Co-written with Thanas
Volkonsky Townhouse
Berlin
The open-topped KTW Silbervogel eased to a halt in front of the townhouse, its Stirling engine purring softly. Count Siegfried Schenk stepped out and held open the door to allow his wife to exit gracefully. She smiled at him. "Nervous, dear?"
He gave her a look. "Why do you ask?"
Her smile widened fractionally. "Because you never hold the car door open."
"I don't?" the Count frowned a little. "No, I suppose I don't." He sighed. "It's just that it's been a while since I had to deal with European politics. And to be frank I'm not entirely sure what it is the Sultan wants to hear about this meeting when we get back."
"So we will get back?" Daphne asked inquisitively.
Siegfried opened his mouth to answer, then frowned and reconsidered. "You know, I hadn't really considered that possibility before."
She inclined her head fractionally, her lips twitching. "I did indeed know that."
The Count closed the door of the sleek-looking car. "What do you think?"
"I think that right now, you need to focus your attention on Herr Sänger and all the things you might want to discuss with him. Like your standing at the court, and if he intends to make war on the Dominion. That is what the Sultan wants to know, isn't it?"
"You know about that?"
She rolled her eyes. "Dear. I am the president of the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company. A war would have quite the impact on our bottom line. So of course I know about that." She gestured at the townhouse. "Well, shall we?"
Siegfried smiled a little and offered her his arm, which she took. "We shall." They walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell. The Graf and his wife were welcomed by a servant clad in the colours of House Volkonsky, who bowed and asked them to follow. After leading them into the main hall, the two were welcomed by the Count Volkonsky himself. Usually, being of princely blood, it would be up to the Graf Schenk to bow first. However, Volkonsky offered his hand before anybody could even start to bow.
After the customary small talk was made, the Count asked them to follow. Reaching the library, he pushed open the door to reveal the Chancellor and his wife sitting at a coffee table. Coffee for two had already been served, with two more cups and plates, together with small cakes, having been prepared.
"Doktor Sänger," Siegfried stepped forward and shook the Chancellor's. "Thanks again for taking the time to set up this meeting. It is good to finally see you again. You hardly seem to have changed at all..." He smiled a little and looked over at Natasha. "Except for one thing, of course." He took the countess' proffered hand and kissed it lightly. "Milady, it is a pleasure to meet you. The pictures in the newspaper don't do you justice at all."
Natasha smiled, but being of higher rank, did not curtsy in return. "Thank you. It is a pleasure meeting you. And you, of course." She addressed the Graf's wife in return. "You must tell me about the latest news about the arabian breeds.."
Sänger meanwhile was inwardly pleased, given that the count had remembered that as a hanseat, he did not prefer - or even liked - being called his excellency. "Herr Graf."
The introductions being made, the Count Volkonsky excused himself. Hans, Sänger's valet and bodyguard, did the same after a small nod. With Natasha and Daphne engaged in conversation, it was easy to remove their own conversation into a more discreet corner under the guise of pretending to show the Graf the library. The two men exchanged pleasantries until they were sure they had put enough distance between themselves and anyone else to ensure their conversation would not be overheard. Once this was so, Siegfried went on to raise the first issue he wanted to address.
"There are a few matters I would like to discuss with you, Doktor Sänger. First of all... There is the matter of my fortuitous return to good standing." Siegfried frowned a little. "His Majesty the Kaiser was kind enough to grant me a reprieve from most official court functions, but I can't help wonder what my peers and indeed society at large think of my rehabilitation. Unfortunately I have long since lost track of most of my contacts in Berlin..."
Because my yellow-bellied so-called friends abandoned ship the moment I was implicated, the Count thought bitterly, but he had enough tact not to voice that sentiment. "And as much as it embarasses me to say it, as a result I have no real inclination of my standing. Yet I wouldn't want to cause a scene, or any undue embarassment for that matter. How would you advise me to proceed? Am I free to go where I please or should I, ah, 'lay low', as the Americans say?"
The Reichskanzler nodded. "Your Hochwohlgeboren are of course free to go wherever you please, as any German citizen is." Sänger paused a moment, phrasing his reply as carefully as possible. "As for the opinion at court - Unfortunately, Euer Hochwohlgeboren, I am afraid that his Imperial Majesty is not one who is steady in his opinion. His feelings about people are subject to change on a moment's notice and he did not have the best of days lately, I am afraid." There was no need to go on. After all, someone as connected as Schenk would know about the latest scandal Wilhelm's words had caused and the persistent rumours about His Majesty's health. "However, I know from personal experience that the court of the Crown Prince, His Royal Majesty Friedrich I., King of the Netherlands and of the Belgians, is far less fickle. Then again, it would of course not do to meet him and not the Kaiser, for that would be taken as a sign of disrespect."
"I see." Schenk answered while his mind was already thinking about the possibilities. The Count had been considering the nigh-boundless opportunities the conquered (
scratch that he thought ironically,
I meant liberated) territories no doubt offered to a savvy businessman. Perhaps it was time to do some liberating of his own -- of Dutch shipbuilding expertise for example, one of the few areas in which the ever-growing industrial conglomerate he owned was yet lacking. Doing so might kill two birds with one stone: obtain technical expertise at the cheap, and bring himself into the good graces of the German court.
"However," Sänger continued, "His Majesty still has the same likes and dislikes. I have taken care to mention your name with regards to the recent arms deal we concluded. So maybe all it will take is a little show of good faith - attend some events and hope to get noticed. For example, the New Year's celebrations at court, to which I can get you access, would be a good place to start."
Schenk tried his hardest not to make a face, but he was fairly sure some of his reservations showed nonetheless. He hadn't anticipated the possibility of having to endure an official court function during his visit, and truth be told he wasn't looking forward very much to the possibility of meeting (and more importantly, having to make polite small-talk with) the Kaiser, who was after all responsible for his decade-long exile from Germany and Europe. Even so, he recognized the veracity of Sänger's words -- snubbing Wilhelm now would be inadvisable at the very best. The Kaiser did indeed have a reputation as a fickle man. At long last the Count nodded. "I'd be much obliged," he responded. "We had planned on celebrating Old Year's Night at the estate, but as I recall Berlin is quite magnificent at New Year's."
At least it'll be ever so slightly less cold than OstpreuBen, he added in his mind. If there was one thing he'd realized in the past few days it was that his years in Egypt had robbed him of much of his tolerance of the Central European winter.
The two had almost made their way to the entire library. Eventually, Sänger stopped in front of a rather large tome laid out on a reading desk. Opening it, he revealed a medieval copy of Hecataeus of Milet's
famous world map. Putting his finger on the right edge of the map, he wistfully remarked "It was all so uncomplicated back then, wasn't it?"
"You mean back when there were yet Persians clamouring at the gates of Europe?" The Count smiled a little to take the sting out of his remark. "In my experience the world has grown larger, but the issues in it remain the same. Which brings me to another reason for this visit, one I suspect you must have inferred. I have been...
asked," Schenk crossed his arms, and his tone made it abundantly clear it hadn't been a request at all, "to inquire if and how Egypt and Germany might cooperate more closely to counteract the aggressive posturing of the Grand Dominion. I am not privy to all the details, but I can tell you there is considerable anxiety in Cairo over the threat to the freedom of the seas posed by the fleets of Shepistan and the Dominion as well as the latter's control of the Bab el-Mandeb. The Sultan asked me to convey his hope that the information sharing agreement is the beginning, not the end, of the cooperation on this matter between Egypt and Germany."
The Count briefly considered his next words, but ultimately felt he owed it to his host not to omit his private reservations. "Of course, I suspect this isn't solely to do about a lofty principle like freedom of the seas. It is no secret crusader control of southern Arabia has long been a thorn in the eye of the Sultans, and the only reason Egypt hasn't yet taken it back is the crusaders' naval supremacy, something the Sultanate has not coincidentally been rapidly remedying in recent years." He shrugged. "Still. I am no strategist, but I imagine an informal agreement of some kind could be of use to..." The Count frowned, realizing he'd almost said 'both our nations'.
Huh. "Both Germany and Egypt" he finally finished.
Sänger nodded. "I have to confess, Herr Graf, that this does come as a surprise to me. Considering that you are a member of the Aegean axis and that this does include the Byzantine Empire, which has an excellent Navy, why would the Sultanate need Germany?"
"Trouble, thy name is Shepistan," the Count smiled wryly. "At present, the Byzantines are worried more about them than the Dominion. Despite the ceaseless shooting between the Dominion and Shepistan it is... difficult to predict Von Sheppard's reaction. And with the Balkan Confederacy occupied with internal matters at least at the short term, we would be facing the possibility of an even fight. The Sultan would prefer to avoid that, and considering that our interests align..." He shrugged. "If one is to fight, it is better to do so with a decisive advantage."
The Reichskanzler nodded, then proceeded to voice his objections. "In any case, at least until August, the German Navy is in no condition to fight a war. Our battleships and battlecruisers will not have finished refitting until then, nevermind the demands placed on our manpower in incorporating the new Bismarck class battleships. As for the conduct of such a war, I am not sure if the conditions favor us. We would be fighting actions several thousand miles removed from our shipyards. I doubt your infrastructure allows the simultaneous repair of over 12 battleships."
The Count scratched his chin. "Indeed it doesn't, although the Byzantines would be able to effect repairs on such a scale. Rest assured that if Egypt goes to war, it won't be doing so without the support of its allies."
"I see. Still, there is the strategic situation to consider. The fleets of Germany's allies, with the exception of Tuscany, are not strong enough to protect their coasts from British aggression. They rely upon our heavy units to protect them. If we remove our fleet from our shores, we would dangerously expose ourselves, and nevermind the problems that would arise if we have to fight a war that will be several years long in the Indian Ocean."
"That is of course perfectly understandable. Of course, the British would perhaps think twice about waging a war against you if the Sultan were to threaten to close Suez to them -- that would leave their colonies in New Zealand and the Pacific dangerously vulnerable to..." the Count looked at Sänger from the corner of his eye, and his lips twiched a little. "Challengers."
"Even so, although I of course agree that Egyptian control over the lands of the fanatics would be far more preferable than the current situation, I am afraid the only naval support I could promise you would be the second-rank battleships already stationed in the IO and submarines. We could transfer over 100 submarines to that theater. However, I think you will agree with me that submarines and old battleships are an extremely bad way to win a war."
"But they would make quite a useful tool for denying the Dominion garrison in al-Yaman reinforcements. Without those reinforcements a war would be over all the quicker... The terrain might be difficult, but there is no way the Dominion troops can hold out against the Army of Arabia. With the support of our other allies I believe even a modest commitment could decisively tip the scales. I understand your predicament with regards to the British problem though -- perhaps we can work out an informal pledge of assistance? We promise not to interfere with Germany's policy towards Britain, Poland or the Nordic Union, and in return, Germany pledges some modest assets in case Egypt and its allies go to war against the Dominion?"
Sänger proceeded to think about it. It was a tempting offer, for it did provide Germany with security to settle the problem of Poland. On the other hand, it would practically guarantee war, something he was not prepared to do yet. Especially not because he was not sure how the old battleships were supposed to defeat the more modern dominion battleline and how his submarines would fare against the Dominion convoy tactics, which had been in constant training due to the Shepistani submarine threat. "No, Herr Graf. I am afraid that until the provocations of our Neighbours and the Dominion threat increases, I shall be unable to offer such an assurance. Especially considering that you are, as I currently understand, not empowered to make such a secret treaty for all the members of your alliance." The Reichskanzler paused for a moment. "However, should any particular of that situation change, I would be glad to receive your offer once more."
Schenk inclined his head fractionally. "I understand your position, and I'll relay it back to Cairo. They can see about coordinating with the rest of the alliance, I'm sure they'll get back to you. And that is enough geopolitics as far as I'm concerned..." The two men began the walk back through the library. "Oh, by the way... I have been talking with my broker about the possibility of diversifying my investment portfolio here in Germany. He told me I might be interested in buying into a Pomeranian shipbuilder I'd never heard of... An AG Vulcan Stettin. Do you happen to know if they are any good?"
Sänger's lip twitched in bemusement. "Indeed. They are a rather odd shipbuilder. Their management declined to expand their slipway to build the new Battleships. Instead, they believe the larger profit lies in building carriers, submarines and other light units. They already are the major partner in building our Hamburg class light units, with a third of those ships being built in their yard. I think you could reasonably expect to purchase up to 5% of their shares on the market, given the recent drop after they announced they would not make an offer for the new battleship contracts."
"Interesting, very interesting... So this would be a good time to buy. I'll be looking into doing so then, Mr. Hermes was quite enthusiastic and he has rarely been wrong in the past..."
The two statesmen joined their wives for coffee, the rest of the meeting spent with small talk of no consequence.
Results:
- informal meeting concluded
- Egyptian offer for a secret pact against the Dominion rejected
