"WHERE WAS I? SUNNY?!.......Frack you, you know damn well where I have been and what I have been up to...... You have had my crews out roaming around in the far reaches of space looking for dead space stations.....you had my crews on supply duty to BP66 and Blackhack....Kepler and Coronado....you never see them around.... It was a Coronado ship that got us ousted from Liberty for 6 months, basically cutting off the Bering chapter from any credit making runs...and ....WHO the FRACK goes through Bering and Texas with artifacts anymore? Everyone goes through the Sigmas and back down Kusari. Ya know...Sunny, I think you are WAY the FRACK out of touch with reality Bro...."
Gambit takes off his cut, and holds out towards Sunny. "You want this Cut? You take it."
Sunny listen and watched attentively as Gambit spoke.
"I don't want it, Gambit. It's yours. We all know how hard you worked to earn your cut. We all know your accomplishments and how much you put your blood and soul into The Club. Please, don't make a decision you will regret and sit down on your well deserved seat. This conversation is tough and can get heated, but there is no reason to get insulted enough to threaten to completely leave. We all, and I personally, respect your contributions and your active involvement. Thank you for that. So please, put your cut back on and wear it with pride. I know you have more than enough reason to do so.
"In terms of your points, it's true that a Coronado ship got us ousted. It was a unfortunate circumstance that not only affected Bering but all the other houses, especially Kepler as well. We've evolved from it so that it would not happen again. Adapting is something we have done time and time again, and I agree with you that adapting should be something we do yet the question is to what intensity. The Bering chapter, as you are doing, has access to Black Market Munitions that you were taking to Leeds, and with all due respect towards you for doing so. There is also the Nox trade that Rheinland law actually allows for.
"If you are really curious as to who's going through Bering and Texas anymore, just take a look at this image taking from our one percenters." Sunny typed a few buttons on the table he had access to and a hologram appeared. [image] "As you can see in these holograms, this Congress guy was hauling Artifacts from Gamma through Rheinland. Notice his papers making those goods legal. After the first time we caught him, he did it again. The one percenter was able to catch him in Frankfurt and after in Texas. Both times he had entered through Bering or Hudson in the hopes to slip away. With a jump hole linking Bering to Puerto Rico, I don't think they well abandon this. It's only going to escalate.
"Do you see what's my issue, Gambit? Your Chapter and its location is quite vital for us all to stay on top in the smuggling realm. Now, more than ever. We need people as dedicated as you to now step up and show in one way or another we do mean business, and that we can be the best at it. I'm ready to send funding for Bering to have this issue resolved, and create diplomatic opportunities for us to have a clear edge. We may right now disagree on what to actually do, but we both agree at one point or another, something is to be done. Don't let that moment go to waste, Gambit. We both know how hard you and your crew work."
Sunny sighed. "Lets take a 15 minute break. The atmosphere is too god damn $#!tty in here. We need some booze, weed and some girls to liven up the mood. We'll begin again after. I expect you all to still be here for discussion, and hopefully in a better mood and with less offence taken. I apologies if you took that out from me."
Sunny got up and right after the room filled with exotic entertainers bringing in drinks and the atmosphere beginning to improve.
The room was filling up again and everyone, at least most of them has calmed down.
Alex snipped with his fingers, to get his double malt whisky and began to speak.:
Sunny, as your old Bering Chapter official and now as your VP. i guess we need a solution here and we need it fast!
For me is there just one solution, we fight for our Bering Chapter, and everyone who has problems with it should feel our anger! Not just in words no we need members they don't give a shit if Unioners or anyone else want to claim our Chapter!
He takes a break and looks into the round. After a sip of his whisky and a cigar he continues:
This theme is a serious matter and we have to stick together, whatever it costs!
I have not been here for a while, so maybe i missed some but I have no intention of giving up our Bering chapter!
He turns his face to Sunny: We must be a unit here, all 3 Chapters must fight for our rights!
Alex makes another cigarette and waits for the feedback of the Church members!
Curtis steps back out into the light from his corner.
"Hearing Alex ve must come back to our roots. It has been too long since ve have left our name etched into some ones hull. Ve have been sitting on our hands making money vith smuggling and races. It is high time ve got back out zere and beat some sence into zose zat zink we are nozing ozer zan space dust. Ze name Archangels Fighter Club hold no respect in major factions it is time we show zem what zat name means.
He finishes as he steps back into the corner from whence he came.
Adad smiles to Sunny, with a more than evil grin. He takes a bottle of Rheinbeer and drinks it halfway. He then slams the bottle on the table,
slightly cracking it.
"How about we just nuke them all. We have the firepower to wipe out any retards that try to take over our Chapter. Also, don't we have something hidden up our sleeve that we can use?"
Frank sat there silently thinking about what everyone had said. He was not liking the direction it was all going. He realized that being the Chapter official of Bering Chapter really meant nothing, it was a title with no respect or power attached to it. They were all puppets to the whims and machinations of their "Fearless" leader. He spoke up again, this time he did not bother to stand, instead he kicked his feet up onto the table and leaned back in his chair, his tone of voice even and steady.
"Ya know.....I remember my first day wearing a "V". I got podded not more than 10 meters away from Ames station, in this very system, by a couple of Rouges that were out harassing Banshee...it was not even my fight, but I sucked plasma fire regardless.....anyways....long story short....No one went to war with the rouges or even put out a hit on the assaulting ships, over AFC getting manhandled RIGHT HERE IN THE KEPLER SYSTEM."
He took a drag off of his smoke and dropped his voice and tone down again to level and monotone.
"Then.....there was this time.....it is a funny Sunny story, where I was out escorting our Prez here, and instead of paying up 20Mios in credits to the RHA he gets a whole ship load of BMMs blown up, along with his ship.....man, that was a COSTLY FRACKIN MISCALCULATION. How is it that you made it out of that one Prez?......wait wait...I know...It was FRACKIN ME who pulled your ass out of that one."
"So, it is all good for you part-timers and pansyassed virgins to show up at Church once in a blue moon, and play like your opinion matters.....but it don´t. Remember that. Around here what Sunny wants, is what gets done....if it turns out good he takes the credit, if not....we all pay the price...in Lives and Blood. Going into some kind of open "war" over a dead end system is nothing but an Ego trip, for which some of you will pay for in the vacuum of space."
Gambit reaches over and tears the "Bering Chapter Official" patch off of his cut, and throws it on the table.
"I am stepping down as Bering Chapter Official, seems it don´t mean shizzel anyways. I am not going to be leading anyone into a senseless slaughter with nothing to gain from it."
Adad watches Gambit as he cuts off the Bering Chapter and slams it on the table. He, for the first time, throws away the Rheinbeer bottle to the dumpster sitting in the corner.
"I fought off Nomads, and I did not tremble on my feet. I am NOT going to give up against some retards trying to take over our Chapter."
As he speaks, he crosses his arms, speaking with a deep, hostile voice, as if he was ready to punch someone.
Christo watches the back and forth, and his lazy grin grows more feral as things play out.
"Tha way I see't, you're makin a matter of honor out oh somewhat that should be a matter oh business, Sunny.
G an his team over here have been good for tha Club, but Bering has not. Tha's good nothin ta do wit his management, an all ta do wit a bunch of honorless gits bein honorless.
My opinion, instead oh territory, the club thinks oh products. Still supplying tha same shit, but let someone else own space."
Christian sits up and his face goes empty, presence suddenly looming without getting out of the chair.
"Gambit knows what he is doing, so take a page from the business world and make him the district manager, whatever title you want to use, and to Hell with Bering."
Relaxing back into his chair, the lazy grin comes back.
"Tis startin ta sound so bloody domestic in here tha next you lot'll be bleatin boot how some brats come through las night an played groundcar polo on your white fence.
Sure, your pride is talkin, an there's a place for tha, but it should be wha ta do about tha people tha screwed us, nae some piece oh crap station where we park our birds. We never Controlled tha system, an we donna need ta in order ta control tha products we are movin through. We're a bloody fighter club, nae tha LibNav."
Gambit listen to the rest of the members give their points of view on the matter. But his mind was made up. Sunny had insulted him and threatened his income stream. Regardless of the fact that there were no designated territories for earning credits between the chapters, only bounty hunting, Sunny implied he would not stop the Coronado chapter if they tried to leech off of his New London network.
He was not going to let anyone or the club stand in his way of supplying Leeds and fighting off the Frogs. The club did know the reality and the horror that was going on planetside.
He stood up again. "Gents, I have heard enough. I got better things to do than sit here and play who has the biggest dick in the room. I do not see any willingness to move the chapter and most of you are bent on some sort of hasty and badly thought out payback. With that in mind, I am going to ask that you consider letting me fly NOMAD and somehow stay an active member of the club."
He panned around the room and made sure everyone saw the seriousness in his glare. "So, put it up for a vote. If what I am asking is not acceptable to you guys, well then......To Hell with the Lot of ya."
He nodded a thanks to Cristo for his support and walked out of the conference room to clear out the few things he had in his suite and make his way to New London. He knew one way or the other the club would let him know of its decision.
Sunny wouldn't be amused as he watched Gambit leave. Sure, people had their own ideas and opinions but this was an open discussion and nothing was yet decided. As he watched him get up and walking out on everyone, seeing also some guys trying to grab him to bring him back, Sunny motioned him to let him go. It was Gambit's choice in the matter.
"As much as I dislike Gambit's attitude, he and Christo have a bit of a point in this. It's not the best solution to take immediate action on the Unioners. We've got the weaponry and power, but we should be careful how we use it, and when. We currently have two projects that are linked together about the NEMP bomb. It's best that we don't pull the trigger unless it is absolutely necessary. We didn't have the bomb before and we could take care of our issues to a certain degree. Now we just have to organize and think about our counter to all of this.
"I've been thinking what to do about Bering. What I do not agree with is that whether you like it or not, Bering Chapter needs a location to park and some privacy for in-chapter matters, possible research, storage, partying, and discussion. It's not simply a location to refuel. Granted, we did not have much presence in Bering, but that was not necessary for us to operate. We frankly didn't need to be well known in the area. Simply to exist. Now, that's gone and the strategic point is gone with it. We cannot discredit Bering's involvement and we cannot tell them to go to hell either. When a chapter is under threat, we need to respond. We may just be a fighter club, but we deserve the respect from others around us.
"First thing is first. We need to relocate our assets and strengthen Bering's hold on their territory. Trying to remember the star maps, I'd say we have a few options for an immediate fix. The first would be a temporary stay at Heisenberg Research Station in Koeln. Second option would be somewhere in the Omegas. The thing is, there is not a lot of options right now. I am hoping though that this may be something for the better. IF we can accomplish the plan we have regarding Heaven's Gate, we'll be able to potentially make a location for Bering on that new ship, place it wherever we want too."
Sunny sighed, taking another puff from his cigar. He folded his hands together and rested his elbows on the table.
"As for the Unioners, we wait. Let them make the first move on us. I'll contact the Hogosha soon to suggest raiding Puerto Rico. We will see, perhaps, what the counter to our move will be. Let's be clear on one thing, though. We're not friends with the Unioners any longer. They back-stabbed us and didn't show interest in our simple request to maintain our stay on the station. Sooner or later, they will get what's coming to them. For now, as suggested, we focus on rebuilding and jabbing at them. It's wrong to show major signs of weakness.
"For the Bering Chapter Official, since Gambit has resigned, we'll need to see who can take care of that." Sunny turns to Curtis. "Perhaps you'd be interested to hold the fort till we figure out something better."
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