The S/D Agency Files

[Agmen of Eladesor]

Incoming Transmission

ALL AGENT BRIEFING


Sir Douglas Bader, Assistant Director
Newark Station, New York System

All right, quiet in the back. Yes, that means you, too, Felix.

Gentlemen - and lady, Miss Denver, there is a simple reason I have asked you to attend this meeting today. The state of affairs in Sirius is... No, Agent Starr, not THOSE kinds of affairs, so quit laughing. I'm referring to holidays, politics, combat, and war.

At this particular juncture in the space-time continuim ... that means that this moment in time, Feral... Sirius is devolving into more chaos than it's seen since the Nomad wars. Rheinlan and Liberty seem to be on the brink of going to war - again. Bretonia and Kusari ARE at war. The alien mercenaries have disappeared, leaving their station and sector abandoned. Zoner stations and neutrality are being threatened by violence. I'm taking this time to remind you what we are.

We are not soldiers for the Bretonian - or ANY other government. You all know how difficult that is for some of us to remember, including those of us who've shed blood in the past while wearing the colors of one of those governments.

We are not the Sirius Police Force.

We are not mercenaries.

We are members of the Search / Destroy Agency, the finest bounty hunters in the galaxy. As a corporation, we have contracts to escort ships belonging to AP Manufacturing and Synth Foods. We have authorization to hunt bounties in Liberty space, in Bretonian space, and in Rheinland space.

Each and every one of you flies a ship that, fully equipped, represents an investment of tens of millions of credits and hundreds of man-hours of labor. Add in what your own life is worth to you - or not - and that's still a considerable sum.

With that in mind - remember what your job is. Your job is not to fly halfway across Sirius because there is a report the BAF is being attacked by the SCRA. If you happen to be in New London and you are asked by the BAF, then you are required by Bretonian law to assist them under those circumstances. By the same token, you don't fly halfway across Sirius to help the RM against Corsairs, either. There are no LEGITIMATE bounties on those people at this time in that space.

- It was silent for a moment in the room as Sir Douglas paced back and forth across the front, the only sound the whining of the mechanical joints in his artificial legs. -

This does not mean that there will not be bounties on them in the future. What I want to remind you all is to NOT engage in needless combat. Quite honestly, you all know that none of you are ever actually expected to retire from this company. You wouldn't be doing what you're doing if you didn't all love the edge. I can respect that. I know that feeling myself.

Keep this in mind. When it all comes down to the end of the day - we're not heroes. Heroes get medals presented to them. Heroes get holidays and schools named after them. Heroes die gloriously and valiantly and normally quite stupidly.

We're not heroes - we're hunters. No one is ever going to name a school after Bobafett or Devill.Starr. You're out here to do your job and collect your check - that's all we ask of you. Read the frigging manual, pay attention to the bounty board, keep up on what's current, and don't catch too many social diseases. Or at least just non-communicable ones.

Feral, that means ones that you can't spread just by shaking hands or drinking from the same beer bottle.

Go out there, and while it's not always possible to be safe while you're doing your job - do it smart, don't do it stupid. Remember - you may not have anyone else, but you're still a member of THIS family, the S/D, and we as a guild take care of our own. While you've been here in this meeting, your holiday bonus checks have all been uploaded to your accounts, and the caterers have set everything up in the room next door for the comapny meal. I wish ....

Hell, I wish it was a happier time in the galaxy, and all we had to do was just sit back and drink and shoot the crap. It's not. But we can be sure of one thing - when you look in the mirror at the end of the day, if you can honestly say that you did your best, then you've earned the right to wear those badges on your shoulders, and you can say that you've served with the best pilots in the galaxy. And that's a pretty damn good feeling to have. I'm proud of all of you. Keep up the good work, and go get something to eat and drink - it's time to unwind for a little while.

- It was a subdued, yet proud group of pilots that left the room.


End Transmission

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Oh god... The end of days... Agmen agreed with me.