Charlemagne's Court Jesters - Paladin's Paranoia
25 Jan 2016Digitarry
It had been a month since joining the Paladin Consortium.Approached by a guy on a Bulletin Board - was I interested in flying with him and a group of like minded pilots? Why not. I'd been trucking around the rare routes, and breaking off for CGs for a while now. I fancied a change of location and pace.
Within days of signing up I'd learned so much. Winged up in a RES site picking off pirates. What load outs worked best on each ship. I confess, i was envious of those who'd had hours in the black. My ship had spent most of its time in the hanger over the last year or so, what with family and my business. Still, the tips these guys were giving me, smuggling runs, bounty hunting... i'd make some fast credits and get into a bigger boat faster than I had thought I could.
Then the first war came.
Not as sinister as you may imagine. The powers that be had been signalling it a while. All hands on deck. Shift the balance in our favour. And it was over as soon as it had begun. I missed a lot of it, but what I was involved with was fun.
Whilst hanger bound, I found a post on a forum, some footage of a battle in our system. By now it was OUR system. I belonged. It wasn't really a battle. More a slaying. But in comments it became clear that I'd found a couple of enemy pilots, gloating. I trod gently, but belittled one of them before leaving. He was a northern monkey, they're not very bright, I doubt he noticed. I shared my find on my Consortium's bulletin board.
That was my mistake apparently.
Shortly after I was challenged by another member of my group. Aggressively suggesting I was a spy for those very pilots I'd just exposed. Turns out it was he they were slaying. He came from one of the inbred nations whose grasp of language is barely above vegetable, so I found it hard talking down to his level. I gave it a try, but I'm ashamed to say he became tiresome and I grunted at him to go forth and become many.
A while later though he did it again, this time in a public place. I'd had enough of this barely sentient meat stick and i lost my cool, suggesting his mother should have paid him more attention as a child. Unable to think for himself, he resorted to something he'd seen in a cartoon and "did a Cartman" - leaving his toys, but taking his ball and pram with him.
I'm not proud of these exchanges. But I share record of them because they brought me to the attention of lots of people, including the hierarchy. Exactly the opposite of what someone doing what I was soon to be accused of would do.
Then the second war started. This time I was prepared. I'd ensured I could be in the black getting kills of my own. First time out, winged with several including the leader himself, I buzzed around wiping out the small fry whilst the bigger ships in the wing took on the muscle. We turned in millions of combat bonds in a matter of hours. Next day I took advice on best buy and loadout and headed to Founders World to buy a better fighter. Got back in time to join in again (albeit a scary trip back when I realised almost too late that the loadout was sans fuel scoop!)
Then it all went a bit hatstand.
An enemy combatant, not part of the war, interdicted me and destroyed my ship for my not insubstantial bounty. He'd obviously followed me from the station, as when I took my new insurance ship out, there he was, circling the station ready to grief. I called out to my new friends, and they came running. He turned and jumped. Friends filled the sky, formed wings, and went looking. Traps were set. Plans were made. And back he came, right into it. He jumped, but my compatriots chased him to his destination and did for him. This is what I was promised. Hurt one of us, expect all of us to come knocking. I needed a much bigger ship to be a meaningful part of that, other than as bait.. but I was part of something to be proud of.
It wasn't long before we were on our way out to CZs again. There was a war on after all! I came across a ship i didn't know, then another, and then names i recognised from the KOS board. I shouted on comms. They interdicted me and five heavy ships chased me down. I lasted far longer than before, but whatever trick they were using to avoid my gimbles targeting meant I was helpless. The inevitable happened again. More insurance to pay.
I stayed in hanger for a while, putting my children through bath and bed. Before heading back out I joined the bulletin board and comms channel. Everyone was docked, the enemy was too strong. We needed bigger boats.
Then it came... "Intelligence Check"?
Despite bringing so much attention to myself. Despite being so active. Despite being invited to the group rather than applying... my credentials (not specified) didn't check out (in what way not specified..) I must be a spy. (who for, you guessed it, not specified.) I felt my intelligence check was complete, and I found very little evidence of any.
It's hard to argue your case when nothing is being argued. So I didn't. I was asked to step away until after the war. I left my hanger and headed back to Jameson to pick up my smuggler.
Then came the upsetting part. Names who had, hours before, been my brothers in arms in the war, and coming to my aid when attacked... the comms channel showed those names... "unfriended by...." first the Aussie in his Corvette, several others, and then the real upset, the guy who'd invited me to join in the first place.
Four weeks earlier I hadn't known or cared about these pilots. But now I had promised not to return to my "home" system for a week. Now I wouldn't be part of the war. Now on my return I'd have to prove myself over and over before I'd ever be accepted as a valued member. Now it mattered to me. Now it hurt.
Will I go back in a week? Yes, of course I will.
Whilst there's no logic I can see for the decision they came to (and they're absolutely wrong of course - I'd not even heard of them or their enemies until the Paladin leader approached me), but keeping members safe is their job - and if they had cast out someone else they doubted in order to protect me, I wouldn't have lost any sleep about it. Yes, I'll always be a little wary of a couple of individuals whose intellect, like their parentage, is unknown and probably bestial in nature, but for each of those there are fifty great people looking out for each other. Far from being out to spoil that, I very much want to be part of it once more.