I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 100: Chapter 10: The System’s New Warning

"The Church’s channels," Werner said slowly. "I know a priest, Weber. He has contacts with the Church in West Berlin and can pass along supplies and information. I was thinking—"

He paused, organizing his thoughts.

"I was thinking, maybe we could try to get the Church in West Berlin to pay, through official channels, to ransom people out."

The room suddenly fell silent. The other three stared at Werner, stunned.

"Ransom them out?" Lucas pushed up his glasses. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Werner flicked his cigarette ash. "East Germany is short on foreign currency right now, right? If West Germany is willing to pay, the government might be willing to release people. Nominally, it could be called ’humanitarian compensation,’ but in reality, it’s—"

"Selling people," Joshua finished coldly.

"Right." Werner didn’t shy away from it. "Cash on one hand, release on the other. But this would be an official transaction, with documents and procedures. It’s much safer than trying to defect."

Wolfgang stared at him in disbelief. "Something like that—could something like that actually work?"

"I don’t know." Werner was honest. "No one’s tried it. But in theory, it’s viable. East Germany needs foreign currency, West Germany has money, and the churches in East and West Germany have cross-border connections. If we can link these three parties—"

’What he didn’t say was that he was actually quite confident about this path. Historically, the Church had indeed done such things, rescuing small batches of political prisoners to West Germany using similar methods. It was just that this happened later on; no one had thought of it yet.’

’He was just pushing for it to happen ahead of schedule.’

"You’re crazy." Alina took a drag from her cigarette, her voice trembling. "You think the Stasi would agree to something like this?"

"Why wouldn’t they?" Werner shot back. "They have so many political prisoners locked up in their jails. To them, it’s a burden. They have to provide cells, food, and guards. If they could exchange that burden for West German Marks, why wouldn’t they do it?"

Lucas took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But—but how would it work? Who would negotiate with the government? Who would provide the money?"

"That’s the problem." Werner stood up and paced a couple of steps in the small room. "The entire process has to be figured out from scratch. First, we need to contact the Church in West Berlin and see if they’re willing to participate. Then we have to find people or organizations willing to put up the money. Most importantly, someone has to negotiate with the East German officials and convince them this is a good way to earn foreign currency."

"Can the Church do all that?" Joshua asked.

"I don’t know." Werner shook his head. "The Church has charitable channels with the West German Church, but right now, they only pass along supplies and information. They’ve never tried to ransom people."

"Then what makes you so—" Alina’s voice was filled with doubt.

"Logic," Werner cut her off. "It’s a fact that East Germany is short on cash. It’s a fact that West Germany has money. And it’s a fact that the Church can communicate across the border. Combining these three things makes logical sense. The rest is just a matter of practical application."

The room fell silent again. Lucas put his glasses back on, his voice hoarse. "How much money would it take?"

"I don’t know," Werner said honestly. "There’s no precedent. Maybe a few thousand West German Marks, maybe tens of thousands. It depends on how the government prices it, and how much the West German side is willing to pay."

"Then we—" Hope filled Lucas’s voice. "My wife is in West Berlin. If her church there is willing to pay—"

"Don’t get your hopes up just yet." Werner threw cold water on the idea. "This is just an idea. We don’t know if it can even be done. Even if it can, it will take a very long time. We have to take it one step at a time."

"What’s the first step?" Joshua asked.

"First, I need to talk to Weber and see what he thinks of this idea, and if he can contact the Church over in West Berlin." Werner sat back down. "Then, I need to sound out the government’s attitude. I might need to ask around with some officials, see what they think of this kind of ’special transaction.’"

"The government would agree to a deal like that?" Wolfgang was still incredulous.

"Maybe, maybe not," Werner said. "But it’s worth a try. The situation is so tense right now, and crossing the border illegally is getting harder. If we can open up a legal channel, it would be good for everyone."

Alina crushed out her cigarette. A flicker of hope appeared in her eyes, but it quickly faded. "But we aren’t convicted political prisoners."

"That’s another problem," Werner admitted. "Even if this path works, it won’t apply to everyone. The government would definitely prefer to release those who have already been sentenced and are in prison—those are the ones who are a real burden to them."

"Then what do we do?" Despair edged Lucas’s voice.

"Either you wait," Werner said calmly. "Wait until you’re formally arrested and sentenced, and then we figure out how to ransom you out. But that’s too passive, and prison is no picnic."

"Is there another way?"

"You could try applying for a ’family visit,’" Werner said. "For example, Lucas, you could apply to visit your wife in West Berlin, on the grounds that she’s seriously ill and needs care. If it’s approved, you can leave openly and legally."

"Would they approve it?" Hope glimmered in Lucas’s eyes.

"Hard to say." Werner was honest. "You’re under surveillance right now; the Stasi knows you want to leave. It’s unlikely they’d approve it, unless—"

"Unless what?"

"Unless they decide you’re more trouble staying here," Werner paused. "Or, you can offer them something valuable in exchange."

The room fell silent again. Lucas took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Alina smoked mechanically. Wolfgang held his head in his hands, looking like he was about to break down.

"So nothing is certain right now," Joshua summarized. "The Church ransom path hasn’t been tried, and we don’t know if it will work. We don’t know if the family visit path will be approved. The only sure thing is the border checkpoint route, but the risk is enormous."

"Right." Werner nodded. "That’s why I said it will take time. I have to do some reconnaissance first, see which path is most viable."

"How long will it take?" Lucas asked.

"I don’t know," Werner said. "For the Church ransom idea, I have to talk to Pastor Weber first to see his attitude. If he’s willing to try, I’ll still have to contact West Berlin and figure out the government’s bottom line. That could take months, maybe even a year. The family visit application also takes time, with no guarantee of approval. The border checkpoint route is a bit faster, but the preparations will still take several months."

"So, in other words, we’re not going anywhere in the short term," Alina’s voice was calm, but you could hear the despair in it.

Werner didn’t answer. He knew these people needed hope, but he didn’t want to give them false hope.

"What I can guarantee is that I will try," he finally said. "But you’ll need to be patient. And you’ll need money."

"How much?" Joshua asked.

"The initial fee is ten thousand West German Marks," Werner said. "This money is to grease the wheels and contact the Church in West Berlin. If the Church ransom path works out, it will cost even more—the ransom could be tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand."

"That’s too expensive," Alina frowned.

"This isn’t the time to haggle," Werner said calmly. "You’re buying your lives, not groceries. Besides, most of this money isn’t going into my pocket. It’s for the officials, the middlemen, and everyone who needs to be paid off at every step."

A long silence fell over the room. Finally, Lucas slowly nodded.

"Fine. We’ll wait."

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

Werner sat in the textile factory warehouse with a thick ledger open in front of him. He was scribbling with a pencil, calculating the change in inventory in the two weeks since the Berlin Wall went up.

The corners of the warehouse were piled high with goods. After the Wall was built, their Black Market price had tripled. He had made more money in these past few weeks than in the previous several months.

The sound of a truck engine came from outside the window.

Werner looked up and saw Keller jump down from the driver’s cab, carrying a wooden crate toward the warehouse.

"Boss Werner, Hank sent over another shipment." Keller placed the crate on the table and dusted off his hands. "He said security at the munitions factory has gotten tighter. The next shipment won’t be until mid-October."

Werner opened the crate. Inside were ten neatly arranged bottles of industrial alcohol. He picked one up and held it to the light. The liquid was clear and transparent, of good quality.

"Put it in the warehouse," Werner nodded.

"Boss, some people on the Black Market are asking about your supply source. Krupp’s men, and a few new faces."

"Let them ask," Werner said, closing the ledger, his tone flat. "As long as our channels hold up, there’s nothing they can do but watch."

Suddenly, the System’s voice echoed in Werner’s mind.

[WARNING: A SECRET PURGE WILL BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE STASI]

[TARGETS: INFORMANTS AND MARGINAL PERSONNEL WITH SUSPECTED TIES TO WESTERN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES]

[RISK LEVEL: HIGH]