Freeman Corporation / FREECORP

The Freeman Corporation was founded on April 5 2944, by former Murray Cup racer Edward “DeepComet” Freeman.

Born on Ellis IV in 2923, Freeman originally worked on the refueling station orbiting Ellis IX (Also known as “Walleye”). The captains caught in the impressive queues regaled many a story of the Universe, and the systems they had been to in their travels. Aside from people coming to watch the Murray Cup Races and the racers themselves, there were countless freighters delivering supplies to the nearby UEE Shipyards in Killian, as well as people making the Earth-Pinecone Run. Numerous as they were, each had a different story to tell, and each slowly built up Freeman’s interest in visiting other systems, and finding things worthy of making his own story.

Among the more exotic customers were black-market smugglers and traders from the lawless systems surrounding Nexus, as well as former veterans from the Vanduul frontier, returning to Terra. By far the most intriguing visitors were the occasional Banu traders, whose lust for money rivaled even the most corrupt UEE corporations. Tales of the incredible amount of money that could be made in certain systems fuelled Freeman’s desire to explore even more.

Alas, aside from the occasional transport back to Ellis IV, and a holiday to Terra III every now and then, being a Refueling Engineer wasn’t a lucrative occupation. The winners of the Murray Cup were often lavished with enough Credits to retire fairly comfortably, and Freeman reckoned he knew the route well enough to have a chance at being a real contender. It was just blind luck that one racer, who was a good friend of his, was injured in a transporter accident at the start of the 2942 Murray Cup ‘Regulation’ races. Freeman took this as his chance to prove himself, and stepped in at his friend’s behest in an attempt to qualify for the MCRL Hare division round one race.

Freeman managed a comfortable 22 points, thereby qualifying, but this wasn’t without it’s challenges. On his 5th Regulation race, a comet passed through the route as the racers were going through. 2 ships collided with the comet and were destroyed; Freeman’s would have met the same fate, if not for a narrow tunnel that went deep through the comet. His ship lost 2 thrusters in the process, and he limped home in last place, but the spectacle earned him the nickname “DeepComet” among his racing peers.

The Hare Division round one race is a battering test of endurance for even the hardiest pilots – Many black out at some point in the race, mostly due to having to avoid asteroids orbiting Ellis VII. However, safety features on many of the ships that fly, as well as a good knowledge of the route by the racers means that accidents are fairly infrequent, at least in the Hare division. Nevertheless, after a tiring but exciting race, Freeman managed to come home third in the 2942 Murray Cup, earning a decent amount of Credits in the process. A re-try the next year also netted third place.

With his new-found wealth, Freeman was able to follow the manifesto of the Banu that he had met – Credits were key. He bought an Aurora CL and set out, following the tips he had received from the Banu, and from the black-market traders he’d spoken to. After a few months of speculative trading, he’d earned enough Credits to buy an MISC Freelancer. This was the pinnacle of his dream, to build up a trading platform and acquire a ship that would be adequate enough to sate his thirst for exploration. In March 2944, this dream almost came crashing down when his ship was almost destroyed in the Garron system by a Vanduul raiding party from the nearby Tiber system.

It was then that Freeman came to the realisation that he could not accomplish his dream alone – He would need help. To this end, he set up The Freeman Corporation, so that like-minded individuals can come together and use the Credits they have made, or will make, for the benefit of the UEE.

If we can rid ourselves of the Vanduul scourge in the process, then all the better.