Ranking and Ready.
26 Apr 2016Jim Beaumont
The election at the Asylum wasn't to be much of an election, more of a stroll into office. Before it even started, the news was the WP had a 20% lead in the polls so it was a forgone conclusion. And that also put them on even footing with the Rats, so the controlling outpost would soon be up for grabs too. In all likelihood they wouldn't give that up so easily, and will probably mean a war.So with that, I decided to go down into the bubble, deep down and search out some work for the Empire, and raise my ranking with them. It had been some time since I had done some work for them, a long time neglected career, but to be resurrected while the election goes through.
I made it to Empire space, and started by doing some medium range smuggling contracts, they pay well and in the area I was offered little or no risk from security services. So the local factions paid me well, and the bigger Empire liked what I was doing. I began to see a lot of contracts for removing 'defectors' and the like in the stations, but that wasn't a job for the Infante, so purchased a secondhand Vulture and got it fitted out for fast dash and smash action. More praise from the Imperial hierarchy and I was soon given the naval rank of Lord.
Just around this time, I got messaged by Oppo, he was also down in this way but Bounty Hunting as part of a call to arms to protect traders who were running high value metals to an outpost, where they were trying to make big improvements to a station. Why not I thought, more good news for my rank raising efforts so I made the short 100Ly hop over to Oppo and joined him in the protection job. at the same time, Merc left his home station and also came along for the ride. There's nothing quite like these efforts to bring in the cash, what with the bounties on offer and then the added bonus of the huge cash injections when the station gets its required needs. I stand to get an extra 10M Cr bonus for the work done, Oppo much more than that.
I then headed back to where the Infante was parked, and finished a couple of contracts I held on to before meeting up with Oppo and Merc. My ranking was raising nicely. Instead of selling the Vulture which had served me well, I named it the 'Jose Julio da Costa' after the Portuguese assassinator of the early 20th century. It's what the Vulture had been doing afterall, and all my ships are given names from history of that once great nation. Long through history, my descendants had once lived in that country on the planet Earth in Sol, way back in time when mankind was confined to one rock and landmasses on the surface were divided into nations like today the galaxy is divided into factions controlling systems. Time ticks by, and the scale changes, but the baseline is just the same. It's just divide and rule.
I left the Da Costa where I was doing the Empire efforts, to return to another time and returned back to Odu. I put the Infante in for its much due service, jumped into the Cabral and made my way out to the Asylum. By now, even though the election wasn't officially over, once again the Communist WP were moving into offices of power, having clearly ousted the One from its duties. The dark and dingy corridors of the former asylum were still the same but for the bright light of optimism and hope of it's population. I grabbed a couple of jobs for hauling supplies back and forth, wondering if the Rats are getting ready. Its coming, just a matter of when. Seems to be a common theme that as far as I'm concerned.
I might need to get the Almeida serviced and ready too.