Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

Please let this devolve into some kind of comedy wedding, where they end up having to find them due to roadworks or something... XD
 
This wedding is going to have the greatest number of living recipients of the PLM in gathered one place and basically it is from three families, the von Mischner, the von Richthofen, and the von Knipsel, along with plenty of others such as Tilo Schultz of the Marine Infantry, Emil von Holz who's original Regiment the 140th, was also Han's original Regiment, Kiki if I remembered correctly used to babysit Manny, Ina, and Suse Rosa should be invited along with her plus one Ben.
 
What Suse Rosa should understand but doesn't have to like is that this is not just her mother's show but also Kurfurst Manfred von Richthofen's show and Helene von Mischner show as they have plenty of their own obligations to meet.
With Manny and Christian being highly decorated heroes from the Patagonia War and both Suse Rosa and Ina serving as civilian volunteers, the President of Argentina could be invited and that would be a great opportunity to informally talk to him about making some necessary compromises for a long lasting peace deal.
Invitations should state that all honors and medals should be worn, which will make people like Kat and Kiki happy.
 
Part 137, Chapter 2355
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Five



11th February 1975

Montreal, Canada

It being a late winter afternoon in Canada meant that there was little to do outdoors as was evidenced by the snow that was seen falling outside whenever Marie Alexandra looked out the windows. That didn’t mean that there were not other opportunities for recreation. When Henriette had been told by her mother that she was going out with Marie while she stayed home with Alice. She was to go do something that a young woman would find enjoyable, that was nonnegotiable.

As it had turned out, Henriette had a few ideas about what they could be doing as they had ventured into the City and in a somewhat ironic twist, Marie found herself swimming in the heated indoor pool in a Women’s Athletic Club which had let them in without raising too much fuss about membership. Henriette had told her that they knew perfectly well who Marie was and that they were hoping for her patronage, which struck her as a bit absurd. Though laying on a lounge chair basking in the warmth when it was freezing cold outside might make it worthwhile. Then the subject of the wedding invitation which Marie had in her bookbag came up.

“I got that invitation plus airline tickets” Marie said, “When I told the Professors of the classes I am going to miss that week I got the impression that many of them would go with me if they were given the chance.”

“I would too” Henriette said looking at the elaborate invitation that had arrived at the Blackwood house the week prior. “This just sounds amazing.”

“Events like this are not nearly as entertaining as you might imagine” Marie replied, “Because this is the wedding with two of Opa’s grandchildren getting married, one to the daughter of the Marshal of Bohemia the entire thing is steeped in politics and posturing. Ina’s marriage to Christian Weise is considered more of a love match, though Manny and Suse have been a couple for a long time. Suse absolutely hates this sort of spectacle which is why they have been putting things off for the last few years.”

“This Opa, he’s important, right?” Henriette asked.

“He’s the Prince Elector of Silesia” Marie replied, “Though here in Canada he is known as the Red Barron for his exploits in the First World War. There are many who think that this is going to be his last great hurrah before he retires from public.”

Henriette looked back at the invitation. “It gives your full name here, Prinzessin Marie Alexandra Kristina von Mischner-Blackwood” She read aloud, “Is that Princess thing for real?”

“My mother is the Prefect of Berlin” Marie replied, “It is considered a Principality, that makes me a Princess because I am her daughter.”

“I never thought of that” Henriette said, “Berlin is your biggest city, right?”

“Largest city, National Capital, City-State, a collection of dozens of municipalities, all of those things” Marie replied, “It has its own Government and an appointed Monarch. Katherine von Mischner, my mother, who has more power within the City than most of the Kings and Queens in the Empire but was named Prefect as a sop to those who would prefer a democratically elected leader.”

“Wow” Henriette replied, “That is not something I ever heard about in school, they made it sound like your Kaiser is a Dictator or something.”

Marie wasn’t annoyed that Henriette had said something like that. The impression that many people in Canada had of Germany was left over from the First World War, regrettably that included Marie’s own grandmother.

“The Emperor was once an Autocrat, but events elsewhere in the world revealed the folly of one man having that much power” Marie said, “Reforms were made and even without that, Friedrich IV grew up with his cousin Jehane Thomas-Romanova as a babysitter when she was hiding from the Bolsheviks. She taught him a thing or two about being gracious to ordinary people.”

“She’s the girl who everyone thought had been killed with the rest of her family, who the previous Kaiser hid?” Henriette asked, “I thought that her name was Alexandra.”

How to explain this to Henriette, who had only ever left Montreal a handful of times on family vacations? The Russian Revolution had haunted the German Royal family in the decades between the two World Wars. Even Wilhelm II who was not remembered as being a particularly reasonable man had faced that reality during the March Revolution in 1921 when he had discovered that the Military had been unwilling to crush the revolution, opting for a bizarre workaround instead which then Generalmajor von Wolvogle said was done to preserve the honor of the Heer. He along with all the Officers of the Detachment said that they were going to take piss rather than fire on their own people. He left a Feldwebel in charge, one Walter Horst, who was a close friend of Augustus Lang, who was the leader of the revolution and later the Chancellor of Germany. Historians debated the significance of that single event, how it would shape the Nation in the decades since. All Marie knew was that the discussion in History Class had felt surreal.

“No matter” Henriette said, “Are you prepared for this? A wedding is a huge deal.”

“Klaus Voll, who is doing the clothes for the wedding party has my measurements on file” Marie replied, “All I have to do is show up for the final fitting and the rehearsal.”

As soon as Marie said she knew she had made a mistake. Henriette was a bit self-conscious about how she had gained a great deal of weight when she had been pregnant. Six months later, she was discovering that it was seemingly impossible for her body to go back to how it was before. She just hoped that her friend wouldn’t see that as a personal insult.

“I’m totally jealous of how you can still do that” Henriette said, “If I tried that getting me into the dress would be like stuffing sausages.”

“It’s not that bad” Marie replied, and Henriette was happy she said that.
 
The place where Marie and Henriette were might seem like a plot contrivance, but it is based on a real place founded by Hilda Strike after she medaled in Track and Field at the 1932 Olympics.
 
I wonder if Marie might take Henriette along as her plus one. I think it would do wonders for her confidence, especially if someone as skilled as Klaus Voll or one of his assistants create an outfit or two for her. Bonus points for making Margot eat her own spleen.
 
Henriette had told her that they knew perfectly well who Marie was and that they were hoping for her patronage, which struck her as a bit absurd.
Marie is studiously ignoring the impact that she has made in Montreal, she is going to be described in the Society Pages of the newspapers as being " Charming Eccentric, Kind-Hearted" and as a trend setter with a fashion sense all of her own.
Word is going to spread fast about the invitation that Marie just received and if Sir Malcom and Margot hasn't received one that will cause some talk among Margot's "friends" who will be delighted in taking Margot down a peg or two.
Marie is still finding her feet in Montreal and for the most part there has been no demands made on her except for her to keep up with her schoolwork, but that is going to change soon as word of her talents in languages spread and the fact that she is a close aide to Kaserine Suga is going to cause someone very important to demand that she acts in some capacity as a translator (mostly for the sake of their ego) for them.
If Marie is able to take Henriette as her Plus-One that may spur Henriette to lose those last baby weight pounds and Marie will be there sweating away in support of her.
 
Part 137, Chapter 2356
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Six



21st February 1975

Tempelhof, Berlin

With the start of the racing season rapidly approaching, Alida Baruch wasn’t letting little things like cold weather with light drizzle that was threatening to turn to snow get in the way of what she saw as important training. That was why Sophie was out on the practice track on her red “no name” bike. She was soaked to the skin and could feel the grit that the tires were picking up in her clothes. The blue Bianchi would probably better for today with the fenders to keep the spray off the rider, but Alida had taken one look at the basket and rack and had made clear that anything she deemed superfluous had no place here. So, Sophie endured the cold, damp, and mud to maintain her place on the team. Ziska had even suggested that it had become an obsession of hers and had jokingly asked when she was getting her best friend back.

That had been funny, but there had been a bitter edge to it.

Perhaps Sophie really was obsessed with cycling, with Sepp out of the picture though it wasn’t as if she had much else to focus on. Even one of her teachers had remarked upon this when she had turned in a paper at the end of the Winter Term about Tessie Reynolds and her record-breaking ride from Brighton to London and back in 1893. Riding that 192 kilometers in 8 hours 30 minutes would still be a difficult time to beat even with a modern bicycle and the far better clothing available these days. Of course, the “practical” clothing that Tessie wore and even her choice of bicycles was considered scandalous for the time. What Sophie typically wore when she was training turned heads in present day Berlin, it would easily have caused the public equivalent a supernova back then.

During the wedding preparations that were consuming every bit of everyone’s spare time, Klaus Voll had commented that she didn’t have a spare bit of fat on her and that she reminded him of her mother during the bad old days. At first, Sophie had no idea what Voll was talking about. It wasn’t as if Sophie didn’t eat plenty of food, if she ever skipped a meal then she would find herself with Petia after her. The Russian woman took no prisoners when it came to seeing to that those who she saw as under her care took care of themselves whether they liked it or not. And when would he have ever met her mother? Then she realized that he was talking about Kat. There were far worse things than having people think that she was Kat von Mischner’s daughter, that certainly was better than the truth. Just the thought of her actual mother and her new family made Sophie want to wretch. Someone like that didn’t deserve to be happy.

Out of frustration, Sophie pushed herself harder, flying down the track while gripping the cloth tape that covered the handlebars of her bicycle. Looking up, Sophie saw Alida with her stopwatch and whistle on the side of the track. As Sophie flew past her, she heard the whistle blow shrilly and steered off the track.

“Good job Zoe!” Alida yelled, “Keep it up.”

Alida seemed happy which was rare with her. Normally, she was dead serious and wanted those she coached to take a similar approach to the sport. Lately though, she was saying that she was enjoying seeing the progress that Sophie, among others were making and there was even talk of having Sophie progress out of the Juniors this spring after her upcoming sixteenth birthday which would make her the youngest of the regular team. Alida had set her sights on the various Road Races coming up during the upcoming season with her team, which Sophie would be just one part of.

It was also said that Alida had big plans for Montreal next year, where women’s cycling had been introduced as an advent after decades of lobbying the International Olympic Committee. Alida had represented the Netherlands in Tokyo where Women’s Cycling was a Demonstration Sport, she was determined that 1976 was going to be one that everyone remembered.

As Sophie coasted to a stop, she instantly started to get cold as she leaned her bike against the fence that lined the track. Another girl her age was headed out onto the track, so Alida’s focus was elsewhere. Going to where she had stashed her duffle bag, Sophie pulled the grey insulated coveralls that had been a Christmas gift from Kat on over her cycling attire. It was Sophie’s understanding that Luftwaffe flight crews wore them. The one she was wearing even had the various unit markings along with the Luftwaffe roundel and the Imperial eagle embroidered on it. She had discovered that it was worth its weight in gold during the wintertime. Sophie smiled at her teammates who looked at her with quite a bit of envy as they were shivering in the cold. When Sophie had first worn it couple weeks earlier, Kat had offered similar coveralls to the rest of the team. However, they had rather vocally declined after saying that they found the coveralls to be incredibly ugly. Kat had simply said that the offer would still stand when they changed their minds. If the look on their faces was anything to judge by, Kat was probably right about how things would play out.
 
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Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Six



21st February 1975

Tempelhof, Berlin

With the start of the racing season rapidly approaching, Alida Baruch wasn’t letting little things like cold weather with light drizzle that was threatening to turn to snow get in way of what she saw as important training. That was why Sophie was out on the practice track on her red “no name” bike. She was soaked to the skin and could feel the grit that the tires were picking up in her clothes. The blue Bianchi would probably better for today with the fenders to keep the spray off the rider, but Alida had taken one look at the basket and rack and had made clear that anything she deemed superfluous had no place here. So, Sophie endured the cold, damp, and mud to maintain her place on the team. Ziska had even suggested that it had become an obsession of hers and had jokingly asked when she was getting her best friend back.

That had been funny, but there had been a bitter edge to it.

Perhaps Sophie really was obsessed with cycling, with Sepp out of the picture though it wasn’t as if she had much else to focus on. Even one of her teachers had remarked upon this when she had turned in a paper at the end of the Winter Term about Tessie Reynolds and her record-breaking ride from Brighton to London and back in 1893. Riding that 192 kilometers in 8 hours 30 minutes would still be a difficult time to beat even with a modern bicycle and the far better clothing available these days. Of course, the “practical” clothing that Tessie wore and even her choice of bicycles was considered scandalous for the time. What Sophie typically wore when she was training turned heads in present day Berlin, it would easily have caused the public equivalent a supernova back then.

During the wedding preparations that were consuming every bit of everyone’s spare time, Klaus Voll had commented that she didn’t have a spare bit of fat on her and that she reminded him of her mother during the bad old days. At first, Sophie had no idea what Voll was talking about. It wasn’t as if Sophie didn’t eat plenty of food, if she ever skipped a meal then she would find herself with Petia after her. The Russian woman took no prisoners when it came to seeing to that those who she saw as under her care took care of themselves whether they liked it or not. And when would he have ever met her mother? Then she realized that he was talking about Kat. There were far worse things than having people think that she was Kat von Mischner’s daughter, that certainly was better than the truth. Just the thought of her actual mother and her new family made Sophie want to wretch. Someone like that didn’t deserve to be happy.

Out of frustration, Sophie pushed herself harder, flying down the track while gripping the cork tape that covered the handlebars of her bicycle. Looking up, Sophie saw Alida with her stopwatch and whistle on the side of the track. As Sophie flew past her, she heard the whistle blow shrilly and steered off the track.

“Good job Zoe!” Alida yelled, “Keep it up.”

Alida seemed happy which was rare with her. Normally, she was dead serious and wanted those she coached to take a similar approach to the sport. Lately though, she was saying that she was enjoying seeing the progress that Sophie, among others were making and there was even talk of having Sophie progress out of the Juniors this spring after her upcoming sixteenth birthday which would make her the youngest of the regular team. Alida had set her sights on the various Road Races coming up during the upcoming season with her team, which Sophie would be just one part of.

It was also said that Alida had big plans for Montreal next year, where women’s cycling had been introduced as an advent after decades of lobbying the International Olympic Committee. Alida had represented the Netherlands in Tokyo where Women’s Cycling was a Demonstration Sport, she was determined that 1976 was going to be one that everyone remembered.

As Sophie coasted to a stop, she instantly started to get cold as she leaned her bike against the fence that lined the track. Another girl her age was headed out onto the track, so Alida’s focus was elsewhere. Going to where she had stashed her duffle bag, Sophie pulled the grey insulated coveralls that had been a Christmas gift from Kat on over her cycling attire. It was Sophie’s understanding that Luftwaffe flight crews wore them. The one she was wearing even had the various unit markings along with the Luftwaffe roundel and the Imperial eagle embroidered on it. She had discovered that it was worth its weight in gold during the wintertime. Sophie smiled at her teammates who looked at her with quite a bit of envy as they were shivering in the cold. When Sophie had first worn it couple weeks earlier, Kat had offered similar coveralls to the rest of the team. However, they had rather vocally declined after saying that they found the coveralls to be incredibly ugly. Kat had simply said that the offer would still stand when they changed their minds. If the look on their faces was anything to judge by, Kat was probably right about how things would play out.
There is always a moment in time when "function" triumphs over "form" aka looks
 
And this is why Adidas decided to promote their running shoes from Germany's military surplus stores.

"And now a short look into how sports are organised in Germany. Depending on the area, athletes are organised in platoons, squadrons and batteries."

:winkytongue:
 
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There used to be a show on Discovery called "Tactical to Practical".
This will be one of those items.

"You know the warm suits you see skiers, luge and cyclists zipping into after they compete? Well this week on `Tactical to Practical` we'll see how these suits went from the German Airforce, via one of the world's most dangerous assassins, to become standard clothing for the world's sports elite, as well as you and I".
 
Part 137, Chapter 2357
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Seven



23rd February 1975

Montreal, Canada

What had already been a long, difficult month since that invitation had arrived at their house had become an even longer, more difficult weekend. The Sunday Edition of the Gazette had come out and there on the Society Page above the fold was the headline, Prinzessin Marie Alexandra von Mischner-Blackwood zu Berlin on beating the Winter Blues in Montreal. There was a photograph of Marie Alexandra with Henriette Lane at the Montreal Lady’s Athletic Club enjoying the pool facilities. While the one-piece swimsuit that Marie was wearing was downright conservative by the standards of her native Germany, in Canada it was an entirely different story. Sir Malcolm knew instantly that Marie had made herself into the dream girl for many young men who just happened to be flipping through the newspaper. There was also mention of the Mercury Athletic Club where Marie and Henriette had also been seen. The article had spoken at length about Marie applying for membership at those clubs, how she was attending University at McGill. That she was planning on attending the Royal Wedding in Silesia in a few weeks’ time. She also spoke about her wonderful friend Hennie who she had helping get out more over the last few months.

Malcolm found that the article was typical of the Society Page, a whole lot of fluff and not much of what might be considered serious journalism. What shone through was Marie’s kind nature, generosity, and adventurous spirit. It was obvious to everyone that she was not an athlete, she was the perfect means of showing off the role that those clubs did indeed play, especially during the winter.

This was enough for Margot to retire to her bedroom and refuse all callers. This was because of the various fights that Margot had gotten into in the past over what she had deemed “Unladylike behavior” by some of the members of those clubs. They had very vocally disagreed with Margot’s assessment of their activities, especially those from the Mercury Club. For Margot, it was bad enough that Marie was so unapologetically German, having her fall into the orbit of those who had worn her scorn as an honor in the past was just too much. While she was not mentioned anywhere in the article, Margot was certain that Hilda Sisson was leading the charge of those who wanted her taken down a peg or two. While Malcolm felt that was a bit much, it was entirely possible after four decades of bad blood between them.

Of course, while Malcolm understood where Margot was coming from he also wondered if there was a bit more to it than that. He had once joked that one day, a woman younger and prettier than Margot was going to one day take the city by storm and end her reign as the Grand Dame of Montreal. It was the natural order of things that it was their granddaughter who was a lovely young woman who clearly had no intention of that happening.



Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Niko was finding that Santa Cruz Province was a lot like Silesia, albeit without his grandfather’s ironfisted rule. What that meant was that many of the decisions which determined how the Province was run were made in closed door meetings by those who regarded themselves as the real masters of this land, elected or otherwise. Oberst von Kropp expected things to go how they had in Brandenburg and was having serious trouble adapting to the very different pace of Patagonian Argentina. There was also the matter of the calendar, which was a serious consideration. While Niko was not Catholic, one of the things that Opa had drilled into his head was an understanding of what he needed to know in order to do business with those who were, especially in a place like this.

“You are not going to get that meeting this month, Sir” Niko said, “Not before Easter.”

Oberst von Kropp was not happy with that answer, but he should have understood how they did business in Argentina before he had even gotten on the plane that had brought them to Patagonia months earlier. There had been a meeting of the Provincial Governors, Mayor of Rio Gallegos, and the major landowners during Carnival, von Kropp had not been invited nor had been aware of the not-so-subtle insult that had been directed his way in process. Basically, they considered Oberst von Kropp to be a nonentity. Because the Richthofen family happened to own tens of thousands of hectares throughout Argentina including in the Santa Cruz Province, Niko had been invited to that meeting to act as a proxy of his Grandfather. He had politely declined, not wanting to show up his Commanding Officer. It was better for everyone that von Kropp never learn about that.

“You are saying that they are not doing business at this time?” von Kropp asked in disbelief.

“No” Niko replied, “Business in going on just fine, they just do not discuss business during Lent. It is considered impolite.”

“Is that a joke?” von Kropp asked.

“No, Sir” Niko replied, “If you could tell me what this was about, then perhaps another informal arrangement might be made.”

Niko saw that the Oberst was even less happy with that answer. It was like the American idiom he had heard, about how you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
 
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Niko is more than his Father or Grandfather. As it should be. It's a sign that if he decides to, he will go far up the chain of command. Although a few lessons on power politics from his Grandfather, and how to play that power softly to avoid looking like a threat and fly under the radar, would be best of all.
 
No doubt that Opa von Richthofen is getting direct and indirect reports about his grandson Niko, and is very pleased how all the lessons that he has been teaching Niko are beginning to bear fruit, such as not showing up your incompetent CO but going discretely around him.
For Opa von Richthofen this proves that Niko is the true Richthofen heir and the next thing on Opa's agenda is finding him a worthy spouse to breed even more Richthofen heirs.
For Gandpere Blackwood, after the admonishment that he gave to Margot and Marie, he is finding out that Marie is winning by not playing and just letting the chips fall wherever they may, and they are falling Marie's way.
The thing is that Marie may allow herself to be used to take Margot down a peg or two, but there is a boundary that can't be crossed, but so far it hasn't.
 
What would be funny is if Niko gets an invitation to the double wedding while he is in Argentina and it has a Plus-One and his CO is there when the invitation arrives.
BTW then invitations themselves are being referred as a "Golden Ticket" after that movie about a chocolate factory that Gerta produced, (IOTL the movie was filmed in Munich).
 
Niko is wedding party, he doesn't have a normal invitation with a "+1" like other people. He would not be expected to show up with anyone else because he is not with anyone right now, he would be paired at the wedding with an appropriate person of rank and stature and what type of participant in the wedding they are. The real question is what role is Opa and them looking for him to fulfill at the WEDDING, yes all caps because that is what it is.
 
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