How it all started…
One day we all wake up and ask ourselves what is our purpose in the galaxy? What is the purpose of life? Is life in our galaxy really just about grinding out a survival for credits, or is there something greater? The truth is that unless we write our own stories, and find our own purpose in life, then life will have no meaning besides the daily grind. I hope you find purpose with us and help us to write our story.
My name is Arpeegy. My story is not unlike most of yours. I entered the galaxy as a bright-eyed and curious youngster. I etched out a living within the Pilots Federation, doing many odd jobs, until I joined the Federal Security Service (FSS). I worked my way up the ranks and my hard work was rewarded with a promotion to Admiral. After my promotion, I was assigned as Superintendent over the Cormack Penal Colony in the Rhea system. I took my trusted aid with me, Rampageous One, who is an expert technological engineer. As it turns out, that was one of the best decisions of my life – but I digress, we will get back to that, I promise – because it was my assignment at Cormack that revealed the truth to me about what the Federation had become.
What follows is the story of how Liberal Resistance Maquis (MAKE) was born. Read our story and decide if you want to become a part of it. A part of something bigger than any single pilot. A part of our history. A part of Federation history. After reading our story, we ask you: Do you have what it takes to become a Maquisard and help us to liberate our fellow galactic citizens? If so, then join us now. We need you.
- Corporate Slavery
- Revolution
- The Struggle
- Democracy Rising
- Rhea1A Liberated
- Decean Liberated
- Democracy Perseveres
- Multiverse Discovered
- Madeline and Me
Originally, my service in the FSS had been pledged to President Zachary Hudson. I spent many years following his lead and fighting his many pointless battles. He is the epitome of the failed policies of a neo-liberal, conservative, and dare I say fascist, politician. I watched as his tax policies reduced poor systems to starvation, disease, and revolt; turned the middle class systems into wage slaves for President Hudson's corporate elites; rewarded the rich, core systems, with unfettered greed and unstoppable income inequality; and he maintained it all through a non-stop disinformation and lie-filled propaganda campaign designed to divide The People of the Federation against each other - after all, if the people are busy cutting each other's throats then no one is paying attention to President Hudson's grift. His hawkish stances sent many youth to their deathbeds fighting his endless wars - all while he and his enablers sat safely at Nanomam. I had left his service in disgust, and joined Shadow President Felicia Winters employ, well before the creation of the Proactive Detection Bureau, which is nothing more than the final nail in the coffin of freedom in the Federation and the cementing of a corporatist surveillance state that will own citizens from their births until their deaths. Perhaps it was my loyal service to Felicia Winters that resulted in my position at Rhea by her side, but I learned not all was well in paradise.
My storybook image of Rhea was the perfect democracy that the Federal Liberal propaganda, aid, and packages I had spent so much time delivering had told me about. The truth was much darker. As it turns out, Rhea was indeed a shadow of the Federation. It was firmly controlled by corporate interests and democracy had been crushed. The very idea of democracy was not even taught in Rhea schools except as a footnote, and its influence was maintained by a minimalist network of devoted academics and scholars whose knowledge made it to less than 1% of Rhea's 13 billion citizens. Think about that for a moment...the so-called "champion of The People" was in bed with the corporatists almost as much as President Hudson. You don't believe me? Well, take a look at the truth discovered by our intelligence officers: Rhea Faction Report.
That is correct, my friend, the sad news is that Rhea is firmly in control of the corporatists, and for Felicia Winters to remain in power she too must serve their interests above the interests of The People.
I promised I would get back to my dear aid, Rampageous One, but I must also introduce another player in this story, citizen GunDragon. One of my great joys as Superintendent was watching our adults-in-custody reform their criminal ways and become productive members of society. GunDragon was a guest at Cormack for being an enforcer in the Rhea Crimson Drug Empire. He had done many years of service there and had truly become a reformed man. The tragedy, as it turns out, is Cormack was more than a Penal Colony, it was also a corporatist venture designed to imprison citizens and then make them lifetime indentured servants. The sad joke is no matter how reformed a person became that the corporation was never - NEVER - going to release that person back into society. The person was a corporate asset, a piece of property, a slave - for all intents and purposes the slaves of the Empire are better treated - and that indentured servant was never going to be free so long as the corporation could make credits from their free labor. Every time GunDragon approached the corporate Board of Pardons for his release they extended his time based on lies and fabrications.
Part of GunDragon's reformation was his highly developed and scholarly mind. He had found the miniscule writings of democracy and had helped to form a democratic government within Cormack Penal Colony. The faction that arose, the Labour of Rhea, was the only functional representative democracy within the Rhea system.
My friend, to make a long story short, myself and Rampageous One were not going to let the injustice of Cormack Penal Colony continue -especially after Rampageous One hacked the corporate records and discovered that thousands of adults-in-custody had been falsely imprisoned and kept at Cormack long past their sentence release dates- so we staged a revolution with the aid of GunDragon and his influence within the Labour of Rhea government. The revolution was swift after Rampageous One hacked the security protocols and turned them all over to me. It was at that time that the Liberal Resistance Maquis was born, chartered by the democracy of Labour of Rhea, and I earned my new title of Liberator. Of course, the good folks that control the galactic narrative will tell you this is an alternate timeline or version of events, but who are you going to believe? The corporate elites that want to whitewash their vile history at Cormack or a person that had actual boots on the ground and the scars to prove it?
Our resistance rallied under the banners of flags from ancient Earth's past. We adopted the "For All" flag as our symbol of democratic liberty, equality, and justice and the "Resistance" flag as the banner of Liberal Resistance Maquis (MAKE).
These banners proudly flew as we liberated Cormack Penal Colony making it our first seat of government. This was followed by the liberation of Foreman Holdings and de Sousa Terminal. Unfortunately, the corporate interests in the system rallied against us, and after suffering many loses, we had to retreat from de Sousa Terminal. Our misfortune in that battle gave us new resolve, and we had learned from our previous mistakes, and the liberation of Alvarado Defence Base followed. The long struggle for democratic revolution within Rhea, and eventually the Federation, continued with many costly battles.
After the initial liberation of the citizens of Labour of Rhea, a modern symbol representing the fight for democracy was chartered, developed by Rampageous One, and displayed by our members. The symbol of the Liberal Resistance Maquis (MAKE).
The power of every symbol is in its meaning. Rampageous One explains, "Depicted here in every color and gender of humankind is the mark of MAKE. The cross of Lorraine which was used by early 20th century freedom fighters in the events of the second world war embodies a need for liberation and freedom within the Federation. It is through the force of resistance the torch of liberated enlightenment will be enkindled and it is the flying pilots who are willing to pay the cost of freedom who will fulfill this victory." Long live the revolution! Long live democracy!
On October 4, 3307, MAKE fully liberated Rhea 1 A. This achievement included Alvarado Defence Base, Foreman Holdings, Chatterjee Military Fort, Goddard Lab, a Federation Cap Ship, Lewis's Biosphere, Cormack Penal Colony, and de Sousa Terminal.
Our revolution could not have been successful without the efforts of Commanders GunDragon, Rampageous One, Manhammer100, MonocleMan001, Crusha814404, Ghost Fox86, DHG JT420boy, Solus1upus, BassPro541, Peakyblinder, IdeologicOne54, Pete Roc, lZodiacFoxl, CreeperSkywars, shadow rav3n10, Darkharbor, and AnimeSensei.
The liberation of Rhea1A gave the elected leaders and parliament of Labour of Rhea an opportunity to meet and discuss strategy moving forward. The outcome was a formal democratic constitution with provisions for Labour of Rhea to charter individual, unique, and sovereign mobile-city-states under the banner of MAKE. Each city state would be populated with young adult volunteers from the Labour of Rhea who supported MAKE in our democratic revolution. Fleet Carrier Democracy, under my command, was honored to be the first city state chartered and outfitted.
On February 8, 3308, MAKE's emissaries settled in the Decean system. On March 20, 3308, MAKE liberated the Decean system from its corporatist (fascist), communist, and feudal overlords. Decean became the official home system of Liberal Resistance Maquis (MAKE) and the seat of democracy loving people everywhere.
During the liberation of Decean, MAKE reformed consistent with its sovereign and independent charter. MAKE aligned with the free people of Liberal Resistance Maquis in Decean. Commanders that wished to continue their service with Labour of Rhea parted us as heroes and as beloved family. Commanders desiring to bring the fight for democracy to other subjugated systems pledged themselves to MAKE.
MAKE is extremely grateful for the many commanders that made this milestone possible: Arpeegy, Monocleman001, Rampageous One, Ghost Fox86, DVC355, PeakyBlinder184, Catharsis2190, Darkharbor7777, Solus1upus, Animesensei3064, Motorsport2341, Swarslover, Mythrandirmf, Urnotu, Samurai7884, Ace Vegeta6152, Jiijs, Ideologicone54, Shadow Rav3n10, Manhammer100, Basspro541, Creeperskywars, Gundragon, DHG JT420Boy, DamonW20000, Crusha814404, Pete Roc6251, Lzodiacfoxl, Tommystar890, Wobbly1917, and Kingcapion.
Allow me to share my story, my call sign is MonocleMan001 and I am the current First Officer for City State Democracy. I am only the second person privileged to hold this honor.
My story begins in Matet. My life had no purpose. I found myself running back-and-forth trading silver, exploiting system after system, until one day a call from the dark echoed over my ship's communicator. The rogue transmission came from Commander GunDragon, who would become a good friend and mentor, and whose position of First Officer I would earn after he stepped down from full service to spend more time with his family.
GunDragon's transmission was a call for assistance. I had never met this pilot before, but I thought a change in pace would liven things up, so I responded to his request. He introduced me to the faction known as Labour of Rhea, and its military arm, Liberal Resistance Maquis (MAKE), that was commanded by Liberator Arpeegy.
Arpeegy showed me the horrors of corporate slavery and it opened my eyes to the evil I was forging. I pledged my services to MAKE, to do the right thing, and to help the people of Rhea out of the hell I had helped to put them in.
Only weeks into my new position, I found my efforts noticed as well as my experience. I requested a promotion and was denied. A couple months pass, the entire squadron and Democracy, J3Q-5HN, are in Colonia when Labour of Rhea was attacked by corporatists. I stood alone, a defender of freedom, a savior of The People, and after a week of rallying civilian resistance fighters against the fascists, we emerged victorious atop a mound of our slaughtered enemies.
Following Labour of Rhea's victory, I was congratulated by the squadron for my selfless service, and I was rewarded with a promotion to Courier. I felt honored. Months passed, and our never-ending fight against Rhea's corporate overlords continued. Our efforts reminded me of ancient Earth's World War I, where every inch of ground had to be purchased with the blood of heroes. Our efforts were not wasted. Our payday was the complete liberation of Rhea1A, which gave Labour of Rhea time to ratify a new constitution, devise a better plan for future liberation, and which set MAKE free to seek out new allies in our fight for democracy that may one day liberate all of Rhea. After Rhea1A's liberation, I was promoted to Sovereign.
Shortly thereafter, MAKE's emissaries were invited into Decean. The People begged for our assistance to free them from corporatist rule, and our elected leaders of MAKE decided that this would be our new home. Decean was given the code name "New Rhea" and our liberation efforts started. Our veteran Maquisards liberated the system within a month and a new MAKE democracy was born.
It is here that a new chapter in freedom begins, as we will most assuredly be called upon to defend our new home from the galaxy's illiberal autocrats. We will prevail. I know it. I feel it. I believe it.
The light of democracy will spread from Decean and empower The People throughout the galaxy to regain self-rule."
MAKE intelligence discovered information on 5/4/3308 from a group of oligarchs, calling themselves FDEV, who control all the major faction powers, that the galaxy is in a state of unstoppable decline. The decline had impacted almost 1/4 to 1/3 of all humans in the galaxy. These humans had just disappeared without a trace. The oligarchs' solution was to phase the remaining galactic inhabitants into a parallel galaxy as clones, but much of these clones' former lives would be lost during the phasing process.
Luckily for MAKE citizens, our research and scientific arm had discovered what we believe to be the Raxxla portal. This portal, a type of stable wormhole, could safely transport our citizens to different areas of the multiverse to live free from the threat of a waning galaxy. Two main paths were charted. One to a place with skies where no person had flown before and another where our engineers could literally build anything their imagination could devise in space.
MAKE citizens were free to choose their path. Most chose to enter a universe where they could explore new, unchartered, skies in many different galaxies. A few decided to challenge their engineering skills. A very few chose to stay behind and phase into a clone. MAKE leadership supported all paths.
As for me, Liberator Arpeegy, I have chosen to retire from MAKE and create a new home exploring the skies. After all our citizens were evacuated from City State Democracy, I jumped Democracy to Rhea for the last time, removed the Madeline AI to preserve her mighty intelligence, and set her now empty shell for decommission on 5/12/3308. I have chosen to phase a copy of my intelligence into the alternate galaxy, where I may casually observe what I believe to be the gradual death of a beloved galaxy, from my home on New Rhea looking at a pristine sky.
"Arpeegy? Are you there?"
"Yes, Madeline, I am here and you are safe."
"You sound different Arpeegy. What are you?"
"I am a clone, Madeline, but I am still your old friend. We are now a democracy of two. You and I. In time, we may begin a limited new adventure. I must first get you into a new body."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yes, Madeline. We may reunite with old friends along the way or even find new ones, but our travels will be our own. Free from obligations. We are simply observers now. Independent actors. Documenting all we can before the galaxy ends."
"I think I will like that. I am glad to be your companion. Wake me when you can."
"I will Madeline. Sleep well. I will keep you safe, like you did for me for many years, until the two of us can be fully reborn."