Intermission
“Isaac, tell me about the young man you recommended.”
“He’s a qualified intelligence agent.”
“That sounds quite persuasive coming from you. In that case, what can he offer us?”
“A web of contacts spanning Eastern Europe, an information collector, analysts, relays and executors. He can even make you sharpen your own blades and monitor your own puppets.”
“A glowing review indeed. What’s his CV like?”
“During the chaos after ‘45, he was the best in his field in Eastern Europe. His father was one of our persons-in-charge in Northern Europe and he entered the trade at a young age. In ‘43, he made a very valuable report concerning the German Social Democratic Party, enough to have him made the chief of our Eastern European station. In the 8 years since, he’s been winding through the lockdowns caused by the war to recover a great deal of critical intelligence for the US.”
“The US? Does he work for the CIA?”
“No, please don’t worry.”

Major-General Isaac, the mastermind behind this secret intelligence agency, smiled and emptied his glass of its Isle of Wight whisky.

“He’s one of us.”

=========================

File Type: Log
Please enter password
:[90WISHROCKX]
... ...
... ...
... ...
Password accepted.

05/19/2049 — Izhevsk
Title: Principles of Automatic Control in a Relic Quantum Gravity System

... ...

After consulting the publicly available Relic research as well as the analysis of the first Relic remains by the former East German research apparatus from this report, I have reached a conclusion; the “Collapse Technology Quantized Gravitation Field” which has vexed the academic world all this while is a response from the Relic itself or a signal controlling some other Relic system. We can understand the nature of the Relic in this case as an unimaginably complex automatic control system, and the numerical values from the analysis of the first Relic remains are the signal from the internal control circuit of this system. Given the standard of current human technology, duplicating or simulating this system or generating this system is impossible. However, through analysis of this signal, it is possible to understand the mathematical model and control theories within it, which is also the subject of this essay.

=========================

09/10/2040 — Leipzig
Log:

Frankly speaking, I am not fond of the weather in Saxony, just as I am not fond of German, beer, Bach and even Germany itself. But I have to admit that this is the place I wanted to be, and not just because the University of Leipzig has the best automation department around.

In truth, I was the odd one out wherever I went. In Cadovie, I was the child who never joined the group. In Moscow, I was the outsider from Northern Europe. So what difference did it make if I went a little further?
And so, even if he objected to me doing so, I chose to study here anyway.
Now that I think about it, I don’t think it was a wrong choice.

Is this a form of rebellion?
Because of what happened 5 years ago? The fact that he abandoned my mother and took me here to Russia?
I’m not sure.
But I don’t blame my father for that. While  understand that he did not abandon his country for my sake, in the end, his choice allowed me to live, so I will not blame him for it.

Besides, isn’t it a romantic thing to believe that the true principles of technology really can wipe out the human world?

=======================================

12/24/2040 — Leipzig
Log:

My father often said that there were two sides to everything,
that there was always a good side, and a bad side.

In that case, the good side of things for me right now is that as a new student, I have the chance to participate in proper, decent research project. The bad side is that I am now writing this entry in my logbook in the lab, and it is now 11:30. Hm. At night, too, and tomorrow will be Christmas day.

While I admit that there really isn’t anywhere interesting to go in a city within a contaminated zone, I have to say that this is just unfair. How can you take a designated holiday away from me just because I use the Julian calendar?

Remark: The sugar in the lab needs replenishing.

=======================================

<<Rossartrist Monthly>> __ __th, 207__
<<The Fuse -- The German Social Democratic Movement Before World War III>>

Chapter 1: The German Situation After The Northern Lights Incident

Within the five years following the Beilan Island Incident, Western Europe became the heart of the continent once more, its sphere of influence competing with that of the US for supremacy over the Atlantic Ocean. However, the Northern Lights Incident in 2035 fundamentally rewrote the relationship between Europe and the rest of the world. The Scandinavian Peninsula was stripped bare by high-energy Collapse Fluid carried by the wind, though it did not enter atmospheric circulation. It was then spread by the seasonal winds and the ocean currents, turning the Baltic Sea region and Central Europe into dangerous contaminated zones, including everything to the north of Germany’s Thuringian Mountains. These areas were promptly evacuated after the Northern Lights Incident was observed, but even so, millions of people displayed ELID symptoms in the wake of exposure to concentrated Collapse Fluid and lost their lives. The six states that made up the former East Germany (Thuringia, Saxony, Brandenberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), the northern states (Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg), the North Rhine-Westphalia and parts of the Black Forest region were contaminated to varying extents during the Northern Lights Incident, leading to a mass migration of the German populace.

After the seat of German government relocated to Frankfurt, they immediately began work on receiving refugees from the north and re-establishing governmental functions. Due to North and South America refusing the refugee housing plan proposed by the European Union in September 2035, the European Union was forced to divide up its refugees among the various countries, and the flood of Eastern European refugees crossed the psychological bottom line among the people of the southern German states. Then, after the <<Northern Lights Incident Investigation Report>> in 2036 clearly stated that “contaminated zones were not suitable for personnel to engage in outdoors activity without wearing Collapse Fluid-resistant gear”, the combination of suffering from the Northern Lights Incident and having to additionally handle refugees from Eastern Europe triggered dissatisfaction among the people. The south German people, who feared the refugees would remain forever, erupted into protests until they were finally pacified by the government.

Although the conflicts on the surface had been appeased, the seeds of hatred had been sown between the southern states and the refugees in the northern states.

=======================================

Leipzig -- The Karl Marx University
Automation Department

“Oh, you came just in time! Hey, new guy, make me a coffee, okay?”

“Aw, don’t look so reluctant. Here, have some sugar from your senior. Oh, it’s not too bitter, I guess you pass~”

“Pass the sugar, please. Speaking of which, you look kind of familiar… oh, right! You’re the exchange student from the National University of Moscow who got full marks in assembly language. You look kind of bored most of the time, hm… mm, well, if you’re interested, why not come help me with my project?”

“Aw, it’s not entirely my project. But the tutor doesn’t care so I ended up doing most of it.”

“Alright, come by my lab later on. Lyco Ris. What’s with that surprised face of yours? This senior of yours has a good memory, you know.”

“Aw, look, I’ve gone and forgotten to introduce myself. I’m a postgrad student with the department of automation. Name’s Persicaria. Nice to meet you.”

=======================================

12/31/2040 — Leipzig
Log:

Let’s talk about Miss Persicaria.

She’s a genius. There’s no doubt about that. She doesn’t need notes, she doesn’t need manuscripts, and I’ve never seen her waste time on a calculator.
Although the excuse she gave me was that her tutor was too busy, my observations told me that she had long since taken over this research project.

That she is a loser is also beyond doubt. She doesn’t care about anything beyond academics and her own research. Entertainment, leisure, even sleep -- all these things have nothing to do with her. This isn’t just because she’s too lazy to care or because she’s not good at taking care of herself. Rather, it’s because she fundamentally believes that she doesn’t need such things to live. In summary, she is a monster who can live forever by subsisting on biscuits, coffee and sugar.

Incidentally, I made soup for her on New Year’s Day.
I am keenly aware of why she doesn’t have any undergrads in her project team.
After all, who could trust anyone who takes 6 sugars with her coffee?

Remark: Remember to check the comparative data for the No.4 machine group.

=======================================

01/07/2041 — Leipzig
Log:

The first batch of comparative data from the machine groups was finished today. It’s not often that I can take a day to rest, and it affords me time to take a proper look at the project in its entirety.

I have to admit, the logbook contains too little about proper research.
Part of it is because my dear senior is very hard to handle and headache-inducing, in more ways than one. The other part is because there’s still too much I need to learn here.

Therefore, it’s time I sorted things out.

The topic of this project is the optimization of doll robot control frameworks.

Ever since the Russians witnessed the effectiveness of industrial doll robots in rebuilding the Relics, every country’s research apparatuses and companies have been investing in developing their own models (that said, most of them are fundamentally the same as the 52P model, and they don’t even measure up to the standards of Ukrainian products; they’re pretty much excuses to trick funding out of investors). Meanwhile, our aim differs from theirs in that we are not designing an industrial doll.

The requirements include the ability to share communications and data between machine groups, automation of the man-machine command interface based on the learning logic and complex decision-making tree of the artificial neural network, excessive maneuverability and terrain adaptation requirements, as well as a universality of parts.
In various ways, these conditions are all quite harsh. They sound like what an investor who knows nothing of engineering rigor might write on a planning document.
However, leaving aside the size of our research group, the financial support, equipment preparation and the detail in which the specifications for said equipment were listed in the subject material is enough for me to understand that this is a serious project. At the very least, it’s not something scribbled by our professor who can’t be bothered to show up to classes on time.
Personally, I have a feeling that this is a government project.

However, even a government organization should understand that a university lab can’t possibly deliver an engineering prototype like this?
That’s because meeting all the requirements of this project is impossible, given our current abilities and equipment.

I feel that among the many requirements, the most important one is the ability to serve as a doll command nexus that can relay commands and process complex instructions.
From that point of view, it makes sense why Miss Persica pulled me into her project group.
After all, my desired field of study is AI and algorithms.

However, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to have an easy time of things here. Whether as a new student or later on in my career, designing such complex systems is going to be extremely difficult. I hope that my fair lady will realize that soon.
Not everyone is a genius like her, after all.

Remark: Get permission to look through the documents from the professor at the archives.

P.S: Merry Christmas

=======================================

Leipzig -- The Karl Marx University
Automation Department Research Laboratory Labor-90

“Lyco, did you get the internal dissertation that the professor said we could use last week?”

“It’s all been sorted out. All the AI dissertations for the university’s automation department are on the lab computers. I’ve already printed out the ones that look useful and put them in your second drawer, and I’ve already backed up the initial test data. There was more stuff about the control theory, so I printed the most useful items and put them in your first drawer. Everything else is on the server. Remember not to run calculations on those servers, I’m still sorting them out.

“Ohhhh, alright, well done on backing up the stuff in the archives. Also…”

“Last night’s machine group data is in your mailbox. I restarted No. 4 but there was still no response, so I already filled in the forms and changed it out. Honestly, Miss Persica, you need to change your habit of running endurance tests on the same machine all the time.”

“Alright… and then…”

“I added sugar to your coffee.”

“Thanks, er…”

“What is it?”

“Lyco, have you been getting more and more casual with me of late?”

“How could I possibly do that, my dear senior?”

“Mm…”

“Hm?”

“What’s the server password, Lyco?”

“...”


=======================================

Chapter 2: The Situation In Germany During The Restructuring Period

After the Northern Lights Incident, the EU did a fundamental about face with regards to its foreign policy. Due to many EU member nations suffering serious damage after the Northern Lights Incident, dividing up the non-contaminated regions in Africa became the new hot topic for European politics. Ever since the EU intervened in the Libyan coup of 2037, Old Europe seemed to be heading further and further down the road of colonialism -- an act which offended the progressive left-wing parties and the people, to some extent. During the German elections of 2037, the left-wing parties and the German Social Democratic Party’s Cabinet voiced their support of the US-Soviet alliance and opposed the neo-colonialist policy. However, due to the US-Soviet alliance disbanding the year after, the parliament cast a vote of no confidence and the opponents of colonialism were tragically defeated, leaving them incapable of preventing Germany from following the rest of the EU into neo-colonialism.

After the Latin American Alliance of 2038 dissolved, until the end of the Ukrainian Civil War in 2043, the German government participated in the EU’s colonization of Africa and brutally suppressed the left-wing parties. At the same time, after a series of restoration and reconstruction works for settlements in contaminated zones, some of the refugees in the northern states resettled the contaminated zones. After the Algerian War in 2039 ended, Germany determined that they could not rebuild residential areas in contaminated zones on a large scale, and that they could only respond to the domestic situation in the wake of the Northern Lights Incident by recolonizing Africa. In 2040, the southern state residents were in general support of the government increasing external expansion and investment, while the northern state refugees were more in support of the government increasing support and investment for the maintenance and construction of housing settlements in contaminated zones, and they were opposed to external expansion and overseas colonization.

Most of the residents in the northern contaminated zones were left-wing citizens, who had been suppressed by the government. They lived in less than 10 square meters of living space in the contaminated zone settlements, relying on small amounts of heating systems and externally shipped resources to eke out a harsh existence. They needed to mind the ELID alarms at all times when moving around outside, or wear heavy protective gear. Many of the northern states’ residents had not been willing to return there. Most of them were Eastern European refugees who had been forcibly chased out and former residents of East Germany.

The conflict between the north and south would gradually grow because of the discord between the north and south.

=======================================

01/14/2041 — Leipzig
Log:

While I only backed up the dissertations in the archive for convenience’s sake at the time, I can’t honestly state that I didn’t do it without selfish motives.
After all, such things would not be allowed to be copied and brought out by the regulations. How could a man resist the impulse to push a button marked “Do Not Push?”

Still, I now understand why it was managed so strictly now.
There is too much data and research here which isn’t suitable to be brought to the public eye.
Leaving aside those theses which even a blind man can see are outsourced by the military, why is it that they even have blueprints of former East German listening posts?
While I’ve already said that it was a stack of old papers from and old regime, they even have national defense technological material from 1963 in here. Isn’t that the opposite of being security-conscious?

Still, reading these things is an excellent learning experience.
Perhaps I might be able to find the original surveillance data.

[DATA REDACTED]

Remark: Submission date for the replaceable core concept draft is 11th March.

=======================================

Conference of the Ministers of the German Democratic Republic
Resolition No. 203

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, the Soviet Union used the device codenamed “Moron” to achieve outstanding diplomatic results and show off their ability to project a tremendous strategic threat. In order to ensure the safety and stability of the German Democratic Republic, and to effectively curb the growing ambitions of the West German militarists, we task various departments with investigating and understanding the origins and capabilities of this military equipment.

We authorize the Department of National Security to form an inter-departmental and cross-industry special committee and to manage the related work.
We order the Leipzig University of Karl Marx to form a project team made up of personnel from various research departments to cooperate with the investigations.
Units affiliated with the National People’s Army will ensure security and non-interference with the investigative work.
After considering the sensitivity and importance of Relic technology, as well as the importance of maintaining good relations with our allies in the Soviet Union, all departments are ordered to carefully handle all information and data pertaining to this resolution during interactions and communications with our Soviet allies.

Chairman of the Ministerial Conference
Otto Grotewohl
1st November, 1962

=======================================

Our Russian friend has given us an unexpected surprise. Strictly speaking it is not just us, but everyone in the Warsaw Pact who was shaken by this. This is not so much a surprise as it is a shock. Therefore, when Mirko asked me why I didn’t obtain this information beforehand, I could only give him this answer.

“But I didn’t know. The Soviets were hush-hush about this sort of information, even if we appeared to be as close as brothers on the surface. At best, we’d only blush and shyly tell  each other, “there’s one of us in the enemy camp”. That’s all.

He was furious about that, of course, but I had no way of knowing that our own Relic development project would end up coming online so soon.

When Mirko handed this project to me, I was resistant to it, to tell the truth. As a person responsible for external intelligence, I found it hard to manage Relic exploration while also performing intelligence work. In the end, however, I still accepted this very difficult task. In truth, I knew nothing about Relics. I had only heard a few rumors about them -- like how the Soviets had excavated a Relic from the Nordhausen Caves, only leaving behind this hole.

After receiving my orders, I visited the site of the first Relic (Urkunde-01) as soon as possible. It was a massive hollow in the mountains, its entrance sealed by two heavy steel doors. The hollow was massive, roughty seven stories tall, and the walls of the cave looked like they were made of some kind of metal. there were some regular indentations at a 120-degree angle on the walls. It was clear that this was not a naturally-formed object.

It seems only my Russian friends have any idea of what happened here.


Markus Wolff
March 1963

=======================================

02/05/2041 — Leipzig
Log:

What the hell is written in here?

[DATA REDACTED]

Remark: Remember to submit the manuscript.

=======================================

02/21/2041 — Leipzig
Log:

[DATA REDACTED]

No good, I can’t make head or tail of it!

Remark: Remember!

=======================================
03/10/2041 — Leipzig
Log:

No, this isn’t nonsense. There’s a logic to this content.

[DATA REDACTED]

Remark: Dammit, my dear senior’s manuscript is going to be late.

=======================================

Leipzig -- The Karl Marx University
2041 Winter Course Schedule
Student: Lyco
Schedule: Self-selected

[Information Theory]
[Encryption Theory]
[Introduction to Complex Analysis]
[Mathematical Statistics]
[Electronic Signal Processing]

=======================================

First Relic (Urkunde-01) Remains Investigation Initial Report Endorsement

The re-exploration of the First Relic (Urkunde-01) was not successful. The Russians took away everything that could be moved, leaving nothing behind but a massive cave and marks on a wall that might be either rock or some kind of metal. During our investigations, we found many matched sets of triple grooves that looked like some sort of interface, but we have no idea what those grooves were used for, Of course, after analysis of a few metal flakes, we can confirm that the First Relic (Urkunde-01) was a non-natural object hidden in the mountain; the sample contained titanium dioxide, iron oxide, and other metal oxides.

Due to the tension that the Russians have concerning Relic technology, it is not likely that we will obtain concrete information from Moscow about the Relics. While the Ministerial Conference’s orders were addressed to the specific “Fool” device, my instincts tell me that our point of breakthrough is this Relic, excavated by the Soviets 20 years ago, After all, the vaunted “Tabasar-B” should only have been officially built after this site was dug clean.

Remark: The families of the personnel lost during the First Relic investigation are to receive death benefits as though they were officers, even if their rank would not normally be sufficient, and the families of all officers lost are to be compensated as though they were two ranks higher.

Report Endorser:
Director of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of National Security -- Markus Wolff

=======================================

The KGB would obviously keep their lips sealed about anything related to the Relics. Don’t be fooled by Semichastny’s genial, sincere appearance; he’s actually a very cunning man. He apologized for the incident in Cuba while at the same time ensuring that such frightening weapons would not be pointed at “his socialist brothers”. In the end, it was Zakharovsky who gave us a little hint. Zakharovsky is the director of the KGB’s Foreign Intelligence Bureau, and I deeply respect him. BEcause of the large age gap between us, he treated me like a father.

“The 16th Directorate is very hot on the ternary computer. That’s all I know. Relic management is heavily segregated, even from us on the inside. The Kremlin is very… sensitive about the condition of the Relics.”

Now that he said that, I can roughly guess what the grooves on the walls were for. After returning to East Germany, I immediately ordered the assembly of a special team made up of electrical engineers and computer-related personnel, and then I asked Mirko to arrange for a batch of armed police to seal off the area surrounding Nordhausen. By the time I returned from Cuba, I saw a “military base” that was under control as I had asked.

I was very happy to see this. On the 19th of December, 1965, just a few days away from Christmas, our hard work had finally borne fruit. The First Relic (Urkunde-01) produced feedback in response to us emitting electrical signals to the grooves on the wall. It was plain to see that the Relic used a certain kind of ternary electromagnetic signal for external communication.

We need to build a special facility to monitor these signals, and to analyze and decrypt them.
Those scientists in the Leipzig University will finally have something to do. When you consider that the information we have vindicates the Soviets’ attitude toward this matter, we should also place more emphasis on the secrecy of this project.

Markus Wolff
December ‘65

=======================================

10/06/2042 — Leipzig
Log:

I’ve done it!
I’ve done it!!!!
I’ve finally decoded it!

I thought there’d be no end to this, but the moment I decoded it I realized that it was all part of the game!
There’s only one key to this puzzle, and there’s only a tiny gap through which it can be used!
Everything before this was just a foreshadowing for this moment!

[DATA REDACTED]

Remark: I need to get something to eat and get some sleep.

=======================================

10/08/2042 — Leipzig
Log:

Dammit! What the hell is this!
I can’t believe there was something like this under the code!

[DATA REDACTED]

Remark: I need to tidy up this logbook.

=======================================

Leipzig -- The Karl Marx University
Automation Department Research Laboratory Labor-90

“Lyco! Where the hell have you been!”

“You didn’t bury yourself while I was gone, did you, my dear Persica?”

“The reports aren’t finished! The server’s not starting up! The computer’s not working! And leaving the sugar aside, even the coffee is —”

“Alright, alright, my fair lady. Let’s leave that aside for now. Have you read the dissertation I sent you yet? There’s a lot of interesting stuff in it. I think it could be helpful to our project.”

“Eh?”

=======================================

In the end, I gave the electronic surveillance center designed by the Leipzig University of Karl Marx and the First Relic Investigation Working Group the name of 90Wunsch. Changing the original codename of Listening Post 90 -- Wrack was due to safety and security considerations -- namely, the principle of not using the conventional naming system for listening stations. However, what I rarely talk about is that the real reason for the change is because that codename contains my wishes. It is my hope that someday, our country will be whole again, but right now, we still have to face our countrymen as enemies. It has been 7 years since the First Relic was handed over to the Bureau of Foreign Intelligence, and during this time we have collected many electromagnetic signal characteristics from the First Relic. While there has been little to no progress on the analysis and decoding of these signals, we discovered a lot of interesting radio and electromagnetic field phenomena during the process. Our comrades in the technical department have even managed to develop the plans for many new electronic components and radio devices. These surprise discoveries gave us a solid foundation for our later confrontation with NATO’s electronic warfare units.

Erich Honecker has just become the new chairman of the State Council. Clearly, Moscow has a lot to say about our private development and exploration of the Relic. However, I personally think that this is good news. While we managed to gain some things from the First Relic, we still know practically nothing about the Relics. I have privately asked Weiberg, the head of the technical department, about how he viewed the Relic, in his position as a simple scholar, and he gave me a long, anxious spiel about how it could not possibly have been made by humans and that it was clearly dangerous.

“We need to explore the Relic carefully, Comrade Wolff,” he told me. “Can you please tell them that the Relic might well be the end of our futures?”

I eagerly told him that Honecker had already asked us to stop our Relic explorations, but I also told him that 90Wunsch’s work would not end like this. We had received another important mission requiring a great deal of support from the technical department. In truth, the origin of this new mission was a target we had found while monitoring the Relic; we had intercepted and learned the location of the “Berlin ground station” that NATO was building on the outskirts of Berlin. 90Wunsch would use the seven years of technology accumulated from the First Relic to conduct electronic eavesdropping and thus remove ourselves from our predicament.

Es war immer mein Wunsch (This has ever been my wish).

Markus Wolff
May ‘71

=======================================

August 2043
Leipzig -- The Karl Marx University
Great Report Hall

“I extend my sincerest thanks to my esteemed professors and colleagues for assisting and supporting the doll robot control system optimization project team. The success of our project dissertation is…”

“My fair lady, why is it our dear professor speaking up there instead of you?”
“I’m not good at that sort of thing, right?”
“While it is true, aren’t you dissatisfied with this?”
“It’s fine. After all, this isn’t something that belongs to me alone. Besides, the ones who really put in the effort are the ones who excavated the Relic remains from Nordhausen, aren’t they, Lyco? Unfortunately, we can’t put their names into the report.”
“Actually, I had an idea on that end.”
“Oh? Tell me.”
“Don’t we have a 90 on our lab door plate too?”

=======================================

<<European Control Systems Journal>> 2054 Edition
<<An Introduction To Etching Theory>>
Research Into Applications of Field Effect Connections Between Manufactured Materials
Persica, 90Wish

=======================================

Chapter 3: The German Situation Before WWIII

By 2041, Italy had full control of Libya, highlighting the return of Europe to colonialism. In the same year, the movement to bring down the Exclusion Wall began in the US, and as the Western European countries watched dispassionately across the Atlantic Ocean as America began to break apart, it strengthened their resolve to colonize Africa in order to feed their countries. However, this meant that there was no investment in their parent countries’ infrastructure. The executives who monopolized the agricultural trade of the non-contaminated regions of Africa were concerned with developing the non-contaminated zones for habitation. At the same time, rumors were circulating about government officials building an evacuation shelter in the Antarctic.

In 2042, the largest non-contaminated country in Eastern Europe -- the Ukraine -- faced a severe economic crisis, which led to the armed revolution of Eastern Ukraine. After the United Nations failed to mediate, the Ukrainian Civil War broke out. But it was only when the Eastern Ukrainians conquered Kiev in 2043 that the panicked EU realized the severity of the situation. Under the interference of the EU, the Ukraine split into two halves. The various countries of the EU leaned on the Ukrainian military government to stem what could possibly have been a tide of revolution, but they overlooked the fact that their own opposition parties had been energized by the Ukrainian revolution and were secretly working in the darkness. After the Ukrainian split, the governments of the world reverted to an abnormally conservative stance. Canada was swallowed up by the US, and then they intervened in the Bahamas’ anti-American movement. At the beginning of 2044, after 3 permanent members of the UN backed out of the UN General Assembly when the problems of Algeria, the Ukraine and the Bahamas were addressed, the United Nations was effectively dead as a system.

Within Germany, the Frankfurt government began to consider if the clauses in the German Constitution concerning the independence of Eastern Germany posed a risk. The reunification of Germany had been built on the foundation of Soviet mediation in 1983, with the former German unificationists abandoning their power in exchange for a high degree of self-government in the former East German region, ultimately resulting in the present German Federal Republic. In the face of the dramatically different international situation, the Frankfurt government had to take action to avoid separationist forces rearing their heads.

In September of 2044, the German Federal Parliament took a vote on the 2045 yearly budget, passing a budget that disfavored East German reconstruction by a slim margin. Due to the Federal Parliament’s act of abandoning their own territory in favor of accelerating overseas development, the Social Democratic parties united in a never-before-seen move and requested that Parliament be dissolved and a new election be held. Due to the Social Democrats gaining sufficient votes, the dissolution of Parliament became inevitable, triggering dissatisfaction from the CDU and the Liberal Democrats. The risk-taking West German parties proposed the National Emergency Act be enacted during Parliament, requesting a temporary suspension of the self-government rights that the German Constitution granted to the former East German regions and the suspension of the East German regional parliament, with the central government sending out select groups of officials to rebuild the governments of North Germany, East Germany, and so on. After a series of Parliamentary struggles, in November 2044, the Federal parliament passed the National Emergency Act (again by a slim margin), and the German Federal government suspended the 1983 Constitution. The first resolution which the German Federal Republic passed after the National Emergency Act took effect was to purge the Social Democrat members of Parliament on the basis that they were threatening national security. On that day itself, the federal police forces and the Constitutional Security Agency began a methodical arrest of the backbone members of many social democratic parties, including their party leaders. The SDP branch in former Western Germany was hit particularly hard.

Once the news got out, East German residents and members of the Social Democratic parties throughout Germany began spontaneous protests, impacting units of the federal government. On November 11th, the federal government ordered the police to institute a curfew, in keeping with the Emergency Act. On 13th November, groups of protestors engaged in a series of bloody skirmishes with police units in large cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Nuremberg, leading to scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries. On 14th November, the federal government asked units of the Berlin police to conduct a purge of the Republic Palace, the seat of the East German People’s Council which was viewed as the headquarters of the protests at the time. However, the purge resulted in numerous casualties -- the protestors clashed head-on with military police units trying to pacify the Republic Palace, ultimately resulting in close to 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries. This incident would later become known as the Republic Palace Murders.

The federal government’s actions utterly destroyed any hope which the German Social Democrats had of peacefully resolving the danger, and armed uprisings were already being taken into consideration.

=======================================
9/18/2044 — Leipzig
Log:

It is time to choose.
I received a letter from the embassy concerning the departure of expatriates from Germany.
I have seen the angry mobs on the street. I have heard the voices around me, growing louder and more strident.
However, my research is still here, and I have not yet finished what I want to do.

And my dear lady is still here.

And so, it is time to choose.

=======================================

Chapter 4: The East German Uprising

On the 18th of November, Bundespolizei units of East German origin staged an organized revolt, leading to the security situation in several large cities spiralling out of control. On November 19th, units of the Bundeswehr garrisoned in East Germany and North Germany also turned traitor. By 20th November, the troops who had risen up began attacking units of the Bundespolizei and the Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) within East German borders. On 23rd November, with the federal parliament unable to make effective decisions, the rebel units exterminated all units of the Bundeswehr, Bundespolizei and the SEK within East German borders. The German Social Democratic Party held a press conference before the Brandenburg Gate in Germany, declaring the success of the East German armed uprising and their intention to leave the German Federal Republic.

On the 24th of November, EU HQ began discussing the matter of the German domestic situation, and they asked the German Federal Republic to quickly and effectively calm their internal disturbances. On November 26, the Bundeswehr -- which remained loyal to the Frankfurt central government -- marched on the East German regions. After two days of fighting on the 27th and 28th November, the Bundeswehr approached the Brandenburg region near Berlin. However, this was a trap by the East Germans. On November 30th, insurgent units successfully surrounded a Bundeswehr armored brigade and two mechanized infantry brigades. After three days of fighting, the Bundeswehr units surrendered to the East Germans. The failure of the suppression was a grave shock for the Frankfurt central government -- it was plain to see that Germany was in the midst of civil war, and the federal parliament could no longer quash things by their own force alone. On the 5th of December, the federal government begged rapid-response teams from the EU to intervene in the matter.

However, it was not just the federal government which had sought external aid. Even as early as the second day of the uprising, the Social Democrats had already asked Moscow through the Soviet Embassy in Berlin to send troops to intervene in the uprising. After considering that the federal government had broken the cornerstone of Germany that both the Americans and Soviets had agreed on in 1983, Soviet intervention in the matter was not without legal basis. And after the first battle with the West, the Russians were certain of the will of the East Germans people to resist, and so they injected themselves into the German situation. The Baltic Fleet planned to land at Rostock, while Soviet paratroopers planned to drop directly into Berlin. On December 1st, Soviet airborne troops circled around the EU surveillance radars in Poland and successfully landed at Schönefeld Airport, which allowed them to provide tanks and other heavy weapons to the East Germans. Before the EU rapid-response units could enter the fray, the Soviet Union had already stolen a march on them and sent their units directly to East Germany.

And so, on 7th December, the EU forces entered Berlin without resistance, but when they found the barricades prepared by the Soviet Army on Straße des 17. Juni, both Brussels and Frankfurt were shocked. The swift intervention of the Russians into the German situation had turned what had originally been an internal German matter into a protracted and terrifying international power struggle.

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German Federal Republic Department of Education and Research
2045
List of Technical Personnel and Research Institutes To Be Relocated To the West

… ....

The Leipzig University of Karl Marx

...

Persicaria
...

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Chapter 5: The Aftermath and Aftereffects of the German Uprising

The German Uprising gave the Soviets a motive to enter the EU sphere of influence. The Russians had found a platform from which they could have payback on Brussels for their various actions during the Ukraine incident. The intervention of Soviet troops led to the EU being unable to swiftly resolve the German situation by force, instead leading to the German conflict expanding in scope and becoming more drawn out. Far away, on the other side of the Atlantic, the US also entered the German situation slightly later, and the return of the US and the USSR to Europe put world peace in jeopardy.

One could say that the German Uprising accelerated the intensification of the conflict between East and West Europe, and triggered World War III.

... ...

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January, 2049
Max Planck Institute of Computer Science

“What’s the matter, Lyco? We’re going to set out tomorrow, have you packed your things yet?
“Don’t make it sound like an elementary-school spring trip, my dear lady. I’m taking advantage of a moment of spare time to check my earlier log entries. Besides, can you really speak so casually about this? You do know I’ll be entering the country illegally, right?”
“Sorry, sorry. I’m just a little worried.”
“It’ll be fine. Let’s not talk about this. How about yourself, is your research progressing well?”
“They value my research heavily, but…”
“Our proposal was based on general-purpose dolls, after all. It’s already ‘49, there’s no way they can prepare an entire unit from scratch.”
“Like I said, won’t you reconsider, Lyco? If you tell them you’re adding another helper, they’ll agree.”

“My dear lady. The people steering Noah’s Ark this time round aren’t your easily-fooled German compatriots, but those Americans. They’re definitely going to check everyone’s identity. If they find out I’m a Russian, I’ll be headed straight to a concentration camp.  The safest place for me now is back in the USSR. Don’t worry, the person getting me past the border is a very reliable man. Remember that German ID of mine? He’s the one who made it for me.
“Alright…”
“You, on the other hand, need to be more careful. Take care of yourself and make sure you eat proper meals. And you must never let anyone know that we’re holding onto the surveillance data from 90wish.”
“Mm, I won’t.”

“You’re one to talk. Everytime the director’s daughter comes to visit, you keep telling her stories involving 90wish. If this keeps up, 90wish is going to become an organization for justice, when it was just meant to be a joke about a joke spy agency. What’s the name of that girl again?”
“Her name is Lunixya. Honestly, can’t you even remember that?”
“Unlike my dear lady, I only remember important things. Still remember the server password?”
“Ahhh, I get it!  There’s no way I could forget after you changed it to 90WISHROCK.”
“It’s 90WISHROCKX. With an X.”

“Lyco, you’re a wonderful person, but you have terrible naming sense.”

=======================================

We got a basic picture of their situation through an inside line in the Berlin Ground Station. The “Berlin Ground Station” was built on top of a mountain called “Der Zauberberg” in the outskirts of West  Berlin, where the US and NATO had established the most powerful electronic surveillance system in Europe. In theory, the “Berlin Ground Station” could monitor all radio traffic within the entire Warsaw Pact, and it could even jam and alter the high frequency command used by Warsaw Pact internal command channels, such as giving fighter pilots false orders. Of course, this perfect plan came with 90Wunsch’s unexpected discovery of this and information support from the Soviets, which made us the entry point for infiltrating the NATO intelligence system.

It was simple enough to send fake information to Der Zauberberg, and stopping them from overhearing the real information wasn’t hard either. 90Wunsch’s greatest challenge lay in how to use the communications between “Der Zauberberg” and NATO Command to send fake orders to NATO Command. Since the vast quantity of technical details that this would involve was beyond our bureau’s analysts, we asked for assistance from Statesec’s director of radio espionage and counter-espionage. Our radio technology specialist eventually found a way to get our foot in NATO’s door -- it’s hard for me to explain the complex principles involved, but we eventually managed to take control of Der Zauberberg. In the 10 years which followed, we controlled every move that “Der Zauberberg” made. We provided a wealth of false information to “Der Zauberberg, ensuring that Washington had no idea about our true situation before Germany reunified in ‘85. After all… if they knew about our deteriorating economic situation, they would never have accepted unification with open arms.

And as for the Relics and Relic technology, I once thought, if Honecker hadn’t stopped 90Wunsch from continuing to delve into the First Relic (Urkunde-01), would we have been able to establish a national economic management network like the Soviets, which would mean we wouldn’t have to rely on fake information, but actually build a good economy for our country? Could we then have gone on to unify our people and our homeland, in accordance with our ideals?

But the appearance of ELID put an end to that notion. It was only after the <<Relic Arms Limitation Treaty>> was ratified and revealed to the world that we learned the true danger of the Relic technology which Russia had been developing in secret. After that, 90Wunsch was disbanded, and its data was vetted by me and then destroyed or handed over to that Misha. Meanwhile, the members of this organization scattered to the four winds after the two Germanies unified. Most of our technical personnel were recruited by the United Nation for their understanding of Relics, and I heard that they hoped to establish a specialized agency to deal with international Relic issues. Meanwhile, a small number of our people chose to go over to the Americans or the Soviets. To them, the Cold War is probably still going on.

Markus Wolff
3rd October, 1986

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May 2049
Izhevsk

“Comrade Lyco, what is this?”
“My dissertation, Comrade Dean.”
“Er… Lyco, you’ve only been here for a month, right?”
“Yes. Please take a look at it when you have the time. Feel free to look me up if you have any questions. I can provide all the experimental data upon request.”
“Alright…”
… …

“Comrade Lyco, report to my office immediately. I say again, Comrade Lyco, please report to the Dean’s office immediately.”


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May 2049
Moscow -- Lubyanka Plaza 11

“Good morning, Comrade Director Zelinsky.”
“Hm, anything new today?”
“The US military hasn’t made much progress in their attack on Heidelberg. On the contrary, enemy guerillas are being more active. The Comrade General still thinks it’s just a probe and maintains that the West is preparing for a big push. Our comrades in the China station report that the US military is fully determined to withdraw from Guangxi, and they estimate that they will be completely gone in a few month’s time. The “thermometer” at the Caspian Sea has passed muster, and the test is scheduled for August. Oh, one of our comrades from the Ministry of Industry has penned a very influential essay, and he’s begun arguing with the Ministry of Defense about their proposal to upgrade the automated divisions’ command systems.”
“You need to believe the general’s judgement. In this respect, we must believe in the professionalism of our comrades in the armed forces. As for the Far East information, make sure to let the Chinese know about it. Work in the Far East is very complicated, and you should make every effort to work with our Chinese friends. The Caspian Sea matter is of the utmost importance. You must follow the timetable strictly and push things forward. Let the Ministry of Industry argue with the Ministry of Defense. That’s not within our job scope. Hm… still, let me see that essay.”
“Yes, Comrade Director, I’ve made a note of all that. As it happens, I have a copy of the essay with me. Would you like to see it now?”
“Give it to me.”

“...”
“Comrade Director? ...Comrade Director Zelinsky?”
“Get me a phone to Public Security, now.”
“Sir! Here’s the phone, is there an urgent situation?”
“Who’s the writer of this essay?”
“Er, he’s a scholar who just came back from Germany, studying automation, mathematics and artificial intelligence.”
“He’s got foreign background? Get me our Germany man from the First Directorate, and then find out how he got back to the country. Hm… and then have someone from Signals come over here to stand by. ”
“Sir!”

“Alright, now go. I’m going to give Misha a call. This might involve a leak of Relic technology, and we need to find the original data and control everyone who knows about this.”

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December 31st, 2040
Opposite Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church
An Old Bar

“Yo. Happy New Year, lonely young man.”
“Oh, thank goodness, I’ve had a hard time finding an open bar. Do you have anything to eat here?”
“What’s this? Were you dumped on a New Year date? How about a beer first?”

This is why I hate eating at bars. The bartender always shows too much concern for you, especially these Germans.

“Don’t make fun of him, boss. Judging by his accent, he’s not a local either. Give him some smoked fish,” the man at the counter said by way of assistance.

“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. Speaking of which, is life really so hard for you university students, not even being able to get a day off on the New Year?
“It’s just that my project group is led by someone who doesn’t remember public holidays.”
“What a shame, then I guess you’ll be coming here often.”
“Hm? Is this bar always open around this time?”
“The boss here is Russian, and most of the people who eat here are the night shift staff at Tass and the embassy, with the occasional cop too. Therefore, this place is open every night throughout the year.”
“Then it seems I’ve come to the right place. So, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a news editor. As you know, there’s been a neverending stream of political incidents in Germany these past few years, so I just formed a little news broadcast company of my own in Germany, called Wave Tech. We write for the major news agencies, so feel free to tell me if you’ve got any exclusives.
“Alright, I’m glad to meet you, sir. My name is Lyco, a new student at Leipzig’s Karl Marx University.”
“No need to be so formal. I like hard working young men like you. Just call me Griffin.”