1th of February 2026, White House, Washington D.C, Reichsland Nordamerika.
It was early in the morning in the capital of the Reichsland. Early enough that the sun had not yet risen, the ground was covered in frost and there was mist in the air. The president was in the oval office, pondering on how much he missed his home state at that very moment.
Lucas Davis, known to most Americans as "Lucky Luke", was a Texan to the bone. Born and raised on a Ranch, ended up becoming an officer of the law, before putting that aside to make headway in politics. He had done it to be a nuisance to the president back then. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would be sitting here, in the oval office, staring at the portrait of the first president, George Washington. He never really understood why the Reich had granted the Americans this small type of democracy, a chance to pick their own leader, and he especially didn't understand why the Reich had allowed him, of all people, to be the leader.
It was one of those mysteries he had never really quite solved, but for now he didn't complain. His job was to ensure that Nordamerika stayed as independent of the Reich as possible. But he wasn't an idiot, he knew that if he went too far, the Reich would come in to restore order, and Nordamerika would be back to square one.
As the president sat back in his chair, he stood quietly alongside his chiefs of foreign and internal affairs alongside his secretary, bringing in reports from the director of official intelligence. His secretary was laying out the context, going on about a long list of different stuff that had happened across the pond. "Just get to the point." Luke demanded rubbing his temples.
The secretary stopped and looked at Luke, his expression showed minor offense to that statement. "As you wish, sir. From what our minister of information said, something big is going on in Germania, their armies have been moved to DEFCON 3, something we haven't seen in a long time."
"Are we really listening to what that fucking Chink has to say? I have said it before and I will say it again, he is probably planting false information for his little Emperor to have us chase our own goddamn tail!" Charles Clark, the minister of the interior, warned them. His Southern drawl being far from unnoticeable.
"Steve's fine, he's loyal, and a good man. Far better than any man from California I've ever known. You can't fault him for having grandparents that were Japanese." Luke dismissed him.
"Oh we can't? You think that logic would have worked in the Reich 80 years ago?" Charles asked, really trying to put the screws to him. It was at times like these that Luke wanted to fire him, but that would upset the balance of power too much for the Reich.
"Enough, Charles." Luke commanded, and surprisingly, the minister of the interior seemed to obey. That was one less headache he had to worry about.
"Please, continue Jamie." Luke requested. His secretary cleared his throat.
"We believe it is possible the Reich is gearing up for war, either that or something has put them on high alert. No terrorist activities have been recorded over the last month, and Japan has been doing business as usual, nothing seems out of the ordinary. If I may speak freely, sir."
"Go ahead Jamie." Luke granted.
"I think there will be an announcement soon. Probably a policy that will be unpopular or something like that, it seems that the defense readiness was heightened to be prepared for any potential backlash… At least that is my personal opinion, one I share with the minister of information." Jamie theorized, there was silence in the room for a few seconds as all of them chewed on the words.
"Maybe you're right, honestly I don't see why they wouldn't call us up and tell us what is going on. How the hell are we supposed to be good 'subjects' if they keep turning a blind eye to our needs? You know, in times like these I really understand the plight of the common American and if I could do whatever I wanted, I would-"
"Mr. President!" The minister of information stormed into the oval office, interrupted the conversation.
"Steve? What's going on?" Luke asked in a concerned tone. It had been a while since he had seen the minister of information so worked up.
"The Führer is live on the TV! They say there will be a big announcement!" Steve said. All of them quickly got out of their chairs and followed Steve down to the big meeting room.
The room was already filled to the brim with White House staff, from the desk jockeys to coffee bringers. Still, they all made room for the president as he approached the front row to see the announcement. The announcement was yet to begin, a static screen with a countdown and a phrase of German saying "Die Ankündigung wird in Kürze beginnen", which everyone knew what it meant. They prepared themselves for what was to come. Some probably wondered if this was it, the declaration of war against Japan, a new trade rivalry with the South Americans, or worse comes to shove, a war with Burgundy. Either way, the nations of the world held their breath.
'All gone…' that was what the world would be should the nuclear option ever occur, and every man, woman and child was well aware of this. It was the world's worst kept secret that practically every nation since the 60's had been building bunkers, some even before that.
A dead silence washed over the room as all chatter stopped. It had been a long time since the White House had witnessed such quiet in its halls. No matter how big and mighty America felt at any given moment, they would always be in the shadow of the Reich. The Home of the Brave, the Land of the Free, and the slaves of the German Eagle.
Suddenly, the screen turned from the blank background to that of the Volkshalle in Germania. Thousands of German soldiers gathered within the giant building, standing at attention, waiting for their great Führer to address them. Neither the soldiers nor the politicians had to wait long.
He walked out with a chip in his step it would seem, the Führer wasted no time in climbing up to the podium. He was bathed in light from above, like the divines granted him an audience as well as the entire world. He gave a salute, one that was instantly greeted by chanting by the thousands of people in the Volkshalle, as well as the millions of souls outside of it.
"HEIL GERMANIA!" Could be heard across the world, for the first time in a long time.
"Meine deutschen Kollegen." the Führer spoke, and all the cries in the world became as silent as when they were sitting in expectation. Now, a new tension lied in the air, that of what their leader would be telling them, and what it would mean for all the nations of the Reich. "I have come before you today to deliver extraordinary news, and frankly, I think it best to not keep you all waiting any longer."
Ever so slightly, Lucas stepped closer to the TV, as if it would make him understand the words better. His German had never been good, and he never really cared to improve it. Still, it was a requirement, and rare was the man today in modern North America who did not at least know it in passing.
"My fellow Germans, and all my fellow peoples of the Reich, we have officially discovered signs of life beyond Earth."
Just as there had been silence before, some grasping could be heard here and there, whatever sounds quickly seemed to be torn away from them. There was a stillness, and unassured thought of doubt. What was he saying? Aliens had been discovered? No, merely signs of them.
"As you can see." behind the Führer, a massive projection lit up, showing several images of strange ruins, clearly not on Earth. "On the surface of Mars and its ruinous caverns, our explorers have uncovered remarkable findings of a still yet unidentified species of extraterrestrial beings. While we are not sure if these ruins of an ancient colony, or merely a forward operating base for this mysterious species, I assure all of you that the German scientists have been working tirelessly to uncover all that we can from these technological giants. However…" another set of images began to be projected. "Our scientists are not the only ones who have been busy. For this occasion, I have called up our top chiefs of high Command, to start brainstorming how warfare in this new era will look like, so that the Reich shall be prepared to face any and all threats."
"Not a minute since the announcement and they already want us to start hating them. Clever." Lucas mumbled. He was well aware of the Germans' tactics of 'The Common Enemy', to be fair it worked in most cases, yet resulted in the decline of German-Japanese relations.
"Generalfeldmarschall Kürger, Großadmiral Gerhardt, and Luftmarshall Stroman have given me a rough draft of their combined efforts. Just as we invented an entirely new form of warfare in the Great War against Judeo-Bolshevism, we shall do so again. As our tanks once rode to Paris at blitzing speeds, so too will our new ships soar to the skies like never before."
"And to that end, within the next few weeks, new economic reforms will be announced. Now is the time for economic revival, both within Germany, but also all members of the Einheitspakt. We will need it."
Lucas observed as the beige suited man addressed the crowd, each sentenced meat with uproarious applause. No doubt, Europe was setting itself on fire right now. Alien life had just been confirmed to exist, and the Reich had just gotten itself the scapegoat it needed to begin fueling the war machine. Yet here in the meeting room of the White House, the silence remained.
He put his hands in his pockets, twiddling the pen he put in his left one this morning, and cast his gaze around the room. Everything from shock, horror, amazement and caution was present. From the very back of the room, just shy of outside the main entrance, he spotted Stephen staring at the conference with a degree of surprise. Rarely were his intelligence reports wrong, especially about Germania, yet this time they were blown out the water in terms of scale.
'They must have really not wanted this to come out.' he wondered how old this whole discovery truly was. Couldn't have been more than a week at least, give or take a few days. Still, now was no time for contemplation.
"And it is with great excitement that I wish to announce a new program both I and the many members of the Reichskanzlei have been ready to implement. A volunteer space program, for all the men of the Reich to willingly participate and share in the glories of uncovering this bold new frontier." though his words may have sounded charismatic coming from anyone else, the Führer was completely devoid of emotion in his tone. There was no script around that he could see, and he sure as hell wasn't reading from a teleprompter. 'I've seen Iowans with more personality.'
"That is also why I will personally talk to all noteworthy leaders on Earth in the coming months to discuss the future. This is not just the Reich's future, this is humanity's future, and we will willingly accept all who wish to throw their lot in with the Glorious Reich. A new future in the stars are waiting for us." there was a short moment of silence, Ulfric straightened himself out, and stared out over the crowd.
"Vor uns liegt Deutschland, In uns Marschiert Deutschland, und hinter uns kommt Deutschland. Sieg Heil!"
Martin, the speaker of the Reichstag, jumped in on the other microphone and led the chant. "Heil dem Führer, den großen Forscher!" The crowd deafened anything else after that. All of Germany must have been lighting up with the chant.
"HEIL GERMANIA!"
Even a few people in the meeting room were chanting with them all. Showing both relief and pride at what had just happened. Luke wasn't chanting with them, if anything he was worried at what was going to happen now. Just as he was about to retire himself to the oval office, Jamie caught his attention.
"Mr. President! Phone call from Germania in the Oval Office."
No rest for Lucky Luke it would seem.
20th of February 2026
Berghof, Bayern, Großgermanisches Reich
Ulfric had been here 20 years ago, not much had changed since then. In fact, nothing had changed since Adolf Hitler passed away. The only reason dust hadn't settled on everything in the room was due to the dozen or so maids who cleaned it pretty much every day. It was lost in time, stuck in the moment Hitler drew his last breath 62 years ago.
Ulfric was walking around the room, killing some time before his guests would arrive. He had never been here alone and there was a weird atmosphere in the room, like someone was watching his every move, and judging him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the portrait. A giant one, placed there long ago. Normally he wouldn't think anything about it, he had seen the same portrait many times before, but this time it was different.
The Portrait was staring him down, and Ulfric felt as though a sweat was developing. It was as if the first Führer himself was seizing him up, looking at his actions and deeds and sneering. It was surreal, like seeing him in person. One of the greatest men to have ever lived. The savior of Germany, the unifier of Europe, and the countless other things he managed to do in his lifetime. Ulfric would never reach such a level of greatness, he would never be like him.
They had this stare contest for a little while. It was only at last that the door opened; finally there was an excuse to look away. Then he saw who it was, the guest of honor for the evening, Alberta Elisa Hitler.
"Having a bit of a gaze at my dear Great Granduncle?" She asked, it wasn't demanding or with anger, but with curiosity. He noticed that she wasn't all that tall, maybe about 5'9 feet tall. Hazel Brown hair, and the same blue eyes as the first Führer. Her appearance was much more striking in real life than it was on any photo he had seen. She was pretty, for a lack of a better word.
"There's a saying in London I heard long ago, rude to stare too long, but dangerous to stare too little."
"I can imagine, those English never were too fond of socializing lest it be over a beer or tea and crumpets."
"Do you see it too?" He pointed up at the Fuhrer's face, his gaze relentless, cold and hard.
"I do, as does he see us. It's a funny thing paintings do, make it feel as if you are actually seeing that person there in front of you."
"I'm glad he's not. I don't know if I'd ever have the courage to look him in the eyes."
"You wouldn't be the first Führer to tell me that."
"And I assume I'm not going to be the last." although the two had exchanged messages from time to time, this would be the first time they met in person. The only reason they exchanged words with one another so casually now was only because business was best left behind closed doors, and Alberta seemed to have left their room wide open.
Still, formalities were in order, lest he offend the man staring down at them. "I believe introductions are in order, Frau Hitler."
"Indeed, I've never had the pleasure to see you in person mein Führer."
"Please, call me Ulfric." he shook hands with the Führer's great grandniece. It was weird; one could never tell she was related to the first Führer.
"Alberta."
"I hope you won't mind if I continue to call you Frau Hitler, though you and I may be on good terms, there's not much to gain from letting our soon-to-be guests know that."
"By all means. Believe me, I'm used to it."
"You know… I was curious about something, maybe you can clear it up... " She nodded to show she was ready to answer whatever was on his heart. "Why do you fly planes? I mean, you have everything you ever needed. Even if coming from the Hitler family line wasn't enough, you are also married to one of the most powerful men in the Reich. The Luftmarshall is no joke." Ulfric asked.
"It's not about comfort, Ulfric. It's about being alive. I don't care about politics, never have."
"Something the Reichskanzlei is very thankful for I'm sure."
"Indeed, though everyone looks to me like some sort of useful tool. Having me endorse them is worth gold. I'm not interested in that. When I'm in the sky, flying, that's when I'm happy. I can feel myself, not here nor in the Reichstag." Alberta explained, and she looked far away as she thought about being up in the skies again. Ulfric swallowed a lump in his throat, this might not turn out as pretty as he had hoped.
"I knew a man who spoke of flying with as much enthusiasm as you. Flew his first plane when he was only 8 with his father."
"Then he had a good father. What happened to him?"
"Wanted to join the air academy after schooling. He died at 16, plane malfunction, only the father survived."
"If that was meant as a warning, mein Führer. I'd advise against it. Trust me I have heard enough sob stories to direct a Turkish drama show."
"It was not a warning, Alberta, merely a word of caution from someone who knows how hard it is to lose someone like that."
"Believe me, I know far too well that pain."
Just then a knock was heard on the door frame, one of his personal SS bodyguards came to announce the arrival of two more guests of honor, though realistically speaking one could argue they paled in comparison.
"Mein Führer, I would like to present Emilio Satorni of the Italian house of Parliament and Krešimir Bojislavić of the Ustaše Homeguard." The guard announced as he stood at attention. He gave single sieg heil before leaving the room as quickly as he entered.
"Gentlemen! It is an honor to finally meet you both."
"The honor is all ours Signore Kuhn." Satorni was the first to greet the Führer, exchanging a handshake between the two. With thick black glasses, a sharp green suit and balding head to match, he looked the prime example of every single Italian father from Milan and above.
"Indeed, it is not every day the Führer gives an announcement like that. We were practically trothing at the mouth to see who would get to you first." Bojislavić was of a more formal and far disciplined breed than his italian counterpart, he greeted the Fuhrer with a salute, only standing at ease at Ulfric's word. His military suit bore many medals, and Ulfric could only wonder how many partisans the man had to scalp to earn them all.
"The Croats and Italians have been our staunchest allies ever since the war, it would be remiss of not only me but the legacy our nation's share to not discuss further opportunities for this space program between our peoples."
"And just like in the war we are ever at your disposal Poglavniče, it is like Barbarrosa all over again."
"Indeed, please gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to another guest of honor I have with me. I believe you two might have already heard of her, Alberta Elisa Hitler."
"Un piacere madame, a great honor." Satorni gracefully greeted the flying ace.
"The honor is all mine, Signore." she replied with equal grace, though her Italian was admirably rather rough.
"We have heard many stories of your exploits madame, you are an inspiration to pilots everywhere."
"So I've heard. My husband and I visited your country on our honeymoon Herr Bojislavić, the coast of Dubrovnik is beautiful, as is the rest of your country." Alberta smiled warmly.
"Kind words madame, if ever you find yourself in Zagreb, there is an ace of ours who is more than willing to test your resolve in flying jets."
"I certainly hope he likes paying for drinks then."
"Now then, if greetings are out of the way, would any of you gentlemen care for a drink?" Ulfric came into the conversation once more, pulling out a bottle of white wine. "I hear in the Alps, alcohol is twice as potent."
"Then it shall be drunk twice as much! Saluti!" Satorni grabbed one of the glasses Ulfric offered, as did Alberta.
"I am quite alright, one should never waste fine wine on the non-negotiable."
"You don't drink captain?"
"I've stopped it these past few years, my wife told me I'd be better off."
"She's a smart woman then, I'm still trying to convince my husband to stop smoking."
"Don't worry, he will eventually, the key to changing any man's heart is to simply nag him until he gives in."
"Words to live by amico."
Just as they were about to perform a toast, his SS bodyguard opened the doors once more. He had nearly forgotten about one more guest. "Lucas Davis mein Führer, president of Reichslande Nordamerika."
The president walked in with a swagger one hardly expected of a career politician, though from what he cared to read the American was anything but. It was like a scene from an old western, the lone outlaw walking into a saloon, only a saloon would most likely be filled with more reputable people.
"Ulfric Kohn I presume?" he looked at the Fuhrer with a curious gaze, as if he was more trying to confirm in his mind that it was truly the leader of Germania standing in front of him.
"Indeed, and you must be the lawman turned president I had heard so much about."
"We got so many spies in each other's capitals I'd be hard pressed to hear we didn't hear of one another."
"True enough, welcome Herr Davis, we were just about to make a toast. Please, join us."
"My pleasure." Luke sauntered over to the other guests, gladly welcoming a drink.
"Buongiorno Signore, Emilio."
"Lucas, bongorno."
"Krešimir."
"Lucas. And who might you be ma'am?"
"This, my dear American friend is our guest of honor, Alberta Elise Hitler."
"A pleasure." Luke did a little bow.
"The pleasure's all mine." Alberta once again smiled.
"Now then, a toast, to the continued cooperation of our great nations." Ulfric said as he raised his glass.
"And to the eternal march of progress." Alberta added as they all took a gulp from their glasses, though the president chugged it all down in one fell swoop.
"I see you make 'em sweet here up in the Alps."
"You'll be rare to find better alcohol anywhere else."
"I'm more a hard beer type of man."
"I'll be sure to keep note of that. Now, gentlemen, please, take a seat. There are matters that need to be discussed." Ulfric gestured to the table and the seats around it.
As they all took their places, Alberta was the only one who stood still, not leaving her place. "Well it has been a pleasure to meet you all; however I believe such things are best left for you all to discuss in private."
"No, no, please Frau Hitler." Ulfric pulled up another chair in between him and the president. "Have a seat. I was the one who invited you here was I not?" he shot a look at the woman.
Alberta soon realized the true intentions behind her visit here, and whatever pleasant attitude soon began to vanish. She did not like to be involved in politics, but Ulfric gave her no choice in the matter. He looked at the portrait of Hitler once more, silently cursing himself for making her go through with this, but now was not the time for compromises and stagnation. The Reich needed to act, and decisively so too did its constituents.
"Now then Signore Kuhn, about this volunteer program."
"But of course, while we appreciate the hospitality and fine wine, there is still business to discuss."
"When is there not? But have no fear, good men. I've not forgotten why we have all come here today. Which is why I will not drag this out any further. I ask you all, how many men are you willing to spare?"
"As many as is needed, my Fuhrer." Bojislavić quickly responded.
"That is good to hear, but remember captain, this is a volunteer program. I will not be sending Gypsies and Serbians up into space shuttles to guard Mars, we need the best of the best at our disposal."
"Hah! As if those filthy degenerates could ever dream of reaching anything past their Ghettos! I swear my Führer, your predecessors should have let us wipe them out long ago."
"As my colleague has said, Signore." Satorni interrupted the Croat before he could continue the rant. "We are at your disposal, and be sure we shall be bringing only the finest among the Italian nations."
Ulfric pulled out some files from his briefcase, and neatly put them on the table. "Feldmarschall Kürger has put forth the numbers expected for the Divisions. On average, our normal land divisions consist of 20 to 30 thousand well trained troops, though that will admittedly be far more downgraded to presumably around 10 thousand due to increased training requirements. We are not looking for quantity, we are looking for quality." He took a quick pause to clear his throat. "Italy has been set up to house 22 divisions for volunteers, Croatia 5 to 6 divisions. As for America…" he turned to look at the president, who was notably silent this entire time. "Well… that was to be the negotiating factor."
"Is that so?" the president poured himself some more wine into his glass. "Pray tell then Mr. Fuhrer, why would we be exempt from expectations."
"Croatia and Italy do not span an entire continent, Herr Davis."
"Indeed, and you have to admit mio amico, there are far more people in NordAmerika than there is in our entire imperial range." Satorni commented.
"You got a point there. So, before I give a number, how about you draw me one of yours." the president replied. Smart, he wanted to know the expectations.
"100 divisions." Ulfric stated bluntly, and everyone's eyes rocketed towards him, wide open. All stared in disbelief save for the president, who was eyeing the Führer with the same scaling gaze as before.
"You're a man of high expectations." he commented simply, taking a sip from the glass. "Tell me, how long did it take Eberhard Köllner to fly to the moon?"
"Training took 2 years, give or take." Ulfric replied simply.
"And I suppose you expect me to get those 100 divisions of yours ready by Christmas?"
"They teach you mind-reading in Texas as well Lucas?"
"No, just to know when someone's trying to bullshit me. We'll give you 50."
"Brave words for a man surrounded with knives in every corner."
"You get used to it in Austin."
The room became deafeningly silent, more so than when he was in here by himself. Hitler stood on his railings, watching over the four men and his great grandniece. Silently judging Ulfric as to what his next moves will be, yet he was not the only one. He saw it in the way he sat, talked and walked. Lucas Davis was known to push the limits of what most politicians found acceptable, in some way, they were more alike than they were different. But Ulfric did not need ambitious Kings or Braveheart politicians, he needed men who knew what to do and when to do it.
"You asked me my expectations, Herr Davis. I gave them to you."
"And I mine, Mr. Fuhrer."
"While this confrontation is no doubt very entertaining to watch for the many bees flying outside the window, may I remind you gentlemen that we are supposed to be working together here?" Alberta jumped in at the last second.
The two did not break eyesight from one another, and no doubt Signore Satorni and captain Bojislavić were sweating as to whether or not there would be yet another cold war to contend with other than the Japanese.
"Lady's right."
"You never say no to a Hitler, Herr Davis."
"So it seems. Alright, you'll get your bloody 100 by Christmas."
"Wonderful, now, for just a few more details to be hashed out. No doubt to be refined by the men more suited for such affairs, but they should be mentioned nonetheless."
The rest of the meeting had gone mostly as planned and the orders were already underway. Saying their final goodbyes, the representatives for the Reichkommisariats all prospective bid their farewell to both the Fuhrer and Alberta before making their leave, leaving the two of them alone once more, the shadow of Adolf Hitler still cast over Ulfric's mind and body.
"That went rather well, wouldn't you agree?" he finished up his last glass of wine, the third one he had taken, save for the five others he drank before this whole fiasco began, calming for the nerves he justified it as.
"Yes, indeed… That moment when you nearly began a third world war was quite the power move of political foreplay." Alberta remained far more sober than any of them, and rather silent save for her brief comments at the beginning.
"Ah, a little tug of war here and there never hurt anybody."
"I had thought you to be a more honest man mein Führer." she remained seated in the chair Ulfric had given her that entire time, and even now she did not move a muscle, running her fingers across the tip of the undrunk glass.
"Never trust a politician Alberta." alcohol was an indulgence he would rarely partake in, for obvious reasons. The Reichstag was a den of spiders, all trying to weave their own layers of deceit and lies in the already enormous maze of a web. Those lies were all often thrown out the window when under the influence and Ulfric saw more than his fair share of colleagues lose both their jobs and their lives because of it.
"Is that another one of your cautionary tales for me Ulfric?"
"No, just the truth. And if you want more of it then by all means I will tell you, you were a fool to trust me, and an even bigger fool to continue talking to me now." he poured himself the last couple of droplets the bottle had into his glass and gulped it down.
"We often make the beds we end up lying in, Ulfric, and my husband always said I was a bad judge of character."
"On the contrary, I believe you've found yourself the greatest scum in all the Reich to share drinks with."
"Enough with your dog and pony bullshit Ulfric!" she finally let out all the pent-up frustration he could see rising and boiling inside her this entire time. "I'm not throwing my lot in with you for political reasons! Can't you see that? I believed in you, for once I thought that we could do some good, some actual damn good for this nation!"
"And we have… The Reich will fly to height yet uncovered, and I'll be remembered as the man who led it there."
"On the backs and charred corpses and mangled bodies."
"A legacy fitting for a Führer."
"But not for a German… a true German."
He thought on her words, had he been more sober, they would not even be having this conversation, yet a quality argument was always good for clearing one's senses. "And who told you that Frau Hitler? Was it perhaps your husband? Your family?"
She remained there, silent, before crossing her arms and turning away from him. The portrait of Adolf lied between them, the eternal legacy infringed on both of them, with her, the name, and with him, the title that most men would burn nations to the ground for.
"Tell me mein Führer." she spoke, not even bothering to make eye contact anymore. "Do you know of Manfred von Richtofen?"
"The Red Baron, who doesn't?" Ulfric responded, trying to straighten himself from slouching in the chair. "I remember my father would tell me stories of his dogfights during the Weltkrieg."
"He was one of the world's first flying Aces. A devil in the sky, and an inspiration to our people."
"Indeed he was, and his family continues that legacy, upholding it proudly."
"Yes… He was many things. He was a soldier, a cavalryman, then a pilot, then an ace, then the infamous Red Baron. But do you know what he was not?"
"What?"
"A butcher."
He needed to physically stop himself from laughing at that. All soldiers were butchers, no matter what they did. War is hell, and only the fierce and cruel leave it, leaving behind the brave and kind.
"He was not some mad, blood-crazed killer. He was a fighter pilot, one who shot down allied plane after plane. Yet he never went further than that. There was a reason soldiers had pictures of him down in those sick and mud-filled trenches. Because he showed them the ideal of what we all wished to be. Knights in the sky, chivalrous, honorable, never faltering and wavering to even the greatest dangers. Even our enemies understood his intentions, and honored him for it."
It was as if he was listening to a little girl read about her fairy tale prince, the sparks of hope emanating from her voice merely served to depress Ulfric more. For everyone knew what became of the valiant Red Baron.
"And then the Baron, ever-so-young and ever-so-brave, died in a plane crash. He died just like any soldier. No magical Excalibur to heal him or lady of the lake to crown him Kaiser." Ulfric interrupted her storytelling session.
"And what became of his body then?"
"He was buried."
"With all the honors he deserved, and by whom?"
"The enemy."
"Indeed. On his casket, they gave him a military funeral, and bestowed all the honors one like him deserved. To our Gallant and Worthy Foe they inscribed onto his wreath."
"I believe I understand what you wish to tell me." Ulfric struggled to get up from his chair, but eventually managed to pull up enough willpower and upper body strength to go through with it. "That is why you say I am no true German."
"I am not naive Ulfric, I know what this world is capable of. What we are capable of. But in the end, I believe that if we truly wish to be this Master Race all your men seem to clamor on about, then perhaps we should first look to our past before dreaming of our future."
"Do you believe Adolf would agree with you?" he stood beside her, staring intently at the first Führer's face with a smile forming at his lips, Adolf seemed to be bored of them now, as his gaze now looked to be overseeing the mountain range behind them. Best to pop the question while dear old granduncle isn't listening.
"I don't know… And I don't care to know."
"I'm not sure I would either…"
There was silence between them now. It was clear that there was little else to talk about. Besides anything that could be said about his ill intentions by bringing Alberta here, she did help to smooth things over, and Ulfric needed things to go smoothly.
Unfortunately he couldn't bring her to the SS meeting he had tomorrow. Luckily, Gottfried would be there in her stead, he couldn't face those brainless apes on his own… But he needed them.
They all needed them…