Saving the Romanov family #5

Ekaterinburg, 19 July 1918

Aragorn and I discovered the fate of Nicholas' brother Mikhail Alexandrovich while in Perm. I had forgotten all about him. In addition to rescuing Hendrikova, Schneider and Volkov from the Bolsheviks, I ordered the local Cheka leader to hand over any valuables he looted off Mikhail, which I later gave to Nicholas II. I could've ordered him to take us to the spot where they disposed of Mikhail, but he was murdered over a month ago. His body would be badly decomposed by now and we don't have the tools for a proper exhumation. We also rescued another captive, Helena of Serbia. One of Ella's companions, Ioann Konstantinovich, is her husband.

On our way back to Ekaterinburg, we dropped by the train station to let the rest of the imperial entourage know that they were welcome at the Ipatiev House. A few preferred to shelter in the Popov House as they just hate the palisade. The others were given sleeping quarters in the basement of the Ipatiev House. There was no easy way to inform the Romanov family of Mikhail's death. His personal effects were of little comfort to Nicholas. Ever the bearer of ill news I seem to have become.

I agreed to Tatiana's tearful request to let her family travel to the nearby cathedral so they could pray for Mikhail and all the others who were murdered. The Alapaevsk captives also wished to go. After scouting the area, I signaled to Chief who escorted the captives one by one to the cathedral. This was the first time the Romanov family has stepped outside of the Ipatiev House ever since the Bolsheviks brought them to Ekaterinburg. Tatiana politely asked me to wait outside while they prayed. I think her sister Olga doesn't like me watching them.

It was very uplifting for the Romanov family to finally go out for prayers, something the Bolsheviks never allowed them to do. Before we replaced Yurovsky and his thugs, the Romanov family was in total despair. We've brought them a glimmer of hope. It feels good to be able to rescue so many people, giving them another chance at life. Sadly, we can't be everywhere at once.

P.S. Forgot to mention previously that we dumped Goloshchekin's body along with the jars of sulphuric acid, which probably dissolved him. It gave me no pleasure doing that, but I didn't want those jars anywhere in the Ipatiev House. What sick bastard thought of acquiring such a hazardous material in the first place? The Ural Soviets should've realized by now that he hasn't reported back. Whatever their next move, we'll be ready for them.

Saving the Romanov family #4

Ekaterinburg, 18 July 1918

Aragorn and I conducted a search of the Popov House last night. The rooms were a pigsty. We found a large supply of food delivered by nuns from a monastery, food that was meant for the Romanov family. The guards were keeping it for themselves, the gluttons. We spent the night taking all the food back to the Ipatiev House and left them in the kitchen. Got rid of all the stuffed animal trophies in the house as they're just creepy.

I've permitted the Romanov family access to their luggage in the outhouse in the courtyard and returned all their seized valuables. I also told them they don't have to speak only Russian anymore. At first Alexandra spoke to her children in English, but when they heard me and Geralt conversing in English they switched to French. They avoid eye contact whenever they walk past one of us. Clearly they still don't trust us. They're still under the impression that we're Bolsheviks. Best to keep it that way.

I'm doing what I can to make the Romanovs happy. Regrettably, I cannot let them go outside, either for walks or to go to church as the city is still infested with Red Army soldiers and revolutionaries. They can enjoy recreation in the garden for as long as they like, but that's it. I considered bringing down the wooden palisade surrounding the Ipatiev House. It's frustrating for the captives to not see anything outside of the compound, but it does give us protection. The Bolsheviks erected it to keep the Romanovs in strict isolation, now it shields them from the Bolsheviks.

There was a visitor at the entrance, Thomas Preston from the nearby British Consulate. He was enquiring about the Romanov family's well-being. We let him speak to them in private. Before he left the house, I urged him not to telegraph England about the Romanov family for the time being, lest the Ural Soviets intercept the message and alert Moscow that the captives are still alive. Preston deduced that we're not Bolsheviks, and I couldn't tell him who we really are.

Tatiana requested if I could check on the imperial entourage that is being held at the train station. She told me their names and became worried when I pointed out that Anastasia Hendrikova, Catherine Schneider and Aleksei Volkov are not among them. She hopes they are safe and asked if I could find them. Hendrikova and Schneider are imprisoned in Perm, where the Bolsheviks would murder them in September 1918. Time for another rescue mission.

Saving the Romanov family #3

(Source)

Ekaterinburg, 17 July 1918

Master Chief and I employed the same ruse on the guards that were holding Elizabeth Feodorovna prisoner in a desolate school. There were seven others with her: four princes, one grand duke and two retinue. Sergei Mikhailovich did not trust us and almost resisted. I placed Elizabeth and her companions in the back of the Fiat truck and we drove back to Ekaterinburg. It was still dark when we returned to the Ipatiev House. Elizabeth and her companions occupied the basement rooms where the internal guard slept. The Romanovs kept their excitement muted when they awoke and saw Elizabeth, probably to avoid attracting our attention.

I took over Yurovsky's office on the second floor which is across the hall from the Romanovs' rooms. When I was done tidying the room, Geralt brought in Nicholas and Alexandra. They were both shocked when I informed them of the attempted execution. I also told them of the deaths of several members of their entourage, namely Vasily Dolgorukov, Ilya Tatishev, Klementy Nagorny and Ivan Sednev. Yurovsky lied to Nicholas and Alexandra when he claimed that they were still alive. I left it to them to inform Leonid Sednev of his uncle's death and whether they wish to tell their children of the execution.

With the bad news out of the way, I assigned myself cleanup duty. Motion sensors were placed on all corners of the roof. They allow Chief to multitask while also monitor any movement outside the house, otherwise he'd have to be on watch 24/7. Geralt and Aragorn destroyed the guns and ammunition left behind by the thugs. I took a ladder and some tools and began removing the whitewash from the windows, starting with OTMA's bedroom. The grand duchesses were watching me. I unsealed the window, but none of them opened it.

I wanted to make a good first impression. There was a Kodak Bulls-Eye camera amongst the stack of confiscated Romanov belongings in the office. I was quite sure it belonged to one of the grand duchesses. After Chief made sure the camera was in working order, I took it to the first grand duchess I came across, Maria. She was wary of me when I handed it to her.

Not long after, Tatiana entered my office, asking if I could permit Dr Vladimir Derevenko entry to the Ipatiev House so that he can treat her brother Alexei. He has not been allowed to visit ever since Yurovsky became commandant. I granted her request and sent Geralt to find Derevenko. I told Tatiana to not hesitate to ask if her family needed anything. She's so beautiful. Doe eyes. A swan's soft, supple neck. And a waist so slim you could grip it one-handed. Hearing her voice for the first time felt as if I was falling under her spell. How could anyone murder and mutilate her is beyond me. The Bolsheviks are sick fucks.

Yurovsky's papers were on the desk, one detailing the strict restrictions imposed on the Romanov family and servants. Only speak Russian, must ring a bell before using the lavatory, no excursions, no visitors, no letters, no newspapers. The list goes on. I'm beginning to think it was a mistake letting Yurovsky live. What he did is just unforgivable.

Saving the Romanov family #2

«Перед расстрелом», фотореконструкция.
"Before the execution", photoreconstruction.

Ekaterinburg, 17 July 1918

We've successfully bluffed our way into the Ipatiev House. I convinced commandant Yakov Yurovsky that we were sent by Moscow to kill the prisoners and that he was relieved of his duties. I instructed him to order his men to leave behind their spare firearms, the Fiat truck, all confiscated belongings and the jars of sulphuric acid meant for destroying the bodies. The neighbouring Popov House, which was occupied by more Bolshevik guards, was also to be vacated.

Yurovsky was disappointed he wasn't going to partake in the execution, but ultimately never questioned me. He did request to be present at the execution and subsequent disposal of the bodies so he could confirm that the job's been done. I told him the Romanovs were not his concern anymore. One of the killers, Filip Goloshchekin, was here to oversee the execution on behalf of the Ural Soviet. Chief took him to a room and garrotted him without the Bolsheviks noticing. We later dumped his body far from the house.

We escorted the regicides to the entrance. Yurovsky tried to give me the communist salute to commend my "revolutionary duty", but I snubbed him. I was tempted to kill him for what he did or was going to do, but he's not worth it. The regicides had already herded the Romanov family into the cellar under the pretext of transporting them to another location. I couldn't wait to finally see them in person. By dismissing Yurovsky and his thugs, we had already altered the fate of the Romanov family.

Geralt and Aragorn stood watch by the entrance while Chief followed me downstairs. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the double doors. And there they were, all eleven of them, including four servants. I could hardly believe my eyes. They were positioned in the back of the room. It was quite dim because of the weak wall lamp and the window, which the Bolsheviks had nailed shut, made it stuffy. The four grand duchesses whom the Professor spoke so fondly of were now standing before me. Our face masks, gloves and rifles slung over our shoulders must've alarmed the captives.

I broke the silence by asking the man in front of me if he was Tsar Nicholas II. He nervously replied with a yes. I stepped forward and shook his hand, saying I was honoured to meet him. That seemed to put him at ease. He asked where Yurovsky was and was glad to hear of his dismissal. I returned to them the kitchen boy Leonid Sednev, who was being held in the Popov House, before letting them return to their rooms. The Tsarevich Alexei was staring curiously at me as his father carried him away.

So far so good, we've saved the Romanovs from death. Chief thinks I should've told them on the spot that Yurovsky was going to kill them, but I want them to enjoy the sleep they never had on July 17. The bad news can wait until morning. There's still ample time to complete our secondary objective, rescuing Elizabeth Feodorovna, Empress Alexandra's sister. Geralt and Aragorn will remain at the Ipatiev House while Chief and I will travel to Alapaevsk in the Fiat truck.

Saving the Romanov family #1

[Note: this is just a work of fiction. There's a lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and I'm bored. Besides, if others can write fictional stories like Anastasia's survival and Rasputin selling his soul, I don't see why I can't either.]

Ekaterinburg, 15 July 1918

The Professor asked me to keep a journal to record my adventure. I was curious, why rescue the Romanov family? Why not prevent the Titanic sinking instead? Or save as many people as possible in Pompeii before the volcanic eruption? The Romanov family is the Professor's favourite part of history. He could never get over the fact that they were brutally murdered. And at least there were lessons learned from the Titanic disaster, not so much a murder. Besides, he did me a favour once, now I owe him.

The plan is simple. Free the Romanov family from Bolshevik captivity and get them out of Russia. We'll hunker down in Ekaterinburg until the Czechoslovak Legion takes the city, after which we'll leave. Where the Romanovs wish to go to will be up to them. They just cannot stay in Russia. We're not going back to 1918 to stop the Bolsheviks from winning the civil war. We're a rescue team, not assassins. The Soviet Union will still exist but they won't get their bloody hands on the Romanov family. Much as the Professor hates the communists for what they did, he wants me to try and avoid bloodshed whenever possible.

Once our mission is complete, he'll send me back to the future. I don't have to stay with the Romanov family. They'll be on their own from there. And if any of the Romanovs are killed during our escape from Russia, even if it's accidental, it'll be irreversible. This will be my only chance to save them. But even if anyone is killed, the Professor still wants me to get the bodies out of Russia and give them a proper burial somewhere safe and beyond reach of the Soviets. That should be enough to prevent persistent rumours of survival, imposters and never-ending DNA tests by the Russian Orthodox Church. If protecting all seven Romanovs proves too difficult, then the Professor wants me to focus on saving the children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei.

I will have three companions for the journey: Geralt, Aragorn and Master Chief. Not their real names, just aliases. Master Chief is a cybernetic organism, living tissue under metal endoskeleton. We gave him a name anyway as it's better than calling him by his serial number. We could've armed ourselves with modern equipment like battle rifles and combat fatigues but that would've been conspicuous. So we took Mosin-Nagant rifles and Bolshevik uniforms that are accurate for the period. There are exceptions though: masks, Aragorn's compound bow, cyberware implants, earpiece translators to bypass the language barrier, modern first aid kit, and my tomahawk to name a few.

The Professor could've sent us back to 1914 to warn the tsar against mobilizing the Imperial Russian Army, an action that provoked the Germans into declaring war against Russia. But that would've been complicated. Much as the Professor would've liked to prevent World War I from happening, saving millions of lives in the process including that of the Romanovs, that's just too much meddling with history. A rescue operation is much simpler. Plus it's better to rescue the imperial family when their need is dire, not when they still feel safe in their bubble.

Prior to our departure, I spent a few days studying about the Romanov family. Reading about the murders made my blood curdle. The Bolsheviks lured the Romanovs and their loyal servants into a basement where they were shot and stabbed to death. The children were not even spared, the youngest of whom was only 13. The bodies were stripped, looted and mutilated before being disposed of in a forest. The perpetrators were never brought to justice and the Soviet Union covered up the murders. I can see why the Professor has so much sympathy for the Romanov family.

The time machine took us to the outskirts of Ekaterinburg, about 24 hours before the Romanovs were to be murdered. The world hasn't changed at all. War never changes. We used the spare time to explore the city and observe the Ipatiev House from afar, gathering intel on guard positions and movements. Soon we'll decide how best to rescue the Romanov family on 16 July, their last day alive. We either storm the house using lethal force or masquerade as communist revolutionaries. I pray we will be successful.