Daily Archives: June 16, 2010

Blog Banter #18 – Things Change

Posted by Roc Wieler on
Welcome to the eighteenth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by none other than me, CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

On May 6th 2010, EVE Online celebrated its 7th Anniversary. Quite a milestone in MMO history, especially considering that it is one of the few virtual worlds out there to see its population continually grow year after year. For some of you who’ve been here since the very beginning, EVE has evolved quite a lot since its creation. With the expansion rolling out roughly twice a year, New Eden gets renewed and improved regularly. But, how about you the player? How has you gaming style evolved through the years or months since you’ve started playing? Have you always been a carebear, or roleplayer? Have you only focused on PvP or have you given other aspects of the game a chance – say manufacturing. Let’s hear your story!

Once, I was a slave; a slave who carved his path to freedom.

Once, I was a mortal man; transformed into an immortal god.

Once, I was a war hero; now I am … something new.

There are many schools of thought on the progression of life. Some believe it to be a straight and linear line; we start at point A and end at B. It has all been pre-ordained.

Others believe that every choice we make creates a new reality; that life is an ever changing universe of decisions we make. To extend that line of thought, every decision we don’t make could theoretically create a new reality where we did make that choice. Imagine how many infinite universes there must be for every decision we never made, and ever decision that may have existed from those unmade decisions… tenth dimension.

I subscribe to a more fatalistic approach to life. Life is a river, constantly flowing and ebbing. I can’t control the river; I can merely adjust my position within it at times. There are moments when the river rages onwards around me, dragging me under, leaving me gasping for breath. There are more moments when I can slow my forward momentum downstream, allowing me the illusion of control, even providing the opportunity for me to look around and enjoy the view.

But like water, life is in constant motion; nothing ever remains the same.

I’ve dabbled in the market, tried fulltime employment with the Republic Security Services. I’ve ransomed capsuleers for profit, killed Amarr in a bloody war for my people’s freedom. I’ve run a POS. I’ve been a director in a corporation. I’ve been a rock star, and a writer. I’ve trained in the ancient martial arts of my ancestors. I’ve recovered relics from a time long forgotten.

I’ve seen many things in my lifetimes, but know my combined experience is but a speck of sand on a beach in the grand scheme of things. There is still so very much for me to do.

In my mind’s eye, I see a waterfall ahead of me. I can hear the growing rumble of its precipice, but I cannot see over the edge. I breathe in the freshness of the air deeply, exhilarated.

No matter what life brings me next, I’ll be ready for it.

  1. CrazyKinux’s Musing: The Heroes with a Thousand Faces
  2. StarFleet Comms: Life. Evolved.
  3. A Carebear’s Journeu: This Carebear Thinks He Is Developing Teeth
  4. The Elitist: Our ventures in EVE
  5. A Mule in EVE: From a guppy predator
  6. Travels of the Ronin: Evolution and Adaptation
  7. The Ralpha Dogs: The Past Through Tomorrow
  8. Where the frack is my ship: A journey, not a destination
  9. I am Keith Neilson: 7 Year Itch?
  10. Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah: Evolution Me
  11. EVE Opportunist: A long history of a short time
  12. Roc’s Ramblings: Things Change
  13. Guns Ablaze: Onwards and Upwards
  14. EVE On Real Life: Haven’t you grown up yet?
  15. More as they get published…

Dal Signo Al Fine

Posted by Roc Wieler on

ARNON IX – MOON 3
SISTERS OF EVE BUREAU

I see the rumours of your demise were greatly exaggerated, Roc Wieler. This pleases me. You have been a loyal ally to the Sisters of Eve.

Your anger is understandable, but we’ve got more reason to cooperate than to quarrel. Dagan’s your real enemy. You’ll be interested to know that some of his corpmates have been spotted at a nearby station. We’ve prepared an agent to gain their confidence and extract information on their further operations. To you, she’ll be Tahaki Karin, a ship’s engineer from the Damsel. Before our operative can infiltrate Dagan’s group, Karin’s identity records will need to be altered. Take these records to an archive station. Once they’re updated there, our friends will make sure they’re changed throughout the entire workout.

This woman was completely unbelievable. It had been over a year and yet she was all business. She hadn’t even flinched as I stormed into her private office, slamming open the doors with a look of cold death on my face. She had simply turned, smiled, and assigned me my task. She knew it still goaded me that I had never finished off this business with Dagan.

I hated being manipulated, even if I had given my word. Maybe I had been looking at her reaction the wrong way. Maybe she was doing her best to not increase my level of discomfort by reminding me of my failure to deliver, instead opting to pick up where we left off as if nothing had changed.

As much as I resented Sister Alitura, she was a complex and interesting persona. Several decades had to pass before I finally understood just how intertwined our paths would become.

“Fine, but once we’re done here, we’re done.” I said flatly. She simply smiled knowingly, nodding slightly.

Playing courier didn’t take long, and I successfully delivered the altered identity as requested. As I was returning to Alitura to see what would inevitably come next, I received a transmission from the RSS, or Republic Security Services as they were properly known. For the sake of Republic security she will remain nameless, but it was encouraging to hear that she guaranteed me full support from the Republic should I need it. Perhaps the wounds were starting to heal.

In the meanwhile, Tahaki Karin was ready to be transported to a waiting Society of Conscious Thought transport. After everything I had accomplished in the last year, it goaded me to play delivery boy, whether it was of an object or a person. I clenched my teeth and bared it.

The Society of Conscious Thought transport didn’t take long to arrive. I relaxed my mind from locking my targeting crosshairs on the ship and blowing it into so much dust; I had been instructed to not engage the vessel.

Karin successfully traversed the blackness between our ships to arrive safely aboard. That was when Aura flagged their ship as hostile.

Still I did nothing as instructed.

Within moments, the ship aligned and warped off. My heart was pounding with impotent rage as I commed Sister Alitura.

The next several hours became far more interesting. Agents from each of the Empires contacted me, each wanting me to acquire Dagan for them. I didn’t even bother listening to the Amarr agent, cutting the comm before he could even finish his appeal.

A few skirmishes with Society of Conscious Thought squads and various mercs finally unearthed Dagan’s location. Sister Alitura had sent me to her colleague Brus Colterne for the final leg of this journey, as he was the agent closest to Dagan’s whereabouts.

Destroying Dagan’s ship, and his escorts was easy. The Ripsack had barely warmed up before the encounter was over. I smiled at the look of helplessness on his face through the glass of his damaged pod as my tractor beam pulled him into the cargo hold. My smile faded as I realized I felt just as helpless as he did at changing fate; as if all our destinies were pre-written.

Brus verified the identity of my precious cargo, and soon I was passing through the stars towards what I hoped would be my final act for the Sisters of Eve.

As I came out of warp, I was surprised to see not just the Republic Security Services agent I had contacted and agreed to deliver Dagan to, but representatives from each of the Empires. I smirked, my trigger finger itching to open up on the Amarr and Caldari, but I knew my assault class frigate would be no match for their factional battleships. Another time perhaps.

As I slowed my ship, I received a transmission from Sister Alitura, notifying me of a change in plan. Lovely.

I don’t know how the woman did it, but she had convinced everyone involved to allow the Sisters of Eve custody of Dagan. A transport warped in, and I delivered his pod to it. The RSS agent paid me anyway for service to the Republic, and Sister Alitura also deposited a sum into my account, as well as thanking me for fulfilling my promise to her.

You are a noble warrior, Roc Wieler. There is no doubt our paths shall cross again.

As for me? I was happy to be done with this business and get back to nullsec. The cares of Empire space were quickly fading from my priority list…