<strong>Heinz von Oberammergau</strong><br/><br/>It had been a milk run over Navajo Territory today. The Indians had asked me to drop a crate by parachute from my wing just over the border in Arixo, no questions asked, $1500 cash in hand. Just flew over at 20,000 feet and dropped it neatly onto the mountain pass where the rebels were waiting for it, blasted the cute little ambush waiting for me to happy hunting grounds with my autocannon's high explosive rounds, and headed home in time for a little<em>Kaffeeklatsch</em>. Honestly, the Navajo could have paid someone competent to kill me for half that price.<br/><br/>That evening, after freshening up in my base of operations, a suite in what had once been quite an airport hotel, I strolled down to Tiny's, the mercenary's mess hall. The choice of the professional. With a choice of professionals for hire, for whatever suicidal mission you wanted to send someone on if you had the cash. I'd had a gilt-edged card engraved<div align="center"><strong><em>'Graf von Oberammergau, Iron Cross 1st class. Delivering payloads since 1917'</em></strong></div>in heavy Gothic letters.<br/><br/><strong>"Got any of the '32 Napa Valley red left, Mr. Tiny sir?"</strong>I asked the barkeep. The wine supply was fickle, and sometimes all he had was sickly sweet cough syrup. Still, the trip down to the Republic of Hollywood hills to fetch more always combined profitable business and pleasure.<br/><br/>While I waited to be served, I looked around, smiling and casually saluting at a few faces I knew. Well now, we had a celebrity in the house. I recognised the lady in the blue dress, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Surely everyone in Sky Haven was familiar with her face of Ecstasy, and her zeppelin empire. No wonder half the bar was queuing up for a piece of her. Of course,<br/><br/><strong>"Mein bartender, sir, please send a bottle of your best stuff over to madame Lamarr's table with my regards. I'll discuss business with her when she's finished with her current admirers. You take Navajo silver, do you not? Thank you kindly."</strong>I dropped a pile of six Troy ounce silver coins on the counter, and sipped my drink.<br/>