...Never thought I'd find myself using one of these things here. Was never good at learnin' these contraptions...
But may as well...because I got nowhere to go...and because I ain't got nothin' better to do.
I suppose I...better say who I am then. Well...the name's Jesse Wales...uh..Howdy.. I grew up in Missoura' City, Planet Houston... Can't say I miss the place. I got my britches out of there as soon as I could ride a Starflier. I've been all over the place since. Stayed on Planet Manhattan for a while.
That's where I met her.......
I was there for a while....and then I had to..move on...
Now I'm just travelin' about on my own, livin' from Freeport to Freeport.
Maybe it's time I go do somethin' with myself...
Yeah...Somethin' alright.
I think I will..
I need to get on my feet again, though. Can't do nothin' in the sorry shape I'm in.
I was thinkin'a lookin' into that miner's guild. Maybe they can help me...get on my feet again.
And then...
Well..I know I had plans..but things don't tend to stay the same with me.
I looked into those miner fellas after I had made some swiss cheese outta them Corsairs.
I asked 'em a few questions. Seems there be some group they're close to. Some Colonial Remnant folks.
And well...they seemed right up my alley.
They got done tellin' me that these sharpshooters take up huntin' pirates and the like for a livin'.
They make up their own law.
Well, I ain't too fond'a pirates, and I ain't too fond'a the law, but this law sounded pretty darn nice.
I think maybe I could get used to it...maybe.
They say they mostly hunt Outcast. Well...I ain't too particular of which pirates we hunt. A pirate's a pirate. Ain't nothin' gonna change that.
They told me I would need to be a recruit before I get to where I wanna be. Seems like it's gonna take some time...
On the brighter side, I may get some trainin' outta this group. Gonna come in real handy out there...
Especially considerin' I'm more used to usin' my 6-shooters than a...spaceship.
We'll see how this goes. I ain't used to workin' with others. I'm used to workin' alone.
But sometimes you gotta make some sacrifices if you're gonna get ahead in this world...
I know I ain't been keepin' up with this. Been busy doin' other things.
Took a ride around the neighborin' systems. Hadn't been in many of 'em. Barely a soul around...
Stumbled upon some poor trader's wreck while I was out there. Seem's he had a good run before he ran aground. Guess he must'a been gloatin' over his catch when he hit that rock.
He was still in there when I boarded. Poor ol' fool...
Decided to take some'a his share with me. I needed to get me a new ship and well...he ain't got no need for it anymore...
Left most of it there though. Probably better that way. Nobody who's got half a head's gonna carry all that with 'em. That's just askin' for trouble. Maybe that's what happened to this fella... 'cept the ones who done it didn't take nothin' with 'em. Maybe they were thinkin' of comin' back. Well...nobody around knows except that poor ol' fella, and he ain't tellin' a soul...
Bought me a new ship with the goods I took. Bought it right from them miners, too. They called her a Raven's Talon. She's somethin' to look at alright. Went around givin' her all the fixin's I could find. Now she can put a few of them pirates down..
Met up with them Colonial folks afterwards. They had a big haul of their own goods they mined. They asked me if I wanted to help 'em escort. Even offered to pay me. Usually, I ain't one for leadin' a movin' sack'a cash, but I wasn't gonna turn 'em down.
Them miner folks were around, too. Had the biggest hauler I ever seen. Don't know if they use her much. Thing must draw pirates like flies to a dead horse...
When those Colonial folks were all set, we saddled up 'n left. We were headin' through Wild territory. Can't say they have the nicest lookin' critters..
We shot up what we could, but they kept holdin' us back. I reckon not too many traders get through there by themselves...
After those Colonials were all done their tradin', they all went 'n turned in for the night. I figured I may as well turn in, too, since there was a storm comin'...
Urghh...I ain't in too good shape right now. I'm damn well lucky to be alive..
Ain't nothin' like the feelin' of driftin' in space waitin' for someone to pick you up.
I'm on my way to the doc's on Freeport 1 now. God willin' they can patch me up some..
But damn...today been rotten to me.
Earlier I was prowlin' those two Omegas for those miners I'm workin' for.
Had a bunch 'a pirates hold up in the back for messin' with me.
Then some lady came 'round the Freeport. She was one of them pirates, too.
Never seen a lady pirate before. It's a damn shame if your askin'.
She wanted some 'a her dirty friends back. And well...I wasn't about to oblige.
They ain't deservin' to be saved. I'd have shot 'em right then if I had any sense...
But I didn't want to get in a fight with a lady over it. Pirate or not, I didn't wanna shoot 'er.
It ain't dignified to shoot a lady.
I gave her them fiends 'n told her I didn't wanna see them again. She took 'em an' left.
Shame the lady is a pirate. Damn shame...
The local law showed up later, as well as some Corsair. Nobody was happy to havin' him around.
I joined in with the lawmen 'n shot that pirate back to his maker.
Then...things got damn strange pretty quick.
Some of them Wild critters and their ugly friends came in. Those lawmen didn't like that. They had me wait back at the Freeport while their superior...talked...with 'em. I can't even imagine those critters can be talked to. When he came back, everything seemed right 'n happy. They said everything was fine and went on their merry way...but I knew somethin' was up. Those critters ain't comin' all this way to be turned 'round again.
Later, some German soldiers came shootin' by real quick. They were headin' to Dublin. Somethin' was up. The local law was in Dublin, too. I followed them Germans and found a big mess 'a ships fightin' each other.
Them critters came back...
Those Germans were called in to help, and well, they needed all the help they could get, so I joined 'em as well.
Them critters had help with 'em, too. Some clown and his little partner were shootin' at the lawmen.
Can't imagine how anyone can fight against his fellow man alongside those...devilish beasts...
It was all a blur after that. I tried goin' after that clown. We were all chasin' him...but then I got too green.
I was driftin' along side that clown unloadin' my shooters, but his little partner had me marked.
It was like lightning strikin' a willlow down. In one moment, the ship buckled, and in the next, I was chewed up 'n spit out in a little box...
Everything on her...gone. I was left driftin' like dingy while the fightin' went on. But I wasn't seein' any of it.
After my ship had blown up, I was left limper than a rag doll. Don't even know how it ended. Suppose I'll find out if I ever get flyin' again...
It's gonna be a while though. I need to get me another ship. Good thing I found that poor ol' trader fella's wreck. Here's hopin' ain't no one else came back to it...
The Raven's gonna fly again...and I reckon we won't be so green no more...