Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 626: Eyes in the Heavens

The launch site at Peenemünde was silent except for the low hum of generators and the occasional hiss of venting cryogenics.

Beyond the security cordon, the North Sea wind whipped over the dunes, carrying with it the scent of salt and iron.

On the pad stood Wotan, a three-stage, liquid-fueled monster born from the same family as the Reich’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles, sleek, slate-gray, and bristling with antennae.

It was not adorned with propaganda markings or flags; this was not for the newspapers. This was for history.

Bruno stood in the armored viewing gallery beside Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Crown Prince, and a small circle of high command.

He had worn the faint smile of a man who already knew the outcome. Years of investment in rocketry, in guidance systems refined for anti-ship missiles and SAM batteries, had led to this moment.

The world expected the Reich’s space program to be years away from fruition. The world was wrong.

This isn’t a Sputnik Bruno had thought upon first witnessing the final product.

A product of German and Russian friendship and corporation.

Now, Bruno stood among the leaders of the German Reich, and the Russian Empire. Gracing them with his thoughts on this new development.

“This is an eye in the heavens. A machine that will see everything

.” Over the next five years, more would follow, forming the lattice of a satellite-based intelligence network, a global positioning system, and reconnaissance capability no other nation will be able to rival within the next three decades.”

A sharp crack split the air, followed by the rolling roar of ignition. Flame engulfed the base of Wotan as it tore itself free from the Earth.

Every man in the gallery felt the glass tremble beneath their boots as the rocket climbed, shrinking against the cloudless sky.

Minutes later, confirmation came through: the first military observation satellite in history was in stable orbit, its cameras already sweeping across Europe and beyond.

Bruno simply clasped his hands behind his back.

“Gentlemen,” he said, his voice even. “We now own the high ground.”

—

The air in the Cabinet Room was thick with tobacco smoke and tension.

On the polished oak table lay a spread of newspapers, telegrams, and hastily developed photographs of the German rocket’s ascent.

The headline from The Washington Herald sat in the middle like a crown jewel:

GERMANY OPENS THE HEAVENS – FIRST MANMADE OBJECT BEYOND EARTH!

Roosevelt leaned forward in his wheelchair, hands folded, eyes narrowed.

“Well, gentlemen,” he began, “we can all agree this is not just a publicity stunt.”

Admiral William Leahy tapped the grainy image of the rocket with his forefinger.

“It’s too large to be a weather balloon or atmospheric probe. And the reports from Stockholm confirm the signal; it’s still transmitting.”

General George Marshall shifted in his seat.

“They say it’s a satellite, but that’s just the tip of it. If they can place something in orbit, they can put anything up there. Reconnaissance cameras. Communications relays. Even… weapons.”

Henry Morgenthau frowned. “Weapons? At that altitude? That’s absurd—”

Marshall cut him off. “So were half of the innovations we have seen come out of the Reich a mere ten years ago.”

Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt’s closest advisor, cleared his throat.

“Sir, this changes the game. Imagine them mapping our troop movements, our ship positions, without ever sending a plane over our skies.”

Roosevelt’s gaze flicked to the far corner of the room, where he knew, without proof, but with certainty, that some German listening device was hidden. He chose his words carefully.

“I will say only this: our position remains unchanged. America will… meet this challenge in due course.”

To his inner circle, the tone was clear; there would be a quiet scramble for answers. To the hidden microphones, it was the voice of calm indifference.

But under the table, Roosevelt’s thumb tapped a slow, measured rhythm against his chair’s armrest. In his mind, the calculation was already forming:

If they can see the world from above, they can see us. And if they can see us, they can strike us before we even know we’re at war.

—

The ornate meeting chamber of the Ministry of War, lined with gilded molding and heavy red drapes, felt unusually cold.

Outside, the bells of Notre-Dame tolled the afternoon hour. Inside, the air was weighted with the rustle of papers and the dull thump of folders hitting the table.

Charles de Gaulle stood at the head, tall and immovable, his hands clasped behind his back.

Before him, the latest edition of Le Figaro displayed an image of the German rocket’s white plume, twisting into the black void. The headline read:

L’EMPIRE ALLEMAND OUVRE LES CIEUX – UN OBJET HUMAIN EN ORBITE.

De Gaulle’s gaze swept across his ministers, faces pale, lips thin, the earlier flush of pride gone.

It was not long ago that they had been celebrating the completed prototype of France’s massive super-heavy tank, a steel behemoth meant to dominate the battlefield and restore French prestige.

Now, the cheers felt hollow.

General Alphonse Juin broke the silence.

“If this satellite is what the Americans claim, our new Char Cuirassé could be obsolete before it even sees action. What use is armor if the enemy can track it from the heavens?”

Pierre Cot, Minister of Air, adjusted his spectacles.

“Not just track, General, coordinate strikes. Imagine their artillery, their aircraft, guided with exact coordinates from above. It would make our fortifications irrelevant.”

De Gaulle’s jaw tightened. “We will not panic. This… act of theatrics changes nothing in the short term. The Germans may peer down at the Earth, but they still bleed, they still die.”

“Perhaps, mon Général,” Cot said quietly.

“but they have also shown the world they lead the race into the future. We are—” he hesitated, “—a step behind.”

De Gaulle straightened, his voice clipped.

“Then we will take two steps forward. Double funding for our rocket program. If they wish to climb higher, we will meet them in the stars. France will not be shamed into submission.”

The ministers nodded, but the grim truth lingered.

Across the table, the newspaper photograph seemed almost to mock them, the thin white arc rising ever upward, carrying German eyes into the heavens while France’s greatest triumph still sat in a hangar, chained to the earth.