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Ben Saunders was born on Planet Houston in the Texas system twenty seven years ago. His father ran a small newspaper and his mother cleaned the homes of LPI executives. While Ben's father Richard was well known locally, his mother was the one who paid the rent. Most people saw Richard as a nice guy, but a bit of a kook. His newspaper ran crazy stories about the corrupt nature of the Liberty government, and most people thought they we pretty farfetched, that was until the day Richard went missing. Ben was 15 that day, he never saw his father again. Most of the people who talked to him about it seemed to think that Richard must have gotten to close on a particular story, and that he was killed because he knew too much.

[font=Calibri]After his father's disappearance, Ben went through Richard's things, looking at documents, trying to find out what it was his father had been killed for, but getting no answers. Ben had to know why his father had been killed, the question festered in him, month after month, year after year, he searched through every document his father had, and still felt like he was nowhere.

During this time he occasionally printed editions of the paper, finishing stories his father had started. It was about three days after the release of one of the editions, a story on a place called "Alaska" that the man came to his door. The man didn't say his name, but told Ben that he was the one that had given Richard the information on "Alaska." The Man told Ben that he wasn't safe anymore, not after the last story had come out. Ben didn't waste any time, he packed up his father's files and books, and loaded them on the old Rhino his father had, and left Houston that very night. First he dropped his mother off at her cousin's home on Los Angeles hoping she would be safe there, and headed out into the Border Worlds, hoping time out of Liberty would allow him to find the answers he was looking for.

Ben traveled the Sector for 4 years, exploring the Omegas and Tau's and seeing the beauty of the Omicrons. He traded to earn a living, but only so he could continue his research. He spent his time learning as much about Liberty as he could, the philosophy and politics of the government, the rights and liberties afforded to citizens under the Laws of Liberty, and also about its history, not only hear in Sirius but going back to Earth and the Country of the United States. It was, as Ben learned his father's favorite topic in history, and he had many books on the topic. One in particular had taken control of Ben's mind; it was called "Common Sense" by a man name Thomas Paine. Ben saw many corollaries between Paine's time and his own. Paine talked about the pitfalls of power and the effects they had on governance. Ben saw the Liberty government in much the same way. Ben continued to write, and finally finished his first pamphlet named in honor of Paine's work; Ben called it "New Common Sense, Why it is we are doomed to repeat our mistakes." Ben decided he had to give the work to the people of Liberty, and set a course for NY.

[font=Calibri]When Ben arrived in NY, he found that things had gotten worse in Liberty, with an Officer of the SA demanding 5 million credits because Ben's ship had a thruster he had purchased from the Zoners. Ben didn't have anywhere near the amount of the fine, and while trying to explain that to the officer in question, his ship was ruthlessly destroyed, and his life almost taken from him, if it were not for a passing Liberty Rogue patrol. He found himself on Padua Base, with a few items, including a few disks of his father's most important writing, Paine's "Common Sense", and his own manuscript and not much else. He decided he would start the next chapter of his life here at Padua with the Rogues who had seen fit to save him.

Ben had been at Padua with the Rogues for a few months, and he had found them to be quite friendly, and hospitable. He had begun to go on raids with the Rogues, and occasionally went into New York to broadcast pieces of his work to the people. The days had begun to merge, one into the next, and Ben's life had become fairly routine.

Saunders found himself with less and less time to put toward his work. This was dis-heartening to him, but he had investigated what he could, and was still no closer to an answer to his father's disappearance. Then, as if someone was listening to his thoughts, an opportunity arose out of nowhere.

Ben was docked at Rochester, enjoying some rest and relaxation, he was sitting in a little bar, when a quiet man slipped into the seat across from Ben. The man was tall, with dark curly hair that tumbled down over his brow and ears. His eyes and cheeks were sunken, creating s mask of shadow around his face. He wore a black tunic, fairly unremarkable in every way. Ben looked up, expecting the man to say something, but instead he placed a black data pad on the table, and slowly slid it across the surface of the table until it rested just outside of Ben's hands.............

Ben looked at the shadowy man and then looked down at the data pad. His mind raced, he though about what would happen if he looked at the pad... maybe it was a trap, maybe it was some useless information, only placed there to somehow ensnare Ben, or the Rogues he was a part of. Ben looked up at the man again, without touching the data pad. "What's this?" Ben said curtly, looking this stranger dead in the eyes. The man returned Ben's unwaivering stare with a steely gaze, so powerful it surprised Ben. "This is the LSF's file on your father." The man said, rather matter of faculty. Ben was shocked, he searched the man's face for any sign of guile, the problem for Ben became, the man's face and character showed nothing but guile. Ben realized that this man was probably a spy, maybe a member of LSF. That was the moment Ben Saunders realized entirely for the first time, that he was defiantly in over his head.....

As Ben looked down at the file, he was amazied... This was it, opening the file on the data pad, he saw page after page of information, much of it was blacked out, but even in what was left over, he saw so much. Ben was lost in the file, he turned page after page, quickly searching for any information of interest to him. Remembering the mysterious man, he looked up, but not so surprisingly, the man was gone. Suddenly Ben realized he was in public, and decided to make a hasty return to Alcatraz, not wanting to open the file again until he was secure and alone in his quarters. Heading down to the hanger, Ben jumped into his greyhound, and quickly radioed docking control for clearance.

Upon returning to Padua, Ben headed straight for his quarters, quickly locking the door behind him. He sat down at his desk, not even bothering to check his plants. Pulling out the data pad, Ben begain to pour through the document. page after page, file after file, it seemed to only leave Ben with more questions, but no answers. He thought he had an idea of what was going on, but after looking through the file, he was sure, he had little if any idea what was going on.

]Ben stayed in his quarters for a week and a half straight, looking over ever page of every document, trying to find some clue as to his fathers disapperance, but with little luck. Ben was getting small snipets of information, just enough it would seem to start investigating. It was in fact, time to start writing again, Ben decided, but he could no long do his writing under his own name, he would have to pick a psyudonem, one that had some meaning to Ben and his father. The name he would write under? Francis Folger Franklin.

Things had been going on for Ben, day after day, he had purchased himself a camera ship with his pirating profits, and he had been writing up a storm. He been going threw the leads from his father's file, checking all the information he could, and then going out a following leads. He hadn't been out with his Rogues in months, and he was beginning to feel like he was wearing out his welcome with them, but he understood, as all he was doing for them now days was taking up a room and space in the ship bay for his Greyhound.

Ben felt bad about it, but he knew he had a calling, a mission to fulfill and that was of paramount importance in his life. It was the only thing. Ben was continuing to write under his pseudonym, Francis Folger Franklin, and was getting published fairly often by the Colony New Service, so much so, that CNS had even used him for live reports. Ben wasn't making much money for it, but it was important in getting his journalists credentials, which were very helpful him his search for answers in his father disappearance. They were also helpful in getting his camera ship, which had come in very helpful in reporting on battles in New York, a task he had begun to gain notice for. Of course Ben couldn't reveal what he was doing to his Rogues, it was too dangerous, the risk of anyone finding out what he was doing was beginning to take it's toll, beginning to make Ben a bit paranoid.

"Another report published" Ben thought to himself. He had been doing quite well for himself lately, he had 7 pieces published in the last month, but more than that he was making a name for himself. He was asked to come to Manhattan to meet with the editorial board of CNS about a more permanent position with the service. The problem being that Ben was a Rogue. He had created his whole alter-ego of Francis Folger Franklin, so he didnt have to use his real name, and have some lawman on Texas remember the name and start poking around. With the Help of a Lane Hacker he had met on Padua, he had created a whole record for Franklin, transcripts from university, where he graduated with a degree in Journalism, medical records, tax records... everything, but Ben was still worried. Going to Manhattan was risky business, all it would take was one over curious security guard and it was all over. But if he wanted to finish his quest, it was something that had to be done, so setting out in his little camera ship, he headed to Manhattan.

As Ben's ship closed in on Manhattan, he had a tightening in his chest, his palms Begin to sweat. As he passed one police patrol after another, his anxiety rose, until he could barely breath. The last time he had been in orbit of Manhattan, he had his ship blown away from under him. Needless to say, it was not an experience he enjoyed reliving, nor did he relish the thought of repeating it. Another patrol of patriots came by, his radio squawked, "Please hold for scan." Ben nearly passed out. Here he was, in an completely unarmed ship, hoping some LPI patrol was going to leave him alone. He slowly reduced his speed and waited... thirty seconds....one minute. Ben was ready to fall over, his head was throbbing and his head was pounding. He kept thinking to himself, that they must know who he was. One minute and thirty seconds, and he set his hand on the thrusters preparing to try to run, convince they new who he was. fifteen more seconds he thought to himself......

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