No Going Back
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Damascus - January 27, 2027
Alexandra led Alex and Thea around lines of workstations, where scientists were hard at work.
“Wow, everyone looks so excited,” Thea said.
“Yep, we’re all doing what we love here,” Alexandra said, “Especially me.”
“I feel like I could get used to this,” Alex said.
“I’ve already taken a look at your schematic, probably longer than old Theo spent on it too,” Alexandra said, “Let me show you what we think of it.”
They walked into a large open room, where a ringed machine had been set up. A man looked up from a panel he was working on, his face and hands covered in grease.
“Alex, you’ve met Magnus before,” Alexandra said, “Thea, this is Magnus Kvensen, my fiancé.”
“Nice to meet you,” Thea said.
“Alex told me plenty about you,” Magnus said, “I’d shake your hand, but the grease.”
“It’s fine,” Thea said, shaking his hand anyways, “Are you working on the regulator?”
“How did you know?” Magnus said.
“We had a particle accelerator of our own in Frankfurt,” Thea said, “I spent quite a lot of time using it to do my physics homework.”
“Lucky you, having an entire particle accelerator to use for homework,” Alexandra said.
“This wasn’t here last time I visited,” Alex said, “Wait a minute, it all looks very familiar. It’s...it’s the design from my schematic!”
“Yep, Magnus and I spent the last few months working on it while RANA was doing your and Thea’s paperwork,” Alexandra said, “You know how slow government bureaucracy is. We wanted to surprise you today with an actual demo, but there’s this severe bug we’ve been unable to fix.”
“What seems to be the problem?” Alex said.
“Well, the boot up sequence doesn’t initiate,” Magnus said, “It says it initiated but that there’s a problem with the charging. I was thinking it was a hardware issue but there’s nothing that seems to be a problem.”
“Let me see that,” Thea said.
She got on her knees and climbed into the open panel without hesitation.
“Okay,” she said, her voice echoing, “Interesting. Ground cable is properly grounded, so that can’t be the problem. All other inputs are in the right place. Which means the problem...oh. This amphilicite analyzer was installed the wrong way. The original schematic was wrong.”
"Yeah, I didn't notice that until Thea pointed it out a few weeks ago," Alex said.
Alexandra facepalmed. “I told you so, Magnus!”
“Got a wrench?” Thea said.
Magnus handed her a wrench. She unscrewed the component and then reinstalled it again properly oriented. The machine whirred to life, and Thea triumphantly climbed out.
“And we’re live!” she said.
“Some girl, Alex,” Magnus said.
“Tell me about it,” Alex said, blushing.
“Something tells me you’re going to love this job,” Alexandra said.
“What are we working on first?” Alex said.
“Quite possibly one of the most important scientific discoveries since Einstein,” Magnus said.
“Magnus, there’s no need to make it so dramatic,” Alexandra said, “All we’re doing is proving the existence of a new element.”
“Simple?” Thea said. “A new element?”
“Specifically, a new element in the island of stability,” Alexandra said.
“One that naturally lasts longer than fractions of a second,” Alex realized.
“And one that could potentially become a new power source,” Alexandra said, “The power source to end all power sources.”
“That sounds very ambitious,” Thea said.
“It is,” Magnus said, “For years, all we’ve had were a few dubious leads and Alexandra’s stubbornness to keep us going…”
“Hey!” Alexandra said.
“But now we have you two,” Magnus said, “Now we have this.”
He gestured to Alex’s machine.
“I have a feeling we’re going to make lots of progress now,” he said.
“The four of us working together with a groundbreaking design,” Alexandra said, “I know we’re going to find something.”
“Really?” Alex said. “Me? Find something?”
“Believe in yourself, Alex,” Alexandra said, “You came up with this idea. I know we can do this together.”
Alex looked at the machine built from his schematic. It was finally a reality, after years of languishing on a piece of paper in his pocket. Now he could finally move on to the next step. He’d finally found his true calling. He smiled.
“Let’s do this,” he said.
Berlin - May 1, 2027
On screen, Heinrich watched as protesters stormed government buildings in Perm, Kursk, and other major Yavdian cities. Many of them waved the antlered reindeer flag of the Patriots of Yavdi and the Sons of Kaleva. The anti-Paulluist group had joined forces with the medieval religious order to rally the Yavdian people against the entrenched junta. And with some guns and military advisors Heinrich covertly smuggled over the border, as well as an online information war taking advantage of the ongoing recession, the Paulluists fell. Now came the next step, restoring the old government. The Paulluists had been entrenched for a few years now, and they controlled the military and law enforcement. Director Frank wasn’t the biggest supporter of his little operation, but the Kaiser’s word was law. And it worked in the end, didn't it?
“And that’s my formal complaint,” Diana said.
Heinrich blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“We’re you listening?” Diana said. “I was just explaining how there is a growing culture of insubordination and misogyny within my own agency following the repeal of Title IX and related statutes.”
“Perhaps you and your husband know a thing or two about insubordination,” Heinrich said.
“Really, sir?” Diana said. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Look, Diana, I’m sorry, but I’ve got a lot of stuff to handle right now,” Heinrich said, “The Yavdians are negotiating a return to Schengen and possibly the CAC and I’m trying to regain access to our old bases on the Chinese border.”
“My advice, sir?” Diana said. “Forget about the bases. The Guomindang will seize on them as an opportunity to inflame tensions. Especially after the extradition treaty debacle.”
“Well, the Kaiser thinks we need to project strength in these negotiations,” Heinrich said, “You know how the Guomindang are. What they did in the past.”
“Projecting strength never works against nationalists, as they will only escalate,” Diana said, “Their party
is called the Nationalist Party after all.”
“Look, Diana, I get what you mean, but my hands are tied,” Heinrich said, “The Kaiser wants those forts back, and I can’t deny him.”
“And you’re just going to let him?” Diana said. “You’re Megas Domestikos. You’re the final authority when it comes to military matters.”
“I’m only commander in chief at the discretion of the Kaiser,” Heinrich said, “Theoretically he could have me sacked at any time and take all of my duties back.”
“This is stupid,” Diana said, “Taking out the Paulluists led to this mess...”
“Director, I’ll see what I can do about the Athanatoi situation,” Heinrich said, “But don’t expect much from me if we can’t gather enough evidence.”
“Sometimes I wonder why Mom put up with this job...” Diana said.
June 16
“HE DID WHAT?!” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Uh...” Heinrich said. “I’m not sure since half the conversation was in Chinese, but it seems Han Xianyu called Ambassador Laus a...son of a...wh*re.”
Wilhelm Karl slammed his fist on the desk. “Damn that idiot! What good did he think would come of insulting MY ambassador?!”
“What do you want to do, sir?” Heinrich said.
“I’m sending an official complaint to Tsai,” Wilhelm Karl said, “She better do something about this mess, or I swear I’m going to reactivate all those bases Yavdi gave back to us. She's exactly like Merkel, right down to her incompetence.”
Nanjing - June 17
Wilhelmina sipped her tea and relaxed. The palace chaguan remained filled with people well into the late afternoon. She and Tsai finished their lunch long ago and were now just chatting. Wilhelmina couldn't help but dwell on the fact that Georg once sat in her seat maybe ten years ago, before he died, chatting with Tsai in the same manner she was doing now. Remembering her uncle was gone brought to mind her recurring nightmares. She tried pushing that away, telling herself it was just a dream, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom. Almost like a curse, or like destiny.
“If I may ask,” Tsai said, interrupting Wilhelmina's train of thought, “Where did you learn your Chinese?”
“Oh, am I sounding weird?” Wilhelmina said. “Still need to work on my accent.”
“Oh, no, no, not that,” Tsai said, “Just curious. You don’t sound like your ambassador. Or even most Romans who learn Chinese.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Wilhelmina said.
“No, but I’m interested,” Tsai said, “Where did you learn it?”
“Eh, it’s kind of a weird story, really,” Wilhelmina said, “I actually never took a Chinese language class. Not in school and not afterward.”
“Then how did you learn it?” Tsai said.
Wilhelmina lowered her voice. “Promise not to tell?”
“Sure,” Tsai said.
Wilhelmina leaned over. “I learned Chinese…from playing Fire Emblem.”
“Really?” Tsai said, trying to hold back laughter.
Wilhelmina’s face went red. “Yeah…it started when I was twelve. My mother had come back from a diplomatic mission to China. She saw how much I loved Final Fantasy VI, so she wanted to bring back another Chinese RPG for me and got me a copy of the third Fire Emblem game. It was in Chinese, of course, and this was before the remake came out. But rather than pout and blame my mom for getting a game I couldn’t read, I stubbornly made up my mind that I would learn Chinese so I could play it. It took a couple years and really only paid off when the games got voice acting, but somehow I pulled it off. Playing the game itself was…an experience I won’t forget. Catria’s one of my favorite characters in the series. Now that I think of it, most of my favorite characters are pegasus riders.”
“No wonder your Chinese sometimes sounds a little…old fashioned,” Tsai said.
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Wilhelmina said.
They laughed.
“Anyways, tell me more about these dreams you’ve been having,” she said, “The ones you’ve been worried about.”
“Well, there’s this one recurring dream,” Wilhelmina said, “We’re in this place with hallways, I think, I can’t make out any details. We’re there, my husband and my son and some others. We’re being pursued by people with guns. The dream always ends with them killing us.”
“That must be terrifying,” Tsai said, “Do you know why you keep getting it?”
“No,” Wilhelmina said, “But sometimes I feel like...like it’s warning me about something. I’ve never been in a situation like that. But maybe it’s warning me about something that might happen to me in the future.”
“I mean, Prince Horst and your uncle Georg were murdered,” Tsai said, “Maybe someone will go after you next. Maybe even the person who killed them.”
“You’re not seriously thinking...” Wilhelmina said. “He did it?”
“I mean, he has a motive to do it,” Tsai said, “And the will and the power to do it. Sometimes the simplest explanation, no matter how outlandish, is the truth.”
“If that’s the case, I should at least double my security,” Wilhelmina said.
“That would be wise,” Tsai said, “And make sure you can trust the newcomers. Wouldn’t want your bodyguards to turn into the Praetorian Guard.”
An aide ran over to Tsai, a file in her hands.
“Yes, Yang?” Tsai said.
“Ma’am, it’s the Kaiser, he’s demanding an explanation about Han,” Yang said.
Tsai took the file and scanned it. “Damnit Han.”
“That guy again?” Wilhelmina said.
“I’m going to have to talk to him, again,” Tsai said, “He’s caused me so much trouble ever since the last election.”
“What are you going to say to my uncle?” Wilhelmina said.
“That I’m going to do what I can do as chancellor of this country and reprimand Han for insulting a foreign dignitary,” Tsai said, “And then hope he stays in line.”
Berlin - December 17
A sudden phone call roused Elias from his sleep. He answered it.
“What is it?” he said. “It’s like two in the morning.”
“Han Xianyu insulted Laus again,” Heinrich said.
“Again?” Elias said. “It’s been like six months since we got the negotiations back on track.”
“Yeah, and out of the blue Han goes off and says Laus is full of scheiße,” Heinrich said.
“Really not as bad as last time,” Elias said.
“Well the Kaiser has reactivated the Yavdian forts,” Heinrich said, “Making my job hell.”
“I’ll be right there,” Elias said.
He climbed out of bed and got dressed. Gertrude stirred.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Han,” Elias said.
“Not again,” Gertrude said.
“The Kaiser overreacted this time,” Elias said.
“Come on,” Gertrude said, “He always overreacts.”
“I’m getting tired of this,” Elias said, “The more he does this, the more I fear he’s going to derail our plan.”
“Don’t worry, he’s still onboard with it,” Gertrude said.
“Hopefully,” Elias said.
“Also, an update on our other matter,” Gertrude said, "I think I found a lead we can follow."
"Sounds promising," Elias said.
Nanjing - December 21
Tsai entered the conference room, accompanied by Yang. The Roman and Chinese dignitaries inside stood up to acknowledge her...all except Han. Han Xianyu was a sleazy man with a haircut like a Hong Kong pop star and a youthful face. His trademark smile was a mask for his true nature, one of deception and selfishness.
“Ah, Tsai, how nice of you to join us,” Han sarcastically said, casually waving.
Ambassador Laus, a middle-aged bearded man, respectfully shook Tsai’s hand. “Chancellor Tsai, thank you for arriving for the final signing.”
“Of course, Ambassador,” Tsai said, “Today, we are gathered here to finally put an end to this long overdue negotiation. I trust the terms we provided were reasonable this time?”
“Yes, they were,” Laus said, “His Majesty will deactivate the forts as promised.”
“No, they are unfair to our own side, Tsai!” Han said. “Don’t you see what this is going to do to our legal system? It’ll give Roman citizens extraterritorial rights! We won’t be able to charge them in our courts for crimes we have defined!”
“Representative Han, calm down,” Tsai said, “The terms don’t do that. They merely lay out a framework by which citizens of our two nations can be extradited to their country of origin for crimes they may have committed. It is not a license for Romans in China to commit whatever crimes they please without consequences.”
“You really trust the Kaiser to honor his word on this treaty?” Han said. “He’ll do what he usually does, protecting his own subjects first. Our emperor would do the same. I say we call off the negotiation now, Chancellor.”
“What, after a whole year of work, and with a finalized treaty literally on the table?” Laus said. “Are you mad? I’m walking out of here with a signed treaty whether you like it or not.”
“Aha, the Roman shows his true colors!” Han said. “I should’ve known you’d try to force an unequal treaty on us. That’s what you’ve always sought to do ever since Lin Zexu united our great country! How would you have liked it if we kept trying to tear apart your country ever since the reign of Friedrich I?”
“Enough!” Tsai said. “I know you have your reservations, Han, but these terms are the best compromise we can get. So let’s all sign the treaty so we can go home.”
“Tsai, you really are the worst,” Han said, “You're betraying your own people, you 崇洋媚外. I’ll make sure they remember this in the election.”
“Go ahead and try,” Tsai said, “They don’t call me the Eternal Chancellor for nothing.”
“Yeah, you stole the nickname from Merkel, who is equally as bad,” Han said.
The dignitaries signed the treaty, Han still scowling in the back.
“Well then,” Tsai said, “We’re finally done. Let’s take some pictures and...”
The room exploded.
Berlin - December 22
Elias leaned back in his chair. For a supposed Assistant Advisor to Thierry, he wasn’t doing much advising these last few months.
“Casualties are still rising,” Heinrich said, “We’ve confirmed Laus and Yang are dead and Han is wounded. Tsai was unharmed.”
“Oh, good,” Thierry said.
“But the Legislative Yuan voted down the treaty,” Heinrich said.
“So all that work was for nothing then,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case,” Thierry said.
“Do we know who did it?” Elias said.
“I believe it was a...Yavdian Paulluist terror group?” Heinrich said. “A rogue military division which stayed loyal to the Paulluist regime.”
“Goddamnit, it always goes back to Yavdi,” Thierry said.
“That settles it,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Yavdi has been a persistent thorn in our side for years now. It’s time we acted decisively and retaken control of the situation. Heinrich, I want you to double the garrisons at our border forts and outfit them with the latest equipment. We need to end the Paulluists there for good.”
“Sir, I’m not sure that’s wise,” Heinrich said, “The situation in East Africa is unstable. It’s escalating to dangerous levels every day, and we need to focus our resources there first...”
“Did you hear me, Dandolo?” Wilhelm Karl said. “I will not stand by while these republican terrorists kill my subjects and threaten to plunge us back into war with China. So we’re going to wipe them out to the last man, and you are going to execute my order, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Heinrich stammered.
December 28
It was a cold morning in Berlin. A light layer of snow covered the Tiergarten’s grass and paths. Heinrich found the bench he was looking for and brushed off the powdery snow before sitting. A few minutes later, Elias sat next to him.
“Alright, I’m here, what do you want?” Heinrich said.
“Just to talk,” Elias said, “About recent events.”
“You mean the renewal of the Tianxia Alliance?” Heinrich said. “As a counter to us?”
“No, no, no,” Elias said, “Just forget about international politics for now. I’d like to talk about the elephant in the room, His Majesty.”
“What do you want me to say?” Heinrich said. “Something he can use to fire me with?”
“That’s precisely why we’re here,” Elias said, “The man is nothing like his father. If not for his constant interference, we could’ve had this simple treaty signed in July. But instead it’s the end of the year and we have no treaty.”
“Are you just saying this to trick me?” Heinrich said.
“Not at all,” Elias said, “In fact, I do sympathize with you. After leaving the service, you’ve been a career bureaucrat for decades, trying to get out of the shadow of Nicholas Dandolo. You served under Otto the Great most of your life, but things are different with his son. He doesn't have the same values as his father. He doesn’t believe the same things. And this system we’ve built over the last eighty or so years hangs in the balance. Something must be done.”
“What are you getting at?” Heinrich said.
“I’m suggesting we do something about our situation, before he makes everything even worse,” Elias said.
“You’re not seriously suggesting treason?” Heinrich said.
“No, nothing of the sort,” Elias said, “Everything will be done perfectly legally.”
“How are you sure this plan of yours will work?” Heinrich said.
“Believe me, I know it will work,” Elias said.
Heinrich thought a little. He remembered his conversation with Otto long ago, when he asked Heinrich to keep his son in line. Was this what he meant? Heinrich didn’t want to see it. He didn’t want to recognize the warning signs. Horst, Georg, all those suggestions about Yavdi, the treaty debacle, the Caribbean incident, bringing a dog to meet Merkel, all those times he visited the Diet. No, it was time he kept his promise to Otto, for the future of this nation. And if Elias was lying and he really had to do things illegally...then that was something he had to live with. And he could live with it.
“So, what do you say, Heinrich?” Elias said, “Will you help me save this nation?”
He held out his hand. Heinrich looked at the hand for a second before shaking it, knowing everything he would do from this point on stemmed from this moment.
“I’m in,” he said.
There was no going back.
