Second Scion

June 2214 AD - San Francisco, Reconstruction Capital of the United Pacific States of America

Temporary Capitol Building: Old De Young Museum

From outside the door of what was once museum offices, can be heard occasional shouting interspersed with short periods of deafening silence. Several aids and assistants anxiously pace back and forth as they await their seniors' exits from the conference room at the end of a long hallway full of temporary desks.

These were the most recent in a series of peace talks between the various North American balkanized nations. The United Pacific States of America, the Rocky Mountain Commonwealth, the Greater Texas Republic, Heartlandia, the Free Appalachian States, the Atlantic Union, and the Democratic Republic of Dixie all sent emissaries to the table in hopes of finally finding a workable solution to the current tensions.

Inside the conference room sat 14 representatives around a large round table. Two for each nation plus the two open seats for those who were moderating the talks. The representatives wore various levels of formalwear ranging from suits and ties to full military dress uniforms. They waited for the day's conference to begin while whispering to their partners about strategies, demands, and more. 

In an anteroom next to the conference, two men dressed in regal accoutrements were going over the day's agenda one last time. One of them, clearly a military veteran with the scars on his face to prove it, was dressed in the usual burgundy pants and crimson jacket of formal Imperial wear. His chest was adorned with almost every possible award that could be earned by a member of the German Imperial Army. Every single member of the delegation have recognized his service record and give him the utmost respect. Next to him sits a young man, dressed in a silk weave beige shirt with gold accents and burgundy pants made of similar material. A dark crimson cape draped on his shoulders signifies that this man was no mere imperial negotiator. He was nobility. 

The veteran sat in silence as his younger counterpart looked over the electronic tablet in his hands. "I think this is perfect, General. Our goal today should be to get Dixie and Texas to agree to both economic and military pacts with Heartlandia, FAS, and the AU. If we can do that, then the continental east will be secured."

The old man nodded and began stroking his white and grey bearded chin, "Yes, however, it will be difficult with the Pacific States wanting to disrupt any alliances that leave them out. And even the Rocky Mountain Commonwealth will be itching for a taste from Dixie and Texas. How do you plan to keep them satisfied, Your Highness?"

"Hmmm, I think that we can offer scientific support. They have been asking for help building hydro-electric dams for a few years now. My father did give me permission to put that on the table. I almost mentioned it yesterday when the UPSA reps were complaining about their infrastructure being bombarded in the war. However, the timing didn't fit. Let's keep that in our back pocket if the west doesn't play nice."

The General nodded and looked at a holographic clock on the wall, it's time Your Highness. Shall we?" The young scion nodded and both men stood up and walked towards the door. They assumed their proper positions.

General Schulz opened one door with a smooth military exactness, clicked his heels and turned to the other door and did the same. He then turned to the open doorway and said in a loud booming voice, "All rise for the arrival of His Highness, Sigmund Werner von Bismarck! Second in line to the seat of Hereditary Chancellor and son of Bernard Siegfried von Bismarck! He acts on authority of both the crown and the scepter! Now, bow!"

The representatives gave a shallow bow as Sigmund entered the room. As every other day, the reporters had gathered in the rooms corner's and flashes of camera light blinded all in the room. Once at their seats, Sigmund motioned to everyone to sit down. The flashes died down and he began to speak, "Trusted advisors and emissaries of the American nations, let us begin our 4th and hopefully final day of this peace summit. My hope is to reach a peaceful conclusion to the last few years of unfortunate wars between you all. It has brought many a tear to the eyes of our honored citizens. I have a proposal...."

A portly man wearing a suit and tie stood up suddenly. His name tag read Earl Street of the RMC. He interrupted Sigmund with a brusque voice, "We have sat here for three full days arguing back and forth about everything under the sun! All of us came to this table because YOUR EMPEROR promised favorable conditions if we did. And YOUR FATHER also promised to remove German peacekeeping troops from our soils. Yet, you yourself have not brought up those promises once! Why are we even here if we're not going to get what was promised us?"

Those around the table began murmuring amongst themselves as a woman stood up wearing a navy pantsuit. Her name tag read Miranda Leeds of the UPSA, "I have to agree with Mr. Street. I and my associate both assumed the talks would be further along than they currently are. The fact is, we only stopped fighting each other because your Imperial Army forced us to stop. Which, leads us to a serious question that we all deserve an answer to: just HOW exactly did the German Empire get troops so deeply into the continent without detection from our own warning systems?" She reached down and tapped her tablet. A hologram began to shine above the table showing the North American continent. The graphic showed places where German troops showed up in key battles and forced both sides to surrender. 

St. Louis, Colorado Springs, Texarkana, Biloxi, Ft. Lauderdale, Plymouth, and San Francisco. All of them saw sudden German numbers suddenly out of nowhere. Sigmund looked at the General who gave a stern and worried look back.

"That's not all." A gentle voice spoke which prompted all the heads of the room to turn towards the middle aged man whose name tag read Joseph Randalls of Dixie. "Up to now, we've been operating under the assumption that this was an Imperial humanitarian mission of yours. But I have received word from our intelligence operatives that your people have been in contact with the Republic of Texas. Something about an exchange of technology for access to rare earth metals found in Big Bend. This sounds like a conflict interest on your part, huh? Your Highness?" He taps his tablet and an email is shown which details a deal between German Empire scientists and RoT mineral companies in exchange for wireless energy tech. Sigmund feels his heart drop when the email address is clearly from the office of the Chancellor. His idiot father!

He takes in a quick breath and begins with a smile, "Please, please, not all at once. Let's address this in turn, no? Mr. Street, it is my belief that war is a complete waste of human ingenuity. That's why I'm here. I wish to see an end to these bloody skirmishes that have claimed to many promising futures! And Miss Leeds, I understand the mystery of how our peacekeeping troops entered American airspace is a baffling one. I assure you that I, myself, am just as in the dark as you are. I give my word that I will investigate this matter and get back to you as soon as I have any relevant information. And I didn't forget you esteemed Mr. Randalls! I can say with utmost integrity that I was completely unaware of any communique between my father's office and any individuals in the Republic of Texas. Had I known, it would have been brought up by myself in these proceedings and discussed. I will also investigate this matter and be sure to do so with the highest levels of transparency I can officially muster."

The three belligerents seemed satisfied with Sigmund's answers and sat down. For the next several hours, everyone spent their time listing demands and countering offers. However, Sigmund was unable to truly focus after such revelations. The day ended in failure and agreement to meet yet another day was reached. They adjourned at 5pm and each went back to their various hotel encampments for the evening. 

General Schulz and Sigmund retired to their rooms right there in the De Young building. They were modest accommodations but they were secure. Peacekeeping troops stationed outside gave them both a chance to rest.

After dinner, the two met in the central room of their suite to discuss their next moves.

"Well, Your Highness, today couldn't have gone worse. I'm deeply sorry for being unaware of such developments. I will reprimand the Intelligence Service for not doing their jobs!"

"No need, General. I'm at fault here for not knowing what my IDIOT father was doing. I also didn't anticipate the delegate's impatience today. My inexperience is showing isn't it, my teacher?"

The old veteran smiled, "Only a tad, my young pupil. You deftly handled the sudden outbursts today. In time we'll be able to ans..." He stopped and glanced towards the door with a concerned look. "Are you expecting late night company, Your Highness?"

Sigmund's pulse quickened, "No sir, we're not. Why?"

The General stood up and drew the holstered firearm at his side. He silently pointed to Sigmund's room and the young scion acted without hesitation. He was accustomed to following such commands when security was compromised. Before he could reach his room the door to the hallway on the left exploded inwards as wooden shards sprayed through the air. 

Three figures clad in black tactical armor, covered faceplates, and what appeared to be smooth  sheen-black helmets walked in with rifles at the ready. Before any of them were able to open fire a blue beam of light streaked across the room. Lightning arced around the bolt as it flew true into the chest of the center figure. Smaller arcs skirted across his entire body as he convulsed. A clear hole was burned entirely through his torso and he fell to the ground dead just as quickly as he entered the room.

Without skipping a beat, the other two opened fire as bullets whizzed through the air around Sigmund and Schulz. They quickly ran for Sigmund's room and slammed the door.

"Who are they?!" Sigmund shouted.

"I'm not sure. They aren't wearing any insignias. The real question is how did they get past our troops stationed outside?" His firearm gave a low pitch beep to signify that it had cooled and was ready for the next shot. "Listen, you need to get to Land's End. It's not far from here. We have a node there..." Bullets streamed through the door as the two took cover behind furniture.

"We have a node??! How? When? Why wasn't I made aware of this?" Sigmund angrily screamed over the din of gunfire.

The General turned and fired a blast into the wall opposite the door, exposing the night sky beyond it and the faint glow of street lamps around Blue Heron Lake just below. "Go! Your Highness must reach the node! I will explain more later! For now, jump!" He turned around and aimed his firearm at the quickly deteriorating door. "Go!" He screamed with desperation.

Obediently, Sigmund ran and jumped through the hole in the wall. As he fell he could hear the sound of gunfire intensify just before he felt himself land back first into a tree. Scrambling, he managed to grab onto a thin branch to slow his fall but it snapped and he groped for another lifeline. He was able to just barely hold onto a lower branch as it bent under his weight and then broke when he was a few feet off the ground. He landed with a thud and quickly got up expecting to see Schulz leaping behind him. When all he was met with was the stifling silence of the summer air, tears began to well up in his eyes. "No..." he muttered.

However, before sorrow could take hold, he surveyed his surroundings. Every single last peacekeeping troop stationed at the Old De Young Museum lay on the ground, dead. Sigmund couldn't see the causes of death but he knew a corpse when he saw one. Panic set in. He felt his fingers go numb and his vision blurred. His breathing became uneven and just as he was about to pass out he felt a firm slap on both his cheeks. His own hands remembered the tutelage of his teacher, "Keep a calm head. Always. No matter the situation. Eyes forward and address the challenge."

Sigmund Werner von Bismarck was not going to die here. He looked westward across the park. "To Land's End. To the node." he whispered as he began to jog into the hazy pacific summer night.