The Fate of the Angel

[Redemption]

The Old Man - history of the Hellfire Legion

So they told us. It's official, we are aboard the Bristol Bay, awaiting to hear if the Navy will accept our surrender in exchange for leniency. A few days have passed, and boredom has set in. A time to reminisce has come to me while I wait for the final chapter of my old life. I am one of the few who still remember, I was one of the original crew aboard the [HF]-HFB-Ragnarok. I was never bright enough to become an officer, I was always there, in the background, doing what was needed, from washing the uniforms, moving the wounded, and earning my keep. Spyglass we called it back then - the experimental battleship, sister to the Osiris. Few of the Angel crew even know or remember, this was a long time ago when we departed Liberty. All of us sort of, agreed when Drake was to be falsely accused of treason - we knew what we had done and hadn't done. This was twenty-nine years ago, right after the Nomad Wars when we left the Navy, and now it's coming full circle. I wonder if the people of Liberty ever found out what happened back then, but we knew, we knew.

He had a way with words, Drake did. When Drake was exiled he ran to the Lane Hackers, and not only enlisted their aid, he slowly started integrating Hacker forces into his own when the Legion was being formed! Those were the days I tell you - former criminals roaming the Ragnarok's corridors, soaking in Drake's noble values! Once we were established, more and more recruits came pouring into the Hellfire Legion. We started growing, and soon enough there was no space for me on the Ragnarok, our mighty flagship. I was soon commanded to act as a hangar maintenance worker on various Hacker and later Hellfire bases, a sort of connection between us original Ragnarok crew and the new recruits.

That is when the first large hit occurred... THE announcement.... "Drake Thastus confirmed missing presumed dead!" Him and his son, just gone, never to be seen again - I thought this was the end, it was Drake who formed the Legion, at that point well established, who got the skeleton crew of the Ragnarok to abandon Liberty with him...alas end that was not, on the contrary. He became an idyllic figure of the legend of sorts, and the Legion kept growing and growing, under my watchful unambitious gaze. Vespucci became our home, first the Atacama Base, then America base, Leniex, Veracruz itself, then we went to Kansas.

Drake's ideology echoed way beyond everything he could have imagined, I actually in those days stopped working a job in the Legion ships and hangars and moved to Veracruz, to lead somewhat of a normal life, building our society. I remember it like yesterday, the Commonwealth of Liberty was born:

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The Commonwealth places both individual liberties and the common welfare of the people above all else.

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Henceforth and forevermore, on this day, June 22nd of 822 A.S, the Commonwealth of House Liberty hereby declares independence from all other Houses, and sovereignty over the systems of Vespucci, Humboldt, Kansas, and Magellan.

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-The Declaration of Independence, President Isaac Stone, Commonwealth of House Liberty, Vespucci system

This was the time of the greatest prosperity - all these bases were built up, and slowly but surely I grew comfortable, the original Drake's vision of taking revenge on Liberty started waning, we still had presence and hit the Liberty, sure, but we lived our lives, built up our just society, started curbing on piracy and even the Lane Hacker antics we recruited from in the beginning. Life was simply good, the Legion itself became an afterthought, the Captains no longer called the shots, and the Legion itself became merely the military arm of the Commonwealth, its importance and ambition waning.

By the time the images of Leeds and the Siege of New London arrived, we knew we had now built up a position to help! Visa structure, licencing permits, supplies, production, trade, our society, we had it all by then. 50,000 souls have fled the conflict and joined the Commonwealth as refugees, we could feed them, clothe them, and give them jobs. This was the Liberty we all dreamed of, just, without the corrupt LPI, without bending our ideals. We had our corners of space in Vespucci and Kansas and we lived our lives, giving less and less to the Hellfire Legion Commanders to do.


A turning point, a shadow
But what good is a Hellfire Legion without the glory of their commanders? They followed the by-now mythical memory of Grand Admiral Drake Thastus and the mighty Ragnarok. Were they really going to accept the role of mere law enforcers of the Commonwealth, and bend the knee to the politicians who preferred peace and relations over the original mission of getting revenge on Liberty? I was hoping they would, We were happy, and at peace, we have provided a home and a safe society for so many, including those Bretonian Souls. I really believed they wouldn't jeopardize this.

But...they did, and the Navy gave them the perfect opportunity. It all started with the Separatists and Harmony - when we heard the news of their defecting from the Navy, it was reminiscent of Drake's plight. But the Commonwealth was now something different - we were not to just join the separatists, abandon our families, and our values, risk the refugees and what we have built and attack Liberty alongside the Separatists. They never even expected as such, never called our help. We even heard the rumours of them siding with the pirates and Outcasts against the Legion forces.

It was no wonder that when the Navy moved onto their bastion in Bering the Commonwealth politicians decided not to heed their call for help. There was too much to risk, too much at stake, for the Separatists who didn't appreciate our values, what we have built, who would risk it all.

This was too much of an opportunity for the Legion commanders who were starved of glory to pass on. Starved of Glory, Starved of power, sick of being told what to do and relegated to a secondary position, their inner defiant nature and egos made them act

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In response to this assessment, the Commonwealth issued stark orders to those Hellfire Legion vessels present: "Withdraw at once, abandon Bering and retreat back to the safer ground without confrontation. Hold for further orders". The unspoken implication was that the Separatists would be left to die, alone and outgunned. Furious at the abject cowardice displayed by their political leaders, the Hellfire military commanders present refused to acknowledge the orders and issued their own mutinous commands. Nearby Legion squadrons and fleets were rallied to the system for a pitched engagement against the might of the Liberty Navy.

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-[Regional event] The Scouring of Bering

There was no turning back. The egos and thirst for glory have taken over, and the values of the Commonwealth and what was at stake were gone. The politicians didn't realize what situation they found themselves in - years of peace and stability brought them the illusion of actual power, they trusted in their people and forgot the Hellfire Legion's roots, the Lane Hacker influence, the hate of Liberty as the main motivator of those who remembered Ragnarok and Drake from all those years ago. They overplayed their cards, and the egos of the Legion Commanders cashed the chips in

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A final request was submitted to the Commonwealth demanding emergency reinforcement and resupply for the operation. The response was simple: the battlegroup were to be arrested as mutineers and forced to stand trial for the colossal loss of life the Hellfire Legion had suffered in Bering.

In return, the rogue fleet issued an unprecedented broadcast to all Separatist, Legion and Commonwealth assets: the Commonwealth government was to be dissolved for treason. The fleet's surviving officers agreed that their best odds lay in merging their command structures, and took on the moniker of the Liberty Insurgency for that purpose.

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-[Combat event] The Cracking of Willard

The Legion was in power, it waved it's newfound dick and balls around by cracking a pointless secret base. You can only guess what happened when they returned to Veracruz, blood in their eyes, and wide smiles on their faces as they rediscovered their old glory. With the Separatists who wouldn't lift a finger for them before hand in hand. The Politicians made their final mistake, many died, many were exiled and what happened to the Commonwealth? Done for, gone, just like that. When power, fear and egos come into place, a just society suffers.

The atmosphere on Veracruz was not happy. Legionnaires like me knew we would be fine, I would once again find myself in combat vessel duty as the now Insurgency commanders got their newfound glory and power, but deep down in the fabric of Veracruz, we knew our ideals had been broken. We went from building an idealistic society to a military entity, led by the egos of admirals and their newfound zeal to get back at Liberty first, and taking care of their civilians and society second.


The Insurgency
It never felt the same as the Legion - the former insignificant Separatists somehow came in to call the shots, including Harmony's Fleet Admiral Victoria Knight leading the Insurgency Navy. I am not sure how that happened, we went from a legitimate government with a full-fledged structure to a recent Navy defectee leading the nation. I think it was the Hellfire Commanders, they were angry at themselves for allowing the Commonwealth and common people to call the shots, and they idealised the Separatists for their willingness to die in Bering as a stark contrast to what the Commonwealth leaders they served represented. The shadow of Drake came back into their minds and they projected it on Knight and let her lead. So we became a full-fledged military again, and took on Knight's values of openly working with criminals and pirates of all kinds, and our primary mission was once again the hatred of Liberty.

Noah Angel Arrives
I can't believe it's been well over three years since Angel started its journey.
Noah Angel entered the Insurgency Navy. He reminded me of many aspects of young Drake. He wasn't even born when Drake ran from Liberty, yet here he was, a rising star, leading the charge, getting to the rank of Commander and even commanding his own battlecruiser - the very ship I am staring at through the Bristol Bay window, the very ship we have just abandoned. Eventually, I joined his crew, and acted as a mentor for the kids on board he has attracted by his zeal. It was easy to forget that the "shoot first ask later" ambitious officers were the reason for the Commonwealth's downfall.

The Inevitable
The Commonwealth was annoying, but it stopped being a threat to Liberty. It became a separate nation, bottled up in Vespucci and Kansas, minding its own business, even curbing crime and smuggling. But now that the ruthless Knight on her Harmony was calling the shots, it was only a question of time before the politicians had to act. The entire Insurgency was one military machine, strikes against Liberty intensified, and the former Separatists even started ordering the protection of Cardamine convoys and a ceasefire with the Outcasts, something Noah took extremely badly as he saw himself as a new idealistic warrior. Even though splinters started forming, and the Angel itself left the Knight Lead Insurgency Navy to reform the Legion, we have all remained a thorn in Liberty's side and a growing one at that.

Only a couple of years lasted before Congress marked the entire Insurgency as a Foreign Aided Terrorist Organisation. Let's face it - they were not entirely wrong, by now all ideals left over from the Commonwealth were gone under Knight's leadership. And so they invaded. Unsurprisingly. And Knight defected the second they did. To the surprise of everyone from the former Legion. This is who we put in charge? This was the person we saw as the new Drake? This is who we have decimated the Commonwealth for?

Knight's defection sent former Legionnaires into a tailspin, we went from a bold offensive and glory into a desperate fight for the survival of the families on Veracruz, Of the remains what we have built that the misplaced trust in Knight has destroyed. Like lions, we fought when Delaware went on its suicide run. We could hear their communications, their own huger for glory, The Delaware's officers were not much different from the Legionnaires who decided to defy the Commonwealth and join the fight in Bering when this all started.

We didn't fight with strategy, with the long term in mind, we fought like wounded lions whose pride has been attacked, gnawing and ferociously attacking the invaders. Of course, Noah commandeered the Angel into the front lines, I remember the pools of blood I was near swimming in in the infirmary as I dragged in the wounded crewmen of the Angel. A full third of our entire crew we have lost their lives in that battle. But it seemed worth it as Delaware was now in ruins.


In the months that followed, we repaired the Angel, our zeal had subsided, and the battle was ongoing but the Ohio wasn't here just yet. We had time to think in between skirmishes. Time to snap off from the zeal of the moment. Time to remember the past, and what we were meant to fight for...more and more I could see veterans like me realizing that Bering might have been a mistake. Taking in the Separatists was a mistake. Wanting more than what the Commonwealth could offer us was a mistake as well.


Ohio Arrives
This doubt was at its height when Ohio came into sight. We all assumed we knew what Noah would do. This is why he climbed the ranks of the Insurgency Navy to Commander faster than anyone in recent history. This is why he had the balls and followers to declare the Legion as reinstated. It was his zeal and youthful belief in his ideology that wouldn't let him do anything else but what he ordered. I wasn't calling the shots, but I could feel it in the air. When I could see the stars, that we had plotted the suicide course towards Ohio I knew it was unlikely we would complete this mission. The officers stood behind Noah, but my sentiment was not my own. They would have died for the Commonwealth at its peak, for the families, for what they have built up...but for the Insurgency? For abandoned ideals? For a society led by them - the military, that tolerated the hardest criminals? It wasn't worth it. When the announcement was made ship-wide that Noah had decided to abandon ship and that we were surrendering I knew that was a lie meant to not make people rebel. Angel had a strong following, and I knew he would never abandon us and his namesake Battllecruiser like that. But it gave people an excuse, the benefit of the doubt - a reason to close their eyes at what happened. To live.

The end
So First Officer Maya Carter decided to call it - we asked the other grey fox on the crew to jettison our guns, drop our shields and surrender to the Navy. I am sitting here, reminiscing, realizing we had a fantastic run, however brief, but that nothing we fought still exists. Destroyed by us - the Hellfire Legion, our ambition and our misplaced hope for glory and trust in the wrong people and clinging to the past.

Low-level ageing nobodies like me are unlikely to be made examples of. Of that I am certain. With a bit of luck after my inevitable interrogations and maybe a prison sentence I am hoping this old fox will get one last chance at life somewhere on Manhattan, cleaning the toilets or ploughing the field of some rich Manhattanites, reminiscing of what was and what could have been.

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Redemption - The History of the Hellfire Legion