Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Why actually have him meet her, just keep saying that there is a meeting arranged between the two so that they may privately discuss their differences. Then tell Fleming, maybe as close as 5 minutes before to days before that it is cancelled, that and add in a we arranged this on short notice hop in the car/helicopter/boat Mr. Fleming and lets go meet her.
2nd part:
What is being done with hovercraft and hydrofoils in this time line? Think of some of the nifty Saunder-Roe craft that were around this period.
2nd part:
What is being done with hovercraft and hydrofoils in this time line? Think of some of the nifty Saunder-Roe craft that were around this period.
Not subtle enough,no drawn out lingering death. Put him in a hall with a few dozen literary critics. I reckon with his corrosive personality 5 mins tops and the knives will be out. He’ll never publish another book.Meh, just kill him. He's outlived his usefulness.
Part 77, Chapter 1155
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Five
10th December 1955
Oracabessa, Jamaica
When Ian Fleming read the Sunday edition of the paper when it arrived almost a week late, he was quite certain that she did it on purpose. The headline read; Original Bond Girl goes on Maternity Leave following Royal Visit and the photograph was of a visibly pregnant Kat von Mischner having tea with the Queen.
That was after Fleming got a phone call from Kingston asking his opinion about the article that he had not even seen yet. After the success of the first two James Bond films, the plan had been for a big international release of the third film over the Christmas Season and that was exactly what they had done the prior Friday, and everything had been going swimmingly. Until this. Over the production of the third firm Fleming had the script writers suggest to him a few times that perhaps Andrea Herzog ought to be getting on with her life. Like if Fleming didn’t know what that meant. While he was aware through the grapevine that Kat had trained several apprentices and had hardly been sitting idle in Berlin, the thought of one of his characters accepting the life of a wife and mother… UNTHINKABLE!
It was enough to make him want to get a drink, and then he remembered that he already had one in his hand. Better make that a double, he thought to himself.
11th December 1955
Tegel Airport
“Do you have any idea what they just subjected me to in there” Margot said as Doug, André and Sir Malcolm’s aide loaded the suitcases into the Microbus. The presence of the aide was a reminder that this was not a pleasure trip to visit family over the holidays for Doug’s father, though that was what the stated reason. Doug had seen how Kat had been unusually buoyant that morning just before he had left the house. Whatever had happened to his mother, she must have not only have known about but had been in on the planning. They had probably done everything shy of strip searching her.
“What sort of car, van or whatever this is, is this?” Emma asked as she tried to get her children situated on the middle seat.
“VW Microbus” Doug replied, “Useful, even if it is underpowered and strange looking. They aren’t sold in Canada yet, I guess.”
Emma didn’t respond as she was too busy trying to keep her daughter Casandra from crawling under the bench seat.
“You said that you have moved away from that house with those… young women?” Margot asked. It was clear that she had wanted to call them something else. Doug’s father had said that Margot had promised to be on her best behavior and Kat had gotten the sisterhood to agree that they would allow Margot to start it before they retaliated. The house divided into warring camps, peace on Earth and good will to all man, Doug thought to himself.
“We moved into to the new house a few months ago” Doug replied, “Though you will find that Katherine maintains a personal and professional relationship with the women she has mentored.”
“That sounds wonderful” Emma said as Doug pushed the clutch in so that he could start the engine of the Microbus. If you only knew, he thought to himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It being Sunday morning, traffic was light, so they got across the city rather quickly even if the Microbus did not care to go at speeds over eighty kilometers per hour with a full load of people and luggage aboard. Pulling into the garage, Doug watched as everyone got out of the vehicle and he saw their reaction when they saw the house for the first time. Admittedly, it did look terrible. The currently barren back garden had the long row of houses looming ominously over it. A few trees had been planted but anything else would have to wait until the springtime. There were a few patches of snow from a couple days earlier that did nothing to lighten the mood.
“Looks like the welcoming committee noticed we are here” Doug said trying to lighten the mood.
The door to the laundry room that was the entry into the kitchen and dining room opened up, Tatiana and Malcolm ran out with Ilse following them.
“These are Tat and Kol, of course” Doug said, “And you remember Kat’s sister Elisabeth?”
“It’s been years, but yes” Sir Malcolm said as they made their way to the house.
Then Doug noticed that his mother was looking extremely bewildered as Tat and Kol were asking questions and talking at her. He had not thought about how the way his children talked and even the way they moved would be completely foreign to Margot. She had not seen either of them since they were babies. They might be speaking the sort of French that they had grown up with. The sort that had become the private language between themselves and their father, but the way they said certain words or worse if they switched to English revealed exactly where they were from.
Doug noticed a bit of movement up on the parlor floor. He saw that Kat was watching out the window of the library with that slight smile on her face, the expression she had when she knew that she had just scored a major victory. Kat had known that this would happen.
10th December 1955
Oracabessa, Jamaica
When Ian Fleming read the Sunday edition of the paper when it arrived almost a week late, he was quite certain that she did it on purpose. The headline read; Original Bond Girl goes on Maternity Leave following Royal Visit and the photograph was of a visibly pregnant Kat von Mischner having tea with the Queen.
That was after Fleming got a phone call from Kingston asking his opinion about the article that he had not even seen yet. After the success of the first two James Bond films, the plan had been for a big international release of the third film over the Christmas Season and that was exactly what they had done the prior Friday, and everything had been going swimmingly. Until this. Over the production of the third firm Fleming had the script writers suggest to him a few times that perhaps Andrea Herzog ought to be getting on with her life. Like if Fleming didn’t know what that meant. While he was aware through the grapevine that Kat had trained several apprentices and had hardly been sitting idle in Berlin, the thought of one of his characters accepting the life of a wife and mother… UNTHINKABLE!
It was enough to make him want to get a drink, and then he remembered that he already had one in his hand. Better make that a double, he thought to himself.
11th December 1955
Tegel Airport
“Do you have any idea what they just subjected me to in there” Margot said as Doug, André and Sir Malcolm’s aide loaded the suitcases into the Microbus. The presence of the aide was a reminder that this was not a pleasure trip to visit family over the holidays for Doug’s father, though that was what the stated reason. Doug had seen how Kat had been unusually buoyant that morning just before he had left the house. Whatever had happened to his mother, she must have not only have known about but had been in on the planning. They had probably done everything shy of strip searching her.
“What sort of car, van or whatever this is, is this?” Emma asked as she tried to get her children situated on the middle seat.
“VW Microbus” Doug replied, “Useful, even if it is underpowered and strange looking. They aren’t sold in Canada yet, I guess.”
Emma didn’t respond as she was too busy trying to keep her daughter Casandra from crawling under the bench seat.
“You said that you have moved away from that house with those… young women?” Margot asked. It was clear that she had wanted to call them something else. Doug’s father had said that Margot had promised to be on her best behavior and Kat had gotten the sisterhood to agree that they would allow Margot to start it before they retaliated. The house divided into warring camps, peace on Earth and good will to all man, Doug thought to himself.
“We moved into to the new house a few months ago” Doug replied, “Though you will find that Katherine maintains a personal and professional relationship with the women she has mentored.”
“That sounds wonderful” Emma said as Doug pushed the clutch in so that he could start the engine of the Microbus. If you only knew, he thought to himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It being Sunday morning, traffic was light, so they got across the city rather quickly even if the Microbus did not care to go at speeds over eighty kilometers per hour with a full load of people and luggage aboard. Pulling into the garage, Doug watched as everyone got out of the vehicle and he saw their reaction when they saw the house for the first time. Admittedly, it did look terrible. The currently barren back garden had the long row of houses looming ominously over it. A few trees had been planted but anything else would have to wait until the springtime. There were a few patches of snow from a couple days earlier that did nothing to lighten the mood.
“Looks like the welcoming committee noticed we are here” Doug said trying to lighten the mood.
The door to the laundry room that was the entry into the kitchen and dining room opened up, Tatiana and Malcolm ran out with Ilse following them.
“These are Tat and Kol, of course” Doug said, “And you remember Kat’s sister Elisabeth?”
“It’s been years, but yes” Sir Malcolm said as they made their way to the house.
Then Doug noticed that his mother was looking extremely bewildered as Tat and Kol were asking questions and talking at her. He had not thought about how the way his children talked and even the way they moved would be completely foreign to Margot. She had not seen either of them since they were babies. They might be speaking the sort of French that they had grown up with. The sort that had become the private language between themselves and their father, but the way they said certain words or worse if they switched to English revealed exactly where they were from.
Doug noticed a bit of movement up on the parlor floor. He saw that Kat was watching out the window of the library with that slight smile on her face, the expression she had when she knew that she had just scored a major victory. Kat had known that this would happen.
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There's always the Assorted Colonial Loot Collection, better known as the British Museum.Oh, come on now, Kat, I'm sure there is something you want to do around London. Being the friend of the Queen means all sorts of fun stuff.
Part 77, Chapter 1156
Chapter One thousand One Hundred Fifty-Six
18th December 1955
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“…then I tell him that he was right, and I was wrong” Tilo said, “That he, and he alone, could get what he wanted.”
“That is one way to handle a Sea Lawyer” Jost replied.
“My Commanding Officer thought so” Tilo said, “It became a self-correcting problem and he didn’t need to deal with it.”
“How long did he last in the barracks?”
“This is the Marine Infantry” Tilo replied, “He got grabbed coming through the door. Lucky for him that I spoke to Reier beforehand. Hospital, not the morgue, you know how it works. And the damnedest thing was that no one saw anything.”
Jost just shook his head, “We do things differently in the Heer” He said, “It never would have gotten that point, the trouble maker would have been transferred out before he became an issue.”
“If I did that there wouldn’t be anyone left in the Regiment” Tilo said.
The two of them had needed to escape the house, the wholesome family Christmas that their mother was insisting on this year. No drinking, swearing, fighting or any of the other things made them who they were. So, they had gone to a nearby tavern that was packed full of Enlisted men from the nearby base. Tilo had noticed Jost was given a rather wide berth.
“Too bad the Navy has first claim on you” Jost said, “The Souville Regiment has a new Oberst who doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”
“Is that almost a compliment of my abilities?” Tilo asked.
Only to have Jost glower at him.
“I’d rather have you in charge than Lenz” Jost growled in reply after a few minutes of angry silence. “At least you know what the business end of a rifle is for, even if all that reading has turned your brains to mush.”
“My brains are hardly mush” Tilo replied.
“They must be considering the sorts of good things you are passing on for stupid reasons” Jost said.
“I have no idea what you are talking about” Tilo said.
“Keep telling yourself that” Jost replied, “Someday it will even be true at the rate you are going.”
Tilo knew what Jost was getting at and really wished that he would just shut up about it.
Berlin
It was a constant headache for Sir Malcolm, getting Margot to mind her manners while they were guests in this house. Not that Katherine made it easy. Apparently, there was a deal that she had made with the women in her circle, they were going to let Margot make the first move. That sounded a bit ominous. Katherine herself was polite and courteous, but there wasn’t a great deal of friendliness in it. Oddly, a girl who must have eighteen or nineteen years old lived in the house and she had been appointed as Katherine’s aide. Sieglinde or Sigi, she had been a big help with Margot. One of the rare young women who managed to meet Margot’s standards despite her country of origion.
Instead of doing what Sir Malcolm had really been sent her to do, he had found himself spending all week in the extensive museums that this city was known for and enjoying the seasonal festivities. It was getting frustrating, waiting for the call from the German Ministry of War. A call that had yet to come. He figured that he had perhaps one shot in convincing the German Government to license certain pieces of machinery. The reason they needed it was also something that would cause the most difficulty. Canada’s southern neighbor and if it became unstable. Sir Malcolm had been sent because of perceived difficulty that Ottawa was having with London. They didn’t want to find themselves in a crisis and having to deal with the foot dragging that official London was infamous for.
Getting to know Tatiana and Malcolm, was a nice distraction from that. Seeing Malcolm, or Kol as he tended to be called, in the library reading a dogeared book about the Antarctic explorers with a lot of photographs. Looking at the books that were on the shelf, Sir Malcolm saw that there were a substantial number of books about exploration. Mostly the Arctic and Antarctica but several more about Africa and South America.
“You read all of these?” Malcolm asked.
“Yes” Kol said with a smile, then the smile faded. “Poppa read them to me.”
It was hardly a surprise that Kol didn’t know how to read very much at this point. The Germans made a point of letting children be children and letting them learn from playing until they started learning formal subjects as a class. The merits of that were debatable.
“Your great grandfather, my father would have had quite a few things to say on this subject” Malcolm said, “He was with John Rea during the search for the Franklin Expedition when he was a young man.”
Kol looked at Malcolm wide-eyed, he would have heard about the doomed Franklin Expedition. How it had played a substantial role in the exploration of the Canadian Arctic even in its failure, cold comfort to the crew that was forced to resort to cannibalism in the face of death by starvation and exposure. But had Malcolm’s grandson heard the other side of the story? How that expedition was used as an example of how arrogance and ignorance could prove to be lethal in the far corners of the globe.
“Didn’t know” Kol replied.
“Now you do” Malcolm said.
It wasn’t a surprise really that Kol was interested in exploration from a young age. The three walls of the library that weren’t covered by the large bookshelves were festooned with framed photographs that had been taken by Douglas that were from around the world. Katherine had traveled extensively as well.
18th December 1955
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“…then I tell him that he was right, and I was wrong” Tilo said, “That he, and he alone, could get what he wanted.”
“That is one way to handle a Sea Lawyer” Jost replied.
“My Commanding Officer thought so” Tilo said, “It became a self-correcting problem and he didn’t need to deal with it.”
“How long did he last in the barracks?”
“This is the Marine Infantry” Tilo replied, “He got grabbed coming through the door. Lucky for him that I spoke to Reier beforehand. Hospital, not the morgue, you know how it works. And the damnedest thing was that no one saw anything.”
Jost just shook his head, “We do things differently in the Heer” He said, “It never would have gotten that point, the trouble maker would have been transferred out before he became an issue.”
“If I did that there wouldn’t be anyone left in the Regiment” Tilo said.
The two of them had needed to escape the house, the wholesome family Christmas that their mother was insisting on this year. No drinking, swearing, fighting or any of the other things made them who they were. So, they had gone to a nearby tavern that was packed full of Enlisted men from the nearby base. Tilo had noticed Jost was given a rather wide berth.
“Too bad the Navy has first claim on you” Jost said, “The Souville Regiment has a new Oberst who doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”
“Is that almost a compliment of my abilities?” Tilo asked.
Only to have Jost glower at him.
“I’d rather have you in charge than Lenz” Jost growled in reply after a few minutes of angry silence. “At least you know what the business end of a rifle is for, even if all that reading has turned your brains to mush.”
“My brains are hardly mush” Tilo replied.
“They must be considering the sorts of good things you are passing on for stupid reasons” Jost said.
“I have no idea what you are talking about” Tilo said.
“Keep telling yourself that” Jost replied, “Someday it will even be true at the rate you are going.”
Tilo knew what Jost was getting at and really wished that he would just shut up about it.
Berlin
It was a constant headache for Sir Malcolm, getting Margot to mind her manners while they were guests in this house. Not that Katherine made it easy. Apparently, there was a deal that she had made with the women in her circle, they were going to let Margot make the first move. That sounded a bit ominous. Katherine herself was polite and courteous, but there wasn’t a great deal of friendliness in it. Oddly, a girl who must have eighteen or nineteen years old lived in the house and she had been appointed as Katherine’s aide. Sieglinde or Sigi, she had been a big help with Margot. One of the rare young women who managed to meet Margot’s standards despite her country of origion.
Instead of doing what Sir Malcolm had really been sent her to do, he had found himself spending all week in the extensive museums that this city was known for and enjoying the seasonal festivities. It was getting frustrating, waiting for the call from the German Ministry of War. A call that had yet to come. He figured that he had perhaps one shot in convincing the German Government to license certain pieces of machinery. The reason they needed it was also something that would cause the most difficulty. Canada’s southern neighbor and if it became unstable. Sir Malcolm had been sent because of perceived difficulty that Ottawa was having with London. They didn’t want to find themselves in a crisis and having to deal with the foot dragging that official London was infamous for.
Getting to know Tatiana and Malcolm, was a nice distraction from that. Seeing Malcolm, or Kol as he tended to be called, in the library reading a dogeared book about the Antarctic explorers with a lot of photographs. Looking at the books that were on the shelf, Sir Malcolm saw that there were a substantial number of books about exploration. Mostly the Arctic and Antarctica but several more about Africa and South America.
“You read all of these?” Malcolm asked.
“Yes” Kol said with a smile, then the smile faded. “Poppa read them to me.”
It was hardly a surprise that Kol didn’t know how to read very much at this point. The Germans made a point of letting children be children and letting them learn from playing until they started learning formal subjects as a class. The merits of that were debatable.
“Your great grandfather, my father would have had quite a few things to say on this subject” Malcolm said, “He was with John Rea during the search for the Franklin Expedition when he was a young man.”
Kol looked at Malcolm wide-eyed, he would have heard about the doomed Franklin Expedition. How it had played a substantial role in the exploration of the Canadian Arctic even in its failure, cold comfort to the crew that was forced to resort to cannibalism in the face of death by starvation and exposure. But had Malcolm’s grandson heard the other side of the story? How that expedition was used as an example of how arrogance and ignorance could prove to be lethal in the far corners of the globe.
“Didn’t know” Kol replied.
“Now you do” Malcolm said.
It wasn’t a surprise really that Kol was interested in exploration from a young age. The three walls of the library that weren’t covered by the large bookshelves were festooned with framed photographs that had been taken by Douglas that were from around the world. Katherine had traveled extensively as well.
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The scene with Tilo and Jost shows the difference in the culture between the Heer and Marine Infantry, how the Heer has the luxury of transferring the troublemakers in their ranks while the Marine Infantry has to settle its own problems with "creative solutions" that may not be regulation .
Hopefully Jost will not have to beat some sense in to Tilo about Nancy.
Hopefully Jost will not have to beat some sense in to Tilo about Nancy.
Part 77, Chapter 1157
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Seven
21st December 1955
Berlin
Frau Nagler and the rest of the patients were happy to get the pepper cakes that Kiki had snuck into the hospital for them. The annual trip to the Christmas markets had been the day before and Kiki had found the Oberst who had replaced Gräfin Katherine had decided that the Royal children needed to stay in a group at all times, as in no more than an arms breath apart, and Kiki had not been allowed to bring any friends. It had made for a difficult afternoon as Freddy and Mikey were being terrible as always. Worse, they had been trying to get their younger brother Louis to poke fun at Kiki. It was unfortunate that she ended up being the butt of most of their jokes.
They didn’t dare do that Rea and Vicky had been along this year. This was because their twin sisters had several tactics that made teasing them fraught with peril. It was almost impossible to play the two of them off against each other, they were extremely devious on their own. Even if their older siblings managed to get the better of them, they would go running to the nearest adult and give a sob story. The twins were the sort that adults wanted to believe and protect, something that they used to the fullest extent they could. Especially when Rea and Vicky were lying through their teeth.
“You look adorable in this picture” Frau Nagler said as she was looking at the photographs in the newspaper that had been taken the day before. Adorable had not been what Kiki had been going for. She’d had her stocking cap pulled low over her eyes and her scarf up to her chin. Combined with her glasses it made it so that very little of Kiki’s face was visible. It clearly hadn’t worked out the way that she had intended.
“I wanted to be left alone” Kiki replied.
“You might as well ask for the moon dear” Frau Nagler said, “Your brother Friedrich looks like he is having fun.”
“Freddy loves the attention” Kiki said, “But what has he really done?”
“He has already done more than required of him” Frau Nagler replied, “Not as much as you, but still…”
“I’ve hardly done anything yet” Kiki said sharply, “Intentions are worthless until you follow through.”
Gräfin Katherine had told that to Kiki countless times, usually when she had fallen short of her intentions. Frau Nagler seemed genuinely surprised that that Kiki had said it though.
Riau Archipelago
When the word had gone around the forecastle of the SMS Berlin that volunteers were needed Christoph had been one of the first to step forward. Over the last year it had been noticed that the pirate activity would stop whenever the Berlin and her flotilla entered a region only to resume as soon as she passed. It suggested a great deal about how effective they had been, but it had also given the Brass some ideas about how that could be turned to their advantage. It was up to men like Christoph to make that happen.
A few days earlier, they had made sure that the Berlin had made a big show for the spies that they knew were watching her. She had steamed north, presumably towards Taiwan. Christoph as well as a couple hundred volunteers, sailors, a dozen of the Marine Infantry and a few Australian adventurers looking for something to brag about had stayed behind in these islands so that they could give the pirates a surprise that they wouldn’t soon forget. Exactly as they had planned, the radios that the pirates claimed they didn’t have lit up as soon as they thought that the Berlin was out of range. They started openly talking about the ships out of Singapore they were going to take, who among the officials in the Dutch Government they were paying off. No one believed for an instant that it was going to be that easy.
Tonight, they were going to give the pirates their just deserts and as a Chief, Christoph was expected to lead the charge. Sitting in the open launch that was being escorted in by three S-Boats and an “F-Lighter” MFP as they were closing in on what intelligence now said was the main pirate base on these islands. In basic training he had been taught how to do this sort of thing, but this was the first time that Christoph had ever found himself in such an operation. He had been issued a rifle and a bolo when he had left the Berlin, he just hoped that they worked as advertised.
There was a grinding noise as the keel of the launch hit the sandy bottom of the harbor just off the beach. Christoph was just one of many as he made his way up the beach and into the thick vegetation of the jungle. He remembered from the map that he had memorized that they were to make their way to the outskirts of the village and to hold.
Even in the early morning hours, the docks were lit up. Two ships, former fishing trawlers from the look of them were preparing to put to sea. Those were the prize of this operation.
As the minutes ticked by Christoph waited. They had been told that once things kicked off, they would know and did it ever. The MFP that was providing fire support for this operation opened up with the two 8.8cm Flak guns it had mounted on the deck. One of the first shells hit what must have been a fuel storage tank because an orange column of flame shot skyward. The machineguns and autocannons opened up at the same time, yellow green tracers blew through the wooden walls of the village. For lack of anything better to do, Christoph shot his rifle at the buildings. If anyone down there was still alive, they had best be keeping very low and quiet if they were smart.
21st December 1955
Berlin
Frau Nagler and the rest of the patients were happy to get the pepper cakes that Kiki had snuck into the hospital for them. The annual trip to the Christmas markets had been the day before and Kiki had found the Oberst who had replaced Gräfin Katherine had decided that the Royal children needed to stay in a group at all times, as in no more than an arms breath apart, and Kiki had not been allowed to bring any friends. It had made for a difficult afternoon as Freddy and Mikey were being terrible as always. Worse, they had been trying to get their younger brother Louis to poke fun at Kiki. It was unfortunate that she ended up being the butt of most of their jokes.
They didn’t dare do that Rea and Vicky had been along this year. This was because their twin sisters had several tactics that made teasing them fraught with peril. It was almost impossible to play the two of them off against each other, they were extremely devious on their own. Even if their older siblings managed to get the better of them, they would go running to the nearest adult and give a sob story. The twins were the sort that adults wanted to believe and protect, something that they used to the fullest extent they could. Especially when Rea and Vicky were lying through their teeth.
“You look adorable in this picture” Frau Nagler said as she was looking at the photographs in the newspaper that had been taken the day before. Adorable had not been what Kiki had been going for. She’d had her stocking cap pulled low over her eyes and her scarf up to her chin. Combined with her glasses it made it so that very little of Kiki’s face was visible. It clearly hadn’t worked out the way that she had intended.
“I wanted to be left alone” Kiki replied.
“You might as well ask for the moon dear” Frau Nagler said, “Your brother Friedrich looks like he is having fun.”
“Freddy loves the attention” Kiki said, “But what has he really done?”
“He has already done more than required of him” Frau Nagler replied, “Not as much as you, but still…”
“I’ve hardly done anything yet” Kiki said sharply, “Intentions are worthless until you follow through.”
Gräfin Katherine had told that to Kiki countless times, usually when she had fallen short of her intentions. Frau Nagler seemed genuinely surprised that that Kiki had said it though.
Riau Archipelago
When the word had gone around the forecastle of the SMS Berlin that volunteers were needed Christoph had been one of the first to step forward. Over the last year it had been noticed that the pirate activity would stop whenever the Berlin and her flotilla entered a region only to resume as soon as she passed. It suggested a great deal about how effective they had been, but it had also given the Brass some ideas about how that could be turned to their advantage. It was up to men like Christoph to make that happen.
A few days earlier, they had made sure that the Berlin had made a big show for the spies that they knew were watching her. She had steamed north, presumably towards Taiwan. Christoph as well as a couple hundred volunteers, sailors, a dozen of the Marine Infantry and a few Australian adventurers looking for something to brag about had stayed behind in these islands so that they could give the pirates a surprise that they wouldn’t soon forget. Exactly as they had planned, the radios that the pirates claimed they didn’t have lit up as soon as they thought that the Berlin was out of range. They started openly talking about the ships out of Singapore they were going to take, who among the officials in the Dutch Government they were paying off. No one believed for an instant that it was going to be that easy.
Tonight, they were going to give the pirates their just deserts and as a Chief, Christoph was expected to lead the charge. Sitting in the open launch that was being escorted in by three S-Boats and an “F-Lighter” MFP as they were closing in on what intelligence now said was the main pirate base on these islands. In basic training he had been taught how to do this sort of thing, but this was the first time that Christoph had ever found himself in such an operation. He had been issued a rifle and a bolo when he had left the Berlin, he just hoped that they worked as advertised.
There was a grinding noise as the keel of the launch hit the sandy bottom of the harbor just off the beach. Christoph was just one of many as he made his way up the beach and into the thick vegetation of the jungle. He remembered from the map that he had memorized that they were to make their way to the outskirts of the village and to hold.
Even in the early morning hours, the docks were lit up. Two ships, former fishing trawlers from the look of them were preparing to put to sea. Those were the prize of this operation.
As the minutes ticked by Christoph waited. They had been told that once things kicked off, they would know and did it ever. The MFP that was providing fire support for this operation opened up with the two 8.8cm Flak guns it had mounted on the deck. One of the first shells hit what must have been a fuel storage tank because an orange column of flame shot skyward. The machineguns and autocannons opened up at the same time, yellow green tracers blew through the wooden walls of the village. For lack of anything better to do, Christoph shot his rifle at the buildings. If anyone down there was still alive, they had best be keeping very low and quiet if they were smart.
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I get the feeling that Kat is giving Margot all the rope she needs and is waiting for the excuse to pull it tight. For Margots' sake she'd better have learned to bite her tongue when tempted to say something offensive about Kat or the sisterhood, let alone on how the twins are being raised... Poor Malcolm and Douglas. Hmm, if Margot mucks things up before Malcolm has had a chance to talk about the deal, he will NOT be happy with her for that too!
Most pirates, even the supposedly smart ones are little more than gangsters and common criminals. It's hardly a surprise that they are an undisciplined rabble who seldom fare well when they draw the attention of one of the World's Navies.
They may have packed real warships in Blackbeard's day (occasionally) but that was when all you needed to maintain the vessel was a safe beach and a supply of wood.
I for one am wishing that Margot would clutch the idiot ball with both hands.
Part 77, Chapter 1158
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Eight
23rd December 1955
South China Sea
The SMS Esel was on a northerly course. The crew had decided on that name admittedly after a night of heavy drinking. As for how Christoph had ended up as the acting commander of the prize crew was because he was a highest-ranking Noncom available who wasn’t needed elsewhere. After they had completed the mop up the village that had been used as the pirate base the Kapitänleutnant in charge of this whole mess had been trying to sort out who was to be arrested for piracy and who had just been an unlucky bystander. It was proving to be a bit difficult. Christoph had been given a day to get the Esel underway.
“Welcome to the far side of the chessboard Stabsbootsmann Hase” was what the Kapitänleutnant had to say on the subject.
The former fishing trawler was the newest Q-Ship in the High Seas Fleet and it also happened to be Christoph’s command. God help them. It was Christoph’s job to get the Esel to Taipei, provided that it didn’t sink first. Even before the ship had been damaged during the assault and capture it had not been in great condition. There had been a number of twenty-millimeter holes in the hull that they needed to patch up before they had been able to get underway.
Ahead of the pilothouse on the foredeck was an old French 75 and aft there was a British QF 2-Pounder pom-pom that was only slightly newer. There were a handful of mismatched machine guns on the ship of British and French origin. The crew had gleefully gotten rid of the machine guns and Christoph pretended that he knew what he was doing. There was also the issue that whoever had owned this ship before had replaced the original steam engine with a marine diesel and they had not exactly done a great job of it. Christoph was going to get this garbage scow to Taiwan and he was going to get bloody revenge on every single man aboard who had cheekily called him “Kapitan” when he got there.
Berlin
“Before I became the Executive Officer of the First Foot these tunnels were easier to get through, almost into the palace itself” Kat said, “Since then we have made a few changes involving several hundred tons of concrete and closer monitoring.”
Sir Malcolm had been to Berlin a few times on official business, but it never would have occurred to him that all of this was under the city. Anyone who applied logic would have known. According to Kat there were several systems of tunnels, the passenger subways being the most visible and used. There were also light gauge railways that were primarily used for commerce. They had ridden presumably across the city on a small train that had been hauling what looked like root vegetables. Kat had hinted that there was system especially deep under the city that was entirely for military use. Again, that was a logical conclusion. They had already come through several gates and up a few flights of stairs.
“The elevator is a recent addition” Kat said, “There used to be a stairwell and a lot of stairs. No one misses it.”
Malcolm saw Kat produce a key from her pocket that she put into a barely visible keyhole before hitting the call button and a few minutes later the doors opened.
“What would happen if anyone called the elevator without the key?” Malcolm asked as they stepped aboard.
“The call button wouldn’t work, other than that nothing” Kat replied. She didn’t elaborate further but Malcolm detected an ominous note in the way she said that. He had a feeling that in this case “nothing” was not something he wanted to be on the receiving end of.
Absurdly, a bell chimed when the elevator stopped. Stepping out of the elevator Malcolm saw that they were in what looked like the most perfect kill zone he had ever seen. Open space, concrete walls and only a narrow opening on one end. This opened out into a courtyard behind the palace that was still outside the main security perimeter. Overhead was a slate grey sky and it was drizzling. All of this revealed a great deal about Kat’s thinking. Anyone coming from that direction thinking that they had found a weakness in the defenses would be walking into an ambush and Malcolm suspected that just using the elevator set off an alarm somewhere.
Crossing the courtyard, they were greeted by a half dozen men standing sentry. The uniforms might have been archaic but the weapons they were holding were not. It reminded Malcolm of London where similar security measures were in place. They went through another set of steel doors that had an elaborate system in place to prevent anyone from getting through without proper authorization.
“Making sure that everyone is who they say they are?” Malcolm asked.
“This service entrance was how an NKVD kill team got in” Kat replied, “Changes were made after that.”
Malcolm was silent for the rest of the walk through the palace. Eventually they came to a door that was opened and Malcolm saw that it was the lavishly appointed office that had once belonged to Wilhelm the Second and now belonged to his grandson.
“Please, you should sit down Katherine” Louis said his attention on Malcolm’s Daughter-in-Law, “Kira will be upset when she hears that you walked so far.”
“I’m not a cripple, nor am I made of glass” Kat replied, the fact that she looked exhausted suggested otherwise. She was six months pregnant, had two small children to mind, holiday preparations, not to mention Margot making a few intemperate comments. Malcolm loved his wife, but there were times when she should know when to quit. Today’s introductions would make it all tolerable.
“Nice to finally meet you Mister Blackwood” Louis said after he had found a chair for Kat, “I’ve always gotten along well with your Prime Minister. I was however a little surprised when Katherine requested this meeting. Surely something more formal could have been arranged?”
“Did Katherine also tell you the delicate nature of this mission?” Malcolm asked.
“She did” Louis replied, “That is why Kurt Schumacher will be here shortly.”
The German Minister of War, it was even more important that Malcolm meet with him than even the Kaiser. It was hoped that Canada could work out a deal similar to Australia and the advanced technology that Canada needed would need his approval before it could happen.
23rd December 1955
South China Sea
The SMS Esel was on a northerly course. The crew had decided on that name admittedly after a night of heavy drinking. As for how Christoph had ended up as the acting commander of the prize crew was because he was a highest-ranking Noncom available who wasn’t needed elsewhere. After they had completed the mop up the village that had been used as the pirate base the Kapitänleutnant in charge of this whole mess had been trying to sort out who was to be arrested for piracy and who had just been an unlucky bystander. It was proving to be a bit difficult. Christoph had been given a day to get the Esel underway.
“Welcome to the far side of the chessboard Stabsbootsmann Hase” was what the Kapitänleutnant had to say on the subject.
The former fishing trawler was the newest Q-Ship in the High Seas Fleet and it also happened to be Christoph’s command. God help them. It was Christoph’s job to get the Esel to Taipei, provided that it didn’t sink first. Even before the ship had been damaged during the assault and capture it had not been in great condition. There had been a number of twenty-millimeter holes in the hull that they needed to patch up before they had been able to get underway.
Ahead of the pilothouse on the foredeck was an old French 75 and aft there was a British QF 2-Pounder pom-pom that was only slightly newer. There were a handful of mismatched machine guns on the ship of British and French origin. The crew had gleefully gotten rid of the machine guns and Christoph pretended that he knew what he was doing. There was also the issue that whoever had owned this ship before had replaced the original steam engine with a marine diesel and they had not exactly done a great job of it. Christoph was going to get this garbage scow to Taiwan and he was going to get bloody revenge on every single man aboard who had cheekily called him “Kapitan” when he got there.
Berlin
“Before I became the Executive Officer of the First Foot these tunnels were easier to get through, almost into the palace itself” Kat said, “Since then we have made a few changes involving several hundred tons of concrete and closer monitoring.”
Sir Malcolm had been to Berlin a few times on official business, but it never would have occurred to him that all of this was under the city. Anyone who applied logic would have known. According to Kat there were several systems of tunnels, the passenger subways being the most visible and used. There were also light gauge railways that were primarily used for commerce. They had ridden presumably across the city on a small train that had been hauling what looked like root vegetables. Kat had hinted that there was system especially deep under the city that was entirely for military use. Again, that was a logical conclusion. They had already come through several gates and up a few flights of stairs.
“The elevator is a recent addition” Kat said, “There used to be a stairwell and a lot of stairs. No one misses it.”
Malcolm saw Kat produce a key from her pocket that she put into a barely visible keyhole before hitting the call button and a few minutes later the doors opened.
“What would happen if anyone called the elevator without the key?” Malcolm asked as they stepped aboard.
“The call button wouldn’t work, other than that nothing” Kat replied. She didn’t elaborate further but Malcolm detected an ominous note in the way she said that. He had a feeling that in this case “nothing” was not something he wanted to be on the receiving end of.
Absurdly, a bell chimed when the elevator stopped. Stepping out of the elevator Malcolm saw that they were in what looked like the most perfect kill zone he had ever seen. Open space, concrete walls and only a narrow opening on one end. This opened out into a courtyard behind the palace that was still outside the main security perimeter. Overhead was a slate grey sky and it was drizzling. All of this revealed a great deal about Kat’s thinking. Anyone coming from that direction thinking that they had found a weakness in the defenses would be walking into an ambush and Malcolm suspected that just using the elevator set off an alarm somewhere.
Crossing the courtyard, they were greeted by a half dozen men standing sentry. The uniforms might have been archaic but the weapons they were holding were not. It reminded Malcolm of London where similar security measures were in place. They went through another set of steel doors that had an elaborate system in place to prevent anyone from getting through without proper authorization.
“Making sure that everyone is who they say they are?” Malcolm asked.
“This service entrance was how an NKVD kill team got in” Kat replied, “Changes were made after that.”
Malcolm was silent for the rest of the walk through the palace. Eventually they came to a door that was opened and Malcolm saw that it was the lavishly appointed office that had once belonged to Wilhelm the Second and now belonged to his grandson.
“Please, you should sit down Katherine” Louis said his attention on Malcolm’s Daughter-in-Law, “Kira will be upset when she hears that you walked so far.”
“I’m not a cripple, nor am I made of glass” Kat replied, the fact that she looked exhausted suggested otherwise. She was six months pregnant, had two small children to mind, holiday preparations, not to mention Margot making a few intemperate comments. Malcolm loved his wife, but there were times when she should know when to quit. Today’s introductions would make it all tolerable.
“Nice to finally meet you Mister Blackwood” Louis said after he had found a chair for Kat, “I’ve always gotten along well with your Prime Minister. I was however a little surprised when Katherine requested this meeting. Surely something more formal could have been arranged?”
“Did Katherine also tell you the delicate nature of this mission?” Malcolm asked.
“She did” Louis replied, “That is why Kurt Schumacher will be here shortly.”
The German Minister of War, it was even more important that Malcolm meet with him than even the Kaiser. It was hoped that Canada could work out a deal similar to Australia and the advanced technology that Canada needed would need his approval before it could happen.
