Die lange Nacht (the long night)

[Schattenkralle92]

10. August 828 A.S.

New Berlin, Lower Residential Area, Block C

Christian stepped out of the warm living room onto the small balcony. He welcomed the typical cold breeze of New Berlin one would expect at nightfall.
Letting his eyes take in the view. Multiple standard Living Quarters, all grey, each 300 m high and giving room for 1000 Rheinlanders living tightly packed right next to each other.
"Arbeiterschließfächer" or "Plattenbauten" as they are called in the ancient Rheinland accent.
No comparison to the luxurious Apartments on planet Manhattan or the beautifully shaped buildings on Kusari worlds.


Here in Rheinland only one thing was mandatory. Functionality.
He just stood there resting his half-filled glass of Rheinbier on the railing of the balcony, staring into the distance.
Lost in his thoughts he did not notice the old man making his way out towards him as well.
A weary face, that has already seen too much of this world, dressed in a light gray suit and tie, he stepped out on the balcony.



"So you made up your mind about this kid? The way you've been acting they probably forwarded your request already."

Christian didn't answer, he kept staring into the cold night.
It took him a few moments before he broke the silence between them.
Turning to face his uncle he began.

"Kind of. To be honest I don't know where this will lead me. I might end up getting shot at and just become another of these burning space wrecks. I just can't sit around here anymore.
Not the way everything is going right now. I just need to try if I can make a difference."

His uncle rubbed his chin between his thumb and index finger. A typical reaction to something that made him uneasy.

"Well, I guess it is partially my fault as well. I shouldn't have taught you so much about politics."
He chuckled.

"On the other hand, I`m sure your father would be proud of you. Going your own way."

His uncle stepped closer raising his glass to meet Christian`s.

"Prost! On the first Bundesagent in our family"

Christian smiled as their glasses made contact. He took a large sip of beer and gulped it down. Returning to focus his eyes on the horizon.

"I honestly believe that we must change something fundamental. I just can't stand to look at Rheinland this way anymore. I hope that I can forward my Ideas to my superiors when the Time is right and that they will be listening."

His uncle smiled and placed his hand on Christian`s shoulder.

"They better do. Your Generation is the future of this. Of all of Rheinland! You must find your place among the stars. Every single one of you."

He stepped away and turned to head indoors again.

"You are leaving Rheinland again?"

"Cambridge has called me. They can need a good professor or two down there and by the look of things..."

He paused for a moment.

"... the Imperials won't be too happy to have a stubborn old federalist like me around at the New Berlin University anyway."

He waved his hand as if to say that he didn't care at all about it, but deep down Christian knew that this reformation in Rheinland hurt his uncle's heart. Deeper than any weapon ever could.

A colder wind began to howl around the corner of the residential area, taking the last sip from his glass Christian joined his uncle in the living room.

The Media Broadcast was on silent. Some Images of the glorious Rheinland fleet defeating a Red Hessian battle group at Cologne were displayed, while the reporter talked about the Red Hessians as if they were the devil himself.

"Propaganda. It is everywhere these days. Only to shift the focus away from the real problems of this country."

"So what are the real problems in your eyes?"

His uncle asked, comfortably sitting on the small brown couch in the middle of the room. Only dim light from the kitchen and the flickering of the media broadcast lit his face.

"Starvation in the streets, homeless freezing to death and the lower class working day and night to keep the machine running. But what for?
Since the 80-year war against the Gas Miners Guild and the horrific defeat of the Imperial Navy in Sigma-13 the happiness seemed to have vanished from Rheinland.
Everyone is pretending that Military victories or money could bring it back but that is not true.
The people all seem to have lost their way and their will to really live their lives.
Instead, they just follow the same routine every day, never to question the system as a whole."

"And you will be the one to question the system?"

"No. That is not the point. I just think.
There has to be more to it.
There are so many wonders out there. You told me about this ancient race that seemed to live here right before our doorstep.
Here in Sirius.
Why don't we try to make a better living for everyone here in Rheinland? Why don't we build wonderful parks and skyscrapers like Kusari?
Instead, we build jet another smelter to fuel our wartime economy."

"It's your decision. If your generation doesn't want to live on dirty worlds and work smelters all day, you are the ones that have to change it."

"Now you almost sound like a Bundschuh."

Both men start to laugh at this last comment. Caught in the moment Christian remembered his dream.

"I just want to find a purpose for us. Something that all Rheinlanders can work towards. Something beautiful and I know that the Answer is not down here. It is out there somewhere."

"You are probably right. There is much out there we have not yet seen but it is getting late. You better go to bed now. We don't want you to be late on your first day at the MND."

Christian sighed, took both their empty glasses, and headed for the kitchen.

---

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

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