Chapter 8: What film do we see?
8:30 pm
After a big dinner, Hilda and her guests decided to watch TV.
"I have satellite TV. From here I receive television stations from all over the world: ARD, NHK, SABC, CNN, Fox8 and others. " She explained her.
"Seriously?" Kay asked incredulously.
"You bet. Yesterday, for example, we saw a western film on an Italian channel (I don't remember the name)… Himmler, can you remember the title? " Göring asked.
"Zwei glorreiche Halunken."
"What?" El asked, confused.
" The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Eva translated for her.
"Ah, I know that film, they broadcast it once in Saunders! " Kay exclaimed.
Hilda smiled.
"Did you like it?"
"Oh, it was so epic! Suffice it to mention the scene of Tuco wandering around the cemetery with that soundtrack in the background, or the final three-way duel! "
"Happy to know. You know, my grandfather, the current chancellor, is passionate about it. "
"Really?"
"Right, Kay. He has a private collection of his own, which contains films like Für eine Handvoll Dollar or Für ein paar Dollar mehr. "
"You mean For a Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, right?"
"Right, El. Are you a fan of the genre?"
"Yup. We saw some, at the Blue Division, when we were organizing movie nights at the cinema with our colleagues from Anzio. "
"Movie nights?" Himmler asked her.
"Exact. The Anzio and Blue Division academies have strong friendships, and occasionally join in parties, banquets or special events."
"Ah, I understand ... We organize similar events from time to time with El Alamein and Sedan."
"But let's get back to the main topic. As I told you my grandfather is fond of western movies, but they never attracted me. The only ones I had seen were two: Gott vergibt… Django nie! (God forgives ... I don't!) And Vier für ein Ave Maria (Ace High). However, I am a lover of history, especially of the 50s and 60s: films, TV series, documentaries ... I have seen them on TV and also on the web, both German and foreign productions. I had heard of that film before, and I decided to see it last night. "
"I guess you liked it."
"You bet."
"What will we see tonight?"
"Himmler, check out the various guides."
The bespectacled girl nodded and put her hand to her Smart.
"Guides?" El asked, perplexed.
"Sure, the TV guides. We consult them when we are looking for some films to see. " Was Hilda's reply.
"I understand…"
"Sure, the TV guides. We consult them when we are looking for some films to see. " Was Hilda's reply.
"I understand…"
After a couple of minutes Himmler said:
"We could watch The Big Red One."
"What channel do they broadcast it on?"
"Das Erste."
"How about seeing The Man in The High Castle? That series set in an alternative 1962 where the Tripartite Pact won the WW2? " Göring proposed.
"That's an Amazon series." It reminded her of Eva.
"Ah, that's right ..."
"How about Die Letzte Schlacht (Battle of the Bulge)?" Proposed Sheska, who was also consulting a TV guide from her cell.
"On which channel?"
"On the third BBC channel."
Hilda snorted.
"Hard to choose, they are both good movies ..." She stated.
"But in Battle of the Bulge they have American M47 Pattons instead of the real German panzers ..." Protested Göring, evidently annoyed by that fact.
"It's still a good movie! " Himmler replied, piqued.
"Calm down ... Let fate decide." Hilda intervened.
She took a 5 Reichsmark silver coin from her skirt pocket with a swastika on one side of her and her face on the other.
"Head, the big red one; cross, Battle of the Bulge. "
She tossed the coin and caught it.
"Head! The big red one! "
"What time does it start?" Eva asked.
"At 9 pm." Himmler answered her.
"That is, in half an hour ... In the meantime what do we do?"
"We could discuss a bit ..." Hilda suggested.
"About what?" Kay asked.
"To begin with, tell me about this Miho."
Then and then Kay was silent. She knew that Hilda's interest would one day push her to embark on the journey to Japan. But after all she was not the one in the original timeline, so there was no danger.
"What do you want to know?"
"What type is she? You met her, so you should know. "
"I know that she is a selfless and kindhearted girl, and she has proved to be a valid opponent. But since we attend two different schools, I can't tell you anything else. "
"Do you know any people who know her well? Some family members, for example."
"Her mother, Shiho, and her older sister, Maho. But she don't have a good relationship with them right now. "
"Why?" Himmler asked.
"As you already know Miho saved the life of the Panzer III crew, but she also caused her team to lose in the final. Her mother scolded her harshly for this. "
"What a bitch!" Göring exclaimed, scandalized.
"Any friends, then? Anyone close to her? " Hilda asked her.
"The girls of the anglerfish team, her crew."
"Their names?"
"Hana Isuzu, Mako Reizei, Saori Takebe and Yukari Akiyama."
Hilda gestured to Himmler, who took a notebook and a blue pen, noting the four names.
She will surely commission the Gestapo to carry out research on them.
"Their roles?"
"Miho is the commander, Hana the gunner, Yukari the loader, Mako the driver and Saori the radio operator."
Himmler wrote down the four names.
"Any other name?"
"Anzu Kadotani, Momo Kawashima and Yuzu Koyama. They are the current members of the Ooarai student council. "
"Anzu, Momo, Yuzu ... Tell me, what relationship does Miho have with her companions?"
"She is very popular, both because of her kind heart and because she allowed Ooarai to win the tournament."
"What about her prompted them to participate in the tournament? Thirst for glory and fame? " It was Hilda who asked that question.
"Save their school."
"Save it from whom?"
"From closing. Unfortunately, Ooarai was a school with serious economic problems and in which enrollments were falling. "
"I'm not surprised… The minor schools are the least popular. As a rule, in fact, female students aspire to enroll in well-known and prestigious schools. " Eva intervened.
"Luckily for them they found an ace of sensha-do like Miho in their hands. Thanks to her (and also to a series of lucky breaks) they won the tournament. "
"And thus the Ooarai was saved."
"Actually no. Renta Tsuji, the man with whom the student council had been agreed, has gone back on his word. "
"So it was closed? Did they do all this for nothing? "
"No, Eva ... If it had been closed she could not have challenged our school in an annihilation match." She pointed out Hilda.
"True ... How did them save the school?"
"By defeating the University Team, led by Alice Shimada. On that occasion, as in the match against you, a league of schools faced the aforementioned team in an annihilation match. "
"Which schools participated in the coalition?"
"Ooarai, St. Gloriana, Saunders, Anzio, Pravda, Kuromorimine, Chi-Ha-Tan, Jatkosota."
"I understand ... Then we arrived and what you told us just now happened."
"Exact."
"Honestly speaking, I can hardly believe it ... Hilda is not a killer!" Göring said.
"She was mad because of Eve's death. And you with her. "
"In that case by traveling in the past you have saved not only Eva, but also us, in a certain sense ... Since she is safe we will not slip into madness." Himmler stated.
"Furthermore, your story is a confirmation of my fears in the sports field."
"What do you mean, mein führer?"
"Simple, Sheska… Concentrating all the staff (that is the commander and her deputies) in the same panzer is a stupid move. If the Tiger was eliminated by one or more opponents, the team would find itself without a leader, without orders and at the mercy of the enemy. This has never happened to us, fortunately, but it is a possibility that we cannot completely discard. "
"So from now on ..."
"Each member of the Oberkommando will be placed on a different panzer. If my Tiger is hit the command will switch to one of my three deputies. If she too is eliminated she will pass the scepter to another and so on. And speaking of which, Himmler, from now on you will be my fourth deputy commander, after Göring, Sheska and Eva. Was I clear? "
"Ja, mein führer!"
At that point Hilda looked at the time and said:
"It's almost 9pm ..."
She reached for the remote control of the television and switched it on, tuning to the Das Erste channel.
"Get ready, girls! The film will start soon! " She warned them.