Payne could only feel numbness; he could barely hear these words above the ringing that was resonating in his head from the blows.
“The war is over for you. Relax. You’ve already done your duty, just tell me one or two little untied ends so we can put all this to rest.”
The Painted Man’s words began to have a certain kind of logic to Payne, or maybe just these comments were a relief since the hammering had stopped.
“Just tell me on little, tiny thing,” the Painted Man said while slowly starting to raise his right arm to deliver another blow, “and everything will be alright, okay?”
Payne, now half-conscious, nodded his head and the Painted Man’s arm slowly went down.
“Good, now, Captain Payne, why did Herr Hoogerwoerd tell you not to enter Germany until the new moon?”
“How can this passage be used to assist in a military operation?”
“We can’t go into details now, for both of you still need to complete the final stages of our security checks.” Fesel noticed the discomfort on both men’s faces. “Please,” he quickly added, “nothing personal. You know how it is with a war on and everything. I had to go through it myself, as did everyone else in this department.”
Krafft glanced over at the small office to notice the redheaded woman pass by the window. He wondered what information was found on her security check.
“After all,” Fesel continued, “you both are now working on a very sensitive piece in a much bigger plan that will be key in the outcome of the war.”
“Why was this particular passage chosen?” Asked Lucht, as if finally joining the group’s conversation.
“Goebbels feels the places mentioned are of great significance for our purpose, however no one can put them in the correct context. That is why we are here now.”
Krafft and Lucht both leaned over the book for a second look of all the places mentioned;
He will transfer into great Germany
Brabant and Flanders, Ghent, Bruges, Boulogne,
The truce feigned, the great Duke of Armenia,
Will assail Vienna and Cologne.
Both were familiar with the passage, but now with the purpose of using this Nostradamus passage to help the Nazi war machine put a different meaning into text.
Krafft and Lucht had come from completely different backgrounds and education in astrology, and almost immediately both had thoughts on how to use it, but in very different ways.
First, both could agree that Grande Germanie could only mean Gross-Deutschland (Greater Germany, or all lands with German speaking people), for in January of 1940 she certainly was as Germany had the largest amount of landmass under her control in her entire history.
It was also obvious to both men that Branbant, Flanders, Ghent, Brugers, and Bologne (parts of France and Belgian) were probably the areas on where Germany would be attacking next (which as a historical fact the Germans indeed do so, bypassing the Maginot Line).
However, the rest of the passage made no sense at all. Who could be the Grand Duke of Armenia, and why would he attack Vienna and Cologne?
Fesel interrupted the thoughts of both men. “Gentlemen, any thoughts?” After a few moments of silence, he rechanneled his question. “What was your past interpretation of this passage?”
Krafft’s first impression of this passage was already common knowledge, since he wrote about this passage in several of his many books on Nostradamus as far back as 1929. In “Teuto-Nostra-Zukunft (Germanic – Nostradamus – Future), he proposed:
“…the Grand Duke was Arminius chief of the German tribe of the Cheriusci, who defeated three Roman Legions in the Teuroburgian forest in 9 AD.”
Krafft had broken tradition of Nostradamus predictions in this case and made Aremenie an actual person rather than a place. By making the “Duke of” the name of a person certainly made this text work, for there was an actual person in history which made this interpretation ‘fit’.
However, after the pep talk from Fesel, Krafft began to see a new possibility.
“The Grand Duke is the Führer!” He half whispered to himself. An expression of shock came over Lucht. Fesel himself appeared surprised, but at the same time seemed pleased that someone in this group was beginning to see this passage in a way that applied to current events.
Kraft went on as if unconscious, streaming from a trance-like state. “The Führer, and only Führer, could be thought of as the ruler of Gross-Deutschland, who sent his armed warriors to the Rhineland in March 1936, and thus Cologne.” It was as if he had been pulled by the spirit of the Third Reich, and could take any phrase by Nostradamus and march it to the beat of the Nazi propaganda line.
“It was the Führer who also went into Vienna, when he occupied Austria in March of 1938. It can only mean that we are now on the verge of going into France as well, as the mention of Brabant, Flanders, Ghent, Bruges, and Boulogne would indicate! The Führer is right, we soon will be the masters of all Europe!”
Fesel wanted to applaud. This is exactly the attitude – and results – he was looking for. He refrained himself however, for the stunned expression of Lucht hung over the group like a dark cloud, raining on a patriotic parade.
“Herr Lucht, what then, is your interpretation of this passage?” Fesel questioned, keeping a calm demeanor.
“I have always felt – and still do – that the Grand Duke was Stalin, who was born in Georgia, and therefore from the area of Armenia, where the meeting point of Russian, Persian, and Turkey lay in the Ararat Mountains.”
“So Stalin will be the master of Europe?” Fesel asked, as if the current political situation had already proven him wrong.
“I didn’t say that, this passage could be interpreted to suggest Stalin would have strong associations with Cologne and Vienna, not necessarily assimilate them. This reference fits to the Pact now in place with the Soviets.”
Fesel’s frustration with Lucht now appeared to be coming to the surface. It was not what Fesel said, but what he didn’t say that gave this impression to Lucht. Even the way Fesel avoided looking at Lucht appeared as if to say someone was going to miss out of being a part of Germany’s master plan.
“Come, let us have a coffee in the office,” Fesel said, turning towards Krafft to show that he was now directing his energy towards him, “we can introduce you to the rest of the staff!”
Just as Fesel said this the woman with the long flowing red hair could be again seen passing by the tiny window of the all-metal office. Karl Ernst had the strange feeling he had been with the woman before, even though he had never seen anyone like her. Someone like this if you had ever seen before you would most certainly remember.
“With pleasure,” said Krafft while staring at the window. “I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your staff and their specialties.”
Fesel simply smiled as he and Krafft together walked towards the office, his plan was working perfectly. Lucht followed lagging behind.
When you are deep within enemy territory and one or two patterns suddenly change or stop, such as getting close to Bettina then suddenly not see her for several days – and having other contacts disappear as well – you begin to worry.