"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The rapid, forceful knocking echoed through the quiet house. "Open the door! We are the National Defense Force! Former Minister of Defense Gusler is suspected of corruption and treason. We are instructed to take him back to assist in the investigation! Open the door!" Outside, over a dozen IDF soldiers, armed with submachine guns and rifles, stood ready. Their orders were not simply to arrest Gusler but to kill him on sight if necessary.
The knocking persisted, growing more impatient by the second. Finally, losing their patience, the soldiers kicked down the weak wooden door and stormed into the house. Inside, they were met with a grim sight: the cold body of Gusler hanging from a beam in the living room. Nearby, on the bed, lay his wife, deceased, her face discolored and her nasal passages blocked by vomit—signs of poisoning. A suicide note on the coffee table indicated that the former defense minister had poisoned his wife before taking his own life by hanging.
---
"Bathcoll!" An SS officer stood proudly before a man in a suit, who was holding his wife and two children against the wall. "You are accused of betraying the Big German Party. You are hereby dismissed from your position as the head of the third district of Berlin! Do you have anything to say?"
"I am the true patriot! You fools! Akado will lead Germany into the abyss of war. The blood of Germans will be spilled. He is a demon! Do not be deceived by him again!" Buster Coles shouted hysterically.
"It seems you have nothing reasonable to say," the SS officer sneered, raising his arm. "Long live the Great German Party! Long live Akado? Rudolph!"
"Wait! Please, let my wife and children go! They are innocent!" Buster pleaded.
"Fire!" The officer commanded, ignoring Buster's cries. A row of soldiers in black SS uniforms raised their rifles and fired without hesitation.
---
"Bell! Bell! Bell!" The phone rang endlessly, but no one picked up. IDF soldiers were busy rummaging through the house. On the floor lay a police chief with three bullet holes in his chest. Nearby, an officer spoke into another phone, "Yes, that's right. Filton has been killed. He claimed he was acting under orders from Defense Minister Gessler. No, he didn't mention anyone named Brock. We are searching his office for evidence. Yes, sir, I will update you soon. Long live the Great German Party! Long live Akado? Rudolph!"
After hanging up, the IDF officer turned to his men, "Search thoroughly! Don't overlook any suspicious evidence. Filton committed treason; we must find all related proof. Hurry!"
---
"General Bullock, your collusion with the stormtroopers in an attempt to attack the headquarters of the National Defense Forces has been confirmed. Do you have any last words?" Reinhardt Heidrich asked, removing his military cap and placing it on the coffee table as he sat on the couch.
"Boy, when I commanded troops in the last war, you were still using a pencil for arithmetic. Watch your tone!" the old general retorted haughtily, pointing to the medals adorning his uniform. "I fought for the Emperor! The old marshal Hindenburg will understand my actions!"
"I believe you," Reinhardt said, removing a leather glove and dropping it next to his hat. "That's why I am here."
"To kill me? Just another German who loves peace? There will be millions more who will rise against you. They will devour you!" Bullock exclaimed angrily.
"You think you brought peace? You traded German dignity for humiliation! We don't need mercy or cowardice. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" Reinhardt countered.
"Fool! With Germany standing alone, we are doomed to fail! We will be obliterated! What will you sinners have left to repent for then?" Bullock argued.
"So you suggest the German people should live humbly under the enemy's boot?" Reinhardt queried.
"At least they would be alive! That is what matters most!" Bullock sighed.
"Living without a soul is worse than dying for victory," Reinhardt stated coldly.
"History will prove me right, you fool!" Bullock yelled.
"But tomorrow, the German people will make their choice," Reinhardt smiled, pulling out his Luger pistol. "Too bad you won't see it."
A gunshot pierced the air.
---
In the Presidential Office, an adjutant reported to a half-asleep President Hindenburg, "Your Excellency, 'Operation Sleeping Star' has failed. Berlin is now embroiled in conflict. It's very unsafe outside. Citizens are terrified. Also, Defense Minister Otto Gessler was confirmed to have committed suicide at his home."
As the phone rang, Hindenburg's secretary answered, "This is the president's office... May I help you?"
"Hindenburg! Get President Hindenburg on the phone! This is Pierre! They are outside my house! Get Hindenburg—" The call was cut short by a gunshot, followed by Pierre's scream and then only a busy tone.
The secretary, pale-faced, turned to Hindenburg and shook his head, indicating Pierre was likely dead.
"Akado is more powerful than I anticipated," an old man behind Hindenburg sighed. "If we don't compromise with him, Germany will plunge into endless civil conflict."
Hindenburg sighed, "William, what time is it? Is dawn approaching?"
"It's three in the morning. Dawn will break soon," the sixty-year-old man replied.
"It's dawn... The light is coming," Hindenburg nodded, then instructed his secretary, "Call the Defense Forces General Command. I need to speak with General Akado."
---
On the early morning streets, newsboys, despite hearing gunfire and shouts the night before, were stunned by the sight of hundreds of corpses and streets soaked in blood. As they cautiously made their way to pick up the latest edition of the 'Deutsches Post', the headline struck them: "What is the choice?" It posed a stark question to every German: support the politicians who claim peace at the cost of dignity, or stand with General Akado Rudolph, striving for Germany's rise.
"Akado, you have won again," Colonel Grudo muttered to himself, setting aside the newspaper and sipping his coffee. "I wonder how far you can go, facing your own challenges and our obstructions. But why are you so intent on expanding your defense force? Are you planning another war?"
---
"Let Gorona take over as the new Minister of Defense. I will cooperate with you and announce the start of parliamentary elections immediately," Hindenburg spoke into the phone.
"No problem, Your Excellency! As I said, the National Defense Force is on your side," Akado responded confidently over the phone.