Tyranny of Steel

Having been rejected by the Mohawk village, Berengar, Kahwihta, and the marines who accompanied them returned to the Austrian fortress established along the coast of New York. During the next few weeks, Berengar would enjoy his time with the native woman, especially now that she had nowhere to go.

He began to take time out of his schedule to teach her the German language, not just in verbalization but also in reading and writing its script. Despite her humble origins, the woman was a quick learner. After studying the language of her newfound gods for some time, she was now capable of communicating with her benefactor to some degree.

By now, she had learned Berengar's name and the origin of his people. He honestly did not need to exaggerate that much to convince the woman that the Austrian people were, in fact, deities; after all, the tales he spun of railways, steam-powered vessels, massive structures, and the many other impressive feats of his Kingdom was enough to convince the native woman that the so-called Kingdom of Austria was a blessed land of great prosperity and power.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of the Austrians, pestilence had begun to occur in the land; before long, Kahwita developed feverish symptoms, and Berengar became quite concerned, after all, he was aware that this woman lacked any form of immunity to the diseases he and his men had unwittingly brought over from the old world.

Thus, Berengar was tending to the sickly woman while waiting for Honoria to return with more men and supplies. Berengar had prepared many herbal remedies to aid with all kinds of conditions he and his men might encounter as part of the journey.

At the moment, he was brewing up an herbal tea alongside a pot of chicken noodle soup as he kept a careful eye over the native woman who lay naked in his bed. As part of her treatment, he had prepared a damp towel and placed it over her head.

Despite appearances, Kahwihta was not in the worst condition possible; in fact, she was doing quite well. However, she was entirely unaccustomed to influenza, and thus she felt as if she were dying. In reality, she had a mild case, primarily due to the effective natural treatment she had received from Berengar. Something her people were not lucky enough to experience.

As such, the woman lay underneath the fur covers as she coughed lightly into the air; after doing so, she had a bitter expression on her face as she revealed her thoughts to her foreign lover.

"I fear that I will not be able to witness the grandeur of your divine Kingdom. My only regret in this life is that I failed to prove useful to you..."

Berengar held onto the young woman's dainty hand with a warm smile on his face; he shook his head as he informed the native girl of her current condition.

"You will have plenty of time to establish diplomatic ties with the local tribes. Your condition is not as bad as you think it is; you have a high chance of surviving this illness. Rather, what you should be concerned about is the effect this illness will have on your people..."

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Disease in itself was an ugly thing, especially when it came in the form of a virus. Influenza could rapidly spread and was one of the leading causes in Berengar's past life to the decline of the Native American peoples.

Unfortunately, there was no natural way to stop it. It was something that accompanied the Germans when they visited the land, Berengar like much of his men, had become accustomed to this disease that was mainly the result of domesticating livestock.

While Berengar and his men had not brought any such animals with them, they carried the disease, and by simply making contact with the natives, had begun its spread. Thus when Kahwihta heard that her people were also suffering from this unknown illness, she felt her heart bleed.

The fact that such a thing had occurred only after she was banished and the Austrians were rejected by her people was further proof in her mind that these golden-haired men who came from across the great sea were, in fact, gods. This disease was the wrath of the golden-haired gods and had come about as a result of her father's folly. Unfortunately for her people; now they must all pay the price for the chieftain's ignorance.

Of course, Berengar had no way of knowing that the girl was thinking about this and instead felt like she would blame him for her people's suffering. Despite this, he did not apologize; whether it was the Austrians who spread this disease or some other population from the old world that reached the Americas, such a thing was simply inevitable.

Thus Berengar did not dwell on the subject and instead fed the girl the soup, and herbal tea, which immensely helped her condition. After finishing her meal, Kahwihta fell asleep, leaving Berengar with some downtime; as such, he exited his quarters and approached his soldiers who were currently on guard.

"What's the current status of the flu?"

The officer scratched the back of his head beneath his helmet as he updated the King on the ongoing plague that spread across the land.

"Our boys are fine; we've taken preventative measures and have effectively countered its effects. It is honestly a mild variant, at most a few sniffles here and there. Those who are showing symptoms receive regular hydration and herbal remedies.

However, for whatever reason, this variant's effect on the natives has been devastating. Only a few weeks have passed, but our scouts report that thousands lie dead. When we contacted the Mohawk, it was already in our systems and began to spread to them.

Unfortunately for them the moment we left the village, the Mohawk Chief departed on a diplomatic venture to secure an alliance against us with other villages and tribes. In doing so, he unwittingly spread the disease to the other native populations. This could prove very useful to us in the long term.

With the rapid spread of the flu, the natives' numbers will dwindle, allowing our fortress to remain secure. So long as we bring in more men, and supplies we could theoretically turn this into a self-sustaining military outpost with limited support from the fatherland."

Berengar nodded his head in response to his Captain's suggestion. Though it was a horrific event for the native Americans, to the Kingdom of Austria, the spread of influenza within the new world was a serious tactical advantage.

Of course, it would only increase after they had begun importing livestock. Ultimately this was a fate that could not be avoided. Upon seeing his Monarch's reaction, the Marine Captain had another question on his mind which he immediately began to inquire about.

"Your majesty, if I may ask, what exactly are the supplies being brought over on the next voyage?"

In response to this, a wide grin appeared on Berengar's face as he explained the mission he had tasked Honoria with.

"It may be a few months before they arrive; after all, several ships need to be retrofitted, but I intend for a small fleet of frigates to ferry troops and supplies over—everything from livestock, agricultural technology, and building supplies to military equipment and munitions.

This primitive wooden fort will be rebuilt into a proper star fortress, and our dock will be capable of containing several ships. We will begin implementing fields outside the defense in the spring and raise livestock so that you men can have some fresh meat.

This fortress will act as our first military installation in this New World and as our first colony. For now, it will remain a highly regarded secret within our Kingdom; only those with enough security clearance will be aware of its existence..."

This response by the Austrian King only filled the officer with further questions, who immediately began to ask for clarification to his curiosity.

"Who will work the fields? Surely you do not expect us to do so?"

When Berengar heard this, he chuckled before responding to the man's question.

"In time, some of the natives will come to revere us, especially after they see that were are unaffected by the pestilence that we have brought into this land. The survivors will come to us seeking shelter, and when they do, we will put them to work in the fields. Their payment will be a portion of the food that they grow, shelter to live in, and the protection of the Austrian Military.

Eventually, these savages will be replaced by Austrians in the coming years. However, you and your soldiers are free to take as many women as you want as concubines. Just remember not to lay your hands on my woman. If I find out any of you have done so in my absence, I will have your heads removed."

The Captain immediately nodded his head in understanding as he heard the words of his King. He did not know a single man among the ranks of the Austrian Military who would be willing to provoke the King by making a move on one of the women he had claimed. Thus, while pestilence ravaged the land and the people who dwelled within it, Berengar and the Austrians planned to take advantage of the crisis.