Commander Altsain does not really understand the wider politics of the galaxy, but Shadow President Felicia Winters of the Federation seemed like a stand up woman, and so the commander pledged support for her liberal policies. Confined mainly to hauling propaganda leaflets to select worlds near Rhea, she felt she was doing her part.

Then the commander joined the Federal Liberal Command, which operates under the aegis of the Federal United Command (along with the followers of President Hudson). And a shock was in store, as these guys are seriously well organised; it really was quite amazing watching the FLC (as we call it) operate. Directives and targets are given, information passed around, and commanders vectored to where they are most needed. There are specialist divisions, mentors, and even training sessions.

Anyway, Commander Altsain was but a low-ranking recruit, though keen to learn the ropes, fulfilling her duty when needed.

One night, an emergency call went out: the filthy, underhanded followers of Arissa Lavigny-Duval (slave-loving Imperial) were stealing a march on Ostyat, a world close to the territory of Felicia Winters, filling the ears of its citizens with foul Imperial lies. If Ostyat fell, Arissa Lavigny-Duval would be able to start a thrust right into the heart of Federal territory.

The FLC went into action.

A priority call was made to all FLC commanders to begin shoring up a nearby system called Akuntsu – if that world could be stirred into action through the use of noble liberal propaganda bringing welfare programmes to the masses, the Ostyat gambit would fail.

Commander Altsain was ready to help, but first needed to make some preparations.

You see, the commander had been considering a medium-sized hauler for a while, as it was a gap that Heffalump Haulage could not fill and, frankly, the company was losing money. A Type-6, or perhaps a Keelback, was being considered.

The commander had long championed specialised ships over multirole vessels, but she had also been considering a ship specialised in the use of furthering the goals of Felicia Winters – and as it had to be capable of travelling, hauling, scouting and fighting, the most specialised ship was a generalised, multirole ship. Dedicated to the cause of Ms. Winters, the new ship could be leased to Heffalump Haulage as needed.

Enter the Python.

Commander Altsain decided to name it the Felicia Forever and, if that did not get enough attention from the lackeys of the Empire, she also painted it bright red and yellow.

Purchased at Ross 429, the new ship was hastily equipped with cargo racks that allowed it to shift 200 tons at a time, along with improvements to its shields and power systems. However, the race between Winters and Lavigny-Duval for Akuntsu and Ostyat respectively was beginning to seriously hot up and would be concluded, one way or another, within just a few hours. The commander did not have the time to shop around for more equipment, so departed for Akuntsu immediately – the Felicia Forever did not even have a docking computer!

Once at Akuntsu, Commander Altsain dropped off the first 200 ton load of liberal propaganda (helpful leaflets that improve anyone’s life), and then jumped to HIP 44811, a nearby Winters-aligned world that was readying more propaganda bundles to be shipped out. This would be the pattern for the next few hours, picking up bundles, jumping back to Akuntsu to drop them off, and reporting back to the FLC Leadership so they could keep track of how we were doing.

And it was here that the organisational structure of the FLC made itself felt. The haulers of the FLC were rallied to Akuntsu, aware of how critical this action was as a race developed between Federal support on that world, versus the Imperials on Ostyat. As followers of Lavigny-Duval started invading Akuntsu looking for Federal haulers, the FLC Player-Slayers were vectored in to create a shield. Hideously outnumbered, they nevertheless threw themselves into battle, their ships being destroyed just to give the Federal haulers a little more time to reach their destination. Word came down from the FLC Leadership that Lavigny-Duval had contracted the dreaded Murderhobos, and now things were getting very serious.

The influence being exerted on Akuntsu and Ostyat swung one way and then the other, remaining neck and neck throughout the evening. After shifting 1,400 tons of Winters propaganda, the Felicia Forever was badly in need of attention, and Commander Altsain required sleep. Reluctantly, she turned in for the night, knowing that when she woke up the results would be in.

And the FLC won.

By the barest nose. By the narrowest margin. Arissa Lavigny-Duval had been blocked.

Commander Altsain likes to think that it was her 1,400 tons that made the difference. Maybe the FLC Leadership think so too, because the commander was soon after made a full member of the organisation, no longer a recruit.

As a reward, the Felicia Forever was taken to a well-equipped outfitting hangar and treated to a full suite of upgrades including, yes, a docking computer (finally!).

Then it was on to the Engineers for a gentle massaging of the modules – nothing too heavy, but the Felicia Forever now has a jump range that is a little better than utterly miserable, and beam lasers that no longer cause catastrophic overheating when fired for more than two seconds.

So, a job well done all round, and a real testament to the organisation that has been created by the united commanders of the Federal Liberal Command.

Can everyone rest now? Absolutely not – while Akuntsu will not be formerly brought into the Winters fold (too expensive to keep hold of, the FLC were just trying to stop Imperial expansion), you can be sure that the loathsome Avigny-Duvalites will have another nefarious plan soon enough.

And that will be another tale…