Especially as he IOTL was a big Napoleon fanboy, so it would be a nice Allohistorical Allusion if Bokassa heads the Emperor's personal bodyguard ITTL.
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The Iron Eagle II - Days of Strife
- Thread starter Kaiser of Brazil
- Start date
XVIII - EDELWEISS
THE IRON EAGLE
DAYS OF STRIFE
EDELWEISS
DAYS OF STRIFE
EDELWEISS
It has been a year since that day, a day with little sleep, with too much action for her own liking, it started with the end of the world and ended with a new world, or so would a writer describe. In truth, she knew there were great consequences over what happened, over what she did, everything had changed that day when she went from a wife to a widow at an age most girls were still in school or in the Hitler Youth. She was the wealthiest woman in Europe now, all thanks to Goebbels massacring entire families of wealthy industrials and seizing their assets, owning the museum with the largest arts collection in the Continent, with the most visited tomb in the continent, with the royalties of the two most sold books in the Reich, even being awarded with all of her late husband's proprieties after she killed him and stood idle while his children were killed. Speaking of bloody wealth, she had to pay for a new dress but it did not mean she threw away that white one which still had Goebbels' blood, she instead kept it safe and locked up, a reminder to herself of what she could do, killing the most powerful man in the world. She only regretted not having done so sooner.
Klara Hitler was alone now, her mother was gone, Goebbels was thankfully gone, people she used to know like that photographer, Hoffmann, or that bodyguard, Kempka, were either dead or avoiding contact. She only had one person from childhood who was still around, one of her father's secretaries Traudl Junge, the woman who was almost like an aunt of sorts, she used to spend her time in the Berghof with Eva until her death, since then they lost contact and this place was abandoned except for the housekeepers for the maintenance. But after that day, she had returned to the Berghof and tried to have some sort of sense restored to her life despite all that happened since then. There was war and destruction, which meant she would have to keep her own SS bodyguards under Remer's insistence, although she was not sure if they were there to protect her or to watch over her, likely both, the third option would be to kill her if she became an inconvenience.
Traudl was a good person, her and her husband Captain Hans Hermann Junge, had her authorization to live in the Berghof after so many years serving her parents. Captain Hans was a courageous man and someone she could count on around her, he was once her father's aide-de-camp during the war and had complete loyalty to the Hitler name. As for Traudl, she was the only "motherly" figure around, someone she could seek advice from, someone she could let her guard down with in a way. Her father had other secretaries, women that she heard about and sometimes saw from childhood like Gerda and Johanna, the latter's face used to even scare her sometimes, but Traudl was the one who stayed at the Berghof and who she was closest to, the one who stuck by Eva even after Adolf died. She was one of the few people she trusted, her, her husband, and her children. Yes, the happy couple had three kids, the eldest was a girl named Eva, named after her Godmother, she was already wed herself and lived away, then came a boy named Ernst, who had gone to fight in the east as a member of the Wehrmacht, and there was a girl named Gunnel, who was younger than Klara was and felt almost like a sister with just how much they used to play ten years ago.
Klara now was thinking back on that day, now it was the 7th of Wessel, or 7th of February, of 1967, war raged on and she wanted to distract herself by speaking with Traudl and Gunnel, they were in one of the large rooms of the Berghof, spacious and comfortable, overlooking the mountains and the valley below. The dreaded question hanging over the heads of the Junge family was if Ernst would even survive the war, with all the reports of the brutality of the conflict in the far east and the savagery of the Russian troops bringing in an atmosphere of terror. Klara tried to distract them, as the hostess of the house she decided to just have an afternoon between the three of them, Hans' more gloomy and military-like mindset was not helpful to ease the terrors for the rest of his family. They avoided speaking of politics, of Goebbels, of Ernst, of the War, just tried to remain distracted with Gunnel trying out her piano skills. She was only 14, but showed some talent worthy of Mozart, or at least Klara and Traudl tried to convince her of to keep her mind distracted of the fact her brother was probably dead.
She remembered Ernst, he was blonde and liked to play with her when they were young, a few times even pulling her hair but never at the sight of the guards after he ended up earning himself a sermon from his father, that he liked history and dreamed of meeting Rommel, the Desert Fox who defeated the British in Egypt and was a little of a celebrity. When Rommel came to visit at Eva's request in Ernst's 15th birthday in 1960, it was the happiest day in his life, she talked with that General who had just returned from Syria and spoke of his exploits. She asked him actually important questions sometimes, while Ernst mostly spoke of the technical details of Panzer models, such as how the Syrians would be able to defeat the Israelis in the future, why they were beaten so easily, questions that actually took some effort for the elder celebrity to answer. It is not like the nitty gritty of the military was much of her concern, but she was curious about how the country was faring, after all it was only natural for her to want to know about what her father's main legacy to the world was faring.
He was a good friend for her since their childhood, thinking about it, she realized also how she missed his mannerisms, it felt like a part of the life she had before... before Goebbels came in and took her to that island. She missed Eva Junge, who now had the name of a husband who went off to fight in the front as well, she was like an older sister, some 3 years her senior, always more mature. When her father died, she came along and spent the whole day with her, and even if she could not relate to losing a father, she was some sort of sanity to keep her anchored to earth. Klara was only 3, but everything in that day was still vivid in her mind like a permanent mark, including Ernst, who was also with her. Now he could very well be dead any day now, the letters were rare from the front, he was never much of a writer and that just left his whole family with that suspense and depending on the occasional letter or Hans' contacts in the Wehrmacht.
"Was that a Beethoven?"
"Chopin, Klara."
"Of course, how uncultured of me."
She was trying to improve the mood in that room, but even this high on the mountains, the atmosphere was heavy and dense. The Junge family used to brighten the place and did so for Klara every day as far as she could remember, but now since she returned, or rather since Ernst was enlisted to the east, everything felt heavy like they were trying so obviously to distract themselves from reality. She saw from the corner of her eye how Traudl was just staring at a portrait, one that she took with Ernst, Eva and Gunnel years ago that her mother kept around, in hindsight she should have taken that thing out of the room. But that was not going to fix anything, the only thing that would help out that family would be to know their loved one was safe and, honestly, it was something that would make her feel better as well.
"Gunnel, how about you make one of your teas to your mother, I think she could use one."
Klara said, whispering with a gentle tone that sounded like one sister speaking to another, Gunnel Junge looked over to her mother and gave a mental sigh, seeing that her little piano presentation did nothing to help her. As soon as Gunnel was out, Klara would take a seat besides the grieving mother, holding her hand and squeezing it to get her attention. It was not going to be easy, but she had an idea to make this end.
"Thank me when I am done, Traudl, I am doing this for our friendship... you always did what you could for me as if you were my mother, now let me do what I can for you."
The next day, she was in Germania where the city appeared no less tense than in the day she left it. The World Capital was under the constant fear of a nuclear strike since the Ostkrieg began, the Russian hordes were being fought off and were so consumed by their barbaric fanaticism that they were destroying all that could ever be useful in the east, to the point that they were willing to detonate atomic weapons on their own occupied territory when it was in the imminence of falling. She knew that the Wehrmacht was doing it's best and, honestly her wish was selfish, she was taking a soldier away when the entire nation was directed towards the effort of the war, there were still shops that were closed and the food was distributed by rationing cards, all of the Reich was making sacrifices and she was here to go all the way to the top to take something out of that. But the loss of one soldier for the Army was going towards a better cause, the eternal gratitude of the Junge family to her, no she was not actively doing that just to entrench their loyalty, that was an added bonus.
She walked in the Chancellery building for the first time in years, this place has not changed at all, there was less activity since the war started and the civilian matters were placed as a secondary concern, but there was still the occasional officer or assistant walking around with a box of papers or a pile of folders. There was a new personnel working, including at the reception desk which led to the Führer's office, including a new secretary who had the audacity of asking for her documentation, but she knew the SS honor guard of the building, one of the few prestigious offices that the fallen institution still had was the protection of government buildings such as this one.
"I am here to speak with the Führer."
She said to the woman who looked at her identity card, and the card of Presidency which Goebbels gave her, at first the poor secretary thought she only had a resemblance, but after seeing the cards, her face looked so pale with fear that Klara thought she was about to faint. She quickly telephoned Remer's office, his secretary attended the call and then, after a quick talk, Klara was granted access, the woman almost forgetting to return her cards. She was going to remember that receptionist's face, the fact she did not recognized her just showed how these new workers were inexperienced, Remer wanted new people, not Goebbels' people. That was understandable, she was going to get her own as well, but for now she still had to climb the ladder.
The Führer's office in the chancellery was different, gone was Goebbels' portrait, now replaced by Remer, who appeared stoic and wearing a Wehrmacht uniform to reinforce his military credentials. If Germany had an Iron Chancellor before, Remer wanted to be seen as a Steel leader, he wanted to be the epitome of the Wehrmacht's values and the triumph of the new generation of military men raised in the values of National Socialism as well as the Prussian Traditions of the military corps. But even so, there was still one portrait in that office which was larger than Remer's and would never be removed, the portrait of her father. If he was here, she knew the Slavs would have never dared to cross the Volga, the Israelis would have been crushed, Goebbels' madness would have been dealt with just like Röhm's was... and she would never have been hurt, she would never have had that monstrous goblin lay a hand on her or even look at her.
But he was not here, Remer was, seated on his chair and leaning over the desk to finish signing up yet another order which was to be sent to the east.
"Please sit, Frau Hitler, I will speak just in a second."
She did not sit at first, she just let her eyes linger around the room, looking at the lounge on the other side with the cushioned chairs, wondering what kind of conversations her father had seen from the portrait hanging above. No doubt it was over important matters, matters of State, but maybe it also was something more casual and friendly, a jest that one of the Gauleiters could have played and told everyone to cheer them up, Hess had seated in there, Goebbels had seated in there, Speer had seated in there, all talking with her father, but Remer never did, he was never a part of that circle, he was like an intruder, it felt... wrong for him to be in that office. Her father created that office, he created the entire damned Reich, why would a man who he probably never even spoke of be sitting in his chair?
"Frau Hitler?"
She was put out of the thoughts as Remer awaited, gesturing to the chair for her to sit, and she did. It wasn't every 19-year old woman who would be able to sit down face to face with Otto Ernst Remer without feeling the slightest bit of fear of him, but in her case it was true, she knew that there was little he could ever do against her in public, even less so in the shadows, how many men in the SiPo would ever follow his command if he ordered her killed? Despite that, she was not going to needlessly antagonize that overpromoted Colonel, she had her own agenda here and needed his approval, Remer had his own pride and the Wehrmacht was that pride.
"I must say, I was surprised by this... surprising visitation, it has been what? A year?"
"Yes, I would not be here if it was not urgent, Remer."
"Urgent?
"You could say so, with how the numbers are, I am not even sure if it is too late. I need someone withdrawn from the Front, call it a reassignment."
Remer's courteous behavior had just the slightest breach that she noticed, he was a proud man of the Wehrmacht, a dutiful soldier, quite admirable in some ways, in others they just made politics be a little more of a headache than it already is. He did not like at all that someone would dare interfere in his Werhmacht, unless that someone was Goebbels, or anyone who would be able to intimidate him in a similar fashion.
"You do understand our need for able men in the front, Klara, everyone is making sacrifices."
"I understand that, which is why I am asking you, it is important for me to have this person back."
She was speaking in a manner to leave the final decision up to him, this was not something which should be spoken to as a demand, she was no longer the Führer's wife who could speak in Goebbels' name and have the impossible become possible. Sometimes she missed that authority, but all it took to take that nostalgia away was to remember that authority did not save her from that vile man. Besides, she could not just say the Junge family missed Ernst, millions of families were missing their loved ones, that was not an argument which would move Remer, but saying that she had a personal interest in having Ernst back... well, that was more effective.
"What is his name?"
"Ernst Lothar Junge, 57th Infantry division, 3rd battalion."
Remer wrote down that in one of his papers, he was not going to deny her something as minute as one man, besides, it is not like she even was one to ask for favors often. She did not intend on making this a habit. The Führer of Steel was quite easy to bend sometimes.
"Very well, he will be given a promotion for his... heroic actions in the frontlines, he will be given the opportunity to join the SS under his father's command and serve in Bavaria for your protection."
Remer said, almost chuckling at the blatant nepotism, if every woman in the Reich was a strong as a voucher as Klara was, soon they would be overrun by the Russians. Klara gave a nod, smiling back to Remer while perfectly hiding her hatred and disgust for that man. She stood up and shook Remer's hand to seal the little deal, he likely would ask for something in the future, if he did not already consider this as an act of gratitude for the little show that she had to put up for him on the Reichstag a year ago, it was quite fitting that she visited that day on the anniversary of the first year of his rule, a rule which she granted to him on a silver plate and, one day, would oust him just as easily.
"If you don't mind my curiosity, what is your interest in the Junge boy?"
Remer's question was quite loaded, she knew what he was starting to think and was not going to act defensively like some lovestruck teenager hiding her boyfriend from her father, this was a transaction, that is all.
"I have grown tired of his mother wailing every day in my house."
She did come off as coldly as she could to move away Remer's mind from that direction, even if there was anything, she did not want that man to know, she has been tossed up as a pawn once and one time was enough. It helped preventing him from pushing her further the fact that he had to constantly stay in an office with a portrait which had those same eyes staring back at him on a daily basis, a portrait which kept telling "you don't belong here" and "you are just a Colonel who went to the academy to know how to hold a fork", that sense of inferiority was written all over Remer's face once, when she killed Goebbels and could see it in his eyes and in his voice. He did not believe himself worthy, that is why he did not just march in and take power, instead he picked up a frail broken man to stay in his place as his plan A. Remer had all that bravado, he was building all that imagery around himself, only to prove himself unworthy, just like Goebbels and Hess before him, the only person worthy of being in that room was her, she was meant to be there, all she had to do now was keep her head low and tolerate this intruder with a smile on her face and subservience.
He never even noticed, as she left, that she did not say "Heil Remer" a single time.
The Breitspurbahn was a wonder of engineering in the whole world, part of the dreams of Albert Speer in the architecture of the new order, the enormous railroad system connected some of the greatest cities in the Reich and, after the inauguration of the Track to Paris in 1953, started connecting the whole continent with large-capacity locomotives with the use of nuclear power to it's engines. With a gauge of 3 meters which was the double of the previous standards for locomotives, it was a part of the Regime's propaganda as much as it was part of it's logistics. While the tracks to the east were mostly suspended both due to the risk of Russian bombing and the war measures, there were still trains which returned to Germania and Ernst Junge was in one of those tracks, being the luckiest man alive.
It was the 11th of Wessel/February when he finally arrived in Munich, in the grand station from where he stepped out of the enormous double-decked behemoth of a locomotive with other men who were either in license or were too wounded to continue the fight. At least two Atomtruppen were in this train and had to be in an isolated chamber in the cargo coach due to radiation poisoning, the poor fools mishandled one of the atomic devices and it exploded far too close to their position. When he stepped out of the locomotive, he felt lost, maybe even upset, but why would he be? He was alive, transferred and even promoted as a Hauptsturmführer, a captain of the SS, not like it meant anything considering just how low the SS had fallen, but that gave a better pay and sent him away from the East as the SS was essentially a bodyguard unit.
Maybe that was the problem, everyone else of his age was doing something for the east, and now he was just "spared" of continuing to do his part because of his father. Of course, any sane person would want to get out of the East, there was no contest of that, but he felt undeserving of that "honor", that promotion is what was taking his honor from him and it is not like he could refuse, the SS officer sent for him was very passive aggressive, he carried higher orders that if he did not return, he would be in the vanguard when they marched on Wesselstadt, which would for sure be a tough fight considering how tenaciously the Russians wanted to keep their beloved "Moscow". At that point, out of his own cowardice or instinct, he agreed, and now he looked ahead of him to see his father standing there, dressed like a civilian in a suit and coat for the cold that Munich could be in these winters.
"Ernst, come with me."
Hans' tone left no room for discussion, at least not in public, he followed his father while still in his Wehrmacht uniform, holding a bag with his belongings while giving glances at the situation in the train station. There were families being reunited with their loved ones who were scheduled to have their extended leave after one year of fighting, Johann's family was there, the mother with three children embracing the returning father, he was another one in his regiment, this one being on a leave instead of a transfer. As much as he was close with Johann, he was far too embarrassed to even sit close to anyone in his regiment who would recognize him and could end up asking too many questions as he did not yet spend a whole year on the front. He went out of the train station by blindly following his father and soon enough they would get on the parking lot and get in his car, a beautiful black Mercedes 600, typical for SS officers, which means he will probably be able to afford his own one day.
Maybe he should have started wishing his father a happy birthday, he was turning 53 today, but instead his voice just came out resentful after minutes traveling in the traffic of Munich, much lighter than he remembered but it was probably because of the wartime measures.
"So I am your birthday gift?"
"Your mother says so."
"It was you, wasn't it, Herr Standartenführer Junge?"
There was some silence as an embittered Ernst spoke with his father by addressing him in his SS rank, it was pretty obvious that he had benefitted from this Nepotism, but Hans' face said otherwise, even when he focused on the road.
"I understand this, son, the SS cares for honor, I would never have pulled you even if I have wished nothing more than picking you up from that station ever since you left. I could not bring myself to do so, you know I wouldn't. If you wish to thank anyone for saving your life from that hell, thank Klara."
Ernst was doubting his father's words until he mentioned Klara, Klara Hitler, it has been so long since he saw her and... and she just out of nowhere decided to take him away? That just kept him confused, he was her friend, sure, but everyone was losing a friend to the front, why was he special?
"What?"
"I don't know why, but you are a man of the SS now, assigned to the guard of the Berghof under my command. She specifically requested your release from the Ost front to the Führer himself."
For a second, Ernst had thought that it was Goebbels, the idea that it was the repulsive... thing that saved him almost made him vomit until he reminded himself that Remer was in charge. It was a huge deal in the Wehrmacht when that happened, he heard stories of celebrations in the army barracks that the new "Leader of Steel" would bring them victory and restore order to the Reich, so far this has still been a distant fantasy but they have been gaining ground since the Volkssturm was beaten. But that is not what he was thinking of, he could not even concern himself over the war after being so abruptly taken away from it.
"But... why? What could she want with me?"
Hans had a working theory in his brain, maybe it was not appropriate to think that of Klara, but she has already been a married woman and, at her age, it was never adequate for a woman to remain single for long. But his Ernst? Why not someone of a much higher station? Would it not make more sense than... well, he did not want to think so lowly of his son, he was a good man, but it still baffled his mind.
"I do not know, maybe you ought to ask her that yourself, but remember, you are living under her roof, be respectful and don't talk to her in the tone you just used now."
That was Hans' way of reprimanding his son for that disrespect, after all, his son has been in the front, just a stern talk or a hand would not work, he was a man grown. But his honor was all he had left, if even that. He was a man of the SS now, Blood and Honor is what will guide him, hopefully he learned that well enough by observing him... if Hans could even be a good example, did he not also benefit from connections to escape deployment in the Ural War?
It was the 11th of Wessel/February when he finally arrived in Munich, in the grand station from where he stepped out of the enormous double-decked behemoth of a locomotive with other men who were either in license or were too wounded to continue the fight. At least two Atomtruppen were in this train and had to be in an isolated chamber in the cargo coach due to radiation poisoning, the poor fools mishandled one of the atomic devices and it exploded far too close to their position. When he stepped out of the locomotive, he felt lost, maybe even upset, but why would he be? He was alive, transferred and even promoted as a Hauptsturmführer, a captain of the SS, not like it meant anything considering just how low the SS had fallen, but that gave a better pay and sent him away from the East as the SS was essentially a bodyguard unit.
Maybe that was the problem, everyone else of his age was doing something for the east, and now he was just "spared" of continuing to do his part because of his father. Of course, any sane person would want to get out of the East, there was no contest of that, but he felt undeserving of that "honor", that promotion is what was taking his honor from him and it is not like he could refuse, the SS officer sent for him was very passive aggressive, he carried higher orders that if he did not return, he would be in the vanguard when they marched on Wesselstadt, which would for sure be a tough fight considering how tenaciously the Russians wanted to keep their beloved "Moscow". At that point, out of his own cowardice or instinct, he agreed, and now he looked ahead of him to see his father standing there, dressed like a civilian in a suit and coat for the cold that Munich could be in these winters.
"Ernst, come with me."
Hans' tone left no room for discussion, at least not in public, he followed his father while still in his Wehrmacht uniform, holding a bag with his belongings while giving glances at the situation in the train station. There were families being reunited with their loved ones who were scheduled to have their extended leave after one year of fighting, Johann's family was there, the mother with three children embracing the returning father, he was another one in his regiment, this one being on a leave instead of a transfer. As much as he was close with Johann, he was far too embarrassed to even sit close to anyone in his regiment who would recognize him and could end up asking too many questions as he did not yet spend a whole year on the front. He went out of the train station by blindly following his father and soon enough they would get on the parking lot and get in his car, a beautiful black Mercedes 600, typical for SS officers, which means he will probably be able to afford his own one day.
Maybe he should have started wishing his father a happy birthday, he was turning 53 today, but instead his voice just came out resentful after minutes traveling in the traffic of Munich, much lighter than he remembered but it was probably because of the wartime measures.
"So I am your birthday gift?"
"Your mother says so."
"It was you, wasn't it, Herr Standartenführer Junge?"
There was some silence as an embittered Ernst spoke with his father by addressing him in his SS rank, it was pretty obvious that he had benefitted from this Nepotism, but Hans' face said otherwise, even when he focused on the road.
"I understand this, son, the SS cares for honor, I would never have pulled you even if I have wished nothing more than picking you up from that station ever since you left. I could not bring myself to do so, you know I wouldn't. If you wish to thank anyone for saving your life from that hell, thank Klara."
Ernst was doubting his father's words until he mentioned Klara, Klara Hitler, it has been so long since he saw her and... and she just out of nowhere decided to take him away? That just kept him confused, he was her friend, sure, but everyone was losing a friend to the front, why was he special?
"What?"
"I don't know why, but you are a man of the SS now, assigned to the guard of the Berghof under my command. She specifically requested your release from the Ost front to the Führer himself."
For a second, Ernst had thought that it was Goebbels, the idea that it was the repulsive... thing that saved him almost made him vomit until he reminded himself that Remer was in charge. It was a huge deal in the Wehrmacht when that happened, he heard stories of celebrations in the army barracks that the new "Leader of Steel" would bring them victory and restore order to the Reich, so far this has still been a distant fantasy but they have been gaining ground since the Volkssturm was beaten. But that is not what he was thinking of, he could not even concern himself over the war after being so abruptly taken away from it.
"But... why? What could she want with me?"
Hans had a working theory in his brain, maybe it was not appropriate to think that of Klara, but she has already been a married woman and, at her age, it was never adequate for a woman to remain single for long. But his Ernst? Why not someone of a much higher station? Would it not make more sense than... well, he did not want to think so lowly of his son, he was a good man, but it still baffled his mind.
"I do not know, maybe you ought to ask her that yourself, but remember, you are living under her roof, be respectful and don't talk to her in the tone you just used now."
That was Hans' way of reprimanding his son for that disrespect, after all, his son has been in the front, just a stern talk or a hand would not work, he was a man grown. But his honor was all he had left, if even that. He was a man of the SS now, Blood and Honor is what will guide him, hopefully he learned that well enough by observing him... if Hans could even be a good example, did he not also benefit from connections to escape deployment in the Ural War?
The dinner was a celebration in double that evening in the Berghof, not only because of Hans Junge's birthday, but also the return of his son from the war, a young man full of stories to tell about massacring savage hordes, or so people thought. Klara was attempting to be more subtle and not steal spotlights that evening, but all the guests, most of them friends of the Junge family, still had to meet with their own eyes the owner of the house. The security of the place was in charge of the SS, men who were all too happy both in welcoming a new member and celebrating the date of their superior in the building. There were less people than in last year, when many had come here before going to the front, now most of those did not come back, if they ever would.
Ernst was very quiet during the night, seeing everything around him as surreal, he had barely returned from the tiring trip and was already thrown into a party that felt more directed towards him than his father. There were friends of his' who were not of age yet and wanted to know how it was like to be in the Wehrmacht, wanted to know about his medals, about his Iron Cross and how many Untermenschen he did kill. He did not want to talk about that, sure it would not be courteous to just say nothing, but the few stories that the insistent guests got out of him were superficial and vague, he did not wish to dwell too deep in memories of the war when he was still unable to come to terms that he was not in the war, it felt like at any second he would wake up and be back to the barracks. He was not sure he wanted to wake up, but the cost of staying alive was to feel that burden, that guilt that he had managed to escape due to an undeserved benefit. Eva was here, his sister who traveled to the Berghof for their father's birthday alongside her husband, his mother was the first one on the door when he arrived, she hugged him tighter than she ever did before, and Gunnel was waiting right behind with a gift, a Swiss wrist watch.
The night went on and on, but soon enough Ernst was feeling the burden of the trip driving him to sleep, he had new quarters that he had been given in the complex where other guards were meant to sleep, but before he could leave the building, he saw someone sitting alone in one of the other rooms. It was Klara, who he had been looking for all night in the celebration in vain, she had slipped away as soon as the toast was given to his father and him. She looked reflective in that room, seated alone and away from the celebration, but why so? He could guess, if she was in the room then nobody would give the slightest attention to his father and him. That was a sacrifice for someone who always strived to be the center of attention, but ever since he last saw her, she looked different. Not only because she has grown physically but also mentally, he could tell from how she spoke in the toast, there was the slightest tension and seriousness in her voice that showed that his friend was gone... all thanks to that goblin.
"Are you just going to stand there, Ernst?"
Klara answered without even looking at him, she had noticed him through the reflection in the window. She liked parties sometimes, her mother used to throw them at every chance and invite everyone who came across, but sometimes she liked to be more quiet and think by herself, that was why she was here, to have some breathing room. But now there was Ernst, who appeared too embarassed for being caught in that awkwardness to say anything. He then walked and stood by her side like a soldier, probably how he greeted everyone for the last year.
"Frau Hitler, I-"
"Quit with that, you know my name, sit down."
Ernst sat down obediently, now feeling a little more embarrassed for calling her "Frau", he thought it was a sign of respect she would like, but that is when he realized he felt estranged to her, like they were two different people from how they used to be like before these last two years when she went to Goebbels and he went to the front. There was some silence then as he tried to figure out how he should ask it without voicing out some sort of ungratefulness. He knew he was looking at the person who very well saved his life, but he never asked for his life to be saved, now he had to live with that dishonor, while everyone was facing nightmares, he was living a dream in the most exclusive residence in the world.
"You want to know why I asked for you, don't you?"
She preempted him and he could do nothing but nod, was he so easy to read or was it because that question was so obvious?
"I did it because I wanted to, Ernst, it was not your mother, your father, or anyone else who intervened for you. Sure, they wanted you safe, but they never had the courage to do anything, I did."
"That... does not answer the question, Klara."
Ernst responded as soon as she finished and then she looked at him, she looked at him with those steel blue eyes and it was like she was hypnotizing him, staring into his soul, there was no hatred or malice against him, but there was definitely that against something, or someone...
"If someone, your father, the Reichsführer-SS, a General, or even Remer himself, told you to hurt me, would you do so?"
Ernst did not need to think for long, he was a soldier, he was in the Hitler Youth, he lived his teenage years watching the Volkssturm rip the country apart because his peers were all willing to slaughter Germans for sake of... what exactly? In the end, the Reich only became weaker, if they were not so busy slaughtering one another, the Slavs would never have invaded. But that is besides the point, what he felt for Klara was beyond orders, he grew up under her roof, he was just a toddler but he was there since her birth, he was there when her father died, he was there when her mother died and she left for Goebbels' tricks, he had been with her for so long and, besides, there is the person that she was, her family, it was just beyond any other, anyone who would order her harmed would be the real traitor. If he did not have this sense of care, this sense of loyalty, for Klara, then how else could he explain the visceral hatred he felt for anyone who ever harmed her? How could he do anything but hate himself if she was hurt by him or if he did nothing while she was harmed, again?
"Never, I would never..."
"And if I were to tell you to hurt someone, would you do it?"
This took him a little longer to answer, the default answer was yes, his answer was still yes, but he would not like it, not if it meant hurting an innocent, he had seen enough of them being publicly killed because a madman told his mobs to do so. But Klara was not like that, the people she would want to harm would not be innocents.
"As your guar-"
"I am asking you, Ernst, not the Hauptsturmführer."
"I would, I just ask that you don't make me lose my sleep in the night ever more than I already do."
That was an answer good enough for her, she did not wish for a mindless drone, but also needed someone who was loyal to her, who would care for her and never harm her, it also helped that he certainly had good Aryan genetics from his father, such as that blonde hair of his'. She gave Ernst a smile, satisfied that she made the right choice.
Ernst was very quiet during the night, seeing everything around him as surreal, he had barely returned from the tiring trip and was already thrown into a party that felt more directed towards him than his father. There were friends of his' who were not of age yet and wanted to know how it was like to be in the Wehrmacht, wanted to know about his medals, about his Iron Cross and how many Untermenschen he did kill. He did not want to talk about that, sure it would not be courteous to just say nothing, but the few stories that the insistent guests got out of him were superficial and vague, he did not wish to dwell too deep in memories of the war when he was still unable to come to terms that he was not in the war, it felt like at any second he would wake up and be back to the barracks. He was not sure he wanted to wake up, but the cost of staying alive was to feel that burden, that guilt that he had managed to escape due to an undeserved benefit. Eva was here, his sister who traveled to the Berghof for their father's birthday alongside her husband, his mother was the first one on the door when he arrived, she hugged him tighter than she ever did before, and Gunnel was waiting right behind with a gift, a Swiss wrist watch.
The night went on and on, but soon enough Ernst was feeling the burden of the trip driving him to sleep, he had new quarters that he had been given in the complex where other guards were meant to sleep, but before he could leave the building, he saw someone sitting alone in one of the other rooms. It was Klara, who he had been looking for all night in the celebration in vain, she had slipped away as soon as the toast was given to his father and him. She looked reflective in that room, seated alone and away from the celebration, but why so? He could guess, if she was in the room then nobody would give the slightest attention to his father and him. That was a sacrifice for someone who always strived to be the center of attention, but ever since he last saw her, she looked different. Not only because she has grown physically but also mentally, he could tell from how she spoke in the toast, there was the slightest tension and seriousness in her voice that showed that his friend was gone... all thanks to that goblin.
"Are you just going to stand there, Ernst?"
Klara answered without even looking at him, she had noticed him through the reflection in the window. She liked parties sometimes, her mother used to throw them at every chance and invite everyone who came across, but sometimes she liked to be more quiet and think by herself, that was why she was here, to have some breathing room. But now there was Ernst, who appeared too embarassed for being caught in that awkwardness to say anything. He then walked and stood by her side like a soldier, probably how he greeted everyone for the last year.
"Frau Hitler, I-"
"Quit with that, you know my name, sit down."
Ernst sat down obediently, now feeling a little more embarrassed for calling her "Frau", he thought it was a sign of respect she would like, but that is when he realized he felt estranged to her, like they were two different people from how they used to be like before these last two years when she went to Goebbels and he went to the front. There was some silence then as he tried to figure out how he should ask it without voicing out some sort of ungratefulness. He knew he was looking at the person who very well saved his life, but he never asked for his life to be saved, now he had to live with that dishonor, while everyone was facing nightmares, he was living a dream in the most exclusive residence in the world.
"You want to know why I asked for you, don't you?"
She preempted him and he could do nothing but nod, was he so easy to read or was it because that question was so obvious?
"I did it because I wanted to, Ernst, it was not your mother, your father, or anyone else who intervened for you. Sure, they wanted you safe, but they never had the courage to do anything, I did."
"That... does not answer the question, Klara."
Ernst responded as soon as she finished and then she looked at him, she looked at him with those steel blue eyes and it was like she was hypnotizing him, staring into his soul, there was no hatred or malice against him, but there was definitely that against something, or someone...
"If someone, your father, the Reichsführer-SS, a General, or even Remer himself, told you to hurt me, would you do so?"
Ernst did not need to think for long, he was a soldier, he was in the Hitler Youth, he lived his teenage years watching the Volkssturm rip the country apart because his peers were all willing to slaughter Germans for sake of... what exactly? In the end, the Reich only became weaker, if they were not so busy slaughtering one another, the Slavs would never have invaded. But that is besides the point, what he felt for Klara was beyond orders, he grew up under her roof, he was just a toddler but he was there since her birth, he was there when her father died, he was there when her mother died and she left for Goebbels' tricks, he had been with her for so long and, besides, there is the person that she was, her family, it was just beyond any other, anyone who would order her harmed would be the real traitor. If he did not have this sense of care, this sense of loyalty, for Klara, then how else could he explain the visceral hatred he felt for anyone who ever harmed her? How could he do anything but hate himself if she was hurt by him or if he did nothing while she was harmed, again?
"Never, I would never..."
"And if I were to tell you to hurt someone, would you do it?"
This took him a little longer to answer, the default answer was yes, his answer was still yes, but he would not like it, not if it meant hurting an innocent, he had seen enough of them being publicly killed because a madman told his mobs to do so. But Klara was not like that, the people she would want to harm would not be innocents.
"As your guar-"
"I am asking you, Ernst, not the Hauptsturmführer."
"I would, I just ask that you don't make me lose my sleep in the night ever more than I already do."
That was an answer good enough for her, she did not wish for a mindless drone, but also needed someone who was loyal to her, who would care for her and never harm her, it also helped that he certainly had good Aryan genetics from his father, such as that blonde hair of his'. She gave Ernst a smile, satisfied that she made the right choice.
Remer's arrival was like the arrival of a leader, he went up the mountains in his car with an escort of veteran soldiers, going into the complex of the Berghof as if he was the owner of it. He was not, he was only the man of the hour since the 11th of September. What appeared like a doomed war and the collapse of the Reich ended up with a Triumph to the public, and if they complained about the losses and the deaths, he simply blamed his predecessors for making the Reich weak and allowing it to be overrun by it's enemies in the East, a disaster averted by his hand, by the leadership of the Stahlführer.
Remer wanted to think that of himself so he would feel less inadequate, he won that position, he earned it, he did not want the power but he was called to serve the Fatherland, to serve National Socialism, and he answered the call with mastery. Now he had to rebuild the Reich, restore the order over the Continent after the chaos that was the leadership of that mad goblin, that was his duty, he was fulfilling that duty, so why did he feel so inadequate? Perhaps because he was not good for politics? But Politicians like Wegener failed the Reich. Perhaps because he was not a charismatic speaker? But Speakers like Hess and Goebbels failed the Reich. Perhaps because he was not an economist, a builder to reconstruct this devastated land? Well, Architects like Speer failed the Reich. He was a soldier, that is what Germany needed, they were forged by Iron and Blood and he would give Iron and Blood.
But it was never in the military tradition to be so involved in politics, maybe he was thinking with the antiquated thoughts of relics of the General Staff, the "vons" of the Prussian Army, of the Kaiser's Army, he was a National Socialist, a member of the Party, he was confirmed as the Führer of the NSDAP, this was a continuation and not a coup. Why did he even have to keep justifying things to himself? He more than earned this position, more than Hess, more than Goebbels, more than Speer, he was an actual savior which protected a legacy that they all attempted to destroy in their self-destructive indulgence and madness. Remer was dressed up in his suit for today, the war was over, this was a.. celebration of sorts, the 6th of October, yes the old name was returned, he would never allow Goebbels to have a month of the calendar for himself, the anniversary of Frau Hitler which he was invited to.
This was one of those events where the elites of the Reich could gather together, during the Hess era, there were meetings of many high level leaders during this date, schemes and plots all hatched in that place, most who went there were Hitlerists, well, everyone in the party is a Hitlerist technically, but that is how he thought those who were simply obsessed with the name of the founder of the Reich, they were mostly found in the youth and many of them were involved in questionable deeds during the Angriff. Still, he needed them by his side to command the Reich, Goebbels was a partisan who destroyed those who were not in his party, Remer wished to mend back the Party and stand above it, that is where the "apolitical" appeal of his persona came. He was a military man, not a politician even when he tried to be one.
The car arrived and he walked out to greet the peers reunited, with the victory over the Russians, many took this first opportunity of a social occasion to celebrate. He could spot Kaltenbrunner, he saw Hans Kammler, one of Speer's few appointments, Kasche was enjoying his past celebration before retirement, there was a sense of anticipation as nobody has seen the hostess yet. As soon as he entered, the attention was drawn to him and soon enough the men and women of the room all raised their arms in that overwhelming "Heil Remer" salute. It was a true power thrill whenever that salute is given by a crowd, sometimes it can be tedious but it was in moments like these that he gained a certain appreciation for his power. He started greeting and entertaining the guests, his wife already went to speak with other women, the time passed and some even began to wonder where the girl was in her 20th birthday.
Then she arrived, side by side with a blonde young man in SS uniform that Remer took some time to recognize until he saw Hans Junge nearby and saw the striking resemblance between the two, with how the Junge boy had his arm held by the woman, as well as his nervousness, Remer could tell that his suspicion was true. Klara truly had gone to Germania, and to him, to get her bride back, he already guessed the announcement before she made, while most of the room was gossipping on who that lucky young man was, because you don't hold the arm of your bodyguard, or even of a friend, that way. When she spoke, everyone applauded, and so did Remer who watched it all with a certain level of respect for Klara, it is not everyone who could survive what she did with Goebbels and move on with life, he knew soldiers who never recovered from some traumas and with himself having to endure years of fear that the feared Goblin would order his rabble to slaughter him and his family, he could emphasize with the girl.
Hardly did Remer know with just how much hatred Klara saw him, and he could never have guessed that this engagement would be the start of his own downfall.
Welp Remer’s on borrowed time it seems. Whether Klara replaces him is only a question of when and if she wants to. But atvl let us see a chapter of Germany post-Ostkrieg under Remer please?
Unfortunately I intend to close down on Germany for this Volume of the Timeline.
Any chance we could get more content from the puppet states of the Linz Pact or nah?
My only plans now are for two further chapters to clear out East Asia and the Platine Pact, maybe an epilogue.
...he is almost Remer's age, almost 35 years older, one creepy age gap was enough.
So if I got this correctly, Klara hates Remer so much because he stood by while Goebbels mistreated her, right? But this seems pretty unreasonable from her, I mean what was Remer(or everyone else for that matter) supposed to do? Goebbels was the Führer and defying him would pretty much be Suicide.
Im curious how is Russia doing in the aftermath of the Ostkrieg ,what is the current mood among the population, the leadership. By now they most probally realized they would not reclaim the west (for now) ,and prepare for the long haul.
What are the chances that the Platine Pact becomes the main opposition to the Europeans ,as the Americans fall further in to isolation and have a " special" external policy ,is not hard to believe that Russia, The Frech Empire,Belgium-Congo ,Israel ?, Britain???(falkland) would open for a closer relation with Brazil not because they like the ideology, but because they oppose Nazi Germany and "friends" and are more thrustworthy than USA.
I really hope that we will see some more blowback to USA external policies,like losing allies and trade partners.We allready have seem the imperial back in charge in Japan, the future invasion of Uruguay .
People aren't rational. She just saw a man who let her suffer under Goebbels without lifting a finger.
Yeah ok fair enough, didn't really think about it like that.
You can expect further chapters that dwell into individual challenges in Volume III as more Original Characters will be involved.