EVE Fiction

I just couldn't hold it in, my demeanor broke faster than a Gurista tank...I laughed heartily and I had to double over, I was laughing so hard. I just couldn't take it...

"Oh! Ohohohohohohohaahahahahaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa...you...ahahahaha...you have no idea...oooohhhhhh...this is rich!"

I gathered myself, though I could not wipe the huge smirk from my face...the irony was just too much!

"You are a fool, Doctor...a mad fool. But you're right about one thing, you're no threat." I undo his binds, myself and drop his clothes at his feet, "Get yourself dressed."

I turn to the Marines in the room, "Corporal, bring the other capsuleers up to the conference room adjacent to my quarters. I'll be up, shortly." I snap the holster closed, the strap securing the sidearm to solidify the matter of threat.

After everyone files out, I address the Physician, "Help him with anything he needs for the foreseeable future, then bring him up...but not too quickly. I think it's time I get acquainted with our new friends."

Turning to leave the room, I look back at the old Caldari, that smirk still all over my face, "You're lucky to be alive, Doctor Arataka...I trust you'll find some suitable way to thank me."

I leave the room, but I just can't stop giggling...what a stitch...that something like this would happen. Could we even get out of this mess? If we did, how long would it take? All because of this crazy old man...

...just a crazy old man...hah!

Sam felt some of AstraPardus's frustrated mirth himself, and snorted a bit at the absurdity of the situation. He exchanged glances with Captain Sepherim, and knew he was thinking the same thing. Not a grand conspiracy by powerful forces. Just the misguided actions of a solo crackpot. Truly, stupid is the greatest force in the universe. A gram of it can move battleships, destroyers and frigates all the way across the galaxy. He entered a few more lines of text on his datapad and sent the entry to each of the other three pilots: "Good day, Doctor, get some rest and take care of your health" he said to Arataka and followed AstraPardus out.

The text message read:
Thoughts on the current situation:
-Adreena and I believe that we are in the Rogue Drone Regions of null space. Somewhere between the Cache and Etherium Reach regions. Great Wildlands and The Spire lie between them, so we may be somewhere in those regions.

-It appears that the Gallente seed ship and the rogue drones have something to do with the Spectrum Breach project. The Gallente started the project about 30 years ago, the goal of establishing new gates to open new territory for the Federation. They succeeded for awhile, but the project failed when their gate-building drones suddenly went rogue.

-The gates to the new Rogue Drone Regions were immediately closed (either by CONCORD or the Federation, or the two together). About seven years ago, they spontaneously reopened. CONCORD concluded that the rogue drones couldn't have done that. It had to be someone or something else.

-In the years since the gates reopened, CONCORD has sent a number of expeditions into the Rogue Drone Regions to investigate. Most failed to return. Please ask the doctor about his knowledge of this. Was it his goal to reach the Rogue Drone Regions? Specifically, The Spire, Cache, or Etherium Reach? Did CONCORD send him here as another investigator? Or did the Federation?

-The Gallente seed ship is about the age to have been a part of the Spectrum Breach project. Apparently the Gallente lost control of it at the time of the rogue drone 'rebellion.'

-The rogue drones around the ship are of Gallente ship design. They may be standard Gallente frigs, destroyers, cruisers and a battleship under drone AI control. Or they may be ships built by the drones based on Gallente design standards. I'd guess that the seed ship is under drone AI control. It's carrier-sized, and may carry drone fighters. If not, it stands to reason that the rogue drones would have fit it with some kind of armament. If we end up needing to destroy the rogue drones, we might be in for a tough fight.

-Arataka may be the key to resolving the situation. His 'slide jump' invention was capable transporting us many light years from Dodixie. So he obviously does have a good deal of scientific acumen on the topic of jump physics, and probably FTL comms as well. Much more than any of the rest of us have, I suspect. I'd suggest we do what we can to make use of his expertise.

-Possibly useful resources we can access:
The jump gate attached to the seed ship. We don't know how complete or functional it is, but with Arataka's knowledge of jump physics and gravity wells, maybe we can rig something that will get us back to Empire space.
Any still functional slide jump components from the Venture.
Arataka's knowledge of 'FTL physics, 'shield static', etc. Perhaps we can re-establish FTL comms.

"Well, that was interesting," he said to the group of walking capsuleers. "I've sent you each a message with some ideas, but I can just as easily explain them to you now. I'd thought I'd pass my datapad with them around during the questioning, but it ended pretty quick. Anyone have much experience dealing with paranoid geniuses?"

Following behind the Marines and the other capsuleers, I took the time to review what Sam had sent us...I understood some of it, but the rest of it was over my head.

Where was Nas when you needed her?

The whole friggin' cluster away, that's where...so we're somewhere near Wildlands...would be good if we were closer to Thukker space, but if we weren't...if we get out of here, I would have to call in some favors with The Unthinkables to get out of here in one piece; Ms Kypp owes me more than one, that's for sure.



"I have..." I chuckled, mostly from the leftover hilarity, partially from the thoughts that followed, "...the crazy kind and the real kind. My experience tells me that you don't have to beat info out of them, or intimidate them, they are all perfectly willing to run their mouths on whatever crazy projects their ego demands they justify. He'll talk...he'll talk too much...he'll tell us more than he should...and he'll invariably tell us more than he wants to, all without being coaxed to...we just have to pretend to be interested. Simple."

I rounded everyone up into my conference room, the Lightspeed Enterprises logo emlazoned on the table, the marble floor, and the wall behind the head chair, which I moved to stand by, "I think it's time we all got to know each other a little better. The Physician will keep the old nutbag busy for the time being, so let's discuss a few things before we go any further with any options he may pose and see what we can come up with on our own. Also, let's share a little about ourselves...what do you do? How is it relevant to making a solution? Relevant personal experience also applies, et cetera." With a gesture, I dismissed the Marines, their potentially oppressive nature was no longer needed.

I started up the holoprojector in the center of the table,"Who has his datapad? Let me see it..."

"Thank you, Captain Catillah." I took the datapad and mounted it in a dock in the center of the table, near the holo projector.

"Computer, link the datapad to the holoprojector. Back up all data on the datapad to a secure drive in it's own partition, then physically disconnect the drive from the network. Initiate three new guest-level access accounts by voice key and stand by to link them to the people in this room as they speak."

I reached under the conference table and removed the secure drive, placing in an inside coat pocket, "Now then...I'm Astra, my friends call me Pardy. I'm a security specialist and I live in Branch. Each of you speak and introduce yourselves, the computer will pick up your voice and assign you a guest account. With that, you may issue basic commands, like navigating this datapad on the holo, here."

I heard both of their introductions calmly, in my firm position by the chair. No one had taken seat yet, so I wouldn't be the first one. But Telegram was right when he mentioned it was a rather infrequent, yet most fruitful, chance that the four of us would be willing to cooperate instead of fighting over personal power and reputation feuds.

-As I said when I greeted you, my name is Sepherim Catillah, and I used to be an officer in the Imperial Navy, deployed in the Bleak Lands for more than five years of war. Left the Navy, took some time for myself, and became a capsuleer when I was tested as compatible. That's all there is to it. I'm a soldier.-

I nod back to Telegram. Once we were enemies, maybe we would again in the future, as I returned to the Bleak Lands. But I had grown to respect Minmatarr after so many years of fighting them. They fought with bravery and conviction, even if it was for the wrong reasons.

It was at that point that I decided to be the first to sit and break the tension, "Just a mechanic? I'd say you sound like my sister...who is, by the way, my prime experience with paranoid geniuses, though she's the special 'nullsec' kind of paranoid, not like our 'friend' belowdecks."

Reclining in my chair, I casually tossed my feet up onto the conference table and cooly swung my arms behind my head, "Well...to expand a little...as I said, Astra...call me Pardy...blah blah...I'm a recruiting officer and a security specialist for Lightspeed Enterprises, we live in Branch and are allied into Fidelas Constans. Our business ranges from security escorts and logistics to building super capital ships, and business is good. I like to consider myself the go-to-gal in my organization and I like helping my friends. We're not all scary monsters, out in null, someone has to be the guiding star which the other dregs orbit in the void." I smirked, though I thought to myself, 'Every star has their dark spots, though...don't they?'

"My sister, Nastrata, is also a podbaby and she's much like Sam and Adreena...less like me, and I would like to get back to her as soon as possible, so let's get this ball rolling. You're all now voice keyed to a guest account. Adreena, if you want to check out the mad Doctor's files, just dictate your commands and the computer will navigate the datapad and project on the holo. Go on, try it..."

After Astra takes seat, I take my place as well, but unlike her I sit formally. I had been a bit lost on Adreena's explanation on shields, but I believe I had got the important part: our shields, for some reason, interacted with the Doctors' and sent everything straight to hell. Great. So, as much as the Doctor wanted to deny it, his invention could be used as a weapon, not only because it allowed instant travel without borders and customs, but it also allowed instant kidnapped if you did whatever you had to do to get shields to phase together, whatever that was.

In any case, it casually seemed quite a good combination of pilot profiles. A soldier, a nullsec security specialist with a scientist sister, a mechanic used to war, and a full technician. Like a graduation from one extreme of the soldier-technician line with all points in between. Maybe that was too much of a coincidence and someone had tinkered with Arataka's shield or ours to make them phase together and do some sort of experiment? Maybe I was just being too paranoid. Such a long time of exposure to an unknown situation, and with permanent death risk, was doing that to me. And to think that, only three years ago, I went into the Bleak Lands without being a pod pilot, and thus risking permanent death...



-I'll let the technological aspect to you two- Sepherim says, nodding to Adreena and Telegram-, but I agree with captain Sam that those drones may pose a real risk and right now we are vulnerable to any attack if such should come. We should tell our ships to create a fleet together, with this ship as the officer, so we can rush in a moment to the bridge and send a "warp fleet to" order that would take all of them to a safe spot and give us time to enter our pods.-

I nod as the commands are quickly given. That will give us some reaction time, should things start to go haywire. T

Satisfied, I resume my reclined posture, feet back up on the table, "So...shields, eh? Could be interesting...lock on, activate shield transfers, calibrate...WOOSH!"



-I believe this invention can only be used to dismantle area powers, like the Empire, the Republic, the State... it will bring an era of uncontrolled and unstoppable wars as the nullsec alliances will be unable to properly defend their borders, and the small and medium fish in the pod pilot arena will start biting at the knees of all powers. The Navies will be impossible to deploy in every place they are needed, and the undefended planets will fall prey to Blood Raiders, Sansha True Slaves, and other kinds of threats. It may be the doom of the universal order as we know it.-

I take a small silence, looking at each of them in the eye by turn before finishing.

-I won't allow Dr. Arataka to leave this place alive, and all data from his investigations shall be deleted from all the ships. As much a harm it can be to science, it will prevent millions of deaths and other losses.-

"Oh crap. I'll work on the frigates and anything smaller. But I suppose we can plan tactics from inside our pods. Pardus, could you tell your marines not to shoot me, the guy running through your passageways?" As he reached the room's door, he paused, and looked back with a grin. "Next time I'm on The Brown Baggin' It, I hope there's time for a cold beer."

Sam double-timed through the passageways, the umbilical, into the Jaguar, and finally into the pod. Clothes, belt and boots were left in a pile on the capsule room floor. When pod control was achieved, he began issuing control orders. Detach from BS. Align to the Spot Near Seed Ship bookmark. Set sublight speed to 75%. Better to meet them further out from the BSes. The BS captains could pick their optimal range for tragetting, and the Jag and Thrasher could try to make the engagement happen within that range zone. It might help the big ships pick off targets at a distance, where their speed and tranversal velocity wouldn't be much of a factor.

"Crew, rogue drones inbound. Prepare for action."

"****!"

Everyone was scrambling, starting to lose their heads...but 400km is a long distance for Rogue Drones to close with, I have time...

My quarters was between the conference room and the pod, thankfully. As everyone makes a mad dash, I calmly get up and make my way to my quarters. I secured the door and quickly went to the bed, tossing the mattress up to find the safe underneath. I straddled the bed frame, engage the voice lock and spoke low and close to the receiver, "Où es-tu..." As the door swung open, I reached into my coat pocket and placed the secure drive into the safe, then closed it and replaced the mattress as neatly as I could.

"If Nas can figure this out..."

No time for that, have to pod up. I rush to strip down, checking my ports for lint...and run over to my pod, climbing in. I jack myself in and strap on my air mask, then give the mental command to initiate the pod. The hydrostatic fluid floods in and the space around comes to view fast, like a slap in the face...the rush of sensations I feel of the crew, hustling to their stations, the ships systems humming with life, it was a feeling I savored...adrenaline was coursing in my veins.

"Marines!" My synthesized voice came over the intercom, once more, "Secure Doctor Arataka! Bring him to the Science Deck and don't let him touch anything or let him out of your sight! Drone Hands! Ready the Hobgoblin II's and Garde II's! Gunnery! Load Spike rounds for range! Stand by with the Federation Navy Antimatter! Mechanics! Stand by for armor nanite application! All stations, full combat alert!"

Once everyone was in position, I engaged the internal damage control force fields.

"If you guys can hear me..." I said into the previously established inter-ship comms channel, "...burn to within 5km of me if you start to take heavy hits, I have a remote armor rep fitted."

"Okay...time to see what these podbabies can do..."