Entry 122 - 06.09.3304 Two of the Superpowers are done...
10 Jun 2018MBaldelli
Current System: Shinrarta Dezhra I blasted out of Newholm Station once I had received my Rear Admiral pins following up a lead that there were two systems in the Empire that had the same sort of set up like Sothis and Ceos. With that in mind, I got into the cockpit of the Leif Eiriksson with the intention that once I arrived, I would make arrangements with the dock workers at one of the stations, for both the Tokugawa and the Harbinger to be transferred there so that I could maximize both the assistance as well as the reap the rewards of working for the Empire.
On my way to Ngalinn and Mainani, I had to swallow my initial trepidations -- and disgust -- that part of the work I might see on the Station boards would include both drug running as well as slave trading; two aspects that have become outlawed within the Federation. While I might be tolerant of the thought of drug running for the decadence that could be found in the Empire, the slave trade was something I would never participate in.
Landing at Hickam Survey I hit the System Boards to find the information for the Shipyard. While there was refueling and a repair bay, it was primarily used for wear & tear. Any outfitting was rudimentary in nature and was meant for ships far smaller than the Python and FAS that I typically flew.
I didn't get out of tie Eiriksson but instead took some of the courier jobs, confirmed they were all going to Mainani and began a little of the long grind.
Mies van der Rohe's Claim wasn't much better. Not only did it not have a shipyard it didn't even have outfitting nor a repair facility.
Well, I began thinking, it's not as though I haven't spend months of time in the cockpit and the billet of the Eiriksson. I might as well make the most of it.
And so I began my work -- in earnest -- shipping data and courier crystals back and forth between the two stations.
It didn't take me long to unearth that these two locations and the six minor factions in the area have been at war for quite some time now. In fact, it no longer looked like a conflict looking for resolution to whatever political agendas that might be going on in-system or within the realm. No, instead it looked like five siblings fighting in the mud of a pigpen while the parents weren't looking.
And when I heard the mudslinging going on with the repair crews about this faction or that, I made the decision to stay in my ship even when I was docked for the night.
By the end of the first day, I had risen nine ranks to the position of Count. By the middle of the second day, I had reached the rank of Duke. Unlike the Federation where I would be getting rank pins for my uniform, the Empire's ranks were entirely of paper and electronic/fingerprint identification. Not that it mattered any, both stations in this deadlocked wrestling match didn't have any Imperial Offices manned by the Navy anyway. They had been abandoned a long time ago.
But this e-mail brought me some joy in the afternoon as I had accomplished another wonder:
Now that I'm eligible for both the Imperial Cutter as well as the Federal Corvette; any sort of political hobnobbing or need to deal with the superpowers in the bubble are behind me. While I might return to them so that I can be top ranked -- at the moment I'm satisfied that I have opened up all the permit systems that they have to offer, and obtained the certificates for purchase for the top tiered starships.
Now, I'm off to choosing a new home. Jameson Memorial, Shinrarta Dezhra. With the necessary powers ranks completed I believe it's time I enjoy the peace & tranquility of neutrality for a bit while I work out some of the laundry list remaining for me before I head out -- once again -- into the Deep Black.