The Federation and their toys.
24 Feb 2020Jimi_Jazz
24 Feb 3306HR - 6202 Deere Installation
Sector 3 - Deweyville
I rested my mug back on the table and waited for it to auto refill. The pilsner began slowly pouring in from the bottom as I continued to flip through my news reader. Local oligarchs bemoaning lost dividends due to worker strikes. Propaganda pieces about the valor of the Defense Force. Widespread lock downs in Beckman Hub as military personal continue to struggle against the Boonta incursion. The signs of power struggling at the hands of the masses.
It had only been two weeks since locals all over the HR 6202 system reached out to the United Coalition of Boonta and we agreed to set up a support infrastructure for them. The HR 6202 defense force has maintained a strict military dictatorship over the system for several decades, and the social and economic inequity was severe. Part of the mission of Boonta is to provide a network of protection and support for those who are struggling under the oppression of authoritarian governments as well as a path to liberation. This did not sit well with the ruling force, and on 22 Feb Gen. Xi ordered the Defense Force to imprison any persons with connections to the Boonta Coalition for transfer to Imperial slavers - and exterminate any who resist. The Coalition refused to back down in the face of the potential genocide of millions of people and deployed our Navy to the system - the revolution was on.
I was taking a rare moment of relaxation in Marianne's Corner, one of the few secular bars located in Deere Installation - the only starport in all of 6202 not under the direct control of the Defense Force. Here devotees of the Sublime Sanctuary called the shots, and they were long standing allies of the Coalition. Being a peaceful religion, the Sublime Sanctuary's parishioners were usually hesitant to take action against oppressive forces, but were always more than eager to support those willing to get their hands dirty. I was waiting for contact from my naval coordinator before making my next move - an assault on a mining installation some 8,000 ls away that will cripple the Defense Force's repair capabilities. I took a sip of my third brew and opened up the outfitting menu on my PC for a last check of my systems.
"That's is one fancy Corvette there, Commander, truly the pride of the Federation" a woman sitting next to me remarked. She had been mirroring my PC screen, having somehow broken through both the station's and my personal firewall. I immediately knew she was a highly connected intelligence agent. I tensed, how long had she been spying on me?
"Karline Winters - no relation, auxiliary regulator for the Federal Naval Assets Commission. Much obliged" She said, noting my look of irritation. "Rear Admiral Jazz, you own an asset of the Federal Navy, and our records show you have not fulfilled a Naval contract in quite some time. Please report to a Federal contact of your choosing and fulfill your obligations - or else relinquish your ownership of the Federal Corvette registered... 'JAZ-420'"
I scoffed. "I purchased that vessel in full, I have all the proper authorizations in place. I no longer serve the Federal Navy, let your bureaucrats know they can piss off". Winters maintained her carefully trained cordiality.
"That will not work for us, Commander. My employer has given me clear instructions, get you current with your naval contracts or issue a team to decommission the vessel in question. Considering financial and personnel costs associated with the destruction of a Corvette-make vessel, I would strongly suggest re-entry into the Federal Auxiliary program as soon as you can". Her threat was delivered with the warmth and friendliness well practiced within Federal society and their largely corporate culture. It was a significant threat nonetheless.
I have enough targets on my hull what with every dictator and lord in this sector seeing our Coalition as a rising threat. I was hundreds of light years from the heart of the Federation but did not doubt they would send hit men all this way in order to assert their power and ensure that Core Dynamics tech was only used to serve their interests. This was a headache I did not need.
"All right, all right. I get your point" I said, taking a long swig of my drink. "I can't set up anything here, too many eyes on me. Tell your handlers I will meet them at the Naval offices of Aleksandrov in HIP 81237, I'll do some work for the Federal democrats."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Commander" Winters said, her feigned friendliness turning genuine as she felt she got her way. "You will have a meeting scheduled in 1 day, details will be sent to your comms link." She stood up. "Another thing, Commander, you may want to end your affiliations with this leftist coalition, such behaviors are not becoming of a Naval Admiral". She out of the bar and opened up her stellar communicator to make a call before vanishing into the busy street outside.
I finished my drink and chuckled. Using cordiality and bureaucracy to mask their violent control of anyone they see fit - typical Federal tactic. I did not have the time to play errand boy for another Federal faction, I had my own problems to deal with. Not that it mattered at all to the super power. I had what they considered to be their property - despite owning it outright - and they were either going to use me or take it back through force. It's a shame I would never make it to Aleksandrov Terminal. The infamous Jimi-Jazz: beset upon by pirates in the Ghara system and killed with no chance of recovery. A truly sad affair indeed. My buddy at Yarruci interstellar factors will make sure the Federation knows I died with their best intentions at heart.