[Germany] Winter in Germany

[NagandEmerald]

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Connected to the Winter is Coming/Here post. Anyone and everyone are welcome to participate with people who're in Germany, either for tourism or for diplomacy, but this post is primarily targeted towards @Retroliser and his post dealing with the Turkish Ambassador in the Winter is Here post.

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@Retroliser
As the motorcade of the Turkish ambassador slowly passed through deserted streets, with the odd German diligently doing his or her duty to keep their streets as free of snow as possible in between the moments of snowplow motorcades, one thing was certain. Either the Kaiser and his government were unaware of how much the German people were actually struggling, or the Federal Government was truly unable to act on the weather due to having been quiet on the matter until it might've been too late. Detours were everywhere, and made the journey to the Chancellery all the tougher, thanks to the lack of available roads to choose from.

As the motorcade passed through a portion of town that was clearly not cared for, with few snowbanks and clearly not very many snowplows going through, there was only one person who was caught out in the snow. However, instead of shoveling the snow, she looked like she was looking and calling out for something or someone out in the blizzard. She didn't even look aware of the motorcade as it passed by, more concerned with finding who or what she was looking for more than her own safety.

 

[Retroliser]

"Go on without me," The doctor said, before suddenly hopping out of the car and approaching the woman. "Excuse me, Miss, but is everything okay?"

He turned as he saw one of the cars obey his order and crawl its way towards the Chancellery, while the other remained, Liz, his assistant having insisted they stay for him. Seeing this, he rolled his eyes in defeat at her disobedience and returned his attention towards the female.

 

[NagandEmerald]

@Retroliser

The woman, around her 30s, clearly didn't notice the man, her attention elsewhere. Looking at her movements, she almost looked delirious, maybe from the cold or from something else, but a name came out of her in an almost-hoarse yell, as though she'd been doing this for over an hour.

"Britta!" she called out, over and over again. She was the only person within sight, and the weather was only going to get worse. She seemed dead-set on not heading inside, and didn't seem entirely there. "Britta, herkommen!" It was now clear that she was searching for a dog out in the cold, risking life and limb to find an animal that was likely either buried under snow and frozen to death, or already in a shelter of its choosing.

 

[Retroliser]

@NagandEmerald
"Madam!" The doctor barked, as he grasped her by the shoulders and shook her to try and rouse her from her stupor. "I need you to listen to me, and listen very closely. The one you're looking for won't be able to hear you in this kind of weather. I'm certain what I'm about to say will be hard for you to accept, but you cannot continue to search for them. You MUST wait until conditions improve. Do you understand me?"

 

[NagandEmerald]

The woman, roused from her stupor, looked to the doctor with eyes dilated and with heavy breaths. As soon as she pulled away from the doctor, she looked around one more time before looking up to the sky and running back towards her flat. As soon as she entered, lights could be seen in the distance as a snowplow began to make its way down the street. As soon as it came closer, it began to slow down and stopped in front of the car from the Chancellery. The driver immediately jumped out and began yelling for the doctor to get out of the streets and find somewhere warm.

 

[Retroliser]

Nodding and waving in acknowledgement, the doctor got back into his car and directed the driver to continue heading to The Chancellery. Upon arrival, he told the group to remain with the vehicles, while he left to head inside.

 

[NagandEmerald]

As soon as the doctor arrived to the Chancellery, he could see that something was amiss, as all of the lights were out. Snowbanks continued to pile up as snowplows passed by, covering sidewalks in obscene amounts of snow. As the skies grew darker, so did the lack of people. It seemed that citizens finally realized that they couldn't work diligently enough to keep their cars uncovered or things from getting that much worse. Upon heading inside, it was clear that the Chancellery was still abuzz, but it was less of diligently working on keeping the location tidy and ready for people, and more along the lines of preparing to move somewhere warmer.

"Excuse me, you need to leave sir. We're closed," the voice of the receptionist from earlier yelled across from the table. It appeared she was busy packing up anything she could that could be considered as sensitive to the state of the nation. Around her, other members of the Chancellery were doing the same, and a chill was starting to permeate the air of the chancellery...the heat had finally broken.

 

[Retroliser]

@NagandEmerald
"We spoke on the phone not so long ago, Frau Alicia," The doctor explained, as he approached her. "I'm here to speak to The Chancellor. I wish to inform him of my paltry staff's withdrawal from the country... And I wanted to ask if he, and any other German officials, wish to hitch a ride with me. If the weather continues as it is, Berlin will freeze over. You, and everyone else in this building, will be unable to perform your functions, which are more important now than they were before.

That's why I'm here, I'm offering the hand of assistance in a time where loyalties no longer lie with our respective nations, Turkey or Germany, but with protecting every life possible. That's why I'm asking you to let me speak to The Chancellor and seek his approval for him, His Imperial & Royal Majesty, Friedrich IV, and anyone else, be they prince or pauper to come with me."

 

[NagandEmerald]

@Retroliser

"And that is why we must stay," Chancellor Nahles stated, walking towards a mobing crew with a box full of files, floppy discs, and flashdrives. Her expression was one of stern, yet concerned frustration as she set the items down to speak with the ambassador.

"You are welcome to ask His Majesty if he and the rest of the Royal Household would like to leave with the hundreds seeking shelter in both the Reichstag and the Prussian House of Lords, but I am staying here with my Cabinet." The Chancellor then began to walk back towards a flight of stairs, likely leading up towards her office, to grab more sensitive items as the room got colder.

"I plan to temporarily move the government to Bavaria and restabilize there. Whether or not the storm will be as bad as it is for our brothers and sisters in Scandinavia, I do not know, but if there's one person and group who need to leave, just in case, it's him. I don't think he actually understands the severity of the situation, more focused on keeping spirits up than saving them...he's a good man...just not as pragmatic as I hoped..."

 

[Retroliser]

@NagandEmerald
"Madam Chancellor," Doctor Mason began forcefully, as he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her still for a moment. "This weather has been working its way south for the past few months, with no signs of stopping. As much as it relieves me to know that you are planning on heading south to Bavaria, it's doubtful that would be far enough. Germany is already engulfed in temperatures at or below -5 degrees celsius, and it will only get colder. The constant snow and the temperature are going to render your snow clearing efforts completely useless. Already, Berlin's snow ploughs are being beaten. Every inch of snow they clear is replaced by another, and then some. The same is going to happen to Bavaria too. That's why I am asking you, no... I'm begging you to come with me. Go to Bavaria and you are prolonging the inevitable, come with me to Turkey, and you will have time and breathing space."

 

[NagandEmerald]

"The people here need a government. I will not abandon my nation because of the weather, nor will I abandon helping my people in any way I can. It is the Kaiser and those that he is protecting that need to leave now. I'd rather see him safe and out of the country than having to deal with no electricity," the Chancellor stated firmly after stopping to turn back to the man.

"Please, if you can, get the people at the House of Lords and Reichstag out of here. He is already tied to Germany's future, and I would rather his efforts not go to waste." Chancellor Nahles then turned and began heading back up the stairs without another word, leaving the doctor with what she had instructed him to do.

 

[Retroliser]

Doctor Mason watched dejectedly as she wandered up the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, he turned and immediately rushed back to the cars.

"I want you to head immediately to The Prussian House Of Lords," He ordered the driver of the second car. "Explain to them that they are to gather as much transport and petrol together so that we can move out of Berlin and head south. If The Kaiser is there, call me so that I can speak to him personally. I'll be heading to The Reichstag."

The doctor then hopped back into his own car and they drove away to their destination. On arrival, he hopped back out and dashed into the building.

 

[NagandEmerald]

When the doctor pushed open the doors of the Reichstag, he was greeted by a pleasant warmth that he hadn't felt since leaving the Jewel Palace. Plenty of German citizens, whose power had gone out, had gathered at the Reichstag to keep warm, and seeing as power was still going in the building, it'd be safe to assume that they would be fine for a little while. Looking around, some familiar faces of the German government could be found tending to those who were sick or injured, including the likes of Angela Merkel, Wolfgang Shröder, and Celina Kästner. One of them at least had to know where the Kaiser was, if he was even in the building.

---

At the former Prussian House of Lords, now referred to as Volkspalast von Deutschland, the situation was a little more dire. Instead of full power, the building was running on auxiliary power and, while there weren't nearly as many people there, most of them having taken to trekking through the snow to the much warmer Reichstag, there were still groups who thought it best to brave out the cold and hope that the auxiliary generators didn't run out. There was still heat in the building, thankfully, but the bad weather may change that if the diesel in the generators froze. If the Kaiser was anywhere, he was discussing with the Volksrat on what was best to do in this crisis.

 

[Retroliser]

The doctor approached Kästner and tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Frau Kästner," He said quietly, so that the news he was about to impart would not be heard by anyone else. "I've been sent here by The Chancellor to request that transport be procured to evacuate these civilians towards the south. The snow ploughs outside are beginning to be overwhelmed, and it's so cold that the salt you're using is not working anymore. If you don't do something, you're at risk of being buried in here by the snow and ice. I've also been asked to take The Kaiser south, if he's here that is."

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The driver of the second car, that had been dispatched to The Volkspalast, left the engine running while he disembarked to head inside. Seeing no one in particular that he recognised as being in a position of authority, he cleared his throat loudly and addressed the crowds, while dialling the doctor's number into his mobile phone.

"Excuse me, but does anyone know if The Kaiser's here?"

 

[NagandEmerald]

Celina turned to the man before her and remembered him from the meeting with the Turkish Vizier of Foreign Affairs. She sighed in relief that someone actually had come for them besides more snowplow crews.

"Thank goodness someone has some sense! I've been trying to convince the Kaiser to send for transport, but he won't listen! He think that we can deal with the storm ourselves!" she explained, pointing to the a group nearby where the Kaiser was knelt down. "Go and talk with him, see if you can get people out here. I don't know how long it'll be before the power here goes out as well."

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As soon as he asked the question, one of them came up, a man in his early teens — wrapped in a blanket and wearing a fur hat — by the looks of it, and confronted him.

"What? You think he'll be able to do anything of worth? Since he's come into power, all he's done is disband our military and make us vulnerable to these elements! Why do you need to talk to him?!" the angry boy yelled, poking the driver in the chest as his father got up and attempted to pull him away.

 

[Retroliser]

"I certainly shall," The doctor replied, while patting her shoulder as a sign of encouragement. The caped intellectual swiftly closed the gap and got the attention of The Kaiser.

"Your Imperial & Royal Majesty," He greeted with a solemn bow. "I must speak with you quietly."

Without waiting for a response, the doctor placed a hand on the royals shoulder and gently escorted him a few steps away from the group he was with.

"My name is Doctor Mason, The Turkish Ambassador. I'm here because this weather is not going to get any better. Already the snow ploughs you have patrolling the streets are being beaten by the elements. The salt they put down has ceased to work due to the temperatures, and the snow is coming down so thick that more falls than they can shovel. I am here not just for myself, but because your chancellor asked me to speak to you. I am asking you for help in gathering some transport together to evacuate these people, and those at The Volkspalast, to the south."

His monologue was broken by the sound of his mobile phone vibrating.

"One moment," He said, before answering the device. "Hello?"

---

The driver knelt down and placed his gloved hands on the boys shoulders, preventing his father from pulling him away.

"Because we are going to try and get everyone in this building out of here to safety," The driver said solemnly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my boss on the line... I hope."

The driver raised the device to his ear.

"Sir! I've reached the Volkspalast," He reported. "It's not going to last much longer here. The radiators are still switched on, but without regular supplies of fuel, it's inevitable that they'll run out and they will shut down."

"Understood. I'm currently speaking to The Kaiser now," The doctor replied. "Hopefully, we will be able to get everyone out. Just hold on and let me finish speaking to His Majesty."

Doctor Mason then covered his phone's microphone and turned towards The Kaiser again.

"Your Majesty," He whispered. "Your subjects need you to lead them. If you do not act now, you, and your people, will perish... Taking the faith Germany has in its restored monarchy with it."

 

[NagandEmerald]

The Kaiser turned to the doctor with an annoyed expression to his face. He was not in the mood to be lectured on how he and his people should leave their country, when everyone else leaves theirs for Germany.

"And why should I or my people be forced to leave our homes? Why must we leave to another country that may not even want us, just as many come to our country without understanding what the German people want? No...as much as I appreciate your offer, my people and country need me more than ever, and I will not leave their sides." The Kaiser then began to walk back towards the group he was tending to, more concerned of the immediate than the long-lasting effects of what this storm would bring. It was clear that something was plaguing his mind, however, and it wasn't just the storm that had come to the German Reich.

 

[Retroliser]

"Because this is beyond your control!" The doctor said loudly, no longer caring if the others heard. "Your Majesty, staying beside your people will not save them. Staying with them HERE won't save them. You must head south, THEY must head south... No... We must ALL head south. You may be The Emperor Of Germany, but you're not Emperor Of The Weather. It does not recognise ethnicity, it does not recognise nationality, it does not recognise status. Everyone in this room, including yourself, will freeze to death if you stay here. You may believe that running is a cowardly choice of action here, but this isn't war or politics. This is now survival against an enemy that you cannot fight or negotiate with. So, I am begging you to be reasonable here, be The Emperor Germany deserves and evacuate these civilians.

You are the captain of this ship, it's your duty to know when you should make the call to abandon it, and do it, no matter how much it hurts your pride. If you are not willing to make that choice, then I'm more than willing to let the people here make the choice themselves, and take as many of them with me as I head south to less chilling temperatures."

 

[NagandEmerald]

@Retroliser

The Kaiser turned around to look at the doctor with a warning glare for the breaking of protocol, though that warning soon turned to defeat as the Kaiser looked out to the people that were now looking to him for guidance. Looking to the windows that showed the outside world, he saw a Hell that'd frozen over...this storm would only get worse if he was allowed to continue as he did. Looking to his people, then outside, he stormed off to think for a moment. He'd already made up his mind, but he needed advice...he needed the opinion of the Volksrat.

Instead of storming off to somewhere private, he instead stormed off through the double doors leading outside, and began trecking through the snow towards the Volkspalast so he could make the final call for the German people. In only a month since his coronation, he may need to take true executive action and call for a state of emergency in Germany.

 

[Retroliser]

"Frau Kästner," The doctor said to the Household Minister. "See if you can rustle up some transport for these people. No matter what His Majesty decides, I'm not leaving without taking them with me to the south."

After bidding the group farewell, he bolted outside and spoke to Liz, who was waiting in the car.

"Liz, I need you to head inside and help Frau Kästner, The Royal Household Minister, with getting some transport put together. I'm going after The Kaiser, he shouldn't be wandering the streets alone."

"Understood, Doctor. He went that way." Liz replied, while pointing towards where she'd last seen The Kaiser.

"Hmmm... Towards The People's Palace," He remarked. "It's something. I'll head towards the palace via the same route, perhaps I'll catch up with him... If not, then we'll have to put a search party together."

Nodding in understanding, Liz disembarked and wandered inside to offer her services, while Doctor Mason bravely sallied forth into the blizzard.