Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
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Well, of course that Balkan war wasn't as fun as it could be. There weren't many updates.
Part 121, Chapter 2027
Chapter Two Thousand Twenty-Seven
9th November 1970
Plänterwald, Berlin
Freddy wished that he could run outside, hop in the nearest car, and just keep on going as far from here as he could get. However, duty was something that he couldn’t exactly run away from.
He was wearing the dress uniform of the Pioneer Corps, a first for the Office he was about to occupy. The Service Branch along with the Medical Service had been considered somewhat beneath the other, more established, branches. The Heer and Navy were regarded as the most senior with the Luftwaffe as something of an upstart. They counted the date of their formation as being the 1st of March 1917. That being the day that Oswald Boelcke had arrived in Berlin and demanded that Imperial Air Service be allowed to become its own Service Branch. The Joint Medical Service had emerged at the same time as the Pioneer Corps with both being made independent Branches in the reorganization that had followed the Second World War. The Luftwaffe had gained a considerable stature by having Freddy’s father be a part of it and the Pioneer Corps was clearly hoping that they would benefit this time.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Freddy saw that all signs of his former rank and unit had been removed from his uniform. He had held the held the rank of Oberst and had briefly commanded a Reserve Regiment, a position that he had earned entirely on his own merit. It was something that he knew he should be proud of. Freddy also knew that he was now the Grand Master of several Chivalrous Orders and if he wished, he could have festooned himself in a gaudy display in the manner of his ancestors. The truth was that he had come to understand why his father had never done that. Unearned Medals and Orders didn’t mean a whole lot. Instead, Freddy’s father had just worn his Flight Instructor’s Career Badge for years something that everyone who saw it understood that it was something that he had worked for it.
That was why Freddy was wearing the EK2 he had received for showing leadership in the field at his throat, the Pioneer Corps Career Badge, and finally, the gold medal with the image of Justicia, the blindfolded Goddess holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other engraved on it. That last one had been awarded to Freddy when he had passed his second State Examination earning a Doctorate in Law. In this context it had been awarded by the Military to say that he would be allowed to serve on a Court of Honor if that had ever proven necessary.
The door opened and Suga looked at Freddy’s reflection with a smile. She was wearing a dress that had been made specially for this occasion, blue with a pattern of green and purple leaves on it that was very subtle, the orange ribband of the Order of the Black Eagle which Freddy’s father had inducted her into as one of his last acts as Emperor. She also had the Grand Cross of the Order of Louise pinned to the left sleeve of her dress and the star of that Order pinned to her breast, which said that she was now the Royal Sovern and Grand Mistress of that Order. He understood that she always took care at how she was seen at public events, each fabric and color carefully selected, not a hair out of place and the cosmetics on her face artfully done. He also knew how Suga dressed and acted when she thought no one was looking, the old silk kimonos that were intended for everyday wear and plain cotton dresses. He actually preferred her when she wasn’t putting in as much effort. He wished that the people of Germany saw more of how warm and affable she was in casual settings. Suga would be crowned Empress beside Freddy as his Consort and that would make things interesting in the future, that much was certain. He also noticed that Mirai was holding her mother’s hand.
Of Freddy’s children, only six-year-old Mirai Louise was old enough to take part today. At the respective ages of two and five months, Alexandrine and Eduard would stay with their Nurses. He noticed that someone had put Mirai in a traditional green wool Dirndl with an undyed linen blouse and she looked absolutely adorable. The trouble was that Mirai and adorable were not a comfortable mix. It reminded Freddy of another girl he had known years earlier, Kiki, the Princess Royal who was halfway around the world today in Patagonia. He had seen a photograph taken just a few days earlier of her in the universal field uniform of the Military, the four-color splinter pattern, which was brown, tan, light & dark grey. She had her sleeves rolled up and she was working on suturing what looked like a nasty gash on a man’s leg. A dozen men, honest to God Cowboys, stood in the background watching. Freddy knew that Kiki was living exactly the sort of life she wanted when he saw that. However, she had told their father that she didn’t like being so far away from Benjamin for months on end. Suga had pointed out that it looked like she hadn’t lost weight this time. Freddy understood that had been a problem in the past. When Kiki was out in the field, she tended to neglect her own personal needs. Losing a bunch of weight was a problem for Kiki because she didn’t have a whole lot extra to lose. Mirai could do far worse than to turn out like her Aunt Kristine.
“Shall we?” Freddy asked as he buckled on his sword belt. The short sword of a Pioneer Officer was a part of the dress uniform that actually found its way into the field. The stout blade perfect for cutting and hacking in place of an axe.
“Yes” Suga said as she took Freddy’s arm and they walked out to the waiting cars.
In the coming minutes, they would get in a car and a motorcade would take them from Winter Residence to the Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church. Then there would be a purposely nondenominational benediction delivered by three Church Leaders from those very denominations who would hopefully get through it without arguing like they had at the rehearsal the day before. After that, Freddy would lift the crown from the alter and place it upon his head. It was a tradition started by Wilhelm I in 1861, as he had said that he was receiving the Crown from God’s hands. He had done that to tell the members of the Prussian Landtag that he had the last word as King, and a decade later, Emperor. As Freddy had considered that, he had realized that there was a deeper meaning that Wilhelm I might not have intended. The Emperor was also the end of the line when it came to responsibility. Everything that happened during his tenure, good or bad, would be laid entirely at his doorstep.
After that, he would be part of a procession to the Reichstag where he would take his oath of allegiance, swearing to protect the unity of the Realm, the freedom of her people, and…
Freddy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Ben standing on the side of the driveway next to the turn off that led to Kiki’s cottage with Rauchbier sitting beside him. He was wearing a tattered bathrobe, a newspaper under his arm, a coffee cup in his hand and flip-flops on his feet. As the motorcade passed, he gave Freddy a crisp military salute that came across as more than a bit sarcastic.
Freddy started laughing, that had been the perfect way to lighten the mood going into this whole thing.
9th November 1970
Plänterwald, Berlin
Freddy wished that he could run outside, hop in the nearest car, and just keep on going as far from here as he could get. However, duty was something that he couldn’t exactly run away from.
He was wearing the dress uniform of the Pioneer Corps, a first for the Office he was about to occupy. The Service Branch along with the Medical Service had been considered somewhat beneath the other, more established, branches. The Heer and Navy were regarded as the most senior with the Luftwaffe as something of an upstart. They counted the date of their formation as being the 1st of March 1917. That being the day that Oswald Boelcke had arrived in Berlin and demanded that Imperial Air Service be allowed to become its own Service Branch. The Joint Medical Service had emerged at the same time as the Pioneer Corps with both being made independent Branches in the reorganization that had followed the Second World War. The Luftwaffe had gained a considerable stature by having Freddy’s father be a part of it and the Pioneer Corps was clearly hoping that they would benefit this time.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Freddy saw that all signs of his former rank and unit had been removed from his uniform. He had held the held the rank of Oberst and had briefly commanded a Reserve Regiment, a position that he had earned entirely on his own merit. It was something that he knew he should be proud of. Freddy also knew that he was now the Grand Master of several Chivalrous Orders and if he wished, he could have festooned himself in a gaudy display in the manner of his ancestors. The truth was that he had come to understand why his father had never done that. Unearned Medals and Orders didn’t mean a whole lot. Instead, Freddy’s father had just worn his Flight Instructor’s Career Badge for years something that everyone who saw it understood that it was something that he had worked for it.
That was why Freddy was wearing the EK2 he had received for showing leadership in the field at his throat, the Pioneer Corps Career Badge, and finally, the gold medal with the image of Justicia, the blindfolded Goddess holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other engraved on it. That last one had been awarded to Freddy when he had passed his second State Examination earning a Doctorate in Law. In this context it had been awarded by the Military to say that he would be allowed to serve on a Court of Honor if that had ever proven necessary.
The door opened and Suga looked at Freddy’s reflection with a smile. She was wearing a dress that had been made specially for this occasion, blue with a pattern of green and purple leaves on it that was very subtle, the orange ribband of the Order of the Black Eagle which Freddy’s father had inducted her into as one of his last acts as Emperor. She also had the Grand Cross of the Order of Louise pinned to the left sleeve of her dress and the star of that Order pinned to her breast, which said that she was now the Royal Sovern and Grand Mistress of that Order. He understood that she always took care at how she was seen at public events, each fabric and color carefully selected, not a hair out of place and the cosmetics on her face artfully done. He also knew how Suga dressed and acted when she thought no one was looking, the old silk kimonos that were intended for everyday wear and plain cotton dresses. He actually preferred her when she wasn’t putting in as much effort. He wished that the people of Germany saw more of how warm and affable she was in casual settings. Suga would be crowned Empress beside Freddy as his Consort and that would make things interesting in the future, that much was certain. He also noticed that Mirai was holding her mother’s hand.
Of Freddy’s children, only six-year-old Mirai Louise was old enough to take part today. At the respective ages of two and five months, Alexandrine and Eduard would stay with their Nurses. He noticed that someone had put Mirai in a traditional green wool Dirndl with an undyed linen blouse and she looked absolutely adorable. The trouble was that Mirai and adorable were not a comfortable mix. It reminded Freddy of another girl he had known years earlier, Kiki, the Princess Royal who was halfway around the world today in Patagonia. He had seen a photograph taken just a few days earlier of her in the universal field uniform of the Military, the four-color splinter pattern, which was brown, tan, light & dark grey. She had her sleeves rolled up and she was working on suturing what looked like a nasty gash on a man’s leg. A dozen men, honest to God Cowboys, stood in the background watching. Freddy knew that Kiki was living exactly the sort of life she wanted when he saw that. However, she had told their father that she didn’t like being so far away from Benjamin for months on end. Suga had pointed out that it looked like she hadn’t lost weight this time. Freddy understood that had been a problem in the past. When Kiki was out in the field, she tended to neglect her own personal needs. Losing a bunch of weight was a problem for Kiki because she didn’t have a whole lot extra to lose. Mirai could do far worse than to turn out like her Aunt Kristine.
“Shall we?” Freddy asked as he buckled on his sword belt. The short sword of a Pioneer Officer was a part of the dress uniform that actually found its way into the field. The stout blade perfect for cutting and hacking in place of an axe.
“Yes” Suga said as she took Freddy’s arm and they walked out to the waiting cars.
In the coming minutes, they would get in a car and a motorcade would take them from Winter Residence to the Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church. Then there would be a purposely nondenominational benediction delivered by three Church Leaders from those very denominations who would hopefully get through it without arguing like they had at the rehearsal the day before. After that, Freddy would lift the crown from the alter and place it upon his head. It was a tradition started by Wilhelm I in 1861, as he had said that he was receiving the Crown from God’s hands. He had done that to tell the members of the Prussian Landtag that he had the last word as King, and a decade later, Emperor. As Freddy had considered that, he had realized that there was a deeper meaning that Wilhelm I might not have intended. The Emperor was also the end of the line when it came to responsibility. Everything that happened during his tenure, good or bad, would be laid entirely at his doorstep.
After that, he would be part of a procession to the Reichstag where he would take his oath of allegiance, swearing to protect the unity of the Realm, the freedom of her people, and…
Freddy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Ben standing on the side of the driveway next to the turn off that led to Kiki’s cottage with Rauchbier sitting beside him. He was wearing a tattered bathrobe, a newspaper under his arm, a coffee cup in his hand and flip-flops on his feet. As the motorcade passed, he gave Freddy a crisp military salute that came across as more than a bit sarcastic.
Freddy started laughing, that had been the perfect way to lighten the mood going into this whole thing.
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Oh yes...
I thought that was an English thing, along with wearing a handkerchief with knots in the corners over one's head
That's sandals rather than flip-flops. It's very difficult to wear socks with flip flips.Oh yes...
I thought that was an English thing, along with wearing a handkerchief with knots in the corners over one's head
And here I was, convinced that the whole socks-and-sandals thing was a Maths teacher thing.
@Peabody-Martini
You hae inferred a few times that Emil will be one of the last WW1 veterans, but I was wondering if there were anymore rival aces still around with the Red Baron? Just curious thought really as I was rereading the first thread and came across Mick Mannock and the Baron trying the crush each others hands and still wondering if there is anyone else still around due to butterflies.
The Veterans are dropping off.
You hae inferred a few times that Emil will be one of the last WW1 veterans, but I was wondering if there were anymore rival aces still around with the Red Baron? Just curious thought really as I was rereading the first thread and came across Mick Mannock and the Baron trying the crush each others hands and still wondering if there is anyone else still around due to butterflies.
The Veterans are dropping off.
You are aware of Ben's day job, right? Astronomy is an example of applied Mathematics and he is working towards a Professorship.
I am. That's why the various accusations of it being a nationality/ethnicity trait amused me.
I can also see Ben deciding that it is past time to dedicate himself to the Astronomy/Raumsfahrer career path, despite the fact that he really likes flying fast and low, because the Luftwaffe might be beginning to hinder his progress there.