- Joined
- Jun 23, 2020
- Messages
- 79
- Thread Author
- #1
Prologue:
The Freedom Railway was established in 1943 during the height of the Nazi powers in Germany in the second world war. Its founder, Sir Arthur Eldritch Baker was an English-German dual citizen living in Stuttgart in Germany. Arthur was considered a model class of citizen in the eyes of the regime, he was of Caucasian descent, an atheist, and had obtained an impressive set of qualifications in English Literature and the Social Sciences. He was an honored professor at the University of Stuttgart, lecturing English Literature to his students.
It was not until the fall of 1942 that his resistance career would start; he had noticed over the passing months that many Jewish students were being removed from his class and replaced with non-Jewish young adults. His curriculum was being altered by the Board of Education that removed any books or poems produced by a Jewish author, instead opting to use less impressive articles to belittle and critique their writing. In his personal life, many of his Jewish friends would slowly begin to lose contact with him and ultimately would disappear after a while. It was not until his best friend, Helene Schönherr had without warning disappeared, Arthur decided to investigate the matter, much to the disapproval of his work colleagues.
It was not until the fall of 1942 that his resistance career would start; he had noticed over the passing months that many Jewish students were being removed from his class and replaced with non-Jewish young adults. His curriculum was being altered by the Board of Education that removed any books or poems produced by a Jewish author, instead opting to use less impressive articles to belittle and critique their writing. In his personal life, many of his Jewish friends would slowly begin to lose contact with him and ultimately would disappear after a while. It was not until his best friend, Helene Schönherr had without warning disappeared, Arthur decided to investigate the matter, much to the disapproval of his work colleagues.
Chapter One - Awakening
Arthur Baker began to look into these mysterious disappearances, he was careful not to ask around as he was well aware of the reputation of the infamous Gestapo. He looked through documents of his former pupils using his connections to the University; it was discovered that many of his pupils had been forcibly resigned from the courses they attended by order of the German government for an undisclosed reason. He looked through the contact details of a few of the former students and wrote them down in his notebook, covertly stashing this in his bag and leaving the University offices.
Sir. Baker made his way to the houses of the students' families, however, he was surprised to find that all of these houses were now re-occupied by people who had no connection to the previous owners. After questioning, he discovered that all of these residents were fairly new occupants of the houses, relating to around the time the student left the University. He also discovered that all of the residents had not known who the previous owners were as this was not disclosed to them during the house buying process. Thinking he had hit a dead-end, Arthur bid his farewells to the residents and went home.
Whilst pondering on this on a large glass of scotch his wife, Mrs. Marlene Baker, told Arthur about one of her Jewish friends being sent to a “work camp” somewhere in the north of Germany. To this point, Arthur hadn’t known anyone who had been sent to one of these camps, under a strict routine of labor imposed by the Nazis dating back to 1933. It hadn’t occurred to Arthur that this could be the fate of his former students and close friends, perhaps out of hope, but knew he had to do something to set them free.
Sir. Baker made his way to the houses of the students' families, however, he was surprised to find that all of these houses were now re-occupied by people who had no connection to the previous owners. After questioning, he discovered that all of these residents were fairly new occupants of the houses, relating to around the time the student left the University. He also discovered that all of the residents had not known who the previous owners were as this was not disclosed to them during the house buying process. Thinking he had hit a dead-end, Arthur bid his farewells to the residents and went home.
Whilst pondering on this on a large glass of scotch his wife, Mrs. Marlene Baker, told Arthur about one of her Jewish friends being sent to a “work camp” somewhere in the north of Germany. To this point, Arthur hadn’t known anyone who had been sent to one of these camps, under a strict routine of labor imposed by the Nazis dating back to 1933. It hadn’t occurred to Arthur that this could be the fate of his former students and close friends, perhaps out of hope, but knew he had to do something to set them free.
Chapter Two - Operations Begin
On the way to work one morning, Arthur glanced at the adjacent train tracks. A train traveling at a modest speed passed, it appeared to be a passenger freight train, on closer inspection, however, the train appeared to be imprinted with Nazi insignia. The train had four carriages in total, carrying around thirty or so passengers, what was different about this train is that the passengers appeared to be distressed, with scared and confused expressions appearing out of the dirty, smog-covered windows. Arthur inquired about where that train was going, to the reply of a fellow pedestrian; “That’s one of those camp trains, I think that one is going out-of-country somewhere”.
Arthur made his way to a signal control tower which appeared to be un-manned at the time, he looked around at the controls, seeing if there was anything he could do to stop it. He spotted a large lever labeled “Spurwechsel” or “Track-Switch”, pulling it and changing the direction to an unused and incomplete part of the rail line. He then followed the train by bicycle as it switched tracks. Soon after entering the wilderness, the train stopped at the edge of the tracks where a group of builders was still constructing the line. Confusion between both the train staff and the workers ensued just as Arthur arrived at the scene. He dropped the bicycle to one side and covertly crept over to the train.
Just outside the train, the workers and guards argued and blamed each other for the mix-up, incoherently threatening to speak to each other supervisors. In the midst of the chaos, Arthur approached the back of the last carriage and tried to open the door, it was locked but felt flimsy so he kicked it down with no issue. Around twenty-eight surprised faces all turned to look at him, he spoke calmly but firmly; “You don’t have much time, climb out of this door and run”. All of the passengers complied, one by one helping each other out of the train, he did this for the other three carriages as the doors were unlocked. By this point, all of the passengers had run into the trees, far away from the train.
Arthur made his way over to the men arguing, he spotted four workers, three train conductors, and one guard dressed in a Nazi uniform. He slowly crept behind the guard, and with adrenaline pumping through his veins, snatched the guard's pistol from his holster. Arthur backed up, pointing the gun towards them as they turned around. They all remained silent as Arthur held the gun up to them, rather poetically, he said the same thing he had said to the prisoners, rather simply saying “Run”. All of the men scattered, believing Arthurs bluff that in fact, he had never fired, or even used a firearm before.
Arthur made his way to a signal control tower which appeared to be un-manned at the time, he looked around at the controls, seeing if there was anything he could do to stop it. He spotted a large lever labeled “Spurwechsel” or “Track-Switch”, pulling it and changing the direction to an unused and incomplete part of the rail line. He then followed the train by bicycle as it switched tracks. Soon after entering the wilderness, the train stopped at the edge of the tracks where a group of builders was still constructing the line. Confusion between both the train staff and the workers ensued just as Arthur arrived at the scene. He dropped the bicycle to one side and covertly crept over to the train.
Just outside the train, the workers and guards argued and blamed each other for the mix-up, incoherently threatening to speak to each other supervisors. In the midst of the chaos, Arthur approached the back of the last carriage and tried to open the door, it was locked but felt flimsy so he kicked it down with no issue. Around twenty-eight surprised faces all turned to look at him, he spoke calmly but firmly; “You don’t have much time, climb out of this door and run”. All of the passengers complied, one by one helping each other out of the train, he did this for the other three carriages as the doors were unlocked. By this point, all of the passengers had run into the trees, far away from the train.
Arthur made his way over to the men arguing, he spotted four workers, three train conductors, and one guard dressed in a Nazi uniform. He slowly crept behind the guard, and with adrenaline pumping through his veins, snatched the guard's pistol from his holster. Arthur backed up, pointing the gun towards them as they turned around. They all remained silent as Arthur held the gun up to them, rather poetically, he said the same thing he had said to the prisoners, rather simply saying “Run”. All of the men scattered, believing Arthurs bluff that in fact, he had never fired, or even used a firearm before.
Chapter Three - A New Purpose
He was now alone in the wilderness, recollecting on what had just happened, he knew he had to leave as this was now a crime scene. As he walked back along the deserted track, two thoughts crossed his mind… the first being that he was now a fugitive, he had not covered his face so the eight men who saw him would remember what Arthur looked like. Secondly, he had liberated around ninety men, women, and children from the notorious work camps. After a while he had reached civilization again, it was late by this time so he headed back home.
Whilst having dinner, the Bakers got a knock on their door. Upon opening the door and seeing who it was, three men in SS uniforms stood in front of him, two of them armed with MP40s, the one in the middle spoke in a harsh tone, explaining to Arthur that he was under arrest for sabotaging a Government transport train. He complied, allowing his arms to be bound and following the men into their car, much to Mrs. Bakers dismay. He looked at her through the car window as they drove away.
During the drive, he thought about his transition from a respected professor, to an unlawful fugitive. He imagined spending the rest of his life in a prison cell, or perhaps a worse fate. Two of the men sat in front, with the one who spoke to him driving. He sat at the back of the car, with one of the guards sat in front of him, still holding his firearm. After a while of driving, the car stopped and the men in front appeared to be talking about something. The guard sat in the passenger seat, stepped out of the car, and spoke with some in the street who were blocking the car. Just then, the stranger punched the guard in the face as he fell to the ground, she picked up his gun and pointed it at the driver. Several more people approached the car, armed with pistols, they berated the officers and told them to get out of the car.
Arthur sat in his seat anxiously, wondering what was going on outside. A woman he recognized approached him, holstering her weapon, and spoke to him. “Thank you for saving us,” she said, gesturing to him to follow them. The group moved quickly in the night, running to a nearby alleyway. Arthur’s hand ties were cut, and all of the men and women thanked him for saving them earlier that day. They explained they wanted to do more to help the Jewish people of Germany, fighting the regime to free them. They created a group in order to organize themselves, and in recollection of the events that brought them together, they called it “The Freedom Railway”.
Whilst having dinner, the Bakers got a knock on their door. Upon opening the door and seeing who it was, three men in SS uniforms stood in front of him, two of them armed with MP40s, the one in the middle spoke in a harsh tone, explaining to Arthur that he was under arrest for sabotaging a Government transport train. He complied, allowing his arms to be bound and following the men into their car, much to Mrs. Bakers dismay. He looked at her through the car window as they drove away.
During the drive, he thought about his transition from a respected professor, to an unlawful fugitive. He imagined spending the rest of his life in a prison cell, or perhaps a worse fate. Two of the men sat in front, with the one who spoke to him driving. He sat at the back of the car, with one of the guards sat in front of him, still holding his firearm. After a while of driving, the car stopped and the men in front appeared to be talking about something. The guard sat in the passenger seat, stepped out of the car, and spoke with some in the street who were blocking the car. Just then, the stranger punched the guard in the face as he fell to the ground, she picked up his gun and pointed it at the driver. Several more people approached the car, armed with pistols, they berated the officers and told them to get out of the car.
Arthur sat in his seat anxiously, wondering what was going on outside. A woman he recognized approached him, holstering her weapon, and spoke to him. “Thank you for saving us,” she said, gesturing to him to follow them. The group moved quickly in the night, running to a nearby alleyway. Arthur’s hand ties were cut, and all of the men and women thanked him for saving them earlier that day. They explained they wanted to do more to help the Jewish people of Germany, fighting the regime to free them. They created a group in order to organize themselves, and in recollection of the events that brought them together, they called it “The Freedom Railway”.
Chapter Four - Liberation
The group broke into an abandoned shop on the quiet side of a local high street, one of the older members of the group claimed he used to work here and the building had a large basement that was used for storing the shop’s merchandise. He found a spare key to the basement, placed under the register. The shop appeared to once be a furniture store, as the basement had many desks, benches, and lights which would be used to live there. They started to set up some desks to work from, and an area of the basement to sleep in.
After they had set up, Arthur and his group of fugitives started to plan the next course of action and how they would liberate more Jewish citizens. They began to do more attacks on Nazi transports but divided some of their group to help them escape the country into non-occupied countries. Using secrecy and covert methods, they devised a system of call signs, nicknames, and checkpoints with under-cover citizens and officials to receive intelligence on other transportation controlled by the Nazis, both people trafficking and goods they used to sustain themselves. As time went on, they managed to gain more of a following, rescued “refugees” were recruited and operations were bigger and more elaborate.
The Freedom Railway group eventually moved into an underground facility previously used as a bunker in world war I. With this, they were able to expand and totaled around 50 active associates and even more sympathizers. Although many agents frequented the outside, Arthur spent the majority of his time in the bunker, as his face was known in the local area as a fugitive. He had been planning a big operation to hit the Nazis hard, and free possibly hundreds of Jews on their way to Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland made to exterminate Jews and other political conscripts. Planning took weeks, but they finally devised a plan to stop and hold up a large train just on the border of Poland.
On the day it happened, many agents were positioned on the journey to signal the location of the train, twenty agents including Arthur waited in the bushes near the ambush site, confirming the plan and getting prepared. Two of the agents used a saw to cut down a tree to obstruct the railway and make the train stop. As the train approached, it slowed down and the group prepared to strike, but something was wrong… there were no sad faces in the windows and the train wasn’t marked like the other one. Just then over forty Heer soldiers stepped off the train and confronted the men in the bushes.
They pointed their guns at the men and the resistance members put down their firearms, slowly stepping out of the cover. A formally dressed man in an Army officer’s uniform stepped out of the train. He spoke loudly, turning his head to all of the men present in front of him. “Which one of you is Arthur Baker?”. Arthur froze, the man standing next to him began to move forward but he stopped him, instead, Arthur walked forward and raised his hand. “Soldiers, arrest the other men… and bring Mr. Baker to me”, the soldiers did as instructed, bringing the men onto the train after binding their hands.
The officer brought Arthur onto the train, sitting him down in front of himself. He told Arthur he was impressed with what he had achieved but assured him that he’d spend the rest of his life in a cell as killing him would be too kind. He laughed to himself as Arthur stayed silent, obviously amused by catching him. The train stopped at the center of Stuttgart, where Arthur was transported by truck, escorted by two Heer army trucks where he was transported to the City’s prison and taken to the Isolation unit where he was meant to live out the rest of his days.
After they had set up, Arthur and his group of fugitives started to plan the next course of action and how they would liberate more Jewish citizens. They began to do more attacks on Nazi transports but divided some of their group to help them escape the country into non-occupied countries. Using secrecy and covert methods, they devised a system of call signs, nicknames, and checkpoints with under-cover citizens and officials to receive intelligence on other transportation controlled by the Nazis, both people trafficking and goods they used to sustain themselves. As time went on, they managed to gain more of a following, rescued “refugees” were recruited and operations were bigger and more elaborate.
The Freedom Railway group eventually moved into an underground facility previously used as a bunker in world war I. With this, they were able to expand and totaled around 50 active associates and even more sympathizers. Although many agents frequented the outside, Arthur spent the majority of his time in the bunker, as his face was known in the local area as a fugitive. He had been planning a big operation to hit the Nazis hard, and free possibly hundreds of Jews on their way to Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland made to exterminate Jews and other political conscripts. Planning took weeks, but they finally devised a plan to stop and hold up a large train just on the border of Poland.
On the day it happened, many agents were positioned on the journey to signal the location of the train, twenty agents including Arthur waited in the bushes near the ambush site, confirming the plan and getting prepared. Two of the agents used a saw to cut down a tree to obstruct the railway and make the train stop. As the train approached, it slowed down and the group prepared to strike, but something was wrong… there were no sad faces in the windows and the train wasn’t marked like the other one. Just then over forty Heer soldiers stepped off the train and confronted the men in the bushes.
They pointed their guns at the men and the resistance members put down their firearms, slowly stepping out of the cover. A formally dressed man in an Army officer’s uniform stepped out of the train. He spoke loudly, turning his head to all of the men present in front of him. “Which one of you is Arthur Baker?”. Arthur froze, the man standing next to him began to move forward but he stopped him, instead, Arthur walked forward and raised his hand. “Soldiers, arrest the other men… and bring Mr. Baker to me”, the soldiers did as instructed, bringing the men onto the train after binding their hands.
The officer brought Arthur onto the train, sitting him down in front of himself. He told Arthur he was impressed with what he had achieved but assured him that he’d spend the rest of his life in a cell as killing him would be too kind. He laughed to himself as Arthur stayed silent, obviously amused by catching him. The train stopped at the center of Stuttgart, where Arthur was transported by truck, escorted by two Heer army trucks where he was transported to the City’s prison and taken to the Isolation unit where he was meant to live out the rest of his days.
Chapter Five - The Aftermath
On May 8th, 1945, World War Two had ended and the Nazi’s reign was over. Three days later, Arthur was set free from prison and moved back to England where he was given commendation and knight-hood from the Queen. Arthur lived the rest of his years in England, and although the war was over, he continued to assist Jewish people with settling into their new lives, often missing family from the fallout of the war. Sir Arthur Baker passed away in 1952 surrounded by friends and family.
With the war over and no clear leadership to take over the Freedom Railway, the stability of the previous powerhouse faction began to deteriorate. Different high-ranking members had different ideologies about which direction the group would take… some opting to keep the traditional message of fighting Anti-Semitism whilst others wanting to branch out into more extreme methods of rescuing the oppressed. A decision was made to keep the methods peaceful but to expand the range of people to be rescued. Over the years, the group sought to free those imprisoned by those deemed unfair rulers. From those sent to Soviet Gulags, to citizens of North Korea, The Freedom Railway kept its ideals the same over the generations.
Around 1990, with just over two hundred members worldwide, the organization was working at peak efficiency, focusing on helping citizens of North Korea escape. During this time, new methods such as using modern computer technology to process new refugees had been introduced, creating fake documents and new identities to help them fit into the society they chose to associate with. This operation was the focus of the group up until early 2001 when the Seven Hour War took place and Earth was ultimately occupied by the Combine.
With the war over and no clear leadership to take over the Freedom Railway, the stability of the previous powerhouse faction began to deteriorate. Different high-ranking members had different ideologies about which direction the group would take… some opting to keep the traditional message of fighting Anti-Semitism whilst others wanting to branch out into more extreme methods of rescuing the oppressed. A decision was made to keep the methods peaceful but to expand the range of people to be rescued. Over the years, the group sought to free those imprisoned by those deemed unfair rulers. From those sent to Soviet Gulags, to citizens of North Korea, The Freedom Railway kept its ideals the same over the generations.
Around 1990, with just over two hundred members worldwide, the organization was working at peak efficiency, focusing on helping citizens of North Korea escape. During this time, new methods such as using modern computer technology to process new refugees had been introduced, creating fake documents and new identities to help them fit into the society they chose to associate with. This operation was the focus of the group up until early 2001 when the Seven Hour War took place and Earth was ultimately occupied by the Combine.
Chapter Six - The Combine Rule
After the Combine took control of Earth, the Universal Union was introduced to replace modern society and democracy. Much of Earth was divided into cities and its inhabitants moved all around the world. The Freedom Railway was put on the brink of collapse as its members were segregated and much of its intelligence was lost. It would be rare that even two members of the group were placed in the city, with little to no chance of them knowing each other. The future of the Freedom Railway seemed bleak, with few having the will and resources to keep it going.
A man by the name of James Calloway, the current Freedom Railway leader, was transferred to City 24 in a routine shuffle of citizens by the Combine. James thought himself fortunate that he’d be transferred to Geneva, as the Freedom Railway had an outpost there Pre-War he hoped he could reach. However, this was located in a restricted part of the Outer City. His goal was to escape the city but had no idea how to escape under the watchful eye of the Union.
During one routine work shift, he was tasked with cleaning out part of the sewer that had become blocked. The work shift team was sent down with one Civil Protection officer keeping a watch on the group. After a while of cleaning, James attempted to think of a way to escape further into the sewers to hide and rethink his plan, whilst he was planning one of the citizens accidentally pushed the other, resulting in a confrontation. This distracted the officer and allowed James enough time to escape into the next room.
As he ran he could hear the men stop fighting as the officer hit them with his baton, noticing one of the citizens had gone missing and shouting into his radio. James ran as fast as he could through the rooms, damaging his protective suit in the process. He ran from corridor to corridor, not looking behind him as he blindly avoided xenian plans and fauna. He finds himself in the open air as he escapes the sewer into the outside… smelling the poisoned fresh air, he makes his way to find the outpost.
A man by the name of James Calloway, the current Freedom Railway leader, was transferred to City 24 in a routine shuffle of citizens by the Combine. James thought himself fortunate that he’d be transferred to Geneva, as the Freedom Railway had an outpost there Pre-War he hoped he could reach. However, this was located in a restricted part of the Outer City. His goal was to escape the city but had no idea how to escape under the watchful eye of the Union.
During one routine work shift, he was tasked with cleaning out part of the sewer that had become blocked. The work shift team was sent down with one Civil Protection officer keeping a watch on the group. After a while of cleaning, James attempted to think of a way to escape further into the sewers to hide and rethink his plan, whilst he was planning one of the citizens accidentally pushed the other, resulting in a confrontation. This distracted the officer and allowed James enough time to escape into the next room.
As he ran he could hear the men stop fighting as the officer hit them with his baton, noticing one of the citizens had gone missing and shouting into his radio. James ran as fast as he could through the rooms, damaging his protective suit in the process. He ran from corridor to corridor, not looking behind him as he blindly avoided xenian plans and fauna. He finds himself in the open air as he escapes the sewer into the outside… smelling the poisoned fresh air, he makes his way to find the outpost.
Chapter Seven - New Beginnings
The Combine was far out of sight as James made his way through the outlands, attempting to follow directions from a map he’d seen before the war. Days passed as he survived on a few stockpiled rations and canned foods found in some of the derelict houses. After a while he found a building that matched the description of the map, looking inside he found a damaged exterior with notes and documents scattered across the floor. It didn’t appear to be ransacked, rather environmental damage as most of the documents was still intact.
James cleared some of the rubble and fixed the exterior with spare scrap metal and wood, he organized the documents and began plans to rebuild the group for a new purpose, to help the denizens of City 24 escape the harsh rule of the combine, one person at a time.
James cleared some of the rubble and fixed the exterior with spare scrap metal and wood, he organized the documents and began plans to rebuild the group for a new purpose, to help the denizens of City 24 escape the harsh rule of the combine, one person at a time.
Last edited:
