Tyranny of Steel

Hemma stood outside the headquarters of royal intelligence. In her hands was a cigarette, not of the hemp variety that had become widespread among the Kingdom of Germany's army, but instead it was a tobacco cigarette. Such things were a luxury as tobacco was currently only being grown in the colony of New Vienna, and shipments to the fatherland were in limited quantity. 

The women pressed her luscious pink lips against the edge before taking a long draft, taking the smoke in through her lungs before exhaling heavily. The rush of nicotine was something that kept her mind stable. After all, as the Deputy Director of German Imperial Intelligence, she had a very stressful job. 

With Linde gone, away in the new world on her honeymoon, more and more work had piled up on the Deputy Director's plate, so much so that she wondered how it was even possible for one woman to do all the work that her superior handled daily. 

After finishing the cigarette, Hemma looked at her watch and scowled. It was time to get back to work. Thus, she flicked the cigarette to the floor and stamped out the embers before walking back into the headquarters. The moment she entered the doorway, the sentries who were dressed in military-style uniforms saluted her as she passed by. 

After entering the third floor of the building through a spiral staircase, the woman charged directly to her destination, which was the conference room where the other heads of various departments were currently gathered, speaking about a certain counter-espionage operation that was ongoing. 

The moment she pressed open the twin doors, the agents gathered quickly silenced themselves before jumping to an attention and saluting their superior. A woman with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail was quick to greet Hemma and pay her respects.

"Deputy Director, we were not expecting your visit, but it is a great honor!"

Hemma merely took a seat and tapped her armrest as she scolded the woman for her remarks.

"Can the crap, and get to the point, what is going on with the Arab agents that have infiltrated our borders?"

The woman was taken aback by the blunt nature of her superior, but quickly laid out the intelligence reports that they had gathered. 

"A team of Agents from the Timurid Empire has entered our southern borders and are gathering information on Germany's military capabilities as we speak. We are discussing a plan of action to disrupt their operations..."

Hemma grabbed hold of the dossier and flipped through its contents. She sighed heavily after skimming through for a few moments.

"Why should we disrupt them? They are here to gather intelligence about the German Army's capabilities. Then perhaps we should show them the true might of the Reich! Put in a request to the Department of Defense. Hopefully, those old misers will do a joint military exercise with the Kingdom of Lombardy. In doing so, display just how effective our newest weapons are. 

The Sultan has displayed his timidness. He is wary of the threat we possess and appears to be unwilling to commit to an invasion of our allies if it means his army's complete destruction. So show him the fate of those who oppose the Kaiser!"

It shocked the subordinates who had gathered for this meeting to see how Hemma was prepared to respond to this threat from the near-east. One of the men instantly cleared his throat before inquiring further about the Deputy Director's intent.

"You mean to further deter them from invasion?"

Hemma nodded her head in momentary silence before speaking up with an authoritative tone.

"The Kaiser and the Director are currently on a vacation. That means it is our top priority to delay the inevitable invasion of Byzantium until they can return home. If we can successfully bring the Arab world to the negotiating table, I have no doubt that Berengar could broker an agreement between the two parties. 

The real question that comes into play is what to do after peace in the east has been achieved. The Arabs will want another region to conquer, and I pity whoever is unfortunate enough to fulfill that role. However, none of that is important. For now, we must continue to deter the invasion until the Kaiser has returned from his honeymoon. Besides, don't we have other worries to deal with? Is there any news on Spain's attempt to seize the saltpeter mines in Collbato?"

A different intelligence officer quickly gathered the documents in his hands before handing them over to the Deputy Director.

"Yes, it would appear that the Spanish intend to attack the mines and take control of them within a fortnight. They are already gathering the necessary forces, fully aware that such an act would reignite the conflict in Iberia.  Field Marshal Adelbrand has reported that his troops are ready and willing to provide assistance, but the miners are deep behind enemy lines, and it will take some effort to reach them in time."

Hemma did not hesitate to respond to this news with a firm solution. Aside from Linde and Yasmin, the deputy director was probably the individual most aware of Berengar's plans. After all, she was the second in command of Imperial Intelligence, and dealt with Linde on a daily basis, and that redheaded vixen had a propensity to talk about her husband and his plans in an adoring state. 

However, to the people in the room, her response to these actions was shocking, to say the least. Not everyone was fully aware of Berengar's ongoing efforts to provoke a conflict with the Spanish Kingdom. 

"Tell Adelbrand that his worries are unnecessary. In fact, have him evacuate the Miners in secrecy, and leave only the smallest force to occupy the area so it would appear to the enemy that our operations are on full scale. Inform him that any and all saltpeter that has been mined so far is to be removed and shipped back to the fatherland. It is time for phase two of our operations in Iberia..."

Not a single soul in the room knew just what Hemma was referring to. Thus, it was no surprise when the blonde-haired women voiced her concerns.

"Phase two?"

A wicked smile appeared on Hemma's face, one that mirrored that which had been commonly expressed by the Director herself. 

"The plan is simple. Now that the enemy has boughten the bait which the Kaiser has so kindly laid out for them, it is now time to draw the Spanish Army in, and take it out with one massive explosion!"

It took the people in the room to properly comprehend just what Hemma was saying, but eventually one person in particular gasped before asking in disbelief.

"You don't mean?"

Hemma nodded her head before clarifying her previous response.

"Exactly. Berengar intends to destroy the saltpeter deposit and the Spanish army with it!"

It was at this moment that everybody else in the room expressed their shock. The Collbato saltpeter mines were one of the few natural resource deposits of such a valuable commodity in Europe. Though Berengar's miners had been working overtime to secure its resources, the reality is they had only mined a small percentage. 

However, Berengar's army was not reliant on natural deposits of saltpeter to create gunpowder, instead they used complex nitraries and farmed the substance on a national level. In his eyes, it was better to use the deposit to annihilate the Spanish Army in what would be the biggest man-made explosion history, rather than continue wasting years fighting for control. Of it. 

This was Berengar's plan ever since his ability to manufacture gunpowder exceeded his demands of it. It was why he had made the security of the location so lax, allowing a Spanish agent to eventually infiltrate it and report its contents to the Spanish crown. 

With this information out in the air, Hemma made one further order before departing from the meeting. 

"Inform the Field Marshal of the Kaiser's orders and have him fulfil them. If he needs any support from intelligence, you are to provide him with it. This operation is of critical importance to the war in Iberia, and if done correctly will allow our allows to swallow the peninsula in its entirety. Remember, failure is not an option!" 

The Agents immediately sprung up from their seats and saluted the Deputy Director.

"Yes, ma'am!"

With that said, Hemma nodded and smiled before leaving the conference room. The moment she entered her office and closed the door behind her, there was an only one thing that caught her mind. A renewed pile of paperwork. The woman could not help but curse her own existence.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I just finished my paperwork not thirty minutes ago! How the hell can one woman do such much work? God dammit Linde, I hope you are having the time of your life right now because I am drowning in everything you have left for me to do! Where the hell is my hot young emperor? It isn't fair!"

After saying this, the woman quickly stormed over to her seat and sat down with a huff. She did not hesitate to pull out a stamp and began reading the first document on the mountain of paperwork. With a firm punch, she stamped her approval on the report before moving onto the next. Until Linde returned, this was how the deputy director would live out her days. Underappreciated, and overworked...