pirated stuff

"Your main contact will meet you in Kassel; go through Konigstrasse. He will be inside the church of St. Martinese; 2nd row on the left, you cannot miss him." I remembered Elena saying this before I put on my disguise and rode a train to Hessen. "He is my second cousin, from Bavaria, a police detective. The Bavarian police branch is stretched thin in manpower hence why he has to do some field work in Kassel."

It was amazing how fast Elena could set up a small sting operation on short notice. As soon as I relayed Goering's prerequisite for conservative political support to our PR specialist, she wasted no time contacting her former colleagues in Western Germania and hiring young, unemployed women as informants and pollsters. A cousin who was a police secretary, huh? No wonder the need for public order and safety runs in her veins.

Of course, given how recognizable my face was, I had to put on a disguise to avoid communist thugs from spotting me from a mile away. Normally, under such circumstances, the easiest thing to do was to dye my hair into another color, like red or brown. But since hair dye is a relatively new invention, I would rather not burn my scalp. As such, a different haircut would need to suffice.

Given how I let my hair grow out more now that I was older and out of the military, I went with a Francois braid. No one would dare suspect a Germanian Imperial Revanchist would dare associate with anything that had the word "Francois" in it. I'd not felt so childish yet so clever in a long while.

My partner, who was supposed to be meeting me at the train station, had the cover of being a women's fitness instructor for swimming. Despite turning 18 last month, it still felt scandalous. Then again, no other option seemed better. A math tutor 10 years my senior? Scandalous! A fencing teacher opening the doors of a traditionally male-dominated sport to a young feminist? Scandalous! A music teacher? In this economy where no one could afford such a high-class tutor? Even more scandalous!

Finally, I saw him. He matched the description Elena gave me: blond hair, blue eyes, a nice, clean-shaven face, and tall. Almost two meters.

"Herr Vesars?" I said aloud, playing my role expertly. "I have come to prepare for the Olympic games."

For a few awkward seconds, my contact simply gawked at me as if he had just seen a unicorn. If he had forgotten his lines, I swear…

"I am paying in silver," I whispered harshly, throwing in a wink.

That shook him out of his stunned silence.

"Pardon my manners, Fraulein Gelt, the description did not do your beauty great justice. I am truly honored to have such a woman as my student. It's rare for someone of your sex to have the skills and knowledge to match her angelic face."

For some reason, I had a terrific urge to slap him in the face.

"Let's go. We have another student to meet in St. Martinese," I said, dragging Vesars along, much to his amusement.

"I have to say," he remarked as we made our way through Konigstrasse, "It really is a pleasure meeting you - leading our country out of this mess, the charge against the Bolsheviks, I can already see the Judean capitalist menace in Berun shivering in their boots - gah!"

I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't even care that we were surrounded by a crowd of tourists, shoppers, vendors, communist spokespersons, or policemen. I immediately turned around, and with the fury of eight years of bloody warfare, I gave a right hook straight onto his groin.

The tall, blond giant crumpled onto the pavement like a house of cards, clutching his family jewels.

"I think you castrated me…" he groaned weakly.

"Good, I'd hate to see your degenerate intelligence and judgment be passed on to any offspring." I pulled him up by his hair and whispered quietly. "What's your real name?"

"Heydryk…Bruno Anna Maria Heydryk…"

"Heydryk." I said through steeled teeth, "If I hear one more of that stupid, treasonous talk about Judean backstabbers, so help me God, I will drag you to the nearest Judean cemetery, find an empty tomb, and bury you in it. Now blink twice if you understand that you are going to scrub your brain clean of the Stab-in-the-Back myth once our business is done here."

Heydryk blinked twice.

"Good. Now get up on your feet and let's go to church already."

My ally became a lot quieter during the journey, aside from a few whimpers.

"Walk it off." I ordered, "Or I will rip it off and throw it into the Black Forest as fertilizer. Just keep a good attitude and I will see you rewarded for your service to the Fatherland."

Finally, we made it into the interior of the Gothic cathedral, and just as Elena had briefed upon, our Bavarian ally was seated in the second row on the left. Unlike those in prayer, he sat still as a statue, unblinking and immovable; he did not even turn his head as we sat next to him.

"Good day, Fraulein Gelt - Herr Vesars." He said, "I am Detective Henning Muller. I am sure you have heard of me before."

"Yes indeed," I answered, Elena as his cousin came to mind.

"You feel alright, Herr Vesars, you look pained." Muller looked over to Heydryk.

"Herr Vesars has made unsavory conduct given his position towards me and other fellow Germanians of the fairer sex." I quickly cut off my ally's words. "I disciplined him in the proper Imperial manner."

"Since he is still alive and not carved up like a ham, I'd say he got off easy." Muller stood up. "Come, let's go to the hotel where we will be staying for the next few nights. Have you brought enough money?"

Heydryk and I both nodded.

"Good, inflation has stabilized enough to allow for predictable pricing. I may not need to report to my superiors for additional funds."

With that initial introduction out of the way, we moved towards Hotel Frederick, named after the famous Warrior-King of the Teutons. Our rooms were on the second floor, together with a balcony; a place for us to rest and review our findings.

As simple as it was to unleash the Reichsbanner onto the communist holdings in Hessen and Westphalia, we simply just cannot break down every single door on every single house. I should've questioned first why we needed a "sting" in the first place since Elena would have already had her informants locating the holdouts for us.

"Care to explain why a Bavarian policeman is this far north?" I asked as we settled around the coffee table. I reached out and plucked the cigarettes out of their mouths before crushing them in my fist.

Like a robot, Muller didn't show a bit of annoyance, unlike Heydryk who looked as if he got slapped on the face. Keep up that sour look and I might just do that.

"Communist activity has gotten bolder in Bavaria, more violent too. Clashes between the Communists and the National Vanguardists are becoming more frequent by the day. Unlike Rohr's stormtroopers, the Spartakus movement is better equipped with guns. My department expects a communist revolution to start in Munich."

"So there's a gun smuggling ring we need to disrupt?"

That explains the excessive violence. Bavaria was Rohr's home turf. The region was extremely conservative, extremely anti-semitic, and extremely Papalist save for a few liberal holdouts in the urban centers.

"Exactly. Locate the caches, identify the ring leaders, and prevent any more shipments through Hesse."

"Should we require the Reichswehr to get involved for protection?" Heydryk inquired.

"It is a good suggestion but it would attract too much attention this early." I replied, "I hear that Minister of Defence von Hammerstein was hesitant to deploy the Reichswehr out of fear of accidentally shooting upon our own citizens. I cannot deploy the Reichsbanner either without explicit approval from the Progressive Bloc. We have to build a case and request a warrant to allow for the ethical removal of political extremism."

"Let us get started then." Heydryk nodded. "Though we might need to create new identities first."

"We'll keep the names just to change to a different profession. Perhaps another police detective and a young, aspiring, policewoman in training?"

I turned to look over to Muller who still remained as stoic as a Hellenic statue.

"Given that the alternative would have this establishment be a target for every communist in a 60 km radius, this might be for the best," he said. "If I told my superiors your real identities, they may overlook this breach of impersonation."

"Then the matter is settled." I got up from my chair. "We will meet back here at 7 p.m. to discuss our findings. Heydryk, if you don't mind, I would like to shadow Muller for the rest of the day."

After a brief staring contest between Muller and Heydryk, the blonde man finally relinquished my decision.

"What shall you have me do? I served in the Reichsmarine, not the military police."

Good point.

"Mingle among the crowd, eavesdrop on rumors or communist speeches, find allies or informants." I suggested, "In fact, why don't you go to a synagogue and talk to the Judeans for some information on our enemy's movement."

With a huff, Heydryk nodded slowly, leaving me satisfied. With his assignments given clear objectives and with enough autonomy for creative interpretation, we all left the hotel to split up and begin our investigation.

"So, as a police detective, what is the first step you do to locate suspects and their illegal cache?" I asked Muller as we walked down the street.

"First, I would review past cases concerning communist activity, which I had already done, it is the usual suspects. If the weapons weren't smuggled through Hessen, it would be through the Rhineland," he answered. "If you have additional intelligence concerning their whereabouts, that would be greatly appreciated."

Elena's informants immediately sprang to mind.

"I believe I do, but I will need to make a phone call first."

"Make it quick," he said, leading me to the nearest phone booth.

Unfortunately, Elena could only tell me so much. Although she had a network of informants already active, it was still too early to produce any results. Any observations so far were surface-level. If I call again tomorrow, she might have something for me. I quickly apologized for wasting her time before hanging up.

It was unbecoming to set unrealistic expectations on subordinates. I'd rather not let such a valuable party asset work herself to death. I already had enough of that corporate culture in one life.

"Sorry for making you wait but I have overestimated the knowledge of my sources," I said, getting out of the phone booth. "We need to reach out to them tomorrow."

"That is alright. We should evacuate regardless," Muller replied, eyeing an armed communist militia on patrol, which was chanting Bolshevik slogans.

As much as I wanted to tell them off, I shouldn't jeopardize our mission's secrecy. Luckily, they didn't notice us as they continued along the path. I felt like they were looking for someone to hang.

For the next few hours, we followed the crowd, asked some questions among the civilians, and even tried to have a meeting with the local communist leadership; though that went nowhere. At least we identified where most communists would gather publicly: a local beer hall at a street corner.

It's where the most militant would congregate and unwind after beating up hapless citizens. Their joyful presence made my blood boil underneath my skin. At least the server was smart enough not to refuse entry to a police detective.

So here I was, at the furthest corner of the beer hall, trying to spot any suspicious movement or overhear some loose words. Detective Muller was conversing with the bar owner, leaving me alone at the table.

"Hey there, miss, have I seen you before today?"

Oh great. I turned my head around and gave my best death glare to whoever approached me.

"No. You have not. You are clearly mistaking me for someone else."

"Ah." The communist thug smiled awkwardly. "You just remind me of that girl with the Francois braid that punched the hell out of that tall guy."

"How fascinating. Now fuck off and leave me to my beer."

The man still had some brains left in him as he meekly turned around and walked back to his table. I couldn't help but feel curious about their conversation.

"You need to work on your romance lines better, Schmidt," one guy said, patting the man on the shoulder.

"You should let a girl drink away her sorrows first," said another. "Obviously she's a scorned lover."

"I wonder what that blonde guy said to her that made a beautiful girl like her so damn mad…" Schmidt grumbled before drinking his mug of beer.

Just then, my attention turned towards Muller, walking back to our table with a slight disappointment on his face. Looks like our first day here is a bust. I hope Heydryk found more success than us. Otherwise, we might be here for the long haul.

We made it back to Hotel Frederick at 7:25 pm as Muller was insistent on resuming his investigation on the streets one more time. The sound of a violin playing on the balcony greeted us first when we made it back to our rooms. The Bavarian detective seemed like he needed some time alone to organize his thoughts and notes.

I made my way to the balcony to investigate the musician and much to my lack of surprise, it was Bruno Heydryk. Elena did not exaggerate when describing his talent for music. He seemed shocked upon seeing me and quickly paused his movements.

Just when Heydryk was about to lay down his bow and strings, I quickly held up my hand.

"I didn't tell you to stop. Our discussions can wait." I remind him, "You can still play the violin."

That made him pleasantly surprised, making Heydryk pick up his instrument again with a smile on his face before playing another piece of Wagner.

Ah, Wagner. The opera composer that every Germanian nationalist could identify by a single note. His themes of a perfect, righteous hero overcoming a sinful world resonated deeply with the conservative, militant Teutonic culture within the Empire. Considering the current state of Germania, the conservatives need a Wagnerite hero now more than ever.

It was a really alarming notion now that I think about it. Rohr seemed to fit that ideal underneath his uncouth drunkenness. I was lucky the SA leader was determined to bring a national revolution to the country, leaving my position for a liberal democracy as the only moderate platform.

"Heydryk," I said, "When I say play the violin, I meant it. I didn't ask for a performance and I don't want you to give me one. Play the violin. Play for yourself. No one is here to judge you - I am not here to judge you."

He didn't look offended, only curious, at my words but he complied nonetheless and continued to play. This time, his music was less…predictable. Instead of another Wagner piece, Heydryck's movements were impromptu yet it reminded me of home.

My real home was in Japan.

His notes were the cherry blossom trees I walked underneath on my way to school; who grew up with me and bloomed the brightest pink colors when I graduated. I suddenly remembered how my parents used to smile at me, how they celebrated my birthdays, and how old they looked when I finally moved out and became a successful salaryman. Hell, I even remember some of my coworkers, those smart enough to remain employed, who always offered to take me to a bar to drink no matter how many times I refused.

I wondered. The day I died on those train tracks. Who told the news at my company? Who told my peers? My parents? Who would take care of them once they grow too old to take care of themselves?

Was I even mourned or was I forgotten? Surely, my company would honor my contributions….

All these questions raced through my head at such speed and repetition that I failed to notice Heydryk stop his performance to approach me.

"Fraulein Gelt…" He said awkwardly, "Are you feeling alright? You are crying. I'm sorry if I offended you in -"

"No. stop. You played beautifully. It was… enlightening."

"Really?" Now Heydryk was really surprised. "My brothers in the Reichsmarine would say otherwise. Not that the Reichsmarine still exists today. They called me a 'Judean Liberal' for having a passion for music."

"Then fuck the Reichsmarine. Don't be like them, even if you want to be." I blurted out. "We can always build another navy. A proper navy for a proper Germania."

"And what kind of Germania would that be?"

"Whatever it needs to be in order to reclaim its legacy."

With the Argent Silver deciding to retire into the night early, it was up to Heydryk to discuss today's findings with Muller. Personally, this was the most bizarre episode in his life. How many men could claim that they have survived getting punched by the famous war hero and later on, manage to make her fall into tears? No one except Heydryk.

That made him smile a bit. His bullies in the navy would be eating their sailor hats right now if it meant they got to see what went down on that balcony.

Knocking on the hotel door, Muller immediately opened up and let him in. To save money, the two men would share a room while Tanya would sleep alone next door. Heydryk immediately began checking the shelves and lamps for any hidden microphones.

"Do not worry, I already checked the room for any bugs," the detective assured him. "We can talk here without any fear of communists eavesdropping on us."

"So what have you discovered with Fraulein Gelt?" Heydryk asked,

"Nothing that we don't already know. If a gun smuggling ring is in Kassel operated by the Reds, they are smart enough not to place it in the most obvious places. Tomorrow, we should head out to investigate the city's train stations to see where they could stowaway the contraband. If we could just acquire one crate of evidence, we could finally get the Reichswehr to intervene," Muller explains.

"Perhaps we should change strategy"

"What do you mean?"

"Convince our associate to drop her act and reveal herself. That would force the reds to reveal their cards since they would be breaking open every crate to arm themselves to capture her."

"Capture?" Muller's eyebrows furrowed, "Not kill?"

"Yes. Capture. Apparently, the Reds have some plan for the war hero."

"Interesting, Where did you get this tip from?"

"I…talked with some Judeans at Kassel Synagogue."

"The Judeans, seriously? You?"

"Yes." Heydryk nodded. "One of their members with a loose tongue had joined the KPD. Came home drunk one night and boasted how capturing the Devil on the Rhine would spark the workers' revolution."

"And you believe them?"

"The Judeans there are DDP voters. They have every reason to fear the Bolsheviks."

"So how should we tell this to her?"

"By telling the truth. Let's be honest here. Fraulein von Degurechaff is looking for any excuse to drop her act."

"But she doesn't have a computational orb. She needs an army. One that she can lead as well as control, if I remember correctly," Muller retorted. "But going back to what you said about those Judeans, they sound like an ideal lead."

"I believe so too. I feel that Fraulein Gelt might have some questions for that Bolshevik." Heydryk nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we will immediately depart to the synagogue to resume the investigation, is that fine by you?"

"It is fine."

Silence returned to the room before the two men indulged in small talk to pass the time. They traded war stories, debated which brand of chocolate was best, discussed politics, anything to exhaust their restless minds. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Heydryk watched Muller immediately get up from his seat and approach the door, but not before grabbing his pistol. In this environment, there was no guarantee of a safe evening. Keeping the chain lock attached, Muller opened the door every so slightly.

"Sorry dear customer," said the hotel staff member, "But you don't happen to be with the Argent Silver?"

"Why do you ask?" Muller replied.

"Umm…It's probably easier just to show you."

"Open the door, Detective." came the familiar voice. It was Tanya.

Muller immediately removed the chain lock and opened the door with great fervor.

Both Muller and Heydryk immediately saw their partner in a disheveled manner. Behind her was a brawny man carrying another man tied up over the shoulder. Judging by the color of the attire their new prisoner was wearing, Tanya seemed to have had a run-in with a communist.

"Don't worry. The blood isn't mine, it was theirs," she explained as her benefactor dropped the weakened communist on an empty chair. The hotel valet immediately left the group alone after closing the door.

"Uh, Fraulein Gelt…" Heydryk began.

"Relax, it is a moot point to still use our cover names, Heydryk, and the lobby was empty for the moment," the blonde mage said as she went to the bathroom to wash the bloodstains out of her face. "Also, gentlemen, meet Alan Lichten. He helped me drag the leader of my kidnappers back to this place."

"Good evening." Lichten shook hands with the two Germanians. "I was in the area doing my nightly walks when I heard screaming. I rushed in thinking that there was a rape going on in the alleyway."

"Thank you…for the rescue." Heydryk couldn't fathom how the Argent Silver could be taken advantage of. "Are you from Magyaroszag, perchance?"

"You have an excellent ear, my friend. My Magyar accent still remains. But no. If anyone needed rescuing, it was this poor bastard." The Magyar slapped the balding head of the communist, causing him to wake.

"Demon…demon…" The man muttered repeatedly. "So much blood."

"What's your business here if you are from Magyarorszag?" Muller asked.

"Forming a Freikorps for my Judean brothers here. The Argent Silver's words - it was very inspiring to hear in Pressburg. Together, we can beat both the communists and fascists!"

"How amusing…" Heydryk remarked dryly before his eyes went wide as dinner plates when he saw Tanya exit the bathroom with a knife.

"I should get my hands on a computation orb as soon as possible," she muttered before approaching the frightened communist.

He would've screamed his lungs out if she hadn't pressed the blade deep enough against his skin to draw out blood. Only a few whimpers came out of his mouth.

"I am only going to tell you once, you will answer the questions that Detective Muller will ask you, if not, then my face will be the last time you will ever see." Tanya glared deep into the man's eyes, devoid of detachment or joy.

Meanwhile, Lichten made the right move and backed away from Argent Silver before exiting the room completely.

"Fraulein von Degurechaff." Even Muller was feeling uneasy at the prospect of torture being involved. "This is…unbecoming of my police work - "

"Just ask the damn questions, Detective! I don't have all night." Tanya whispered harshly but it felt like a roar.

Leaving the Bavarian to take over, Heydryk gently guided the Ace of Aces back to her room.

"Care to explain how you ran into a group of communists by yourself? I thought we were supposed to be subtle," he commented.

"I was overconfident and they recognized me when I was walking around the hotel. My cover is blown." She fumed. "That's what I get for underestimating their intelligence. I can't stay here for another day."

"But what about the investigation?"

"We'll have to trust Muller to carry on without me. Not that I can contribute much anyway. I will purchase a train ticket first thing tomorrow."

"Wait - "

"Goodnight Heydryk."

The door was slammed in Heydryk's face. For the first time in his adult life, he felt confused. This wasn't supposed to happen. Instead of returning to Muller, Heydryk went down the stairs to the concierge. Despite the brave face the old man had tried to put up, his eyes betrayed his internal discomfort.

"Good evening, sir." The concierge nodded. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Good evening," Heydryk replied. "Can you tell me what transpired tonight before you saw a Judean carrying a communist inside?"

"The young woman? Gelt - "

"Von Degurechaff."

"Pardon?"

"Tanya von Degurechaff. That's her real identity. She came here to assist in an investigation concerning illegal communist activities."

"Oh." The old man raised an eyebrow, the fear disappearing with naked eagerness. "I had contacted the police about that scene but if I share the good word of the Argent Silver, that might just get them off their asses and beat up some communists."

"Are they cowardly? I would not expect Kassel to have such an ineffective force."

"Cowardly is too harsh…mmmm, too cautious might be more accurate. They're outnumbered and outgunned. But if it really was the Argent Silver that got attacked, now boys in green would have to act to save face."

Heydryk felt a tug of a smile. Of course, that would explain her eagerness to return east.

"Indeed. But they won't have to clean up these streets alone."