Chapter 17: Fangs of Rage
I dunno about the quality here.
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The city of Leipzig seemed on the verge of surrender, apart from a few disastrous tank battles and ambushes performed by Timothy Rommel and his small one tank crew the British were facing an overwhelming victory, handing the Germans, who were never so united or strong as in Berlin, a crippling defeat.
Then the news of Bismarcks survival reached the city. The British had tried to quarantine it, fearing the psychological effects of such news but even they knew that they couldnt keep it quiet forever, Johan von Bismarck lived. Timothy Rommel, the desperado of the Reich, turned from villain to hero in a night, and dozens flocked to join him in his private theater of war.
- The German Uprising and its Principle Effects by Sir Edmund Barnes
Timothy Rommel stared out into the small crowd of volunteers who remained, he had spent all night poring over the scratched up lists of accomplishments and qualifications he had had the recruits write up, and dividing them into squads, each led by the more competent men, with whom he had had breakfast that morning and acquainted himself with, trading stories from the old Army. He had given each of these men the battered supplies to make Molotov Cocktails, the few guns in his possession and maps to the British Armories to pass out to their Squads.
He himself had taken both men who had claimed experience with tanks and a handful of raw volunteers to form the Reichs first Mechanized Company, with the commandeered tank from Berlin and a half operational tank formed from the broken and salvaged pieces of British tanks that Derik and Karl had managed to mold together in ways that had rarely been conceived, save in nightmares, by the tanks original designers. The main turret was gone, and what was left was a tank base with a light armor dome where it had once been, a salvaged left track, and a pair of machine guns mounted on the dome. Much of the space that had once stored ammunition had been cleared out, and the tank had somehow, in a way that not even Derik and Karl could explain, been extended three feet and hollowed except for the motor to become an APC. It looked like hell, as many scars came from battle as came from the sloppy surgery of a pair of men who were well acquainted with tanks, but little acquainted with their construction.
Rommel finished listing the Squads, strangers bound together under men he knew little of. He looked into the frightened eyes of those who hid with him, preparing themselves solemnly and fearfully to battle an Empire.
He grinned at them, it seemed irreverent to their fear, ignoring it and putting it aside to make room for his own determination and optimism.
I remember an American poem I read once, he laughed, to speak of poetry while he stood before them, It was by Hetfield, a few of you know who Im talking about.
I can remember it clearly, I was in the desert with the British Army, leading my Division through routine training exercises. I had been there a thousand times, and the entire thing was a cakewalk for me, I had seen it all already, I had been in that desert a thousand times on the same exercises, leading on occasion, as I was that time, and often following the lead of Generals whose eyes were as bored as my own with the desert. I took the poetry book with me to keep myself occupied in some fashion. The poem went a little like this, Liberty or death, what we so proudly hail, once you provoke her, rattling of her tail, never begins it, never, but once engaged... never surrenders, showing the fangs of rage.
Rommel grinned even wider as a few of the men uttered the famous poem with him, The next day I saw something in that desert that I had never seen before, something I had never permitted myself to see before. I heard the screams I had never permitted myself to hear before, the terror of a Fatherland endangered. I felt like a traitor, I had turned my back and shut my eyes for too long and that very day Karl, Derik, I and a handful of others, long since dead, left. I promised myself that I would become those fangs of rage. But I lacked faith in Germany, I never imagined that this power, this
he stared out, awed for a moment, revolution was still in Germany. I was the fangs of rage on my own, mistrusting the nation I had vowed to serve after that day. Even when the evidence was there, in the streets of Leipzig and Berlin, even then I lacked faith. I took a contract to end the revolution and I was promised all of these lives would be saved. I stood there to deliver on the contract when I finally was given the faith, it was given to me by a man who never lacked faith in Germany, a man who I am proud to serve. You know the man, a man who believes in you as much as you apparently believe in him, the man whose life brought you here. Lets take this for the Kaiser, Berlin is hardly a Reich, and every Kaiser deserves a Reich. As Mr. Hetfield would say, Liberty or Death.
The room was quiet, solemn, but the fear of a few moments ago had dissipated and in the quiet eyes of Germany there was a strength that could hardly be equaled by tanks.
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The German banner flew freely outside of the headquarters, what had been an excavation site a lifetime ago, where Johan von Bismarck had met his destiny and where she stalked him even now. The Kaiser stood in the battle armor of his ancestors, in front of the grave of the greatest of them, the last who dared call himself Kaiser. The armor was steel, the full regalia of a knight, with the German Eagle painted in fading yellow across the breastplate. It was an anachronism, much like the nation that it represented.
The past haunts us all, promises never fulfilled, hopes never achieved, troubles never vanquished, guilt clings to us as we submit to vices throughout our troubled lives. But the past held more than guilt for Britain, a thousand mild trespasses had built a fury in the heart of her ghosts, and lent those specters substance. The heart of the past kneeled before the grave of Otto von Bismarck, the revenge of a nation fermented itself in his heart, growing ripe with age and planning.
The battered uniform of a former police officer intruded itself into the gravesite, breaking the spell of the past, bringing it into the cold and heartless present.
Sir, weve found something.
Johan stood, opening his eyes, You could, perhaps, have chosen a better time Jacob.
Sir, we intended to wait for you sir, but youve been in here for hours.
Johan checked his watch, shaking his head, Its all as well then.
The Kaiser stepped out of the tomb, not waiting for VonHoltz to follow him.
Sir, weve found something in the armory.
The Armory? Ive been there, nothing but relics. I cant lead men into battle with swords and pikes.
Sir, you cant lead the unarmed either. This war isnt about weapons, its about tactics and
Thank you kindly, Jacob. I had forgotten how to run the war.
VonHoltz glared at the Kaiser, Mein herr, the catapults. We imagine that they could be quite useful.
Johan shot his eyes over his shoulder, We arent here to imagine anymore. Imagination gave way to planning, and thats given way to action. We are well past imagining.
Sir, VonHoltz gritted his teeth, We started moving the catapults out an hour ago, theres ammunition for them in storage as well.
And the tanks, how will the British Armor measure up to this?
Weve found a few ignitable projectiles, they must have been experimental then.
And well so, do you know what happened in the siege of Munich?
No, sir, Vonholtz admitted.
The Germans made a drive to recoup what they had lost to the British, they besieged Munich and started to fire, out of desperation, those very ignitables, only to end up burning down their own artillery, their own camp and loosing an entire army to their own ammunition, leave the ignitables behind, I dont care how well you think they would measure up to tanks.
Yes, sir.
Johan shook his head, Do you realize that were grave robbing?
Jacob shook his head, I prefer to think of them as gifts from the past.
Gifts? When did the past ever give them to us? Were stealing from the dead.
Stealing from the dead? Do you know where your banner came from?
It was sown by a grateful refugee.
The design.
The seal of the German Kaiser.
When did he give it to you.
Its my birthright, Johan was still walking ahead of the former policeman, keeping his eyes forward and pointed away from VonHoltz.
And the catapults? How are they different?
Johan grinned, he turned to show it to VonHoltz, that they could both bask in that rarity that was his humor.
Ahh, the smile of my Kaiser, I can die happy now.
Johans smile didnt fade, Excellent, If only there were more of you.
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The velvet cape floated down the stairs, billowing behind its owner.
Prince Richard, its a pleasure to have you here my liege.
The prince looked down his nose at the groveling MI6 man, Get off of it Edward.
Edward Rhodes grinned, standing up, All is according to plan in London, I presume?
Yes, Edward, of course, I never fail to achieve my goals. I leave failure, apparently, to you.
All will come to pass in our favor, My Prince.
All will come to pass in our favor, Richard took a mocking tone, have you heard the news from Leipzig?
Theres nothing happening in Leipzig.
Theres a German Army in Leipzig. A f***ing army. Here we have rabble, unorganized resistance. In Leipzig their divided under officers and organized, theres something big happening there and you still arent sending reinforcements.
Sir, Berlin is getting out of hand, if I had more forces then maybe I could help Leipzig, but theyre bleeding us away out there.
Richard glared at him, Theres nothing to be done about that as long as mother is on the throne, she has decided not to reinforce you, she has no intention of wasting more British blood on this rabble, and I dont blame her.
Sir, I warn you not to underestimate this, as you said, in Leipzig they have an army, in Berlin they arent as organized, but there are more of them. Were falling apart here, and I need more forces.
Richard stepped fully off of the private jet, Well talk about that later. As I said, as long as Mother is on the throne.
Edward laughed, walking with the prince to the headquarters.
