Warning about Opportunity...

[As Sai]

I need to make this known to the public. There are several good people in Opportunity, some who are close friends of mine. But due to recent events, I feel that, besides my own occupation in Opportunity being swiftly ended, that current and future residents of Opportunity will be put at risk of having the same fate that I have.

I used to be a civilian in Opportunity. I got into an altercation with another resident, and later had all the blame placed on me, and a lot of outrageous charges given to me. I escaped arrest, was labeled a criminal and banned from my home colony.

The details, for those interested in the full story, goes as follows:


Several days back, I was still a civilian in Opportunity. After being away from Opportunity from some time, I arrived back planetside and took to going around, exploring the recent developments that Opportunity had taken up. A new tunnel system, some business and a bar, Opportunity seemed to be booming. I met a resident and spoke with her about the new developments and as I learned she was new herself. We finished our chat, and I decided to try meeting some other residents that have moved into the area. Eventually my walk led me to the town center, and I overheard some peaceful music being played. I soon spotted the person playing the music. An armored individual named Onyx was playing a few instruments. I went to sit on a nearby bench and listen to his music for a while before complimenting him. I decided to try having some small talk with him, and he'd nod or shake his head to answer my questions.

This was all fine, but, in my mood I started getting suspicious of the armored stranger, and I decided to ask him if he had a visitor's pass or if he lived in Opportunity, and he shook his head.... I asked if he could talk besides nodding and shaking his head, and he shook his head. This annoyed me... the man seemed to be toying with me and avoiding my questions, and someone who didn't have a visitor's pass and wasn't a resident was there technically against the law. I pressed on, asking him more questions, and was ignored when the man's friend Lunetta arrived. He continued to play the music and attempted to play it faster and louder, and this managed to annoy me further. I asked him to stop playing the music, mentioned I'd speak to Sativa, the colony leader, if he continued playing loud music. I also mentioned I'd point out to Sativa that Onyx didn't have proper authorization to be there, and this got the armored stranger's attention. He managed to stop the music and typed into his wrist communicator, which played some form of autotune computer voice "What is wrong" he asked me.

Now it was obvious to me that he was being troublesome when he answered that he couldn't communicate. I couldn't help but be snarky myself, and I decided to continue pushing the fact that I could have a word with Sativa about Onyx, and I mentioned that I had no way of enforcing the authority, but that I had a gun on me and could very well defend myself if this stranger tried anything. All of this led Lunetta to snap, and she tackled me, and tried to beat me up on the ground... but suddenly the armored stranger shot out of his armor gauntlet a few toxic sleeping darts... they hit Lunetta and she went limp nearly instantly. Fearing for my life, I tried to pull out my gun and shot at him, but I missed my shot and managed to destroy the security camera attached in the ceiling above. Onyx got the better of me, for he injected the toxin into me and I blacked out.

Later I woke up to Ria, the security chief of Opportunity. Someone had moved me to the city clinic, and Ria was prepared to question me, asking me for my side of the story. I told her exactly what I just explained above, and her resulting judgement is that I was at fault, because showing that I had a pistol on me, in my holster, was a large threat that broke the law and that Lunetta and Onyx had every right to defend themselves. Flippant, I tried to communicate my viewpoint and how that seemed absurd, I managed to piss Ria off by critisizing her small time security force, how it started up only just recently, had very few members, etc. Ria made it known that I had no chance at joining the peaceshapers now, and that I had no right to question another civilian's citizen status (which, Onyx was a citizen but he didn't live there) because I had no authority to enforce the law, and that lastly that I should not worry because she wasn't going to imprison me due to Sativa's request. Onyx showed up early in the questioning, and left, which brought to mind something I noticed was missing. My pistol was not in my holster when I checked, and I thought that either Onyx or Lunetta had taken it. Making this clear to Ria, she said to let her handle this, and that this was out of my power. Soon enough though, Onyx shows up to the clinic, with my gun, and he handed it to Ria along with a bag of ammunition, mentioning that the gun was empty and that he had taken the gun to make sure I didn't wake up in a paniced state since Onyx had no way of gauging my mental state. Ria handed me my gun and ammunition. I'd go to holster my gun, and made a sly comment that while I'm not allowed to enforce the law, the armored stranger Onyx is allowed to go around and shoot people with nerve toxin darts when he pleases. This is when she asked to see my gun again.

I was greatly suspicious of her, and I asked her why, at first she said that I should just hand it to her, and when I continued asking why, because she just had the gun, she mentioned that she needed it for the investigation since it was evidence. Still confused because she just had the handgun and could have looked it over or taken it for evidence then, now she was asking it from me after I made the sly comment. So I holstered my weapon, and...

Ria suddenly announced that I was under arrest for attempted assault, vandalism, and obstructing an investigation. I couldn't believe what was being said. Ria turned to me and started walking over, taking handcuffs out, heading for my back to arrest me. Only one thought popped into my mind, that this was not right and I was going to be screwed over, so seeing only one means of escape, I managed to grab ahold of Ria when she was right on me and grabbed her in a headlock, fishing out my gun with my other arm. I pointed the gun at Ria's head, anticipating Onyx to shoot his nerve darts again. The armored stranger's wrists were raised, and I blurted out that if he made a move I'd shoot (with the empty gun). Ria spoke but I can't quite remember what she said, something along the lines of "you don't know what you're doing" or "Don't do this Sai", and I briefly decided to try my luck at using time I had left to push Ria towards Onyx, turn tail, and sprint out of there.

Fleeing the scene of Opportunity, it was announced that a criminal was on the run, me. That I was banned from Opportunity and would be shot on sight. Sativa spoke with me, and got Ria to have a meeting with me later, but that ended badly, since we couldn't resolve the disagreement as to who was in fault.

So yeah. That's how that went down. I later asked friends of mine to meet me on Opportunity, to confront Ria or rather have her find me. I was hoping to point out how flawed her system was, with people around me so she wouldn't shoot me down. It was made known that she had stepped down from office and that there was a new security chief. I challenged this, and had a rather... bold demand to be granted the responsibility of security chief myself. All in all it ended with me being escorted off planet by a good friend of mine, and now Nate, an ex-pirate who worked on Avalon's security force is now leading the show in Opportunity.

I feel that what has happened to me is wrong. These people, Ria, her peaceshapers, and Nate, they proclaim that they enforce the law and follow it, and on another entirely different spectrum, that they enforce what they believe is right, which, technically brings them to contradict their authority and law enforcing status. Lest I mention that Ria seems to be highly emotional, confrontational, and wield her relationship (Ria being Sativa's girlfriend and being promoted as security chief initially) manipulatively.

Now I feel helpless as to what to do next. I have friends in Opportunity, many who I hope to protect. I'm considering finding a better place to reside, and seeing if anyone else who has trouble with the security force on Opportunity wants to join me in... forming a more secure, community friendly place to stay.

Let this be a warning for all of you who seek to involve your affairs in Opportunity.

Let me know what you all think on the matter.

 

Thanks for your input. I accept what I did and described the ordeal as best I could. My opinions were included as well. However... some of you undermine yourselves with what you're trying achieve in communicating your side. The facts are there, and while everyone has a perspective, there are several things left brazenly apparent. Onyx was never arrested as was promised, Ria had not a strong enough purpose for the gun and decided to arrest me when I didn't obey her orders.

Another fact, your security force is small, still growing, and isn't perfect, yet the basis for the peaceshapers' actions lean on the law which also isn't perfect. The order in Opportunity is flawed, it can be manipulated, and whoever is in charge can enforce the law as they see fit, or leave people off the hook if they deem it so despite what the law requires.

My warning stands and is perfectly valid.

P.S. Sativa, until you get a handle on how your community is changing, don't expect me to vouch for you if something like this repeats itself again. I thought that being there early on could give me some leeway, that I could try helping Opportunity. If you guys let me take some responsibility, I would have just touched up on your laws, make things more reasonable, like having a requirement to have concealed weapons registered and the like. Goodluck running your colony with your girlfriend and that Ex-Avalonian security official enforcing the peace as they see fit... oh sorry, as the 'law' sees fit.

((Also probably should edit my post, but when Onyx was shooting the darts he intended to hit Sai as well, so Cole's comment wouldn't really have validity.)

 

Yeah, somehow I forgot to mention he fired two aimed darts, one for Lunetta and one for me..