EVE Fiction

Birth of a Capsuleer: Part One

System: Perimeter
Constellation: Kimotoro
Region: The Forge
Perimeter II - Moon 1 - Caldari Navy Assembly Plant
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The station was a hive buzzing with activity, dozens of ships were leaving and docking at any given time. A untold number of people went about their lives aboard this station without any true idea just how small they were in the grand scope of the galaxy. On the upper level was a hub center block, the artificial light of the station pored thru a window landing on the unkempt face of a man lying sprawled across a couch. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he slowly began to get up. As he did so he knocked over several bottles spilling what little of their contents were left onto the floor.

All around the couch was a pile of half eaten food containers, clothes and bottles. Aside from the mess the room was rather plain and empty, there was a cheap vid screen mounted on the wall that was unplugged, a tall bookshelf with only four books on it and a glass table in front of the couch that had been cracked when someone put their glass down with to much force.

By the elevator was a speeder bike that looked like it would never finish being repaired. The tint on the window was malfunctioning, parts of it were flickering from black to transparent. With a sigh and a grunt he got off the couch, kicking the bottles aside as he stumbled to the head.

"Lights...", he mumbled

Nothing happened.

"LIGHTS!", he shouted at the bulkhead

There was a slight pause before the lights hummed to life.

Staggering into the head he stared at the mirror and the mirror stared back. He wasn't very tall, only one point seventy five meters. Pulling his shirt off he looked himself over. Despite the time that had past his body was still lean with tight muscle, he had gained a few kilograms around the waist. He had only two tattoos both in black, on his right forearm were the scales of the Ika-roa, a fish found on Caldari Prime. On the left side of his chest was a Lusca a mythical octopus. Normally he kept his hair short and his face clean shaven, but he had let him self go for some time. His hair was getting long and he had grown a rough beard.

'Who gives a ****, who do I need to impress', he thought

Suddenly the liquor kicked him square in the gut and he felt the overwhelming need to vomit, thankfully he managed to get most of it in the toilet. When he was done he got on his feet and stared at the mirror again.

"Another wonderful day in New Eden"

Behind him in the mirror he saw hanging by the door way a grey blue uniform. He ran his fingers over the Caldari Navy patch and the tag that bore his name 'Tsurpalen'

'beep...beep...beep...'

Another sigh, he went to the living room and started tearing thru the garbage caring little where it all landed. Finally he found it, a black wrist comm, sitting back down on the couch he took one look at the screen;

Incoming call from Andraphel Risalo for Kylar Tsurpalen

and pressed the ignore key.

He closed his eyes with the full intent of going back to sleep when the comm began beeping again. This time he decided to deal with it in a more effective manner, he threw it the the toilet, then went back to his trash covered bed and the dreams of a better world.

They were both quite for a moment, then Andraphel finally asked, "Your brother?"

"Not sure, I went back to Prime in the hope I'd find him. A lot of the bodies that were recovered couldn't be identified. If he is alive I'm not certain where he could be."

"I'm sorry Kylar, if there's..."

"Stop"

Andraphel simply nodded his understanding. This was something Kylar would deal with on his own in his own way.

The Caldari weren't know to be loving or open with their emotions. It is said that people are much like the places they come from and so it is with the Caldari. There's are a silent and cold people with little sense of humor, to most outside the State they seem to be unhappy, depressed, communist with a blend of capitalism. In truth the Caldari are a strong, proud people, they know to show weakness is to invite death. They deal with pain and loss very differently then the other races of New Eden. It is rare to ever see a Caldari cry in public, nor will you hear them discuss it. They morn like anyone else, but they feel that it is something to be done in private. After the Minmatar there are no other people in the galaxy that have lost like the Caldari.

Many feel that the Caldari are not more then mindless drones tolling away in the factories. In reality the Caldari people are more free then anyone, free of themselves. They don't struggle with individuality as the Gallente do, instead they transcend self and reach a point of union with all. The State has the lowest unemployment in the galaxy, all have a purpose and they all work together in that purpose. Exiled from their home world by the self-righteous Gallente, the Caldari shoulder their pain and carry on.

Now is no different.

"So", Kylar began, "What happens now?"

Andraphel walked around the couch toward the window, "Well that's really up to you. What do you want?"

Kylar continued to stare out the window at the heart of the station, the speeder traffic sped by never ending. The station's artificial light was dimming to simulate dusk.

"I really don't know at this point what I want anymore. I don't think I can go back to the Navy."

Andraphel came to stand by the window with him, staring out at the world before them.

"You just need to start with one choice, something small, work from there."

Kylar let out a deep breath, as if he'd been holding it all this time.

"Well I'll start with getting out of this apartment."

"Good", Andraphel patted his friend on the back softly, "Get cleaned up, did you have a place in mind that you want to go?"

Kylar made for the head, "Yeah, there's a bar I like not far from here."

"Alright, then that's what we'll do.", Andraphel started walking around the room helping Kylar get in order. "Hey don't forget your wrist comm."

There was a load burst laughter from the head, "I don't think I'll be using that one again."