10-12 April, Space Era 91.
The Rejection that Shook the Nobility
At but fourteen years of age, Aelyzabeth von Thorscontinued to spurn the proposals of countless suitors—wealthy magnates, ambitious politicians, and heirs of Earth's plutocracy who believed that gold could purchase all things.
Her answer never altered. She declared, with unflinching clarity, that her conditions for marriage were these:
The spouse must be of close kinship to preserve the purity of blood.
The spouse must bear genetics she deemed worthy—fair skin, straight or wavy hair, and features of striking perfection.
The spouse must accept her authority unconditionally.
Such demands rendered marriage to her all but impossible. Some among Earth's nobility mocked her as delusional and arrogant; yet many more trembled, discerning that her standards were not mere personal whims, but rather a declaration of a national creed of bloodline and destiny.
The Agony of the Flesh.
At this same time, the gravest relapse in ten years struck her frail body—a violent rupture of the lungs. She was carried to the hospital, gasping for breath, her strength all but spent. Yet while her body withered, her spirit hardened into unbreakable steel.
In her stark white chamber, she lay upon the bed, surrounded not by flowers but by piles of manuscripts and ink-stained pages. There she began to compose a new book entitled Mein Krieg II.
Upon its cover, she inscribed the words that would resound as legend: "Because I believe, therefore I exist."
Mein Krieg II – The Birth of a Legend.
The book chronicled her life from birth to the present, ablaze with rhetoric that stirred the spirit and exalted faith in blood and soil. Within its pages was the passage that became immortal:
"Because I think, therefore I am. Though life be extinguished, my land shall not perish. I, though imperfect, will not dissemble. If I must die, let it be with honor. For as I was born upon this soil, when I depart, the soil shall endure."
The work became nothing less than a manifesto of the right, exalting patriotism and proclaiming the necessity of a strong, centralized order—an ideology with Aelyzabeth herself as its luminous axis.
The Coup of AMC-136
On April 12, Colonel Rudolf von Escheinsen, her thirty-four-year-old cousin, resolved to attempt what many deemed impossible. He launched Operation AMC-136, an effort to topple the government, mired in debt and paralyzed by incompetence.
Portions of the military rallied to his side, but the coup swiftly unraveled. The government branded it treason against the nation. The conspirators were seized, and Rudolph himself was condemned under charges carrying the highest penalty—death.
The Turning of the Courtroom.
When Aelyzabeth received the news, she rose from her hospital bed despite her weakened frame. With resolute steps, she entered the High Administrative Court. All eyes turned to her—judges, journalists, citizens crowding the chamber.
To their astonishment, she declared she would serve as defense counsel for Rudolph. Handing him documents to sign, she then spoke the words that thundered through the hall:
"I ordered this coup."
The jury pressed Rudolf, who, after a heavy silence, replied with an unwavering voice:"Honorable Court, it is the truth."
The Speech that Shook the Nation.
When the court asked, "Why did you do this?"Aelyzabeth did not answer directly. Instead, she rose and delivered a speech that pierced the hearts of all who heard:
"If your home were plundered by thieves,and the police stood idle because the politicians shielded them—Would you be a criminal for rising to resist?"
The people roared as one: "No!"
"And if the government sold our nation,signing treaties of bondage and disgrace—Is he who rises to reclaim what was lost a criminal?"
Again, the chamber cried: "No!"
She strode forward, lifting her hand at a forty-five-degree angle, and her voice rang like iron:
"I have given vast wealth to aid this nation,yet the politicians remain silent—for they do not love the nation,or else they cling to the profit of Earth's men.Today I will endure no longer.Our nation must rise to greatness once more.Long live our nation!"
And the courtroom echoed like thunder:"Long live our nation! "Long live our nation! Long live our nation!"
Judgment and Consequence.
The court decreed that Aelyzabeth von Thors would suffer not execution but two weeks' confinement in a psychiatric hospital for "evaluation of mental state." As for Colonel Rudolf, though he had led the coup, his obedience to Aelyzabeth's command and cooperation with the court spared him; his sentence was reduced to two months' imprisonment.
As Rudolf was led away, his eyes met his cousin's—filled with gratitude and pain, knowing that no matter how fiercely he fought, his light could never rival the brilliance of her destiny.
The Psychiatric Hospital—Treatment and Questions.
Aelyzabeth was confined to a facility of the highest security. There she came under the care of Dr. Jo Kerlinger, a renowned psychiatrist, who employed experimental therapy using LSD under strict supervision.
During the sessions, she beheld visions: stars shattering into dust, lands consumed by fire, the cries of her people fading into endless night. Yet rather than fear, she posed the same question again and again:
"Are these but illusions of chemistry… or visions of the future awaiting us?"
Dr. Jo fell silent each time, unwilling to answer—for he himself could not discern whether this girl was merely a patient, or a seer who glimpsed the fate of the nation.
Thus ends Chapter B-VII.