Part 103, Chapter 1663
Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Sixty-Three
4th November 1964
Mitte, Berlin
When Louis Ferdinand had a number of things weighing on his mind when he called President-Elect Rockefeller in concert with Chancellor Adenauer to congratulate him from the office of his temporary Winter Residence. Katherine had agreed to lease him the unoccupied top floor of a residential building that she owned but that was a temporary measure. The location of the Hohenzollern Palace had always been considered problematic because of the blocks of apartment buildings on the adjacent streets and rail lines that passed through just meters away. It had also grown too expensive to maintain on top of the other properties that the House of Hohenzollern owned. The idea of leasing the building to the Government so that it could be converted into the museum had become appealing.
The question of exactly what to replace it with was an open question. Louis understood his role, and that by his own design it was largely ceremonial, the trouble was where did he conduct the ceremonies in question. He didn’t like the remaining in Potsdam year-round, it felt like it was too far outside the center of things. He remembered what it had been like during the war, when the Winter Residence had been damaged. He had needed to have an office in one of the many government buildings around. Another option that had been floated was the Charlottenburg Palace, but that building was badly in need of renovation and damage left over from the Second World War remained an issue. Finally, the idea of building something entirely new had been floated. That certainly was enticing. Just who exactly was going to pay for it? Not for the first time, Louis found himself wishing that he was the sort of tyrant that his detractors occasionally liked to depict him as. If for no other reason than to order the men who had squandered the vast sums of money in his family’s coffers to be shot.
Finally, there was the even more difficult problem that Louis found himself dealing with. He had received a phone call from Doctor Holz in Jena saying that Kristina was doing well in her studies, but he had cause for concern because she was showing signs of severe depression. Perhaps it was because of the head injury she had sustained, or it could have exasperated an existing problem. Apparently when she had agreed to seek help for other issues that she had, Holz had taken a look through her medical history and he said that he had discovered a lot of interesting things that had direct bearing on how they would proceed in the future. Doctor Holz said he looked forward to meeting with him and Kristina to discuss his conclusions.
It was a rather brash thing to have said and it was a reminder of just who Doctor Peter Holz was, the younger brother of a man who had also had little regard for societal niceties. He was also retired Medical Service and esteemed in his field, he little to fear from Louis or Kristine if he treated the same as any other patient and her father. Louis also understood that to ignore a man like Doctor Holz was foolhardy if what he had to say held value, especially if related to Kristina’s wellbeing.
Wilhelm Station
It hadn’t been an eternity. It had only seemed that way.
Louis Junior woke up one morning and everyone was excited because the supply mission was inbound. They had survived the polar winter. Not that it had been easy. All the ideas for entertainment had been exhausted. Board games, cards, jigsaw puzzles and anything else that they could think of to keep them occupied. The silences had grown longer and longer until Louis realized that everyone who he shared the hut with were actively avoiding each other during their off hours.
By the time spring rolled around, Louis had been sitting quietly on his bunk imagining the trees that grew in the in the wilder portions of his family’s estate in Potsdam. The vivid shades of green were something that he realized that he would miss until he came to this place. The only colors were the white of the ice and the brown rocks that made up the island that Wilhelm Station sat on.
The radio room sent progress updates to everyone hourly and finally, the SMS Sirius and SMS Albatros finally appeared on the horizon. When the ships made it to the ice pier that had been built up over the winter and started unloading, it was like every Christmas that Louis had ever enjoyed back home. Stacks of letters and packages from friends and family. Apparently, they had been piling up in Rio Gallegos. It was a bit amusing to see exactly what they thought would be practical in Antarctica. There were also fresh fruit and vegetables for the first time in months. All anyone could talk about was the sort of feast that they would enjoy once the bulk of the supplies were unloaded.
It was then that Louis was informed that a meeting was going to take place where the expedition’s goals were going to be laid out in the station’s auditorium, which was normally the enlisted men’s mess hall. After spending the winter only able to shuffle papers and make plans. Louis realized that he had a very busy season ahead of him. A very welcome change.
4th November 1964
Mitte, Berlin
When Louis Ferdinand had a number of things weighing on his mind when he called President-Elect Rockefeller in concert with Chancellor Adenauer to congratulate him from the office of his temporary Winter Residence. Katherine had agreed to lease him the unoccupied top floor of a residential building that she owned but that was a temporary measure. The location of the Hohenzollern Palace had always been considered problematic because of the blocks of apartment buildings on the adjacent streets and rail lines that passed through just meters away. It had also grown too expensive to maintain on top of the other properties that the House of Hohenzollern owned. The idea of leasing the building to the Government so that it could be converted into the museum had become appealing.
The question of exactly what to replace it with was an open question. Louis understood his role, and that by his own design it was largely ceremonial, the trouble was where did he conduct the ceremonies in question. He didn’t like the remaining in Potsdam year-round, it felt like it was too far outside the center of things. He remembered what it had been like during the war, when the Winter Residence had been damaged. He had needed to have an office in one of the many government buildings around. Another option that had been floated was the Charlottenburg Palace, but that building was badly in need of renovation and damage left over from the Second World War remained an issue. Finally, the idea of building something entirely new had been floated. That certainly was enticing. Just who exactly was going to pay for it? Not for the first time, Louis found himself wishing that he was the sort of tyrant that his detractors occasionally liked to depict him as. If for no other reason than to order the men who had squandered the vast sums of money in his family’s coffers to be shot.
Finally, there was the even more difficult problem that Louis found himself dealing with. He had received a phone call from Doctor Holz in Jena saying that Kristina was doing well in her studies, but he had cause for concern because she was showing signs of severe depression. Perhaps it was because of the head injury she had sustained, or it could have exasperated an existing problem. Apparently when she had agreed to seek help for other issues that she had, Holz had taken a look through her medical history and he said that he had discovered a lot of interesting things that had direct bearing on how they would proceed in the future. Doctor Holz said he looked forward to meeting with him and Kristina to discuss his conclusions.
It was a rather brash thing to have said and it was a reminder of just who Doctor Peter Holz was, the younger brother of a man who had also had little regard for societal niceties. He was also retired Medical Service and esteemed in his field, he little to fear from Louis or Kristine if he treated the same as any other patient and her father. Louis also understood that to ignore a man like Doctor Holz was foolhardy if what he had to say held value, especially if related to Kristina’s wellbeing.
Wilhelm Station
It hadn’t been an eternity. It had only seemed that way.
Louis Junior woke up one morning and everyone was excited because the supply mission was inbound. They had survived the polar winter. Not that it had been easy. All the ideas for entertainment had been exhausted. Board games, cards, jigsaw puzzles and anything else that they could think of to keep them occupied. The silences had grown longer and longer until Louis realized that everyone who he shared the hut with were actively avoiding each other during their off hours.
By the time spring rolled around, Louis had been sitting quietly on his bunk imagining the trees that grew in the in the wilder portions of his family’s estate in Potsdam. The vivid shades of green were something that he realized that he would miss until he came to this place. The only colors were the white of the ice and the brown rocks that made up the island that Wilhelm Station sat on.
The radio room sent progress updates to everyone hourly and finally, the SMS Sirius and SMS Albatros finally appeared on the horizon. When the ships made it to the ice pier that had been built up over the winter and started unloading, it was like every Christmas that Louis had ever enjoyed back home. Stacks of letters and packages from friends and family. Apparently, they had been piling up in Rio Gallegos. It was a bit amusing to see exactly what they thought would be practical in Antarctica. There were also fresh fruit and vegetables for the first time in months. All anyone could talk about was the sort of feast that they would enjoy once the bulk of the supplies were unloaded.
It was then that Louis was informed that a meeting was going to take place where the expedition’s goals were going to be laid out in the station’s auditorium, which was normally the enlisted men’s mess hall. After spending the winter only able to shuffle papers and make plans. Louis realized that he had a very busy season ahead of him. A very welcome change.
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