NationStates Jolt Archive

He shook his head. "I-It's nothing, just a bad dream..." Norin said, not wanting to bring it up at the time. "I'll tell you about it after dinner." He said, again putting it off for at least thirty minutes.

((1,000 Post!))

Helga sighed and left the room, not knowing what to say, something was clearly bothering Norin, but he wouldn't say what.

She finished making dinner, calling to him about ten minutes later, "Norin, it's ready... Come on in, please... Don't let it get cold."

Norin sighed and rose from his spot on the couch and headed into the kitchen. "It smells nice..." He said before entering the dining area. "What did you make?" Norin asked.

Helga smiled at him as he came into the kitchen, answering, "Stuffed goose, if that is okay with you... I hope you like it..."

Norin nodded. "I've never had it before, but I'm certain it's wonderful." He said with a feigned smile. Norin took a seat at the table, waiting to be served.

Helga placed his food down in front of him and then left the room for a second, excusing herself to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she returned, seeing his glass was empty, she filled it without hesitation and then sat down next to Norin, asking him, "How do you like your meal thus far?"

Norin gently nodded to Helga as a sign of thanks. "It's good... I like it" He said, although he had eaten little. Norin wasn't feeling too hungry, afterall he had a knot in his stomach that seemed to occupy most of the space.

Helga noticed he was barely eating, she wanted to know why, he didn't seem well.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she asked, "Norin, what is bothering you, please, tell me, I want to know... I want to help you, tell me, what is it?"

Norin took another bite, although it was rather forced. The food certainly was good, he just hardly had the appetite. Upon swallowing he spoke up. "I said later, I'm eating right now." Norin said in rather annoyed tone. He only hoped that dinner would return to the awkard silence that existed moments before.

Helga sighed, not knowing what the problem was. She just shook her head and said, "Fine, if that's what you want... We'll talk later..."

She looked down at the ground, and said, "I'm sorry, sir..."

Norin nodded in response and continued to eat, although at a very slow pace. He knew and was certain Helga knew, that he would've normally corrected her in a situation such as that. Norin normally couldn't stand the complete subordination she took upon herself, but in this situation it seemed okay. Of course he was well aware that it wasn't unlike the way Dieter was acting earlier.

Helga quietly and quickly finished eating and then took her plates, and the few plates Norin had finished with, and carried them over to the sink, setting them aside so she could do them later. She didn't much feel like doing dishes right now.

Norin was still eating so she filled up his empty glass and then left the room to go lay down and rest. She didn't feel well. She had a very uneasy feeling about what Norin and Dieter might have been talking about, but she couldn't be sure unless one of them brought it up to her.

Norin continued to pick at his food, eating little amounts of it at a time. Finally however he gave up on it and sat at the table in silence for at least ten minutes. Then he rose up, making sure to make the plate rattle enough to signal Helga to take care of it.

Norin then proceeded towards the living room and took a seat in one of the chairs.

Helga heard him making noise with his plate, she sighed, rubbed her head, rose from bed, walked into the kitchen, and quietly took care of his plate. She then started to walk back to lay down, holding a hand over her forehead on the way, barely managing to get back to the bedroom due to the massive headache and fever she was now being nearly overwhelmed by.

She finally staggered into the bedroom and then collapsed across the bed.

Norin continued to sit in the chair waiting for Helga to return. After fifteen minutes he realized that she was not coming and presumably went to sleep. So Norin, not wanting to share a bed with her at the time, decided to claim the couch as his resting place tonight.

He rose out of the chair and stood in place for several moments, looking towards the hallway that led to the bedroom. Norin shook his head and then lay down on the couch eventually falling asleep.

At about 10 pm, Dieter decided to leave, and he left in the typical fashion he always left in. He knocked loudly on the door of the bedroom Helga was in, shouting, "I'm leaving..."

He then walked by Norin and shook him, saying, "I'm leaving!"

After that, while both were still groggy, he walked out the door and got into his waiting car that his driver had readied for him.


Helga walked into the room Norin was in, shaking her head, "Norin, did father wake you up too?" she asked.

Norin heard Dieter shout to Helga and rolled over onto his stomach, hoping to drown out anymore sounds. However Dieter didn't spare Norin and proceeded to shake him in a most unnecessary manner and then say his farewell. Norin merely replied with a groan and a vain attempt to push Dieter away.

The damage had been done though. Norin couldn't fall back asleep, he was wide awake. Then Helga entered the room, obviously awoken by her father. Norin nodded to her query and yawned. "Yeah he did..." He replied, his tone less hostile than it was earlier.

Helga slowly sat down next to Norin, put an arm around him, resting her hand on the shoulder opposite of the side she was sitting on, and then asked, "Norin, dear, what were you so upset about earlier? Please, I think whatever it is, we need to talk about it... Yes?"

Norin sighed and slumped forward. He was groggy and tired, but she was right, it needed to be addressed. Norin looked up at her and paused before looking down at his feet.

"Dieter told me..." He said plainly. "He told me about your first child... and about the... the others..." Norin said, almost wincing at the end as he was reminded of how many there were.

Helga's eyes started to tear up, shaking her head, "Why? Why would he do that! He must hate me... Oh, God... I'm so sorry, Norin, I should have told you... But after father made me do all those things, I was so ashamed, I just... I... I..." She couldn't go on, she just started to cry, the tears pouring forth, as she threw her head on his shoulder.

Norin lowered his head further unsure of what to do. He couldn't say it was okay although he felt that Helga was indeed sorry. Norin sighed deeply and hesitantly placed a hand on her leg, squeezing it gently as a sign of modest comfort.

Helga was finally able, after about five minutes of crying, to speak coherently enough to talk again. She wiped the tears from her eyes and started to talk, saying, "Norin, you might not believe me, but father made me do it... Whenever his friends were over, for talking business, if any of them were a bit unsure to go along with a proposal, he made me sleep with them. Often he just made me do it to keep them happy... I felt... Oh..."

She started to tear up again, crying, "Oh, God, Norin... I felt so worthless, father said if I didn't do I'd be out on the street, and then if I objected still, he'd hit me... My brothers, they didn't believe me when I told them, but they ought to have known..."

As the story developed further, Norin felt his thoughts of despair and loss rapidly transform into those of hate and disdain for Dieter. Sure he financed their trip as well he seemed to take a bit of a liking to Norin, but what he had done was subhuman. He was certain that if Dieter was around at this very moment, Norin may not have hesitated to at least harm him.

Norin turned and embraced Helga, trusting her word over that of her fathers. "I-I had no idea..." He said, holding her tightly. "But why... why do you still care for him?" Norin asked several moments later. He didn't understand why Helga didn't just choose to distance herself from her father due to those experiences.

Helga shrugged, she really didn't know. She hesitated for a few seconds and then said, "He's still my father... Besides, he wouldn't have done it if he didn't think it was for the best, right? And anyway, he's changed, he's very nice now, you've seen him, haven't you?"

Norin shook his head, it didn't matter if Gunther had changed in Helga's mind. What he had done was inexcusable and Norin didn't see why Helga should have ever forgiven him.

"He might be your father, but you're also his daughter. And he shouldn't treat you that way..." He said to her. "He was acting in his interests and didn't care about you... it was for his benefit and only his... you were just used by him."

Helga shook her head, "No, that couldn't be... Why would he do that? Surely mother would have intervened if he was doing that, wouldn't she have?"

Norin shrugged. "I... I don't know why he would've done that... as for your mother, I don't know anything about her or her relationship with your father, so I couldn't tell you why she wouldn't intervene..." He said. "But maybe she was afraid?" Norin suggested.

Helga shrugged, "I don't know, Norin, I just don't know..."


As she was talking, somebody came walking through the house, it was Dieter, he was calling out, "Don't mind me, forgot my briefcase..."

He quickly grabbed it and then made his way out towards the front door.

Norin looked up at Dieter, surprised to see him again. However as soon as the man came in, he left. Norin was quick to his feet to catch up with him and settle matters. He swiftly approached Dieter, his mood obvious.

"Dieter." Norin said sternly. "We need to talk." He added rather bluntly. It was obvious that Norin's was not the downtrodden, depressed, man he was earlier in the day.

Dieter was a bit nervous, but he hid it well. He continued to walk, now out the door and towards the waiting car, saying, "Not now, Norin, I need to get a moving along, you know? Maybe later..."

"Helga told me everything" He said, his voice cold and unemotional. Norin then began to approach Dieter, wanting to see him face to face on the matter.

Dieter sighed and shook his head, taking Norin aside, resting a hand on his shoulder and quietly saying, "Listen here, Norin, Helga is a whore, you'll just have to deal with it... She lies and she's a whore, okay? Anyway, whatever happened in the years past, isn't really your business, anyway, she was my daughter to do with as I saw fit, besides, she turned out fine, didn't she?"

Norin's lip curled when Dieter called Helga a whore despite the fact that those were the very words he used earlier that day. However now that he knew the context of things it became clear that Dieter had made Helga into what she had been in the Diplomatic Service.

"She was a whore..." Norin said in agreement, although he showed no signs of friendliness in the remark. "...And it was you that made her into it" He was quick to add.

Dieter shrugged his shoulders, he didn't really care or care to talk about it, "So what? She enjoyed it all... She had her fun, and now she's with you, what do you care? Although I figure once a whore always a whore, she'll probably sleep around, but meh, what can I say, she's just a weak woman really... It's pretty pathetic..."

He took his hand off Norin's shoulder, saying, "Now if you don't mind... I need to leave."

That said, he turned around and started to walk towards his car.

Why Dieter chose to do it was unknown to Norin, but he seemed to continually provoke Norin and feed the hatred inside of him. However he wouldn't strike Dieter, not yet at least. The man was old and certainly did have connections, something that Norin now regarded as a shield to hide behind and strike out from in the case of a disagreement between the two.

Norin instead chose to cut Dieter off and prevent his departure for the time being. Walking past Dieter, he swiftly approached the car and stood in front of the door Dieter was heading towards. It was obvious Norin wasn't going to drop the subject so easily, especially after Dieter's remarks.

"How is it that Helga is the weak one?" Norin asked, staring coldly at Dieter. "You were the one who couldn't make agreements without having her influence your business partners. You had to use your own daughter to argue your case because you obviously could not." He said, his cold expression never changing. "Is that how you rose up so high in the Illumnati Dieter? Did you have Helga convince everyone for you?" Norin asked, a smirk spreading across his face.

((Check TG's))

Dieter shook his head, nearly enraged, "Not at all, Norin, I was in the Illuminati, and rose to the leadership of it, over twenty years before Helga was even born... Anyway, please get out of my way, unless you have very good health insurance..."

As he was talking, two large men stepped out of the back of the waiting limousine, each had a large sport coat on, and when the wind would flap their coats back, their MP-5KPDWs were clearly visible.

Norin threw up his hands, signaling that he meant no harm. He began his approach towards the house, but couldn't help but raising the point he made earlier.

"Do you always needed people to do your dirty work Dieter?" Norin asked with a smirk. "I've heard it's much more rewarding to do it yourself" He added.

Dieter wasn't going to take that, he spun around and strode up to Norin, giving him a hard shove, hard enough to send him flying down onto the ground, flat on his face. Dieter, for a man of 83, was incredibly strong.

He shouted as he motioned with his hands, "So, do you want trouble! huh!"

Norin fell, surprised by Dieter's strength, but managed to catch himself before scraping his face. His only injury being scrapes on the heels of his hands. Norin was quick to his feet though and turned to face Dieter, the smirk still on his face.

"See now doesn't that feel much better" He said, obviously pushing Dieter. Norin had no intent on fighting an eighty-year old man, regardless of each others strength, he just wasn't going to do it.

Dieter shrugged and just walked off, back to the car, getting in before it quickly backed out of the driveway and then drove off into the night.


Inside, Helga was still sitting down on the couch, lightly pouting, upset with all her father had her do when she was younger.

Norin entered the house and took a seat next to Helga, placing an arm around her shoulder and holding her tight. He sat in silence for several moments, before comforting her.

"Don't worry Helga... Dieter left..." Norin said, informing her of what had happened. "And I won't be meeting him about the Illumnati either..." He added, informing her of the decision he made earlier.

"However I don't think we should stay in South Africa much longer..." Norin said, wanting to leave the country before Dieter tried to do anything irrational.

Helga slowly and meekly nodded her head, saying, "Invite him over for lunch tomorrow, would you please? I'd like to try to talk with him about some issues... I... I... Well, please just call him and invite him over, okay? Tell him I'm sorry and you're sorry."

Norin shook his head. "I am not sorry and you certainly are not." He said bluntly. Norin had no plans of apologizing for something that was not his fault. "I will invite him over for lunch, but we are not apologizing to that man." He said.

Helga sighed, "Norin, please... I need to apologize to him... I'll call him now..."

She walked over and picked up the phone and began to dial.

Norin shook his head and placed his hand over hers on the phone. "Don't apologize Helga, you didn't do anything. It was Dieter's fault... all of this was..." He said

Helga finished dialing, shaking her head and sighing, "Norin, please... Trust me... Anyway, it's ringing, shhh..."

After Dieter answered, Helga immediately in a very innocent and sweet voice, said, "Oh daddy, I'm so sorry about Norin and I, we behaved so horribly to you... I want to make it up to you, would you come on over for lunch tomorrow so we can talk?"

She smiled as he said "Yeah, sure, Helga, I'll be there..."

Helga then replied, "Okay, great, bye daddy, love you..."

He said his goodbyes and then the both of them hung up.

Helga turned back to Norin, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "See, he's not so bad, is he?"

Norin's mouth hung open out of shock. He couldn't believe that she was so willing to apologize and act like that towards Dieter. Still Norin was going to stick with his plans.

"Regardless, I want to leave after tomorrow..." He said to Helga, although his tone was no longer demanding. "We still have one more wedding you know." Norin said with a smile, pushing back what had happened for now and kissing Helga on the cheek.

Helga nodded her head, "Yes, of course... Shall we get to sleep then, tomorrow will be a very busy day, won't it?" she concealed her grin as she said that, instead wrapping her arms around Norin and kissing him on the cheek again.

Norin nodded, embracing Helga as well. He returned the kiss only this time on her lips. "I'm sorry about earlier Helga... I had no idea." Norin said, apologizing for his attitude towards her earlier.

Helga smiled and returned the kiss, before saying, "Come on, let's get some sleep, we can talk in the morning, yes?"

Norin nodded. "Excellent idea" He said before reaching down and slipping an arm beneath Helga's knees. Norin looked at her with a grin and picked her up, placing his other arm behind her, and carried her to the bedroom.

Ooc- For RP time sake, let us cut to the morning, say about 9 am?


Ic-

Helga woke up before Norin and softly whispered to him, "Norin, it's morning, Norin, wake up..." before she slid out of bed and went to go shower. After which she came back and got dressed, noticing he was still sound asleep she tapped him gently on the shoulder and said a bit louder, "Norin, wake up... Dieter will be here shortly..."

Norin rolled over after Helga had tried to wake him, burying his head into his pillow. The maneauver granted him several more minutes of precious sleep, however Helga soon finished and was again trying to wake him. This time she was succesful and with a groan and a loud yawn, Norin rose from the bed and shuffeled towards the shower.

"Isn't it a bit early for lunch?" He asked before entering the bathroom.

Helga's reply was answered with the sound of running water as Norin began showering.

((OOC: I was hoping for a time jump))

Helga shook her head, finished dressing now, smiling as she said, "Father likes an early lunch... Anyway, I'm going to get him a bottle of his favorite wine ready for him..."

Helga walked into the kitchen and took out a bottle of Dieter's favorite wine from a cupboard where a few such bottles were stored. She set it out on the sink, she then walked to a nearby utility closet and got a bottle of arsenic, she walked back over, opened the wine bottle and started to pour the arsenic into the bottle, whistling and then humming as she did so.

After several minutes the shower stopped and Norin emerged, dressed but still slightly wet. He would be in good spirits if it wasn't for the fact that Dieter was coming. Norin however tried to be happy and made his way into the kitchen. He hadn't noticed what Helga was doing and instead chose to poke his head into the refridgerator in the hope of finding a quick breakfast before lunch.

"You're certainly in a good mood today" Norin said as he rifiled through the refridgerator's various drawers.

Helga set the bottle of wine down, back in the cupboard, and casually said, "Oh Norin, please don't drink any of the wine... It's just for Dieter, okay?" she grinned at that part, but then quickly concealed the grin.

Norin produced an apple from the refridgerator and shut the door, turning around to face Helga, his eyebrow quirked. "I didn't plan on it, but I don't see the need to give that man any special treatment..." He said before taking a bite out of the fruit.

Helga grinned as she held out the box of arsenic, shaking it before saying, "Norin, trust me... You don't want to drink the wine..."

Norin, his expression first shocked, was now grinning. He set his apple down and took the box out of Helga's hand. Norin then quickly seized her in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips. It was more than obvious that he supported her actions.

"Helga I love you" He said after breaking the kiss. "Just make sure it finishes him..."

Helga grinned back, "Oh, don't worry... I will... Say though." her voice now revealed her growing fear, "Do you think we need to worry about the Illuminati taking revenge? I mean Hans Stahlecker is nearly dead himself, he had a stroke a few weeks ago, but still, there are others who might seek to gain vengeance..."

Norin shook his head. "We'll leave for Avadria tonight" He said, pushing the idea of revenge out of his head. "They won't get us there, I promise" Norin said, kissing her again. "I'll protect us, trust me... nothing bad is going to happen."

Helga was a bit doubtful of his abilities to keep them safe, after all her brother, Gunther, had gone on a quest into Avadria and it had resulted in enough deaths it was probably still in the headlines, in the investigation phase no doubt, politicians shouting, "How could this happen, who can we blame", etc, that sort of thing.

But she had to believe him, believe in him, she smiled and kissed him back, before saying, "Okay then... Shall I go get lunch ready?"

Norin nodded. "That would be great... just make sure that you remember whose food is whose." He remarked with a laugh. Norin then entered the living room and took a seat on the couch. He sat, a smile on his face, and began plotting how exactly they would dispose of the body. As well he made certain that his pistol was loaded in case it became necessary to shoot Dieter.

Dieter arrived at about 10 am, in a very depressed mood. The first thing he did was hug Helga and say, "Hans Stahlecker died last night... It got me thinking about some things, we can inside though... I have a lot to say..."

His car was parked outside, inside were three men with MP-5KPDWs, and the driver with a 1911. It was basically an armored limousine.

Dieter then walked over to Norin once he was inside, put his arms around him, patted him on the back, and said, "Norin, forgive me for that the other day, I was, well it was just an awful way to act... Anyway, thanks for having me back over."

Norin bowed his head. "I'm sorry to hear that your friend died Dieter..." He said before changing the subject. "And you certainly don't need events of yesterday hanging over your head right now so I hope this helps you take your mind off of things." Norin said, feeling rather uncomfortable now that he was standing next to a dead man.

Dieter sat down and beckoned for Helga to sit next to him.

He immediately broke down as his eyes began to tear up and he struggled to talk, saying through tears, "Helga, I'm sorry for all those years... Of... Well you know... I was an awful father, but I'm ever so proud of the way you ultimately turned out, rising above all that shit I put you through... I just, didn't want to not say that, you know? Since Hans left a lot unsaid to his family, I just couldn't leave anything unsaid to you, you know?"

Helga nodded her head and then hugged him as he started to hug her.

Norin looked at Helga with an uncertain expression as she embraced Dieter. He wasn't sure if they were still going to go through with the plan or not. Norin himself was having second thoughts, but still wasn't sure. To him there was no denying that Dieter was an awful man who certainly should be dead, but he wasn't sure if they were the ones who should do it.

Afterall the human side of the man certainly did have an effect on Norin.

Helga looked back to Norin, shrugging, she wasn't sure either, and wanted his opinion on the matter.

Dieter was still crying, now listing each specific thing he'd done wrong to her and apologizing for it.

He got to the parts about where he made her "entertain" Curtis and his cabinet in 2000, 2001, and even up to 2002.

He covered how he was wrong to pressure her into the Diplomatic Corps, and then went on to apologize for all that happened to her involving that, although he was keen to mention that's how she met Norin.

Norin shrugged in response. He was clueless, although he felt it was a matter they could discuss later. Instead Norin took a seat near them and waited for Dieter to continue with his admittance. Each fact he rattled off sparked a new feeling of hatred for Dieter, although seeing the condition that the man was in helped supressed his feelings for the time.

For the time being Norin sat in silence, waiting for Dieter to finish, not even commenting on the fact that he met Helga an account of Dieter whoring his daughter when she was young.

Dieter finished talking after about 20 more minutes of listing off his various wrongs against Helga.

Helga took a deep breath, and then said, "I forgive you... But what about what you did to mother? I mean you never really let her have a life of her own..."

Dieter wouldn't accept that he had in any way, shape, or form, mistreated his beloved wife, he shook his head and said, "No, I was trying to protect her from the pains of working and such... I... I... I didn't mean to do anything to her if you think I did, I'm sorry."

After the lengthy list, Norin looked over towards the kitchen, the debate still raging in his mind about what to do. He figured though it was something he couldn't be there to witness, it would be too difficult. As for Helga, Norin was uncertain what she would do after the lengthy apology. But for the moment they were moving onto another bit of territory that could effect whatever Helga had been planning.

Helga then stood up and said to her father, "Well, you must be hungry, come on, lunch is almost ready..."

Dieter followed her into the dinning room and the first thing he did after he sat down and yawned, was asked for a glass of wine, Helga shook her head and said, "Wouldn't you rather have some brandy or vodka?"

He sighed, "Yeah, if you're out of wine, that's okay, I guess, sure, it'll be okay."

Helga smiled and went to get him his brandy.

Norin nodded his head at Helga's decision and decided to quickly offer reason as to why they were out. "Terribly sorry Dieter, after what had happened last night I couldn't resist the bottle" He said with a slight laugh.

((Sorry about the delay, was busy for a few moments there))

Dieter shook his head, smiling before saying, "No, don't worry, last night was all my fault... Most things that happened with Helga were, but I'm glad she turned out so well... And I want you to do me a favor, get her away from Mississippi... She always hated it there, whether or not she admitted it, I could tell... Get her out of that place, would you?"

Norin nodded with an honest smile. "Don't worry Dieter, I will..." He said, still smiling. "We actually plan to leave for Avadria tomorrow, we still have another wedding you know" Norin said, informing Dieter of their plans. "You're welcome to come if you want" He said, extending an invitation to the man.

It was obvious that Norin was willing to accept that Dieter had had some sort of revelation with the death of his friend and sought to make things better in his life. However Norin perceived the way Dieter was talking seemed to reveal that he felt that his time was soon to come.

Dieter shook his head, politely refusing the offer, "No, I think I'm going to stay in Mississippi, or maybe retire to private life in Argentina, with my wife of course... I ought to write my final memoirs."

"Ah..." Norin said, nodding his head. "I understand, just tell us where you are though so we can send you some pictures at the least." He said to Dieter.

Dieter nodded to Norin, smiling as he replied, "Yeah, I'd be glad to do that... Say..." he leaned in and whispered, so Helga, in the other room, wouldn't hear him, "Do you want some money or something, to buy yourself and Helga a nice estate in Avadria?"

"Uh... s-sure I suppose..." Norin said rather uneasily. He felt rather bad about accepting money from a man he plotted to kill, but then again he didn't have a place to go back to, unless of course they wanted to live with his parents while Norin saved up for an apartment of sorts.

Dieter took out a large yellow manila envelope that contained about 100 million in 1,000 dollar and 10,000 dollar bills, and handed it to Norin, whispering, "Enjoy..."

"Thank you Dieter..." He said with a slight bow before taking the envelope. Norin placed it to the side for the time being, but not before glancing in side. He couldn't believe the sum of money that was present and knew that they certainly would be able to purchase an excellent house. The only downside that Norin saw was that he knew he would be under investigation by the HZD for some time in regards to the money.

Dieter smiled a bit before adding, "Oh, if they ask you about the money, just say you helped me carry some bags out to my car, or you did bodyguard work or something... Hell, I can have the government here even say you won the lottery..."

Norin nodded. "Okay... I don't think it should be too much of a problem though" He said, reassuring both Dieter and himself.

Dieter smiled again and told Norin, "Yeah, don't worry... I'll take care of it all, you just worry about getting yourself and Helga settled into living in Avadria... Ya hear?"

Norin nodded. "I will... and thanks again..." He said, now rather ashamed of himself for what he had been thinking earlier. "But still, if you ever feel like visiting just give me a call and then stop on by." Norin said, extending an invitation to him.

Dieter was quick to pat Norin gently on the back, as he said, "You're a good son-in-law, and I'm glad my daughter is with you... Maybe I'll have to take you up on that offer sometime."

Norin smiled back. "Thank you Dieter... and it's the least I can do after you let us stay here." He said.

Dieter shrugged and then said with a laugh, "Hey, no, thank you for staying here and helping me to see how wrong I was over the years..."

Norin laughed slightly, but didn't speak. He couldn't think of anything appropriate to say afterwards. Instead Norin looked towards the kitchen. "I think lunch should be ready soon..." He said, hoping Helga would appear soon.

Almost as if on cue, Helga walked out of the kitchen with several plates on a tray. She smiled at Norin and Dieter as she walked over to the nearby table and set the tray down, saying, "Come on, it's ready... Come and get it."

Dieter sat up, walked over, kissed Helga on the cheek, said, "Thanks, it smells great." Then he sat down and waited for Norin and Helga to both sit down.

Norin nodded in agreement with Dieter. "It does smell great... what did you make?" He asked after he took a seat.

She smiled a bit as she sat down, saying only one word, "Turkey..."

"Sounds good" Norin said with a nod as he reached for a fork and knife. He grabbed one of the plates from the tray and set it down in front of himself. However he didn't begin eating just yet, first he wanted to inform Helga of the new friendship of sorts forged between Gunther and him.

"Well, I was just talking with Gunther about us going to Avadria tomorrow and the wedding of course... Sadly though Gunther here said he won't be able to attend..." Norin said motioning towards him. "But of course I invited him to stop by, an offer I hope you'd take up." He said.

Dieter frowned a bit, "Well maybe not right away... I have somethings to tend to in regards to my friend Hans passing away, you know, matters to settle and take care of..."

Norin nodded solemnly. "I understand Dieter, don't worry... just take your time..." He said before cutting off a small piece of turkey with his fork. Norin held it up, about to eat it, but instead chose to speak. "Besides, we'll need to get a nice house before we think about inviting guests over." He said with a chuckle.

As they were finishing eating, there was a knock at the door, Dieter stood up and went to answer it. He was taken by surprise by who it all was, the Czar, Czarina, a dozen or so of the Stahleckers, and a few cabinet members, they were coming over to his house.

He suddenly remembered that his estate had been offered, by himself or course, to be where the pre-funeral calling hours for Hans Stahlecker were to be held.

He beckoned for everybody to come inside and then several servants started taking coats for people.

Roger cracked his knuckles and then sat down in a chair in the lounge Dieter had escorted him into, with Alice taking a seat right next to him.

The others found their own seats in the lounge; while the servants were quick to enter and offer them drinks.

Norin looked up from his meal with surprise as numerous people of obvious rank (however the only people he recognized were the Czar and Czarina) entered the house. He wasn't certain whether they should continue eating or instead attend to the guests or something of that nature. Clueless on the matter, Norin turned to Helga to see what they should do.

Helga quickly stood up and walked over to greet the guests, saluting the Czar and Czarina. Roger smiled and returned the salute, Alice doing likewise.

Helga then walked over to one of the men, hugging him as she patted him on the back, saying, "I'm so sorry about your father, Paul, are you doing okay?"

Paul Stahlecker nodded his head, replying, "Yeah, I'll be okay..." before he sat down in a nearby chair.

Helga then either shook hands with or hugged each of the remaining Stahleckers and gave them her condolences.

Norin set his fork down and figured it best to do likewise though he knew hardly any of the people present. He rose from his chair and cautiously approached the Czar. Norin bowed slightly, not certain how to present himself and rather nervously extended his hand. To him it was one thing to meet the man in his home, but another thing in a more public setting.

"I'm sorry about your friend you Highness..." He said respectfully. "But I trust you well?" Norin asked, assuming that the death of Hans wasn't something Roger wanted to focus too much on.

Roger nodded his head, smiling as he replied, "Oh, I'm fine, how are you Norin? So, what brings you to South Africa? Are you liking it here?"

"I'm well..." Norin said with a nod. "And South Africa is very nice I must say... Helga and I are here for part of our honeymoon, however tomorrow we leave for Avadria..." He said, informing Roger of their plans. Then Norin looked towards the kitchen and a very important thought passed his mind.

"Will you excuse me for a moment." He said, before quickly darting over towards Helga.

Regardless of whether she was in a conversation or not, Norin walked up to her and whispered into her ear. "Did you take care of the wine?" He asked, not wanting any of the party guests to aciddentally consume the poisoned alcohol.

Helga quickly shook her head as she walked into the kitchen and then discretely took out the bottle and carried it off to a nearby bathroom, locking the door and dumping it down the sink. After that, she tucked the bottle into a nearby trashcan.



Meanwhile, Roger wondered why Norin had taken off in such a hurry, he walked over into the kitchen and looked around for him, calling out, "Hey Norin, where did you run-off to?"

Norin approached the Czar from behind after his brief absence, but made certain not to startle him in any way. "Ah, I just wanted to see if Helga had anything prepared for our guests... Despite the solemn occassion I suppose people may be hungry for at least a light snack." He explained to Roger.

Roger yawned a bit, covering his mouth as he did so. He then replied, "Yeah, makes sense, so how are you and Helga doing? Everything going okay here? Anything I can get you, perhaps a pass to a military base or something you might like to see?"

"Ah no, We're quite fine really." Norin said to Roger. "But thanks for the offer." He said, politely refusing. "Besides, we're leaving tomorrow afternoon, so I wouldn't think there is much we could do."

Roger was a bit confused, he quickly asked, "Wait? Leaving? What for? Aren't you on your honeymoon, cutting it a bit short, eh?"

Norin shrugged. "Well we also planned on getting married in Avadria and spend a little while in their before continuing on." He explained to Roger. "I think the plan is to globetrot for a good deal of time before returning to Avadria and settling down for some time." Norin said.

Roger patted him on the back as he whispered, "So, do you need anything like money or something? I mean, if you're going to be on a vacation around the world and then settling down... Heck, I ought to get you something as a wedding gift for your wedding in Avadria... How about a yacht?"

Norin was rather surprised by Roger's offer. He didn't see the need for a wedding gift, especially after all he had received from Dieter. However Norin was only human and couldn't pass up the offer.

"Umm... sure, a yacht would be perfect." He said in reply. "We've got plenty of water, so I'll be certain to put it to good use." Norin said with a chuckle. "And of course the Czarina and you would always be welcome to visit and go yatching with us..." He said, extending an invitation to the couple. "Except it would have to be rather awkward to visit just to friends I would imagine." Norin added with a laugh.

Roger shook his head, smiling a bit out of humor, amused that Norin thought he had a lack of normal everyday activities. He kept the smile as he said, "No it wouldn't be awkward, trust me... I try to keep a normal schedule and visit with friends sometimes, it's hard, but I try to..."

"Well, do you manage it without making it a state visit?" He asked out of both curiousity and good humor. "I mean could you ever just land at a foreign airport and not expect the news or some sort of procession?" Norin asked with a chuckle.

Roger nearly blushed as he laughed, "Sure, just have the SRG instructed to shoot any reporters that approach me, and make this fact public before arriving! Hehehehehe."

Norin laughed in response. "One of the benefits of power I suppose." He said grinning. "Still I'm certain that there are few who might be brave enough to try and go for the story."

Roger's cellular phone suddenly rang, he excused himself out of the room to take the call.

After about fifteen minutes he came back into the room and whispered a few words to Alice.

Immediately both of them excused themselves and then left the house, immediately heading for a helicopter which had just landed outside.


Most of the cabinet members also stood up, excusing themselves before they too left.

After everybody who had to leave was done doing so, most of the people who remained were Stahleckers.

Dieter walked over to Norin and whispered in his ear three words, "Mobilization for war..."

Norin's eyes went wide. "Really? Wh-who are they fighting?" He asked, curious as well as rather nervous. The last thing Norin wanted was to be trapped in South Africa because of a war someplace else.

Dieter shrugged, "Meh, we'll take a trip in a bit to the Commonwealth South African Defense Command and they'll explain it all to you."

"Why? Will there be fighting here?" Norin asked, still worried about getting caught in a warzone. He remembered the soldiers marching past the first day, however they had been told that fighting wouldn't reach their location. Norin only assumed that it was in another part of the Commonwealth and not South Africa.

Dieter shrugged, "Don't worry, it'll probably come here sooner or later... Hell, your nation is in the World Anti-Communist League... Isn't it? I mean it might get there too, eh?"

Norin curled his lip. "Communists..." He muttered with disdain.

"Either way me and Helga are leaving tomorrow morning..." Norin said, making a slight change to their plans. "I think it will be safer for us in Avadria..."

Dieter nodded his head and replied, "Sure, I think that is for the best anyway, you know? You two ought to be safer in Avadria... Anyway, Helga really doesn't like our Federation, and I can't blame here... You get out of here and keep her safe, okay?"

"I will..." Norin said, nodding firmly. "And again... thanks Dieter..." He said placing a hand on Dieter's shoulder. "I really appreciate it..."

Dieter smiled and whispered to Norin, "If I'm still around in a few months, I'll come visit you and Helga, see how you're doing, okay?"

"You'll be around, don't worry." Norin said, reassuring him with a grin. "And I don't want you using your 'death' as an excuse to not visit, okay?" He said with a laugh.

Dieter chuckled lightly as he replied, "Oh yeah, I won't worry, at least not too much..." He then added, "And I'll be sure to visit often, and one last thing, I want plenty of grandchildren." He grinned at the last part before finally adding, "I'm sure you'll be able to handle that, eh?"

"Hah... I can't guarntee too much, but don't worry... Their will be grandchildren..." Norin said, still grinning over Dieter's subtle remark. "I'm sure I can use some of the extra honeymoon money to pay off some of the government officials to let us jump the limit by a bit..." He added with a laugh.

Dieter was perplexed, limits on children, he'd never heard of such things in right-wing nations. He quickly asked, "What is that you say about limits? Your government has limits on the number of children per family?"

Norin nodded and held up his index and middle finger. "Just two per family." He said, stating the limit. "Sometimes they'll make exceptions though, but it usually depends on location and the status and what not..." Norin added.

Dieter shook his head, "No, no, no... That won't do..." He said. He then promptly suggested, "I have an idea, I'll use my connections with various world politicians and see that you either are exempted from the law, or they turn a blind eye to your case... I want at least a half dozen grandchildren, I think Helga wants at least eight kids, so, I'm happy either way, you know?"

Norin shook his head. "No, it won't work and I won't allow it." He said, his voice surprisingly firm. "The only people who might have that many children are Royals, and I certainly am not... Besides we would basically be social outcasts for being like..." Norin explained. "We might be able to push four if we were farmers, but two is the limit regardless..."

Dieter frowned, shaking his head as he said, "You already told Helga eight would be fine... She told me this, it's a major part of the reasoning behind why I agreed to let you two be married... You can't change the rules halfway through the game you know... Anyway, we'll think of something, don't you worry... Hell, if we have to, I'll bribe enough people so the laws are changed, eh?"

Norin laughed at what Dieter said, although it certainly wasn't out of humor. "You'd have the bribe the Emperor himself if you ever wanted it changed and I highly doubt such a thing would happen..."

Dieter grinned before asking, "How would your emperor respond to two trillion dollars worth of gold, silver, and real estate?"

"I couldn't speak for him, but the Emperor is a very proud and wealthy man so I am not certain whether he would or would not accept it... Besides I have no idea how you would even meet with him..." Norin explained to Dieter. "Your best bet would be to bribe every member of the Upper Parliament to propose the law and then hope that the Emperor even considers it... But even then I doubt that the Upper Parliament members would even consider it... after all they might lose their jobs and the trust of the Emperor..."

Dieter sighed, suggesting, "Well if they're that stubborn, we may have to resort to blackmail and coercion, eh? I'm sure a lot of those men in parliament have plenty of skeletons they'd like to keep in the closet... Anyway, bribery works so well, we ought to try it first, eh?"

Norin shook his head. "Do what you want Dieter... you just better hope you pick the right people to try and make your changes..." He warned Dieter. "Otherwise you may not be visiting anytime soon..."

Dieter grinned, "Don't worry, I have a lot of connections... I'm sure something will get worked out, and then you'll be able to have your eight kids... Hey, maybe I could get you commissoned in your army as a general, if you'd like that is..." He offered.

He then was quick to suggest, "Hey, why not get you a title of nobility? Either from Mississippi or Avadria..."

"I don't want to be in the military anymore and certainly not as a general..." He said, refusing Dieter's other attempt to change the law. "I'm already a Mississippian noble I guess... but we don't have titles of nobility in Avadria... The closet thing that comes to it are the Upper Parliament politicians and the Royals..." Norin explained.

Dieter smiled before offering, "Hey, I know, I'll get you a seat in Parliament... Imagine being able to have your kids looking up to you as a national politician, eh?"

"Heh... Best I could do was Lower..." Norin said. He didn't see why Dieter wouldn't just drop the issue all together. "The Lower Parliament is all elected officials... they cover the simple issues and what not..." Norin explained. "The Upper Parliament covers the major issues... and it's almost all appointed officals... Their the top of the chain..." He said, finishing his brief explanation on Avadrian politics.

Dieter grinned as he replied, "Great, I'll get to work on getting you appointed then..." he said, as he playfully slapped Norin on the back.

He shook his head, laughing, although rather uncomfortably. "I'm perfectly fine with just two kids you know... and I'm certain Helga would be too..." Norin said in a vain attempt to get Dieter to change his plans.

Dieter sighed, "Ah come on Norin, let me use my connections to help you, you're my son-in-law... Anyway, I want to help you out and I know Helga wants at least eight kids."

"No I'd rather you wouldn't to be honest..." He said to Dieter. "The law is the law and it certainly doesn't need to be changed."

Dieter insisted, "Surely Norin, you don't mean that... I won't get the law changed just for you, I'll get you into a position of power and nobody will care if you disobey a few minor laws."

Suddenly something came to him, "Hey wait! You could always just live somewhere in our Commonwealth and then have the eight kids that way, eh?"

"What and give up my citizenship?" He asked, rather surprised at Dieter's decision. "Listen, if I did that, I don't even know if they would let them all in... The government is pretty strict about matters... and If we were to immigrate back to Avadria, It could take a while before we can leave the immigrant towns and live in the regular country." Norin explained. "Except right now, Helga will be able to get in just fine because she is with me and I'm a citizen..."

Dieter shook his head lightly as he let out a similarly light laugh, "Don't worry, Norin, don't worry... I can handle everything..."

Norin rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I'm worried about..." He said with a grin.

Dieter grinned back, "Really though, don't worry, Mr. Fallsburg, by the time I'm done perhaps they'll be calling you Duke Fallsburg..."

"I would hope that would not be the case, but try if you must Dieter." He said, again finding himself shaking his head. Dieter certainly was a detirmined man, Norin admitted to himself.

At about that momenet, Helga came walking up to Norin, whispering in his ear, "A pretty serious war is going on you know... It's quite likely it may spread here, and the Zulu and Xhosa stuff is still raging on here anyway... Rumors are the Commonwealth Army is using chemical weapons against the Xhosa..."

Norin looked down at his watch and then back up at Dieter. "Hey Dieter, do you think you could give us a ride to the airport?" He asked. "We've had a slight adjustment in our plans."

Dieter yawned, "Nah, I think the airport is closed for reasons of national defense... You ought to be able to leave in a while though..."

Norin sighed. "Helga go pack our things." He said, giving her something to do for the time being. Norin then turned back to Dieter.

"How long do you think we'd have to wait. I don't want to sit around here and choke to death on some poisonous gas..." He said, obviously impatient.

Helga immediately went off to go pack their bags.

Dieter shrugged, "Meh, no more than six or seven weeks probably..."

"...You're kidding right..." Norin said in absolute disbelief. If that was the case, he was almost tempted to just take the Me-262 in the basement and try and fly that out of country. "...There has to be another way... after all you were the one flaunting their connections..."

Dieter sighed, "Fine, just go to the airport, give them this hand signal..." He made a secret hand signal that Norin was to memorize once, repeat once, and then forget for all time, and then he continued, "And then tell them Dieter Thaller has given you permission to leave. Okay?"

Norin nodded, quickly repeating the signal just to make certain that it was correct. "It's like that right?" He asked, wanting to have it down.

Dieter sighed, "No, not at all... Just tell the general in command of the garrison at the airport, "Do you know the baron who lives outside Bloemfontein?" when he replies, "You mean 'THE' baron?" you reply, "The one and only." Okay, got it?"

Norin nodded, muttering it to himself quickly just to make certain. "I got it..." He said, firm in his knowledge. "Thanks again Dieter..." Norin said.

Dieter patted him on the back as he said, "Great, then get going and take good care of my daughter... I'm confident she's in good hands now..."

Norin nodded with a smile, although it showed his uncertainty about what might lie ahead. Still he brushed the thoughts aside, knowing that they needed to get out of country as soon as possible. Norin turned to face the hallway and called for Helga.

"Dear, did you get our things packed?" He asked, raising his voice so that she could hear.

Helga called back, "Yes, Norin, I'm just finishing right now... If you'd help me get them out to the car though, the doctor said I ought not to lift anything heavy since, I'm, well you know, pregnant."

"Yes, Yes, of course" Norin said, hurrying quickly to their room to collect the bags. He made his way out of the room and towards the front as best he could. Norin wasn't exactly certain where the car they were taking was, or if Dieter had decided to let them ride with him.

Dieter tossed him a set of car keys, saying, "Here, catch... Take my corvette, it'll get you there quickly. It's in the garage, you'll find it..."


Meanwhile, Helga had walked into the front room and was waiting for Norin to load the car.

Norin reached up to catch the keys, but in the process dropped one of the bags in his arm. He slid the key ring around his index finger and then grabbed the fallen luggage. Norin then made his way to the garage and loaded up their cargo.

He opened the garage door and then climbed into the drivers seat. Norin then honked the horn twice to signal that he was ready to leave.

Helga walked out into the eight hundred car garage, which was currently full with seven hundred of Dieter's various cars. Cadillac Eldorados, Corvettes, Mercedes, BMWs. She looked around trying to see which one Norin was in and to place where the horn sound had come from.

She called out, "Norin, where are you?"

Norin edged the car out slightly and honked the horn again. "I'm over here... It's the black one!" He shouted before honking the horn again to give her a clue.

Helga stepped lively towards the car, it was a good walk through the garage though, at least a two minute walk. She opened the door and got in, shutting it and buckling up immediately.

She smiled at Norin before saying, "Well, think father has enough cars? And this is just about a tenth of what he has... Oh well, shall we go then?"

He whistled, surpised that any man could own that many automobiles. "Well, maybe Dieter should open a museum..." Norin remarked with a laugh as they pulled out of the garage.

He drove onto the main road and then brought the car to a crawl. "Okay Helga, you're going to have to be my guide, okay?" Norin said, not having any idea as to how to get to the airport from where they were.

Helga tapped a display on the dashboard and immediately a system came on. She said, "Pretoria International Airport..."

Suddenly a voice started coming out of the car speakers, saying, "Go forward to the light at the end of the road and turn right..."

"Hah, that certainly is useful..." Norin remarked before following the navigation systems directions. He drove, following each direction it gave, until the airport was in sight. Norin continued along towards the facility, but a thought crossed his mind.

"How exactly are we going to get out of here without a pilot?" He asked, turning to Helga.

Helga chuckled, amused at his ignorance, "Oh Norin, dear, of course there is a pilot, father will most certainly have arranged one to be waiting for us... Anyway, if we had to, I'd fly it..."

"You can fly?" Norin asked, rather surprised. Then again he figured it probably shouldn't surprise him too much. Afterall one of her relatives was a famous ace as far as Norin knew, so he figured some of it had to rub off on her in return.

While Helga talked Norin sped up slightly, not wanting to push the speed limits too much, but obviously intent on reaching their destination soon. Regardless of how fast he went though, it wouldn't make too much of a difference, as the main concourse was just a minute or two away.

Helga grinned, "Yes, I can fly, leers, 747s, MiG-29s, MiG-31s, and F-16s."

"I bet you got that from your brother." Norin remarked with a laugh as he pulled up towards the front of the concourse. He left the car idling, not certain if he should just leave such a fine automobile out in the open, or if Dieter had people who would pick it up for them.

Norin mentally smacked himself in the head. He knew as an almost untold fact that Dieter had people or at least knew people that as far as Norin knew, were waiting at the airport already, specifically hired or contracted to pick up and return the car. Norin grinned and shook his head before putting the car in park and turning the ignition off.

"I assume Dieter has people who'll take care of this." He said to Helga with a chuckle.

Before Helga could reply, a man in a suit came up and asked Norin, "Mr. Fallsburg sir, are the keys in the car?"


Helga then replied to Norin as the man was still waiting for an answer, "Yes, my brother taught me most of what I know about flying." She then turned and said to the man, "Keys are in there, engine is still on..."

He nodded his head and whispered, "thank you", before he left and got into the car.

Before Helga even had a chance to answer, a man had approached asking for the keys. Helga obviously knew him or knew that he was indeed associated with Dieter, so Norin let her do the talking. At the mention of the engine still being on, Norin quickly turned the key, letting the car start back up again after he had turned it off. He then exited the car with Helga and watched as the man drove off and their conversation resumed.

"That's good to hear that you've learned from one of the best." Norin said with a smile before leading Helga towards the doors. "Although I would hope that we won't need you to fly." He added.

((I wasn't certain whether the entire airport is closed or if they just won't allow flights out, so I'll leave that to you. As well, for the time being I would like to focus on this topic, at least for today.))

(okay)


As Helga and Norin were walking towards the hangar the plane was in, six soldiers moving down the way with their rifles across their chest came to a halt and the corporal leading them shouted, "What are you civilians doing here! On the ground, now! The whole airport is closed!"

Helga sighed and said, "Take us to the garrison commander. My father is Dieter Thaller."

At the mention of the name, "Dieter Thaller", the corporal nodded his head and took Norin and Helga to the garrison commander, a general, right away.

The general looked Helga up and down, and then looked Norin up and down, sizing them up. He didn't believe either of them was related to Dieter Thaller. However, he didn't want to chance it that they might be.

He looked at Norin and said, "Hmm, if you really are friends with Dieter, prove it..."

Norin couldn't help but grin when the general presented them with the challenge. He felt that proving someone wrong was one of the simple pleasures of life. Norin recalled what Dieter suggested they say and then cleared his throat.

"Do you know the baron who lives outside Bloemfontein?" He asked, still grinning.

The general shrugged, raising a brow before asking, "You mean the Baron?"

Norin was still grinning when he replied "The one and only..." He said, fully confident that it was correct. Afterall he had been repeating it to himself in the off moments of their ride to the airport.

The general nodded his head and pointed to the door, saying, "You may go, and good luck with the flight, safe trip too..."

"Thanks a million." Norin said before heading to the door, Helga in tow.

Helga followed closely behind Norin, asking, "Do you think they'll have a pilot for us then?"


As she was asking that, two men in blue uniforms with pilot's caps on were walking by, each had a small overnight bag with him. One asked, "Sir, do you know where a Mr. Fallsburg is?"

Norin shrugged. He was just about to crane his neck in sight for any sort of pilot, but as always their contacts were right at hand. When the pilot had spoken up, it startled Norin as he hadn't expected to see someone so soon. However he quickly gained composure and replied. "That would be me... are you our pilots?" Norin asked the man who had spoken.

The man laughed before jokingly saying, "No, I'm the king of England..." he rolled his eyes and said, "Who do you think I am... Now how about you show us to the plane, sir..."

The man seemed to have a rather rude sense of humor, but at least he called Norin, sir.

"Well I could've said the same to you..." Norin retorted, rather annoyed by the man's remark. "...Afterall I'm the only male civillian in this entire facility..." He said as they walked on towards the airplane.

Norin thought he had a general idea of where it might be, at least with the hope that it wasn't moved or anything of the sort. As far as he knew it was with all of the other privately owned aircraft, so Norin did his best to lead them there. However for the most part he hung back and let Helga sneak ahead to do the actual navigation.

Helga quickly led the way forward, saying, "This way, follow me, boy..." to the pilot who had just insulted her husband.

The man, knowing she was Dieter Thaller's daughter, said nothing and silently followed.

Norin grinned when Helga spoke to the pilot in such a demeaning fashion. He was certain that it was something that the other pilot would use to tease him about later. As for now Norin just followed Helga along with the others as they headed towards their plane.

When they got to the plane, Helga patted the pilot on the head like a dog and said, "Remember, be a good by and run the pre-flight check, okay? Duke Fallsburg and I are going to get on the plane, I suggest you do likewise..."

She then turned to Norin and grinned, he didn't know it yet, but Dieter had gotten him a title of nobility in the Western Cape. Well he probably could figure out Dieter had done something for him now.

Helga held Norin's hand as the two of them boarded the plane.

The pilot grumbled again as he got on after them. The co-pilot was grinning and stifling a series of laughs, which caused the pilot to slap him in the arm and say, "Quit laughing, it's not funny!"

Norin grinned, but held back his laughter when Helga degraded the pilot in such a manner. He hadn't seen that side of her before but certainly did like. The fact that she wouldn't put up with anything was nice to see, but he knew things might be a touch different in Avadria, what with the lack of status their family had.

Norin's eyes widened at the mention of his title as Duke. He had never heard himself as a Duke and quite frankly figuered that it was something Helga had bestowed on Norin just to flaunt their dominance over the pilots.

When they sat down, Norin turned to Helga. "Why did call me Duke Fallsburg?" He asked in hushed whisper, uncertain why Helga had used that title.

She grinned as she sat down and buckled up. Once she had done this, she whispered back, "Western Cape, you're the duke of the province..."

"You're kidding me..." Norin said, not even aware of where the province was. "I assume that Dieter had something to do with this..." He remarked, shaking his head. "Why on earth did he make me a duke?"

Helga shrugged before answering, "I guess he just really wanted you to be a noble... Now you can collect feudal taxes from the people of the Western Cape. You can also have a nice mansion in Cape Town so the people there know who their newest Duke is."

She kissed Norin lightly on the cheek before saying, "Congratulations, Duke Fallsburg."

Norin smiled and shrugged. "Well that's a great benefit." He said, pausing for a moment and letting the title settle in. "However I can't help but wonder how the others will think of me, being a foriegner and what not..."

Helga cracked a wide smile before saying, "They'll think what the government tells them to think. And as for the government, they'll think what Dieter tells them to think. So you see, you're good to go."

Norin smiled in reply and then found himself chuckling lightly. "You have an excellent point my Dear..." He said, squeezing her hand lightly. "Still, I'm certain some people would be a bit upset about the decision, but that cannot be helped I guess..." Norin said with a shrug.

"Anyways, do you think we'll be departing soon?" He asked, raising his voice so that the pilots would hear as well.

Helga nodded her head, about to say something but then he gently took hold of her hand. Rather than saying anything, she just sat there and quietly smiled, squeezing back lightly.


The pilot turned around and shouted, "Well be going soon, sit back and hold your horses!"

A few seconds later and sure enough, the engine had come to life, they were moving out onto the runway...


Ooc- I'm out for now in about 10 minutes, take care.

Norin smiled, glad to hear that the engines pick up as they moved onto the runway. He closed his eyes, hoping to get fairly relaxed despite the fact that they still had take-off moments ahead. Norin just hoped it would be a safe, easy flight (despite the length of course).

Helga put an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "Don't worry, dear, these pilots are good, we'll be okay, it's just a short flight anyway..."


The pilot then said over the intercom, "Expect the flight to take four hours and we thank you for flying with us..."

Norin nodded. "Let's just hope we don't have too many problems coming in..." He said before closing his eyes, hoping to sleep the majority of the flight.

Helga nodded her head, mumbling something before she drifted off to sleep.


Ooc- I'm going to sleep in about 10 minutes, be back in 3-4 hours. I will post the plane landing then. Unless you want to have Norin wandering around the plane and bothering the pilot or something (probably not a good idea to bother the man flying the plane though)

((Alright, as for the plane landing and everything. There will probably be some problems, as no commercial or private flights are offered between any of Mississippi's holdings and Avadria. As mentioned the immigration thing was a special circumstance which allowed it, but for the most part you would have to land in another country and take a Avadrian airline to the country itself.

But of course they can always try and convince the air traffic controllers to let them land. And just for something to note, the main international airport is the Konigsbridge International in Konigsbridge, Avadria.

Other than that, I don't really have anything else to post in reference to this, so I await your next post.))

The plane suddenly started to shake up and down, and then back and forth, as the pilot was veering hard to avoid entering Avadrian airspace, since he'd been unable to obtain clearance to land.

He was going to land in Alexandria and then refuel before getting to Rome and switching the registry number on the plane for an Italian plane.

Norin was suddenly awoken by the violent shaking that encompassed the aircraft. He immediately looked for Helga, who obviously began to stir, and then up towards the pilots to see what was the matter.

"What the hell is going on?" Norin asked, not trying to sound too alarmed. It seemed for him that there last flight also encountered some troubles.

As for the plane itself, like the many others in the air, had been under observation by the Joint Air Command well before it came close to Avadrian airpsace. However when it did manage to dip into the region, they were immediately hailed by someone from the Joint Air Command.

"Netnamen zabekaden londkemel, ent ist daet Avadrien Dovak Lond Kommand. Sug hab losun Avadrien londlend unt sug ist naet registeren vest tus. Los baven net. Rojad Londfols gunt vos lousan do jos sug do daet zabekaden londlend."

Came the first message from the Joint Air Command, entirely in Avadrian. However another was on it's way, as the main problem for these flights befell foreign aircraft.

"Unnamed foreign aircraft, this is the Avadrian Joint Air Command. You have entered Avadrian airspace and you are not registered with us. Go back immediately. A Royal Airforce escort will be approaching to follow you to international airspace."

Went the second response, a fairly similar translation, handeled in surprisingly crisp english. It was obvious that it was handeled by someone who was a professional with the language.

The pilot shut the cockpit door as he said to Norin, "Get lost, we're busy, they won't let us into Avadria..."

He then said over the radio, "We have a passenger here, an Avadrian national, Norin Fallsburg, a government official of some sort. Also his wife, Helga Thaller, well now Helga Fallsburg... Can we be cleared to land, please..."

"I understand, one moment..." The english speaking DLK man said before trying to contact one of his superiors. He was rather excited about the entire affair now that he found out who the passenger was. He knew that the Fallsburg incident was something his wife had taken an interest in and would be glad to tell her that he played a role in the next chapter of it.

"Sir, we have a private aircraft requesting to land... They claim to have an Avadrian on board, a Mister Norin Fallsburg..." He said with a bit of a grin at the mention of the name. "As well as a woman, a Helga Thaller..." He added.

The superior on the other line nodded and waited for several moments before replying. "I assume they've penetrated our airspace rather deeply..." He said, beginning to think aloud. "And it's only a private aircraft..." The man said with a sigh. He rapped his fingers on his desk rather nervously. No matter what did he want a plane low on fuel to go down in Avadria or in the sea for that matter, especially one with a minor celebrity on board.

He sighed rather heavily before replying. "Patch them over to Konigsbridge International, see if they can get in anywhere... I'll contact the HZG and inform them of the arrival." He said to his subordinate.

"Yes sir." He replied before signaling the fighter craft that had appeared to break off from the foreign plane. Thankfully the fighters were only on a yellow alert so they hadn't been authorized to shoot it down if it refused to comply.

Then the man got back to informing the foreign aircraft of their status. "Foreign aircraft you are clear to enter Avadrian airspace..." He said, although the plane was well inside of it. "And I'm currently informing the Konigsbridge International Airport of your arrival. From now on you will be referred to as Flight 76P... I hope you all have a safe flight." He said before handing things over to the airport controllers.

"Flight 76P this is the Konigsbridge International Airport. I have been informed of your situation and I am glad to inform you that we do have an open runway at this time." The man from the Konisbridge International said before sending them their flight and navigation information. "We hope to see you on the ground in a short time." He said (after explaining the other matters) with an oddly placed laugh.

The pilot then turned around and pushed the cockpit door open, shouting to Norin, "Hey, Mr. Fallsburg, why don't you come up here and chat with the control tower, reassure them you're who we say you are and get some chit-chat in, eh?"


While he was waiting for a reply, he turned back and said over the radio, "Okay, clear, I'm making the approach at the coordinates you've given, look forward to landing in your great land."

Norin looked up rather surprised and then decided to follow through. He unbuckled his seatbelt and approached the cockpit.

"I... I don't know what to say..." Norin said to the pilot. Still at the same time he found himself taking the transmitter and just starting. "Uh... This is Norin Fallsburg... It's good to be coming home..." He said with an awkward laugh.

"Mister Fallsburg, it's good to hear you... You're quite a celebrity now you know." The man at the tower said, informing Norin of the popularity his story had gained amongst some of the public.

Norin laughed slightly, rather surprised. "Really... I-I never would've imagined..." He said before continuing on with the rather dry, pointless conversation with the man from the control tower he did not know nor cared to know.

The pilot then nodded his head, about to say something, but suddenly a red light came on and the co-pilot and pilot started shouting back and forth to each other in Afrikaans, the plane would have to land and fast. The pilot, without even turning around, told Norin, "Go sit back down would you, please, Mr. Fallsburg, we'll be landing much sooner than we expected..."

They then went back to talking in Afrikaans, the co-pilot suggested they land on a major highway, after the police sectioned a part of it off that is.

The pilot shut the door and called the air tower, "We need to land right now, we're in a bad way here, we see a highway about ten minutes away, near the coast, we need to land there..."

At the sight of the light, as well as the shouting, Norin knew well enough that something was wrong. He immediately followed the command however and promptly returned to his seat. Norin buckled himself in and squeezed Helga's hand rather tightly.

Meanwhile the tower at Konigsbridge International refused their offer to use a highway as a landing strip. "Highway is no good, a plane of that size would destroy it. Given your position I think you might be able to make it to the Kingston Airforce Base. It's a bit risky but it you'll actually be able to land their." The man in the tower suggested. He however was receiving the information from the DLK who in turn had to inform the Royal Air Command about the option of using a military base to land the plane. The communication between the groups happened within the course of just seven seconds.

The pilot nodded his head and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, okay, good, where do we go, send us the map and the coordinates..."

The pilot and co-pilot were talking to each other in Afrikaans, Helga was listening in on the earphones she had plugged in and tuned to the cockpit frequency.

She then turned to Norin and whispered, "They're going to make an emergency landing, they think the plane might crash if they can't get to the Kingston Airforce Base."

"Right away..." The man at the tower said. Within a short moment the map and coordinates had been sent to the airplane. "As well the Kingston base has dispatched a small escort to help guide and assist you in your landing." He said, informing the pilots of the other development. "Best of luck to you all." He added in a rather calm tone.

Meanwhile Norin had been informed of what exactly was wrong with the plane and it at least took away the fear of not understanding the problem. He was releived to hear that they still had another alternative to land at, but the fact that they might not make it worried him.

"Well it's all flat land around Kingston... so in case there... are any problems..." Norin said, rather nervous about the whole ordeal ahead of them.

Helga nodded her head and held Norin's hand tightly with her own, asking, "Do you think we'll be okay though?"

As she asked that, the plane literally dropped vertically down, at least forty or fifty feet. However, the pilot immediately regained control of the plane and slowly began the descent to get them guided on the way to the air base.

Norin was about to reassure Helga but almost as soon as she spoke, the plane suddenly plummeted. However the pilots managed to regain control and Norin could only reply by nodding his head. He had faith that they would survive the ordeal, afterall many plane crashes in these situations were survivable, of course getting out un injured might be another matter entirely.

Meanwhile the two fighters had formed alongside the airplane and one of the pilots made contact. He wasn't very good with english, but did his best to inform them of his purpose. "Thees eez Seesel Hahmond ouf tha Rojad Londfols." Cecil Hamond said, finishing up the last bit in a much clearer spoken Avadrian. "Ee vel eskort yoo tou tha bahs ahnd ee vel mak shoor thaht eef ahnee theeng gous wroung... you vel bay helped eemeedeeahtlee."
(This is Cecil Hamond of the Royal Airforce. I will escort you to the base and I will make sure that if any thing goes wrong, you will be helped immediately.)

With that the pilot maintained silence over the radio. He was rather embarrassed over his immensly poor english, but felt it best to repress those thoughts and focus on the much more serious and obviously more important task at hand.

The plane was less than a half-mile from the runway. They were making their final approach, rapidly descending, the landing gear already down. They now radioed to the control tower one last time, "We're coming in, just confirming that, over..."

"Roger that, we've got you on radar and are ready on the ground for you." The man at the tower in Kingston said. "Best of luck to you all..." He said before breaking communications.

On the ground below there was a vehicle equipped for handling jet fuel fires as well as several ambulances and numerous medical staff all ready for the endangered airliner. Everyone was tense and ready at their stations as they watched the jet approach the base.

The plane landed softly on the ground, but it nearly went into a spin, and it most certainly would have were it not for the efforts of the pilot.

After it finally came to a halt, the pilot and co-pilot immediately jumped out the door and started to run from the plane as fast as they could.


Helga looked to Norin and said, "We better do the same, eh?"

Norin nodded and quickly unbuckled Helga and himself. He took her hand and lept down the emergency slide with her. They ran off away from the plane towards the awaiting medical staff. The firefighters were on standby, releived that the plane hadn't crashed, but on guard in case something might still happen.

"Are you okay?" One of the medics who had rushed towards them asked. "Do you need any medical attention?" He asked, looking towards Helga. The other medics were harrassing the pilots with the same questions.

Helga shook her head before politely replying, "No thank you sir, I'm fine, thank you for asking though..."

Helga then turned her head to Norin as she asked, "Dear, are you okay?"

The medic nodded, already refused by Norin, he rushed off towards the others, their job complete for the time being.

"Yes yes, I'm fine..." Norin said to Helga with a reassuring smile. His attention was soon drawn to the arrivial of a large black car that had arrived at the base. It had pulled up not too far from the ambulances and from it, two men dressed in dark black suits, exited. They surveyed the sight briefly and then began walking towards Norin and Helga.

"Wh-why are the ASP here?" He asked, thinking aloud. It was obvious that something wasn't right.

Helga felt a slight rush of apprehension sweep over her when she saw that Norin was visibly upset about something. She whispered to him, "Dear, what is wrong?"

"The Avadrian Secret Police..." He said, still watching the men as they approached. As they got closer it was made obvious that Norin was their target.

"Mazen Falsborg..." One of them said, looking straight at Norin. Something that set him at extreme unease. "Sug vos lousan vest tus ..." The man said in a cold uncaring manner.

"J-Ja... Ja..." Norin said, his face pale. It was obvious that they were not getting a very warm reception. "Im vozek vos lousan vest Im." He said, his voice now much more firm. Norin squeezed Helga's hand again reassuring her that things would be okay in their next crisis.

The ASP agent nodded and signaled for them to follow. They hadn't bothered to handcuff them for the time being.

Helga whispered to Norin, asking, "What is going on, are we okay? What is this all about? Where are they taking us?"

He turned to Helga. "To be honest... I don't know..." Norin said, his voice showing his uncertainty. "But we'll be okay... don't worry..." He said, smiling weakly to reassure her.

One of the agents opened the door and ushered them into the back seat of the black car. The interior followed the similar scheme with black leather seats, dark tinted windows, and a divider between the front and the back. The man closed the door and entered the passengers side while the other started the car and drove off from the airport.

The pilots would be taken care of by the Department of Foreign Affairs and most likely placed in a hotel for the duration of their stay.

Helga whispered to Norin, her tone very nervous, "This isn't right... This is like a DISFB arrest, a car with tinted windows... I'm asking them what's going on..."

She tapped lightly on the divider and started to talk, "Hello, hello, please, sir, tell me the meaning of this all..." She said, very calm and polite, but with a hint of anxiety and nervousness in her tone and voice.

The passenger didn't look back but he eyed the driver. "Von ist spaken Englisk..." The driver nodded. He paused for a moment in his thought and then replied in near perfect English. "Do not worry you will find out in Regensberg..." The driver said, his English near perfect, but his voice uncaring.

Norin turned to Helga. "Regensberg is a fairly long drive from here... captial of the Vostlend province... they're taking us to their provincial headquarters I suppose..." He said, now not entirely as nervous as he was before. Afterall Norin knew there was nothing they could do but sit back and wait until things were sorted out in Regensberg. Of course that was something he would be nervous about.

Helga started cursing under her breath in Afrikaans, not knowing what else to do. Upset about the whole plane incident and now this.



Ooc- You want to skip ahead to the HQ? You can make the post if you would be so kind. :)

The car drove on towards Regensberg, the scenery of Avadria's western half marred by the tinted windows of the ASP automobile. The entire ride was a rather silent affair that each passenger knew was increasingly awkward. However the trip soon ended as the car pulled infront of the large Provincial Headquarters for the Avadrian Secret Police.

The building wasn't very tall, standing at only five stories above ground, however it served as an intimidating structure. The wide staircase that led to the front was flanked by two stone statues of sitting lions, their mouths open as if to roar. At the top of the stairs sat a wall of large, stone, columns, supporting the overhang above the entrance.

Once they were escorted inside, Norin and Helga were led to a small room with just a table and four chairs. There were three doors to the room, the one they entered and the other two remained a mystery. As for Norin and Helga, they were left alone for the time being while another pair of agents were being sent over.

Helga sighed before saying to Norin, "Norin, what is the meaning of all of this? Do they have any idea who I am? Who you are? You're the Duke of the Western Cape and I'm the daughter of Dieter Thaller! We should be received by the emperor and his top officials, we are guests of the state, not common criminals!"

The knob on the door turned and it slowly opened, revealing a brown haired man dressed just like the ones that had picked them up. "I am afraid that is none of our concern..." He said cooly before taking a seat in front of them.

"Mister Norin Fallsburg..." He said casting a cold gaze towards Norin. "And Miss Thaller..." The man said, a similar gaze falling upon Helga. "Please... I like you to place your identification on the table..." He said, his voice carrying an eerie, cool, authoritarian tone.

Norin replied by promptly placing his wallet on the table, his drivers license placed atop it.

"And Miss Thaller, would you do the same..." The man said.

Helga frowned and shook her head, saying, "I most certainly will not..." with a dismissive scoff and wave of the hand, before adding, "I am Mrs. Fallsburg, my maiden name is Miss Thaller, and that ought to tell you though, who you are dealing with..."

She now stood up and got very close to his face, glaring at him before she walked back a few feet and continued.

"I've done nothing and I refuse to be treated like some poor criminal trash. I demand the treatment my birth and position dictate that I receive. Perhaps you weren't hugged enough as a child, I don't know, but I can assure you I've had it rougher than you and it will take more than some hard ass tough guy attitude to scare me, okay?" She said, finally stopping and taking a deep breath after her little speech.

"I don't give a damn about your posistion. Put your I.D. on the the table now!" He ordered, firmly pressing a finger against the cold, metal table. It was clear that he was annoyed after her little speech.

Norin looking down at the table muttered to Helga, urging her to comply. "Just do it Helga... don't make this anymore difficult than it already is..."

Helga folded her arms and slightly raised her head as she lightly scoffed at the man, "Hmmpph" was the sound she made.

But after Norin had told her to comply with the ma, she quickly took her 6 various Mississippian ID cards out and put them on the table. One was her General Tavel Pass Card, another was the County Travel Pass Card, Commonwealth Travel Pass Card, Federation Citizenship Card, Commonwealth Citizenship Card, Federal Identification Card, Concealed Carry Card.

She then asked as she set them out on the table, "Is that enough there?"

"That is more than acceptable..." He said with a light smile. The man examined each of the cards and then nodded. "Please if you'll remain here for the time being Miss Thaller, your husband and I have a few things we need to discuss." He said before rising from his chair.

"Mazen Falsborg, jusan Im." He said motioning for Norin to follow. The man opened one of the side doors and led Norin in. The room was similar to the one they had came from although it was much smaller in size and had only one chair.

The man pushed Norin towards the chair and then the door closed, sealing them off from Helga.

"Mazen Falsborg, tredt bae loa kus oan sug ist?" He asked pacing in front of Norin. The man had just begun his interrogation related to the events of several weeks ago when Norin was kidnapped from his home.

---

Meanwhile another agent entered the room that Helga was present in. He took a seat across from here and after a brief pause to examine the cards on the table he greeted himself. "Miss Thaller, I am Hans Ritman... I see you have met my friend Karl..." Hans said, introducing himself in english.

"As you probably already know, I'm with the Avadrian Secret Police." He said with a nod. "And we are curious to know about the events that occured at Mister Fallsburg's residence several weeks ago. Do you care to provide any details relating to this matter?" Hans asked, all in a polite, cordial, tone.

She shrugged her shoulders and with a very innocent and sweet smile, with an equally meek and naive voice said, "Why ask me, I'm just a woman..."

He sighed and scribbled something down on the legal pad he had brought with him. "Because you have answers..." Hans said before briefly twirling his pen in his fingers.

"Now let me repeat myself..." He said, minutely annoyed. "What do you know about the events that occured at the residence of Norin Fallsburg at that time..?"

Helga shrugged and said, "I just don't remember...That's the truth, I was too busy keeping Norin happy to pay attention to anything else. Why should I pay attention to anything else, nothing else was my business, was it? Although if I remember correctly, my brother Gunther might have stopped by for a visit with some of his friends..."

He curled his lip, but wrote down the new details she had brought up. "And your brother's visit entailed the death of..." Hans thumbed through a file he had on the case until he found the proper page. "...Fourty seven law enforcement officers, that is including the death of twenty five soldiers in the carnage... not too mention numerous property damage..." He said, bringing up the casualties of the engagement.

"What can you tell me about this? Surely these numbers should ring a bell..." He said, almost mocking her attempt to play innocent.

She shook her head, replying as though it were a chore to answer the "peasant" who was questioning her. "No, sorry, I don't remember Gunther or his friends killing anybody. I was unconscious for a large part of the time all that allegedly took place." She said, avoiding making eye contact with the man, looking forward and above him, but never down.

Hans sighed. He really was getting fed up with Helga's act. "Listen... I advise you to cooperate and answer my questions truthfully..." Hans said, leaning towards her. "It will make things much easier on your husband as well..." He noted, tilting his head towards the door. "We're being much more gentle with you, I can assure that..."

Helga was shocked, they were threatening Norin, they couldn't do that. She shook her head and immediately said, "Wait now, there's no need to be threatening... I really don't remember much, after that freak of a man that was with my brother, knocked me unconscious... He wasn't normal, that's all I really know..."

A smile flashed across Hans' face. He knew now that they were getting somewhere. "Now who was this... 'Freak' exactly?" Hans asked, the smile still faintly worn on his face. "Do you know?"

She shook her head, honestly answering, "No, I'd never seen him before in my life, honestly... Although I spoke with Dr. Schacht..."

She immediately stopped talking as she realized she was about to volunteer more information than was necessary. She then resumed talking, "Dr. Schacht, he said he didn't know either, the man was just a freak of nature and Schacht's autopsy on him confirmed him..."

Hans drew his head back into a lengthy nod. "I see..." He said, before writing down more notes. "Please elaborate on this Doctor Schact fellow..." Hans tapped his pen against the pad, waiting for a reply.

Helga smiled innocently as she said, "He's just a doctor, like any other. He makes people better when they get sick... He's a good friend of the family."

Hans wrote down several more notes. "I see, than what was he doing with the body of this... 'Freak' as you decided to call him..." He asked Helga.

Helga shrugged, quickly but politely replying, "I just don't know, you'd have to ask the doctor, I'm not him, sir... I wouldn't know."

"Fair enough..." Hans said before reaching for the case file. However as soon as his hand was on it, the door in the back opened and out came a battered looking Norin, followed by the man known as Karl.

"Ah, finished already?" Hans asked with a mild sense of amusment.

"Yes, Mister Fallsburg was kind enough to dispense a great deal of information... however some took a bit of coaxing to obtain it." Karl said before taking his seat. Norin did the same although his attention stayed focused on the edge of the table closest to him.

"Here, take a look at this..." Karl said, passing Hans his notes. Hans skimmed through them noting some key similarities in their stories. After several moments of silence, Hans handed the paper back and let Karl take over.

"Well, it seems the main culprit here is a man by the name of... Gregory, is that correct?" He asked.

Norin responded with a meek nod.

"Does he look anything like this?" Karl asked, sliding a piece of paper across the table. It was a sketch of Gregory, compiled by information from the surviving officers, as well as the men from the checkpoint Gregory had taken out.

Helga nodded her head, "Yes, I think that looks like him, but he's dead now, so can't we just put this all behind us and you let Norin and I leave? I am pregnant after all you know... I'm a busy woman..."

She looked over at Norin, and then glared as she said, "And God help you if you hurt my husband..."