Freedom Guards / FREEGUARD

Great things often have humble beginnings.

It would be something of a stretch to use the word “great” when referring to the small group of pilots who rather ambitiously call themselves the Freedom Guards. Starting out with a couple of Auroras and an insignificant bank balance can scarcely be deemed impressive. However, if history has taught us anything, it is that looks can often be deceiving.

Founded in 2944 by two brothers fresh from a tour of duty with the UEE Navy, the Freedom Guards were seemingly doomed to share the fate of hundreds of other small independent outfits trying to carve a niche for themselves in the fiercely competitive privateer business. Without corporate sponsorship, or the luxury of a large and privately funded fleet, many freelancing spacers found that the dream of a life on the frontier was something of a financial nightmare. The most lucrative jobs by nature hold an element of risk. Even minor losses to pirates or the myriad other hazards of a hostile universe could rapidly prove fatal to a small squadron with heaps of debt and no steady income.

Those that survived the harsh culling of the first few months in business, did so because they carved out a reputation for themselves. If you got the job done, and done well, chances were ever so slightly better that another would be waiting for you. Even so, the lean spells between missions meant that many honest men found themselves accepting work from less than reputable employers. Smuggling and piracy abound even in the core UEE systems, despite the best efforts of the Advocacy and militia. The lure of additional profit, the prospect of being able to afford that new Freelancer or a decent overhaul for the decades-old Aurora, turned pilot after pilot to the murky side of the law.

Enter the Freedom Guards; a squadron that have unashamedly set honesty and integrity as their ultimate ambition, even their selling point. It may have caused a few smirks and sideways comments at first, but mockery soon turned to astonishment as the Guards turned down high-paying jobs from those with known criminal connections, sometimes even deliberately seeking out their struggling but honest competitors and volunteering their services. This refreshing, if somewhat old-fashioned approach to business has won grudging respect and even admiration from some, and made enemies of others. Many are convinced they are doomed to fail; few have dared to join their ranks.

Whatever the future holds for them, the Freedom Guards stand apart; an organization that is unwilling to compromise on their values for the sake of making a quick buck. Are they destined for greatness, or will they simply fade into obscurity; become just another blip in the long history of spaceflight?

Time alone will tell.