The weeks go by, but it's no time for rest.
04 Feb 2018TalonAlmese
One standard week.It seems like a blink of an eye to most people, doesn't it? Work your eight hour job (if you're lucky to have one with those hours), eat a few meals, connect with friends and loved ones. Rinse, repeat for seven days. Maybe add in something out of your routine to spice it up. Hell, maybe put in some overtime to buy that fancy thing your love interest has their eye set on. All the hustle and bustle, with no real scope of the bigger things happening just outside of your little bubble. Then again, why would most people even care? Society is disconnected from everything. Famine strikes one star-port, while it's neighbor only 800 LS away is thriving, but you don't see it sending food, and agri-boosters their way. Civil War erupts in a nearby system less than 5 LY away, and a heavy military presence stationed within a milliseconds jump range doesn't even blink, because it's a rival faction that governs it, or a neutral state that doesn't have anything to profit from it's intervention. Thargoids slamming another system making it's way towards the core of the galaxy, but as long as you aren't in the path, what do you really care?
Just seven days to most.
I've lost crew, and seen escape pods snagged by limpets before I've had a chance to save wing mates from fates worse than death. Decent, un-involved citizens of mining corporations having their ships turned to slag, regardless of the high value cargo inside, because the body trade was more profitable. Hell, to the Crimson Cartels, they'd pay hand over fist for decently taken care of bodies to run for cheap labor and peddlers/mules for their narcotics. I'd thrown a good portion of money to the Princess and her causes. Being an Enforcer, it was expected to pay a small tithe to fund these campaigns, but for me? "The Empire appreciates your assistance, Commander. It says that you racked up roughly thirty seven million in bounties.. yet you've donated slightly over a third of that to Aisling Duval's factions here at the station. Not that I mean to pry, but care to explain why?" I'd been tapping away at a data-slate, half paying attention to the station representative. At the moment, my lead pilot was trying to show me that someone at the docking bays had tried to sabotage the ship, whom they'd caught and interrogated. However, the fact that someone questioned my 'charity' caught my attention, and turned my neutral expression to a rather harsh one.
Now the Enforcer Corps is a shadow of what it once was, and not many know of us anymore. We don't mind explaining our heritage, and touting that although unofficial, we are staunch supporters of the Empire, and the Duvals. However, that isn't to say that some of us didn't have our buttons, and damn if this knuckle-headed desk-rat hadn't gone and pushed one of the off-limits ones. "I'm not quite sure what you're implying, but it'd best not be that I'm some sap trying to buy his way into the Empire's good graces. Let's go down a list, shall we? One, this place has been hit hard by slavers, and you folks are losing profits not only by having them prey on the system, but your workers. Two, you're further bleeding credits by putting out calls to any two bit jockey with a ship, that doesn't mind making money over killing." He felt a hand fall onto his shoulder, but he had no time for Addie's attempts to calm him. She knew better, but also knew how to distract his attention to keep him from having security come down on his ass. "Three, if you'd have bothered to look at where those funds went, you'd have shut your trap and not asked such a thing." Snarling I left the stupid little upstart at their desk, heading back to the Dawn.
To some of us, a lot of people lost their lives, or worse trying to clean up the galaxy, because some people would rather choose to do nothing... if they thought things would just pass them by.
We'd left GuuGuyni, our business there put to an end by a hailing from headquarters. The message was simple enough, there was an operation going underway, and all available pilots were called to service to put some people in their place. I sent off a simple response, letting them know that I'd lend aid the moment I could. I did have some business with a contact of mine about upgrades.. now if this fever would just go away, I'd be - 'Alert! Pathogen detected on main deck! Sealing off bridge and purging atmosphere. Standby for system reboot and atmospheric re-stabilization.' Well, that at least explained why I felt sick as a dog... I'd been up on the bridge solo for the past two days since we left that system, the crew leaving me be as they knew a bit of peace was desired. I grabbed a helmet and secured it to my suit, before issuing orders. "Crew, emergency orders. Access the auxiliary drive systems, and handle business. The bridge will be on Quarantine until we hit our destination. On arrival, have a hazmat crew scrub this ship from top to bottom. Looks like our saboteur managed to sneak something aboard after all."
Another damned week, and a missed opportunity to fly beside my fellow Legionnaires.
So after further investigation, and arrival back at Headquarters my blood began to boil, not to mention my blood pressure skyrocketed. That bastard had been from the Crimson Cartel, and I'd slagged a good number of their ships back at GuuGuyni. Small universe after all, ain't it? The 'Elysia Crimson Partnership' were currently declaring civil war against the Empire at home. "Buchanan, get as much intel as you can. Mitchell and Munoz, gear up. We've got a grudge to settle, and I've a burning desire to personally stick it to the Crimson Cartel. They picked with the wrong Commander. Time to show people that the Dragon of the Enforcer Corps is not some slumbering behemoth content to guard his gains, but a territorial monstrosity.... that preys on those that dare tread on his domain, and slight who he holds dear." A few messages were dispatched to a few Commanders he knew, and to his superiors. They would understand, of course. He was ousting a possible threat to his home, and more importantly, squashing the idiots that had dared to try to kill him.
Thought for the Day: Tread carefully in territory not your own. Waking it's guardians is usually a costly mistake that one does not survive.