The following days showed that their optimism wasn't misplaced. TanyaLand was a booming success! People from all over Chicago and the even the MidWest were flocking there to see the sights, eat the food and, naturally, to drink the drinks.
The three Francois maids had arranged to have their day off coincide so they could visit TanyaLand while there were visitors around. While it had been fun to play there before it had been officially opened, it was so much more lively now the true visitors were around.
Isabelle was humming as she thought back to the pastries they had just enjoyed. "So tasty! As good as Paree, I'd say!"
"Better, definitely better. There isn't an odeur to interfere with the treats. I must say, I never patronize sidewalk cafes back home for that reason." Felite waved a hand in front of her face in memory.
Isabelle looked surprised. "Is that why? I thought you were just saving money for clothes!"
"Lies!" She paused and mumbled, "Clothes AND shoes."
Lucie laughed, "Well, don't worry about that mes amis, I have just been paid and this is my treat."
Felite cocked her head to one side cutely. "How is that? Payday is not until the end of the month?"
"Ah, you see, I have gotten a special bonus!"
"What?!" "How?!"
"It was simple. There is a suggestion box with a reward if they like the idea you submit. Reservations for the Top of the Tower restaurant are impossible to get because the lower restaurants close down too soon so the hours are limited. So I said that they should have limited 'after hours' reservations that are very expensive but use mages as waiters to fly food from the restaurants below. It will be magical for the patrons and make it a very special for them." Then she mentioned how much she made for the idea.
The other girls looked at Lucie with shock and said together, "Where is that box?!"
* * *
Mr. Rudolf was delighted with life. After arriving in Chicago, he was able to put his engineering experience to practice every single day. He was a like a child with an erector set, but one that you can use to build hotels, shops, Eiffel's Tower and so on. Even entire cities! There was a new challenge around every corner and he was overseeing at least a dozen projects at any time.
Now, however, most of those large-scale projects were completed or near completion and the supplies for his real role had finally arrived. His men (and one woman) were gathered together in a warehouse set aside for them with some large and very heavy crates.
"Okay, it's finally time to get to work! Now keep in mind that you metal mages will still have tasks similar to what you've been doing so far and we haven't even started the rail project in earnest." He grinned widely. "Well, vacation is over! Rejoice!" He tapped a tall stack of softbound books, each one sealed so that it would be obvious if they had been opened. "We have the manuals but it will still take a lot of practice to assimilate everything in here."
One mage spoke up, "Why didn't they ship over an instructor, Chief?"
"We have one coming but he's been delayed. Plus we didn't want to have the delivery and the instructor arrive at the same time. The other operators are working on the second generation equipment and are too busy to come babysit."
"What? They are already designing the MkII?"
"Designing? Hardly. They are testing the prototypes already." He nodded knowingly. "But don't look down on what they shipped us. These are state of the art, something the world has never seen before."
Rudolf pulled down the side of the crate which fell with a THUD!. Inside was what looked like an armored knight kneeling on one knee and packed in straw which spilled onto the floor. "There it is, the Uberstahl MkI."
They opened four more crates revealing nearly identical devices, all in the same pose. The sole female mage, Ida looked disbelieving at them. "Incredible! But, Chief, the appearance..."
"I know it's unexpected but the Ambassador wants us to impress the world with our technology but also produce something that will generate an iconic image that will be the face of TvD and Germania as well."
Emmerich, another of the mages, was helping complete the unpacking of one of the Uberstahls. "Hey, there's a package in here."
"Ah, yes. There's a set of armor that goes with each Uberstahl. They are coded to match each device for simplicity. You will not just be operators but also spokesmen for the Consulate." He nodded and barked, "Get suited up! It's time to train!"
* * *
Antonio breathed the air of New York deeply. The main smells were horse shit and coal fumes, but it was better than Ildoa. Stupid police harassing us all the time. Just because they had a little edge... years of bribes and an 'understanding' gone in an instant! Still, years of experience will be valuable here, eh? Don't they say the Unified States is the Land of Opportunity?
A driver pulled up in an automobile and said in Ildoan, "Mr. Bertolucci?" Seeing the older man nod, he continued, "I'm here to take you to the boss. I got a truck back there for the rest of your men."
"Much appreciated."
The car, while not very luxurious, was a clean, late-model job and he was pleased that the locals were taking his team seriously.
"The boss is looking forward to your arrival if I can say that."
Antonio laughed. "Sure, sure! You can praise me all you want!" He got a sly look on his face. "This is a great opportunity for all of us. This Temperance Movement is like a gold mine, no it's raining gold! There's hardly a need to even fight because everyone can get a piece of the actions."
The driver looked askance at him. "But we are going to fight? That's why you're here, right?"
He laughed even harder! "Of course we are! We're going to wipe out those fuckers and take it all!" Antonio took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag and waved with one hand. "Here's some wisdom for you, how you can survive and thrive no matter what. You have to have an eye for strength. If you are weaker, you need to act like you're weaker. If you are stronger, you need to act like you're stronger. When you are the top dog, you make everyone else your bitch, capise?"
"That easy?"
Antonio blew out some smoke. "You think that's easy? First you have to have eyes to see and then the muscles carry the load and the balls to do it. But first you need the eyes and people are so shit-stupid that they can't see what's right in front of their face."
They arrived at the headquarters. It was a disguised warehouse and, in many ways, it actually was a warehouse. Just not for what they told everyone was there. The crates said things like tools or parts or motor oil but it was actually booze... lots of booze.
The man in charge stood to one side. Antonio judged he was the boss because he wasn't doing any lifting or moving. Bertolucci walked forward with a big grin. "Ah, you must be Salvatore Lucania! I'm..."
"Antonio Bertolucci. Your reputation precedes you! Our business is growing so fast that we need your expertise!" He shook hands with the older man. "And call me Lucky. Everyone here does and we don't want confusion."
"'Undocumented importing' is tricky, true. You have to make all the right connections, grease the right palms, and the paperwork!" He shook his head. "It has to look legitimate and still keep your business running smoothly!"
"Is it that important?"
"The set you show the government keeps the cops out of your business. The set you keep for yourself tells you if you need to break some kneecaps, eh?"
Lucky grinned. "You see? Already I'm learning something." He appeared thoughtful. "We'll need help smoothing out our routes from Canadia and Mexica. Shipping, for now, we have under control."
"Don't forget your local sources. You can produce inside the Unified States. It may make the paint peel but folks will drink anything when supplies get low. Any other big issues before we get to work?"
"There was one, but I think the Chicago familia has it handled. Some puta was making booze in one of our cities and doesn't want to let us in. Capone is 'talking' to her and will make her bend the knee." He laughed uproariously! "She's not even an adult and thinks she can deal with us?"
Alarm bells started going off in Antonio's head. "Wait. Someone is already making liquor in a large enough quantity that it got your attention... and it's a girl? How can she do that; what's her name?"
"It's the new ambassador from Germania. She can legally make it at the embassy so we figured that it's only fair that share the wealth. Don't worry, when the boys are through with her, she'll see the light."
"What. Is. Her. Name!"
A bit spooked, he thought back. "Ummm, some kraut thing. Oh, yeah, Decursishaft!"
"Degurechaff? Dio mio! Call them, call them now! Get them away from her before it's too late!"
"But, she's just one girl?"
"No, no, no! She's the Diavola! No, the maestro dei diavoli!"
Unnerved, Lucky tried to call Chicago. The operator said, "I'm sorry sir, I can't connect to the party. Do you want me to keep trying? Hello? Hello?"
* * *
President Degurechaff (rather than Ambassador Degurechaff) accepted the invitation from Capone. Officially she wasn't invited by the Mayor so this wasn't a 'state' visit but instead was a 'business' visit. Considering what was likely to be discussed, that was for the best.
Mindful of American mores, she was wearing something that was barely acceptable to her. Black knee-high boots with burgundy pants and a long black coat that vaguely resembled a dress. A white blouse, burgundy gloves and her cane rounded out the outfit.
Her buttons and buckles were all silver, of course.
The meeting was at a house just outside of Chicago proper. Tanya noted that pre-automobile boom, there were no real suburbs and the land quickly became farms and a few larger estates. This was one of the latter, of course. She wondered how much the land was going for as this land would be prime real estate once cars were more common.
"Do you want me to stay during the meeting, ma'am?" The driver was a local cabby rather than someone from the embassy.
"No need, I have my return planned already." She paid him with a generous tip as he wouldn't have a fare back to the city.
"Anytime!" He tipped his hat and drove off, vowing to stay in contact with the embassy.
Tanya had considered using one of her cars but they all were 'embassy' cars or delivery vehicles or the like. "I guess I'll need to get a car of my own. It seems a waste for something I won't use often. Ah, well, today is a special case."
She walked up to the front door and knocked firmly. The servant who answered seemed surprised at the lack of fanfare but recovered quickly. "Ambassador, my apologies!" She seemed distressed and was trying hard not to show it.
"No need. And, please, I'm just representing myself today."
"Of course. Please follow me Miss Degurechaff, the gentlemen are already here."
"Lead on." She paused. "Will you be serving?"
"Yes? But of course, I won't be there for the meeting."
"Ah, good. After you serve, you should..." she leaned close and whispered something.
"Are you sure? Won't I get into trouble?"
"Believe me, you'll get into less trouble this way."
The maid knocked softly on two large double doors and then opened them after a brief pause. "Miss Degurechaff has arrived."
A smiling man said forcefully, "Good good! Show her in!"
He was sitting at the head of the table while some men sat at it while others were standing around the room. Other guys, obviously just thugs in ill-fitting suits, were also stationed around the perimeter. Except for noting their positions, she ignored them.
The sole empty seat was near the door. The maid quietly shut it but couldn't hide how thick and heavy they were. The room only had high windows shining in from a second floor annex while the ground floor was lit by gaslight. Foot of the table, eh? One door, solid. About twelve goons and assorted others. The game has already started.
"Welcome, welcome! I've heard so many good things about you from the mayor. Sit, sit please!" He waved toward a full bar. "Can we get you a drink?"
She noted that drinks, and tobacco, were plentiful. She managed not to wrinkle her nose at that. "No thank you. I find it clouds the mind when important matters are discussed."
"Oh? My experience is the opposite. It lets people work together and allows new... business... to be born." He shook his head, "But where are my manners? I'm Al Capone and I'm in charge of a little import/export business. We have a mutual friend, I'm sure you know."
She sat, almost dwarfed by the large chair. "That's why I'm here. I'm always interested in new business opportunities. Since you've asked for this meeting, you surely have some plan in mind."
"Right to business, then! I, and my partners, disagree with some laws that have been passed. Honestly, they are blow to the freedoms that this great country has been founded!" He put a hand over his heart dramatically, though briefly. "We are importing things that were legal not too long ago and continue to be much loved. I've heard that you might have access to such 'things' and could function as our chief supplier."
She nodded but said nothing.
A bit put off, he continued. "Yes. And because a savvy businesswoman like yourself knows that buying cheap and selling dear is the way to make profits, you can see how we can make huge profits right now. Demand is higher than it has ever been and it will only get higher." He spread his hands widely, "There's more than enough gold falling from heaven, and together we can spread our arms and gather up more than we can do by ourselves, right?"
"Honestly, Mr. Capone, I can't argue with your reasoning. The potential profits will be huge, even staggering. By my estimates, you could be running an enterprise worth 20, no 40 million dollars a year in profit alone in nearly no time at all."
He was all grins again. "Then we should start planning..."
She held up a gloved hand. "You misunderstand me. Such an enterprise would interfere with my plans. Certainly there would be plenty of profit, short term profits yes, but an admittedly large amount. But money is just a secondary concern of mine and it's what money allows me to do that is much more important." She started to stand but a beefy hand pushed her back into the chair. The man was easily six feet six and just shy of 250 pounds.
Capone, smiling still, but in much less friendly fashion, said, "I thought we could talk peaceably and come to an ambicable agreement. You just don't understand, you kraut cunt. Instead, I have to give you a little lesson on how we do things here in Chicago." There was a distinct CLICK as the only door was locked behind her. "You'll still make a bit of cash but nearly as much as before." He smirked, "I'm gonna enjoy schooling you."
Without warning, she swung her can toward the man to her left. Like overloaded trees cracking under the weight of snow and ice, both his thighbones broke and he started screaming in a high-pitched voice that didn't match his stature at all.
Tanya stood up with a feral grin. A few of the more paranoid guards drew weapons and fired even without orders only to see their bullets had no effect. No effect at all! She took this time to leisurely reach out to the other door guard, grab the hand still trying to shoot her, and twist it 360 degrees until there were shards of bone sticking out in all directions.
She turned back to them and simply waited. After the first wave of gunfire died down she just said, in a harsh voice she hadn't used since the War. "None of you seem to understand. I'm not locked in here with you; you're locked in here with me!"
* * *
After fifteen minutes, only Tanya was left standing. She was surrounded by blood, the smell of feces and the moaning of men. Capone himself was the least injured because she needed him conscious. "Haaaaaaa... you're lucky, you know? It would look bad if I massacred all of you on American soil, no matter how justified."
He was back against the wall, sitting in his own urine with a mangled hand from when he tried to draw a weapon when she was talking. She had his full attention.
"So I'm going to explain this to you, and I'll use very short words. You don't get in my fucking way, EVER. If I see you, or any of your goons, I'll kill you and they will never find the body. You've seen the big tower in the middle of the consulate, right?"
"W-what?"
She swung her cane and broke his kneecap and he barely could keep from shrieking as his every survival instinct told him that if he yelled too much, he would be dead in the next second. "Yes, y-yes!"
"Ah, good. That part of Chicago is mine. If you can see that tower, no matter where you are, you are too close. If you see my logo, you keep your hands off like it was made of molten iron. Anyone asks you about me, you don't know shit. Capiche?"
"Si, si!"
She smiled and even the not-very-bright lights made her look like an angel with golden hair and wonderfully blue eyes. "I'm glad we had this talk! Oh, when the police come, just tell them that a party got a bit out of hand. The mayor will help keep you of jail, I'm sure. And do make sure he knows the rules."
She broke the lock with barely a love-tap with her cane and walked out of the mansion. No one was visible so she took to the air with a camouflage screen on and vanished into the late afternoon skies.
* * *
Several minutes ago...
A maid placed a cryptic phone call to the police department reporting a 'disturbance' at the estate. She then rode her bicycle to her home in a nearby village. Behind her a phone rang over and over again but there was no one to pick it up.
Chapter 92 - No More Lonely Knights
Tanya stood in front of a wall with an image of the TvD logo projected on it. They were improvising somewhat with a sheet as there wasn't a convenient white wall to use for the new image projector TvD labs had created. In their push to create color movies, they had produced individual 'slides' which Tanya had immediately suggested they make into their own product: the slide projector. In color, no less!
Rather unusually, they were having a large meeting of everyone who was available in the consulate. Most of the time, Tanya viewed big meetings as a massive waste of time. The vast majority of people got little to nothing out of them and they were mostly used to puff up egos and spout empty platitudes. Still, if kept to a minimum, they were barely tolerable.
"I'll keep this short, as the consulate is opening soon. Please, keep eating breakfast, no need to be formal here." She pressed a button and the TvD logo was replaced by an image of a device. "First, we're going to be selling these slide projectors at cost to any educational organization. Businesses and governments will pay full price of course and we'll roll out a general consumer model in the future."
People will get used to seeing them and using them and they will be ubiquitous. And since we're the only source of slides, money will pour in even if we don't make a pfennig on the projectors! Colleges will be a great first place to start and if we offer them our own courses already made, that will be an excellent tool for truthful 'propaganda'.
"We'll curate some educational courses and pay the people who create them a royalty. If we bundle the slides with textbooks and perhaps records as well, we can endless reproduce quality material with little investment."
What her subordinates were thinking was somewhat different. She's doing her best for the children again... and the teachers, too!
"The main thing for today is how the consulate will function. ALL the consulates and eventually the embassy as well. We will need to make them the first choice in everyone's minds when they think of entertainment and relaxation." She held up a finger. "Primus, we need to keep the consulates familiar and," she raised a second finger, "we need to make them novel."
Della, dressed in her nurse's outfit to begin the day said, "At the same time, ma'am? Isn't that a bit contradictory?"
"It does seem so, right? But that's a trick of the words. What will be familiar are the ideals that we present, the branding and quality. To put it simply, we want to build up a sense of loyalty. The novelty is just that, we need to keep introducing new things for people to do, see, experience! But they will come back week after week, month after month, year after year, generation after generation! Long after the Temperance Amendment is repealed, they'll continue to come because of the memories they made here and they'll bring their families, friends and co-workers."
"That seems... hard, Ambassador."
"But necessary. If you don't innovate, you stagnate. If you aren't earning trust, you are losing it. There's no way around this. That's why we have a major expansion already planned for this consulate and are quietly buying up depressed land in our next markets." She pressed the button that advanced the slides to show a map of Chicago with the current consulate highlight and the newer, larger area. The map of the Unified States had stars and labels over several cities. Black for Chicago, red for the next expansion and white for potential sites. Excepting they were near rail hubs, none of the locations were necessarily important politically but were certainly important if you wanted to do business!
Oskar, who was familiar with the presentation pointed out, "I didn't see a star on the District of Columbus."
"Oh, we'll go there eventually but not hat in hand or buying land on the sly." She grinned. "We'll enter that town when they very politely ask us to come and hand over property of their own volition!" Tanya smiled even wider. "In fact, they may even beg us to take the land."
* * *
Over the past two months, those who could afford it, visited the TanyaLand many times. It became less 'Where shall we eat dinner?' and more 'Where in the consulate do you want to go?'. Whether for dates, business meetings, or simply good food and drink, anyplace else was simply a poor substitute. And, despite holding a near-complete monopoly, the prices were quite reasonable! Higher than in the past, to be sure, but not onerous.
Karen 'no middle name' Smith bustled around the Bierhalle. It was one of the more popular bars in the consulate due to having plentiful beer, great snacks and attractive waitresses! There was a lot of cleaning to do between the lunch and evening shifts but nothing unusual.
The bartender called out from the back, "Everything okay out there?"
"No problems, Rick. Just clearing out some fellows that had a few too many."
Most of the rest of the lunch crowd had cleared out but there were a couple left. She tapped one guy on the shoulder that wasn't quite sloppy drunk yet but was getting close. "Alright, buddy, time to clear out. If you tell them your address at the gate, they'll get you a cab."
"How about one for the road?" He said with a huge grin. "Maybe two!"
She sighed. Another newcomer who didn't understand the rules. "Look, when we say you are cut off, you are cut off. Go, sleep it off and come back some other day, alright?" She pushed some tablets into his hand. "Here. Put these in water and drink them after they stop fizzing. It helps cure hangovers and will settle your stomach."
He ignored the medicine. "Hey, I'm the customer here! My money is good! Gimme another damn beer!"
"Jesus, man, don't do this..." his friend tried to pull him back but was brushed off.
"Last warning, buddy. We have a list and you do not want to be on the list."
The tone of her voice gave him pause, allowing his friend to drag him out.
"What, are you stupid?! She almost put you on The List and if she was feeling mean, I'd be on there too!"
"W-what is that? Do you they beat you up or take your money?"
The other man shook his head. "Much, much worse you idiot." He lowered his voice and nearly whispered, "They ban you from coming into the consulate! This is Germania, you moron. They just revoke your privileges from coming here as you aren't a citizen. Now do you get it?"
Finally, the enormity of what almost happened and found that his palms and forehead were covered with a cold sweat. He felt much more sober now but didn't want to push it. "Thank you! Jumping Jesus, I owe you a drink!"
"You sure do. But tomorrow, okay?"
* * *
Tanya was staring at the latest 'attraction' with a mix of pride and shame. While she admitted they were a marvelous work of engineering and they had faithfully reproduced her request to the final letter, she wished that she had been in Germania when they were going through the prototypes. "I'm – ahem – very, very impressed. In fact, you've exceeded my expectations in every way."
"Thank you, Colonel!"
The Uberstahl suits were a niche product, but no less valuable for that. Only certain mages had the power and the affinity to move so much metal naturally. Certainly, Tanya couldn't nor most of the 203rd who were, in the opinion of most, the finest mages in the world. I know I told them to use the new anodized aluminum cladding to individualize the suits and make them less threatening but... this?!
In front of each suit was a proud-looking operator dressed in matching armor with their helmets under their left arm while they stood at attention.
"We tried to follow your suggestions precisely, Colonel. It was a genius idea to give these mages metal armor so that if they are outside of their Uberstahls, they can use their natural abilities to become even more resilient than a normal mage with shielding. Aluminum gave us strength, lightness and, of course, it was a natural material since we had perfected its use with the anodization process. We've woven metal into the flexible portions but couldn't anodize those resulting in the whitish-grey color. Still, it provided an interesting contrast and the vital areas – head, chest and so on – are protected by solid metal."
Tanya bit back any number of things she could have said at this point. Standing before her were the Uberstahls, each lovingly cladded in a different shiny metal color: red, blue, yellow, green and pink. Each had a weapon of some sort, but they were strictly melee weapons such as swords and staves.
"Ah, I see you looking at the weaponry! It was actually an idea proposed by Major Serebryakov. If these were actually deployed, as unlikely as that is in Chicago, a metal mage can surround the items much more power efficiently than using a ranged weapon. These are more urban combat, close-combat suits. They can run through a brick wall, shrug off all but direct artillery fire and dismantle a tank in seconds!"
"I'm sure you're correct, but let's not broadcast that too loudly, eh?" Upon second look, the bright colors and archaic appearance were a stroke of genius. It would be hard to look at these suits and think they were anything other than mascots. Wait, only we know about the differentiation between kinds of mages, or probably at any rate. So that means to a casual observer that knows about mages... A genuine smile split her face, cheering the surrounding people... obviously she liked it!
"Again, this is fantastic work and it will fit in perfectly at the consulate. Since Germanian is not very common here, let's call the suits Powered Knights and," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "we can call the mages Powered Rangers."
The chief's eyes practically glowed. "Those are great names, Colonel!"
I don't care about Being X but I hope lawyers from my old Earth never find out about this!
* * *
The Powered Knights were a huge success.
* * *
"President Degurechaff! We can't keep up with the orders for Knights merchandise! Using a die-cast method and then anodizing them has sped up things but that still puts us far, far behind!" The man looked frazzled, and WAS frazzled like someone trying to build a sandcastle without water.
Tanya, who was resting after practicing her piano, looked completely unperturbed. "So, what's the problem?"
"M-ma'am! There's no way we can meet..."
"Then don't. After you get a six month backlog of orders, just tell everyone after that we aren't taking any more orders until we clear the current queue. Oh, prioritize inventory for our gift shops, of course. This only applies to external shipments."
The man blinked and then slowly took a deep breath. "Ah, that sounds... easy?"
"Remember that we control the supply. Don't even apologize. We'll honor any orders we've taken already but after that? Don't worry about that at all. We can't do the impossible, naturally. When I say orders, I mean orders with money attached to them. Waiting for payments is obnoxious and going to court to enforce it is onerous. In fact, for all current orders, tell them we'll swap around the queue to fulfill paid orders first."
"That, that's right. We are in control, aren't we?"
"Absolutely. And there's still a limit of one figure per person per visit in TanyaLand. I don't want some entrepreneur to buy up our stock at the consulate and raise the prices to outrageous levels. And stay to releasing the figures in stages, so only one new figure will be released each week. That will make manufacturing easier." And keep people coming back for multiple weeks!
The man's back firmed and he felt the ground stop shifting under his feet. Why had he been panicked at all? "I'll make sure this is done, ma'am."
"Good. Anything else?"
"We got word from General Zettour about Projekt Homerun and he has tentatively approved it, subject to oversight. He's willing to open the records and give us the data we need."
She looked surprised. "So soon? How about foreign mages?"
"He said everything."
"My my. My my my my my! Get people on this immediately. The projekt team has the documents but make sure only the most circumspect designers are used. Each one will take a different country for consistency."
"Yes Ma'am. The El Dorado team has started operation but has nothing to report yet."
"Well, that's a longshot anyway. Even if nothing comes of it, the training and experience will be valuable."
The man left and she started to play Chopin's Etude in E major while she thought. Two small gambles, but if even one pays off... it's like a lottery but one where I can peek at some of the numbers!
* * *
The Chancellor sat in a room lit only by a grey twilight. Muller had been prepared to lead the Empire, now a Republic, into a new era. But now? All plans were turning to dust before his eyes. "Idiots! All Germania needs is a firm hand for a few years, maybe a decade and our problems will be substantially passed. The perils of rampant democracy and capitalism are evident everywhere."
He was tempted to get a drink but he wanted a clear head for later. He had a bottle out for the guest that was coming soon. He didn't have long to wait when the other man arrived.
"Ah, Bruning, welcome. Sit, please." His words were cordial but his voice was dull.
"The finances are not so dire that you we can't afford gas," Aden said as he sat down.
"I find the darkness helps me think. It strips away... the illusions. And our finances are about as terrible as they can get. Soon, it will only be slightly cheaper to burn papiermarks directly rather than use them to buy fuel."
"My people have the votes to solve the problem... if you go along with it."
"I know your plan and it wouldn't stand up in court. Even suggesting that would cost me my reelection."
Bruning laughed! "Are your chances so good now, then? Would you survive a vote-of-confidence now if it were to be called?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Of course I wouldn't, we are friends! But others would and are thinking about it. Only a desire for stability keeps them from doing it, though." He spread his hands, a gesture barely visible in the gloom. "It's just one law, and it only affects one company. They'll hardly notice and all we have to do is convince the public that it's only fair."
"Fair."
"It's a word. A very useful word. And the coalition of the interested only has to last long enough for this one law. Your Liberal Socialists, those under the Political Office, the disaffected Imperialists and all of the Communists and Fascists. It's a bare majority, but a majority nonetheless. A lot of them wouldn't vote for you but they will vote for this."
Muller sighed silently. For all that he personally disliked the methods, and the precedent, if it kept him in office for another term, he could justify it with all the reforms he would enact. "Do it."
The last glimmers of light reflected off of Bruning's glasses. "I'm glad you're seeing clearly. All will be well... in the end."
* * *
Major Hawthorne was looking over images of the 'Knights'. The were very detailed, and in color. Plus there was a document listing dimensions, weight and orb capabilities. Sergeant Smith had come through again. There were even pictures of the cockpit open and closed though there were no schematics of the mechanisms.
"Excellent work as always, Sergeant. It's a shame we couldn't get more details of the inner workings but even this is more than sufficient for now."
The stressed-out non-com answered with as much firmness as he could muster. "Thank you, sir."
Hawthorne put down the paper and asked, "So what do you think of them?"
"I'm hardly an expert on mages or their tools, sir."
"I just want your opinion. Please speak freely."
Smith said carefully, "It looks like a stunt, frankly."
"Go ahead and elaborate. I won't anything you say as gospel."
"At these weights, from what I understand, it would take a fairly skilled mage even just to move them around. Given their rather colorful exteriors and matching uniforms of the 'pilots', it seems like a way to draw interest to TanyaLand and little beyond that."
The Major nodded but said nothing.
"Without a motive system, and certainly there isn't room for a coal and steam system in the suit, then it's little better than a huge marionette. I never saw them move at anything faster than a slow walk but that might be because they are constantly surrounded by children." And fascinated adults! "They don't have any weaponry, as far I can tell, other than those improbable maces and swords."
"Your analysis matches that of our own mage researchers but they use much less flattering language. The term 'beyond useless' has been tossed around."
"I'd have to disagree with that assessment. I think TvD is making a small mint on matching toys and the visitor count to the consulate continues to climb."
"While I don't disagree with you, it may be these are prototypes for the future. The first submarines were small, inefficient and as likely to kill their crew as anyone else, but they were just a first step. It may be that these were designed as a proof of concept of some sort. Still, the human body is a terrible design for warfare. Pound for pound, an armed mobile vehicle would easily tear apart whatever armor they might muster and be unassailable from a distance as well." He chuckled. "In fact, I have a pet theory."
"Oh? I mean, what is it, Major?"
"That these were literally a failed experiment leftover from the war. Our little Colonel bought many, many tons of surplus from the Germanian military. It would be like her to dress a few of them up as a tourist attraction."
Smith nodded. "That seems very reasonable!"
Chapter 93 - Welcome to the new age
Chapter Text
Tanya looked at the report as if stunned... no, she actually was stunned. What does this mean? The papers didn't contain much information but what it did...
"Lucie, cancel my appointments for the next few hours. Most of them can be handled by Oskar anyway. In fact, you can tell him that."
"Yes ma'am!" She left the room and closed the doors behind her.
If I'm reading this right, Marie Curie lived a long, healthy life. She never discovered anything like 'radioactivity' or elements decaying into other elements. It's as if those things simply didn't exist here.
She sipped her coffee and tried to gather her thoughts, jotting the key points cryptically on a piece of paper. But why should they necessarily? I know the laws of nature are different here. I'm a mage, after all! Could that be the key difference between these universes?
No, I can't assume that for sure. There were two things at play here. In my old world, nuclear fusion explained the apparent age and heat of the sun and nuclear fission the fact that the Earth's core remained molten. But if at least fission was replaced by some magical effect, then the fact that this Earth is much like the one I came from is neatly explained without radioactivity.
This doesn't explain the ultimate source of magic but it is tremendously important! If I'm right, then I don't have to worry about some future Manhattan project from the West or Russy nukes from the East!
She shuddered and sat back in her chair. "I had been so worried... should I rush ahead and uncork the nuclear genie before others could or wait for it to happen naturally. This is great!"
If anyone in this world thought about anything like fusion of fission, they'd call it alchemy... and they would be right! Transmutation of elements has to be magic, right? Let's assume that nuclear fission has been replaced by magic, somehow, and it's sufficient to keep the Earth's core warm. There's also the possibility that the sun's energy is similar and would replace nuclear fusion with some magical energy. That would make nuclear weapons impossible!
Tanya felt a great weight lift from her. She didn't want anyone ELSE having nukes even if it meant that Germania wouldn't have them either. With a light heart, she wrote a note to close the Curie inquiry so no one would waste their time with it any more.
Several weeks later...
Herr Schumacher looked over the message from von Degurechaff. "I guess she got what she needed... how curious though. I wonder why she requested it." He was preparing to file when he saw a few stray scribbles on the back. "Magic core heat? Solar hypothesis?" Intrigued, he put the phrases on an 'idea' board that the scientists and engineers posted their problems and theories on to invite discussion.
He was surprised when he found knot of researchers excitedly discussion a topic a few days later at lunch. "Oh, Schumacher! Have you seen this note? There's been quite the buzz!"
"Seen it? I put it up there."
This brought most of the conversation to a dead halt. "Where? Where did you hear about it? Surely you didn't think of it yourself."
"First, I'm insulted that you think I couldn't come up with a novel idea. Secondly, it was a scribble on a memo from the president. Why, have you come up with something?"
"That's what we were talking about! It's a stretch, but what we think she was getting at is that the sun generates magical energy using its substance as fuel. This magical energy flows to the earth and is used and decomposes eventually to heat through a process of simple entropy and that keeps the core of our planet molten. This would explain how magic exists and simultaneous solve the molten core conundrum!"
He rubbed his chin. "It's far-fetched but not impossible. Why not test it out?"
Another researcher pushed to the front and said, "How on Earth do you propose to do that?" She seemed a bit belligerent or maybe just stubborn. He seemed to remember that she was a physicist that immigrated from Waldstatte.
"Not ON Earth! If magic comes from the Sun, then there could be a noticeable increase in magical energy if you get closer to it, yes?"
The discussion went LONG past lunchtime.
* * *
The waters off the coast of Columbia were warm more or less year round and many made their living from the sea. Very rarely, tourists or sports fishermen would come on vacation, escapees from winters to the north. More recently, 'overflow' revelers from the Unified States that couldn't find hotel space in Cuba or Mexica were occasionally seen this far south, visiting Cartagena and the rest of South America.
A fishing boat was doing what similar craft had done for many generations in those warm waters. Two men were guiding a filled net of fish while another handled the winch. "Ay, mis amigos! It's a good haul, we can go home early, I think!"
Carlos use a long hook to pull the net closer. "We have to get them on the ship first! Don't count..." Before he could finish the thought, there was a snapping sound like a gunshot as the cable holding up the mass of fish broke. The net, only halfway where it needed to be half spilled on the desk with the rest returning to the sea. "Damnit! What bad luck! Pepe, get a new cable out." When no answer came, he said again, "Pepe?"
"C-carlos! Pepe..."
He looked up and his heart sank. The older man had been knocked over and was coughing blood. Carlos raced over to Pepe and any hope he might have had fled. It was obvious that the snapping cable had whipped back and broken most of the ribs on his left side. He had seen injuries like this before and they rarely turned out well.
Jorge stammered, "W-we can get to port in just an hour. Get a doctor."
Carlos shook his head. "He doesn't have an hour."
"We have to do something!"
He yelled back. "Do what?! It would take a miracle for to find a ship anywhere out..." He didn't have a chance to finish the sentence due to shock. As he gesticulated wildly toward the empty sea, he noticed it wasn't so empty after all. "Dios Mio! A ship, a fair sized one is over there! Run up the emergency flag!"
Carlos went to the wheelhouse and retrieved a pistol that they kept in case they encountered less-than-friendly 'amigos' on the high seas. He shot twice into the air, counting on them to hear it even from this distance because sounds traveled further over water.
Jorge came back and tried to make Pepe comfortable but was at a loss because he didn't want to move the moaning man. Every time he coughed, more bloody froth came from his mouth and he spasmed with pain.
Carlos looked in the distance. "They are coming! It looks big enough, they might have a doctor or at least can get to port quicker."
The larger ship was metal-clad and Carlos would have been surprised at how young the people looked if had had time to think about it.
A youngish woman called out in accented Ispagnan, "Ahoy! Are you in distress?" That's when she spotted the injured man lying among the fish. In Germanian, she snapped, "Doctor! We have a wounded civilian here!"
Helmut was already grabbing his medical bag and leapt nimbly from one deck to the other, somehow managing to avoid slipping on hundreds of flopping fishes. "Help me move him away from these damned fish!" He spoke in Germanian but Carlos got his meaning. With as much care as possible, they lifted him into the wheelhouse. With little ceremony, he shooed the fisherman out of the cramped room.
The woman spoke to the men soothingly. "Don't worry. Doctor Sauer is one of the best there is."
"B-but Pepe is older and..."
She looked him in the eye and said, "Have faith, señor!"
Now that the other fisherman were out of sight, Helmut went to work. He had the standard medical training and, in fact, was as skilled as Antonia had claimed. But he had an additional advantage: he was also a mage. While not possessing enough power to fly or fight in combat, he was able to use his abilities to raise him from a superb doctor to a miraculous one.
Of course, he couldn't just wave his hands and heal people but he was rapidly improving. His preternatural senses probed the man's body as he injected him with a sedative that would keep him from struggling during treatment. Invisible fingers pushed the ribs back into place and he bound his torso with bandages to keep them from shifting around. Punctured lung, too, eh? He inserted a hollow needle into the pleural space and magic pulled the excess air to allow the lung to reinflate. Almost immediately, the man's breathing became smoother.
His eyes glowed as he examined the patient more thoroughly. No concussion, good. Only a tiny bit of internal bleeding. His gaze narrowed and a tiny amount of magic cauterized two small blood vessels inside the man's body. After double-checking everything with both magical and mundane senses, he nodded. He's as good as treated now. Just a few weeks of bed rest and he'll be right as rain. The doctor shook his head. I was skeptical when TvD researchers tested everyone for magical ability and suggested that I use it to enhance my medical skills... but now? I can't imagine doing it any other way. We are on the cusp of a revolution in medicine!
He put away his gear and stood up before leaving the cabin, thinking about the implications of how medicine would change in the future.
Jorge, seeing how quite the doctor was, stammered, "D-Doctor, Pepe, is he, is he..."
Helmut, none too skilled in Ispagnan, guessed at his question and let Antonia translate for him. "He's fine. A week of bedrest and a few days of observation at a hospital to make sure his lung doesn't recollapse or infection set in and he'll be back to fishing."
Carlos crossed himself and said a brief prayer, mentally promising to light several candles when they got back!
The fisherman watched the tourists get back on their ship. Antonia called back to them. "Remember, go straight to port!"
"Si, si! We will!" Carlos watched them move off as he waved goodbye, their steam engines moving them at a good clip. "Huh, that's odd."
"What is it?"
"Except for that one woman, I thought they were Germanian. But their ship name is Anglish."
"Anglish, you say."
"Yes. She's called the Queen of Atlantis. What an odd name!"
* * *
Visha, ever the more social between her and the President, had gotten used to high-level gatherings with very important people. Well, I guess that compared to great Generals and a certain Colonel, these political and business types are no comparison! I'll be glad when this party is over and I can go home, though!
She smiled and chatted and made deals and even more plans during the soiree. Gratefully, a friendly face was the next one she saw. "Oh, Judge Richter! I had no idea you would be here, tonight."
"Yes, well. The missus likes them and it would look bad if she came by herself." He held an unlit cigar between two fingers, apparently on his way out to a patio to enjoy it. "How is your 'daughter' doing? I rarely pick up a newspaper these days."
"Well, you should at least buy ours!" She laughed! "She is well. Tanya is making quite the name for herself in the Unified States and business is, well, business. Our American profits may outstrip our Germanian ones any day now."
"Good, good! I'm glad you are doing so well! Say, could you help an old man out to the balcony? My knees these days, you see."
"Of course!" She supported his arm and they stepped into the coolish spring night. They stopped at a balcony and she helped light his cigar with a minor spell when he was patting his pockets for a match.
"Ha! Quite convenient that."
"Your legs didn't seem to bother you much, Judge. I've been around injured people enough to know that."
He puffed his cigar, the cherry glowing eerily in night. "I'm sorry for the subterfuge, but I have news. Those bastards in the political office are making moves. Big ones. I got word they are cobbling together a coalition to pass some reprehensible legislation."
Visha had learned the value of an extensive intelligence network but even she hadn't heard about this yet. "Go on."
"It's designed to precisely gut any company with a multi-national business model like TvD's. Unfortunately, if they pass a law, rather than just a regulation, it'll be as legal as church on Sunday. It only targets very large, diversified international businesses like yours. Literally, it would affect no one else because almost all Germania's foreign assets and divisions were broken up or shut down by the War." He growled around his cigar, almost crushing the very expensive leaf.
She pursed her lips and then said slowly. "It will be obvious what they are trying to do. It'll take a solid majority, even a supermajority to push this through."
"When there's enough meat, the wolves will come running! Just paying the tax won't be good enough because they'll keep coming back every year for more. Eventually your company will be destroyed or will be crippled to the point where it is too small to be under this law... which works out to much the same thing."
"Thank you, Judge. A little more time may be exactly what we need to fight this and you've given that to us."
"Maybe you should split off your holdings altogether? You've got a foothold in the Unified States. I hate to say this because I love my country, but it would be better for you to abandon the Fatherland and start over there."
"Oh, there will be a fight like they've never seen before. Run away?" She grinned impishly, "Have you ever known Argent Silver to back down from a fight?"
* * *
Oskar handled the daily needs of the consulate with aplomb. While not a trained diplomat, he was a classically trained prince and a military officer. The combination was apparently enough to meet the demands of his current role.
Of course, the team around him was essential! The frustrations he had when he was doing more painting than consular work made him appreciate how flexible the staff was when oddball situations occurred.
Such as the current one.
There were several dozen applications for Germanian citizenship on his desk. This was mildly unusual as the Fatherland was in dire straits: the undisputed loser in a World War unlike anyone had ever seen, suffering under crippling reparations, and the perfect target for the next time a Europan power wanted a piece of land from someone who didn't have any allies.
No, the really unusual part was something completely different.
"So, am I to understand this correctly, these applicants desire citizenship..."
Gisela nodded, "Yes Ambassador."
"But NOT for Germania."
"No, Ambassador."
"Instead they wish to become citizens of TanyaLand. Do I understand this correctly?"
"Exactly, Ambassador."
He sighed and sat back in his chair (technically it was Tanya's chair, but he was the man doing the work, so he was here far more often). "I hope it was made clear to them that there is no independent country of 'TanyaLand'."
She shook her head, apparently in disbelief. "Of course! But they were adamant that I present their applications 'as is'."
"Are there any problems with them other than this?"
"No, actually, they are superior candidates overall. Mages, engineers, scientists, musicians, and other creative sorts and so on."
He looked at Gisela, recalling that she was one of the more capable administrators. He steepled his fingers and said, "Tell me how you would handle this."
She thought for a moment with her lips pursed. "There are two issues and if we separate them, then an answer suggests itself. One, is that they wish to become 'citizens'. Two, they want to reside in TanyaLand. So if we primarily treat this as a job interview, we can let them live here like any employee." Gisela laughed suddenly. "Frankly, the standards for employment with TvD are higher than most countries' immigration guidelines!"
"Do that then. If they pass muster, hire them and process their citizenship application for Germania. Oh, keep an eye out for spies and the like of course, but even if unemployment is rampant in the Fatherland, we lack capable people here in the Unified States."
"Will this cause problems... back home?"
"You'll find that ambassadors have amazing powers, frequently unused. In a real sense, we are the country. So, go, gather everyone you think worthy of living in TanyaLand and we'll welcome them with open arms." A few dozen people will help lighten the load around here. The work never ends!
Little did Oskar know, he was making the same mistake that Tanya had made months ago as the stack of applications still on Gisela's desk dwarfed the sample that he could see!