Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

Somewhere in Bohemia...

Bohemian Quartermaster #1: "Oh no! The armoury warehouse packed to the rafters with the latest shipment of small arms has mysteriously burnt to the ground! What shall we do?! Who will tell the King?!"
Bohemian Quartermaster #2: "This is a major set back, that is sure! Especially since the train from Brno had JUST finished unloading an hour ago! Fortunately, the Crown insists on fire insurance! I need to tell the Defense Ministry that we need to order replacements!"
Bohemian Quartermaster #3: "I've been telling people for years that we need some sort of fire suppression system like automatic sprinklers in that damn building! Maybe now they will listen!"

Seriously though, Michael is entering extremely deep water and I don't think that his father will be all that happy with him.

As for Kiki's latest health issues, surely SOMEONE must have realised by now that they need to a) keep a closer eye on her during the busy times and b) that they really need to include a proper medic in her security detail. One with the authority to force her to rest, chaining her to her own bed if necessary.
 
How long until Kiki finds she has a natural talent for epidemiology?
If she does, I can see her father suggesting that she writes the papers under a pen name like he does.
 
We need to know what are the plans and goals of the Polish government, the government is on the record saying "Poland is for the Poles" which does not give out warm and fuzzy vibes.
No doubt the Polish government is telling the Polish people that their farms were stolen by outsiders who will not assimilate themselves in to Polish culture especially the use of the Polish language.
There may be a push for a "Greater Poland" by the nationalists which will alarm Lithuania, Belarus, and the Ukraine as Poland have claimed parts of them in the past IOTL.

King Michael should hold off on supplying small arms to the Freikorps and instead send Kurt as his personal representative to them so that he can get more information from the ground.
Michael should be talking to his Chancellor and ministers because he is just a constitutional monarch and that is getting in to State Policy which he should not be interfering in.
Instead Michael should be talking with his father, the Kaiser and getting his advice as Louis Ferdinand has more ways of getting things done behind the scenes without leaving fingerprints if you know what I mean.
 
To be honest, right now I am a bit stumped.
Why is Louis Sr, ie the Kaiser, not doing anything. As I remember he is the King of Poland or some suich and as such should have some say in the afairs of the Polish state. Even if he is using a hands off approach, the Polish actions are too far for the well being of Europe and the Hohenzollern ruled states.

On the other hand, while Germany and its allies are falling from one crisis into another, we seem to learn very little about the big black mark that is equality in the USA right now. And if I remember correctly that is going on for several ITL years already.

Yes I understand that a multi thread story is hard to do, but it seems that the USA have gotten off the hook so to say after all the delicious buildup of King and co.
 
To be honest, right now I am a bit stumped.
Why is Louis Sr, ie the Kaiser, not doing anything. As I remember he is the King of Poland or some suich and as such should have some say in the afairs of the Polish state. Even if he is using a hands off approach, the Polish actions are too far for the well being of Europe and the Hohenzollern ruled states.

Well, Queen Elizabeth is Queen of Australia as well as of Great Britain, but can you imagine the furore there'd be if she tried to, say, have the Governor-General dissolve Parliament there or something?

On the other hand, while Germany and its allies are falling from one crisis into another, we seem to learn very little about the big black mark that is equality in the USA right now. And if I remember correctly that is going on for several ITL years already.

I'm definitely hoping to hear more about the US alright...
 

ferdi254

Banned
To elaborate on my last post. If some old weapons that have been around for some time appear no one can trace those back. OTL today AK 47s cannot be traced back to anybody. But brand new weapons only issued to one or two armies... beast of a totally different color.
 
Well congratulations Michael, you killed the German Empire.

Cause if the Poles realize the Czechs are arming the Galicians, expect things to get a lot worse. Especially as I'm sure there are more than a few Polish government officials who have as dim a view of Czechoslovakia as the OTL ones did.
 
Well, Queen Elizabeth is Queen of Australia as well as of Great Britain, but can you imagine the furore there'd be if she tried to, say, have the Governor-General dissolve Parliament there or something?
Sure that is a very serious thing to do...
But as we, or at least I, do not know the real situation vis a vis Germany and Poland in regards to the Hohenzollern Family, I think a "strongly worded letter" to all sides could be the thing to start with. At least it shows that Louis is taking an interest in what happens. And if the Polish system is not responding to his attampt to deescalate, then he has other options.
That is what is getting me here. It seems as if Louis is not interested in this as it happens, but he should be as the royal house. And even more so in response to the troubles he has had in Germany. It would show that the ruling family is taking its obligations seriously. And all this time, it always seemd to me that he was taking his role serious.
 
If you take the possibility that Vicky will run out of the wedding ceremony, Michael, King of Bohemia is interfering in “Internal Polish Affaires” and Kaiser Louis Ferdinand is abdicating in 1970 it is not going to be the end of the German Empire but also the monarchy itself.
Remember that a lot of the ITTL SPD members of Reichstag were in OTL from the GDR and part of the SED the forced merger of the KPD and SPD and they are more left wing of the OTL SPD of Brandt and Schmidt.
 
Sure that is a very serious thing to do...
But as we, or at least I, do not know the real situation vis a vis Germany and Poland in regards to the Hohenzollern Family, I think a "strongly worded letter" to all sides could be the thing to start with. At least it shows that Louis is taking an interest in what happens. And if the Polish system is not responding to his attampt to deescalate, then he has other options.
That is what is getting me here. It seems as if Louis is not interested in this as it happens, but he should be as the royal house. And even more so in response to the troubles he has had in Germany. It would show that the ruling family is taking its obligations seriously. And all this time, it always seemd to me that he was taking his role serious.

I think he probably is interested, just he might think that interference at this stage might undermine anything the actual elected government in Germany might be trying to do. Like, it might harden attitudes in Poland, etc. Whereas if he chooses his moment better...

If you take the possibility that Vicky will run out of the wedding ceremony, Michael, King of Bohemia is interfering in “Internal Polish Affaires” and Kaiser Louis Ferdinand is abdicating in 1970 it is not going to be the end of the German Empire but also the monarchy itself.
Remember that a lot of the ITTL SPD members of Reichstag were in OTL from the GDR and part of the SED the forced merger of the KPD and SPD and they are more left wing of the OTL SPD of Brandt and Schmidt.

I doubt Vicky would leave Franz at the altar. If she cancels, it'll be ahead of things, with a discreet phone conversation, probably followed by her going quietly abroad somewhere for a while. Which...honestly, I doubt that'd be an issue: plenty of canceled engagements among monarchs IRL as well as ITTL. And it's not as if Albrecht would leave Germany over it - Bavaria's too entrenched in the German state at this point, economically it'd suffer badly...

Otherwise...I agree. I don't think that Germany proper would split up, but this is a dangerous time for the German monarchy and for the wider Empire (Poland, Bohemia, etc.). If they can get through the next couple of years, they'll hold fast, but...interesting times lie ahead.
 
There were jokes from us about Kat becoming a diplomat and I think that throughout the years the various Chancellors and members of the Reichstag have a wary opinion of Kat and her closeness to the Imperial Family she may be the best envoy to Warsaw to tell the Polish government that if they keep up what they are doing then they are going to be looking down the barrels of the latest tanks that Germany has.
 
There were jokes from us about Kat becoming a diplomat and I think that throughout the years the various Chancellors and members of the Reichstag have a wary opinion of Kat and her closeness to the Imperial Family she may be the best envoy to Warsaw to tell the Polish government that if they keep up what they are doing then they are going to be looking down the barrels of the latest tanks that Germany has.
On the other hand...

I still want to see the Mischner Siblings lead one last fight. Hans and Kat do work well together.
 
The pogram of Lwow on December 30, 1967 should have been the shot across the bow of the Empire. You simply can't ignore hundreds of Jews being turned into refugees by the mob ransacking their homes and businesses. Not only that, but "Galacian separatist terrorists" have shot Polish officers. These events should have been news 24/7 for weeks, forcing "The Feds" to move into eastern Galacia to restore the peace which the Polish government seems unwilling to do (wow, shades of Portland).
 
couple of things:

1. Why does everyone think that the Kingdom of Bohemia is sending brand new never been used we don't even have it weapons to the Freikorps? This just means that they can dispose of the really good but old weapons they have in stock to whom ever. You're basically trading in a barely used car for a brand new model and the dealer has just the buyer in mind to take the used one off their hand, bonus points if the shrub who just got pruned is involved.

2. Just becasuse Peabody-Martini hasn't said anything doesn't mean the stripped feline from Asia is not active. Hans more than likely gets a heads up from the Woltyja family on what is going on because they know that peace helps them more at this juncture than civil war. The Kaiser is not the person who would be personally reacting to what is going on in Poland for a reason, you know maybe they need to get the right people in place before they do anything.
 
Part 111, Chapter 1831
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-One



31st January 1968

Huế, Vietnam

When Vicky had been asked if she wanted to travel to Vietnam with her father, he had gently suggested that she might not be in a state to take such a trip a year from now. That had sent her mind reeling as she understood the implications of that. It was what had caused her to fret for the entire flight from Berlin to Hanoi. Spending the week since at a luxury resort at Cam Ranh Bay a few kilometers from the Space Center had pushed that from her mind as she had made use of the amenities and had a lot of fun with Nella and Nan on the beach.

She couldn’t help but notice that her father was trying to keep tabs on a crisis that was unfolding back home. Something about Poland, how he was feeling that he could no longer trust the Government of the Protectorate as they had minimized the situation and told him that it was a strictly internal matter. Vicky was getting the idea that there was far more to in than that. News had also arrived that Kiki had landed in the hospital with a bad case of influenza. It had been a few years since the last time that had happened and Vicky’s father just shook his head, he said that he wished that Kristina would take better care of herself and not work as hard. She didn’t have anything to prove anymore by behaving that way. That had been when Vicky had noticed just how much the pressures of his Office and being the pater familias of the House of Hohenzollern weighed on him.

Finally, they were able to make their way from Cam Ranh Bay up the coast to the ancient Imperial capital of Vietnam.

The way that Huế was decorated for the holiday made it beautiful with red and yellow decor everywhere Vicky looked. Almost all the government functions were handled in Hanoi these days, but the ancient city and citadel remained the cultural capital of Vietnam. It had frequently provided a spectacular backdrop for key civic events, the Tet Holiday which celebrated the Lunar New Year was an example. Earlier in the day, there had been a military parade through the city. Vicky had seen that different units of the Vietnamese Army from either the north or south had maintained their longstanding rivalry. This had come in the form of trying to out do one another in their presentation. Then came the banquet as they waited for sundown and the start of the festival that would last for the next nine days.

As she had waited, Vicky had found herself talking with the wife of the American Ambassador to Vietnam. Wishing that the sun would hurry up and set already the entire time. She had introduced herself to Vicky with the same breath that she had told her that she was from Texas and it seemed she was an avid reader of the American version of the tabloids that Vicky abhorred.

“I’m glad in was the Kaiser’s good daughter who came visiting” The Ambassador’s wife said, “I don’t know what I would say to those other two.”

“Excuse me?” Vicky asked.

“You know, your oldest sister as an Army Doctor and the other one is…” The Ambassador’s wife paused as she thought about what to say next. “You have to see how she looks with her hair cut short and the way she dresses. People get an impression.”

“I see” Vicky said in disbelief, the irony was breath taking. This woman was presuming that Kiki was way out of line for not fitting into a neat little box labeled Princess by having a career, and that Rea was a lesbian based solely on her appearance.

“Don’t get me wrong, I understand how it must be having black sheep in the family and you have my sympathy. Back home we would have straightened them out and back on the Lord’s path in no time.”

Vicky maintained her outward calm but inside she was screaming. Anna had warned her about how there were well meaning people out there who were prepared to do the most appalling things in order to “fix” people like them. It got even worse when they couched their actions in religion, it meant that they could rationalize anything and get others to look the other way. To actually meet someone like that…

“I saw a while back that you are getting hitched” The Ambassador’s wife said with a dazzling smile that made Vicky’s skin crawl. “To the Crown Prince of Bavaria, no less.”

“Yes” Vicky replied, and she understood that people like this woman were the reason she was entering into the marriage in the first place. Both she and Franz needed it to shield them from their presumptions and how they would react if the truth ever came out.

“You must be so happy” The Ambassador’s wife said, and Vicky actually wished that she had Kiki’s courage and combat training at that moment.

Fortunately, Vicky was saved by the first fireworks going off in the distance as the sun set. As had been arranged weeks earlier, Vicky joined her family and followed her father and stepmother with Nella and Nan as they entered the Imperial Palace of Vietnam as the first visitors of the new year where they were warmly greeted.
 
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Yeah... 'German Princess Murders American Diplomats' Wife' wouldn't have been good press :p

In all seriousness...while Germany's still conservative and certain laws need an upgrade...they're definitely ahead of America. *Shivers*

Though mind you...a question does arise here, re the wedding. Albrecht is hoping for an heir (and probably a spare, though he didn't specify) out of the marriage, as well as cover for his son, and we see Vicky considering that. But...that assumes Vicky or Franz can actually have kids. I mean, the wedding would still fulfil its major purpose of providing cover for the two of them, but if either turns out not to be able to have kids she might end up rather resentful, going 'I did this because I wanted a family...thanks a bunch, God'. Along with the Bavarian succession not looking great.

And we see Louis is keeping read in on the situation in Poland... I have a feeling he may need to go home fairly quickly...

Ah, well that's one way to find yourself wondering why your husband gets instantly recalled from your post

Indeed. Like... 'Making personal comments on the German Royal Family? Why ever would that be a problem?' XD
 
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