Tyranny of Steel

Honoria had spent a week gathering the troops and supplies to bring back to Vinland. This would be the second of many voyages that her vessel would take across the Atlantic to ensure that the Military Colony in the new world was adequately maintained. 

As per usual, the journey to the New World was uneventful. In fact, without Berengar to entertain herself with, or ships to pirate, the third Queen of Austria was dreadfully bored throughout the entire journey.

Upon arriving at the docks in Austria, Honoria stepped off her vessel and greeted her husband, who appeared to be doing well. She instantly grabbed ahold of his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips; a single phrase escaped her lips as she did so.

"I missed you!"

Berengar chuckled upon hearing this before inquiring about how his family was doing back in the fatherland.

"How is our son? Or my other children, for that matter?"

Honoria immediately summarized what had transpired during her time in Kufstein.

"Alexandros is doing well; that milk cow Linde keeps him well-fed; as for Hans, he and that girl Veronika are getting along well enough. As for Helga, she is growing like a weed; I swear by the time you return, you won't even recognize your daughter.

Kristoffer and Katherin are perfectly healthy, and Adela seems to dote on them significantly. As for Henrietta, she appears to be doing fine. She is just a bit lonely without you, but thankfully she has us to take care of her. As for Yasmin, her pregnancy is progressing smoothly, and she sends you her regards as well as this. "

Honoria grabbed hold of a small basket filled with pastries which was lying on the vessel and handed them to Berengar. They appeared to be home-baked goods made from Yasmin's hands in the style of her homeland.

A wide smile appeared on the young king's face as he nodded his head in silence. It was good to have a caring wife who enjoyed cooking. Upon seeing this, a smirk spread across Honoria's lips as she teased her husband.

"By the way, I had a few of them on the trip here, so you can enjoy whatever is leftover."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this, however when he took off the cloth that covered the treats, it shocked him to see that she wasn't kidding. There were only around three of the deserts left for him to eat. He immediately looked up at his wife, who had long since run off to the settlement. Upon seeing this, Berengar merely chuckled and shook his head before commenting on the girl's actions.

"That fucking bitch..."

After getting reacquainted with Honoria and the situation back home, Berengar began tracking down the shipping manifests. He spent quite a bit of time checking to see if all the supplies he had requested were gathered.

After thorough research, he was pleased to see that Honoria had not failed him in any way other than eating the treats that Yasmin had baked for him. He swore in his heart that one way or another, he would get the woman back for this offense. 

However, Berengar shook his head after thinking about this; he had too much work to do now that the troops, livestock, and supplies had arrived. He didn't have time to engage in some petty feud with his wife that started over a few pastries. With another few hundred military personnel, it was time to overhaul this fortress into a more permanent settlement.

After a few hours, they unloaded the supplies from the ship, and Berengar was standing in the middle of the fortress introducing the new men to the settlement that they would stay in for the duration of their deployment.

"Men, you have entered the mythical land of Vinland. Our operations here are highly classified. All of you have been chosen due to your abilities and because you have been trusted with the security clearance necessary to know of these lands. 

As you may be aware, when you were given this deployment, you were informed that your tenure here would last for a year. Afterward, you can choose to return to the fatherland and seek a different position, or you can choose to remain here in Vinland. 

For those of you who wish to make a permanent settlement in this foreign land, you will be given special privileges here in the new world, such as political positions and ownership of property. Our aim here is simple; this land is our living space; In the coming decades, I fully intend to settle our excess population here in Vinland and carve out large swaths of land for our Kingdom. 

So it would be best if you established ties to the native population, scout for valuable resources, and most important of all, maintain a self-sustaining, permanent settlement. I won't lie to you; as you build this colony here in Vinland, the fatherland will progress ahead of you, and when you finally return, it may astound you at the changes that have occurred in your homeland. 

However, what you accomplish here in Vinland is of dire importance to the future of our Kingdom. The resources in this place are abundant and untouched. They will be critical for the continued prosperity of the fatherland. 

Of course, you may also know we are currently seeing massive population growth in the fatherland; because of this, in a few generations, it will be challenging to sustain our population with the minuscule land we currently hold on to.

Even if we have united the German States; in a hundred years, there will still be too many people to house effectively. Thus, Vinland, the first of our colonies, will be of dire importance to the continued growth of our people!

As a perk of being the first men of the old world to step foot in Vinland, you are free to take any of the local women as your concubines. As for the rules and regulations regarding such activities, if you are interested, you can inquire about such things with any of the men who have already been stationed here for some time. 

Be aware that the laws that exist in Austria still apply here in Vinland, as you are currently standing on Austrian soil! Thus, I will conclude my speech by welcoming you to the New World, one of limitless potential and prosperity for our Kingdom and the German people! For King and Fatherland!"

Upon finishing his welcoming ceremony, the soldiers broke out into salutes and repeated the words that Berengar had spoken.

"For King and Fatherland!"

Berengar gazed upon the men gathered with a proud smile; now that the settlement had been established, he had opted to bring over Army units instead of Naval Infantry. For the time being, as the King and Reichsmarschall, he acted as the Supreme Commander of this expeditionary force. However, when he finally departed in a few months and returned to the fatherland, he would leave a military governor in charge of the colony. 

With this speech concluded, the new arrivals quickly set to task, setting up shop in their barracks and establishing familiarity with the settlement. In the following days, they would teach the native labor force who had submitted to the Austrian crown the knowledge necessary to maintain a proper Austrian Agricultural System and construct Austrian-style structures. 

As for Berengar, he immediately regrouped with his translator, who was currently speaking with a group of Mohawk tribesmen who had gathered at the settlement; tears were flowing from the young woman's eyes as she held onto her sister in a loving embrace. 

Her younger sister was only a couple of years younger than herself and was quite beautiful in her own right. The two siblings shared a moment of silence as they mourned the loss of their father. Kahwihta struggled to express her feelings as she questioned whether not the news she received was accurate.

"Ojistah, my dear sister, is what you say true? Has father passed?"

The sixteen-year-old girl silently nodded her head as she reflected on the recent passing of their father. 

"The Anishnabe murdered the great chief when he went to visit them. They blamed him for bringing the plague to these lands and claimed it resulted from his unholy alliance with these foreigners. Our father tried to argue that it was their attack on the pale skins which resulted in this pestilence, but they refused to admit their fault. In his rage, the great chief of the Anishnabe murdered our father. 

Now they are threatening to invade our tribe. Though our brother has assumed the role of chieftain, he is not prepared to shoulder the responsibility of war. Kahwihta, please, I beg of you, ask these foreigners to intervene on our behalf. If they are truly as powerful as you and brother claim, then we have a fighting chance against our enemies!"

As the two young women were talking, Berengar arrived, and when Kahwihta's sister gazed upon his handsome visage, she felt guilty. Berengar had helped her and her people so much this past month, and yet now she had to ask a major favor of him, one she could never repay. 

"My Lord, this is my sister Ojistah; she brings news of my father's death. The Anishnabe has murdered him in cold blood! Now they are threatening to invade our village. She comes to ask for your help on our brother's behalf."

It shocked Berengar to hear this. It wasn't long ago where he met with the chieftain and brokered the initial terms of their trade. To be honest, he was looking to pay the Algonquin back for their trespasses against his settlement.

To hear that the old chief was killed during what should have been a peaceful negotiation was the justification for retribution that Berengar was looking for. After discussing the details of what had transpired with the two girls, Berengar put on a caring facade before agreeing to the request for military assistance. 

"Kahwihta, tell your sister that we are grateful for the help your tribe has provided to us when we first arrived. My people know how to pay back our debts, and because of that, I accept her terms. My men will prepare to march on the Anishnabe, and we will bring their chieftain to justice. For the crime of murdering a diplomat in cold blood can not go unpunished."

When Kahwihta translated these words to her younger sister, the girl fell to her knees and thanked Berengar from the bottom of her heart. After doing so, Berengar helped her up before making one final comment on the situation at hand.

"You do not need to worry any longer. Within the next few days, a great fire will engulf the region, and the Anishnabe will have paid their debt in blood." 

After saying this, Berengar left the two young women be.. He had much more important things to worry about now that he intended to march to war.