The diary of the Alster Union Freedom Fighter Rainer Kellermann.

[Lanakov]

A very bright room. There is a red cross on the door, surmonted by the word "Krankenzimmer".


A swift, dynamic voice fills the silence in the room.

" Your daily check up is complete, Herr Kellermann."

Another voice.This is one is different.Slower, louder.The man is old.

" Gut. Will I live another day ?"

A cough is heard. The dynamic voice resumes.

" Ja, mein Herr. It's the same as usual, no big decrease, your status is steady, no need to worry."

A brief moment. Then the loud voice.

" Stable...That means a lot...I will see you tomorrow, Herr Doktor."

The door is opened by a wrinkled hand.Then, the light lowers. The halls.

The halls of station Pacifica. Bering system.

The old man was now heading to his room.
He had just attended his daily visit to the medic, to see if everything is in order.
Or rather, to check that he's not dying on the spot in the next hour.




Rainer Kellermann used to be a dedicated factory worker on planet Nuremberg, Munich system.
He basically spent his life creating spare parts for machines he had no clue about.War machines most likely.

That took 48 years of his life.He was now 58 years-old.Which is, considering his living condition, something to match.
He was no intellectual, although he had good memory and was clever with his hands.He would have died doing this job.
But things went wrong.And fast.

He had a friend in New Berlin, who would often visit him.He was a teacher.
Kellermann enjoyed talking to him, as he'd learn a lot of things, and understand even more.


He was arrested by the Federal Police. He heard the reasons : Propaganda, lies, political misleading.

Then, as he was attending the compulsory medical examination every year in Nuremberg, the doctors reported that he had caught an illness, and a serious one.Most probably from the living conditions ; A man of his age could simply not whistand such an environment.
There was no cure, and whatever he caught, it sentenced him to death.
Soon or later he'd die, no matter what.

His mind was confused.He had just understood that he had undirectly supported an oppressive regime during all his life.And the reward he got was an illness that would kill him soon.

He wanted to protest.He wanted to rebel.
He contacted the Alster Union on Pacifica base.
Was accepted, under the condition of running a daily medical check up.
Stole a civilian ship and escaped to Bering.
Became a Unioner.His technical skills were put to good use among this group of freedom fighters.
He settled there quite rapidly, liking his new job and wingmates.

There was one thing he still regretted, though.
He didn't want to die, now that he had so much to accomplish.
During his free time, he read alot.

There was one question in his mind.


"How can I avoid death ?"

---

Feedback, insults, marriage proposals and declarations of fealty

If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.

[Lanakov]

The outskirts of Pacifica base.The scenery, rocky and dark, is undoubtely that of Bering.
A dark green vessel sits by a nearby trade lane.It looks like a mixture of an Eagle and a Valkyrie.
It is the Arbeiter, trademark of the Unioners. The trade lane is disrupted. The system is clear.


Rainer checked the system-wide sensors.It was quiet.Not even Xenos.


Life among the Unioners wasn't exactly how he expected it to be.
He spent most of his time passing medical checks, and hanging around with others, in the bar or the briefing rooms, telling the raiders what he knew about design flaws of Rheinland ships and installations.
He would sometimes join a raiding party or a smuggling operation.Things could get hot sometimes, and despite his old age, he found himself liking that little adrenalin peak during fights.He had never experienced it before.
Factories don't offer alot of thrilling experiences.
He avoided killing his target, though.He resented the government.Not his Rheinlander brothers.

He also did some piracy, sometimes.
Mostly alone so he could think of his past and what was left of his future.He had no regret about robbing big companies, the ones that were responsible for the brutal shortening of his life.

His life...Since the first medical check up, he couldn't chase that idea out of his mind.
Immortality...It only existed in fairy tales, but it sounded so attractive...More now than ever.
During his free time, he kept looking for anything more or less related to it.Holo records, books, everything.
At least it let him free his mind for some time.

Life wasn't as ideal as he planned.Yet it was better than before.

This day, as usual after the medical examination, his mind was in utter confusion, again this feeling of a wasted life appeared to him, and kept embarassing him.

He went to the hangar bay and wrote on the registry :
" R. Kellermann - Arbeiter - 3rd Trade Lane from Freeport to Hamburg. "
He grabbed the keys and took off swiftly.
No one remarked his absence apart from the docking operator.



And there he was.Deep in his thoughts, alone among the stars.
An hour elapsed.There was little traffic today.

Then, finally, a dot appeared on the Arbeiter's sensor.
A single ship.The signal became clearer as it approached.
It was small.A freelancer ?

Kellermann shot the lane.The newcomer was flying a Wraith.The Kanzler's finest.
A feeling of horror quickly overwhelmed him as the ship flew towards him, without a word.
He bore no affiliation and was strangely silent.
Any military officer would be flashy and already shooting at him.
Instead, the fighter just stopped a few meters away from Kellermann's Arbeiter.

A voice came from the ship.It was distorted.

"Greetings, human".


Curiosity and fear mixed in Kellermann's mind.
He scanned the ship to see what weapons he carried, just in case.
He perfectly knew half of it.Rheinland-made guns, perhaps even some he built himself.
The other half of the equipment was...Weird.Unknown to the ship's databank.
He decided to answer.

About to speak, he noticed that his commlink was still not opened.Where would that voice come from ?
It appeared again.

"We sense curiosity."

Kellermann felt that it was useless to open the comm channel.
He somehow felt inspired by the presence inside the other ship.
A feeling of warmth.He decided that the presence was trustworthy.
He focused on his thoughts in an attempt to communicate.

The voice was softer.

"A receptive mind.A strong desire..."

He insisted on that desire.He thought of his own history.Of his past, of what happened to him.Of what he wanted to become.Immortality...
He didn't even consider how preponderous this "conversation" would be if there had been any witness.He was telling a totally weird stranger everything about himself, his most personal desires and goals.
Yet he still felt at ease.The presence was friendly.

"Immortality.We can grant it to...you."

It would have been hard to believe. Or rather, impossible, even in Kellermann's dreams.
Yet he only felt joy.
He would be able to live longer. To enjoy the gift of life.For eternity ? That would be interesting.
Perhaps he could even do something about the governement. Why not ? He would have enough time.
But that was secondary.

Again, he concentrated.Positive thoughts.He didn't even hesitate.

The voice was now barely human.

"Good.Then human must follow us."




He gave Pacifica a look. And thought he may return there some day. To greet some friends.
Then he activated his engines and went after the wraith. No matter what would happen, he didn't care.
His own immortality was at stakes and nothing else mattered.

---

Feedback, insults, marriage proposals and declarations of fealty

If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.