Wardroom, U40, Undergound Sea, Naggaroth

U 40 was one of Germany's biggest submarines, easily three times the size of anything built between the end of WW2 and the Weltensprung. That just meant that there was more stuff and people inside, not more space. The wardroom was used for eating, entertainment, training and anything else that was not happening in a more specialized space. The benches were covered with a blue artificial leather which clung like the clap to any bit of exposed skin presented to them.
The table in the middle was taken by a mixture of civilians and submariners while a rather tired looking middle-aged man tried to present the last days findings. Wilhelm Schumann, the only archeologist on board, had not slept more than 30 minutes in one go through the last three days, he had eaten something if it was presented to him and personal hygiene had dropped to priority 36. All of that showed.

"I know I can protest till I am blue in the face and still we will leave tomorrow. In my fuddled mind I am not sure if I have already told everybody twice, so here we go again. I am not Indiana Jones, I do not gather data in five minutes. This cave is one of the most important archeological finds I know of and it would warrant a decade of careful examination. I got three days and a few hours.

What I can say with certainty is that we have indeed found a significant part of the Roman IX Legion, called Hispana. The last record we have of them is in York in 108 CE and some artifacts in Nijmegen in the Netherlands from the 120's. Then they are lost from the records and there are several theories what happened to them. I think we can safely say now that these theories were all wrong.
Unfortunately, we did not learn much about their fate here either. It seems they were transported here in a similar manner to Germany, the Warratah or Jimmy Hoffa. T

We have found no camp, no lager, no cooking fires. We did indeed find the remains of stakes and tools in the rear quarter of the cave. We conclude that the Legion was taken here while marching. Finding themselves ripped from the world they knew into something alien and far too close to their ideas of the afterlife they were confronted with an enemy unlike they ever faced. From the way their remains have fallen and from the wounds they took we conclude that they still managed to form up and fight.
We cannot say who won that battle, but it is hardly likely that the Legion would have left their eagle behind if they had won or at least managed an organized retreat. It is pretty safe to say that we found the final resting place for the IX Legion.

We can say even less about their opponents and they present an even greater riddle. They resemble snakes with a pair of arms that end in five-fingered hands. Their dentures make them carnivores, they seem to be tool-users and makers. They used spears and what seemed to be bows, but there are very little other artifacts with them. The caves have no exit save the water one and we found no boats or other means of transport. All of that may not be the most important thing about them."

"What is that then?"
"Andrea, might you answer the Captain's question?"
"We have compared the remains of what we currently call the Naga against any other known species on the Warhammer World. None match, there is also no phyla that might have brought these forth. Without a lot more of analysis with instruments we do not have here this is speculation, but I do not believe that the Naga do not belong to this world. Given that neither Wilhelm nor anybody else found transport equipment, or any provisions we have to conclude that these beings were also transported to this world, just in the time and the place to fight the IX th. This seems to be a bit much of a coincidence and this brings us to the point where we believe the transport was arranged."
"By whom and for what purpose?"
"That seems to be the question Captain, doesn't it?"

Teotihuacan, Mecico

Mathis Lambert was roughly as fit as any human male of his age could be. He had been Captain of the French paratroopers before having been volunteered into Xenon Communications. Both organizations asked for top physical fitness and provided ample opportunity to exercise that. He had been marching with a load approaching his own weight more than a few times, he had to bear far less now. And still he sweated like a hog and had the distinct feeling that he did not get enough air or that the one he drew lacked oxygen.
He knew that all of that was just in his head, that the air he drew from the canister on his back contained more than sufficient oxygen. Several things conspired to fool his subconscious into believing otherwise. The rough walls and ceiling of the tunnels were far too close for comfort, at least those parts illuminated by one of the many lights brought by his squad. The knowledge that there were at least 20 meters of rock and soil above his head did not help any and the rubbery taste and extreme dryness of the air that his mask supplied.

All of these things worked on his mind, but none of them would have worked so much on his mind if not for the bodies. The bodies of countless snakes that covered the floor and lots of the nooks and crannies in the walls. They laid there peacefully as if sleeping and still that little something within them was gone that would allowed them to look alive even when at rest. The looks did not deceive, they had a peaceful death, one that forced Mathis Lambert and his men to schlepp the oxygen they needed on their backs.
Nobody sane and practically none of those bereft of sanity would trust mercenaries with chemical weapons. Even Earth's regular armies had foregone them, so why should uncouth sellswords use them to save their worthless asses?
Funny wise nobody raised any questions when Xenon Communications obtained several truck loads of CO² on the quick and there were no prying eyes when the alleged PMC flooded the tunnels below Teotihuacan with it.

In and by itself it was not poisonous, actually the snakes released it with their breath like any other animal on Earth. It was odorless, colorless, had no taste and did not irritate. It was also heavier than air and replaced it in the tunnels before long. For a few moments the snakes had breathed faster, the reflex triggered by the increased carbon dioxide in their bodies. It had not lasted long and after less than five minutes nothing moved in those caves any more.
Several drones had been sent into the tunnels under the old temple town and they had not found anything threatening. They had gone in as far as wireless and gossamer-thin glass fibers would allow them. That had not revealed any source of the beasties and that meant doing it the old-fashioned way.

So now he made his way through countless corpses, tried to keep tabs on his men in this labyrinth and suppress any thoughts about missing oxygen. He also had to watch for the very few snakes who were insufficiently dead. Some feathered ones had chosen their perches in niches high in the tunnels and what oxygen had remained in the tunnels had been there. They had an unfortunate tendency to drop on his men from there and tried to sink their poisonous fangs into them. They wearing the very best body armor money could buy that kept them mobile and so far the titanium foil that covered the Kevlar had always been in the way of poisonous death. Lambert knew that there were more than a few spots where this protection did not reach and it was only a matter of time till one of the snakes got lucky. So he watched any of these in his assigned field of view for any sign of movement willing to introduce any living snake to his shotgun. His eyes caught on some movement and the muzzle was already covering the feathered snake when he saw that it was only the feathers ruffled by a bit of a draft. He was about to turn his attention elsewhere when he realized that the movement became stronger instead of abating. He was not sure of he had felt a vibration through the thick soles of his boots, but the ever-increasing wind that passed by him and his squad held his attention better.

What the bleeding…

His questions were answered two rooms further down the tunnel. By the maps and the pictures of the drones that had gone before there should be a small, featureless room that served as a crossing for several tunnels. 15 minutes ago, the floor had been well-made flagstones smoothed by the use of centuries. Now most of them were replaced by a huge gaping hole that led to a featureless darkness below. Here the air moved fast enough so that it could be felt.
Mathis needed a minute to realize what that meant. Carbon Dioxide was heavier than air, so it would readily flow into whatever was below this hole. That so much could flow in such a short time meant that whatever was down there had lots of space. And was totally unknown to man.
The spear flow from the hole he very same moment the bottle on his back gave of a warning warble. He had 15 minutes of air left and that eased decision-making considerably.

"Henry, grenades. We fall back by the numbers folks, this is for another day."

The detonations below were strangely muffled, as if the grenades were far off when they went off. The "hiissssss" that came back as a reply seemed to be at the same sound level as an runaway steam boiler.
It was hot inside Mathis' armor, he shivered still.

Close to Castle Bastonne

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen"

Annemarie of Bastonne went through the Rosary haltingly, she had learned the prayers only a few weeks ago. She was on a small clearing that was sheltered by some ancient trees and covered with moss and grass. A few flowers surrounded the cross and the icon. Nobody was sure who had supplied the beautiful icon of Mary, but given that the status of the new religion was somewhat in question it was better not to ask.

There was a small chapel under construction closer to the castle and she would visit that when it was finished. For now, and she suspected for what days she had left, she would come here more often. The idea of a god above all gods, one of three parts who were one, one that had made all of the world and the stars, one that had sacrificed a part of himself to absolve his people of the sins committed against the laws he had himself set was too much and too abstract for her. And this god was supposed to be a silent one, one who did rarely replied to his believer's prayers. If he did not answer his priest's prayer, why should he care for an old serfwoman?

This Mary, his mother was a different thing. A woman who had not been asked if she wanted to serve as a vessel for the birth of something greater than her and who had been made holy for this she could understand so much better. And she did indeed hear her prayers she was sure of it.
Her husband had been the light of her life. He had worked so hard to bring enough food on the table, had been so understanding and always ready to smile. He had been her strength, her light and the sense in her life.
Last year he had developed some stomach pain they had laughed off. The fever that followed frightened both of them badly and rightly so. He had died within a fortnight and it had been a nasty death.

Death was something serfs knew only too well. All their relatives lived close and died close to each other. Serfs would not name their children before they were two years of age as most of them died before. She should accept the death of her husband as she accepted all the other things that made a serfs life miserable. And she found she could not. She had not slept well since Marcel died, she had eaten less than she should and there had been not a single day when she had not cried for him.

Now that she prayed at this shrine, now that she asked this Mary for intercession the ring around her chest had become wider. She had started to smile again, even if it was a sad smile, food had another taste than ashes and she started walking with a spring again. She had learned to be happy for the time she had with her husband and not to mourn him forever. Yesterday night she had even had a dream where she saw him in something that must have been heaven and he had told her he would wait for her.
And not only that, but the ache in her knees and back had gotten better during the last week. It was surely a miracle and all this Mary asked for were her prayers.

Her prayers were heart-felt, being a product of heart and mind together. They left a shadow of themselves in the warp, one that was greedily taken up by a being cut off from her followers for too long.
Lileath could no longer partake in the offerings her Knights left whenever they prayed to her. Doing so would be as a hind drinking for a pool watched by wolves. These paces were known and she had made terrible enemies, her sister, her daughter and her own parents would go after her in a second were she stupid enough to do so.
So she had to find a new source and she found it in the serfs using the icons she blessed. There were more of them every day and while this was not the fare she was used to she was in a state where even such was far better than nothing.

Of course she had to give something, and so she doled out trinkets from her meager reserves. She helped with grief, she provided minor healing, she sometimes cleared up a fouled water supply. Compared with protecting armies this was nothing, but she got alms in return. Oh how the mighty had fallen.

Karak-a-Karaz

Important towns, at least those on the side of order, had found a new way to show their lofty position to the world: An airport. As any good status symbol this one came in several grades, from a simple grass field with an airship mast, via a strip rated for planes like the A400 in its various guises, hangars capable of housing airships and a fully-fledged airport with huge concrete runways and the facilities to maintain the flying marvels.
The latter showed that one was highly regarded by the new top dog of the Warhammer World, that one had the means to pay for a share of the facility and that the local infrastructure allowed the transport of people goods and fuel in wholesale amounts. They were a source of pride, of commerce, of the new better times and the availability of military aid on the quick if things went south.

Altdorf had two airfields, one for the airships and one for planes. Miragliano had one, Sumeto and Shirasagi-Onsen in Nippon had one each, Lothern in Ulthuan had a fully fledged one and Cathay now boasted seven of them.

Karak-a-Karaz, the capital of one of Germany's closest allies just held the lowest tier, a mere airship landing field. It was neither for a lack of German interest, for a lack of fuel available in situ or a lack of money on part of the Dawi. The very place of Karak-a-Karaz itself precluded anything more elaborate. There was no place for the long runways demanded by jet airliners and even rough field capable planes found the take off and landing challenging. Not to be outdone, the Dawi had used their new tools and their old knowledge and had blasted airship hangars right from the living rock of the mountains itself.
It was into one such hangar that the Max Pruss was pulled by a quartet of specialized trucks, helping the airship fight the treacherous gusts the last meters of the way.

The huge airship settled soon enough and a gangway was provided in short order. Among the first to leave the plane was an unremarkable woman, of middling height and in her waning years. She was followed by a very fit looking pair who had eyes for anything moving close to them while disregarding the wonders all around them. The mage behind them had his eyes far more in the Empyrean than the mundane world, covering his charge from the dangers his colleagues could not.

They made their way to the immigration counter hewn from rock where they went straight to the line marked with VIP. The woman presented her passport first.
The stout Dawi behind the counter did not even gave it a cursory glance.

"Welcome to Karak-a-Karaz Angela Merkel. The King's Envoy is waiting for you over there. Allow me to say that it is an honor."
"Thank you Herr Grundirson."

It took two hours to get her and her bodyguards settled and in two more of them there would be a banquet as only the Dawi could have them she already dreaded. In the meantime there was the real meat of her visit.
She had been led through a couple of rather tight, very empty passages that led her into a room full of marvels such as only the Dawi could make them. It contained some modern features, a lot of artifacts that spoke of Thorgrim Grudgebearer clan's long history, a roaring fire and the King of all Dawi himself. The only thing that did not seem to belong was a seat mismatched with the other chairs in the office. It was meant for a human and the former German chancellor was happy for its sight. Not only did this avoid cramping legs and a sore back, it spoke of the King's goodwill. She had not been too sure about that given recent evens.

"Well met lass, you look better than ever."
"Well met King Thorgrim Grudgebearer and thank you for making time for me on such order. You must be terribly busy these days and I am just a private citizen these days."
"Lass, the day I have no time for the lady who blasted Skavenblight and the Horned Rats to the Nine Hells is a bleak one. You are a Friend of the Dawi and you will be for all time."
"I am honored my King. I am looking forward to what your people have planned in celebration, but I do believe we have a bit of business to conduct before, haven't we?"

"Indeed we have lass, indeed we have. The Dawi will always be in debt to Germany for so many things, but this ..this thing your people did have made many Dawi really uneasy. Any Dwarf worthy of his name hoards such treasures as he can. If he is in his halls he will sit on the chest containing them and the higher the chest the better for him. And your people just made sure that this chest is worth so much less. There is a grumbling in these halls always, it is our way. But if it becomes any louder it will reach the point where I have to notice officially and I have to be seen to do something about it. And all choices I can then make are shades of bad. So what possessed you to do that?"

"Kindly believe me that you are not the only one unhappy at DLR's little stunt. The Bundesbank has 3500 tons of gold in her vaults and they lost a double-digit amount of billion marks in this, at least in the books.
But this can not be the first time a couple of tons of gold hit the market. Didn't these seven crazies in their wooden planes bring back a similar hoard three years ago?"
"Yes, the Oakenshield and his friends became rich that day, very much so. There is so much gold between us that the amount you brought from the stars is less than a hundredth of that. Please do not take me for a fool Angela, we both know it is not that it is not the 14 tons your people brought from there, it is the promise that there is so much more. Even I read the "Frankfurter Allgemeine" Angela and how can I forget this Earl Colby Pottinger? Here, see for yourself.

In fact an asteroid of precious metals will only cause a short term pain, once these metals become abundant all sort of things become possible.

For example most people have forgotten because of the demand and rise in price today we do not use gold for electrical contacts. This is something gold is great for, it does not tarnish and makes clean low resistance contacts. Gold plating protects corrosion from chemical that even stainless steel can not handle and if you need windows or mirrors to handle infrared radiation gold films are the way to go. Lower the price of gold and demand will grow faster than you can lower the price. End result, if you are the asteroid owner you can't lose.

What about platinum? That metal is great for catalyst converters of all sorts, there is no limit in the number of uses we could put platinum to if we had enough of it, like gold the industrial and commercial uses of the metal means that as the price drops the uses increase at an exponential rate.

The same can be said of most of the rare metals that we will get, we know tons of things to do with them but at present the expense limits their use, drop the costs and the demands will skyrocket.

So are you German about to make any Dawi's treasures worthless base metal best used as corrosion protection or to improve electrical connections?"

"No Thorgrim, we are not. I hate to admit it, but this was a stunt by DLR to increase their budget."
"WHAT?"
"You know that DLR is our space agency right? And that our space program achieves miracles and costs fortunes."
"Yes lass. So?"

"So some wise guys in the current government want to cut their budget now that the military missions are no longer performed by DLR but the Allstreitkräfte, the space force. They are already generate some of their own income by obtaining HE³ from Mannslieb, so they got the bright idea to bring down gold and platinum. And of course they placed that article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine, as well as in the Handelsblatt, the Welt and a dozen others. So now they have people running around in circles imitating headless chickens, including you and me I might add. I guarantee that their budget will increase and they will somehow have a hard time finding more gold in the near future."

"If anybody but you would have told me that story lass I would not have believed it. I knew you Germans were different, but that different?"
"All is well in love, war and budget appropriations Thorgrim. And of I were you I would not hike the price of Runes too much to DLR, who knows what they might find in orbit."
"Outch."
"Yes. But a piece of advise you will hate me for my king. You will have to look into a different monetary system than the Gold standard. Sooner or later this particular cat will get out of the bag and then where will you be?"

"Are you kidding?"
"No. Let me give you an example, there was a time on Earth when iron was 30 times more precious than gold. That was when the only iron in usable form came from meteorites. Once somebody got the idea of smelting ore that value dropped."
"Oh my ancestors. Can you even imagine the upheaval this will cause in the Karaks?"
"No I do not. I have this idea that we are going to find out sooner or later."
"Now that is a thought that needs a lot of Bugmann's to stomach. And you will drink with me Angela."
"You cannot drown the messenger who bears the bad news Thorgrim."

Both managed to laugh, even if it was a bit forced.