HERO MERCS SAVE FREIGHTER

SIRIDON MERCS SAVE MARIPOSAN/BRINGLOIDI FREIGHTER

STARDATE 2409.03.03.01

Reports have just come in detailing the actions of a Siridon Arms Special Operations Mercenary Team. This team, known also as the ‘Blackskulls’, was taking passage aboard a Mariposan/Bringloidi cargo freighter, the Ark Mercy, when the freighter came under attack by Androssi scavengers. The scavengers were reportedly after the freighter's cloning technology.

These heroes-for-hire quickly went to the defense of the unarmed crew, and engaged the attacking Androssi, neutralizing a majority of the boarding parties with nerve gas and fighting off the rest. They then counter-boarded the Androssi ship, set explosive charges, and escaped as the Androssi ship was destroyed in the explosion.

When asked by FNN reporters, several squad members were eager to share their comments on the battle:

BRAN RENAR, ANGOSIAN, BLACKSKULLS DEMO SPECIALIST: “We did what was necessary - and it SHOULDN’T have been necessary. The galactic governments who are supposed to maintain law and order obviously aren’t doing a very good job of it! Oh well, all the more fun for people like me and the rest of the squad …”

BLAROX, BOLIAN, BLACKSKULLS DEMO SPECIALIST: "Please, please, I'm sure there are far more interesting topics to interview people about. ...There aren't? Naaaah. You're pulling my leg. ...We're being awarded medals? Do they know I'm an ex-con?"

PLEG, FERENGI, BLACKSKULLS TEAM MEMBER: "We smeared ‘em! It was beautiful! You should have been there. But, since you weren't my personal account of events may be purchased for only 5 slips of Latinum per copy ... Hey bring that mike back!"

SALISS GARR, SAURIAN, BLACKSKULLS MEDIC: "We should not be looked at as heroes. We are just simply a group of unified individuals who are doing what must be done."

The squad leader of the unit, rumored to be a Jem'Hadar, could not be reached for comment, and Siridon Arms has refused to disclose information about the unit, citing employee privacy and operational security as reasons why details about the squad members could not be released.

The Mariposan/Bringloidi colonial authority has decreed that medals and awards be given to each member of the squad that helped to defend the ship, and that the Captain and crew of the Ark Mercy are to be officially commended for their bravery and resourcefulness under adverse circumstances. Details are currently being worked out between the colonial authority and the Siridon Arms Corporation as to the medal awards and possible monetary compensation.

When asked about the actions of this team at a corporation fundraising dinner last night, Siridon CEO D'Vek Kartz had this to say:

"You've heard the interviews, and I must agree with my Saurian 'friend'. "... DOING WHAT MUST BE DONE." That is what the Special Operations Units are about. That is what the new Siridon Arms Fleet Development Program is about. That is what this dinner is about tonight. We don't like to believe there is more to do in the Delta Quadrant than the major powers can handle. Now, with the assistance of the good people in this room, Siridon Arms will be capable of protecting even more of the people that really need it. A general call for donations is also going out to those who would like to help make more of these heroic stories a reality."

Siridon's presence in the Delta Quadrant continues to increase steadily as the multi-trillion credit corporation funnels manpower and capital into the colonies of the Delta Quadrant. Hundreds of merc teams like the Blackskulls are conducting daily operations throughout the quadrant, carrying out missions ranging from medical aid and crisis relief to counterinsurgency and covert operations warfare.

Siridon has increasingly stepped up efforts to acquire assets such as shipyards and financial capital in the quadrant to support their ongoing mercenary enterprise. Many colonies now have as many as 20% of their working population on the corporation's payroll.

The major Alpha Quadrant governments have all remained relatively silent so far as to the mercenary corporation's activities in the quadrant, waiting to see exactly how this massive rise in power will affect political stability in this troubled corner of the galaxy.

Mark Somers, Delta Quadrant correspondent, Federation News Network