– by Kreigen

**10 Days till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I
Caldari Sovereignty

The day was hot, unusually hot considering the breeze off the oceans. There was a farming module out in the west field that needed a condenser unit replaced badly, and of course, father had me up at dawn to fix it. I sat kneeling in the soft earth of the field, sweat pouring over my forehead and dripping off my nose, trying to think if there was anything better I wanted to do with my life. There had been times I had dreamt of heading to the stars like so many others, but father was quick to end those thoughts.

“The universe outside our door is a loathsome and unforgiving place.” He would say “Clear your mind of the trivial dreams, and focus on the work you do with your own two hands”

He was so found of saying that…”with your own two hands”. Mother used to say it was his way of atonement, but was quick to silence when father would give her “The Look”. I laughed to myself, yeah, “The Look”. It was legendary in our home, it meant shut up or else.

I brushed the dirt off my hands and ran them through the soil. It always helped take some of the oils from the modules off, something about the sulfur content my father would say. I gazed upward and caught a glimpse of the Lai Dai station hovering in orbit. Sometimes, at night I would glance through the crude microscope my father had hidden away in the storage unit at that mighty mass of metal in the sky and wonder….. What did they do?

I had traveled with father many times to the planetary launch pad about 100km away. We would trade goods and pick up our orders from the cargo containers that came in once every six cycles. I would always listen to the pilots talk of the latest Capsuleer news. What systems were threatened, what horrible things had happened, and what Concord had planned for this system. Always that rumor. This system has always been just out of Concords reach, lawless and dangerous yet close enough to secured space that nothing terrible ever really happened.

Suddenly something didn’t feel right. I snapped back to reality and realized I was gazing off for more then an hour, lost in my own thoughts, father would have my head for that if he knew. I wondered if it was the fear of getting caught daydreaming that snapped me back, Yet that wasn’t it. I felt my skin crawl as what little breeze blew stopped. Then I heard it. The familiar boom of planetary entry. There wasn’t a scheduled resupply drop for another 3 cycles. I stood up quickly and scanned to the west, toward the planetary pad.

Nothing.

I knew I heard it. I scanned the horizon, flowing my eyes off the blue oceans to the south. That’s when I saw it… or should I say them. They started as small specks reflecting off the water. I thought I had heat stroke at first. But then I rubbed my eyes and looked again, they were there swarming around each other, just above the water. Then suddenly they stopped moving, and in a flash shot off in 5 different directions. One barreled, like some kind of winged demon, right toward me. It stopped, dead on the spot, just a few feet above my head.

It was silver in color, with a pulsing blue light from its core. It was pill shaped, but with large rotating fans that kept it in flight. Reminding me of the kites I flew as a child. Suddenly it lurched, and shot into the ground, inches from me. The concussion of the impact threw me to the ground, and the noise of it rang in my ears. I sat up, and noticed the module I spent all morning working on was torn clear in half. The object was now imbedded into the soil, making clicking and whirling sounds. Then suddenly, just as it had moments before, it lurched and shot again into the sky. This time not hovering, but a full thrust back into the clouds. I heard 5 distinctive pops as each object I had first witnessed ascended back into the black heavens.

I never heard father approach me, nor did I notice him inspecting the module and the hole in the ground that sat smoking from the heat of the thing. I gaze upward until I felt his hand on my shoulder….

He spoke softly, having never heard him speak this way I was startled..

“Son, come to the house. I need to speak to you and your sister…now”

**6 Days till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I Lai Dai Station, High Orbit
Caldari Sovereignty

He sat watching the screen as it scanned, and rescanned every ship within 200km of the station. Things had gotten very busy, and ever since the fleet of scan ships hit the system, and descended on

Planet I, 4 days ago.

They had him on double duty. Caldari state ships were arriving in droves. But they weren’t the only ones. He had personally seen at least 6 Charon freighters enter the system and move to positions around the 3rd planet in the last 24 hours. The Capsuleers were chomping at the bit. 6 days to go, then everything would change….

**4 Days till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I
Caldari Sovereignty

What father had told me was almost impossible to believe. Concord was lifting the ban on what he called “Planet Mining”. We always thought we were going to be safe from capsuleers here. I had heard him tell my mother of the “old days”, which he would look at me and warn me of the “Breed of dogs and demons that fly the dark heaven without a care to anyone but themselves, and their wallets”.

Now that was changing. They were coming here, to lay claim to land that we had already claimed. The scan probes that shot through the planet over the last few days were only beginning he told us. Soon we would have to be ready for much more, much bigger visitors. My sister sat weeping, unsure of our fate. My father was as stone faced as ever.

That evening I saw him standing outside talking to someone. The man was covered in a robe from head to toe and spoke with an accent I had never heard. When he reached out to shake my fathers hand I gasped at the sight. Mechanics of countless kinds ran through his arm. Metal plates bolted to his skin, which was as pale as our moon. My father took his hand, shook it, and spoke in a language I had never heard.

The next morning I questioned him about the man. I was swiftly given “The Look” and fell to silence. He instructed me to go that morning to the west field, the same field I had encountered that first scan probe, and retrieve every piece of equipment from it.

“That’s nearly 3 days work” I exclaimed.

My father looked at me, without flinching said “And you have one day to do it in”

**2 Days till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I Lai Dai Station
Caldari Sovereignty

The last two days were spent gathering everything we had. Some of it my father sold to our neighbors for the cheapest bidder. I was angry at him, upset that we were abandoning our home at the first sign of the capsuleers. I bit my tongue, not wanting to anger father as I could tell he was already very much on edge.

He took me with him the previous night to a meeting with the locals and a Lai Dai company man. The man dressed head to toe in white lab gear. He spoke of the Caldari State’s reaction to recent concord decisions. He told us not to worry, that no great change would come to our planet or way of life. People were angry, screaming violent threats at him. Others were nodding their heads in agreement.

My fathers lips snarled, and he spat on the ground. “Fools..” he said under his breath. “Come, son, we are leaving…”

This day, no matter my anger, his mood seemed to have worsened. Twice more since I first saw that strange man he came back to speak with my father. Always at a distance in the shadows, and never for very long. I began to wonder why I had never seen him. A man like that would most surely be known to all in the area.

Father had just finished packing a cargo crate when the vid screen flashed. He had a call… he never had calls. Father gave me “The Look” and I quickly finished what I was doing and left the room. I heard him raise his voice, twice, then silence. It droned on for what felt like forever, ringing in my ears worse with each passing eternity of a second. Father opened the door and called me into the room.

I stood up, strangely, shaking. I had never seen him like this. There was something very different about him. He had always been stern, but fair and calm. Now he seemed a frenzy of emotion, dominating was anger.

I entered the room to find the locked trunk he kept under the floor boards pulled out and opened. Inside were all manner of mechanical instruments and gadgets. Father was opening a small steel container. Inside were small boxes with wires attached. He turned and stared at me dead in the eyes.

“Son, In my time I have seen great things, done greater things, but also horrible things.” His expression never faltered “I came here, with your mother and you to leave that behind me. But these things I have done will never leave. The universe sees to that. I have raised you to know hard work, to know that what you do with your hands results in reward. But that time has come to an end.”

I stared at him, my mind lost in a swirl of confusion “Father I….”

He cut me off “Do not speak. Listen.” I nodded.

“Tomorrow you will take your sister to the launch pad and meet with the Turista family. They will take her from you and you will return to me here.”

“I don’t unders…”

“I SAID LISTEN!” He screamed. He had never screamed at me. Between his demeanor and “The Look” it was enough to keep me in line. “..you will come back here. Do you understand?”

“Yes father.”

As I lay in bed that night my head swam with thoughts and worries. What was happening, why was father sending my sister away, and who was that man in the cloak? I heard him outside again talking with my father. I slid out of bed as silently as I could and slipped on my clothes. I crawled through the window and positioned myself in the bushes near them. They were finishing their conversation, ending in the handshake and language I knew nothing about. Father went back inside, and I followed the cloaked man at a distance. He proceeded down along the oceans bank to an isolated marsh section. He approached a point and stopped dead in his tracks. He stared up and did not move.

Suddenly the air around where he stood electrified and began to twist. Metal and lights came into view, then there was a ship. It was Black and red, with dim lighting all around it. Shaped in a crescent, it was bigger then anything I had ever seen. The cloaked man began to walk toward it, then stopped mid step. He turned only his head toward where I hid. How could have known I was here, I never made a sound. The cloak fell from around his head exposing a ghastly sight. Out of the back of his ran tubes and wires that disappeared down the back of his cloak. His head was bald, but patched with more metal plates. His mouth was covered by what looked like a deep breather we used when spraying out crops. As he gazed toward my location I noticed he was missing an eye, in its place was some kind of optic visor. I could not tell, but I swore I saw him smile before he stepped forward and boarded the ship.

It rose off the ground slightly hovering. It was silent. Its engines never made a sound. Then the electricity in the air started again, and it disappeared from view. I was left alone again in silence and darkness, unsure of what Id seen.

I made my way home and crawled back in through the window. Father was waiting for me in the darkness.

“Did you follow him?”

“yes father”

He let out a little laugh, something I hadn’t heard since mother had passed “Ever my son…. Go to sleep”

**23 hours till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I Lai Dai Station, High Orbit
Caldari Soveregnty

He was amazed. This system sat virtually barren for years. Not since the Gallante war had he seen so many ships in the system. Yet, there they were. 12 Charon freighters, countless support craft, as well as numerous combat vessels. He even thought he saw a black ops vessel ping on his radar. He couldn’t scan it down again so it was probably nothing, a ghost in the machine.

They were coming alright. Most from the same capsuleer corporation that was scanning the planet over the last week. They were coming, and they were foaming at the mouth.

**13 hours till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I
Caldari Sovereignty

He had done as he was told. His sister had boarded a shuttle with the Turista family, whom all looked petrified at the journey they were about to take. They shot off toward the stars, and the station, planning to return when the initial blitz on the planet by the capsuleers was over.

I returned home to find my father wearing a tight, black and deep blue uniform. His head was shaved, and for the first time ever I noticed numerous sockets and small metal plates around his head and neck. He was seated at the table with numerous devices laid out in front of him.

He pointed to the seat in front of him. “Sit down son.”

I did as I was told.

He looked down at the floor, then back at me. “Years before I knew your mother, before you were a twinkle in her eyes, I would fly that dark heaven. I was a great pilot; I fought in many wars, saw the end to many fellow pilots, and took all I could as my own.”

“You…you are a capsuleer?!” I exclaimed.

My father pardoned the interruption “Yes, was… and forever will be. I took everything I could, killed many innocent people, and was the leader of a small gang….. that man you’ve been seeing… he was my right hand. He took over the..” He gently cleared his throat “business when I left.”

I stared, lost.

“After the scan probes came that day I knew something was happening. I contacted him for information and found out much much more. We are leaving this place tomorrow. You will board a ship with me, we will leave this planet and start this game over again, together.”

I gasped “But I don’t want to start this over… I worked to long and hard here to start over somewhere else..”

He cut me off “You misunderstand me, we are not going to another planet to farm son. We are taking you to get fitted for a capsule. You are going to become what your father already is…”

I was lost, my head was swimming… I didn’t know what to say or do.

My father calmly waited for my to regain my composure. “Over the next few hours we will help me prepare to re-enter a capsule. You must learn as we go, and you pay close attention, it will make the process for you less… painful.”

Over the next few hours I helped him plug all manner of machine and booster into his neural slots. It was tiring and agonizingly tedious. When it was over, I gazed at my father not seeing the man I knew, but a thing closer to the man in the cloak.

**T Minus 15 minutes till Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I
Caldari Soveregnty

All day Dai Lai had been sending message probes and drones down to the planet telling us how to behave, what to expect, and other general propaganda. I had spend hours moving everything worth while to one large secured container with father, who was now wearing the same kind of cloak the mysterious man was wearing before. He had also fit me with some basic boosters thru injections that would help with my first visit to space.

It was due to happen soon, the first wave of capuseers to swarm the planet. The timer display my father set up said 6 minutes, where the drones kept saying 15. I knew now it was best to just go along with father and not ask.

After we finished loading the container he called me over to the clearing in front of our home. As I walked toward him I noticed his timer had reached zero. He pointed to a section of the sky and told me to watch.

I stared at the blue sky for what seemed forever. Then a blink caught my eye. It raced across the sky then dipped toward us. It tore a hole in the clouds and it barreled faster then anything I had ever seen. I wanted to run, to get out of its impending impact but I looked at father, who did not move. I stood my ground wanting to at least make him proud in what I thought was our twilight.

The object flew fast and hard toward us, then at the last second, came to a stop right above us. It was a ship, of a make and model I had never seen in any video feed. It was huge, a massive beast that blocked out the sun for what seemed miles. My father was smiling, grinning like a baby with a new toy. The ship slowly came to rest on the ground not far from the house. Its engines shut down and a figure exited the ship.

The cargo bay to the ship opened and began dropping a much smaller shuttle on the ground next to it. The figure walked closer, and I could see it was the same man who had come so many times in the night. He took my fathers hand and moved into a small embrace with him, patting his back firmly.

“Itsss good to sssee you in true form, brotha” he said, with his breathing device hissing as he did.

The figure glanced at me then back at father “Taking the nexxxt generation with you are you?”

Father spoke sternly and strongly “He is my legacy, and he will make his own soon enough”

The man laughed “Alwaysss the poet… the poet whos sword was alwaysss mighter then his pen”

He took my fathers hand, spoke his foreign farewell and headed toward the small shuttle. Stopping, he cocked his head slightly to the side and yelled out “Better hurry, Im ssssure the Lai Dai are wondering why a Machariel Battleship just broke planetary orbit” cackling he boarded the shuttle and torn off into the sky.

Father laughed to himself “A gnat on the radar it is not….” He turned quickly to me “As I instructed son, load the gear and get ready to go.”

I moved quickly to load the gear into place. I saw father enter the ship, the suddenly tiny probes launched everywhere around the ship. I heard his voice boom out of unseen speakers..

“Its time son…”

**Zero Hour- Concord Releases Planetary Ban**

Location: Horkissen I
Caldari Sovereignty

The sound of numerous planetary entries shock the ground. I was thrown to the ground, and quickly stood back up. I watched as giant pillars stretching miles into the sky dropped onto the planets surface as armies of drones began to peel away the metal skin and expose pipes, refineries, and other large factory like equipment.

I screamed at the ship “Father, what are these things.”

The speakers cracked on “They are the machines that will change the face of this planet and a million others like it. They are the instruments of the greedy, and the conduit of a new era.”

I stared back at them, the drones had already half assembled one and it groaned to life. I saw smoke pour into the air and it began its work.

Fathers voice rang in my ears “Board now son, we are leaving…”

I tore off running toward the boarding ramp, but was stopped suddenly by the biggest explosive sound I had ever heard. I walked slowly back to where I could see the factory. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, it was working I assumed, as intended.

“Up” fathers voice boomed again “Look up and see what one action begets”

I looked up and saw what I knew to be a Charon Freighter entering the atmosphere. That was impossible I though, they were far to big to enter planets. Then I saw it.

The bow of the ship dipped below the clouds, followed by the middle section. The rear of the ship was no where to be seen… and the middle was a horrific picture of hell. Flames shot out of every section, smaller explosions ripped through the remainder of the ship.

“Get on board son, we are leaving now” fathers voice said

I boarded and positioned myself next to a vid screen. The camera probes father had launched were fixed on the falling freighter. I watched, part in awe part in horror, as it touched the planets surface. The flash of light blinded the camera drones. Then as the picture came back I saw a pillar of fire rising to the sky unlike anything I had ever seen before. I felt the ship jerk as we lifted off the ground and punched toward the sky.

The shock was from the crashing freighter propelled us into the heavens. I glanced at the vid screen and noticed father had kept one on the planets surface. We watched as the shockwave tore everything to dust. Our home was gone, our life on that planet over.

“Camera six” father said.

I looked at the vid screen and increased the size. I saw another Charon being attacked by numerous ships of various sizes. I watched as it to exploded into debris.

“Pirates?!” I screamed above the engines

I heard fathers laugh reverberate through the whole ship. “No son, Capsuleers.”

I stared back at the screen and watched the planet grow smaller and smaller. I could see monstrous ships of countless model traveling toward it. I felt sick and sad.

“Our home….” I whispered under my breath

Fathers voice answered me “Your in it son, this is the Black Horizon, Welcome Home.”

I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to every reader thus far that has donated ISK to this community contest. From 1 million isk and higher, it all is generous, and I appreciate each of you for contributing.

Beyond individual player donations, there have been a couple of substantial donations made towards this contest by third party EVE entities.

This post is to identify the single biggest contribution to the CCP/Roc Tyrannis Contest thus far, and it comes from Eve Online Hold’em.

Visit their website to play now! EVE ONLINE HOLD’EM http://www.eohpoker.com/ (It’s also listed in Roc’s Referrals on the right)

Eve Online Hold’em is New Eden’s premiere legitimate gambling establishment with adventurous pod pilots winning billions of ISK! Looking for some fun? Some action? Some profit? Want to feed on the tears of others? EOH is the place where you can win big or lose it all.

It’s not over until the River.

Selene D’Celeste, founder and CEO of EOH is generous, personable, approachable, and runs a very secure operation.

So with Selene’s contribution of 3 BILLION ISK, we are now at 4 billion isk in prizes, and still have 2 PLEX to auction off! Way to go Eve community!

I’m updating the contest post now to reflect the prize changes!!!

PS. I’ve had some people ask if CK and I don’t get along, as since the beginning of this contest I’ve made it a point to raise more prizing than CK had for his CCP sponsored Tyrannis contest.

CK and I get along just fine. In fact, our playful goading of each other is just motivation to push ourselves further. In the end, it’s the Eve community that benefits.

Also, CK, if you’re reading this, I’m at 202 lbs.

~a memoir of love, loss, and violence by Sothos R’Tha

“Sothos…hey…Sothos, 150 ISK to you”

“Sorry,” I mumbled as I set my cigar down “I’ll call.”

I thew my chips into the pot and sat back in the chair. I wasn’t sure why I’ve been
so distracted lately. Things at home have been better than ever, at least as good as they
could be. I forgot tomorrow is Sadie’s birthday, I don’t even know what to get her. What
do ten year olds want for their birthdays now, what a terrible mother I am..

“Itt’le been eight years tomorrow, ain’t that right..” Trent said from across the table.

Eight years ago Trent and I were flying escort duty on a fairly routine trade run
from Jita. The corporation I was flying for produced fuel for the outpost stations set up
on the fringe of civilized space, but this run was well inside Caldari space. Orders were
to escort the Astral Hauler from the trade hub to our production facilities, fifteen jumps
away.

“You’re not going to let me get killed this time, are you sweetheart? Remember when
this tub pops, that’s it for me. No fancy pod to save my skin.” Lillo joked over the
comms.

“Not a chance, baby, you’ve got two of the best pilots watching your back, plus its a
straight shot through hi-sec” I replied back.

“After this assignment I was thinking I could take you and Sadie to Caille on Gallente
Prime. You know, for her birthday.”

“She’s only two, Lillo, she won’t even remember it.”

“It was just an idea, think about it. The first jump is coming up, prepare to jump to Perim-
iter” Lillo announced.

The dealer finished laying down the river, damn I thought as I threw my cards in.

“Did they e’re really figure out what happen’d with that gate? I tried askin’ ‘bout it but no-
body knew anythin’, it seem’d.” Trent asked as he stared blankly at his cards. “No,” I re-
plied “I submitted a formal request for a copy of the investigation when it was closed,
but apparently it has been marked as ‘Classified’.”

At first the jump through the stargate to the Perimeter system seemed like any
other jump. We requested alignment and jump codes from the control tower, they re-
sponded, and I felt the familiar sense of being stretched in all directions. In the instant
after everything went white, I expected to see the familiar Perimeter gate and be wel-
comed to the system over the comms. What I didn’t expect, however, was the nothing-
ness spread out ahead of me.

“What the hell is going on Sothos?” Lillo called from the Astral “Where the hell are we,
this isn’t Perimeter.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. Trent, what do your instruments read, mine can’t be right.” My
heart dropped when my navigation computer put our location in the Rancer system.

“Uh boss, my NAVs put us in the middle of Rancer.” Trent’s voice sounded nervous. The
Rancer system was notorious for pirates who killed you for the sheer sport of it. I
weighed my options for a minute. CONCORD has no jurisdiction in this system, so if we
got in trouble we would be on our own. I brought up the NAV computer again and
charted the nearest route back to secure space.

I keyed the microphone “Here’s the plan, Isikesu is the closest haven for us, but
we need to pass through Miroitem first. Trent, you and me will go ahead and scout the
gate. Be ready to warp the Astral when I give the all clear Lillo.” To be honest, I was ter-
rified. Being in pirate space with a light escort and a freighter full of cargo was a bad
situation just waiting to get worse.

A pair of 5’s, maybe this hand will be better. I didn’t need the ISK, flying short
hops across the planet brought in plenty of money, but I just needed to feel lucky. Luck
was the only way Trent and I would be able to pull off tonight’s mission. His datapad
buzzed and he glanced down at it.

“The barges jus’ jumped inta’ the system Sothos. Our scout says they got heavy movers
an’ mining drills. You ‘ere right, they gonna’ tear our home up. Jus’ like they been doin’
all over the sector”

“Are you sure you want to come out of retirement? Once we do this…we can never
come back. They’ll be hunting us, but someone needs to make a stand. Someone
needs to show these corporations that this is our land, our homes, and that they can’t
just take them from us.”

“Aye, I flew suicide missions with ya’ before Sothos and we seem’da turn out alright,
didn’t we?”

I looked back down at the table. The flop was a King, Queen and Three of dia-
monds. No Joy, but its never over until the river, as Lillo used to say.

“All clear, warp to the gate Lillo.” I started the automated alignment program and
punched the gate code. I held my breath as I appeared on the other side, and let out a
sigh of relief when it was clear. I radioed back for Trent and Lillo to jump through. One
more jump and we were safe, one more jump and I could go home and see my daugh-
ter. I aligned to the Isikesu gate and punched my warp drive. I came out of warp 100kM
from the gate and looked at the sensors closely, strangely not a soul in sight. The calm
made me uneasy, This whole trip I noticed we havn’t seen a single soul, pirate or other-
wise. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

“Go ahead and warp in, but be careful. Something doesn’t feel right here.” I dou-
ble checked the system scanners, and again they came up empty. As I saw Trent and
Lillo warp in next to me, I told Trent to jump through first, and then for Lillo to follow him.

Contact alarms sounded, my ship was locked and there was a missile warning
alarm screaming in my head. Instantly I punched my shield boosters and armed the
Bloodclaw’s. The Rifter Trent was flying detonated a mere fraction of a second before
he was able to jump through the gate, but I saw the green flash of his pod make it
through.

“Lillo, get that damn thing through the gate, NOW!” I screamed as I turned to face
the newly uncloaked Manticore. Hoping to draw all his attention to me I lit the after-
burner and sent two missiles hurtling into space after him. Both Bloodclaws hit their
mark, but for all the damage it did I would have been better off throwing rocks. I couldn’t
do anything but look on in horror as the rocket motor trails reach out toward the Astral
who was still aligning to jump. When the slender fingers finally reached the freighter, it
exploded in a brilliantly blue fireball. Instinct took over and I raced toward the gate, feel-
ing my ship shudder from the missile impacts.

When I reached the other side I set a course for home, I was empty. Numb.

A King showed up in the Turn, and a second King in the River. Full house. Time to go.

“Did Elaine pick up Sadie like we arranged?” I asked.

“Yup, an’ she left us a whole box o’ stuff to kill them Corp pilots with too.” Trent replied
gleefully. He may not have been my most intelligent friend, but he was loyal to the end
and damn good at killing things. I would have wanted no one else flying on my wing for
this one.

“You fueled and pre-flighted the Rifters? Its been years since they saw the cold and
empty horizon of space, they need to be reliable.”

“I gotcha boss, don’t you worry. Those’ll do whatever you want ‘em to and them some.”

Flying these rust-heaps wasn’t my first idea, however one finds it is much harder
to obtain the machines for war when you’re planetside. While the Rifters and their auto-
cannons were not as graceful as my Kestral and her missiles were, they were more
than enough to get the job done. The foolish Corporation doesn’t expect any resistance
from the people it plans on exploiting. Trent and I left the bar and got into his small per-
sonal shuttle, the Rifters were hidden in a forest clearing, safe from the prying eyes of
Corp spies and thieves. After landing and loading the ammunition into the Rifters I took
a final glance into the sky above.

“It looks so big when you’re down here, yet we fight and kill over the same small sector
of space…the violence is senseless” I murmured as I settled myself into the cockpit.
It was a slaughter. The two small frigates providing security were vaporized be-
fore they could even react. I felt the rattling of the auto-cannons in the command con-
sole and watched as the rounds sliced through the hull of the transport ships and land-
ing crafts. Trent chased the pods, mercilessly destroying them before they could escape
and bring reinforcements. “Six! I popped Six so far!” He yelled over the comms in an
frenzied voice.

The killing was over as fast as it had begun. I throttled back the engines of the
Rifter and looked at the carnage around me. A man’s torso collided with my cockpit and
left a red smear as it glanced off, bits and pieces of the transport ships were vaguely
recognizable. An engine manifold here, a section of hull there. I felt numb again, it was
the first time since Lillo was killed that I didn’t hurt. I was numb. I opened a long range
channel to the Corp offices who these unfortunate souls were flying for and typed a brief
message before aligning to the gate and jumping out.

This is the Beginning of the End.

– by TehMasterSword

He was well liked by most. Certainly not the most popular in the town, but he was fine with that. He was confident, talented, charming to some, arrogant to others, and had a terrible intolerance for stupidity. Some would say a side effect of his ego.

But even under his layer of thick skin, he was at least somewhat sensitive to the thoughts of a few people, and was always looking for approval of his actions from his peers. Whether that was because of his pride or the cause of some hidden insecurities, that depended on who you asked.

He was happy with himself and his life, at least for the most part. He tried his best to make the people he cared about happy as well, and for all his flaws, he considered himself a decent person.

Even in this galaxy and all its trillions of inhabitants, as much as he was like anyone else, he was a unique human being. He was my best friend.

He died three months ago. There are no flowers on his grave, not today, not three months ago. He doesn’t even have a grave, nor do any of the people that would have come to visit his grave if he had one, most of them are dead as well.

When news arrived just under a year ago on the planet of stable employment for everyone, the whole continent was interested and was employed by the capsuleer. The people were promised decent pay, but none of that mattered after the accident. A massive explosion occured in one of the massive command centers where Reykva worked as an accoutant, destroying the entire complex and incinerating everyone. No one knows what caused it, but that doesn’t really matter much now.

To the capsuleer who ran the operation, it was deemed too costly to rebuild and keep the operation running. Shortly afterward, everyone was laid off and the planet fell into a depression. After becoming dependent on the income from the capsuleer, the people prefered to work their jobs in the new factories and importing what food they needed with thier new found ISK than to grow anything themselves.

So the capsuleer left, along with the ISK sustaining the planet, much like the case on many other planets where capsuleers became disinterested in further planetary industry. The profit wasn’t what they had hoped.The massive refineries, extractors, and other buildings became vacant and in a week and nearly every citizen was unemployed.

Upwards of two thousand dead in the accident, billions dead from starvation in the following months. Every one of those lives were precious to someone, Reykva’s especially to me. But not to that capsuleer.

I was lucky enough to make a life for myself after smuggling myself on to a station just months prior to the cold hearted capsuleer’s intrusion. Or unlucky that I was unable to be with my dearest friend before he died, if you care to look at it that way. I wish I could go back and visit him. To see my homeland the way I remember it, not the empty shell it is now.

News of my friends and family came to me only a month after I had become a capsuleer myself. For a time, I hated myself, unable to accept being in the same category of such monsters. But after a time, there was a change in my outlook. I wasn’t a monster like that man who so carelessly made my people depend on his support and take it all away when it didn’t suit him.

I was better than him. I was different from the rest. I cared about the consequences. At least, that is what I told myself until I found the only way to give my life purpose without him.

Reykva would be avenged, and I would die as many times as it took to accomplish that.

– by Manic Velocity

I was only a boy, fifteen, when my parents sold me away to these bastards. The Gallente claim to be the pioneers of democracy in this god forsaken universe. Those damn militants didn’t seem too concerned about my rights as they dragged me away from my weeping mother. All they wanted was their big payday, and they agreed to cut my father a nice percentage. Take one goddamn guess if I ever saw a cent.

That was only a month after CONCORD lifted the blockade on planetary harvesting. For centuries the business of so-called “Capsuleers” was relegated only to what could be found in the stars. Then suddenly, for whatever reason, our homes had become fair game. I still remember the scream of the shuttles, loaded to the teeth with refinery equipment, sailing down and landing wherever they could find an open field. Drop in, set up shop, and completely destroy any semblance of established civilization. How patriotic.

I made friends over the years, for what it’s worth. Most of us were indentured. Others signed up willingly, thinking one day they could become famedcapsuleers themselves. Naive fools. Janek was like me. His father needed to make ends meet. We saw at once that we were both scared out of our minds, but we had plenty in common nonetheless. We became fast friends. On our breaks we’d talk about our families, our interests, and we’d share a cigarette or two. Most of the time we’d simply find ways to keep ourselves sane. I remember one day, I swear to you this guy had balls, Janek made a pass at one of the lady soldiers. Maybe he was trying to get himself thrown out. But she jammed the butt of a rifle into his belly right then and there. As the poor guy was lying on the ground, clutching his stomach, he started laughing. He was laughing all the way back to our dorm. In this place you have to make your fun where you can find it. And your sense of humor tends to get a little twisted. It’s really the only way to cope. Three months after that incident Janek’s father received a letter of apology from theGallente federation, and stopped receiving a monthly check. Janek was repairing a faulty release valve on a top platform of the refinery, when he tripped on a loose chain and fell into the business end of a mineral processor.

That’s what the official report says, anyway. What it doesn’t mention is that Janek’s friends were tasked with fishing his body out of a molten stew, knowing full well what really happened.

It was twenty-five years ago that I was signed over to this hell hole, and after twenty-five years I have seen enough. I’ve lived my whole life in this refinery. I’m 40 years old, and I can’t remember what grass smells like. I have so many scars and burns that I can’t remember where most of them came from. I don’t know if my parents are still alive, and I’m not sure I even care.

You pilots sit so comfortably in your pods, miles above ground, raking in profit without a care in your head. Protected from death, you’ve forgotten how to appreciate life. As immortals, you’ve forgotten what it means to be human. Enduring eternity only to watch your bank accounts grow. For all I have been through, I sleep better at night knowing that I will never be like you.

I write these words as if they will be my last. By this time tomorrow I will no longer be here. Whether that means I’m flying a stolen shuttle to the farthest system I can find, or lying lifeless, riddled with bullet holes just outside these walls, I know I will not be spending another day in this place.

Whoever you are, I pray these words find you well. I have experienced the consequences of the capsuleers’ greed. They have no misgivings of what they do. And their reach knows no bounds. My one remaining hope in all of this is that they might some day reclaim their compassion for others. To feel the pain of loss, and marvel at the beauty of impermanence. To connect with people based on who they are, rather than the purpose they can serve.

Until that day comes we have no reason, none at all, to trust them.

Sincerely,
Tannen Burke

– by DeSaros Umekawa

I can remember the day well that the ‘confidential’ message came to my neocom. It was an unusually stormy day on Kirras II, complete with wind, rain, and lightning. Someone notified me that we may even experience a tornado, but I found it very unlikely. I designed the planetary Critical Weather Control and knew, without uncertainty, that it would dissipate any tornado if one started to form. I took the moment to remind that employee of the fact, but she still seemed concern. People skills have never really been my strong suit.

This message, as fate would have it, came to me encoded. I heard the familiar tone that my neocom had a new message, and walked briskly to the desk to read it. I decoded it as per the normal procedure and read it, end to end. I walked to the clear, rain-pelted window facing from my office and considered early retirement. I smiled, looked at the letter again on my neocom, and realized that this dream could easily become a reality, and soon. Sooner than anticipated, by several years. I wasn’t due to retire for at least another fifteen.

The letter was simple. Pack for a five day trip, have only two bags, and ensure your affairs will be in order for the duration of the stay. Report promptly to the spaceport and await instructions. The worst part was that it was issued by the Caldari State itself, not one of the nine leading corporations at the help of the State. It was becoming apparent that this was going to be a conglomerate affair. I had heard, in rumors, that the State only issues directives like this one when three or more of the leading corporations manage to agree to something, and that in itself was enough to pique my curiosity.

Complying with the letter I packed my requisite two bags with clothing and my neocom, spoke with my secretary to ensure everything was in order for the next five days, and to clear my review schedule. I was tiring of reviewing undergraduate papers anyhow, a by-product of being the foremost project engineer on Kirras II. Of course, so would this trip, but the rewards were a lot better than a lousy 700 ISK a month. As I mentioned before, people skills were not something I had much of, and students who did not meet my expectations were reminded of the critical need of sound engineers. Regardless, I didn’t have the time to deal with them this week.

As I left the office to my residence I found myself thinking about the project, which at this point was still a total enigma. The paper copy I held in my hand, bearing the official letterhead of the Caldari State, was enough to bring the gravity of the situation right back into view. Despite the gravity, there was a weight of uncertainty about it. Regardless, a patriot such as myself would never turn down a request from the State itself. It was just not heard of, regardless of what it might pay. It was an opportunity to make great things happen, I am certainly a man of great things.

Unlike the indigenous locals I had interplanetary travel experience. I never understood why it cost so much to fly between planets until I met my first capsuleer. He was something of a cowboy, always talking about his last combat mission, especially the ones where he ‘died’ as a result. I laughed a bit at that, but as far as capsule pilots go, I guess dying every day is the ‘new thing’ and dying costs money. Arrogant bastards, I say. No legal residence, no loyalties to the State. Just mercenaries that ‘play’ for money while the rest of existence simply revolves around them.

Of course, I took the flight without question despite the 35,000 ISK bill the State ended up paying.

The travel arrangements were about what I would expect, too. Temperature-controlled spacecraft, just large enough to transport us but not enough to be comfortable doing it. This particular craft, the smallest craft I’d ever flown in, appeared to be a military drop craft. I usually had the privilege to travel by way of an InterBus heron, but today they seemed to be in a hurry.

I managed to meet the pilot, by intercom, and he kept me quite entertained on the way, telling me stories about running blockades in unsecured space and how he died on a few, confirming that all podjocks were the same, and I would never want to be one. Living life without the fear of death might seem prosperous at first, but in the end you become something else. Someone who doesn’t fear death has the ability to do anything, without fear of conscience or consequence.

The trip, fortunately, took only ten minutes so I only had to endure three of those stories. As we docked up the pilot thanked me for the company despite me having only spoke about ten words. As the pressure outside equalized the door opened and I left the shuttle. I looked back and realized how large the craft was, and knowing this craft was piloted by a single human, although he was essentially wired into this thing. So much potential left to a man with so little felt like a waste, but that’s how the system works. Good men are trampled underfoot by those who have power and no concept of controlling it.

At the end of the ramp a pair of Tribunal men stood, and they were real company men, from the high and tight haircuts, to the tailor-made black suits to the polished leather shoes on their feet. They both screamed professional, which made me feel much better, considering the podjock I just left behind. We introduced ourselves in proper fashion, not revealing our first names. We shook hands, nodded, and they pointed their hands down the walkway.

One led me into the core of the orbital station and showed me directly to the conference room while the other took my bags from me. I insisted on carrying my neocom personally, and after a brief inspection they did not argue. I walked into the conference room where another fourteen company men and women stood, all wearing very Caldari business attire as well.

The next thing they told me was mind-blowing. They showed me the directorate order from CONCORD allowing the development of planets within New Eden. After fifteen years of terrestrial project planning and CONCORD’s reluctance to allow this they finally caved. I had been writing message after message insisting on the safety of this development, and now they had plans. My plans, displayed in perfectly-enhanced three-dimensional holograms hovering over the conference table. In a zoomed-in cross-section showed a small section of the map which was shaded in red instead of the normal blue.

I was called because I had developed an entire process in order to mine and manufacture planetary assets without damaging the planetary ecosystem. I worked for years for this, and now it was happening, and best of all the Caldari State wanted me to front-run the project. I could see the error in the plan, a small transposition error from the original plans which were on the neocom sitting in front of my chair. I knew the solution, but I wanted to know more.

After sitting with them, quite excitedly despite my normal calm professional demeanor, I discovered that they had already put my plans into action at a test facility. I was being called in because of an oversight they had made in the reading of my designs, one a less-experienced, less costly engineer would have. And since a lesser mind was the one that transposed the drawings I filed with the State Archives I felt a sense of authority when I started to point out the simple error.

I looked across the table after helping them solve the small problem, and as they looked back I asked a simple question of compensation. They were hesitant, perhaps insulted, but the plans were mine, the solution was mine, and the time was mine. I intended no offense, though these corporate men were very direct. After deliberating for only a few minutes, the chairman stood and said three words that changed my life forever.

“One-hundredth percent.”

I smiled, nodded, and walked away. The projections on the first month alone would make me rich beyond anything I could have thought. Now it’s time to implement it, and considering what it cost me, it was worth it all.

– by Tlador

The survivors of the colony ship, those few who did survive, adapted or died. It wasn’t the ever-present howling wind or even the carnivorous dog-like indigenous creatures that killed them though. The single most deadly thing on the planet we named Tarpeia was the survivors themselves. They fought over everything. They fought over salvaged foodstuffs at first, but then when those ran out, it was holo-reels or antibiotics, or anything else salvaged from their old lives. It seemed that any piece of wreckage or debris was worth fighting over, even the smallest bit of hull.  But even that wasn’t the worst of it.

The colony ship was originally planned to land on a remote planet in Villinnon. Fate had other plans however, and during one of the jumps, the colony ship took damage from a stray asteroid, crippling the ship. Momentum and the skilled efforts of the capsuleer allowed the crash landing on Tarpeia, but crew and most colonists were lost. Of the 2500 colonists, and 500 supporting crewmembers, less than 100 remained.  Of the survivors,  we lost 7 more to the predatory wildlife, another 3 to plain old stupidity, and another 5 died due to injuries they received during the crash. 62 people survived the first hellish months, 48 men, 14 women.

The environment they survived and the transition they made from their civilized lives was cataclysmic.  What happened next was the real shock from their previous lives. Argenta Sopporo was a reject from Concord. He didn’t offer up any explanations for the expulsion ( Concord usually expels it’s unwanted through open docking bays in deep space, not to the general populace ) , but the colonists soon discovered his past. Argenta wasn’t the type of man who took no for an answer, so it wasn’t long before he took what he wanted, and the result was a dead colonist couple.  Though many of the colonists wanted something done, none were bold enough to make a move, and Argenta soon set himself up as dictator for life. He organized the colonists, and when he was opposed, his opposition either had an accident with the boros ( what we named the dog-like predators ),  or later in his reign, they became slaves.

That was over 80 years ago, and since that time we’ve seen rulers come and go, always through an “accident”, and on at least one instance,  a duel. But one thing remains constant, every ruler of this planet has continued the practice of slavery, and each has come to power as the result of violence. The more skilled amongst the colonists soon claimed a spot as the upper class, while the less skilled became labor or worse.

My thoughts have wandered back to this history after listening to my mother’s tales of life on a station. Shops, ships, agents, and traders, and oh never forget the space.. that starry night we only see a small piece of.  I’ve heard of vessels large enough to carry hundreds of thousands of people, and with terrifying weapons that could destroy an entire planet even.

I long for the freedom to be able to move in that space, to be able to pilot one of those ships, to explore beyond and see the great sites of the universe. Dare I say, I long to be one of the immortals, the Capsuleers. But the rattle of my yoke and chain soon remind me of my true place in life, I am but a lowly slave. Doomed to be plaything of whichever dictator is in power at the moment, and possibly even be graced with becoming a human shield for him. Had I been born with more attractive features, perhaps I could have been chose to serve in the harem, but I was not. But don’t misunderstand, that life has pitfalls of it’s own, or so I’ve heard.

Mother’s  ramblings have become more frequently now, and I’m sure she’s approaching the final stages of her life. The older ones say we once lived to be several hundred years old, but the brutal climate and life here has shortened that dramatically. Mother’s the last of the original colonists, and even some of the first generations born here have passed on. At 63, I can already begin to feel the pressure on my joints when I arise, and my inner strength doesn’t answer as quickly when called upon.  Will I ramble on incessantly about past events ? Am I already starting to ramble like Mother.

The night sky is calm for the season, and we can see the stars. The turbulent weather of Tarpeia doesn’t allow this often, and I lie here fantasizing on what life would be out there. Displayed brightly among the stars is a new moon that appeared only within the last week, winking at me as the sun glints off it’s surface. I have to wonder if there’s life on the silver moon, life like ours not the boros. As I return to our hut, I notice that the new moon seems larger tonight, much larger, as if it was descending to the surface. I overheard a conversation earlier tonight that it was a ship, but since no one remains who’s ever seen one, I doubt it’s true. And should it turn out to be a ship, so what? Turn in my life as a slave to become a slave to someone else? No, I will live out my life, hard though it may be, here on Tarpeia. Why would they even care?

It’s just a silly thing to think about I suppose. Why would anyone come here?  If anyone had cared, they’d have found the original Colonists long before now. And we’ve never had anything strange happen.  I wonder, then I realize that I wouldn’t know a ship if I saw one. Perhaps in another age, or in another life, but for now I must sleep, and dream of sailing through the stars.

– by Jutlah Onok

It all started with a smile.

I still remember the fated day as if it had been no longer than one turn of our moon. I was young and scared, running from Ammarian slavers through the Heimatar region. I can barely remember anything about that trip..no that flight save for constant fear and exhaustion that had clung to me ever present as a cold sweat against my skin. I do remember how terrifying space was…so vast..so empty, it was full of nothing but everything all at once. At that age I had no idea what that truly meant, but that is neither here nor there. The only reason I bring up my escape from the slavers is because it was during that trying time that I crossed paths with Him.

We were taking refuge on a Thukker station which scared me almost more than returning to labor for the slavers. My mother was with me as was my sister, all I had left if I had anything at all, they were clinging to each other as the flashes and rumblings of the battle taking place in the void rage on outside the station. Everyone was obsessed and awed staring out the port holes and windows at the massive beasts made of metal spoke to each other in the only way they knew how, destruction. I however found my self struck and staring at a single boy, no older than myself who sat aside from the rest and never looked out the windows nor seemed to care of the happenings around him. In fact he seemed lost within himself, he seemed as if he was actually somewhere else, if only I had known then what I know now.

It was when he looked up at me that my life changed, that I became blessed, empowered, chosen. Our eyes met and if I had not already been sitting I am certain I would have fallen to my knees under the weight of those eyes…the eyes of a God, My God. He truly appeared to be no more that fifteen perhaps younger, but those eyes, they were filled with centuries of knowledge and experience. War, hatred, love, peace, greed, charity, I could go on but it is worthless…there are no words to describe that gaze, nothing that can make you understand the look from the walking Immortal save for experiencing it yourself. Suddenly nothing else mattered, not the battle outside, nor the slavers chasing us, not even the cruel Thukker tribesman that were in uncomfortable proximity. All that mattered was the pure unrefined fear that had gripped me and knotted my guts so tight that I am quite certain my bowels voided then and there. This fear however was short lived, simply because this being, this Immortal, this God deigned at that moment of our eyes meeting…to smile. Something about it wasn’t right, but there it was a smile, a literal God had smiled upon me, and I knew at that moment that everything about my life had changed. It didn’t matter that I was no longer a slave, it didn’t matter that the Republic and Thukkers were working together, all that mattered was that a Capsuleer had smiled upon me.

After that moment I remember very little of the “rescue” as it had been deemed by my kinswomen, I cannot even tell you what became of the Immortal after our eyes met, simply because I had feinted right after sharing his gaze. My mother and sister would tell you that it was exhaustion but I know it was due to the fact that no mortal can ever look upon a God and walk away as they had been before, and so I didn’t. I was a new man, yes a man, no longer was I child. I had been blessed and chosen by a walking Immortal and I knew that such a person must be a man and hold responsibility. So this I did, building a home for my mother and sister and obtaining job and a position on the council within our tribal community, all on our new home planet. We had been shipped an moved and relocated again and again until finally we were set down upon and unamed planet (to my knowledge) in a system named Osvestmunnur by God’s tongue. I did not know when I would be called upon to serve the walking Immortal, I did not know how my service would need be made manifest, all I knew was that I was going to be ready.

Ten cycles of our 3rd moon passed before my opportunity arose. My mother had become aged and as such been given a seat on the elder’s council. My sister was married off to a powerful youth from another tribe, and I…I had spent all that time learning everything I could about the Immortals. I became tactful, quick, intelligent, and strong as any Matari of my tribe, all in preparation for the day I would be called upon. Fortunately my wait was not to long, shortly after the tenth cycle of our 3rd moon, on the 5th day of the rotation our planet, Concord announced that opening of the planet to the immortals. The moment I heard this news my heart nearly burst with shear unadulterated joy…the Gods would be amongst us, they would come to us and need our help on our worlds. We were all to be the instruments of Gods…

As the concord holoreel finally came to the end of the announcement and continued to deliver news now so insignificant as a slave is to his master I turned to my kinsmen joy in my heart, ready to shout in jubilation. The sound however never came, it was trapped and choked in my throat as I saw the faces of my tribe, all staring despairingly at the screen that had delivered the concord decree. They were all, every last one of them afraid, turned white as the vitoc pill we had all once held so dear. I didn’t believe my eyes, how could they be afraid, how could they not be over joyed that Gods would be coming amongst us, filling us with purpose giving our lives reason. After all was not our freedom fought for and gained by the very Capsuleers they now seemed to fear. If only I had not been so naive perhaps I could have saved more of them, shown them the error of their ways before thing got as out of hand as they did. Alas that would have made a different story, not the one I tell you now

What I had originally taken for fear had really been resentment, hatred even. I came learn this over the next few council meeting as I listened to the elders discuss how we were going to greet…or handle, that coming Capsuleers. I feel I should mention at this point that I made a great effort to hide my joy at Concord’s decree, I did not do so to deceive my tribe, in fact quite the opposite. I concealed my joy so my tribe would be allowed to express themselves freely in front of me un-inhibited by my opinion on the coming of the Immortals. However as the council met more often, and the talk of protesting and boycotting turned the talk of resistance and revolution, my hidden feelings remained so more out of survival than caring for my tribe. The more I heard them talk against the Capsuleers the more I felt betrayed, the more I felt betrayed the more my hatred for the very people I had called kin grew. Of all the baffled elders on the council not one of them was speaking as strongly for revolution as my own mother. She was already setting the youths of our tribe to training, and given me command over a good number of them due not only to my kinship to her but to the training I had made part of my regime since my day of blessing. So it was that the Matari Militia was born, its job was to never let a Immortal take our planet…how foolish they were…how foolish we all were. For the day The God arrived not even a century of training would have made any difference to the outcome.

It continued with fire.

A pure blue pillar of fire descending from the atmosphere and slamming into the crust of our planet wither literal earth shattering strength. My tribe was frantic and terrified, all training forgotten in a single moment of panic and despair, they all fled and ran in different directions scattered like the mites they were compared to the God that had come. I stood amongst this chaos staring at the pure blue pillar with awe and reverence. Fire was a purifying power, and here it was descending upon our planet in a perfect beautiful pillar of strength and metaphor. My heart filled with that fire and a pure and primal shout burst forth from my lips. My tribesman mistook this as a symbol of defiance and accompanied my unmoving unworried stature they began to rally around me, I wouldn’t have noticed them at all had one of them not shoved one of our ritualistic blades into my opened hand.

“Lead on!” one called

“Show us the way!” uttered another

So I did, I set off toward the pillar of fire, I led them to the landing of a God…I led them to their reckoning.

As we neared God’s Landing my fervor was rising along with and in antithesis to the blood of my tribe. They began to boast of the ears they would take and I heard more than one blaspheme far enough to claim that they would bring home the Capsuleer’s head jack as a trophy. Had I not known that to turn on them then would be sudden death I am more than certain I would have, but it was not time yet and much to my luck (and amusement) the anger that was showing on my face was being taken as my own rage at the Immortal’s interference on our world. When we arrived I was once again awed, and my tribesman once again panicked at the sight of what is known in God’s speak as the Planetary Control Center. It was beautiful…pure mechanical brilliance almost completely automated, and if my studies had served me correctly the numerous machines that were moving about were various classes of drones which would be controlled by a computer within the PCC. Amongst the drones and barely standing out as they were covered in various forms of armor and machines themselves were humans going about their own assignments diligently serving their Immortal master. One of these holy servants noticed me and my tribe upon our approach, we were not a very subtle group and the weapons in our hands were more than apparent, even so he approached us with an authority that I suddenly held a high respect for. I held up my hand and my band of tribesman, numbering near three hundred came to a unsteady and anxious halt, with that I stepped forward and approached the Immortal’s warrior.

“This land is now incorporated, you are trespassing and will be removed with extreme prejudice if you do not disperse.”

His voice came over a vox and was sexless and mechanical. I replied in kind

“I have come to beg audience with your master.” I stated simply, my statement seemed to confuse him which in kind confused me.

“You mean my boss the capsuleer?” he asked me in return, and the tone in which he said the word “capsuleer” instantly raised my ire.

“Yes” I responded shortly in the affirmative, at which point he chuckled and said these following words which that day sealed his fate.

“Listen man I don’t know what you have going on down here on this pile of dust but he is my boss not my master, he pays well so I work for em. Now please disperse before I enact that extreme part of the earlier mentioned prejudice.”

I listened to his words and a white hot spear of rage lance through my heart I could barely control myself as I asked the following through clenched teeth.

“So if someone paid you more..” I never got a chance to finish the question before he responded

“I would work for th-…” he never got to finish his response the moment he began his answer I knew that his answer would be that of a traitor. Someone who would turn on their God for the simple prospect of personal gain. My hand moved of its own volition and my ritual blade arced forward, the tritanium forged blade tore through his armor carapace and spilled his entrails at his feet before he even realized what had happened. I remember imagining his dumbfounded traitorous face as he fell to his knees and looked up at me from behind his tinted helmet visor before falling amongst his own gore and continuing the slow painful process of dying from a stomach wound…he deserved no less.

My action caused an unforeseen affect upon my kinsman, seeing the guard fall before me sent them into sudden action, all anxiety gone as they let out a war howl that would make any tribe of the Matari proud and charged passed me into the compound of the PCC. I tried to call them back, tried to make the stop, to make them see that to war with a God is a fight already lost…all for nought the battle was already beginning in full by the time I caught up with my kinsman. The guards of the PCC put up a heroic stand, but they were unorganized and surprised by such sudden ferocity by my tribesman and were overrun within minutes, this hurt me more than the death of my own men for I was certain there were men amongst the guard the served the Immortal out of faith and belief rather than out of gain, and my own men were fighting against the very God that had come to call upon my services. The drones however were an entirely different matter, they joined the fray much to the surprise of my kinsman, and cut a horrible swathe through them, creating an instant killing field within the compound of the PCC. More than one drone moved to end me, I did not fault the machines nor did my faith in my purpose falter at being attacked by my God’s servitor’s they were merely following a predetermined protocol. My constant physical training paid off well here, keeping me from joining the screaming wounded or silent dead littering the ground. As the battle raged from the compound into the building itself more and more of my tribe fell to various machines and servitors defending the compound. Despite all of the death surrounding them my tribe continued to fight deeper and deeper into the complex, I followed and defended myself as the need arose but not once did I attack first after the first guard I gutted. The din of the battle was horrible and unlike anything I have ever experienced…still I found it exhilarating something in the sound called to me, drew me toward it…then suddenly it stopped. Everyone, everything just stopped, ever drone fell to the ground with numerous metallic thumps and thuds. For a moment there was a stunned silence from me and my tribesmen, however such silence was not long lived as a moment later a PA activated giving sound to a youthful male voice.

“Now now, there is no need for all of this, come let us talk” the tone was chagrining as if a father reprimanding a child, and I knew a that moment that I had just heard the voice of my God, I couldn’t stop myself I took off at a run, a moment later my tribesman were right behind me. I could feel their blood quickening again at the prospect of facing the Immortal they, like I, had known the voice to belong to the Capsuleer who commanded this complex. I cannot remember my frantic run through the complex and I don’t know how I knew where I was going, in fact now that I know every turn and bend of this entire building I am certain that I found my God only through divine wisdom granted me by his grace, but none the less I found myself bursting into a room that was large yet spartan and standing in the middle of this room was a small robed figure. His face was youthful still, and hadn’t changed in the ten cycles that I had lived on this planet, he looked frail standing there alone in such a large room but his eyes could not be mistaken…they were the eyes that I had dreamed of almost every night since our “rescue” and they were once again focused upon me, and once again I felt more that saw everything that made up this being before me. My tribesman arrived just after me, and whether at the sight of a boy or because of the power of his gaze they too stopped dead in their tracks. For the longest time there was silence as a single boy stood against, and kept at bay over one hundred men bent upon his death…and one who wanted nothing more that to serve him.

It ended with laughter

The silence became unbearable for all but the God who stood before me and my tribesman. This was it, this was my moment, I stood before my God…and I froze. My muscles betrayed me, my voice failed me, and my will left me all in the presence of this boy Immortal. I can not say the same for my tribesman, one of them suddenly let loose a cry and charged toward the Capsuleer raising his ritualistic high above his head…an eternity passed as I waited for the God to smite this foolish Matari but the Capsuleer did not move, he just stood there watching the deadly blade begin it decent into a killing blow. Suddenly I felt my muscles move, my voice call out, and my will force a movement will out consulting my, and I watched as my ritual blade flew across the room in a spinning arc and catch my kinsman in the back slamming him to the metallic floor with a sickening thud. I stood there motionless and unbelieving, my arm still outstretched from my throw, my lips still shaping the sound of my shout as it echoed in the open chamber “No!..no!..no!..”. Again silence claimed the room as all eyes turned to me tribesman and Immortal alike providing me with expressions of disbelief or incomprehension. I saw a number of my tribesman reach for their weapons as the severity of what happened began to grasp them, then something happened that stopped them and sent shame through every fiber of my body…someone was laughing. The sound was heavenly and innocent, yet mocking and cruel all at the same time…it was a sound that should not be and yet it was…The God was amused. My tribesman looked to the Capsuleer with fear, hatred, revulsion all in one and again their hands moved toward their weapons, I looked on the following event still ignorant to what was truly happening.

The Capsuleer still laughing made a dismissive gesture and suddenly the room filled with five vicious looking drones that hovered in the air, in hind sight they were Matari Warrior class type two in God’s speak. My tribesman hesitated for only a moment…it was more than enough for the drones to draw a bead and unleash their vicious Matar designed projectile weaponry, the chamber filled with a deafening roar of autocannon fire and blood and gore filled the room as the remaining one hundred (give or take I will admit to not having an exact count) ran into a grinding fire of hot fusion ammo, every man died then and there…the Immortal never stopped laughing…

When it was all done I felt the artificial intelligence of the drones appraising me and simply awaiting another dismissive gesture from their master…none came. My God laughed for another century, or so it seemed before finally his mirth was spent, the moment his laughter stopped his face returned to serene innocence, innocence on the face a person who just slaughtered over one hundred men with the motion of a hand. I could feel his eyes one me, but I cold not bring my self to meet that gaze…not after the laughter, not after such humiliation.

“Why?” the Immortal asked simply.

My mouth again spoke of its own volition as if his question was a command that I could not refuse to obey.

“He would of killed you my God.”

he seemed to be appraising my response…judging it, I could almost sense the power of his mind taking my words processing them, checking them for inflections and flaws…if he found any I do not know of it, but I am certain that one simply word was a test…a test that I passed. For right after he made his decision the drones disappeared as suddenly as they arrived. He then turned and approached me pointing to the ground as he did so, again my body moved and fell to a knee before the boy God.

“Do you have a name?” he asks me in that angelic voice.

I told him I did indeed but before I could put my name to sound he cut me off

“Then forget the name you know, for if you are to be my Avatar you will bear the name I give you.”

My body went numb…all my dreams, all my desires, everything was coming true in this moment. I was being truly chosen to serve as the Avatar to an Immortal, one of the dreaded Capsuleer’s of New Eden. He declared me his Avatar then and there and renamed me, this name I will not give for only My God has right to speak it all others that now serve me as his Avatar simple refer to me simply as that which I am…Avatar. That is how I came to be the leader of The Child’s Wardens, I defend his faith, his land, and strike fear into his enemies with a righteous wrath fueled by his divine right as an Immortal . Since his descent into my world I have not seen my God, but I know one day he will return and I will be here to do as he bids when he bids. So know this, if ever you find yourself facing a man who calls himself The Avatar, you have but two choices fall to a knee and declare The Child your God, or fall to your knees holding what you can of your belly in, for I have come to spread his word, and I will not be stopped for I am blessed…by a God.

– by Falconwraith

Chapter 1: The Past

It almost seemed like a distant story of times gone past. My grandfather telling me stories passed down to him from the first to enter into New Eden. His stories were a bit embellished sounding to say the least. It always made me laugh as a kid when he told them to me. Growing up in a little backwater planet in the solar system of Piak, the fourth furthest from the sun. His stories of the grandeur of the massive fleets that brought us to this place; how wonderful everything was, how happy the first immigrants to New Eden were.

But his eyes, they told a different story, one of not happiness and the grandeur he spoke so well of…but of the strife and suffering for the first immigrants. The back breaking work on the ships, and on the planets to simply survive in this new world away from the one they once knew. Then came the rise of the immortal ones, the pilots of the great ships serving the four great empires. The great wars and the sinister corporations who’s only true motives…that of their own conquest. All the while we lay down here, generation upon generation going by, with the skies at times literally on fire with the havoc being played out above.

As a boy though it always seemed so distant, like a glimpse into the heavens. As the great Caldari empire grew, powered by greed and the motivation of technological and monetary advancement. The people living beneath the heavens mere play things to these immortals on these ships, they could not die and as such had no remorse for losing entire families serving aboard their great war vessels.

Then times got even worse as new corporations grew, new empires began to be forged in the vast lawless out cropping of space. These immortals even worse then those of the four great empires, their motives even more sinister and self serving then their predecessors. People serving aboard their mining ships doing back breaking labor, or war ships lost at their mere whim of enjoyment.

So my parents and my grandfather made a choice as I reached manhood to leave this place to seek refuge from this in the interior of New Eden. In areas touched by the great empires, but out of the grasp of those who would force me to serve aboard their ships. At the time I was riddled with anger to leave my friends behind, thinking they did it for only their own interests. I knew not of the sacrifice they were making on my behalf to avoid the fate so many others had suffered at the hands of these immortals. A lesson I would soon learn first hand, and a lesson I would surely not forget.

Chapter 2: The voyage

I remember it well my first encounter with one of these immortals. When the ship first landed I remember I was in awe as I caught a first up close glimpse of one of these great vessels. I had only seen them on news casts before, but now I was faced with one up close. A Caldari cruiser of the Moa hull class, I noticed it immediately having toys of these ships as a boy. It landed on our planet, taking in supplies and goods, as well as passengers looking to go along to its final destination…a small planet in the citadel border region of space known as Kassigainen five. This however I would find would not ultimately be our destination.

Only a few hours into the journey we got word from this immortal that our course had been diverted. Instead of heading to this planet we hoped to seek refuge in, we were headed into an area of Sinq Laison to join his comrades in battle. Apparently some corporation this immortals corporation was at war with had pinned down one of their large freighter class transports ships in a system called Allipes. Immediately some of the immortals crew members showed up putting us to work, telling us that we could either help them or parish with the ship should it come under fire. I was only just entering manhood at the time but I remember well the instructions, being told to put out any fires, to move this here and that there. In truthfulness all I could notice was the fear in my mother’s eyes as I was forced away from her, and the feeling that came over me. I knew it would be the last time I would ever see my family…again.

Chapter 3: Stranded

We arrived in the system of Allipes and were greeted upon entering the system by a great battle taking place. A massive freighter lay listing some several thousand kilometers off the nearest planet, her hull already ablaze. Several cruiser and battle cruiser size ships sat around her, and one massive battleship class ship. Almost in a seemingly selfless act trying to defend her even though the bitter end drew near. The attacking fleet using a myriad of technologically superior but smaller heavy assault ships, bobbing and weaving their way around the larger ships at incredible pace . I felt myself just starring at the dance happening outside of the ships window. It was shortly there after though, I saw a level of devastation I’d soon not forget.

It appeared the force our ship was with was winning the day, but then there was a great flash of light. Once my eyes regained focus as I starred out the window into the vast space and I saw a sight I had hoped I would never see again. From the light almost as if by an act of God, I caught my first glimpse of a Titan and her accompanying battleships, carriers, and the like. Only shortly after seeing them enter the field the attacking fleet put distance on the now smaller fleet we were with, and then it happened. In a great flash of fire and brimstone it was all over. As the edge of the blast approached the ship I was on I remember a tear running down the side of my cheek. I felt this would be my last moment, and then it all went black.

It was not over however, minutes later I came back to, the sound of alarms blaring in my ears. The ship had only been grazed by the edge of the blast but had been still torn in half. I remember the voices of the crew yelling for us to brace for impact as the wreckage was pulled down onto the nearby planet. I once again prepared for the worst, wondering all the while how such devastation could be welded by any one man, let alone at the whim of an immortal one. Wondering where my family was, and if I would be greeting them again soon on the other side I sat motionless. Out the window I could see the seas of this planet approaching us, and then it all went dark again.

Chapter 4: A Brave New World

As I came to yet again, I found myself still alive. The alarms had gone and the ship was dark. Out the window I could see nothing but the vast depths of the sea. Then a voice as if an angel calling to me from the distance. A young woman of my senior maybe just a few years yelled to follow. Disoriented and fearful by sheer instinct I followed her, weaving through corridors of the ship. Fire and wreckage strung about the ship the likes of which I had never experienced. We eventually came to a door with a hatch, it opened and we entered into what was left of the bridge of the ship. A pod lay inside and the immortal I had once heard lay their dormant, the life not just gone from his eyes, but almost as if it was never there, just empty.

With water from the seas slowly coming in we headed for an opening in the hull of the bridge, we clawed our way against the currents of the water flooding in to escape the ship. Shortly after the ship was swallowed by the sea, and only those of us who escaped remained upon the seas surface. It was odd though how after the ship sank things seemed so tranquil and at peace, with all that had gone on above, down here seemed to of never have been touched by the havoc above. The sea still, the sun bright in the sky, birds over head it seemed almost surreal.

As we all sat there bobbing on the oceans surface, nobody spoke, the events that had just transpired left us silent. I looked around but saw no sign of my loved ones among the survivors. Then from off in the near distance a boat appeared on the horizon. A group of people out on the sea for the day had seen our ship crash and had come to help us. They brought us all aboard and took us to the city they lived in on one of the many islands of this planet. They welcomed us with open arms that day, they had but seen the carnage above, but much like as when I was very young looking up to the fires in the heavens, it seemed distant to them.

Chapter 5: The Nightmare Returns

It’s been some time since that fateful voyage. To me now it seems like nothing but a dream, a nightmare that came and went. The citizens of the city who rescued us took us in, let us live in their homes, treated us like family. I ended up marrying that girl who saved me that day, and we treated the couples who took us in like we did our parents. We have our own child now, a boy who is around the same age as I was when my family entered the nightmare in the heavens. He calls the people that took me in grandma and grandpa; he knows nothing of that nightmare. I’ve done my best to put it in the past, to not think of the immortal who took us on that journey. To not think of the past life I was torn away from that still haunts me in my dreams every night.

My time is nearly up though and soon it will be my boys turn to live his life. I fear though for him, news comes that the very same immortal that ripped me from my family is returning. Only this time the immortal tyrant seeks not dominion over the heavens, but rule over those below. What nightmares await him I fear and I do not know; it seems that in the end we are indeed…just mere play things for the immortals in the heavens above.