Wednesday morning arrived all too soon for General Schwarzkopf. The honeymoon was over and Maximilian had a long day ahead of him. At least his health was good. Under the healing regimens of Lady Echinacea, the effects of his battle injuries had simply melted away. His facial wounds had healed without the slightest remnants of scarring. His bumps, bruising and lightheadedness were all gone, and replaced with an energy he hadn't felt for years. Elven healing magic really was the best.

  Goldenrod Echinacea and her assistants had made their way to Danzig, along with the rest of the Flying Eagles battalion. Schwarzkopf could only imagine the maneuvers required to transport a whole battalion to Danzig, and prepare them for a steam train journey to the northern front. However, Schwarzkopf was sure that Hartmann and Meyer had done an admirable job with the arrangements.

  All that Maximilian had to prepare, was himself. Four Wolf Knights were sent to arrive early that morning to accompany the General on his journey to Danzig. Gunther was washed, fed and watered. All of his personal possessions were packed and ready. Max and the Countess were able to share one last bittersweet breakfast together, before General Schwarzkopf's inevitable departure.

  "Oh, my dearest, whatever will I do without you?" lamented Countess Fedorina.

  "Alas, all good things must come to an end. But the sooner I leave, the sooner I shall return, Anastasia," replied Schwarzkopf.

  "I am worried about you! Those Northmen sound dangerous, and blatantly uncivilised. They sound more brutish than the Orcs!"

  "I must agree with your observations, my darling. However, in one aspect they appear to be relatively advanced. Their mastery of magical spells is remarkable, and whenever I have met them in the past, magical duelling between Holy Prussian mages and their Demon inspired mages, has been profoundly important in determining the outcome of battles," explained Schwarzkopf.

  "Consorting with Demons? What sort of people are they?" inquired the Countess.

  "Not the sort of people that I would want anywhere near you, my dear. I aim to keep them no closer than they are now, bottled up in the Jutland peninsula. By summer's end, we will have driven them out of the Empire and sent them packing, back to their frozen homelands. With the help of your patronly support, and the additional funds granted by the Kaunas community, I am planning to provide every unit in the 427th battalion with their own battle wizard. We will need help like that, to defeat the Northmen."

  "I suppose that you will be wanting to take that dastardly Nagalring with you, as well then."

  "If you would permit my use of the weapon, I am sure that it will aid our cause," replied Schwarzkopf.

  "Well then, I had better take you down into the dungeon, to retrieve the damn thing."

  The Countess led Schwarzkopf down a dark stairwell into the basement. He had never actually previously descended these stairs, and was impressed as to just how far underground the stairs led.

  "My grandfather excavated this section of the castle more than one hundred years ago. My sister and I used to dare each other to come down the stairs. Dear old Archibald left all sorts of historical junk down here. Loot from his various conquests from around the world, I suppose. We used to dress up in these," said the Countess, holding up some rather moth eaten ethnic dresses, made of exotic fabrics and ornamental embroidery. "Your sword is over there."

  The Countess pointed towards a large metal box. Schwarzkopf strode up to it and tried to open the hinged lid. It was much heavier than he had expected, and he needed to exert a considerable force to lift the solid metal lid. Inside the case, there was Nagalring. Schwarzkopf experienced a considerable surge of emotions, seeing the blade one more time. They had been through so much together! Schwarzkopf hoisted the blade, held it above himself, then slid the weapon into its scabbard. Next, he attached the scabbard to his uniform's ornamental belt. Now, he felt like a complete soldier, and turned towards the Countess.

  "What do you think? How do I look?" asked Schwarzkopf.

  "You look grand, Schwartzy. Truly grand. I just don't trust that sword. Sometimes, I wish that I had never taken it out of its case. My mother said that they made that box out of pure lead, to protect us all from the emanations that it produces. Just be careful with it."

  "I will, my dearest," replied General Schwarzkopf. He could already feel the power surging through his veins.

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  Wednesday was a remarkable day at the Danzig train station. When General Schwarzkopf trotted into the rail yard on Gunther's back he was deeply impressed by the beehive of activity. Cannons being loaded up onto flatbed cars, warhorses being led into stock cars and the soldiers themselves boarding the coach cars. All of the train cars were arranged behind the shiniest and most powerfully built steam engine that Schwarzkopf had ever seen. Presently, the General caught sight of Lieutenant Hartmann.

  "Hartmann! How goes the battle?" asked General Schwarzkopf.

  "Sir! I am so glad to see that you have made it! Our train departs within the hour! Everyone is here, including the new troops to replace our losses from the Battle of Kaunas. Your coach is the first one behind the engine. I made arrangements for Gunther to be housed in the stock car carrying the Wolf Knight warhorses."

  "Excellent. I am sure that he will be comfortable there. Were you able to secure the services of Gunnar Hellsson?"

  "Lieutenant Meyer managed that task, Sir, and yes he was successful! The dwarf cannons are being loaded, as we speak. See there," and he was pointing towards the rear of the train. "Right there, you can see Gunnar supervising."

  "Ah, yes! I see him. Well done, Hartmann!"

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  Schwarzkopf, Hartmann, and Meyer were all comfortable in their seats by the time the steam train pulled out of Danzig Central Station. The plan was to ride overnight, and arrive the following day in Badendorf. Schwarzkopf had been surprised to learn that the Flying Eagles were to be received by celebration of some sort, commemorating their victory. Although Schwarzkopf found it hard to believe, both Hartmann and Meyer had been told to expect that the Kaiser himself, would be in attendance.

  As the miles passed by, Maximilian Schwarzkopf was lulled to sleep by the sounds of the train clacking along the steel rails and crossing bridges over roadways and rivers. The steam train line linking Danzig to Badendorf was a relatively recent invention. Schwarzkopf could never have imagined such luxury in the first thirty years of his military career, but he was certainly enjoying the use of it now. As Maximilian understood things, the tracks currently extended as far as Kielsburg, which was their ultimate destination, and the current location of the Northern Front army headquarters. From there the 427th was to proceed on foot, to the front lines on the Jutland peninsula. The night passed quickly.

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  By morning, the train was continuing its cross country journey. Schwarzkopf had already been up for a few minutes when he heard a knock at the sleeper cabin door, and Lieutenant Hartmann's voice, "We have about one hour left until Badendorf, Sir! Breakfast is being served in the dining car."

  "Thank you, Hartmann," replied Schwarzkopf. "I will join you for breakfast in a few minutes."

  Not long after breakfast, the 427th battalion steam train entered within the city limits of the Holy Prussian Empire capital, Badendorf. It had been many years since Schwarzkopf had last visited the city, and as he expected, there were new developments and constructions obvious from the train. The road traffic of horse carriages was intense, along with numerous other forms of transportation including a new machine to Schwarzkopf, the bicycle! Schwarzkopf had heard of this new invention but never seen one in person. Schwarzkopf, Hartmann, and Meyer all speculated on the military potential of bicycle mounted ground troops.

  Soon the magnificent capital buildings and major structures of central Badendorf became visible. The Kaiser's Palace, the Olden Reik Theatre, the Academies of Wizardry, and the Cathedral of Theodor. The steam train slowed as it entered the massive Badendorf rail hub central station. Military brass bands and well dressed citizens in bleachers awaited their arrival. The train came to a halt, and cheers greeted Schwarzkopf as he descended the stairs onto the cement train platform. A band struck up a patriotic tune and Schwarzkopf noted the signs welcoming his soldiers. 'Congratulations Flying Eagles!' and 'Welcome to the Victors of the Battle of Kaunas!' were the most prominent banners.

  Amongst the welcoming dignitaries, Schwarzkopf recognised the Kaiser himself, surrounded by an honour guard of the finest Prussian swordsmen. Schwarzkopf had seen the leader of the Empire on three occasions, but had certainly never spoken with him. Apparently, this encounter would be different, because as Schwarzkopf walked forward next to Hartmann and Meyer, the Kaiser strode towards him.

  "General Schwarzkopf! Welcome to Badendorf!" greeted Kaiser Wilhelm Fredrick, the leader of the Holy Prussian Empire. To Maximilian Schwarzkopf, it was hard to believe that all this was real.

  "It is an honour , Sir!" replied General Schwarzkopf.

  "I am fully aware, Schwarzkopf, of the urgency of your new deployment. Those dastardly Northmen require your attention urgently, but I felt it necessary to personally bless your mission and express the thanks of our entire nation for your victory over Margaash and the hobgoblins." The Kaisers words were deeply meaningful for Schwarzkopf and his staff.

  "Thank you, Sir! We are all proud to serve the Empire!"

  "Yes! I am quite certain of that fact. As a recognition of your fine service I have brought each of you a medal commemorating your victory! Lieutenants, the medals of the Order of Merit!" explained the Kaiser, his deputies hanging the shiny medals around the necks of Hartmann and Meyer.

  Once again the band struck up a catchy tune, and the people in the bleachers cheered.

  "And for you General Schwarzkopf, the highest medal in the Holy Prussian Empire, The Iron Cross!" More music and even more enthusiastic cheering followed, and the Kaiser himself placed the Iron Cross around the neck of General Schwarzkopf. He was overwhelmed with pride.

  "I can't thank you enough for this honour, Sir!" responded Schwarzkopf. "If there is anything at all that my men can do for you, we are at your service."

  "Well, now that you mention it, Schwarzkopf, there is one thing that I wanted to ask of you. Would it be possible for me to see a demonstration of your new military device? I believe that it is called an 'Analytical Engine.' Or, at least, that is what my spies tell me. Please, I am dreadfully curious as to the workings of the machine. The reports are remarkable."

  "Of course, Sir!" replied Schwarzkopf, and then turned to his Lieutenant, "Meyer! Can we provide a demonstration of the Engine for the Kaiser?"

  "I will do my best, Sir!" responded Nicholas Meyer.

  Lieutenant Meyer gathered up his technicians and they made their way to the rear of the train and the flat car that was transporting the Analytical Engine. The first thing they did was to fire up the coal powered boiler, which took a little while to develop enough pressure to operate the machine. Kaiser Wilhelm did not seem to mind the wait. He spent the time asking General Schwarzkopf about the workings of the Analytical Engine and its uses on the battlefield. Meyer kept one ear on the conversation, as he worked, and noted the penetrating and intelligent lines of inquiry regarding the Analytical Engine's performance.

  Once the boiler had achieved operating pressures, Nicholas Meyer interrupted Schwarzkopf to offer to begin the demonstration. As was now becoming familiar to Lieutenant Meyer, his own mind was starting to load a series of numbers and charts onto the edge of his fields of vision, now that the analytical Engine was operational.

  "The steam engine is required to provide the energy to rotate the heavy and complex metal gearing and tumblers, Sir. Every problem is broken down into individual mathematical equations and the machine produces solutions for each equation. This second section of the machine assembles the results of the equations to create a unified solution to the problem proposed," explained Meyer.

  "How does this improve the fighting capabilities of your battalion, Herr Meyer? asked the Kaiser.

  "First off, before we even enter the battlefield, the Analytical Engine can provide assessments as to which battlefield specialists should be deployed with each fighting company, so as to maximise killing power. Once we are on the battlefield, the machine can also evaluate the expected performance of enemy units. Next, we compare and predict combat outcomes between various opposing pairs of fighting units. The Analytical Engine will provide optimal match ups for each of the companies in the Flying Eagles battalion, and tell me what to expect from each pairing. I recommend battlefield deployments to General Schwarzkopf based on these assessments. Finally, during the battle, the Analytical Engine can produce updated assessments of damaged or destroyed units, again from both sides. That information is vital in the deployment of reserves, or the redeployment of already committed units."

  "Genius! Sheer genius! Surely this proves the superiority of Prussian scientists! I am deeply impressed. Could I possibly see a data sheet being produced?" requested the Kaiser.

  Of course, Sir!" replied Meyer, scanning both the Kaiser as well as the members of his honour guard. Nicholas Meyer began to input the numbers visible to him and started the process of producing assessment data sheets. Once he was satisfied with the honour guard sheet, he boldly continued on to produce an assessment of the Kaiser's own fighting qualities, being careful to optimise the numbers wherever possible. "Here you go, Sir! The number represent the likelihood of success in combat, and use a base six mathematical system."

  "I see," replied the Kaiser, and once again Meyer was impressed by the Kaiser's ability to process new information.

  ________________Kaiser Wilhelm Fredrick ____________________Honour Guard Swordsmen

  Unit Strength:___1 unique___________________________________10 Swordsmen__________

  Leadership:_____12_________________________________________8___________________

  Fighting Skill:___6___________________________________________4___________________

  Attacks:________4___________________________________________1 per swordsman________

  Quickness:_____4___________________________________________3________________________

  Power:_________4___________________________________________4_________________________

  Defence:_______3___________________________________________3__________________________

  Speed:_________4___________________________________________4__________________________

  Wounds:_______3___________________________________________2____________________________

  Armour save:___2+_________________________________________4+______________________

  Weapons:______Sword of Excellence________________________Blessed Swords_____________

  Special abilities: Commands the Empire, +2 to power,_______+1 to power, ultimate loyalty

  +2 to fighting skill. Inspires confidence. Strategic genius.

  "Remarkable," observed Kaiser Wilhelm as he inspected the newly printed data sheet. "Are there additional uses for this Analytical Engine?"

  "There are indeed, Kaiser Wilhelm. The general's wife has purchased one to assist with the operations of her estate," replied Meyer.

  "I just might have to get an Analytical engine for myself, Lieutenant Meyer! we could use one around the Imperial Palace, I think!"

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