Re: Blood and Iron

The Grand Fleet of the British Navy had taken substantial losses during the onset of the war. And as a result, the phrase "Britania Rules the Waves" had not exactly been repeated in some time. No, it was an era of German dominance, on the seas, on the lands, and in the skies.

And because of this, the British Navy had spent the last two years trying their darndest to come up with a solution to their current predicament. The mounting of QF 2 lb "Pom-Pom" maxims did little to help with this.

Sure, the torpedoes launched by the He-51 Seaplanes were a problem. But they could fly at high enough altitude to avoid 20mm rounds. And besides, that did not address the real problem with the damn near undetectable submarines which were lying in wait under the seas to attack British ships with Wolfpack tactics.

How exactly did one counter an enemy that could be anywhere at any time, and you were not even remotely aware of their location? Well, you couldn't. And since Bruno had spent years acquiring the loyalty of brilliant minds who might be able to solve this problem for the British, by having them immigrate to the German Reich where they were compensated extremely well for their efforts.

There was little that could be done to restore Britannia's rule over the waves. So with the British Navy being relegated to almost exclusively the protection of shipping and transportation of troops from across the colonies as the North Sea and the English channel were now owned by the German Reich.

The British government found itself in a precarious position. In fact, with little to show for their attempts to seize territory near Luxembourg, having failed to push into Elsass-Lothringen, and only having gained a mere three miles in exchange for 300,000 lives at Belgium's southern border. There were many within the higher echelons of both the military and civilian government that wanted to sue for peace while it was still an option.

Because of this, a group of ministers, generals, and Titans of industry within the British Empire were gathered in secret within London to discuss petitioning the King with their grievances. Of course, there were many within the British Empire who did not wish to lose this war, and were far more interested in it continuing for much longer.

After all the chaos and disorder sewn in Europe and the world at large as a result of this global conflict was something these shadowy multinational individuals and their secret cabal desperately wanted for their own myriad of reasons.

But these men were not aware of these shadowy people who Bruno was actively combating behind the scenes. Nor was he aware of their aspirations. Because of this, they were not privy to the knowledge that they were already being watched by those hidden behind the veil.

Hence why they gathered together in one setting to discuss their ideas. And among these men was Admiral of the Fleet Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, who had become the First Sea Lord earlier this year.

In Bruno's past life, this position would have been held by John Jellicoe, but he had been killed in action at the onset of the war during the first engagement between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet.

Because of this, Rosslyn Wemyss was now more or less in command of the British Navy and after seeing his ships depleted one after another in this war with little retaliation given in return for their sunk ships. And he was all but ready to throw in the towel.

Even so, he appeared a bit shaken up, and paranoid even if one might believe such a thing. His voice gave such a sentiment away as well as he spoke but only after looking around three dozen times to confirm he really was only among friends.

"If we are to petition, the King to end this war, then we must do so swiftly. I swear I have been being watched recently. On the streets, at the office, and even within my own home. My own servants are plotting against me, I can tell!

Someone is watching us. No, someone knows what we are planning, and they do not want us to go through with it. So it is now or never! Are we really doing this or not?"

Nobody else had noticed such strange behavior within their own lives, and all of them thought that the Admiral was being paranoid and nothing more than that. However, to appease him they were quick to voice their agreement.

"Very well, we will draft a declaration here and now to stand down, and refuse to continue with the war in every way we can until the King and his cabinet officially pursue a dialogue for peace!"

In the next moment, there was a voice that echoed from the staircase above. They were after all gathered in the cellar of a pub. The voice did not sound friendly as it spoke in a rather mocking tone while continuing to step down the wooden stairwell.

"I'm afraid that is not an option… For none of you will be leaving this cellar alive!"

A man dressed in a trench coat and a mask stepped down the stairs with a pistol in his hand and a silencer attached to it. It was a Colt 1903, and he had pointed it at the men in question who all stared in disbelief at the gunmen who had found them.

The Admiral began to panic as he pointed at the intruder while damning his fellow conspirators for not listening to his words sooner.

"Damn you all! I told you weeks ago I was being followed! You see what your stubbornness has wrought for us all?"

The masked gunmen were quick to chuckle as he was about to pull the trigger of his weapon. That is until he felt the cold steel of another suppressed pistol pressed against his skull, along with a taunting phrase spoken in perfect German.

"Typical novice mistake, using a semi-automatic…. Leaving behind casings is sloppy, don't you think?"

Sweat poured down the brow of the masked gunman as he realized there was someone right behind him. Someone whose face was not concealed in the slightest, revealing his sinister and sadistic smirk.

The gunman only managed to get out one statement before his brains were blown out.

"The Terror of Belgorod…. "

*Bang*

A muffled gunshot could be heard by those within its immediate vicinity, all the while a splash of blood and grey matter preceded the fall of a fresh corpse. Upon seeing how terrified the men within the room were, Erich stashed his weapon away and raised his hands.

"Relax. If I wanted you all dead, you would have never made it to this little gathering of yours. You lot ought to be careful, though I wiped out more than one branch of the Rothschilds and those who share their ambitions. There are still more than a few vermin lurking around.

And these rats do not want you to spoil their plans. So, here's how we're going to treat this. You are going to return to your families and pretend like none of this ever happened. You never saw me, and you never had any intentions of withdrawing from this war.

Because you are all messing with powers far larger than you could possibly comprehend, and my master is not one of them. Go now, run along to your families. I'm sure they are waiting!"

There was no need to wait for another second. The men gathered within the room had left in a heartbeat. Forgetting all about their plans to get Britain to sue for peace. After the men had fled the room, Erich was quick to scavenge the corpse of the agent he had just killed.

He found a small book within the man's coat pocket, however the title was smeared with blood, and was virtually unreadable in its current state. Erich was quick to stash the book away after reading aloud what little he could comprehend.
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"The protocols of what now? What the hell did I just find? Whatever is, it's evidence… Which means I am sure the boss will want to get his hands on it as soon as possible…"

After saying this, Erich walked away and grabbed a nearby oil lantern which was used to light the small cellar. He quickly tossed the device onto the floor, which instantly sparked a flame, rapidly spreading fire everywhere and in doing so, consuming any evidence of his crimes.

He then fled into the night, disappearing from the city of London as if he had never been there in the first place.