Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
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Part 146, Chapter 2636
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Six
8th August 1977
Beuthen, Silesia
“Can you tell me where Hauptmann Weiss is?” Einar Tann asked the first Kanoniers he saw when he walked into the depot.
“Why you asking Oberfeld?” The Kanonier asked in reply. It was obvious that this man could see that Einar had Waffenfarbe in the gold color of Recon/Cavalry which bordered his shoulder boards.
Einar wasn’t about to tell this stranger that he hoped that Christian would do him a favor for old time’s sake. They went way back, having survived Poland and the Patagonian War. It was the aftermath of Patagonia and the apocalyptic Battle of Paso de San Francisco that had led directly to Einar’s current predicament. He had caught a bullet in the chest during that final battle. It had somehow missed the ceramic plates of his armored vest and had nearly killed him. When he had eventually recovered months later, Einar had discovered that his old outfit had been restructured and his friends had been scattered throughout the Heer. Einar had bounced around over the last few years, not really fitting in anywhere and he was getting the impression that his time to find a reason to keep him around was running short. It had seemed like it was the end of the line for him, with few remaining options other than returning to Estonia and doing God only knew what when he had received a letter from Christian asking how he was. Perhaps there was a chance that his old Squad Leader was his means of side-stepping what seemed to be inevitable.
“Hauptmann Weiss is an old friend from before” Einar replied, knowing that held a great deal of meaning. It was also something that could get you into a whole lot of trouble if you couldn’t back it up.
“I see” The Kanonier said, though it was obvious that he didn’t trust Einar for even a second. “Try the office, if he isn’t there he’ll be around eventually.”
The Kanonier’s attitude was typical of the Artillerymen who Einar had encountered in the past. It took a certain type of personality to wrangle bagged charges of nitrocellulose while under fire. Christian had mentioned this attitude in the letter, that they needed to be absolutely fearless.
Walking through the depot, Einar saw the hulking self-propelled guns with tarps thrown over the barrels of the 15cm howitzers. Having been on the receiving end of guns like those was something that haunted his dreams, it was the sort of thing that stuck with you forever. There was a scattering of men around, but they must have had better things to do because he was ignored. Entering the small administrative office of the Battery, Einar found it empty. He was left with nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait.
Salamis Naval Shipyard, Salamis Island, Greece
Inventorying the armory was a necessary task. Considering that for men like Fotios Papadopoulos there really was no peace. Any second the current ceasefire could break down. Then he and his men would be sent to contain the situation, preferably with extreme prejudice. Still, the Hellenic Navy was still the Navy and if so much as a single rifle cartridge couldn’t be accounted for, then there would be consequences.
As Anthypaspistis and a Marine in the Greek Navy for almost thirty years, Fotios had certain expectations to meet. It was a position that he had held for more than a decade, so he understood exactly what was expected of him. Like most of the other “Raiding Squads” employed by the Hellenic Navy, the Officers knew to stay out of their way with Fotios himself allowed to maintain control of his men as he saw fit. The only thing that that the Naval Command in Constantinople cared about was the results. This was especially true after the fiasco in Finike last year, where the Hellenic Army had gotten a black eye when a single Company of German Marines had stood off against a force ten times their number. The Germans had only been fighting for time so that they could retreat to sea and taking the people evacuated from the hospital with them. Then the German Navy and Air Force had gotten involved, thoroughly wrecking Finike and then bouncing the rubble.
Yeah, they had made their point.
The Germans had been extremely lucky that Fotios had been busy elsewhere that day. He wasn’t as stupid as the typical Officer employed by the Army, apparently it had never occurred to them that the Company of Marines they had been tangling with would simply retreat to sea. As if the flotilla sitting just offshore wasn’t a major clue. In Fotios’ opinion, the Army had spent entirely too much time exclusively fighting the Turks and the Navies of other nations, even their own nation, played by a different set of rules. That had been made excruciatingly clear in Finike.
Looking at a rack containing dozens of Simonov carbines, the compact version of the standard rifle of the Hellenic Military, Fotios filled out the form saying that all of them had been accounted for. Next to it was the pair of Hotchkiss M1922 machineguns. Those had seen extensive use over the last several decades. Finally there were the half dozen Makrykano SMGs that were not as well regarded. They were the result of an attempt to reverse engineer the MP40s that had seen extensive service during the Soviet War with rather mixed results. Pyrkal had been promising that they were developing a replacement, but that was what they had been saying for years, so Fotios paid them little attention.
8th August 1977
Beuthen, Silesia
“Can you tell me where Hauptmann Weiss is?” Einar Tann asked the first Kanoniers he saw when he walked into the depot.
“Why you asking Oberfeld?” The Kanonier asked in reply. It was obvious that this man could see that Einar had Waffenfarbe in the gold color of Recon/Cavalry which bordered his shoulder boards.
Einar wasn’t about to tell this stranger that he hoped that Christian would do him a favor for old time’s sake. They went way back, having survived Poland and the Patagonian War. It was the aftermath of Patagonia and the apocalyptic Battle of Paso de San Francisco that had led directly to Einar’s current predicament. He had caught a bullet in the chest during that final battle. It had somehow missed the ceramic plates of his armored vest and had nearly killed him. When he had eventually recovered months later, Einar had discovered that his old outfit had been restructured and his friends had been scattered throughout the Heer. Einar had bounced around over the last few years, not really fitting in anywhere and he was getting the impression that his time to find a reason to keep him around was running short. It had seemed like it was the end of the line for him, with few remaining options other than returning to Estonia and doing God only knew what when he had received a letter from Christian asking how he was. Perhaps there was a chance that his old Squad Leader was his means of side-stepping what seemed to be inevitable.
“Hauptmann Weiss is an old friend from before” Einar replied, knowing that held a great deal of meaning. It was also something that could get you into a whole lot of trouble if you couldn’t back it up.
“I see” The Kanonier said, though it was obvious that he didn’t trust Einar for even a second. “Try the office, if he isn’t there he’ll be around eventually.”
The Kanonier’s attitude was typical of the Artillerymen who Einar had encountered in the past. It took a certain type of personality to wrangle bagged charges of nitrocellulose while under fire. Christian had mentioned this attitude in the letter, that they needed to be absolutely fearless.
Walking through the depot, Einar saw the hulking self-propelled guns with tarps thrown over the barrels of the 15cm howitzers. Having been on the receiving end of guns like those was something that haunted his dreams, it was the sort of thing that stuck with you forever. There was a scattering of men around, but they must have had better things to do because he was ignored. Entering the small administrative office of the Battery, Einar found it empty. He was left with nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait.
Salamis Naval Shipyard, Salamis Island, Greece
Inventorying the armory was a necessary task. Considering that for men like Fotios Papadopoulos there really was no peace. Any second the current ceasefire could break down. Then he and his men would be sent to contain the situation, preferably with extreme prejudice. Still, the Hellenic Navy was still the Navy and if so much as a single rifle cartridge couldn’t be accounted for, then there would be consequences.
As Anthypaspistis and a Marine in the Greek Navy for almost thirty years, Fotios had certain expectations to meet. It was a position that he had held for more than a decade, so he understood exactly what was expected of him. Like most of the other “Raiding Squads” employed by the Hellenic Navy, the Officers knew to stay out of their way with Fotios himself allowed to maintain control of his men as he saw fit. The only thing that that the Naval Command in Constantinople cared about was the results. This was especially true after the fiasco in Finike last year, where the Hellenic Army had gotten a black eye when a single Company of German Marines had stood off against a force ten times their number. The Germans had only been fighting for time so that they could retreat to sea and taking the people evacuated from the hospital with them. Then the German Navy and Air Force had gotten involved, thoroughly wrecking Finike and then bouncing the rubble.
Yeah, they had made their point.
The Germans had been extremely lucky that Fotios had been busy elsewhere that day. He wasn’t as stupid as the typical Officer employed by the Army, apparently it had never occurred to them that the Company of Marines they had been tangling with would simply retreat to sea. As if the flotilla sitting just offshore wasn’t a major clue. In Fotios’ opinion, the Army had spent entirely too much time exclusively fighting the Turks and the Navies of other nations, even their own nation, played by a different set of rules. That had been made excruciatingly clear in Finike.
Looking at a rack containing dozens of Simonov carbines, the compact version of the standard rifle of the Hellenic Military, Fotios filled out the form saying that all of them had been accounted for. Next to it was the pair of Hotchkiss M1922 machineguns. Those had seen extensive use over the last several decades. Finally there were the half dozen Makrykano SMGs that were not as well regarded. They were the result of an attempt to reverse engineer the MP40s that had seen extensive service during the Soviet War with rather mixed results. Pyrkal had been promising that they were developing a replacement, but that was what they had been saying for years, so Fotios paid them little attention.
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It apparently has not occurred to Fotios that the Greeks should have just left the German Marine Infantry alone and left them leave peacefully.
If the Greeks did that, then they would have an intact town that has been depopulated and ready for new residents who have shown their loyalty to the Emperor of the Hellenic Empire.
Now the Greeks are looking to restart things again after getting some time to rearm, resupply, and fresh troops brought in.
If the Greeks did that, then they would have an intact town that has been depopulated and ready for new residents who have shown their loyalty to the Emperor of the Hellenic Empire.
Now the Greeks are looking to restart things again after getting some time to rearm, resupply, and fresh troops brought in.
Part 146, Chapter 2637
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Seven
14th August 1977
Youth Correctional Facility Neustrelitz
It was made to look more like university campus with a working farm than a prison. The stated goal was to have the inmates finish their education and learn skills which would help them succeed when they rejoined society. That was very laudable, but as Sepp had seen since he had started coming here to visit his brother Hagen a few years earlier, the people who ran this place knew that not every inmate was going to be successful. Hagen was at that top of the list of those expected to eventually be released only to end up right back in the system, just with far less comfortable surroundings.
It all stemmed from his total lack of remorse over what he had done, the players involved, and how he continued to remain silent as to who had ordered him to stab a complete stranger to death. For years, Sepp had been trying to talk some sense into Hagen over the matter. He wasn’t stupid and in case he hadn’t noticed, while he was stuck in Neustrelitz they were presumably out living their lives somewhere.
“How’re you Sepp?” Hagen said with a wide smile as soon as he saw Sepp and it was all he could do not to deck him. Wasting an entire day going to visit Hagen was not an enjoyable experience and he wouldn’t have done it unless he absolutely had to. The least Hagen could do would be to acknowledge that. “Spending a sunny afternoon visiting your long-lost brother?”
“How can you be lost if I always know exactly where you are?” Sepp asked in reply, probably with more heat than was warranted, but he had endured far too much of that attitude over the years and today he wasn’t about to stand for it. That comment punched though Hagen’s bullshit though. Sepp caught a glimpse of what was beneath, the seething rage and resentment that had always been a key part of who his brother was. Despite their mother’s efforts to move Heaven and Earth to get Hagen out of here, there were many in the State who felt that he was exactly where he belonged. Somewhere along the line, Sepp had come to share that perspective even if he didn’t dare say it aloud.
“I’m not here to have the same stupid arguments with you” Sepp said after a long awkward pause. “I’m here about Pop.”
“Did he buy his millionth liter from Bitburger, so they are giving him a plaque, and throwing a party in his honor?” Hagen asked with a smirk. He thought that was clever, which didn’t make what Sepp had to say any easier.
“Pop died last week” Sepp replied, “He collapsed on a job site, they said it was his heart…”
Of all the things that Sepp could have said, that was not what Hagen was expecting. The reaction of Hagen attacking Sepp should have been predictable though. Something that had not changed was that he was bigger than his brother, so it only took a few seconds for him to get the upper hand even before the guards intervened. It seemed that despite the pretensions they had at Neustrelitz, some things about an institution of its nature never changed. That was very apparent in the visiting area.
Constanța, Romania
It had taken a great deal of effort on the part of Louis Ferdinand Junior, but he had gotten the NMS Stefan cel Mare completed and put to sea joining her sistership, the NMS Vlad III Dracula. Having the two Cruisers available lent a great deal of firepower to the Romanian Fleet which had been sorely lacking in heavy units until now. That had been the talk throughout the seaport on the Black Sea until Margareta had arrived in Constanța with her entourage.
In addition to the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters and shipyards, Constanța boasted having oil terminals, railyards, and grain elevators as well. Even during the summer months it was bustling. It was that industry that was the source of the city’s wealth, but it had also gained it a reputation of being gritty and pedestrian. There were the beaches and the old casino on the waterfront that attracted tourism, however people talked about how things had once been different. Having the Crown Princess and her Prince Consort brought some real glamor to Constanța for the first time in decades.
It was when Amedeo Giovani, the Prince of Naples, came to Constanța in full view of the press and world that the Mayor and the City Council had decided that they were seeing nothing short of divine intervention on behalf of their city. The truth was that Amedeo had other concerns and Louis just happened to be one of the few people he considered an actual friend. That was why they were having a drink on the balcony of the apartment that Louis had leased which took up the entire top floor of an Old Town building overlooking the harbor. They talked about ships and the fun they’d had in the Caribbean until they got around to what Amedeo really wanted to talk about.
“You gave the Court gossips quite a bit to talk about at Kiki’s birthday party” Louis said with a smile.
“My father demanded that I introduce myself to your sister Antonia” Amedeo replied, “How was I supposed to know that I was talking to the wrong girl.”
“Nan said that you were quite charming” Louis said, “Nella found it funny and the two of them share everything.”
Amedeo was a bit embarrassed by the whole matter. He was Italian and everyone knew the stereotypes that he couldn’t be further from. Nella wasn’t the public figure that her older half-siblings were, and Nan had been adopted, so even less was known about her. The result had been a comedy of manners that even Shakespeare would have been proud of. The only damage had been to Amedeo’s dignity as he had learned the nature of his mistake in the following days.
14th August 1977
Youth Correctional Facility Neustrelitz
It was made to look more like university campus with a working farm than a prison. The stated goal was to have the inmates finish their education and learn skills which would help them succeed when they rejoined society. That was very laudable, but as Sepp had seen since he had started coming here to visit his brother Hagen a few years earlier, the people who ran this place knew that not every inmate was going to be successful. Hagen was at that top of the list of those expected to eventually be released only to end up right back in the system, just with far less comfortable surroundings.
It all stemmed from his total lack of remorse over what he had done, the players involved, and how he continued to remain silent as to who had ordered him to stab a complete stranger to death. For years, Sepp had been trying to talk some sense into Hagen over the matter. He wasn’t stupid and in case he hadn’t noticed, while he was stuck in Neustrelitz they were presumably out living their lives somewhere.
“How’re you Sepp?” Hagen said with a wide smile as soon as he saw Sepp and it was all he could do not to deck him. Wasting an entire day going to visit Hagen was not an enjoyable experience and he wouldn’t have done it unless he absolutely had to. The least Hagen could do would be to acknowledge that. “Spending a sunny afternoon visiting your long-lost brother?”
“How can you be lost if I always know exactly where you are?” Sepp asked in reply, probably with more heat than was warranted, but he had endured far too much of that attitude over the years and today he wasn’t about to stand for it. That comment punched though Hagen’s bullshit though. Sepp caught a glimpse of what was beneath, the seething rage and resentment that had always been a key part of who his brother was. Despite their mother’s efforts to move Heaven and Earth to get Hagen out of here, there were many in the State who felt that he was exactly where he belonged. Somewhere along the line, Sepp had come to share that perspective even if he didn’t dare say it aloud.
“I’m not here to have the same stupid arguments with you” Sepp said after a long awkward pause. “I’m here about Pop.”
“Did he buy his millionth liter from Bitburger, so they are giving him a plaque, and throwing a party in his honor?” Hagen asked with a smirk. He thought that was clever, which didn’t make what Sepp had to say any easier.
“Pop died last week” Sepp replied, “He collapsed on a job site, they said it was his heart…”
Of all the things that Sepp could have said, that was not what Hagen was expecting. The reaction of Hagen attacking Sepp should have been predictable though. Something that had not changed was that he was bigger than his brother, so it only took a few seconds for him to get the upper hand even before the guards intervened. It seemed that despite the pretensions they had at Neustrelitz, some things about an institution of its nature never changed. That was very apparent in the visiting area.
Constanța, Romania
It had taken a great deal of effort on the part of Louis Ferdinand Junior, but he had gotten the NMS Stefan cel Mare completed and put to sea joining her sistership, the NMS Vlad III Dracula. Having the two Cruisers available lent a great deal of firepower to the Romanian Fleet which had been sorely lacking in heavy units until now. That had been the talk throughout the seaport on the Black Sea until Margareta had arrived in Constanța with her entourage.
In addition to the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters and shipyards, Constanța boasted having oil terminals, railyards, and grain elevators as well. Even during the summer months it was bustling. It was that industry that was the source of the city’s wealth, but it had also gained it a reputation of being gritty and pedestrian. There were the beaches and the old casino on the waterfront that attracted tourism, however people talked about how things had once been different. Having the Crown Princess and her Prince Consort brought some real glamor to Constanța for the first time in decades.
It was when Amedeo Giovani, the Prince of Naples, came to Constanța in full view of the press and world that the Mayor and the City Council had decided that they were seeing nothing short of divine intervention on behalf of their city. The truth was that Amedeo had other concerns and Louis just happened to be one of the few people he considered an actual friend. That was why they were having a drink on the balcony of the apartment that Louis had leased which took up the entire top floor of an Old Town building overlooking the harbor. They talked about ships and the fun they’d had in the Caribbean until they got around to what Amedeo really wanted to talk about.
“You gave the Court gossips quite a bit to talk about at Kiki’s birthday party” Louis said with a smile.
“My father demanded that I introduce myself to your sister Antonia” Amedeo replied, “How was I supposed to know that I was talking to the wrong girl.”
“Nan said that you were quite charming” Louis said, “Nella found it funny and the two of them share everything.”
Amedeo was a bit embarrassed by the whole matter. He was Italian and everyone knew the stereotypes that he couldn’t be further from. Nella wasn’t the public figure that her older half-siblings were, and Nan had been adopted, so even less was known about her. The result had been a comedy of manners that even Shakespeare would have been proud of. The only damage had been to Amedeo’s dignity as he had learned the nature of his mistake in the following days.
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Well if we could just have Prince Akihito show up to really get Constanta to be a place for people to go in Europe. Any chance of him commiserating with Amadeo about his change in status? Louis could set on the sidelines and laugh at them about it. Even better have Gia's son show up to get away from his relatives, the Czaravitch maybe, and have to spend some time with a more normal person.
Hagen is going to find himself in big boys prison eventually.
While it won't cure him, it will either kill him or make him stronger, in which case we could see a new crime boss in Berlin.
Which is likely to put him on Kat's radar.
The question is whether he will see sense and live a long and successful career under the radar, or if he will try and copy the Cray twins and live, (briefly), in the spotlight?
While it won't cure him, it will either kill him or make him stronger, in which case we could see a new crime boss in Berlin.
Which is likely to put him on Kat's radar.
The question is whether he will see sense and live a long and successful career under the radar, or if he will try and copy the Cray twins and live, (briefly), in the spotlight?
I wonder if there’s any compensation for the death of Sepp’s father?
If his mother is still married, then that should help out a lot, or if divorced, then it should go to Sepp and Didi to help them.
The house where they live is in “Templehof Adjacent” and that area should be undergoing gentrification by now and that should be beneficial (or not) for them.
I wonder if Sepp and Sophie have been in contact with each other and how did Sepp react to Sophie winning the Gold Medal at Montreal?
If his mother is still married, then that should help out a lot, or if divorced, then it should go to Sepp and Didi to help them.
The house where they live is in “Templehof Adjacent” and that area should be undergoing gentrification by now and that should be beneficial (or not) for them.
I wonder if Sepp and Sophie have been in contact with each other and how did Sepp react to Sophie winning the Gold Medal at Montreal?
There are a number of problems involved in the death of Sepp's father. Money is the least of it and the idea that he was worth more to them dead is a somewhat bitter pill for the entire family.
The house they live in is right atop a busy commuter rail line and the Autobahn. Gentrification is nowhere on the horizon in a location like that for at least a decade.
As for Sepp he is aware that Sophie won that Olympic medal, just he has not spoken to her and has tried to avoid thinking about her in the three years since they broke up.
Part 146, Chapter 2638
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Eight
21st August 1977
Balderschwang, Bavaria
The tags that she had worn on a stainless-steel chain had been a part of who Kiki was for her entire adult life. Their presence was felt while eating, sleeping, even while bathing. Now that the end of that had a hard date set she found herself with them on her mind as she was looking at the tags as she had woken on a Sunday morning. In four months she would go on Maternity Leave and this time her formal request for separation at the end of that had been granted. That was why the tags were at the forefront of her thinking.
Part of the reforms implemented after the end of the Second World War had involved recordkeeping. The disk-shaped identity tags, which had been issued at the Company level, that had then been in use by the German Military had proven to be both inadequate and a major security risk. Showing the wearer’s unit and only using a single number within said unit had been the cause of many problems during the war. The new tags issued after the war had moved to providing information solely about the individual wearer; Name, Date of Birth, Blood Type, and the 12-digit Social Security Number were stamped on the new tags. The new tags were also less delicate than the old ones, the disk which had been designed to be broken in half was gone, replaced by two tags. The first was worn on a chain around the wears neck and by regulation the other was to be laced into their right boot while they were in the field. No one had any idea where the OKW had gotten the idea to make that a requirement.
For Kiki, in the field had meant a lot of things. She had been considered in the field while working in the Emergency Departments of various hospitals and while playing the role of Administrator. It was something that had gotten her a lot of curious looks in Berlin, Halle, and even in Sonthofen. It Ulm, it was expected, so no one batted an eye.
“Momma is in a melancholy mood today because she has to make a whole lot of changes to make room for you in her life” Ben said to Kiki’s mid-section, causing her to hit him over the head with her pillow.
“You know that I wanted out of the Medical Service before all this” Kiki said, “Albrecht and that mess with Ulm. Lasting less than a year in the most substantial posting of my career.”
“No” Ben replied, “You hate being in Ulm, as much as you try to tell everyone how important it is. I get the impression that you are happiest when you can come home to me and Nina every day.”
That was the truth, just not one that she had wanted to say to anyone. Getting posted to Ulm was supposed to be incredibly prestigious. The culmination of a long career with only Generaloberstabsarzt Artur Biermann, the Commander in Chief of the Medical Service, his Deputy, and the five Medical Inspectors of the various Service Branches outranking her. For Kiki it had not felt like a reward though. She had done what was expected of her but had not liked the long days followed by lonely nights living separately from her husband and daughter. Sure she saw Fianna and Lutz. However, it was painfully obvious that even then she hardly saw her son for more than a little bit during the evenings. The decision that Ben and Kiki had made to possibly have another baby had come as a profound relief to her. It gave her a way to bow out in a dignified manner.
Madrid, Spain
After their rambling journey across northern Spain, Tatiana and Marie Alexandra had ended up at the home of Sigi and Jay in Muxía. They were friends of family who had lived in far western end of Spain on the Atlantic Coast for the last few years, mostly enjoying the fact that no one knew who they were. The few days they had spent resting in Muxía had been quite enjoyable, but it had also marked the conclusion of their holiday.
Walking down the jetway to the airplane, Marie was already starting to feel homesick. Tatiana had gotten on a train back to Berlin that morning, so there was not even anyone to see her off this time. Madrid to New York, then the connecting flight on to Montreal. That would make for an extremely long night and much of the following day spent traveling.
The Stewardess was pleasant enough as she directed Marie to her seat in coach, one that was mercifully next to a window. This particular airliner had two aisles and three rows of seats, spending the hours ahead with nothing to look at but the seat in front of her simply did not appeal to her. Despite having enough money for a first-class ticket, she had not wanted to draw that sort of attention to herself. Seeing the businessmen in the first-class seats as she had boarded already half drunk from the time they had waited in the airport lounge had validated that reasoning. Seriously, who would want to be around that?
Looking out the window, Marie saw the aircrew in the process of preparing the airplane for flight. There were two engines visible through her window and a big, swept-back wing. Though she wasn’t paying attention, Marie was aware of the dozens of other passengers finding their seats around her. Before she had boarded her train, Tatiana had joked about how Marie should enjoy the hours of listening to the screams of a small child in the hours ahead. She certainly hoped that her sister was wrong about that.
21st August 1977
Balderschwang, Bavaria
The tags that she had worn on a stainless-steel chain had been a part of who Kiki was for her entire adult life. Their presence was felt while eating, sleeping, even while bathing. Now that the end of that had a hard date set she found herself with them on her mind as she was looking at the tags as she had woken on a Sunday morning. In four months she would go on Maternity Leave and this time her formal request for separation at the end of that had been granted. That was why the tags were at the forefront of her thinking.
Part of the reforms implemented after the end of the Second World War had involved recordkeeping. The disk-shaped identity tags, which had been issued at the Company level, that had then been in use by the German Military had proven to be both inadequate and a major security risk. Showing the wearer’s unit and only using a single number within said unit had been the cause of many problems during the war. The new tags issued after the war had moved to providing information solely about the individual wearer; Name, Date of Birth, Blood Type, and the 12-digit Social Security Number were stamped on the new tags. The new tags were also less delicate than the old ones, the disk which had been designed to be broken in half was gone, replaced by two tags. The first was worn on a chain around the wears neck and by regulation the other was to be laced into their right boot while they were in the field. No one had any idea where the OKW had gotten the idea to make that a requirement.
For Kiki, in the field had meant a lot of things. She had been considered in the field while working in the Emergency Departments of various hospitals and while playing the role of Administrator. It was something that had gotten her a lot of curious looks in Berlin, Halle, and even in Sonthofen. It Ulm, it was expected, so no one batted an eye.
“Momma is in a melancholy mood today because she has to make a whole lot of changes to make room for you in her life” Ben said to Kiki’s mid-section, causing her to hit him over the head with her pillow.
“You know that I wanted out of the Medical Service before all this” Kiki said, “Albrecht and that mess with Ulm. Lasting less than a year in the most substantial posting of my career.”
“No” Ben replied, “You hate being in Ulm, as much as you try to tell everyone how important it is. I get the impression that you are happiest when you can come home to me and Nina every day.”
That was the truth, just not one that she had wanted to say to anyone. Getting posted to Ulm was supposed to be incredibly prestigious. The culmination of a long career with only Generaloberstabsarzt Artur Biermann, the Commander in Chief of the Medical Service, his Deputy, and the five Medical Inspectors of the various Service Branches outranking her. For Kiki it had not felt like a reward though. She had done what was expected of her but had not liked the long days followed by lonely nights living separately from her husband and daughter. Sure she saw Fianna and Lutz. However, it was painfully obvious that even then she hardly saw her son for more than a little bit during the evenings. The decision that Ben and Kiki had made to possibly have another baby had come as a profound relief to her. It gave her a way to bow out in a dignified manner.
Madrid, Spain
After their rambling journey across northern Spain, Tatiana and Marie Alexandra had ended up at the home of Sigi and Jay in Muxía. They were friends of family who had lived in far western end of Spain on the Atlantic Coast for the last few years, mostly enjoying the fact that no one knew who they were. The few days they had spent resting in Muxía had been quite enjoyable, but it had also marked the conclusion of their holiday.
Walking down the jetway to the airplane, Marie was already starting to feel homesick. Tatiana had gotten on a train back to Berlin that morning, so there was not even anyone to see her off this time. Madrid to New York, then the connecting flight on to Montreal. That would make for an extremely long night and much of the following day spent traveling.
The Stewardess was pleasant enough as she directed Marie to her seat in coach, one that was mercifully next to a window. This particular airliner had two aisles and three rows of seats, spending the hours ahead with nothing to look at but the seat in front of her simply did not appeal to her. Despite having enough money for a first-class ticket, she had not wanted to draw that sort of attention to herself. Seeing the businessmen in the first-class seats as she had boarded already half drunk from the time they had waited in the airport lounge had validated that reasoning. Seriously, who would want to be around that?
Looking out the window, Marie saw the aircrew in the process of preparing the airplane for flight. There were two engines visible through her window and a big, swept-back wing. Though she wasn’t paying attention, Marie was aware of the dozens of other passengers finding their seats around her. Before she had boarded her train, Tatiana had joked about how Marie should enjoy the hours of listening to the screams of a small child in the hours ahead. She certainly hoped that her sister was wrong about that.
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The plane she is on is a widebody 747 analog, so four engines. Another consideration is that the make and model of the airplane means nothing to Marie, her only consideration is that it lands safely in New York.
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Pretty sure the more widespread role of air travel ITTL can comfortably butterfly that particular tragedy.
And even then, the circumstances alone were so awful...
Yeah, I misread the bit about 2 Engines visible, obviously just one side re-reading it.
All,
A posting from our timeline. Today (in Australia right now, but later today elsewhere) marks the 105th anniversary of the death of Manfred von Richthofen. Don’t tell Manfred ITTL. He‘s had a long and mostly happy life.
A posting from our timeline. Today (in Australia right now, but later today elsewhere) marks the 105th anniversary of the death of Manfred von Richthofen. Don’t tell Manfred ITTL. He‘s had a long and mostly happy life.
Born a soldier from the horseback to the skies,
And the legend never dies…
At the same time this was before coach became "cattle class" so people crammed into a small seat, unable to move, is not a thing yet. Coach is closer to what would now be considered business class.
This is still IOTL when airline deregulation hasn't happened yet, Pan Am was mostly international flights with very few domestic routes.
Airlines couldn't set there own fares or where they could fly to or from, so they competed on things like comfort, and food.
Marie is stopping at Idlewild to change planes, is there a possibility that the FBI may have the flight manifest from Pan Am and may try to question her?
Airlines couldn't set there own fares or where they could fly to or from, so they competed on things like comfort, and food.
Marie is stopping at Idlewild to change planes, is there a possibility that the FBI may have the flight manifest from Pan Am and may try to question her?
Part 146, Chapter 2639
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Nine
22nd August 1977
Idlewild International Airport, New York
Marie Alexandra knew that she was being followed closely by a group of men who had done their best to remain unobtrusive. Fortunately for her, and perhaps unfortunately for them, Marie had become quite good at spotting them over the last few years. She had considered a number of ways that she could allude them, but the obvious bottleneck that was her reservation on the Air Canada flight to Montreal in an hour meant that not only were they ahead of her but knew exactly where she was going. The very act of attempting to allude them would only complicate matters. Marie realized that the best call in this situation was exactly like how her mother had described, if you couldn’t avoid coming under surveillance then you should be as boring as possible.
So, Marie was sitting in a sad attempt at a café in the airport concourse drinking what passed for coffee in America after she had decided that she wasn’t hungry after looking at was they were offering. Waiting a couple hours until she reached Montreal to find some proper food wasn’t that bad compared to having an upset stomach as a result of the massive amount of sugar that people in the United States seemed to like.
“Miss Blackwood” A man said in a Brooklyn accent as he approached the table. “You drop the other part when you travel with your Canadian passport? You’re just Marie Blackwood in Canada? I can see the advantages of that, especially when the alternative is Princess von Mischner.”
“It would be Prinzessin von Mischner” Marie replied, “If that were my title, which I do not have.”
“If you say so” The man said with a smile, “I have it on good authority that everyone seems to think that is who you are.”
Marie winced at that characterization of her.
“I have no control over what other people think” Marie replied, “My mother is the Prefect of Berlin, that is an appointed title that she holds at the pleasure of Kaiser Friedrich. Who are you anyway? I presume that you are with the men who have been following me since I got off the plane from Madrid.”
The man seemed to enjoy Marie confronting him directly. The only reason she was being this bold was because she was tired and had come to find that these stupid games had grown annoying.
“My youngest daughter is your age and I wish she could be that direct” The man said, “And those men are with me, after a fashion. The name is Pat Murphy and I happen to be the Director of the FBI these days, though up until a few years ago I was the Police Commissioner of New York City. My understanding is that the Bureau and your family go way back. I figured that a young woman of your prominence would prefer it if I acted directly to avoid any more misunderstandings.”
Marie understood that meant that Murphy was just as much a Politician as he was a Police Officer. To have occupied the top spots in a place like New York and now the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation required the ability of navigate in the some very high, and very corrupt circles. He was someone who could not be trusted, not even for a second.
“I would prefer to be left alone” Marie replied as the waitress walked up and offered her more coffee as Murphy motioned for a cup for himself. They sat in silence as the waitress poured Murphy a cup.
“My understanding is that your Grandfather was the head of Mounties’ Special Branch up in Canada” Murphy finally said, breaking the silence. “You understand that what he did is roughly the same job I do in the United States?”
“My other grandfather was Otto Mischner, Mister Murphy” Marie replied, “Are you aware of what he did in Germany, or any of the rumors about what he was before that? Before the First World War?”
“I’m not familiar” Murphy said.
“Obviously” Marie replied, “If you were, you wouldn’t have brought grandfathers up. My mother said that she knew her father loved her, that he would move Heaven and Earth for her. The truth though is that she had been forced to confront who he really was. There are monsters out there and they look like ordinary men. What do you want?”
“Funny that you mention monsters that look ordinary” Murphy said, “I saw plenty of that as a patrol officer. Things that would turn most people white if they only knew, but you are familiar with that aren’t you. Especially after your encounter with the Neo-Jacobin movement that arose in Berlin a few years ago, they kidnapped you didn’t they.”
Marie was suddenly filled with an urge to throw the coffee in Murphy’s face. That incident had given her nightmares for years and Kiki had nearly died in the process of helping her escape. That was something that she didn’t like to think about and the aspect of being used as a pawn for that creep’s ambitions… Nothing like that was ever going to happen again.
“You still haven’t told me what you want” Marie said.
“What if I told you that I don’t want anything?” Murphy asked, “Just wanted to get a feel for who you are after all the trouble your mother has caused over the years, learn if you are cut from the same cloth?”
Marie watched Murphy drinking his coffee, annoyed that she had played right into his hands just by talking to him.
22nd August 1977
Idlewild International Airport, New York
Marie Alexandra knew that she was being followed closely by a group of men who had done their best to remain unobtrusive. Fortunately for her, and perhaps unfortunately for them, Marie had become quite good at spotting them over the last few years. She had considered a number of ways that she could allude them, but the obvious bottleneck that was her reservation on the Air Canada flight to Montreal in an hour meant that not only were they ahead of her but knew exactly where she was going. The very act of attempting to allude them would only complicate matters. Marie realized that the best call in this situation was exactly like how her mother had described, if you couldn’t avoid coming under surveillance then you should be as boring as possible.
So, Marie was sitting in a sad attempt at a café in the airport concourse drinking what passed for coffee in America after she had decided that she wasn’t hungry after looking at was they were offering. Waiting a couple hours until she reached Montreal to find some proper food wasn’t that bad compared to having an upset stomach as a result of the massive amount of sugar that people in the United States seemed to like.
“Miss Blackwood” A man said in a Brooklyn accent as he approached the table. “You drop the other part when you travel with your Canadian passport? You’re just Marie Blackwood in Canada? I can see the advantages of that, especially when the alternative is Princess von Mischner.”
“It would be Prinzessin von Mischner” Marie replied, “If that were my title, which I do not have.”
“If you say so” The man said with a smile, “I have it on good authority that everyone seems to think that is who you are.”
Marie winced at that characterization of her.
“I have no control over what other people think” Marie replied, “My mother is the Prefect of Berlin, that is an appointed title that she holds at the pleasure of Kaiser Friedrich. Who are you anyway? I presume that you are with the men who have been following me since I got off the plane from Madrid.”
The man seemed to enjoy Marie confronting him directly. The only reason she was being this bold was because she was tired and had come to find that these stupid games had grown annoying.
“My youngest daughter is your age and I wish she could be that direct” The man said, “And those men are with me, after a fashion. The name is Pat Murphy and I happen to be the Director of the FBI these days, though up until a few years ago I was the Police Commissioner of New York City. My understanding is that the Bureau and your family go way back. I figured that a young woman of your prominence would prefer it if I acted directly to avoid any more misunderstandings.”
Marie understood that meant that Murphy was just as much a Politician as he was a Police Officer. To have occupied the top spots in a place like New York and now the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation required the ability of navigate in the some very high, and very corrupt circles. He was someone who could not be trusted, not even for a second.
“I would prefer to be left alone” Marie replied as the waitress walked up and offered her more coffee as Murphy motioned for a cup for himself. They sat in silence as the waitress poured Murphy a cup.
“My understanding is that your Grandfather was the head of Mounties’ Special Branch up in Canada” Murphy finally said, breaking the silence. “You understand that what he did is roughly the same job I do in the United States?”
“My other grandfather was Otto Mischner, Mister Murphy” Marie replied, “Are you aware of what he did in Germany, or any of the rumors about what he was before that? Before the First World War?”
“I’m not familiar” Murphy said.
“Obviously” Marie replied, “If you were, you wouldn’t have brought grandfathers up. My mother said that she knew her father loved her, that he would move Heaven and Earth for her. The truth though is that she had been forced to confront who he really was. There are monsters out there and they look like ordinary men. What do you want?”
“Funny that you mention monsters that look ordinary” Murphy said, “I saw plenty of that as a patrol officer. Things that would turn most people white if they only knew, but you are familiar with that aren’t you. Especially after your encounter with the Neo-Jacobin movement that arose in Berlin a few years ago, they kidnapped you didn’t they.”
Marie was suddenly filled with an urge to throw the coffee in Murphy’s face. That incident had given her nightmares for years and Kiki had nearly died in the process of helping her escape. That was something that she didn’t like to think about and the aspect of being used as a pawn for that creep’s ambitions… Nothing like that was ever going to happen again.
“You still haven’t told me what you want” Marie said.
“What if I told you that I don’t want anything?” Murphy asked, “Just wanted to get a feel for who you are after all the trouble your mother has caused over the years, learn if you are cut from the same cloth?”
Marie watched Murphy drinking his coffee, annoyed that she had played right into his hands just by talking to him.