Ein langer Weg .. ( a long way)

[Schattenkralle92]

Kaiserslautern Depot, New Berlin
1st December 835 A.S.

Lutz sat on a small transport crate on the hangar deck, a beer in his hand and his back leaning against the cold steel wall of the station, his thoughtful gaze fixed on the door opposite of him.
A few hours earlier, the young students and some newly arrived Bundschuh members, including Emil, had disappeared behind that very door to discuss how to proceed.

‘What are they talking about?’ Lutz wondered to himself.
He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hardly noticed Karl slumping down next to him on another crate, his hands black with soot from the engines he had been working on for days.
Their escape may have been successful, but the reckless manoeuvres had not been kind to the old humpback freighter. With great difficulty, they had managed to drag themselves into the station's docking bay, and since then, the engines had not made a sound.

"Are they still in there?" Karl asked in surprise.
"Looks like it." replied Lutz, still mentally absent.

"Instead of sitting around here drinking one beer after another, you could help me get this thing working again." joked Karl.
Lutz still barely noticed him. Only slowly did he turn his gaze away from the door and look at his fellow sufferer.

"And how exactly is that supposed to help you? I'm not a mechanic and would just get in your way anyway."
"There's not much we can do either way. The coils and compressor in both engines are shot. They're dead. We'll probably need completely new engines, but whether it's worth it for this old banger is questionable. And whether it's the only problem is also questionable. How's your little girlfriend doing, by the way?" Karl asked in his usual calm tone as he reached beside him and also took a beer bottle from the crate positioned there. With a quick twist of his right hand, he skilfully removed the cap.

"I visited her this morning. Gloria has recovered well so far. But it will be a few more days before she is discharged. The doc wants to make sure there are no side effects from the drugs she was given during the operation. She's bored stiff in the little med station, but what can you do? She'll just have to be patient. Not her strong side thats that." Now it was Karl who stared absently at his beer bottle.

"We're stuck here either way." he replied after a few seconds.
"By the way, I'm sorry I got you involved in this. Now your ship is ready for the scrap heap and the Imperials are after you too."

"Oh, don't worry about it. To be honest, I'm glad. It was dead boring just shipping cargo from A to B all the time. I haven't felt this alive in a long time. At least not since my, or rather our, time with the Rheinwehr."
"Tell me, do you miss it?" Lutz asked thoughtfully.

"What exactly?"
"The Rheinwehr, the tasks, the feeling of being needed."

"Yes, of course, at least a little. But I couldn't fly for the Rheinwehr anymore. Pulling the trigger without asking questions for such a questionable empire. No, that wouldn't be for me anymore."
"And for a cause you believe in? For their cause?"

"For that? Jederzeit! Do you want to join them?"
"Despite their clumsy first steps, they somehow infected me with a fever. My head is rattling away all the time, processing the things they told me on the flight here. An idea has formed in me. A desire to return. Back to the Republic. To freedom."

Karl just smiled to himself without replying.
As if on cue, the door to the meeting rooms suddenly opened and the group of students came streaming back into the main hall, followed by Emil.

Lutz got up from his crate and put the empty beer bottle back in the box. Emil slowly approached them, as did the leader of the small group, Jonathan.
"Well, a final decision has been made." Emil began.

"The Bundschuh will provide shelter and food to the Alliance of Independent Democrats for the time being. However, this is not a permanent solution. Integration into the ranks of the Bundschuh has been rejected, as our political ideals are too far apart. At least for the moment."
Silence spread among the four people. Then Jonathan began to speak.

"Nun, that can't be changed for the moment. Above all, I would like to thank both of you. For getting us out of there alive and also for risking your own safety in the process."
He bowed to Lutz and Karl. Lutz then put his hand on Jonathan's shoulder, letting him know that the formal gesture of thanks was unnecessary.

"Emil also deserves your thanks. Without the interceptors, we wouldn't have been able to escape."
"Let's just say I was able to call in a long-overdue favour from the farmers' rights movement. However, this is nothing compared to your contribution to the cause," Emil replied modestly.

Jonathan cleared his throat and continued.
"Furthermore, on behalf of all our members, I would like to invite you to join the Alliance of Independent Democrats. We need your help and your experience if we are to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead."

He joyfully extended his hand and Lutz quickly took it. The young, impetuous passion for a cause that seemed already lost had now completely taken hold of him. Perhaps they would not succeed in realising their dream of a new republic, but he would do everything possible to help them.
Karl now also stood up and shook Jonathan's hand. He was on board too. They were just about to turn away from Emil when he began.

"There's still the matter of payment."
"Payment? For what?" Lutz asked in surprise.

Emil quickly raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture.
"That's not what I meant. I meant your payment for the service you rendered. I hear your transport vehicle is beyond repair? Well, the Bundschuh has a new ship for you. On loan, of course."

Emil directed them to a nearby window from which they could see the station's berth. An DL-Series Border Worlds Transport was anchored there.
"This fine ship is the Steinbrecher. It is equipped with reinforced hull armour so that it can fly through asteroid fields like this one. Hence the name."

Karl gave Lutz a knowing smile as he inspected the Transport through the window with his skillful eyes. Lutz just nodded to Emil to let him know they were agreeing to the deal.

"The usual crew of the Steinbrecher is currently needed elsewhere, and the ship is moored here unused. We would leave it to you for a while so that you can carry out smaller jobs for us. You can use the money to cover your running costs and to purchase your own ship for the BUND|. The well-equipped living quarters on board will certainly be more comfortable for you than constantly living on our Bundschuh base. I will arrange for the transfer immediately. You will receive a message via your Neuro-Net once everything has been finalised. My thanks to both of you. That was very good work."

---

With the start of the wildfire . . . its the end of an empire
In the death of a desire . . . its the end of an empire
again . . . again . . . again . . .
At the edge of the hellfire . . . its the end of an empire
In the line of the gunfire . . . its the end of an empire
again . . . again . . . again . . .
Through space and time . . . you can't escape this paradigm
At the close of a lifetime . . . its the end of an empire
this time
Another ending that's beginning to unfold . . . its the end of the Rheinland empire

Server-chars:
BUND|Schattenkralle -|- BUND|BTs-Steinbrecher -|- BUND|BFr-Schiller -|- John.Lugan