The Great Altruist (11 page)

           
Jadzia stood and slowly regained her balance. After stopping at the creek for a drink, she walked purposefully toward Genesis, eager to talk.

           
As she neared, Genesis sulked further, burying her face away from Jadzia’s gaze.

           
“What’s the matter?” Jadzia asked.

           
Genesis faced Jadzia as tears streamed down her face. “I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I had no idea that would happen to you; I swear!”

           
“Do you think I’m angry with you?”

           
She nodded.

           
“You told me before we left that you’d never done it before. How were you supposed to know?”

           
“I thought you were going to die,” she said, the tears still rolled down her cheeks.
    
“I’ve never killed a person before.”

           
“And you still haven’t,” Jadzia replied with a smile. “There’s good news, though. It worked!”

           
“The transfer? You remember everything?”

           
“Like I was there watching it happen. I can’t believe it really. I figured the memories would be hazy like my own, but they’re so vivid and real. Is this how you remember things?”

           
“It’s not a blessing. I don’t forget
anything
.”

           
Jadzia reached and took Genesis into her hands. “Listen to me,” she said. “I’m not angry with you. You’ve given me a gift. And I’m so grateful for that.” She extended her arms and Genesis lifted into the air under her own power.

           
She climbed a small pear tree and picked some fruit, tossing a pear to Genesis who quickly caught it and began to eat.

           
“So, what next?” Genesis asked.

           
“After we eat, I want to prevent World War II.”

           
Genesis was taken aback by her sudden determination and brevity. “Are you sure you feel all right? You were just in a coma for four months.”

           
“Actually, I feel great,” Jadzia said. “Maybe it’s because I had another decent night’s rest. Or maybe I just feel so well-protected.”

           
“It’s good to see you so lively.”

           
Jadzia climbed down from the tree, her arm cradling half a dozen pieces of fruit. She set them in a pile on the grass and devoured one in a matter of seconds. “This is pretty good.”

           
“Where would you like to begin?”

           
“Well, I thought we should start with the invasion of my country, but that will only delay the war.”

           
Genesis finished eating her pear and tossed the core under a bush. A squirrel quickly rushed down from a tree and absconded with it. “You’re right,” she said. “Britain and France would let Hitler get away with anything at that point.”

           
“That’s what we need to change then,” Jadzia said. “We need to prevent the meeting in Munich from happening.”

           
“I have another idea,” she mused. “Either way, we need to be careful. I recommend we first watch what happens without our intervention before making any changes.”

           
“But we already know what happened?”

           
“We know what history books
say
happened. I want to see what happened with my own eyes.”

           
“Whose mind should I transfer to?”

           
“Obviously we can’t ever use Hitler’s - his mind is too poisoned. I’ll need to enter the stream and find the right mind first.”

           
Jadzia set the fruit aside and readied herself. “Let’s go.”

           
A few moments later, Jadzia opened her eyes and looked around the strange room. She looked at her hands which were those of a man. A nearby mirror affirmed what she expected: she was in the body of a German officer, his uniform decorated with medals and neatly pressed. His face was weathered but still clean-shaven and his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat.

           
Genesis arrived a few seconds after Jadzia regained consciousness in her new body. She flew around the room, making sure it was secure from prying eyes.

           
“If my memory serves me correctly,” Jadzia said, “I’d say I’m in the body of Hitler’s Chief of the General Staff, Ludwig Beck.”

           
“The Munich Agreement hasn’t been signed yet. It won’t be for another couple of months.”

           
“When are we?”

           
“It’s May, 1938. From what I could discern, Beck is about to meet with Hitler later today.”

           
“Where are we?”

           
“In Berchtesgaden.”

           
“I thought I was supposed to just watch.”

           
“You will shortly. His assistant is coming. When he does, I’ll slip into the stream and merge your consciousness with his. He won’t know you’re there and you’ll have no control over him. It may feel like a lucid dream at first.”

           
“But you’ll be watching me, right?”

           
“Yes. You’re in no danger, but when the meeting is over, we’ll decide what to do next.”

           
“What about my mind? This guy is a Nazi.”

           
“But the link is stable. He must not be poisoned entirely.”

           
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Genesis disappeared, and almost instantly, Jadzia could no longer speak. She could only hear the officer’s voice.

           
“Come in,” Ludwig said as though coming out of a daydream.

           
His assistant entered and said: “Sir, the car is waiting.”

           
“Very well, then,” he answered and followed the assistant out the door.

           
Genesis was right: watching the drive to the meeting with Hitler through Ludwig Beck’s eyes felt like a dream at first. The commute was short and soon Beck was escorted into a large, well-adorned room with a dozen officials seated casually and Chancellor Hitler at a desk.

           
The officials remained seated as Beck entered the room. Hitler, though, was quick to greet him with a hearty hand-shake.

           
“Please join us,” Hitler said with a smile.

           
The other officers and staff members smiled and greeted Beck in their own ways, some simply nodded and smiled, others shook his hand as he sat down.

           
“I’d like you to explain the details of the memo you sent us,” Hitler said. “I thought you were in favor of our plan to declare war on the Czechs.”

           
“Of course I am,” Beck said.

           
“That’s not what this suggests,” another officer, Werner von Fritsch, interrupted.

           
“We’ve had this conversation before, Werner,” said Beck. “You know I believe that war with the Czechs is the only way to take back the Sudetenland. I just don’t believe that time is now.”

           
“Oh yes,” said Wilhelm Keitel, the Chief of the German High Command and Germany’s war minister. “You’ve made that quite plain when you questioned the Fuhrer last year.”

           
Beck ignored Keitel’s bait and turned to Hitler. “Fuhrer, I only said what I did because the facts did not support your belief that France was on the verge of a civil war.”

           
Hitler wasted little time on thinking of a response. “You’re entitled to your opinion, Ludwig. But your calculations are childish.”

           
“We need the Sudetenland, Fuhrer, I agree,” Beck said. “But we should not use it as an excuse for war. Germany is not ready. To the French, an attack on the Czechs will be a matter of honor. They already have the strongest army in Europe. We shouldn’t give the French people an excuse to band together.”

           
Walther von Brauchitsch, the head of the Wehrmacht, cleared his throat and said: “I agree with Herr Ludwig. The Wehrmacht is not as strong as she was before the Great War. War right now would be premature.”

           
Keitel interrupted again. “Fuhrer,” he said, “you yourself said last year that we need both Austria and Czechoslovakia for Lebensraum. I can’t think of a better time than now.”

           
Hitler sat against his desk. “I know what I said,” he began. “We do need to act quickly, but I don’t want to war with Britain and France – those hate-inspired antagonists – just yet. The key is to plunder those lands without letting these small wars escalate out of control. Our economy is too fragile. We will need to deal with the English and French eventually; no doubt within a few years. But we’re falling behind them, gentlemen; both are already well-armed. But they need to respect our place in Europe too, and to that end, war must begin sooner than later.”

           
“As I said in the memo, my Lord,” Beck said, “I agree that Czechoslovakia’s existence is intolerable. They are a threat to Germany and must be eliminated, by war, if necessary. I only beg that Germany wait until the Wehrmacht is prepared. I also ask that you reconsider my suggestions for reorganizing the hierarchy.”

           
Keitel rolled his eyes, a cue Hitler noticed but did not address.

           
“Thank you for coming,” Hitler said, after which the room cleared out. As it did, he said: “Ludwig, stay, please.”

           
Once the room was empty, Hitler approached Beck and reached for his
hand
.
“
I have always respected you, Ludwig. You
’
ve supported the Nazi party for years and I know you are wise.
”

           
“Thank you, Fuhrer,” Ludwig said.