Tyranny of Steel

Some time had passed since the initial meeting of New Vienna colonists took place in a local tavern. Since then, two hundred and fifty families had set out from the safety of the German Colony and made a perilous trek north through lands currently occupied by native tribes until they settled in the region once known as Ontario in Berengar's previous life.

These men and women were deeply upset with the laws that the Colonial Governor had enacted, which heavily favored the native tribes over the German colonialists. Because of this, these men and women sought to establish a new colony of their own. One loyal to the vision of the Kaiser.

By now, homes were constructed, and fields were sewn. The small colony was protected by a timber star fort and was beginning to show signs of civilization. However, this colony was not settled peacefully. Instead, bloodshed had occurred in the conquest of the region. The Algonquin tribes had fought fiercely against the German settlers, yet it was not enough. Armed with superior weapons, the colonists quickly put down the local tribes with their firearms, and claimed the land for themselves.

It was only now that word of this incident had reached Arnulf's ears. He was aware that a small portion of his population had set out north, but he did not know that they would disturb the peaceful coexistence he had established in New Vienna and the surrounding regions.

Kahwihta acted as a translator for the Algonquin chieftain who had visited New Vienna with the intent to gain Arnulf's support in the reclaiming of his people's hunting grounds that the Colony of Berenwalde currently sat upon.

He was an elderly man, who had seen the power of the German Army first hand. The chieftain greatly respected Arnulf and his diplomatic solutions to every crisis they had come across. However, this recent incident with the settlers of Berenwalde had crossed his bottom line, and now he was out for blood. Thus, he spoke in a respectful yet stern tone as he requested Arnulf's aid in this dispute.

"Oh great peacemaker, I know it is a lot to ask you to go against your people, but they have violated the treaty you established with our tribe. In doing so, they have stolen our lands and murdered our people. We demand justice!"

Arnulf sighed heavily as he heard this, before looking at the map his scouts had drawn for him pertaining to the contested region. With every wave of colonists who reached the new world, their pride in the fatherland, and their sense of superiority increased, as if they had completely forgotten that they were mere peasants toiling the fields a mere decade ago.

This pride had driven the colonists to invade the lands that Arnulf had guaranteed to the natives, and protest when they were punished accordingly. If that was not bad enough, a small faction of these dissenters now acted in open rebellion by leaving the confines of the Colony and staking a claim somewhere else at the expense of his allies.

In truth, he had sent envoys to coerce the colonists of Berenwalde to comply with his demands. However, they merely spat in the messenger's face and called Arnulf a traitor to the crown. The problem was that the crown lie across the atlantic, and though the ships in the harbor were equipped with radio-telegraphs allowing near instant communication between New Vienna and the fatherland, he was largely left on his own to rule over the territory of New Vienna.

It was true that he had the military might to conquer and expel the native tribes from the lands they occupied, but that was not Arnulf's style. The delicate balance of peace he had created allowed for New Vienna to rapidly develop into a desirable area. However, it also came at the expense of their natural expansion.

Kahwihta could see the worry in his eyes, and grabbed hold of his hand with a warm smile on her face. Reassuring the man that it was alright to bring these criminals to justice. Thus, after a heavy sigh, Arnulf stood up from his seat, and reassured the Algonquin chieftain that the colony of Berenwalde would be taken care of.

"It is my greatest lament to give this order, however the peace I have established in these lands must be maintained, and because of that I have no choice but to dispatch the Colonial Expeditionary Forces to put down this insurrection. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to bring these criminals to justice and restore the lands these rebels have stolen from your people."

The Algonquin chieftain had a wide smile on his face when these words were translated into his native tongue by the beautiful mohawk woman who stood next to the white man's side. After expressing his thanks, he departed from the Governor's villa, and made the long journey back to his home. He would wait for Arnulf to deal with these matters himself.

After the Algonquin chieftain left, Arnulf was quick to summon the commander of the expeditionary forces in New Vienna to his home. The commander was a tall, and strong middle-aged man, who had the charisma of a knight. Evidently, he had fought most of his life on the medieval battlefields of Europe, only to be incorporated into the Imperial German Army as an officer.

Since he and his forces had first landed in New Vienna, they had little in terms of combat experience. After all, Arnulf's negotiating skills were truly masterful. Most of the time, they acted as gendarmerie rather than actual soldiers. Thus, when he received his newest order, he was actually quite surprised.

"Colonel Bartolde Von Tettingen, we have a problem. A large group of rebels have journeyed north and conquered the lands of our allies for themselves. I need you to march your army to their settlement and bring them to justice by whatever means necessary. Do you understand?"

This command disturbed the Colonel. He was being ordered to march his army upon a German settlement, which, by a decree of the Kaiser, had the right to exist. After all, the philosophy of German settlement to the new world was manifest destiny. The entire continent of North America was free real estate to the German people, and they were allowed to establish colonies anywhere they pleased.

This order to bring these settlers to justice was something the Colonel immensely disagreed with. However, he would not reject the demands of the local Colonial Governor. Thus, he nodded his head in agreement before responding in the affirmative.

"As you command, Governor..."

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After saying this, the Colonel was dismissed, where he immediately returned to his office, and met with his officer cadre. There was a cold expression on his face as he relayed the orders he had been given.

"The Governor has gone mad. He wants us to actually march our forces north and eliminate the colonists in Berenwalde, all because they were following the Kaiser's orders. I have no intention of spilling the blood of Germans for such a petty reason.

Claus, I want you to go to the docks and relay this information to the Captain of the SMS Emmerich. Have him dispatch a telegram to the fatherland informing the Kaiser of these developments and requesting further support. You are to wait for a proper response from the Kaiser, and then return to us with that information.

The rest of us will march north in a show of force. However, you are not to open fire on the colonists unless they attack you first. The last thing we need is this already tense situation to escalate into a full-blown war!"

This news deeply disturbed the officers of the expeditionary corps. The governor had truly gone mad if he wished to force the German colonists out of their settlement. It was simply insane to think about. Because of this, they could not help but mutter under their breath.

"Fucking traitor..."

The Officer named Claus quickly did as he was instructed and relayed the information back to the Fatherland. Whereas the rest of the men quickly gathered their weapons and supplies. They intended to head north, into the savage frontier, in a show of force to the German settlers of the region. Many of the men dreaded this operation, fearing that their very presence would act as provocation to the settlers.

These men were used to dealing with minor scuffles between unarmed groups. While some of the more veteran members were accustomed to fighting savages armed with sticks and stones. However, the settlers they would be provoking had access to single shot bolt action rifles, mortars, and breechloading artillery. If they came to arms, they would be walking into the meat grinder.

Despite this sentiment, the men of the Colonial Expeditionary Corps had their orders, and because of this they began the long trek north, praying that the Kaiser would order them to back off from the conflict, and leave the colonists be.