Gia could come to her rescue and want her to pay a visit to the old homestead in Western Canada to check on how it looks, really high level diplomatic work that would be hard for the Canadian to turn down and an ideal way for her to get out of Montreal for the summer. Plus Opa could have a good looking member of the RCMP be her guide and bodyguard for the summer. Bonus points if he is related to Gia's father.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 140, Chapter 2414
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Fourteen
9th November 1975
Breslau, Silesia
Helene wished that Hans had talked to her before he had put pen to paper. The column that he had written had run on the front pages of every major newspaper in Germany and far beyond. Pretty much everywhere that Football was a passion. Apparently it had been his understanding that it would just appear in the sport section, but it seemed that the Editors of various newspapers had thought differently.
In it, Hans had gone on at length about how violence, both on and off the field, was ruining the game that he loved. He recounted how at a recent game it had devolved into beating up on the opposing side with little regard to playing the game. The disgust that Hans had felt witnessing that spectacle was evident. The trouble was that Hans was unaware of just how much influence he had personally. He seemed to think that what he did on television and radio wasn’t that serious. “Just on there to talk Football” was how he put it. Apparently, the viewers and listeners saw things differently. To them he was someone in a position of authority and he gave them a voice when he said that he was appalled by what he had seen on the Football Pitch in Breslau. Two teams, supposedly the best in the League, behaving like bar brawlers was unacceptable. Of course, there were partisans from this or that team who rather vocally objected to Hans’ opinion. Which was hardly a surprise because people like that were always around. Those who had the ability to feel a bit of shame went silent.
Helene understood the politics of the matter and those who in elected positions tended to look with deep suspicion. Hans on the other hand was being his usual self, he liked to say that the sporting field transcended politics. If only that were true.
In the past Helene might have asked Kat to help get through to her brother. She was good at that sort of thing except Kat was presently on a sabbatical, or at least that was how Douglas had put it. The was the most annoying thing about the release of the Abwehr Files. People who had risked and sacrificed everything during war, often with the knowledge that no one would ever know the contribution that they had made had been exposed with little effort to give context. Kat was among the handful of those people who were still alive. Those who had hated her for years had seen the Saint Petersburg incident as an opportunity to tear her down but had not considered the minor detail that many Russians considered Lavrentiy Beria to have been the Devil himself. The former Emperor, Louis Ferdinand, had made a rare public statement that was to that effect and in Kat’s defense. Between the disclosure of these files and the continuing publication of Anne Frank’s diaries, there was a good possibility that Kat was out of secrets to conceal.
Regardless of that, Kat had dropped out of public sight. Anyone who knew where she was, wasn’t interested in telling Helene for some reason.
Wahlstatt, Silesia
Over the summer, spending time on his grandfather’s estate had been like living on a different planet after spending much of the prior year in Argentina. Starting with his grandfather, everyone had treated him differently. As if he had done something great as opposed to follow along and do his best to stay out of the way of those who knew what they were doing. There was also this business with him being the Prince of Breslau. While it was the nearest city to where he had lived most of his life, he never really considered it anything special. It was where his mother worked and where to go if he needed anything from the market.
Niko’s return to Wahlstatt was also bit odd for him for the first couple months. It seemed like everyone was focused on all the wrong things he must have been doing in Argentina. They didn’t seem to grasp the reality of it. Horses, riding with the patrols, dealings with the people who lived in on the Patagonian Steppe had consumed all his time. Except for the short periods in which he had been a guest in the homes of the various landowners he had been too busy for many other considerations. Even then he had been a guest in someone else’s house, so anything other than the most honorable conduct would have ended badly for him. As it was, everyone saw that he now had a Cavalry Badge and a South America Service Medal. It took awhile for his classmates to lose interest because of that.
The other thing was that there were no more upperclassmen. After years at the school Niko’s class was at the top of the heap. The fear that the younger students had when they delt with them was obvious. This was despite never having done anything to them. It seemed that they had their ears filled with stories about brutal hazing, which was expressly forbidden. Anyone who thought that it was funny found themselves dealing with Bas who didn’t like those who kicked down. At the same time, Bas had the Olympics coming up, so everyone was treating him like he was already a hero. Niko had been asked if he had any plans in that regard, he had thought that it was already too late for that.
9th November 1975
Breslau, Silesia
Helene wished that Hans had talked to her before he had put pen to paper. The column that he had written had run on the front pages of every major newspaper in Germany and far beyond. Pretty much everywhere that Football was a passion. Apparently it had been his understanding that it would just appear in the sport section, but it seemed that the Editors of various newspapers had thought differently.
In it, Hans had gone on at length about how violence, both on and off the field, was ruining the game that he loved. He recounted how at a recent game it had devolved into beating up on the opposing side with little regard to playing the game. The disgust that Hans had felt witnessing that spectacle was evident. The trouble was that Hans was unaware of just how much influence he had personally. He seemed to think that what he did on television and radio wasn’t that serious. “Just on there to talk Football” was how he put it. Apparently, the viewers and listeners saw things differently. To them he was someone in a position of authority and he gave them a voice when he said that he was appalled by what he had seen on the Football Pitch in Breslau. Two teams, supposedly the best in the League, behaving like bar brawlers was unacceptable. Of course, there were partisans from this or that team who rather vocally objected to Hans’ opinion. Which was hardly a surprise because people like that were always around. Those who had the ability to feel a bit of shame went silent.
Helene understood the politics of the matter and those who in elected positions tended to look with deep suspicion. Hans on the other hand was being his usual self, he liked to say that the sporting field transcended politics. If only that were true.
In the past Helene might have asked Kat to help get through to her brother. She was good at that sort of thing except Kat was presently on a sabbatical, or at least that was how Douglas had put it. The was the most annoying thing about the release of the Abwehr Files. People who had risked and sacrificed everything during war, often with the knowledge that no one would ever know the contribution that they had made had been exposed with little effort to give context. Kat was among the handful of those people who were still alive. Those who had hated her for years had seen the Saint Petersburg incident as an opportunity to tear her down but had not considered the minor detail that many Russians considered Lavrentiy Beria to have been the Devil himself. The former Emperor, Louis Ferdinand, had made a rare public statement that was to that effect and in Kat’s defense. Between the disclosure of these files and the continuing publication of Anne Frank’s diaries, there was a good possibility that Kat was out of secrets to conceal.
Regardless of that, Kat had dropped out of public sight. Anyone who knew where she was, wasn’t interested in telling Helene for some reason.
Wahlstatt, Silesia
Over the summer, spending time on his grandfather’s estate had been like living on a different planet after spending much of the prior year in Argentina. Starting with his grandfather, everyone had treated him differently. As if he had done something great as opposed to follow along and do his best to stay out of the way of those who knew what they were doing. There was also this business with him being the Prince of Breslau. While it was the nearest city to where he had lived most of his life, he never really considered it anything special. It was where his mother worked and where to go if he needed anything from the market.
Niko’s return to Wahlstatt was also bit odd for him for the first couple months. It seemed like everyone was focused on all the wrong things he must have been doing in Argentina. They didn’t seem to grasp the reality of it. Horses, riding with the patrols, dealings with the people who lived in on the Patagonian Steppe had consumed all his time. Except for the short periods in which he had been a guest in the homes of the various landowners he had been too busy for many other considerations. Even then he had been a guest in someone else’s house, so anything other than the most honorable conduct would have ended badly for him. As it was, everyone saw that he now had a Cavalry Badge and a South America Service Medal. It took awhile for his classmates to lose interest because of that.
The other thing was that there were no more upperclassmen. After years at the school Niko’s class was at the top of the heap. The fear that the younger students had when they delt with them was obvious. This was despite never having done anything to them. It seemed that they had their ears filled with stories about brutal hazing, which was expressly forbidden. Anyone who thought that it was funny found themselves dealing with Bas who didn’t like those who kicked down. At the same time, Bas had the Olympics coming up, so everyone was treating him like he was already a hero. Niko had been asked if he had any plans in that regard, he had thought that it was already too late for that.
Why do I get a sneaky suspicion that both Marie & Niko are going to be attending the Games in an official, athletic capacity? If not Montreal, then the following Games? Both are accomplished athletes, after all. Niko has the necessary skill-set to compete in either Fencing or the Modern Pentathlon, while Marie is also an accomplished fencer and adept at several martial arts.
This post feels like the opening of a couple of separate arcs.
Hans as head of the Reichesliga(?), coming up.
The drawing down of Kat.
Niko and Bas' move into adulthood and their careers.
What could be interesting on the football front is when a German comedian makes the joke "I went to a fight this weekend. It was going well until a game of football broke out".
That will likely be the line Hans can use to make his point.
Hans as head of the Reichesliga(?), coming up.
The drawing down of Kat.
Niko and Bas' move into adulthood and their careers.
What could be interesting on the football front is when a German comedian makes the joke "I went to a fight this weekend. It was going well until a game of football broke out".
That will likely be the line Hans can use to make his point.
I just checked out how Associated Football was being played in Europe IOTL '70s, and it was a brutal game back then and someone like Hans who has the reputation of wanting the game to be played more "purely" may has struck a chord with his column with other fans.
This brings me to ask about the 1974 World Cup that West Germany won and were the host country, so who won ITTL and where was it played?
IOTL the 1970's saw a lot of "revisionist history" about WW II going on, and it would not be unreasonable for the same thing ITTL to happen.
The reason for the latest spate of declassifying information is that the National Liberals are trying to discredit "Langism" by putting out there that the war could have ended a year earlier.
The three main targets are the late Agustus Lang who Chancellorship created massive changes in Germany that the National Liberals want to change back, the former Kaiser Louis Ferdinand who is seen by many on the Right as a "Silent Partner" with Lang that helped them in getting the changes approved, and Kat who is seen as the very personification of those changes.
It is very interesting to see Bas taking a leadership role at the academy and preventing the bullying that is "Tradition" at such places.
Niko has come back from Argentina much wiser and has found out that the military life is not for him much to the approval of his parents but also surprisingly his grandfather who while is glad that Niko has done his duty, now feels that Niko has a higher duty to the Family and Title.
Next up for Niko the politics of his education, as he has basically no choice but to attend the University of Breslau.
This brings me to ask about the 1974 World Cup that West Germany won and were the host country, so who won ITTL and where was it played?
IOTL the 1970's saw a lot of "revisionist history" about WW II going on, and it would not be unreasonable for the same thing ITTL to happen.
The reason for the latest spate of declassifying information is that the National Liberals are trying to discredit "Langism" by putting out there that the war could have ended a year earlier.
The three main targets are the late Agustus Lang who Chancellorship created massive changes in Germany that the National Liberals want to change back, the former Kaiser Louis Ferdinand who is seen by many on the Right as a "Silent Partner" with Lang that helped them in getting the changes approved, and Kat who is seen as the very personification of those changes.
It is very interesting to see Bas taking a leadership role at the academy and preventing the bullying that is "Tradition" at such places.
Niko has come back from Argentina much wiser and has found out that the military life is not for him much to the approval of his parents but also surprisingly his grandfather who while is glad that Niko has done his duty, now feels that Niko has a higher duty to the Family and Title.
Next up for Niko the politics of his education, as he has basically no choice but to attend the University of Breslau.
Part 140, Chapter 2415
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifteen
14th November 1975
Moscow, Russia
Stepping off the airplane, Kat was surprised to be immediately get hugged by Gia’s little boy, though at the age of eleven, turning twelve in just a month and a half, he was not so little anymore. He was just as tall as Kat now and he was talking excitedly to Kat and Doug as they walked to the waiting car.
It was a bit amusing that Alexei called her Babushka, for his whole life that was exactly what she had been to him. He wasn’t the first surrogate grandchild of hers and that was probably just as well because her own children didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry in that regard. Of course, Gia was going to be in a similar situation in a few months because Anya and Renat were expecting their first. That was something that Alexei mentioned. What did it mean to be an uncle? Personally, Kat felt that Alexei was probably going to be a bigger than life figure for his niece or nephew because that was how these things tended to work.
Getting in the car, Kat saw that Gia was waiting for them with Alexei on the far side of the back seat and Doug up front in the passenger seat.
“Alexei didn’t talk your ear off?” Gia asked.
“He did” Doug replied.
Gia was amused by that, apparently she knew her son quite well.
“I need to thank Mikhail for the invitation” Kat said, “It came at a good time.”
“I understand that” Gia replied, “The release of the Abwehr files filled in a lot of blanks for historians. Perhaps you will now feel free to tell them what you said to that monster in the last minutes.”
Kat had no response to that as she looked out the window as the car drove into Moscow. What she had said to Beria in the last minutes before he was hung like a common criminal was the cause of much speculation. Up until that moment he had been defiant in the face of his trial and the verdict against him. The brief conversation with Kat had completely undone him and that had resulted in a lot of questions that she had never answered. For Gia, Stalin and Beria were more than just the monsters under her bed. They had come a hairsbreadth from actually killing her when she was still a child, so Gia wasn’t in the least bit bothered by what had happened to them.
“That is never going to happen” Kat replied.
“Do you really think that people are going to leave it at that?” Gia asked.
“I don’t care” Kat said sharply.
Gia just sat there with a smirk of her face. She had been under the influence of Kat or her husband Fyodor for most of her life and understood the idea that most people would tell you their entire story with little prompting. It just took being willing to listen. That thought reminded Kat of something…
“Where is Fyodor?” Kat asked.
“Busy” Gia replied, “And you only need to open a newspaper to see what’s going on.”
Kat understood that Fyodor had been her counterpart in times past before she had become too senior and well known to play that role. Kat had no idea who the Emperor’s current fixer was. Which was just as well. As for where Fyodor was, any newspaper would have the latest atrocity in Greco-Turkish relations on the front page in lurid detail. While the attitude was “A pox on both your houses” in Germany towards the latest round in that ongoing conflict, the Russian public was firmly on the side of the Greeks. Kat wasn’t sure if anyone really understood the implications of the position they were taking. Gia had just said that her husband was up to his eyeballs in what was happening in Greece, which wasn’t surprising.
“Besides that, you do know why Mikhail decided to invite you?” Gia asked, “It wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart.”
Kat had been hoping that it would only be a chance to get out of Berlin for a few days. Too many people knew about her house in the East Frisian Islands or Gerta and Kurt’s house in the Jizera Mountains which had been her preferred places to escape from Berlin. She might have gone to Judenbach but being on a Military Reservation came with its own problems. Perhaps Gia might consider giving her the use of her dacha in the Transbaikal Region of Siberia. It would probably be snowed in for the next several months, until late next spring but Kat didn’t have a problem with that. Finding out that Gia’s cousin, Czar Mikhail II of Russia had an ulterior motive wasn’t in the least bit surprising.
“What does Mikhail have in mind?” Kat asked, glad that Gia was warning her.
“The release of the Abwehr Files caused there to be a reexamination of certain events” Gia said, “I am sure that you have heard by now that my cousin Vladimir was stripped of his title and has had his Russian citizenship revoked for being in negotiations with the Stalinists during the war?”
“Actually, I hadn’t heard about that” Kat replied. That meant that as far as the Russians were concerned, anyone or anything that might have kept Stalin or one of his henchmen in power was beyond the pale. Vladimir Kirillovich had been exposed by the release of the Abwehr Files as having done exactly that.
“Just how do I fit in?” Kat asked.
“Mikhail thinks that you played a larger role than you have been given credit for” Gia replied, “And the Duma has endorsed his proposals. I am surprised that you are unaware of this.”
The truth was that Kat had had so much on her plate with local issues until she had withdrawn from the public that she had hardly paid much attention to the news outside of Berlin. In the weeks since, she had hardly left her house in Tempelhof. Kat suspected that whatever Mikhail had in mind, she wasn’t going to like it.
14th November 1975
Moscow, Russia
Stepping off the airplane, Kat was surprised to be immediately get hugged by Gia’s little boy, though at the age of eleven, turning twelve in just a month and a half, he was not so little anymore. He was just as tall as Kat now and he was talking excitedly to Kat and Doug as they walked to the waiting car.
It was a bit amusing that Alexei called her Babushka, for his whole life that was exactly what she had been to him. He wasn’t the first surrogate grandchild of hers and that was probably just as well because her own children didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry in that regard. Of course, Gia was going to be in a similar situation in a few months because Anya and Renat were expecting their first. That was something that Alexei mentioned. What did it mean to be an uncle? Personally, Kat felt that Alexei was probably going to be a bigger than life figure for his niece or nephew because that was how these things tended to work.
Getting in the car, Kat saw that Gia was waiting for them with Alexei on the far side of the back seat and Doug up front in the passenger seat.
“Alexei didn’t talk your ear off?” Gia asked.
“He did” Doug replied.
Gia was amused by that, apparently she knew her son quite well.
“I need to thank Mikhail for the invitation” Kat said, “It came at a good time.”
“I understand that” Gia replied, “The release of the Abwehr files filled in a lot of blanks for historians. Perhaps you will now feel free to tell them what you said to that monster in the last minutes.”
Kat had no response to that as she looked out the window as the car drove into Moscow. What she had said to Beria in the last minutes before he was hung like a common criminal was the cause of much speculation. Up until that moment he had been defiant in the face of his trial and the verdict against him. The brief conversation with Kat had completely undone him and that had resulted in a lot of questions that she had never answered. For Gia, Stalin and Beria were more than just the monsters under her bed. They had come a hairsbreadth from actually killing her when she was still a child, so Gia wasn’t in the least bit bothered by what had happened to them.
“That is never going to happen” Kat replied.
“Do you really think that people are going to leave it at that?” Gia asked.
“I don’t care” Kat said sharply.
Gia just sat there with a smirk of her face. She had been under the influence of Kat or her husband Fyodor for most of her life and understood the idea that most people would tell you their entire story with little prompting. It just took being willing to listen. That thought reminded Kat of something…
“Where is Fyodor?” Kat asked.
“Busy” Gia replied, “And you only need to open a newspaper to see what’s going on.”
Kat understood that Fyodor had been her counterpart in times past before she had become too senior and well known to play that role. Kat had no idea who the Emperor’s current fixer was. Which was just as well. As for where Fyodor was, any newspaper would have the latest atrocity in Greco-Turkish relations on the front page in lurid detail. While the attitude was “A pox on both your houses” in Germany towards the latest round in that ongoing conflict, the Russian public was firmly on the side of the Greeks. Kat wasn’t sure if anyone really understood the implications of the position they were taking. Gia had just said that her husband was up to his eyeballs in what was happening in Greece, which wasn’t surprising.
“Besides that, you do know why Mikhail decided to invite you?” Gia asked, “It wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart.”
Kat had been hoping that it would only be a chance to get out of Berlin for a few days. Too many people knew about her house in the East Frisian Islands or Gerta and Kurt’s house in the Jizera Mountains which had been her preferred places to escape from Berlin. She might have gone to Judenbach but being on a Military Reservation came with its own problems. Perhaps Gia might consider giving her the use of her dacha in the Transbaikal Region of Siberia. It would probably be snowed in for the next several months, until late next spring but Kat didn’t have a problem with that. Finding out that Gia’s cousin, Czar Mikhail II of Russia had an ulterior motive wasn’t in the least bit surprising.
“What does Mikhail have in mind?” Kat asked, glad that Gia was warning her.
“The release of the Abwehr Files caused there to be a reexamination of certain events” Gia said, “I am sure that you have heard by now that my cousin Vladimir was stripped of his title and has had his Russian citizenship revoked for being in negotiations with the Stalinists during the war?”
“Actually, I hadn’t heard about that” Kat replied. That meant that as far as the Russians were concerned, anyone or anything that might have kept Stalin or one of his henchmen in power was beyond the pale. Vladimir Kirillovich had been exposed by the release of the Abwehr Files as having done exactly that.
“Just how do I fit in?” Kat asked.
“Mikhail thinks that you played a larger role than you have been given credit for” Gia replied, “And the Duma has endorsed his proposals. I am surprised that you are unaware of this.”
The truth was that Kat had had so much on her plate with local issues until she had withdrawn from the public that she had hardly paid much attention to the news outside of Berlin. In the weeks since, she had hardly left her house in Tempelhof. Kat suspected that whatever Mikhail had in mind, she wasn’t going to like it.
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That is the Million of your currency preference question.
Historically the Russians have seen themselves as the Big Brother to the Slavic People and depending on however the final peace treaty turned out, there could be a push by the Second Russian Empire to forge closer ties to the Ukraine and Belarus.
Also Russia see themselves as a senior leader of the Orthodox Church along side with the Greeks, also the Russians have always wanted a secure warm water access to the Mediterranean and being firmly allied with Greece being in complete control of the Bosphorus Straits and the Dardenelles gives Russia something they never had before.
I would argue that Belarus and Ukraine are probably in a mutual defence treaty with Germany, which would put them out of Russia's reach due to the nuclear umbrella. At the same time, the Ukrainians might still hold a grudge for the famine during the war.
Good point about the straits.
Hoyahoo9
Donor
[the little voice in Kat’s mind] “Oh no, not another undeserved medal . . . how humiliating. I think I’ll don sackcloth and ashes and hide in a hole.”
What the Ukraine and Belarus wants and what Russia wants are two separate things, my speculation is that the Ukraine and Belarus have every reason not to trust Russia, it is that Russia sees themselves as their "Big Brother" and thinks that The Ukraine and Belarus should their Big Brother lead, after all what happened during the Soviet era was the fault of the "Others" according to the Russians.
Looks like Mikhail is about to open up his toy box to find a suitable gift for The Voyevoda.
5'4"
Neither Alexei's mother or father are not short people.
How could I have missed this? I consistently visualized her as about 5'9".
Gerta is 5'9", Kat is 5'4", and Maria 4'11".
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