Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

@Peabody-Martini

So, I was just watching The Crown on Netflix, and I was wondering, is Lord Louis Mountbatten still a conniving ashole in this ATL?
Authorial licence can amend many things, however others are beyond fixing.
Of course, the British Antarctic Survey would probably be thrilled to receive his application to join them. It's wonderful to see the British aristocracy showing that anything Germany can do, Britain can also do.
What do you mean that doesn't look like his handwriting?
Well of course he's bound and gagged, he went to The Lockers. They have some odd habits there by our standards, don't question your betters...
 
In my mind I had him in charge of the RN/RCN Fleet that prevented Japanese merchant ships from using the American West Coast ports and stopping merchant ships from neutral countries going to Japan.
He did a damn fine job of it, got himself named Earl of Vancouver for it.
Of course that is all in my mind and not canon from Peabody-Martini.
 
Part 137, Chapter 2365
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Sixty-Five



31st March 1975

Near Balderschwang, Bavaria

Upon waking up, Kiki was aware of how much her back ached. As unlikely as it seemed, it had gotten worse, enough to keep her awake until a couple hours earlier. Ben murmured something before rolling over and going back to sleep. It was enough to make Kiki wish that she would just have the baby out of her already, so that her body and life could go back to some semblance of normalcy.

At the wedding, Kat had remarked that Kiki was lucky for reasons that had to do with her body type. She only looked like she was six months along though she was nearly to term. She didn’t feel lucky with her back keeping her awake. With a sigh of exasperation, Kiki crawled out of bed and padded across the room to find her dressing gown and glasses. The storm a week earlier had been followed by a cold snap, so the floor was cold under her feet as she walked down the stairs.

The lights were on in the kitchen, which was not much of a surprise. With a household the size of this one there were things needing to be done around the clock. The smell of baking bread and food that was being prepared for breakfast in a couple hours was evidence of that.

“You should not be out of bed” Frau Aue said as Kiki entered the room.

“With everyone having jobs to do, asking someone else to fetch me water would have been stupid” Kiki replied, “And what are you doing up?”

“I find that I need sleep less and less the older I get” Frau Aue said sharply as Kiki removed a glass from one of the cupboards and filled it at the sink. Aue gave her a look when she popped two tablets into her mouth and swallowed them with water. “You are supposed to avoid that sort of thing” Aue said crossly.

“It’s just aspirin” Kiki replied, “For my back.”

Aue continued staring at her. She knew that Kiki was a Physician and that the medical bag that Kiki kept in her bedroom closet had medications far stronger than aspirin. That was just one of the things that Aue and Berg had been watching her for.

These days Kiki had Ermentrud Aue and Nora Berg watching her closely. Both of them had promised Doctor Huber that they would call him if anything happened. Kiki could plainly see the cynical thinking involved in that Huber would need to come all the way from Munich. While she had no doubt about how Aue and Berg had decades of experience, them playing that sort of game was an annoyance that Kiki did not need. That was why she had paid to have Doctor Huber stay in a hotel room in Balderschwang. He was basically getting a free ski vacation out of this, and Kiki considered that a small price to pay to get a little bit of peace in her household.

“Your back is bothering you?” Aue asked.

“At least it is not as bad as another migraine headache” Kiki said as she sat down at the kitchen table and tried to get some weight off her lower back and Aue handed her a cup of herbal tea that she said was good for her as she sat down at the table, the tea tasted like it had pine needles in it. That seemed to work as Kiki watched the breakfast preparations. She was aware that she was aware of the role that she played here as the wife of the Graf of Oberallgäu. Even if she did not have other Titles of her own, that alone would merit the Cooks going about their tasks with half an eye on what she was doing. After a bit, they got bored and started ignoring her presence.

There was a stab of pain in her back, much to Kiki’s annoyance. She was rubbing her lower back until the pain subsided and Aue spoke up again.

“How long do you suppose it was?” Frau Aue asked, “Since the back pain woke you up?”

“Half an hour I suppose” Kiki replied, “You have a theory?”

“I’ve seen this before” Frau Aue said, “We’ll know in another half hour.”

“There are times when I really wish that you were straight forward as opposed to mentioning things you saw in the past that I have no reference to” Kiki said, annoyed.

“In your professional capacity, how many times have you wanted to avoid saying something to a patient in case you are getting something wrong?” Frau Aue asked in reply.

“Point taken” Kiki said, “Still, you have to know how patronizing that can be.”

“Try working with Physicians who think that they know everything and that you are beneath them” Frau Aue said before sipping her tea.

“Point taken” Kiki said, annoyed that she needed to repeat it.

“Unlike most of your colleagues, you have this experience to humble you” Frau Aue said, “My hope is that you do not forget this.”

“Exactly what is so important about back pain in this case?” Kiki asked, not willing to let this go. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“You’ll just get excited over what will likely be nothing” Frau Aue said, “Especially when we are in the wait-and-see part.”

“I never was any good at that” Kiki said, “The waiting. In emergency surgery you want results, the sooner the better.”

“Things couldn’t be more different in my profession” Frau Aue said, “It is all about waiting to see if anything is going to happen and then waiting some more even if it does.”

“Sounds infuriating” Kiki replied.

“It can be, and it is not for the impatient” Frau Aue said, “Mostly it is about keeping everyone calm in the meantime.”
 
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@Peabody-Martini

So, I was just watching The Crown on Netflix, and I was wondering, is Lord Louis Mountbatten still a conniving ashole in this ATL?
Someone ending up in relative obscurity can be a good thing. In TTL Louis Mountbatten, if he changed his name like in OTL, never had the opportunities that resulted from the invasions of Greece and Norway, no Dieppe Raid either. The latter would make Ejpsan's idea of him ending up in Canada rather ironic.

Of course, ITTL he is in absolutely no danger of getting blown up by the IRA.
 
For when you are behind Soviet lines and want to send a message:



https://www.sciplus.com/varmintscaring-steel-black-cat-outline-67634-p


Hope PM getting a cut or royalties.
67634.jpg
 
In the aftermath of The Battle of The South Cina Sea that the Royal Navy was thoroughly criticized for being a minor participant, Noel Coward and David Lean made In Which We Serve (1944) about the Royal Navy and its role in stopping Japan from trading and shipping directly from the United States.
Action scenes included the sinking of IJN submarines off the coast of Seattle, a "Cat and Mouse" chase between RN/RCN ships and Japanese merchant ships trying to slip through the task force's "Pickett Line" in a dense fog outside of San Fransisco Bay, and the daring daylight battle of a heavily armed Japanese Merchant ship and the HMS Torrin within sight of the beaches of Los Angeles,
The last battle scene was controversial in the United States as it showed USN capital ships aiming their guns at both ships warning them if either one crossed into US territorial waters, they would be fired upon.
 
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Sixty-Five



31st March 1975

“It can be, and it is not for the impatient” Frau Aue said, “Mostly it is about keeping everyone calm in the meantime.”

What day comes after 31st March?

I suspect someone will be playing their joke on Kiki today only to appear tomorrow instead...
 
Part 137, Chapter 2366
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Sixty-Six



1st April 1975

Munich, Bavaria

There were times when Charlotte found that her stepchildren defied belief. Everyone knew that Kristina could be a stubborn uncompromising bitch at the best of times, the last twenty-four hours were the stuff that legends were made of though. There she was getting loaded onto the helicopter that was going to take her to Munich and she was furious with the Midwife who had suspected that she had begun labor and had neglected to tell her. To keep her “From getting excited” apparently.

Kristina had a few choice words to say about that.

It seemed that Doctor Huber, the Obstetrician who was part of the team that had been minding Kristina, was friends with the Generalarzt who Commanded the Medical Service in the 7th Military District. That same Generalarzt had sent an FSR team to help out and that had resulted in the helicopter sent to Balderschwang. The FSR was a close-knit outfit, so there had been no shortage of volunteers to come help out with one of their own.

Charlotte and Louis Ferdinand had rushed from Berlin with Nella and Nan in tow. For once, Louis owning that Fieseler “Kranich” twin turboprop had come in extremely handy, though Charlotte had been surprised that it had been Nan behind the controls for most of the flight. It seemed that Louis had been teaching her to fly the Kranich to the extent that she was putting in hours for a Multiengine Pilot’s Rating as soon as she could legally obtain one. The Kranich itself flew far differently than a normal airplane, practically leaping from the runway and the approach was far steeper with far less roll out. Nan loved it, sitting in the copilot’s seat up front next to Louis while everyone else on board, including Charlotte and Nella, watched with thinly concealed terror.

As it was it was mostly over before Charlotte and Louis had arrived. Louis Bernhard Galileo Kepler Albrecht von Hirsch had been born shortly after the helicopter had landed on the helipad of the Ludwig Maximilian University Clinic. According to Ben, Louis Bernhard’s name was the result of intense negotiations that had gone on over the prior months. Kristina wanted a name that would reflect both of their families and had reluctantly given Ben permission to have two of his middle names be those of Astronomers. They had also needed to throw a bone to King Albrecht of Bavaria, who had become a patron of Ben’s work in Astronomy. A few hours later, Bernhard and Nadine arrived, and they were just overjoyed that their latest grandchild had Bernhard as a partial namesake. Charlotte couldn’t help but see that Nina had unintentionally been pushed to the margins. She had gone to stay with her Aunt Victoria and Uncle Franz tonight. Though Victoria had said nothing in recent months, she had been hoping that her youngest son would be a girl. That had not been in the cards, spoiling her nieces rotten when they were Munich had been the consolation prize. One that no one seemed to be objecting to.

Now, it was early Tuesday morning, Kristina was asleep in the hospital bed being kept for observation. Supposedly, they were concerned about her blood pressure being too high even after she had finally given birth, though if Charlotte had to guess it was probably because of Kristina’s reputation of ignoring her own needs. Ben had fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed in the manner of fathers that had probably been happening for as long as husbands were allowed into Maternity Wards. He mentioned something to Charlotte about not missing it this time.

The security in this wing of the hospital had been particularly heavy, even before the advance teams from the Emperor’s Personal Security had arrived. Word was that Freddy and Suga were coming that afternoon. There were a number of Nurses present who had been ordered to see to it that Kristina, Ben, and Louis Bernhard would get anything they needed over the next few days.

Louis Bernhard had been placed in a bassinet in the room beside his mother’s bed and Charlotte could see that he was awake, and any second would let whatever displeasure he had be known to everyone in the room. Charlotte had a great deal of experience in this with most of Louis Ferdinand’s adult children having had children of their own. He joked that one day she would be Oma to Nella and Nan’s children, especially since Nella had been a welcome surprise and that welcoming Nan into their family had completed it. She had interjected that would not be before they got through University and married well if she had anything to say about it. She figured that would be exactly how it would play out with Nella. It was a bit more difficult to figure what would happen with Nan though. Nan’s life had not been all roses though, she had had a lot of reasons to fear and despise the legacy of the man who had been her biological father. Charlotte would hardly blame Nan if she decided not to have children of her own.

“You were about to wake your Momma and Poppa up weren’t you?” Charlotte asked Louis Bernhard as she picked him up which got the attention of the Nurse who had been watching him. Charlotte was on the approved list, but that didn’t stop them from watching her closely as she gently rocked Louis Bernhard back to sleep. As a Social Worker she approved of the measures that were being taken and wished that all new parents could have the resources that Kristina and Ben were getting.

“I am always afraid I’m going to drop them” Kristina said, meaning that she must have been awake the whole time.

“That is perfectly normal” Charlotte replied, “Just try not to, ever”

“I saw how Nina reacted to him” Kristina said, “This is a difficult adjustment for her.”

“She’ll come to love him, though I imagine they will delight in tormenting each other” Charlotte replied, “Then one day they will stop with that and become friends.”

“Sounds like me and Lou Junior” Kristian said with a smile.
 
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Flashbacks from the last two chapters from the wife dealing with back labour contractions, tons of waiting, C-section and days of waiting post recovery.
Really well written chapters as always Peabody
 
Part 137, Chapter 2367
Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Sixty-Seven



11th April 1975

Mitte, Berlin

It was Anne’s most sincere hope that her friends would understand her reasons. Suddenly finding herself divorced because her husband had abruptly decided that he no longer wanted the life they’d had and grappling with the resulting writer’s block had left her in a desperate situation. To keep a roof over her head and those of her children, she had little choice but run through the various writings that she had on hand in the hope of finding something that her Agent could interest a publisher in. All of it had been rejected until her Agent had asked about the volumes of her diary that she kept on a shelf in her home office.

During better times, Anne would have told her Agent that the volumes of her diary were nothing to concern herself with. At that moment though Anne was consumed with her thoughts regarding what was going to happen to Otto and Lina. Before Anne had realized what she was doing she had the first volume open to the pages that had her respective introductions to Katherine von Mischner and Kira Kirillovna Romanova written in great detail.

Anne’s Agent had been shocked that she had all the volumes of her diary and had never mentioned it. Now weeks later, the manuscript comprised of the first few volumes of her diary that spanned from when she had first started writing and then throughout her teenage years finally coming into the orbit of the “little birds” on the same night she was introduced to the Imperial Court and then until she started attending University. It was on her Agent’s desk and there was a Cashier’s check for far more than Anne would have ever thought to have asked for. It was the answer to all her problems. The trouble was that she felt that she was betraying the confidence of many people who were dear to her. There were all sorts of secrets in Anne’s diaries that the publisher had been dumbfounded had remained unknown. They had mentioned something about how Anne’s observations over several years did more to humanize a number of people in the Imperial Court, especially Katherine von Mischner and Jehane Alexandra Thomas-Romanov than any other works that they could find.

Did Kat want to be humanized, whatever that meant, in that manner? Anne understood that Kat was a very private woman who didn’t necessarily want people to know the details of her life. Anne’s diary was a peek into the daily life within Kat’s household. Anne remembered too late that her diary included how Kat had volunteered to participate in an experimental therapy to treat the effects of Traumatic Stress, Leni’s suicide attempt, what she had seen of the others personal lives, and so much more. Too late, Anne had realized that the tabloids were going to have a field day when this. Then her thoughts turned to her children, how she had told them that their lives wouldn’t change when their father left. Was she sacrificing lifelong friendships to maintain her credibility as a mother when she had made a promise that she should have known would be impossible to keep? Anne hoped that they would forgive her.



Tempelhof, Berlin

A question had entered Sophie’s thinking since she had gotten back from the wedding in Silesia. When was the last time she had ridden a bicycle just for fun? She didn’t like that she drew a blank and set out to do something about it. Collecting Gabby from the S-Bahn station, they had enjoyed lunch before spending the afternoon riding around the neighborhoods of Tempelhof and the Humboldt Campus of the University of Berlin. Sophie had made a point of riding the old step through three-speed bicycle, the same as the ones that Franziska and Gabby had. Eventually they had stopped at the market to get snacks before going to the park to enjoy a nice spring afternoon.

Sitting on the park benches eating ice cream, Ziska and Gabby were laughing as Sophie told them the story of the Richthofen wedding and how the whole thing had spiraled out of control into this massive production that had included most of the people in Breslau as well as the many notable persons who had gotten an invitation. The thing had been like this huge, out of control circus.

No one knew where either of the couples had gone on their respective honeymoons. There were rumors that Manny and Suse had gone to Italy to retrace the steps taken by Manny’s parents’ decades earlier. Ina and Christian were said to have gone to Greece to enjoy the beaches, museums, and historical sights. All Sophie knew was that all four of them had seemed like they were happiest when they were boarding the cars that would take them to the airport the morning after the reception.

There was also Kat leaving for Bavaria the previous week to visit Ben and Kiki, who had just had a baby. That part, Ziska and Gabby had questions about, and Sophie didn’t have answers. They had seen that Princess Kristina had a baby on the news, Sophie and Ziska knew Kiki personally because they had spent a summer at Hohenzollern Castle with her playing host to them. Marie Alexandra had also been there, Sophie remembered that night when they had all been hiding under the covers of Marie’s bed during a lightning storm. It was a bit embarrassing to be reminded that Ziska had not. It had been following year that Ziska had arrived at the castle. It had been Nella and Nan who had shared the room with her that year.
 
Well, it seems that the Diaries of Anne Frank will be an even bigger literary mark than OTL book. And even beyond what she is worried about what will be revealed, with as detailed and observant as the entries are being suggested to be, intelligence agents of all sorts of trades and alignments will poring over the installments as they release while driving aides and interns crazy sending them into archives trying to cross-reference and verify all of it.
 
Well, it seems that the Diaries of Anne Frank will be an even bigger literary mark than OTL book.
No way they become bigger than OTL. They might become popular, especially in Germany and among people interested in Kat and/or the imperial court, but the OTL diary is massive and recognized all around the world even 80 years later. This one will likely be longer and have more important information, but it’s not in the heartbreaking and worldwide mainstream setting of the Holocaust
 
Well, it seems that the Diaries of Anne Frank will be an even bigger literary mark than OTL book. And even beyond what she is worried about what will be revealed, with as detailed and observant as the entries are being suggested to be, intelligence agents of all sorts of trades and alignments will poring over the installments as they release while driving aides and interns crazy sending them into archives trying to cross-reference and verify all of it.
More importantly, the great and the good of Germany will be thumbing through a copy of the Diaries of Anne Frank to see if their name is in the index…
 
Anne has made a big mistake as she should have gone to Kat first.
Kat would have found a way for Anne to get through her temporary problems.
Anne came in to contact with the "Sisterhood" when Kat was banished from the Imperial Court for helping a young Irish woman who was a client of Jack Kennedy.
Kat usage of LSD was publicized by Gloria Steinem, but Anne will provide a deeper, more personal look at what Kat experienced.
The main bombshell would be if Anne exposed the relationship between Gia (aka St. Sasha) and Asia.
The main impact of the diaries is that it gives the world a much deeper understanding of the players who shaped Germany and the world in the last 60 years of the Twentieth Century.
 
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