Code named Arquebus
22 Jun 2018Ouberos
OOC: The following two stories are pieces I wrote a long time ago. At that time there was a war going on. In itself this is nothing unusual but this war was different to the ones you play today. This was a war led by larger than life characters who have now mostly moved on from this game. These two stories reflect my parts in their war.
Because I only had a small part in the war I decided to double down and fought for both sides. I played both ends because war is business and I have always played Cmdr Ouberos as a business minded character with little regard for your frail notions of "Good" or "Bad". At the time I published both of these pieces anonymously because, for my own reasons I wanted my part to remain hidden.
The first part details a BGS battle which happened in Open and by agents largely unknown to the wider community. At the time, what happened had never happened so quickly before. Something similar had been undertaken against another group in Wolfberg but this one was different becuase of the way it was done and the fact it took place entirely in Open. Since then some of those mysterious actors have stepped in from the cold and others have chosen to remain hidden. Some I have known fora long time and still play. More than a few on both sides no longer log in and the game you play today is poorer because of this.
The second story was a reposte to the first and I am very happy with it. This story was something which I took upon myself to write because in part I knew the group whose system had been flipped would one day return to the home they labelled the New Caribbean. In that I have been proved correct and as sufficient time has now passed I feel it is ok for me to add these pieces to my own Logbooks. I hope you enjoy them and remember, the Commanders who took part in these stories might now be a distant memory but there are other groups out there who have taken on the role of the Watchman and they will take action against you if you sow too much disharmony in the Universe. Or even on the Forums.
Watch your six Commander....
The first Arquebus story: The Orrere file
It’s said that politics would not exist if not for warfare.
Whether true or not, it is certainly the case for the Alliance. Across all of civilised space it is in Alioth that politics and warfare can be found in the greatest concentrations. Some might disagree, and say the militaristic federation is the true home of warfare or that the court of the Emperor is where political intrigue reaches its zenith. Scholars though will point to Alioth and say here is where Humans have had to become masters of both the art of negotiation and have proven beyond doubt that they have mastered the art of warfare.
Those who disagree only need to look to history and see the wars which were fought there by the Federation and the Empire. Locked together in a cosmic stalemate of attrition they rocked the stars with the greatest destructive engines our species could create. In this endless cycle of advance and retreat the military of the Federation and the Courtiers of the Empire failed themselves first and the people who inhabited their warzone second.
It was from these wars that the Alliance was born. The very people they fought to possess threw both the Empire and the Federation off. The creation of the Alliance was a rebellion against their failure and in doing so the people of Alioth mastered warfare to free themselves of its destruction and then took to politics to sustain their hard won freedom.
Over time it has become accepted that the political machinery of the Alliance is the best humanity has created. It is thought that the constant shifting of power between such disparate worlds has sharpened the political skills of those who strive to keep the Alliance together to such a keen edge that their minds have somehow gone beyond the normal concerns of humans and see only the moves of a great game of their own design. Prime Ministers might come and go but the machinery remained and the political servants within it were constantly learning and evaluating. They Forged agreements, broke treatise and directed public opinion. Silently and efficiently they monitored the health of the state, and acted swiftly when one part of it moved from the path best suited to it.
Within that machinery there are points where information gathers.There are individuals within the machinery of Alioth that understand more and see more than anyone else. These are political animals so tuned to the whispers of the Alliance it could not function without them. Above them might be the office of Prime Minister but that individual would be blind and reactionary if not for their briefings and recommendation. The human bottlenecks of information were few in number and for ten of them to be gathered in one place was rare outside of times of total war.
“Minister Albright will highlight what we know,” Ygraine Cruso’s voice was emotionally flat. She knew the others were watching her for the signs of fatigue she felt deeply but for now she would give them nothing. The events of the past four weeks had been draining.
Albright stood and activated the data sphere. His tall frame was splattered with ten million points of star light that moved inwards in a giddy rush until one bright ball of light remained, hovering over his left shoulder. World's orbited it.
“Orrere. A smack in our face for the last six months. 4 billion souls, or there about. Lost to us by the single largest pirate invasion fleet ever assembled, and yet to gain control they didn’t have to fire a shot. They bought their way in. There were legal failings within Orrere that went unnoticed and Code took advantage of the easy corruption. A full record of how this happened and at whose feet the blame lies can be found in the appendix of my data link. By the time we realised the entire system had stopped paying taxes it was too late and Code were firmly entrenched. Within a matter of weeks they had turned the system defence force and populated the key pinch points with their own demagogues. What followed was an orgy of looting and piracy. The system fell to anarchy and we have been unable to make any headway returning them to the fold at all,”
“Outwardly they supported Mahon but they may as well have been flying the flag of Patreus for all the good it did us. Every delegation we sent failed to arrive. The tonnage of shipping which was sunk is truly staggering. Very quickly it was decided by the same group gathered here today that nothing short of a full scale invasion would remove them. As you know that plan was rejected by the Admiralty,”
A murmur of assent went around the room and Ygraine took a moment to consider how much territory each of them would consider sufficient grounds to go to war for. She briefly considered the strategies of Archon Delaine and how different their approaches were. Then she snapped her attention back to the moment and chided herself for her lapse of concentration. While Albright continued she raised her hand and signalled another coffee be brought to her desk.
“The existing factions within Orrere were strangled of funds and influence. Throughout the system Code were showing approval ratings of almost 72%. They had also extended into Zaonce, Anandilla, Tvasus and had a presence in other systems. What we were facing here was the rise of another Power. That is, until the end of last month,”
“Our agents in Orrere noticed a shift in the output of marketing from the Orrere energy company on the 26th. From somewhere they had been able to collect a seemingly inexhaustible supply of credits which gave them increased political clout. Within the next eleven days we watched as approval ratings for Code dropped like a rock. It was at the end of this period that a civil war broke out. Our agents became increasingly agitated when this skirmish lasted only three days,”
This time the noise from the room was more turbulent. Ygraine watched them closely and followed their eyes as each looked to his or her closest ally. Three days meant this was not an idle skirmish between amateurs. Three days was a tactical strike against the most organised group of pirates in the galaxy. Three days meant there were forces at work within the Alliance that weren’t in the room and that worried them.
“The rest is as the earlier briefings. Orrere is now operating under a provisional government and is undergoing a root and branch legal action to remove any remaining corruption. Code are still present in the galaxy but they are broken. The Alliance is whole once more,” Albright finished and looked to Ygraine who thanked him before taking the stage herself.
“Im sure you have all realised what this means, and I'm sure you all understand why we have gathered this group together once again. The news will come out soon, any day. It could be happening right now. What we have to decide is how we answer the question who broke the hold of Code? Our agents have nothing. Let me say that again. We have zero intelligence on who was behind this political coup and who ever it was has been able to do what we could not. When Hudson finds out I imagine he will be slightly less in awe of our negotiating skills. Her highness Arissa might even now be warming up the Capital ships if she considers us unable to act. The very fact that this group were able to operate unseen, under our noses for the last four weeks puts everything in jeopardy. How do we know that they aren't already working against us here? An unseen threat is the one thing we can not contain. Pirates can be corralled, mavericks can be eliminated, trends can be made unfashionable but a knife in the dark will catch us all asleep,”
A sharp voice interrupted her. Remus Rubicon, a viper of a man spoke up. He was a rising star in the Alioth machine and one Ygraine had been keeping a close eye on for some time. The word was he wanted her job.
“And what do you propose we do about this? I assume you called this emergency meeting for more than a briefing? Have you a solution or are we lost in the void on this one?” He asked with more than a hint of disrespect. Ygraine acknowledged his tone with a short pause before replying to the room.
“Over the last four weeks we have studied the situation in Orrere and the other systems, including Tvasus. My department has concluded that in order to mitigate this failure of ours we need to release the news now. As quickly as possible,”
“What are the projections for public opinion on an immediate release?” asked Remus and Ygraine could tell he already knew. There would be panic and calls for Mahon to resign. Any fool could speak up and pretend they were the leader of the mystery group which killed Code. It would be a duck shoot. The ultimate projection led to war with the Empire. She had ran it herself five times to be sure.
“The most current projections tail off after 48 hours, within the week the whole thing will be forgotten,” she replied and played some rope out for him. If Rubicon had a weakness it was that he was too fast at making decisions. Arrogant enough to underestimate an enemy. True to form he scoffed and began to insult her. The others moved aside slightly and watched for a response to his challenge. With tired eyes she let him hang himself with the rope she had given him, then she talked over him and he fell silent.
“At the start of this meeting the report you were all given was handed to the press. The decision has already been made. The only reason you were all brought here was to ensure none of you decided to interfere. As I speak the news is breaking on Galnet across the galaxy,”
“Are you mad?” Rubicon spat and ignored the muttering from his peers. In one hand he held the projection data sheet that Ygraine had spent so much time on. Smelling the blood of opportunity Remus raised it in the air, but before he could harangue her further Ygraine cut him off once more.
“However, at the end of this meeting another report will be handed to the press. Sadly it seems there has been a tragic loss of life in Reorte. A ship of the Pilots federation has just suffered a catastrophic FSD failure and exited Witch space inside the station. At exactly the same time a passenger liner from Lave was preparing to disembark. The two ships briefly occupied the same space. There are expected to be no survivors,” she spoke with the same emotionless tone she always did. The deaths she was describing could simply have been a number of cargo canisters ejected by accident. The only outward sign that Ygraine was still human inside was the intensity of the stare she fixed Remus with as her words kicked the stool out from under him and left him dangling in the noose he had tied around his own neck.
The matter had been dealt with. They could all see it. No matter how they felt about her methods, what mattered was that the issue had been resolved. There was no place for sentiment in the corridors of Alioth. The deaths of a few hundred tourists was a small price to pay if fragmentation and war could be avoided. They could also all see the spectacular lack of judgement Remus Rubicon had showed. A mistake which called into question any others he might make in future.
“It would seem that the defeat of Code in Orrere is already yesterday's news,” joked someone at the back and Ygraine allowed herself a smile as she silently added Remus Rubicon to yesterday's news.
The second Arquebus story: The last Pirate in Lave
“At its core, humanity is a virus. You only have to look at the way we infect the galaxy. Hopping from one gravity well to the next, finding one that suits and then spreading across it until we hit a critical mass and then boom, on to the next pristine world. We descend on the unprepared ecosystem like an outbreak of the Flux. Only instead of Skeeters the vectors of our plague are the cackling Merchants in their goliath ships, the insatiable Miners with furnaces that never cool and the greatest threat to the galaxy, those restless Explorers and their probing scans,”
The Pirate was holding court to the wreckage that couldn’t leave. He span around as he spoke, waving a gold ringed, fat finger at any brave enough to look his way. His long braided hair swung with him and the smoking fuses he had woven into it filled the thin bar with an acrid mist, turned yellow by the cheap sodium lights.
“Im no virus, you scum,” grumbled a gap toothed dock handler, too poor to consider the Pirate anything more than a competitor in drinking the place dry. It wouldn’t be long before the Authorities came and kicked in the door. They all knew the times had changed and the Speakeasy would soon fall silent. The regime change had seen to that.
“Ah but you are my beauty, you see at our core, we all are. It's in our DNA see? Literally IN our DNA. A virus, that's how it all works. That's what we are, rNA won't do it on its own. Needs a little spice in the mix, a little lead in the pencil to make the mojo flow. The Clever one explained it all to me once, made perfect sense from his pretty mouth it did. I’ve forgotten it now, but that one could tell you a tale. Make out as if right was wrong and wrong was different shades of grey,” he stopped his whirling for a moment and drained his mug of high class grog, stolen to order from the cupboards of those less deserving.
“Ahh, those were the days shipmates. I flew with them all you see. The Clever one, the Mean one and the Salty one. Him! I liked him the best. They say that half of the great Pirate kings throne of salt came from that one. You should have seen the way they cried when he spoke to them. Drop your cargo or die! And they died, oh they died all the time and their salty tears flowed straight into the King's great throne. YARRRrrr” he shouted in defiance at the treasured memories but his voice died in his throat and with a roll of his shoulders he swallowed a sob.
The gap toothed docker smirked at the drunk and opened another bottle of the Pirates Lavian for himself.
“Where are they now scum?” he laughed and looked for support amongst the detritus along the bar.
“Where’s the Clever one and the Salty one with the voice? Oh we all saw them dick about pretending they were the Lords of Lave, the Kings of Orrere, the Zen master of Zaonce. But when push came to shove they got outsmarted didn’t they? Crimson State and the IPC are one thing, but these new mystery players caught you all out, made you obsolete and you didn't even notice,” he crowed and carried some of the drinkers with him. They laughed a little.
Through his tangled, smoking hair, the Pirate focused one drunken eye on his tormentor. He watched quietly as the docker sank some of the famous brandy and then wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
“Quite the bon viveur aren’t we laddie?” he said quietly and the mood of the bar changed. Like a live thing it tensed up.
“A bar room barracker, all bluster and no balls I bet. Enjoying that Brandy are we sunshine? You drink it up then and think on it. Think what that free Brandy might have cost you. All of you here, drinking the grog we brought you. Fair weather friends are two a penny in the pirate life, we know that. It's only money after all. What good is it locked up when you can rain it on pond life like you lot? Tell me something me hearty drinking pal,” as the Pirate spoke he slid his blaster out of its holster and pointed it right at the gap in his teeth.
“What?” croaked the docker, his voice catching on the fear that coiled around his throat.
Which only made the drunk Pirate crack his wide, gold toothed smile. Maybe there was some fun left in Lave after all.
“Were you not entertained?” he asked and a stone cold heartbeat later he fired point blank and splashed the fool across the wall.
“Were you not all entertained?” he asked the silent bar and gave them the toothy smile of his ill gotten gains.
“Don't you worry me hearties, there's plenty more where that came from, and you know, that little interruption has helped clear my head, I remember now how the Clever one explained it. You’re all a virus see, and nothing makes a virus evolve faster than a bit of stress. And you need to evolve. Trust me on that ship mates. Cause we know what's coming. Oh yes. You’ll thank us for it, you might not think so today but soon, soon enough you’ll remember who it was that first brought you all together against a common foe, taught you how to fight under one banner. We did it all for you really. Aye, that's the way of it,”
“Now pass the Rum will you dearie? This Brandy softens your mind and makes you forget who y’arr,” he said and hummed a happy little shanty as he poured out a fair measure of honest Rum.
“They’ll come back for me soon enough, mark my words ship mates, oh yes. And when they do the salty tears will flow like wine once again,”
“Yo ho ho,”