Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-Six
20th January 1961
Greenwich Village, New York City, New York
It was well after dark and snowing heavily as Bud walked up 5th Avenue on his way back to his apartment from New York University, his breath smoking and his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. He reminded himself that when the hot, humid summer months rolled around in New York this wouldn’t seem nearly as bad in retrospect.
Bud had cut through Washington Park thinking that it would be a shortcut, instead the deepening snow had proven to be a hindrance. At this point all he wanted was to get home and his hope that his building’s superintendent had finally gotten around to getting the boiler fixed. He had spent the night before shivering under every blanket he had until he had fallen asleep sometime after midnight. It had made for a long day in the classes he attended.
Walking past a storefront, Bud saw through the expanded steel grates that covered the windows that several televisions were tuned into the Six O’clock News that was covering events from earlier that day. President Harriman delivering his Inaugural Address under grey skies, cold and near blizzard conditions. A large crowd of people present to witness history though none of them seemed to be in a celebratory mood. Bud would be hard pressed to think of a more apt demonstration for the mood of the country today then the weather at that event. Even in New York, there was a sullen resentful mood that seemed to be in the air. A week earlier, he had gone with friends to an open microphone night at one of the Village’s many night clubs. A folk musician who had been shockingly good for such a venue, Bobby something or the other, a name that Bud wished he could remember. He had been singing what how sounded like a sailor’s song at first while accompanying himself on guitar. A rising storm endangering the ship and the Captain being unable or unwilling to lead them out of the situation as it grew more precarious. It didn’t take much imagination to see the song as a metaphor and it was obvious what that song was really about.
Bud was so wrapped up in his thoughts as he continued up the block that he didn’t hear the bell as the door to the bodega swung open and someone walked into him. His feet slipped on the icy sidewalk causing both of them to go down in a tangle of limbs and Bud landed flat on his back blasting the air out of his lungs. He could hear the sound of paper bags ripping and was aware of cans rolling down the sidewalk. Bud was trying to get the air back into his lungs but was finding that difficult, he’d also lost his glasses in the fall.
The bell on the door chimed again and Bud saw what he presumed was the shopkeeper sticking his head out. “You alright Maria?” Bud heard a voice with a heavy accent ask.
“I’m fine Carlos, go back inside” The woman who had walked into Bud said.
“I should get you a new bag” Carlos said, and the door chimed again.
“I’m terribly sorry” The woman, Maria, said to Bud as he tried to find his glasses.
“Don’t worry about it” Bud said. For once not being about to see clearly was an advantage. He didn’t have to see the reaction that people had whenever he opened his mouth in New York lately.
Finding his glasses next to a stalk of celery that must have fallen from Maria’s bag. Bud put them on and saw Maria under the streetlight as she gathered the cans and other items that were scattered on the sidewalk. To his astonishment, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
21st January 1961
Jüterbog Airfield
The last thing that Sigi wanted to do was come in on a Saturday morning, but his highness, the Emperor, had decided that he wanted to take his antique FW44 Goldfinch biplane off for the proverbial fifty Reichsmark meal that amateur pilots enjoyed somewhere outside of Berlin. When Sigi had been briefed before departing from Rangsdorf she had learned that it was actually cover for shuttle diplomacy in support of a proposed Customs Union involving Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. It was being called the Grand Project.
Whatever it was, five helicopters were dispatched from Rangsdorf, three dragonflies and two hornets, to provide close escort to the Emperor’s airplane. The dragonflies carried most of the Emperor’s security detail and Sigi was piloting one of the two hornets. If something went wrong the security detail was to get the Emperor to safety and Sigi’s job was to provide them with top cover.
Sigi saw the radial engine of the old biplane trainer through the open doors of the hanger with a team of mechanics were working on it. Upon entering the hanger and walking around the airplane she saw three people were standing around a table that had a map laid out on it. They were discussing the route that the Emperor would fly. Sigi recognized Gräfin Katherine who had been her mentor back when she had been trying to get through the War Academy and the Emperor who she had met once before when she had been decorated following the orbital mission. The third person was a man in a Hauptmann’s uniform from the First Foot who she had never seen before.
“Lieutenant” The Hauptmann said in greeting as he walked past Sigi towards the waiting dragonflies.
“Sir” Sigi in reply to the Hauptmann even as the Emperor and the Gräfin followed after the biplane that was being pushed by the mechanics out of the hanger. Sigi hurried to catch up with them, even as she did the words from that girl days earlier were at the back of her mind. Don’t do anything stupid, Sigi reminded herself.
“I’m going to be flying the lead helicopter of your escort today, Sir” Sigi said.
Louis looked at her and suddenly she was reminded of that day a couple years earlier. How familiar he had seemed when he had talked to her, but she had been too nervous to notice.
“You’ve met Sigi before” Kat said. The Emperor nodded.
“Your daughter Kristina sought me out last week” Sigi said, unsure of exactly what else to say.
“What did Kiki want?” Louis asked.
“She found a letter in the War Museum” Sigi replied, “One my mother sent to my father shortly before I was born, it wasn’t pleasant reading. She felt I deserved to know about it.”
“That sounds like the sort of thing she would do” Louis said, “Kiki has a big heart but is not very sensible at times, I just hope that doesn’t get her hurt.”
“Is it true, that you’re my brother?” Sigi asked.
Louis just shrugged, “It’s nice to have another pilot in the family” He replied, “We’ll discuss this later.”
With that he climbed into the cockpit of the biplane. Kat walked past Sigi, she had a neutral look on her face but Sigi had known the Gräfin long enough to know when Kat was trying not to laugh.
Was Sigi the last person on Earth to have figured this out?