Crimson Raiders (An Outlaw Story)
08 May 2022Streya Jormagdnir
When I joined Black Widow and folded in with the Kumo Nation, I knew I was in for a ride. But I never knew just how deep the criminal underbelly of the galaxy extends! Would you believe me if I said other factions employ pirates and fifth-column wetwork rogues against Archon Delaine's space? It's quite true. Allow me to explain.
Upon first truly moving into Arakwibut and kicking my feet up, I took on the usual work I had been accustomed to. The odd salvage here, some light B&E there, maybe a quiet takedown or scavenger hunt, and of course surface conflicts in legally-sanctioned wars. Black Widow is not an anarchist faction, after all, and we do have *some* rules and decorum about us. But after a few weeks, we began to notice a group of fifth-column operators mucking about in our stomping grounds. They knew confidence in our confederacy could be shaken with wanton murder and distribution of illegal goods resulting in a weakened sense of security. They also knew they could pull the power on their ships and go completely dark if we ever tried to interdict them. Utilizing these tactics, they were a thorn in the side for some time, but we began to wonder if these tactics might be useful to push our own interests, or at least put pressure on our invaders to leave.
We identified the attacking group as Elitach Multipurpose Forces based on brief sightings before their pilots went into stealth mode, as well as the local news boards and huge bounties they had racked up. After doing some digging we determined they were a small force of disgruntled operatives whose faction once owned real estate but had fallen victim to murderous criminals themselves, although clearly picking up a tactic or two. Knowing we couldn't just raid their capital like they were ours meant we had to put pressure on their associates; kneecaps had to get bent for messing with the Spider's territory. Using these very channels, we identified the Guardians of Harmony in Pranav Antal's neck of the woods as associates with Elitach, and targeted the HIP 495 system for invasion.
The system of HIP 495 itself isn't terribly remarkable. A K-class star, no major orbital stations save for two smaller platforms. There's a single planetary port capable of docking larger hulls, Zetford Silo. The political landscape at the time was such that Zetford Silo was (and last I saw, still is) owned by the HIP 495 Life Partners, whereas the majority of system control was in the hands of our target in the Guardians of Harmony (henceforth, GoH). Taking advantage of the neutral port, I took on contracts favoring the HIP 495 Crimson Raiders, the native anarchist jet-gang. I also made a habit of raiding settlements owned by GoH, swiping everything off the shelves and downloading anything useful. And yes, it's no secret by now that I put many a silenced bullet between nearly a thousand skulls during our month-long campaign. This is a fact I am neither proud nor ashamed of. There's an ancient quote, that goes along the lines of: "When our turn comes, we will make no excuses for the terror".
The real bread and butter for the mercenary seeking to sow chaos in a system and walk away with materials and money are the mission boards. Since the HIP 495 Crimson Raiders held no real estate in the system, we had to support them until they clashed with the Polevnic Justice Party. Once in open warfare, we were able to win victory for the Crimson Raiders and secure them a settlement in Simon Extraction Complex. With an exclusive piece of real estate, I was able to more steadily support the Raiders' criminal enterprises, especially those that targeted the Guardians of Harmony. This direct weakening of the Guardians of Harmony on the explicit behalf of the Crimson Raiders put into motion an even greater war, a true anarchist rising against the authoritarian communist government.
Ultimately, the efficacy of our actions and presence of our personally-funded carriers must have convinced the Pranav Antal CMDRs that a full-scale Kumo Nation invasion was in progress. They sent in two fleet carriers to stamp out this second war, and despite our best efforts and victories in one-on-one combat, they ultimately won by virtue of scale. There was even a "reformatory" megaship that pulled into the system as the Guardians' victory became more assured, no doubt to act as a giant paddy wagon for our less-fortunate underworld comrades. After the war ended, we tried our hands at smuggling goods to reduce confidence in the victorious-yet-weakened Guardians of Harmony, moving many thousands of tons of Narcotics into the system. Unfortunately even after a few carrier-loads of smuggling goods, their CMDRs' rebuilding efforts were yet greater.
During this time, I learned to live life as a notorious raider and murderer. Even if we didn't walk away in complete victory, I still walked out with more wealth and resources than I walked in with (even filling my carrier's bar fully). If you fear no lawman and want to take up this grisly profession, I do recommend having a set of completely silent weapons, especially those that deal heavy damage to take out targets in as few shots as possible to reduce chances of retaliation. I also suggest the Maverick suit for its extra carrying capacity for e-breaches, higher battery capacity for cutting panels and overloading doors, and overall good survivability. Obviously for any open warfare or pitched battle, switch to a Dominator with an emphasis on overwhelming force in your weapon choice.
It's not lost on me that ours will have been the third link in a chain of wicked karma, which began when Elitach were targeted by their own raiders. But I am a product of wicked karma. And if there's anything this cruel galaxy has taught me, it's that you either die a victim or survive long enough to become the villain to somebody. Hopefully my little yarn has inspired some rebel out there to take an informed stand against the badges, but should anyone be offended by my story, please do not bother calling Omnipol. I've already sent a dozen of their goons to the void, and their shiny suits just make for brighter targets.
Take everything you can, give nothing back!