Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
That would give the CIA kittens.
"So let me get the right, the Canadians have just hired a kid who is related to, and tell me if I miss one out, Manfred 'The Red Baron' Von Richthofen, Katherine Von Blackwood - Michner, AND that fucking Schultz cowboy? Inform the President, the Canadians are gearing up for war against us, and the first we'll know aboot it is when oor accent changes eh bud".
Might be good for them. I continue to hold out (probably forlorn) hope that the Clowns In Action will someday outgrow their role as a German fiddle.
More likely is that they get an target fixation on Canada and miss out the real action in Mexico... LOL
Part 144, Chapter 2602
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Two
14th January 1977
Mitte, Berlin
The underground platforms of U-Bahn in the Alexanderplatz Station Complex were among the oldest stops in the network, many thought it a relic of an earlier era with the ornate decoration. This was reflected in the tiled floors, as well as the design of the newspaper stands, and ticketing booths. The vaulted ceilings lit by electric lights back when that had been the latest thing. Even the escalators that took people up to the street level had been the very latest technology at the time. All of that was covered by year’s if not decade’s worth of grime. Whatever was tracked in on people’s feet, carbon residue from the trains themselves, random rubbish that had either been forgotten or discarded. There were also many instances of vandalism or graffiti that were around. Every few years a new layer of paint had gone up, but the effect of that was usually temporary.
The station had been slated for renovation for years, but that would require closing it for a period of time and that would put further stress on the rest of the system. David Kuhn knew all of that by heart by now. He had been working as a Transit Officer for decades; since the end of the Soviet War. He had personally seen how the system had grown overtaxed as the city had grown around it despite all the efforts to expand and improve the transit system. The round of budget cuts that had come down from the Government in recent months had hardly helped matters. The savings struck David as being penny wise, pound foolish. They were eventually going to have to address the problems that existed and when they did it was going to be a whole lot more expensive.
Today was no different as the evening comminute brought people by the thousands from their jobs in the City Center out to the Suburbs where most of them lived. It being a Friday evening, there were also a considerable number of people going the other way to spend a night out on the town. It was David’s job to make sure that all of that went smoothly. Something that was easier said than done. At any time something might cause the movement of people through the stations to get snarled and that had a way of spreading rapidly through the system.
David stopped to give directions to a harried looking woman who was trying to keep control of her children as they made their way through the labyrinthine passages between the various platforms. He had the understanding that a key part of his job was to help wherever he could, be the friendly face that people could count on in an otherwise miserable situation. It was then that his radio crackled to life.
“Report of smoke on… please investigate… report…” Came the voice from Dispatch. It was an annoyance that the radios only kind of worked once you got underground. They were supposed to get something better when they got funding, so David figured that would happen about the same time Hell froze over.
“If you could repeat that” David said into microphone.
“…smoke on U8 Platform… report back…” Dispatch replied.
David wasn’t surprised. Most people would be astonished at how fire was a regular occurrence in places like this. Usually the result of carelessness, small fires in odd locations but most often in the rubbish bins were a fact of life. That was why he knew exactly where the fire extinguishers were kept in all the stations. Using the master key that all the Officers had, he opened the storage and grabbed one of the ubiquitous red extinguisher bottles. Walking down the tunnels and descending a set of stairs, David emerged onto the platform, checking the rubbish bins he passed and seeing that there was nothing to see as he pushed through the rush hour crowd, getting cussed at and curious looks in equal measure. Still, there was the smell that grew stronger as he reached the far end of the platform. It was one that David knew quite well. Burning plastic, paper, and dust. This one had the smells of hot metal and grease mixed in as well. He just couldn’t see a source.
“Dispatch this is TO33, please notify the Fire Brigade that I can smell smoke on Platform U8 with no obvious source” David said into the microphone of his radio. Getting assistance down here would probably speed up figuring out what was going on here. Besides, no one could say that David wasn’t doing his job here.
“TO33… Fire Brigade notified…” Dispatch said, “Continue investigation… Report…”
David just shrugged. He knew that they were doing their best. Limitations on equipment and all that. It was something that he had needed to contend with for his entire career.
Reaching the escalator, David saw that smoke was emerging from under the escalator and a small flame was emerging from the edge of treads. He wasn’t sure how to get to the fire if it was under there, the Fire Brigade would need to be informed. Turning around, he saw dozens of people waiting for the next train that was coming from Weinmeisterstraße. David could hear the train coming and could feel the wind as it was pushing the air ahead of it. Glancing back at the escalator, he saw the smoke was growing in density and curiously it was traveling upward only a few centimeters above the treads. Something about that caused the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck as he keyed the radio to tell dispatch that they needed to act that instant.
Before he could say anything though, the whole world exploded into fire…
14th January 1977
Mitte, Berlin
The underground platforms of U-Bahn in the Alexanderplatz Station Complex were among the oldest stops in the network, many thought it a relic of an earlier era with the ornate decoration. This was reflected in the tiled floors, as well as the design of the newspaper stands, and ticketing booths. The vaulted ceilings lit by electric lights back when that had been the latest thing. Even the escalators that took people up to the street level had been the very latest technology at the time. All of that was covered by year’s if not decade’s worth of grime. Whatever was tracked in on people’s feet, carbon residue from the trains themselves, random rubbish that had either been forgotten or discarded. There were also many instances of vandalism or graffiti that were around. Every few years a new layer of paint had gone up, but the effect of that was usually temporary.
The station had been slated for renovation for years, but that would require closing it for a period of time and that would put further stress on the rest of the system. David Kuhn knew all of that by heart by now. He had been working as a Transit Officer for decades; since the end of the Soviet War. He had personally seen how the system had grown overtaxed as the city had grown around it despite all the efforts to expand and improve the transit system. The round of budget cuts that had come down from the Government in recent months had hardly helped matters. The savings struck David as being penny wise, pound foolish. They were eventually going to have to address the problems that existed and when they did it was going to be a whole lot more expensive.
Today was no different as the evening comminute brought people by the thousands from their jobs in the City Center out to the Suburbs where most of them lived. It being a Friday evening, there were also a considerable number of people going the other way to spend a night out on the town. It was David’s job to make sure that all of that went smoothly. Something that was easier said than done. At any time something might cause the movement of people through the stations to get snarled and that had a way of spreading rapidly through the system.
David stopped to give directions to a harried looking woman who was trying to keep control of her children as they made their way through the labyrinthine passages between the various platforms. He had the understanding that a key part of his job was to help wherever he could, be the friendly face that people could count on in an otherwise miserable situation. It was then that his radio crackled to life.
“Report of smoke on… please investigate… report…” Came the voice from Dispatch. It was an annoyance that the radios only kind of worked once you got underground. They were supposed to get something better when they got funding, so David figured that would happen about the same time Hell froze over.
“If you could repeat that” David said into microphone.
“…smoke on U8 Platform… report back…” Dispatch replied.
David wasn’t surprised. Most people would be astonished at how fire was a regular occurrence in places like this. Usually the result of carelessness, small fires in odd locations but most often in the rubbish bins were a fact of life. That was why he knew exactly where the fire extinguishers were kept in all the stations. Using the master key that all the Officers had, he opened the storage and grabbed one of the ubiquitous red extinguisher bottles. Walking down the tunnels and descending a set of stairs, David emerged onto the platform, checking the rubbish bins he passed and seeing that there was nothing to see as he pushed through the rush hour crowd, getting cussed at and curious looks in equal measure. Still, there was the smell that grew stronger as he reached the far end of the platform. It was one that David knew quite well. Burning plastic, paper, and dust. This one had the smells of hot metal and grease mixed in as well. He just couldn’t see a source.
“Dispatch this is TO33, please notify the Fire Brigade that I can smell smoke on Platform U8 with no obvious source” David said into the microphone of his radio. Getting assistance down here would probably speed up figuring out what was going on here. Besides, no one could say that David wasn’t doing his job here.
“TO33… Fire Brigade notified…” Dispatch said, “Continue investigation… Report…”
David just shrugged. He knew that they were doing their best. Limitations on equipment and all that. It was something that he had needed to contend with for his entire career.
Reaching the escalator, David saw that smoke was emerging from under the escalator and a small flame was emerging from the edge of treads. He wasn’t sure how to get to the fire if it was under there, the Fire Brigade would need to be informed. Turning around, he saw dozens of people waiting for the next train that was coming from Weinmeisterstraße. David could hear the train coming and could feel the wind as it was pushing the air ahead of it. Glancing back at the escalator, he saw the smoke was growing in density and curiously it was traveling upward only a few centimeters above the treads. Something about that caused the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck as he keyed the radio to tell dispatch that they needed to act that instant.
Before he could say anything though, the whole world exploded into fire…
Oh dear god the King's Cross fire 10 years early. The death toll will be horrific.
When you realize that the potential for the right, or more correctly wrong, set of circumstances for this to happen existed in many different places and that it was a miracle that it seldom happened. In OTL the Alexanderplatz Station needed to be largely rebuilt after 1945 and was subdivided between East and West Berlin later. In TTL none of that happened and this is the consequence.
Yeah, I went on a disaster docu binge on youtube not that long ago and that sinking feeling just got deeper the longer I read. That is going to be a charnel house.
We last met David Kuhn in the second timeline when three young women came aboard his S-Hahn and one them asked him if one of their friends spending the summer in Vietnam helping orphans was a good use of their time.
Great use of peripheral character, and just like how in the first timeline when there was a massive train derailment that led to Augustus Lang to end his Chanceollorship, this disaster will lead to the defeat of the National Liberals led government.
Great use of peripheral character, and just like how in the first timeline when there was a massive train derailment that led to Augustus Lang to end his Chanceollorship, this disaster will lead to the defeat of the National Liberals led government.
Neither the King's Cross fire in the UK, nor the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, in the UK OTL, didn't bring down the Conservative Government.
That's the UK, where coalition governments are rare. Germany, even ITTL, more often than not has coalition governments. A disaster like this can cause a government to fall, especially if it can be proved that the government in question prevented essential maintenance being done.
Thing is, more than likely it's the city government that cut cost and deferred maintenance/renovations, not the national one. So we're more likely to see Kat prowl through those halls, than the national government falling because of this.
Though disaster response and/or iconic photos related to those might have an influence on elections. Or at least so various tea leaf readers, sorry, political experts, insist in hindsight in OTL...
Since there are financial reasons, we might see a rethinking on those - tax allocation and the 'Länderfinanzausgleich' - federal transfer payments from the 'rich' states to the 'poor'. Berlin especially is notorious for always needing transfer payments OTL. (So is Bremen, but not Hamburg, so it can't be the city states in general.) Though at least some of that is down to the fact that the city was divided and restrictions that imposed on industry in the area. So I'm not certain quite where we'd stand financially TTL.
There is also the whole debate on public transport - here obviously starved for money, yet strongly used - versus car usage. We've seen at least hints that in this Germany car culture is important, similar to OTL, so this might be in part down to money going to streets, not public (rail) transport.
This might lead to some rethinking of transport needs and infrastructure. Though maybe also in the worst way possible: more individual car traffic, because who wants to ride those death trap Ubahnen? (Obviously with 'tasteful' multi-level car parking structures built into historic building, like they did OTL into Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, to reuse the space...)
Also this are the 70s, when IIRC the Netherlands saw the Stop de Kindermoord campaign - maybe something similar could happen here to attempt to change traffic patterns? And we'd have already have a cyclist in the cast who might get caught up in something like that.
The problem with subways is that, once built, it is surpremely difficult to justify something that results in long term temporary shutdown (like "We need to overhaul a major artery station, this will take X months") as the system is seen as been unable to cope with the displaced commuters.
Of course once the smoke clears the folly of this will be made clear but...
Of course once the smoke clears the folly of this will be made clear but...
I don’t think Berlin is a city state ITTL, nor the federal structure is anything resembling the Bundesrepublik. Berlin is probably still a part of Prussia ITTL, who still holds a very big part of German economy and population.
ITTL Prussia was broken up into different states in the 20's or 30's IIRC in order to limit the power and influence of Prussia.
That means Berlin is it's own City-State surrounded by the State of Brandedburg, the Kingdom of Selesia is a state craved out of Prussia.
There is no longer a legal separate political entity known as Prussia, but it is used as a historical designation to cover the states that were part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
That means Kaiser Friedrich of the German Empire is also the King of Prussia but there is no longer a Kingdom of Prussia in the legal sense.
There is going to be an Imperial Commission formed after the literal smoke has cleared, and there is going to be a lot of blame to be passed around, from the reluctance of the city government to raise fares to cover the maintenance of the system, to having funds being reallocated to other projects instead of improving the system, to a whole host of other issues that were ignored by those in charge.
That means Berlin is it's own City-State surrounded by the State of Brandedburg, the Kingdom of Selesia is a state craved out of Prussia.
There is no longer a legal separate political entity known as Prussia, but it is used as a historical designation to cover the states that were part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
That means Kaiser Friedrich of the German Empire is also the King of Prussia but there is no longer a Kingdom of Prussia in the legal sense.
There is going to be an Imperial Commission formed after the literal smoke has cleared, and there is going to be a lot of blame to be passed around, from the reluctance of the city government to raise fares to cover the maintenance of the system, to having funds being reallocated to other projects instead of improving the system, to a whole host of other issues that were ignored by those in charge.
What about all the smaller states, like Braunschweig and the Thuringian states? Were they merged or subsumed into larger states as well?