With a second Holodomor in TTL, Ukraine is an armed camp at this point and Belarus is not on friendly terms with Moscow because they also took the brunt of it that time. Things in Eastern Europe are complicated, the saving grace is that none of them currently have access to nuclear arms.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Any nation with great power aspirations and revisionist dreams is going to want nukes. Any nation bordering a bellicose revisionist neighbor is going to want nukes. Russia fits both criteria. They hate the borders forced on them after the Soviet war and they fear Chinese revanchism clamoring for Outer Manchuria, East Turkmenistan, and Mongolia. Russia has had a stable government for nearly thirty years. If they don't have nukes already, they definitely have a secret development program and should be on the cusp of announcing they have joined the club. And if the Russians have nukes, the Chinese will want nukes. And the Japanese... and the Koreans... and the Indians (when they break away from the Empire) ... and the (etc. etc.)
Another thing about having nukes, if "separatists" do appear within the borders of your nation, the central government can pretty much do whatever they want without serious fear of intervention. Has this world had anything resembling the Helsinki Accords?
Another thing about having nukes, if "separatists" do appear within the borders of your nation, the central government can pretty much do whatever they want without serious fear of intervention. Has this world had anything resembling the Helsinki Accords?
The only thing you missed was that ITTL China remains split between north and south as a consequence of the Sino-Korean War. Tibet was never invaded in TTL. Vietnam, India, Japan and Korea have their thing going on and prefer the Chinese to be fighting each other.
I remembered that China had some warlordism break out after the Korean war, but I didn't recall any updates since then. All I remember was the POV general running around putting out fires for Chiang. A refresher on China's situation is long overdue in either case.
So just what is the world situation? We know there was Spanish War, a Russian War, a Mexican intervention, A Chile-Argentina War, and several conflicts in the Far East. But how stable and non-agressive are nations currently? Does France still see the U.S. as backstabbers? Without a Nazi regime to discredit it, is Fascism a thing? Are African nations and colonies under democratic or despot rule? Germany could have many secarios where they determine that military intervention would be in the national interest.
The Second Russian Empire can correctly point out that the deliberately induced famines were from the "Foreign Bolsheviks (Jewish) who were led by a Madman from Georgia (another foreigner)' and now that they are gone, the Ukraine and the Belarus can now trust their "Historic Slavic Big Brother" to defend them and the Motherland.
What we don't know are the terms and conditions of any final peace treaties and agreements that came after the war, but I can assume that among other things, the possession and use of any and all biological and chemical weapons that nuclear weapons were prohibited.
The main thing is in developing nuclear weapons you need to have facilities to process U-238 and plutonium necessary for the devices but also you need to develop the triggering devices that uses conventional explosives to set off the weapons themselves and that is really the hard part along with developing the delivery systems.
It can be argued that ITTL the Russian Space Program is a cover to develop the nuclear delivery system as probably the use of armed long-range rockets was prohibited but the peaceful scientific use of rockets was allowed.
True. Though I imagine it’s easier to hide NBC development in Russia given it’s such a huge country.
Part 134, Chapter 2292
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Two
5th May 1974
Nicosia, Cyprus
Even here as an Administrator for the British Empire, Jack Wick was acutely aware of his place in the world. Some men it seemed were destined to be mired in Middle Management. This wasn’t helped by the obvious play on Wick’s name that had followed him like a curse since childhood, namely lackwit. All the efforts at improving himself in the years since had failed, University and then time spent in the Army where he had ended up as a Supply Officer. Finally, that had resulted in his posting in an out of the way place where the lack of respect that others had for him would not be an issue. Only to have the younger sister of the Emperor of the Hellenic Empire marry the Russian Czar which had emboldened the Greek majority on this island. A night over drinks jokes had been thrown around about how the natives were restless and it was only a matter of time before the shooting started.
There were times when Wick wondered if this was what it must have felt like on the frontiers of the Roman Empire as Rome had decayed and the Empire was slowing collapsing. Looking out his office window, Wick saw that the crowd of protesters who were out there most days, demanding that the British leave Cyprus the same way they had India and most of Africa, had swelled in number. Wick was also acutely aware of the other crowd that was also growing in number around the side of the building, Turkish Cypriots who were all too aware of what had happened in Albania and Bosnia. They knew what would happen to them at the hands of their Greek neighbors if the British left the island and many were not wasting time in getting their documents in order to leave. There was nothing new about intercommunal violence, Wick had seen plenty of it in India when he had been in one of the last Regiments to leave the Subcontinent.
The trouble was that England was less than welcoming towards immigrants of any kind at the moment, it didn’t matter whether or not they came from a British Dominion. Wick’s Superiors had told him that in history there had always been winners and losers, that was just how it shook out. He had realized in that moment that they were unable to see just where they fit in in that bloody equation. After Trafalgar, they had gone from victory to victory, conquering most of the world. Then at their height, some Archduke in a place few had ever heard of got himself shot and suddenly the wind was no longer at their backs. Wick saw that they were already on the downslope, just these days it was getting harder to ignore that it felt like they were gaining speed. Wick didn’t know just what the final crash would look like but saw it coming.
Windward Passage, between Cuba and Haiti
Just being here in these waters was amazing. Looking at a nautical map, Louis Ferdinand Junior had seen names that had fueled his imagination since he had been a boy. Port Royal and Tortuga, the places that the Brethren of the Tides had been based out of during the Golden Age of Piracy. There were also many other spots on the map of the Caribbean that he recognized. He had joked with Borchardt about running up the black flag and finding Spanish treasure convoys. The Warrant Officer had just shrugged and said that sort of flag was used by Submariners these days before spitting over the rail, like if he were dispelling a curse. Louis had called him a killjoy and Borchardt had just smiled. Both of them had experience in dealing with actual pirates and neither had any romantic notions about them. Still, there was a part of Louis that had been thrilled watching the swashbuckling adventures in Errol Flynn movies when he was a boy.
After weeks of waiting, word had reached them in Havana that the American Carrier Group that had been hiding in Guantanamo Bay, was finally putting to sea. For the crew life had been easy in Havana, so many of them were reluctant to get moving. Once they got to sea and Louis had told them that they were on the hunt, that had changed their tune in a hurry.
The latest from Intelligence was that the Carriers were due south of them and steaming towards the exercise area well over the horizon. The presence of the Grindwal, Yoizuki, and Audace was to observe the exercise. However, there were extensive rules of engagement that needed to be observed that basically boiled down to Do not start a goddamned war or cause an International incident in the process of carrying out that mission. That didn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty of fun things that they could do without stepping over the line.
“Launch the Cuckoo” Louis said, and the crew scrambled to make it happen.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The USS Gridley was escorting the USS Saratoga, Carrier picket duty to keep unauthorized boats and aircraft out of the exercise area. After weeks of waiting in the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, the armpit of the Caribbean, they had left in the dead of night during what they had been told was a gap in unfriendly satellite surveillance.
Now standing on the bridge, Captain Carter watched as a small, unmanned aircraft clearly painted in German Navy colors slowly flew past, probably photographing everything in sight the buzzing of its propeller coming into earshot. He was half tempted to blast the thing out of the sky but knew that would be pointless. Whenever the Germans were not using “Kuckuck” Drones for recon, they used them for target practice. They were the very definition of small, cheap, and expendable. Built mostly from wood covered in fabric, the drone was also difficult to see on radar.
Carter had tried to warn the Fleet that all their efforts were useless because there were dozens of eyes in Cuba who were not thrilled by the presence of the US Navy and all they needed to do was pick up a phone. This was proof that they hadn’t fooled anyone.
5th May 1974
Nicosia, Cyprus
Even here as an Administrator for the British Empire, Jack Wick was acutely aware of his place in the world. Some men it seemed were destined to be mired in Middle Management. This wasn’t helped by the obvious play on Wick’s name that had followed him like a curse since childhood, namely lackwit. All the efforts at improving himself in the years since had failed, University and then time spent in the Army where he had ended up as a Supply Officer. Finally, that had resulted in his posting in an out of the way place where the lack of respect that others had for him would not be an issue. Only to have the younger sister of the Emperor of the Hellenic Empire marry the Russian Czar which had emboldened the Greek majority on this island. A night over drinks jokes had been thrown around about how the natives were restless and it was only a matter of time before the shooting started.
There were times when Wick wondered if this was what it must have felt like on the frontiers of the Roman Empire as Rome had decayed and the Empire was slowing collapsing. Looking out his office window, Wick saw that the crowd of protesters who were out there most days, demanding that the British leave Cyprus the same way they had India and most of Africa, had swelled in number. Wick was also acutely aware of the other crowd that was also growing in number around the side of the building, Turkish Cypriots who were all too aware of what had happened in Albania and Bosnia. They knew what would happen to them at the hands of their Greek neighbors if the British left the island and many were not wasting time in getting their documents in order to leave. There was nothing new about intercommunal violence, Wick had seen plenty of it in India when he had been in one of the last Regiments to leave the Subcontinent.
The trouble was that England was less than welcoming towards immigrants of any kind at the moment, it didn’t matter whether or not they came from a British Dominion. Wick’s Superiors had told him that in history there had always been winners and losers, that was just how it shook out. He had realized in that moment that they were unable to see just where they fit in in that bloody equation. After Trafalgar, they had gone from victory to victory, conquering most of the world. Then at their height, some Archduke in a place few had ever heard of got himself shot and suddenly the wind was no longer at their backs. Wick saw that they were already on the downslope, just these days it was getting harder to ignore that it felt like they were gaining speed. Wick didn’t know just what the final crash would look like but saw it coming.
Windward Passage, between Cuba and Haiti
Just being here in these waters was amazing. Looking at a nautical map, Louis Ferdinand Junior had seen names that had fueled his imagination since he had been a boy. Port Royal and Tortuga, the places that the Brethren of the Tides had been based out of during the Golden Age of Piracy. There were also many other spots on the map of the Caribbean that he recognized. He had joked with Borchardt about running up the black flag and finding Spanish treasure convoys. The Warrant Officer had just shrugged and said that sort of flag was used by Submariners these days before spitting over the rail, like if he were dispelling a curse. Louis had called him a killjoy and Borchardt had just smiled. Both of them had experience in dealing with actual pirates and neither had any romantic notions about them. Still, there was a part of Louis that had been thrilled watching the swashbuckling adventures in Errol Flynn movies when he was a boy.
After weeks of waiting, word had reached them in Havana that the American Carrier Group that had been hiding in Guantanamo Bay, was finally putting to sea. For the crew life had been easy in Havana, so many of them were reluctant to get moving. Once they got to sea and Louis had told them that they were on the hunt, that had changed their tune in a hurry.
The latest from Intelligence was that the Carriers were due south of them and steaming towards the exercise area well over the horizon. The presence of the Grindwal, Yoizuki, and Audace was to observe the exercise. However, there were extensive rules of engagement that needed to be observed that basically boiled down to Do not start a goddamned war or cause an International incident in the process of carrying out that mission. That didn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty of fun things that they could do without stepping over the line.
“Launch the Cuckoo” Louis said, and the crew scrambled to make it happen.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The USS Gridley was escorting the USS Saratoga, Carrier picket duty to keep unauthorized boats and aircraft out of the exercise area. After weeks of waiting in the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, the armpit of the Caribbean, they had left in the dead of night during what they had been told was a gap in unfriendly satellite surveillance.
Now standing on the bridge, Captain Carter watched as a small, unmanned aircraft clearly painted in German Navy colors slowly flew past, probably photographing everything in sight the buzzing of its propeller coming into earshot. He was half tempted to blast the thing out of the sky but knew that would be pointless. Whenever the Germans were not using “Kuckuck” Drones for recon, they used them for target practice. They were the very definition of small, cheap, and expendable. Built mostly from wood covered in fabric, the drone was also difficult to see on radar.
Carter had tried to warn the Fleet that all their efforts were useless because there were dozens of eyes in Cuba who were not thrilled by the presence of the US Navy and all they needed to do was pick up a phone. This was proof that they hadn’t fooled anyone.
What happens on Cyprus depends on what Great Britain is willing to do, if the Greek Cypriots are demanding an Enios with the Hellenic Empire are the British willing to fight to keep it or will the IOTL solution of granting Cyprus independence with guarantees that the Turkish minority rights will be protected and respected?
How far is Greece willing to challenge the British Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean and how far are the Russians going to back up Greece, remember the Greeks control the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles ITTL.
Another wild card is the Italians as the have control of several disputed islands of the coast of Greece and Turkey.
How far is Greece willing to challenge the British Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean and how far are the Russians going to back up Greece, remember the Greeks control the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles ITTL.
Another wild card is the Italians as the have control of several disputed islands of the coast of Greece and Turkey.
After the Naval exercise there should be port calls along the Eastern Seacoast of the US and Canada by the ships of “The Three Princes” as a goodwill gesture as you have three young, handsome, and more importantly single members of royalty, of course in one of the port calls a princess from a country in the Balkans could show up…
Part 134, Chapter 2293
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Three
12th May 1974
Wilmersdorf, Berlin
“You are here Kristina, and it is not Christmas or Easter which I find to be a bit of a miracle” Zakhar said in a manner which made it impossible to tell if he was joking. Like always, he was wearing solid black, as an ascetic he looked with disdain upon the finery that a man of his station might embrace. He had not pulled any punches with his criticism of the other churches whose leaders didn’t share his perspective on the matter. He had at least combed out his beard so that it didn’t look like a bird’s nest. The Metropolitan of Berlin had insisted on speaking to Kiki today when all she wanted was the comforting rituals of childhood. Of course, her beliefs had taken a real beating over the years, which hardly helped matters.
“Things have changed at work” Kiki said, “I am no longer on call on Sundays so that freed up a bit of time.”
The truth was that the Hospital had started enforcing her actual schedule because it was felt that she was going to burn herself out. That had been an issue for years and Kiki wished that they would just let her do what she was comfortable with. Having it pointed out to her again and again didn’t help matters.
“Something that I understand” Zakhar said, “Satan violates every Law of God, so him not taking a day of rest is hardly a surprise. That would keep one of your particular vocation quite busy most days.”
Something that Kiki was thankful for was that while Zakhar was an extremely conservative, inflexible, religious fanatic, he had an attitude common among those from Siberia or the Russian Far East where in times past survival hinged on everyone working, no exceptions. Still, she was under no illusions about him being progressive in any other matters. He seemed to think that the only people who mattered were those who were the right kind of Christian. Those in other Denominations were apostates and people with different religions deserved to get stepped on. Freddy had said that it was people like Zakhar who were causing him a great deal of indigestion as the Greeks and the Turks continued their endless quest to exterminate each other.
Having Zakhar in Berlin seemed like it was asking for trouble and Kiki knew that it was only a matter of time before she ended up in some sort of dispute with Zakhar. Perhaps he would do everyone a favor and get run over by a heavily loaded lorry before that happened, but she knew that she would never be so fortunate.
“I don’t know if Satan has anything to do with general human stupidity and malice” Kiki replied, “Even less to do with plain bad luck.”
“Malice is easy enough to understand as his work” Zakhar said, “As for stupidity and bad luck…”
Zakhar just shrugged.
At least he wasn’t so arrogant as to assume that he had all the answers. This time anyway. Even he had to admit that people did stupid things constantly with no involvement of the supernatural.
“And just who is this?” Zakhar asked looking at Nina who was peering around Kiki’s legs at him. Like all small children she tended to stare at people who were odd. Zakhar probably knew perfectly well who Nina was, he was just acting like he didn’t.
“My daughter Nina” Kiki replied.
“A proper name” Zakhar said, “You would be shocked by some of the names that people in this country give their children, especially those who are of the second or third generation out.”
Kiki knew that he was referring to the ethnic Russians who lived in Germany, especially in the major cities such as Berlin, Munich, or Hamburg. Most of them were almost totally assimilated after so long outside of Russia, first as political exiles, and later economic refugees. To their children and grandchildren, Russia was almost a place of mythology. Kiki remembered the reactions of Yuri, who Zella had involved herself with, when he had gone to his mother’s hometown and found that the people there were not particularly welcoming. As far as they were concerned, he was German, while in Berlin he was seen as Russian. Kiki doubted that was something that Zakhar was prepared to actually address, not with the way that he easily fell into an “Us versus Them” dynamic.
“I’m sorry” Kiki said, “But when she gets bored things broken.”
“I understand completely” Zakhar said.
It was totally plausible and not a complete lie. Still, it was far better than if Kiki told Zakhar the truth, that she simply did not trust him. She also needed to convince the Hospital to let her work Sundays again to avoid these sorts of situations in the future.
One of Kiki’s bodyguards helped her get Nina to the waiting car, something that she was deeply thankful for. There were times when she envied how Ben didn’t always need to bother with the public aspects of her life. Religion was a small part of it. As an Academic, he fell into the category of Nonreligious/Decline to State and that didn’t seem to mean a whole lot beyond sleeping in on Sundays. Just the fact that people seemed to accept that without question was a bit of a minor annoyance.
12th May 1974
Wilmersdorf, Berlin
“You are here Kristina, and it is not Christmas or Easter which I find to be a bit of a miracle” Zakhar said in a manner which made it impossible to tell if he was joking. Like always, he was wearing solid black, as an ascetic he looked with disdain upon the finery that a man of his station might embrace. He had not pulled any punches with his criticism of the other churches whose leaders didn’t share his perspective on the matter. He had at least combed out his beard so that it didn’t look like a bird’s nest. The Metropolitan of Berlin had insisted on speaking to Kiki today when all she wanted was the comforting rituals of childhood. Of course, her beliefs had taken a real beating over the years, which hardly helped matters.
“Things have changed at work” Kiki said, “I am no longer on call on Sundays so that freed up a bit of time.”
The truth was that the Hospital had started enforcing her actual schedule because it was felt that she was going to burn herself out. That had been an issue for years and Kiki wished that they would just let her do what she was comfortable with. Having it pointed out to her again and again didn’t help matters.
“Something that I understand” Zakhar said, “Satan violates every Law of God, so him not taking a day of rest is hardly a surprise. That would keep one of your particular vocation quite busy most days.”
Something that Kiki was thankful for was that while Zakhar was an extremely conservative, inflexible, religious fanatic, he had an attitude common among those from Siberia or the Russian Far East where in times past survival hinged on everyone working, no exceptions. Still, she was under no illusions about him being progressive in any other matters. He seemed to think that the only people who mattered were those who were the right kind of Christian. Those in other Denominations were apostates and people with different religions deserved to get stepped on. Freddy had said that it was people like Zakhar who were causing him a great deal of indigestion as the Greeks and the Turks continued their endless quest to exterminate each other.
Having Zakhar in Berlin seemed like it was asking for trouble and Kiki knew that it was only a matter of time before she ended up in some sort of dispute with Zakhar. Perhaps he would do everyone a favor and get run over by a heavily loaded lorry before that happened, but she knew that she would never be so fortunate.
“I don’t know if Satan has anything to do with general human stupidity and malice” Kiki replied, “Even less to do with plain bad luck.”
“Malice is easy enough to understand as his work” Zakhar said, “As for stupidity and bad luck…”
Zakhar just shrugged.
At least he wasn’t so arrogant as to assume that he had all the answers. This time anyway. Even he had to admit that people did stupid things constantly with no involvement of the supernatural.
“And just who is this?” Zakhar asked looking at Nina who was peering around Kiki’s legs at him. Like all small children she tended to stare at people who were odd. Zakhar probably knew perfectly well who Nina was, he was just acting like he didn’t.
“My daughter Nina” Kiki replied.
“A proper name” Zakhar said, “You would be shocked by some of the names that people in this country give their children, especially those who are of the second or third generation out.”
Kiki knew that he was referring to the ethnic Russians who lived in Germany, especially in the major cities such as Berlin, Munich, or Hamburg. Most of them were almost totally assimilated after so long outside of Russia, first as political exiles, and later economic refugees. To their children and grandchildren, Russia was almost a place of mythology. Kiki remembered the reactions of Yuri, who Zella had involved herself with, when he had gone to his mother’s hometown and found that the people there were not particularly welcoming. As far as they were concerned, he was German, while in Berlin he was seen as Russian. Kiki doubted that was something that Zakhar was prepared to actually address, not with the way that he easily fell into an “Us versus Them” dynamic.
“I’m sorry” Kiki said, “But when she gets bored things broken.”
“I understand completely” Zakhar said.
It was totally plausible and not a complete lie. Still, it was far better than if Kiki told Zakhar the truth, that she simply did not trust him. She also needed to convince the Hospital to let her work Sundays again to avoid these sorts of situations in the future.
One of Kiki’s bodyguards helped her get Nina to the waiting car, something that she was deeply thankful for. There were times when she envied how Ben didn’t always need to bother with the public aspects of her life. Religion was a small part of it. As an Academic, he fell into the category of Nonreligious/Decline to State and that didn’t seem to mean a whole lot beyond sleeping in on Sundays. Just the fact that people seemed to accept that without question was a bit of a minor annoyance.
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wait, what? Zella changed their sex? 😉 I think you meant "herself," just sayin'.
Part 134, Chapter 2294
Chapter Two Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-Four
13th May 1974
South-East of Jamaica, Caribbean Sea
The USS Gridley was one of the most powerful warships ever constructed. While she was a dedicated anti-aircraft platform, in the event of war she was designed with a stand off capability in mind, to launch cruise missiles that would find their targets without aid once the information had been loaded by the crew of the Gridley. What was kept in mind was that there were other ships whose mission included hunting the Gridley and destroying her before she got the chance to launch. Captain James “Jimmy” Carter had that in mind as he saw the three ships cruising abreast on the horizon, and getting closer with disturbing speed, two Destroyers and a slightly smaller Corvette.
Carter understood what Naval Intelligence had to say about their respective Classes and capabilities. What Intelligence didn’t know were intangible things, especially their Captains. These were honest to God Princes who could have lived lives of luxury but chose a rigorous life at sea. He knew Louis Ferdinand Junior quite well having gotten to know the German Prince in Trieste a few years earlier and knew that he was the sort who wouldn’t let little things like odds get in the way of the mission. It was hardly a surprise that he had been the one who had launched the drone that had given Carter’s CO such a headache on the first day. He didn’t know the other two, but when his XO had heard that they were being trailed by German, an Italian, and a Japanese ships he had asked if someone could tell him the rest of the joke. Everyone around the table in the wardroom had laughed except Carter who knew that they were not to be trifled with. Now, it wasn’t funny, not in the least.
“A message from Commander von Preussen” One of the Radio Operators said, “He is asking for your permission to approach.”
“Tell him that it is granted” Carter replied.
It was just like Louis, Carter thought to himself. All courtesies observed, right until it came time for him to color outside the lines. Carter had seen plenty of that in the Mediterranean when he had been commanding the old USS Blue, an outdated Destroyer that had excelled in her second life as a surveillance ship. Carter had spent a lot of time on the Blue shadowing the German Navy. Which was part of the reason he had been asked to do this, the other being that he had told the Admiral that he knew Louis when he had been asked if he could do something about “Those damned foreign ships.” Getting Louis on the horn had not been difficult, when Carter suggested that they meet to hash this thing out Louis had said that it was a parley, not a meet much to Carter’s annoyance when word had gotten around the crew of the Gridley about that. Yes, they were in the Caribbean Sea, but this was not a ride at Disneyland. Having a young Captain of a rival Navy being seen as a dashing Corsair by his crew presented its own difficulties, especially considering that Carter preferred a more calm and resolute style of leadership.
As the SMS K024 Grindwal drew closer, Carter could see the jagged lines of her paint scheme, different shades of grey designed to make determining her range and bearing difficult. The IJN Yoizuki was painted in broad irregular grey and blue stripes which was likely meant to serve the same function. Finally, the RN Audace was painted a vivid white in a tradition similar to that of the British Navy during peacetime. It didn’t take too much imagination for Carter to realize that he was looking at different doctrines at play. It the age of radar it hardly mattered how the ship was painted, however it related to how the ship’s crew saw themselves.
After a few minutes, a small boat was spotted coming from the Grindwal, with corresponding boats leaving from the other ships leaving from the small flotilla. As it drew closer, Carter spotted Louis wearing the white tropical uniform of German Naval Officers, a second man wore a similar uniform, a third who was piloting the boat, wore the dark blue uniform of a German Sailor, while four other men wore the field uniform of the German Military. The Marines aboard the Gridley bristled at the mere sight of them, and a voice whispered in the back of his head that Louis’ bodyguards were Sealions from the German Marine Infantry. Carter also noticed that the pilot of the German boat was wearing what looked like an American ballcap with gold lettering on it, an idea that the Kaiserliche Marine could only have copied from the US Navy. It was an amusing thought.
As Louis boarded the Gridley, he was followed by another Officer, who looked to be an older man with a weather-beaten face and grey beard.
“This is… Senior Deck Officer Borchardt” Louis said in English for introduction. Carter was aware that the Germans had their own versions of Warrant Officers to fill specialty roles, this was the first time he had ever met one of them. “Akihito and Amedeo will be here shortly, as the most junior among us it was felt that I was best suited to make introductions.”
“I saw that you are a Commander, or the equivalent” Carter said, “Not a Captain yet.”
“Probably not for a while” Louis said, and Carter knew that was a load of crap. If half of what Carter had heard about what Louis had been up to was true, then news of Louis’ promotion was due at any second.
“That is all well and good” Carter said, “But do you have any idea what this meeting is all about?”
“I am not supposed to say until everyone else gets here” Louis said, “But I think that my High Command and your Joint Chiefs of Staff have gone mad.”
“So, it’s a day that ends in Y” Carter said jokingly and he realized that Louis hadn’t been.
13th May 1974
South-East of Jamaica, Caribbean Sea
The USS Gridley was one of the most powerful warships ever constructed. While she was a dedicated anti-aircraft platform, in the event of war she was designed with a stand off capability in mind, to launch cruise missiles that would find their targets without aid once the information had been loaded by the crew of the Gridley. What was kept in mind was that there were other ships whose mission included hunting the Gridley and destroying her before she got the chance to launch. Captain James “Jimmy” Carter had that in mind as he saw the three ships cruising abreast on the horizon, and getting closer with disturbing speed, two Destroyers and a slightly smaller Corvette.
Carter understood what Naval Intelligence had to say about their respective Classes and capabilities. What Intelligence didn’t know were intangible things, especially their Captains. These were honest to God Princes who could have lived lives of luxury but chose a rigorous life at sea. He knew Louis Ferdinand Junior quite well having gotten to know the German Prince in Trieste a few years earlier and knew that he was the sort who wouldn’t let little things like odds get in the way of the mission. It was hardly a surprise that he had been the one who had launched the drone that had given Carter’s CO such a headache on the first day. He didn’t know the other two, but when his XO had heard that they were being trailed by German, an Italian, and a Japanese ships he had asked if someone could tell him the rest of the joke. Everyone around the table in the wardroom had laughed except Carter who knew that they were not to be trifled with. Now, it wasn’t funny, not in the least.
“A message from Commander von Preussen” One of the Radio Operators said, “He is asking for your permission to approach.”
“Tell him that it is granted” Carter replied.
It was just like Louis, Carter thought to himself. All courtesies observed, right until it came time for him to color outside the lines. Carter had seen plenty of that in the Mediterranean when he had been commanding the old USS Blue, an outdated Destroyer that had excelled in her second life as a surveillance ship. Carter had spent a lot of time on the Blue shadowing the German Navy. Which was part of the reason he had been asked to do this, the other being that he had told the Admiral that he knew Louis when he had been asked if he could do something about “Those damned foreign ships.” Getting Louis on the horn had not been difficult, when Carter suggested that they meet to hash this thing out Louis had said that it was a parley, not a meet much to Carter’s annoyance when word had gotten around the crew of the Gridley about that. Yes, they were in the Caribbean Sea, but this was not a ride at Disneyland. Having a young Captain of a rival Navy being seen as a dashing Corsair by his crew presented its own difficulties, especially considering that Carter preferred a more calm and resolute style of leadership.
As the SMS K024 Grindwal drew closer, Carter could see the jagged lines of her paint scheme, different shades of grey designed to make determining her range and bearing difficult. The IJN Yoizuki was painted in broad irregular grey and blue stripes which was likely meant to serve the same function. Finally, the RN Audace was painted a vivid white in a tradition similar to that of the British Navy during peacetime. It didn’t take too much imagination for Carter to realize that he was looking at different doctrines at play. It the age of radar it hardly mattered how the ship was painted, however it related to how the ship’s crew saw themselves.
After a few minutes, a small boat was spotted coming from the Grindwal, with corresponding boats leaving from the other ships leaving from the small flotilla. As it drew closer, Carter spotted Louis wearing the white tropical uniform of German Naval Officers, a second man wore a similar uniform, a third who was piloting the boat, wore the dark blue uniform of a German Sailor, while four other men wore the field uniform of the German Military. The Marines aboard the Gridley bristled at the mere sight of them, and a voice whispered in the back of his head that Louis’ bodyguards were Sealions from the German Marine Infantry. Carter also noticed that the pilot of the German boat was wearing what looked like an American ballcap with gold lettering on it, an idea that the Kaiserliche Marine could only have copied from the US Navy. It was an amusing thought.
As Louis boarded the Gridley, he was followed by another Officer, who looked to be an older man with a weather-beaten face and grey beard.
“This is… Senior Deck Officer Borchardt” Louis said in English for introduction. Carter was aware that the Germans had their own versions of Warrant Officers to fill specialty roles, this was the first time he had ever met one of them. “Akihito and Amedeo will be here shortly, as the most junior among us it was felt that I was best suited to make introductions.”
“I saw that you are a Commander, or the equivalent” Carter said, “Not a Captain yet.”
“Probably not for a while” Louis said, and Carter knew that was a load of crap. If half of what Carter had heard about what Louis had been up to was true, then news of Louis’ promotion was due at any second.
“That is all well and good” Carter said, “But do you have any idea what this meeting is all about?”
“I am not supposed to say until everyone else gets here” Louis said, “But I think that my High Command and your Joint Chiefs of Staff have gone mad.”
“So, it’s a day that ends in Y” Carter said jokingly and he realized that Louis hadn’t been.
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Joint Wargames!
And then someone crashes their ship into someone else's. The perfect ending!
And then someone crashes their ship into someone else's. The perfect ending!
I'm a bit confused. I don't know if this is a British ship carrying an Italian prince as commander (why?) or really is a misnomer, being RM Audace (RM for Regia Marina).
Could you clearfy?