Nordstern, Close to Kopernikus station orbit around Warhammer World
Nathan Alpers watched the spacecraft emerging from Koperikus both on a monitor and through a window. The cone known as "Zwilling 02" was normally used to ferry personal and low-mass cargo from Neupapenburg spaceport to orbit. It had been checked inside the spaceyard and was now brought outside with the aid of the rails provided for that purpose.
"Kopernikus, this is Nordstern. Ready when you are."
"Zwilling 02, systems nominal. Request permission to maneuver."
"Zwilling 02, this is Kopernikus. Permission granted."
Bursts of flame could be seen all around the cone and it turned around till its truncated tip pointed right at Nathan.
He could only see the halo of the next burn that accelerated the spacecraft to a measly three kilometers per hour relative to him and tried to project a calm face while it became bigger and closer with each passing second. He was about to say something stupid when the RCS jets on "his" side started to fire and slow Zwilling down again. It stopped a scant few meters before "Nordstern".
"Nordstern, this is Zwilling 02, request permission to dock."
"Permission granted Zwilling 02."
The spacecraft docked with something that was nearly impossible to realize and Nathan felt the tension bleed from him when a series of lights turned from red to amber and finally to green.
"Control, this is Nordstern. We have good dock, repeat good dock."
"Acknowledged Nordstern, you have good dock."
By that time s series of heavy-duty clamps had secured Zwilling to "Nordstern`s" tip. There were some "thunks" and then the small hatch between Nathan and Eric Bär opened to admit Manfred Bettin who had manned in the smaller spacecraft.
"Well done Manfred."
"As promised, not a scratch."
"Better be."
There was still a ton of checks to be made and then everybody had to wait for the window. The window that would allow then to boost the two spacecraft to Sage 17 where they would top off Zwilling`s tanks. They would be needed when the spacecraft would land on Mannslieb a little more than a week later.
The German space program was vast compared to Germany`s economy and needed to save money wherever possible. Building a landing craft like the LM of old would have been much better than using the SSTO normally used to ferry them to Warhammer orbit, but needs must when the devil drives.
"Marais Jardin" should translate as "Moorgarten", maybe this will rinng a reader`s bells or two.
Orbit around Mannslieb
Nordstern`s burns were not very spectacular. While the tungsten cores allowed a much better thrust than the stainless-steel ones that went before DLR still preferred to limit acceleration to about 0.2 G and was even more conservative this time that the spacecraft carried another on its tip. The centre engine had worked for 15 minutes to reduce the speed to 2 kilometres per second relative to Mannslieb so that a mostly circular orbit was achieved. This lacked the drama of the ground launches where the acceleration increased the astronaut`s weight by a factor of four and instead pushed them into their seats with all the drama of a VW Beetle. Given how far from home the astronauts were they could do without drama very well.
Once both their own instruments and Peenemünde had confirmed that they had achieved the desired orbit Nathan could look to the comfort of his crew.
"Bashur, this is Nathan. You can start the wheel and deploy radiators."
"Nathan, Bashur, starting centrifuge and deploying radiators. Switch from icebox when deployed. Je eha mia de vadammdn Dinga ausschoidn desto bessa"
Nathan had become much better at understanding Bashur`s Bavarian dialect and Bashur`s High German had improved markedly but for the times when he did not want to be too well understood. "The sooner we switch these damn things off the better" might reflect his feelings about the magically cooled ice blocks donated by the Tzarina but would not sit well with Irina, the resident Ice Mage who looked after them. And nobody wanted to piss off their medic too badly.
Nathan mused that if this were Star Treck then the landing craft would disengage in about five minutes and would take his second in command and Bashur with them to remove everybody from the chain of command. Fortunately, this was a different universe and so Nathan and the others did what they always did, work on their checklists. Nordstern was the most complex spacecraft ever sent into space by humans and many of its systems were one-offs which needed a bit of pampering. They went down their lists, making sure that all systems were in the state needed for the next weeks of orbits, that all was running as it should.
When that was done, the crew went through a rest cycle fore they went at the checklists again a day later. This time they checked on Zwilling 02, the craft that was to bring them to the moon`s surface, the gear they were to use and the commo gear. A couple of years before Nathan had commanded a mission that had placed a rover close to their planned landing zone. The little cart was still in semi-working condition and provided both an idea about surface condition as well as a landing beacon.
And finally, Nathan, Manfred and Bashur entered Zwilling and strapped themselves down to begin the next set of check lists, this time about the systems that would separate them from "Nordstern". More than an hour later the two craft separated from each other and Nathan had the opportunity to look at the stars while Bashur ran more tests and checklists. When that was done all of them waited till the next window opened and the computer did the real job. This time the burn was quite noticeable, at least during the ten seconds that it lasted. Zwilling had been built with launching from the Warhammer World in mind and its engine ran best when it provided roughly 4 g of acceleration.
The next half hour was spent in more boredom, even when Mannslieb`s surface which came closer with every second provided some distraction. And then the engines fired for real, they had to scrub a delta-V of more than 2000 meters per second from the spacecraft. And that they did with a thunder that was transmitted through Zwilling`s structure into their very bones. There were small pauses in the burn while the RCS jets reoriented the craft and a longer one at lower thrust when the craft was vertical and the engine had to balance "Zwilling" against the moons low gravity.
Nathan Alpers could see the ground coming up, saw the square left by the Old Ones getting larger with each second and then he saw nothing but dark grey and blackness. The huge dust cloud caused by "Zwilling`s" engine settled seconds after the craft had settled as there was no atmosphere to hold it up.
When Nathan and the other cheered they were joined by roughly 50 million viewers all around the Warhammer World. There was few time for cheering and a great lot for other things, such as more check lists. They had an hour before they closed their helmets and sealed their gloves as things were about to get a bit less comfy. A strong pump evacuated what air was inside the spacecraft and the space suits inflated slightly. Only when several sensors agreed the crew opened the hatch, released a ladder and made their way towards the moon`s surface.
Nathan Alpers had memorized a speech about small and great steps, about doing this for all beings on this world and when he finally reached the surface of another world it was gone. The only thing that could be heard by so many beings was "We live the dream" and that was very much enough.
The first trip to the moon`s surface was a few photo ops like plating the flag and a lot of hard work as they had to unpack lots of equipment from a hatch not really suited to that task. While the low gravity removed most of the weight from the items they handled they still had mass which made moving them like moving a fridge on smooth ice. Once things got moving they moved fairly easily, the problem was stopping them in time. By the end of the shift the astronauts had moved an inflatable tent onto the surface and inflated it. Before Nathan went back into Zwilling he looked at the Helium extraction plant left by the Old Ones a last time. He would go there, he would explore its secrets, but not today and certainly not tomorrow.
60 meters AGL, close Lybaras, Khemri
The "Doppelstorch" was a special as was its sole inhabitant. The two diesel engines had a higher output than usual, the fuel tanks were bigger and self-sealing and the interior was very nice. It flew through a sky as dark as ink, lit only by the glorious stars and a quarter moon. Still the plane was completely unlighted. Neither provided position lights warning nor did any instrument light illuminate the cockpit ever so slightly. The pilot had switched both off as he did not want to be noticed and as Manfred von Carstein did not have the slightest need for them. He checked the chronometers again as well as the recently installed GPS and found that he should be able to reach his target within the time when no German satellite was overhead. His current mission would not hurt their interests but secrecy was a matter of unlilfe-or-death for the old Vampire for other reasons.
The GPS provided its worth again when it guided him within a few meters to the spot where he expected to see the old road. In olden times it had connected the city of Lybaras to the rest of Nehekhara. It had been well-built and still provided enough strength for his plane`s low-pressure tyres. A short strip was marked with flags and he managed to land his plane between them easily. He would have breathed easier if he still did such a thing when no debris damaged the plane. He had just left the plane when two beings emerged from the shadows. Normally such beings would not communicate with something as base as sound but their secrets were better kept this way.
They all made their way forward into what used to be Lybaras` necropolis. A small mausoleum that once served a merchant`s family provided space for the meeting away from prying eyes and minds. The fact that they did not meet inside Lybaras`s palace was another hint how important secrecy was to all of them.
"So you made it Manfred."
"As I promised queen Khalida. Well met Nefreteta."
"Well met Manfred. You seem to do well on this oil, maybe I should sell this to the Germans too."
"Fortunately you do not have a handy seaport Nefreteta or you would depress the price for crude even more than it is now. And believe me while my subjects enjoy the new state of affairs a lot and I like the German trinkets I do not like their supervision at all. They have accepted my rule but if I were so stupid as to cut off their precious oil I would regret it in short order. The question is just if my own citizens would get me first or if the Germans would have to bother to send their bombers. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts."
"Our subjects have few needs that could be met by German wares so it should be easy. But why do you respect the Germans so much when they do so little about him?"
"They are mortals, so their long-term planning is lacking. They have defeated several great powers during the last years, so they do believe that they can handle him easily if he sticks out his head again. On the other hand they kill Arkhan the Black, didn´t they and saved Valaya, something none of us would have managed."
"So they did that and now nothing?"
"Yes. I hear there are some who call for action, but they lack a target. Others say they have fought enough for a while and would prefer to handle the problem once he attacks something important to them again. Both have the little problem that they simply do not know where Nagash is and what he plans. If we want the Germans to take care of him we should find him and show them that he is up to something dangerous even to them, whether he actually is or not. Then he will either cease to be or he will have bigger fish to fry than us."
"And you think that the Germans can "handle" him?"
"They handled the bleeding Horned Rat, what do you think?"
"Well, then tell them he is in his fortress at the South Sea and spin a fable for them to enjoy."
"Are you sure about the fortress? Nobody has actually seen him there for the last ten years. And I always felt him in a way, he seems farther away these days."
"Where else could he be?"
"I do not know, but maybe we should first investigate the Fortress before we cry Wolf."
"And how do you want to do that? A mortal could never enter undetected and any undead we have to control with our minds. If or better when Nagash senses that connection and subverts it we become his slaves if we are lucky."
"I have something different in mind."
"Pray tell…"
Refinery 13-B, Mannslieb
"Ok Erik, connection is established, you can start pumping."
Nathan Alpers watched as Erik Bär started a pump that was connected to a hose that terminated in the wall next to the airlock before him. Of course, the electronics that had guided its operation had failed long ago, of course the hydraulic fluids that moved it had evaporated during the last 22000 years and of course there was no working power supply to pump said fluids. So the German astronauts had drilled a hole into the place where Hypanthia's plans said a line should be, connected a hose to it and pumped in their own. The door before them moved a tiny bit and then refused to bulge.
"More pressure Erik."
"More pressure aye."
Nothing happened.
"More pressure again Nathan?"
"Not now, I am not sure about the seal."
And so the door to an Old One refinery was opened by a sweating astronaut with a crowbar, at least the first 10 centimetres were. The rest was then opened by hydraulic pressure now that the stuck hinges had been loosened a bit. The airlock was a simple tube that ended in another door which was at least as hard to coax open. This time the dead electronics actually helped as the computers would never have allowed both doors to open at the same time. When the door rested against its stop Nathan saw several Old Ones standing to the right of the corridor. His heart seemed to stop for a second until his mind accepted that the space suits stored next to the airlock were empty.
Beyond them a dark tunnel beckoned. His lamp did not reveal much besides a couple of doors to the side. He would have loved to explore, but now low. Instead he lowered a small wheeled vehicle to the ground and connected it to the fibre optic cable that ran to the pressurised tent.
The astronauts were back eight hours later now that the drone had checked every available nook and cranny and they had something of a rest that allowed them to take their helmets and gloves off at least. The two went into the interior of the Old One facility with the awe normally reserved for houses of worship. The place played on their nerves the wrong way for sure. All dimensions were "off" as the rooms had been built for bigger, much broader beings with very different aesthetics. The very knowledge that nobody had walked these halls when humans had yet to invent the spear put human achievements into a very different perspective. The refinery had been preserved by the lack of oxygen to an unbelievable degree even when many materials were so brittle through age that they turned to dust when one merely touched them. They found no corpses which was as Nathan the Ai had predicted. They did collect samples, they made photos and they checked the layout before leaving. Their next and last day had one goal only, removing the data storage devices in what had been the refinery`s server. Both astronauts were more than happy when they could shed the space suits they had worn for days at an end inside Nordstern and sleep decently.
Hypanthia the AI checked these devices and could cobble enough data together from them. The refinery had been evacuated in good order when the Chaos Gates opened at the moon had been too far away when the Chaos Gate opened to kill the operator`s nanites. The nanites used by the refinery to extract He3 from the regolith had continued to work for 137 years before they were all used up. By that time, they had filled all the storage tanks available to the brim with the gas that could be used in fusion power plants.
Nathan Alpers had found a way for the German Space Program to recoup a major part of its costs.
Bretonia,
The dogs had followed the spoor faithfully, barking and snivelling all the time. Robert de Dubois was sure that these serfs were not to escape, they were still many miles from what territories the rebels currently claimed. They had run away from the L`Òxelle fiefdom a couple of days ago, probably thinking they could make it to their treacherous brethren. They would not, Robert would make sure of that. Catching serfs should not be a task for a knight who had risen so much within the Bretonian knightly host but during times of inaction this promised a distraction that de Dubois urgently needed. He could hardly stand the thought that parts of Bretonia were rebelling, that there was something calling itself "Provisional Government" and that nothing was done about it so far. That the campaign season was drawing to a close, that so many knights had been injured, that the host had to call up more archers for the next battles, excuses, just excuses.
Now he had all the excitement of a hunt with the added bonus to hunt humans and doing something for the common cause. Riding through a reasonably dense forest, hearing the sounds of dogs, the horns and the cheers of his peers, peers who took him seriously for a change and the promise of a killing. What more could a knight want when not on the battlefield? The first indication something was very badly wrong were the dogs. One second they were very excited, mixing barks and high-pitched yelps, the next there were deep growls, squeaks one associated with puppies and then silence. Even in the depths of the rush Robert had the sense to slow down and most of the knights did the same but not all. There were a couple of "thunks" and then two knights simply dropped from the saddles while another one started to swear. Something whizzed past Robert`s head and he was basking in the Lady`s blessing. There was a rustling in the bushes before them and the knights saw hints of someone running away as fast as their naked legs would carry them.
That got things going. The horns called the charge and a cheer brought up the blood again. The knights broke through the underbrush that had hidden their attackers and found themselves in something that might have been a road a long time ago. The trees were huge on both sides but only brushes, ferns and grass grew in the middle. Robert could see a few men running for their lives through this thoroughfare and like the others pressed his spurs into his charger to capture them before they disappeared in the woods again. He was to the back of the group and if he wanted anything left for him he needed to speed up. He pushed his feet into thee stirrups so that he was lifted from the saddle while bending down at the hip so his head was at the same height than his horse`s one allowed for more speed and saved his life. Two of the knights before him were suddenly jerked from the saddle while another one held his head at an angle that was badly off while blood spurted from his neck. Something passed over Robert`s head by an inch and he hear cries and shouts behind him. He continued the charge, his hate for the cowardly serfs would allow nothing else. And the favour of the Lady did not quit him yet, he did not encounter more traps and one of the assailants stumbled and dropped before him. He had barely gotten up when his head wat met by the flat of Robert`s blade.
He would be the only one that the Knight`s managed to catch, the others simply disappeared in the brushes. Robert found the trap that had killed a knight and badly injured two of them. He snarled with frustration when he examined the tough green wire that was so obviously of German manufacture. It had been strung between trees at what was neck-high for a mounted knight. The serfs could run under it with no problem, the favoured of the Lady could not. He could not know that it was normally used to stabilize fences and that it was certainly not a controlled commodity but he knew for certain that his hate for the Germans increased another notch. The thought that this trap could become common made his stomach churn, it would keep the knights from vigorously chasing the serfs if it was present or not. One of the others brought the weapon the enemy had lost in his flight. No exotic piece of German mechanical wizardry but a well-worn crossbow. To Robert`s experienced eye it looked like an Imperial model. They were quite common now that even the Empire`s lowliest units were armed with rifles. They were also utterly forbidden in Bretonia as they were easy to master and their bolts could bring down a knight easily.
The serf he caught woke up half an hour later and when he did his eyes quickly enough focussed on the skinning knife that Robert held before his face.
"I have a great lot of questions traitor, and you will answer them."
Altdorf, Main Train Station
Sir Kurt Müller was surrounded by a cheering mass of people and he felt at least as melancholic as ever before in his life. He was inside a steam engine enthusiasts wet dream, had more than a little hand with its design, was about to take it for a test drive and was smiling sadly despite a crowd that was lapping it up. The Empire still had the railroad virus and the newest steam locomotive made by the Meiningen works was the culmination of ten years of experience. It was made of alloys never used in classic steam engines, it boiler had forced induction and ran at pressures that would have caused engineers to panic a hundred years ago. The engine`s valves were electronically regulated, moved by a pneumatic actuators and the connecting rods were incredibly strong for a reason. The 4-D-4 was the prototype for a new class of high-speed passenger locomotives that would speed up the trains of the Kaiserlich-deutsche Eisenbahn considerably. To the Imperials this was at least as exciting as a landing on Mannslieb and they attended in huge numbers.
Sir Kurt could still not enjoy this to the fullest and hoped the crowd outside would not be too disappointed in a few years. Even worse, this would be his last trip as an engineer. He had thought his best days were over when he did volunteer work at the Meiningen works when the Weltensprung came. The huge demand for steam engines had pulled him from retirement and his experience allied with fate to put him into the armoured train "Hammer" when the Storm of Chaos demanded it most. Since then he had trained countless fledgling engineers and test-drove some of the most interesting trains ever built.
Now all of that was threatened by a treacherous body and the increased availability of oil. Now that fuel was actually cheap again MTU offered huge diesel locomotives that were much more efficient, that needed less maintenance and emitted less pollutants. They used diesel engines developed to power Germany`s newer class of fast attack boats, were technological marvels and lacked any soul in Kurt`s mind.
He had only read about it but as any enthusiast he knew about the last demise of the steam engine and in his darker moments he was happy that he would not be around to see it happen here too. But now there was a moment of glory left and he would do his level best to enjoy his last ride. He was about to pull the handle that would engage the steam pipes when the wireless set buzzed for his attention. He was more than a little irritated and feared that the dispatchers found a reason to delay his ride and so he needed a second to understand what he heard. By the time his mind had parsed that information the caller had changed already and he heard somebody he had met only twice before but whose voice he could hardly forget. Karl-Franz, the Emperor, had knighted Kurt to draft him into driving "Hammer" and he had congratulated him when he had been taken into the Honour Company.
"Hello Sir Kurt, we hear something about you quitting."
"Yes Highness, chemotherapy and being an engineer does not mix well."
"Our Railroads will never be the same again without you and we are in your debt Sir Kurt. You are taking the new engine for a test ride?"
"Yes Sir, one of the acceptance rides."
"The line to Berlin is built well, right?"
"Yes Highness, up to German standard."
"That is a very good thing Sir Kurt as we have just ordered all other trains from this line for the next two hours. We have also waived all speeds limits for your train today."
"Highness I do not know what to say."
"No need Sir Kurt. Make us all proud."
Kurt Müller knew very well that having a monarch who could upset the timetables and people`s lives at a whim was not a good idea but by God he would take what he was given.
He had to hold back while his train left Altdorf, he used that time to brief his assistant engineer and the crew of the test coach of the changes. By the time he reached the railroad beyond the town and the many switches he stood straighter than at any time during the last years. The concentration needed for what he was doing took his mind off the things growing in his body and he quietly cheered the great engine to bigger things. And be it his coaxing, be it the excellent construction, this steam locomotive made it happen. There was a slight vibration at 180 kilometres per hour that cancelled itself out when the train accelerated further. When the boiler reached its highest pressure no observer could see the trains gear as it was blurring at this speed, even the well-balanced wheels hammered at the rails below and the blowers sounded like small jet engines while they strained to provide air to the boiler.
45 minutes after pulling out from the station the instruments in the monitoring coach indicated 6600 horsepower and the odometer displayed a number he found hard to believe for two glorious kilometres.
And while Sir Kurt would win his battle with cancer for a few years he would not see the decline of steam he had feared. The demand in places like Estelia, Tilea and surprisingly Albion kept them going for many years after the Empire had finally succumbed and switched to electrics and diesel.
"On Festtag 4. Ulriczeit 2530 this train achieved 252 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest steam engine in two worlds"
Inscription in the plate fixed to the locomotive "Freiherr von Müller", Imperial Railroad museum, 2620 Imperial Calendar
Naggaroth
Malus Darkblade placed his outstretched hands close to the oven that took the middle of the tent. Even possessed by a demon and used to the cold of the Naggarythe winter the day was bitterly cold with a wind that cut through most clothing like a knife. Normally he would not venture into this weather and thinking about campaigning was totally out of the question. The winters were the reason there was still a Hung people to torment the true Elves. During the campaign season the Druchii could beat the nomads when they put their might to it. Yet there were no cities to sack, no fields to burn and no manufactories to destroy. When Malekith concentrated his forces, they would yield and retreat into the bleak north of Naggaroth until winter forced the Druchii to retreat, then they would be back with a vengeance.
Now Malus was in a very sturdy tent that actually isolated him, that could be erected quickly and was held up by a tent pole that doubled as a chimney for the stove in its middle. A stove that was lightweight and burned coal to warm the tent into something survivable. An orderly sat a set of metal dinnerware on a collapsible table and filled it with hot food from a movable kitchen that fitted a sled. His tent was one of many, as were the field kitchens. His soldiers were clad in well-isolated winter clothes and so far, there were very few cases of frostbite. Malus had experienced worse campaigns in autumn and here he was moderately comfortable in the depth of northern winter.
All of that was just fine but there was something about that which deeply disturbed Malekith`s chosen general. The tent was plain and exactly the same as hundreds of others. The oven was without any ornaments at all and of a simple black colour. The uniforms that kept his soldiers alive lacked any of the barbs or sharp ridges that were so typical of the Druchii. The weapons they carried were made to a standard template, there were no swords taken from a murdered father`s hands but the rifles that allowed him to slay Naggaroth`s enemies galore were so similar you could exchange their parts. His people marched on things called ski and snowshoes and instead of Druchii stallions Hung ponies or their descendants pulled the sled that carried all these nice things.
If his soldiers kept their hoods up there was simply nothing that declared them Druchii. The books he had been given to learn about the new ways of war contained pictures of human soldiers fighting wars and when he bothered to look outside of his tent they would look the same but for the pointy ears. It would be an insult and something he would fight tooth-and-nail of not for the very simple fact that without these changes the true elves might go extinct. During the last years the amount of invasions in Naggaroth had doubled and then doubled again, with the attacks getting worse every time. During his meetings with Malekith he was exposed to the theory that this again was the work of the never-sufficiently-damned Germans. The Armies of Chaos were mighty and many, they were composed of literally fearless beings. When they invaded the Reiksbund they simply vanished and that Reiksbund had added Kislev during the last years.
If the followers of the four Gods sent out fleets to other places they might reach their targets, but if the Germans detected them they were usually sunken on general principles. There was simply no other outlet for Chaos Armies than Naggaroth and without the new arms, without the new kit the true Elves would go under. And now Malus Darkblade had to learn about "logistics", had to command troops who looked like Germans and was totally dependent on an industrial town run by German renegades. Wonderful, simply wonderful.
But all of that would allow him to attack the Hung in their winter quarters. They had retreated after the last bout at Naggaroth`s borders into the endless Wasteland of the north. Malus had anticipated that they would disperse so that their ponies would find enough fodder under the snow and hunting would support their riders. The Hung that had been asked nicely about that had confirmed that and Malekith had provided their location. He would break up his own army, into regiments that could go through the Hung tribes they encountered like a stake through an eyeball. Normally he would never have risked that but with the new wireless sets he had a chance to control his army. That these wireless sets were provided by the Germans took a bit of the pleasure anticipating the massacre his troops were about to commit. Not only would the Hung be too dispersed to fight back effectively, he could get at their women and children. If the campaign would go as expected there would be no Hung invasion this year, no raids and no fighting in Naggaroth. Being far away from Malekith added to that joy, if the Witch King ever spotted the demon he shared his body with then the rest of his life would be short if he was lucky.
