Out of Pod Experience

(continues)

The intense infrared radiation vaporized the surface of the corridor walls, overheated the air and turned it into plasma. It hit Uriel's body and easily consumed it, vaporizing large chunks of tissue as molecules separated into elements. When the burst was gone, most of Uriel's body had disintegrated, and what was left was just a mess of vaporized fluids, organic molecules and large amounts of carbon composites. The charred and disfigured mass only lasted a few hundredths of second before the overheated air blasted it in a hypersonic shockwave. The shield also absorbed that and Ishtanchuk just saw a bright fireball erupting and expanding, then she heard a deafening noise as the air blasted away and then collapsed on the partial void left behind, causing massive damage to the corridor. All the lights were crushed, the walls buckled and the floor shacked as it bounced up after the explosion. Then it was over and the shield vanished, less than a second after pressing the trigger. Extremely hot air slammed on Ish, but cooled before searing her skin. She knew that her attacker was gone, but now she was alone with her injured body. Then, her pad beeped with a noisy alarm after the link to her implants showed that her life statistics were wrong.

Ishtanchuk Fazmarai rolled on her right side, despite the pain, and placed herself in recovery position. She figured that his way the blood from her right lung would flow through her mouth and keep her air tract clear, although her mouth was also bleeding copiously.

She felt cold as she bled and her suffocation worsened despite the recovery position. Although her left lung wasn't hit, she was developing a pneumothorax and it was extremely difficult to breathe through the bloody foam from her throat, the gory mess in her mouth and enduring pain each time she inhaled... she hoped that someone would come soon, warned by the explosion of the thermal peacemaker. But also knew that she was running out of time as her vision faded and she lost sensitiveness on her right side. Her brain was lacking oxygen and her body was losing blood quickly as her heart rushed...

As blood drummed in her ears and temples, Ishtanchuk noticed from a distant point of view how her face was becoming inflamed and the inflammation closed her eye and blocked her left nostril, further strangling the air flow. But, was it that important?, she thought, as hypoxia and shock caused her a altered state of mind. Pain was fading away, and that was good, as obviously something had gone very wrong down there at her chest. She had a dreamlike sensation of detaching from her crippled body, and suddenly she was away, looking into a mirror...

She was 16, how sweet, and she was testing her dress for the annual New Ladies Presentation before the Tash Murkon family. The traditional dress was of a bold design, which exposed bare shoulders and had a V shaped neckline intended to display a talisman hanging from the New Lady's necklace... and that jewel had to be hung exactly on the upper line of the base of the breasts. Thus, showing some cleavage was inevitable, and Ishtanchuk tried to come up with the idea of displaying so much of her body.

"Bare arms, bare shoulders, but, my face looks too dark...", she said to her mother.
"No, no, Corrina, your face is right; it's your body that it's too pale because sunlight never hits it. But don't worry, we will use a self tanning lotion, and with some make up, everyone will enjoy your lovely coppery skin."
"But mom, everyone will be wearing the same dress... everyone will be 16 and every girl will be pretty and will be showing her chest just like me"
"Don't worry, Corrina, your decolletage will be the envy of everyone, as you are just like your grandmother...."

But something was wrong with her right breast, now... And the corridor was dark and cold, as it should be in space. But she never had experienced cold in space; in space, she was inside her pod, and it felt warm inside. Warm and safe, as she knew that her mind would be transferred to a fresh clone if she was about to die. But now she wasn't in her pod. She was in a dark corridor in a station, and her life was oozing out of her body with each heartbeat and her mind was asphyxiating. Her eyes went blind and she wished to fight back the darkness, but there was nothing left to do. Then she saw a blob of light and inside it there was Indahmawar, her cousin, her friend, the apple of her eye.

"Indahmawar", tried to say Ishtanchuk, yet she couldn't talk as she sunk into darkness. "I love you, Indahmawar. Take care of yourself, my baby. I ca..."

Then the light blob vanished, and Ishtanchuk Fazmarai wasn't there anymore.



Roland Gramel wasn't happy with his new assignment. Things had been very messy since the bombing at Yulain, Court & Brams, with increased security over the station and rumors about organized crime starting a gang war. With the whole station to cover and the massive scale of the structure, manpower was spread very thin. Thus, Roland Gramel had been assigned the whole habitation section of the capsuleer docklands, which spanned several levels and literally kilometers of corridors where anyone could go unnoticed all day if he knew how to hack the obsolete automated surveillance system.

Officer Gramel was minding his misfortune as he guided his patrol scooter into a elevator, ready to move his "eyeball patrol" to level 7 (and patrolling that level alone could take more than 10 minutes, even riding the scooter). The elevator started and suddenly Roland Gramel heard a ominous distant sound, like a giant door slamming, and he could sense a vibration shaking the station structure. The elevator stopped and Gramel heard the echos of a explosion as the doors opened.

(continued)

(continued)

Then he speculated that maybe the first victim had shot the woman and she had caused the explosion to defend herself... But investigating that would be left to the inspectors. He watched the medical team as they loaded the woman on a stretcher, still alive, and then he walked back to his scooter to start setting a police line until reinforcements arrived. As the medical vehicle moved away, officer Gramel thought to himself that, if the woman made it alive to the Hospital, likely she would survive; and if don't, at least it had stopped being his responsibility since the medics arrived. Although he was as humane as any fellow, he couldn't help to think that capsuleers were a plague and probably it was okay if some of them died outside of the pods that made them immortal... but only as long as they didn't destroyed the career and life of a commoner in the process.

"Good luck, Ms. Fazmarai, and thank you for not dieing under my guard", he thought, and then added, thinking of the massive explosion caused by the capsuleer woman as she defended herself: "Bloody capsuleers..."

END of Part One.

(meta: this started as a plot twist some months ago, and eventually has become a full fledged story... Part Two is already in a very early stage so it may take long until I write it. I am aware that this story leaves Ish is out of the thread. Yet, my subscription ends on the 12th and very likely I will take a break from EVE... if don't, then I'll have to work on Part Two ASAP )

(continued from https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=4017318#post4017318 )

Indahmawar Fazmarai rushed upstairs as she ordered the robo-aides to pick an outfit. Although keeping the wardrobe catalogued and accesible to robots so they could ready an outfit on a moment's notice was very practical for ladies in a hurry, it removed the fun of browsing the wardrobe and so Indahamwar rarely used the presets.

when she entered her appartment two robo aides already were carrying the clohes to the bedroom; she undressed quickly and then let the four-armed machines dress her quickly and acccurately. Then she moved to the bathroom and used the nanobot make up dispenser to finish her appearence as one of he robo aides combed her hair on a small knot. The only thing she made with her own hands, was to pick a set of earrings.

Thus, exactly 9 minutes after asking Random McNally to allow her 10 minutes, Indahmawar walked down to the bar and the other members of the team gasped when they saw her.

Indahmawar was dressed with a white ao dai, tricked out with burgundy cuffs and neck. The burgundy from the neck descended in a faded stripe which vanished to white right at the peak of the small double lump on Indhamawar's bossom. Her lips were painted in dark red at the middle, but the corners were not maked up, and so her mouth looked like a perfect red oval. Some make up gave her perfect skin a pearly shine, with two subtle hints of pink on her cheeks and a thin dark green line on her eyelids, stressing her natural eye color. Her silvery earrings hanged as two thin chains with a clsuter of bright red gemstone at the tip, shining like tiny blood drops.

"Oh... my... princess", muttered Random McNally
"Do I look nice?", asked Indahmawar, flaunting.
"Extremely nice and smart. I've always said that you're more of a lady than I", said Ishantchuk Fazmarai.
"Well, if we need to break some hearts, certainly she's on the right spot", said Lailyana Elenka.
"Are you carrying the device?", asked Ishtanchuk Fazmarai.
"Yes, here is" , said Indahmawar, taking an object from her handbag. It looked like a small Derringer gun, with a thin barrel on top.
"Heh, obviously we don't need her for firepower...", laughed Sammoth Engoled
"Don't laugh so hard. That tiny gun, although experimental, is a perfeclty legal Class I non lethal weapon. It fires a diminutive needle loaded with a nanobot brainhack virus which enters the blood stream and travels to the brain. There, it overloads the lymbic system and triggers absolute terror. Unfortunately, the nanovirus is not perfected and it may take up to one minute to work..."
"Where did you get this toy?"
"Don't ask and we won't lie to you...", anwsered Ish, mimicking Succus' accent.

The group laughed, and then Ishtanchuk said:

"Well, I've got business elsewhere. I'm going to test a VR device and have some other stuff to do... Take care of yourselves, and specially take care of Indahmawar." Then she embraced Indahmawar and kissed the corners of her lips, and Indahmawar kisssed her back, in a traditional Khanid family greeting. "Good luck and have fun, Indah".
"Have fun you too, Ish. Will see you later"
"Sure!", said Ishtanchuk, and then she went up and waved the group from the top of the stairs.

(meta: well, I hope that you'll be able to retake this story in the following days. Thank you for your kind comments and likes, and for turning this thread into a small threadnaught of its own, despite how we're just a tiny bunch who only share this little out of pod corner... We all have different trades and interests ingame, and yet we share the interest for storytelling and interacting in ways the game doesn't allows. You bet I see a lesson for CCP here...

I will be back some day, so this is not a good-bye, but a "see you later". Now I will login to check who's online and say g-bye. If I don't see you online... fly safe and, ¡hasta la vista!)

*walks up to the counter*

I need a room with a shower for after visiting GD...

A couple of hours earlier…

“Look mouth breather,” said the station tech over her shoulder, “do you really need to hover?” she shifted her weight to look over her shoulder at the Gallentean security officer. “If you’re that interested, you can ask me out when I finish this upgrade.” The technician returned to her repairs as the Security officer backed a step with hands raised. He had been looking at the female tech, but not out of any sort of sexual interest. She had a light olive complexion that was marred by a Port Wine Stain birthmark on her cheek. Her muddy brown hair was tucked under a work cap but stray wisps floated down when she had leaned over to make the repairs. Her neck was smooth but a bit too large, as if her proportions were not totally feminine. As the officer backed away, he did take a moment to admire her backside inside the formless work cover all’s. She stood up and removed another panel at around chest level and began digging deep into the electronics.

“Perhaps you can tell me why you need to make repairs in here right now?” the officer asked with a sidelong glance at former RSS officer Matokin Lemant who was sitting at the lone table in the interrogation room. Lemant’s broad smile at the feisty tech’s words was a sting to the security officer’s pride.

The tech huffed and pulled out the work order from her breast pocket and tossed it to the table. She glared angrily at the officer and said “Hey pal, I’m just doing a job. If you have issues, call Rook down at the station maintenance and take it up with him.” She turned to continue her work in the access panel. “Not my fault that the cops picked this electronic nexus to store your criminals. Maybe you should move your operation to A deck.”

The security officer winced involuntarily. A deck was where they reprocessed bio waste. It was, quite literally, the sewers of the station. “Why the hell does it have to be now?” the officer responded.

The technician halted and turned to look at the officer with balled hands on her hips. The officer noted that she was slightly buck toothed, further drawing away from any sexual interest he may have had watching her. “Maybe you’ve heard of ‘life support’? If these modules don’t get maintained regularly, you sort of lose that. But hey, what do I care?” She reached down and started packing her tool kit. “I could care less if you and your criminals die. You don’t want it done, I’ll let Rook know.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” The officer conceded. “I’m sorry. Please finish up. I know what it’s like to get Rook to do anything.” The officer sighed resignedly.

“You just make sure to guard me from this hostile you have here.” She snarled and nodded towards Lemant who was thoroughly enjoying the officer’s case of the squirms. He turned to look at the tech and from beneath her cap; her eyes were shining with mischief. He paused for a moment. Those eyes looked familiar. When the tech winked, he smiled inwardly to himself. Oh, today was going to be very interesting.


************************************

Laudenum Hayes walked into Rook’s office wiping away the last of the make-up from her face. She smiled broadly at the heavy set Maintenance Director and he returned the smile with hearty laugh. “Are you sure you don’t want a job?” he asked. “I could use a few good technicians and you work circles around the louts that I have.”

“No Rook.” She said, digging deep into the tool bag she carried. “However, I do owe you for helping me set this up on short notice.” She pulled out a box and tossed it on his desk. Rook glowered momentarily and opened the box. His eyes lit up like a child’s when he reached inside and pulled out two cigars, each in their own individual disposable humidor.

“You got these from the sector security chief?” he gasped. Even in astonishment, his voice was full of gravel.

Laudenum reached again into the bag and pulled out a bottle of an amber fluid. She walked intently to his desk as she pulled the prosthetic buck teeth from her mouth. The teeth were tossed into the garbage can and the amber fluid she held suspended before his unbelieving eyes. Rook whistled.

“Hayes, are you trying to seduce me?” he asked, looking intently at the bottle of Cognac.

“You get this for one additional favor.” She said, wincing slightly. “Help me take this damn prosthetic neck piece off. She turned around and kneeled down.

Rook’s thick fingers were surprisingly deft and in a few mere moments, and a loss of some fine hair on her neck, the covering on her capsuleer implants was removed. She scratched the back of her neck with her free hand as she gingerly set the bottle on Rook’s desk. He opened the stopper on the bottle and sniffed deeply. For the briefest moment, his faced screwed up but then he relaxed with a broad languid smile on his pudgy face. He busted open the case on one of the cigars and jammed it in his mouth. “If you ever need another favor, Hayes, you just let me know.” He said, swatting at Laudenum’s backside. He leaned back in the chair and lit the cigar with a dreamy expression. When he noticed that she was glaring dangerously from the inappropriate slap, he sobered and said, “Oh, and don’t tell my wife, ok?”

Realizing that the tech who was working on the panels in the integration room was Hayes it gave Matokin some comfort in knowing that Random had no doubt reluctantly had agreed to help thanks to his sisters persuasion.

Matokin had all he could do to contain himself from laughing at the oblivious security guard who was just letting Hayes tinker with the vital systems of the security offices, he wondered what the plan was that Random cooked up but if he asked Hayes then it would be game over and they would both be in a world of trouble, not to mention blowing his only chance of getting out of this place in one piece.

Matokin decided it was for the best if he just sat there and appeared oblivious to the whole thing, but he couldn’t help but let a sly grin cross his face.

The security officer looked at him and said “What are you grinning at, Lemant”.

To which Matokin replied “Nothing, was just thinking of something funny that is all”

“Well there is nothing funny about the situation your in” the security officer said with a disgruntled tone to his voice.

Matokin just nodded and stopped grinning, as much as he enjoyed annoying the security officer he, knew that it was in his best interest just to stop grinning he did not want to agitate the officer any more then he already was at least for the time being anyway.

The officer then turned and walked toward the door, stating “Now that the tech is finished we will finally get this interview under way in just a few minutes. Now Mr. Lemant I will be back shortly and don’t do anything you will come to regret. ” The officers voice was relived and at the same time oddly menacing.

Matokin smirked and looked at the security officer “Look around, honestly what could I possibly do anyway” in a sarcastic tone.

The officer just turned back to the door shook his head and walked out.

(meta) sorry guys life has been crazy lately, I have been on an extended absence from EVE as such. Ill glady still post when the craziness slows down, hope everyone is well

fly dangerous
07
chap and lail

St. Patrick, please intervene on behalf of all hungover people today.

(META) ARNIE?