Ein langer Weg .. ( a long way)

[Schattenkralle92]

University district, New Berlin
November 27, 835 A.S.


Karl and Lutz crept cautiously and quietly through the dark, rain-soaked alleys of the university district. There was hardly a soul to be seen, and they had to be careful not to attract attention.
Just as Lutz was about to check their position again with the tracking device he had received from Emil, Karl suddenly pulled him into another side alley.
Barely visible in the pale light of the billboards, a patrol of the Imperial Police had turned into their alley.
Both crouched behind some trash cans and waited until the patrol had passed.

“Das war Haarscharf,” Lutz whispered, still crouching behind the trash can, slightly shaken.

“Let's keep going. If we keep searching around here, they'll find my ship,” whispered Karl, who had already stood up and was ready to continue.

For a few more minutes, the two scurried through the empty, dark alleys. They hurried from cover to cover so as not to be spotted by the Imperials.
Finally, they arrived at their destination, and Lutz put away the tracking device.

“It seems to be here,” said Lutz as he stepped up to the small side door and knocked cautiously.

A few seconds later, a puzzled-looking girl opened the door.
“Ja, bitte?”
She was obviously expecting someone else. Lutz pushed her aside a little roughly and entered the dark room. He immediately regretted his decision when he heard a metallic click and then a slight whirring sound from behind him on the right. Then he felt a blaster barrel pressed against the back of his head.

“What... What do you want?” stammered a young man's voice.

“If we wanted to catch or kill you, we would have already. We're here to take you with us,”
replied Lutz in a calm tone.

The young man now stepped out of the shadows and tried to close the door with his free hand, which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Karl had been waiting for this moment. He pushed the door open again with force, grabbed the young man firmly by the wrist, and simply lifted him up. The young man dropped the blaster on the floor in shock.
Suddenly, the room was illuminated and a woman's voice shouted at them.
“Everyone! Please calm down!”

The lady who had just turned on the main light in the room now stepped out of an adjoining room.

“Emil sent you, didn't he?”

“Yes, he did. We don't have much time. How many of you are there? We have to get to our ship,” Lutz replied in a cold tone.

"There are about 10 of us. But I'm not coming with you. Just take the students and go. I already have other plans."
The Lady hastily told Luzz and Karl a bit about the group and what had happened, while they waited for everyone to gather.
After a few minutes, the nine students, two girls and seven young men, followed Lutz back to the alley.

“Our ship isn't far from here. We have to be careful that the Imperials don't see us, otherwise they'll arrest us or worse. Keep a low profile and follow Karl. I'll bring up the rear.”

No sooner said than done. The motley crew hurriedly made their way back to the freighter's landing site.
As they turned into the last cross street, it suddenly happened.
“Ihr da! Halt in the name of the Emperor!”

“Scheiße. What now?” Karl called back to Lutz, who was already pushing his way through the group standing in front of him.

“Let me handle this. You'll know when it's time.”

Two Imperial police officers approached the group with their blasters raised.
Lutz raised both arms, palms facing out, and walked toward them.
“Meine Herren, this seems to be a misunderstanding.”

“Halt! Stop! Who are you?”

“Oberleutnant Lutz Berger, Rheinwehr Special Forces. I was instructed by the MND to assist in the search for these fugitives. This is Karl, mein Kamerad.”
Karl, who also raised his hands, now moved forward to stand next to Lutz.

“Rheinwehr here? I haven't been notified of any other units in this section. I'll have to check with headquarters!”
The Imperial standing directly in front of Lutz turned slightly to the side to reach the radio transmitter on his helmet. In doing so, he lowered his blaster, and Lutz immediately seized the opportunity.

He lunged forward and knocked the Imperial's blaster aside with his left hand, using the momentum to land a direct hit with his knee to the man's stomach.
Doubled over in pain, the man fell to the ground and landed on his back.

His colleague had no time to react, as Karl quickly grabbed him and threw him against the nearest wall. He, too, would not pose a threat for quite some time.
“Los, hurry!” Lutz shouted loudly, and the group hastily made their way to the ship.

---

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