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t-t-t-the story will be over? NOOOO!
In the epilogue you must include what has become of the main characters after the story's timeline.
 
I'm sorry to see it go, but I must say: your storytelling and writing skills have improved tremendously. I applaud your wonderful AAR.
 
t-t-t-the story will be over? NOOOO!
In the epilogue you must include what has become of the main characters after the story's timeline.

Don't worry, I won't leave that out :)

I'm sorry to see it go, but I must say: your storytelling and writing skills have improved tremendously. I applaud your wonderful AAR.

Really? I kinda thought it started out stronger and then it got a bit flat during the Barbarossa Campaign. But maybe that's because in-game events slowed down, forcing me to expand on the plot instead :p
 
yeah, well, could you have come up with it early on? I think not. all you get from the game is "UK spy captured in Germany." You turned that generic spy into Anna. and about the uniforms and stuff, I thought you were implying she was secretly attracted to Wilhelm. that's all. and trust me, I've been writing short stories just for myself since I was 12 or so. you can't imagine the number of rewrites and failures before I was content with it. and that was in the days before you had a dustbin on your screen. tons of paper I threw out.
 
The funny thing is that I hade a note very early on (practically at the time when she entered the picture in the first place) that she might be a spy. Back in Chapter XX which consisted only of some spy reports, the signature was "A" intentionally, but I wasn't sure yet. And I guess the whole purpose of Alexanderina was to be the red herring. Or at least I chose a name starting with an A for that purpose. Adding a supporting character for Martin didn't hurt either :) So to make a long story short, Anna was a potential spy right from the start, but she turned out to love Hans enough to leave all that behind her. Same with Erhard/Nemo. I mean when he disappeared, I didn't know yet that he will return (I was ready to sacrifice a character for good), but the Nemo character was based fully on that idea.

And you know, what? Here's a little spolier :D
There's more to the Erhard/Nemo plot than what's revealed already.


And here's a little bit of trivia for you:
While I didn't choose the names Hans and Anna intentionally to match it, the game Syberia might have had an unconscious effect. In that game the main protagonist searches for a certain Hans Voralberg, a mentally impaired man suffering from a childhood head-injury who has a great talent for automatons and has an older sister named Anna. A really heartwarming story.
 
Ive enjoyed the read a lot. Your skills are more than you give yourself credit for.

Whilst I did forsee the whole Nemo = Erhard thing, the Anna thing caught me a bit.

Also, what happened to that Romanian chick in the end?
 
she married an old count and lived happily ever after, although some say she looked a little pale after the wedding.
 
she married an old count and lived happily ever after, although some say she looked a little pale after the wedding.

And her teeth had grown a bit :p
 
Ive enjoyed the read a lot. Your skills are more than you give yourself credit for.

I thank you for your compliment! It is really awesome that the AAR is closing to 90.000 views, that's a lot! So yeah, maybe it's not that bad ;)

Also, what happened to that Romanian chick in the end?

Want a spoiler? Here:
She served her purpose for now but we will come back to her for a little at the ending. But don't expect too much.

I just love this new (or old?...) feature! :D

she married an old count and lived happily ever after, although some say she looked a little pale after the wedding.
And her teeth had grown a bit :p

At first I didn't get these two replies because I missed the question about Alexa... Oh, well :p

Great AAR i just caught up i like this style of writing like a nartative rather than like a report or history booj great work slan

I'm glad you liked it! I'm not sure if I will ever do something similar again though. It was very hard at times to follow through with the story of the characters when it became less and less related to the game itself because I still felt that the main focus should be that. Maybe it would have been easier if I just wrote a novel. Then again, maybe it's only the neighbours grass being greener :)



Anyway, I wanted to post a little note that I've finished writing up the last Chapter and the two Epilogues, and the former will be posted on Friday with the two others following in a week each. So stay tuned!
 
I must admit, Slan, that I am not a fan of long narratives but I agree with the others that that was a very impressive work :)

Good luck with your new project!
 
Chapter XL

In which our story comes to an end.


September 30, 1941. Tokyo, Japan. The twelfth birthday of Kazuko Takatsukasa, third daughter of Emperor Showa.

Jason was sitting in his hiding place. His position might not have been the best one, but it was good enough, and out of the way enough so that he wouldn't be spotted right away. He had no illusions about this mission. He will have to shoot the Emperor of Japan and blame it on the Americans. Leaving his scoped M1903 Springfield rifle won't do. He will have to provide an American (or at least convincingly American-looking) assailant. And quite frankly, there wasn't really an abundance of those around...

showa_family.png

The Emperor of Japan and his family in 1941.



*** *** *** *** ***​

September 28, 1941. Tokyo, Japan.

- Erhard, is that really you?

- Do I know you, Sir?

- It's been such a long time! Can't you remember me? Wilhelm von Walsrode!

- I'm really sorry, Sir, but we should be moving. We need to get to the hideout before we are caught. Follow me!


*** *** *** *** ***​

The hideout was in an unused church, close to the ceremony. The Christian religion was not prohibited in Japan, but as of late, the number of the faithful decreased so much that most of the churches were abandoned but not all of them were taken back by the government or even used by anyone.

- I'm sorry, Sir. It is possible that we have met, but I can't remember. I've had some head injury in a POW camp back in the Soviet campaign, over a year ago and I suffer from amnesia ever since.

- POW camp? How did you get there? You are a university graduate! You never even were a soldier. You are a pacifist for Christ's sake!

- Pacifist? - Jürgen was standing in the door with a cello case in his hand and Seargent Wulff behind him. - He has over a hundred confirmed killes with his service rifle. This one is not an adequate replacement for a Kar98, but we will work with wath we have. - He opened the case. It contained an M28 Mosin-Nagant.

- But this is a Russian weapon!

- Good observation, Private. It was hard enough to smuggle this rifle here, let alone a German one.

- Understood, Sir. - Nemo checked the gun. - Will I have the opportunity to fire it before the mission?

- Not tonight. But there's one more day until the ceremony, we will try to arrange something for tomorrow. Hopefully it will still be raining. Thunders can hide the sound of the gunshot.

- Major, would you like a cigarette.

- Sure, why not? - They stepped out to the garden in the back of the building. - What is it, Wulff?

- Sir, call me paranoid, but I really don't like that guy. The Abwehr Captain. He has some hidden agenda, I feel it!

- Yes, he probably does. Not that we can do anything about it though. When I recieved my orders from Field Marshall von Weichs, he made it clear that his presence is not negotiable.

- Did you tell him about that incident three months back?

- No. And I don't see what he could have done with the information either. That incident officially never happened. I will keep my eye on him.

- Alright. But I still have a bad feeling about this...


*** *** *** *** ***​

September 30, 1941. Tokyo, Japan.

Nemo was clearing the rifle while Wilhelm and Jürgen were going over the plan for the last time. Wilhelm will attend the ceremony. He will be close enough to the Emperor to have a clear field of view to any positions that have a line of fire to the target. When he notices the assailant, he excuses himself from the ceremony for a moment and notifies Wulff, who returns to the new position (a second-floor room of a hotel) where Jürgen will be waiting. Once he gets the information, he seeks out the assassin and eliminates him. Once the ceremony is over, they return to the rendezvous point and return back home. Discretion is preferable but in case of an emergency, Nemo is supposed to take care of the assassin with the rifle.


*** *** *** *** ***​

Wilhelm was sitting in a row of German officers and diplomats on the tribune. Erhard explained to him the night before that there were only three possible locations where the shooter can hide: the hotel, a three-story building to the left and from the top of a hill in a park nearby. He was still deeply disturbed by the fact that Erhard even possessed such knowledge. How can you misjudge someone's personality so much? Or did he change really cange? Is that even possible?

From the three potential locations the hotel was ruled out first. Jürgen double-checked the guests at the hotel and of course the police did so as well. And their own position was there too, so even if it turned out to be the enemy's position, it would only make things easier.

The three-story building was an office of an accounting company. During the Sino-Japanese War they were employed by the Army for military logistics calculations and bookkeeping. Later during the Soviet campaign they took that role again but now with the operations replaced with occupation their services were no longer necessary and they returned to their everyday jobs. At any rate, that building was way too busy and crowded for a sniper, except for the flat rooftop. It should be very easy to spot someone up there.

The hill in the park was also considered very unlikely. It was not as busy as the office building but there was absolutely no cover and no escape route. Only a madman or a fanatic would choose that position, it clearly would have been suicide.


*** *** *** *** ***​

Nemo was looking through the scope of the rifle at Wilhelm. He was confused. He didn't remember this man at all, but that's not too surprising considering that he didn't remember anything else eiter. He wasn't even familiar, but he said that they didn't know eachother that well. He also talked a bit about their common friends who were supposed to be childhood friends of him but neither of their names rang any bells. Maybe if he met one of them in person? The old man, Wulff said something about sudden events bringing back memories, that he saw stuff like that back in the day with shellshocked soldiers. Maybe once this mission is over, he could go back home! Maybe he could fit into society again! If they allow him. Maybe...


*** *** *** *** ***​

Benz would surely say that the entire facade is pointless. "Clearly none of the options are available. The sniper can't be at the hotel, he can't use the office because of the crowd and noone's crazy enough to shoot from the hill with no escape route! If the shooter can't shoot from either of the places then he obviously can't shoot at all! Mission accomplished, we can go home!" If only it was so simple. But a couple sat down in the pavilon on the hill five minutes ago and the man had a suitcase. It could be them.

Still, he wasn't sure yet. And he wasn't going to compromise the mission on a hunch. What if it's not them? Sending Jürgen off on a wild-goose chase would be a waste of precious time. And even if it's them, you can't fit a rifle in a suitcase, you would need to disassamble it first. If they start to act suspiciously, he will have plenty of time to intervene.

Maybe Benz would be right. Maybe there's no assailant. Would it be too good to be true? Well, it surely doesn't look like there's anyone out there! Unless... Yes! That's it! He suddenly run off the tribune.


*** *** *** *** ***​

Jason looked into the scope. He will only have one shot at this. If he screwes up he will die for naught. He will most likely die even if his aim is true, but he tried not to think too much about that part. The Emperor is still nowhere. Will he even show up? Maybe he got sick or something. Maybe he won't come and he can go home! No... He has a duty, he has to see this through! The whole free world depends on it!


*** *** *** *** ***​

- I'm awefully sorry, it must have been something I had for breakfast! - Wilhelm was apologizing to the diplomat he was sitting next to when he returned. Wulff was already on his way. After a few minutes he saw Jürgen coming out of the hotel followed by Wulff.


*** *** *** *** ***​

Jason was caught completely off-guard by the sudden ringing of the church bell. The bloody thing was only a few yards from his ears! Who the hell could have done that?! He jumpad back from the window and dropped the rifle pulling out his pistol. There was someone coming up the ladder and fast!

- You possibly blew my cover you bloody bastard! - said Jason kicking Jürgen in the head so hard that he almost fell off the ladder. He would have probably shot him but that would cause more trouble than its worth. But Jürgen quickly regained his momentum and grabbed Jason's leg, throwing him off his balance. It gave him enough time to quickly climb up to the bell tower.

- Oh no, you again? - Jürgen still remembered the left hook he recieved from the man.

- Heh, the lucky guy! - Jason was still holding the gun. - You know, you really screwed things up with your randomly selected housewife for public enemy number one!

- Good, then at least something good came of it! - Jürgen glimpsed at the scoped rifle. - You know you can't get away with it!

- And you know I won't give up. We've come to a stalemate, didn't we?


*** *** *** *** ***​

The ringing of the church bell caused some confusin among the guests of the ceremony but they continued without paying too much attention.

- You know, you don't really need to be here if you really feel sick... - whispered the diplomat in the ear of Wilhelm. He was squirming in his seat for a while now. - But please, stop this! - This was the perfect cue for him to get out of there. Something is going on, he just knew it. Jürgen was walking back towards the hotel. Or rather he was limping. Something was wrong.


*** *** *** *** ***​

He didn't want all this. This high-profile ceremony and all for a simple birthday. And why did he have to hold a public speech? He would have never agreed to it if it wasn't his wife who asked him. She has a certain way with words. Not really forcing, no. Only strongly suggesting. He never had the will to oppose her. And here he was, walking towards the podium with a speech in his hand. "Well, at least I don't have a stutter like a certain other monarch does!" This was the last thought that crossed his mind before the impact of the bullet.


*** *** *** *** ***​

Wilhelm was about to enter the hotel when he heared the faint sound of a gunshot from a small caliber pistol. He fastened his steps but he still couldn't run because of the wound in his leg from that incident in June. He was already on the second floor when he heared the second shot. This time it was from a rifle.


*** *** *** *** ***​

- I missed... - Jürgen was sitting in the corner. His leg was bleeding badly. - It was such an easy shot, how could I have missed it?

Nemo was lying on the floor next to him with a wound in his chest. He was barely conscious.

- What happened here?!

- He wouldn't take the shot because of some sentimental crap. He didn't have the guts.

- So you shot him...

- I had to! The opportunity was sliping away!

- What opportunity? The mission was to save the Emperor's life from a British assassin. And seeing your leg wound, I assume you took care of that. I don't understand!

- Of course you don't understand! It was only part of the mission to save him from the British spy! The other part was to shoot him and blame it on the Russians!

- What?! What would be the point of...

- Don't you see?! Those crazy Japs are going to attack the USA! They must be stopped whatever the cost! The only way was starting another war with the Soviets... - Jürgen was interrupted by Wulff entering the room.

- Boss, we've got to get out of here right now! They will be here in minutes! - Then he noticed Nemo bleeding on the floor. - What the hell happened here?!

- He shot me... - Nemo was in a shock. - He really shot me...

- Don't whine like that, this wound won't kill you! - Jürgen replied - The bullet went through, it hurts more than its real damage.

- "Only hit so hard to cause pain, but no serious damage." - Suddenly Nemo's expression changed. - It was you! You bastard! - He pulled out his knife and with surprising speed he jumped over Jürgen, stabbing him in the chest. Jürgen had enough time to put some more bullets into him but not in time to save himself. Wilhelm was paralyzed... Wulff had to literally put him on his shoulder and drag him away, just in time to avoid the arriving Japanese police.


*** *** *** *** ***​

They were sitting in the car, on their way to the airport. The mission was over, and as far as they were concerned, it was a success. The life of Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan was saved, even if at the cost of the life of two brave soldiers. Well, sort of.

- Hey, Boss, any idea what Nemo meant by that whole "pain but not damage" stuff?

- No, and I guess we will never find out. But it turns out you were right about shocking events bringing out memories.

Index
 
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What a nice... wait. wait. waaaaiiit. That's not a sufficient ending!
 
Well, I'm sorry but that's all you get until next Friday ;)
 
ok, but let me just ask you a question about it all:
Did Nemo/Erhard stab Jürgen because Jürgen shot Erhard or because Jürgen took him away all that time ago?
 
I never would have thought Ehrard to be Nemo. obviously, Jürgen tortured him and caused his amnesia. can't wait to see how this plays out. it reads like a '60s CIA plot: the UK wants to get USA into the war, while Germany wants Japan to go for the Soviets. but what if the Japanese find out they were Germans? did you cause a DoW on yourself? and if you did, was that planned or not?
 
ok, but let me just ask you a question about it all:
Did Nemo/Erhard stab Jürgen because Jürgen shot Erhard or because Jürgen took him away all that time ago?

I thought it was obvious from the Chapter...

I never would have thought Ehrard to be Nemo. obviously, Jürgen tortured him and caused his amnesia. can't wait to see how this plays out. it reads like a '60s CIA plot: the UK wants to get USA into the war, while Germany wants Japan to go for the Soviets. but what if the Japanese find out they were Germans? did you cause a DoW on yourself? and if you did, was that planned or not?

Well, your CIA plot is basically over, although the consequences are not yet clear. They will be in the Epilogue this Friday :)

A really super climax, Slan!

A sad end for Erhard but it seems Jürgen had it coming! :D

Of course we still don't know how this all played out... was the Emperor hit? Who is at war with whom? Looking forward to the epilogues!

The suspens is killing me! Oh, wait... I know how it ends, only you don't! :D But you will, soon enough. And I can promise there will still be some cause for suspens even after this Friday's Epilogue Chapter ;)
 
Oh, and by the way, we've just went over 90.000 views! Awesome! :D
 
Slan, What does the Page say about the Views?

IT'S OVER 90000!

What?!