Offenbach, Hesse, Federal Republic of Germany

At three in the afternoon, Martin McKinley, OSS veteran and head of the CS-14 unit of CIA Clandestine Services, looked around at the dining room of the small hotel that served as their West German safe house at whichever members of this ad hoc team had managed to make it to the meeting. A large black briefcase stood on a table in front of him,  the lid open to hide its contents from the others present.

Next to it was a slide projector pointed at a screen behind him. A cassette of slides was already inserted, but the projector was not at this point switched on.

He looked around the assembled people and nodded.

"Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for coming at this short notice. I have been authorised to give you each the sum of $1,000 to cover your expenses in coming here and as an initial deposit.

Before we commence, I need to make sure that you are aware of the risks of the mission that you are about to undertake, based on the information that you have been given. You will be going behind the Iron Curtain to rescue two agents who are almost certainly being hunted by the KGB and their allied secret police forces. If this operation goes wrong, there is a real risk that you will be killed or end up in Pankrác prison, where we may not be able to get you out.

If you are unwilling to take the risks here, you may leave now with your initial payment. If you stay however, a further $4,000 will be coming your way upon your return."

He looked around to see if anyone decided to leave.

Lieba looked a bit Bohemian as she entered. The type of slightly artsy that let people know she was likely in that scene without really turning any heads as she took her seat, listening and watching.

She didn't leave, there was no need. It wasn't her first mission across the curtain, she was certain it wouldn't be her last. And this one involved rescue, that would be different.

When given the chance, Lieba ordered a glass of Spätburgunder and some camembert, rarely one to turn down a snack even if she'd already had one.

So this is Hesse, Josie thought. She lifted her suitcase from the ground and  headed off to the boarding house where she had been asked to stay.

Her house had been called by Martin McKinley a few weeks ago, and he'd informed the family that he could use her for one of his missions. The family had agreed and within a few short days, she was on a plane to Germany, and then took a train to Hesse, where he was holding the meeting. The boarding house where she was to stay was plain, made of limestone with two stories. She entered, got the key to her room, and quickly changed her clothes, then headed outside and walked in the direction of the building.

She made her way inside, to the meeting room and sat down at the table, taking her time to order, and chose a plate of salad. Something light, she told herself. I don't want to go to the restroom in the middle of the meeting.

Once it was clear nobody was leaving and after taking a sip of her wine, Lieba considered. "I know we have a translator, and my skillset is generally for when things go wrong and I know that Sarah will be our translator if nobody else can. But who else will we have on this team? It will definitely effect the method we will be taking." She did wonder about the young woman who had joined them, where her skills lay.

In reply to Lieba Moszkowicz (msg # 4):

Josie practically dug into her salad, which was nice and green, and she could feel the crunch of the lettuce as she bit into it. She wondered why she had been sent for.

The only thing she was good at, well, which she knew of, was law.

Lawrence North sits to one side of the table. He eats nothing, drinks nothing. He toys with an unlit cigarillo, rolling it between his thumb and index finger. He says nothing. His eyes trace a disinterested appraisal over the assembly, one by one.

Martin looked around the room as a couple of people left.

Oh well

"At the moment, there are six of you. Diana and Adeline will be assigned to the truck operation. So, there is yourself, Lieba..."

He noted the others.

"Lawrence, Josie and Sarah. That makes four of you who have a choice of another route."

He took a deep breath and then turned on the slide projector, bringing up the first slide. It was a map of Central Europe, with a black line running from Frankfurt to 'Praha' and then wiggling along through Czechoslovakia to Ostrava. Another black line ran south to 'Wien' and then through Austria back into West Germany.

"There is the railroad option. There is a daily train that runs from Frankfurt to Prague, where you can, with a couple of hours wait, get a sleeper train to arrive at Ostrava around 4am.

Getting out, you may wish to get the overnight train to Vienna, which departs around 2am. I would have to check the exact times."

Hmm Josie thought.Which train am I going to take? Maybe I should take the overnight train.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:33, Mon 07 Jan 2019.

North is silent, evidently waiting for the rest of the briefing before deciding on a route.

The slide changed to show an air route.

"You can also fly to Ostrava via Prague, but this is the more expensive option. In any event, you will need to head over to Bonn tomorrow to get any visas so you can enter the country on Wednesday."

The slide changed again to show a map of Ostrava with an area to the west marked as 'Campsite'.

"The Keenans are holed up in a campsite to the west of the city, upwind from the industrial smog. It can accommodate around 100 people and usually takes large groups of youth movement members or communist trade unionists, wishing to see Czech industrial production up close. You may wish to book yourselves here or in another hotel in town; these can be booked with the Cedok travel agency in Frankfurt. Bear in mind rooms may well be bugged."

A slide appeared showing a Czechoslovak policeman.

"Once they realise that the Keenans are holed up in Ostrava, there is likely to be a very large police and StB presence. You may need to be very inventive to get them out."

Hmm. Josie thought. I could take the airplane. Oh bother, I forgot. I'm scared of heights.No, I'm taking the train.

North strikes a match to light his cigarillo and takes a deep drag. He rolls the smoke around inside his mouth like a vintner. He reaches across the table to drag a heavy Bakelite ashtray closer, and drops the wooden match in with an audible "tink".

Expelling smoke from his nostrils, he leans forward, intent on the presentation.

"We are currently unable to provide you with fake documents to get the Keenans out, but there is a forger in Ostrava who we currently trust. I'll provide one of you with the details - discuss that amongst yourselves.

What you do re weapons is your choice, but if you kill anyone and get caught, they hang you short drop, which I'm informed isn't that quick.

Any questions?"

"Personally, I'd rather just fly in. Less time spent, less issues getting in at least. Do we need a cover? I've had some requests from the local orchestra to play so I could make a few inquiries and we'd have a reason to be there and, maybe, be under less scrutiny to travel some. I've played up the artist before." Lieba offered. It was one way of getting around. People tended not to look too closely at the somewhat flighty, artsy type.

Lieba took another sip of her drink. "And I can get a couple of weapons in should we need them, though I hope we don't. But, two handguns, some lancer knives." It was good to be prepared just in case, and it seemed Lawrence was the type to share a few skills with her. Though, they were very different as well, that was also clear.

"How quickly can your contacts organize an event?" Blank and unblinking, North turns to regard Lieba. "A concert at the campsite. For the socialist youth, trade unionists and other proletariat. A crowd as a smokescreen to move the targets out."

"It all depends on their side. On this side of the curtain I could arrange something in a day, but there..." She really didn't know how to answer that. "What I can say, though, is that if we can arrange it I'll be out for the rest of the mission, and so might need Sarah since I'll have to have a translator stay with me to look legitimate. But, if you find them then you'll have someone that can do the same."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:49, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

"Since I'm the translator, I guess that's me covered", Sarah said, "If the three of us try to arrange something for, say, Friday night, that could work. It doesn't have to be at the campsite; acoustics would probably be awful. The place must have a stadium or something... We can ask at the Embassy".

She looked at her watch and then looked around for a pad. Failing to see one, she continued to speak.

"If the concert is big enough, it will tie up a lot of the local cops."

"They invited me a few times over the years, I came in 4th in violin at the Prague Spring when I was 20. Zdeněk Hnát won for piano...he was amazing. There was more than a little lust in her voice and it was mostly about the music. She could melt to someone who could play. "We can see if we can do something, we caught up at this little bar a few years ago and played a bit, I'd love to again. I know it's short notice but if I'm going to do this we might as well go all in. And that would be big enough to require a lot of security. We could do some Smetana and some of the Dvorak chamber music. If they want the orchestra I'll even do his 53." It was good that she still kept up doing solo work with some of the major orchestras. She hadn't wanted to but it was a useful cover when need be. And maybe she could do something interesting.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:12, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

"Tying up most of the Ostravan security apparatus would be a capital achievement," North exhales, blowing smoke to the ceiling.

"But do you need the translator?" He pivots to regard Lieba directly, ignoring Sarah's presence in the room.

"Why not ask the authorities to provide a translator? It would put them at ease, since they'll have a government stooge to mind you." North's eyes flick up and down in Lieba's slender frame. "I'm sure you can take care of things if the need arises."

There is no leer in his gaze, no innuendo. The statement is logic. The glance, a boxer assessing his opponent across the ring.

"Otherwise, if things go to plan, you only need play a brilliant concert and leave with a bouquet of roses."

"If you're going as a concert performer, you might even be able to expense the train ticket to them..." Martin added, "Ostrava has a tourist office for the wider North Moravia region and they'll have translators aplenty. For the Polish visitors as well."

"Okay. When I've performed in the past I've always taken a translator but it should be fine. I don't know how well I trust any provided translators but I can make due." Being in a foreign place without certainty could be scary, but if they accepted her as a performer it should be just fine.

Lieba wasn't a large woman by any means but, to someone taking the time to look deeper it was clear that she dressed in a way that minimized the fact that she was all lean muscle. No bulk but no lack of tone. "Then, I should go to the embassy and see what I can arrange. I'll also contact my agent before I leave so he can start setting things in motion."

Josie listened as Miss Moszkowicz talked. She certainly seemed to know what she was doing, Josie thought. Then Josie decided to speak up."I could help with the concert. Something like that would indeed have the local police on guard that night so no one sneaks in or anything."

"Getting the targets out of Ostrava is only the beginning. We still have to get them across the border." North turns to McKinley. "Do we have documents for the targets? Passport photos?"

"We hope the forger will still work with us. However, I would like to have a plan B. To be honest I'd rather have C and D as well, but at least one alternative would be good."

Lieba nodded to the younger woman. "That sounds good." It seemed she wasn't exactly field ready and Lieba wondered how she got on this job. Maybe it would become more clear later. They could talk on the train or plane.

"We have passport photographs, but if they've changed their appearance... might be a good idea to buy a Polaroid camera if you've not already got one. Not sure how easy it will be to get photographs developed quickly in Ostrava and of course running your pictures through a professional processor can get you into legal trouble depending on what they are. My colleagues in Hamburg..."

Martin realised where his train of thought was going and then switched to actual trains. He then turned to Lieba.

"You're going to probably need to spend most of the day at the Embassy and it's in Bonn, which is a good two hours from here, however you get there. There's an early morning train from Frankfurt Central that gets you into the city just after 9am and since it's reservation mandatory, I suggest you pop down to the station and book yourself a pair of seats for yourself and Josie."

Martin walked over and pulled out a large red book, flicking through it.

"TEE 35, Frankfurt to Amsterdam via Bonn, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Utrecht. Departs at ten past seven. Has a restaurant car, first class only. Good chance for you to get to know each other better if you all get the same compartment."

He paused slightly, then realised.

"Better idea, you'll all need to go to get your visas. They can do it same day on the spot."

"Well, Josie, shall we get reservations. We are bound for Bonn in the morning. This may take a few extra days but I do think anything to keep the heat off the two we need to extract the better. And we should reserve a first class car for the rest of the train trip. I do hate not having a restaurant car." There was a mix of bohemian rebellion and a love for decadence in Lieba. Thankfully, interesting music sold fairly well in this day and age.

She looked to Lawrence, "shall we meet up after everything with the embassy and the concert plans are set. We can plan from there? Unless you want to come along."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:37, Thu 24 Jan 2019.

"Alright, let's go." Josie replied, pushing back her chair and standing up.

North stands. "Better we're not seen together at the embassy," he says to Lieba, "if one group is caught we don't want to link them to the other. Besides, I have a few errands to run."

"Then we are off to Bonn. I just need to go pack then we can get to the train station." She gestured for Josie to join her. Maybe she'd actually figure out what the girl has to offer.

In reply to Lieba Moszkowicz (msg # 29):

"Yes, let's." Josie replied, and followed Lieba out the door.