MIA: Major Wilhelm Schulz

[Rubber_Duck]

Chapter 3 - The contact

As the Stuttgart-Omega 11 jumpgate opened, the board computers voice could be heard: "Warning! Flight recorder deactivated! Manual trigger enabled!"
"Exzellent. It works." The warp tunnel appeared, and seconds later, he found himself in the well known asteroid field of Omega 11. By having a look on the scanners, he realized a hessian patrol disappearing, and so remembering that he didn't enter the friendliest area in Rheinland, setting up the system status to condition red. Another shiver ran down his back, when he entered the coordinates into the navigation console of his fighter. B-3. The ships cruise engines were charging, and the Mjölnir accelerated to cruise speed, being set on autopilot. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the thoughts came over him again. His dreams, the visions... he wondered, if he would find an explanation for some of the sleepless nights during the last years. About his father. And yes, even about patrol Freya-12 Anton, also he needed to admit to himself, that even if this was the major reason for his travel... The memories of his father coming up again, and the strange coordinates... this was awakening much more interest in him.

Wilhelm opened his eyes again, to check the navigational map. "Oh, it is still weit" he thought.
Looking out of his front window, he realized the shape of a Wraith fighter, directly in front of him. But... it didn't appear on the scanners. "What zhe?" he wondered. "Rheinland Militär Schiff! Identify! Zhis is Marinenachrichtendienst Major Schulz!" he yelled into the comms, still wondering, how this ship could be seen, but is stealthy on scanners. He didn't even hear rumors about stealth ship development. "Zhis could be zhe final advantage over liberty!" he thought. The ship didn't reply. He launched a cruise disruptor, but it just hit the asteroids. Another one. It seemed to pass the interior of the Wraith in front of him. He yelled in the comms again. "Militär Schiff! Identify!" Still no response. The ship was directly heading to his own set coordinates... "It's getting strange" he thought, and realized another shiver, shaking his entire body, and bringing up visions again. He closed his eyes. And realized, that he was still able to see the Wraith in front of him. He opened his eyes, closed them, opened them. No change in the view. The Wraith was always there. "Is it an illusion? Is it zhere? What is it, what is happening?" The Wraith vanished, and with him the visions. He realized the flickering shape of a jumphole in front of his ship, no 0.2 clicks away. B-3. Exactly. The location where his father got lost. And a jumphole here? Why didn't the patrols find it? Why did no one find it? Curiosity took control over him, and he entered the hole.
Seconds later, he faced the view of a bright system. A yellow star, a planet on the left, an asteroid belt on the right. He never had seen this before, he was sure. Where ever he was, it... no. There wasnt death at all. He felt warm and comfortable suddenly, all his shivers were gone. Nothing running down his back yet. He decided to set course to the planet in sight, once the Wraith appeared again, obviously taking the same direction. But it was closer this time, he could see the letters on its hull.

Freudenstadts Rache.

And through all the warm feelings Wilhelm had, no matter how comfortable he felt till this moment, and no matter how curious he was, he froze to ice. "Vaters Schiff!" He screamed.
His mind was unable to operate anymore. Thoughts crossing his mind from left to right, visions in his mind, old dreams, odd scenarios. No matter if his eyes were open or closed, the Wraith of his father vanished, appeared, vanished, appeared. And without Wilhelm realizing, his course was still set.
Suddenly, more Wraiths appeared, and something... else. Bigger. Wilhelm had never seen such a ship before. "zhose visions... zhose dreams. Zhey are so strange! What is zhis? Vater? Are you here?"
Having a view on the scanners, he realized... this isn't a vision. Visions don't show up on scanners.
His ship was hit by a cruise disruptor, and something in his mind made him shut down his engines. Then, darkness surrounded him. A pain in his head, and he lost consciousness.
It's happening.

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