Seems to me it's about time he was made an instructor, given the amount of combat experience he has. Means he gets to keep flying but doesn't have unfriendly individuals taking pot shots at him.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
No might about it. I think we'll see the Frohn and the N600 topping the rally tables for a few years unless the Mini gets some extra tweeks.
Ben could get a job with the German space agency, if he is not already short listed to be an executive with them.
ferdi254
Banned
Buenos Aires to FFM is at the moment 13:40 with a 748. Taking a Tornado/Orkan is not faster as the 3900 km range is at subsonic speed.
And PM has made it clear that it was introduced to reduce atomic fears in the USA. So if an Orkan could cross that distance on a whim the whole object of that would have been gone.
USA: Let us both agree to reduce the level of strategic weapons.
Germany: ok
3 years later Germany: we have that new Orkan, can deliver atomic weapons, but only short range.
USA: ok
2 years later. A German Orkan goes from Argentine to Berlin in one go.
USA: insert favorite expletives.
And PM has made it clear that it was introduced to reduce atomic fears in the USA. So if an Orkan could cross that distance on a whim the whole object of that would have been gone.
USA: Let us both agree to reduce the level of strategic weapons.
Germany: ok
3 years later Germany: we have that new Orkan, can deliver atomic weapons, but only short range.
USA: ok
2 years later. A German Orkan goes from Argentine to Berlin in one go.
USA: insert favorite expletives.
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And a 747 (8) is a lot comfier than a Tornado / Orkan, especially in First / Business. A380 is nicer though, having flown Business in both. 777 not as good as either.
True, though Air France are the worst full service long haul airline I've flown, they even ran out of wine and I wasn't flying economy. However the absolute worst airline I've flown, a magnitude worse than even Ryanair (and I've also flown a few dodgy African Airlines) was a Dutch low cost long haul airline called Martinair, truly dreadful.
Ryanair hold a special place for me: flew to Germany for a week's camping holiday, everything was in my Bergen.
I landed in "Frankfurt", (Hahn, an old USAFE base about an hour from Frankfurt), my Bergan landed in Florence. That made for an interesting couple of days to start my holiday....
I landed in "Frankfurt", (Hahn, an old USAFE base about an hour from Frankfurt), my Bergan landed in Florence. That made for an interesting couple of days to start my holiday....
Summer holiday camps in Siberia makes a change from the more... traditional, shall we say?... reasons the people usually end up there for. I like that Gia wants Alexie to interact with people from outside his social circle and that she doesn't want to end up as a neurotic mess. Speaking of which...
Heeere's Kiki!! The current holder of the Stupid Luck and Happenstance Neurotic Mess World Title.
A lot of Kiki’s problems with the concept of her being a mother can be traced back to her mother Kira treating her like a prize brood mare without any ambitions for herself.
Kiki realized that when the family visited the Holy Land in the Yacht and Kiki was seated next to the Crown Prince of Italy who is not a good person to be around with.
Kiki realized that when the family visited the Holy Land in the Yacht and Kiki was seated next to the Crown Prince of Italy who is not a good person to be around with.
Yeah. Kira really did expect Kiki to "Lie Back And Think Of Germany".
Indeed. Which as well as being awful by modern standards... even by ‘royal standards’ , dynastic marriage was effectively dead by then. The moment that elected governments became the ones to decide on war, peace and alliances rendered any advantages from the joining of royal families null and void. Heck, Kira should have seen the truth of that thanks to WWI breaking out despite the family ties between the major monarchies. Kiki marrying someone foreign prince - as well as being awful for her - would have brought Germany zero benefit.
Counterpoint Imo is Princes Suga and Freddy... a relationship that Imo healed the chasm of German - Japanese relations to a good degree.
So while I in general agree that dynastic thinking is outmodded, there seem to be some examples of it still hapening... or Birdy and Michael of Bohemia...
Please correct the names if I got them wrong...
Yeah, but those benefits are all soft power. It's not the dynastic ties of old.
Now if we had a pairing that was arranged to go the 'heir and spare, then he goes live with the mistress' route, I doubt it would have anywhere similar a pull even only terms of soft power.
(Though it opens a question I might have missed, or hadn't come up: Who is responsible for Declarations of War in this Germany? Are Treaties signed by the Emperor binding, or does it need ratification by the democratically elected parliament? Because that would hand a lot of hard power of the generally not used variant.)
Now if we had a pairing that was arranged to go the 'heir and spare, then he goes live with the mistress' route, I doubt it would have anywhere similar a pull even only terms of soft power.
(Though it opens a question I might have missed, or hadn't come up: Who is responsible for Declarations of War in this Germany? Are Treaties signed by the Emperor binding, or does it need ratification by the democratically elected parliament? Because that would hand a lot of hard power of the generally not used variant.)
The real power in Germany resides in the Reichstag with the Chancellor at the head of government, the Emperor is the Head of State and mostly performs ceremonial functions like hosting State visits, going on State visits, is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Just as the power to declare war is entrusted in the United States Constitution to the Congress, the power to declare war is up to the Reichstag in Germany in the name of the Emperor.
As for signing treaties anyone authorized by the government can sign one but only the Reichstag can give approval for it.
It is mostly a modern development that Heads of States sign treaties today, previously it was their authorized representatives who negotiated and then signed treaties.
In the first timeline Louis Ferdinand went to the Pacific on his yacht and negotiated the end of The Pacific War with the Emperor of Japan but that was for mostly symbolic reasons as the terms that were acceptable to the Allies were hashed out at an earlier conference and Louis Ferdinand had very, very little leeway in altering the terms to Japan.
It was mostly done so the Emperor of Japan could save face by making an agreement with an equal.
Part 122, Chapter 2047
Chapter Two Thousand Forty-Seven
1st March 1971
Tempelhof, Berlin
All it took was a look from Kat and the men from the Press who had been shouting questions at her fell silent as she entered the hospital. This was not the time or place for that.
Kat had briefly worked in Journalism, so she understood the need for a free press. That was one of Kat’s many careers that had not panned out. That one was because she had a horrible habit of driving the story rather than merely covering it. She had also tried a few other things, but nothing had really taken until she found herself the Prefect of Berlin. Once in a fit of pique, Marie Alexandra had complained that the only thing Kat was good at was being in charge whether those whose lives she ruled over with an iron fist liked it or not. She ran her household in a benevolent dictatorship and that extended out to include the city of her birth as well.
Among Kat’s children, Marie had always loved theatrics and had a way with words. It was a bit naïve to think that Kat ruled the city like an Autocrat of the last century, even if her role wasn’t proscribed by those who were inclined to be suspicious or resentful of an appointed monarch of sorts, there were the realities of the City itself to consider. Little things like when people flipped the switch in their home and lights came on, the electricity had to come from somewhere as just one example. There was a water in their pipes, the food on their plate, and even the television signals that were their entertainment which all required countless inputs scattered across tens of thousands of kilometers that all fed into Berlin. If any one of those links got cut for any reason, then blame frequently fell upon the person in the most visible position. There was also the aspect of a city of millions having thousands of factions all of whom felt that their needs were paramount. Kat had understood that almost anyone who was appointed, elected, or was stupid enough to claw their way into the role of Prefect of Berlin had better understand the City and the actual limits of their power or else the city would eat them alive.
The Press played a key role in functioning of the City, that didn’t mean that Kat was always thrilled to see them or answer questions. Especially when she was attending to a personal matter. As Kat watched, one of her men press the button that would take them up to the appropriate floor. A few minutes later, they stepped off into the Maternity Ward. Places like this had changed considerably since Kat had been in them more than a decade earlier. The blue and white antiseptic theme that was mostly universal in hospitals had been changed to pastel hues meant to provide relaxation and comfort. As a mother though, Kat understood that it was all a front. The reality was that there were plenty of things that went on behind the scenes here that were far less than comforting. Simply put, pregnancy and childbirth could be incredibly dangerous. Kat certainly had enough memories of what that was like to know.
Kat was stopped by members of the First Foot Guard as she made her way into the wing that had been secured by them the day before. As unfair it was that Kiki wasn’t in good graces with the Heer Unit that protected the Royal family because of events beyond her control, they still were not about to shirk their responsibilities. Entering the suite of rooms, Kat saw that Freddy, Suga, Louis Ferdinand, and Charlotte were talking with Doctor Berg in the outer room. It was too early to introduce the older children to their newest niece or cousin if Kat had to guess, so Mairi, Nella, and Nan were absent. If Kat had to guess, they were home asleep at this hour.
“How is she?” Kat asked Louis Ferdinand, she found that she had trouble figuring out the proper way to address Louis after his retirement. She had only met his father couple of times and that had been after she had been left deafened and hurting by the Reichstag Bombing. That had not been a great time for Kat. The two of them had always played their respective roles for decades, all of Kat’s adult life. Louis choosing to retire when he reached the age of sixty-four had changed all of that.
“Nina is as well as can be expected, healthy even if she is a touch small” Louis answered, “They are worried about Kristina though, all of this was most unexpected.”
That was a bit of an understatement. Kat had heard the details of Kiki’s escape through Chile and how she’d had no idea that there had been an additional companion who had made that journey with her. There was also the aspect of Ben volunteering to go to Argentina, ostensibly to look for Kiki after she went missing in a romantic but ultimately foolish move that was typical of him. As the Commander in Chief of the Landwehr Units of City of Berlin, Kat had ordered Ben’s immediate return a couple weeks earlier. That took time however and as far as Kat knew he was still in Argentina. It was hardly a surprise that Kiki blamed herself for how all of this, though she shouldn’t.
Entering the inner room, Kat saw that Nadine and Bernhard, Ben’s mother and father were standing there with Nadine holding her granddaughter. Whatever differences Nadine might have had with Kiki over the years, this was something that transcended that. Ben was an only child who had been something a surprise for his parents when he had come along. Kiki looked terrible, but she was awake and watching her in-laws closely. Kat was aware of some of the things that Kiki believed about herself, the truth was that she couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Good morning” Kat said to Kiki as she sat down in the chair beside the bed. “You went through with naming her that?”
Kiki just gave Kat a slight smile. Nina was the name that Kiki had said would be something that few people would make the connection with. It being a diminutive of Gianna. With her full name, Nina had four middle names as was traditional. With those being Eleanora Charlotte Nadine Katherine, Kiki had picked names of women she either wanted to either make peace or get even with.
“Your mother gave me one like this when Tat and Kol were born, a third stone was added when I had Marie Alexandra” Kat said as she removed a jewelry box from her purse. “It was on short notice, but the Jeweler was understanding.”
It was a silver pendent with a polished lapis lazuli stone in the center and a faceted aquamarine stone set beside it. When Kira had given one like it to Kat, it had been at a time when she had been overwhelmed be the responsibility of motherhood. It felt right that she was returning the favor two decades later.
1st March 1971
Tempelhof, Berlin
All it took was a look from Kat and the men from the Press who had been shouting questions at her fell silent as she entered the hospital. This was not the time or place for that.
Kat had briefly worked in Journalism, so she understood the need for a free press. That was one of Kat’s many careers that had not panned out. That one was because she had a horrible habit of driving the story rather than merely covering it. She had also tried a few other things, but nothing had really taken until she found herself the Prefect of Berlin. Once in a fit of pique, Marie Alexandra had complained that the only thing Kat was good at was being in charge whether those whose lives she ruled over with an iron fist liked it or not. She ran her household in a benevolent dictatorship and that extended out to include the city of her birth as well.
Among Kat’s children, Marie had always loved theatrics and had a way with words. It was a bit naïve to think that Kat ruled the city like an Autocrat of the last century, even if her role wasn’t proscribed by those who were inclined to be suspicious or resentful of an appointed monarch of sorts, there were the realities of the City itself to consider. Little things like when people flipped the switch in their home and lights came on, the electricity had to come from somewhere as just one example. There was a water in their pipes, the food on their plate, and even the television signals that were their entertainment which all required countless inputs scattered across tens of thousands of kilometers that all fed into Berlin. If any one of those links got cut for any reason, then blame frequently fell upon the person in the most visible position. There was also the aspect of a city of millions having thousands of factions all of whom felt that their needs were paramount. Kat had understood that almost anyone who was appointed, elected, or was stupid enough to claw their way into the role of Prefect of Berlin had better understand the City and the actual limits of their power or else the city would eat them alive.
The Press played a key role in functioning of the City, that didn’t mean that Kat was always thrilled to see them or answer questions. Especially when she was attending to a personal matter. As Kat watched, one of her men press the button that would take them up to the appropriate floor. A few minutes later, they stepped off into the Maternity Ward. Places like this had changed considerably since Kat had been in them more than a decade earlier. The blue and white antiseptic theme that was mostly universal in hospitals had been changed to pastel hues meant to provide relaxation and comfort. As a mother though, Kat understood that it was all a front. The reality was that there were plenty of things that went on behind the scenes here that were far less than comforting. Simply put, pregnancy and childbirth could be incredibly dangerous. Kat certainly had enough memories of what that was like to know.
Kat was stopped by members of the First Foot Guard as she made her way into the wing that had been secured by them the day before. As unfair it was that Kiki wasn’t in good graces with the Heer Unit that protected the Royal family because of events beyond her control, they still were not about to shirk their responsibilities. Entering the suite of rooms, Kat saw that Freddy, Suga, Louis Ferdinand, and Charlotte were talking with Doctor Berg in the outer room. It was too early to introduce the older children to their newest niece or cousin if Kat had to guess, so Mairi, Nella, and Nan were absent. If Kat had to guess, they were home asleep at this hour.
“How is she?” Kat asked Louis Ferdinand, she found that she had trouble figuring out the proper way to address Louis after his retirement. She had only met his father couple of times and that had been after she had been left deafened and hurting by the Reichstag Bombing. That had not been a great time for Kat. The two of them had always played their respective roles for decades, all of Kat’s adult life. Louis choosing to retire when he reached the age of sixty-four had changed all of that.
“Nina is as well as can be expected, healthy even if she is a touch small” Louis answered, “They are worried about Kristina though, all of this was most unexpected.”
That was a bit of an understatement. Kat had heard the details of Kiki’s escape through Chile and how she’d had no idea that there had been an additional companion who had made that journey with her. There was also the aspect of Ben volunteering to go to Argentina, ostensibly to look for Kiki after she went missing in a romantic but ultimately foolish move that was typical of him. As the Commander in Chief of the Landwehr Units of City of Berlin, Kat had ordered Ben’s immediate return a couple weeks earlier. That took time however and as far as Kat knew he was still in Argentina. It was hardly a surprise that Kiki blamed herself for how all of this, though she shouldn’t.
Entering the inner room, Kat saw that Nadine and Bernhard, Ben’s mother and father were standing there with Nadine holding her granddaughter. Whatever differences Nadine might have had with Kiki over the years, this was something that transcended that. Ben was an only child who had been something a surprise for his parents when he had come along. Kiki looked terrible, but she was awake and watching her in-laws closely. Kat was aware of some of the things that Kiki believed about herself, the truth was that she couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Good morning” Kat said to Kiki as she sat down in the chair beside the bed. “You went through with naming her that?”
Kiki just gave Kat a slight smile. Nina was the name that Kiki had said would be something that few people would make the connection with. It being a diminutive of Gianna. With her full name, Nina had four middle names as was traditional. With those being Eleanora Charlotte Nadine Katherine, Kiki had picked names of women she either wanted to either make peace or get even with.
“Your mother gave me one like this when Tat and Kol were born, a third stone was added when I had Marie Alexandra” Kat said as she removed a jewelry box from her purse. “It was on short notice, but the Jeweler was understanding.”
It was a silver pendent with a polished lapis lazuli stone in the center and a faceted aquamarine stone set beside it. When Kira had given one like it to Kat, it had been at a time when she had been overwhelmed be the responsibility of motherhood. It felt right that she was returning the favor two decades later.
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Beautiful chapter @Peabody-Martini . Welcome to the world Nina Eleanora Charlotte Nadine Katherine von Preussen-Hirsch.