Tyranny of Steel

In the days that followed the disastrous Moroccan invasion of Granada, German Imperial Intelligence was working overtime, trying to conceal the extent of how chaotic Iberia had become. If the Papacy were to realize that Hasan was dead, they would immediately start trouble in the region.

After all, though Hasan and Berengar had declared the end of Reconquista, the Church itself had not given up on their political ambitions in the region. They were merely buying their time and fostering dissent among the christians who lived there.

In the following days, Berengar, Adelbrand, and the young boy, Ghazi, set sail for Iberia. They were quick to deploy, with a small amount of the Imperial Guard beside them. Though the Third and Fifth Divisions of the Imperial German Army would deploy to Iberia in the coming weeks, Berengar needed to establish control as quickly as possible.

For the young boy Ghazi who was not even five years old, this was the first time he had spent any significant time with his father. He was roughly three years old, and did not have the cognitive faculties to understand what was going on. Still, his father was taking him on a trip, and he was excited.

The young boy gazed up at Berengar, who was dressed in a military uniform, and noticed that the two of them did not look very much alike. Berengar had pale skin and blue eyes, while ghazi had tan skin and amber eyes. The only similarity between the two of them was their blonde hair. He was much too young to understand the complexities of being a mixed-race child. Still, he felt a bit of pride in his heart. After all, his father had him dressed up in princely attire that bore the colors of Al-Andalus.

Berengar had a stern expression on his face. He knew the dangers that he was walking into, with his young son by his side. Luckily, he had prepared a certain device for this particular occasion. Since Berengar had not yet made combustion engines, he relied on animal power for his vehicles. As a result, he had designed and manufactured an armored stagecoach to act as protection for his son as they strolled into the capital. This armored stagecoach was equipped with a Schmidt mk 2 machine gun in case it came under fire.