathan Strauss, the nephew of famed businessmen and former soldier Isidor Strauss (and unknown to all but Hobart, one of the Confederate Secret Service’s most valued foreign agents, having provided invaluable intelligence on American industrial and military activities until his death in 1912).
>Hobart thanks Otto for his kindness and quips that he hopes that the good men of the Confederacy will have chance to return the favor someday
>Otto simply retorts that he hopes that it’s never necessary
>in France, Hobart’s men manage to an ambush of their own, luring the Cheka into an unmarked minefield, inflicting many casualties
>finally arriving in England, Hobart decides to stop for a day in the town of Southby to give his exhausted men and Maria, now eight months pregnant, much needed rest
>they are attacked by the last of the Cheka agents, who are determined to end this chase and kill the Duchess
>realizing they cannot allow the Cheka to trace them back to the Confederate States, Hobart resolves to fight to the death
>desperately holding off the Cheka with their pistols, the Confederates realize they’re about to be overwhelmed
>Yurovsky shows up with gun in hand, offering to let the agents live if they turn over the Grand Duchess
>a sudden burst of rapid gunfire kills Yurovsky and several of his men
>Maria emerges from hiding, she had managed to ahold of one of the Russian prototype rifles and use it
>when Hobart and Skorokhodov express surprise at her knowledge on such a complex weapon, Maria simply replies that her father had allowed her to test fire one of the first prototypes while he was still in power.
>Southby residents intervene and kill the surviving Cheka agents with WW1 surplus weapons
>Hobart simply quips “Thank God for Southby”
>late December, 1918
>in Southhampton, Hobart, Skorokhodov, Maria, and the few surviving Confederate agents book passage aboard the RMS Titanic, Second Class
>the byzanium is loaded into the Titanic’s hold inside a secure vault
>Titanic is the one of two surviving four-funneled passenger liners in British service. Lusitania and Mauritania were both lost to German U-boats. Britannic hit a mine. And the Olympic struck an iceberg in April, 1912 and sank with great loss of life (rumors of being swapped in an insurance scam with her sister ship have circulated ever since).
>aboard the ship, a very pregnant Maria and Skorokhodov get a room in First Class (courtesy of the Confederate Treasury) and the first real privacy they’ve had in months. They use it wisely.
>Hobart can hear the cries of passion and pounding one deck below in Second Class
>feeling exhilaration at their survival, Maria and Skorokhodov engage in youthful romantic foolishness
>they sneak into the cargo hold and have sex in the backseat of a Ford Model T (much to the anger of the owner when the ship reaches port)
>they sneak onto the off-limits forecastle and pretend to pretend like they’re flying before being yelled at by a stickler-for-discipline officer
>they make out below the crow’s nest, distracting the lookouts and nearly causing a collision with an iceberg
>on Christmas Day, Maria and Skorokhodov marry in a civil ceremony overseen by a White Star Line chaplain. Although not the Gregorian Christmas. Maria remarks that it’s close enough
>meanwhile Hobart is shadowing another passenger whom he suspects is spying on the two
>one night Hobart spots the shadowy figure standing on the stern, alone
>Hobart approaches him quietly and draws his pistol, audibly pulling back the hammer and ordering the man to turn around
>the man turns his head and reveals himself
>it’s Avdayev, the original captain of the guard
>Avdayev tells Hobart he can lower his weapon, he means no one anymore harm
>Hobart refuses to do so but agrees to hear him out anyway
>Avdayev explains that although the Bolshevik leaders sent him on the mission to find and kill Anastasia as punishment for his previous defiance, they mistakenly assumed that his dragging Hobart into a Cheka interrogation center was because he was suspicious of the Confederates and they had chosen to spare him for his apparent foresight
>they were completely unaware of his cooperation with the Confederates because the rescue plan was never implemented
>during the entire journey across Europe, Avdayev had secretly been slowing down and misleading the Cheka, hoping it would be long enough for the Confederates to slip away
>he managed to slip away from Yurovsky and the others during the final battle and later booked passage aboard the Titanic
>he’s been shadowing Skorokhodov and Anastasia from a distance the entire trip to make sure they got to New York safely
>Hobart takes notice of Avdayev’s mistaking Maria for Anastasia but does not correct him. After a long period of silence, he asks Avdayev what he plans on doing.
>with no other surviving Cheka agents to tell the tale, Avdayev plans on reporting to his superiors that Anastasia is dead
>Hobarts knows this could very easily be a lie, but suspects from his previous observation that Avdayev is genuine and decides to let him go
>the two shake hands and part ways
>an “accident” is arranged at Chelsea Piers in New York to force Titanic’s diversion to the Confederate port of Norfolk
>in Norfolk, the special cargo and passengers are placed under arrest by CS Marshals as smuggled goods and taken off
>under cover of darkness, they are put on a train to Richmond
>February, 1919
>Maria Feodorovna arrives at the Confederate White House requesting audience with President Wilson
>Wilson greets her
>things aren’t going well in Russia
>the Bolsheviks have solidly gained the upper hand over the Whites. Allied forces that deployed to the country last year are withdrawing, as war-weariness finally takes its toll
>even the mighty United States is pulling out of both Russia and France
>Wilson is secretly pleased with this development, it means war with the Confederacy will not happen in the foreseeable future
>Feodorovna implores Wilson to help prevent a Bolshevik takeover of Russia
>Wilson replies that he can’t help her. The Confederate public does not to become involved in a foreign war. Isolationism has swept the country and his party lost the recent presidential election for being “too belligerent” (he would be leaving office in just a few months), scuttling plans for his country to become a founding member of the League of Nations. It was a shame too, as the only major power that did not participate in the Great War, the Confederacy would have been in a perfect position to cement itself as a force in the new global order.
>he had hoped for the CSA to at least act as a mediator for the upcoming Versailles Peace Conference but that too had been scuttled. And now it looked like Germany was going to be getting the short end of the stick.
>Feodorovna angrily remarks on how the CSA benefits from Russian engineering while the Russian people languish under Bolshevik rule
>Wilson retorts that he did not promise to win the war for the Whites and that is ultimately the Russian people’s choice whether to accept Bolshevism and they have to live with that ramifications of that decision
>Feodorovna admits Wilson is not entirely wrong. She then asks about what has happened to her granddaughter, Maria
>Wilson replies that Maria gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl last month. She and Skorokhodov have been given new identities  and will be allowed permanent residence in the Confederate States on the condition that they never come forward about their past
>to help maintain the ruse, the Confederate Secret Service have begun covertly financing Anastasia imposters as a means of keeping public attention away from Maria and maintain the Soviets’ misconception that it was Anastasia who survived
>although offended by the idea of Romanov imposters, Feodorovna admits that it’s probably for the best
>the end