Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II

Always glad but sad to get an update on the Grand Admiral, Was Esther has always been a favorite character of mine by the way she could outfox her husband.
This points out how much help the families of Alzheimer’s patients need to function and hopefully Esther has been able to take some time for herself.

For the situation with Manfred von Mischner, comprise is the word, but I don’t think that it is in the vocabulary of either Mischner or Richthofen DNA.
 

PNWKing

Banned
Is this a certain disorder discovered by one Alois Alzheimer in the 1910s?
The combination of Mischner and Richtofen DNA could be a dangerous one in the wrong hands...…...…….
Also I did not know that Jane Addams was a lesbian...…………….. I do know of a distant relative on that line though, the guy who created the Addams Family.
 
Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty-Seven



22nd June 1965

Kiel

The experience was unsettling. Albrecht could see that Admiral Jacob von Schmidt seemed to be a shriveled remnant of what he had once been, it was the vacant expression on his face though that was the worst aspect. It was clear that his mind was completely gone along with everything that had made the Admiral who he had been in life. The trouble was that even in this state, Jacob remained every bit of the security risk that he had been throughout his life because no one knew what secrets remained locked in his head and could spill out at any time. The joke that flew around the offices of the Ministry of the Navy while Albrecht had worked there suggested that if Jacob ever did spill the beans, a lot of the senior Brass would be dragged out in handcuffs. Not that they would need to worry about a trial because a few minutes later nuclear tipped missiles fired by one of the many countries that Jacob had manipulated or antagonized would arrive…

That meant that his attendants had to be carefully screened to weed out anyone with a possible connection to a foreign intelligence service. The other consideration was that Jacob’s language skills had gone with his mind. These days he only seemed to remember Hebrew or Yiddish during his more lucid moments and that made finding attendants even more daunting.

It was Esther who Albrecht really felt sorry for though. She had stuck with Jacob through decades of marriage, raised two daughters and pursued her own career ambitions as a Civil Servant. Now in retirement, she helped care for a husband who had regressed to early childhood and no longer even recognized her. Albrecht remembered the conversation he’d had with the Admiral after the initial diagnosis. It had been his concern about what would happen to Esther that had prevented him from putting a bullet through his head, sparing him from this fate.

When he entered the room, Jacob muttered something that Albrecht didn’t understand to Esther who just smiled.

“He said that he always loved the sea and asked why a Kapitän would call on us” Esther said.

It was odd. The Admiral seemed to have forgotten nearly everything else, but he had instantly recognized that Albrecht was wearing the uniform of a Kapitän zur See.

“I came to tell him about the Taxidiotis Project and how Wernher von Braun is trying to build rocket engines powerful enough to make his dreams reality but they keep blowing up during testing” Albrecht said, “The Admiral would have been delighted to hear that.”

With the Space Center in Vietnam open again because an alternate overland route had been established, Taxidiotis was moving full speed ahead. Albrecht, who had been on the short list to take Command of an Aircraft Carrier had instead been reassigned to oversee the final implementation of the program. That included lighting a fire under van Braun, whose division had been soaking up money and had little to show for it except having found one of the most expensive ways ever devised to turn metal, graphite and ceramic components into shrapnel. When Jacob had been the Head of the ESA, he had frequently butted heads with von Braun over budgets and results.

“The games that boys play” Esther said with a touch of condemnation, but also with wistfulness as well because it reminded her of happier times.



Mitte, Berlin

Three written exams and one oral. All with incredibly high stakes involved and to Manfred as well as most of his Professors, he had passed all of it. “You have a bright future ahead of you Herr von Mischner” The Headmaster said when he found Manfred in the hallway outside the lecture hall where several of the students had been killing time while they waited for the results. “Try not to mess it up.”

That was as close to praise as Manfred had gotten from the Headmaster of the gymnasium over the previous seven years. Mostly he had gotten stern disapproval over being a far less than diligent student and some to the things that he had gotten into with his friends from time to time.

As it had turned out, his parents were less than thrilled by the news when he got home. “We can’t exactly tell you what to do anymore, our hope is that you will listen to what we have to say” Was what his father had said, “Just please think before you make any decisions.” His mother was a bit more direct. She didn’t yell this time though, instead she handed him a stack of catalogs outlining various University programs with a note on top that read; If you do nothing else, try to get this one right.

As much as Manfred understood his parent’s concerns, he wished that they weren’t pushing him so hard in the direction that they wanted. He left the house and was walking randomly an any direction on the streets of his neighborhood. It was only by coincidence that he found himself walking on the street where Suse Rosa lived. Looking up, he saw her looking down at him from one of the upstairs windows. Feeling obligated, Manfred knocked on the door. When the Butler opened the door, Suse pushed around him and was happy to see him.

“I heard when Momma talked to Aunt Helene just now” Suse said excitedly. “We did it, didn’t we?”

“Yes” Manfred replied, he had no idea how to explain this to Suse.
He can still go to the university to study forestry fish and game management. Grandfather and his aunt would help him quite a bit I think, plus Suse might just be impressed.
 
Part 104, Chapter 1688
Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty-Eight



24th July 1965

Heuberg, Württemberg

It was Ina who made up his mind in the end.

Increasingly annoyed by his parents, Manfred caught a train across town to Pankow and dropped in on his Great Aunt Marcella where he knew he would always be welcome. Most of all the conversation would mostly be about something, anything, other than what he would be doing over the next few years. It had turned out to be exactly what he had needed.

Aunt Marcella had heard from Josefine Falk that Manfred had been dating Suse Rosa Knispel and she had a lot of questions regarding that.

“Was the relationship serious?”

“No, of course not” Manfred had replied.

“Why not?”

“Ask Suse” was met with; “She is not here, you are, so please answer the question.”

Manfred then had to explain to Aunt Marcella that Suse just liked going out and having fun on Friday nights and having him with her as a date insured that she got left alone.

“And she has been doing this with you for months?” Aunt Marcella asked after a moment to thought.

“Yes” Manfred had replied.

“I think that someone likes your company Manfred Johannes” Aunt Marcella said with a knowing smile.

“You sound just like Ina” Manfred had said, “She has these romantic though hardly realistic notions about what might happen if I stay in Berlin.”

“Don’t be too hard on your little sister” Aunt Marcella had replied, “She is going to come into her own when she gets older, she is a lot like her namesake aunt in that regard.”

“Ina and Aunt Kat have nothing in common” Manfred had replied.

“I wouldn’t be so certain of that” Aunt Marcella had said, “Ina is a lot like what I imagine Katherine would have turned out if she hadn’t had to cope with so much early on. If Otto had not become the sort of monster whose evil hurt everyone closest to him or perhaps if Suse Rosa hadn’t died things would have been very different. I’m not blameless because I couldn’t always protect her, God knows I tried.”

“Suse isn’t dead” Manfred had said completely aghast, which Aunt Marcella found incredibly amusing.

“I don’t pretend to understand much of what Gerta does” Aunt Marcella had said, “But it always seems to work out for her. She named her little girl after your maternal grandmother for some odd reason.”

That had crystalized things for Manfred. It was incredibly odd that he had never made that connection before, but it laid bare the truth about the role that he needed to play in the world. Not just for Ina but for the multitudes out there like her.

As it had turned out, no one had been impressed by his reasoning after he had made that choice. His parents had been disappointed in him and Suse had flown into a rage that he still couldn’t understand the reason for. Now weeks later, he was still getting yelled at by a rotating cast of characters over several exhausting days. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Manfred thought glumly to himself as he watched the sun rise over a castle that was on the top of a nearby mountain.



Jena

Waking up the first thing that Ben saw was Kiki asleep while laying on her side, a line of drool down her cheek and soaking into the pillow. She had always said that if people understood the details of her life there would simply be no way that they could ever think of her as glamourous. It was a small way that Kiki didn’t really understand how people thought. She wasn’t seen as being glamourous, rather people tended to see that she was human and having the same problems as anyone else.

It was then that Ben noticed that the covers had been pushed away from Kiki’s body revealing that because of it being warm the night before she had gone to bed without putting on any pajamas. It also was a reminder of what else had happened the night before when they had made love and the part of him that was still an adolescent was thrilled in seeing her naked.

That was when Rauchbier jumped up on the bed and Kiki opened her eyes, ruining the perfect moment. He almost said “bad dog” aloud and which would let Kiki know that he had been watching her sleep. That was sort of creepy regardless of context. Kiki swung her legs off the bed and was wiping her mouth while giving her dog a death stare.

“This little shit needs to go out” Kiki said as she grabbed her silk robe from where it was hanging. “Have you given any thought about what we discussed last night.”

“You mean about being your guest this summer while you are playing the Lady of the castle” Ben replied, “Won’t that cause a bit of a scandal out there in the Sixteenth Century.”

Kiki gave him a look. That had been how she had described the people who she had been dealing with in Hechingen. The construction of the Sony assembly plant had renewed interest in the area by technology companies. The European divisions of Hewlett-Packard and International Business Machines as well as Zuse KG were looking into locating faculties there. Kiki had found herself having to mediate between those who wanted the high paying jobs that the technology industry would bring and those who wanted everything to remain exactly how it had been for centuries. Kiki wasn’t seen as a neutral party in the process because she had been the one who had worked to bring industry into the Principality in the first place.

“I think I’ll just be happy to see a friendly face over the holiday” Kiki said.
 
That had crystalized things for Manfred. It was incredibly odd that he had never made that connection before, but it laid bare the truth about the role that he needed to play in the world. Not just for Ina but for the multitudes out there like her.

As it had turned out, no one had been impressed by his reasoning after he had made that choice. His parents had been disappointed in him and Suse had flown into a rage that he still couldn’t understand the reason for. Now weeks later, he was still getting yelled at by a rotating cast of characters over several exhausting days. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Manfred thought glumly to himself as he watched the sun rise over a castle that was on the top of a nearby mountain.

I think Manfred is going to be a cop. My reasoning?
Manfred wants to help protect people like his sister.
His parents really want him to be (mostly) anything that isn't a soldier, but are still disappointed with his choice.
Suse is pissed at him for his decision. Seeing as she was probably hoping to, in part at least, enjoy a military career through him, seeing as she got his grades up enough to enlist in the Panzer/Panzergrendiar Corp.

As for Kiki, her father may have to start planning the wedding for the end of summer. The problem, however, will always be convincing Kiki that she really wants this & that she is allowed to be happy.
 
Awww, they are just so cute, hopefully Kiki and Ben can move their relationship along. How long did it take Kat and Douglas?
 
I think Manfred is going to be a cop. My reasoning?
Manfred wants to help protect people like his sister.
His parents really want him to be (mostly) anything that isn't a soldier, but are still disappointed with his choice.
Suse is pissed at him for his decision. Seeing as she was probably hoping to, in part at least, enjoy a military career through him, seeing as she got his grades up enough to enlist in the Panzer/Panzergrendiar Corp.

As for Kiki, her father may have to start planning the wedding for the end of summer. The problem, however, will always be convincing Kiki that she really wants this & that she is allowed to be happy.
Maybe a compromise of military police or some civilian equivalent?
 
To answer your questions Manfred is in Hueberg, which happens to be the same training facility that his father went through three decades earlier. So he is in the Heer. He just hasn't considered how his father is going to get the last word in...

As for Ben and Kiki, that is entirely dependent on Kiki's ability to get over herself. That might take awhile.
 
To answer your questions Manfred is in Hueberg, which happens to be the same training facility that his father went through three decades earlier. So he is in the Heer. He just hasn't considered how his father is going to get the last word in...

As for Ben and Kiki, that is entirely dependent on Kiki's ability to get over herself. That might take awhile.
I’m willing to wait, both have them have really grown together both as a couple and people. Though at the same time I am very eager for their day together, but the build up shall be worth it as this looks like a reasonably healthy relationship.
 
Young Manfred is probably one of the first of the descendants of the The New Junker Class to join the military and with his Father being a very high ranking officer he is not going unnoticed by his training command, whether that is a good thing or not is the question.

As for Benki, I say let them take their time as they have all the time in the world...
 
To answer your questions Manfred is in Hueberg, which happens to be the same training facility that his father went through three decades earlier. So he is in the Heer. He just hasn't considered how his father is going to get the last word in...

As for Ben and Kiki, that is entirely dependent on Kiki's ability to get over herself. That might take awhile.
So, no civvy cop then... Ok, back to an earlier statement of mine:

Manfred. Is. Doomed.

He has disappointed his parents while simultaneously placing himself totally within his fathers power. It's not just father/son anymore, its General & soldat. Anyone remember what Hans did to his little brother for keeping him in the dark about BEING said brother? Manfred is going to wish he had life that easy.

And since Manfred HAS joined the Heer, I would say that a large part of Suse Rosa's fury could be because she may feel that Manfred has reneged on his side of the deal: help her improve her strength & fitness levels so that she could join herself. The rest/most of her rage could be because Manfred only told her that he had enlisted AFTER doing so, not before.

Girlfriends tend to take that sort of thing poorly, I've noticed...

Especially if the boyfriend in question hasn't quite realised that he is one...
 
How old is Suse now?

Oh, and if Manny thinks he's been shouted at so far, he's in for a WHOLE new level of "shouted at" he probably hasn't realised exists yet.


Recruit training NCOs have that talent...
 
She was born on the 29th of February 1948, so seventeen or four depending on how you look at it.
So if she finds the sporting equivalent of Nora Berg who trains her in Decathalon, (for example, as an "I'll show you" moment), which will involve an amount of weight training, she'll soon find repeatedly lifting 25kg to be no issue.

Of course, sporting success may direct her away from the Panzer corps, much to her parent's (very quiet), delight.
 
Shooting and archery are Olympic sports. Sure it isn't a tank gun but they both require aiming.
Perhaps time for a new Olympic sport or two? Tank Gunnery for the more sedate, and Mechanized Biathalon for the more energetic.
Sorry, mentioning tank guns and olympics in the same sentence put warped imaged into my head.

Still emjoyng the whole story--though I miss the ACTION from Verdun to Stalin's subway car, people in orbit and mad dashes to the border and back, culminating in gunning down assassins with their comrade's gun.
 
Latest Storyline post misses a threadmark. ;(
And seems Manfred went adn enlisted... next generation of von mischners in the service and to the displeasure of his parents... untill he starts getting them medals.
 
First off I think that while in training Young Manfred is going to show that he has real leadership skills that will bring him to the attention of the training cadre and he will be strongly encouraged to go on the officer career track by going to university and the War Academy.
Second some one has to sit Suse Rosa down to fully explain to her while going in the Panzer Corps is a highly unrealistic goal for her that there are plenty of opportunities for her to serve.
Suse Rosa is a highly intelligent, very competitive young woman which makes her perfect to become a pilot ethier in jet aircraft or helicopters and from there: Space.
It seems to me that there has not been any sort of effort by the German military ITTL at this point to recruit women specifically for such roles of for that matter in the military itself.
Of course women are allowed to join but it seems to me that there is no outreach to them.
 
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