Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Fourteen
9th February 1964
Mitte, Berlin
“This is the same way that the Royal Physician discovered that Vicky was in there with Rea” Kiki said, as she was listening to Suga’s belly with her stethoscope. “I don’t pretend to be a Doctor though.”
“The scans have said that there is only one” Suga said, “And I am finding that is plenty.”
Kiki listened for the heartbeat, with Suga being nearly seven months along it wasn’t too hard to find.
“She sounds good” Kiki said, “Just as I said, I am not a Doctor yet.”
“I am certain that you will be a wonderful Doctor in time” Suga said, and Kiki wished she shared her sister-in-law’s confidence in this matter, she remembered how she had reacted to Vicky last year.
Freddy and Suga had asked her to continue her role as a go-between when it came to Doctors and Midwives, all of whom had opinions regarding the best treatment. It seemed like the role that Kiki played when she was in Berlin on weekends was telling most of them “Thank you, but no thank you” before sending them packing.
An offhand comment that one of the Doctors had made had driven it home to Kiki the week before. This baby when it arrived would be second in line for the throne after Freddy as soon as it was born and because of changes in the laws, gender was no longer considered material in matters of inheritance. One other detail that Kiki knew, but like everyone else had been sworn to secrecy, the baby was a girl. The Order of Louise was about to know when they would have the Empress who would rule the German Empire outright, sometime in 90’s if Freddy retired on schedule. Kiki knew that they would be absolutely euphoric when word reached them. Suga had said that after weeks of debate with Freddy, they had decided that Mirai Louise would be her name. In Japanese that translated to Future, an idea that Suga seemed totally taken with. Kiki knew that the instant they informed the Registrar of that name the news it would ripple outward and how people interpreted it would speak volumes.
Wilhelm Station
As Louis settled in, he got to know his surroundings and the men he shared the laughably small hut that were his quarters with. There was Hugo Wieck who he was once again sharing a room with, though Louis would hardly call it a room. More of a cubby hole with two bunks and a curtain at one end. The others included Stabskapitänleutnant Till, who had once been the helmsman aboard the Flagship of the Atlantic Fleet until he had run the SMS Kiel aground, twice. Louis had heard that story before, just no one knew how on earth Till had been entrusted with that position a second time, and Till refused to talk about it. Knef was a mustang Hauptmann in the Marine Infantry whose life was disrupted by peace breaking out and he had gotten into one too many altercations with his superiors. Doctor Hofmann was scientist from the Wilhelm Institute and Berlin Technical University. He was there as part of the scientific mission. Oberlieutenant zur See Borchardt considered himself to be quite the ladies man. Louis had not been here five minutes when he had heard it whispered that Borchardt was here because he had given an Admiral’s wife crabs and she had passed them on to the Admiral.
The windowless hut was as self-contained as possible. The door to the outside was like an airlock in a science fiction novel. A feature necessitated by the weather once winter set in. The outer room was also connected to what had been dubbed “the trench.” It was a dug out covered walkway that connected most of the buildings. Louis had been warned that visibility could be no more than a few paces during a storm, walking outside was extremely dangerous, so for much of the year no one went outside unless they had to. Louis had looks at the trench and had wondered if explosives had been used to dig it because the wherever the ground wasn’t bare stone, it was permafrost.
Unable to sleep, Louis stared at the plywood ceiling that tilted downward towards his feet. He had been one of those tasked with spending the remainder of the local summer and the winter setting up the logistics for the extensive mapping and collection of geological samples in the Wohlthat Mountains next year. He was also babysitting dozens of scientists who had more brains than sense when it came from conducting their experiments.
If all of that wasn’t enough, Louis had to listen to the whispers every time he walked past from the others posted here. Until he had arrived, Louis had no idea that his father had broadcast a global Christmas message that had mentioned New Swabia and Wilhelm Station by name as well as announcing that Louis was coming. Months later he was there, and the others were still trying to figure out why he had volunteered for it. In many of their minds he was the ultimate rich kid who had taken on the toughest assignment because he thought he had something to prove. It had taken a bit of time, but Louis had realized that most of the enlisted men were worried that he would get them killed in the process.