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27-November-1921
"While Italian troops were deployed in the north to enforce a special tax intended to replenish the Kingdom of Italy's coffers, a paramilitary group apparently attacked Rome and succeeded in toppling the government. With so few troops stationed in the area, they were able to prevail, and they also enjoyed considerable support among some of the units responsible for defending Rome. The followers of a man named Mussolini appear to have taken control of the government, persuading the Italian king to dismiss the prime minister and appoint Mussolini in his place. He also managed to temporarily sideline Parliament and install many of his own men there while preparations are made for elections. For the moment, this man holds almost absolute power in Italy" Alexander said, briefing me on the latest developments.
"You must be joking… How could the government fall to a mere handful of paramilitary units? How could they lose like that?" I said, bringing a hand to my face as I listened to what had happened.
"That is what happened, mein Herzog. The general commanding a substantial portion of Italy's military forces decided not to return to Rome. We do not know exactly why he failed to act as expected and return to the capital, but we suspect it has something to do with the tax approved by the Italian Parliament. During negotiations with the northern provinces, they had agreed to leave local taxes unchanged for at least three years, allowing the economy of Italy's most industrialized region to adjust gradually to the higher taxes and Italian tariffs imposed on neighboring countries" Alexander said beside me.
"That was all we needed. A fascist has taken control of a country, and apparently no one did much to stop him. They handed him power on a silver platter and even granted him temporary control of Parliament. We will have to see how this develops, because Italy is a powder keg that could explode at any moment. Nobody likes seeing someone seize power in the middle of a social crisis, least of all in this fashion. We will have to watch for any groups attempting to drive Mussolini's fascists from power. We have spies who speak Italian, don't we? I need some of them deployed as soon as possible to begin building a network of informants and recruiting collaborators. If possible, I want to know whether we can organize some form of resistance against that government" I said, biting one of my fingers as I listened to the news.
"We do not have many Italian-speaking spies, mein Herzog. Barely a dozen. Nor are there many Italian settlements within the Duchy. Our programs also devoted far more funding to English instruction than to any other language, so I am afraid we lack the personnel to build a network on the scale you are requesting or to organize a resistance movement of that size" Alexander said with a faint smile.
"Damn it… Hell. I knew things were bad in Italy, but I did not expect something like this to happen so soon. I thought it would happen next year, or perhaps the year after. Very well, have those operatives try to establish a basic intelligence network. I will see about increasing the Italian section's budget a little. I never thought we would have much use for it beyond the occasional espionage operation" I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Well, mein Herzog, I have more news that might interest you" Alexander said, looking directly at me.
"I hope it is good, because this has been quite bad enough" I said, shaking my head.
"The Baron reports that the latest leg of the journey passed without any major difficulties. They are currently in the Dutch East Indies, preparing for the crossing to Central America. If they keep to the planned itinerary, they should be back by early June" Alexander said, reading the telegram sent by the Red Baron's expedition.
"Has anything happened that requires our intervention?" I asked, interlacing my fingers and leaning forward to hear him better.
"One of the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing. One of the support vessels recovered the aircraft and its crew. The pilot is safe and will return to the Duchy once the ship finishes delivering the supplies intended for the flight. It should not take much longer, since it has already unloaded almost all its aviation fuel and a substantial portion of its provisions. Otherwise, the expedition is proceeding according to plan" Alexander explained, consulting another sheet.
"Why do you need to do all that?" asked Aleksei, approaching us after listening to the last part of our conversation.
"To gain international prestige. Being the first country to accomplish a feat like this puts us on the front pages and generates favorable publicity for the government. We want our aircraft industry to be recognized as one of the best in the world. It may already be, but our reputation has yet to catch up with our technical expertise. That is why we need to demonstrate what we can do. If our aircraft manage to fly around the world, finding buyers will be much easier. When someone thinks of a Baltic aircraft, we want them to associate it with quality and reliability" I replied, turning toward him.
"In fact, numerous foreign journalists are already here, seeking permission to attend the Red Baron's welcome. Mainly British, Belgians, Dutch, and Americans. Naturally, some will also want to take the opportunity to examine our aircraft. We have also received word from… you know who. Apparently, the Americans are gathering pilots and hastily preparing an expedition of their own in an attempt to beat ours" Alexander added, referring to our espionage network in the United States.
"That should make things more interesting, I suppose. Though I doubt they can still overtake us. Manfred is already in the East Indies and has completed a considerable portion of the journey. The only thing they could do would be to hinder the expedition as it crosses Central America. Otherwise, we remain on schedule, and I see no reason to think we will fail" I replied with a nod.
I turned back to Aleksei.
"And you, young Aleksei… I hear you are feeling much better."
"Yes. The doctor says my wounds stop bleeding sooner now, and I no longer have those constant pains. I feel much better. Now I can bump into something without frightening my mother as much as I used to" he replied with a broad smile.
"I am glad to hear it. It seems the hospital in Riga is producing good results. Let us hope my doctors help me keep that promise to find a permanent cure for your illness so you can lead a normal life" I said, ruffling his hair.
Aleksei smiled and returned to his family.
"Would you like me to order our agents to interfere with the American preparations? With enough warning, they could discover which airfield the expedition will depart from and arrange an act of sabotage or a scandal during the ceremony" Alexander asked in a lower voice, his expression turning serious as soon as the boy had moved away.
"No, there is no need. What matters is that we accomplish it first, and I still doubt they can overtake us. Their attempt will only make our success more valuable. When we begin selling crop-dusting aircraft, that prestige could bring us enormous orders. We will need facilities capable of building many aircraft at once… Allocate the shipments that arrived this month to the construction of a new factory inside the restricted area. I want its construction kept secret" I ordered.
Alexander listened without interrupting.
"Understood. I will issue instructions for that gold and silver to be used to build a large factory for crop-dusting aircraft. I will also request tighter security at our military facilities, considering how many foreign journalists have entered the country recently to attend the welcome ceremony" he replied with a nod.
"Then there will also be more reports about the Duchy in the foreign press. We should take advantage of that to present a favorable image. If what they see is us suppressing an uprising, the effect will be quite different… Arrange visits to some of our best-built settlements, where they can see our housing, our services, and how German families live. Give them something to do besides listening to malcontents. The last thing we need is pressure from abroad over the treatment of certain groups within the Duchy" I said, considering the consequences of having so many journalists whom we could not direct as we did our own press.
"I will make sure those gentlemen do not spoil your day of rest, mein Herzog. I will prepare a tour that allows them to see the country's finest qualities. If you grant me authority to issue press credentials for the ceremony, I doubt they will raise many objections to my proposals. They all want to be there when the Red Baron returns" Alexander replied with a faint smile.
"You have that authority. See to it, and make sure they do not spend their stay interviewing our political opponents or anyone with a grievance against the government. We want favorable publicity. Prepare an itinerary that keeps them occupied" I replied with a nod.
Alexander left the room shortly afterward, leaving me alone once more with the Romanovs, who had once again gathered under my roof.
Rising from my seat, I approached my guests, who were beginning to seem more like members of the household. The Romanovs had few other residences available near Riga that would keep them close to the hospital. Besides, the mansion where we had previously kept them safe had been bombed by the British, and I had never had it repaired.
"I see you have made yourselves comfortable" I said, sitting beside Tatiana and slipping an arm around her as she nestled against me.
"This is the closest place to the hospital. If anything happens to Aleksei, it is the safest place for us to be" Nicholas replied, looking at me calmly.
"Maximilian is certainly making great strides toward finding a cure, or at least a treatment, for Aleksei's illness. I even understand that he has developed a machine that makes the centrifugation process considerably easier… Something worthy of a Nobel Prize. But he is very focused on curing this illness, which seems to be similar to the one another member of royalty suffers from… Waldemar, if I am not mistaken. I understand he was brought to Riga urgently to be treated for something similar" I said, watching Nicholas.
"I see. I hope that, with God's help, the doctor can find a cure that will allow my son to lead a normal life" Nicholas said, shaking his head slightly.
"Let us hope that day comes… Now, how has your tour of the European monarchies gone? I understood you were still traveling through all the territories ruled by monarchs, apart from the British Empire. Have you had any luck? I ask because, if I am expected to attend a ceremony, I need to find the best possible excuse… not to go" I said with a faint smile, feeling Tatiana strike my chest as she frowned.
"It seems you are not fond of weddings" Nicholas said, glancing at his daughters and sons.
"I do not like being watched all the time. I hate cameras, but as it happens, my position requires me to endure them so there will be portraits for government buildings and the like" I said with a sigh.
"Well, we managed to arrange several marriages with Bulgarian and Romanian landowning families for my sons and daughters. Aleksei is to marry a Romanian noblewoman, and he will receive some land and a sum of money upon the marriage. We have also found good husbands for my daughters, with weddings expected to take place over the next few years… We have only had difficulties with Olga" Nicholas said.
"Why is that? Have you run out of candidates?" I asked, looking at Olga, who seemed somewhat annoyed.
"We simply have much higher requirements for her… And there are hardly an abundance of young men who possess wealth and prestige while also belonging to a noble family of distinguished lineage" the deposed tsar's wife replied.
"I see. A difficult search, especially if you exclude the British" I said, noticing that one of my bodyguards had just entered the room.
"Mein Herzog, the architect has brought his proposal for your new palace" the bodyguard said.
"Ah, excellent. I did not expect him to finish so quickly" I replied, rising with some surprise.
"What is this? What do you mean, a new palace?" Tatiana asked.
"It is more of a secluded residence. A… Sanssouci in the middle of the forest. But that is for the future" I said with a smile, looking at the Romanovs as I went to speak with the architect.
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