A Liberty Story

[Sunset Glow]

Later at Alcatraz depot in California…

The entrance hatch of the LR freighter opened and the pilot came out meeting with one of the hangar workers.

Hangar worker: ‘ey thar! Caught anything today?

LR pilot 1: Nope!

Hangar worker: Shame…

The other pilot was pushing Sandra ahead of him and down the ship’s ramp.

LR pilot 2: Although we got this survivor here

Hangar worker: I thought ye din’t catch anything

LR pilot 2: yeah, well. We came upon some debris

LR pilot 1: yeah, likely a transport or so. Someone was there first…

LR pilot 2: she’s the only survivor it seemed *he turned Sandra’s head by the cheeks to look at her face* and a real pretty one too

Sandra: *attempted to bite his hand*

LR pilot 1: he couldn’t bring it over himself to shoot her in the escape pod

LR pilot 2: *pulls his hand back* maybe I should have *the man laughed*

Hangarworker: Eh, well, I’ll get to work on yer ship…

And with that the two pilots went to the hangar exit.

LR pilot 1: So, what are we gonna do with her?

Sandra: *paled and her stomach turned*

LR pilot 2: dunno yet, but ahm sure we’ll think of something…

From that day on Sandra, still shocked from the recent events, would find herself stuck on Alcatraz base and while the Rogues weren’t that big on slave trade they weren’t altruistic overlords either.
They figured Sandra wasn’t really useful for them with her mere 18 years of age, in their eyes a kid, a girl still, but with her previous experience at the hotel on planet Los Angeles they figured she would make a good bartender or perhaps even servant during meetings. And they were really awfully short on those...

So in exchange for her life, they had Sandra work for them, at first as a barmaid but the rough-tough climate in Alcatraz depot’s bars quickly turned out to be the wrong cup of tea for this young lady. Fortunately, one of the bases higher ranking officers took a liking to her and had her cater to the guests at all kinds of meetings and banquettes instead, where she did decisively better than in the station bars.

However, he wasn’t the only one and during one of the meetings with their outcast neighbors, one of the crime lords took a liking to her as well and used her as a bargaining chip in a negotiation. The Liberty Rogues, who did treat her gentlemanly enough (more out of amusement than altruism - the Liberty Rogues actually treated Sandra well enough, as an act of parody towards the lawful Liberty) felt the deal warranted it so they handed Sandra over.

Her dismayed protest of having been promised her life back was met with “…nay honey, we promised to let you live, that’s it. And we kept our word.” and a grin. Which, strictly speaking, was true.

Dismayed and feeling betrayed, she was loaded onto the outcast freighter and shipped away through Liberty. But as if it was this very fate that had watched it all and decided to be kind yet, a Navy patrol stumbled on the outcast freighter.

Needless to say, the outcast crime lord knew that his time had come regardless whether he surrendered or not and fought like there was no tomorrow. And for him there wasn’t, the freighter soon went up in flames and the navy ships tractored in the remains, among them, again, ironically, a single escape pod: Sandra.

They flew her to planet Manhatten and set her free there after a few cautious interviews for information (which revealed nothing they did not already know, the Liberty Rogues were careful not to speak of sensitive information when Sandra was around). So with nothing but her life left, Sandra wandered off the space port of this outwardly shiny metropolis of a city. What should she do? She had nothing left and despite even the worst bar of this planet likely being better than Alcatraz depot’s bars, Sandra was not entirely keen on ending in any dirthole again.

She exhaled while she walked out of Manhatten’s starport when the flashing lights of a sign caught her eye in the distance: Navy Recruitment Center

In that moment many thoughts raced through her head. Life, death, endings, new beginnings..revenge and vengeance.. security and safety.. family.. it was hard to make sense of it all but all of the sudden, this sign advertising such an unlikely choice for Sandra looked a lot more promising and she decided to go and take a look… a look couldn’t hurt right?