Part 83, Chapter 1269
The fix that is temporary at best worked, sort of. Replacing the charging port is cheaper than the whole computer. Just finding one for a four-year-old laptop turned out to be a real chore. The new AC adapter proved to be an easier find. I'm back, until something else breaks.
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-Nine
24th February 1958
Berlin
Despite what Sophie had told Helene she felt a great deal of uncertainty as the election results unfolded. Once again, no one had enough seats to hold an outright majority but as expected it was the center-right National Liberal Party that had come out on top. Despite the words of reconciliation and national unity that they were speaking, it was clear to Sophie that for that crowd it was very much Germany Above all. They didn’t seem to realize that it was a very different place than it had been when they had last been in power in the thirties. Poland, Slovakia, Bohemia and the Baltics were not conquered territories entirely beholden to official Berlin for humanitarian aid. Sophie figured that they would be in for a rude awakening if they were stupid enough to behave in a heavy-handed manner with those regions. Germany itself was a different place, particularly the major cities, Berlin and Hamburg especially. Both were considered international cities with people from everywhere living and working there.
The good news on the night had come from Helene’s native Silesia and Sophie’s Bavaria where the Democratic Ecology Party had vastly expanded their numbers in the State Governments and had made inroads in several other States. It seemed that Helene efforts to reach out to the Polish population of Upper Silesia with her friend Asia Lawniczak had paid dividends. According to Helene it turned out to be good timing, because Asia was still recovering from a traumatic experience and had needed a distraction.
As if the uncertainty of tonight was obnoxious enough Sophie had been approached by a journalist who had asked her opinion on a different matter entirely. An Arthur Harris, a retired English General and self-proclaimed expert had decided that now was the perfect time to relitigate Kure and had ventured even further back to the bombing of Moscow. Harris had proclaimed that in his analysis the bombing of the center of Moscow had been unnecessary, as little in the city itself was of strategic value. Sophie doubted that Harris would have said that if Augustus Lang were still alive. Lang himself had said that he regretted many of the choices he had to make to end the war and win the peace that followed. At the same time, he said that he had been prepared to unleash Hell on Earth if it ended the war a few months sooner.
Berlin-Mitte
It was brightly lit against the dark of the night, Kat had to give it that much. It was one of the few establishments that was open all night, selling mostly hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries to those who kept late hours. She bought a cup of tea from the disinterested woman who was behind the counter. Kat had a feeling that she had a lot of practice in showing little regard to what her customers did.
“You made it after all” Sven Werth said as Kat slid into the booth across the table from him. “What excuse did you give your husband?”
“I told him the truth” Kat replied, “Having a second sixteen-year-old in the house was driving me insane and that if didn’t get out for this then you would be at the house investigating a double homicide.”
“I think that this would be a local matter handled by the Berlin Police” Sven replied mildly.
“Spoilsport” Kat said, “You are just trying to avoid a real challenge.”
Sven just gave Kat a sardonic look. “While I think you would probably be an excellent criminal Katherine” He said, “You are more of the sort to stand over the body, or bodies, when the police arrive one step behind your lawyers, plural, and dare them to prove that it wasn’t justified.”
Kat just smiled sweetly at that characterization. She was still the same girl who had gone head to head with a team of NKDV assassins and had come out on top.
“Just how did you end up with the second teenager?” Sven asked.
“Maria, my former mentor is on a long-promised vacation with her husband Emil to the South Seas” Kat replied, “Her daughter Zella happens to be one of Kiki’s best friends and I agreed to let her stay at my house while Maria was away. I’m starting to think that probably wasn’t the wisest move.”
“I see” Sven said, “And you got a whole lot of drama out of the deal.”
“Never a dull moment” Kat said before taking a sip of tea to see if it was cool enough to drink.
“I think you secretly love it” Sven replied, “You described how your Aunt welcomed people into her house, how it made it full of life. You’re doing the same thing.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to listen to Zella complain whenever she’s asked to do something.”
“I take it she has a mouth on her?”
“It wouldn’t so bad except Kiki is not yet confident enough in herself not to follow along with whatever Zella wants” Kat replied, “I’ve been working on that, just not hard enough it seems.”
Sven was a bit amused, he remembered how Kat was years earlier. How she was trying to find herself back then and he figured that she still was. It was nice how she was in a position to care about people. When she had been trying to get into Law Enforcement, he had seen Kat’s dismay when she saw people paint themselves into a corner. The natural empathy that she tried to conceal would have caused her to burn out eventually. When she had not fought to keep her job after she had gotten pregnant, Sven had understood what had really been motivating her. She had been given a way out and had taken it. That was not something that she would admit to, ever.
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-Nine
24th February 1958
Berlin
Despite what Sophie had told Helene she felt a great deal of uncertainty as the election results unfolded. Once again, no one had enough seats to hold an outright majority but as expected it was the center-right National Liberal Party that had come out on top. Despite the words of reconciliation and national unity that they were speaking, it was clear to Sophie that for that crowd it was very much Germany Above all. They didn’t seem to realize that it was a very different place than it had been when they had last been in power in the thirties. Poland, Slovakia, Bohemia and the Baltics were not conquered territories entirely beholden to official Berlin for humanitarian aid. Sophie figured that they would be in for a rude awakening if they were stupid enough to behave in a heavy-handed manner with those regions. Germany itself was a different place, particularly the major cities, Berlin and Hamburg especially. Both were considered international cities with people from everywhere living and working there.
The good news on the night had come from Helene’s native Silesia and Sophie’s Bavaria where the Democratic Ecology Party had vastly expanded their numbers in the State Governments and had made inroads in several other States. It seemed that Helene efforts to reach out to the Polish population of Upper Silesia with her friend Asia Lawniczak had paid dividends. According to Helene it turned out to be good timing, because Asia was still recovering from a traumatic experience and had needed a distraction.
As if the uncertainty of tonight was obnoxious enough Sophie had been approached by a journalist who had asked her opinion on a different matter entirely. An Arthur Harris, a retired English General and self-proclaimed expert had decided that now was the perfect time to relitigate Kure and had ventured even further back to the bombing of Moscow. Harris had proclaimed that in his analysis the bombing of the center of Moscow had been unnecessary, as little in the city itself was of strategic value. Sophie doubted that Harris would have said that if Augustus Lang were still alive. Lang himself had said that he regretted many of the choices he had to make to end the war and win the peace that followed. At the same time, he said that he had been prepared to unleash Hell on Earth if it ended the war a few months sooner.
Berlin-Mitte
It was brightly lit against the dark of the night, Kat had to give it that much. It was one of the few establishments that was open all night, selling mostly hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries to those who kept late hours. She bought a cup of tea from the disinterested woman who was behind the counter. Kat had a feeling that she had a lot of practice in showing little regard to what her customers did.
“You made it after all” Sven Werth said as Kat slid into the booth across the table from him. “What excuse did you give your husband?”
“I told him the truth” Kat replied, “Having a second sixteen-year-old in the house was driving me insane and that if didn’t get out for this then you would be at the house investigating a double homicide.”
“I think that this would be a local matter handled by the Berlin Police” Sven replied mildly.
“Spoilsport” Kat said, “You are just trying to avoid a real challenge.”
Sven just gave Kat a sardonic look. “While I think you would probably be an excellent criminal Katherine” He said, “You are more of the sort to stand over the body, or bodies, when the police arrive one step behind your lawyers, plural, and dare them to prove that it wasn’t justified.”
Kat just smiled sweetly at that characterization. She was still the same girl who had gone head to head with a team of NKDV assassins and had come out on top.
“Just how did you end up with the second teenager?” Sven asked.
“Maria, my former mentor is on a long-promised vacation with her husband Emil to the South Seas” Kat replied, “Her daughter Zella happens to be one of Kiki’s best friends and I agreed to let her stay at my house while Maria was away. I’m starting to think that probably wasn’t the wisest move.”
“I see” Sven said, “And you got a whole lot of drama out of the deal.”
“Never a dull moment” Kat said before taking a sip of tea to see if it was cool enough to drink.
“I think you secretly love it” Sven replied, “You described how your Aunt welcomed people into her house, how it made it full of life. You’re doing the same thing.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to listen to Zella complain whenever she’s asked to do something.”
“I take it she has a mouth on her?”
“It wouldn’t so bad except Kiki is not yet confident enough in herself not to follow along with whatever Zella wants” Kat replied, “I’ve been working on that, just not hard enough it seems.”
Sven was a bit amused, he remembered how Kat was years earlier. How she was trying to find herself back then and he figured that she still was. It was nice how she was in a position to care about people. When she had been trying to get into Law Enforcement, he had seen Kat’s dismay when she saw people paint themselves into a corner. The natural empathy that she tried to conceal would have caused her to burn out eventually. When she had not fought to keep her job after she had gotten pregnant, Sven had understood what had really been motivating her. She had been given a way out and had taken it. That was not something that she would admit to, ever.
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