He is immaculately dressed and clean shaved. Not a hair is out of place. Sitting in a sterile grey room, his body is barely moving. In his hands he is holding a multi-coloured cube, an ancient mechanical device. He is twisting and turning it rapidly; manipulating it, trying to solve its puzzle. His face is void of any expression save for a slight frown, as if he is concentrating. A small sigh escapes his lips and a soft curl appears on each side of his mouth. His face is smiling, yet his eyes are not. His posture and movements seem studied, unnatural, and although he is smiling and seemingly gentle, there is something eerie and cold about his perfect appearance as he leans forward with grace and precision to softly put the cubic device on the glass table in front of him, each face of it now consistenly coloured.
Suddenly the silence is shattered, a loudspeaker in the background is making a loud crackling noise as it is coming to life, and the distinct high-pitched sound of a Rheinland engine running at full cruise speed can be heard through it.
"Herr Generalleutnant Engel, we are approaching Alster Shipyard. We should be docking there in 3 minutes if the holding pattern isn't full. I hope you found the travel comfortable, and the speed satisfactory."
There is a small pause as Engel remains silent. After a few seconds the pilot of the "Ragnar" Armored Transport realizes he won't be getting an answer, and the sound of the pilot clearing his throat can be heard through the scratching loudspeaker.
"So... Are you excited to get onboard the RNC-Ruhr? I understand it's your first time commanding a ship of that magnitude."
Completely unfazed by the pilot's attempts at dialogue, Engel sits motionless in the passenger compartment still with the hint of a smile on his lips.
I know my face doesn't show it, not a muscle is flinching, but inside I am burning up with rage. Each second spent on the Ruhr is a second away from that project I have been heading at Schatten. "Projekt Wirbelwind", my personal brainchild, and now they are trying to remove me from it. They lost faith in the project. They lost faith in me, I know it. That's why I've been given command of the Ruhr, it's not an honour or a promotion, it's a total invalidation of my life's work. They are wrong, and I am going to prove it, Himmel, Arsch und Zwirn!
The "Ragnar" transport is slowly approaching Alster Station. In a last attempt at getting some form of response out of Generalleutnant Engel, the pilot makes a slow fly-by of the Ruhr safely moored underneath the station, hoping it will trigger a reaction from his passenger. The intercom stays silent and after a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence the pilot gives up and hails the Alster docking control. Engel is staring out of the small window in the passenger compartment. He is carefully studying the lumbering metal hulk in front of them.
So here she is. Immense, her appearance imposing. Menacing. A testament to the centuries-old Rheinland philosophy of heavy steel and brute force. A failed philosophy... I read the classified parts of the ship's manifest, it was disabled two years ago in Texas by the Liberty Navy but salvaged before more Libertonians arrived to send it into oblivion. They have given her a new name as if they are trying to wipe her disastrous past from the annals of history. A fitting name. Ruhr of ancient Sol was an urban sprawl, shaped by mining and heavy industry. The backbone of a strong war economy, just like these battleships has been the backbone of our capital fleet. She will never fail again, not with the new technological upgrades. Not while she is under my command.
As the ship enters the Alster holding pattern, Engel sits back in his seat, straighten his shirt and carefully wipe his hair into place. He is ready to take his place on the bridge.
"Mjah, it's been some time since I made my last log. A lot of changes settling into this ship, but this is not what concerns me the most. Maybe I have been devoted to my research at Schatten and been oblivious to the truth, but reentering active service in the traditional sense have been an... eyeopener. This affair with the "Dragon"... I met the commander on my first day on the "Ruhr". He led us into the fray with great confidence and experience, and commanded a lot of respect and authority in the other captains and pilots. They follow him, and rightly so, as his plans and strategies have proven themselves in active combat."
"I don't have all the equations, I dont have the full picture, but a few days after first encountering the "Dragon", there were rumours circulating in the upper echelon of the fleet about the Kusari people knocking the door down and demanding the head of the "Dragon's" commander, and the Rheinwehr HC blindly accepting these demands without questioning the commander of the "Dragon" as protocol would suggest. The rumour even went as far as to saying High Command promised to collect the scalp themselves. Of course I swept these rumours aside, it's hard to believe that the High Command would commit such atrocities on its own commanders, knowing how such treason would splinter the Military. Yesterday the news arrived so shockingly, in the form of a sattellite launched from the "Dragon" into New Berlin carrying a broadcast with a recording of Military ships attacking the "Dragon" in a failed attempt at destroying it. Several prominent officers were there, the evidence was irrefusable. Following the transmission, all the rabble of New Berlin came out and sent system-wide transmissions, applauding the High Command's attempts. As I recall it, we weren't supposed to be pleasing foreign powers and local terrorists - our duty is to keep Rheinland civilians safe, and obliterate the Liberty Navy."
"I'm afraid that for each minute I spend in active command of this ship, I am forced to slowly wake up to the reality of Rheinland today. Aggression, bloodshed... Perhaps treason at the highest level!? Good god, it gets even worse. I..., I have been taking part in some of these atrocities too. Last night we were on our planned patrol route of the core systems, when we were hailed by the BDM asking for our assistance. When I arrived I was told there had been an illegal base construction, and our objective was to destroy it and its owner. The owner he... he was an officer of the Military too, a battleship commander. It was a pure seek and destroy mission. We moved in swiftly, disabling the battleship with overwhelming force before proceeding to destroy the base. The officer was begging us to spare the base, demanding to know how to obtain proper permits as he watched the base and everything on it get vaporized from his escape pod..."
"I'm using a hand-held recording device for my personal logs now, and I have destroyed all logs and backups from "Wirbelwind". Maybe it's just an unnecessary precaution, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't want anyone to know about these doubts that I, and possibly a host of other Military commanders, are having. It can prove dangerous in the time to come."
END OF ENTRY
//hi I got this ship and thought up the character, and as soon as I undocked I got entangled in this situation. Realizing it pretty much fits parts of my character, I decided to just roll with it for some "situational" rather than "scripted" RP. If anyone feels I am encroaching on their RP or has a problem with it, please just PM me.