The Blood Stained Stars: Quality of Mercy (Part 1)

The handwritten letter felt like lead in my pocket as I returned to my Captain's quarters. The unrelenting door slid easily aside as I neared and closed effortlessly as well behind me. A quick message to the Nao Sisters updating them on the situation led to an onslaught of incoming messages from them, some messages congratulating me on the clone upgrade, others warnings of pending traps or scams, all of which I were expecting.

I called for my Drake to be prepared for launch and realized I had not re-fit the thing since moving here. Eglerin warned me to take a powerful ship; the Drake was probably the best I had at the moment. Putting my Pistol and the letter in the dry compartment of my pod, along with my clothes, I entered my Pod and boarded the Drake, then began a meticulous process of flying around to get the thing fitted and up to combat state. Once finished, I set my course for Arnon IX - Moon 3, where there was a Sisters of Eve station, and the recipient of the 'Important' letter.

The system seemed busy as I jumped in and warped to the station. Looking around, I noticed that my ship was probably the biggest, as most were flying frigates and destroyers. This system was close to what was referred to a 'Starting System' or a system which has the facilities to create Capsuleers and where most of them in the area originate from. Their current skills probably only allow them to fly what I see anyway.

I docked and exited my pod, dressing quickly and remembered to take the letter and my Parapistol, then headed to the door that still seemed to taunt me. It didn't open right away and I nearly slammed my face into it, then the lock disengaged and opened to a blindly lit hallway. This time, there was no escort and I was forced to look up the interior map of the station on my Neocom.

I spent most of my time on a moving sidewalk, staring down at a massive city like structure below me, mostly consisting of tall buildings and offices. This seemed to be a large Corporate office station for the SOE, and everything was very sharp, clean, and professional. I took a public transport to the main Security office and entered a tall building covered in reflective glass. The receptionist directed me to an elevator and advised to go to the top floor.

Once at the summit, The elevator door opened to a small lobby area and another receptionist dressed in a uniform, staring lazily at her terminal screen.

"Can I help you?" she mumbled.

"I'm here to see Sister Alitura." I said.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm not sure." I said. Whether or not Eglerin had called to say I was coming was not confirmed.

"Name?"

"Sain Darkwing." I said. She typed on her keyboard and my file appeared on the screen. It took a few moments of her reading to notice that it said I was a Capsuleer.

"An Empryean? Here in station?!" she exclaimed, straightening up in her chair. Again, she seemed nervous just as Eglerin had been before. I know that being a Capsuleer held a sort of prestige among other people, a sort of celebrity status, if you will, but this was the first time I saw the effects of it first hand. It was a little embarrassing.

"Yes. I have a message I need to deliver."

"Why not just contact her from your ship as the other Capsuleer's do?" She asked. I produced the envelope and she eyed it curiously, "Ah, one moment." She pressed a button and spoke again, "Miss Alitura, I have Sain Darkwing to see you."

"Please patch him through." she flatly replied.

"No, I mean, He's here to see you. Personally." she added. There was a silence on the other end.

"He's here?"

"Right in front of me." The receptionist replied.

"Please send him in right away!" Alitura nearly shouted. The door beside the front desk slid open revealing a large office similar to Eglerin's, with the large window overlooking the front docking bay. I entered and she, at least got up to greet me at the door.

"Welcome. I am honored you would go out of your way to see me personally." she said, "But now is not a good time."

"I have a letter for you." I said, producing the envelope. She hesitated and snatched it from my hands then took a seat at her desk to read it over. Once finished, she sighed heavily.

"I ask for help, and they send me a capsuleer. You are a capsuleer, aren't you? An immortal pilot who subverts the rules of life and death, who shapes the fate of empires? You'll have to excuse my skepticism. I work with a humanitarian organization, the Sisters of EVE. I've seen your kind hasten the deaths of millions every day. You expect me to believe that you're different? To prove yourself, your actions will have to do the talking. We've just received a distress call from a ship called the Damsel, and you're the closest aid available right now. Get out there and save some lives. Prove to me you're not just another murderous liar with a god complex. With all the power at your disposal, you certainly could be a force for good. And one thing is certain: Good is in dire need of allies these days." she said, almost forcefully. I recoiled at her sudden demands and realized this was the trick. It was no 'love letter' as I had thought, but a request to take a mission for the SOE. I suppose Eglerin was afraid I would decline which was cause for subversion. Still, I did not take kindly to being played like this.

"Yes. I am a Capsuleer, and I understand that most people would think of us in that way. But I am different. I do give a shit about everyone and I do not disregard life as you claim I do." I snapped at her, "I wasn't told this would be a mission for you. All I was asked to do was deliver that letter and I have done so. But if you and your organization need help to save lives, all you had to do was ask."

"You didn't know what this letter was?" she asked, a smile formed on her face, "Eglerin is a sneaky bastard."

"You knew it was from him?" I ask.

"It's his handwriting. And he's the only one who would send a letter like this." she replied, "Please do what you can. Prove to me and all of us that there is some good left in some Empyrean's hearts."

--------------------------------------------

I remember the nervous look the Receptionist gave me as I left and finally realized the reputation that Capsuleers had among the general populace. It's understandable though, when one loses the fear of death, then life becomes less valued. I vowed to prove them wrong. Sister Alitura was right. I would need to prove myself through my actions as words are rarely trusted these days.

I approached the coordinates that she gave me and warped into a ship graveyard. 'The Damsel' was a mere wreck, along with several other battleships scattered around in pieces and drifting quietly in space. As I approached, I was contacted again by Alitura.

"It seems CONCORD was faster to respond, but your backup was definitely appreciated. There were a handful of survivors picked up. They‘ve been taken to various facilities in the area wherever vacancies could be found."

"I'm glad some could be saved, at least." I reply. My heart went to my throat as I slowly cruised around the wrecks, noting the twisted metal and several scorched bodies floating around. I sent my scan information back to Alitura and she replied a few minutes later.

"We got some interesting information out of your trip. It seems no one fired on the Damsel. Something must have happened inside the ship. We'd like you to track those survivors down, see if you can get any information about the ship's path, pilot, or cargo. We need to know what caused this disaster. CONCORD is the first logical step. I’ve gotten in touch with CONCORD Agent Tevis Jak, who may have information for you. His location is being uploaded to your NeoCom: he's currently acting as an ORE agent. Go see if you can find a piece of this puzzle."

"Roger." I replied. Time to head to Tar and find this CONCORD Agent. Something about this situation intrigued me. Maybe it was the mystery and drama surrounding it, but it kept me pressing on to follow this lead as far as it will take me. Reward was the last thing on my mind at this point. There were lives at risk here. I was determined to change people's minds about Capsuleers the best I can.

A Simple Request...

You see, Agents are people who give out missions, ask for help, and pay you for the work you do for them. They normally only interact with Capsuleers if they request work, otherwise, you sometimes forget they are available to you.

This one, is a little different...

I woke to the sound of a heart monitor behind my head and I tried to jump up, but invisible energy restraints held me down to what I assumed was a medical table. I distinctly remember going to sleep in my Captain's quarters, yet I was in a medical bay now, something I remember seeing only when my last clone was activated. Which, admittedly, I can't put a date on. It's been a while.

"You're awake." Came a voice, "Let me remove the restraints. I figured you would resist once you woke up, but my scans would be interrupted. Please remain still." I felt the pressure release from my wrists, feet and chest, but I remained still as her face appeared above me and I squinted to focus on her. A doctor, wearing the SOE symbolic pendant around her neck which was now hanging in my face.

"Who are you?" I asked, "What are you doing?"

"I was asked by Eglerin Lina to contact you. I knocked on your door last night but there was no answer." She said, "I had my nurses try your known associates' Quarters as well, but with the same result."

"You know that door doesn't open, right?" I advise her, "You never said your name yet either."

"I'm just one of the Doctor's here. That door is locked because of the clone you are using. It's old, for a clone."

"I haven't died in a while if that's what you mean." I said, confused.

"Yes. Newer clones can handle more hazardous environments. Slowly evolving from spending all your time in a pod, I suppose." she said, typing on a console. I only now noticed the tube in my arm, "I'm doing an 'upgrade' so to speak. As a favor."

"Favors rarely come free." I reply.

"It's an enticement to accept Mr. Lina's request." she said, "He wants to meet you about a mission."

"I thought Agents message Capsuleers directly?"

"If Capsuleers request a mission first. Plus, he wants someone he can trust."

"And how does he know I'm trustworthy?" I ask, feeling a slight tingle in my fingers. Her brow furrows and she adjusts something on her screen. The feeling subsided.

"He has ears. Heard you and your friends talking in a bar somewhere." She said, highly distracted by her screen, "Oh and he apologizes in regards to the way you were recruited. I'm sorry as well. It must be unnerving to wake up in a sickbay.

"I figured there must be a reason for it." I said relaxing a bit, "Still, it's mostly unnerving that you're messing with my body while I'm still in it."

"Don't worry, you're plugged in if something happens. We can just pull you out and into another clone if worst comes to worst." she said, "I figure you wouldn't want to just go pod yourself so this is more humane at least for the upgrade."

"This is true." I state. I finally notice the cable attached to the back of my head. I laid in awkward silence until she finished and I left the medical bay, meeting an escort who led me to a nearby door, then out to where a van was waiting. Moments later, I was driving down the streets in the interior of the station, heading towards the shipping docks, below the main hangar for Capsuleers. The van stopped and I got out, taking a breath of what may be the first unfiltered air this body has breathed in. I coughed sharply once, the escort seemed almost concerned, but I composed myself quickly and walked inside.

The Agent's office was rather large with a view of space outside, watching the ships come and go. His chair's back was to me as I entered, the escort leaving me and closing the door behind him.

"Sain Darkwing." he said. Eglerin Lina turned in his chair, a small bead of sweat glistened on his brow. He seemed nervous. Too nervous for this request to be legit.

"Yes." I said, "What did you want?"

"How are you enjoying your new found freedom? The station is bigger than you thought, right?" he asked. It wasn't warm at all in the room and now the bead of sweat was slowly rolling down his face. He ignored it.

"Yes, but please get to the point. What was your request?" I demand. Lina got very fidgety.

"Oh, um. I need a favor. Off the books." He stammered, "I want you to take a letter to a colleague of mine, Sister Alitura. Simple enough." My eyes narrowed significantly. I'm being tricked.

"A letter? As in a piece of paper with writing on it?" I ask suspiciously, "Can't you just message her?"

"Oh, no. A message would leave a log and can be traced back to me. This is low tech. untraceable." he said. I picked up the envelope he had slid across the table. and eyed it curiously, "Can you deliver it?"

"Is this illegal?" I ask the burning question. He quickly shakes his head, becoming very defensive.

"Oh, no, no,no, no, nothing of the sort!" he insisted, "I just don't want her to know it was me." I become suspicious again, a sneer on my face.

"It's not a love letter is it?" I ask, half joking. The man's face lit up.

"YES! Why yes it is!" he exclaimed, "I am absolutely smitten by her. She is all I think of! I can't get her out of my mind!" He laughed a little oddly, like a nervous laugh one would do when highly relieved. Still, I remained skeptical, "Oh, but don't open it. I'm very shy you see, and if someone else should read my innermost feelings toward my love, I would be embarrassed beyond belief! Can you do this poor, lovesick fool a simple favor?"

"Um, alright. Seems harmless enough." I agreed, putting the letter in my jacket pocket. The man seemed overjoyed as he ushered me out the door to the waiting escort.

"Thank you! Thank you! Oh, by the way, be sure to bring a powerful ship, alright? Something with lots of guns!"

"What? Why?" I stammer as the door closed behind me. The escort turned a slight shade of red as he was the only one left to explain his boss' last addition.

"Ah, I hear Ms. Alitura is rather , um, ornery." he muttered.

Knock, Knock, Who's there?

I feel like I've hit another period of stagnation. I've been going at it alone for a while now, mostly doing manufacturing, but lately I feel like I pod up and suddenly lose my will to even undock. I mean, I think I'm making money, yet I seem to spend it all on materials I need to build again, whether it's making me a profit or not, I don't know.

Manufacturing goes hand in hand with Trade and Marketing. I've tried the latter, however, mostly just selling in trade hubs which guarantee volume due to their nature, however, selling in a remote area seems alot more tricky. Things aren't selling well here, albeit very slowly. I suppose those who read my logs noticed the infrequency, again due to the lethargy and lack of motivation I feel. I need to do something different, perhaps.

I did try a mining op here in system with my corp recently. Things have changed from what I'm used to, but maybe a step in the wrong direction. Because of the security status, pirates have chosen this system to kill miners in before CONCORD has a chance to show up, so our corp has a policy to use either Procurer's or Skiffs in ops because of their increased tank. This is mostly as a precaution, but it does mean decreased yield and slower mining. Still, it's worth lowering my yield if it means I get to keep my ship. Even during our mining op, comms reported such an attack from a pirate, but because we were properly fitted and flying Skiffs, CONCORD was able to intervene before any of our ships were destroyed. Mining is different out here.

On the plus side, I'm able to make T2 frigates and ammo now. I made a few Prospects, the new T2 Venture for cloaky mining. I can't fly one yet, but I sold a few in Dodixie, and a couple in our local system, but I'm not sure it's the direction I want to go in. I think for now I'll focus on T2 ammo and drones. Maybe throw in some rigs as well. I'm trying to build the few T2 BPC's I have, but honestly, I kind of want to get back to T1 production and build from a stockpile of minerals. Something else I should really get.

On another note, I may have pointed out that my new HQ here in system is a Sisters of Eve station. They seem to be more of a Humanitarian group, by records have been a neutral party in most conflicts. I believe they run many search and rescue operations throughout New Eden, rescuing life pods of crew ejected from exploding capsuleer ships and the like. They also do much scientific study, while being deeply religious as well, a concept I find a tad but contradictory. Docked in one of their stations, it's rather quiet, spare for the random returning vessel and extensive medical facilities. Again, the captain's quarters for Capsuleers are segregated from the rest of the station, by the mocking, immovable door that never opens.

I was intrigued before about this door. The only access I had to most stations were to my Quarters and the Bar or Mess hall. However, when I approach a certain door in my Quarters, I get a message from the Neocom saying the air is not yet suitable for capsuleer consumption. I know my access to stations are severely limited and I assume these doors lead to the rest of this massive structure. However, every station I'm in has one of these doors, and eventually, my curiosity waned and I lost interest.

Last night, I sat on my couch and watched the news. Reports of sleeper activity increasing and behavioral patterns changing from the SOE were released. I heard that Chadrick had moved into a wormhole to go after these sleepers and I wondered how he was doing. I was about to turn off the monitor when a sharp rap on the inaccessible door made me jump.

I hesitated, thinking I was hearing something or the sound was structural, like the heating and cooling of metal, expanding and contracting, so I ignored it.

Again three sharp raps on the door.

This time I got up and approached it. Who even knocks on a door these days anyway? All doors have chimes activated by a button. Why is someone knocking on a door they know can't be opened?

"Who is there?" I called through the door. No answer. The knocking stopped as well. I could hear nothing from the other side. My Neocom lit up with messages from both Maya and Amalea who were still in station. Someone was knocking on their special doors as well at the same time.

I stood there for another 10 minutes, even going as far as pressing my ear to the door. Again it refused to open as I tried to unlock it. The knocking stopped as well, as did it with the girls. I suggested to just go to sleep and forget about it. If it were important. they could get an agent to contact us with whatever they need. Feeling uneasy, I went to bed wondering who it was.

Moving Day

After a mad rush, things have quieted down again. Our Corp had decided to join another alliance, and had moved out to Amarr space, so I ended up packing up my things, and with a little courier packaging trickery, was able to move all my fitted ships in my Charon, while Maya moved a few things in the Orca. Once here, we set up shop and quickly jumped in the belts of our new system, which happened to be a 0.5 Security system.

We all began drooling at the rocks out there. Not only were there Pyroxers, but also Kernite, which I'm used to seeing only in low sec back where we were before. The Corp POS was moved as well and I compressed my ore, still amazed that a full Charon load of ore can be compressed to fit in a Crane.

We had two last mining operations before the girl's licenses ran out, and again I'm left alone in the fields to mine by myself, while they are left to drool in the station windows. They seem depressed that they can't join me, but I have to think of a way to make enough for more PLEX's. I hear other people can do it so why not me?

This move came somewhat unexpected, so I was forced to leave a couple research jobs to run and my PI to run out their cycles. It wouldn't be a problem to run back in my crane to pick up the stuff, or even my pod as I have a PI ship left behind as well that should take everything. However the nearest trade hub is still Dodixie, so I may take the crane and bring my compressed ore to sell.

This new place has presented some further opportunities though. It's next to a dead end low sec pocket that's mostly controlled by our Alliance, making the few low sec systems nearby, somewhat safer. This means I can drop some Planetary colonies down for some increased yield on planets. If I stay here, I can also get into capital construction if I want, since I would have access to low sec building facilities. We will see where this goes.

Crunching Numbers

I believe it was barely a few days when our corp got war decced again. Frustrated that our time would be wasted, I decided to drop corp to re-join my private corp with the girls to continue mining, offering my Charon freighter services to the station bound corp while at war, planning to rejoin once the war was over. I did make a few trips for them around empire, but other than that it's been quiet.

I've upgraded again, this time, Amalea got a Hulk and she's nearing my yield intake as well. I think Maya started training her PI skills as well, but hasn't put down any colonies. I think she's worried that her limited time as a pilot would mean idle installations as well. It's her choice, and PI doesn't pull in that much money anyway.

Osiph is doing well, but I hear she is somewhat frustrated with manufacturing. She moved again, back to Dodixie from Jita because she had made a Medium Ship Maintenance array after buying a BPO and researching it to a respectable level, but it barely sold for a profit from materials in Jita. She hauled it down here and did sell it for a profit, but only a slightly better one. She's still trying to find something that would bring her some more income, but T1 manufacturing isn't that lucrative.

I've actually started to manufacture now as well, however, being locked up in station gave me time to research a few T2 BPC's and I built them, noticing a decent profit from that. T2 is definitely the way to go, however, it takes longer to make because of the invention. I find that mining makes alot more money, but then again, it's not an either or type of deal. I can do both at the same time. Manufacture, Mining, Planetary Interaction, Invention, all make ISK at the same time.

Another thing that's been bothering me is Chadrick. I've heard from him lately that he would be 'dropping off grid' so to speak and I go long periods where I don't hear from him, then I get a burst of data from him at odd times. E-Mails and data dated a while ago all come in at once at random intervals, then when I reply, he's gone again. Turns out he had joined a Wormhole corporation and was living in a C3 for the past few weeks. I was skeptical that he would be able to survive in there, but he's doing it so far. Last I heard, he said it was a pulsar in there and he was training up a Drake to kill sleepers. He had a Procurer in there as well to mine the rare types of ore, but he mentioned it was hard to do anything while stuck training for T2 launchers. He put down a couple of PI colonies, but can barely run them with his skills, his scanning skills are average and can't fly a covert ops ship yet. All in the plans for when he finishes skilling for his Drake. I find it funny that Chadrick never wanted to fly other races ships besides his own and was shooting for a Prophecy, yet went off on this tangent into a Wormhole that causes armor type ships to be at a disadvantage. I'm curious as to how this will play out.

I'm also looking around for a better system to mine in. Sources say there are Pyroxeres around the area but I have yet to find any. All I see are Omber and Plagioclase. Still, with the changes recently, it may be better to mine ore and compress instead of refine. I would have to crunch the numbers but it kind of makes me want to set up a POS for it under Darkwing Inc. since Osiph is in the area, she can use to manufacture cheaper and increase her profits, but the cost of operating one may be a little high at the moment. Again, numbers...

Dusting off the Exhumer

The war is finally over and I'm itching to get back out and mine again. I sat in Croleur in my Crane and I actually forgot where I parked my Hulk. It's a good thing my asset list records these things. I remember I was half way to the station where I was to pick it up, when something odd happened.

Both Nao sister's names lit up in my contact list...

Both had their Pilots licenses extended for another month! I did nothing. I know they didn't have the money for a PLEX, and a quick message to Osiph confirmed that she didn't do it either. I was so confused when I contacted Maya and Amalea by inviting them to fleet up.

SAIN: How are you two active?
MAYA: I got up this morning to a message that my license had been extended. Amalea too.
AMALEA: It's a miracle! The Player came through for us!
SAIN: No one bought you guys a PLEX?
MAYA: No. This is weird. The timing is suspicious too. As if they were waiting for your war to be over before they reinstated our licenses.
SAIN: The timing was convenient. Regardless, I will be contracting over the Orca and Amalaea's Covetor. I think I might be looking to build another Hulk to maximize yeild. Let's go make some money.
MAYA: Hear hear!
AMALEA: Yay!

It took a while to get things set up again. Amalea jaunted around the area in her Covetor to pick up some things. She decided to upgrade her mining lasers and the upgrades, realizing she had the skills for T2 mining crystals as well. Alot of gear got passed around and we are now ready, but at the time it was already late and neither of us were alert enough to start so we turned back in. I think Amalea decided to run out to a university station for skill books because she mentioned something about not having some very basic skills injected. Granted when she became a Capsuleer, I advised a skill plan to get her into a barge and mining as soon as possible.

Still after setting our mining operation up again, I'm left to wonder as I try to sleep about this divine intervention and my beliefs in this mysterious "Player" are starting to affirm themselves.

The Story of Sain Darkwing

I spent the evening staring at timers counting down on invention jobs on my NeoCom. The Nao sisters' odd behavior pestered the back of my mind and I eventually caved and opened my contact list, sending Osiph a text message.

SAIN: I can't believe you told them.
OSIPH: I'm sorry. It's no big deal. I don't know why you didn't tell them.
SAIN: I have my reasons.
SAIN: What exactly did you tell them anyway?
OSIPH: <laughing> They didn't say any details? You must be so confused right now!
SAIN: They're acting funny today. Sort of avoiding me and an overwhelming sense of pity.
OSIPH: Oh. That was not my intention. The story was meant as praise, not to put you down.
SAIN: Like I ask; what did you say?
OSIPH: You, sir, are in luck. Since the bar was otherwise empty that night, the bartender allowed me to buy the footage from the security camera. I wanted to keep it as proof.
SAIN: Proof? Of what?
OSIPH: Proof that you now have friends that actually give a shit about you. Enough to want to know about your past.
SAIN: I have friends....
OSIPH: I wouldn't count Mr. Belefonte as your 'friend'.
SAIN: Neither would I. I wasn't referring to him.
OSIPH: Mission agents wouldn't count either, nor do Brokers.
SAIN: Dammit woman! I do have a life outside of business.
OSIPH: Really? Who else do you socialize with? Do I need to send you a better charisma implant? What's your Social Skill level?
SAIN: That's not funny.
OSIPH: The point is that you've finally started to be involved with other people. You're doing more than just your job. It's a relief to me, honestly. Much better than your previous job, I might add.
SAIN: It is less stressful.
OSIPH: Hey, I hear there's an Exotic Dancer in station. I could make a call, pay for a fun evening with her. How long has it been?
SAIN: None of your business, sister. I certainly do not need you to make such arrangements. I am quite capable of doing so if needed.
SAIN: Just because I haven't been mining lately because of wars doesn't mean I'm broke.
OSIPH: Well, you should try it. It would relieve some stress. I know you need to do that at least.
OSIPH: Anyway, here is the footage. I asked the Bartender to delete the original. <Security Footage 11014738493>
SAIN: Thank you.
OSIPH: And Sain, keep in touch. I do enjoy talking to you.
SAIN: Sure.

I opened the linked video and leaned back on the couch of my Captain's quarters as the video started playing. Osiph sat beside me in the video, leaning back against the bar like I remember...

"What happened?" Amalea asked, leaning forward. I chuckled as I saw how close she actually came to falling off that stool

"That is a very good story. The one you're probably looking to hear." Osiph teased.
"One that will have to wait for another night." I said standing up. I watched as I tapped my Neocom on the counter again on the way out of the bar.

"You aren't going to stay for the story?" Osiph called after me.
"I know what happens." I said, "And I doubt I can stop you from telling it to them, can I?" Osiph shook her head and I left. She waited until the door closed before uncrossing her legs to lean forward. The Bartender seemed to wander off into the back, doing paperwork or something.

"So, now that Captain Serious has left, what do you actually think of my brother?" Osiph asked. The girls seemed to be caught off guard. "I know he's your boss and all, but how have things been going between you three?"

"Sain is, well, distant at times." Maya said, "Very 'to the point' type of person and always has his mind on his wallet, as any businessman should."

"I trust him because he realizes what's at stake, even after becoming a capsuleer." Amalea said. This seemed to interest Osiph.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Maya seemed curious as well.

"Sain was always wary about losing ships, even when the concept is inconsequential to a capsuleer. I mean all ships are replaceable with enough ISK. Even our own lives are. I know he has well over enough money to replace what he flies, yet he cares about his ships enough to not risk them." Amalea Explained. Osiph seemed confused.

"He cares about piles of metal and wires?"

"Not so much the ship itself, but their crews. The people aboard the ships capsuleers fly that most don't even realize are there." she said. Maya nodded.

"He mentioned it to me before but he wasn't very clear about it. I don't think he was fully aware of them at the time, but had a good idea." Maya explained.

"So he knows...." Osiph muttered, "Anyway, you wanted to know more about him?"

"Yes! Like how you became siblings and why he won't tell us about his past." Amalea spat.

"The part he probably wants to keep secret was the fact that he was Military back in the day. Used to be a combat MTAC Pilot in the Caldari Militia. I'm pretty sure he was trained as special ops too, but I'm not sure. I'm sure he missed his calling when they started making people into Mercenaries to fight planet side, but he chose to be a capsuleer instead, after what happened. I couldn't blame him, I suppose."

"What happened?" Amalea seemed to want to jump off her stool.

"There was a battle on my home planet. I think it was a large platoon of Gallente Militia fighting against an invading mix of Caldari and Amarr Militia platoons. Sain was a part of the MTAC group that was deployed to an urban area when the fighting broke out. Several buildings were destroyed when an antimatter round went off inside the chamber of one of his fellow pilots and destroyed his suit, plus detonating all the other rounds in his clip, taking out their cover and causing them to scatter. Their cover just happened to be an orphanage where I was living."

"You were an orphan? How old were you when this happened?" Amalea seemed confused.

"I was ten or eleven at the time. Sain was very young as well and was recruited when he was fifteen or so. At this point in time, he was eighteen I think. The wall of the building came down on his MTAC and many of the children were killed. I was one of the lucky ones. I ended up in the basement and I started banging on the broken door, trying to get out, once I heard the fighting had moved on and things went quiet.

I must have stood at the top of those splintered stairs for hours and bruised my fists. I remembered that the stairs started shaking and I screamed when the door was ripped off by an MTAC with one arm. It must have had only enough power for that because it shut down and fell over, but Sain was able to jump out first."

"So he saved your life? While he was fighting your kind, he helped you?" Amalea stifled a gasp and leaned back in her chair.

"He had been knocked unconscious inside that machine for five hours before he woke up. His platoon left him behind thinking he was dead. He was in rough shape too. I remember he had a broken arm and blood all over. He was in much worse shape than I."

"So what did you do?"

"I was scared at first, but knowing that he did just save me, I decided to help him. We ran to a civilian shelter after I cut off his uniform jacket and told the medics there that he was my brother. Sain kept quiet and they patched him up. After that, we stuck together for a long time and he stayed in Gallente space. His Military had pegged him for dead, his family notified of his death and he didn't want to fight anymore after that so he stayed." Osiph said. Maya seemed confused.


"Why not?" She asked.


"He said he couldn't see the point to the conflict to begin with. He originally wanted to fight to prove himself to his peers and family, but after seeing the collateral damage first hand, he finally realized that casualties of a pointless war are unnecessary. Maybe he just doesn't understand the underlying reasons for the war, but he didn't want to kill innocents anymore."

At this point. Both sisters leaned back and took a mouthful of their beer and sat silently for a moment.

"Why is he so ashamed to tell us this?" Amalea asked.

"What Sain did would brand him as a traitor and Gallentian sympathizer. If his family or government ever found out that he was alive and did what he did, He would be arrested on sight if he ever went back to Caldari space. They actually did find out once he became a capsuleer but nothing could be done about it because he had chosen to go down that path. He may be Caldari by blood, but he has no allegiance to them anymore and the Caldari government and it's military have also made that perfectly clear by keeping his death certificate on file."

"He has no home?" Amalea asked, somberly.


"Well he obviously doesn't need one now. Before he was a Capsuleer, he got by pretending to be Gallentian, as my brother." Amalea explained. She leaned back again, crossing her legs and took a sip of her drink. With a sigh, she continued, "We lived on a few different planets for a while, moving around for a few years. He would get a job for enough ISK to get by, but then be let go because his background check wouldn't follow through as you would imagine. His career was a revolving door of different things. He even tried for police work and he was really good at it because of his military training, but they had to let him go because of policy standards and background checks being clean. We were very poor most of the time and had little money. We sold what we had to live, and it came very close to rock bottom several times.

Sain then took a temporary job for an Amarrian suspected to have ties to the Blood Raiders, yet never proven. He didn't know this at the time and took the job, even when he learned that it was to kill another Amarrian."

"Sain took a job as a hit-man?" This was Maya's turn to be surprised.

"This was how desperate we were. I was too young at the time to work and Sain wouldn't let me either. The client, Goddard Belefonte had requested him to kill his brother, Chadrick, the heir to their fathers estate. Chadrick had been a drunken layabout most of his life and also suspected to have ties to the Blood Raiders because of his rebellious nature, but those suspicions came from his brother pinning his own illegal actions on Chadrick. Sain only found out that Chadrick had been in the same MTAC platoon with him the day he was supposedly killed beside that orphanage when he had a pistol against his head and saw the man for the first time, instead of the outside of his machine. Unable to go through with it, Sain dug a little deeper into his employer and got the man arrested, only after Chadrick had found out that his brother also hired someone to kill Sain after he had completed his mission, to get out of payment. It was a very confusing arrangement, yet it was foiled in the end when things became clear."

"So Chadrick owes Sain a debt?" Maya asked, "It sounds like it's the other way around."

"No. It turns out that Sain not only spared Chadrick's life, but also protected him from the second assassin who made his move once he saw Sain back out of the deal. Sain was shot in the ordeal and Chadrick spent a lot of money in medical expenses to keep my brother alive. After Chadrick received his inheritance, he spent it all to ultimately put both he and Sain through the Capsuleer program and become immortal. It was the only way to really save Sain's life."

"So they should be even then." Amalea said. Osiph just sighed heavily, rightfully so. I knew the man who did this to me did go broke again to do it, but he has an odd way to keep score of debts paid to one another. I knew what Osiph would say next.

"Chadrick is an odd man. His oddities had also transversed with his consciousness into his new life as a Capsuleer. He only accounted saving Sain's life to pay for saving his own life the night of the attack, yet not for outing his brother as a Blood Raider and traitor to his family. That's the debt that still goes unpaid. He sort of considers only a similar act to be sufficient as repayment, which is why, I believe, the man despises me and is suspicious of my every move. He thinks that the only way he can pay back Sain for catching his brother in criminal activities is to catch Sain's sibling doing the same."

"What?" Amalea asked, seemingly dumbfounded. I had to chuckle at this. She to found this man to be a little crazy.

"I assure you I am in no way affiliated with any criminal organization or do any illegal activities myself. I'm just as honorable as Sain, yet he feels like this is the only way to repay him, therefore he sticks around him and keeps contact until he does." Osiph explained. She was near laughing herself.

"This is ridiculous!" Maya laughed, "I knew the man seemed to be a pain in the thrusters for Sain but I never knew why he annoyed him so much."

"It was bad for a while after they first became Capsuleers. Chadrick kept doing missions and using the money to send escorts to Sain's quarters as gifts. He was frustrated when Sain turned them down and Chadrick even questioned Sain's sexuality. Don't get me wrong, Sain is as straight as they come, but the point was that it was forced on him and not to mention, awkward. You know Capsuleers don't have the best reputation and how do you think you would feel if you came back from a day of mining to turn in for a good night's sleep, only to have three half naked women knock at your door and look scared beyond belief as to what would happen to them." She explained. The sisters nodded slowly as they stared into their drinks, then a period of silence ensued. Maya soon straightened up and took a breath.

"So if that's what happened, why is Sain so ashamed to tell us about it. His past isn't so bad. He should be proud of what he did. He saved your live, chose to stop fighting and taking innocent lives and even in his most desperate hour and a lapse in judgement, he did the right thing and spared his target's life. Why the big secret?" Maya asked. Osiph finished her drink and took a moment to think about how to respond.

"Remember how I said he used to probably be covert ops?"

"Yes." Amalea replied.

"He and Chadrick had history before the whole assassination attempt and the MTAC Platoon. They used to be partners somewhat. When he was around sixteen, he was killing people and gathering intelligence for the Caldari Militia while Chadrick did the same for the Amarrian Militia. Since both factions were working together, they were often deployed together, yet had separate objectives. Sain hasn't told me much about this time in his life, but after I met him, he mentioned that he used to do very bad things for his government. Chadrick let it slip that he used to do this with Sain at the time, but what they did was classified. They were both MTAC Pilots undercover while not deployed as covert ops. One of the main reasons the Caldari government is so mad is because of the wasted money they spent to train him, only to have him defect." Osiph explained, leaning back once more.

"So he kept it a secret so we wouldn't find out about his time as a covert operative, so we wouldn't go looking into what he did and get into trouble with the Caldari Government? A sort of secret inside a secret?" Maya asked.

"Yes, exactly. He kept the secret to protect you from yourselves. I told you all of this because I trust you two as his friends to understand why he kept his secret and to trust you not to dig into that for your own safety. He didn't tell because he has trust issues, as you well know. Well, trust issues for big things like this. It's his nature, or rather, how he was trained as an operative. deception was a big part of that job."

"I understand now." Amalea muttered. Maya just nodded.

"We appreciate you telling us this, but this information was more private than we were expecting. Maybe even a bit classified. You know these bars have cameras. We should have used an isolation booth if you were going to tell us this much." Maya pointed out. The camera clearly picked up the loss of color in Osiph's face and she bolted upright, slapping her hand on the counter.

"Bartender! A word please!" she called. The man appeared from the back room and she whispered something to him. He chuckled and nodded, returning to the back room to probably retrieve the data module. He guessed right because the video abruptly ended there, returning my senses back to my own Captain's quarters. I set the terminal on the coffee table and laid back to stare at the ceiling. So they know. They know everything. Well, not everything. They don't know the specifics of my missions as an Operative. They don't know who my previous family is. And they don't know the real reason why I chose not to fight anymore. They know more than they need to at this point.

I contemplated leaving. Maybe just vanish and head out to null sec or something. Find a wormhole and see how long I could make it. But that would be hiding. It's not something he wanted to do. Maybe it would be best to just face them and live with it. If they really are his friends, then they wouldn't make a big deal. Maybe they just need time to sort out their thoughts and things will go back to normal.

Maybe this stupid war would end and I could get back out and mine...