I have come here today to apply for membership in the Junker Congress. Of coarse you will want to know a little bit about me, so I will start with some personal history. I'll do my best to keep it brief.
I was 18 when freeport 7 was attacked and like a lot of kids my age I was eager to fight, ready to single-handedly save the galaxy from the nomad invasion. I guess looking back, I was one of the lucky ones, even if I didn't think so at the time. It was my first battle after the liberty navy's crash training coarse for new recruits. My wing of light fighters was in a tight formation heading for a nomad battleship. Our objective was to draw its fire so the bombers could get in close. Well I guess one way to look at it was that I followed my orders to the letter as my ship started disintegrating around me. I woke up on a zoner hospital ship a few days later with a throbbing head and my leg in a sling.
With my brief military career at an end and a bad leg to boot, I was feeling pretty low. I was looking for some solace at the bottom of a bottle in the bar on Rochester when a some guy sat down right next to me. I remember thinking to my self, “ the whole blasted bar is empty and this joker has to sit right next to me.”, as the last thing I wanted right then was company. The man loudly commanded to the bartender, “Hey! Barkeep! Get us another round of whet ever Robert here is havin' .” Now I was really confused. I knew that I had never meet this person before in my life so I asked him with a slightly hostile tone, “How do you know my name?”
He replied, ” I never forget a face or a name, you were one of them kids the navy sent to get blown up by that nomie battleship. I saw your picture on the Liberty News Network. You got guts flying into that kind of firepower.”
“Ya that got me a bum leg and no job” I said a little snidely.
“ I can help you with one of those kid. I got a job for you that don't need good legs. I need someone to pilot a transport ship for me and I think that your just the pilot I've been looking for. The names Joe by the way. ”
Little did I realize at the time that this seemingly chance encounter would set me on the path to where I am today.
The next day Joe showed me his Combat Service Freighter that he wanted me to pilot. It looked a little beat up but it was a solid vessel. He explained that we were going on a salvage operation to clean up some wreckage in the trade lanes in Shikoku. However what Joe didn't say was that their wasn't any wreckage in Shikoku... yet.
I gotta say that those were exciting times. It was during that time when Joe's crew gave me the name Bobby the fence. My job was to stay just outside of scanner range until all the action was over and then fly in to scoop up the debris to bring to what ever base was buying. Mostly bases that Joe had already worn out his welcome.
One day we all went out for another Kusari 'salvage' run but the KNF were ready for Joe. They setup an ambush with a Big Dragon full of high-temperature alloy. As Joe's Roc approached, the KNF swarmed him with enough firepower to knock a planet out of orbit. He never had a chance...
By that time, I had enough credits stashed away to buy my first Salie , and start a mostly legitimate salvage operation. Since then I've made a lot more credits, payed my share of fines as some lessons have to be learned the hard way, and have gained a great deal of experience traveling the galaxy while interacting with its many inhabitants. I have, in that time, been fortunate enough to meet many other junkers and members of the Congress including Arbiter Trenton who has graciously offered to sponsor my application. Which brings me to where I am today.
I believe that the time has come to serve my fellow Junkers as a Congressman so that they may gain from my experiences as a veteran Junker. Also I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to the Junker Congress for the diligent efforts made to keep all Junkers safe in a hostile galaxy. I only hope that I posses the wisdom and tact required to assist the Congress in continuing your noble work.
Respectfully yours,
Robert Halsey a.k.a. Bobby_the_fence