Wars & More. Part One. Russia, the Ukraine & Ballerinas. Vol II of Shows

By Paul Stansby

At the start of the Russian Ukranian confict Charlie has a boatload of ballerinas on board his barge in Holland who he then sees fit to move along to pastures new so they can perform freely, without prejudice and judgement from the rest of the world

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Stansby
• Release date: Nov 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201099305

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cover-image, Wars & More

© Paul W Stansby 2018-2023, Caribbean

      Wars & More

Part one, Russia, The Ukraine & Ballerinas

Volume II of Shows

          Fiction

  Shows volume II does follow on from Volume I where all the main characters are mostly featured, but there is a time span which has to be allowed for as Shows vol I was compiled in 2018 before Russia hosted the football world cup, so just skip five years to make it concurrent. For those who haven't come across Vol 1, Vol II is reasonably straightforward read. 

Chapter One. What a mess, en Route to Cologne on a Dutch River in a barge

  'Hey Charlie wake up.'

  'Good morning, Sissy.' (An estranged daughter of Charlie)

  'You've got a problem, in fact the world has.'

  'Russia has gone to war?'

  'They have, against Ukraine.'

  'So Tatiana comment was not so tongue in cheek referring to her dad and her ass, I somehow think she won't be making front page of the news today in Russia, so he's doing what Russia been toying with for a number of years, kinda of strange for he doesn't seem to be the kinda of man to be up to such an act.'

  'What about the Russians onboard this boat?'

  'Yeah, that's going to complicated as the rest of the world will condone this naturally so these girls will have to go back and retreat into their country and be isolated by Boris's actions, or at least his Generals, no doubts he wants the Ukraine as a buffer against the west, who have little interest in his country except its natural resources which are vast, the Ukraine is fairly well endowed with those as well, if he managed to get hold of that country Russia would be completely self sufficient to any oncoming doom that the rest of the world maybe subject to.'

  'Climate change?'

  'Yep, that's the one, also the USA is already there in the fact that climate change isn't so disastrous for them as the rest of the world as they are pretty much self sufficient so the rigours of rising sea levels aren't regarded catastrophic, bar the economy going up the wall and the leading capitalists of the world ceasing to exist, they will be become nobodies as the majority already are to me though manage to exist somehow.'

  'I suppose nature just gets on with it as it always has, humans being just one event on the planet which has had numerous adversaries being incumbents on its existence.' 

  'How relevant are we?'

  'We like to think we are, but we are small fry against nature and the elements it succumbs to, the unknown forces out in space came up with this dream planet where life as we know can exist, no physicists or biologists were around to lend a hand in its formation.'

  'You believe we're aliens?'

  'To this planet, yes, but we've been here a long time so I think our residency is now somewhat regarded as permanent so the initial arrival is no longer regarded as colonisation, I expect this cosmos at one time came close to another cosmos that was more developed so some more developed species hopped onto this one.'

  'It's all supposition.'

  'It is, a hell of a lot of accidental occurrences which we are all part of, there was no architects or engineers with drawn up plans for this planet. Now with this boat load of Russian girls onboard it's time to put on my Harry hat.'

  'Do you get into a box or a cupboard and transform.'

  'That would to be irresistibly Hollywood or BBC, power of thought accidentally takes me to Harry ,Charlie who I am now or Jerry .'

  'You have a fourth according to the Jason sisters.'(A Californian Duet and part of a supergroup)

  'He's more of a supernatural person, now he's pally with outer space beings, as no doubt David Bowie was to some degree, these all acceptable to me if one interprets that life in general a series of accidents but few succumb to these realisations, too many gods around for instance.'

  'So you have supercharged power of thoughts that takes you other existences whilst using the same body and appearance.'

  'That's it, thoughts and one's methods also differ considerably.'

  'Can you influence Boris.' (The Russian president)

  'Maybe Boris is one of the same, he can move into characters and his personage thus changes.'

  'Lets see how far this goes, there's going to of indirect and support from other countries as Europe does not want a powerful Russia as it could easily take over whole continent, throughout the centuries they've been empire builders of some sort or another.'

  'Wouldn't the USA or China intervene.'

  'Nukes make a stalemate, a nuclear holocaust wouldn't occur as its seriously detrimental to all sides, time for coffee and croissants Sissy, let's go down below, it's decaffeinated for me with a banana and yogurt.'

  'It is, going to be day of debating and procrastinations.'

  'It will be   

Chapter Two. Doubles, stand in's and impostors

  Down below

  We were late coming back last night, the Jason sisters, JJ and JemJ, are crashed out the saloon settees, they're just as stunning asleep as they are dressed and made up. Cafetière?'

  'Yes, I'll take it up to the pilot house with the banana and yogurt, I expect you'll be knocking up some breakfast?'

  'I thought of going up to the village on a bike and getting some fresh pastries and bread.'

  'You need a statement for those ever hungry press reporters who I expect have arrived especially as these Russian girls are prima ballerinas. I'll do you one as those rascals will run you around in circles as Boris, now bad boy, was recently on board and Tatiana, his daughter or niece  still is.'

  'Huh?'

  'Somethings don't add up to me as I delved into her and his past.'

  'Okay. They'll be amassing today as this is the nearest to hot news they'll get at the moment, you think Boris is actually in Russia.'

  'He could be running the show from the submarine he often uses, that's a good vessel for getting around in secret, presidents are often sought out by marksmen as it's a top feather in your cap assassinating one of those not forgetting the loot paid for the job.'

  'They'll be the ones who do it for kicks as well I expect.'

  'That's a further problem as those guys just appear out of the blue.'

  'To be somebody even if you in turn get wasted, go out in a blaze of glory or notoriety.'

  'You certainly wouldn't be forgotten, I think with an assassinated Boris this war could escalate with a load of trigger happy Generals intent on kicking some serious ass after years of no action, such guys live for war and battles, here's your lines.'

  'Oh right, that was quick.'

  'Just a couple one liners, I expect Tatiana's Sat phone will reveal our next port of call, steaming back down river is odds on for us, not up to Cologne, the ballet extravaganza there will be shelved I expect and these ballerinas will have no wish to return to a Russia entering back into the dark ages similar to the former USSR , the iron curtain it was often referred to as.'

  'How about heading for Scotland?'

  'Too near. Their life is dance and performing which they're very good at, any reminders of Russia brilliance in any aspects will shunned upon especially in the northern hemisphere.'

  'So you'll be heading south and not chilling out in my mum's or grandma's castle, .'

  'I think not, picturesque as it most likely is, that is when the sun is out, with my time up there it rained most days, so left me with an impression of a dreary place, that pot of coffee should have brewed so I'm back on deck, so you go along to the village.'

'It's far from dreary here'

Chapter Three The pilot house an hour later.

  'I see you got lift back in the bakers van.'

  'They popped the bike in the van, there's loads of cakes, pastries and different breads coming onboard, the two girls are ardent fans of the Jason sisters.'

  'Those two are impressive with their world wide appeal, hopefully these girls know English of some sort.'

  'Oh yes, here they are laden with carriers.'

  'The smells coming out of the bags are awesome.'

  'Hi, I'm Anouk and this is Frederika.'

  'A female named after Fred, that's a first for me, you may as well go below as the miraculous smells wafting out of those bags will wake everybody up and bring up another pot of decaf coffee please, I've been checking online on the current hot news of this year to date which I rarely do, war certainly makes a change from the previous years which were dominated by the virus sweeping the world.'

  'I expect Tatiana will be up.'

  'I think if the Russian girls dressed up in black would be appropriate, if one of these girls could drive Clara or Maisie (actress friends of Charlie in Vol 1) to a boutique to get a selection after their petite déjeuner, they'll know their sizes.'

  'Good thinking, Charlie, shoes and tights as well.'

  'Some Ukraine flags but I expect it's a little too soon for the shops to have those in.'

They go below ten minutes later Tatiana comes up.

  'I never thought Boris would but I knew the generals were up for an invasion.'

  'Unfortunately for Russia and even more so the Ukraines, Tatiana, totally unexpected from Boris.'

  'Ah, he's as you say number two.'

  'Ah, have I met number none, sounds a little similar Britain's royal family set up.'

  'You have,

  'They're?'

  'Brothers.'

  'You're?'

  'Supposedly Boris's niece, Ivan's daughter, I'm a little in the dark with this, so one or two dads doesn't really matter,.'

  'I thought he was assassinated, obviously not. They certainly look alike with the same mannerisms and voices to further convince everybody. So Ivan's is instigating this invasion.'

  'That's it'

  'Who knows about this duo?'

  'Nobody bar me, hence the submarine usage and of course many leading politicians use doubles after the Kennedy assassination so nobody knows who really is who so greatly reduces such attempts.'

  'It would, no accolades for plugging the understudy by assassins. I do suspect that the 1963 US USA assassination was more or less the same as was Marilyn's Monroe death, decoys let them deceive the world and gave them freedom to continue their love unabated for each other and without criticism, also similar to a situation in Britain's royal family where the pairing of the couple was not deemed appropriate, he happened to be a King, not quite on a par with JFK, though the Kennedy's were as near as the USA ever got to royalty.'

  'As I am to actually being the Russian Princess.'

  'You win votes, a lot of them I suspect, so are you going to defect as a lot of your friends aren't Russian, I suppose defection still exists or at least soon will as your country will be severely ostracised by the majority of the world. I'm not knowing the situation but there are persons who have become seriously rich and powerful in the your Russian country, where's there's enormous wealth corruption is normally rife'

  'I avoid such persons, Oligarchs are a no go area for me, I like dressing up or down according to my father or fathers and clubbing, otherwise I am looked upon as a Russian princess would be if we had any, but we shot them all .'

  'Fashionable for your age group and adored by the ones who saw you grow up so a hit with most people below fifty, works well if you go about it in the right manner, again there's a reference to the British royal family there where an untimely death of the future King's Ex rocked the world.'

  'Charisma is all too important and I have oodles of it.'

  'You certainly do, hanging out with JJ and her sister is a vast benefit to you, especially JJ, she certainly knows how important charisma is.'

  'You're still going up to Cologne?'

  'Most likely not, the ballet will obviously be cancelled there as countries will break off all associations with Russia which leaves you and the sixteen ballerinas out on a limb, I expect Boris to be tied up with his elder brother's invasions and future ones I suspect, staging war is very expensive exercise for a country and the country's money will dry up once Europe gets themselves organised with alternative supplies for gas and oil, electricity I suppose comes into the equation as well.'

  'I think we will be good with China.'

  'They need food as does the rest of the world which the Ukraine and Russia have vast surpluses to sell if they so wish and supply hydro electricity to China, if those two countries tango together there could be problems, but China needs a rich Europe to export too, but how all this works is unknown to me, a financial wizard I am not but there obviously somewhat of a misbalance in living standards between the two.'

  'China has too much monies around the world I suspect, but actions against us will create havoc  in economies and inflation will rise considerably followed on by interest rates taking our countries economy