Flight of the Anastasia
By
Bradhig.
Ivan Braginski stood near the launch pad with other nations around him at Baikonur Cosmodrome. Today was the day he would began to avenge the mistake he had made centuries ago.
"T-minus 8 minutes and counting. ",mission control said.
"Ivan are you sure this is the right thing to do? Couldn't you clone them? ",America asked.
"There wasn't enough DNA data for cloning and it would only result in a new set of empty shells. I must fix this thing it has haunted me since that awful night. ",Ivan said.
Germany ,England, Japan, and Denmark all stood nearby.
"You keep kicking yourself over and over because of this. Maybe if I hadn't declared war on you.",Germany said.
"It's not your fault it's mine. ",Ivan said.
"What is the name of your ship anyway?",America asked.
"I named her the Anastasia. ",Ivan said.
"After her the girl you miss the most. ",England asked.
"Yes. ",Ivan said.
Ivan entered the elevator and rode up to the top of the rocket where a triangle shaped ship designed to carry 12 people waited. He enterd the ship and the closeout team strapped him in.
"Good luck Ivan Braginski. We hope you get them all back. ",the closeout crew said.
England, America, and Germany were remembering a speech Russia made two years ago.
"Many centuries ago I made a terrible mistake believing it would serve the common good. A decision meant to prevent the clock from being turned back on the Soviet Union. It was a fatal error and did not bring anything but shame and sorrow to me. Now we have the tools and the technology to fix it. I will commit myself to achieving the goal of rescuing the Romanov's from the Ipatiev House and returning them safety to our time because that goal will allow me to end the shame. I choose to go through time. The eyes of the world now look into time". Russia said.
They left the pad and the crew access arm retracted. Ivan sat alone in his spaceship waiting. He had been waiting and waitng for centuries for this chance. Ivan had started the space age for a reason with sputnik in 1957 and later Vostok for one very secret reason to get them back. The space race with the Americans only sidetracked him. The Americans may have landed on the moon ,but they never knew what Ivan was really up to. The space stations in the 1970s and 1980s Salyut and Mir served to research the technology needed for this very mission. For years Ivan watched and even flew the Soyuz spacecraft into orbit. Ivan had even helped build the International Space Station. Soyuz had been his favorite spacecraft for as long as it have been invented yet it was useless for this trip.
Ivan looked out the window at the gantry as the arms retracted. 10 ,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, liftoff!. "The clock is running and we have liftoff!", Ivan said. The mighty rocket rose into the sky higher and higher. It pitched over and then rolled putting Ivan upside down. Ivan found himself humming that theme for Apollo 13 when the big Saturn V roared into the sky. T
The other nations shouted as the rocket climbed higher and higher , "Go Go Go Go Go Go!".
hen the boosters fell away and the main craft separated. Now the small triangle ship with a landing stage behind it prepared to leave earth orbit. He would head towards the moon following the path the Apollo crews took and then skip off it by angling slightly towards it's surface enough to fly past. Once he picked up enough speed Ivan would head towards earth and then into history. Days passed as Ivan neared the moon. He looked down at the old craters wishing he could land and look at the abandoned Apollo landers ,but not now.
"This will be my last communication with earth until I return. ",Ivan said to mission control.
"I am coming Anastasia I am coming. ",Ivan said to himself.
"This is America speaking for England ,Germany,Japan ,and many others. We are sorry for turning them away. For not granting asylum and not seeing them for who they were. Please forgive us for that. ",America said.
"You are all forgiven. I must still do this. I must fix it now!",Ivan answered.
Ivan pointed the nose of the Anastasia towards the moons edge and fired the engines. The Anastasia raced towards the moon and then shot past it heading towards earth. When he had enough speed Ivan engaged the temporal drive. The stars ,earth ,and moon stretched around him and streaked past. Soon it was over and all looked normal but it wasn't normal. Ivan was back in 1918 A.D. heading towards earth and towards Ekaterinburg. The calendar read July 14,1918. Ivan had two days to reach the house of special purpose and stop it.
July 16,1918 morning. Ivan had been in earth orbit for 6 hours and now began reentry towards his goal. He brought the Anastasia down over the Urals to avoid attention from the flaming trail created as the ship was slowed by the atmosphere. Soon he could see Ekaterinburg that awful city in the distance. Ivan started the landing procedure . He extended the legs on the landing module and slowed the ship bring it to a soft landing outside the city. Ivan took off his spacesuit and changed into an officers uniform. He then got his large enclosed rover from the ship and headed into the city in a hurry. Soon he could see it and feel it all over again. The house of special purpose came into view with it's wooden fence guarded it and the windows boarded up. He was here and he had two hours to spare. Ivan stopped near the gate and headed inside. The guards approached him.
"Who are you? ",a guard asked.
"You should know me you fool. I must see the commandant it's a matter of great importance. ",Ivan said.
"You Your the commandant! How can you be here?. ",a guard asked.
Just then the other Ivan consumed with communism appeared.
"You are me! Why are you here? ",the red Ivan asked.
"To right a great wrong you fool. You are about to make a terrible mistake tonight. ",Ivan said.
"What mistake? Something about the family? ',Red Ivan asked.
"Yes about them. I am going to take them for interrogation because I have received word of a rescue attempt and there may be traitors among you. Afterward I will return them here. ",Ivan said.
"You can't do that they are my prisoners. ",Red Ivan said.
Ivan punched Red Ivan in the face and knocked him out cold.
"You know not what you do friend but you will learn in time. ",Ivan said.
Ivan headed into the house looking for the Romanov's. They were in bed.
"Wake up now and get dressed there is danger here!. ",screamed Ivan into Nicholas and Alexandra's room.
Ivan then woke up the children.
"Ivan you seem different. ",Anastasia said.
"There is not time. You must follow me quickly. Anastasia you are in terrible danger hurry!",Ivan said.
They followed him out of the house and Ivan instructed the guards not to worry because he would bring them back. There they got into the rover all eleven of them with their dogs and Ivan. Ivan hurried back to the Anastasia.
"Quick climb up the ladder and get strapped in. Anastasia do you want to sit up front by me? ",Ivan asked.
"Yes can I?",Anastasia asked.
"Yes sit in the right hand seat in the front. I have something I must do. ",Ivan said.
Ivan had come prepared. He had designed a basket to carry Alexi and Alexandra up to the hatch. He designed two compartments to hold the dogs. Ivan lowered the clones into the rover and then headed back to the Ipatiev house. Ivan activated the clones and had them go to the bedrooms and to sleep. Ivan left and waited nearby. He watched and listened as the clones were lead downstairs and executed. He heard the screaming and firing all over again but this time it was different.
"Those fools will learn too late the mistake they made. ",Ivan said.
Ivan returned to the Anastasia.
"Ivan why did you name this ship after me?",Anastasia asked.
"Because of what your name means. One who will rise again and that is what we are about to do. ",Ivan said as he prepared for launch.
"We should have died back there not those copies. Are you mad? ",Nicholas asked.
"I spent centuries researching ,developing ,and building the technology for this moment and this is what you have to say? Isn't life more precious then anything else? Those copies were empty shells. They didn't have souls and had to be programmed to act like you. I lived in shame for centuries after tonight. Won't you thank me for coming back? ",Ivan asked.
The family all chatted together and then the former czar spoke.
"I am sorry about that and we thank you Ivan. ",Nicholas said.
"Time to get off of this awful world and back to a better one. ",Ivan said.
The engines fired and the Anastasia lifted off into the night while the other Ivan buried the bodies of what he thought were the Romanov's. Soon they were in orbit looking down on Earth.
"Wow earth is beautiful and strange from up here. ",Maria said.
"I have seen it many times from the Soyuz capsules. It makes you realize just how small the world is. ",Ivan said.
Ivan separated from the landing module and sent it burning up and crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Then he fired the main engines and headed towards the moon.
Anastasia had loads of fun floating around in zero-g causing trouble for everyone. She would fly into who ever was near and yell "Boo!" and then laughed. She gave Ivan a good scare. "I missed your sense of humor the most little grand duchess. ",Ivan said.
"Why are we flying towards the moon? ",Alexandra asked.
"We need speed to get back to my time and the only way to do that is to shoot the moon. Makes me wish I had beaten the Americans there in the 1960s ,but my N1 rocket kept blowing up on the launchpad and then American Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon in 1969.
"People walked on the moon? Did you Ivan?",Anastasia asked.
"Yes Americans walked on the moon, but I never made it. There was one American Mission called Apollo 13. The crew got into trouble when an oxygen tank exploded as they were nearing the moon. They had to live in the LEM or Lunar Excursion Module for several days. I offered to help get them back. America managed to get them home. ",Ivan explained.
The neared the moon and Ivan began the maneuvering to take them home. They shot past the moon and then towards earth. The temporal drive was fired one last time and like before everything appeared to stretch. Finally they were back home where Ivan started.
"Mission control calling Anastasia. We have you on our screens now please report mission status. ",Cap com said.
"I have the family and their servants with me. The mission is a success. I would like to land in Tsarskoe Selo near Alexander Palace. ",Ivan said.
"There isn't room there. ",Cap com said.
"I don't care. I will come down the road leading in to it. You turn the screws and get those tourists out of there now! ",Ivan said.
"Alright them. ",Cap com said.
The Anastasia entered earth orbit and flew past the space station.
"What is that thing Ivan?",Anastasia asked.
"The International Space Station. I had a hand in building it. Biggest one in orbit to date. ",Ivan explained.
They flew over Europe heading towards Russia. Ivan fired the thrusters and started reentry. The sky lit up pink as heat built up around the ship.
"I hope we don't end up like the Columbia. She had a hole in her wing which let hot gases inside and caused her to break up killing the crew. It was the second shuttle accident. The first was the Challenger which exploded on launch due to a bad o-ring seal which was frozen by extreme cold temperatures for that part of the world. ",Ivan explained.
They soon saw Tsarskoe Selo and Ivan began the landing approach. He lined up on the road leading towards Alexander Palace. The landing gear was locked and the ground was approaching fast. The Anastasia touched down outside the open gate and racing through the arches on it's way towards the palace. Ivan deployed the chute to slow the ship down. The palace came into view getter larger and larger.
"Ivan stop or were going to hit the palace. ",screamed Anastasia.
Ivan struggled with the controls trying to avoid a disaster. The Anastasia slowed to a crawl and stopped short of the entrance. It was all over. Ivan collapsed on the console in front of him.
"It's over the suffering ,the shame ,the pain all done. ",Ivan said
"He's done it! Russia has pulled off the greatest space mission in history!",America said.
Ivan could hear cheering and applause through the speakers in his headset. Ivan's eyes were full of tears.
"I hope no one has to do that again ever. ",Ivan said to himself.
They went inside and the other nations were waiting.
"Well done Ivan you have done the impossible. ",America said.
"We are all sorry your highness's for letting you down. ",the nations said to the Romanov's
"Apology accepted. ",Nicholas said.
"I am sorry your highness's I should never have imprisoned you ,treated you so miserably in prison ,and executed you. I lived in shame and sadness for centuries while working on a plan to save you all. ",Ivan said sadly.
"It wasn't your fault. The Bolsheviks poisoned you with their lies. You couldn't think. ",Anastasia said.
"I am especially sorry to you Anastasia. I never realized I was in love with you until it was too late. That's why I named the ship after you. ",Ivan said.
"I now reinstate your titles however Nicholas you may be czar again yet your powers will be limited. The days of Absolute power are lone over.",Ivan said.
"That doesn't matter to me anymore. I was a bad ruler in those days and don't want to repeat such mistakes. ",Nicholas said.
"I just want you guys to live happily and never live in fear again. ',Ivan said.
The Anastasia was moved from it's resting place and positioned outside the palace. The temporal drive was dismantled and scrapped. The plans were locked away safe.
A few days later a huge celebration was held at the Alexandar Palace. The Romanov's and Ivan were dressed in all their finery.
"Anastasia will you dance with me?",Ivan asked.
"Yes Ivan I will. ",Anastasia answered.
"Would you marry me? ",Ivan said to Anastasia.
"Yes. ",Anastasia said.
They danced and at that moment Ivan knew all was well in the world. He was happy again and while he did feel some shame for the clones it wasn't the same as he had dealt with for centuries. He was dancing with his favorite Grand Duchess again after centuries and he loved it.
the end.