from State engineer to Republic defender

A tourist's guide to New Eden

2007-02-28T11:51:00.000Z

Well, I'm back from the State finally. I don't want to talk about it, but suffice to say that it wasn't pleasant and I'm even less welcome in Caldari territory now than I ever have been. If anyone really wants to know the details, go ask my cousin. She's ranting and raving to anyone who'll listen.

My time away from the pod and having to deal with planetbound life again with only the holofeeds for outside information reminded me of exactly what kind of a place New Eden is. I was inspired to write a brief travel guide for any tourist who decides to visit. The easily offended should look away now.

I present:

A tourist's guide to New Eden

Welcome to the galaxy of New Eden, your home away from home amongst the stars courtesy of the EvE gate!

Life in New Eden is a vicious, decadent struggle for survival where people are expendable, money is everything and war is a constant state of being.

Gaze upon the remnants of the lost civilisations such as the Yan Jung and the Talocan, picked clean by swarms of exploiting hackers and archaeologists fighting with pirates over scraps of out-dated technology!

Sneak along to the EVE gate itself and watch the unstable distortions tear apart any hapless pilot foolish enough to get too close. Watch out for those pirates swarming the gates on the way, just waiting to get at the contents of your ship.

Marvel at the ancient Amarr Empire and their rigid doctrines! Glorious golden battleships crewed by thousands of subjugated slaves always one injection away from an agonising death in the name of their Masters' God under the ready-made excuse of 'enlightenment'. The Empire boasts a vast sprawling mass of systems held together by feuding Holder Houses and ruled over by a God Emperor: a living relic of a bygone age sporting hypocrisy and inhumanity never before dreamed of all in the name of religion. Other places to visit in the locale include their neighbours the Khanid Kingdom, home to the followers of Khanid also called the heretic dark Amarr, where anyone at all is a potential slave and traders wheel and deal for the largest profit margins! Don't forget to stop by the Ammatar Mandate for that authentic war-torn tin pot regime propped up by their pupptemasters in the Amarr Empire as they fight the Minmatar, once their very own brothers!

Enjoy the vast morass of cultures to be found in the behemoth of bureaucracy that is the Gallente Federation, where wild excess and debauchery are the order of the day as they spout idealisms and equality across all frequencies. In the Federation, you're never more than a few steps away from a brothel or a drug warehouse, where life is cheap and corruption runs rife! Observe closely how the Intaki people are left to fend for themselves against the hordes of pirates and other ne'er do wells as the government hides behind excuses of semi-autonomy. If the thought of possible police turns you off, there's always the neighbouring region of the Syndicate to visit, run by the more shrewd Intaki: all of the black market and pirates with none of those pesky CONCORD!

Peruse the various corporate opportunities that the Caldari State has to offer as megaconglomerates engage in open black ops warfare to bring you, the consumer, the very best deals at literally cut-throat prices. Look on in awe as its obsessive militarism pours money into the Navy at a terrifying rate. Local customs include selling family members for cold, hard ISK and that xenophobic charm never wears off. Whatever you do, don't annoy your employer: the unemployed are the 3rd largest food source! Warning to any Minmatar thinking of travelling to the State, you may be arrested under suspicion of being Terrorists.

View the shambolic Republic: remnants of the once-proud Minmatar people before the arrival of the Amarr decimated their tribes, shattered their civilisation and tore away everything they had achieved! Listen to the rabid rantings of impassioned warriors clinging on desperately to the remains of lost tribal traditions. Hear the tales of hundreds of disenfranchised Matari fleeing to the Federation to drown their sorrows in drugs and alcohol! Witness the infighting between the Republicans and the Freedom Fighters (known outside of Minmatar space as Terrorists) that further destabilise the fragile situation. Don't forget to take a moment to fly past the shipyards where rusty plating and old rope are turned into kamikaze spaceships for pilots who live only to die in glorious battle.

No trip to New Eden would be complete without a visit to the mysterious Jovian Empire where genetic engineering has gone mad and technology reigns supreme. Keep an eye over your shoulder because they might be there watching you, learning all about you, hidden in the shadows no matter where you go...

Finally, the megastars of the galaxy are the capsuleer pilots. Media darlings viewed in awe and jealousy by billions upon billions, where one word can spawn a planet-wide riot and a lazy combat order can resign tens of thousands of crew to the cold death of space. Endless clones and daily genocide have turned many of this creme de la creme into psychotic deranged dangers to society and New Eden loves them for it! No matter how many die, there's always more people queueing up to fly with them, just so they can say 'I was the 3rd assistant reloading technician on xxx's Rupture-class Cruiser': if they survive they'll live off that story for a month!

So come and visit New Eden today: it's an experience you'll never forget!

Perhaps the next issue will cover the wonderful worlds of the various pirate conglomerates.

[[Hunchaan, Saila III]]

2007-02-06T15:42:00.000Z

Ysolde sat down heavily in the chair outside the courtroom, rubbing her eyes and wishing there was a vending machine somewhere nearby. The weeks of legal wranglings were taking their toll on both herself and her cousin who was increasingly causing trouble with her exasperated outbursts.

The whole Sebiestor community was tense and relations with the Deteis of Hunchaan were at an all time low. Paranoia, increased censorship and secrecy and a heightened security forces presence only served to increase the growing rifts between the once close people. In her cynicism, Ysolde figured there was a deliberate element at play as the relations between State and Republic deteriorated.

A newsflash on a vidscreen at the end of the hallway caught her attention. There was shaky footage of minmatar ships attacking another vessesl and the fact that a local Caldari News Channel was doing a brief news article on this made her wonder what could possibly be so important. It was news of the Defiants and the Republic Fleet.

Stunned, she watched the replay of the incident and a brief summary of events, before the news broadcast moved on to the hour's stocks and shares. She didn't need to know any more, she already knew there would be uproar within the Minmatar factions. Undoubtedly the Ushra'Khan would be up in arms, Elsebeth would be taking the Republic's side and drawing NMTZ in, Midular's government would issue a press release defending the Fleet's actions and the Amarr would be sticking their noses in as always.

Ironically, it was the reactions of her own alliance that she couldn't predict. Most of all, her own feelings were muddied.
With an audible sigh, head in hands, she stared at the floor for a few moments. The vidscreen switched to a light Jazz program and the music permeated the hallway, almost in mockery.

Karshal had caused no end of headaches and trouble for the Republic. He'd stolen a Mothership and it's fleet, performed vigilant actions in breach of the CONCORD statutes, become an outspoken critic of the Republic and had joined in the crusade to tear apart the Amarr Empire. But he was a hero. He'd had enough of having his hands tied by a weak government, watching as more of his people were captured into slavery and incensed that his orders were to allow this to happen. He'd had enough and believed in his cause so strongly, he sacrificed absolutely everything for it. Karshal and the Defiants. Whilst officially Ysolde could not condone his actions, unofficially she respected his determination and spirit despite the troubles he'd caused them all. And for the Fleet to sabotage his clone (an all-too-convenient clone malfunction - the blunt sledgehammer of the intergalactic espionage toolkit)... "Idiots" she murmured.

"He deserves a hero's funeral, and will get a martyr's memorial."

Oh FFS

2007-01-13T11:26:00.000Z

Well Ny and I are back home trying to sort out one hell of a mess with our community and the State. Seems the State is getting paranoid about having minmatar in it's borders. Don't want to go into detail but in an ironic way I'm glad the Caldari still have a taste for cold hard ISK and that what I consider to be broke these days is still several fortunes for the average planetbound citizen.

Don't know when I'll be back in my pod though. But having seen the absolute debacle that has been the alliance and the behaviour of a wodge of it's members in my abscence... Look I know having 4 sudden wardecs is harsh, and I know that a couple of corps were only with us temporarily for reasons of convenience, but really. Hissy fits, toys out of prams, accusations, arguments, angst...

And people wonder why I still reject a position of authority and responsibility.

Get a grip. Especially the people who likely won't ever read this. EM's survived this before and it'll survive it again. I hope we learn.

[[Christmas Doesn't Exist In New Eden...]]

2006-12-25T11:06:00.000Z

Ysolde read over the comms pensively, mug of chai in hand. Her attempts to tutor her over-eager and under-experienced cousin were beginning to wear away and she'd fallen behind on the Alliance and general New Eden goings on.

GalNet was awful, as usual. The same mixture of old rhetoric trotted out weekly, accidental nonsensical misposts (that Karass Sayfo of the CRC has his work cut out for him), thinly-veiled flames and overblown posturing was tiresome and fruitless. Unfortunately it also gave a good insight into the state of affairs within the various factions of New Eden and thus needed to be read.

The joke that was Revan Neferis had died down a little, partly thanks to her sycophantic cronies entering into the circus surrounding Tomahawk Bliss. She'd heard the rhyming slang phrase 'taking the Tomahawk' and found it ever more appropriate with each post he made.
The usual death threats from the Caldari overloyalists had clamed for a bit, but they'd be back soon, and then there was that Rodj vs Meklon thread wherein -EM- raised it's public profile a little and PIE Inc took note.
She wondered when the CVA would bring it on.

The empty mug was placed down beside the screen and Ysolde rubbed her eyes. She needed a momentary break from the next item on the list.

There was news of the NMTZ war with the Merc corp TNT. The merc corp that contained a worryingly large number of former -EM-, now trigger happy and ISK-osessed: willing to kill absolutely anyone for a bit of an adrenaline rush or to feed an alcohol habit. Whilst others shouted about how traitorous they were, angry over the percieved betrayal, Ysolde felt only pity for them. Pity that they'd been reduced to pathetic junkies craving that next hit. There wouldn't be any hesitation to fire if they attacked -EM-.

Ysolde had had enough for now and flicked off the GalNet, instead browsing through the various Federation newsfeeds about other current events. There was a program that aired daily about the celebratory activities of New Eden's cultures, and today's short mentioned a festival that was celebrated thousands upon thousands of years ago during the winter season of the earliest recorded settlements. The Yuletide feasts were posited to be a way of driving back the bitter cold of the weather and bringing cheer and joy to the people struggling to survive. Later, it was combined with a celebration of economy and industry with extensive gift-giving and a goodwill-inspired boost to the fledgling planetary market economies.
There was evidence to suggest that in some cultures, this event was tied to the existance of a divine representative brought to lead the people - perhaps unified under a single corporate entity - and it certainly wasn't the Amarrian Emperor. Naturally, the Amarr had decried it as a godless heresy.
There was something about driving away the depression of a harsh seasonal environment, the hope that someone could lead people to a better existance and the celebrations and feasting that Ysolde appreciated. Faith and festivities - though run through the filter of corporate consumerism, or so the program reported.

Rummaging around in the drinks cabinet in her small lounge, Ysolde found a bottle of gluwinn. It was a traditional Matari recipie made of wines and spices and had been mentioned in the program as having been drunk hot with slices of naranj fruit.

A toast was made to an old festival that celebrated celebrating, and narked off the Amarr to boot.

Oh, the effort

2006-12-09T01:51:00.000Z

It's taking all my resolve (and rum) to keep from telling the Amarr to Bring It on the GalNet right now...

For once, I don't mind answering my cousin's million-and-one annoying questions as a distraction!

Life continues apace in space.

2006-11-27T12:36:00.000Z

S.O.A.P. phase one completed successfully. Those who know, know.

In other less cryptic news, I've been chatting to Nyneve and she's due to graduate in a couple of days. A couple of days! Where on earth has all the time gone? I know she was excelling in all of her second year piloting classes and that she'd be in the first batch of graduates this academic quarter, but even so! Her parents are flying out by Interbus to attend her graduation and I promised I'd go as well. It'll be nice to see my aunt and uncle again after all this time.

Anyway, I'm a little concerned about her. Where is the excitable, anxious, naive and innocent Nyneve? Now she's talking of tearing down the Empires and all the lies that prop them up. She's particularly vociferous in her verbal attacks on the Amarr empire, but she claims that the Republic and the Federation are little better in their complacency and so it is up to us capsule pilots (she uses the word 'us' even though she's not even qualified yet) to lead the way forwards in this new era. I can't tell if she's a wannabe freedom fighter or a confused posthumanist.
Was I like that when I graduated? I don't think so... I was more in awe at the vastness of New Eden. I wonder what holochannels she's been watching?
Still, I like her new hairstyle and she's willing to let me fit the first prototype of my new quantum monitor onto her ships.

I'm not sure what to call it, and haven't yet submitted a patent application which I suppose I should do soon, but the quantum monitor is the first experimental success I've had in applying the quantum waveform guiding prinicple. Initially, all it will do is simply register and filter out precise waveforms to monitor certain key changes in state in individual specified parts of the ship such as the camer drone interface and the propulsion monitors. Simple enough entanglement transmission will send this information to a reciever device but the clever part is that I've managed to finally find a use for all of those spare teraflops of processing power my Hoarder-class industrial ship has in using it to crunch through probability functions to decrypt the information. Why? Well when I said it would use simple enough entanglement, as the regular FTL systems do, I didn't mean a direct transmit because those are infinitely hackable. I meant going through a tenfold set of entanglements, modulated by sychronised waveform fluctuations.

For the non-rocket scientists out there, that means I'll be able to see what she sees and get the same kind of system readouts she gets without anyone else being able to nose in. If this works successfully, the next step will be to broaden the range of systems that can be monitored and introduce a communications loop whereby I we can talk to oneanother off the FTL system. The ultimate in information security I guess.
I'm not stupid and I can see potential abuse of this system if anyone else figures out how to operate it. It'll be clearing through the ship's AI to ensure no funny business, that could potentially disrupt the operation of the ship, occurs.

Maybe I'll be able to refine it to an extent that I can mount the reciever/decoder on a ship with less than a supercomputer for a brain.
I'll never understand why industrial ships were given such powerful AIs.

Venting

2006-11-10T00:31:00.000Z

Just getting this off my chest to save exploding about it at an inopportune moment.

My GOD are EM a useless bunch of fucking whingers and bitches at the moment. I make a single line statement in a single comment flatly pointing out the COMPLETELY TIDE TURNING and GIANT GAPING FLAW in their million-rule uber-restrictive frigate tournament rules that basicalyl makes a complete mockery of the rules, and I'm the one who gets flamed as if I've been decrying it everywhere!

Did they not watch the inter-alliance tournaments? Did they not witness first had just how utterly devastatingly HUGE an advantage pirate implants are in a fight? To say any implants go but to then restrict the ships and modules to be used so heavily is a total waste of time. Give me a bog-standard, off-the shelf Rifter & kit and with a full set of Slaves and I'll mince anyone else in a faction-pimped Rifter.

Basically I've been slapped with 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' which, considering I can't even *think* of a nice way of putting "your entire premise is flawed", means I'm not going to be saying anything. They'd ratehr stick their fingers in their ears and go 'lalalala what problem? there are no problems!'

Funny, just like Midular's government...

I don't think I'm going to be showing up either at this rate. Already I know I'm being considered the primary target in the LTRAD team because of my reputation. I'm too busy working on my quantum theories to get enthusistic about hauling myself over to a completely farcical tournament setup after having been told off for attempting to point this out.

I'm sure I saw Lady Portia's Maller today so she's probably back from wherever her family lands are. Maybe she can fly instead. At this point I really couldn't care less about the fact she's not known for being a particularly good frigate pilot.

Distractions and revelations

2006-10-16T08:11:00.000Z

I've been sinking deeper and deeper into my quantum paradox research - so much so that juggling the demands of being a pod pilot captain and a mataribando instructor as well leave me with no free time.

It seems that one the quantum entaglement theory was properly cracked, physicists hung around perfecting it and then headed off in different directions. I've come up with a theory of using the quantum variation of the uncertainty issue to enable a sort of 'quantum ping' scan approach based along the lines of our regular shp scanner technology. Provided that other scan frequencies can be drawn upon to solve the location versus vector argument, such a quantum ping would pierce through cloaking technology, remain un-jammable and give a complete molecular breakdown of whatever was being looked at.

On a tangential note, I wonder what the driving force is behind random quantum wavelength synching. If the impetus that causes quantum waveforms to 'spontaneously' change and synchronise can be found, I think we'll have unlocked the key to the next step in our technological evolution...

Where's a Jove when you want to have a chat?

In Other News: The Federation presidential election has been scheduled to be on October 27th. Let's see what happens.

Further new experiences

2006-09-24T21:18:00.000Z

Since the war ended, I've been busy attmepting to make ninjas out of the dancers RTI are looking after. Now, it seems the janitors, the guards, random vagabonds about the place and in fact everyone is interested in learning MatariBando! I think Eva's going to clear out a hangar for us to use.

In other, perhaps stranger, news I've stopped having the alternate future dream and instead found myself thinking quantum physics. Eva's recent podware malfunctions had me thinking about how our quantum fluidcomms work, based on twin particle entanglment allowing for FTL communications accross the galaxy.
All particles have a degree of entanglement from one another dependent on the chain of association from particle A to particle B. FTL comms have dedicated vacuum-created twin particles with but one degree of separation, meaning the probability quotients are up in the 99.99% range and therefore pretty reliable. If you try and calculate probability functions of 2 or 3 degrees, taking into consideration 'lost' data transmitted to the 'wrong' particles in the other degrees of link, then non-twin particules rapdily become useless for quantum information transmittance. This is all basic first year stuff anyone who has taken a quantum engineering course will know.

In my dreams, though, I think I'm starting to see how the degrees of entanglement can be compensated for by manipulating probability. This is achieved, paradoxically, by probing the degree of entanglement by quantum fluctuation and calculating the matching harmonics that need to be generated in order to direct the signal along the right path, which is calculated using the very probabilities that are in the process of being changed. That is the part I cannot seem to see my way around.

It's a bit like the Uncrtainty Principle: in detecting the movement vector of a particle you change it.

I think this is the tip of an iceberg. Scratch that, an entire ice planet...

New Experiences

2006-09-14T15:39:00.000Z

So we find ourselves at war with a small corporation of hardened pirates and privateers. Clearly they've been cloned one too many times, judging by their erratic and often downright stupid behaviour.

Still intel gathering and hunting is midlyl diverting. I am prepared, as always, particularly in a tackling capability though that can be swapped at a moment's notice to whatever else may be needed.

In preparation for potentially fatal conflict, I finally decided to tentatively test out the jumpclone I had ordered with Brutor Tribe.
I have never ever been out of my original body before. I have never been pod-killed or cloned, thanks to my naturally cautious piloting and the extensive knowledge of how to configure a good ship. I have to admit I was extremely nervous about it but it was so fast... It felt like I'd just closed my eyes for a second. And my new clone is identical to my true body. It didn't feel any different, there wasn't any disorientation, and readjustment - nothing. Just an odd blackout for a split second.

It feel strange being 100% flesh and blood again. I've had cybernetic augmentations for so long. I feel... half blind and slow of thinking. I suppose this is what will take me the longest time to adjust to. It's odd but I always thought I'd hate not beign my own flesh and blood, but it's the missing implants that have bothered me the most. Perhaps it's because I know the real me is safely stored away and not so many atoms floating in space.

Ships and names

2006-09-04T14:20:00.000Z

Following a discussion earlier about ships and naming, and remembering the poem I rewrote about such things, I am reminded of my own ships and their names. All 57 vessels registered to me, assembled and fully-fitted for operation at a moment's notice. It is a philosophy of mine to always be ready for the job at hand and so I have a ship collection in configurations already prepared to fit the specifics of any job.

The roster, in order of registry reference:-

Scrumptious Reagent - a Catalyst fitted to blow apart frigate packs and little else. A job it does admirably and named with gallentean slang after my original chemical naming scheme had started to fall through.

Protected By MiniPet - a Coercer designed to hunt and kill frigates but also possessing reasonable dedfences. Used in preference to the Catalyst when uncertain about the danger. The name happeend after an evening out drinking with Midnighter.

Sputnik Parmesan - a Cormorant designed to give long-ranged support in anti-frigate roles but also capable of holding it's own when the heat is on. The name came from the same conversation as the Coercer's, as I had just purchased both ships earlier that day.

The Hades Express - a Thrasher that should perhaps be called the Hades Express II, being that it is the replacement for one lost during the testing of a secret merc superweapon. The name tems from it's appearence - the trainride straight to hell. Still a favourite vessel of mine.

It Could Be You... - an Eris and my most recent acquisition. A ship to go after people in, because it will be vastly underestimated. Currently in the process of having it's equipment upgraded.

Mean Bean Machine - a Sabre, one of my pride and joys. Nastier than what's faster, faster than what's nastier! That ship is pure sex, as one might say and is in fact the vessel shown in the background of the title of this blog.

El Diablo - an Anathema, named after watching a bad holovid because I was lacking in inspiration. It's a Khanid Cov-Ops that follows on from the Crucifier ethos.

Not What You Expect - an Ares that does what it says on the tin. This ship is vastly underestimated by everyone in favour of the superior Taranis. That does not mean that this ship is no good, however...

Ekaboron - a Cheetah named under the original naming scheme. It's a historical and elegant name for the element Scandium. The ship cloaks, shoots, paints, disrupts and tanks. A jack of all trades scout vessel for small guerilla gangs.

Cyprium - a Claw named after the element copper once found in a land called Cyprus. Designed to get up close and personal but occasionally will use a longer-ranged artillery config.

Bavarian Fire Drill - a Crusader, configured as an nconventional 'jaegerbomb' and hence the cryptic name. Those who know will know and those who won't, won't have a clue. Hint: it's absurd but for some reason people won't see that until it's too late.

Don't Call Me Pink - an Enyo whose paintscheme is distressingly close to pink, a colour I rather dislike. A bit of a disappointment, this ship neither tanks nor ganks as well as the hype had led me to believe.

Celestial Architect - a Helios that applies the Maulus thinking to the covert ops role. Instrumental in multi-ship battles but in and of itself, small and weak.

Amalgam - a Hound that was named after mercury alloys. A general ship that is optimised to sniping in groups but that can also take on the roving pirate infestations you see harassing miners in Empire.

The Winged Monkeys - an Ishkur named after a joke. The drones are launched to the order of 'Fly my pretties, fly!' and the ship is a superb all-round machine.

Adamant - a Jaguar and my absolute pride and joy, named after a mythical superglass and also with the secondary meaning of defiance in the face of opposition. My most all-round ship and one I can take into any situation and still be of use in/get out alive from.

Divine Intervention - a Malediction, a Khanid tackling interceptor named for the sense of irony it brings when used against Amarr slaving raids. Flexible and all-round if a little weak.

Mobile Assault Suit - a Nemesis named after a giant stompy robot in a cartoon series because of it's uncanny aesthetic resemblance. Currently being refitted to specialise in ECM-tanking as it fulfills it's bomber role. yet another underestimated Gallente design. There are a lot of fools out there...

P.I.T.A - a Purifier so-named because it is a bomber with an actual tank and won't die if you sneeze on it, not what anti-bomber defences expect. A fleet ship.

Inebriation's Price - a Retribution named in honour of it's acquisition. I was drunk when I bought it didn't remember picking it up at all! An excellent combat mission runner.

Aeneous - a Stiletto and one of my earliest elite ship acquisitions. The name comes from an ancient word for bronze and the vessel is used either as a heavy fleet tackler, a light solo ship or (more usually) to get me and a few items from A to B safely and quickly.

Decisions, Decisions - a Taranis named that way when I couldn't decide which should be it's default configuration, and currently optimised for Angel-hunting with the capacity to swap to hostile pilot chasing with a minimum of refitting.

Tankmaschine - a Vengeance named in the style of an old pre-Federation language to describe what it does (i.e. tank). This ship is a disappointment, it must be said.

Auric Haemorrhage - a Wolf that was built from a Rifter by the name of the MFS Haemorrhage owned by Midnighter. It was to be named Aurum, a classical word for the element of Gold but there's a tradition of keeping on a ship's old name and so I sandwiched the two.

That is my elite ship and Destroyer collection. I'll save the frigate fleet for later.

End of an Era

2006-08-27T22:30:00.000Z

I've been so busy station-side that I missed the fact that I've now been a fully qualified capsuleer captain for two years now.

Most of my classmates are commanding Carriers and other Capital class ships now with thousands if not tens of thousands of crew. It amuses them, the fact that even now I still prefer frigates. If I really wanted to I could dedicate some time getting up to speed on how to pilot the larger ships and operate Capital-class modules but I've certainly not been slacking on perfecting my piloting and engineering skills so the only edge they might have is experience.

But I digress, I have no intention of commanding a Carrier or similar.

I also found out today that Orber Letava, my graduate tutor back at PTS, has retired! He's been replaced by some green-gilled newcomer Rian Sumana. And I wasn't even invited to the retirement party. Hmph.

Midnight Conversations

2006-08-26T01:03:00.000Z

Last night I couldn't really sleep, so I went for a stroll through the station. I found myself in the bar, but it was very quiet for some reason and so I ended up chatting to the owner.
Apparently he's seen me and my ships around and seemed to be aware of my... Ammatar removal work. Intrigued at why he would pay so much attention to this, I asked him what his story was and this is what he said to me:

I hate the Ammatar.

My ancestors were lucky, back when we ruled our stars. In the Uka'a Mountains of Huggar, one of the greatest forges of our ancient wonders was situated. Producing the grand stations, the acceleration gates that survive to this day and of course the pride of the tribal fleets, it was served by the best engineers and like the other grand shipyards of Pator, was held in the highest regard throughout the tribes.
The day the Amarr came to Matar and destroyed much of our civilisation, the few warnings that could be sent were heeded in Uka'a and it was evacuated with every other colony. Of the 18 Star Voyagers that launched, only 3 made it past the blockade of Amarr ships and on to Onga. They were the fortunates: other colonies lost everyone. The Uka'a engineers settled a hidden corner of the second planet and rebuilt from nothing, always keeping the tradition of mechanics strong even when much of the knowledge had been destroyed. Grounded, the community kept its spirit and harboured dreams of rebuilding the fleets to go and reclaim their enslaved families.

My family had been mechanics and mining engineers. My father was the head technician in the main robotics facility and my mother was a freelance refinery efficiency expert. They died in an earthquake when I was in my tenth year and my grandfather, a retired farmer, took me in. On the day the monsoon season ended in my twelfth year, a small starship descended through the clouds and landed in the field behind my grandfather's smallholdings. From inside came a Matari man of a tribe I could not place. We were mostly Sebiestor and Brutor here; some Vherokior and an insular community of Thukker was not cosmopolitan enough. He was dressed in strange clothing made of good quality materials I had not seen before and wanted to speak to my grandfather and myself. He claimed to be a half-Krusual infiltrator of the Nefantar - the tribe who sided with the Amarr and traded away our families and freedom of the mind for expensive trinkets. He wished to reform the Ammatar from within and to do that he would require young, fresh minds from outside the Amarr influence that could become pod pilots and carry sway. He said I seemed to be ideal and that he wanted to speak to the rest of the community to see if there were others who would be interested. My grandfather was guaranteed I would be given the best education and become a licensed pilot: that I could make a difference and help return the wayward Nefantar tribe to their senses striking a blow against the Amarr. Others in the community agreed and 8 other children came with me back to the man's ship. As our families cheered and waved us off, the man lead us into the hold of his ship and we lifted off. Excited, we scrambled around an observation porthole to catch our first glimpses of the stars from space. It was a dream come true for us...

What we saw was beams of red flame carve through our people and within moments a charred, gashed mess was all that remained of the centuries-old Uka'a descendant settlement. The younger children thought it was a joke or a holoreel. Some sat in shock and began to wail. I was the oldest and I hammered on the doors screaming my lungs out at the man who had betrayed us. There was a cloud of blue gas and we all fell into unconsciousness.
The next day we woke feeling terrible and found ourselves in chains in a slave market somewhere in Ammatar space. The man was there, talking to some tall figures in hoods and one by one we were dragged off by more like him. He was not half-Krusual at all. He looked like the ones dragging us off to our new masters - the 'Ammatars', once Nefantar. He looked at us with contempt as if we were dogs and not his own people. I spat in his face as I was manhandled off after some haughty Amarr woman, and earned a broken jaw for my troubles.
I endured seven years of slavery: whips, vitoc, starving, reciting the Pax Amarria... all for some Amarr woman I was never even allowed to know the name of. I was a cleaner in her holiday retreat somewhere in Tanoo and I never saw any of my fellow captives of Uka'a again.
My release came at the cost of another slave. He was much, much older and his sight was failing: a Brutor man with education he had been caught when a passing slaver ship had found his trading vessel on fire after an attack by Blood Raiders. He told me about the space faring community and that there were freedom fighters who would try and rescue us.
It was my mistake - I grabbed the first opportunity I could to transmit a broadcast aimed at the Republic for help. It alerted the Amarr Navy and the older slave took the blame for it to spare me. He was executed as the rest of us were assembled and forced to watch. An injection of a viral accelerant meant he suffered the vitoc death in but an hour of magnified agony.
It was only a few hours later as I sat on my bunk crying that the palace was rocked with explosions. A small cell of Matari freedom fighters had come for us after some friends of theirs had created a distraction for the Navy. We were finally free.
Two years later and I am here now, running a bar on this station. I am saving up to go to Pator Tech School and become a ship engineer because I want to build the ships that will blow the traitors apart. I want to join the fight to free my brothers and sisters... but because I am still dependent on vitoc I do not think I will be granted a pilot's licence. That does not matter, there is still much I can do to help.
I remember Uka'a and the stories of my ancestors. I will be there when the Empire falls.
Above all, I hate the Ammatar.

Traffic Jams

2006-08-23T11:05:00.000Z

I note that there is more than a passing resemblnce between trying to undock from Brutor Tribe Treasury statin in Rens and playing that game where you roll everything up in a tight ball. Hundreds of ships stuck in a ball because the undocking ramps don't know when to hold up.

MatariBando

2006-08-18T17:37:00.000Z

Seems I may have gained myself a student to instruct in the ways of Hei'Tar form MatariBando. This could be fun, especially because said student is Evanda Char!

Hei'Tar paied blades are idea for close-quarters work, able to disarm, stab, slash and parry with ease. Need good strength in the fingers, especially the upper joints though.

I'm ready to begin whenever you are, Eva.

Cousins, ships and other animals

2006-08-16T18:33:00.000Z

I think Nyneve enjoyed her introduction into the every day life of a capsuleer pilot, even if she did end up somewhat shellshocked.

Anyway, I find myself once again drawn towards my Ares-class Interceptor. It really is a stunning vessel and flies so well. It's power grid is a little lacking, since the missile bay upgrades, but apart from that its a formidable machine. It's just a pity that everyone considers it to be useless because the Taranis is better. Personally I think the Taranis and the Crow are by far the most superior interceptors developed yet but that does not mean the Ares is poor on its own merit.

Now the tricky part... do I fit a damage control system to capitalise on it's extremely solid structure, or the latest in adaptive nanomembrane armour technology to assist in armour maintenance?

[Ysolde demonstrates combat (finale)]

2006-08-15T18:30:00.000Z

The ship had begun to undock before Nyneve even noticed. The docking ramps were free and the Adamant coasted out a few kilometres, slowing to a halt.
“They’ll see us the moment we arrive – deadspace dumps the warp tunnel out at the beacon and I can’t get a better approach I’m afraid. Still, I’m good for close range dogfights. Just remember to hang on, OK?” Ysolde explained to Nyneve as the ship abruptly spun around to face the station.
“Where are we-” Nyneve’s query was cut off by the ship suddenly powering forwards at full acceleration heading right towards the side of the docking array. “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
At the last moment before the ship slammed head-on with a bulkhead, the space around them distorted and the warp tunnel opened. Nyneve was silenced by the sight as they warped right through the station, then through the planet of Huggar. Matar zoomed into view and they passed right through it again before the distortion began to wind down and they dropped out of warp.

Ysolde relayed her HUD overlay down to one of the holopanels Nyneve could see. “Get used to the interface.” The overview was full of red icons all bearing the name ‘Angel’ as the ship slowed to a stop. Suddenly, they all flashed with a yellow square, a warning sound accompanying through the speaker panels, then the yellow became red. “They see us. We’re locked. Into the breach!”

Gistii-technology fuelled afterburners online, the ship spurted forwards, curving into a tangential approach to the leading Angel Predator vessel, one of the predicted Cynabal class cruisers. A barrage of missiles both standard and heavy rocked the ship as they exploded all around, denting the shields down to 70%. The shield boosting arrays activated as the Adamant turned its guns onto the nearest hostile, a Nomad that began to target paint Ysolde’s ship. The Angel vaporised in a single volley but another Nomad had begun target painting and Nyneve cringed as she watched the readouts show the ship signature radius balloon in size to that of a sitting duck. “Don’t worry. They still cannot track me. We’re moving too fast for cruiser turrets. If anything, the horde of frigates is a greater threat.” Ysolde reassured.

Another Nomad exploded. Guns trained upon the fast-approaching pair of Raiders as the Adamant cut a wide sweep around the leading Predator, under the optimal range for its artillery cannons. The shield booster systems periodically came to life when integrity dipped below 75% but for all the missile explosions around the ship, surprisingly little damage was being done. Ysolde explained how clever Thukker engineering could be to Nyneve.

The ship wove and danced in between the other cruisers, focusing fire on frigate after frigate and blowing them apart with ease. Nyneve was rooted to the tactical overlay display, watching the view from different camera drones and the range, trajectory, velocity and other details calculated by the ship. She watched Ysolde skate on the fine line between her turret optimal range and it’s 50% accuracy falloff distance. She saw calculated comparative velocity used to decide if a missile would have enough fuel to hit the target, and the complexities of minimising the transversal and radial velocities to catch them square in the face was giving her a headache. This battle was half adrenaline-fuelled dogfight and half tactical command intel use. The Adamant’s AI was generating sound to match sensor data and Nyneve could hear missiles being fired and from what direction. Each heavy missile explosion rocked the ship but the engines seemed powerful enough to realign in an instant and orbit was barely broken until one by one the frigate fleet dwindled to nothing leaving the frustrated cruisers.

“OK you wanted to see some cruisers, I’ll show you how damaging these things are...” and the ship suddenly slowed to a halt. Then it was shaken violently as explosions of heavy Havoc missiles and ammunition shells pounded from all sides, the large guns finally able to track the ship. Shields were being stripped at a frightening speed and at full power the shield booster arrays were not able to cope.
“OK OK OK I get it!” Nyneve started to panic. Then she was pressed back into her chair as the ship shot forwards, powering up to a top speed of one kilometre a second as shields hit less than 20%. Suddenly the rate of shield loss dropped, as the guns could no longer find their mark and the missile explosions were half outrun. It wasn’t long before the shield systems had regained total integrity and one cruiser on fire exploded as the last bulkheads of its hull disintegrated under the hail of EMP shells.
Nyneve stopped looking at the telemetry and just watched from the window as the created sounds of battle filled the little bridge. The Cynabal cruisers were several times the size of the Adamant. Impressive ships but flawed inherently. How could a small ship, albeit one with supremely good technology powering it, be so immune? To even be able to toy with a pack of them! Nyneve was sure that the fools in command of the Angel ships didn’t know how to use them properly. There must be ways of hitting smaller ships – slowing them down, a swarm of drones, assault launchers. It only furthered her resolve to become the best damn cruiser pilot RMS had ever produced.

The fight raged on. The Adamant’s guns had to ceasefire to reload often and the valuable seconds bought allowed the damage repair systems of the enemy ships to work. But under the concentrated fire in precisely the right weak spots using ammunition tailored to exploit resistance holes, the Predator could not withstand the assault any better than its Depredator cohorts.
“Woo! I own. Told you.” Ysolde was cheery at the victory as the ship slowed down to investigate whether there was anything worth looting left.
Nyneve was silent a moment before finally speaking up. “Ya know, the fight was really cool but it broke my head with all of that data. And… well I think the Cynabal commanders were crap.”
“Be that as it may, we still kicked their arses and I’ve yet to meet one that isn’t crap. I’m sure in the hands of a capsule fitted captain it’d be more dangerous, but as I like to tell cocky cruiser pilots I’ve never met one I couldn’t blow up.” Ysolde countered. “Anyway, little of worth left here. Still, it’s all recyclable and I like to help keep the universe tidy.”

Nyneve took the opportunity to watch the planet of Matar as the Jaguar scooped up what could be salvaged. They were close enough for it to fill a quarter of the sky but not close enough to make out much surface detail. It looked a lot less lush and fertile than the stories said it used to be. Amarr devastation will do that to a planet, she thought.

“Should we go back to the station for a drink to wind down? I’ll drop you off back in Ammold afterwards.” Ysolde made the offer to Nyneve.
“Yeah that’d be great. I need a drink or three after all of this. It’s going to take me ages to get used to it all. Especially the Jumping.”
Ysolde reflected on how different she was when she started out. To begin with, she’d never been put off by warping or jumping. On second thought, perhaps it was because of her science and engineering background that helped her understand what was going on and how they were protected. Nyneve had had no such thing. “I’ll get the first round, Ny.”
The ship’s AI announced ‘Warp Drive Active’ and the Jaguar headed to dock.

[Nyneve bites off more than she can chew]

2006-08-14T22:57:00.000Z

The docking queue was quick and the station comparatively quiet. Ysolde disembarked from her pod and took Nyneve for a walk around the station as the hangar crew unloaded the packages for her agent and performed basic maintenance on the Adamant. Nyneve had perked up again considerably and was eager to see what the Angel pirates were like first hand.
“But I don’t’ see why they don’t use pods too…” Nyneve was gesticulating excitedly as she drank her kaffe.
“A question of economics. The majority of the Angel Cartel pilots are grunts. They have neither the training nor talents to be worth a pod, in their eyes. The higher ranked members are capsule fitted and recently some of the Curse and Stain alliances have found this out first hand with the rising tensions between the Cartel and Sansha’s Nation.” Ysolde answered back, matter-of-factly.
Nyneve’s face fell. “So… that means when we hunt them, they’re all going to die? No pods?”
“Yes.” Ysolde shrugged lightly. “But they know this too. Remember also that the vast majority of pilots out there are not capsule-fitted and their ships also have more crew. We are the lucky ones who get a second chance. And even if we do die if we are in our capsules we will live again as clones. These are all choices that are made by the individual pilots. Take the risk and prey on innocent miners and you will forfeit your life.”
“Yeah… I guess.” Nyneve’s facial expression was a little hard for Ysolde to gauge. Somewhere between distaste and pity.
“No matter how peaceful your intentions are as a pilot, if you ever undock then you will at some stage find yourself in the situation where it is either you or them. Sometimes, ‘they’ are pod-fitted and sometimes they are not.” Ysolde continued. “For what it’s worth, I have never destroyed a defenceless capsule.” She glanced down at her empty cup of chai. “And I do not fly ships that require crew much, in case I get shot down.”
“I heard about the Hades Express from my Uncle…” Nyneve nodded slowly.
“It’s all past history though. I’ve settled on my course as a pilot and I do not see myself ever piloting large ships with extensive crews. The skeleton staff of an Interdictor or Destroyer is my limit. Even my Industrial vessel is automated. And besides, lazy pilots often underestimate what you can do with a frigate. I have yet to ever find a situation where I wished I was in a cruiser instead.”
Nyneve’s eyes gleamed at Ysolde’s comments, as if it were some sort of challenge.
Ysolde noticed and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”
Nyneve smiled coyly, “I’d like to see you stand up to a couple of good cruisers.”
Ysolde made a quick motion as if checking a wristwatch, “what, now? Certainly! And you’ll have the best view as well!” A cunning grin followed Ysolde’s statement as Nyneve realised she’d just talked herself into a corner.
With a resigned “arse…” Nyneve finished up her kaffe.
“I’ll meet you back at the Adamant. I have an agent here who keeps tabs on the Angel movements. I’ll see if he’s got a couple of ‘good cruisers’ to hunt. Oh and so you know, they always have support wings of frigates. Some of theme even splash out on elite ships like mine…” Ysolde smiled wickedly as she got up.

Nyneve looked up at the Adamant as she waited for Ysolde. She was hopping from foot to foot nervously and really couldn’t imagine this ship holding its own under the combined firepower of several cruiser class vessels. She was really hoping Ysolde had done this a million times before and hadn’t just accepted the challenge to call her bluff. Nyneve had been wanting to pilot cruisers since she signed up at the RMS; in particular she liked the look of the Rupture. The news that ships like this one, impressive as they were she had to admit, could take one of those down…
“OK are we ready? Let’s roll.” Ysolde had approached and Nyneve hadn’t noticed, flinching a little in surprise.
“She’s all loaded up. Targets are grouping at a deadspace beacon the other side of Matar so we have to be quick.” Ysolde waved Nyneve over to the elevator. “We don’t’ have exact numbers but I’m guessing it’s a standard medium-threat raiding formation. Looking at six Cynabal-class cruisers with a backing fleet of 8 to 10 Dramiel and Daredevil-class frigates. They’ll be of mixed configuration with target painting support, some missile use and a combination of artillery and autocannon fire consisting of a balance of the various damage types.” Ysolde explained her thoughts to Nyneve as they entered the ship and walked down the gangways to the bridge.

Nyneve was a little pale and Ysolde noticed, smiling in a reassuring manner. “Don’t worry. I own. The Adamant owns harder. You’ve heard the tales of what we’d encountered and survived together. This is absolutely nothing.”
Nyneve was left alone, strapped in and waiting. For the first time, she took a few moments to peer over the bridge area. She could see the panels that would have been filled with controls and displays had this not been a capsule-fitted solo ship. She thought it was kind of cool to have your own private frigate class ship that didn’t need any crew because you were a capsule pilot that could command it all solo. But in her mind this was only a runabout. The real way to fly was with a grand ship and full crew complement. She was definitely going after that Rupture now.

Old Log entry

2006-08-14T15:58:00.000Z

I found this from a year and a half ago. I wonder where Ori is now? And Azadkiel.

Strange news today. Took some time to get the paperwork caught up on so by the time I finally boarded my pod to get out there, I missed all the fireworks. I found Ori moving out of the Rebublic and very nearly joining up with the Amarr! Took a while to get my head around; I mean ORI?!? Work with the Amarr against the Minmatar??? What the hell is going on in the Republic? Seems he's moving out to Caldari space but very nearly joined the enemies of the cause out of some kind of revenge against what the Minmatar freedom fighters had done to him. All of which I missed. I think it's the Lomong mess, exacerbated by Myadra upping his bounty after his errors got him flagged as a naughty boy by Concord. He seemed pretty deeply hurt though. And to consider such a childishly extreme revenge... well I told him exactly what I thought of that idea. I think I held my temper pretty well and remained civil, all things considering. The real feat of will was when I went onto the Minmatar channel to find out what the fuck happened there and found it the topic of conversation already. Lomong accusing him of turning into a pirate and scamming innocent people was the first thing I saw and I blew my stack. Good thing Adamant's AI suggested I word my thoughts more clearly or else they wouldnt' have been understood. I think it would have come out something like 'ofcoursehesnotafuckingpirateheneverscammedanyonehisscamswerebloodycrapjokesthat
wouldnthavefooledasoddingAMMATARthebountyistheretowindhimupandtogetattentionoffmyadra
howthehellcouldyouhavethoughthedbeforealgetasenseofhumourifyouhadnotkeptrisingtoit
hedhavegotboredandstopped'
I don't remember now what I actually said but I think I still opened with something sharp. He'd got nothing but flak and hassle from people taking things way too seriously and personally. At the time I thought it was people bantering - didn't think it was meant for real. And then something happens and they all turn on him and THAT is for real!
What is going on? The other day Midnighter was an arrogant wanker to me, putting me down on public channel after ignoring me.
Midnighter and Lomong. Hrm.

I need to get away a little - I'm taking it all kinda personally. But I can't help it; I see my friends get kicked and upset and that pisses me off. That and myself being kicked by friends. I think I'll go and spend some time in Trytedald. Urban Management look like good employers. And the new guy Azadkiel is my latest charge. I wish Ori good luck out in the State. I reccomended The Citadel, Muvolailen as a place to start. Some good agents there and it's a good place to travel from. Near Saila too. I'll prolly go and visit him once he's settled and spend a couple of days working for the State. My rep with them remains wobbly.
But first, back to the science books.

[Ysolde takes Nyneve on a trip]

2006-08-11T22:40:00.000Z

Once Nyneve's friends had said their goodbyes and headed back for their afternoon astronavigation classes, Ysolde took Nyneve aboard and onto the tiny bridge. As a custom-built capsule ship rather than a converted older vessel, the bridge area was a small passenger lounge with a good forwards view down along the twin hulls of the Jaguar. Ysolde played with a few settings on a display panel and holographic images of the camera drones output flickered to life as speaker panels came online. "Enjoy the cruise!"
Nyneve settled in comfortably as Ysolde headed off to hook up to her pod in the belly of the vessel. Within minutes, the docking arrays were smoothly hovering the ship to the undocking ramps and Ysolde had to turn the sound feedback down from the passenger berth as Nyneve's excited squee almost deafened her aural pathways through the podware interface.
The repulsors coasted the ship away from the station, rapidly heading towards the back end of a slow-moving Mammoth-class industrial vessel that was taking time to align itself before opening a warp tunnel. Nyneve squealed that they were about to crash, then squealed again in excitement as a blast of the engines pulled the ship into a sharp upwards bank whilst the autopilot came online. Ysolde spun the camera drones around the Adamant so Nyneve could get a good look, then directed a few to inspect the nearby Mammoth for Nyneve's viewing pleasure. For her efforts, she got an earful of "Wow look at that!/It's got WHAT?/Oh my God its vast!"
Then the warp engines came online and with an almighty roar as space itself distorted into a subspace tunnel across the star system, the Adamant resoundly broke the conventional laws of physics to the tune of 6 light years per second. Ysolde was sure everyone back in the station must have heard Nyneve's "WOOOOHOOOO!!!" at that moment.

The ship was buffeted around by the collapse of the warp tunnel as the jump gate fast approached and Nyneve made some rather uncomfortable sounds. Ysolde was surprised for just a moment until she remembered the cushioning effects of her pod and that passenger seats lacked such luxuries. "Sorry about that, takes some getting used to. It happens every time we drop out of warp. When you're in a capsule, though, you won't feel it any more."
Some camera drones were instructed to drift over the CONCORD ships at the gate so Nyneve could see the bizarre hulking forms of the battleships and the nimble little SWAT vessels. She remarked upon the similarity of the latter to the Republic Fleet's own Firetail vessel, itself cribbed from an old design from a long-forgotten rogue faction. Ysolde couldn't help but smile as she told Nyneve that next time, they could go for a spin in her private Firetail.
The approach to the gate didn't take long with the afterburners at full thrust and Ysolde told Nyneve to hold on tight. "Don't blink or you'll miss it!" The camera drones recalled automatically and the displays blinked out one by one until only the main window remained for Nyneve to witness the jump. The gate itself was an Amarr design in burnished pyerite and the build-up of power surrounded the Adamant in a corona of greenish plasma until Nyneve had to shield her eyes from glare with her arm. Then it happened: everything ripped through subspace, becoming transparent then fading into nothing before reforming before her eyes – all in the space of a heartbeat. Nyneve was terrified for that moment as she watched herself, the ship and reality itself atomise...

The ship took a few moments to run mandatory diagnostics to ensure the jump went smoothly, automatically cloaked by the gate in case of camping hostiles. Ysolde wondered why she hadn't heard anything from Nyneve at the jump - no shouting, squealing, screaming or laughing. "Ny - you OK?"
It took a few seconds before her cousin found her voice, "no, y-yes... what just happened to me? I came apart! My atoms flung themselves away into bits and I came back!" Her voice was breaking into hysterics. "I thought it had gone wrong and I was going to die!"
"Ny, Ny - it's alright, everything is fine. You're fine, the ship is fine, and I’m fine. That's how a harmonic wave jump gate works. We're all alive and hunky dory and in this ship you'll be safe." The Jaguar smoothly moved off and arced downwards into a slow orbit around the gate – Ysolde wasn't going to enter warp just yet. Not until Nyneve was alright and ready.
Nyneve's voice was small, "I don't think I want to be a pilot any more..."
Ysolde tried a different tactic. "Did you notice how one minute, you were in Ammold and the next you were in Pator? How the stars shifted, the sun was a different colour and the planets had changed? When you came here from Saila you were in a cryotank to withstand the large number of jumps and warps so you would never have seen it before." She spun the ship around so the main view window faced in the direction of Matar. "You see that pale disc in the distance to your right? That is Matar. That is our homeworld."
Nyneve quietened down as she stared out of the window at the sight of the mythical homeworld. "D-do we have family there?"
Ysolde pondered how to answer for a moment. "We might, but if we do I have not been able to find them. It's been too many generations. I did try and make some contacts within the Amarr Empire to trace the lineage of the slave families back but I couldn't get far enough."
Nyneve nodded slowly, calming down now as she watched the gate slowly arc through her field of view.
"You ready to enter warp? I'm going to dock at the station orbiting Huggar."
"Yeah..."
Once again the ship veered off as it aligned with the planet Huggar, then accelerated through the warp tunnel for a few moments until the speck before them grew into the bright disc of Huggar and the matari station in geosynchronous orbit loomed.

[Nyneve and friends meet the Adamant]

2006-08-10T21:58:00.000Z

Ysolde stood outside the bustling station canteen, idly rubbing her shoulder as she glanced around at the throngs of students. She was right on time, as usual, and Nyneve was late, as always. She'd noticed the awed looks she was receiving from one or two of the first year capsule pilots, figuring they must have correctly identified her capsule interface plugs, and smiled back a little in encouragement.
Sharp hearing picked out the familiar footfalls of her younger cousin running along the corridors accompanied by two others. Turning to face them, Ysolde was surprised to see Nyneve flanked by an older Vherokior in his travelling garb and a Brutor girl pointing directly ahead at her. Ysolde felt rather self-conscious at that.
"Hey Ys! This is Tarq and that's Vash," the excitable Sebiestor gestured first to the Vherokior who flashed a grin and then the Brutor who waved, perhaps looking a little embarrassed at having been caught pointing. "I told them you were coming to visit me and that you'd bring a capsule ship. We want to see it!"
For a moment, a bemused Ysolde found it hard to believe that Nyneve was only 3 years younger than her but was acting like an over-excitable teenager. "Sure. It's in the hangars. We can see it from the observation corridor if we got he long way, then you can come down and meet her up close."
Remembering her time here visiting friends at the Republic Military School when she was studying at Pator Tech School, Ysolde led the way and did her best to answer the barrage of questions about what being a capsule pilot was really like, what the money was like, what it felt like to die and wake up again (she couldn’t speak from experience) and every minor detail about the ship she'd brought.

The glittering lights of the hangar arrays reflected off the myriad ships entering and leaving the docking ramps. As the group meandered along the corridor peering through the vast windows at the scene below, Ysolde indicated the direction of the hangar she had been temporarily allocated upon arrival. In it the lone vessel hovered over the holding pad, landing signal lights flashing in a holding pattern sequence. This was the Adamant: the Jaguar-class assault frigate that Captain Ysolde Xen of the Liberal Trading Co. had made her name with.
"It's way bigger than I thought it'd be!" Vash gaped at the vessel, taking it all in.
"It's almost twice a Reaper..." Tarq agreed.
"The guns alone are huge!" Nyneve pointed at one of the aft-mounted advanced 280mm Howitzer artillery pieces. Ysolde smiled with a devilish curl of her lip, "You should see the size of the ammunition it fires." She indicated a distance of about a foot with her hands. "This big. And that's just around the middle..."
"No way!" The Brutor girl goggled. "You’d better believe it if you’re going to be flying one someday. And this is a small ship with small guns, just a frigate. Tempest Battleships mounting artillery cannon will fire shells that are almost as wide as you are tall, Ny..."
"I call bullshit." Tarq's flat tone was clearly disbelieving.
"Really?" Ysolde looked him right in the eye with a little deviousness leaking through in her voice. She said nothing further and just walked towards the rear of the vessel where the cargo bay doors were open, robotic arms moving items out, indicated that they should follow, and then pointed up inside. "You can't miss them."
In amongst the large boxes and canisters already removed from the cargo bay, with markings such as 'Enriched Uranium' and 'Phased Muon Caster', there was a full clip of Fusion ammo designed for battleship turrets. Even the big, hulking form of Tarq was overshadowed by a single bullet as he strode over to one. "Well... fuck me!"
Vash just shrugged with a laugh.

"So, you still have the afternoon off?" Ysolde let Tarq and Vash ride the elevator up into the cargo bay to poke around as she took Nyneve by the elbow off to one side. Her cousin nodded excitedly, "Oh yes, I do - but they don't though."
Ysolde did a magnificent job of pretending to look a little disappointed that the loud, constant questions and inane remarks wouldn't be remaining with her for the rest of the day.
"I have a couple of deliveries to make in the constellation so we can take the scenic route. Then, if you think you can handle it, we can go hunting for pirates..."
Nyneve's eyes widened at the last part, as Ysolde had calculated. "You'll have to hold on tight if we do though." Ysolde flashed an almost wicked smile, plans forming. Nyneve grinned back, visibly excited.

Manufacturing thoughts & other things

2006-08-08T08:33:00.000Z

I recently oversaw the production of, amongst other vessels, an Apocalypse-class battleship. Half automated robotics and half paid construction workers and engineers of all races and bloodlines. If it had been an Amarr station then out in Kor Azor those workers would have been slaves...

This is why I always buy from Minmatar or Gallente stations. And those Caldari stations I can confirm aren't making use of slave labour behind the scenes. OK so usually I end up having to pay over the odds for Amarr ships this way, but it is infinitely preferable to supporting slave labour.

In other more light-hearted news, I'm due to visit my cousin at RMS in Ammold this afetrnoon. I promised I'd bring one of my ships and let her poke around it. I might even take her flying.

Just too busy!

2006-08-02T00:27:00.000Z

Trying to have a think about things. Important things, like where I'm going, where the corp is going, where the alliance is going and how to do what we want to do.

Identity and focus is lacking. There's always things going on but it's more independent actions rather than focused. The trick is to keep the balance for those that want to do their own thing.

Haven't had much opportunity to think over it though, just so much going on.

On a random note, I need a new hobby. Suggestions?

New Employers

2006-07-30T23:44:00.000Z

Brutor Tribe now officially thinks LTRAD rocks. Next up, I think I want to keep prodding Adelhar of Six Kin for my personal standings, and then the Republic Security Services. They have stations all over the cluster and it might come in handy sometime...

Not that war(s) is(are) on the horizon or anything.

Carthum Conglomerate

2006-07-29T19:37:00.000Z

I have to hand it to them... they really do know how to build a battle platform. The combination of firepower and damage tanking mark the Retribution like no other vessel I've flown! It's slow and cumbersome but it's limited computer systems can't handle too many complex modules so I find I have the space to install nanofibre engineering to help with that.

Where the Adamant survives by outrunning the damage, Inebriation's Price just absorbs it...

Matari freedom 1 - Amarr enslavement 0

2006-07-28T23:34:00.000Z

Ushra'Khan raided one of the SPCS 'Enlightenment' facilities last night and rescued the slaves in it. Go UK!

I've spent a bit of time getting to know my, err, surprise acquisition and for extended hunting of Amarr raiding convoys and outposts, the lack of ammo logistics is a bonus. Decided, as everyone else was too busy to go out and party this evening, to extend my tendrils into the Republic Fleet. It's going to be tricky for us though - seems Midnighter pissed them off a while back when he was doign his 'its cool to be a rebel' thing and worked for the Blood Raiders for a bit...

KOS!

2006-07-28T08:43:00.000Z

So last night was Arnulf's 'Kill On Sight to the Cartel' party at Club Allure. Of course nearly all of us who went are already KOS so it was a good excuse to party. Evanda came in costume and made bits for people on the fly.

Lux got completely trashed on some bucket-brew rotgut special and there was more fruit in those drinks than a historical rainforest on Matar! Tanya and Arnulf tried the new special as reccomended by one of the managers, one Kendar Zek - a spiced stew made of slaver hound. Even Bren had some of the wine that was flowing plentifuly.

Evanda has these patches that kick hangovers in the head. I heartily reccomend one - go from that 'just pod me now' feeling to 'new clone' in an instant.

You know it was a good night when...

2006-07-27T08:23:00.000Z

... you wake up in the pod of a fitted Retribution and don't recall precisely how it came to be in your posession.

#52: Inebriation's Price

Sekrit blueprints

2006-07-25T22:52:00.000Z

I have a contact who knows a guy that works for someone with an aunt that makes the tea in one of the Republic Fleet R&D labs. Got some news along the grapevine of their latest project - a new battleship! The Maelstrom class vessel doesn't seem much like an minmatar machine (I wonder why they're so desperate to copy everyone else's) being bulky and sporting fewer movement verniers than normal. I have been told however that it takes the Cyclone's unique recursive shield amplification systems a notch higher.

I wonder if they got hold of an old Hawk-class assault frigate and thought 'We can make this bigger and better'?

Finals update

2006-07-24T07:20:00.000Z

Forgot to update this before I hit the sack last night - the 1 v 1 fight was a whitewash. BoB packed a ranged missile Crow and ASCN a close-up rocket Crow which then proceeded to do absolutely nothing as it got blown to pieces.

I later found out this was because the pilot's podware overloaded due to his own alliance flooding his comms networks...

So BoB win the Wyvern Mothership again, which I think they deserve just for their fight versus IAC because that was the most thrilling fight I've ever seen - the way they pulled back and managed to hold on long enough to vaporise Tyrrax Thorrk which turned the tide fo the whole battle...

Tournament Finals

2006-07-23T22:56:00.000Z

I'm in Club Allure watching the final right now. By all the deities ever rumoured to have existed it is boring! BoB did exactly what we did and got exactly as far. 5 - 5 draw.

What a shame considering the semi final where BoB lost their Scimitar to faulty podware, then their interdictor and assault ships. And still managed to pull a win out of the hat.

...And as I write this the match has been finalised at a 5 - 5 draw. Time for the penalty shoot-out - I mean the 1 v 1 decider. Lets see if anything actually happens here, shall we?

Oh and Club Allure out here in Alenia is pretty nice.

The Naming of Ships

2006-07-23T09:22:00.000Z

The naming of ships is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a ship must have three different names.

First of all, there's the name that the pilots use daily,
Such as Vengance, daGank, Trouble or James,
Such as Pride or Play Nice, George or Amarr Victor-
All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Ferrous, Aeneus, Adamant, Divinity-
But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you a ship needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can she keep her guns perpendicular,
Or spread out her webbers, or cherish her ganks?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Sputnik Parmesan or The Hades Express,
Such as Scrumptious Reagent, or else Auric Haemmorhage-
Names that never belong to more than one ship.

But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover-
But the ship herself knows, and will never confess.
When you notice a ship in profound idle standby,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
Her AI is engaged in rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the though of her name:
Her ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular name.

You win some, you lose some

2006-07-23T07:32:00.000Z

The 4th and final fight in the alliance tournament happeend yesterday and in order for EM to have qualified, they would have had needed to win vs ASCN 5 - 0.

As it was they just ground to a stalemate with neither side able to do any lasting damage to the other, and the the fight was called at a draw. So ASCN go through and we don't, though it does mean no further ship losses were incurred and thus we saved several hundred millions of ISK.

Better luck next year.

At times like this...

2006-07-22T16:43:00.000Z

... when the podware is on the blink and the entire FTL network is down, and you've done all the paperwork you've been putting off for a week and you've caught up on the holos, and you've set a new hiscore and you've finished that techncial manual ...

... it's time for a nice long bath. Maybe it'll be safe to get my ships up and running again afterwards.

Round 3 & 51 ships

2006-07-21T20:21:00.000Z

Well. That was round 3 of EM's tournament matches. I guess we won. The Rock didn't even show up! ASCN tomorrow.

ION I'm bombing around in Divine Retribution, an ironically-named Khanid Interceptor. It's not a bad little ship, it's just poorly powered and hard to configure.

No explanation possible

2006-07-20T17:16:00.000Z

I found this yesterday. I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing but I don't advise anyone to watch it whilst flying. I laughed until I accidentally snorted a lungful of pod goo...

Not sure why the Sansha's Nation are in it, other than maybe to deride them.

Who says all holovid is rubbish?

2006-07-19T14:41:00.000Z

En route to Dammalin I was flicking channels when I came across a rerun of Roche Mitesse's Exploring the Galaxy series. Specifically, he was talking about Hunchaan on Saila III - I'd totally forgotten that he'd come by and filmed it when I was visiting! I'm even quoted on it...

Below is a linked feed:-

Federation Channel 189: Exploring the Galaxy with Roche Mitesse part 37 - "An Unusual Community"

The brief title sequence cuts to an exotic Gallente male standing before a window into the vastness of space, clearly aboard a space station somewhere.

“Hello and welcome to part 37 of my exploration of the galaxy. This week, I’ve been investigating a little-known community within the Caldari State.”

The backdrop of the station dissolves away behind Roche and slow camera-pan behind him shows the skyline of a Caldari city.

"For the last 70 years, there has been a sizeable Minmatar presence in the prosperous city of Hunchaan on Saila III. Predominantly Sebiestor, with some Brutor, Vherokior and Krusual families, the Matari have integrated with the native Caldari, notably Deteis, and the values of spirit and ingenuity are taught to all alongside honour and efficiency in the schools. It is an unusual situation, given the general xenophobia of the Caldari State, but thus far the community of Hunchaan has proven to be a productive asset."

Behind Roche, a map appears showing Hunchaan to be situated on Saila III, in the Santenpaa constellation of The Citadel.

"The origins of the community begin with a daring escape attempt by a number of Minmatar slaves within the Amarr empire."

The broadcast cuts to a slow-moving zoom on an artist's impression of Amarr slave pens.

"It took months of meticulous planning for the Sebiestor ringleaders to coordinate a mass slave shipment, guarded by specific ships and taken along a particular route. Many lost their lives or vanished never to be seen again but, miraculously, word of the movement never reached the ears of the Holders."

A CGI scene worthy of the latest blockbuster holoreel begins to illustrate the presenter's words... or is it actual footage?

"When the day finally came, the unfortunate escort vessels suffered critical computer malfunctions and it wasn't long before a waiting fleet of freedom fighter ships engaged. In the chaos, the Amarrian staff on board the transports were overwhelmed and the controls seized. The commandeered ships fled towards the Gallente Federation but then doubled back and hid in Caldari space, eventually gathering together in the system of Saila whilst the enraged Holders made accusations against the Federation. Careful manipulation of the gargantuan bureaucracy in the government by sympathisers within kept both Empires in the dark as to where exactly the escapees had gone and the conflict swiftly moved on to the usual topics of ideology and territory."

A static image appears of a fledgling city with Roche standing in a thoughtful pose in front.

"The Minmatar slaves were of varying stock and Holder families, each with skills and knowledge learned from their time under the yoke. Farmers, engineers and tutors, they presented their case to the people of Hunchaan, then just barely a city, and an agreement was made to provide them with an opportunity to prove themselves. Inured to work hard for very little, the former slaves set about demonstrating their worth and within a generation had been granted full citizenship of the city for revolutionising the manufacturing and agriculture sectors."

Footage of Minmatar and Caldari ships flying in formation over Saila III fades in.

"The Minmatar of Saila III identify with both the honourable ideals of the State and the spirit of the Tribes. The brewing conflicts and talk of an Empire war has left the community not knowing where it's role is any more. The increasing anti-Republic undercurrents of the State are slowly starting to catch up with them and whilst Saila III itself is still relatively harmonious, many wonder how long it can last in the face of pressure from the State's propaganda machine. Already one pod pilot raised in the community, who does not wish to be named, has reported that the State has severed all ties and closed it's doors to her for her choice to assist those Minmatar people less fortunate than herself."

The images fade and the camera turns its full focus onto a concerned-looking Roche Mitesse.

"Where will the people of Hunchaan find themselves in these up and coming dark days? Will it tear the very fabric of the community apart or will it galvanise their spirits? I'll be back in the future to follow up on the story of this most unusual community. Until next week, my name is Roche Mitesse and I’m exploring the galaxy."

The program ends with a brief credits roll, then cuts to an advertisement for the latest Egonics 3-month trial offer.

[Early Morning]

2006-07-19T09:51:00.000Z

Ysolde's eyes snapped open and her enhanced vision quickly adjusted to the darkness of her room, no sounds but for her own fast-paced breathing. It was the third time she'd had that dream... but now things were different. It told of a future that could no longer happen. It didn't make any sense, not after what she had been told during her Voluval.

She rolled over, now very much wide awake, and considered the dream. It remained crystal clear in its entirety instead of quickly fading into nothing, which further intrigued her.
The mundanity of management, the irritation of poorly-timed communications, the adrenaline of combat and the shock of betrayal. The people of Hunchaan would never do that to their own, would they?

Something bothered her deeply.

Giving up on trying to get back to sleep, Ysolde had a quick shower and a glass of naranj juice. Maybe she should pester her Republic Fleet contacts to get better security staff for their VIPs... then remembered the news article on the apparent coup by one of their senior captains and the subsequent loss of a Mothership, two Carriers and their backing fleet.

Something continued to bother her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Connecting comms and downloading the transmission's she'd missed, there was more spam waiting for her accompanied by ISK pyramid schemes and an uninteresting offer from an agent regarding supplies of enriched Uranium which she might have once paid attention to had she still been the research scientist she once was.
There was also news of some downed pirates from her Alliance which cheered her up. Enemies of the Republic that preyed on the weak and infested the outer systems deserved nothing more than an artillery shell to the reactor core.

Once again something bothered her. Unconsciously her mind was trying to put together fragments of something and she had no idea what or why.

With some surprise, she noted that the ship systems and AI of her Sabre-class Interdictor had been left active over the night. A cursory scan showed nothing else out of the ordinary.

There was clearly a bigger picture, one she couldn't yet see or grasp for herself. She absent-mindedly traced along one of her glittering silver Voluval tatoos, and came to realise with a jolt what she needed to do.

If only she knew a Vherokior Mystic...

Nyneve's entrance photo & Podware booting muzak

2006-07-18T11:19:00.000Z

My cousin finally got around to sending me her Republic Military School matriculation photo. I swear she's maturing faster than I did at her age!

On another note, I dug up the old muzak from an earlier version of the podware that used to play as the systems were booting up. Nice and ambient... and it really takes me back to not long after I graduated after the second major firmware upgrade. Back when I'd barely been out of Ortner constellation and was still chunking around ninja mining from under the noses of pirates in my Probe back before its redesign. Back when it was almost safe to do so. (Oh how Amamake has fallen.)

There was a different little theme that used to play when one of the other firmware versions was in use but I can't quite remember it, or the version, other than I liked it. Wonder if I can dig that up from somewhere as well..?

Another dig through the archives

2006-07-18T10:52:00.000Z

Found a follow up letter I sent my parents about one year after I graduated. I can see how much I changed in that year, and how much has changed since.

\\BEGIN TRANSMISSION//

[[Transmission From:]]
-Ysolde Xen of Kith Somtaaw, Director-
-Six Kin Development Warehouse-
-Rens VI-
-Ortner constellation-
-Heimatar region-

[[Transmission To:]]
-Ria Xen-
-543 Bordetga town, Annza state-
-Saila III-
-Santenpaa constellation-
-The Citadel region-

[[Transmission Content: MESSAGE]]

Sorry for the long gap between letters but life has been… interesting. I hope this letter finds you both well and that you are enjoying your retirement in Annza. Time is tight at the moment and I’m not sure when I will next be able to visit you, perhaps you could come over to Heimatar for a holiday? Visit the homelands in Pator? Jump gates aren’t so bad if you take it slowly on a luxury cruise.

Before you ask, no I haven’t settled down with anyone as yet and yes I am aware of what the State-Republic news stories flying around mean for myself as a capsuleer. I am not a fighter but I have been forced to train myself as a competent defender of my corpmates and ever more to the underprivileged. Aid will be provided wherever I can to rescuing slaves rebelling against the Amarr but I am not going to war. I hope. It seems that despite my benefits of the doubt and the odd decent Amarr or Ni Kunni, the Empire has proven itself to be too much of an antagonistic danger to the Matari. More and more I am sent to intercept incursions of their Navy trying to spread Vitoc through our homelands, and more and more my reputation for stopping them single-handedly is being noticed. Even the State has cooled considerably in its relations with myself despite my home ties and my corporation being around 50% Caldari. Somewhat unwittingly, I have found myself becoming something of a favoured agent for the Brutor Tribe whilst my own barely notices my existence. Political games do not interest me and whilst I sincerely hope Foiritan is re-elected Gallente President (I’ll save the Autrech argument with father for when I see you two next) I am not embroiling myself in anything deeper than I have to. The Ammatar can kiss my con trails.

So what have I been doing with my time? Training and studying almost 24/7, is the answer. I went back to my science roots for a while with the intention of researching new starship technologies but after months of fruitless toil I all but gave up. My knowledge has not gone to waste because I know the secrets of constructing the most hyperadvanced ships the giants like Lai Dai and Core Complexion are developing. Instead of further squandering my efforts, I plunged my time into industry and processing becoming one of the top Ore refiners in Kith Somtaaw. Helpfully, my good reputation with the Republic thanks to my work for Brutor Tribe means I get an excellent tax break when I use Republic facilities. There are occasional trade-offs to gaining a reputation amongst the factions. Currently this and my ever-present recruitment drives of hand picked young pilots is how I earn my keep and turn over a profit for my corporation. I was an avid mission runner when I was in intensive combat training but right now there are other things that need to be dealt with that don’t involve stepping into a pod at all. Contrary to what the gossip columns say Capsuleers don’t spend all their time plugged in.

Being a starship captain comes with the job of being a pod pilot. Frigates do not need a flight crew but the larger ship types do and of course one always needs ground crew to maintain everything. It isn’t until one steps into a larger ship that does require at least a handful of skeleton crew in addition to the capsule pilot, that one really begins to discover the Captaincy side to the privilege and rank. You are responsible for your crew’s well being, even their lives, and it wasn’t until I stepped aboard my Thrasher-class Destroyer the day they came onto the market that I really appreciated what this meant. I hired a crew, interviewing each member thoroughly and made sure we would gel as a team. She was a beast – Satan’s own Rottweiler I used to joke with my second in command, a Vherokior named Kel Trungata. With my competent crew and the best technology I could fit, she was the scourge of the rogue drone infestations that had started springing up in Deadspace. The ship looked like an express train to hell met a prehistoric shark and they’d make numerous jokes and bad puns about it as we salvaged the strange alloy remains of the drones. Many capsuleers ignore their crew – some out of aloof pride or too busy to give a damn, others because it’s a rough galaxy out there and they’ve lost good friends over the years so it hurts less this way. I’d never really understood it until my Thrasher and her crew were taken from me. A cloud of rogue drones fell before her howitzers revealing the mercenaries racing up behind, doing all they could to stop me from apprehending the outlaw who’d hired them. I’d seen mercs like these plenty of times in the past and they are a pushover for any Destroyer. Until they unleashed something, some kind of new neural weapon I had never encountered before, and fried not only my ship’s AI but my own neural jacks. I owe my life to the Jovian technology in my pod – it managed to block the worst of the effects, leaving me unconscious but still brain-intact, and automatically warped away to safety as everything disintegrated around me. A few scattered reports from other capsuleer pilots have confirmed that it seems there is some kind of weapon that blasts out one’s nerves and shuts down a ship but it is very rare and nothing further is known about who produces it. No one to go after for the loss of my beautiful ship and my friends on board. Devastated and a little addled, I tried to fill the hole as quickly as I could, ordering a new one built barely an hour later and calling for a new crew. The Hades Express is a fine and glorious successor bristling with the latest in starship technology and a sharp well-trained crew but it’s not the same. I now have a purely working relationship with the crew, with the occasional off-duty get together in a station bar somewhere but it’s hard when life is so cheap and those without clone contracts are also the most exposed. Now I better understand those pilots who choose not to associate with their crew but even so, I could never be that cold. In all likelihood it will mean hurting again in the future as the Empires slowly destabilise. That is a price you pay for also being a starship captain as a pod pilot.

Sometimes I find I am worried that some agent job I’ve taken will be too much for my ships – what if I encounter that weapon again? Instead, I find myself preferring to stick to Frigates more and more and the solitude they represent. My collection has grown and encompasses examples from all four empires: most of them are toys but properly kitted to fill the role they were designed for and I have ensured I have enough training to use them effectively. Picking the right tool for the job can make a simple Frigate more valuable in a situation than a poorly configured high-end Cruiser. But of all my ships, the one I use the most is my most prized possession: Adamant my Jaguar-class Assault Frigate. If I do get a day or two to come and visit then I will come over in my Stiletto-class Interceptor because of its speed so it is unlikely that you will get to see her as you did Argent. She is just as gorgeous as The Hades Express and nigh on fearless unless horrifically outnumbered. The biggest cruisers the Amarr Navy can throw at me have fallen swiftly to her and no battleship has ever managed to hit her. I am very proud of our achievements together; my dedicated training and installation of a complete Tech 2 system and her in-built toughness and advanced AI. In case you have wondered over the months whether I am still your flesh and blood or have become a clone, I can safely say that it is thanks to Adamant that I am. Some Matari I know thank the Gods and pray; I thank my judgement and ship. Death is not an experience I want to have and I am a rarity for evading it so far.

But enough of these things. Kith Somtaaw continues to grow although now the waning and waxing cycles have begun, as with all corporations. Members have all but given up being pod pilots and others have joined, fresh and eager. Operations have expanded in the mining for ores direction with some production as well and I am encouraging the new pilots more and more to go and explore to find what it is they want to do. I suppose it would be fair to say that a lot of the early idealism and naiveté I had is wearing thin. I am no longer a newbie pilot and I have seen the spectrum of the galaxy’s inhabitants. Realism and choice are the ways forward and independence should be balanced with meshing together in a corporation to capitalise on strengths and cover weaknesses. We do not involve ourselves officially as a corp in any conflicts but from time to time some of our members, myself included, have gone to assist in slave rescue operations or attended anti-slavery rallies. A few have even left the corp to join the fight directly for a time and there are plans for another small exodus soon when other plans involving the formation of a new Alliance come to fruition. I will be remaining with the Kith for the foreseeable future however.

Would you believe I still have not made planetfall since leaving for Pator Tech School all that time ago? What an odd thing it is to forget about planets entirely as being nearly irrelevant to the space-based community. Operating from station to station running errands and jumping from system to system as one might maglev from city to city. The sight of gigantic lightning storms, or the spiderwebs of lights across planetary surfaces is a glorious sight to behold but my curiosity never extends past wondering why this particular gas giant has only a few anorexic rings or why that planet is an ice block when it is closer to it’s star than the desert planet just a few million miles away. Apart from one terrifying incident when Angels turned up en masse to Pator as we were demonstrating against slavery and sent some kind of probe to the planet’s surface which a few of us chased after but to no avail, I have not thought about planetside life. Acclimatising to space is one thing but this… is something else. ‘The Stars, My Destination’ – as a writer of long ago once said. I’ve never looked back now I’m up here and whilst I really should come and visit you properly on Saila III I have no desire to return to being planetbound. Fitting for a pod pilot and starship captain don’t you think?

Well I have rambled enough and there’s another chapter in my tracking computer’s manual to get through before dinner so I’ll sign off here. I’ve really taken a shine to Gallente foods and music – it’s a shame they’re so hard to get hold of in the State. Still, at least you have access to the best rum in the galaxy.

Until my next letter, adios!

Ysolde signing off

\\END TRANSMISSION//

Classic retort

2006-07-17T13:46:00.000Z

Next time some Amarrian stuffed shirt sneers at you for flying Matari ships, try the following exchange:

[Amarr git]: Your pathetic and primitive ships are made of rusted scraps and rope.

[You]: Says the pilot of the urine-coloured flying banana.

I almost caused a Brutor to spill his pint sniggering at that one a couple of weeks back. For extra crudeness points you can interchange the Apocalypse banana with Armgeddon dildo.

Alliance Championships

2006-07-15T21:26:00.000Z

2 matches and 2 losses for Electus Matari. What a shame as it means we're effectively out of the running. The opponents were good and used superior tactics and setups. They had smoother teamwork.

We did perform better today, however our lack of logistics and remote teamwork was our undoing again. We appear to have little to no teamwork tactics though. There's discussion but people still very much throwing together their own setups and hoping it'll gel. It's as if we are not choosing the best pilots with the best ships optimised to their strengths and skills. It almost seems like we've wasted our chance and are losing a lot of ISK for it. I know it's abut having fun and all that but no one ever takes us seriously and shows like this aren't going to help us any.

I wonder what I might have learned of teamwork and tactics if I had gone with Space Debris.

On the nature of transhumanism

2006-07-15T12:37:00.000Z

I fished out an old book the other day, written by a particularly forward thinking Sebeistor some centuries ago before cloning technology was introducted by the Jovians. A thrilling sci-fi story, it was set in a future where people have implants fitted at brith that 'download' their consciousnesses and memories so that if the body dies this implant can be removed and fitted into another one. Effective immortality and the ability to transmit people by tightband broadcast to be uploaded into another implant in a host body.

The story itself was an interesting murder mystery but what got me thinking was the psychological issues that came with being free from the flesh. People in this setting would be transferred from body to body, male to female, young to old and even 'stored' for hundreds of years whilst their bodies were given to others as a from of prison sentance. How little your birth gender, bloodline and family came to mean to you once you'd spent several lifetimes in different bodies doing different things.

We go through rigorous mental training in order to become capsule pilots, largely because of the cloning process that comes with it. Now with the advent of infomorphic 'jumpclones' we have infomorph psychology classes to ensure we can handle the stresses and strains but even so for mental health reasons one cannot jump any more than once a day. Still, the speed at which we are adapting to it all is shocking and all around I see people who are not adapting well at all.

Dak Hakin's recent announcement that he's leaving EM for the Jericho Fraction got me thinking about the transhumanism at hand. The capsuleers have already transcended planets in all but habitual thinking. On the one hand we have immortality and the ability to change our clones as easily as we would change our hairstyles. So few of us are even our original genetic selves any more and any children we may have won't have the genes of our family lines. When will heritage stop being a matter of importance? Physically, it already has. Culturally and, more importantly, psychologically - we are torn.

The Jericho Fraction believe that heritage shouldn't matter. That the outmoded concepts of territory and genetics are meandingless in this day and age and that we should truly branch out to the stars. But to the Matari, this goes against our very culture which places a great emphasis on tribal identity - so much so that it's causing more and more upheavals within the Republic.

How can we reconcile the fact that JF have a point but also that we perhaps should not totally abandon who we were/are? I for one don't like or see the point of the tribal infighting. Maybe it's becasue I was not brought up deep in Sebiestor lands, though my community was mostly Sebiestor. I am Ysiolde Xen, a Minmtar Capsuleer pilot interested in preserving the Republic from being crushed and enslaved. I am also of the Sebiestor tribe but that is of lesser importance to me. I'm not loyal enough, to the tribalists, and I'm too entrenched in our culture for the transhumanist mindset. I am not an exception to the average pilot either.

Where is the line? Where are we going? We are not allowed to cloen into other genders or bloodlines with the excuse that the differences would be too complex to reconcile. That is utter rubbish - we are already genetically close enough to interbreed and it is theorised that we descended from a common homeland. We are all humans when all is said and done.

I'm not even sure where I stand any more. Fractious petty squabbles between tribes is foolish. But with the Amarr Empire at our doors, we cannot just abandon everything. The Republic is the Matari peoples' best hope and before we can fully move on into the transtellar age we have to catch up with ourselves first.

The trick will be to do it without being decimated by the war we know is brewing.

[Psychometric profiling questionnaire to assess pilot stability]

2006-07-14T10:37:00.000Z

[Ripped from the CONCORD database by unknown intruders]

Describe the perfect room.
Comfortable, aesthetic, organised, practical, space enough for Mataribando practise.

What is more important: status, personal gain or self-satisfaction?
Self-satisfaction.

What is the perfect time of day? Weather?
It’s been so long since I set foot on a planet… Probably sundown. And weather? Raining!

What era of history most intrigues you? What would you have been doing if you had lived in that period?
Before the Amarr came, when Matar and the rest of our territory was an advanced paradise. I'd be an engineer of somekind, working on new developments.

What kind of animal would you be?
I don’t know much about animals. Definitely not a Fedo!

Describe the perfect mate.
Considerate, intelligent, inquisitive, sense of fun, pleasing to the eye.

What is more important: honour or success at all costs?
Honour.

Describe your most vivid memory, dream or daydream from childhood.
My cousin and I sneaking out of school and sneaking into the decommissioned ship repository. We’d never seen spaceships for real before and hadn’t imagined just how big they really were. The rusting hulks of old Caldari naval frigates were impressive enough to make us dream about becoming pilots someday.

What is the perfect musical form?
Rousing feelings and inspiring thought.

If you were to go on an expedition what three items would you pack first?
My Jaguar-class ship, a datapad, clean clothing.

What part of your body best represents you as a person?
Probably my hands. I like to take things with a hands-on approach and I like to craft, create and generally get things done.

What is your most recurring dream?
That weird one where I’m still in Kith but it’s the future and the Caldari have helped the Amarr raid the piloting school Nyneve is in and taken everyone as slaves, then I lead an expedition to reclaim them in my Sabre and damn myself in doing so.

What is the perfect vehicle? Colour? Options?
Other than a capsule-fitted ship, maybe a planetary motorcycle. The Gallente have some pretty luxurious models.

Describe the perfect meal.
Home-cooked by a great cook/chef. Good conversation. Fine wine or rum.

What is your favourite colour?
Silver.

How far could you be pushed before becoming violent?
I like to think I have a reasonable temper. I don’t fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.

Describe the Creation of the Universe.
The current theory I like involves the tiny lapses in uniformity of the continuum itself causing an energy fluctuation that unbalances the whole shebang and then it does exactly that – goes bang and decompresses all the dimensions, eventually cooling off and speeding up to form the universe today as we know it.

What is the purpose of war?
To defend your home, your right to life and your freedom from those who would seek to remove or destroy it.

Describe the perfect weapon.
Perfect accuracy, 100% instant lethality.

In your last 24 hours of life, what would you most want to accomplish?
A lasting solution to the Vitoc problem.

What is your preferred method of attacking the enemy: a full frontal assault or sneaking up from behind?
Sneaking up from behind. Definitely. Others do the frontal assault and grab the attention.

What Gods could you have descended from (by your personality etc)?
Gods? I don’t know much about mythology I’m afraid.

What emotions are acceptable to display in public?
Considerate and moderate emotions. Screaming tantrums or sex in public is just rude.

What is the worst crime a person can perform?
Betrayal.

Who is your greatest hero and why?
I’m not sure I really have a hero. I prefer to carve my own path than follow in the footsteps of another’s.

Is it more satisfying to achieve success or to strive towards it?
Both, I think.

What traits in others can you really not tolerate?
Rudeness, lack of respect, rabid obsession over a subject, narrow-mindedness, the keeping of slaves.

What quality in others do you respect the most?
Open-mindedness, capability, education, contribution to society as a whole.

Describe the perfect trap.
One an enemy talks himself into.

What is sin?
Ask an Amarr if you want some religious rhetoric.

If the FTL comms buzzed in the middle of the night, who would you hope it would be?
I really don’t know… A nice surprise?

What do you fear the most?
The Republic collapsing and the Tribes shattering, to be enslaved again.

What is your most irresistible motivation?
To be of use.

And on the vidcast today...

2006-07-13T22:23:00.000Z

Brutor Tribe asked me to put down some Angels live on BT Channel as another exercise in showing the Republic's populace that we are in fact protecting them from the evils of the universe. Whether we are doing enough or not is a hotly debated subject right now and best left for another day.

Anyway, I decided to have a little fun and hopped into my Breacher, that most maligned of frigates. Comedy hour on Brutor Tribe, I figured. Certainly my configuration was a laugh-a-second for me, though I suspect the angels who died were more surprised than amused. Apparently the replay had triple viewing figures when the advertisers pimped the fact I used a Breacher for the job... Maybe i should use it as an opportunity to start up some kind of public 'overhaul the Breacher design' movement or something.

As I was coasting back to Rens and flicking channels (gotta love being adept enough at ship engineering to convince the ship AI that civilian TV is acceptable to tune into whilst on a mission), I came accross a program looking at recently unearthed fragments of Starkmanir history. Some kind of audio recording of singing in a very rustic tribal dialect I couldn't make out. Goodness knows there are only a tiny handful of Starkmanir left in the cluster, and fewer still who are free - I wonder if they can shed any light on the subject?

Digging through the archives

2006-07-12T16:57:00.000Z

Finally tackling the mountain of paperwork and admin relating to my previous work with Kith Somtaaw. Found a transcript of the first letter home I sent to my parents a month after I graduated from PTS. Funny just how much everything changes in a couple of short years...

\\BEGIN TRANSMISSION//

[[Transmission From:]]
-Ysolde Xen of Kith Somtaaw-
-Imperial Armaments Warehouse-
-Esescama VIII Moon 3-
-Ryra constellation-
-Devoid region-

[[Transmission To:]]
-Ria Xen-
-29573 Hunchaan city, Ikre state-
-Saila III-
-Santenpaa constellation-
-The Citadel region-

[[Transmission Content: MESSAGE]]
I'm sorry it's taken so long to write but since the day I graduated from Pator Tech School I haven't stopped! It's only because I'm transporting some missiles long distance for one of my agents that I have time.
First off; the obligatory. I am well, commanding my own Frigate-class Minmatar starship and have found employment with one of the many corporations out here whilst working freelance for a variety of agents. I’ve mastered the first and second ranks of Mataribando and found an interest in astrogeology.

As I write this I'm about to jump through the stargate from Uadelah into Laddiaha. I don't know if you've ever jumped through a gate in a ship, let alone been in command and watched it happen before your eyes. The Amarr-built gate I am approaching through is impressive to behold, in burnished alloys tinged with pyerite that gives an almost ethereal after-glow. Seeing everything around you fragment for a split instant as it all goes a blinding white-green and you are fired across millions of light years in seconds is an experience that takes a long time to lose its appeal. When you find yourself deposited at the exit gate, it takes a moment to orient yourself now everything has changed. Constellations are at strange angles and the nebulae aren't where you are used to them being. I tell you being a starship pilot crossing constellations in mere minutes is an amazing feat of astronavigation just to avoid getting lost!
I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as the corona flare of Rens against the backdrop of the glittering dust clouds around its 3rd planet as you jump in from Onga deep within the Heimatar region. Or the sweeping aesthetic and almost hydrodynamic qualities of Gallente architecture in the heart of Sinq Laison. It makes the functional, angular lines of the Caldari buildings at home seem, well, plain. No wonder they warred for years - they do not understand each other’s priorities.
So you know, I visited the homeworld Matar, deep within Pator system and tried to look up any relatives we might still have there but found nothing so I'm looking into getting contacts with the hard-to-find surveillance agents of the Republic to see if they can help. Thing is, I need help to obtain those contacts first. In a way, that is why I am out here in the heart of the Amarr empire: the ‘enemy’ territory. The agent I'm doing this delivery for is a Ni Kunni by the name of Khardark Danel. The Amarrians and Ni Kunnis I have met have been very polite and have even come to entrust me with escorting noble family VIPs. They seem to treat me as an equal and not as a lower-class citizen though I do wonder about Khardark. His extremely pale and slender appearance seems almost Sebiestor, even for a Ni Kunni. Perhaps the Amarrian absorption of both their people and Matari slaves has lead to more cross breeding than the ‘true bloods’ like to admit.

It’s a shame you don't receive Minmatar broadcasts out in Caldari space. I was live on the Brutor Tribe Channel twice working for their corporate arm two weeks ago.
The first was a public example of how the Minmatar defend themselves against Ammatar slave raiders who trick our people into trusting their ‘brethren’ then sell them off to the highest Amarr bidder. I decided to show them that both sides could play sneaky.
In Abudban system there were three lurking in the shadow of the fifth moon of the fourth planet. Live on camera I warped in flying my pride and joy - a Rifter I christened Argent - and appeared mere kilometres behind the first one using the shadows to my advantage. The ship imploded in a flash of shrapnel as my howitzers were commanded to rip it apart. Before the other two knew what had hit, I had warped away hidden by the debris cloud. Spooked, they took up defensive positions but their tactical training was clearly meant for teams of three and not two because they left one side blind. I had the upper hand; watching the live transmission in my pod I could see where they were (who says you learn nothing useful from vidcasts?) I warped back in on the other side of the planet and taking a medial orbiting trajectory, filled one full of Sabretooth missiles as I fed the other some Phased Plasma and Titanium Sabot, courtesy of my Scout & Gallium artillery systems, making sure the glare of Abudban itself meant they couldn't see me. I had, of course, jammed their tracking and LADAR sensors so their targeting systems didn't even know I was there. My job done, I warped away hidden by the shadows of the planet in the billowing fragments. Even from cameras that knew where I was there is only fleeting footage of Argent doing her job.
I'm not sure what went on behind the scenes but one of the mysterious Jovian factions took a liking to me after that: The Society - the Society of Conscious Thought's business end. I don't know anything more about them other than they hinted to me they have agents who might be interested in hiring me someday and that I have ‘potential’. I'm not sure what I have that any other rookie Sebiestor ship engineer doesn't, but the Jovians are strange and no one knows much about them.

The second was sadly for the same reasons in similar circumstances. This time the Khanid were lurking in Rens itself. So much for a faction of Amarrians rejecting their traditions and adopting the Caldari way of life, they were looking for slaves to sell to their noble families like any other. I think it was just a front for spying on the Gallente installations we have. In Rens the Federation’s Transtellar Shipping company has a storage station (I have a hangar there) and those with an ear to the ground hear rumours that it holds armaments that find their way to marines in the skirmish sectors where they still dispute territory with the Caldari. The Khanid could stand to benefit immensely if they could sell information about this and the fact that the Gallente Nation thanked me after I blew them apart further convinces me that my theory is correct.
I decided to go for the upfront show of strength. I am not of the Brutor Tribe and not a combat pilot: I'm a starship engineer first and foremost however I learned fast that I needed to be at least competent to survive the runs through low security space where CONCORD's watchful eye isn't present. My Rifter is the best standard Frigate class ship that Matari engineers have yet designed and fitted out with a few custom bits and pieces it has proven to be an admirable survivor. I have a dream someday to re-engineer it into one of the Elite class. Maybe a Jaguar or a Wolf if I can find an agent who could supply me the blueprints, locate the assembly modules it'll require and construct the thermonuclear batteries for the turret hardpoints… But I'm sure this topic isn't interesting for you and I'm running away with myself.
Anyway, these Khanid in Rens: others infiltrating Minmatar space, who would report back and perhaps dissuade further raids, would see the broadcast. Or that was our hope at least. A close friend Midnighter, a Brutor who took me under his wing when I graduated, taught me a few tricks on scare tactics and terrorising the enemy. I found it hard at first; I'm not aggressive and wish we could all just get along. But these Khanid need to be warned off and if steeling myself and showing why they should not mess with the Republic will do this, then I will do such. All stealth was abandoned and the fact that my refitted ship would be no match for their light frigates was exploited. I warped in a good 60km away so they would have plenty of time to see me coming for a dogfight to reveal the superiority of Matari ships. They must have been asleep or something because they did not appear to have noticed my presence until I had kicked in my Coldgas Arcjets and closed to 25km: only then did they scramble but by that time I had one locked and it took a single volley of rocket-powered Howitzers to reduce the ship to wreckage. The other two tried to dive behind the first moon but I was faster: I flew around the other side so quickly that I was on a collision course for one before his tracking computer could fix me. He was not pod-fitted and was strapped into his cockpit - I saw the terror in his eyes as he realised either I was going to ram him and his tin can would barely scratch Argent, or he would meet Matari weapons engineering up close. The cameras zoomed in and the startled look of fear on the man's face has been used as a still on Brutor Tribe Channel since. I pumped a pair of Flameburst missiles into the first one as my turrets swung around to lock onto his wingmate. As the explosion of fire and plasma heralded the end of that Khanid's spying and slave running days, the other one's last sight would have been three 280mm rounds of the finest artillery punching through the polyglass of her cockpit and detonating from the inside. I did a fast arc of victory around the remains and salvaged parts I later assembled into an asteroid scanner.
Brutor Tribe were pleased with my performances and Midnighter, who has also been on Brutor Tribe Channel blowing apart some enemy or other, said I did extremely well for a researcher. So far I've not heard about any more Ammatar or Khanid slave runs through the Ortner constellation but maybe they're just being subtle about it now.

It seems I've annoyed True Power - those militaristic Sansha-worshipping cyberzombies. They had taken a Matari passenger ship and were ferrying those on board back to their Master Sansha's domain for goodness knows what purpose. Probably to turn into brainwashed minions. One of the agents I work for tasked me to track them down and rescue them. I followed the sightings of the Sansha ships to a secret outpost of theirs way out in Akpivem. Once again I am thankful for Argent: there were some 15 light frigates greeting my scanner as I came out of warp but luckily they were not expecting me. I had to trash all of them before I could get to the prisoners and warp away, and at first the prisoners thought I was one of the guards taunting them so they refused to come with me!
It would be impossible to be a law-abiding pilot without annoying the Angel cartel. Stalking the Minmatar regions, they lie in wait to ambush passers by at gates and warp into asteroid fields to disrupt mining operations, killing all they find. CONCORD rewards those who stop them and I’ve made quite a bit of money in doing so. I’ve done so well that CONCORD has raised my standings to a universal Security Rating of 0.1. This probably doesn’t mean much to you but it’s a measure of my contribution to law enforcement to ensure we can all work and trade safely. I guess it’s a badge of pride and I know that some Minmatar become mercenaries, freedom fighters or even terrorists and fall foul of the law so in a way I am doing my part to help the disperse the reputation that it’s the majority.

Well, that's a summary of the most exciting things that have happened to me so far. Mostly it's been: get up early, get the day's courier and delivery missions and do them, come back and have a drink with my corp mates, go to bed. Or else get up early, go kick some pirates out of the asteroid belts so the miners can do their job and then join in hollowing out asteroids or take on some security work, come home and train with paired Hei’tar a little, go to bed. Occasionally I'll take a couple of days off to really see the universe. I’ve holidayed in the luxurious and hedonistic surrounds of the Gallente Federation, visited CONCORD space at the heart of the galaxy and have sometimes even come back to Caldari areas - The Citadel in particular because my corp HQ is at Spacelane Patrol in the Enderailen system.

When I graduated from PTS with my license and a light Reaper Frigate, I worked for them in Ryddinjorn for a short while as we all did and it was during this time that I met Midnighter. He was once an Amarrian slave and escaped back to Matari space where he became a freelance combat pilot and now commands a Tempest Battleship. He taught me the tricks of being a freelancer for hire and gave me money and equipment to help me out. His old corp was defunct so we were interested in finding a good employer.
It was actually through a friend of the family that I found out about the corporation, Kith Somtaaw. Do you remember Suze’Rain, your cousin's best friend? Well he found my frequency, got in touch and told me about his corp back in The Citadel region. Kith Somtaaw is small and friendly with miners, manufacturers and defence specialists. The founder and CEO is a Gallente miner/manufacturer named Fio Shovah and it's mixed Matari and Caldari; some old hands and others not much more experienced at this than I am. They've been great to me; providing things I needed, offering advice and doing favours and I repay them when I can. There's Logoth who's a Civire Caldari Battleship captain - Fio was overseeing the completion of his Raven when I was joining up. Then there's Arcturos, also a Civire, who comes from a military background and does both pirate hunting and mining. There's a girl, K Soze, who I've only seen around occasionally and she's a Deteis Caldari who mostly runs errands through space for Fio from what I've seen. Especially useful for runs into areas he can't go owing to being branded a criminal by CONCORD for some 'misunderstandings' involving some guys and a big battle or something. I've never asked about the details and I suspect I'm better off staying out of it. There's a Brutor called Kar'uthan but I rarely see him around. Not sure what he does exactly. Suze left for a while when Midnighter and I joined to see how the competition does things. When Nadriel graduated after me I dragged him in, helping him out as Midnighter helped me. As his even more recently graduated friend Ori gets used to things, he'll also be joining us.

One thing I miss out here in space is the sound of rain. I haven't set foot on a planetary body since I left home for PTS. I operate from station to station, spending most of my time at the Six Kin Development Warehouse orbiting Rens VI. Six Kin is a joint Brutor-Sebiestor corporation so being of Sebiestor heritage myself they were happy to place me under the auspices of a man called Adelhar Atelar. They’ve been such a good employer that I recommended them to Nadriel and Ori - you remember Nadriel? I talked about him on occasion when I was at PTS: the guy at Republic University who was also interested in starship engineering? Anyway, I'll be going back to Rens in a day or two once Imperial Armaments and Kaalakiota Corporation give me good references. It'll make connections into Amarr slave registries easier.
Someday I’d love to visit the Eve gate and see where we all came from. I sometimes wonder what things are like on the other side, back on ‘Earth’. Assuming history is as we think it is and not all just a myth…
Perhaps I can come and visit you sometime. If you and father are so inclined, I could take you for a quick spin around the system in Argent. As long as we don't make many jumps, you'll be fine watching from the hold. There is always bluster and arguments about it between capsule pilots like myself and the regulars but for more than a couple of jumps you really do need to be in a capsule, otherwise the stress is simply too much.

I've rambled enough for one message and I'm warping to the last jump point before my destination so I better finish here. Let me know how things are getting on at home; I'll communicate again soon.

Ysolde signing off

\\END TRANSMISSION//

Flying through Derelik...

2006-07-12T16:31:00.000Z

Every time I find myself passing through Ammatar Mandate territory I can't help but want to flip the bird at the Navy through the bridge window as I pass. Then I remember I'm in a capsule and resign myself to just thinking it really hard.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll discover I have psychic powers and they've been getting the message all along. It might explain Scagga Laebetrovo's sudden appearence out of the blue...

Anyway, Better dock and deliver these supplies. Nothing like undermining the Ammatar from within their own home system.

Corporate reshuffles

2006-07-12T08:51:00.000Z

I should pay more attention to the surroundings I've taken for granted, rather than just what's new. Swung by Adelhar's office to see if he needed any ammo ferrying today, as I was on my way out to Metropolis, and instead he sent me off to kill Angels. For the 4th time this week already.

If I'd been paying more attention I'd have noticed that Six Kin reassigned his division from Production to Security - even had the plate on his door changed! Still, at least his budget doesn't appear to have been cut like the guys over in the Brutor Tribe Treasury...

Time to take the Claw out for a spin, I think.

A little humour from the archives

2006-07-11T21:14:00.000Z

Found something sent to me by an old Gallente friend, one Monty Tomasi. It was one of the last things he mentioned before he went planetside. Wonder how he's doing these days?

HOW MANY MEMBERS OF THE CALDARI STATE DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;
3. One to blame the Gallente for burning out the light bulb;
4. One to arrange the invasion of a planet rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs;
5. One to give a billion ISK no-bid contract to an internal megacorp for a new light bulb, but they do not get it done;
6. One to arrange a photograph of the CEO, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how the State's shadowy Board of Directors were literally in the dark;
8. One to viciously attack #7 and make sure he never works again;
9. One to make sure light bulb change plan is accomplished using military forces, along with a massive doomsday weapon campaign of those opposed to the State's plan;
10. One to confuse Caldari about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the State;
11. One to send out media spin about how the light bulb changing campaign has been accomplished perfectly, (even though bulb is still burned out);
12. One to buy off Gallente reporters who will print positive stories about the State's light bulb changing expertise and success stories using tax ISK;
13. One to take charge of starting a campaign to infiltrate groups such as the Sisters of Eve suspected of being terrorists due to their alternative energy or energy saving stance;
14. One to import a cheaper light bulb from the Minmatar Republic, while exporting all high paying union light bulb manufacturing State jobs over to the underpaid Republic;
15. One to announce that the State is no longer subject to any international light bulb treaties or laws, while the megacorp Directors are still saying "The State obeys all laws";
16. One to announce that light bulb torture is OK, in order to extract confessions from them;
17- 29. Twelve govt. dept. cronies to campaign on Holovid and at rallies on how the State's megacorps have had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;30. One to announce the economy is getting better and better due to the State's light bulb policy, meanwhile poverty rate doubles and deficit increases 1,000%;
31. The governing megacorps give out high paying light bulb changing jobs and grants to cronies and fundamentalist Amarr who supported the campaign;
32. Nugoeihuvi Corporation gives extensive coverage of how swell everything is in the light bulb changing world of the State.

CONCORD public database listing

2006-07-11T20:06:00.000Z

Name: Ysolde Xen
Race: Minmatar
Bloodline: Sebiestor
Corporation: Liberal Trading Co. [LTRAD]
Alliance: Electus Matari [-EM-]
Security Status: 1.0
Capsule License Issued: 2004.08.17 00:29:00
Licensing Institution: Pator Tech School, Minmatar Republic
Gender: Female
Birthplace: Hunchaan, Saila III
Origins: 2nd generation former slaves
Citizenship: Dual State-Republic, expires 01/09 (application to renew dual status denied, full Republic citizenship pending)
Ship Registry: 50 active registered capsule-fitted ships

[Profile]

2006-02-28T13:31:00.000Z

I'm the first of my community to take to the stars, though my cousin Nyneve has recently followed suit.

I was destined to be an engineer like my mother but my talents were spotted by a visiting relative from the Republic and while the State denied me entry into their piloting academies, the Republic welcomed me. I guess I am still an engineer, just one of advanced starship technologies and victories for my people.

I currently live and work in the Minmatar Republic and help to defend it from daily incursions from its enemies, be they Ammatar traitors or pirate raids. You'll probably find me within the Republic's borders aboard my pride and joy, the Adamant - a Jaguar-class Assault frigate.

Proud member of the Electus Matari alliance, and friend to the Ushra'Khan and Namzt'aar K'in. Check out Reawakened Technologies Inc., run by some friends of mine.

In case it needed to be said, my view on slavery: Disgusting and barbaric,
regardless of who you think are, what you think you're doing and who your slaves are.