Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
AIDS is ripping its silent way through the US and the rest of the world. Hopefully, people in positions of power listen to the experts ITTL, instead of blaming the victims and assigning it as a punishment sent by either God or the Devil because of so-called 'sins".
Asia showing mercy at last. Maybe she can begin to heal finally.
I disagree, to a degree, as Blair Pratt already has that life sentence for what she helped do to Asia. What she has now is a life-line, if she is smart and curious enough to both grab it and follow up on the clues to what the disease is that Asia just gave her: Germany and 'The Naval Illness'. Sadly, most doctors and management will ignore her, due to her being a) in disgrace for her past actions, b) a nurse and, worst of all, c) a woman, but there is a chance that one or two of her seniors will listen to her if she phrases it carefully. Something along the lines of:
Blair: "Excuse me, doctor, about this wasting disease some of our patients seem to have. I may be wrong, but I recall reading an article about something similar showing up in Europe, some sort of blood-borne virus? I think they called it 'The Naval Illness', or something like that. It might be worth checking out."
You know that from OTL this crisis is going to detonate in a few years, seemingly coming out of nowhere. The truth is that it had been devouring those at the margins for longer than people are comfortable with. The Reagan Administration and Moral Majority telling people that the crisis was a punishment from God because it was killing people they hated, if they mentioned it at all, was key to the epidemic spiraling. There might actually be timely action as opposed to only starting to take it seriously when it started turning up in the suburbs in the mid-80's. Unfortunately in OTL there was another epidemic where almost the same thing happened again a few decades later. I fear that reaction is a part of human nature.
The problem right now is that medical authorities are looking at the individual diseases that are associated with AIDS, but have not tied it together as symptoms of a greater problem, in other words things like double pneumonia, Scarpsie (sp) syndrome, among others are treated by themselves and not as one disease causing the various illnesses.
Once it starts hitting people who are getting blood transfusions from surgeries with the blood coming from people who are in the margins that are selling their blood, then there will be the explosion of concern by the political leadership.
Right now ITTL, the NIH in the United States is already aware of it, with Dr. Falucie in Infectious Disease working on information from the Germans but has not made the underlying connection that it is one disease, not a number of different diseases.
IOTL, it was only when it was thought it was a Retro-virus, that things started to get moving on the research front.
Right now the CDC, NIH, Pasture Institute in Paris, and German Military Health Services are doing research but it doesn't look like it is coordinated.
Once it starts hitting people who are getting blood transfusions from surgeries with the blood coming from people who are in the margins that are selling their blood, then there will be the explosion of concern by the political leadership.
Right now ITTL, the NIH in the United States is already aware of it, with Dr. Falucie in Infectious Disease working on information from the Germans but has not made the underlying connection that it is one disease, not a number of different diseases.
IOTL, it was only when it was thought it was a Retro-virus, that things started to get moving on the research front.
Right now the CDC, NIH, Pasture Institute in Paris, and German Military Health Services are doing research but it doesn't look like it is coordinated.
IIRC Kiki was involved in the Naval Cases, and even before that made observation in LA. (And elsewhere in the US, I think?)
And I wouldn't be surprised if she found more of it in Argentina.
Wikipedia says the first official case in Argentina OTL was in 82, but there probably were unrecognised ones earlier.
TTL however the German Navy stayed in country, and we know there is a spread among them. And where there are sailors on shore leave, there will be prostitution. So the spread there might be accelerated somewhat. Or it might not.
She might be in a position to push for coordination. Or at the very least would be a voice not easily pushed aside.
That is if she's willing to act as a public spokesperson.
And I wouldn't be surprised if she found more of it in Argentina.
Wikipedia says the first official case in Argentina OTL was in 82, but there probably were unrecognised ones earlier.
TTL however the German Navy stayed in country, and we know there is a spread among them. And where there are sailors on shore leave, there will be prostitution. So the spread there might be accelerated somewhat. Or it might not.
She might be in a position to push for coordination. Or at the very least would be a voice not easily pushed aside.
That is if she's willing to act as a public spokesperson.
Princess Kristina would be the best person to bring this to the world’s attention as she has a certain credibility that makes her acceptable to the public.
I could see a news conference in Geneva at the LON HQ. announcing that there is a worldwide disease going around and coming up with the name that has been agreed on as AIDS.
I could see a news conference in Geneva at the LON HQ. announcing that there is a worldwide disease going around and coming up with the name that has been agreed on as AIDS.
Part 151, Chapter 2748
Chapter Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty-Eight
1st January 1979
Mitte, Berlin
Of all the things in Tilo’s home office that Alice could have been curious about, his Field Marshal’s baton wasn’t what he had expected. It was a metal rod with a deep blue velvet covering that was dotted with the crossed rifles over an anchor that was the symbol of Marine Infantry and the sealion emblem of the Marine Infantry’s Jager Corps in gold. The gold cap on one end was inlayed with a black Imperial Eagle imposed over a Baltic Cross, the motto of the German Navy was engraved below, We Serve Germany. The other were the engraved words, From His Majesty, German Kaiser Friedrich IV, presented to Kaiserliche Marine Infantry Generalfeldmarschall Dietrich Ignatz Markgraf von Schultz zu Oppeln, 10th February 1971 in tiny letters. It had been presented to Tilo when he had been appointed to be the Theater Commander during the Patagonian War. He was the first and so far only member of the Marine Infantry to attain that rank.
“Pretty” Alice said dreamily as Tilo took it off the stand on his desk and handed it to her.
It was impossible to break, as evidenced by the number of times that Tilo’s great nieces and nephews had handled it, they would have managed it long ago otherwise. Alice would grow bored and give it back as soon as the novelty wore off in a few minutes. It was then that the phone rang. Picking it up, Tilo heard a familiar prerecorded voice telling him to hold as his call was connected before generic elevator music started playing over the line. It was not what most people would have expected. Tilo had heard that in similar circumstances the National Anthem was played in America. If Tilo had to guess, Friedrich the IV, who insisted that his friends call him Freddy, must find this funny. It was something that he had never asked about.
“Go show that to your mother” Tilo said to Alice who smiled at him before running towards the kitchen. Henni was the daughter of an Officer in the Commonwealth Forces. Even if Robert Lane didn’t advertise what he really did for the Canadian Army, he was still a General. That meant that she would probably recognize what it was and be suitably horrified. It was not as if it were a weapon. That was a different baton, the one Tilo kept hidden behind his desk which was made of hardwood with steel caps that had been drilled out and filled with lead. That one had been a gift from the Prime Minister of Japan.
As the music cut off and Tilo heard Freddy talking to someone before he must have put the phone to his ear.
“Enjoy the holidays Tilo?” Freddy asked.
“My son’s intended is visiting” Tilo replied, “That made things a bit awkward at times.”
“I heard about that from Suga” Freddy said, “She said that Henriette Lane seems like a good match for Sabastian.”
It was a reminder that the Imperial Court thrived on gossip. Henriette was a dear friend of Marie Alexandra von Mischner-Blackwood, the current Kammerfräulein of the Court, and the unofficial Prinzessin of Berlin even if Marie loathed that title. Which meant that anything that happened with her was of direct concern of the Empress. There was also that other matter. Marie Alexandra had apparently fainted and fallen on her face, injuring herself in the process. Tilo had heard all about that from Nancy and Henni, they had been concerned about the incident for different reasons. Henni was obviously worried about her friend and Nancy was concerned about the public interpretation of that event. Tilo knew that Marie wasn’t really a public figure, mostly because she abhorred publicity. The few times the tabloid press had taken an interest in her, they had only gotten fleeting glimpses of Marie.
“That is probably good news” Tilo replied, he knew that Bas and Henni probably didn’t care too much about Suga’s approval. If she made it difficult for them, they always had the option of going to Canada. “But is that really why you called?”
“No” Freddy said with an exasperated sigh. Tilo had gotten to know Freddy well enough to know that there were times when the Office he held became incredibly annoying. That made it sound like this was one of those times. “I know that you work closely with Albrecht of Silesia. Are you aware of what his sister is up to?”
“Her being the Vice Chancelor isn’t exactly news” Tilo replied.
“Not that one” Freddy said, “He has two other sisters, obnoxious social climbers who resent that they haven’t enjoyed the success of the rest of the family. One of them, Sonje Louise is a bad mixture of greedy, ambitious, and stupid.”
Tilo knew all about Sonje and Cecilie, knowing they were the reason why Ilse had every item of any value on the Richthofen estate inventoried after the death of Manfred von Richthofen. The fact that one of them had come to Freddy’s attention was not good news.
“What has she done this time?” Tilo asked with a great deal of annoyance.
“I had to listen to Anna of Saxony complaining about her presence in Dresden” Freddy replied, “Trying to advance the interests of the Groß family.”
So, that was it. Anna had complained to Freddy, who was talking to Tilo with the expectation that he would talk to Albrecht before there was a public incident.
It was hardly a surprise that this had happened. Silesia wasn’t going through a great time at the moment because the industries that had dominated the economy were changing swiftly. Automation was a key part of that, the other was competition. The Glass industry for example losing market-share to Bavaria as fewer workers were needed in the factories themselves. Sonje’s husband, Aaron von Groß had been heavily invested in the very industries that had gone into sharp decline and Sonje’s brother Albrecht was not inclined to bail him out this time. Looking for greener pastures they had gone to Dresden. The Richthofens were distant cousins of the House of Wettin, so Anna was obliged to give Sonje a listen and Anna had called Freddy.
1st January 1979
Mitte, Berlin
Of all the things in Tilo’s home office that Alice could have been curious about, his Field Marshal’s baton wasn’t what he had expected. It was a metal rod with a deep blue velvet covering that was dotted with the crossed rifles over an anchor that was the symbol of Marine Infantry and the sealion emblem of the Marine Infantry’s Jager Corps in gold. The gold cap on one end was inlayed with a black Imperial Eagle imposed over a Baltic Cross, the motto of the German Navy was engraved below, We Serve Germany. The other were the engraved words, From His Majesty, German Kaiser Friedrich IV, presented to Kaiserliche Marine Infantry Generalfeldmarschall Dietrich Ignatz Markgraf von Schultz zu Oppeln, 10th February 1971 in tiny letters. It had been presented to Tilo when he had been appointed to be the Theater Commander during the Patagonian War. He was the first and so far only member of the Marine Infantry to attain that rank.
“Pretty” Alice said dreamily as Tilo took it off the stand on his desk and handed it to her.
It was impossible to break, as evidenced by the number of times that Tilo’s great nieces and nephews had handled it, they would have managed it long ago otherwise. Alice would grow bored and give it back as soon as the novelty wore off in a few minutes. It was then that the phone rang. Picking it up, Tilo heard a familiar prerecorded voice telling him to hold as his call was connected before generic elevator music started playing over the line. It was not what most people would have expected. Tilo had heard that in similar circumstances the National Anthem was played in America. If Tilo had to guess, Friedrich the IV, who insisted that his friends call him Freddy, must find this funny. It was something that he had never asked about.
“Go show that to your mother” Tilo said to Alice who smiled at him before running towards the kitchen. Henni was the daughter of an Officer in the Commonwealth Forces. Even if Robert Lane didn’t advertise what he really did for the Canadian Army, he was still a General. That meant that she would probably recognize what it was and be suitably horrified. It was not as if it were a weapon. That was a different baton, the one Tilo kept hidden behind his desk which was made of hardwood with steel caps that had been drilled out and filled with lead. That one had been a gift from the Prime Minister of Japan.
As the music cut off and Tilo heard Freddy talking to someone before he must have put the phone to his ear.
“Enjoy the holidays Tilo?” Freddy asked.
“My son’s intended is visiting” Tilo replied, “That made things a bit awkward at times.”
“I heard about that from Suga” Freddy said, “She said that Henriette Lane seems like a good match for Sabastian.”
It was a reminder that the Imperial Court thrived on gossip. Henriette was a dear friend of Marie Alexandra von Mischner-Blackwood, the current Kammerfräulein of the Court, and the unofficial Prinzessin of Berlin even if Marie loathed that title. Which meant that anything that happened with her was of direct concern of the Empress. There was also that other matter. Marie Alexandra had apparently fainted and fallen on her face, injuring herself in the process. Tilo had heard all about that from Nancy and Henni, they had been concerned about the incident for different reasons. Henni was obviously worried about her friend and Nancy was concerned about the public interpretation of that event. Tilo knew that Marie wasn’t really a public figure, mostly because she abhorred publicity. The few times the tabloid press had taken an interest in her, they had only gotten fleeting glimpses of Marie.
“That is probably good news” Tilo replied, he knew that Bas and Henni probably didn’t care too much about Suga’s approval. If she made it difficult for them, they always had the option of going to Canada. “But is that really why you called?”
“No” Freddy said with an exasperated sigh. Tilo had gotten to know Freddy well enough to know that there were times when the Office he held became incredibly annoying. That made it sound like this was one of those times. “I know that you work closely with Albrecht of Silesia. Are you aware of what his sister is up to?”
“Her being the Vice Chancelor isn’t exactly news” Tilo replied.
“Not that one” Freddy said, “He has two other sisters, obnoxious social climbers who resent that they haven’t enjoyed the success of the rest of the family. One of them, Sonje Louise is a bad mixture of greedy, ambitious, and stupid.”
Tilo knew all about Sonje and Cecilie, knowing they were the reason why Ilse had every item of any value on the Richthofen estate inventoried after the death of Manfred von Richthofen. The fact that one of them had come to Freddy’s attention was not good news.
“What has she done this time?” Tilo asked with a great deal of annoyance.
“I had to listen to Anna of Saxony complaining about her presence in Dresden” Freddy replied, “Trying to advance the interests of the Groß family.”
So, that was it. Anna had complained to Freddy, who was talking to Tilo with the expectation that he would talk to Albrecht before there was a public incident.
It was hardly a surprise that this had happened. Silesia wasn’t going through a great time at the moment because the industries that had dominated the economy were changing swiftly. Automation was a key part of that, the other was competition. The Glass industry for example losing market-share to Bavaria as fewer workers were needed in the factories themselves. Sonje’s husband, Aaron von Groß had been heavily invested in the very industries that had gone into sharp decline and Sonje’s brother Albrecht was not inclined to bail him out this time. Looking for greener pastures they had gone to Dresden. The Richthofens were distant cousins of the House of Wettin, so Anna was obliged to give Sonje a listen and Anna had called Freddy.
Last edited:
Kaiser Friedrich has just sent a shot across the bow of King Albrecht AND Queen Anna telling them that "Don't bother him with all your family stuff' and using Tilo as the messenger to Albrecht instead of himself as a way to get that point across.
As for the economic slump thar Silesia is in, some outside of the box thinking is needed, one answer could be to fund a Silesia Insitute of Technology that could find ways to use things like glass in emerging technologies and having the main campus in Oppein could help bring in new business and industries there.
As for the economic slump thar Silesia is in, some outside of the box thinking is needed, one answer could be to fund a Silesia Insitute of Technology that could find ways to use things like glass in emerging technologies and having the main campus in Oppein could help bring in new business and industries there.
They could also do a Japanese Farmer turn.
With all the mention of farming and rural areas... they could go into the boutique produce business. Produce the absolute best produce possible and command significant markups from them.
Itself being a result of dumping from American farmers who priced the local Japanese farmers out of their own markets. So they had to find an alternative if they wanted to survive.
Shouldn't that be Friedrich IV, German Kaiser. From the beginning the Kaiser was 'German Emperor', specifically NOT 'Emperor of Germany'
Part 151, Chapter 2749
Chapter Two Thousand Seven Hundred Forty-Nine
7th January 1979
Heligoland
It had turned out that Erich was directly responsible for the men under his command passing the course. The trouble was that the course itself was designed only to allow a small percentage to pass. For a tiny island, it seemed that Heligoland was full of unpleasant surprises. There were the “team building” exercises that became a problem if anyone on the team was scared of heights. Other times, they found themselves doing things that could get them killed with the multitude of dangers that the North Sea presented even in the best of times. Refusal to take part resulted in automatic failure. That had been over the prior week though. Erich had watched as a dozen of his men had failed to make the cut or had gotten injured.
The trouble was that things had suddenly changed.
Erich was alone with no memory of how he had gotten into a tiny cell that wasn’t much larger than a coffin or how long he had been stuck in there in the dark. He was starting to figure that he must have been drugged at some point. He’d had plenty of time to rack his mind to see if he could recall some detail but had come up empty. Whoever had arranged this had clearly known what they were doing.
The cell was too small to sit down in and the ceiling was so low that he couldn’t stand up straight. He knew that there was a tunnel complex on the island, so it must be in a part which had been behind the steel doors no one had been able to open. It was dead quiet, which was a sign of how deep this must be. Everywhere else on this island where Erich had been there had always been the sound of the ocean. It reminded him of something that Oberfeld Muller had told him. That men stuck doing sentry duty often had a radio hidden somewhere because the quiet would drive you nuts if you had to put up with it long enough.
At first, it was just the ghost of noise, but it resolved into footsteps. There was screech of steel on steel as the door was wrenched open. Rough hands reached in and yanked Erich out of the cell. A few minutes later he was dragged into a brightly lit room and after how long he had spent in pitch black, his eyes took time to adjust.
“Do you know why we prefer mostly Intelligence Officers or promoting from within our own ranks?” A voice asked as Erich was finally able to see that he was a man wearing an Oberst’s uniform. This was the Commanding Officer who Erich had heard about, even indirectly received orders from, without ever having seen him.
“I’ve no idea Sir” Erich replied.
“The sort of obedience that the Marine Infantry insists on in the Line Companies does not lend itself to this outfit” The Oberst said.
“If you say so” Erich said, “What does that have to do with locking me in a closet for the last few hours?”
The Oberst said nothing to answer that. Erich figured that it was payback for his embarrassing him over Christmas. That might also mean that whatever officialdom had been watching over this whole thing had turned its attention elsewhere. Meaning that Erich would be wise to step lightly.
“You have proven several times that you are capable of thinking for yourself and Tilo seems to think that you have potential” The Oberst said, “As I see it though, the problem is your inability to play well with others.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Erich demanded.
“Kapitan Beutel had plenty to say about you being insubordinate” The Oberst said, “That he got nothing but static from you throughout the campaign in the East Indies.”
“That pompous ass is probably deluded enough to think that is true” Erich said.
“He made a point of mentioning that he is a friend of your father in a Statement to the Court of Honor” The Oberst said, “That it is a real shame, what you have become.”
It wasn’t in the least bit surprising that Beutel had tried to shift the blame to Erich in his effort to slime his way out of the mess he had found himself in.
“Beutel was supposed to provide fire support for my Regiment” Erich replied, “The instant he came under fire he ran for the horizon. We were left swinging in the wind.”
“Why do you think he did that?” The Oberst asked.
“Cowardice was alleged” Erich said, “I have a different opinion though, he didn’t think that the lives of me or my men were worth risking damage to his ships. Regardless of why he did it, the whole operation hinged on his actions. We ultimately failed in our key objective.”
“Interesting” The Oberst said before leaving the corridor where the brief conversation had taken place.
“Our orders are to take you back to your men” One of the guards said smugly, “You’ll notice that there are a lot fewer of them now compared to when you went into the hole yesterday.”
Erich knew that they were trying to provoke him. Still, he should have known that they had used his absence to fail his men without his interference. He wanted more than anything to punch the man’s lights out.
7th January 1979
Heligoland
It had turned out that Erich was directly responsible for the men under his command passing the course. The trouble was that the course itself was designed only to allow a small percentage to pass. For a tiny island, it seemed that Heligoland was full of unpleasant surprises. There were the “team building” exercises that became a problem if anyone on the team was scared of heights. Other times, they found themselves doing things that could get them killed with the multitude of dangers that the North Sea presented even in the best of times. Refusal to take part resulted in automatic failure. That had been over the prior week though. Erich had watched as a dozen of his men had failed to make the cut or had gotten injured.
The trouble was that things had suddenly changed.
Erich was alone with no memory of how he had gotten into a tiny cell that wasn’t much larger than a coffin or how long he had been stuck in there in the dark. He was starting to figure that he must have been drugged at some point. He’d had plenty of time to rack his mind to see if he could recall some detail but had come up empty. Whoever had arranged this had clearly known what they were doing.
The cell was too small to sit down in and the ceiling was so low that he couldn’t stand up straight. He knew that there was a tunnel complex on the island, so it must be in a part which had been behind the steel doors no one had been able to open. It was dead quiet, which was a sign of how deep this must be. Everywhere else on this island where Erich had been there had always been the sound of the ocean. It reminded him of something that Oberfeld Muller had told him. That men stuck doing sentry duty often had a radio hidden somewhere because the quiet would drive you nuts if you had to put up with it long enough.
At first, it was just the ghost of noise, but it resolved into footsteps. There was screech of steel on steel as the door was wrenched open. Rough hands reached in and yanked Erich out of the cell. A few minutes later he was dragged into a brightly lit room and after how long he had spent in pitch black, his eyes took time to adjust.
“Do you know why we prefer mostly Intelligence Officers or promoting from within our own ranks?” A voice asked as Erich was finally able to see that he was a man wearing an Oberst’s uniform. This was the Commanding Officer who Erich had heard about, even indirectly received orders from, without ever having seen him.
“I’ve no idea Sir” Erich replied.
“The sort of obedience that the Marine Infantry insists on in the Line Companies does not lend itself to this outfit” The Oberst said.
“If you say so” Erich said, “What does that have to do with locking me in a closet for the last few hours?”
The Oberst said nothing to answer that. Erich figured that it was payback for his embarrassing him over Christmas. That might also mean that whatever officialdom had been watching over this whole thing had turned its attention elsewhere. Meaning that Erich would be wise to step lightly.
“You have proven several times that you are capable of thinking for yourself and Tilo seems to think that you have potential” The Oberst said, “As I see it though, the problem is your inability to play well with others.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Erich demanded.
“Kapitan Beutel had plenty to say about you being insubordinate” The Oberst said, “That he got nothing but static from you throughout the campaign in the East Indies.”
“That pompous ass is probably deluded enough to think that is true” Erich said.
“He made a point of mentioning that he is a friend of your father in a Statement to the Court of Honor” The Oberst said, “That it is a real shame, what you have become.”
It wasn’t in the least bit surprising that Beutel had tried to shift the blame to Erich in his effort to slime his way out of the mess he had found himself in.
“Beutel was supposed to provide fire support for my Regiment” Erich replied, “The instant he came under fire he ran for the horizon. We were left swinging in the wind.”
“Why do you think he did that?” The Oberst asked.
“Cowardice was alleged” Erich said, “I have a different opinion though, he didn’t think that the lives of me or my men were worth risking damage to his ships. Regardless of why he did it, the whole operation hinged on his actions. We ultimately failed in our key objective.”
“Interesting” The Oberst said before leaving the corridor where the brief conversation had taken place.
“Our orders are to take you back to your men” One of the guards said smugly, “You’ll notice that there are a lot fewer of them now compared to when you went into the hole yesterday.”
Erich knew that they were trying to provoke him. Still, he should have known that they had used his absence to fail his men without his interference. He wanted more than anything to punch the man’s lights out.
Last edited:
These aren't Sealions, Sealions are trained like the Hellcats or IOTL SEALS. This is something else more like Force Recon or the SBS where you are trained to be a "Fly on the Wall" and not let people know you are there or had been there doing something, the Oberst used the term "They liked to have intelligence officers or promote from within".
"By strength and guile", not "Who dares, wins". Very important difference.
A good analogy is when they went into Poland. There were basically two groups of Hellcats. One was the normal SF types, blow up things, blow doors open, announce your arrival by destroying the door. The Other groups was the ones lead by Kat herself, that little old lady on the street, the old guy sitting on a park bench, that young teen, then suddenly they show up out of nowhere like where Kat is suddenly in the door when he opened it up going outside and get out of Dodge. This is the Sealion version of them.
Not the best idea for Oberst to make these attacks personal. Reader will remember and WILL respond. Unlike other candidates in the Hellcat (Seals), he is not a "volunteer". The higher lots have already disappointed him and the current treatment only further strengthens his views. I wouldn't see him in a full-blown mutiny, but the local training staff can face very determined men who have learned that the "rules" here are no different from the real battlefield: Do whatever it takes to survive, damn the consequences.
I think that this is Phase I of Sealion training were the new candidates are subjected to an intense physiological and psychological stress test designed to weed out early anyone who is most likely to fail later on as it is very expensive to train a special warfare operator.
The problem that the training cadre have with Erich is that he is showing too much leadership , which is leading to the problem of too many candidates are still in the mix, by throwing Erich in the hole they have broke the spirits of many of the candidates and probably lied to them that Erich has quit the training.
The problem that the training cadre have with Erich is that he is showing too much leadership , which is leading to the problem of too many candidates are still in the mix, by throwing Erich in the hole they have broke the spirits of many of the candidates and probably lied to them that Erich has quit the training.