Chapter 12: Treaty of the Citadel
A/N: Hello Fellers!
Some of you might be a bit confused when you return to this story, but it has been completely rewritten! If you are coming back to the old story... Then I'm afraid it's gone. I hope this version will be to your liking! Does mean you have to start from the beginning again though.
Anyway, have fun with the chapter!
Kind regards
KanisRussell.
"Germany will on her side never break the peace. Germany wishes to be on an honourable footing with the neighbour peoples."
Adolf Hitler
16/6 2035.
Citadel Airspace.
A small number of warships had entered citadel airspace, enough to protect the Führer, but not enough to pose any major threat to the space station. Ulfric was nervous, he was about to sit face to face with not just the species that had been the enemy not even a week ago, but also all the other aliens on this so called council. He had prepared himself as much as possible, written as many notes as he could. An entire envoy of diplomats, statesmen and guards were with him, not to mention the three major Generals of the war machine: Generalfeldmarschall Gottfried Kürger, Luftmarschall Siegfried Stroman and Großadmiral Klaus Gerhardt. All of them were in pristine uniforms, with all the medals you could think of.
That's not to mention Ulfric's personal SS guards were there to protect their Führer, should the aliens get any funny ideas. Everyone was concerned and worried at what might happen. This could very well be a sort of trap. Granted, the aliens had honored the truce so far. The fleets stayed in their respective systems. But that didn't mean there couldn't be a squad of snipers waiting for them as soon as they disembarked.
The small fleet was granted safe passage into the space station, and they docked with little to no issue. Ulfric found his hands were shaking, he felt as though this would not go down well, no matter what they agreed to. The Hardcore militarists and the SS desperately wanted to fight this war to the bitter end, and they wouldn't stop until Palaven or Earth was burning. They would cry hypocrite as soon as they saw the Führer imposing peace, probably drawing parallels to 'The Stab In The Back' story from the First World War..
"Are you ready?" Gottfried asked as he took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke into the room.
"It's not about if I'm ready... This is about the Reich's future, something we have to do. Even if the peace deal isn't all we hoped for. I will settle for a status quo... if need be." Ulfric replied as he looked at his oldest friend.
"Status Quo? Really? After all we have endured? You're willing to give it all away? What about all those soldiers who died fighting this war for the glory of the Reich?" Gottfried asked, he sounded generally offended. But he knew Gottfried well enough to know that if he wasn't married to his wife, he would be married to the Wehrmacht.
"I'm not gonna demand a Status Quo. I will push our interests as best I can, but the SS have probably complicated things beyond belief, not to mention we ended with a major defeat-"
"Retreat! It was a tactical retreat!" Grand admiral Gerhardt corrected him.
"Right… We ended with a tactical retreat. Yet I'm not sure they see it that way. Either way… I will do my utmost to ensure compensation for what has been destroyed… And those who lost their life… Don't expect any territorial gains though." Ulfric replied, truth be told, he was afraid of what laid ahead. Afraid of what might happen… What he wouldn't do for just a couple of hours of dialogue with Adolf Hitler… So many questions he wanted to ask the man.
How did you do it? How did you keep it all together? How did you deal with defeat? How come you were so great? How can I be more like you?
All of those questions ran through his head as he pictured the first Führer. But there were other questions too, some which he dared not mutter while in the presence of the others in the Reichstag and the party.
Why did you let the SS live? Why did you pardon Himmler, exile him instead of sending him to the firing squad? Why did you have to die so soon?
All of those things would go unsolved forever. No one knew why Hitler did as he did, they just had to trust he did it for the right reasons… But if he could pull everything off… Then surely, there would be some way for Ulfric to do so as well. If only he had the power to do it.
"Mein Führer! We have been granted access to the citadel docking! Should we proceed?" The Captain came in and asked.
All of the state officials, the OKW… Everyone looked to him for an answer. It was his decision. He could end it here… Or he could keep it going. Give the SS and the militarists their wish of a long and painful war… Or he could keep his precious Reich afloat. He had to admit, he had no love for the Aliens. He too would enjoy to see the Reich's banner raised over their homeworlds… But he loved the Reich too much to have it be destroyed now.
"Yes. Proceed. We are ending this war now. Sieg Heil." Ulfric demanded. And everyone in the room, whether they wanted to or not, instantly replied.
"HEIL GERMANIA!"
20 minutes later.
"One last chance, Ulfric. You can still turn around if you want." Gottfried said as they stood at the door that would lead them into a new world. The Citadel. Ulfric looked at Gottfried and attempted to size him up. He knew the man better than most, and as he looked at him, he realized that Gottfried wanted this war to end as well. Despite his harsh comments, Gottfried would always be behind him, which was why he was asking Ulfric this very question.
"This war has to end before we're destroyed. If we don't take the Peace deal now… Then next time they offer it… It may very well mean the destruction of the Reich. I don't want the Reich to be destroyed… This war has been fought as best we could, but if we are to ever take on this foe… We need more time to prepare, time to build… Time to expand." Ulfric answered his old friend. Gottfried looked content with the answer.
"I'll make sure the Wehrmacht accepts whatever peace deal you make with the Aliens… I don't like dealing with these scum, I have already lost so many good men to them… But I trust you Ulfric. So does Gerhardt… Hell, even Stroman isn't suicidal. Just worry about the party and the SS." Gottfried assured him, and he was right. The SS were the major headache to deal with here.
"Mein Führer?" Ulfric turned around to face Oberführer Bruno Seydel, the leader of his personal SS guards. The only SS people he could trust. They were cut off from the other part of the SS, removed from the influence of Burgundy. known as Leibstandarte SS Ulfric Kuhn or LSSUK, born out of the former division that safeguarded the first Führer. "We're ready to disembark at any moment. I have brought my finest men, 48 to be precise. Two squads will secure the dock before you leave the ship. We'll move in formation once you're out. For safety purposes, also let the guard secure an area before you move there." Bruno explained.
"I understand…" Ulfric replied as he tried not to think about the possibility that some crazy gun man would try and put a bullet in him.
"Now, we don't know their cultures and customs. But for the sake of your health, we advise you to avoid all physical contact, handshakes, hugs and the like. Do not consume any drinks or food they may offer. The ship's cooks will prepare all of your meals while on your stay here. We will ensure you stay alive mein Führer. Heil Germania." Bruno gave a salute, his arm almost at a perfect 45 degree angle. Ulfric returned the salute. "Do we have your permission to start the operation, mein Führer?" Bruno inquired as he stood at attention.
"Yes… Let us get this thing over with. I'll await your confirmation that it is safe to disembark." Ulfric said as he paced around a bit, shifting his balance.
"Understood mein Führer." Bruno turned to face his soldiers, and promptly shouted some orders. Within seconds, they stood ready to go out. They were armored up like they were rolling into Stalingrad, Bruno gave another order, and the two squads disappeared into the airlock. Ulfric waited anxiously for news.
In times like these, a man must think of the best ways to make a good first impression. In all honesty he had not thought about something like that in decades. Being the Führer often meant it was others trying to make a good impression on you, rather than vice-versa. But here, he was no longer the Führer of Germania, the ruler of the Reich, the ruler of all of Germany and its peoples. Here he was merely the leader of some foreign nation these Star empires have never even heard of.
Straightening his tie, Ulfric heard the automatic doors to his side open up and two figures enter into the room, ones he had not seen in quite a while.
"Herr Stroman, glad to see you've finally decided to join us." Ulfric said.
"Heil Mein Führer, and a fine day to you as well Herr Kürger." he was as chipper as ever, which was no surprise to Ulfric nor Gottfried, what was a surprise however was the woman standing next to him, the Luftmarshall's own wife.
"Alberta, I didn't expect you to be joining us here." Ulfric commented as the Hitler stood in tow with her husband.
"And miss out on the opportunity to see all these mythical 'xenos' my husband keeps talking about? I won't lie mein Führer, I'm rather giddy."
"Well, good to see at least someone's excited about this whole ordeal."
Just then, Großadmiral Gerhadt came into the room as well. "Apologies for the wait, Mein Führer. It's been a while since I've travelled in a ship not personally commandeered by mine own crew. You'll forgive me if I do not trust these SS men in flying a ship." Gerhadt had always been picky about with whom he sailed, but granted this situation was anything but ordinary.
"These SS men are my personal guard, Gerhardt. If you can trust anyone in black uniform, it's them. They are loyal only to me." Ulfric reassured the old admiral. Gerhardt accepted the answer without any objections.
Just then, Oberführer Bruno entered back into the airlock. He removed his helmet once the decontamination process was over. "Mein Führer. The Dock has been secured for any and all threats. There is already a welcome party waiting for you. Are you ready to head out?" Bruno asked cautiously, it was clear that his personal opinion was different from Ulfric's. He wanted them to bolt, get out of this system as fast as possible. Too many variables here, too many obvious threats.
"Very well then Bruno, open the airlock. We're ready." Ulfric commanded as he stepped forward and put on his visor cap. Nicely brown, just like the one Adolf Hitler used to wear.
Bruno did not seem to be using hyperbole when he mentioned the waiting party, as soon as the airlock opened up, a blinding ray of light hit them dead on from the small crack that soon began expanding from the outside. It was good that he and Gottfried were using shades, unfortunately for his other compatriots they were not so forward thinking, and were visibly trying to block out the light as best they could without raising their hands to block it. He was forewarned by his bodyguards of the Citadel's apparent artificial sun they used for lighting the interior, so both him and Gottfried came prepared.
They stepped out into a brave new world. The SS guards were close in toe, forming rectangular perimeter around them. They were soon greeted by a stunned crowd of onlookers, not even attempting to hide their gawking from the rafters above as a group of delegates stood proudly at the entrance, a figurative red carpet practically being thrown out for them.
Ulfric recognized a few of said species almost immediately, the most prominent being said delegation, consisting entirely of Asari and Salarians from what he could tell. 'Good, no Turians. Yet at least.' better that way, wouldn't want to start a firefight the moment you got on enemy soil.
A Salarian approached them, some strange device in his hands, it looked from his clothes he was part of security as Ulfric could differentiate the armor he wore with that of the more robed attire of the diplomats. The LSSUK however, did not seem very welcoming, immediately forming a line in between his compatriots and the Salarian. For what it was worth, and to their credit, they didn't immediately reach for their weapons, merely scanning the security guard up and down, eventually landing on the small devices in his hand. The Salarian tried to speak in perhaps one of the most broken excuses of German he had ever heard.
"No harm… Trans-la-tor."
He huffed, appreciating the Salarian for the effort at least. Gottfried leaned in to whisper something in his ear. "Heard fucking Japs with better pronunciation." Ulfric didn't reply, but came a confirmation nod to the SS soldier, who in turn installed it in their systems. Within seconds, the system was live and running.
"Welcome to the Citadel! I'm Pheollne M'kito, personal secretary to the Asari councilors. I will be showing you around while you are here! Are there any questions before we depart for the council chambers?" She asked.
"Yeah, where can I get a pack smoke-" Gottfried immediately piped up before Ulfric cut him off.
"No, we don't have any questions. Please, take us to the council chambers." Ulfric requested, answering way before the Oberführer said anything. Despite their racial politics, Ulfric couldn't afford to be seen as discriminating right now. He needed it all to play in his favor.
"Excellent, please follow me then!" the chipper attitude of the Asari seemed almost palpable to the situation at hand. This wasn't some play date being arranged, it was a peace deal convention. Still, Ulfric did not complain, and the human delegation followed the Asari and Salarians. The further in they got past the docks, the more different species of aliens there seemed to be, all equally curious to see this brand new race that landed on their Citadel. The LSSUK made sure no one got too close, and Bruno kept a firm eye on Ulfric to ensure his safety at all times.
This wasn't something new. Whenever Ulfric travelled anywhere that wasn't within the Reich, a massive presence of the LSSUK was always there, keeping him safe. In the beginning it was tedious. But as time went on, it did make him feel safe. There had already been a few people who had tried to get close enough for a shot at him, but they never made it within 50 yards of him.
Ulfric began to admire this place. The Citadel was a marvel of technology, something that the Reich was trying to replicate. A space station was already set up in the Sol System, and a few more were getting constructed in various important systems. His fellow statesmen, and the representatives of the OKW seemed equally as impressed. Though if he knew Gottfried well enough, he was already taking mental notes on the weak spots. Should it ever be necessary to invade this space station.
After walking for about 20 minutes, with their Asari guide telling them about each place they passed through, they reached the tower in the middle of the presidium. A large and otherwise impressive building to mark the authority of the Council. It didn't hold a candle to the Volkshalle, or most government buildings in Germania. Speer made sure of that long ago.
They entered the elevator that would take them up, and instantly it was crammed with all the people who were going up there with them. Ulfric wondered if perhaps the elevator could even handle all of this weight, but shook the thought from his head. No doubt they had foreseen something like this a long time ago. But, that being said, it was also a rather slow elevator. Taking forever before they reached the very top.
Gottfried gave Ulfric a small nod as the elevator came to a halt. A silent 'I got your back' look, as if it was going to calm his nerves even a bit. The LSSUK were the first to move out, and they promptly secured the area for any and all threats. Keeping their guns trained on the police force present. It took a little longer to secure the area than usual, and Ulfric got to see why when he stepped out. Not only was the council chambers large, but there were also a lot of Turian guards.
'I suppose it was only a matter of time' Ulfric thought, but luckily no one exchanged any fire. They might be staring each other down, but as long as they kept it to that… Then there would be little to no issues. They proceed through the massive room, passing several beautiful trees, that Ulfric could only assume was native to one of the species homeworlds. The mood was torn between being peaceful and full of tension. As Ulfric pondered all of these things as they arrived at the room that no doubt would serve as the negotiation table. Several Turians, Asari and Salarians were already seated at the table. They all rose when they saw them come in.
"IS THIS SOME SORT OF JOKE?" One of the Turians erupted as soon as he spotted the black uniforms and the two lighting bolts on the helmets and collars of the LSSUK.
"Palilienus, please!" One of the Asari's at the head of the table said. Hoping to de-escalate the situation no doubt. Hadn't even been 5 seconds, and there was already shouting.
"They are murderers! Criminal thugs! They destroyed half of Taetrus!" The Turian was furious beyond belief. No doubt the SS were already proving themselves a headache, that seal of approval Lorenz was given was coming back to bite Ulfric in the ass harder than ever.
"These-" Ulfric gestured to all of his SS guard, who stood at attention. Ready to attack if need be. "-Are my personal bodyguard. They have no connection to the command link of the SS, and they answer only to me. I will not conduct this meeting without my personal guards." Ulfric's voice was much more firm than he had imagined. Perhaps it was mostly because his own bodyguards got a bad reputation because of the actions of Burgundy. The Turian seemed to calm down, just a little bit.
"Terribly sorry about that. But you must understand that Mr. Palilienus is rather on edge these days, especially after hearing of what happened on Taetrus." The Asari woman tried to excuse him. Ulfric decided to tolerate it, not like pressing the issue would do him much good. "I'm councilor Tevos, representing the Asari republics. Both the Asari and the Salarians will be acting as mediators to this peace deal. This-" Tevos pointed to a Salarian in robes. "-Is councilor Valern of the Salarian union. And finally, the Turian councilor is Sparatus." She once again pointed to a Turian seated next to the man who had just been shouting moments earlier. "Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable." Tevos requested as she herself sat down. Ulfric did as requested, and most of the other high ranking members took a seat as well.
It had been organized rather cleverly. The Reich seated on one side, the Turians on the other… And finally the council at the head of the table. Almost textbook. Ulfric already locked eyes with several of the Turians on the other side of the table, who seemed less than pleased that they were forced to be here. Ulfric could see the same look in Gottfried and Klaus.
"First order of business; attendees on the German side?" Tevos asked. The team of people behind her who were going to write the summary of the meeting were ready to type. Even the ones the Reich brought along were ready.
Ulfric once again stood up. "My name is Ulfric Kuhn. Führer of Das Großgermanisches Reich." Furious typing was heard, before everything became quiet again. Then, each person presented themselves and their title. Großadmiral Gerhardt, Generalfeldmarschall Kürger, Luftmarschall Stroman, and countless statesmen. The Turians followed suit with giving their names. As the round came to a close, the Asari ordered everyone to be seated again.
"Now, this war has been titled many different things, including: Reich-Hierarchy war, Relay 314 incident, First Contact War and German-Turian war. Which should be the official title?" Tevos asked, and immediately disagreements between the Turians and the Germans erupted. The Turians insisted that it should be titled the Relay 314 incident, but the Germans wanted it to be named the German-Turian war. In the end, after much bickering, agreement was reached. The war should be named the Reich-Hierarchy war. This debate had gone on for almost 15 minutes before they reached any sort of agreement. It was already clear to the council members that both species were very proud, neither side wanted to back down.
"Now, are both sides in agreement that the war started on the... '' Tevos checked her notes. "The 6th of May 2035?" She asked, and both sides nodded. "Okay, who started the conflict?" She then inquired, and the first real shouting match began.
"The Reich is very clearly the ones who started the conflict. They were attempting to open Relay 314, which is outlawed by Citadel Law Section 463, Delta 9 under the Rachni containment act. The Hierarchy was well within its rights to stop the unlawful act from proceeding." Palilienus stood up and argued. The Turian councilor was in agreement.
"BULLSHIT! The Turians fired the first shot. We were attempting to open a Relay, like we had done so many times before. We were not aware of any Citadel laws, we didn't even know that a 'Citadel' existed!" Gerhardt all but jumped out of his seat to voice his disapproval.
"Can you prove this?" Tevos asked as she looked over at the old Admiral. Gerhardt went through his briefcase, and quickly pulled out a small data disc.
"This Disc contains the log of interaction between the Turians and the Reich on the 6th of May 2035." Gerhardt slid it across the desk. One of the technical supporters, a Salarian, quickly played the disc for the entire room. It showed the German ships attempting to communicate and de-escalate the conflict. It was clear as day, the Turians had fired a warning shot, but misfortunate had played it's cruel hand. It just so happened that a ship coming in from the Relay was shot. War at that point was unavoidable.
"We acted in good faith, and tried to ensure no hostilities, as per our first contact protocol. Now, the Turians may have been forgiven if they attempted peace right after that, but they didn't. Their next course of action was an invasion of our colony Göringstadt." Ulfric sold his case perfectly. The Turians didn't raise any objections to who caused the war, that responsibility laid on their shoulders. The Asari wrote it down.
"Now, I'd like to talk a bit more about Göringstadt. Our colony was bombarded from orbit and then invaded. Both soldiers and civilians alike lost their life during the invasion and week long occupation. Since the Turians escalated the conflict to this point, I think it's only fair that every man, woman or child who lost anyone on that colony should receive compensation, effective immediately. Not to mention the damage to buildings, infrastructure and military installations. Of which we want reparations to rebuild the colony. This is non-negotiable." Ulfric spoke with pure passion. He had met with some of the widows after the colony had been retaken. They deserve to get full compensation. Suddenly, as those images flooded his mind, his voice became more firm and commanding.
The Asari once again noted it down. Tevos looked over at the Turians then. "Any objections?" She asked, and surprisingly, they had none. That's not to say they were happy about it, it was quite clear they were pissed off. But for some reason, they must have found the terms fair. Once the Asari had written it down, Palilienus stood up again and cleared his throat.
"We agree to those terms… But we need to discuss what happened on our colonies as well. Both the German army and the-" Palilienus was cut off by the sound of Gottfried lighting up a cigarette and taking a drag of it. Everyone looked to the field marshal with a curious look.
"Oh please, don't stop on my accord." Gottfried gestured for the Turian to go on and took another drag of his cigarette.
"-As I was saying. The German army and the so-called 'SS' committed countless atrocities on our colony. Namely Taetrus. We desire the immediate destruction of the SS and to have the German army cut down in size to prevent anything like this from happening again." Palilienus commanded, and he was dead serious about it. Gottfried put his cigarette down in the ashtray, cleared his throat and stood up.
"The Wehrmacht, and the Deutsche Heer acted honorably on the colonies of which it occupied. I have brought reports along to verify this is true, alongside a survey of the general Turian opinion on the occupation force. Now, there were some misunderstandings that happened, in which some civilians were killed. The Officers responsible for this have since been punished for their actions. But the lack of any noteworthy resistance is enough to tell us that our presence was peaceful." Gottfried handed out the copies of the report, which also included several discs. The council went on to review it, while the Turians were looking very displeased.
An hour or so later, the Turians came around and decided to leave out the demand that the Wehrmacht be cut in half. There was little to nothing to indicate that the Wehrmacht hadn't acted justly in their occupation. But that still left the issue of the SS, and once again Palilienus demanded that the SS be disbanded. This time, it was Ulfric who stood up. He never once in his life thought he would mutter these words.
"... The SS on Taetrus acted unjustly. The orders I gave to the SS Reichsführer did not entail what happened there. The Reich, and myself, were not kept updated on what happened on the Turian colony. For these actions, I deeply apologize... " Ulfric bowed his head very slightly down. Not a show of submission, but enough to show that it truly wasn't the point. "However, we can't disband the SS. If we do that, then the SS will go into open revolt, and if they win a power struggle… Then I can assure you that this war will not end until one of our species is extinct." Ulfric tried to explain, hoping they would understand.
"I don't care! The SS must go! This is not something up for discussion." Palilienus demanded through gritted teeth.
Once again tensions were reaching boiling points. So thick you could drink it like soup. Ulfric was worried it would escalate into violence. He could only think of one way they could solve this as civilly as possible. "A compromise perhaps?" Ulfric asked as he adjusted himself in his seat. The Asari looked at him with an approving look. The Turians were not entirely disgusted with the thought. "I can't dissolve the SS, since it would mean the death of countless people. However, I can promise you that any and all Officers who stood for the unjustly acts committed on Taetrus will be brought to justice-"
"Through fair trials?" Tevos asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course." Ulfric replied with a slight smile. It was a lie, the trials were already decided. Death for all officers, and they would happen fast, quick and in a hurry. "This is the best deal I can offer." Most of the statesmen, the OKW and even his own SS guards seemed on board with the idea. None of them held any love for the Officers who commited the war crimes on Taetrus. It was quiet in the room as the Turians spoke among themselves on how to proceed. Ulfric was holding out hope that they would accept, make this as painless as possible. Ulfric was also trying to process how the SS were going to react to this… Sure, they would be pissed off… but it was better than to be disbanded… Right?
"We agree to those terms. However, we want some of our judges to look over the proceedings." Palilienus spoke for them all.
"Of course. We'll hold the trials on our space station in the Sol System. The Turian judges shall be welcome to come and observe so that there are no notions of foul play, but we will render judgement." Ulfric answered them, and they nodded. That went all more smoothly that Ulfric imagined.
The talks went over for several more hours, only interrupted by small breaks and a 2 hour dinner break, in which the food was brought up from the warships still sitting in the docks. So far, it didn't seem as hopeless as Ulfric might have envisioned it. But he did realize that once it was all over, the Reich would still be on thin ice with the council. But, that being said… The doors were being opened. The Reich was joining a new community among the stars.
They discussed the Prisoners of war, in which both parties agreed to hand over all the POWs captured during the month-long conflict. After that had been discussed and agreed upon, they went on to the next point: territorial gain. Ulfric assured the Turians that the Reich had made no claims to the Turian colonies, and would leave them as soon as the treaty was signed. Likewise, Palilienus made it clear that the Turians would not demand any colonies from the Reich. The Fleets would pull back, and all troops would be taken home.
The Asari suggested a demilitarized zone in a few systems between the Reich and the Hierarchy. Nothing noteworthy was in the systems, and the Reich hadn't planned on stationing anything there, so both sides agreed for the sake of building some level of trust.
After a few more hours, Tevos stood up with her notes. "This is what has been agreed so far: The Turian Hierarchy carries the blame for starting and escalating the Reich-Hierarchy war and is required to pay reparations for the damage done to the colony of Göringstadt. All SS officers who commited war crimes on Taetrus will face trial by the Reich, supervised by Turian judges. All prisoners of war must be released back to their respective domain. the Reich will pull out their military of the Turian systems and a demilitarized zone shall be enacted to ensure both sides honor the treaty. Are there any objections?" Tevos asked after reciting the entire treaty, nicely named 'The Treaty of the Citadel'.
No one spoke up, so everyone were, at least in some sense, happy with what had been agreed upon.
"Are there any closing statements?" Tevos then looked around and asked. Ulfric said yes and stood up, which seemed to equally surprise everyone involved in the meeting.
"Just a few months ago, I considered myself to be the supreme ruler of not just Germany or Earth, but the entire known galaxy…. Now? I see how mistaken I was, how much more grand the scale actually is. I shall announce to my people that the Reich will join a brave new order, and for her part. The Reich will always keep the peace." Ulfric spoke the truth, there were no lies in there, as least not as far as he envisioned. But, that didn't mean that circumstances couldn't change in the future. Perhaps one day, they would be at war again… But much like Prussia did to Austria in 1866, there was no humiliation.
"HEIL GERMANIA!"
23/6 2035.
The Reichsführer's office, Ost Paris.
SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer Jörn Husch remained as unfazed as he could, despite all the stuff being thrown around the room, a few small busts almost hit him in the head. He watched as the Reichsführer was tearing his office apart, screaming and cursing the Führer at the tops of his lungs.
"ULFRIC YOU FUCKING JUDEO-BOLSHEVIK! YOU TRAITOR TO THE REICH! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, I SHOULD HAVE FUCKING KNOWN!" Hans Lorenz threw his chair halfway across the room and flipped over his table, the dozens of documents and reports currently on it flying away.
"Reichsführer, if I may?"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Hans yelled as he threw his pen at the man. "YOU ALL FAILED ME! THE REICH HAS FAILED ME! I SHOULD KILL YOU ALL!" Hans was running out of breath, so to compensate he smashed his own mirror. The concept of 7 years of bad luck meant nothing to him right now. "He made peace with the god damn ALIENS? WHY? BECAUSE HE IS A TRAITOR! A RAT! A FUCKING JEW!" Lorenz went right back into screaming and tearing apart the walls of his office. Jörn tried his best to not get in the Reichsführer's way.
"I should march on Germania right now… Show them who is in charge! Because clearly the Führer isn't! That fucking rat…" Hans muttered as he paced around his office, looking for more things to destroy. His rage uncontrollable. This act of treachery would not go unpunished, Lorenz swore on it. He picked up his chair and sat down in it, trying to catch his breath. When suddenly a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute…" He said to himself as he stood up again and went over to the window. "perhaps… If…" His mind began to race a thousand miles a minute, formulating a new sort of master plan. He instantly went looking for the original document that the Oberst-Gruppenführer had brought him of the peace treaty. He was on all fours, desperately turning every paper until he found it again. "Yes… YES, it could work!" Hans was laughing like a mad man.
"Reichsführer… What do you mean?" Jörn asked, almost concerned for the mental health of the Reichsführer.
"This is my chance… Our Chance! We'll play ball with Germania and the Führer… And we'll get rid of the troublemakers in the process… As it turns out, a lot of officers were involved in that invasion." Hans laughed and laughed as he turned to the window and looked out. "Ah yes… This is perfect. You played right into my hand, you fucking jew." He muttered, as if he was talking to Ulfric himself.
28/7 2035.
Reich space station, Sol System.
Siegmar Hass was brought into the room. No longer dawning his pristine SS uniform, instead wearing a simple suit. He was escorted to his place by the Wehrmacht guards, he should have seen this coming long ago, that they would in the end sell him out. He wasn't even angry at the court, or the Führer for that matter… The only thing he wanted was to strangle the Reichsführer with his own bare hands.
It was silent, except for his own footsteps as he was placed at the desk. His handcuffs were a little tight, but otherwise he couldn't complain. He just wished he could have attended in his uniform and not the suit. He looked over to the side, and saw several Turian judges sitting there. He stared at them.
There was quite the crowd, equal amounts human and xeno, yet he could mainly focus on the aliens. The looks they were giving him, the utter hatred and contempt. He frankly relished in all of it. It was the humans sitting besides them that was the real problem. Traitors all of them.
"I do not recognize this court as legitImate." Siegmar stood up and said.
"Noted, now please take a seat Herr Hass." the judge overruled his objections almost immediately. Putting on his spectacles, the farce had begun. "Now, Siegmar Hass, the court accuses you of multiple counts of criminal offenses committed on the battlefield ordered directly by you and performed by the men under your command. Furthermore, you are accused by the representatives of the Turian Hierarchy for committing several war crimes on the colony of Taetrus. What do you say in your defense?" The judge leaned forward and asked.
"Not guilty." that got a rise out of several of the onlookers within the jury.
"Explain." the judge narrowed his eyes, slowly removing the spectacles surrounding them in disbelief. He was told before this whole charade that it was expected of him to simply plead guilty to get this all over with as quickly as possible. Oh, if only he would make it so easy for them. He had long since come to terms with his fate, now in front the very men that shall send him to the firing squad, his last legacy in life will be this moment.
"I do not deny my actions, your honor. Indeed, what man can deny such… atrocities. I have ordered killings, hangings, bombings, gassings. All of it, I did it, yes! I did it, and all of you here take note of what I say next…" he panned around the courtroom, the disorder spreading faster than he expected already. "I'D DO IT ALL AGAIN!" chaos practically erupted in the courtroom, only stopped by the judge's gavel striking down repeatedly.
"ORDER!" the man bellowed, and soon calm washed over the crowds. "Herr Hass, you have openly admitted to your crimes, yet you plead not guilty. Explain yourself or I shall have you dragged out here with what little dignity you have left cut out."
"Your honor, how can a man who simply loves his country be guilty of these crimes. Accusing me of committing war crimes is like handing out speeding tickets on the Autobahn… Utterly pointless. Everything I did, I would do a thousand times over, if it meant protecting Germany and the Reich from these sub-vermin filth!" yet another round of roars. The jury practically had no place there anymore as they quickly were overruled by the common crowd in their calls for Hass' sentence. "What crimes am I guilting of? Many, for one, I am guilty of trusting you degenerates in keeping with the true beliefs of Nation Socialism. I am guilty of following orders, as any true Aryan would, and I am also guilty of subverting said orders when they were clearly meant to sabotage our war efforts for petty political squabbles! Oh yes indeed I am a guilty man your honor, I am guilty of being a true believer in the tenants of Adolf Hitler. I am guilty in believing in the Aryan Race's clear supremacy!" Oh how much he wanted to wrap his hands around the rat Lorenz's neck right now, to see the life draining from his eyes or to snap it all from him in an instant. Reality, unfortunately, is not a fairy tale, and it seemed that this tale would soon end in Hass' demise.
One last time the judge struck down his gavel. "Very well then Herr Hass, per your own words you have declared yourself guilty. This court officially recognizes your crimes and sentences you to death by firing squad. The court shall now go in recess."
"Good Lord, does that man have a flare for the dramatics." Ulfric watched the entire trial over a large monitor in the meeting room alone with Gottfried.
"Pretty good final speech to go out on honestly." Gottfried lit a cigar. "You think he'll have any last words before they shoot him?"
"Probably something about degeneracy or the fall of the Reich." he predicted. At some point, all of the SS become so predictable in their ways that Ulfric found them the easiest to read. Blind fanaticism will only get you so far however, and no matter how 'loyal' you are to anything, a bullet can still pierce your heart all the same.
A knock from the door, proceeded by Martin coming in with a tray of two cups. "Your coffee, Mein Führer."
"Ah, thank you Martin." he grabbed one of the coffee cups off the tray alongside Gottfried.
"You know, we don't have to sit through all of this. Or are you expecting one of them to be carrying a bomb in their tooth or something?" Gottfried asked as he leaned back into his seat.
"No, they've all already accepted their fate. I just want to see how much of our time they're going to be wasting with it, and if they happen to have a change of heart mid-way to death." Ulfric replied as he took a sip of the coffee.
"So in other words, you just want to waste both our time." He downed the entire pipping hot cup of coffee in a single round. Not surprising to Ulfric, yet the clear opposite to Martin, who didn't know about the Marshal's penchant for hot drinks, to a near inhuman level honestly.
"Would you rather be at home with your wife?" Ulfric retorted.
"Get me another coffee Martin. It's gonna be a long night."
No matter what happens today, history will show the trials to be necessary.