Do Politics on a Grand Scale
"I heard you summoned me, Mr. President."
As I spoke, urging a response, Hindenburg took a small sip of his brandy. Then he chuckled softly.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Falkenrain. You and I—we're both Junkers, aren't we? Right? Fellow Junkers."
He shrugged as he said it. Then he stared silently at the sky for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
"You. You're preparing a no-confidence vote against the Papen cabinet, aren't you?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
"Could you drop that? I know your party is the largest in the Reichstag right now. From what I've heard of your talks... you're not so different from our National People's Party. And seeing how you led that gold collection drive, your patriotism for the nation seems genuine..."
"I've always been sincere, Mr. President."
"Me too. You might see me as some power-hungry dictator dissolving parliament, but no one loves the nation more than I do. That's why we don't need to fight each other."
"I don't follow."
"Listen, Falkenrain. Is it really normal to join hands with those communists you despise so much? There's a saying: if you can't beat them, join them. Support the Papen cabinet. Then things will normalize. The ruling party's strength will grow again, and the nation will revive."
He said that, then poured himself another brandy into his empty glass. He clapped his hands twice. Servants waiting outside brought in cheese, bagels, and simple breads. An apple was placed before me.
"Take a bite of that apple, and I'll know you're on my side."
"I appreciate the offer, but what do we get out of it?"
"Vice Chancellor. I talked to Papen... he trusts you. He even thinks you'd make a better chancellor than him. So don't make trouble—just accept the vice chancellorship. Isn't that enough? It's me, taking you into my fold. Join the cabinet."
He was proposing I join him, emphasizing our shared "Junker" identity for no good reason.
"You and I are both Junkers, aren't we? Right? Junkers should lead Germany. Not the communists who crawled up from the streets, or the SPD pinning their hopes on some republic. We're noble beings born to rule. So join me, Falkenrain. What an honorable thing!"
"Mr. President."
"Speak, Falkenrain."
"Do politics on a grand scale."
I waved him off as if I couldn't stomach another word and stood from my seat. His eyes widened. The old man's face flushed red. It wasn't the alcohol. It was me.
"Look outside right now, Mr. President! The masses are furious at your power grab! The Great Depression has factories bankrupt! Horrific deflation is toppling stockbrokers and banks one after another! And here you are, the president who should stand with the people, sipping brandy and saying... what?"
I pointed at his disgrace and shouted. Hindenburg slowly set his glass down on the table.
"I knew I had you pegged right. Even now, worrying about the people! Hahaha! The people! Worrying about the people!"
"What's so funny?"
"I have to have you, no matter what. Join me. I'll give you more. I'll even back your DDRAP over the National People's Party. Your party's more patriotic!"
"Give me the chancellorship."
"What?"
"If you won't give me the chancellorship, consider this offer never made."
I declared it and walked out without waiting for a reply. The Papen cabinet was brand new—openly demanding the top job was as good as refusal. No need to hear more.
I returned to the party office in Berlin.
Leni Riefenstahl arrived. She'd come running at my personal summons, practically bouncing with excitement. A grown woman with those manic eyes—it was downright eerie. But her talent was the real deal. I still needed her skills.
"My Führer! Heil, my Führer!"
"No heil. Anyway, I need you to make a film."
I commissioned her to produce a movie titled Triumph of the Will. The kind folks might call a "national pride flick." I specified the protagonists as the scientists leading Germany.
"Not you, the Führer, but scientists...?"
"That's right. Focus on the scientists and Germany's superior scientific prowess. And add narration."
"Narration...? Like on the radio?"
"Voiceover explaining the scenes. Movies can have sound too. Use a phonograph."
This era had almost no narrated films. Cinema was still primitive. Sure, America was booming with the industry, producing giants like Charlie Chaplin... Anyway, I requested narration. No technical issue— they'd long been recording train whistles and hoofbeats on phonographs to sync with screenings for sound effects. Adding a human voice was simple.
"Great idea, my Führer. Brilliant as always."
"And have me appear very briefly. Film me talking with the scientists. Don't praise me—just treat me like background. Narrate it simply and move on."
"Is that really okay?"
"Yes."
The key was making scientists the stars of Triumph of the Will. I wasn't the hero. A quick cameo would still thrill the public who knew my face. After all, I was the founder and largest investor in the German Scientists Union.
"It'll take about half a year. You won't be disappointed, my Führer."
I nodded at Leni Riefenstahl's words.
While on the topic, I decided to inspect the German Scientists Union. Entering the research facility I'd acquired for the members—the German Third Reich Science and Technology Research Institute—Fritz Haber came out to greet me. He beamed like a child and ran up.
"Aigoo, who do we have here? Dr. Lucas von Falkenrain! Come this way."
"Good to see you, Dr. Haber. How's the union?"
"Scientists are lining up to join. Oh, right—Robert Oppenheimer. He went back to America after all."
"Oppenheimer... disappointing."
Oppenheimer had only spent his university years in Europe; he was American at heart. Guess he went home... In the original timeline, he'd stayed in Germany around this time. Such a shame.
"He had some arguments with a few other doctors. Young guy— he'll change his mind and come back soon."
"Scientists are human too. They fight and sulk like anyone."
"Exactly."
Haber began naturally touring the facility as we spoke. It wasn't all chemistry labs—though there were some. Mostly classrooms. University assistants shadowed professors here for research.
Walking a hallway, I spotted Dr. Einstein in one corner.
"Ah, that's Dr. Einstein. Big on astrophysics and philosophy. But no interest in applied tech. We don't really click."
That was Fritz Haber's take on Einstein... Well, he pursued practical change, not cosmic mysteries. A die-hard patriot fixated on tech that served the nation.
"Dr. Haber, we'll soon film a movie about German scientists. I'd appreciate you getting the others' okay in advance."
"No trouble at all, Dr. Falkenrain."
"Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll chat with Dr. Einstein."
I got Haber's nod and quietly entered Einstein's classroom mid-lecture with his assistants. He was scribbling equations on the board—gibberish to me.
I'd come just to meet him. As a kid, I'd idolized Einstein. Back when I was a South Korean citizen, he was the one who made me dream of becoming a scientist in elementary school.
"Are you one of my students? Why so late?"
"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Einstein. Lucas von Falkenrain, leader of the DDRAP."
"Oh, my apologies... Mr. Falkenrain. Class dismissed, everyone. Take your time leaving."
He spotted me, raised his glasses in curiosity. I was curious too, but played it cool.
"You're the most famous man in the papers lately. Haber told me—you founded this institute, supporting German scientists. I owe you a lot."
"I owe you more, Doctor. You're a dream and a hope."
"What... do you mean? Me, a dream?"
"Einstein's theory of relativity... it was my dream. If only I'd understood it."
"Hahaha. Is that so? Thanks for the words anyway."
"By the way, what about black holes? Could a mass so immense it devours spacetime, trapping even light, really exist?"
I jumped straight to black holes. Bucket list item: hear about them from Einstein himself. He shrugged and replied.
"Black hole... I like the term. Somewhere in this vast universe, such a monstrous body might lurk. I can't say for sure. Scientists are afflicted with the disease of doubt. Were you that curious about a celestial body that swallows everything?"
Bucket list checked. Even if a black hole spaghettified me now and sent me to the fourth loop, I'd have no regrets.