07-02-3302

Tales of slave labour at the past two pit stops promoted a detour in my pilgrimage to Ceo, and Sothis. Arriving in the Robigo system you'd be forgiven for missing the tiny little mining outpost nested so close to the rings of a beautiful blue gas giant if it weren't for the sea of vessels coming and going in what could have been a highly profitable mining op once. Sadly there was very little mining going on at Robigo 1!

Sirius Corp's convincing PR had once sparked hopes of supplying the corporation with much needed resources in construction but the miners had not accounted what resource that would turn out to be. The overflowing shipping lanes were not for the transport or sale of ores and ice but a much more distasteful commodity; flesh and bone, meat for the grinder of building these outposts and a budding market back in the bubble. A cartel had supplanted itself in place of the miners that originally founded the place. Little sign of Sirius Corp could be found bar the odd plain clothed rep taking orders of slaves on the QT and very hush hush.

The stark reality was chilling as thousands of slaves from what must be neighbouring systems as yet uncharted were herded onto ships constantly day and night. The motivation for pilots was obvious; billionaires were made here on more than one occasion, with pilots boasting of taking dozens of contracts and filling their births with poor slaves who would never again know freedom. Many had made multiple "runs" to the bubble and seemed unphased by their actions.

I intended to leave as fast as I could but much like watching two ships crash at high speed time slowed down and I couldn't pull away from the horror of it all. Exhausted after two days of sleeping rough amongst the stars, I decided to lay low in the hangar, one eye open incase anyone took a liking to my ship. Nightmares of slaves screaming out for aid woke me in the early morning, blended like a kaleidoscope with the faces of the disenfranchised souls of Almagest and Takurua.

Things started to drop into place. How many had started out here lured with the hopes of a new life in the Terraforming business? How many more plucked from their beds as they slept? How many ended up hundreds of light years away in the bubble, dying in some toxic mine or Imperial labour camp? Tired and cranky I made my leave swiftly with an empty birth. Unable to "save" them and certainly unwilling to entertain the slavers offers to fill my ship I headed to Ceo's in double time.

07-02-3302

I intended on dropping by Takurua and hitting up the local Sirius rep to see what was up but the undercurrent of discontent seemed palatable as I hit the system; enough to warn me off staying long enough for a good night's rest.  The Takura Legion aren't much of a threat today, but a nagging sense of distaste for the corporation, and an unhealthy dose of authoritarian flare to their propaganda spelt trouble from the moment I hit the deck. With that in mind I skipped the boards and bailed, opting to "go fishing" and sleep on my ship rather than hang around.

Almagest on the other hand was another story all together. Landing at Sirius Reach what was once a symbol demonstrating Sirius Corps grandiose aspirations and influence was not as I had hoped! The Almagest freedom party was openly hostile. The dictatorial rantings of a Takurua Legion seemed minor in comparison to the Almagest Freedom Party who were in open revolt despite their claims of democratic pacifism. Placards and riots breaking out showed me just how fragile the corporation's grip was so far from the bubble. Minor skirmishes were visible even as I docked.

Both stations' resentment seemed perplexing at the time but based on what I heard over the comms everything started to make sense; tales of slave labour sourced from a backwater pitstop named Robigo coupled with exploitation by the corporation to ensure timely adherence to build schedules. Something that appears to have bitten them in the ass in the long term. The consequences were plain to see; zero stock for outfitting, near famine levels of supplies in addition to a sense Sirius Corp was planning to abandon the station altogether.

My little pilgrimage had taken a sour turn with each of new stop along my route. The dream like ideal of Sirius' PR of terraforming the great unknown was starting to wear thin with a nagging feeling the costs of terraforming so far out was coming in "over budget" on so many levels. Would I even make to Sothis? Would there be any sign of Sirius Corp by the time I got there? Would I ever get a good night's rest?

05-02-3302

Three hundred light years out from earth, a corporate husk of Sirius' wider expansion it appears as it looks; a remote mining station void of anything of value, but to dispose of mined resourced and stock up on limpets for future runs out into HIP 5440, 8396 and so on. Its easy to get lost out here in the naming convention and jumped to the wrong system more than once.

Stepping Stone Base, a civilian outpost importing explosives, mineral extractors and lichen; all far too lower value to bother with unless overly invested in the station (which i wasn't). Sirius Corporations hold over the station long forgotten on the broken promises of Li Yong-Rui. More letters of complaint, begging for a quick reassignment, or beguile lay in the out tray of the porter loo of an outpost and little more.

Hitting the mining for the day I forget the yocal silence and dust littering the station and head out to the more pristine rings of the surrounding area. The state of Sirius corporation rings like a bell in my head; did i pick the loosing horse? A strange conversation with another pilot, representing LootTech industries. Pleasant fellow, left a card. He seemed to like the call sign i'd chosen, sold a few hundred tons osmium his way over a few runs that day, kept the card.

04-02-3302

New Horizons Orbital in Te Kaha sat alone in the cold depths of space two hundred light years outside the "bubble". Sirius Corporation had known better times, there influence all but waning in the disenfranchised masses of the station. Many unemployed had taken upon themselves a less savory career, corralling their equals in chains and herding them onto ships for sale in the nearest empire facility or another.

The rather skittish representative at Sirius Corporation foyer seemed happy to have "safe" company but was of little help. Only letters, oh my, endless letters to return to the various ports of Sirius Corp that the poor fellow had any standing in; no doubt begging for his quick expedition. Poor fool! No doubt sent here to die, easily replaced and long forgotten but he had credits and more to pay for them all.

Rounded up a few narcotics and a few combat stabilizers before heading back, and back again! determined to get to Almagest by the end of the day. I was, in this round trip, cutting it short. The quick drop at some party station in the middle of nowhere and a military port cost the majority of the evening but landed at Te kaha in a blaze, before a fiery exit to Almagest as the days swan song called.

03-02-3302

A well desired night at Hotel Vogelbang in Akkidia with a ship parked in the dock full of rares to head out early in the morning on a brisk hundred light year hop out to Sans.

The system San the bastion of Sirius Inc seems to be notable even in Li Yong-Rui's lot; the occasional attempt to cultivate it keeps popping up on the interdepartmental communiques only to get shot down again. Relations in the area seemed unofficial requiring several quick boosts away from rowdy interlopers. A poor powerplay target regarding its population, poor order and low on supplies, calls for food and goods but only got raw materials and metals for sale after dumping some rares baubles on the populace.

A wing of Torval's shield strike from nowhere on the way out; gunned to the teeth, clipper, cobra and sidewinders descend on the poor little asp explorer and a couple of system security who heard the yells for assistance over the comms. A lucky escape for one of the system forces paid for in a fiery crescendo of scrap, which I left to their fate as the FSD hit go!

Holding a few rares back for Sirius corporation outposts the jumps are flying by at a little under thirty light years a hop. Hitting up nearby stars for exploration data along the way was adding up. The list of long since explored planets net a few extra credits as the fuel burns away. No life in between these outposts but plenty of stars to refuel at.

Finishing up in Te Kaha there was a brief stop at the stations limited services. Overhead a number of curious old-timers talking near the ship in a local dialect; a gruff noise untenable to the ear. An official translated a little with encouragement, talking of "ancient" ways of prospecting without limpets! madness!

02-02-3302

Sliding between asteroids in the dim light of a distant star feels soothing. A ton of gold, three tons of painite, enough bertrandite to built a ship out of it alongside ten tons of palladium made for a nice hold of trinkets to appease the allied stations in the area. Every station in demand for raw materials extends to the bulletin board. A hundred thousand per ton; palladium is a nice revenue for more astute miners out there.

A wing of aisling guardians drop into view. Local security deserved their kills, the occasional switch to weapons in the asp explorer a rare requirement mining in the high security fields. A quick interlude with a cobra on the way out was easily handled. The first confirmed kill since those Hudson goons. The local security dropping a quick thanks in the local net.

19 palladium, 11 platinum, 28 osmium later an invitation to Jotun flags up on the display. Soon there's long smokey talks over trade potential and profit as the crazed demand empties the hold in a desperate rush,

After Caletia's crazy platinum needs were sated for a few hours from the load there was a quick fix of missions passing in a haze. Managed to sneak a list of Sirius conglomerates in Jotun dossier to mingle with out in the sticks, never heard of Takurua but heading out there tomorrow, with a hold full of rare goods to sell.

01-02-3302

Offnut enterprise puts on a light breakfast buffet, in celebration of trade rank of "Broker" there's a quick dash to round up some lukewarm coffee and stale doughnuts make for a feast before hitting the local contact hub to find another treat. The Volkhabe blue united solutions seemed to really want the pilot fuffymonster killed; leaving a 853,015 credit bounty to cash in. Sadly for fuffymonster his attempt to pirate the multi-cannon cobra too much for him. Whenever hunting, no when to pick your prey and when to run. The calculation of survival is better over cautious even when elite. To quote wiser words only enter into victory, not the possibility of defeat.

With a golden handshake at Lembava a small pin is handed over for a new rank within the Li Yong-Rui hierarchy, alongside a large envelope containing this week's "comp funds". The five million credit stick bumps the bank balance to over ten million and a sense of privilege sinks in; The fourth rank the only viable point in the powerplay dance achievable without a hundred million buy in and contacts outside my immediate reach.

The high notes of the day took a slam back to reality with huge dint. A wing of Hudson's goons noticed the ship passing back to Avik space. The three cobras dived into a fury and tore the ship apart; no escape just an eject and one million insurance claim before rushing off to safe space. Ten percent of the revenue gone in one instant alongside the bitter taste of defeat is hard to take.