This early on, particularly without a Holocaust, that doesn't seem likely to fly.
Maybe in another generation, but not this early.
Besides, this is when the US is still a net exporter of oil. Insult the US too far, production could be cut.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Maybe in another generation, but not this early.
Besides, this is when the US is still a net exporter of oil. Insult the US too far, production could be cut.
There would be others more than happy and able to take up the market demand freed up. For example the Venezuelans, which are more free from US influence ITL. Or the Ottomans. Or the Persians. Or all those other people the europeans gave industrial aid to. There is a reason why this sort of thing is not a regular occurence in RL. It works short-term, and only once. Then the others you did it to adjust/compensate.
That sort of thing only works reliably on captive markets or subjects. Which the USA lacks ITL due to various reasons.
Part 84, Chapter 1297
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Seven
24th November 1958
Moscow, Russia
It was snowing when Anya got home. As always, these days Gia was a bit startled about the rapid changes to her appearance over the last couple years. Gia still wanted to think of Anya as the little girl she had met in Pskov, at fourteen that was obviously not what she was anymore. Still, Gia saw that the side of Anya that was wildly imaginative and wanted to see the best for everyone was still a part of her. Gia had worried that the world would stomp whatever optimism that Anya had left. That was a big part of the reason why she had decided that she needed to take her in. Things had been difficult over the last year though.
When Gia had agreed to return to Russia in return for securing Asia’s freedom, Anya had been forced to come along with her. While she might have been born in Moscow, Anya had been sent to Pskov while still an infant, so she had no memory of the city. For her a rural portion of Pskov Oblast had been home for the first decade of her life followed by Berlin. To say that Anya had been outraged by the turn of events that had uprooted her life again was an understatement. Gia had endured months of sulking, passive aggressive behavior and every little thing being a battle. Then Anya had discovered the place that the arts held in Moscow, particularly for an aspiring dancer like her and that had changed her tune somewhat. There were times when Gia felt like slapping her though. Today was one of those times. The driver and bodyguards who had picked her up from her dancing class had acquired an additional hanger on who was chatting with Anya as they entered the flat.
Gia had been enjoying a quiet afternoon watching the snow fall on the park that was across the street from her flat from the window of her study. She had spent the morning working with the people who ran the operations of the charity that her mother had founded. They meant well, but she found being around them to be mentally taxing. Watching snowflakes fall past a window for a couple hours had been the perfect antidote for that. Then Anya had to be joined by Feodor Volkov, the irritant who dropped into Gia’s life every few months. He worked directly for her cousin so avoiding him was impossible. Worse of all, Anya had warmed to him, possibly as way to get even with Gia for the move to Moscow. Today was not a day when she wanted to deal with him, but there he was entering her study with Anya.
“Your ward was just telling me about her day Sasha” Fyodor said with a smile
“Fedya told me that he wants to take you to the ball in the Imperial Court” Anya said, she was excited about the idea. It dovetailed neatly with many romantic notions that Anya had.
It was a matter of a rather large amount of controversy, the Moscow social season had been frowned on by the Soviet Government for reasons too obvious to state. In recent years there had been calls to have a series of events over the winter months, privately funded and billed as celebrations of Russian art and culture with all proceeds going to charity. Everyone knew that it was all a fig leaf for the opulent event that would open the season where people of means could show off. Of course, Fyodor would tell Anya of his intentions before talking to Gia. It was because he was a complete bastard and Anya was being a little shit.
“I was hoping that you would be interested. I am unfamiliar with this sort of thing, unlike you and I need a guide” Fyodor said, “Unless you already have a date.”
The truth was that Gia had not even been planning on attending her cousin’s ball. Fyodor on the other hand was such a phony, he probably couldn’t be straight with her even if it was contingent on her attendance.
“I will consider it on one condition” Gia said, “I want to hear you say one thing about yourself Fyodor that is not a boast or attempt to impress me.”
“Are you sure what you are even asking of me?” Fyodor asked.
“I think I am” Gia replied, “I am tired of listening and watching your bullshit.”
“So, you think it is all bullshit?” Fyodor asked in reply.
“I just want to know about what makes you who you are” Gia said, “There had to have been a moment that defines you.”
Fyodor stood there for a few seconds, Gia could see that he was debating just how much to tell her. Finally, he said, “Stalingrad was worse than most people can imagine, and it was where I broke with the Soviet Government. I had been conscripted along with my entire class, was thrown into the fight and I got sent there. We had been ordered to defend the city to the last man and when the counterattack had been chewed up outside the city, we had been expecting a renewed assault at any time. Only it never came. Instead, we sat there in the cold buildings, eventually no fuel or food.”
Gia had heard about what had happened in that city after it had been bypassed. It seemed that Stalin had been convinced that Louis Ferdinand and Field Marshal von Wolvogle were as obsessed with the city as a symbol as he was. The result was that he had refused to allow a retreat from Stalingrad, thousands had been trapped inside.
“It was the smell of cooking food from across the lines that ended it” Fyodor continued, “The Commissars said that anyone caught taking food from the enemy would be shot, it ended badly for them.”
There was a lot implied in that final sentence. There was a reason why Gia’s cousin trusted Fyodor, the break that he talked about was probably not the sort of thing that made it into the sanitized version of history.
24th November 1958
Moscow, Russia
It was snowing when Anya got home. As always, these days Gia was a bit startled about the rapid changes to her appearance over the last couple years. Gia still wanted to think of Anya as the little girl she had met in Pskov, at fourteen that was obviously not what she was anymore. Still, Gia saw that the side of Anya that was wildly imaginative and wanted to see the best for everyone was still a part of her. Gia had worried that the world would stomp whatever optimism that Anya had left. That was a big part of the reason why she had decided that she needed to take her in. Things had been difficult over the last year though.
When Gia had agreed to return to Russia in return for securing Asia’s freedom, Anya had been forced to come along with her. While she might have been born in Moscow, Anya had been sent to Pskov while still an infant, so she had no memory of the city. For her a rural portion of Pskov Oblast had been home for the first decade of her life followed by Berlin. To say that Anya had been outraged by the turn of events that had uprooted her life again was an understatement. Gia had endured months of sulking, passive aggressive behavior and every little thing being a battle. Then Anya had discovered the place that the arts held in Moscow, particularly for an aspiring dancer like her and that had changed her tune somewhat. There were times when Gia felt like slapping her though. Today was one of those times. The driver and bodyguards who had picked her up from her dancing class had acquired an additional hanger on who was chatting with Anya as they entered the flat.
Gia had been enjoying a quiet afternoon watching the snow fall on the park that was across the street from her flat from the window of her study. She had spent the morning working with the people who ran the operations of the charity that her mother had founded. They meant well, but she found being around them to be mentally taxing. Watching snowflakes fall past a window for a couple hours had been the perfect antidote for that. Then Anya had to be joined by Feodor Volkov, the irritant who dropped into Gia’s life every few months. He worked directly for her cousin so avoiding him was impossible. Worse of all, Anya had warmed to him, possibly as way to get even with Gia for the move to Moscow. Today was not a day when she wanted to deal with him, but there he was entering her study with Anya.
“Your ward was just telling me about her day Sasha” Fyodor said with a smile
“Fedya told me that he wants to take you to the ball in the Imperial Court” Anya said, she was excited about the idea. It dovetailed neatly with many romantic notions that Anya had.
It was a matter of a rather large amount of controversy, the Moscow social season had been frowned on by the Soviet Government for reasons too obvious to state. In recent years there had been calls to have a series of events over the winter months, privately funded and billed as celebrations of Russian art and culture with all proceeds going to charity. Everyone knew that it was all a fig leaf for the opulent event that would open the season where people of means could show off. Of course, Fyodor would tell Anya of his intentions before talking to Gia. It was because he was a complete bastard and Anya was being a little shit.
“I was hoping that you would be interested. I am unfamiliar with this sort of thing, unlike you and I need a guide” Fyodor said, “Unless you already have a date.”
The truth was that Gia had not even been planning on attending her cousin’s ball. Fyodor on the other hand was such a phony, he probably couldn’t be straight with her even if it was contingent on her attendance.
“I will consider it on one condition” Gia said, “I want to hear you say one thing about yourself Fyodor that is not a boast or attempt to impress me.”
“Are you sure what you are even asking of me?” Fyodor asked.
“I think I am” Gia replied, “I am tired of listening and watching your bullshit.”
“So, you think it is all bullshit?” Fyodor asked in reply.
“I just want to know about what makes you who you are” Gia said, “There had to have been a moment that defines you.”
Fyodor stood there for a few seconds, Gia could see that he was debating just how much to tell her. Finally, he said, “Stalingrad was worse than most people can imagine, and it was where I broke with the Soviet Government. I had been conscripted along with my entire class, was thrown into the fight and I got sent there. We had been ordered to defend the city to the last man and when the counterattack had been chewed up outside the city, we had been expecting a renewed assault at any time. Only it never came. Instead, we sat there in the cold buildings, eventually no fuel or food.”
Gia had heard about what had happened in that city after it had been bypassed. It seemed that Stalin had been convinced that Louis Ferdinand and Field Marshal von Wolvogle were as obsessed with the city as a symbol as he was. The result was that he had refused to allow a retreat from Stalingrad, thousands had been trapped inside.
“It was the smell of cooking food from across the lines that ended it” Fyodor continued, “The Commissars said that anyone caught taking food from the enemy would be shot, it ended badly for them.”
There was a lot implied in that final sentence. There was a reason why Gia’s cousin trusted Fyodor, the break that he talked about was probably not the sort of thing that made it into the sanitized version of history.
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Wow, Fyodor FINALLY got a clue.And so it begins.
Anyone want to start placing bets on how long the wedding bells will take?
Quiet ceremony in a small church, with the funds that would have been spent on the wedding given to charity though, it's what St. Jehane would do right?
Be kind. He's hardly the first man to forget his own name when talking to a pretty girl.
Gia main concern could have been that the fact that he was loyal to the Soviet Union and now is working for the Czar, she doesn't know how the two of those contradictory things can be reconciled.
Gia right now can not trust Fydor to turn his loyalties elsewhere when it would to be to his advantage, this story goes quite away in explaining his outlook and past.
Gia right now can not trust Fydor to turn his loyalties elsewhere when it would to be to his advantage, this story goes quite away in explaining his outlook and past.
I don't know that he was loyal. He says his class was conscripted. Given the Soviet way of doing things, that means being handed a gun, and being offered the choice between a German bullet or a Russian one.
That is a good point but the question is can Gia see past that point?
Gia perception of things has been shaped by what had happened to her when she was thirteen when her parents and aunt were killed by the agents of Stalin, and to her way of thinking the fact that Fyodor went passively along with it and did not resist shows a lack of character on his part.
Gia basically measures everyone by the example that Kat has set and there is no one God's Green Earth that can meet that standard, Fyodor has show some way of proving to Gia that he can be counted on when it is not to his advantage.
I’m sure that Gia will eventually see that Fydor is the sum of his past and one traumatic event which crystalized his actions then and informs his actions since. A lot like Kat in that respect and he performs the same role for his sovereign. In addition he also wants nothing from Georgy so is treated as a friend (another similarity with Kat). I have to say I like him. His cynicism in particular.
FBKampfer
Banned
Its the kind of thing that two long-married people have trouble sharing.
Its absolutely ludicrously to expect that to be part of the "getting to know you" phase.
Part 84, Chapter 1298
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Eight
1st December 1958
Tegel Airport, Berlin
She had been meaning to clean out her car for some time, because Kat had been mostly been working out of it these days it was a complete mess. Still, it was worth putting up with it to see Cosimo de’ Medici’s reaction when she picked him up at the airport. The Italian Agent was used to traveling First Class and presently Kat’s Volkswagen Föhn was more of a garbage scow.
“This is not what I was expecting Countessa” Cosimo said as Kat took a few minutes to remove several paper cups and accordion files to the back seat. He looked with some dismay as she put those things in with his suitcase.
“That’s life” Kat replied, “You are supposed to be traveling incognito, remember.”
It was clear that Cosimo didn’t want to touch anything. While he might share the same name as the Fifteenth-Century Lord of Florence who he claimed was his ancestor, Cosimo was hardly a wealthy man. He played a role for King Umberto of Italy that was much like the one that Kat played for Louis Ferdinand. That didn’t mean that he didn’t have expensive tastes.
“There is incognito and then there is…” Cosimo said as he sat down in the passenger seat with his briefcase on his lap. A slight look of horror on his face at the prospect of having his loafers among the papers and who knew what else that covered the floor of that side of the car. “I’m not sure what this is.”
The way Cosimo was acting, Kat would have thought that he was wearing one of the white suits that he had worn almost ever other time that she had seen him.
With that Kat closed door on her side and turned the key in the ignition. Rock & Roll music from the University radio station that Kat listened to began coming from the speakers. It wasn’t loud so she was able to hear Cosimo mutter something about Philistines. She didn’t laugh, instead she put her car into gear and pulled into the Berlin traffic. While the Föhn wasn’t the fastest car on the road, it was compact, maneuverable and could quickly accelerate. The engine of Kat’s car had been rebuilt by the Porsche Division of Volkswagen, so it was substantially faster than most. It made it perfect for city driving. That didn’t mean that Berlin traffic, or Kat’s style of driving, were for the faint of heart. To his credit, Cosimo didn’t seem rattled by that.
“Is Umberto looking forward to his visit?” Kat asked as she cut between two lorries, before stopping at an intersection. Cosimo was here as a part of the advance team for the Italian King. The Emperor and Empress were planning on hosting the Italian Royal Family in a couple weeks. It was a purely social visit. However, it was also cover for a major diplomatic push that was ongoing. The idea of a customs union had potential, if it was workable. It would be based on existing treaties between Germany and its neighbors anyway, so there was no reason to think it wouldn’t be. The complication was that Louis’ marriage had complicated relations with the Italians. They didn’t care for the prospect of closer relations between Germany and Austria.
“His Majesty always enjoys travel” Cosimo replied. It was an obviously noncommittal answer.
“That’s good” Kat replied, ignoring the nature of what he had just said.
Kat drove on for several minutes listening to the music and paying attention to the road around her until Cosimo broke the silence.
“I heard about what you’ve been doing” Cosimo said, “And it surprises me that you would involve yourself in such a way.”
“What is so surprising?” Kat asked in reply, “It’s necessary and long overdue. You think a woman shouldn’t involve herself in such matters?”
“Hardly” Cosimo replied, “The men you’ve been investigating are fools. The art of making love involves willing participants. There needs to be romance, love and joy. Without those things we might as well be beasts. Someone would need to do something, just not someone with your history.”
“If you read some of the files next to your suitcase, you’ll find plenty of beasts” Kat said as they pulled up to the hotel. Her history coming up again, Cosimo was not the first one to bring that up with her. If they had heard about it as far away as Italy… Still, she did like the attitude that Cosimo had just expressed. Pulling the parking brake on her car, she helped Cosimo get his suitcase out of the backseat.
“We have you booked into the usual suite” Kat said.
“I assume that it comes with being able to hear your BND breathing on the other end of the phoneline?” Cosimo asked.
“Actually, that would be BII Counter Intelligence, a completely different agency” Kat replied, “The BND are the ones that installed the camera in the shower.”
“I hate it when that happens” Cosimo said, “They always want to call Guinness.”
“Well, you shouldn’t stress over the little things” Kat replied with a smirk as they entered the hotel lobby.
“The things I was referring to are not so little.”
Kat just shrugged. “Tomorrow, we’ll need to go over the itinerary” She said, “I’m certain that there will be a few things that Umberto and his wife will want to do in Berlin.”
“You would be correct about that” Cosimo replied, as they made their back to the elevators.
1st December 1958
Tegel Airport, Berlin
She had been meaning to clean out her car for some time, because Kat had been mostly been working out of it these days it was a complete mess. Still, it was worth putting up with it to see Cosimo de’ Medici’s reaction when she picked him up at the airport. The Italian Agent was used to traveling First Class and presently Kat’s Volkswagen Föhn was more of a garbage scow.
“This is not what I was expecting Countessa” Cosimo said as Kat took a few minutes to remove several paper cups and accordion files to the back seat. He looked with some dismay as she put those things in with his suitcase.
“That’s life” Kat replied, “You are supposed to be traveling incognito, remember.”
It was clear that Cosimo didn’t want to touch anything. While he might share the same name as the Fifteenth-Century Lord of Florence who he claimed was his ancestor, Cosimo was hardly a wealthy man. He played a role for King Umberto of Italy that was much like the one that Kat played for Louis Ferdinand. That didn’t mean that he didn’t have expensive tastes.
“There is incognito and then there is…” Cosimo said as he sat down in the passenger seat with his briefcase on his lap. A slight look of horror on his face at the prospect of having his loafers among the papers and who knew what else that covered the floor of that side of the car. “I’m not sure what this is.”
The way Cosimo was acting, Kat would have thought that he was wearing one of the white suits that he had worn almost ever other time that she had seen him.
With that Kat closed door on her side and turned the key in the ignition. Rock & Roll music from the University radio station that Kat listened to began coming from the speakers. It wasn’t loud so she was able to hear Cosimo mutter something about Philistines. She didn’t laugh, instead she put her car into gear and pulled into the Berlin traffic. While the Föhn wasn’t the fastest car on the road, it was compact, maneuverable and could quickly accelerate. The engine of Kat’s car had been rebuilt by the Porsche Division of Volkswagen, so it was substantially faster than most. It made it perfect for city driving. That didn’t mean that Berlin traffic, or Kat’s style of driving, were for the faint of heart. To his credit, Cosimo didn’t seem rattled by that.
“Is Umberto looking forward to his visit?” Kat asked as she cut between two lorries, before stopping at an intersection. Cosimo was here as a part of the advance team for the Italian King. The Emperor and Empress were planning on hosting the Italian Royal Family in a couple weeks. It was a purely social visit. However, it was also cover for a major diplomatic push that was ongoing. The idea of a customs union had potential, if it was workable. It would be based on existing treaties between Germany and its neighbors anyway, so there was no reason to think it wouldn’t be. The complication was that Louis’ marriage had complicated relations with the Italians. They didn’t care for the prospect of closer relations between Germany and Austria.
“His Majesty always enjoys travel” Cosimo replied. It was an obviously noncommittal answer.
“That’s good” Kat replied, ignoring the nature of what he had just said.
Kat drove on for several minutes listening to the music and paying attention to the road around her until Cosimo broke the silence.
“I heard about what you’ve been doing” Cosimo said, “And it surprises me that you would involve yourself in such a way.”
“What is so surprising?” Kat asked in reply, “It’s necessary and long overdue. You think a woman shouldn’t involve herself in such matters?”
“Hardly” Cosimo replied, “The men you’ve been investigating are fools. The art of making love involves willing participants. There needs to be romance, love and joy. Without those things we might as well be beasts. Someone would need to do something, just not someone with your history.”
“If you read some of the files next to your suitcase, you’ll find plenty of beasts” Kat said as they pulled up to the hotel. Her history coming up again, Cosimo was not the first one to bring that up with her. If they had heard about it as far away as Italy… Still, she did like the attitude that Cosimo had just expressed. Pulling the parking brake on her car, she helped Cosimo get his suitcase out of the backseat.
“We have you booked into the usual suite” Kat said.
“I assume that it comes with being able to hear your BND breathing on the other end of the phoneline?” Cosimo asked.
“Actually, that would be BII Counter Intelligence, a completely different agency” Kat replied, “The BND are the ones that installed the camera in the shower.”
“I hate it when that happens” Cosimo said, “They always want to call Guinness.”
“Well, you shouldn’t stress over the little things” Kat replied with a smirk as they entered the hotel lobby.
“The things I was referring to are not so little.”
Kat just shrugged. “Tomorrow, we’ll need to go over the itinerary” She said, “I’m certain that there will be a few things that Umberto and his wife will want to do in Berlin.”
“You would be correct about that” Cosimo replied, as they made their back to the elevators.
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Kat, dear, he's Italian. Hell, he's probably used to Roman traffic. What you would call Berlin traffic on its worst day is but a polite orderly drive to Roman traffic on its best day.
I understand it's little more than a demolition derby in Rome, only they don't intentionally hit each other. Usually.
Mostly don't intentionally hit each other.
I can't speak to India being worse, but it is the only one I have heard is worse.
That and sometimes a heavy competition for the most... Colourful Insult of the day, both in verbal and gestures......
Md139115
Banned
Having been to Rome, I can appreciate the dual utility of being Catholicism’s center and being the crazy driver center of the world.
When one gets hit by a car, the odds are very good that a priest will be close enough nearby to administer Last Rites in time. A most convenient arrangement.
When one gets hit by a car, the odds are very good that a priest will be close enough nearby to administer Last Rites in time. A most convenient arrangement.