*”Cool blonde” = “kühles Blondes” (German slang term for a bottle of beer)
“They have been with us in Grodno”, said Sven. “They are all right now, and very active. Really good boys!”
“Right, we must care for our young activists!”, remarked Baumer and grabbed the next bottle of beer.
“But they`re still a bit scared of you”, answered Sven.
“Damn, we were really pissed off on that day, because of the cops and...”, muttered Kohlhaas.
“Anyhow, they have deserved some punishment! I have already talked turkey with them. Meanwhile, I can`t say any bad things about them anymore, to the contrary, they are good acitvists now.”
It was getting dark. Sven brought some candles out of the house and put them on the plastic table in their midst, his parents had already gone to bed. Suddenly they heard steps. The outlines of a slender person, coming nearer, could be seen from afar. It was Julia Wilden.
“Ah, here you are! I`ve been looking for you everywhere. What are you doing?”, asked Wilden`s daughter and smiled.
“Can`t you see it? We`re boozing!”, said Frank gruffly and emptied his bottle with a single sip.
“What`s up?”, Sven wanted to know then.
“Nothing! I just tried to say hello!”, replied Julia.
Frank distorted his mouth and looked at the pretty blonde. “You have been a rare guest in the last time...”
“I know, but today I just wanted to stop by.”
Bäumer shrugged his shoulders, while Kohlhaas smiled sardonically.
“Your father has told me, that you have once again been in Grodno. With Viktor, the great rebel!”
“Thus, I`m back now…”, she answered quietly.
“Do you want to drink a beer?”, asked Sven and beckoned with a chilled bottle.
“No, thank you! I sit down, okay?”
“But it is nice that you delight us with your presence, madam!”, quipped Frank, grinning ironically.
Julia was silent and looked down at the plastic table. Kohlhaas was irritated. “What`s about your pretty Viktor? Is he still active in the movement? Now, tell something!”
“I don`t know…”, she whispered afflictedly.
“You don`t know, Julia? Is your Viktor still a member of the movement – yes or no? Or does has he meanwhile started a career as a male model?”, sneered Kohlhaas.
“I do not know. He in the Grodno and I`m here”, she said quietly.
“We already know that, Julia. Anyway, we can only see you, while Viktor seems not to be here. What has happened to Mr. Pretty?”, teased Frank and grinned at her contemptuously. Sven was confused.
“All right, then I`ll go now”, said Julia, stood up and walked away.
Frank drank another beer and seemed to be somehow irritated. Eventually, he went home and fell asleep immediately. Julia no longer interested him. At least, he tried to believe this.
Artur Tschistokjow sent some of his best men to Russia and the Ukraine to get in touch with other underground groups of dissidents to form an alliance. Peter Ulljewski traveled to Moscow and met some members of the “New Flag”, a growing underground group of patriotic Russians who wanted to have their old country back, and had been quite active during the last months. Other proponents of the Freedom Movement of the Rus went to St. Petersburg, Kiev, Volgograd, Novgorod, Ryazan, Rostov, Tula and about two dozen other cities. Here they met other rebels of various kinds. In the most cases, the talks were successful and an initial cooperation could be organized. Tschistokjow had meanwhile realized, that Belarus would be nothing but a base for a far greater revolution in Russia and in the Ukraine in the long term, if they would ever make it to take over the power in Minsk. Therefore, it was necessary to find more allies beyond the borders of Belarus.
The hotbed, made of poverty, fear and ethnic tensions, was very fruitful in Russia. However, it lacked the numerous small groups of organization and leadership. None of the other rebel groups in Russia had achieved a political or even military power so far.
Often it were only small, insignificant bunches of malcontents. Nevertheless, the TV reports about Artur Tschistokjow and his freedom movement had also impressed the political dissidents in Russia and the Ukraine. They admired the young politician and rated it as a great honor, if one of his representatives visited them.
Wilden had also a high goal. He resumed contact with his old friend Masaru Taishi from Tokyo and asked him to organize a meeting with a member of the Japanese government. The village boss hoped that Matsumoto`s state would financially support them.
Finally, Mr. Taishi managed it to arrange a meeting. The old Japanese businessman became not tired to emphasize, that his friend from Lithuania had sent the Japanese army two “heroes of Okinawa”. Foreign minister Mori himself eventually gave Wilden the chance for a short talk. A few days later, the village boss flew to Japan.
Frank was meanwhile sure that Julia and Viktor were no longer together.
“He has just exploited me!”, complained the beautiful woman and tried to find solace at Frank. But Kohlhaas gave her the cold shoulder and pretended to have no time for “women`s stuff” - after all, the revolution was calling for him.
Nevertheless, the fact that his secret love seemed to be interested in him again was inspiring. In the following weeks, the freedom movement made two more rallies in smaller towns and enjoyed popularity among the locals. The few policemen, who watched the demonstration, behaved passively or even cooperatively, avoiding any confrontations. Artur Tschistokjow finally managed it to meet the chief of the local police for a brief talk after the demonstration.
Meanwhile, Thorsten Wilden was in Japan since two days. Frank racked his brain about what he would achieve by talking with the Japanese foreign minister. His friend Alf was curious too. However, both had the greatest ideas and sometimes literally fell into daydreams.
But the former businessman from Westphalia should not disappoint them. He proved himself, in the conversation with Akira Mori, the closest friend of president Matsumoto, as a brilliant diplomat and negotiator. He managed to convince the foreign minister of Japan that the freedom movement actually had a realistic chance to take over the power in Belarus.
Apart from that, Japan urgently needed more allies and partners who supported them in their fight against the World Government. After the Philippines had won their independence, under Japanese protection, and the GCF initially risked no further war in the Far East, it sounded more than tempting for Mori, that there could really be a successful revolution in an European country. The foreign minister of Japan promised Wilden some bigger deliveries of arms and moreover financial support.
Finally Tschistokjow got a donation of not less than fifty million yen from the Japanese state. The situation changed apruptly. Inspired by his success, Wilden returned to Belarus and told Tschistokjow the great news. The rebel leader could hardly believe what he heard and was beside himself with joy. Now the political success had to follow.
It was pleasantly warm in this beautiful summer night. Frank, Alfred, Sven and about thirty Russians had made their way to Klaipeda and were waiting for a merchant ship. They tiredly lurked in the darkness, behind a huge wall of metal containers at the port.
“What`s the time?”, asked Sven.
Frank held his watch under the light of a dim street lamp.
“Quarter past two!”, he muttered.
“I hope that they really come!”, grumbled Alf and lit a cigarette.
“The Japs have said between two and three o`clock!”, answered Kohlhaas and yawned.
One of the Russians bugged him shortly thereafter with the same question, in barely understandable English. Frank reacted angrily and chased him away.
After half an hour, a rusty merchant ship appeared at the docks. “Brazil” could be read on the bow of the inconspicuous transport ship.
“It must be them!”, whispered Frank and waved the others nearer.
Shortly afterwards, the ship
docked at the port and the rebels crept forward. Nobody could be seen anywhere, because the loading port of Klaipeda was a lonely place in the middle of the night.
“Konban wa!”, shouted a man out of a hatch of the ship and opened a large access door.
“Hello!”, said Frank, and went with the rest of the rebels on board.
They shook the hands of the Asians and went below. Here was a huge room full of banana crates, about a hundred or even more, as Frank guessed.
“Watashi wa captain desu!”, said a smiling Japanese.
“He is the captain of that rusty ship”, translated Frank with a grin.
The Japanese opened one of the boxes. “Look! Very good guns from the army of Japan!”
“Where are the bazookas?”, asked Kohlhaas.
The man opened another box and Frank took a look at some modern anti-tank weapons. He clapped the Japanese on the shoulder.
Then he nodded and they lost no more time. Frank and the others brought the banana crates to some trucks and disappeared as fast as they could. The Japanese had kept their promise and further deliveries of arms from the Far East followed.
The weapons were hidden at various secret places in northern Belarus. It was a whole arsenal: assault rifles of all types, hand guns, bazookas and even portable rocket launchers with automated target acquisitions to fight Skydragons or bombers. The men of the freedom movement were quite amazed. It was a blessing, that the Japanese foreign minister had not denied their wishes, and apparently believed in the success of their struggle.
Medschenko under Pressure