The US-Opportunity - A Biography

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The Red Serpent - A Personal Log.

My life has changed forever.
Damn Junkers have caught our scent. The ship is a wreck waiting to happen. My family is reported missing - captured by terrorists to be exact. Oh, and I have four bodies in the back. Tried to take control of the ship and fly it back to headquarters presumably. Luckily the others woke up and sided with me.

I can't go back. I'll be locked up forever and rot in Huntsville - or worse, Sugarland - like the people I have tried to help. The people that need such basic things, like water, and jobs. This guy Jimmy, he had made these things possible.

A few credits off the bottom line for lost shipments. That was the nature of the arrangement. But it got complicated fast. The shortcuts were risky, and then I had to lie to explain the damage to the engines. When the shield generator faulted out I knew that was it. I was in over my head. But so were the Xenos I was helping.

When they completely changed the engines out, I knew no one back at Universal HQ would care one bit about what I would have to say. I'd be immediately stripped of my rank of Transport Captain and locked up facing a lengthy jail sentence. It would destroy my wife, my kids, everything. I can't let that happen.

It wasn't until then when Jimmy told me that it was he that had arranged to have my family extracted and brought to Oyster Creek. He said that they were being monitored and that Universal had ways of making me come in. Bastards. But my family was safe for now. My two boys were actually smiling at me.

I knew then I wasn't a Universal employee any more. Jimmy had made arrangements for the crew - all but one agreed to stay on. Not sure what happened to him. My life was safe though. Without me, without my codes, the ship would be dead weight. That's how I knew we would be all be OK. They have a cabin, and everything they need.

I knew the people there would need more help. Now my family needs that help too. Until I meet Jimmy, I never knew the pain the least fortunate in Liberty felt, the acute panic of needing something as simple as breathable air. Even though there are no shields, even though the thing is falling apart, and even though it is a huge target, I'll keep helping them.