Weren't the care packages already being send before Kat delivered her big one? Because I remember her getting the package from Nancy whilst she was in Judenbach. And weren't the care packages arranged by Piers Sjostedt, those coming from around the world? Then Kat would have been inspired by those.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Your are right, I meant to write that it was expanded as it was a pilot program before that with Nancy's family being among the first to send a Care Package.
Part 86, Chapter 1322
Chapter One Thousand Three Hundred Twenty-Two
26th April 1959
Mitte, Berlin
Comparing the differences between the two Empresses was something that Kat had found herself doing even though she knew that it was a foolish thing to do. The first thing she noticed was that relative age of those present was very different. With Kira, Kat had usually been one of the youngest women present. Now among those who Charlotte surrounded herself with Kat was one of the oldest at the age of thirty-eight. The second thing was that the attitudes towards education and careers were far different. While Kira had been generally supportive of those things, the practice had been different story. Charlotte herself had been a Social Worker in Vienna before she had gotten involved with Louis Ferdinand. Thirdly, the strict formality that Kira had insisted on was gone. While it wasn’t rambunctious, the Court seemed to have a lot more laughter in it and the topics of conversation tended to be free flowing. The final difference was that Charlotte had encouraged Kat to bring Tatiana with her today.
Having grown bored, Tat was discussing her life excitedly with Charlotte. Mostly about how her brother Malcolm was a pain and her little sister Marie was always grabbing things. Tat also mentioned her dog and the house she lived in. Charlotte herself wasn’t too involved with the conversation, content to simply listen to Tatiana. She was presently seven months pregnant and had been advised to not exert herself in any way. Because of her age this first baby would probably also be her last. At eight Tatiana wasn’t quite old enough to understand what was going on. She had bought the broadest possible explanations a few years earlier when Kat had Marie, but now she was growing more inquisitive as she grew older. Doug found it all amusing. He said that Tatiana asking uncomfortable questions was proof that she was truly her mother’s daughter. A nice sour note there. Kat found herself wishing that Marie would be different, more like Doug than her. However, unlike Tatiana and Malcolm, Marie looked very similar to what Kat had looked like decades earlier, so Kat wasn’t hopeful.
“Why don’t you go see what Vicky and Rea are up to” Charlotte suggested to Tatiana, who smiled and ran off. Kat knew that the twin Princesses were divided in their opinion of their stepmother. Rea had visceral dislike of Charlotte, while her younger sister Vicky clearly wanted to be close. However, because they tried to maintain a united front against the world, they had both been cold towards Lotte.
“I’m sorry” Kat said, “Tat can be a bit much.”
Lotte just smiled at that, “I would say that you are very lucky” She said, “Tatiana seems like a well-adjusted child.”
“I’ve done my best, but…” Kat started to say.
“Don’t torture yourself Katherine” Lotte said, “My hope is that this one turns out so well.” She gestured towards her belly.
Kat knew that Louis Ferdinand and Charlotte both were concerned about what would happen when the baby was born. It was a State secret, but Kat was aware that it was expected to be a girl. Beyond that, there were risks associated with Charlotte’s age. Kat knew that no matter what happened, the baby would be welcomed by two loving parents. She only needed to see what was going on with Louis’ oldest sister, Alexandrine, to see that even the worst sort of things might happen, she would be well cared for.
Washington D.C.
“You’ve met both Johannes and Katherine von Mischner” Gloria said, “That thing with the trucks really happened. That film didn’t call her by name because no one at the Babelsberg Studios wants to antagonize the Countess. What business did you have watching German war movies?”
That was a bit of a surprise, but Gloria would know because she had been writing a biography of the Countess. So far, she had uncovered a great deal of surprising information from public sources on this side of the Atlantic.
“I was unaware of that” Jonny replied, “It was in a film that we watched last week as entertainment. Intelligence thinks we ought to learn something from them about how outfits like the Panzer Dragoons think.”
Gloria gave Jonny the usual look she gave him whenever he mentioned his career. While they had been mutually attracted to each other from the moment they met, the two of them didn’t pretend to understand what the other one did for a living. It was honest, but it did result in moments like this. The night before, Jonny had gone to a dinner party hosted by friends of Gloria’s. It had seemed like they were speaking a different language from him. Figuring that he was in hostile territory, Jonny had just listened and observed. He had basically come down in complete support of what Gloria did, she was a journalist and her political stances were hardly out of the ordinary compared to what Jonny had grown up with in Petaluma. His mother had a job that required him to stay at his maternal grandmother’s house most days from his earliest memories. So, what was the big deal?
That had apparently been the right thing to have said from Gloria’s perspective. Then the question had turned to what Jonny did, that had been a bit awkward. He had said that he worked logistics at Fort Drum. Gloria knew that was hogwash, but she also knew that there was a reason why he couldn’t mention the 1st SFG in mixed company. Later, she had said that it was absurd that he had this interesting, adventurous career but couldn’t talk about it.
26th April 1959
Mitte, Berlin
Comparing the differences between the two Empresses was something that Kat had found herself doing even though she knew that it was a foolish thing to do. The first thing she noticed was that relative age of those present was very different. With Kira, Kat had usually been one of the youngest women present. Now among those who Charlotte surrounded herself with Kat was one of the oldest at the age of thirty-eight. The second thing was that the attitudes towards education and careers were far different. While Kira had been generally supportive of those things, the practice had been different story. Charlotte herself had been a Social Worker in Vienna before she had gotten involved with Louis Ferdinand. Thirdly, the strict formality that Kira had insisted on was gone. While it wasn’t rambunctious, the Court seemed to have a lot more laughter in it and the topics of conversation tended to be free flowing. The final difference was that Charlotte had encouraged Kat to bring Tatiana with her today.
Having grown bored, Tat was discussing her life excitedly with Charlotte. Mostly about how her brother Malcolm was a pain and her little sister Marie was always grabbing things. Tat also mentioned her dog and the house she lived in. Charlotte herself wasn’t too involved with the conversation, content to simply listen to Tatiana. She was presently seven months pregnant and had been advised to not exert herself in any way. Because of her age this first baby would probably also be her last. At eight Tatiana wasn’t quite old enough to understand what was going on. She had bought the broadest possible explanations a few years earlier when Kat had Marie, but now she was growing more inquisitive as she grew older. Doug found it all amusing. He said that Tatiana asking uncomfortable questions was proof that she was truly her mother’s daughter. A nice sour note there. Kat found herself wishing that Marie would be different, more like Doug than her. However, unlike Tatiana and Malcolm, Marie looked very similar to what Kat had looked like decades earlier, so Kat wasn’t hopeful.
“Why don’t you go see what Vicky and Rea are up to” Charlotte suggested to Tatiana, who smiled and ran off. Kat knew that the twin Princesses were divided in their opinion of their stepmother. Rea had visceral dislike of Charlotte, while her younger sister Vicky clearly wanted to be close. However, because they tried to maintain a united front against the world, they had both been cold towards Lotte.
“I’m sorry” Kat said, “Tat can be a bit much.”
Lotte just smiled at that, “I would say that you are very lucky” She said, “Tatiana seems like a well-adjusted child.”
“I’ve done my best, but…” Kat started to say.
“Don’t torture yourself Katherine” Lotte said, “My hope is that this one turns out so well.” She gestured towards her belly.
Kat knew that Louis Ferdinand and Charlotte both were concerned about what would happen when the baby was born. It was a State secret, but Kat was aware that it was expected to be a girl. Beyond that, there were risks associated with Charlotte’s age. Kat knew that no matter what happened, the baby would be welcomed by two loving parents. She only needed to see what was going on with Louis’ oldest sister, Alexandrine, to see that even the worst sort of things might happen, she would be well cared for.
Washington D.C.
“You’ve met both Johannes and Katherine von Mischner” Gloria said, “That thing with the trucks really happened. That film didn’t call her by name because no one at the Babelsberg Studios wants to antagonize the Countess. What business did you have watching German war movies?”
That was a bit of a surprise, but Gloria would know because she had been writing a biography of the Countess. So far, she had uncovered a great deal of surprising information from public sources on this side of the Atlantic.
“I was unaware of that” Jonny replied, “It was in a film that we watched last week as entertainment. Intelligence thinks we ought to learn something from them about how outfits like the Panzer Dragoons think.”
Gloria gave Jonny the usual look she gave him whenever he mentioned his career. While they had been mutually attracted to each other from the moment they met, the two of them didn’t pretend to understand what the other one did for a living. It was honest, but it did result in moments like this. The night before, Jonny had gone to a dinner party hosted by friends of Gloria’s. It had seemed like they were speaking a different language from him. Figuring that he was in hostile territory, Jonny had just listened and observed. He had basically come down in complete support of what Gloria did, she was a journalist and her political stances were hardly out of the ordinary compared to what Jonny had grown up with in Petaluma. His mother had a job that required him to stay at his maternal grandmother’s house most days from his earliest memories. So, what was the big deal?
That had apparently been the right thing to have said from Gloria’s perspective. Then the question had turned to what Jonny did, that had been a bit awkward. He had said that he worked logistics at Fort Drum. Gloria knew that was hogwash, but she also knew that there was a reason why he couldn’t mention the 1st SFG in mixed company. Later, she had said that it was absurd that he had this interesting, adventurous career but couldn’t talk about it.
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Shouldn't that be Kira and not Kiki? Or am I just not getting something?
Gloria Steinman writing a biography of Kat should be interesting as it could be in the New Journalism style made popular by Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese but with a feminist twist.
It could be the most comprehensive look at the life of Kat that will be seen in current time and the narrative will take all the different aspects of Kat that has been seen over the years and bring them together to show Kat as a whole person instead of the bits and pieces that she has been boxed in.
It could be the most comprehensive look at the life of Kat that will be seen in current time and the narrative will take all the different aspects of Kat that has been seen over the years and bring them together to show Kat as a whole person instead of the bits and pieces that she has been boxed in.
Is it just me or does anyone else seem to think that the elder female offspring of Kat and the Twin Princesses getting together and being told to go "See what they are up to", seem like one of those ideas you really don't want to see happen. I mean whats the worst that could happen, they don't have access to any Nukes at least, at least I hope they don't.
Pretty sure you need no nuke to create an international incident or a catastrophe.
So something big and important is happening at Basel, it could be some kind of union of European countries, some kind of a general agreement on tariffs and trade or an organization of world trade, or it could do something with the international banking systems, whatever it is there is a very good reason for Kat to be concerned about the security of the German representatives.
Part 86, Chapter 1323
Chapter One Thousand Three Hundred Twenty-Three
1st May 1959
Mitte, Berlin
When the Easter Holiday arrived, Kiki had been informed that all the students in the dormitory were being told to pack their things and go home. Apparently, so that the building could be fumigated. Kat had said that it was long past time that she made peace with her family and had refused to let her stay with her over the holiday. That was why Kiki had been forced return to her suite in the Hohenzollern Palace. Sitting on the couch watching television with her cat Hera on her lap was how she spent the last several days and was planning on doing so until the dormitory reopened. Today, she had found herself sitting across from Charlotte who was chaffing under the forced inactivity resulting from her present condition. The silly soap opera that was on wasn’t the sort of thing that Kiki would normally watch but it being in the middle of the day, there was nothing else to watch.
“I don’t see what Thea sees in Freiherr von Schwein” Kiki said, “He just treats her like furniture.” Commenting on the absurd plot of the show. If a man treated Kiki like that then she would acquaint him with the business end of a goose gun, and he would spend the rest of his life singing in soprano.
Lotte snorted at that. “I’ve known women twice your age who haven’t figured out that tall, dark and handsome is most often accompanied with soulless narcissism” She said, “And that is not the name of the character.”
“Are you saying that women are stupid?” Kiki asked, not responding to the last part.
“No” Lotte replied, “Just never underestimate the power of people to delude themselves and remember that no one is immune to that sort of thing.”
“I know I wouldn’t put up with that” Kiki said only to have Lotte look at her sadly.
“I meant what I said about no one being immune” Lotte said, “I knew a woman in Vienna who was a lot like you. Educated, driven and accomplished, she had a blind spot for her husband who was none of those things. He took out his frustrations by beating her to the extent that she ended up in the hospital. That was when I was introduced to her.”
Kiki knew about Charlotte’s career before she had met her father. For someone in her position to take on such a job, where she consistently saw the absolute worst in human nature when she had no reason to. Because she wanted to help people… Then Kiki realized that she could also be described that way. It wasn’t something she wanted to think about.
“You were able to help her?” Kiki asked.
“I certainly tried” Lotte replied, “But that was a difficult case and it ended very badly. You notice that I am talking about her in the past tense.”
“Oh” Kiki said, unsure how to respond to that. She remembered the first day she had started training to be a Medic. In the first lecture delivered by one of her Instructors, the class had been told that despite their training and the best efforts that they could bring to bear they were still going to lose people occasionally. It was inevitable and that was a reality that they needed to be prepared for.
“Your sisters are such dears” Lotte said changing the subject, it was enough to make Kiki doubt her sanity and she wondered what had prompted that thought. Vicky and Rea were many things, “dears” would not be the word that anyone who knew truly knew them would use. “Your father made it very clear that they would be on the receiving end of whatever punishment that Gräfin Katherine deems fit if they get her daughter into any sort of trouble” Lotte finished with a satisfied look on her face.
That was an aspect to all this that Kiki had never thought of. They had known Kat’s daughter Tatiana since she had been born and Tat was a wide-eyed innocent, the very definition of impressionable. Kiki’s father telling Rea and Vicky that he wouldn’t protect them from the Tigress if they said or did something stupid was alarming. Charlotte encouraging Tat to play with them despite the five-year age difference had to be driving the two of them insane.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Kiki asked.
“Your sisters are not as clever as they like to think” Lotte replied.
That sounded about right. For all their lives, it had been Vicky and Rea against the world. The present divide between them over Charlotte wasn’t as bad as when Rea had cut her hair a couple years earlier and suddenly even people who didn’t know them well had been able to tell them apart. Rea had wanted Vicky to cut her hair as well and had been given a very emphatic no in reply. It had not a pleasant experience for them. Kiki suspected that the differences between them would grow in the coming years and it was understandable why they would fight that tooth and nail. Unfortunately for them, that battle had caused them to underestimate Charlotte.
“How very clever of you” Kiki said.
“Please don’t tell them” Lotte said, “I hate to think about how they might respond.”
“You don’t need to worry about that” Kiki replied, “Someone getting the better of those two is something that needs to happen more often.”
Charlotte smiled before the expression on her face changed and her hand went to her belly. “I think we have a budding footballer in there” She said.
“Anything else?” Kiki asked as she wracked her brain if any of the things that she had learned over the last several months were relevant. Even as she did it, she realized that it would be something that she would need to bring up with Doctor Berg.
“No, this is normal” Lotte replied, “You’ll get your chance to find out one day.”
Over my dead body, Kiki thought to herself. She hated it when people made comments like that.
1st May 1959
Mitte, Berlin
When the Easter Holiday arrived, Kiki had been informed that all the students in the dormitory were being told to pack their things and go home. Apparently, so that the building could be fumigated. Kat had said that it was long past time that she made peace with her family and had refused to let her stay with her over the holiday. That was why Kiki had been forced return to her suite in the Hohenzollern Palace. Sitting on the couch watching television with her cat Hera on her lap was how she spent the last several days and was planning on doing so until the dormitory reopened. Today, she had found herself sitting across from Charlotte who was chaffing under the forced inactivity resulting from her present condition. The silly soap opera that was on wasn’t the sort of thing that Kiki would normally watch but it being in the middle of the day, there was nothing else to watch.
“I don’t see what Thea sees in Freiherr von Schwein” Kiki said, “He just treats her like furniture.” Commenting on the absurd plot of the show. If a man treated Kiki like that then she would acquaint him with the business end of a goose gun, and he would spend the rest of his life singing in soprano.
Lotte snorted at that. “I’ve known women twice your age who haven’t figured out that tall, dark and handsome is most often accompanied with soulless narcissism” She said, “And that is not the name of the character.”
“Are you saying that women are stupid?” Kiki asked, not responding to the last part.
“No” Lotte replied, “Just never underestimate the power of people to delude themselves and remember that no one is immune to that sort of thing.”
“I know I wouldn’t put up with that” Kiki said only to have Lotte look at her sadly.
“I meant what I said about no one being immune” Lotte said, “I knew a woman in Vienna who was a lot like you. Educated, driven and accomplished, she had a blind spot for her husband who was none of those things. He took out his frustrations by beating her to the extent that she ended up in the hospital. That was when I was introduced to her.”
Kiki knew about Charlotte’s career before she had met her father. For someone in her position to take on such a job, where she consistently saw the absolute worst in human nature when she had no reason to. Because she wanted to help people… Then Kiki realized that she could also be described that way. It wasn’t something she wanted to think about.
“You were able to help her?” Kiki asked.
“I certainly tried” Lotte replied, “But that was a difficult case and it ended very badly. You notice that I am talking about her in the past tense.”
“Oh” Kiki said, unsure how to respond to that. She remembered the first day she had started training to be a Medic. In the first lecture delivered by one of her Instructors, the class had been told that despite their training and the best efforts that they could bring to bear they were still going to lose people occasionally. It was inevitable and that was a reality that they needed to be prepared for.
“Your sisters are such dears” Lotte said changing the subject, it was enough to make Kiki doubt her sanity and she wondered what had prompted that thought. Vicky and Rea were many things, “dears” would not be the word that anyone who knew truly knew them would use. “Your father made it very clear that they would be on the receiving end of whatever punishment that Gräfin Katherine deems fit if they get her daughter into any sort of trouble” Lotte finished with a satisfied look on her face.
That was an aspect to all this that Kiki had never thought of. They had known Kat’s daughter Tatiana since she had been born and Tat was a wide-eyed innocent, the very definition of impressionable. Kiki’s father telling Rea and Vicky that he wouldn’t protect them from the Tigress if they said or did something stupid was alarming. Charlotte encouraging Tat to play with them despite the five-year age difference had to be driving the two of them insane.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Kiki asked.
“Your sisters are not as clever as they like to think” Lotte replied.
That sounded about right. For all their lives, it had been Vicky and Rea against the world. The present divide between them over Charlotte wasn’t as bad as when Rea had cut her hair a couple years earlier and suddenly even people who didn’t know them well had been able to tell them apart. Rea had wanted Vicky to cut her hair as well and had been given a very emphatic no in reply. It had not a pleasant experience for them. Kiki suspected that the differences between them would grow in the coming years and it was understandable why they would fight that tooth and nail. Unfortunately for them, that battle had caused them to underestimate Charlotte.
“How very clever of you” Kiki said.
“Please don’t tell them” Lotte said, “I hate to think about how they might respond.”
“You don’t need to worry about that” Kiki replied, “Someone getting the better of those two is something that needs to happen more often.”
Charlotte smiled before the expression on her face changed and her hand went to her belly. “I think we have a budding footballer in there” She said.
“Anything else?” Kiki asked as she wracked her brain if any of the things that she had learned over the last several months were relevant. Even as she did it, she realized that it would be something that she would need to bring up with Doctor Berg.
“No, this is normal” Lotte replied, “You’ll get your chance to find out one day.”
Over my dead body, Kiki thought to herself. She hated it when people made comments like that.
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Fumigation of the dorms, a great college tradition that continues to this day.
I first thought that Freiherr von Schwein was an actual name of a character on the soap when it was Kiki being Kiki doing the same thing that she did with Zella and Aurora on Friday nights.
I like how low key Charlotte is being with Kiki and just talking to her as an equal.
Kiki has the curse of knowing what can go wrong with pregnancies and is projecting her fears, just wait until she gets to medical school when every headache is a brain tumor, every cough is lung cancer.
I first thought that Freiherr von Schwein was an actual name of a character on the soap when it was Kiki being Kiki doing the same thing that she did with Zella and Aurora on Friday nights.
I like how low key Charlotte is being with Kiki and just talking to her as an equal.
Kiki has the curse of knowing what can go wrong with pregnancies and is projecting her fears, just wait until she gets to medical school when every headache is a brain tumor, every cough is lung cancer.