All began some days ago when I, Simon Hoffer, was assigned to find out everything about the corsairs tactics in the omegas, where the Red Hessians were fighting them.
I was a member of the Bundschuh movement and my skills and education at the University of Armed forces were very useful in the Volksrevolution for many times.
Every time the Red Hessians wanted a tactical hint how to strike against their enemies I was one of the few persons who were called.
I already knew what to bring with me and packed all the necessary equipment for this task, of course a camera included.
It was not difficult to reach the omega 5 system, the worse part lied still ahead of me, the battlefield full of mines and weapon platforms. That location was exactly where I was headed, at the edge of the field. There I have waited to meet the corsairs and watch their moves.
It didn't take long and a patrol of four corsair very heavy fighter patrol appeared on my scanner. But they were too far to gather any data.
I had to get closer...
Being undetected was very important so I shut down most of my ship equipment, moving towards their position with only thrust speed so their scanners would not detect me.
As I was moving to them I forgot I was in the middle of the mine field and exactly at the moment a mine just activated and caused an explosion.
I was standing still, didn't even breathe in the hope they would not detect me. But it was not my lucky day and the corsairs charged their cruise engines and moved fast to me. I have tried to get away, but the mine has disabled my cruise engines and there was no chance of getting away with only thruster speed.
It was just a matter of time they will catch me and so it was, in some seconds they were in shooting range.
" Amigo, you are a wrong person in a wrong place..." Said one of them
The corsairs are not known for mercy and after these words they activated their weapons and opened fire on me.
There was no chance of avoiding their aimed shots and it was just a matter of time they will destroy my ship and most likely kill me.
" I surrender" I've tried to hold them off when my ship was barely holding together.
At the same time as they were about to give me the rest, green and purple shots hit them from the side, the fire salvo was so heavy that one of the corsair fighter standing on the edge exploded sooner than they even realised what is going on.
The remaining three corsair ships started the evasive manuevers. I have tried to see where were the shots coming from and then I saw three Rheinland military wraith ships. The corsairs didn't stand a chance and were destroyed quickly.
Knowing the fact that I will be the next I closed my eyes and prepared to meet the same doom as the corsairs.
But nothing happened.
I looked around and the ships were gone. Thinking this cannot be true I have touched my body, my face.
I survived.
With the remaining oxygen and ship power I should manage to get to the nearby Red hessian base.
When I docked and came directly to the engineerings bay and told the Red hessian engineers to repair my ship to at least such condition I can return to Frankfurt to the Bundschuh.
But the engineers stared at me:
" Mein Herr, your ship is fully functional, there is not even a scratch on it..." They said
" What do you mean? I barely survived in this..."
Then I took a look at my ship and they were right, the ship wasn't even scratched, it looked the same as before I started the mission.
" How the hell is this possible?..." I have asked myself and told the engineers my story. They told me I should better report to the medical.
The doctors working for the Red hessians ran every possible test on me and couldn't detect anything. I was completely healthy. But they left me stay at the medical for the night so they can observe if it happens again.
The whole night I was going through what happened again and again. I could remember everything, all the details, simply everything, the pressure, even the pain.
This couldn't be just a dream. It is impossible...
I was released the next day and went to my ship, touched it and went through my memories again. Then I realised, I have had a camera with me. I climbed to my cockpit and grabbed the camera, plugged it into the ship computer and turned it on.
I turned it on and played the content to see what really happened...
It all started how I came to omega 5, like I remembered, then it came to the mine field. But there were no corsairs...
Suddenly from nothing a single Rheinland military wraith appeared in front of me. It must have been cloaked, but it did not fire, it just stood there for the whole time.
After some minutes watching the video, the record started to get some disturbance and in the end the Rheinland military vessel disappeared in a purple cloud and I have made my way to the Red hessian station.
I was shocked...
There were indeed rumours of nomads being still active in the omegas, but I didn't believe such stories.
I returned to Bruchsal to tell the other Bundschuh of my encounter. I arrived and told them my story. Since some of them have been dealing with nomads before, they told me that they must have gathered way too much power in order to influence the men minds.
That means nomads are getting stronger and stronger and are even more dangerous. The Bundschuh called a meeting to discuss my case, but I was not invited to it.
I wonder why, why such secrecy?...
It appeared the best if I get finally some rest so I decided to get to my room and get some sleep. In this night I have been dreaming the same situation, the story what happened to me. But between some parts of it there was something different, something what caused me pain.
When I came out of my room and was going through the halls of the base people were looking at me. There must have been rumours about me already.
The Bundschuh leadership has still not decided what to do in my case and it lasted for way too long. It was time that I will look for the answers myself.
New Berlin, that is the place where I can find my answers. I used to know a researcher working for the military who was studying nomads. He retired already some years ago, but he still might help me understand what is going on with me.
I better packed my stuff into my ship and left Bruchsal, I felt the others cannot be trusted anymore. It was not difficult to find Joseph Dürnwald. He was living in the outskirts of the capitol.
Professor Dürnwald remembered me and invited me in. There I have told him everything what happened, even showed him the video.
He was suprised.
" I have never seen something like this before, not on my own eyes...." He told me and then he remained silent.
" Professor, please tell me, what happened to me, what shall I do?..."
The professor looked at the floor and told me: " I have to make some calls, Simon. Stay in Berlin so I can reach you once I get the answers...."
That was not what I have expected, but since I wanted to know the answers I nodded and went to nearby hotel where I could stay.
The Bundschuh remove a person from their ranks only by a single message?... That is not happening often...
I decided not to go to the hotel I told the professor Dürnwald about and headed to a bar instead. I knew that place, the Bundschuh is using it to hire mercenaries who help them out with their work.
It was a small bar at the corner of the New Berlin's downtown.
When I came in, all the sights of the visitors there were on me, but then again they continued whatever they were doing. I was relieved, that means they are not aware of my status yet.
I looked around the bar and saw a man with an eye computer sitting on a table with a cigarette. With that look it was obvious he is a mercenary. I went to him and sat down:
" I have a job for you, interested?..." I asked.
" How much?..."
I looked at him and showed him my bank account summary.
" Good, who shall I kill?..." He smiled after he saw that he can earn a good amount of credits.
"No no no, I need you to escort me out of Rheinland space. It would be also better if you would have a partner with you, I believe someone is following me, but don't know who exactly...."
After we have discussed all the necessary details we shook hands and decided to meet in space.
When I left the bar I noticed that someone is watching me, regardless I managed to get to my ship and leave the planet.
There were two ships waiting on me. One was a Rheinland phantom and the other one was a Borderworlds sabre. We changed to a private channel.
" Guten Tag again, we shall proceed to Dresden system. That should be the safest way for you to get out of Rheinland. We will be headed to Bretonian space" The mercenary I met in the bar told me.
" Stick close...."
We have taken the lane to Bradenburg station, where we had to identify ourselfs as usual, but it took longer as it used to...
Suddenly a group of Rheinland military wraiths came out of the lane from the direction of Bonn station:
" Herr Hoffer, you are to come with us..."
I looked at the mercenaries and they knew what is to be done:
" Run to Dresden Herr Hoffer, we will try to hold them off..." They told me and started to shoot at the military vessels.
I had to run for it, since the mercenaries cannot hold them forever. Before they started to shoot at them, they transfered me the location of the Dresden jumphole. I charged my cruise engines and entered the asteroid field and disappeared from the scanners. I waited at the Dresden hole for the mercenaries...
Nobody came. When I have tried to reach them on the private channel, nobody answered. That means I am alone...
I took the jumphole and managed to jump to the Dresden system. I knew the way from here, it was the Red hessian space.
" Incomming ship, identify yourself!..." I received a message.
" This is Simon Hoffer...." I answered
" Simon hoffer, Bundschuh, why are you entering Red hessian space?...."
So it was the Red Hessians, I knew they are having a base around here, but I didn't know this jumphole will bring me so close to it: " I am moving to the omega systems heading to Bretonia system on Bundschuh mission assignment, permission to proceed..."
" Permission granted...."
Now I knew the way. Pass the horrible radioactivity filled omegas...
The radioactivity with the insufficient sleep was a bad combination. I thought I would manage to leave Rheinland today, but I wasn't able to fly for much longer.
I had to get myself some rest.
Nobody will ever look for me at Solarius, I thought, and made my way there...
Hopefully the Daumann was willing to let me have one of their room for some credits. I don't have to mention that it was nothing cheap, since Solarius was not built to give a shelter to tourists.
I couldn't wait to get to my room and sleep. But I had to buy myself some refreshments first.
When I entered the bar, a person waved towards me and pointed me to have a seat. I looked around if he is really addressing me and came to that person.
" You are going the right way " He said to me, while I was sitting down
" Pardon me, do we know each other?..."
" I know you, only that is important... They are calling you right? I can see it in your eyes, you have been touched by them. "
While he was talking to me I looked at the person with a more detailed look and saw that he is no wearing any kind of daumann uniform, but instead he was wearing the clothing of wealthy men.
" What do you want from me? " I have asked directly, since I was barely paying attention since the lack of sleep.
" There are things what you do not understand yet, not in your condition. If you seek the knowledge and understandment, the power of changing things, they show you the path. Only the strongest have the choice, don't be a fool and seek them. They will try to communicate with you again..."
Confused by everything he said I stood up and was going to the exit
" Accept the gift Herr Hoffer..." That was his last words, I have not heard anything of him after that.
When I left the bar I just wanted to get finally to my room. It was definitely no luxury, but enough to get the rest for my tomorrow's trip to Bretonia....
I packed all my stuff and went to the bar again. The person I was talking to the last night was not there anymore. I have asked the man behind the bar whether he has seen anyone like I described, but he didn't know who am I talking about.
Confused with what is real and what is a dream I went to my ship having only one repeating thought in my head.
Freeport I....
And that was the place I was heading to. Again via Omega 5 where it all begun.
But now nothing happened and I have finally left Rheinland as i was told by the Bundschuh.
I sighed when I entered Omega 3 that I have managed it to run away from everything and start a new life.
The waypoint to the Freeport was set and I let the autopilot do the trip, while I could close my eyes for some minutes...
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