Assiti Shards #12: 1636: The Saxon Uprising by Eric Flint

When Generals Collide…
The West Virginia town of Grantsville, torn from the twentieth century and hurled back into the seventeenth century Europe, has allied with Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in the United States of Europe. So, when Gustavus invades Poland, the time-lost Americans have to worry about getting dragged into the fight with the Swedish forces.

But Mike Stearns, leader of the West Virginians, has another problem. Gustavus’ terrible injuries in the Polish war have sidelined him and created a political vacuum. The new USE prime minister, Wilhelm Wettin, and the Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna are taking advantage of the situation to force their reactionary policies on the USE. Unrest is spreading everywhere and it comes to an explosion in the newly liberated province of Saxony. In response, the ruthless Swedish general Johan Baner is moving his army to seize Dresden and drown the rebellion in blood.

So, Mike Stearns is faced with a cold, hard choice. Does he continue to compromise with Swedish officials and German aristocrats in the hope of avoiding bloodshed? Or does he throw his army in support of the Saxon uprising – and risk being branded a traitor?