I was amazed at how long it is to drive to the Grand Canyon from Vegas, never mind anywhere else. We went by helicopter in the end, expensive but excellent value.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
I think that Kira would be very supportive of her daughter wanting to join the Joint Medical Service when Kristina grows up.
We have seen throughout the years that Kira has encouraged the Maids of the Court to aspire to higher goals.
I have no doubt that the Order of Louise has a scholarship program for young women that is based on merit and needs.
One of the roles that a modern Constitutional Monarchy plays in society is to provide an example of service to the nation.
Having Princess Kristina joining the JMS sends the message that the Imperial Family serves the Empire instead of the Empire serving the Family.
As for that little attempt at having the Princess sitting between the two Italian Princes just shows that there is no longer a need for there to be arranged marriages between Royal families anymore, so that anyone who wants to let say Prince Louis Ferdinand marry the Heiress Presumptive of Great Britain, Princess Alberta who is I believe five years younger than Louis, can just knock it off
.
We have seen throughout the years that Kira has encouraged the Maids of the Court to aspire to higher goals.
I have no doubt that the Order of Louise has a scholarship program for young women that is based on merit and needs.
One of the roles that a modern Constitutional Monarchy plays in society is to provide an example of service to the nation.
Having Princess Kristina joining the JMS sends the message that the Imperial Family serves the Empire instead of the Empire serving the Family.
As for that little attempt at having the Princess sitting between the two Italian Princes just shows that there is no longer a need for there to be arranged marriages between Royal families anymore, so that anyone who wants to let say Prince Louis Ferdinand marry the Heiress Presumptive of Great Britain, Princess Alberta who is I believe five years younger than Louis, can just knock it off
.
Part 76, Chapter 1131
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Thirty-One
29th April 1955
Souda Bay
Tonight, once the Regional Governor of Crete was off the SMY Hohenzollern IV they would depart for Athens and tomorrow this entire trip would be over. They would board an airplane and fly home. Freddy had enjoyed all of it, though there had been a few things that he had noticed that meant substantial change was coming. Kiki was acting stranger than usual, hardly a surprise there. On one hand she was still being treated like a child, on the other she was being introduced to potential suitors and expected to act the part of the gracious lady. Young men she might want to consider interacting with socially in the future. It had been clear from her reaction in Italy that she wasn’t the least bit interested and in Constantinople she had made sure to never once be in the same room as the Greek Crown Prince. Freddy had exactly the opposite experience. They were the only people he had ever met who understood where he was coming from. Kiki said that Vittorio of Italy was arrogant and had an overly inflated opinion of himself. She wasn’t wrong about that. However, upstairs after dinner, drinking wine and shooting pool while just talking about the latest movies and football had been a lot of fun.
Then there was what had happened on the morning they had left for Jerusalem. Kiki had complained about not feeling well but their mother had told her she wasn’t actually ill, so she needed to get out of bed. Freddy knew what all of that had been a euphemism for and had watched as his little sister had not enjoyed herself as they were shuffled site to site, looking pensively out the windows of the car. Later, she had said to Freddy that she just wished that she had just been allowed to stay home with her friends.
What Kiki didn’t know was that the entire trip had been about far more than just a pilgrimage. It had been a way for Freddy’s father to talk to the regional powers informally about the latest conflict in Anatolia and the Balkans, get them all back to the table so that a lasting peace could be built. Freddy had been told about what was happening by his father a few days before they had left for Italy, it being felt that Freddy was old enough to be trusted with that information. Then once they were there in Jerusalem, it had seemed to Freddy that they had put the needs of the State far above those of Kiki. When he had tried to cheer her up, she had just gotten annoyed and walked away from him.
Now, at this formal dinner marking the conclusion of the pilgrimage. Freddy’s father had passed out the red and gold medals, similar to the one had been issued by Freddy’s Great Grandfather decades earlier, had been issued to all those who had traveled in the entourage. For Freddy it was the first medal that he had received for something that he had done personally. Even if it was just going to various holy sights with his younger siblings. He had noticed that the Gräfin had placed the hers back into the box she and seemed to be making a point of ignoring it.
Marie and Victoria were still trying to put one over on everyone with their overt piety. Freddy had seen that they had not been so pious when they had picked the pocket of one of the Coxswains a few hours earlier simply because they had gotten bored. Of all the girls it had been Anya who was most affected by what she had seen, but once they were back on the yacht and headed for Crete, she had gone back to her usual complaints about how it was difficult to practice dancing in the cabin that she shared with the other girls.
Moscow, Russia
“You’ll be pleased to know that the German Kaiser felt that you deserved this overtly Catholic medal” Georgy said. He clearly found this whole thing amusing as he handed Fyodor the box containing a Jerusalem Cross on its red ribbon. “Do I need to arrange an awarding ceremony?”
Fyodor had completed the mission. The German Kaiser and his entourage had traveled through the Holy Land unmolested. He just wished that the Kaiser had kept his medal. Fyodor was acutely aware of how that medal alone would have gotten him shot a decade earlier.
“That is unnecessary Sir” Fyodor replied, leaving it at that.
Fyodor had seen no point in sticking around once the SMY Hohenzollern reached Crete, so he had gotten on the first available airplane back to Russia, via Bucharest.
“What were your impressions?” Georgy asked.
“Of what?” Fyodor asked in reply.
“Jerusalem, the German Kaiser, his family, anyone you might have encountered along the way?”
Fyodor just wished that the Czar had just wanted to play a game of chess over drinks.
“Our dear Italian friend, Cosimo de’ Medici was already aboard when I got there” Fyodor said.
“How did you react after what happened in Croatia?” Georgy asked. Did everyone know about that?
“I had other considerations” Fyodor replied, “Your cousin, that woman is impossible.”
“Why, what did she do?”
“Did you know that she teaches unarmed combat?”
“I have had heard rumors to that effect” Georgy replied.
“I watched her win a not-so friendly match against a Marine twice as big as her in hand to hand” Fyodor said.
“And that means… What?”
Fyodor took a minute to carefully consider his next words. How to say this without getting sent to a gulag.
“When she exercises and practices fighting, her clothes are designed not to encumber the body of the woman wearing them and they are rather revealing” Fyodor said with a gulp, “I couldn’t help but noticing that she is an extremely attractive woman.”
Georgy laughed at that. “All this time, I’ve thought you have ice water flowing through your veins” He said.
29th April 1955
Souda Bay
Tonight, once the Regional Governor of Crete was off the SMY Hohenzollern IV they would depart for Athens and tomorrow this entire trip would be over. They would board an airplane and fly home. Freddy had enjoyed all of it, though there had been a few things that he had noticed that meant substantial change was coming. Kiki was acting stranger than usual, hardly a surprise there. On one hand she was still being treated like a child, on the other she was being introduced to potential suitors and expected to act the part of the gracious lady. Young men she might want to consider interacting with socially in the future. It had been clear from her reaction in Italy that she wasn’t the least bit interested and in Constantinople she had made sure to never once be in the same room as the Greek Crown Prince. Freddy had exactly the opposite experience. They were the only people he had ever met who understood where he was coming from. Kiki said that Vittorio of Italy was arrogant and had an overly inflated opinion of himself. She wasn’t wrong about that. However, upstairs after dinner, drinking wine and shooting pool while just talking about the latest movies and football had been a lot of fun.
Then there was what had happened on the morning they had left for Jerusalem. Kiki had complained about not feeling well but their mother had told her she wasn’t actually ill, so she needed to get out of bed. Freddy knew what all of that had been a euphemism for and had watched as his little sister had not enjoyed herself as they were shuffled site to site, looking pensively out the windows of the car. Later, she had said to Freddy that she just wished that she had just been allowed to stay home with her friends.
What Kiki didn’t know was that the entire trip had been about far more than just a pilgrimage. It had been a way for Freddy’s father to talk to the regional powers informally about the latest conflict in Anatolia and the Balkans, get them all back to the table so that a lasting peace could be built. Freddy had been told about what was happening by his father a few days before they had left for Italy, it being felt that Freddy was old enough to be trusted with that information. Then once they were there in Jerusalem, it had seemed to Freddy that they had put the needs of the State far above those of Kiki. When he had tried to cheer her up, she had just gotten annoyed and walked away from him.
Now, at this formal dinner marking the conclusion of the pilgrimage. Freddy’s father had passed out the red and gold medals, similar to the one had been issued by Freddy’s Great Grandfather decades earlier, had been issued to all those who had traveled in the entourage. For Freddy it was the first medal that he had received for something that he had done personally. Even if it was just going to various holy sights with his younger siblings. He had noticed that the Gräfin had placed the hers back into the box she and seemed to be making a point of ignoring it.
Marie and Victoria were still trying to put one over on everyone with their overt piety. Freddy had seen that they had not been so pious when they had picked the pocket of one of the Coxswains a few hours earlier simply because they had gotten bored. Of all the girls it had been Anya who was most affected by what she had seen, but once they were back on the yacht and headed for Crete, she had gone back to her usual complaints about how it was difficult to practice dancing in the cabin that she shared with the other girls.
Moscow, Russia
“You’ll be pleased to know that the German Kaiser felt that you deserved this overtly Catholic medal” Georgy said. He clearly found this whole thing amusing as he handed Fyodor the box containing a Jerusalem Cross on its red ribbon. “Do I need to arrange an awarding ceremony?”
Fyodor had completed the mission. The German Kaiser and his entourage had traveled through the Holy Land unmolested. He just wished that the Kaiser had kept his medal. Fyodor was acutely aware of how that medal alone would have gotten him shot a decade earlier.
“That is unnecessary Sir” Fyodor replied, leaving it at that.
Fyodor had seen no point in sticking around once the SMY Hohenzollern reached Crete, so he had gotten on the first available airplane back to Russia, via Bucharest.
“What were your impressions?” Georgy asked.
“Of what?” Fyodor asked in reply.
“Jerusalem, the German Kaiser, his family, anyone you might have encountered along the way?”
Fyodor just wished that the Czar had just wanted to play a game of chess over drinks.
“Our dear Italian friend, Cosimo de’ Medici was already aboard when I got there” Fyodor said.
“How did you react after what happened in Croatia?” Georgy asked. Did everyone know about that?
“I had other considerations” Fyodor replied, “Your cousin, that woman is impossible.”
“Why, what did she do?”
“Did you know that she teaches unarmed combat?”
“I have had heard rumors to that effect” Georgy replied.
“I watched her win a not-so friendly match against a Marine twice as big as her in hand to hand” Fyodor said.
“And that means… What?”
Fyodor took a minute to carefully consider his next words. How to say this without getting sent to a gulag.
“When she exercises and practices fighting, her clothes are designed not to encumber the body of the woman wearing them and they are rather revealing” Fyodor said with a gulp, “I couldn’t help but noticing that she is an extremely attractive woman.”
Georgy laughed at that. “All this time, I’ve thought you have ice water flowing through your veins” He said.
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The Capitan said, "Clear for action, load with grape on top of roundshot, leave the gunports unlatched, form up the band on the quarterdeck."
With a predatory grin the Captain added, "We'll render passing honors one way or another once she shows her colors."
Part 76, Chapter 1132
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Thirty-Two
30th April 1955
In Transit, Over Austria
Tatiana was leaning on Kat having fallen asleep after the airplane had taken off while sitting in the window seat with Kat in the aisle seat and Gia in the seat across the aisle. Malcolm was in the window seat opposite from his sister, also asleep.
The novelty of being aboard the SMS Hohenzollern had remained even as the yacht had pulled into Athens. There had been a huge amount to explore on the ship and with Shafer along with some to the other older Noncoms keeping a close eye on them they were kept away from anything really dangerous. Mostly keeping them from pestering the crew with questions had been the extent of what was necessary. Then had come the excitement of boarding an airplane for the second time in a week. Once the plane had reached altitude and there was no more to really see the two of them had fallen asleep.
“They’ve gotten so big” Gia said. She had switched seats with Doug so that they could finally get a chance to catch up.
“They are starting Kindergarten over the summer term” Kat replied.
“You’re joking” Gia said, “It doesn’t seem like that long ago that they were just babies.”
“Life flies when you are having fun” Kat replied, “Speaking of life, I think that Major Volkov is sweet on you.”
Gia blushed as soon as Kat said that.
“I know that you have a soft spot for your counterparts in other nations. That is, when you aren’t trying to shoot them” Gia said, “But Fyodor Volkov is Russian, he is also another one of my cousin’s stooges, he’s in the Main Intelligence Directorate, that’s Military Intelligence, you know NKVD adjacent, he’s also Russian, did I mention that.”
Kat just shrugged. “What he does for a living and who he does it for doesn’t change the fact he’s sweet on you” She said, and Gia gave her a dirty look.
“What have you got planned for the next few weeks?” Gia asked to change the subject.
“As little possible” Kat replied, “I am being encouraged to take some leave starting as soon as we get everything squared away in Berlin. I’m taking them up on that.”
“That sounds nice” Gia said, “Are you still going ahead with what you were talking about a few weeks ago?”
“After everything that has happened since, it sounds even better” Kat replied, “And if I’m being allowed to jump the queue, I see no reason not to take advantage of it.”
“Still, to be as free as you’ve ever been after twenty years, nowhere near as many responsibilities” Gia said, “I envy you.”
“I fear that I will have no idea what to do with myself” Kat replied.
“Perhaps” Gia said, “But you’ll have the rest of your life to figure that out. It’s extremely exciting when you think about it.”
Kat had told Gia about the offer she had received, that her time in service would be considered from when she had joined Abwehr in 1937. 1st September 1957 would mark twenty years of service for her and baring a major crisis which could cause her to be recalled, it would be the end as well. She would suddenly have the freedom to define the rest of her life entirely on her own terms and not be as beholden to anyone. Gia was right, it was exciting.
Cuxhaven
A single day can change everything. Tilo had been moping around his apartment in Flensburg as the Spring Holiday had drawn to a close. Teaching Philosophy was challenging but as he had discovered, it was a bit repetitious. Then the telegram had arrived ordering him to report to Cuxhaven. Once he had gotten there, he had been briefed about what he was being asked to do. The MA was seen as being in dire need of restructuring. If Tilo didn’t mind leaving his teaching post at the Naval Academy, he was being offered the role of Executive Officer of the MA training school. He was partially responsible for bringing the MA back up to the standards that they had just after the war had ended.
As Tilo had walked through the dilapidated barracks he had seen the extent of how far the MA had fallen. To his shock, it had reminded him of tents pitched in a muddy field on the edge of an airstrip in Vietnam just after the Battle of la Drang. Then everything had been at a low ebb too. The Commanding Officer of the MA had yet to arrive so that left Tilo in charge. For lack of any better ideas he had ordered the men to fall out and he had seen two problems instantly. The first was that there were far fewer of them than there should have been. The other was that they all had the familiar slouch that Tilo knew so very well from when he had been on the other side of this sort of thing.
The funny part was he knew exactly what to do about it. Any Heer Officer would have tried to build them up and they would have pushed back. In the Marine Infantry, one didn’t start by building, it was a demolition operation first. These men were scum and they knew it and one couldn’t divide or multiply when starting from zero. Already, he had heard grumbling about “The Teacher” among the men. They could call him whatever they wanted, but they clearly forgot that when they had been in school there had always been teachers that the students were terrified of. They would remember that detail and then some, especially after Reier got here tomorrow.
30th April 1955
In Transit, Over Austria
Tatiana was leaning on Kat having fallen asleep after the airplane had taken off while sitting in the window seat with Kat in the aisle seat and Gia in the seat across the aisle. Malcolm was in the window seat opposite from his sister, also asleep.
The novelty of being aboard the SMS Hohenzollern had remained even as the yacht had pulled into Athens. There had been a huge amount to explore on the ship and with Shafer along with some to the other older Noncoms keeping a close eye on them they were kept away from anything really dangerous. Mostly keeping them from pestering the crew with questions had been the extent of what was necessary. Then had come the excitement of boarding an airplane for the second time in a week. Once the plane had reached altitude and there was no more to really see the two of them had fallen asleep.
“They’ve gotten so big” Gia said. She had switched seats with Doug so that they could finally get a chance to catch up.
“They are starting Kindergarten over the summer term” Kat replied.
“You’re joking” Gia said, “It doesn’t seem like that long ago that they were just babies.”
“Life flies when you are having fun” Kat replied, “Speaking of life, I think that Major Volkov is sweet on you.”
Gia blushed as soon as Kat said that.
“I know that you have a soft spot for your counterparts in other nations. That is, when you aren’t trying to shoot them” Gia said, “But Fyodor Volkov is Russian, he is also another one of my cousin’s stooges, he’s in the Main Intelligence Directorate, that’s Military Intelligence, you know NKVD adjacent, he’s also Russian, did I mention that.”
Kat just shrugged. “What he does for a living and who he does it for doesn’t change the fact he’s sweet on you” She said, and Gia gave her a dirty look.
“What have you got planned for the next few weeks?” Gia asked to change the subject.
“As little possible” Kat replied, “I am being encouraged to take some leave starting as soon as we get everything squared away in Berlin. I’m taking them up on that.”
“That sounds nice” Gia said, “Are you still going ahead with what you were talking about a few weeks ago?”
“After everything that has happened since, it sounds even better” Kat replied, “And if I’m being allowed to jump the queue, I see no reason not to take advantage of it.”
“Still, to be as free as you’ve ever been after twenty years, nowhere near as many responsibilities” Gia said, “I envy you.”
“I fear that I will have no idea what to do with myself” Kat replied.
“Perhaps” Gia said, “But you’ll have the rest of your life to figure that out. It’s extremely exciting when you think about it.”
Kat had told Gia about the offer she had received, that her time in service would be considered from when she had joined Abwehr in 1937. 1st September 1957 would mark twenty years of service for her and baring a major crisis which could cause her to be recalled, it would be the end as well. She would suddenly have the freedom to define the rest of her life entirely on her own terms and not be as beholden to anyone. Gia was right, it was exciting.
Cuxhaven
A single day can change everything. Tilo had been moping around his apartment in Flensburg as the Spring Holiday had drawn to a close. Teaching Philosophy was challenging but as he had discovered, it was a bit repetitious. Then the telegram had arrived ordering him to report to Cuxhaven. Once he had gotten there, he had been briefed about what he was being asked to do. The MA was seen as being in dire need of restructuring. If Tilo didn’t mind leaving his teaching post at the Naval Academy, he was being offered the role of Executive Officer of the MA training school. He was partially responsible for bringing the MA back up to the standards that they had just after the war had ended.
As Tilo had walked through the dilapidated barracks he had seen the extent of how far the MA had fallen. To his shock, it had reminded him of tents pitched in a muddy field on the edge of an airstrip in Vietnam just after the Battle of la Drang. Then everything had been at a low ebb too. The Commanding Officer of the MA had yet to arrive so that left Tilo in charge. For lack of any better ideas he had ordered the men to fall out and he had seen two problems instantly. The first was that there were far fewer of them than there should have been. The other was that they all had the familiar slouch that Tilo knew so very well from when he had been on the other side of this sort of thing.
The funny part was he knew exactly what to do about it. Any Heer Officer would have tried to build them up and they would have pushed back. In the Marine Infantry, one didn’t start by building, it was a demolition operation first. These men were scum and they knew it and one couldn’t divide or multiply when starting from zero. Already, he had heard grumbling about “The Teacher” among the men. They could call him whatever they wanted, but they clearly forgot that when they had been in school there had always been teachers that the students were terrified of. They would remember that detail and then some, especially after Reier got here tomorrow.
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...Obviating that when they land with both feet, there will be a stick nicely placed to hit them JUST in the middle of their balls.....
Oh, those sad mofo's are in for such an azzwhupping!
What they're about to go through will be worse than the worst "IT" (USMC Boot Camp "Incentive Training" (Punishment Detail)... up to daylong Group Incentive Training, "GIT" in the 1970's...). They're gonna run till their feet fall off, then, (when I was in), go through the "combat course" where recruits needing "motivation" belly-crawled 25 yards under barbed wire in the very liquid mud that was some foul, Foul stuff. Then off to the Sand Pit for PT ... Bends and Motherf**kers, Mountain Climbers, Side Straddle Hops, stationary Double Time, push ups, sit ups, and more such fun things. Then there was "Moving This Sandbag Pile Here To The New Sandbag Pile Over There." Oops! It shouldn't be there but rather back where it had been? "Yes, Sir, Drill Inspector Sgt. XXXXX, this Recruit will move the sandbags back immediately, Sir!!!"
And the Recruits must do the "motivational training" at Double Time … no walking between this pile of sandbags and that pile of sandbags 'way over there. The Drill Instructors weren't happy until all the Recruits had mud and sand in unmentionable, uncomfortable, rubbed-raw places, could barely stand at attention from exhaustion, and had shown newly-gained "proper" motivation!
Yeah, those sad sack MI are in for a Real Treat! Muahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!!
How is it that being kicked,bludgeoned and stomped into place is always funny and so much funnier when it happens to someone else ....
How is it that being kicked,bludgeoned and stomped into place is always funny and so much funnier when it happens to someone else ....
It's the relief that it is not you.
Well Schadenfreude is a German word...How is it that being kicked,bludgeoned and stomped into place is always funny and so much funnier when it happens to someone else ....
How is it that being kicked,bludgeoned and stomped into place is always funny and so much funnier when it happens to someone else ....
Tragedy is when I stub my toe on a crack in the sidewalk, comedy is when you walk into an open manhole.