The Bigger Picture
12 Jan 2024Argon Shadowstar
The campaign against Congressus Tenebris continues, a tenacious battle of attrition, slowly whittling down their power as I and a few others work toward driving them back into action or forcing them to lose control of their domain. Among us there are opportunists from other factions, likely Explorers of the Anarchy and the Portuguese Royal Navy, who likely would jump at the chance to expand into these systems if CT remains inactive. Theirs is a more delicate diplomatic game, however. If they jump on expansion and CT's commanders come back later only to find their systems besieged by once-trusted friends and neighbors, it could lead to war. Of course, I have no such stake in these matters as I am dedicated to a larger cause than petty territorial disputes, but I must still be aware of the politics and understand these intricate webs as they enable me to see the future to a degree and predict where my efforts will be most effective. As such, I am also keenly aware of Federation interlopers operating in these systems as well, supporting corporate and democratic factions, supposedly in the service of Felicia Winters, though these systems are mostly outside her influence. I admit, I am not familiar with how or under what conditions power players like Winters are able to expand into unaligned systems, but I must conclude that at least some of these commanders are acting in that capacity, based on observable trends and events in the local news feeds. I do not know if their actions will cause new control systems to take root or not, but if they believe they will, then I must still account for their activities as they continue to meddle in the intrigues of these beleaguered stars.Ultimately, I am but one man, and though there are others here whose local goals align with mine, each has their own agenda, and few of them fully align with my own. Those who do, carry on the activities that I began almost half a year ago, teasing out the slumbering giants who built CT from the ground up, hoping to draw them back into the field to take responsibility for their aging domain. But most are mere opportunists, seeking naught but personal gain. I must think as they do, so that I may engineer the political fabric of these systems in such a way as to incentivize these fortune seekers to continue to work in parallel with my pursuit of the greater good. It is not always simple, in fact, frequently not, but it is worthwhile, and the campaign is progressing, if slowly. One must be content with slow gains when one chooses to battle titans. Such is the nature of any grand campaign, and the true test of conviction.
With this in mind, and the notion that the campaign I have begun is now at least somewhat in the hands of others, I find myself considering the bubble as a whole, not just the plight of one small part of it. Though I am but one man, I have the power to influence others, and have already begun insurgencies to continue my work in multiple locations, even the heart of the Federation itself, Sol. My rebels there do not fare well these days, but they survive and have gone into hiding until an opportunity presents itself. My friend Dayson Fane continues his own campaign elsewhere in the galaxy, spreading the word of the Human Liberation, and my associates in the Drevelli Family and the Vorduli Remnant have become agonizing thorns in the side of local oppressors, helping to bring corrupt officials to justice throughout the Shadowstar Frontier. Though all of these entities have their own agenda, we are all united in our dream of a humanity free of tyranny, even if we may have very different ideas of how to go about doing it, as CMDR Woo did. A realist cannot expect all of his allies to think the same way, it is enough that they agree on the bigger picture. When we have brought down the superpowers and created a freer, more equitable future, there will be plenty of time for us to debate our differences.