Out of Pod Experience

Samoth continued to drown his sorrows at the bar while listening intently to the argument between Ish and Random. He could feel his blood begin to boil as the culmination of the alcohol and the need to intervene rose.

A thin crack spiralled slowly up his glass where his grip was becoming too tight for the glass to take.

All of a sudden the Matari had moved the Khanid out of his way and stormed out. He did not know these people, but it sounded as if his skills were going to be needed.

Sitting in his captains quarters Chapmonious hears his commlink go off
"please if you get this come to me, im sending the coodinates now." the familiar voice said
the message causes him to bolt from his chair instantaneously with a look of anger, anxiety, and irritation seemly pouring from every part of his face. he reaches for his comms and shouts "You left me to die and now you need my help!?"
"look chapmonious, i know this is unexpected and i know I have alot to settle with you, but i wouldnt be raising you on comms without if it wasnt important.
this took the amarrian back, he hadnt Lailyana in months after the incident, and now suddenly and without warning she is talking to him again.
"I dont know lail, you hurt me pretty bad, its not about settling anything, its about making things right, and from where i sit, this isnt making things right, this is you asking for my assistance again, are you gonna watch me die this time?" said chapmonious, his anger getting the better of him. The history between him and the caldari was short yet explsoive, Lail being in the Caldari naval academy was once a spy in his slave operation, after a few months the two fell in love, with the relationship ending on less than good terms when lail exposed herself as a spy raiding the slave operation, herself being killed in the process, or so he thought.
"look chap you dont have to believe me, but i did love you, im sorry for not putting what we had above my job, you want me to make things right fine, i will, but not before you come down here and atleast hear me out." Lailyana said.
Looking around chap gets frustrated, she mentioned it was something he doesnt do anymore.
"if you want me to penetrate a slave network for you than no, im not coming, and we can go about assuming we dont exist anymore." chap said, no longer hiding his anger.
"you dont have to spy, just, hear me out." lailyana said, her voice calming in intensity, thats what he loved about her, the intensity.
"Fine, ill do it, but me and you are going to talk when i get there." the Amarrian says.
"heres the coodinates, if youre still living where you were, it will take you some time, ill wait up." lailyana says with a hint of excitement in her tone.
"yea i see that, ill be bringing a fast ship." Chapmonious says heading to his slicer.
"bye for now." Lailyana says.
"Bye." Chap replies as he boards his slicer, heading to meet up with his past.

By now Samoth was over half way through his bottle of whisky, he had done away with the glass by now also. His optical implants were doing their best to compensate for the alcohol, but the writing on the bottle was still dancing infront of him. He put the bottle down for a moment and rubbed his eyes, ettempting to bring his eyes into focus again.

Lailyana enters the bar and pours her whisky, Samoth turns to face her and musters up as much racial comradery as he can and mutters 'Cheers!' as he holds up his quickly emptying bottle of whisky.

Pushing himself up off the bar, Sam makes his way over to one of the couches with his bottle in hand. He gingerly lies down on the couch as if trying to steady his feet on a ship at sea. He takes another wig of whisky with a grin on his face.

((That video was epic. I's those videos that show how truly amazing this game really is.))

Lail watches the video bobbing her head to and fro to the beat of the song, occasionally taking a sip of her whiskey as song goes on. She hasnt been this relaxed in some weeks, with everything that has been going on it feels nice to kick back get intoxicated, and let worries slip to the way side, well some of them atleast.
"I wonder what its going to be like to stand in front of him again, after all these years." She thought taking another drink.

After the video is finished she looks at ish with an excited look at says "Ish this is amazing, when will this be installed, and what does it do?!" her voice getting high pitched as she keeps on talking.

The happiness however, is short lived, as she finishes asking the question to ish, she sees a shadow, a silhoutte of a man she use to know, Chapmonious was in the doorway.

Chapmonious has always been a stout man, standing over 6 feet tall with muscular arms, although intimidating, he was generally a teddy bear once you got to know him. As she walked up to him with the rest of the members in the bar staring, she didnt know what to think, some years ago she was running for her life from the guns that used to keep her safe within his compound, now, there was nothing in front of her. She came up to him and hugged him, while he stood their motionless.

"well I'm here, what do you need." he said, making it obvious he hadnt forgotten anything.

This stunned the Caldari, there was no emotion there, no love, no fire that was there so many years ago. Fighting back tears at this realization, she steps closer to the huge Amarrian.

"I need your help Chapmonious." she replies back as a single tear rolls down her check

"Sorry Ish, but VR ain't my thing. I prefer real combat, so unless it's pretty damn realistic it i won't be interested"

Sam sits up on the sofa cupping his head in his hands, trying to stop his world from spinning. He tries to focus on anything but the conversation between Lailyana and this mystery man, however try as he might he picks up just about everything that was said.

"Sometimes these implants are a curse" He thought to himself

He turns to face Ish, his optical implants take a few seconds to kick in before the picture sharpens up and he begins recieving information again.

"Ish, She sounds like she could use my help" He motioned to Lailyana
"I know you have no idea who i am, right now i don't think it really matters"
"Lets just say I have... Talents they would find useful" A sly grin creeps accross his face

Sam takes a sip from his whisky bottle, then realises that it is all gone and his brow furrows.

Matokin went back into the recovery area and quietly opened the door to Lauds room. The read head was resting comfortably in her bed but she sat up slightly when he entered.

“You mentioned this was a sting operation, tell me what is going on” She mumbled through her medicated haze.

Matokin grabbed the chair from the corner and moved it closer to her bed “I am a former RSS agent that much is true...but I did not lose it in the way you may think. I was transferred to another part of the Matari government. Are you at all familiar with the Republic Justice Department?” Matokin paused for a couple of moments as if to let Laudenum digests this latest development.

Laud’s eyes looked down at the bed then back up at Matokin “I have heard of them but I can’t say I am exactly sure what they do” she finally said after a slight pause.

“The Republic Justice Department is basically the internal police force for all Matari, think of it as a Matari concord specially focused on bringing down slavers and other less then legal Ammarian activities either directly or indirectly affect the Matari people. “ Matokin then looked at Laudenum as if he was suddenly coming out of some kind of medicated haze himself.

Laud layed back into her bed sighing heavily “Matokin you have so many stories I don’t even know what I am supposed to be leave about you anymore” she closed her eyes after she finished.

Matokin moved closer and whispered in a kinder tone “I know its allot to take in and it is pretty dam confusing but what I am telling you now is the truth of the matter and the whole reason our paths crossed, to begin with.”

Laud “hmm alright” she said in what Matokin knew was a slightly disbelieving tone.

Matokin moved back and said "let me explain everything to you so far I was placed under cover in a slaver organization to take them down from the inside and I have been there over a year now. My target is the leader of the slaver ring but so far the closest I have come has been his voice over a com channel.” He then paused for a second and looked to see if Laud was still following him.

“Ok go on” Laud said hesitantly “I understand what you’re saying so for but we will see just how much I believe it when you’re done.” With that she closed her eyes and motioned for Matokin to continue.

“Sharazzi is one of his top Lieutenants and through her I was hoping to finally meet the man behind the slaver ring and once ID'ed we then could send in the RSS to take him down, however I had no idea that our next target would be you...which complicated things a great deal. I had no idea you had so many friends or that you are such a strong willed and resourceful person.”

Laud opened her eyes and looked at Matokin she smiled weakly and said “flattery will get you no wear with me Matokin.”

Matokin smiled back thought to himself “I am glad she is starting to feel more like herself again” he then said “When I saw you crying there in that cell I realised how the countless others that we have taken must have felt and I realized that no one person is worth making so many others suffer for and I am sure after we are done with Sharazzi she will crack and tell us what we want to know anyway. The Republic Justice Department can be very persuasive like that”.

Laud noticed a change in Matokins voice near the end of what he had just finished saying and she knew exactly what he meant by it.

Laud razed herself up in her bed a little and looked directly at Matokin “What you’re saying makes since given everything I have seen up to this point, and say for a minute I do believe you. One thing is bothering me. What is going to happen to you? Aren’t you an accomplice to all throws kidnappings and in kidnapping me?”

“Yes, I am” Matokin replied slowly relaxing back into the chair. “The The Republic Justice Department is working with the Gallente authorities as we speak so I am not sure exactly what is going to happen, but you need not worry regardless of the outcome I will be fine.” He then shot a confident smile at Laud.

Matokin had no sooner finished saying that when the door to Lauds room opened and two Gallente security officers appeared in the door way completely overlooking the red-head laying in the bed there focus locked on Matokin.

One of them said in a commanding voice “Mr. Lemant your presents is requested” Matokin and Laud knew that by the tone in his voice that this was not an invitation

“What for?” Matokin calmly replied

“We will discuss that when you get to the security offices Mr. Lemant now please come with us” The security officer said.

Matokin nodded got up and went over to the door where the two security officers were standing.

As he did Laud weekly called out “You take care of yourself Matokin...I still haven’t made up my mind if I believe you yet” as she painfully chuckled to herself.

Laud then picked up her com unit, saying to her self "Well big brother you said if I needed anything to call you"

Activating it she said “Random the Gallente just came and took Lemant I don’t know what is going on but I think he may be needing your help, I know you dont exactly like him but please do it for me”

A badly damaged Stratios Cruiser begins to uncloak outside the bar. It has clearly been in better shape and is in dia need of some repairs. The Sensor ring is barely in one piece, yet still functioning.. Just. Two out of its Four turrets have been diabled, The drone flight deck is billowing fire and smoke, and several decks are open to the vacuum of space.

Sam brings the limping cruiser in to dock, His eyes twiching as the docking clamps engage. His pod begins to drain and he is flushed out onto the floor infront. Pod goo streams down his body as he cough's up the fluid in his lungs.

"Yeaack, surely they could make that stuff taste better by now!"

The Muscles in his cyber arm creak as they rub together pushing him up off the ground. He puts on some throw away clothes for the jouney back to his room.

Leaving his ship, he stops off by the repair chiefs office, and sorts a repair contract. Then makes way for the bar.

Upon entering the bar, he makes his way straight to his room and turning on the shower. He takes off his clothes and places them in the laundry chute, and heads straight for the shower and just leans up against the wall on his arm with the water hitting his back. He stands there for over an hour, just thinking about the souls that have met their end by his hand, just so he can make a few more million Isk. How much was enough? What would fill that empty space where his heart should be? And why couldnt he get rid of his guilt?

"I'm supposed to be a souless killer!? Get Out Of My Head!!"

He finishes up in the shower, and puts on his boots and trousers and heads to the bar with a vest shirt in hand. He starts putting on a vest shirt as he walks through the bar door and heads for one of the more comfortable chairs and sits down and orders a bottle of whisky from a barmaid.

He pulls out a data pad and starts tasking traders to sell his plunder, he flinches as he remembers how he got each and everyone of those items and their pleas for a ransom....

Sam was deeply engrossed in his data pad when he noticed a sharply dressed Matari passing through the bar, his gaze followed him over to ish and then stared blankly at his data pad as he focussed his hearing on their conversation.

'I smell Money afoot' he muttered to himself.

Listening intently at the conversation between the two taking note of the finer details and the fact they they needed services he could provide in one for or another.

Sam stood upright a full 6 feet 8 inches, by caldari standards he was practically a giant. He took a deep breath and made his way over to Random and Ish, and placed his cybernetic arm on Randoms shoulder.

He looked at Ish first, then to Random, furrowed his brow and said quietly in a deep gravelly voice "I might be just what you are looking for" and then gave a souless grin....