the rebellion is in the middle of a war against the federation, specifically the bureau. the rebellion claims that the bureau has committed heinous crimes, and controls the federation itself and that the bureau should be removed from power. the rebellion hates killing the puppets of the bureau but knows that there is no way of fighting the bureau without destroying federation ships. the rebellion is vital in all of the major storylines, and the outcomes of all of them affect the rebellion, and their war against the bureau in one way or another.