Barkley Barrett

## Overview

Barkley Barrett is the CEO of Barrett Corporation. Barrett Corporation is a highly visible company in the Federation that espouses high ideals but has a corrupt underside.

Barkley travels in his executive yacht *Evelyn's Choice* with an EI named Evelyn that speaks with his grandmother's voice.

He has enhanced body with nanocytes, purchased, installed in a Fleet Pod-doc after an expensive contract negotiation with Admiral Grace who owed him a favor after Barkley helped his child out of serious legal and financial trouble, Given the Admiral's action, he is now open to blackmail from Barrett and is pushed constantly into doing more favors for Barrett.

His favorite drink is Scotch.

## Activities

### Lone Wolf Squadron

#### Sector Force

The Lone Wolf Squadron finds that former slaves and other pioneers are being tricked into traveling to a mining planet where they are held in perpetual servitude to the mining company by illegal tactics. Beau is warned to stay out of it by Jack Sommers because of the political and economic pressure Barkley wields.

Barkley has an executive assistant named Jeeves who rose through the ranks. He entrusts her with all of his business dealings, both public and private.

Barkley goes to the Tarex system to confront the Marshal and bribe or coerce him into compliance. This includes taking back the union organizer to the Barrett mining colony and taking Remi and Jock to trial on the colony. His goal is to discredit all 3 of them and show the workforce there is no escape from their servitude. Barrett is very frustrated his influence on Admiral Grace failed to end the Marshalls but because of the arm's length relationship with the Federation the Admiral's hands are tied. When the negotiations fail, Barrett has Evelyn place a worm in June's system that will trigger later. He also signals Major Faruk to interdict the Tarex system by any means necessary. These actions include:

* Working with the Skaine in Uuru to make economic charges against Kety and the marshals based on them breaking her out of the Skaine prison. The results in the *Drifter* being impounded.
* Working with Admiral Grace to make sure no additional resources are allocated to the marshals even if the marshals are willing to pay for them.
* Pressuring other corporations to not ship to Tarex and not accept shipments from Tarex.
* Having a Federation judge issues warrants for Remi and Jock.

In the end Barrett's scheme collapses. He has made sure all the people who could implicate him are killed including Jeeves. He portrays himself as a CEO who oversees so much that sometimes lower-level managers make poor decisions and he will make sure it doesn't happen again and he has the influence in the Federation to make the story stick.

#### Star Corps

Adoria, a Skaine tavern owner, let's Remi know that Barkley is tracking of the Marshal personell to be targeted by a final plan. At a secret location Barkley identifies as Point Omicron in the Blaze system there is a research facility. There are many projects but a key one is developing a virus that corrupts Nanocytes His target is Charli, hoping to gain vengeance on her and weaken the entire Squadron.

Barkley has found the link about his unethical dealings came from the Skaine Consortium. He uses that to coerce Zarek, Consortium Leader, into helping him get the virus into Charli.

There is a sense that Barkley has some connection to the Kratch. He indicates that any money Farak paid to the Kratch would eventually find its way back into his pockets.

Ultimately the Squadron traces the virus back to the Blaze research facility and overcome the station personnel. Barkley sends the Kratch to destroy the facility but they fail allowing the Squadron to acquire the Pod-doc to cure Charli. They take the Pod-doc back to the Outpost Starion.

#### Interstellar Justice

Barkley travels to the Rota System in the Tadaruk Sector where he has contracted with the Daruk to create the Kratch. The Lone Wolf Squadron has depleted his current stock of Kratch. The Daruk are a highly reclusive, non-FTL species who are offended by his unplanned visit. They are willing to show him the last batch of Kratch to be created as part of the current contract. As a penalty for his visit the Daruk say they are unwilling to sign another contract.

Zarek, the Skaine Consortium leader, offers Barkley a chance to wipe out the Marshalls. The Marshalls are expected to travel to Zubik Four to take down the Skaine Factor on the planet. They will be exposed to very long supply lines and limited support from the planet. Barkley agrees but only if Zarek is willing to commit his forces. Barkley is wary of being defeated again by the Marshals fighting just the Kratch.

Once the battle begins the Marshals are able to disrupt the collective link to the *Evelyn* and replace it with a link to Teefer who orders the Kratch to quit fighting. Barkley realizes he will not be safe anywhere in Federation space and orders the *Evelyn* to Daruk space believing he can buy them off again. The Daruk refuse any deal and destroy the Evelyn with all hands onboard.

The Federation does not know about the Daruk or the fate of Barkley.

## References

1. ↑ Davis, Jamie; Anderle, Michael. Sector Force (Lone Wolf Squadron Book 4) (pp. 50-51). LMBPN Publishing. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ Davis, Jamie; Anderle, Michael. Star Corps (Lone Wolf Squadron Book 5) (p. 262). LMBPN Publishing. Kindle Edition.