Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II

[Sir Omega]

True, but remember that relief workers, particularly from hospital ships, will have food and drugs and a lot of them are women (risk of rape). There are risks of lowlifes committing crimes of opportunity and prisoners having escaped from jail. And it never rains if you carry an umbrella.

-shrug- Maybe the US has a different mentality, but I find it hard to believe that a civilized society would attack the very people it depends on for help during a natural calamity unless there's really no other option.
Maybe if it's a complete breakdown in social order and underlying social, cultural or racial issues (which Alaska is probably the least likely to have in the US), but else people tend to become more community oriented during natural disasters.

 

[Salamander]

-shrug- Maybe the US has a different mentality, but I find it hard to believe that a civilized society would attack the very people it depends on for help during a natural calamity unless there's really no other option.
Maybe if it's a complete breakdown in social order and underlying social, cultural or racial issues (which Alaska is probably the least likely to have in the US), but else people tend to become more community oriented during natural disasters.

You have to wonder how much of that is a perception created by Hollywood and conservative media outlets.
While looting does occur in the aftermath of disasters, much of it is people just trying to survive; combing through the wreckage of a store for food & other needed supplies. Theft of luxury items tends to occur when those who are criminally inclined stop stressing and activate selfish mode.
It is also interesting to note that those scavenging for essentials supplies can be categorised by media by both age & race. After Hurricane Katrina, white people filmed with supplies taken from abandoned supermarkets were labelled as "resourceful citizens scavenging for supplies" while POC citizens doing exactly the same thing were labelled as "looters". Younger people are also more likely to be accused of looting than older people.

As for attacking those coming to help, it does happen. Usually because the people are terrified for their safety if they remain, or because they are starving and there are not enough supplies to around. Panic and desperation are key when these instances occur.

 

[ShortsBelfast]

-shrug- Maybe the US has a different mentality, but I find it hard to believe that a civilized society would attack the very people it depends on for help during a natural calamity unless there's really no other option.
Maybe if it's a complete breakdown in social order and underlying social, cultural or racial issues (which Alaska is probably the least likely to have in the US), but else people tend to become more community oriented during natural disasters.

That society is civilised does not mean that every individual is civilised. All societies have to deal with insufficiently or inadequately socialized individuals. Thieves, murderers, rapists may all seek to take advantage of a dysfunction of the forces of law and order. And, in a natural disaster, there is no guarantee that the local equivalent of Alcatraz, Barlinnie or, worse, Broadmoor haven't managed a mass escape.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-Four



13th April 1964

Wedding, Berlin

Hiding in the same condemned building where his former Financier had ordered him beaten months earlier was not Mithras’ idea of fun. When that newspaper had run its story revealing his name to the world, he’d had just minutes to grab his things and make a run for it. The entire time his mother had stood there demanding to know what was going on as if he had been caught by the neighbors throwing rocks or something like when he had been a child. He had learned later his parent’s house had been raided by the police and they had torn the place apart. It was one more thing that he owed the State for.

The worst aspect of all of this was that had the movement that Mithras had founded had largely abandoned him when the photographs of him meeting with the Financier had been splashed everywhere. He had heard through the grapevine that word was out that some of the people he had trained would shoot him if they saw him again. So, he was reduced to a handful of true-believers and even they were expecting him to have a way to turn their flagging fortunes around. The plan he had come up with was simple enough, just every aspect had to be accounted for. One of those was from a photograph that he was looking at that confirmed the patterns with which certain people lived their lives.

All he needed was for the right pieces to fall into place and he could make his move.



Mitte, Berlin

“I heard about what you did, and I think that took guts” Bartolomej Kovac, or simply Bart, said, “But I will have you know that if you pick someone’s pocket to advance a story I’ll call the police myself.”

Zella hid her annoyance about what Bart had just said. Her Mother had told her that she would be working with him over the coming months and that she had better be learning from him. It was enough to make her redouble her efforts at University. If Zella didn’t find something else to do with her life, then she would be under her mother’s thumb until her mother retired. Something that didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon. The BT was one of the largest newspapers in the world and it was expanding into the realm of publishing, visual media and efforts such as the Mirror were giving them an ever wider editorial reach.

The issue was that Zella had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She enjoyed painting and drawing, but her efforts in those fields would hardly pay her bills if she struck out on her own. She had been told that she would probably be a good illustrator, but that circled back to the newspaper industry. The initial printing run of the book she had written about her trip around the world had sold, however the publisher had not seemed particularly enthusiastic about her doing a follow up. Overall though, if Zella was being honest with herself, she knew that she simply didn’t have the passion that her mother had for the printed word. For Maria Acker words danced around in her imagination and she looked like she was blissful when typing up a column that consisted of a couple thousand words. For Zella that was torture.

In the meantime, Zella spent her mornings at University and her afternoons in the reporter’s pool at the BT. Something had to break her way, just she was at a complete loss at to what that might even look like. Zella was starting to envy Kiki in that she had known exactly what she had wanted to be from the time that they were children. Zella’s father had said that he had been just as lost as she was when he had been attending University, spending time speeding on his old Helios motorcycle when he grew restless. It had taken a chance encounter with Manfred von Richthofen to show him a way forward. Hoping for something like that seemed like a rather foolhardy way to get through life, just Zella felt completely clueless when it came to figure out what she should be doing.



Washington D.C.

The draft letter thanked the German Navy and the crew of His Majesty’s Ship Princess Marie Cecilie for their rapid response to the Alaskan earthquake. That papered over the entire mess that had fallen on his desk the prior week. The German Navy Hospital Ship had responded to the earthquake the way that she had responded to similar incidents around the world. The Department of the Territory of Alaska and the City of Anchorage had been thankful to have those resources just show up. The State Department and Congress had a very different perspective though. They saw this as yet one more example of the German Government’s heavy-handed actions.

The German Medical Service had been very different from any other German agency that Averell Harriman had dealt in the past. Their representatives from the German Embassy had apologized if the Marie Cecilie had intruded without permission, but they had seen a need for her presence and felt duty bound to respond in the way that they had. Then to Herriman’s complete shock, they had provided complete documentation. The role that the ship played under the Hague Convention, a complete breakdown of the ship’s capabilities and the crew manifest. The State Department, CIA and ONI were still trying to glean if there was anything in that beyond the obvious.

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

The plan he had come up with simple enough, just every aspect had to be accounted for. One of those was from a photograph that he was looking at that confirmed the patterns with which certain people lived their lives.

All he needed was for the right pieces to fall into place and he could make his move.

Somebody is going to emergency, somebody is going to jail....

Either successful or failure, Mithras movement is not going to survive that long, either is he, I suspect.

 

[weasel_airlift]

Somebody is going to emergency, somebody is going to jail....

This falls under "Know when to fold 'em". Time to disappear for a few years, then try again.
\

 

[HaroldWinthrop]

This falls under "Know when to fold 'em". Time to disappear for a few years, then try again.
\

I can see Mithras going out like Cody Judd in 'White Heat' - "Made it Ma, Top of the world!"

 

[GSW]

Ha, knew that he would get abandoned by most of his followers, but his words making me worry more that he’ll target Kiki. And maybe zella might get caught in the crossfire, we haven’t had a young person from ‘good side’ of the story die in awhile, after all Johnny got killed in Korea not to long ago, maybe another situation like the government explosion that Kat failed to prevent. A horrible way would be for zella to get serious hurt and Kiki trying to do her best but failing.

Either this or Mithras kills the fiancer in revenge.

 

[ejpsan]

I had the privilege of taking a tour of the USNS Mercy and it was amazing how it is like a very modern hospital but on a ship, it and it's sister ship the USNS Comfort are both converted diesel fuel tankers and only the Nimitz class and Ford class aircraft carriers are longer.
We were told how they go out on naval exercises with other countries and when they visit other countries that have isolated or poor populations they run immunization, pre-natal, and well babies clinics.
They also preform corrective surgeries that otherwise would not be treated, with that in mind the Germans could be doing the same thing in this crisis and if there are any objections they can say they are doing it to keep the skills of their medical personnel up to date.
The people given the tour told us that being on a hospital ship is great duty and a high privilege that can't be found anywhere else in the Navy.
Hopefully the Congress will see that the good will that the Germans are getting will spur them to increase the United States role in taking on more humanitarian assistance missions and coordinate and cooperate with other countries.

White Heat was one of the favorite movies my father and I watched together and yes Mithras as going out like that would be in character for him but also I want him to be caught in whatever act he is planning and brought to a very public justice that shows how pathetic he is.

 

[FickleCrossroad]

Somebody is going to emergency, somebody is going to jail....

Either successful or failure, Mithras movement is not going to survive that long, either is he, I suspect.

Idea: He slinks away and meets up with one Señor Arbusto?

I wonder what the conversations between Harriman and the German Ambassador were like, as well.

 

[jlckansas]

Wedding, Berlin

Hiding in the same condemned building where his former Financier had ordered him beaten months earlier was not Mithras’ idea of fun. When that newspaper had run its story revealing his name to the world, he’d had just minutes to grab his things and make a run for it. The entire time his mother had stood there demanding to know what was going on as if he had been caught by the neighbors throwing rocks or something like when he had been a child. He had learned later his parent’s house had been raided by the police and they had torn the place apart. It was one more thing that he owed the State for.

The worst aspect of all of this was that had the movement that Mithras had founded had largely abandoned him when the photographs of him meeting with the Financier had been splashed everywhere. He had heard through the grapevine that word was out that some of the people he had trained would shoot him if they saw him again. So, he was reduced to a handful of true-believers and even they were expecting him to have a way to turn their flagging fortunes around. The plan he had come up with was simple enough, just every aspect had to be accounted for. One of those was from a photograph that he was looking at that confirmed the patterns with which certain people lived their lives.

All he needed was for the right pieces to fall into place and he could make his move.

Mithras is in the wind now. Every law enforcement agency in Europe has his picture with him being Germany's most wanted right now. If there is any reward out for him , even some of his "true believers" might turn him in just to get the money and get the cops off their backs. Imagine having the Tigress after you now, she now knows who it was that attacked one of her cubs. Yeah, I think they have a tiger exhibit at the Berlin Zoo, or better yet tell the Von Lettow Vorback's old Oberstaber that this is person who went after Kiki. He might have some relatives that know where someone might want to see some lions in their native environment.

 

[Knightmare]

Idea: He slinks away and meets up with one Señor Arbusto?

Bad idea, he's way too hot for anyone, and brings nothing to the table.

 

[FickleCrossroad]

Bad idea, he's way too hot for anyone, and brings nothing to the table.

So is Arbusto, outside of arms.

 

[Salamander]

Hiding in the same condemned building where his former Financier had ordered him beaten months earlier was not Mithras’ idea of fun. When that newspaper had run its story revealing his name to the world, he’d had just minutes to grab his things and make a run for it. The entire time his mother had stood there demanding to know what was going on as if he had been caught by the neighbors throwing rocks or something like when he had been a child. He had learned later his parent’s house had been raided by the police and they had torn the place apart. It was one more thing that he owed the State for.

Mother: "Lothar, why are you packing?"
Mithras: "I have to go."
Mother: "Where are you going?"
Mithras: "I don't know. Away."
Mother (glancing at newspaper on the bed): "Why is your picture on the front page of the paper? "
Lothar: "... er..."
Mother: "OMG!!! LOTHAR!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!""
Lothar (running out of the house with police sirens getting closer): "NOTHING!! IT'S ALL LIES!!!"

 

[dxe131]

Averell Herriman

Properly spelled Harriman

 

[Salamander]

“I heard about what you did, and I think that took guts” Bartolomej Kovac, or simply Bart, said, “But I will have you know that if you pick someone’s pocket to advance a story I’ll call the police myself.”

It must have been hard for Zella not to respond with: "I didn't do it for a story, I did it because the son-of-a-bitch keeps trying to kill my friend!"

 

[ejpsan]

In this unfolding embezzlement scandal the Kaiser is going to take a hit in the public eye as not keeping track of his finances and the palace is going to have to issue a statement on how the trust was structured to make sure that the Kaiser couldn't in anyways see how the trust was being run.
Also there is going to have to be shown to the public just how expensive it is to be the Kaiser as while he gets some money from the Reichstag it is for carrying out official duties and it doesn't even comes close to covering them.
The household expenses alone are enormous and that is where lot of the siphoning of the trust occurred along with a lot of self-dealing amongst the trustees in where the trustees steered money for investments in to their own interests instead of what was best for the trust.

I have no doubt that the Berlin Underworld will be looking for Mithras as it will bring them "Brownie points" for them and good ol' John Ellis who knows Kiki personally will do everything he can to help out his friend Zella.

 

[Dan]

Either this or Mithras kills the fiancer in revenge.

He kills Von Papen, and as he leaves, the hit Von Papen ordered to "tie up loose ends" takes out Lothar.

 

[weasel_airlift]

I don't think Mithras will go after von Papen. Right now von Papen is probably surrounded by more security than the Kaiser himself, in the deepest, darkest most secret hole they have.

 

[Peabody-Martini]

Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Twenty-Five



22nd April 1964

Mitte, Berlin

The time between sunrise and sunset is something that few people think about. In Berlin on the 22nd day of April, it was just fourteen hours and twenty-five minutes. What few realized that as that clear spring day dawned, nothing would ever be the same again.

It started in a small way, with a phone call…

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Kiki had gotten the call that Suga had gone into labor, had dropped everything and had gotten in her car to drive to Berlin. Recent weeks had brought a lot of changes. She had been forced to move into the house that Vicky had leased and take over the payment the rent. It was not because her family was completely destitute, but as her father had said to her when he had asked her to do it, every little bit helped right now. The truth was that Kiki missed the one room apartment that she had lived in. It had been perfect for her. It was because of every little bit helping that there had been a lot of small changes like that. Freddy had been accepted for a two-year Legal Apprenticeship that was to start that summer. Rea had made a few offers, but the truth was that she had been volunteering for various causes as well as her role in the Imperial Court. The cutbacks to next winter’s social season had made it so that she would basically cost the family very little for the foreseeable future.

That was why Kiki had not been able to get to the phone before it had rung several times in the early morning hours. She was still getting used to the phone being in the kitchen which happened to be downstairs from her bedroom. Freddy was on the line telling Kiki what was going on and she could tell that he was in a mild panic, she told him to calm down because it was his and Suga’s first so having him panicking over the next several hours, possibly a day or more, would do absolutely no one any good. That had obviously not been what he had been expecting to hear from Kiki and she remembered that she was trying to get away from blunt comments like that because like Freddy panicking, she knew that it didn’t do anyone any good. A quick call to Doctor Berg had given Kiki a complete picture of how Suga was doing and she had told Berg to be expecting her as soon as she got there.

The dive to Berlin had gone well enough, it was a weekday morning and except for hitting traffic getting into the city itself Kiki made good time. According to Doctor Berg, Freddy and Suga had been taken to Old University Hospital in Central Berlin. As Kiki pulled into Visitor Parking, she had a Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus pull in next to her. It was the commercial “Panel Van” version that was absolutely ubiquitous throughout Germany. As she started to get out of the car the cargo doors of the Microbus swung open and what Kiki saw was absolutely horrifying…

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Finding out that Kiki’s red VW convertible was in the hospital’s carpark wasn’t a surprise. That she had not responded to repeated pages over the intercom certainly was. Berg was starting to wonder where she might have wandered off to when Katherine von Mischner invaded the hospital with a handful of her selected goons from the KSK. As a military doctor, if Berg wasn’t familiar with the men who surrounded Kat today, she was certainly well acquainted with the results of their work.

Berg had always found Kat abrasive, had never liked her very much and she was aware that the feeling was mutual. Both of them were powerful women in their respective fields and Berg had watched with mild interest as Kat continued her career rising into the highest ranks of the military and society. Still, as far as Kat got away from the working class neighborhood that she had grown up in, it was clear to everyone who knew what they were looking at that she was very much the teenaged girl who had hopped trains for the thrill of it in Berlin’s undercity. An unlikely path for a woman who many said was likely to be the next Elector of Berlin.

“Have you seen Kiki?” Kat asked.

“No” Berg replied, “I was just looking for her, her car is here and Suga wants to know where…”

“Where?” Kat demanded. And before Berg could voice any objections, was leading Kat’s people through the hospital to the carpark. It was shocking how fast they had the car unlocked and were searching it.

If the keys hanging in the ignition wasn’t a sign there was a was a serious problem, Kiki’s purse being found under the passenger seat drove that point home like few other things could have. That led Berg to have a number of questions regarding just how Kat might have known that Kiki was missing. Kat refused to answer those questions however, she had gone to the nearest phone and she was talking to someone named Werth, telling him what was happening here.

“Are you going to answer my questions at all?” Berg asked sharply. She was expecting the usual annoyance that she got from Kat, instead she caught a flash of something unexpected cross Kat’s face. Fear. It turned out that Kiki wasn’t the only one missing.