NationStates Jolt Archive

Between Lavenrunz and DA.


This takes place after events already discussed in the Curtis Calls for Conference.

http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=379392&page=1&pp=15

The events mostly take place around pages 18-25 if I'm not mistaken, but I could be mistaken. It's somewhere in the middle.





It was the next morning, at about 9 am, just as she was waking up, the baroness heard a knock on her door. It was room service, Curtis had sent her breakfast, and flowers.

Baroness Bennigsen rose, yawning and pulled a silk robe around her. Seeing it was room service, she instructed the person bringing her breakfast to put it on the table in her room, and gave them a handsome tip.

The flowers were Mississippian violet roses, a quite rare flower that was truly a mark of wealth if one had them.

There was a card with the flowers, "These aren't nearly as lovely as you are, but I hope you like them, thank you for a most enjoyable evening the other night. I hope you will consider joining me for lunch today, I would be most honored." Curtis

She felt somewhat mollified reading this note, and sniffed the flowers. She smiled to herself. Probably Curtis Fabus did not know how much Lavenrunzians prized the language of flowers, but she decided to wait and see. After she enjoyed the breakfast she showered and prepared for the rest of the day.

Summoning her secretary, she dictated this letter.

Dear Curtis,
Thank you very much for the flowers and for the compliment. I would like to meet you for lunch, and request that you give the details to my secretary.
Anna.

Curtis received the letter, he replied, "I'd gladly take you to Mississippian Egypt or Western Sahara for lunch if you'd like... If we left at ten, we could arrive at one, leave at five, and be back by seven PM in time for some of the late night speeches... What do you say? I can fly the two seater MiG-41 myself..."

Baroness Bennigsen replied by letter again, taking time from conferring with her advisors to write:

"Western Sahara sounds interesting. And you wish to fly in a fighter plane? How novel. I shall relish the experience"

Curtis came by her room a few minutes later, dressed as though he were a World War One fighter pilot, he gently tapped on her door.

The Baroness, who was in elegantly casual dress she might have worn for hunting, her body sleek in trousers tucked into Lavenrunzian style boots, a dark sweater and a scarf, put a hand to her mouth and burst out laughing.

Curtis tossed his pilot's scarf over his shoulder and pulled his pilots goggles down, he took her hand, kissed it, then said, "Shall we go then?"

"Yes, and you look most gallant." she replied, laughter still dancing in her eyes.

He kissed her on the cheek, "And you look absolutely stunning..."

"Why thank you, kind Sir." she smiled. "You know, I've never flown in a MiG-41...what are they like?"

He lifted her up into his arms, "You're about to find out..."

Curtis gently and carefully carried her to the roof, where a helicopter took them to a nearby aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Mexico, where a Carrier version of the MiG-41 two-seater was waiting.

The Baroness had been aboard naval vessels before. She idly noted that this carrier in many ways was as big as a Lost Vegas Class, and that it seemed efficiently run. She asked, "Do you have female naval personnel?" as she gracefully swayed along with him towards the plane.

He shook his head, "No, we don't..."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Our late Empress--revered be Her memory--established many military reforms. We've found that women in particular have a wonderful aptitude for the submarine service. Isn't that interesting?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah... I guess so..." He just didn't like the idea of women in combat positions, and submarines had a tendency to get into fights.

She was amused. "I see your discomfort. Perhaps we could discuss that another time, and for now enjoy the ride in this plane...what sort of fighter is it?" she asked.

He pointed to it, "The MiG-41, it can go Mach 4.2..."

"That's fast, but I really meant, Curtis darling, what is it meant to do?"

He smiled, "Ah, of course, it is meant to go into combat against many greater odds, and gain supremacy of the air."

She nodded. "Like our Wachtmeister, then, an air superiority fighter." with a laugh she said, "I know enough of these terms, one has to use them in diplomacy sometimes you know."

He nodded his head, and then lifted her up into his arms again, gently carrying her up the ladder and helping her get into the rear seat of the fighter.

Anna Bennigsen was touched by how tender he was, and found herself actually blushing as he helped her into her seat. She had bound up her dark hair and put the helmet on.

He tapped the helmet gently and made a motion with his hands, telling her and motioning for her to buckle up tight, it'd be a short but intense ride to Western Sahara.

A bit breathless with anticipation, she did as he instructed, and found herself almost trembling with excitement.

She felt herself dragged back in the seat and was awestruck at the speed and power. She had never been in a fighter before and now realized why there was such an air of cockiness about fighter pilots.

He said over the com to her, "Get ready, Mach 4.2 coming up..." He braced himself as he knew the initial jump to Mach 4.2 would he hard, and he then said, "You should brace yourself as well..." With that said, as soon as she had done so, he threw it into full throttle and the plane barreled forward at Mach 4.2

Bennigsen gulped, she felt like she was wearing a suit of armor or something, and she literally couldn't speak and react beyond just sitting there amazed.

About ten minutes later, she heard a noise, it was from up front, she peered over Curtis's shoulder, the panel labeled "Incoming" was flashing red. Curtis immediately pulled an eyepiece down over his goggles and looked at what it was, sixteen air-to-air missiles... He sighed, "Hmmm... This is going to be interesting..."

"What's going on?" called the Baroness from the back.

Curtis shook his head, "Don't worry, just a few dozen air-to-air missiles... Nothing too much..."

"What! We're under attack?"

Curtis nodded his head as he activated the active counter-measures, six anti-AA missiles that would seek out and destroy the AA missiles. They sailed through the air with bright streaks of red and orange, each found their mark.

Then he activated the passive defenses, dozens of flares flew out, distracting and confusing the incoming missiles. He outmaneuvered two of the remaining three, but the third one exploded near the left wing, the jet started to shake.

Bennigsen exclaimed, "Now what...is the plane damaged?"

Curtis muttered under his breath, as he looked at the control panel, "Shit... Not good..." He then turned to her and said, "Are you buckled up tightly?" He then turned back and pressed the button to activate the distress beacon to alert all MS ships and planes in the area, it was basically the last thing any pilot was supposed to do before readying to bail out.

"Yes...yes I am...oh my..." she began to cross herself, feeling the drag of the g forces on her arm, tears in her eyes.

Bennigsen began to say, "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy Kingdom come..."

Curtis turned back to her, "Ready to eject?"

"Yes. Oh Curtis...ich liebe dich!" she cries.

He pulled his survival kit into his arms and readied to fire the ejection for both seats, he then did just that, the canopy flew back and the seats blew out and away from the plane which Curtis then detonated once it got a safe distance away, he didn't want anybody to salvage anything useful out of it.

Bennigsen was trying not to panic, trying to remember the little she knew about parachutes. She felt so tiny, felt the strangeness of the air up there, the ground tilting below her.

Immediately upon hitting the water, about midway out in the Atlantic, Curtis jumped out of his ejection chair and swam like a fish over to her chair to help her out as their survival raft was inflating, it was basically a tent that floated, totally contained so the sunlight couldn't affect them too much, and so if it tipped over, they'd be fine.

As he was helping her out of her chair she saw something about a hundred or so yards away, tiny yet still visible, a dorsal fin cutting through the water.

Bennigsen exclaimed, "Is that a shark!" with horror in her voice.

Curtis pulled her out of the chair, pointed to the now inflated raft, said, "Swim for it... Go..." As he pulled out an 8 inch knife from the sheath on his vest and swam towards the approaching shark, he'd made a hobby, as had Roger, of fighting exotic animals. Lucky for him, he finally had a use for all those skills.

Bennigsen kicked her shoes away...they were worse than useless, and began to swim. Fortunately she was a strong swimmer. She felt an atavistic dread, as she went for the raft.

She watched as the shark plowed right into where Curtis would have been had he not moved out of the way at the last second. He grabbed both arms around the shark as it swam underwater. She couldn't see what was going on, just large pools of red blood where coming to the surface.

Bennigsen felt almost angry, she was so in a state of dread and exasperation...she clambered into the raft muttering in german, "who the hell does he think he is...Tarzan?"

Blood continued to come to the surface, but there was no sign of either the shark or Curtis.. A few minutes went by.

Bennigsen wondered what in the name of God was happening, and shivered, crossing herself, praying that Curtis was alright.

Suddenly she saw the dorsal fin break through the surface and the shark moved forward, slowly though, something was odd.

Curtis then popped his head up above the water, next to the shark, he was pushing it along, it was pretty well dead, or dying, he chuckled, "Let's not waste good shark... We might be out here a while, eh?"

Bennigsen was furious and relieved at once. "What sort of silly bloody trick was that? Get in this boat at once..."

Curtis pulled himself into the boat, along with the now dead shark, it was at least nine feet long, probably weighing three or four hundred pounds, at least. Curtis seemed to have no trouble pushing it into the boat.

The boat was designed to keep the scent of blood from escaping and from seeping out, no other sharks would be attracted by the dead one.

Curtis then looked over to the baroness, "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

Bennigsen threw her arms around him. "Oh Curtis...if you had been killed..."

Curtis shook his head as he embraced her as well, "Not likely, I had my knife."

She kissed his cheek and leaned against him for a moment. She then pulled away a bit and said, "How soon may we expect being rescued?"

He shook his head, "A few days at most probably, they'll find us... “

She exclaimed, "A few DAYS?? But won't they have tracked your plane?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, they will, but remember, the plane is a piece of wreckage now..." He made a little motion with his hand, as though he were activating a detonator, "I blew it up on the way down, remember?"

She took a deep breath and said, "Very well. What about this boat...what survival equipment is in it?" she was beginning to feel slightly nauseous at the odor of the shark.

He shook his head, "I'll be right back..." He jumped out the door after unzipping it, and swam to each chair, grabbing the 50 pound survival bag in each and then picking up his pilots survival kit that he had strapped to his chair. He swam back to the boat and got back in, zipping up the door.

He smiled, "Everything we need is right here, the SRG has a pill for pilots, you could eat three a day and stay alive... Great stuff..."

Bennigsen was smiling at him when he returned, and removing her sweater.

Curtis set out a map and found their location, in the middle of the Atlantic, but a bit towards the South American continent. He used a compass and a sextant to determine exactly where they were, and then he confirmed it on GPS.

Both matched so he decided that it was probably a good indication he was where he thought.

The Baroness wrung the water out of her sweater carefully and placed it to dry. She then removed her pants as well, and clad in her underwear began to butcher the shark. She proved to be rather expert.

Curtis then leaned back a bit and took a small tin of nasal snuff out of a pocket on his soaking wet BDU overshirt. He looked over to her and said, "Well Anna what now? Shall we just relax and wait to be rescued or perhaps you'd like me to cook up some shark?"

"Let's eat." she said practically. "We need to keep up our strength. As for cooking, let me do it, you've done enough and ought to rest."

Curtis nodded his head, reclined back a bit, and then removed his shirt and pants and took a pinch of his snuff.

Skillfully she cut a couple of steaks from the shark and set them in a pan in some seawater to parboil them, which she recalled reading was the best way to cook shark. She was feeling oddly good, exhilarated at their survival and happy that she was displaying her taut limbs and soft curves in front of Curtis, barely hidden by her lacey underwear. She felt very alive and rather erotic.

Curtis smiled at her as she started to cook the shark. Then with a slight grin and a sly tone he suggested, "You know, I'm a rather bit cold, aren't you? Perhaps after dinner we might discuss ways of sharing body heat eh?"

She blushed and smiled at him, enigmatic but enticing at the same time. "Well, it might be a while before our clothing dries, you know. We don't want to get hypothermia."

He then leaned in a bit and smelled the shark, smiling as he said, "Ah, smells like it's ready... Shall we then? I'm sure it'll taste wonderful."

Bennigsen began to serve the steaks of shark...feeling more wonderful than she had in a long time in spite of her situation.

Back in Mississippi, the DISFB was monitoring their satellites, as was routine, they had already picked up the distress signal and had located the wreckage of the plane, what was left of it. The problem was that Curtis and the Baroness were about 400 miles away from where the plane went down, since the signal was sent before they ejected and the plane went down as it was still going.




One of the men looked at the pictures, seeing the planes that had fired the missiles, he slammed them down on the desk, "Brazilians... Damnit... I hate those people, tell them they don't own two thousand miles out into the Atlantic..."


The other operative shook his head, "They're still bitter over the Mississippian-Brazilian war, aren't they?"


The man then sighed, "Hell, all we did was kill a few million of their people and take a few million slaves for our plantations, we paid them back later, what are they still mad about?"


The first man nodded his head, "Yup... They're obviously still mad... Oh! Don't forget, we did try to kill their president a few weeks ago, or something like that, I don't know, we killed somebody!"


A third man, walking by, got into the conversation, "No, no, no, we used the mafia to go after their leader, we didn't do it directly, anyway, that failed, what is he so upset about?"


The three men continued to talk as the Brazilians denied shooting down a plane over international waters, insisting it was, "Brazilian territorial waters" as they hastily dispatched destroyers and frigates to the location they expected to find survivors.


Western Saharan Commonwealth ships were also steaming fullspeed towards the area, it was just a matter of who would get their first.

WARNING

The following post contains depictions of torture that may offend some readers. The torture has several purposes, it shows how much Curtis must care of Anna to take the punishment he does for her. It also shows the extreme hatred between the Mississippians and the Brazilians, which is still going strong after the decade long “Mississippian Brazilian war” ended nearly 9 years ago. It also sets the stage for a possible invasion of Brazil…

If you think you might be upset, don’t read this post.







After they had finished eating, Curtis laid down lazily against the surprisingly comfortable floor of the raft, looking up at the ceiling of the raft, the red ceiling, just red, it made him think of a room he'd been in once, where the walls were red, the floor was red, the ceiling was red... He immediately put those thoughts out of his mind, into the box he hadn't opened in decades, where he didn't dare wish to venture. Instead he smiled and turned to the baroness, saying, "Thank you for the lovely meal."

"It was my pleasure." she said. she had gotten dressed again once her clothing was dry, wanting to avoid getting sunburnt. She sighed and looked around at the empty looking sea and sky. "Do you know how far we are from land?"

He frowned, not wanting to admit the truth, but she deserved it, "I am afraid that we are nowhere near land, in the middle of the Atlantic, about two thousand miles north of Brazil."

He then realized something and he pointed it out, "But, we are probably only five or six hundred miles west of Cape Verde..."

She turned pale, and for a moment closed her eyes. Then, opening them, she took a deep breath and said, "Thank you Curtis for being honest with me." she reached out her hand for his.

Curtis eagerly, but gently, took her offered hand into his, as he moved closer to her. He silently nodded his head in acknowledgement of what she'd said and then he kissed her on the forehead before saying, "I think we'll make it..."

"I believe we will." she said, her smile suggesting it didn't matter. "But I am glad we are together."

Curtis smiled back, "I am very glad we are together..."

As he lay there, her hand in his, continuing to stare up, suddenly something hit the side of the raft, it had been tossed, lightly, as those playfully... The next sound they heard was one they were both certain as to what it was, the sound of a group of dolphins. One had just tossed Curtis's pilots helmet against the side of the raft.

Curtis looked out and smiled, he turned back, "Anna, there are... Dolphins out there..."

Bennigsen clapped her hands delightedly. "Dolphins! That's good luck, yes?" she exclaimed, fascinated by the cheerful sleek creatures.

Curtis nodded his head a bit, "Yeah, even better luck, my helmet, if it's working, there is an emergency activation beacon I can get going..."

Curtis unzipped the door and the dolphin tossed the helmet to him, he patted it gently on the head as it again slightly broke through the surface of the water.

He started to look at it, taking out a small tool from a kit he'd taken off his seat earlier.

Bennigsen marvelled, but said nothing, letting Curtis work. She discreetly checked the supplies they had and planned their next ration.

Curtis spent the next ten minutes or so working on it and then he smiled as he set it down, "Done... Signal sent, nothing to do now but sit back and wait for them to find us..."

Bennigsen served them each a cup of water and raised hers in toast. "I've been thinking about your proposal."

Curtis couldn't help but have a slight smile, always the one to be sure of himself, saying only, "And?"

She gave him a warm smile and said, "I accept."

Curtis didn't say anything, instead taking her into his arms and kissing her, the two of them coming down gently onto the floor of the raft, she in his arms.

About an hour later, the calm silence of the night was shattered when a half dozen lights hit the raft, and shouting over bullhorns was heard, the shouting was clearly in Portuguese. "Você na jangada! A fuga é sem esperança! tomará você de bordo nosso navio!"

Bennigsen frowned, sitting up. "I think we've been found...but whom could this be?" she instinctively patted her hair into place.

Curtis's jaw dropped, muttering under his breath, "Not good, not good..."

Curtis translated what they had just said, "You in the raft. Escape is hopeless. We will be taking you onboard our ship!"

Baroness Bennigsen frowned. "What's wrong?" she asks. She seems utterly unfrightened.

Curtis sighed, saying only one word, one word he said with contempt, for he hated them with a passion, "Brazilians..."

Surprised at his vehemence, she said nothing. Those lovely people with the beaches and the jungles and such? She recalled a holiday she spent in Columbia, not far from Brazil, having an utterly lovely time with the IMC on a fact finding mission.

Two small fast rafts from the Brazilian destroyer pull up along side the raft Curtis and Anna are in. There are six rifles trained on the raft, one man suddenly fires a burst into the air, shouting in broken English, "Mississippian swine, out of raft, now!"

The Baroness looked surprised, and a bit alarmed. She held out her passport carefully and stepped into the raft, saying, "Excuse me, I'm the Lavenrunzian Ambassador to the UN." in her German sounding English.

Two of the men literally ripped her out of the raft, pulling her into their boat. One gave her a sharp slap in the face as he scoffed, "Silence Mississippian whore, you're with the enemy, you are enemy!"

Two others pulled Curtis up, he promptly dove at the man who had slapped Anna, sending him tumbling over the side of the fast boat he was in, Curtis dove in after the man, trying to hold him underwater.

For his efforts, he got struck in the back of the head with the butt of a rifle, and then pulled unconscious into the boat.

The Baroness was shocked, and gave a small scream as she was smacked, making her face sting. Protesting, she tried to hold up her passport. "Look at this, you idiots!" she shouted in her most authoritative voice.

She deliberately looked at the one who had the most insignia on, looking him in the eyes. "Do you see the crowned leopard on this? do you?"

The man took her passport and tore it up in front of her eyes and then tossed the pieces into the ocean, saying, "Look at that, idiot...."

She gaped. "But...but..." genuine fear turned her blood to ice in her veins. "That was my passport!"

The man gave her a leering stare, "That won't help you were you're going..."

He motioned for the man working the engine to get them back to the destroyer. The man promptly fired the engine up and headed off for the destroyer. They arrived back at the ship in about ninety seconds.

It took three Brazilians to haul the unconscious Curtis off the fast boat and onto the destroyer. Two of the men dragged the baroness out of their motorboat and shoved her up onto the deck of the destroyer, callously shoving her down next to Curtis.

She said soberly, "You are making a mistake...if you let me communicate with Lavenrunz you will realize I am the Imperial UN Ambassador."

One of the men on deck that had just stepped out of the motorboat looked to the man who appeared to be in charge. He said, "Teremos que conversar com o capitão, vê-quem recebe a primeira volta, sim?" The only words that stood out were "recebe", "primeira", "volta" or "Who gets the first turn?"

The officer shook his head, "No, none of that... Not yet... Let's wait until he comes to so we can talk with him first, maybe we can get something better out of all of this, yes?"

The sailor nodded his head, a bit upset, "Yes sir..."

Baroness Bennigsen said quietly but in the calm voice she used to get attention in Chambers, "I repeat, I am a foreign diplomat. I must insist on my rights."

The lieutenant sighed, and immediately slapped her across the face, shouting, "You are nothing, you are a dog, a Mississippian whore! You have no rights! I could feed you to the sharks and nobody would know! They'd think you went down in flames with the plane!"

She cried out in dismay as she was slapped, exclaiming, "No, I am LAVENRUNZIAN. Can't you tell that, you infernal idiot?"

She was now in both fear and a blazing rage. "And I can promise you that you will be causing an act of war by mistreating me so if you do not start listening to what I am saying!"

The officer nearly exploded at the insult, he lifted her up to her feet by pulling her hair, and then he pushed her against one of the nearby doors leading towards the bridge, then he slapped her hard across the face and shouted right into her ears, "Don't you get it! They think you're dead! We own you, so stop acting like you're somebody who matters!"

The Baroness whimpered softly; she had never been so abused in her life, her face felt hot with pain, and she couldn't help but have tears streaking her face.

The officer sighed and pushed her into the waiting arms of two nearby guards, telling them, "Take her away, lock her up... If she resists, you can beat her..." He was quick to add, "But I want her otherwise untouched, do you understand me?"

The two men nodded and both said, "yes" before taking her off towards the brig.

The Baroness felt she was in the grip of nightmare, and shrank away from the men, shuddering as they manhandled her.

The two men led her down into the pitch black brig and tossed her into a cell, one that hadn't been cleaned in months. It stank of raw waste and possibly something dead, one couldn't be sure though. They locked the door and then turned and left.

Bursting into tears, she tried to find a relatively clean place to sit, she felt she would never stop trembling.

About twenty minutes later, her cell door was opened and the still unconscious Curtis was tossed inside, in a fashion in which a child tosses aside a toy. The men then locked the door again and once again left.

Anna rushed to him, kneeling beside him and making sure he was alive.

Curtis was indeed alive, and about a minute or so later, he coughed a bit and then shook his head, letting out a light moan of pain as he regained consciousness. He frowned, muttering, "I hate Brazilians..."

He then looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He immediately saw her, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Anna whispered, "Oh Curtis...these people are animals...they tore up my passport and they HIT me. Are you alright?"

Curtis nodded his head, "Yes, I'll be okay, are you okay though?"

"Y...yes I think so." she shuddered. "And it's awful in here...they clearly don't care we are persons of importance. The officer wasn't even a gentleman. What are we going to do?"

Curtis shook his head, he wasn't going to give up this easily, or show any signs of fear, even though he was a bit worried, he'd been in worse though. He put his arms around her and in a confident tone said, "Don't worry, the signal was sent, the Mississippian ships and helicopters will know we are here..."

She said softly, "Well...and my country's navy is active in the south Atlantic too..."

Curtis smiled, "See, we'll be found in no time..."

He couldn't finish the rest of that thought, the door was suddenly opened, lights were present, flashlights, a voice called out, "You two, up, follow!" was all that was said in rather broken English.

Baroness Bennigsen rose. She felt these savages wouldn't care, but nevertheless she acted as much like the noblewoman, diplomat and future wife of a leader that she was.

Curtis stood up, keeping an arm around her to comfort her. He followed the men as they moved forward. He would have considered trying something, but there were two behind them and he didn't want Anna to get hurt.

Meanwhile, in the Mississippian Naval Intelligence Agency command, the telephone at the commander's desk was ringing off the hook. Calls were coming in from friendly powers, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, and he was expecting one from Lavenrunz.

A call was placed from the Lavenrunzian Ministry for War to the corresponding cabinet minister in Mississippi, the query being, "May a call be received from Admiral de Goethe, Minister for War of Lavenrunz?"

The Minister of Defense, Vladimir Markovic, promptly answered the phone, "Yes, Markovic here, hello, may I ask who is calling please?"

“This is Admiral Carlotta de Goethe, Imperial Lavenrunzian Minister for War." a pleasant female contralto voice said. "Excellency, it is my understanding that a MIG-41 carrying your Mr. Curtis Fabus and our Baroness Bennigsen has been shot down between South American and Africa."

Markovic immediately pulled up the map where the last known position was, "Yes, we have already flown over the area with other MiG-41s, we've found nothing except Brazilian destroyers and cruisers. They have a few aircraft carriers nearby... We suspect they picked up the baroness and Dr. Fabus, but we don't dare attack them yet, for a few reasons. We don't want to sink the ship they're holding them on, we need to find out which ship it is first, so commandos can affect a rescue. Secondly, we need to get a carrier into the area, we are working on that, over sixty ships from South Africa and Western Sahara, and two hundred from Mississippi are en route to the general area."

"I see. Excellency, we have a submarine squadron in the area that uses water propulsion and is very quiet; we could easily have them try to intercept and track the enemy units and pick up any communications they have."

Markovic seemed very keen on the idea, "Yes, I like that, that would work wonderfully... Thank you, please, do that. We would be most grateful."

Admiral de Goethe said, "Very well, then, we should arrange for mutual signals so we don't get things too mixed up. I think that with all you're putting in there that our own surface elements would be in the way, but we will cover I think the southern area of the Brazilians' general range of operations so that we don’t' get confused."

Markovic smiled, pleased to be talking with a woman who knew military matters, far too many cabinet positions in other nations that involved military matters were just political appointments, but this woman sounded like she really knew her stuff. Markovic then sent her a file containing all intelligence gathered on the incident thus far, after sending it he said, "I just sent you something, it contains a great deal of information about this incident... I must run now, cabinet meeting, emergency meeting, you understand, yes?"

"Of course, of course. And I will need to inform others in the Council of Ministers too. Thank you for being so cooperative and understanding, Excellency. Good day to you, and may we find them soon!" Admiral de Goethe said warmly.
She felt very pleased, it had been much easier than she had expected, and all that needed working out were the details of operation. She reached for the phone again and asked for the Submarine Command.



Back on the ship, standing in the officers’ mess, which is where they'd been taken as the captain was currently there. Curtis and Anna wondered what happen to them.

The captain smiled as he turned around, looking at Anna, looking her up and down, "So, they tell me you have an attitude, is that true, bitch, do you have an attitude?"

Bennigsen said formally, "Good evening, Captain. I am Baroness Bennigsen. How do you do?" extending her hand politely, looking pleasantly into his eyes.

The captain slapped her hand away, "Cut the crap, you're not in Mississippi or in Lavenrunz, you're being taken to Brazil..." He turned to Curtis; "You will be put on trial for war crimes and crimes against the Brazilian people!" he then turned to the baroness, "You, you will wind up in a brothel or sold to the highest bidder,, since your kind are whores anyway!"

There were five men with a variety of weapons in the room, a few had pistols, one had an MP-5, and another a G-3, had it no been so, Curtis would most certainly have throttled the captain for his remarks to the baroness. Everybody in the room could see it in his eyes; he wanted to strangle the life out of the dog of a captain with his own hands.

The captain stepped up to Curtis, had two unarmed men hold his hands behind his back, and then he punched Curtis as hard as he could in the stomach. Curtis barely flinched from he blow because the captain was a soft man, weak.

The captain stepped back, shaking his hand, "This changes nothing, you two are going to wish you were dead once you've seen what Brazil has in store for you!"

With a polite voice that concealed her trembling, Anna Bennigsen asked, "May I ask why Captain? Why you are doing this?"

The captain nearly exploded, but hid his rage behind a smile, "Ah, yes, why? Ask Dr. Fabus here why... Ask him about the nuclear attacks against Brasilia in 1996, ask him about the "piñata" games their soldiers used to play with our captured people, ask him... Ask him, the decade long war Mississippi waged against Brazil! Ask him!"

The Baroness said quietly, "I am sure that you desire revenge and are outraged. But Lavenrunz is a powerful voice of diplomacy...ask yourself if this is worth more lives lost. More ordinary peoples' lives, the sort that men like yourself are looked to to protect. You are an officer and a gentleman, surely you understand this..."

"...I can promise you that I would do my utmost to work for the better future of your nations. This is...an opportunity not for mere vengeance but for you to show your quality, your wise judgement, Captain."

The captain sighed and the without warning punched her in the stomach, shouting, "Stop making excuses! Stop it! Stop, I'm tired of people like you, explaining away the deaths of millions of my people. Yes, you, I know your type!"

Curtis strained to get at the captain but the two men held him firmly in their grasp.

She couldn't breathe. She...couldn't...breathe...

Curtis shouted, "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Anna was gasping and choking, totally unprepared for the punch, and was barely able to stand upright.

The captain just chuckled lightly and walked over towards Curtis, smacking him across the face with a baton.

Curtis spat a stream of bright blood out of his mouth as his head flipped to the side, he slowly brought it back up a few seconds later, looking the captain right into the eyes.

The captain then paced back across the room, back and forth... Suddenly he stopped, looking right at Anna, he said one word, "Strip..." he then turned to Curtis, saying the same thing.

Anna gaped at him. "I...I beg your pardon?" she exclaimed.

The captain frowned, "Did I stutter? I said strip, and I mean it, now!"

Anna felt tears filling her eyes; she was mortified but began to pull her sweater over her head, her upper body bare but for her expensive lace bra. Pulling down her trousers and stepping out of her boots, she found herself in tears, wanting to move towards Curtis.

Curtis without having to be told twice, and without delay, stripped as best he could, since the guards still held him firmly in place, they just relaxed their grip on one arm. He set his jacket, suit, undershirt, pants, socks, and tie in a neat pile in front of him, standing now only in his underwear.

He looked to Anna, silently mouthing, "It'll be okay, don't worry. I love you."

The captain slapped Curtis across the face when he figured out what he was trying to say, "Shut up, no talking!"

She mouthed back, "I love you." and winced as he was slapped, then screamed in rage and lunged at the Captain, raking her nails at his face.

The captain fell backwards, down on the ground, shouting, "Get her off me!" he slapped vainly at her, trying to keep her away.

"You gottverdamt schwein, leave him alone!" she howled, going for his eyes like a fury.[/b]

Two of the other guards, real men, rushed in and pulled her off of him, one man delivered a serious blow to her stomach, a real blow, unlike the one the wimp of the captain had dealt.

Anna found herself doubled on the floor, retching, her stomach in agony, barely able to get her breath.

Curtis strained even harder this time to get out of the men's grip, but it just got him clubbed across the back, he fell limp in the men’s arms, too weak and beaten to do anything.

The captain stood up, dusting himself off, he looked down at Anna and had a guard give her a cup of water and help her up.

Anna sipped a bit, trembling; she was now disheveled, her elegance gone save for her somewhat dirty but high quality bra and panties, her pale skin mostly revealed, her voluptuousness seeming to yearn to escape into view.

The brute raised a hand to the marks on his face, bleeding crimson streaks down to his chin, fast dripping. He spat on the ground in front of her, motioning with a club, down at the ground, "The rest of your clothing, get rid of it too..."

Curtis called out, weakly, "No! That is uncalled for, leave her alone!"

The captain sighed, "You too Fabus, strip totally, both of you..."

Anna began to cry but remained defiant, and reached back to unhook her bra. She was fighting for control, not to weep too openly as she skimmed down her panties.

Curtis defiantly dropped his underwear to the ground and kicked them so they hit the captain right in his cut up and bloodied face

The captain was less than amused, he tossed them aside and then looked at each of them, "So, you're a comedian eh? You like to put on shows?" He turned to Anna, "And you like to entertain people by fighting? How would you two like to put on a show for the entire ship?"

Curtis shook his head head, nearly laughing out of disbelief, "You wouldn't dare..."

Anna was covering her nipples and pubic hair as best she could, and did not reply at first. She felt so reduced she was ill, and whispered, "What do you mean?"

The captain smiled, "Oh wouldn't I? Wouldn't I? You both are very well equipped to put on such a show, it would really entertain my men... Especially you Dr. Fabus. I don't think any of the men here have ever seen somebody as big as you before..."

Curtis chuckled, "So, I'm better looking than any of your Brazilian men and Anna is better looking than any of your Brazilian women, is jealously a cause to cause us grief?"

The man nearly laughed, but held it in, instead he grinned, "Perhaps then we will just have our fun with her, hmmm? The entire ship having fun with her, hmmm? How does that sound?"

Anna Bennigsen cried, "Wait, wait, we'll do your show." she could sense what was coming, realizing they wanted to get at Curtis.

She gave him a warning, pleading look. She knew she'd go to pieces if they started to torture him; the idea of finding love only to lose it so horribly made her ill.

The captain shook his head, "No, I think we'd all much rather do the other option, you, Ms. Lanvenrunz snob, you will be our entertainment..."

Suddenly he lit up like a Christmas tree, he had a brilliant idea, "Unless... Unless Dr. Fabus here will submit to something so many Brazilians were made to endure... Pinata..."

"No!" screamed Anna.

Curtis immediately replied, "Do I have your word you won't harm her?"

The man raised his right hand, smiling, "Yes..."

"No, Curtis, no no no!" she began to cry, sobbing. "No I can't let you!"

Curtis nodded his head, "Fine, then let's get it over with..."

Anna exclaimed, "Oh please Captain..." she raised her hands, pleading, not covering her body any longer, "Please, don't listen to him, that blow to the head..."

The captain sighed and said, "Tie her down to a chair, she'll want to watch I imagine... And get more rope, we need to get our pinata strung up carefully by the feet, as is the way."

Curtis didn't resist as they put the rope around his feet and strung him up by using a pipe on the ceiling. The baroness had been tied down to a chair and the chair held in place by a guard so she couldn't turn away from what was about to happen.

Moaning in despair, Anna realized that this must have been the captain's intention all along, and that her shaming and abuse was just incidental to make Curtis go along with it.

"Curtis I love you." she said clearly, her eyes on him.

He nodded his head, about to reply but suddenly cut off when a large guard struck him in the stomach with a bat.

He coughed and struggled to breathe, but managing not to vomit.

The captain handed four more guards either a bat or a club, and said, "The pinata remember, the harder you hit it, the more chance to get it to burst you have."

The next guard took a crack at him with a bat, smashing it against the side of his body, the sound produced from the bat, his bones, and his stifled moaning made it obvious he'd just had a few ribs broken.

Anna began to pray. She had rarely seriously done this, mostly doing it as a ceremony, but now she began in earnest, as a desperate series of pleas to God, for rescue...a miracle...anything.

The captain lifted Curtis's head up a bit, so they were looking eye to eye, he grinned as he said, "Well pinata, is the blood running to your head? Do you realize how your soldiers made us feel, do you! Do you! This is for Brasilia!" as he said that, he drove a bat against the side of Curtis's head, a loud, "cracking" sound echoed throughout the room as the bat broke into splinters.

Curtis immediately passed out, dangling unconscious, some of his teeth fell out, blood dripped from his mouth.

The men continued to hit him with their clubs and bats, seemingly unbothered by his now unconscious state.

One of the men then walked over to the sink and got a knife, a large knife. He grinned as he said, "How about we give him a Columbian necktie!"

Anna shrieked. "Noooo....for God's sake don't!"

The man motioned at Curtis with the knife, "Who is going to stop us? Who could stop us?"

One of the other man, an ugly ox of a man, a brute, one who stank of cheap liquor, suggested, "How about we put the knife up his rear and see if we can get it to come out his mouth, eh? What goes in must come out, right?"

Anna felt sick at such a suggestion, and said softly, "Please...look at him. He can't even feel what you're doing anyway."

The man nodded his head, "Yeah, she's right, maybe he needs a drink. Who wants to go get some nice salt water for him?"

Anna shuddered, but at least she had distracted them from their true sadism.

One of the other men took a 2-gallon jug of water off of a nearby table, "Here, he has all the water he'll ever need!"

Another man grabbed a funnel.

Two of the guards held his head up and one put the funnel in his mouth, within a minute they had the entire jug emptied into him.

The captain shouted, "I don't think he's add enough, he might be thirsty yet, get him some more."

Anna was too horrified to scream. She was crying like a child, unable to believe that they would do such horrible things to a helpless man.

They poured another 2 gallon jug through the funnel. Suddenly one of the men shook his head and had a false look of concern accompanied by a voice sounding of false care and worry, "Oh my, he's had too much, we gotta get some out of him fast..." He reached over and picked up the knife from the table it'd been set down on.

The man suddenly sunk the knife into Curtis's stomach.

The others cheered, one saying, "Yeah, that's the way to do it!"

With a despairing wail, Anna fainted.

One of the men walked over to her, and splashed some water right into her face, slapping her a few times, saying in a mockingly friendly tone, "Wake up... Wake up. Wake up, bitch!"

Anna came to out of nightmares of chortling demons and fire and knives. Somehow the reality was worse. With a shudder, she looked up at the coarse face before her and without thinking spat at him and screamed, "You bastard!'

The man simply looked down at her and tipped her chair over so she now was not only tied to the chair, but in an uncomfortable position with blood flowing to her head.

Just then a man came through the door, he had a cattle prod in his hand. He handed it to the captain and said, "That's going to zap his ass, right?"

The captain smiled, "Yes, literally..."

One of the other guards walked over to Anna, knelt down by her and started to run a hand through her hair, saying, "I know you said we weren't going to sir, but you didn't mean that, did you?"

The captain chuckled, "No of course not..."

Anna whispered, "I'll be good...please, I'll do anything you want if you stop hurting him."

The captain turned to her, a brow raised, intrigued at her offer, "Anything eh? but you do realize you'll do anything regardless of what we do to him or you, we own you both, do you realize that?"

Anna weeps and says softly, "Then please don't kill him, I beg you. Please." she abandons dignity, sobbing as she begs.

The captain then turned back to Curtis, steadily bleeding out of the wound to his stomach, "Hmm, looks like we broke our pinata, eh? Only one thing that you do when you break a toy, you get rid of it..." The captain drew his pistol out.

With a shriek, Anna exclaims, "No! For the love of God!"

The captain grinned as he said, "And would you be willing to be entertainment for the entire crew if we spared this one here?"

"Y...yes. And please...put him in the infirmary and I'll do it with a smile." she forced a smile, which trembled with her crying.

The captain would never have the time to contemplate the offer, the door opened again, kicked inwards, a flash bang grenade went off as the vents poured out non-lethal gas. Immediately a half dozen MSAAS rushed into the room, the first one through the door killed the two guards on the left, the second one through the door killed the captain, and two other guards, in a few seconds, the room was cleared.

Anna was having difficulty focusing, her head felt ready to explode, and she only whispered "Curtis." softly.

While they had been busy in the officer’s mess, the MSAAS had been clearing the other rooms and decks, one by one, silently... When they realized they'd forgotten one room, a horrible mistake, but it had to have been the room they were in, and so they went there immediately, luckily they were right, it was the right room, they had been held on this ship, and now they were safely in the hands of the MSAAS, being taken to a Mississippian hospital ship that was arriving on the scene.

One of the MSAAS quickly cut the ropes that were binding her to the chair, and helped her up. Another man, along with two others, helped ease Curtis onto a stretcher.

The Lavenrunzian submarine Dvergar, which had tracked the frigate, lay nearby.

On the Mississippian ship, a doctor was looking over Anna, he asked her, "Do you feel okay ma'am? Are you alright?"

Anna looked away. She had seen her reflection in the mirror; a bruised young woman with swollen blue eyes and messy lanky dark hair. She said quietly, "Is he alright?" she felt a sorrow so deep she felt she'd die of it.

The doctor smiled, "Oh, that, that wound, it was nothing, the stomach wound was nothing, the only problem was..." the man frowned, and hesitated, "He... Well..."

"What?" she asked, turning.

The doctor finally revealed the horrible truth, the gravity of the situation, "The brain is a complicated thing, he is in a coma..."

Anna felt tears leaking out, and said, "I understand that you have excellent neurological surgeons in your country...is there any chance?"

The doctor nodded his head, "Yes, we have some of the best surgeons, there is in my opinion one or two men who could really help him, one being a Dr. Baldur Von Schacht... The chances? Well it depends on what Schacht can do for him, but right now, he may wake up in ten minutes, maybe ten years, there is just no way to tell for sure, but he is in otherwise good shape, considering what all happened."

With a nod she says, "I am not seriously hurt. My...dignity more than anything has been bruised." she says softly.

"I would like please to thank personally the leader of the commando team unless his identity is a secret, doctor."

The doctor nodded his head, "Yes, I understand about the dignity... Would you like to see Curtis now? You are welcome to see him if you'd like..." He frowned, "The commandos usually don't like to talk with people, but I do believe he said he'd make an exception in your case..."

"Yes please." Anna said. She held the robe they had given her around her body.

The doctor helped her up and walked her over to a private room, Curtis lay there in bed, wrapped up in a blanket, not hooked up to any life support machines, his heart and lungs working fine, but with IVs going into his arms and monitoring equipment checking his vitals constantly. A man in an MSAAS uniform was standing at the bedside next to him. The uniform's rank identified him as a captain.

With a soft little sound of grief she went to him and gently kissed his forehead, looking down at his body...she murmured a quiet prayer to herself. Then, she with an effort looked up at the captain and walked up to him, extending her hand. she found herself blind with tears. "Thank you, Captain, for your rescue. Your arrival was like a miracle...and...thank you." she found herself unable to keep from shivering all over. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart." she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

The captain warmly shook her hand, saying, "No need to thank me, it's my job and an honor to save to fellow nobles..."

The captain smiled and nodded his head as she kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for your praise ma'am, it isn't often we get to talk with those we deal with..."

She smiled at him warmly, even in her sorrow touched, and said, "Doctor, would it be alright if I stayed in here? Could a pallet or something be brought in?"

The doctor nodded his head, "Yes, I'll have a cot brought in here for you..."

Suddenly the captain's radio came alive, he was needed elsewhere. He bowed, and said, "Excuse me ma'am, duty calls." He then faced Curtis, snapped to attention, threw his left arm into the air and whispered, "Hail!" before he silently turned and left.

Outside, the submarine commander had requested permission to come aboard and discuss the situation.

Permission was quickly granted and the man cheerfully invited aboard. The mood on the ship was solemn though, they knew their former Premier and national mentor was in dire straits. But they had to remain optimistic, after all, they'd found, boarded, stormed, and seized the ship and rescued Curtis and Anna, things had gone so well thus far.

To the possible surprise of the crew, the captain-lieutenant of the sub was a slender woman with short fair hair, the build of an olympic swimmer under her dark blue and gold uniform.
Accompanying her were two male junior officers.

"Permission to come aboard." she asked politely as she came up to the deck.

The captain gave her a bit of a suspicious stare, asking, "Where is your commanding officer? I was under the impression that he himself would be coming

She smiled and said, "I am Captain-Lieutenant Alexia von Strack, the commander of the Dvergar."

The captain nodded his head, "Ah, yes, forgive me, I see... Ah, welcome abroad ma'am..."

She saluted neatly as she stepped aboard.

The captain promptly returned the salute and helped her get firmly onto the deck, since the step up and down was a bit tricky.

von Strack said, "Now, Captain, on behalf of the Crown of Lavenrunz, many thanks. May I ask the condition of the former prisoners?"

The captain quickly replied, a bit saddened though at the first thing he said, "Yes... Dr. Fabus is in a coma..." He then smiled a bit, "The baroness is doing very well."

The submarine commander nodded slowly. "Alas...well, it is a pity after all that he has been through and all his courage...were there...atrocities?"

The captain shrugged, "What do you mean atrocities? Do you mean illegal treatment that he suffered at the hands of the Brazilian rabble?"

"Yes." she said quietly. "What treatment did they suffer?"

The captain whispered to her, "They used him as one uses a pinata, that is what it was called, it was an old method used by Mississippian counter-insurgency forces in Brazil, to get guerillas to talk, and as payback for the guerilla practice of stripping captured Mississippian soldiers naked, tying them to trees near hives of fire ants, and then smearing honey of them... Pinata is a rather simple yet brutal thing... I'm sure you can imagine it, the person is the pinata, and the soft sticks are bats and clubs."

Captain-Lieutenant von Strack sighs. "It is unfortunate for irregulars to use such tricks but for professional naval officers..." she shook her head. "How many enemy prisoners are there? Is the enemy captain taken?"

The captain shook his head, "No, none were taken, the MSAAS doesn't fool around with taking prisoners in these sort of missions... Especially when they find a man beaten, hanging upside down, with a gapping knife wound in his stomach, and a woman stripped naked and bound to a chair."

She says coldly...not towards him but at the thought of the prisoners, "It is a pity that we could not interrogate or make examples of some of them."

He shook his head, "From what I heard, only two or three tried to surrender, and the MSAAS was quick to dispel that notion..."

Suddenly his second in command tapped him on the shoulder, not wanting to be the one to correct him, but knowing it had to be done, "Ahh... Sir.. There is, one, remember, that one man, the prisoner, we have, yes, hmm, one."

The captain nodded his head, "Ah yes of course, how could I forget. Their armory officer... We got him."

"I would suggest interrogating him then." von Strack was too polite to tell the captain his business and instead requested to see Baroness Bennigsen.

The second in command chimed in, "Oh the man was already interrogated, he told us everything we asked him, he was very cooperative."

The captain smiled, "We used a thought scanner on him, to detect if and when he was lying... Lies were punished, truths rewarded."

Von Strack nodded. She was actually in a way irritated; how could this horrible event have happened if people were doing their jobs right? But she had not been there, she couldn't have said.

The captain smiled nervously, detecting she was upset about something, but not sure what, "Oh, if you were wondering, the plane was targeted by over a dozen air-to-air missiles..."

Von Strack nodded again. "Well, Captain, I would like to see Baroness Bennigsen. My government..."

He chuckled, "Your government what? Go on."

Von Strack said, "My government would like to know her condition, from me."

He smiled, "Ah yes of course, come follow, I'll lead the way." That said he turned and started to walk towards the doctor's office and where Curtis's room would be nearby, expecting the baroness to be near Curtis.

The naval officer paused, shocked at Bennigsen's appearance, recovering quickly as the woman looked up, and clicking her heels smartly, bowed, saying, "Baroness...I am Captain-Lieutenant von Strack. I am relieved to see that you are well, and I am to accompany you back to my submarine."

Baroness Bennigsen for a moment looked uncomprehending, and looked at Curtis. "I...thank you, Captain-Lieutenant, but I cannot do that, I must remain here."

With a sigh, von Strack reached into her pocket and took out a fax, which she showed to the Baroness. Anna Bennigsen sighed and rose, running a hand through her hair.

Turning to the Captain, she said quietly, "I have been ordered to return to Lavenrunz immediately."

The MS captain stepped forward, "Not that it's any of my business, but can they really order you to return like that? I mean our government could, and the DISFB would come get you if you didn't, but is your government that strict?"

Baroness Bennigsen said gravely, "This fax is from the Empress." she paused a moment, and said, "To consider disobeying is unthinkable."

She brushed a tear from her eye. "I would like to write a letter which I would leave in your custody, Captain, to be given to Curtis upon his waking...and which I hope you would pass on to any other person made directly responsible for him."

"You must hurry, Excellency." said von Strack, politely but firmly, to the Baroness.

The captain shook his head, "Well, I never would obey an order from a child, empress or not."

Captain von Strack said coldly, "How fortunate that you are not Lavenrunzian then."

The captain smiled, "Yes, how fortunate, I'm a Mississippian and wouldn't have it any other way..." He then started to whistle the tune of "Fabus Above All Others".

Bennigsen sighed. "Captain-Lieutenant, please do not be provoking. And Captain, I will thank you not to make casual remarks about our head of state, please."

She felt utterly exasperated; she was very grateful but could not believe how crass Mississippians could be on occasion.

The captain nodded his head, "Yes ma'am, I am sorry if I offended you... You'll be leaving then?"

She extended her hand. "Yes, I will. Thank you again for your gallant rescue, and all your kindnesses, which I will never forget."

The doctor, not realizing who all was still in the room with Curtis, thinking it just the captain, shouted in, "Hey, if I were you I'd find out who the executor of his will is, and have them contacted..."

Baroness Bennigsen felt tears sting her eyes and left the room, saying, "Excuse me, I'll be back after I write the letter."

The captain nodded his head, saying, "Okay, we'll be here..."

The Mississippian then turned to the Lavenrunzian, frowning a bit, "So, any idea why they're ordering the baroness back to Lavenrunz? It must be pretty serious eh?"

Von Strack lifted an eyebrow and said, "I cannot imagine what the Empress' instructions pertain to since they were not shared with me."

The Mississippian frowned a bit more, shaking his head, "What a shame huh? Such a nice young woman, being recalled for summary execution probably, yes? That is really the only reason I could think of for the head of state to personally recall somebody."

Von Strack made a non committal noise to cover her surprise.

He was not amused, he glanced nervously at a nearby clock and then said, "Well look at the time, I have to go in a minute, hehehehe, where does the time go, eh? Well I guess I have to wait for the baroness, writing a letter for comrade Fabus, yes?"

The Baroness returned, holding an envelope she had gotten from the ship's purser and held it out to the Captain. "Again, my thanks." she said.

He took the letter and nodded his head, "I'll see he gets it. You're welcome. Oh by the way, if you want to immigrate to Mississippi, I can help you with the paperwork and you'll be a citizen in less than ten minutes."

The Baroness looked surprised, and then smiled sadly. "Thank you Captain." Von Strack bowed and indicated the way out, and they went to disembark from the ship.

The captain walked back to his quarters and set the letter in his desk. Then he reclined back for some sorely needed rest.

Bennigsen watched the ship as the inflated raft took them back to the sub, her eyes red. Von Strack said pointedly, "It is an admirable ship, is it not?"

Anna flushed and said nothing, taking the point, and looked then at the high conning tower of the sub as it loomed before them, promising home.

Dear Curtis

I am sorry if you wake to find I am not beside you, but my country has called me home, and I must, though reluctantly, obey.
It is my intention to plead with the Empress that She permit me to marry you if that is still your wish.
My sense of shame at you seeing me brought low and at not being able to help in any effective way is great, but I cannot deny the love in my heart nor my belief that our nations are meant to be friends and that it would be possible through our relationship.

with all my heart
Anna

.

The ship was nearing Fabus Island, which they say one can smell before one can see due to the massive quantities of untreated industrial byproducts and raw sewage dumped into the Gulf of Mexico in the late 80s and mid 90s.


The captain and the crew did what they were accustomed to doing when approaching Fabus Island, they stayed away from the windows and doors, which they had shut tight, and they covered their faces with damp cloths.

The stench was still overpowering, almost half of the ships crew ended up throwing up, having to rush for the nearest bucket or sink.


The odor carried below deck to where Curtis was still unconscious in bed. Something triggered in his head, that odor, that familiar odor, that disgusting yet familiar odor. As he started to cough and rise out of bed ready to throw up, he realized that somehow, he wound up near Fabus Island.


He looked around as he wiped the specks of vomit and bile from around his mouth, splashing some water over his face. He then called out, "Hello?"


The doctor was ecstatic to see he was up, he was running around shouting, "Oh my! Curtis, sir! You're okay!"

Curtis chuckled a bit, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? What happened? Where is Anna, is she okay?"


The doctor sat Curtis down and started to explain everything, and then finally sent him to the captain to get the letter she'd left for him.


After he read the letter, he knew there was only one thing to do, go to Lavenrunz...

Ooc- linked to this http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=372610&page=13&pp=15



Curtis had been waiting for word to arrive back to him on whether or not the empress would grant him the audience he was seeking. He was hoping that somebody would have asked her by now, he sat there in his bed, looking at the phone, hoping it would ring.

After several hours, the phone rang.

Curtis answered it and said, "Dr. Curtis Fabus speaking, may I ask who is calling please?"

"Good morning, Doctor Fabus." said a male germanic accented voice. "I am Baron Ehrfurt, the Empress' Private Secretary. How do you do, Sir?"

Curtis smiled, "Ah yes, I am good, how are you sir? I take it you are calling with word of my request for an audience?"

"Yes, Doctor Fabus, that is correct. Her Majesty is willing to grant you an audience three days from now at two in the afternoon." the Baron said.

Curtis nodded his head, he had no idea what his schedule was, but whatever it was, he'd just cancel what he had to do for the next week, meeting with the empress would take priority.

He, after a few seconds pause, said, "Very good, very good..."

"Excellent, Doctor Fabus. I wish you a pleasant afternoon then."

Curtis returned the kind words, "And I wish you one as well sir."

"Oh! Doctor Fabus, I was asked to convey a message to you. I'm sure you don't know Field Marshal Prince von Seydlitz, but his Serene Highness wishes to offer his home as a place to stay should you be visiting us for more than the afternoon." said the Baron, sounding slightly embarrassed at his near lapse.

Curtis was quite pleased and a bit flattered by the offer, such kindness he had rarely seen, except in Serbia, Iraq, and Syria. He quickly accepted, "Yes of course, that is... I would be most grateful."

"It will be my pleasure to convey this message to his Serene Highness, who is very much looking forward to meeting you, Sir. Good day." he added pleasantly.

Curtis said his goodbyes, "And a good day to you as well, sir. Thank you for this call, it was most appreciated."

As Curtis' plane came in for the landing, he could see snow on the fields surrounding the airport, and clearly heavy defenses, mostly dug in, with deadly looking anti-aircraft batteries standing out in particular, missile racks full, guns arrayed.

A pretty Lavenrunzian girl with fair hair and freckles, wearing a light blue uniform, approached him and said, "Your Excellency, your plane is about to land...may you enjoy your stay!"

He nodded his head before he spat his tobacco juice out into a spittoon and then took the twist of leaves out of his mouth and spat it out as well, he didn't plan on chewing tobacco in Lavenrunz, he'd heard it was considered less than proper. He took out a golden cigarette holder and a matching gold lighter, both gifts from a foreign leader, he lit up the cigarette with a quick flick of the lighter

The plane came to a slightly bouncy landing, possibly due to ice on the tarmac. A group of soldiers with slung submachineguns wearing greatcoats waited, along with a man in what appeared to be an Astrakhan coat but in a uniform style, with prominent insignia. A couple of younger military officers stood back slightly, and a sleek large black car with a Hum-Vee in front and an armored car in back stood a short distance away

Curtis stepped off the plane the second the stairs were pulled up and linked to it. There was only one guard with him, he said taking more would be an insult to Lavenrunz, but this one guard, he couldn't have gotten this man to leave his side if he tried. The 6'8 tall Arthur Nelson, walked a few feet to the side and behind of Curtis as he walked towards the motorcade of cars that were waiting.

The soldiers snapped efficiently to attention, and a man with graying dark hair, sharp features and steady grey-blue eyes stepped forward, the man in the Astrakhan coat. "Doctor Fabus...welcome to Lavenrunz! I am Field Marshal Prince von Seydlitz, but I hope you will call me Leopold during your stay. It is a pleasure to meet the savior of Mississippi in person."

Curtis nodded his head and promptly saluted the man, giving the Lavenrunzian salute rather than the standard Mississippian straight left-arm salute.

Nelson snapped to attention right away and gave the standard SRG left-arm salute, seeing as it was standard SRG protocol to always give the standard SRG salute, even to foreigners.

Curtis smiled as he said, "Ah, what a nice country this is, Excellency, everybody is so friendly. I shall call you Leopold if you agree to call me Curtis..."

"Certainly. Please..." he gestured to the car, which was a heavy engined thing rather like an old fashioned mercedes.

Curtis walked towards the car, Arthur quickly darted off to get the door for Curtis as Curtis threw a cigarette down on the ground. Arthur had to stop and pick it up, tucking it into a small bag he had with him to put Curtis's cigarette butts into.

Arthur then walked over to the car, ready to open the door for his friend and boss.

Curtis smiled and said, "Ah, Leopold, where are we headed to first?"

"Well...we have a little time and I thought you might like a chance to properly freshen up before your audience." Leopold rapped on the dividing window and his driver nodded and sped away, the two armed vehicles accompanying them. "And I thought you might like to briefly meet my family."

Curtis thought it sounded like a good plan, "Yes of course, that would be quite good, indeed I'd like to meet your family. I don't believe you've met any of my family other than my eldest daughter and my son-in-law, yes?"

"Well...and Peter Stahlecker." said the Field Marshal blandly.

The car swept past the hangars and barracks and briefly through an industrial area.

Curtis shook his head, "He's and I are not related, except if you consider his brother married my daughter, but still, I don't consider Peter Stahlecker a relative."

Curtis then introduced his guard, "Oh, Leopold, how could I forget, this is my personal bodyguard, Captain Arthur Nelson, commander of the Alpha Company of the Curtis Fabus Special Republican Guard Division."

Nelson extended his hand warmly towards Leopold.

"How do you do, Captain." said Leopold, shaking his hand firmly. "And allow me to introduce Lieutenant-Colonel Ostermann, my secretary, and Major Kraftig, my aide-de-camp."

Nelson nodded his head, smiling as he said, "What an honor it is to meet you gentlemen, I am truly honored that you have allowed me here into your country as a guest. I am most grateful."

Arthur briefly explained, "Perhaps you've heard of my father, George Nelson, he was killed in 1984, he was an officer in the National People's Republican Guard..."

"I believe so." said Leopold. "Now it seems we might all find some good stories to share, and I'd like to know as well if you gentlemen care for a bit of hunting." his eyes gleamed, not without a little mischief in them.

Curtis was clearly interested, his smiled showed it, he nodded his head, "Yes, but I'm afraid I didn't bring my double rifle with me... If one of you would be so kind enough as to loan me a weapon, I'm up for a hunt..."

Arthur let out a light laugh, "You sir, for your favorite game, you don't need a rifle..."

Curtis knew what Arthur was talking about, he nodded his head grinning, "Perhaps Arthur, but remember, the gentlemen here might not share in your sense of humor..."

Arthur was quick to apologize, "I'm sorry if I offended any of you..."

The Field Marshal smiled. "I just advise being wary of our Lavenrunzian ladies, who are virtue itself...ah here we are..."

Curtis smiled back, "Ah, yes, so it seems we are indeed here... Shall we then?"

They had been driving into a residential area, and in fact there were a number of fine houses behind rows of snow-covered hedges. One of them, guarded by soldiers, was their destination

The Von Seydlitz family home was comfortable, and though splendid did not seem like a museum or a place of constant formality, though clearly discipline was in place. His two oldest children, a boy and a girl, were home for Christmas and looked proudly self-conscious in their cadet uniforms. The younger children, of which there were two, crowded round, eager and shy before the strangers.

The Princess von Seydlitz, called Sophia, was a gracious handsome woman in her middle years who welcomed Dr. Fabus by saying, "Welcome Sir...while you are here, our home is your home." with a warm smile.

Curtis smiled back, "Ah thank you for your hospitality, is there anything I can do to repay you for such kindness? I mean perhaps you'd like a tank or something, the children might enjoy it?"

"No, these monsters would ruin the gardens and break our hearts." said Sophia firmly. "Though I thank you. Doctor it is simply our pleasure to have you as our guest, and your young gentleman as well."

He took out a small knife, a ballistic knife, the blade was inside the knife, it would fly out and strike a target, up to about 30 feet away, if a button was pressed, but the safety was on. He handed it to her, "Then please accept that, on behalf of your eldest son, he may find it useful in a pinch in combat someday, yes?"

It was common knowledge that Mississippian soldiers often carried at least one ballistic knife, with intelligence operatives carrying several. They were intended as a last resort weapon for close combat.

Young Frederick von Seydlitz's eyes glowed, and he looked at his parents, who smiled indulgently. "Yes, I think so, though of course it will be non-regulation at the Academy. But then..." he said with affection, "If he goes for the Para-Commandos they tend to prefer weapons that work best for them."

The boy blushed but said, with a neat Lavenrunzian bow, "Thank you, your Excellency."

Curtis extended his hand to shake hands with the boy, saying, "No, no, call me Curtis, I'm not a leader anymore, well I am the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, but that's just because my son-in-law felt sorry that I had nothing to do. Retirement was boring and all, well you'll all get there someday, but take your time, enjoy your youth and the chance to serve your nation that you've been give, the chance comes from God you know, He is the giver of all our glorious opportunities to do great things."

The youth nodded. His sister, about 13, looked slightly disappointed but said nothing.

Curtis turned to her, sensing something was wrong, he turned back to the boy, saying, "Ah, I see we need to get your sister something... I know, I have just the thing." Arthur took a copy of Curtis's latest book out from a bag, "Mississippi Twenty Years After 1984: Reflections and Thoughts on my Two Decades of Rule."

He handed the girl the book and said, "Perhaps you'll find this interesting? It's signed by the way."

She flushed and smiled. "Thank you very much Sir." she replied.

He shook his head, "Curtis... Not sir, Curtis. I insist."

Arthur took out a cigarette holder and excused himself to step outside, saying, "I'll be back in a few minutes, is it okay if I smoke outside the front of the house or should I go a distance away?"

"Actually yes." Von Seydlitz glanced at the suddenly chiming clock. "Nearly time for the audience, Curtis."

Arthur had already walked outside and was on his way down a path leading to the road, lighting up after he was about a hundred plus feet away from the house.

Curtis smiled, "Ah yes, so it is... I should go comb my hair a bit and freshen up a bit."

"Frederick, show Herr Fabus the way please." said Leopold. He was in a way being firm about etiquette...and how Lavenrunzian children were raised.

"Yes Papa." said the lad, and said, "This way, Sir..." showing Curtis up the stairs and to the guest bedroom. It had immediate access to the hall bathroom, had a wardrobe, a view of the snow covered garden and a large bed.

Curtis said only, "Thank you Frederick, for showing me the way." before he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

About five minutes later he was ready to go and emerged from the bathroom, his hair, previously messed up by the winds driving the snow down upon the land, was now fixed.

In the hallway, paintings of generations of Von Seydlitzs' glowered down at him...gloomy looking knights, shrewd looking sixteenth and seventeenth century warlords with elaborate batons and glorious looking armor; bewigged courtly soldiers...

Curtis stopped for a few seconds to admit the paintings, they were rather nice renderings, he was impressed.

After looking them over for a few seconds, he proceeded off back to the room he had first been brought into, figuring they'd still be waiting there most likely.

The children were in another room already, and the Field Marshal smiled. "All ready, eh? Shall we?"

Curtis nodded his head, "Yes of course, just one quick question, Leopold. Do you smoke?"

"Yes, I do." he said, "Would you care for a cigar?"

Curtis shook his head, "Oh no thank you, I was just wondering... Because you see..." He took out a golden lighter and handed it to Leopold, "I happened to have an extra lighter, keep that one, consider it my way of saying thanks for your incredible hospitality. You know, that lighter was given to me be Slobodan Milosevic, but he gave me a half dozen, I can part with one."

"Oh, why thank you. What a handsome gift." Leopold examined it with interest. "Don't know the fellow, I'm afraid, but then you come from Earth, after all...things are different in that range of continents, you may find. Thank you indeed."

Curtis smiled, "Ah, he was a good friend of mine from the Balkans... We sent some troops there in the 90s to help in their war with the muslims. Anyway, we should head on out now, yes?"

The snowy streets had been swept by great machines, and so it was easy to see the old fashioned well preserved buildings and iron wrought street lamps in the winter's glow. The Cathedral they passed, however, with its statues of martial looking angels, looked rather new.

Curtis looked out the window as the car passed by, "Hmmm, when was that built?"

"Two years ago. It was rebuilt, actually." replied Leopold. "Our enemies from the Reich bombed parts of Lavenrunz."

Curtis frowned, bombing a holy site, how rotten, "Oh my, they bombed a cathedral? Is there no honor in them?"

"They believed our Church less 'holy' than theirs." said Leopold grimly. "Anyway, they shed enough blood paying for it, by God. We have avenues of peace with them, but we in the military are always wary of them."

Curtis grinned, "Ah, see the thing to do would have been to level their nation the ground and exterminate the lot of them, or displace them, that would have permanently put the question to rest..."

Leopold shrugged. "I am not a policy maker...ah..." before them loomed the Autumn Palace, surrounded by iron gates. A full regiment of Imperial Carabineers in blue greatcoats stood around it, and at each corner was a sandbagged roadblock with an apc. The building within was shaped like a huge U, with two wings surrounding an inner courtyard. A broad boulevard lined with trees led the way in.

Curtis's smile made it obvious he was impressed by the layout of the complex. He didn't say anything other than, "Nice", as he looked out the windows and took in the scenery.

He then realized something important; he'd have to ask, "Leopold, would you mind, hmmm, telling me, overall, what is the empress like? I mean how should I act in her presence? I'm quite familiar as you likely know, with meeting with other leaders, but this is not only my first time meeting her, but also my first time in Lavenrunz, I want to avoid any mistakes that might offend or upset, you know?"

He said thoughtfully, "I will speak candidly to you...the Empress is a very intelligent young woman...and she has been through as much as any in your family, in her way, and so do not underestimate her because of her age. She is also a very lonely person I imagine but that is not something she gives in to in front of others."

Pausing, he considered before further replying. "She will not always know all that a ruler could because of lack of age and experience, but her advisors are well chosen, and only those she trusts a great deal are in her regular counsel. She is moreover always accompanied by several persons. Baroness Toll, Baron Ehrfurt, Colonel Zimmermann, and her she-leopard, Thirty Camelias."

"When meeting her, I advise you to simply treat her as a respected head of state. I will also be present." he added, as their car came to a stop and a group of guards approached. From the way they casually surrounded it, Curtis' military experience told him they were commandos.

Curtis nodded his head, he knew what is was like to be lonely, in 1990 when Julia died, despite all his children and friends, and followers trying their best to comfort him, it did nothing, it just made him feel worthless. After Leopold finished talking, Curtis said, "Ah, I see, well that all sounds most useful, thank you, I shall keep it all in mind when I meet with her."

The Field Marshal nodded as his door was opened, and Curtis noticed that these troops' leader saluted but the others remained watchful though polite and respectful.

Curtis returned the salute, saying, "Hail Victory" more through force of habit than conscious decision.

The palace was clearly not just ceremonial; he could see clerks' offices, a couple of chambers they passed where people seemed to be waiting for meetings. There was a painting on each wall of the hall they passed through, one showing a rather fanciful version of a tank battle, with a rather noble faced fair haired young man in a black tanker's uniform with a skull facing on his lapels, pointing the way for his battalion. The other showed the late Empress in battle dress standing with what appeared to be several generals, conversing with them while soldiers of several nations piled helmets before them.

Curtis stopped again to admit the paintings before he proceeded forward, he would be just on time for the scheduled audience.

He hadn't had a chew in hours and it was starting to bother him, really bother him. But he just pushed that thought to the back of his mind and continued walking, his officer's cap tucked under his left arm.

The room they came to had a bewigged man in an embroidered coat, with red stockings and buckled shoes.

"Here," whispered Leopold, "We have an Imperial under-chamberlain."

The man bowed elegantly and opened the door for them. Curtis noticed that embroidered on the man's sleeves were golden keys.

Curtis whispered to Leopold, "What is the design on his sleeves for?"

"It signifies his service to the Imperial Chamberlain." replied Leopold as they went in. A fair haired buxom young woman in a pretty green dress smiled and said, "Field Marshal, Herr Minister Fabus, the Empress will see you now."

Curtis smiled, "Ah thank you."

The room they came into had a lovely patterned rug on the floor, wood carved furniture of unusual delicacy, and a roaring fireplace. The Empress, a slender girl on the edge of womanhood, about sixteen, with strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, sat on a large chair, wearing a white dress that seemed to suggest she was just covered in flowers. At her feet crouched a baleful eyed leopard, whose muscles bunched and flexed as she sat, her eyeteeth flashing. A green-eyed woman with dark hair in a black and gold uniform stood a discreet distance away. A man in a formal suit stood on the other side of the room near a writing desk.

Curtis stepped forward, stopped a distance away, and bowed, he then came to attention and saluted her, saying, "Hail Empress!"

Von Seydlitz for his part clicked his heels and bowed. The Empress inclined her head and said, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope you had a pleasant journey, Herr Fabus."

He nodded his head, immediately answering, "Yes, of course, and I thank you for your interest in my journey, it was peaceful. And might I add, the reception I've received has been wonderful, your hospitality here in extraordinary."

"I'm very glad to hear it." the Empress had a lovely smile which she bestowed on the Field Marshal a moment. The leopard growled and lashed her tail, but was soothed by a touch on the head and a whispered word from the Empress. "And what brings you to Lavenrunz, Herr Minister?"

Curtis smiled, a bit nervous, but he kept calm as he answered, "Ah yes, the reason for my visit. Perhaps you have learned that I wish to marry the baroness Anna Bennigsen."

"I see. Herr Minister, you do realize that the Baroness is not a widow?" the Empress asked gravely. "She's not a new young bride...and she is a woman of status. I understand that you already have a wife."

Curtis's fears were confirmed, he could immediately tell the empress didn't approve; it was going to be an uphill battle to convince her. So he started by saying, "Well yes, I already do have a wife, and yes I know the Baroness is a widow and a woman of status, but am I not a man of status and a man who was widowed, in 1990... Anyway, isn't the important thing that we love each other?"

She lifted an eyebrow and said, "Oh, but it does matter, Herr Minister. Your family is the leading family of your nation. A marriage between someone of aristocratic title, and related however distantly to the Imperial Family is...not something we can take lightly. And love is also important. If you love her, surely you want to marry her properly?"

Curtis nodded his head, "Yes of course I do, and I see your point, I hadn't considered it from that angle before. A very good point you make... But so you're saying you're not opposed to the idea of my marrying her, just you want it done in the right manner, yes, is that correct, Excellency?"

"Majesty." whispered von Seydlitz.

It was clear, no matter how much he tried to hide his dislike of it, that he didn't like calling a person younger than he, especially a female, anything other than her first name or woman, indeed he had never addressed women in any other manner than their first name (if he knew them) or "woman" (if he didn't know them well).

He had until recently been the leader of the Mississippian federation, holding the power of life and death over hundreds of millions, billions, and here he was, asking, asking, a sixteen year old girl for something. Oh well, it was better to play their games and get along well with them, he didn't mind playing the game, he was good at it, he just didn't like it.

He corrected himself, "Majesty..."

The Empress gave him a warm smile. "Won't you sit down?" she invited.

He quickly sat down, "Thank you, majesty."

"Now: am I right in thinking that you are a Roman Catholic, Herr Minister?" She asked.

He noticed that the young man on the side of the room near the writing desk was taking notes.

Curtis nodded his head immediately saying, "Yes, of course, you are right, majesty. I am indeed."

"That is very good. And do you realize that your eldest child may end up heir to the Baroness' estates here?"

He answered with a question, "Would that be a problem, majesty?"

"If it is not for you, I cannot see that it would be for us." she replied. "Herr Minister, you have my permission to court the lady, and to wed her should she accept."

Curtis smiled, he was pleased, it had gone well. He slowly stood up, bowed, said, "Thank you majesty, I am most grateful." he then snapped to attention, saluted her again, and then left the room by walking backwards, under the impression that she, like the Czar in Mississippi, would consider it an insult for somebody to turn their back on them.

Von Seydlitz, imitating him, confirmed his impression, and they found the door being smoothly closed after them.

Curtis, after exiting the room, turned to Leopold and whispered, "I think that went well, yes?"

"Oh yes, she liked you very much." replied Leopold. "A very good impression." he said with enthusiasm as he returned the salute of a pair of naval officers passing by in the hall.

Curtis looked at his watch, "Ah, it's almost time for the post-lunch brandy, do you in Lavenrunz drink much brandy? We in Mississippi have a sort of custom of having a glass of brandy and a cigar after lunch."

"A good idea...we should have lunch first though. Would you like to go to my club?" he offered. "It has an excellent chef."

Curtis looked down at his watch again, "Ah yes, lunch first, makes sense, of course, let's go then, shall we?"

Although Hofburg, in the south of Lavenrunz, was cold and snowy, being not far from Antarctica, in fact the central region, which was mostly rolling grasslands, was just chilly but had hardly any snow at all. And so as Curtis Fabus and Prince von Seydlitz prepared to go hunting, they did not have to take heavy gear beyond good stout jackets and boots.
A private plane took them to a small airport in the town nearest the Prince's hunting lodge. This was Curtis' first glimpse of rural Lavenrunz, and there were neat but lonely looking farms, mostly with great herds of dark brown cattle, shaggy with the weather. Major bridges and railway crossings were guarded by soldiers.
The lodge itself, a handsome manor house on a bluff, was reached by a gravel road, and in the driveway they could see a few people waiting for them. One of them was Anna Bennigsen, wearing a fur lined overcoat and a fur hat, looking very pretty.

Curtis pulled the earflaps from his surplus Ohio Commonwealth Arctic soldier cap, and he strapped them together, it was a tight fit, but it kept him warm. He just wasn't used to this cold weather.

As they neared the lodge, he saw Anna, he immediately smiled, having to make little effort to do so, despite the fact his face felt frozen from the cold stinging air. Curtis wondered if he should have brought more warm clothing, or a facemask, he figured he’d be okay, they’d probably have one for him if he really needed.

He ran forward, up to Anna, and picked her up in his arms as he kissed her lightly on the lips before setting her back down. He grinned as the words seemed to just come naturally, “Great news Anna! The empress agreed that you ought to be able to marry me.”

Anna smiled faintly and said, "It is good to see you too...and I'm...I'm glad." there was something hesitant in her voice however.

He had a wide smile as he said back, "It is very good to see you, Anna, dear... So tell me, how are things, is something bothering you?"

With a slight nod, she suggested, "Can we take a bit of a walk perhaps?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, sure, anywhere in particular?"

"Why, let's go and take a look at the view." she suggested. Anna seemed relatively unbothered by the cold; in fact she was just wearing a warm sweater, scarf, trousers and boots.

Curtis let her take the lead, and then after it was clear which way she wanted to go, he walked by her side, holding hands with her.

They could see from the rise the valley below, snow dappling the fields and steam coming from the horses they could see near a sheltered feeding trough. Beyond that lay the vista of the gently swelling hills dotted here and there with copses of trees.

Curtis, with his other hand, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, asking, "You don't mind if I smoke, do you? Would you care for one?"

"Curtis...you must understand that my feelings haven't changed, but I am wondering about you. I have been told that you have led a life of enormous license." she paused. "Yes please." she added about the cigarette.

He gently placed a cigarette in her mouth and lit hers first, then his. He shrugged a bit, "A life of license eh... I'm not sure what you mean... Perhaps you'd like to be more open about it... I mean, I'll tell you anything you ask me about."

"You've had many women outside of your marriages and sired many bastard children." she said flatly, looking directly into his eyes.

He nodded his head, he wasn't going to lie to her... He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just said something simple that he then developed more, "Yes, that's true, I don't deny it, we all do things that we'd rather not have, well looking back... I mean, I mean, you know we all do things we probably shouldn't have, but at the time well we didn't see it that way."

"I need to know I'm not going to just be some concubine." she said softly. "Do you understand? I don't normally...just go to bed with men, however attractive. But you seemed so real compared to other people who have flirted with me. I need to know that I will have the first place in your heart." she said, her eyes soft with vulnerability.

He didn't want to lie to her about this either, but he wasn't sure what to say... "Well, Anna, you certainly have a place there, but I would hope you realize my first wife, Julia, the only woman really who was able to get me to how shall we say, settle down, shall always be first... I can't lie about that. But I still love and care deeply for you, but I can't just brush her aside you see..."

"Yes. It will be hard...to share you." she confessed.

He nodded his head, he knew exactly how she felt, he figured this would happen, "Don't worry, Anna, things will work out fine..."

Curtis yawned a bit and then casually said, "Oh by the way, in case you didn't know... My wife, Christine, she's my sister... Are you okay with that?"

Anna looked blank, her face paling, and then her expression twisted in horror. "Curtis...your sister?? How did THAT happen?"

Curtis shook his head, "Hmmm, well, it was 1990, Julia had just died, I tried to kill myself, Christine stopped me... And well, she was the only person who kept me alive for the next four years; it took me four years to get over it, well get over to the point I didn't want to die... You know, from 1990 to 1994 I never left my house, I hardly ate, I lost forty pounds, I only showered about twenty times... I really wanted to die. She kept me alive."

"That sounds like sisterly affection...but marrying her? That's incest!" she exclaimed.

Curtis nodded his head, "It was really her idea... One day, in 1994, she just sort of climbed on top of me, and started kissing me, and one thing led to another..."

Anna snorted. "Ha, I'll bet. God...why didn't you just let it end there?"

Curtis sighed, "I did, we didn't talk about it, or hardly much else, until the late 90s... I basically distanced myself from her, ashamed I gave into her... But then after the mid 90s and my failed relationship with Yuna, I got depressed again... I realized at the time, I wanted to be with Christine, she was good to me, and she needed me, she was depressed as well, so, she sort of moved in at that point."

Anna almost turned away, and then said sternly, "Julia is one thing, but Curtis, your ways would have to change."

Curtis put a hand gently on her shoulder, "Anna... What are you saying?"

"First of all...you would have to agree not to see other women. And second, you would have to agree not to sleep with your sister again." she said in a very firm tone.

Curtis frowned, "No other women? Well that's reasonable... But she's my sister, I love her, she loves me... I just can't tell her to remain celibate the rest of her life, nor could I divorce her, she'd be disgraced... Can't we reach some sort of compromise?"

"Like what?" Anna replied, very much the diplomat rather than the lover at this moment.

Curtis shrugged, he really didn't want to be having this conversation, not anymore, and it would have showed, but he was very good at appearing calm and polite, even when upset, "You know, perhaps we can work out some deal, some sort of schedule system? It'd be the most fair thing, yes?"

"Maybe we're just not compatible. In Lavenrunz no one has more than one spouse, and no one would even think of marrying a sibling. And perhaps I'm not being fair to you, asking that you change your ways when at one time you could simply do whatever you wanted to."

He was shocked by that, her suggesting of their not being compatible held the implication they ought not to be together. He was quick to say, "Well, I don't want to do whatever I want, you know... I mean, you know none of this would have even happened had Julia not been dead from 1990 to 2004... But it has happened, I mean, I don't want you to be unhappy with me, but I can't just toss my sister aside."

"I think I might need to get to know them a little bit. I won't judge a book by its cover. I'm sorry..." she said gently, "But I need to know...you look cold! Are you ill or something?"

He shook his head and worked harder to conceal his shivering, "No... I'm fine, no need to worry..."

"Well, I think I need to pay a private visit...if you are not cold, I think I'm getting there...I'm not wearing as much as you! We should go back to the lodge. Roaring fire, hot chocolate with rum and cream..."

Curtis smiled, "Ah, well then, let us get a going, shall we?"

She smiled at him and took his hand as if to reassure him that it was not that her affections had waned, but that she was simply worried about the information.

Curtis took her hand back in his when she offered it, quite happy that she was obviously not upset at him, or at least she was hiding it well if she was. But he considered himself an expert at reading people; she was happy, happy as ever he'd seen her. And he was happy to, better than happy...

He finished his third cigarette and tucked it away in a small plastic trash bag in his pocket.

He took out a small silver flask from his coat pocket, holding it up to his mouth and tipping it back, taking in some of the brandy. Then he offered it to her, "Want some?" he asked.

"No thank you." said Anna. "We should rejoin the others, don't you think?"

Curtis nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess, unless you'd like to stay out a bit longer? It's up to you though, if you wish to go inside, then we shall..."

"Let's go in." she said, thinking of how vain he must be to deny how cold he obviously was. It made her smile.

He put an arm around her, pulling her close to his body, as he led her back, towards where the others would be.

Anna snuggled against him, and whispered, "I'm glad you're here."

Curtis had a sly grin, smartly replying, "Hmmm, you don't say... I'm glad I'm here too..." He was then quick to add, with a smile, "That is, I'm glad I'm here, with you, of course."

With a laugh she walked up and inside with him, where they found that on top of being nice and warm there was a blazing fire in a large fireplace. There were hunting trophies throughout the room: antelope, bear, wolf, boar, deer and other beasts. Von Seydlitz smiling welcomed them back in.

Curtis shut the door after Anna had entered and then helped her out of her coat and folded it over his arm, doing likewise with his own, thin coat.

He whispered to Anna, "Where should I put the coats?"

A servant came and took the coats discreetly, bowing, and disappeared with them.

Curtis gently took Anna's hand and then led her forward, into the room Seydlitz was in, asking, "So, what are the plans for tomorrow, sir, well perhaps first I should ask, have you any plans?"

"I thought we would see if we can't hunt a bear or two." replied von Seydlitz. "And please. Curtis, it's Leopold, remember?"

Curtis nodded his head, he had forgotten, his memory seemed to be slipping lately. He smiled before replying, "Oh yes, of course, sorry, I must have forgotten... So, Leopold, tell me, is the hunting around here pretty good then?"

"Yes, it is." he replied. "The wild oxen, bears, deer and antelope are very much worth hunting. We tend to stalk, you know, which is a bit dangerous but challenging and interesting. There are also wild pigs but right now they are a source of extra food to the common folk so we leave them alone."

Curtis nodded his head again, trying to pay attention, but he was having trouble focusing on the words, they seemed to sort of slur together, he felt a bit dizzy and tired, he wanted to lay down for a while, he needed to rest. He whispered to Leopold, "Is there somewhere I might be able to rest a while?"

"of course." said Leopold in a voice of concern, and he nodded to one of the servants who led Curtis to a bedroom, and who said softly, "Do you need anything, Excellency?"

Curtis shook his head, saying only, "No..." before he added, "Well, maybe, yes, please, just a glass of water..."

The servant bowed, and in seemingly a short time he had produced a glass of cool water on a tray. "Will that be all, Excellency?"

Curtis smiled and politely said, "Yes, thank you very much... Oh, and call me Curtis, please."

"Yes your Excellency. Have a pleasant rest." the servant said with a bow and a smile.

Curtis had a slight frown, saying, "Ah uh, Curtis... Curtis..."

The servant paused and said in a quiet respectful tone, "And if I call you Curtis...your Excellency...will I be permitted to sit at the table with you and drink brandy and smoke cigars?"

Curtis wasn't prepared for that question, but he didn't see why not, so he smiled before replying, "If you'd really like to, sure why not, you can join me for a drink and cigar, after all, what are nations built upon if not the sweat of the working man, eh?"

"It would not be permitted Excellency. But many thanks. Perhaps I will visit your country someday." he smiled wistfully.

Curtis smiled back, nodding his head, before saying, "Yeah, perhaps, that might be nice... Well anyway, I really need to lay down now, thank you for the water though."

"You are welcome, Excellency. Good night."

About six hours later, Curtis woke up, rubbing his eyes and then his forehead, he felt a great deal better as he turned and let his legs hang over the edge of the bed for a few seconds, before promptly standing up.

There was a knock on the door.

Curtis walked over to the door and whispered, "Hello? Who is it?"

"It's Anna."

Curtis immediately opened the door, and with a smile from ear to ear, ushered her in, saying, "Anna, Anna, come on in..."

Anna came in, she was wearing a robe that did not conceal her voluptuousness at all adequately, and blushing she said, "I'm sorry but I have to tell you something."

He nodded his head, sitting down on the bed, beckoning for her to sit, saying, "Yes, do tell..."

Anna sat down and said, "There's been an incident. In your country."

Curtis yawned and covered his mouth a bit, asking, "What do you mean?"

"One of our countrywomen has been nearly killed in Mississippi." she said, looking at him.

Curtis was shocked, immediately asking, "What do you mean, how did this happen?"

"No one has said outright, but apparently he raped her." said Anna, shuddering. "Governor of Tennessee."

Curtis was shocked, "What, no that can't be... I know the man personally... Surely there must be some reasonable explanation... No, can't be... I'll call him right up and straighten this out..."

Anna put a soothing hand on his arm. "We need to get this cleared up, yes, and if you wish to use the phone Leopold says go ahead. But really, this will create some ill will I'm sure."

Curtis nodded his head, saying, "Yes, I guess so, but nothing that I can't get straightened out, I'm sure of it..." He immediately picked up the phone and dialed Kaltenbrunner's number.

After about ten minutes of talking back and forth, he set the phone down and said to Anna, "Okay, he has a tape of their meeting and the sex, she let him do her up the butt to get a pass to go meet with the Czar, so she could get the story of the year, and then she regretted it and tried to commit suicide, he has the tape to prove it..."

Anna nodded. She looked suddenly revolted, and said, "That's disgusting...what a swine."

Curtis nodded his head, adding, "Yes, what a whore for her to use sex to get political consideration, there is really nothing to get upset about then, is there? She let him do it and she should just be lucky he decided to save her by calling the doctors, rather than letting her bleed to death, you know?"

Anna was thunderstruck. "I thought he asked her for sex."

Curtis shrugged, "Meh, so nobody forced her to agree, you know? I mean she bent over for him, she could have said no, or just left. Or probably just tried to contact the Czar on her own time, and gotten approved to visit, Roger is very understanding about meeting with the press."

With a revolted look, Anna said, "And then just casually cut her own throat?"

She then suddenly yelled, "And did you hear the disgusting things he was saying about my religion and my country? Oh yes,you're a nation of gentleman aren't you?"

Curtis was shocked, she was yelling at him for something somebody else did. He sighed and said, "Calm down Anna, that was him, not me... The man is just an anti-catholic bigot, calm down, please..."

She pointed a finger at him. "Uh huh. So he baited and intimidated her into it, huh? How many other anti-catholic bigots are there in Mississippi? Do you realize, Curtis, that this is not a good recommendation for relations between our countries?"

Curtis sighed, "I know, I know... But please, don't blame me, the man is just a rather how shall I put it, devout Calvinist..."

With a shake of her head, she said, "Curtis, I don't blame you. But honestly...blaming her is simply wrong. On the other hand...I don't want to see a man's career destroyed for a stupid moment."

Curtis shook his head, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to Hans, Roger won't care at all..."

Anna remarked, "On the other hand, some who don't want Mississippian relations will have a field day."

Curtis frowned, not knowing what to say, "Yeah, but it's really not Mississippi's fault, don't worry, we'll be able to deflect all the blame on the woman in question."

"On one of our countrymen, who insulted our Empress?" she said in a soft but rather cold voice. "You'd better think again."

Curtis shrugged, "He's still a Mississippian, besides, we'll naturally have to side with him first, you know? Anyway, the woman does indeed sound like a whore to me."

Anna said softly, "Then I'm a whore. Because I let you seduce me." she rose majestically, her eyes fiery, and said, "Think about that a moment. I was prepared to be a whore for those Brazilians to save your life."

Curtis shook his head, standing up immediately, tugging gently at her arm, wanting her to sit back down. He immediately said, "No, Anna, no... Don't talk like that, besides, do you know what I endured so that you wouldn't have to? You were there, remember?"

"Yes, and you were unconscious and oh Curtis what they were going to do to you..." tears flooded her eyes. "I would have done anything to save you as well."

Curtis shook his head, putting his arms around her and patting her on the back before gently rubbing her back, whispering, "Don't worry, Anna, don't worry... It's okay..."

Anna sighed, and leaned into him. She wasn't sure what to do, but she felt very strongly that his idea of an approach was wrong. She was furious with him, and yet she was very aware of how much she enjoyed having, after so long, someone bigger than her put his arms around her.

Curtis kissed her lightly on the cheek and then the forehead, as he moved a hand slowly through her hair, asking, "Will you be okay, Anna?"

She nestled against him and said, "Yes, I will. Oh Curtis...I want to get married so much."

Curtis smiled at that, saying, "Yes, I do too... But one thing, we can't get married in the Catholic Church, you understand right? I mean they just outlawed the religion in Mississippi... I was thinking I'd convert to Orthodox, since it's similar, you know?"

Anna was aghast. "But then I'd be disinherited in Lavenrunz!" she exclaimed.

Curtis shrugged a bit, "Well, I have lots of land in Mississippi... You'll be content with some of that, right?"

Anna hit him, though not with intent to hurt him. "How insensitive can you be? The land belonged to my ancestors."

Curtis frowned, she had a good point, "Well... I'm sorry, I didn't think of it that way... Say, perhaps we can talk to your empress, I know Roger is about to offer a large money deal, I can get him to cancel the deal if she doesn't agree to let your keep your lands, eh?"

"You want to...try to coerce the Empress?" said Anna, who was breathtaken by his audacity.

He shook his head, "Oh, no, not at all, just, use convincing diplomacy.... You know, this is how things work behind the scenes, you know that, right?"

"I'm a diplomat." she said tartly.

Curtis nodded his head; saying in a tone that revealed he didn't liked being told the obvious, but politely so, "Yeah, I know... And you also know I conducted all major Mississippian diplomacy for nearly twenty years... I know how things work in the public eye, and then I know how things really work, behind the scenes."

"The Empress won't like it." she predicted. "And I know she doesn't like your country's anti-Catholic stance."

Curtis grinned, stating his trump card, "Ah, but if she wants to like our money we offer, and the oil we offer, she'll have to learn to accept our country and just deal with it... Eh?"

Anna said, staring at him, "It is YOU people who want good relations and are asking them of us. Remember?"

Curtis sighed, "Hey, I remember, but if the empress wants our money and oil, she'd better be willing to be flexible on a few issues, you know?"

Anna was dumbfounded. She had never heard a foreigner speak about the Empress this way. Reverence or hatred but never casualness. "We'll see." she said. "I need to have a shower now."

Curtis shook his head, grinning, "How about you wait a while, I've got a few things in mind first and you don't want to have to shower twice, do you?" he kept his grin the whole sentence.

With a roll of her eyes she said, "I'll be brushing my teeth." she flushed just a bit, giving him a glimpse of the soft invitation in the gap of her robe before heading out.

Curtis yawned a bit and laid down on the bed, waiting for her to finish in the bathroom.

bump for more to read, come on you all, start IMing and TGing with comments, questions, suggestions, etc. :)