Chapter 10 – The Arrow of Victory
"Did you really drag us out because you felt we're a fifth wheel of a wagon?" Aya asked just like that as she walked with Nami towards nowhere.
"Heh, yes. I feel that the girls wanted to have a party on their own."
"If you look at it that way…" Aya pondered. "Hey, let's find my great-grandfather!"
"Ichiro? Oh, I never met him before… Now that's odd…"
"I met him on various occasions, Nami. You know, he's a bit of a recluse, so he's probably holed up somewhere with great-grandma, heheh…"
"Holed up, huh?" Nami wiggled her eyebrows.
Aya snorted and said, "I think the perv gene was passed on through our common ancestor, heheh…"
"Heehee, probably," Nami giggled. "So, you pinged him already?"
"I am who I am," Aya shrugged and teleported both of them.
Both of them appeared before a young brown haired woman, holding a sleeping brown haired young man, who was holding a book in one hand.
"Hi, Aya," the woman said quietly with a smile. "Came to visit your great grandparents? Oh, and a guest?"
"Yes, Great Grandma," Aya returned the smile. "This is my cousin, Nami."
"Oh, but we already met…" the woman pondered. "Right, Nami-chan?"
"We sure did, Sayaka-san," Nami smiled.
"You… Oh…" Aya frowned. "It was at the funeral… Right…"
"Funeral? Who? Where?" the man woke up suddenly. "Oh, my great granddaughter and… oooh, a really beautiful guest I see?"
"Put a lid on it, Ichiro," Sayaka "patted" him on the back of his head. "The afterlife is really hell sometimes for me…"
"Well I did hear that Great Grandpa was kind of a… vivid man… At least that's what Grandpa told me…" Aya muttered.
"King Thunderhips, that was my nickname in Tokyo U, heheh," Ichiro snickered. "But Sayaka limited my sexual freedom greatly. You may not know this, but she's AWFULLY jealous."
"Like… Yandere-jealous?" Nami asked with a spark in her eyes.
"Oh please, Nami-chan…" Sayaka giggled. "Not that jealous, but I CAN fight for my man with every little slut that wants to take Ichiro away from me."
Nami shuddered a bit hearing the tone of her voice.
"So, who are you again?" Ichiro asked.
"Nami Ranmaru," she bowed slightly. "Aya's cousin and stuff."
"Oh, that's nice! Family! What did you do when you were alive?"
"School, being a soldier with Aya in one unit, then some college mixed in with being a gravure model… Then I was a photographer myself, and an editor in some."
"Oooooh…" Ichiro clapped his hands. "So, want to hear a story?"
"I kind of came with Aya for that," Nami smiled. "Please."
"Did you perhaps hear about the Siegespfeil?"
"Oh, that big railgun launched nuke that failed horribly at the end of the SNW?"
"Yeah…" Ichiro mumbled with a sour face. "I will give you a unique perspective on that…"
Nami dropped on her bum, looking at him with attention. Aya smiled and sat beside her.
I stepped out of the through the gates of the Yokosuka Naval Base, wearing a simple suit, a hat, and oddly sunglasses. Oddly, because it was almost the middle of October and the leaves on the trees around were already yellow.
"What nice brisk air, I missed it…" I said to myself.
I ventured on through the town streets, comparing everything to what the time when I left, and I saw very little changes. I was especially happy when seeing a certain house in the mountains, with a sign that said, "Miyafuji Medical Clinic" along with the operating hours. Thankfully, I was in luck, as the clinic was open. I walked up to the door and knocked.
"Coooming!" I heard the slightly muffled voice that I hadn't heard for six years.
Still in high spirits, huh, Sayaka? And did Toshiro change the door?
I quickly corrected my moustache a bit, lifted my hat, stroked that dome of mine and stood straight. The door opened, revealing Sayaka in a doctor's apron.
"Oh, good morning sir, how can I help you?" she asked a bit surprised but friendly.
"Uhm… Hello, Sayaka…" I mumbled quietly, suddenly weighed down by a surge of feelings.
"Who…" she tilted her head, but then her eyes went wide as a 500 yen coin, and she started falling down.
I dropped my luggage and he grabbed her tightly on reflex. She reacted the same way when I proposed to her after all…
"Hey, hey…" I patted her lightly on the cheeks. "Sayaka, wake up…"
I saw that tears started coming from under her closed eyelids, and she bitterly asked, "Idiot… Where were you…?"
"I lost my memory after that accident in which I was supposedly killed… I regained it a few months ago, but I didn't have the guts to return…"
"Oh you're damn right… But, wait…" Sayaka moved and stood on her own two feet. "Ugh, that haircut doesn't suit you one bit… And that mustache, bleh…"
"What, you've forgiven me already?" Ichiro asked with a cheeky smile.
"We'll leave forgiving for the night," she giggled. "Tell me – did you perchance contact your only daughter?"
"Yes, yes, I even met her and… heheh, her fiancé. Did he live here?"
"Sure, he even fixed a few things around the house. Coming in?"
"I thought you'd never ask…"
And then, as suddenly as my appearance itself, Sayaka grabbed me by the collar, and planted her lips on mine. I didn't have the bravado nor motivation to resist.
"Well now…" I said after they finished. "You did miss me…"
"Of course, stupid…" Sayaka mumbled with a red face. "Come on…"
I went in with all his luggage, dropped my shoes and moved forward down the corridor, looking around.
"Sayaka, who was it?" a familiar voice sounded from the living room.
"Uhuh, the old crow is still cawing…" Ichiro muttered.
"Oh come on, Honey," Sayaka nudged him slightly. "Mom, you won't believe who came!"
"Sonny?"
"No!"
"Then I don't know!" she shouted back irritated.
Sayaka just shrugged and pointed out the way. I repeated her gesture, and with a sigh, she entered the room first. I shyly tiptoed behind her.
"And who could that be…" Yoshiko leaned forward, squinting her eyes.
"Ichiro returned," a stream of tears suddenly started dripping Sayaka's face. "He's alive, Mom!"
Yoshiko looked at Ichiro for a few seconds and said, "Take a piece of bamboo, and smack yourself a few times. Then take my daughter, and you best compensate her all those years of forced chastity, you hear?!"
Ichiro and Sayaka both looked at each other baffled, but then Yoshiko said, "Welcome back, Son."
"I'm back, Mother," I smiled and bowed deeply.
"Well, that's how I returned," Ichiro said.
"Baaaawww, how cute!" Nami squealed. "So, did you… heheh… compensate?"
"More than once," Ichiro smiled lecherously, receiving a smack on the head from Sayaka.
"We may be dead, but please, don't drag out our love life into the public, even if it's family…" she said with red cheeks.
"Sure, sorry, Dear," Ichiro smiled. "The family idyll didn't last for long however, since after only a week…"
We were eating breakfast peacefully, when we heard a knock on the door.
"Awfully early…" I noted. "Did you change the opening hours, Dear?"
"No, of course not… I would consult something so important with you, Honey…"
"Go already," Yoshiko said.
"Yeah…" I muttered, and wandered off to open the door.
Once I did that, I saw a blonde bespectacled girl, who wore a light jacket over a laboratory uniform. She looked at me curiously, if not a bit afraid, and asked, "Pardon, Doctor Miyafuji?"
Her voice triggered a memory in Ichiro's brain.
"Aren't you… Uh… Erica! Yes, Erica! What are you doing here?" I asked quite surprised.
"Heehee… So you must have met my twin sister, right?" she asked. "My name is Ursula, and I'm a scientist from the Rosario research facility in Neue Karlsland."
"A twin sister, would you look at that… But since you made such a trip…" I pondered a few seconds. "No, I refuse."
"Please hear me out, Doctor!" Ursula clung unto my sweater and I could smell a faint mixture of gunpowder, grease and lemon from her. "This might be a project that will save the world!"
"I already took part in developing the Warlock and the Neuroification Generator for the Yamato, no thank you," I said gruffly.
"B-But this time it will be made without even looking at a Neuroi core! I promise!" Ursula pled.
Sayaka suddenly appeared at his side, with a frown that could throw Ares to his feet.
"H-Hello Mam…" Ursula stuttered in fear, letting go of me on the spot.
"Good morning, young girl. If you've finished your business, please leave," Sayaka said coldly.
Ursula looked as if she was just about to give up, but then she pulled an envelope out of her coat, and gave it to me.
"Please read it," she said with conviction worthy her cause.
I looked at the golden envelope, sealed with the Kaiser's Eagle.
"This looks important, Sayaka… Maybe we should?"
Sayaka looked at Ursula slightly less aggressively and said, "Inside, have some breakfast."
"Oh um… Okay…"
Ursula entered the house, but she was immediately halted by Sayaka.
"Shoes, please."
Ursula almost jumped out of her shoes, and she continued.
"A guest for breakfast? Oh whatever now…" Yoshiko muttered.
"Good morning…" Ursula said quietly.
Sayaka and I took our spots, but seeing as Ursula stood there, the former said, "Don't stand like a fence picket, sit please," and pointed at a free spot beside her.
Ursula quickly scuttled to her and sat in a similar manner.
"Let's see what's inside then…" I muttered and broke the wax seal on the envelope.
Inside, just as I though, was a single letter, written with a very simple yet elegant handwriting. Both Sayaka and I started reading the content, and a after a minute, Sayaka asked, "Will you?"
"The Kaiser, my future uncle-in-law, wants me there personally, and the matter is pretty much decided with the higher ups in the IFN… How can I not go?"
"But you just returned…" Sayaka muttered with a sad face.
"It seems there are things a man can do, and what a man must do," I put my hand on Sayaka's head. "Judging from the letter, I'll be back in two months."
"At least try not to get yourself blown up," Sayaka smiled. "Go then, Ichiro."
"You're going somewhere already, grandson-in-law?" Yoshiko asked with an eyebrow raised. "Gods…" she looked at Ursula. "And you eat when you're invited to the table, child."
"But I don't know how to eat with chopsticks…" Ursula grumbled shyly.
"Eat the tamagoyaki with your fingers then, you can't help it," Yoshiko said and took a piece of the rolled omelet herself.
Ursula took one of the delicacies on the table and put it in her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she mumbled, "Dewishush…"
"My Sayaka is a real genius in the kitchen," I smiled to her warmly. "And Yoshika took after her, from what I've heard."
"Oh definitely, Yoshika really made some nice food whenever I visited the 501st," Ursula smiled, remembering all her happy and not-so-happy encounters with the 501st. "I taught her something myself, heheh…" Ursula giggled, but suddenly she blushed heavily, remembering where she was and who she was talking to.
"And you want to separate me from such delicious food," I snickered, looking at her red face. "I'll go pack my suitcase. And don't worry, I'm not trying to escape through the back door."
"Errr… Actually the house is surrounded by the Wehrmacht…" Ursula twirled her fingers around. "The Kaiser wants you badly…"
"Barbarians," Yoshiko huffed. "They probably stomped all over my flower bed!"
"Our flower bed, Mom," Sayaka corrected her. "And really now, Ursula-san, isn't this a bit of an overkill?"
"Better safe than sorry, I guess…" Ursula almost whispered from the shame.
"Go already, Honey, let's not prolong this unnecessarily, okay?" Sayaka asked me.
"Of course," I nodded and went to the study.
"Please, have some more, Ursula-san," Sayaka pointed out to the food. "Let's say I have accepted you for now, since you're a friend of the kids."
To those words, Ursula simply slid down on the floor and covered herself with her jacket, muttering something unintelligible.
"At least the poor girl has a conscience," Yoshiko nodded and slurped down some tea.
Nobody bothered Ursula until I returned, and I waited until Sayaka said, "Have a safe trip, Honey."
"Of course I will, heheh…"
Sayaka stood up and hugged me tightly, and that's when Ursula finally came out from her "hiding".
I finally "took notice" of her and said, "Lead the way, Ursula-san."
"Oh please, I'm not worthy…" she muttered with a red face.
"Ursula then? Won't that bother you?"
"N-No, please…"
"Forwards."
Once we exited the house, I saw a six-man unit of Fallschirmjäger, gunned up and ready for killing, standing there and waiting for them.
"Um… At ease, the Doctor is coming with us peacefully…" Ursula said quietly.
The whole bunch loosened up a bit, but they weren't near enough striking a conversation with me, thus, the trip to the docks was rather silent.
"This again…" I sighed as I boarded the airboat. "I hope this will be an easy trip…"
"I have to say the trip was rather pleasant," Ichiro said with a hint of melancholy. "The gruff guys opened up to me, we played some cards, threw around some sexist jokes and such… Ursula and I even agreed to go on first name basis. I saw Hawaii, LA, Acapulco... Lima, I believe, and finally Buenos Aires."
"We're here," Ursula said after she parked the Kübelwagen before the OKW building.
"I never would have thought a girl…" Ursula looked at me crookedly. "A young woman…" now she smiled satisfied. "…would drive so elegantly. And a scientist to boot!"
"I decided to acquire skills necessary for a normal life, Ichiro. The war may come to an end abruptly, and then what? Should I stay in the army? CAN I stay in the army?" Ursula asked.
"You never know," I shrugged. "Are we going then?"
"Yes, of course," she nodded her head and climbed out of the car. "Follow me closely."
I of course did so, and in a moment, we were standing before a reception desk, manned by a pretty blonde witch in a Heer uniform.
"Oh, would you look at that?" she asked, seeing the two. "You finally got a man, Ursula?"
I muffled my laugh, but Ursula, although with a slightly rosy face, replied sternly, "The doctor is not my man, stupid. I'm bringing him in for a visit with the Kaiser."
"Ah, yes, yes, I got a notice just an hour ago, you may go," she nodded. "By the way, who is he?"
"If I may," I went forward. "Doctor Ichiro Miyafuji, pleased to meet you Miss…"
The witch made wide eyes, but Ursula managed to lean over the desk and poke her in the forehead, making her return to the living.
"Uh, yes, yes… I'm Oberfeldwebel Helga Hildemeir, promoted just recently…" the blonde witch replied uncertainly.
"Really, a pleasure," I bowed slightly. "We're going, Ursula?"
"I see a similarity with your son-in-law…" Ursula said as she furled her brows. "Yes, we're going."
We went up the stairs, and after going around a certain corner, we saw a silver haired witch sitting behind a massive desk, beside an even more massive door. She had the same uniform as her counterpart down below, but she looked more vicious and mature.
"Who goes there?" she asked when she saw us.
"Ursula Hartman and Ichiro Miyafuji," Ursula replied swiftly.
"Come here," she waved the two in.
She looked at us carefully when we approached her desk.
"I recognize you, Ursula, however I must have an outdated photo of the doctor…" she muttered as she passed on a photograph of Ichiro made in 1939 to the original standing before her.
"Well indeed, that's quite dated…"
"I can vouch for him, Inge," Ursula said with conviction ringing from her voice.
The massive door started opening suddenly, and Inge shot up from her seat, saluting so fast that I barely registered it with his eyes. Ursula hesitated a bit, but she did the same.
A bit rounded man in a ceremonial military uniform came out of the room, saying, "Are you here already, Fraulein Hartman?" he asked with a jovial voice.
"Ja-Jawohl!" Ursula yelled from the top of her lungs so loud that Ichiro didn't even suspect her.
"Magnificent!" he clapped his hands together and looked at Ichiro. "My, you really have changed, doctor Miyafuji. I saw you at one your symposiums, but I never had the chance to talk to you personally!"
"At least bow…" Inge barked through her teeth.
Ichiro slowly lowered his head, but then the Kaiser said, "Ah please, please, enough of the formalities. Come, doctor. And you Ursula come too. We have some technicalities to discuss."
The Kaiser pointed towards the open door and went inside. I followed him, and I almost fell over, seeing the golden splendor of the room.
"Come here!" the Kaiser ordered, and sat on one of two luxurious sofas, which were placed before each other.
I went and sat on one of them, with Ursula shyly joining me at my right side.
"Ah, but wait," the Kaiser moved to the edge of the sofa. "Maybe something to drink? What kind of host am I?!"
"Oh please, don't bother, your Highness…" I tried to talk him down, but I underestimated my speechcraft.
"I insist, dear doctor. You don't want to drink with your future uncle-in-law?" the chubby man asked with a sly smile.
"So we're going that way?" I asked with a fitting facial expression.
"You forgot to add "your Highness," Herr Doktor. We have not drunk a Brüderschaft. Yet."
"Pardon, Your Highness," I grinned.
The Kaiser went to a big globe, which he opened, revealing a small cache of spirits.
"Fraulein Hartmann, what will you peruse? And I take no for an answer, if you're by car, I will arrange a driver."
"W-Wine please…" she said silently.
"Don't want to get drunk in front of your beloved leader?" the Kaiser laughed. "Fine, Fraulein. You first, come up."
Ursula scuttled towards the Kaiser. He gave her a crystal wine glass, and filled it halfway with red wine.
"Hundred year old Porto, Fraulein, don't waste it," he winked.
Ursula's right hand started shaking, but I gently grabbed it and said, "Easy, Ursula, really…"
"O-Okay…" she muttered and somehow calmed down.
"And for us… Thirty year old single malt," the Kaiser said and pulled out a rectangular bottle made out of thick glass and two whiskey glasses. "Sadly I don't have any ice, Herr Doktor…"
"We drink sake warm, Your Highness," Ichiro smirked.
"Ah, no problem then," he poured two quarter full glasses. "So, I guess you know what happens now?"
I sighed deeply and replied, "Lucas…"
"Yes…" the Kaiser muttered lowering his head.
We did the required ritual, and then bumped our glasses shouting, "To Lucas!" and downed them in one go.
"Okay then, Franz…" I exhaled as the whiskey burned his throat thoroughly. "What do you want?"
"Straight to the point, huh, Ichiro? Fine then – we're building an enormous railgun, capable of firing nuclear bombs from Rosario all the way to Berlin."
I looked at Ursula, who was quietly sipping her wine, and she replied with a nod.
"A bit futuristic…" I mumbled. "But how am I needed exactly?"
"Every capable brain is needed, Ichiro. You're knowledge could prove invaluable, and that's why I had to rip you away from your wife and mother-in-law," Franz said with a hard voice. "This is about the future of humanity…"
"I'm actually happy about the mother-in-law," I snickered. "If you say it's about the future of humanity… But do tell me one thing – is there any Neuroi derived technology planned to be used?"
"Absolutely none," Franz replied sternly. "I know about your unfortunate history with Neuroi based technology, and Toshiro has made it clear not to try to use it anymore."
"Right, about Toshiro… Nice boy, huh?"
"I bet he'd frown if you called him a boy," Franz smiled. "He's the hero we need, both as a propaganda figure and as an important military asset. I'm proud to be his family. If I could, I'd bring him the Moon on a golden chain…"
"His father was your half-brother after all…" Ichiro sighed. "Well then, time is money, Franz. I'll be going wherever you need me to go."
"I love that attitude, Ichiro. You'll be going to Rosario to work with the rest, simple. Don't worry, the accommodation is proper."
"A brain just needs nutrients to work, and a few hours of sleep to rest," I shrugged and put my hand forward. "Till next time, and hopefully in a peaceful world, Franz."
Franz shook my hand tightly and replied, "Of course, my friend. Come with me, both of you."
We followed Franz out of the room, where of course Inge was saluting sharply.
"Inge dearest, who was Adolfine's adjutant again?"
"That was Feldwebel Joachim Spitzer, I believe, Mein Kaiser," Inge replied almost instantaneously.
"Ah yes, a nice lad. Call him; we need a driver for the two."
"Of course!" her hand shot to the phone on the desk like a lightning bolt.
"Bye then," the Kaiser said to the us.
"Yeah, bye, Franz," Ichiro said and looked at Ursula. "Come on, let's go."
"Uh, yes…" she muttered.
As they went down the stairs, he asked, "A bit confused, huh?"
"Like never… I know Toshiro likes to pull such stunts, but this is really over the top when viewed from such a distance…"
"Desperate times need desperate measures…"
"Afterwards, we met Joachim Spitzer, dear Adolfine's adjutant then, and husband later on. We went straight to the military airport and boarded a plane waiting especially for us."
"Wow, the rulers of old sure had influence…" Nami nodded with reverence.
"Remember, Nami – before democracy made its way around Europe after the Second Neuroi War, monarchs had absolute power. You could say my granduncle was the last of a dying breed," Aya smiled.
"Oh shush, I listened in history class!" Nami pouted. "And I do remember that it was Cousin, who singlehandedly flipped the political system of Karlsland upside down."
"I knew he'd pull off such a stunt," Ichiro said. "He really just wanted to spend a peaceful life with my daughter, but refusing a coronation could have been viewed wrong in many ways, and destabilize the booming economics of post-war Karlsland, so he mixed the two best options…"
"And made himself the first president of the Bundesrepublik of Karlsland, abolishing monarchy, and instituting a constitutional government," Nami said proudly. "See, Aya?"
"Yes, yes, you watched out," Aya snickered. "So, Great Grandpa, what was next?"
"Next was my arrival in Rosario…"
Once we exited the plane, we saw that a Kubelwagen was already charging towards us, driven by seemingly nobody.
"Did you develop remote controlled cars already? I don't see that antenna…" I scratched my head in wonder.
Ursula earnestly chuckled and said, "No, that's just Helma. She's a bit on the short side, so she has a bit of trouble peeking over the wheel…"
"And she was given a car?" I now asked confused.
"She's good with them," Ursula shrugged with a smile on her face.
"She could use a book or some wooden blocks… Yoshika told me that Toshiro taught her how to drive a truck in a similar manner."
"Helma is too proud…" Ursula sighed. "Especially after she was promoted just recently…"
The car drifted around the runway and stopped only a meter before them, with the rear of it facing them. A blonde girl, not more than one-and-a-half meter high, jumped out of the car and saluted towards them, standing beside it.
"Leutnant Helma Lennartz!" she shouted proudly. "Reporting for driving duty!"
"Oh come on, Helma…" Ursula muttered embarrassed. "This is Toshiro's, basically set in stone, father-in-law, so you can ease up."
Helma tilted her head, but she lowered her hand and smiled.
"Okay then, then the other way around. It's nice to meet you, Doktor Miyafuji. Any family of Toshiro I'll gladly welcome here and anywhere else," her voice softened up a bit. "Come on, let's go to the main building, it may be early spring here, but it's still cold."
"Yeah, but it's a bit warmer than in Fuso nevertheless. Maybe I should drive?"
"Oh no!" Helma yelled. "The driver's seat in this Kübelwagen is my absolute territory, and I won't give it to anyone less than the Kaiser himself!"
I quickly raised my hands above my head and shouted, "Don't shoot, I surrender!"
Helma looked at him suspiciously, but she slapped her forehead and mumbled, "Ugh, I'm sorry, I overreacted… But still, I want to drive, and that's final."
"Of course," Ichiro smiled.
They boarded the car, and Helma quickly drove them to the main building.
"Ursula, are you going to your workshop right now?" Helma asked. "I can drop you off."
"No, I was told to report to Professor von Braun with Ichiro. But thank you for your concerns," she smiled. "Until next time, Helma."
"Sure, Ursula, till next time. And to you, Herr Doktor," she nodded to Ichiro.
"Likewise," I said and he exited the car. After entering the building, I heard somebody furiously banging on a typewriter.
"Yup, Gisele is at work hard," Ursula sighed. "Poor girl has been working like a machine the past few weeks. Well, it earned her a promotion though…"
"I guess she's the chief typist here, right?"
"And receptionist too."
We approached the reception desk, but the short dark bob cut haired witch was still banging on the keys of the typewriter with the speed of three people.
"Gisele…" Ursula quietly said, but unfortunately, that somehow startled Gisele, and she moved her right hand in such a way that she stuck the carriage release lever, which shot into the stack of papers she had on her desk.
"VON BRAUN WILL KILL ME!" Gisele yelled as she started gathering the documents.
Ursula and I reacted lightning fast, and both of us started helping her.
"Gisele, I'm sorry…" Ursula whimpered as she picked up some papers.
"Oh, it's you?" Gisele asked surprised, stopping her actions. "Couldn't you wait until I finished?"
"Sorry… I think we are in a hurry…"
"We?" Gisele asked and looked around, spotting me. "Oooooooh riiiiight… Sure, if that's the case, just leave me now. Von Braun told me to prod you towards the conference room once you arrive. They're all waiting for you."
"All?" Ursula asked, feeling cold sweat dripping down her back.
"All."
"Whew…" Ursula loosened her collar. "Um, then we really should go, Ichiro…"
"Let's go then," I put down a stack of papers on the floor. "Sorry for the interruption."
"Partially my fault," she shrugged and resumed her paper picking.
"And right then, we had a meeting. Every egghead that meant something in that time was there. Literally every damn one. But I won't tell you about what was said then, because it spanned over, imagine that, twelve hours."
Both Aya and Nami whistled surprised, but the former asked, "Maybe a short version then?"
"We came to a conclusion that the Siegespfeil was a viable project, finito."
"Wow, really short…" Aya muttered. "So, what's next?"
"I will skip everything that happened up until the launch, T minus one hour."
Siegespfeil Launch Facility
Neue Karlsland, near Rosario
December 31st, 1945
1840 ART
"T minus one hour, start pumping the ether!" a voice shouted from the PA system.
I was looking at the Thorshammer railgun from the control center. Everything was built in a place where there was a forest. The enormous cannon was now in an idle position, standing in the center of an enormous concrete plaza like a giant tuning fork, illuminated by countless searchlights, since it was already dark outside.
"A few months of ether donations are now being pumped into the power array under the railgun…" Einsten said from his chair.
"And a ten percent safety margin," I added. "Now that's a sacrifice."
"Indeed, but I'm more concerned about the Siegespfeil itself," Von Braun said. "I personally oversaw the design and supervised the construction, and yet, something tells me that I shouldn't rest on laurels yet…"
"Come on, my friend, the design is foolproof, and it's made out of the top grade materials. Striker components are made of lesser quality materials," Einstein laughed.
"A scientist always doubts, that's what makes him a scientist…" I chimed in.
"…and not a priest," Ursula giggled, making the rest also laugh a bit.
Half an hour later, an enormous crane loaded the Siegespfeil into the Thorshammer. Nothing went wrong, so everyone just waited. The radio technicians were calibrating the radio equipment inside the control room, and also outside of it, checking all the cables and wiring going to and onto the enormous antenna array.
"Everything okay outside," one voice reported.
"Good, get inside the bunker," Ursula commanded through the PA system. "Aim the railgun!"
The door opened behind us, and the Kaiser himself, with Inge and the most important generals at his side came in. Ursula saluted, just like all other military personnel inside the control room.
"Good evening, everyone," the Kaiser said with certainty. "Is everything prepared?"
"Two minutes till launch, Mein Kaiser," Ursula said.
"Then I will keep this short. Fraulein Hartman, may I have the microphone?"
"Of course," she said and stepped aside.
The Kaiser walked up to the microphone and pressed a button.
"Everyone involved with the Siegespfeil project, this is your Kaiser. Everything you have done until now will go into history, be it our swan song, or a hymn of victory. We now rely on the fruit of cooperation of scientists of various nationality, race, and beliefs. This is the closest humanity has ever come, and my only wish is that this peace between nations could go on forever. Whatever happens now, I thank you wholeheartedly for your work. Everyone, from a witch that donated some of her magic, right up to the great minds that put all of this together – thank you once again."
"Thirty second…" Ursula whispered.
We all moved closer to the window, looking at the now aimed railgun, shining from the energy poured into it.
"Bearings set, elevation nominal, ether saturation 100%, energy output 1.2 terrawats!" the chief technician shouted. "We're ready for launch!"
"Ten…" Ursula said and waved at the radio technician, who now set the apparatus to full power. "Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…"
"Five, four, three…" everyone counted.
"Two…" I said louder.
"One…" Franz closed his eyes with hope and pressed the big black button with red stripes on it.
The railgun shone with a blinding light and the Siegespfeil disappeared. Everyone started cheering, but I walked up to the radio technician and said, "Patch me through to the 501st."
"Affirmative," he responded, turned a few dials and pointed at the microphone.
"501st, anyone there? Hello? Toshiro, can you hear me?"
"Daddy!" I heard Yoshika's excited voice.
"Hi, Sweetie. I guess you can hear me. The Siegespfeil launch is a success, ETA six minutes. Toshiro, use all your powers and the detonator to ascertain its distance!"
"Roger that," Toshiro said.
"Daddy…" Yoshika said with a sad voice.
"Don't worry, Yoshika, everything will be okay."
"I love you…"
"I love you too, Sweetie. I hope we'll meet again soon."
"Okay!" Yoshika cheered.
"Ichiro, if this fails, I'll personally smack you in hell!" Mio shouted.
"You'll have to get in line, heheh…"
"Hahaha!" Mio laughed.
"Take care Mio, and everyone, Ichiro out," I said and showed the technician to cut the transmission, feeling that he was about to cry.
The Kaiser walked up to me, slamming his hand on my shoulder, and shouting, "Don't worry, Ichiro! I'll be on the wedding of the kids, hahaha!"
"Heh…" I smiled. "Well, if you say so, Franz…"
For the next minutes, everyone waited in a tense atmosphere. The time where the Siegespfeil should strike passed a few minutes ago already, but everyone almost literally held their breaths, as the radio was silent. And then, everyone saw a pillar of light from the direction of Berlin.
"The world is truly ending…" Ursula gasped.
"No, that must be Toshiro," I said with conviction. "I don't believe Neuroi are able to…"
"BEGONE!" everyone suddenly heard a shout in the air, clear as day and thundering.
It startled all of us visibly, but then the pillar tilted. The dead silence once again rung in our ears. One of the clocks inside the room ticked a bit louder, signifying an hour change. The Kaiser looked at it, and saw that it's 8 PM dead.
"It's New Year, my dearest subjects," he noticed with a shy smile.
And then, they heard Toshiro's weak voice through the radio, singing Auld Lang Syne. I rushed to the microphone, and shouted, "Toshiro, what's going on?! Toshiro!"
"It's over," Mio's calm voice said. "The Neuroi Matriarch is dead. Yoshika just zipped towards Toshiro, whose now falling down from the sky."
A phone rang on one of the desks, which Keitel managed to snatch first.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Numerous reports of both Neuroi and their Hives decomposing themselves spontaneously are arriving from all around the world!" some male voice cheered. "The war has ended!"
"Thank you…" Keitel said with a tear in his eyes and placed the receiver back on its place.
He stood up, snapped into attention, and shouted, "On January 1st 1946, exactly at midnight, the war has ended, Mein Kaiser!"
"How's my nephew, Ichiro?" Franz asked.
"Yoshika? Do you hear me? How is Toshiro right now?"
"Oh, Daddy! He's okay! He's unconscious though, and barely alive! But he'll live, don't worry! I'm flying as fast as I can with him towards Bern and healing him at the same time! I love you, bye!"
"That's good news, I guess…" I said.
"It is," Franz smiled. "The Neuroi are finally gone… Postpone all celebrations until it is confirmed that my nephew will live. But beside that, I wish you all a Happy New Year in a new world."
"And that's how the Second Neuroi War ended from my perspective," Ichiro said and leaned back onto Sayaka's lap. "Was that helpful?"
"We knew some of that from history, but damn, it was nice to hear it from the horses mouth!" Nami cheered.
"Neigh…" Ichiro mumbled, making all the girls giggle.
"Thank you, great grandfather," Aya bowed slightly. "You know, I might be a goddess now, but I can't probe other gods minds, and I still can't read residual memories from places so…"
"Of course, Sweetie, I understand," Ichiro smiled. "As a man of science, I prefer to come to conclusions myself, not just hear the results."
"As a former man of science," Sayaka said and ruffled up his hair. "It was fun to be with you girls."
"Likewise," Nami nodded. "So, Aya, next stop where?"
"I don't know, let's just take a walk. Bye, great grandparents!"
"Bye, ever-so-distant family," Nami giggled.
"Bye kids," Ichiro waved to them as they ran away. "Aya is such a nice girl…"
"She is our great granddaughter after all," Sayaka said proudly, and the two just laughed.
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