The conflicted mercenary

I rescued a slave girl once. A very pretty slave girl. She saved my life and didn't even know it. At least that's what I believed at the time.

Nothing is ever as it seems.

I shake my head to try and remove the unwanted intrusion, and the recollection of events past falls away as I store the powerful memory back into a locked chest I would much rather leave untouched.

With the memory suppressed my anger returns with nothing to distract it. Boiling and seething inside me at the goddamn feckin' arrogance of an Imperial Senator. Thousands dead and an oh so simple change of plans that wasn't telegraphed at the start.

Used, exploited, and discarded is how I feel and that should never, ever be the outcome of a mercenary contract. The slaves of Kui Hsien weigh heavily on my conscience.

Defaulting on a debt is no small matter, though knowing this the small colony of 30,000 people on Kui Hsien refused to accept a one sided rate increase imposed on them. All of this is normal for the business world of a wheeling dealing senator like Patreus. A debt only has meaning when it provides a return on investment.

That the entire colony is then crushed under the weight of a cadre of loyal or mercenary commanders is a text book response. All the commanders involved are looking for a profit and have been handsomely rewarded once the dust has settled. They probably don't look any deeper.

That Senator Patreus has expended huge amounts of money to achieve this makes little business sense though. Over 10 billion credits in combat bonds and probably the same again in personal reward. The interest increase and remaining debt could not have been worth spending all of that, could they?

Apparently so, for it has happened.

Yet this must have been foreseen as one possible or even desirable outcome, for it would not be a good business decision to have started the campaign otherwise. The asset foreclosure is also a normal part of business, and huge tracts of land are sold with a tidy dowry of slaves to a Senator who has a penchant for slavery as a profitable business.

The memory of the slave girl intrudes again unbidden, raising a dam against the flood of my emotions and changing their course.  The adrenaline rage struggles weakly before acquiescing again, and the memory tries to nudge me towards something I can't quite see yet.

A pretty slave girl is easy on the eyes and quite the distraction. There are many uses and some are even documented in the contract, and invited as an easier way of life than many of the alternatives out there, but...

A moments silence hangs heavily in the air as other recent events play back through my mind, and for the second time I put the memory of the slave girl back into the past where it belongs. This time it is different though: a connection has been made. The raging emotions that had clouded my mind are gone; replaced by a cold and calculating view of the universe that demands facts and evidence to go any further.

What I've imagined would be treason in the Empire at the highest level.

I'm stunned. Could a Senator be so bold?

It would be quite the powerplay for a senator in waiting. A young senator who is going places and isn't known for patience or compassion.

Signposted by the enslaved of Kui Hsien, a new path opens up in front of me.

[Note: the link back to an earlier blog entry is, at this point in time, an unfinished background story. I'll get around to writing the rest of it one of these days...]

Reprise at Sorbago

I wasn't sure I'd have reason to be here again so quickly.

The last time it was all out bloody war.

Senator Torval had committed forces in full suppression of the slave rebellion, calling on the commanders of the Federation of Pilots to assist. Many came and not all fought on the side of the slaver.

I was one of those pilots.

The uprising lasted for 10 days while I sought answers on why the slaves had fought back. Combat failed to tip the balance. A tenuous trail to the Federation via Mastopolos Corporation went cold, and intel from captured transmissions was too little too late.

Its gone quiet. No one else seems to care. A lone capital ship stands on patrol, and another in the adjacent system of Synteini. All quiet I'm sure.

I'm back. To wage war again.

This time armed with a box.

[Reprise video blog series: The Slave uprising at Sorbago]

On the ethics of a former slaver

I can't help myself.

There are too many who have, through circumstance or misfortune, ended up as the possessions of others. Cheap labour that only needs a place to sleep and enough food to do the job placed in front of them. The prettier ones are... well... ahem... lets just say that they carry out other... duties.

Too many have been sold into their new life, as merchandise, and while on my watch.

I turned a blind eye as to how they were found. What aspirations and hopes that they had before. What they have now and where their life will end. I could not listen to their stories because they were painful and without any hope for the future.

Too much like mine.

There's no doubt that I was good at what I did. I led many an Authority Vessel a merry chase among the stars when they hoped their trap would ensnare me. Always one step ahead and doing a fine job of delivering someone else's property. By my own ingenuity I was never caught and sentenced to walk in the vacuum of space. Such is the penalty metered out to my kind in the systems where I did business.

Though I was always owned by someone else, and in the end was no different to the cargo I carried.

So when a chance to escape came I took it. Friends helped, and some paid too high a price. I cannot repay that. Nor can can I address the wrongs against the slaves that I have carried in my cargo hold. But I can make a difference now, in some small way.

So I free slaves whenever I can. Give them a start into a new life.

I can't help myself.

Rebel secrets - Day 10 Slave uprising at Sorbago

In pursuing more intel about the uprising I have taken my eye off the ball. After failing to find a strategist who is prepared to talk, then intercepting rebel transmissions became the next logical step.

Reaching out to one of my contacts gained during my times as a slaver, to decrypt the transmissions, will hopefully reveal more. The slave trade was a dark time for me and I do not look back on it proudly.

External events move too quickly though for me to stay involved however.

Video link (YouTube)
Duration: 12:59

A conversation with General Evans - Day 6 Slave uprising at Sorbago

Day 6 of the slave rebellion at Sorbago. An unexpected connection with Mastopolos Mining.

The slaves have taken over most of the mines on the surface of Sorbago A1, while the combat in orbit is deadlocked into the 6th day. The swarm of vessels compete for control and any advantage, no matter how large or small, is fleeting and soon slips away. If combat does not contain answers then it is time to look elsewhere.

To the commanders. The leaders. The strategists. We need to meet.

We need to talk.

Video link (YouTube)
Duration: 12:43

The routing of Boudica - Day 4 Slave uprising at Sorbago

Day 4 of the slave rebellion at Sorbago. Senator Torval's capital ship Boudica has engaged in the pacification of the slaves.

A more personal report. I find myself drawn to the battle.

The combat in Sorbago continues unabated. Despite the weight bought to bear by the Imperial Senator Torval's forces, the independents continue their uprising.

Torval does not define the Empire and I will not blindly follow a conflict driven by the selfish business interests of a slaver.

As a commander of the Federation of Pilots it is time to make a difference.

Video link (YouTube)
Duration: 4:38

Combat report - Day 3 Slave uprising at Sorbago

The slave uprising in Sorbago has attracted Imperial interest. The forces of Senator Torval have been sent to assist in control of the slave uprising, however questions are being asked as to whether this is a business interest or the honour of the Empire at stake.

Visiting the system shows that there is open conflict, contradicting the news stories widely reported in the news media. Both Mastopolis Mining Corporation for the Empire, and the Liberals of Sorbago continue the civil war as proxy.

The Commanders of the Elite Federation of Pilots have shown an active interest in both understanding why the slaves have chosen to revolt, as well as support for the Empire in the form of the Senator Torval's suppression of the rebellion.

The battle continues. Sides have been taken, The reason for the conflict and open hostility is not yet clear...

Video Link (YouTube)
Duration: 5:42