Working for the Confederation
09 Apr 2022Claude Lecardunoie
5 days ago, a friend of a friend talked me into getting into mining business.I had to think about it and check my bank account to see if I could buy the minimum to start. I only have mon bon vieux "Petit Baigneur", a Sidewinder MkI. It is small and slow, but with the right modules, I think it can be set as very decent mining ship.
The day after, I went down from Mawson Dock residential and leisure sector to the shipyard and workshops level. I don't think that Mawson is a big and important spatioport, but you still can find quite a few shops there. I took my time to wander around. The corridors and plazas were full of pilots, Federals, Imperials, Alliance too, merchants and smugllers, militaries and mercenaries looking for ships, a piece of equipment or just a contract.
I didn't come there for this, but I first stopped at a ship dealer, to take a look. Core Dynamics, Falcon DeLacy, Lakon, even some Gutamaya ships. And Saud Kruger models: they only had a Dolphin in stock, but what a beauty. They tried to sell me one. Unfortunately, I can't afford that now but some day I will do Passenger Transport just to fly this kind of vessel.
My next stop, some hundred meters further was Carlos Lavezzi's Mining and Refineries Retail Shop. I know that Mawson Dock doesn't have a big mining industry, but still I was disappointed. Only old mining lasers, second hand refeneries and reconditioned drones. But what choice did I have? It is supposed to be the best place for what I was looking for. I felt robbed, but for some some 30000 CR, I bought two class D mining laser from Beamer Pulsed Inc. and an E class Mac Arthur Mining refinery. Ok, two different brands, but for 2000 CR more, the engineers of the shop managed to make all this work together.
On my way out of the shipyard level, I had to walk by the Pilot's Confederation local desk. One of the officer there stopped me and said that his superiors had to talk to me. I had no other choice than to follow him in their office. I don't remember their names, but in the room there was a senior commander and the local Combat Pilots officer. What they had to say was quite simple:
- Commander Lecardunoie, the Sidewinder you have, your only ship was given to you by the Confederation so that you use it to work for the Confederation. You haven't reported in the last 4 days. This is not tolerable. Especially because you still have a mission pending.
He was right, I forgot that I was supposed to leave yesterday for Sharur to hack a colony data system. I got away with the promise that I will fullfill this task no later than next week. That gives me time to try my mining laser. Then, I'll hack this colony. But I don't want to work for the Pilot's Confederation anymore. So I'll do this last mission and wait for the first opportunity to leave the Confederation's systems for good.