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54.
Amy von Tedda watched her sister disappear into the maze of wires and lights that formed a nebula in the midst of her library. For a few moments, she stood sobbing into a handkerchief. She sighed deeply, wiping the last tears away.
Watka stepped into the room. "My dear, my royal dear, we cannot have you displaying so much emotion!"
She spoke annoyed. "It's private, my consort to be. I am allowed a personal life, am I not?"
He grinned and put his arms around her, his hands roving about. "Certainly."
She pushed him away. "Have a little respect. You are as bad as Hedrock. Why do Gotha men have no sense of delicacy?"
"Because our women are strong farm horses who don't require much delicacy, but enjoy a little rough handling."
She swept from the room, and didn't care whether he followed or not. Maybe that was another cultural element they could concentrate on correcting, now that Moss and Gruen were no more, with their endless wars. Gruen had died in the bombing of his palace, and his cousin Moss had died by sitting on a live hand grenade. Watka did follow, speaking all the way. "I arranged a meeting with General Schadow on the East side, as you requested. Are you sure it's safe for you to travel over there so early in the game?"
She snorted. "If I am the Queen to be, then I expect to be safe everywhere in my realm. Besides, you will be with me, as will some of my best bodyguards. I feel quite safe."
In the motorcade across the now-deactivated force barrier, she told Watka: "It is important to move fast and solidify all these impulses for Zusammenarbeit (working together) and Zusammenhaengichkeit."
The motorcade swept into the temporary headquarters of the East Gotha Provisional Military Commission. Both sides had established identical PMC bodies, governed half and half by chief officers of the former warring nations. The desire, no the passion, for rapprochement and Ausgleich was palpable. People everywhere wanted to bring about complete peace as quickly as possible.
"Your Majesty," Schadow said gravely, clicking his heels and lowering his head. He was a tall, white-haired field marshal—gaunt, red-faced, gray eyed. He wore a plain olive-drab uniform with few decorations representing the horrific war he'd lived his life in. Instead, he wore the new tricolor with the gold letters AP-R on a green (peace) background: Amy Prima, Regina, Queen Amy the First. With him was Knetzelmann, a West Gotha admiral and Junker, installed as his provisional co-regent in the East. Together, Amy and Watka entered a small conference room with the two flag officers.
"Your Majesty has called us to an urgent meeting," Knetzelmann said as servants brought coffee. The room was elegantly furnished in the old Empire style, and a grandfather clock ticked loudly. Knetzelman was tall, but younger than his counterpart, dark-haired with much silver in it, bearded, and dark-eyed. The three men sat with their Queen to be in four lounge chairs facing each other. They waited for her to speak.
"Gentlemen, I have come to iron out a matter of grave importance to the safety and peace of Our Realm."
The field marshal and the admiral briefly declined their heads in respect and agreement.
"Gentlemen, as you know, Moss built a huge missile, designed to rain over a dozen nuclear warheads on Central East Gotha. As a Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle, it would be unstoppable by existing antimissile defenses of either side. As long as this device continues to sit on the launch pad in West Gotha, it remains a potential threat to everything We hope to achieve on behalf of Our subjects."
"Amen," all three men mumbled deferently.
"Accordingly, Gentlemen, I propose a quick and orderly solution to the matter, that will also accomplish a personal matter very dear and important to my heart. It involves the Hunter Princess Tedda Roule, who has entered upon a journey that is too complicated to explain just now. We propose to reveal all the details to Our Nation shortly in a paper We shall write, explaining the abolition of femtoworlds and human rules. For the moment, Gentlemen, it is very important that the following be accomplished. First, the shutting down of all Intereality tunneling and mining operations, with the total cessation of power to all such projects. This will prevent the possible explosion of these projects should their common energies combine into one critical mass that could destroy our world."
"Hear, hear, amen," they all muttered.
"Also, gentlemen, rather than dismantle this rocket, We propose that it be immediately outfitted with scientific packages that already exist for the study of our solar system. As scientific and mathematical director of von Tedda Industries and formerly of the Moss Enterprise, as those syndicated gangsters called their corporate global empire, We are aware of at least two dozen telemetry and vacuosonde packages that could be ready within days for launch atop that giant rocket. We propose, therefore, that you bring across a bilateral commission of the highest stature, to verify and guarantee that this is not some final trick of the West Gotha regime. Will you grant me that, Gentlemen?"
The men, including Watka, jumped to their feet. "Majesty, we are eager to serve you and our fatherland."
"Motherland," Amy said, rising. "Let's change the furniture around, shall we?"
They kissed her hand, and Amy drove back with Watka to her family estate. On the way, she said: "One of those packages will be the one Tedda suggested we try. It's a 50-50 proposition, but I hope it works.
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