Chapter 333 - 116: Investment in Gdansk

Chapter 333: Chapter 116: Investment in Gdansk

Werner stood outside the hospital’s delivery room, the cigarette in his hand already burned down to the filter.

The thick smell of disinfectant in the hallway mingled with the cries of a newborn, creating a mixture of tension and anticipation.

"Comrade Betelich, it’s a boy!" a nurse said with a smile as she pushed the door open.

Werner rushed in.

On the hospital bed, a weak Anna cradled the baby. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, but her eyes held a softness he had never seen before.

"Look, our son," Anna said, handing the baby to him.

Werner took him, his movements careful and gentle.

The baby was wrinkled, his eyes shut tight, and his little fists were clenched.

"I want to name him Felix," Werner said. "I hope he’ll be happy and live a normal, happy life."

"Felix," Anna repeated. "That’s a good name. Werner, you’ll give him a good future, won’t you?"

"I will," Werner said, gripping her hand. "I promise."

Anna soon fell asleep, her strength drained by childbirth.

Werner sat by the bedside for a while, watching the sleeping mother and child, then quietly left the hospital.

He had more pressing matters to attend to.

At Koko Headquarters, Gunter’s office was thick with smoke.

"Something big is happening in Poland." Gunter pushed a telegram across his desk. "There’s a massive strike at the Gdansk shipyards. The workers are demanding higher wages and better conditions. The Polish Government sent in the army to suppress it, but the workers aren’t backing down. They’ve even formed some ’Solidarity Union’."

Werner picked up the telegram and scanned it quickly. His heart began to race.

As a Transmigrator, he knew exactly what this meant.

The 1980 Gdansk strike in Poland marked the beginning of the end for the established order in Eastern Europe. The Solidarity Union would become the core of the Polish opposition, and its leader, Lech Walesa, would become Poland’s president a decade later.

"What’s the reaction from above?" Werner asked.

"They’re terrified." Gunter lit a cigarette. "Anger called an emergency meeting. He’s ordered the Stasi to tighten border controls and restrict trade with Poland. They’re afraid this wind will blow into East Germany. You know, Werner, all of Eastern Europe is restless right now. The events in Prague in ’68 are still fresh in everyone’s minds, and now this is happening in Poland. All these brother nations around us... each one is more unruly than the last."

Werner thought for a moment. "It’s not just that they’re unruly, Comrade Gunter. The Czechs want reform, the Poles go on strike, the Hungarians experiment with their economy... These countries have never truly accepted Moscow’s way of doing things."

"Watch your words," Gunter warned, but there was no real force in his tone.

"I’m just stating the facts," Werner said. "Look at the pattern. The Poznan riots in 1956, the Prague Spring in ’68, another strike in Poland in 1970, and again in ’76... What does this frequency tell you? It shows the problem was never solved, just suppressed. Tanks can suppress it once or twice, but can they do it ten or twenty times?"

"So what are you trying to say?" Gunter asked.

"I’m saying change is coming, sooner or later," Werner said, looking at him. "And smart people should prepare in advance."

Gunter stared at Werner for a long time. "What business opportunity have you sniffed out this time?"

Werner smiled. "If trade is restricted, Polish goods will become scarce in the East German market. Last year, I procured a large quantity of merchandise from Warsaw—textiles, canned food, cosmetics, small appliances. The prices for these things are about to skyrocket."

"You planned for this in advance again?" Gunter shook his head. "I really don’t get it. How do you always guess right?"

"This time, I see an even bigger opportunity. With Poland in chaos, the demand for trading political prisoners will surge. The West German Government will definitely want to take this chance to rescue people, and the Polish Government needs foreign currency. We can act as the middlemen, brokering a deal for both East German and Polish political prisoners, selling them to West Germany as a package. We’d earn a double commission."

Gunter mulled it over. "That idea... it’s a little crazy, but it could make a lot of money. Go discuss it with Von Brown. If the Stasi agrees, we’ll do it."

Werner left Koko and went straight to Stasi Headquarters.

Von Brown’s office was also thick with smoke. The colonel had been under a lot of pressure lately, and the lines on his face had deepened.

"Werner, you’ve come at the perfect time." Von Brown pointed to a map of Poland on the wall. "Look at this situation. The Solidarity Union has already spread throughout Gdansk, and there’s unrest in Warsaw. If this wind blows into East Germany, we’re all finished."

"That’s why I’m here to bring you a proposal." Werner sat down and explained his idea about trading political prisoners.

When he finished, Von Brown’s eyes lit up. "You mean, we sell Poland’s troublemakers to West Germany along with our own political prisoners?"

"Exactly. It’s a win for everyone," Werner said. "The Polish Government eases its pressure, we clear out our prisons, the West German Government saves its people, and Koko makes money."

Von Brown stood up and paced around his office twice. "This plan... Anger should agree to it. But the key is, how do you contact the Polish Government? They can’t even take care of themselves right now. How would they have the mind to discuss this?"

"That’s why I have to go to Warsaw myself," Werner said. "I need to establish the channels before the situation spirals completely out of control. Von Brown, I need you to issue me papers stating that I’m a special envoy from Koko, sent to Poland to investigate trade conditions."

Von Brown stared at him for a long time. "Werner, do you have any idea how chaotic Warsaw is right now? The streets are full of protests, the army is on patrol with live ammunition. People could get killed."

"I know," Werner said calmly. "But the greater the chaos, the greater the opportunity."

"Fine." Von Brown took a blank letter of introduction from his drawer and started filling it out. "But I have to send someone with you. To protect you. It’s too chaotic over there."

"Who?"

"Frank," Von Brown said. "You should know him. He’s in his early thirties, very capable."

*************

A few days later, Werner boarded a plane to Warsaw.

Frank sat beside him, taciturn and watchful.

Werner knew that Frank was ostensibly there to protect him, but in reality, he was there to watch him.

As the plane landed at Warsaw’s Okecie Airport, Werner looked through the window and saw several military trucks parked on the tarmac, with soldiers patrolling, armed with live ammunition.

"The atmosphere feels wrong," Frank said in a low voice.

"It is wrong," Werner said. "But that’s exactly what we need."

They checked into a state guesthouse in Warsaw, a place the Polish Government reserved for high-profile foreign guests.

The lobby was deserted. The staff looked nervous, glancing out the windows from time to time.

"Comrade Werner, it’s best not to go out at night," the front desk clerk warned in German. "The streets aren’t safe. There are protest marches everywhere."

In the room, Werner walked to the window and looked out at Warsaw.

There were indeed protest marches on the streets below. People held up signs and shouted slogans. In the distance, he could hear police sirens and the occasional explosion, though it was impossible to tell if it was fireworks or tear gas.

"This city is about to explode," Frank said, standing behind him.

"Frank." Werner suddenly turned around. "How long do you think all of this can last?"

"What?"

"I mean, this business in Warsaw and Gdansk," Werner said, looking at him. "Do you think the Polish Government can suppress it?"

Frank watched him warily. "Comrade Werner, I don’t understand what you mean."

"Stop pretending." Werner walked to the minibar, poured two glasses of vodka, and handed one to him. "You’re Stasi. You understand the current situation better than anyone. In 1968, the Soviet Union sent tanks to crush Prague. In Hungary in 1956, it was tanks again. But do tanks solve the problem? No. The problem is still there, and it’s only getting bigger."

Frank took the glass but didn’t drink. He just stared at Werner.

"Do you know why I let you come with me?" Werner said. "Because I think you’re a smart man. And a smart man should know that this system won’t last much longer. These brother nations all around us—the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary—they’re all growing more and more discontent. Why? Because they never willingly joined Moscow’s circle. They have their own histories, their own cultures, their Catholic and Protestant traditions, and their ties to Western Europe. The Soviet system is nothing but a shackle forced upon them."

"Watch your words," Frank said.