2: Travel Arrangements [All characters]

[Airbornexo]

Chapter 2 - Berlin Tempelhof Airport
10:40am



Mid-morning and the small motor bus crunched onto the gravel vehicle park of the crowded Luftwaffe Tempelhof airfield. The airport area itself and the buildings had an enormous size and all looked brand new and each with state of the art features not seen in other buildings around the world. This was an example of Nazi supremacy over all things including architecture. So far so good for the agents who had found entry into Germany easier than they had feared. The other civilians on the bus eyed the Americans with curiosity, then were let off and saw their luggage being transferred a flatbed truck for stowing onboard the transport plane.

OOC,Infact the main building of the airport is still the second biggest "connected" building on earth after the Pentagon.

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The OSS agents each remembered the briefing pack: A huge part of the airport area had a basement and bunkers up to five floors deep with it's own railway connection and tunnelled streets. There were also some areas that were used to produce and assemble Focke-Wulf 190 fighters.

Much of the civil aviation had been transferred to the airport Rangsdorf near Berlin in the first years of the building phase but in 1940 it was returned to Tempelhof. As far as known the airport itself wasn't a base for any German Air Force fighter or bomber units and was never used as military airfield in the common manner. However it was the Luftwaffe's showpiece, the jewel in the aviation crown.

A vast Zeppelin lay at anchor on a distant landing field, but the investigator's attention was drawn to the small crowd that had gathered in front of some Junker's transport planes. The figures of SS-Standartenführer Lothar Wahl and Professor Albrecht Eichelberger stood on a raised stage with movie cameras pointed at them, they were about to make a public announcement to the Nazi press. The crowd drew quiet, expectantly...

[kabukiman]

Percy trys to avoid the cameras, and watch his baggage being loaded.

[Anatomist]

Alvaro places himself behind the cameras to listen to the propaganda, once the talking is done he will avoid cameras and board the aeroplane finding a empty seat, near some of the beautys he saw boarding with him.

[BenTheRat]

Armond blushes slightly as he notices the 2 ladies who seem to be getting ready to travel with him. He had not heard that there were women traveling with him.
He tries to meld into the crowd to listen.

[Chivalrybean]

Carl find a place to stand in the middle of the crowd.

edit,Edited after I didn't rush read the posts. {:0p

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[Mr. Handy]

Kirsten smiles when she sees the familiar sight of movie cameras. These models look even better than the ones she's used to in Hollywood. I'll say one thing for the Germans, she thinks. They sure make good cameras. They used to make good movies too, before Hitler and his cronies took over. As much as I love being in front of the camera - and as much as the camera loves me - I think I'll stay well behind the lens this time. It might be awkward if footage of me finds its way into newsreels. She finds a spot in the crowd out of view of the cameras and listens intently to the speech.

[Tabs]

ooc,Prof. Eckhart ensures the necessary equipment for botanical fieldwork is carefully placed into crates, ready for transportation; namely: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-01/949009441.Bt.r.html --thanks, Ben.

Airbornexo,He also packs his old army Luger and a walking stick/sword stick.

On the bus, Prof. Eckhart inclines his head and says to Armond.

Those Americans spell trouble. What on earth are they doing here? Has no one told them there's a war on.



At Tempelhof.

Prof. Eckhart, suitcase in one hand and a tatty briefcase in the other, wanders through the crowd in order to listen to Eichelberger and Wahl. He ensures he is stood near the front, his intent being to demonstrate--by his presence--support for the expedition.

[kabukiman]

Percy looks shocked with the idea of women joining the expedition.

[Dave Syrinx]

Next to Miss Hart, Freyja gets a tripod up and mounts her camera and shoots Wahl. She also takes a 360 pan of the crowd, hesitating at Miss Hart. Then she focuses on the announcement.

[Airbornexo]

The military band's fanfare drew to an abrupt close and there was an expectant hush that descended on the crowd of onlookers. Wahl began to speak in slow measured German, pausing between each sentence as a address system translated his words first into English and then into French...

"Gentlemen and Ladies, I welcome you here today to witness history in the making. Today will be a glorious day remembered with fondness and pride by future generations. We head for the dark continent to secure our birthright, to claim that which our Aryan ancestors have bequeathed us. But let us not forget that we are also here today to honour the fallen comrades and to search for any sign of our lost brothers in the Jungles of Afrika."

With this he paused and removed his cap, bowing his head slightly. The moment passed quickly and he looked up, his steely grey eyes showing determination. "We depart today for the glory of the Fatherland; we depart today to make History!"

With that the band struck up again with a rousing Aryan chorus; one of Wagner's marches from Tannhäuser.

The crowd began to disperse slowly into smaller groups - friends chattering amiably; family wishing loved ones a bon voyage; academics in excited discussions. A brawny sergeant in Wehrmacht uniform was overseeing the loading of crates, barrels and other gear onto the transport plane. He shouted over to one of his troopers clearly audible to the investigators, "Hurry we leave in less than an hour."

OOC - Once your gear is stowed and you have selected a seat you have the opportunity to interact for a little while before your journey begins.

[BenTheRat]

Armond helped the professor with his gear.
He leaned closer and whispered. "Wow that was pretty anti-climatic. Lets get on the plane."

[Mr. Handy]

Kirsten observes Wahl carefully while he makes his speech, trying to get more of a feel for him. She takes the hint and boards the plane as quickly as possible, selecting a window seat with an empty seat next to it. TIme to make some friends, she thinks. I'll dangle myself on the hook and see who bites. Whoever shows interest in me first by sitting down next to me will be a good place to start.

[Chivalrybean]

Carl sits near the back of the plane.

[Tabs]

Prof. Eckhart

Armond helped the professor with his gear.

Thank you.

He leaned closer and whispered. "Wow that was pretty anti-climatic. Lets get on the plane."

I thought Wahl was going to cry--he seemed rather emotional; that man regards himself too highly!

As long as we get to do our fieldwork, I'll be delighted; but, don't forget, Armond, for the benefit of science, we need to be "in" with this disagreeable crew--the Nazis--for appearences sake.

On the plane.

Armond, look, that American dolly-bird is sat by herself. Try to find out what the Americans are doing here; I'd do it myself, but I'm too old and ugly!

[Airbornexo]

Passengers and crew still crawled all over the aircraft as the investigators began to take their seats, the engines of the massive Junkers JU 290 transport spluttered into life for a test and then are killed after a couple of minutes.



The vast plane was one of the gems of the Luftwaffe, a transport that was also used in a recon and bombing role. Famous for its operations in the USSR, it became incredibly popular for the Nazi elite as Hitler himself chose to have one adapted as his personal transport.



There appeared to seats for about 40 passengers, at least ten of those looked to have been occupied by a military detachment of grizzled Wehrmacht soldiers wearing elite unit patches. The hard-faced veterans sat in quiet conversation with one another, making jokes, sizing up the females of the group, belittling each other as soldiers are wont to do.

There were several civilian academics also taking their seats, through the Window of the transport Wahl could be seen barking orders and making ready for the final preparations. Eichelberger too was busy making statements to the press and overseeing the loaidng of scientific gear.

The journey to Djedjelli in Tunis was scheduled to take around four hours, a little under 2000 miles. From there the expedition was to travel by train to the Belgian Congo.

[kabukiman]

Percy will sit near anyone from his area of expertize.

[Dave Syrinx]

Freyja lifts the tripod and one of her lighter backpacks and boards the plane. On the way there, she waves at some German greenhorns to lug the bigger crates and suitcases on to the plane.
Well onboard, she rigs the tripod at the front, just outside the cockpit and shoots the passengers as the take their seats. This time she makes sure she gets good close ups of every one of the expdeition´s members. Done with that, she leaves the camera on the stand and takes one of the seats closest to the front.

She gets her pack of menthols up and flips her lighter. Remebering she probably shouldn´t she pockets both items again and nods at the people seated nearby.

"Wundelich, ja?" "Habits die hard..."

[Anatomist]

Alvaro walked the planes length once to take a look at where people where sitting, soldiers grouped, civilians sitting near to the people they knew or by profession. At one of the windows he sees Kirsten sitting by herself. 'Miss' 'you mind me sitting with you?' 'Alvaro Uribe at your service' 'ill could use some chatter and updating on the civilization ' 'you look as a woman of the world and with connections to the good gossip' he winks making it clear the gossip part was a joke 'where you from miss...?'

[Tabs]

Prof. Eckhart says to Armond.

Dammit! That spaniard has taken the seat.

Freyja...gets her pack of menthols up and flips her lighter. Remebering she probably shouldn´t she pockets both items again and nods at the people seated nearby.

"Wundelich, ja?" "Habits die hard..."

Prof. Eckhart affects not to have heard.

Gott im himmel! The woman thinks she's a photographer. Hired "comfort" for the men, obviously.

[Dave Syrinx]

Getting up for a second, Freyja gets a folder out from her backpack beside the camera equipment. The front reads, Rune finds of Swedish coast 1936, Staahl Oxenstjärna.