IC Diary of CMD James Barrett

di6turbed · Apr 15, 2017

ASELLUS PRIMUS GOLD LEGAL IND

Employee Profile

NAME: James Nicholas Barrett
PERS NO.: P334-221
DATE OF BIRTH: 14/10/2970
PLACE OF BIRTH Earth / Sol System
RECENT PHOTO:

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: APGLI HQ, Beagle 2 Landing
LINE MANAGER: Tom Hardy
ROLE: Pilot / Messenger
CLEARANCE: G+, MP

LINE MANAGER REMARKS:
Reliable pilot, capable of performing tasks classified as DIFFICULT or VERY DIFFICULT. Good track record of shipments. Shows some negotiating skills. However, tends to be careless and take unnecessary risks. Hot - headed, company had to pay several fines he got for unauthorised use of force / speeding / possession of illegal cargo (already deducted from the salary).

Warning: strong tendency to abuse alcohol and drugs. Spent time in rehab centre twice. Company lawyers employed to release him from arrest on 3 different systems for bar brawls / possession of illegal substances. Onboard computers detected signs of alcohol twice, preventing launch [note: standard issue alco-test software installed on all company vessels].

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Despite satisfactory track record of standard assignments, not eligible for promotion.
However, due to good piloting skills, eligible for participation in CERBERUS programme.
Note to HR Department: cross - check with other divisions and if results are positive, put Barrett on the list.

DUTY STATUS: ACTIVE

OOC

This is my second take on writing the story based on what happens in-game to my character - after previous one, Duncan MacLeod, died.
This time I also decided to play in a kind of "Iron Mode" with a simple system I came up with:

A) Every time my ship is blown to pieces, I will roll the dice and see if the escape / ejection pod did work properly. The chances depend on the quality of the Life Support System installed: E gives 60% survival chance, D gives 70%, C gives 80%, B gives 90% and A gives 95%. There will be only one roll. If I die - I die.

B) I will be using ship insurance, but instead of getting exactly the same ship I had, once I "respawn" I am going to sell the vessel I had. This will simulate me getting the insurance money back, but I still will have to go through of the whole process of finding a new one, getting all the modules etc. It is rather unrealistic to have this shiny new Imperial Clipper delivered by the insurance company to a remote, backwater station somewhere in a pirate - controlled territory, isn't it?

C) I will try to get good IC reason to what I am doing and never play OOC (to harvest etc). So if you ever meet James Barrrett online, this means that I am roleplaying him. And I do encourage you all to get in touch for some good RP experience!

di6turbed · Apr 16, 2017

Unpleasant surprise (16/02/3303, Beagle 2 Landing)

BEAGLE 2 LANDING, ASELLUS PRIMUS SYSTEM, AP Gold Legal Ind HQ

"Why the are you showing me this, Ramirez" - I tapped my finger on the datapad, looking at young man wearing a clean, light gray corporate uniform. Shiny logo of Asellus Primus Gold Legal Industries on the collar reflected the quickly changing neon lights of the "Rocking astronaut" pub. Blue - green - red. Blue - green - red...

"James, come on, this is important!" - he seemed genuinely worried. I forced myself to shift my gaze from the ever-changing colours on his collar and look back at his face.

"So what? I ain't going to get a rise. Never expected any, to be perfectly honest with ya"

He shook his head impatiently. "You really can't see it? Look at the end" - he wrestled the datapad from me and swiftly moved his fingers across the screen, then handed it back. "Here, this part".

"Yeah, Cerberus. So?"

"Are you really that dumb, James?" - he asked and then instinctively ducked as I raised my hand. Also instinctively. I smiled and brushed my hair with my fingers.

"Don't call me dumb, Ramirez. Ever".

"Hey, I am doing you a big favour here, man. Stop acting like a j... I mean just think for a second. You never heard about Cerberus?"

'Nope" - I shrugged my shoulders - "Should I?"

"Damn well you should. Listen" - he looked around and then bent closer to me - "look, I know you stick jockeys never hear about it. But it is a pretty big thing in the HQ, especially with us in the HR and in Department C"

I looked up at him, suddenly interested. "Company Spec Ops?"

He nodded. "Yes. But not in a way you think. They won't transfer you there, not a chance. Not with your track record.. I mean.. alcohol problems, drugs and all that stuff. I work in the HR, I know these things" - he added quickly, seeing my expression.

"OK. So if they are not transferring me, then what is it all about?"

"Look, all I know we had at least 3 cases like yours before. People not exactly.. obedient, but good pilots. They all got assigned to Cerberus. And they all are dead now".

"" - I took a swig of my beer, suddenly feeling I don't like where all this is going - "How?"

"Do you remember the Freeport Convoy? During the conflict with iBootis Democrats?"

I nodded my head. "Yep. It was a ruse to get their fighters into one place so that we could hit elsewhere".

"There were two pilots there, James. Both on Cerberus list. Both died. The transport ships were remotely controlled. They set them up. They were scapegoats. Expendable. You get it now?"

I cursed. I did get it. Much cheaper way to fire someone. No legal bull, no claims. My contract clearly said that in case of my death in the line of duty, compensation is due to my closest family. The problem was that I had none.

"Why are you doing this, Ramirez? And I don't want to hear any bull about how much you like me, as I ain't gonna buy that crap".
He was silent for a moment, looking down at the table. Finally he raised his gaze. He looked somehow different... determined.

"You want a honest answer?"

"I will punch you in yer face for any other, kid".

"Alright. You are a good pilot, James. And you could help me out. Now you owe me, big time. And I will need your help soon, I have an.. idea"

"Expected as much" - I sighed - "and I will help you with whatever you need. If you're telling the truth here, looks like you just saved my butt. So you're right, I do owe ya"

He relaxed visibly and forced a faint smile. "Good, I knew you'd understand"

"I don't understand, Ramirez. I don't understand why the Company would pull something like that on me. But I ain't gonna leave it unanswered. They will pay for that..."

"Are you insane? What can you do to them? Alone? Stop fooling around, James. Get your ship and just disappear before it is too late".

"Oh no, lad. They will pay. I do have an idea how to hit them where it hurts"

"What? What are you going to do?"

"You will see soon. You'll hear about me, that's for sure. Now get lost, lad. Better if nobody sees ya with me.."

di6turbed · Apr 21, 2017

Preparing for war (21/04/3303, Xing Hub)

XING HUB, AULIS SYSTEM

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Hey does this thing work at all? I bloody hope so.

I have decided to start these regular recordings in my Commander's Log. Maybe someone listening to this once I am gone will find it interesting. Or maybe I'll be able to send the whole bunch of these directly to the CEO of Asellus Primus Gold Legal Ind so that he or she understands that - in the hindsight - messing with old James Barrett was a mistake?

I know they think I am pretty hot - headed. At least that's what is in my papers. But guess what.. I can also be pretty methodical, you suckers! And I have already began to put plans in motion that will make you regret you ever hired me. Not to mention signing me up for this whole "Cerberus" programme.

So, I think I have found a nice little station which I will call my home for now. One jump away from your HQ, but in low security system, with readily available black market. Prospect Five. Nice name, eh? Prospect Five.

I am also putting aside some credits for a new ship, as with the Adder you got me there ain't much I can do. But doing both official runs for APGLI and for some other contacts I made since I started to work, I managed to gather more than 1 million. And that means that soon I will be able to buy a nice Viper Mk4 and send it off to Prospect Five, where it will wait until the great day arrives.

My day of vengeance.

Sounds sweet, doesn't it? Sounds sooo sweet.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 22, 2017

Meeting with Putin (22/04/3303, Heng Terminal)

HENG TERMINAL, LHS 5287 SYSTEM

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) One, two, one two... alright *sounds of clearing throat*, recording.

I spent the whole day yesterday preparing the ground and doing some research. Yeah, research - me. Go figure.

I went to Beagle 2 to the company HQ to speak to Ramirez, but I was told he was away on holidays. This sounds kinda weird, as for as long as I know the guy, he has never taken any holidays. It is as if he was chained to his damn desk. A pity, as I had some more questions about the whole "Cerberus" program. Not to arise any suspicions, I also took two transport tasks for AP Gold Legal, otherwise they would probably start asking questions what I was doing and why wasn't their ship making any money.

I also visited Baker's Prospect, a small planetary outpost in Asellus Primus, and only place in the system that is not run by AP Gold. Thought I'd look around and make some friends there, but it seems the group in charge of the place is currently having some big fight over leadership, so I didn't bother with them anymore.

Instead, I went to a nearby LP 98-132 system and docked at Freeport. A small station with less than 2000 people living on it, but aligned with the Federation - a perfect place to set up as a base of operations. So I started my preparations. I bought a Hauler and maxed out its cargo space - this will come in handy when I put my little plan in motion. I also bought an Eagle and kitted it out enough to survive encounter with anything up to Diamondback. By paying 50 000 credits I also secured a remote hangar for my exclusive use and started to look into ways of making friends with people running the station. I Bootis Democrats. Couldn't have a more stupid name.

I returned to Beagle 2 Landing to get payment for the last two jobs, when my Line Manager called me with a question if I wanted to make extra 240 000 credits. He said they have located a guy responsible for some terrorist attacks against the corporation. Almost a quarter of a million - he was already dead in my book. Though I have to say, I did chuckle when I saw the name of the guy. Wait, let me upload the manifest... How does one upload documents to this log?

*sounds of shuffling and pressing some buttons*

There!

UPLOADING...COMPLETE

Now I ain't no scholar or history junkie, but everyone coming from Earth knows that name. This guy was responsible for starting the 3rd World War back in 21st century.

I immediately took off and went to LHS 5287 System, where my target was last spotted. I found him pretty quickly - he was flying a Cobra Mk4 with no escorts. I managed to catch him just before he began his approach to Heng Terminal, literally 0.3Ls away from the station. He didn't even get to fire once at me - I took him by surprise, and when you have an Eagle on your back, it is damn difficult to loose it. Wait, I have some good shots from my cockpit cam, wait a sec...

*some more pressing of buttons*

UPLOADING...COMPLETE

And that is how I ended up on Heng Terminal. Oh yeah, on the way back I checked on one of the signal sources and found a wreckage with six floating occupied escape pods. I dumped some cargo I was carrying to get these poor lads safely to the station - and local authorities even paid me around 15 000 credits for that! I might check up on them when they get released from the Med Bay. Not that I want to have any hero honors, but it feels good to save someone's life for a change.

OK, time to sleep. I am dead tired. Vladimir V. Putin, mostly harmless. Heh.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 23, 2017

Think strategically (23/04/3303, Beagle 2 Landing)

BEAGLE 2 LANDING< ASELLUS PRIMUS

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) One, two... OK, its working.

Not too much to report here, another day with some easy runs done for the corp not to raise any suspicions. Though I did reach out and make some contacts with a few people from the groups that perhaps could play a greater role in the system and with which I think I should have closer relations now.

First one was some guy from the Asellus Primus Nobles. Man, he was hard to talk to, treating all the others as if they were his subordinates, stupid . Still, they seem to be gaining influence and are not on friendly terms with APGLI, so I guess I will have to swallow my pride and work with them. Already did a run with some reactive armour to a system located 38 light years away...

Another one was somebody from Asellus Primus League. They did offer some jobs, but it remains unclear what are their goals, and most importantly, what are their relations with APGLI.. I'll wait and see. They have one advantage, though - they control the single station in the system that is not in the hands of the corporation: Baker Landing. Could be used as a hiding place if things get too hot, so I think I will try to improve my standings with these guys too.

I asked around about Ramirez again upon my return. Still the same answer - on holidays. Though when I asked some of his friends I know about it, they all cut the conversation. Immediately. Something stinks here. And I need to dig deeper. If Ramirez is in trouble, chances are that I am also in trouble. I'd better move faster with my preparations.

Alright, enough talking, time to get to work.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 24, 2017

Getting the assets (24/04/3303), Beagle 2 Landing

BEAGLE 2 LANDING< ASELLUS PRIMUS, BEAGLE 2 LANDING

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Ekhem, here we go.

Commander Barrett reporting back after quite a busy day. I took on two head hunting missions today, one salvage and two transports, mostly for the Terran Colonial Forces. I still need to run a background check on these guys, but they seem like a reasonable lot. I think I need to make friends - and lots of them - if I choose to part ways with Gold Legal Ind. Especially if I choose to o it in the way I planned.

So, about that head hunting - piece of cake in both cases. First one was some kind of a pirate in a Viper and I caught him just as he was attacking his last victim, a Federal Type 6. He didn't even see me coming, hehe. The Eagle may be small, but it can pack a punch! 1:0 for Barrett, sucker.

The other one must have been warned, as he opened up on me with everything he had as soon as I approached the Nav Beacon. It was a bit of a cat and mouse game, but once I got on his tail, I didn't let his Cobra go until it was torn to pieces. 2:0.

I then went to look for some rebel logbooks from a ship that was believed to be lost. It took me good two days of flying around to finally find the wreckage and recover the logs, but just as I opened my cargo scoop I got attacked by three pirates hiding among the debris. An Adder, Sidewinder and an Eagle.

OK, I will admit that my first reaction was to run, but then anger got a better of me. I first destroyed the Adder, then turned on to Sidey. Didn't have time to catch the Eagle, though. Man, that was fun!

Plans for the next few days - find Ramirez (meaning: found out where did he go on his holidays or what happened to him). Secondly - check more on Terran Colonial Forces.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 25, 2017

Things you do to get what you need (25/04/3303, Beagle 2 Landing)

BEAGLE 2 LANDING, ASELLUS PRIMUS

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Alright, log number one for today. Will be more.

So I went to the offices again to check on Ramirez, same answer as always. Only different, as when I was about to leave, two uniformed guards approached me and told me to go with them to Duty Security Officer, who started asking questions why I am so interested in Ramires and made it clear that if I do it once more, not only my career with the corporation will be over, but I will also regret that I didn't keep my mouth shut. . As if I could just walk away. Not before I pay back the cost of that company Cobra I crashed. I'll have to record that story once, it was crazy... Anyway, got to find another way to find Juan.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

13:44 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) One, two, one two... recording.

So, spent some more time on the platform and got in touch with a group calling themselves Pilot Academy or something similar. Apparently, they act as information brokers. Going to check it out now.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

"Commander Barrett, I assume"? - a short, bald man looked up from a large touch screen mounted on the surface of a surrealistically huge desk he was sitting behind.

"Yeah, you assume right" - James Barrett sat down opposite not waiting for invitation - "I heard you could help me locate one person I am looking for"

"Perhaps, commander. Depending on how difficult the task will be and if you can afford it".

"Hey, I have money" - pilot put his cowboy boots on the counter. Bald man looked at him with utter disgust but did not say anything - "but I need the information now. The person I am looking for might be in danger"

"Oh really? I see.. if you could please fill in this form and we can get started" - company representative pushed a datapad towards James. He took it with a frown and began typing, talking to himself.

"How the hell should I know where he was born? Or where he lived for that matter? Employer.. that is easy... Asellus Primus Gold. Last seen.. dunno, 3 days ago? OK.. here and here.. family .. unknown... enemies... alright... that's more or less it".

A strong push sent the datapad gliding back towards its owner.

"Good. Please come back in 30 minutes. Good day".

(32 minutes later)

"Mr Barrett, the good news is we might be able to find Mr Ramirez"

"Alright. What is the bad news?"

"It will be tricky and take some time. And we will require payment in kind, and not in money. Trust me, it will cost you less"

"Service for service.. I like that" - Barrett sat down again on the couch - "hit me"

"One of our other clients is in need of a specific material - Magnetic Emitter Coils. The problem is that these are produced only in handful of systems in the bubble, the closest being Steiner Platform in Aasgaa, around 135 light years from here. If you bring us six crates of these, we will get you some information on your guy"

"You got it, pal" - the pilot stood up, smiling wide - I'll be back today"

16:35 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Back to the pit and ready to go!

OK, let me check number of jumps... 17?! Alright, that shouldn't take too long. Come on, let's go!

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

18:41 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

This is Barrett, I arrived safely in Aasgaa and docked with Steiner Platform. Nothing to report from the trip, it was outright boring. Going to get the emitters and fly back to Beagle 2.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

19:06 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

God damn! What a piece of junk! My damn Eagle won't make it back to Beagle 2 with full load. I need a new FSD, which I won't get here.. Or another vessel. Fine! Going to get rid of you, you useless sorry excuse of a ship!

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

22:15 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

This is Barrett. Onboard a new ship, Hauler, with 10 crates of magnetic coils in the hold. I found quite a good bargain with A-class FSD and Life Support. It has zero manoeuvrability, minimal shields, no thrust and only one gun, but should serve its purpose. I'll sell it as soon as I get to Beagle 2. Onboard computer says I need only 10 jumps. It should not take too long.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

23:58 SGT

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

Barret here. Tired as hell. Hauler has the least comfortable chair I ever used in a pit and I'll be more than happy to sell this junk tomorrow, once I deliver my cargo to the Academy. Then I hope they will find something on Ramirez. In the meantime, time to sleep, dead tired. Out.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 26, 2017

Snakes and ladders (26/04/3303, Beagle 2 Landing)

BEAGLE 2 LANDING, ASELLUS PRIMUS

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Mic on, recording.

Hey, and here I am, in a completely new ship. Got rid of old junk given to me by the AP Gold, got rid of the Adder I bought myself some time ago to be more capable as a trader. And I am sitting in the pit of a shiny, new Viper Mk IV. Man, I've always dreamt of getting one of these snakes - Viper or Cobra for now, and later a Python or an Anaconda... Well, just made the first step.

By the way - Adder or Hauler traders? - a joke. A Viper can easily fit a 32 unit hold on top of everything else it has. And mine has a 6-person business class cabin fitted. I even moved there for the time being, as the bunks are much more comfortable than in my quarters.

I made a good use of this cabin today, by the way - took a bunch of Asellus Primus Legal representatives who were in a hurry for some business meeting in a nearby system - merely one jump away - and got 600k in cash. Easiest money ever.

I also have a planetary landing module and a Scarab fitted as standard equipment. I also had a chance to try it out and it nearly cost me my bloody life. I spoke to an old friend who used to work with me and now hang out with some shady types and he talked me into doing a small.. let's call it "favour" in the LHS 3006 system on Vulcan. Owner of a small and allegedly undefended outpost there was due to pay his organisation some credits and they wanted to do a show of force. So I was asked to go there and disable his station's power generator. Clean and easy, right? Anything but.

I went there, did two rounds around the installation. Indeed, it looked tiny and sure as hell it looked undefended. So I touched down, got into the scarab, drove the bloody thing towards the outpost and started looking for the generator. The ride was bumpy but fun and soon after I was next to my target. Just as I uncaged the turret, all hell broke loose - alarms went off, my pit turned red with warning lights and I got hit from two directions at the same time.

I'd like to say I kept my cool and just destroyed the skimmers. But I didn't. I f#####g panicked. I drove as fast and as far as I could, shooting at two tiny, moving targets and not being able to hit the small s. When I was more than 1.5 km away I realised that my hull was at less than 25% integrity.

So that is when I got mad. Like proper mad. I got back into the Viper, took off, flew back to that damn outpost, blew the little laser-spitting fu###rs to pieces and then shot at the generator until it melted down completely. I also hit the station itself a few times for good measure.

(sound of few deep breaths and then some coughing)

Yeah, I probably got carried away there. I know. But the job was done and I got my money upon the return. My buddy from the Purple Crew was very happy with what I did and told me that I waste my time with the corp. He couldn't be more spot on with that...

I need a beer. Barrett out. Stop recording.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 28, 2017

Working together (27/04/3303, Opala)

ANDERSON FORUM, OPALA

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(tapping the mic) Mic on, recording.

Where do I start... you know the days when in the evening you lie down on your bunk with thousands of thoughts circling in your head? So today was such day.

I received good news from my contact with Terran Colonial Forces (TCF). They managed to pinpoint the location Ramirez chose for his holidays: a small, rocky planet called Trooper in I Bootis system. Sounds promising? Just wait for the rest: apparently he was having the time of his life in a small penal colony. Good old company has arranged for him to have an unforgettable vacations. Bloody s.

Before leaving, I got a summon from my line manager. Judging by the voice message he left, he wasn't particularly happy. Well, he'll have to wait, as I promptly ignored him and made my way to Chango Dock in I Bootis, where I was supposed to get in touch with some people sent by TCF to help me get Ramirez out of prison.

Just before contacting the Control, I saw a huge Imperial Clipper coming to a stop in front of me. The commlink went live seconds later. Pilot of the large vessel introduced himself as Burt Monroe and after initial exchange of usual pleasantries he cut straight down to the chase. He said he was also looking for Ramirez who apparently had some information that would be most useful and for which he was willing to handsomely pay. The interesting part was that this came from the times when Ramirez was a pilot himself - a fact I never heard about. I always knew him as a clerk working in Asellus Primus Gold Legal Ind Human Resources unit.

Long story short it looked like we had a common goal, so we went towards Trooper together. We landed around 60 km away from the prison colony to plan our next moves.

Then I got into my SRV and joined him onboard his Clipper. Man, this ship is huge - and really nicely done inside. Coming from a Viper I felt almost as if I have left some kind of hermitage...

(coughing)

Bloody air conditioning, I need to change the whole system in the Viper... anyway. Where was I? Ah yes. The plan we came up with was quite simple. He would circle above the colony and cover my , while I went in with my Scarab and made as much mess as possible. When all the havoc starts, TCF mercenaries would quickly get inside, find Ramirez and extract him to a safe location.

As is the case with most brilliant plans, it didn't work. At all.

Turned out that this god-foraken colony in the middle of nowhere was quite heavily guarded. As we approached, we got scanned by two security Eagles, which then followed us all the time. When I landed, they were joined by a pair of Vipers and briefly a Python. No way we could have pulled anything off with such a company, even with Monroe's Clipper. We have decided to leave and find some other way to get Ramirez out.

We flew to the closest station, Maher Stellar Research, hoping that we could find somebody who would know more about the prison colony and tell us something that might give us idea how to rescue Juan. Luck had it that we found four security guards working there that had some pressing business in Opala. I immediately agreed to take them almost for free - come on, 40 000 for four people in luxury business class cabin, that's real cheap!

On the way we had a nice chat about the colony, conditions there, you know, the usual small talk. One of them did know Ramirez, so at least we knew that TCF people were not lying to us. When we were almost at our destination, planetary outpost called Anderson Forum, one of my passengers contacted me on internal comms that we might have trouble, as he recognised a pilot who was previously held in the colony who.. hmm, let's say didn't have the best possible relations with the prison guards. And now he was here to get them, flying a Viper Mk III.

This made me happy, as I didn't yet have a chance to test my Lepricon in combat. Unfortunately, Monroe spoiled a fun a little bit with his Clipper, as the poor commander trying to have his revenge quickly changed his mind and tried to run seeing he is vastly outgunned and outnumbered. I don't have to say that he didn't stand a chance, do I?

Anyway, my passengers were extremely happy and became much more talkative. We have just landed and are about to go for a beer or two with them, possibly they will be more willing to sell some of the prison colony's secrets to us. We shall see.

Barrett out.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · Apr 29, 2017

First blood (28/04/3303, Unknown Location)

UNKNOWN SYSTEM, UNKNOWN JURISDICTION

(03:25 LT)
Voices coming from far away. Drifting, sometimes as loud as if someone was shouting straight to my ear, just to fade away only a few moments later. Weird feeling as if I was floating.

"Give +3 on pumps two and four, looks like he is regaining consciousness"
"Done. Pulse increasing"
"Let me just finish this.. look at that, a few centimeters to the side and he'd be dead"
"Yeah, one lucky guy"
"OK, hold the wound. I think the anesthesiac is kicking in"

(06:44 LT)

"Can he hear me?"
"Probably he can not, Colonel, but can't tell for sure. He is still in artificial coma. Should we wake him up?"
"No, I will talk to him tomorrow. Carry on, doctor. Good job"

(08:56 LT)

Where am I? My eyelids are so heavy. What happened? Wait.. prison colony. Ramirez. This commander in Imperial ship. Monroe? Mungo? SRV. Sense of going very fast with rocks exploding all around me. My ship in the distance. Enemy fighters circling, shooting. Terran Colonial Forces teams near the entrance of the prison block. Evasive maneuveurs, tumbling over the hill. Safety of my Viper. Safety? More attackers, more lasers, missile hit, thrusters failing. Hand on ejection handle. Pain. Darkness....

(10:14 LT)

"Thank you for your report, Captain. I will take it from here" - Lt. Colonel Eric Koch looked as his subordinate left the room. Then he took the datapad and resumed reading. Operation on Duster didn't go as planned, that was certain. Those two pilots that were supposed to spearhead the whole action have proven to be completely useless. One managed to escape, the other one was brought to the MedBay by the SpecOpes Team in a very poor shape. There will be time to talk to him, just not today.

He sighed and looked back at the datapad:

Mission Report 164/3/BA/3303
TCF Sp. T. “Viper”, Teams: Alpha, Bravo, Gamma
System: i Bootis
Planet: Dustball
Location: Higginbotham Penal Colony
External actors (nicknames): Trucker / Irishman
Objective: Armed Exfiltration / Prisoner Release
HVA: Present
HVA ID: Juan Ramirez

After Action Report

Teams Alpha and Bravo were in position at fragged coordinates, waiting for Irishman and Trucker to commence their action.

We were in contact with both pilots in three instances and they appeared over the target as many times. However, during first two attempts they have withdrawn due to overwhelming presence of the security forces.

The situation did not change during their third appearance, but this time they decided to attack. Irishman landed and used his SRV to get to an elevated position, while Trucker orbited above, ready go take on any security forces vessels in the AO.

Situation went SNAFU very quickly. Irishman got under overwhelming attack from drones and turrets and after initial exchange of fire started withdrawing towards his Viper Mk4.

Trucker got into a dogfight with several enemy ships, which soon received reinforcements - additional Federal Assault Ship and Federal Dropship. Some of the local security vessels started to track Irishman and his ship, they were also strafing him as he made a desperate escape in his Scarab towards the Viper.

Trucker fended off his attackers but was not able to help Irishman. Soon he warped out of the system.

In the meantime Irishman managed to enter his ship and take off, but he was immediately intercepted and attacked by 5 system security vessels. Viper was shred to pieces in a matter of 10 seconds.

We sent Team Gamma to the crash site and found Irishman wounded in an escape pod. As per instruction 442/02 Team Gamma destroyed the pod to feint Irishman’s death and then evacuated with the wounded.

Due to good coordination of system security forces and lack of any success from the side of Trucker and Irishman, teams Alpha and Bravo had to pull back to Evac Point without being able to exfiltrate the HVA.

After Action Recommendations / Comments:
- It is likely that local security forces will consider Irishman as KIA or MIA.
- It is also likely that they will find the Black Box from Lepricon. If they do, they will learn about the purpose of his mission. Likelihood of HVA being moved within next 12 hours to a new location: 97%
- As they have probably worked together, local authorities (iBootis Democrats) will inform Asellus Primus Gold Legal Ind about the whole situation. Caution is advised when contacting the corporation from now on.
- Efforts should be made to contact Trucker and use Irishman contacts to discover the new location of the HVA

Cpt B.K. Van Luik, TCF Sp.Op. Team “Viper”

di6turbed · May 1, 2017

Back from the dead (01/05/3303, Azeban City)

AZEBAN CITY, ERANIN

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

(long stretch of coughing) Mic on, (coughing) recording.

Holy , how I hate such moments. I woke up completely disoriented, with huge headache and burning ribs. In Azeban City Medical Facility. Last time I remember I was in iBootis, right?

Took me some time to figure out what happened. And yeah, when the memories came back, it dawned on me how royally we screwed up our last action. Only thanks to the cool of Terran Colonial Forces SpecOps unit I am still alive. No idea what happened to Munro, they told me he got away.

(coughing)

OK, let's try to give this rambling some structure, James.

So, we went to Higginbotham Penal Colony in iBootis to break Juan Ramirez, a guy that is a mine of invaluable information for both myself and my new friend, Bruce Munro. Or was his name Burt? , things are still blurry. Anyway, I also contracted some help from Terran Colonial Forces and paid quite a lot of credits for a well trained team to be sent down planetside and extract Ramirez while we cause enough distraction by attacking turrets and skimmers.

, didn't that sound like a good plan? It sure did, but there was a little problem - too much security. When we commenced our little operation, we immediately got around 6 of them on our backs. The moment when I was speeding in the SRV trying to get to my ship, being shot at by at least two Vipers - something I will never forget. Multicannon and laser rounds hitting all around me, exploding rocks, it was a miracle I even got to Lepricon. But as soon as I took off, I immediately became a much bigger target. Boom! Thanks God the escape pod worked...

The rest I only know from the stories of TCF that were on site. They got me out from the pod, destroyed it to make it look as if I died in it. Then they went to their hidden ship, waited some time and transported my sorry here, to Azeban City.

In the hindsight, there were so many things we did wrong that I don't even want to think about. We should have got some more help or waited until part of the security vessels depart. I should have stayed on the ship instead of doing this stupid trip in the SRV... I should have... it. Doesn't matter now, does it Commander Hindsight?

(coughing)

And as soon as I woke up, they presented me with a very nice 125 000 credits bill for "operational costs". Can't really complain...

Of course the total bill is much higher and I agreed to pay it in kind. They gave me a Sidewinder and said that in order to make it even, I will have to do some work for them. Fair enough. Lepricon was shred to pieces anyway...

(long stretch of coughing)

I don't feel too well yet, but I got to work almost instantly. Did some planetary scans on Eranin 2 and almost got a heart attack when a Vulture scanned me just as I sat down next to a damaged TCF outpost. Fortunately, I wasn't carrying anything in my huge 2-unit cargo hold in Sidey. Then I went to Dahan to deliver some data. Now I'm back in Eranin, getting ready for more.

(coughing)

I wonder where is Munro now, probably laying low. And I hope that iBootis security bought the story about my death. No matter if they did or not, I better not show in Asellus Primus - my company hopefully also thinks I kicked the bucket. If not, they must be very unhappy I was poking my nose into disappearance of Ramirez, something they will easily learn from Lepricon's black box. Either way I am pretty sure they will move him out of iBootis. Need to check it as soon as I can.

(another long stretch of coughing)

Holy , my ribs hurt. Enough of talking... Barret out.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · May 2, 2017

Hunting former colleagues (02/05/3303, AZEBAN CITY)

AZEBAN CITY, ERANIN

ACTIVATING VOICE RECORDING OPTION... DONE

Mic on.

As TCF didn't have any immediate tasks for me, I spent some time upgrading the Sidey I was given by them and then I sat in the "Red Dwarf" bar, going through the news and checking the bulletin board. There I found an open contract for hunting pirates in Dahan. Wouldn't be a big deal normally, I know, but what struck me was who placed the advert and what was the allegiance of the pirates. I almost spilled my whisky on the datapad.

Contractor: iBootis Democrats
Target: Asellus Primus Gold Legal Ind. pirates.

Gold bloody Legal Industry pirates. Legal my . I immediately scrambled to my ship, checked the new life support system, remotely accepted the tasking via onboard console and set the course to Dahan.

(coughing)

Uh, at this rate I will spit my lungs out soon...

Anyway, such a contract could only mean one thing - that good relations between iBootis and APGL were over. Possibly after our little stunt in the penal colony. If they were at each others throats it is very likely that the Democrats won't be so eager to keep Ramirez locked anymore. Or perhaps will even want to use him as a source of information? , this may have very serious consequences.

Indeed, it looked like APGL was running a major, albeit low - level operation in Dahan. They must have paid dozens of novice and rookie commanders, flying mostly Sideys, Cobras and Eagles to disrupt trading routes and attack cargo ships, especially those belonging to iBootis Democrats. I've interdicted and fought with 9 of them, destroying 6. Three were lucky and able to get away.

While scanning their cargo holds, though, I found one more interesting thing. They were all carrying either personal weapons or battle weapons. And that can only mean that they are preparing something much bigger in Dahan or another system close by. I need to get more info on that, perhaps this will be useful for either iBootis Democrats or Terran Colonial Forces.

And I have to find a way to check the whereabouts of Ramirez. If he really knows that much about AP Gold Legal he may be sought by many more people than just Mungo and myself.

By the way I wonder where is Mungo now. Probably laying low somewhere after the disaster in Higginbotham Penal Colony. At least he got away safely...

Barrett out.

No, wait. Uploading some evidence of APGL illegal activities in Dahan system.

VOICE RECORDING DEACTIVATED

di6turbed · May 3, 2017

New ship, new possibilities (02/05/3303, Eranin 4 Survey)

The small door leading to hangar bay 11 opened with a hiss, sending small clouds of vapour into the corridor. James bent his head and followed a sturdy man into the large landing area, where an old, dark green Cobra Mk III sat in the middle of the pad.

"Here she is. Isn't she a beauty?" - said the ship merchant. James has already nick-named him a "dwarf" - not only because of his stature, but also due to the tangled and unkept brown beard falling on the military - style vest filled with pockets.

"Aye. A beauty indeed, in her time. She remembers Thargoid wars?"

"Oh come on, she is not old. And well kept!" - the 'dwarf', seemingly undaunted, walked to the back and typed in the code next to the cargo hatch. It beeped several times, but nothing happened - it didn't move. The merchant tried again, with the same result. James crossed his arms, but didn't say anything watching the small man pressing the combination of buttons for the third time. As the door remained closed, he quickly glanced at his potential customer, smiled apologetically and then smashed the keypad with the fist. The hatch opened with an audible moan.

"You'll need a little bit of lubricant and it will be good as new" - mumbled the dwarf, quickly disappearing inside the unlit hold. Then, already from within, he added louder "come on, I'll show you the engine room and the pit!". Barrett sighed and followed the man into the ship. It smelled with old gas oil and burnt circuits, with a little hint of moisture.

"Splendid. Can't wait to see those".

Quick inspection of the engine room revealed that the installed thrusters were the basic, worn E-class in dire need of replacement, as they were patched so many times that another repair would probably not be possible.

"The thrusters are a real mess, lad. What about the FSD"?

"Ah, the FSD" - merchant's face lightened up immediately, as if he got to the best part of the show - "brand new B-class, manufactured in Asellus Primus. Here, have a look!". James inspected the FSD case and ran the auto-diagnostics on the console. Indeed, quite a good drive, worth at least 500k - definetely more than the whole ship.

"Yeah. It's OK. Let's go to the pit, shall we?"

"Of course! It has a custom made pilot's seat and brand new focus crystals for the HUD"

"Great. Life support system?"

"Ee.. well, standard E. But come on, such a good pilot as you surely won't have to use it nor the ejection system, right?" - Dwarf smiled showing uneven teeth, with traces of tobacco he must have been chewing quite a lot. James did not comment, briefly touching his chest and ribs broken during the last ejection.

"Alright, how much do you want?"

"Only 1.8 million credits and she is yours!"

James laughed. "For that much I could get a brand new Mk IV delivered by Faulcon Delacy to my door. I'll give you 800 000, only because the FSD really is quite decent".

The merchant waved his hands frantically. "800 000? That is a robbery, sir! There is n.."

"You're right, lad, it is a robbery" - Barrett interrupted him - "but I will allow myself to get robbed because I need a ship". He produced his CredStick. 'Take it or I'll look somewhere else'.

His interlocutor hesitated, but only for a moment. A wide smile returned to his face "Deal. 850 000 and.."

"800 000. Don't test my patience"

"Yes, of course! Let me quickly fill all the paperwork and she will be all yours. So, how will you name her?"

James remained silence for some time, looking out through the cockpit glass. "Rose Tattoo".

Dwarf's smile faded, but only for a second. "E.. really? Yeah, that is a good name, very.. ee.. fitting. Great choice, sir".

Barrett nodded absent-mindedly. "Yes. I do believe so".

OOC
Here is a little try of a different style of writing. I will probably be switching between the story and diary modes, depending on what happens in game, but also on feedback (if any) I get and see. And yes, I finally got myself a Cobra - hope it will survive long enough!

di6turbed · May 6, 2017

Burt Munro (04/05/3303, Hirasawa Orbital, Aulis system)

He hesitated for a moment before he pressed a button on the console of his ship and said:

"Activate voice recording"

"Voice recording activated. Personal log number 13" - answered Betty.

James scratched his head, took a deep breath and then finally slowly started to speak:

"I am currently in the Aulis system after having done some minor supply runs for the Terran Colonial Forces. It has been a long day. The new Cobra is doing pretty well and I'm really pleased with her, she's an agile gal, but also quite spacey. New class A Life Support System will be installed tomorrow in the morning. I made decent credits on a few hauls of Progenitor Cells, but I feel that I am going in circles here. Every day of paying my debt to the TCF gets me further away from finding Ramirez, and that really, really starts to me off... pause".

"Voice recording paused"

Barrett grabbed a bottle of Irish whisky and filled his glass to the brim. Then he sat back in the pilots chair, throwing his legs on the pit. He took a long sip and sighed.

"You know Betty... sometimes I am wondering. With all those stars and systems we conquered, with all those powerful factions and leaders.. do we still remember about our roots? I mean, you know.. the roots from Earth" - the glass in his hand made a circle in an unspecified direction, as if pointing towards the small planet, cradle of all humanity - "I am Irish. Though I never was in Ireland and I doubt I ever be there, because I need a permit to get to Sol. But what makes me Irish? What my parents told me when I was a small lad? The holovids I watched? Old music I've been listening to? Maybe my funny accent? Why does it still matter when there are billions of people living on planets and stations so far from their original homes that the light of their own suns may reach the good old Earth in a few hundred years? Hm? What do you think?"

"Unable to comply, please specify your command".

"I thought so, Betty. I thought so. Maybe.." - he didn't finish, as the holo vid link blinked.

"Holocall from commander Munro" - announced Betty.

"Put him through on main" - Barrett straightened in his seat and put the glass aside.

Projection came to life in the spot reserved for scanner. Three - dimensional picture of Burt Munro was blurred and shaky. The sound was weak and distorted.

"...der Barrett. I need to t... you. Ca... eak?"

"Betty, enhance the signal"

"Enhancing signal"

"Good to see you, Burt. Where the hell have you been?" - James leaned closer to the display.

"I was hit hard on Dustball and then had some technical problems. Pretty big ones. I (distorted) you. Do (distorted)..ve any news on Ramirez?"

"Not much, but I do have a lot to tell you. Can we meet?"

"I thin(distorted)..tact you soon. Need to go. Munro out".

Projection flickered and died. Barrett sat motionless for some time, looking out through the canopy glass. Then he got up and started make rounds on the bridge. During one of the passes he grabbed the glass and emptied it in one long sip. Then he turned back to the console.

"Betty, put me through to Peterson at Azeban City"

"Connecting, please wait" - announced Betty.

A short - haired woman didn't look surprised to see Barrett. Rather annoyed, or perhaps bored.

"Ah, commander Barrett. Good to see you again so soon. Preparing new shipment of Progenitor Cells?"

"Not exactly, legislator. I want to pay the rest of my debt. Now"

"That is almost 450 000 credits commander. Are you sure you..."

"Yes, I am sure, thank you very much. Could you arrange for the transfer as soon as possible?"

"Of course. It will be done within the next 30 minutes. But you do know that costs are one thing, but you still have a debt with TCF for saving your life, commander?"

Barrett nodded. "I am well aware of that, legislator. And you can count on me should you need my help. But for the moment I have other pressing matters to att.."

"Of course" - Liana Peterson interrupted him - "please do keep us posted on whereabouts of Juan Ramirez. Have a good day, commander". Projection disappeared.

"Link terminated" - Betty announced in her matter-of-fact tone.

"No ..." - James sat down heavily on his command chair - "what would I ever do without you Betty? Better let's get ready to go as soon as we have the new life support installed. I'll go and get some rest. And you Betty" - he pointed his finger accusingly at the console - "make yourself useful. Clean the deck a little or something".

"Unable to comply, please specify your command".

"Goodnight, Betty".

"Goodnight, Commander"

- - - Updated - - -

The lights on the control terminal were green. The text on the screen read:

"All systems nominal. Oxygen reserve: FULL. Escape pod reliability: 95%. Thank you for choosing A-graded Life Support from AP Life Systems Inc."

James nodded to himself and said louder: "I think we are good to go. Betty, fire up the engines, obtain the take off clearance and set the course for Dahan. I'll be in the pit shortly".

"Affirmitive, commander".

"Good gal" - Barrett looked around the engine room. The ship will definitely need new thrusters, but he'll get there. It felt good to own a Cobra - his dream ever since he started flying.

Contrary to many commanders out there, he never served with the military. He had no ranks with either of the superpowers nor did he really care about them, though in all honesty he felt Alliance to be closer to his heart than the others. His home system, Gateway, and Dublin Citadel in particular considered as important strongholds of the Alliance.

He started late, aged 29, as a scrapper in a small Adder, and then joined the Asellus Primus Gold Legal Inc after his ship was destroyed by the pirates and he was left with an awful debt. More adept at not being seen than in open combat, he has quickly proven himself useful when things needed to be done quietly and without a trace. Funny that he got to own his own Cobra only when he probably became a public enemy in his old corporation.

***

After exiting the witchspace in Dahan, James set the course for Dahan Gateway and checked the system info for latest news. He cursed and then smiled. APGL Inc. were at war with one of the local factions. They were moving quicker than he had thought. Weapons shipments, privateering, and now an open conflict. Grand.

"Betty, looks like we'll get our hands dirty today. Should be plenty of opportunities to shoot down more of our former colleagues"

"I take that it was a statement, commander. Please specify your command"

"Nevermind, Betty, nevermind. I'm just winding ye up"

***
At the destination he quickly transferred 14 crates of wine, collected the payment and then went to the dry dock. He ordered the replacement of two class 4 cargo racks with additional armour and ordered Betty to sign him up with Workers of Lalande 29971 Green Party in a conflict against the APGL Inc.

"I hate the greens" - he explained to Betty a few hours later when the ship was outfitted and good to go "but now I am gutted with the APGL even more. Let's roll"

***
The battle raged just outside Dahan I, a desolate small brown planet. God knows why both sides chose this specific place to kill one another. "Rose Tattoo" warped into a middle of mayhem. If two fleets closed in a relative order before, now it was a complete mess, rather a series of dogfights than a massive shootout. Knowing that space battles are not his strongest trade, Barrett carefully chose a place with majority of green dots. Soon he put his beam lasers to good use and scored a kill against a Vulture.

Next target was an Eagle.

"Nimble little " - James cursed, as enemy fighter jinked to prevent him from getting a clear shot.

"Under attack" - announced Betty.

Barrett cursed again and rolled his Cobra, switching the target. Viper Mk4. Lovely. He disengaged the flight assist and aligned with the new enemy. The previous one used the opportunity to get behind the "Rose Tattoo".

"Shields depleted".

"For 's sake, why wont you ever tell me something nice, Betty!?"

"You seem stressed, commander"

"You see what I mean!?"

No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the Eagle without getting under fire from the Viper. He glanced at the ship condition meter. 47%. Not good.

"Thrusters malfunction"

"What now!?" - he moaned. At least now he WILL have to get new ones, no question about that.

No response from the stick. He was a sitting duck. All of a sudden there were more red dots than green ones on the scanner.

"Hull damage critical"

"Nah Betty, we're in good form here".

Smoke started to fill the cockpit. Small fires erupted from the console in front of the empty second pilot's seat.

"Ejecting. Ejecting"

The world twisted and rolled. He felt a sharp hitch, then he smashed his head against the chair. Everything fell into darkness...

OOC
In lone with self-imposed rules I rolled the dice to check whether James Barrett survived this and whether his new life support system worked. With an A graded one the chances stood at 95%. I rolled 24 - so he is alive. But the ship is lost...

di6turbed · May 10, 2017

The outbreak (10/05/3303, Maher Stellar Research)

Dahan Gateway MedBay was not the largest one James has seen. Nor was it the tidiest. Or cosiest for that matter. But it was where he spent the last five days under an informal house arrest, together with four other veterans of "Battle of Dahan I' as they quickly started to call themselves. They fought for both sides of the short civil war, they all had been shot down and then fished from space by the rescue teams. None has suffered any major injuries, but the authorities figured out that it would be better to keep them locked until the conflict calms down, at the expense of the insuring companies, rather than letting them join the fray once again.

James was rather unhappy with this turn of events at first, but after initial outbursts he accepted his fate and used the time to arrange for a new ship and install some upgrades. The only vessel available within his budget was an Eagle, white and pretty old. When he finally was released from the hospital, Barrett registered it as "Temporary Solution", certain that it won't serve him for more than a couple of days.

***

James sat down in the pilot's chair and started all the systems. He enabled the manual checks and only after finishing all he brought up the galaxy map.

"Hey Betty. Ye missed me? It's been donkey's years since we last spoke"

"Hello, commander"

"Oh, come on, that's all you have to say to me after all those days?! Hello!? Nevermind. Set the course for Eranin"

"Roger that, commander. Warning: Galactic Information System indicates that Eranin is currently experiencing an outbreak"

"Grand. We can make some money on medicines"

***

Azeban City, Eranin System
"Daily Blues" Pub

James leaned back on the chair with the glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He was looking through a large, oval window at the huge, Earth - like planet outside. His interlocutor, a tall and thin man in his mid-thirties followed Barrett's gaze.

"I am telling you, something is not right. It is true that the outbreak started here, on the planet, but it must have come from another system. Plus the fact that commanders linked to I Bootis Democrats were buying any medicines or advanced medicines available on the market for the last week - isn't that suspicious?"

James looked back at the man and took a long sip of whisky before responding.

"So what are you saying, Jack? That it has been implanted by the i Bootis guys in order to weaken the grip of the TCF on the system?"

"That is exactly my point, James. Exactly. They already are the second largest power. They own Azeban Orbital which you can see over there" - the man pointed his skinny finger at a tiny spark visible closer to the planet's atmosphere - "they want to see us weakened. But we need proof. Come on, you are on good terms with these guys and if I am not mistaken you own us big time" - Jack leaned back on his chair and inhaled deeply with his cigarette. "All we need to know is who is behind this - and I am more than certain that someone is".

"Yeah, poor hygiene".

"What?"

"Nothing Jack. Alright, I'll do it, I'll go to Azeban Orbital and sniff around. If I find anything I will let you know. But in return" - he leaned towards the man on the other side of the table and pointed the stub of his cigarette at him "I want you to try and see if you can dig out anything new about Ramirez. It's been a long time since that.. blunder at Dustball. I need to know if he is still there".

"OK, I'll see what I can do. Meet you here in a couple of days"

***

iBootis System, 15 884 Ls from Maher Stellar Research
Deep Space

"Emergency drop. Hull integrity compromised. FSD Cooldown: 3 minutes".

"Fair play, Betty. Be right back"

James checked his scanners at both short and long range. Nothing. Nobody should notice one ship dropping out of FSD this far from any station. But its better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright..." - he muttered - "seems we're in the clear. Let's see what we've got"

He left the cockpit, went to the main ship's terminal and opened the folder containing the Medical Data File uploaded at Azeban Orbital from i Bootis Democrats server. He was supposed to deliver it to Maher Stellar Research within 20 hours, as it allegedly contained some crucial information regarding the outbreak in Eranin. Jack was right about one thing - they had exactly the same problem here, in i Bootis. Thousands of people complained about dizziness, nausea, nosebleeds and migraines. However, the origin of the sickness remained unclear.

James typed a few commands in order to open the file.

"ACCESS DENIED. PASSWORD PROTECTED. ADMINISTRATOR LEVEL PREROGATIVES REQUIRED"

"For 's sake... lay off!"

He tried a few tricks that he learned, but he was no hacker. The only thing he managed to do was to make a copy of the encoded data. He slammed the terminal and powered it off. Just as he got back to the pit, an alarm sounded.

"Unknown ships entering range" - said Betty.

"Lovely. Give me full power to engines and two bars on weapons. Deploy hardpoints" - he glanced at the scanner. Two Sidewinders, flying the colors of i Bootis democrats, but not system police. Both wanted. The commlink blinked.

"Taking a short break, are we?"- asked one of the pilots.

"Yeah, just lollygagging here. What do you gents want?"

"Depending on what you have for us" - the second one chimed in. Sounded older than the first one.

"How about this, ya s?!" - said James, pulling the trigger and slamming the throttle. He quickly got behind the first Sidey, chewing through its shields with pulse lasers and then hitting the hull with multicannon. The second one desperately tried to get on his Eagle's tail, but clearly lacked manoeuvrability - and probably skill - to do so. The fight was over in a matter of minutes.

"There. Now let's see what you had in yer boots" - said James checking the list of contacts on the right panel. "Hm, interesting.. Progenitor cells? Nice! Betty, deploy the cargo scoop, let's pick these up".

As he grabbed the last floating container, new blips showed up on the scanner. System security.

"For sake, not now.. I needed your help like 5 minutes before!"

Commlink blinked again:

"i Bootis Police Rapid Response Unit. Please shut down the engine and submit to security scan"

"Oh bonkers..."

"Illegal cargo detected. Fine of 10 500 credits imposed. Please fly to the closest station, pay the fine and hand over illegal goods to the authorities. Failure to comply will bring serious consequences".

"!"

"Commander, incoming priority message" - announced Betty - "i Bootis Democrats inform you that your ranking has been reduced to neutral".

"Thanks Betty. Thanks a million. Let's dock at Maher Stellar Research, shall we? I need a beer".

"Setting course for Maher Stellar Research".

"Good gal"

di6turbed · May 15, 2017

I scratch your back, you scratch mine (11/05/3303, Bordage Works)

"Our records say that you did a good job with the last outbreak data delivery, Commander Barret. Therefore we are willing to overlook this... smuggling incident and trust you with two additional sets. As you know the whole outbreak, which now fortunately is under control, has started here, in our outpost. It is crucial that we find out where did it come from and we believe that this data can give us an answer to that".

James nodded, trying to look as helpful as possible. A bald - shaven, tall woman, i Bootis Democrats representative that met him after he signed up for data transportation missions, produced two identical chips and handed them over. He didn't even bother checking the destinations, as he knew that both devices - together with the third one which he copied previously - will go directly to Azeban City and to Terran Colonial Forces experts who hopefully will be able to decipher them and learn more about the origin of the outbreak. And then they will have to deliver on their side of the bargain and let James know if Ramirez was still on Dustball or if he was transferred somewhere else. That won't score him points with i Bootis Democrats - if anything, it will probably completely close any possibility of working with them again - but he was happy to take his chances.

***
Azeban City, Eranin System
Terran Colonial Forces HQ

"Commander Barrett"? - a short man with square jaw and short blond hair approached James and briefly shook his hand. He looked more like a military type than a scientist.
"That's me, aye"
"I am sorry you had to wait. Please, follow me"

He led James into a small, simple office with one desk, a holocomp and big TFC logo on the wall opposite the door. He gestured towards one of the chairs and sat on the other one.

"My name is Thomas Robertson, I am Executive Officer in the Data Analisys and Planning Department. On behalf of the whole organisation I would like to thank you for the information you provided us with. My people are working on the data pads as we speak".

"Brilliant. So, I did deliver on my end, how about yours?"

"Ah.. the prison colony on Dustball. It is quite a secluded facility, as you know" - he launched the holocomp and a 3-D image of the planet filled the space between the two men - "so far we were not able to learn anything new".

"Well, that's cat. Because I need to know and I need to know soon. And this guy" - James pointed out at the place where the outpost was located on the surface "Ramirez, he probably knows a lot of things that could prove useful for you as well. So I suggest you move your arses and help me locate him before it is too late"

"I understand that, commander. And what exactly would you like us to do then?"

"Come'ere... If ya can't find him using your spies or whatever, how about we call in there, get into the row, blast their defence ships form the sky and just scan their datalink to see if he is still in his cell? And if he is not, we will learn where they took him. How does that sound to ya?"

The man hesitated for a moment - "Well, that is a.. possibility. I will have to discuss it with my superiors".

"Do it. In the meantime I will go to i Bootis and hang around Dustball. Hope to see you guys joining the party. Should be fun"

"We will inform you soon, commander"

"Ta. Oh, and this time I ain't gonna pay 400 grand. That outbreak data from i Bootis I brought - should be worth more".

"We will get back to you on that as well".

"Grand. Good bye and pass my regards to your boss".

di6turbed · May 16, 2017

TCF Data Analysis & Planning Unit: Outbreak update

Internal comms channel on Commander's Crashbx desk came to life.

"Commander, Thomas Robertson just sent an update on the investigation into the recent outbreak in Eranin and i Bootis systems".

"Send it through on the main screen".

"Affirmitive, here it is"

CONTENTS OF THE SCREEN

Crashbx studied the short note carefully. Interesting... but this does not mean anything. At least not with some additional data. Barrett did a damn good job stealing the datapads from i Bootis Democrats and bringing them to Terran Colonial Forces.. but this case needs some further checking. He leaned towards the intercom.

"Megan, I want Robertson in my office ASAP. And try to locate Barrett, we might need his help again".