Hatchet

Hatchet
Logo, depicting the fire-axe symbol
Terrorist Organization
Motto:	Victory through violence
Ideological doctrine:	Anarcho-Populism
Primary goal(s):	Independence from corporations and destruction of the ALIAS regime
Operation
Region(s) of operation:	Multi-system
Based in:	Various
Publications:	Various
Political position:	Anti-Neo Liberal, Big Tent, Neo-Luddite
Status & relations
Status:	Active
Number of members:	Unknown
Historical information
Founded:	3666 (approximately)
Founded by:	Unknown
[Source]

Hatchet is a loosely affiliated network of anarchist-influenced radical political organisations that operate terrorist cells throughout known space. Far more an identity than a single group, the many organisations under its hood subscribe to a myriad of ideologies and political programs, with sectarianism and conflicts of interest being commonplace. Hatchet's interstellar fame is largely owed to its founding role in various political struggles during the late 3600's, particularly in the anti-ALIAS movements on Mars and its propagation in the public consciousness through near perpetual news coverage of its suspected actions. Its name is a reference to the historic ripping-up and destruction of ALIAS infrastructure.

History

Foundations

The earliest records of Hatchet date back to the Martian Civil War. The initial forces that would become the organisation were members of resistance groups fighting against the Martian government that had installed ALIAS in Neo Arcadia. After the liquidation of the Martian government in Mariner Valley by ALIAS, Hatchet began a guerrilla campaign against the AI itself targeting server mainframes. This would continue for a few decades after the Martian Civil War at low levels until Hatchet would reveal itself once again.

At the outbreak of the Great Interstellar War, Hatchet cells aligned themselves with the Coalition forces fighting against the Martian Federation, which saw their numbers swell with fresh recruits from off world. Aligning itself with Freedom Club as part of the United Front for a Free Mars, Hatchet fought for five years against ALIAS across Mars until the end of the war and the Martian Genocide. Hatchet and the UFFM broke relations with the Coalition after the genocide but were persecuted all the same by ALIAS for their treason against Mars. To this day, many Hatchet cells on Mars dating back to the Great Interstellar War resent the Coalition states for the actions undertaken during the war.

Spread Across Space

Although Hatchet cells remained on Mars, their anti-capitalist anti-automation message would spread with off-world recruits and the Coalition soldiers they fought beside. These ideological carriers would bring Hatchet back to their worlds after the war, with the primary locations being Earth, Jupiter, Nova, and Zhu Que. From those locations and the Trappist System (where cells had formed after the Martian Civil War), Hatchet spread across both governed and ungoverned space.

Hatchet's rapid spread across space would alarm many within the neo-liberal interstellar establishment, particularly on Earth and Jupiter. The organization's association with radical politics and extremism was soon conveyed to known space, and Hatchet's first real introduction to the world was during extreme unrest on Jupiter during the early 3700s when they engaged in terrorism. From then on, Hatchet would be the face of terrorism to known space, being blamed for terrorist actions from Trappist to Tranquility.

Apex

Hatchet, spreading across known space, would settle into the background in the centuries after the Great Interstellar War. Hatchet has continued its campaign of terror in the Solar System and beyond with Hatchet especially having a fierce reputation for its various attacks on corporate assets, particularly those of Argonaut Inc. and Axil Industries. As a result, the media demonizes Hatchet more than other dissident groups, even those who also commit violence.

On Mars, Hatchet exists, though in a much more limited role than on many other planets. Hatchet is a large part of the Martian underground that distributes seditious literature and organizes social gatherings for dissidents. Hatchet rarely ever commits violence on Mars, but when it does, it is usually in reaction to aggression displayed by ALIAS towards the group or other parts of the Martian underground.

The current rising star within Hatchet is Xavier de la Cruz, originally from Earth but now a political refugee on Saturn. The leader of the large “Cruzista” faction of Hatchet in the Solar System, de la Cruz is an anarcho-socialist activist from Earth who primarily campaigns for workers’ rights and limits upon automation. He was forced out of Guadalupe Hidalgo after repeated assassination attempts and currently resides on the property of a sympathizer on Titan.

Ideology

The ideology of Hatchet is complex and different across its many cells. Starting as an anti-ALIAS social anarchist group on Mars, Hatchet would subsequently morph and change as it was exported off-world across governed space. Currently, it is as a general anarcho-populist movement against both the predatory neo-liberal interstellar establishment and the continued threat of ALIAS. Classically Hatchet maintained left leaning beliefs, attracting anarchists, communists, and socialists of many stripes. However, it is also more generally attracts dissidents from the political establishment of planets across known space, with cells morphing to the material conditions and ideological sympathies of the disenfranchised. Within the Trappist System, particularly upon Cariocecus, the focus of Hatchet is acknowledged to favour Neo-Luddism over anti-corporatism or left wing ideology.

Influence

Hatchet maintains a significant cultural influence within governed space within dissident and political circles, as responsibility for violent attacks against the status quo are regularly attributed to the network. The media narrative throughout governed space is of an organisation capable of striking at any time and any place unless vigilance is maintained, with alleged attacks by the organisation frequently cited to justify the suspension of freedoms for the sake of security. The true influence that Hatchet holds remains under speculation, as cells claim responsibility for the attacks attributed to them, even if their involvement could not be proven. Outspoken members of the Blutkorps and the Saturnian pundit Alek Jameson have independently claimed that Hatchet is a form of controlled opposition, with attacks perpetrated by other terrorist organisations attributed to Hatchet in order to control the narrative.

Cell leaders and the media claim that Hatchet maintains a presence within every inhabited system in known space. The movement has remained in the public consciousness since the end of the Great Interstellar War, with many attempted revolutions in governed space and civil wars fought in ungoverned space attributed to Hatchet. However, the biggest influence the network has successfully cultivated outside of the myriad of targeted attacks, has been through the actions of former members of Hatchet arrested by the Interstellar Police Force. These individuals have routinely been given media platforms to spread their message, with some even entering into mainstream politics upon their release, which has only served to fuel speculation of the organisation serving the interests of corporate and political bodies.