—
—
“Gun-running. A favorite pastime for some Gurista alongside kidnapping, extortion, raiding, terrorism, drug dealing, espionage, smuggling, gambling, drinking, ■■■■■■■ annnnnd lottiering. To name a few… Guns have a demand as strong as food and water. Everyday there’s a flashpoint sparking up somewhere in New Eden where a revolutionary needs a gun or a soldier with no supply lines needs an extra clip. Whether it be some slave revolt, tribal squabble, civil war or a full blown out conflict between nation powers… They all need guns and ammo. And the Guristas? Have plenty to spare… For a price.”
- Utatis Parinen
“We’re fighting for the betterment of our country! Something you clearly don’t understand.”
January 4th YC 123
Torrinos V - Classified location
“We needed those weapons and munitions two days ago!”
“And we needed our end of the bargain three days ago. Have you already forgotten how this works? First we get our payment, then you get your weapons. Until we start seeing some money on the table again, you won’t ever see another iron or bullet from us again.”
“Guristas swine! Do you have any idea how important those weapons are to use right?”
“Not that important if you’re being stingy on the payment.”
“Stingy? You think I’m being stingy right now? I’m absolutely in shambles right now! Lai Dai Protection forces have broken up our cells brutally and efficiently. Manpower, safehouse, resources - All shattered by Lai Dai police.”
“Damn, that’s crazy.”
“I’ve lost funds in these raids, funds that I need to pay you with. And I still need those weapons so that we can hold onto what we have left.”
“We’re not running a charity here…”
“I can see that, typical Gurista M.O, exploit the suffering’s needs for a profit.”
“Well you wanted to be a revolutionary, don’t know what you expected. Suffering comes with the territory.”
“I did not choose this lightly.”
“I’m sure you thought long and hard about it…”
“Of course! Risk my entire career with Ishukone on a fight that would be utterly crushed with one mistake? Every man and woman I’ve had the pleasure of working with are all strong minded individuals for having takin this risk. It’s a risk we take so that we may change this country for the better.”
“With destruction, civilian deaths, and turning entire city blocks into active warzones.”
“Projecting much?”
“For someone who looks down on me so confidently for my career choices… You seem really desperate to do business with me.”
“What I’m desperate for are those weapons. You I care not for.”
“Breaking my heart here… Right, so you want your weapons so you can continue playing revolution. I get that. Yet you still ain’t mustered up the cash to pay for them. What do you purpose?”
“Maybe help the good fight for once and just give us the damn weapons so we can do our job? The Guristas are rich as it is, are a few crates of rifles going to hurt your precious profit margins that badly?”
“You wanna know why the Guristas are rich?”
“Killing and stealing for money.”
“Correct, but we’re also rich because we don’t toss away perfectly good products worth cash willy-nilly to every wannabe revolutionary who gots a bone to pick with their local government… Any idea how irresponsible that is? And I don’t mean just for our balance books. Could you just imagine for a second if we just started giving away guns to every one of you yuppies so you can wage war in your streets? Pick on us all you want for being murderous scumbag pirates, but you’re not the only guy in this country that needs weapons to take a shot at the Megas. If we just started arming everyone to help “fight a good fight” then we’re gonna see entire colonies turned into mass graves between freedom fighters, corporate forces and every uninvolved man, woman and child that caught a stray bullet…”
“…”
“Charging for the goods helps us maintain quality control… Makes us ensure that only the groups worth a ■■■■ get their hands on these weapons… You wanna play? Well first you gotta pay. You dig?”
“… We have nothing to pay with.”
“Then we ain’t got anything further to discuss. I’ll see myself out!”
“And here I had some hope. Some naive hope that you Gurista would be what you advertise yourself as. People standing up to the big 8 and for the little guy being suppressed by them. I can see now that you’re nothing like that… Just hollow and greedy cowards looking to inch a few kredits or scrip here and there. Fight and work for something bigger than money for once why don’t you?”
“Hell you people even fighting for?”
“We’re fighting for the betterment of our country! Something you clearly don’t understand.”
“… Understand? Oh man… I think I understand that better than most people. Let me tell you something, there was a point in my life where I thought like that. You ain’t from the Federation, but you wanna know what the Federal armed forces love more than anything? Poor people. People born into ■■■■ hole colonies with no opportunities to escape and a life of unfulfilling and soul crushing work… Ooooh the Federales love it. Just slap some posters up and a recruiting booth there… promise a life of adventure, prestige, and a chance to be apart of something bigger than some muckracker on some backwater world? You’ll see every colonists of eligible age line up to sign their life away.”
“I don’t recall asking for your life story Guristas sc-”
“Shut the ■■■■ up. I’m not done… You wanna know what that “Fight for your country” ■■■■ really is? An illusion, an illusion propagated by people who wanna turn you into a disposable killer for their own benefit. You revolutionary types are nothing new…Dealt with your kind during my service and seen what you people are capable of. You people believe you’re fighting for your country’s betterment. While the people you fight think the same exact thing. And both sides will go to extraordinary and brutal lengths just to keep or place other people in power. There’s only one winner in these scenarios, everyone else is just a pawn to be disposed off. I learned that the hard way… ■■■■ this country, why fight for it? What good has it done you anyway. Fight for yourself man, I’m done here…”
“Wait!”
“…?”
“… I have insider intel on a Ishukone convoy moving though the border from Pure Blind. One supposedly holding some valuable cargo.”
“Why do I care? How do you even know?”
“I have to maintain my desk job with Ishukone to avoid alerting suspicion… And maintaining that job I come to here juicy information on certain activities the corporation has underway… If I can’t give you money, maybe some intel will do?”
“Really want those weapons, don’t you? I think we can work something out… I’d need to confirm the intel before we move any product.”
“Do what you must… I need those weapons though. This can’t wait much longer.”
“Fair enough. Tell me what you know.”