DLR Launch Site Peenemünde Nord, one week later
Meister Keppel circulated through the crowd at the Pre-launch party and found it hard to find somebody for conversation. The celestial movements of this world`s two moons made a night launch mandatory and so the DLR and the companies involved had organized a buffet so nobody would go hungry and giving them the opportunity for more advertising.
The mage of the celestial order had not found many imperials he would have liked talking to and found few things in common with the Germans attending the meeting. He studied a series of small "models"-toy-like depictions of planes and rockets. We still tried to make sense of the signs pinned below them when Andreas Schütz, DLR`s Press Relation Officer approached him.
"There you are Meister Kepel, I was looking for you."
"Good evening Herr Schütz and thanks for the invitation again. I am looking forward to see the launch."
"As do we all. I hope the trip was fine?"
"Yes, thank you. It was my first Zeppelin ride and it was incredible, this must be like the Gods see the world."
"That`s nice to hear. I see you are interested in the models?"
"Yes, I ask myself what do they depict? I did not know such things exist."
"Actually they do not. These are models of EADS current projects that they offer to the German government in the hope to get them interested and provide funding. Some are also for civilian users."
"So can you tell me what is what?"
"Ok, the first line of Models are based on our new transport, the A400M. A few of them are already in service with the Air Force and there are more on order. They can put more than 30 tons of payload on an unimproved runway several thousand kilometers away. That is very useful.
The next one is a derivative for the Lufthansa, our national carrier. There are only very flew runways available outside of Germany, so when we want to fly to other countries the plane for that should be able to land on a well-maintained grass field. This model had better sound proofing, seats and other amenities but is otherwise very easy to make. Lufthansa is really interested, especially as there is a new development that would raise payload and/or range quite a bit. It would allow them to make useful round trips with just the fuel they load in Germany."
"And what is THAT-it looks somebody grafted a ship to the bottom of your plane."
"Yes, that is the basic premise here, it is called a flying boat. Most people on this world do live close to the coast or to major rivers. A plane with good payload and range that can start and land on water, or ideally both on water and runways is very useful. This is a more ambitious project that would combine the Wing, the engines and the avionics of the A400 with the fuselage of an amphibious plane. A little far-fetched but there is interest."
"Ah, and what is this row then?"
"Ok, the first is another A400M-mod, this one would be used to drop bombs. The second one is for the same purpose but more ambitious. It would combine the Wings and engines of an A340 in a shoulder mounted position with a fuselage based on the tooling for the A320. It could carry a load of 30 tons of Bombs everywhere in the Old World from Germany. The Battle of Middenheim has increased interest by the Air Force a lot."
The mage looked at the models for more than a minute without moving-some would suspect even without breathing.
"I see this one fly, and that one. This one is faint and the others will remain projects-I think. What about these rocket models-These I have seen when I visited your head office-but what about this one?" He never realized the look he received by the spin doctor-or his quick notes.
"Ah, that is our latest project. Getting a huge payload into orbit became a big priority during the last months-sorry I cannot tell you why. But to make it quick and not too expensive we develop a new Rocket together with EADS. The core you see is the same one as for all other Greif Rockets, but instead of solid boosters we use 4 liquid-fuelled boosters based on the same tanks and engines that the 1st stage of a normal Greif-that brings much more energy into play. The Boosters tanks also cross-fed the core, so the 1st stage will burn much longer. The second stage is longer for more fuel and got itself another engine. If we calculate right it should be able to push 20 tons into a low orbit around this world, maybe more if some things we just check work out.
On top of that we have put a capsule based on an automatic transfer vehicle that we developed before, but this one would be able to return and could be man-rated."
"Man-rated means you want to put a man…up there?"
"Yes, that is the gist of it"
"Oh my….."
"Look, I´d like to talk to you longer, but the launch will be in an hour and we have to make for the bleachers"
An hour later the mage was sitting on crowded, sparsely lit seats and watched the floodlit rocket that was standing nearly 3 Kilometers away. He was amazed that the Germans would not allow him to get closer but most of the time they seemed to know what they were doing. He started to get bored when the "Countdown" was sounded through the loudspeakers around the spectators.
When the count reached 5 a huge light silently went on under the rocket and became brighter. Water was pumped across the launch pad in copious amounts and steam and smoke rose from the engines and the ground.
When the count reached "O" he could see the immense rocket lifting off, increasing slowly at first. It had not cleared the support tower when the sound finally reached him. Sound was not enough to describe the sensation he was subjected to. It was a deep rumbling that he heard despite his ear protectors, that vibrated his chest and liquidified his bowels.
The sound spoke of an immense power, of a power on a scale that he had never witnessed before and drowned out nearly everything. The only thing that went through this haze was the sight of the slender tower that was the rocket ascending to the dark heavens on a pillar of flame. The fire that sprouted from the rocket illuminated the previously dark landscape in all directions and the rocket became increasingly faster and harder to spot. Kepel was seeing none of this, instead he went down on his knees and followed the flight of the rocket with eyes that showed only white before collapsing. Which did not mean he saw nothing-what he was seeing was a vision even grander than the launch right in front of him.
Press release next morning
The "Greif 1" launch was a complete success as far. The rocket injected two payloads into a polar orbit of an Aphelion of 750 kilometers. One is a science platform that measures the exact physical parameters of the Low-Warhammer-Orbit including microgravity, radiation and others. It also contains a laser reflector that allows to follow its orbit precisely as the orbital mechanics follow different rules in this world.
The second payload is a recognizance platform that will take pictures in the visual and infrared spectrum. The polar orbit was chosen for this mission as in this way the world will rotate under the satellite and it will eventually pass over every bit of this world. We will have a complete and accurate map of this world to a resolution of 30 cm within 14 days…..
DLR office next, Peenemünde Nord, same time
"Good morning Meister Keppel, I hope you are well again?"
"Good morning Herr Wörner, Hello Herr Schütz"
"I hope you are better this morning. I`ve heard that you experienced problems during the launch?"
"I have to clear up that misconception, easy enough to make as it was. I had no seizure or a loss of blood pressure as your medical personal speculated."
"So what was it then?"
"Like most of my esteemed colleagues of the Celestial order I make predictions based on falling stars among other things. Yesterday night I found I can also see glimpses of a future in the exhaust of rising ones. I have indeed been granted a vision of unusual scope and clarity, but I need help to discover its meanings as I have seen pictures of momentous events-but as they nearly all center on the impact of your ventures I need you help interpreting them."
"May I ask what these visions showed?"
"Certainly. Most seemed to revolve about a rocket very much like the model Herr Schütz showed me-it showed it taking off-and grand things seemed to come from it. As I say, I have to have help from your side probably."
"Yes, I understand and we will be more than willing to help. That brings me to the second reason for our meeting today. You asked if we were willing to provide you a stipend for a study at the Bonn-Cologne University in Astronomy. In the light of recent events we will not do so."
Ice ran through the veins of the Mage and his stomach sunk. "If I may inquire-why?"
"Your original suggestion of a possible failure in the second stage of the Greif send the DASA engineers on a 4-week search which culminated in a fuel valve which would fail under certain vibrations. And the planes that you saw flying yesterday-we already have an order by the Lufthansa but did not want to publish it yet till the ink is dry.
So EADS will-if you agree-fund a chair for you at the Bonn-Cologne University. This position will entail roughly 10 hours of teaching a week but will leave you more than enough time for your own studies. And it carries a nice salary."
"I would be less than honest to say I foresaw that…thank you Mr. Wörner"
Bundestag (German Parliament), Berlin, same date
Excerpts from the Debate on the prolongation of the Bundeswehr deployment to the Empire.
Petra Pau, Die Linke (Socialist Party, direct translation: The Left)
"I despair when I think of what we have done and of what we have become in such a short time. Germany of all nations should be the guiding light towards enlightenment, peace and freedom. And in two short years we have sought a major war, a naval raid on a civilian target and innumerable skirmishes with indigene forces.
German forces have shelled a city full of slaves and civilians. German workers have been forced to serve an ill equipped militia and slaughtered Beastmen in such numbers that it might well be considered genocide. We can be sure that when future generations judge our action they will find them as despicable as the decimation of indigene nations in North America is rightly seen by us.
And on top of all that we burn an army alive that had no arms more threatening than primitive cannon and whom nobody ever bothered to contact about a non-violent resolution of this conflict.
We do all of that on behalf of a non-democratically legitimated regime that allows the keeping of slaves and serfs, that burn alleged witches and that allows the exploitation of unskilled workers by German profit-grabbing companies.
I ask this parliament-what will we do next? Using nuclear weapons that we should have destroyed long ago on a city because their rulers do not respect us? Erecting camps for housing beastmen and delousing them?
Die Linke will not….
Excerpt from the answer given by Frank Walter Steinmeier, Foreign Secretary, SPD (Social democrats and part of the ruling Coalition)
Nobody in the German government or the German armed forces advocates easily for the use of force. We do not enjoy killing and there is no drive to genocide peoples from their homes. To indicate such is an insult to those who defend Germany and our allies.
Everybody in this room will remember the fate of Mrs. Roth and Mr. Özdemir when they tried to greet beings that we now know to be Nurgle adherents. Nothing we have learned about this world so far indicates that more attempts would have any different outcome.
And we had to learn too that the nature of this enemy is very different from what we knew before. Reconstruction teams are now taking stock of the areas of the Empire that were in the way of the Beastmen incursion to the Quarry or the Chaos army that invaded Middenland.
We have yet to find a single surviving civilian who did not hide successfully or reached one of the safe harbors in time. Any other civilians were either coerced to work with the Chaos Forces or were killed, often both. ALL of them with no exceptions.
Even Tamerlane`s hordes, Stalin`s army and even the Waffen-SS have better records than that.
The Chaos Hordes have no government as we know it, no embassy and the only rulers we might contact either will kill any emissary outright or ask for our complete subjugation under the forces for Chaos.
These forces were on a Crusade that they believed would cause this world to fall into the clutches of a Fimbulwinter-and given how different this world is who am I to say that they were wrong about that.
Mrs. Pau, what do you expect from such an enemy-that they retreat nicely if we ask them and maybe offer some development aid?
Mrs. Pau, you have failed to note that the Beastmen were attacking the Quarry and the civilians wherein. You have failed to note that they killed every human outside of the quarry they could catch without any provocation. You have indicated that the Germans and Imperials who served in the Landwehr were conscripted when all of them were volunteers and did nothing but to defend their lives and the lives of those who could not defend themselves.
All of these omissions do not do your position any shred of good.
As for contacting the Beastmen for negotiations: So far there have been 6 attempts to contact various Beastmen tribes. In 4 cases the negotiation teams had to retreat when they became under attack without any provocation. In one case the Beastmen actually invited such a team just to attack them when they felt them to be vulnerable. In all cases losses were incurred both by the Bundeswehr and the negotiators. There were two cases of contact attempts by private groups who were not attended by armed forces so "not to offer provocation".
Both attempts failed, one team is lost while the other team was found by the KSK. From the remains it is clear that they were eaten-at least partially alive. This information has been shared with you and your party before, so decrying the lack of diplomacy with them seems malicious or indicates a very short memory.
As a part of this government I find it very hard to send young men and women into combat so we all can live in peace and not being able to share the danger as I am too old and have different tasks. But heading a negotiating team that tries again to contact the Children of Chaos in a meaningful way is something a member of parliament is perfectly suitable for.
As you have stated the need for more diplomacy with the Beastmen so strongly I take it that you volunteer, Frau Pau?"
1000 Meters AGL, near Oberpfaffenhofen, next Day
The Zeppelin NT was circling above the Bavarian Landscape at 75 kph, trying to keep an even attitude. A rather nervous crewmember looked backwards to the experimental rig that had been added after the control car. A spaceframe from lightweight girders was attached to the bottom spar that ran the length of the envelope. The crane-like arm ended in a large solid-looking hook and was currently lowered several meters below the control car. He was able to see it and the approaching plane through the windows in the back of the car and tried to talk the pilot in.
To his relief the Pilot of the Storch which approached the airship from below and behind had little difficulties with the slight turbulence that was produced by the Zeppelins passage and managed to approach the crane without ever coming near to the envelope.
"Ok Storch 3, a little to the left-sorry, the other left, a little more-ok. Height looks good, accelerate a little bit-here we go.
A loop mounted above the planes cabin had engaged the cranes hook and the pilot feathered the prop so that there was no more thrust even while the prop turned. Still, the hook held, the plane stayed attached in the slipstream and so the engine was brought to a halt.
The crewmember pushed a newly installed button and the crane was pulled upwards, taking the plane with it. When it was in the upmost position the plane`s cockpit was few meters below the Zeppelin`s windows and the pilot could be seen waving while somebody else was busy taking notes.
"That went pretty well I think."
"Yes, looked great from here Lieutenant Alpers. Ok, let`s take you around for a spin and then we try things the other way around."
Some 30 minutes later the crane was extended downwards again, the prop could be seen speeding up to and then a "Ready when you are" came via the headphone.
The plane was dropped from the hook, making the Zeppelin jump upwards, but only very little. The Storch`s pilot never seemed to lose control while he regained speed and pulled away from the airship in a curve.
As there was a steady wind over the runway Nathan decided to show off a little and adjusted the lift aids to maximum. The wind speed was high enough to allow the descent in place without any danger of stall. From the outside it looked like he was making a vertical landing in a fixed-wing plane.
He was greeted by a small gaggle of engineers and mechanics-including one in Bundeswehr uniform, when he taxied back to the hangar. When the congratulations were over he had time for some small talk with Dr. Reims, the engineer assigned to his Storch and its rune of flying.
"That went very well, even if I say so myself. Actually I could have done it in a stock Storch with no problems."
"I think so, yes. But the last tests of such a thing were done nearly 100 years ago, so better to make sure. When the new Zeps take flight from Friedrichshafen it would be very useful to be able to take planes on board-and now we can tell them that it works. A few more tests and then we can sew this up."
"Nice to be of service and it was a very interesting piece of flying, just not as challenging as I first thought."
"Speaking about challenges-a little bird tells there will be a new program soon that calls for volunteers. Maybe you want to get in soon, that might improve your chances."
"What kind of program?"
"Still very hush-hush and all, but if it succeeds your next craft would exceed the service ceiling of your Thypoon flight by quite a lot."
"Uh-you have to be kidding."
"No, scouts honor. Are you interested?"
"Whom do I have to kill?"
Neustadt, Naggaroth, same date
Throsten Breitkopf was pulling a small wheel out of the old sewing machine and had a look at it. "This is the one where the under thread is stored-please note before scanning."
"Will do."
The German Master Mechanic was looking at his latest project. He had acquired a very old foot-operated sewing machine before he had left Germany. Now that the more pressing needs were served it was time for another thing that would make lots of money for them.
He was taking the sewing machine apart bit by bit, evaluated the function of each part, noted it in an ever-expanding plan and then gave the parts to an assistant for scanning. After a 3-D scan was made the mechanic converted them into files for his CNC-milling machine that would make equivalent parts from steel.
His first prototype would probably suck and he would have to improve on it. The he would have to decide what parts really needed to be milled and which ones could be made differently. Then he would have to tinker more with a production model as everybody wanted a sewing machine after he had demonstrated his old one. Then he would set up a production line. After that he would try to beef the machine up to the point that it could handle leather. He enjoyed this kind of challenge immensely.
Very few people tried to tell him how to do something, when he asked for materials or manpower he got the cream of the crop-and he could tinker to his heart`s content. How could life be better?
Claus Tolles pressed the spurs into the flanks of his horse. As it was a quite docile gelding it just accelerated to a little more speed instead of testing its rider again. All Germans of the Schwarze Schaar had taken up riding as the little fuel available right now meant that driving their trucks was reserved for combat or emergencies.
Many of the mercs were unhappy when they discovered that riding was indeed a taxing enterprise that could leave you sore even after moderate distances. It still beat walking by quite a lot and the local roads made taking a cart not so comfortable as one might expect.
Looking around Claus saw various platoons of the Druchii auxilia engaged in different drills, from Bayonet fencing to marching in formation. Currently he was looking for Wolfgang Böhler who had promised to be on the field at 2 PM. It was funny how life changed when some of the technology the Germans took for granted was taken away. Without the mobile phones that were useless without an extensive network and too detectable one had to plan the daily chores well in advance and leave notice where you would be so you could be reached. The German punctuality made a revival as this was the only way things stayed coordinated.
The mercenary leader was amused when he saw 4 Dark Elves pull an obviously weighted cart across the exercise ground. Sweating and cursing with ragged breath they gave the impression to be at the end of their power but continued to pull the cart at double-time speed. Was this training or punishment detail?
Finally he found the part of the ground that the sniper had indicated. He dismounted the horse and gave the reins to one of Wolfgang`s adjutants while he watched the exercise in front of him. It seemed to consist of a squad of Druchii aiming their rifles downrange. In some distance several squads made mock-assaults on the line held by this squad. The bespectacled Druchii commanding the riflemen directed them in a high but firm voice.
"Target infantry in the open, 200 meters 11 o clock" and the squad pointed the rifles in that direction, adjusted their sights and then shouted "Feuer"
"Target infantry in light cover, right, 150 meters" brought the rifle barrels into a new direction and the action repeated itself." Interestingly enough the targets she assigned never seemed to be the big group that ran towards the firing line.
Wolfgang had already seen him and spotted a good time to end the training.
"Well done acting squad leader Areta, target selection was completely right and the distances at least close enough that your shooters would hit. Next time consult your range card more. Take your squad back for R&R."
"Sir, yes Sir. And Sir, thank you Sir."
Both Germans watched the backs of the marching recruits while they went to a tree stump that provided convenient seating.
"What was that about?"
"That was preparing them for their main task-supporting us. If that would have been for real there would have been a machine gun team from us supported by a Auxilia squad or two. It would have been the machine guns job to take care of the main assault. The rifle squads should protect them from flanking and killing the smaller groups. The squad leader just showed that she can indeed pick the right targets for her squad and that she can direct the fire."
"Ah. Is she good?"
"Best of the bunch so far, but some others are not so far behind."
"And what are the 4 idiots pulling the cart all across the field-ammo haulers?"
"For the moment yes. I was about to flunk them for various reasons but they seem about right for a special project of Thorsten. If they keep at it I will assign them to it."
"Well, it is your thing. How about overall training?"
"We are getting there, couple of weeks more and we are at the point where they are really useful"
"Can they be good in two weeks?"
"If need be yes, but why."
"Looks like some Chaos warlord from is pushing in from the wasteland and the Spitzohren have to send somebody to stop them. As a lot of their Army is in Ulthuan that among other things means us.
"Yes, we could be ready by them. How does it go forward?"
"Lord Silvercrest is mustering an army in the Valley of Bones in 3 weeks. We should be able to make that if you are ready in two weeks' time."
"We will be ready"
The study of the Silverhawk castle was a far cry from the teak, brass and leather studies that would have been their English counterparts in another world. Yet, some things were similar, like the dark tone of room, the many books and the astonishingly comfortable seats and the roaring fire in the fireplace. The elegantly slender furniture or the dark iron fittings would be a a difference, but the pint of a room where you could "let you hair down"
On a chaise lounge an older Dark Elf was lying on his back and an elderly German eas bend over him and examined something on his mid-section.
Doctor Corzelius was looking at the well-healed scar on his patient`s stomach before he stepped back and let the Druchii pull his garments back down.
"Looks like it heals perfectly and no inflammation at all-could not be much better Mylord"
"I cannot tell you how happy I am to get rid of these bleeding bags, I tell you."
"You should be lucky that we had them, at all Lord Silverhawk. Ileostomy was very low on my list of priorities when I arranged for my supplies. If one of the morons who bought my stuff would not have made a mistake we would have none and healing you would nearly be impossible."
"I still think it is a miracle. When I felt that damned spike go in I was so sure I would be in for my last days-and then you came. It was still not so much fun to shit in a bag on my stomach, but it was certainly better than dying. I should not tell you this, but I am deeply in your debt."
"Don`t worry about it"
"Doctor, one of these days you really have to tell me why you are with this bunch. As far as I can tell you are not having fun in ways you Germans find distasteful, or my informants need killing. You are as far as I can tell competent as hell and from what I know you do not enjoy living rough. What gives?"
"Let`s just say here I can work as a doctor and that is what I am."
"Let us leave it at then-for now." Sitting up the Druchii went for a small table and poured both of them a snifter of something that could be called a Brandy.
"We have something more important to talk about. You know that Druchii can live very long active lives?"
"Yes, as do your cousins in Ulthuan, part of you DNA-ah your heritage I think"
"You are partially right-but we can live even longer than they do if we do not fail and are killed. The reason for this are the rituals of blood that we perform on the more successful members of our society-they extend our lives beyond what would otherwise be possible."
"That is certainly good for you Mylord, but I fail to see how this pertains to me."
"Sometimes humans can be quite useful to us, or amusing and we do not want to lose them after such a short time. The Rituals of blood work on humans too Doctor. Not as well as for us, but a century or two is not to be sneezed at, isn`t it?"
"I think I need another Brandy Mylord-a large one please"
The Warp, sometimes
The being in the warp was a glowing golden cloud or a beautiful middle-aged women or a gigantic dove or ..many other things. That all depended on how you looked at it and what you expected of her. She was surrounded by millions and millions of lesser light who all gave her power somehow and received compassion, love and knowledge, but there was no quid-pro-quo, just a giving and taking that was regulated by the free will of all involved.
The being looked at the world from the warp and always despaired and enjoyed in equal measure. She was dismayed by painful suffering and deaths, by hunger and disease, by violence, treason and by what passed as cold hard justice in this world.
She enjoyed the ceaseless work of those who tried to mitigate the suffering, in friendly words given to strangers and the love shared between humans.
She had watched the newcomers to this world with interest and apprehension, and more and more with respect and approval. That a nation would spend one full third of its gross income of healing the sick, providing for the old and lame and propping up those out of work was a welcome novelty to her.
Even more money was spend on prevention-the Germans invested heavily to give everybody clean water, clean food and air-what a marvel.
She could see that the Germans were not perfect in that, that there was greed, corruption and waste but at least they tried damn hard and mostly succeeded. They even had a holiday of peace and compassion-that she could appreciate. Like the rest there were warts and all, but still.
She is Shallya, the Goddess of Compassion and Healing and she started to like the Germans and their ways.
The last time she had missed the feast, but this time she would be ready-and she had such gifts to give.
The Warp, another place ? same time ?
The being inside a bubble was slowly going by pieces since about an eternity. He was not attacked in any way-he would have appreciated that. He did not have to perform some difficult task-he would have been happy to do anything. There were no horrible sight to see and no terrifying sounds to hear-oh how he longed to hear see or feel anything.
He saw, felt or heard nothing and that was killing him bit by tiny bit. A human mind would have disintegrated into madness long ago, but he had clung to it with a frightening tenacity. The problem was that he clung to what he had, but without any stimulus he kept forgetting.
Forgetting about his mission, forgetting about his kin, forgetting about his name….
The being was slipping and there would not much be left if nothing happened soon.
