Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
The
The King is also the Commander in Chief of the Landswher of the State, but that is just like an US State Governor being the Commander of Chief of the National Guard.
Meanwhile the Kaiser is the Commander in Chief of the entire military and they swear a personal oath of allegiance to the Kaiser, and in the past, Imperial Princes were in charge of Army Groups, and it is felt that having Imperial Princes (and Princesses) may stage a coup against the elected government.
The King of Silesia is more of a honorary post in which the King opens the legislature, promotes tourism, cuts the ribbons on public works projects among other things.
The King is also the Commander in Chief of the Landswher of the State, but that is just like an US State Governor being the Commander of Chief of the National Guard.
Meanwhile the Kaiser is the Commander in Chief of the entire military and they swear a personal oath of allegiance to the Kaiser, and in the past, Imperial Princes were in charge of Army Groups, and it is felt that having Imperial Princes (and Princesses) may stage a coup against the elected government.
Because the members of the Reichstag are aware of history, the Praetorian Guard of Rome in particular. They know that they dodged a bullet in 1921 in that von Wolvogle was in charge of the responding Army units as opposed to one of the Imperial Princes.
Last edited:
So my interpretation of what happened in 1921 was that basically von Hindenburg and von Ludendorff were pushing for a renewal of hostilities in order to "Finish the Job" against the wishes of the Reichstag when the student led protests gave the Reichstag the opportunity to demand reforms that included the Kaiser becomes a Constitutional Monarch.
One of the major reforms was that the military now answers to the Reichstag instead of the Kaiser, and no longer would the Imperial Family hold a major command, they could serve, but no longer lead large number of troops.
One of the major reforms was that the military now answers to the Reichstag instead of the Kaiser, and no longer would the Imperial Family hold a major command, they could serve, but no longer lead large number of troops.
Part 145, Chapter 2623
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-Three
11th July 1977
Langeoog Island, East Frisian Islands
It had been almost two years since Marie Alexandra had been here, though she had often fantasized about it. The warmth of the sun and the water which was cold even during the warmest days of summer were a part of that. Most of all though, Marie liked that no one here judged her, or even took much interest in her for that matter. The heated swimming pool and facilities at the club in Montreal was comparably luxurious, but they had nothing on the wide sandy beaches and grass covered dunes around her mother’s house on the edge of Langeoog town. She was mindful of the tide as she took her morning swim, not going out too far.
It wasn’t quite the tourist season yet and it was a weekday, so Marie had the beach to herself as she waded out of the water. Tatiana had said that she was on holiday, so her being awake before noon was not part of the plan. After spending a few minutes laying in the sun to dry off, Marie pulled on an oversized red sweatshirt with McGill University Est. 1821 across the front in white letters with the University crest. She was enjoying the feeling of the loose sand between her toes with each step. She had purchased the sweatshirt at the University bookstore months earlier. Marie remembered how the clerk had told her that it was a wonderful gift for her boyfriend. It was double extra-large tall, so it was easy to see why that assumption had been made. Marie had just smiled and had not bothered to tell her that she was getting it for herself.
Marie remembered the conversation with Hilda Strike and Henriette about going to the beach here on Langeoog back in April. Yes, the attitudes were different but that was hardly something to get hung up on. Henni had been totally embarrassed, which seemed rather strange. It was not as if anyone were asking her to do anything.
Stepping onto the covered back porch, Marie was greeted by Sprocket who was overjoyed to see her. “Where did you come from?” Marie asked, though it wasn’t as if the dog could give her an answer. He stared up at her, wagging his stubby tail.
Marie figured that she already knew the answer, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw Sophie and Angelica sitting at the table in the kitchen eating either an early lunch or late breakfast. Sprocket went back to his spot under Sophie’s chair, presumably keep an eye out for any bit of food that might get dropped.
“When did you two get in?” Marie asked as she walked through the kitchen.
“Mum told us that you and Tat needed our help having fun” Angelica said with a smile. She obviously knew that was complete rubbish but was enjoying the prospect of needling Marie. It was far more likely that Marie’s parents were more than pleased to have an empty house until Sophie and Angelica decided to come home.
“We rode the train into Wilhelmshaven with the connection to Bensersiel” Sophie said, “We had to wait for the first ferry out to the island, Momma didn’t tell us about that part.”
“Or that there are no motor vehicles allowed on the island” Angelica added.
There were quite a few surprises in store on this island for anyone who wasn’t expecting them. Not all of them were pleasant. A major one being that Tatiana and Marie had been planning on going into Wilhelmshaven that afternoon to get food for the week. The two girls were going to have to decide whether or not they were up to going back so soon.
“Well, you made it” Marie said, as she was aware that she could feel the salt on her skin, and she smelled like seaweed. “If you could excuse me. I’m sure that the two of you will have no trouble entertaining yourselves.”
Sophie and Angelica went right back to whatever they had been doing before Marie had walked in. With that she closed the bathroom door.
----------------------------------------------------------------
If she couldn’t spend the summer doing what she wanted, spending it with her little sister on Langeoog was a welcome alternative. Tatiana had just forgotten the plural nature of that, how she had more than one little sister.
Tatiana was reminded of this when she woke up to a dog barking and the sounds of talking from downstairs. With a great deal of annoyance, she crawled out of bed.
Wiping her nose with the sleeve of the red flannel nightgown she had slept in. It had been a gift from her mother, despite being frumpy and unflattering it was extremely comfortable. That was probably why all of Kat von Mischner’s daughters got them as Christmas every year.
Catching a glance of herself in the mirror. Tatiana saw one of the key disadvantages of having short hair. It stuck out in weird ways where she had slept on it. Padding down the stairs on bare feet, Tatiana was aware that Sophie and Angelica were in the kitchen, she was doing her best to ignore them. There was water running in the bathroom, which explained where Marie was.
It was fortunate that Marie had exacting standards when it came to coffee, and it was an extremely potent blend. Tatiana didn’t care that it had cooled to almost room temperature, she poured a cup and sat down at the table. It was then that she remembered that there was no food in the house. Marie had said that they needed to go get more. The dog was sniffing around her feet, so Tatiana knew that she wasn’t the only one who was having a disappointing morning.
11th July 1977
Langeoog Island, East Frisian Islands
It had been almost two years since Marie Alexandra had been here, though she had often fantasized about it. The warmth of the sun and the water which was cold even during the warmest days of summer were a part of that. Most of all though, Marie liked that no one here judged her, or even took much interest in her for that matter. The heated swimming pool and facilities at the club in Montreal was comparably luxurious, but they had nothing on the wide sandy beaches and grass covered dunes around her mother’s house on the edge of Langeoog town. She was mindful of the tide as she took her morning swim, not going out too far.
It wasn’t quite the tourist season yet and it was a weekday, so Marie had the beach to herself as she waded out of the water. Tatiana had said that she was on holiday, so her being awake before noon was not part of the plan. After spending a few minutes laying in the sun to dry off, Marie pulled on an oversized red sweatshirt with McGill University Est. 1821 across the front in white letters with the University crest. She was enjoying the feeling of the loose sand between her toes with each step. She had purchased the sweatshirt at the University bookstore months earlier. Marie remembered how the clerk had told her that it was a wonderful gift for her boyfriend. It was double extra-large tall, so it was easy to see why that assumption had been made. Marie had just smiled and had not bothered to tell her that she was getting it for herself.
Marie remembered the conversation with Hilda Strike and Henriette about going to the beach here on Langeoog back in April. Yes, the attitudes were different but that was hardly something to get hung up on. Henni had been totally embarrassed, which seemed rather strange. It was not as if anyone were asking her to do anything.
Stepping onto the covered back porch, Marie was greeted by Sprocket who was overjoyed to see her. “Where did you come from?” Marie asked, though it wasn’t as if the dog could give her an answer. He stared up at her, wagging his stubby tail.
Marie figured that she already knew the answer, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw Sophie and Angelica sitting at the table in the kitchen eating either an early lunch or late breakfast. Sprocket went back to his spot under Sophie’s chair, presumably keep an eye out for any bit of food that might get dropped.
“When did you two get in?” Marie asked as she walked through the kitchen.
“Mum told us that you and Tat needed our help having fun” Angelica said with a smile. She obviously knew that was complete rubbish but was enjoying the prospect of needling Marie. It was far more likely that Marie’s parents were more than pleased to have an empty house until Sophie and Angelica decided to come home.
“We rode the train into Wilhelmshaven with the connection to Bensersiel” Sophie said, “We had to wait for the first ferry out to the island, Momma didn’t tell us about that part.”
“Or that there are no motor vehicles allowed on the island” Angelica added.
There were quite a few surprises in store on this island for anyone who wasn’t expecting them. Not all of them were pleasant. A major one being that Tatiana and Marie had been planning on going into Wilhelmshaven that afternoon to get food for the week. The two girls were going to have to decide whether or not they were up to going back so soon.
“Well, you made it” Marie said, as she was aware that she could feel the salt on her skin, and she smelled like seaweed. “If you could excuse me. I’m sure that the two of you will have no trouble entertaining yourselves.”
Sophie and Angelica went right back to whatever they had been doing before Marie had walked in. With that she closed the bathroom door.
----------------------------------------------------------------
If she couldn’t spend the summer doing what she wanted, spending it with her little sister on Langeoog was a welcome alternative. Tatiana had just forgotten the plural nature of that, how she had more than one little sister.
Tatiana was reminded of this when she woke up to a dog barking and the sounds of talking from downstairs. With a great deal of annoyance, she crawled out of bed.
Wiping her nose with the sleeve of the red flannel nightgown she had slept in. It had been a gift from her mother, despite being frumpy and unflattering it was extremely comfortable. That was probably why all of Kat von Mischner’s daughters got them as Christmas every year.
Catching a glance of herself in the mirror. Tatiana saw one of the key disadvantages of having short hair. It stuck out in weird ways where she had slept on it. Padding down the stairs on bare feet, Tatiana was aware that Sophie and Angelica were in the kitchen, she was doing her best to ignore them. There was water running in the bathroom, which explained where Marie was.
It was fortunate that Marie had exacting standards when it came to coffee, and it was an extremely potent blend. Tatiana didn’t care that it had cooled to almost room temperature, she poured a cup and sat down at the table. It was then that she remembered that there was no food in the house. Marie had said that they needed to go get more. The dog was sniffing around her feet, so Tatiana knew that she wasn’t the only one who was having a disappointing morning.
Last edited:
Sprocket does alright. He has humans who love him, take him places with exciting new smells as well as keep him fed and keep him safe.
Part 145, Chapter 2624
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-Four
8th July 1977
Washington D.C.
Normally, Nixon was too busy late into the night to bother watching television. Tonight was a bit different because he was going to need to be aware of what had been said in a couple weeks when he was to have a meeting with the guest on this show. Sure, he could have someone watch it and provide him with a synopsis but that wouldn’t exactly give him a feel as to what was ahead.
“From the NBC Studios in sunny Burbank California!” Ed McMahon read aloud, “Here’s Johnny!”
With that Johnny Carson walked out on stage to a cheering crowd with the band playing. The showman in Nixon recognized a good introduction when he saw one. As the introduction concluded, Carson launched into his monolog. The subject tonight was Baseball. The winning record of the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season and how the fans were already preparing for the dead last finish in the pennant race. It was okay though, because the President was supposed to be providing dirt on the San Francisco Giants at any time.
Nixon was annoyed that and the numerous other jokes along those lines that had become the common parlance among late night comedians. The idea that he had done something untoward when he had broken up that German spy ring in the days leading up to last year’s election. The detail that Gerald Ford had inadvertently been up to eyeballs in that mess had been a happy accident that Nixon had stumbled across a few months earlier. It was exactly like what Napoléon meant when he said that you should never interrupt an opponent when they are making a mistake.
The monolog ended and Carson was doing a gag spot for the fictional sponsor of tonight’s episode, Acme Dog Food, specially blended to for all stages of your dog’s life. Including a new extremely special formula for dead dogs. The visual gag was a clearly fake dog locked in rigor mortis with all four legs pointing up into the air.
“Now, we have a returning guest tonight. The Kaiser’s sister, the Imperial Princess Royal of Germany, Doctor Kristina Alexandra Yekaterina Tatiana von Preussen, how is that for a double-barreled name. And people wonder why she goes by Kiki” Carson said, “You might not remember, but we had her on way back in 1963 when we were still out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. If I recall correct she had an interesting time in New York and even namedropped the Moondogs, before anyone on this side of the Atlantic had ever heard of them.”
A photograph of Kristina playing her viola with Bob Dylan playing guitar appeared. The crowd recognized this as being from what had become a legendary recording and there was wild applause. It seemed that Kristina was popular with this audience. Nixon knew all too well that Burbank was hardly representative of the United States.
With that introduction, Princess Kristina walked out on stage. If you asked most of the American public what a princess looked like, the image in their minds would think of Princess Aurora from the Disney film.
Kristina looked nothing like that.
She was a relatively tall woman in her mid-thirties, sharing a lanky appearance with her brothers. The glasses she was wearing looked like they were military issue, and her hair was curly brown where it wasn’t showing a bit of grey. At least she had decided not to wear the uniform of the German Medical Service tonight. Nixon recalled that she had done that in prior public appearances when she had visited the United States and that had caused the religious crazies in the Bible Belt to blow a gasket. Instead she was wearing a sundress that was a perfect fit for visiting Southern California in July.
“Welcome… Am I pronouncing this right?” Carson asked, “Generalarzt von Preussen?”
Carson mangled the unfamiliar German word.
“Generalarzt” Kristina replied, “It just means that I am the Chief Surgeon of Ulm Military Hospital.”
“How does that compare to what you said the last time you were here?” Carson asked, “You said you held a rank equivalent to an Army Captain.”
“That was long time ago” Kristina said with a smile, “A Generalarzt is comparable to say, a Brigadier.”
The audience was clearly not expecting that answer.
“And whatever happened to that young man you were seen with on the cover of Time Magazine?” Carson asked, taking back control of the conversation. The cover of Time Magazine filled the screen and a much younger Kristina was seen kissing the young man in question.
Kristina smiled at that. “That would be my husband Ben and he is right over there with Nina and Louis, our children” She said, and the camera panned over to a man in the audience wearing a military uniform. There was girl raptly watching her mother on stage and a little boy fidgeting in the arms of an older woman. The briefing materials that Nixon had been provided said that was Fianna Dunn, an Irish National who had worked as a nanny for Kristina herself decades earlier and had come back to play the same role with Kristina’s children.
“He is in the German Army?” Carson asked.
“Luftwaffe Reserve” Kristina replied.
“And who is the ranking Officer?” Carson asked.
Kristina gave him a look that suggested that she didn’t think that was an appropriate question.
“It doesn’t work that way” Kristina said.
All marriages were negotiations, Nixon could only imagine the sort of ticklish dealing that went with both husband and wife being ambitious in their respective fields. What Carson didn’t know was that Benjamin von Hirsch’s real career was that of a Professor of Astronomy. His Reserve status was a means for advancement in that field. His wife, who had an active Commission in the German Medical Service, not only outranked him but also had considerably more time in grade.
“Well, okay then” Carson said, “Your children, a girl and a little boy are here tonight?”
Kristina seemed relieved that the conversation was back on more comfortable ground.
8th July 1977
Washington D.C.
Normally, Nixon was too busy late into the night to bother watching television. Tonight was a bit different because he was going to need to be aware of what had been said in a couple weeks when he was to have a meeting with the guest on this show. Sure, he could have someone watch it and provide him with a synopsis but that wouldn’t exactly give him a feel as to what was ahead.
“From the NBC Studios in sunny Burbank California!” Ed McMahon read aloud, “Here’s Johnny!”
With that Johnny Carson walked out on stage to a cheering crowd with the band playing. The showman in Nixon recognized a good introduction when he saw one. As the introduction concluded, Carson launched into his monolog. The subject tonight was Baseball. The winning record of the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season and how the fans were already preparing for the dead last finish in the pennant race. It was okay though, because the President was supposed to be providing dirt on the San Francisco Giants at any time.
Nixon was annoyed that and the numerous other jokes along those lines that had become the common parlance among late night comedians. The idea that he had done something untoward when he had broken up that German spy ring in the days leading up to last year’s election. The detail that Gerald Ford had inadvertently been up to eyeballs in that mess had been a happy accident that Nixon had stumbled across a few months earlier. It was exactly like what Napoléon meant when he said that you should never interrupt an opponent when they are making a mistake.
The monolog ended and Carson was doing a gag spot for the fictional sponsor of tonight’s episode, Acme Dog Food, specially blended to for all stages of your dog’s life. Including a new extremely special formula for dead dogs. The visual gag was a clearly fake dog locked in rigor mortis with all four legs pointing up into the air.
“Now, we have a returning guest tonight. The Kaiser’s sister, the Imperial Princess Royal of Germany, Doctor Kristina Alexandra Yekaterina Tatiana von Preussen, how is that for a double-barreled name. And people wonder why she goes by Kiki” Carson said, “You might not remember, but we had her on way back in 1963 when we were still out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. If I recall correct she had an interesting time in New York and even namedropped the Moondogs, before anyone on this side of the Atlantic had ever heard of them.”
A photograph of Kristina playing her viola with Bob Dylan playing guitar appeared. The crowd recognized this as being from what had become a legendary recording and there was wild applause. It seemed that Kristina was popular with this audience. Nixon knew all too well that Burbank was hardly representative of the United States.
With that introduction, Princess Kristina walked out on stage. If you asked most of the American public what a princess looked like, the image in their minds would think of Princess Aurora from the Disney film.
Kristina looked nothing like that.
She was a relatively tall woman in her mid-thirties, sharing a lanky appearance with her brothers. The glasses she was wearing looked like they were military issue, and her hair was curly brown where it wasn’t showing a bit of grey. At least she had decided not to wear the uniform of the German Medical Service tonight. Nixon recalled that she had done that in prior public appearances when she had visited the United States and that had caused the religious crazies in the Bible Belt to blow a gasket. Instead she was wearing a sundress that was a perfect fit for visiting Southern California in July.
“Welcome… Am I pronouncing this right?” Carson asked, “Generalarzt von Preussen?”
Carson mangled the unfamiliar German word.
“Generalarzt” Kristina replied, “It just means that I am the Chief Surgeon of Ulm Military Hospital.”
“How does that compare to what you said the last time you were here?” Carson asked, “You said you held a rank equivalent to an Army Captain.”
“That was long time ago” Kristina said with a smile, “A Generalarzt is comparable to say, a Brigadier.”
The audience was clearly not expecting that answer.
“And whatever happened to that young man you were seen with on the cover of Time Magazine?” Carson asked, taking back control of the conversation. The cover of Time Magazine filled the screen and a much younger Kristina was seen kissing the young man in question.
Kristina smiled at that. “That would be my husband Ben and he is right over there with Nina and Louis, our children” She said, and the camera panned over to a man in the audience wearing a military uniform. There was girl raptly watching her mother on stage and a little boy fidgeting in the arms of an older woman. The briefing materials that Nixon had been provided said that was Fianna Dunn, an Irish National who had worked as a nanny for Kristina herself decades earlier and had come back to play the same role with Kristina’s children.
“He is in the German Army?” Carson asked.
“Luftwaffe Reserve” Kristina replied.
“And who is the ranking Officer?” Carson asked.
Kristina gave him a look that suggested that she didn’t think that was an appropriate question.
“It doesn’t work that way” Kristina said.
All marriages were negotiations, Nixon could only imagine the sort of ticklish dealing that went with both husband and wife being ambitious in their respective fields. What Carson didn’t know was that Benjamin von Hirsch’s real career was that of a Professor of Astronomy. His Reserve status was a means for advancement in that field. His wife, who had an active Commission in the German Medical Service, not only outranked him but also had considerably more time in grade.
“Well, okay then” Carson said, “Your children, a girl and a little boy are here tonight?”
Kristina seemed relieved that the conversation was back on more comfortable ground.
Last edited:
TTL's Germany will be seen as equal parts Utopia and Hell, depending which side of the aisle you sit.
Here's a woman who has a family and hold a senior military rank, former special forces with a combat record that will see her stood in the same circle as, (for example), Paddy Mayne, Kat Von Mischner-Blackwood, or Chesty Puller, has an equitable marriage, is still, (although no one is stupid enough to test this), very proficient as self defence.
To the feminists in America who at this point, I believe, are still struggling to open a bank account without their husband co-signing for it, she is a shining example of what a woman can be when the odds aren't stacked against her, (even in Germany, they are, just not to nearly the same level as America). On the other hand, to the, (mostly), men who still believe that a woman has no value until she is a wife, and even then is little better than an appendage to the Husband, to be kept barefoot and pregnant, Kiki is a sign of what a woman can become is they don't keep the odds massively stacked against women.
It's easy to be critical of TTL's America, accuse it of mainlining lead paint while ODing on stupid pills at every opportunity when looking at it through the lense of today, it was only* in 1974 OTL that the Equal Opportunity Credit Act was passed in the US that prohibited discrimination against women in financial matters.
* I say only, for me this was within my lifetime, but I also have to remember that this was also nearly 50 years ago, which to a lot of members, who are in the majority grown adults, graduated and progressing with their careers and families, 20 years before you were born and thus history in the same way the 40's and 50's are to me. This helps me to keep some perspective as well. Especially when I realise I was born closer to the end of WWII than we are to my date of birth today. I feel like a living museum piece now...
Here's a woman who has a family and hold a senior military rank, former special forces with a combat record that will see her stood in the same circle as, (for example), Paddy Mayne, Kat Von Mischner-Blackwood, or Chesty Puller, has an equitable marriage, is still, (although no one is stupid enough to test this), very proficient as self defence.
To the feminists in America who at this point, I believe, are still struggling to open a bank account without their husband co-signing for it, she is a shining example of what a woman can be when the odds aren't stacked against her, (even in Germany, they are, just not to nearly the same level as America). On the other hand, to the, (mostly), men who still believe that a woman has no value until she is a wife, and even then is little better than an appendage to the Husband, to be kept barefoot and pregnant, Kiki is a sign of what a woman can become is they don't keep the odds massively stacked against women.
It's easy to be critical of TTL's America, accuse it of mainlining lead paint while ODing on stupid pills at every opportunity when looking at it through the lense of today, it was only* in 1974 OTL that the Equal Opportunity Credit Act was passed in the US that prohibited discrimination against women in financial matters.
* I say only, for me this was within my lifetime, but I also have to remember that this was also nearly 50 years ago, which to a lot of members, who are in the majority grown adults, graduated and progressing with their careers and families, 20 years before you were born and thus history in the same way the 40's and 50's are to me. This helps me to keep some perspective as well. Especially when I realise I was born closer to the end of WWII than we are to my date of birth today. I feel like a living museum piece now...
Last edited:
Kiki if asked about why German women seems to have more rights then their American counterparts, should just say it wasn’t an ideological shift but motivated by practical considerations as Germany was in a war of survival and needed everyone to contribute as best as they can.
And after the war, Germany still needed women to keep the economy going.
The United States ITTL is not divided by the Vietnam War, there is no massive Baby Boomer generation, no “Greatest Generation”, and that means the Cultural Wars are much more muted compared to IOTL.
There also seems to be no IOTL large Arab Nationalist movement and coupled with no Jewish state in the Middle East means that the Oil Shocks of the 1970’s don’t happen and that makes the Stagflation of the ‘70s less likely.
And after the war, Germany still needed women to keep the economy going.
The United States ITTL is not divided by the Vietnam War, there is no massive Baby Boomer generation, no “Greatest Generation”, and that means the Cultural Wars are much more muted compared to IOTL.
There also seems to be no IOTL large Arab Nationalist movement and coupled with no Jewish state in the Middle East means that the Oil Shocks of the 1970’s don’t happen and that makes the Stagflation of the ‘70s less likely.
While true that the Vietnam Trauma is not there, I keep wondering how the whole race equality would play out. As I do not see any mayor war pushing the population together and bridge the gaps. As such I wonder how restless the Blacks and Latinos would be. Remember that the whole MLK thing blow up and was not resolved at all. The authorities simply blamed him for a wide array of thing.
Oh thank you so much for dropping that piece of reality on me! 😳Especially when I realise I was born closer to the end of WWII than we are to my date of birth today. I feel like a living museum piece now...
Major reality check! 1962!
I was 18 months old when I set up my telescope to watch Sputnik! ;-)
Part 145, Chapter 2625
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-Five
9th July 1977
Los Angeles, California
A decade earlier there had been a joint exercise between U.S. Army Special Forces and German Kommando Spezialkräfte. Apparently, there had been more to it than that. Like so many other things in Ritchie’s professional life, Lucia had only learned fragments of what had actually happened. Kristina von Preussen had apparently been in charge of the medical component of that exercise and had insisted that every effort be made to minimize casualties. When she had learned that Ritchie had gotten into LAPD she had sent him an armored vest like the ones that the German army and Police used. That single action had likely saved Ritchie’s life, as much as he tried to be nonchalant about what had happened during that school shooting. As much as Lucia might have been inclined to be jealous, after all Kiki as she preferred to be called was a part of that same secretive world that Ritchie had operated in, Lucia understood that she owed Kiki a great deal. Who knew that Lucia would find Ritchie’s return to the Army to be a relief? Considering his tendency to be at the center of the action, whatever action that was she shouldn’t have been too surprised by that.
Today though, Lucia couldn’t believe her eyes when the strange German Princess decided to accompany Ritchie and Mario who was in town on leave as they came into the Ralph’s where she worked. They were there to get beer, food on the list that Concha, Ritchie’s mother had given them, and soda for the kids. With it being Saturday afternoon, Lucia understood that she was likely to find her house was a three-ring circus. It had been different when Concha had lived in the San Fernando Valley, but Mario’s Enlistment bonus had come through and they had used to the money to make the down payment on a house a few blocks away from Lucia and Ritchie’s in Highland Park. While that had been nice on days when Lucia had needed someone to watch the kids, it meant that she had Concha along with a number of Ritchie’s nieces and nephews around at least a few times a week.
The two men wearing the sort of suits that businessmen wore, who accompanied Kiki everywhere, just watched with detached amusement. Lucia understood that no matter how these men presented themselves, they were not businessmen. The Store’s Manager stood in shock as Lucia rang up the items as Kiki paged a copy of the National Enquirer and talked with Mario and Ritchie about all the details that the magazine had gotten wrong. Not just with the Hohenzollern Family, which Lucia had never heard of until Kiki used that term, but the Italian and British Royal Families as well. Queen Elizabeth knew how to drive a Tank and her clash with the Prime Minister wouldn’t end how William Whitelaw imagined it would? Prince Amedeo of Italy was a good friend of her Brother Louis Junior. Despite his reputation of being stiff and rather conservative, King Umberto had always been kind to Kiki and her sisters.
It was Lucia’s understanding that Kiki had seven brothers and sisters, which meant that she understood negotiations that came from being a part of a large family. Lucia could easily understand that much. Again, there was the aspect of her career though. So she knew exactly how to talk to Mario while for Lucia that had been a bit awkward. It seemed that there was something about the experience of “Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes” put them on the same wavelength.
As Lucia finished ringing up the groceries, Steffi Bader, Kiki’s Personal Secretary paid for them as they were being bagged. “Before they notice what is actually going on” Steffi said with a smile. Lucia noticed that it was Kiki’s Credit Card that Steffi was using, and that Steffi was authorized to sign for any of her expenses. It seemed that Kiki had a bit of experience in sidestepping male egos.
----------------------------------------------------------------
“There I was, in deep shit up to here” Tony said holding his hand up to somewhere over his head. “Someone had tipped off the gang I was doing business with that I was undercover. To say that they take that sort of thing personally is an understatement.”
For Ben, the company he found himself drinking beer with was sort of a novelty. Richard Anthony “Tony” Marin and Michael “Big Mike” Washington were friends of their host at this party they had been invited to. They were real life Detectives of the sort that Ben had only seen in movies and the stories they told were like something right out of a movie as well.
“I was out of bullets and running out of time when Ritchie rolls up in his car” Tony continued, “These guys who had me cornered were heavy dudes, like shot callers, they had nothing on the Army Man. The glass on his car was coming apart because of all the bullets, but he didn’t care, he comes out with a goddamned shotgun and boom… boom… boom… Anyone stupid enough to have a gun pointed anywhere in his direction got a blast. Then when he was out of shells he drew his pistol and kept right on going.”
“Army Man?” Ben asked.
“That’s the name that Ritchie earned for himself with the Department” Mike said, “The name that everyone calls you whether you like it or not.”
“You might get called the Professor or simply Prof” Tony said.
“Actually I already got a name like that” Ben said, “When I fly with the Luftwaffe I get called Ritter, short for schwarzer Ritter, Black Knight.”
“Where was that?” Big Mike asked, “Anywhere I might have heard of?”
“I would think so” Ben replied, “Korea, Argentina, most recently over Anatolia.”
“So you are some kind of ace?” Tony asked.
“A few times over” Ben said and saw the blank look on Tony’s face added matter of fact. “I’ve downed twenty-four Chinese and Chilean planes in two conflicts.”
“You must have a story or two of your own” Big Mike said.
“You could say so” Ben replied.
9th July 1977
Los Angeles, California
A decade earlier there had been a joint exercise between U.S. Army Special Forces and German Kommando Spezialkräfte. Apparently, there had been more to it than that. Like so many other things in Ritchie’s professional life, Lucia had only learned fragments of what had actually happened. Kristina von Preussen had apparently been in charge of the medical component of that exercise and had insisted that every effort be made to minimize casualties. When she had learned that Ritchie had gotten into LAPD she had sent him an armored vest like the ones that the German army and Police used. That single action had likely saved Ritchie’s life, as much as he tried to be nonchalant about what had happened during that school shooting. As much as Lucia might have been inclined to be jealous, after all Kiki as she preferred to be called was a part of that same secretive world that Ritchie had operated in, Lucia understood that she owed Kiki a great deal. Who knew that Lucia would find Ritchie’s return to the Army to be a relief? Considering his tendency to be at the center of the action, whatever action that was she shouldn’t have been too surprised by that.
Today though, Lucia couldn’t believe her eyes when the strange German Princess decided to accompany Ritchie and Mario who was in town on leave as they came into the Ralph’s where she worked. They were there to get beer, food on the list that Concha, Ritchie’s mother had given them, and soda for the kids. With it being Saturday afternoon, Lucia understood that she was likely to find her house was a three-ring circus. It had been different when Concha had lived in the San Fernando Valley, but Mario’s Enlistment bonus had come through and they had used to the money to make the down payment on a house a few blocks away from Lucia and Ritchie’s in Highland Park. While that had been nice on days when Lucia had needed someone to watch the kids, it meant that she had Concha along with a number of Ritchie’s nieces and nephews around at least a few times a week.
The two men wearing the sort of suits that businessmen wore, who accompanied Kiki everywhere, just watched with detached amusement. Lucia understood that no matter how these men presented themselves, they were not businessmen. The Store’s Manager stood in shock as Lucia rang up the items as Kiki paged a copy of the National Enquirer and talked with Mario and Ritchie about all the details that the magazine had gotten wrong. Not just with the Hohenzollern Family, which Lucia had never heard of until Kiki used that term, but the Italian and British Royal Families as well. Queen Elizabeth knew how to drive a Tank and her clash with the Prime Minister wouldn’t end how William Whitelaw imagined it would? Prince Amedeo of Italy was a good friend of her Brother Louis Junior. Despite his reputation of being stiff and rather conservative, King Umberto had always been kind to Kiki and her sisters.
It was Lucia’s understanding that Kiki had seven brothers and sisters, which meant that she understood negotiations that came from being a part of a large family. Lucia could easily understand that much. Again, there was the aspect of her career though. So she knew exactly how to talk to Mario while for Lucia that had been a bit awkward. It seemed that there was something about the experience of “Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes” put them on the same wavelength.
As Lucia finished ringing up the groceries, Steffi Bader, Kiki’s Personal Secretary paid for them as they were being bagged. “Before they notice what is actually going on” Steffi said with a smile. Lucia noticed that it was Kiki’s Credit Card that Steffi was using, and that Steffi was authorized to sign for any of her expenses. It seemed that Kiki had a bit of experience in sidestepping male egos.
----------------------------------------------------------------
“There I was, in deep shit up to here” Tony said holding his hand up to somewhere over his head. “Someone had tipped off the gang I was doing business with that I was undercover. To say that they take that sort of thing personally is an understatement.”
For Ben, the company he found himself drinking beer with was sort of a novelty. Richard Anthony “Tony” Marin and Michael “Big Mike” Washington were friends of their host at this party they had been invited to. They were real life Detectives of the sort that Ben had only seen in movies and the stories they told were like something right out of a movie as well.
“I was out of bullets and running out of time when Ritchie rolls up in his car” Tony continued, “These guys who had me cornered were heavy dudes, like shot callers, they had nothing on the Army Man. The glass on his car was coming apart because of all the bullets, but he didn’t care, he comes out with a goddamned shotgun and boom… boom… boom… Anyone stupid enough to have a gun pointed anywhere in his direction got a blast. Then when he was out of shells he drew his pistol and kept right on going.”
“Army Man?” Ben asked.
“That’s the name that Ritchie earned for himself with the Department” Mike said, “The name that everyone calls you whether you like it or not.”
“You might get called the Professor or simply Prof” Tony said.
“Actually I already got a name like that” Ben said, “When I fly with the Luftwaffe I get called Ritter, short for schwarzer Ritter, Black Knight.”
“Where was that?” Big Mike asked, “Anywhere I might have heard of?”
“I would think so” Ben replied, “Korea, Argentina, most recently over Anatolia.”
“So you are some kind of ace?” Tony asked.
“A few times over” Ben said and saw the blank look on Tony’s face added matter of fact. “I’ve downed twenty-four Chinese and Chilean planes in two conflicts.”
“You must have a story or two of your own” Big Mike said.
“You could say so” Ben replied.
Last edited:
"No, I wasn't there, No I didn't do it, No it didn't happen that way at all"