I ended up buying a new Version of Windows XP Home asnd I will install it later today, because a) I want to finish the update first and b) I am too lazy right now to sit through the whole rather annoying procedure.
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Crusader Kings III Available Now!
The realm rejoices as Paradox Interactive announces the launch of Crusader Kings III, the latest entry in the publisher’s grand strategy role-playing game franchise. Advisors may now jockey for positions of influence and adversaries should save their schemes for another day, because on this day Crusader Kings III can be purchased on Steam, the Paradox Store, and other major online retailers.
Newsflash: I reinstalled and am already posting from my usual Comp again. Yay. All I have to do now is install the drivers, the usual programs and I am ready to go.
Edit: And now I can finally do what I wanted to do when my comp crapped out.
I saw this a few days ago on the road. Substitute German Licence plates.
Edit: And now I can finally do what I wanted to do when my comp crapped out.
I saw this a few days ago on the road. Substitute German Licence plates.
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BritishImperial said:
This particular one is an Aston Martin DB9 V12.
And yes I too am glad to be going again. I will have to re-do the post-war Borders map though.
*drumroll* And now, from the BBC emergency broadcasting centre in a bunker hidden somewhere in the Scottish Highlands*: The next update!
December 24th, 1938
NID Special Section HQ, London
The run down warehouse where the Special Section of the NID had its offices seemed deserted, but a more than casual observer could see that this was deceiving. One of the small offices was still brightly lit and in it sat Ian Fleming, searching through countless immigration records that were threatening to snap the cheap military issue table in half under their weight. Countless similar files were stacked all over the office, creating a maze that was hard to navigate through without knocking something over. Fleming grabbed the teacup from the only free space on the table and took a deep sip, knowing that this would be the last he drank this night as he had run out of Tea Powder. He cursed himself for suggesting to Rear Admiral Edwards that the Germans might have started to infiltrate operatives for the Operation among the waves of refugees and political exiles that were streaming into the United Kingdom ever since the beginning of the year. 'Me and my big mouth' he thought immediately after saying it as Edwards had ordered him and his men to sift through the mountains of folders of naturalized Subjects that had been started in the last two years. As it was Christmas eve he had sent all his people home hours ago, but he had decided to stay behind and get some work done. Something was bugging him and he had the strange feeling that he was onto something big, one way or another. But as of yet all the files had yielded negligible results and the “Send to MI5” stack was only three folders thick, and these were all suspected Communist Agitators. “Female, former member of the Austrian Communist Party, reached the UK along with....” he trailed off and quickly skimmed over the rest of the file before putting it on the MI5 stack and grabbing the next one. “I knew I'd find you here.” said a familiar voice with a slight American accentuation. “Leiter you old dog, what in the blazes are still doing here?” Ian yelled.
“The old man sent me to get you. He wants an update.” Fleming was opening his mouth to say something, but Leiter, who was already standing beside the table just said: “And I want my friend to have some fun over Christmas! New Year is still way too far away.” Leiter was an exiled American. He had been assistant Naval attaché at the American Embassy when the United States fell. Back then he had had the rank fo Ensign, fresh from the Academy on his first assignment simply because his father had held the same job before him. When the Communists had taken over he had taken the option many former US citizens in the United Kingdom had taken and had asked to be allwoed to join the local forces. He despised the communists and saw the Royal Navy as his best chance to do something against them. The Navy had gladly accepted, as with the recent expansions experienced Officers were in short supply. Leiter had been granted a commission and had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1937 after joining the NID as the sort of 'resident yank'. When Fleming had taken over he had been among those who felt some resentments against the recently reactivated Commander but they had quickly become good friends, and now Leiter was Flemings XO. So it wasn't really surprising Ian that it was Felix Leiter who came to drag him to the Christmas Party at the Admiralty building. He was howevery annoyed, not so much about being interrupted but rather about the task at hand. “This whole idea was shite beyond belief. What in the bloodiest depths of hell are we supposed to find here? Sifiting through that crap is the job of MI bleedin' FIVE!” he yelled in frustration. Leiter grinned and answered: “That, my dear Sir is not my concern. Ours is not to reason why....” Ian rose from the chair, massaged his neck and said: “As long as I don't have to get on a horse and charge Russian Artillery I'm fine.” And with that both men left the office behind, not even bothering to turn off the light that still shone brightly on the folders strewn across the floor.
Ten Minutes later they sat in Fleming's 1937 Austin Seven and tried to navigate their way through the howling storm and London's snow clogged streets. Leiter stayed quiet as he let Fleming concentrate on the driving, but when they finally reached the Admiralty he said: “So my dear Ian is there really nothing you can tell the esteemed Rear Admiral Edwards?” “Nothing at all, dear friend. Only that this should be the job of Five and not ours.” Flemming and Leiter walked past the guards and into the Admiralty building. They could hear faint music coming down from the great hall and when they entered they were greeted by an overheated room filled with Officers, dignitaries and a huge Christmas tree. Ian grabbed a glass of brandy from one of the waiters and went off in search for the Admiral, with Leiter tagging along. When he saw him he realized that he had never seen Edwards this relaxed and at ease so he decided that the Admiral would probably not tear his head of for not having anything worth reporting. The Admiral was chatting with a man of about 25 to thirty years of age when he noticed the two Officers approaching him. “Ah, Fleming, Leiter, good to see you.” He gestured towards the third man. “May I introduce Mr. H.A.R. Philby?” Introductions were exchanged before Philby said: “So, Mr. Fleming what is it that brings you here this late?” Fleming did not let on that something about this man bugged him in a strange way and filed it away for later. He was sure that Leiter had realized something was off and would most certainly discuss it. But for now he focused on the business at hand. “Classified I am afraid, but I can tell you that we are working for the Admiral here.” Philby raised his free hand in defeat and said: “Well then, I shall not disturb you any longer. Admiral.” he nodded and moved off to mix himself with the crowds again. The Admiral looked at his two best officers and said: “Before you ask, Mr. Philby was a 'reporter' working for the times and was working for the NID and MI6 in Spain back when it was still called Section D.” he paused and continued then. “So, Gentlemen, what do you have for me?” Fleming cleared is thorat. “Nothing much I am afraid, Sir. It is a mountain of folders we have to go through, and with it being Christmas and all... So anyway, I did a bit work myself and as Mr. Leiter can prove didn't find much of anything.” The Admiral nodded. “I see. Well, keep at it lads, but do take off on Christmas, will you?” “Yes, Sir.” both said with one voice. “Good. Now excuse me please, I have to go and meet with the Prime Minister, as he is most interested in your work.”
Both Fleming and Leiter did not know what hit them more, the fact that the PM was here or that he was keen about what they did in that warehouse. “So much for reducing the pressure.” Leiter sighed and Fleming was forced to agree. “At least we can be sure that our electrical bill will be paid.” Felix continued and Ian took this as a cue that they were no longer talking shop. “Why yes, my dear friend.” And with that they mixed themselves among the crowds, and Ian temporarily forgot to think about why Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby had made his subconscious Alarm clock go off. Much later that night Ian and Felix were driving back to the warehouse where they both also had their quarters and only now Felix started to talk again. “That Philby chap is bugging you for some reason. Care to tell me why?” Ian shook his head. “I don't know, something is strange about him, and I could swear I have read his name somewhere before, and it wasn't in the paper.” Felix looked at Ian with a quizzical look. “Is this one of your gut feelings again?” “No, I am certain I have, I just can't put my finger on where.” Felix laughed hard at this. “You are way too much into this job already. You should write Spy Novels or something.” Fleming laughed and said: “Me, an Author?” before going into the building. Little did he know. When Ian and Felix were laying in their respective quarters Ian could not sleep. For some reason the name Philby was nagging at his subconsciousness and he lay awake because of it. This whole gut feeling thing had saved him numerous times during his exploits in MI6, but what could it mean here? He tried to analyse it. What had he done, where could he have read the name and so on, and when it hit him where he immediately jumped, threw one of his Uniforms and ran over to Leiter's quarters. “Felix, I might need your help on this.”
*All hail my inability to throw computer stuff away!
[Game effects: With this update I opened a sub-sub plot line, as it is loosely tied to Pinie. I have no idea if that room the party was in actually exists. Also all hail my inability to throw computer stuff away! And my regrets for any mistakes with the British Christmas rites.]
Chapter 38
December 24th, 1938
NID Special Section HQ, London
The run down warehouse where the Special Section of the NID had its offices seemed deserted, but a more than casual observer could see that this was deceiving. One of the small offices was still brightly lit and in it sat Ian Fleming, searching through countless immigration records that were threatening to snap the cheap military issue table in half under their weight. Countless similar files were stacked all over the office, creating a maze that was hard to navigate through without knocking something over. Fleming grabbed the teacup from the only free space on the table and took a deep sip, knowing that this would be the last he drank this night as he had run out of Tea Powder. He cursed himself for suggesting to Rear Admiral Edwards that the Germans might have started to infiltrate operatives for the Operation among the waves of refugees and political exiles that were streaming into the United Kingdom ever since the beginning of the year. 'Me and my big mouth' he thought immediately after saying it as Edwards had ordered him and his men to sift through the mountains of folders of naturalized Subjects that had been started in the last two years. As it was Christmas eve he had sent all his people home hours ago, but he had decided to stay behind and get some work done. Something was bugging him and he had the strange feeling that he was onto something big, one way or another. But as of yet all the files had yielded negligible results and the “Send to MI5” stack was only three folders thick, and these were all suspected Communist Agitators. “Female, former member of the Austrian Communist Party, reached the UK along with....” he trailed off and quickly skimmed over the rest of the file before putting it on the MI5 stack and grabbing the next one. “I knew I'd find you here.” said a familiar voice with a slight American accentuation. “Leiter you old dog, what in the blazes are still doing here?” Ian yelled.
“The old man sent me to get you. He wants an update.” Fleming was opening his mouth to say something, but Leiter, who was already standing beside the table just said: “And I want my friend to have some fun over Christmas! New Year is still way too far away.” Leiter was an exiled American. He had been assistant Naval attaché at the American Embassy when the United States fell. Back then he had had the rank fo Ensign, fresh from the Academy on his first assignment simply because his father had held the same job before him. When the Communists had taken over he had taken the option many former US citizens in the United Kingdom had taken and had asked to be allwoed to join the local forces. He despised the communists and saw the Royal Navy as his best chance to do something against them. The Navy had gladly accepted, as with the recent expansions experienced Officers were in short supply. Leiter had been granted a commission and had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1937 after joining the NID as the sort of 'resident yank'. When Fleming had taken over he had been among those who felt some resentments against the recently reactivated Commander but they had quickly become good friends, and now Leiter was Flemings XO. So it wasn't really surprising Ian that it was Felix Leiter who came to drag him to the Christmas Party at the Admiralty building. He was howevery annoyed, not so much about being interrupted but rather about the task at hand. “This whole idea was shite beyond belief. What in the bloodiest depths of hell are we supposed to find here? Sifiting through that crap is the job of MI bleedin' FIVE!” he yelled in frustration. Leiter grinned and answered: “That, my dear Sir is not my concern. Ours is not to reason why....” Ian rose from the chair, massaged his neck and said: “As long as I don't have to get on a horse and charge Russian Artillery I'm fine.” And with that both men left the office behind, not even bothering to turn off the light that still shone brightly on the folders strewn across the floor.
Ten Minutes later they sat in Fleming's 1937 Austin Seven and tried to navigate their way through the howling storm and London's snow clogged streets. Leiter stayed quiet as he let Fleming concentrate on the driving, but when they finally reached the Admiralty he said: “So my dear Ian is there really nothing you can tell the esteemed Rear Admiral Edwards?” “Nothing at all, dear friend. Only that this should be the job of Five and not ours.” Flemming and Leiter walked past the guards and into the Admiralty building. They could hear faint music coming down from the great hall and when they entered they were greeted by an overheated room filled with Officers, dignitaries and a huge Christmas tree. Ian grabbed a glass of brandy from one of the waiters and went off in search for the Admiral, with Leiter tagging along. When he saw him he realized that he had never seen Edwards this relaxed and at ease so he decided that the Admiral would probably not tear his head of for not having anything worth reporting. The Admiral was chatting with a man of about 25 to thirty years of age when he noticed the two Officers approaching him. “Ah, Fleming, Leiter, good to see you.” He gestured towards the third man. “May I introduce Mr. H.A.R. Philby?” Introductions were exchanged before Philby said: “So, Mr. Fleming what is it that brings you here this late?” Fleming did not let on that something about this man bugged him in a strange way and filed it away for later. He was sure that Leiter had realized something was off and would most certainly discuss it. But for now he focused on the business at hand. “Classified I am afraid, but I can tell you that we are working for the Admiral here.” Philby raised his free hand in defeat and said: “Well then, I shall not disturb you any longer. Admiral.” he nodded and moved off to mix himself with the crowds again. The Admiral looked at his two best officers and said: “Before you ask, Mr. Philby was a 'reporter' working for the times and was working for the NID and MI6 in Spain back when it was still called Section D.” he paused and continued then. “So, Gentlemen, what do you have for me?” Fleming cleared is thorat. “Nothing much I am afraid, Sir. It is a mountain of folders we have to go through, and with it being Christmas and all... So anyway, I did a bit work myself and as Mr. Leiter can prove didn't find much of anything.” The Admiral nodded. “I see. Well, keep at it lads, but do take off on Christmas, will you?” “Yes, Sir.” both said with one voice. “Good. Now excuse me please, I have to go and meet with the Prime Minister, as he is most interested in your work.”
Both Fleming and Leiter did not know what hit them more, the fact that the PM was here or that he was keen about what they did in that warehouse. “So much for reducing the pressure.” Leiter sighed and Fleming was forced to agree. “At least we can be sure that our electrical bill will be paid.” Felix continued and Ian took this as a cue that they were no longer talking shop. “Why yes, my dear friend.” And with that they mixed themselves among the crowds, and Ian temporarily forgot to think about why Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby had made his subconscious Alarm clock go off. Much later that night Ian and Felix were driving back to the warehouse where they both also had their quarters and only now Felix started to talk again. “That Philby chap is bugging you for some reason. Care to tell me why?” Ian shook his head. “I don't know, something is strange about him, and I could swear I have read his name somewhere before, and it wasn't in the paper.” Felix looked at Ian with a quizzical look. “Is this one of your gut feelings again?” “No, I am certain I have, I just can't put my finger on where.” Felix laughed hard at this. “You are way too much into this job already. You should write Spy Novels or something.” Fleming laughed and said: “Me, an Author?” before going into the building. Little did he know. When Ian and Felix were laying in their respective quarters Ian could not sleep. For some reason the name Philby was nagging at his subconsciousness and he lay awake because of it. This whole gut feeling thing had saved him numerous times during his exploits in MI6, but what could it mean here? He tried to analyse it. What had he done, where could he have read the name and so on, and when it hit him where he immediately jumped, threw one of his Uniforms and ran over to Leiter's quarters. “Felix, I might need your help on this.”
*All hail my inability to throw computer stuff away!
[Game effects: With this update I opened a sub-sub plot line, as it is loosely tied to Pinie. I have no idea if that room the party was in actually exists. Also all hail my inability to throw computer stuff away! And my regrets for any mistakes with the British Christmas rites.]
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i know who philby is!!!! if only fleming had google.
only thing with christmas is that i find it hard to imagine high ranking officers and politicians etc drinking beer at a formal christmas party. unless its an 'office party' sort of atmosphere, i'd think they'd be drinking wine or brandy or something. just me being picky though.
only thing with christmas is that i find it hard to imagine high ranking officers and politicians etc drinking beer at a formal christmas party. unless its an 'office party' sort of atmosphere, i'd think they'd be drinking wine or brandy or something. just me being picky though.
El Pip said:Ahh Christmas. A time of trees, presents and counter-intelligence plotting!
And there's more to come! Remember, we Mr. Fleming needs to be inspired for his post-war career that we all admire so much.
KiMaSa said:
Both of them.
I've seen Licence to Killl only once, as it isn't exactly the best of them all, but still. How dare they!
theres more than two, i think. but i think its just the same man, but he's constantly changing his appearence in order to stay one step ahead of his enemies, including changing his skin colour.
edit: in fact there are eight.
edit: in fact there are eight.
BritishImperial said:
Yes, it's the same character, but played by different actors. I was referring to the one in the AAR and the one in the films.
Where on earth is that Picture from?KiMaSa said:Well if I decide to feature him in a future AAR... I'm going to recast him again...
But true, he'd be my choice too for a RL Leiter. Now only picture him in a RN uniform...
But... He's under cover!trekaddict said:Where on earth is that Picture from?
But true, he'd be my choice too for a RL Leiter. Now only picture him in a RN uniform...
Edit: I found it in a Google image search... Was looking for a shot of him in his role in Judgment at Nuremberg but this is the closest I could get... I think it MIGHT be from an episode of either The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone.
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KiMaSa said:But... He's under cover!
He's wearing a 1950's US Army Uniform. THe US Army no longer exists, and he'd be instantly arrested for wearing the US tags on his uniform alone.
KiMaSa said:
Seriously though, he'd be my contemporary choice No. 1 for a post-war movie about the Special Section.
STOP! COOKIE TIME