Something's been going down for the past couple of weeks that I thought it best to keep a lid on. I'm not up on how Null Sec politics work or the inner workings of Alliances or Coalitions either. It's only now that things have been made official that I can say anything. I wasn't specifically told not to, but I felt it was best to wait.
My Corporation is moving.
We're leaving FCON and Branch up north to head to more forgiving space, an alliance without Paps or any other significant requirements. A place where we can truly do what we want. We're joining a new alliance and moving to space close to Amarr, where the Blood Raiders fly.
This means I may need to train up my armor skills, or at least, my EM and Thermal shield skills. I also have to switch drones to the right type, pick up the right missiles, etc. It's going to be a good change though. Something to alleviate the stagnation I started to feel once again. I hope the space is less noisy as Branch, with less Neuts.
We're currently waiting for our allegiance to change and sitting in out staging system. One good thing is that it's not that far from where Osiph is living in Kusomonmon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Something's fishy." Osiph said as she sat on her couch. Her Captain's quarters was as spotless as ever, and Maya leaned forward to take her drink from the coaster on the glass table.
"What's going on?" Maya asked. Amalea looked up from her terminal. She had been watching a fiction holoreel.
"Sain just contracted me alot of assets in Jita, with a note asking me to haul it all out to a remote system in Kahnid." She said.
"What?" Maya asked, "Why?"
"Not sure." she replied, but was cut short by a chirp from the door, "Who is it?" She called, without getting up. She heard a muffled voice from behind the door.
"......right place.....hack...door....open...me.." was all she could make out through the door and the distance to it. The girls tensed as Osiph slowly drew a parapistol from her jacket and stood up, laying her terminal on the glass table.
"Ah! There!" came a voice as the door suddenly slid open in a blur and Osiph jumped, squeezing the trigger. The shot zipped through the air and caught the intruder in the shoulder, where he was knocked backward into the hallway and slumped to the floor against the wall.
"Holy crap, Osiph! Who did you just shoot?" Amalea gasped. Maya approached the door and peered outside at the unconscious man in the hallway.
"Your Brother...." She muttered.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Why do I frequently lose consciousness every time I come to High Sec recently? My last trip was fuzzy in my memory and I'm still trying to piece that trip together. This time, it's something else.
I figured I'd surprise the girls again and come unannounced. I checked with the port authority to find Osiph's Captain's quarters and made my way there alone, among the regular folk on public transport. When I arrived, I rang the door chime, but couldn't hear much of what's going on inside.
"I think this is the right place." I muttered to myself, "Maybe I can hack the door..." I started pressing buttons on the keypad, "Hey! Open up! It's me!" When there was no response, I began to type faster.
"Ah! There!" The door slid open and I looked up with a smile on my face, trying to look as smug as possible, however, all I saw was a bright flash of light, then nothing...
--------------------------------------------------------------
"You almost killed him!" Amalea shouted. She alone had rushed into the hallway and started dragging his limp body back inside Osiph's Captain's quarters. Osiph and Maya watched as the small woman seemed to effortlessly carry the man across the room and deposit him on the sofa. In a flash, she had a medical scanner and was waving it over his body, "Wait a minute. This isn't a jump clone. He has a set of Implants!"
"He flew back from Null sec? In what?" Osiph grabbed her terminal and checked the docking records, "He came in a Bestower? How did he survive a trip like that?"
"He almost didn't, Osiph. How could you shoot your own Brother?" Amalea scolded, now holding Sain's hand without realizing.
"I'm sorry! He startled me! I didn't mean to!" Osiph retorted, trying to mount some sort of defense.
"Why do you have a Parapistol?" Maya asked, taking another chair in the room.
"Protection! You know we can die outside of our pods, right? I mean Perma Death!" she cried. Apparently adrenaline still running high, "How is he?" Amalea looked at her scanner.
"He's just stunned. He'll be fine. His implants look unaffected as well. It's a good thing you didn't hit him in the head."
------------------------------------------------------------------
I woke with a pulsating, throbbing pain in my head. I tried to sit up, but a strong arm suddenly laid across my chest and held me down.
"Shhh. Just stay still. You're going to be fine. You were hit by a Parapistol." It was Amalea's voice, but I couldn't see clearly. I was still trying to figure out how what I thought was her face was at such an odd angle. Very close and almost ninety degrees to my own. Then I realized my head was on her lap as I laid on the couch. Again I tried to sit up but was held down by her single arm.
"I'm sorry!" I grunted as I tried to sit up.
"Stay!" She commanded. I gave in and laid there, staring up at the ceiling as my head slowly cleared.
"So you said I was shot?" I asked, "A Parapistol?
"Mmmhmm." she said, nodding.
"Who?"
"Osiph." she said, "She thought you were breaking in." I huffed with a smile.
"Well, I was." I said, "I meant it to be a joke. It kind of backfired. I wanted to surprise you all."
"Oh it was." Amalea laughed. Her shoulders shook as she laughed, causing her chest to bounce near my face. I tried to ignore it, but it was distracting.
"Where is she now?" I asked, "Osiph and your Sister?"
"At the bar." Amalea said, "Osiph didn't really want to be here when you woke up for fear of retaliation." She giggled, "She thought you would beat her for shooting you." I sighed heavily. Still my head pounded but was getting better by the minute.
"I'm in no shape for giving beatings." I sighed.
"How did you get here. You flew out here from Null Sec, didn't you?" she asked, almost sounding accusatory. I felt like I was being scolded.
"A wormhole. Came right from Branch to a low sec system one jump from high sec." I said, "My corporation is moving to a new alliance. I thought I'd stop in to say hi. It's on the way really."
"Well it is good to see you." She said, "I really wish I could get back out there with you and make some ISK."
"Yeah, you and Maya were a huge help out there." I said. Things got quiet for an awkward amount of time as I stared at the ceiling. I soon looked to Amalea and she was staring forward at the hologram of my old Orca on the coffee table.
"Do you remember what happened the last time you were here?" she suddenly asked, "Do you recall anything from that night?" Her eyes remained fixed on the transparent ship on the table.
"No, sorry. Not much at all." I said. I started feeling better so again I tried to sit up, but her arm didn't move and still held me down. I gave up and just laid there, staring up at her blank face as she continued to stare at the Orca.
"Nothing?" she asked.
"I remember the bar, you girls dancing...Something about CONCORD...I was in a limo with you...and something about a dare. The rest is a blur." I said, "Did I miss something important?" I paused for a moment, then it hit me, "I didn't do anything bad did I? Did I do something to you? I'm sorry!"
"No, no!" she said, finally taking a breath and looking down at me, "N-Nothing bad."
"But something." I said, "To you."
"No." She said, "I think I did something bad to you."
"I think I can guess what happened." I said, "I remember the next morning and where I ended up."
"I can't believe I did that..." she groaned, throwing her head back against the couch cushion. She put her free hand over her face in shame, "Twice!"
"Twice?" I raised an eyebrow, "Now I feel used."
"You liked it." she teased, tapping me on the forehead with her index finger. Another uncomfortable silence followed.
"So what do we do now?" I ask, "Where do we go from here?"
"Well I was the instigator, so I'm sure you know how I feel." She said, "What do you think?" She paused for a moment, swallowed a lump in her throat and looked down at me over the front of her jacket, "H-How do you feel?"
A lump seemed to form in my own throat. I've never even thought about romance since becoming a Capsuleer. Just knowing that anyone I courted would eventually grow old and die long before I did. I wasn't even sure I could ever die if I stuck to my ship. Just the thought of trying to love another who I knew would fade and disappear while I carried on and lived with the loss; it was too much to bear.
But why didn't I think of this? If I loved another Capsuleer, we could be together forever. We'd both be in the same boat, so to speak. Maybe it could work out.
"I feel..." I began.
"Yes?" she asked, leaning in closer.
"I feel..."
"Yes, Sain?" She leaned in even closer, her face now inches from mine.
"I feel..."
"What?" she asked in a hush, I could feel her breath against my cheek now.
"I feel...like we're being watched." I said. She stopped and opened her eyes. Her face turned a bright pink and straightened up quickly, then craned her neck around to find only Maya standing in the open doorway, her hand over her mouth as if trying to hold back all sound. I could see the tears stream down her face from here.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt." Maya said, wiping her eyes, "The air in the hallway is dusty. I think some Mercenaries went by with muddy boots or something."
"What did you see?" Amalea demanded.
"No. Nothing..." Maya said, trailing off.
"How long were you there?!" She asked.
"Mmmm...Five minutes or so. Give or take a feel or two..." she teased. I was surprised Amalea didn't run off or chase after her sister for eavesdropping. Instead she remained still, and kept her arm steadfast around my chest to hold me down. By now, I felt perfectly fine.
"Maya why are you crying?" I asked. It was now her turn to turn crimson.
"I was not!"
"You were." I said.
"I'm just so happy that she found someone, you know?" she said, "You better not hurt her, you hear?! I'm not above putting a bounty or two on your ass if you do!" Amalea had hung her head in her hand and her hair covered her face. I could tell she was embarrassed beyond belief. Especially since I hadn't properly answered her.
"I would never hurt her." I said. She removed her hand and looked down at me, her grip on my chest seemed to tighten.
"Really? Is that a yes?" She whispered.
"Yes." I said with a smile and a stomach full of butterflies. Her hand across my chest moved to my face and she smiled, leaning down to plant a shy kiss on my forehead. She release me and moved her arm to the top of the sofa. I took the opportunity to sit up as I started to feel sleepy.
"Wow. This is history in the making." Maya said with a smile, "My androphobic sister has finally found a man! Osiph needs to be informed!"
"I do have a bone to pick with my gun wielding sister." I said, standing up sharply. "Let's g..."
I fell over backwards and sprawled on the floor as the room began to spin once more.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Opportunity: The Headache
I don't remember when, I don't remember how, but somehow I've ended up pant-less on the cold, hard metal grates of the catwalk of my captain's quarters. I opened my eyes to see a simple Ibis ship floating above me in the cavernous space of my hangar, yet my head hurt too much to care.
I did care, however, when a camera drone started hovering above my half exposed body, it's blank stare of an optical sensor staring at my face.
"Fun night of drinking, huh?" Maya's voice came from the drone. It twisted in the air as if to look me from head to toe, "What happened to you?"
"I can't remember." I groaned, sitting up and grasping at my nearby cargo pants. It takes me two swipes to grab the fabric. With a groan, and support from a nearby railing, I end up on my feet and put the pants on, "That better not be broadcasting."
"Don't worry. It's encrypted." She said, "Osiph and I are out in her Retriever mining. I wanted to see how you two got on last night."
"You two?" I ask, a lump of panic welling in my throat.
"Oh shit. You don't remember? I told you not to drink so much Ammarian wine last night. Especially in a new clone!" She scolded. I staggered down the catwalk and into my quarters, where it's a complete mess.
There are bottles and cans of every kind of alcohol I can think of, and a few I've never seen before. There were clothes and blankets strung across railings and light fixtures, the glass coffee table was shattered, and the door to the bedroom was sliding back and forth, trying to close but was blocked by a beer can that was wedged in the door frame.
"Oh wow. You got wild last night!" Maya exclaimed, the camera drone had now followed me into my quarters and was hovering around the room, scanning every overturned bottle and deformed beer can. I rushed to the swaying door and it moves aside, allowing me to stumble into the bedroom where I again trip on something and fall headlong into the bed, landing among the silk sheets. I braced my fall against something soft and warm.
"Oh, ready for round two, Sain?" Amalea teased as she pulled the covers from over her head.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Twice?"
"Yep."
"I can't believe it. It actually happened?" Osiph's mouth was still agape in disbelief.
"Twice." Maya corrected.
"With Sain?" She asked, "My Brother. Captain Serious?"
"The one and the same." Maya smiled, "Although I wouldn't call him so serious. Not since I known him."
"I think he's lightened up quite a bit since you met him, Maya. He was so uptight before." Osiph said, then continued, "It really, finally happened though!"
"Twice." Maya again corrected.
"You two are never, EVER, getting me to drink again!" Came a muffled voice from the bathroom door, mere meters behind Maya as they sat in the rented Corporation office.
"Is this the first time she has ever been drunk?" Osiph asked with a giggle. Maya had to think about it and nodded.
"I believe it is." she said while giggling. They could hear her retching through the door, "You alright, Amalea, dear?"
"I'm gonna die." she moaned, "Seriously, get me a fresh clone. I've had it with this hangover!"
"How do you think Sain feels right now?" Osiph asked, "He's gone back to Null sec after last night. He's got a hangover and neural stress to worry about." Again, another fit of retching could be heard through the door.
"He's fine. He's not in the body with the hangover anymore!" she wailed, "He's the lucky one!"
"Oh no, honey." Osiph corrected, "Trust me, it's a lot worse. Using a jump clone transfers your current mental state, and consciousness. He'll be sick for a while after the transfer because he's not used to the change in body due to his weakened mental state. I'm wondering if he suffered neural damage trying to jump clone while hung over."
"Oh no..." Amalea groaned from behind the door.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine." Osiph said, waving her hand, "He's gone through worse."
"I don't feel good..." again she groaned.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine too." Maya said, "But this is a first for you, isn't it?"
"Huuuurrrrrrrkkkkkk...." Amalea retched again.
"I still can't believe they did that!" Osiph said again.
"Twice!" Maya again corrected.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I tried playing the night back over and over, but still came to a massive hole in my memory. I remember the girls wanting to go drinking, then we went to a fancy restaurant. We drank wine, and champagne, then started feeling a little buzzed so we left and went to a bar.
Granted this bar wasn't in the best part of the station and no one knew we were Capsuleers, yet they may have that idea from the amount of ISK we were throwing around. I remember being at the bar, buying drinks, bringing them back to the table and sitting in the corner with mine while I watched the girls dance on the dance floor, then I remember something about the local Concord office, a ride in the back of a ground transport, I was talking to Amalea in a limousine, I think, and something about a dare. It was really foggy at that point and I don't remember much else. The morning after, I woke up on the floor beside my bed in nothing but my cargo pants, which were put on backwards for some reason, and the scent of Amalea's perfume on my pillows.
I'm back in Null Sec now and after a couple of days of feeling like crap I continued my normal activities. It's been a week or so since my trip to High Sec and Osiph says she's almost done the order, but she may not do another because of how much of a pain it was to invent the BPC's for everything. I don't really blame her. You need near perfect research skills for it to be profitable. Still, she says the shipment should be ready in the next few days.
That's one thing in order. Now, I wish I could sort out the rest.
I did care, however, when a camera drone started hovering above my half exposed body, it's blank stare of an optical sensor staring at my face.
"Fun night of drinking, huh?" Maya's voice came from the drone. It twisted in the air as if to look me from head to toe, "What happened to you?"
"I can't remember." I groaned, sitting up and grasping at my nearby cargo pants. It takes me two swipes to grab the fabric. With a groan, and support from a nearby railing, I end up on my feet and put the pants on, "That better not be broadcasting."
"Don't worry. It's encrypted." She said, "Osiph and I are out in her Retriever mining. I wanted to see how you two got on last night."
"You two?" I ask, a lump of panic welling in my throat.
"Oh shit. You don't remember? I told you not to drink so much Ammarian wine last night. Especially in a new clone!" She scolded. I staggered down the catwalk and into my quarters, where it's a complete mess.
There are bottles and cans of every kind of alcohol I can think of, and a few I've never seen before. There were clothes and blankets strung across railings and light fixtures, the glass coffee table was shattered, and the door to the bedroom was sliding back and forth, trying to close but was blocked by a beer can that was wedged in the door frame.
"Oh wow. You got wild last night!" Maya exclaimed, the camera drone had now followed me into my quarters and was hovering around the room, scanning every overturned bottle and deformed beer can. I rushed to the swaying door and it moves aside, allowing me to stumble into the bedroom where I again trip on something and fall headlong into the bed, landing among the silk sheets. I braced my fall against something soft and warm.
"Oh, ready for round two, Sain?" Amalea teased as she pulled the covers from over her head.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Twice?"
"Yep."
"I can't believe it. It actually happened?" Osiph's mouth was still agape in disbelief.
"Twice." Maya corrected.
"With Sain?" She asked, "My Brother. Captain Serious?"
"The one and the same." Maya smiled, "Although I wouldn't call him so serious. Not since I known him."
"I think he's lightened up quite a bit since you met him, Maya. He was so uptight before." Osiph said, then continued, "It really, finally happened though!"
"Twice." Maya again corrected.
"You two are never, EVER, getting me to drink again!" Came a muffled voice from the bathroom door, mere meters behind Maya as they sat in the rented Corporation office.
"Is this the first time she has ever been drunk?" Osiph asked with a giggle. Maya had to think about it and nodded.
"I believe it is." she said while giggling. They could hear her retching through the door, "You alright, Amalea, dear?"
"I'm gonna die." she moaned, "Seriously, get me a fresh clone. I've had it with this hangover!"
"How do you think Sain feels right now?" Osiph asked, "He's gone back to Null sec after last night. He's got a hangover and neural stress to worry about." Again, another fit of retching could be heard through the door.
"He's fine. He's not in the body with the hangover anymore!" she wailed, "He's the lucky one!"
"Oh no, honey." Osiph corrected, "Trust me, it's a lot worse. Using a jump clone transfers your current mental state, and consciousness. He'll be sick for a while after the transfer because he's not used to the change in body due to his weakened mental state. I'm wondering if he suffered neural damage trying to jump clone while hung over."
"Oh no..." Amalea groaned from behind the door.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine." Osiph said, waving her hand, "He's gone through worse."
"I don't feel good..." again she groaned.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine too." Maya said, "But this is a first for you, isn't it?"
"Huuuurrrrrrrkkkkkk...." Amalea retched again.
"I still can't believe they did that!" Osiph said again.
"Twice!" Maya again corrected.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I tried playing the night back over and over, but still came to a massive hole in my memory. I remember the girls wanting to go drinking, then we went to a fancy restaurant. We drank wine, and champagne, then started feeling a little buzzed so we left and went to a bar.
Granted this bar wasn't in the best part of the station and no one knew we were Capsuleers, yet they may have that idea from the amount of ISK we were throwing around. I remember being at the bar, buying drinks, bringing them back to the table and sitting in the corner with mine while I watched the girls dance on the dance floor, then I remember something about the local Concord office, a ride in the back of a ground transport, I was talking to Amalea in a limousine, I think, and something about a dare. It was really foggy at that point and I don't remember much else. The morning after, I woke up on the floor beside my bed in nothing but my cargo pants, which were put on backwards for some reason, and the scent of Amalea's perfume on my pillows.
I'm back in Null Sec now and after a couple of days of feeling like crap I continued my normal activities. It's been a week or so since my trip to High Sec and Osiph says she's almost done the order, but she may not do another because of how much of a pain it was to invent the BPC's for everything. I don't really blame her. You need near perfect research skills for it to be profitable. Still, she says the shipment should be ready in the next few days.
That's one thing in order. Now, I wish I could sort out the rest.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Opportunity: A knock on the Door
Dodixie stations are usually busy but the main trade hub was near madness. Trying to walk anywhere in the bustling metropolis in space was futile, and public transportation was a joke. Not that a Capsuleer would even think about using something so trivial, or be caught dead in a bus or public shuttle, but the state of affairs of the common folk was quite apparent. If this was chaos, Jita must be hell.
There was an office with long window overlooking her personal hangar that Osiph had rented for the time being and was feeling sore from being hunched over a terminal as she worked. She sighed heavily and leaned back in the think leather chair, spinning around to look out the floor to ceiling window at the warehouse workers below, carrying off random items of hers to the market for sale. She just had too much stuff sitting around. She had to get rid of it and get to Jita. Some of her sell orders were sitting idle for too long and she was sick of playing the 0.01 ISK wars with local traders.
"How goes it?" Maya asked as the door quickly slid open to allow her through, Amalea chased her inside before it could close, "Getting your money back?"
"Some." Osiph replied as the two sat across from her at her desk, "I still have a lot of materials sitting on my hangar floor. I may just load everything in the Orca soon and haul it all to Jita instead."
"Will you be manufacturing there?" Amalea asked.
"No, the manufacturing index is way too high." she said, "That's something else I need to do. Find a good production system."
"Any prospective locations?" Maya asked.
"Not yet. I haven't really looked to tell you the truth. I want something close to Jita, preferably with a lab that has research and copying facilities, and a decent index." she said.
"Wow, you want fries with that?" Maya asked, sarcastically.
"No, I want decent PI in the area too."
"That will take some time to figure out." Maya said, "Good luck with that."
"Yeah." Osiph muttered as she updated a market order, clearly distracted.
"Have you heard from Sain about that opportunity he was going on about?" Amalea asked. Osiph shook her head.
"I told him where we were, and said anytime is fine to talk, but haven't heard back." She said.
Just then, light poured in the dimly lit room from the opening door and a tall figure stood in the light, his silhouette nearly filling the entryway. The girls turned to look and their jaws dropped when Sain Darkwing stepped inside.
"Hello, Ladies!"
-----------------------------------------------
Oh yes, this is what a High Sec Trade hub was like. I remember now. Each Hub was like a massive city, stuffed like sardine cans with people trying to make ISK any way they could. The lower levels were hives of illegal pursuits; drug trafficking, prostitution, black market stuff and general filth. You get my drift? The main level was comprised of respectable businesses, everyday people, cafe's, restaurants, hotels, and the like that normal people would live and make a living. The upper levels, were mostly for administration, government, and people of higher status live like kings.
Somewhere between the main level and the upper level is where they keep us Capsuleers, and all the stuff that goes with us; Personal Hangars, Ship Hangars, Corp offices/Hangars,...
And the Market....
I arrived in station directly from an outpost in Null sec via jump clone and proceeded to do a search for Osiph and found she had rented a corp office in the station. Following the computer's directions, I found the office and raised my fist to knock, but hesitated and simply opened the door.
I stood for a moment until my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside and I could make out the three figures sitting around the desk at the center of the room.
"Hello, Ladies!" I announced with a smile.
"Sain?" Maya asked, somewhat surprised.
"Did you miss me?" I joked. I took one step in the room and the door had just closed when I was nearly tackled to it by Amalea.
"Yes. We. Did!" she exclaimed, then realizing what she had done, scrambled away from him and awkwardly shook his hand, "Um, I mean, it's very nice to see you again, Sain." Osiph and Maya both stood like statues, wide eyed, and probably not believing what they had just witnessed.
"Hokay." Maya broke the awkward silence, "Sain, why are you here? How did you get here?"
"Jump Clone." I relied, "I said I had something to talk about, right?"
"Wait, you mean you can come back here any time you want?!" Amalea asked, "Why haven't you visited before this?!"
"I've been, um, busy." he said, "And my Infomorph Synchronizing skill is still kind of low. Still a full twenty four hours before I can jump again."
"So you're here for the full day?" Amalea asked. I nodded and clearly saw the wide smile on her face.
-----------------------------------
The desk in the office was turned into a makeshift board room table as we all sat around it. I tried to ignore the staring from Amalea, but tried to stay on topic.
"Down to business." I began, "I want you guys to start making ships. Fully fitted ships." Osiph scoffed.
"Do you have the battleship BPO's?" she asked.
"Not Battleships. Frigates and Cruisers." I said.
"There's no profit in it. Even I don't have the marketing skills to see one." Osiph said. My unwavering smile may have been the thing to make her sit up in her chair.
"Yes, if you sold them here. I want you to make fitted ships and ship them up to where I am." I said, "For the Alliance SRP."
"SRP?" Amalea asked.
"Ship Replacement Program. It's a stockpile of ships the alliance has to replace ships lost in alliance and corporation operations. It entices Capsuleers to actually join them. There's no chance of losing money if they replace it, right?"
"How much profit?" Osiph asked.
"Fifteen percent. Use an appraisal tool to find out how much a fitted ship would cost at sell in Jita, add shipping costs and fifteen percent and I can sell them in null." I said.
"That's pretty good." Osiph said, leaning back in her chair.
"Plus anything else you want to send up that way for either me or the market has to come from Jita anyway. It's the best market in New Eden." I advise. I can see them all thinking hard.
"There's more competition there." Osiph said.
"It's a place you can put things on the market and you know it will sell. Less adjusting market orders." I say.
"The plan is sound." Osiph said, "I'm just trying to find a hole in it."
"You're in?"
"Of course." Osiph said, "Let's make some money and perhaps send one of these two out with you to make more." Maya smiled, but Amalea was clearly excited, "Now, lets see how much alcohol that clone of yours can handle!"
There was an office with long window overlooking her personal hangar that Osiph had rented for the time being and was feeling sore from being hunched over a terminal as she worked. She sighed heavily and leaned back in the think leather chair, spinning around to look out the floor to ceiling window at the warehouse workers below, carrying off random items of hers to the market for sale. She just had too much stuff sitting around. She had to get rid of it and get to Jita. Some of her sell orders were sitting idle for too long and she was sick of playing the 0.01 ISK wars with local traders.
"How goes it?" Maya asked as the door quickly slid open to allow her through, Amalea chased her inside before it could close, "Getting your money back?"
"Some." Osiph replied as the two sat across from her at her desk, "I still have a lot of materials sitting on my hangar floor. I may just load everything in the Orca soon and haul it all to Jita instead."
"Will you be manufacturing there?" Amalea asked.
"No, the manufacturing index is way too high." she said, "That's something else I need to do. Find a good production system."
"Any prospective locations?" Maya asked.
"Not yet. I haven't really looked to tell you the truth. I want something close to Jita, preferably with a lab that has research and copying facilities, and a decent index." she said.
"Wow, you want fries with that?" Maya asked, sarcastically.
"No, I want decent PI in the area too."
"That will take some time to figure out." Maya said, "Good luck with that."
"Yeah." Osiph muttered as she updated a market order, clearly distracted.
"Have you heard from Sain about that opportunity he was going on about?" Amalea asked. Osiph shook her head.
"I told him where we were, and said anytime is fine to talk, but haven't heard back." She said.
Just then, light poured in the dimly lit room from the opening door and a tall figure stood in the light, his silhouette nearly filling the entryway. The girls turned to look and their jaws dropped when Sain Darkwing stepped inside.
"Hello, Ladies!"
-----------------------------------------------
Oh yes, this is what a High Sec Trade hub was like. I remember now. Each Hub was like a massive city, stuffed like sardine cans with people trying to make ISK any way they could. The lower levels were hives of illegal pursuits; drug trafficking, prostitution, black market stuff and general filth. You get my drift? The main level was comprised of respectable businesses, everyday people, cafe's, restaurants, hotels, and the like that normal people would live and make a living. The upper levels, were mostly for administration, government, and people of higher status live like kings.
Somewhere between the main level and the upper level is where they keep us Capsuleers, and all the stuff that goes with us; Personal Hangars, Ship Hangars, Corp offices/Hangars,...
And the Market....
I arrived in station directly from an outpost in Null sec via jump clone and proceeded to do a search for Osiph and found she had rented a corp office in the station. Following the computer's directions, I found the office and raised my fist to knock, but hesitated and simply opened the door.
I stood for a moment until my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside and I could make out the three figures sitting around the desk at the center of the room.
"Hello, Ladies!" I announced with a smile.
"Sain?" Maya asked, somewhat surprised.
"Did you miss me?" I joked. I took one step in the room and the door had just closed when I was nearly tackled to it by Amalea.
"Yes. We. Did!" she exclaimed, then realizing what she had done, scrambled away from him and awkwardly shook his hand, "Um, I mean, it's very nice to see you again, Sain." Osiph and Maya both stood like statues, wide eyed, and probably not believing what they had just witnessed.
"Hokay." Maya broke the awkward silence, "Sain, why are you here? How did you get here?"
"Jump Clone." I relied, "I said I had something to talk about, right?"
"Wait, you mean you can come back here any time you want?!" Amalea asked, "Why haven't you visited before this?!"
"I've been, um, busy." he said, "And my Infomorph Synchronizing skill is still kind of low. Still a full twenty four hours before I can jump again."
"So you're here for the full day?" Amalea asked. I nodded and clearly saw the wide smile on her face.
-----------------------------------
The desk in the office was turned into a makeshift board room table as we all sat around it. I tried to ignore the staring from Amalea, but tried to stay on topic.
"Down to business." I began, "I want you guys to start making ships. Fully fitted ships." Osiph scoffed.
"Do you have the battleship BPO's?" she asked.
"Not Battleships. Frigates and Cruisers." I said.
"There's no profit in it. Even I don't have the marketing skills to see one." Osiph said. My unwavering smile may have been the thing to make her sit up in her chair.
"Yes, if you sold them here. I want you to make fitted ships and ship them up to where I am." I said, "For the Alliance SRP."
"SRP?" Amalea asked.
"Ship Replacement Program. It's a stockpile of ships the alliance has to replace ships lost in alliance and corporation operations. It entices Capsuleers to actually join them. There's no chance of losing money if they replace it, right?"
"How much profit?" Osiph asked.
"Fifteen percent. Use an appraisal tool to find out how much a fitted ship would cost at sell in Jita, add shipping costs and fifteen percent and I can sell them in null." I said.
"That's pretty good." Osiph said, leaning back in her chair.
"Plus anything else you want to send up that way for either me or the market has to come from Jita anyway. It's the best market in New Eden." I advise. I can see them all thinking hard.
"There's more competition there." Osiph said.
"It's a place you can put things on the market and you know it will sell. Less adjusting market orders." I say.
"The plan is sound." Osiph said, "I'm just trying to find a hole in it."
"You're in?"
"Of course." Osiph said, "Let's make some money and perhaps send one of these two out with you to make more." Maya smiled, but Amalea was clearly excited, "Now, lets see how much alcohol that clone of yours can handle!"
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Business Proposition
"I'm not understanding this." Osiph muttered. Maya slurped loudly on her coffee as she stared out the large floor to ceiling windows that exposed the high end restaurant to a magnificent view of Dousivette VIII below.
"What's up?" she asked, returning to her steak and eggs.
"My wallet. I seem to be losing ISK instead of making it." She said, "I'm sure the things I produce are profitable."
"Are you sure?" Amalea asked. Osiph reluctantly handed her terminal to Amalea who scanned it quickly while tapping, "Oh no. You're making money. You just don't have it as liquid ISK."
"What?" Osiph asked, taking the terminal back. Amalea leaned over to point.
"You started with what, a little over two billion when you sold Sain's Charon, right?"
"Yeah, roughly." Osiph nodded.
"Now you have about four hundred million in ISK left, several lines running T2 modules worth maybe another hundred million, plus look here." Amalea pointed at Osiph's assets, "You're materials station container has about nine hundred million worth of stuff in it."
"That's still four or five million short, Amalea." Maya advised.
"Yeah, but she bought a Plex a while ago to try and trade, am I right?" she asked. Osiph just nodded, "That puts her at a net profit after this month."
"But I need to buy more materials to keep producing." Osiph said, "I keep running out of one particular item I need to keep going. I have loads of most of what I need, it's just one particular item that keeps running out."
"You probably kept buying materials in bulk, didn't you." Amalea said, "You have too much wealth in assets and none to spend on things you need."
"Yes. Exactly." Osiph said, "I should have been buying just the right amount of materials I needed for the jobs I wanted to put through."
"Exactly." Amalea said, taking a bite of her toast. The table went silent as Osiph and Maya just stared at Amalea with their mouths open for a long time until Amalea noticed and became uncomfortable.
"What?" She asked, "Do I have jam on my face?"
"How the hell do you know so much about this stuff?" Maya asked.
"And why aren't you doing it yourself?" Osiph asked.
"Oh, I, um, read books I suppose. I study." she muttered, "And I don't have the money to invest in that stuff. It costs a lot to start up something like that."
"You need to work for me then." Osiph said with a smile, "We go into it partners."
"What about me?" Maya asked, feeling left out.
"We're all in this together then!" Osiph said, "You can be logistics!"
"Because I can fly an Orca?" she asked, "I need a pilot's license renewal first. This was the issue that Sain runs into all the time. Getting a Plex for all of us."
"Exactly." Osiph said, leaning back in her chair, "I'm planning to run a business that would profit those Plexes each month. But it will take some time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Not sure if it's the best thing I could have done, but I've made a change in my current ratting ship. See, I've been eying the Rattlesnake for a while now and can fly one, just not with T2 launchers or sentries. Then, a corpmate posted a contract for one, fully T2 fitted for cheaper than buying it off the market and now my wallet is dwindling under a hundred mill again.
Was it an impulse buy? Perhaps. But I think it's going to pay off once I get the skills for those launchers and drones.
The main reason I wanted to upgrade, was because my Ishtar was just taking too long to clear sites of enemy pirates. Sites ran from 30-45 minutes each and started getting boring after a while as my tank barely budged and my recovery rate on my shields were high. So I bought this Rattlesnake as an upgrade, but with my skills only allowing T1 ammo, drones and Meta 4 launchers, It's breaking about even with the Ishtar.
Plus, I'm enjoying the sniper fit. I can sit away from the blob and shoot from a distance, instead of being right in the thick of it. Also, outside of scram and web range. This was also the first time using Sentry Drones and I'm still learning how they work. I learned that Wardens have a longer range than the Guards I had in stock, and was, for some reason, fielding one of each because one does thermal and the other does kinetic damage. I started watching the damage notifications and realized at range, one was hitting, the other missing entirely, which led me into the investigation of why. I realized that with the Ishtar, though still showing potential, was nearly capped at the DPS I could put out without a very lengthy skill train to T2 Blasters or Rails. I know I need to train them eventually, but I kind of like missiles over guns.
Plus the Rattlesnake looks great. It seems to already have some fangs with just the hull alone. I've decided to start training into flying it a lot better.
------------
I tap the stop button as I finished recording my log. I keep forgetting to do these things for longer and longer periods of time. Seems like once a month. It's shameful is what it is.
I glance at my wallet and sighed heavily. My ISK was getting low and I needed to sell some PI and whatnot, but that meant actually going to the station where it is to contract it to the corp. Ratting is getting me money, but now I had to make up the four hundred and fifty ISK I spent of that Rattlesnake.
I stared at the unmoving numbers of my wallet's balance, then I began to read my email as an idea formed in my head. A bulletin from the CEO asking for industrialists to buy SRP fits in Jita and ship them up to the area for Alliance use and standard operations. Bulletin is asking for a tidy profit to be made on each ship brought up.
Buying is great and all, but it's cheaper to manufacture. Plus the profits would be better. I opened a new message and set the recipient to Osiph Darkwing.
To: Osiph Darkwing
CC: Amalea Nao; Maya Nao
Subject: Business Proposition
I have an idea that would interest you. Can we set a time to talk?
"What's up?" she asked, returning to her steak and eggs.
"My wallet. I seem to be losing ISK instead of making it." She said, "I'm sure the things I produce are profitable."
"Are you sure?" Amalea asked. Osiph reluctantly handed her terminal to Amalea who scanned it quickly while tapping, "Oh no. You're making money. You just don't have it as liquid ISK."
"What?" Osiph asked, taking the terminal back. Amalea leaned over to point.
"You started with what, a little over two billion when you sold Sain's Charon, right?"
"Yeah, roughly." Osiph nodded.
"Now you have about four hundred million in ISK left, several lines running T2 modules worth maybe another hundred million, plus look here." Amalea pointed at Osiph's assets, "You're materials station container has about nine hundred million worth of stuff in it."
"That's still four or five million short, Amalea." Maya advised.
"Yeah, but she bought a Plex a while ago to try and trade, am I right?" she asked. Osiph just nodded, "That puts her at a net profit after this month."
"But I need to buy more materials to keep producing." Osiph said, "I keep running out of one particular item I need to keep going. I have loads of most of what I need, it's just one particular item that keeps running out."
"You probably kept buying materials in bulk, didn't you." Amalea said, "You have too much wealth in assets and none to spend on things you need."
"Yes. Exactly." Osiph said, "I should have been buying just the right amount of materials I needed for the jobs I wanted to put through."
"Exactly." Amalea said, taking a bite of her toast. The table went silent as Osiph and Maya just stared at Amalea with their mouths open for a long time until Amalea noticed and became uncomfortable.
"What?" She asked, "Do I have jam on my face?"
"How the hell do you know so much about this stuff?" Maya asked.
"And why aren't you doing it yourself?" Osiph asked.
"Oh, I, um, read books I suppose. I study." she muttered, "And I don't have the money to invest in that stuff. It costs a lot to start up something like that."
"You need to work for me then." Osiph said with a smile, "We go into it partners."
"What about me?" Maya asked, feeling left out.
"We're all in this together then!" Osiph said, "You can be logistics!"
"Because I can fly an Orca?" she asked, "I need a pilot's license renewal first. This was the issue that Sain runs into all the time. Getting a Plex for all of us."
"Exactly." Osiph said, leaning back in her chair, "I'm planning to run a business that would profit those Plexes each month. But it will take some time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Not sure if it's the best thing I could have done, but I've made a change in my current ratting ship. See, I've been eying the Rattlesnake for a while now and can fly one, just not with T2 launchers or sentries. Then, a corpmate posted a contract for one, fully T2 fitted for cheaper than buying it off the market and now my wallet is dwindling under a hundred mill again.
Was it an impulse buy? Perhaps. But I think it's going to pay off once I get the skills for those launchers and drones.
The main reason I wanted to upgrade, was because my Ishtar was just taking too long to clear sites of enemy pirates. Sites ran from 30-45 minutes each and started getting boring after a while as my tank barely budged and my recovery rate on my shields were high. So I bought this Rattlesnake as an upgrade, but with my skills only allowing T1 ammo, drones and Meta 4 launchers, It's breaking about even with the Ishtar.
Plus, I'm enjoying the sniper fit. I can sit away from the blob and shoot from a distance, instead of being right in the thick of it. Also, outside of scram and web range. This was also the first time using Sentry Drones and I'm still learning how they work. I learned that Wardens have a longer range than the Guards I had in stock, and was, for some reason, fielding one of each because one does thermal and the other does kinetic damage. I started watching the damage notifications and realized at range, one was hitting, the other missing entirely, which led me into the investigation of why. I realized that with the Ishtar, though still showing potential, was nearly capped at the DPS I could put out without a very lengthy skill train to T2 Blasters or Rails. I know I need to train them eventually, but I kind of like missiles over guns.
Plus the Rattlesnake looks great. It seems to already have some fangs with just the hull alone. I've decided to start training into flying it a lot better.
------------
I tap the stop button as I finished recording my log. I keep forgetting to do these things for longer and longer periods of time. Seems like once a month. It's shameful is what it is.
I glance at my wallet and sighed heavily. My ISK was getting low and I needed to sell some PI and whatnot, but that meant actually going to the station where it is to contract it to the corp. Ratting is getting me money, but now I had to make up the four hundred and fifty ISK I spent of that Rattlesnake.
I stared at the unmoving numbers of my wallet's balance, then I began to read my email as an idea formed in my head. A bulletin from the CEO asking for industrialists to buy SRP fits in Jita and ship them up to the area for Alliance use and standard operations. Bulletin is asking for a tidy profit to be made on each ship brought up.
Buying is great and all, but it's cheaper to manufacture. Plus the profits would be better. I opened a new message and set the recipient to Osiph Darkwing.
To: Osiph Darkwing
CC: Amalea Nao; Maya Nao
Subject: Business Proposition
I have an idea that would interest you. Can we set a time to talk?
Thursday, July 2, 2015
OOC: Playing Eve on a Budget
My background is Computer Support so I'm always on the lookout for new technologies. One of the ones I'm most interested in is remote control software that let you see your home pc elsewhere. And, if possible, run Eve on such a connection so the game client is always at my fingertips, to a degree.
Windows Remote Desktop works great for just operating the computer over a network, and over the internet requires a bit of configuring on your router, namely, opening TCP and UDP ports 3389 and port forwarding that port to the specific IP address of your gaming machine. Plus, you always need to know your home external IP address, which on some/most providers are DHCP, and change over time. This is handy for things like tinkering with a server, working on Industry Spreadsheets, or other simple tasks, but displaying video or graphics over the thing is a painful torture of watching frames redraw over and over across your screen as it updates. It's just bad and can't be used for playing eve.
Usually, when I'm looking for something to connect to my home PC with, I look for something lightweight and something web based (preferably) so I don't have to install a client. This does eliminate majority of the solutions out there: Teamviewer, NoMachine, Logmein, Splashtop, VNC, Etc. One of the ones that I don't mind, however, is Chrome Remote Desktop. This one at least will show a decent picture of the Eve client and I can do things like update market orders, update Manufacturing jobs, and even undock and fly somewhere using autopilot (eww), or manually if I have the patience. It's super choppy and flying around is definitely not recommended. but doable in a pinch. Plus, it can be run from within Chrome and not much else needs to be installed besides the addon, unless you want to set your machine up as a server, but then again, it's not that bad.
So here's where the thrifty part comes in. What if you put all your money into a decent gaming desktop, like I have, put it in another room, like your 'Man Cave' in the basement, yet spend most of your time in the living room on the couch with an older laptop because you want to be around your family instead of in a basement. Would you go buy an expensive gaming laptop that can actually run Eve and not play in 'Potato Mode' (All settings on low/disabled)?
No, and ain't nobody got money for that either.
A friend of mine is into streaming media using programs like CouchPotato, XBMC, Sickbeard, PLEX and whatnot to download, manage, and stream his movies and TV shows. He also started playing his large Steam library on a slower media PC connected to his TV in the living room.
He introduced me to Steam In Home Streaming.
If anyone has heard of services such as Onlive, which has shut down now, the concept was interesting. I've tried Onlive, played high end graphical games on my Laptop I lovingly call the "Walmartop" as it was cheap and not that powerful. The concept was that the server or remote machine would run the game, use it's resources and graphics card to render the game, and just stream the video output to you, then accept the input from your remote keyboard to the game instead of the local. So basically, the performance just relied on your connection speed to send input data, and receive video. Sure, the video got a little fuzzy at times of latency, but it worked kind of well.
Steam In Home Streaming is sort of the same thing, except you set up your server on your own gaming PC in the basement, then connect to it using this option on your craptop. It runs smoothly, you can spin your ship like it was running locally, clicks are responsive, and flying around is fine too. I tried a few low level missions and found that once you got alot of things moving around on the screen at once that went kind of fast, it got a little choppy, but you can mine all day to your hearts content without worry. However, I still don't trust it enough to try PVP or use my Null Sec character on it just yet as our wireless isn't that great. Yes, this only works on your local network and is not designed for over the internet.
Enter the baby monitor......
Oh yes. Things were just peachy once I discovered this solution of streaming my game from my gaming machine in the basement, however, becoming new parents not only limited my play time, but once I did get on during the baby's naps, the baby monitor was on and it killed my connection. The video baby monitor runs on 2.4 Ghz which is the same frequency as WiFi. After some research and trying to discover a way around this menace, I was out of luck. First, I looked up the exact frequency the monitor ran at, then tried to tweak the router to operate on a channel far away from it, but low and behold, I had to buy the only monitor that constantly changes it's frequency all over the available spectrum of the WiFi signal. That means it could be working fine, then the monitor goes on it's scanning phase and switches it's frequency to one that's the same as the Wifi, then the screen on the laptop goes all pixelated, the sound cuts out or gets choppy and I can't do anything. A few seconds later, the stream drops and Eve is no longer available in my library because Steam has disconnected from the PC in the basement. The only thing that I can do to reconnect, is to use Chrome Remote Desktop to my Gaming PC, open Steam, go to file>Settings, Select Steam In Home Streaming and then it reconnects by itself as it is forced to check the connection.
This is why I don't trust it. I could be in the middle of a fight and the bloody monitor will do it's check for a better signal and boot me off, taking several minutes to reconnect, meanwhile my client remains connected and doing whatever I left it doing without me there. It's alot worse than disconnecting from the game. At least then, the client tries to warp you off to a safe and log you out. Not in this case. The client is connected and it's as if you stood up and walked away from the keyboard and went upstairs.
I think my solution here is already in the works. I could have bought a new Baby Monitor, but they're more expensive than a new router. Canada day sale at Staples and I'm the proud new owner of a dual band router. Once it comes in the mail, I'll set it up, connect our laptops on a much faster, 5.0Ghz connection and all will be good in the world again.
Right?
Windows Remote Desktop works great for just operating the computer over a network, and over the internet requires a bit of configuring on your router, namely, opening TCP and UDP ports 3389 and port forwarding that port to the specific IP address of your gaming machine. Plus, you always need to know your home external IP address, which on some/most providers are DHCP, and change over time. This is handy for things like tinkering with a server, working on Industry Spreadsheets, or other simple tasks, but displaying video or graphics over the thing is a painful torture of watching frames redraw over and over across your screen as it updates. It's just bad and can't be used for playing eve.
Usually, when I'm looking for something to connect to my home PC with, I look for something lightweight and something web based (preferably) so I don't have to install a client. This does eliminate majority of the solutions out there: Teamviewer, NoMachine, Logmein, Splashtop, VNC, Etc. One of the ones that I don't mind, however, is Chrome Remote Desktop. This one at least will show a decent picture of the Eve client and I can do things like update market orders, update Manufacturing jobs, and even undock and fly somewhere using autopilot (eww), or manually if I have the patience. It's super choppy and flying around is definitely not recommended. but doable in a pinch. Plus, it can be run from within Chrome and not much else needs to be installed besides the addon, unless you want to set your machine up as a server, but then again, it's not that bad.
So here's where the thrifty part comes in. What if you put all your money into a decent gaming desktop, like I have, put it in another room, like your 'Man Cave' in the basement, yet spend most of your time in the living room on the couch with an older laptop because you want to be around your family instead of in a basement. Would you go buy an expensive gaming laptop that can actually run Eve and not play in 'Potato Mode' (All settings on low/disabled)?
No, and ain't nobody got money for that either.
A friend of mine is into streaming media using programs like CouchPotato, XBMC, Sickbeard, PLEX and whatnot to download, manage, and stream his movies and TV shows. He also started playing his large Steam library on a slower media PC connected to his TV in the living room.
He introduced me to Steam In Home Streaming.
If anyone has heard of services such as Onlive, which has shut down now, the concept was interesting. I've tried Onlive, played high end graphical games on my Laptop I lovingly call the "Walmartop" as it was cheap and not that powerful. The concept was that the server or remote machine would run the game, use it's resources and graphics card to render the game, and just stream the video output to you, then accept the input from your remote keyboard to the game instead of the local. So basically, the performance just relied on your connection speed to send input data, and receive video. Sure, the video got a little fuzzy at times of latency, but it worked kind of well.
Steam In Home Streaming is sort of the same thing, except you set up your server on your own gaming PC in the basement, then connect to it using this option on your craptop. It runs smoothly, you can spin your ship like it was running locally, clicks are responsive, and flying around is fine too. I tried a few low level missions and found that once you got alot of things moving around on the screen at once that went kind of fast, it got a little choppy, but you can mine all day to your hearts content without worry. However, I still don't trust it enough to try PVP or use my Null Sec character on it just yet as our wireless isn't that great. Yes, this only works on your local network and is not designed for over the internet.
Enter the baby monitor......
Oh yes. Things were just peachy once I discovered this solution of streaming my game from my gaming machine in the basement, however, becoming new parents not only limited my play time, but once I did get on during the baby's naps, the baby monitor was on and it killed my connection. The video baby monitor runs on 2.4 Ghz which is the same frequency as WiFi. After some research and trying to discover a way around this menace, I was out of luck. First, I looked up the exact frequency the monitor ran at, then tried to tweak the router to operate on a channel far away from it, but low and behold, I had to buy the only monitor that constantly changes it's frequency all over the available spectrum of the WiFi signal. That means it could be working fine, then the monitor goes on it's scanning phase and switches it's frequency to one that's the same as the Wifi, then the screen on the laptop goes all pixelated, the sound cuts out or gets choppy and I can't do anything. A few seconds later, the stream drops and Eve is no longer available in my library because Steam has disconnected from the PC in the basement. The only thing that I can do to reconnect, is to use Chrome Remote Desktop to my Gaming PC, open Steam, go to file>Settings, Select Steam In Home Streaming and then it reconnects by itself as it is forced to check the connection.
This is why I don't trust it. I could be in the middle of a fight and the bloody monitor will do it's check for a better signal and boot me off, taking several minutes to reconnect, meanwhile my client remains connected and doing whatever I left it doing without me there. It's alot worse than disconnecting from the game. At least then, the client tries to warp you off to a safe and log you out. Not in this case. The client is connected and it's as if you stood up and walked away from the keyboard and went upstairs.
I think my solution here is already in the works. I could have bought a new Baby Monitor, but they're more expensive than a new router. Canada day sale at Staples and I'm the proud new owner of a dual band router. Once it comes in the mail, I'll set it up, connect our laptops on a much faster, 5.0Ghz connection and all will be good in the world again.
Right?
Friday, June 5, 2015
New to Null: Starting Something New
With sov changes coming up, I can no longer hole up in my chosen system and do everything I want without moving around. Indexes need to be raised so we can better defend the space we live in so I'm off flying around to whatever system they need, ratting or mining to help the cause.
This presented a particular problem I had solved long ago in High Sec. Getting ships around.
In High Sec, it annoyed me to have to fly back and forth to pick up ships and move them. They came out with the new Bowhead for moving these ships, but I can't fly one yet. I can, however, fly an Orca that will do the job. I have an Orca in high sec, but i can't get it out here. So what to do? None are on the market.
I'm going to build one.
------------------------------
Doussivitte 0.6<Agiesseson<Sinq Laison
Doussivitte VIII - Moon 20 - Chemical Tech Factory
Gallente Federation
It was going on two weeks now that the girls had really started to dig deep and put some effort into getting pampered, spending a measly amount of ISK in the eyes of a capsuleer. Still, even luxury was starting to get boring, and the three girls were soon reminded of why they became Capsuleers in the first place.
A measly 4 jumps from Dodixie, Osiph had moved operations to a factory in a system with a lower industrial index.
"Why are we here again?" Amalea asked, almost in a whine. The three sat around Osiph's Captain's quarters as Osiph stared at her Neocom, managing industry jobs, research and invention.
"I've never really paid attention to the industry index of systems before. I was getting bored of trying manufacturing in Dodixie station because of the thin margins." Osiph explained without looking away from her terminal.
"If you're that worried about margins, look into a POS." Maya said. Osiph shook her head.
"I've wanted one, but it's not worth the fuel. Plus, there's word that they'll soon be obsolete." Osiph said, "I hear there are new structures available soon that Capsuleers have permission to build."
"You want a Citadel." Maya teased, "How gaudy."
"Just a small one. I think it would be nice to own your own station type structure you can dock in." she said.
"So why this station?" Amalea asked.
"It has invention services. I want to really put some effort into making T2 things." She said, "It's better margins."
"What are you making?" Maya asked. Osiph looked up from her Neocom and glanced between the two, "What, afraid we'll start doing the same and become competitors?"
"Drones, mostly." she said, "I heard the best is to start with Ammunition, drones, scripts and really anything that gets blown up a lot." She paused and hit a button, the holoreel on the table displayed a catalyst, "I was going to start making these, but everyone is doing it and the margins are thin."
"Catalysts?" Amalea asked, "Why?" Both Maya and Osiph glanced at each other and sighed.
"It's the destroyer favored among pirates who gank things in HighSec." Maya said, "They use these because they have enough damage output to kill things before CONCORD shows up to kill them."
"That's horrible!" Amalea gasped.
"That's life." Osiph sighed, "You're a miner and you didn't know that?"
"I just did whatever Sain told me to." She innocently said.
"Well, if you ever see one, or any destroyer on grid with you while mining, get out." Osiph said, "They use them because they do a lot of damage and are cheap."
"If they're so horrible, why are you supplying them with their tools of death?" Amalea questioned.
"Money is money." Osiph said, "I don't know the Catalysts I put on the market will be bought by pirates or some mission runner. There's no way to tell."
"Amalea, you have to get our of this righteous phase. We're Capsuleers. We have to do some shady things now and then to keep going. If you think going industry will keep you from killing people and take the moral high ground, think again. All the minerals you mine from the ore in belts are going to make ships, guns, and bullets that will be used to kill someone. If you aren't firing the gun, you're an arms dealer and supplying them to others to use instead. It's the way of the universe now." Maya lectured. Amalea had shrunk into the couch and was now hugging her knees. Maya leaned back as she noticed she was now leaning forward, almost in an accusatory posture. Relaxing, Maya sighed and leaned back, "You need to watch out for number one, Amalea."
"You need to get laid, girl. You're so uptight and naive" Osiph added with a smile, "It's something weeks of pampering won't fix. You need experience." Osiph laughed at the shade of red Amalea was turning as her face disappeared behind her knees in embarrassment, "What did I say?"
"She has an issue with men, remember?" Maya reminded. Osiph recoiled and smiled.
"She has no issue with Sain." she added. You could almost see steam rise from her ears from behind her knees.
"True, but he's still off in Null sec." Maya said.
"Oh that reminds me. I got a message from him. He wants me to send a set of BPC's for an Orca. He said he's building one." Osiph said.
"Can he build them?" Maya asked.
Osiph smiled, "He wanted me to send the Capital Constuction Skill book too. Oh and some Command Centers. He still hasn't set up PI since he moved."
"It's been forever. Isn't he mad about lost profit or something." Maya asked. Osiph nodded.
"Null sec planets are really good too for PI." She said, "Still, it seems to be a different mentality out there. More flying for the team rather than yourself. He seems to be willing to take a hit in his profit making to help out with things."
"That sounds like him." Maya said nodding. Amalea stayed quiet as she was just grateful the subject had changed. Osiph kept her in mind though and brought them back to point.
"So, anyway." she began, "Amalea, let's get you hooked up with someone. Take it slow, eh? What do you look for in a man?..."
This presented a particular problem I had solved long ago in High Sec. Getting ships around.
In High Sec, it annoyed me to have to fly back and forth to pick up ships and move them. They came out with the new Bowhead for moving these ships, but I can't fly one yet. I can, however, fly an Orca that will do the job. I have an Orca in high sec, but i can't get it out here. So what to do? None are on the market.
I'm going to build one.
------------------------------
Doussivitte 0.6<Agiesseson<Sinq Laison
Doussivitte VIII - Moon 20 - Chemical Tech Factory
Gallente Federation
It was going on two weeks now that the girls had really started to dig deep and put some effort into getting pampered, spending a measly amount of ISK in the eyes of a capsuleer. Still, even luxury was starting to get boring, and the three girls were soon reminded of why they became Capsuleers in the first place.
A measly 4 jumps from Dodixie, Osiph had moved operations to a factory in a system with a lower industrial index.
"Why are we here again?" Amalea asked, almost in a whine. The three sat around Osiph's Captain's quarters as Osiph stared at her Neocom, managing industry jobs, research and invention.
"I've never really paid attention to the industry index of systems before. I was getting bored of trying manufacturing in Dodixie station because of the thin margins." Osiph explained without looking away from her terminal.
"If you're that worried about margins, look into a POS." Maya said. Osiph shook her head.
"I've wanted one, but it's not worth the fuel. Plus, there's word that they'll soon be obsolete." Osiph said, "I hear there are new structures available soon that Capsuleers have permission to build."
"You want a Citadel." Maya teased, "How gaudy."
"Just a small one. I think it would be nice to own your own station type structure you can dock in." she said.
"So why this station?" Amalea asked.
"It has invention services. I want to really put some effort into making T2 things." She said, "It's better margins."
"What are you making?" Maya asked. Osiph looked up from her Neocom and glanced between the two, "What, afraid we'll start doing the same and become competitors?"
"Drones, mostly." she said, "I heard the best is to start with Ammunition, drones, scripts and really anything that gets blown up a lot." She paused and hit a button, the holoreel on the table displayed a catalyst, "I was going to start making these, but everyone is doing it and the margins are thin."
"Catalysts?" Amalea asked, "Why?" Both Maya and Osiph glanced at each other and sighed.
"It's the destroyer favored among pirates who gank things in HighSec." Maya said, "They use these because they have enough damage output to kill things before CONCORD shows up to kill them."
"That's horrible!" Amalea gasped.
"That's life." Osiph sighed, "You're a miner and you didn't know that?"
"I just did whatever Sain told me to." She innocently said.
"Well, if you ever see one, or any destroyer on grid with you while mining, get out." Osiph said, "They use them because they do a lot of damage and are cheap."
"If they're so horrible, why are you supplying them with their tools of death?" Amalea questioned.
"Money is money." Osiph said, "I don't know the Catalysts I put on the market will be bought by pirates or some mission runner. There's no way to tell."
"Amalea, you have to get our of this righteous phase. We're Capsuleers. We have to do some shady things now and then to keep going. If you think going industry will keep you from killing people and take the moral high ground, think again. All the minerals you mine from the ore in belts are going to make ships, guns, and bullets that will be used to kill someone. If you aren't firing the gun, you're an arms dealer and supplying them to others to use instead. It's the way of the universe now." Maya lectured. Amalea had shrunk into the couch and was now hugging her knees. Maya leaned back as she noticed she was now leaning forward, almost in an accusatory posture. Relaxing, Maya sighed and leaned back, "You need to watch out for number one, Amalea."
"You need to get laid, girl. You're so uptight and naive" Osiph added with a smile, "It's something weeks of pampering won't fix. You need experience." Osiph laughed at the shade of red Amalea was turning as her face disappeared behind her knees in embarrassment, "What did I say?"
"She has an issue with men, remember?" Maya reminded. Osiph recoiled and smiled.
"She has no issue with Sain." she added. You could almost see steam rise from her ears from behind her knees.
"True, but he's still off in Null sec." Maya said.
"Oh that reminds me. I got a message from him. He wants me to send a set of BPC's for an Orca. He said he's building one." Osiph said.
"Can he build them?" Maya asked.
Osiph smiled, "He wanted me to send the Capital Constuction Skill book too. Oh and some Command Centers. He still hasn't set up PI since he moved."
"It's been forever. Isn't he mad about lost profit or something." Maya asked. Osiph nodded.
"Null sec planets are really good too for PI." She said, "Still, it seems to be a different mentality out there. More flying for the team rather than yourself. He seems to be willing to take a hit in his profit making to help out with things."
"That sounds like him." Maya said nodding. Amalea stayed quiet as she was just grateful the subject had changed. Osiph kept her in mind though and brought them back to point.
"So, anyway." she began, "Amalea, let's get you hooked up with someone. Take it slow, eh? What do you look for in a man?..."
Friday, May 22, 2015
New to Null: Resettling
Word has come across the net that there are changes happening. Rules regarding Sovereignty are changing and Alliances are contracting their area of influence to a more manageable and defendable size. Because of this, our Corporation had moved and switched Alliances to FCON, a member of the CFC, hold on, The Imperium I believe they are calling themselves now. This now means we are no longer a renter corporation and a member of a sov holding Alliance.
That means defending our space.
I joined this corporation for the reason that they do not have any CTA's or make you do anything. This has changed as they now expect you to join defense fleets and fight. I have little experience with PVP, low skill points and less time to undock than before, so it's something I can't really help with. I wish I could but other things have come up (OOC: we adopted a baby).
I sent a message to our CEO explaining my situation and he said that the sort of CTA wasn't really for everyone, but he encouraged people to participate to get our participation level above a certain quota to remain in the alliance. These are new rules we seemed to have adopted from the new Coalition, not something I particularly care for, but I will adapt.
I really need to get a pvp ship fitted. Maybe a few. I've been ratting recently and had to dock up several times to passing hostile gangs, only to hear that someone on Comms has been caught and asking for help. With only PvE ships in my hangar, I wouldn't be much help no matter how much I wanted to fly out and help.
I've debated leaving Null sec to head back to High sec again, pick up where I left off. But now that the money is coming in, it really is peanuts back in empire. The trade off is a weaker market and rules, among other things. I thought of coming back and running missions for a bit, but it takes a while again to get the standings to get good payouts. I'm going to stick it out here though. The people I fly with are great people, there are more opportunities here and I'm committed at this point regardless.
Plus, I've been away from mining for a bit and I hear my fellow miners are reporting changes in the Ores out here as well...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"What in the name of Molok are you doing here?" The agent asked. Chadrick shifted uneasily as he stood on the golden deck plates of the Mabnen IV - Moon 1 - Emperor Family Bureau in the small office of a level 2 combat agent, Marmed Odadi. His thick brow twitched in annoyance.
"Looking for work." Chadrick mumbled, "I'm trying to get back in da good graces of da Empire."
"And you come to me?" he asked, skeptical, "Why?"
"Look, I just picked a Corperation in the Empire dat would give good standin's for Amarr." He snapped, "It didn' 'ave ta be you."
"So you're saying I should be honored to be able to employ a mighty Empreyan to do my menial tasks. Am I not worthy of your services?" he asked in a snobbish tone. Marmed sat back in his chair and sneered in a way that just irked Chad in the wrong way. He sighed and spun on his heel towards the door when he was stopped by the agent again, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen? I read that you used to be a big shot in the military, became a Capsuleer and then did a few bad things. Where have you been for the last few months, Chadrick?"
"Inna wormhole." he grunted.
"Off grid I see." the Agent sneered, "Trying to make a comeback then?"
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. Tryin' to slow down a bit." Chad said, rubbing his brow, "I'm just sick of getting shot at by Sleepers for the moment. And I know somethin big is happening with them now that all these Drifter ships are popping up. I just want to get out of the way and do my own thing."
"Sleepers? You fought them?" he asked, "Did you fight a Drifter?"
"No, not the Drifters." he said, "But I've take a few Nanoribbons from the normal ones farting around in the hole."
"I see."
"Anyway, I'm not going to waste anymore of your time." Chad grunted. Marmed raised his hand.
"I may have something for you." he said, "Although, you aren't in good standing with the Empire for killing ships for the Caldari and Minmatar around Metropolis."
"I just work where there's money." Chadrick said with a shrug, not really concerned what the Empire thought of him. His social skills were high enough for most Agents to overlook the lowered standings.
"I have a mission. I need a shipment of Silicate Glass delivered to this station as soon as possible. It's currently stored in one of our warehouses; I'll give you the coordinates, of course. Just warp to our outpost, navigate to the warehouse, and pick up the shipment, and then return it here. Simple, ain't it?
Just make sure you keep a lookout for any suspicious activity. You can't be too careful these days."
"You want me ta be a delivery boy?" Chad asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm expecting this mission to be somewhat complicated. You may need a fast ship, or maybe a cruiser. What are you flying?" Marmed said. Chadrick hesitated before answering.
"Battlecruiser. I'm flying a Prophecy." he replied. Marmed's eyes widened for a moment then he smiled.
"You'll do fine."
--------------------------------------------------------
Warping to the supplied coordinates, Chadrick spotted the warehouse he was supposed to pick up the Silicate Glass from and started approaching the location. Halfway there, he got impatient with the speed of his ship and activated a micro warp drive to go faster. Just as he entered transfer range, he quickly scooped the cargo and turned around.
Space quickly filled with red crosses and Blood Raider frigates, destroyers and cruisers barreled towards him, the space around him lighting up with red and white beams of light.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" he muttered to himself, "I figured the bastard wasn't telling me everything."
He suspected the idea was to just grab the loot and run away, but he was so pissed at this point that he decided to mow down everything that was coming his way. Missiles sprayed from his ship and his best drones buzzed around dropping them one by one. Ships exploded so often that every pop gave a little satisfaction to Chadrick, almost enjoying this opportunity to let loose and 'express himself'.
He managed to get down to around five ships when a second wave warped in. A little shot of adrenaline went through his body as he eyed his shield, which was now nearly gone, and the damage started coming off his armor instead. Activating a hardener, he went back to focusing on killing stuff and when the dust settled, they had stripped off half his armor and his salvage drones were off stripping the wrecks of anything useful.
After the attack, Chadrick had a chance to once again think about the bastard Agent who sent him to an expected ambush and didn't tell him. Warping back to the station, he made sure the station crew unloaded the cargo and he paid his repair bill, bringing the data pad with him to Marmed's office.
"I'm here to pass in the goods. Mission complete." Chad snapped as he entered the meager office.
"Splendid! I have already transferred the ninety four thousand ISK to your account." He said taking the Data Pad, "What's this?"
"My repair bill for ma ship." Chadrick stated, his voice thick with hate, "It cost me 'bout a million and a half to fix. I don't think ninety four thousand will cut it."
"I-I'm sorry, sir. But you understand that under the circumstances, any normal person would have just warped away with the cargo and not even get a scratch on their shields." he stammered, "Wait, did you stay and fight them?"
"They pissed me off." Chad said, "Or rather, you pissed me off for sendin' me into a trap."
"You killed them all?" he asked again in disbelief.
"Battlecruiser, remember?" Chad said, "Regardless, you sent me there knowing those pirates would show up. I don't take kindly to misinformation."
"I do apologize, but I had to be sure you would take the mission."
"Be sure I won't be taking any more from you." Chad said, his fists balling at his sides. Chadrick's anger began to boil up and he knew he would get in trouble if he just clocked the guy and stormed out. He had a pistol on him, but even threatening him with it would be useless as everyone knows about the station security system disabling any live firearms on board. He should have worn his Parapistol as Sain kept telling him to do, but he hated knowing that he only had a glorified stun gun as his only weapon. Still, his only option was to just leave and cut his ties to this agent. Maybe find another somewhere else.
Or try something new entirely....
Later that day, Chadrick stood in the Amarr trade hub station, holding his Neocom showing his now maxed trade orders. He waited until his wallet flashed and his available order counter would show one available to use. He would then select another random module from his asset list and sell it off for a little cheaper than the lowest price in the station.
A fire sale if you will. A contract for the Prophecy was up for grabs as well. Odd, He had always wanted to fly one of them as he found the ship design to be esthetically pleasing, however, once he was in one, he found the ship rather bulky and thick. He clearly saw why some capsuleers call it the "Fat Turkey".
A plan was in the works, yet it may take a while to implement.
That means defending our space.
I joined this corporation for the reason that they do not have any CTA's or make you do anything. This has changed as they now expect you to join defense fleets and fight. I have little experience with PVP, low skill points and less time to undock than before, so it's something I can't really help with. I wish I could but other things have come up (OOC: we adopted a baby).
I sent a message to our CEO explaining my situation and he said that the sort of CTA wasn't really for everyone, but he encouraged people to participate to get our participation level above a certain quota to remain in the alliance. These are new rules we seemed to have adopted from the new Coalition, not something I particularly care for, but I will adapt.
I really need to get a pvp ship fitted. Maybe a few. I've been ratting recently and had to dock up several times to passing hostile gangs, only to hear that someone on Comms has been caught and asking for help. With only PvE ships in my hangar, I wouldn't be much help no matter how much I wanted to fly out and help.
I've debated leaving Null sec to head back to High sec again, pick up where I left off. But now that the money is coming in, it really is peanuts back in empire. The trade off is a weaker market and rules, among other things. I thought of coming back and running missions for a bit, but it takes a while again to get the standings to get good payouts. I'm going to stick it out here though. The people I fly with are great people, there are more opportunities here and I'm committed at this point regardless.
Plus, I've been away from mining for a bit and I hear my fellow miners are reporting changes in the Ores out here as well...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"What in the name of Molok are you doing here?" The agent asked. Chadrick shifted uneasily as he stood on the golden deck plates of the Mabnen IV - Moon 1 - Emperor Family Bureau in the small office of a level 2 combat agent, Marmed Odadi. His thick brow twitched in annoyance.
"Looking for work." Chadrick mumbled, "I'm trying to get back in da good graces of da Empire."
"And you come to me?" he asked, skeptical, "Why?"
"Look, I just picked a Corperation in the Empire dat would give good standin's for Amarr." He snapped, "It didn' 'ave ta be you."
"So you're saying I should be honored to be able to employ a mighty Empreyan to do my menial tasks. Am I not worthy of your services?" he asked in a snobbish tone. Marmed sat back in his chair and sneered in a way that just irked Chad in the wrong way. He sighed and spun on his heel towards the door when he was stopped by the agent again, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen? I read that you used to be a big shot in the military, became a Capsuleer and then did a few bad things. Where have you been for the last few months, Chadrick?"
"Inna wormhole." he grunted.
"Off grid I see." the Agent sneered, "Trying to make a comeback then?"
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. Tryin' to slow down a bit." Chad said, rubbing his brow, "I'm just sick of getting shot at by Sleepers for the moment. And I know somethin big is happening with them now that all these Drifter ships are popping up. I just want to get out of the way and do my own thing."
"Sleepers? You fought them?" he asked, "Did you fight a Drifter?"
"No, not the Drifters." he said, "But I've take a few Nanoribbons from the normal ones farting around in the hole."
"I see."
"Anyway, I'm not going to waste anymore of your time." Chad grunted. Marmed raised his hand.
"I may have something for you." he said, "Although, you aren't in good standing with the Empire for killing ships for the Caldari and Minmatar around Metropolis."
"I just work where there's money." Chadrick said with a shrug, not really concerned what the Empire thought of him. His social skills were high enough for most Agents to overlook the lowered standings.
"I have a mission. I need a shipment of Silicate Glass delivered to this station as soon as possible. It's currently stored in one of our warehouses; I'll give you the coordinates, of course. Just warp to our outpost, navigate to the warehouse, and pick up the shipment, and then return it here. Simple, ain't it?
Just make sure you keep a lookout for any suspicious activity. You can't be too careful these days."
"You want me ta be a delivery boy?" Chad asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm expecting this mission to be somewhat complicated. You may need a fast ship, or maybe a cruiser. What are you flying?" Marmed said. Chadrick hesitated before answering.
"Battlecruiser. I'm flying a Prophecy." he replied. Marmed's eyes widened for a moment then he smiled.
"You'll do fine."
--------------------------------------------------------
Warping to the supplied coordinates, Chadrick spotted the warehouse he was supposed to pick up the Silicate Glass from and started approaching the location. Halfway there, he got impatient with the speed of his ship and activated a micro warp drive to go faster. Just as he entered transfer range, he quickly scooped the cargo and turned around.
Space quickly filled with red crosses and Blood Raider frigates, destroyers and cruisers barreled towards him, the space around him lighting up with red and white beams of light.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" he muttered to himself, "I figured the bastard wasn't telling me everything."
He suspected the idea was to just grab the loot and run away, but he was so pissed at this point that he decided to mow down everything that was coming his way. Missiles sprayed from his ship and his best drones buzzed around dropping them one by one. Ships exploded so often that every pop gave a little satisfaction to Chadrick, almost enjoying this opportunity to let loose and 'express himself'.
He managed to get down to around five ships when a second wave warped in. A little shot of adrenaline went through his body as he eyed his shield, which was now nearly gone, and the damage started coming off his armor instead. Activating a hardener, he went back to focusing on killing stuff and when the dust settled, they had stripped off half his armor and his salvage drones were off stripping the wrecks of anything useful.
After the attack, Chadrick had a chance to once again think about the bastard Agent who sent him to an expected ambush and didn't tell him. Warping back to the station, he made sure the station crew unloaded the cargo and he paid his repair bill, bringing the data pad with him to Marmed's office.
"I'm here to pass in the goods. Mission complete." Chad snapped as he entered the meager office.
"Splendid! I have already transferred the ninety four thousand ISK to your account." He said taking the Data Pad, "What's this?"
"My repair bill for ma ship." Chadrick stated, his voice thick with hate, "It cost me 'bout a million and a half to fix. I don't think ninety four thousand will cut it."
"I-I'm sorry, sir. But you understand that under the circumstances, any normal person would have just warped away with the cargo and not even get a scratch on their shields." he stammered, "Wait, did you stay and fight them?"
"They pissed me off." Chad said, "Or rather, you pissed me off for sendin' me into a trap."
"You killed them all?" he asked again in disbelief.
"Battlecruiser, remember?" Chad said, "Regardless, you sent me there knowing those pirates would show up. I don't take kindly to misinformation."
"I do apologize, but I had to be sure you would take the mission."
"Be sure I won't be taking any more from you." Chad said, his fists balling at his sides. Chadrick's anger began to boil up and he knew he would get in trouble if he just clocked the guy and stormed out. He had a pistol on him, but even threatening him with it would be useless as everyone knows about the station security system disabling any live firearms on board. He should have worn his Parapistol as Sain kept telling him to do, but he hated knowing that he only had a glorified stun gun as his only weapon. Still, his only option was to just leave and cut his ties to this agent. Maybe find another somewhere else.
Or try something new entirely....
Later that day, Chadrick stood in the Amarr trade hub station, holding his Neocom showing his now maxed trade orders. He waited until his wallet flashed and his available order counter would show one available to use. He would then select another random module from his asset list and sell it off for a little cheaper than the lowest price in the station.
A fire sale if you will. A contract for the Prophecy was up for grabs as well. Odd, He had always wanted to fly one of them as he found the ship design to be esthetically pleasing, however, once he was in one, he found the ship rather bulky and thick. He clearly saw why some capsuleers call it the "Fat Turkey".
A plan was in the works, yet it may take a while to implement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)