Berlin, Germany
Reichskanzlei
Unreal time - February 1925
The Soviet note asking for diplomatic recognition had stirred many an old reactionary and most of all, the Russian Exiles, of whom some had apparently decided to protest. Currently, a delegation led by their two only Reichstag delegates, Baron Wrangel and Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, tried to no avail to get past the screen of secretaries and his valet Hans, who was standing at the door. A former Army boxing champion and Sturmtruppler, Hans grizzled face usually was enough to deter any but the most determined of men, and his 200 pounds of muscles did the rest in case anybody was insane enough to try to gain access to what he thought to be sein Kanzler, as an anarchist with communist ties had found out in 1924. When said anarchist tried to leap at Sänger with a knife in hand, Hans had practically beaten said anarchist to death with his hands, not even needing to use the Mauser he carried inside his jacket. The fact that they shared the same first name was a secret source of mirth for Sänger.
Even now it looked as if his Guard dog had managed to deter the delegates from trying to gain access to his office for there was a flurry of shouted curses and slammed doors to be heard. Sighing, Sänger looked through the window as the two delegates departed. As far as he was concerned, he did not care one bit for the Russian exiles. It had been enough that they were incompetent enough to lose control of their state, why must they trouble Germany now?
Because a certain idiot went and got them out, he answered his own question.
His predecessor von Baden had tried to deter them from entering politics again, even going so far as to settle the majority of them in stalwart SPD districts, ensuring therfore none of those would get the political support to ever be elected to the Reichstag. However, as they were German citizens now, they were free to move as they liked and considering they largely came with most of their wealth intact - here Sänger cursed his own treaty once more - most of them had concentrated in three or four districts, culminating in them having two delegates succesfully elected in two of them. Of course it did not help the matter that most of the time they were demanding an increase in military spending and a declaration of war against the Soviet Union, oftentimes in the same breath.
Moskau delenda est, Sänger thought tiredly.
A flurry of words in Russian erupted in his ante-chamber. Apparently not all Russians had left. Then his secretary screamend and a dull thud was heard.
Assassination? No, Hans is not cursing - and Elise is still screaming. Abandoning his desk, the Reichskanzler opened the door and was greeted by a most curious scene. On the carpet a young women was lying, apparently unconscious, while a young man was bent over her, apparently trying to revive her. Hans meanwhile was steadying his secretary, who looked close to fainting herself.
Sänger took a quick look at Elise. Elise Li had been one of the first immigrants from china to Germany and had been engaged primarily of her typing speed and her command of Mandarin, which was a language Sänger had not found the time to master. "Elise. Get some water, please?" The secretary steadied herself and left, leaving the chancellor to address the young man. "You - stop wailing, it is not going to do a damm thing." Coming close, he looked at the young women. Her breathing seemed to be regular. "She just fainted. Hans, carry her into my stateroom." Gently, the giant picked her up as if she was made out of glass and could break under the slightest pressure - though given the size of his hands, this was probably for the best - and carried her into the Chancellor's stateroom - a room normally only used by the chancellor if he wanted to write a historic article or to relax, two things made almost impossible recently. The Room itself was decked out in the finest teak, the walls lined with books and the medals Sänger had received, but didn't wear.
Hans deposited his cargo on one of the reclining sofas. Elise returned with a glass of water, which Hans then took. Sänger nodded at the young man, but he seemed at a loss of what to do, hanging behind helplessly. Sighing, Sänger took one of the whiskey bottles situated on the wall, opened it and held it under the women's nose, stealing a glance at the young man while doing so. He seemed edgy about something and strangely familiar to Sänger as well, though he could not place them. His dirty-blonde hair had been elegantly coiffeured according to the latest fashion, meshing quite well with his blue eyes and athletic stature.
Very strange - he looks like someone who should know what to do... The young woman who was now starting to stirr, shared several attributes with him, which with her age of 18 or 19 years caused Sänger to classify her as his sister. Like her brother, she had a slender figure, her neck was adorned by some freckles and her face, which like her brothers he would have called classical, was crowned by hair of the same colour of her brother, though most of what he guessed to be an extensive length was hidden under a stylish yellow bonnet. Like her brother, her eyes which were now opening, were of a blue-grey combination.
The sound of a glass crashing to the floor and Hans shouting "KANZLER" caused him to break eye-contact as he turned around fast. And sure enough, the young man had levelled a gun at him. "Nobody move." Sänger nodded at Hans, who had been about to quick-draw the revolver he had carried. "I said NOBODY MOVE." Sänger quickly calculated his options. Seeing as how Hans and he were two, there was a high chance they could jump the would-be-assassin before he got a chance to shoot them both. However, with the gun levelled at him, he did not really care to bet on his odds. So he settled for the second option.
Talking. "What do you want?" "My sister has a declaration in her purse. I want you to read it."
Sänger turned to the woman, who looked very much flustered about the whole thing and had not moved a thing, apparently being in shock. As he extracted a paper from her purse, Sänger briefly considered grabbing her and using her as a human shield, but she seemed generally surprised about the current events - and in any case, he was not about to go into the books of history as being the coward who hid behind a girl.
The Reichskanzler took the paper and read it. "Where hereby Germany...recognizes the barbarity of the communists...promises to never honour a soviet state and - oh this is rich - pledges its full faith to the restoration of the Tsar - tell me, young man, how is Germany supposed to do so? Ask the soviets? And who is going to be Tsar - you?"
The young man turned red. "Do not mock my convictions, Doktor." Sänger snorted. "It is easy to demand respect with the force of a gun. But tell me, what is supposed to happen in your fantasy? Shall I declare war?" Common sense dictated Sänger to stop, but rage had gotten hold of him. "Do you think I am going to walk to the Kaiser and tell him we are going to war because of you threatening me?" The young man's arm quivered for a moment, then continued on. "I ask you to respectfully consider our concerns." Sänger nodded. "I did. They are idealistic and foolish. No nation will ever go to war over something you could not protect yourself." "YOU ABANDONED US."
The shout stopped Sänger in his tracks. "I did what?" "You. You did. With your great ships and men you could have helped us - but you did nothing and let the communists take over." Sänger sighed. "We had just fought a terrible war. If we had fought anohter, our own nation would have been lost." The young man however was not fazed by reason. "I was in St. Petersburg when your ships arrived. You were all well-fed, your ships and your guns glancing beautifully. I thought salvation had arrived - and then you told us you had made a deal with the communists and we could leave the country with you or stay." Sänger nodded. "It was not my decision - I was a diplomat back then, doing what I was told." "Don't lie. It was your recommendation to desert the white cause and now you will do the same with us again. You are a traitor."
Sänger pointed at the wall. On it was hanging the order of St.Andrew with the other customary decorations extended to a holder of that order. "This was given to me by the Tsar personally after preventing a war in 1915. If you really think that I did anything out of malice or because I hate Russia, I cannot stop you." The young man's grip tightened and Sänger started calculating on how fast he had to move to evade the bullet and how fast Hans, who was tensing up, had to move to stop him.
"Wanja. No." The girl - no, woman - had apparently regained her senses and was now advancing on her brother, talking to him at a rapid pace. One did not need to be a Russian to understand what was going on, but it helped to understand Russian as she implored and begged her brother to stop it, then took on a more reproachful tone when reminding him of their family's honor and then finally begging him not to do anything further because after all, she loved him and would hate to see him hurt or do anything that would damn his soul. Finally, her pleas were joined by tears and at that sight, Wanja lowered his pistol.
Which was all Hans needed as he jumped forward and planted two heavy punches in quick succession at the skull of the young emigreé. The man dropped like a stone and Hans would have stomped on him just to make sure had Sänger not yelled at him to stop. Hans quickly came to attention. "My apologies, Reichskanzler. I should have checked him for weapons." Sänger shook his head. "No apologies necessary, Hans. Take him outside and wait for my signal. You, stay." He gestured at the girl, who now had started to cradle her brother's head in her lap, silently crying. Hans swung Wanja over his shoulder like a sack of coal and exited the room, only to be greeted by members of the Guard who had been called by Elise as she had heard the shouting.
Inside the stateroom, Sänger poured two glasses of scotch. "Scotch?" The woman, who was now standing straight, shook her head, trying very much to keep her composure. "Did you plan any of this?" She once more shook her head. Sänger swallowed a mouthful of scotch before walking over to her and looking into her eyes. She stared back, not breaking eye contact. Whatever else she was, she had more willpower than Sänger had originally assumed.
"You are children of Russian aristocrats." It was not phrased as a question and in any case, her bearing would have given her away in any case, so the girl stayed silent. "I do not understand. Why risk your life for something you barely remember? You must have been no older than ten when you left Russia." When the Girl spoke, it was but a whisper. "I remember everything. I remember our house in the city and in the country, I remember the gardens I used to play in, the vast roads I used to ride on, the fox hunts...I remember the piano I used to play...most of all, I remember your ships steaming into St. Petersburg, more powerful and grand than anything I had ever seen and then..."
Her voice broke. "And then I did what I was told to do." Sänger added. "Why threaten me for trying to find a balance between what was best for Germany and for you? Do you think a Russian would have done anything differently than I did? Would you have committed Russia to a ruinious war, risking million of lives?" The girl flinched, but held her ground. "I was not in your position." "But you most likely saved my life - why?" "I had no idea what Wanja was about to do. I really fainted - it was not an act." Sänger chuckled. "That I know - nobody is able to fake fainting when forced to smell 18 year-old scotch." The girl folded her hands. "What is going to happen to my brother now?" "Hans got him pretty good, he might have a concussion." "Besides that?" Sänger downed the second glass of scotch. "If I have him prosecuted, I would create a martyr among the exiles and reveal that my security was easily compromised. I do however never want to see him in here again."
The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." After a pause, she added "Are you going to recognize the USSR?" Sänger smiled. After reflecting on it, he later would claim that it was the scotch that prompted him to ask the next question. "What would you do in my position?" The Girl pondered this for a few minutes, then settled on "I wouldn't want to presume..." "Very well. Spain is an Ally and France and Britain have responded favorably to diplomatic initiatives. Therefore, the west - except for the communist dutch - is relatively safe. In the east, Poland has amassed a formidable army, as has the USSR. If the USSR is a threat, Poland will need Germany. If the USSR does not receive diplomatic recognition, it will view Germany as a thread. If however we have diplomatic contact, we might be able to prevent another war."
The girl nodded. "May I take my leave?" Sänger crossed the room and called for Hans. A few seconds later, Hans entered. "Reichskanzler?" "Have them both driven home, no charges are to be filed." Hans was about to question the wisdom of this, but when he noted the Kanzler had made up his mind, he just nodded and held the door open for the girl to leave, which she did after curtsying to the Kanzler.
Just as he was about to leave, Hans noticed the Kanzler motioning for him with his right hand. "Herr Kanzler?" "Get me their address and their names. I think the two of them might still have a role to play in this...."
Twenty-four hours later, the German Empire formally recognized the USSR as a sovereign state.
End unreal time
Berliner Zeitung
New deployments
The German fleet and army has received several new deployment orders in light of recent political tensions.
Five Barbarossa class liners and 14 support ships, escorted by the Battleships Markgraf, Baden, Nassau, Westfalen, Helgoland as well as 2 Novara class cruisers, two Hamburg class Cruisers and 12 destroyers (2 Tatra, 6 Z22, 4 V-112) have been ordered to sea. These ships carry three marine, three pioneer, 1 Sturmtruppen and one heavy and normal artillery brigade each. It is thought they will join up with the two colonial brigades stationed at Dar-es-Salaam to reinforce the troops there in preparation for convoy escort duties in the indian ocean, while the pioneer brigades will start to reinforce the naval base to make it capable of handling the extra loads. The liners SS Kronprinz Wilhelm, Kaiser Wilhelm II and SS Hansa were requested for this duty as well. The heavy cruisers SMS Blücher and SMS Dohna, currently stationed as Dar-es-Salaam, will join up with this fleet as well.
As we have heard, Five Barbarossa class liners, 14 cargo and five auxillary ships have also been ordered to sea, escorted by the Battlecruisers Goeben and Moltke as well as 2 Köln class cruisers and 6 destroyers (4 V-116, 2 Z22). These ships carry 3 brigades of Marineinfanterie, 2 Sturmtruppen and one artillery brigade. These ships will join with the Heavy cruiser SMS Manteuffel at Flores and pick up the four colonial brigades stationed in the german pacific island possessions before proceeding to Tsingtao if the current situation in the far east escalates. A request to the Cascadian Navy for further escort has been submitted.
Germany has also dispatched the Battlecruiser SMS von der Tann to Uruguay, stating a strong desire by the german emigrants to that region to become hosts for the German Navy. SMS von der Tann was the fasted Battlecruiser when it was launched and is reported as a crack gunnery ship. The heavy cruiser SMS Kanitz, stationed in Ghana, will probably join up with that fleet as well. The six colonial infantry brigades in Ghana have been ordered to high alert and the Liner SS Albert Ballin has been asked to delay its passage to Europe to serve as an emergency troop transport if needed.
The Reichskanzler declined to comment on whether this was a reaction to socialist movement in Southern America, merely noting that the nation of Spain is considered a strong friend by Germany. The Reichskanzler did however cite the recent tensions between the USSR and Manchuria and the resolved indian Ocean crisis as the resons for the deployments, stating that it would be irresponsible for the press to lump them together as they are clearly different and unrelated deployments.
The Berliner Zeitung has also learned that several German U-Boots have left their bases.
Chinese immigration going strong
With the recent arrival of the steamer SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie in Venice, the number of chinese immigrants to Germany has risen considerably. Authorities expect total chinese immigration to Germany will hit the three million mark at the end of this year. Chinese Immigrants have been resettled by the Ministry of the Interior in order to repopulate areas devestated by the war, to speed up reconstruction, or to populize the German colonies.
All chinese must demonstrate at least rudimentary competence in German and knowledge about the German laws. No applicant may be older than 30. As a result of this, Tsingtao has become a major transit point, with large segments of the populations using it as a temporary home before eventual settlement. Large parts of the civil servants and military members in Tsingtao are nowadays spending their time handling the arrivals and teaching them the essentials.
This move is also widely criticized in some conservative circles. One influential radical leader was quoted as saying: "If Herr Sänger loves the Jews, the slavs and the chinese so much, why does he not paint his face yellow and marry one of the bolsheviks?"
Tel Aviv
The pioneer company debarked the Stoltzenfels and prepared to unload their equipment. At the same time, a diplomatic cable was forwarded to the Yishuv.
Your excellencies,
the German Empire is willing to sell you whatever military equipment you need.
Berlin, Reichskanzlei
"...yes, thank you. Good health to you as well, Monsiueur le President." Sänger put down the telephone. "I take it these were good news?", Admiral Scheer inquired. "Indeed. Now, Admiral, I take it the news have gotten wind of it?" "It was not be helped, Herr Reichskanzler. After all, we had to use some civilian ships for the operations. Thankfully, the Norddeutsche Loyd and the Hapag were most understanding."
Sänger nodded. "They are hoping for subsidies by the government for new construction. Alright then. Now, General von der Lieth, I have read the report for the autogyro. Do we have someone on the team?" The Commander of the Luftwaffe nodded. "Yes, Sir. A Bremer named Heinrich Focke." Sänger nodded. "Excellent. he is to be appointed German representative on the team and given any funds he needs. Now what of the Yishuv?"
"The pioneer company has arrived and is making preliminary evaluations in case the Egyptians give the go-ahead.", Field-Marshal Mackensen answered.
"Excellent. This concludes our business for today, Gentlemen."
Communique to all nations
Excellencies,
Germany urges all nations to consider peaceful means to the current situations and would like to stree the fact that mediation may be preferrable to an all-out war.
Signed,
Reichskanzler Sänger
Results:
- Germany recognizes the USSR (Unreal time, happened in february 1925) and some new characters are introduced.
- Germany reinforces its pacific possessions in case war breaks out in the far east
- Germany sents the SMS Kanitz (heavy cruiser, Blücher class) and the SMS von der Tann to Uruguay.
- France and Germany talk some more. Maybe a new French diplomatic initiative is underway? (OOC: Bearne, I leave you to continue with this)
- German arms deal offer to the Yishuv and the pioneer company arrives. A certain austrian corporal won't like that much.
- Immigration proceeds
-
Heinrich Focke is named German representative on the gyrocopter design team and given access to available funds.
- Germany urges all nations to reconsider peaceful means to resolving a dispute.
