Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
999 times out of 1000, it’s a good thing we don’t roast criminals alive, but in this case Germany lacks the chance to put Barbie on the Barbie, and that’s a bit sad.
I do wonder if the lack of Nazis in this timeline has meant that a significant number of unpleasant attitudes and practices have not been rendered unacceptable.
Sorry, I'm going to have to count the number of negatives in that sentence to check whether it should be taken out and shot.
Sorry, I'm going to have to count the number of negatives in that sentence to check whether it should be taken out and shot.
The lights from San Diego in the early 70’s were threatening the usefulness of the Palomar Observatory until San Diego County and nearby countries switched to Low Sodium lights.
Helene in the first timeline read a dystopian book about what happened IOTL .
She is facing the eternal struggle that has vexed every leader in a liberal Constitutional Democracy how to protect the State and the People without trampling the rights of individuals.
Helene in the first timeline read a dystopian book about what happened IOTL .
She is facing the eternal struggle that has vexed every leader in a liberal Constitutional Democracy how to protect the State and the People without trampling the rights of individuals.
Re ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. A friend of mine was in the British Army around the time of the Yugoslav conflict and has said that if there's one group of people he hates, it's the Serbs. He had to deal with the aftermath of their handy work.
Eugenics was largely seen as pseudoscience and was regarded as discredited, even before the Holocaust and Nazi ideology played a role in the revulsion that people felt afterwards. Like in OTL, Eugenics will last longest in the United States where the laws remained on the books into the 1970's.
Part 119, Chapter 1999
Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine
1st July 1970
Los Angeles, California
The Free Clinic in Skid Row that was run by UCLA was a bit surprised when Kiki showed up that morning saying that she had volunteered to work there for the day, and it had already been cleared with their Superiors. Mostly they didn’t care who she was, as far as they were concerned Kiki was a Doctor who was willing to work in one Los Angeles’ roughest neighborhoods. The people who lived here were those who few cared about. Drug addicts, alcoholics, people who were mentally ill who were able to function at a high enough level so as to not end up in a State Hospital, or any one of a thousand other reasons why they had ended up destitute. Here in the clinic, none of that mattered. They were here to provide care for everyone came through the doors. Kiki was a bit aghast at how limited the supplies were and that there was nothing like the Medical Service in America. She was told that she was to help the people who came as best she could and not to worry about any follow up care.
At the same time, Kiki had her actual mission in the back of her mind and how that lack of follow up care made that more difficult. The clinic staff and the patients would probably be rather put out if they ever learned the truth. As the day wore on, Kiki discovered that it really didn’t matter. It seemed like everyone here deferred to someone who seemed to be in a position of authority and her being a Physician placed her in that exact position. So, with each patient Kiki took a blood sample and had it sent to refrigerated storage. Arrangements had already been made for the samples to be redirected to a waiting flight that would take them back to a laboratory in Germany, presumably. For understandable reasons, Kiki had not been told the details.
The day had passed swiftly, with Kiki taking care of the patients as swiftly as she could. What she didn’t expect was a patient whose name she knew entered the exam room. It was not someone she had actually met, but she had certainly heard enough complaints about him a decade earlier. James Morrison, better known as Jim, according to Zella who’d had an unwanted encounter with him at the time. The T-shirt that he was wearing that had the words Take me drunk, I’m home spelled out across the front of it and a pair of short pants that was worn year-round here in Los Angeles, even by grown men, suggested that he hadn’t changed that much since he was sixteen. As if what he said as soon as Kiki entered the exam room wasn’t proof of that.
“Hey Babe” Jim asked as he was sitting on the exam table, “Do all the girls look like you where you come from.”
This wasn’t the first time that Kiki had gotten a reaction like that, people knew she wasn’t from here as soon as she spoke. So far, few had placed her accent because they only knew the silly exaggerated version that found its way into American movies and television. This wasn’t helped by Kiki having been taught English by Nurse from Ireland when she was still a small child. It was something that Jack Kennedy had gotten a bit of a laugh about when he had come to Berlin to conduct business with Kat when Kiki had been living in her house.
“If you are not prepared to be respectful, you can leave right now Mr. Morrison” Kiki said flatly, “Why are you here? Beyond the obvious, that is.”
“What’s so obvious?” Jim asked.
I can tell just by looking at you that you drink too much and need to become better acquainted with something called soap judging by the smell, Kiki thought to herself but didn’t say aloud.
“You wouldn’t be in here otherwise” Kiki said.
“You see. My knee is hurting, and I could really use something for that” Jim said, and something about the way he said it bugged Kiki. A glance she had taken at his file had told her that he had also been in the clinic for his back, knees, and also complaining of chronic headaches. It was obvious what was going on and it was something that she didn’t want to contribute to. Looking at Jim, she suddenly had an idea of how this situation should be handled. It wasn’t entirely ethical but giving Jim the pain medication that he was angling for wasn’t either.
“If you could tell me which one?” Kiki asked.
Jim looked down at his knees. “Uh… The left one” He said.
“Very well” Kiki said, as she reached for her field bag. “Your file said that you have been in here before with the same complaint. Perhaps it is time we took steps to address it permanently.”
Jim watched as she removed a bottle of local anastatic, the syringe with the largest needle she had and a scalpel from the bag. A horrified look spreading across his face.
“Don’t be a baby Mr. Morrison” Kiki said amicably, “This is just going to be a little bit of exploratory surgery.”
“Shouldn’t you do that sort of thing in an actual hospital?” Jim asked.
“We don’t really need to” Kiki said with a pleasant smile, “I’ve performed amputations in the field before and most of my patients survived, so you are in good hands.”
“Are you insane?” Jim asked as he tried to scoot across the table away from her.
“It depends on who you ask” Kiki replied, “I’ve been called that quite a few times, sometimes even worse things than that. Now, lets see to that knee.”
At that second, Jim had had enough and bolted for the door. Kiki could hear the yelling and a couple crashes as he made his way out through the lobby. For someone with a bum knee, he could certainly run fast. The Charge Nurse, who had struck Kiki as being the sort who had seen and heard everything, looked into the exam room shaking her head as Kiki put her things back into her bag.
“It turned out that Mr. Morrison didn’t need any treatment this afternoon after all” Kiki said.
1st July 1970
Los Angeles, California
The Free Clinic in Skid Row that was run by UCLA was a bit surprised when Kiki showed up that morning saying that she had volunteered to work there for the day, and it had already been cleared with their Superiors. Mostly they didn’t care who she was, as far as they were concerned Kiki was a Doctor who was willing to work in one Los Angeles’ roughest neighborhoods. The people who lived here were those who few cared about. Drug addicts, alcoholics, people who were mentally ill who were able to function at a high enough level so as to not end up in a State Hospital, or any one of a thousand other reasons why they had ended up destitute. Here in the clinic, none of that mattered. They were here to provide care for everyone came through the doors. Kiki was a bit aghast at how limited the supplies were and that there was nothing like the Medical Service in America. She was told that she was to help the people who came as best she could and not to worry about any follow up care.
At the same time, Kiki had her actual mission in the back of her mind and how that lack of follow up care made that more difficult. The clinic staff and the patients would probably be rather put out if they ever learned the truth. As the day wore on, Kiki discovered that it really didn’t matter. It seemed like everyone here deferred to someone who seemed to be in a position of authority and her being a Physician placed her in that exact position. So, with each patient Kiki took a blood sample and had it sent to refrigerated storage. Arrangements had already been made for the samples to be redirected to a waiting flight that would take them back to a laboratory in Germany, presumably. For understandable reasons, Kiki had not been told the details.
The day had passed swiftly, with Kiki taking care of the patients as swiftly as she could. What she didn’t expect was a patient whose name she knew entered the exam room. It was not someone she had actually met, but she had certainly heard enough complaints about him a decade earlier. James Morrison, better known as Jim, according to Zella who’d had an unwanted encounter with him at the time. The T-shirt that he was wearing that had the words Take me drunk, I’m home spelled out across the front of it and a pair of short pants that was worn year-round here in Los Angeles, even by grown men, suggested that he hadn’t changed that much since he was sixteen. As if what he said as soon as Kiki entered the exam room wasn’t proof of that.
“Hey Babe” Jim asked as he was sitting on the exam table, “Do all the girls look like you where you come from.”
This wasn’t the first time that Kiki had gotten a reaction like that, people knew she wasn’t from here as soon as she spoke. So far, few had placed her accent because they only knew the silly exaggerated version that found its way into American movies and television. This wasn’t helped by Kiki having been taught English by Nurse from Ireland when she was still a small child. It was something that Jack Kennedy had gotten a bit of a laugh about when he had come to Berlin to conduct business with Kat when Kiki had been living in her house.
“If you are not prepared to be respectful, you can leave right now Mr. Morrison” Kiki said flatly, “Why are you here? Beyond the obvious, that is.”
“What’s so obvious?” Jim asked.
I can tell just by looking at you that you drink too much and need to become better acquainted with something called soap judging by the smell, Kiki thought to herself but didn’t say aloud.
“You wouldn’t be in here otherwise” Kiki said.
“You see. My knee is hurting, and I could really use something for that” Jim said, and something about the way he said it bugged Kiki. A glance she had taken at his file had told her that he had also been in the clinic for his back, knees, and also complaining of chronic headaches. It was obvious what was going on and it was something that she didn’t want to contribute to. Looking at Jim, she suddenly had an idea of how this situation should be handled. It wasn’t entirely ethical but giving Jim the pain medication that he was angling for wasn’t either.
“If you could tell me which one?” Kiki asked.
Jim looked down at his knees. “Uh… The left one” He said.
“Very well” Kiki said, as she reached for her field bag. “Your file said that you have been in here before with the same complaint. Perhaps it is time we took steps to address it permanently.”
Jim watched as she removed a bottle of local anastatic, the syringe with the largest needle she had and a scalpel from the bag. A horrified look spreading across his face.
“Don’t be a baby Mr. Morrison” Kiki said amicably, “This is just going to be a little bit of exploratory surgery.”
“Shouldn’t you do that sort of thing in an actual hospital?” Jim asked.
“We don’t really need to” Kiki said with a pleasant smile, “I’ve performed amputations in the field before and most of my patients survived, so you are in good hands.”
“Are you insane?” Jim asked as he tried to scoot across the table away from her.
“It depends on who you ask” Kiki replied, “I’ve been called that quite a few times, sometimes even worse things than that. Now, lets see to that knee.”
At that second, Jim had had enough and bolted for the door. Kiki could hear the yelling and a couple crashes as he made his way out through the lobby. For someone with a bum knee, he could certainly run fast. The Charge Nurse, who had struck Kiki as being the sort who had seen and heard everything, looked into the exam room shaking her head as Kiki put her things back into her bag.
“It turned out that Mr. Morrison didn’t need any treatment this afternoon after all” Kiki said.
Actually what Kiki did to Jim Morrison is a common tactic used in ERs and clinics to weed out the drug scammers by taking them seriously to the extreme and Kiki threating amputation is in that tradition.
With Jim Morrison apparently not going in to music ITTL it seems that I am not going to hear " Light My Fire" by The Doors 10 times a day on the Classic Rock station.
Please schedule at least one day for Kiki and Ben to enjoy the beach and I am sure that at least one big star in Hollywood is willing to lend their secure beach house to them.
With Jim Morrison apparently not going in to music ITTL it seems that I am not going to hear " Light My Fire" by The Doors 10 times a day on the Classic Rock station.
Please schedule at least one day for Kiki and Ben to enjoy the beach and I am sure that at least one big star in Hollywood is willing to lend their secure beach house to them.
I would miss The End & Birds Of Prey though.
I do hope we still get a scene of Ritchie looking back at his wedding and the reactions to Kiki being there.
Also chapter 2k next time! Incredible PBM. Looking forward to many more. Really love the story.
As much as I wish The Doors happened even bigger ITTL, Kiki might be giving Jim a longer life. From this point ITTL to when Jim died IOTL, he's just got another year and two days left.
Still, if he's going to be a young addict flameout, being one without the music is just cruel. Dunno if P-M meant it like that, but Stupid Luck and Happenstance will include things one finds uncomfortable.
2,000 is next.
2,000 is REALLY next.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance don't always turn things for the better.As much as I wish The Doors happened even bigger ITTL, Kiki might be giving Jim a longer life. From this point ITTL to when Jim died IOTL, he's just got another year and two days left.
Still, if he's going to be a young addict flameout, being one without the music is just cruel. Dunno if P-M meant it like that, but Stupid Luck and Happenstance will include things one finds uncomfortable.
2,000 is next.
2,000 is REALLY next.
Also, yes, I have to be here for 2,000.
Marc A
Part 119, Chapter 2000
Chapter Two Thousand
3rd July 1970
Rio Gallegos, Argentina
The quarters they had been assigned turned out to be every bit as bad as Jost had predicted and they had already spent several days just making the barracks livable. The buildings were in were only a few meters from the concrete embankment on the river that the KM Southern Squadron and Argentine ships moored to when they came into port. The crews coming back to their ships late at night tended to make a lot of noise. There had nearly been a few altercations because of that. Jost’s prediction about having the Marine Barracks next door hadn’t come to pass, instead the Marines were down the river by the perimeter fence with the coal terminal just a stone’s throw away. So yes, there were worse places that they might have ended up.
On the other hand, Manfred had discovered that he had no shortage of volunteers whenever he needed someone to go on a patrol. He had a feeling that was only going to get easier the longer they stayed in Rio Gallegos, because there simply wasn’t a whole lot to do in the town. It had been Manfred’s hope that the training and advisory mission they had been sent on would begin immediately, but the Argentine Army here didn’t have the same urgency that they had in Buenos Ares. Much of the disputed border region was to the west and south of them. Supposedly no one was crazy enough to start a conflict during the winter around here according to them because of that. The Oberstlieutenant had told the General commanding the forces in this region that now was when they needed to be training and was dismissed. So, the 7th Recon was at loose ends, probably until spring came.
Then they could look forward to getting overrun by the Chileans, Manfred thought sourly to himself.
Into this was Christian Weise. Manfred had told him that he needed to start showing initiative and what that looked like was a bit unexpected. He had this brilliant idea that they should not be focused on the Argentine Army, instead on the Gauchos who lived in this region. They were mostly Drovers, but dabbled in other fields as well, such as prospecting and smuggling. Christian pointed out that they had connections on both sides of the border, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to get them on side.
Christian’s ideas of how to go about that raised a few questions though. What exactly did they have which those people would want? And would they anger the Argentine Government in the process? The Oberstlieutenant said that those ideas needed to be taken seriously. The first question’s answer was obvious. The material they had brought with them. Vehicles and weapons in particular. Which led directly to the second question. Finally, the Oberst had warned Manfred that Christian’s latest promotion was probably a given with his record and time in service. It was just a matter of the paperwork catching up with them. When that happened Christian’s ideas would carry a lot more weight, especially in a place like this. That was something that would also make Manfred’s job more difficult as well.
Los Angeles, California
“Not one more word about this Ritchie” Lucia said, “This was a wedding gift, so put your pride aside for a few seconds and be gracious.”
The contents of the envelope on the table between them was what was at issue. Kristina, whose very presence at their wedding had been a complete surprise for Ritchie, had sent a Cashier’s check for a considerable amount of money that had been signed over to Ritchie and Lucia. Enough to pay for the balance of the wedding costs and give them a nest egg as well. It was the sort of thing that changed their lives for the better and as Ritchie had found, his wife and mother had formed a united front against him on the matter. They didn’t understand the questions that would inevitably be asked if anyone ever found out. Had Kristina, a Military Officer from a foreign country, asked for anything in return? Had the whole thing been contrived somehow? Would anyone believe that he had not known Kristina was coming until she showed up at his mother’s house? Ritchie had tried to explain that to Lucia and his mother. They assumed that it was out of pride. He assumed that wasn’t much of a surprise really. They had dealt with that sort of thing before, many times in fact. This wasn’t that, or at least Ritchie hoped it wasn’t.
“Just how are we going to explain any of this?” Ritchie asked.
“Tell the truth” Concha replied, “If anyone asks that is, and if they want to learn more tell them to talk to Kiki.”
“This isn’t like you loaning Bobby fifty bucks to cover his rent last month” Ritchie replied, “Which reminds me. When is he planning on paying that back?”
“When he gets around to it” Concha said, “Remember, not everyone in this family has been as fortunate as you over the last few years.”
Lucia nodded in agreement.
It was something that Ritchie had been hearing about since he had come home from New York. The decline in the fortunes of Lockheed had hit this neighborhood particularly hard. The jet airliner that they had attempted to build had failed to make it to even the prototype stage and that had resulted in several rounds of layoffs. However, there was talk that the Engineers had something in the works thanks to the Hendrix Act, whatever that was.
3rd July 1970
Rio Gallegos, Argentina
The quarters they had been assigned turned out to be every bit as bad as Jost had predicted and they had already spent several days just making the barracks livable. The buildings were in were only a few meters from the concrete embankment on the river that the KM Southern Squadron and Argentine ships moored to when they came into port. The crews coming back to their ships late at night tended to make a lot of noise. There had nearly been a few altercations because of that. Jost’s prediction about having the Marine Barracks next door hadn’t come to pass, instead the Marines were down the river by the perimeter fence with the coal terminal just a stone’s throw away. So yes, there were worse places that they might have ended up.
On the other hand, Manfred had discovered that he had no shortage of volunteers whenever he needed someone to go on a patrol. He had a feeling that was only going to get easier the longer they stayed in Rio Gallegos, because there simply wasn’t a whole lot to do in the town. It had been Manfred’s hope that the training and advisory mission they had been sent on would begin immediately, but the Argentine Army here didn’t have the same urgency that they had in Buenos Ares. Much of the disputed border region was to the west and south of them. Supposedly no one was crazy enough to start a conflict during the winter around here according to them because of that. The Oberstlieutenant had told the General commanding the forces in this region that now was when they needed to be training and was dismissed. So, the 7th Recon was at loose ends, probably until spring came.
Then they could look forward to getting overrun by the Chileans, Manfred thought sourly to himself.
Into this was Christian Weise. Manfred had told him that he needed to start showing initiative and what that looked like was a bit unexpected. He had this brilliant idea that they should not be focused on the Argentine Army, instead on the Gauchos who lived in this region. They were mostly Drovers, but dabbled in other fields as well, such as prospecting and smuggling. Christian pointed out that they had connections on both sides of the border, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to get them on side.
Christian’s ideas of how to go about that raised a few questions though. What exactly did they have which those people would want? And would they anger the Argentine Government in the process? The Oberstlieutenant said that those ideas needed to be taken seriously. The first question’s answer was obvious. The material they had brought with them. Vehicles and weapons in particular. Which led directly to the second question. Finally, the Oberst had warned Manfred that Christian’s latest promotion was probably a given with his record and time in service. It was just a matter of the paperwork catching up with them. When that happened Christian’s ideas would carry a lot more weight, especially in a place like this. That was something that would also make Manfred’s job more difficult as well.
Los Angeles, California
“Not one more word about this Ritchie” Lucia said, “This was a wedding gift, so put your pride aside for a few seconds and be gracious.”
The contents of the envelope on the table between them was what was at issue. Kristina, whose very presence at their wedding had been a complete surprise for Ritchie, had sent a Cashier’s check for a considerable amount of money that had been signed over to Ritchie and Lucia. Enough to pay for the balance of the wedding costs and give them a nest egg as well. It was the sort of thing that changed their lives for the better and as Ritchie had found, his wife and mother had formed a united front against him on the matter. They didn’t understand the questions that would inevitably be asked if anyone ever found out. Had Kristina, a Military Officer from a foreign country, asked for anything in return? Had the whole thing been contrived somehow? Would anyone believe that he had not known Kristina was coming until she showed up at his mother’s house? Ritchie had tried to explain that to Lucia and his mother. They assumed that it was out of pride. He assumed that wasn’t much of a surprise really. They had dealt with that sort of thing before, many times in fact. This wasn’t that, or at least Ritchie hoped it wasn’t.
“Just how are we going to explain any of this?” Ritchie asked.
“Tell the truth” Concha replied, “If anyone asks that is, and if they want to learn more tell them to talk to Kiki.”
“This isn’t like you loaning Bobby fifty bucks to cover his rent last month” Ritchie replied, “Which reminds me. When is he planning on paying that back?”
“When he gets around to it” Concha said, “Remember, not everyone in this family has been as fortunate as you over the last few years.”
Lucia nodded in agreement.
It was something that Ritchie had been hearing about since he had come home from New York. The decline in the fortunes of Lockheed had hit this neighborhood particularly hard. The jet airliner that they had attempted to build had failed to make it to even the prototype stage and that had resulted in several rounds of layoffs. However, there was talk that the Engineers had something in the works thanks to the Hendrix Act, whatever that was.
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First of, congrats on the 2k chapters PBM! And secondly, thanks for adding a look back chapter on the wedding! It's very much appreciated. Can't wait for more.