Security Solutions, page 4
“The anti-Semites and the witch hunters are not going to follow the Constitution, so neither are we,” Gebhard stated. Now weapons came up all around.
“Herr Eggers, it does not explain why you seek to kill people not on your list. Something else is going on here, and I want to know what,” Neustatter demanded. “Right now.”
Astrid noted Eggers and Gebhard exchanged looks while Silent Hans looked uncomfortable. Gebhard finally spoke up.
“One of the women von Kardorff had killed was the grandmother of a CoC member.”
“So this is private justice.”
“He is not on this mission. Someone has to see to it.”
“You are committed to this,” Neustatter observed. “Against orders. Why?”
“My grandfather was killed by the adel.”
“I see,” Neustatter said. “This CoC man whose grandmother von Kardorff killed—would he happen to be on the team going after the adel who killed your grandfather?”
Astrid saw Gebhard’s eyes widen and knew Neustatter had scored a hit.
“How do you know?” Gebhard blurted out.
“Because Sergeant Hudson made me sit through Strangers on a Train,” Neustatter said.
Astrid couldn’t help it. She started laughing.
“You find this funny?” Eggers demanded.
“That Neustatter figured it out from an up-time movie?” she asked. “Ja, I do.”
“So why are you permitting it, Klaus?” Neustatter asked. “Do you approve? No, I see you do not.” He paused and thought. “Does he have something on you? No. You are not a man to blackmail. Honorable . . . He saved your life, did he not? During Krystalnacht? Or before?”
For the second time, Astrid saw the CoC men’s eyes widen in surprise.
“First week of Krystalnacht.” Eggers’ voice was gruff. “A man not on our list shot at me after I let him go.”
“Ah. So Gebhard’s belief none of the adel can be trusted rings true. Dank schön, Herr Eggers. Now I understand.”
“We are going to take them off the train here in Jena,” Eggers stated as the train began to slow down. “Stand up!”
Astrid heard the young Ritter von Kardorff stand. Then she heard the hiss of a blade being drawn. Gebhard came down the aisle, pistol raised. She stepped in front of him.
“Gebhard!” Klaus warned.
“Stand aside!” a deep voice called out on the platform. “CoC!”
Gebhard smiled menacingly.
Another voice shouted. “National Guard! Herr Engineer, keep the train moving!”
The train began to roll.
Klaus Eggers glared at Neustatter, his rifle coming up again. “You cheated!”
“I and most of my men are National Guard,” Neustatter told him. “That includes Miss Schäubin’s brother. So if you shoot her, Gebhard, I am going to let Hjalmar kill you. Personal vengeance cuts both ways.”
“Gebhard, step back,” Eggers directed.
“Nein. It is time to end this.”
“Stop!” Von Kardorff tried to pass Astrid. She stepped in front of him. The boy half-sighed, half-growled in frustration. “Do you think I am so stupid I would take vengeance on my village for your crimes?”
“Of course it is what they think,” his sister spat out. “They do not think of us as people. Not one of them knows anything about us except what lands we own!”
Eggers began to argue, but she spoke over him. “What are our names?” she demanded.
“Von Kardorff.”
“Our names. Not our lands.”
After an awkward silence, Neustatter said, “It is clear they do not know your names.”
“Nor do you.”
“True. I have been too busy saving your life.”
She sniffed.
“Neustatter,” Eggers said, “you do understand we cannot let the boy rule over the village, do you not?”
“You could educate him instead of killing him,” Neustatter pointed out.
“Not much chance of that in a village.”
“Maybe the CoC should open a school.”
“I am not going to a school,” von Kardorff declared.
“Why not?” Astrid asked. “I take classes in Grantville. English, civics, finance.”
“The best education is in Grantville,” Neustatter agreed. “Herr Eggers, if you want him to rule the village well, those classes will be a good start.”
“I do not trust him or his sister. They will go back to the village.”
“Listen to you,” Miss von Kardorff interrupted. “The village. We are not of the hochadel. We own a village. We know everyone there.”
“And who does all the work administering it?” Gebhard asked.
“Herr Reimers oversaw most of it for Father,” von Kardorff stated.
“And will he oversee most of it for you?” Astrid asked.
“Of course.”
“Perfect,” Neustatter said. “You can attend school in Grantville and learn to rule well. Reimers can continue overseeing the village.”
“I told you we own a village,” Miss von Kardorff reminded everyone. “One small village. One hundred sixty-two tenants, only one hundred twenty-seven of them ours. We cannot afford to live in Grantville.”
Klaus Eggers laughed. “Get a job.”
“A job?” Astrid wished the young ritter hadn’t shouted from right behind her ear. He sounded outraged. “Most jobs are dishonorable.”
“So find an honorable one,” she told him.
“The only honorable occupation for a ritter is to be a soldier,” he stated.
“Or some other job where you carry a weapon,” Neustatter said slowly. “Kid, I got an idea. How about you come work for me while you are taking classes?”
“Nein!” Gebhard shouted.
“Neustatter, you are wahnsinnig,” Eggers told him.
“Why not?” Neustatter asked. “How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“You have kept your cool as well as anyone could expect from a sixteen-year-old,” Neustatter told him.
“I will not leave my brother alone,” Miss Kardorff stated. “What would you do with me?”
“Do you intend to help your brother govern the village?” Neustatter asked.
“Yes, of course—until I marry.”
“Then you should take classes, too.”
“Will you give me a job, too? Hand me a sword?” The questions were definitely sarcastic.
“Miss Schäubin?”
Astrid was still looking at Gebhard. She rolled her eyes, because she knew what was coming. “Ja, Neustatter?”
“You handle NESS’ finances and are a security consultant. Do you want to train her?”
“Sure, why not? But, Neustatter, you can forget about buying any Winchesters if you are going to add two more staff. Maybe not even SRGs.”
“The Committees must have some guarantees,” Eggers began.
“Three more staff, Miss Schäubin,” Neustatter corrected.
“I am not working for you!” Gebhard declared.
“And I am not inclined to take you,” Neustatter agreed. “Besides, Gebhard, you are concerned about the villagers. Why not go there and help them? You promised your comrade you would make things right, did you not?”
Klaus Eggers laughed. “So why do you say three, Neustatter?” After the briefest of pauses, he said, “Nein! Not me!”
“Why not?” Neustatter asked. “The Committees seek assurances Ritter von Kardorff will learn to govern well. Who else would the CoCs send? Gebhard made a promise about the village. Hans . . . you plan to return to your volunteer regiment before the war starts, do you not?”
“Ja,” Hans confirmed. “I am going back. This had to be done, but our assignment is over, except for these two.”
“The Committees are strong in the cities and larger towns,” Neustatter pointed out. “Not so much in farming villages. Let Gebhard work with the village. Klaus, you can figure out what ritter and freiherren should learn from the up-timers. I could use another rifleman. You could use some contact with the Grantville Committee of Correspondence. You can keep an eye on von Kardorff here, and he can keep an eye on you.”
“I do not approve of this,” von Kardorff proclaimed.
“Nor do I,” Klaus Eggers concurred.
“So it is settled, then,” Neustatter stated.
“I think we need to discuss this further,” Eggers protested.
“It is dawn,” Neustatter stated. “We will arrive at Schwarza Junction in a few minutes. I think we need to have everything settled by then.”
“You will pay us enough to live in Grantville?” Miss von Kardorff asked.
“In an apartment building,” Astrid clarified. “Not a schloss.” She described the apartment she shared with her brother and her cousin.
“You must let my brother call it his grand tour,” she demanded.
Klaus sighed. “Fine. What do I care?”
“Klaus?” Gebhard asked.
“I think we should do it, Gebhard,” Klaus told him.
“You are a CoC team leader.”
“Neustatter has outmaneuvered me since we jumped on this train,” Klaus admitted. “Perhaps I should learn from him. And you could help Johann’s family.”
Gebhard finally stepped back. “I want regular contact with the Committees,” he said. “And with you, to make sure they do what they say.” He pointed at the von Kardorffs.
“Okay.”
Hans spoke up again. “You. Wolfram. Let us order arms.”
Weapons were slung, holstered, and sheathed while the clickety-clack on the rails lessened. Secure the area, Astrid thought, happy to mentally check off Neustatter’s third principle, even if it had taken all night to accomplish.
As the Schwarza Express pulled into the station, Astrid saw four Mounted Constables waiting on the platform. As they all filed out of the third car, one of the constables stepped forward, hand on his holster. “What’s the problem?” he asked in Amideutsch.
“No problem, Officer,” Neustatter said. “Just train guards going to breakfast after the overnight.”
“It’s a big group of train guards,” the constable stated.
Neustatter pointed at Hjalmar, Jakob, and Phillip disembarking from the first two cars. “Team Two.” Hofmann and his Levies poured out of the fourth car. “Some reinforcements from Colonel von Hessler, up in West Saxony.” Neustatter’s gesture took in his own group. “Team Three—and my new hires.” He pointed at Hans. “One soldier on leave.” At Gebhard. “And a CoC village liaison.”
“So no trouble?”
“No trouble. From Magdeburg, with love, you might say.”
Astrid wasn’t sure if the constable believed Neustatter or not, but he made no effort to stop them when Neustatter asked, “Breakfast in Grantville? I’m buying.”
As the group moved off the platform, Otto Brenner inserted himself next to Neustatter.
“Everything okay, boss?” he asked.
“Ja,” Neustatter told him. “Everything is fine.”
“He is one of yours?” Eggers demanded. “He sat right there from Halle to Naumburg Station, and we never had him covered!”
Gebhard looks a little pale, Astrid observed.
“Ja,” Neustatter said. He looked to Astrid’s brother. “Hjalmar, I assume you are the one who got off the train at Halle and arranged for Hofmann’s men and the extra car at Naumburg Station?”
“I just got a message to Sergeant Hudson,” Hjalmar said. “He set up the rest.”
“Ja, I definitely need to work for you,” Eggers told Neustatter, “and learn your tricks.”
Astrid knew Neustatter was grinning. But her brother’s embrace kept her from seeing it. She did hear what Neustatter said next.
“You need to get a message to the other CoC team and call off their private vengeance. And probably let your other two men know what happened—the ones who missed the train.”
“Ja.”
“All right,” Neustatter declared. “I need to know my employees’ names.”
“Ich heisse Friedrich,” the ritter said. “Just like Gebhard.”
“You may call me Miss von Kardorff,” his sister told Neustatter. “It would be improper of you to use my given name. I will be Miss von Kardorff, whom you encountered during Krystalnacht.”
“That is quite a long title,” Neustatter noted. “Longer than the whole village, as you describe it.”
“There are up-time women named Crystal,” Astrid offered. “If I am going to train you as a security consultant, you could use that name.”
“Lots of agents have code names,” Neustatter agreed. “Let us find a tram.”
Miss von Kardorff lagged behind the others. “A code name?” she asked Astrid.
“Ja.” Astrid explained.
“Very well. I will be Krystal von Kardorff for now.”
Astrid started to follow them toward the tram.
“Miss Schäubin?”
She turned. Neustatter still had his pistol out. He held it out, but pointed safely away.
“Holster it for me, please. I can still shoot. Just cannot let go.”
Astrid pried the weapon out of his fingers, checked the safety, and holstered it for him.
“The whole train ride is a long time to almost get shot,” she observed.
“Ja. A few hours at gunpoint gets tiring,” Neustatter allowed. “I do not want you to get hurt, but we take risks to protect others.”
“I know,” Astrid told him. “You are getting warm broth with breakfast, and you are going to hold onto it until your fingers uncramp.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Neustatter agreed.
Chapter 2: The Class of ’35
“You did what?” Ditmar sat straight up at Astrid’s desk in the NESS office and looked to Hjalmar and Astrid for confirmation. “And you let him?”
“Do not blame me,” Hjalmar told him. “I was in the first car.”
“It is not a bad idea.” Astrid’s words were mild. “Also, Neustatter thinks he is in charge.”
Even Ditmar laughed at that. “All right, all right. But, Neustatter, three new employees?”
“Four, I think,” Neustatter told him.
Even Astrid looked wide-eyed now. “Who is the fourth? Neither Gebhard nor Hans was interested.”
“One more would allow four teams of four,” Neustatter explained. “Und, nein, I am not just picking a number. You know we have the contract at the messe this summer.”
Ditmar nodded. “Ja. You already had the National Guard leave us out of almost two weeks of train guard.”
Neustatter shrugged as he walked over to his own desk. “When I accepted the contract, I had no way of knowing the idiot Saxons would try to hijack a train. During the messe, we need six guards during the day and eight guards at night. Und Lukas is hurt. Und someone needs to run the office.”
“Und you will be there, but you are not part of the eight or part of the six,” Ditmar finished. He turned the chair to face Neustatter while Hjalmar pulled a pair of chairs over from the Franklin stove for Astrid and himself.
“Exactly.”
Hjalmar sat down. “I suppose the big question is who gets added to each team. But first, who is the fourth man?”
“I would like Seidelman or Staudt,” Neustatter stated. “But that is not going to happen.”
“Who is Staudt?” Ditmar asked.
“He is ‘the grizzled man’ on Schlinck’s roster,” Astrid answered. “The one who argued with Sergeant Widtman and had more situational awareness than the rest. Hauptmann Bretagne passed us his name after we gave them the dossiers on Schlinck’s Company. One of Bretagne’s other teams remembered Staudt from a convoy they guarded together and said he is okay.”
“Ja, I can see how hiring either one of them away from Schlinck’s Company could be a problem,” Ditmar acknowledged.
“But there are also the men Astrid hired for Operation Schale,” Neustatter continued. “A couple of them asked about more work with us. We should find out of either of them is still interested.”
“Sis, how are we going to arm them?” Hjalmar asked.
“I was hoping we could get by with a pair of pistols.”
Neustatter leaned back in his chair. “Nein, that will not do. Klaus’ team leader and I need to talk with him. I am fairly sure the SRG he carries came from the CoCs. There were reports the CoCs got them from the Army’s armory. If so, it needs to go back.” He spread his hands. “I have no problem with buying one from Struve-Reardon—as long as we can afford it.”
“We can definitely forget the Winchesters,” Astrid said. “Und it might have to be a flintlock. Friedrich and Krystal both need pistols.”
“Ja,” Neustatter agreed, “und the other new man will need something.”
“Another long arm,” Ditmar urged.
“Two SRGs?” Neustatter asked.
Astrid sighed. “They are category B weapons. New-time-made, but . . . call them B minus.”
Neustatter laughed. “Oh, that is good!”
“But they are still expensive,” Astrid finished. “Ditmar, hand me the ledger in the top drawer and the calendar, bitte.”
Her cousin passed them over. Astrid checked the bottom line and upcoming assignments, then shook her head. “We do not have enough money yet. A couple more months of train guard, and we might.”
“One SRG and two pistols?” Neustatter asked.
“Ja. Maybe.” Astrid passed the ledger and the calendar back to Ditmar. “It is not just the men and the weapons. It is the . . . ”
“Logistics,” all three men said.
“Exactly. Neustatter, last time you hired four men, you also hired Agathe Traudermännin. Do we need another cook, housekeeper, or seamstress? Do the von Kardorffs expect servants?”
Neustatter snorted. “If they do, they can pay for them themselves. But I see what you mean. Much of it depends on where everyone lives.”
Astrid sighed. “If we need an additional apartment . . . ”
“Presumably the fourth man already lives somewhere. If not, we have had seven in an apartment before. Klaus can live with us.” Neustatter looked at each of the Schaubs. “What do you think about the von Kardorffs living with you? Feel free to say no, or to tell me after some days it will not work.”
