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The Death of Kossen Jaikka
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Harry Sullivan
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#1 - 2014-04-20 14:22:52 UTC  |  Edited by: Harry Sullivan
The Death of Kossen Jaikka

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
I catch myself smiling while I think about these words as I feel the life flowing out of my body and this warmth, covering me like a cozy blanket.

Just one more breath, I look at the stars outside, their light keeps fading away....just one more breath...one more breath.

It was one of these days in space where everything goes wrong, a sharp pain in my head as I wake up, one of the nights with too many drinks and exotic dancers. I fell off the couch in my quarters, the big screen on the wall still showing yesterdays headline news."Provists escape Taisy due to Pandemic Legion assistance" runs across the screen while the noise in my head from the impact on the glass table right in front of my couch kept being on a pretty consistent level.

I smile, not just because of the private dance I got from one of the EDs last night.Happy thoughts make the pain bearable, I don`t know if that was a saying or if one of my instructors in the navy told me that. Right now it didn`t matter but it helped against the headache.

Since the attack in Lonetrek where several officers had hijacked a number of caldari navy capital ships I closely followed what was going on, the manhunt on 16 of them was quite a popular topic in the bars of Amarr. After some rather unpleasant experiences with the navy myself it didn`t surprise me that they rather wanted to see these men dead, instead in front of a court where they could tell the whole Universe what they really knew.

One new message on screen, i decide to ignore it and head to the bath.
After a hot shower the noise in my head finally dims away. I pick up some Quafe from the fridge on the way to my Loki in the Hangar. It`s old and rusty but it still locks damn fast. Your typical Minmatar space garbage, while it is basically hold together by duct tape the electronics in this thing are top of the line. We have a love/hate relationship.

I undock to see a Dramiel blow up not even 10km away from me. Great start into the day, a short check on the Killboard shows 120 Mio ISK in loot. Scooped up by a Marmite Hauler and it's pilot smiling right at me like a donut as he passes by to dock. Yeah, you have a nice day too c********r.

I`m parking the Loki at the usual spot on the Undock to see if I can catch me a few criminals to make enough ISK to go back to the bar or buy a new ship to take out with my buddies at Spectre Fleet.

Time passes by, I catch a Hawk with modules worth 175 Mio ISK but it gets looted by the same Marmite Hauler I`ve seen this morning. Honking twice as he passes me smiling again. Not...my...day. I chuck down some quafe and decide to look at my mails.

"One encrypted mail from Jayne Fillon"
"Decryption running.................."
"Decryption complete................."
"Please meet me and the rest of Spectre Fleet at 20:00 in Jita"

Well that`s very informative Jayne. F..thank you. As it`s already 19:00 i call it a day and head over to Jita passing a not so happy / dead freighter pilot in Niarja whose corpse seems to hold on tightly to a small red plush frog. Silly freighter pilots.

I step inside the room with Jayne standing in front of about 50 people.

"Close the door Striker.OPSEC.And you are late"
"As you all know I posted an open letter to Kossen Jaikka on the Intergalactic Summit discussion board"
"One of his communications officers immediately noticed the hidden messages I put in the letter and Kossen replied personally with an encrypted message about the location and time of their next attack"
"I invited you here because I know all of you sympathize with the Provists for your very own reasons and would like to see Kossen succeed or at least have the right of open speech instead of facing immediate execution"
"Therefore we are going to help the Provists survive and if possible succeed their all-in mission today"
"Everyone who is not willing to risk his life or wants to avoid to be marked as traitor to the Caldari state and a bounty on his head should leave the room now"
"I will not hold this against you as some of you do have families"

Being the last man in the room has its advantages. You are the first out of the door if things get ugly and you can see what everyone else is doing during those briefings. I turn my head but see not a single pilot moving an inch from his seat.

This is what Spectre Fleet really is about, death in glory and fighting with a bunch of brothers from different mothers.
I smile.
Certain death and being enemy of the caldari state by the end of the day. This day isn`t as bad as it started.

"Striker you are smiling and daydreaming about how I get to town on your sister or what?"
The whole room laughing wakes me up again. "Sorry Jayne, please continue"
Harry Sullivan
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#2 - 2014-04-20 14:23:01 UTC  |  Edited by: Harry Sullivan
"Good i see noone leaving, I didn`t expect anything else to be honest, let`s get to work"
"Operation Dragonkeeper is hereby in full effect"
"Kossen and the remaining Provists will deploy a wyvern supercarrier and six chimera class carriers in Usi to obtain classified information the Cadari Navy has hidden in a terminal in the customs office near a planet in the system"
"According to Kossen Jaikka this classified intel could bring down the whole caldari navy as it contains data of top secret BlackOps operations that will be made available to media outlets all over new eden after it has been obtained"
"As the caldari navy bribed CONCORD to shoot everyone that will be helping the Provists with an active engagement against capsuleers in high security space our goal will be to secure the safety of the Wyvern after it obtained the classified information"
"To achieve this I sat down with our fleet commanders and strategical staff and we came up with a ship and strategy to ensure the survival of the Wyvern"

I wonder what that will be. Hopefully nothing to expensive. Screw you Marmite Hauler.
Jayne puts Blueprints and a short video introduction on the screen.

"We wil be flying in Amarr Navy Omen Issues, I informed Kossen about this to make sure the Provists will not engage in friendly fire"
"Those Navy Omen Issues will be fittied fully cap stable and with 100mn Microwarpdrives"
"As soon as the Provists obtain the information they need we will start bumping it to speeds where Heavy Interdictor Class Ships that will be the only ships able to keep him from getting away can not follow"
"You are free to engage bumping on any threat for the Wyvern once we start bumping it, the support carriers will be bait for the hundreds of capsuleers that simply have no clue what is really going on"
"We will be quick, we will be swift, we will be sucessful"
"Any questions?"

The whole room is so silent you could hear a penny drop.

"Good, gentleman fit up your ships and we will start heading out at 21:50 to not give the enemy any possible early Intel"

I leave the room last just to see the other pilots faces, determined would be the right way to describe them. Everyone knows why and what he is fighting for. I walk over to the market to buy the ship and the necessary modules. I get my nodding jesus out of my Loki and jump into the Nomen, it`s all shiny and still smells new.

I think about dying in a new ship tonight is not the worst thing that could happen, but suddenly feel like a guy that cheated on his girlfriend. Old love doesn`t rust, and there`s a lot of rust on my old love.

I wouldn`t trade this Nomen for my Loki. Nodding Jesus seems to agree as the first test run of the new 100mn Microwarpdrive seems to be successful.

Comms light up. "We are out in five. Get ready."
I do fly in new eden for such a long time but there are some things you never get used to, like the adrenaline building up before a fight.

The soothing voice of Jayne interrupts the adrenaline flow slightly. "Undock boys, let`s have some fun".
We all undock and a flock of Nomens streams from the Jita Undock in slow motion, beautiful but terrifying at the same time. The game is on.

"Destination is Usi freeburn until you are in system, we meet up at the sun and wait for Kossen to jump in"

3 Jumps out my hands start to get shaky. I need some Quafe and try to grab one from where I usually have them stored in my Loki. I finally find it. "Striker jump" it sounds over the cockpit speakers. "I just needed a drink" "You can drink when you are dead" i hear another pilot say. "No, I can`t" I replied. A short "Smartass" on comms as I jump.

We meet up at the sun, casual chatter between the pilots in our fleet and only a few ships besides us in local, usual residents, little do they know what kind of hell will break loose in a few...
"Wyvern and chimeras just jumped in be ready" I hear Jayne say.

Two minutes later a short scream on comms.
"Oh my..." one of our covert ops pilots that volunteered as cloaked warp in point sees the horror first.

Hundreds of pilots in all kinds of Spaceships stream onto the battlefield and start attacking the Wyvern and Chimeras.
"We need to engage now Kossen is in trouble, Heavy Interdictors deployed and about a hundred Battleship size ships attacking him"
"Warp to Aristo Moon"

A perfect squad warp brings us all about 100KM off the Wyvern.
"Kossen gave the signal, he has the classified Intel everyone engage"

I see my fellow spectre fleetmates overheat their microwarpdrives Navy Omens at 10km/s speeding at the Wyvern
90....60....30..this will hurt more than the headache this morning. I hear a loud warning noise before one of my mates shouts "IMPACT" over comms and we simoultaneously crash into the shields of the wyvern.

Nodding Jesus seems to approve of this bump. I am looking onto my overview we sent the Wyvern flying away with more than 2000m/s. My head hurts but I know we have to be on the ball if we want to succeed.

"Good Job boys keep going" Jayne shouts energeticly.
"We are not getting primaried and the Battleships are not able to follow"
"We did it!"

But there is a ship following, a single Devoter pilot keeping Kossen from jumping into safety and putting an end to the Caldari Navy. "We have to do it again" all pilots on comms agreeing we need to get this Devoter off Kossen at all costs.

The second impact sends my head spinning. I`m sure most of us must have a concussion by now but we are too proud and to pumped to give up now.

The Wyvern still drifting, the Devoter holding on to it like the devil on a desperate soul. As the dizzyness fades nodding jesus is still headbanging.
Harry Sullivan
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#3 - 2014-04-20 14:23:58 UTC  |  Edited by: Harry Sullivan
"Bump the devoter off him" I hear people shout over comms. I try and miserably fail to bump the devoter. He is on the ball and my head still feels like I put it into a washing machine.

"Direct Hit" I got him a fleetmate shouts over comms.
I look out the window and see the devoter flying off with over 6000m/s in the opposite direction almost crashing into two of my spectre friends.

The Wyvern is free. Jump Kossen, i think to myself. Jump like you never jumped before.
Nothing happens.

Behind us three of the six carriers already exploded in gigantic fireballs, two more in armor, one in structure. They sacrifice themselves keeping the unbelieveable amount of ships off the Wyvern and focused on themselves.
One more explosion sends a shockwave through space big enough to feel the vibration in the Navy Omen hull.

"Why is he not jumping I hear one of the pilots on my fleet say"
"I don`t know" I answer.
A short discussion on comms later we are sure something is terribly wrong.

Right as I finish the thought the Devoter is back on the Wyvern.
Jayne`s "Sh*t he`s back" almost silenced by the fifth explosion, a sixth shortly following after.

"They killed all the Provists, we failed" I hear someone say.

I can`t believe that. I don`t want to. We did all we could why didn`t he jump out?"
"Jayne I`ll be checking if I can get a view into the Cockpit of the Wyvern"
"Roger" i hear him say.

As a giant blob of spaceships is trying to close the almost 300km gap we put between them and the Wyvern I speed up just enough to look into the still drifting head of the Wyvern.
The few seconds of a glimpse I can get let a cold shiver run through my spine.

Kossen lays flat on the ground in a pool of blood, his limbs weirdly bend in random directions.
"Jayne...."
"Yes Striker"
"I think we bumped him to death"
"Say again?"
"He is dead, well he is not looking very healthy at least"

Silence in comms.

There is no smile on my face.
The first projectiles, rockets and lasers hitting the wyvern from the largest blob of spaceships I`ve ever seen throwing his lifeless body around the cockpit.
I shed a single tear before I look back a last time.

Green light. Small and pulsating but I can see it.
It belongs to some kind of device that sticks inside the communications console of the Wyvern.


"We didn`t fail guys"
"I think he transmitted the intel somehwere, there is a device with a green light inside the communications console"
"Striker he`s dead, it`s over" is the last thing I hear one of the guys say.

My reply gets interrupted by a huge blow and the sound of warning signals.
As I get conscious again my ship has blown up and the only thing between me and hundreds of angry capsuleers is the little green ball I`m sitting in.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
I catch myself smiling while I think about these words as I feel the life flowing out of my body and this warmth, covering me like a cozy blanket.
Just one more breath, I look at the stars outside, their light keeps fading away....just one more breath...one more breath.
I can see the light.
Harry Sullivan
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#4 - 2014-04-20 14:26:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Harry Sullivan
Unfortunately it was the direct hit from a Focused Medium Beam laser.

I wake up in my clone in Amarr.
It`s a terrible feeling to get podded, one of the things you never really get used to.

Being back in my quarters I need a drink. I am not sure if we failed or succeeded.
The pictures of Kossens dead body flash in my head. The device in the console. I did see that did I?

After a hot shower I turn on the news. Headline news "Provist remnants slaughtered in Usi".
I see Commander Korrado on screen telling the universe proudly "The operation was a major success".

The news reporter goes on "Despite Korrado's praise, a group of unaffiliated capsuleers calling themselves "Spectre Fleet" attempted to offer aide to the Provists, but it ultimately proved futile in the chaotic fighting."

I smile.
If they knew what we know.
Kossen sent that Intel somehwere and died for what he believed in, and they want no one to know.
This is not over.

I go through the list of Inglorious Basterds that were flying with me this night for a last time before I finally delete the fleet logs to not leave any evidence for the Caldari Navy.

They are Heroes, they probably just don`t know.

Jayne Fillon
Aristo Moon
Chillya
Kenzo2k7
Truus DeMier
Caljiav Ocanon
Creeping Kaos
logan conway
Strikerheaven
Saphentis Estidal
Lithalnas
Jena Jamson
Tiger Wu
Robyn Lynx
Kinza
Hoddaras Doaken
Araneatrox
weasil421
Jon Burrows
Endia Xanaphia
ChaosLife
Mechoj Nomreps e
Incinerator570
Bloedbad
Gena Lennelluc
Dindil
Vlad Drakulll
Ethan Toralense
Erandil Starfire
Shinyo Kasataste
Josef Alland
kushinator Amelana
Gnadolin
Facial Fracture Daphiti
Xynide Daphiti
Calijiav Ocanon
plm shrddr
Bavarian Witch
Atrol Nalelmir
ONEILL Ohmiras
mrjknyazev
Moloc Minotaurian
Ren Cendraven
Douglas Aurelius
Bahnd Rollard
Asher Bourne Locust-Bourn
the teddybear
Christopher Mabata
Gena Lennelluc
Zhirae
Atrol Nalelmir
welshangle
Zaph Kavees
Athi Karanas
Welshangel
Athy Karanas
Dupius XII
Titus Quinn
Grenchler Rollard
Kali Anemoi
Shinobu Tsukasaa
Boring Bug Spampede
Skutter Midumulf
Bobby Newmark
Backbone666
Khoid
J0hnDrees
Roy Tony
CHaya Lothloria
Donatien Alphonse Francois
Fry1ngpan
Keplers Verge
Talone Todake
Gorski Car
Luscius Uta
Ichinumi Tsukaya
Vinz Dracul
TGxPINIPF
Anger Kidd
Eran Mintor
Metropolis Commercial Consortium
#5 - 2014-04-20 21:11:36 UTC
They're capsuleers with clone contracts, who said any of them are dead?
Harry Sullivan
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#6 - 2014-04-20 21:48:33 UTC  |  Edited by: Harry Sullivan
Eran Mintor wrote:
They're capsuleers with clone contracts, who said any of them are dead?


Hi Eran,
you are partially right and I put the "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." quote in for exactly that reason. Even tho I`d like for everyone to explore their own way of thinking about it in relation to the story.

I agree with you noone said they are dead (forever). Because that is what I think you want to express.
While the capsuleer itself is "immortal" due to cloning mechanic the concept of dying still applies to the clone you are actually using.

As Kossen Jaikka died yesterday, he is effectively dead, because that is the outcome of dying. For all we know he could be in a clone held hostage by the Caldari Navy and being interrogated what he did with the Intel he managed to steal.

He could also be a free man and continue his journey that put him on the path that lead to the events of the past weeks.
For all we know, we know nothing about what will happen in the future.

But we do know he went through the process of dying because otherwise there would have been no corpse.
Therefore I thought The Death of Kossen Jaikka is an adequate title. If you disagree feel free to reply.

Fly safe.