Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat in disbelief as he heard the words that Yasmin had spoken to him. He was unsure why such news was not reported to him sooner. This event had occurred nearly two weeks prior, and though he was on his ship at the time, there was a telegraph on board. Why he wasn't immediately informed of this attack, he could not say. He could really only blame Linde for the lack of communication.

Though Linde had attempted to speak with him upon his return to Kufstein, and seemed rather urgent. Berengar was far too eager to begin the development of his newest inventions and thus cast her aside as he got to work. Still, this did not excuse her submissiveness in such a scenario. If such an important event had happened, then she should have forced him to listen. A simple "General Ziyad is dead" would have garnered his immediate intention.

Though a valuable puppet of his was killed by the Catholics, he could only sigh in relief that Adelbrand had been spared a similar fate. In the end, the German Field Marshal was of far more strategic importance than Ziyad was. Still, the boldness of the Iberian Rebels in their suicidal attacks on high-ranking officials, and their increased intensity of attacks following Ziyad's death, could not be allowed to continue.

The look in Berengar's eye frightened Yasmin. She remembered the last conversation she had with him, about a weapon so deadly he feared its use on the battlefield, at least against those he considered being civilized. She quickly questioned his intention, as she noticed he was unusually calm.

"You're not going to use that weapon, are you?"

Berengar spun his chair around and gazed out the window into the peaceful city below. He stared at the people in the streets for several moments in silence before finally answering the woman's question.

"These rebels have gone too far. Initially, I only planned the use of chemical weapons on savages and criminals. However, by engaging in suicidal attacks, they have proven themselves to be equally as devious. The Iberian Catholics have shown a willingness to harm people who are important to me.

Who is to say they do not find a way to harm you or Ghazi? I can no longer tolerate this resistance. I have waited by long enough. If they wish to target my generals and friends, then they are leaving me no choice but to deploy weapons of mass destruction against them.

Germany will not allow its ally in the west to fall, and because of that I must show the Iberian people what it means to resist against the rule of the Sultan, and the Kaiser. If they choose to side with Julius, then only a painful death awaits them. Yas, fetch me Linde, I have much to discuss with her."

Yasmin did not question Berengar's tactics, nor did she disobey his orders. She quickly left the room with her son in hand and went off to find the redheaded beauty who was the director of intelligence. Berengar gazed upon his newest pet, who stared up at him with a look of intelligence in its eyes.

It shivered as it saw the ugly expression on Berengar's face. This was the look of a man who disregarded the notion that all life was valuable, or had any form of inherent meaning. This was the cold stare of man, determined to kill countless people to achieve his goals.

The leopard cub attempted a roar, as if it were trying to communicate with its master, however Berengar merely looked on Genseric with a look of disdain, as if he understood what the creature was trying to tell him, and responded with a vicious tongue.

"What would you know about my struggles? You are just a child..."

Genseric pouted as he heard this, before resting his head on the pillow that he lie on. He would not offend his master further with his naïve comments. After this exchange was made, Linde entered the room wearing a blood red dress. She could tell that Berengar was not in the best mood, and quickly spoke up about their current predicament.

"So I see you have heard about the little incident in Iberia. Tell me what you need me to do, and I will do it..."

Berengar spun his view away from the window and towards his favorite wife. He sighed heavily before asking the question on his mind.

"How long will it take for us to deploy chemical weapons to Madrid?"

Linde was not the slightest bit surprised that such an offensive action was Berengar's immediate response when retaliating against the rebels. Unlike Yasmin, she did not disapprove of their use, and was of the belief that such weapons could end wars much quicker than they otherwise would be. Though they were ruthless, and beyond devastating, sometimes such an overwhelming display of force was needed to end a rebellion. Thus, she wore a wicked smile as she sat down casually in the seat across from her husband.

"I'm not going to lie. It will take us a while to produce enough of the chlorine shells to wipe out a city. As you are aware, these weapons were only recently developed and tested. They are still undergoing refinements as we speak. You will need hundreds, if not thousands, of these shells to produce enough gas to exterminate all life in Madrid.

Did you forget your factories are already working overtime to produce your latest weapon designs, which are intended to replace the arms that your soldiers currently use in the field? We only have so much manpower and industrial output..."

Berengar nodded his head while pouring a couple of drinks for himself and his favorite wife. He was a little surprised that she did not seem averse to the idea of exterminating a city. He couldn't help but ask about it.

"I honestly thought you would have reacted differently when you heard I wanted to retaliate by destroying a city."

Linde scoffed as she happily took the drink from Berengar's hands and sipped from it with a graceful demeanor. She scolded him for his assumptions while making her stance clear.

"It wouldn't be the first city you annihilated. You remember Florence? Honestly, I'm of the opinion that these new weapons of yours will be effective at ending the war. Sure, they are unnecessarily cruel, and they will kill tens of thousands of innocent people when deployed, but I don't need to tell you just how much we have sunk into this Iberian Campaign.

We have spent thousands of lives and countless thalers in this war, and yet there is still no sign of victory in sight. With the way things are going, I would not be surprised if we were stuck in Iberia for another ten or twenty years. At that point, the cost of propping up Al Andalus would bankrupt us.

So, if we need to destroy a city and kill all its inhabitants in order to end the war once and for all, I'm fine with it. You should know by now that I'm not like Adela or Yasmin. I don't care about the lives of people I've never met before. While I may be heartless to strangers, I am very protective of the people I care about. Aren't you the same way?"

Berengar scoffed as he heard this, but he smiled nonetheless. Linde was right. People like Yasmine and Adela, who had this naïve notion that all life was inherently meaningful, could never thrive in the position that he held. They would try to save as many people as possible, and in doing so, cause untold suffering.

Berengar did not care about the Catholics in Iberia, hell he didn't even really care about the Muslims in the region either. However, he cared about his people, and if he could spare the lives of thousands of his soldiers by killing tens of thousands of Iberian civilians, then he did not see a reason why he shouldn't.

He was glad that at least one of his wives saw eye to eye on such grim issues with him. Thus, he could not help but smile as he gave the order to stockpile enough chlorine gas to annihilate the citizens of Madrid.

"Very well, take the necessary measures to ensure that we have a proper stockpile of the chemical shells. In the meantime, dispatch word to Adelbrand to enforce martial law. Anyone out on the streets who is not government personnel is to be considered a rebel, and to be treated as such."

Linde sipped from her glass and nodded her pretty head before responding in the affirmative with a sultry smile on her lips.

"Of course, leave it to me!"

With this, Berengar had planned a fierce retaliation for the attack that claimed General Ziyad's life. He would make sure that with this act of terror, to end the war in Iberia once in for all. Ultimately, the Iberian Catholics would submit to his rule, or perish from this world. Berengar refused to allow Iberia to become his Afghanistan and was willing to take any measures to ensure his victory.