The Hohenzollern Empire 5: Holy Phoenix - An Empire of Jerusalem Megacampaign in New World Order

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“I just need something to make calls,” Olga said, “Irina’s kids, on the other hand, would lapse into catatonic schizophrenia if they did without Crazy Chickens for two minutes.” That is the best definition of modern society both TTL and OTL. Granted I am one to talk because I have a smartphone but it is an Android.

“Today, I officially repudiate my CMU membership and announce the establishment of a new independent bloc. I call it ‘The Forum’.” Thierry Baudet said. And so it begins.

Also I agree with CaptainAlvious about “Osama bin Laden being Jewish and a Trump analogue” having to be one of the funniest character changes I have ever read.

“he sees them as a threat to his continued power and wants them gone.” At least this means Wilhelm Karl is at least an ally of convenience of X-Division. Although a part of me fears that now with Sentinel gone he will turn on the X-Division under the pretense of them leaking classified information.

Kurt Moreau seems to remind me of the character "Nick" Blaine from the Handmaid's Tale. Someone who was down on their luck but joins The Forum due to the promise of a job.

The KGB assassin reminds me of those Nazi Hunters who wanted to see former Nazis be held accountable for their actions and not given a new life simply because they worked for the US or Soviet governments. While I do understand Erica and Emily’s reasons, the phrase “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” is also very true.

Head Inquisitor Stahl. Did you happen to be inspired by Jorhan Stahl from the Killzone series in coming up with that name?

I got to say you really had me worried about Olga potentially being brainwashed again. Thankfully that was not the case.

That discussion of the Actal/Mexica remnants left in Europe after the failure of the Aztec invasion in the 13th Century was interesting. It also made me think, were any Europeans transported across the Atlantic to their homeland Cemanahuac/Mitteleimerica?

I remember reading part of the Annionaverse that had a Sunset Invasion of Europe and it played off of the Native Americans not being able to resist European diseases. The European slaves rebelled in Cuba and formed New Anglia. Did a similar revolt happen here but ended up being crushed?

That was a great ending to the X-Division. Each of them got some form of closure and Anders finally ended the conspiracy that has been haunting him since the 90’s. Along with the Interaction between Otto, Diana, and Angela and Angela and Alexandra. Hopefully they enjoy retirement. They deserve it.

However I would not be surprised if another conspiracy rises from the ashes. But in the meantime I am enjoying “THE FORUM (PART 1)”. I do feel like the Frank family is cursed to having to deal with bullies during their childhoods. First it was Anne vs Norbert, then Diana vs Norbert (although this was when she was an adult so does it really count?) and now you have Alex vs Josh I feel like when we get to Stellaris that whatever kid Alex has will have a bully too.

Of course the smoking man had to make one last appearance. It would not be the end of the X-Division without him.

That part about a Jotun armada being sent to glass Earth but ending up destroyed by an unknown Alien force is really ominous. But hopefully this means we will not have only enemies in Stellaris but maybe an ally as well.
 
Will no one rid us of this mad Tesla?! Nikola, the poor man is definitely rolling in his grave as to what his descendant is doing with his very company, poor man just wanted to invent electricity back then, now, well now the damn company CEO has the means to wipe out an entire population, nay a whole civilization. Yeah, I think all the events leading up to Stellaris is gonna be bloody than what I initially thought, not to mention Elias going mad with power, who would have thought eh? Power truly corrupts.

I get a very sinking feeling that that small pox vaccine is gonna cause a war, as to which unfortunate population gets it, well, I dread to see that update now. Willhelm Karl is on borrowed time. And so is Heinreich, hell every one that still are fighting against this madness is on borrowed time.
We are approaching a point of no return...
That is the best definition of modern society both TTL and OTL. Granted I am one to talk because I have a smartphone but it is an Android.
so do I, but I guess we all do

Bread and circuses. Distract the masses with entertainment and they won't notice those in charge looting their pockets.
Also I agree with CaptainAlvious about “Osama bin Laden being Jewish and a Trump analogue” having to be one of the funniest character changes I have ever read.
Even funnier when you realize he did come from a major real estate family in real life.
Kurt Moreau seems to remind me of the character "Nick" Blaine from the Handmaid's Tale. Someone who was down on their luck but joins The Forum due to the promise of a job.
Most of Nick's character actually went into developing Josh, but some elements did rub off on Kurt and Gustav.
The KGB assassin reminds me of those Nazi Hunters who wanted to see former Nazis be held accountable for their actions and not given a new life simply because they worked for the US or Soviet governments. While I do understand Erica and Emily’s reasons, the phrase “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” is also very true.
And yet Anne did the same thing to Hoffman out of revenge.
Head Inquisitor Stahl. Did you happen to be inspired by Jorhan Stahl from the Killzone series in coming up with that name?
I don't know what Killzone is, so that's a coincidence.
I got to say you really had me worried about Olga potentially being brainwashed again. Thankfully that was not the case.
I saw an opportunity to both bring back an ancient plot element and complete Olga's arc from order-following soldier to her own person, so I took it.
That discussion of the Actal/Mexica remnants left in Europe after the failure of the Aztec invasion in the 13th Century was interesting. It also made me think, were any Europeans transported across the Atlantic to their homeland Cemanahuac/Mitteleimerica?
Wilhelm III was the most notable example, but there were probably a few others as well. I didn't think too much about it.

Fun fact, the senator Izinchi Ochimeca is a descendant of Mexica settlers left behind in Europe after the Triple Alliance was driven back across the sea.
I remember reading part of the Annionaverse that had a Sunset Invasion of Europe and it played off of the Native Americans not being able to resist European diseases. The European slaves rebelled in Cuba and formed New Anglia. Did a similar revolt happen here but ended up being crushed?
I don't think anything like that happened here, since the Hohenzollernverse smallpox strains were different and didn't kill as many natives here, so their civilizations remained intact.
That was a great ending to the X-Division. Each of them got some form of closure and Anders finally ended the conspiracy that has been haunting him since the 90’s. Along with the Interaction between Otto, Diana, and Angela and Angela and Alexandra. Hopefully they enjoy retirement. They deserve it.
They really need a rest after the last 20 years.
I do feel like the Frank family is cursed to having to deal with bullies during their childhoods. First it was Anne vs Norbert, then Diana vs Norbert (although this was when she was an adult so does it really count?) and now you have Alex vs Josh I feel like when we get to Stellaris that whatever kid Alex has will have a bully too.
I didn't intend that, but it checks out. Bullying seems to be a curse of their family. Only it gets worse as time goes on.
Of course the smoking man had to make one last appearance. It would not be the end of the X-Division without him.
Did you really think he was dead the previous time and I wasn't going to bring him back?:p
That part about a Jotun armada being sent to glass Earth but ending up destroyed by an unknown Alien force is really ominous. But hopefully this means we will not have only enemies in Stellaris but maybe an ally as well.
what alien force have I previously mentioned that has a history with the Jotun?;)

Edit: forgot to answer a question I wanted to reply to, so I answered it now.
 
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To Change Nothing

Bremerhaven - October 8

The door opened, and Angelica walked into the cafe. Clara got up and hugged her.

“Thank goodness you’re okay!” she said.

“You too, Clara,” Angelica said.

“I at least had my brother to be my chaperone,” Clara said.

“Lucky you,” Angelica said, “The men in my family were in no shape for that, and they're all in Alençon, so I had to sneak myself here. Should've visited them before coming here.”

“Anyways,” Anders said, “We’re all here now. We can get down to business.”

While the sounds of another of Eva’s protests echoed outside, Angelica and Clara followed Anders into a back room, where Angela and his sisters sat.

“Agent Hansen,” Angelica stammered, “I…it’s been so long.”

Angela shook Angelica’s hand. “Twenty years, I think. You’ve grown a lot since then. And it’s ex-agent Hansen.”

“Right, ma’am,” Angelica said, “And Herr Humboldt, I’m so sorry about what happened to Director Frank. If only I was…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Anders said, “She knew where she was going to end up. The only thing we can do is to honor her memory.”

“Now, I’m glad you all made it here,” Angela said, “Angelica, I understand you’ve found something important?”

“Yeah, about Argus,” Angelica said, “I’ve spent the last couple years gathering financial records and video footage of Argus’ activities.”

“How’d you get your hands on that stuff?” Annie said.

“Well, Diana had a lot of evidence already gathered before she died, so I built on that,” Angelica said, “And before they expanded Watchtower, I managed to call a few of Argus’ offices. Some low-level employees who didn’t get the memo gave me what I needed.”

She opened her briefcase, revealing it was full of paper documents.

“I couldn’t run the risk of them tracing my online presence,” Angelica said, “So I got everything down on paper.”

“Learned from the very best, I tell you,” Annie said, “Don’t trust any device made after 1995.”

“What does it say?” Clara said.

“Well, let’s start with the obvious,” Angelica said, “Theodor Tesla is a member of the committee. He is still CEO of Tesla Dynamic, as well as a majority shareholder in Argus.”

“So he’s been using his new political power to benefit his businesses,” Anders said.

“Now, I couldn’t access Theodor’s own correspondence, obviously, but as they say, follow the money,” Angelica said, “And these records show Theodor has been breaking lobbying laws by funneling large sums of money into the coffers of committee members like Elias Anhorn and Brad Folger, as well as his own personal and business accounts, while he also sabotages the operations of his few remaining competitors.”

“Technically he’s not breaking any laws,” Anna said, “Those lobbying laws were repealed in the latest Nullification Act. Along with workplace regulations Theodor wasn’t a fan of.”

“And what about Bloody Tuesday?” Anders said. “Anything?”

“I’m getting there,” Angelica said, “Now, I know what I saw that day. Argus attacked me and killed my squad. But they claim Mexicanists did it and Argus were the heroes.”

“We know that’s a lie,” Anders said, “It was Argus.”

“Yeah, but we need hard proof,” Angelica said, “I think I have it now.”

“Did you get the security footage from the Reichstag?” Angela said.

“No,” Angelica said, “The committee’s buried that footage. Clara and I couldn’t get it. But what is readily available is this. Pulled a lot of strings to get this from under Moria’s nose.”

She took out her phone and played a video. Anders looked at it, only to immediately recoil when he realized what it was.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up again,” Angelica said, “I know how much she meant to you, but this is our best lead.”

“I don’t want to watch the whole video,” Anders said.

“It’s the only way we can prove Argus was at the massacre,” Angelica said.

“That video wasn’t even taken at the Reichstag,” Angela said, “How does it prove it?”

“They also lied about Di’s death,” Anders realized, “If we expose that lie, they’ll also question the main one.”

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Anna said.

Angelica paused the video. “That.”

For a split second, one of the gunmen had knelt to stab Diana in the chest with her own knife. His face wasn’t fully visible, being only viewed from one side, but Anders recoiled again, this time out of recognition. He clenched his fists.

“Josh,” he spat, “JOSH! IT WAS HIM ALL ALONG!”

“Anders, calm down,” Angela said, “I know it's hard, seeing who was responsible for Di's death, but we have to stay calm, as always. It's the only way we'll get through this."

Anders nodded and calmed down. "Of course, Angie."

Her dead body lay on screen, her empty eyes staring at him, until someone smashed the camera with his foot to stop the recording. At the very end, for another split second, the person’s boot was visible, along with a smudge that strongly resembled the Argus logo.

“There,” Angelica said, “Argus killed Director Frank. Josh himself also shot me during the massacre at the Reichstag. His bullet has been in my leg since the attack, so there's no way it could have been modified or changed in any way.”

“Why didn't they remove it?” Clara asked.

”Standard surgical procedure,” Angela said, ”Unlike what the movies tell you, we don't remove bullets or shrapnel unless we absolutely have to. Causes too many complications.”

“If we get it out, we can compare it with his gun,” Angelica said, “That would prove Argus’ involvement without a doubt. The only problem is they could just give him a new gun and change the paperwork accordingly.”

She took out some more papers. “Concurrently with that, I have here the records of reassignments and contracts in the weeks leading up to Bloody Tuesday. They show a buildup of Argus personnel in Berlin in the last couple months of 2029. Specifically in the areas around the Reichstag, the Athanatoi headquarters, the courts, and certain government ministry offices.”

“But is it conclusive now?” Clara said.

“Argus could claim we saw things wrong,” Angela said.

“Or we’re biased,” Annie said.

“Or we’re women,” Anna said.

“Which is why I would like Anders to do this,” Angelica said, “He has credibility and reputation, and he's a man too. Should be up your alley, right?”

“This would work perfectly with the story me and Vincent have been working on,” Anders said, “We were gathering evidence on how Theodor Tesla was using his clout as a majority shareholder in Die Zeiten to silence critics. This could expand our coverage.”

“Okay, then I’ll entrust this to you,” Angelica said, pushing the briefcase to Anders.

“I’m driving back to Constantinople tomorrow,” Anders said, “I don’t trust the airports now.”

“I’m going too,” Angela said.

“Why, Angie?” Anders said. “We need you here. It’s too dangerous.”

“My daughter needs me,” Angela said, “Things aren’t going so well in Syria. I want to be there for her and Alex and Thea if things get bad.”

“Is it time to make the call?” Anna said.

“I doubt we’ll get an answer,” Annie said.

“Don’t be so sure of that,” Anders said, “We’ll make the call when we need to.”

“I’ve got some friends waiting in Persia,” Anna said, “If things go south, I’ll ask them to reach out to you.”

“Thanks,” Angela said.

“Wait, we’re all just going along with this now?” Anders said. “I have to go alone. The rest of you stay here for your own safety. Constantinople and Damascus aren't safe for you.”

“Anders, we’ve been working together since 1992,” Angela said, “You know I don’t care if it isn’t safe. I have to be there for my family. And I can’t let you drive the Impala alone. You’d crash before you get to the Alps.”

Anders laughed. “You never let up with the Impala, do you?”

“Hey, do you feel that?” Clara said.

“Feel what?” Angelica said.

“Is it just me, or did someone turn up the thermostat?” Clara said.

“Yeah, I’m feeling that too,” Anna said.

“Why?” Angela said. “This October’s been pretty warm.”

“I’m positively sweating now,” Clara said, “AAAAHHH!”

She clutched her head. “My eyes!”

Angelica felt a painful dizziness between her eyes. Her eyes themselves felt like they were vibrating uncontrollably. She got a sick feeling in her stomach, although she hadn’t eaten in a few hours. She tried closing her eyes, or covering her ears, or crouching, anything to stop the pain and dizziness, but it continued. Looking around, she saw the rest of the group doubled over and clutching their heads as well. Outside, she could hear the screams of the protesters as they no doubt were also affected. Then, as soon as it began, it ended. Angelica cautiously got to her feet and looked around. Annie was unconscious, and Anna and Clara were on the floor. Angela and Anders, pushing through the pain, were already heading outside. Angelica followed them onto the street, where the protesters who were demonstrating outside were all on the ground, either unconscious or barely conscious.

“What…” Anders said. “What…could’ve done something like this?”

“I…I don’t know,” Angela said.

Angelica saw a small Tesla Dynamic drone flying behind a nearby building.


Lublin, West Galicia - October 16

“Come on, Jan,” Jaroslaw said.

“But I don’t want to!” Jaroslaw’s son Jan said.

“We’re going to miss lunch at babcia's,” Jaroslaw said, “So get in the car.”

“Okay,” Jan said.

He got into the car just as a pickup truck pulled up. A German man in the passenger seat rolled down his window and glared at them.

“GO BACK TO LITHUANIA!” he said, lobbing a rock at them. “DEUS VULT!”

More Germans drove up and threw more rocks at Jaroslaw’s car. His windows began cracking.

Tata, what’s happening?” Jan said.

“Put on your seatbelt!” Jaroslaw said.

Jan obliged. Jaroslaw ignited the engine and floored the gas pedal. He sped off, the Germans in close pursuit in their pickup trucks, still throwing rocks.


Constantinople - October 19

“The riots in Bremerhaven have escalated to the point where such unrest and violence has become absolutely impermissible,” Gebhard Remmele's brother Edmund said, “We have let such a temper tantrum carry on for far too long. If the committee authorizes it, I would not hesitate to step in and restore order to the city, on my honor as a general.”

A video of his troops practicing intimidating and aggressive riot control tactics played behind him.

Arnold looked up from the video playing on his phone. “You believe this? Ugh. The nerve.”

“Edmund is nothing like his brother,” Adrian said.

“Yeah, did you hear Gebhard Remmele left for Russia?” Arnold said.

“Something about the chancellor inviting him for a visit, and then he just stayed,” Adrian said.

“Really?” Manfred said. “He should be disciplined for dereliction of duty. A shame for someone as young and as talented as him to act like this.”

“He is just speaking out,” Adrian said.

“If he wants to speak his mind, he can do it at home,” Manfred said, “And seriously, why do we even bother with that guy? He doesn’t even affect our lives.”

“But he’s talking about stuff that does affect us,” Adrian said, “Like Bremerhaven?”

“I thought you called it a town of spoiled and entitled brats?” Manfred said. “Who threw a tantrum when they don’t get their way? They should all grow up.”

“I’m not even going to address that now,” Adrian said.

“Just…why?” Arnold said.

“Look, I follow the law,” Manfred said, “I pay my taxes, put in my time at work, follow the law all the time. Meanwhile those kids in Bremerhaven keep burning cars and destroying shops, and the law isn’t going after them. We need to be fair in how everyone is treated. We must have order.”

“…I don’t think I can convince you otherwise,” Arnold said.

“Why are you trying to convince me otherwise?” Manfred said. “What’s happening there is bordering on sedition. We need to intervene, like a parent disciplining a whining child. Why did you change your mind on them? I thought it was so obvious.”

“I don’t think you’d understand,” Arnold said.

“You probably would when what they do in Bremerhaven begins affecting us in Constantinople,” Adrian said.

“Look, I don’t always agree with those in power,” Manfred said.

“You do?” Adrian said.

“Yeah,” Manfred said, “Sometimes, they do things I don’t like.”

“So you’re not speaking out about it?” Arnold said.

“No, I will,” Manfred said, “I think I can best make a statement by boycotting the examinations and everything related to them. Every single party involved in it is corrupt. Just look at the new CMU scandal! Both sides are the same, so why legitimize the whole system?”

Both Adrian and Arnold facepalmed.


Smyrna - November 30

Retired senator Hermann Makarios poured Heinrich another cup of coffee.

“How long has it been, Heinrich?” Hermann said. “Twenty years?”

“Since David Hussein’s wedding,” Heinrich said.

“Poor David,” Hermann said, “Kid didn’t deserve that fate.”

“We may have caught the murderer, but the real killer is still walking free,” Heinrich said.

“What do you mean?” Hermann said.

“Zhao Yu,” Heinrich said, “The man responsible for the decades-long smear campaign against Aliya Hussein and her family. It was inevitable someone would buy into his lies and decide to take action.”

“I see,” Hermann said, “Anyways, I don’t think you showed up at my house after twenty years to talk about David. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“Well, I was in the area for the strategy conference, and I thought I’d drop in and see my old friend while I was here,” Heinrich said.

“Really?” Hermann said. “Because I don’t think you came to meet me here after twenty years just for old times’ sake.”

“Okay, okay, you got me,” Heinrich said, “I could never bluff you.”

“Yeah, you should’ve spent the last twenty years remembering that,” Hermann said.

“My workday in Berlin’s gotten pretty boring these last few years,” Heinrich said, “With all of the outsourcing to Argus, I myself haven’t been handling much. So I was looking for a way to spend my new free time, and I remembered you and your father were quite the collectors of rare and historical books.”

“I never took you for a reader of such books,” Hermann said.

“Well, old age has you finding new hobbies in the time you have left,” Heinrich said, “Now, these days I’m particularly interested in learning the history of the Hohenzollerns. Preferably from the source.”

“Ah, yes, the imperial family chronicles,” Hermann said, “Can’t you find those in your average bookstore?”

“Well, I would prefer a primary source, not a translation or a modern reprint,” Heinrich said, “Reading medieval Greek really keeps your mind sharp.”

Hermann nervously looked around the room. Heinrich noticed he had struck a nerve. He was right to come here. There was something in this house. He just knew it. Only question was, would Hermann cooperate?

“Well, um, unfortunately…I no longer have the primary source you’re looking for,” Hermann said, “I sold it last year.”

He picked up a notebook and wrote something on it.

THEY’RE LISTENING

Heinrich nodded.

“A shame,” he said, “Guess that’s the end of that, then. I’ll have to find another way to keep my mind sharp.”

“Have you tried discussing world events?” Hermann said.

“Yeah, like how Yavdi is warming up to the Tianxia Alliance?” Heinrich said.

“A shame, but we had it coming,” Hermann said.

IN MY LIBRARY. FIFTH SHELF, THIRD ROW FROM THE BOTTOM, YOU CAN’T MISS IT

“So what will we do about it?” Heinrich said.

“I personally fear the Kaiser may have another of his episodes and pull an India if they make the ties official,” Hermann said, “Which is why Chancellor Amur has made no move against the bases as of yet.”

“Understandable,” Heinrich said, “They don’t want to end up like India. I heard Amit Shah and the Hindutvas have effectively sidelined Ahluwalia and Jayasimha, with the committee's blessing.”

ANHORN CAME TO MY HOUSE LAST MONTH TO GET THE CHRONICLE, HE CANNOT KNOW I STILL HAVE IT

“Poor India, to end up like this,” Hermann said, “I still wonder why we invaded.”

“Me too,” Heinrich said, “If we can do that to India, our most trusted ally, then what can we do to those who aren’t as close to us?”

“Who do we know we can trust?” Hermann said.

“We don’t,” Heinrich said, “In times like these, we can’t trust anybody.”

“Agreed,” Hermann said.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT EITHER OF YOU WANT WITH IT, BUT I TRUST YOU. KEEP THE CHRONICLE IN GOOD HANDS.

“And what will you do about it?” Heinrich said. “I at least hope I can convince the Kaiser not to glass Yavdi tomorrow.”

“Me?” Hermann said. “I’m just a retired senator. All I want is to live in peace.”

HE WILL COME AFTER ME.

“You could always come back to Berlin,” Heinrich said.

“No, my time there is over,” Hermann said, “You still have a lot to do. I’m just a retired old man living on borrowed time. Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course,” Heinrich said, “Of course you’d say that, Hermann.”

Hermann got up. “Oh, your coffee must be getting cold.”

“Not really,” Heinrich said.

Hermann took Heinrich’s cup anyways.

“I insist,” Hermann said, “While you wait, why don’t you take a look around the library? There may be hidden classics you like.”

He walked away. While he brewed another cup of coffee, Heinrich went to the library and checked the shelf Hermann mentioned. Stashed in the back, between Wilhelm Shakespeare’s Gospel of the Hohenzollerns and The Origins of Modernity, was what he was looking for: A Chronicle of House Hohenzollern - Complete Edition, written by Johannes Aventinus. He flipped to the Anatolian branch section and checked the page that was incomplete in the copy Wilhelm Karl had. Unlike that one, this one actually was complete. There were names here. Viceroy Maria’s husband was a Bernhard, born 1136. He was the father of Maria’s son and successor Jacob (with a “c,” unlike Bernhard’s father Jakob). Heinrich was surprised to see Jakob’s lineage was also tracked.

He didn’t have to go far before he found conclusive results. Bernhard’s brother was Viceroy Folkhard of Aegyptus. And even if Folkhard’s lineage was disputed, there was no disputing the fact that Jakob was a son of Prince Wilhelm, the eldest son of Friedrich the Great, and brother of Friedrich the Glorious. The Anatolian line, and thus the Siegfriedist line, was legitimate, starting from Maria’s son, assuming a DNA test checked out. Fortunately, Maria and her family were buried in Ancyra, which wasn’t as heavily watched as the imperial crypt in Potsdam. He would go to the Ancyra tomb, get DNA samples, and get conclusive proof. Then all that would be left was to prove the Maximist line legitimate as well. Which would be more difficult, since all of the possible sources of DNA were from Hohenzollerns buried in the Potsdam crypt. But he knew what he had to do. He and the Kaiser couldn’t break free with only proof of the Siegfriedists’ legitimacy. He needed the Maximists to be proven legitimate too. Only then would the Hohenzollerns avert the impending crisis.

This was the only way out of this mess.
 
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I don't know what Killzone is, so that's a coincidence.

I was going to post my first Tianxia update but I think this needs to be rectified. This is the rough and dirty summary of the series.

The Killzone series is set after World War III takes place on Earth leading to Humanity to colonies different planets. One of the most prominent systems and the one that the series takes place in is the Alpha Centauri star system. The enemies of the series are the Helghans. They were an Earth based corporation known as the Helghan Corporation who won the rights to colonies Alpha Centauri. The system is a binary star system with two stars orbiting each other. In the system there are two planets Helghan and Vekta. Helghan was rich in resources but had a toxic atmosphere and was named after the corporation. Vekta was named after the company's CEO and was the only Earth-like planet in the system.

It was given the title of Sony's “Halo Killer” in marketing up to its release but has not gotten anywhere near the sales that Halo has gotten.

(Killzone) The Helghans felt like they were being exploited so they attempted to secede from Earth and the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance or ISA starting the First Extrasolar War where they invaded Vekta. They lost and many Helghan loyalists fled to Helghan. Over time the people on Helghan were forced to adapt. This led them to believe that they were superior to regular Humans and thus labeled themselves the Helghast and they then developed a Fascist government under Scolar Visari who proclaimed himself Autarch.

(Killzone 2) In retaliation the ISA invade Helghan but are beaten back by a new superweapon the Helghast develop using the element Petrusite, the new resolve that the Helghast had after Visari was unintentionally killed by the ISA, and a secret fleet that has been hiding coming out and joining the fight.

(Killzone 3) As time went on Visari’s successor Admiral Orlock, commander of the First Army came into conflict with Jorhan Stahl, the chairman of arms manufacturer Stahl Arms. The two hate each other and when the request to the Helghan Imperial Senate to remove Orlock for incompetence is rejected Stahl refuses to work with the government. A civil war takes place and Stahl plans to use his flagship to go to Earth and render it uninhabitable using Petrusite weapons. This plan is thwarted by the ISA. The ISA then launches a nuclear strike on the ship causing it to drop its Petrusite arsenal on Helghan. This ends the war but causes Helghan to become a lifeless rock.

In the last game in the series Killzone Shadow Fall the few survivors are given refuge on Vekta leading the planit to be divided into two parts. One being the pro ISA part and the other New Helghan with forced relocations to either side of the wall similarly to the partition of India. This results in a Cold War between two sides. However a pro-Helghan group called “The Black Hand” launched terrorist attacks on the non-Helghan side. The person behind these attacks is Stahl who has been using the New Helghan government as puppets while he along with the few Helghast survivors on Helghan have spent their time building a massive fleet but they are again thwarted by the ISA. After a pacifist female sniper who is Helghast kills a pro-war ISA member peace appears to have been saved for now.

RedScotGaming on YouTube did a great two part series in which he talks about all of the games in the series along with some of the themes in the series like the Fascism of the Helgans and the conflict depicted in the game. The Templin Institute also did three videos on Killzone. One on the Helgan Empire, the other on New Helgan, and the other on Scolar Visari.
 
I was going to post my first Tianxia update but I think this needs to be rectified. This is the rough and dirty summary of the series.

The Killzone series is set after World War III takes place on Earth leading to Humanity to colonies different planets. One of the most prominent systems and the one that the series takes place in is the Alpha Centauri star system. The enemies of the series are the Helghans. They were an Earth based corporation known as the Helghan Corporation who won the rights to colonies Alpha Centauri. The system is a binary star system with two stars orbiting each other. In the system there are two planets Helghan and Vekta. Helghan was rich in resources but had a toxic atmosphere and was named after the corporation. Vekta was named after the company's CEO and was the only Earth-like planet in the system.

It was given the title of Sony's “Halo Killer” in marketing up to its release but has not gotten anywhere near the sales that Halo has gotten.

(Killzone) The Helghans felt like they were being exploited so they attempted to secede from Earth and the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance or ISA starting the First Extrasolar War where they invaded Vekta. They lost and many Helghan loyalists fled to Helghan. Over time the people on Helghan were forced to adapt. This led them to believe that they were superior to regular Humans and thus labeled themselves the Helghast and they then developed a Fascist government under Scolar Visari who proclaimed himself Autarch.

(Killzone 2) In retaliation the ISA invade Helghan but are beaten back by a new superweapon the Helghast develop using the element Petrusite, the new resolve that the Helghast had after Visari was unintentionally killed by the ISA, and a secret fleet that has been hiding coming out and joining the fight.

(Killzone 3) As time went on Visari’s successor Admiral Orlock, commander of the First Army came into conflict with Jorhan Stahl, the chairman of arms manufacturer Stahl Arms. The two hate each other and when the request to the Helghan Imperial Senate to remove Orlock for incompetence is rejected Stahl refuses to work with the government. A civil war takes place and Stahl plans to use his flagship to go to Earth and render it uninhabitable using Petrusite weapons. This plan is thwarted by the ISA. The ISA then launches a nuclear strike on the ship causing it to drop its Petrusite arsenal on Helghan. This ends the war but causes Helghan to become a lifeless rock.

In the last game in the series Killzone Shadow Fall the few survivors are given refuge on Vekta leading the planit to be divided into two parts. One being the pro ISA part and the other New Helghan with forced relocations to either side of the wall similarly to the partition of India. This results in a Cold War between two sides. However a pro-Helghan group called “The Black Hand” launched terrorist attacks on the non-Helghan side. The person behind these attacks is Stahl who has been using the New Helghan government as puppets while he along with the few Helghast survivors on Helghan have spent their time building a massive fleet but they are again thwarted by the ISA. After a pacifist female sniper who is Helghast kills a pro-war ISA member peace appears to have been saved for now.

RedScotGaming on YouTube did a great two part series in which he talks about all of the games in the series along with some of the themes in the series like the Fascism of the Helgans and the conflict depicted in the game. The Templin Institute also did three videos on Killzone. One on the Helgan Empire, the other on New Helgan, and the other on Scolar Visari.
Interesting. Not really my cup of tea (I don't usually play shooter games), but that's some detailed lore.
 
Even as things get tense for our heroes, there's some hope on the Wilhelm Karl and Heinrich front of the struggle.
 
Even as things get tense for our heroes, there's some hope on the Wilhelm Karl and Heinrich front of the struggle.
Things are looking up again for the Hohenzollerns.
 
I got a very bad feeling that Zen is gonna pull a GRRM on us all right as hope is reignited, I swear, that bit on the Chronicles and the legitimization of the Anatolian branch feels like Robb Stark's plans on retaking the North, just before a certain wedding occurs....Oh well, if the worse is to happen, I suppose we can always try and locate the Romanov branch. Speaking of which I had this interesting alt-history idea for the timeline. Basically Malcolm Belthune succeeds in nearly destroying the Hohenzollern dynasty save for Fredreich and Sofia, Fredreich dies in battle leaving Sofia to finish off the usurper, but dies during her wedding night as like what occurred in EU4, this leaves the Reich heirless, so in this scenario, what if it's the Romanovs that end up taking over given that they are the most senior cadet line directly descended from Fredreich the Glorious, of course not everybody would be happy at this of course. Idk, just a weird idea I have.

Speaking of ASOIAF, I think I'm gonna be giving a somewhat brief summary as to the plotline of both Symphony and Hymn and how there's some similarities between Symphony and ASOIAF and how things end up being different. Hymn meanwhile I've decided to retcon on taking place just two months before the first book and have it set ten years instead. I've got a few notes I've been working on, on of which as Euron Greyjoy appear in Asshai in Hymn and causing a ruckus and his defeat at the hands of a Zheng-He character (An ally of the protagonist of Hymn) forces him to sail to Valyria. Euron is gonna be a major antagonist in both Symphony and Hymn especially since he has plans to unleash eldritch abominations that had a hand in destroying the Empire of the Dawn.
 
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I got a very bad feeling that Zen is gonna pull a GRRM on us all right as hope is reignited, I swear, that bit on the Chronicles and the legitimization of the Anatolian branch feels like Robb Stark's plans on retaking the North, just before a certain wedding occurs....
Internally I was calling the Bloody Tuesday incident my own Red Wedding, so it’s already happened...
Oh well, if the worse is to happen, I suppose we can always try and locate the Romanov branch. Speaking of which I had this interesting alt-history idea for the timeline. Basically Malcolm Belthune succeeds in nearly destroying the Hohenzollern dynasty save for Fredreich and Sofia, Fredreich dies in battle leaving Sofia to finish off the usurper, but dies during her wedding night as like what occurred in EU4, this leaves the Reich heirless, so in this scenario, what if it's the Romanovs that end up taking over given that they are the most senior cadet line directly descended from Fredreich the Glorious, of course not everybody would be happy at this of course. Idk, just a weird idea I have.
Schweinfurts would be contesting the claim, and Romanovs might seek to unite both the Reich and Russia into a single empire.
Speaking of ASOIAF, I think I'm gonna be giving a somewhat brief summary as to the plotline of both Symphony and Hymn and how there's some similarities between Symphony and ASOIAF and how things end up being different. Hymn meanwhile I've decided to retcon on taking place just two months before the first book and have it set ten years instead. I've got a few notes I've been working on, on of which as Euron Greyjoy appear in Asshai in Hymn and causing a ruckus and his defeat at the hands of a Zheng-He character (An ally of the protagonist of Hymn) forces him to sail to Valyria. Euron is gonna be a major antagonist in both Symphony and Hymn especially since he has plans to unleash eldritch abominations that had a hand in destroying the Empire of the Dawn.
Sounds cool, though admittedly it’s been so long since we discussed ASOAIF that I barely remember what it would be like. Sorry.
 
Well, Theodor has his hands on Annionaverse smallpox and seems ready to unleash it in the Hohenzollernverse juding from what happened in Bremerhaven. That's worrying, but let's hope its not like XA-1005C worrying, as that ended all life in the AAR it came from.

Manfred really can't see reason can he. At this point, he really is living up to the myth of the frog not jumping out of a slowly boiling pot, rather than the frog of reality.

While I fear X-Divsion's fate is sealed thanks to Diana's visions, At least there's a bright spot in Henrich and Wilhelm Karl trying to legitimize the Hohenzollerns again. That said, I agree with TWR, I fear that by the time the blackmail is broken, it will be too late to stop Elias from twisting the Reich to his nightmarish vision, especially given the state of Roman society from the bottom up as we saw with how that Lithuanian family was treated.

Also, dang it. Looks like my fears of the Hindutva coming to power in India after the Reich's betrayal have come true. With madmen in charge of the world's three most powerful nations and authoritarianism rooted in Penglai and Bhutan, I dread to think how this will influence the rest of the world.
Schweinfurts would be contesting the claim, and Romanovs might seek to unite both the Reich and Russia into a single empire.
Come to think about it, I wonder if the Seljuk of Persia would be able to claim the Roman throne, since they and the Hohenzollerns are technically related through Kaiser Wilhelm I's marriage to a Seljuk princess?
Most of Nick's character actually went into developing Josh, but some elements did rub off on Kurt and Gustav.
On that note, what other characters in this arc are inspired from Handmaid's Tale, or would answering that spoil this arc?
 
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Well, Theodor has his hands on Annionaverse smallpox and seems ready to unleash it in the Hohenzollernverse juding from what happened in Bremerhaven. That's worrying, but let's hope its not like XA-1005C worrying, as that ended all life in the AAR it came from. At least he
I think you didn't finish your sentence here.
Manfred really can't see reason can he. At this point, he really is living up to the myth of the frog not jumping out of a slowly boiling pot, rather than the frog of reality.
In a totalitarian regime, 1/3 of the population (Manfred) would passively watch another 1/3 (Josh) kill the last 1/3 (Alex). I believe Margaret Atwood said that.
While I fear X-Divsion's fate is sealed thanks to Diana's visions, At least there's a bright spot in Henrich and Wilhelm Karl trying to legitimize the Hohenzollerns again. That said, I agree with TWR, I fear that by the time the blackmail is broken, it will be too late to stop Elias from twisting the Reich to his nightmarish vision, especially given the state of Roman society from the bottom up as we saw with how that Lithuanian family was treated.
Actually, that family was Polish, as they use the Polish words for "dad" and "grandma." The racists either thought they were Lithuanian or all Poles should go to Lithuania.
Also, dang it. Looks like my fears of the Hindutva coming to power in India after the Reich's betrayal have come true. With madmen in charge of the world's three most powerful nations and authoritarianism rooted in Penglai and Bhutan, I dread to think how this will influence the rest of the world.
Ah yes, the most influential country in the world...Bhutan.:p
Come to think about it, I wonder if the Seljuk of Persia would be able to claim the Roman throne, since they and the Hohenzollerns are technically related through Kaiser Wilhelm I's marriage to a Seljuk princess?
The main Seljuk line has no Hohenzollern blood. It's only the Hohenzollerns who have Seljuk blood.
On that note, what other characters in this arc are inspired from Handmaid's Tale, or would answering that spoil this arc?
Let's see, the only major ones I had were Gertrude having Serena Joy's backstory, Elias being very loosely based on Fred Waterford, and Josiah starting off based on Joseph Lawrence but quickly becoming a different character. There's one more character based on a Handmaid's Tale character, but that would be spoilers, although I'm making their arc happen differently than in the show.
 
I think you didn't finish your sentence here.
I didn’t even remember typing those last three words lol. I’ve gone ahead and deleted them.
The main Seljuk line has no Hohenzollern blood. It's only the Hohenzollerns who have Seljuk blood.
I see, no Persian-Roman empire scenario then. I guess we still have potential unions between Russia and the Reich through the Romanovs for alternate history.

Now I’m wondering what kinda media is being censored and banned by the Committee for “subversive messages” since they associate with Han and Zhao who hate shows like Legend of Korra for LGBT representation.

I’m gonna call it right now, Elias has some plans to set up some form of Kaisereich/CA/Annionaverse style authoritarian meritocracy with the Reichstag examinations. You know, allowing the illusion of free and fair examinations to the public while still having all power vested in the Committee. Only this time, it’s national populists at the head of it rather than nobility or other kinds of elites.
 
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I see, no Persian-Roman empire scenario then. I guess we still have potential unions between Russia and the Reich through the Romanovs for alternate history.
A united Russia-Reich would be a monstrous juggernaut, and perhaps like the cultural center of Roman civilization shifting from Greece to Germany, maybe it would shift to Russia now.
Now I’m wondering what kinda media is being censored and banned by the Committee for “subversive messages” since they associate with Han and Zhao who hate shows like Legend of Korra for LGBT representation.
Pretty much everything, I guess. Whatever they don't ban they censor heavily to endorse a pro-committee message. Especially online they already have almost total dominance in all social media, like Dikastirio, although there it's mostly nationalistic and pro-committee users doing their own censoring for the committee (like the Internet in China).
I’m gonna call it right now, Elias has some plans to set up some form of Kaisereich/CA/Annionaverse style authoritarian meritocracy with the Reichstag examinations. You know, allowing the illusion of free and fair examinations to the public while still having all power vested in the Committee. Only this time, it’s national populists at the head of it rather than nobility or other kinds of elites.
It's a lot like the situation in today's Russia.
 
Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that when I tried to use the Custom Nation feature in Eu4 to make the Tianxia map I was able to create one nation and give it the territory of Asian China in TTL and make it all the way to Wadjuk along the west coast of Australia. However when I tried to click on the province of Malgana it said “This province is too far away from your home provinces.” First I tried to go back to a previous version but I still got the message. Then when I searched online someone on Steam said that they tried to create a Custom Nation in Hawaii which they did but when they tried to click on Wake Island it that message appeared for them. So I do not think that I will be able to create a world map unfortunately.

The good news is I will do regional maps instead. Such as a map of what the Indian Subcontinent looks like in Tianxia, what the Arabian Peninsula looks like, etc, etc, etc. like how Progress Reports/Teases for various mods for different Paradox games do. I would do one for China but due to the aforementioned issue I cannot.

Anyway, here is my first update for Tianxia and I decided to go with the big kahuna itself, the Chinese Empire. It is based off of the “What if Germany won WWI? (Kaiserreich Lore)” video.

Tianxia-Legacy of the Great War:
Chinese Empire
XlEanuHzrgoKd8J5Y-B45r8ly4krh6NX4iL-a9gXz8xyYWVnWGWOXmo6McWvbV_VrVypcFHcB480Xzwy59u4HXo388nJ1MsTW0GnkqTDZNo1_SaD12rdjlHyQdtByqzbtgYbaDP1

(Flag of the Chinese Empire)​

China's unexpected victory in the Great War would set a chain of events that would change the world forever. Surrounded and facing the might of an alliance led by one of the largest empires in human history, the Chinese Tianxia Alliance stunned its enemies with massive numbers of soldiers along with sheer resilience and strategic mastery. The sight of Chinese boots marching through a liberated Vilnius broke the will of the Daqin. The years that followed saw a time of fatigue and economic collapse sending it to a downward spiral of revolution and civil war. Not long after the Daqin’s Empire abroad collapsed with the old Russia regime barely holding on through Chinese intervention. The Celestial Empire and the Tianxia Alliance emerged victorious, her rivals beaten into the ground with massive colonial and territorial gains. However it was not the victorious peace the Chinese populace had hoped for. The Celestial Empire emerged from the Great War as an exhausted and destroyed nation with an economy in tatters. Her allies' empires continue to be the sick men of their respective continents on the verge of dissolution. Chancellor Xu championed China's economic recovery after the war. However the nation continues to be ruled by old guard generals. The cause for reform in China is stronger than ever, and domestic unrest is growing. Across the border the old enemies of the Celestial Empire have resurfaced promising a new world revolution under a new scarlet banner. China finds itself struggling to preserve it's world empire as it unravels at the edges. What is next for China only the Celestial Emperor himself may know.
 
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Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that when I tried to use the Custom Nation feature in Eu4 to make the Tianxia map I was able to create one nation and give it the territory of Asian China in TTL and make it all the way to Wadjuk along the west coast of Australia. However when I tried to click on the province of Malgana it said “This province is too far away from your home provinces.” First I tried to go back to a previous version but I still got the message. Then when I searched online someone on Steam said that they tried to create a Custom Nation in Hawaii which they did but when they tried to click on Wake Island it that message appeared for them. So I do not think that I will be able to create a world map unfortunately.
You could just use the console to change the borders of existing countries to fit what you need, then take a world map screenshot. We won't need to see the names anyways (you can label them on the final map), so just pick the countries with appropriate colors.
The good news is I will do regional maps instead. Such as a map of what the Indian Subcontinent looks like in Tianxia, what the Arabian Peninsula looks like, etc, etc, etc. like how Progress Reports/Teases for various mods for different Paradox games do. I would do one for China but due to the aforementioned issue I cannot.
That would be nice too.
Anyway, here is my first update for Tianxia and I decided to go with the big kahuna itself, the Chinese Empire. It is based off of the “What if Germany won WWI? (Kaiserreich Lore)” video.
Really nice. I'll add it to the table of contents. Who are you thinking of doing next?
 
Great job with your first Tianxia update @GhostRider124, I really like it. Ironically I did use the Kaisercat Germany video as inspiration for my Volkerschalt update on India. I also floated around ideas for a longer update based of the Templin Institute’s video for Germany in Kaiserreich, but I never got around to fleshing it out. I’m looking to seeing your interpretation of countries, especially since I’ve seem to have entered a writer’s block induced hiatus for Volkerschalt again. I’m especially looking forward to seeing your regional maps.

That last bit about old enemies across China’s borders resurfacing under a socialist revolution is am. Sounds like India has gone red. I also wonder were else a Communist/Equalist revolution could break out. I think there were Tianxia discussions of a strong Socialist state in the former Reich based out of very industrialized states in western Germany like the Rhineland on this thread, I can see that coming to blows with the non Communist states in Germania and Gallia. I’m wondering how that will be covered in a future update.

Moving back to the main story. Since Commitee probably likes Saint Wilhelmina for all her minority purging in the early half of her reign despite being a women, I kinda get the feeling they wouldn’t like Saint Gunhilda as much for being Polish and opposing Saint Wilhelmina for her discriminatory policies despite the fact she’s also a major Roman Saint with religious, cultural and military significance to Roman history.
 
You could just use the console to change the borders of existing countries to fit what you need, then take a world map screenshot.
I tried to do that in Victoria 2 and got to uniting the cliques directly into the Qing along with Korea and Japan but when I got to a certain point Victoria crashed. But I'll still give it a shot in Eu4.

Who are you thinking of doing next?
Since this is a China centric world I am going to do China's neighbors first, then do regions do regions like the former Reich last. I am partly going off of your world map in Chapter 296: The World in 1935 of the Iron and Blood part of the megagame and the map of Kaiserreich.

We won't need to see the names anyways (you can label them on the final map), so just pick the countries with appropriate colors.
I'm sorry but what do you mean by that?

I’m especially looking forward to seeing your regional maps.
Thank you but I am very much a noob when it comes to making maps/modding so it might not be to spectacular.
 
Moving back to the main story. Since Commitee probably likes Saint Wilhelmina for all her minority purging in the early half of her reign despite being a women, I kinda get the feeling they wouldn’t like Saint Gunhilda as much for being Polish and opposing Saint Wilhelmina for her discriminatory policies despite the fact she’s also a major Roman Saint with religious, cultural and military significance to Roman history.
They only like Saint Wilhelmina because she's a Christian saint who purged minorities. Everything else about her is ignored. Gunhilda definitely would not be viewed favorably.
I tried to do that in Victoria 2 and got to uniting the cliques directly into the Qing along with Korea and Japan but when I got to a certain point Victoria crashed. But I'll still give it a shot in Eu4.
It's definitely much easier in EU4 since the console is easier to use there. I do remember Vicky crashing a couple times when I was changing province ownerships in some old games.
Since this is a China centric world I am going to do China's neighbors first, then do regions do regions like the former Reich last. I am partly going off of your world map in Chapter 296: The World in 1935 of the Iron and Blood part of the megagame and the map of Kaiserreich.
Okay then.
I'm sorry but what do you mean by that?
I meant taking a screenshot with F11, which gives you an overview of the whole world in the map mode you're currently in (I think). This only shows the territories each country (or religion, culture, dynasty, whatever) controls, no names or provincial borders or anything. An example would be my "World in <year>" updates and the world maps I put in them.
 
A wonderful first update for Tianxia by @GhostRider124 ! Bold choice for the first one, but it worked quite well.
 
A Long and Dark Night, Part 1

Wilhelmina’s house, Berlin - December 21, nighttime

Wilhelmina meditated in the center of the living room. She both concentrated and relaxed, focusing on her inner thoughts while tuning out everything around her. In her mind’s eye, she saw Elisabeth Alexandra sitting across from her.

“You’re doing better,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.

“Really?” Wilhelmina said.

“Yes, you’ve come so far over the last five years,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “Now it’s time for the final trial.”

“What’s it about?” Wilhelmina said.

“Your attachments,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “If you understand and acknowledge what attaches you to the world around you, then you will be in full control of yourself.”

“Okay,” Wilhelmina said, “Let’s do this.”

“Think of what you’re attached to,” Elisabeth Alexandra said.

Wilhelmina thought hard. Memories flashed by in her mind’s eye. She saw herself with Franz and Joseph when they were younger, playing a game of hide and seek. Then she saw herself chatting with Jayasimha and Tsai, at the usual table in the Nanjing chaguan. She saw herself listening to one of Uncle Georg’s charity stories from North Eimerica and Uncle Horst’s war heroics. She saw herself much younger, receiving her first Fire Emblem game from her mother, who beamed with pride. She knew exactly what attached her to the world. Her friends and family.

“Now, let them all go,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “Let them drift away.”

The memories suddenly disappeared, and Wilhelmina focused on her mother.

“Wait, what?” Wilhelmina said. “Why would I do that? They’re my friends and family. I love them all. I can’t just let go of them.”

“I completely understand, and it is good you care for them, but it can also be a fatal flaw,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “People can exploit your ties. The ties can influence your judgment and decisions. If you put their needs above those of everyone else, and your own, you will not achieve what you set out to find. You don’t need to sever the ties. Just don’t let them get in the way of true justice.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” Wilhelmina said.

She concentrated. The darkness of her mind’s eye fell away, along with Elisabeth Alexandra, and was replaced with the forest from her vision. Now clad in medieval armor, she spurred her horse and charged towards the otter-banner army, her cavalry behind her yelling war cries. The otter-banner army also charged, shouting its own cries. Wilhelmina raised her hand and motioned to her archers and cannons, who opened fire. Cannonballs slammed into the lines of enemy pikemen, while the first volley of arrows picked off the cavalry and forced them back. The two armies collided, Wilhelmina’s armies setting upon the enemy with swords and axes, while the otter-banner army resisted fiercely from close range. Her horse was shot with an arrow through the neck and went down. Wilhelmina got back on her feet and slashed outward with Enonon to cut down the enemy soldier trying to kill her.

“Traitor, show yourself!” she shouted. “The dead must have their tribute!”

“What is your name?!” Joseph shouted.

“You’d be scared to hear it,” a familiar voice said, "Elias Anhorn, the true ruler of this nation."

Wilhelmina spun around and saw Joseph clashing swords with Elias.

“The devil could not pronounce a name more hateful!” Joseph said.

“No,” Elias calmly replied, “He can’t.”

“Say that to his face!” Joseph shouted.

He lunged at Elias, but Elias drew a modern pistol and shot him. Joseph fell to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring at Wilhelmina.

“NO!” Franz said, galloping in on horseback, lance at the ready. “YOU MONSTER!”

He lunged at Elias, but Elias ducked under the lance and shot the horse, sending Franz crashing into the ground, pinned there under his horse’s body. As he tried pulling himself out, with little success, Elias walked over and shot him as well.

“Franz!” Wilhelmina shouted.

She heard the screaming of a little boy over the sounds of battle. Elias did too. Instinctively, Wilhelmina ran off in the boy’s direction, stabbing and slashing at any enemy in her way. She knew she had to get there before Elias. But when she pushed aside the last soldier, she saw Elias already there, his gun pointed at a crying Friedrich.

“A thousand years of Hohenzollerns…ends now!” he triumphantly declared.

“NO!” Wilhelmina said, desperately rushing forward, only to be held back by more soldiers who grabbed her limbs and pulled her back.

A shot rang out, and Wilhelmina shot back to the real world, panting heavily. She understood exactly what the vision was telling her.

“My family is in danger,” she said, “I have to get out of here.”

“You’re not done yet,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “The process isn’t complete.”

“Yeah, I have other things to worry about right now, Mom,” Wilhelmina said, “Something bad is about to happen. I can feel it. I have to leave, now!”

She got up and began putting stuff in her suitcase.

“Have you ever thought of planning about how to get out?” Elisabeth Alexandra said. “Because last I remember, you’re under house arrest.”

“I’ll make a call, I’ll call in my favors, I’ll talk to Franz, or Joseph, or Uncle Karl, someone!” Wilhelmina said. “Someone’s going to help.”

She ran upstairs and went to the bedroom, where Franz was watching TV in bed.

“What is it?” Franz said.

“We have to go,” Wilhelmina said, “We’re in danger.”

“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Franz said.

“Danger doesn’t wait!” Wilhelmina said. “We have to find Joseph, Lisa, and Friedrich and go, now!”

“Go where?” Franz said.

“I don’t know, Scandinavia?” Wilhelmina said. “It’s just not safe in Berlin.”

“We’re under house arrest, Willie,” Franz said, “They’ll catch us as soon as we’re out the door.”

“Think, Wilhelmina,” Elisabeth Alexandra said, “You need a plan.”

Suddenly, the TV broadcast cut off, and a music video began playing.


All Wilhelmina could feel was an overwhelming sense of dread and imminent disaster.

“Oh no,” she said, “We’re too late.”


Bremerhaven

The public announcement intercoms were now playing “Heaven is a Place on Earth” on loop for some reason. Eva Anniona stopped her speech, while Julian and the protesters who had gathered in the square nervously looked around. Then suddenly a shot rang out, and a bullet struck Eva in the stomach. She went down, and Julian rushed to her side.

“Someone call an ambulance!” he said.

“I’m trying!” one of the protesters said. “But I don’t have service!”

“Neither do I!” another said.

“Phone lines seem to be down!” a third protester said.

“Then…I…” Julian stammered, freezing up. “I…”

A missile slammed into the center of the square, the explosion and shrapnel quickly obliterating several protesters. The rest ran for their lives. Julian looked up just as a fighter jet roared past, followed by several others. Seconds later, more missiles rained down with impunity on the nearby streets and blocks, destroying several buildings and throwing up clouds of dust.

“Oh no,” he said.

He pulled Eva to safety behind the podium and scanned the area for any hostiles.

“Julian…” Eva weakly said, looking at him.

“Yes, sister?” Julian said.

“Please…continue my work,” Eva said.

“Don’t say that!” Julian said. “Help’s on the way. We’ll get you to a hospital.”

“I doubt that,” Eva said, coughing in pain.

Two bystanders rushed over and helped Julian load Eva onto a stretcher. They hurried to a waiting ambulance, where paramedics carried her inside. Julian climbed in after her. The ambulance sped off, while more missiles rained down on nearby blocks. He was fully aware the next missile could land right on top of him, but he didn’t care.


The Chancellery, Berlin

Brad turned put on his coat and turned off the lights to his office. He checked his pocket for his car and door keys. He went to the door and opened it to leave, only to find someone waiting outside, a gun pointed at him. A shot rang out, and Brad fell over, dead.


Anti-committee coalition campaign headquarters

Soldiers kicked down the door and marched into the office, catching Paul Ulrich, Andrea Nahles, and other CMU, SPR, and KRA leaders by surprise.

“What’s going on?” Paul said.

The soldiers opened fire, mowing them all down in seconds.


The committee

Elias and the other committee members clinked glasses of wine. The others were congratulating each other about the success of their plan. It was Elias’ idea to use the examinations to lure all remaining serious opposition leaders out into the open, and at this very moment, Argus and police departments loyal to him were arresting or executing them all for sedition and treason. It had gone off without a hitch. His fellow citizens really would do anything for some semblance of order. Thanks to them, this country now belonged to him. He gazed at an old wallet photo of himself, Gertrude, and Ellie in college. They looked so young and hopeful back then. He looked around the room for Gertrude before remembering he had all of the committee members’ wives sent to another part of the house for their own party. He put the photo back in his wallet.

“I’ve dreamed of this day for so long,” Theodor said, walking over.

“Yes,” Elias said, “The time has come for us Christians to retake our birthright.”

“You look a little down on yourself,” Theodor said, “This is a day of celebration.”

“I know,” Elias said, “I just wish my sister were here to see it.”

“I bet she would be proud of you,” Theodor said, “Unlike my own traitor of a sister.”

“I hope she will see the light soon,” Elias said.

“Oh, she will,” Theodor said, “As soon as we’ve stabilized the Middle East, I’m personally heading there to bring her home.”

“Soon, you’ll have your sister back,” Elias said, “I promise.”


Damascus

There was a knock on the door. Alexandra looked through the peephole and then opened the door to let Angela in.

“Mom?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Angela said, “It’s no longer safe.”

“What do you mean?” Alexandra said.

“Didn’t you hear the news?” Angela said.

“Not really,” Alexandra said, “Internet’s been down. What happened?”

“The committee’s starting a big purge,” Angela said, “They cut the Internet and jammed the TV signals to start with. I was driving through Aleppo four hours ago and it was pretty bad there. Argus was on the streets, just waiting for a signal. I think this is what they were waiting for.”

“So you’re here to get me out,” Alexandra said.

“Yeah,” Angela said, “I called some friends in Persia. They’re waiting on the border for us. They can’t cross the border because it’s closed.”

“So we’re going to run the border,” Alexandra said.

“It’s either that or…” Angela said.

Suddenly, the room was illuminated by a blinding flash of light. Alexandra and Angela shielded their eyes until the light weakened. Alexandra looked out the window and saw a mushroom cloud forming in the distance…in the direction of Beirut.

“It’s worse than I expected,” Angela said.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Alexandra said.

“Get your things,” Angela said, “Wake up Magnus. We’re heading to Alex and Thea’s next.”


Mexicanist State said:
The cleansing of Beirut, Alexandria, Antioch, and Tel Aviv is a just punishment for their inhabitants’ sinfulness and for the Reich’s centuries of domination and persecution of all faithful across Cemanahuac. This is only the beginning of our revenge. The gods will we do not stop until every last bit of the Roman menace is wiped from the face of the earth at our hands! Your dead god on the cross will not protect you!


Constantinople

The military transport plane landed on the runway of Saint Wilhelmina International Airport, with more transports close behind. Inside, Kurt continued his briefing. A bulleted list of orders appeared in Josh’s line of sight.

“We’ve been given the go-ahead to begin Operation Lost Sheep,” Kurt said, “Our goal is to take out the targets you see, listed in order of priority.”

“Yes sir!” the squad replied.

“Our first objective is to secure the garrison,” Kurt said, “Ensure its loyalty to the nation. All traitors are to be dealt with accordingly. Given a traitor’s fate.”

“Yes sir!” the squad replied.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” Kurt said, “The rest are traitors, and there is no place for traitors and heretics in our divine empire!”

“Yes sir!” the squad replied.

“Our second objective is to liquidate those who have turned their back on this nation,” Kurt said, “Starting with the liars and cheats at Die Zeiten.”

Josh smiled.


Brandenburg Palace

Wilhelm Karl quietly looked out the window. Berlin at night was illuminated by fires burning across downtown, plumes of smoke rising up into the moonlit sky. He heard gunfire and explosions in the distance. All he could do was sip a glass of wine. It reminded him of Nero sitting idly by while Rome burned. He tried telling himself he wasn’t ignoring Berlin out of incompetence or malice, like Nero did, but because he had no choice. There was still no excuse for him though. He chose this path, and this was the inevitable conclusion of that path. He deserved every bit of this.

“I’ve failed,” he said.

“What makes you say that?”

Wilhelm Karl turned around. Horst casually sat in one of the chairs.

“I...I caused all this,” Wilhelm Karl said, “I hated everything you stood for and strove to be the exact opposite of you and my father. I embraced people like me, who would stop at nothing to backstab and betray to put themselves ahead, not knowing they would backstab me in the end. I should’ve known better. Now my country’s been stolen away from me by a madman who is now burning down everything our family built. And it’s all my fault.”

“Karl, don’t blame yourself,” Horst said.

“How can I not after everything that’s happened?” Wilhelm Karl said. “After everything I did to the country?”

“There was no way you could’ve known your path led here,” Horst said, “You were only doing what you thought was right. Just like I was.”

“How are you not mad at me?” Wilhelm Karl said. “How are you even saying this to me?”

“Because you can still set things right,” Horst said.

“How can I turn things around at this point?” Wilhelm Karl said. “I’m too far gone. I have no power left. I can’t get into the Potsdam tomb to get the proof of our ancestry. Anhorn’s busy killing the last serious opposition to his rule. He’s won. I don’t think I even deserve to be Kaiser at this point.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Horst said.

“What do you mean?” Wilhelm Karl said.

“Maybe the throne wasn’t your destiny after all,” Horst said.

Wilhelm Karl sat down and finished his wine.

“Yeah...” he said. “Maybe it isn’t.”

He was surprised he was actually saying that and believing it. He killed his father twenty years ago because he thought the throne was his destiny, and he couldn’t be kept from it any longer. Even as late as five years ago, before Bloody Tuesday, he thought it was his destiny to rule and reign as he saw fit. But times had changed.

“There must still be a Kaiser though,” Horst said.

“I know,” Wilhelm Karl said, “But it won’t be me.”

“Then who deserves the throne?” Horst said.

“Only one other choice,” Wilhelm Karl said, “And she’s far more qualified than I will ever be.”

“What will you do then?” Horst said.

“I...I need to send someone to help her,” Wilhelm Karl said.

He picked up his phone and dialed Colonel Wassermann.

“Yes, sir?” Justin answered.

“Could you come to my office?” Wilhelm Karl said. “I have something to discuss with you off the record.”

“Sure,” Justin said.

“Thank you, Colonel,” Wilhelm Karl said.

He hung up and found himself alone in the room again.


Wilhelmina’s house

Somebody knocked on the door. Wilhelmina cautiously approached and looked out the window, seeing only a dark-haired woman in black clothes outside. Strange. The Varangians patrolling outside didn't have a problem with her. She was unarmed, but Wilhelmina didn’t want to take any risks. She picked up a kitchen knife and slowly opened the door a little bit.

“Who is it?” she asked.

The woman held up her hands. “Sorry for meeting you under less than ideal circumstances, but we really don’t have the luxury to decide a better time. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Who sent you?” Wilhelmina said.

“I’m a friend of your mother’s,” the woman said, “Before she died, she asked me to watch over you in case something happened to her. Make sure whatever happened to her doesn’t happen to you as well.”

Wilhelmina looked at Elisabeth Alexandra, who nodded.

“Okay,” she said, “Why haven’t you contacted me sooner?”

“Your mother wanted me to stay out of your life unless you were in imminent danger,” the woman said, “So I respected her wish. You’re in imminent danger, so I’m stepping in now.”

“What are we doing?” Wilhelmina said.

“Get your things ready,” the woman said, “We are leaving Berlin tonight, for a safe haven. A detachment of Varangians loyal to us should be arriving soon.”

“Okay, that’s great, so, uh, what should I call you?” Wilhelmina said.

“Just call me Sophie,” the woman said, “Now let’s get to it. We don’t have much time.”


Berlin - December 22

Elias stood at a podium, looking straight at a camera broadcasting to the entire nation.

“I would like to begin by quoting the Holy Bible,” he said, “The book of Leviticus says, ‘Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death’. For too long, we have not honored the commandments God laid out for us thousands of years ago. We delude ourselves by thinking these rules are no longer necessary, or that we have laws for that. No, our own laws are only getting in the way of true justice. The party cartel spent the last seventy years utilizing political correctness as a weapon to maintain its own power, even at the expense of God-fearing Christians all over the world. And in the light of these devastating attacks, the party cartel has remained silent…as if they wanted this to happen. And they let this happen. How could four nuclear weapons be stolen from our arsenal and detonated in the heart of the Middle East without anybody knowing? Because there was an inside job, a conspiracy of CMU, SPR, KRA, and FMP leaders who sought to bring me down by any means necessary…and who sought to overthrow our divinely ordained Kaiser with me. I learned of the plot too late, and by the time I arrested the conspiracy’s leaders, millions had already died. But I will not falter from the task before me, as the dead demand of me. I will not stop until the barbarians hammering away from outside and the traitors subverting us from inside are both put in their place and brought to justice as they deserve. And what do they deserve? The Gospel of Luke says: ‘But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them…bring them here and kill them’. And I intend to do just that, as God wills it.”

He looked straight at the camera, his eyes full of anger and hatred. “Henceforth, I decree this final Nullification Act. From this moment on, the Augustinian Code is indefinitely nullified.”
 
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