Wednesday, May 31, 1967, 0747 Central European Time, Frankfurt Central Station, Frankfurt, Hesse, Federal Republic of Germany


After obtaining their visas, Sarah, Lieba and Josie returned to Frankfurt am Main on a late afternoon express, the journey passing without incident.

It then became a case of making the arrangements for their journey to Czechoslovakia. Three First Class seats were reserved in the daily service that ran from Frankfurt to Prague, with through tickets brought all the way to Ostrava further in country. They would have to make reservations for the overnight sleeper service from Prague when they got to that city.

Cases were packed, contingencies discussed and those who wished to have cyanide pills were issued them.

After a pleasant and rather meaty dinner, followed by some television, it was time to sleep.

****
They were now back at Frankfurt's central station, waiting for their train to come in. Frankfurt was a terminus station of course, but the portion of Train D262 that they needed had been running overnight from Paris East.

It was just a case of waiting for it to arrive and for the announcement to be made...

Please post your thoughts and feelings at the proper start of this mission...

Josie was quite excited to be going to Czechoslovakia, as she'd never been there before. Of course, she knew there was a great deal of risks and danger involved, but at least the journey had gone well so far.

Sarah Novak was looking up at the departure board, waiting for a platform to be formally assigned for their train. Looking down onto the platforms, she could see an array of coaches of different liveries, mostly in green, blue or red. However, as she wasn't a train expert, she couldn't identify them by sight.

The display board started to update, as a voice announcement came over the public address system.

[Language unknown: "Eraerevenoul mafo-neriom. Ardlartra La ulli utlooswa me n.ec tio Withckwe, Ta etll Thaiei wa me ounbutous dinal thil-elmo u Alndmalo ek."]

Then the message came in another language.

[Language unknown: "Roaseldi ulmausmotr. Sianna Et ove astthoeracom i u.st ta Leseveconhas, His esrea Poilus u pori setsonenc ll rutomebuting o Thiestivetic k."]

"Wonder when the train will be here. And what is he saying, do you think?" Josie remarked to Sarah.

"The train is here", Sarah said as she grabbed her suitcase from beside here, "On Platform 9."

She indicated to them to follow her to the platform.

On the far side of the platform the women spot Lawrence North, suitcase in hand. His appearance has changed; gone is the dapper diplomat. Instead, North wears a cloth driver's cap, plaid jacket, canvas pants and work shoes.

He had arrived back in Frankfurt yesterday afternoon, in time for the planning discussion. On his side journey, North had obtained a false passport, traveling under the identity of a German-American trade unionist. This would give him a cover story that would allow him to travel to the camp and potentially make contact with the targets. In the false bottom of his suitcase he carried materials that could be used to forge Czech passes or identity papers. Not high-quality forgeries, but perhaps enough to smuggle the targets to the extraction team.

Again he insisted that the two parties travel apart and should not be seen together. His logic was solid from an operational security perspective, but his aloofness made one suspect he was a misanthrope who cared for no one's company at all.

North ascends to a Second Class coach.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Tue 10 Sept 2019.

North found his way to the dark green SNCF seated coach, part of the train that had come from Paris.

Climbing up the two steps from the platform, he found himself in a corridor compartment coach, with each compartment containing six seats and luggage racks. Reservation labels were placed at each compartment door; Lawrence's cover name was placed at one of the middle compartments. There were two other people booked for that compartment, but they were not due to board until Nuremberg.

North pauses outside the compartment long enough to assess the names of the Nuremberg travellers and commit them to memory.

Before placing his suitcase on the luggage rack he opens it and removes a recent copy of World Marxist Review.

He settles into a window seat, facing the direction of travel, and pages through the magazine with disinterest.

The only information that was available was the surname 'Schmidt'. A very generic German surname of course.

Shortly after, the guard's whistle blew and the train began pulling out of the station. With the electric locomotive far from him, the ride was pretty quiet until they started getting up some speed.

North sets aside the magazine. With the train underway, this might be the safest time to grab some shuteye. He would need to be alert later.

Like all former infantrymen, North was practiced in cat napping on demand. He crosses his legs, lowers the peak of his cloth cap, and burrows into his flannel jacket.

Lawrence was indeed able to get a bit of shuteye. A while later, he started to wake up with the desire to get something to drink.

There was also a uniformed railway employee standing in the compartment.

"[Language unknown: Rom Mi astte ma fifich ichntiant?]" he asked gently.

North grunts and reaches into the breast pocket of his chore coat, producing the ticket.

Josie and the other girls headed to their compartment, and closed the door behind them.

In reply to Lawrence North (msg # 12):

The ticket inspector looked through the ticket, punched a hole in it with his punch and then handed it back.

****
Josie, Sarah and Lieba were in the rear coach, a second-class West German carriage. The glass door gave them some privacy, but not total ones.

Sarah reached into her case and pulled out a deck of playing cards.

"Well, we've got a long train journey ahead of us, so we might as well find something to do. How are you with rummy?"

In reply to Control (msg # 14):

"I'm good. I played it with my father when he wasn't busy." Josie answered.

North addresses the ticket-puncher.

"[Language unknown: Ulut nd bein n, e foladi m thncsaek ol nc il ismoev? Llyin mica T ar wi adsafi tapowe?]"

The man nodded and pointed towards the rear of the train.

[Language unknown: Ear, m ut. Nepa lesi reaom haatic bleol ncce ev ieil iveiul. In arekol aveta k.]

North rises, "Danke schoen."

He exits the compartment and makes his way to the rear of the train.

"Let's play, then", Sarah said as she retrieved the cards from her case.

GM: Luck roll for all of you please. Also a Perception Roll
This message was last edited by the player at 11:03, Fri 27 Sept 2019.

OOC:
16:18, Today: Lawrence North rolled 11 using 1d12.  Perception roll.
16:18, Today: Lawrence North rolled 12 using 1d12.  Luck roll.

Today, Josie Grace rolled 3 using 1d12. Luck.