Tyranny of Steel

The day after Berengar returned home from his monthly visit to Iceland, Itami found herself alone in the palace. Berengar was busy overseeing the war effort, and Linde was nowhere to be found. Of course, Itami did not know this, and thus she had looked for Berengar in his office.

Perhaps the receptionist was on her lunch break, but when Itami arrived at the entrance, there was nobody to greet her. Thus, she took a deep breath to resolve her courage, before knocking gently on the door.

Contrary to what Itami was expecting, the door was unlocked, and left slightly ajar. Thus the impact of her knuckles pushed it open ever so slightly, revealing Berengar's office in all its splendor to the Japanese Empress. Itami opened the door in its entirety and voiced her entry aloud as she did so.

"Hello, Berengar, are you in here?"

After forcing her way inside, Itami realized that she was all alone, and let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. She was just about to turn around and leave when she saw a manila folder on the top of Berengar's desk, with big and bold red lettering that spelled out the word "classified."

This document immediately caught the interest of Itami, causing the young woman to debate internally on whether or not she should intrude on the Kaiser's private business. After a brief internal debate about the subject, Itami looked around to see if anybody had seen her, before closing the door behind her.

Once she was all alone, the albino beauty proceeded to the desk and opened the file, where a black-and-white picture of Itami in her old military uniform was boldly displayed on a dossier. Now Itami could not help but look at the document where she read the following:

"Possible Ramifications Of Non-interference With The Japanese Empire:

After a thorough investigation, I have concluded that the perhaps in an act of ignorance, or outright incompetence the young Japanese Empress has handed advanced weapons and the technology needed to produce them to random samurai, who were just months ago all ready to go to war against each other.

In doing this, the subject has simply placed herself on top of a rotting pile, without doing much to establish proper loyalty. Her frequent purges have been to put it politely, sloppy and only have only succeeded in building resentment against her. Even the cult of personality which the subject has built around herself is filled with people who are simply trying to expand their own power, with no real loyalty to the so called War Goddess.

It is of my opinion that the moment Empress Itami Riyo reaches her limit and has nothing new that she can provide to her sycophants, the samurai will overthrow her. Contacts in the Ming Dynasty have already confirmed multiple Japanese clans seeking an alternate source of ammunition, leading me to believe that they are currently plotting a coup against the Itami Regime.

The end result of a coup will be nothing short of civil war, one involving protracted trench and mountain warfare. It is entirely probable, and damn near certain that some warlord will forcefully marry the subject and rape her until she becomes pregnant with a son in order to better his own claim.

Use of violence against the subject's family is likely, especially as a means to prevent her from killing herself and thus carrying the pregnancy to term. It is quite certain that Japan will eventually fracture into tens of feudal fiefdoms vying for supremacy. Causing thousands of people with industrial knowledge to flee to china, where they will undoubtedly kick-start the industrial revolution.

Naturally, such an outcome will cause significant problems down the line for the Reich. As an industrial nation with nearly five times our population, the Ming Dynasty will be a difficult geopolitical rival to contend with, even with our current technological edge.

Psychological Profile of Target:

After further investigation, which has included the opinions of several military psychologists it would appear that Empress Itami Riyo seems to have a misplaced belief in her own capabilities and a habit of underestimating her enemies, I believe this is because she has not met anyone more capable to compare herself with.

By making herself Empress, the subject seems to be a simple case of the Dunning-Kruger effect, where someone inexperienced and unknowledgeable tends to overestimate their expertise. We can use her overconfidence to cripple her nation's military in a small number of decisive victories should it come to war.

Conclusion:

Non-interference in the Pacific Region is not a viable option simply due to the fact that Empress Itami Riyo has demonstrated remarkable incompetence for a woman in her position. As a result, the Reich is now forced to intervene in Asia in order to contain the chaos which will inevitably result from the subject's actions.

Furthermore, it would be in the Reich's best interest to accept Japanese refugees who will inevietably flee to Ming China in order to prevent the leak of knowledge. However, it would be wise to establish allies in the region, and arm them to resist future Japanese aggression.

Suggested Plans of Action:

Pressure the Ming Dynasty into handing over all Japanese refugees.

Expand intelligence operations inside the Japanese mainland and the surrounding areas.

Establish diplomatic ties with the Joseon Dynasty and supply their Army with weapons and training.

Heavy investment into the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.

Secure bauxite reserves in Indochina and the Majapahit Empire.

Colonize Australia, denying Japan access to its resources.

Establish greater Naval Presence in the Pacific

-Signed,

Director of Imperial Intelligence, Linde von Kufstein."

After reading all of this, Itami froze in place for what seemed like hours. Her mind appeared to be working at the slowest possible capacity. The dating of this document was shortly after the first contact was made between Japan and Germany.

From the very start, the Germans had interfered with her plans as a matter of national security. Though there were parts of the dossier she felt quite offended with, Itami could not deny that it was a most, if not entirely, accurate assessment of her reign, and the troubles that would have eventually resulted.

The part that was perhaps the most chilling was when the dossier outlined her potential fate after the coup d'état, which, if not for Berengar's help, surely would have happened to her. As Itami continuously reread the report, the words that Honoria had spoken to her not long ago flashed into her mind.

"Honey, all of Germany's criticism is just propaganda to make Japan seem like the villain. If Berengar personally disapproves of how you ran your empire, it is because of how sloppy you were. You killed, but the deaths were absolutely pointless and yielded no results... You simply ruined your reputation without getting anything substantial in return. Berengar has distaste for your incompetence, not your methods."

It was no wonder why Berengar had such a hard time coming to terms with Itami as a romantic prospect, especially after the speech she had made to her people. For a brief moment, she was a damsel in distress who needed her rescue. But after once more assuming the mantle of Japan's Empress, Itami had become in Berengar's eyes the incompetent and ruthless dictator who had caused nothing but problems for the Reich, and the world as a whole.

She had killed hundreds of thousands of people, with little to show for it. Everything in this report had come to pass, or was prevented only because of Berengar's assistance. Such a thing was so obvious to Linde and Berengar, yet she had been completely blinded by her ambition, ego, and avarice to actually see it.

In this moment, Itami realized that she was not Berengar's equal, and never would be. Even if Berengar's Germany did not exist in this world, or if they had never interfered with her plans, a coup d'état was inevitable, and her fate without the Reich's interference would have been far worse than what she ended up with.

Itami did not say a word, as she stashed away the dossier back into its proper place, and exited from Berengar's office with a completely dumbstruck expression on her pretty face. There were so many things she needed to think about, and not enough time in the world for her to do it.

The Japanese Empress was so lost in thought that she did not even notice Linde skulking in the shadows, watching her every move. The redheaded beauty had a conceited smirk on her gorgeous face as she entered Berengar's office, and stashed away the old file, which she had explicitly left out for Itami to find.

In the next moment, Berengar entered the room, and spotted his wife, standing at his desk, where he was quick to ask just what she was up to.

"And what are you doing here, in my study all by yourself?"

Linde simply smiled as she wrapped her arms around Berengar's neck, and whispered her response into his ears.

"Putting a delusional bitch in her place..."

Berengar glanced back at his desk, and did not spot anything out of place. Whatever had occurred, it was not his place to ask, and thus he smiled before kissing Linde passionately on the lips. Where he eventually broke free and whispered something to her.

"You are one devious bitch..."

Despite the harsh language, Linde did not get upset, and instead began to unbutton the man's shirt, while taunting him.

"Indeed, I have been a bad girl, and I am in much need of punishment, don't you think master?"

What followed was an intimate session between Berengar and his favorite wife. The man was completely unaware that Linde had put Itami in her place, with nothing but a document that had not been read in years.