Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Six


3rd June 1963

Dublin, Ireland

There were moments when Jack was reminded of the exact nature of the city where he lived. When news that the Pope had died reached Dublin, he witnessed the expression of collective grief that seemed far more about being seen mourning than any genuine feeling. It might have been that Jack had grown jaded regarding the Catholic Church as his work had brought him face to face with the seamy aspects of it. That was something that he hardly could have seen and maintain the sort of naïve belief in it as an institution that the Church promoted, instead he was trying to look at it with an adult perspective. That was something that he was finding difficult. It wasn’t made easy by the Clergy’s attitude that the exposure of their own sins was something that was being done to them.

Currently Jack was preparing to travel to Hong Kong at the direction of his dear friends in British Military Intelligence who were blackmailing him. They wanted Jack to act as a go between among the various factions to feel out who could best used to advance the interests of the British Empire. He had told Bridget that he was going there on business and she had accepted it in good natured way that she always did. There were times when he wished that his wife would push back on matters like these. Instead, it seemed like she was content to spend her life in the house that Jack provided with their children and she had no real fire in her. That was until she mentioned what she would do to him if she thought that he was stepping out. Everyone would assume that it would be the traditional “Irish divorce” where half the couple just walked away, when in reality it would be a different tradition involved, the midnight burial.

The other thing that was going on was the impending royal wedding in Berlin. Jack knew that there had been an offer made to the Kaiser decades earlier asking if one of his sons would consider being the King of Ireland. Even to this day there were warm feelings among various factions of Irish society towards the House of Hohenzollern for that reason and that was reflected in the planned television coverage. Jack knew what the real score was, a land as fractious as Ireland was hardly functioned as a republic. The idea that any one man could have united it under one banner was insane. Someone would have shot or blown up a King if anyone was crazy enough to want to take the job.

Perhaps a trip to China wasn’t so bad if it got him away from all of that for a couple of months.


Kreuzberg, Berlin

Ji was counting the Twenty Mark banknotes back to a customer who he was certain was just come in to break a Hundred Mark banknote. Suk had said that he didn’t care. The people who made up their customer base largely didn’t trust banks and preferred to be paid in cash, so the store acted somewhat like a bank because it was understood that the Han family wouldn’t cheat them or look down on them for that reason. Still, Ji felt that it was barrowing trouble by having that much cash on hand.

“That’s why we have you around soldier boy” Suk had said when Ji had asked about that.

Exactly what was Ji supposed to do if the store got robbed? Hit them over the head with a broom? It seemed that it hardly mattered, everyone in the neighborhood knew that Ji had been involved in the bayonet charge at Sonchon and that afforded him with a surprising amount of respect even if he had just been one of the Byeong. The customer took his money and left. It was with considerable relief that Ji put the Hundred-Mark note in an envelope and dropped it through the slot cut in the top of the steel safe under the counter.

Looking over, Ji was reminded that it was Monday afternoon because Marie was here going over the grammar schoolbook with Soo-Jin. He had recently learned that Marie was the daughter of a woman who was both infamous and powerful, Gräfin von Mischner. Dubbed by many to be the Countess of Berlin though no such thing officially existed, she was a confidante of the German Emperor and was rumored to be one of the people who solved problems by making the people who caused them to disappear. Suk and Soo-Jin saw a polite girl who wanted to learn from them while Ji couldn’t help but see the potential trouble that the girl represented.

The bell on the front door rang and it seemed as if everything that Ji feared was about to come to pass as two men in blue uniform coats entered the store. Ji knew it was what German soldiers wore when they were assigned to garrison duties and they were not people who he wanted to tangle with. With them was a woman around Ji’s age in a plain dress with dark hair, the glasses she wore reflected the overhead lights of the store. Ji had the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before.

“Kiki!” Marie yelled while running out from behind the counter and hugged the woman. What sort of name was Kiki? And why were these men with her?

“I heard that you were here” Kiki said, “There is no way that I wouldn’t look in on a little sister.”

“I’m not your sister” Marie said earnestly.

“I spent enough time minding you, Bas and Niko” Kiki replied, “I think that gives me the right to say that you are.”

As he watched Kiki buy some sweets for Marie, it occurred to him where he knew her from.

“You were at Buseong?” Ji asked as he rang in the purchase, “I had volunteered to be a stretcher bearer and you were there in the helicopters.”

Kiki’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t met too many who remember me from there” She said, “Koreans anyway.”

With that she left the store with Marie holding her hand and talking at her.

“Do you have any idea who that was?” Soo-Jin asked.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Seven


11th June 1963

Mitte, Berlin

If it was not one thing, it was another.

Nancy had recently learned that the sixth film of the series that she had inadvertently started would be the last. The whole fun in the sun ethos that it had depicted was a real thing. A week spent in Italy, Greece or the South of France was a very achievable for anyone with even the slightest means and a bit of spare time. It had been to Nancy’s surprise that the films had a wide appeal to an audience that was composed of those who had come of age during the Second World War and in the following decade. That audience was moving on though as the pressures of career and family took hold. A film depicting parties on the beach and madcap adventures in Athens or Rome might as well include dragons as well because they had become almost as much of a fantasy.

Now that Nancy had resumed her role as the Press Liaison for the German Imperial Court. She had found herself working as one of the conductors in what had amounted to one of the largest circuses ever attempted. Two wedding ceremonies, a good portion of the Imperial Court of Japan, thousands of troops to be part of the event and work security, not to mention delegations from nearly every country on Earth.

As the date for the wedding drew closer, Nancy was discovering that she was getting more attention from the International Press than she would have liked. When the various Newspapers and Press Agencies had been asking just how she had ended up playing the role that she was, she deferred the question. Nancy remembered that Gia had been basically forced to quit her ambitions to become a journalist because she had become the story that no one could get past. It was easy to see just how that could happen here if instead of focusing on the marriage the focus became how a girl from a town in Washington State that few people had ever heard of, had become the public face of the German Royal family then Nancy clearly wasn’t doing her job correctly.

It was that job that played into the third issue that Nancy was having. Because she had needed to split her time between Berlin and Flensburg things had gotten complicated with her children. Sabastian was old enough to stay with Tilo, but Anna and Gretchen were being treated like luggage as Nancy had made the journey to Berlin and back. It was Tilo’s sister Inga who had made the whole situation tolerable. Because Inga didn’t have a family of her own, she positively adored her nieces and nephews. That was why she was perfectly willing to watch Nancy’s daughters while Nancy was in town.


Potsdam

She had been put in charge of coordinating medical services within the wedding party. Kiki knew that it was equivalent of getting a pat on the head, but she intended to make the most of it. That included being able to select her own people, so she had sent for the members of her old FSR team.

This afternoon when they had arrived at the Sanssouci Palace and had looked around in astonishment at the scale of preparations that were happening in the Palace and on the expansive grounds. Kiki’s reunion with Rauchbier had gone as well as could be expected. He had greeted her in the effusive manner of all dogs, and he had grown considerably larger since Kiki had seen him last. Fortunately, the one thing that Kiki may have worried about, Rauchbier’s tendency to urinate whenever he got overexcited was one that he had outgrown.

“I can’t believe that you grew up in a place like this” Mitzi said in greeting.

“When I was a child, things were a bit different” Kiki said in reply, “The bigger rooms were sealed most of the time to save the expense of heating them and there were milk cows grazing on the estate.”

Kiki remembered what it had been like during her childhood during the war and for a considerable time afterwards. All the things that she now understood were the direct result of wartime austerity. Beyond the cows and sealed off rooms there was the ration book that had been kept for her, it was archived with her father’s personal papers, but he had shown it to Kiki the previous week. They had listed her as a minor child, female and a comprehensive list of food and other items were listed for her upkeep. Liters of milk, grams of bread, sugar, oatmeal, tins of fruit and condensed soup. There were also clothes and toys listed. While Kiki remembered those items, she didn’t remember that there had been a substantial amount of news coverage surrounding the fact that the State had Kiki, along with the rest of her siblings, on the lists of wartime recipients. Kiki’s mother had made a point of keeping clippings of the newspaper articles along with the ration books.

It was then that Kiki noticed Anton elbow Valentin in the ribs and whisper something that Anton found uproarious.

“Mind telling me what you think is so funny?” Kiki asked.

Valentin gave Anton a dirty look.

“He pointed out that this is the first time that we’ve seen you in a dress” Valentin said.

Kiki considered what she was wearing. Basically, it was what she was expected to while in the Summer Residence. Not as Oberlieutenant von Preussen but as Princess Kristina.

“That reminds me, all of you are going to be in the presence of not one, but two Emperors in the coming days” Kiki said, “Along with a number of Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers and whatnot. So, we are going to have to get some tailors to see to you.”

“What are you saying?” Ingo asked in reply.

“The full monkey suit for everyone save Rauchbier” Kiki said before she turned and started walking towards the room that served as the Palace Infirmary with Rauchbier following at her heels. She could hear the sounds of dismay behind her and she smiled.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Eight


13th June 1963

Potsdam

When Ben received the call from Kiki asking if he would be her escort to her brother’s wedding, he had not quite grasped what he had been getting into. It was the first time that he had ever entered the suite of rooms that Kiki had lived in during the summer since she was a thirteen and what he found was a hive of activity. Kiki had always described it as being a colossal mess and it was. Just there was a purpose behind it all this time. The outer room was being used as a staging area for her brother’s upcoming wedding.

“You’re the Ben we’ve been hearing about since forever?” The man who had let Ben into the room asked.

“I guess” Ben replied.

The man was one of the hard-bitten types who were said to be found throughout the KSK. Just the way he walked suggested that he was a Jäger if he wasn’t wearing the light grey and black dress uniform of a paratrooper Oberfeldwebel and he had a considerable number of medals. The look on his face suggested that he was less than impressed by Ben’s appearance.

“Play nice Ingo” Kiki said from deeper in the room.

“Yes Ma’am” Ingo said, the way he had responded suggested that Kiki commanded his authority because she had earned his respect. It was a reminder that Kiki was a part of the world of the KSK, which Ben would never be.

“I still cannot believe that you are dating this wing-wiper” Another man said. Ben had no idea which of the men who Kiki worked with he was, but something about the way he said it suggested that he was a real smart ass.

“I think I see what Kristina sees in him” Voll said from the corner where he was supervising the people who were fussing over the dress that Kiki was wearing. Ben didn’t want to think about what Voll meant by that. As much as Ben liked to think of himself as enlightened, he still had difficulty wrapping his head around that because he had heard Klaus Voll’s preferences were. Especially if he was telling Ben what he thought about his appearance.

Then he caught a good look at the burgundy gown that Kiki was wearing, and Ben felt his mouth go dry. No matter what Voll was into he certainly was a master of his trade. Kiki looked absolutely incredible.

“What do you think Benjamin?” Kiki asked.

Ben found himself tongue tied as he tried to think of what to say. He remembered the detail that this was supposed to be a bridesmaid’s dress. If the dress that Voll had made for Suga that was intended for the Western portion of the ceremony was intended to make what Kiki was wearing seem plain by comparison, then the Japanese Princess was going to make an impact like asteroid strike.

“I’ll interpret that as a sign that this has been a success” Voll said before turning to Ben and whispering, “I’m only interested in those who I know are interested back sunshine.”

Ben found it embarrassing that he might have been so transparent about his thoughts.

He was saved by Zella entering the room, presumably from the adjoining bedroom with Aurora and a blond woman wearing the grey-blue dress uniform of the Medical Service who Ben had not been introduced to. Zella was wearing a dress that was similar to the one that Kiki was wearing. It didn’t have the same effect though, probably because Ben knew Zella all too well. It was then that Ben noticed something about what most of the other men in the room were doing.

“Why are they paying such attention to Aurora?” Ben asked Kiki in a stage whisper when he got close enough in the crowded room.

“She’s the new girl to them” Kiki replied, “She deserves a good turn for once.”

Aurora had been having a difficult time since she had broken up with her boyfriend months earlier. What Aurora had discovered was that having her boyfriend’s mother as an unwelcome hanger-on whether his mother was physically present or not had proven to be a deal breaker for her. That didn’t mean that it had been easy for her.

“By the way, you look amazing” Ben said, and Kiki smiled.

“We need to figure out what you are going to wear” Kiki replied.

“What did you have in mind?” Ben asked.

“Since I was a little girl, I always thought that the dress uniform of the Luftwaffe looked handsome” Kiki said with a warm smile. It would be what Ben would be wearing, as well as her father. Sigmund Freud would have had a field day with that. Ben wondered if Kiki was just messing with him as he looked at her smiles, the Grand Cross of the Order of Louise pinned to the left shoulder of her gown and how the neckline was cut…

Ben realized at that second that he didn’t care about what Freud might say. If Kiki asked him to go starkers he might just do it.


Hamburg, Germany

The General Exchange was having an up day. It was something that had grown increasingly infrequent as the world economy struggled to absorb the shock that had resulted from the Sino-Korean War and the near anarchy that had resulted after the Chinese Army had been pushed out of Korea in China itself. A few minutes before the bell sounded closing the end of the day’s trading a pipe bomb exploded on the trading floor.

In the minutes that followed, police, fire fighters and medics were slow to enter the scene. Following behind specialized police units with bomb sniffing dogs. While they understood the criticism that they received, it had become known that in such attacks the first responders had frequently become targets themselves if American style terrorist tactics were being used.

Minutes after the bombing, the New York Stock Exchange opened sharply lower…

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Nine


17th June 1963

Mitte, Berlin

It was a small device according to the report that had just been placed on Kat’s desk. The pipe bomb that had gone off on the trading floor of the New Exchange in Hamburg had injured many people, several critically, but it had not actually killed anyone. There were questions being asked about the conduct of the police at every level and word was circulating that a special committee was being formed in the Reichstag to examine the issue. Just why these terrorists hadn’t been squashed like bugs yet, was what Kat had heard. If she had to guess it was because they had mostly been lucky and whoever was leading them was smart enough to limit his exposure in the event that they were not lucky. She also understood that their luck was going to run out soon enough. There was also the matter of the proposals on how to handle the matter. Many were surprised to learn that Kat wasn’t in favor of new powers being granted to the Police and Intelligence agencies. The truth was that she remembered being told stories by her Uncle Klaus about how those powers had a way of being used on people other than those it was originally intended for.

A quick call the Anton Knoph had gone about as well as Kat had expected. He had told her that the police in Hamburg had found pieces of pipe of a type used in drains throughout Germany, the same thing could be said about the nails used as shrapnel. The laboratory had come back with word that the explosive used was the same nitrocellulose powder used in rifle cartridges issued to the military. The worrying anomaly was that bits of a plastic bag had been found among the other debris that had a wide dispersal area, meaning that it had been a part of the bomb. The reason that was cause for concern was that even though the bomb had been made from components that could be found anywhere, it suggested that whoever had made it had known exactly what they were doing.

Knoph had said that if an amateur had assembled it in the manner that they might have seen in the movies, pouring the powder into a pipe with a funnel and then screwing the cap on, he would have been a self-correcting problem. Despite that, they now had a pretty good idea of how he operated, and any additional devices could be tied to him in the future. Kat knew that Knoph had worked closely with State Prosecutors in the past, so when they caught the suspect the case against him would be airtight. That was also the reason why Knoph had recently been placed in command of a police detachment that was focused solely on counterterrorism ahead of the royal wedding that was only a week away. The reason that Kat was involved was that it was felt by most of those involved that the date to the wedding was a factor that could not be ignored.

According to Knoph, the problem that they had now was that the number of suspects was enormous. It seemed that they were having to look at every crank and malcontent in the Empire. Not to mention the large number of groups that were outspoken in their opposition to the Emperor, Capitalism, Modernity, the Government or what seemed like an endless list of petty grievances that people with too much time to waste came up with. In an absurd twist, the Crown Prince had been receiving threatening letters, some of which had come all the way from America, sent by people upset by his choosing Suga to be his bride. Another problem was that the stock exchange in Hamburg was a relatively soft target as opposed to Berlin, which was stitched up as tight as a drum in preparation for the wedding and its guest list.

Closer to home, Tat and Kol were coming home for the Summer Holiday in only a few weeks. When Kat had picked them up for the weekend recently, she had noticed that both of them were clearly no longer children. That was especially true with Tatianna who looked well on her way towards making the transition towards being a young woman. The two of them had spent the prior academic year attending a boarding school and had very different experiences. Malcolm had discovered that he did well on the athletic field and the intense tutoring that he had been subjected to had finally made headway against the dyslexia that had troubled him.

Tatianna however had never really gelled in the environment of the school and was slow to make friends. It was an aspect that Kat realized that Tat shared with her. At the end of the Christmas Holiday, Tat had not wanted to return with her brother, but Kat had stood firm with Doug backing her, that her daughter needed to follow through on the commitments that she made. Tat had got what she thought she had wanted when she had continued to attend the same school as Kol, it just hadn’t worked out the way that she thought it would. The deal that had been worked out was that Tat would complete the current academic year and would then attend the same school as Jo did. Now that was nearly here it had become apparent that Tat was looking forward to that just as much as Summer Holiday.

Kat was looking forward to not having to think about another wedding for the foreseeable future.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy


21st June 1963

Mitte, Berlin

Mithras was sitting there seething as he watched what was on television. The news coverage of those parasites was pervasive. He had no choice but to watch with his mother who was just gushing over footage of the bride and groom as they made their way from a car into the hall where the rehearsal dinner was being held.

“They were childhood sweethearts” His mother said.

“I know” Mithras replied, “You said that five minutes ago.”

“I know that your personal politics make it so that you cannot see this for what it is Lothar” His mother said, “But once upon a time, we felt like the rest of the world overshadowed us, they have no choice now. The whole globe is watching.”

Mithras held his tongue. His mother was forgetting that the idea that Germany deserved a “place in the sun” had resulted in the deaths of millions. The Emperor who Germany had been saddled with at the time had been a petty tyrant and there was absolutely no guarantee that wouldn’t happen again in the future. The time for monarchies had passed. If Mithras had his way the wedding and the procession that was a part of it would have to be staged on the smoking ruins of Berlin. The most galling part was that the Financier had told him on no uncertain terms that he would be deliberately exposed if he even thought of conducting any operations at this time. That had come in the wake of the Hamburg bombing which Mithras had nothing to do with. The Financier hadn’t cared and if the authorities ever caught up with him, they wouldn’t either. Everything that had happened over the last couple years would be wrapped around his neck and used to strangle him.

That was when Mithras saw her, she was clearly trying not to draw attention to herself, but she was unmistakable. He had felt a visceral hate towards her since he had learned that she had gotten a couple medals for foiling the ambush that he had gone to great lengths to set up. Her kind was rewarded just for showing up. Tonight, Kristina was wearing the dark blue tunic and black skirt that women in the Heer or attached Medical units wore. The extremely visible gold and white sash that had been given to her by the King of Saxony was like a slap across to the face by those who understood the meaning behind it. She was doing nothing less than daring him to act…

----------------------------------------------------------------

They had made it into the reception hall where the reception dinner was being held after running a gauntlet of media. Television cameras and flash strobes. On a couple of occasions, Kiki had a microphone shoved in her face and a question asked of her. She didn’t feel like talking to them tonight any more than she ever did. Mostly she was worried about what was going to happen to Ben, Kiki didn’t think that he was necessarily aware of what he had been agreeing to by agreeing to attend this with her. It had been fortunate that all eyes had been on her and Ben had basically been ignored by the press. How long could that last though? When they were seated at the table, Ben beside Kiki for once they finally had a chance to talk, there wasn’t anything else to do while they waited for Friedrich and Suga as well as their respective fathers to make their entrance.

“You look worried” Ben said. He had gotten a lot better at reading her lately, it was something that Kiki realized was a bit irksome at times.

“I should be” Kiki replied, “Or should I say that we should be.”

“You are overthinking things again” Ben said, “I’m here because I want to be. If I weren’t, you would be over there and probably hating every second of it.”

Ben nodded towards the gaggle of girls who were surrounding Rea. Since her appointment as Kammerfräulein, Rea had discovered that the position gave her some real power within the Imperial Court. The problem as Kiki saw it was that of all the Maids of the Court who they could have introduced to her first was Josefine Falk, Tante Kat’s young ward. The two of them had ruthlessly bent the structure of the Court to their will. It had yet to become a problem, but without Vicky to contain her, Rea tended to give into her worst impulses. When Kiki had explained it to Ben he had asked if she was concerned that her little sister might lead a palace coup? Ben had been joking but Kiki didn’t consider that outside the realm of possibilities.

“I know that you think I think too much about consequences” Kiki said, “But it has been something that I’ve been contending with my entire life. I have no idea what can set someone off.”

Ben looked at her with a slight smile.

“You’ve always cared about what other people think” Ben said, “If you ask them though, they would say that they want you to allow yourself to be happy. Even if it is just for an evening.”

It was an attitude that Kiki had noticed that Ben had taken on since they had returned from Korea. She had seen a poster hanging on the wall of his bedroom that said; What would you do if you only had one day left to live and why aren’t you doing that? She had no idea where that had come from, but it seemed to encompass Ben’s thinking perfectly.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-One


21st June 1963

Mitte, Berlin

The first part of the rehearsal had been a walkthrough of the Berlin Cathedral, for Kat it was a reminder of her own marriage. It had been with a considerable amount of disbelief that she realized that it had been sixteen years. Then they had got into cars and had gone to a Buddhist Temple in Spandau that Kat had no idea existed until Suga had suggested that it play an important role in the marriage between her and Freddy a few months earlier.

The location was surprising considering the history of that Borough, the prison there had been closed recently and the Government was trying to figure out what to do with it because only the worst sort of criminal had ever been sent there and seldom for long. It was the place where capital punishment had been carried out, with dozens having been sent to the guillotine, shot or hung depending on the nature of their crimes. Kat remembered when the tribunal had rendered its verdict on Lavrentiy Beria. He had been ordered hung so that his blood wouldn’t pollute the soil of Germany after his execution. The look on his face when he heard that was almost as delicious as months later when Kat implied that Gia was still alive and that his entire spy network in Europe was hopelessly compromised. Baria’s death had been exactly the sort of undignified spectacle that he deserved in Kat’s opinion. It had been worth the amount of trouble that she had landed in because of it.

By the time Stalin had followed his henchman to the gallows, Kat had found that she was no longer interested. Gia had gotten her own pound of flesh by then. Her prediction that he would get burnt up with the trash and be thrown into the midden had been very close to what had happened. Kat had been in Canada at that time and even if she had Margot to contend with, it had still been a better use of her time. The thought of Gia reminded Kat of what had happened earlier the day before when Gia had stepped off the plane that had transported the Russian Czar. Her victory had been in far outliving Stalin and if what Kat had noticed bore out then she would have one last victory over the long dead Despot in the near future. Kat needed a chance to talk to Gia alone before she went back to Russia for that very reason.

Suga’s reasoning for bringing a portion of the wedding to the Buddhist Temple was extremely good though. She said it was because to a certain extent she represented all the recent arrivals to Berlin from Japan, Korea, China and even the Russian Far East. They were a variety of religions, but this was a way of acknowledging that they were a part of life here. It was a smart move, except Kat understood just how fractious city politics were. Whoever had coined the term, you cannot please everyone, might as have been talking about Berlin. Tonight’s rehearsal dinner was a good example of that. While it was considered a family event with only selected guests that had been invited, there was no escaping that it was a royal function. There were those here who happened to be of paramount importance and had to be present for political reasons. Because Kat was one of the few living nonroyal full members of the Order of the Black Eagle, her and Douglas were seated with the Imperial Family. By comparison, the Governing Mayor of Berlin was seated halfway down the table.

Sitting closer, immediately to Kat’s left, was an icy presence that she wished that she didn’t have to put up with, Franz von Papen. As the Chairman of the Board at the Imperial Bank of Germany, he was not someone who even Louis Ferdinand could afford to ignore. As Kat had told Douglas, even Emperors have creditors and they need to receive their due. Kat’s experience of dealing with him personally had come after she and Jack Kennedy had completed the arduous task of making the lifetime of illicit wealth that she had inherited from her father look legitimate. It had been von Papen who had insisted that she be repeatedly audited. When nothing had come up the first time, he had ordered that his people start anew. It was just as well that Kat had left a considerable amount of money in the numbered accounts. The real totals would have probably caused him to have a fatal fit of apoplexy on the spot. There was also von Papen being outspoken in his personal belief in the superiority of the aristocracy over commoners. The mere existence of Gräfin Katherine von Mischner was a direct challenge to all his longwinded claptrap. Of course, someone either had not paid attention or had a twisted sense of humor when they arranged the seating. The decrepit pompous windbag was well over eighty and by some miracle still alive. In Kat’s experience, whoever said that evil never dies was wrong. She knew for a fact that evil people died all the time. Just for those who had to deal with them, it certainly felt like forever.

With that thought, Louis Ferdinand stood up and started to give the speech that he was going to give for the toast. This meant that the evening was drawing to a close, something that could not come soon enough to suit Kat.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Two


23rd June 1963

Spandau, Berlin, in transit

It had been raining the day before and everyone had waited with bated breath about what the weather would be like on the afternoon of Sunday the 23rd. During the night the sky had cleared, and it remained partially cloudy. Suga felt that her marriage needed all the good omens that it could get considering the intendent difficulties involved. Everything had to be done under the constant glare of television cameras and the press, so it all had to be perfect because any mistakes would be magnified out of proportion. No matter how minor they were. The quick change of clothes that had been required before starting the next stage of the procession would probably have raised enough eyebrows.

The rehearsal dinner that had been a bright spot of the entire event so far, much to Suga’s surprise. Freddy’s father had given a wonderful toast, welcoming her into his family. Suga’s own father had joined in though Suga could tell that he wasn’t as comfortable with the custom. He had started by reminding everyone that in Japan the more conservative elements were less than thrilled with his youngest daughter’s marriage to a Gaijin. They had however mostly come to grudgingly accept it after he had pointed out that it depended entirely upon if the Gaijin in question was the right one.

Overhead puffy white clouds hung in a vivid blue sky and Suga realized that it was perfect as she watched the press of humanity out the window of the car they were riding in as the procession that they were a part of made its way to the third and final destination before returning to Potsdam for the reception. The first had been to the Courthouse in Mitte the day before when they had done the secular paperwork that the State required, and the Registrar had congratulated them as they signed the last signatures. Then today had come the Christian ceremony that morning, Suga had offered to convert to Freddy’s religion before the wedding but he had said that she should wait. The wedding should reflect where both of them came from.

The wedding in the Berlin Cathedral had been a huge and as it had turned out, a surprisingly raucous affair. There had been thousands of witnesses. The ceremony had involved her walking on rose petals that she had watched be spread by a group of girls, one of whom had been Freddy’s youngest sister Nella. As she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. The vows had followed and the entire time she kept thinking about how handsome Freddy looked in the dress Uniform of the Pioneers, the odd service branch of the German Military that Freddy was a part of. It was rumored to have been started because they men who made up its original ranks couldn’t be trusted to point their guns in the right direction. They had gone on to be something that was far more important than that with time. Today the Pioneer Regiment that considered Freddy one of their own as Major von Preussen, had led the procession through the streets of Berlin. It was seen by many as them being formally raised in stature to join their place with the other Service Branches. There were other Regiments in the procession, the 1st Foot Guard Regiment who had the task of guarding the life the German Emperor and the Japanese 1st Imperial Guard Regiment from Japan had arrived at the same time as Suga’s father. The two Regiments played a similar role in their respective countries and having them in close proximity had resulted in a few incidents as there was an instant rivalry between them. Mostly it was good natured though as everyone remembered why they were here.

The 2nd Life Hassars were a bit of a surprise to Suga though. They were like something from a fairy tale, in their black and white uniforms as they rode on either side of the cars. Freddy had told her that their guns and swords were not just for show but were very real. Suga was also aware that fully equipped military and police units were just out of sight in case something did happen.

After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled into the small car park outside the Buddhist temple that had agreed to play host to the next scheduled event. The Kannushi and Miko who had come from Japan with Suga’s father had been agreeable to the setting. If Suga had to guess, it was because all parties involved understood that they stood to gain substantially if today happened without a crisis and the resulting publicity that would come from it.

Stepping out of the car and being careful not to get any dirt or grease on the white kimono that she was wearing. She noticed that Freddy was wearing the black and grey robes that would be expected of a groom in Japan as they started walking up the steps to the temple. She still couldn’t believe that he had agreed to do that for her. His answer was that he wanted today to be perfect. Her hope was that he would continue to be as mindful in the future.

The ceremony in the temple would be intimate, with only immediate family and a few extremely close friends. Freddy had said that Tante Kat would want to be present because it would fulfil a promise that she had made to his mother. Suga would need to get the full story when she got a chance. She found the prospect of that desirable after all that had happened earlier that day.

Later, once they made it back to Potsdam, it was planned for Suga to change her clothes again. Switching to an elaborate black and white kimono that was embroidered with a number of stylized symbols of both Japan and Germany. Eagles and cranes. It would escape most of the Germans, but to the Japanese it would be sending a message about how she was making this place her home and adopting the colors of her husband’s family.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Three


24th June 1963

Potsdam

It had all come together perfectly, Freddy and Suga having the first dance at the reception. It had all been very enjoyable as Kiki had watched from her table with her friends. Zella had ditched her escort for the evening, some Princeling from the Baltics who spoke with a funny accent, about five seconds after the dancing started. Aurora had not been able to find a date, so thinking quickly, Kiki had Ingo escort her to the wedding ceremony and later to the reception. Aurora said that she found Ingolf fun and that he had asked if she was busy next Friday. Aurora had asked if Kiki would be fine with her if she took him up on that offer.

The reception had finally ended about midnight. Kiki remembered going with her group of friends back to her suite of rooms with her head swimming from the champagne that she had been drinking. Shortly before that, she had kissed Ben goodnight. That was after spending most of the evening dancing with him. If Kiki had less to drink, she wouldn’t have been so shameless. She had not cared about the presence of the press nearby in the least. Late the next morning she had woken up on her bed feeling hungover to the sight of Zella drooling on one of the pillows, Aurora snoring in her ear and Hera was sitting on her feet. It was exactly the same as when they had been children except Rauchbier was looking at her whining softly because he was terrified of Hera and Mitzi was sleeping on the couch in the sitting room of her suite. Kiki had found that no one else wanted to get up yet, so she had taken Rauchbier for a walk. Later she had been joined by Mitzi.

Rauchbier was running at full speed after a rabbit that had wandered onto the expansive field below the terraced vineyard that fronted the Summer Residence. When he reached full size, he would be able to outstrip a rabbit and by then he would have the experience to know how to cut inside the turns as it darted around. For now, Rauchbier was a half-grown puppy and the result was mostly comical. Kiki laughed as he eventually gave up and dejectedly trotted back to her. She had no doubt that if Rauchbier had caught it then generations of breeding would have taken over and she would have a dead rabbit to dispose of. It was probably just as well that sort of thing was months off. Mitzi still lavished phrase upon him, letting him know that chasing rabbits was exactly the sort of thing that he was supposed to be doing. Positive reinforcement, Kiki thought to herself.

It was a reminder of the breakfast that Kiki had with Doctor Holz a couple days before. It was the first time that she had seen him since he had retired from the Medical Service. He had been happy to see her and wanted to know how Kiki was doing personally. He was aware of the sorts of things that she said that were entirely for public consumption. He had told her about how he had taken on a new role, having become the Chancellor of the University of Medicine in Jena. It was then that Kiki had realized that the entire breakfast was a recruitment effort. He had to know that she would be completing her period of active service and would be looking for a way forward after spending the last few years on the wrong career track.

It represented a once in a lifetime opportunity for Kiki, the University Clinic in Jena was considered one of the top institutions for the teaching of trauma surgery. Mostly it was because of the presence of Generalstabsarzt Peter Holz himself that had earned them that reputation. Kiki would have to be insane to pass it up and if she did so, it would be entirely for personal reasons. Doctor Holz had even sweetened the offer by telling her that the offer was being made entirely because of her performance in the field while under fire in Korea.

“I think you should go to Jena in August” Mitzi said when Kiki had told her friend about it as they had been watching Rauchbier chase rabbits.


Mitte, Berlin

Kat frowned as she looked through one of the gossip magazines. She was waiting in the hotel bar where she was supposed to meet Gia, and this was all there was to look at. Gia was fifteen minutes late which was out of character for her and that was almost as much of an annoyance as the magazine Kat was reading.

The magazines had rushed their latest editions to print overnight and they were full of pictures of the wedding. As she turned to a full color photograph of Benjamin Hirsch and Kiki locked in an embrace, she saw the lurid speculation. The headline said everything a great deal, The Black Knight gets the Princess this time. It was everything that Kat had been trying to avoid for the previous two decades. Klaus Voll, who had watched Ben and Kiki closely. He had said that they were a cute couple when they were together. Kat just hoped that would be enough.

“Sorry I was late” Gia said as she sat down across the table from Kat. “Something came up.”

Kat sat there looking at Gia wondering if that statement had been intentional. She was saved by the waiter coming over to take their orders. Gia ordered toast and tea.

“If we could get lemon with the tea” Kat said mildly, “It ought to help with the nausea Gia.”

And Gia looked at her startled. Yes, the jig was up, Kat thought to herself.

“I would have hoped that you would have told me before I was forced to deduce it” Kat said.

“Fyodor and I haven’t told anyone” Gia said, “Things are unsettled, and we aren’t sure how Anya will take this. She has only started to accept that she can’t dance professionally.”

“I think that she will be overjoyed to have a little brother or sister” Kat replied.

“You think so?” Gia asked.

“Yes”

Gia looked relived that Kat had said that, then worry flashed across her face. “What if it’s a boy and he is like Uncle Alexie?” She asked.

“Aunt Marcella would say that it is God’s will” Kat said.

“Then God can be a complete bastard” Gia said.

“You are hardly the first one to say that.”

“I know you’ve seen Asia” Gia said, “Getting pregnant at the same time as my best friend, that is such a stupid cliché.”

Kat knew that Asia was a bit more than Gia’s best friend, they had been lovers before the circumstances of their lives had made that impossible. It could be argued that both of them were still being affected by that breakup nearly two decades later.

“Nikolaus, Ilse’s little boy, is like a little brother to Marie though they are cousins” Kat said, “I’m sure that things might play out the same way.”

Gia looked at Kat, clearly hoping that her adopted sister was right about these things. Kat hoped that she was as well.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Four


27th June 1963

Potsdam

Considering the sort of life that his children led, Louis Ferdinand was amazed at how idealistic they could be at times. This time it was Freddy explaining how the first days of his marriage had worked out and he had found it to be a bit contrary to whatever romantic notions that he had.

On their wedding night all Freddy and Suga had wanted to do was sleep. The next day they had spent moving Suga into the spacious flat that they had leased in Mitte. This was because the old residence of the Crown Prince had been leased to the State and was going to be opened up to the public as the National Gallery of Modern Art in a few months. Because both of them were still students at University, they had needed a place to live that was in a central location and neither of them wanted to live in the vast pile of marble that was Freddy’s by birth. That was also the reason why they were holding off on taking their honeymoon until after the end of the present academic year.

They had left that in order for Suga to wish her family farewell as they had boarded the plane that would take them back to Tokyo. It had been later that evening when Suga had started to feel ill and that had complicated things.

The Doctor had said that it was just a viral infection, Influenza even if it was a bit late in the year for that. He had recommended fluid and rest. The press had caught wind of this when Freddy had slipped out to the market to get Suga the medication and orange juice that she had asked for.

As Louis had listened to his son tell the story of the events of the last few days, it was hard not to feel a bit of amusement. In reality, life was often far from where anyone wanted it to be. No amount of aspirational thinking by Freddy, or rebellion by Kiki and Ria could change that.

“Marriage is the promise that you will share your life with someone” Louis said, “That include everything that comes with it, good and bad.”

“Yes” Freddy said, “But I had told Suga that things would be different though.”

That was a key part of Freddy’s reaction. Nearly every woman in his life had been leaning on him to not behave like such a heel.

“That mostly involves getting you to stop making fun of your sisters” Louis said, “As for the rest, you and Suga have been running at a sprint for months. Once you stopped, having everything catch up with you was both inevitable and beyond your control. She understands that.”

That was how things had worked out. When Freddy had gotten Kiki a black and white Whippet puppy everyone had felt that he had gone too far that time. The dog, Rauchbier, had actually become popular with the public once they learned about him. Having spent several formative months as the collective pet of an entire helicopter wing had certainly socialized him to a degree that was astonishing. Still, the incident had caused Freddy to make several promises and he was finding that they were hard to keep at times. According to Louis’ source within Freddy’s household, Suga had practically chased Freddy out of their flat at gunpoint to have lunch with him. While he had done his best to be an attentive husband with a sick wife, Freddy was still learning the balance of things.


Tempelhof, Berlin

It had been Doug’s idea and Kat had gone along with it. Now that Asia was entering the eighth month of her pregnancy, she should move into one of the guest rooms of their house. She had no one else and until she had her baby and could find some sort of accommodation with that, she would need help. Kat and Doug were the closest thing to family that she had in Berlin with her younger brothers and sisters either estranged or living elsewhere. She was on maternity leave from her position as an instructor at the BND/BII Training Academy at Falkensee, so she didn’t have many alternatives.

It was a huge adjustment for Asia. She was an extremely private person by nature, and she liked to spend her spare time in silence as she pursued her interests. Kat’s house was anything but silent. There was always activity going on, people coming and going constantly, the children playing or who knew what else was going on. It wasn’t the noise that really bothered her though, it was the nearly helpless state that she had found herself in. Ever since she had been freed from the nightmare of Danvers, she had wanted to maintain control at all times. Asia’s condition had robbed that control from her, and she was finding it grating.

Sitting in the chair that overlooked the street from her bedroom window, Asia just looked at her swollen belly with consternation. She had been told that they estimated that it would be in there for another four to five weeks when she wanted it out this instant. It felt like being in an airliner and the little shit in the seat behind hers was kicking the seat. The problem was that she couldn’t ask the stewardess to be seated somewhere else on the plane.

“Tante Asia?” A voice asked from around the door which opened a crack.

“Yes, Marie” Asia replied.

Kat’s youngest daughter poked her head into the room. It was strange seeing Marie every day. While there were some substantial differences between the two of them, Asia frequently got the impression that she was catching a glimpse of what Kat must have been like as a little girl. Right down to the red hair and freckles.

“Babulya told me to tell you that dinner is going to be ready soon and told me to ask if you needed help getting downstairs” Marie said as she entered the room looking at Asia with some trepidation. Meaning that Petia had sent her. Kat’s children had taken to addressing her by that Russian term. It was something that Petia had not minded in the least.

“Thank you” Asia said. She didn’t think that she would need help but was annoyed by the fact that Kat’s house had so many staircases to go up and down.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Five


30th June 1963

Kiel

He had disappointed Esther again and he couldn’t tell exactly why. He was aware that it was something very important, but it seemed out of reach. Esther, he remembered her, most of the time anyway. The two younger women who had come around, that had ended in tears when he had drawn a blank about who they were to him. Later he had overheard them talking in the parlor in hushed tones as they spoke about how they might one day end up like their father. One of the most brilliant men of his generation. Now his mind was almost completely gone, and he was getting worse. He wondered who this poor man was. When he asked Esther about it, she had looked at him with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

At some point, von Holz, a man who he remembered as being a rival of some kind had visited. His reaction had resulted in Esther asking him to leave. “I think it would have been better for everyone if the Japanese had gotten a lucky shot in and taken out the flag bridge of the Preussen than this” von Holz had said. He tried to remember what the Preussen was, and the image of a vast ship came to mind. One that had meant everything to him. Then he realized he couldn’t remember why. Places, time and things seemed to be lost to him.

When he reacted out of anger and frustration to that, his batman, the one he was never supposed to be away from had told him to calm down. They would go and do something fun later.


Potsdam

Kiki was giving Ben the tour of the Summer Residence. So far, that had included just keeping to the public spaces and always being aware that her minders were never more than a few steps away. No funny business was what she had been told, and Kiki was disappointed much to her surprise.

“Why am I not surprised that you own a car like this” Ben said as he sat down in the passenger seat of Kiki’s red Volkswagen Karma Ghia convertible. A second later, Rauchbier jumped onto Ben’s lap and it was clear that he expected them to go somewhere. The car was on jacks and all the fluids had been drained. It would take some work to get it back in running condition. They were not going anywhere today. Kiki just laughed at Ben as he tried to gently shoo the dog off him. It was something that never worked, Rauchbier would sit there until Ben actually pushed him off.

Kiki had pulled the cover off after showing Ben around the garage that was full of her father’s projects. The old Mercedes Benz touring cars were a passion of Kiki’s father, most weekends he could be found in here tinkering with them. The touring cars had long been surpassed by newer models. However, they represented the blend of art and engineering that few vehicles that came off the assembly lines now could match. Kiki’s Ghia had been parked in the corner waiting until she came back for it.

“I suppose that I am going to need to get it running if I’m going to Jena in August” Kiki said.

“You are still doing that?” Ben asked.

“I would be crazy not to” Kiki replied.

“Still, it’s Jena” Ben said, “That place has a reputation, the birthplace of Langism and all that.”

“I can take care of myself” Kiki said as she turned the radio on. To her surprise, there was still enough power left in the battery for it to work. Music started coming from the speakers that was from the University station.

“I saw your brother on the news” Ben said changing the subject. “He leased a flat.”

“Friedrich has always aspired to be ordinary” Kiki replied, “My hope is that Suga can cure him of that.”

Ben looked like he was surprised by that answer. He shouldn’t have been. Suga’s preferences were towards the minimalist style that was popular in Japan. The things that she had brought with her to the flat might have fit in a couple boxes and in what Kiki considered to be a minor miracle, Freddy had waited to decorate until after the wedding and Suga had a direct say in it. Otherwise it might have become a shrine to what Kiki suspected was her brother’s true religion, Berliner Football. A big deal had been made of Suga moving in though and Kiki found the whole thing to be a bit of an anti-climax.

“When we were children Freddy found some servant’s quarters in the attic of a wing of the Winter Palace that was going unused” Kiki said, “He turned it into his own space where he could pretend that he was leading an ordinary, unremarkable life. I think that his new flat is just a better-appointed version of that.”

Ben just shook his head. “You describe things like that” He said, “Freddy in the attic, you with your books or any number of other things. It’s amazing to me that all of you are not completely batty.”

“Mostly it was because we didn’t understand how strange it all was for a very long time” Kiki replied.

“You also lived in an attic room” Ben said with a knowing smile, “At Kat’s house, I used to watch you brush out your hair through the window.”

“That was different” Kiki replied.

Ben just sat there smugly scratching Rauchbier behind his ears.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Six


4th July 1963

Potsdam

It had started simply enough, like how she had expected in the past. Kiki needed to be cleared medically before she could return to the 5th KHF and the FSR, Berg had clearly had other plans though. After she had concluded the annual examination, she had confronted Kiki directly about the events over the prior years and how she had depended on dumb luck to avoid any serious consequences from her actions. It was long past time that Kiki stopped behaving like a naïve little girl who expected others to think for her and acted like an adult. While none of what she said was wrong, Berg’s delivery was about as subtle as a howitzer.

Kiki remembered how things had played out. She had not been thinking clearly right up until she had found herself sitting on the edge of Ben’s bed and was only wearing her socks and realizing that preventive measures were needed. She supposed that she had Ben’s father to thank for that. Otherwise that night having other, much less happy outcomes would have been a possibility. He had insisted that his son have a box of condoms. Berg’s take on that was that Kiki lucked out, even though sex was as natural as breathing, so was conception and childbirth. If things had played out differently, then there was a chance that Kiki might have had to make some very difficult decisions. While the stigma of single motherhood had faded over the previous twenty years, the press would have gleefully torn her to shreds over it because she was different. Knocking “Princess Kristina” off her pedestal would sell at least a million magazines. For the political right, Kiki would become a dream come true as they denounced her as embodying everything that was wrong with contemporary life according to them. Or the alternative. Berg had pointed out that she could tell Kiki the steps needed to perform a surgical abortion by rote in her sleep, having performed enough of them on women who were smarter than Kiki. Then Berg had heaped Kiki with a bunch of pamphlets explaining what her options were and told her to take her reproductive health seriously.

Kiki had defended the actions of Nora Berg many times over the last few years. Today though, she had gotten a full dose of Berg at her worst, going after what she viewed as ignorance in the bluntest manner possible. The worst part was that Kiki recognized Berg’s tactics as being similar to what Kiki had done to her younger sister and she found that embarrassing after she had a chance to think about it. Once on the way back to the Summer Residence, Kiki had realized that she owed Vicky an apology but every time she started to say it, she found that it impossible to get the words out of her mouth.

Unsure about just who to turn to. Doctor Glas was unavailable, so eventually Kiki had talked to the one person who she thought might help her sort it out and not be too judgmental in the process having been a professional in the field of human interactions. Her stepmother Charlotte.

Kiki had told her the entire story, leaving some details out. Charlotte did not need to know the real reason why Kiki felt she needed to apologize to Vicky, for example. For almost an hour Charlotte listened to Kiki as she explained just how much of a complicated mess she had made of her personal life. How she was forced to play a role of perfect respectability around her boyfriend that had been false for a long time.

Charlotte’s reaction to all of it had been measured. “I think that your father is aware of the realities of modern life and is more openminded than you give him credit for” Was the first thing that Charlotte had said. “However, you probably should wait to tell him about the extent of your relationship with Benjamin. Most men are ticklish about these matters. Your father might take it out on Ben if you aren’t careful.”

Kiki had relived somewhat by that reaction until what Charlotte said next, “I think that Doctor Berg is a bit too emotionally involved in your care. While you obviously respect and admire her; she sees you as something of a surrogate daughter and some of the things that you do scare her. Her reaction is that of a mother who is concerned about a somewhat reckless and socially inept daughter. I think you should keep seeing Berg socially, but I also think you should find a different Doctor to see to your medical needs.”

“Nora has been my Doctor since since I was fifteen” Kiki had replied, “How will she react if I do that?”

“She will be hurt, there is no way around that” Charlotte replied, “At the same time, you will be acknowledging the nature of your relationship with her. That is something that will bring her a bit of joy once she gets past that hurt.”

That did make a lot of sense to Kiki. However, what did Charlotte mean by somewhat reckless and socially inept? Kiki was about to ask when Charlotte headed her off.

“What is it that you said to Victoria that you feel you owe her an apology for? Charlotte asked.

Kiki struggled to think of an answer that wouldn’t result in her having to apologize to Vicky for something else.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Seven


6th July 1963

Tempelhof, Berlin

The knock on the door wasn’t one that Doug was expecting when Petia told him that he was needed at the front door. He certainly recognized the man and woman who were standing there flanked by men who had to be secret service agents. He just wasn’t sure why they were here.

“Mister President, or is it Ambassador these days?” Doug asked.

Recently, Harry Truman had been appointed Ambassador-at-Large by the Harriman Administration and tasked with improving Trans-Atlantic relations. While things weren’t as bad as they had been a decade earlier, tensions still remained.

Harry just smiled. “So, the stories that I heard about the husband of the Tigress were true” He said.

“Exactly what did you hear?”

“That you were originally from Canada” Truman said as he looked at Marie who was watching him from the stairs.

“Katherine isn’t home” Doug said.

“Actually, we’re here to see Miss Lawniczak” Bess Truman said happily. “We missed her at the wedding last month and didn’t get a chance to speak with her and heard she was here, so we figured that we ought to look in. She seemed like a nice girl when we saw her just after Averell’s swearing in.”

Asia had barely made it to the first of the ceremonies and had not bothered to go to the reception. It was hardly a surprise that the Trumans had missed her in the vast crowd that had been packed into the cathedral.

“Nice isn’t a word I would normally associate with Asia” Doug replied.

“What happened to her in Boston was a crime” Harry said, “I can see why she would still be angry about that whole mess.”

Doug knew that was a complete understatement. Asia had never really recovered from what had happened to her at Danvers and her anger at the United States bordered on the fanatical. The land of hypocrites where the everyone is free to starve, was how she liked to put it. She felt that agents of the U.S. Government were particularly reprehensible. They had broken the very rules they were supposed to enforce for the express purpose of hurting her as badly as they could. Harry Truman was a representative of that very system. He feared that Asia might react with rage if she saw him and in her present condition, it could end badly.

“I can take you upstairs to see Asia” Doug said, “You need to understand that she hardly says three words on a good day to anyone beyond those she is closest to.”

Doug thought that he saw something cross Harry’s face when he told him that and wondered exactly what might have happened to get that reaction. As he led them up the stairs, they passed Jo coming down. “This is Kat’s ward Josefine” Doug said, and he saw the look of dismay that passed between Harry and Bess. They knew exactly what Asia was and clearly thought that Jo was future cannon fodder in the hidden wars that Kat fought. It occurred to Doug that they might not be wrong.

Knocking on Asia’s door, Doug heard “LEAVE ME ALONE!” Shouted from the other side of the door in Polish.

It was one of the expressions in that language that he had become familiar with since Asia had moved in. Even if he didn’t understand it, the tone was unmistakable. Poking his head through the door, Doug saw that Asia was seated at the open windows like she preferred to do every afternoon. He got the impression that she wanted to be somewhere else and hated being heavily pregnant, much like Kat had been when she had been this far along. She was wearing a dressing gown over a flannel nightgown that had belonged to Kat when she was pregnant with Marie. It was about as presentable as Asia could be expected to be at this point.

“You have visitors” Doug said, and Asia gave him a resigned look as he stepped aside to let the Trumans into the bedroom. Doug had expected Asia to get angry when she saw them. Instead she started crying, leaving Doug confused.

“You tried to warn me” Asia said as she got to her feet. So, someone in America had done their best to help. Asia being Asia, she hadn’t listened.

“You don’t have to get up” Harry said as he tried to get her to go back to her chair. “We didn’t realize that you were in a family way.”

“The whole world will find out and have a whole lot to say about it soon enough” Asia said, “For a woman with my position in the Imperial Court it is entirely scandalous.”

Doug disagreed with that and thought that Asia was being a bit melodramatic. Asia was Kat’s successor as Mistress of Keys, a policy advisor and spymaster for the German Empress. Because of that, Doug doubted that anyone would really care about the legitimacy of her child.

“You’re not married?” Bess asked, “You didn’t ask the father to take responsibility?”

“That would make things worse” Asia replied.

Harry Truman didn’t look particularly thrilled by this latest turn.

Asia had not told a soul about who the father of her child was. Some of the things that she said though had suggested that he was someone who was distinguished, rich, powerful and married at the time that Asia had taken him as a lover. Kat probably knew more than that, but both of them apparently had good reason to keep it quiet.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Eight


7th July 1963

Potsdam

Charlotte was having a good week by anyone’s standard. Her efforts towards the reduction of poverty and increasing the educational opportunities for those in the working class were starting to bear fruit. To her complete shock, Charlotte’s oldest stepdaughter had come to her because she needed someone to talk to. It was something that Charlotte had assumed would never happen because Kristina could be incredibly shy, one could tell that she was thinking about things constantly, but she seldom told anyone what she was passing through her mind.

It was difficult marrying into a family where her husband was a widower and already had children from his previous marriage. When she thought about it that way, Charlotte realized that her situation was no better than any other client that she had regardless of her station. Kira cast a long shadow over everything that happened, and it had been particularly obvious with Louis’ daughters. Kristina had buried herself in her education and career, while Marie Cecilie and Victoria had been given her a cold shoulder as they were too busy arguing with each other to really care. They had all excepted Antonia readily enough, particularly Friedrich who let her serve as caretaker to his dogs while he was in the city. It was debatable if Antonia took care of the dogs, or if they saw her as a part of their human family who needed to be watched over.

Then on Sunday, Kristina had confided in Charlotte the difficulties that she was having and had asked for advice. All she had asked in return was that Charlotte not judge her for the various mistakes that she had made. It quickly became obvious that Kristina had painted herself into a corner. She was uncomfortable with the public image that people had of her, particularly the parts that she knew were false. There was also the complicated relationship that she had with Doctor Nora Berg, a woman who been Kristina’s mentor but had come to see her as a daughter of sorts because of determination to enter the Medical Profession regardless of the obstacles in her way.

As for the rest, being a Social Worker wasn’t something that Charlotte had ever taken lightly. That was the lens that she had to view her stepdaughter through. She knew that young women were pressured to live according to ideals that they often fell well short of. Kristina having a “roll in the hay” with her boyfriend was the sort of thing that happened when they inevitably fell well short of that ideal. That she had attempted to avoid the more serious consequences of such an action suggested that she had taken to heart some of the words of her elders to heart. Berg’s reaction had been that of a concerned mother who was trying to get her daughter to be sensible but wasn’t particularly good at it. Charlotte’s advice to Kristina had been that she should continue to see Berg socially, but she needed to also find a new Doctor. Charlotte had also suggested that Kristina needed to take a good look at the literature that Berg had given her, find something that worked for her and then stick with it. Charlotte wasn’t Kristina’s mother and she didn’t pretend to be. She went into the mode of being a Social Worker and had given her the advice she needed at that moment.

What Charlotte had not brought up was what she thought was the source of Kristina’s difficulties. The closest she had come was when she called Kristina somewhat reckless and socially inept. In Charlotte’s opinion, the biggest mistake that had been made was in allowing an introvert like Kristina to retreat into her own little world of books and fantasy, which was exactly what had happened. So long as she didn’t cause trouble, the adults around Kristina were happy to let her do that and they had completely ignored how lonely she was throughout her childhood. Kristina herself was fond of saying that she and her siblings were unaware that any of that was out of the ordinary, one of the saddest bits of commentary that Charlotte had ever heard. Charlotte had discussed with Louis how to help Kristina and he had the idea that perhaps doing something that would be fun but would require her to come out of her shell was what she needed.

Finally, there was Kristina’s reluctance to say exactly why she had needed to apologize to Victoria after apparently talking bluntly to her over some personal matter. Kristina had talked all around the matter for several minutes before finally saying that she did not want to have another reason to apologize to her sister. That had ended the conversation. Charlotte knew from talking to Louis that Kristina had told him that it was impossible for Victoria to be pregnant, yet in recent weeks Kristina and Marie Cecilie had rallied to their sister in a way that had become unexpected in recent years, but in the past they had always sided with each other against the entire world if they had to. Something serious had changed and it was a secret that none of them wanted spread around. Charlotte wasn’t stupid, she’d had a fairly good idea of what was really going on for some time and was wondering when, or if, the three of them would ever trust her enough to confide it to her.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Nine


13th July 1963

Potsdam

Kat had told Asia that her sitting in the window all afternoon watching the world go by was bad for her and she had driven Asia to the Palace because Charlotte had asked to see her. It turned out that Kat was right about getting out of the house. Being at the center of attention in the Court of the Empress was a bit overwhelming. Charlotte was full of questions. When was it due? Did the scans reveal that it was healthy? Was also determined if it was a boy or girl?

Asia ran through the answers quickly. At any time. It was healthy enough to be stomping on Asia’s bladder, the scan didn’t need to tell her that. They were also fairly certain that it was a boy. She had mentioned her bladder.

With that the Empress dismissed her to go to the lavatory, but not before telling Asia that they had a great deal to discuss when she came back. She refused Kat’s help as she made her way there. Afterwards, Asia took a minute to wash her face in the sink. Looking at her face in the mirror, she saw how blotchy her skin was and the dark rings under her eyes. For the thousandth time that day she thought about how this was no way to live.

Opening the door to the lavatory, Asia was greeted by a woman who she had never been introduced to. She recognized her all the same though. That was why it wasn’t a surprise when she slapped Asia across the face. All Asia could think about was how if she wasn’t heavily pregnant, she would have made short work of her.

“Whore” The woman hissed at her with an… English? accent.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced Margret” Asia said, completely ignoring how her cheek was smarting.

“You saw fit to fuck my husband enough times for this… THIS TO HAPPEN!” Margret said looking at Asia’s belly, her voice raising as she said that.

“It only takes once” Asia said, “And I didn’t see anyone with a gun to his head. If he had told me he was married, I might have told him to get lost.”

Margret glared at her and she raised her hand to slap Asia again, but Kat caught her hand. “You need to go before you make matters worse” Kat said mildly to Margret.

“No matter what the Emperor says, I will not have your bastard son living in my house” Margret said before stalking off.

“What was that about?” Asia asked.

“Her husband approached Louis Ferdinand and asked if he could legitimize your child when it comes using what Wilhelm the 2nd did for Lagertha von Wolvogle as precedent” Kat said, “The alternative is that particular family will be effectively extinct once he passes away. And you just told the Empress that you are expecting a boy in front of his wife… Why did you have to have an affair with a Großherzog? It made this an even bigger mess than it needed to be.”

“I was pretty messed up at the time” Asia replied, “You ought to know better than anyone that contraception isn’t perfect.”

Kat paused and gave her a look like if she wanted to slap Asia herself.

“I hate to ask this” Kat said, “But are you even sure it is his?”

“He was the only man that I have had sex with, in the last year” Asia said, not liking it, but understanding why the question was asked. “Satisfied?”

“Hardly” Kat said, “But this could be a way to salvage some good from this situation.”

“How did that work out for Gerta?” Asia asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “This is why I didn’t want anyone to know who the father was.”

Kat frowned, Ritter Manfred von Wolvogle had made sure that his daughter inherited his title and the bulk of his estate through his relationship with the Emperor. Even so, his wife had done her level best to make Gerta and her mother’s lives miserable until she had finally died of a stroke just a couple years earlier. That whole thing had dragged on far longer than it needed to have.

----------------------------------------------------------------

It was outrageous. Kiki had learned when she had arrived in Rangsdorf that her departure from the FSR had already been arranged ahead of her. She was promoted to Hauptmann and transferred to the Staff of the Emperor, meaning her father had asked for her personally. That meant that she had been in Rangsdorf just long enough to learn that before she had headed right back to Potsdam.

Her response to that was to do as little as possible over the prior days, sulking in her suite on the couch, watching television with Hera and Rauchbier sitting on her. Sure, having Rauchbier meant that she would need to walk him whenever he needed to go out, but she knew the Sanssouci Palace better than anyone else alive. It made avoiding people fairly easy. That was why she was out in the early afternoon sun watching Rauchbier when her father came looking for her. Before she had left Rangsdorf, Sigi had told her that it would probably be good for her to take Rauchbier with her because there was a bit of concern about him. Like almost all dogs he was a mooch and it was impossible to keep someone from slipping him a treat. Sigi was worried that he was going to finish growing up and then end up extremely fat.

Watching Rauchbier run around, Kiki was a bit annoyed. The reason he had needed to go out seemed to have been forgotten the instant he was outside. “I think I should have brought a photographer with me” Kiki heard her father say, “Let everyone see Kiki as opposed to Princess Kristina.”

Kiki was wearing one of her old Hertha jerseys and grey trackpants. Her father would know better than anyone that these were basically her pajamas. She hadn’t bothered to brush out her hair, so it was a mess. It occurred to her that perhaps she would be better off if the world saw her like this. As human as anyone else.

“What do you want?” Kiki asked with some resignation as Rauchbier came running back to her.

“I thought I should tell you why I asked for you to be assigned to my staff” Louis said as Rauchbier was sniffing at his shoes.

“I figured that it was to keep me out of trouble” Kiki replied.

“That would be a bit of a lost cause” Louis said, “Instead I would like to see you to take a turn at diplomacy.”

“That is the exact opposite of keeping me out of trouble” Kiki said, “I would start a war the instant I opened my mouth.”

Louis smiled, “I think you should give yourself a bit more credit” He said, “And I think you will find what I’m asking of you to be fun.”

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty


14th July 1963

Potsdam

“The idea is to send me to New York where I can show the Americans that the people of our wonderous country don’t have horns and tails” Kiki said as they walked through the expansive gardens that had been a project of Friedrich the Great. Rauchbier was chasing after the birds that took flight as he ran between the hedges.

“They will obviously want to keep the people who live in Bielefeld under wraps then” Ben said.

“Don’t be silly Ben” Kiki replied.

Ben just gave her a knowing smirk.

“I am supposed to appear on a television show” Kiki said, “An interview format that is comedy as well. What do I know about any of that?”

“Let the interviewer be funny, he has a team of writers for that. You just need to be yourself” Ben said, “Let everyone see the strange introvert that we all know so well.”

“You are that close to calling me Whippet with that comment” Kiki said.

“I happen to have a bit of experience in knowing what an actual whippet is like” Ben said as Rauchbier ran back to them. “Introverted is not a word I would use to describe him.”

“You think I’m strange?”

“No” Ben replied, “I think your life is strange, that is why you are trying to escape it all the time.”

“Fair point” Kiki muttered.

Kiki suspected that the reason why she was getting sent to New York was that she was seen by most people as harmless looking. As if she needed more proof that most people weren’t particularly smart or observant.

“New York won’t be so bad” Ben said, “SKG 18 is slated to be off doing something that the Oberst is pointedly not talking about. I doubt it will be as fun and interesting.”

“So, that means that both our Summer Holidays are shot” Kiki said, “After New York I am supposed to spend a few weeks in America. Let them get to see me embarrass myself in their communities as I try my hand at things that I’m unfamiliar with.”

“It seems to me that you could have a lot fun doing that” Ben replied.

“My father said the exact same thing” Kiki said, “He has this idea that because he enjoyed touring America when he was my age that I will too.”

“What exactly did he do?”

“Worked on the assembly line at Ford and then went to Hollywood and dated movie stars” Kiki answered, “He also rubbed shoulders with the rich and powerful.”

“Do you intend to date movie stars?” Ben asked with a smile.

“I might” Kiki replied, “I believe that the term is called trading up.”

“Are you saying that you could do better than me?”

“It seems that the really handsome ones are supposedly stupid, lecherous or gay in real life” Kiki replied, “I think that it would be one of the things where I would have to do some serious studying beforehand.”

“Didn’t you once say that you hate studying while on holiday?”

Ben was smiling, they had played these games for months and he always enjoyed getting Kiki to the point where she told him what he was angling for.

“I guess my own laziness will save you” Kiki said as she leaned towards him…

Only to hear one of her minders clear their throat.

As always it felt like a bucket of cold water over her head. The rules were that she could openly see Ben, but only if they were never alone together for even a split second. It was the frustration with that arrangement that Berg must have picked up on and had confused with a different sort of frustration.

“We need to think of something different soon” Ben muttered. Echoing Kiki’s thoughts.

“Welcome to the delightful world of royalty” Kiki said sarcastically, “Where the House owns and controls everything, and by that, I mean everything.”

Ben looked at her sadly. He was getting a real education as to why Kiki had kept her identity secret when they had met and had been reluctant to reveal it to more people than were absolutely necessary.


Kreuzberg, Berlin

It being Sunday afternoon, Suk and Soo-Jin were taking the day off. That meant leaving their daughter Bora and Ji to mind the market.

With practiced speed, Ji loaded bottles of beer into the cooler racks from behind. Ahead of the days Football matches, the fans had bought up most of the beer as they made their way to the games. Afterwards, they would be back to buy more in order to celebrate victory or commiserate the loss. Either way, the store made money. Carefully removing the bottles from box in their cartons, mindful of the cap on a bottle snagging the cardboard carton as he lifted it out. It was an easy mistake to make and bottles of beer tended to explode when they hit the floor. Ji had no desire to clean up the resulting mess. Standing in the cooler, he couldn’t hear anything with the fans going full tilt less than a meter away. He could see out into the store though and he could see that Bora had a situation on her hands.

Rushing out of the cooler, Ji heard the customer arguing with Bora about the cost of the items that he was trying to purchase. Apparently, he was short of funds and was trying to intimidate her into just giving him the items without making up the difference. It was a stupid thing to do with Bora, she had the attitude about money that her parents had instilled in her since before she could walk. For her you paid what you owed and that was that and she was not easily intimidated. Unfortunately, in cases like this customer, shortchanging the clerk was just as ingrained. The argument was swiftly escalating.

Ji saw the tattoos that covered his arms, black ink turned green and crudely done. The sort that someone might sport if they had spent time in prison. The man was yelling at Bora and Ji had seen enough. Before the man noticed that he was there Ji had him in a chokehold and kicked his feet out from under him. Both of them landed on floor with bruising force. After a moment the man stopped thrashing around as he lost consciousness.

Bora acted like if nothing had happened as Ji grabbed ahold of the man’s belt and collar and heaved him towards the door. You’re welcome, he thought to himself as he hauled the man around the front of the building to the alley and dumped him into a pile of rubbish. The man let out a moan as Ji walked away. As he neared the front door of the market, he saw that a few men, part of the Football crowd were staring at him.

“What?” Ji demanded angrily, “You’ve never seen someone take out the trash before?”

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-One


18th July 1963

In transit, somewhere over Germany

As the big Lufthansa Focke-Wulf airliner leveled out as it turned north-east to head for Idlewild Airport in distant New York, Kiki was sulking. She had tried to get ahold of Ben before she left for the airport by calling his parent’s house but had only been able to get his mother on the line. Her relations with Nadine remained a cold and formal, learning that Kiki had very good reasons for her earlier secrecy was something that she had yet to forgive Kiki for. In the following minutes Kiki had called some of the places where she knew that Ben tended to frequent but no one had seen him. She had told him when she was leaving and had hoped that he would have at least had the decency to say his farewells. Instead, Kiki had run out of time and had been forced to leave for the airport.

Before she had left Potsdam, Kiki’s father had told her that she should be open to new experiences on this trip abroad. That she needed to not judge an entire country based on the frequently absurd actions of their worst people. He had also said that she would be back in a few weeks that that she would be getting ready to go to Jena and would doing something that she had always wanted to be doing anyway. Then she had been hustled out to the waiting car that had taken her to Tegel Airport. While she had been sitting in the Airport Lounge, Kiki had debated whether or not to attempt to call Ben again but realized that she would just get angry if she had to hear any excuses by then. She had sulked until it was time to board the airplane.

“We’ve reached cruising altitude. You are free to move about the cabin, but we would prefer you remained in your seats for the duration of the flight” Kiki heard the voice of the Captain over the intercom. What followed was rosy predictions about how long the flight was expected to last and the weather that they could expect in New York when they landed. “We have a bit of a surprise for you this afternoon, if you would look out the right-hand windows.”

Kiki could hear the other passenger’s reactions towards whatever was going on. Looking over she saw two jet fighters painted vivid white with the flag of the City of Berlin as the fin flash were flying in formation with the airliner. The plane nearest to the airliner had a chess piece painted on it, a black knight.

That romantic idiot, Kiki thought to herself. The presence of the second airplane suggested that he had gotten permission to do this, at least she hoped so. The last thing she wanted was for him to get into trouble on her account.

Under the canopy of the fighter, the pilot and the systems operator were waving to the passengers, Benjamin and Wilhelm. The other passengers were waving back though Kiki knew that between small windows and the distance of a few hundred meters it would be impossible to see them. Still, Kiki waved. Ben had found a way to say goodbye in a grand gesture.

With that the two jet fighters peeled off and were distant specs on the horizon in a heartbeat.


Kreuzberg, Berlin

Pushing a box of food tins on a hand truck, Ji heard the Hans in the office as he passed.

“I am not paying for that” Suk said as he looked over this month’s bills. In what Ji had learned was a pattern of his, he had spent as little as possible on maintenance around the store and one of the freezer cases had broken down because he had not wanted to pay for a cheap repair several months earlier. Now it would be an expensive repair needing to be done in order to get it back to running order and he was smarting over the cost.

“You mean to say that you don’t want to pay that” Soo-Jin said sharply. Suk looked at her crossly. Their marriage was of the sort where they would stay together until one or the other dropped dead of old age, unless they killed each other first. Soo-Jin was no spendthrift, but she didn’t take attempts to cut costs to anywhere near the extreme that Suk did. As always it led to what Ji knew by now were old arguments about money. As the one with the least say in how the market was run, Ji kept himself busy and did his best to keep clear of the argument.

“Are they still at it?” Bora asked as Ji resumed stacking the tins on the floor next to the counter.

Bora had her studies spread out on the counter and was working on that between customers. She had told Ji that her ambition was to go to University next year and he had been forced to ask her exactly what that would entail. That had been when she had told him that if she was still working for her parents and minding the store when she was thirty, she would kill herself. He didn’t understand that reaction. The market was a relatively successful business. Why wouldn’t she want to play a part in it?

“Yes” Ji said.

“Poppa and money” Bora said as if that held some profound meaning. Something about the way that she said it reminded Ji that she wasn’t Korean in the same sense that he was. She had spent her entire life in Kreuzberg. The way she talked, acted and even the way she walked suggested that she was every bit a Berliner regardless of ethnicity.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Two


25th July 1963

New York City, New York

Kiki’s mouth felt dry and she fidgeted nervously with the Pour le Mérite on its black and white ribbon as she sat in a chair just off stage and waited for the show to start, the interview would come later. It, along with the collar of her tunic felt too tight around her neck. It had come as a complete surprise to the Assistant Producer that she had never done a live television interview before. Sure, there had been a few interviews with journalists, and she had appeared at events while there were cameras rolling. However, Kiki had never put herself out there to do the sort of thing she was doing tonight. A quick glace at the mirror revealed that her clothes were perfect, the medals and badges were in the proper order, the hair and makeup people had done a wonderful job. The dark blue beret was at the proper angle with the light of the mirror reflecting off the Medical Service medal pinned to it.

Kiki had mentioned that during the pre-interview when he had been going over the interview questions with her. The entire process had seemed odd to her. She had been given the questions and in turn, had told the Assistant Producer and the writers just how she would answer the questions. There was also a rather lengthy list of questions that she wasn’t supposed to ask or to answer if she got asked and number of things that she would be wise not to even bring up. Answering questions and sharing her opinions about politics, religion, current events or the specifics of what she had done in Korea was discouraged. Matters concerning her personal life or those of the other members of her family were topics that both NBC and the Protocol Officer from the Consulate had suggested that she ought to be very cautious in the manner she talked about those things. Other than that, Kiki could talk about whatever she wanted. Perhaps the weather or something equally inane.

As Kiki watched the show began and she realized that getting shot at in Korea was less than scary than this. She could hear the band playing and the host being loudly announced to cheering crowd, then he started in on the monolog. Kiki could tell from the audience’s reaction that they were finding it uproarious. She was having trouble understanding the full context. She had seen the sticky New York summer, so Kiki got that much of it. The rest were in terms that seemed to slide past her. What followed was a silly sketch about a stubbornly uninformed man living somewhere in rural America. In the coming weeks she hoped that she wouldn’t encounter the sort of person who the sketch was based on.

“Now tonight Folks, we have a very special guest” The Host said, “This young Lady came all the way from Europe, supposedly because her father, the Kaiser, took one look at the photograph in Time Magazine and he wanted her as far from home as possible for the summer.”

The crowd laughed at that. The photograph of her more than a little drunk, kissing Ben goodnight as Freddy’s wedding had been drawing to a close had run around the world. First in the Mirror, but later in other publications as well. Time magazine in America would be where these people would have seen it. What must they think of her if that was all they knew about her?

“I would like you to welcome, all the way from Potsdam, Germany, Princess Kristina of Prussia” Johnny Carson said, and as Kiki walked onto the stage, she could hear the polite applause from the audience and the band was playing.

Johnny gestured towards the chair next to the desk he was seated at and asked, “Okay Kristina, how are you Miss?” As she sat down.

“I am well” Kiki replied, nervously. The boom microphone picking up her words.

“Just how are you addressed?” Johnny asked, “Princess? Kristina? Krissy? Her Highness, Princess Royal of Germany?”

“My friends call me Kiki” Kiki replied.

“They don’t ever call you by your title, Kiki?”

“Not if they want to remain a friend” Kiki replied solemnly.

Zella occasionally did that when she was angry with Kiki and wanted to needle her, but that was it.

“I see” Johnny said, “The young man in the photograph. Is he a friend as well?”

“Benjamin is very sweet” Kiki replied, “I consider him a bit more than a friend and that was at a wedding. Everyone was celebrating and these things happen.”

Kiki shrugged and she heard a few knowing chuckles from the audience.

“This was your older brother’s wedding?” Johnny asked looking at a cue card on his desk, “To, if I am pronouncing this right, Suga-no-miya Takako Naishinnō.”

“Princess Suga” Kiki replied, “She is wonderful, and they are a splendid couple.”

There was a bit of applause. Kiki had been warned that not everyone in America looked fondly upon Freddy marrying Suga and to be prepared for a negative reaction. Fortunately, this crowd didn’t seem to think that way.

“I also understand that you are in the German Military” Johnny said, “Those medals you are wearing are not just for dress up and that is a real blue max there. You spent a great deal of time in Korea.”

“I am a Hauptman, er Captain, in the Zentraler Sanitätsdienst” Kiki said, “The Medical Service branch. I was attached to the 3rd Marine Infantry Division the first time I was in Korea, and the second time it was with the Heer’s 5th Combat Helicopter Wing.”

“Is that what you are going back to?” Johnny asked.

“No” Kiki replied, “I am leaving active service and going to study Emergency Surgery at University this autumn.”

Johnny looked at her with a bit of surprise. “Medical school?” He asked.

“Yes” Kiki said, and the crowd applauded that.

“What else do you do?” Johnny asked, “Can’t spend all your time saving lives.”

“I like music, playing it and dancing” Kiki replied, “Ever heard of a band called the Moondogs?”

“Cannot say that I have” Johnny replied, “Do you also sing?”

“I love to sing” Kiki said, “But when I do, my friends cover their ears and beg me to stop.”

Kiki was being serious, that did happen, and it was why she limited her singing to the shower. The audience found it funny though.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Three


29th July 1963

New York City, New York

Few things served to reminder Kiki that she was a long way from home than being sick and alone. After what many regarded as a successful appearance on the Tonight Show, she had eaten something on Friday that had not agreed with her. She had spent the early morning hours throwing up whatever was in her system on Saturday. One of her bodyguards had called the Consulate and they had arranged for a Doctor to see her. All he had done was confirm that Kiki had a mild case of food poisoning. It wasn’t the sort of thing that would have any lasting harm but would certainly leave her feeling horrible for a few days. Worse, the Doctor in question had not exactly been discrete with his coming and going, so a few hours later everyone seemed to know that she was sick. That was how Kiki had gotten a lesson in just how small the world was, but it had come later. All she had cared about at the time was that one of her bodyguards had gotten her a green glass bottle of lemon-lime flavored soda water and that had been exactly what she had needed.

Sunday had brought a surprise when Zella had turned up in the suite of rooms that Kiki was staying in and she had brought Vicky in tow. It might have been on short notice, but when Zella had learned that Kiki was sick from the wire service, she had dropped everything and had gone to New York. She had gotten Vicky involved because no sane ticket agent from Lufthansa would deny a seat to Princess Victoria as she raced to be with her ailing sister. Kiki had been so happy to see a friendly face that she had not questioned the means that they had used to get there.

Now it was Monday morning and Kiki was starting to get a clue as to what Zella’s presence to entail. Wherever Zella went, chaos followed. First, a musician friend of Zella’s, introduced to Kiki as Bobby had helped himself to the breakfast buffet that the hotel had laid out at Zella’s request. Then an eccentric artist named Andy had shown up with a half dozen bohemian types and they had helped themselves to the food as well. It had been then that they had found the video camera that Kiki hadn’t had a chance to look at yet. It was then that a journalist and a photographer had shown up by appointment. She knew the photographer, Helmut Newton, from Berlin. The journalist was unknown to her and it hadn’t been until after he had poured himself a drink from the bar, even though it was nine o’clock in the morning that Kiki learned that he had misrepresented himself to get the interview. He wasn’t from a weekly newspaper like he had claimed, but instead was working as a freelance journalist and the press pass that he had given Kiki said in black and white that the story he was working on would likely run in the pages of a men’s magazine that she had particular reason to dislike. Him having a name that sounded like it had come from the pages of a pulp detective novel also didn’t help matters.

Kiki could see that Vicky was watching at the center of it all with a quizzical expression on her face. These people were from a world that she had no idea even existed until a few moments earlier.

Her body still aching from her recent illness, wearing just one of the Hertha jerseys that she used as nightgowns and feeling like her hair could be used as a bird’s nest. Kiki was entirely unprepared for any of this. “Do you have any idea the amount of money that your employer offered to get risqué photographs of me?” Kiki asked.

“Hef said that you would probably bring that up” Hunter replied, “And that you had sent his offer back to him full of nine-millimeter holes, postage due.”

“I would think that would have…” Kiki started to say, only to get distracted by two of Andy’s people messing with the video camera. It was the newest model from Sony and supposedly it was going revolutionize the television industry. Their American Division was had sent it over the day before and it was surprisingly compact, the camera itself was the size of an eight-millimeter motion picture camera. The part of it that did the recording was the size of a small suitcase and each of the cassettes held an hour’s worth of tape. “Don’t mess with that!” She yelled.

“What is up with that?” Hunter asked mildly, Kiki couldn’t help but notice that he had put his drink aside and had pulled out a spiral notepad from his coat.

“Sony is interested in having me as an investor” Kiki replied, “They sent that over so that I could use it to chronicle my trip to America and to see if it would interest me in buying stock in their company.”

The interest in the video camera by Andy’s people suggested that there was probably a great deal of untapped demand for such a device.

“I’m still not interested in granting you an interview” Kiki said to Hunter as she realized that for the first time in days she had an appetite and if she wanted something to eat she would need to elbow her way to the front of the line.

“I figured that you would say that” Hunter replied, “I figured that I would need to sweeten the deal a bit.”

“I doubt that you would have a whole lot I would be interested in” Kiki said.

Hunter just shrugged. “There is a big military exercise going on up in Canada right now” He said mildly, “Most of the Air Forces of the world are taking part including your Luftwaffe. I still have a lot of friends in the US Air Force who have a handle on what is going on up there. I called a few of them yesterday to see just which units happen to be involved. If you grant me the interview, I would be more than happy to tell you what I know.”

That was completely unfair, Kiki thought to herself.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Four


29th July 1963

Munster

The Press made a big deal about this event, but Kurt was finding it not at all what he had been expecting. Someone had the brilliant idea of getting all the “Panzer Aces” together for a reunion even though they were from several different units that used many different types of vehicles during the course of the war. There was also the matter of not everyone really keeping score and while it was Panzer Commanders who got all the attention, Kurt was fairly certain that the ones who had racked up the highest scores against the Soviets had probably been the StuG crews because they had always been in the thickest fighting throughout the war. As it was, Kurt was seeing a lot of men who he had not seen in ages and there were several old rivals about as well. Anyone who couldn’t tell that there was trouble brewing wasn’t paying attention.

Kurt himself was being held up as the leading Panther Ace and likely Ace of Aces. He didn’t dispute that, but he did say that he felt that the charge of the 5th Panzer Brigade at Venyov when it was being backed by the 13th Dragoon Division was what the press needed to look at. The Old Wolf himself had described that as one of the greatest field actions of the entire war, where the Panzer Corps had taken on the mantle of the Cavalry. Using shock tactics, they had shattered a Russian Division that had dug in around a strategic crossroad. Field Marshal von Wolvogle had been over the moon about “An old-time cavalry charge” that had been done by men under his command. The reporters had eaten that story up and Kurt realized that they, along with the public at large, couldn’t get enough of stories like that. Over the prior two decades Manfred von Wolvogle had become this larger than life figure that didn’t bear much resemblance to the man who Kurt remembered. He had tried to set the record straight. He had been there for many of the key events and the frequent bouts of insanity that seemed to infect anyone who fell within von Wolvogle’s orbit. Everyone had nodded and smiled. It was entirely to Kurt’s disbelief. The Old Wolf had been dead for nearly twenty years and he was still able to work his magic.

Then someone asked Kurt about the movie that was being made about von Wolvogle in the Soviet War. What did he think of Arthur Brauss being cast to play him?

What movie?


New York City, New York

It had taken some time, but Zella had figured out how to work video camera. She was recording the melancholy song that Bobby was playing that was obviously about the end of a relationship. As it turned out he had underestimated the von Preussen sisters who were present in this regard. In the original recording the fills were done with a harmonica, today they were done by Kiki with her viola. When they reached the normal end of the song, Vicky threw in an extra verse that was a direct counterpoint to Bobby. “I don’t to need to think twice because I’m glad you’re gone” Vicky sang, and Bobby tried not laugh as Vicky adlibbed several complaints that women have had since the dawn of time about self-involved men feeling sorry for themselves.

Zella could hardly believe that Vicky had done that. When she had learned that Vicky wanted to come with her to New York Zella had been a bit reluctant to have her along. Ever since her falling out with Rea a few years ago, Vicky had become a complete stiff. Seeing that Kiki wasn’t at death’s door on Sunday night had come as something of a relief, but then Zella had planned for the week ahead and had realized that it simply wouldn’t do. Zella had called Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol first thing. The lure of a free breakfast was more than enough to get them to venture out mid-morning. Andy was also curious about meeting the little sister of the King of Bohemia because most of the Village considered themselves bohemians. Zella had been forced to tell him that the capital “B” made all lot of difference, she just hoped that he wouldn’t tell that joke to Kiki because Zella wasn’t sure if Kiki would get it.

Convincing Kiki’s security detail to let their guests in proved to be a bit of a challenge. These were men from the First Foot, and they took their job very seriously. It had taken a direct order from Kiki to get them to relent. “How am I supposed to get to America if I am not allowed to meet actual Americans?” was how Kiki had put it.

The only thing that Kiki originally had planned for Monday morning was an interview that had ended when she had sent the journalist packing, threatening to do to him what she had done to the last letter that his employer had sent. Later after Kiki had a chance clean up and get dressed, she had told Zella that he had already told her what she wanted to know anyway and that he had basically insulted her intelligence with an offer he had made. The photographer had stuck around though, it was clear that he found the scene around the hotel suite interesting.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Eighty-Five


5th August 1963

Kreuzberg, Berlin

Ji could tell that Soo-Jin was trying not to look too amused by Marie. The girl was confused by the adult world as she tried to negotiate matters with frequently contradictory information. It wasn’t helped by a great deal of that information being of a nature of things that she hadn’t been deemed old enough to have learned yet.

The story that Marie told was involved her Aunt Asia who was staying with her parents and had been heavily pregnant from the sound of it. A few days earlier Asia had vanished from the house in the middle of the night. Marie had woken to slamming doors and the adults of the house moving with single minded purpose. They had told Marie to go back to bed. Now, Asia was back, she was no longer pregnant, and Marie had a new baby cousin named Heinrich. Of course, Marie had been left with a lot of questions and none of the adults were interested in answering them.

“In Korea, we would say that your family is blessed” Soo-Jin said, “You will probably understand much more when you get older.” That was something that didn’t offer Marie any enlightenment.

“Everyone tells me that” Marie replied, “What’s the big secret that I will learn when I get older anyway?” She took her bookbag off the counter and ran out the door.

“She is going to be a complete nightmare when she gets older” Bora said, “She even looks like her insane…”

Soo-Jin silenced Bora with a stern look.

“Don’t go barrowing trouble” Soo-Jin snapped.

The whole time, Ji remained focused on the task at hand. Questions surrounding sex and babies played out differently in the cities. Living in rural Korea and the one room shack that his family still lived in, there was simply no hiding any of that the entire time Ji had been growing up. At the same time, he could see how complicated those questions became when other people’s children were involved.


New York City, New York

Princess Kristina may have moved on, but the talk about what she had done in New York had continued. Most of it revolved around how she seemed like a nice girl after most had seen her on the Tonight Show with Carson or spending time in the City’s shops and museums. Helmut Newton saw no reason to argue with any of that. He did have one question though. Where did the public face of Princess Kristina end and where did the girl who liked to go by the nickname Kiki began?

Looking through the folder of eight by ten photographs, Helmut hoped that he would find something that would answer that question. The hotel room had been an odd scene. Most of the people present had been invited by Marchioness von Holz and though Kiki frequently said that she preferred to be alone, she seemed to enjoy the presence of others. There were dozens of pictures of Kiki and her younger sister. They were standard fare, impeccably dressed in conservative clothes and not so much as a hair out of place. That stood in direct contrast to the Marchioness who dressed as a rocker, leather jacket and blue jeans. The Princess and Marchioness were the best of friends, so there had to be far more to it than just mere appearances.

That was when Helmut found two photographs, one was from when Kiki had been telling Hunter S. Thompson off. Her left hand on her hip and her right pointing at the door. Her very posture reflected that she was through with him as well as the fact that she was used to being obeyed when she reached a conclusion.

The other was taken minutes earlier, just after Kiki had convinced her security to allow the guests in. She was seated with her back to the window and the morning sunlight made her look almost angelic. In both she was wearing a blue and white striped soccer jersey and grey sweatpants. Her hair was hanging in unruly curls and though the glasses she was wearing were totally unfashionable, German military issue if Helmut had to guess, they worked for her. Somehow, he felt that it was in these two photographs that he was seeing the real Kiki, the one that people didn’t get to see. There was a great deal to that, and he picked up the phone. Hunter was one of those rare individuals who could spin up a story from only the only the barest skeleton of details. Helmut knew that he had probably already done exactly that and would be looking for additional details and photographs to prop up what he had already completed. That made it an excellent opportunity for Helmut to name his price.


In Transit, Rural Ohio

Endless fields, that was what they had seen since they had left Cleveland a couple hours earlier. The Lakeshore Limited was the first train that they were taking, from New York to Chicago and it wasn’t until they had left New York State that Kiki had started to get an idea of just how big the interior of America really was.

“Paul was happy that you namedropped the Moondogs to Carson” Zella said as she recorded the fields going past with the video camera, “John wasn’t though. He doesn’t like being beholden to anyone.”

“He isn’t beholden to me” Kiki replied, “I just like the music they play and think that they have earned some success.”

“Yes” Zella replied, “John though, is there a musical equivalent to a hermit? Because I think that is what he would be if he could get away with it.”

Kiki just shrugged. If she had learned one thing in her life it was that she had little control over what other people thought.