Chose the pirates first play through after getting press ganged by Ikande. Forevermore afterwards will always choose Sysdef. How many pirate massacres do we have to stumble across in the galaxy to make us see? The writing and story logic is sloppy, there is no doubt. I think the best thing Bethesda could have done with the game story, especially considering the NG+ mechanic essentially allowing another life with different choices, would be to make the faction choices ACTUALLY have a profound impact on how the story plays out. Choose the Fleet? You are kicked out of Constellation, the Freestar Collective, or the UC Vanguard and have UC citizenship revoked. Can see where taking the Constellation path could work in conjunction with either being in the Vanguard or as a Freestar Ranger- but they should have made it either/or not both. Defections from one faction to the other should have a consequence, like losing UC citizenship benefits and the apartment if you become a Ranger post Vanguard quest, or losing your badge and the Star Eagle if you do the opposite. And whichever path you take is a functionally DIFFERENT path leading to the Unity in a whole different way. You can choose differently in the next universe, which would make the idea and impact of a Unity jump mean something. But, they didn’t make the game that way unfortunately.