NOTES:
Sorry for the lack of updates the past two weeks, Fallout 4 happened.
BOOK I - UNION
Chapter 7: Outpost Guderian
March 31 (D + 18)
Its weird getting thrown back into the other world immediately after the big reveal. General Braun temporarily reassigned me to an engineer battalion to oversee the construction of an outpost at the foot of the mountain though it looked more like an forward operating base than a simple outpost. The small and steep steps from the cave going down the mountain was being replaced by a two way road with a lane each at a safe degree of inclination, enough for trucks anyways. Heavy equipment on work twenty four hours a day with help from the earthbenders of Future Industries. Back on our side an area one kilometer in radius around the cave was fenced off to the public and transformed into a military base with the trees within it all getting cut down and being replaced by warehouses and several concrete buildings much to the dismay of environmentalists.
In the week since the big reveal the Chancellor had gone through dozens of meetings with other world leaders, feeding them tiny bits and pieces of information about the other world, enough to gain leverage for trade deals and such. She had already gotten some sort of preliminary deal with the other countries of the European Union but it was subject to change. News about our world also spread like wildfire on the other side with newspapers plastered with our faces, specifically MY face since I was the one who lead the first incursion from our world to theirs, and I was also the one doing all the talking with the local construction workers and some of the press. It was in every paper, every radio show, hell there were even billboards about us with our backhoes and bulldozers (not that they don't have them).
It was one hell of a week for me, trying to get the battalion together and then coordinating with the earthbenders was not an easy task and further hammering in the difficulty was the language barrier between them and the lack of trust. Even so we were ahead of schedule, way way ahead of schedule. The first three days of the operation, which started the day after the reveal, was for the earthbenders to level the side of the mountain enough for our heavy equipment to be of use, instead they practically built the damned road themselves. Save for the concrete surface they "bended" it to the correct inclination, width, and even the turn radii. It threw the whole operation off because we didn't even need the backhoes, we need instead were the concrete mixers and all the other good stuff for the road. It took us just four more days to finish the road and afterwards construction on the outpost began with clearing the small forest that existed on the base of the mountain. This wasn't one of those "spiritual" forest Korra talked about so it was quite easy for it to go through the Republic City bureaucracy.
It was named 'Outpost Guderian' in honor of Heinz Wilhelm Guderian, he was the pioneer of motorized tactics in the Wehrmacht before the second world was and was more or less responsible for the concept of Blitzkrieg. There were disagreements within the brass to the name since he was technically a Nazi general but his reputation outweighed the negatives.
One more thing established between the two worlds was trade, albeit quite shitty one for now. The outpost was supposed to be the gateway of trade between the two worlds, where products from their side get processed before coming to our world while the base on our side of the cave called the Hürtgenwald Forward Operating Base was responsible for processing the products from our side before going to the other.
There had not been an official name on the worlds, still people had started calling each other names like other worlders and aliens. Both the planets was practically the same: same size, same inclination, same distance from the sun, same form of solar system (though they have two more planets than ours), twenty four hours a day, and with an atmospheric composition of having less carbon dioxide than us. The only thing different, the only BIG difference is that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east... their planet spins the opposite direction from ours.
Requests in the thousands from scientists, journalists, and diplomats from all over our world to go to the other side was flooding the newly created wing of the Federal Foreign Office specifically for the other world, but all requests were denied because "The area concerned is not stable enough to ensure the safety of any traveler who ventures there, we shall inform you when it is safe enough and until then we will not accept any request. Thank you." 'Not stable enough', yeah right I call bullshit.
"Sir, there's someone here to see you."
"Huh?" I looked up from my desk in the tent at the construction site of Outpost Guderian to see the sentry for my tent standing in front of me. "Oh uh, who is it?" I rubbed the back of my neck. Okay enough internal monologues, time to work.
"Its Mr. Bao, sir." Oh god damned it what is it again?
I sighed. "Fine let him in."
The private saluted and got out of the tent, I took a sip of my orange juice just as Mr. Bao got in looking angry as always. Ugh lets get on with it then.
"Sergeant how many times do I have to tell you I'm in charge of my men, not you."
"Oh for fuck's sake Bao how long had you been in the construction business, you know how contracts work!" FUCK! I put down my cup on the table and leaned forward.
"I know how it works and our contract specifically stated that we work TOGETHER, not under your government." Oh fucking hell who the fuck signed it without proofreading anyway?!
"Gah!" I threw up my arms before leaning back on the chair and putting both my hands behind my head. "This project it under the Bundeswehr and until I get anything from the higher ups we're sticking to our plan and OUR plan only."
He looked more frustrated than I've ever seen him. "Fine, you know what I'm going to put this in my report to Ms. Sato."
"Go on then!" I shouted. "We've got thousands of other construction companies back in our world that's itching for a chance to get here!"
His frown worsen. "That's it, I'm done for today. Good day to you." He turned around and walked out. "Kraut." I heard him mutter.
"Oh yeah? Well you... you... you greasy old fuck." I muttered back which fell on deaf ears, thankfully.
Mr. Bao is quite old, maybe in his seventies yet is still full of fire. He was the one Future Industries assigned to be their lead engineer in the project and was always pestering me of ordering his workers to do a job they weren't initially assigned for but were equally capable of. He was one of those 'by the books' person which obeyed the contract and blueprints to the last letter. The Bundeswehr's lead engineer was not me, but was a civilian contractor, he does rounds on the site and talk to the workers of both worlds but his main task was to design and see the completion of the outpost. I on the other hand was the one trying to get the workers from both worlds to work with each other and not against.
I was surprised on how quickly "Kraut" became the term they use to refer to us and 'Nips' was the one we use to refer to them (since they looked East Asian). Hey look on the bright side, in just over a week we already had a cultural exchange!
I silently laughed at the thought before sighing heavily. Well, time to see how the base is going. I cleaned my table and put the papers back into the briefcase, I got up, straightened my uniform, and put on my cap before getting out.
The whole site was teeming with workers and heavy equipment with earthbenders digging holes of where the foundation of the buildings would be and engineers on our side building columns out of it. Everything looked alive, even the concrete that's being poured.
"Hey sergeant!"
I turned around to see Herman walk towards me with his rifled slung on his shoulder, my old squad was assigned guard duty 'coincidentally' on the site and was under another sergeant, Sergeant Wickman.
"Hey Steinmeier! How's guard duty treating you?" I laughed as we high-fived.
"Eh, kinda boring but hey food's good."
"Anything interesting happened so far?"
"Well there had been some civies who came up too close to the perimeter fence, but a few shouts and gestures usually warded them off. Quite a curious folk they are."
"Yeah, well we're building a base in their lands."
"Like the Americans in Afghanistan."
"Uh... no." I shook my head. Hopefully it'll never be the same. "Hey so you wanna tell me about something or... well..." I shrugged. "I've still got inspections."
"Oh right there is something though." He looked around and after being satisfied no one was listening he leaned in close to my ears and whispered. "Last night while I was on patrol I saw one guy probing the fence..."
"Probing? What?" I interrupted. "Civie?"
"No, not by the looks of it. He was pretty close to the fence and well, was in the open so I was able to have a good look of him through my NVs. He's got some sort of body suit, not sure of the color though since, well everything's green but he's also got a mast, its like a leather ski mask of some sort with a weird red mark on the forehead and like a metal thing around his head, kinda like a headband, and the eye slits have goggles. I don't know what those goggles were, NV or just normal ones but... I don't know, it looked like it was glowing? Damn that guy was fast, the moment he realized I saw him he jumped back into the bushes and... well I lost him."
"Hmm." I stoked my clean shaven chin. "You got anymore on his clothes?"
"Well..." He closed his eyes, trying to remember.
"He's got a scarf around his neck and got knee-high boots."
"Huh, alright. Wait weren't the searchlights supposed to be on at all times?" I asked looking him in the eye.
"Yeah they WERE, but the searchlight on that part of the fence had a busted terminal just a few minutes prior so it had to be fixed. That's why I had the NVs on when I started my patrol."
"Ah, okay, I'll file a report about it then. In the mean time just keep an eye out for more of these incidents." I tapped him on his shoulders. "Well good luck private."
"Yes sir, thank you sir." He saluted me before turning around and walked back where he came from. Strange... civilian probing the fence, no they can't be a civie if they're probing the fence. I don't like the sound of this.
I took a walk around the base checking if the constructions are up to schedule and taking down complaints and grievances from workers on both worlds. (Thankfully there weren't a lot.) I ended the round late in the afternoon, tired but not exhausted. I got back to my tent as the sun sets behind the mountains to the east, I sat down and brought my papers out once more to start filing the reports for the day.
"Excuse me sir, Miss Sato is here to see you." The sentry poked his head into the tent.
"Ah, well let her in then."
He nodded and got his head out of the tent. This is not going to be pleasant.
Asami got into the tent and smiled when she saw me. "Hi Geraldt, how are you?"
"I'm well ma'am." I replied standing up, pointing to a plastic chair in front of the desk. "Please, take a seat."
"Thanks."
I sat down after she sat down. She wore her red Future Industries clothes (the one she normally wears) and presented me a folder with a bunch of papers in it.
"This is so far all the complaints Bao had of you." She waved the folder around. "Seven reports in as many days, it looks like you two don't really like each other."
"Yeah well the thing is ma'am." I scratch the back of my head. "He kept wanting to change the plans, like moving the building or expanding the perimeter fence. I already told him that our plan is the one being followed and he kept on saying that we're supposed to work together and not under us."
"So are you working together?" She shot me a glare catching me off guard.
"Well... yeah." I stammered. "We had been, since day one of the construction."
"Hmm. I'll see to it then, in the mean time just... just try to be calm with him. I know he's frustrating most of the time but he's the best Future Industries can offer."
"I understand ma'am."
"Okay." She nodded. "Now that's out of the way there's something else I want to talk to you about." There was a long pause. "Promise me you won't tell anyone about it."
"Uh, sure ma'am." there was hesitation when I said it but Asami didn't seem to notice somehow.
"Okay, remember Korra's necklace?" She got a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. "Mako found out the employers of the triad you attacked were equalists."
"Equalists?" I opened the piece of paper to reveal a colorized photo of someone in a gray overall and... and it practically matched the description Herman gave me of the person probing the fence earlier that day. "Wait wait hang on, so this is what an actual equalist looks like?"
"Yes, that's their uniform. Mako had reasons to believe that they might try and do dome funny things to this site."
"Huh, never actually seen a picture. They were the ones that want to remove bending right?"
She nodded. Huh, so those were history books I was reading not fiction. That fucking clerk at the bookstore.
"Well what do you want me to do?"
"Spread it among your guard to be on the lookout for them." The pointed at the paper. "And don't trust anything the equalists say if they tried to."
"Okay, anything else."
"Just don't tell them about the necklace. That's all." She stood up and I immediately followed. "Good day to you sergeant." She held her hands out and we shook hands.
"Good day to you too Ms. Sato."
She gave a faint smile before getting out of the tent. I sat back down with the gears in my head turning. Paramilitary organization huh, well this just made my job a lot more fun. Ugh.
April 2 ( D + 20 )
0600H
The German flag flew for the first time in the land of the benders and as the workers formed up for the flag ceremony the sun lazily rose from the west, out to the sea.
The guards on patrol were informed about the equalists but so far in the three days since there weren't any reports of any lurking outside the base. That means either they've stopped, or we just failed to locate them. It had so far been making me paranoid of having infiltrators steal sensitive plans so I increased the guards and their rotation times, much to their dismay.
After the flag ceremony the workers dispersed and went on to their assigned stations to begin their tasks for the day, I got back into my tent and got the blueprint out with Mr. Bao updating me on the progress so far.
"So far everything's going according to schedule sergeant and I don't think you need to worry too much about the equalists, they're operating more like triads now and not the revolutionary... paramilitary organization they were five years ago." Bao said as he adjusted himself on the seat.
"I understand Mr. Bao but we cannot let our guard down, we have plenty of experience in my world how insurgencies work and just killing off their leading isn't going to stop them, sooner or later they would have a new boss. Whether that guy is up to the task or not the problem is that they still exists, and they're uncomfortably close to this base." I replied still looking over the blueprint, trying to find a weak spot for the equalists to enter. Well so far the security's top notch, vet having something planned and making it happen isn't always easy.
"Oh please sergeant." He waved me off dismissively "Even if the equalists got back on foot Avatar Korra would just smash then up again and the ones remaining would be hunted down by the police and the United Forces.."
"Okay, so you have any ideas what they want this time Mr. Bao?"
"I would assume its the same old 'equality' shit they've done before, but I don't think they'll be able to do that without Amon's bending removal powers."
"I see."
"Well, I've still got work to do sergeant. Nice to have a conversation about other things than work." He stood up and extended his hands.
"Yeah, nice not arguing for one." I also stood up and shook his hands.
He smiled before turning around and getting out of the tent. Back to work I guess. I sat back down and stared at the blueprints. Yeah I should transfer this to a laptop so if it was actually stolen they would still have to deal with the laptop's security.
The base is rectangularly shaped 200m X 100m with the long side running a north-south direction, it was built on the dirt road that ran between the foot of the mountain and the city, the one my squad used to get to the city when we initially set foot onto this world. A single road cuts through the base which connects to the dirt road, also on a north-south direction but stops halfway in. The front half of the base would be the 'exchange' station where most of the trading will happen, the rear half of the base would be where the army and security contractors have their barracks and a motor pool. The rear area is also going to have a small clinic and the most important thing in modern society: WIFI. Lastly, another road emerges from the rear which connects to the road directly from the cave.
So far most of the foundations of the building were done so the next step would be to construct the buildings themselves. With the help of the earthbenders the estimated completion date of the outpost was the end of the month. Its really nice having earthbenders help, it would've took us over two months to get everything set up on our own.
April 11 (D + 29)
It was nine in the morning, I was lazily doing paperwork in my office on the second floor of the newly finished five story HQ building when a private on radio duty burst into the room, surprising me.
"Sir! Sir!" He was panting heavily which seems strange since the radio room was just above mine. "The watchtower reported in that there are several dozen civilians moving down the road heading towards us."
"What? Protesters?"
"Unknown sir." God damned it, this is why we should've put up roadblocks out there! So that they couldn't just walk up right to the bloody base itself.
"Fine." I got up and set aside the papers, put my cap and my belt on, and went out the office with the private following suit. "Get Sergeant Wickman on the radio, I want his squad to be on standby to be deployed outside the base, and radio Hürtgenwald FOB and tell them the situation we're in."
"Yes sir." The private saluted me and off he went back to the radio room. Oh my god, we're just two weeks in and there are already protesters outside the gate.
I made my way to the balcony of the building which was on the roof and with one hand holding the radio and the other on the binoculars looking out towards the main gate, Sergeant Wickman's voice cracked through the radio.
"Sergeant, what's our engagement protocols if they get too close to the base?"
"Just try stopping them from getting closer and get some tear gas grenades if things go bad, but absolutely NO shooting. And don't forget to bring a translator with you so we'll know what the hell they want."
"Alright sergeant."
"Good, Sergeant Tchaikovsky out." I hooked the radio back to my belt and continue looking through my binoculars. Several dozen of them and are slowly walking towards the gate, they're not shouting or chanting anything, hmm... are they even actually protesters?
"Sir, Hürtgenwald FOB is on the line. They're going to try sending us some riot police from the police departments close to Hürtgenwald." The runner went up to me, telling me of the news.
"Good, good. Tell them to hurry up before shit happens."
At that moment another runner came up. "Sir, Mr. Bao is calling for you. He's on the ground floor, he says his earthbenders can help with putting up earthen barricades."
"Okay, lead me to him." I dismissed the first runner as I followed the second down the building.
Bao was waiting for me just outside of the building, smoking and looking calm. As I approached him inhaled some more before throwing his cigarette away and spoke, sarcastically. "Well now, it looks like your fans want your autograph."
I ignored the comment and went straight to the point. "You said your earthbenders can help stop the civilians?"
"Yeah they could, wanna use them?"
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not really into those political stuff." He took another cigarette from his pocket and started puffing.
"So, how many can you send? The squad out there isn't really going to stop dozens of people is they really mean to get to the base." Unless if the squad shoot them of course.
"Forty." He interjected. "Forty two people to be exact, but they don't look like protesters though."
"Yeah I noticed."
My radio suddenly rang and I could hear the voice of Sergeant Wickman. "Sergeant Tchaikovsky, our translator said they... they want... what?" There were muffled voices on the radio which I wasn't able to discern who it belong to, Sergeant Wickman replied to the voice after it talked for several seconds. "Okay okay." there was another pause. "Sergeant Tchaikovsky, the civilians want to get away from, umm... the Agni Kai triad?" He didn't sound sure.
"What? Why?" I replied with Bao listening intently.
"They heard what you did, well pretty much everyone knows what you and your men did when you initially came here. You know, killing the triads in the forest and running through the spirit wilds stuff."
"Uhh." I glanced at Bao and he was looking at me nonchalantly. I bit my lips and fiddled with the radio for a moment before replying "I'm going out there to clear things up, just contain them until I get there Wickman."
"Okay Tchaikovsky, Wickman out."
I put the radio back onto my belt and called the runner who followed me down. "Private, get into contact with Hürtgenwald and ask them what I should do to civies trying to seek refuge."
"On it sir." The runner quickly disappeared back into the building leaving us in the dust.
Okay stay calm, this is only going to be some of those PR stuff I'll need to get through. No fighting, just talking. It was then when I heard Bao chuckling in which I gave him a puzzled look.
He continued chuckling. "Oh I'll be fun seeing you army guys deal with stuff like this." Yeah, fun... yay.
I ignored him and started jogging towards the main gate a hundred and twenty meters away. Even before I got out of the outpost I could already see dozens of people about fifty meters outside the base being stopped by a line of nine men from Wickman's squad in which thankfully the civilians didn't try to rush the squad because if they did, the outcome would be very very bad.
As Sergeant Wickman saw me jogging down the road he hailed at me and signaled me to move even quicker which I complied. The first thing he asked was. "What the fuck are we going to do with them?"
Which I replied "I don't know... I'll talk to them I guess." I shrugged and then proceeded towards what looks like the leader of the civilians, he looked in his mid-thirties and was fairly healthy. They all looked like the definition of poor: somewhat ragged clothes, a bit dirty, and they were holding bags which contains what looks like their belongings.
"Please, help us sir!" The leader pleaded. "The Agni Kai, they're after us." He came forwards trying to hold my hands.
"Whoa whoa, calm down. Lets do this slowly now, okay so why exactly are the Agni Kai after you?" I pushed him back lightly.
A glimmer of hope emerged from the leader's face. "They... wanted us to be cannon fodder in an upcoming takeover of an area against the Triple Threats." He looks gone back to being grim and desperate. "They wanted us to distract the Triple Threats while the proper Agni Kais went in for the kill." He said the word with distaste.
"Wait, so you're all part of the triad?"
"Yes we were, but... in reality they forced us to. After the Battle of Republic City so many people are unemployed and so many businesses destroyed, most of us in our area which was located in the poorer parts of the city lost their jobs and so became desperate. The Agni Kais came in and pretty much took over the neighborhood and promised anyone who joined them would get paid and be given food but... but they were just using us as expendables, thrown away after a fight." He looked back onto his group which I just realized then also contained children. "We escaped with our families without them knowing because if they did they'll just kill us all."
"Okay, but why didn't you go for the police, why us."
"Are you kidding." He said almost with a laugh. "The police is so incompetent, sure Lin Beifong is the chief and she's trying really hard but she can't control the actions of every single officer especially the ones so far from the Police Headquarters where Lin's at. A lot of them in the areas around us are corrupt beyond belief, some of them are even part of the triads themselves. The moment we went to the police station they'll alert the triads and in turn the triads will hunt us down and kill us all for betraying them." What, really? They're police is that bad? So much for Korra and Asami telling me Lin's got everything under control.
"Its that bad huh..." I muttered
"Yes it is which is why we came here, to you and your people, to help us."
I began weighing the options silently. On one hand if I let them in the army's going to fucking kill me, on the other hand if I didn't...
"Sergeant Tchaikovsky,come in Sergeant Tchaikovsky." The voice from my radio knocked me out of my thoughts and it also startled the leader of the civilians.
"Uh Tchaikovsky here, what is it?"
"Sir, Hürtgenwald requests more information about the civilians."
"Ah, okay." I more or less repeated the story the leader told me and after a few minutes of waiting the voice in the radio replied.
"Sir, Hürtgenwald says to let them in but tell them its only temporary. They also said that the civilians would be given encampment outside the outpost, but the tents and other stuff would be provided by us."
"How about security?" I asked. "My men are already stretched guarding the outpost itself."
"Hürtgenwald said they'll send more men... actually uh, they're going to create another department to take care of the camp." Phew, less hassle for me then.
"Good anything else?"
"Negative sir."
"Roger, Tchaikovsky out." The leader looked at me nervously as I returned the radio to my belt, I grinned giving him the good news.
He practically leapt with joy and started hugging me. Okay, too close for comfort. I once again lightly pushed him away. "Okay, you guys stay put for a while while I sort things out."
"Yes yes! Thank you! Thank you!"
April 18 (D + 36)
After the 'refugee incident' as they call it I was demoted from being in charge of the whole operation of the outpost to just the construction one. Well, less responsibilities for me then. It quickly garnered media attention from both worlds even though there was a media blackout in ours. And through the whispers and rumors coming out of the new 'refugee camp' that was created just west of the outpost the Republic City Police Department (RCPD) was furious that they (the refugees) called the department incompetent and corrupt. Well, that means some of the earthbenders heard our conversation then and spread it. At least Lin Beifong came out and issued something like a public apology and promised too help the citizens more and decrease the corruption in their ranks.
Almost two more weeks passed and it was April 30 when the outpost was finally declared complete and the front gates were opened for trade. There was a big ceremony held with President Raiko, Korra, the German foreign minister and several other important people in attendance (like most political bullshit) and it was then when the first actual protest was held (as always, accompanying political bullshit) with a few hundred demonstrators (nationalists by the looks of it) being held back by the RCPD with help from tear gas and water cannons from our world.
The protesters were demanding equal trade opportunities and that the outpost be removed. They're actually quite right on that we're setting up a base on THEIR lands and having a trade agreement not in their favour, but orders are orders and there was nothing I could really do.
After the completion of the base I was reassigned back to my old unit and was promoted to Staff Sergeant for 'exemplary service in the field', whatever that was supposed to mean.
In the end the outpost was quite a success, just a day after the grand opening the dirt road was already packed with traders and merchants all over the city and there were rumors that the army's already going to expand the outpost because of the sheer number of trading happening. Hopefully it won't devolve into something like Afghanistan or become basis of argument between Germany and pretty much everyone else in both worlds because if it did, it'll lead to catastrophic consequences.