Comm-Link:OP.NET Merc News - 2944-07-02

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Hey gunslingers. Sabine “Mixer” Murillo here, bringing you the straight feed. OP.NET is live and here for you working operators. We have to say that we are not affiliated with Crosshair or the Mercenary Guild, otherwise they’ll flip their scrim …

Sorry, um, yeah, we’ve got a show for you today. Of course, we do, right? That’s what you’re listening to. Got Skiv coming by later with an in-depth look at A&R’s Omnisky line of cannons and what’s coming down the pipe … so that’ll happen …

Job Board. Let’s get to that.

Charon System. Been told that armistice talks between the States of Acheron and Dellin on Charon III have broken down and seems like both sides are gearing up for war. We’ll have to see if the UEE decides to arbitrate, but I’m guessing there’ll be some jobs opening up there soon …

I’m sorry.

I gotta take a minute and get something off my chest. I got a comm right before we went live. Old buddy of mine from the 185th got in touch. Hadn’t spoken to Cuchillo in, I don’t know, seven years? Eight, maybe. Anyway, sent me a comm after all this time. There was another kid in our flight named Stephen Ganz. He was from some cluster-farm in Goss and a believer. Down to the core. If you put any kind of authority or certainty in your voice, you could make him believe anything you told him. Wasn’t because he was dumb. I don’t know why, but I think he just wanted to believe you. Anyway, everyone in the squadron used to exploit the hell out of it. XO christened him Doormat to the pilots, but he always took it with a smile, even after people would inevitably tell him the truth.

Doormat, Cuchillo and myself all got out around the same time and we stayed in touch on the regular for a bit. Then, very slowly, it became less regular. No reason for it neither, he just became one of those people that always seemed close until you realized he wasn’t anymore.

Last I’d heard, Doormat was having a tough time making a go of it in the normal. I remember meaning to give him a comm or stop by, but times were tight for me too and I kept putting it off.

So … long story short, I guess Stephen Ganz was killed a few days ago on Prime.

Cuchillo said last time he saw Doormat he was doing low-rent hauling runs for scraps, living in a squat somewhere in the Blocks and sharing a bathroom with thirty people in his quad. He’d gotten hooked and kicked WiDoW three times, been married and split twice, but he was still that goofy kid, believing that things were gonna turn his way. All he had to do was make it until then.

They found his body on a landing platform. Three shots to the back. Some Police Academy grad assigned to the case thought it was a cargo transfer gone bad. Maybe it was a scam or just some stupid thugs weaseling out of paying for their haul shot my friend and stuffed him between two StorAlls like a piece of trash.

My friend, who put his ship in front of incoming fire to save Retro during a moon battle in Oya.

My friend, who used to straighten peoples’ sheets before inspection.

My friend, who, despite everything, saw the best in the worst.

You didn’t deserve to check out like this.

So I just want to say to Stephen Ganz, who I let slip in life, I won’t forget you in death.

And I’ll find who did this.

Please believe that.

In fact …

I quit.

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