The wedding guests began to arrive the morning of the big day. Among the notables were General Ludendorf from Army Command Headquarters in Danzig. Major Schwarzkopf and Countess Fedorina met the arriving carriage transporting the General.

  "General Ludendorf! How kind of you to attend our wedding. Welcome to the Pripet Castle!" greeted Major Schwarzkopf.

  "Of course! Of course! I made plans to attend the moment that I heard you two were getting married. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Countess Fedorina, you look wonderful! Schwarzkopf is the luckiest man in the Holy Prussian army!" observed General Ludendorf.

  "Why thank you, General Ludendorf. You are too kind. I will have you know that I consider myself to be the luckiest Countess in all Silesia. I never dreamed of such a fine husband as Maximilian!" and she hugged him dearly from the side, as if to prove her statement.

  "Ah, yes, yes! The two love birds. Now, I wouldn't want to be the person to cause any distractions from this fine wedding day, but as fate would have it, I have some very good news that I would like to share with you and your staff, Major Schwarzkopf. Would it be possible to call together your most trusted officers and allow me a few moments of your time?" asked the General.

  "Of course, Sir!" replied Schwarzkopf. "I shall gather the men and meet you in the parlour, in a few minutes.'

  Major Schwarzkopf gathered his most trusted Lieutenants: Hartmann, Meyer, Jaeger and Michael. A few minutes later General Ludendorf and his Chief of Staff entered the parlour. The staff member carried a carefully wrapped package with him. "Gentlemen, thank you all for attending! I have an announcement to make, that I would like all of you to hear. Colonel Williams bears a gift that accompanies the announcement, which may be of some use on this auspicious occasion. Firstly, I want to confirm the departure date for the 427th battalion, to embark from the Danzig train station, will be in five days time. Maximilian, I want you to know that I worked hard to delay this departure as for long as was militarily possible. None the less, I apologise for the impact on the time you two can spend together after your wedding. An abbreviated honeymoon to be sure. The fact of the matter is the Holy Prussian Empire needs your services badly, and as soon as possible."

  "We both understand the gravity of the circumstances, Sir," replied Schwarzkopf. Countess Fedorina also nodded in agreement.

  "That said, I also have some good news to announce to you all: The General staff of the Army of the Eastern Front has promoted Maximilian Schwarzkopf to the rank of Lieutenant General! Let me be the first to pass on my congratulations and if I may say so, this promotion is extremely well deserved. Well done, Maximilian!"

  All of the men in the room shouted a hurrah, and each shook the hand of the newly minted General and congratulated him. Countess Fedorina hugged Schwarzkopf long and hard.

  "As I stated previously, a gift goes along with this promotion. General Williams, if you please." The Colonel General carefully opened the silk wrapped package and produced a magnificent two star General dress uniform, complete with gold embroidery on the collars, cuffs and pockets. The epaulettes featured two silver stars, and the tailoring of the coat and matching pants was immaculate.

  "Oh my Maximilian!" exclaimed the Countess. "It is magnificent. You simply must wear this wonderful uniform for the ceremony!"

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  General Maximilian Schwarzkopf did just that. Surrounded by friends and family the wedding ceremony was officiated by the Arch Deacon of Kaunas, Sergei Sokolovsky. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with ivy and roses, and the weather was perfect for the occasion.

  "We are gathered here today, to witness the joining of this man and this woman, in holy matrimony," began Deacon Sokolovsky. "Countess Fedorina has been a magnificent leader of the Kaunas community for decades, and I am very proud to consider her a dear friend. General Schwarzkopf is a newcomer to the Kaunas region, but in the short time he has been here, our world has become a safer place. No longer plagued by the machinations of Orcs, Trolls and Hobgoblins, our citizens can enjoy their outdoor tasks and recreations in a way one would have considered to be impossible, just 4 months ago."

  Cheers and applause rang out in the castle courtyard. "Bravo! Bravo!!!!"

  "Now, for the important questions: Do you, Countess Fedorina, take this man to be your husband?"

  "I do," replied the Countess.

  "Do you, General Schwarzkopf take this woman to be your wife?"

  "I do," replied General Schwarzkopf.

  "You may kiss the bride!" concluded Arch Deacon Sokolovsky.

  More cheers and applause rang out, "Bravo! Bravo! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

  The reception dinner was an interesting event, given the eclectic nature of the attending guests. The large contingent of military personnel were able to pass on heroic stories of what had taken place on the Kaunas battlefield. Dramatic descriptions of Mongolian rockets, transformed cavalry charges and heroic individual deeds were excellent fodder for party conversations. Of course, everyone had to express their own impressions and observations of the ultimate confrontation between Schwarzkopf and the Yamalian War Mammoth.

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  Also heard extensively around the ornately decorated dinner tables were discussions about the Analytical Engine. Given its location at the front of the Pripet castle, absolutely everyone had been able to get a close look at the amazing machine. Charles Babbage had made the trip from Danzig, to attend the wedding, and next to the marriage couple themselves, he was the most in demand persona of the entire wedding party. The level of curiosity regarding the mechanical device was palpable. "How did you come up with such a remarkable invention? What does it do? How much does it cost? How does it help our army fight? What can it do in a non-military situation? And of course: Can you make a machine for my estate?"

  These were no idol inquiries either. Especially once the Countess let on that she had already ordered her own personal edition of the Analytical Engine, many of the foremost citizens of Kaunas expressed serious interest in the purchase of an Analytical Engine for themselves. By the end of the night, Charles Babbage had agreed to construct and deliver four additional machines, and to investigate two more estates to assess the possibility of producing Analytical Engines for them, as well.

  As the evening wore on, it came time to inspect the wedding gifts. The table full of presents was indeed fitting for a Countess, and included cutlery of silver and gold, kitchenware from the finest eastern pottery makers. Also present were magnificent tapestries of the Khanty peoples, as well as exotic fabrics from the Azanian continent. However, an unexpected gift remained to be revealed.

  The lord mayor of Kaunas stood to attention and raised his glass. "I propose a toast! To the finest General in the Holy Prussian Empire!"

  "To the General!" spoke everyone, in unison. Then there was first one, then another, and then a chorus, "Speech! Speech, Speech!"

  "Yes! Yes! Of course I wish to make a speech. I am a politician, after all. General Maximilian Schwarzkopf, you are the bravest and strongest fighting man that I have ever seen in the flesh! Your deeds from the battle of Kaunas will be sung about for the next hundred years, and for that, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart!" expressed Lord Mayor Waechter.

  "Here! Here" responded several people in the room.

  "But I am here to tell you that an expression of 'thanks' is not sufficient, under these circumstances," continued Waechter in a more serious tone. "What you and your soldiers have done has fundamentally changed the lives of this community, for the better, and I want to offer you all more than just 'thanks'. I expended some considerable effort, and did a little research on my own to discover exactly how the Flying Eagles became the most successful fighting unit in all of Prussia. The tale was a long one, and illuminated the genius of not only you, General Schwarzkopf, but also of your Lieutenants and army specialists. As I understand the achievements, you all are attempting to develop a new method of engaging in warfare! You are bringing the Holy Prussian Empire into the Analytical Engine Age! The results speak for themselves, and have impressed us all. I understand that your victory over the Margaash has come to the attention of the Kaiser himself. As a result, your magnificent battalion will be redeployed to the northern front by next week. Pressing military need requires your presence there. You will be sorely missed by us, but so be it. The safety of Prussia is our top priority also."

  "My research has also revealed another important aspect of what you have accomplished, General Schwarzkopf. In fact, it was not just the genius ideas employed that made the difference against the enemies of our region. No! Superior brain power and hard work is wonderful, but not decisive in military matters such as these. I have come to understand that a vital component of the newfound fighting excellence of the Flying Eagles battalion has been the generous monetary donations provided by the Countess herself!"

  Much more congratulatory cheering ensued.

  "The truth is that I have never seen a problem that some extra money wouldn't solve. So, to truly express our appreciation for the defence of our community, the leaders of Kaunas have decided to pool our money in an effort to supplement the patronship of the Countess Fedorina. Effective immediately, we, as a community will be contributing 33 additional gold marks, per month, to the operations of the Flying Eagles. Think of it as our way of saying 'thank you' to all of you. We are certain that you will spend the money wisely. It is our hope that in this small way, we will be contributing to a decisive victory against the Northmen, and a speedy return of General Schwarzkopf to his new wife, Countess Fedorina!"

  The resulting cheers were deafening. Eventually, as the decibels declined, more demands for, "Speech! Speech! Speech!" were called out. They wanted to hear from General Schwarzkopf.

  "Thank you all! I am deeply appreciative of your fine gifts, particularly the monetary assistance with hiring much needed military specialists. I truly believe that achieving the optimal combinations of fighting skills and magical augmentation can make this a safer world! I also want to tell you all that I am the luckiest fellow in the world to marry my wonderful wife, with all of you as witnesses. Now, I make this promise: The Flying Eagles will defeat the Northmen and I will return as soon as we have accomplished this task, and I will invite you all back to the Pripet castle to celebrate the victory!" Schwarzkopf really was a fine orator.

  The reception wound down, and one by one the guests made their way to their carriages and returned to their homes. Schwarzkopf, Hartmann and Meyer met briefly just before setting off to their rooms. All three were eager to discuss the outstanding offer of support from the community.

  "Thirty gold marks!" observed General Schwarzkopf. "Are you two thinking what I am thinking?"

  "Gunnar Hellsson?" replied Lieutenants Hartmann and Meyer, in unison.

  "Exactly!" encouraged General Schwarzkopf. "My thought is that I would feel awfully good, to load Gunnar and his three dwarf cannons onto the steam train, next Wednesday. Could one of you do your best to track him down, and offer him a position with the Flying Eagles? I need to spend as much time as possible, with the Countess this week."

  "Don't worry, Sir!" replied Erich Hartmann. "We will deal with Hellsson's cannons, and everything else this week. Just be there at the Danzig station next Wednesday, and don't miss your train. We will take care of the rest! Enjoy your time with the Countess, and we will see you in Danzig."

  "Thank you for everything, gentlemen," finished Schwarzkopf. With that the three men retired to their rooms.