This sounds right. Security, especially since there have been attempts on the royal family and a successful bombing of the Reichstag, is just a part of life. I suspect that she's always aware of where at least some hidden security is, so that she knows where the cavalry will come from if the fit hits the shan.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
This sounds right. Security, especially since there have been attempts on the royal family and a successful bombing of the Reichstag, is just a part of life. I suspect that she's always aware of where at least some hidden security is, so that she knows where the cavalry will come from if the fit hits the shan.
Part 81, Chapter 1236
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Six
25th August 1957
Tempelhof, Berlin
It was another warm summer might and Ben was atop the roof of his house trying to see the stars. He chanced a quick glance in the direction of the Gräfin’s house and saw that Kiki’s blinds were closed and the lights were out. It was a very pointed way of making her displeasure felt because she knew he was out there to see it. Just a few days earlier Kiki had seen him on the roof of his house, she had waved and smiled before closing the blinds. All because he had done something stupid, or if he was being honest with himself a series of stupid things. When Ben had asked his father about what had happened, in the couched language that he had been forced to use, he had been told that girls were complicated and that was something that he would need to learn to deal with. It all had something to do with the wedding that was going to take place in a week.
When the heir to an old Junker family married the younger daughter of one of the new Junker families it was a huge production. Ilse, Katherine von Mischner’s younger sister was marrying the son of Graf von Richthofen and preparations for the wedding were in full swing. Where Ben had first gone wrong was that he had been in the Gräfin’s kitchen when Albrecht had arrived to visit Ilse and Ben had been awestruck to be in the presence of one of his heroes. Kiki had been far less impressed by either Albrecht being a Raumfahrer and the first man in space or Ben’s reaction to it. The rest of the weekend had gone downhill from there as Kiki had been somewhat irked to find herself ignored.
Then things had really gone off the rails.
It had all related to the wedding itself being the social event of the summer. People had kept asking Kiki if her father was going to be present and she kept saying that she didn’t know. It had been when two of the Gräfin’s brothers had made a series of ribald jokes about the parade of women storming the Hohenzollern Palace because of Louis, Kiki’s widower father and had questioned if having that circus at Ilse’s wedding was a good idea.
That was when the details had clicked in Ben’s head. Kiki’s big secret, the thing that she had been avoiding talking about. When Ben had stupidly brought it up with Kiki, he had seen the warring looks of anger and fear that had crossed her face. He had also made the mistake of asking her why she had not just told him who she was, he realized later that he had inadvertently accused her of lying to him when he’d done that. She hadn’t taken it well but instead of getting angry, Kiki had just asked him to leave. Ben could have handled her yelling at him and getting upset, but the resigned “Please leave” had a sense of finality to it like a door slamming shut.
It had been what had come next that had left Ben shaken to the core. Before he had even been able to get out of the house, he’d been taken aside by the Gräfin and two of her brothers. They were both the sort of big psychotic types who tended to self-select for the Panzer Corps Dragoon Infantry. One of them was even a General, but it was obvious that it was Gräfin Katherine who called the shots. “Kat’s the brains of this family” Johannes had said to Stefan who seemed amused by the whole thing.
Ben had heard that the Mischners were only a generation removed from being gangsters and if the rumors were true it was less than that. Standing there with Johannes’ hand on his shoulder, Ben realized that the nature of the family hadn’t changed, instead it had been their employer.
“I know that Kiki asked you to leave” Katherine said in an even voice that sounded calm and reasoned but had the power to make the hair on back of Ben’s neck stand up. That was when she had revealed to Ben that she had people everywhere, it was something that Kiki had been aware of. That was what she had been looking over her shoulder at and around the market for when they had been there. Katherine had then produced a file that contained a summery of his entire life. The places he had lived, his school marks, health information. Oddly, the file mentioned his father several times in connection with Quartum. When Ben had asked about that Katherine had told him that that it was something that he didn’t need to know about and that it was something he was advised not to ask questions about either. His father was a Chemistry Professor, what could he possibly be doing that would touch the world that the Gräfin lived in? Then he had seen the photographs of himself and Kiki in the yards, walking in the neighborhood and at times when he had not known he was being watched. It was evidence that Katherine had people everywhere and Katherine had asked him to refrain from telling anyone else that Princess Kristina of Prussia and Kiki Fischer were the same person.
Ben wasn’t stupid, he remembered an offhanded comment that Kiki had made once about how one of the rules of her arrangement with the Gräfin was that she not draw attention to herself. Apparently, if she violated that she would go away and that wasn’t what Ben wanted. Looking at the darkened window, he just wanted it to go back to how it was before he had opened his stupid mouth.
25th August 1957
Tempelhof, Berlin
It was another warm summer might and Ben was atop the roof of his house trying to see the stars. He chanced a quick glance in the direction of the Gräfin’s house and saw that Kiki’s blinds were closed and the lights were out. It was a very pointed way of making her displeasure felt because she knew he was out there to see it. Just a few days earlier Kiki had seen him on the roof of his house, she had waved and smiled before closing the blinds. All because he had done something stupid, or if he was being honest with himself a series of stupid things. When Ben had asked his father about what had happened, in the couched language that he had been forced to use, he had been told that girls were complicated and that was something that he would need to learn to deal with. It all had something to do with the wedding that was going to take place in a week.
When the heir to an old Junker family married the younger daughter of one of the new Junker families it was a huge production. Ilse, Katherine von Mischner’s younger sister was marrying the son of Graf von Richthofen and preparations for the wedding were in full swing. Where Ben had first gone wrong was that he had been in the Gräfin’s kitchen when Albrecht had arrived to visit Ilse and Ben had been awestruck to be in the presence of one of his heroes. Kiki had been far less impressed by either Albrecht being a Raumfahrer and the first man in space or Ben’s reaction to it. The rest of the weekend had gone downhill from there as Kiki had been somewhat irked to find herself ignored.
Then things had really gone off the rails.
It had all related to the wedding itself being the social event of the summer. People had kept asking Kiki if her father was going to be present and she kept saying that she didn’t know. It had been when two of the Gräfin’s brothers had made a series of ribald jokes about the parade of women storming the Hohenzollern Palace because of Louis, Kiki’s widower father and had questioned if having that circus at Ilse’s wedding was a good idea.
That was when the details had clicked in Ben’s head. Kiki’s big secret, the thing that she had been avoiding talking about. When Ben had stupidly brought it up with Kiki, he had seen the warring looks of anger and fear that had crossed her face. He had also made the mistake of asking her why she had not just told him who she was, he realized later that he had inadvertently accused her of lying to him when he’d done that. She hadn’t taken it well but instead of getting angry, Kiki had just asked him to leave. Ben could have handled her yelling at him and getting upset, but the resigned “Please leave” had a sense of finality to it like a door slamming shut.
It had been what had come next that had left Ben shaken to the core. Before he had even been able to get out of the house, he’d been taken aside by the Gräfin and two of her brothers. They were both the sort of big psychotic types who tended to self-select for the Panzer Corps Dragoon Infantry. One of them was even a General, but it was obvious that it was Gräfin Katherine who called the shots. “Kat’s the brains of this family” Johannes had said to Stefan who seemed amused by the whole thing.
Ben had heard that the Mischners were only a generation removed from being gangsters and if the rumors were true it was less than that. Standing there with Johannes’ hand on his shoulder, Ben realized that the nature of the family hadn’t changed, instead it had been their employer.
“I know that Kiki asked you to leave” Katherine said in an even voice that sounded calm and reasoned but had the power to make the hair on back of Ben’s neck stand up. That was when she had revealed to Ben that she had people everywhere, it was something that Kiki had been aware of. That was what she had been looking over her shoulder at and around the market for when they had been there. Katherine had then produced a file that contained a summery of his entire life. The places he had lived, his school marks, health information. Oddly, the file mentioned his father several times in connection with Quartum. When Ben had asked about that Katherine had told him that that it was something that he didn’t need to know about and that it was something he was advised not to ask questions about either. His father was a Chemistry Professor, what could he possibly be doing that would touch the world that the Gräfin lived in? Then he had seen the photographs of himself and Kiki in the yards, walking in the neighborhood and at times when he had not known he was being watched. It was evidence that Katherine had people everywhere and Katherine had asked him to refrain from telling anyone else that Princess Kristina of Prussia and Kiki Fischer were the same person.
Ben wasn’t stupid, he remembered an offhanded comment that Kiki had made once about how one of the rules of her arrangement with the Gräfin was that she not draw attention to herself. Apparently, if she violated that she would go away and that wasn’t what Ben wanted. Looking at the darkened window, he just wanted it to go back to how it was before he had opened his stupid mouth.
People make decisions on multiple levels, intellect is frequently at odds with emotion. Kiki spent a few weeks living in a fantasy, the one where she got to pretend to be what was her somewhat skewed idea of a normal person. She even had someone who was interested in her solely on the basis of who she is as a person. By confronting her directly, Ben burst her bubble and her response was an emotional one.
One of the things I have noticed from earlier posts that Kiki has not been keeping her room neat and clean when she was living in the palaces and it was the servants that was doing the cleaning.
I doubt that Kat would let her get away with that and there may have been a sharp learning curve for Kiki in doing her own room cleaning and if she is anything like my own nieces then it is like pulling teeth to get Kiki to clean her own room.
I doubt that Kat would let her get away with that and there may have been a sharp learning curve for Kiki in doing her own room cleaning and if she is anything like my own nieces then it is like pulling teeth to get Kiki to clean her own room.
FBKampfer
Banned
I don't fault her for that part. Only if she permanently gives him the boot.
Emotional reactions are normal, long term decisions though.... Well I believe they call that foolish.
It could be a test by Kat to see if Ben could follow instructions and keep sensitive information to himself.
I think by now “Quartrum” is known ITTL as the code word for the attack on Kira just like Manhattan Project became known as the code words for Atomic bombs IOTL.
Um, that was an attack on the Japanese city of Kure. Kira was the German Kaiserin.
And, no I don't think that Quartum would be common knowlege.
One I thought I typed Kure and two Quartrum is an operational code word, once the operation becomes public knowledge then the use of code words for the operation itself becomes meaningless.
As an example Overloard was the code word for the invasion of Europe, and it was kept secret until the invasion happened then it was used in public.
The word tanks was a code word itself until they were first used and then the name stuck for lack of something better.
As an example Overloard was the code word for the invasion of Europe, and it was kept secret until the invasion happened then it was used in public.
The word tanks was a code word itself until they were first used and then the name stuck for lack of something better.
Jumping back a bit - Von Fischer makes a lot of sense. Look at the company she's keeping: Kat Von Mischner, Zella Von Holtz etc. She couldn't really pretend to be a machinist's daughter from Bautzen? She'd give herself away in a heartbeat.
A good cover identity should be believable. For example, there's a particular group in the British Military that work exclusively under cover. They get new identities. The new identities keep the person's original forename but change the surname. If you're in an interesting bit of the world and someone shouts "oi Dan" repeatedly because they know it's you, if you answer you'll arouse a lot less suspicion than if you ignore it. Plus it's easier to remember under pressure. Kat would know this and would have passed it on as advice.
Moving on: Kiki isn't in trouble over being outed, that will drop on Kat's brothers for telling stupid jokes around a smart 15 year old who was able to put 2+2 together.
I think Kiki will get over the fear, Ben is more concerned that he has a freind who has now stopped talking to him and he thinks it's all his fault, not taking into account circumstances around him, as freinds, they'll be fine.
Maybe Kiki should take Ben out for ice cream this time, (to an ice cream parlour where the new server suddenly seems to be 2m tall, about the same across the shoulders and looks like he could headbutt a Luchs APC to death for a laugh), and explain it, why she calls herself Von Fischer, what she wants to do etc.
A good cover identity should be believable. For example, there's a particular group in the British Military that work exclusively under cover. They get new identities. The new identities keep the person's original forename but change the surname. If you're in an interesting bit of the world and someone shouts "oi Dan" repeatedly because they know it's you, if you answer you'll arouse a lot less suspicion than if you ignore it. Plus it's easier to remember under pressure. Kat would know this and would have passed it on as advice.
Moving on: Kiki isn't in trouble over being outed, that will drop on Kat's brothers for telling stupid jokes around a smart 15 year old who was able to put 2+2 together.
I think Kiki will get over the fear, Ben is more concerned that he has a freind who has now stopped talking to him and he thinks it's all his fault, not taking into account circumstances around him, as freinds, they'll be fine.
Maybe Kiki should take Ben out for ice cream this time, (to an ice cream parlour where the new server suddenly seems to be 2m tall, about the same across the shoulders and looks like he could headbutt a Luchs APC to death for a laugh), and explain it, why she calls herself Von Fischer, what she wants to do etc.