Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-One
19th June 1970
Mitte, Berlin
Kiki was supposed to have flown out this afternoon, there had been a change of plans though and the trip to California had been pushed back by a day. Eduard Louis Viktor Joachim Ichirou, Freddy and Suga’s son, had decided to make an early appearance a couple weeks before he had been expected. Kiki had insisted that she needed to be there, this time though Suga had told her that she should probably gone to catch her flight. That was why she had been watching as Mirai and Alexandrine were introduced to their new little brother by Freddy and Suga. At the age of six, Mirai had been deemed old enough to be told what was going on in an age-appropriate manner. She still had a lot of questions though and seeing her little brother obviously wasn’t quite what she had pictured. Kiki had the impression her idea of a baby was like in cartoons she had seen. Seeing that an actual newborn was rather different must have been a disconcerting experience for her. Alex was a slightly different story. She was still a toddler and was only aware that she was no longer the center of attention. Oddly, she had found herself with Nella and Nan, who were at loose ends as well.
This had also prompted a gathering of Kiki’s extended family. Her aunts, uncles, and cousins had gathered outside Suga’s room in the Hospital. It was a reminder to Kiki that they were not an ordinary family. Her father and stepmother were at the center of all of this, which was a reminder of how Kiki’s nieces had an uncertain future in the years ahead. A generation earlier, Eduard would have automatically become the designated heir with Mirai, and Alex being pushed out of the way due to their gender. Now, things were far less clear. Regardless of one’s opinion of having a Monarchy, that couldn’t help but make things complicated. Kiki just hoped that her father and oldest brother knew what they were doing and would have this sorted long before Royal succession became an issue again in thirty years.
Kiki couldn’t help but notice how out of place Ben seemed to be. While there was nothing wrong with his appearance, just the way he carried himself revealed that he was not of the environment he had found himself in. She felt a bit of guilt over having thrust him into this. Kiki’s father said that she shouldn’t feel that way, Ben had chosen to be with her even if it came with awkward interactions like this one with her family. She couldn’t help but notice that he was spending most of his time with Michael and Birdie. Birdie didn’t mind awkward exchanges, mostly because she often had them herself. As an Ace Pilot, Raumfahrer, and Doctor of Philosophy, Ben was someone who Michael probably would have wanted to know even if he wasn’t his brother-in-law.
Turning back to her newest nephew who was the actual center of attention, Kiki was thankful that he was healthy. Suga had said that she had talked with Freddy about “shutting the factory down” as it were. Not that Kiki blamed her.
Wahlstatt, Silesia
Fencing class was no longer as much fun. It seemed that Niko’s grandfather had learned about what had happened over the Easter Holiday and had told the Headmaster that he wasn’t pleased. In turn, the Headmaster, Oberstlieutenant Gruber, had read Niko the riot act about how he expected better from his students and that he had made himself look like an arrogant ass. That had resulted in a bit of a quandary for the school as what had happened had not occurred on the campus and while Niko had been on Holiday. Eventually, things had just sort of petered out and Niko had escaped any real punishment.
The Fencing Instructor was a different story. He had taken the brunt of official wrath because of who Niko’s grandfather was. He had more than a few words to say about his students showing off and being too stupid to realize they were taking on a more skilled opponent, and a girl no less. That was how Niko had found himself doing drills until he was too tired to lift the Epee and the Instructor had then taken him to task even for that.
That had gone on for weeks and that was on top of a rigorous academic schedule and the responsibilities he still had as a Korporal and a Bay Leader in his dorm. The result was that he had gone through his days in a sort of exhausted haze, even on the weekends he had wanted to do nothing more than sleep. Of course, complaining was the last thing he wanted to do. Both Niko’s father and grandfather had advised him that complaints were how the school gauged whether or not they were doing things correctly. So, if he found himself in this sort of situation, he needed to keep his head down and get through it. It was the exact opposite of how Bas handled things if he got into trouble. Bas would loudly complain about how unfair whatever punishment he got was and inevitably make it worse for himself. Quietly enduring didn’t protect him from getting called into Staber Arbeit’s office on a Friday afternoon, something that every student in the school dreaded because nothing good ever came of it.
“I’ve watched the hard work that you’ve put in Nikolaus” Arbeit said with a smile, “And it is my opinion that is the sort of thing that ought to be rewarded.”
With that, the Staber pulled the shoulder boards for a Vize-Sergeant of Cadets out of his desk drawer. At that moment, Niko was reminded of one of the other things his father had told him. That often the reward for hard work was more work.
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