Happy Halloween

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The state of TIAH

October 31st, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: tomorrow marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. In 2004, we produced our novel Warp, and last year we got a start on The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion during this annual event. Both of these novels were based on timelines from TIAH – Warp was based on the Mlosh timeline, and Protocols on the Greater Zionist Resistance timeline. Although we posted numerous links to these novels on Lulu, TIAH didn't post any excerpts from them. We're going to do it a little differently this year. Starting Wednesday, November 1st, the posts on TIAH will be excerpts from the novel that is being written by us for NaNoWriMo. We will still have Guest Historian entries – Stephen Payne has a couple already scheduled for the beginning of the month – so, if you want to make a Guest Post this month, go ahead and send it to us, and it will appear along with our novel post. Now, on with the end of October's posts, leading off with one from our Guest Historian, Stephen Payne...

in 1962, John F. Kennedy is collected from Martha's Vineyard airport and driven to Chappaquiddick to join campaign workers from the '60 election celebrating a Halloween Party at the Lawrence Cottage. At 11.15pm he instructs two members of the Secret Service detail to accompany him and a young lady to the beach. As they descend the hill at Dike Road, an unmarked car traveling at high speed impacts their vehicle, driving them off the narrow bridge and into Poucha Pond. Even though the vehicle is upside down and underwater, the agents are able to release the President and carry him gasping to the safety of the riverbank. Strong currents prevent them from returning to rescue the other passenger. The owner of Dike House, only 150 yards away, Sylvia Malm and her daughter arrive on the scene of the accident as do the Reverend and Mrs. David Smith who live in the house across the street. Given the undeniable presence of multiple witnesses placing him at the scene, Kennedy is forced to report the accident to the Police. He does so, falsely stating that he was chaperoning the young lady to the midnight Edgartown Ferry, keen to impress young campaign workers that there were all "part of the Kennedy Family". Meanwhile in the Politburo, Leonid Brezhnev, Aleksandr Shelepin and the KGB chief Semichastny are content with the night's work; the first phase of the conspiracy to ruin the President is an unqualified success. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1972, Sondra Laval, niece of the mad priest Father Vincent Laval, leads the Montignac villagers and Professor Karl Ainsworth, Dr. Yvette Montclair, and Officers Gerard Hortefeux and Patrice Orleans to the Lascaux cave, where Father Laval is waiting for them. “Now, my children, the Great Bear shall fill His belly and go back to the sleep of ages,” he says to them, “while His children grow strong and we tend them for another generation, until one rises to take His place. Our sacrifices are nearly done; just these few more,” he says, waving at the outsiders, “and myself.” He begins chanting in the Sanskrit-derived language that has placed the citizens of Montignac under his spell, but Sondra Laval and Professor Ainsworth chant something else to the villagers, keeping Father Laval's control at bay. They follow the priest into the cave and to the forbidden passageway, where the huge, ancient bear waits. Father Laval goes back to the bear and strokes its great muzzle tenderly. “Soon, my Master, I shall be one with You.” He turns to the villagers and points at Dr. Montclair. “Bring the woman first.” Montclair raises a tranquilizer rifle and fires into the bear, saying, “I don't think so.” Professor Ainsworth and the two policeman also fire tranquilizer darts into the bear, which roars and charges. Ainsworth and Sondra Laval shout at it in the ancient tongue, and it pauses, confused. “No, my Master,” Father Laval screams at it, just as Officer Hortefeux shoots him with a dart. The others pepper the bear with more darts until it falls. Then, they turn their attention to the mad priest, who has crawled to the side of the bear and is trying to chant through the haze of the drug. “My Master shall destroy you all,” the priest slurs out, “you shall taste their souls, Master. You shall...” The drug finally takes him, and he falls. Professor Ainsworth says to the villagers, “Let's get him out of here, then I say we seal this place up.” He looks Dr. Montclair in the eyes and adds, “And the bear with it.” She is conflicted about that for a moment, then nods. Concrete, rock, cement, anything that can fill a hole is brought from Montignac and the forbidden passageway, as well as the tunnel leading off to the bear's nest, are sealed so tightly that they might as well have never been open. As the dawn breaks over the French countryside, the people of Montignac and their guests step into the sunlight, smiling for the first time in weeks. Professor Ainsworth puts his arm around Dr. Montclair and says, “Happy Halloween.”

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War Of Worlds

We're going pink for October!

The state of TIAH

October 30th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Wednesday marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. In 2004, we produced our novel Warp, and last year we got a start on The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion during this annual event. Both of these novels were based on timelines from TIAH – Warp was based on the Mlosh timeline, and Protocols on the Greater Zionist Resistance timeline. Although we linked to these novels on Lulu, TIAH didn't have anything from them posted on it. We're going to do it a little differently this year. Starting Wednesday, November 1st, the posts on TIAH will be excerpts from the novel that is being written by us for NaNoWriMo. We will still have Guest Historian entries – Stephen Payne has a couple already scheduled for the beginning of the month – so, if you want to make a Guest Post this month, go ahead and send it to us, and it will appear along with our novel post. Now, on with the end of October's posts...

in 1938, radio personality Orson Welles produces a radio show to provide cover for the arrival of his unearthly masters. Although millions of Americans see and struggle with the aliens that night, in the light of the morning, it is all proclaimed a simple hoax, with the simple-minded falling under the spell of Welles' dramatic talents. The aliens make contact with their other ally on the planet, a German by the name of Adolf Hitler, and supply him with power until the rebels among their own people find a way to bring him and his alien forces down.

in 1972, as night falls, the bear cultists come for the police officers and the academics trapped in the Montignac police station's jail. Sondra Laval leads them to the cell, chanting softly in the Sanskrit-derived language that is keeping the people of Montignac under the cult's spell. When the cell door is opened and the cultists seize the four outsiders, Professor Karl Ainsworth begins a counter-chant of his own, which is picked up by the other three. Mademoiselle Laval is confused, and halts her own chanting to listen to Ainsworth; the cultists take up the chant from Ainsworth and crew, and soon, the priest's niece is also chanting with them. After several minutes of this, Ainsworth halts the chant and Laval and the other cultists seem to come out of the trance they've been in. “Now, Mademoiselle,” Professor Ainsworth says, “we have a special job for you.”

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All Part Of The Plan

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The state of TIAH

October 29th, 2006

in 1972, the Montignac police officers, as well as Professor Karl Ainsworth and Dr. Yvette Montclair, attend Sunday Mass at the church in the village. To their surprise, Father Vincent Laval is there, conducting the service. Ainsworth and Montclair restrain the officers from arresting the mad priest, and they listen to his sermon attentively. Halfway through, his niece, Sondra Laval, appears in the doorway of the church with a large cave bear - and that bear has several cubs following in tow. Before the townsfolk can react to the unusual sight, Father Laval speaks a few sentences in Sanskrit, and the villagers calm down. Looking around them, the police and the academics get the feeling that the people of Montignac are in a receptive trance. “My children,” Father Laval says in French, “our god is now calling us. His mate has grown full with the souls of our sacrifices, but she still needs to feast before she goes back to the long sleep. There are those among us who would deny her,” he says, pointing in the direction of Montclair, Ainsworth, and Officers Hortefeux and Orleans, “and they must be dealt with. Seize them.” Before the 4 outsiders can resist, the villagers surround and restrain them. “Don't worry,” Father Laval says to them, “You shall be a special feast for the Great Bear Himself, not for His mate, nor even His cubs. You shall be sacrificed on the Day of Sleep, to sustain Him while He rests again, and the outside world forgets us.” The villagers drag the protesting outsiders to the police station and lock them up in a cell, after disarming them and taking away their keys. “Don't worry,” Professor Ainsworth tells the two policemen, “this is all part of the plan.”

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An Experiment In Philadelphia

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The state of TIAH

October 28th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have another entry from Guest Historian Stephen Payne today. Our thanks to Mr. Payne for his continuing research into new areas of alternate history! If you would like to be a guest historian, too, follow the link above 'The state of TIAH' to find out how to contact us.

in 1918, sailors and soldiers of the Central Powers, following the example of the Russian Army, begin a general strike and laying down of arms, and a large number of them begin the trek to their capitol cities to overthrow their respective governments. There is a general feeling among the Central Power militaries that they have been ill-used by those prosecuting the Great War, and they want a reckoning. Germany is the first to feel the wrath of the common soldier, as Kaiser Wilhelm is thrown into the street and ripped limb from limb in their rebellion. The Austrian and Ottoman Emperors escape to Africa, and their rule is replaced by a temporary Soldier's Committee, as is the Kaiser's. The Soldier's Committees of the three nations negotiate an end to the war with the western allies, ceding all the territory that had been conquered by the empires. The western allies are reluctant to accept terms from what their leadership considers “a bunch of reds,” but accepts the terms lest they face uprisings of their own. The Soldiers Committees and Russia negotiate an alliance among themselves – they don't trust the western powers to allow common men to rule nations, and with good reason. In the spring of 1919, some of the so-called “White Governments” send military forces into the “Red Governments” of Austria and the Ottoman Empire to restore the emperors to their respective thrones. These expeditions are easily beaten back, but they leave a bitter feeling between the capitalist west and the more socialistic central Europeans. This sets the stage for the Great Ideological War, 1942-1949, in which the west attacked the Central Powers and even replaced the German People's Government with a monarchy again. The Austrian Socialist Democratic Republic and the People's Republic of Near Asia, with Russia's aid, were able to resist the western advance. Today, there exists an uneasy stalemate between the capitalist monarchies of the west and the socialist democracies of the east in Europe.

in 1943, the secret experiment known as “Project Rainbow” is conducted at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania. In a military application of Albert Einstein’s unified field theory, the destroyer escort USS Eldridge was fitted with powerful generator equipment, designed to distort electromagnetic radiation and gravity, rendering the ship invisible to radar. The Eldridge not only became almost entirely invisible to the naked eye, but also actually vanished from the area entirely in a flash of blue light. The naval base at Norfolk, Virginia six hundred kilometres away, reported sighting the Eldridge offshore for several minutes, whereupon the Eldridge vanished again and reappeared in Philadelphia, at the site it had originally occupied: a supposed case of accidental teleportation. Military historians consider it improbable that the invasion of Honshu near Tokyo, codename “Operation Coronet”, would have succeeded in the spring of 1946 without the element of surprise offered by the super weapon. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

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Suicide Solution

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The state of TIAH

October 27th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have another entry from Guest Historian Stephen Payne today. Our thanks to Mr. Payne for his continuing research into new areas of alternate history! If you would like to be a guest historian, too, follow the link above 'The state of TIAH' to find out how to contact us.

in 1972, returning from the woods after leaving the cave bear, Dr. Yvette Montclair and Professor Karl Ainsworth discuss what Montclair found out about the bear and the implications about the cult they are facing. “How far back do they go,” Ainsworth asked, “and how many of these bears do they have?” Montclair answered, “They must be using modern bears for breeding stock – there's no way they've kept a healthy population alive for 30,000 years. But, the cult of the cave – if most of these people don't realize that they belong to it, there's no one from Montignac we can really trust.” They drove in silence for several minutes as they thought about their options. Suddenly, Ainsworth asked, “What day is it?” Montclair thought for a moment, confused by the question, then answered, “The 27th.” Ainsworth nodded and said, “I have a plan.”

in 1982, one of the most powerful women on earth salutes a triumphant navy returning to port following victory in the South Atlantic. Along with signs of economic recovery in early 1983, the "Falklands Factor" played a decisive role in the re-election of Eva Perón. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1984, a young fan of metal musician Ozzy Osbourne kills himself, sets in motion a chain of events that ends with the death of popular music in America. The young man's distraught parents, rather than blame themselves for neglecting their son, blame the musician he listened to. Many other parents respond to their cry of censorship, including some rather powerful ones in Congress, and a ban on violent lyrics is soon followed by a general ban on explicit lyrics of any kind. President Ronald Reagan applauds what he calls “a return to music like I listened to as a boy.” The repression of teen impulses comes out in the nascent fascist movement of the 90's, and the fall of American democracy at the turn of the century.

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Conspiracy In The Politburo

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October 26th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have another entry from Guest Historian Stephen Payne today. Our thanks to Mr. Payne for his continuing research into new areas of alternate history! If you would like to be a guest historian, too, follow the link above 'The state of TIAH' to find out how to contact us.

in 1962, the masterful handling of the missiles crises by John F. Kennedy forces conspirators in the Politburo to accept that the Soviet Union has catastrophically underestimated the US President. Previously considered a party-going rich playboy and serial womaniser, Kennedy had bungled the Bay of Pigs invasion and was a weak pushover at the superpower summit in Vienna. Conspirators Leonid Brezhnev, Aleksandr Shelepin and the KGB chief Semichastny determine that a strike against this new and powerful adversary is required immediately before matters deteriorate further. Semichastny presents a series of options which the KGB have already explored in some detail. The repeat failure of assassination squads to eliminate French President Charles De Gaulle quickly led to that option being rejected. So too was a barbiturate induced suicide which had enabled the mob to eliminate Marilyn Monroe, ruled out due to Kennedy's close medical attention. A midnight car crash on Kennedy island, under the influence of alcohol with a young lady for company would surely ruin the President when combined with suitable revelations in the media. With the night of the Hallowe'en party fast approaching, deep sleeper agents were activated and a trap prepared at Chappaquiddick. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1972, a pitched battle erupts as Dr. Yvette Montclair and Officer Patrice Orleans try to hold off Sondra Laval and the cultists from the Lascaux cave. Just as Orleans and Montclair are forced to retreat from Father Laval's cell, Professor Karl Ainsworth and Officer Gerard Hortefeux burst in, firing tranquilizer after tranquilizer into the cave bear Sondra Laval is riding, as well as the cultists who are throwing themselves in front of the bear to protect it. Just before it collapses, the bear bends apart the bars of Father Laval's cell, and he and his niece escape from the police station using cultists as cover. With the fight over, Dr. Montclair examines the bear more closely. “We need to either dump this thing in the woods or kill it,” Officer Orleans says. “We don't have any place we can hold it – look what it did to the jail cell.” Professor Ainsworth says, “I'm reluctant to destroy the last of its species.” Dr. Montclair, looking at the bear's hind quarters, says, “Maybe she's not.”

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Beasts

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The state of TIAH

October 25th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have a pair of entries from Guest Historian Stephen Payne today. Our thanks to Mr. Payne for his research into new areas of alternate history! If you would like to be a guest historian, too, follow the link above 'The state of TIAH' to find out how to contact us.

in 1917, events driving Red October (Красный Октябрь) reached a climax as Vladimir Illych Lenin led his forces in the uprising in Petrograd, the capital of Russia, against the ineffective Kerensky Provisional Government. For the most part, the revolt in Petrograd was bloodless, with the Red Guards led by Bolsheviks taking over major government facilities with little opposition before finally launching an assault on the Winter Palace on the night from November 6 to November 7. This assault was repelled, however when imperial guards drove a stake through the vampire Lenin's heart, killing him and his undead nosferatu spawn. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1924, future German Chancellor Adolf (translation "noble wolf" from the Germanic name Adalwolf) Hitler became self aware of a medical condition which he presumed to be linked to the advancement of combat stress disorder suffered intermittently since hospitalization at the close of World War I. The condition caused his arm to shake uncontrollably, forcing him to conceal it behind his back. The condition worsened and became impossible to conceal following the June 21, 1941 move to the major Eastern Front military headquarters known as Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair). Surprisingly, no leadership connection was drawn to the Kaiser's withered hand, known to the world as a birth injury caused by incompetent surgeons. Doctors prescribed a cocktail of drugs for Hitler and recommended a vegetarian diet. Deputy Martin Bormann actually constructed a large greenhouse close to the Berghof (near Berchtesgaden) in order to ensure a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables for Hitler throughout the war. Bormann was also responsible for the destruction of Hitler's ashes in the Reich Chancellery Gardens following the Fuhrer's death in Berlin in April 1945. Having concealed his master's lycanthropy for over twenty years, he then used his own shape-shifting techniques to flee the burning city by moonlight, avoid detection by incoming Russian soldiers and return to Bavaria. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1972, as night falls on Father Laval's second day of imprisonment in Montignac, Dr. Yvette Montclair arrives at the police station to watch him with Officer Patrice Orleans, giving Professor Karl Ainsworth and Officer Gerard Hortefeux a rest. When the light of the moon spills into his cell from the one window in the room, he begins a slow, quiet chant in Sanskrit. Officer Hortefeux tells him, “Stop that,” but doesn't do anything else. The chanting continues for several minutes more, and Dr. Montclair calls up Ainsworth on his walkie-talkie and asks him to listen to what Laval is chanting. Ainsworth says, “He's calling on the daughter of the Great Cave Bear.” As Montclair puzzles over that, the door bursts open, and she tells Ainsworth, “It worked. They're here!”

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Allende Rises To Power

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October 24th, 2006

in 1970, the third time proves to be the charm for Salvador Allende as he is named President of Chile. He had been defeated in two previous runs for the high office, but the socialist politician was finally able to overcome the opposition of conservatives in his own country as well as the US government working behind the scenes to bring him down. President Allende dodged almost three dozen assassination attempts from the CIA as he led Chile through a radical restructuring of its society and a breakdown of its relationship with America. The lowest point in US-Chilean relations came when the CIA sponsored General Augusto Pinochet in a failed coup attempt in 1973. President Allende's survival of this attack seemed to break the back of American resistance to his government, and he even enjoyed good relations with the US once Richard Nixon left the American presidency. His socialism was modeled more along the lines of Western Europe than the Soviet Union, and although the business community didn't like it, it adapted to the protections for Chile's workers and thrived in the late 70's during Allende's second term in office. Chile continued along these mildly socialistic lines through the 80's and 90's, and has one of the most dynamic economies in South America today.

in 1972, the police, along with Professor Karl Ainsworth and Dr. Yvette Montclair, burst into the Lascaux cave in pursuit of Father Vincent Laval and his niece, Sondra. As they stumble towards the forbidden passageway, they hear the roars of the ancient bear and the stifled cries of the young woman, and redouble their pace. Professor Ainsworth reaches the chamber first, and his flashlight shines on a bizarre tableaux – Sondra Laval astride the great bear's back, and the mad priest snuggling its giant muzzle. The professor fires a tranquilizer dart into the bear, but misses when he is startled by making eye contact with Mademoiselle Laval. She cries out to the bear in the Sanskrit language, and it hurtles away at a speed Ainsworth can hardly believe. He fires again, but Father Laval throws himself in the way and takes the dart full in the chest. Dr. Montclair and the police then rush into the chamber, with Montclair warning the gendarmes, “Don't look up.” They cannot catch up with the bear, so they pick up Father Laval and take him back to the police station in Montignac. “I think he'll be ok,” Dr. Montclair says, after examining him, “but we'll have to wait a while before he wakes up. That trank was enough to take down a bear, after all.” Dawn breaks, and the sun rises to noon before the priest finally stirs. “Good afternoon,” Ainsworth says to him from the other side of the bars. “Where is your niece?” The priest chuckles and says, “Embracing her destiny. She is now the bride of the Bear.” The police continue interrogating him for some time, but he says little more other than threats that their souls will soon fill the Bear's belly, and so they finally give up. Leaving him in a jail cell, the two policemen and the two academics confer. One of the officers, Patrice Orleans, says, “At least now, we shouldn't have to worry about the cultists, right?”Ainsworth and Montclair are unsure. “I have no idea whether Mademoiselle Laval was trained in her 'destiny' or not,” Professor Ainsworth says. “But, she did seem quite familiar with Sanskrit.” Officer Orleans snuffs and says, “Not to mention that bear.” They all agree to carry walkie-talkies and stay in contact all night. One of them remains with Father Laval at all times.

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Brutus Is Brought Before Caesar

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October 23rd, 2006

in 711 AUC, conspirator Marcus Brutus, one of several Roman Senators who had attempted to assassinate Julius Caesar, is brought before the Roman dictator after his capture at the battle of Philippi. “What I did, I did for Rome,” he declares in way of defense, and Caesar is moved by his courage in the face of doom. “If I exile you, Brutus, you will simply raise another army and come against me again. Your betrayal necessitates your execution.” Brutus steels himself and tells Caesar that he is prepared to face his punishment. Caesar, though, is stirred to mercy by his long friendship with the man, and says, “I find it difficult to do to you what you would have done to me. I once called you my friend, Bruté, and for that, I commute your sentence. You shall enter my service.” Moved by Caesar's mercy, Brutus becomes a loyal advisor to the dictator, and assists him in consolidating power in Rome.

in 1972, late at night, Professor Karl Ainsworth and Dr. Yvette Montclair see the errant priest, Father Vincent Laval, sneak into the inn where his niece, Sondra Laval, is staying. Dr. Montclair finds a public phone to call the Montignac police and let them know, while Ainsworth goes into the inn and listens outside of Mademoiselle Laval's room. He hears a heated discussion going on inside the room; “You are the last in our line,” Father Laval says to Sondra. “I hadn't thought we would need to have this discussion, but circumstances have changed. Your destiny has come for you, ma petite Sondra. You must come with me to the cave, so that I may instruct you in the duties our family is charged with.” The mademoiselle demurs, saying, “I don't understand, Uncle Vincent. Father always said that you were the one who bore the family burden.” The police arrive, and Ainsworth motions for them to keep quiet so that he can hear Father Laval's reply. “Unfortunately, my child, it looks like my ability to carry it has been compromised. As the youngest, you must be taught to carry on after me.” One of the police officers stumbles against the door, alerting the Lavals to the presence of someone outside their room. The listeners hear the sound of breaking glass, and rush in to see the two Lavals landing on the ground outside and rushing away in the direction of the Lascaux cave. Ainsworth and Montclair rush to their car, while the officers get their patrol car, and they race off to the cave.

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Cuban Crisis

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October 22nd, 2006

in 1962, in a televised newscast to the nation, President John F. Kennedy announces that American spy planes have discovered Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. The inexperienced young chief executive has decided to take the advice of his more hawkish advisers and launch full-scale assault on the island. “We have naval forces approaching the island now,” he says to America and the world, “and soon, God willing, we will have victory over the forces of communism.” The Soviet Union immediately sends its own navy to protect the Cubans, and a few days into the battle, a nuclear explosion destroys Havana. It is unclear which side used the bomb, but both sides used the explosion as a reality check – they began negotiating a withdrawal of all foreign hostiles from Cuba, as well as instigating a reduction in each nation's nuclear arsenal. Soviet leader Khrushchev tells the world, “The tragedy of Havana cannot be allowed to happen worldwide. Therefore, with the agreement of the United States, nuclear weapons will be eliminated from our world by the end of the decade.” Although it is rumored that both sides kept a few back just in case, and they certainly have the capacity to create more quickly, nuclear brinkmanship essentially ended in the ashes of Havana.

in 1972, Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich is killed when his barracks in Saigon is bombed. Many rumors had circulated about the sergeant after he had spoken with a few reporters from Time magazine, including that he was a spy, but when his name appeared three years later in an article on homosexuals in the military, the men who had known him in the Air Force wrote the magazine in protest. Since Sergeant Matlovich was unable to speak for himself, they said, he should not be included in the article. Time retracted its story on Matlovich, in spite of the direct testimony of someone who claimed to have been the sergeant's lover. This retraction weakened what had been a growing movement to lift the ban on homosexuality in the armed forces, and set back the homosexual rights movement back a few years, as well.

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An Unexpected Guest

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October 21st, 2006

in 1972, Professor Karl Ainsworth, Dr. Yvette Montclair, and the vestiges of the Montignac police department raid the home of Father Vincent Laval, the mad parish priest who has been controlling the minds of the people of Montignac and forcing them to serve the ancient bear of the Lascaux Cave. Unfortunately, he has had time to clear his small house of everything important to him. “He's probably taken the bear someplace else,” Professor Ainsworth says, “and will try to start his cult up again with fresh meat, so to speak.” The policemen, most of whom had grown up in Montignac and had known Father Laval for years, can barely believe what is happening. “He christened my daughter,” one of them says, shaking his head. Dr. Montclair pats him on the back and says, “I suppose that he found his pagan sacrifices a bit more exciting than Christian duties such as that.” While they are searching through the mess Laval has left behind him, a young woman knocks on the door of the house. Ainsworth greets her and she asks, “What are you doing here? Has something happened to Vincent?” Deciding to try a little subterfuge, Ainsworth says, “He's disappeared, like many of the people in the community over the last few weeks. Did you know him well?” She looks stunned, and nods. “He was my uncle, my only family. My parents died in a car crash three months ago, and Uncle Vincent sent word to me that I should come to Montignac as soon as I placed their affairs in order.” The young woman cries softly, and Professor Ainsworth places an arm around her to comfort her. While he does this, he mouths the words “Laval's niece” to Dr. Montclair, who then speaks to the police officers. Ainsworth leads the young lady to a couch and sits her down. “What is your name, mademoiselle?” She wipes away her tears and replies, “Alexandra Laval, but everyone calls me Sondra.” Ainsworth smiles and says, “OK, Sondra, the police will need to ask you a few questions about your uncle, but then you should be able to relax. I'm sure that we'll find your uncle, so don't worry.” She nods and tries to smile bravely, and Ainsworth goes to speak with the officers and Dr. Montclair quietly. “I don't think she knows what's been going on,” he tells them, “but she might be able to give us some insight into Laval. Try not to ask anything that points suspicion at him too directly.” The policemen agree, and question the mademoiselle for a few minutes about the priest's background and possible places he might go if he was in trouble. After this, Professor Ainsworth and Dr. Montclair offer to put her up at the local inn rather than have her stay at Father Laval's somewhat disheveled home. She gratefully agrees, and a watch is placed on her to see if the errant priest will make contact with her.

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The Wahoo

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The state of TIAH

October 20th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have an entry from a Guest Historian, today, Ryan Hackel, whose other work you can find at ryanarium.spaces.live.com. Our thanks to Ryan for his work! If you would like to be a Guest Historian, too, read the state of TIAH link above for information on how to do it.

in 1943, the USS Wahoo (SS-238) arrives at Pearl Harbor, completing its seventh patrol. Armed with his experiences as the submarine force's most successful skipper, Captain Morton confronts the Bureau of Ordnance over the trouble-prone Mark 18 electric torpedoes. With his urging, engineers are able to identify and correct technical flaws in the torpedo that would cause it to circle around and target its firing submarine. Seeing the success of Wahoo's patrol of the Sea of Japan, ComSubPac stepped up antishipping patrols around the Japanese home islands, which by mid-1944 became an unofficial blockade of Japan. -entry by Guest Historian, Ryan Hackel-

in 1972, as the huge bear approaches Professor Karl Ainsworth and Dr. Yvette Montclair to the Sanskrit chanting of the cultists around them, Ainsworth begins a counter-chant in the same language. Much to his and Montclair's surprise, this halts the bear in its tracks, as well as confusing the cultists. Father Laval, the mad parish priest of Montignac, screams at them in the dead language, but Professor Ainsworth keeps up his steady chant, and the cultists begin repeating him, drowning out Laval. In disgust, Laval whispers something in the bear's ear and walks off with it into the darkness of the Lascaux Cave. Ainsworth keeps his chant up until dawn finally cracks over the French countryside, and the cultists begin to rouse from their stupor. When they all begin to throw off their robes and question their surroundings, Ainsworth stops his chanting, giving his cracking voice a rest. “Have I mentioned,” Dr. Montclair says to him, “how happy I am that you had a book on Sanskrit?”

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The Great Bear

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The state of TIAH

October 19th, 2006

in 1796, a series of editorials secretly written by Alexander Hamilton accuse Virginia's Thomas Jefferson of an affair with a black woman, ruining his political career. Unable to refute the claims, Jefferson retires to his home state and withdraws from politics completely. He writes profusely during his political exile, though, and his Monticello Papers formed the basis of a new political party, the Platonists. The Platonists are dedicated to an ideal state, one in which all men – and, at first, it is only men – share equally in society's pleasures and responsibilities. Jefferson frees his slaves during this period, and the party descended from his writings dedicates itself to the abolition of slavery. After they accomplish this goal in 1826, Jefferson makes one last appearance in public to congratulate them. At his side is his deceased wife's half-sister, Sally Hemings, who had been his companion during his years out of the public eye, and who was probably the source of the rumors that drove him to solitude.

in 1972, Dr. Yvette Montclair and Professor Karl Ainsworth keep watch over Father Laval, the parish priest of Montignac. During the day, he seems to fulfill the standard functions of any priest; he listens to confessions, helps with a few elderly parishioners, and visits with local politicians. At night, he just seems to pray and sleep in his small home next to the church. But, just as they begin giving up hope that Laval is going to do anything out of the ordinary, they catch a glimpse of a hooded figure slipping out and heading in the direction of the Lascaux Cave. They pursue him, only to find themselves surrounded by cultists. They struggle briefly, but are overpowered and bound tightly, then dragged to the forbidden passageway in the cave. The priest is waiting there for them, his hood thrown back, and a wild gleam in his eye. As the torchlight flickers around them, he chants briefly in Sanskrit, then leans in close to them. “They say that a man cannot serve 2 masters,” he whispers to them. “But, I praise the Christian God during the day, and I feed the Great Bear by the dark of night. You,” he says, pointing at them, “will soon know what it is to feed the Bear; in His belly, your souls will give Him strength.” He stands and begins chanting again, followed by the cultists. From the back of the cave, they hear the scraping sound of the ancient bear approaching.

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Spanish Wedding

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The state of TIAH

October 18th, 2006

in 1469, Ferdinand of Aragon weds Isabella of Castile in an attempt to unite the fractious Spanish people. Their oppression of the population through the Spanish Inquisition backfires on them, though, and they are overthrown in 1482 by a union of Spanish Muslims and Jews, who base their government in Moorish Granada. The presence of a large Islamic state in the heart of western Europe drove the Catholic Church insane, and they spent treasure and lives freely in order to be rid of it. In an effort to find new funding for their defense, the Calif of Granada financed an Italian's expedition to find a western route to India in 1496. The unexpected result of this mission was a new continent rich in gold and converts to the Moorish cause that made them the strongest nation in Europe.

in 1972, as dawn breaks over Montignac, Professor Karl Ainsworth and Dr. Yvette Montclair drive back into the town and head for the Lascaux Cave to see if the cultists have left any traces of Officer Xavier Hely after the attack the previous night. When they reach the cave's forbidden passageway, they see a lot of blood on the floor, and very reluctantly, look up. Much to their dismay, they see the body of their friend hanging amidst the other corpses on the ceiling of the cave, torn apart just as Dr. Roman Pelliot had been. They get the ladder from the car and lower Hely down. They wrap him up in a tarp from the car and load him into the back seat, then drive to the coroner's. After finishing that sad task, they drive to the police station to let them know what happened. The town's small force is dwindling rapidly; there are only 4 officers left, and they are considering career changes after what has happened to their comrades. Finally, Montclair insists they visit Father Laval to arrange the funeral of their friend. The priest is taken aback to see them, and shocked to hear that Officer Hely has been killed. "He was always such a delightful boy, helping others even when he was a little one. Such a tragedy." Ainsworth agrees. "He was a very brave man; his last action was an attempt to save someone's life." Father Laval looks curious and asks, "Who was he trying to save?" Montclair jumps in before Ainsworth can answer and says, "He heard a young woman's screams from outside the cave, and rushed in; whatever it is that has been killing people recently found him, then." Father Laval, who had been tense for a moment, seemed to relax, and the pair left his church. Montclair turned to Ainsworth and asked him, "Did you see? He wanted to know what we knew, what we saw last night. He was there – and he remembers."

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OPEC Embargo

We're going pink for October!

The state of TIAH

October 17th, 2006

in 1972, Professor Karl Ainsworth, Doctor Yvette Montclair and Officer Xavier Hely eavesdrop on a meeting of the mysterious cult of the Lascaux Cave, paying very special attention to the robed and hooded leader of the cult. As they conduct their ancient rites in a strange, guttural language, Professor Ainsworth finally places the language – it is spoken Sanskrit. He turns on his recorder again, hoping to get enough to translate later. The trio watches as a young woman is brought, struggling, to the center of the forbidden passageway and restrained. They all hear the great cave bear shuffling forward, then, and Officer Hely is unable to restrain himself. He bursts from their hiding spot and fires his tranquilizer rifle at the bear, hitting it twice. The cultists then overpower him, in spite of the supporting fire that Ainsworth and Montclair give him. Seeing the policeman go down, Ainsworth turns to Montclair and tells her, “Run – he's done for.” They retreat from the cave, firing at the cultists as they flee. When they reach their car, they are surrounded by the cultists and have to run over a couple before they are able to escape; Ainsworth has to roll down his window and stick his head out because the windscreen of the car is cracked by their attack. “I can't believe we just left Xavier,” Montclair says, her voice full of anger. “If we hadn't, we'd have been captured, as well,” Ainsworth says, bitterly. “I'm not happy about this, either. Trust me – we're going to make them pay for this. But we can't do that if we're their captives.” She turns away from him and he drives in silence back to the Dr. Roman Pelliot's house. When they get there, though, he sees that a couple of cultists have beaten them to the destination, and are waiting for them. Ainsworth points the car at the highway and leaves Montignac, telling Dr. Montclair, “We'll come back in the daylight.”

in 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, better known as OPEC, announces an embargo against the western nations that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Although the non-Arab nations of OPEC break the embargo, oil still becomes scarce in the west. Barely a year into his first term in office, President George McGovern of the US faces the challenge with all the courage he learned as a pilot in World War II. He tells the nation, and the world at large, that “America will not be blackmailed into abandoning its allies,” and begins an emergency program to develop alternative fuels for the nation. By the end of his second term, President McGovern's Alternate Fuels Initiative has replaced 15% of the nation's consumption with solar power, wind power, geothermal energy and biofuels. With the support of every congressman and president since then, the AFI now supplies 80% of America's energy needs.

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Nuremburg; Cuban "Missiles"

We're going pink for October!

The state of TIAH

October 16th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: We have two posts by Guest Historian Stephen Payne today – our thanks to him for these excellent entries. If you would like to have your writing appear in TIAH, follow the link above about the state of TIAH to see how to contact us.

in 1946, ten war criminals of the Second World War, condemned in the Nuremberg trials are hanged. The eleventh criminal, a First World War flying ace, escapes the hangman's noose by obtaining cyanide which had likely been hidden among his personal effects when they were confiscated by the Army. In 2005, a former Army private claimed he gave "medicine" hidden inside a gift fountain pen from a German woman the private had met and flirted with. The pen was used for a two sentence suicide note "I do not personally regard the whole of the remaining cities of Germany as worth the bones of one British Grenadier. In spite of all that happened at Hamburg, bombing proved a relatively humane method." signed Arthur Travers Harris, RAF Bomber Command. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

in 1962, General of the US Air Force Curtis Emerson "Bombs Away" LeMay presents fresh reconnaissance data to a highly skeptical President Kennedy. Revealing evidence of Soviet nuclear missile installations on the island of Cuba, the photographs are rejected as the forgeries of hawks who seek open war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy also ignores the warnings of LeMay that compromise with the Soviet Union was impossible; instead he supported a policy of appeasement in order to stave off a third world war that would be a more horrible "Armageddon" than the second. The President could hardly be accused of inconsistency; he had after all maintained this policy since 1940 when he was the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James. -entry by Guest Historian, Stephen Payne-

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The CSS Hunley Is Tested

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The state of TIAH

October 15th, 2006

in 1863, the Confederates test a submarine, the CSS Hunley. Its inventor, Horace Hunley of Tennessee, personally operated the vessel as it made its run through Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. After several minutes underwater, the vessel broke the surface, to the relief and delight of those watching. After several modifications, it was soon bedeviling the Union Navy, ramming and sinking ships by hitting them below the water line. It was finally sunk for good by the USS Wallace, whose commander had developed a somewhat primitive depth charge with an air-tight barrel of gunpowder. The Union had to create its own submarine force, though, because the Hunley was followed by three other vessels in short order.

in 1972, after a fruitless night watching Father Laval's home, Officer Xavier Hely, Professor Karl Ainsworth and Doctor Yvette Montclair have breakfast at an inn in Montignac. “Perhaps he's just a member of this cult, not the leader,” Ainsworth said. They kept their voices low, because they had no way of knowing who might belong to the mysterious cult of the Lascaux Cave. “I'm afraid we'll need to watch the cave, instead, and see if we can follow the leader after a meeting there.” They are all very reluctant to do that, since that will mean following the cultists into the forbidden passageway, but they agree that they have no other way of finding out who the leader is.

in 1991, after an extraordinarily bitter confirmation battle, Clarence Thomas is denied a seat on the Supreme Court. President George Bush calls the Democrats in Congress who blocked his choice a bunch of “hypocritical lynchmen” for refusing to let a conservative black man follow Justice Thurgood Marshall on the court. He leaves the seat vacant out of protest, expecting to fill it after winning reelection the next year, with possibly a majority in the Senate to help him out. He was somewhat surprised to be defeated by Arkansas' young governor, Bill Clinton, who also swept in a slightly more Democratic Senate and House. Clinton filled former Justice Marshall's Supreme Court seat immediately with activist Jesse Jackson, a controversial appointment that lights a fire under his Republican opposition and helps them get out the vote to win a majority in the Congress in the 1994 elections.

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