Grey Wolf
Donor
LOL, I knew it didn't feel right when I wrote it ! Good catch !
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Satan's Children (The 1950s)
- Thread starter Grey Wolf
- Start date
LOL, I knew it didn't feel right when I wrote it ! Good catch !
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
"If the bomb is not in Persia, then where is it ?"
Canaris, at Heydrich's insistence, was meeting with his Foreign Intelligence source, Walter Schellenberg, a man of the same age group as the latter, the age group comonly known as 'the century boys' from their dates of birth in the first years of the twentieth century
Schellenberg sipped from the glass in front of him, and bided his time. Heydrich watched him patiently, knowing it was a game, but Canaris struggled to maintain his composure
"Well ?" the veteran schemer persisted
"It passed through Herat", Schellenberg said quietly, "But not with the knowledge of King Mohammed Zahir Shah"
"Is it still in Afghanistan ?" pressed Canaris
"No", Schellenberg sat back, "The king got wind of something, he has had his royal guard scouring the cities for...well, I do not think he knew for what, but he was aware something was wrong."
"I suspect that after the explosion at Tehehran it behoves any monarch to have a greater grip on events in their country", Heydrich put in
"Quite", Schellenberg smiled thinly, "I doubt anyone would waste a nuclear device on Kabul, but who can tell?"
"Where is the bomb now ?" Canaris bit back a more stormy version of the question and waited
"I doubt it turned back on itself", Schellenberg seemed unconcerned by the older man's struggle with self control, "and there are no indications that it passed through Kabul"
"Ah..." Canaris wracked his brain, "Turkmenistan, of course, or Bokhara ?"
"If it went North, Baluchistan if it went South"
"None of which sound like an ideal home for Satanists" Canaris commented drily
"I doubt anyone knows they are there" Schellenberg said
"So how do you ?"
"I know where they were and where they are not", the Intelligence man waved a hand in the air, "
"I told you he was good", Heydrich laughed a thin, hard laugh
Canaris looked at him and shrugged. He kept his thoughts carefully to himself this time
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Canaris, at Heydrich's insistence, was meeting with his Foreign Intelligence source, Walter Schellenberg, a man of the same age group as the latter, the age group comonly known as 'the century boys' from their dates of birth in the first years of the twentieth century
Schellenberg sipped from the glass in front of him, and bided his time. Heydrich watched him patiently, knowing it was a game, but Canaris struggled to maintain his composure
"Well ?" the veteran schemer persisted
"It passed through Herat", Schellenberg said quietly, "But not with the knowledge of King Mohammed Zahir Shah"
"Is it still in Afghanistan ?" pressed Canaris
"No", Schellenberg sat back, "The king got wind of something, he has had his royal guard scouring the cities for...well, I do not think he knew for what, but he was aware something was wrong."
"I suspect that after the explosion at Tehehran it behoves any monarch to have a greater grip on events in their country", Heydrich put in
"Quite", Schellenberg smiled thinly, "I doubt anyone would waste a nuclear device on Kabul, but who can tell?"
"Where is the bomb now ?" Canaris bit back a more stormy version of the question and waited
"I doubt it turned back on itself", Schellenberg seemed unconcerned by the older man's struggle with self control, "and there are no indications that it passed through Kabul"
"Ah..." Canaris wracked his brain, "Turkmenistan, of course, or Bokhara ?"
"If it went North, Baluchistan if it went South"
"None of which sound like an ideal home for Satanists" Canaris commented drily
"I doubt anyone knows they are there" Schellenberg said
"So how do you ?"
"I know where they were and where they are not", the Intelligence man waved a hand in the air, "
"I told you he was good", Heydrich laughed a thin, hard laugh
Canaris looked at him and shrugged. He kept his thoughts carefully to himself this time
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
"No", the Ottoman Foreign Minister stood with his hands on his hips
British Ambassador the Duke of Westminster narrowed his eyes,
"It does not behove you to have disregard for my rank" he said, in turn disregarding the other's
"Your rank is not the issue", the Ottoman minister was adamant, "Your request is what we are discussing here."
"Very well", the duke nodded briefly, "The Germans have now used five nuclear devices against the British Isles - what use our arsenal if we cannot access it in response ?"
"To drop a bomb on Berlin, perhaps ?"
"Ideally"
"I do not think so", the Ottoman official's smile was almost a sneer, "Your Royal Air Force is devastated, you could not even attempt to bomb Luxembourg or Aachen with any hope of success."
"I think you under-estimate our resilience"
"No"
Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm sat in a cafe on one of Istanbul's main thoroughfares and sipped at his thick bitter coffee, just how the Turks liked it. An SPD man through-and-through Frahm was a middle-ranking diplomat in the German Embassy, a smiling non-descript sort of man who could walk through crowds and leave no impression...unless he wished to.
Here, this morning, he read his copy of the Frankfurter Albeizeitung, flown in the previous night from the Reich, and watched the gate where, earlier in the morning, he had seen the British ambassador all but sneak in for his interview.
Perhaps the duke would leave by a different exit, perhaps one way or another he would not leave at all, but perhaps, even probably, he would come back out this way. He wondered, as he often did, how close his unofficial duties seemed to come to those of the foreign intelligence service, for whom he had little time, but consoled himself with the knowledge that unlike them, he had the power not merely to observe and interfere, but to monumentally change things
Frahm was not alone in the cafe, and this time it was a true intelligence man who was watching him. Harold 'Kim' Philby had risen to a sort of prominence during the brief period of Anglo-American consensus that had preceded the Russian War, and was known to loudly mourn its passing. But he was equally verbiose on his love of things Middle Eastern, had wrangled first a posting to Beirut during that war, and now a promotion to Istanbul itself. Ottoman affairs seemed to agree with him, he looked healthy and seemed content, though at the moment he was watching the German with the eyes of a hawk. What was the fellow up to ?
William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster walked back the way he had come with a stiff back, and a stiff neck. The damned impertinence ! He seethed inside, but by the thrice-damned tri-partite agreement there was nothing Britain could do, short of raiding the arsenal outside of Damascus and these days that was beyond the empire's capabilities, if it had ever been within it. One never knew with the Ottomans, that was the problem, and they could be weaker or stronger than one thought. This time it did not matter; British weakness, exacerbated by the fifth German nuclear bomb, dropped for no apparent reason upon Worcester, was too clear to be ignored.
He came to the gate and all but snarled. To be sneaking about the Turkish capital like this ! But he swallowed his pride, and made like he were some simple minion, clearing the Ottoman guard post and exiting onto the street.
It was damned typical that the Alvis limousine ordered from the embassy was late, or had broken down, or been waylaid, or well...anything, but arrived here ! He would have to take a taxi. Grimacing at the lower class connotations, the duke began to cast around for transport
He barely saw the first man come towards him out of the cafe, saw out of the corner of his eye the second man running to catch up, but by then it was too late.
"Read this, your grace", Frahm slammed an enveloped into the duke's hands then moved off
The other fellow stood in the centre of the road, confusion upon his face. The duke met his eye,
"If you are one of ours, get me a damned taxi, sir !"
For a moment Philby stood open-mouthed, then he raced to obey
The duke slit open the envelope with a finger nail and read the contents,
"Well now..." he said to nobody in particular
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
British Ambassador the Duke of Westminster narrowed his eyes,
"It does not behove you to have disregard for my rank" he said, in turn disregarding the other's
"Your rank is not the issue", the Ottoman minister was adamant, "Your request is what we are discussing here."
"Very well", the duke nodded briefly, "The Germans have now used five nuclear devices against the British Isles - what use our arsenal if we cannot access it in response ?"
"To drop a bomb on Berlin, perhaps ?"
"Ideally"
"I do not think so", the Ottoman official's smile was almost a sneer, "Your Royal Air Force is devastated, you could not even attempt to bomb Luxembourg or Aachen with any hope of success."
"I think you under-estimate our resilience"
"No"
Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm sat in a cafe on one of Istanbul's main thoroughfares and sipped at his thick bitter coffee, just how the Turks liked it. An SPD man through-and-through Frahm was a middle-ranking diplomat in the German Embassy, a smiling non-descript sort of man who could walk through crowds and leave no impression...unless he wished to.
Here, this morning, he read his copy of the Frankfurter Albeizeitung, flown in the previous night from the Reich, and watched the gate where, earlier in the morning, he had seen the British ambassador all but sneak in for his interview.
Perhaps the duke would leave by a different exit, perhaps one way or another he would not leave at all, but perhaps, even probably, he would come back out this way. He wondered, as he often did, how close his unofficial duties seemed to come to those of the foreign intelligence service, for whom he had little time, but consoled himself with the knowledge that unlike them, he had the power not merely to observe and interfere, but to monumentally change things
Frahm was not alone in the cafe, and this time it was a true intelligence man who was watching him. Harold 'Kim' Philby had risen to a sort of prominence during the brief period of Anglo-American consensus that had preceded the Russian War, and was known to loudly mourn its passing. But he was equally verbiose on his love of things Middle Eastern, had wrangled first a posting to Beirut during that war, and now a promotion to Istanbul itself. Ottoman affairs seemed to agree with him, he looked healthy and seemed content, though at the moment he was watching the German with the eyes of a hawk. What was the fellow up to ?
William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster walked back the way he had come with a stiff back, and a stiff neck. The damned impertinence ! He seethed inside, but by the thrice-damned tri-partite agreement there was nothing Britain could do, short of raiding the arsenal outside of Damascus and these days that was beyond the empire's capabilities, if it had ever been within it. One never knew with the Ottomans, that was the problem, and they could be weaker or stronger than one thought. This time it did not matter; British weakness, exacerbated by the fifth German nuclear bomb, dropped for no apparent reason upon Worcester, was too clear to be ignored.
He came to the gate and all but snarled. To be sneaking about the Turkish capital like this ! But he swallowed his pride, and made like he were some simple minion, clearing the Ottoman guard post and exiting onto the street.
It was damned typical that the Alvis limousine ordered from the embassy was late, or had broken down, or been waylaid, or well...anything, but arrived here ! He would have to take a taxi. Grimacing at the lower class connotations, the duke began to cast around for transport
He barely saw the first man come towards him out of the cafe, saw out of the corner of his eye the second man running to catch up, but by then it was too late.
"Read this, your grace", Frahm slammed an enveloped into the duke's hands then moved off
The other fellow stood in the centre of the road, confusion upon his face. The duke met his eye,
"If you are one of ours, get me a damned taxi, sir !"
For a moment Philby stood open-mouthed, then he raced to obey
The duke slit open the envelope with a finger nail and read the contents,
"Well now..." he said to nobody in particular
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
Peter Hart walked slowly down the road. His burly body was swathed in a fashion of the local dress, his British service revolver hidden beneath the folds, a curved sword on his hip. As he walked he fancied himself a Richard Burton, a player of a new Great Game, and laughed at his own folly.
A short distance behind him his shadow walked even less conspicuously. Whereas Hart could not disguise his size and build, this man was slight and of slightly less than average height. He walked with a stoop, and met no one's eyes. None of that was surprising in this place
Hart turned and smiled at his mouth, but his eyes hardened, cold pits of Hell. He feinted left towards a carpet shop - always a carpet shop, he thought. He began to stroke the wares, exchanged fierce banter with the merchant, a Pashtun, but that was not surprise here. He timed his moment
The other paused in the suddenly open expanse, then moved towards a food stall. Seeing him in his peripheral vision, Hart snorted and drew his weapon. The carpet merchant fell backwards, hand outstretched, mouth silently pleading. The Britisher swivelled and calmly shot his shadow through the heart
As cries went up and the first militia began to arrive, the burly Briton tossed the revolver into a midden and gripping the scimitar in his hands, raced back towards the tumult he had caused
"German" he heard someone say in Arabic
"Bastards" another man said, and spat on the body
"At least he is not a Russian" another man said
Somebody hit him and a full-scale melee broke out
After a while, Peter slipped away
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
A short distance behind him his shadow walked even less conspicuously. Whereas Hart could not disguise his size and build, this man was slight and of slightly less than average height. He walked with a stoop, and met no one's eyes. None of that was surprising in this place
Hart turned and smiled at his mouth, but his eyes hardened, cold pits of Hell. He feinted left towards a carpet shop - always a carpet shop, he thought. He began to stroke the wares, exchanged fierce banter with the merchant, a Pashtun, but that was not surprise here. He timed his moment
The other paused in the suddenly open expanse, then moved towards a food stall. Seeing him in his peripheral vision, Hart snorted and drew his weapon. The carpet merchant fell backwards, hand outstretched, mouth silently pleading. The Britisher swivelled and calmly shot his shadow through the heart
As cries went up and the first militia began to arrive, the burly Briton tossed the revolver into a midden and gripping the scimitar in his hands, raced back towards the tumult he had caused
"German" he heard someone say in Arabic
"Bastards" another man said, and spat on the body
"At least he is not a Russian" another man said
Somebody hit him and a full-scale melee broke out
After a while, Peter slipped away
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
Oh... my... god...
So not only have a good portion of the world's diplomats been blown up, but now Britain has just been on the receiving end of a NUCLEAR WAR? And SATANISTS are responsible?!
Twenty points for awesomeness!
LOL, thanks
I thought it made a mildly different plot device
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
They're about as OTL Satanist as the LDS is OTL Protestant, from what I can see. They worship the same deity, but that's about it.
PaleHorseRiding
Banned
I am mad, mad, mad!!!
What is all this bigotry about?
Satanism is a true religion, and it does not deem itself 'evil'.
You are all being intolerant and ignorant. Really ignorant!
Satanism is cool, and it is not about evil, but about individualism, and self-improvement. Satanists can be compassionate individuals (that is, if you deserve it
Now, I think you should envision such a world as a utopia, not a dystopia.
I think people would look to Satan as their saviour. Satan has always been mankind's best friend. Stop talking nonsense, and stop buying all that Christian propaganda!
Here are a few links:
http://www.ModernchurchofSatan.com
http://www.modernsatanism.com
You heretics!!! CARPE NOCTEM!
that is not satanism but luciferianism
Satanic cult members and satanic worhshippers have been linked to human sacrifice and other acts of this type
but when I saw that I read it as Santas Children
PaleHorseRiding
Banned
I was always told elves were evil and the modern way or portraying them was just a white washing of the true stories of them much like how disney made the brothers grimm stories so nice and happy
Well, I'd thought I'd seen the most creative uses of AH. I'd seen Jared's use of South West Africa as a native African superpower, seen Thande's North American Empire, and seen RCTFI's masterpieces "Dystopic Return of Magic" and "A Time of War"...
I was wrong.
Any TL that manages to have the Central Powers win WWI, have nuclear weapons, and (this is the kicker) Satanist terrorists bent on world destruction (Peshawar Lancers anyone) is by far, the most fantasical TL I've ever seen. Good job, and I can't wait to see where this is going...
I was wrong.
Any TL that manages to have the Central Powers win WWI, have nuclear weapons, and (this is the kicker) Satanist terrorists bent on world destruction (Peshawar Lancers anyone) is by far, the most fantasical TL I've ever seen. Good job, and I can't wait to see where this is going...
Grey Wolf
Donor
Well, I'd thought I'd seen the most creative uses of AH. I'd seen Jared's use of South West Africa as a native African superpower, seen Thande's North American Empire, and seen RCTFI's masterpieces "Dystopic Return of Magic" and "A Time of War"...
I was wrong.
Any TL that manages to have the Central Powers win WWI, have nuclear weapons, and (this is the kicker) Satanist terrorists bent on world destruction (Peshawar Lancers anyone) is by far, the most fantasical TL I've ever seen. Good job, and I can't wait to see where this is going...
Thank you
I have the next 2 chapters sorted in my head; I just have to get round to writing them
Am reading "Hamlet" at the moment - don't think its providing any inspiration!
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
"What is this ?" Prince Albert, Duke of York viewed the telegraphic decrypt with suspicion
"Your Highness", the SIS commander was getting increasingly used to the Regent's crankiness. He was not a well man, that was obvious from the pallour of his skin, and the war was weighing heavily on his shoulders,
"Our embassy in Istanbul has authenticated the letter as best they are able. They believe it constitutes a genuine offer."
"Then why all this skulduggery ?", the royal duke leant heavily against an unfinished pillar
Ludlow Bunker was the newest of the new, and their flight there from the South had been so precipitate that there had been no time to tidy up the rough edges.
"Our best analysis is that it constitutes an attempt by one half of the ruling coalition in Berlin to make peace."
"What good is that then, pray ?"
"Your Highness, the letter that was handed to our ambassador makes it clear that if we do as is suggested, then Professor Michaelson will be able to use that as sufficient leverage to get the other parties in the coalition to join with the SPD in accepting an armistice."
"Yes...", Prince Albert sighed and blinked down at the bit of paper, "Mr Shinwell !" he commanded
The former Minister of Defence came across from where he stood on the peripherary
"Mr Shinwell", the Regent thrust the paper at him, "You may be able to make more sense of this than I. After all, its author is of the same persuasion as yourself."
"Ah, yes Your Highness"
Shinwell took the paper and rapidly scanned his eyes down it, starting with the surprise at what was contained therein
"This is a request that we open negotiations based on the terms enclosed", he said
"That much is obvious", the SIS commander snapped at him
"If you could use that keen mind of yours to analyse those terms, please" the Regent commanded
Shinwell did for a moment, then shrugged,
"It seems to boil down to accepting that we are to blame, if not by design then by cuplible negligence"
"Do we accept legal liability ?" a new man was at their side now, Head of the SIS Legal Bureau
"It does not say", Shinwell passed the paper across to him, "But even if we do, what are we liable for ? Most of the damage has been visited UPON us."
"A good point", the SIS commander agreed solemnly, "We got two small-scale raids in against Luxembourg and Aachen, but nothing much, even to those who happen to live in those cities."
"Compared to the absolute destruction visited upon several of our cities, it was scarcely a pinprick" agreed the Regent
"Hmm", the Head of the SIS Legal Bureau looked up from his perusal, "Hmm..." he said again
"Hmm is not much of a legal opinion, sir", Prince Albert reminded him
"Oh ? My apologies, Your Highness.", he rubbed his chin, "Other than bomb damage, we could be liable for compensation to those killed, including in action against us, and for the two aircraft carriers we sank at the start of the war, for all that they were launching aircraft to bomb us... We could", he grimaced, "even be responsible for the cost of the bombs used against us"
"That is an absurdity" snapped his colleague
The Bureau Head frowned at him,
"It is the equivalent of having costs awarded against ourselves", he told him, "In order to win their case, the German Empire was forced to have recourse to war, and war costs money"
"That is all very well", the Regent put in, "but is it really asking us to agree that ? Or is that just the worst perspective it could be viewed in?"
"Well", the Bureau Head paused, "The worst perspective would be that we are liable for the destruction of the World Council summit, and for all the deaths therein."
"Even so, compensation for that would not bankrupt us" Shinwell put in, trying to be useful
"What if it was decided that we were also liable for the destruction of Tehehran and the tens of thousands of civilian lives lost there in the blast?" the Bureau Head looked at him
After a moment, Shinwell shrugged again,
"Even if that WAS decided, the new Shah has hardly cemented his rule, he still has holdouts from the old regime, and personal enemies in abundance from the past. He is hardly in a position to force our agreement"
He looked round at their slightly surprised faces and snapped
"I do keep up with my briefings, I will have you know !"
"Of course", the Bureau Head looked away to hide a smile. How touchy these political types could be sometimes !
"What, then, do we do ?" asked the Regent
Shinwell stared at him, then looked away when he realised what he was doing,
"Your Highness, we agree - that is what we do"
"I find myself in reluctant agreement" said the SIS commander
"Yourself ?" the Regent asked the Bureau Head
The man handed the paper back to the Regent,
"Sir, we have little real choice in the matter. If this is a genuine offer of a way out of our predicament, then I recommend that we should take it"
"Very well", the Duke of York folded the paper and pocketed it, "Prepare a message to send to the Duke of Westminster. We will reconvene before transmission"
"Yes, Your Highness"
As the SIS men moved away to do as bid, Shinwell drifted back to the outside of the room where the aides and deputised members of the Emergency Government worked at small desks, or stood before large maps, ever discussing, keeping in touch with events and trying to handle the vast amount of largely negative information that came their way.
He was waylaid by Margaret Roberts as he tried to edge in on a group looking at charts showing the alarming decrease in food stocks since the German carriers had moved into the Atlantic
"What was that all about ?!" the young Conservative MP demanded in her sometimes strident voice
Shinwell quickly filled her in
Roberts frowned, and shook her head,
"It is too easy", she told him, "It is a trap !"
He laughed,
"Maggie, Maggie, you need to see beyond your paranoia !"
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
"Your Highness", the SIS commander was getting increasingly used to the Regent's crankiness. He was not a well man, that was obvious from the pallour of his skin, and the war was weighing heavily on his shoulders,
"Our embassy in Istanbul has authenticated the letter as best they are able. They believe it constitutes a genuine offer."
"Then why all this skulduggery ?", the royal duke leant heavily against an unfinished pillar
Ludlow Bunker was the newest of the new, and their flight there from the South had been so precipitate that there had been no time to tidy up the rough edges.
"Our best analysis is that it constitutes an attempt by one half of the ruling coalition in Berlin to make peace."
"What good is that then, pray ?"
"Your Highness, the letter that was handed to our ambassador makes it clear that if we do as is suggested, then Professor Michaelson will be able to use that as sufficient leverage to get the other parties in the coalition to join with the SPD in accepting an armistice."
"Yes...", Prince Albert sighed and blinked down at the bit of paper, "Mr Shinwell !" he commanded
The former Minister of Defence came across from where he stood on the peripherary
"Mr Shinwell", the Regent thrust the paper at him, "You may be able to make more sense of this than I. After all, its author is of the same persuasion as yourself."
"Ah, yes Your Highness"
Shinwell took the paper and rapidly scanned his eyes down it, starting with the surprise at what was contained therein
"This is a request that we open negotiations based on the terms enclosed", he said
"That much is obvious", the SIS commander snapped at him
"If you could use that keen mind of yours to analyse those terms, please" the Regent commanded
Shinwell did for a moment, then shrugged,
"It seems to boil down to accepting that we are to blame, if not by design then by cuplible negligence"
"Do we accept legal liability ?" a new man was at their side now, Head of the SIS Legal Bureau
"It does not say", Shinwell passed the paper across to him, "But even if we do, what are we liable for ? Most of the damage has been visited UPON us."
"A good point", the SIS commander agreed solemnly, "We got two small-scale raids in against Luxembourg and Aachen, but nothing much, even to those who happen to live in those cities."
"Compared to the absolute destruction visited upon several of our cities, it was scarcely a pinprick" agreed the Regent
"Hmm", the Head of the SIS Legal Bureau looked up from his perusal, "Hmm..." he said again
"Hmm is not much of a legal opinion, sir", Prince Albert reminded him
"Oh ? My apologies, Your Highness.", he rubbed his chin, "Other than bomb damage, we could be liable for compensation to those killed, including in action against us, and for the two aircraft carriers we sank at the start of the war, for all that they were launching aircraft to bomb us... We could", he grimaced, "even be responsible for the cost of the bombs used against us"
"That is an absurdity" snapped his colleague
The Bureau Head frowned at him,
"It is the equivalent of having costs awarded against ourselves", he told him, "In order to win their case, the German Empire was forced to have recourse to war, and war costs money"
"That is all very well", the Regent put in, "but is it really asking us to agree that ? Or is that just the worst perspective it could be viewed in?"
"Well", the Bureau Head paused, "The worst perspective would be that we are liable for the destruction of the World Council summit, and for all the deaths therein."
"Even so, compensation for that would not bankrupt us" Shinwell put in, trying to be useful
"What if it was decided that we were also liable for the destruction of Tehehran and the tens of thousands of civilian lives lost there in the blast?" the Bureau Head looked at him
After a moment, Shinwell shrugged again,
"Even if that WAS decided, the new Shah has hardly cemented his rule, he still has holdouts from the old regime, and personal enemies in abundance from the past. He is hardly in a position to force our agreement"
He looked round at their slightly surprised faces and snapped
"I do keep up with my briefings, I will have you know !"
"Of course", the Bureau Head looked away to hide a smile. How touchy these political types could be sometimes !
"What, then, do we do ?" asked the Regent
Shinwell stared at him, then looked away when he realised what he was doing,
"Your Highness, we agree - that is what we do"
"I find myself in reluctant agreement" said the SIS commander
"Yourself ?" the Regent asked the Bureau Head
The man handed the paper back to the Regent,
"Sir, we have little real choice in the matter. If this is a genuine offer of a way out of our predicament, then I recommend that we should take it"
"Very well", the Duke of York folded the paper and pocketed it, "Prepare a message to send to the Duke of Westminster. We will reconvene before transmission"
"Yes, Your Highness"
As the SIS men moved away to do as bid, Shinwell drifted back to the outside of the room where the aides and deputised members of the Emergency Government worked at small desks, or stood before large maps, ever discussing, keeping in touch with events and trying to handle the vast amount of largely negative information that came their way.
He was waylaid by Margaret Roberts as he tried to edge in on a group looking at charts showing the alarming decrease in food stocks since the German carriers had moved into the Atlantic
"What was that all about ?!" the young Conservative MP demanded in her sometimes strident voice
Shinwell quickly filled her in
Roberts frowned, and shook her head,
"It is too easy", she told him, "It is a trap !"
He laughed,
"Maggie, Maggie, you need to see beyond your paranoia !"
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
"Coming in now on the line"
"Understood"
The cockpit of the aircraft held two seats side-by-side. Behind, a narrow passageway linked it to the rear where another three crewmen were housed. The Albatross-built Natter was the newest of the new, and this was its first operational mission
"Marker aircraft respond positively" the first man said
"Understood", the second man replied, once more
Theirs was a tense mission, and maximum concentration was going to be needed to pull it off successfully.
- - -
"Good evening, commander" Manny Shinwell sat down on the bench reserved for visitors, and leant back against the rough stone of the wall
"Mr Shinwell", the SIS commander had warmed slightly towards his fellow traveller since the decision to send the message to Istanbul had been made, "Cannot sleep ?"
Shinwell grinned,
"I find that my days and nights do not accord to those upon the surface"
"There is that" agreed the commander, companionably seating himself beside him, "In many ways we are like a submarine down here"
"You served ?"
The commander nodded,
"First officer upon the Barker[/i[ 34 to 37"
"What happened ?"
"We sank", he snorted, "Luckily in Plymouth harbour; about half of us got off"
"Air raid I suppose ?", Shinwell looked round the command centre, and hoped his words were not prophetic for the night
"Of course... After that I was approached and invited to join the SIS"
"An offer I am sure no man turns down"
"I know of none", he said, seriously
- - -
"Alpha", they had come in range of the active marker
"Understood", Adolph Wiens was forty years old and a veteran of twenty years service. That he had been picked to command this mission had surprised nobody
"Our shadow approaches"
"Confirmation ?"
"Confirmed", Leopold von Sanger came from a family with a slight claim to minor nobility and after a spell of service in Rommel's cavalry army in Kalat had transferred to the Luftstreitkrafte. He had subsequently gone on to participate in Kesselring's Eastbourne landing, and after the war had commanded an airbase in Persia, until Chancellor Adenauer had begun to close them down.
"Begin active approach"
"Confirmed"
- - -
Margaret Hilda Roberts could not sleep. It was not so much that she found the bunker oppressive, as that she found the world of men down here to be unreal. Oh, as well as herself there were many other women - secretaries, women who pushed the pins into maps, moved the symbols on boards, who manned the canteen, did the cleaning. Huh, apart from herself the most a woman could aspire to here was to do her job well and gain the praise of men. Well, not for her !
She tossed uncomfortably in the bed, and turned towards the wall. What sort of life was this anyway ? Always running, always hiding ! If the Istanbul gambit did come off, then there would have to be changes afterwards... Many changes, deep ones, strange...but she had not thought to see the ghost of the Pankhursts within herself !
But could Istanbul work ? She trusted no one, and she most definitely did not trust this Professor Michaelson. Leader of the German Social Democrats he may be, but since when was that a recommendation ? Left-wing trouble-makers, that was how she viewed the SPD and if thewir folly sometimes worked to Britain's interests that was no more indication of their own worth. Perhaps it WAS true that by accident they had come up with a way out for Britain ? But she doubted things were ever that simple - and even if they were, there were always people around to twist and to turn things around
- - -
"I have never heard of Ludlow !"
In the rear of the Natter conversation flowed more freely than in the cockpit. For one thing there was much less to do back here, apart from check the readouts and be ready. It was up to the escort to keep any unwelcome attention away from them, and so far there had not been a peep out of the shattered remnants of the RAF. Not that many people thought there would be; German aircraft could fly from South coast to the Pennines with nary a chance of being intercepted
"Ludlow", Michael Hortt nodded knowingly, "It was important five hundred years ago"
"About your period then !" the third crewman back here snorted
Hortt was well known for his preoccupation with the Anabaptists of his home city of Munster and was repeatedly at a loss as to why many Germans had never heard of them
"You are a century out" he told the speaker, "Munster..."
"Cut it out" the original speaker did not want to go down this route again, "Tell me something useful about this place"
"It is a small town, laid out on a grid like one might think American cities are. It is a market town, of little than local importance these days, apart from the railway that goes through it."
"So, why ?"
"There is a large castle, well it is a ruin but a large one", Michael for all his protestations about a century here and there, did know his early modern history well, "It is believed that the bunker lies beneath"
"Good enough for me" said the third man, returning his attention to the RADAR
"Why do we believe this ?" the first man was not so easily mollified
Nobody answered, then came a voice from the cockpit, the second in command had clearly been listening in,
"We believe this Hans, because a source in the Vatican told us that this is where the Papal Vicar came"
- - -
"Fireflies" said the SIS operator at the RADAR
"What does he mean ?" Shinwell asked the SIS commander still by his side
"Multiple RADAR contacts, all presumably German. We have a few aicraft but we husband them for emergencies. We can no longer fly patrols..."
It was a sad admission, a devastating state of affairs for a once-mighty empire. But with only one enemy, the German Empire had been able to bring the full strength of the Luftstreitkrafte to bear, and together with the recent closure of the East European bases together with those in Persia and Baluchistan, Germany had proven to have sufficient reserves to fight and win a battle of attrition and then to hold the advantage.
"The burps aren't making much sense tonight", the operator on the radio commented
"Burps ?", Shinwell had not heard that term before, either
"Sound patterns emitted by marker and tracker aircraft. We believe that the Germans use them to know when they are within range of preset objectives, or when they have strayed outside of their pathways."
"And in what way might they not make sense ?" asked the Labour MP
The commander frowned for a moment, then stood up,
"That is a good question", he said, and headed towards the operator who had made the report
- - -
"Shadow Wolf is in accord" Leopold reported
"Understood", Adolph began to turn the Natter along the designated track
"We should pick up the railway...now"
"That is a visual confirmation", the captain grinned, "Confirm our altitude"
"Closing to optimum"
"Understood"
- - -
Shinwell watched the altercation from his seat on the bench and dimly wondered at the discord he had started. The operator seemed content to accept that the chaos in the 'burps' was just something that was happening, but the SIS commander was demanding an answer, questing for an understanding that his operator simply did not have
"Sir!" protested the man, "It is probably that Berlin is flying so many missions that their paths are crossing, and our static reading is picking up contacts from several different markers."
"Then you ought to be able to unravel them", the SIS commander was brutal in his tone
"Sir, we have no starting point ! Presumably the Germans can unravel them, because each mission knows what to look out for for its own..."
"Nonsense !" the commander was close to being red-faced, Shinwell noticed, "Our static position gives us certain advantages, man, use them"
"But sir !"
"Use them !", the bellow echoed down the passageway behind them
- - -
"Thirty seconds"
"Understood"
Ahead, they could see the small single-line railway split into two as it entered the station. On one side a goods train was waiting for the down train to pass. It made a perfect target, and a perfect excuse
"Ten"
"Confirm accord" snapped Adolph
"Accord confirmed" Leopold needed only a monentary glance at the instruments
And then they were in
All around them the dive bombers of the Wolf shadow squadron howled out of the night sky and delivered their payload of death. The little town of Knighton suffered little, except for the station and the railway, but that was the only target worth hitting. One of several points on the Shrewsbury-to-Swansea line, it had seen increased use as a backdoor route in recent weeks, but now its luck had run out. Fires blossomed in the rail yard, a timber mill went up in flame, and the locomotive of the goods train exploded with a fiery flash.
And then the Natter was through
"Forming up on the Teme"
"Understood"
Below them, they swapped railway for river, and hugged the treeline as they flew.
- - -
"Barrrrrp !"
A sharp alarm accompanied by a red warning light broke through the argument
The SIS commander staggered backwards as if released from a spell,
"What the Hell was that ?!" he demanded
"Sir, the passive scanner at Leintwardine"
"What ?", he was confused
For a moment he looked around the rest of the room. Aides had chalked up heavy divebomber raids upon Llandrindod Wells, Knighton, Craven Arms and Church Stretton, smashing the rail line to Shrewsbury at several points that would take days, if not weeks, to set right. But Leintwardine was not on the rail line
"Um..." an aide offered, "Leintwardine is on the old Watling Street, they might be thinking we could be using Roman roads to bring in supplies"
"Has it been bombed ?" demanded the commander
"Negative", the radio operator spoke without looking at the man with whom moments before he had just been engaged in a furious argument with, "The passive scanner simply picked up a contact"
"Is there anything else at Leintwardine ?"
After a moment, the same aide who had spoken up before nodded,
"Yes sir, the river..."
"The river ?"
"The Teme flows through the village before it gets here"
The commander was silent for a moment, then he jumped into action and grabbed hold of one of the microphone stands,
"Priority One" he snapped, "Get the Vespers airborne, sound the general alarm"
Whoever he had spoken to did not argue. A moment later a red strobing light began to illuminate the interior of the bunker
- - -
"Uh oh", Michael Hortt broke off his conversation and keyed in the cockpit, "Captain, I have four low-level contacts circling over the river."
"Thank you," Adolph Wiens meant those words, "Call in our support" he said to his co-pilot
"Yes sir", Leopold flicked a switch, "Dragonwing 6, we have 4 targets low over the river. Confirm !"
"Confirmed !" came a sharp, almost nasal voice, "Deploying"
Ahead and above, a half dozen rocket-assisted interceptors fell out of the sky with stunning velocity. Designed to remain non-specific to a locale, they could deploy almost at once over any sector of their assigned target area. For this mission, the most experienced wing had been chosen, headed by the most able commander and comprising the best pilots from the war so far. If they could get the Regent, they could end the war.
- - -
"Shit !"
There was no need to ask for an explanation of the RADAR operator's words. A half dozen contacts suddenly appeared from nowhere and fell upon the circling Vespers like wolves upon a flock.
"That confirms it", the SIS commander was rigid, tense, "Seal the bunker !" he yelled into the microphone, "Sound the 'brace' alarm !"
"I don't like the sound of that", Shinwell had risen from his seat and crossed the space between them
The commander bit back a retort about designated civilian areas and answered him
"If they have an escort like that, there is only one thing that they are coming for"
"What ?"
"Us !"
- - -
"Path is cleared"
"Understood"
"Make final preparation"
There began a short and simple check of instrumentation, followed by activity in the rear portion of the Natter. They were almost upon the target.
The first four British cities to have received nuclear devices had been hit by ultra-high altitude aircraft. The attack on London that had entombed the king in his Buckingham Palace bunker had been the epitome of these - draw in the defenders by conventional attacks, then hit him hard from above. As the first weeks of the war had progressed the number of defenders had become less and less, and the Germans more able to simply bomb out the defence and land a bomb from high upon a city.
But then had come Hereford - one of the few British victories of the war, though neither side had even made a mention of it. An ultra-high altitude attack had been broken up by British fighters, prototype rocket-assisted interceptors built in Glasgow and undergoing first testing in live conditions. The German bomber had fallen out of the sky, nuke undeployed, mission a failure, but the British had not known what they had done, or they would have made more of it
But back in Berlin its worth was realised, so the time had been taken to bring the Natter into service, and now to test it operationally as an ultra LOW level attack aircraft
"Five to deploy" Wiens said
- - -
The alarms had killed all remaining incentive to remain in bed, and Margaret Roberts found herself, like so many others, out in the corridors, wandering in her nightclothes, looking for an answer
- - -
"De..." began Leopold von Sanger
The radio jumped into life
"Abort ! Abort ! Abort !" yelled a voice, clear in German, "This is Berlin, this is Berlin, abort !"
"What the ...?" the co-pilot looked to the captain
From the rear came Hortt's voice,
"Sir, it is over the designated channel !"
"I require abort confirmation !" Wiens yelled
"This is OKL, you are ordered to abort your attack run immediately"
"I require abort confirmation" Wiens snapped, then to his co-pilot, "If the necessary identification is not forthcoming, then circle around and deploy on mark"
"Confirmed"
The radio crackled
"This is Crown Prince Louis Ferdinand to Natter 0139-X, you are ordered to abort attack run on Ludlow bunker and withdraw to holding position. Do you understand ?"
"Um", said Hortt, "I have that on the channel marked for the Imperial court"
Wiens made a decision; after all he had just got the aircraft's designation right and he couldn't see how any disinformation attack could do so
"I will drop back to the holding position. If I do not receive proper abort orders within five minutes I will recommence the attack run"
There was a pause, then
"Very well, Natter 0139-X. I will instruct OKL to get a move on !"
- - -
Margaret Roberts burst into the command room and found a group of men staring in stunned silence at a bank of equipment
"What the Devil is going on ?!" she demanded
Manny Shinwell turned towards her, then did a double-take at her deshabille,
"Er, Maggie", he said, "The Germans just broke off their attack"
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
"Understood"
The cockpit of the aircraft held two seats side-by-side. Behind, a narrow passageway linked it to the rear where another three crewmen were housed. The Albatross-built Natter was the newest of the new, and this was its first operational mission
"Marker aircraft respond positively" the first man said
"Understood", the second man replied, once more
Theirs was a tense mission, and maximum concentration was going to be needed to pull it off successfully.
- - -
"Good evening, commander" Manny Shinwell sat down on the bench reserved for visitors, and leant back against the rough stone of the wall
"Mr Shinwell", the SIS commander had warmed slightly towards his fellow traveller since the decision to send the message to Istanbul had been made, "Cannot sleep ?"
Shinwell grinned,
"I find that my days and nights do not accord to those upon the surface"
"There is that" agreed the commander, companionably seating himself beside him, "In many ways we are like a submarine down here"
"You served ?"
The commander nodded,
"First officer upon the Barker[/i[ 34 to 37"
"What happened ?"
"We sank", he snorted, "Luckily in Plymouth harbour; about half of us got off"
"Air raid I suppose ?", Shinwell looked round the command centre, and hoped his words were not prophetic for the night
"Of course... After that I was approached and invited to join the SIS"
"An offer I am sure no man turns down"
"I know of none", he said, seriously
- - -
"Alpha", they had come in range of the active marker
"Understood", Adolph Wiens was forty years old and a veteran of twenty years service. That he had been picked to command this mission had surprised nobody
"Our shadow approaches"
"Confirmation ?"
"Confirmed", Leopold von Sanger came from a family with a slight claim to minor nobility and after a spell of service in Rommel's cavalry army in Kalat had transferred to the Luftstreitkrafte. He had subsequently gone on to participate in Kesselring's Eastbourne landing, and after the war had commanded an airbase in Persia, until Chancellor Adenauer had begun to close them down.
"Begin active approach"
"Confirmed"
- - -
Margaret Hilda Roberts could not sleep. It was not so much that she found the bunker oppressive, as that she found the world of men down here to be unreal. Oh, as well as herself there were many other women - secretaries, women who pushed the pins into maps, moved the symbols on boards, who manned the canteen, did the cleaning. Huh, apart from herself the most a woman could aspire to here was to do her job well and gain the praise of men. Well, not for her !
She tossed uncomfortably in the bed, and turned towards the wall. What sort of life was this anyway ? Always running, always hiding ! If the Istanbul gambit did come off, then there would have to be changes afterwards... Many changes, deep ones, strange...but she had not thought to see the ghost of the Pankhursts within herself !
But could Istanbul work ? She trusted no one, and she most definitely did not trust this Professor Michaelson. Leader of the German Social Democrats he may be, but since when was that a recommendation ? Left-wing trouble-makers, that was how she viewed the SPD and if thewir folly sometimes worked to Britain's interests that was no more indication of their own worth. Perhaps it WAS true that by accident they had come up with a way out for Britain ? But she doubted things were ever that simple - and even if they were, there were always people around to twist and to turn things around
- - -
"I have never heard of Ludlow !"
In the rear of the Natter conversation flowed more freely than in the cockpit. For one thing there was much less to do back here, apart from check the readouts and be ready. It was up to the escort to keep any unwelcome attention away from them, and so far there had not been a peep out of the shattered remnants of the RAF. Not that many people thought there would be; German aircraft could fly from South coast to the Pennines with nary a chance of being intercepted
"Ludlow", Michael Hortt nodded knowingly, "It was important five hundred years ago"
"About your period then !" the third crewman back here snorted
Hortt was well known for his preoccupation with the Anabaptists of his home city of Munster and was repeatedly at a loss as to why many Germans had never heard of them
"You are a century out" he told the speaker, "Munster..."
"Cut it out" the original speaker did not want to go down this route again, "Tell me something useful about this place"
"It is a small town, laid out on a grid like one might think American cities are. It is a market town, of little than local importance these days, apart from the railway that goes through it."
"So, why ?"
"There is a large castle, well it is a ruin but a large one", Michael for all his protestations about a century here and there, did know his early modern history well, "It is believed that the bunker lies beneath"
"Good enough for me" said the third man, returning his attention to the RADAR
"Why do we believe this ?" the first man was not so easily mollified
Nobody answered, then came a voice from the cockpit, the second in command had clearly been listening in,
"We believe this Hans, because a source in the Vatican told us that this is where the Papal Vicar came"
- - -
"Fireflies" said the SIS operator at the RADAR
"What does he mean ?" Shinwell asked the SIS commander still by his side
"Multiple RADAR contacts, all presumably German. We have a few aicraft but we husband them for emergencies. We can no longer fly patrols..."
It was a sad admission, a devastating state of affairs for a once-mighty empire. But with only one enemy, the German Empire had been able to bring the full strength of the Luftstreitkrafte to bear, and together with the recent closure of the East European bases together with those in Persia and Baluchistan, Germany had proven to have sufficient reserves to fight and win a battle of attrition and then to hold the advantage.
"The burps aren't making much sense tonight", the operator on the radio commented
"Burps ?", Shinwell had not heard that term before, either
"Sound patterns emitted by marker and tracker aircraft. We believe that the Germans use them to know when they are within range of preset objectives, or when they have strayed outside of their pathways."
"And in what way might they not make sense ?" asked the Labour MP
The commander frowned for a moment, then stood up,
"That is a good question", he said, and headed towards the operator who had made the report
- - -
"Shadow Wolf is in accord" Leopold reported
"Understood", Adolph began to turn the Natter along the designated track
"We should pick up the railway...now"
"That is a visual confirmation", the captain grinned, "Confirm our altitude"
"Closing to optimum"
"Understood"
- - -
Shinwell watched the altercation from his seat on the bench and dimly wondered at the discord he had started. The operator seemed content to accept that the chaos in the 'burps' was just something that was happening, but the SIS commander was demanding an answer, questing for an understanding that his operator simply did not have
"Sir!" protested the man, "It is probably that Berlin is flying so many missions that their paths are crossing, and our static reading is picking up contacts from several different markers."
"Then you ought to be able to unravel them", the SIS commander was brutal in his tone
"Sir, we have no starting point ! Presumably the Germans can unravel them, because each mission knows what to look out for for its own..."
"Nonsense !" the commander was close to being red-faced, Shinwell noticed, "Our static position gives us certain advantages, man, use them"
"But sir !"
"Use them !", the bellow echoed down the passageway behind them
- - -
"Thirty seconds"
"Understood"
Ahead, they could see the small single-line railway split into two as it entered the station. On one side a goods train was waiting for the down train to pass. It made a perfect target, and a perfect excuse
"Ten"
"Confirm accord" snapped Adolph
"Accord confirmed" Leopold needed only a monentary glance at the instruments
And then they were in
All around them the dive bombers of the Wolf shadow squadron howled out of the night sky and delivered their payload of death. The little town of Knighton suffered little, except for the station and the railway, but that was the only target worth hitting. One of several points on the Shrewsbury-to-Swansea line, it had seen increased use as a backdoor route in recent weeks, but now its luck had run out. Fires blossomed in the rail yard, a timber mill went up in flame, and the locomotive of the goods train exploded with a fiery flash.
And then the Natter was through
"Forming up on the Teme"
"Understood"
Below them, they swapped railway for river, and hugged the treeline as they flew.
- - -
"Barrrrrp !"
A sharp alarm accompanied by a red warning light broke through the argument
The SIS commander staggered backwards as if released from a spell,
"What the Hell was that ?!" he demanded
"Sir, the passive scanner at Leintwardine"
"What ?", he was confused
For a moment he looked around the rest of the room. Aides had chalked up heavy divebomber raids upon Llandrindod Wells, Knighton, Craven Arms and Church Stretton, smashing the rail line to Shrewsbury at several points that would take days, if not weeks, to set right. But Leintwardine was not on the rail line
"Um..." an aide offered, "Leintwardine is on the old Watling Street, they might be thinking we could be using Roman roads to bring in supplies"
"Has it been bombed ?" demanded the commander
"Negative", the radio operator spoke without looking at the man with whom moments before he had just been engaged in a furious argument with, "The passive scanner simply picked up a contact"
"Is there anything else at Leintwardine ?"
After a moment, the same aide who had spoken up before nodded,
"Yes sir, the river..."
"The river ?"
"The Teme flows through the village before it gets here"
The commander was silent for a moment, then he jumped into action and grabbed hold of one of the microphone stands,
"Priority One" he snapped, "Get the Vespers airborne, sound the general alarm"
Whoever he had spoken to did not argue. A moment later a red strobing light began to illuminate the interior of the bunker
- - -
"Uh oh", Michael Hortt broke off his conversation and keyed in the cockpit, "Captain, I have four low-level contacts circling over the river."
"Thank you," Adolph Wiens meant those words, "Call in our support" he said to his co-pilot
"Yes sir", Leopold flicked a switch, "Dragonwing 6, we have 4 targets low over the river. Confirm !"
"Confirmed !" came a sharp, almost nasal voice, "Deploying"
Ahead and above, a half dozen rocket-assisted interceptors fell out of the sky with stunning velocity. Designed to remain non-specific to a locale, they could deploy almost at once over any sector of their assigned target area. For this mission, the most experienced wing had been chosen, headed by the most able commander and comprising the best pilots from the war so far. If they could get the Regent, they could end the war.
- - -
"Shit !"
There was no need to ask for an explanation of the RADAR operator's words. A half dozen contacts suddenly appeared from nowhere and fell upon the circling Vespers like wolves upon a flock.
"That confirms it", the SIS commander was rigid, tense, "Seal the bunker !" he yelled into the microphone, "Sound the 'brace' alarm !"
"I don't like the sound of that", Shinwell had risen from his seat and crossed the space between them
The commander bit back a retort about designated civilian areas and answered him
"If they have an escort like that, there is only one thing that they are coming for"
"What ?"
"Us !"
- - -
"Path is cleared"
"Understood"
"Make final preparation"
There began a short and simple check of instrumentation, followed by activity in the rear portion of the Natter. They were almost upon the target.
The first four British cities to have received nuclear devices had been hit by ultra-high altitude aircraft. The attack on London that had entombed the king in his Buckingham Palace bunker had been the epitome of these - draw in the defenders by conventional attacks, then hit him hard from above. As the first weeks of the war had progressed the number of defenders had become less and less, and the Germans more able to simply bomb out the defence and land a bomb from high upon a city.
But then had come Hereford - one of the few British victories of the war, though neither side had even made a mention of it. An ultra-high altitude attack had been broken up by British fighters, prototype rocket-assisted interceptors built in Glasgow and undergoing first testing in live conditions. The German bomber had fallen out of the sky, nuke undeployed, mission a failure, but the British had not known what they had done, or they would have made more of it
But back in Berlin its worth was realised, so the time had been taken to bring the Natter into service, and now to test it operationally as an ultra LOW level attack aircraft
"Five to deploy" Wiens said
- - -
The alarms had killed all remaining incentive to remain in bed, and Margaret Roberts found herself, like so many others, out in the corridors, wandering in her nightclothes, looking for an answer
- - -
"De..." began Leopold von Sanger
The radio jumped into life
"Abort ! Abort ! Abort !" yelled a voice, clear in German, "This is Berlin, this is Berlin, abort !"
"What the ...?" the co-pilot looked to the captain
From the rear came Hortt's voice,
"Sir, it is over the designated channel !"
"I require abort confirmation !" Wiens yelled
"This is OKL, you are ordered to abort your attack run immediately"
"I require abort confirmation" Wiens snapped, then to his co-pilot, "If the necessary identification is not forthcoming, then circle around and deploy on mark"
"Confirmed"
The radio crackled
"This is Crown Prince Louis Ferdinand to Natter 0139-X, you are ordered to abort attack run on Ludlow bunker and withdraw to holding position. Do you understand ?"
"Um", said Hortt, "I have that on the channel marked for the Imperial court"
Wiens made a decision; after all he had just got the aircraft's designation right and he couldn't see how any disinformation attack could do so
"I will drop back to the holding position. If I do not receive proper abort orders within five minutes I will recommence the attack run"
There was a pause, then
"Very well, Natter 0139-X. I will instruct OKL to get a move on !"
- - -
Margaret Roberts burst into the command room and found a group of men staring in stunned silence at a bank of equipment
"What the Devil is going on ?!" she demanded
Manny Shinwell turned towards her, then did a double-take at her deshabille,
"Er, Maggie", he said, "The Germans just broke off their attack"
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf
Donor
"Ha !" the president threw down the newspaper with a smirk, "Europe is finished ! Even the German Empire has no staying power."
"It is not the Germany it was under Kaiser Bill", his new Secretary of State opined, "Little Willi's Germany is a shadow of what his father's was."
"You speak true words, Dickie", Thomas Dewey sat back and smiled at the world, "It must be why I chose you for this job"
"Thank you Mr President"
Their moment of pleasant reverie was broken by a knock on the door and the intrusive presence of a US Marine guard,
"Mr President, the Director of the FIA"
"Oh fuck..." said the Secretary of State
Dewey waved him silent, and put on his best smile for his visitor,
"Come in Bob, always a pleasure"
The Director entered, cast a poisonous glance at the young man who had somehow walked into the shoes of his old friend, dead in Tehehran and seated himself without being asked,
"Mr President, my sources indicate six nuclear devices were deployed by the German Empire"
"We know of only four explosions", Dewey leant back in his chair
"A source at the Oberkommando der Luftstreitkrafte tells that one was shot down over the English town of Hereford before it could be used."
"Bullshit !" snapped the Secretary of State, "Even a pisspot regime like the Regent's wouldn't have failed to make a propaganda coup of that"
"It is understood that the British are not aware of what they did", the Director studiously addressed himself to the president
"Perhaps", Dewey allowed, "And the sixth device ?"
"Was about to be deployed when Berlin accepted the Armistice proposal"
"What the fuck are you talking about ?!" demanded Richard Milhouse Nixon
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
"It is not the Germany it was under Kaiser Bill", his new Secretary of State opined, "Little Willi's Germany is a shadow of what his father's was."
"You speak true words, Dickie", Thomas Dewey sat back and smiled at the world, "It must be why I chose you for this job"
"Thank you Mr President"
Their moment of pleasant reverie was broken by a knock on the door and the intrusive presence of a US Marine guard,
"Mr President, the Director of the FIA"
"Oh fuck..." said the Secretary of State
Dewey waved him silent, and put on his best smile for his visitor,
"Come in Bob, always a pleasure"
The Director entered, cast a poisonous glance at the young man who had somehow walked into the shoes of his old friend, dead in Tehehran and seated himself without being asked,
"Mr President, my sources indicate six nuclear devices were deployed by the German Empire"
"We know of only four explosions", Dewey leant back in his chair
"A source at the Oberkommando der Luftstreitkrafte tells that one was shot down over the English town of Hereford before it could be used."
"Bullshit !" snapped the Secretary of State, "Even a pisspot regime like the Regent's wouldn't have failed to make a propaganda coup of that"
"It is understood that the British are not aware of what they did", the Director studiously addressed himself to the president
"Perhaps", Dewey allowed, "And the sixth device ?"
"Was about to be deployed when Berlin accepted the Armistice proposal"
"What the fuck are you talking about ?!" demanded Richard Milhouse Nixon
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Ack! Richard Nixon is Secretary of State! Eegads!
Realistically, that means that Dewey must be favoring / forced to concede to the conservative wing of the Republicans...though by this time the internal factions are probably pretty different I imagine.
Realistically, that means that Dewey must be favoring / forced to concede to the conservative wing of the Republicans...though by this time the internal factions are probably pretty different I imagine.
It's somehow fascinating to see how two first-rank powers are reduced in only one generation to war-ravaged broken nations.
What happened with the loyalist Black Sea Fleet after the war?
I would suggest that the vessels and crews of the former Black Sea Fleet became the basis of the new Baltic Fleet.
Which new country got the remaining Black Sea coast of the Russian rump-state and the former bases of the Black Sea Fleet ?
How autonomous is Turkmenistan?
Oh, more trouble.
Did you read Tom Clancy's "The Sum of All Fears"?
The plot of "Satan's children" seems (partly) inspired by the plot of this novel.
What happened with the loyalist Black Sea Fleet after the war?
I would suggest that the vessels and crews of the former Black Sea Fleet became the basis of the new Baltic Fleet.
Which new country got the remaining Black Sea coast of the Russian rump-state and the former bases of the Black Sea Fleet ?
How autonomous is Turkmenistan?
Oh, more trouble.
Did you read Tom Clancy's "The Sum of All Fears"?
The plot of "Satan's children" seems (partly) inspired by the plot of this novel.