Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood in the Kufstein Chemistry Department's main lab, where Aldo von Passau and his team of chemists were eager to introduce their latest invention to the Kaiser. He had been dragged from his home to this building to witness the newest invention. Or should he say prototype to the newest invention.

As chemists, Aldo von Passau and his team received almost limitless funding in the pursuit of their scholarly objectives. Some of them focused on medicine, while others focused on military products, and others yet pursued their own brilliant ideas.

There were currently two new inventions sitting on a table in the lab. Berengar recognized them immediately and was surprised that they had been developed. One was a roll of film, and the other was a primitive box camera that utilized the aforementioned film to take pictures.

Though Berengar immediately recognized the devices, he feigned ignorance. It was best not to act like he knew everything that these men invented. After all, he did not want to start an investigation into the origins of this knowledge.

"This is it? These are the new inventions? What are they?"

Aldo von Passau wore a pleasant smile as he introduced the concept to Berengar.

"This is something we have been experimenting with for a while. The idea came to me, when a friend of mine who is a rather lazy artist asked what if we could capture a moment in time into a single picture, without the need for paintings?

Together with the work of my colleagues in both the Chemistry Department, and a few friends of mine who understand engineering. We came up with this that you see here!"

The result was a roll of film that appeared fairly modern. Berengar picked it up and gazed into it for a few moments before asking for an explanation of the process used to make it.

"How did you make this?"

Aldo had a prideful smirk on his face as he announced the means he used to create the film.

"We started with a mixture of silver and chlorine, which created a compound called silver chloride. After much experimentation, we found out that this chemical is sensitive to light, and thus after crystalizing it, we experimented on ways to make use of it. Eventually, we settled on a mixture of the silver chloride crystals with gelatin that we applied to a celluloid substrate.

We have attempted many chemical combinations, but this is the best result we have had. In the end, an engineering friend of mine put together this other device to make use of it. We were just about to try it out, and I figured you would want to be in the world's first picture."

Berengar gazed at the Camera and noticed it was a basic box camera. A box camera made use of a cardboard or plastic box with a convex-concave lens on one side, and the film on the other. With the press of a button, it could take a still photograph. Berengar was pleased that these men wanted to include him in their experiments, especially since it looked like they may actually have a working product.

Thus, while dressed in his Imperial Regalia, Berengar put on a smile as he stood side by side with the team of chemists and a few engineers. These men stood next to a table that held a roll of film and another box camera prototype. A member of the Chemistry department, who did not take part in either endeavors, held the device in his hand, after being carefully instructed on its use.

When everyone was in position, he pressed the button, and with a large flash, the photo was taken. Though it would take some effort to develop the negative into a proper photograph, the scientists were certain that they had taken the world's first photograph. Berengar was pleasantly surprised with this visit, and immediately questioned Aldo about the feasibility of large-scale production.

"Aldo, how long will it take you to find out the results of this? Better yet, how long before we can begin the manufacture of these box cameras and film?"

Aldo could tell Berengar was over eager, which was strange for a man who usually got excited by military hardware, and not simple products like this. After the development of chemical weapons, that made the man ashamed to call himself a chemist, Aldo could not help but question Berengar's intentions.

"Why do you ask?"

Berengar was not afraid to reveal the plans he had in store for these photographs. Though he was unaware of Aldo's reservations about chemical developments in warfare, he was happy to explain the practical purposes of cameras.

"I just had a brilliant idea. We could employ these devices in the fields of intelligence, government documentation, and propaganda. Can you imagine it? Say one of our agents is in the field, deep behind enemy lines, and they find evidence of an enemy conspiracy. They could take photos of these documents, and send them back home where a proper counter measure can be taken place.

Then there's the Department of Propaganda. We could take photos of major events, and display them in the national papers. The people could see with their own eyes the greatness of our country, other than just reading about it.

Then there are the purposes of government identification. For example, in immigration, it would be best to have a proper ID card with one's photo, so that we can determine whether the holder is lying about their residency status.

There are limitless applications of this technology, and perhaps we might one day be able to develop the means to not just document a single instant in time, but the passing of time itself! Think about it Aldo, you and your team have just changed the way the world will work!"

It shocked Aldo to see how far Berengar had thought ahead with the use of this newest invention. It had only been a few moments since Berengar witnessed its use, and yet he already thought of so many ways to use it for the good of society. Documentation, intelligence, and propaganda could all benefit from the device. In fact, these fields would be so affected, that the people working in them would have to rethink how to approach their jobs.

Unlike chlorine gas, this invention could be used to help the Empire in more than simple killing effect. He was pleased that he could redeem himself with a useful invention after being the lead designer on the chemical weapons project. Thus, he thought about it for a bit before speaking his opinion on how long it would take to get these devices into the hands of those who needed them.

"We can begin production in three to six months. After that, I suppose it will take some time before we are able to produce enough of these devices to be used efficiently by the different government departments who require them. However, within the next couple of years, they should see common use throughout the Reich."

Berengar was pleased when he heard this, and nodded his head with an emphatic smile on his face.

"Good, very good. Well, I will leave you to your work Doctor. Make sure not to disappoint me. I look forward to the days when my agents can have these employed in the field."

After saying this, Berengar departed from the Kufstein Chemistry Department and returned to the palace. He had many plans for these devices, and was happy that the subordinates beneath him were progressing in the knowledge of their fields.

Berengar had given the German people the means to stand ahead of the rest of the world. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Astronomy, Engineering, etc. These were all fields that Berengar had at least basic 21st century undergrad understanding of, and thus educated the people most suited to expand upon them.

In the years since he introduced this knowledge to his people, many of his citizens had become educated, and those with gifted minds had entered and graduated the universities that Berengar founded. From a team of a few dozen chemists, Berengar now had hundreds working for him. Each was more eager than the last to make a major contribution to the world.

He would not be surprised if that in a hundred years, the German Empire of this world had been to the moon. It was an amusing thought to think of. A society with a 19th century mindset, but with 21st century technology existing in the 16th century, while the rest of the world remained in a renaissance environment. Such thoughts brought a smile to the face of the Kaiser as he got back to work, humming a tune from his past life about.