As the new year passed and preparations began for the next stage of the war, Bruno found himself in Berlin, gathered alongside a cohort of world leaders and senior generals; specifically those of the Central Powers.
He sat beside the Kaiser, unusually silent, as kings, emperors, and field marshals debated competing visions for how the war might finally be brought to an end.
Wilhelm II had yet to speak. Whether he was waiting for the opportune mont or simply allowing his allies to voice their uncensored opinions, Bruno could not say.
Alexei was locked in a heated exchange with King Alfonso XIV of Spain. The young and recently enthroned monarch seed eager to prove the strength of his nation, particularly after the death of his father and Spain’s relatively restrained role in the war thus far.
His voice rose steadily, edging toward fury, until even Bruno was stirred from his stoic observation.
"If we are to invade Cuba," Alfonso declared, "then Spain shall take the lead in the operation! Our strength has grown considerably since the war began, and yet the only action my Royal Army has undertaken within this alliance has been the defense of our own soil against an Allied invasion!"
Bruno raised a brow, regarding the young king with a mixture of pity and contempt. He did not speak. He did not need to.
Alexei was already on his feet.
"You would risk the entire operation for your own vanity," the Tsar snapped, jabbing a finger dangerously close to Alfonso’s face.
"To place landing operations under your command, when you lack the naval capacity to deliver marines onto Cuban soil, is madness. The Aricans may be tearing themselves apart, but they have ard the Cubans as a critical ally. Batista and his forces would hold the line while you pointlessly shed the blood of thousands of your own n. It would be suicidally naïve."
Bruno glanced toward the rest of the assembled leaders. King Pál Esterházy de Galántha of Hungary, who had succeeded his father-in-law, King Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, several years earlier, stepped forward, raising a hand to still the rising tension.
"Gentlen, please," Esterházy said calmly. "We all seek operational success. And since the Reichsheer has borne the overwhelming majority of combat operations in this war, it stands to reason that we hear their assessnt of how an invasion of the New World should proceed."
Alexei adjusted the dals at his collar and resud his seat. Alfonso followed suit, visibly restrained.
Alfonso’s knuckles remained white long after he reclaid his seat. He stared at the table rather than his peers, jaw clenched, pride bruised in a way no enemy shell ever could have managed.
Bruno watched him for a mont, not unkindly, but without sympathy. Young kings always mistook war for a proving ground.
They believed banners and blood could compensate for tonnage, logistics, and range. They learned too late that wars were not won by declarations, but by calendars.
Alfonso wanted Spain to matter, but Bruno wanted the war to end.
There was a difference, and it was one most rulers never understood until they had buried enough n to learn the cost of misunderstanding it.
Around the table, older monarchs said nothing. They had all been young once. So had survived it. Others had not.
Kaiser Wilhelm cast Bruno a sidelong glance.
Bruno understood imdiately.
Rising, he motioned for an aide to wheel out the projector. A series of static images flickered to life as he stepped forward, addressing the assembled monarchs and commanders.
"Before I begin," Bruno said evenly, "allow to clarify one point. Our victories thus far have been the result of a synergetic alliance among Great Powers. While it is true that our forces have led the majority of combat operations, without the support of this coalition we would have suffered far greater losses, and potentially lost battles that proved decisive."
Wilhelm nodded in approval, regardless of how much truth the statent contained. Judging by the expressions around the table, it had achieved its intended effect.
Bruno gestured for the next image.
"This," he said, extending a telescoping pointer toward the projection, "is Guantánamo Bay. A critical Arican naval installation controlling access to the Caribbean. The United States may be consud by internal unrest, but seizing Cuba without first neutralizing this base would invite disaster."
By now, the assembled leaders were familiar with German reconnaissance imagery. Still, representatives of the lesser-developed kingdoms could not suppress their awe at the clarity and scope of the intelligence presented.
Bruno did not acknowledge it.
"Our solution is straightforward," he continued. "Upon entering the theater, our fleets will neutralize the base with concentrated missile strikes, rendering it operationally nonexistent.
From there, combined amphibious forces of the Central Powers will conduct landings at these designated zones."
The image shifted to a map of Cuba marked with four red circles, beachheads selected to divide enemy response and force the Batista regi to contend with multiple simultaneous advances toward Havana.
Muted discussion rippled through the room as leaders recognized their own forces assigned within the plan.
"By the end of spring," Bruno concluded, "our forces will be ready to sail. Once Cuba is secured, no mber of this alliance is to pursue direct aggression against the Arican holand. We will destroy their fleets beyond their mariti borders. We will saturate their population with propaganda designed to foster hopelessness and distrust in their governnt. But we will not invade their mainland."
He paused.
"Are there any questions?"
There were none.
The briefing had settled all concerns, particularly those of the lesser powers, whose desire for combat and prestige had now been accounted for without endangering the operation.
The eting continued for hours thereafter, branching into matters of governance, coordination, and postwar cooperation.
And while the Central Powers planned their advance through disciplined unity, the Allied Powers convened elsewhere, not to plan victory, but to account for failure, and for the nation that had led them into it.
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