Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
I thought that was waking up to find a black metal scare cat on your bedside table?
Thinking of that, I wonder if any more ex Soviet soldiers have asked Kat to sign theirs since the end of the war?
Princess Victoria and Princess Maria had better be careful in the way that they treat Rosa who is a Princess in her own right.
Rosa’s father is probably one of the more important Kings in the German Pacific Islands and the relationship between the GPI and Germany itself is high priority for the Kaiser to show the world that Germany is a trusted benevolent power.
Rosa’s father is probably one of the more important Kings in the German Pacific Islands and the relationship between the GPI and Germany itself is high priority for the Kaiser to show the world that Germany is a trusted benevolent power.
I don't think the Pacific islands are United under one king. If you look at the region on OTL it is a mix of many different people with their own languages and traditions.
I would expect that there is one state made up of many different kingdoms the way some OTL African countries have a whole host of different kings and princes.
Rosa's family is probably not ruling over the entire atoll but only an island in it.
I expect there was a lot of fun head by everyone involved as they hashed out how to translate the native titles into the German system. German princes and barons and whatever would have complained at being lower on the scale than some ruler who is only lord over a couple of thousand or ten thousand people. At the same time they needed to win the locals over by giving them due respect. It is not like there wouldn't be precedent for anything they choose.
I wonder though what the general consensus about people like Rosa is among the public. Is she seen as a German noblewoman like any other?
What I meant that Rosa’s father is probably very influential among the various Kings in the German Pacific Islands and after years of occupation by the Japanese there is some concern by the Islanders that Germany would treat them the same way.
I like to imagine that when the Kaiser and Empress visted them that it was a very successful trip with pledges of mutual respect and exchange of gifts.
It has been established that the Kaiser was proclaimed by the Islands Kings that the Kaiser is the “High King” and from what we know from this timeline of Louis Ferdinand that he will take that seriously.
As for Rosa her title as Princess should be respected as well as other native peoples titles were respected by Europeans historically.
I like to imagine that when the Kaiser and Empress visted them that it was a very successful trip with pledges of mutual respect and exchange of gifts.
It has been established that the Kaiser was proclaimed by the Islands Kings that the Kaiser is the “High King” and from what we know from this timeline of Louis Ferdinand that he will take that seriously.
As for Rosa her title as Princess should be respected as well as other native peoples titles were respected by Europeans historically.
I have a daughter. Inducing fear and paranoia is part of the job description.
Part 82, Chapter 1259
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Nine
3rd January 1958
Breslau, Silesia
Helene was in her office in a nondescript public building near the center of Breslau trying to prepare for the meeting with one of Silesia’s representatives on the Federal Council. It was a new year and there were new elections coming in just a few weeks. As with so many other things the Federal Council, was a compromise in representing the interests of individual States within the Empire. In the wake of the Spring Revolution the Council was no longer considered equal to the Reichstag as a legislative body but it did have power in matters directly effecting the States and Constitution.
The Federal Council still played a key role along with the Emperor when it came to the action of dissolving the Government, which was why Helene was meeting with the Councilor today. From Helene’s perspective the Federal Council with its State appointed membership was a perfect example of unintended consequences. Some States were created along long established and traditional boundaries. Others like Lower Saxony and Thuringia were seen as being cobbled together from bits and pieces. There were many who felt that the choice of the name Lower Saxony was about finding something the least bound up in history after the end of the First World War. Helene wished she could confirm that but the men who had decided it had been killed in Reichstag bombing along with much of the institutional memory of the Reichstag itself. It was however easy to see that the drawing of State lines during the twenties had been done with preserving the power of the Kingdom of Prussia over the rest of Germany in mind. Now, decades later Helene could see how the body was being pulled in several different directions by competing interests. The addition of Bohemia, Slovakia and the Baltic States had upset the balance. Bavaria was pushing for Poland to get seats in what many, including Helene saw as a play for more power because the Bavarians saw Poland as a natural ally. It was something that she had disagreed frequently with Sophie about.
Because of the difficulties of holding an election in the middle of winter and general voter fatigue of having the Social Democratic Party in power, it was expected to be the best showing by the National Liberals in a generation. All because the Chancellor had made a moronic comment about the Italian Government and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If only the Chancellor had waited a few more months before shooting his mouth off. Things might be different.
The Government, which had held together far longer than Helene had figured it would after the previous elections almost three years earlier, had collapsed. Public opinion poling was all over the place, so no one had any idea what the next Government would look like. According to Sophie, a minor party like Democratic Ecology would be in a powerful position in the upcoming coalition talks. Apparently, the minor political parties to the right of the National Liberals were not seen by the NLP as being suitable to form a Government with. What that meant in practical terms was that the center-right NLP didn’t want to have the lunatics running the asylum. Hardly a surprise really. Helene understood who made up those fringe parties. Rabid Nationalists, Monarchists who despised the Emperor, those who felt that society had taken a wrong turn when pogroms and witch burnings had ended, Zionists who made common cause with anti-Semites because both saw the other’s activities as beneficial to their cause and other assorted nut-cases.
Helene had told Sophie that she would need to get to reelected within her constituency for that to happen. Sophie had found that incredibly funny. She said that with Helene’s last name and with her husband recently taking command of the 3rd Landwehr Division based in Silesia, Helene could probably win reelection from inside a prison cell. It was a reminder of Helene’s recent move from Wunsdorf-Zossen to Breslau when Hans had accepted a promotion and a transfer. Manfred had sulked for a time before and after the move. Being ten years old, he didn’t like leaving behind his friends and the only house he remembered living in. Ina looked at it as this amazing adventure, telling everyone who would listen about it. She also found joy in that they lived close to her Grandparents. While it was amusing to watch Ina bubble over with joy in seeing Opa or Oma and her father’s reaction to that, Helene knew exactly how obnoxious her daughter could be at times. Aunt Marcella said that Ina reminded her of another precocious little girl she once knew. It was a rather frightening thought. Helene remembered that her parents had talked about sending her to a convent boarding school high in the Swiss Alps when she had been a girl. Had that really been a joke? And were they taking reservations?
4th January 1958
Berlin
The museum was extremely crowded even for a Saturday. Ben was looking at Huginn One as closely over the ropes as he could without having a team of security guards tackling him. It was a lot smaller than he had thought it would be.
“No wonder Albrecht said even he found it claustrophobic after a while” Kiki said.
Kiki’s presence was a constant reminder of how he had messed everything up on New Year’s Eve. He would still be oblivious if an offhand comment to his father hadn’t caused Ben’s father to point out that Kiki had wanted Ben to kiss her there on the steps in front of the Gräfin’s house. It was something that he had dreamed about since the moment he had first seen Kiki in her window. The moment came and he had been too thick to see it. Now, Kiki was acting like that had never happened and Ben was once again stuck in the purgatory of being her friend. It was enough to make him want to rip his hair out in frustration. When Ben had mentioned that to his father, he had just looked at Ben with an odd look on his face before telling Ben that it was something that men had been trying to make sense of since the dawn of time.
“Supposedly the new capsule has more room” Ben said, “You would share it with a second crewman though.”
“You assume that it would be a man?” Kiki asked. Something about the way that she asked that question caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Ben gulped, he should have known things had been going a little too well.
“Well” Ben said, “I’m only aware of men in the Raumfahrer program.”
If the instant he said that he hadn’t known that it was exactly the wrong thing to have said. The look that Kiki gave him certainly would have told him.
3rd January 1958
Breslau, Silesia
Helene was in her office in a nondescript public building near the center of Breslau trying to prepare for the meeting with one of Silesia’s representatives on the Federal Council. It was a new year and there were new elections coming in just a few weeks. As with so many other things the Federal Council, was a compromise in representing the interests of individual States within the Empire. In the wake of the Spring Revolution the Council was no longer considered equal to the Reichstag as a legislative body but it did have power in matters directly effecting the States and Constitution.
The Federal Council still played a key role along with the Emperor when it came to the action of dissolving the Government, which was why Helene was meeting with the Councilor today. From Helene’s perspective the Federal Council with its State appointed membership was a perfect example of unintended consequences. Some States were created along long established and traditional boundaries. Others like Lower Saxony and Thuringia were seen as being cobbled together from bits and pieces. There were many who felt that the choice of the name Lower Saxony was about finding something the least bound up in history after the end of the First World War. Helene wished she could confirm that but the men who had decided it had been killed in Reichstag bombing along with much of the institutional memory of the Reichstag itself. It was however easy to see that the drawing of State lines during the twenties had been done with preserving the power of the Kingdom of Prussia over the rest of Germany in mind. Now, decades later Helene could see how the body was being pulled in several different directions by competing interests. The addition of Bohemia, Slovakia and the Baltic States had upset the balance. Bavaria was pushing for Poland to get seats in what many, including Helene saw as a play for more power because the Bavarians saw Poland as a natural ally. It was something that she had disagreed frequently with Sophie about.
Because of the difficulties of holding an election in the middle of winter and general voter fatigue of having the Social Democratic Party in power, it was expected to be the best showing by the National Liberals in a generation. All because the Chancellor had made a moronic comment about the Italian Government and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If only the Chancellor had waited a few more months before shooting his mouth off. Things might be different.
The Government, which had held together far longer than Helene had figured it would after the previous elections almost three years earlier, had collapsed. Public opinion poling was all over the place, so no one had any idea what the next Government would look like. According to Sophie, a minor party like Democratic Ecology would be in a powerful position in the upcoming coalition talks. Apparently, the minor political parties to the right of the National Liberals were not seen by the NLP as being suitable to form a Government with. What that meant in practical terms was that the center-right NLP didn’t want to have the lunatics running the asylum. Hardly a surprise really. Helene understood who made up those fringe parties. Rabid Nationalists, Monarchists who despised the Emperor, those who felt that society had taken a wrong turn when pogroms and witch burnings had ended, Zionists who made common cause with anti-Semites because both saw the other’s activities as beneficial to their cause and other assorted nut-cases.
Helene had told Sophie that she would need to get to reelected within her constituency for that to happen. Sophie had found that incredibly funny. She said that with Helene’s last name and with her husband recently taking command of the 3rd Landwehr Division based in Silesia, Helene could probably win reelection from inside a prison cell. It was a reminder of Helene’s recent move from Wunsdorf-Zossen to Breslau when Hans had accepted a promotion and a transfer. Manfred had sulked for a time before and after the move. Being ten years old, he didn’t like leaving behind his friends and the only house he remembered living in. Ina looked at it as this amazing adventure, telling everyone who would listen about it. She also found joy in that they lived close to her Grandparents. While it was amusing to watch Ina bubble over with joy in seeing Opa or Oma and her father’s reaction to that, Helene knew exactly how obnoxious her daughter could be at times. Aunt Marcella said that Ina reminded her of another precocious little girl she once knew. It was a rather frightening thought. Helene remembered that her parents had talked about sending her to a convent boarding school high in the Swiss Alps when she had been a girl. Had that really been a joke? And were they taking reservations?
4th January 1958
Berlin
The museum was extremely crowded even for a Saturday. Ben was looking at Huginn One as closely over the ropes as he could without having a team of security guards tackling him. It was a lot smaller than he had thought it would be.
“No wonder Albrecht said even he found it claustrophobic after a while” Kiki said.
Kiki’s presence was a constant reminder of how he had messed everything up on New Year’s Eve. He would still be oblivious if an offhand comment to his father hadn’t caused Ben’s father to point out that Kiki had wanted Ben to kiss her there on the steps in front of the Gräfin’s house. It was something that he had dreamed about since the moment he had first seen Kiki in her window. The moment came and he had been too thick to see it. Now, Kiki was acting like that had never happened and Ben was once again stuck in the purgatory of being her friend. It was enough to make him want to rip his hair out in frustration. When Ben had mentioned that to his father, he had just looked at Ben with an odd look on his face before telling Ben that it was something that men had been trying to make sense of since the dawn of time.
“Supposedly the new capsule has more room” Ben said, “You would share it with a second crewman though.”
“You assume that it would be a man?” Kiki asked. Something about the way that she asked that question caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Ben gulped, he should have known things had been going a little too well.
“Well” Ben said, “I’m only aware of men in the Raumfahrer program.”
If the instant he said that he hadn’t known that it was exactly the wrong thing to have said. The look that Kiki gave him certainly would have told him.
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Its more like Helene positively CRINGED to the idea that her daughter its like a mix of her AND Kat. Combining those two....I can imagine Hans telling Helene when she commenting about the Boarding School that its more likely that Ina would retaliate by escape the first month and re-appear in the Richthofen Manor 3 months later wearing Gipsy clothing, tattoos and smoking......"May you have children, just like yourself" is the ultimate curse.
Time to ask his father or Doug for pointers in the finer art of Grovelling and buying gifts
While I don't know about in German, in English that phrase is fairly neutral, not specifying gender.
"May you have children, just like yourself" is the ultimate curse.
Being vindictive, I wish children twice as bad as they were.
"May you have children, just like yourself" is the ultimate curse.
Nah, The worst ultimate curse if "May you have 3 children just like you"
Regarding the whole issue of Raumfaher/innen (m/w), wasn't there an earlier episode that had a character observe that there were already female aspirants in the program? One would expect that this would have been publicized at least at a level where an enthusiast like Ben would read about it.
Not sure I follow. I was going more for the bit that TTLs Empire seems to have a byzantine (resulting from, amongst other things, the "inheritance" of the HRE), but working (i.e. no major faults) system.
Basically, to those on the inside, it is a good compromise that works and leaves noone feeling shafted. Those on the outside wonder why the Margravine of Sachsen-Anhalt is asked if she has a veto against each law passed by the Reichstag, which neither she nor her ancestors have exercised in 130+ years.
So she would have stopped by her Aunt Gerta's place on the way home?
I'd wait on that until at least one qualifies. Having them all wash out after publicizing their existence would be embarrassing
Part 82, Chapter 1260
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty
9th January 1958
Cam Ranh, Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam
“If you feel yourself starting to become ill or are having difficulty with the climate it is important that you report it immediately” The Officer in charge of Sigi’s orientation said, “The Captain’s wife had issues like that and she ended up being sent home, he’s been a real bear ever since. That is something to keep in mind Lieutenant… What kind of name is this?”
“It’s the name I’ve got” Sigi replied.
Sigi tried to hide her annoyance like she had over this matter for years. Her mother claimed that she had named her Sieglinde because she had been listening to a performance of Wagner playing on the radio with Sigi’s father when Sigi was conceived. More than a decade after Sigi’s mother had first told her that story and she was still trying to get rid of the mental image that brought to mind. Also, the question as to whether or not Sigi had gone far enough just by dropping the “von” in front of Grimmelshausen when she had entered the War Academy was still very much open. All Sigi’s life, her name had kept people from taking her seriously. Then it was her gender, followed by her becoming a pilot in the Heer.
Contrary to popular belief, the Heer maintained a fleet of aircraft. Mostly helicopters and aircraft optimized for roles like close air support. After Sigi had finished her time with Oberst Gräfin von Mischner she had been sent to train to be a helicopter pilot at the Gräfin’s recommendation and had excelled in that role. She had been waiting for her permanent assignment when she had applied to join the Raumfahrer program in Peenemünde on a lark. She had never expected to get in or make past the hurdles that the program used to ruthlessly cut Raumfahrer candidates. It had come as a complete shock to Sigi that she had made it to the end. She had in fact been unaware of that right up until she had been given orders to fly to Vietnam for final preparations for her involvement in the Dioscuri Project. She had been so focused on keeping with the program that she had hardly noticed that she had passed, becoming the first woman to do so in the process.
“I’m supposed to give you the tour before taking you to your quarters” The Orientation Officer said as they walked at a brisk pace, the man’s longer stride made it a bit difficult for Sigi to keep up. “Admiral von Schmidt has invited you to lunch tomorrow after you’ve had a chance to get some sleep and become a bit more acclimated. He does that with all the new pilots when they arrive, don’t assume that it makes you special. The Project Director and Team Leader will also be present, so be prepared.”
They walked through some doors and it was like walking into a wall with the heat and humidity outdoors. Sigi followed as they crossed an open area and entered a massive building.
“The Press is kept away from Peenemünde because we want those there to not have any distractions” The Orientation Officer said, “I feel I should warn you that there are few such considerations here. It is only a matter of time before they learn of your presence and we are expecting a circus.”
“Are you worried that I might get distracted?” Sigi asked.
“No” The Orientation Officer said, “We find that people have no trouble keeping focused once they see what is involved.”
With that, they entered the inner portion of the building and Sigi looked in awe at what was inside. The building was used to assemble the rockets in a carefully controlled environment. Looming over them was a partially assembled rocket, gleaming polished metal and impressive even with all the access panels open.
Berlin
As Ilse passed through Alexanderplatz she saw the tower cranes and the buildings that were going up. Her sister certainly had never lacked for vision in such matters, Ilse had to give her that much even if she still wasn’t feeling particularly charitable towards her at the moment. It provided a bit of a distraction from who had asked Ilse to meet her today, something that Ilse welcomed. She had taken the afternoon off from the lab. With the amount of work Ilse had been putting in, no one would question it if she took a couple hours for herself.
During the summertime, the eatery had outdoor tables where one could sit by the canal and enjoy a pleasant afternoon. It being January, the tables were under a couple centimeters of snow today. No one said that Ilse couldn’t sit out there if she chose, but it might get her some strange looks. Entering the eatery, she saw her Mother-in-Law, Käte, waiting for her. The Gräfin had not said why she was in Berlin, all she had sent was a cryptic note asking Ilse to meet her here. Once they had exchanged greetings, Ilse asked her exactly that question.
“What are you doing here?” Ilse asked.
“I came here on a shopping expedition” Käte replied, “And to check up on you. Albrecht made it sound like you were at death’s door when he put you on that airplane. Skin and bones.”
“Bert exaggerated a bit” Ilse said, she remembered how he had been concerned for her. “I was sick when I got home and for once I didn’t mind gaining a bit of weight over the holidays.”
“I’m glad to hear that” Käte said with a bit of relief.
“I’m better now” Ilse said with a smile, “I just wished that things had worked out better in Vietnam, it is a very beautiful country and I miss Albrecht terribly.”
“Good to see that you are on the mend and if it is any consolation, he misses you just as much” Käte said looking at Ilse with a slight smile, “Now, do you know what is good on the menu?”
9th January 1958
Cam Ranh, Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam
“If you feel yourself starting to become ill or are having difficulty with the climate it is important that you report it immediately” The Officer in charge of Sigi’s orientation said, “The Captain’s wife had issues like that and she ended up being sent home, he’s been a real bear ever since. That is something to keep in mind Lieutenant… What kind of name is this?”
“It’s the name I’ve got” Sigi replied.
Sigi tried to hide her annoyance like she had over this matter for years. Her mother claimed that she had named her Sieglinde because she had been listening to a performance of Wagner playing on the radio with Sigi’s father when Sigi was conceived. More than a decade after Sigi’s mother had first told her that story and she was still trying to get rid of the mental image that brought to mind. Also, the question as to whether or not Sigi had gone far enough just by dropping the “von” in front of Grimmelshausen when she had entered the War Academy was still very much open. All Sigi’s life, her name had kept people from taking her seriously. Then it was her gender, followed by her becoming a pilot in the Heer.
Contrary to popular belief, the Heer maintained a fleet of aircraft. Mostly helicopters and aircraft optimized for roles like close air support. After Sigi had finished her time with Oberst Gräfin von Mischner she had been sent to train to be a helicopter pilot at the Gräfin’s recommendation and had excelled in that role. She had been waiting for her permanent assignment when she had applied to join the Raumfahrer program in Peenemünde on a lark. She had never expected to get in or make past the hurdles that the program used to ruthlessly cut Raumfahrer candidates. It had come as a complete shock to Sigi that she had made it to the end. She had in fact been unaware of that right up until she had been given orders to fly to Vietnam for final preparations for her involvement in the Dioscuri Project. She had been so focused on keeping with the program that she had hardly noticed that she had passed, becoming the first woman to do so in the process.
“I’m supposed to give you the tour before taking you to your quarters” The Orientation Officer said as they walked at a brisk pace, the man’s longer stride made it a bit difficult for Sigi to keep up. “Admiral von Schmidt has invited you to lunch tomorrow after you’ve had a chance to get some sleep and become a bit more acclimated. He does that with all the new pilots when they arrive, don’t assume that it makes you special. The Project Director and Team Leader will also be present, so be prepared.”
They walked through some doors and it was like walking into a wall with the heat and humidity outdoors. Sigi followed as they crossed an open area and entered a massive building.
“The Press is kept away from Peenemünde because we want those there to not have any distractions” The Orientation Officer said, “I feel I should warn you that there are few such considerations here. It is only a matter of time before they learn of your presence and we are expecting a circus.”
“Are you worried that I might get distracted?” Sigi asked.
“No” The Orientation Officer said, “We find that people have no trouble keeping focused once they see what is involved.”
With that, they entered the inner portion of the building and Sigi looked in awe at what was inside. The building was used to assemble the rockets in a carefully controlled environment. Looming over them was a partially assembled rocket, gleaming polished metal and impressive even with all the access panels open.
Berlin
As Ilse passed through Alexanderplatz she saw the tower cranes and the buildings that were going up. Her sister certainly had never lacked for vision in such matters, Ilse had to give her that much even if she still wasn’t feeling particularly charitable towards her at the moment. It provided a bit of a distraction from who had asked Ilse to meet her today, something that Ilse welcomed. She had taken the afternoon off from the lab. With the amount of work Ilse had been putting in, no one would question it if she took a couple hours for herself.
During the summertime, the eatery had outdoor tables where one could sit by the canal and enjoy a pleasant afternoon. It being January, the tables were under a couple centimeters of snow today. No one said that Ilse couldn’t sit out there if she chose, but it might get her some strange looks. Entering the eatery, she saw her Mother-in-Law, Käte, waiting for her. The Gräfin had not said why she was in Berlin, all she had sent was a cryptic note asking Ilse to meet her here. Once they had exchanged greetings, Ilse asked her exactly that question.
“What are you doing here?” Ilse asked.
“I came here on a shopping expedition” Käte replied, “And to check up on you. Albrecht made it sound like you were at death’s door when he put you on that airplane. Skin and bones.”
“Bert exaggerated a bit” Ilse said, she remembered how he had been concerned for her. “I was sick when I got home and for once I didn’t mind gaining a bit of weight over the holidays.”
“I’m glad to hear that” Käte said with a bit of relief.
“I’m better now” Ilse said with a smile, “I just wished that things had worked out better in Vietnam, it is a very beautiful country and I miss Albrecht terribly.”
“Good to see that you are on the mend and if it is any consolation, he misses you just as much” Käte said looking at Ilse with a slight smile, “Now, do you know what is good on the menu?”
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She was appointed to be Kat's Aide and she didn't make the greatest of introductions...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...stance-thread-ii.452138/page-86#post-18020342
If she's still relatively as deer-in-the-headlights as she was when meeting Kat, whoo boy that's going to be a sight to behold.