The Diary of a Space Scoundrel: A Disagreement
25 Mar 2020Seth Bradwell
21:00 - The Purple Star, Birkhoff Ring, HIP 73321"I don't get why they can't just let us know what they know about the Partnership. Surely it's in their interests to ensure their allies are not undermined." I said indignantly to Morgan, nursing a pint glass of Tonesh Pale Ale. It had been a frustrating evening. We had been stonewalled at every step, all requests to speak with Purple Electronics denied, alongside all requests for information and offers to share what we learnt.
"They don't know you, Seth, and I... well I have had my run-ins with Purple Electronics in the past." Morgan had seemed uncharacteristically tense ever since we docked.
"Did these run-ins involve a T9 full of onionhead, by any chance?"
"Please, Seth, I would not be seen dead flying a T9. But yes, onionhead was part of the reason, along with... other substances of note." Morgan was drinking rum as usual - Harma Silver Sea Rum which he was quite pleased about, but in spite of him reassuring me that not everyone in Pegasi or even in Harma was associated with the Kumo Crew I refused to consume any on principle.
"Sheesh, can't you just haul precious metals and minerals like anyone else? Isn't there anyone in this sector you haven't pissed off?"
"What's the fun in that? Besides, your record is hardly clean in that matter, slaver boy."
I resisted the urge to throw what was left of my ale in his face. "Hark at you, Mr Pirate Captain of the Seven Sectors. Yes, I have done trade runs involving slaves - but Imperial slaves - and like it or lump it Imperial slavery plays a vital role in sustaining the Empire. For the most part Imperial slaves get a far greater quality of life than your typical Federal worker who has to toil for a meagre wage till he or she dies whilst the company executives get richer and richer, and even the worst off Imperial slave is treated with more dignity that the poor wretches that were responsible for the manufacture of that very drink you now imbibe. You don't like slavery? Go run off to Cubeo and sign up with Asling Duval if that's how you feel, but leave your hypocrisies at the door."
Morgan sat up in his chair, barely disguising his anger. "Listen, my morals and the way I conduct my business in the black is of zero concern to you. Who are you to get all high and moral with me, anyway? You have done your fair share of wetwork and have sent countless pilots into the Void who never raised a laser in their lives, just because they worked for wrong people. By the way, for someone who turned his back on the Empire, the Empire now seems pretty precious to you now. Once a slaver, always a slaver, eh?"
That did it. "If you want me, I will be in my ship. You can contact me through comms." I then stood up and stormed out of the bar, it taking every fibre of self control not to just give that smirking, know-it-all son-of-a-Thargoid a taste of my right hook.
"Hail to the Empress, may you bask in her biowaste!" Morgan shouted at me as I walked off. I pretended I didn't notice.
22:15 - The pilot's sleeping quarters, the Edge of Sanity
Damn that Morgan. We are supposed to be a team, and he took every opportunity to try and pick a fight with me. Of course he had a sketchy past, very few pilots around these parts don't, but there are times when discretion is called for - and I doubt that the animosity between Purple Electronics and Morgan is wholly down to narc smuggling. He could have told me about all this when we were still in Taweret, we could have worked out how to gain the trust of Purple Electronics in spite of any past disagreements he had. Perhaps I should have not needled him about his more seedy activities, as he said, I have been involved in my fair share of morally dubious activity too. But did he have to get so personal? I know little about him still - but judging by his outburst he had some run ins with the Empire in the past, there is obviously a lot of bitterness I happened to expose tonight. That touched a nerve, and probably because deep down he is right, I do still care about the Empire, it is still my home, after all, and I can't completely turn a blind eye to what is happening there. I deliberately shut comms off when I got to my ship, thinking that now was not the time to be speaking to him. I just hope things can be patched up once we sober up - or at least, once I sober up. I have noticed the man is seldom without a drink, whatever the time of day.
09:40 - HIP 73321 Purple Electronics main office
"Thank you for your interest in HIP 73321 Purple Electronics, Commander Bradwell. I am sure there we shall have something suited to your skills, abilities, and your reputation." said the young female clerk. I had decided the best way of trying to get information from Purple Electronics was through hard work, carrying out whatever jobs they have on offer till I was on properly friendly terms with them. No sign of Morgan, I spent half an hour after getting up trying to raise him via both his personal and ship's comms. The Revenge is still docked here, but Morgan was nowhere to be found. I do not have time to go searching for him, if he is still pissed off by what happened last night he will be more of a hindrance anyway.
"Okay, Commander, we have two courier missions to Cigua for you, yes I know they are tedious but are vital to the running of the organisation. Oh, hang on - we also have something that may also be up your street - an assassination mission. My eyes light up. "The is a pirate by the name of Eva L. M. Crozier who has been causing trouble for us. Deal with her."
"With pleasure." I replied.
"Very good, Commander. Your reward for the courier work will be sent to you once we have confirmation of their delivery. Once you dispose of Crozier, return to Birkhoff Ring for payment. Good luck, Commander."
11:30-16:00 - the Cigua and HIP 73321 systems
In most cases when you are sent to kill a pirate, the pirate usually comes for you. It was as thus when it came to this Eva L. M. Crozier. I had just set off to the second drop point of my courier missions when I was interdicted, with Crozier opening up comms to utter one of the most corny and unoriginal pirate catchphrases in the galaxy: "Who dares mess with the pirate lord?" I throttle down and prepare for battle. She had an impressive piece of machinery - a Federal Corvette (which you need to have done a lot of legwork for the Federation for - how come the navies of the superpowers are so willing to let any kind of scum do jobs for them?) but she was only a Novice pilot. Needless to say the fight was a quick affair, the Edge of Sanity's four beam lasers making swift work of her shields and the multicannon swiftly shredding her hull. After making my second delivery I returned to HIP 73321 and cashed in on the kill job.
"Thank you for carrying out that job so effectively. The system is a much safer place now she has been sent to the Void. However, we have two other criminals we would like you to take care of: Harvey Barvey and Daniel Z. I am sure a pilot of your calibre is relishing more combat, and there will be a hefty reward for you on return." said the clerk.
"Thank you, anything to further the cause of Purple Electronics." I replied, trying not to sound insincere.
"So I will trust you will be on your way then. Good luck, Commander."
It took a while to find Harvey Barvey, in that he didn't appear on the scanner immediately after jumping into Cigua. However after a few minutes I found a mission related signal source near Cigua B, a good 70 klys supercruise away. I thought it was going to be a long slog when an Anaconda appeared behind me in my scanner - and it was indeed Barvey. I soon turned round and tried to get on his tail to interdict him, only for him to keep turning and turning, and it became obvious we were trying to interdict each other, so I just pointed my rear at him and awaited the inevitable jolt as the interdiction tether took hold.
"I am the dread pirate Harvey Barvey, prepare to die!" Barvey hammily declared over comms, as I throttled down. The battle began as so many others have, with me trying to target the power plant and stay out of shot of his lasers, whilst being able to tank it if I had to. However there was a twist as a second ship joined the fray. "How dares challenge the mighty pirate lord Daniel Z?" came the announcement over comms, with an inflection so overdramatic it stripped the statement of all credibility. So I now have a real challenge on my hands, I thought, as I worked to swiftly dispatch Barvey - I can usually handle one ship no matter how potent his or her armaments, but it's a different ball game when you have additional hostiles joining the fray. I see the final ring on my shields start to fade, and too late do I activate a shield cell. Now relying on my hull reinforcements, I get myself facing Barvey's underbelly, where I let rip with my beam lasers and multicannon. After what seems like ages I finally finish off the last of his hull, and watch in satisfaction as the Anaconda blew itself apart. Now for Daniel Z - I turn around to kill warrant scan him for extra credits and smile - he's flying a Vulture. Whilst the Vulture is one of the most nimble ships in the galaxy, it is still no match for brute strength at the command of a skilled pilot, and within two minutes I soon have him embracing the cold vacuum of space. I return to base to collect my reward whilst still having 86% hull strength. Not a bad job, Seth, I thought. Not bad at all.
"Excuse me, Commander, but could you come this way, please?" asked the clerk as I returned to the Blue Electronics office. I followed her to the office of Senior Executive Milah Love, and the clerk opened the door where I saw a dark skinned woman with a shaved head behind a functional plastic desk. "Ms. Love, I bring you Commander Seth Bradwell." "Seth Bradwell!" Milah exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your work for us has been gratefully appreciated, and we now consider you a honoured guest at our facilities. If there is anything we can do, don't hesitate to ask us. Also, we now will entrust you with more important missions as reward for your work with us. In fact, there is a pretty unpleasant fellow who goes by the name "Sir Arbuthnot Quacksalot Barrass", yes, we find it a silly name too, but his criminal actions have been no laughing matter, so we want him terminated, and although we would normally recommend this to an Elite pilot, we feel a pilot of your calibre is just the person to do it. There's also a hefty sum in it if you accept, 1.7 million credits in fact."
Well, I was hardly going to say no to that...
Sir AQB, as I shortened his name to, was awaiting me in Cigua, a Deadly pilot in a Federal Corvette. Deadly or not I had the upper hand, even high waking after I took out over three quarters of his hull wasn't enough to stop him escaping his doom, as I have learnt to equip a Frame Shift Wake Scanner with me whenever I am doing combat missions. So I pursued him to Col 285 Sector LF-R b20-3, where Sir AQB had the audacity to interdict me, even though there wasn't a scratch on my hull. He tried to get away again when I dropped his shields, but it was far too late as I obliterated the rest of his hull, and Sir AQB was one with the Void, whilst I hadn't even broken a sweat. Now to head back and see if my new friend Milah Love is willing to dish out any decent scraps of information regarding the Partnership. I ought to also go looking for Morgan at some point. The Revenge was still docked when I returned to Birkhoff Ring, but Morgan was still not responding to my comm messages.
"Marvellous, Commander. You are indeed becoming a real asset to our operations. There will be plenty more jobs like that in the future." declared Milah.
"Thank you, Ma'am, now if you don't mind, I have some questions of my own. There is a reason I came to HIP 73321, and it's to do with another corporation I work for that you have enlisted in a fight for the common good."
"Ah yes, you and your friend made quite the impression last night. You do understand we don't just give out sensitive information like that to anyone. In fact I had security tailing the pair of you, because I was not sure if you were enemy spies. Your friend in particular ended up creating quite a scene." replied Milah.
"What happened to Morgan?"
"He started a brawl in the Purple Star, and he's currently in custody. Quite a tough man too in spite of his inebriation, took four security guards to restrain him. He put ten people in the infirmary, including three security. It's not the first time he's caused a commotion like this." explained Milah.
"Regardless, us two are working together, we are trying to find out who is really behind the attack on Moon Dock, and what this means for the Social Partnership of HIP 71931. We are wondering if there are those in the Partnership trying to vie for power and using the attack as a way of getting it."
Milah sighed. "I will take you to see him, and although it's against my greater judgement, I will negotiate for him to be released from custody, then I will tell you as much as we know about the Partnership. However be prepared to be disappointed, we only know what we have needed to learn about them in our common struggle. Also, I recommend that your friend's stay in HIP 73321 is kept as short as possible - and that he keeps away from the Purple Star and indeed any other drinking establishments on this station, be they of good or ill repute."
The cell door opened to reveal a dishevelled Morgan, huddled in the corner. He looked awful, both from the heavy drinking of the previous night and from his altercations. "Hi. Nice to know you haven't forgotten about me." said Morgan weakly.
"Oh, you would be still be here now and awaiting shipment to Clough Reformatory, where you would be spending the next month, if I had my way." said Milah smugly. "Just be thankful you have some friends willing to vouch for you, although the Void knows why you deserve such fortune."
"So we meet again, Ms Love? A very good day to you as well!" said Morgan, trying to keep what little dignity he had left.
"Believe me, if I never see the likes of you criminal scum again, it will be too soon." responded Milah, confidently.
"Hey, let's cut all this out. Morgan and I have a job to do." I interrupted.
"Huh!" snorted Morgan. "If it means I have to cut deals with the likes of her" - he give Milah a look that conveyed pure hatred - "then I don't want to know!"
"Your friend here has already convinced me to release you, and I have talked to security, and you are free to go, and all fines incurred as a result of your actions have been waived other than the medical costs of the people you assaulted last night, which your friend has already paid for out of his own funds." said Milah. "Now, if you two would be so kind, we can discuss matters further in my office."
18:00 - Milah Love's office
Morgan and I sat in Milah Love's office, I hoping upon hope that Morgan would keep his cool as Milah began to inform us of what she knew of the Partnership.
"The Social Partnership of HIP 71931 is like any other corporation in the galaxy, it wants to make money, and its executives want to get rich and powerful. I am sure you are not so naive to realise that within these corporations there are people willing to resort to foul means as well as fair in order to gain position within the hierarchy." explained Milah.
"Spare us the lecture in galactic business practices and cut to the point." snapped Morgan, who was clearly uncomfortable here.
"I am sure you are aware of Hector Martin, on whose watch came the attack by the Brothers of HR 5473?" asked Milah.
"Yes, and he made an utter berk of himself trying to explain why this attack came from nowhere. He properly disgraced himself." I replied.
"Hector Martin is not all that he seems. He may come across as a bungling fool but he is quite sneaky." explained Milah.
"So are you saying he deliberately allowed the base to be attacked?" I asked.
"Not exactly. It's more like he was taking his orders from someone further up the Partnership food chain, someone who is the real mastermind behind this. That person would be among the senior executive team in the Partnership, but ultimately wants the top prize for himself and his cronies, and when in charge would reward those who were loyal to him, and punish those that stood against him."
"So," said Morgan confidently, "Martin's bungling mismanagement of Moon Dock is a facade, and his inaction down to his role in a proposed coup within the Partnership? That slimy, slippery eel! Just wait till I get back to '938..."
"The problem is that the coup can proceed without Martin, and his demise could easily be the catalyst for it. Without proof of his role you would both have huge prices on your heads." said Milah. "Also Martin has his own personal attack dog who will stop at nothing to see you both dead."
"Yates." growled Morgan.
"Yes, the esteemed Tarquin Yates. A petty small minded thug, used to work for us a few years ago, got dismissed due to multiple cases of excessive force, torture, and corruption." responded Milah.
"Too scummy even for you lot? Nice to know you aren't entirely rotten to the core." Morgan replied indignantly.
Milah ignored that. "Yates should not be underestimated though. He is a coward but his qualities make an ideal enforcer for someone with nefarious intentions."
"So we can expect both Martin and Yates to be let off the hook?" I asked.
"Very likely. Martin may be unpopular with many of the people on Moon Dock but he has friends in high places within the Partnership, and through that, he will ensure Yates keeps his job." replied Milah.
"So, what about those 'friends in high places'?" I asked.
"That I am unable to tell you. It could be any number of people within the Partnership's senior executive team. Rivalries in corporate life are usually not as overt as among political or criminal outfits, a veil of professionalism usually means that the most bitter of enemies within a corporate executive will remain cordial lest they bring the whole corporation into disrepute. Profit remains their bottom line, remember." said Milah.
"So this is all you can tell us?" I ask.
"Pretty much." replied Milah.
"One final question, how come you know so much about Hector Martin?" asked Morgan. "You and the Partnership are allies supposedly, and you wouldn't be gathering intel on him in good faith."
"Martin was once the chief envoy for the Partnership here. As ruling faction, we like to keep tabs on all other factions who are under our jurisdiction. Whilst he was here he was running a lot of courier and transport missions for the Partnership - missions that tended to get aborted or fall foul of pirates more so than such missions run by other factions. The Partnership were forced to withdraw two years ago and we had reason to believe he was profiting from the sale of the stolen items and embezzling corporate funds, but we could never prove it and my opposite number at HIP 71931 was quite dismissive of any allegation of wrongdoing." said Milah.
"Who was this person in '931?" I asked, feeling we may have a lead.
"Allan Heenan. But he is now one of the Partnership's inner circle. No one would dare move against him." said Milah.
"And no one would suspect he was up to no good." said Morgan.
"You will need irrefutable evidence if you were to accuse him. It would not end well otherwise, and remember money and power tends to buy justice here." warned Milah.
"Leave that all to us. The people of Moon Dock won't be fooled by corporate pantomimes, and neither shall we. Thank you, you have been more helpful than you could know." I said, feeling more confident about matters than I had all day.
"I wish you, and you," Milah said, looking towards Morgan, "the best of luck, because you will seriously need it if you are going after Heenan."
"People like us live on luck every day of our lives. I bid you farewell, and hope to meet in more comfortable circumstances." I said.
"Hey," said Morgan, "I just wanted to apologise for my conduct last night. It was very unseemly of me. This place has a lot of bad memories for me, and with all that's gone on recently, it all came to the surface."
"No problems, I apologise for riling you up. We should have both kept a lid on the booze in such a situation." I replied.
"Don't worry, I promise that I will cut down, it's just exceptional circumstances and all that. So are we still partners in this increasingly strange quest?" asked Morgan.
"Yes, still partners. What you think we should do now?" I replied.
"Well first of all, I am going to go back to my ship and have as intense a wash as the ultra-sonic shower can provide me, and a change of clothes, since I feel utterly wretched after these past 24 hours. Then, considering how welcome I am likely to be at any of the bars here, I am going to have a well-earned nightcap in the stateroom, and think about our next move. I should be ready in my ship at 20:30, if you would care to join me."
"Aye, thanks. I'll go freshen up myself. Just before we split, mind telling me what happened after I left?" I asked.
"Well I was still reeling from our little misunderstanding, and mistakenly I get myself yet another drink when I should have made my way back to my ship. What an idiotic move that turned out to be. I then start overhearing these smarmy pieces of putrid biowaste from a dictatorship faction - the Bureau of HIP 73321 Conservatives I think, traditionalist dictators are always the worst, even more stuck up than the Empire, some of them - no offence intended, and for all their talk of values they are some of the most unscrupulous vermin to grace the galaxy. What I heard disgusted me - how they readily sell weapons to anyone who has the credits, pirates, criminals, slavers, the lot, and they spoke about how they are making a, quote unquote, 'absolute killing' with such wicked glee, along with disgusting talk about how back on their colonies they know how to keep, quote unquote, 'their women' in their place, as if the past 14 centuries had never happened, and how the ordinary citizens do as they are told - or else. Well I wasn't going to stand for them openly boasting about how they readily perpetuate such great misery on humanity, so they got a bar table in the back, and I instigated a twenty-man brawl. Believe me, they came off far worse than I did."
"I find that hard to believe, but it's not like I feel sorry for them going by what you say, and I am glad you didn't end up come out worse." I said. "Anyway, see you at 20:30."
20:30 - the stateroom of the Revenge
"Ah, Seth, glad you could come! Let me get you something." exclaimed Morgan, looking in a much better state for a wash, although still looking very bruised. Morgan's stateroom is far more lavishly decorated than my minimalist quarters on the Edge of Sanity, being bedecked with ancient weapons, shields, and skins of animals from faraway worlds. It also boasted a genuine wooden table with matching chairs, and a drinks cabinet that could have come from Old Earth.
"It's not that Harma Silver Sea Rum is it?" I asked.
"Would it reassure you to know that I didn't pay a single credit for this - in fact, I stole this from a rival that tried to double-cross me?" said Morgan, hopefully.
"In such a case, go on then, I feel I'm getting one up on the Kumo Crew and all those that support them." I answered.
"Even in Harma, Seth, there are still honest folk trying to make a living, and the Harma Sliver Sea Rum Company is one such example. Although I do acknowledge that Archon Delaine is one of their most valued customers." replied Morgan.
"And they obviously pay taxes to the Kumo Crew." I said nonchalantly.
"Seth, I know you have your own reasons to hate the Kumos, but the galaxy is full of equally vicious and cruel cut-throats and gangsters." said Morgan. "Not all of them have bad teeth and an eye patch either. Some of them wear corporate suits, others wear military uniforms, and others still wear exotic and fancy regalia."
"I know Morgan, but the Kumo Crew were responsible for a great personal tragedy." I said, trying to remain diplomatic and not wanting to repeat the disastrous argument that turned last night into a T9 wreck.
"And the Empire - or at least, one particular group of Imperials, were responsible for a great personal tragedy of mine. Now, stop trying to reopen old scars and give that a taste." Morgan grinned.
I take a sip of the Silver Sea Rum. I was not disappointed, quite the contrary, it was among the best rums I had tasted during all my time in the black. "Wow" I say, "now I know why you go to such depths to get this!"
"A step above your typical Pegasi rotgut, I'll tell ya! Now, how about we go and discuss how we can nail this Heenan fellow?" said Morgan, still smiling.
"We don't really know if it's him." I say cautiously.
"So how do we find out for definite? Heenan - or whoever it is, must be communicating with someone in Moon Camp, and we know Hector Martin has a role in this, or at least, is in communication with the coup plotters." said Morgan.
"That reminds me - what do we say to Marlon Briggs? Unless this coup is stopped, he is in great danger, since we know that Yates will get a slap on the wrist, and will readily move to rub Marlon out of the picture." I say, concerned.
"Best to stick to as little as possible, in fact maybe say that we found nothing, and the mission is a failure. Meanwhile we continue our investigation whilst Marlon is kept oblivious for his safety and ours." said Morgan.
"Okay, but Marlon is in danger whatever way if they drop the charges against Yates, and Yates still has his followers. Should he return Marlon will be summarily dismissed and then 'disappeared'." I said, ominously.
"Which means that we need to reach him before they do. Let me think about that. Maybe our friends at Blue Vision could do us a favour." suggested Morgan.
"Blue Vision would not move against the Partnership for such little gain. Rescuing Marlon would have to be an action that served their interests." I pointed out.
"Leave that to me." said Morgan. "I have a bit of leverage with Blue Vision, and they are not liking the way things have developed, and if Martin gets off scot free..."
"Okay. But be careful. Use encrypted channels and do not give too much away. Try and meet them face to face away from Partnership space, if you can." I said.
"Don't worry about that. Now that we have a plan to save Marlon, we need to figure out how to get the evidence against Martin and Heenan, and I think this calls for a spot of espionage." said Morgan.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean we break in to Martin's office, and get a copy of his files." said Morgan.
"You can't possibly -"
"It's pretty straightforward, and I have experience in such cloak-and-dagger activity. One of us needs to shut down Moon Dock's power, disabling the security systems, whilst the other gets into Martin's office and gets the goods." continued Morgan.
"But even if we did that, we would be trapped, the hangers would be shut down immediately, and Yates' goons would be on high alert looking out for us." I said.
"Who said anything about docking there?" said Morgan, with the expression of someone who had done this many times before. "Anyone who does that automatically fails Sabotage 101. Always have an escape route in mind. No, I propose that we drive up there, leaving our ships a good distance - say, 20 km away, then sneak out of an airlock - which is much easier to bypass security than the hangers, when we have got the goods and make our getaway in our SRVs. After we are well away from the base we can call our ships and high wake out of Dodge."
"Brilliant. It's madness bordering on suicide, but it's brilliant none the less." I said, finishing the last of the Harma Sliver Sea Rum.
"Glad to have you on board. So, considering how events are developing, speed is of the essence. I have it on good authority that Martin returns to Moon Dock tomorrow afternoon, and Yates' tribunal, which will be a whitewash, of course, will be concluded by the evening. This gives us very little time to rescue Marlon. We need to get that evidence against Heenan and Martin fast. So with that in mind, I propose we soon turn in and get ready to sneak into Moon Dock at 06:00 tomorrow." announced Morgan.
"06:00 sounds good to me. Better rest up soon then." I replied.
"Okay. But one more thing - thanks for getting me out of that detention cell, even if it meant me coming face to face with Milah Love again. I am sure you now realise there has been some unpleasant history between us two. But all the same, I wasn't relishing an enforced stay at Clough Reformatory. It's not a particularly welcome place." said Morgan.
"No worries, just as long as I can rely on you to put past grievances behind you for the duration of this mission. See you at 6." I said.
"See you at 06:00. Rest well, friend." said Morgan, smiling contently.