It was night in the small village of Weissbach. The Stuttgart sun had set several hours past, and street lights twinkled in the misty air. Sound was muffled, as a young woman stepped out of a doorway. Her breath plumed as she breathed, and she stamped her feet vigorously as she looked left and then right, before retreating into the doorway once again. A passing feline hissed in surprise before moving on in its quest for small rodents.
Footsteps echoed dully along the street. A figure stepped into a pool of light thrown by a street light. The stubbled, worn face of a man was revealed. Hooded eyes searched left and right before focussing on the doorway that concealed the young woman. He raised his hand, beckoning her forward, before stepping back into the mist. His footsteps quickly faded.
She stepped out of the doorway, then. A shiver passed through her before she moved across the street, heading for the light that had illuminated the man. Head down, she scanned the pavement as she approached. Her eyes widened as she saw the small fold of paper. She reached down. The scream of a bird startled her, and she straightened abruptly, gasping. Hunters were abroad in the mists. With the paper safely stashed in a pocket she hurried off, heading in what seemed the same direction as the man. The sound of her footsteps was soon replaced with silence.
A third person revealed themselves then. A heavy set man, wrapped in the uniform of the Federal Polizei. A smile creased the corner of his mouth as he followed in the wake of the couple, for he knew who they were, and he knew where he would find them.
As she walked, Anja Goske pulled the folded paper out of her pocket. Shaking it open, she stared at the spidery writing.
Anja
The time has come for me to depart. I know you
will be following me, but I must ask you to stay
away. Where I go you cannot follow. This I must
do for the soul of Rheinland. I can no longer stand
back and watch as the Kanzler drives our beloved
nation further into the depravity of tyranny. I will
take up arms against the oppressive regime. I will
give myself, body and soul, to the Hessian cause.
I will never forget our time together, but I go now
to a higher calling. Farewell.
Forever
Joerg
'What?!' she shouted to the night air. 'You bloody what? I'll show you an oppressive bloody regime, you arrogant, deluded, miserable little....!'
Cheeks flushed red, her back straightened as her pace increased. Indignation radiated from her slight form, as she crumpled the note and threw it to the pavement.
Less than a minute later Detektiv Peter Maynard reached down and scooped up the crumpled paper, which he read as he continued. A stifled chuckle broke forth. He shook his head and carried on.
Joerg Heinrich stopped at an isolated location some distance from the village. The mist had cleared, revealing a starlit sky. The crisp, frosted air lent the scene the intensity of his favourite films. This was his time. He was to become a hero of Rheinland, a freedom fighter protecting the vulnerable and needy. He pulled a small signalling device from his coat and flipped the switch. Before long he heard the whine of engines, and looking to the east he saw the running lights of the vessel that approached. His face split with a grin as he anticipated what was to come.
A hundred meters away, Anja caught sight of Joerg standing in the middle of the field. She too heard the engines. She stopped, slightly frightened now. She knew well of the Hessians. She paid attention to the news channels, and was fully convinced that they consisted solely of murderers, thieves and terrorists. She knew she would be endangering herself if she got closer, but she had things to say to Joerg that would not wait. Filled with determination, she was about to head into the field when a soft cough spun her around. Standing before her was a uniformed officer of the Federal Polizei. She opened her mouth to say something, but the officer merely raised his finger to his lips.
Lowering his finger, Maynard moved closer to the young woman.
'Fraulein Goske,' he whispered. 'Do not be afraid. You are not in any trouble. We are here for them.' He nodded towards Joerg and the approaching vessel. 'You should wait here, Fraulein. We will require your statement.' He raised his hand and signalled, and another officer emerged from the darkness. Anja gulped, seeing the guns they carried, and stepped back slightly.
'Yes, sir,' she mumbled. This was not what she had expected. She had wanted to run over to Joerg and shout and scream at him. Now the police were here with weapons. Weapons that might be used on the man she thought she loved. Lost in thought, she failed to notice the policemen move past her. What should she do? Try to warn Joerg?
'Damn you, Joerg. You brought this on yourself.' she said to the empty space around her. Slightly startled, she looked around and saw the vessel landing. Dust blew up, obscuring her view. She could see no sign of the police. Had she imagined it?
On board the shuttle, Florian Waap smoothly completed the landing. He was here simply to collect the new recruit to the RHA. The signal from the man, one Joerg Heinrich, had been activated, and Florian could now see him illuminated by the ships lights. He lowered the ramp for the shuttle and moved to the doorway, leaning out, a broad smile greeting the waiting Joerg.
“Greetings for the Red Hessian Army, herr Heinrich!” he called confidently. “I see you are ready to leave. Come aboard, come aboard! It’s best we don’t …....” His eyes shot up as a figure stepped from the darkness. The first thing he saw was the pistol held easily in the man’s hand.
“Scheisse!” he murmered.
“This is Detektiv Peter Maynard of the Rheinland Federal Police. You are under arrest! Surrender yourselves, and your vessel immediately.”
Florian knew his options were limited, but he also knew he could never surrender. He was sure there would be more officers around, but this was his only chance. He reached for his own weapon, drew and fired in one fluid move. He saw the flash from the darkness and an impact threw him back into the shuttle. Pain flooded his senses, and he looked down at the hole in his chest, blood pouring forth.
It is cold this night, he thought. Then he knew no more.
Maynard fell as the blast from the Hessian's pistol slammed into his arm. He saw the Hessian hit in the chest, his fellow officer specially chosen for this mission because of his accuracy with a rifle. Still, the Hessian had been terrifyingly fast. He also saw Heinrich bolt away from the scene.
'Schumann!' he shouted. 'Take him alive!' He heard the pounding footsteps of his fellow officer as he struggled to stand. Finally on his feet, he took a few deep breaths before stumbling away from the shuttle. He headed back to where he had left the young woman.
Heinrich was terrified. The police had been waiting, and the Hessian surely dead. He ran in a blind panic, thinking only to get home. He heard running feet behind him. Suddenly a figure steeped across his path. It was Anja. Shocked at the sight of her he stopped his flight.
'Anja!' he cried as she approached him. 'I told you not to come!'
She stood before him, face taught with fury. He barely saw her hand fly out, but the slap he received rocked his head to the side
'Anja, plea...' His breath whoofed out as her knee connected with his groin.
'Bastard!' she screamed, then spat in his face as he collapsed to the ground. He saw a pair of polished boots arrive near his face.
'Joerg Heinrich,' intoned a voice. 'You are under arrest on suspicion of conspiring with terrorists. You do not have to say anything, but...'
Joerg remembered no more. All he could focus on was the pain in his groin.
Maynard arrived back where he had left Anja Goske. Schumann was already there, Heinrich curled in a ball at his feet.
'Well done, Schumann. We didn't want this one to get away.'
'Wasn't me, sir.' Schumann nodded towards Anja. 'It was all her doing. Dropped him like a sack of grain, she did. Never seen the like!'
Maynard raised his eyebows as he looked at the petite young woman before him. She shuffled her feet nervously, and a slight flush rose to her cheeks, but she returned his look forcefully.
'Well done, Fraulein Goske. It cannot have been easy to deal with your lover so.' Her eyes blazed when he said that. He saw the indignation and anger flooding back into her. He raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. He liked what he saw. She reminded him of his own youth. He reached an immediate decision, and reached into his pocket.
Anja was furious. Was this policeman actually patronising her? She was about to launch into a tirade when the policeman reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, which he handed to her.
'Fraulein,' he started, his voice respectful. She clapped her mouth closed just before she started swearing at him, 'here is my card. You must be frightened and weary. We do not need to question you now. Please allow me the priviledge of escorting you home. We shall proceed to questions only when you are ready. I am Detektiv Peter Maynard, and you are safe with me.'
Taken aback at his courteous manner, and more than a little flattered, she merely nodded in response. Why couldn't Joerg ever have spoken to her in such a way? All she'd ever been told by him was that she was naiive, easily duped by the rhetoric of the state. And who was it that was about to be hauled off to jail? Aiming a spiteful kick at Joerg's shins she spoke.
'I would be delighted to accept, Detektiv. But you are injured. We must bind that wound before you attempt to go anywhere. Do you carry a first aid kit?' She moved close to Maynard and started to pull his jacket from his shoulders. He grinned at Schumann as he let her remove his jacket. Schumann laughed and reached into his pack, pulling out a small kit which he handed to the now bustling Anja.
With Maynard's arm bandaged, she allowed him to take her home. He spoke at length of the Federal Polizei, and what it meant to him. She basked in the comforting sound of his voice, his soft-spoken confidence filling her with dreams of places far away from the insular existence she knew in Weissbach.
When Detektiv Maynard finally left her several hours later, her statement had been taken, and he knew that the RFP would soon get a new recruit who shone with potential.
Anja Goske looked out across the Dresden system from the viewing platform on Pirna Border Station. More than two years had passed since that fateful day on Stuttgart. She had applied to the academy within a week, and training had gone well. She had not excelled, but had done well enough to be fast-tracked. Peter Maynard himself had mentored her until he vanished in the Omega systems some seven months ago. Now a Detektiv, Anja was busy investigating Maynard's disappearance. For three months she'd found nothing but dead ends. That was until today.
A contact on Bautzen station had reported a possible sighting of Maynard. The interviews she had just conducted had turned up no more than a grainy security recording of a man, but it could be Maynard. Certainly witness descriptions seemed to fit, though his behaviour seemed somewhat erratic. That, and the fact that a small shuttle had been stolen the same day, led Anja to believe her mentor was in some kind of trouble. Inspekteur Weiss had declared him as possibly nomad infected, but Anja remained unconvinced.
The stolen shuttle had been located on Solarius Station in Omega-11 only last week. The trail was warm again, and Anja keen to pick it up.
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