Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
I would hope not. Although the way these things work, if it is then Hagen is likely the killer.
The Wedding of the Czar of Second Russian Empire to the sister of the Emperor of the Hellenic Empire just four months before the IOTL Turkish invasion of Cyprus could be a signal that Russia may back the IOTL attempted Enosis of Greece and Cyprus ITTL.
The main problem is that there are a number of British bases in Cyprus and the British are much stronger ITTL then in IOTL and there is also a much stronger Italy in this mix and opposed to an expansionist Greece.
Pretty soon Kat is going to get involved with the Sepp-Sophie friendship and finding out the family situation and the question becomes is Kat going to let things go its own course or is she going to do something with her own brand of subtle discretion.
The main problem is that there are a number of British bases in Cyprus and the British are much stronger ITTL then in IOTL and there is also a much stronger Italy in this mix and opposed to an expansionist Greece.
Pretty soon Kat is going to get involved with the Sepp-Sophie friendship and finding out the family situation and the question becomes is Kat going to let things go its own course or is she going to do something with her own brand of subtle discretion.
No, Didi is described as a child, the body is described as a "young man". If it is related then Sepp or Hagen are most likely.Might even be the little brother Dieter...
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Part 134, Chapter 2289
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Eighty-Nine
17th April 1974
Mitte, Berlin
It had taken a few days, but Hagen had finally turned up and it was in number two on the list of places where Sepp didn’t want to find him after the City Morgue, the Central Police Headquarters in the center of Berlin. They had been holding him for questioning. Due to his age, they were treating the matter delicately, far more so than Sepp felt was needed because all Hagen had done was laugh in their faces despite them having him dead to rights. They had asked Sepp to help try to get Hagen to talk, but Hagen had done nothing more than flip the conversation around on him and it was all Sepp could do not to throttle the little twerp.
The only thing that Hagen had to trade was information, namely who had put him up to it, and if he didn’t give them something he was looking at spending the next decade in Neustrelitz, a place that they had been warned about since the first time they had gotten in serious trouble. Murder was far more serious than a broken window or some candy pocketed in the market. Sepp’s mother had even less luck than he had, and he had left the Police Headquarters in disgust leaving his parents to sort it out.
If that were even possible.
Walking down the street towards the subway station that would take him back to Tempelhof, Sepp hated the feeling that he had failed as a brother and as a person. He was supposed to be looking out for Hagen and Dieter, and this was the result. He also remembered the things that he had been thinking about Hagen, many of which he had said aloud in the past. That was when he noticed that a car, a black Mercedes-Benz touring car had slowed to match his pace and he had a sinking feeling that a monumentally rotten day was about to get even worse.
The Driver got out of the car, and he didn’t look like what Sepp had always imagined a Chauffeur would look like. Instead, he looked like one of the thugs that hung around some of the seeder taverns and poolhalls that Sepp was aware of with the only difference being that his clothes were nicer.
“The Lady wants a word with you” The Driver said opening the back door of the car. In that moment Sepp knew that if he were smart, he would turn and run but everyone knew that the Tigress had people everywhere so running and hiding were out of the question. If the Tigress wanted a word, it hopefully meant that she was still debating about whether or not he would be a snack.
With a great deal of trepidation, Sepp climbed into the car and couldn’t help but noticing that the door closed in the same authoritative manner as the steel doors inside the Police Headquarters. The woman sitting there was one who he had never met in person, he had seen her on television or mentioned in the newspapers. A woman with faded hair that had once been red and eyes that looked right through you. He was also suddenly aware of her connection to Sophie and how that further complicated matters.
“I’ve been where you are right now Josef” Katherine said in greeting as the car started moving. “There are some people who don’t want to be saved, or worse, can’t be.”
“Hagen is not like that” Sepp said defensively. Even as he said that he knew how trite that sounded to his ears. If they were talking about anyone else, would he be nearly as defensive?
“That is not up to you to decide” Katherine said, “Has it occurred to you that your brother needs help that he might now be able to get?
Yes, Sepp thought to himself, he had thought that, but he would be damned before he said that aloud. “No” Sepp said, “There has got to be a better way.”
“If you have any better ideas on what to do with a… Your brother is what a twelve or thirteen-year-old who is accused of a major crime then all of society is listening” Katherine replied, “Especially because of the name of the Emergency Surgeon involved, which appears in the police reports. These are very deep waters your brother has found himself in and it is not going to just go away.”
Sepp didn’t know how it was possible, but this whole thing was worse than he had thought it could possibly be.
They sat there in silence for several minutes as the car proceeded south from the center of the city. It occurred to Sepp that Katherine lived in the same neighborhood he did, even if they were on very different streets.
“If I can ask you to do something for me, please?” Katherine finally asked, breaking the silence. “Be careful with Sophie, she has had a difficult enough life.”
“That isn’t what it looks like to me” Sepp replied.
“There is a lot you don’t know about, and it is a subject that she never talks about with anyone” Katherine said, “You seem like a responsible man, so try not disappoint her.”
“We are just friends though” Sepp said, “Me and Zoe that is.”
Katherine seemed amused by that.
“The next time the two of you flirt with each other over the back fence try not to do it directly under my bedroom window” Katherine said with a knowing smile.
Sepp was a bit embarrassed that he had apparently done exactly that.
17th April 1974
Mitte, Berlin
It had taken a few days, but Hagen had finally turned up and it was in number two on the list of places where Sepp didn’t want to find him after the City Morgue, the Central Police Headquarters in the center of Berlin. They had been holding him for questioning. Due to his age, they were treating the matter delicately, far more so than Sepp felt was needed because all Hagen had done was laugh in their faces despite them having him dead to rights. They had asked Sepp to help try to get Hagen to talk, but Hagen had done nothing more than flip the conversation around on him and it was all Sepp could do not to throttle the little twerp.
The only thing that Hagen had to trade was information, namely who had put him up to it, and if he didn’t give them something he was looking at spending the next decade in Neustrelitz, a place that they had been warned about since the first time they had gotten in serious trouble. Murder was far more serious than a broken window or some candy pocketed in the market. Sepp’s mother had even less luck than he had, and he had left the Police Headquarters in disgust leaving his parents to sort it out.
If that were even possible.
Walking down the street towards the subway station that would take him back to Tempelhof, Sepp hated the feeling that he had failed as a brother and as a person. He was supposed to be looking out for Hagen and Dieter, and this was the result. He also remembered the things that he had been thinking about Hagen, many of which he had said aloud in the past. That was when he noticed that a car, a black Mercedes-Benz touring car had slowed to match his pace and he had a sinking feeling that a monumentally rotten day was about to get even worse.
The Driver got out of the car, and he didn’t look like what Sepp had always imagined a Chauffeur would look like. Instead, he looked like one of the thugs that hung around some of the seeder taverns and poolhalls that Sepp was aware of with the only difference being that his clothes were nicer.
“The Lady wants a word with you” The Driver said opening the back door of the car. In that moment Sepp knew that if he were smart, he would turn and run but everyone knew that the Tigress had people everywhere so running and hiding were out of the question. If the Tigress wanted a word, it hopefully meant that she was still debating about whether or not he would be a snack.
With a great deal of trepidation, Sepp climbed into the car and couldn’t help but noticing that the door closed in the same authoritative manner as the steel doors inside the Police Headquarters. The woman sitting there was one who he had never met in person, he had seen her on television or mentioned in the newspapers. A woman with faded hair that had once been red and eyes that looked right through you. He was also suddenly aware of her connection to Sophie and how that further complicated matters.
“I’ve been where you are right now Josef” Katherine said in greeting as the car started moving. “There are some people who don’t want to be saved, or worse, can’t be.”
“Hagen is not like that” Sepp said defensively. Even as he said that he knew how trite that sounded to his ears. If they were talking about anyone else, would he be nearly as defensive?
“That is not up to you to decide” Katherine said, “Has it occurred to you that your brother needs help that he might now be able to get?
Yes, Sepp thought to himself, he had thought that, but he would be damned before he said that aloud. “No” Sepp said, “There has got to be a better way.”
“If you have any better ideas on what to do with a… Your brother is what a twelve or thirteen-year-old who is accused of a major crime then all of society is listening” Katherine replied, “Especially because of the name of the Emergency Surgeon involved, which appears in the police reports. These are very deep waters your brother has found himself in and it is not going to just go away.”
Sepp didn’t know how it was possible, but this whole thing was worse than he had thought it could possibly be.
They sat there in silence for several minutes as the car proceeded south from the center of the city. It occurred to Sepp that Katherine lived in the same neighborhood he did, even if they were on very different streets.
“If I can ask you to do something for me, please?” Katherine finally asked, breaking the silence. “Be careful with Sophie, she has had a difficult enough life.”
“That isn’t what it looks like to me” Sepp replied.
“There is a lot you don’t know about, and it is a subject that she never talks about with anyone” Katherine said, “You seem like a responsible man, so try not disappoint her.”
“We are just friends though” Sepp said, “Me and Zoe that is.”
Katherine seemed amused by that.
“The next time the two of you flirt with each other over the back fence try not to do it directly under my bedroom window” Katherine said with a knowing smile.
Sepp was a bit embarrassed that he had apparently done exactly that.
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It is amazing how at this point in time the breadth and depth of Kat's reputation is doing the heavy lifting for her so that only a lifting of the eyebrows or a subtle change in the pitch of her voice says more then any words can convey.
There is something bothering me about the neighborhood that Sepp's family lives in, is it a part of the Templehof development or was it "Templehof Adjacent" next to the development but not part of the actual land sold to Kat & Co.?
As for Sepp's brother I can see Kiki getting involved by trying to get Dieter into the same exclusive day school her brothers went to even if she has to pay for it herself but I think under the auspicious of her brother, the Kaiser there should be some scholarships available.
As for Sepp, Kat knows of a good military school in Silesia that the son of a dear friend goes to.
Part 134, Chapter 2290
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Ninety
19th April 1974
Heinersdorf-Pankow
It felt strange being back in the old neighborhood where Kat had grown up. It wasn’t just her though. Hans, Ilse, and Stefan had all unknowingly lived within a few kilometers of each other. Kat still felt a bit of regret about Ilse. If she had known about her then Ilse’s childhood would have been far different, and the consequences wouldn’t be so severe.
The neighborhood itself had radically changed over the last few decades. The railyard which loomed so large in Kat’s memories was gone, and the largely Working-Class residents had been largely displaced by professionals who worked in the city. The single-family homes with the garden allotments had become highly desirable in a curious twist of fate. Many of the families that had once lived here had taken advantage of that fact to sell so that they could move up in the world. Still though, the feel of the old Medieval village which Heinersdorf had once been remained and some of the light industry in adjoining neighborhoods persisted. The house that Kat’s Aunt Marcella had once owned had been sold to a young family and she had told them that she had nothing but happy memories of the place, which was mostly true.
The reason for Kat’s presence today in Heinersdorf, was both a celebration and a funeral of sorts. Gert, who had been loyal to her family his entire life, had passed away recently and the question of what to do about the tavern and the building it occupied had come up. The truth was that Gert’s had been barely breaking even if not operating at a loss for years as the regular customers had dwindled in number. Kat had been happy to keep Gert afloat, he could have retired but the community that revolved around the tavern was his entire life.
The trouble for Kat was that there was a lot of her own history tied up that building. It had been in the apartment above the bar where her father and one of her half-brothers had killed each other at the end of a sequence of events that Kat herself had put into motion. Her father had already been dying of lung cancer and Kat had decided that Urban was too dangerous keep in circulation. The way it had played out had not been in anyway like Kat imagined, especially because her father’s last act had been to claim that Kat’s actions in exposing his organization were his own. It was fortunate then that when the building had been surveyed extensive dry-rot and water damage had been found along with the crumbling masonry and wiring that predated the First World War. Simply put, it would cost more to repair the building than it would to simply knock it down. With the growing interest in Otto Mischner, it was just as well that the building was about to be torn down. The last thing on Earth Kat wanted to see was a shrine dedicated to what he had been. Besides all of that, the land that the building sat on was worth a considerable amount, so it had not been a hard choice for Kat.
At the moment, all that was left was the walls. The rest had been gutted with workers tearing out the timbers, plumbing, and anything else salvageable. As Kat watched through the chain-link fence, a large backhoe on tracks with a claw attachment on the end of the arm was directed to the front where it ripped a large chunk out of wall on the top floor. Bits of brick wall crashed into the sidewalk below. The rest of the wall slowly followed, no matter what else happened the place was going to be just another memory in a few hours. Turning away, Kat went back to her car.
“Got what you came for Ma’am?” Boris asked as he opened the door for her.
“Yes” Kat replied, without elaborating.
Plänterwald
It was said that Doctors were among the worst patients, what about when the patient was the child of a Doctor? The Pediatrician who Kiki had taken Nina to had threatened to throw her out if she didn’t stop being demanding and second guessing him. It was a simple enough diagnosis, an ear infection, which was common for children Nina’s age. Acetaminophen formulated for children for the pain and a course of antibiotics would clear it right up.
Still though, Kiki could see that the Acetaminophen did little to ease the pain that Nina didn’t understand. She was used to working in the Emergency Department where she could get action and results quickly. All she could do was wait for the drugs to take effect like any other parent would. Fianna had given Kiki a heating pad and she was sitting with Nina on the couch with it on her daughter’s ear. It was the first time in the last couple days that Nina had been able to hold still for more than a few minutes since this had started.
“She’ll be right as rain soon enough” Fianna said to Kiki with a smile.
Kiki knew that was the truth, she had seen it herself many times professionally. It just felt different when it was Nina. Ben had said much the same thing, hovering around them until Kiki had told him to take Rauchbier and Weisse out for a run. Just the thought of Rauchbier reminded Kiki of how it was growing harder to ignore how he was getting older. A decade earlier, Rauchbier was a part of a silly joke and Kiki had been reluctant to accept him at first. These days it was hard to imagine life without him. It was like that Comedian in the American sitcom that Zella liked to watch when it was rebroadcast in Germany, “Home is where the dog is” and “Every dog comes with tragedy included.” Those might seem like a contradiction, but Kiki understood that both comments were true at the same time.
19th April 1974
Heinersdorf-Pankow
It felt strange being back in the old neighborhood where Kat had grown up. It wasn’t just her though. Hans, Ilse, and Stefan had all unknowingly lived within a few kilometers of each other. Kat still felt a bit of regret about Ilse. If she had known about her then Ilse’s childhood would have been far different, and the consequences wouldn’t be so severe.
The neighborhood itself had radically changed over the last few decades. The railyard which loomed so large in Kat’s memories was gone, and the largely Working-Class residents had been largely displaced by professionals who worked in the city. The single-family homes with the garden allotments had become highly desirable in a curious twist of fate. Many of the families that had once lived here had taken advantage of that fact to sell so that they could move up in the world. Still though, the feel of the old Medieval village which Heinersdorf had once been remained and some of the light industry in adjoining neighborhoods persisted. The house that Kat’s Aunt Marcella had once owned had been sold to a young family and she had told them that she had nothing but happy memories of the place, which was mostly true.
The reason for Kat’s presence today in Heinersdorf, was both a celebration and a funeral of sorts. Gert, who had been loyal to her family his entire life, had passed away recently and the question of what to do about the tavern and the building it occupied had come up. The truth was that Gert’s had been barely breaking even if not operating at a loss for years as the regular customers had dwindled in number. Kat had been happy to keep Gert afloat, he could have retired but the community that revolved around the tavern was his entire life.
The trouble for Kat was that there was a lot of her own history tied up that building. It had been in the apartment above the bar where her father and one of her half-brothers had killed each other at the end of a sequence of events that Kat herself had put into motion. Her father had already been dying of lung cancer and Kat had decided that Urban was too dangerous keep in circulation. The way it had played out had not been in anyway like Kat imagined, especially because her father’s last act had been to claim that Kat’s actions in exposing his organization were his own. It was fortunate then that when the building had been surveyed extensive dry-rot and water damage had been found along with the crumbling masonry and wiring that predated the First World War. Simply put, it would cost more to repair the building than it would to simply knock it down. With the growing interest in Otto Mischner, it was just as well that the building was about to be torn down. The last thing on Earth Kat wanted to see was a shrine dedicated to what he had been. Besides all of that, the land that the building sat on was worth a considerable amount, so it had not been a hard choice for Kat.
At the moment, all that was left was the walls. The rest had been gutted with workers tearing out the timbers, plumbing, and anything else salvageable. As Kat watched through the chain-link fence, a large backhoe on tracks with a claw attachment on the end of the arm was directed to the front where it ripped a large chunk out of wall on the top floor. Bits of brick wall crashed into the sidewalk below. The rest of the wall slowly followed, no matter what else happened the place was going to be just another memory in a few hours. Turning away, Kat went back to her car.
“Got what you came for Ma’am?” Boris asked as he opened the door for her.
“Yes” Kat replied, without elaborating.
Plänterwald
It was said that Doctors were among the worst patients, what about when the patient was the child of a Doctor? The Pediatrician who Kiki had taken Nina to had threatened to throw her out if she didn’t stop being demanding and second guessing him. It was a simple enough diagnosis, an ear infection, which was common for children Nina’s age. Acetaminophen formulated for children for the pain and a course of antibiotics would clear it right up.
Still though, Kiki could see that the Acetaminophen did little to ease the pain that Nina didn’t understand. She was used to working in the Emergency Department where she could get action and results quickly. All she could do was wait for the drugs to take effect like any other parent would. Fianna had given Kiki a heating pad and she was sitting with Nina on the couch with it on her daughter’s ear. It was the first time in the last couple days that Nina had been able to hold still for more than a few minutes since this had started.
“She’ll be right as rain soon enough” Fianna said to Kiki with a smile.
Kiki knew that was the truth, she had seen it herself many times professionally. It just felt different when it was Nina. Ben had said much the same thing, hovering around them until Kiki had told him to take Rauchbier and Weisse out for a run. Just the thought of Rauchbier reminded Kiki of how it was growing harder to ignore how he was getting older. A decade earlier, Rauchbier was a part of a silly joke and Kiki had been reluctant to accept him at first. These days it was hard to imagine life without him. It was like that Comedian in the American sitcom that Zella liked to watch when it was rebroadcast in Germany, “Home is where the dog is” and “Every dog comes with tragedy included.” Those might seem like a contradiction, but Kiki understood that both comments were true at the same time.
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I was sure the follow up line was going to be: And a large chest tumbled out, opening as it hit the ground. Gold and jewelry coud be seen in the debris.
"Welcome to "Otto's HQ" the newest hotspot in Berlin, featuring live music every Friday and Saturday night with the finest food and beer from around the Empire and the World. Try our latest drink "Otto's Hidden Treasure" featuring Goldschlager Liqueurs and an "Extra Special" ingredient that no one has yet to identified. Another favorite drink of ours is "The Tigress Claw" a drink that slices right through you. You will love the decor that have rare items from the history of the great Railways of Europe."
It was a good idea, unfortunately the place was torched the night before it was supposed to open. The only witness was the cleaning lady who said that she hadn't noticed anything amiss in the hours before the fire.
Part 134, Chapter 2291
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-One
29th April 1974
Plänterwald
The contents of the report that Kiki was reading was very dry, if she had to guess it had to do with the authors of the report being aware of the implications of the material. The alternative was to run screaming from the room.
It was the latest assessment by the Planning Division of the KZS on what they could expect in the event of a Peer-to-Peer war. Unlike most other Service Branches, the Medical Service didn’t feel any need to present a rosy, optimistic picture. Instead, it was unrelentingly grim. They figured that Berlin would be bracketed by Hydrogen bombs. With the river crossings, rail yards, highway junctions, administrative structures, and an International Airport, it was a target rich environment. Estimates were of initial casualties in the millions. Any surviving medical facilities would be overwhelmed. Basic supplies would swiftly run out and resupply would be more or less impossible. There would also be no electricity or running water. This report had been compiled so that they could make plans in the event of something like this occurring, but it was proving difficult to see past the despair that this engendered.
The long-term projections were actually worse. Factoring in the effects of radioactive fallout on a population and the likelihood of nuclear winter, civilization ending was a given. Extinction was a very real possibility. If they were extremely lucky it would only mean a return to the Dark Ages. It also laid bare why Kiki had been given access to this report, she had direct access to the ears of her brother Freddy and Chancellor Brandt. They figured that she would mention this to them.
It seemed strange to Kiki that Armageddon was actually boring when it came down to it. No final judgement, no last battle between good and evil, no Gabriel’s horn because there wouldn’t be a second coming. Instead, it was just the end of everything, full stop. It was perfectly in keeping with Nora Berg’s comments about how mankind was the cleverest and most vicious of all monkeys. At the end of the day they were still monkeys, regardless of how they tried to pretend otherwise, and that included flinging feces at each other. Just the nature of what was being thrown had changed. Nora had said that in order to survive they needed to finally evolve past that.
Putting down the report, Kiki looked out the window of her home office, it was a nice spring afternoon. A tugboat, one among the hundreds of similar craft that plied the inland waterways, was towing a line of barges down the River Spree. It was a reminder to Kiki that there was a wide world out there full of far happier things than the dreadful report that she had been reading. Months earlier, there had been talk of her going to the South of France this summer. Aurora had said that she was far more interested in doing that than going to Russia like Kiki had last year. It was just one idea among many, but escaping everything, even if it were just for a few weeks suddenly felt like it would be a very welcome development.
Jassel, Galicia-Ruthenia
Olli was happiest when he was able to peacefully go about his work on his farm. Today, that included running the Hanomag tractor as it towed a plow across the field. As had become tradition, once he was through tilling his own fields, he started work on those of his neighbors. For him it was extremely welcome after wasting years in Krakow as an advisor to Queen Marie Cecilie. He had refused to take part in electoral politics, staying above the fray as it were. Finally, it had seemed that things had settled down enough for him to go back to doing the things that he preferred. He was certain that Marie Cecilie had named the highest award for gallantry in Galicia-Ruthenia the Cincinnatus Order, in which he was Knight Commander, just to poke fun at him.
Olli’s oldest son, Conrad had returned to Krakow, and by extension Jassel taking a job with the Galician Ministry of Agriculture. His wife, Nele joked about how some City girl was going to turn his head one of these days, but that hadn’t happened yet. It wasn’t as if there wasn’t enough of that going on closer to home. While Louisa, Olli’s oldest daughter had decided to go to University in Lwów, his second oldest daughter Janine had not been interested in furthering her education and had gotten married the previous summer. Now Janine was expecting, and Olli wasn’t sure what to make of his first grandchild being on the way.
Looking over his shoulder, Olli saw Hugo, his second oldest son driving the light Fendt tractor that was towing the seed drill behind him. Olli had warned him that he was going to get bogged down, but he insisted that he needed to help out this way. That hadn’t happened yet, but it was only a matter of time until it did and then Olli would need to tow him out, the Hanomag was good for that even if it was a waste of time. He had only relented because he felt he needed all the moments he could get with Hugo. Now that he had reached the age of sixteen, Hugo probably couldn’t be kept on the farm for much longer. He had told Olli that he intended to follow in his footsteps but not as a Farmer. That meant the Army and Nele had been understandably livid when she had learned he had made that decision. She had been hoping that Hugo would go to University like Conrad and Louisa.
It was too soon to know what thirteen-year-old Jonas would do. He seemed to prefer causing trouble, which in Olli’s experience was what was expected of the youngest sons. Of course, with a name like Jonas was it really a surprise? Nele had insisted that they name him after her father, who had also been a troublemaker in his youth.
Finally, Olli passed four-year-old Nele, named for her mother, as she sat on the edge of the field making a crown out of dandelions. She smiled and waved as he passed, which Olli returned. She had been a complete surprise for Olli and Nele, but it had worked out and she had Queen Marie Cecilie as a Godmother. For her the move back to the farm was still a novelty after having spent most of her life in Krakow.
29th April 1974
Plänterwald
The contents of the report that Kiki was reading was very dry, if she had to guess it had to do with the authors of the report being aware of the implications of the material. The alternative was to run screaming from the room.
It was the latest assessment by the Planning Division of the KZS on what they could expect in the event of a Peer-to-Peer war. Unlike most other Service Branches, the Medical Service didn’t feel any need to present a rosy, optimistic picture. Instead, it was unrelentingly grim. They figured that Berlin would be bracketed by Hydrogen bombs. With the river crossings, rail yards, highway junctions, administrative structures, and an International Airport, it was a target rich environment. Estimates were of initial casualties in the millions. Any surviving medical facilities would be overwhelmed. Basic supplies would swiftly run out and resupply would be more or less impossible. There would also be no electricity or running water. This report had been compiled so that they could make plans in the event of something like this occurring, but it was proving difficult to see past the despair that this engendered.
The long-term projections were actually worse. Factoring in the effects of radioactive fallout on a population and the likelihood of nuclear winter, civilization ending was a given. Extinction was a very real possibility. If they were extremely lucky it would only mean a return to the Dark Ages. It also laid bare why Kiki had been given access to this report, she had direct access to the ears of her brother Freddy and Chancellor Brandt. They figured that she would mention this to them.
It seemed strange to Kiki that Armageddon was actually boring when it came down to it. No final judgement, no last battle between good and evil, no Gabriel’s horn because there wouldn’t be a second coming. Instead, it was just the end of everything, full stop. It was perfectly in keeping with Nora Berg’s comments about how mankind was the cleverest and most vicious of all monkeys. At the end of the day they were still monkeys, regardless of how they tried to pretend otherwise, and that included flinging feces at each other. Just the nature of what was being thrown had changed. Nora had said that in order to survive they needed to finally evolve past that.
Putting down the report, Kiki looked out the window of her home office, it was a nice spring afternoon. A tugboat, one among the hundreds of similar craft that plied the inland waterways, was towing a line of barges down the River Spree. It was a reminder to Kiki that there was a wide world out there full of far happier things than the dreadful report that she had been reading. Months earlier, there had been talk of her going to the South of France this summer. Aurora had said that she was far more interested in doing that than going to Russia like Kiki had last year. It was just one idea among many, but escaping everything, even if it were just for a few weeks suddenly felt like it would be a very welcome development.
Jassel, Galicia-Ruthenia
Olli was happiest when he was able to peacefully go about his work on his farm. Today, that included running the Hanomag tractor as it towed a plow across the field. As had become tradition, once he was through tilling his own fields, he started work on those of his neighbors. For him it was extremely welcome after wasting years in Krakow as an advisor to Queen Marie Cecilie. He had refused to take part in electoral politics, staying above the fray as it were. Finally, it had seemed that things had settled down enough for him to go back to doing the things that he preferred. He was certain that Marie Cecilie had named the highest award for gallantry in Galicia-Ruthenia the Cincinnatus Order, in which he was Knight Commander, just to poke fun at him.
Olli’s oldest son, Conrad had returned to Krakow, and by extension Jassel taking a job with the Galician Ministry of Agriculture. His wife, Nele joked about how some City girl was going to turn his head one of these days, but that hadn’t happened yet. It wasn’t as if there wasn’t enough of that going on closer to home. While Louisa, Olli’s oldest daughter had decided to go to University in Lwów, his second oldest daughter Janine had not been interested in furthering her education and had gotten married the previous summer. Now Janine was expecting, and Olli wasn’t sure what to make of his first grandchild being on the way.
Looking over his shoulder, Olli saw Hugo, his second oldest son driving the light Fendt tractor that was towing the seed drill behind him. Olli had warned him that he was going to get bogged down, but he insisted that he needed to help out this way. That hadn’t happened yet, but it was only a matter of time until it did and then Olli would need to tow him out, the Hanomag was good for that even if it was a waste of time. He had only relented because he felt he needed all the moments he could get with Hugo. Now that he had reached the age of sixteen, Hugo probably couldn’t be kept on the farm for much longer. He had told Olli that he intended to follow in his footsteps but not as a Farmer. That meant the Army and Nele had been understandably livid when she had learned he had made that decision. She had been hoping that Hugo would go to University like Conrad and Louisa.
It was too soon to know what thirteen-year-old Jonas would do. He seemed to prefer causing trouble, which in Olli’s experience was what was expected of the youngest sons. Of course, with a name like Jonas was it really a surprise? Nele had insisted that they name him after her father, who had also been a troublemaker in his youth.
Finally, Olli passed four-year-old Nele, named for her mother, as she sat on the edge of the field making a crown out of dandelions. She smiled and waved as he passed, which Olli returned. She had been a complete surprise for Olli and Nele, but it had worked out and she had Queen Marie Cecilie as a Godmother. For her the move back to the farm was still a novelty after having spent most of her life in Krakow.
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A short video that shows a Hanomag K55 like Olli's in action.
And what a seed drill looks like, not nearly as interesting as it sounds.
And what a seed drill looks like, not nearly as interesting as it sounds.
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What a shame as the Opening Night was going to feature some of the best up and coming bands not just from Berlin but also from around Europe, it was to be a rival to the legendary V-8 Club in the Berlin music scene.
Ollie has finally got his wish and returned to the farm with the thanks of a grateful nation and his Queen.
I wonder what the threat assessment is on a possible thermonuclear war as so far as we know only Germany, Great Britain, United States. and France and while Germany and the United States are rivals, they are not enemies, not even adversaries.
The biggest threat would be a resurgent Russia who feels the lesson they learned from the European War thirty years ago was that they need something to deter any nation from stepping on Holy Soil of the Motherland again which includes any nation that used to be part of the Great Russian Empire in the past.
@Peabody-Martini thanks for the rabbit holes about the Hanomag and Fendt tractors...
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