Considering I once heard from a family friend that there was an FAA base once that lost an entire wall of a hangar because the young lads were racing forklifts... No. Definitely not.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Considering I once heard from a family friend that there was an FAA base once that lost an entire wall of a hangar because the young lads were racing forklifts... No. Definitely not.
Somewhere around the Chalet are posts that have KSK trained Gebirgsjager taking turns watching the chalet itself and the area around it having random roving patrols. The best parts is only the local poachers, who are more than likely ex Gebirgsjager themselves or future ones, know they are there if not actively helping them. Besides the palace and Kat, Rommel is getting daily updates from his people on the spot to make sure his Hopitality is not being abused by people other than Kiki.
Had this type of bunk beds as a kid. Until last year I still had one in a spare room for (hopefully) temporary guests. Ones the wife & I liked got the good beds.
And then there is the so-called 'idiot-proof' and the even more inanely named 'F@#$-wit proof', neither of which exists in reality, other than as a challenge or summons for the Demon Murphy.
I know that for farmers having dogs running loose and worrying the livestock is a major concern but having Rauchbier romping around and chasing rabbits sounds like something that would make Kiki happy to watch.
I am surprised at the direction this discussion is taking, probably a first for this site where beds are the topic of intense debate
.
My contribution is when I was a teenager I slept on a very thin mattress on second hand metal collapsible spare bed, while the mattress was new the frame was last used by someone who wet the bed and the metal springs on the frame were rusted which made it saggy, no wonder my mother found my hidden stash of money so easily.
Kat as the Furstin of Berlin is a very appropriate title for her as she has played a very prominent role in redefining what Berlin was to what it is is now..
I am surprised at the direction this discussion is taking, probably a first for this site where beds are the topic of intense debate
.My contribution is when I was a teenager I slept on a very thin mattress on second hand metal collapsible spare bed, while the mattress was new the frame was last used by someone who wet the bed and the metal springs on the frame were rusted which made it saggy, no wonder my mother found my hidden stash of money so easily.
Kat as the Furstin of Berlin is a very appropriate title for her as she has played a very prominent role in redefining what Berlin was to what it is is now..
Part 102, Chapter 1642
Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Two
29th July 1964
Near Bad Reichenhall, Rural Upper Bavaria
You have a stove, a lantern and a lamp but only one match. Which one do you light first? The answer was obvious when you thought about it. That logic problem kept running through Kiki’s mind as she went about rejoining humanity after a few days basically hibernating. She had an entire box of matches though.
It had been like a rubber band snapping. Once Kiki no longer had any commitments or obligations, she had just sort of fallen flat. Except for taking Rauchbier out occasionally and seeing to her own personal needs she hardly got out of bed for the first few days. It wasn’t until she was there that Kiki realized just how much the presence of other people had grown stressful for her. The fact that she would need to find matches to light the hurricane lamps had kept her in bed after dark. Mostly she had just slept, the itchy wool blanket on the bed was sufficient to keep her warm. Today though, everything changed with the weather. Wind was howling and Kiki could hear rain pounding on the roof. A reminder of just how exposed her accommodation was.
Realizing just how grimy she felt, she realized that unless she wanted to wash with cold water, she would need to heat it first. That was when she discovered that the vessel that held the hot water was empty and there was a note tacked to the wall telling whoever was last in the chalet in the autumn to make sure to drain it before winter set in. Kiki could only imagine what might have happened to have prompted such a note be left there. It took a bit of time, but Kiki managed to fill the tank with several buckets of water from the pump that she had seen outside. Starting the fire in the stove turned out to be a bit more of a challenge. She sat on one of the chairs by the table and just watched the fire as she waited for the water to heat up.
Looking over Kiki saw that her duffle bag and guitar case were right where she had left them. She had only removed a Hertha jersey and grey trackpants to sleep in. She couldn’t smell it, but she figured that they must be taking on a personality of their own. The process of washing and getting on a fresh set of clothes had turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. She threw her dirty laundry into an empty basket she found. Finding the case that held her glasses in the duffle bag took a bit of time, but she was feeling human again. Looking around, Kiki realized that the contact lenses that she wore these days were probably not going to see a whole lot of use in a place like this. Ben had joked that she was going to live in the Nineteenth Century. Well, there she was.
Looking at the shelves, Kiki looked at the cans. Beans, soup and stew seemed to be predominant. Finding a can of pea soup and pan, it took her a considerable time to locate a can opener along with a bowl and spoon. It wasn’t until she started heating it up that Kiki realized that she hungry.
It was about then that Rauchbier turned and focused on the door. He had been watching Kiki intently as she prepared her meal in the manner of most dogs, acting like he was starving though Kiki knew that he had eaten an hour earlier. Unexpectedly, there was knocking on the door.
Opening the door, Kiki saw a man whose face she knew but she had never been introduced to, Erwin Rommel.
“Lucy and Gertrud asked me to check up on you” Rommel said, “I’ve seen you walking your dog in the meadow the last few days, but they wanted me ask how you were. I saw the smoke and figured that now would be a good time.”
“I’m surprised that you didn’t just tell one of your people to do it” Kiki said, “No one wants to go out in a storm like this.”
“This isn’t a severe storm in these parts, just a rainy afternoon” Rommel said, “And there is a bit of deference to you being the Princess Royal.”
It was a reminder of just who Kiki was in relationship to the other people around her. Erwin Rommel had been a Field Marshal. In the wake of two successful campaigns where he had been the Theater Commander and a stint in the High Command of the Heer, he was considered a Markgraf but didn’t go by that title for whatever reason. These days he was the head of the Department of the OKW that did purely theoretical work, trying to discern the strategies of future conflicts. Considering that he had written a series of books that had shaped the structure and tactics of the Panzer Corps and the Dragoon Infantry, he was perfect for that role.
“The idea that a Generalfeldmarschall should concern himself too much with what a Hauptmann is doing is absurd” Kiki said, and Rommel gave her a slight smile. Besides her, there were few other people presently in Bavaria who outranked him in any respect.
“Normally I would agree” Rommel replied, “But I also wanted to meet my guest.”
That wasn’t exactly what Kiki was expecting to hear.
“Also, a young man has been calling, asking me to pass a message on to you that he called, and Lucy wants to know if you are interested in having lunch with us on Sunday” Rommel said.
“Thank you, Sir” Kiki said. Ben had been calling Rommel’s house, unaware that there was no phone in the chalet. What must her hosts think of her because of that?
29th July 1964
Near Bad Reichenhall, Rural Upper Bavaria
You have a stove, a lantern and a lamp but only one match. Which one do you light first? The answer was obvious when you thought about it. That logic problem kept running through Kiki’s mind as she went about rejoining humanity after a few days basically hibernating. She had an entire box of matches though.
It had been like a rubber band snapping. Once Kiki no longer had any commitments or obligations, she had just sort of fallen flat. Except for taking Rauchbier out occasionally and seeing to her own personal needs she hardly got out of bed for the first few days. It wasn’t until she was there that Kiki realized just how much the presence of other people had grown stressful for her. The fact that she would need to find matches to light the hurricane lamps had kept her in bed after dark. Mostly she had just slept, the itchy wool blanket on the bed was sufficient to keep her warm. Today though, everything changed with the weather. Wind was howling and Kiki could hear rain pounding on the roof. A reminder of just how exposed her accommodation was.
Realizing just how grimy she felt, she realized that unless she wanted to wash with cold water, she would need to heat it first. That was when she discovered that the vessel that held the hot water was empty and there was a note tacked to the wall telling whoever was last in the chalet in the autumn to make sure to drain it before winter set in. Kiki could only imagine what might have happened to have prompted such a note be left there. It took a bit of time, but Kiki managed to fill the tank with several buckets of water from the pump that she had seen outside. Starting the fire in the stove turned out to be a bit more of a challenge. She sat on one of the chairs by the table and just watched the fire as she waited for the water to heat up.
Looking over Kiki saw that her duffle bag and guitar case were right where she had left them. She had only removed a Hertha jersey and grey trackpants to sleep in. She couldn’t smell it, but she figured that they must be taking on a personality of their own. The process of washing and getting on a fresh set of clothes had turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. She threw her dirty laundry into an empty basket she found. Finding the case that held her glasses in the duffle bag took a bit of time, but she was feeling human again. Looking around, Kiki realized that the contact lenses that she wore these days were probably not going to see a whole lot of use in a place like this. Ben had joked that she was going to live in the Nineteenth Century. Well, there she was.
Looking at the shelves, Kiki looked at the cans. Beans, soup and stew seemed to be predominant. Finding a can of pea soup and pan, it took her a considerable time to locate a can opener along with a bowl and spoon. It wasn’t until she started heating it up that Kiki realized that she hungry.
It was about then that Rauchbier turned and focused on the door. He had been watching Kiki intently as she prepared her meal in the manner of most dogs, acting like he was starving though Kiki knew that he had eaten an hour earlier. Unexpectedly, there was knocking on the door.
Opening the door, Kiki saw a man whose face she knew but she had never been introduced to, Erwin Rommel.
“Lucy and Gertrud asked me to check up on you” Rommel said, “I’ve seen you walking your dog in the meadow the last few days, but they wanted me ask how you were. I saw the smoke and figured that now would be a good time.”
“I’m surprised that you didn’t just tell one of your people to do it” Kiki said, “No one wants to go out in a storm like this.”
“This isn’t a severe storm in these parts, just a rainy afternoon” Rommel said, “And there is a bit of deference to you being the Princess Royal.”
It was a reminder of just who Kiki was in relationship to the other people around her. Erwin Rommel had been a Field Marshal. In the wake of two successful campaigns where he had been the Theater Commander and a stint in the High Command of the Heer, he was considered a Markgraf but didn’t go by that title for whatever reason. These days he was the head of the Department of the OKW that did purely theoretical work, trying to discern the strategies of future conflicts. Considering that he had written a series of books that had shaped the structure and tactics of the Panzer Corps and the Dragoon Infantry, he was perfect for that role.
“The idea that a Generalfeldmarschall should concern himself too much with what a Hauptmann is doing is absurd” Kiki said, and Rommel gave her a slight smile. Besides her, there were few other people presently in Bavaria who outranked him in any respect.
“Normally I would agree” Rommel replied, “But I also wanted to meet my guest.”
That wasn’t exactly what Kiki was expecting to hear.
“Also, a young man has been calling, asking me to pass a message on to you that he called, and Lucy wants to know if you are interested in having lunch with us on Sunday” Rommel said.
“Thank you, Sir” Kiki said. Ben had been calling Rommel’s house, unaware that there was no phone in the chalet. What must her hosts think of her because of that?
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I know that for farmers having dogs running loose and worrying the livestock is a major concern but having Rauchbier romping around and chasing rabbits sounds like something that would make Kiki happy to watch.
I am surprised at the direction this discussion is taking, probably a first for this site where beds are the topic of intense debate
My contribution is when I was a teenager I slept on a very thin mattress on second hand metal collapsible spare bed, while the mattress was new the frame was last used by someone who wet the bed and the metal springs on the frame were rusted which made it saggy, no wonder my mother found my hidden stash of money so easily.
Kat as the Furstin of Berlin is a very appropriate title for her as she has played a very prominent role in redefining what Berlin was to what it is is now..
Dogs worrying & killing livestock is a major concern for farmers, especially those whose farms are next, to or even in, urban areas. Here in New Zealand, farmers are legally allowed to shoot any unrecognised (by them) dog on their property. Townies often fail to realise this, that their pet is capable of killing farm animals or that some of those animals are capable of killing their pet in self-defense. Hell, deer & cattle will attack people if they get too close during mating and calving seasons. When I was still working on farms, I've had to tell tradies to either leash or lock away their damn dogs (that should NOT have brought on farm) before my boss shot their beloved pet.
Beds are important. A bad bed can cause untold problems for the user. Good beds are to be fought to the pain over.
Fürstin Katherine (Kat) von Mischner zu Berlin. Now THAT will cause von Papen & co. to truly gnaw on their own livers. It is also a shot across the bows of any idiot who harbours similar feelings as those reactionary idiots.
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I'd say they would think it was sweet, after all, who are they to comment on someone else's love life?
I wouldn't be surprised if Rommel were to invite the young man for Sunday lunch too. Of course, finding out that the young man in question is also a Luftwaffe Ace and has experience of Ground Support operations might make for a brief conversation on Ben's next appointment - assisting Rommel with working out improved Heer/Luftwaffe communications and tactics for Close Air Support from fast fliers. Then of course there's Kiki's aunt who can help with the slow movers.
ferdi254
Banned
And even if a dog does not outright kill an animal by biting, just chasing it is not that good for the animals and some might die due to this.
And as Ben are Kiki are grown up people in their twenties and decorated war heroes them having an intimate relationship is nothing many people would frown upon even though there was a law in Germany OTL that renting a place to live (going down to hotels) to an unmarried couple was illegal.
And as Ben are Kiki are grown up people in their twenties and decorated war heroes them having an intimate relationship is nothing many people would frown upon even though there was a law in Germany OTL that renting a place to live (going down to hotels) to an unmarried couple was illegal.
The only aspect of that relationship that he would disapprove of would be Ben's choice of service branch.
True eough, though around here the city-billies stay away from farms because of the smell. Any stray though, is almost certain to found itself shot, or otherwise driven off. 1200 pounds of bad-tempered steak is not to be trifled with. There's coyotes here too which won't bother much more than a chicken or a cat alone, but in groups they can get pretty brave.
I wanted to ask this at the last update but our esteemed P-M was too quick. How close are we to OTL‘s Eagle’s Nest?
Part 102, Chapter 1643
Chapter One Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Three
30th July 1964
Mitte, Berlin
No one had ever said that Ji was stupid, but he had been accused to not thinking things through many times. He had lived and worked in Berlin for more than a year and had stopped thinking about the ramifications of that. It was debatable as to whether or not he was thinking at all much of the time. It was that very thoughtlessness that had landed him in a holding cell that seemed too small one person alone in here. Ji couldn’t imagine what it would be like if there were several.
It had started from a kind gesture on Ji’s part. With Bora starting University Ji had been intrigued by the idea of furthering his own education. While the idea of what Bora was doing seemed impossible to Ji, the courses at the local Trade School that he had seen brochures for around the store occasionally seemed far more realistic. One of the courses in question taught the installation, repair and servicing of industrial heating and refrigeration systems. Han Suk was always complaining about how those systems were always breaking down and the men who did the repair work were not always fair in how they conducted their business. Suk was hardly alone in those complaints. Ji’s thinking was that if he got involved then he could provide a needed service to a market that already existed. Ji just had not thought about who might be paying attention to who applied for a course like that.
Ji had gotten picked up by authorities before the ink was dry on the application. The only real surprise was that it hadn’t happened sooner. He had gotten comfortable and complacent. He had plenty of time in the holding cell to consider the matter as he waited to learn what was going to happen next. And he was being made to wait, for the better part of two days so far.
The door swung open and one of the guards, who had not said a word to Ji previously spoke up. “The Lady wants to talk” He said, “You’ve not caused us any trouble, so don’t start now.”
Should he have been causing them trouble? Ji thought to himself as he was led down the hall to the interview room. That seemed extremely pointless. Ji had gotten the impression that the guards were looking for an excuse to stomp on him over the previous two days. Not giving them that excuse seemed like it was the best course of action.
“The Lady” as it turned out, was a woman in her forties. She was still attractive, though her red hair had a bit of grey in it. All of Bora’s comments about how Marie looked like her mother came back to Ji as he walked into the room. He also remembered that Marie’s mother was supposedly insane. Fürstin Katherine, the Tigress herself.
“Leave us” Katherine said to the guard, who just nodded respectfully then turned and left. Much to Ji’s astonishment.
They sat in silence for a long moment before Katherine pulled a thick folder out of a bag by her feet and dropped it on the table. When she opened it, Ji saw that his whole life was there. School scores, his military record and even medical files. It might not have seemed like much, but those records would have had to have come from Korea and from the looks of it, had been translated. That, in of itself, was an astonishing display of power.
“I indulge my daughters entirely too much” Katherine said, “Marie Alexandra heard about what happened from Han Soo-Jin and she is frightened about what will happen to you. I agreed to look into the matter to keep her from causing more trouble.”
Ji had younger siblings, so he knew exactly how much of a problem a child intent on mayhem could pose. Enough to get one of the most powerful people in Berlin to see him in person apparently.
“I apologize if Marie has been behaving badly on my behalf” Ji replied.
“Marie hasn’t been misbehaving” Katherine said, “She is just extremely persistent and stubborn when she wants something.”
Ji could hear the annoyance in her voice. That meant that Marie must had badgered her mother into coming here. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.
“You work in the same building as my husband” Katherine said, “That is the reason why the KSK and BND gathered information on you, especially after what happened a few months ago.”
Ji had the BND and KSK onto him?
“Don’t worry” Katherine said, “We have far more pressing matters than a Store Clerk in Kreuzberg. The Berlin Police see things differently though.”
That was a bit of a relief, it didn’t do anything to change his situation.
“One thing I don’t understand from looking at your records, is that you skipped out on several opportunities. You could have leveraged your service in the Korean Army to go to University, get job training or who knows what else. There are Government programs” Katherine said, “Instead, you come halfway around the world to sweep floors and mind the store? Trying to sign up to learn about fixing refrigerators in laudable, but still… Help me understand this.”
“No one told me about any of that” Ji replied. No one had, all that had happened was that he had returned to home village and had seen for himself that there was no future there. Traveling to Germany, to work in the shipyards of Kiel or Danzig had been the original idea, but that had fallen through. When Ji had reached Berlin he had found that while the streets were not paved with gold, he had earned more money in a year working as a Store Clerk than he would have in five back in Korea if he had gone to work in the cannery beside his parents. The idea that the Korean Government had simply not told that he had other options was a bit too in keeping with his experience.
“It doesn’t matter what you were or were not told back in Korea” Katherine said, “What are we going to do with you today?”
30th July 1964
Mitte, Berlin
No one had ever said that Ji was stupid, but he had been accused to not thinking things through many times. He had lived and worked in Berlin for more than a year and had stopped thinking about the ramifications of that. It was debatable as to whether or not he was thinking at all much of the time. It was that very thoughtlessness that had landed him in a holding cell that seemed too small one person alone in here. Ji couldn’t imagine what it would be like if there were several.
It had started from a kind gesture on Ji’s part. With Bora starting University Ji had been intrigued by the idea of furthering his own education. While the idea of what Bora was doing seemed impossible to Ji, the courses at the local Trade School that he had seen brochures for around the store occasionally seemed far more realistic. One of the courses in question taught the installation, repair and servicing of industrial heating and refrigeration systems. Han Suk was always complaining about how those systems were always breaking down and the men who did the repair work were not always fair in how they conducted their business. Suk was hardly alone in those complaints. Ji’s thinking was that if he got involved then he could provide a needed service to a market that already existed. Ji just had not thought about who might be paying attention to who applied for a course like that.
Ji had gotten picked up by authorities before the ink was dry on the application. The only real surprise was that it hadn’t happened sooner. He had gotten comfortable and complacent. He had plenty of time in the holding cell to consider the matter as he waited to learn what was going to happen next. And he was being made to wait, for the better part of two days so far.
The door swung open and one of the guards, who had not said a word to Ji previously spoke up. “The Lady wants to talk” He said, “You’ve not caused us any trouble, so don’t start now.”
Should he have been causing them trouble? Ji thought to himself as he was led down the hall to the interview room. That seemed extremely pointless. Ji had gotten the impression that the guards were looking for an excuse to stomp on him over the previous two days. Not giving them that excuse seemed like it was the best course of action.
“The Lady” as it turned out, was a woman in her forties. She was still attractive, though her red hair had a bit of grey in it. All of Bora’s comments about how Marie looked like her mother came back to Ji as he walked into the room. He also remembered that Marie’s mother was supposedly insane. Fürstin Katherine, the Tigress herself.
“Leave us” Katherine said to the guard, who just nodded respectfully then turned and left. Much to Ji’s astonishment.
They sat in silence for a long moment before Katherine pulled a thick folder out of a bag by her feet and dropped it on the table. When she opened it, Ji saw that his whole life was there. School scores, his military record and even medical files. It might not have seemed like much, but those records would have had to have come from Korea and from the looks of it, had been translated. That, in of itself, was an astonishing display of power.
“I indulge my daughters entirely too much” Katherine said, “Marie Alexandra heard about what happened from Han Soo-Jin and she is frightened about what will happen to you. I agreed to look into the matter to keep her from causing more trouble.”
Ji had younger siblings, so he knew exactly how much of a problem a child intent on mayhem could pose. Enough to get one of the most powerful people in Berlin to see him in person apparently.
“I apologize if Marie has been behaving badly on my behalf” Ji replied.
“Marie hasn’t been misbehaving” Katherine said, “She is just extremely persistent and stubborn when she wants something.”
Ji could hear the annoyance in her voice. That meant that Marie must had badgered her mother into coming here. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.
“You work in the same building as my husband” Katherine said, “That is the reason why the KSK and BND gathered information on you, especially after what happened a few months ago.”
Ji had the BND and KSK onto him?
“Don’t worry” Katherine said, “We have far more pressing matters than a Store Clerk in Kreuzberg. The Berlin Police see things differently though.”
That was a bit of a relief, it didn’t do anything to change his situation.
“One thing I don’t understand from looking at your records, is that you skipped out on several opportunities. You could have leveraged your service in the Korean Army to go to University, get job training or who knows what else. There are Government programs” Katherine said, “Instead, you come halfway around the world to sweep floors and mind the store? Trying to sign up to learn about fixing refrigerators in laudable, but still… Help me understand this.”
“No one told me about any of that” Ji replied. No one had, all that had happened was that he had returned to home village and had seen for himself that there was no future there. Traveling to Germany, to work in the shipyards of Kiel or Danzig had been the original idea, but that had fallen through. When Ji had reached Berlin he had found that while the streets were not paved with gold, he had earned more money in a year working as a Store Clerk than he would have in five back in Korea if he had gone to work in the cannery beside his parents. The idea that the Korean Government had simply not told that he had other options was a bit too in keeping with his experience.
“It doesn’t matter what you were or were not told back in Korea” Katherine said, “What are we going to do with you today?”
He tripped a flag as an illegal immigrant.
One of the disadvantages of being an illegal immigrant is that you can't afford to come to the attention of those in authority without risking deportation, for instance by trying to better yourself so you can move out of the unskilled labour pool.
One of the disadvantages of being an illegal immigrant is that you can't afford to come to the attention of those in authority without risking deportation, for instance by trying to better yourself so you can move out of the unskilled labour pool.