The Leaves Must Fall To The Ground.

[looqas]

...are the worst in zealotry and most extreme in their views. They are the ones who see even the most extreme measures justifiable to reach the perceived goals of their ideals. Johannes Farb didn't fit in that description. He was not exactly burning with the fires of fervor of righteous might of the Hessian cause anymore. The seven years in the Hessians ranks as a technician had changed that. And he was not a native to Rheinland. True, he had been a true convert to the Red Hessian cause willing to take on the Rheinland's military single handedly back then. How much had the life of a revolutionary changed him since then, he mused. One could say that he was practising realpolitik now. Picking his battles and keeping the bigger picture in mind without verging on fanaticism. He still maintained the Rheinland's oppressive regime must be removed and corporations, who still wielded that massive power over the Rheinland, must be disbanded. And he was willing to spill blood to see that happen. Preferably other's blood, but if it came to that, his own as well.

That one life changing encounter was still clear on his mind. It had been the beginning of his senior year in the Technical University of New Berlin. After a hot summer the autumn had arrived. The burning colors of trees were in abundance. He had always loved the Autumn. First leaves were falling from those strange Acer saccharum berlinus trees, slowly twirling to the ground. The tree next the bench he had been sitting on had been one third full of green leaves, one third of brown and yellow leaves and one third of red leaves. He had been sitting alone on a bench basking in the warm Autumn sun and letting the gentle breeze caress his face, when a man, who later turned out to be a Red Hessian recruiter, had sat on the same bench with him and asked if he ever had thought about the tree's natural cycle.

"The tree represents Rheinland which stands through the seasons of centuries. The green leaves, the symbol of vitality, health and welfare of Rheinland are still there. But the leaves are being drained of color and of life everyday that passes. That's the work caused by the greedy corporations. Daumann, Kruger and Republican have made their wealth out of abusing working people. Rheinland's vitality is being slowly drained by them. The summer of Rheinland is about to end."

"As you can see", the man had continued, "one third of the the leaves have turned yellow and brown, while the green leaves are trying to fight the inevitable, much like the Military does now."

Some of the leaves were sickly mottled with disease and some where eaten by parasites. "You see what the pirates like Corsairs and others like them do, don't you?" The man had said a bit angrily when he had noticed Johannes' eyes looking at those.

After taking a deep breath to calm himself the man had continued his mesmerizing story. "Then there are the bright red leaves, the millennia old color for rebellion and revolution. And of blood. Uprising is the natural result of oppression and abuse. Like it has happened in Rheinland."

Johannes had been very impressed and touched by the words of this stranger. The words spoken had echoed through his soul. During the year in the University he has seen poverty, social injustice, abuse, nepotism, favoritism and elitisism. Rheinland was sick in the core.

He had taken a red leaf in his hand while the stranger had been speaking speaking. He had turned, examined and rubbed the soft silken surface between his thumb and index finger deep in his thoughts. He had always liked the red colored leaves. They always were the brightest among the leaves. It was the last color while they hung to the branches. Finally Johannes had dropped the leaf to the ground. Something had taken root in his heart.

The man had smiled a bit sadly and finished his speech, "After a while there is only one thing left for the leaves. To fall to the ground."

In his mind's eye Johannes has seen the deep red and brown leaves, like crusted blood, cover the ground.

"And that's what need to happen in Rheinland. The tree will be green and prosperous again only if the leaves fall to the ground and give up their nutrients to the flourishing new future". But no leaf would fall willingly, had Johannes completed the man's unvoiced thought.

Johannes thought about the metaphora quite often. It gave him solace and sense of peace about his place and purpose in the galaxy. It helped him to sleep better at nights after battles and seeing people maimed, burned or frozen. It helped him to steer his thoughts away from the grimm reality of life.

Too bad it had been seven years since he had experienced his last Autumn planetside. He missed his home and his time in the University because of that. Relatively few knew that his birth name was not the one he went about in Vogtland. Only the most senior leader in RHA had access to those personal files. Because of the color cavalcade of the Autumn he had chosen his surname, Farb. Color in his native Bretonian and close to his orginal name Farway. Johannes was a Rheinlandian version of John. The name he was called, it seemed, a life time ago. Oh, how he missed the Autumn and it's colors. He craved to see the trees burning bright red.

---

Flying under radar.

[looqas]

"That was plain stupid on my part", Johannes thought and continued, "And ever more stupid on the Rheinland military pilot's part. Because of him those 3 pilots were dead and he himself along with them"

He had just flown through the New Berlin jump hole and had landed to Vogtland. The base had been ominously quiet when he had started out his patrol and fund-raising duty.

Even after seven years spent in bases like this he could feel the claustrophobia lurking just behind the back of his head. Being a Hessian meant that you had to combat the external as well as the internal fears all the time. Johannes wondered if he had in him to continue this much longer. Every single day was a battle.

The patrol had started well. After paying a visit to Hessian allies in Darmstadt he had launched to raise funds for the future generations of free Rheinlanders. "Its tricky business this fund raising", he had thought. One had to set the price so that traders do not try to run, do anything as foolish or do not shy away using the route in the future, but high enough to be any use for the cause.

"I think I got it nicely. 500k per train. Three trains and we got a small hole filled in our coffers." Too bad the interactions had been marred by the regular military wing and Daumann and Kruger ships showing up.

"Those Daumann and Kruger pilots must be half mad or infested for coming after him in Humpbacks. Total madness. They must have been promised a very sizable bounty on any Hessian head that would set them for life to take such a suicidal undertaking." He found himself thinking while walking to his quarters from the hangar bay.

Then he had made a nearly fatal miscalculation. Seeing 3 military pilots floating in the aftermath an idea had occurred to him that would give New Berlliners something to think and talk about the next day. A propaganda blitz. Johannes had tractored the pilots in and decided to return the poor mislead sods to Brandenburg generating some goodwill for the Hessians.

"People of Rheinland. Hessians are not the animals the military makes us look", He had announced after entering New Berlin system and had continued, "As a proof I shall deliver 3 military pilots to the location I give later. Would RM be so lenient to anyone they see as a threat?"

After ejecting the 3 pilots near Brandenburg Johannes had announced their location to the patrolling RM unit in open channel and had started to make way to Dresden jump hole throught the asteroid field. Just as he had engaged cruise a missile lock indicator had started screaming.

"THUD!" The cruise distruptor had hit him. The police had alerted a regular unit to investigate the matter and asked military reinforcements from New Berlin. While trying to fight off the police patrol a military craft had flown in and engaged him.





The resulting fight had been even more chaotic and Johannes had dodged wildly among the asteroids. The RM pilot had released several mines with some effect.

He could still feel the lingering effects of the panicky moment he had experienced as he lived through the moments again.

"The shields are down!" Johannes thought furiously. "But so are his." Finally the computer informed that the shields have been restored and Johannes had breathed a sigh of relief. After several passes a brilliant flash lighted the cockpit. The military craft went up in a tremendous explosion spewing forth debris.



It always felt so ethereal. He always expected the boom to come but it never did. The void carries no sound. He honestly did not know what had caused the pilot's demise. A mine, a projectile, a collision. All seemed irrelevant at that time.

With a bit of a heavy heart he had made the last statement. It had not needed to end this way. True, a great psychological victory for the RHA, but a human loss was always regrettable. Hopefully it opens some eyes in Rheinland. Even with the media in his grip the Chancellor will have a hard time explaining this to the people.






Johannes found himself thinking about the story that man had told him years ago and found solace in the allegories it presented. He hoped that what had happened today would hasten the Autumn of Rheinland.

---

Flying under radar.

[looqas]

He woke up screaming. He was covered with cold sweat and his heart was beating wildly. In the dream he had been trapped inside the cockpit of his fighter. All systems had been failing. And to his horror the automatic ejection mechanics had been malfunctioning. He had been having those kind of dreams a lot lately. Those nightmares had started after that dreadful incident in New Berlin. He had received call from Kapitan Meissner to come and help him and a second pilot against a Bounty Hunter capital ship. The trauma had erased his memory of the third pilot's name. Johannes had recklessly charged the enemy despite the repeated warnings of Kapitan Meissner to use extreme caution and cover of the asteroids. In about 30 secs he had been in his pod terrified. Luckily Kapitan had managed to tractor in his pod. He had reprimanded Johannes for a very good reason after the incident. After that Johannes had grown cautious and more calculating in his risk taking. But he was paying the ultimate price for his foolish actions in his dreams where things did not have a happy ending.

Johannes groaned and got up. Cringing from the ever-cold floor of Vogtland he padded softly to the lavatory in his tiny officer quarters cubicle. After he had splashed cold water, which was brought from the Ice fields of Omega-3 straight to Vogtland, to his face he saw a pretty haggard picture reflecting back from the mirror. He looked older, but not wiser. He was paying the price for the freedom of the future generations of Rheinland. With a sigh he turned away and urinated before getting back to bed.

The sleep had been hard to get after these dreams. It been mere months since he had requested transfer to the flying. It felt like years. Johannes had had a promotion to the Oberleutnant. He was no exceptional leader, but it seemed RHA pilots got their promotions pretty regularly. It was a fortunate thing to have men like Major Black and Kapitan Meissner. Especially Major Black had been lately getting his command in shape giving good and clear orders.

There had been a new influx of recruits lately, which was good. The high command reportedly had high hopes for them. Johannes had met some of them in passing and even instructed a few. There was this new fellow, Rekrut Sternhammer, that had this peculiar and almost gibberishly strong accent. Johannes sometimes had some difficulty understanding what he was saying. He must have come from some very remote backwater colony. It must be some isolated island in the sea of stars. He was a good kid though.

Past months had been blur, engagements with corsairs in Omega-5, collecting funds in Stuttgart and patrolling the Dresden system. One thing stood out though, he had been permission to commission a bomber. The outfitting was finally complete. [RHA]Red.Autumn was ready to serve the revolution.

Still months of combat had taken it's toll. Johannes was wondering if he should take the newly commissioned Transport [RHA]RHT-Raeuber for a tour. It might be a welcome change in pace for him.

And there had been rumours of big activity in the future. Rumors had been floating around of a new flagship Von Rohe.

He felt tired. He tried to will himself to fall asleep. He prayed that the Autumn would be over already and he could live his life in peace.

---

Flying under radar.

[looqas]

He felt like man beyond his years. Johannes sat in his bed and rested heavily his head between his hands. He was dead tired. Lately he had had trouble getting sleep. The horrors of the day had kept him awake at night. On many occasions, too many to be healthy, he had drank from the bottle of Stuttgart Schnapps. The pride and primary booze the brothers in arms in Dramstadt distilled from real grains. Not any cheap synthetic booze that Synth Foods was making. And LWB had supplied Vogtland generously. For many nights he had kept drinking until he had passed out.

In the mornings he looked like dead walking among the of darkly lit, and cold corridors of Vogtland. The heavy drinking had started to affect his appearance and mood. Johannes thought sourly that he was becoming fatalistic about the never ending fighting. He kept up the appearances for the sake of the morale of the new Rekruts that kept flogging to the Hessian cause steadily. Johannes recognized the look in their eyes when they descended the loading ramp of the ships and he was there to welcome them and to see to their quarters. They all had an eager look to to spill the blood. Overly zealous and foolhardy pilots would learn soon enough the realisities of the life of a revolutionary.

But command knew about his lack of form. He was badly out of shape in fighters. Instead he had taken part in many engagements in bombers. He smiled tiredly as he remember of one particular engagement in New Berlin a month ago. A huge battle involving many capital ships against Hessians and SCRA bombers and fighters. Johannes felt honored to have made the crippling shot at the Battleship Westphalen, one of the most prestigeous ships in Kanzler's fleet, at that day. A striking success, but he knew he needed to get a grip and regain his edge in fighters.

And to make matters worse. There were ample evidence of trouble with Liberty brewing on the horizon. The high command had seen wisely that the Vaterland was firstly and foremostly to be protected. And confrontations with the military should be kept at minimum and be of defensive nature. Johannes didn't mind that at all. He needed a break. Badly.

He was sure his amassed skills in a bomber would be put to a good use if the time ever came that Liberty would start hostilities. The masses of bounty hunter capital ships lately had honed the all the RHA's bomber pilots' tactical coordination and skills to razor sharp edge. Teamwork would not be a problem and fighting against superior odds was what was expected in every encounter. At least he felt some confidence finally as climbed out of bed and headed for a shower and a shave before the morning briefing.

---

Flying under radar.