Tyranny of Steel

Jonas Giering sat silently on a beach located on the coast of Portugal. For years he had served in the German Empire's Jaeger Regiment, as a frontline soldier kicking down doors during the Iberian Campaign. However, after the war had concluded, he found himself unable to leave behind the wasteland he had helped create. 

As the retired soldier sat back with a peaceful expression on his battle-worn face, a feminine voice filled his ears, followed by the sensation of a cold beer being pressed against his face. 

"Honey, if you stay out in the sun all day, you will become dehydrated."

With a gentle smile, Jonas looked up to see the love of his life, a woman he had once saved from a band of rapacious brigands. It had been close to a decade since the couple first met, and during this time, their love had flourished, creating a large family of their own. 

Rosalina Giering gazed upon her German husband with a loving smile as she handed off the cold beer to the man, who was quick to chug its contents. It was only after he had drank half the bottle, did Jonas sigh in relief. Upon seeing that his wife was alone for the day, he was quick to ask the question which concerned him most. 

"Where are the little ones? Shouldn't they be out of school already?"

The brown-haired Portuguese beauty smiled and nodded her head before informing her man of where she had sent their kids. 

"I sent them off to spend time with their grandmother. After all, today is your first day off, since you took that position as a diplomat. It's been years since we have had a day all to ourselves. Yet here you are on the beach, sitting by your lonesome. What's on your mind?"

Jonas stared off into the distance as he watched the waves of the Atlantic crash against the Portuguese shore. A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind, memories of a life filled with unimaginable chaos. 

The War in Iberia was a long a brutal one, filled with deadly urban warfare. The things that Jonas had done, the friends who had been killed in the conflict. He could never forget, nor did he want to. However, such pain was hard to mask, and thus he simply took a sip from his beer, hoping that the alcohol could numb his wounded spirit. 

Rosalina gazed upon her man as he stared off into space and sighed in defeat. Since the moment he had first saved her life, she had felt a great deal of debt towards the man. One that she felt she had not yet been able to repay, despite the years of happy marriage she provided him. 

In truth, she was not aware of all the horrors the man had seen on the field of battle, but she knew whatever he had endured, it ate at his very soul. Thus, she could only do her best to keep his mind off of such troublesome matters. With a grip of his hand, she wore an endearing smile as she propositioned the man to play in the sun with her.

"Are you going to sit there all day drinking beer? Come, enjoy the water, you know as well as I do how wonderful it is at this time of year!"

A bitter smile formed on Jonas' face as he silently nodded his head, placing his beer in the sand before chasing after his wife, who was so full of energy. The two of them would play on the beach like children until the sun began to set, where they were quick to flee back to their beachside villa. 

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Jonas awoke the next day to the smell of breakfast being cooked in his kitchen. With such a tantalizing scent filling his room, he could not help but leap out of bed and rush to the dining area where his children were waiting for their mother to finish cooking. 

It felt like a lifetime before the eggs and bacon were placed on his spot at the table. Which Jonas was quick to thank his wife for her efforts, where he followed up with a short prayer. Having concluded his morning meal with his family, Jonas departed from his villa and took a carriage to the City Hall where the governor of Portugal was waiting for his arrival. 

Dressed in a slim fitting three-piece suit, Jonas entered the building with a swagger that practically said he owned the place. As one of several German diplomats sent to aid in the reconstruction of Iberia, he held significant power and influence over the region. 

After entering the Governor's office, Jonas sat down in a leather-bound chair, waiting for the man to finish reading a letter. Surprisingly, the man began to curse in Portuguese as he complained about the newest changes to the government. 

"This is what we get for having a child as Sultan. It does not surprise me in the least that the boy would make such a rash decision."

A frown appeared on Jonas' face as he heard these words, expecting the worst. He was just about to question the governor about what he was referring to when the man handed him a notice, written and signed by the young Sultan himself. 

Essentially, it was a decree, officially changing the name of the Iberian state from Al-Andalus to the Iberian Empire. While Ghazi's title would remain Sultan, the empire he ruled over would no longer have an Arabic name. 

There were several reasons for this decision, but the two most prominent were the fact that the Sultan was attempting to align his Empire further with the Western World, while also increasing the secularization of the Iberian government. 

To Jonas, this was a great sign of things to come, and he could not fathom why the Governor was so perturbed by this sudden news. Thus, he was quick to investigate just what had enraged the man so much. 

"Is this not good news? The Sultan is making a statement that Iberia is a part of the Western world, and is a secular country ruled by the laws of man, not God. How could you possibly be angry over such a gesture? If anything, this name change will appease the Christian majority, which will help aid our reconstruction efforts."

It was true that the majority of Iberia was, in fact, Christian, with only the southernmost region remaining Muslim. However, it was a Muslim dynasty that ruled over the peninsula. In order to appease these two opposed groups, the previous governor, Adelbrand von Salzburg, had created a dual legal system for the citizens of Iberia to follow based upon which faith they called their own.

For the Muslims, they practiced sharia law to a limited extent. Specifically, in regards to personal status issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. As for other legal matters such as criminal behavior, etc. They were conducted in the same fashion as the Iberian Christians, which was secular rule, based upon German Law. 

However, what concerned the Governor of Portugal, was not whether this action would appease the Christian majority, or the slight possibility of invoking the ire of the Muslim minority, but was instead the overwhelming amount of paperwork he would have to deal with because of this matter. He was quick to voice his frustration as he slammed his fists on the desk.

"Do you think I care about that? The amount of fucking paperwork I'm going to have to deal with due to a 'simple' name change is more than enough to give me a headache!"

Upon hearing such a ludicrous reason for being upset, Jonas sneered at the governor with a look of disdain in his eyes. Was this man always so petty? He did not hide his discontent as he gave the man some words of 'encouragement'.

"Suck it up. This might require a bit of paperwork, but it is actually a good sign of things to come. Iberia is transitioning away from religious rule and into a more secular government. One modelled after the German Empire. That's a good thing! We can't allow our religions to rule over our State forever, or we will surely be lagging behind our competitors. 

When the Byzantine Empire recovers from its current crisis, it will quickly surpass Iberia if we continue to be so dogmatic in our approach to the world. Only under the secular rule of man can we become the second most powerful state in the western world.

The name 'Iberian Empire' distances our government from the Muslim faith and instead becomes a term that encompasses all Iberians, whether they are Christian or Muslim. If you can't see the value in such a thing, then you are probably not the best man suited for your job. So buckle up, and endure the paperwork, or I'll report to the Sultan just how upset you were over something so minor." 

The governor stared at Jonas with a slack-jawed expression, before grumbling something incomprehensible. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, where he began to get to work on the matters that were required to change the nation's official name.  As for Jonas, he would get back to his own work, helping restore the war-torn landscape of Portugal. A task he took great pride in doing. 

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