Tyranny of Steel

Berengar left the mountain with a leopard cub in his hands. He gazed down at the little creature and smiled. Though it was taken away from its parents, he did not seem to mind. Instead, the beast seemed excited to be leaving the mountain for the first time in its life.

It playfully nibbled on Berengar's finger as he walked down the mountain. Berengar found this to be adorable, as it did not break his skin. Had it done so, he would have disciplined it. Instead, it was acting like a little kitten, while sizing the kaiser up with its golden eyes.

Berengar decided in that moment on a name for the creature. He wanted a strong name, one of Germanic origin, and thus he was forced to think of great heroes of the ancient world. Ultimately, he thought of a name that was perfect for the little male leopard cub and smiled as he announced it to the creature.

"Little guy, I'm going to name you Genseric, after the ancient German King of North Africa. You are descended from a proud lineage, and you deserve a distinguished name. From this day forward, it will be your job to guard the Imperial Family of the Reich. I hope you show the same ferocity in battle as your namesake!"

This beast was of the lineage of a goddess's familiar. Because of this, it had enhanced intelligence and human characteristics. Hence, Genseric was able to discern what Berengar was saying with little effort. Though it had yet to comprehend the German tongue, it could tell by Berengar's expressions that he was giving it a mighty name.

Berengar witnessed the intelligent gaze in the cub's eyes, as it nodded its head in agreement with the name that the Berengar had chosen for him. This caused the kaiser to reflect on another highly intelligent creature, one that he had known for years.

Though the eagle Heraclius had taken a more background role since it became a father, the beast was still the most intelligent creature Berengar had ever come across. Without a doubt, it displayed aspects of a human's personality, leading Berengar to believe the creature had some form of ties to the ancient greco-roman gods.

This was just a mild suspicion. He had no real evidence aside from its heightened intelligence to support this thesis. It was entirely possible that it was simply descended from a god's familiar, and itself had no personal connection to the greco-roman pantheon.

Still, he would investigate this upon his return from Africa. In the months since his arrival, Berengar had established a foothold in Southern Africa. He had negotiated with a local goddess to secure her non-interference. He had obtained the pet he most desired, and his armies were now in a position to dominate what remained of the local tribes.

The time had come for him to return to the fatherland. As Kaiser, he could not personally oversee these colonial campaigns for more than a few months. There were more important aspects to his position than simply being the Reichsmarschall. Because of this, he needed to return home. By now, he had a large enough stockpile of rubber, that he could make many new inventions, and he intended to do so.

Thus, he departed with his army back to the colony. On the journey, the Jagkommando commander, Andreas Jaeger, rode by the kaiser's side, securing him from any possible threat in the vicinity. Berengar had not taken an exemplary general with him on this journey, and knew that he needed someone with military and colonial experience to hold down the fort until a replacement could be made. Conveniently, Major Andreas Jaeger was actually the best man for the job, and because of this, Berengar spoke to the man for the first time in a long time.

"Major I have a question for you..."

The special operations soldier immediately snapped his head to attention as he heard his emperor speak to him.

"How can I help you, sir?"

Berengar smiled when he heard this before informing the man of the next task he had in mind for him.

"Now that the enemy army is dead, and the tribes are ripe for the conquest. I have decided to return to the fatherland. It will take some time before this campaign is fully completed, and we have been here for months. It is with this in mind that I need a man familiar with colonial conflicts and military matters to assume command of the expeditionary force in my absence, at least long enough until a proper replacement can be appointed to the position of governor of our newest colony. I would hope for you to fulfill this position."

Andreas Jaeger was slightly surprised by this remark. He had not expected to be given such a position of command. Yet it made sense after he thought about it. He had fought wars on three separate continents, in multiple colonies, and in the fatherland. If there was anyone who knew how to conduct the campaign while Berengar was away, it would be him.

Though he didn't want such responsibility, he knew after wiping out the tribal coalitions' main force, what was left over was simply removing a bunch of stone age tribesmen via force. It was a task he was easily capable of fulfilling. Besides, though it may sound like a request, he knew this was an order from his Emperor, and thus he quickly agreed to it.

"I will conduct this campaign in the swiftest, most efficient means possible. You have my word, your majesty!"

Berengar chuckled when he heard this and nodded his head in agreement before giving the man the green light.

"I want you to wait a fortnight to begin your attack. After that, any man, woman, or child who is still south of the Orange river is considered a valid target, and must be removed by any means necessary."

Andreas did not understand why he was being ordered to wait two weeks before he could attack, but it was not his job to question the Emperor, thus all he could do was agree to his orders.

"Yes, sir!"

Shortly after this conversation, Berengar regrouped with Honoria at the colony. During his absence, Honoria and her girls had been working on a special project in their spare time. When Berengar arrived in the colony with a leopard cub in his hands, he witnessed their little venture, which was a Colonial Flag for the region. Berengar approached the girls and gazed at the flag with a smile on his face.

It was in the same colors as Berengar's German Empire, or in other words, had a black bar on top, a white bar in the center, and a golden bar on the bottom. However, there was one major difference. In the center was a golden shield with a white leopard's head emblazoned on it. Berengar laughed when he saw this, not because the design was bad, but because it was awfully reminiscent of German East Africa's flag from his past life. When Honoria heard his chuckle, she pouted at him before scolding the man for his rude response.

"What you don't like it? We worked so hard on this project! Don't tell me you're not going to accept it!"

Berengar shook his head and dispersed the misunderstanding that the girls had as they glared at him for his unconscious reaction.

"No, it's not that. It just reminds me of something from my past, that is all."

Though Honoria could guess he was talking about his past life, the other girls gazed at him with curiosity. Unfortunately for them, they would not get an answer to their questions. Instead, Berengar took the finished flag from the girls and gazed upon it with a hearty smile. It was truly an inspiring design. So much so that he had a sudden urge to hoist it above the colony.

Without a single comment, Berengar walked over to the flagpole, which flew the Imperial Flag of Germany, and began to hoist the new Colonial Flag below it. The soldiers in the encampment gathered around to witness the two flags flying in the winds of Southern Africa, and the speech that Berengar had suddenly thought of on the spot.

"It is with great honor, that I, Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, first of my name christen this land that we now stand upon to be Deutsch Südafrika (German South Africa), as for this colony which we have all helped establish it shall henceforth be known by the name Der Hafen Berengar! (Port Berengar)

It is with my hopes that you all work hard to expand this colony, so that one day it acts as a great harbor for our people! The future of our empire lies in the resources of the lands we conquer. It is my dream to one day see our banners fly across the globe! For now, I will have to settle for the three continents that we have established colonies on."

After saying this, Berengar saluted the flag, which sparked the entire encampment to respond in the same manner. Every soldier stood in uniform and saluted the flag, and the Kaiser beneath it. Honoria and her crew had pleasant smiles on their faces. Most of them had been doing menial tasks around the encampment since their arrival, and felt as if they had not taken a meaningful part in this venture. However, they would forever be remembered as the designers of the South African flag.

After making this speech, Berengar returned to the place where his wife was sitting and informed her of her intent to return to the fatherland. Though it would take a few days to prepare for the journey, Berengar would depart from Port Berengar in the next three days, where his journey back to the fatherland would last a few weeks. By the time he arrived, he would be amazed at the progress that had been made with the street lights during his absence.