Bruno stepped foot off the docks at Hamburg, gazing upon the thriving German city with a warm smile on his face. The fresh autumn air of the fatherland was truly a miracle to behold. Any thoughts he previously had about that which he had done in Mukden immediately vanished.
Instead replaced by a daydream of what would happen when he stepped foot in the doors of his humble manor. Of course, he could not immediately visit his family, as he had been summoned to Berlin by the Kaiser himself. An honor which he could not refuse, no matter how much he might wish to do so.
Because of this, Bruno hopped on the first train to the capital of the German Reich, a city which he had grown up just outside in his family’s estate. Hours passed as the old steam engine toiled away to make sure the cart made its way to the Capital city.
Meanwhile, Bruno enjoyed a cup of coffee by the wait staff of the cart, all while smoking out the window. Though he knew the dangers associated with nicotine, Bruno wasn’t of the mind to care. There was one thing that could calm his nerves, in and out of the field, and that was a long drag from a cigarette.
As he sat there in uniform, with his field cap placed on the table in front of him. A young child ran up to him, having seemingly escaped from his parents’ watch. The boy was no older than eight, but he gazed upon Bruno’s uniform, and the insignia upon his collar.
Surprisingly, the boy recognized the symbol as belonging to a high-ranking officer. He immediately threw up his best attempt at a salute while silently looking upon Bruno as if he were a superhero. Bruno remained stoic as he responded to the boy in kind.
Though he was not obligated to salute a civilian, an act that could be considered offensive by some veterans. Bruno simply did so as a means of not dashing the young boy’s hopes. This caused the boy to run off with a wide smile to his parents, where Bruno could overhear him bragging to them.
“Mommy! Daddy! The General saluted me!”
The parents looked over at Bruno with bemused expressions as the man himself nodded to them silently before returning to his newspaper. News of Lenin’s return to Russia and the beginning of the revolution were the natural headlines.
Which immediately spurred Bruno’s interests in the developments which followed his victory in Manchuria. After reading the entire passage attributed to the ongoing war in the Russian Empire, Bruno placed his newspaper to the side, and a put out his cigarette in the ashtray. Choosing to spend the rest of his journey to Berlin gazing upon the German countryside.
In the coming decades, most of these ancient buildings that appeared as if they were straight out of some kind of fantasy world would be utterly destroyed. The World Wars had exacted a toll on the German Nation and its people that they never fully recovered from. Well, this would be the case had Bruno still been living in his past life.
Still, it would be a shame for such marvelous architecture, which until this new lease on life, Bruno had only seen in old photos from a bygone era to once more disappear from this world.
And because of this, Bruno vowed never to let the fatherland come under the assault of enemy forces. For the history of the German people and the marks they had left upon the Earth were much too precious to disappear from this world.
Eventually, the train pulled into Berlin, where Bruno once more placed his cap upon his golden head before departing from the train car. Taking one last look at the boy and his family as they travelled off through the peaceful and prosperous streets of the German Reich and its mighty capital.
Naturally, there were several other men waiting in uniform with an automobile to take Bruno to the Kaiser’s palace. These soldiers had far more fanciful and quite frankly superfluous uniforms when compared to the more simple infantry general’s attire, which Bruno wore.
They were, after all members of the Leibgarde, in other word’s the Kaiser’s personal bodyguard. And because of this, they had some of the flashiest looking uniforms in the entire German Military.
The leader of the small group of men quickly saluted Bruno, and explained his reasoning for waiting for him, even though it was obvious to anyone who knew about Bruno’s circumstances.
“Generalmajor, my men and I have been tasked with escorting you to the Kaiser’s palace. If you will follow me…”
Bruno silently nodded, handing over his bags to the Leibgarde soldiers, who packed them in the trunk of one of several automobiles that had been prepared for the journey. After which, Bruno stepped foot in the largest and most lavish of which, or more specifically in its passenger compartment.
Automobiles had progressed rather substantially over the last decade. Especially with Bruno’s investments in both the German and American automotive industries. What were once mere carriages with a motor attached had in many ways begun to resemble the cars of the future which Bruno was far more acquainted with.
Granted, they weren’t exactly the Ford Model T’s that would revolutionize the transportation industry starting in 1908, which was a mere four years away. But they were still a close approximation to the early designs.
As Bruno sat in the passenger seat, a common issue that had begun to affect him since he first led the charge in 203 Meter Hill revealed itself once more. His hands began to shake, not necessarily as a means of a neurological disorder, but rather as a Psychogenic Tremor, which was a clear indication that he was suffering from some form of PTSD.
Even though he had just smoked a mere hour before, Bruno fumbled into his coat pocket and succeeded in pulling out a pack of cigarettes, where he began to smoke again. It was only after he had taken a long drag from the device and exhaled the puff of smoke out of the “window” of the automobile did these shakes stop.
Eventually, the automobile pulled through the gates of the Kaiser’s palace, where Bruno was escorted inside the building. It had been many years since Bruno last stepped foot inside this luxurious home.
In fact, if memory served correctly, he was still a teenager at the time. By now, a decade had come and gone since that fateful night. And as Bruno gazed upon the familiar paintings in the main hall while reminiscing about his youth with a nostalgic smile on his face he heard a young and feminine voice call out to him.
“I know you! You’re the Knight who dueled a Prince for the honor of a lady!”
Bruno had spoken before he turned around to look at whoever had said such an absurd statement, correcting her without even understanding who he was speaking so casually with.
“Oh, I am by no means a knight, nor was the woman whose honor I defended a lady. At least not at the time, but thank you for –”
When Bruno finally turned around and gazed upon the adolescent girl speaking to him, he felt compelled to slap himself across the face. After all, the young girl on the cusp of her teenage years was none other than Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia whose second birthday a mere decade prior was the event which she was speaking of.
Bruno immediately apologized for his informal language, with a slight bow of his head and a hand over his heart.
“My apologies your Highness… I spoke out of turn without knowing your identity. Please forgive me.”
The young princess seemed genuinely interested in Bruno, especially after noticing the tabs on his collar which signified his status as the German Army’s youngest general.
“No apologies needed… General. It was my own fault for ambushing you with such a conversation. Besides, I don’t really remember the day in question, only that my father frequently spoke of it with excitement when I was a little girl…”
Bruno couldn’t help but smile as the young princess who was acting as if she was all grown up. He couldn’t stop himself from making a remark that he probably shouldn’t have, considering the adolescent girl’s status.
“With all due respect, your highness.. But you’re still a little girl from the perspective of us adults…”
This immediately caused the Princess to drop her “mature” façade, and pout as she turned away from Bruno with her arms crossed. Saying something or another beneath her breath before running off.
“And here I came searching for you to spoil what father has planned…. But fine, if you’re going to be like that, then walk into it with ignorance!”
The girl genuinely seemed angry as she stormed off in a hissy fit. This was an act that Bruno couldn’t help but chuckle at upon witnessing her childish behavior, which was more than fitting for her age. Shortly thereafter, someone else approached him. This time it was General von Schlieffen, who Bruno immediately saluted, as the man ushered him to come along with him.
“Generalmajor, it is good to see you return from Manchuria unharmed. I see you are sporting the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun? As expected, after all, Emperor Meiji has spoken quite highly of your achievements in the field.
I am quite proud to announce that because of your efforts a formal military alliance has been brokered between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. But that’s enough for mere pleasantries. Come quickly, the Kaiser has been waiting for your arrival for some time.”
Frankly, Bruno had no idea why he was invited to the Kaiser’s palace immediately upon his return to the Fatherland. But there were only two possibilities he could think of. Either he was receiving some kind of additional reward for his actions in Manchuria, or there was the dreadful possibility that he was being punished for something he was entirely unaware of.
Regardless of the outcome, he planned to meet his fate as it came to him, and thus put on a stoic expression as he stepped forward to greet whatever awaited him like a man.
