My name is Ibrahim al-Rashid. I was born in Manhattan, not too long ago when things seemed simple to an average man living in Liberty. My parents were immigrants from a far away system called Mashriq. I did not really know what the place was like aside from what my mother and father told me in stories. Not that I could have known much anyway. My parents died when I was too young to even know what a system was. It all happened when they agreed to go on a cargo run with a bunch of military types. The Police said they were killed by pirates on their way to deliver 'food rations' to the Battleship Missouri. I was young, but even I knew that no group of pirates was willing to attack a fully armed convoy of 10 ships for a cargo full of cheap rations. Even more oft-putting: why was so much effort by the military put into defending a transport hauling synth paste? I didn't trust the feds, but that isn't why I turned Rogue. Not by a long shot.
It was a peaceful afternoon in Manhattan. The kids were out having fun, the civilians chatting laughing about how they nearly got dusted in space. Seung, who was a good friend of my parents', took me in after they were killed and raised me like his own. He was also an immigrant, from Kusari. Still had a bit of an accent. He was a little strict, but overall a sincere person. We were having a drink in the bar when he brought up the topic of me finding a career. I was 22 now, and he told me he wouldn't be around to have my back forever. He was right. I had my own ship: a Startracker. Not the best, but it was all I could afford at the time. Seung told me I should work for the Navy, they were hiring and they paid well. Usually, I would have told him "not a chance in hell", but I felt tired of the mundane life of working at Seung's engine shop. The job paid well, but not well enough. Call me greedy, but credits are the thing that make life easier. No one can argue with me about that. Putting my distrust aside, I signed up for the Navy the next day.
The physical training was hard. The paperwork was even harder. Since my parents weren't born in Liberty, it was difficult for me to go through all of the legal crap invloved with joining the military. But after pulling some strings, and passing the rigorous training, I was accepted into the Liberty Navy. I was on my way to speak with my new captain in the debriefing room when I heard chatter on the other side of the door. "This is a little too risky for me Captain..", I heard a voice say, "What if someone finds out?" The Captain was about to say something when Bruce Tanner, a fighter from my squadron, came around the corner and opened his mouth to talk to me. "Wait, I think someone's outside." The doors opened and two men walked out: Devon Valera, the captain of Alpha wing, and Hayden Solonski, the captain of my wing. Solonski intoduced himself and told me everything I needed to know for my first mission. A convoy of Cardamine smugglers were to be hunted down and caught alive along with their cargo. Seemed easy enough.
It was time. I had gotten into a few skirmishes in the past, even killed a handful of people who had gotten in my way. I was pretty damn good at it too, but it had been awhile and I was a little rusty. Due to budget cuts, the Defender ship was only given out to 'loyal' soldiers, whatever that meant. I was still in my Startracker when we undocked with West Point. My orders were simple: stay alert and bring the target home safely. Our formation was headed for a waypoint near the Jersey Debris field. We waited in the area for what seemed like only a couple of seconds when our boys showed up on radar. They were told to stop, and when they did, Captain Solonski hailed them with a threat: "This is Liberty Navy Captain Hayden Solonski, give up your cargo or prepare to be engaged." We were met with a desperate reply. "Navy Ships, we will surrender the cargo, do not engage." The voice was a woman, who, apparently from the background chatter, had someone very young on her ship. I thought Captain Solonski was just going to take the cargo and arrest them, but I was wrong. "Criminal ships, you are in direct violation of Liberty law, and a threat to peace and order. You are sentenced to immediate execution. Rashid, time to prove yourself. Destroy all enemy vessels." I couldn't beleive what I was hearing! "Sir, they have already surrendered. Couldn't we just-" "Negative, that's a direct order Private. Do it, now!" This was against what I stood for.. what Liberty stood for. I was not about to kill a surrendering woman and her kids, even if she was a criminal. So I did the only thing I could. I opened fire on my own wing, and got the hell out of there. "Run. Get away from this place!!!", I shouted to the smugglers. "You traitor! You'll pay for this!", I could hear Solonski's fading voice as I cruised passed them.
We were safe. We took a secret shortcut and swept in an out of the debris field, away from Navy scanners. It turned out that the woman was not hauling Cardamine at all, but loads of incriminating evidence against the corrupt government of Liberty. She was a Liberty Rogue, and she had taken her son and daughter, both 15, to train them in the art of Smuggling. Crazy way to make a living, but I wasn't protesting. She thanked me for my help, and took me to Rochester, where she introduced me to a bunch of her friends, who also happened to be Rogues. They offered me a chance to get within their group. I had thought about it, and up until now, I had always tolerated the B.S. the Liberty House corporation threw my way, and that was only because of the fear tactics and threats they used to quell any disagreement with their policies. I had seldom thought about becoming a pirate, but considering I was now an enemy of Liberty, it seemed like a grand new opportunity, for thrills and for money. Besides, this would give me a better chance of getting back at that bastard Solonski, and striking a blow to his Navy lapdogs..
I was now a Liberty Rogue. I pirated the tradelanes, occasionally running into and fighting the Liberty Navy. Sometimes I did it for money, sometimes I just did it for fun. I killed a countless number of people that got in my way or didn't comply. I still haven't heard of Solonski, and im not even sure the guy is worth looking for anymore. My new ship, a Werewolf, is a top-of-line Rogue fighter, but the repair costs for it are expensive, so im often busy scrounging up extra credits to pay for it. Oh, and I also recieved a message from an anonymous sender through the bartender while I was in Buffalo. He said that he knew my parents and asked to meet him at Dawson base in Hudson. I had nothing better to do, and I wouldn't mind a little adventure.
Dawson was not a very attractive place(not that I was expecting it to be). Inside was a ramshackle assortment of dark hallways and cluttered rooms, accompanied by the shady characters who resided there. At the bar, a man waved me over from one of the tables. He had tan skin with a neatly trimmed beard, and looked to be in his 40's.
"Are you Ibrahim al-Rashid?", he asked
"Yeah.." I was always careful when it came to doing bussiness on Rogue bases. "Are you the one who asked for me on Buffalo?"
"I am. My name is Uzair. I called you here because I knew your parents." He leaned over slightly to whisper. "And I can get you to Mashriq."
I chuckled, almost wanting to believe the guy. "And why would I want go there?"
"Well, you've heard the stories. There's a fortune to be made. You may even find more information about your parents."
"My parents are dead. The past is the past. Besides, how do I know you're telling the truth? The jumpgate to Mashriq was destroyed ages ago and the jumphole has never been found."
"Well that changes.." Uzair took a sip of his drink and continued. "I've got a lead, who says that the jumphole might be somewhere in the Omegas."
"The jumphole might be somewhere in the Omegas? You're joking?"
"Well, my information could be a little more specific..for a few credits of course."
Normally, I would have just blasted the guy on the spot, but he had a look on his face. The kind that told you he wasn't just full of sh*t.
Uzair told me that the jumphole was located in Omega-47, a newly discovered system in itself. Unfortunately, he didn't tell me the exact coordinates and said I would have to find it on my own. Great.. Not to mention that the system was a warzone between the Corsairs and the Red Hessians. I would just have to risk it. As much as I tried to make it seem like I didn't care, I really did want to get to Mashriq. Not just because it was rumoured to be rich in valuable resources, but because I wanted to learn more about my parents. And this was my chance. I prepared my ship and left Dawson the next day.
After hours of travelling, I made my way through the Omega-5 system, surprised that I had not come across any life-threatening trouble so far. Five minutes out of the jumphole, and trouble finds me. At least 9 Bounty Hunter ships appear right in front of my ship guns ablazing. But they weren't attacking me, they were trying to kill a single Corsair fighter. So much for fair fighting. His hull looked pretty bad, and I could hear him shouting for help over the comm. I wasn't the type to go out of my way to help somebody who might try to space me for looking at him wrong. Then again, I thought maybe the 'Sairs could help me. I hoped so, at least. I opened fire on the Bounty Hunters, destroying 3 of their ships within moments.
A Bounty Hunter noticed that his pals were no longer with him. "What the- a Liberty Rogue?? Waste this *sshole!"
"Hahaha, I'd never thought i'd be happy to see a Rogue!", the Corsair said in a heavy accent, while joining me in destroying the BHG ships.
We thought we had them beat, until they called for reinforcements. Even though we were heavily outnumbered, we continued to fight. Lasers and missiles pounded our shields, sending us in a state of adrenaline-fueled desperation. Ship after ship exploded before my eyes. By some form of miracle, they got the message and retreated in a haste.
We had survived our encounter with the Bounty Hunter ships, but our ships had been badly damaged. They were kept together by our last nanobots and the bare metal that was used to construct them. The Corsair that had been fighting with me hailed me over the comms. frequency.
"I thank you for your help amigo." his voice had a hint of curiosity in it.
"It's not a problem. I am always happy to help kill off scum like this."
"Allow me to escort your ship to our base for repairs. We will talk on the way"
I followed his ship through the vast and forboding space of Omega-5. At least he was nice enough not to leave me there with a damaged ship.
"May I ask what you are doing here Senor...?"
"It's Rashid. I was on my way to Omega-47 to look for a jumphole to an unknown system called Mashriq, where my parents were from. I wanted to go there to learn more about them. They ah..died when I was a boy."
"I see.. my condolences Senor Rashid.. Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Santiago de los Reyes. It is a pleasure to meet your aquaintance. Under normal circumstances, I would have probably just robbed you and sent you on your way. Bussiness, you understand?"
"Completely."
"But seeing as how you assisted me with that less than friendly encounter, I will be happy to offer you our facilities..at least until your ship is repaired."
"You have my gratitude.. Senor Reyes."
He laughed. Either because he liked me, or just because my accent was that bad. We came upon Cadiz Base, and they hailed Santiago, informing him of the Liberty Rogue in his presence. He acknowledged the distrustful sounding message and Cadiz gave me entry to dock.
I met with the seemingly befriended Corsair outside of our ships.
"Your ship's repairs will take some time. In the meantime, i've arranged a temporary quarters for your stay. Be sure to lay low; most of us are understanding but not all Corsairs take too kindly to Rogues."
"I understand.." I looked around the base to see if anyone had a blaster pointed at me.
"Keep in mind that we are in a war. I was hesitant to bring you with me to this base. But you sound honest, and you did save my hide back there. I will have to talk to our leaders about whether or not we should kill you." He laughed heartedly.
I laughed as well, not sure if he was kidding or not. I guess I would have to find out..