300 kilometers above the Warhammer World, Sigmarstag 31. Pflugzeit

„Beep Beep Beep"
Nathan Alpers tried to suppress the swearing that came to his mind when the alarm went off. His body had tried to go into a foetal position during sleep and had been restricted by his sleeping bag.
The flashes that went off behind his eyelids whenever he tried to sleep had kept him from doing so for far too long and now he felt like if he had not slept at all. His already bad temper was tested by the ever-present noise of ventilation. Rubbing his eyes till he could open them for real he found himself inside a white cylinder with drawers and monitors attached at walls and ceiling. Releasing the straps he pulled himself for the sleeping sack and pushed himself downwards till the Velcro on his shoes engaged the floor.
"Morning Manfred"
"Morning Nathan."
He went to the far end of the cylinder, closed the curtain and went for a wash. A sealed bag held a pre-moistured washcloth which he applied to himself before drying himself off with a blow-dryer. His T-Shirt was less than a week old so he used it again.
Checking his watch he found that he had less time than he would have liked and had to combine breakfast with his allowed his first 10 minutes of the day. He got himself a pre-packed tray from a drawer and twisted the cap off the end of a bag. Sucking the Skandi juice-flavored fluid from it he went for the touchscreen in front of him and typed in the necessary connections.

There was a delay of nearly a minute before the screen in front of him started to flash with ringtone at the other end, yet only seconds passed before the picture of his wife stabilized itself. She looked tired, had not applied any makeup and was still the most beautiful sight that he could think of, especially as she held the twins in her arms.
"Good morning Nathan, how are you?"
"Well my love pretty well. And how about you?"
"I am fine. The wet-nurse that father sent is a great help so I can finally get some sleep again and resume my lectures. Heinrich and Julia are well-sometimes I think too well. Are you still sure that swaddling is a bad idea?"
"Very my love, very. They will develop much better that way, even if it is a pain in the arse."
"Oh well then. Looks like Heinrich and Julia are getting their teeth, so they cry more, but apart from that all is well."
They used their 10-minute allotment to the fullest before closing. Nathan wanted to be very much with his wife and children and presently the joys of being in space paled considerably. Well, two more weeks to go.

An hour later he had donned his new "fitting suit" and used the airlock at the end of the hab module to enter the inflated cylinder the module was connected to. Currently its inside was vastly empty, white on the inside and showing mostly the fabric inner wall. With a diameter of more than 20 meters and a length of over 50 it was the biggest enclosed space brought into orbit by humanity in two worlds. Nathans work today would show if it was an expensive failure or the start of something worthy.
The room inside was a bit cold and knowing that the only thing between him and the cold vacuum of space was several layers of high-tech fabric did not exactly ease Nathan`s mind. His new suit was not a realspace-suit but only pressure proof. If the atmosphere in this room was lost rapidly he would have to don gloves and the helmet fixed to his hip. The suit would balloon up like the Michelin Man and Manfred Bettin, who was on standby in an ordinary space suit would rein him and Erik Bär into the hab module.

Yet until this happened the suit did not hamper his movements any more than any piece of winter clothing. He secured his feet to a metal stanchion with electro magnets in the soles and pulled a girder from the bundle that had been secured inside the inflatable cylinder.
It weighted nothing but retained its mass, so he had to be careful to plan his moves ahead. Still his secure position allowed him to place the girder against its anchorage point and screwed it in place with his cordless drill. A second one joined the first and before long he was erecting a long space frame from identical triangles. He secured his boots along the parts he put in place as he went and by lunchtime had already started to learn the moves.
He and the rest of the crew would assemble three space frames that ran the length of the space during the next days and fastened several data and power cables to them. When they managed to fix several platforms to the girders this part of the mission was completed.
The three highly-trained astronauts had performed a job that was not much more difficult than erecting a prefabricated garden shed. That they had done so without any greater mishap made mission control ecstatic.

Normally the assembly or repair of any structure in space was very difficult. The space suits worn were by necessity thick to protect against radiation and the extremes of temperature. They were stiffened by the pressure difference between inside and outside and the thick gloves made any fine manipulation nearly impossible. Every time an astronaut needed to move something or so something as simple as tighten a bolt he had to anchor himself somewhere. On top of that the astronauts had to pass the airlock every time they went to work, making something as simple as attaching a letterbox to the home a major operation.
By moving everything in a pressurized dock these problems disappeared. The suits became far more manageable, there was always a platform or girder to fix oneself and there was no airlock with pressure differentials.
Nathan Alpers had just confirmed that the DLR projects could indeed work as advertised. A lot of projects and missions depended on the work done during the last week.
Before Nathan`s Merkur spacecraft touched the ground people started working in Peenemunde Nord and Bremen to take advantage of it.

Leipzig, Königstag 18. Sommerzeit

The crowd that filled the available space in the Moritzbastei was diverse. Pale skin, exciting and exotic clothing, strange apparel-it was all there. The Wave Gothic Meeting had changed a lot and stayed the same in ways that made the head spin. The music was still wonderful, exotic and dark, yet the lightshow used by some groups had elements in it that no computer and no electrically powered light ever produced. The Pagan and The Viking markets were where they had been since 1992, but they now had real barbarians running the show. And while nearly all the participants of the festival displayed pale skin not all of them owed that to the lack of sunlight or cosmetics.
Now everybody`s attention was on the balcony above the courtyard where the organizer worked the crowd.
"So folks, it is good that we meet again for the second time after the Weltensprung. It is even better that so many of us found their way here today. And to top it off here is our new patron. Everybody, give three cheers for Genevieve Dieudonné"

Wacken, 30, Königstag Nachgeheim

This was the third time Uli Grimnison attended Wacken, this one the first time "Grungir`s Slammers" were no longer a newcomer band but a part of the main line. His last years in Germany had turned his expectations and general outlook towards life on its head completely which was to be expected after his time in the Druchii slave pens. But of all the strange things he had seen and experienced Wacken still stood out.
He could relate to a festival that even now drew a crowed nearly in the six digits and from what he could see the festival had found a lot of new fans with the Norscans. Their longboats were beached not so very far from here. He could see enough black leather for a herd of cows, the most weird hairdos this side of a slayer army and much else.
All of that was well and good but the real miracle was that all of that happened in a 900-people village that was the definition of the "ass-end-of nowhere" 355 days a year. And yet from all he could see the visitors to the festival and the villagers got along just fine.
The crowd in front of the stage was huge, varied and of good cheer. Upraised arms, good-natured catcalls and all. Upwards of 40000 Heavy Metal fans greeted the band that opened the festival.
It was the same song as all the other times, performed by the band which had this honor by tradition.
"Rosamunde" (The Beer Barrel Polka) by the Wacken Fire Fighters-the band of the local volunteer Fire Brigade.
The Germans were crazy-but it worked.

Close to Fort Campbell, 20. August 2017

"Live to Ride, Ride to Live". The handlebar of the Harley-Davidson bore the motto on the chromed center part that rose above the small egg-shaped tank. The motorcycle had been a Sportster Hugger 883 a decade or more ago, but that was before it had fallen into the hands of enthusiasts. These had lengthened the already long front suspension, had found a lot more horsepower in the engine and had generally reduced the motorcycle to the bare essentials. It was loud, the roadholding could be improved, the brakes were so-so-but it looked badass and it was as good an example of a chopper as one might find. Its current rider did not really appreciate the finer details of the wheels or the airbrushed art on the tank.
He did appreciate the very low height of the saddle above the road that accommodated his short legs and the sheer feeling of power this machine extruded in spades. Having taken the last bend in the road at a speed slightly above sane he turned the right-hand grip as far back as it would go and his foot put in the next higher gear. The motorcycles front end rose up with the applied torque and the riders scream of joy was audible even above the hog`s engine. A couple of other motorcycles followed at a respectful distance as if keeping an eye on things.
The rider of the Harley could care less, he had found something he nearly enjoyed as much as a good scrap-Gotrek had found a new joy in life.

The long stretch of country road allowed him to reflect a bit on his new station in life. There had been days when he had been days after he realized he and Felix were marooned on Earth when he thought he would tear down the walls from boredom. Several weeks of this had gone by until they had been presented with an offer-join a unit specially raised to combat magical enemies. A very diverse group had been assembled in a far-off place, said to be the home of several "special forces". Gotrek had needed about five minutes to realize that the soldiers that were stationed in the place he was sent to were at least at the same level with the Germans he had come to respect. The team he was now a part of was much more mixed, but that was to be expected. Life was about to get interesting again and till it got to the really memorable lesson there were more hours to be spend riding his hog.

German National Elections 2525 IC/2017 AD

"...Thank you for your time, Herr Minister. I hear that Jörg Schönenbohm has new results on this notable election evening. So we switch to the computer predictions."

"Thanks, Claus, there are memorable results indeed this day. In the last weeks there were so many discussions in the newspapers and the public about what would happen today.
Unlike the vote in 2521, which was very much under the influence of the Weltensprung and the following events, these elections are the first where we as a nation are pretty sure that there is no going home. The good and bad events of the last years have thoroughly shaken up the political landscape. Old parties splintering up under the strain, new parties emerging who try to give their answers to the problems we face, a badly needed reformation of the federal states in the light of the situation Germany is in underway and the knowledge that we will get a new chancellor this evening no matter what.

As most viewers will surely know, our Chancellor Angela Merkel did not try for a re-election. The massive stress and workload she had to endure in the last years have taken their toll on her health. As the doctors said, no leader could shoulder the cataclysmic events we faced without feeling the strain. Due to the recommendation of the medical experts, Angela Merkel will retain her parliamentary seat, but leave the government.
So the question was: Who will be Angela Merkel´s successor? Thomas de Maiziere for the Union or Siegmar Gabriel for the SPD? A Grand Coalition always strengthens the small and minor parties and so it was this time as well, tempered by the work the coalition did in the difficult last few years. While the Union and the SPD both lost votes but were not really punished.

The CDU lost 3%, the SPD 2%. Since the CDU/CSU is the largest faction with a 10% lead, the task to build a government will go to the CDU and with that Thomas de Maiziere is likely to be our next chancellor.
But the most interesting part of the evening are the results of the smaller parties. The biggest winner is the DFP. The Freisinnigen, a merger of parts of AFD and FDP, came in at 9.9%, making them the third-largest faction in the new Bundestag. As we heard in the interviews earlier this day, the "New Liberals" have already been contacted by the CDU about negotiations.
With the very disappointing showing of the Greens, the hopes of the SPD to become the major partner in a new coalition were dashed. The Greens dropped even more than in the last election, down to less than 5% since their split. According to our research, being on Warhammer took the main political portfolio from the Greens. Germany now sitting in an intact eco-system and all other parties dedicated to keeping the environment healthy as well, in addition the partly very hostile local flora and fauna on Warhammer, does not make the voters yearn for ideological Green ideas.
The hostility and cruelty of many Warhammer societies does not endear the electorate to the pacifism the Greens stand for either. Without the environmentalism and fair weather pacifism umbrella, the Greens look like a party of priggish smartypants and killjoys and lost accordingly.

A decent showing, especially in the light of the short time they had for their election campaign, has the newest party in the left political spectrum. The "Unabhängigen Grünen" (Independent Greens) are the majority of the pragmatic "Realo" Greens, who are a lot closer to the political centre than the party they once belonged to. As could be seen in the news, late in 2524, the Realo faction of the Greens had enough of the ideologically stubborn "Fundis" and broke off to form their own party. Getting into the parliament on the first try is a major accomplishment and they might even kick their former party out of the parliament if they keep on getting votes from that voter pool. At the moment, the nicknamed U-Greens or "Wahren Grünen" (True Greens) are at above 5%.

Weathering the new political realities better than the Greens are the Linke, cashing in the unexpected success of Petra Pau´s mission to the Beastmen. Their stable eight percent make them the fourth largest faction in the next parliament.

While the Union parties and the DFP gather up most of the centre and centre-right votes, there is still a reservoir there. The new center-right party, "Die Kaiserlichen", see themselves in the tradition of the national-liberal and national-conservative movements of the 19th/20th century and a special voice for the Imperial and Nipponese immigrants.
Together with the DFP and the U-Greens they are the main winners of this election. Like in the case of the U-Greens, the Kaiserlichen had to make an election campaign from a disadvantageous starting point, but 6.4% for the first time is quite good.
Until then next results come in I give back to the main studio."

Close to Fort Campbell, 30. September 2017

"Bang" The rifle bucked against the marksman`s shoulder and roughly a second later the target signaled impact.
"8-ring, upper left." Chad Littlefield was behind a scope and called the hit.
"That is it I believe. Not bad, but not real good either." Chris Kyle was used to the very best sniper rifles made and his current one was at least a grade below what he was used to.
"Yes. The hits were all around the middle, nothing left to adjust. Oh, and it is burning again."
This made Chris Kyle scowl even more.
"It is not just a piece of crap, it is a magical piece of crap."
"It was hard enough to pry this one off the French, be happy we have that."
"Fuck the Frenchies."
"You saw the video yourself Chris, I do not think we could have done much better. I know you hit what you shoot at, but what if the target refuses to go down? You get to retreat, pure and simple. And this thing will take down what it hits, at least Lambert says so."
"Yeah, he did, didn`t he. Ah well, let us try again."

The venerable G3SG1 rifle in his hands converted more rounds into sound and smoke and more targets went up in flames when the rounds shot from a rifle with the Rune of Fire became magically incendiary. The old Battle Rifle did not have a chance to win over the sniper, it was a standard G3 that had been selected because it shot well and equipped with a set trigger and a scope. While it might be fine for a designated marksman it was a step down for the sniper. Yet it was the closest thing to a proper rifle the Germans had left behind and it fell to him to make the best use of it.
Well, he would get to know that rifle better and would make it sing for him if this was the only way to take down the enemy. He was still not sure if he had stepped outside of reality-him part of a team for taking down magical enemies? If he had not been on Wisconsin he would have thought anybody who proposed such a thing totally loco, but there he was.
And it was not only the potential targets that freaked him out-it was his teammates. The Frenchies were one thing and by now he got the idea they were pro`s. But the others-Jesus, what a mixed crew.

Erengard, Angertag 4. Kaldezeit 2524

The back room of the Tavern was filled with the smell of singed meat, unwashed bodies and ale. Eight men sat around a table, all of them had the amount of alcohol intake that was the preferred level for serious thinking and discussion in Kislev, which was quite a lot. Seven listened with rapt attention to the one occupying the head of the table. He was on a rant for the last five minutes which was nothing new. As Fjodor Upenskoy was something of a poet he was able to give entertaining rants and that was appreciated by the listeners as well as the sentiment.
"The Germans know no shame and no honor. We all have seen their women strut around in Erengard-and if it is not the depth of winter they show their ankles to everybody, if not their knees. And I do not talk about these magazines they print which they bring with them. They sell us trinkets and doodads and make us rip out the guts of Mother Kislev to pay for them. They give pamphlets which supposedly tell our farmers how to tend better for their fields and our midwives how to avoid the fever for the women. They build railroads that cut through the landscape like scars and their ships stink up the rivers. They sell knives and cutlery for prices that take away the business from out honest craftsmen and the Tzarina is to gutless to tax them appropriately..

The rants went on, in an entertaining way, for the next thirty minutes or so before the alcohol intake reached the level where even Kislevites stopped caring for such things. Five men remembered enough to write a letter to the Cheka the next day, the other two feared their summons for the next weeks. Fjodor was invited for a chat with the secret police and could be seen again a few weeks later. His chat partners were skilled enough not to leave anything lasting and were convincing enough that they did not have to do anything really nasty.

Palace, Kislev Festtag, 28. Kaldezeit 2524

The Tzarina pushed the fork into her mouth and chewed. The taste of this new food was not bad, actually it was quite good. It was still unlike anything she had ever eaten. The last harvest had not been the best one and this year`s was not really bad, yet it was not going to fill the gap. The Germans had shipped a lot of wheat last year, either as a gift or against credit. Yet the poor infrastructure had made distributing it a problem and lots of people went hungry when there was grain available. Both the Germans and the Imperials had suggested that Kislev would plant a new vegetable the Germans had brought with them. If they were right then it had quite magical properties. It could be stored for a very long time in cold and humid conditions without spoiling, contained a lot of "vitamins", whatever those might be, and grew in soil that would not support grain. The ability to store it in hidden places alone would be a boon, the granaries were the first places any invader went for as they were conspicuous and contained the food the warriors and their horses needed.

Yet while all of that was well and good the Tzarina knew her countrymen. If they did not know something they would not eat it, even when told it would be good for them.
So in order to promote this new food Katherina held a new festival and most courses of the dinner contained some variation of the new stuff. That she and the surviving Bojars were seen eating and enjoying it would make the rounds and ease its introduction like nothing else she could think of. Of all the sacrifices that she made for Mother Kislev this was one of the easier ones, this was actually good.
"Some more pan-fried potatoes your majesty?"

Berlin, Brunntag 6. Ulrichszeit 2524

Andreas Hoppe was riding the subway back home. While it was nice to have something like a reliable work schedule and being with his family every morning and evening he still yearned for his old job commanding Fighter Wing 31. Yet there is only one time in your life when you get to command "Circus Boelcke" and that time was over. He now had a staff job and was happy that he was allowed to keep his flying status current. He watched a group of teenagers at the other end of the car. Most of them wore the coats which his son told him were all the rage now. They looked rather strange to a man who`s taste in such things ran to leather. The black cloth with orange inserts was supposedly inspired by the Miraglinese City Guard who had been all over the news last year. What made the Colonel look twice was the fact that the youngsters were shooting glances in his direction and exchanged something in low voices. What kind of stupidity were they planning?
He was about to find out as one of them stood up and walked towards him, glancing backwards to gain confirmation. When he was in front of the pilot he stood rather rigid and took a second before addressing Hoppe.
"Are you by chance Colonel Hoppe Sir?"
"Yes, I am, what of it?"
"The Colonel Hoppe with five Dragon, three Bloodthirster and 12 Screamer kills?"
"Err-yes, I am."
"Excuse me Sir, if it would not be too much to ask-would it be possible to have a photo with you?"
It took the Colonel about five seconds to come about with a "yes". That the world outside Germany had changed totally was a given, he had seen-and killed-too much of it not to know. That Germany was changing too had just been proven again in a way he had not expected.

Autostadt Wolfsburg, Sigmarstag 3. Vorhexen

Erendiel of the House Ethelorne was transfixed by the beauty around him. His cousin Aurelius had sent him pictures last year, the strangely realistic pictures the Germans somehow made. They had shown objects of great beauty, something he had been sure humans were not able to make. That they were able to combine such beauty with something functional was exceptional, even an Asur had to grant that. The objects of his fascination looked even better "in the flesh" and he marveled at the workmanship that had gone into them. The paint alone was seamless with no brushstroke visible, the gaps between panels very even. The lines hinted at great speed-it was very pleasing to see.
He had pestered the Asurian ambassador to the Reiksbund many times and he had been able to arrange this visit for him. He barely managed not to flinch when a voice suddenly intruded into his reverie.
"Yes, I think the Porsche 356 is still one of the most beautiful car ever made. Sorry, but your appointment is close."
The German took him out of the Porsche house in the "Autostadt" and took him to a car that ran silently along. Erendiel was trying to take it all in but nearly failed. The main production building of Volkswagen could easily hold most Asurian towns inside with room to spare and that all of this produced cars was incredible to the High Elf. He was efficiently guided through many corridors and had to wait for less than five minutes before he was ushered into the office of Walter da Silva, Volkswagen`s Chief Designer.

The usual pleasantries were over quickly and the VW designer obviously pleased that his designs found approval even in Asurian eyes, yet he had more appointments to run and so tried to keep things within reason.
"Erendiel, you said that you wanted to show me something, would you mind?"
"Well, it is just an idle doodle, but if I may."
The Asur opened a leather tube and pulled a slightly yellow papyrus from it. He had drawn the silhouette of a car similar to the one he had just seen with a fine brush before he had left Ulthuan. There were very few lines he had drawn in about 2 minutes after he had meditated a day about them. Walter da Silva said nothing, did not move so much as an eyebrow for two minutes.
"Sir is there something.."
"Uh-wow. I think I have just looked at the curve of that roof for some time didn`t I?"
"Ah yes, you did. It follows a line we call the "Golden Path" and has a bearing on mathematics as well. Very traditional I am afraid, I could not come up with something more original."
"Not so original you say, well well. Do you have plans for tomorrow Herr Erendiel?"
"Not that I know of, why?"
"Because I need some time to think about the offer I am going to make to you."

Kopernikus Station, 300 Kilometers above the Warhammer World, Brunntag 2. Jahrdrang 2525

The Space dock attached to the grandly names "Kopernikus Station" was by now filled with girders, platforms and much else. Just the far wall closest to the airlock was bare of that for 2 meters and this is where Nathan Alpers just put his feet. He pushed himself down from a platform so he would not float off. He looked towards Eric Bär who held a camera in his direction. When his colleague lifted his hand he waved.
"Hi Kids, watch this as daddy is about to perform a trick."
His first steps along the ground were more like an ice skater`s as he had to be careful to push himself into the empty space above him. When he gained more speed he was pushed to the ground by centrifugal force and he could run faster and more normal. The camera followed him while he went up the cylinder, when he ran overhead of the platform Erik was on and when he was "upright" again. He managed a couple of more laps before slowing down. He stopped directly above Erik and pushed himself off with both legs, floating through the middle of the dock.
"Don`t try this at home kids."

Two days later the dock was empty of air and the lock open to the void. Nathan was inside the hab cylinder and tried to watch several video screens at once while Erik Bär and Manfred Bettin were inside the cylinder wearing space suits. Presently they could just watch while a "Merkur" capsule was winched inside the dock between the girders. There was a hab module in an orbit close to "Kopernikus" that was to be attached to the Merkur where the heat shield normally was. A tank and a "Rune if Fire" engine was on the pad in Peenemünde already and would be launched in a few days.
Nathan and crew would connect all these parts with more girders, connect cable trees and pipes. If everything worked as planned they would complete a spaceship in less than one month.

"Juneau" 200 Kilometers west of Sicily, 2.3.2018

"Private Military Companies have been with us for a very long time, mostly guarding raw material exploration, rarely toppling regimes that the United Fruit Company did not like or propping up regimes that we needed.
While these companies were always present it took "Iraqi Freedom" and Black Water for them to become visible to the public and their role has been highly controversial ever since. They go where we do not want to be seen sending soldiers or too many of them. They protect those whom our government thinks we should protect but not be seen doing it. They are usually not accountable for their acts in the country they do their work and only in the most outrageous cases they are brought to justice. Their existence is an evil, even if some would argue that it is a necessary one.
Now the ranks of these companies has swelled by one more, seemingly well financed from various sources. "Xenon Communications" markets itself as a protection against pirates and operates a ship that used to bring Marines to the trouble spot of this world.

The "Juneau`s" captain changed to another article in the online version of the "New York Times" while musing that journalists still had no clue about such matters. Seeing the time on his iPad 5 he realized that it would soon be time to do something useful and straightened himself. Checking himself in the mirror he frowned. The face had too many lines even for his age, he was still not used to the crewcut and the face that looked back at him was not the one he was born with. The latter thought pulled up the question about his memories again and he winced uncomfortably. He was still surprised that he had been offered this post and was not sure if he would have offered it to himself.

Coenraad van der Schroeff would not use his given name ever again and was presumed dead by friends and family. In the weeks and months following the Veteran`s Day massacre his old memories had resurfaced now that they were no longer held up by the demon that had used them all. The shame of what he and the rest of the association had done had nearly killed him and seven survivors had taken their lives despite all precautions. The rest had developed a burning hate for the demon and any other of his kind.
They had been told that this had to remain a secret, that the public was not ready to accept the idea that demonic possession was actually possible. And that had brought up a problem-the Wisconsin survivors had been used against their will. Keeping them in custody was not justified and even worse ran the risk that one of their minder would blab sooner or later. So their "they" could simply shoot them and put them in unmarked graves or use them in a place where they had few access to the general public.

The ship he commanded was a bit like the Wisconsin crew, the former LPD-10 had been decommissioned in 2008 already, but was called for one more duty. It just did not have to commit terrible sins or saw too much to be volunteered. Able to support up to 930 Marines, helicopters and landing ships she was ideal to transport the "Demonbusters."
So now the Wisconsin survivors were making up the core of the ship`s crew that was bolstered by Marienburgers they had to train, former US Navy personal and host to a hodgepodge of soldiers, mages and equipment drawn from the most unlikely of places.
"Xenon Communications" was now mostly ready and waiting for their first customer-and if the reports from Sicily were not totally wrong they were headed for something

Frigate "Altdorf", Sea of Claws, 30. Brunntag Sigmarszeit

"Altdorf" thrummed deeply from her diesel engines that were near the limit of their power. The three oilers and replenishment ships that posed as a convoy of merchantmen were gleefully exhibiting bad station keeping and forced the frigate to sprint to a new position to keep the correct position to "protect" them. And while "Altdorf`s" 25 knots were sufficient to do so it meant taxing the engines to max. Henrik Gerber stood at the bridge, tried not to swear too loudly and watched the "merchantmen", "Köln" and the two ex-polish Lublin-Class minesweepers that participated in the exercise. His ship lacked "Link 11", "Link16" or any other data exchange beyond standard wireless, so behind him a small team of boatswains and seamen tried to keep track of everybody on a transparent pane.
Currently Pier van Meert, who was on his way to become a competent Navigation Officer, approached him.

"Captain, we reach the 17-meter line, you wanted to be notified then."
"Thank you Pier. Hans, contact Freiherr von Herbst with my compliments, he is to start his patrol."
"Yes Sir."

It took about five minutes before even the 2500-ton ship shook perceptibly and a huge silhouette rose from the platform on the far side of the deckhouse. No engine noise assaulted the ears, but a triumphant cry that easily overwhelmed even the diesel`s song.
The airship that had been planned for "Altdorf" had not been finished in time. Henrik had feared that this would happen when the order went for the "Nuln Aircraft Factory" who had precisely zero experience with such craft. Yet their offer had been much better than "Zeppelinbau Friedrichshafen" and then there was the countess of Nuln who breathed fire whenever he raised questions about the factories capabilities.
So his ship got a different air component, one that he thought even more useless and more difficult to handle than a "Blimp".
Freiherr Herbst had just taken the air on his Griffon "Aufrecht" and flew in small circles while he climbed to attitude.
The Griffon was here free of charge-the Freiherr did his patriotic duty-and needed few maintenance. But a helicopter was unlikely to bite your arm off when you looked at it the wrong way and did not get seasick. Gerber hoped that the Griffon was past that stage.
He saw a blinking light on the bridge of "Köln" and was still trying to decipher it himself when Midshipmen Frank saluted in front of him.
"Lieutenant Herz sends his compliments and the signal from "Köln" reads "Do you need any birdseed?"
"Thank you Midshipman. No answer needed."
He really should have fought harder for an order to Friedrichshafen.

U-17 had been decommissioned already, yet like a lot of discarded military hardware had been pulled from storage when Germany had need of her again. Her crew consisted of a lot of old-timers who could remember the cat-and-mouse games played in the Baltic or even in the Med. Now they provided an enemy for the exercise and did their best to make it a worthy learning experience by "sinking" as many ships as they could. Currently they simulated a Skaven submarine that tried to kill some of the merchants with a torp or two. The submarine had just leveled off at periscope depth and its commander took a quick peek with his periscope. A quick 360 degree turn was followed by a more careful panning over the targets before him.
If he applied a bit more speed than the exercise allowed for he would be able to penetrate between the frigate and that minesweeper on his side of the convoy. Then he could cut the speed and wait for the merchants to come into his sights. A couple of photos through the telescope at 500 meters should allow him to claim the "kills" necessary to claim the beer that tased so much better when won that way.

Freiherr von Herbst enjoyed the view from his Griffon far more than the close confines of the ship he had offered his services to. He tried to keep everything under observation-the ships in the center and the smaller warships that moved around them all left white foaming wakes that denoted their course to him. There was nothing to be seen except for these and Herbst was about to call this in to "Altdorf" when he sensed that "Aufrecht" had found something. He had been living with the Griffon from the time it had hatched and knew every move and mood like his own. Currently the Griffon saw something curious in a place that his rider did not, yet this was not exceptional. "Aufrecht`s" eyes were better than those of an eagle in some ways and he had no chance to compete in that regard.
He merely relaxed the reigns and pushed a bit with a leg and the beast below him moved in the direction they wonted both by muscles and magic. He was much closer when he saw the disappearing feather wake and the slightly darker shadow that moved under the water.

If the thrum of the diesel had been bad before, now they rattled everything physically and even the thick soles of his boots could not keep his legs from developing a strange tingling from the vibrations. The ungainly "Altdorf" barreled through the water as fast as she was physically capable of. Henrik Gerber gripped the railing to his front with an iron grip and enjoyed himself already. This might be a wild goose chase, but at least it would be an entertaining one. Above him a three-meter tube turned broadside to the Griffon and behind the optics a rating tried to match the two pictures that were displayed to each eye. When they did the instrument measured the angle between the two mirrors that provided the pictures.

"Range to bridge, target now at 3000 meters."
"Engines ahead one quarter"
Nearly immediately the deep rumbles and vibration reduced to something that was silence to the clamor that went before. Bereft of most motive power the frigate slowed down quickly and the flow noises around her reduced.
"Sonar, active sweep from 310 to 50 degrees"
Henrik Gerber could not hear the sound where he stood, but anything listening under water was subjected to a sound like pebbles thrown against something metallic.
"Captain, this is sonar. We have a contact at bearing 350, range 2700. Target is at 20 meters, speed is 7knots."
"Helm, course 350, turns for 12 knots. Weapons, I need a solution for the target."
It took the green team nearly a minute to come up with the data and the captain made a mental note to talk with the department head after the exercise. Now the data was given by sound pipes to the team at the ship`s Foc`s`le where two bundles of fat tubes were elevated and trained to the side a bit.
"Depth Charges ready Sir."
"Fire when ready then."

It was a bit anticlimactic. Where ten 140-kilogram charged should leave the tubes on fiery rocket exhausts to drop around the target and detonate at pre-chosen depths a red signal rocket rose to the sky. Gerber was pretty sure that the depth chargers crew was thankful despite the lack of fireworks, the weapons exhaust was a bitch to clean of the deck.
"I do believe that was on the mark Captain Gerber, I`ll note it that way."
Captain Rakowitz usually commanded one of the minesweepers, yet as his ship was undergoing a rebuild he was taking part in the exercise as an umpire.
"Maybe that overgrown parakeet has his place in the scheme of things after all."
Henrik Gerber grunted noncommittally-he did not want this beast upon his ship, but he seemed to be condemned to take it on its first cruise.