Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Six
15th July 1967
Silesia
Sitting in his father’s study, Albrecht was trying to limit his intake of alcohol so he could keep his wits about him. Manfred von Richthofen was entertaining a number of prominent men, all heads of important Silesian families and industry. They made up the base of his power in the State and they were the ones who had elevated him to be the Prince-Elector of Silesia. All of them were as powerful as they were corrupt. That corruption was the very thing that had led to the situation where Manfred had them by the balls and there wasn’t a chance in Hell that he was ever going to let go. Mostly, it was in the form of debt, Manfred took their political support in lieu of money, but not entirely and as a few of them had learned the hard way, he wasn’t above calling in their debts if it suited him. It was hardly a surprise that no matter what they did, they ended up further in the hole while the Richthofen family kept handing them shovels.
For Albrecht, he disliked getting roped into his father’s Machiavellian schemes but his sense of loyalty to his father and his wider family kept him from speaking up. Whatever disagreements Albrecht had with Manfred, the importance of presenting a united front to the world and not bringing their arguments out into the light for all to see had been something that had been drilled into his head from before he had even learned to walk. He supposed that just being in this room at his father’s side was an improvement over what had been the status quo over the previous two decades. Helene had told him that their father treating them like equals as opposed to rivals or worse, as disappointments, was probably the best that they could hope for.
Eventually, the others left, leaving only Albrecht and Manfred in the study. It was a warm Summer night and all the windows were open allowing fresh air in. Manfred was seated in his favorite chair facing the bookcases and the glass fronted case containing his favorite firearms. There were a large number of trophies mounted on the walls, everything from prizes taken on hunting trips around the globe to bits of aircraft that he had shot down over France and Poland. Years earlier, Albrecht had realized that this room was a physical manifestation of his father’s mind. Rust was sleeping in his accustomed spot next to Manfred’s chair. Albrecht took the chair opposite of his father and waited.
“You don’t approve of me?” Manfred asked before sipping his drink.
“You have those men over a barrel, and I think that will have unforeseen consequences” Albrecht replied.
“That bunch of jackals” Manfred said with a snort, “They were playing the same game I was, except they lost. They didn’t have the balls to see it through and now they will be taking orders from us, forever if I have my way.”
“Where is the dividing line?” Albrecht asked, “Between your personal ambition and what you see as advancing our family’s interests.”
“You don’t think those are one in the same?” Manfred asked in reply, “You will eventually learn it when you are sitting in this chair.”
“You assume that I want to take your place” Albrecht said.
“No” Manfred replied, “Lothar would have tried to take my place, and completely fucked it up like he did with everything else. I assume that you will play this role in your own way and those men who you worry about me mistreating will welcome you with open arms because you aren’t me. You are smart enough to know just how untrustworthy they are and act accordingly.”
Albrecht really didn’t like it when his father talked about Lothar this way. His older brother had spent his entire life, trying to meet their father’s expectations, and failed at every step along the way. At some point, Albrecht had realized that it was Lothar’s obsequious nature that had become his undoing. Manfred von Richthofen just couldn’t respect him because of that. It had been again and again Albrecht had stood up to his father that had changed their relationship. First while going to University where, as a Doctoral Student, he had done necessary though secret work on the guidance computers used in rockets. Him getting a series of student deferments at the time had not gone over well, then he had joined the Navy after the war… It had not been until he had joined what would become the ESA Space Program and had gone into orbit a couple times that Manfred had started to come around. It hadn’t been until a few years later Albrecht had gone back to the ESA and commanded the Taxidiotis Program, often going toe to toe with Werner von Braun that he had finally started treating him as something other than the black sheep of the family.
“Keep in mind that everything I do, it is for you and Nikolaus” Manfred said, “You and the boy are my legacy, the ones who carry on this family after I am gone.”
“Tell me more about after you are gone” Albrecht replied.
Manfred laughed at that as he got up from his chair. Walking over he clapped Albrecht on the shoulder with Rust falling into step behind him.
“I’m not going anywhere for a long time” Manfred said, “So don’t go measuring the drapes.”
With that, Manfred left the room and Albrecht was reminded of something else that Helene had said. That their father was exactly the sort who would live for another twenty years, if for no other reason than to spite them.