Silent Hunter UK

Memorising the routes would probably be quite difficult - their map wasn't very detailed for the area they were in. A dilapidated-looking truck, probably from the last war, drove past them in the opposite direction. James was having to remember that they drove on the left in this former British colony. Then they heard the sound of a jet aircraft approaching.

Soweto looked, in a way, like something out of the Soviet bloc, but in a different way. Rows and rows of tiny four-roomed single-storey houses and barracks, linked by paved roads in some cases, dirt in the others. Hundreds of people, all black, were out and about, doing their washing, cooking etc. However, unlike in the USSR, there were no signs of electricity provision. No street lights, no telephone wires. Ritter wasn't even sure there was proper plumbing. Perhaps there was. Street signs were also rather absent. It was clear that the apartheid government were doing the bare minimum here to house their workers. OOC A near-contemporary film clip.

There would probably be plenty of ways to bug out and places to hide too.

The Land Rover wasn't exactly a luxury vehicle inside, but it was comfortable enough and seemed capable to handling the terrain of rural South Africa.

It's not until 11am tomorrow game-time. You may wish to do a quick recce of the area if you wish, but don't draw too much attention to yourself.

OK. Are you heading for Soweto now?

What drinks did your characters have?

"No, this is a bar, not a game restaurant. But if you go into Jo'burg proper, there are plenty of places that can cater for your meat desires." James saw the AVIS employee walking towards him, raising a hand to capture his attention. "Sir!" he called out once he'd got a deal closer. "Your Land Rover has just arrived."

"We don't do burgers and fries here", the barman said. "The restaurant over there might do those, but to be honest, wouldn't you want to eat proper South African food. You can get that stuff back at home. Ever tried biltong." **** Hope is a town in several American states. It was not very much help here as the notebook was indeed written in Japanese.

It occurred to both of them to check what the ANC's actual plans were for running the country, considering they were quite close to the local (outlawed by the government, of course) Communist Party. A white man in a brown suit came over to the Japanese men and after some mutual bowing, the group of them left, but not before the latter left some notes on the table as a form of tip. Along with an actual notepad.

James found some coffee at a nearby bar. They also did plenty of other drinks options, both soft and hard. He noticed a number of Japanese businessmen sitting around a table discussing something in that language, looking over a bunch of paperwork and promotional material. Twenty minutes later, the man came walking over from the AVIS desk. "Good news, I've found a Land Rover from a local company that is available for you to hire. You'll need to negotiate the fee with them, but they're coming out with it now. Be about an hour."

The airport hire car staff were a bit confused at his request for an off-road vehicle, but after some discussion, they were able to refer him to a company back in the city that organised game hunting trips and might have a Land Rover they could hire him. It occurred that the roads in Soweto were probably not that good and if he headed out in a "city car", there was a decent chance that he'd end up losing the deposit from damage. The Avis employee said he would make a call and get back to him. In the meantime, he should get a cup of coffee or something, as it might take a while.

The driver told them to avoid Soweto if they valued keeping their wallets on their persons. James suspected that was more based on prejudice than actual fact.

The cab arrived to take them back to the airport. The driver was a white man with thinning grey hair, who liked to talk about cricket. A lot. Whether that was something his passengers enjoyed wasn't something he apparently cared about. He suggested that they could go and see a friendly match at one of his local clubs, something for the Americans to read about. He wasn't sure if Germans did cricket. They drove east through the city, heading back towards Jan Smuts Airport, overtaking a rickety bus filled with Black workers.

. Best known by many of us Brits here for his role as the Valeyard in Doctor Who.