Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane
Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again
Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt
Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it
Or as the final verse of the song put it more succinctly
Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games
Hiding up in tree-tops, shouting out rude names
Last edited:
I'm looking forward to the reception.
If feels like it's a Chekhov's gun moment.
In this case, I get the feeling that I'd Suse goes, she'll be regaled with war stories, right until she mentions that she was at Rio Gallagos, I can't wait to see the response she gets to "I stayed and fixed the Panzers".
"Did you have a unit protecting you"?
"No, I didn't need it"
"She is the Kurfurstin's Goddaughter"
[Knowing looks pass between the Japanese delegation]
"So you were at least armed for self defense"?
"Why would I need to be armed"?
"Truly she is the Kurfurstin's Goddaughter"
[Suse is slightly confused, Kat stifles a smile, Suse is treated VERY respectfully afterwards]
If feels like it's a Chekhov's gun moment.
In this case, I get the feeling that I'd Suse goes, she'll be regaled with war stories, right until she mentions that she was at Rio Gallagos, I can't wait to see the response she gets to "I stayed and fixed the Panzers".
"Did you have a unit protecting you"?
"No, I didn't need it"
"She is the Kurfurstin's Goddaughter"
[Knowing looks pass between the Japanese delegation]
"So you were at least armed for self defense"?
"Why would I need to be armed"?
"Truly she is the Kurfurstin's Goddaughter"
[Suse is slightly confused, Kat stifles a smile, Suse is treated VERY respectfully afterwards]
If looks could kill they probably will
In Games without Frontiers
War without Tears
It's a Knockout. (Jeux sans Frontiere)
Talking of silly games isn't it Olympic year?
Fucked six ways to Sunday without even getting dinner bought first.
Greece went full Hegellian, Kurdistan is knocking about in the East. At one point they got hit by Mustard Gas equipped V2's (or a V2 derivative). Essentially the idea that a Turkish State even exists ITTL has got to be a source of some international curiosity considering most other nations would have completely disintegrated by now.
Turkey took in a large number of Albanian refugees a few years back in this timeline after Greece and Serbia did some ethnic cleansing, look for the next crisis to be in Cyprus as Greece seeks to expand the Hellenic Empire.
Meanwhile Empress Suga must have had a good visit to Japan leading the German delegation to the Sapporo Winter Olympics hopefully she brought her children along to visit her side of the family.
Meanwhile Empress Suga must have had a good visit to Japan leading the German delegation to the Sapporo Winter Olympics hopefully she brought her children along to visit her side of the family.
I think the Turks used mustard gas on the Greeks, who retaliated with their "New & Improved Greek Fire" recipe, aka Chlorine Triflouride.
It was Greece that used the rockets first then the Turks retaliated with the mustard gas afterwards the war petered out because of winter.
Part 126, Chapter 2128
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Twenty-Eight
3rd March 1972
Mitte, Berlin
After everything that had happened over the prior months this reception was the first indication that things were probably unlikely to go back to normal anytime soon. The reception in the Japanese Embassy was already going full tilt, or at least as full tilt as these things ever did, and Tilo was instantly reminded as to why he preferred battlefields. On a battlefield you only had to worry about getting killed in dozens of gruesome ways. For Nancy, this was her element. She chatted with the various other guests and had little trouble remembering who everyone was. Tonightâs events happened to be the preliminary for the main event that would occur in a week, when the final set of awards for the Argentine Campaign were to be awarded.
Tilo recognized Manfred von Mischner and Suse Rosa Knispel, they looked lost tonight, just as far out of their element as Tilo was. Manfred was far better as a lethal marksman and Suse was said to be happiest when she was up to her elbows in an engine rebuild and covered in grease. They really did look like children playing dress up though Tilo knew that they were in their mid-twenties.
On the other extreme was their host tonight, retired Field Marshal Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The man who had been afforded the honor of acting as the proxy of the Japanese Emperor tonight. Tilo knew him only by reputation. The story was that had been that he had been sent to conduct the defense of an island in the Central Pacific. A thankless task that had been considered suicidal because he had come to be seen as defeatist. The war had shifted elsewhere and the defenses of the delightful slice of paradise dubbed Sulphur Island had never been tested. According to the postwar assessment that Tilo had read, the plan for the entirety of the Marine Infantry and elements of the 13th Army Group to assault that island would have been far tougher than anticipated if it had gone ahead. A thirty-kilometer tunnel network, hundreds of bunkers, hidden artillery pieces, overlapping fields of fire had been constructed and the HSFâs Intelligence Section had been unaware of most of that. The assessment had suggested that the Marine Infantry would have been bled white.
In a twist of fate, getting sent to that island had probably saved Kuribayashiâs life. He had sat out the brutal civil war that had erupted between Japanâs Navy and Army in the last weeks of the Second World War. Most of the IJAâs General Staff had been killed when the IJN had responded to an ultimatum made by the Army by shelling their Headquarters. After the war, Kuribayashi had returned to Japan and was one of the few General Officers with his reputation and honor intact. He had overseen the reconstruction of the Japanese Army based on what he felt were the best aspects of the German and US Armies. As far as Tilo knew, no one had had the nerve to question his judgement in strategic matters in the years since. It was believed by many that he was one of the key figures in preventing Japan from becoming East Asiaâs version of Turkey. A former seat of empire that continued on as a rump state while surrounded by former subjects turned bitter enemies that only survived because it sat on land no one else wanted.
âIt is an honor to finally meet youâ Tilo said in his best Japanese as they were introduced to Kuribayashi. Seeing how old the retired Japanese General was, Tilo figured that he might not have gotten another chance.
âThe feeling is mutualâ Kuribayashi replied and as they were exchanging the ritual greetings, Tilo realized that the old Marshal was addressing him as an equal.
âYou do understand that we would have been enemies regardless of which side you would have been on during the Pacific Warâ Kuribayashi observed. Meaning that he was aware that Tilo was Marine Infantry. As Tilo had already noted, the IJA and IJN had fought a civil war, one which the Navy had won, but the reverberations of that still echoed in Japan with the current political parties dividing along the lines of that final act of the Pacific War.
âYou wouldnât have noticedâ Tilo replied, âI was leading a Platoon of Sea Lions in those days.â
âThat would have put you ashore with the first wave if your Admiral von Schmidt had contested my islandâ Kuribayashi said, âDo you have an opinion of the welcome I had planned?â
âIt would have been a tough nut to crackâ Tilo said, âBut we would have done it.â
âReally?â
âIt was glossed over in the assessmentâ Tilo said, âBut you would not have contested the landings at first, instead you would have waited until we were bunched up on the beach and clobbered us as the Company Commanders were gathering their men to push inland.â
âHow certain are you of that?â Kuribayashi asked. Tilo could tell by the rhythm of the questions that even now, the old Field Marshal was pursuing a strategy here. He must have read everything that Japanese Military Intelligence had on Tilo.
âBecause it is what I would have done in your placeâ Tilo said, and the older Marshalâs face became unreadable. Reier had told Tilo in the past that there are some people you do not play cards against, considering that Tiloâs Platoon had been the ones who had taught the Japanese Crown Prince how to play Poker that was saying a great deal. It was clear that Kuribayashi was one of those people.
âThat is not the answer I was expectingâ Kuribayashi said, âMost people suggest that IâŚâ
Then the conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Katherine von Mischner. Her nephew was one of those being honored tonight, so of course she would be present.
âIs the Lady as formidable as her reputation suggests?â Kuribayashi asked.
âWe were discussing fighting over an islandâ Tilo replied, âI would have taken the island if ordered to. The Tigress wouldnât have bothered taking the island, instead she would have neutralized it with the most powerful weapons at her disposal so that it wouldnât become a nuisance as she made her way directly to Tokyo.â
âI seeâ Kuribayashi replied. And further conversation was curtailed by the arrival of Emperor Friedrich and wife Suga-no-miya.
3rd March 1972
Mitte, Berlin
After everything that had happened over the prior months this reception was the first indication that things were probably unlikely to go back to normal anytime soon. The reception in the Japanese Embassy was already going full tilt, or at least as full tilt as these things ever did, and Tilo was instantly reminded as to why he preferred battlefields. On a battlefield you only had to worry about getting killed in dozens of gruesome ways. For Nancy, this was her element. She chatted with the various other guests and had little trouble remembering who everyone was. Tonightâs events happened to be the preliminary for the main event that would occur in a week, when the final set of awards for the Argentine Campaign were to be awarded.
Tilo recognized Manfred von Mischner and Suse Rosa Knispel, they looked lost tonight, just as far out of their element as Tilo was. Manfred was far better as a lethal marksman and Suse was said to be happiest when she was up to her elbows in an engine rebuild and covered in grease. They really did look like children playing dress up though Tilo knew that they were in their mid-twenties.
On the other extreme was their host tonight, retired Field Marshal Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The man who had been afforded the honor of acting as the proxy of the Japanese Emperor tonight. Tilo knew him only by reputation. The story was that had been that he had been sent to conduct the defense of an island in the Central Pacific. A thankless task that had been considered suicidal because he had come to be seen as defeatist. The war had shifted elsewhere and the defenses of the delightful slice of paradise dubbed Sulphur Island had never been tested. According to the postwar assessment that Tilo had read, the plan for the entirety of the Marine Infantry and elements of the 13th Army Group to assault that island would have been far tougher than anticipated if it had gone ahead. A thirty-kilometer tunnel network, hundreds of bunkers, hidden artillery pieces, overlapping fields of fire had been constructed and the HSFâs Intelligence Section had been unaware of most of that. The assessment had suggested that the Marine Infantry would have been bled white.
In a twist of fate, getting sent to that island had probably saved Kuribayashiâs life. He had sat out the brutal civil war that had erupted between Japanâs Navy and Army in the last weeks of the Second World War. Most of the IJAâs General Staff had been killed when the IJN had responded to an ultimatum made by the Army by shelling their Headquarters. After the war, Kuribayashi had returned to Japan and was one of the few General Officers with his reputation and honor intact. He had overseen the reconstruction of the Japanese Army based on what he felt were the best aspects of the German and US Armies. As far as Tilo knew, no one had had the nerve to question his judgement in strategic matters in the years since. It was believed by many that he was one of the key figures in preventing Japan from becoming East Asiaâs version of Turkey. A former seat of empire that continued on as a rump state while surrounded by former subjects turned bitter enemies that only survived because it sat on land no one else wanted.
âIt is an honor to finally meet youâ Tilo said in his best Japanese as they were introduced to Kuribayashi. Seeing how old the retired Japanese General was, Tilo figured that he might not have gotten another chance.
âThe feeling is mutualâ Kuribayashi replied and as they were exchanging the ritual greetings, Tilo realized that the old Marshal was addressing him as an equal.
âYou do understand that we would have been enemies regardless of which side you would have been on during the Pacific Warâ Kuribayashi observed. Meaning that he was aware that Tilo was Marine Infantry. As Tilo had already noted, the IJA and IJN had fought a civil war, one which the Navy had won, but the reverberations of that still echoed in Japan with the current political parties dividing along the lines of that final act of the Pacific War.
âYou wouldnât have noticedâ Tilo replied, âI was leading a Platoon of Sea Lions in those days.â
âThat would have put you ashore with the first wave if your Admiral von Schmidt had contested my islandâ Kuribayashi said, âDo you have an opinion of the welcome I had planned?â
âIt would have been a tough nut to crackâ Tilo said, âBut we would have done it.â
âReally?â
âIt was glossed over in the assessmentâ Tilo said, âBut you would not have contested the landings at first, instead you would have waited until we were bunched up on the beach and clobbered us as the Company Commanders were gathering their men to push inland.â
âHow certain are you of that?â Kuribayashi asked. Tilo could tell by the rhythm of the questions that even now, the old Field Marshal was pursuing a strategy here. He must have read everything that Japanese Military Intelligence had on Tilo.
âBecause it is what I would have done in your placeâ Tilo said, and the older Marshalâs face became unreadable. Reier had told Tilo in the past that there are some people you do not play cards against, considering that Tiloâs Platoon had been the ones who had taught the Japanese Crown Prince how to play Poker that was saying a great deal. It was clear that Kuribayashi was one of those people.
âThat is not the answer I was expectingâ Kuribayashi said, âMost people suggest that IâŚâ
Then the conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Katherine von Mischner. Her nephew was one of those being honored tonight, so of course she would be present.
âIs the Lady as formidable as her reputation suggests?â Kuribayashi asked.
âWe were discussing fighting over an islandâ Tilo replied, âI would have taken the island if ordered to. The Tigress wouldnât have bothered taking the island, instead she would have neutralized it with the most powerful weapons at her disposal so that it wouldnât become a nuisance as she made her way directly to Tokyo.â
âI seeâ Kuribayashi replied. And further conversation was curtailed by the arrival of Emperor Friedrich and wife Suga-no-miya.
That's horrible
. So the hellenic empire is going to be at some point going to be the villian to germany (because the two empires just have different and conflicting national interests. theres bound to be some friction) and hopefully some payback against the hellenic and kuridsh empire in the story because that's fcuked what they did. Still great story and holy fucking hell is it detailed (though I didn't like Kat character all that much)
It is complicated because the Hellenic Empire is not within Germany's orbit. Instead, it falls into an emerging block comprised of nations in that region with cultural ties including Russia and Serbia. You are correct in that there will be friction in the coming years and that the 70's and 80's ITTL are not going to be a utopia by any means. The pressure will be particularly intense on someone who falls between cultures. Care to guess who that is?That's horrible
As for Kat, she isn't meant to be liked. She is who she needs to be.
Last edited:
Great use of a historical figure and a nice twist to add.
Just a reminder, Kat as the Kurfurstin of Berlin is obligated to hold a couple of formal events a year and she won't like it.
But knowing her she will make it about celebrating the City like the Berlin Zoo which should ITTL be the finest in the world or the Alexander Platz Farmers Market which is a symbol of the diversity that Berlin is now famous for.
It is very ironic in this timeline that the OTL Munich Olympics needed an antiterrorism unit but there wasn't any contingency plans made just in case while ITTL there are Law Enforcement and Military units with someone like Manny in a elite sniper section but the ITTL Munich Olympics won't need them.
I wonder if a number of Albanian Muslim refugees had made their way to Germany and do they hold the German government responsible for not stopping the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
Just a reminder, Kat as the Kurfurstin of Berlin is obligated to hold a couple of formal events a year and she won't like it.
But knowing her she will make it about celebrating the City like the Berlin Zoo which should ITTL be the finest in the world or the Alexander Platz Farmers Market which is a symbol of the diversity that Berlin is now famous for.
It is very ironic in this timeline that the OTL Munich Olympics needed an antiterrorism unit but there wasn't any contingency plans made just in case while ITTL there are Law Enforcement and Military units with someone like Manny in a elite sniper section but the ITTL Munich Olympics won't need them.
I wonder if a number of Albanian Muslim refugees had made their way to Germany and do they hold the German government responsible for not stopping the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
Part 126, Chapter 2129
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Twenty-Nine
4th March 1972
Los Angeles
It was funny how Captain Evans suddenly didnât know who Ritchie was. Mike said that it was because the incident in the High School last year. A massacre would have been nice copy for the Tactical Division, instead it gets ended by a street cop before they had a chance to make it to the scene. The City Council had questions and the Department Brass wasnât exactly thrilled with how it had all panned out. Now Ritchie was the hero that no one wanted. Not that he cared. With Lucia starting to show, it was only a matter of time before she would have to quit working at Ralphâs. They would be down to one income and still had a mortgage to pay for. That was why he was asking for every second of overtime he could get in the meantime, and it was a godsend that he had the check coming from the State Guard every month.
At least it wasnât raining today, Ritchie thought to himself as he looked towards the dark clouds hovering on the western horizon while ignoring the man he had been talking to. At least not yet. That would be all he needed considering how the crowds of fans would react if the show was called on account of weather. The venue, Dodgers Stadium, and the Production Company behind the Festival had hired their own security, but Ritchie was here in case something went horrifically wrong so that the LAPD wouldnât have to go look for someone on the scene to find out what was going on.
Ritchie had been in Dodgers Stadium dozens of times, watching Baseball even if Dodgers themselves hadnât had a decent team in ages. This was entirely different though. A Rock & Roll festival with the Detours, Moondogs from England, and Blue Mountain from up in San Francisco headlining, they had invited a few up-and-coming local bands who Ritchie had never heard of to warm up the crowd with mixed results. The crowd was mostly kids from area High Schools and Colleges. Ritchie had been told that he was mostly here to be seen, Not to actively police these people. If he saw a situation developing to radio it in and defuse it fast. This included things like if he spotted a pickpocket working the crowd or College boys getting into a shoving match that might turn into a brawl. If there were some kids in a corner smoking dope and not harming anyone, that wasnât his concern today. If it were, he would have needed to have busted most of the members of the bands the instant they had stepped out of their respective tour buses.
No one had said anything to Ritchie, but he was also looking for anyone who seemed off, like they didnât belong. This was entirely due to the notices that the FBI sent to the LAPD where they were pinned to a bulletin board and ignored. He had noticed that they were notices considered important enough by Interpol to send to the FBI. The others might have asked what a Police raid in Rome might have had to do with them, except Ritchie had seen that the Albanian suspects taken into custody had may have connections here in Los Angeles. Over the last year the street price of Bolivian Marching Powder had plummeted as well because of the war in South America as the gangs that controlled the trade had sold off their stock to get bugout money as the war had expanded. The world was actually far smaller than anyone seemed to be comfortable with. If the City Council and Eddie Evans thought they had a problem now, wait until something in the City went BOOM! And all Hell broke loose.
Where that left Ritchie was talking to Bobby Weir, the Guitarist and Singer from Blue Mountain backstage. He didnât seem to be a bad guy from Ritchieâs perspective, just slightly spaced out all the time. Not to mention that Bobby was only a few years younger than Ritchie was, but he seemed far younger than that. Presently, he was acting like a kid on Christmas morning and telling Ritchie all about how excited he was to be playing on the same bill as the Moondogs, the band that had apparently inspired him to start playing Rock music in the first place. Bobby also loved to talk about what it was like to be up on stage, playing music while the music of the Detours could be heard through the concrete walls of the stadium. Those guys liked to play loud.
âPlaying is like nothing else worldâ Bobby said in a dreamy voice, âYou go out there and itâs a highwire act, then the crowd starts cheering. You hit a note, play a cord and it all just goes away.â
âSounds like a HALO jumpâ Ritchie replied.
âA what?â Bobby asked, it didnât surprise Ritchie in the least that he was clueless on such matters.
âHigh Altitude, Low Opening, with a parachuteâ Ritchie said, âYou free-fall from thirty or forty thousand feet and open your chute at under a thousand. Something that Iâve done a few times.â
âAs a Cop?â
âNoâ Ritchie replied, âIn the Army, Special Forces.â
âWowâ Bobby said. He looked like he was about to ask another question when one of Blue Mountainâs Sound Engineers walked past. He did a double take when he saw Ritchieâs uniform and Ritchie knew that he probably had something he ought not to on his person.
âIâm not in Narcoticsâ Ritchie said, âSo, I donât give a shit.â
âWhyâre you here thenâ the Engineer asked.
Ritchie didnât feel like telling him the truth, which was basically Glorified Rent-A-Cop, so he made something up on the spot relating to those bulletins he had read. âCounter-Terrorismâ Ritchie replied and he saw the manâs eyes go wide.
4th March 1972
Los Angeles
It was funny how Captain Evans suddenly didnât know who Ritchie was. Mike said that it was because the incident in the High School last year. A massacre would have been nice copy for the Tactical Division, instead it gets ended by a street cop before they had a chance to make it to the scene. The City Council had questions and the Department Brass wasnât exactly thrilled with how it had all panned out. Now Ritchie was the hero that no one wanted. Not that he cared. With Lucia starting to show, it was only a matter of time before she would have to quit working at Ralphâs. They would be down to one income and still had a mortgage to pay for. That was why he was asking for every second of overtime he could get in the meantime, and it was a godsend that he had the check coming from the State Guard every month.
At least it wasnât raining today, Ritchie thought to himself as he looked towards the dark clouds hovering on the western horizon while ignoring the man he had been talking to. At least not yet. That would be all he needed considering how the crowds of fans would react if the show was called on account of weather. The venue, Dodgers Stadium, and the Production Company behind the Festival had hired their own security, but Ritchie was here in case something went horrifically wrong so that the LAPD wouldnât have to go look for someone on the scene to find out what was going on.
Ritchie had been in Dodgers Stadium dozens of times, watching Baseball even if Dodgers themselves hadnât had a decent team in ages. This was entirely different though. A Rock & Roll festival with the Detours, Moondogs from England, and Blue Mountain from up in San Francisco headlining, they had invited a few up-and-coming local bands who Ritchie had never heard of to warm up the crowd with mixed results. The crowd was mostly kids from area High Schools and Colleges. Ritchie had been told that he was mostly here to be seen, Not to actively police these people. If he saw a situation developing to radio it in and defuse it fast. This included things like if he spotted a pickpocket working the crowd or College boys getting into a shoving match that might turn into a brawl. If there were some kids in a corner smoking dope and not harming anyone, that wasnât his concern today. If it were, he would have needed to have busted most of the members of the bands the instant they had stepped out of their respective tour buses.
No one had said anything to Ritchie, but he was also looking for anyone who seemed off, like they didnât belong. This was entirely due to the notices that the FBI sent to the LAPD where they were pinned to a bulletin board and ignored. He had noticed that they were notices considered important enough by Interpol to send to the FBI. The others might have asked what a Police raid in Rome might have had to do with them, except Ritchie had seen that the Albanian suspects taken into custody had may have connections here in Los Angeles. Over the last year the street price of Bolivian Marching Powder had plummeted as well because of the war in South America as the gangs that controlled the trade had sold off their stock to get bugout money as the war had expanded. The world was actually far smaller than anyone seemed to be comfortable with. If the City Council and Eddie Evans thought they had a problem now, wait until something in the City went BOOM! And all Hell broke loose.
Where that left Ritchie was talking to Bobby Weir, the Guitarist and Singer from Blue Mountain backstage. He didnât seem to be a bad guy from Ritchieâs perspective, just slightly spaced out all the time. Not to mention that Bobby was only a few years younger than Ritchie was, but he seemed far younger than that. Presently, he was acting like a kid on Christmas morning and telling Ritchie all about how excited he was to be playing on the same bill as the Moondogs, the band that had apparently inspired him to start playing Rock music in the first place. Bobby also loved to talk about what it was like to be up on stage, playing music while the music of the Detours could be heard through the concrete walls of the stadium. Those guys liked to play loud.
âPlaying is like nothing else worldâ Bobby said in a dreamy voice, âYou go out there and itâs a highwire act, then the crowd starts cheering. You hit a note, play a cord and it all just goes away.â
âSounds like a HALO jumpâ Ritchie replied.
âA what?â Bobby asked, it didnât surprise Ritchie in the least that he was clueless on such matters.
âHigh Altitude, Low Opening, with a parachuteâ Ritchie said, âYou free-fall from thirty or forty thousand feet and open your chute at under a thousand. Something that Iâve done a few times.â
âAs a Cop?â
âNoâ Ritchie replied, âIn the Army, Special Forces.â
âWowâ Bobby said. He looked like he was about to ask another question when one of Blue Mountainâs Sound Engineers walked past. He did a double take when he saw Ritchieâs uniform and Ritchie knew that he probably had something he ought not to on his person.
âIâm not in Narcoticsâ Ritchie said, âSo, I donât give a shit.â
âWhyâre you here thenâ the Engineer asked.
Ritchie didnât feel like telling him the truth, which was basically Glorified Rent-A-Cop, so he made something up on the spot relating to those bulletins he had read. âCounter-Terrorismâ Ritchie replied and he saw the manâs eyes go wide.
Of course, with how the luck of named characters in this story goes, he'll end up involved in something related to counter terrorism later.