I wouldn't say democracies can only function well in peace time.

I will use my home, the US, as an example. It's definitely a democracy, and definitely a world power. It has the largest military in the world, and has only had 11 years of peace time since it was founded, less than 5% of its time as a nation has been without conflict. We thrive on war and conflict it seems. I would expand further on this, but I don't want to get too heavily into US politics.

It would be more accurate to say democracies work slower than other govt' types.

I don't really understand how much freedom a Dust character has, lore-wise. It certainly can't be as much freedom as an EVE capsuleer, right? Beyond that, our ability to travel seems limited to what our employers provide; are we, for example, able to use our clones for personal reasons that fall outside of whatever's stipulated in a contract? How are we selected, or how do we qualify, for the cloning process to begin with?

Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know. To answer your question, I'll go from the perspective of an EVE pilot instead though, because I understand that concept better.

I'd be a pirate. Selfish, occasionally ruthless, but generally trustworthy and honorable unless crossed; anyone who crosses me dies slowly and painfully if I have the opportunity to capture them. I'd either work solo or as a privateer (not sure if EVE lore has state-sponsored piracy) for Caldari/Amarr, against Gallente/Matar and other pirates. I'd have a covert ops ship with a crew of Ni-Kunni, Deteis, Khanid, and maybe a few Achura and a couple of rogue Sebiestor and Intaki for flavor.

Oh, the adventures we'd have. I envision it as being very Firefly-esque. I might dabble in corporate espionage, sabotage, and assassination if I get bored; but only for "good" (as in, my own) reasons.

I couldn't work directly for any of the major factions; don't take orders well. Thus the "consultant" capacity would be ideal.