The Warp
Robert de Grail`s death had not been good to Lileath. She had to mount the body fully when the sword had pierced him so. She could not bear the thought of so much planning and preparation going to waste, so she finally went fully into this puny, squishy, disgusting, human male body. She had supplied the force that made the body move and was still getting the hang of it when this never-sufficiently-damned human had destroyed the body's brain. Without that she had no hold over her former Grail Knight and was forcibly ejected into the Warp.
She had to watch the hash her humans and the Forest Spirits of the battle. Lileath could hardly contain her disgust when she felt her sister's hand in the end of her well-laid plans. She was hurting and needed to regain strength before planning what to do. Some of her counselors were so afraid of the Germans, maybe if she influenced a mind or two there?
"There you are."
If the Warp contained cold water that would have been what Lileath felt. How could her sister find her in whatever here was. And did she really believe that she could beat her, even in her weakened state? She would show her….
And that was when Lileath spotted the others. Two could only be Ariel and Orion, asleep in the physical world, but obviously awake here. And there were bigger, darker shadows behind them. These might very well be Kurnous and Isha and she suspected these would not side with her.
The Warp knows neither direction nor distance as humans might understand them. Still she did run away as fast as she could. She might take on her sister, she would not best three and maybe even her parents. This was bad, very bad. If she could not establish a connection to her people soon she would diminish, but if she did so she could be spotted by others. She would have to walk a very thin line there.
Temple of Shallya, Couronne
The view from the balcony was picturesque. The town below the balcony had narrow, winding roads, beautiful town houses, many of which bore flags denoting their noble owners. Smoke rose from many chimneys into a pale sky where a bright sun promised a warmth it did not provide. Beyond the city walls snow covered the fields and a few citizens could be seen pulling things about on sleds. At least one group of children were engaged in a medium-sized snowball fight.
To his right a score of fields were no longer covered with snow. The brown and red soil of Bretonia had been ripped up and forced into a series of interlocking craters by something very powerful. That this field of destruction had roughly the size and shape of Couronne was certainly not a coincidence and the message not lost to the balcony's sole occupant. Wrinkles in his face changed shape when his face twisted in disgust.
Even when the Temple of Shallya was a blessed place, equally beloved by all citizens of Bretonia, he did not want to be here. Not as the Sisters lacked any of their customary hospitality or respect, but as they had offered their temple as a neutral venue to negotiations he did not want to conduct. And the craters that disgraced Bretonia's sacred soil were only one reason he had to be here, whether he wanted to be here or not. He might despise or hate the other parties and deplore the reasons that brought him here. Still Leon Leoncoer would not shrink his duties.
The lines showing disgust deepened when the heavy door that led to the balcony creaked open and a tall man stepped outside. His clothing had a few Bretonian bits in it, but most of it was clearly of German origin. Oh, how he hated the people that had brought so much misery on his beloved country.
"So, Pierre Laval, have your German minders sent their fake Breton to fetch their negotiation partner?"
The man before him paused for moment while his head turned towards Bretonia's rightful king like a battleship's turret.
"You are really that dumb, are you? No, you well-bred imbecile, I am not a German lapdog. When I first came to you, groveling for you attention like the idiot I was, I did so to keep Bretonia from being a copy of Germany. Not that this is such a bad example to follow these days, but there is such a potential here. My old home has always been the home of so much art, of philosophy, of science, of beauty and wisdom. You could have been on the path to the same if you would have just listened to me and those like me. Instead you were only interested in better swords, lances and armor. No industry to sully your lands and enrich you citizens, no hygiene and medicine to keep your children alive. You were, are and will always be willfully ignorant and you hurt people wholesale in your ignorance. You are proud of it and wallow in it. And that ignorance and the pride in it has caused you to treat the majority of those you think your subject just like shit.
And that ignorance has brought you to the point where you take it in the ass. Don't look at me like that, you know it as well as I do. Do I need to spell it out for you? Well, this time maybe you'll listen for a change.
Come spring the Asrai will want your scalp and want it badly. Whatever your Lady and her special snowflakes tried to pull in Athel Loren backfired really, really badly. Could be that the Asrai simply roll over the southern provinces and come here, could be that they take the Paths of the Worldroot. It doesn't matter at all, if you do not accept Reiksbund and Rebel peacekeepers between Athel Loren and Bretonia they'll have your guts for garters. Last year went badly enough for you, don't tell me you can afford a two-front war. And the only thing that might be standing between your part of Bretonia and that are the Reiksbund and us. The Asrai respect us, you they don't.
If you are not feeling sorry for yourself then look at the mirror. Even I can see that you age like it is going out of style tomorrow. And during the last skirmishes we had with your forces it was quite obvious that you do not have the blessing of the Lady any more. Well guess what, we still have ours. And while she is not that fond of boosting her soldiers as yours she helps us in other ways. You, King Leon Leoncoer, are fucked six ways from Sunday and I simply do not care if you think I am a German lapdog or not."
"If that is so, Pierre I-am-not-a-German-lapdog, why did you get the Germans to destroy innocent Bretonian fields as to intimidate me into this sham of a negotiation."
"If you would have listened, they already stated why they sent their bombers. Whatever your Lady did in Athel Loren registered on any magical sensor the Reiksbund employs and gave any mage within a thousand-mile radius a nasty headache. Some bird sang into their ears that she was about to kill the World Oak, with Ariel and Orion inside. Just incidentally this thing is the entrance to the Paths of the Worldroot and that means nobody can tell you where this destruction would have ended. Your precious Lady endangered the Reiksbund and that made them sit up and take notice. You do not even have an idea how much more powerful the Germans and their allies are than you oh great king. And that is why the Reiksbund took notice and took away the dangerous toys from the unruly children, which is both of us by the way."
"So that is why you do not protest, because you are afraid of them?"
"No, we can protest all we want, it would just cost us some face with them. Oh no, we do not protest because they will give us what we want."
"So, you think their talk of "two state solution" is fake and they will give you the keys to the kingdom?"
"No, it is not. But the way things are you'll lose anyways. When we accept an armistice at more or less the lines we hold at present we have a wide-open border with you. So if you keep treating your serfs like you did before the war you can bet your royal ass that they will flee to us. And who will feed, house and clothe you then? And while you can either do what is right anyway or become weaker every day we will become stronger. You have seen the Rebel army grow during one year, how strong do you believe we are in five or ten years? I could be wrong, but I do not think you will be long for this world, even without our help in that matter. Maybe then, maybe even a bit before the dukes will squabble for your crown. And I do not think they will do this in a civilized way by the joust. No matter which way, I bet that in a decade, tops, you have run your part of Bretonia into the ground so hard that we can waltz in and take the shebang. Or you could surprise everybody, grow a brain, treat your serfs like human beings and make your country a going concern again.
There is just one thing that you cannot do, you can no longer house your serfs in "fortified villages." Do that and we will be the least of your problems, the Reiksbund will take care of you free of charge. I am not sure if I should pray for you to do the right thing there or continue to be stupid, then it will be over quickly."
"Have you said your piece Pierre? If you were somebody I would call you to honorable duel, you are beneath my notice."
"And that is the root of your problems Sire. As long as you judge people by their birth and how well they do at a joust you will be surrounded by knights bright to the top of their boots only. Before I leave you too it King Leoncoer one bit of advice from the Germans that you despise so much, from the time when they had nobles.
They said "Adel verpflichtet", you might call it nobless oblige, nobility is a duty. Maybe it is time you remember that."
There was a picturesque sight before the balcony's sole occupant. His eyes were open, his mind saw none of it. Kind Leoncoer's thoughts were very much elsewhere. His provocation had worked as planned and he had learned a bit more about the Rebel's negotiation position. He had heard far too much truth today, so many things that he had thought before. In days past he would have prayed to the Lady for insight, now it was a bleak enterprise. King Leoncoer faced more problems than ever before, they were the kind of problems he had no ideas how to solve. And solve them he must, or there would be no Bretonia left worth calling that name. He had a duty and saw no way to fulfill it and at the same time could not ignore it. It was enough to overwhelm the stoutest man.
He took a deep, shuddering breath pushed on the balustrade with both hands and straightened up. He simply could not give in to despair, his people deserved better.
Adel verpflichtet.
Berlin, Charite`
Christine Winkler was preparing for her 50th birthday. She wanted to look her best for the party her husband had tried to arrange without her knowledge. She smiled at the thought that he took the effort to organize it despite her protestations she did not want one. As they both used the same account she had seen a couple of transfers that meant she was in for a party.
Well, if her friends and some colleagues were coming it meant she had to look her best. A critical look at the mirror revealed that yes, she had to die her hair again, at least a bit. It had become routine during the last years and so she managed to brush the color in without incident. The added dashes of gray went well with the rest. It was a good thing that she used to make up the actors for the disaster management drill, she had no problems adding a few wrinkles were only a few held stubbornly on.
It was important to keep up appearances, especially on a day when everybody thought about her age. Ever since the Five of Shallya had given themselves and her a homegrown rejuv treatment they had to take care not to show it off. It was a bit annoying, but certainly beat the alternatives. And she really liked her body the way it was. Ralf thought the same, maybe the party guests would leave in time?
Close to Berlin
The house had been built as a weekend getaway for a rich Berlin family nearly 150 years ago. Two dictatorships, two wars and neglect had not been good to it, and neither was the location in a rather unassuming East German village that was hemorrhaging inhabitants for many years now. The house had been bought and refurbished a couple of years before and was used for conferences and films. The villagers were waggling their aging tongues about some of the people who went there for filming or partying, they were too unknown and too good-looking to play in any movie they might discuss with their neighbors.
The interior held some very nice rooms redone to the "Jugendstil" theme which could be used for several purposes and a couple of rather plain offices. One of them held a beautiful Elf that seemed to have aged prematurely and a nondescript German in forgettable clothes.
"You look much better than I expected Aeolus. How are you holding up?"
"Well enough, for now. Asur are capable of a meditation that suppresses emotions such as grief. It would not do for others to watch us having such base displays, wouldn't it? I am told the meditation releases some very interesting chemicals for which I will pay heavily later, currently it would simply be too much. I miss Silva, every hour of every day, I miss her smile, her smell and her love. She was my anchor when the Asur choose to discard me and I know I will never see her again. I can say all these things, I can acknowledge them intellectually, but I do not feel it. Currently I won't allow myself to succumb. Later, when things are not as fresh, but not now."
"Tell me when you need time off or anything else."
"Thanks, Ottokar I will. Isha, couldn't the German government get their collective asses in a gear faster? The Paladins or the Paratroopers would have made short work of these pests."
"Yes, they would have, if somebody gave them their marching orders. And that would have been Parliament, together with the Reiksbund. We have been discussing this before Aeolus and you know how things work. I would have to convince the government to consider it, a special session in the Bundestag would have to be arranged. And after Monschau nobody would have been enthused to push for war on behalf of Athel Loren, so nobody could guarantee that the vote would have gone the right way."
"Even if Germany was at risk too?"
"Unproven."
"We should have gone to Karl-Franz instead. He could have decided in a cool minute."
"Yes, but his armies do not have transport planes or airships by themselves. And he would have tried to coordinate with the Germans as well, he would not go out on a limb for Athel Loren."
"So, you Germans need somebody who can make quick decisions and make them stick. This world is not for laggards Ottokar."
"Oh, we had such a somebody, some 80 years ago. Did not turn out so very well, so we do it this way."
"You cannot make quick decisions when needed and cannot have a strong leader to make them when needed. How do you think you will survive?"
"What do you believe is Section 31 reason for being?
"Fuck"
"Yes. I have to ask: can you still perform your duties and will you stay on?"
"Yes and yes. I need some time off in a month or so for my scheduled breakdown. And the Asrai Elders have asked me to be in Athel Loren come spring."
"What for?"
"I have no bloody idea. Maybe they want to give me a medal or what."
Soreil, Bretonia
The room was still the same and Leah would have dominated it like she always did, but for the absence of people. She had mastered the rituals of establishing a satellite connection on her Siemens pad well enough and had mastered the mysteries of Skype to the point where she could establish a connection to her general herself easily enough. The picture of an older man who was clearly exhausted took most of the screen and a scratchy representation filled allowed to hear the words and read the mood. The goddess missed seeing Andy Thrope from the Empyrean, it allowed her to bridge the huge gap that species, culture and language had between them. She was certainly not going to Couronne right now and this would have to do.
"So what did the Germans do that got the Royals to the table in such a hurry?"
"From what I could gather their ambassador told Leoncoer that a war that killed so many innocents and threatened to escalate far beyond Bretonia's borders had to stop. When asking nicely did not work they issued a warning and sent a flight of bombers. They bombed some fields, and lo and behold, the bloody Royals play ball."
"Just like that?"
"I did not see the bombing itself, but the fields will need a bit of work. If that bombing run would have been two klicks east there would be no Couronne. Showed the Royals what happens when you exceed the level of "annoying pest" and enter the "dangerous asshole" territory with the Germans. The "Fortified Villages" did not help any."
"Oh. Would they have gone through if Leoncoer would not have folded?"
"I rightly don't think so. But the Royal army winter quarters might very well have been next."
"I do not think I am comfortable with anybody having that kind of unchecked power Andy. What happens if the Germans decide we are dangerous?"
"Then we are toast, plain and simple. But at least they give a warning or two before they go medieval. Well, mostly."
"Do you think the Germans will extract a price for strong-arming the Royals to the negotiating table?"
"They mostly want this war to be over. They do not want more refugees, they do not want more pictures from "Fortified Villages, they want us both to stop being dangerous to them. This peace will give them that, so they have extracted their pound of flesh already."
"Well, this is neither here nor there. So how do the negotiations go?"
"We are mostly done. The Royals will do a bit more hemming and hawing before they sign, but sign they will. Couronne, LĂ nguille, Artois and Lyonnesse will become the Bretonian Republic, The City of Couronne and the rest will remains Royal territory. The Reiksbund will provide peacekeepers to make sure nothing happens for two years. There will be a combined peacekeeper force from the Reiksbund and us to secure the Quenelles-Athel Loren Border. If we do not do that I am not sure that there will be Royals next year."
"I have more than passing familiarity with the Asrai Andy. Their ferocity when aroused is frightening, even to me. It is a very good thing that they do not lean to Chaos, the consequences would be ..dire."
"If you say so Mylady. As agreed we will not levy any reparations from the Royals and even they are not stupid enough to demand them from us. There is still the question of the ransom of those nobles we keep as prisoners-of-war. The Germans are pushing us to release them free of charge and I am willing to offer them a deal. Go home scot free and give us their word of honor that they do not take up arms against the Republic for a decade. We have already stated that we will seize the holdings of any noble that does not return to his estates in the Republic. And they know that these estates will shrink considerably. They can still keep their fancy names, but it will not give them any previledges."
"That sounds reasonable, you are authorized to do it. So, if this goes through as you say, no more Bretonia?"
"More like two of them, the Bretonian Republic and the Kingdom of Bretonia."
"And this is supposed to be a good thing?"
"As opposed to at least a year or more of fighting? Yes, it is."
"Why do you think so? There are still millions of serfs in that Kingdom. And the nobles might treat them worse than before."
"I am not so sure. We now have a long and relatively open border guarded by peacekeepers. Any noble who treats his people too badly will have no more serfs before he can say "ancient rights." And it gives us a bit of time."
"Why so?"
"First off any noble who cannot accept that he now has the same rights and privileges as anybody else can emigrate into the Kingdom. Second, if we were to take over all of Bretonia tomorrow I do not believe we can care for all serfs properly. We simply lack the means. So lets take care of our people first, make sure everybody is housed well, eats well and can learn something. By the time we have done that either the Kingdom looks very differently or it collapses under its own weight."
"It still seems so strange mon General."
"I have seen this in my old world Mylady. This can either go like East and West Germany or like North and South Korea. If they go the German way way all is fine. If the Royals go the way of North Korea we are members of the Reiksbund before soon. And then we can toast Royal ass without losing so much good people."
"Seems like you have it covered Andy. Please finish what you started then, you have my blessings and my gratitude."
"May I ask what became of Lileath?"
"She is gone for now. She tried to kill Ariel and Orion, Kourous and Isha are less than happy with that. And there are others in the Warp, from both sides of the divide I might add, who do not like the idea of one of us killing others of our kind. If she shows up anytime soon she will be devoured. If she does not connect with her followers sooner or later she will grow weaker. For now you can stop worrying about her. And when we find the time tell me about this Korea thing..."
