Intergalactic Summit

I grew up on a small farm, just outside of town, near an industrial fibers factory on Chesiette V. When I say we had a simple life, I mean we had a very simple life. You’d think being so close to a null sec system, and next door to a low sec system, that it would be dangerous; but nothing could have been further from the truth. Daddy always said that it was because we didn’t have a starbase in our system, so no one ever really had a reason to stop and cause trouble. I still think it’s because there’s nothing worth causing trouble over in Chesiette... nothing at all.

Growing up on Chesiette V was about as boring as it can get, especially for a hot-headed tomboy like myself. All I wanted to do was be a capsuleer. I wanted to fly around the universe in my own ship. I wanted to take out pirates, explore wormholes, and fight in great space battles to liberate Amarrian slaves. But the closest I could get, was feeding the pigs and occasionally helping my dad fix a mining drone. I begged my daddy almost every day to take me on a mining run; but he always told me it was too dangerous out there, and mom needs my help at home. I was so jealous of my brothers. They got to leave the farm, get off the planet, and see something different; while I stayed home and made preserves.

What I wouldn’t give to go back there now. To have just one more day at that kitchen table with my mom. When I close my eyes, I can still remember the smell of those preserves, and the smile on my daddy’s face when he said he'd be back before I even realized he was gone. Is it just me, or does everyone’s worst childhood moments turn out to be their favorites?


Although my life seemed small, our farm seemed small, and even the town seemed small; everything else about Chesiette V seemed absolutely enormous. The wide open spaces seemed to stretch on forever. The industrial fiber factory loomed large in the vast sky way off in the distance. It felt like no matter how far we drove, we never ran out of open space. Because of the low gravity on Chesiette V, the trees grew incredibly tall, and I would scare my mom half to death every time I climbed to the top of them. Since that was the closest I could actually get to the stars, I would stay up there for hours pretending to do battle with evil Shadow Serpentis Agents. Sometimes, on heavy snow days, I would jump from the tops of the trees into the deep snow banks below. Mom told me she prayed to Bob every night that he would curse me with a daughter as reckless and rambunctious as me.

She’ll never see her prayers answered now… Sansha’s Nation made sure of that.


I was 16 before my daddy finally took me up in his Venture. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest when he told me I could go. I thought my mom was going to crack his head open with a frying pan too. He just gave her that charming smile, and told her that her mother’s prayers came true. In truth, there was a Federation blockade of Syndicate in Reblier. That meant that there was no route through Chesiette to 6-CZ49, and there was literally no other reason for anyone to fly through our pipe. Chesiette was probably the safest system in the universe at that moment. So my daddy gave me the greatest moment of my young life. He took me to work with him. He took me into space.

I’ve never been so scared and anxious in all of my life as I was when the thrusters kicked on. The acceleration was so sudden that it took about 10 seconds for my breakfast to catch up with my stomach; and once it did, I thought for sure it was going to come all the way out. Daddy knew I wasn’t doing well. He just put his big hand on my knee and said “Don’t worry sweetheart. Just close your eyes. It will be over before you know it.” I closed my eyes and imagined myself back at the kitchen table with mom, making preserves…

No. I belong in space. I can do this. I opened my eyes, and watched as the horizon grew dark and gave way to a billion stars. Daddy intentionally left the artificial gravity off so I could experience weightlessness. He released the swivel lock on my chair, and turned me to look out the port side window. I caught my first glimpse of what I would eventually come to recognize as home. That vast expanse of green and gold. Gallente space in full splendor. Tears began to form at the corners of my eyes as I took in the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

Unfortunately, because there was no gravity, the tears stayed in the corners of my eyes; and simply continued to grow until I could no longer see. I attempted to wipe the them away, but this just smeared the salty tears across my eyes and made things even worse. I called out to my dad, and after a couple seconds I could hear him laughing as he said “Don’t worry honey, it happens to everyone the first time they see the nebula in person!” And with that, he turned on the artificial gravity, and the pools of tears instantly spilled down my cheeks and once again, I could see.

He quickly began moving around the bridge, hitting buttons and preparing the cargo bay for the day’s work as I stared off into the vastness of space. After a few minutes, he threw a pair of coveralls at me and yelled “There ain’t no passengers on this trip. It’s time to get to work young lady. We need to collect 2,000 cubic meters of golden omber, and I’d like to make it home before dinner. Mom’s making Jita fritters tonight”

It is ok. The five point seat belt system can be daunting.

You can't "space battle" from a mining barge.

Tell that to DJ Erroch's mining barge roams.

I still fondly remember our "hull mining" Venture fleets very fondly.

Not with that attitude.

Battle Skiffs, ho!

Fly a Skiff! Tank it well! Take full flights of combat drones! Dare anyone to come and take you!

For maximum shenanigans, replace strip miner with cynosural field generator. Only in lowsec or null though.

I always like Skiffs. It's like a Vexor, tanked like a battleship, that mines.

You Sir, are a wise man.