Madam Speaker called for order. She had been the only person to survive the near-collapse of the Labour Party, an achievement of her own strict neutrality in debates. Hanover scowled; she had allowed Mortimer to speak, even though he should not technically have been permitted to take part in a short debate, followed by a vote. Hanover shrugged; it hardly mattered at the moment.
“Gentlepeople of the House, I ask for your attention,” she said, her voice rising above the din. “We are gathered here to vote on a German peace proposal” – she outlined the terms in both the public and private communications – “and to decide if we will accept these terms. I call upon the Right Honourable Sir Charles Hanover to speak.”
Hanover stood up. “As the Speaker has informed you, there were two components to the German offer; the open one, that they would restore independence to their subject nations, and the private, that they would attach some conditions to their peace agreement. In effect, as Madam Speaker said, their peace offer is contingent upon us accepting their terms, which include abandoning France, Spain, Italy and Poland to their economic dominance permanently.
“Yes, the Germans have promised to withdraw from those nations,” he said. The Germans had said nothing about the Netherlands or Belgium. “However, those nations are dominated by fascists, even without German support. Furthermore, the German arrangement of Europe after they learnt about the future has made them even more dependent upon Germany… whatever shape or form their government may take in the future. In effect, they are asking us to accept a permanent German domination of Europe… or else.
“And what, you might ask, is the ‘or else?’ The Germans have threatened both us and the Americans with long-range missiles, weapons that cannot carry much in the way of high explosives, or disease. Even if they do resort to bio-warfare, we have the ability to counter any such attack; our medical science is far more capable than it was in 1940.
“You might ask why Himmler has made this offer now,” he concluded. “Why? Could it be that he knows that Nazi Germany, which depends on slaves and slave labour to survive, is coming to the end of its career? In Sweden, we are evicting the Nazis and we will soon evict their dark allies, the Soviet Union. In Iran, we are forcing the Soviet Union out of the country they have laid waste to, and we will finish the war soon. With our superiority in weapons, once we get a major force on the continent, the war will be over.”
He looked around the room. “I am old enough to remember when the Allies chose to let Saddam Hussian off with his crimes,” he said. “I am old enough to remember what that cost us before the war on terror ended. Please – do not repeat that mistake. With German-controlled territory so close, we might not survive the next round.”
He sat down. “I call upon the Leader of the Opposition,” Madam Speaker said. Hanover watched as Kenneth Barton stood up; he looked older than he had been. A sudden challenge from Mortimer had been his worst nightmare. He had been briefed in by Hanover’s government – a standard courtesy for the Opposition during wartime – and Hanover knew how weak that made him, politically.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the house, I will be brief,” Barton said. “I will not deny that some factions of His Majesty’s Opposition have been in favour of ending the war, whatever the cost.” Hanover smiled at the less-than subtle dig at Mortimer. “However, I myself have been aware of the events in Europe, and we have a moral duty to intervene to stop them. Across the continent, some of our descendents have been placed in gas chambers, or worked to death for the nazi war machine.”
Hanover, whom knew that most of Hitler’s victims in the changed timeline had met the second fate, nodded grimly to himself. Barton was pushing every button he could; in basic agreement with the government, but not quite part of it.
“Himmler will be worse than Hitler,” Barton said. “Unlike Hitler, he is smart and capable; the testimony of the captured Germans makes that clear. We have to stop him before he develops a nuclear weapon – he already has the delivery system.” Like Hanover, he looked around the chamber, meeting Hanover’s eyes for a long moment. “Experience tells us that none-democratic governments cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons; how many more must die in this timeline before we remove the weapons from Himmler’s control?”
Hanover heard the sigh from across the benches. “I oppose any agreement with the pure evil that Nazi Germany represents,” Barton concluded. “I will not vote for this… sham of a peace offer; I will vote for war until this cancer is burned out of our system!”
Barton sat down. The ranks of the assembled MPs buzzed with chatter. “If I may have your attention, please,” Madam Speaker said. “By special petition, Travis Mortimer has been granted the right to speak before this assembly, before the vote has been cast.”
The chamber erupted with comments. Some Conservative backbenches stood up to protest; Hanover waved them back into their seats. Madam Speaker gravelled hard as the Opposition benches turned on each other, exchanging angry accusations at their pre-emption. Hanover smiled to himself; Mortimer had damaged the Opposition and they would be far less willing to deal with him later.
Idiot, he thought coldly, and smiled.
“Travis Mortimer may stand,” Madam Speaker said firmly, and sealed the fate of her own political career. Hanover knew that before the day was out the backbenchers would be screaming for her impeachment. “Silence!”
Silence fell, broken only by the vague mutterings of mass rebellion. Mortimer stood up; Hanover noted to himself that Mortimer looked… strained. He might survive Madam Speaker’s indiscretion, but the House would not forget. It never liked a loser, or a sneak.
Just like school, Hanover thought, and watched Mortimer grimly. The Labour politician swept his hair back, taking time to concentrate his thoughts.
“Thank you for permitting me to address you,” Mortimer said. His voice, whatever the shocks he’d suffered, was firm. “I believe that we have been offered an opportunity here, one that cannot be ignored just because we find the terms unpalatable. Is it not a truth that people always ask for more than they will settle for in the opening stages of negotiation?”
Neat one, kid, Hanover thought, without hatred. It was a good point, he conceded, but not one that could be allowed to stand.
“I quite agree that the terms Himmler has offered are unacceptable,” Mortimer said calmly. “My objection is simple; why should we not try to see if we can get better terms? We should force them to give up on nuclear research, yes, and we should force them to end the extermination camps; all of which we might get if we offered it to them.
“Madam Speaker, if the vote for rejecting Himmler’s offer of a truce fails, I would like to propose a week-long period to make a counter-offer,” Mortimer continued, and was drowned out by the roar of outrage from both sides of the house. Whatever the merits of his suggestion, Conservatives and Liberals found themselves in agreement on one thing; Mortimer had no right to make them.
“That is not a legitimate point of order for this house,” Madam Speaker said, trying to curry favour with the house. “Does the member wish to propose a private member’s bill?”
Mortimer shook his head. “No, thank you,” he said. Hanover smiled; clearly Mortimer could see that there was no point in playing out a losing hand.