A Time of Change
07 Dec 2024Tectus Aradan
I have not spoken outwardly before, nor have I really seen a point up until now. But I feel that with everything going on I might as well say what I feel I need to say.My name is Tectus Aradan. I was born in the Colonia system, and am of Imperial heritage. Despite this, I do not care for the Empire, nor the Federation or Alliance. I work for my own self benefit. When I was given the opportunity to join the Pilots Federation in late August this year, I jumped at the opportunity. The ongoing Thargoid war had kept most people away, but the need for new pilots to assist was so great they were even sending calls for help all the way over here. And despite only being part of a repair crew, I was more experienced with flying ships than anyone else here.
I got on the first carrier to the core systems, and within a day of travel (and constant muttered concern over the possibility of Thargoid attack) we had arrived. I went through the needed training, got my license and Sidewinder, purchased for myself an Artemis suit, and waited for a friend to pick me up at a station in a nearby system. When he arrived in his Anaconda, we left the bubble and made our way to the middle of nowhere, and began scanning whatever biological life we found, counting the profit I'd make.
Two days later, I bought my first ship (not counting the free sidewinder), an Anaconda. A rather strange first purchase, but I had the money to buy, though I lacked the funds to outfit the thing, and so purchased a Diamondback Explorer to aid in my own independent exobiology. I was an explorer since then, rarely engaging in conflicts. Even did some tinkering and managed to do something nobody is really allowed to do, but when out in the black you get lonely, so I used a little out of regulation black market tech to programme an AI. A thinking AI, one that I could talk to, get along with. Programmed a different one for each ship I planned to own.
I eventually, after many weeks of travel and scans, accrued enough funds through exobiology to purchase for myself a fleet carrier, and manage it for a considerable time without needing to head out into the black again. And then the collecting started. I headed out for guardian sites to gain access to guardian tech, bought whatever ship I could, exploited the Federation and Empire to gain reputation and rank to eventually get to the vessels they kept locked behind military standing. I even helped with evacuating some of the residents of Sol. Not many. A few hundred perhaps. All so I could get access to the venerable Corvette. But now that Cocijo finally closed the distance I feel... different. I have always worked for my own self benefit, I have seen no point in assisting others if I don't benefit from doing so. But I think now it is time for change, likely temporary change, but change nonetheless.
I must make one point clear, I do not stand with humanity. I believe we are responsible for this war in almost its entirety. We found their mining rigs out in the black and plundered them. They in turn defended their territory and we took it as an act of aggression and declared war. Thargoids did not vehemently attack pilots, nothing of the sort. I may have lived too far out to experience it myself but I have seen plenty of footage taken by independent pilots and can safely say that Thargoids are clearly not malicious, they simply defend that which they have claimed. We even colonised their territory, of course they would attack us, how would we feel if some unknown species with unknown intentions set up shop in a system already claimed by humanity? We'd try to drive them out, and thargoids are extremely territorial, we know this, they evolved in a very different environment and focus on survival and territory.
And then that damned genocidal fool, "Salvation", pah, the name was nothing but a ruse, a false mask to hide the megalomaniac beneath. If he is still alive, somehow, I personally hope to be the one who guns the man down. He caused the Thargoids to realise just how much of a threat we were, he opened their eyes to the fact that we do not care for the existence of other intelligent life, and in turn they sent in the Titans to erase the biggest threat in the galaxy, that of course being humanity. It started on what we now know as "Capitol" with the Mudlarks, and it continues with the Thargoids. I may not stand with humanity, and I may sympathise with the Thargoids for how unnecessarily aggressive we were towards them when they were simply defending their territory, but I will not let Sol fall.