Wednesday, June 7, 1967, 1140 Central European Time, Offenbach, Hesse, Federal Republic of Germany

The pool that Katya had been asked to meet at was an outdoor one, which wasn't heated. Fortunately, it was going to be a fairly warm day today.

As it was the middle of a weekday, the pool wasn't particularly busy. There were a bunch of senior citizens maintaining their physical fitness, a few housewives and a bunch of students.

As Katya exited the changing rooms, she saw a dark-haired woman wearing a multi-coloured pattern bikini lying on a sun lounger, reading a copy of Stern magazine. She had on a pair of black sunglasses and a white headband, as well as a blue wristband with her locker key attached.

In an example of her usual enthusiastic optimism, Ursula had bought a bikini for the Copenhaguen trip.

Unsurprisingly, neither the Danish weather nor the fact she had been there on a mission had allowed for her to use it, so she saw the meeting with frau Schussel as a perfect excuse to wear it - who knew what boring corner of Germany would her next job take her, so better enjoy the sunshine while she could.

As she left the changing rooms, the Russian in her claimed to get in the water, while the German decided it was a good time to approach the girl who had a copy of Stern (Signal ONe), wore a white headband (Signal Two) and was lying on the third lounger from the pool (Sign Three).

She took a seat on the next lounger, arranging her towel for some sunbathing.

[Language unknown: "Nttret e, oulre san sithio is? O oer bleearout poeson Entkorfor wh using?"] she asked with a smile, dropping the agreed password.

[Language unknown: Wh ul meatha herndeday k Pl inacho ersundhis ektha ekosos oersanvirand.]

The woman closed the magazine and put it to one side. She was a sternly attractive woman in her 30s, with long black hair and pale skin. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses, which she removed to reveal light blue eyes.

"Well, Katya," she said in an accent that sounded German but not quite. Possibly from one of the other German speaking countries. "You're going to be travelling a bit further away than normal. You'll definitely be needing that bikini, I would say. Where did you get that, may I ask?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a model of a rocket.

"This is an Atlas-Agena space rocket. Right now, the Americans are using it to launch space probes to the nearby planets in our Solar System. They are also using for more secretive purposes."

She smiled a little.

"You do not need to know what those are, just that those operations are being conducted from a place called Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. There are some concerns about security at the facility and our team has asked for someone to assist them with a test of the system."

She reached into her bag.

"Sunscreen? You don't want to burn today, especially as you'll be spending a lot of time on the beach when you get to California. Basically, you'll be trying to use your considerable charms on the base's personnel and seeing what secrets they will divulge. How does that sound?"

Ursula's body in the sun lounger tensed for a second upon hearing her real name.

"I'm sorry, it must be a mistake, my name is..."

But she trailed off. That fräulein Schussel had to be a handler, not an asset, if she had that kind of access. She had read her whole file and was throwing her actual name around to let Ursula know who was boss, since she was a woman and not that much older than Ursula herself. So Ursula/Katya willed herself to relax into a pleasant smile and adjusted her bikini.

"Oh, this little number? In Copenhagen. Just a road trip with a friend. Neat little city, not very exciting but the shopping was good. Didn't do much sunbathing though."

She took a good look at the model rocket when Marie showed her.

Katya Sokolova rolled 7 using 1d12.  Average knowledge of the world: d12.

Rocket science wasn't her forte and all she knew about space exploration was Kennedy had died before he could put a man on the Moon as promised. But rockets had other uses, as every German (and Londoner) knew. So he just nodded in agreement, and tried to recall something about thag Vandenberg place. Her European geography was pretty good, and she knew a lot about Germany, Italy and bits of France, but the US was just a land of movies to her. She could place NYC and California on a map, and that was pretty much it.

She accepted the bottle and started applying lotion on her arms and decolletage.

"Oh, that would be a welcome change from... Did you say California?"

She stopped to look at the woman for a second. La-la land. Hollywood. Another world. That brought an incredulous smile to her face.

"California. Seriously? Denmark was my first international... Ach so."

She forced herself to shut up and think about it professionally, look at the operational angles while she resumed her methodical application of sunscreen above and below the bikini bra. But she was still smiling.

"Let's see... An air base. Security concerns. Base personnel and 'what secrets they will divulge'. I have a question..."

She looked the woman in the eye.

"Do our friends worry there might be a leak, and they want me to find it? That is one job. An investigation. Or do they want me to cause a leak, just to see if it can be done? That is a different job... Are they sure, our friends? That they want to punch holes in their own op like that?"

Katya's smile was one of absolute certainty.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:19, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

"It might be both. They suspect that there might be someone leaking. Either to the Russians or the Chinese. Possibly the latter, because the Russians already have their own pretty good space programme. Remember they've put unmanned stuff on the Moon and will want to beat the Americans there."

Marie took back the bottle once Katya was done with it.

"If there's someone with a loose tongue, best to find out first before they actually do any real damage. Also, it's a tad more than an airbase. It's the California equivalent of Cape Kennedy, although pretty much entirely for military stuff. I don't actually think it's that close to LA, sadly, but you'll be flying to there first."

She put some more lotion on her legs.

"Any airline preference?"

Katya Sokolova rolled 5 using 1d10.  On China: Daughter of a Soviet general (1d10).

"If by 'pretty good' you mean they are beating our American friends to every single milestone in the space race. But the Chinese? Please. They are a joke, and they don't have a clue about rockets, and they have nobody to teach them since Khrushchev told Mao to piss off in '60. No, my money is on Brezhnev wanting to make sure the USSR stays ahead. It's personal for him, you see. He used to be in charge of Baykonur, in the mid-fifties. Same story: missiles and nuclear weapons programs. He came for dinner to my father's place when he returned to Moscow. I remember his tall tales about the 'savage Kazakhs'. I was maybe ten? Eleven, perhaps."

She had become animated, proud to know more than her handler on that particular issue. It was the first time in years that she discussed her past life. Marie had casually dropped her real name, so Katya had no reason to be coy about it.

Katya Sokolova rolled 4 using 1d12.  On airlines: Average knowledge of the world: d12.

She laid back on the sun lounger, closing her eyes. Already imagining herself under the warmer, brighter, better sun of California.

"Pan Am. There's a daily nonstop flight from Frankfurt to New York, and from there to Los Angeles. I'll take first class, of course. Which leads me to the topic of money - a mission like this involves many unavoidable expenses..."

She sat up again, leaning a little towards Marie.

"Who am I going as? Some new identity? Myself, Ursula? Or... myself, Katya?"

There was a little hesitation in her voice for the last name, her tone turned a little more confidential.

"Fräulein Schussel... I'm delighted, but. Why me? I feel a little like Laika. Send a bitch to space just to see what happens. Don't they have their own whores, our American friends?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Sat 28 Jan 2023.

Actually, I had some time to kill today, and I managed to find, lo and behold, Pan Am timetables for 1969. Close enough. It seems there's a choice between NYC, London or Chicago.



from:

https://digitalcollections.lib...on/asm0341/id/34663/

All of them have First Class service, just saying ;) I don't know a lot about planes, but some tinkering with Wikipedia tells me it's probably a Boeing 707.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:37, Sat 28 Jan 2023.

"You'll be going as Ursula," Marie replied. "But you'll need to get a visa before you go of course. The Americans want a visa for everyone, because they're paranoid and frankly a bit xenophobic frankly..."

She got up and moved towards the pool's edge.

"If the Americans wanted a w***e, they wouldn't be asking for you. You're more than that and you know it. Fancy a swim?"

"Of course I will," Ursula replied, and Katya receded into the depths again. "Will I get that visa, or shall I apply at the embassy?"

She followed the other girl, eager to move and burn some adrenaline. Under the surface she was already burning with excitement. She smiled and shrugged, adjusting her bikini. Having managed to scandalise her handler felt like a tiny naughty victory.

"Figure of speech. I used to know a Russian girl, they have a blunt way of speaking. So I'm going to California for the surfing? How does a broke little singer like me... Ooooh, I know. I am taking my chance, how do they say, shooting my shot, at Hollywood!"

With one fluid motion she plunged into the water.

In reply to Katya Sokolova (msg # 9):

"You'll need to go to the consulate in Frankfurt," Marie replied and then jumped in. She trod water, a smile starting to appear on her face.

"Now that idea very much works. In fact, give us a day or two and we might even be able to get you a bit part in a movie. How does that sound?"

Before Katya could reply, Marie let her down quickly.

"It's not going to be a very good movie though. It's called Death vs. Bikini Girls. I hope you like schlocky horror."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:45, Fri 03 Feb 2023.