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Just a little bit about this story, it is set in the sci-fi universe of the game Freelancer, where the major house/factions/nations are divided up into Liberty, Bretonia, Kusari, and Rheinland. The Prologue takes place in Rheinland starting in roughly 520 A.S (After Sirius, the galaxy of that the story is set in).

The story I hope will leave you all with nostalgia, fond memories, and the occasional laugh. The story will spread out not like in the tradional pattern with chapters but with each family member in the Prologue recieving their own short story.

Kaufmann Interstellar Freight

Prologue

The Kaufmann's were part of the initial rush of explorers to settle the planet of Nuremberg. During the rush Aldric Kaufmann (Alaric's great great great great great grandfather) used his small retail chain originally from Stuttgart to purchase a third hand Humpbacks and Libertonian Rhino. He opened shop as a small planetary and inner solar shipping firm with nothing more than a table under an awning to shield his body from the sun.

As the planet began to develop research had yielded that the planet could not grow crops nor be used as a commercial fishery. As people left Aldric Kaufmann began to purchase land as fast as the small shipping firm would allow.

From time to time a newer vessel could be purchased due to the owner disappearing on a sport fishing trip for the renowned Pirasharq or any other derivitive of hostile animals in the oceans. In time Aldric was able to amass the land and vehicles needed to become a small time player in the system of Munich, with short term contracts keeping the business alive, Aldric himself retired to the sea side of Nuremberg, always mindfull of what the ocean harbored.

The company itself was left to his son and his family Frantz Kaufmann around 584 A.S.

Frantz performed his best, he shifted the short term contracts his father designed around long term ones, yeilding a higher fee and company security. His greatest achillies heel was his love for something new, it carried with the family lineage ever since. He shifted the work to hired stock brokers and a small time CEO. Giving him the revenue, and time to pursue his interests of using the company assets as he wished.

While the company held itself together Frantz would take his fledling family on small excursions beyond Munich and its simple but bustling system using a cozy second generation Humpback that nearly toppled the firm itself.

Using the bustling firm's cash flow Frantz taught his children the stars of Rheinland and where to go and how to do it. Showing them there is life beyond their little system of Munich and its minerals. The lesson stuck, and the lifestyle in one form or another propsered through to the Frantz's children as they took over the company in a joint effort in 635 A.S, the pair of girls in the family to operate a business.

Senta and Katrina both wielded different attitudes towards the company, and both shook its development in their own ways. Senta favored remaining on Nuremberg and the saftey of its poisonis soil, meeting clients and creating contracts; Katrina was the more adventerous of the two that prefered to fly a transport with crew, extending the families contacts and meeting old family relatives.

The company nearly went bankrupt with the purchase of several first generation Hawk light fighters being developed. But they quickly met their value and exceeded them as the convoy Kaptain's reported safe passage due to the mear presence with their heavy class 5 guns they mounted.

The company recovered and flourished under the guidance of new contacts and even better freight into New Berlin. With the arms race of 682 A.S and the government in shambles the Kaufmann's were a small force on Nuremberg by the time sisters Senta and Katrina retired not far from where their grandfather retired to on the coast.

Of course both girls had begun families themselves with the husbands assuming the Kaufmann name as was proper for Nuremberg families to carry out the lineage.

In an odd change of events Senta had beared a young son named Willard and Katrina had beared a daughter named Rae, as was the forming custom the two children split the work of the company in half; Willard was book smart and had a nack for learning, while Rae was firey and quick to anger. They shared the effort as Willard was tasked at holding the company aloft while Rae lead the fighters in convoys in the slowly aging Hawk's.

Even deep into their forties only Willard had married happily to a bubbling wife he adored, Rae remained single with her closet companion the weights she brought along or the flying yoke of her Hawk.

Tragedy had struck as Willard knew it would, his cousin Rae had stayed in her Hawk far to long and lost control as it was incenrated by newer versions of the very same vessel she flew. Willard had a closed and empty casket funeral on the open sea, burying her spirit in the same ocean his own mother had died watching every day. With the company secured in the hands of a single owner again Willard instituted a new policy in fighter craft purchasing for defense, a program designed to phase in new craft as they became available and keep a small select stock for training future convoy pilots. It burdened the small company but they managed as their fleet slowly evolved into purely Rheinland manufactured Humpbacks and newer generation Hawks.

Willard is ear marked in the family lineage for his cold interest in making hard profit. His two sons though barely reflect this change as both adopted the policy of their Great grandfather Frantz in his life of exploration when they assumed ownership of this small historical firm in 744 A.S.

They hired a CEO and broker to manage their company as they gave the man grey hair as he fought to balance the books. Untill he understood their madness in working, both brothers shared a single concept, run big and fast. Their cargo's reflected this as they brought in Diamonds and shipped them all the way through the Sigma's and later the Tau's themselves. Both were known for running the high risk high reward cargo's and some people of Nuremberg suspected the brothers played as Smugglers as their skills developed with them.

This did not go unnoticed amongst the Rheinland government and several inspections were made upon the company and vessels themselves till the CEO broke down and told them the brothers ran cargo where ever high profit was made in any territory. His life had been drained and he looked like an old man when he finaly quiet the company in a huff with a balding head.

This gave the brothers a cold wake up they needed and they returned to Nuremberg rich men with fledgling families of their own as they began to raise their children in proper homes and schools. Both men retired, Berne and Berrine, with their wives. Berne had remarried by this time to Olga a girl that loved to sport fish for excitement on Nuremberg.

Only Berrine bore a son named Gere, he leaned heavily on his father's experience and took after his grandfather Willard, a man interested in the bottom line during the year of 786 A.S.

Gere followed Willard's style of running the corporation to the T, remaining to the books and leaving the convoy's to his crews. His son Alaric Kaufmann, homage to Aldric Kaufmann that started the buisness itself, was issued a Griffin as part of the standard program of keeping up-to-date Light Fighters to guard the transports at all times when he turned 20 in 806 A.S mere years after the large war amongst the colonies.

Alaric spent much of his free time studying the art of warefare and comprehending the effects of fighting in unlimited planes and angles. Using his knowledge gained from his studies and use in fighter application his father purchased the first train class transport bestowing it upon his son, the move was considered shakey at best. Some believed it was a high risk venture or some glimmer of Frantz himself showing Gere, his motives were far more simplistic, bringing the company untold wealth by keeping his son out of a fighter. The trick worked and his son took to the new role within weeks, sitting aboard his train class vessel, reviewing trading logs while keeping the convoy in constant motion.

Aldric Kaufmann - From nothing to something (Sneak -peak)

"Schwinehund." Aldric mutters under his breath as he looks up from the awning in the high afternoon sun of Nuremberg. He taps his fingers against the roughly made desk as he removes the scratched glasses on his face. "Zhe transfers are complete Herr Major, the Kaufmann's are in your debt." Aldric Kaufmann raises his hand toward the Rheinland Military man in a token gesture; he arches his eye brows as the Major scowls back. The man in his buzz cut turns on his heel, taking long strides across the small expanse of dull orange grass towards a light utility truck.

Aldric retracts his hand, extending his index finger he gently pushes the glasses up his nose as he rises. Stretching slowly, he workes his hands in the humid afternoon sun. Wetting his lips he turns back towards the rough shod den desk, collecting the papers in careful order as he slips them into a small brief case next to the chair. Picking up the jacket on the back of his chair Aldric looks toward a rather rough humpback coming to a rest not far from his Rhino. Draping the jacket over his right arm Aldric snaps the briefcase shut, grasping it by the handle he strolls over toward the damaged craft looking it over. "Another fine addition to zhe Kaufmann firm, hopefully zhe military and Kaufmann family can work together again soon." His heavy Rheinlander accent twanging in the afternoon sun.

The major scowls again, a brief thought crawls through Aldrics mind as he entertains the thought of the fellow Rheinlander constantly scowling. Smiling he lets the thought float away as he strides forward, accepting the ignition keys from the mans out-stretched hand; the Major nods his farewell, returning to the utility truck and driving off. Taking a small stroll around the craft Aldric pats the warm, battered, and scorched hull plates in respect of the old vessel.

"Father, father!" Aldric turns, looking toward his young son Frantz as a deep smile breaks across his face as he sets the brief case down next to his feet. His hands outstretched as Frantz leaps into his arms. He closes his grip around his son, hugging him tightly before slowly the boy is dropped back down onto the dusty grass. "Young Frantz, what are you doing here? You know I worry about you being alone." Aldric rubs the boys hair affectionately before looking up as his wife appears slowly walking around the large vessel, he fingers tracing long lines through the scorching.

"My husband slaves away under an awning, drinking cold drinks as he buys vessels. While his family waits for his return." Jutta Kaufmann looks up at her husband a tired expression crossing her face as she reaches her husband towards the bow of the vessel. "At least it is Rheinlander this time."

Aldric laces his hands around Juttas waist as he bends down, kissing her gently on the lips. He breaks the kiss turning her towards the large vessel. He is a strong craft, built by some of Rheinlands best engineers and tested through fire and flame, and will serve us well. Looking down at her he squeezes her waist affectionately. "Frantz, please grab my suitcase for me, let us return home." The boy nods his head excitedly, picking up his fathers case. Aldric smiles as the small family leaves the two vessels behind, heading towards the small prefabricated structure just up the low hill.