Mexico too. And some degree with Japan. Not that it's a particular UK concern, but the new Empire is more profitable than the old one ever was.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Mexico too. And some degree with Japan. Not that it's a particular UK concern, but the new Empire is more profitable than the old one ever was.
I suppose that the Germans will have all the good intel about the CF-105 via the future economic trade with the Canadians. It will be so much easier than try photographic by jet plane i think.
I'm just picturing all the alarm bells going off in Malcolm's head about how horribly a bad an idea it would be to set off his daughter in law.
Fortunately he's smart enough to see this, unlike the poor buggers that had to wargame against "Team von Mischner" awhile back. (I wish I knew that chapter number offhand, that one made me giggle in pure schadenfreudetastic glee.)
Fortunately he's smart enough to see this, unlike the poor buggers that had to wargame against "Team von Mischner" awhile back. (I wish I knew that chapter number offhand, that one made me giggle in pure schadenfreudetastic glee.)
Which wouldbe why Canada is the one trying to arrange it on the sly.
I'd wager there is a Gentlemen's Arrangement or two that the US decided to 'forget' about - maybe with Canada, maybe with the UK - that is the reason behind this, with the secrecy to to prevent the US from making another GA to forestall this.
It appears that there has been quite a rift grown between Canada and the UK. Rather than drifting into the US orbit, they seem to be drifting into Germany's orbit, which is likely to annoy 10 Downing to no end when they find out. And they will.
Part 77, Chapter 1159
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Nine
24th December 1955
Berlin
They were sitting in the parlor watching television as they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive and dinner to be served. The smells that had been coming up from the kitchen were making starting to make everyone impatient.
On TV the holiday message from the Emperor and his family was being broadcast with one notable face missing from the production. Kat had seldom seen Kiki quite as grateful as when Kat had agreed to let her watch it here as opposed to being on it or stuck in a castle isolated by winter weather this year. The presence of Kiki and Gia had an unfortunate effect on Emma though. She fretted about nervously, unsure about how to react. Kiki didn’t seem to mind, she just was interested in reading to Tat and Kol in the library having no intention watching the Christmas Special. Kat watched with wry amusement as Casandra joined them even if she was listening to music with Anya instead. Anya had discovered Kat’s record collection and had put on Classical after being told to put on something more seasonal. Kat personally felt that the Howlin’ Wolf album that Anya had put on was good in any season.
Margot was noticeably absent as more guests arrived. Leni and her fiancé… Then Kat remembered that they had gotten married a few months earlier and Kat had been there in the Courthouse. That meant that he was her husband and Kat had no idea how she could have forgotten a detail like that. The girls from the old house were the next to arrive, they came as a group. Anne and Nancy joked that they were “orphans” this holiday season with Nancy being far from home and Anne’s parents spending the winter months in Italy this year. The others took that in good humor, but Kat could tell that a joke like that struck a bit close to home. To Kat’s surprise Albrecht had snuck out of Peenemünde and come to spend the holiday with Ilse. He was supposed to be going to Vietnam in a day or so and no one knew when he would be back. Albrecht said that he was taking the risk of getting demoted and posted in an icy Hell for true love. Ilse ate that up, but it just made Kat want wretch.
Helene and Hans were supposed to be here at any time, the last few months had been difficult for them and Kat had the impression that they just wanted this year to be over. Hans talked about resignation and he was promoted instead which had triggered a massive argument with Helene. Kat felt for her brother. Hans was like a big, though not particularly bright, puppy that just wanted to make everyone happy and Helene had no idea about what she wanted in that regard.
There was a knock on the front door and Kat started to get up only to get a look from Doug. He had been after her to take better care of herself this time, she had overexerted herself while she had been carrying Tat and Kol, the result had been that she had gotten sick during the final weeks. Just a cold that had lingered but both Doug and Doctor Berg where clear that they didn’t want to see anything like that happen again. Kat sat sullenly in her armchair while Doug went to answer the door.
No one wanted to let her do anything herself, that was why sneaking Sir Malcolm into the palace had been such a nice change. Though what Malcolm had wanted had been a bit of a surprise. He was there as an authorized representative of the Canadian Government, that much was obvious, there to ask about manufacturing. It wasn’t the question that had been a surprise, it was the means by which he was asking that they go about doing it.
The situation that Canada had found itself in was not dissimilar to the one that Australia had found itself in. The British saw them as a market of finished products, a source of raw materials and they didn’t want to change the status quo. The Canadians saw that as a problem but didn’t want to be seen as making an end run around London. There was also the huge problem of Canada’s southern neighbor feeling cornered and doing something stupid. The solution that Malcolm was proposing was that licensing, blueprints, tooling technology transfers provided covertly. They had their own manufacturing base and a well-educated work force, they just needed help in getting things pointed in the right direction. Kat could understand the reasoning, but she could also see how such an action would be a bonanza for any intelligence agency if it fell into their hands.
According the Schafer, the Emperor, the War Minister and the Chancellor had debated the subject for several hours after Kat had left with Sir Malcolm. They had not reached any conclusions about what the course of action was going to be.
Doug came back into the parlor followed by Maria and Emil. It was obvious from Malcolm’s reaction that he had not been expecting to find himself in the company of the Chief of the OKW. Kat caught a glimpse of Zella and Walter as they made their way to the library. Kat heard Kiki and Zella greeting each other. They were about the same age that Kat had been when she had met Helene and Gerta. It was good that Kiki had found friends like that.
“You are looking well” Maria said as she sat down on the couch nearest to Kat’s chair.
“It is nice that you think so” Kat replied, “But all I want right now is for people to stop treating me like I’m fragile.”
“That will end when you get asked to squeeze something the size of a bowling ball through a hole that wouldn’t be suitable for billiards.”
“You are really funny” Kat replied her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“No” Maria said, “I am being dead serious and try to enjoy this while it lasts because the good part will end in a few months.”
Kat frowned, she knew that Maria found all of this incredibly amusing. Worse of all she suspected that her former mentor was right.
24th December 1955
Berlin
They were sitting in the parlor watching television as they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive and dinner to be served. The smells that had been coming up from the kitchen were making starting to make everyone impatient.
On TV the holiday message from the Emperor and his family was being broadcast with one notable face missing from the production. Kat had seldom seen Kiki quite as grateful as when Kat had agreed to let her watch it here as opposed to being on it or stuck in a castle isolated by winter weather this year. The presence of Kiki and Gia had an unfortunate effect on Emma though. She fretted about nervously, unsure about how to react. Kiki didn’t seem to mind, she just was interested in reading to Tat and Kol in the library having no intention watching the Christmas Special. Kat watched with wry amusement as Casandra joined them even if she was listening to music with Anya instead. Anya had discovered Kat’s record collection and had put on Classical after being told to put on something more seasonal. Kat personally felt that the Howlin’ Wolf album that Anya had put on was good in any season.
Margot was noticeably absent as more guests arrived. Leni and her fiancé… Then Kat remembered that they had gotten married a few months earlier and Kat had been there in the Courthouse. That meant that he was her husband and Kat had no idea how she could have forgotten a detail like that. The girls from the old house were the next to arrive, they came as a group. Anne and Nancy joked that they were “orphans” this holiday season with Nancy being far from home and Anne’s parents spending the winter months in Italy this year. The others took that in good humor, but Kat could tell that a joke like that struck a bit close to home. To Kat’s surprise Albrecht had snuck out of Peenemünde and come to spend the holiday with Ilse. He was supposed to be going to Vietnam in a day or so and no one knew when he would be back. Albrecht said that he was taking the risk of getting demoted and posted in an icy Hell for true love. Ilse ate that up, but it just made Kat want wretch.
Helene and Hans were supposed to be here at any time, the last few months had been difficult for them and Kat had the impression that they just wanted this year to be over. Hans talked about resignation and he was promoted instead which had triggered a massive argument with Helene. Kat felt for her brother. Hans was like a big, though not particularly bright, puppy that just wanted to make everyone happy and Helene had no idea about what she wanted in that regard.
There was a knock on the front door and Kat started to get up only to get a look from Doug. He had been after her to take better care of herself this time, she had overexerted herself while she had been carrying Tat and Kol, the result had been that she had gotten sick during the final weeks. Just a cold that had lingered but both Doug and Doctor Berg where clear that they didn’t want to see anything like that happen again. Kat sat sullenly in her armchair while Doug went to answer the door.
No one wanted to let her do anything herself, that was why sneaking Sir Malcolm into the palace had been such a nice change. Though what Malcolm had wanted had been a bit of a surprise. He was there as an authorized representative of the Canadian Government, that much was obvious, there to ask about manufacturing. It wasn’t the question that had been a surprise, it was the means by which he was asking that they go about doing it.
The situation that Canada had found itself in was not dissimilar to the one that Australia had found itself in. The British saw them as a market of finished products, a source of raw materials and they didn’t want to change the status quo. The Canadians saw that as a problem but didn’t want to be seen as making an end run around London. There was also the huge problem of Canada’s southern neighbor feeling cornered and doing something stupid. The solution that Malcolm was proposing was that licensing, blueprints, tooling technology transfers provided covertly. They had their own manufacturing base and a well-educated work force, they just needed help in getting things pointed in the right direction. Kat could understand the reasoning, but she could also see how such an action would be a bonanza for any intelligence agency if it fell into their hands.
According the Schafer, the Emperor, the War Minister and the Chancellor had debated the subject for several hours after Kat had left with Sir Malcolm. They had not reached any conclusions about what the course of action was going to be.
Doug came back into the parlor followed by Maria and Emil. It was obvious from Malcolm’s reaction that he had not been expecting to find himself in the company of the Chief of the OKW. Kat caught a glimpse of Zella and Walter as they made their way to the library. Kat heard Kiki and Zella greeting each other. They were about the same age that Kat had been when she had met Helene and Gerta. It was good that Kiki had found friends like that.
“You are looking well” Maria said as she sat down on the couch nearest to Kat’s chair.
“It is nice that you think so” Kat replied, “But all I want right now is for people to stop treating me like I’m fragile.”
“That will end when you get asked to squeeze something the size of a bowling ball through a hole that wouldn’t be suitable for billiards.”
“You are really funny” Kat replied her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“No” Maria said, “I am being dead serious and try to enjoy this while it lasts because the good part will end in a few months.”
Kat frowned, she knew that Maria found all of this incredibly amusing. Worse of all she suspected that her former mentor was right.
Last edited:
Md139115
Banned
Of course, at any moment now, he is going to wish season greetings and forward the lyrics of O Tannenbaum to every foreign ship on earth... in their own encoding system of course.
..... Actually he has a VERY specific target for the occasion. Namely a certain captain who mocked his capacity to ruin his day.
It would be Hava Negila and Creepy wouldn't want to let his opponents know how compromised they are. He can come up with something better than that.
Now all we need is Kira and Kiki showing up to dinner just as Margot comes out of hiding...
Part 77, Chapter 1160
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Sixty
31st December 1955
Berlin
“Tell me you have better plans than to be here” Frau Nagler said as the television show ended, the legal drama today.
“Later tonight, Zella and Aurora are meeting me and we’re planning on throwing a small party with Anya, my younger brother Louis as well as my sisters Rea and Vicky” Kiki replied, “Like most years we will just wait until midnight and then go watch fireworks. Last year we were stuck in a castle in the middle of nowhere which wasn’t as much fun.”
“You told me about how you spent last year” Frau Nagler said with a smile, “It sounded like you and your friends made the most of it.”
“It’s just different here” Kiki said, “My parents are throwing their annual New Year’s Ball which has become a big part of the social calendar but I’m still too young to attend, according to them.”
“You just turned fourteen” Frau Nagler said, “A year and a half, two years at most, are all that separates you from starting to take on the responsibilities of an adult. From were I am, that is no time at all.”
“I guess” Kiki replied.
“And don’t be in such a hurry to grow up Kiki” Frau Nagler said, “You will have the rest of your life to be an adult and it is seldom as much fun.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
It was Tilo’s New Year’s resolution, but he would rather face an entire Division of the Imperial Japanese Army than be here.
The house was old but very warm and welcoming. There was a party going on inside, but it seemed to be at low ebb from the sounds of things, the tendency for things to drag as the midnight hour rolled around had set in. Jost had made it clear to Tilo that if he didn’t make the effort to be here tonight then he would personally kick Tilo ass for being such a moron. When he knocked on the door, it was answered by Anne who Tilo could see was looking a bit tipsy even before he saw the champagne glass in her hand. She was among friends here, so Tilo was certain that she was safe.
“Nancy’s boyfriend is here” Anne called over her shoulder, “Should I let him in or tell him to go pound sand?”
What followed was what sounded like a drunken deliberation inside the parlor. Then Asia, who was arguably the second scariest of Nancy’s friends, appeared.
“We’ll let you in on one condition” Asia said, she had a look in eyes that suggested that whatever it was, he probably wouldn’t like it. “The sisterhood, who consider Nancy one of our own have had it with you jerking her around.”
“It’s…” Tilo started to say that it wasn’t like that but realized that Asia would not hesitate to slam the door in his face if he did that. “What’s the catch?”
“At midnight, you have to give Nancy a kiss for New Year’s” Asia said.
“That’s enough Asia” Nancy said as she shooed her friend away from the door before coming outside and standing on the front porch with Tilo. “Sorry about them, they got into the case of champagne a bit early tonight. I might have a glass at midnight if there is any left, I’m the one who gets to keep everyone else out of trouble in the meantime.”
“It’s quite alright” Tilo said, “My father and brothers were already three sheets to the wind when I left Wunsdorf. I wasn’t too inclined to stick around for that.”
“Why are you here Tilo?” Nancy asked.
“Jost said that I’ve been acting stupidly over the last year” Tilo replied, “That if I didn’t make things right then he would give me the ass kicking that I richly deserved, and he does that professionally so…”
Tilo just shrugged as he trailed off.
“It has been a lot longer than just the last year, I’m glad that you are finally acknowledging it” Nancy replied. Then the sound of breaking glass was heard inside the house. “I need to get back in there before they do any more damage.”
“No kiss at midnight?” Tilo asked, half-jokingly.
“Call me tomorrow Dietrich” Nancy replied, “And we will see what happens from there.”
With that Nancy went back into the house to see what had just broken.
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
There were worse things than spending New Year’s in port. The USS Kendrick in for refit, among other things the sonar was getting upgraded. Having the hellspawn called the SMS Bremen, her two sisters who were rumored to be tooling around the Baltic out there had prompted new countermeasures and detection. Subs that could run circles around the US Navy was entirely unacceptable.
Spending the evening in the Officer’s Club with the wives had been present, but then things had gotten strange. Just after Midnight, as they had been singing Auld Lang Syne a voice had come from every loudspeaker on the Base wishing them all a happy New Year, particularly Captain Heinlein of the USS Enterprise, this followed by music, Hava Negila? It came from the intercom mostly, but when the Admiral in charge of Norfolk picked up the phone the music was coming from there too.
The Officers from Intelligence had recognized the voice as Creepy von Schmidt himself. In the hours that followed Intelligence confirmed that von Schmidt had been spotted outside the Hall where Brass of the German Fleet had been having a New Year’s party of their own in Kiel. The German Admiral had somehow reached across the Atlantic to twist their tail and no one knew quite how he had done it.
31st December 1955
Berlin
“Tell me you have better plans than to be here” Frau Nagler said as the television show ended, the legal drama today.
“Later tonight, Zella and Aurora are meeting me and we’re planning on throwing a small party with Anya, my younger brother Louis as well as my sisters Rea and Vicky” Kiki replied, “Like most years we will just wait until midnight and then go watch fireworks. Last year we were stuck in a castle in the middle of nowhere which wasn’t as much fun.”
“You told me about how you spent last year” Frau Nagler said with a smile, “It sounded like you and your friends made the most of it.”
“It’s just different here” Kiki said, “My parents are throwing their annual New Year’s Ball which has become a big part of the social calendar but I’m still too young to attend, according to them.”
“You just turned fourteen” Frau Nagler said, “A year and a half, two years at most, are all that separates you from starting to take on the responsibilities of an adult. From were I am, that is no time at all.”
“I guess” Kiki replied.
“And don’t be in such a hurry to grow up Kiki” Frau Nagler said, “You will have the rest of your life to be an adult and it is seldom as much fun.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
It was Tilo’s New Year’s resolution, but he would rather face an entire Division of the Imperial Japanese Army than be here.
The house was old but very warm and welcoming. There was a party going on inside, but it seemed to be at low ebb from the sounds of things, the tendency for things to drag as the midnight hour rolled around had set in. Jost had made it clear to Tilo that if he didn’t make the effort to be here tonight then he would personally kick Tilo ass for being such a moron. When he knocked on the door, it was answered by Anne who Tilo could see was looking a bit tipsy even before he saw the champagne glass in her hand. She was among friends here, so Tilo was certain that she was safe.
“Nancy’s boyfriend is here” Anne called over her shoulder, “Should I let him in or tell him to go pound sand?”
What followed was what sounded like a drunken deliberation inside the parlor. Then Asia, who was arguably the second scariest of Nancy’s friends, appeared.
“We’ll let you in on one condition” Asia said, she had a look in eyes that suggested that whatever it was, he probably wouldn’t like it. “The sisterhood, who consider Nancy one of our own have had it with you jerking her around.”
“It’s…” Tilo started to say that it wasn’t like that but realized that Asia would not hesitate to slam the door in his face if he did that. “What’s the catch?”
“At midnight, you have to give Nancy a kiss for New Year’s” Asia said.
“That’s enough Asia” Nancy said as she shooed her friend away from the door before coming outside and standing on the front porch with Tilo. “Sorry about them, they got into the case of champagne a bit early tonight. I might have a glass at midnight if there is any left, I’m the one who gets to keep everyone else out of trouble in the meantime.”
“It’s quite alright” Tilo said, “My father and brothers were already three sheets to the wind when I left Wunsdorf. I wasn’t too inclined to stick around for that.”
“Why are you here Tilo?” Nancy asked.
“Jost said that I’ve been acting stupidly over the last year” Tilo replied, “That if I didn’t make things right then he would give me the ass kicking that I richly deserved, and he does that professionally so…”
Tilo just shrugged as he trailed off.
“It has been a lot longer than just the last year, I’m glad that you are finally acknowledging it” Nancy replied. Then the sound of breaking glass was heard inside the house. “I need to get back in there before they do any more damage.”
“No kiss at midnight?” Tilo asked, half-jokingly.
“Call me tomorrow Dietrich” Nancy replied, “And we will see what happens from there.”
With that Nancy went back into the house to see what had just broken.
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
There were worse things than spending New Year’s in port. The USS Kendrick in for refit, among other things the sonar was getting upgraded. Having the hellspawn called the SMS Bremen, her two sisters who were rumored to be tooling around the Baltic out there had prompted new countermeasures and detection. Subs that could run circles around the US Navy was entirely unacceptable.
Spending the evening in the Officer’s Club with the wives had been present, but then things had gotten strange. Just after Midnight, as they had been singing Auld Lang Syne a voice had come from every loudspeaker on the Base wishing them all a happy New Year, particularly Captain Heinlein of the USS Enterprise, this followed by music, Hava Negila? It came from the intercom mostly, but when the Admiral in charge of Norfolk picked up the phone the music was coming from there too.
The Officers from Intelligence had recognized the voice as Creepy von Schmidt himself. In the hours that followed Intelligence confirmed that von Schmidt had been spotted outside the Hall where Brass of the German Fleet had been having a New Year’s party of their own in Kiel. The German Admiral had somehow reached across the Atlantic to twist their tail and no one knew quite how he had done it.
Last edited:
I'd be 99% sure it was a recording, but to achieve that they did would probably require either use of strong pyschotropic drugs and a phone call or a physical intrusion somewhere nearby by a German operative.
Either way, the Americans will never acknowledge it happened, and the Germans will never admit it. But it could be a mis-step from the Groß Admiral, one that finally sees him retire to "spend time with his family", and write memoirs no one will be allowed to read.
