„Vladko Maček, you are under arrest for working against the German Reich as well as spreading dissenting activity outside the jurisdiction of the German Wehrmacht!“
Ambassador Kasche stared into the enraged Plenipotentiary General Horstenau's brown eyes. He calmly gave him a calculated reply.
„That will not happen.“
„What?! Get out of our w…“
„No. The Ban has done nothing, I repeat, nothing against the German government or its interests. In fact, he is doing exactly the opposite, by actively expanding the rights of Volksdeutschers and keeping them safe from rogue Yugoslav army groups still going around Slavonia. This is only a minor border dispute with Italy that will be solved shortly…“
…
„The German people of Croatia have been demanding their own autonomous administrative unit for some time now. Are you willing to fulfill their wishes?“
Maček couldn't help but take another swig of his drink he held in his shaking hands. He disliked the liquid vehemently, but the painful sensation he felt in his throat helped him cope with the stressful quagmire he inadvertently pushed his country into. Siegfried Kasche, the man Maček would declare a deplorable human being in any other circumstance, was now his most valuable ally who saved him from certain doom. Who knows what would have happened had he not been in the office when Horstenau and his goons arrived to arrest him.
But now he was given a deadline, and if he does not finish this soon, then even Kasche will not be able to save him.
It has been a day since the exchange between the two men, and Maček felt his decision to answer Kasche's question affirmatively was a reasonable one. But the fact he already sold so much of his own homeland away to his only ally Germany wasn't going to go over well with the public, especially if he survives the war with Italy.
I can only imagine what a treaty with our enemy is going to be like… Maček thought cynically.
He had every right to be skeptical of his chances of making it through this ordeal. Štancer's Home Guardsmen were bogged down on Velebit and taking heavy casualties, while Laxa slowly trudged through the fields of southern Dalmatia toward Makarska. On a more positive note, Colonel Franjo Šimić still held onto Knin and the surrounding countryside without any retaliation by Italian forces, but it still meant that only one out of three intended military operations ended in time.
13:45, Italian Army Headquarters exterior, Zara, Kingdom of Italy
General Vittorio Ambrosio took in the relaxing sunshine and ever-constant chirping of crickets, smiling as his straight shoulders dropped a little. He patiently waited while looking at the peaceful environment surrounding his calm figure. The conversation he held with Mario Roatta the night before yielded fruitful results regarding the Slavic insurrection in the east. Solutions brought to the table by the military duo are going to, Ambrosio hoped, bring a quick end to the rogue state and extend Italian influence all the way to the Drina and Belgrade.
„…After all, decapitating a snake not only makes the rest of its body wither away but also gives other members of the food chain an opportunity to step in and take over.“
Ambrosio chuckled at Roatta's comparison, as if hearing an amusing anecdote during family dinner.
The general, still smiling, asked one of his assistants, who was close to him.
„Are our brave pilots on their way?“
14:03, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia
Ringing.
All he could hear was ringing. He felt completely deaf to the world. He could hear nothing but the insanely loud sound emanating from seemingly everywhere around him after the explosions. Ban Maček could not comprehend what just happened. His sight was blurry as he stumbled out of the broken door of his ruined office. The hall looked like it had seen better days. Debris was everywhere, anything from pieces of rocks and wood to metal shards from the chandelier that used to be above him. Small flames could be found scattered on the old dusty carpet, unable to engulf the piece of cloth completely. Far off in the distance were crumbled remains of a wall.
He staggered awkwardly toward the broken construction, beginning to slowly hear more sounds in the distance as he progressed. They weren't pleasant in any way, though. His ears have tried to adjust to the new sounds, but they were still distant. He could hear weeping and screaming coming far from him, most likely outside of the building. Warning sirens cried somewhere far away. His vision was still unclear, and he felt like he had to keep going, because his strength was draining with each passing second.
With each step taken, he felt his legs becoming shakier and shakier. He started coughing badly due to the unpleasant grey smoke that started filling the interior of Banski dvori. Trying to rip his black coat off his body, afraid of burning on the inside from high temperatures, he tripped and almost fell over but he kept going forward. He passed the corner and noticed bloody finger trails on the wall.
His hand lightly touched the crimson-colored wall, with some of the iron fluid remaining on his fingers, indicating it is still fresh. He couldn't worry about any of that now, he had to get out of the building if he wanted to live.
In the distance he saw more ruins. And more blood. He followed the trail of cruor on the floor that led him to the debris he noticed before, but as he approached the fallen wall he saw something that made him gasp in surprise.
He found the body of one of his most trusted colleagues, the man he depended on for years. Someone who has committed himself to the HSS and Croatia completely. He was crushed under the fallen debris, his head in a pool of blood with more oozing out of his neck with each passing minute. The man's left hand was extended toward Maček's direction, as if inviting him to take it.
His heart broke in two.
No, not you… Anyone but you…
Those were Vladko Maček's final thoughts before he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
Infobox stuff: The photo depicting TTL bombing was actually taken on October 7 1991 and showed the consequences of a Yugoslav Air Force strike on the same building, with the goal of killing Franjo Tuđman (first democratically elected President of Croatia) and demoralizing the Croatian rebels. This action proved unsuccessful in the end, and Croatia officially declared its independence the following day.
