Disclaimer: I do not Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It is owned by Yoshiki Tanaka.
Our Universe
Chapter 11
Surprisingly enough, panic did not erupt on Heinessen or other Alliance worlds with the news of Fezzan's fall to the Empire. An atmosphere of dread and apprehension hung over the citizens, their leaders and military officers, with many questions being asked and fingers pointed all over the place, but even then, anarchy did not erupt.
Among the most important questions being asked among the citizens and by the media of their government was confirmation of the news. The government had not actually released the report of Fezzans's fall, trying to wait for the right time to do so, but in that they failed, even with all the information control measures put in place by the Alliance government under the Trunicht Administration. This was thanks to the great amount of interstellar commerce between Fezzan and the Alliance, and it was the crews and officers and passengers of the ships which plied the shipping lanes who brought and spread the news to the Alliance, too many and too widespread for the Alliance government to even try and silence them.
Within hours, a crowd of journalists had gathered before the High Council Building, along with broadcasting trucks along the street. In addition to demanding an official confirmation of the news from Fezzan, they demanded to know how the Alliance government would respond to the crisis, and why they had failed to predict this development much less take countermeasures against it.
The High Council was already meeting in emergency session, and it was late at night when the High Council Chairman sent his press secretary to give an official response. It was far from satisfactory.
"I will now give the official statement of High Council Chairman Job Trunicht." The man said. "We acknowledge the responsibility we hold for this development."
"That's it?" one journalist responded in disbelief.
"That is all." The press secretary confirmed, and the journalists erupted in outrage.
"We don't care who's responsible for this!" they angrily shouted. "What we want to know is how the government plans to respond, and why it even came to this in the first place?"
"That is all." The press secretary repeated before turning and returning into the High Council Building, followed by the angry shouts and demands of the crowd, barely held back by the building's security personnel. Hours later, and another press release was held, with one William Odets defending Chairman Trunicht's vague and useless response, and indeed, blaming the citizens themselves for refusing to cooperate with the government.
Even the usually alarmist and reactionary media found themselves frustrated and outright disdainful as a result.
"Hey, did you hear?" a staff member told his superior at a broadcasting truck parked in front of the High Council Building. "Trunicht didn't even bother to attend the council meeting!"
"What?" the journalist responded with mixed anger and incredulity. "That no-good bastard…I always knew he was just another second-rate demagogue!"
The staff member nodded. "Not just that," he continued. "But they say Defense Secretary Negroponte resigned during the meeting."
"He did what?" the journalist echoed incredulously. "He resigned? Why?"
"Apparently it was to take responsibility for failing to prevent things from reaching this point."
"Responsibility?" the journalist echoed angrily. "Responsibility, he says? Don't joke around, how the hell is resigning in the face of a crisis taking responsibility for it? If he's going to say that, then he should be working his fat ass off to come up with a plan to counter the Empire. That fat bastard…he can wait for tomorrow's morning news!"
"In any case," the staff member said hesitantly. "While Trunicht wasn't at the meeting, once he heard of Negroponte's resignation, he appointed Walter Islands as the new defense secretary."
"Islands?" the journalist echoed with some confusion. A few moments' thought later and the name clicked. "But isn't he just some second-rate bureaucrat? What the hell is up with these personnel appointments?"
For all the media's disdain, however, and for all that the new defense secretary had been just a career bureaucrat known for being one of Trunicht's associates, he quickly took charge of things at the Department of Defense. Even before sunrise on the following day, he'd called another High Council meeting, and taking charge reached a conclusion before asking for a meeting with the Space Fleet Commander.
In his office at the Joint Operations Division, the Alliance Space Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Bucock met with newly-appointed Secretary of Defense Walter Islands. Also present was the admiral's adjutant, Captain Pfeiffer, and the defense secretary's own personal assistant.
"The High Council has made its decision." Islands said, looking rather harried but otherwise composed and resolute. "There will be no surrender, but neither will we fight to the death. We can't force such an outcome on the helpless citizens, and condemn all our worlds to complete destruction. Instead, we will ask the military to establish a situation wherein we can negotiate a peace treaty with the Empire on good faith."
Bucock nodded. "Of course," he said. "We'll do what we can."
"The Alliance government will support whatever measures you find necessary to achieve that objective." Islands said, and Bucock nodded again.
"Then," he said. "I'll take you up on that now. Specifically, with regard to retired Admiral Yang Wen-li, it would be worth our while to recall him to service immediately. His tactical skill would be very useful on the battlefield, and the psychological effect of the Hero of El-Facil, to say nothing of the Miracle of Iserlohn, defending the Alliance once more, should not be underestimated."
"I'd already considered that matter." Islands said with a nod. "In fact, I already have my staff at the defense department working on preparing the paperwork. However, given the admiral is, well, an admiral and thus of flag officer rank, we're going to need the chairman's approval for it."
That it would not be easy went without saying. It was an open secret that the chairman wasn't particularly fond of Yang, and Yang was well-known as a critic of the current administration. Nevertheless, it was something of a pleasant surprise for Bucock that for all that the defense secretary was supposed to be one of Trunicht's creatures, he was prepared to compromise on the usual faction-fighting and politicking so characteristic of the Alliance government over the past few decades, in order to ensure the nation's defense.
If only it'd happened sooner of course, and in a less dire situation.
"In any case," Islands continued. "I'll do what I can to expedite the matter. Please do what you can as well on that end here, in the military."
Bucock nodded, having since done so in fact, and then rose as the defense secretary got to his feet. "Though it's not how I expected to get this post," Islands said with a hint of shame. "Nor the circumstances I'd find myself facing, strangely enough, I find that here and now, I have a sense of purpose driving me for what needs to be done. Well then, I'll take my leave."
Nodding once at the admiral, Islands left, leaving Bucock and his adjutant alone. "Well now, we finally have ourselves a competent defense secretary." He said with a stroke of his chin. "And a very unexpected one at that, considering his background. That said, I suppose I shouldn't complain."
"Nevertheless," Pfeiffer began. "While it is to be thankful for, why could it not have happened any sooner? Indeed, given the situation, I sometimes find myself wishing the coup from two years ago had succeeded."
"And have a military dictatorship here compete with the Empire's absolute monarchy?" Bucock answered. "What's so better about that?"
"Yes, sir…my apologies, I spoke out of line."
"No matter what," Bucock said walking back to his desk. "We cannot allow the Alliance to turn into a dictatorship just to survive. I'd even dare to say that it'd be better for the Alliance to fall as a democracy, than to betray everything it was, is, and should have been to endure. Because if a nation can't protect both its citizens and its founding ideals, then that nation no longer has any reason to continue existing."
"Y-yes sir…"
Falling silent, Bucock gathered a number of papers before taking and putting on his beret. "Now then," he said. "Shall we get going?"
"Where to, sir?"
"To the war council, of course." Bucock said, already heading for the door. "I can't make any decisions on my own, I need the rest of the joint chiefs as well. That's how we, a democratic military, do things."
Over the following day, a flurry of meetings was held across the Joint Operations Division and the Admiralty, with orders being sent out and reports called for. The result of those would come in the evening, with the promotion of Rear Admirals Lionel Mouton and Ralph Carlsen to vice admiral, and their appointments as the commanders of the 14th and 15th Fleets respectively.
Of course, both fleets currently existed only on paper, though work was already underway to make them reality. Though it would take several days to finish mustering and organizing both fleets, they would hopefully be ready in time for the Alliance to mount a defense against the Imperial invasion. And even then, both fleets would be hodgepodge collections composed of what were once reserve squadrons, patrol squadrons, even decommissioned vessels yet to be scrapped and were instead reactivated and being refitted on the field, as well as newly-built ships yet to finish shaking down and hurriedly commissioned to be sent to the battlefield as needed.
Only time would tell if they would truly be effective.
It was also later that evening that the Space Fleet Commander called for a strategy meeting to discuss how the Alliance would meet the Imperial Fleet. Apart from Bucock and his adjutant, also present were Mouton and Carlsen, as well as Vice Admiral Paeta, the commander of the Alliance 1st Fleet. Also due to be present was the Alliance Forces Chief of Staff, Admiral Osman.
On that note, however…
"Sir!" Pfeiffer rushed into the conference room with an alarmed note in his voice. "Admiral Osman's suffered a heart attack."
"What?" the admirals present chorused.
"The admiral's been taken to a military hospital, but he's still unconscious and there's no word on when he'll recover."
"What a thing to happen…"
"And at a time like this."
"It can't be helped." Bucock said. "His deputy…Rear Admiral Chung Wu-Cheng will have to stand in for him. Send for him immediately!"
"Yes sir."
It took another twenty minutes for the rear admiral to arrive, nibbling on a sandwich. "My apologies," he said. "I was just sitting down to dinner. Thankfully, even if it is old bread, if you put it in a toaster to warm it up, it's still good to eat."
The other admirals stared at the man in disbelief, but he was ultimately unaffected. "In any case," Bucock began. "Though Admiral Chung has only just joined us, we have only one real choice. We don't have the numbers to engage the enemy as they pass through the Fezzan Corridor. Therefore, we must draw the Imperial Fleet into Alliance territory, stretching out their supply lines and then severing them, attack and inflict enough losses to force their retreat."
"On that note," Chung put in. "While I have no disagreement with our strategy, I would like to raise two points. The first is retired Admiral Yang Wen-li. His proven tactical skill would be very useful to us, and we can't ignore the psychological effects of him either sitting out the war, or joining us on the battlefield."
"I've already raised the matter with the defense secretary." Bucock said with a nod. "Apparently, he's already underway with the formalities of reactivating Admiral Yang, and so am I on our end. That said, we can only do so much, and must await the approval of the High Council Chairman on this matter."
An uneasy and unhappy air hung over the meeting at those words, but Chung was nodding. "Then let's hope for the best on that point." He said. "My second point however is Iserlohn Fortress. In particular, with the Imperial Fleet advancing through the Fezzan Corridor, it could be said that Iserlohn Fortress is useless to us. Therefore, I suggest ordering Admiral Rockwell to evacuate the fortress, and taking the station fleet, rendezvous with us on the field."
There was shock all around at that. "But," Paeta began. "Isn't Admiral Rockwell currently engaged in combat with the Imperial Fleet at Iserlohn? Evacuation will not be easy!"
"That may be so." Chung said with a nod. "But Admiral Rockwell will just have to do it. The twenty thousand ships in the station fleet would be of more use to us when we confront the enemy, as opposed to keeping them tied down at Iserlohn. Remember that we're in a situation wherein we have to setup a situation for the Alliance to negotiate a satisfactory peace treaty. We can't have a situation wherein the Alliance is destroyed, but Iserlohn survives. And in any case, it's pretty much guaranteed that the Empire will demand the return of Iserlohn as part of any peace treaty. So let's not waste any more lives trying to hold on to something we ultimately can't keep."
A thoughtful air now hung over the meeting. Bucock nodded slowly. "Admiral Chung makes a good point." He said. "While it is rather galling, it does seem to be the correct choice. We're already at a huge disadvantage numbers-wise, and we need to do what we can to reduce that disadvantage as much as possible. Keeping our forces dispersed would go against that…very well, we'll order Rockwell to abandon the fortress, and to take his station fleet to rendezvous with us on the field."
There were nods all around, though Paeta had an uncomfortable expression on his face. "The only question now," he began. "Is will Admiral Rockwell be able to successfully retreat under fire."
No one could, or dared answer.
The arrival of the orders to abandon the fortress was not met with confidence at Iserlohn Fortress.
"Are they serious about this?" Rear Admiral Huu asked incredulously.
"Commander," Rear Admiral Alarcon said while getting to his feet. "Please set our motherland's course correct. We're soldiers. We're not afraid to die to perform our duty to the country and its citizens. But asking us to do this…to abandon this fortress which safeguards the Alliance…it's unthinkable!"
"Calm down." Admiral Rockwell said. "I'm not too happy about these orders either, but…"
Rear Admiral Murai glumly nodded in agreement as the fortress commander trailed off unhappily. "We can't disobey orders from Heinessen." He said.
"But…this is…"
"Rear Admiral Alarcon," Rear Admiral Cazerne began. "I'm sure HQ knew what they were doing when they gave these orders. In particular, the orders to rendezvous with the Combined Fleet under Admiral Bucock once we finish offloading the civilians to a safe planet, and the government's stated objective of obtaining a position to negotiate a fair peace treaty, is rather telling."
"What do you mean?" Alarcon asked.
"The way I see it," Cazerne said. "HQ is likely going for a Fabian strategy."
There was a murmur of comprehension across the table. "I see." Rockwell said while nodding and crossing his arms over his chest. "Instead of dispersing our forces and trying to cover all fronts without actually having the ability to do so, HQ will concentrate all our forces to be able to decisively fight and win where it matters. That way, even if the Imperial Fleet has broken through both Iserlohn and Fezzan, as long as they can't take Heinessen, they can't really win."
"And neither can we really lose." Cazerne said. "And then factoring in the distance between the Empire and the Alliance, the longer the campaign takes, then the more the Empire's advantage lessens, due to their greatly-extended lines of supply and communications."
"At which point they'd either have to retreat, or engage our forces in battle." Huu observed.
"Or enter into negotiations with the government." Rockwell said with a nod. "It's just what you'd expect of Old Man Bucock."
"But," Alarcon said. "To give up on Iserlohn Fortress…no, I understand the necessity based on HQ's apparent strategy, but doing so will have an effect on morale, both military and civilian. In particular, won't it be spread around that we'd been chased out of Iserlohn?"
"That's probably true." Rear Admiral Cazerne said. "But it's a risk we're going to have to take. This isn't just about Iserlohn Fortress, after all. The fate of the entire Alliance is at stake."
There were nods all around, with even Alarcon being won over at last. "About that," Intelligence Specialist Commander Bagdash began. "If we're going to abandon the fortress to the enemy, it doesn't necessarily mean we have to leave it intact, do we?"
Eyes turned to the commander. "What do you mean by that, Commander Bagdash?" Rockwell asked.
Bagdash's smile turned vicious.
Fleet Admiral Kircheis sat on the Barbarossa's command throne, hands folded in his lap as he stared at the silvery orb of Iserlohn Fortress hanging in space. It had been four days since he had returned to once again lay siege to the fortress, and in that time, the fleets under his command had stayed just outside of the fortress' effective range, conducting fleet exercises both to pass the time and to constantly remind the besieged enemy of their presence.
Now though, that was in the past. Geiersberg Fortress would be arriving within a matter of minutes, and the Imperial Fleet had positioned themselves to minimize the danger of getting caught in the wake of Geiersberg's warp jump.
"Any time now." Rear Admiral Bergengrun said, glancing at his wristwatch. Kircheis nodded, and narrowed his eyes.
The bridge bustled and buzzed with soft, business-like conversation, and then alarms began to sound as proximity and hyperspace sensors warned of a near-unprecedented, large-scale warp jump in progress. Kircheis allowed himself a smile at the thought of how the Alliance defenders would react to the appearance of the 45-kilometer in diameter fortress.
Barbarossa shuddered as the wake of Geiersberg's warp jump rippled outwards, but the fleet formation had been positioned specifically to ride out such a wake, and now reports were coming in. "No abnormalities in space-time detected in the surrounding space." One report said.
"All fleets report situation normal." Another report said.
"Formation drift is within expected parameters, ships moving back into position."
"No response from Iserlohn Fortress."
"Incoming transmission from Geiersberg Fortress. It's High Admiral Kempff."
Kircheis smiled and nodded. "Very good," he said while getting to his feet. "Patch it through."
"Yes sir."
Moments later and a screen appeared on the main display, showing High Admiral Kempff at Geiersberg's command center. The man saluted, and Kircheis and his staff returned the salute.
"Welcome to the field, High Admiral Kempff." Kircheis greeted the older man. "I'm sure your arrival made quite the impression on the enemy as well, which will be all the better for our prospects on this front, admiral."
"I am honored by your praise, Your Excellency." Kempff said before smiling. "And we'll make an even bigger impression once we join the battle properly."
"Indeed," Kircheis said with a nod. "Though it may not be as you expect."
Kempff looked curious, while Kircheis gestured at Bergengrun. "Signal Wahlen and Lutz," he said. "Have them join the conversation, but we'll use line of sight communications in addition to standard protections to prevent the enemy from potentially tapping in."
"Yes, sir."
Kircheis nodded, and then turned back to Kempff. "You as well, admiral." He said.
"Very good, sir." Kempff said with another salute.
About ten minutes later, and the four ranking flag officers present on the Iserlohn Front resumed their conversation. Kircheis' orders had the other three gaping.
"Evacuate the fortress?" Kempff asked incredulously. "And then ram it into Iserlohn?"
Kircheis nodded. "Our orders are to break though the Iserlohn Corridor by any means necessary." He said. "There is no mention of recapturing Iserlohn Fortress in them. That matter of semantics aside, ramming Geiersberg into Iserlohn is the quickest, and most effective way of achieving our objectives. We can always repair one or the other fortress once the campaign is finished, or even build a new one, when we can afford such luxuries once more. Right now however, we must accomplish our objectives as quickly as possible, or risk compromising our double-envelopment strategy via the Fezzan and Iserlohn Corridors."
Wahlen and Lutz nodded slowly in understanding, though Kempff still looked argumentative. Nevertheless, the man could see the point, and was much too old-fashioned to actually disobey orders.
"Understood, fleet admiral." He finally said. "Nevertheless, it will take time to evacuate the fortress. Not just the station fleet and personnel, but also removing supplies and other moveable assets, will take at least twenty-four hours. Optimally, forty-eight hours."
Kircheis nodded. "I am aware of that, admiral." He said. "I will give you thirty-six hours. In the meantime, Lutz, Wahlen, and myself will organize our fleets in order to prevent the enemy from countering us from ramming Geiersberg."
"Counter?"
Kircheis nodded. "If they concentrate their fire on one of Geiersberg Fortress' engines while it is active," he said. "It is possible for them to render the fortress uncontrollable, or worse, cause the resulting unbalanced inertial forces to tear the fortress apart."
"I see." Kempff said with a nod. "There is that danger. On that note, sir, if we're going to ram Geiersberg into Iserlohn, it will need a pilot crew to guide it to the terminal point at least. On that note, I ask for the honor of leading that crew, as the fortress commander."
Kircheis sternly met Kempff's eyes over the screen. They stared at each other for several long moments, and then Kircheis smiled and nodded. "Very well, admiral." He said. "I will grant you that honor, on the condition that you evacuate as soon as possible once the fortress reaches the terminal point. It would not be to our benefit to lose an admiral of your ability and experience, and for your family to be bereft of your presence."
Kempff saluted at once. "Understood, sir." He said. "Rest assured, I will not regard my life and my duty beyond this battle cheaply."
Kircheis nodded, and the meeting was brought to an end.
As it was, the evacuation of Geiersberg Fortress was completed in approximately thirty-two hours. Flanked by the Wahlen and Lutz Fleets, and the Kircheis Fleet divided above and below, ready to intercept any attempt by the defenders to prevent a collision, Geiersberg Fortress fired up its sub-light engines, and building up speed steadily approached Iserlohn Fortress. Indeed, the few times the Alliance defenders attempted to raise the floating gun turrets, and once even the Thor's Hammer, the Imperial Fleet responded with murderous, long-range volleys that left the floating gun turrets in ruins, and risked disabling the Thor's Hammer's emitter array.
On the Barbarossa's command deck, Kircheis stood with a grim expression on his face. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of Alliance military personnel aboard, Iserlohn would also have millions of Alliance civilians aboard. And while some may survive in the event of Iserlohn avoiding destruction (though there was no avoiding critical damage in the event of a collision), the casualties would be enormous.
"In such changing times, bloodshed is inevitable I suppose." Kircheis remembered the words he himself said to Reinhard two years ago, in the wake of the Lippstadt War, on the subject of the Westerland Massacre. And here and now, he found himself facing the same choice Reinhard had over the matter at the time. "For a quick and long overdue end to this war, and to ensure peace and stability by unifying the known universe…Odin forgive me…"
Kircheis blinked as alarms rang out across the bridge. "What's happened?" Rear Admiral Bergengrun demanded.
"We've detected a fleet launch from Iserlohn Fortress," the sensor officer reported. "But it's on the other side of the fortress from our position."
Kircheis narrowed his eyes as a possibility occurred to him. "Can you identify the enemy fleet's composition?" he asked.
"Please wait a moment." The man said before returning to his station. Several long moments later, and he turned back.
"I'm reading approximately twenty thousand warships, and slightly more than half that in transport ships." He said. "Advanced jamming is interfering with detailed scans, but they do indicate multiple life signs aboard far in excess of the maximum expected crew."
Bergengrun turned to Kircheis. "Your Excellency…" he said, and Kircheis nodded.
"This is an unexpected, but very welcome development." He said. "The Alliance defenders, realizing they have no way to prevent a collision, have decided to cut their losses and evacuate the fortress.'
"But," Bergengrun said. "While that's good for us, it also means the station fleet will be free to engage our forces elsewhere."
"That is certainly true." Kircheis said. "However, we can only do so much at a time. The Alliance Station Fleet will have to be dealt with along with the rest of the Alliance Forces, at a later date within the campaign."
"As you say, Your Excellency."
Kircheis nodded. "Signal Kempff." He said. "Have Geiersberg cease advancing, and withdraw to a safe distance. Also, order Wahlen and his fleet to follow the retreating Alliance Forces, but to avoid engagement and maintain his distance. He is to follow as far as the Alliance exit of the corridor, and no further."
"Yes sir."
"Signal Bulow as well. Have him dispatch boarding craft, and to secure the fortress. Make certain explosives specialists are among the landing teams. It would not do to enter the fortress, and find firsthand the Alliance to have rigged the fortress to kill us all the moment we do so."
"Yes sir, right away!"
Kircheis nodded, and sitting down on the command throne, waited as Bergengrun gave his orders, and the men under his command made to obey.
"…made it just in time." The commander in charge of the explosives specialists said to Kircheis two and a half hours later, once the fortress had been swept and any and all booby traps left behind found and disarmed. "If we'd been later by say…twenty minutes, any of the more cleverly-hidden ones could have taken us all unpleasantly by surprise."
Kircheis nodded. "Well done, commander." He said. "Do you have anything else to report?"
"No, sir. Well actually…the details are in the report, but it looks as though the Alliance left this place in a hurry. Can't really blame them, Geiersberg likely scared the wits out of them, but a lot of materials and supplies or even equipment have been left behind. We'll have to move quickly if we're to avoid looting incidents from developing and escalating."
"That is certainly true." Kircheis said before turning to Bergengrun. "Rear admiral, please make arrangements for such immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Kircheis paused, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Could that be all the traps the Alliance defenders have left behind?" he thought to himself. "Yang Wen-li might not have been in command, but as far as I know, plenty of his men were left among the fortress' garrison and command staff. If so…"
"Rear admiral," Kircheis began.
"Yes sir?"
"The possibility exists that the traps we found and disarmed were simply a diversion." He said. "A very well-made diversion, that it was not immediately obvious, and indeed this may just be conjecture. Nevertheless, if it is not, the consequences could be severe."
"What should we do, Your Excellency?"
"There's more than one way to render the fortress useless if not harmful to us, beyond simply wrecking equipment or outright destroying it." Kircheis said. "Have our technicians and engineers sweep any and all of the fortress' systems, no matter how minor, for any and all signs of tampering."
"Yes sir!"
Kircheis nodded, and as Bergengrun hurried, continued on his way along with his adjutant to the fortress' command center. Arriving several minutes later, Kircheis stood on the command deck, looking down at the empty consoles and stations below. "Lieutenant?" Kircheis asked, and his adjutant stood to attention.
"Sir?"
"Send a transmission to Imperial Capital Odin, and thence to Prince Lohengramm." He said. "Report that we have succeeded in our given mission: Iserlohn Fortress, and the Iserlohn Corridor, are both ours."
"Yes sir!"
January 07, Universal Calendar 799, Imperial Calendar 490, Iserlohn Fortress was again in Imperial hands. It has been over two years since the Empire last held the fortress.
A/N
Fabian strategy refers to a strategy of not engaging enemy forces except when and only necessary, and in a decisive fashion. It is named after the Roman Dictator Fabius Maximus, who commanded Rome's army during the Second Punic War, when he refused to give Hannibal and the Carthaginian Army battle, counting on their inability to take Rome and thus win the war, while conserving Rome's strength until the right opportunity arose to decisively defeat the Carthaginians.
I played with the dialogue a bit, but as you can see, while never actually referred to in the series, it's basically the strategy Yang used against Reinhard in canon, leading to the Battle of Vermillion. This strategy however, has one weakness. Hannibal lacked the ability to take Rome…but Reinhard has very much the ability to take Heinessen.
Yang counted on Reinhard's pride preventing him from taking Heinessen until Yang was defeated, nearly resulting in Reinhard's death at Vermillion, averted only thanks to Hilda, Mittermeier, and Reuenthal's actions. The question now is…will the same happen here? Or will something else happen?
