Good Honest Work

I had forgotten how much work running a corp was, never mind relocating the HQ, reviewing the roster, and keeping production running. Still it keeps me busy, doesn't give me time to dwell on the past.....

Reflections on a Fall

Hindsight. If only we knew then what we know now. I knew then I had problems, but not how deep they ran. I had turned to drink to keep my daemons at bay. Many others do it, null sec is full of the lost and damned, some running from their past....some given over to their daemons. I was trying to hide from mine. It was going...OK. I was keeping up with my quotas, but I felt the need to drink....lots. I needed the cushion alcohol gave me.

Hindsight. Perhaps it was not a good idea to fly while smashed. It was definitely not a good idea to rig my pod to keep me topped up.
I still hear the screaming as my pod ejected. I feel I got off lightly. I have been given a leave of absence, not to return till I am dry and have the will to return.

I need a drink...real bad...

No. I have another purpose now. I have fallen on my feet as it were. Thanks to Vince putting a word in, I have the opportunity to forge a new destiny. For once I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. The warm glow emanating from an angels wings.

My Darkest Hour

Station: O94 Hephaestus

System: O94U-A

Region: Branch

Sovereignty: Wildly Inappropriate

-+- LSJV Surveillance Drone #023 -+-

Image of a Hulk approaching the LSJV Factory Outpost.

***Hyperion III - Hephaestus Docking Control - You are cleared for landing, maintain current course***

***Hyperion III please respond***

The Hulk starts to drift to Starboard.

***Hyperion III you have left the docking pattern - Hold current position***

-+- LSJV Surveillance Drone #012 -+-

Close up view of the Hulk, no signs of damage, still running at full power visibly drifting away from the hanger entrance.

***Hyperion III you have 5 seconds to stop engines - Please acknowledge***

***[Security Channel] Launch alert fighters - Notify Directorate & WI High Command***

-+- LSJV Fighter Drone A128 -+-

Hulk has not reduced speed and is on collision course with the station. Hanger doors can be seen closing as the fighter drone orbits the Hulk.

***[Local Channel] Sound of klaxons in the background - This is Hephaestus declaring an emergency - All WI ships please respond***

***Hyperion III unless you reverse course immediately we will be forced to open fire - Acknowledge***

***[Security Channel] Weapons free - Fire at will***

-+- LSJV Surveillance Drone #023 -+-

The fighter drones open fire, but far too late. The Hulk impacts with the station - a blinding flash causes the drone camera to blank out - through the expanding debris cloud the flashing lights of a Pod can be seen briefly before a shadow passes over the view - Static -+- Drone Feed Lost -+-

***********

-+- 094 Hephaestus Security Feed -+-

Newtonius Rex is sitting in an interview room, hands cuffed behind his back. Two men are stood in front of him talking.

'You have cancelled his clone contracts in the WI stations?'

'Yeah, but his medical clone is in Empire as far as we can tell.'

'No matter. Just strap him in a shuttle and set the self destruct.'

'We could just kill him now' Pulls out a hand gun.

'No, I have my orders'

***********

-+- LSJV Surveillance Drone #143 -+-

An Amarrian shuttle drifts into the distance until it is a golden speck, expands into a fiery flower then...nothing.

Genesis

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,
and the Earth was without form and void,
and darkness was on the face of the deep,
The Spirit of God moved on the face of the water,
and God said 'let there be light',
and the Tachyon beams rent the darkness,
and God saw the light, that it was good.

Relax, you're amongst friends...

For fear of the repercussions and of Amarrian intelligence tracking me down I laid a fairly obvious trail to the Bleaklands where I went to ground. I hooked up with Vincent the only person I knew in the region that I trusted. He was flying with an organisation called Ghost Festival, affiliated to the Angel Cartel. It seemed a perfect place to hide out for a short time, unlikely to give me up to the Amarrians. We met up in a bar called Skyhook with his wing mates. For some reason I found myself spilling my guts, laying my soul bare to them. They were surprisingly supportive, which is just what I needed. I felt it wasn't a good idea to hang about, I didn't want to bring an unwanted heat down on them. I headed back to Branch and lost myself in the anonymity of outlaw space.

Aggravating Circumstances

18.3.111

I can only now, after some time has past, record what happened as I returned from the Eve Gate.  I was passing through Amarr space and decided to dock and pray, to commune with a higher power and give the fire inside me a purpose. 

I stopped off at some backwater Amarrian system and found a chapel away from the busy through routes at the spaceport.   It was a beautiful chapel, I have always been an admirer of religious architecture, and this was a fine example.  It was fairly quiet inside, a few amarrians busy at their devotions, they did not stir as I passed them buy heading for the alter.  There were no members of the clergy present and I paid this no mind, I was a free member of Amarrian society, despite my blood and ancestry, I had the right to be here.  I prostrated myself before the alter and lost myself in prayer.

I don't know how long I lay there, but I became aware of angry voices and foot steps approaching.  'Who allowed this desecration?  Summon this things master, I want it gone from here.'  It was a whiny petulant voice.  Without looking up I knew it was the priest, I had met his type before, 'Don't worry yourself Priest, I am leaving.'.  I strode to the door pausing to look back at the alter, as I did so the priest shouted to one of his minions, 'get it out of here, and tell it's master that property is to be controlled.' the poor underling laid a hand on me and tried to push me to the door.  'Property.....? '  I felt the fire rise inside of me, the wheel of fire filling my vision.  Instead of opening the door I bolted it.  I felt the fire filling me, the rage building, I could here the priest screaming for me to leave, the urgent demands from the cleric next to me, I drew my bowie knife and silenced the pitiful wretch and strode quickly to the priest who was standing, his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out 'You should be careful who you insult, free men where I am from don't take kindly to being referred to as property.'

He fell to his knees, whining that he was sorry, that it was a mistake, I did not listen I let the fire inside take me........Blood.....so much Blood.....and screaming.........then.....silence.

I regained my senses, kneeling at the alter a blood stained knife in my hand, they were all dead....all of them.....what had I done......what have I become......

Wheel of Fire

3.3.111

I returned to Branch yesterday, but could not settle. I felt restless and ill at ease. I needed to get away from every thing and every one, to get my head straight. I set out for the Eve Gate in Genesis. It was a long trip, over 30 jumps through 0.0, but no problems for a Cov Op ship. Apart from the friendly gate camps it was an uneventful journey. I docked for a time in Taisy before setting out on the remaining 30 odd jumps. Again a disappointingly easy journey.

Genesis was an unsettling region, fairly quiet as I passed through, with no stations that I saw. I finally arrived at the New Eden gate and sat for a time collecting my thoughts before jumping through.

The wormhole is an awesome sight. A wheel of Fire burning in the night. I don't know how long I sat there staring at the swirling fire. Something changed inside of me. I felt at peace with myself, with who I am, and who I will become. Instead of darkness inside there is now an all consuming fire.

An Old Friend

1.2.111

Empire. I never realised how fat and lazy it makes you. With Concord looking over your shoulder you'd have to be a fool to lose a ship. Although those that fly here do not see it. They go about their business wrapped up in their safe little bubbles. The only thing worse than these complacent fools are the ones that prey on them. The so called pirates that cannot take the competition of the lower security systems. I never realised how much I had grown to hate it here, and how much contempt I have for the residents. It is as well my affairs here are now in order, apart from the occasional (and unavoidable) supply runs I am finished with the opulence and petty rivalry of high security space!

This last week was meant to be a break from the grind of life in 0.0. But turned out to be more eventful. After I collected the last of my stored equipment I contacted Vincent. It was good to see him, it has been a long time! It turns out he is now an affiliate of the Angel Cartel, and flies with a small Corporation called Ghost Festival, out of the Bleaklands. I am entirely comfortable with Piracy, but living in outlaw space has eroded my morals so I agreed to go on a patrol. It was nice flying with a small tight team again, even as an outsider looking in. I was also flying a Crucifer class for the first time. The downside of flying with a small gang is the losses, we lost 2 frigates but the Pods did get out, took the edge off the elation of taking down an assault frigate somewhat. Although I am somewhat surprised by my lack of emotion, perhaps because I did not know any of the plots involved. Because of Vince (and hopefully my performance in the Op) I have been invited to fly with the Ghosts again, In return I have offered to run supplies into Tzvi.

But for now I need to return to Branch. My Hulk will be ready - the Ore must flow!

And yet there is a turmoil within me. A darkness on my soul. I need to think. I need.....to be alone.

A Near Miss

27.02.111


My move to Branch is looking like the best decision I have made for quite some time. But damn, the work is hard. I thought I used to spend a lot of time in the belts, but since joining up I have barely been out of an exhumer. Apart from a couple of home defence actions, I spend most of my time amongst the roids, or catching some shut eye on a bunk in the hanger while the maintenance crew preps the old girl for the next shift. Pulling double shifts for nearly a month, I always thought the crew would fail first. I never realised it was possible to burn out the power conduits of a Hulk......till last night that is. Worst timing I have ever seen, strips overloading and taking the main power with it, shield hardeners failed, drone control went off line, then the god damned rats warped in. I never noticed them at first, it was only as the Shields started to fall past 75% I realised we were in deep shit. Shields failed just as the emergency power kicked in. Thankfully Balthazar was in system and picked up my distress call, If he hadn't warped in with his Raven I don't think we would have made it. As it was we took hull damage, and even with the repair facilities in O94 my poor battered Hyperion III will be out of action for about a week.



Seems as good a time as any to get a change of scenery. I have given the crew a weeks leave, and have clone jumped to Empire. I have a few loose ends to clear up, and may look up some old friends. I wonder how Vince is getting on....

Rebirth

26.2.111

A small cynical voice in the back of my mind asks why I am wasting my time thinking of the past,  I should be re-calibrating the strip miners on my Hulk. I push the voice down I am finding this cathartic.

It seems so long ago now, but I still remember the feeling of awe as I first undocked in my Reaper.

I had no clear idea of what to do. I followed the advice from the university agents and carried out a few missions in Heimatar, but the feelings of not fitting in remained.  Once I had my first proper frigate, a burst class, I forget her name now, I decided to head out and explore the cluster for a while.  I travelled extensively through Amarrian and Minmatar space, mining to pay my way.  I still never settled, never felt at peace.

Then I met Calotriton when passing through Amatar space.  There was spark between us, she too was an orphan, bought up by an Amatar family, she had only recently become a capsuleer and was struggling to find her feet.  To cut a long story short, we fell in love, married, then drifted apart. She become business partners with an Amarrian in Arbaz, I joined White Wolf Enterprises.  We are still married, and still talk but are more friends now than lovers.

WWES is where things turned the corner for me.  For the first time I had a home, and people I could call friends.  All my experiences there have led me to this place.  I went from green recruit to officer to mining manager to director gaining the trust of my fellow wolves.  I made some lasting friends Demo, Ele, Khanid Slayer, the Speranza brothers and above all Vincent Pryce, who I consider the brother I never had.

A part of me obviously doesn't like things going well.  I look now at what I had and wonder if the decision I made was worth the cost.  The CEO, Caine Adamsson (yes the Amarrian who freed me) was never around.  I ran the corp with the support of the directors and officers.  I felt I could do better.  So I took us to war.

The war was short with no great loss of life or material.  I won, and in the process tore the corp apart.  Once everything had settled, things were looking up new recruits were joining, we had a research POS set up, on the whole moral looked up.  Then Vince decided not to return to us,  I don't think his part in the coup sat well with him.  Jan Pieterzoon (one of the old guard) vanished with no word.  Demo left to found his own corp and took most of my active pilots.  I could do nothing to stop the decline.  I had failed.  I turned the corp over to the Directors to decide who to run it and left.

I fought for a while with the 24IC.  But I am not a combat pilot.  I drifted for a time Before seeing an add for Lone Star Joint Venture, a 0.0 mining corp.  This seemed to be the break I needed.  I was accepted and moved out to Branch.  Mining here is lucrative yet risky.  Halada has a good crew and the alliance holds some nice systems.  I have amassed a small fortune, and have certified in a number of new ship classes.

Perhaps the time is right to look to the future....

But for now I'd better get that bloody strip miner working.  There will be hell to pay if I miss my quota......

Beginings

25.02.111

Recent events have made me stop and take stock of my situation.  

Who am I?  Where am I going?  Why do I feel so alone?  Looking to my past these questions have always been there........

Since my birth there have been unknowns.  The exact date and place of my birth go unrecorded, I was found outside a slave plantation in Penirgman, and adopted by a Brutor slave familiy in the service of Lord Caine Adamsson.  An uneventfull childhood as a slave never prepared me for the changes that were coming.

Around the age of 18 there was a slave uprising at the plantation, my family did not agree and tried to resist the rioters, they were torn apart while I hid in fear.  I fled in panic, and found an Amarrian boy cornered by a group of slaves. I felt a rage grow deep iside me, a red haze fell accross my vision, and I lanched myself at the slaves.  The next thing I remeber I am stood in the middle of a pile of corpses coved in gore.  I have no explaination of what happened, or how I survived, a more poetic man would say it was the blood of Matar or the wrath of the Amarrian God possessing me, or some other bull shit.  All I know is the kid survived, and by that act I changed my life forever.

The Amarrian boy turned out to be the son and only heir of my Lord.  In recognition of my loss and service to his familiy I was set free and given transport back to Heimatar and given funds to set me up for life.  Fate had other plans.

After a some time travelling round Minmatar space trying to find myself, I began to realise I didn't really fit in, I was different in manner.  More Amarrian than Matari. As a last ditch attempt to fit in I enrolled at the Republic University to Study Astro-Physics and zero-G Engineering.  Whilst there I volunteered for a phsycological research project (mainly because that cute Brutor chick signed up).  Turns out it was the capsuleer recruitment programme, and I had the intellegence, strength of will and moral flexibility they were looking for....