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

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At this point nuclear exchange is no longer an if, but a when. Who are the poor folks who'll taste it first hand? Who's the fool who will pull the trigger? Whoever it is, one thing is very clear. The earth will burn.
Here's a teaser for something I wrote last week:

“I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL MAN CAN DO!”
Burgundian system intensifies.

Considering how the Committee just demonstrated how willing it is to nuke their own Roman cities in the name of purging leftist influence, and how you yourself, @TWR97, compared Elias to Taboritsky, I wouldn’t put it above Elias to go full out posadist so they could cleanse the world of all non-Christians. Especially since they have SVI to stop any nuclear counter-attacks. Then again, that would go against their environmentalist mission they were previously dedicated towards, even if they don’t care as much about it anymore and are putting it off. Plus the other Committee memebers likely wouldn’t be crazy enough to cause a nuclear holocaust and the resulting global nuclear winter.

Either way, let’s hope the Hohenzollernverse doesn’t up end up like the Annionaverse, especially since they are no Mars or Venus colonies to flee to.
Theodor arguably might be just as crazy if not more so than Elias himself...
At this point I would not be surprised if a nuclear war happens and the Earth unifies under a single authoritarian government like the United Citizen Federation of Starship Troopers or maybe similarly to the Commonwealth of Man preset-Empire in Stellaris.
I was thinking more like the Terran Empire from Star Trek's Mirror Universe. I've been saving a clip of the special Mirror Universe intro from Season 4 of Star Trek Enterprise for many years now, although it arguably fits better for the Annionaverse's Holy Terran Empire since it had a more bloodthirsty history (not to mention the name itself).

A part of me wonders what the worm and its cult are doing through all of this. They are probably very giddy since humanity seems to be destroying itself and them not having to do anything.
"Wait a minute, who started the apocalypse without us? I thought that was our job!"

More seriously, I considered involving them in this arc, but I decided against it as I wanted everything that happened here to be the responsibility of regular people, not another secret conspiracy pulling the strings.
Also since you are approaching the in universe 100 year anniversary of WWII are you or the Committee going to do anything to commemorate it?
I haven't gotten to 2039 yet, but most likely.
In the show Fred tells Serena that if the regime douse not get relief soon "then our currency will fall off a cliff" (I'm paraphrasing) this implies economic sanctions from the rest of the world. I know India, China and Penglai are Right wing but maybe the Emericas and Central Asia with what is left of the UN could do the same thing? Maybe this can include Srivijaya, Russia, Scandinavia as well?
Yes, in the show, they go briefly into Gilead's economic situation, and they've been sanctioned to hell and back. Here, the Reich is definitely in the same situation, but the global response is much more varied and divided, and the Reich's economic situation is slightly better because it still controls most of Europe and its industrial base and nationalized all foreign assets in the Reich (more on that later). Autarky is more sustainable for such a large nation. And the fact that the largest economy in the world and the centerpiece of the world economy, with all of its supply chains, suddenly just disappeared will affect everyone else as much as the Reich. Some countries might find they can't financially sustain long-term sanctions because their own economies depended so much on the Reich's. Oh and Scandinavia has been more friendly to the committee than other countries due to its proximity, economic situation, and political leadership.
In any case I hope Elias arc is similar to Fred's ;) (that is all I am going to say for those that are not caught up on the show. If you want to know I would suggest you watch Season 4).
hmmmmm
Lastly since new adaptations of both Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Frank Herbert's Dune are coming out soon (September 24 and October 22 respectively) what are both of those universes like in TTL since Foundation is based off of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon and Dune seems to have a lot of Middle-Eastern and Islamic references?
I don't know, and I don't think this is the right time for me to be doing more alt-history rewrites. I have some plans to do Valkyria Chronicles and the Pokemon Conquest/VC crossover series I teased before (as I've finished playing 1 and 4), not to mention maybe some stuff for Persona, but I don't want to suffer tonal whiplash going from a serious bloody story about the death of meritocracy almost completely based on real historical events to talking about generally lighthearted anime-influenced JRPGs (even if VC and Persona 3 can get very dark and serious). So I don't know if I'll ever get around to them.
 
On second thought I remember Gertrude saying that if something happens to Elias than a more fanatic member of the Committee would take power. Witch depending on how The Handmaids Tale season 5 goes that might end up being a bad thing.

Also I know you put all of the flashbacks of the show from the attack to them escaping into the recent arcs so a part of me is wondering if we will get to the parts from them escaping to June being initiated as a handmaid to then the "present" in were June is in the Waterford house in season 1 ep 1? I also wonder if we will see things play out like the events from seasons 1 to 4 before going into an original direction?

I know it is not 1 to 1 similar to the book and show but a part of me thinks that maybe Khulan can be this universes June however since there is no fertility crisis she could be a Hanna or Rita analog since Hanna was "adopted" into a new family like Khulan?
 
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Oh and Scandinavia has been more friendly to the committee than other countries due to its proximity, economic situation, and political leadership.
Oh no, what’s stopping them from shutting down the Unterstrasse on their side, or deporting the Roman refugees back to the Reich and extraditing Roman political enemies to appease the Committee?:eek:
 
On second thought I remember Gertrude saying that if something happens to Elias than a more fanatic member of the Committee would take power. Witch depending on how The Handmaids Tale season 5 goes that might end up being a bad thing.
You absolutely do not want Theodor to be calling the shots.
Also I know you put all of the flashbacks of the show from the attack to them escaping into the recent arcs so a part of me is wondering if we will get to the parts from them escaping to June being initiated as a handmaid to then the "present" in were June is in the Waterford house in season 1 ep 1? I also wonder if we will see things play out like the events from seasons 1 to 4 before going into an original direction?
The June escape sequence from the start of episode 1 loosely inspired Angela's last stand and the Alex/Alexandra escape (with some influence from the Asami confronting Hiroshi scene in Legend of Korra), so we already got that. But the handmaid initiation and the Waterford house stuff won't be done because it depends on the handmaid system and I'm not doing that here, both because there's no reason for the committee to have such a system and (despite how willing I was to do the graphic violence scenes) I can't bring myself to write scenes involving sexual violence. So I'm already taking things in a mostly original direction.
I know it is not 1 to 1 similar to the book and show but a part of me thinks that maybe Khulan can be this universes June however since there is no fertility crisis she could be a Hanna or Rita analog since Hanna was "adopted" into a new family like Khulan?
Khulan will return...eventually...

But for the record, I don't have any direct Hannah or Rita analogues at the moment. Really the only character based on a handmaid was Clara (with Emily), but they only share a similar backstory.
Oh no, what’s stopping them from shutting down the Unterstrasse on their side, or deporting the Roman refugees back to the Reich and extraditing Roman political enemies to appease the Committee?:eek:
In theory, nothing.
 
Double, double, toil and trouble / Heathens burn and frog-pot bubbles.

REMAIN CALM
THE COMMITTEE ENDURES
WILHELM LIVES
THE ROMAN REICH SHALL ENDURE
THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE

Ah but seriously, there's nothing theoretically in the way of the Reich nuking everyone else and then conquering the world. Except logistical issues, I suppose, which would be pretty big. Also nuclear winter/radiation drift/other ecological consequences. Hmm, maybe the Reich could colonize another world, then carpet-bomb Earth, then retake the empty Earth eventually. But hopefully some other country is working on an anti-missile system to prevent any mass nuking.

Chancellor Folger
The best part of waking up... is nukes in your cities?
 
Ah but seriously, there's nothing theoretically in the way of the Reich nuking everyone else and then conquering the world. Except logistical issues, I suppose, which would be pretty big. Also nuclear winter/radiation drift/other ecological consequences. Hmm, maybe the Reich could colonize another world, then carpet-bomb Earth, then retake the empty Earth eventually. But hopefully some other country is working on an anti-missile system to prevent any mass nuking.
Hopefully they have a way to counter SVI.
The best part of waking up... is nukes in your cities?
Funny enough, I have this teaser for another update I recently wrote:

“why the hell did ABSOLUTELY NOBODY WAKE ME UP?!”
 
P.S. There really needs to be a laughing/crying emoji in the different smiles options.
I'm pretty sure there was one before Paradox updated this site a few months back, but they decided to change all the emojis for some reason.
Hopefully they have a way to counter SVI.
Indeed. That said, chemical weapons and biological warfare might be a different story, especially if Theodor gets around to using his Annionaverse Smallpox variant and XA-1005C. I don't think the Committee would care that would technically be considered a war crime by international law. Especially since they've already committed so many crimes against humanity and have a terrible human rights record, don't see why they would care about the Geneva Convention.
In theory, nothing.
Well, I suppose Eva and Julian's Unterstrasse project is screwed then.
 
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The funny part of this (I guess in a morbid way) is that as I was reading this I was singing it to the tune of the Folgers coffee jingle :D.

P.S. There really needs to be a laughing/crying emoji in the different smiles options.
I’m afraid I don’t know what Folger’s Coffee is.:p
I'm pretty sure there was one before Paradox updated this site a few months back, but they decided to change all the emojis for some reason.
Yeah they changed it with everything else. A shame because the old emojis fit much better for my purposes.
Indeed. That said, chemical weapons and biological warfare might be a different story, especially if Theodor gets around to using his Annionaverse Smallpox variant and XA-1005C. I don't think the Committee would care that would technically be considered a war crime by international law. Especially since they've already committed so many crimes against humanity and have a terrible human rights record, don't see why they would care about the Geneva Convention.
Notice how Theodor is so eager to use chemical and biological WMDs and is only held back by Elias himself, of all people?
Well, I suppose Eva and Julian's Unterstrasse project is screwed then.
An upcoming update IS called the Siege of Bremerhaven...
 
I’m afraid I don’t know what Folger’s Coffee is.:p
It is not something that I looked up myself because I am not really a coffee drinker myself due to me finding coffee to bitter but It is an American Coffee Brand that I see ads for on YouTube and on TV. Go to their YouTube channel or just look up "Pants :15 | Coffee Commercial | Folgers".

edit: Or just look at what @Fool Esquire sent.

Also I guess "The Siege of Bremerhaven" in TTL is like the attack on Chicago in the show?
 
Nice to have the recent arc summarized how the committee views it, in all its backwards glory.
 

Wow, besieging a city, Elias truly is returning the country to older times! Unless the siege is metaphorical, perhaps... who knows...
OTL Siege of Leningrad: "Am I a joke to you?"
It is not something that I looked up myself because I am not really a coffee drinker myself due to me finding coffee to bitter but It is an American Coffee Brand that I see ads for on YouTube and on TV. Go to their YouTube channel or just look up "Pants :15 | Coffee Commercial | Folgers".

edit: Or just look at what @Fool Esquire sent.

Also I guess "The Siege of Bremerhaven" in TTL is like the attack on Chicago in the show?
Yeah, Bremerhaven is effectively the Chicago stand-in as one of the few major cities still resisting.
Nice to have the recent arc summarized how the committee views it, in all its backwards glory.
Sometimes, you can make out hints of dissent in the writing, as if somebody is fighting back against the propaganda but so far is silenced.
 
A New Reality
(Warning: some brief graphic violence)​

Isfahan, Persia - January 4, 2035

Alex had always lived in familiar Roman cities like Strasburg, Constantinople, and Damascus. Isfahan was very different from any of those places. The streets were less planned out and always jammed with cars and trucks. He got tired of the constant honking after the two nights of it. But he couldn’t even leave his hospital bed.

Thea walked into the room. Her left arm was in a sling now, and a couple bandages had been put on her cheeks. She looked down on herself.

“Hey, Thea,” Alex said.

“Alex,” Thea said.

“How’s the arm?” Alex said.

“It’s doing fine,” Thea said.

“At least you’re up and walking,” Alex said, “Meanwhile Magnus and I are stuck here.”

“Don’t worry, we’re doing everything we can,” Thea said, “Alexandra went to Natanz to ask around for job openings at the labs there. I’m looking for a place we can stay at.”

“Meanwhile I’m here being useless,” Alex said, “Aside from telling off your brother.”

“That was pretty brave of you,” Thea said, “Not many people would stand up to Theo like that.”

“Well, you did most of the telling off,” Alex said.

“I should’ve aimed for the head,” Thea said, “I know what you’re going to say. He’s my brother, and I shouldn’t be thinking of killing him.”

“Oh, no, he’s a crazy genocidal egomaniac,” Alex said, “Yeah, you did the right thing.”

“Did I really?” Thea said. “I didn’t kill him. He’s still out there…hurting people…”

“We can’t do anything about that now,” Alex said, “We barely got out of here.”

“We should go back,” Thea said.

“No,” Alex said, “It’s not what Aunt Angie and Olga would want. We’d only be signing our death warrants if we go back.”

Thea sighed. “You’re right. So what do we do?”

“I’m not sure,” Alex said, “Live, I guess. Survive, as best as we can.”


Split, Illyria - February 6

Ferdinand knocked on the door. A man opened it.

“Yes?” he said.

“Are you Jonah Hess?” Ferdinand said.

“Yes, that’s me,” Jonah said.

Ferdinand’s men pulled out their guns. “You are under arrest for gender treachery.”

“What?!” Jonah said. “Gender treachery? Me?! I have a wife!”

“Yeah, but we know you have been associating with known gender traitors like Dietrich Leiter and Felix Kovich,” Ferdinand said, “Therefore, you are a gender traitor.”

“I was just friends with them!” Jonah said. “I even reported them to the authorities! I’ve always followed the law, so why am I being arrested?”

“Unfortunately for you, you don’t have a choice,” Ferdinand said.

His men grabbed Jonah and tossed him into a waiting car. They got in the car and drove to a nearby KL airfield. A helicopter was waiting on the tarmac for them, already loaded with other detainees taken from around town. The pilot saluted Ferdinand as he got out of the car and took Jonah over.

“Captain Gaillard, sir,” he said.

“What’s the haul today, Klaus?” Ferdinand said.

“Let’s see,” Klaus said, “We’ve got two liberals, one equalist, and three gender traitors.”

“Add another gender traitor to the list,” Ferdinand said.

They strapped Jonah into the helicopter.

“Can you believe how gullible some of these guys were?” Klaus said. “The last atheist turned himself in on his own!”

Ferdinand laughed. “Is that so?”

“Yeah!” Klaus said. “I almost feel sorry for him.”

“Yeah,” Ferdinand said, “They are mentally ill after all. Let’s give them their treatment.”

They got in the helicopter, and Klaus took off. As soon as they were at a high enough altitude, Ferdinand opened the door. His men grabbed the equalist and tossed him out the helicopter. Ferdinand heard him screaming all the way down.

“Hope you brought a parachute!” he joked.

His men grabbed the liberals and tossed them out as well. Ferdinand turned to the remaining detainees in front of him.

“You four aren’t going to be so lucky,” he said.

They were pinned to the floor. The soldiers took out various tools and weapons, ranging from wrenches to knives to their assault rifles.

“Let’s start with the legs, shall we?” Ferdinand said.

The soldiers fired on the prisoners’ legs, shattering their bones. When they screamed, the soldiers broke their jaws with the wrenches.

“Next, we shall address the root of your sinful desires,” Ferdinand said, “You can’t want what you can’t have.”

The soldiers shot the prisoners’ crotches, obliterating them into smears of blood. Concurrently, they gouged out the eyes. The prisoners’ struggled to free themselves, but they could not, and as their punishment, the soldiers broke their arms as well.

“I tire of this,” Ferdinand said, “End this.”

The soldiers pushed the prisoners out of the helicopter. Ferdinand sat back and lit a cigarette.

“Let’s get some beer,” Ferdinand said, “Drinks on me!”


Villa Grimaldi - February 25

Theodor walked through the halls of the villa. One of his arms constantly gripped his side, and his face remained twisted in a grimace, both from the constant pain he felt in his stomach to his seething hatred of the people being held here. It was because of these people his own sister was brainwashed into shooting him. They hurt him. They had to pay.

To his left was what was once a courtyard. Now it was filled with small locker-sized “rooms.” From inside, he could hear people begging to be let out. But he wouldn’t let them off the hook that easily. They would have to stand in darkness and think about their actions for days.

The courtyard opened up. Ahead of him was a three-floor building, the tallest on the estate. The guards at the entrance saluted and opened the door for him. This was where he kept the most important prisoners. He had some business with them today.

Inside, the tower looked very different. In contrast to the colorful and beautiful exterior, the interior was just drab concrete and plain wood. Everything of value had been moved to Theodor’s house or sold off. Screams echoed across the floor, occasionally interrupting the classical music playing from loudspeakers. Sometimes, he heard gunshots or the buzzing of interrogation tools. Theodor looked into the nearest cells and saw soldiers jabbing cattle prods against sensitive parts of a prisoner’s body, such as the mouth and crotch. The prisoner, like the other prisoners, attempted to resist, but he was tightly tied down to the bedframe. He decided to leave the soldiers to continue their work and inspected the next one. There, the soldiers had hung their prisoner, enough to make him gag but not enough to kill him. In the next one, a prisoner’s head was repeatedly dunked into a tub of water, as if bobbing for apples without apples. The opposite was being done on the other side of the aisle, where a prisoner was being burned with blowtorches and cattle brands, with salt being poured in the wounds. In another room, a prisoner was locked in a kennel, and in the room next to it, another prisoner was being forced to crawl across jagged rocks. After making sure everything was in order, Theodor went to the top floor. His special prisoner was currently chained to a column.

“You’re back,” Mina said.

“Hello, Mina,” Theodor said.

“Here to gloat again?” Mina said.

“Maybe,” Theodor said.

Mina spat in his face. “You can go to hell.”

Theodor wiped away the spit and then punched Mina in the face.

“That’s what you get, traitor,” Theodor said.

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Mina said. “All this talk of treason and heresy.”

“Well, it’s the truth,” Theodor said, “You’re a traitor, and now you’re getting what you deserve.”

“You’re only saying it because you wanted the company all to yourself,” Mina said.

“And now I have it,” Theodor said.

“You won’t enjoy that, though,” Mina said.

“What makes you say that?” Theodor said. “After you left, our profits went through the roof.”

“Yeah, from all those contracts you signed with Argus and the committee and the regulations you gutted,” Mina said.

“Money is money,” Theodor said.

“This won’t last,” Mina said, “Because let’s face the real truth. You can’t run Tesla Dynamic without me.”

“What makes you say that?” Theodor said.

“Because my mother and I built this company into what it was twenty years ago,” Mina said, “There’s a reason your uncle chose me as his right hand. That’s why the board chose me to lead Tesla Dynamic after his death. They only gave you a job because you had the Tesla name and we can’t have the company without a Tesla. But you were only the token Tesla. You don’t know how to lead. All you can do is rule by fear. And as history shows, rule by fear never works.”

Theodor quietly stood there for a few seconds. Then he took out a remote and pressed it. Electricity surged through Mina’s robotic arm, shocking her.

“You know, I was starting to regret not just taking the arm and making better use of it,” he said, "But then I realized I could use it for your rehabilitation. Now that's usefulness. What's all this about not knowing how to run a company? If anything, it's you who knows nothing. For the last twenty years, you've been holding me and everyone back from our full potential. You refuse to let us reverse engineer the entire entire data core at once. Just think of the profits we could've made if we had everything ready for sale in 2012!"

"Yeah, and with all that military technology we could reduce half of North Eimerica to dust," Mina said, "Is that what you want?"

"If they oppose us, then yeah, sure," Theodor said, "But our people will prosper. We will all be rich. We will all live happier and more productive lives. Those of us who are pure and of good moral character, of course. It will be the kingdom of God on Earth. Help me, Mina. Just give me the password to unlock the data core, and I can get you out of this tower immediately. I can even get you back your seat on the board!"

"As if I'd take that offer," Mina said, "I will not be a merchant of death, like old Wilhelm was and you are now. It's not what my mother would've wanted."

"Well, it doesn't matter what Rita Schaefer wants, because she's dead," Theodor said, "Think about my offer. Sure beats the constant torture, I bet."

"Why would I ever sell my soul, and to you, no less?" Mina said.

Theodor sighed. "Fine. Have it your way."

He turned the dial on the remote to the maximum setting. Mina screamed in agony.


Tsarberg - March 3

Olga led Wilhelmina around the house. It was a nice gated two-story townhouse in downtown Tsarberg. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but Wilhelmina didn't mind that. As long as it was livable. Olga did have enough money for better places after she sold all of her old KGB safe houses during her campaign, but she preferred not to splurge. Russian politicians living in fancy houses evoked too many memories of the gaudy Yeltsin/Chernomyrdin era.

"Look, I'm sorry for all of the delays," Olga said, "Things at the Duma are very hectic. The world economy's still in freefall. The committee's still carrying out its mass nationalizations of our assets, among others. Borislav and I are still working on the Taurica camps issue. I also had to help out an old friend these last few weeks. You know Alexandra Hansen, right?”

“You know her?” Wilhelmina said

“I was friends with her mother, gods rest her soul,” Olga said.

She looked sadly at the floor. “I’m all alone now. The last of the X-Division. Everyone else has passed on before me. If only I got there sooner…”

She started crying. Wilhelmina thought for a while. She too felt like that, at times. She was familiar with loss. She lost her parents thirty years ago. Her grandparents and uncle died twenty years ago. Her only family was her own and the Kaiser’s, and she wasn’t particularly close to Uncle Karl. And now she was in exile in Russia, a place she had barely been to before. No friends, barely any family, in a strange land.

“You look troubled,” Olga said.

“No, I was just thinking,” Wilhelmina said, “I know what it feels to lose those close to you.”

“Must have been rough, losing your parents at 19,” Olga said, “I have to apologize for that.”

“Why?” Wilhelmina said.

“I have to come clean,” Olga said, “I’m the last person alive who knows the truth. Your mother was helping X-Division out of a particularly bad situation. But because we failed…she was killed as a warning to us. So I’m sorry.”

Wilhelmina nodded, taking the revelation in stride. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. My mom chose to help you, knowing what danger she would’ve put herself in. You did what you could.”

“Of course you wouldn’t…wait, you believe me?” Olga said.

“Well, I’ve heard much crazier stuff,” Wilhelmina said, “Not a stretch.”

“Look, at least you still have your own family to look after,” Olga said, “You still have a chance to be with people. Me? I’ll probably die alone. Like I always imagined.”

“Don’t count on that,” Wilhelmina said, “You’ve got people who care for you. There are still many who love you. I mean, you’re still chancellor for a reason. And Yulia—”

“Well…breaking Viktor Petrov’s precedent and running for a second term dented my popularity,” Olga said, “All these crises are overwhelming me. It's taking me everything I've got holding the economy together. And Yulia’s been a little distant lately. Says she’s working on something with Lisa and Justin.”

“Don’t worry,” Wilhelmina said, “I’m sure you can handle it. I mean, you’re the Firebird!”

“I prefer not using that nickname,” Olga said.

“Oh, sorry,” Wilhelmina said.

Olga’s phone buzzed. She checked her phone.

“Tsar Borislav is texting me again,” she said, “It seems Abyssinia and East Africa are both withdrawing from Schengen and moving forward with their super-nation plans. I have to go. If you’ve got any questions about the place, just drop by my office.”

“Sure,” Wilhelmina said, “And, uh, thanks for everything.”

Olga smiled. “Helping people? It’s what I do.”

The chancellor left. Wilhelmina went to find the coffee machine, only to find Sophie lying on a large couch, drinking coffee out of a cup with the Russian imperial eagle on it.

“How did you get in here?” Wilhelmina said.

“Olga let me in,” Sophie said, “She and I go way back.”

“Do you?” Wilhelmina said.

“Lived in Russia for a time, before your mother found me,” Sophie said, “Back then, you could see people herding livestock on the street.”

“Things have changed in the last fifty years, have they?” Wilhelmina said.

“Oh yeah, they have,” Sophie said.

“How long did you stay in Russia?” Wilhelmina said.

“Too long,” Sophie said, “You would do well to leave sooner.”

“What do you mean?” Wilhelmina said.

“Let me put it one way,” Sophie said, “What do you plan to do next?”

“Next?” Wilhelmina said. “Survive, I guess.”

“Well, you’ve already done that, so congrats, you survived!” Sophie said. “You escaped the Argus death squads and the committee’s repression and ended up in good old mother Russia. Now what are you going to do next?”

“I…uh…I never thought of that,” Wilhelmina said.

“Exactly,” Sophie said, “Back then, I was lost. I didn’t know what to do. I was just focused on my immediate survival. So when I did survive, I didn’t know what to do after that.”

“What did you do?” Wilhelmina said.

“Me?” Sophie said. “I went back home. Decided I couldn’t stick around here forever. I had to go back and find my purpose.”

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Wilhelmina said, “Home is…very terrible right now.”

“So was mine,” Sophie said, “Sometimes, you just need to take risks.”

“Well, you didn’t have any family, Sophie,” Wilhelmina said, “I’ve got mine to look out for.”

“Look out for?” Sophie said. “What are you going to do? Let them live out their lives here? Are you going to raise Friedrich here, like Prince Kirill?”

“Do I have a choice?” Wilhelmina said.

“As a matter of fact, you do,” Sophie said, “You have two choices. You can live out your life here safely and in relative obscurity. People will forget all about the daughter of the late Crown Princess Elisabeth Alexandra and her family. Friedrich will grow up in Russia, speak Russian, join the ranks of the Russian nobility, and maybe even marry a nice Russian princess. Nothing wrong with that, but all your family will be remembered for in the history books is as the second coming of Prince Kirill, founder of the Romanovs. Meanwhile, our fellow Romans will lose hope as the committee stays in power, desperate for a liberator who will never come. Or you can take a stand. You’ll leave the comfort and safety of Russia, but you won’t be running away from your problems anymore.”

“I’m not much of a head-on person,” Wilhelmina said.

“Hey, I’m just offering you the choice,” Sophie said.

“I’m no leader,” Wilhelmina said, “I know that. I’m not like my mother. I can’t and don’t want to lead the way she did.”

“You know who else said that?” Sophie said. “Your uncle Georg. And look what happened. The vultures killed him.”

“So what’s the alternative, become a vulture myself?” Wilhelmina said. “I don’t want to hurt people like my other uncle did, like the committee did.”

“That’s admirable,” Sophie said, “But you have to look out for yourself too. Georg’s failure was that he was too kind and caring. He let someone stab him in the back. Meanwhile, Horst was too selfless that he forgot to care about himself. On the other hand, your uncle Karl’s failure is that he wasn’t kind and caring enough. He never trusted anyone. He only used people to further his own goals. He was too selfish; he only cared about himself. So everyone treated him exactly the same way, and it was inevitable he would be stabbed in the back. And look at him now. We both know he’s nothing more than a puppet of the committee.”

“Well, you have a point,” Wilhelmina said, “Last time I saw him, he did ask me to keep doing what I did.”

“Right,” Sophie said, “What would he say about you hiding in Russia?”

“I’m not sure,” Wilhelmina said, “But going back is suicide.”

“Who said you had to go back right now?” Sophie said. “You can do a lot here.”

“True,” Wilhelmina said.

“So what will it be?” Sophie said. “You are at a crossroads of your own fate. What you decide will shape the path you take, and the path the world takes. Because it’s no longer just about the Reich now, it’s about everyone. You need to look at the failings of your two uncles and strike a balance between them, using that to blaze a path forward.”

“I see,” Wilhelmina said, “Strike a balance.”

“Isn’t that what the Hohenzollerns have always wanted?” Sophie said. “Balance? They maintained the balance of power around the world. They balanced the interests and rights of the peoples under their rule. It definitely applied to how they live too.”

“But me?” Wilhelmina said. “A leader? I…I never wanted the throne. When Mom died, everyone came to my dorm, asking all these big questions I couldn’t answer. I felt scared. Especially after how Mom died. I knew there was something suspicious about the incident. I feared it could happen to me if I accepted. So I told them I didn’t want the throne. I wasn’t qualified for it. Sometimes, I regret that, after all that’s happened, but I tell myself I would’ve been much worse.”

“What you want and what the world needs are two different things, unfortunately,” Sophie said, “You need to stop convincing yourself you aren’t qualified because you’re scared. I know you are qualified. I know you have it in you to lead. You don’t need to be exactly like your mother, but you still are your mother’s daughter. I know you can do this. Stop hiding in the shadows. Step into the light…and point it wherever you want. So what are you going to do?"

“Honestly, Sophie?” Wilhelmina said. “I don't think I'm ready to make a choice yet."

"That's fair," Sophie said, "Took me a while before I made mine. But there’s still time. Why don’t we just take a walk?”

“Take a walk?” Wilhelmina said.

“There’s still much you can do right now,” Sophie said.


Downtown Tsarberg

Over the last couple years, a steady stream of Romans had taken up residence in Tsarberg as the committee tightened its grip. The stream became a flood after December 21, but it dried up almost completely after the 31st. Some of the Romans had settled in the affordable housing units, old Soviet-era tenements, on the shoreline, if they were lucky. The rest were concentrated in hastily set up tents and shelters around the tenements, with a central meeting area constantly filled with people. Wilhelmina got out of her car and walked towards the square, immediately drawing people’s attention. They soon crowded around her, and Justin and Sophie held up their hands to keep them back.

“Princess!”

“Lady Wilhelmina!”

“Your Highness!”

“Are you going to help us?”

“Will you form a provisional government?”

“Is this going to become a civil war?”

“Will my family be okay?”

“What’s going to happen to us?”

“Can you find my son?”

Wilhelmina recoiled out of instinct, but Sophie patted her on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, Willie,” she said, “Don’t be scared.”

“Don’t be scared,” Wilhelmina told herself, “Don’t be scared.”

Everybody looked at Wilhelmina, their eyes full of concern. It was like they were looking for someone to help them. Wilhelmina looked around, taking in everyone’s face. She could almost feel everybody’s pain and worry. These people had been forced to leave their homes, and some of them had to leave their families. She remembered her own losses—like losing her uncle and her parents—and couldn’t help but understand what they were going through. It was worse for those with missing family and friends, who didn’t know if they were alive or dead. Her eyes wandered over to a far wall, where people had pinned photos of missing loved ones, asking for any information on them. Their faces—taken from driver’s licenses, family photos, selfies, and other things—stared back at her, as if silently asking for help.

“I…” Wilhelmina said. “I’m sorry. I’m new at this. We all are, aren’t we? Look, the fact is, we were all driven out of our country. It’s been taken over by people who wish harm on all of us. And we’re the lucky ones. As much as we escaped, many more of us didn’t. That wall of faces back there is proof of that. So…while we should count our blessings, we can’t just sit here. We need to rebuild here, in honor of those we lost. I promise you, I’ll do what I can to help. I don’t think I’m qualified to stand up to the committee, but we can rebuild Roman society here. We can preserve our values until the day comes when we can return home.”'

---

I'm thinking of discussing all of the real life events that my updates are based on at the end of each update, just for everyone's convenience and so things don't get lost in the general discussions (not going back for the ones we already discussed). I'll put them in a spoiler tag in case people don't want to read it.

Rahul's last scene was based on an account of a lynching of a falsely accused African American man from the early 20th century.

Ferdinand Gaillard is a "Germanized" rename of Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a Chilean military officer who oversaw Víctor Jara's (Jared Karasi's) torture and execution. His character, aside from the details of Jared's last moments, is completely original as I think the real person is still alive. Klaus is also original to give Ferdinand someone to talk to.

Villa Grimaldi is named after a Chilean villa of the same name. Before 1973, it was a hub for intellectuals and left-wing political activists, but after the Pinochet dictatorship came to power, it was used as a torture center for political dissidents. All of the torture methods described here happened in the actual Villa Grimaldi.

The helicopter scene is based on the Pinochet regime's torture methods and tendency to throw left-wing dissidents out of helicopters to their deaths.

Edit: reworded the historical event discussion to be more concise.
 
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Rome has well-planned streets without heavy traffic... I may have to pledge my loyalty to them...

Anyways Wilhemina is in a very tough place. Overthrowing Elias in direct civil war is pretty much impossible because of the Reich's military strength. There are still 66 years before Stellaris, but that's 66 years for Elias to reshape the Reich in his desired image. Perhaps she plans to wait and "give him enough hope to hang himself with". But he could also use the rope to garrote someone, so to speak.

Also the refugees don't have any economic resources so they are essentially dependent on the generosity of Russia. Maybe they could become some sort of state-sponsored guerilla rebel group, like the US-backed Contras in real life. Still a very risky proposition, though.
 
Damn, those were some brutal torture scenes, no graphic warnings for them?

Right now it seems all Alex’s group can survive, as they definitely can’t overthrow a totalitarian theocracy by themselves. On the other hand Wilhelmina is shaping up to be a good leader, or at least a better one than Wilhelm Karl was before be became a puppet.

Something tells me what happened to Jonah will happen to Manfred as some point, as he seemed to have a similar mentality to him based off his dialogue.

At least Mina is telling off Theodor and denying him access to the datacore. That said, I’m worried about how much Annionaverse technology Theodor has been able to get his hands on so far.
“Can you believe how gullible some of these guys were?” Klaus said. “The last atheist turned himself in on his own!”
Oh wow, I’m guessing the Committee has 1984 levels of effective propaganda and indoctrination if they’re able to convince people to do that.:eek:
 
Rome has well-planned streets without heavy traffic... I may have to pledge my loyalty to them...
traitor patriot
Anyways Wilhemina is in a very tough place. Overthrowing Elias in direct civil war is pretty much impossible because of the Reich's military strength. There are still 66 years before Stellaris, but that's 66 years for Elias to reshape the Reich in his desired image. Perhaps she plans to wait and "give him enough hope to hang himself with". But he could also use the rope to garrote someone, so to speak.
Wilhelmina is also 53 at this point and probably can only live 40 more years at the most (not taking into account any possible assassination attempts), while Elias is far younger and could possibly go the remaining 66 years. Friedrich might be the one to do it, but as Sophie said he could very much end up like Kirill.
Also the refugees don't have any economic resources so they are essentially dependent on the generosity of Russia. Maybe they could become some sort of state-sponsored guerilla rebel group, like the US-backed Contras in real life. Still a very risky proposition, though.
It would also give off the appearance of them being Russian puppets and Olga only using them to take over the Reich and finish deromanization.
Damn, those were some brutal torture scenes, no graphic warnings for them?
They were only a couple sentences and over very quickly (minus the whole throwing out of helicopter part), so I thought they weren't necessary. I guess I'll add it back then.
Right now it seems all Alex’s group can survive, as they definitely can’t overthrow a totalitarian theocracy by themselves. On the other hand Wilhelmina is shaping up to be a good leader, or at least a better one than Wilhelm Karl was before be became a puppet.
As they say, the best leaders are those who never want power to begin with.
Something tells me what happened to Jonah will happen to Manfred as some point, as he seemed to have a similar mentality to him based off his dialogue.
1/3 of people will watch as another third kill the last third. Once the last third is killed, the killers will turn on the watchers.
At least Mina is telling off Theodor and denying him access to the datacore. That said, I’m worried about how much Annionaverse technology Theodor has been able to get his hands on so far.
Oh boy...
Oh wow, I’m guessing the Committee has 1984 levels of effective propaganda and indoctrination if they’re able to convince people to do that.
The worst thing was, this actually happened in post-1973 Chile.
 
Wilhelmina is also 53 at this point and probably can only live 40 more years at the most (not taking into account any possible assassination attempts), while Elias is far younger and could possibly go the remaining 66 years.
Oh, really? Jeez, don't know how I forgot that. I was picturing Wilhemina as like a twentysomething and Elias maybe in his late thirties...

Did you make up the one-third line yourself, or get it from somewhere?
 
1/3 of people will watch as another third kill the last third. Once the last third is killed, the killers will turn on the watchers.
Oh, really? Jeez, don't know how I forgot that. I was picturing Wilhemina as like a twentysomething and Elias maybe in his late thirties...
I thought they were both born in the pre WW3 part of the eighties, making them either in their early fifties or late forties?
 
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Oh, really? Jeez, don't know how I forgot that. I was picturing Wilhemina as like a twentysomething and Elias maybe in his late thirties...
Wilhelmina has an adult son and a toddler grandson too...but then again, it's hard not to picture her as the geeky college student I initially wrote her as. Guess that's what I wanted in the end, huh? Both in-universe and out of universe people still think she's that 20-something gamer kid.

I still envision Gertrude as looking like Yvonne Strahovski (who plays Serena in the Handmaid's Tale show) even though she would at least be in her 40s.
Did you make up the one-third line yourself, or get it from somewhere?
I got it from I want to say Margaret Atwood, but it could have been someone else. The second sentence about the killers turning on the watchers was something I added just now.
I thought they were both born in the eighties, making them either in their early fifties or late forties?
Now that you bring it up, Elias might be a similar age as Wilhelmina (born 1982). I never set an exact year of his birth but internally considered him having been aware of the last few months of WWIII and the immediate aftermath. So he was probably born around 1983. Funny how two people born in the same generation end up being exactly the opposite of each other.