Move to Private Sector

Federation News Network Alert

Move to Private Mercenary Sector

Jack Somers

Federation News Net

Siridon Arms Inc. CEO D’vek Kartz announced yesterday that the fledgling Qo’Nos-based weapons manufacturer would be beginning operations as a "Mercenary Corporation", selling the services of its hired contractors for latinum and credits. Mr. Kartz had this to say about his decision at a press conference this morning:

"We of the Siridon Arms Corporation have sold weapons for the past three years with the intention that these weapons be used in defense of the colonies in the Delta Quadrant, and to provide order and stability in a chaotic universe. We have just been informed that many of the said weapons have ended up in the hands of the very brigands, cutthroats, and pirates that they were meant to destroy. We can no longer place blind faith in our clients to keep these weapons in the right hands. Therefore, Siridon is taking matters into its own hands and outfitting hired contractors with these weapons and sending them to the Delta Quadrant to combat these threats. We know that similar companies are already operating in the quadrant, but we will be launching operations on a scale that is comparable to that of an interstellar government, something that no other private entity has done before. We will also be policing our clients more strictly than we have in the past, ensuring that our weapons will be used for the right purposes, and will no longer be turned against those they were meant to protect…."

Mr. Kartz acknowledges that there are governments in the Delta Quadrant already providing these services, and that the Corporation will be working closely with authorities in order to help ensure the stability and security of their clients as well as the newfound colonies in the quadrant. "We know that this is usually the job of governments, but the Cardassian War has torn the galaxy apart, stretching the resources of the Federation, the Star Empire, and the Union to the limit. Our experts project that it could take decades for the respective powers to rebuild to pre-war military strength. The colonists in the quadrant don’t have decades. They need help now."

Mr. Kartz also added that the services offered by the company will not be limited to strictly military in nature. Freight delivery, liason, and science missions are also in the repertoire of the Corporation’s ever-growing fleet of ex-Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian naval personnel.

D’vek Kartz is a 30 year-old Andorian entrepreneur who took control of the family’s assets with the death of his father. His family had made its fortune generations ago in starship hull manufacturing, having a hand in the construction of components for many famous Federation vessels like the Voyager, the Warchief, and even some minor components for the Enterprise-E. Seizing the opportunity, D’vek expanded the family’s construction interests, and soon moved to weapons’ manufacturing, taking a personal interest in supplying weapons to governments and private groups settling the expanses of the Delta Quadrant. He moved to Qo’Nos several years ago and started an entirely new weapons’ manufacturing firm to supply the Klingons during the final days of the Cardassian War.

Critics say that this move will not stabilize the quadrant, but only give rise to rogue paramilitary groups wreaking havoc under the flag of the Corporation, and possibly even starting wars with the criminal elements already present in the quadrant, causing more damage than ever. Some critics have even gone so far as to accuse the corporation of secretly working to advance the Klingon Government’s interests in the Delta Quadrant, a charge that Mr. Kartz flatly denies.