-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
What a crazy dude, at least that hit & runner was apprehend, can you imagine what Elias would do to that guy if he actually did hurt Gerturde.
I miss Georg, but at least Willie gets along nicely with Tsai and Jayasimha, which makes me even more worried about what Wilhelm Karl would do knowing his jealousy of Wihelmina and hostility towards Tsai. It's nice to see the Reich, China and India being friends after being at each others throats before, but something tells me that friendship won't last for wrong if Wilhelm Karl keeps up his antics.
Like how much detail you put into the lore here as well, like the Manchus, the Japanese partition, and the WW2 defections. It may not be a full history discussion like with Alex's school arc, but it's still some nice tidbits.
I miss Georg, but at least Willie gets along nicely with Tsai and Jayasimha, which makes me even more worried about what Wilhelm Karl would do knowing his jealousy of Wihelmina and hostility towards Tsai. It's nice to see the Reich, China and India being friends after being at each others throats before, but something tells me that friendship won't last for wrong if Wilhelm Karl keeps up his antics.
Like how much detail you put into the lore here as well, like the Manchus, the Japanese partition, and the WW2 defections. It may not be a full history discussion like with Alex's school arc, but it's still some nice tidbits.
We can probably say goodbye to half of France...What a crazy dude, at least that hit & runner was apprehend, can you imagine what Elias would do to that guy if he actually did hurt Gerturde.
Worrying indeed.
I think this was a more natural way of introducing historical lore since the school arc is done, as it just comes up in conversation and may tie in to future events.
The Caribbean Incident
Brandenburg Palace - April 3, 2024, 5:12 PM
Heinrich and the other General Staff members stood up and saluted when Wilhelm Karl entered, with Merkel following close behind. Gebhard Remmele looked over his files. He had been brought in to consult on the current situation.
“As you were,” he said, “What seems to be the emergency?”
“Sir, it’s Thordarsson,” Heinrich said, “He’s caused a scene in the Caribbean.”
“What exactly?” Wilhelm Karl said.
Heinrich brought up a map of the southeastern Caribbean. “You see those islands there, off the coast of Neurhomania?”
“Yeah,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Well, those are our islands, but Thordarsson’s laid claim to them,” Heinrich said.
“Is he mad?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Sir, if I may interject,” Gebhard said.
“Please, General Remmele,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“It wasn’t really his idea,” Gebhard said, “It started maybe half an hour ago when the missile destroyer SMS Zara was conducting a routine patrol of the islands. Eimerican Federation vessels from Mayapan intercepted it, claiming it crossed into Mayan waters.”
“That’s ludicrous,” Merkel said.
“We know,” Heinrich said.
“What are our options?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Our ambassador in Jinshan is trying to sort things out,” Heinrich said, “We should expect a response within a few hours. It’s still around eight in the morning there.”
“Alright, keep us posted,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Of all of the days they could’ve chosen to pull this off, they chose Restoration Day.”
9:29 PM
“Bad news, sir,” Heinrich said.
“What is it?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Local Mayan fishermen claim they captured a Roman underwater drone in a net,” Gebhard said, “And now Thordarsson’s accusing us of conducting illegal military operations.”
“That’s crazy,” Merkel said, “We’re close allies with Mayapan. We helped Thordarsson in Mexico. We’d never do this.”
“Unfortunately, neither Mayapan nor Thordarsson himself have any say in the narrative,” Heinrich said, “These are the optics, and they look bad.”
“Does the Zara have any underwater drones?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Yes, one,” Heinrich said, “The fishermen are likely telling the truth.”
“So they have a piece of Roman military equipment,” Wilhelm Karl said, “How do we get it back before they take it away?”
“Remmele, any suggestions?” Heinrich said.
“Sir, with all due respect, I command land forces,” Gebhard said, “But if this were on land, what I’d do is try to force open a path, send in a small team to retrieve the drone, and then book it. Reduces casualties and the potential for a blunder.”
“Good idea,” Merkel said.
“Do it,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“I’ll notify the Zara,” Heinrich said.
9:41 PM
“Oh frak,” Heinrich said.
“What happened?” Merkel said.
“How the frak did we not see those thirty fishing boats?” Heinrich said.
“Don’t look at me,” Gebhard said.
“The team is surrounded,” Wilhelm Karl realized.
“Yeah, by a bunch of angry Mayans,” Heinrich said.
“What are they armed with?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Nothing besides a few water cannons and flare guns, probably…” Heinrich said.
“Our men should have small arms with them,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Should be more than enough firepower to force them back.”
“Sir, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Heinrich said, “We’d increase the risk of a fight.”
“I concur with Megas Domestikos Dandolo,” Gebhard said.
“Thordarsson’s already looking for a fight,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Don’t tell me he doesn’t want this because he clearly does. He could’ve called off the fishermen at any time. And to think we spent so much to help build his Federation…no, I want you to attack.”
“Sir!” Heinrich said.
“My order is final,” Wilhelm Karl said, “We must be in control of this situation.”
Heinrich sighed. “Yes, sir.”
10:13 PM
“We have an update from the Zara,” Heinrich said.
“And?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Do you want the good news or bad news first?” Heinrich said.
“Just tell me what happened!” Wilhelm Karl said, growing impatient.
“Okay, good news, the team made it back to the Zara,” Heinrich said.
“Good,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Back to the status quo.”
“Bad news is one sailor got captured,” Heinrich said.
“What?!” Wilhelm Karl said. “How did that happen?”
“He fell overboard at some point,” Gebhard said, “It was very unclear what happened.”
“Oh, an update from our ambassador,” Heinrich said, “Thordarsson’s pissed. He’s saying we fired recklessly at his unarmed citizens…killing one of them.”
“Oh, no,” Merkel said.
“And they intend to put the captured sailor on trial in connection with the fisherman’s death,” Heinrich said.
“He’s being treated for minor injuries, and I quote, ‘in accordance to international law’,” Gebhard said.
“Get that man back before Thordarsson causes a diplomatic incident,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Do you really want to spark a war with literally all of the Eimericas except Neurhomania?” Heinrich said. “I guarantee we’ll lose Neurhomania as well at this rate.”
“What do you want me to do, let Thordarsson humiliate us?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“And I repeat, do you want to start a giant war which will kill thousands of our soldiers?” Heinrich said.
“Are you questioning your Kaiser?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“I’m merely warning you of the consequences of further escalation!” Heinrich said, impulsively raising his voice.
Wilhelm Karl paused for a moment.
“You’re right, Megas Domestikos,” he said, “I apologize for my hasty judgment. What else can we do here?”
“Negotiate the return of the sailor,” Heinrich said, “In exchange for canceling this patrol. The Zara will head back to port.”
“It’s the only way,” Gebhard said.
Wilhelm Karl sighed. “Fine, do it.”
April 4, 3:28 AM
“The General Staff insists the Zara was not defeated but ‘exercised laudable restraint’,” Bysandros reported, “Thordarsson hails the incident as a defining moment for Eimerican unity.”
“My ratings slightly went down,” Merkel noted, “Not as bad as I hoped. And none of my opponents got boosted by it.”
“Well, it’s three in the morning,” Gebhard said, “Wait a few hours.”
“Not looking forward to it,” Merkel said, walking off, “I need some sleep.”
“Permission to be excused, sir?” Gebhard said.
“Permission granted,” Wilhelm Karl said.
Gebhard saluted and left.
“Well done, Heinrich,” Wilhelm Karl said, “That was certainly an eventful few hours. Not how I imagined spending my Restoration Day.”
“It really was,” Heinrich said, “I’m glad we didn’t escalate further.”
“Can you explain why?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“A land war in South Eimerica and a naval war in the Caribbean would be a nightmare,” Heinrich said, “Remember the UTR? They became a regional power through naval dominance of the northwestern Atlantic and Caribbean, but that reliance on their navy was their downfall. They overextended and humiliated themselves attempting to expel the Mitteleimericans from their foothold in Mobile. I imagine we’d find ourselves in a similar situation if we started a war with the Federation. We really wouldn’t have a goal in that war too. Thordarsson would have the home advantage. We’d end up as the UTR fleet attempting to retake Mobile. And last I heard Atoc Sopa Atoc is still alive. Before he humiliated the UTR at Mobile, the man took half of Fusang in 1983.”
“I see,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Heinrich, sometimes I act too quickly and say something I would regret a few seconds later. With you at my side, I feel I can be kept on the right path. Please, keep advising me like this.”
“It would be an honor, sir,” Heinrich said, “I will do my best.”
“Thank you, Heinrich,” Wilhelm Karl said.
But Heinrich knew his actions wouldn’t be exactly what Wilhelm Karl expected. He had sworn an oath to Otto, and he intended to follow that one first.
- 1
Here comes Wilhelm Karl again trying to provoke international incidents as if it was the Imperial Century again! Of course, back then they didn't have nukes, or planes, or the capacity for a missile from Cairo to suddenly blow up in Beijing.
More like Wilhelm Karl made an already bad situation even worse...
I'm surprised Wilhelm Karl was convinced in the first place. I don't really take that as a sign of hope, only that he has room to go further downhill.
If he can be swayed like this, who knows how he could be swayed next?
Props to Heinrich for making the Kaiser see reason as to escalating the incident further was a really BAD idea. If that Willhelm Karl had not listen to reason who knows how it would have ended. Definitely a lot bloodier that's for sure.
Wilhelm Karl is becoming more and more of a disaster as we go along and tensions with the Eimericas are looking pretty bad (the latter I imagine should be espicaly worrying to citizens of Neurhomania), the 2020s is sure to be an interesting decade for sure. Good thing Henrich is there to rein in Wilhelm's worst impulses for now, I'm starting to worry about the future of the Hohenzollerns now.
I don't think the world would like another Great Eimerican War with nukes involved...
Neurhomanians are in a horrible position with the refugee crisis and backlash, the KRA pivot, and now the tensions with the EF. It must suck to live there. 2020 will definitely be an interesting decade with a lot of unpredictability, though Heinrich is at least around to moderate the Kaiser now.
Mexican Puffins
The Faroe Islands - May 7, 2024, 10:00 AM
“I believe once we start behaving as if we were in an existential crisis, then we can avoid a total climate and ecological breakdown,” Gertrude told Bysandros, “But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We have to start today.”
“Yes, that’s great and all, but with all due respect, what does this have to do with the Faroes?” Bysandros said.
“Let me show you,” Gertrude said.
They hiked up the rocky trail. After a few minutes, they reached a cliff facing the sea, where several puffin nests lay.
“These puffins are the star attraction in these islands,” Gertrude said, “But they are endangered. More than that even. Their numbers are falling so fast that they might disappear by 2040. Just thirty years ago, these islands were thought to have over a million of them, but their numbers have since plummeted by eighty percent. There’s been a tiny uptick in their numbers in the past two years thanks to conservation efforts, but it isn’t enough.”
“What’s the problem then?” Bysandros said.
“Hunting by the locals,” Gertrude said, “Ecologists are so quick to cry foul when the islanders kill pilot whales which aren’t endangered. But they say nothing when puffin is on the menu at Zorotl’s five-star restaurant five minutes from here. The Mexica here love eating puffin. Nothing against that, but we have to recognize over-hunting is a problem. Just look at the massive depletion of fisheries in the western Atlantic. We can no longer eat Manhattan lobster because we killed all of the lobsters…and renamed Manhattan to Gunnolfsfell, but that’s besides the point. If we keep doing this, we’ll be unable to eat many of our favorite dishes. And I don’t want that to happen.”
“Surely the government is going to do something right?” Bysandros said.
“They won’t commit completely,” Gertrude said, “The Faroes fall under the jurisdiction of a Länder based in Caledonia. It’s apparently not worth their time. And hunting is only one factor in the puffins’ decline. Climate change itself is killing off the sand eels the puffins feed their young with. The surviving eels are getting less nutritional value because the seas warmed up and sped up their metabolism.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Bysandros said.
“This brings us full circle,” Gertrude said, “Back to the issue of climate change. We must bring our emissions under control soon, because a warming planet will affect every aspect of our lives. Perhaps we can start by switching our livestock’s diets over to seaweed. They used to feed it to sheep here and in the Orkneys. Scientific studies show cows that eat seaweed produce a third of the methane they’d usually produce. Which is good.”
“Gertrude, you’re all over the place,” Bysandros laughed.
“Don’t worry about it, you can clean it up in editing,” Gertrude said.
Bysandros stopped recording. “What are you getting at with this? I’m a little lost, to be honest.”
Gertrude stopped for a moment. She looked at the puffin nests and sat on a large rock.
“Sorry,” she said, “Sometimes I get caught up in the moment and go on a tangent. What I was trying to say is we have to change a lot about our lifestyle. Otherwise, everything we take for granted is going to go away. I really don’t want to wish that on the next generation. That is the dream Ellie died for, and I’m not going to let her down.”
Oslo
“How long do we have to wait?” Olaf said.
Elias stood patiently on the docks, breathing in the salty ocean air.
“Any minute now,” he said, “The ferry should be arriving soon.”
Right on cue, he heard the blaring of a ferry horn, and the ferry’s lights pierced through the fog, revealing the ship carrying the Roman Olympics team.
“This is truly a historic occasion,” Elias said, “And you get to claim credit for it. The Ragnarokers will finally be legitimized in the Hogting.”
“Honestly, I don’t see how an Olympics team arriving by ferry will help my party,” Olaf said.
“Electric ferry,” Elias said, “They will be the first to eschew traditional highly polluting methods of transportation like commercial airliners. Many more will take the trains. They’ll have no other choice when they go to Kathmandu in four years. And with such high profile athletes joining the movement, you need a leader. That’s where you come in, to promote cleaner forms of transportation.”
“So you’re saying is we could embrace this and associate ourselves with it?” Olaf said. “That’s interesting and all, but what else would that bring?”
“It would show everyone you’re not the crazy doomsday preppers they think you are,” Elias said, “You’d be seen as a modern party dedicated to real solutions to real problems. From there you can embrace whatever ideals you want, and people will consider you trustworthy.”
“I guess you’re right,” Olaf said, “I’ll think about it.”
“So, can I expect something by the opening ceremony?” Elias said.
“I’ll try,” Olaf said.
And he too had to try something. Playing nice only caused setback upon setback in 2020. It was time he dreamed big and planned bigger.
LIT - June 13, 11:30 AM
The graduates lined up in front of the outdoor stage. The summer sun beat down relentlessly, making the humid air heavy with heat. Alex sweated, both from the heat permeating his robes and the nervousness of the event. He told himself it would be over soon, and then he would focus on the real problem: finding a job. But the economy was doing well, so that shouldn’t take too long. He pulled himself back to the present, telling himself to work on today first.
The dean, dressed in the school colors, cleared his throat and continued reading off names. One by one, the graduates stepped onstage and received their diplomas. Chris humbly shook hands while receiving his. Rahul smiled and exchanged a few words with the dean. The line gradually moved forwards until Alex finally was at the head. He wanted this to be over with so he could eat lunch.
“Alexander Humboldt,” the dean finally said.
Alex sighed. He and his parents had spent so long trying to fix that and get his name printed as Humboldt-Frank instead of just Humboldt. And yet they achieved nothing. Oh well. Not like it was a big deal anyways. Hopefully when he started building his schematic, they would use the name he wanted. He knew Alexandra was working on a new thorium reactor design, so hopefully he could work on something similar.
He walked up to the dean and shook his hand. The dean handed him the diploma.
“Congratulations,” the dean said.
“Uh, thanks,” Alex said.
He turned to the crowd watching and waved to his family. Anders and Diana sat in the front row. His mother had just given the commencement speech an hour ago, much to his embarrassment. He didn’t expect to be called out in an otherwise uplifting speech about her faith in these times. He never thought of his mom as a woman of faith either. Of course, the rest of his family was also present, in the form of his aunts and grandfather as well as Angela and Alexandra. Once he walked offstage, he walked over to them.
“You did great, Alex,” Anders said.
“Thanks, Dad,” Alex said.
“Welcome to the world of work,” Alexandra said, “Enjoy your stay.”
“I’ll try to,” Alex said.
“I remember my own graduation,” Anna said.
“You didn’t even graduate,” Anders said.
“I did!” Anna said.
“No you did not!” Anders said.
“Technically I did,” Anna said.
“You didn’t go to the ceremony,” Anders said, “Because you weren’t invited!”
“So I made my own ceremony!” Anna said. “A nice little event in the foothills of the Cascades, just outside Hongzhou. The local Haida were nice enough to conduct a traditional ceremony for me and some friends.”
“I don’t believe a word of what you just said,” Annie said.
“Says you,” Anna said, “You weren’t even on the planet at the time! You didn't even graduate either!”
“I never even got the chance for one and you’re here making up stories about something you yourself also didn’t do!” Annie said.
“Well I’m not sure the Haida tribes even live in that part of the Cascades,” Angela said.
“The Haida?” Walter said. “They make some great psychedelics from what I remember. Did I ever tell you how back in the day Willy and I once made a business trip to Hongzhou and took a detour to a Haida village, where...”
“Dad!” all three Humboldt siblings shut him down at once.
Anders quietly sighed, but Alex saw him fondly smiling to himself, happy he had his whole family back. Alex thought of his own friends and the people he met over the years. He looked at Chris and Rahul. Chris had just gotten some food and was chatting with his parents, while Rahul was eating a vegetarian meal with his siblings. At some point, he was going to have to say goodbye to them. They were all heading back to their homes and probably wouldn’t see each other again. He wished today would last longer.
His mind wandered back in time further, to Manfred and Josh. He’d lost contact with Manfred many years ago. They’d simply drifted apart. He wondered what Manfred was up to nowadays. Was he also graduating? Was he successful? Did he miss his old friends? And Josh...Josh was hardly a friend after what he had done, but Alex couldn’t help but think of him. Did he turn his life around? Did he finally change? Or was he still the same person, deep down, and still up to his old tricks?
And Oskar...whatever happened to his old history teacher? Did he want to know?
---
Yeah I kind of ran out of ideas for Alex’s college life or for Chris and Rahul. I ran into the same issue with Alex in middle and high school. I also don’t want to spend too long in the early 2020s as 2023-24 has already taken me at least a couple months to write and I want to get to the next stage of the story without dragging these slice of life updates out over another real life year. Fortunately, at my current estimate, we should reach 2030 in about 9 weeks.
- 2
I think it's totally fair to move things along at a quicker pace until you beat the story beats you're after. If you yourself aren't enjoying the writing process, then that's a sign to shift gears. It's the right call.
- 1
Thanks for the advice. This particular section with the Mexican puffins was one of the worst to write, and I was stuck here for a couple months. Ultimately I decided to can a mini arc focusing on Chris and Rahul so I could move on to the part I wanted to write and hopefully bring them back later on since I’m not done with them yet.
- 2
The Summer of 2024
Venice - July 1, 2024
“I stand here before you to tell you a single voice can still make a difference,” Thierry said, “That we’ve come so far in the last eight years means something. We went from a small part on the fringes in 2016 to a genuine grassroots movement. And look at us now. We have pluralities or majorities in 60% of state legislatures, at least forty state governors, and a handful of national representatives and senators. The courts are starting to come around to us. Our single voices, our forgotten voices, made all this possible. We are the silent majority who have for far too long been ignored by the establishment in Berlin. But we didn’t give up. That our ideals are not always reflected in real life does not diminish them. It just drives us to make that reflection. It drives us to make our dream a reality. We should remember the world is still listening, even if the people in front of us are not. Speaking up matters.”
Heinrich, watching the speech from his family’s old villa, was drawn in by Thierry’s words. He heard Gertrude had written this speech, which didn’t surprise him. What did surprise him was the lack of references to the environment. Gertrude was always so fond of talking about the climate crisis. She’d even derailed an entire interview a while ago to talk about endangered puffins on the Faroes. Perhaps this was Emilio’s doing. The guy was always more concerned with the political side of things.
His attention drifted to a phrase Thierry mentioned. The “silent majority.” He remembered hearing that phrase elsewhere. His grandfather Nicholas had been fond of that phrase almost ninety years ago. In 1935, Senator Nicholas Dandolo was running for the chancellery against Markov Angelos. His speeches frequently denounced Angelos for violating Roman civil liberties and the spirit of meritocracy, but he also believed Otto was too restrained by Angelos to keep him in check. He spoke at length about expanding social programs for the common people as part of his “Every Man a Kaiser” program. As a result of the immense public works projects he carried out while governor of Italia and later senator, he gained massive public support, and he began referring to his base as the silent majority which secretly opposed Angelos. Perhaps he could’ve defeated Angelos and taken back the chancellery, preventing what would happen in the coming war. But that never happened. Angelos had Nicholas assassinated that year and used his death as a pretense to suspend examinations indefinitely. Heinrich hoped Thierry, with all of his rhetoric sounding similar to Nicholas’, wouldn’t end up the same way.
“If wealth was stairs, standard stairs about 5 inches high each, and everyone in the Reich walked up the stairs one stair at a time, each stair representing a hundred thousand marks of wealth...” Thierry continued. “The bottom 10% take a step back off the landing with minus a thousand marks on average. Fifty percent stay put and don’t even take any step. The next 10% of people take 1 step. The next 10% of people take 2 steps. If you’ve been following along, that’s 70% of the population who are at or below step 2. The next 10% go 5 steps. That's 80%. The next 10% go about 11 steps. That's 90%. The next 5% go 23 steps. That's 95%. The next 4% go 103 steps. Now at this point you're at the 100%, and wealth stops making sense. For example, if you take one step per second, everyone we just talked about could basically hold their breath and walk up the stairs. But let’s go to the top. Theodor Tesla is the wealthiest person in the country. He stands on step 1,540,000. At 5 inches per step, that's 7700000 inches, or 121 miles high. He's literally walked up the stairs into the definition of outer space... twice. At one second per step, he's walked for nearly 18 days straight to get to that point. Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Especially when our economy is like this?”
Wasn’t Theodor one of Thierry’s allies? He wasn’t going to like this one bit. The man had spent the last ten or so years pulling the family business out of the chaos Wilhelm Tesla left it in, and now it sounded like Thierry was going to take his money away again. It did sound thematically in line with the rest of the speech, but Thierry sounded like he just shot himself in the foot. He even looked uncomfortable saying that. Maybe he didn’t expect to say that. But by then he couldn’t have backed down. No doubt the press were given copies of the speech beforehand and would wonder why parts were cut. What was Gertrude thinking writing the speech like this?
Brandenburg Palace - July 17
Elias sipped his glass of wine.
“Ah, I had no idea Israeli wine was so good,” he said.
“You should expand your horizons, Elias,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“With the Burgundian wineries burned to ashes, I really don’t have a choice, do I?” Elias said.
The two men laughed. Secretly, Elias was a little sad. Those wineries were the pride of the nation and had been destroyed after a particularly nasty drought and wildfire season. As good as Israeli wine was, Burgundian was still something else. He wouldn’t be drinking it for a while.
“I can’t believe we got this far,” Elias said, “Five years ago, Emilio ran that ad. I didn’t think we’d recover so quickly.”
“You did travel all over the country doing things,” Wilhelm Karl said, “The people have remembered what you did for them.”
“I guess,” Elias said, “I didn’t think we’d get this influential so quickly.”
He really didn’t expect to be this successful going into the campaign season. All he’d done was go around planting trees and signing deals for the Brotherhood. Gertrude gave a few speeches and had that particularly funny interview about the puffins. Maybe that’s what endeared the public to them. Puffins were cute little birds after all. Gertrude told him their merchandise involving puffins had sold out in recent weeks. A welcoming sign even as the stock market continued its lackluster performance.
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Wilhelm Karl said, “What matters is you got here and you can capitalize on it.”
“Believe me, we are,” Elias said.
“I take it you’re back with CB now?” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Yep,” Elias said, “Though I haven’t been talking with Thierry much.”
“A shame,” Wilhelm Karl said, “You have a lot to offer.”
It was more on Thierry’s side. The man still blamed him for the disastrous ad campaign in 2020, even if it was all Emilio’s doing. He’d given up on trying to convince him otherwise. What he was focused on was making sure the party succeeded, even if Thierry might disagree with his plans and methods.
“Yeah,” Elias said, “I’ve been dealt a bad hand. But you know what they say. If you don't like the way the table is set, turn over the table. Applies to all sorts of situations.”
Especially himself. He had a particularly big table to flip.
Kinshasa, Loango - July 25
Jacob paced around the stage.
“Even when our economy isn’t doing well, there are a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right,” he explained, “That’s what the party cartel specializes in. When someone steps out of line and musters the courage to say the right thing, they pounce on them and ‘cancel’ them with allegations of being politically incorrect. They want to police our thoughts and words. They say Africa is an integral part of the Reich, but they ignore us while still policing us. How did that old saying go? No taxes without being represented? Yeah...looks like they forgot that. But no more. Join us, and we can take down the party cartel. With CB in power, we promise Africa and its people will get the representation they deserve.”
“Boo!” someone shouted.
Jacob stopped. “Excuse me?”
“Boo! You don’t represent us!”
Oh great, it was another heckler. There had been so many of them at his latest protests, although they weren’t as bad as when Elias was speaking.
“Uh, could you elaborate on that?” Jacob cautiously asked.
A man in the back stood up.
“You can’t represent us,” he said.
“And why is that?” Jacob said.
“You don’t respect our beliefs,” the man said.
“Actually, we welcome everyone to join us regardless of their beliefs,” Jacob said.
“Yeah, I know you say that, but the implication is you only accept Abrahamic believers,” the man said.
Wait a minute...was this guy...
“It’s in your name too!” the man said. “You represent the real party cartel, the Abrahamic cartel that had been ruling this country for centuries!”
Oh no.
“Uh, I don't think I’m qualified to discuss this,” Jacob said.
“For thousands of years, the true faith had been oppressed by the worshippers of the one god!” the man said, dramatically shaking his fist to an almost comical extent, “But our time has come after so long! Athena has smiled upon us today!”
Oh come on. It was these guys again. They were always a nuisance in his neighborhood growing up. He thought he’d gotten away from them, but apparently not.
“Sir, this is a scheduled campaign event and you’re interrupting it,” Jacob said, “You’re free too proselytize down the street if you want, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Or I’ll call security and make you leave.”
“Aha!” the man said. “See how the worshippers of the one god oppress me! They intend to silence the true faith and the true believers. All they want is a country for the one god and only the one god, nothing more. But Athena knows the truth. You can silence me, but you can’t silence all of us! Soon, our time will come. Mercury will spread the word, and Zeus will destroy you all with his divine lightning! It makes no difference if you laugh at us or revile us. The main thing is you mention us and concern yourselves with us again and again. We will rise!”
“Security?” Jacob said.
Security guards escorted the man out.
“I apologize for that interruption,” Jacob said, “I never intended to silence that man, but I’m trying to shout over me, he ended up trying to silence me. Hopefully he can return and be more civil in the future. I would love to hear his concerns. We are, after all, all God’s children, whether we believe in Him or not.”
Makó, Carpathia- July 27
Anders awkwardly held the Josef Pulitzer Prize for the cameras to see. He was a little shy when it came to awards ceremonies or posing in front of cameras, but he wasn’t about to back down. This was a momentous occasion. The Carpathian newspaper publisher would’ve at least wanted that from him. He had won the prize for a particular article he’d recently written about the Mongol bot networks who had gone after Theresa. It was a tough assignment, but he persisted. And as a result, the network responsible had been shut down with the help of Livonian national cybersecurity teams. It was a few years overdue, but better late than never, he believed.
“Herr Humboldt!” a reporters said. “What are your thoughts on how this whole affair ended?”
“I’m just glad we got justice in the end,” Anders said.
“What do you think of Wilhelm Karl’s alleged involvement in the incident?” another asked.
“Honestly, that is just speculation at this point and I’d rather not go there,” Anders said.
“Even with your past history of doubling down on speculation?” another asked. “Wasn’t that how Sentinel was exposed?”
“Yes, but at least that had some evidence I could investigate,” Anders said.
“Then why aren’t you investigating the Kaiser?” another asked. “There are plenty of leads you can look at.”
“Look, I’m not about to do that,” Anders said, “I need more evidence before I can actually begin an investigation which I should remind you would not be announced in advance. But let me make this clear. Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand once said to announce that there must be no criticism of the Throne, or that we are to stand by the Throne, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the Roman public. I am more than willing to investigate the Kaiser if I have enough evidence he may be involved. As a reporter and as a Roman citizen, it is my first duty and responsibility to always question authority. I’ve lived by that mantra my entire life.”
“Does that make you unpatriotic?” a Schmitz reporter asked.
“No, in fact I think it’s patriotic,” Anders said, “Patriotism means to stand by your country. It does not mean to stand by the Kaiser or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which they stand by the country. It is patriotic to support the Kaiser insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic to unquestionably support him at all times. It is unpatriotic to not tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else. Remember that old saying, my country right or wrong? Nowadays people use it to say you should be always loyal to the government no matter what. They forget the second line of that phrase. The whole thing is: ‘my country right or wrong, right to keep it right, and wrong to set it on the right path’. Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. I would like you all to remember that.”
“What about the rumored budget cuts to Die Zeiten?” another reporter asked. “In the wake of Schmitz buying a majority stake in the company and the recent economic downturn, there are rumors the newspaper may be downsized in the coming months.”
“I don’t know if those rumors are valid, but let me make this clear,” Anders said, “Especially in the age of the Internet and global news, print media and local news remain important. Many people don't understand how important what happens in their community is to them and how it affects their lives until it's gone. Local reporters are the only ones who are going to go to your kid's baseball games. They're the only ones who are going to cover lifeguard training. They're the only ones who are going to cover your local examinations and elections and tell you exactly who’s running and what they stand for. Die Zeiten has many local editions which cover exactly these topics, and I would hate to see them go. They do us all a public service. And in an age where almost anyone can post any falsehood online, as my friend Theresa experienced several years ago, it is refreshing to see print media and local news keeping us informed and up to date with what’s happening. We need them now more than ever."
Malaga - July 29
After finishing her speech, Gertrude left the auditorium and went to the reception hall, where drinks and snacks were served. The audience began leaving, and she smiled as they passed her and her table of signed books and campaign flyers.
“I hope you enjoyed the speech,” she said.
“Did I?” an older man said. “Honestly, I expected you to be like Merkel but you two are miles apart on everything! You really do care about our issues.”
“Uh, thanks,” Gertrude said, “I’m glad you liked what I had to say.”
“I was told you were hyperpartisan like Senator Cruz,” a college student said, “But you’re nothing like him. Guess I was wrong to judge you before listening to you.”
“We should all make sure to remain open to new ideas,” Gertrude said.
“By the way, what happened to Cruz anyways?” the student said. “It’s like he disappeared one day nine years ago. Sentinel was leaked, and he didn’t show up to work the next day.”
“I think he died,” Gertrude said, “Not sure myself. But when we’re in power we’ll make sure to release the relevant files.”
The crowd laughed.
“You seem like a real doll,” the older man said, “Can I say that?”
“I’m touched,” Gertrude said.
“I don’t know how you do it, but you make all of your complex policy proposals sound simple and interesting,” a woman said, “Housing, child care, antitrust measures, student debt, how to get the current economy back up again...”
“Don’t forget the climate crisis,” Gertrude said.
“How could I not?” the woman said. “That’s your cornerstone.”
“And I have a plan for that as well,” Gertrude said.
The crowd laughed again. “I have a plan for that” had recently become her catchphrase. She always thought it sounded corny and silly, but she couldn’t change it now.
“Look, I want to fix the systems in this country so they work for all of us people, not just the party cartel and their corporate backers,” Gertrude said, “If we want real change in this country, it has to be systemic change. We have to tell the party cartel...”
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” the crowd shouted.
Now there was a catchphrase she liked.
“They think I’m weak,” she continued, “No, they are mistaken. I may be meek at times, but do not mistake my meekness for weakness. Because I am certainly not weak.”
Karlsruhe - July 30
Jared finished “We Will Triumph,” his latest song and the theme song of the SPR campaign. He stepped back, and the crowd cheered.
“Thank you, thank you!” Jared said. “I never thought I’d be here, playing to all of you. Its thanks to all of you that I’m here. It’s a testament to the Roman Dream and what the united will of the people can achieve. Now, it’s time for the main event. It’s my pleasure to introduce our next chancellor, Andrea Nahles!”
Andrea, a middle aged woman, walked onstage and waved to the crowd. There was applause, but not as much as when Jared was playing.
“Uh, hello,” Andrea said, “I appreciate you all turning out today. This year has proven to be a difficult one for all of us. The economy has been in a slump recently. People are tearing apart our institutions. We are still grappling with the fallout from the Sentinel scandal. Merkel is still in office. It is clear she is unfit to keep leading this nation. We need new leadership. I intend to provide that new leadership.”
Jared couldn’t help but feel sleepy as he listened to Andrea drone on and on. She wasn’t particularly popular with her base after a particularly nasty insurrection she waged against Schröder during his administration. She wasn’t Jared’s preferred candidate either. He had hoped PMS would lead the left-wing coalition, but the SPR retained control due to its seniority. But she knew the political world better than anybody in the party, and as party leader she was responsible for the SPR’s recovery after Schulz’s death. There was a chance she could stand up to Merkel. Her running mate, Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, was much more charismatic and competent than Andrea, but he had his own issues. People jokingly called him “Scholz-omat” for his robotic voice and mannerisms. Jared has no idea how a man as stiff and monotone as Olaf could be so charismatic. But there was no other choice. This was the SPR’s ticket, and he would do his best to put them in office. Even if they were frankly mediocre politicians and people.
- 2
In contrast to "Mexican Puffins," I really did enjoy writing Monday's update.
Yes, the "Hellenic Mormons" I've occasionally brought up in lore discussions.
Doesn't mean much to him, but I do like seeing Anders get any genuine recognition for his efforts.