The more things change. The more they stay the same.
You know. Living in Liberty isn’t anything like you see in the Media. When people think of Liberty they think of Manhattan and it’s dream. Living a life of luxury in clean cities and enjoying the night life among the Planets party crowd, drinking and doing whatever else those rich assholes like to do. People rarely think about those struggle on Planets like Houston, where you’re more likely to get robbed by the Police, and then arrested by a Bounty Hunter just for having an opinion. The place is trash and I knew from a young age that I could do a lot better than that. I worked hard and sacrificed to get a degree despite everyone doubting me at every turn, and what did it really matter in the end?
I don’t know.
I guess I was naive enough to believe Cryer Pharmaceuticals was my big break, like I was gonna finally be able to provide for my family and get them out of Texas. Instead all I got was a meager paycheck while the greedy bastards at the top raked in the cash from my hard work. It was liked I was getting robbed all over again, but this time instead of a Police uniform, they just wore a nice suit. So I had enough, I began taking my fair share. I needed the money more than they did, and they weren’t smart enough to catch on. It started with a bottle here and there, then I moved onto whole crates, but after sometime even that wasn't enough. Company Credit Cards, Stabaline, if it was left out in the open, you could be sure I took it.
But they eventually found out.
That’s when it really started. The adrenaline rush from taking what I needed from greedy men was just too addicting. I just couldn't let that feeling go, so I set out looking for a group of people who accepted me and my passion for taking what I wanted. Eventually I fell in with the Junkers on Allentown, they helped me hone my skills as a pilot, and they put a roof over my head when no one else would. Those were some good times. Men and women from all walks of life who found themselves cast out from their homes or jobs. It was like a little family, one where I felt I truly belonged.
But it didn’t last.
I started making a lot of cash. Too much cash. My route became too predictable. One day I found myself staring down the guns of those bigoted idiots that call themselves the Xenos. I tried to pay my way out, but they were only interested in blood. They tore through my ship, forcing us to eject into the harsh vacuum of space. One by one they picked off the life pods, but somehow I managed to survive. The guilt was just too much to bare. My friends were dead and I didn’t have the guts to return to Allentown and face their families.
So I moved on.
I had quite a bit of credits saved up. So I bought a Raven’s Talon and outfitted it with the best equipment money could buy. I decided I was going to leave Liberty and explore Sirius, something I always dreamed of as a little girl. I don’t know what life has in store for me, but for the first time in a long time I finally feel free.
This journal will record my journey. I hope to pass it on to my children one day if I ever have any. I want to them know that anything is possible. You don’t have to live in poverty on some desert world, you can be whatever you want to be.
When people talk about how difficult life can be in the Edge Worlds, they usually either talk about the isolation of living so far from civilization, or the various dangers that lurk within the Omicron's such as Aliens and rogue AI. What people never talk about is the difficulty learning the political landscape out here. It seems like one day a group can be your ally, then the next day they shoot at you for some vague violation of laws in a territory they don't actually control. I'm treading very lightly out here.
The one thing I can say for certain, is that the Zoners are the only people out here not looking for an excuse to kill you at a moments notice. You can pretty much do what you want on their bases so long as it doesn't risk anyone's life or health. I have a lot of respect for that kind of philosophy. I've always been one to let people do their own thing without forcing my beliefs on them, life's much simpler that way. The Zoner mentality is probably why they've managed to survive for so long out here. Neutrality does have its perks after all.
The Core on the other hand, I know their type well. They share a lot of similarities with the Hunters back on Houston, except the Bounty Hunters were at least bound by a set of rules they had to follow to operate in Liberty. These Core guys, they have enough firepower to be the ones to make the rules, and it shows. You cant even take a nice relaxing flight around Delta without the risk of bumping into one of their Warships, and dont get me started about bumping into one of them in the Freeports bar. The amount of ego they permeate is so strong, you could probably box it up and sell it to some low confidence broker on Manhattan for a good profit. Its literally that bad.
Then you have the Order. I haven't actually seen any of them, but the Zoners swear that they are out there watching the Freeport. From what I understand the debris field that surrounds the Freeport is a result of some attack by the Order some years back. The hostilities between the Zoners and the Order have apparently cooled since then, but I'd rather not cross their path all the same. Any group that's willing to fire at a Civilian Installation would have no qualms about destroying little old me over the simplest nonsense. You'd think for a group that's dedicated itself to defending humanity from an Alien threat, they'd take better care not to kill the people they claim to be defending, but what do I know? Maybe I've got the whole situation pegged wrong, maybe they aren't the ruthless killers their past actions make them out to be. Only time will tell.
One things for certain. A fighter isn't gonna cut it for me out here. I need something better equipped to handle that dangers that lurk within the Omicrons. Money really isn't problem for me at the moment, so I've been looking into purchasing a Gunboat class ship to aid me in exploratory pursuits. I've looked at the models currently available on the Civilian market, and I have to say I'm underwhelmed. The Kusari built "Kusari Explorer" is the only ship that checks all the boxes for me performance wise, but truthfully I hate the design. I'm going to hold off on ordering one at the moment, just in case something better comes along.