Play@YSDC

St. Bartholomew's Hospital - London, England
5:45 AM - Sunday, September 8, 1940



Archie walked through the East End to the City of London, which did not seem to have suffered much if at all from last night's raid. East London seemed to have borne the brunt of it. The reassuring facade of St. Bart's and the Henry VIII gate were intact, though there were of course sandbags stacked up by the gate. He entered and made his way inside, where the matron on duty, a plump fiftyish woman, smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, Reverend," she said. "You're here earlier than usual today."

Archie beams at the matron. "Morning Matron! Yes, I'm afraid I've been in a shelter all night. Never got home. Much easier to duck in here, clean up and put on the spare uniform I have stashed away."

"I thought I'd get in my rounds early then maybe help old Giles down the road with his morning service."

"Anything serious happen at Bart's overnight?"

"I never got home either," the matron replied. "I was in our basement shelter all night, so I thought I'd start my shift early. We weren't bombed, but we've received quite a few patients from the East End. The hospitals there are full up after the raid yesterday. So many injured...We also got in a wounded German airman who'd been shot down. Leg's broken, so no danger of him escaping. Very excitable sort, kept babbling on and on, but nobody can understand a bloody word he says. He doesn't speak English, you see. They had to sedate him, but he may be awake by now."

Archie's eyebrows shoot up. "Indeed? We had another young German more or less parachute into our bomb shelter. I've just dropped him at a police station on the way here. Which ward is this German POW in? I might even go visit him."

"Oh, he's in the military ward, same as our lot," she answered. "Seemed the best thing to do."

"Jolly good," Archie answers and marches off towards the military ward, determined to attempt to communicate with the German. "I'm sure I'll see you later, Matron."

"Later, Reverend," said the matron as Archie proceeded into the hospital, making his way to the military ward. Far too many of the beds were occupied by wounded soldiers, sailors, and airmen. A few of them recognized him and waved or said good morning. A doctor and a few nurses were also making their rounds, and most of the injured military men who were not still asleep were more interested in the nurses than in him. In one of the beds lay a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes that could have been a poster boy for German recruiting. He had a broken leg in a cast that was being kept elevated. He was awake, his eyes darting back and forth.

Archie tries to give every single person a cheery greeting and a quick word or two. Spying the presumed German POW, he beetles over.

"Hello old son, do you speak English? I'm Archie Pennyfeather, Naval Chaplain."

The German looked confused, then spoke rapidly in his own language.

OOC,[b]Archie[/b], you may roll Other Language: German if you like, but the base skill is only 1%. Failing that, you may also roll Idea.

Archie, hoping that the German was a good student in Sunday School, or at least had a classical education, takes a stab at a greeting in Latin.

Latin,Skill is 50% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

Not sure if the German is understanding him, Archie mimes a person parachuting then says "Leutnant Friedrich Kurtz?"

Then, he looks around the ward and calls out, "I say chaps, does anyone speak a jolly word of German?"

Idea,Is 90% and he rolls... [dice]1[/dice]

OOC:   Probably a fail on the Latin and a success on the idea.

The wounded man looked up with excitement. While Archie's Latin was rusty, this man knew enough Latin that he could pick up the slack and began speaking in the same language. "I know Latin, I am Catholic. I was an altar boy not that long ago. My name is Klaus Becker. If you're asking if I know Friedrich Kurtz, yes. I was the rear gunner, and he was the front gunner. Do you know if he is still alive?"

OOC,The Idea roll was to tell you to try Latin, but you thought of it on your own. [b]Becker[/b]'s Latin roll (51% skill) to communicate with [b]Archie[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Archie beams happily. "Whoever said a classical education was a waste? Rest assured, Leutnant Kurtz is perfectly safe and unharmed. In fact I just took him to a police station on the way here. He parachuted safely last night and stayed in our bomb shelter."

"Ah, can you tell me what happened to your aircraft last night?"

It took some doing to translate the concept of "aircraft" into Latin, a language which had been dead for centuries outside of religious use, but Klaus picked it up. "I was in the back," he said, "so I did not really see what was happening. Something struck our vessel, but it was not enemy fire. It was a collision. I heard the windscreen shatter, and Hans - the pilot - screamed. It was everything I could do just to jump out before it was too late, and it nearly was. I came down fast and broke my leg upon landing. Erich - the bombardier - was even slower than I was. I don't think he made it."

Archie pauses for a moment, mentally thumbing through a Latin dictionary. He does not wish to unduly set off the young German.

"This may sound very strange but your colleague suggested some kind of animal collided with you. Did you see any such thing?"

OOC,What rank is this member of the Luftwaffe?

Klaus, who had sergeant's stripes on his sleeve, looked startled. "An animal?" he said.

OOC,[b]Archie[/b], please roll Psychology.

Archie could tell that Klaus knew what he was talking about, but he seemed afraid to say anything for fear he'd be thought mad.

Archie nods sympathetically and goes on. "I know it sounds mad but your colleague said something about a man being pulled out of the cockpit by the animal, using its tail. You can trust me, anything you say will be kept private." Archie taps his own 'dog collar' with a finger for ecclesiastical emphasis.

"Yes, I suppose I can tell you," said the wounded airman. "Like a priest, you won't tell anyone, right?" He took a deep breath. "I did not see what happened aboard the craft, but after I jumped out, I looked up and saw it. It was long and black, almost the size of the craft. I could still see Hans with the beast's tail wrapped around him, screaming into the night..." He shuddered.

Archie nods sympathetically, hiding his own growing worries. "That's alright now, don't think about it any more. You are safe now, your war is over and we will treat you with respect. I suggest you rely on your faith ad study if you can. Whatever happens, your country will need you when the war is over."

Protestant as Archie clearly is, he offers to pray with the young German before he goes.

"Thank you," said the German, nodding. "Shall we recite the Our Father - the Lord's Prayer? We both use that one, I believe."

Archie recites the prayer with the young German then parts company. Quickly, he circulates through the ward, dispensing cheery humour and occasional prayers, hoping to lift the spirits of the brave, injured service personnel.

Once done, Archie retreats to find a telephone somewhere private in the hospital. He then places a call to Naval Intelligence, identifying himself and advising that two German Luftwaffe POWs he has spoken to in the last 24 hours have independently described their aircraft being attacked by a large flying animal (with a tail). Further, a woman was murdered in London by some kind of animal. Archie hopes that his rank and station might be sufficient to carry this information past the expected initial scepticism.

OOC,I don't know how this might work with time-lines but Archie is hoping to get back to the Rev Giles for his service or at least its end, to speak again with those who saw the murdered girl.

Persuade,[b]Archie's[/b] skill is 65% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

Archie pulls his tired wits together and presents his report to Naval Intel in good, clear, military style, adequately but perhaps without panache.

OOC,No rush on the timeline front, to quote James Bond, we have all the time in the world.

Naval Intelligence seemed to take Archie's report seriously, and they thanked him for it, asking him to pass on anything further he learned.

OOC,[b]Archie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Comparing Notes