Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 147, Chapter 2665
Chapter Two Thousand Six hundred Sixty-Five
27th February 1978
Rural Ukraine, near Pripyat
It was cold this morning as Manny stepped out of the caravan and made his way to the mess tent. Suse Rosa had found his living situation hilarious the last time she had visited. Sort of hard to escape the office when you are living in it, she said. Of course, at the end of the day she went back to the Kyiv apartment they has leased which had amenities that every single man in this outfit, including Manny, would cheerfully kill for about now. They were all waiting for the order to move again, hopefully before the Rasputitsa came with the spring thaw and turned the roads into soup. Getting the caravan, or any other wheeled vehicle, anywhere would turn into an absolute nightmare if they were still here.
If he’d had his way Manny would have slept in a tent like the men, but as an Oberstleutnant he needed the single-axle caravan for the administration end of running the Battalion when it was in the field. It wasn’t very much, just enough space for him to have a desk along with the filing cabinets bolted to the walls. It also had a bed, a small kitchen, and bathroom with a shower he had been advised never to use. Ritchie had told him that it reminded him of the Airstream Caravans that were fairly popular in the United States, albeit without the polished aluminum. Instead, it was painted matte brown like every other support vehicle the Heer used.
It was Ritchie’s presence over the last few days that had resulted in Manny spending most of the morning typing the report for the interested Government Agencies and compiling similar reports from everyone who the American had been in contact with. It was a real bother that Manny had the cursed BND to thank for. There were aspects of the organization and equipment of the 4th Panzer that they wanted Warrant Officer 1 Richard Valenzuela to see. Mostly Ritchie had seemed interested in the Field Kitchens of the 2nd Battalion, the versatile “Goulash Cannon” that every branch of the German Military used and had taken around the world with them. Yes, they were useful for feeding a lot of men quickly with whatever happened to be available in the way of either food or fuel. However, not to the extent that it would explain Ritchie’s interest.
Manny wasn’t stupid, he knew that Ritchie’s real intent had been to get a read on the Battalion’s logistics. Numbers of men and vehicles, the logistics train, and any other things that might be of interest. When Manny had been in the 7th Recon Battalion that had been his job. Ritchie’s job was also to get to know the personalities of the men leading the 4th Panzer Division. He supposed that he ought to be flattered that Ritchie had come to his outfit, because it meant that their rivals across the Atlantic saw him as an up-and-coming Officer. At least that was what Generalmajor Schier had told him. That was the entire point, they wanted the Americans to see them as rivals rather than enemies.
They already had enough trouble here in Ukraine, so they simply didn’t need belligerence from the Americans on top of it. With the revanchists in Russia spouting off about how Belarus and Ukraine were Russian territory that had been stolen by Germany during the Soviet War. Manny’s father had told him a different story. Of how Stalin deliberately starved the people in those regions to create a humanitarian crisis and that those people had greeted them as liberators, the ones who were still alive. Still, there was a threat that if the wrong sort of Government came to power in Moscow, Ukraine and Belarus would have the Russian Army on their borders. Manny suspected that there were many in Ukraine who would welcome the chance to get even, but a whole lot of innocents would get caught in the crossfire.
That was why the 4th was here in scenic Pripyat, located on the Pripyat River. It wasn’t a bad place per say, it was just isolated and its location in proximity to the Russian Frontier made it so that no one came here unless they had to. In the event of the Russians coming across the border this was considered a likely avenue of advance. Manny had seen the village of Chornobyl which was the only other community of note in the area. If anything, it was smaller and poorer than Pripyat.
“Morning, Sir” one of the Soldaten who was setting down a stack of metal trays said sullenly. One of the means of enforcing discipline in the Ranks was assigning jobs to the men, the greater the infraction the worse the job. While “Kitchen Patrol” wasn’t the worst thing that the Noncommissioned Officers could inflict on the enlisted it involved extremely long days and backbreaking work. That also resulted in situations like this one.
“Thank you” Manny replied awkwardly as he took a tray. The soldier just kept his face blank and stood there without replying. This was considered in the field, and it was an informal setting. So the business of saluting wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
Manny went down the line. A scoop of the soup of the day, mostly potatoes and cabbage that was a part of every meal of the day. Then a scoop of oatmeal. A largish piece of fresh rye bread which was one of the advantages of having the field kitchens. A scoop of sauerkraut, which wasn’t as well regarded. And finally a tinned pears and apricots to finish it off. Getting a cup of coffee, Manny found a seat at one of the tables that was empty.
Complaining about the food had been a pastime of soldiers since the dawn of time. Mostly because it was monotonous with the same things every day. Still, the thought changing that situation had everyone up in arms when some wise guy thought it would be funny to start a rumor that the field kitchens were going away when the new ration packs had been introduced a few weeks earlier. Manny wouldn’t put it past the Noncoms to send that particular jokester to work KP, they loved that sort of ironic justice.
27th February 1978
Rural Ukraine, near Pripyat
It was cold this morning as Manny stepped out of the caravan and made his way to the mess tent. Suse Rosa had found his living situation hilarious the last time she had visited. Sort of hard to escape the office when you are living in it, she said. Of course, at the end of the day she went back to the Kyiv apartment they has leased which had amenities that every single man in this outfit, including Manny, would cheerfully kill for about now. They were all waiting for the order to move again, hopefully before the Rasputitsa came with the spring thaw and turned the roads into soup. Getting the caravan, or any other wheeled vehicle, anywhere would turn into an absolute nightmare if they were still here.
If he’d had his way Manny would have slept in a tent like the men, but as an Oberstleutnant he needed the single-axle caravan for the administration end of running the Battalion when it was in the field. It wasn’t very much, just enough space for him to have a desk along with the filing cabinets bolted to the walls. It also had a bed, a small kitchen, and bathroom with a shower he had been advised never to use. Ritchie had told him that it reminded him of the Airstream Caravans that were fairly popular in the United States, albeit without the polished aluminum. Instead, it was painted matte brown like every other support vehicle the Heer used.
It was Ritchie’s presence over the last few days that had resulted in Manny spending most of the morning typing the report for the interested Government Agencies and compiling similar reports from everyone who the American had been in contact with. It was a real bother that Manny had the cursed BND to thank for. There were aspects of the organization and equipment of the 4th Panzer that they wanted Warrant Officer 1 Richard Valenzuela to see. Mostly Ritchie had seemed interested in the Field Kitchens of the 2nd Battalion, the versatile “Goulash Cannon” that every branch of the German Military used and had taken around the world with them. Yes, they were useful for feeding a lot of men quickly with whatever happened to be available in the way of either food or fuel. However, not to the extent that it would explain Ritchie’s interest.
Manny wasn’t stupid, he knew that Ritchie’s real intent had been to get a read on the Battalion’s logistics. Numbers of men and vehicles, the logistics train, and any other things that might be of interest. When Manny had been in the 7th Recon Battalion that had been his job. Ritchie’s job was also to get to know the personalities of the men leading the 4th Panzer Division. He supposed that he ought to be flattered that Ritchie had come to his outfit, because it meant that their rivals across the Atlantic saw him as an up-and-coming Officer. At least that was what Generalmajor Schier had told him. That was the entire point, they wanted the Americans to see them as rivals rather than enemies.
They already had enough trouble here in Ukraine, so they simply didn’t need belligerence from the Americans on top of it. With the revanchists in Russia spouting off about how Belarus and Ukraine were Russian territory that had been stolen by Germany during the Soviet War. Manny’s father had told him a different story. Of how Stalin deliberately starved the people in those regions to create a humanitarian crisis and that those people had greeted them as liberators, the ones who were still alive. Still, there was a threat that if the wrong sort of Government came to power in Moscow, Ukraine and Belarus would have the Russian Army on their borders. Manny suspected that there were many in Ukraine who would welcome the chance to get even, but a whole lot of innocents would get caught in the crossfire.
That was why the 4th was here in scenic Pripyat, located on the Pripyat River. It wasn’t a bad place per say, it was just isolated and its location in proximity to the Russian Frontier made it so that no one came here unless they had to. In the event of the Russians coming across the border this was considered a likely avenue of advance. Manny had seen the village of Chornobyl which was the only other community of note in the area. If anything, it was smaller and poorer than Pripyat.
“Morning, Sir” one of the Soldaten who was setting down a stack of metal trays said sullenly. One of the means of enforcing discipline in the Ranks was assigning jobs to the men, the greater the infraction the worse the job. While “Kitchen Patrol” wasn’t the worst thing that the Noncommissioned Officers could inflict on the enlisted it involved extremely long days and backbreaking work. That also resulted in situations like this one.
“Thank you” Manny replied awkwardly as he took a tray. The soldier just kept his face blank and stood there without replying. This was considered in the field, and it was an informal setting. So the business of saluting wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
Manny went down the line. A scoop of the soup of the day, mostly potatoes and cabbage that was a part of every meal of the day. Then a scoop of oatmeal. A largish piece of fresh rye bread which was one of the advantages of having the field kitchens. A scoop of sauerkraut, which wasn’t as well regarded. And finally a tinned pears and apricots to finish it off. Getting a cup of coffee, Manny found a seat at one of the tables that was empty.
Complaining about the food had been a pastime of soldiers since the dawn of time. Mostly because it was monotonous with the same things every day. Still, the thought changing that situation had everyone up in arms when some wise guy thought it would be funny to start a rumor that the field kitchens were going away when the new ration packs had been introduced a few weeks earlier. Manny wouldn’t put it past the Noncoms to send that particular jokester to work KP, they loved that sort of ironic justice.
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The "Goulash Cannon" mobile field kitchen mentioned in the last post. Developed in the Nineteenth Century, it wasn't phased out completely until the 1980's in OTL .
The cooking vessels on the Goulasch Kanon are all pressure cookers, very efficient, especially for the old wood-fired ones.
Least surprising thing I've ever heard tbh.
Militaries don't throw things out, and if it works, it works.
LOL, and don't go looking into some dark corners of an storageunit or an out of the way spot on an military instalation. It seems an trait for any military, all over the world to keep stuff around that could mayby be usefull or not....LOL
When I was in Middle School, I was living in Navato, a bedroom community in Marin County north of San Francisco. Mare Island, which was one of the main staging points for the Pacific Theater in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam was being decommissioned at that time. It was nearby, so a lot of my classmates had parents who worked there. You wouldn't believe some of the things that were in storage that the US Navy was trying to dispose of.
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The Gulaschkanone ist still very much in use in the Bundeswehr OTL, just modernised.
Older models found their wa yinto civilian use dor e.g. serving soup or one pot dishes at events.
en.wikipedia.org
About the Gulaschkanone and the current model in use in the Bundeswehr (German).
de.wikipedia.org
de.wikipedia.org
Older models found their wa yinto civilian use dor e.g. serving soup or one pot dishes at events.
Field kitchen - Wikipedia
About the Gulaschkanone and the current model in use in the Bundeswehr (German).
Feldkochherd – Wikipedia
TFK 250 – Wikipedia
I have seen people use them at Music Festivals as late as 2010. They make a great alternative to Food Trucks on muddy ground.
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I can imagine.
I know at the Naval Fuel Depot at Point Molate down 101 and across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge from you, there was an entire Ben-Hur generator trailer set up dating from WWII in pristine condition. I spent some time trying to figure out a way to get my hands on it.
I was working for the Navy at the time, down in San Bruno, working on disposing of all that real estate.
Part 147, Chapter 2666
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Sixty-Six
4th March 1978
Mitte, Berlin
When Kat had come up with the criteria necessary to receive the Orden der Tigerin, or Tiger depending on just who the inductee was because some men got touchy over that, she had deliberately made them nearly impossible for any inductee to achieve so that she would never have to award it to anyone. Conspicuous gallantry without regard to personal safety while attempting to save the life of another. Unlike every other Medal or Order with the exception of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, posthumous nomination was allowed. At the time she had not intended to give it anyone other than Tatiana Nikolaevna who’s actions at Tumbler Ridge certainly warranted that sort of recognition.
What Kat had not factored in was she lived in an Empire with a hundred and fifty million people. The odds of someone doing something completely insane at any particular time was higher than most people would believe and who most of those people tended to be… Kat’s offices had been flooded with stories of the actions of Paramedics, Firefighters, Police Officers, all sorts of Medical Professionals, and even ordinary people whose actions in extraordinary circumstances met, or even exceeded the criteria set. She had been forced to hire a team to investigate the nominees and a few times a year, usually on a Saturday or Sunday near the end of the quarter, Kat awarded the Order along with the City of Berlin’s Order of Merit. Freddy had pointed out that Kat had inadvertently created a new Service Order that by its very nature would be equivalent to the Pour-le-Mérite and would fall in precedence right after the Red Eagle.
Kat had not considered any of that, and to drive the point home the Navy had nominated FSR Combat Medic Kris v. Fischer, called the Angel of Anju for her actions in Korea. Kat knew full well who she really was and fortunately there was a backlog of several years on those nominations. So, Kat had been able to duck that particular issue, but the Marine Infantry were not going to be deterred by that forever and Kat didn’t know how Kristina would react.
Today, Kat was looking at the man who was the first of this quarter’s nominees. He was wearing the blue formal uniform of Berlin’s Fire Service and walked stiffly, it was Kat’s understanding that he had suffered severe burns almost two years earlier as he had literally run through a wall of fire to save workers trapped in a burning factory. Then while still recovering he had done almost the exact same thing in an apartment fire just a few months later under similar circumstances. This man’s actions had saved the lives of several people and the fact was that he had been willing to do it a second time knowing the cost and hadn’t cared. The Fire Service had kept him in an administrative job since then.
He stood there as the citation inducting him into the Order of the Tiger was read aloud. Kat knew what he was thinking. That the actions described sounded like they had been done by someone else entirely. She had told her team to be very cautious of who they gave their final recommendations for. The last thing they needed was to have one being worn by a braggart or a fraud.
As Kat pinned the medal of the Order on his chest, she leaned in and whispered “Thank you for all of that” to him. There was a lot of speculation about what exactly she said.
He looked at the round bronze medal that was hanging from the gold and black ribbon. Kat knew it quite well as it had what had become her personal crest with the tiger on the front and the words SERVITIUM, DEDICATIO AD ALIOS engraved on the back.
There was polite applause as Kat waited for the next man to take the stage. He was a recipient of the Berlin Order of Merit, which was nowhere near as prestigious.
Los Angeles, California
Ritchie was starting to wish all sorts of terrible things on the mechanics that the LAPD employed. The more disgusting and painful the better. There was a growing list of parts he was going to need to find and things he would need to do if he wanted to restore Frankenstein back to working order.
When he had found out that Frankenstein, the car that he had driven when he had been full time in the Department had been about to be put up for auction Ritchie had called in a few favors to buy the car outright, or at least what was left of it, directly. It seemed that Frankenstein had been used for parts before the Department had finally had enough and decided to sell it along with a large number of other cars with too much milage.
“The least you can do is help” Ritchie said to Mario who was watching him work.
“I know better than that” Mario replied, “If I get in your way you’ll just kick my ass up and down the street.”
A few years ago, Ritchie would have just assumed that his little brother was being flip. These days he knew better, and his youngest brother seemed to have learned a thing or two. Through the grapevine, Ritchie had heard that the Army had Mario at a camp up in Oregon where they trained and assembled LRRP teams. With Mario having completed Ranger School, they had been left with a few different options for what to do with him. Sending him on leave for a couple weeks in Southern California wasn’t something that they had done out of the goodness of their hearts. It meant that action, likely of the unofficial sort, was about to happen and they wanted him focused on the mission rather than thinking about home.
4th March 1978
Mitte, Berlin
When Kat had come up with the criteria necessary to receive the Orden der Tigerin, or Tiger depending on just who the inductee was because some men got touchy over that, she had deliberately made them nearly impossible for any inductee to achieve so that she would never have to award it to anyone. Conspicuous gallantry without regard to personal safety while attempting to save the life of another. Unlike every other Medal or Order with the exception of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, posthumous nomination was allowed. At the time she had not intended to give it anyone other than Tatiana Nikolaevna who’s actions at Tumbler Ridge certainly warranted that sort of recognition.
What Kat had not factored in was she lived in an Empire with a hundred and fifty million people. The odds of someone doing something completely insane at any particular time was higher than most people would believe and who most of those people tended to be… Kat’s offices had been flooded with stories of the actions of Paramedics, Firefighters, Police Officers, all sorts of Medical Professionals, and even ordinary people whose actions in extraordinary circumstances met, or even exceeded the criteria set. She had been forced to hire a team to investigate the nominees and a few times a year, usually on a Saturday or Sunday near the end of the quarter, Kat awarded the Order along with the City of Berlin’s Order of Merit. Freddy had pointed out that Kat had inadvertently created a new Service Order that by its very nature would be equivalent to the Pour-le-Mérite and would fall in precedence right after the Red Eagle.
Kat had not considered any of that, and to drive the point home the Navy had nominated FSR Combat Medic Kris v. Fischer, called the Angel of Anju for her actions in Korea. Kat knew full well who she really was and fortunately there was a backlog of several years on those nominations. So, Kat had been able to duck that particular issue, but the Marine Infantry were not going to be deterred by that forever and Kat didn’t know how Kristina would react.
Today, Kat was looking at the man who was the first of this quarter’s nominees. He was wearing the blue formal uniform of Berlin’s Fire Service and walked stiffly, it was Kat’s understanding that he had suffered severe burns almost two years earlier as he had literally run through a wall of fire to save workers trapped in a burning factory. Then while still recovering he had done almost the exact same thing in an apartment fire just a few months later under similar circumstances. This man’s actions had saved the lives of several people and the fact was that he had been willing to do it a second time knowing the cost and hadn’t cared. The Fire Service had kept him in an administrative job since then.
He stood there as the citation inducting him into the Order of the Tiger was read aloud. Kat knew what he was thinking. That the actions described sounded like they had been done by someone else entirely. She had told her team to be very cautious of who they gave their final recommendations for. The last thing they needed was to have one being worn by a braggart or a fraud.
As Kat pinned the medal of the Order on his chest, she leaned in and whispered “Thank you for all of that” to him. There was a lot of speculation about what exactly she said.
He looked at the round bronze medal that was hanging from the gold and black ribbon. Kat knew it quite well as it had what had become her personal crest with the tiger on the front and the words SERVITIUM, DEDICATIO AD ALIOS engraved on the back.
There was polite applause as Kat waited for the next man to take the stage. He was a recipient of the Berlin Order of Merit, which was nowhere near as prestigious.
Los Angeles, California
Ritchie was starting to wish all sorts of terrible things on the mechanics that the LAPD employed. The more disgusting and painful the better. There was a growing list of parts he was going to need to find and things he would need to do if he wanted to restore Frankenstein back to working order.
When he had found out that Frankenstein, the car that he had driven when he had been full time in the Department had been about to be put up for auction Ritchie had called in a few favors to buy the car outright, or at least what was left of it, directly. It seemed that Frankenstein had been used for parts before the Department had finally had enough and decided to sell it along with a large number of other cars with too much milage.
“The least you can do is help” Ritchie said to Mario who was watching him work.
“I know better than that” Mario replied, “If I get in your way you’ll just kick my ass up and down the street.”
A few years ago, Ritchie would have just assumed that his little brother was being flip. These days he knew better, and his youngest brother seemed to have learned a thing or two. Through the grapevine, Ritchie had heard that the Army had Mario at a camp up in Oregon where they trained and assembled LRRP teams. With Mario having completed Ranger School, they had been left with a few different options for what to do with him. Sending him on leave for a couple weeks in Southern California wasn’t something that they had done out of the goodness of their hearts. It meant that action, likely of the unofficial sort, was about to happen and they wanted him focused on the mission rather than thinking about home.
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Has Kat effectively created ITTL's equivalent of the George Cross? If so, the firefighter is a worthy recipient, as would be that plucky medic Kris v. Fischer who worked herself into the ground to save the lives of others.
Kiki, for her actions alone in the East Station bombing, deserves the highest award possible from Kat, the award itself should have different ranks from Member being the lowest, to Grand Commander being the highest.
I am not a car guy, but I could see Ritchie fixing up Frankenstein with a Metallic Blue exterior with metal flakes, with an interior of leather seats with a Diamond Tuck, ( I know a couple of places in Tiajuana that can do a great job without breaking the bank) and along with Cop Engine, Cop Transmission, and Cop Suspension he should be the envy of the SoCal car world, and don't forget the Boss Sound System with the 8-Track tape deck.
Mario should be going to Panama next to where the US Army has IOTL at this time the Jungle Warfare School and there should be without the IOTL Panama Canal Treaties increased tension in the region especially if the United States had gone through with plans to expand the canal that were interrupted by IOTL involvement in WW II.
Ritchie's mission to Europe may have been a way for him to gauge if there was a possibility of Germany intervening militarily in favor of Panama if the US took actions to secure the canal.
I am not a car guy, but I could see Ritchie fixing up Frankenstein with a Metallic Blue exterior with metal flakes, with an interior of leather seats with a Diamond Tuck, ( I know a couple of places in Tiajuana that can do a great job without breaking the bank) and along with Cop Engine, Cop Transmission, and Cop Suspension he should be the envy of the SoCal car world, and don't forget the Boss Sound System with the 8-Track tape deck.
Mario should be going to Panama next to where the US Army has IOTL at this time the Jungle Warfare School and there should be without the IOTL Panama Canal Treaties increased tension in the region especially if the United States had gone through with plans to expand the canal that were interrupted by IOTL involvement in WW II.
Ritchie's mission to Europe may have been a way for him to gauge if there was a possibility of Germany intervening militarily in favor of Panama if the US took actions to secure the canal.
....and now this man is going to be important in a few years.
lol
Could Richie be about to be part of the start of the large car low rider scene? Also, I can't remember the status of Cuba in this time line, but I would think US aircraft and naval patrols based out of Cuba would do a lot of screen off the eastern approaches to the canal which makes securing it a lot easier on the foreign intervention side of things.
Cuba is a 3rd rail, Germany supports them and even the US supports them. I can see something happening in China again, maybe something with the Russians stirring up trouble this time. You also have some places in South America that might be wanting some help from the US. Brazil, Chile, Columbia, maybe some others, or even in Panama depending on who is in charge of Panama proper.
Part 147, Chapter 2667
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Sixty-Seven
8th March 1978
Beijing, China
May you live in interesting times. That turn of phrase was actually the work of an Englishman who had attributed to the Chinese. Both as a blessing and a curse. These were certainly interesting times, as much as Pan Yong hated to admit that was the way things had panned out.
First, the thrice damned Emperor of China had died without issue a few weeks earlier and had been followed into the grave only days later by Generalissimo Chiang kai Shek. That left Pan in a position he had coveted for decades, as basically the Dictator of Northern China but in a manner that was undoubtedly seen by most objective observers as being a poison chalice. He knew that the only thing saving his neck was the failing health of Sun Li-gen, the brilliant General who had led the forces of Southern China. There had not been a ready replacement, so the South was holding to the current ceasefire for now. Pan knew all too well that if General Sun had remained in good health, he would have led an army across the Yangtze River as soon as weather permitted. It was fortunate that the South lacked another General of Sun’s acumen.
Where did that leave Pan though?
Pan knew that he wasn’t respected as a General because he had been dealt a bad hand and later had been used as scapegoat by his so-called superiors. No one doubted his ability at scheming and coming out on top in the brutal palace politics that occurred in Beijing. What he lacked was having an Emperor ensconced in the Forbidden City. Before the late, rather unlamented, Emperor had died of renal failure that was the result of advanced cancer he had been useless, apparently not even being capable of doing the one thing that had been asked of him in his entire life. There was one major exception though, whoever held his leash had automatic authority over a vast swath of the country. With the Emperor gone, Pan’s legitimacy had been called into question and he had been forced to resort to the method that had worked since time out of mind to maintain control at least temporarily, brute force.
In the old days, a situation like this would have been easier to solve. The General who took the capital would marry the widow of the old Emperor and declare himself the first Emperor of the new dynasty. Pan knew that sort of thing didn’t work in this era of mass communication and burgeoning republican movement. He would need to find a malleable figurehead to play Emperor, who the people would fall into line behind. Even as Pan had that thought, it occurred to him that someone in the south must have had the same thought and if they found one before he did then his position would grow fatally precarious.
Balderschwang, Bavaria
When Kiki had planned on going on maternity leave this time she’d had something completely different than the reality that greeted her. It had been her hope of finally having the time to take stock of her life and plan out what the next steps would be now that she had finally put the Medical Service behind her. Instead, she found that life wasn’t necessarily going to accommodate her this time. Nina and Louis Bernhard, probably sensing on some level that the status quo in their family was about to be irrevocably disrupted and were being wretched little shits when Kiki was looking at getting Fianna some help managing them. Fianna had said that all she needed was a cattle prod and a pair of steamer trunks. Kiki had seen over the years that Fianna used humor to vent when she was angry. Though Lutz was still too young to give a talking to, Kiki was able to tell Nina that if she kept it then she was going to regret it. While Kiki had never raised a hand against her daughter, there had been times when Nina had seriously tested the limits of her patience. Her understanding was that it was far better to be creative in situations like that and her time in the FSR had been informative.
At the same time, Kiki had been unavailable for most of the last year due to professional obligations. Suddenly, everyone had seemed to be aware of that detail and Steffi had been flooded with requests for Kiki’s time, interviews and the like. There was also a large team of Stonemasons, Metal and Woodworkers, and General Builders who had been working for Kiki for the last six months after a routine survey had revealed that Hohenzollern Castle needed to have its structure repaired and upgraded. It was a massive pile of unsupported masonry that mostly dated from the Nineteenth Century, so Kiki had absolutely no excuses not to do the work even if it was costing her a great deal of money, even by her standards.
Finally, Kiki had received an excited phone call from Ria telling her that she wasn’t the only woman in her family expecting. Then Ria revealed a real bombshell, during her first scan they had discovered that Ria was carrying twins. Of course, Ria and Vicky were identical twins, so the odds of Ria having that happen to her were actually quite good. Kiki had advised Ria to be recording the expressions on the faces of the members of the Landtag of Galicia-Ruthenia in Krakow when she announced that. Many of them had backed her on the basis of their mistaken belief that she was a lesbian and that they would only need to put up with Galicia being a Kingdom during her lifetime. Now this… Kiki figured that she would be able to hear the crying and wailing from her home in Bavaria. Ria had laughed at that and had asked Kiki if she remembered what her due date was. Kiki had reminded her that it was an inexact science, more of a window of time. Kiki had been told early to mid-March and Ria pointed out that they were right in that window of time, that gave Kiki a bit of pause. Looking out the window of her office, she saw that it was a beautiful spring day with the mountains in the distance having the sort of crystal clarity that only seemed to exist in the Alps. With how busy Kiki had been, she had lost track of the date. Doctor Berg and Frau Auer had been hovering around her a lot lately…
8th March 1978
Beijing, China
May you live in interesting times. That turn of phrase was actually the work of an Englishman who had attributed to the Chinese. Both as a blessing and a curse. These were certainly interesting times, as much as Pan Yong hated to admit that was the way things had panned out.
First, the thrice damned Emperor of China had died without issue a few weeks earlier and had been followed into the grave only days later by Generalissimo Chiang kai Shek. That left Pan in a position he had coveted for decades, as basically the Dictator of Northern China but in a manner that was undoubtedly seen by most objective observers as being a poison chalice. He knew that the only thing saving his neck was the failing health of Sun Li-gen, the brilliant General who had led the forces of Southern China. There had not been a ready replacement, so the South was holding to the current ceasefire for now. Pan knew all too well that if General Sun had remained in good health, he would have led an army across the Yangtze River as soon as weather permitted. It was fortunate that the South lacked another General of Sun’s acumen.
Where did that leave Pan though?
Pan knew that he wasn’t respected as a General because he had been dealt a bad hand and later had been used as scapegoat by his so-called superiors. No one doubted his ability at scheming and coming out on top in the brutal palace politics that occurred in Beijing. What he lacked was having an Emperor ensconced in the Forbidden City. Before the late, rather unlamented, Emperor had died of renal failure that was the result of advanced cancer he had been useless, apparently not even being capable of doing the one thing that had been asked of him in his entire life. There was one major exception though, whoever held his leash had automatic authority over a vast swath of the country. With the Emperor gone, Pan’s legitimacy had been called into question and he had been forced to resort to the method that had worked since time out of mind to maintain control at least temporarily, brute force.
In the old days, a situation like this would have been easier to solve. The General who took the capital would marry the widow of the old Emperor and declare himself the first Emperor of the new dynasty. Pan knew that sort of thing didn’t work in this era of mass communication and burgeoning republican movement. He would need to find a malleable figurehead to play Emperor, who the people would fall into line behind. Even as Pan had that thought, it occurred to him that someone in the south must have had the same thought and if they found one before he did then his position would grow fatally precarious.
Balderschwang, Bavaria
When Kiki had planned on going on maternity leave this time she’d had something completely different than the reality that greeted her. It had been her hope of finally having the time to take stock of her life and plan out what the next steps would be now that she had finally put the Medical Service behind her. Instead, she found that life wasn’t necessarily going to accommodate her this time. Nina and Louis Bernhard, probably sensing on some level that the status quo in their family was about to be irrevocably disrupted and were being wretched little shits when Kiki was looking at getting Fianna some help managing them. Fianna had said that all she needed was a cattle prod and a pair of steamer trunks. Kiki had seen over the years that Fianna used humor to vent when she was angry. Though Lutz was still too young to give a talking to, Kiki was able to tell Nina that if she kept it then she was going to regret it. While Kiki had never raised a hand against her daughter, there had been times when Nina had seriously tested the limits of her patience. Her understanding was that it was far better to be creative in situations like that and her time in the FSR had been informative.
At the same time, Kiki had been unavailable for most of the last year due to professional obligations. Suddenly, everyone had seemed to be aware of that detail and Steffi had been flooded with requests for Kiki’s time, interviews and the like. There was also a large team of Stonemasons, Metal and Woodworkers, and General Builders who had been working for Kiki for the last six months after a routine survey had revealed that Hohenzollern Castle needed to have its structure repaired and upgraded. It was a massive pile of unsupported masonry that mostly dated from the Nineteenth Century, so Kiki had absolutely no excuses not to do the work even if it was costing her a great deal of money, even by her standards.
Finally, Kiki had received an excited phone call from Ria telling her that she wasn’t the only woman in her family expecting. Then Ria revealed a real bombshell, during her first scan they had discovered that Ria was carrying twins. Of course, Ria and Vicky were identical twins, so the odds of Ria having that happen to her were actually quite good. Kiki had advised Ria to be recording the expressions on the faces of the members of the Landtag of Galicia-Ruthenia in Krakow when she announced that. Many of them had backed her on the basis of their mistaken belief that she was a lesbian and that they would only need to put up with Galicia being a Kingdom during her lifetime. Now this… Kiki figured that she would be able to hear the crying and wailing from her home in Bavaria. Ria had laughed at that and had asked Kiki if she remembered what her due date was. Kiki had reminded her that it was an inexact science, more of a window of time. Kiki had been told early to mid-March and Ria pointed out that they were right in that window of time, that gave Kiki a bit of pause. Looking out the window of her office, she saw that it was a beautiful spring day with the mountains in the distance having the sort of crystal clarity that only seemed to exist in the Alps. With how busy Kiki had been, she had lost track of the date. Doctor Berg and Frau Auer had been hovering around her a lot lately…
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