Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 31MAY830 Station Sheffield Station Subject Soul sold
An armored man sits down in front of a camera after starting the recording. Even though his face is not visible, it's clear that he's worn out.
Ten years since I followed the Freedom Fighters to this god-forsaken universe. Ten years since I helped kill the parents of a young girl all in the name of revenge...and tossed my soul into the deepest pits of hell as a result.
He pauses, collecting his thoughts. A moment later, he sighs.
Anyway, I guess I was feeling nostalgic for the old days back when I used to keep logs; maybe I'll start doing it again. Since the last time I kept a log, I've changed my terrorist ways and swung to the opposite(ish) side of the law and began bounty hunting. It's not much, but it's honest work and I've been doing some real good here...the money isn't bad either. I formed a small hunting group named the "Wolves of Manchester" too. Nothing official or anything, really we're just a few folks trying to clean up the system of Manchester and not much else.
Other than that, not much else has really happened in my life. Haven't had a need to activate any of my implants in years...not that I'd even want to, the crash after using them never was a ball in the park. I sure as shit don't miss the migraines I'd get from using them. Speaking of implants and where I got them, I haven't seen or heard from the Freedom Fighters since walking away from Scarecrow all those years ago. My guess is they disbanded and blended into the environment.
...though from the rumors I've heard of these anomalies popping up, I hope this isn't another "Shattered Universe" situation, I doubt those guys are young enough to get everything back up and out into another universe before shit hits the fan.
The man takes off the helmet and sits it to the side. His dark hair matted to his forehead.
Guess if shit hits the fan, might as well kiss my ass good-bye, eh? Whatever. At least I'll finally get my comeuppance if that happens. Can only hope. Anyway, that's all for now.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 06JUN830 Station Sheffield Station Subject New Old Ship
Jadyn backs away from the camera drying the back of his head. It appears as if he just got out of the shower.
Just got back from picking up my new ship. Had to fly to Ontario but I needed a break from blowing up criminals...or having them blow up my ships engines.
He sighs.
Ran into a particularly venomous group of Molly's last night. The packet I got from Mission Commission said they were small fries but turned out to be anything but. I managed to get the upper hand towards the end but I paid heavily. My engine got holed in at least four places and I barely made it back to Sheffield Station before the engines completely cut out.
Mechanics say it's totaled and it'll be around 6 million credits to get a new one. The tech recommended I just get a new ship and scrap this one. He even recommended a used ship for sale at Thunder Bay. I got just under 2 million in scrap and hitchhiked to Cortez on an OS&C Ferry. From there I boarded a transport for Planet Los Angeles and pinched my nose closed and took a Junker Salvager the rest of the way to Thunder Bay.
The ship I bought was a Raven's Talon with engines that clearly needed an overhaul before they burned out. However, the weapons systems were top notch and ready for hardpoints. I paid around 2.5 million for the ship and flew it back to Sheffield where my mechanic is looking over it to make sure that it's combat ready.
I'm up to around 22 million in savings now from contracts. I've still got a ways yet to getting that Gunboat for the higher ranked missions and hunts. But I hope that in a couple months I'll get there so I can qualify to work with Bretonia or one of the other houses to hunt down bigger game. For now, I'll stay on target for the gunboat and go from there.
Going to get some rest, big day getting back to work tomorrow.
Jadyn leans forward and the video feed disappears.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 07JUN830 Station Sheffield Station Subject Upgrades
Jadyn backs away from the camera and sits down. His face covered in grease and his overalls stained with what looks like oil.
I got the ship optimized and upgraded with some new weapons and scanners. Took me a while because while the ship looked decent on the outside, it was messed up on the interior. Lots of shoddy patch jobs that compromised the integrity of the super-structure. Took me about a day to get it shored up and back to where it was serviceable. After I was sure it wouldn't shake apart during combat, I loaded up ammo, did one more check, and left on a hunt.
Again, the Molly's in system were stronger than Mission Commission briefed. However, while they were tougher than mentioned, the Raven's Talon made quick work of them and I returned victorious to Sheffield. I need to remember to mention to Mission Commission to setup a mission to look closer in Manchester, best guess is there is a Molly base around here somewhere. No way they're that strong on long distance missions without ample resupply.
I'm up to just under 25 million now and need to think about upgrading the weapons on this ship to something more experimental. I've heard rumors of a scientific research group nearby in the Taus, maybe I can reach out to them to see about getting some weapons that have a little more punch. In the meantime, I'll continue getting credits the best way I know how: Shooting down bounties.
Jadyn leans forward and the video feed disappears.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 08JUN830 Station Sheffield Station Subject Progress
The camera feed cuts on to an empty sofa for a few moments before Jadyn enters the frame and sits down, his suit helmet under one arm. He tosses it to the other cushion and gives a rare genuine smile at the camera.
Well, a couple of great things happened today. We're making real progress on expanding the Wolves of Manchester.
Nashoba's old ship gave out finally and they had to buy a Starflier to get back on their feet. Nothing like starting over from scratch. Hopefully they had some money put back so they can get a new combat vessel. One of the requirements to be a Wolf is to pay your own way and not take handouts or sponsorships from others. Every Wolf of Manchester has to start out that way, so hopefully they're able to get back up and running.
Speaking of making your own way, picked me up an old Orca Gunnoat tonight. Seems it was on the chopping block for another organization. They sold the old girl for around 35 million complete with weapons and sub-systems. Looks like they upgraded to a newer model. She needs some work and from the looks of things she has several thousand hours on her clock...meaning I really need to do a once over on the ship to make sure she won't give out on us during combat maneuvers. It also only has basic armor on the hull, so we will need to eventually upgrade that in order to take the more dangerous hunts. Hopefully nothing else too extreme needs fixing.
Ran a few hunts today and turned over some more Molly's and Gaians. Last night there seemed to be an influx of Lane Hackers from the Magellan gate, but we took care of them and handed them over to the authorities. No doubt they're being turned over to Liberty authorities. No guarantee they're actual Hackers anyway as I don't think I've ever caught an actual Lane Hacker before. Regardless, they're out of my hands now.
Jadyn places his hands on his knees and pushes off into a standing position.
Going to get out there and take a look at the "Skalli", as we've named her. Odin willing that she doesn't need a lot of work to get her up to snuff, I'm almost out of credits.
Jadyn leans forward and the video feed disappears.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Pennsylvania, 09JUN830 Station Harrisburg Station Subject Shakedown Cruise
The camera cuts on but this time the background is different, it appears to be a new station.
The Skalli is a beast of a ship, even with the limited armor on her, she can hold up to a significant fight. Some of the hunts and missions I went on did some damage to her, but nothing serious. Can't wait until I save up enough money to equip the iron wolf with some armor upgrades and maybe even some new weapons. For now, this is all I have.
Decided to take her out for a shakedown cruise. A few hunters mentioned Pennsylvania was as good of a place as any to run it through it's paces. Plus, the Liberty government was paying top dollar for pirates and miscreants in the system so it was a win/win.
Headed through the Borderworlds and made a quick trip to Pennsylvania via California. As soon as I came through, the message announced the bounties for criminals in system. Not only that, but right in front of me was a pirate train loaded down with Slaves.
Slaves.
I fired up the primary gun and opened fire. The pirates must've not known what the hell was happening because they tried to turn and run. Needless to say, I had the cannons and disruptors ready. I made quick work of the ship and tractored in their escape pods. Luckily, the ship held together enough for the Slaves to be saved. I flagged down a passing transport and we were able to offload everyone to Harrisburg in orbit of Erie.
I'm a bit tired, but I feel like I can do more good out here in Pennsylvania so I'm going to scour the fields a bit and see if I can find any other black hearts and turn them over to the authorities. After all, a blanket bounty takes the ties off my hands and allows me to do my work without the need for Mission Commission or anything else.
Time to get to work.
Jadyn leans forward and the video feed disappears.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Pennsylvania, 09JUN830 Station Harrisburg Station Subject Money Making Opportunities
Jadyn sits the camera down and sits down in a chair within the frame of the camera. The room is different yet again.
Pennsylvania is a far better system to operate in than Manchester, unfortunately. The Liberty government paying way more for criminals makes this area far better to make money in. So far I've taken down around a dozen Pirate Trains and an assortment of pirates and have made somewhere in the range of 20 million credits for a days work. I'd make a little less than that in Manchester.
He pauses and takes a drag of a cigarette before continuing.
I mean, Manchester will still be my home, but I'll certainly operate here with the Skalli over my fighter. Soon as I work my way up to 200 million, I need to drop money on an armor upgrade. Figure I'll reach out to the Junkers in Liberty and see if they've pulled any off any wrecks first. Might get lucky and find one for way cheaper. Anyway, going to get some sleep. We're back in the green after outfitting the Skalli so we're all good here. More later.
Jadyn picks up a glass of amber liquid and takes a drink as he leans forward and shuts off the recording.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Pennsylvania, 10JUN830 Station Harrisburg Station Subject Fleet Complete
Jadyn starts his log, this time as he's walking through a crowded hallway. It appears he's on his way to the hangar.
Well, just picked up the last ship for my personal fleet tonight and it was a new ship...well refurbished at least. Left for Thunder Bay Depot again and picked up a new/old Warren bomber for taking care of those pesky Pirate Trains in Pennsylvania that have been giving the Skalli some trouble. While she's a gunship, the hulls they've been welding to those damn pirate ships is impressively resistant to blaster fire from cannons of that kind. So I decided to get a secondary snub fighter capable of punching holes through those bastards.
In other news, I helped Bjorn get some stick time again. He seems to be a little rusty but managed to get him back up to snuff with some combat both in Manchester and Pennsylvania. Hopefully he keeps his skills sharp, seems some shit might be going down in system again if rumors are to be believed and I'm sure credits will be a-flowin'. I just hope the Zoners stay out of trouble and keep their losses down, I'd really hate to have to hunt any of them down. Always had good dealings with those blokes--
Jadyn looks up as if acknowledging someone before looking back to the handheld camera.
Looks like a Pirate Train was spotted. Time to go take it down.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 11JUN830 Station Sheffield Station Subject Setbacks
The camera cuts on to Jadyn sitting on a familiar couch in Manchester. His face has cuts and bruises on it and he appears to be cradling his right arm.
Ran into a particularly vicious form of Outcast tonight in Pennsylvania right after I got the bomber.
He winces as he chances position.
Turns out, they had the jump on me from the start. I'd seen them coming from a distance and did a search on them to see if any bounties were available for their ship. Not seeing anything, I went back to hunting for the Pirate Trains in the area. I'd already managed to take down two in the time that this particular individual showed up. They sat some distance away for a time, not doing anything before striking up a conversation with me about the finer points of taking people away from their lives. I assumed they were referring to the Slaves in the Pirate Trains I was hunting. I later figured out they were referencing their pirate slime brethren in my hold.
With nary another word, they opened fire on me. Their transport was apparently meant to fend off ships of my type...or I was just worse at the controls than I had assumed. The ship was rent in two and I was set adrift. They tractored their brothers and sisters in crime before departing. I remained silent until they were gone and called for assistance. Luckily Helium miners frequent Cleveland regularly and heard my distress call. Some medical attention later and I was on my way back to Manchester in the Skalli.
Soon as I'm a bit more rested up and recovered, I'm going to log some time on the simulator to sharpen my skills. As for the bomber...it's a lost cause. Another 10 million down the drain.
The damn ship wasn't even paid off yet.
He places his face in the palm of his good hand and sighs.
Until I can be sure my skills are adequately sufficient to take down this trash, I'm gonna keep my hunts to Manchester. Once I'm confident enough in my skills, I'm going to track that Outcast down...
Jadyn looks up at the camera with conviction. His eyes appear to flash red for a moment before returning to normal.
...and end their fucking existence.
He suddenly picks up a glass of amber liquid and throws it at the camera in a rare outburst of rage. The feed disappears as the camera falls to the floor.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Pennsylvania, 13JUN830 Station Harrisburg Station Subject Back on the horse
The video feed flickers and slowly comes online, a crack is visible in the corner of the screen and it appears to have a little more static than usual, but otherwise is working. Jadyn looks less irritable than his last log but still not jolly.
I'm surprised the camera still works.
He sighs and collapses back onto the sofa.
I got my bomber replaced. Insurance paid out my premium and was able to get a new one. I'm sure the insurance will go up a bit as a result but...I should still be in the clear. Next time I see an Outcast, I'm just going to open fire instead of caring about a bounty. I guess that's what I get for being focused on money and not survival. You think I would have learned.
He shakes his head at himself and takes a drag of a cigarette before continuing.
I'm heading back to Manchester in a few hours. I need to see how things are progressing there in my absence. No doubt the pirates have started becoming a problem there again. Besides, I'm sick of doing the job of Liberty here patrolling their asteroid fields. You think they would be paying closer attention to them rather than trying to harass and kill Zoners...but I guess that's just their priorities. At least I'm paid good credits for the amount of scum I transport to Harrisburg Station.
Speaking of credits, we're up to around 40 million of them now. I have some plans on where to spend them once we crest 130 million. The plan is to buy an old Pilgrim Liner and haul the prisoners to Pennsylvania or another prison paying top dollar for them. The prisons are privately owned and tend to get a lot of money for the amount of prisoners they have. I'm sure they make billions for their guests rather than the millions they pay me. Doesn't bother me much, so long as I get paid.
Although, that's what got me in the mess with the bomber and every other thing in my life since the Freedom Fighters. I should be a little careful once I enact my plan.
He shrugs.
We'll see. More later.
Jadyn reaches forward and toggles off the camera. The feed glitching out and distorting before ending.
Ident. Jadyn "Grimwolfe" Giles Loc. & Date Manchester, 20JUN830 Station Sheffield Station Subject Bah
The video feed cuts on. The screen is clear once again without any indication of damage to the lens. Jadyn is sitting down on the couch, staring at his glass of amber liquid. He sighs and looks up to the camera.
Seems like nothing I do stems the tide of these pirates. They just keep coming. Sure the money is good, but what's the point if you don't effect any real change? Just spinning my wheels really.
He sighs and places the glass down on the table in front of him. He looks into the camera whilst resting his elbows on his knees.
My birthday came and went. June 16th. No one called to wish me a happy birthday, no one got me any presents or even a cake. Another day that just came and went like the rest of them. I suppose that's just apart of my punishment for all the terror I caused in my youth. I alienated the people who would have been family to me had I not committed the acts of terror on their organization. Now, they probably hope I'm dead rather than thinking fondly back on my service during the Bretonian war of my home universe.
He laughs and shakes his head.
Man if anyone actually finds these recordings they're going to think I'm a complete loon. "Home universe"? Shit, I'd lock me up in a mental institution. Anyway, things have been more or less the same around here. The money has slowed as I decided to take a bit of a break from hunting and just relax for a bit. Though I need to get back on that horse, the Skalli and my other ships are accruing maintenance and docking costs. Need to get back out there and take care of business.
He shrugs sarcastically.
Guess I'm the only man for the job. Best get back to it.
He smirks as he reaches forward to deactivate the feed.
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