Nobody we know. This is the first we're hearing of it.
She definitely sees a lot of herself in Ilyana and knows the pain she's going through right now.
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Another sign he's losing it, he's so obsessed with the Hohenzollerns he doesn't even bat an eye when Gertrude does this.
- 1
Princeps Civitatis
Ilmarisen Takomo - November 26
The bunker cafeteria was not that busy, even during lunchtime. This was the civilian cafeteria, and the soldiers—who made up most of the bunker’s population—had a separate one, so maybe that was to be expected. Unfortunately, Samir was stuck in this one because he was still assigned to Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina continued eating her lunch, a Kaalikääryleet cabbage roll. It was pretty good, if a little…leafy.
“If I may suggest,” Samir suddenly said, “You know we can easy ask the cook to make something more appropriate for you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Wilhelmina said, “I like this cabbage roll.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Samir said, “Usually when royalty like Tayisung eat, they don’t eat cabbage rolls. Or eat in this cafeteria, for that matter.”
“Well, I’m not like the usual royal,” Wilhelmina said, “Legally, I’m not even a royal anymore. And even if I was, I still wouldn’t.”
“Why is that?” Samir said.
“Because my mom taught me I needed to know the struggles of normal people,” Wilhelmina said, “Something her dad taught her after the war. We needed to know how our fellow citizens lived their lives, so we know what they’re going through. Otherwise, we’d just be more snobby nobles who don’t know anything about the rest of the world.”
She remembered the first time she played Fire Emblem: Crusaders of Light many decades ago. Near the end of the game, she accidentally stumbled into a hidden cutscene in which Seliph met the ghosts of his parents after a decisive victory. Sigurd, his father, then imparted some sage words to the young prince and liberator, as well as to Wilhelmina in real life.
“You must stay humble, no matter what. Remember, your power alone was not what brought you victory today. You must learn the sorrow of the common man. Your truth is not the reality of all. Unless you know their pain, these long years of war will have been for naught…”
Funny enough, she was a lot like Seliph currently. Both the true heirs of fallen nations twisted into brutal dictatorships. Only difference was Seliph had an army and she didn’t. He also had a cool sword.
“Interesting,” Samir said, “You’re quite different from Tayisung.”
“Samir, you always seem to assume nobles and monarchs are out of touch pricks,” Wilhelmina said, “I don’t blame you; there have been so many out of touch pricks for monarchs lately. Is there a reason for that?”
“To put it bluntly, I don’t believe in aristocracy, ma’am,” Samir said, “To be elevated above all others based on the circumstances of your birth feels unfair. Meanwhile, my family toiled in the slums of Kursk for generations. Tayisung and his forefathers did nothing for any of us, despite proclaiming they would be better than the Soviets. No. The flags and hats may have changed from Soviet to Toghorilid to Paulluist back to Toghorilid, but the situation remains the same. Those in power still put their boots on the necks of those without it.”
“I understand,” Wilhelmina said, “It doesn’t make sense why a man like Tayisung controls the country when all he had to do was be born into the Toghorilids.”
“Exactly!” Samir said.
“What are you suggesting, though?” Izinchi said, walking over. “Dissolving the monarchy?”
“That is certainly a good idea,” Samir said, “Yavdian society could become a lot more equal without the nobility.”
“Oh hey, Senator,” Wilhelmina said, “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you,” Izinchi said, “Getting lunch when I heard Private Tetchu talking about ruling in cuitlapilli, in atlapalli.”
“Senator Ochimeca, you’ve made a big deal about social equality in the Reichstag, before the committee took over,” Samir said, “Tell me it isn’t a good idea to at least consider?”
“Let me see,” Izinchi said, “You propose to bring the nobility down to the level of everyone else, and in doing so level the playing field.”
“Yes,” Samir said.
“What if, instead of that, we lift everyone else up instead?” Izinchi said. “The aristocratic classes in many countries enjoy privileges and standards of living that would be unthinkable to many of their poorer compatriots. For example, nobody should have to live like you did. Tayisung needs to know the struggles of his citizens, but throwing him in a slum won’t help mend social divisions. Someone else will just take his place and continue the status quo. Instead, bring people out of the slums and to better standards. Give them the privileges the aristocracy have. Allow everyone to reach their full potential. Then the nobility will be no different from everyone else, and you’ll have an equal society. That’s what the PMS had been striving towards, before…you know.”
“But the aristocracy remains, in the end,” Samir said.
“In a purely ceremonial manner,” Izinchi said, “When everyone has their privileges, the only thing different about them will be their titles, which will be little more than fancy names. And we’ve done a good job of elevating civilian governments already. The real power in Yavdi lies in the hands of the State Great Khural, doesn’t it?”
“Tayisung can still override the State Great Khural if he wants,” Samir said.
“He has never done it, though,” Izinchi said, “He has always deferred to the civilian government during his entire reign, and so has his father. It has been that way since 1986.”
“You do have a point,” Samir said, “Why don’t we talk about the Reich, then? After all, it was the lack of restrictions on the Kaiser’s authority which led to the current mess. And going back further, the old Metternich system of government we had in the Imperial Century did not work because it was too centralized on certain powerful men—the Kaiser and chancellor. The Diet through that era was nothing more than a mere formality, even after the first yearly examinations began. Such a system of centralization inevitably collapsed when the men it was centralized on died, leading to World War I and to the rise of the Angeloi.”
“My grandfather tried to do better,” Wilhelmina said, “He came of age just as Markos Angelos abused the Metternich system to transfer all power from the throne and the chancellery to him and then plunge the world into war. He fought for five years against Angelos, and when he finally won, he realized by ignoring the concerns and struggles of the common people, the Reich was doomed to a cycle of stagnation and eventual collapse. So he tore it all down and made the Ottonian system, one where the power of the nobility was broken and handed to the people. It worked.”
“For seventy years,” Samir said, “We likely would’ve kept the status quo, if not for the fact that…”
“The Kaiser still retained absolute power,” Izinchi said, “There was nothing stopping the Kaiser other than his own morals from simply dismantling everything.”
“The one fatal flaw in the Ottonian system,” Wilhelmina said, “A flaw which allowed the committee to seize power and plunge the world into more chaos and suffering.”
“So what will you do to solve it?” Samir said.
“If I ever take the throne, after all this, I can’t keep the old system, much like my grandfather couldn’t have kept the Metternich system,” Wilhelmina said, “To do so would be to repeat the mistakes of the past. No. What I’m going to do as Kaiserin is sever the monarchy from the political process altogether.”
Izinchi stared at her. “What?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted all along, Izinchi?” Wilhelmina said. “I’m not even abolishing the monarchy. I’m getting rid of the Achilles’ heel of my grandfather’s system.”
“I mean, yes, but I didn’t think it was something you wanted,” Izinchi said, “Or that it was even possible to do. And if you do follow through, we both know we can’t go back.”
“I know,” Wilhelmina said, “But it must be done. Monarchs rarely give up power on their own.”
“See all of the revolutions of the 1800s,” Samir said.
“The throne has always been the supreme authority in the Reich for the last thousand years,” Wilhelmina said, “The only limitation we’ve had on the Kaiser’s power is the guarantee of Augustinian freedoms. Everything else is fair game. The fate of two billion citizens—down to maybe 800 million now thanks to the committee—depends on the whims of a single person who gets that power because they were lucky to be born. Hell, I was lucky—or maybe unlucky—to be born a princess, I’ll admit that much. It’s time we gave that power back to the people as a whole. The Reich has always stood for fairness, opportunity, and justice for all, and we should make good on those pledges.”
“To play the devil’s advocate, the Kaiser’s influence and continued absolute authority were intended as safeguards against mob rule and ‘democratic chaos’,” Samir said, “This was in the mid-19th century, when regimes like the Persians, Malians, and the Maximists ran their countries into the ground.”
“For every Maximist regime there was an Abyssinia and Ryukyu,” Wilhelmina said, “Abyssinian democracy was remarkably stable and survived many decades before peacefully reforming into the hybrid democratic-meritocratic system it uses today and has exported to its southern neighbor and supernational bloc. And the Ryukyuan system was used as the basis for Mingzhi-era Chinese democracy. It can be done.”
“And what if the people lead themselves astray?” Samir said. “Abyssinia fell to fascism, and China has Han now. Will you step back in and put your people back on the right path?”
That was a trick question.
“No,” Wilhelmina said, “Depending on the situation, I might intervene to set them on the right path. But it’s their responsibility to walk that path. I can’t do it for them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t learn. Ideally, I would be like Cincinnatus. When the people need me most, I’ll be there. I’ll do what I must. And nothing more. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Samir nodded. “I see. You’re really going to give up the monarchy’s powers, aren’t you?”
“It’s the right thing to do,” Wilhelmina said, “After all, the person sitting on the throne—whether they be an imperator, basileus, or kaiser—is also officially known as princeps civitatis, or the first citizen. Friedrich the Great always stressed he was primus inter pares, or first among equals. Same goes for me in the end. I may be the Kaiserin, but I’m a Roman first, like my citizens.”
- 4
A Cincinnatus path... Perhaps it is fitting for Willhelmina to do such measures assuming she will ever take back the Hohenzollern throne in the end, though I reckon there will be those opposed to such measures. And i like the dynamic between her and the soldier Samir, young and old, aristocrat and commoner, Roman and Yavdian, both having grown in very different circumstances. It makes this conversation they have enjoying.
Quite a brave idea Wilhelmina has there, hopefully she lives long enough to become Kaiserin to end the Kaisers’ political power, cause I feel like this idea of a ceremonial monarchy would die with Wihelmina should Elias catch up with her and the other Hohenzollerns, leaving a republic as the only option.
I liked writing Samir's dialogue. He brings up a lot of things we previously took for granted and forces Wilhelmina to address many tough questions she will have to deal with. As our first major Yavdian character, he also gives us a view into what Yavdian culture is like these days.
Yeah, that's the problem. She has to get out of this bunker alive before she can remake the system. It's only a matter of time before Elias finds out where she is.
I really like Wilhelmina's thinking here in were the ruler needs to understand their subjects in order to understand them. One way of doing that is eating the same food as them and spending time amongst them.
However I feel like most people will have the same mindset that Samir has by the time this is all over.
I like this idea more than the one you always hear both in TTL and in OTL that being that we need to bring the rich and powerful down to our level. What we should be doing is try to elect leaders that help bring us up to their level. However I feel like this is Wilhelmina being idealistic and we all know what has happened to idealist in this arc.
After looking up who Cincinnatus was I can see a lot of similarities to George Washington. It made me wonder if many Romans in TTL before the Committee viewed Cincinnatus like many Americans view Washington in OTL?
Yep. Knowing the struggles of the common people prevents the ruler from becoming out of touch.
Only they might not be as forgiving or tolerant as Samir...
Elias: "Did someone say idealist?" pulls out gunI like this idea more than the one you always hear both in TTL and in OTL that being that we need to bring the rich and powerful down to our level. What we should be doing is try to elect leaders that help bring us up to their level. However I feel like this is Wilhelmina being idealistic and we all know what has happened to idealist in this arc.
I'm thinking he was forgotten by most, since most Americans remember Cincinnatus due to comparisons to George Washington, who was nothing like Friedrich the Great. Cincinnatus was just another random Roman historical figure to the general public.
Probably the only way to salvage the monarchy at this point.
The Proposal
Isfahan - November 27
“Begin test 1523,” Alexandra said.
Magnus hit the lever, and the accelerator whirred to life.
“We’re live,” Magnus said.
“Get the scoop ready,” Alexandra said.
“On it,” Alex said.
He clicked on his computer, and the betharium scoop activated.
“Let’s see how much betharium we gather this time,” he said.
Thea peered in through a viewport. Inside, an amphilicite crystal was being struck from multiple angles with several lasers, all of them ramming high velocity particles into the ore and splitting off betharium particles from the collisions and reactions. As a result of the constant collisions and reactions between the lasers and the amphilicite, the interior of the chamber took on a bright blue glow she had come to associate with betharium itself.
“How much betharium are we getting?” Thea asked.
“Approximately…12%,” Alex said.
“Well, it’s better than 10%,” Magnus said, “12% is going to give us insane amounts of power.”
“We still have Stage 2,” Alexandra said, “Fission is moderately successful. Now we just need to gather the errant particles for fusion into betharium.”
“On it,” Magnus said, typing into his computer.
On cue, the accelerator’s azure glow deepened, and the steady hum of machinery slowly grew into a deafening roar, with the frame shaking wildly.
“I’m reading an overload building up,” Alex said, “We’re gathering too many errant particles and we’re not doing enough fusion.”
“Shutting down,” Magnus said.
Nothing happened.
“Shut it down!” Alex said.
“I’m trying!” Magnus said.
But it was no use. The energy in the fusion reactor portion kept building, and the blue light had become almost blinding now. Shielding her eyes, Thea approached the reactor and pulled an emergency shut-off lever, hoping the sudden interruption of power would work. Finally, the whole reactor came to a standstill. The blue light faded away.
“Thanks, Thea,” Alex said.
“No problem,” Thea said.
“We’ll have to mark that down for future tests,” Magnus said.
“Yeah, we’ll have to adjust the scoop’s tolerance levels and balance the inputs and outputs of the fission and fusion parts,” Alexandra said, “Can’t have one overwhelm the other.”
“Right,” Magnus said.
“Well, I’d say that was a productive day,” Alexandra said, “The shahbanu won’t be spewing profanities at us again at the next status report. Why don’t we go out for dinner?”
“Sure,” Alex said.
“I’d love to,” Thea said.
---
Alexandra found them a good Persian restaurant nearby. Apparently many of the other scientists had the same idea; most of the patrons either had lab coats on or were accompanied by at least one person with a lab coat. Alexandra was no different, as she was still wearing her lab coat. Thea had ordered Persia’s national dish, the chelow kabab, or a plate of chelow white rice with lamb kebab on wooden sticks. It was served with butter, basil leaves, tomatoes, and a cup of doogh. Very delicious, even if there were probably better options on the menu. It had become her comfort food since coming to Persia. And the best thing was Alex loved it as well.
“So,” Alexandra said, “I suppose we should address the elephant in the room.”
“The applications of the betharium reactor?” Alex said.
“No, no, not that, forget about work for now,” Alexandra said, “I’m talking about the war. Jerusalem has it out for everyone.”
“I’m still reeling over Aunt Olga’s death,” Alex said.
“So am I, Alex, so am I,” Alexandra said.
“I wish we could’ve spent some time to fly up there and meet her one last time,” Alex said.
“Well, we had a job to do, and she’s the chancellor, so it’s understandable,” Magnus said.
“Olga died for our freedom,” Alexandra said, “Only question is if we have used our freedom to get something done.”
“What do you have in mind?” Alex said.
“I don’t particularly know,” Alexandra said, “I don’t want our invention to be turned into a weapon of war, but with the war going on, I don’t see any other applications.”
“We could just destroy it,” Thea said.
“And snuff out a potentially revolutionary innovation?” Alexandra said. “No, this thing we found can possibly change things for the better. We just have to keep it out of the hands of…”
“My brother,” Thea said.
Everybody stopped eating.
“We know he is after the accelerator and presumably the reactor,” Thea said, “Mina warned me to keep it out of his hands, with her last words.”
“Well, he’s a continent away,” Magnus said, “It would take him a while to get here. And if he does show up in person, Persia will fight him.”
“Which is what I’m concerned about,” Thea said.
“Don’t tell me you’re concerned about killing your brother,” Alexandra said.
“Oh, no, I’m most certainly not,” Thea said, “He’s crazy and has to be stopped. I’m just worried that, in the event we have to face him in person…”
Thea couldn’t continue. Alex put his hand on hers reassuringly.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s not going to be like four years ago. We’re better now.”
“If I had just hit him in the head, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Thea said.
“No use dwelling on that now,” Alexandra said.
“If he comes after us, we’ll destroy the reactor and rebuild it somewhere else,” Alex said, “Same thing as always.”
“Sounds like a good idea…” Thea said. “If not for the fact that we have nowhere to go.”
“She’s right,” Magnus said, “Turkestan and Afghanistan aren’t exactly safer than Persia now. If he reaches Persia, he can easily reach those two.”
“And India isn’t exactly a good place to be at the moment,” Alexandra said, “What with all of the radiation and chemical weapons.”
“Which leaves only Africa, and we know how things are going there,” Thea said.
“So we’re stuck here,” Alex said, “Unless we can go to space, we can’t run this time.”
“I’d like to go to space one day,” Alexandra said, “But not now.”
“If he comes after us, we’ll have to stand and fight,” Magnus said.
“Can we even fight, though?” Thea said. “I know all I’ve got is some self-defense training from 20, 30 years ago, and I haven’t practiced since then.”
“Not me,” Alexandra said.
“Don’t look at me, I was always a bookworm in school,” Magnus said.
“Alex, you hung out with the X-Division agents a lot,” Alexandra said, “Your mom ran the Athanatoi for fifteen years, your dad has Athanatoi field experience, you met Aunt Olga a lot, and of course you know my mom. Did any of them impart any fighting skills onto you? Because Mom certainly did not for me.”
“No,” Alex said, “Mom always made such a big deal about me not following in their footsteps, especially her own. She always wanted me to live a normal life.”
“Look, I totally get what she wanted, but that might just get us killed at the hands of my crazy genocidal brother,” Thea said.
“Guess we’ll have to take self-defense classes,” Magnus said, “Not my strongest suit.”
“Not necessarily,” Thea said, “We have one advantage over him.”
“What is that?” Alexandra said.
“Me,” Thea said, “He’s smart, but I’m just as smart as him. Whatever he builds, I can figure out something to counter it.”
“That’s noble and all, but he’s not limited by our morals,” Magnus said, “He is willing to cross every line we wouldn’t touch. And he also has Argus. And if he brings in Argus…”
“Josh,” Alex said.
“Your old bully,” Alexandra said, “I’m surprised he still holds a grudge after twenty years.”
“I don’t understand him,” Alex said, “I put that behind me after I left high school. But he hasn’t moved on at all. In fact…”
“He brags about killing our loved ones,” Alexandra said, “Thinks it’s a badge of honor for killing my mom. Your parents. Aunt Olga.”
“And Oskar,” Alex said.
Thea noticed Alex’s hand was no longer on hers. He was instead clenching his fists.
“My brother wouldn’t resist sending Josh in to kill us,” Thea said.
“Then we’ll have to fight him,” Alex said.
“Can we really go up against a trained soldier who killed our parents?” Alexandra said. “Who I should add handled stuff way more dangerous and threatening than him?”
“Wasn’t the whole point of the Panopticon nullifier so we could stand a chance against him?” Alex said.
“Well, it could neutralize his advantage, but he’s still a formidable fighter on his own, and he’ll probably come with his squad,” Thea said, “We’d be very outnumbered.”
“Well, we have to come up with something,” Magnus said.
“Worst comes to worst, I can turn the reactor into a bomb,” Alexandra said, “Lure Theodor and Josh and everyone with them into the lab and blow them up. Rid the world of two absolutely horrible people, and deny them any hope of getting my blueprints.”
“But you’d die,” Magnus said.
“So what?” Alexandra said. “It’s a net positive.”
“I can’t let you do that, Alexandra,” Magnus said, “It’s just like what happened with Uncle Tobias. If we can avoid getting people killed, let’s do that.”
“Even if the alternative is our own deaths?” Alexandra said.
“As my mom said, to save one life is to save all of humanity,” Alex said, “Please, let’s not throw away our lives so easily. We don’t even know how powerful the bomb would be. For all we know, it could wipe out the whole city.”
“There’s got to be another way,” Magnus said, “Maybe a remote control for the bomb.”
“I’m not sure if I can rig the bomb to blow on command, though,” Alexandra said, “The fission-fusion balance is unstable. We set it wrong, and just firing up the reactor will blow it up. I have to do it. I know the reactor best.”
No. Thea couldn’t let her do it. The world still needed her expertise. If she died, there would be nobody to research betharium, and the technology would be as good as lost. If not her, then…
“If anybody should die, let it be me,” Thea said, “I caused all this by not shooting my brother. I can make up for it by taking us both out of the world. The last two generations of Teslas have brought us all nothing but suffering. This is the only way our family can atone.”
“Why…why would you say that, Thea?” Alex said. “I love you. You’ve done so many great things with us. You’re nothing like your brother.”
“Even if I’m not, the fact remains a future Tesla might,” Thea said, “The whole thing—the company and the family—is rotten. It has to go. Mina said as much to me. Burn it all down, she said. That ought to include myself.”
“We’ll find a way, come on!” Alex said. “We’ve always found a way before. We don’t have to sacrifice people.”
“The alternative is we all die horribly!” Alexandra said. “Would you rather one of us die or all four of us?”
“At least if we all die none of us will have to live with the guilt that we left one of us to die,” Magnus said.
“Or have to live in a world without those we love,” Alex said.
They sat there quietly, thinking about their options. Thea didn’t want to sacrifice herself. But if it was for the greater good…if it meant taking him out…then she had to do it, so nobody else would have to suffer like they did.
“Well, that got very dark,” Alex said, “I thought the whole point of this dinner was to take our mind off such things.”
“Yeah, agreed,” Alexandra said, “That was kind of my fault.”
“Well, why don’t we finish our dinner?” Thea said.
They quietly finished their dinner without further incident. After paying the bill, they walked out to their cars. But Alex hung back by the front door.
“Thea, a word with you?” he said.
Thea stopped. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I…would rather that situation not happen,” Alex said.
“Yeah, I know,” Thea said, “I hope it doesn’t come to pass. But if it does…”
“Is there anything I can say to convince you otherwise?” Alex said.
“Probably not,” Thea said.
“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t happen anytime soon, then,” Alex said, “And, uh…”
Alex was stammering again. He hadn’t done that in many years. In fact, the last time Thea remembered him blustering like this was…when they first met, right after she hit him with the moped and during their first date.
“I might not have another chance to say this, so I’ll say it now, just in case,” he said.
But he still wasn’t saying it. He was fidgeting with his fingers.
“Okay, what is it?” Thea said.
Alex finally took Thea’s hand and looked her in the eyes.
“Marry me, Thea,” he said.
“Uh…what?” Thea said.
“I knew it was a stupid idea and I shouldn’t rushed into it…” Alex muttered.
“Oh, no, no, it wasn’t stupid, I was just…caught off-guard by it,” Thea said.
“I mean, neither of us were thinking about it these past few years because of everything that’s been going on,” Alex said, “I don’t even have a ring to give you. But I’m worried we may not have time to wait any longer. Please, Thea, you make me the happiest man in the world, and I want our time together to last forever. Will you…please…marry me?”
“I…” Thea said.
“It’s okay, I understand,” Alex said, “I know, I blurted it out randomly just now, and this is probably the worst time I could have brought it up, and we’re in the middle of a giant war which could decide the fate of the world and your crazy brother and my even more crazy bully have likely teamed up to kill us in a horrible way on behalf of a genocidal Christoecofascist theocracy bent on world domination, so why am I thinking about—”
Thea shut him up by quickly kissing him.
“Thea?” he said.
“Don’t worry too much about it,” she said, “Of course I’ll marry you. It was never in doubt.”
“…Really?” Alex said.
“I want to grow old together,” Thea said, “Maybe even explore space. I hope we can live long enough to do that.”
“So…you will?” Alex said.
“Did you just hear me?” Thea said. “I literally said yes.”
Alex flung himself into Thea’s arms and began crying. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“No problem, Alex,” Thea said, “I want to stay together, for better or worse. Isn’t that what marriage is supposed to be?”
Tsarberg forward operating base - November 28
Josh walked into Theodor’s tent and saluted.
“Johansen reporting, sir!” he said.
“At ease, Josh,” Theodor said, “Let’s get to business. Do you want to know why I personally requested you?”
“No, sir, I do not know, sir,” Josh said.
“Well, there isn’t a single soul in this base who doesn’t know the legend of Josh Johansen,” Theodor said, “The best soldier in Argus. The one who took down all of X-Division, including the heir of the Valkyrie and the Firebird herself. The one who brought both India and Russia, once nations whose footsteps shook the world, to their knees. You are without a doubt my favorite Argus soldier.”
“That’s an honor, sir, but I believe you told me this already, sir,” Josh said.
“Did I?” Theodor said. “Well, no matter, I’m telling you again, because you deserve it. Anyways, on to what I really wanted to discuss. I would like to propose a special mission for your squad.”
“I’d be honored to accept it, sir,” Josh said.
“I haven’t even said what the mission is,” Theodor said, “Here, look at this.”
He handed a file folder to Josh. Josh opened it, finding mission briefs, intelligence reports, and photos taken from drones and security cameras. He focused particularly on the photos. While they weren’t that clear, and the person common to most of them took measures to hide her face, she couldn’t hide everything from the advanced facial recognition algorithms Watchtower employed.
“You recognize Angelica Haus, do you?” Theodor said. “The girl who tried to cancel you after Bloody Tuesday.”
“Of course, sir,” Josh said, “If I may ask, why didn’t we kill her back then, sir?”
“We believed she was no threat to us,” Theodor said, “But the situation has changed. She has assembled a band of rebels and foreign agents and struck at the heart of Christendom.”
“What has she done, sir?” Josh said.
“She has stolen vital information critical to the Crusader war effort,” Theodor said, “The details of the information are classified, but suffice it to say, she will try to smuggle it out to Persia or Scandinavia, most likely Persia as we have the Scandinavian border heavily guarded. Your orders are to prevent that information from leaving the country, and to eradicate Angelica Haus and her rebels. Cancel her in revenge for how she tried to cancel you.”
Josh saluted. “I am proud to serve Christendom, sir! I will carry out this sworn duty to the best of my ability, sir!”
“That’s my boy,” Theodor said, “You’re doing God’s work, Johansen. Before you fly back home for your mission, I have a special gift for you. Follow me.”
He left the tent. Josh followed him outside to where a motorcycle was parked.
“This is your motorcycle, is it not?” Theodor said.
“Yes, sir, it is, sir,” Josh said.
“I understand this used to belong to the Valkyrie and her daughter,” Theodor said.
“I claimed it as spoils of war and right of conquest, sir,” Josh said.
“And I commend you on your achievement,” Theodor said, “This motorcycle was upgraded with a whole host of gadgets ninety years ago. Gadgets and features that helped the Valkyrie win countless battles against the Angeloi. I’ve spent some of my personal time upgrading those features and adding new ones so you can do the same.”
“Really, sir?” Josh said. “I…I don’t think I’m worthy.”
“You beat the previous owner of the motorcycle and won it, fair and square,” Theodor said, “Of course you’re worthy. I’ve given you a basic manual you can use to practice using the new features in your own time. Give it a try. Also…”
He held up two wrist-mounted gauntlets. “Do you know what these are?”
“Those are the special weapons used by Chancellor Kirova, sir,” Josh said.
“Wrong answer,” Theodor said, “The correct answer is, your new weapons, won as spoils of war by right of conquest after you killed Kirova. I’ve also upgraded them significantly.”
“With all due respect, sir, I’m not acrobatic, sir,” Josh said, “I don’t think the fighting style Kirova intended with those weapons suits me. And I don’t want to use the weapons of a woman and a deviant.”
“I still suggest you try it out,” Theodor said, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll use these weapons even better than Kirova ever did. She was an old equalist deviant woman whose time had long passed, while you are the epitome of a peak Christian man. I’m sure you’ll find a use for them.”
He pushed the gauntlets into Josh’s hands.
“Well, I’d better be off,” he said, “Enjoy the gifts!”
He walked off.
---
The light blue glow of betharium was inspired by both ragnite from Valkyria Chronicles and tylium from Battlestar Galactica. You can probably tell where I'm going with that comparison...
Edit: Valkyria has been corrected. I hate autocorrect.
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For a minute I thought it was going to go Supernova.
Why do I get the feeling that they are going to create Element 115 from Call of Duty Zombies by accident?
So it's going to be a fuel source?
That is one way to pop the question.
Well Angelica and her group are in for a tough time.
It really irks me that Josh has Diana's bike.
That would be one way of ending the war...
Well, I did integrate the zombie apocalypse mechanic from the Apocalypse 1836 mod into my custom mod, albeit to simulate nuclear holocaust...
That was always the intent in-universe, wasn't it?
Yes, it is.
Better start running...
And now he has Olga's gauntlets.
Josh is shaping up to be one hell of a final boss for our rag-tag band of exiles. And the fact that he's headed for Angelica and what remains of the rebels isn't a good sign.
A cute, happy proposal. Just really nice to see.
Also, I can't be the only one who thinks Josh will, due to be unfamiliar with them, indirectly get himself defeated by using Diana's bike and Olga's gauntlets.
Also, I can't be the only one who thinks Josh will, due to be unfamiliar with them, indirectly get himself defeated by using Diana's bike and Olga's gauntlets.
I pity the poor souls who stand between him and Angelica...
This could end one of two ways. Either he absolutely doesn't know how to use the new gadgets and blows himself up with them, or he takes to them so naturally he becomes a terrifying force of destruction.
Just a question cause I'm curious. How long it takes before you change to the next game and begin part 6?
Well considering that we have gone through almost 10 decades from 1946 to being close to ending the 2030's and that part of the aar has been around since 2017 with 345 parts so far. We still have 6 decades from the 2040's to 2100 to go so I think we still have a while before this part of the story ends. However I feel like it will be well worth the wait because even though we know we are going to space in the future it is to me just as fun to see how we go from were we are now to going into space and seeing how the Earth recovers from forces like the Committee.Just a question cause I'm curious. How long it takes before you change to the next game and begin part 6?
Good question. I'm hesitant to give a date/time frame at this point, since every year for the last couple years I always expect to start Part 6 the next year, only for this part to keep on going. Could be next year, or the year after, I'm not sure at this point.Just a question cause I'm curious. How long it takes before you change to the next game and begin part 6?
Yeah, I want to make sure I get this arc done properly. But after it's done, I'm going to step away from larger arcs and hopefully move much faster timeline-wise.Well considering that we have gone through almost 10 decades from 1946 to being close to ending the 2030's and that part of the aar has been around since 2017 with 345 parts so far. We still have 6 decades from the 2040's to 2100 to go so I think we still have a while before this part of the story ends. However I feel like it will be well worth the wait because even though we know we are going to space in the future it is to me just as fun to see how we go from were we are now to going into space and seeing how the Earth recovers from forces like the Committee.
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