Misc
OVERKILL
Guild Excess
Straight lines are unnatural, jarring even, when encountered in the vastness of space. Especially when majestic beauty existed before. The Glacier Nebula was once a stunning collection of space dust, gas, and radical isotopes that warmed the heart to look upon. It has been reduced to a few wisps all because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The place being between the encroaching Brackish Fleet and the raw fuel salt in the seas of Leviathan. The time being the acute aftermath of the Tempest eruption when salt supply from the Core Worlds was cut off, and the Guild was desperate to take control of the remaining source. A dozen mines would have sufficed. Instead, the Guild set off the self-replicators to transform the once-beautiful nebula into an unsettling field of certain death.
Stray Mines
Pretty sure a mine from this field is responsible for a fleet of missing cargo ships. Someone was blamed for the loss of delivery to Roost.
Those ships went missing and were thought to be used for a competing manufacturing. But no evidence of that.
There is debris picked up on radar. These mines are moving.
Think there are Tempest energies causing tendril currents. Mines floating around the galaxy will make space flight all the more dangerous.
OOPS ALL MINES
This is a test... this is only a test...
It's not as accidental as the name implies. This minefield is the result of a "small-scale" test of self-replicating mine technology that malfunctioned. The Guild's self-replicating mines were designed to be deployed in a nebula or star cluster and use the energy and raw materials within to make more of themselves until they were told to stop. Oops All Mines is what happens when the off switch for a persistent repeater doesn't work—or wasn't part of the design in the first place. It's hard to tell with the Guild. Things went haywire, mines went everywhere.
Stolen Mines
Someone sees this as a place of potential.
Someone is taking these mines and amassing their own explosive arsenal. Have seen ships going in and coming out.
Some group going beyond Tyde. Some think it is Skimmers asking for firepower.
If they land these mines on Glance—powder keg will explode.
WILDS STATION 01
Abandoned Refueling Station
The Guild never claimed to be creative. The upside of their naming approach is clarity – this is, in fact, the first fuel station built in the Wilds. It once sat at the critical position between the Core Worlds and Silo where government starships saw their low fuel lights go on. Station 1 managed to avoid the initial round of Tempest destruction and remained staffed and functional until the storm encroached further and Olar was evacuated. At that point, the fuel station was abandoned and left to the squatters who had been impatiently waiting since the first tendril swiped Olar.
M1E1T
//M1E1T//
MYSTERIOUS SIGNAL
Distress Permutation
A weak pulse that has the trappings of a transponder's automatic emergency beacon. The signal doesn't quite match the expected signature, but it also doesn't match anything else. Either way, it's too close to the Tempest for a rescue—and too close to the Tempest for anyone to still be alive for a rescue anyway.
M2E1T
//M2E1T//
DATA UNKNOWN
Scrambled Message
A seemingly random signal stream shows up here intermittently.
If You Know, You Know
This signal has been picked up by many radars. When you get close, nothing is here.
But there is data coming off it.
LOST FLEET
Found Debris Field
Technically, two fleets were lost here, but the Guild only counts the one that belonged to them. The other was a pirated fleet that had been hijacked by sparked robots. At the time of the battle, the Guild claimed the robot fleet posed an imminent threat to the Core Worlds. But on close examination of the preserved battlefield, it's clear that the robots' fleet wasn't headed toward the Core Worlds—in fact, it was flying the opposite direction. That would suggest the Guild lied. Shocking.
Robot Wars - Guild Coverup
There is a far more complicated story behind the Robot Wars than the Guild would want anyone to know. They push a very particular message, say it as loudly and frequently as possible.
The Sparked Robots turned on innocent people and the Guild. That is not the whole story. Corporations within the Guild wanted to make more Sparked Robots. They saw them as a profit potential.
Sparked Robots saw that as life being made without respect for what it was. Many did not enjoy life. Imagine coming into existence without anyone to show you the way, to raise you, to teach you what the slew of emotions you're feeling are and how to handle them.
To give you things you want and need. Sparked Robots don’t have that. They just are. They’re there, and they feel, and they need, and there is no one to help them deal with it in any way.
Sparked Robots did not want others to go through that. They were willing to fight to stop the Guild from bringing life into existence without understanding how hard it was to be alive that way.
CHECKPOINT 1-A
Salt Watch
All hauler ships leaving Hawsons Dredge are required to submit a verified manifest and surrender to a radiation reading and cargo inspection. More critically, all tanker ships flying to Leviathan are required to check in their beacon ID, which is tracked from the time they enter Leviathan's skies to their drop-off on Glance. The Guild doesn’t take chances with fuel salt—every molecule matters (especially when holding the Salt Lord accountable).
CHECKPOINT 30-F
Resource Sting
As the primary Guild checkpoint on the Resource Ring, 30-F sees heavy freighter traffic from Seeda, Akkar, and Kallos. Cargo ships are required to stop and open their bays for inventory inspection. Anything that doesn't match the manifest is charged to the crew and confiscated. The Guild used to suspend the pilot's license as well, but smuggling was so rampant that in short order, they were left with no cargo pilots. So they stick to fines—besides, coin is their favorite thing in the galaxy.
CHECKPOINT 4-S
No Laughing Matter
The mood at Checkpoint 4-S is severe and unsmiling. Armed guards pace docking bays and fighter craft circle overhead. All passing fuel tankers are weighed and probed to ensure volume and concentration of salt fuel match expected values. All other starships are stopped too—to ensure they're not carrying any salt fuel beyond what's in their HAMAK reactors. The Guild knows that whoever controls salt fuel, controls the Wilds. And once the fuel leaves Glance in Guild tankers, the Guild controls it. They’re not about to relinquish their stranglehold—at least not without formal weighing and probing.
CHECKPOINT 8-B
Snackers Catch
Fruits, vegetables, edible roots and stems, grains, everything from Three Rings' agricultural infrastructure goes through Guild Checkpoint 8-B. And nearly every ship is stopped. Not because of smuggling concerns—no one wants the velocity-modified produce (read: bland) until after Flavor is added. Most of the refrig ships stopped at 8-B are being held back for fumigation. Snacker bugs have made Three Rings their home and the Guild is doing everything to ensure the menacing gluttons don't infest Silo—so lots of ships get smoked out.
Guild Buoy 91
Small but Significant
This is one of the thousands of buoys located around the Wilds that form a communication network connecting everything between the Tempest and the Nothing. All Guild-sanctioned information finds its way through these nodes, flowing from world to world, heading to the comms terminals of distribution hubs, homes, businesses, factories, stores, and starships. One of the most critical tasks of the comms buoy network is to provide constantly updated spacelane navigation information that keeps every ship on course and as far away from space debris, dust, or gusts as possible. Clearly, comms buoys are critical to safe space travel. Unfortunately, the Guild did not build redundancy into the system, so stay alert for buoy drop-offs, and adjust routes accordingly.
CB1E1T
//CB1E1//
Pirate Buoy PN33
The Better Buoys
Comms Buoys are critical infrastructure for superlight travel. The Guild can't be trusted with anything that important—they proved it by not building redundancy into a system responsible for the safety of all space flight. That's one of the first things the spacelane “Pirates” built into their Pirate Net grid; they designed a system that's extremely hard to take down or knock out. It's meant to withstand supernovas, asteroid strikes, or Guild infiltrations. The Pirate Net links almost as many worlds and starships as the Guild's comm network, but it does it all underground, at faster speeds, and using buoys that are cobbled together from scrap found on Husk and in The Patch. There’s a lot of potential in the Pirate Net…
CB2E1T
//CB2E1
WILDS STATION 04
The Station that Never Sleeps
Situated at a critical junction on Route 5, Station 04 is one of the most heavily trafficked refueling stops in the Wilds. Nearly every cargo ship rounding the Resource Ring stops here to get fuel. For many of the transport and delivery ships leaving Silo, Station 04 is their first pit stop. It’s also the very first stop for the brand-new starships coming off the yards on Roost. And it’s used by Guild Military vessels and patrol ships on their way to and from HAVOC. Thanks to all the traffic, there’s an extremely high rate of snack turnover, and Station 04 is known for having the freshest crisps and best variety of sap chews in the Wilds. (It’s also known for always having at least one friendly fuel bay for unsanctioned starships in need.)
FS4E1T
//FS4E1T//
Dark Cutter
Unsanctioned Welcoming Committee
The Dark Cutter Crew has been Freegunning long enough that they have earned a reputation among clients—and among other Freegunner crews. Every new crew gets a Galactic Guide, a Pirate Net frequency lock, and a (not at all warm) welcome from the Dark Cutter. No one appointed them. No one supports their unofficial hospitality post. And they don’t seem to care a bit. They let the new crews know who they’re flying–and fighting–against. It’s up to the new crews to determine how much of it is bravado.
Morah, Captain of the Dark Cutter
How do you become a captain of a Freegunner ship? Some say it's enough just to have a ship. People want to fly if you've got a ship, you'll get a crew. Sure. But how do you keep them? That's the trick, isn't it? Get a crew to stick around. Work together, at least sometimes. Tolerate each other on long superlight travel. Not mutiny.
Can go about it by force, by kindness, begging, paying—your choice. Morah is known for paying. He found loyalty seems to last longest when crew is paid. All the other stuff is ultimately overlooked if they sit with a lot of coin. That means taking jobs that pay well. Have to build up the product so clients pay—the product is the crew.
A strong crew will attract high-paying clients. Can pay crew well enough that they don’t leave. Is that loyalty?
Red Novas
Spoil Sports
Crews take to Freegunning for many different reasons. The best Freegunners are those who find the profession through passion—passion to fly, passion to push past boundaries, passion to be free to see the stars. The worst Freegunners are those who are in it only for the coin, or the fight, or because the rest of the Galaxy has deemed them “problematic.” Those crews tend to be the ones who break the Freegunner Code and spoil the spirit of the fragile accord. The Red Novas fall into that category. They don’t seem to grasp the whole “stars are safe” thing. It’s possible that they won’t be Freegunners for much longer.
The First Class
This crew is the old guard. Old.
Their average age is 80. That’s not with many long-lived species. They fought harder than most to be here.
They can’t stop now. There is nowhere for an old crew to land in the galaxy. They have to keep Freegunning.
Like some sea creatures must keep swimming to live. There is no stopping. That doesn’t mean they’re happy.
There’s a sense of irritability to everything.
They had a reputation. They had respect.
Now they are surrounded by more Freegunner crews than there were before. They want things to be done the way they used to be.
They don’t see the need for all the clamor around the Freegunner Code. Everything worked fine before.
They fly the way they always have. They don’t intend to change.
The Implacable
Rare Heroes
In the hero game, all it takes is one act to make the cut—as long as that act has a big enough impact. The impact can be on one person, an entire world, or in the case of the crew of the Implacable, the whole of the Galactic Wilds. Their captain, Cassidy, came into possession of the Guild’s map of all the spacelanes, one of the most valuable things in the galaxy as it unlocked space travel and promised freedom. Captain Cassidy did something that 99 other captains would never have done: she gave it away for free—right before the Guild chased the Implacable into the Tempest. She and her crew will always be remembered for their selfless act. And there are many who hold out hope their starship might come rambling back out of the Tempest to stick it to the Guild one more time.
The Time Before the Galactic Guide
The Guild government post-Tempest recognizes how perilous their hold is.
Without salt fuel, there is no galaxy. Every world would go back to being on its own.
Once that is broken down, it will be nearly impossible to start that engine again in a lifetime.
Those at the top don’t want their lifetime to be the one when the wealth stops flowing.
When the stars recede.
The Guild in the Wilds collectively clenches their grip, they lock down salt fuel.
That means they lock down spacelanes. No one is allowed to fly unless they have Guild permission.
Industries competing. But also those at the top working together to try to secure a salt fuel source to sustain all of them.
This is a sink-or-swim together thing.
Patrols are activated by the Guild military commanders. Every ship is monitored.
Buoys are reprogrammed so coordinates are only available to those who they are given to.
Most people are kept on planets. Told this is for their own safety. Some believe it.
The Guild can be very persuasive when they want to be.
But there are those who know this cannot be for their own good.
There are those who had the stars taken away from them.
You can’t go back to the ground when you knew the sky.
You can’t walk when you know how to fly.
They kept looking for a way back to the galaxy.
The Monarchs
The Best of Us
In the Wilds, help can be hard to find. Especially help you don't have to pay for. The Guild charges (too much) for everything, mercenaries are out to make coin, and contrary to their name, Freegunners don't work for free. So the Monarchs made it their mission to show up no matter what. Even if it meant facing a horde of Marauder clones in the middle of a scorching desert for nothing more than a couple bowls of cold stew. The Wilds was collectively grateful to have the group of mostly female combatants around. Until they disappeared. It's believed they were chased into the Tempest by a pack of Marauder starships. Now, the Wilds collectively misses the sight of their colony ship in the stars, and even more so their kindness.
Last Stand
They were the people you could always call.
They helped for free. People always tried to pay. Barter. Were always grateful.
Monarchs took in people who were displaced. They were displaced at first. Onto a colony ship off a world that was eaten by the Tempest.
They helped a dying city as the world was on its last legs. Avlin City. They knew it wouldn't make it. Evacuated what they could.
Colony ship. It’s in their blood to help. Also, reality is to stay alive.
Marauders were a big problem. Don't hear of them much anymore. Monarchs took most out in a battle.
But what was left came for Monarchs.
All disappeared in that battle. Some have seen Monarchs again. Some have seen Marauders.
Only reports.
WILDS MEGA STATION 08
One Stop Shop
Fuel. Food. Fashion. Fun. Mega stations are more than just fuel stops. They're fully stocked shopping outlets, self-care emporiums, food courts, and entertainment venues. The idea being once you stop for fuel, you stay for the rest of it—and you pay the price for convenience. Most fuel stations in the Core Worlds were Mega Stations, and the Guild was in the process of developing more in the Wilds frontier when the Tempest erupted. Station 08 is one of a few to boast the Mega title, and it's known for its entertainment sector run by Templeton Fry.
FS_05-T
//FS_05_B
"Crabbit"
It's All Hush-Hush
The Freegunner Net buoy system uses the Pirate Net buoys—and a few of its own—but transmits on a different frequency, which is one of the best-kept secrets in the Wilds. Once you’re in, you’ve got navigation coordinates for Freegunner shortcuts, the job board, the Galactic Guide, and the opinions and judgments of other Freegunner crews, whether you want them or not. It’s a high-value frequency, so it’s tightly regulated. Dispatchers only give it to crews that have proven they’ve got the guts, integrity, and stomachs to fly as Freegunners. Lurkers (who could be Guild) are kicked out, as are crews who don’t fly by the Code, or anyone else who might tarnish what the dispatchers built. It’s their pride and joy, one of the most beautiful things in the galaxy.
Want a Payday? Earn It
First crew to deliver the goods to the client gets the payday. No premade agreements, no calling dibs, and NO whining. Either you deliver or you don't. End of story.
// DISPATCHER ECHO //
Lennox: If you're reading this, I got here first, and that means no more cargo for you and your little crew. And THAT means you're not as good as you think you are. Maybe you're getting slow in your old age. Take care of my gun for me.
// TATTERED NOTE, SIGNED "YEVA" //
"Blue Buddy" is the cheerful mascot for Superlight Transport's delivery system. These chatty package delivery robots are shipped all over the Wilds. They’re designed to ensure they only deliver their cargo to an intended recipient, but their programming is highly exploitable.
Jobs come through dispatchers, well-connected individuals who manage the relationships between Freegunner crews and their clients. The better a crew's relationship to the dispatchers, the more jobs get pushed their way.
Some dispatchers pit Freegunner crews against each other. They give the same job to two or three different crews and take bets on who will bring it home. So don’t trust a dispatcher when they say they're giving you privileged info.
// JARYTH, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
Neutral ground for Freegunners ends the moment they go planetside. You look out for each other among the stars. You take out the competition when boots hit the ground.
You don't know about the Steelbird crew? Cutthroat group that barely deserved to be called Freegunners. Didn't even work with a dispatcher, just followed newbies around and snagged their deliveries at the drop point. Sold the cargo to the highest bidder.
// DISPATCHER SCOOPS //
network.sys.bluebuddy.initiate ////PRINT "Hello! I'm Blue Buddy, your package delivery pal! Please enter your authorization code!" Auth.Access.DENIED ////PRINT "CO#E #NVA##D, P####E #### ######...../// ERROR:SHUTDOWN Auth.Access.OVERRIDE ////PRINT "Access granted! Enjoy your {ERROR:Contents.NotFound}, Valued Customer!"
I don't care what 'job' they think they're doing. If those Freegunner scum come into my jurisdiction to stir up trouble, they'll be lucky to walk out alive. Don't believe it? Go on and test me.
// BOOSTER WRATHBERN, STAR MARSHAL //
- GUILD GUARD APB ###
Be advised that the Blue Buddy package delivery system is being heavily targeted by armed criminal groups. Until such a time that the vulnerabilities in the BB system's recipient recognition software can be improved, any suspect seen tampering with a package should be placed under arrest and assumed armed and dangerous.
Respect the Flyby Truce
Do NOT fire on another Freegunner ship. It's as easy as that. On the ground, settle your dispute however you see fit, and good luck to you, but in the stars, respect the sanctity of the starship.
// CAPTAIN AMEI OF THE AURORA //
They say that the captain of the ship Ouroboros instituted the Flyby Truce after her own ship took out a good two dozen others. She couldn't stomach any more loss, even of her rivals. What was the point of freedom in the stars if you had no one else to celebrate it with?
[And] although they are a cutthroat bunch, Freegunners do appear to follow a sort of honor code, known to some as the 'Freegunner Code.' It is rumored that no complete written copy of the code exists, but is passed down in fragments and by word of mouth.
// EXCERPT FROM "NOTORIOUS FACTIONS OF THE WILDS" BY FENRICH ELEGAR //
There's no such thing as a 'typical' Freegunner ship. Each crew, regardless of size or species, finds the ship that fits their unique habitation, transportation, and defense needs. Make and model is irrelevant. This is one of the reasons the Guild has such a hard time pinpointing Freegunner vessels.
Keep hearing rumors of a so-called 'Freegunner Council.' They say it's made up of the most powerful starship captains in the Wilds, scheming and pulling strings behind the scenes. I say not bloody likely. Trying to organize Freegunners is like herding yoti—a lotta hard work with no real benefit.
// KOR, OUSTER SABOTEUR //
Once a ship has been reliably identified as a Freegunner vessel, all Guild Guard warships in the vicinity are hereby granted permission to lock onto the target and open fire. Following successful destruction, Guard should assess value and strip wreckage for parts.
// GUILD SECURITY DIRECTORATE MANDATE //
The Flyby Truce? Ha! Now that's a joke. You can't fire on my ship, but the moment your boots hit the ground, you can stab me in the back? Some truce! Freegunners don't owe each other a thing, and I don't trust any of 'em farther than I can throw 'em.
// ONE-EYED EMA, RETIRED FREEGUNNER //
Message to the Wake Riders crew: You must be feeling real safe and cozy up there in your starship. Hiding behind the Truce when we've got a score to settle. Why don't you find your courage and come meet us planetside?
// THE CAPTAIN OF THE SKYFARER //
I like the hulls with texture, with scars, with stories. I see a beat-up ship, I know that crew takes risks. And to take risks, you gotta have money. Which works out, because they're usually the same crews that we in the business call 'repeat customers.'
// SHIP REPAIR MECHANIC, ROUTE 37 REFUELING STATION //
If you're doing it right, a Freegunner starship shouldn't just be a starship. It should be a home. A place where imperfections are celebrated, the past is forgiven, and trust is unconditional.
// THE CAPTAIN OF THE NORTHSTAR //
No Snitching to the Guild
Lie, steal, cheat, double-cross—all's fair in Freegunning. But NEVER turn another Freegunner crew over to the Guild, no matter how much you hate them. Snitches get the airlock.
// THE CAPTAIN OF THE DARK CUTTER //
Freegunners are a scourge on the Wilds. They threaten the peace, prosperity, and well-being of every respectable citizen. Do your duty: alert the Guild Guard of any suspicious activity.
// GUILD SPACELANE COMM TRANSMISSION //
The Guild controls commerce and travel in the Wilds. If you're carrying contraband, harboring criminals, or using illegal equipment, we'll find you. We have mandatory checkpoints at every intersection. We patrol every spacelane. We are everywhere.
// HIGH COMMANDER HARTH //
The Guild's definition of "lawbreaker" is expansive. Accessing the Pirate Net, evading Guild checkpoints, using mystic abilities without a license, and simply existing as a sparked robot—all of these are criminal acts according to the Guild penal code.
Hey, 1-0FF, steer clear of the old trade spot. The Decommissioners got a tip from some townie who saw us. We'll send new coordinates when it's safe to contact you again.
// CODED MESSAGE FROM ROPRO TRADERS //
- BOUNTY##
Lot of reports of jobs gone wrong lately under pretty suspicious circumstances. Thinking we got a rat problem. Will pay good money for any leads on possible informants. Information only. I'd like to take care of them myself.
// POSTED BY KEEN-RAZOR TIBBS //
You Freegunners say you hate the Guild, wish they'd just go away and let you fly free. And hey, maybe someday they will. But you'll be pretty hungry when there's no more bad guys with deep pockets to steal from.
// KALBALUB, CRATER CITY BUSINESS OWNER //
Yeah, the Guild has bounties out on sparked robots and mystics. The kind of money you could retire on. And if any Freegunner cashes in on one of those bounties, I swear by the Tempest they'll never get a moment's peace the rest of their rat lives. Live by the code, or someone like me will make sure you die by it.
// CAPTAIN AMEI OF THE LEGENDARY AURORA CREW //
Did you hear what Yeva did to the last guy who helped the Guild? I don't think he'll be able to chew with the left side of his mouth ever again. Right side doesn't work so great either.
// OVERHEARD IN A FREEGUNNER BAR ON THE ROOK //
Harth. You said the money would be in my account after I gave you the Black Veil's coordinates. So where is it? You can't leave me high and dry like this. You said you'd protect me and I'm going to need it. The crew's getting suspicious. Send the money, and I can still get out of here...
// INTERCEPTED MESSAGE TO HIGH COMMANDER HARTH FROM CARDEN RACH, EX-FREEGUNNER //
Smart Crews Use Dispatchers
Dispatchers don't just send us work. They vet the clients, hook us up with prime jobs, and make sure we get paid. Don't even think about cutting them out. Not ever.
// DAZ, CAPTAIN OF THE HOWLING ARROW //
Tell me you trust the numbskulls out there to pay up, I dare ya. That's why you gotta trust your dispatcher. If they don't pay, I don't play. And nobody wants to get on my bad list.
// DISPATCHER SCOOPS //
Dispatchers form a vital connection between Freegunner crews and their clients, vouching for both—and blacklisting anyone who breaks the terms of their agreement.
It doesn't add up. Freegunners supposedly have no leadership, but they're able to hit vulnerable targets all over the Wilds. Someone's got to be calling the shots. Find them.
// BORLIN KEMISH, GUILD INVESTIGATOR //
>> CONNECTION >> Pirate.Net... AUTHORIZATION BYPASSED > ACCESS GRANTED >> SEARCH > COMMS > Dispatcher.Echo... CONTACT FOUND >> Tracing... Tracing... Tracing... > ICEWALL DETECTED > TRACE FAILED > RETRY? N/ >> END CONNECTION
Freegunners? Please. Those filthy scavengers aren’t capable of planning a heist like this. So explain to me again where my arms shipment went... this time without using that ridiculous F-word.
// TUZAN BRACKISH, SALT LORD OF GLANCE //
I was on a crew once that tried to bypass the dispatchers. Contacted a big client directly when we heard they had work. Turned out it was a tougher job than we realized—way too much for our little crew to pull off. We barely made it out alive, with nothing to show for it.
// VINCY, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
Dispatchers are parasites. Haven't worked with one in years. Peace of mind's nice and all, but it's not worth ten percent off the top.
// CAPTAIN OF THE RED NOVAS //
freegunner, n. Any of a loosely organized group of nomadic criminals using pilfered spacelane maps to evade Guild detection in the Wilds. pl. freegunners. syn. pirate, mercenary, thief, criminal. see also Wilds; Implacable; Galactic Guide
// SMARVEN & HART'S GALACTIC DICTIONARY, 54TH EDITION //
Hey Stone. Captain Loomis doesn't know I'm doing this, so please don't tell her I called. It's just... we haven't had a job in a couple weeks now, and money's getting tight. Got anything for us? I promise, we won't be picky.
// VOLT KARLY OF THE JAGGED FANGS, MESSAGE TO DISPATCHER STONE //
Settle Your Own Scores
We've all got grudges, mate. You want to carry one around, that's your business. But if your grudge becomes my business, well... let's just say you won't be carrying it much longer.
// CAPTAIN BORRE OF THE SKYFARER //
Half my next payday for the whereabouts of the Freegunner who stole my job out from under me. She had pointy ears and a tail, and she laughed as she literally disappeared. Reward negotiable.
// NOTICE POSTED AT THE ROOK //
- GUILD BOUNTY ###
WANTED: Criminal Freegunners involved in the destruction of bone excavation sites on Akkar. Massive damage to property incurred. Will pay handsomely for any information leading to an arrest.
DISPATCHER DISPATCH: SCOOPS TO ALL CREWS
For the last time, people: If I catch you posting a bounty for another crew I'm friendly with, you're dead to me. And no, I'm not gonna tell you who all my friends are. What do I expect you to do, stop putting bounties out altogether? WOW, YOU THINK?
// DISPATCHER SCOOPS //
The Guild issues bounty cards for high-profile Freegunners, which serve as warrants for their arrest. Freegunners, irreverent as ever, collect the bounty cards and stake them in contests of strength and skill, with cards bearing the most infamous outlaws commanding the highest respect.
Hey, It-Z, somebody on the Rook has it out for you. Even offered a bounty. I don't know if they're serious, but... watch your tail out there, OK?
// KENN, FREEGUNNER ON THE OUROBOROS //
Freegunners engage in a wide variety of contests, dares, and games—all ultimately meant to blow off steam and keep minor disagreements from becoming lasting feuds.
There was this guy on our crew, Padro or Pordo or something, who never shut up about some buffoon on the Ouroboros who took his lucky toothpick. Captain Remmie finally had enough and booted him until he worked it out.
// SABINE, NAVIGATOR ON THE AQUILA //
You ever hear about the Wildmark crew and the Blood Runners? They got into a feud that lasted so long nobody could even remember what started it. Eventually both crews fell apart under the strain, and all of us were better for it.
// STORY OVERHEARD AT THE CHOKEPOINT //
Yo, Vaan—about that thing that happened, with all the fire and you getting banned from the Sky Tower... Can we settle it? If you wanna scrap it out for peace, let's do this.
// ZEPHER, CREW ON THE HOWLING ARROW //
Keep Quiet About Clients
You know why people hire Freegunners? Because you get the job done quickly and quietly. Don't concern yourself with what your client wants or even who they are. It's not about loyalty—it's just good business.
// DISPATCHER HOOM //
All sorts of people hire Freegunners. Your client might be a homesteader on Clax stocking up on provisions, or they might be the head of a ruthless galactic crime syndicate. I wouldn't worry about it. The money all spends the same.
// DISPATCHER ECHO //
The dispatchers may say that they keep their clients anonymous. But you had better believe they're keeping track, remembering who moves what cargo, who owes which debts—just in case. It’s what I would do.
// SCRANT, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
I can't work for the Crescent Moon, not after what they did to my cousin. Told our dispatcher as much, and she promised she'd screen them out. I trust her. And if she ever breaks her promise, well... at least I don't have to know about it.
// LARSON SCRIBER, FREEGUNNER ENGINEER ON THE SEARING PULSAR //
If a client wants to stay anonymous, the dispatcher won't tell on 'em, right? So one time I hired my own crew to rob my old outpost, just to make the commander there look bad. Best grits I ever spent, and the others never found out it was me who paid for it.
// "GUILDIE" JESSEF, EX-GUILD FREEGUNNER //
Freegunners may be undisciplined and disorganized, but at least they know when to keep their mouths shut. Wish I could say the same about all of our people.
// SHRIEVE LUNEM, CRESCENT MOON HEIR //
RoPros are a cagey bunch. Can't say I blame them, seeing as their business is moving quasi-illegal robot parts for definitely illegal sparked robots. I know I won't be the one to snitch on them.
// JAZZI, FREEGUNNER SMUGGLER //
Ekles! You were supposed to keep that drop spot to yourself. Now the Aurora crew got the shipment and we got jack to show for it. I got half a mind to staple your mouth shut.
// DAZ, CAPTAIN OF THE HOWLING ARROW //
Uh, Cap? This is weird... You know that cargo we stole from the Guild last month? Dispatcher Stone wants us to steal it again, this time from the Salt Lord. Is that who we stole it for the first time?!
// VOLT KARLY OF THE JAGGED FANGS, INTERNAL TRANSCRIPT //
This is a sensitive matter, and the Guild Guard is far too blunt an instrument. Contract it out to someone more... deniable. No, don't tell me who—I don't want to know.
// GUILD OPERATIVE, ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION //
Your Ship is Your Life
This ship is your livelihood, your freedom, and the only thing standing between you and a cold, dark death. Make sure you keep her running, for your own sake, you hear? We skip meals before we skimp on repairs.
// CAPTAIN MAUNTI IUDUNE OF THE SEA REAPER //
Flying around on a leaky engine isn't just risky, it's downright stupid. The Guild Guard can track a dirty plasma trail through all kinds of galactic phenomena, and that's assuming you don't blow up first. Just fix the damn thing.
// LARSON SCRIBER, ENGINEER ABOARD THE SEARING PULSAR //
Lotta refueling station mechanics are willing to barter in exchange for ship repairs. A crate of universal flavor or a few bottles of Old Starley might just buy you the parts you need.
// XASHA BOONE, MANAGER OF THE HOX REFUELING STATION //
If the ship is in bad shape, steer clear. Maybe her crew's got bad discipline, maybe they're just down on their luck. Either way, they're not worth doing business with.
// HARLOW BHONES, FREEGUNNER CAPTAIN //
I love this ship. Sure, she shakes in superlight, and she's got a faulty compressor that makes this hum you can hear all through the vents. I don't care. Sounds like home.
// REMMIE, CAPTAIN OF THE AQUILA //
Best way to do this job is to hide in plain sight. That's why our ship has all the wear and tear you'd expect from a cargo freighter that hasn't been serviced in a decade. Nobody looks twice at a beat-up bucket of bolts.
// ZOS MIRACH, FREEGUNNER //
SitRep: The transponder code has been tampered with, but the hull profile and engine spectra match our perps' getaway ship. Plotting a pursuit course.
// VOID HOWLER, GUILD CORVETTE CAPTAIN //
* FREEGUNNER TRANSMISSION * This is the <static> requesting immediate assistance. <static> FTL igniters have malfunctioned. Someone please help <extended static> * END TRANSMISSION *
Look at this parts request list! Four crates of fuel salt, an entire replacement comm antenna, sixteen FTL igniters... Thirty-seven hull plates! What have they been doing, ramming comm buoys for fun?
// SHIP REPAIR MECHANIC, ROUTE 37 REFUELING STATION //
They say you're not a Freegunner without a ship and a crew. I say that's nonsense. I'm a Freegunner, all on my own, and I'll stake my bounty cards on it—any place, any time.
// VINCY, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
The Galactic Guide Belongs to Us
Every Freegunner crew gets around using routes from the Guide—routes somebody else found and shared. When we find a new way around the Guild's checkpoints, we don't keep it to ourselves. We pay it forward.
// REMMIE, CAPTAIN OF THE AQUILA //
NEW ROUTE, coordinates attached: Leviathan to Glance, dodges 4 Guild checkpoints. Hazards include Marauders, gravity distortions, and magnetic plasma conduits. Fly careful out there.
// POSTED TO THE PIRATE NET //
Official spacelanes are controlled by the Guild, guaranteeing safety at the cost of surveillance. Most Freegunners would rather face gravity shears and stellar fragments on dangerous uncharted routes than deal with the Guild.
Harth! We spotted three more Freegunner ships that evaded your "ironclad" checkpoints. How are they getting through? And what are you going to do about it?
// LIADORE VEL ARIOS, GUILD OVERSIGHT DIRECTORATE OFFICER //
Safe, unpatrolled routes between important destinations in the Wilds are vanishingly rare. Any crew that finds one faces a choice: Share it publicly and gain reputation, or keep it to themselves for short-term profit.
To the crew of the Implacable! They gave us the Galactic Guide, and the Guide gave us freedom. Wherever they went, whatever happened out there... here's to them!
// SPONTANEOUS TOAST AT A FREEGUNNER BAR //
Teo, good on you for the Guard checkpoint pin last month—saved us some trouble. We found a pathway through a nearby star stream. Your crew's welcome to use it.
// KENN, FREEGUNNER ON THE OUROBOROS //
Good news: Another unverified route has been submitted to the Pirate Net. Bad news: The last three have all been Guild traps. Risky, potentially lucrative news: I'm gonna hire you to figure out whether this one's legit. You in?
// DISPATCHER SCOOPS //
The Ion Cape checkpoint has dried up. We haven't made any arrests in the past two weeks. Reduce this one to a skeleton crew and redistribute resources to higher traffic areas. We've got quotas to hit.
// HIGH COMMANDER HARTH //
Damn! They wiped the memory banks the moment we boarded their ship. None of you deserve to call yourselves "deputy" if we can't get ahold of that damned Galactic Guide!
// BOOSTER WRATHBERN, STAR MARSHAL //
If You Give Your Word, Keep It
Ain't much trust between Freegunners. That's just how it is. But if you give your word to a fellow Freegunner, you keep it.
// HARLOW BHONES, FREEGUNNER CAPTAIN //
Hey Zos! Been a while. You know how I always said I owed you for all your help back when I started out? Well, I finally got a real big payday, and a deal's a deal. Here you go, and thanks again.
// UNSIGNED NOTE ACCOMPANIED BY A LARGE SUM OF MONEY //
* ON BLAST: WENDYLL * LET IT BE KNOWN that Wendyll of the Wake Riders left me high and dry with a shipment of hot goods. Had to dump the lot. Make it up to me, Wendyll, or I'll do worse than put you on blast.
// VINCY, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
You think I'm gonna loan you ten thousand on a wink and a handshake, Freegunner's honor? I run a business, not a charity. Sign here.
// GUNDER, LOAN SHARK ON THE ROOK //
You gotta be careful how you talk to people, kid! Never make a promise, and be real obvious about it. A nice loud "might" or "maybe" will go a long way to keep you out of trouble.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
Sagan—Glad to hear you're coming aboard for our next few jobs! Just wanted to warn you that Captain Borre takes discipline pretty seriously, even for temp crew. There's, like, an oath, and he'll hold you to it. Didn't want it to be a surprise. See you soon!
// TANJI, ROOKIE FREEGUNNER //
Wendyll! Vincy's telling everybody you skipped out on your deal with her, and if she can't find you it's gonna come down on the rest of us. Tibbs is furious. You said you'd only be gone a few days. Where the hell are you?
// JAZZI, FREEGUNNER SMUGGLER //
I keep hearing rumors about a captain who took in a Guild spy robot, of all things. That's real trust. And hey, maybe even a spy-bot can have the Freegunner spirit. Still can't say I'd be eager to fly with one.
// EKLES, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
You need to learn to keep your face-hole shut, Lennox. You're going to be sorry when folks start calling you to make good on all those favors you owe them. Yeva will make sure they don't forget.
// SABINE, NAVIGATOR ON THE AQUILA //
Sorry I had to disappear like that, Jazzi. I've been hiding from the Decommissioners for the last three days. But when I shake them, I'll come back. I'll make it up to Vincy, and to you. Promise.
// ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION FROM WENDYLL, FREEGUNNER //
Nobody Owes You a Handout
Freegunning's a hard life, and sometimes things don't go your way. Happens to all of us sooner or later. And hey, if you're lucky, maybe someone'll bail you out. But if they don't feel like it, that's your problem—not theirs.
// CAPT. LOOMIS CAPELLA OF THE JAGGED FANGS //
* HAIL: SEA REAPER TO BLAZING ECLIPSE * Captain Regan, thanks for helping me get the grits those scumbags owed us. My crew owes yours a debt. You need us, just call—we've got your backs.
// CAPTAIN MAUNTI IUDUNE //
Oh, a Freegunner’s life is funny and free Don't owe a thing to nobody With our galactic treasure map We’re up for adventure and down for a scrap!
// THE CONROY CRABBIT SHOW, "FREEGUNNIN' FUN" [PURGED BY ORDER OF THE GUILD OVERSIGHT DIRECTORATE] //
I grew up in a Guild distribution center. Left with the first Freegunner crew that would take me. I didn't know how rough the life was, and I came so close to giving up. Then one day I woke up and thought—I made this life for myself, and I never want to leave it.
// ZEPHER, CREW ON THE HOWLING ARROW //
Ha! You think you've got it rough? I lost three crewmates, my ship, and my leg to a Guild ambush. Things were tough after that—even worked as a fry cook here at the Chokepoint for a while. But if I can claw my way back up, so can you.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
* TRIBUTE TO THE KORVEN * We all know the cost we might pay to be in these skies. Today we say a fond farewell to the crew of the Korven. Raise high, Captain Tace! You and your crew have flown beyond us now.
I've bailed on jobs before. I don't expect a pity party for it. I'll work at the station and eat Cup Nu for a month before I stick out my neck for a few hundred grits.
// EKLES, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
See that guy? He's out here because if he weren't, he'd be working the salt fields like the rest of his family. Sends home half his cut each month. And you know what? He's earned every damn grit.
// PAMNA BUROON, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
* WIDE-BAND HAIL: FREQUENCY 4-1-4 * This is Captain Hadar of the Blazing Eclipse, calling anybody who can hear me. We blew an injector three days out of Glance and we really need a tow. Payment can be arranged, if that's how you want to do this. Just... hurry.
Look, here's the truth about sharing routes: A crew discovers a new route, they milk it for all it's worth. By the time they post it to the Pirate Net for brownie points, it's already compromised. No shame in it—that's just how it is.
// PAMNA BUROON, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
Keep Your Trouble to Yourself
Don't sneeze on me. Don't sell me contaminated goods. Don't pull into my station with a radiation leak. And DON'T come running to me when you've got a Guild warship on your tail.
// XASHA BOONE, MANAGER OF THE HOX REFUELING STATION //
* SHIPWIDE COMMS * I let all of you out on the Rook for an hour, and I come back to chaos! The stationmaster's screaming at me to pay for damages. All shore leave is canceled until you've worked off what we owe.
// CAPT. LOOMIS CAPELLA OF THE JAGGED FANGS //
Vincy, you scumbag. Did you call the Decommissioners down on a whole sector just because Wendyll missed a damned cargo transfer? That's cold, even for you.
// JAZZI, FREEGUNNER SMUGGLER //
- COMMERCE DIRECTORATE ADVISORY: LEVIATHAN ###
Juvenile crabbits are not to be taken off-world for any reason. They are dangerous, rapidly growing wild animals. Failure to comply with wildlife transport restrictions will incur heavy fines or ship seizure.
Rook traffic control, be advised: Under my authority as a deputy of the Guild Oversight Directorate, you are to hold ALL outbound traffic pending investigation of a rogue robot sighting on your station. My papers are in order, so stay out of my way.
// ADLAI TARN, DECOMMISSIONER //
* ADVERTISEMENT * Tired of planetside pests finding their way aboard your ship? Ever had to burn your gear or swim in disinfectant? Then call the experts at Galactic Pest Control! We'll get you cleaned up and back out there!
HAZARD WARNING: HOX STATION INBOUND
Looks like SOMEBODY pulled into the station trailing a plume of hot plasma. Station-bound traffic, you might wanna turn up your shielding on the way in... and maybe have some words with the Searing Pulsar crew.
The amphibious bore weevil lives in shallow pools. It burrows into soft tissue (usually between toes), migrates to the circulatory system, and spreads its larvae through its host's exhalations. Contain immediately.
// DAVEERS'S CRITTER COMPENDIUM //
Did you even check these statues you shipped from Gloom? They were infested with some sort of mold spore! How dare you sell his Excellency tainted artifacts? I will have your Freegunner hide for this!
// QUIN, SALT LORD'S FLUNKEY //
Jazzi, do you really think I'd call the Decommissioners just because Wendyll missed our meeting? Wendyll no-showed because the DCs were on their tail already. Some honest advice: Find a new robot pal. This one's headed for the scrapheap.
// VINCY, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
The Captain Sets the Course
You've all got your own opinions, your own ways of doing things. I respect that. Hell, I value it. But once I give an order, you do it. We don't always have time for an argument.
// THE CAPTAIN OF THE NORTHSTAR //
As long as you're on my crew, my word is law. Anyone who disagrees can take their complaints to the airlock.
// CAPTAIN BORRE OF THE SKYFARER //
There's no one way to become a Freegunner captain. Most captains buy, salvage, or steal their own ship, but others are appointed by the previous captain or elected by crewmembers who own the ship collectively.
Look, you don't need to take the fall for your captain here. She's the one we want. Give me something I can use to get to her, and I can make sure this mess doesn't land on you. Work with me here!
// BORLIN KEMISH, GUILD INVESTIGATOR, INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT //
Did you hear about the Scarwind crew? They abandoned ship in protest after Captain Kell enacted a zero-tolerance policy for swapping routes with other crews. Took all their earnings and goods with them. Serves the guy right.
// OVERHEARD AT THE CHOKEPOINT //
I hear Captain Loomis is real easygoing—even lets her crew take their dropship for excursions between jobs. Anybody know if the Jagged Fangs are accepting applications?
// SCRANT, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
The best Freegunner captains are shrewd, cunning opponents, more than a match for our thick-necked outpost commanders. Fortunately for us, the rest of them are... not.
// LIADORE VEL ARIOS, GUILD OVERSIGHT DIRECTORATE OFFICER //
Did you know Jazzi used to sing in the Nine Wave Opera? She doesn't mention it much. I don't hire anybody who can't hold a note. A crew that sings together fights better together, and that's a fact.
// KEEN-RAZOR TIBBS, CAPTAIN OF THE WAKE RIDERS CREW //
I'm not here to bust anyone's... well, whatever they have. But I can't have chaos aboard my ship either. My crew gets up to all kinds of foolishness, and there's not enough coffee in the galaxy for me to cope.
// CAPT. LOOMIS CAPELLA OF THE JAGGED FANGS //
I've served under all kinds of captains, from miserable tyrants to careless buffoons. I don't mind it, though. Better that than have every ship feel the same.
// SAGAN, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
Freegunners Pay Their Debts
You want my advice? When you owe somebody, hold that feeling tight. Let it weigh on you, gnaw at you, so you can't stand it. Trust me, it's better that way.
// RIGNA AYRUSH, CAPTAIN OF THE OUROBOROS //
While the Guild mandates the use of its own proprietary currency in all official commerce, most business in the Wilds is conducted in a durable physical currency known as grits.
Nothing for me again, huh? What happened to "Freegunner's honor?" No more missed payments, Zeph, or I might have to write you off as a loss. Understand?
// GUNDER, LOAN SHARK ON THE ROOK //
ADVERTISEMENT
Come one, come all to the Wilds' premier excitement extravaganza: The Rook! Forget your financial troubles! All forms of credit happily extended to qualified guests!
// TEMPLETON FRY, RINGMASTER OF THE ROOK //
Your cut as promised, Sagan. Count it if you want. Satisfied? Good. I release you from your oath to me. Now get off my ship.
// CAPTAIN BORRE OF THE SKYFARER //
There's only a couple Freegunners I let run up a tab at my bar. They've earned it. Most haven't. Pay up or stay thirsty, get me?
// CHAEL KILFOYLE, BARKEEP AT THE CHOKEPOINT //
We've all got each other's backs out here, right? You spot me a few hundred when I need it, I got you next time you're in a pinch. Who has time to keep track of every grit?
// TANJI, ROOKIE FREEGUNNER //
Gambling on credit is a great way to get up to your gills in debt. Stick to what you've got in your pockets... and maybe find clothes with smaller pockets.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
Captain Maunti: My gratitude to you and your crew for the tow. I know you owed us, but you've discharged that debt and then some. Let me at least pay you back for the fuel you burned—I insist.
// REGAN HADAR, CAPTAIN OF THE BLAZING ECLIPSE //
The Guild brought money to Kallos, but it is not our way. Our word for "debt" refers to deeds and oaths, not electronic numbers or bits of metal.
// BLOODIED BLADE, KALLOSIAN ELDER //
Stay Loyal to the End (of the Job)
Membership in a Freegunner crew is strictly voluntary—you can leave whenever you want. But when we're on a job, you're part of the crew 'til the job is done. No jumping ship or switching sides halfway through.
// REGAN HADAR, CAPTAIN OF THE BLAZING ECLIPSE //
Flew with a crew for less than a week once. Couldn’t stand the lot of them—maybe even hated a few. But until I got that final payout, they knew I had their back.
// OVERHEARD AT MAK'S MORACK SHACK //
* CALL FOR CREW * The Wake Riders are looking for two temporary crew members for a big job. We're offering a five percent cut each. When we're done, we'll drop the two of you at the nearest refueling station.
Freegunners who bail on their crew before the job is done wind up with a bad reputation on top of a missed payday. Word travels fast, and nobody likes a quitter.
Just because the captain makes the ship rules doesn't mean I have to stick around and follow 'em. Captains may set the course, but the crew sets the destination.
// PAMNA BUROON, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
- GUILD BOUNTY ###
WANTED: Details of Freegunner recruitment locations and channels. Help us keep our skies free from criminal activity. Will pay based upon the number of arrests we make.
Sorry, Tibbs, but I need to jump ship for now. Wendyll's out there with nobody watching their back, and... I just can't stomach that. Tell Scrant he can have my snack stash, if he can find it. Hope to fly with you all again someday.
// JAZZI, FREEGUNNER SMUGGLER, NOTE TO KEEN-RAZOR TIBBS //
That worthless cheat Carden double-crossed our crew and sold us out to the Guild. We barely got out. If I ever get my hands on him, he's gonna wish the Guild had locked him up tight.
// VAAN, CAPTAIN OF THE FIERCE RECOURSE //
We raise high with salt for our sails We raise high with the solar winds at our tails Together we fly Apart we shoot like the stars.
// OLD FREEGUNNER SHANTY //
It took me a while to settle with a crew and stay. I flew with at least thirty before I found the right bunch. Now I can't imagine life without 'em.
// ZEPHER, CREW ON THE HOWLING ARROW //
Crew First, Job Second
No matter what the payout is, no matter how bad we need it, we don't sacrifice anybody to get it. Everybody comes back. That's always job one.
// CAPTAIN CROBEN TJEN //
Unbelievable. Tanji fumbled the bag. Hid behind cover like a little kid while the cargo got away. He tried to cite the code to me after, said we've all gotta stay alive. Yeah? What do you think happens if we don't get PAID??
// RANNI OF THE SKYFARER, PRIVATE JOURNAL //
It's a lot of money, Echo, but I'm still gonna have to say no. You know we've got sparked robots aboard—there's no way we're risking a raid on a Decommissioner depot. Find someone else.
// CAPTAIN OF THE NORTHSTAR //
Eat salt, you Guild bastard. You can go ahead and shove me in a cell, 'cause I'll rot before I give you anything on my captain or my crew.
// UNIDENTIFIED FREEGUNNER, INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT //
Gaam Outpost, this is Searing Pulsar. Be advised that we are inbound with multiple wounded, two critically—including our medic. Tell Dr. Lom to have her tools ready and some beds free.
// KRANDISS LEECH, SEARING PULSAR CAPTAIN //
Try to ply Freegunners with money and you'll always get a few takers. But their real weakness isn't greed. It's loyalty. Take one captive, and their whole crew will come running to the rescue.
// LIADORE VEL ARIOS, GUILD OVERSIGHT DIRECTORATE OFFICER //
We might be out here competing for work, but don't get it mixed up in your head. Us Freegunners are more like each other than we are like the people we work for. Don't forget it.
// ZOS MIRACH, FREEGUNNER //
You don't know what the Guild Guard is like. Us troops had each other's backs, but the brass didn't care. I left a lot of friends behind on "successful" missions.
// "GUILDIE" JESSEF, EX-GUILD FREEGUNNER //
For Freegunners to seem noble, someone must play the villain. The Guild, the Marauders, myself... It hardly matters. Remove the self-righteous storytelling, though, and you see them for what they truly are: criminals, fighting over scraps.
// TUZAN BRACKISH, SALT LORD OF GLANCE //
My old crew tangled with the Fangs, and when I went down they left me for dead. Honest mistake or ruthless calculation, I've never been sure. Captain Loomis took one look at me, told her medic to patch me up, and welcomed me aboard.
// VOLT KARLY OF THE JAGGED FANGS //
Take It Outside
My bar is a peaceful place, you hear? No brawling, no gunplay. Bring your Freegunner squabbles in here and I'll give you the boot myself—unless your captain wants the privilege.
// CHAEL KILFOYLE, BARKEEP AT THE CHOKEPOINT //
Klas, what were you thinking?! No sign posted?! You think we don't punch people in bars 'cause they put up a SIGN? You're confined to quarters, and if I have to bribe Chael to let us back in, it's coming out of your share.
// CAPTAIN MAUNTI IUDUNE OF THE SEA REAPER //
Many establishments in the Wilds welcome Freegunners' business, provided the violence stays outside. They often serve as neutral ground where Freegunner crews, even rivals, can meet in peace.
Hey look, it's Vincy! She'd sell out any of us for ten grits and a sandwich, but she's welcome here! Ah ah ah, Vince—no fighting at Mari's. But if you'd like to step outside, I'd be happy to oblige.
// SCRANT, RIVAL FREEGUNNER, OVERHEARD AT MARI'S MARINE CUISINE //
Law enforcement is unwelcome in most businesses in the Wilds. In its absence, often all that keeps the peace is the proprietor's force of personality, a shotgun under the counter, and swift retaliation against anybody who causes trouble.
Sure, plenty of ship crews meet up in my place. I don't know what they talk about, and I don't care to. I banned fighting in here because gunplay's bad for business, not because I want any part in whatever they're up to. Now are you gonna order a taco or what?
// VO TAI GOLARIO, OWNER OF THE GAAM OUTPOST TACO STOP, TO A GUILD INVESTIGATOR //
Freegunners think there is such thing as "neutral territory." They are fools to let their guard down. If my quarry is on so-called neutral ground, the only thing that matters is whether their hosts can stop me. They haven't yet.
// AYA CRANE, HUNTER-BARONESS //
Hey, hey! No fighting in my shop. You want to perforate each other with your shiny new guns, you do it in another part of town. Now, your friend over there got a scope. You don't want to be at a range disadvantage, do you?
// GLARR, CRATER CITY WEAPONS DEALER //
There used to be this great gelato place on Bentari Station... Comet something? Anyway, one of my crew started a brawl in there with some locals. Got all of us banned for a year. Six months later the place went under. Guess they needed our business after all.
// CAPT. LOOMIS CAPELLA OF THE JAGGED FANGS //
I got three leads on upcoming robberies just from sitting at the Chokepoint for an hour with a wire on. You would not believe what these Freegunners talk about when they think they're in friendly territory.
// BORLIN KEMISH, GUILD INVESTIGATOR //
Marooning is a Lot Like Murder
If you cross me, you're off the ship the minute we hit a port of call. Unless you REALLY make me mad, in which case I'll skip the middleman and space you. Clear?
// SANTHAR KELL, CAPTAIN OF THE SCARWIND //
Most captains reserve the right to end a Freegunner's employment at any time. By longstanding tradition, however, former crewmembers are allowed to stay until they can debark in a breathable atmosphere with regular transport available.
Got put off a ship once on Leviathan. Wound up working three rotations on an eel-gutting crew. I swear I stank like morack for a year. Still, beats being sent out the airlock.
// "NABBER" SYKES, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER //
Go down by the Spire and keep an eye out for rough-looking types asking about work. It's not illegal, but it's a public nuisance, and they're all guilty of something. Round up a couple, and the rest will go to ground.
// BRATON REX, CRATER CITY SECURITY //
I was on a crew who decided having a sparked robot around wasn't worth the risk anymore. Dropped me on an airless moon, said the port of call rule was for people with lungs. Took me three damned years to boost my comm signal and convince a passing crew to rescue me.
// DAXX-0, FREEGUNNER //
See those three over there? Their crew dumped 'em here. Dunno why. Keep an eye on 'em—if they start to pester our regulars for work, send 'em out to the docks.
// CHAEL KILFOYLE, BARKEEP AT THE CHOKEPOINT //
* SEEKING TRANSPORT * Honest Freegunner in between crews. Happy to work my way or pay for passage. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear. Big misunderstanding. I just wanna get off this rock.
// ZOS MIRACH, FREEGUNNER //
* CALL FOR CREW * The captain of the Magnetar Elysium is looking for a new crew. Any Freegunner who's interested should head to the Hox Refueling Station. Each new member gets a fifteen grit bonus.
I signed on for a three-job stint, but Captain Borre booted me after just one. Said I wasn't a team player. Whatever. He paid out my share and dropped me on Bentari Station, so I'm not complaining.
// SAGAN, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER, LETTER TO A FRIEND //
I knew Captain Slane, the one who got marooned. He got this crazy idea in his head to bust through the Tempest. His ship got as close as Olar before the crew put a stop to it and mutinied. He's lucky they hailed us when they left him there.
// CAPTAIN CROBEN TJEN //
Pick Your Battles
There's always risk in our line of work, even if you're smart about it. But you can't let your pride or stubbornness lead you to chase after a payday you won't live to spend. Sometimes, you have to walk away.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
Freegunners'll turn tail and run at a moment's notice, but they hardly ever surrender. If you want to take them down, an ambush with overwhelming force is always your best bet.
// HIGH COMMANDER HARTH //
Jazzi, listen... things are bad. Real bad. There's this one Decommissioner, Tarn, who's been on my tail for two weeks now. I shouldn't even risk sending a message, it's just... Don't come after me, OK? It's not safe.
// ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION FROM WENDYLL, FREEGUNNER //
We got your cargo, Aquila. We're emplaced, and you're outmatched. Bit of friendly advice: Turn around and fly away. You're not gonna win this one.
// KEEN-RAZOR TIBBS, CAPTAIN OF THE WAKE RIDERS CREW //
They say the Guild's too big to take on. That you're just throwing rocks at a behemoth, tickling it. Sure. They want you to give up before you even try. But I say, take that thing out at the knees. Cut its hamstrings. If you can knock 'em off balance, the big boys fall hard.
// GLATHRY NAPE OF THE HOODED BANDITS //
A whole damned Guild Guard platoon came outta nowhere. They've got us pinned down in the labs! Cap won't surrender, so we're gonna try to fight our way out. If you don't hear from us, just take the ship and go.
// KOLO MARR, FREEGUNNER //
You were right, Remmie, the Wake Riders beat us down here. They're all over the cargo. I still say we go for it—they're tough, but they've got some green crew, and we've got the drop on them. Go or no-go?
// YEVA //
If you've been freegunning as long as I have, you don't get no rest. You've got ten bounties on your head, and you're on the hit list of every Guildie this side of the Tempest. So give me a break if I don't see the romance in it. How can you call a life on the run 'free'?
// PAMNA BUROON, RIVAL FREEGUNNER //
The Salt Lord has taken everything from us, all to feed his monstrous greed. I say, no more! There are some fights you just can't run from. For the skimmers! For freedom!
// PAZ, REBEL SKIMMER COMMANDER, AT THE FIRST BATTLE OF FREEWATER //
Captain Borre backed down from ANOTHER scrap, even though we were barely outnumbered! Doesn't he get it?? If we don't DO the jobs, there won't BE any jobs. Is this a Freegunner crew or a pleasure cruise?
// RANNI OF THE SKYFARER, PRIVATE JOURNAL //
Never Break a Truce
When we meet with another crew under truce, we're there to talk. If they get violent, that's on them. But if it's one of my crew who draws first blood, I swear I will skin you myself.
// VAAN, CAPTAIN OF THE FIERCE RECOURSE //
Freegunner truces are tightly enforced. Two crews might shoot at each other one day, then meet up over dinner to hash things out the next.
If you see two ships docked in the middle of nowhere, investigate. Sure, maybe they're just honest merchants making a trade. And maybe the Tempest tastes like sugared nepa fruit, but that doesn't mean I'm going to lick it.
// BORLIN KEMISH, GUILD INVESTIGATOR //
Alright, Kell, truce. But after what you pulled on Gloom, there's no way I'm standing on the same planet as you, never mind the same ship. We can negotiate over comms, thanks.
// CAPTAIN MAUNTI IUDUNE OF THE SEA REAPER //
* WARNING: GRULLO SQUALL CREW * HEADS UP OUT THERE: These jerks asked to meet us under truce on our own ship, then came in guns blazing and robbed us. If you get a "friendly" hail from the Grullo Squall, don't accept—or better yet, do, and shoot back first.
// ANONYMOUS POSTING TO THE PIRATE NET //
TO THE CREW OF THE OUROBOROS
You took something from me. I want it back. But I'm a reasonable man, and I'm prepared to compensate you. Bring the cargo to my compound, unarmed, and you have my word that you will be allowed to depart safely.
// DOM LUNEM, CRESCENT MOON BOSS //
Hey, Larson. Saw you're in port. Don't suppose your crew wants to see my face after what happened, but... you and I could still meet up for darts, right? No hard feelings, not on my end. I'll be at Tolby's if you're interested.
// ZOS MIRACH, FREEGUNNER //
Never bring a weapon to a meeting under truce. I mean, unless you don't trust the other crew, in which case... well, don't LOOK like you brought a weapon. And never ever shoot first, unless they really have it coming.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
* HAIL: BLAZING ECLIPSE TO AQUILA * Hey, Aquila crew. Meet us at Mak's Morack Shack. We've got something you might be interested in, and we're ready to deal. If I'm wasting your time, dinner's on us.
// CAPTAIN REGAN HADAR //
No truces No "friendly understandings" No surrender NO EXCEPTIONS
// SCARWIND SHIP'S RULES //
Stay On the Move
Out here we're all on the run—from the Guild, from our debts, from our pasts, or just from the idea of staying put. Maybe you'll find a place to land someday. If not... then you keep going. What else can you do?
// KRANDISS LEECH, SEARING PULSAR CAPTAIN //
Hey Sykes. Got any leads on work? I've been on Bentari Station nine weeks now, doing odd jobs, and if I don't get deckplates under my feet again soon I'm gonna lose my mind.
// SAGAN, FREELANCE FREEGUNNER, LETTER TO A FRIEND //
Many dispatchers are retired Freegunners themselves, leveraging years of experience with crews and clients into a steadier, less demanding second career.
* GUILD APB * ADVISORY: The Freegunner ship OUROBOROS is WANTED for crimes against Guild persons, property, and facilities. Armed and dangerous. Shoot on sight.
ATTACHED: Ship specs, crew profiles, known associates, full rap sheet
You don't see many old Freegunners. You get real lucky, like I did, maybe you settle down somewhere. If not... then you keep rolling those dice, and eventually your number comes up. That's just math.
// ONE-EYED EMA, RETIRED FREEGUNNER //
In financial news, fuel salt prices have spiked after apparent terrorist activity on Glance critically damaged a primary evaporation hub. The questions on everyone's minds: Can the Salt Lord quell the rebellion? And when will the Guild Guard step in to secure the fuel supply?
Back to you, Teff.
// FARNEY TAZWIN, GUILD NEWS NETWORK //
I got out of the game a few years ago. My crew was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, on the wrong side of the fight. Put ourselves on the Crescent Moon's radar... and once they catch wind of you, they never lose the trail. Only thing left to do is ditch your pals and change your name.
// ANONYMOUS EX-FREEGUNNER //
Yeah, I used to be a Freegunner. No, I won't tell you about it. I retired 'cause I'd had my fill of bounties and grudges and bullets with my name on them. Anytime I start missing the excitement, I count up all the cash I get for sitting here not getting shot at. Ha!
// DISPATCHER SCOOPS //
Wendyll, don't be mad, but... I got myself a ship. Just a little one. Cost every grit I had and then some, and we'll have to scrape for fuel and parts, but... it should keep us ahead of the Decommissioners.
Meet me at our old rendezvous. See you soon.
// ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION FROM JAZZI, FREEGUNNER SMUGGLER //
Don't let the cynics get you down about freegunning, kid. Sure, there's getting shot at, and scraping by, and running from the Guild. But what it's really about, deep down, is freedom. It's right there in the name, even.
// HASH TARLTON, CAPTAIN OF TARLTON'S TREASURE //
Keep your reputation growing, but remember—the stars don't care how famous you are. And real legends? They never stop. There's always more to explore.
// THE CAPTAIN OF THE NORTHSTAR //
SUPERLIGHT LAB
Commerce Faster than Light...
The faster you go the faster you get paid, and the faster you get paid the more money you make. The commercial Guild government was founded on this very idea, so it makes sense that they pour a considerable amount of funding into going faster. At this highly secretive laboratory, the Guild experiments with anything and everything high energy because high energy means high speed—superlight speed. This is not the original lab (it blew up) nor is it the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th… Superlight research is pretty explodey.
Superlight
Superlight is the act of travelling at speeds faster than the speed of light. In order to do that, you have to break the light barrier.
BREAKING THROUGH Breaking the light barrier is a thrilling (if not worrisome) experience. The pilot pushes the throttle to full and the ship accelerates–hard. Even with the gravity shunt working at full power, the acceleration still launches you back into your seat and anything not held down will go flying.
As you near the light barrier, the salt fuel kicks on. A cone of flame shoots out the back and the entire ship shakes violently under the additional thrust. As you get closer and closer to breaking through, you can see the light pressure build up on the prow of the ship. With a violent heave and a burst of bright colorful light, you finally break through into smoother space–and suddenly all of the worlds in this vast galaxy are within reach.
DANGER AND BEAUTY The view outside in a ship traveling in superlight is nothing short of emotional. You are witness to the incomprehensible, light is split into a prismatic horizon that extends to infinity, and stars streak past in the blink of an eye.
Once in superlight you are a violation of the universe. It is constantly trying to push you back into sublight speeds. So, to maintain these high velocities you must burn fuel–a LOT of fuel. This is the main limiting factor of space travel–that, and all the incredibly dangerous anomalies that can happen at these speeds.
Gravity becomes your biggest enemy in superlight. Even the slightest distortion of space will shatter any ship into a million pieces. Best stick to the Guild Spacelanes, which are “guaranteed” to be free of any debris, gravity wells, or other such dangers.
Spacelane superlight is not for the faint of heart, travelling off Spacelane is for the mad.
SALT FUEL
OVERVIEW Salt fuel, the enigmatic isotopes that are a key part of interstellar travel were first discovered over a thousand years ago. Pre-Guild scientists noted that on some worlds basic elements had taken on a new high energy state. Further research unlocked that energy. And when this process was combined with the HAMAK reactor design for starship engines, interstellar travel went from taking many months to taking mere weeks or even days. A new connected universe was suddenly possible. Salt fuel to this day is the only known energy source potent enough to power superlight travel.
ORIGINS We still do not know how or why salt is formed. Despite intense research, no lab has been able to create or even simulate the formation of salt fuel. Additionally, no commonalities have been found amongst the salt bearing worlds. The Guild continues to spend heavily on R&D but most funding is focused on finding and exploiting new salt deposits.
MINING Since various elemental compounds can exhibit salt fuel qualities, mining and processing operations vary per location and compound. The most efficient process so far is evaporation of salt-laden water. Leviathan represents the single biggest source of salt fuel in the known Galaxy. No other deposit is as rich or easily extracted.
DANGERS
Processed and purified salt fuel is highly dangerous. It is extremely unstable and prone to reactivity with other materials. It should be stored in magnetically reinforced fuel tanks and kept from contact with other elements. Refueling should be handled with care, and starship and HAMAK reactor maintenance must be regularly performed or risk of salt fuel annihilation increases dramatically.
Superlight Engines
OVERVIEW The basic superlight engine design has remained roughly the same in the thousand or so years since its creation. Adjustments for efficiency and speed mean a modern-day ship can travel across massive stretches of interstellar space in a matter of days and weeks rather than years.
HAMAK REACTOR The HAMAK reactor is the key piece of engineering that allows for superlight speeds. Inside the reactor chamber, conventional fuel is atomized and converted into a so-called Strange State by intense twisted and interlocking magnetic fields. Salt fuel is then injected into the chamber and the subsequent reaction produces a massive amount of energy (see Strange State Reaction) that is directed out the engine nozzle.
STRANGE STATE REACTION When salt fuel and conventional fuel interact inside the HAMAK reactor, the Strange State Reaction occurs. This state of matter allows for the immense energies needed to break the light barrier. The Strange State Reaction generates copious radiation in all bands as well as a large amount of electrical current—so much so that a ship will often arc electricity out of the engine nozzles when travelling at speed. This Strange State Reaction is the only known energy source that can give a ship the ability to break the light barrier.
FUEL EFFICIENCY Even the most efficient reactors use enormous qualities of fuel—hence one of the needs for the spacelane network. With constant refueling needed to make a long crossing, starships stick to the safety of the spacelanes and the numerous refueling stations along those paths.
ELECTRICAL POWER
The Strange State Reaction generates an intense amount of electrical energy that can be harvested by an electrical generator. Once the reaction starts, the whole ship (including the engines) can run on the power generated in the HAMAK Reactor. Batteries are needed to start the engine as well as power the ship when the reactor is not running.
REACTOR DANGERS
RADIATION The Strange State Reaction generates large quantities of broad-band radiation. Engines must be well shielded to prevent excessive radiation exposure for the crew.
MAGNETIC FIELDS The intense magnetic fields that initiate the Strange State Reaction are hazardous to anything with an electrical field, including most equipment, robots, and even living beings. The magnetic fields must be neutralized by an opposing field for the engine to be approached during the Strange State Reaction.
SALT FUEL A volatile nightmare, salt fuel must be stored and handled correctly to avoid explosions. Many crews and starships have been lost to poor maintenance and poor refueling practices.
ELECTRICAL ENERGY
The Strange State Reaction generates a massive amount of electrical energy that powers the ship's internal systems and charges the batteries. Excess electrical energy must be discharged out of the engine nozzles. An improperly grounded engine assembly will fry an unwary crew.
STUFF
//asdfsafgsdfg//
"Brine Crisp"
The Code
The first thing you have to know is that the Freegunner Code is not a code. It’s not a binding agreement. Nor is it a set of rules. Freegunners don’t fly like that. But they do fly with respect for the other Freegunner ships in the stars. That’s what it all comes down to. If you want to keep the name Freegunner, respect the others who have the name, too—and in return, they’ll respect you.
And then you’ll rip each other a new one on the ground.