Looking for an escort or something needs moving quietly? A few supplies needed off the grid? If you have the credits then you’ve come to the right place. Here at the Aphelion Collective, we have the person for the job. Pay on time, don’t ask questions, then we’ll get along just fine.
The Aphelion Collective was formed in 2946 by Elijah Fraye who served at Vega during the Vanduul massacre. Although unnamed until 2948, the Collective was still a functioning organisation prior to its baptism. The name was used for the first time in a Blitz-Race on Spider and kept its name from that day forward.
The ship which now stands at the centre of attention in the Collective is the Perihelion’s Rise, the flagship of The Collective’s forces and affectionately nicknamed “Suzy,” was not always the main seat of operation for the Aphelion Collective. In fact, at the very beginning it was nothing more than a collection of smaller ships doing their best to make it through the day. Here they operated out of an old mining asteroid around Nyx. The Perihelion’s Rise was liberated from its original crew when they sought to end the then smaller Collective and is now the symbol of liberty and freedom for the Captain and crew.
The principle behind The Aphelion Collective is a simple understanding of cooperation. At the center is our flagship, The Perihelion’s Rise, and from it an amarda of ships fit for a large variety of jobs. Any ship under the Perihelion’s Rise, any personel under the Captain is responsible for their own and in turn the Collective’s reputation.
Each Man or Woman’s reason as to why they joined us is none of our business. We work together to line our pockets, and try not to kill too many along the way.
The Aphelion Collective looks after its own first, and everyone else after, which means our services can be bought, for a good price. You get nothing for nothing in the ‘verse. Don’t get me wrong but we aren’t any “White Knight” freelancers. We know our hands will get dirty, but the dirtier they get, the more we expect in return. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.
The bay door to the crew’s primary ship slips opens with a long, strained groan, setting down on the ground before you. The captain stands, at a general parade rest, watching you as you approach from above. Semi-casual, with the hint of both mischief and order about him, he gestures out with one hand. “We aren’t getting any more daylight, you know.”
And that’s the beginning of your introduction to the rules. There’s no beginner’s class, no introduction circle, simply the captain taking you, civilian or new crew, through the expectations as well as corridors of this ship. And he doesn’t seem to have any keen respect for ceremony, pointing out various things that need to be paid attention to, and some that certainly don’t.
“Right. First off, don’t go messing with anyone else’s crap, you hear? You’ll get your own things soon enough if you stay, if you’re not I’m sure you have your own things with you.” He leads you through a corridor, a rather tight space with a metal grid walkway, and into the next chamber of the ship. “Secondly, you’re gonna want to mess with your own crap. Clean up after yourselves or you’ll get cleaned out of here.”
Moving into the mess hall, he turns, eyeing you up. “After that, don’t go getting in the way of my crew and especially not the specialists. They’ve got bigger things to worry about and don’t need you under their damned feet.” He motions once. “Pretty obvious what this is. Normal ritual, morning and night, it’ll be pretty busy here so keep what I’ve said in mind.”
He lets out a huffed breath, before moving on once more. “On the same note,safeties on an in holster if at all. I’m not going to be a happy man if someone, or something, gets shot. Not with the cargo we’ve got. You break it, you better well be buying it. Emergencies excluded.” Finally, he leads you to the bridge, where you have a view out of the front shield of the dock workers in the bay in front of the ship. “And no being here.” He motions around. “Without express permission.”
“That being said, for the duration you’re on my ship, you’re one of us.” He levels a serious, steady gaze at you. “We will give you the respect and safety you need, but it better be returned.”