Security solutions, p.31
Security Solutions, page 31
Neustatter let about ten minutes pass.
“Did you intend to bomb the southbound or the northbound?”
The man said nothing.
“You may try to get up now.”
The Saxon attempted to get to his feet.
“But your legs are numb,” Neustatter went on. “Is this bomb armed? What if I attach this wire here? Then if the metal drop—”
Legs asleep or not, the man managed to throw himself bodily aside.
“There’s our answer.” Neustatter undid the wire. “I believe you are correct, Karl. We need to disassemble the bomb.”
“Should we wait for the Mounted Constabulary or the MPs?” Karl asked.
“Nein. Oh, I know Georg Meisner will give us grief for disturbing a crime scene, but we want to make sure no one can set off the bomb.”
“Eight of us, armed,” Karl pointed out.
“Who is to say Sprunck will not come with fifty?” Neustatter shrugged. “I do not believe it, but why take the chance? Besides, we will not destroy the forensic evidence. Someone may be able to trace which lot of dynamite.”
“Could be Saxon.”
Neustatter looked at their prisoner. “Nein, it is not. Sprunck will have had it stolen because he wants to humiliate the SoTF and the USE. Maybe from Grantville, maybe from Erfurt. But this metal switch—you brought it from Saxony, did you not? If I asked smiths in Chemnitz, would one of them admit he made it? After Torstensson conquers the province, I mean. I would not arrest him. Not unless he knew he was building something to attack civilians.”
“The train carries military supplies,” the man spat out.
“Ah, the Lusitania defense.”
“What are you talking about, Neustatter?” Karl asked.
“World War I, up-time. A German submarine sank an American passenger ship before the United States was in the war. The Germans claimed it was carrying weapons.”
“Why do you know this?”
Neustatter shrugged. “After Miss Kellarmännin was talking about Midway, I figured I ought to see if there is any up-time history we can use.”
“I do not remember you taking a class.”
“I did not. I did not want unending discussion of what lead to each war. Just how they fought it.” Neustatter looked straight at the captured Saxon. “Technology, production, and logistics matter. A lot. But it comes down to leadership and initiative. That is why Saxony is going to lose.”
The man glared at him.
“Are there any traps on the bomb?”
“Nein.”
“Gut. Let’s sit down and talk about why you are here. Operationally.”
Karl brushed dirt away and followed the wires. Soon he reached the dynamite under the track and behind the logs. He began passing a stick at a time to Jakob, who passed it to Stefan, and on down the line. Ditmar made small stacks on the other side of the tracks.
Once the bomb was disassembled, the watchman, Hjalmar, and Otto rode back to Old Heinrich’s station. They returned near dawn.
“The railroad is sending one of the pickup truck engines. It will be pulling one flatbed car with dirt to fill in the hole and a work crew. Once the hole is filled, it will go to Jena and lead the overnight back to Schwarza Junction. Then Astrid’s train will leave for Magdeburg.”
Neustatter nodded. “We will stick around until they pass, then take this man to Camp Saale.” He addressed the prisoner. “The SoTF National Guard is not trying to be in this war, but Sprunck insists. The histories are going to note while the USE conquered the rebellious provinces of Saxony and Brandenburg, the SoTF National Guard captured a single prisoner on the Reussian Front.”
His men all knew there were six more, of course, but there was no reason to tell this Saxon.
When the pickup engine arrived, a railroad crew jumped off the flatbed.
“Leutnant Edgar Neustatter, SoTF National Guard.”
“Johann Huschke, foreman for the GRS Railroad Company. Show me what you found, bitte.”
Neustatter led him to the log retaining wall and showed him the metal switch, the dynamite, and the hole under the tracks. The man’s eyes widened.
Then he jerked his head up in anger and started for the Saxon prisoner.
“Stopp,” Neustatter told him. “He is in uniform. A train with military supplies is a legitimate target. But the man who sent him . . . he is the one we want.”
The railroad man blew out an angry breath.
“I have two teams on this morning’s northbound to Magdeburg,” Neustatter told him. “I have every reason to want the railroad safe.”
Another breath. “Then let us get to work.”
* * *
It was after 7 a.m. before the railroad foreman pronounced the tracks safe.
“We will continue to Jena,” he told Neustatter, “and check the track carefully as we go. We should be there at 7:45. Sergeant Hudson authorized the overnight to do twenty miles per hour from Jena to Schwarza Junction. Then he will release the morning semi-express from Grantville to Magdeburg.”
“Dank. I appreciate knowing the details. The morning train should be here, what, about 10:30?”
“About then, ja.”
“We’ll wait. Once they are safely past here, we will ride down to Camp Saale with the prisoner.”
“Up to you. Dank. You saved this train, too.”
“Safe trip.”
* * *
The southbound overnight passed them shortly after 8:00, train guards waving as it rumbled by.
“I think . . . ” Karl trailed off and began moving his hands.
“What is it, Karl?” Hjalmar asked.
“I am thinking about the bomb circuit. Did you see the ironwork on the front of the engine?”
“Ja,” Hjalmar answered.
“A cowcatcher,” Neustatter put in. When everyone looked at him, he explained. “If cattle get on the tracks, it is supposed to deflect them so the train does not wreck.”
“Ja,” Karl agreed. “Too short to trigger a bomb, though. It would go off under the engine, I think. It needs a longer pole with a small sheet of metal across the end, to trigger the explosion in front of the train. I suspect the engine would still go off the tracks.”
“But less damage to the passenger cars,” Neustatter mused. “Math.”
“Ja.”
“Will the pole not droop and catch in the ties?” Stefan asked.
“Und then there would be a wreck,” Karl finished. “It needs to be thin, so it can break away without harming the train. . . . A lance! That is how they are built, ja? With a weak point?”
“Easier to get a wooden lance than a metal pole,” Stefan pointed out.
“Good idea.”
“All right. When we get back, Karl and Stefan, you go see the railroad people about this. The rest of us will be at Camp Saale with the prisoner. If we get a chance to get into Grantville, we ride to Mestermann’s Livery Stable and change horses.” One side of his mouth quirked. “Before Miss Drehmann has words with us.”
* * *
Neustatter had been flipping the fifteen-minute glass since dawn, and it was just about 10:30 a.m. when they heard the northbound approaching. The train coasted to a stop short of the bridge, and four guards in blue NESS coats jumped down.
Astrid came forward on the left side of the train, stopped to speak with the engineer, and then continued on. She halted in front of Neustatter and saluted.
Neustatter returned the salute. “One saboteur, one bomb with electrical trigger, consistent with what Miss Kellarmännin told us.”
“None of the other National Guard patrols have reported any incidents,” Astrid told him. “Sergeant Hudson has been on the radio, and he is a little upset with Saxony for disrupting his schedule. He said he owes you one.”
Neustatter nodded. “I very much want to find Tobias Sprunck.”
“So do I.”
“I do not think it will take the USE Army long to defeat Saxony,” Neustatter said. “Depending on how it happens, we may be able to slip into Chemnitz.”
“We will be back Wednesday evening, and then we are northbound again on Sunday morning. I would like to come with you, if it works out. But the war may start by then.”
Neustatter nodded. “If you stop in Halle, tell the troops good hunting. If we are not here when you return, check with the Schmidts. Und do not attack Saxony by yourself, Miss Schäubin. We will go rescue Magdalena together.”
Cast List
Baldwin, Hawker – head lifeguard at the Grantville pool
Blackwell, Scott – State of Thuringia-Franconia National Guard colonel
Boekhorst, Josyntjie – sent to Grantville when the Spanish invaded the Netherlands, part of the aqualator/fountain project, see “The Researchers Spiritual and Temporal,” Grantville Gazette 84
Bracht, Jakob – Catholic, a NUS Army recruit looking for another chance, carries lockpicks, NESS agent from July 1634 on Team Two
Bretagne, Giulio – captain of Bretagne’s Company, one of the seven mercenary outfits in the Grantville area, runs a well-trained and well-supplied organization
Brenner, Otto – born 1603, Lutheran, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, NESS agent on Team Two – his specialty is being the invisible man
D’Ambrosi, Giovanni – representative of Duchy of Castro in the Italies, see “The Researchers Spiritual and Temporal,” Grantville Gazette 84
Deibert, Johan “Hans” – Lutheran, a member of his village’s militia, came to Grantville early on and fought against the Croat raid, NESS agent since July 1634 on Team One
Dobbs, Nona – up-timer, a Grantville High School student, a member of the Bibelgesellschaft, see “Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide,” Ring of Fire IV and “Remember Plymouth,” 1637: The Coast of Chaos
Drehmann, Cecilia – seven-year-old daughter of Peter Johann Drehmann and Maria Stengerin
Drehmann, Peter Johann – one of the men Astrid hired to be a decoy in Operation Schale, Catholic
Drehmann, Peter – ten-year-old son of Peter Johann Drehmann and Maria Stengerin
Drehmann, Regina – fourteen-year-old daughter of Peter Johann Drehmann and Maria Stengerin, very attractive but totally focused on horses
Drehmann, Theobald – five-year-old son of Peter Johann Drehmann and Maria Stengerin
Eggers, Klaus – a CoC team leader during Krystalnacht
Engelsbergin, Marta – a Grantville High School student, Brethren (i.e., Anabaptist), member of the Bibelgesellschaft, focused on church history
Ennis, Carrie Leigh – James and Leigh Ann’s daughter, born in 1633
Ennis, Leigh Ann Haun – married to James Marvin Ennis, daughter of Fred & Julia Haun, mother of Julia, James Frederic, and Carrie; record keeper/scheduler for her mother-in-law, manages a strip of commercial property for her parents
Ennis, James Frederic – James and Leigh Ann’s son, born in 1999
Ennis, James Marvin – married to Leigh Ann Haun, USE Army Engineering Corps
Ennis, Julia – James and Leigh Ann’s daughter, born in 1996
Gebhard, Friedrich – CoC member, part of a Krystalnacht team
Goschin, Ursula – Lutheran (committed Flacian), married to Stefan Kirchenbauer, mother of Johann, a very good cook with definite opinions on childrearing
Green, Albert “Al” – an up-timer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Grantville, member of the Bibelgesellschaft
Groenewold, Gertrude “Trudi” – a prostitute who was working in Erfurt
Grooms, Lane – State of Thuringia-Franconia National Guard colonel
Hans – CoC member, part of a Krystalnacht team
Haun, Frederic – an up-timer, married to Julia Gunderson, owns land east of Grantville High School on both sides of Buffalo Creek
Haun, Julia Gunderson – an up-timer, married to Frederic Haun, from Minnesota, mother of Johnny F. (Hearts & Minds team in 1634: The Ram Rebellion), Walter, and Leigh Ann Ennis
Heidenfelder, Lukas – born 1602, Lutheran, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, NESS agent, recovering from being shot during an attempted train hijacking
Helgerson, Arne – a Norwegian woodcarver and carpenter
Hofmann, Peter – a farmer in Kleinjena and one of the Saale Levies, see “Occupied Saxony,” Grantville Gazette 55 and “The Saale Levies,” Grantville Gazette 56
Hudson, Eric Glen – up-timer, graduated from Calvert High School in 1631, NUS Army assigned to military procurement in Erfurt, then SoTF National Guard stationed in Halle as a railroad scheduler, member of the dinner-and-a-movie club (“Breaking News,” Jay Robison, Grantville Gazette 5), and occasional 250 Club patron (“The Baptist Basement Bar and Grill,” Terry Howard, Grantville Gazette 32), married to Gena Kroll
Kaufmännin, Anna – Magdalena’s sister, being courted by Klaus, from Saxony
Kaufmännin, Magdalena – Anna’s sister, teenager
Kellarmännin, Barbara – a Grantville High School student, Brethren (i.e., Anabaptist), a member of the Bibelgesellschaft, quiet and observant, see “The Observer,” Grantville Gazette 78 and “Clique, Clique, Boom,” Grantville Gazette 82, training to become the first down-time criminal profiler
Kirchenbauer, Johann – son of Stefan Kirchenbauer and Ursula Goschin, born not long before the Battle of Dessau Bridge in 1626, delighted to be in Grantville
Kirchenbauer, Margareta “Greta” – daughter of Stefan Kirchenbauer and Ursula Goschin, twin of Niklas, born August 24, 1634
Kirchenbauer, Niklas “Claus” – son of Stefan Kirchenbauer and Ursula Goschin, twin of Margareta, born August 24, 1634
Kirchenbauer, Stefan – born 1593, Lutheran, married to Ursula, father of Johann, Margareta, and Niklas, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, NESS agent on Team One, the pessimist
Kircher, Athanasius – historical down-timer, Catholic, Jesuit, priest assigned to Grantville, omni-disciplinary scientist: Paula Findlen’s up-time biography of him (2004) is titled Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything, member of the Bibelgesellschaft and part of the aqualator/fountain project
Klaus – courting Anna Kaufmännin
Kraft, Heinrich “Heinz” – married to Helene Olbrichtin, a farmer in Kleinjena, Saxon County introducing up-time foods and crops, see “Occupied Saxony,” Grantville Gazette 55 and “The Saale Levies,” Grantville Gazette 56
Kräusin, Anna – married to Wolfram Kuntz, not long before the Battle of Dessau Bridge, Lutheran, several years older than Astrid, a skilled seamstress
Kuntz, Kristina – daughter of Anna Kräusin and Wolfram Kuntz, born September 20, 1634
Kuntz, Wolfram – born 1594, married to Anna Kräusin, Lutheran, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, took care of the sick and wounded, NESS agent on Team Two, field medic as of May 1635
Meisner, Georg – Grantville High School student, Brethren (i.e., Anabaptist), member of the Bibelgesellschaft, took the forensics course while his sister stayed late to read Al Green’s books, one of the first CSIs down-time, dating Astrid Schäubin
Meisnerin, Katharina – Grantville High School student, Brethren (i.e., Anabaptist), member of the Bibelgesellschaft, within it the leading advocate of the Majority (Byzantine) text of the New Testament
Mestermann, Hippolyta – daughter of Johann, bookkeeper for the livery stable, came up with the idea of selling shares in a pool of horses to frequent renters
Mestermann, Johann – owner of the livery stable across the road from the high school; NESS owns shares in various pools of horses there, also appears in David Carrico’s The Private Casefiles of Archie Gottesfreund
Moritz, Karen – Sunshine’s mother
Moritz, Susan Diana “Sunshine” – up-timer completing her junior year of high school, was focused on finding a way out of Grantville, applies to be a lifeguard
Moritz, Ted – Sunshine’s father, runs Happy Acres Construction
Moritz, Thad - Sunshine’s brother
Moser, Eberhard – a lieutenant in the SoTF National Guard assigning mercenaries/contractors to supply convoys
Neustatter, Edgar – born 1604, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, Lutheran, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge (1626) as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, leader of Neustatter’s European Security Services
Pfeffer, Elisabetha – daughter of Phillip Pfeffer and Agathe Traudermännin, about four years old
Pfeffer, Phillip – married to Agathe Traudermännin, father of Wilhelm and Elisabetha, Lutheran (Philippist—named for Melanchthon), has lived in Grantville since mid-1632 doing day labor, NESS agent from July 1634 on Team Three
Pfeffer, Wilhelm – son of Phillip Pfeffer and Agathe Traudermännin, roughly the same age as Johann Kirchenbauer
Recker, Karl – born 1600, Lutheran, formerly a blacksmith’s apprentice in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, NESS agent on Team Two
Rice, Alicia – up-timer, a Grantville High School student, Methodist, a member of the Bibelgesellschaft, see “Clique, Clique, Boom,” Grantville Gazette 82 and “Remember Plymouth,” 1637: The Coast of Chaos
Richards, Melanie Burroughs – an up-timer, a special education teacher who became a child protection officer in the summer of 1634, married to Preston
Richards, Preston “Press” – an up-timer, Grantville Police chief from March 1634 on, married to Melanie
Rowland, Mimi – an up-timer, one of the Grantville Police Department dispatchers
Schaub, Ditmar – born 1604, Hjalmar and Astrid’s cousin, Lutheran, farmed in a village in Holstein-Gottorp, fought at the Battle of Dessau Bridge as part of the village militia, captured and incorporated into Wallenstein’s army, leader of NESS Team One
