Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
That could still apply now. I've seen worse poverty in Florida and Louisiana than in Africa.
Part 119, Chapter 1988
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Eight
24th May 1970
Dublin, Ireland
Jack looked at the photographs as he stood in line to pay his respects to the widow before joining the wake that was in progress. William McBride, Born 18th January 1897 Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland – Died 21st May 1970 Dublin, Ireland. He had been a client of Jack’s firm and the photographs depicted a life lived from cradle to grave. Missing though were the years when McBride had been a teenager into his early twenties, the mystery also revealed the reason why he had never been able to return to his home in County Kildare. He had been born in the shadow of the Cavalry Barracks of the Curragh and had volunteered to fight the Germans in Flanders in 1914.
McBride had told Jack that he’d been regarded as a hero when he left but had received a vastly different greeting when he had returned three years later when the war had ended. All anyone saw was that he had worn the British Army uniform at a time when Brits had been on the verge of fleeing the island. He had been warned in no uncertain terms that if he stayed then someone would cut his throat. That had led him to flee to Dublin, but it had not ended there.
McBride had been pressed back into action as the split between the “Blue” and “Green” factions of rebellion had spiraled into civil war as the “Red” and “Orange” factions had attempted to use the chaos to their own advantage with ordinary people caught in the crossfire. Then the various factions had started suffering internal schisms with them turning their guns on each other over even minor disagreements.
That had been when Éamon de Valera, the leader of the Blue faction had been killed in a bombing in Limerick and the violent actions from both sides of the civil war had escalated to the level of anything seen on the Western Front of WW1 or Soviet Front of WW2. It had remained a mystery as to who had killed de Valera, for decades rumors suggested that it had been the Blues who had done it themselves because he had been secretly negotiating a peace with Michael Collins and the Green faction. Of course, it was just as likely that a Sapper from the Greens had gotten lucky and had been smart enough not to tell anyone.
Jack knew the rest. Michael Collins had won in the end, but in the process had inadvertently created the fault lines in Ireland’s society and politics that endured to the present day. McBride had survived all of that and had kept quiet about it for the next fifty years. McBride had never told Jack which faction he had been with, but Jack had realized that it didn’t matter. The 20’s had been yet one more time of tragedy in a country whose history was already overflowing with such things.
“Sorry for your loss” Jack said to the widow who numbly thanked him before he moved on.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
Late spring seemed to have brought out the stupid in everyone. There was simply no denying that. Christian was seeing it play out all around him as the days grew longer and temperatures finally warmed a bit with promise of summer around the corner.
Christian often wondered what they were smoking in procurement. A big deal had been made of replacing the venerable 8-Rad, which had soldiered on largely unchanged since it was designed forty years earlier. Then the Sd. Kfz.2131 had arrived and everyone could see the truth for themselves. That was especially true when its designation had been read aloud, Eight Wheel Heavy Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle, largely the same as the as the old 8-Rad. It was sort of like seeing cars of the same model made in different years. Supposedly it was built with the latest technology in the armor, engine, and electronics but what did that mean to Christian?
Then there was Manny trying to train them in marksmanship for the last month, using his own insane standards as a benchmark. Manny had heard Manny mention that his girlfriend in Berlin was pissed at him because there had been a few consequences from when he had been on leave in Berlin a couple months ago. Apparently, Manny’s Aunt Katherine, possibly the scariest individual Christian had ever met, had caught wind of what had happened. Katherine had told Suse Rosa that she was behaving exactly how her mother had twenty years earlier. Manny said that for Suse, that cut her to the bone, and she had chewed out Manny over the phone for getting her into that situation. That might have been the end of it, except that Manny had stupidly reminded her that the whole thing had been her idea in the first place because “She had wanted to get it over with.” That had not gone over particularly well, with a lot of screaming involved. Christian had met Suse a few times and she had come across as a harmless little blond girl, but he had seen how she could go from calm to a cold rage in the space of a heartbeat. He had found it very disconcerting to find himself dealing with a girl with a cute face but eyes that were clearly measuring him for a casket.
In the weeks since, Manny had been kicking the Platoon around as a distraction, trying to make them meet his insane standards. It was impossible to tell who was more satisfied with this turn of events, the Oberst who commanded the 7th Recon Battalion or Oberstaber Schultz who had seen Manny as a personal project since they had left basic training.
24th May 1970
Dublin, Ireland
Jack looked at the photographs as he stood in line to pay his respects to the widow before joining the wake that was in progress. William McBride, Born 18th January 1897 Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland – Died 21st May 1970 Dublin, Ireland. He had been a client of Jack’s firm and the photographs depicted a life lived from cradle to grave. Missing though were the years when McBride had been a teenager into his early twenties, the mystery also revealed the reason why he had never been able to return to his home in County Kildare. He had been born in the shadow of the Cavalry Barracks of the Curragh and had volunteered to fight the Germans in Flanders in 1914.
McBride had told Jack that he’d been regarded as a hero when he left but had received a vastly different greeting when he had returned three years later when the war had ended. All anyone saw was that he had worn the British Army uniform at a time when Brits had been on the verge of fleeing the island. He had been warned in no uncertain terms that if he stayed then someone would cut his throat. That had led him to flee to Dublin, but it had not ended there.
McBride had been pressed back into action as the split between the “Blue” and “Green” factions of rebellion had spiraled into civil war as the “Red” and “Orange” factions had attempted to use the chaos to their own advantage with ordinary people caught in the crossfire. Then the various factions had started suffering internal schisms with them turning their guns on each other over even minor disagreements.
That had been when Éamon de Valera, the leader of the Blue faction had been killed in a bombing in Limerick and the violent actions from both sides of the civil war had escalated to the level of anything seen on the Western Front of WW1 or Soviet Front of WW2. It had remained a mystery as to who had killed de Valera, for decades rumors suggested that it had been the Blues who had done it themselves because he had been secretly negotiating a peace with Michael Collins and the Green faction. Of course, it was just as likely that a Sapper from the Greens had gotten lucky and had been smart enough not to tell anyone.
Jack knew the rest. Michael Collins had won in the end, but in the process had inadvertently created the fault lines in Ireland’s society and politics that endured to the present day. McBride had survived all of that and had kept quiet about it for the next fifty years. McBride had never told Jack which faction he had been with, but Jack had realized that it didn’t matter. The 20’s had been yet one more time of tragedy in a country whose history was already overflowing with such things.
“Sorry for your loss” Jack said to the widow who numbly thanked him before he moved on.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
Late spring seemed to have brought out the stupid in everyone. There was simply no denying that. Christian was seeing it play out all around him as the days grew longer and temperatures finally warmed a bit with promise of summer around the corner.
Christian often wondered what they were smoking in procurement. A big deal had been made of replacing the venerable 8-Rad, which had soldiered on largely unchanged since it was designed forty years earlier. Then the Sd. Kfz.2131 had arrived and everyone could see the truth for themselves. That was especially true when its designation had been read aloud, Eight Wheel Heavy Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle, largely the same as the as the old 8-Rad. It was sort of like seeing cars of the same model made in different years. Supposedly it was built with the latest technology in the armor, engine, and electronics but what did that mean to Christian?
Then there was Manny trying to train them in marksmanship for the last month, using his own insane standards as a benchmark. Manny had heard Manny mention that his girlfriend in Berlin was pissed at him because there had been a few consequences from when he had been on leave in Berlin a couple months ago. Apparently, Manny’s Aunt Katherine, possibly the scariest individual Christian had ever met, had caught wind of what had happened. Katherine had told Suse Rosa that she was behaving exactly how her mother had twenty years earlier. Manny said that for Suse, that cut her to the bone, and she had chewed out Manny over the phone for getting her into that situation. That might have been the end of it, except that Manny had stupidly reminded her that the whole thing had been her idea in the first place because “She had wanted to get it over with.” That had not gone over particularly well, with a lot of screaming involved. Christian had met Suse a few times and she had come across as a harmless little blond girl, but he had seen how she could go from calm to a cold rage in the space of a heartbeat. He had found it very disconcerting to find himself dealing with a girl with a cute face but eyes that were clearly measuring him for a casket.
In the weeks since, Manny had been kicking the Platoon around as a distraction, trying to make them meet his insane standards. It was impossible to tell who was more satisfied with this turn of events, the Oberst who commanded the 7th Recon Battalion or Oberstaber Schultz who had seen Manny as a personal project since they had left basic training.
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Nope.
The problem is that Kat was not amused by this turn of events under her roof.
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Soldat #1: "Why is von Mischner such a hard-arse all of a sudden?"
Soldat #2: "Rumour has it, he did something that upset his girlfriend, and that upset his aunty."
Soldat #1: "So what does that have do with us?"
Soldat #3: "Nothing."
Soldat #2: "Except that I hear his aunty is the Tigress of Pankow and only a lunatic would want to upset her."
Soldat #1: "So we're his punching bag until he works things out with them?"
Soldat #3: "Ja."
Soldat #1: "That is so not fair."
Soldat #2: "Well, if you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined up."
Soldat #3: "What he said."
Soldat #2: "Rumour has it, he did something that upset his girlfriend, and that upset his aunty."
Soldat #1: "So what does that have do with us?"
Soldat #3: "Nothing."
Soldat #2: "Except that I hear his aunty is the Tigress of Pankow and only a lunatic would want to upset her."
Soldat #1: "So we're his punching bag until he works things out with them?"
Soldat #3: "Ja."
Soldat #1: "That is so not fair."
Soldat #2: "Well, if you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined up."
Soldat #3: "What he said."
This scene is surprisingly close to reality.
My paternal Grandfather left Sligo in 1914 along with his Brother to join up. They were both wounded in 1915, my Grandfather survived, his Brother did not, dying of his wounds a year later.
My Grandfather stayed in England after he was discharged and word came back to him that he'd been outlawed by the IRA and could not return to Ireland, so he settled in Liverpool. Some time in the mid 20's, his Grandfather, (who had raised him and his Brother), died, and so the question was asked, via their priest, if my Grandfather could return for the funeral.
A reply came back, he could attend the funeral, but must leave immediately afterwards.
He got the boat from Liverpool, and before the boat had docked he was called to the Bridge where he was met by, (as the family legend goes), two very serious men who took him past customs, to a car and onto the funeral. As soon as his Grandfather was interned and respects paid, he was taken back to the car, back to the dock and put on the next boat back to Liverpool. He wasn't even allowed to stay for the wake.
England wasn't much of a home to him either, and following WWII upped sticks and followed all bar one of his children to Australia. Guess which one of his kids decided not to go Australia?
Thanks Dad.
But yes, that part is very believable.
He was supposed to be representative in the song as the name is very common and the writer made it up to fill the verse of the song by having the right number of syllables, there have been several claims of him having been a real person in different locations for that exact reason. He is here too, just of a different set of events that happened in the following years.
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I wonder if at this funeral “the pipes played the Flowers of the Forest” as well?
Ah yes, grunts. The subject of which officers and NCOs work out their domestic frustration on.
Jack Kennedy has acted as attorney for members of the IRA, was court appointed to a member of The Order of Orange, and is apparently trusted and respected by Michael Collins is probably the only one in Ireland who can interact with most of the different factions without mistrust.
See what a reputation of being someone who has clients in both high and low places and everything in between can do for you.
See what a reputation of being someone who has clients in both high and low places and everything in between can do for you.
Part 119, Chapter 1989
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Nine
1st June 1970
Tempelhof, Berlin
Kat signed the letter before putting it in an envelope and sealing it. Not that the contents would remain secret for long. She was once again trying to put an end to her accidental career and had high hopes that it would stick this time. Between being the Deputy Chief of the Luftwaffe High Command, her new role as the Kurfürstin of Berlin, and finally trying to be a mother to her children it was becoming all too much. The letter was notifying the Military High Command of her intention to resign effective at the end of the year and her request that it be done without fanfare.
“I want this delivered immediately” Kat said to her Aide-de-Camp who nodded and accepted the letter. Astonishingly, he held the rank of Oberst and managed her staff on the professional side. One of the advantages of being a General of Paratroopers as well as the Prefect of a City-State she supposed. It was too bad she couldn’t just resign from the latter position as well. The people she dealt with wanted her to play the role of Queen, mostly in the form of being the final arbitrator of their petty squabbles. Most days she sat behind her desk wishing that she had the authority to order all individuals flogged for wasting her time. Unfortunately, if such a matter were properly adjudicated the Judge, who did have the right sort of authority, would say that there was no law against being inconvenienced and even if it were, flogging people for minor crimes went out of style ages ago.
Turning her chair around, Kat looked out her office window down into the back garden. It was basically summer and that was reflected in the state of the garden. Kat saw that Sophie was sitting in the shade of the trees that defined the space at a concrete bench that had been installed out there years earlier. She was dangling a piece of yarn towards Cheshire who swatted at it with his paw. Kat knew that there were handprints from Jo, Tatiana, Malcolm, and Marie Alexandra on the surface of the bench. Whenever Kat looked at it, she noticed how small Marie’s hands had been and wondered where the time had had gone. These days, Kat had no idea just who was going to come downstairs these days as Marie often tried on different personas. Having her going to school like that had become a problem because Marie had gotten a bit too good at it, much to the annoyance of her teachers.
That had also been when Kat had had a wonderful relationship with Tatiana. These days they were barely on speaking terms, with her having gone out of her way to spite Kat again and again. That had culminated in her approaching the BND to talk about joining them behind Kat’s back. That had been months ago, and Tatiana had gone out of her way to avoid Kat with the intent to avoid talking about it. Petia had told Kat that Tatiana would come around eventually. But Kat knew that it had taken decades for Petia’s own complicated relationship with her family to work itself out. She suspected that Darya, Petia’s granddaughter being here as a University Student in Berlin was a version of Tat’s rebellion. Of course, Darya’s mere presence for the last few years made Petia happy, so Kat was more than happy to pull what strings she needed to in order to keep the girl in Berlin. Kat still got along well with Malcolm, thought he frequently talked about things that she couldn’t even pretend to understand.
Jo was continuing her professional aspirations. Much to Kat’s own bewilderment at times. She wanted to be a schoolteacher but had encountered a tremendous amount of misogyny over her appearance. Suse had joked for years about how Jo looked like a Goddess from a Nordic epic and Kat understood that there was a great deal of truth in that. Where it became a problem was in men’s reactions towards her. She was regularly either totally discounted or worse, propositioned. That was why Jo had taken a teaching assignment that made Kat think that she had lost her mind. Thinking of Jo also brought Suse to mind, the two of them had always been close friends. Lately, Kat had been exasperated with Suse because a couple months previously she’d had a pregnancy scare. It had been a false alarm, but Kat’s issue was that her goddaughter had attempted to keep it a secret. While Kat acknowledged that Suse was an adult and entitled to her own space, she was hurt that Suse had not trusted her enough to confide in her and had not exactly taken it well. Kat had told Suse that she was acting much like her mother had twenty years ago. That had been a stupid thing to have said. Then Manny being something of an oaf at times, had said something that had really angered Suse. The result was that Suse was holed up in her room sulking, refusing to talk to anyone or come out.
Finally, looking down at Sophie, Kat realized that she was one of the few successes that she had enjoyed lately. Sophie was finally showing signs of opening up a little bit, something that had taken years. She had practically begged Kat to let her go with her friends to spend the summer in the Spreewald. It was rare for Sophie to ask for anything for herself like that.
1st June 1970
Tempelhof, Berlin
Kat signed the letter before putting it in an envelope and sealing it. Not that the contents would remain secret for long. She was once again trying to put an end to her accidental career and had high hopes that it would stick this time. Between being the Deputy Chief of the Luftwaffe High Command, her new role as the Kurfürstin of Berlin, and finally trying to be a mother to her children it was becoming all too much. The letter was notifying the Military High Command of her intention to resign effective at the end of the year and her request that it be done without fanfare.
“I want this delivered immediately” Kat said to her Aide-de-Camp who nodded and accepted the letter. Astonishingly, he held the rank of Oberst and managed her staff on the professional side. One of the advantages of being a General of Paratroopers as well as the Prefect of a City-State she supposed. It was too bad she couldn’t just resign from the latter position as well. The people she dealt with wanted her to play the role of Queen, mostly in the form of being the final arbitrator of their petty squabbles. Most days she sat behind her desk wishing that she had the authority to order all individuals flogged for wasting her time. Unfortunately, if such a matter were properly adjudicated the Judge, who did have the right sort of authority, would say that there was no law against being inconvenienced and even if it were, flogging people for minor crimes went out of style ages ago.
Turning her chair around, Kat looked out her office window down into the back garden. It was basically summer and that was reflected in the state of the garden. Kat saw that Sophie was sitting in the shade of the trees that defined the space at a concrete bench that had been installed out there years earlier. She was dangling a piece of yarn towards Cheshire who swatted at it with his paw. Kat knew that there were handprints from Jo, Tatiana, Malcolm, and Marie Alexandra on the surface of the bench. Whenever Kat looked at it, she noticed how small Marie’s hands had been and wondered where the time had had gone. These days, Kat had no idea just who was going to come downstairs these days as Marie often tried on different personas. Having her going to school like that had become a problem because Marie had gotten a bit too good at it, much to the annoyance of her teachers.
That had also been when Kat had had a wonderful relationship with Tatiana. These days they were barely on speaking terms, with her having gone out of her way to spite Kat again and again. That had culminated in her approaching the BND to talk about joining them behind Kat’s back. That had been months ago, and Tatiana had gone out of her way to avoid Kat with the intent to avoid talking about it. Petia had told Kat that Tatiana would come around eventually. But Kat knew that it had taken decades for Petia’s own complicated relationship with her family to work itself out. She suspected that Darya, Petia’s granddaughter being here as a University Student in Berlin was a version of Tat’s rebellion. Of course, Darya’s mere presence for the last few years made Petia happy, so Kat was more than happy to pull what strings she needed to in order to keep the girl in Berlin. Kat still got along well with Malcolm, thought he frequently talked about things that she couldn’t even pretend to understand.
Jo was continuing her professional aspirations. Much to Kat’s own bewilderment at times. She wanted to be a schoolteacher but had encountered a tremendous amount of misogyny over her appearance. Suse had joked for years about how Jo looked like a Goddess from a Nordic epic and Kat understood that there was a great deal of truth in that. Where it became a problem was in men’s reactions towards her. She was regularly either totally discounted or worse, propositioned. That was why Jo had taken a teaching assignment that made Kat think that she had lost her mind. Thinking of Jo also brought Suse to mind, the two of them had always been close friends. Lately, Kat had been exasperated with Suse because a couple months previously she’d had a pregnancy scare. It had been a false alarm, but Kat’s issue was that her goddaughter had attempted to keep it a secret. While Kat acknowledged that Suse was an adult and entitled to her own space, she was hurt that Suse had not trusted her enough to confide in her and had not exactly taken it well. Kat had told Suse that she was acting much like her mother had twenty years ago. That had been a stupid thing to have said. Then Manny being something of an oaf at times, had said something that had really angered Suse. The result was that Suse was holed up in her room sulking, refusing to talk to anyone or come out.
Finally, looking down at Sophie, Kat realized that she was one of the few successes that she had enjoyed lately. Sophie was finally showing signs of opening up a little bit, something that had taken years. She had practically begged Kat to let her go with her friends to spend the summer in the Spreewald. It was rare for Sophie to ask for anything for herself like that.
Oh my. Kat is enjoying the late stages of parenthood. I remember when we thought she would go out in a blaze of glory, probably taking all of Moscow with her.
Not in her DNA, Kiki in the second timeline commented to Ilse that Kat believes that everyone has the right to her opinion.
Part 119, Chapter 1990
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety
15th June 1970
Argelander Observatory, Balderschwang, Bavaria
Kiki didn’t pretend to understand how this worked. People had the image of an Astronomer looking through the eyepiece but that was not what happened here. The image was processed through several computer filters and rendered onto a photographic plate. So, she was looking at a photograph of a nebula thousands of lightyears away and Kiki was struck by how beautiful it was.
“This is Messier 16” Ben said, “Also known as the Eagle Nebula.”
“This is wonderful” Kiki replied, “This is what you do here?”
“If it is clear” Professor Kempf, the Project Director said. “There are times when the weather doesn’t cooperate.”
“I understand that” Kiki said, “Still, this is art.”
“We hear that a lot” Kempf replied, “And this observatory does straddle the line between engineering and art. Though we cannot make any claims to be the artists.”
That almost sounds like a way to get into a theological discussion” Kiki said amusedly. Professor Kempf was a man of logic according to Ben; the observatory and its workings were concrete and tangible. The notion of a creator held little place in his thinking.
“King Albrecht said something similar when he was here a couple months ago” Kempf replied, “Though he was a bit more direct.”
“I could imagine” Kiki said, “He is my sister’s father-in-law, so I know him well.”
“I pointed out to him that much of what we see is the result of tides of destruction as well as creation” Kempf said, “That just seemed to confirm his belief.”
Ben had a smirk on his face when he heard that. He’d had a few encounters with the King of Bavaria over the years and the biases of that man were well known to him. The idea of a God who could create with one hand while destroying with the other was perfectly in keeping with who he was. For Kiki, some days it felt like the whole world was trying to turn her into an Atheist, as if things she saw as a Physician were not already enough. Try having a child in the Emergency Department presenting with a bacterial infection while in the process of dying of Leukemia and then say there is a merciful God.
“Do you have anything to say to your counterpart at Caltech when we visit Mount Palomar next week?” Ben asked and that did get a laugh from Professor Kempf.
“Tell him that he still owes me a rematch for that chess game from a few years ago” Kempf replied, “I know he’s been ducking me ever since.”
Kiki just shook her head and went back to the photographs taken by the telescope. They might have advanced degrees in the Sciences, but they still acted the part of boys. Ben bringing up California reminded her of what their plans were. First visiting Nancy, her longtime pen pal in San Francisco, then the wedding of Richard Valenzuela and Lucia Cruz in Los Angeles. In between there would be tours, public appearances, and a few speaking engagements. The visit to Caltech’s Observatory outside San Diego was just one stop along the way. She had a feeling that Mount Palomar wouldn’t be nearly as spectacular as the Argelander Observatory. Sitting atop Girenkopf, an aerial tram had recently been completed giving year-round access. Fortunately, the visitor’s center had been completed at about the same time as the observatory had become something of a tourist draw during the summertime. From the valley below, the white painted dome that housed the telescope certainly drew the eye. Ben had said that the consortium of Universities that ran the Argelander Observatory were planning a series of expansions depending on when they could secure funding. His reaction was like a child on Christmas seeing the presents under the tree.
There was also the reason why she had been called into the Medical Service’s Headquarters in Koblenz while she and Ben had been there earlier that month. It seemed that issues with Hepatitis and other suspected blood borne pathogens had resulted in changes to the protocols for the use of injectables and intravenous therapies. Like everyone else, Kiki was horrified that she might have inadvertently hurt a patient’s health with one of the basic tools of her trade. The recommendation that they switch to single use disposable syringes made sense in that context, but even Kiki knew that one of the aspects of being a Field Surgeon was that she occasionally had to make do with scant resources. There were more than a few Doctors she knew personally who passionately hated anything they perceived as wasteful.
That was why she had been asked to do something while in California that was deeply important to the Medical Service. They had somehow found out that Richard Valenzuela was a Police Officer working in a District of Los Angeles which included Downtown and an area known as Skid Row that was exactly what the name implied it was. It was their hope that Kiki might talk Ritchie, and by extension the Los Angeles Police Department into letting her work in that area because it was the sort of place that they thought certain things thrived, through an existing clinic, or whatever she could improvise. If in the process she brought back blood samples then her efforts would be well rewarded. Kiki had swiftly put two and two together and realized that it was this regarding the mysterious cases of Pneumonia or suspected viral cancer that she had been hearing about in dribs and drabs over the last couple years. It seemed that the Medical Service was hunting it and they felt that the Princess Royal of Germany was perfect for helping in the search because operating in America was politically tricky. She was someone who no one would say no to.
“You seem very far away” Ben said, and Kiki looked at him and smiled.
“I’m just thinking about what we have to do to get our lives back” Kiki replied.
15th June 1970
Argelander Observatory, Balderschwang, Bavaria
Kiki didn’t pretend to understand how this worked. People had the image of an Astronomer looking through the eyepiece but that was not what happened here. The image was processed through several computer filters and rendered onto a photographic plate. So, she was looking at a photograph of a nebula thousands of lightyears away and Kiki was struck by how beautiful it was.
“This is Messier 16” Ben said, “Also known as the Eagle Nebula.”
“This is wonderful” Kiki replied, “This is what you do here?”
“If it is clear” Professor Kempf, the Project Director said. “There are times when the weather doesn’t cooperate.”
“I understand that” Kiki said, “Still, this is art.”
“We hear that a lot” Kempf replied, “And this observatory does straddle the line between engineering and art. Though we cannot make any claims to be the artists.”
That almost sounds like a way to get into a theological discussion” Kiki said amusedly. Professor Kempf was a man of logic according to Ben; the observatory and its workings were concrete and tangible. The notion of a creator held little place in his thinking.
“King Albrecht said something similar when he was here a couple months ago” Kempf replied, “Though he was a bit more direct.”
“I could imagine” Kiki said, “He is my sister’s father-in-law, so I know him well.”
“I pointed out to him that much of what we see is the result of tides of destruction as well as creation” Kempf said, “That just seemed to confirm his belief.”
Ben had a smirk on his face when he heard that. He’d had a few encounters with the King of Bavaria over the years and the biases of that man were well known to him. The idea of a God who could create with one hand while destroying with the other was perfectly in keeping with who he was. For Kiki, some days it felt like the whole world was trying to turn her into an Atheist, as if things she saw as a Physician were not already enough. Try having a child in the Emergency Department presenting with a bacterial infection while in the process of dying of Leukemia and then say there is a merciful God.
“Do you have anything to say to your counterpart at Caltech when we visit Mount Palomar next week?” Ben asked and that did get a laugh from Professor Kempf.
“Tell him that he still owes me a rematch for that chess game from a few years ago” Kempf replied, “I know he’s been ducking me ever since.”
Kiki just shook her head and went back to the photographs taken by the telescope. They might have advanced degrees in the Sciences, but they still acted the part of boys. Ben bringing up California reminded her of what their plans were. First visiting Nancy, her longtime pen pal in San Francisco, then the wedding of Richard Valenzuela and Lucia Cruz in Los Angeles. In between there would be tours, public appearances, and a few speaking engagements. The visit to Caltech’s Observatory outside San Diego was just one stop along the way. She had a feeling that Mount Palomar wouldn’t be nearly as spectacular as the Argelander Observatory. Sitting atop Girenkopf, an aerial tram had recently been completed giving year-round access. Fortunately, the visitor’s center had been completed at about the same time as the observatory had become something of a tourist draw during the summertime. From the valley below, the white painted dome that housed the telescope certainly drew the eye. Ben had said that the consortium of Universities that ran the Argelander Observatory were planning a series of expansions depending on when they could secure funding. His reaction was like a child on Christmas seeing the presents under the tree.
There was also the reason why she had been called into the Medical Service’s Headquarters in Koblenz while she and Ben had been there earlier that month. It seemed that issues with Hepatitis and other suspected blood borne pathogens had resulted in changes to the protocols for the use of injectables and intravenous therapies. Like everyone else, Kiki was horrified that she might have inadvertently hurt a patient’s health with one of the basic tools of her trade. The recommendation that they switch to single use disposable syringes made sense in that context, but even Kiki knew that one of the aspects of being a Field Surgeon was that she occasionally had to make do with scant resources. There were more than a few Doctors she knew personally who passionately hated anything they perceived as wasteful.
That was why she had been asked to do something while in California that was deeply important to the Medical Service. They had somehow found out that Richard Valenzuela was a Police Officer working in a District of Los Angeles which included Downtown and an area known as Skid Row that was exactly what the name implied it was. It was their hope that Kiki might talk Ritchie, and by extension the Los Angeles Police Department into letting her work in that area because it was the sort of place that they thought certain things thrived, through an existing clinic, or whatever she could improvise. If in the process she brought back blood samples then her efforts would be well rewarded. Kiki had swiftly put two and two together and realized that it was this regarding the mysterious cases of Pneumonia or suspected viral cancer that she had been hearing about in dribs and drabs over the last couple years. It seemed that the Medical Service was hunting it and they felt that the Princess Royal of Germany was perfect for helping in the search because operating in America was politically tricky. She was someone who no one would say no to.
“You seem very far away” Ben said, and Kiki looked at him and smiled.
“I’m just thinking about what we have to do to get our lives back” Kiki replied.
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Kiki is after two previous visits to the United States is popular and this visit should just add to it.
Ben is going to be compared to the title character played by Jerry Lewis in the 1960 film "Cinderfella".
The main problem on this trip is the expansion of requests for their attendance at various social events and having to say no.
Kiki should talk to both UCLA and USC Medical schools and their research institutions for help as probably Los Angeles County could be seeing more of those cases but haven't made the connection yet.
Ben at Palomar Mountain should notice how many nights of clear skies they have but should also see the start of the encroachment of light pollution as Southern California is becoming more developed and the need to find a solution for it, IOTL there was talk that if the trends of development continue the light pollution would have made the Observatory unable to continue.
Ben is going to be compared to the title character played by Jerry Lewis in the 1960 film "Cinderfella".
The main problem on this trip is the expansion of requests for their attendance at various social events and having to say no.
Kiki should talk to both UCLA and USC Medical schools and their research institutions for help as probably Los Angeles County could be seeing more of those cases but haven't made the connection yet.
Ben at Palomar Mountain should notice how many nights of clear skies they have but should also see the start of the encroachment of light pollution as Southern California is becoming more developed and the need to find a solution for it, IOTL there was talk that if the trends of development continue the light pollution would have made the Observatory unable to continue.