The man swore under his breath as he goosed the throttle of his Bloodhound to the firewall. Hed bought the little ship after selling off his personal Starflier and scrounging what credits he could in order to finance the project. Hed rigged the Z-2010 with old, surplus Navy weapons, of the plasma variety. It wasnt much, but it was a fighter, and it got him out there.
Just to get turned away
Hed put up with the police patrols, run from the packs of Rogue Wolfhounds, even dueled with a small-time bounty hunter who decided to try his luck. In the middle of it all hed attacked small trade convoys, raided their ships for supplies, always making sure to destroy the corporate vessels and save as many of the poor crew as he could. But evidently that was not enough for the Sirius Coalition Revolutionary Army, or the vaunted Citizen Katz.
Dean Vickers scowled as he sent his fighter towards Dryden Base. The Xenos there were desperate enough for whatever support they could get, so in exchange for some supplies they let him base there, even though their ideologies conflicted rather dramatically.
Hed been stopped by a fully loaded fighter of the SCRA. What the pilot said hed only heard before; Ontario had to give the ODP a chance, give it time, fighting will solve nothing. And yet the Liberty Navy felt compelled to steamroller through Ontario a year ago and literally massacre the residents. As far as Dean was concerned, the point where the military was capable of that was where democracy melted away into the truth: corporate, militant dictatorship.
The ODP were puppets, or at the very least were simply figureheads of an incapable movement; the fact that they won an election meant little, as any reforms or requests they put through would easily be stepped on. Libertys coin-purse demanded that Ontario remain a subjugated sector, ripe for the reaping of its spoils. Theyd have nothing of their independence movement, under any circumstance. That much was clear.
But what was also clear was that the Liberty Navy, distracted and spread out though it was, was no less deadly a force than it had been before during that tragedy.
Theyre right when they say itll just bring them in to cause more bloodshed but what else do we do?
Give the ODP time was the trademarked phrase.
But time to do what? Fail? Itll fail, and then well see
The SCRA pilot mentioned something to the effect of the Coalition not letting the will of the Ontarian people fail. But Dean had obvious doubts; the SCRA hadnt deposed a single House let alone faced up to the Liberty Navy in the way it would take to prevent the rape of Ontario. And besides, what was their angle, really? They were not Ontarians; it was not their fight, and they were therefore unreliable, just like the ODP.
What itd take, he was convinced, was putting noses to the grindstone of warfare. But how to necessarily go about it was still a quandary. The OLF would have him target anything and everything, just to get the point across. Sure, he could shoot the ships out from under corporate pilots, but hed easily kill some of them. Then the Navy would come. He could also strafe military targets, like the SCRA pilot suggested. Then the Navy would come anyway. It almost seemed as if everything had been rigged in the oppositions favor, and that even their supposed allies were a part of the deception.
But what to do
As far as he knew, his little Bloodhound represented the sum total of the Ontario Liberation Front Space Corps. Hed had little to no contact with the movements leadership itself; getting word back through places like Toronto was difficult to say the least. While his actions were of course along the lines of the groups intended actions, he had yet to actually get their concrete approval, or be informed of any prospective pilots to help him. It seemed that the OLF was more concerned with actions on the ground: hoverjet bombs, assassinations, and the like. Space was a dangerous frontier they saw fit to conveniently ignore right now.
Even though its at the heart of the whole thing. Without forces in space well never be able to stop fighters from strafing our homes or battleships from bombarding the planet!
So he had little recourse. He could do as he currently was, petitioning for donations, all the while raiding small-time convoys and drawing the ire of the SCRA.
Or he could give the ODP a chance and sit on his thumbs.
Not gonna happen.
He knew the ODP would fail, and that when it did thered be nothing left to continue the struggle, politically or physically. It was up to the OLF to call the SCRAs bluff, to round up enough men and material to create a force strong enough to give the Navy something to think about before it decided to pull a stunt once again.
And with the OLF leadership firmly rooted to the ground, he was the only one with the room to maneuver. He was the only one in the position to start this buildup.
It starts today.
But where to start? First thing first: he needed a ship to stockpile weapons and supplies. Holing up all his resources at Dryden would be a mistake; the Xenos could just as easily overpower him and confiscate it for their own needs. He decided hed check into Liberty public records; maybe someone was selling a large container craft on the cheap, or maybe a company decommissioned an old one? So long as it was big, and so long as it flew, hed be in business.
Then what?
Petitioning for donations would only get him so far. Hed have to find more reliable sources of income, but being branded a terrorist made this all but easy; the Xenos were the only ones who seemed to tolerate his presence. That ruled legitimate trading out, and to say that his Bloodhound was combat worthy made bounty hunting, freelancing, and mercenary work an absolute joke.
Smuggling it is. Those Xenos would be all too happy for the goods.
Beyond that all he could think of was trying to recruit pilots and upgrading his own fighting craft. The Bloodhound would no doubt prove inefficient for any purposes; thankfully combat was not foremost on his agenda now.
When all the credits roll in, and I get some pilots, we can actually make a difference. Sure, well hold ourselves at bay for the ODP fools to work their magic. In the meantime well be preparing for the inevitable, so when it comes we have something to protect Ontario with.
Dean let himself crack a grin on the way into Drydens hangar bay.
This isnt over yet. If the rest of the OLF ever starts reaching out they'll find quite an ally already in place.
Dean eyed the looming asteroid station with dread.
At least the Xenos were happy for the help, but this place is just a sty for God only knows what I cant believe Im here
Barrier Gate Station had a reputation for being one of the most unsavory places in Sirius. While it had its own rogue-ish laws and enforcement of those laws, it was nonetheless a place where some of the worst scum of the sector swooped through, plying trades in anything conceivable. Dean had heard plenty of stories about this place, but never dreamt hed ever have to set foot upon it.
The things I do for patriotism
Hed stolen a beat up Rhino freighter on a used ship lot on Denver when nobody was looking. Needless to say the authorities were quick to clamp down on its disappearance, and its transponder, so smuggling was out of the question. If anything, his Orillian.Star was a blockade runner.
The Xenos on Nome Base were curious as to why he was there at first, but merely grinned and told him of a supply route he could use. Even though the Xenos needed it dearly in that radioactive dump, they had an excess supply of anti-radiation medicine rolling in from Ames, and used it to barter with some unsavory characters aboard Barrier Gate for munitions. After that the illegal weapons were taken back to Ouray in Colorado where they were put to use. From there, stolen small arms from Detroit Munitions were sent back to Nome for later dispersal. It was a very unpleasant route, but it was all they had for him.
The Orillian Star set down in one of Barrier Gates numerous hangars with a dull thump. Heaving a sigh, Dean hit the appropriate switches to open the loading doors to the cargo compartment and the landing ramp. Outside the canopy he saw a few people scurrying about in the poorly-lit hangar, along with some sizeable lifter droids closing in from the side.
Suckers work fast. Expecting me, huh?
Trying to sum up some courage, Dean puffed out his chest and strolled down the ramp, a pathetic civilian blaster at his hip. Even as he saw the bearded man with his arms crossed some ten meters away, he felt his confidence slip between his fingers and puddle like the sweat in his clothes.
I need a bigger gun
His eyes shielded by what looked like a visor at this distance, the bearded man nodded and said aloud, You can stop right there, dont even bother, New Blood.
Dean nearly rocked back on his heels; his feet hadnt even left the boarding ramp yet.
Im not new, he managed to stutter out.
Hah! Bull, the man snorted, Just walk back around into that nice little clay pigeon of yours and wait for the stuff to be loaded. Well take care of the rest.
Slowly, his hand by the pistol twitching, Dean backpedaled up the ramp and closed it. He let out a gasp and wiped the sweat off his brow. The figures hed seen behind the bearded man were unmistakable.
Men. A lot of men. With a lot of guns. Theyre arms dealers, alright; if they thought anything was amiss theyd have shot me to pieces if Id taken one more step
But it was over now. It was something of a blessing in disguise. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the loading droids taking his cargo of drugs and rapidly swapping them with eerily nondescript cylindrical containers.
Warheads, bombs, God knows what else Id like it but theyre not mine, and worse yet its like piloting a bomb.
Catching his breath, Dean walked back over to the pilots seat and noted how ironically hed shut the system down.
Didnt know my lovely visit would be cut so short, but thats fine by me.
He needed to steel himself for the return run through Ontario. It was nice that his home was along the route, and hed even played with the people there by zooming past Toronto in full view, with the LPI patrols unable to catch him. But it was dangerous nonetheless. The Xenos were hardly to be seen in some areas, and where they werent, bounty hunters and Rogues abounded.
But hed made it thus far, and was resolved to keep on pushing.
Dean Vickers furrowed his brows as he stared at the news report on the flatscreen. The OLF had staged another bombing, this time at a docking port on Toronto Station. Eight people were killed, three barely escaped being sucked into vacuum, and a Rhino freighter and its whole payload was sent into Hurons atmosphere.
Is this a mistake?
His own views only coincided with that of the OLF so much. He agreed that action would need to be taken, but not when. He agreed that the military of Liberty posed a threat to all citizens of Ontario, but not that they could avoid their guns forever. He agreed that the ODP was, if anything, a failure, as it could never enact reforms or better yet gain independence through the Liberty government, but was willing to give it at least a chance.
Should I still associate myself with these people?
True, at first he has been fueled by their anger, set on their course. Hed gunned down transports to spread the message. But it got him nowhere; it made him feel dirty. Doing the smuggling runs made him feel dirty. It felt wrong. He was no terrorist, he was a patriot.
His situation was not something he couldve expected. As far as he knew he was the sole operating member of the OLF Space Corps, which was vested in his two ships. Even still, he had little to no contact with the OLFs leadership, and it was very possible that this is what allowed him the room to think a bit more independently about the issue.
Ganging together makes one stronger than theyd be out on their own, but Deans recent forays had all but dashed that notion. True, being one individual he could make little difference, but he was able to operate independently and make headway, no matter how small. Surprisingly, between his prior acts of piracy and his recent binge of donation petitions, hed managed to glean some six million credits. While not much in the eyes of Sirius major factions, this was a tremendous amount for an individual. He toyed with the idea of embezzling it and living comfortably ever after, but that thought felt dirty too.
But using it for a purpose other than the OLF felt equally wrong.
What is it I stand for, really?
Hed been out proclaiming the message of Ontarios desire for independence, of the wrongs committed against its people in the past, about the oncoming need for action. But hed done so with his own words, with his own feelings, on the spur of the moment. His views, his methods, conflicted with the OLFs actions planetside.
Whatll happen if they ever come out here with me?
The thought sent a shiver down his spine; theyd disagree, he knew as such. Theyd shoot up commerce, murder innocents, and in the end it would simply bring down the militarist hammer that was the Navy and cause more massacres. He knew action was inevitable, that theyd have to fight for their freedom, but committing such blatant terrorism would speed up the course to that fight, leaving Ontario more vulnerable than ever.
What Ontario truly needed, he was convinced, was a military of its own. It needed an organization that was ready and willing to defend Ontarian lives when the ODP failed and the revolution roiled up again. It needed a force that was not Libertonian in origin, nor the unreliable and scheming SCRA.
To these ends the OLF was, if anything, a hindrance: it was not prepared, not able to make any kind of dent in the oncoming attack, and in the meantime was killing innocents with little to no gain other than the ire of those around them.
Flying their banner is wrong. But what am I supposed to do, fly my own?
Dean frowned and turned the flatscreen off.
If he did hed probably be even more cut off than the OLF was. Maybe he could get the attention of the ODP, although their power was clearly limited, and he doubted those moderates understood the need for arms as he did.
Hed have to think about it. Until then, he needed to keep raising funds. Funds for Ontario, not for the OLF.
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