Chapter 17

A couple of weeks after their tournament, everything in Bickenstadt province was running smoothly. Jean’s infrastructure plans were ahead of schedule, mostly due to his excellent administrative work and personal oversight and guidance of the worksites. The economy was doing well, pearls from the clams native to the city of Bickenstadt were extremely sought after within the Empire as well as abroad in the Assai’id confederation, as were the clams themselves. And a relatively new stimulant was recently created, also in Bickenstadt city, colloquially named “Parm” that was taking off. All the Baron needed to do is roll that industry into the state and he will have another excellent avenue for making money. A far less moral source of revenue than most, but immorally gained Reiksgeld spent just as well as normal Reiksgeld. But, despite the excellent state of things, the Baron was having trouble sleeping as of late.

He was wandering the halls of his castle, no matter how many times he walked through the halls he couldn’t believe he owned all of this, let alone that he was the most powerful man in the country aside from the Empress herself. But, possibly one of the best things about his new situation was the night sky. Growing up in a big city, he never knew he was supposed to see so many stars, and he never imagined he was supposed to see the milky way itself.

“I guess it’s not the milky way here, is it?”

The Baron muttered to himself as he stepped onto the veranda.

“Milky way?”

Said a voice from the veranda. The Baron looked over, briefly startled, before calming down as he realized it was just Fergus.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there. What are you doing up so late?”

Fergus took a sip from his glass and smiled.

“Same reason yer up, probably.”

Fergus offered the Baron a glass, which he accepted happily.

“Well, you know how it is. So what are we drinking here?”

“Cognac! Never ‘ad it before, it‘s kinda good, if I’m bein’ honest.”

“Your accent is improving very rapidly, I’m truly impressed.”

Fergus poured Cognac in the Baron’s glass, filling it to the brim. The Baron looked at it trepidatiously. Cognac is pretty strong if I recall correctly…

“Well, Jean’s accent is pretta good...makes me feel kinda weird bein’ ‘ere so long and still ‘avin’ such a thick accent. And Ludwin’s a pretty good teacher! Though...I’m kinda inconsistent ‘bout it.”

The Baron was still eyeing his Cognac, wondering if he was willing to down the whole glass.

“No need to feel inadequate, I find it quite charming, personally. Though I guess that’s kind of patronizing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I know ya mean no offense by it, but im not lookin’ ta be charmin’. I’m a warrior an’ aye want tae be taken serious.”

“You know, I could find you a speech therapist if you want. My pockets have been getting even deeper lately on account of the new drug going around, among other things.”

“Nah, I’m ‘appy enough with Ludwin. ‘Es doin’ a great job so far.”

The Baron finally took a sip of his Cognac. It wasn’t as alcoholic as he feared, it might even be too low to legally be considered Cognac. Which was fine, Fergus had given him a lot.

“Well I suppose that’s true, it’s only been a week and I can hear a huge improvement.”

“Aye, but aye donnae think it’s good enough…”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, Jean still cannae understand meh.”

“Don’t mind him, Elves have trouble with all accents, especially the older ones.”

“Well...Empiresmen still donnae treat me right. A lota powerful folk write meh off for bein’ a foreigner.”

“Their opinions don’t matter, the old guard will never change their ways. though I guess I count as part of the old guard don’t I? I’ve always been a progressive, though, and they have always opposed me. I suppose that’s just the way the world works at the moment.”

“Aye, but it don’t make meh feel any better. I just wish we could replace ‘em faster.”

“Well, I can’t disagree with you there. If only our system wasn’t hereditary, maybe we could get some better men in high positions.”

Fergus closed his eyes for a moment, lapsing into deep thought.

“Ya know Baron...you’re pretty powerful now…”

The Baron looked over at Fergus, his eyes were seeking approval, looking for a sign to continue.

“Why yes I am...quite powerful...I am...not used to the stars looking so beautiful…”

Fergus looked to the sky like the Baron was.

“What do ya mean ‘not used tae?’”

“You know...looking at the stars makes me think...perhaps change isn’t so bad. The stars...never looked so beautiful before. I never knew the sky wasn’t black. I’m quite enjoying this change. Perhaps I’ll enjoy others.”

“What do ya mean ya didnae know the sky wasnae black?”

“Well…”

“What are you two doing up so late?”

Both men jumped as they realized another figure was standing behind them.

“Wolfgang! Don’t sneak up on people like that, it’s bad for the health, both yours and theirs!”

“Yeah yeah. So what are you two talking about?”

“Oh you know, lamenting the state of the world. Cognac?”

The Baron offered him an empty glass.

“Don't mind if I do.”

Wolfgang took his glass and took a seat next to the two men.

“So, what exactly is keeping my father and the great Berzerkeri up at night? Surely it has to be of great importance.”

“Well, you know how things never seem to change? All of the men in power stay in power, and the men at the bottom stay at the bottom. It’s quite frustrating if you ask me.”

Wolfgang stopped pouring his Cognac and looked up at the Baron, eyebrow raised.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but that’s quite a dangerous train of thought. Our Empress does not take kindly to dissidents.”

“Aye, but we never been keen on stayin’ safe, ‘ave we?” The Baron nodded his sagely.

“Audaces Fortuna Iuvat.”

“Fortune Favors the Bold, one of the better sayings of the Brayherds, but I think it goes deeper than that, for you, father. What reason do you have for thinking like this?”

“I have lived my whole life in power, I admit, but I have been warming up to more...egalitarian ideals as of late.”

“You have always been interested in egalitarianism, ever since the Elves started their great experiment over 200 years ago those ideas have become more and more popular. I just don’t see why now you suddenly believe in them enough to begin thinking about overthrowing the Empire.”

“Woah now, slow down, we never said we would overthrow the Empire, just that it seems unjust is all.”

“You know as well as I that powerful men like you do not simply ‘entertain the notion’ of overthrowing the system...you are getting quite old, aren’t you? Do you simply wish to leave your mark on the world?”

“Don’t ya think you’re bein’ a bit harsh to your da? Do ya think it so unlikely that ‘e cares for the common man?”

“Unlikely? Yes. I do believe it is unlikely. Putting them in power would mean taking our power away. Aristocrats like us do not tend to fare well when people want them gone, the Elves have shown us that.”

“Yes, I admit, I do want to leave my mark on the world. But is that so wrong? Can I not wish to make my mark and change the world for the better? You know I have been a lifelong progressive, I have gone to great lengths to instill in you my progressive thought. The elves' current system has fascinated me for a long time. Of course I thought it ludicrous to attempt their system here, there could be a fundamental difference in thought or psychology in the minds of man and elf that would make their system unviable here, though I truly doubt that. But, recently I had a thought. If I’m afraid of adopting their system because it may not work, why not simply make it work? We could change their system to fit our situation. As I’m sure you know, I do care about people. Not just rich aristocratic people, I care about all people. I wouldn’t have raised you the way I have if that were not true. You’ve seen the budget reports, you know how much we spend trying to improve our people’s standards of living. Is it such a stretch to believe that I wish to extend that standard of living to more than the people of Bickenstadt, and Holenstadt now I suppose, but for all the people of the Empire?”

Wolfgang downed the contents of his glass and looked to Fergus.

“Well...what are your reasons?”

“You should bloody well ken why aye want tae overthrow everything. The Empire is just a step away from tryna annex and incorporate mah people like they did ta so many others. And yer Empress doesnae regard us as equals, she called meh ‘the Baron’s pet from Orkney.’ Aye will never forget tha’. Those words keep playin’ over in mah mind, it’s drivin’ meh crazy!” Wolfgang rubbed his chin in thought for a moment.

“Well then, that’s fair enough. I accept your reasons and throw my support behind you both.”

“...wait. That was it? That's all we needed to say to convince you?”

“Of course. You of all people should know my politics, seeing how you instilled your own values in me. While I do favor stability over change, the prospect of moving the world in a more egalitarian direction is quite tempting. You’re right, father, your lessons did teach me to believe in the worth of the common man.”

“So...yer in?”

“Of course. If this was just about making your mark, well I may have reported you to the Empress. I see no reason to ruin the stability of the Empire and potentially kill thousands of good men over your pride, but if you’re doing it for a better future, well, who am I to say no?”

Wolfgang looked over his shoulder briefly and smiled.

“Hypothetically, of course.”

“Of course! Well then, hypothetically, what do you think we should start with?”

“Well...I’d say you need to build up allies, a base of support. The Empire is held together by a few threads, easy to sever, hard to maintain. Unless a rabble rouser were to go snipping those threads...well the Empire could last for possibly another 50 to 100 years.”

“Interesting, well, what would you say those threads are?”

Wolfgang took a sip of his newly poured Cognac and went deep into his own thoughts.

“There are a couple of provinces that I believe could easily be convinced, those provinces being Holenstadt, Waffenstadt, and Bickenstadt. Bickenstadt is our province, so we have that. All we would need to do is stop shutting down secessionist groups and start recruiting them. For Holenstadt we would-”

“Oh, Holenstadt is taken care of. I have been thinking about this for some time now. I have talked with the ruling families of Holensburg and I have told them to stand by, I am sure they got my meaning. If we need them to mobilize they will. All we need to do is give the word.”

“Oh my. Well that saves some time. The last province easy to convert would be Waffenstadt. They are very similar to us, with secessionist groups running rampant throughout the province. The Baron of Waffenstadt, Ingo von Waffenstadt, is either very receptive to secession or unbelievably incompetent, and having met with him personally while you were off playing soldier I would have a hard time believing in the latter explanation.”

“Well then, shall we pay a visit to Waffenstadt soon?”

“I am not sure about that. Since Waffenstadt will most likely be very easy to ally with, I say we should try to convince the harder targets first. We can’t rebel against the Empire with just three provinces, and almost all others have a very high opinion of the Empire. Liebenstadt would have been an easy mark if the prince hadn’t raised the flag of rebellion and gotten so many of their political dissidents killed. I believe we need to give it time before we attempt anything in Leibenstadt. This may sound odd, but I believe we need to look abroad first.”

“Tae the Elves?”

“No, that would be too obvious, the Empress would have a much easier time justifying real action against you. I believe we should move South East towards Caprae Loco and the Brayherds.”

“Not to Fergus’s native Orkney?”

“I believe we should test our luck with the harder marks before we move on to the easier ones, if we can’t get help from the Brayherds or the Orcs then I believe any large scale effort on our side would be doomed to fail. The maximum number of provinces we could realistically convert, and by ‘convert’ a province I mean convince the Baron of said province to raise arms against the Empire, is four. Four provinces cannot hold out against the might of the other nine. The order I believe we should recruit allies in follows thusly: Caprae Loco, Orcland, Orkney, Waffenstadt, and finally, the Elves. Does this make sense to all of you?”

“Yes it does, but what doesn’t make sense is how you were able to come up with something so detailed on the fly. Have you considered this beforehand?”

“No, I haven’t. This order of business just makes the most sense to me, logistically and politically. From the Empress’s perspective, you have to be a threat. You are extremely powerful and extremely popular. If I watched my biggest threat systematically go to provinces where I am unpopular, then I would become very suspicious.”

“I feel I should inform you, the Empress offered me a deal, let me in on a plan to split the Empire in half to save resources and manpower. I told her I would consider it, but obviously I plan to decline her offer. She shouldn’t be too eager to make any overt moves against me.”

“That is excellent, but I still think my plan is best, in fact, in that case it may work even better. If we could act more brazenly and arouse less suspicion in her mind, then we may be able to win any conflict much quicker and shed far less blood than if she is prepared for it.”

“Still...startin’ with tha Brayherds? Ain’t that a little weird?”

“Exactly, it is the move we would be least likely to do if we were planning on rising up, mostly because it is a poor move. Unless she is expecting us to do something unexpected, then she would at most be confused. While you are abroad in Caprae Loco I will think of the most disarming excuse I can for why you are there. Does that sound good to both of you?”

“I have no better ideas”

“Aye.”

“Well then, tomorrow I will begin preparations for you to depart. Depending on the response of the Brayherds, you should be able to move in a month's time. Who do you wish to bring with you?”

“I want Fergus and Udo to come with me. In the meantime I want to send Ludiwn back to Bvarian province to gauge how they feel about the Empress.”

“Have you told Ludwin or anyone else about your plans?”

“Oh...no I haven’t. You two are the first.”

“Well then, who do you think would be the most receptive to your message or willing to rebel?”

“I would start with Ludwin, Udo, or Helmut. They are all far more loyal to me than they are to the Empire. Same with Jean, he most likely has no love for the Empire, and has contacts to the Elves that could be very useful. Hans is very questionable. I saw during our meeting with the Empress that he is truly loyal to her and the Empire. He also seemed very uncomfortable with Jean, even though they have yet to meet. I believe he has bought into all the propaganda against Elves, he may be a true believer.”

“You should consider letting him go then, before he can catch wind of any of our plans.”

“Aye, that seems wise. Never really liked ‘im tha’ much.”

“Yeah, but that seems a bit...much. That feels like I’m betraying him.”

“Well, you are. But this is bigger than him. This is more important than fairness and honor. If you feel too bad about firing him, give him a generous apology gift. Take care of his family, he cares very deeply about them.”

“Yes, of course. It’s only fair. He has done good work for me.”

“More importantly than all of this, tell me, do you have a plan for the government you plan to prop up?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. It should work a little something like this...”