Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety-Four
4th December 1968
Tempelhof, Berlin
There came moments when you discover that your parents are human. There were also moments when you also realize that you have pushed things way too far. For Tatiana both those moments happened at the same time. Her mother had found out that she had applied to join the training cadre of the BND at the same time she started University. She had expected her mother to go through the roof when she found out. That hadn’t happened.
Instead, her mother had asked her if it was true. Tatiana had answered truthfully and had seen the look of pain on her mother’s face. She had expected to be yelled at, the same way that her mother had in the past. Or being forced to do the most grueling household chores as had happened when Tatiana had gone way over the line. “You made a choice Tat” Her mother said, “I just don’t think you fully understand the personal costs involved, but I cannot stop you.” And that was all she said.
That was when Tatiana saw her old ragdoll on her mother’s desk, the one that she thought that she had thrown away years earlier when she had thought that she was beyond such things. They had sat there in silence for several minutes before Tatiana got up and left, her mother didn’t stop her.
“What the Hell have you done this time?” Malcolm asked as Tatiana passed him in the hallway outside the parlor in an accusing voice. It was rare that Malcolm was angry about anything, this time was different. Sophie and Marie were staring at her from the landing above. In the past, she could always count on her siblings to at least stay out of the way. This time it was clear that they thought that Tatiana’s actions had gone beyond the pale.
6th December 1968
Mitte, Berlin
Rauchbier heard the footsteps before Kiki did, his ears perking up as he woke from sleeping on the couch next to Kiki. Someone was walking down the gangplank onto the ML Meta. She had been brooding about the rotten week that she had just survived and wasn’t really interested in company. All she wanted was a quiet night with a book to read. There was a knock on the door to the pilothouse and Kiki pretended that she couldn’t hear it.
“Come on Kristina!” Kiki heard a familiar voice yell, “I know you are in there!”
Kiki looked at the small stove that heated the saloon of the Meta and was a bit annoyed. That would give away her presence like few other things. At the same time, it was cold on the water and the weather report had predicted that it might snow, Kiki didn’t want to had hypothermia to her already extensive list of problems. With a sigh, she threw the blanket off her lap and put her book aside. Climbing the ladder to the pilot house, Kiki saw Peter Holz with a smile on his face in the window.
“So, this is the infamous Berlin night life I’ve heard so much about?” Peter said as he stepped through the door in a misguided attempt at humor.
“I just wanted a quiet night” Kiki replied, “I doubt I can make a mess of that like seem to do with everything else.”
“You’ve no reason to be so pessimistic” Peter said as he took off his coat as he followed Kiki down the ladder.
“I can get that” Kiki said, taking the coat and hanging it on a rack next to the door.
“Love what you’ve done with the place” Peter said as he gave Rauchbier a pat. The dog had no interest in getting up from the couch, so his tail beat on the cloth surface.
“Here to tell me what the damage is?” Kiki asked as she fumbled around in the gally as Peter took a seat at the table. There was hot water in the boiler. Normally you should offer a guest tea, Kiki thought to herself, but found that much was difficult.
“Defending your dissertation could have gone better” Peter said, “But it was nowhere near the disaster that you are making it out to be.”
Kiki had completed her Doctorial thesis and had found herself having to defend it in front of a committee. How much of it was based on her actual observations in the field versus research culled from accident reports. The photographs that Kiki had included in her thesis had been described as disturbing among other things. What happened to an unsecured body during an accident at highway speeds was not pretty. It had been asked if Kiki understood the policy implications of her conclusions. She had, but never thought that her thesis would be read by anyone in a position to ever implement those policies. It seemed that Kiki had been wrong about that and was personally responsible for the SPD considering mandates for seatbelts and other safety devices. Car manufactures already included them, but there was not a law that said that people had to use them. It seemed that might be changing in the near future because of her. In front of the committee, Kiki had become tongue tied at times and had nervously answered the questions as best she could. It had dragged on for nothing short of an eternity.
Peter Holz was her Doctorial Advisor, so of course it was his job to put the best spin on things. Aside from the classes she was obligated to attend, Kiki had only left the Meta to walk Rauchbier since she had made it back from Jena a several days earlier.
“When are we going to hear back from them?” Kiki asked, giving up on tea.
Peter just shrugged.
“They move at their own pace Doktor Prinzessin Kristina von Preussen” Peter said, “I was interested in knowing if you wanted to go get a drink to celebrate.”
Was he making fun of her?
“Why?” Kiki asked.
4th December 1968
Tempelhof, Berlin
There came moments when you discover that your parents are human. There were also moments when you also realize that you have pushed things way too far. For Tatiana both those moments happened at the same time. Her mother had found out that she had applied to join the training cadre of the BND at the same time she started University. She had expected her mother to go through the roof when she found out. That hadn’t happened.
Instead, her mother had asked her if it was true. Tatiana had answered truthfully and had seen the look of pain on her mother’s face. She had expected to be yelled at, the same way that her mother had in the past. Or being forced to do the most grueling household chores as had happened when Tatiana had gone way over the line. “You made a choice Tat” Her mother said, “I just don’t think you fully understand the personal costs involved, but I cannot stop you.” And that was all she said.
That was when Tatiana saw her old ragdoll on her mother’s desk, the one that she thought that she had thrown away years earlier when she had thought that she was beyond such things. They had sat there in silence for several minutes before Tatiana got up and left, her mother didn’t stop her.
“What the Hell have you done this time?” Malcolm asked as Tatiana passed him in the hallway outside the parlor in an accusing voice. It was rare that Malcolm was angry about anything, this time was different. Sophie and Marie were staring at her from the landing above. In the past, she could always count on her siblings to at least stay out of the way. This time it was clear that they thought that Tatiana’s actions had gone beyond the pale.
6th December 1968
Mitte, Berlin
Rauchbier heard the footsteps before Kiki did, his ears perking up as he woke from sleeping on the couch next to Kiki. Someone was walking down the gangplank onto the ML Meta. She had been brooding about the rotten week that she had just survived and wasn’t really interested in company. All she wanted was a quiet night with a book to read. There was a knock on the door to the pilothouse and Kiki pretended that she couldn’t hear it.
“Come on Kristina!” Kiki heard a familiar voice yell, “I know you are in there!”
Kiki looked at the small stove that heated the saloon of the Meta and was a bit annoyed. That would give away her presence like few other things. At the same time, it was cold on the water and the weather report had predicted that it might snow, Kiki didn’t want to had hypothermia to her already extensive list of problems. With a sigh, she threw the blanket off her lap and put her book aside. Climbing the ladder to the pilot house, Kiki saw Peter Holz with a smile on his face in the window.
“So, this is the infamous Berlin night life I’ve heard so much about?” Peter said as he stepped through the door in a misguided attempt at humor.
“I just wanted a quiet night” Kiki replied, “I doubt I can make a mess of that like seem to do with everything else.”
“You’ve no reason to be so pessimistic” Peter said as he took off his coat as he followed Kiki down the ladder.
“I can get that” Kiki said, taking the coat and hanging it on a rack next to the door.
“Love what you’ve done with the place” Peter said as he gave Rauchbier a pat. The dog had no interest in getting up from the couch, so his tail beat on the cloth surface.
“Here to tell me what the damage is?” Kiki asked as she fumbled around in the gally as Peter took a seat at the table. There was hot water in the boiler. Normally you should offer a guest tea, Kiki thought to herself, but found that much was difficult.
“Defending your dissertation could have gone better” Peter said, “But it was nowhere near the disaster that you are making it out to be.”
Kiki had completed her Doctorial thesis and had found herself having to defend it in front of a committee. How much of it was based on her actual observations in the field versus research culled from accident reports. The photographs that Kiki had included in her thesis had been described as disturbing among other things. What happened to an unsecured body during an accident at highway speeds was not pretty. It had been asked if Kiki understood the policy implications of her conclusions. She had, but never thought that her thesis would be read by anyone in a position to ever implement those policies. It seemed that Kiki had been wrong about that and was personally responsible for the SPD considering mandates for seatbelts and other safety devices. Car manufactures already included them, but there was not a law that said that people had to use them. It seemed that might be changing in the near future because of her. In front of the committee, Kiki had become tongue tied at times and had nervously answered the questions as best she could. It had dragged on for nothing short of an eternity.
Peter Holz was her Doctorial Advisor, so of course it was his job to put the best spin on things. Aside from the classes she was obligated to attend, Kiki had only left the Meta to walk Rauchbier since she had made it back from Jena a several days earlier.
“When are we going to hear back from them?” Kiki asked, giving up on tea.
Peter just shrugged.
“They move at their own pace Doktor Prinzessin Kristina von Preussen” Peter said, “I was interested in knowing if you wanted to go get a drink to celebrate.”
Was he making fun of her?
“Why?” Kiki asked.
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