Berlin/Cavazza
Early April RY154
"Oberstgruppenführer Heydrich is here to see you, Herr Reichsführer," said Marja, over the intercom. It was 10.15am and I was already working my way through my second pot of coffee.
"We aren't scheduled to meet today."
"He said it was important."
"Then I suppose you'd better send him in. And bring another coffee cup."
"Yes, sir."
Moments later, Tristan walked in. He saluted smartly, and once Marja had brought in the cup and poured him a coffee, she departed and he closed the door behind him. At which point his expression changed to one of profound concern. It was going to be one of those days.
"It would seem that the treaty site on Cavazza has been compromised," he replied, getting straight to the point without beating about the bush.
I cursed inwardly. Having finally conceded that a treaty between Sable and the Reich was necessary, it had taken over three months for our respective lawyers to come up with wording acceptable to both parties. After all, one doesn't stop a war which has been going on for as long as this overnight. And it had taken almost as long to find a location for the signing which was acceptable to Sable, the Empire and ourselves, and which could be secured sufficiently that the principals due to put pen to paper would be happy to visit.
The gist of the treaty itself was that all holdings would be frozen at their current positions, leaving the Reich at a slight disadvantage over our original situation when the war began, the Good Friday Offensive notwithstanding. I had pressed for concessions, including a return of lost territory. However, Wilhelm had refused to budge, taking the position that what was important was the future co-operation between the two nations in the face of the increasing threat from the Machine, a decision taken in light of the fact that, of Sable and the Reich, we were potentially in the weaker position with regard to Andreas's activities before he was attaindered. After all, the Master of the Machine had been a trusted Reich general, with high-level access to many sensitive areas, and we had no idea how badly our systems had been penetrated by Machine agents.
To say I'd screwed up by placing my trust in that particularly individual was not something I could deny if pressed on the subject, albeit I was unlikely to raise it. And I equally couldn't deny that the clone of Tristan which I had encountered on Manira, as well as the substitution of the Kaiser's sister Wilhelmina by a Machine entity, were probably only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it was the latter incident which had hardened Wilhelm's resolve to sign the treaty with his father, as he had been shaken by the condition in which his sister had been returned to us, and would have gone seeking blood if he hadn't put duty before personal preference.
And now we were within a week of signing, and despite the obligatory teething problems, it had seemed as if things were on track. The initial security had been put in place three weeks before, including both mundane and magical defences, and since earlier this week, both ourselves and Sable had had groups of semi-autonomous agents on Cavazza, in a position to troubleshoot any of the more thorny problems which might come up. Problems which the regular forces securing the site might be less qualified to deal with. Presumably it was one or both of these groups which had thrown up this particular shit storm.
"Go on, Oberstgruppenführer Heydrich."
"I received a report from Sturmbannführer Thorsten this morning."
Thorsten was the head of our special task force on the ground. He was an experienced SD officer and policeman, and was something of a protégé of Tristan's. I believe he also collects stamps.
"Go on."
"They've discovered indications that the site has been located by the Machine, plus some other group of interlopers, some kind of Sable group from what he's gleaned from his opposite number."
"And his opposite number is?"
"I'm afraid it's Captain Bond."
"Captain Bond?"
"I understand that he has recently been promoted, Herr Reichsführer. Services to the Crown of Sable."
I bit back a curse at my opinon of that decision, limiting my response to "It's probably as well that they're on neutral territory, then."
"Indeed."
"So how bad is the situation?"
"There appears to be a Shadow trail leading away from Cavazza. Thorsten and Bond consulted on the matter and mutually decided that their place was to stay at Il Rotonda, so Thorsten asked me to send someone to assist with tracking down the trail."
"Did you oblige?"
"I contacted Silke - I hope that's acceptable."
"Admirably," I replied. While no doubt his choice was prompted by his grandfatherly feelings towards her, she was also very capable of doing what sounded to be required. "Do we know who they sent to balance her?"
"Princess Emily, I understand," he answered, and I chuckled.
"How appropriate. At least she isn't going to have any problems working with someone from the Reich."
"Quite."
"I suppose we should tell the Kaiser."
"Unless you want to wait until we see how bad the problem is, sir."
"Tempting, but probably not advisable. Not least because his own people within our task force are likely to have informed him separately, so if we're too tardy, he may think we're trying to hide something."
"Which of course we aren't," he said, with a slight smile, "do you need me to come with you to brief him?"
"It might be wise. You've been Thorsten's primary contact, and no doubt Silke will contact you first. I'll arrange an audience for later today, by which time we'll hopefully have more information. I'll let you know when I have a time."
"Yes, Herr Reichsführer," he answered, and after saluting smartly, he turned on his heel and left.
The fact that the Machine had breached the security of the Il Rotonda facility was very bad news. Assuming the leak had come from our side, it confirmed what we had suspected: that there was still active information flow from the higher echelons of the Reich to Andreas's people. The only people who had known the locationof the signing had been myself, a handful of my senior officers, the Kaiser and one or two of his key players, plus the high-level diplomats involved in deciding the wording.
The presence of a Sable connection puzzled me, though. Who were the group Thorsten was referring to? If I were less cynical, I might have hoped that they, rather than my side of things, had been the leak to the Machine, but sadly I'm past believing that the universe might decide to have pity on me and throw me that kind of bone.
I asked Marja to contact her opposite number over at the Imperial Palace, Isa Gaertner, and we were given an appointment for 14.00. I arranged with Tristan that we'd travel over together in SS-1, and then settled down to finish some of the paperwork I had in front of me.
* * * * *
Tristan and I met downstairs at 13.30 and we were quickly on our way to the ReichsPlatz, Stuckart and Torres accompanying us. After all, it never does to be late for an audience with Our Beloved Leader. As we drove, Tristan filled me in on further information he had recived from his granddaughter. Silke and her companion had found an extensive force of combined Machine and Maniran troops, far too close to Cavazza for anyone's liking except their own, and also suggested that they'd identified the Sable group as some kind of extremist element who had made their presence felt over the last few weeks. However, he argued that a full military breakdown of the results should probably wait until we were with the Kaiser, given the time constraints. The latter made a certain amount of sense, so I agreed without argument.
The guards on the entrance waved us in, and we were walking down the corridor to Wilhelm's private office at bang on 14.00 hours. Fraulein Gaertner waved us in without a wait, although as always, my escorts were required to wait outside with their counterparts from Wilhelm's bodyguard. Once we were escorted into the Imperial presence, Tristan and I saluted smartly, and Wilhelm indicated for us to sit. As always, I smarted inwardly at being ordered around, but then, visits to see Wilhelm are never high on my list of favourite things to do, and in this case...
"It sounds as if we have some last minute replacement planning to do, Herr Reich," he said, calmly, looking first at myself and then my companion.
"Yes, Mein Kaiser," I replied, "Oberstgruppenführer Heydrich will fill you in with what we know thus far. I hope that you will return the favour."
"Of course," came the answer, "this does not seem an appropriate time for our usual dancing around the subject, does it Herr Reichsführer?"
I gritted my teeth at the comment, then glanced at Heydrich who began to report.
"I was informed by Sturmbannführer Thorsten this morning that one of the Sable operatives, a Stefanus Wilson, had spotted bodies at a location some distance from the Il Rotonda site. They duly went to investigate, to discover three corpses at the stated location. On examination, two appeared to be from Sable, and the description of the third indicates that it was a Machine clone. There were also a number of other tracks leading away, plus signs of a magical struggle and possibly a Pilot evac. The mage was identified as one of ours who was declared missing in action almost twenty-five years ago, but who has come back onto the radar more recently as being associated with some kind of Sable extremist group."
A Reich-trained mage working with Sable extremists? That seemed unlikely, and yet Tristan sounded pretty confident in his source. Wilhelm sat quietly, not interrupting, so my subordinate continued.
"The primary concern was the tracks, so a combined group of our operatives and their Sable counterparts followed them and ascertained that they had headed off Shadow, using a method akin to a Broken Pattern. They called in backup from their respective governments, who followed the traces further."
At this point, Wilhelm sat up straighter in his chair. My impression up until now was that we hadn't told him anything he didn't already know from his own sources, however, he obviously realised that now he was getting into the realms of new information.
"Gruppenführer von Halle and her companion confirmed that the movement through Shadow was achieved using the original Maniran Pattern, rather than the version which is now in place on that world courtesy of the Reichsführer..."
He gave a slight nod in my direction, which I returned.
"...indicating a connection to the so-called Brotherhood of the Martyr and/or the Machine. They followed the trace across half a dozen Shadow boundaries, and it eventually led them to a build-up of combined Machine/Maniran forces, roughly two thousand strong, albeit that the Machine element do not appear to be functioning at full capacity because of the constraints of the Exclusion Zone."
I heard the Kaiser whistle through his teeth in surprise, which echoed my own feelings on the matter, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that the Machine would dedicate a significant force to making sure the treaty wasn't signed. They were, after all, the main target of any alliance between ourselves and Sable.
"Presumably Sable is also aware of this?" he said.
"I imagine so, Mein Kaiser," I replied, "I would be very surprised if Princess Emily hadn't reported this to His Majesty and General Prince Andrew."
Then I waited for Tristan to continue. He did so, launching into a full and frank briefing of what he knew of the situation, including reaching into his jacket pocket and producing a wad of documentation detailing the location. Silke had been busy, although perhaps the fact that she could scan the area with the Pattern from distance had played a part in that. I sat back and listened, knowing that my subordinate was much better qualified than I to give this particularly briefing. After all, Tristan, as a former Wehrmacht general who had actually served under the Kaiser before his transfer to the SS, was far more capable of discussing matters military than I, and giving a clear and concise assessment of just how much shit we were potentially in with this.
"So the question is," Wilhelm commented to both of us when Tristan had finished, "do we make this our first dual operation, or do we try to deal with this ourselves?"
"That, Your Majesty, I imagine is going to be between you and the King of Sable, as no doubt he's asking his advisors much the same question," I suggested, "however, it would seem that you need to have that discussion sooner rather than later."
"The other discussion I need to have with Robert of Sable is whether we move the treaty signing," he countered, "even if we eradicate the Machine presence nearby, they will be aware of the location, and there is a chance that they could regroup. Moreover...do we know anything further about this Sable extremist element?"
"From Thorsten's discussions with Bond, their best guess is that they were members of a Sable group opposed to the signing of the Treaty and who would favour removing King Robert from the Sable throne, in favour of General Prince Andrew," Tristan supplied.
There was actually a group in Sable willing to do that? I tried to mask both my surprise, and my dismay that someone might actually be stupid enough to think that Andrew would make a better King than his father.
"I suppose that makes sense," Wilhelm conceded, "after all, we have such ultra-nationalist groups, and I doubt they're feeling particularly benevolent towards myself just now, so I doubt Sable are immune. Is there any indication what they were doing there?"
"It looks as if they were observing: they don't appear to have got any further than that. However, we don't know for sure, as none of them remained long enough for us to ask."
"And has there been any indication that our own extremists have any involvement at the site? They would be another obvious group who would want to bollix this up."
"There has been no indication thus far, Mein Kaiser" Tristan answered.
"Thank you for a most concise report, Oberstgruppenführer Heydrich," Wilhelm said with a nod, then turned to me, "Herr Reichsführer? Do you have anything further to add?"
"Not at this time, Your Majesty," I answered, "we shall await the outcome of the discussions between yourself and my brother regarding any change of arrangements with interest, and will act upon them promptly once the decision has been made."
"I'll speak with him this afternoon," came the answer, "thank you. You are dismissed."
I bit back any comment at the dismissal, instead standing in sync with Tristan and saluting, before we headed out of the Kaiser's office and back towards Hradcany Castle.
"I'm impressed," I commented to my companion, once we were back in the car, "you've been busy."
"Every so often, I enjoy analysing a tactical situation," he replied, "it reminds me of the old days."
"Do you miss the front lines?"
"Not particularly, but I miss the intellectual challenge of planning such things."
I gave a slight smile, and settled back into my seat.
* * * * *
I had headed home to Frida and the children that evening, and was enjoying a rare family dinner, when I felt the stirring of a Trump call. I checked my mental deck, and my heart sank when I identified my caller as Wilhelm. He very rarely contacts me by Trump, preferring the formality of an audit trail through our respective offices when we meet. I made my excuses and headed to my study, before opening up the link.
"That took you long enough," he commented sourly.
"I imagine you want this conversation to be private, Mein Kaiser," I replied, icily, "so I was making appropriate arrangements."
"Join me, Rupert," he said, quietly, and offered his hand.
Cursing inwardly, I took it and stepped through into his private quarters in the Imperial Palace. Wilhelm himself seemed tense and agitated, and from his body language it was obvious that he wasn't a happy man.
"I've spoken with my father," he began, as he indicated for me to sit.
"I rather expected that you had."
"Firstly, as we speak, a combined operation is dealing with the Machine incursion identified by Gruppenführer von Halle and my sister."
"That must have been interesting to arrange at short notice."
"Short notice seems the best way right at this moment, given that as yet there is no formal treaty between our nations. This way our respective forces don't have time to decide to kill each other, rather than the enemy."
"True."
"And second, we have agreed that the signing is going to be moved. We have consulted with Emperor Sirius to that effect, and he supports the decision."
"Probably wise."
"We have chosen an alternative location, and have agreed to meet there at the appointed time."
"That all sounds perfectly sensible."
"You, however, are going to attend the meeting at Il Rotonda."
"Excuse me?"
I looked at him, thunderstruck.
"The original arrangement was that you would accompany myself and Reichskanzler Emmerich to the signing."
"Correct, and Lord Protector Prince William would be attending with my brother and his Prime Minister...what's the man's name...Caffrey?"
"We have mutually agreed to revise the arrangement. At least two groups hostile to this arrangement are focused on Il Rotonda. Robert and I have decided that we want to keep their eyes fixed in that direction. Which means carrying on with the charade that it is the actual location where the signing will take place."
"So you want me to walk into the lion's den in your stead?"
"How does that Oath of yours go? I swear to Wilhelm König, as Kaiser of the Greater Reich, Loyalty and Bravery. I vow to Thee and to the superiors whom Thou shalt appoint, Obedience unto Death. May the gods help me?"
"But..."
"But nothing, Rupert," he snapped, anger in his voice, "we're in this situation because you fucked up. This gives you a chance to redeem yourself. Are you going to break your Oath? Or are you going to do as I order?"
"I fucked up?"
"The Machine is aware of Cavazza. I would bet money that this is because the Master of the Machine still has an 'in' to your organisation. You gave him that by first adopting him into the fold, and later casting him out again with bitterness and recrimination all around."
"You backed that decision."
"Yes I did. But it doesn't take away your culpability for making it in the first place, or the damage it's caused. One way you can redeem yourself in this is by making it perfectly clear to your people that you are still going to Cavazza."
"I can make it clear I'm going there, while having no intention of doing so. After all, isn't that what you're going to be doing?"
"I have no intention of sharing my specific plans with you," he replied, "it seems altogether safer that way."
"And Robert?"
"Like myself, is considering alternatives. However, he also understands the need for at least one of the participants due to attend from Sable to still be on the guest list. My brother William has therefore agreed to oblige."
"So between you you've agreed to hang myself and William out to dry?" I said, angrily, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at this coming from you. After all, its not as if I'm unaware of your feelings towards me. However, I'm more surprised that my brother would do that to Will."
"One slight difference, Rupert," Wilhelm answered, his voice dangerously calm now, "William volunteered."
"He was in the meeting with you?"
"My father called him in once we'd formed a basic plan. We put it to him, and he agreed without hesitation."
"So he is fully in the loop on this...and yet you aren't offering me the same courtesy."
"Because his organisation isn't potentially riddled with Machine agents. Clean house, Rupert, and my opinion of the security of the RSHA may change."
"I have been doing so."
"I have seen few results thus far."
"That's because we choose not to air our dirty laundry in public."
"Prove it to me, and you will once again have my confidence. Until then..."
I looked at him, a variety of thoughts coursing through my mind. Most of them unprintable.
"Your decision? Will you do this, or will you break your Oath?"
I was neatly trapped. Were I to break the SS Oath, and were that to become known - as I suspect it would, because Wilhelm would make certain of it - then my position as Reichsführer-SS would become untenable. I'm many things, but I'm not a fool.
"I will do as you order, Mein Kaiser," I replied, coldly, sketching a half bow.
"Excellent. The carriage to take you to Cavazza will leave from the Berlin ATS station at 09.55 on Monday 7th. I trust you will be prompt. Dress uniforms, of course. And feel free to take an escort if you feel you require it. Oh, and I'm happy for the Pilot to be Hauptsturmführer Kolb, if you will arrange for him to be given the rutter for Cavazza."
"You're so generous," I answered, through gritted teeth, "and what about the actual signing? If they know the details, and are observing on the day, won't they smell a rat if I don't accompany you?"
"Arrangements will be made, although I'd appreciate if you could assign two of the Honour Guard to me on the day. To give added verisimilitude to the proceedings."
"Will you return the favour?"
"You'll find out on the day."
"Is there anything else, Mein Kaiser?"
"Not at this time. You are dismissed. Please give my regards to the lovely Annifrid."
I stood, stiffly and looked at him, barely concealing my hatred, but he seemed remarkably unperturbed. Then, finally, I brought a Trump to mind, and departed from the Imperial presence without saluting.
Rather than go home and inflict my black mood on my family, I decided to take my anger out elsewhere. I therefore Trumped to the Wewelsburg and after teleporting my service weapon to me - a Luger semi-automatic which I had personally conjured - I made my way down to the shooting range. I set up a number of targets to my personal specification, then spent the next hour putting bullets through the Kaiser's forehead, trying to work off my fury.
* * * * *
I reported to the Berlin ATS station at the appointed time on Friday, accompanied by Schultz and Waldemar, to be met by the "Kaiser", flanked by two men in SA uniform who certainly bore a passing similarity to members of the Imperial Knights.
"Herr Reichsführer...are you ready?" Wilhelm said, politely, after I had snapped the obligatory, and politically unavoidable salute, given the waiting members of the press corps, who were present to see us leave.
"What about Reichskanzler Emmerich?"
"Sadly, he's indisposed. However, of the three of us, he is the one least needed for this expedition. It is you and I who are important here, ja?"
I don't know if he was intentionally trying to provoke a response, given that Wilhelm obviously hadn't considered me necessary, but I decided to stay nothing but stick with the charade.
"Of course, Mein Kaiser...shall we?"
"Indeed."
We climbed aboard and Kolb closed the door behind us. I sat opposite Wilhelm's representative, which gave me an opportunity to study him. Whoever it was, he had the mannerisms and vocal characteristics down pat. He even had a degree of reality to him, which could probably be put down to the fact that he had a Broken Pattern imprint which, while not offering all the benefits of the real thing, did give something of the correct feel.
The world disappeared on cue, to reappear moments later, and shortly afterwards, Kolb opened the door for us.
"Herr Reichsführer...Your Imperial Majesty. Welcome to Cavazza."
We climbed down, to be met by the warm, Mediterranean air of an Italian spring. I hadn't visited the site myself before, and had to admit that they'd picked a beautiful location. Off to one side, I could see a carriage with the Royal Arms of Sable on the side, with Robert and William waiting for us. They were flanked by a number of Royal Guard, but none of Robert's own Knights, which was interesting. Hopefully those watching us wouldn't spot the obvious break of standard protocol. I glanced around and identified both Bond and Thorsten waiting, somewhat on tenterhooks, as the introductions were made. In turn, they were accompanied by women, both wearing mage signets, but neither in uniform. I recognised the one with Thorsten as Martina Wagner, one of Wilhelm's agents.
Wilhelm and Robert crossed to each other and shook hands, and then climbed into the vehicle which would take them up to the villa. I looked over at William and our eyes met, and he nodded to me. William is a refreshing change after his elder brother: he treats me with respect, rather than disdain, even if he doesn't particularly like me, and I find it easy to reciprocate. Moreover, he's a professional soldier and very good at what he does, and is therefore quite capable of setting his personal views aside in pursuit of the common good.
Once we were settled in the second car, he said quietly under his breath.
"Thank you for agreeing to do this, Herr Reichsführer. It was the best way of keeping them guessing."
He sounded completely sincere.
"No doubt we'll soon know if it's worked," I replied, biting back any other comment I might have made about my agreement or otherwise, and settled back in my seat.
We swept up the drive through a number of layers of warding, and as we did, I noticed the familiar signatures of Klieburg from our side, and General Blake from Sable. However, there were also traces of a third mage, which it took me a moment or two to recognise. Perhaps because it was so subordinate to the others. However, with a little concentration it was identifiable. The signature of the mage who had attacked the AMTRI on Niedersachsen, and had later assisted Ragoczy in demolishing Gestapo HQ.
I thought back to the woman who had been standing with Bond, and made a mental note to take a very good look at her later, should the opportunity present itself.
Once at the villa we were taken inside, and shown to the large round table in the central room of the villa. Two seats were laid out for each party, plus an extra which no doubt would be occupied by Emperor Sirius - or whoever came in his stead - once he arrived later in the day. The morning session, however, was supposed to be dedicated to ironing out any final bugs with the treaty.
The whole charade seemed pointless, even though, as I sat and the papers were handed around, I realised that we were actually being given genuine copies of the treaty, not just some collection of random paperwork. What were we supposed to do for four hours until Sirius arrived? It wasn't as if we had any power to change anything...presumably that was being done elsewhere.
"As I understand it," William said, to me, as if he'd followed my train of thought, "any modifications made here today, before we sign in Sirius's presence, will be considered a valid part of the treaty."
"The lawyers are going to have field day sorting that out after the fact," I commented, and he smiled.
"That's definitely their problem, not ours," he replied, good naturedly.
"Indeed," commented Robert, or whoever it was sitting there in his chair.
Like Wilhelm's double, he had the mannerisms and vocal characteristics of my brother down perfectly, although with him I was painfully aware that there was something missing. After all being a Creator is a state of being, rather than something that can be easily duplicated, and while the external differences probably wouldn't be obvious to a mere mortal, or possibly even to a less gifted member of the family, I know that I was looking at a mere facsimile. Still, he played the part relatively competently and was the one who finally called us to order, and thereafter, we got to work.
In the end, it was a surprisingly productive meeting. I still had my doubts about whether anything we had decided would be put through in the final treaty. After all, what would happen if we had agreed something which was completely contradicted by whatever the real Wilhelm and the real Robert came up with in their equivalent deliberations? However, either William is a much better actor than I give him credit for, inasmuch as he seemed really serious about what we were doing as we talked; or he knew something I did not, which given Wilhelm's stonewalling on the alternative arrangements was almost certain.
As we spoke, members of both task forces moved in and out of the room, keeping watch and looking out for trouble, and updating us on the situation. I particularly noticed a pretty young woman from the Sable side, who felt like a Trump artist, but the overall combination of Bond's people and Thorsten's seemed pretty evenly matched, and pleasantly professional on both sides. Maybe there was some hope for combined operations in the future, after all. Sadly, however, the Sable mage responsible for the input into the warding wasn't one of those who particularly made their presence felt. In fact, I had the distinct impression that she was avoiding me, which if she was the one responsible for the AMTRI debacle, showed a surprising amount of common sense on her part.
Sirius's representative arrived at the appointed time, flanked by a number of his own bodyguards, and we were just putting pen to paper to finish our mock signing ceremony, when the Sable mage came in looking decidedly perturbed.
"We're under attack. You need to evacuate. Now."
Given that we had always expected an attack was possible, there were already procedures in place for evacuating the site quickly and in an orderly manner, and Will commanded his people to implement them. Thorsten looked at me and I nodded, and soon an organised retreat was under way.
I looked curiously at the mage, and in response to my question regarding the attack, she answered that she could feel pressure on the warding which shouldn't be there. I concentrated for a few moments, and could immediately see what she meant. There was a build-up of power going on which was more than a little reminiscent of Riversend: not one of my proudest moments, but certainly an event graven on my mind forever.
So where the Hell were Blake and Klieburg? They were supposed to be monitoring for just this kind of attack, and yet it had fallen to their lackey to report. I would have to have words with Jorge when I saw him.
An explanation was quickly forthcoming, however. As the evacuation continued, Bond raised the alarm that Blake had been found unconscious, and was being helped out to the waiting carriages. But there was still no sign of my Priest, and rather than being annoyed with him, I began to feel decidedly concerned.
"Has anyone seen Klieburg...?" I demanded.
"I think he was upstairs..." began the pretty little Trump artist.
By now, I didn't even have to feel for the incoming attack. The pressure was sufficient that I was constantly aware of it, having a sensitivity for such large-scale magics, and I instinctively knew that what was coming was going to make Riversend look like a New Year fireworks display. I could also feel death in that energy, which didn't improve my mood any. Death and something else. Something I knew I should be able to identify but was just beyond my reach. Calling for Schultz and Waldemar to stick with me - which they did without arguing, despite the incoming attack - I drew my Honour Dagger as a Working focus and started scanning around the area.
A few second later, I lighted upon a void up on the first floor, near where the residential quarters were located, and I didn't like the feel of it. I barked orders to my companions, and we headed upstairs rapidly, although as we did so, I noticed that the younger Sable woman was sticking with us like glue.
"Five seconds to impact," she called.
I managed to grunt out my thanks as I focused all my attention on trying to keep moving and focusing on my dagger for strength. Schultz ducked left, having spotted something, and I followed. I briefly registered a fallen body, dressed in civvies and lying in a pool of blood, and instinctively knew it was my Priest. I threw a cocoon spell in that direction, hoping it would take: if, as I suspected, blue crystal had been involved in the attack on him, a coat rack spell wouldn't work, but the cocoon had the advantage that it didn't come into actual contact with the person it was surrounding, and therefore shouldn't be affected. I checked my handiwork and was satisfied.
Then I froze and concentrated all my attention on the athame as the rain of fire began screaming around us. I could hold the wards for a while, but I knew it wouldn't be forever, even with the help I could feel in the distance from the Sable mage: she may not have been one of the main mages keyed to the wards, but she certainly seemed to be doing her best to assist - presumably buying time for the Trump artist, rather than me. However, I could feel the combined death energy of over fifty people in that attack, and it was going to take more than enthusiasm to hold it back. And then, as I considered how to deal with the problem, I realised what it was that had been beyond my grasp earlier. Woven into the inferno was the ritual signature I associate with my Knights.
One of them had turned traitor and was trying to kill me. But which? And then I realised that right now, his or her identity was irrelevant. What I had to do now, was survive the next few minutes. Then I could take my revenge at will.
As we held the raging energies at bay, I ordered Schultz and Waldemar to pick up the body, and felt Trump energy from the girl, although interestingly, there was no sign of a card in her hand. Obviously, despite her youthful appearance, she was better than average for a Trump artist, and experienced enough to know how to react under pressure.
"If you're getting us out of here, young lady, now would be a good time," I said, through gritted teeth, as I felt the strain of the effort I was expending to hold the shield against the energy. My skin felt like it was beginning to burn and I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold things for much longer.
"Jawohl," she cheekily, and I saw her smile.
If only she hadn't been from Sable.
As I watched, I saw the Trump rainbow of an open contact, and she gestured for us to move. I ordered Schultz and Waldemar through first, with Klieburg, and then retreated towards her. By then I was in agony: every pain sensor in my body was firing uncontrollably, and I knew that if we didn't get out of there soon, I would be toast. The next bit of timing was going to be interesting, though, as effectively we needed to step through together: she wouldn't survive if I went through first, thus taking down the defences, and I probably wouldn't be very happy if I then had to manage my own evac if the Trump link was gone.
However, to her credit, it obviously wasn't the first time she'd been in a situation like this, and we managed to choreograph the movement perfectly. Where we arrived, however, surprised me.
Niedersachsen Gestapo HQ, or what was left of it.
But then, given I'd already identified the AMTRI mage, perhaps I shouldn't have been that surprised that another veteran of Sable's attack on that world would have been in the group Sable sent to manage their side of the treaty process. I detected Graham's hand in that particular tweaking of the lion's tail.
The others had laid Klieburg on the paving stones of the old parade ground, and after taking a few moments to centre and try to get my own pain under control, I crossed to him and knelt by the body, cancelling the cocoon so I could get access to the patient. I checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one. However, a cursory inspection indicated that he had been stabbed in the lower back, with a good chance that the blow had punctured one or both of his kidneys. I also confirmed my fear that blue crystal had been involved, which meant that even shape shifting wasn't going to help. We were going to have to heal him the hard way.
"Is he alive?" the girl asked, softly. She seemed genuinely concerned, which was fascinating, given that he was a Reich agent, not a Sable one. Maybe she was one of those who had accepted his marriage to Elanor, rather than considered it an act of double betrayal. I resolved to find out more about her.
"Barely," I replied, "and here is not the place for us to try to treat him."
I looked at her. Young. Ernest. And probably just realising how big a mistake she had made by bringing us here, and I actually felt my anger at the whole situation fade away. Honour dictated that on this occasion she had helped me, and despite the fact that she had probably been one of those responsible for the destruction of the site on which we were standing, she had stayed behind, without obligation to do so, helped my friend and quite possibly saved my life.
"Your assistance is appreciated, and for that you have my thanks," I answered, meeting her gaze, "however, my advice to you is that it is prudent for you to depart at this point. I will not detain you."
She looked at me, then nodded her head.
"Good luck and good bye," she replied, and I could feel her bringing up another mental Trump.
"Again, my thanks," I said quietly, but whether she heard it as she departed, I'm not sure.
Once she was gone, I knelt once more beside the body, then brought a Trump of the Wewelsburg infirmary to mind, and transferred us through, along with Schultz and Waldemar. The medics took charge as we arrived, and soon we were on our way to the operating room, where after cleaning up and scrubbing for surgery, I had every intention of helping Klieburg myself.
Patient first. Revenge later.