SCASSSS - Hi-Sec Screenshots

As a -10 piwat I rarely ever visit hi-sec. I certainly don't hang around to enjoy the view! However it's a pity as it can be real gorgeous in those amazing nebula!

The Worker - Part 3

Fiction Friday. Two escape pods. Help out one of our own here, a guy that does a tremendous amount for the community. Also if you're going to Fanfest, how about a the best T-shirt ever!


The Worker - Part 3

Ragnar stared at his datapad. He couldn't believe it. He thought with Fanason at the salvage controls they'd get some good stuff from the strategic cruiser wreck but he never imagined this. A lot of the items on the cargo manifest he'd never seen before. Capacitor consoles and intact armour plates didn't even have a price on his local market. These were traded by capsuleers for ISK. There was also ship modules and even some drones. They were rich.

The next jump was uneventful. No Sansha, no capsuleers, no Serpentis. As they entered warp towards the regional stargate Fanason got up from the console and almost snatch the datapad out of the Captain's hands as she walked past.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Sorry, need this to reprogram the transponder before we jump out of null. What do you want this flying scrapheap to be called?"

"What about 'How the Fuck Did We Manage That?' as an option?"

"OK 'The Lucky Escape' it is then!" she replied as she left the bridge.

Mairanard manned the helm as Fanason went to engineering. They monitored some of the local news channels. Spokespersons from the regional government, navy and even the Sisters of Eve relayed the terrifying stories of the Sansha incursion.

"So she doesn't want a cut of the loot?" Mairanard stated as the news swapped to the coverage of the capsuleers attacking the Nation's staging areas.

"She was just desperate to get out of there. She also highlights she's a wanted felon by the Feds. If we give her money it might be traceable. Bang! We just helped a wanted felon and got 10 to 20 on a 'roid penal colony. However I have an idea." the Captain replied as the ship started to drop out of warp. At that moment Fanason returned.

"OK transponder has been spoofed but we'll be caught if we go anywhere near hi-sec. We'll need to dock at a larger station and then it'll take a couple of days of laying low until the Sisters find our escape pods and classify the ship as lost. On close inspection it'll be clear this ship is not what it says it is but they are unlikely to be able to connect it to the old name."

Ragnar nodded. They needed to get to a trade-hub to deal the salvage and that meant hi-sec. Not a great place to be when there is likely a large reward for information on your whereabouts still. The next system had an outpost but just like the one where they found Fanason, it was small. Not a good place to hide.

-o0o-

The jump into low-sec brought the huge green Gallente nebula much closer. Ragnar had thought about Fanason's plan to head to the nearest low-sec system. She was right, they didn't want to linger in null. The sparsely populated space was not a place to hide in, they needed crowds they could disappear into. They stopped off briefly at a small outpost for supplies but did not linger. It was almost certain the Serpentis would have a reward out on them.

"Captain. I've got some ships on scan at the next gate. Looks like a camp." Fanason said as she leaned over the console.

Gate camps were common in low-sec. Pirates, capsuleers, pirate-hunters. The gang there might completely ignore them, or they might attack. It was impossible to know. The ship shuddered as it dropped out of warp.

"Shit!" Mairanard excalimed as the viewscreen showed a number of Serpentis ships.

"What do we do? Run?" the Captain asked.

"No. They've seen us. We need to take them out." Fanason replied frantically working at the console.

"What? Yes you capsuleers are good but the ship is unarmed. What we going to do? Shout 'pew pew' out of an airlock?"

"I made a few changes whilst we were docked. Remember that strategic cruiser we looted and salvaged? Well when we were docked I moved some bits around!"

Suddenly the viewscreen went red as Fanason brought the ship into combat mode. Ragnar had never used these systems. He looked at the drone control systems. Gone were the salvage drones, replaced by the looted 'Augmented Warrior' class combat drone.

The Captain and his quasi-first officer looked on in amazement as Fanason worked. There was nothing they could do. Three Thorax class attack cruisers should have made mincemeat out of them. They headed for the gate as their combat drones destroyed the first ship. Alarms sounded as their shields started to fail under the blaster and railgun fire of the pirates. Ragnar looked nervously at the readouts as the armour took heavy damage.

"Erm, you're scratching the paint a bit." he joked nervously.

The seconds cruiser exploded in a fireball as more alarms sounded. Ragnar watch as she gave the drones new orders whilst trying to keep the ship in one piece. He was aware Mairanard had moved close and was gripping his arm.

"Almost there!" Fanason muttered to herself. Structural alarms sound as the last pirate ship turned to warp away.

"Oh no you don't." their mortal capsuleer hissed. A fireball burst from the rear of the cruiser which appeared to start a chain-reaction. The lights on the stricken ship flickered and went out as it drifted away. Fire burning from every port on the destroyed ship.

"Right, lets jump, get to the station and see about a respray." Fanason smiled.

-o0o-

It was cramped in the small Captain's quarters with the three of them. Ragnar and Mairanard were registered as Captain and First Officer in the Gallente ship records. A facial-scan would give their true identities away. This wouldn't matter with the station authorities, they were not wanted. However it was likely the Serpentis were monitoring everything they could hack into. This station was an obvious stopping point and likely the syndicate had agents here looking. Linger and Ergrad were not so registered so remained on the ship and had access to the station. It was a gamble that any inspection team would buy a crew of three. However this was low sec, and unlikely that they would be that thorough.

"I really need to buy some more clothes." Fanason grumbled as she exited the bathroom. She was still wearing the same clothes she had been wearing when she picked up the Captain. At least they fitted. Ragnar had sent them to be cleaned and she'd been wearing some spare clothes of Mairanard which were five sizes too large.

"I don't know. I kind of like that outfit." Ragnar laughed.

"Yeah. That's kinda the point when you are in my profession. Or should I say ex-profession."

"What's your plan when we get to high-sec?" Mairanard asked trying to change the subject.

"First is to get that chip out of my back. The Serps cannot use it to track me off the old station but it might be detected if I get too close to any of them. Actually these clothes are still needed. I need to find a good surgeon who will accept an alternative payment method." she laughed.

"We can pay for that!" Mairanard quickly suggested.

"No. You cannot do anything for me that could be traced back to you by the Feds. You are taking a big enough risk helping me escape. I can never repay you."

Mairanard laughed. "You repay us? If it wasn't for you we'd be mindless zombies in Sansha Kuvakei latest perverted vision of a eutopia! Here have a drink!"

Fanason smiled and accepted the offering. It was good quality Gallente vodka and after the earlier engagement they all needed a drink. Sitting on the sofa Fanason asked Ragnar and Mairanard their plans for the future. The Captain explained he was going to trade-in the Noctis and buy a industrial hauler. No more chasing wrecks. With the cash they'd make from the salvage he could get a good ship and a decent crew and haul. Mairanard said she'd had enough of life in the space-lanes.

"Find both a nice planet and a nice man hung like a Matar stallion and retire really early!" she laughed.

"Really? Settle down? Planet-side?" the Captain said in surprise.

"Come on Captain. It's been a wild ride but this run has brought it into perspective. We've nearly been abducted by the Nation and almost vented into hard vacuum twice by pirates in the space of 72 hours. You said that salvage is worth millions of ISK right?"

"Right."

"And that will convert to tens of millions of Federal Credits?"

"Yes."

"Split between the five of us?"

"Four of you." Fanason corrected.

"So whilst its an exciting life, I can see peace and tranquility in my retirement. Not many of us get to retire in our late 20's but I'm going to be one of them!" Mairanard finished raising her glass. The other two joined in the toast.

"Wild untamable Mairanard settling down. I never thought I'd see the day." the Captain laughed. Fanason looked at Mairanard and raised a questioning eyebrow,

"Hey, I'm not retired yet. I still have a few more days to shock you Capt!"

With that she leaned over to Fanason and kissed her full on the lips. Fanason was too shocked to react. Mairanard pulled back slightly and smiled at her. Fanason returned the smile and wrapped her hand around the back of her neck and pulled her back in. The Captain looked on opened-mouthed as the two women shared a passionate kiss. Hands began to roam, small gasps of pleasure escaping lips as fingers wrapped around breasts and slid under clothing. Finally Mairanard pulled away a few inches and turned her head to the Captain. He'd seen that look before, a look of lust.

"Hey Capt. I think our hot-shot pilot here is wearing far too much. Want to give me a hand over here?"

The Captain rose from the chair and sat the otherside of Fanason, pulling her jacket off whilst kissing the side of her neck. Mairanard moved back in and slipped her tongue into the ex-capsuleers mouth.

"But not these!" Mairanard stated ending the kiss whilst running her hands up Fanason's legs. She traced the interface of the black lace and warm flesh at the top of her stockings with her thumbs. "These can stay on!"

Two hours later the Captain carefully untangled himself from the two sleeping women. Mairanard naked and Fanason wearing only the black lace-top stockings. Quietly he dressed and took a pair of scissors from the medical cabinet. Being careful not to wake either of the women her leant over and took a few strands of Fanason's hair and cut some free. He then silently went back to his ship.

-o0o-

A day later they looked at the SoE preliminary report on the Sansha Incursion. Hundreds of thousands abducted including everyone from the outpost they had left. Over two thousand ships lost either destroyed or taken by the Nation. The Captain looked at the list dispalyed on the big screen. There was his ship. Registered as destroyed by the Nation.

"Well its time to head for hi-sec I guess." Ragnar stated.

Mairanard and Fanason nodded and stood.

"No, you two are staying here!"

The two women looked at him in shock.

"Before you start, listen. Its one jump to high-sec. Me and Linger and Ergrad can do that and get to Dodixie. We'll sell the salvage and check on the situation. We'll be back in 48 hours. You two sit tight."

With that he turned and left, not allowing any arguments on the matter.

-o0o-

Two days later Ragnar returned in shuttle. The salvage had been very good and they were now rich. He was not going to take no for an answer so had made plans to reward Fanason for saving them. He docked in the station and ordered the docking crew to take his small cargo to deck 14. He tipped well to make sure it got there. He sent a message to a contact on the station he'd spoken to the day before telling him to get the room set up as requested. It was all going to plan.

As neared the door to the captain's quarters he wondered what he'd find inside? Would they be....?

A hulking Matari Brutor carrying a stun baton was certainly not what he was expecting to find as he opened the door. Before he could react his world went black.

The freezing water thrown in his face brought him round. Ragnar was tied to a chair. They were in some sort of old store room. Mairanard and Fanason hung by their wrists in the centre of the dank room.

"Morning Captain!" a woman walked around in front of him. She was Gallente, mid-20's and he could guess who she was.

"What a shame you ignored our messages. They could have prevent such unpleasantness."

"Yeah. Unfortunately I didn't have time to reply. You know, what with the fracking Nation trying to abduct us and everything."

The woman laughed.

"By the time we are finished you'll wish they had."

She pulled a metal cylinder from a pocket and dropped it his lap. He looked down at the strange device.

"It's a military-grade trauma injector. Soldiers use them on the battlefield. You hit the red button and four spike appear from the end. You then jam that into the gaping hole you or your buddy have. It fires a sterile expanding foam into the wound with coagulant agents and some nanites and drugs or something. Providing you're not hit in the head, heart or lungs, that thing will potentially save your life."

She then pulled a huge knife from her belt and walked up to where the two women hung.

"So Captain. You risked your crew's life for that slut over there? Any regrets on your decision making yet? Now you get to make your choice all over again."

The woman turned to face Mairanard who was sobbing. She begged as the woman pulled her t-shirt up exposing her midriff. The Captain joined in the protests as she gently ran the knife across Mairanard's stomach, tracing around to the side. She then plunged the knife into her abdomen eliciting a shrill scream.

"NO!" the Captain cried.

The woman then walked over to Fanason.

"May be I should have done this first and saved us the trouble!" she sneered before stabbing her deep in the side. Fanason screamed as the woman twisted and wiggled the knife cruelly this time, taking her time to inflict pain and suffering.

"OK let him go!" the woman ordered as she pulled the knife out.

The Captain felt the bonds holding his wrists together cut away. He grabbed the trauma injector and stood. Two hulking goons stood behind him, blaster pistols aimed at his face.

"Goodbye Captain. And best of luck with your decision!" the woman laughed as she left the room quickly followed by her thugs.

Ragnar looked down at the injector and then at the two woman hanging in the centre of the room. Dark, almost black blood pumping from their savage wounds.

-o0o-

Ysater woke with a start. Something had happened, but what? She'd been on the ship. It had been three days since she'd dispatched that slut that made Tuvan cheat on her. It had been big news. Disgraced Federal Navy capsuleer found dead from vicious stab wound. That Captain had chosen the save his crewmate. She knew he would.

Looking around it appeared to be a small quarters. Not a cell. Why was her memory so fuzzy. An attack. Yes, they'd been attacked. Some random egger. She'd got to the escape pod. The escape pod had been tractored! She'd been captured. Why would a capsuleer capture her?

She stood on woozy legs and looked down. She was naked. Moving over to the wardrobe she found five sets of identical outfits. The underwear and shoes were the same style.

"No. It cannot be!"

She looked at the slutty outfits, fit for a cheap hooker. It was revenge, but how.

Her datapad was on the side blinking. She picked it up ignoring the notification and went to call her HQ. The datapad wouldn't connect. It was disconnected. She looked at the notification. A video file. She played it.

"Hello Ysater." the woman said. Ysater had no idea who it was.

"This face and this body is new so you are probably wondering who I am. All I will say that you tried to ruin my life and in doing so I met some special people. Hours before you killed me a man who had become my friend returned from high-sec with two surprise presents for me. First was a fast shuttle. The other was far more special. By sneaking some of my DNA he arranged for a new compatible body with implants. I died, but they were able to get my body to a scanner in time. Before my neural patterns had started to break down. So the tables are turned. However I am not vindictive. There is no tracker implanted on you, no orders to the outpost management that I'll hunt them down and kill their families if they let you leave. The shuttle price to get off that outpost is fifty thousand credits. Once you've earnt that you're free. I've even paid your first three days of rent and food to allow you to settle before starting work. I'm afraid its not cheap living there."

The video stopped with the words "VIDEO DELETED" flashing in big red letters.

"SLUT!" Ysater screamed.

She sat on the bed continuing to swear to herself. She was going to get revenge.

-o0o-

Ysater walked down the deserted corridor teetering in the high heels. The skirt was too short and too tight and the halter-neck top showed more than it covered. She'd stayed in the small quarters all day trying to think of an alternative. In the end she'd accepted she'd been left with no choice. However as she could leave she'd simply find an acceptable Captain and offer to be his companion until she got back to civilization. The problem was there was nobody about and no signs to direct her. She was wandering lost. Finally she turned the corner to see two men stood talking. They turned to look what the movement was and both froze, their jaws hanging slack. They were almost drooling as she reached them.

"Where do the Captains drink here?"

"Erm.... what?" one asked not taking his eyes from her chest.

"The starship captains. There must be a bar they frequent."

"We's only got the one bar missy. Its in sector 3a!" said the other, similarly staring at her breasts.

"Finally" she thought to herself "Some useful information!"

"And how does one get off the this rock?"

"Wells a miss. You gotta buy a seat on the supply ship. Its fiddy large you know."

"Yeah, yeah I know!"

"You want us to show you the bar miss?"

"Yeah, lead the way!" she said rolling her eyes as the two 'special cases' turned. She thought it was just her luck for the first people she runs into to be two simpletons.

Finally they started to see more people as they reached what looked to be the main area of the outpost. Each one looked at her in total shock. It wasn't until they'd passed a dozen that she realised they were all men. Mostly labourers she judged.

"What is this outpost?" she asked her guides warely.

"Dis is the best veldspar mining outpost in the constellation!" one said.

"Dats because its the only mining outpost in the constellation!" the other finished, bring a laugh from both of them. Obviously a well used joke in these parts.

"So you get ships coming all the time to haul the ore out right?" she said as they continued into a sort of market street.

"Ships? Nah. The 'roid belt is unstable. We fire the mined ore in rockets out to be collected like doz egger customs things collect. Also stops people leaving before their time is up. Here we are!" one announced.

Ysater looked in horror. The one bar looked dilapidated from the outside. As they walked in she found it was no better on the inside. As she entered the entire bar fell silent. Dozens of muscled, filthy miners looked at her in amazement. 

"Rockets? But you said you can get off when the supply ship comes! So ships do dock right?"

"Yeah, the supply ship does dock. Its the only one and they only do it so often as it's dangerous you see."

Ysater glanced around. Dozens of lustful eyes were on her.

"How often does it come?" she asked.

"Once a year."

She let out a sob. Pausing to think what that could mean.

"When is the next one due?" she asked dreading the answer.

"Well, dat last one came in yesterday miss. I thought it musta brought you as we not seen anyone as purty as you before."

"Or any girly here actually thinkin' about it." the other stated matter-of-factly.

A scream of anger and frustration broke the tense silence of the bar.

The end.

I Voted and Not for Drumph!

I'm not really feeling the CSM election season this year in any way shape or form. Its all very, well as far as I am concerned...

However I suppose I should do like a good Eve fan-boi and actually vote. Here are the six I voted for!

Joffy - My playstyle. Current corpie.
Mr Hyde113 - Same as above, ex-Corpie and PvP'r.
Fuzzy Steve - 3rd Party Apps and current CSM'r.
Gorski Car - Voted for him previously. My playstyle.
Nashh Kadavr - OOG Events and PvP + Lowsec.
Chiimera - Had a pint with him in Heathrow Airport once.

AoE Reps?

Lise Moon over at http://tailsofanexplorer.blogspot.co.uk/ Tweeted over the weekend about an idea of a new remote rep module that worked like a smartbomb.

Thought on new modules. how about rep bombs?... like smart bombs but they rep. what do you guys think?@eveonlinenewz #eveonline #tweetfleet

— Lise moon (@lisemoon07) February 28, 2016

I think potentially there are some options here. Many games feature an area of effect heal. Not as powerful as a targeted one, but can cover several members at one. However, when I thought about it I wondered how useful it would be in Eve Online.

Firstly apart from bombs and smartbombs there aren't as many AoE weapons in Eve.... yet. Also in a fleet fight, providing the FC and fleet members are doing their job right, they will be focusing fire on a primary. Therefore in the enemy fleet there should only be one target taking damage at any one time. So when you look at it that way, an AoE rep module isn't as useful as you might first think it might be. Some FW scraps in plex can certainly involve damage being spread. In this case it tends to be frigate and destroyer heavy with lots of brawling. An AoE rep will heal your friends... and your foes.

I did caveat the prevalence of AoE damage weapons in Eve with a "yet" in the above. One of the ideas for the Citadel expansion was to have AoE torpedos for starbase defense. The idea behind these sound like they are basically bomb launchers but rather than having a timed explosion set to pop at a certain distance, they'd detonate like a regular torpedo on impact with a locked target. In this case an AoE rep module could be the counter to AoE torpedos coming from citadels if you do not want to spread your fleet out. It might also be useful for the new titan doomsdays which carves through space between two set distances. Of course the usefulness is completely depending on the damage done by this weapon (if it insta-pops every non-capital it hits AoE heals are not really an issue).

Therefore I think in the future AoE rep modules could be a good idea but we need to see how the citadel AoE torpedos and new Titan doomsdays affect combat first.

SCASSSS - Drifter Boosters

Some new boosters have appeared on SiSi.....

Scanning this object reveals a substance that could be used like a neural booster. This complex chemical has some similarities to boosters used to improve capsuleer performance with capacitor manipulation.

Given that the substance appears to be of Drifter origin, and exhibits some very unusual properties at the quantum level, using it as a booster should be considered carefully.

There are five varieties giving 8% boosts to Capacitor, Tracking Speed, Armour or Shield Repair Amount and Missile Flight Time that are current on the market. Not a huge boost compared to the 30% bonus of existing Strong Boosters however, these have no side effects.

The Worker - Part 2

Fiction Friday - Escape pod here!

The Worker - Part 2

The main hangar was chaos. Many crews were preparing their ships for launch. Others seemed hesitant probably hoping to ride out the incursion in the outpost. Ragnar strode purposely towards his own ship, the two women following close behind. He saw the others from his crew standing outside the ship near the personnel hatch which was hanging open. They all turned to face him as he approached. It was funny, he thought the next time he had to face them he'd have a dozen angry men and women. All unhappy about the pay for the last trip. Instead he saw twelve faces etched with fear. Falling victim to Sansha's Nation being a more pressing matter than the size of the last pay packet.

"Captain. What we going to do?" Ergrad asked as they neared.

Ergrad was his chief engineer, a fellow Matari and resident miracle worker on the aging Noctis industrial.

"We're making a run for it. Its risky and if anyone wants off the crew that's up to you. However we're going to make for the gate and try and get clear."

"Make a run for it? In THAT?" Linger said pointing her thumb at the ship over her shoulder. Linger was their science officer and worked closely with Ergrad. The Captain believed they worked very closely in fact.

"Its what we've got. You can stay here, the Nation might leave this outpost alone but I think that's unlikely. Making a run for it is our only chance."

"It's not a chance Captain. Its suicide." Ergrad protested. "If we had a frigate or a 'ceptor we might have a chance. A Leopard could make it even. But in that? It turns only slightly faster than a Charon!"

"Normally I'd agree with you but we've got a little bit of help on our side. Oh and if you decide to board you should also know we're about to piss off the Serpentis Syndicate at the same time, so we'll have them on our tail as well."

"You're kidding? The Nation and the Serps? Wait, who's the skirt? Looks like a high-class hooker!" Linger remarked looking around the Captain at Fanason.

"Her? She's a high-class hooker and the reason the Serps will be after us."

Fanason put her hands on her hips and glared at Ragnar.

"Well you are!" he offered in way of apology, shrugging. "Look, that's the situation. Stay here and cross your fingers or risk it on our manually-capsuleer-piloted flying scrapyard. I don't care! I'm leaving." the Captain said turning towards the open hatch.

"Wait? What did you say? Capsuleer piloted? Who's the capsuleer?" Ergrad asked.

"Her." the Captain said pointing at Fanason as he entered the ship.

-o0o-

Ragnar read the message on his datapad as he watched Fanason prep for launch.

Dear Captain.
This is an automated message. The scanners on the outpost have detected you have a woman on board. She is Gallente, 5'8", black hair, appears to be 26 years old. She is of interest to the Syndicate. She has either sneaked aboard your ship as a stowaway or negotiated passage by deception. Two squadrons of Serpentis warships will have been put on high alert simply because she is inside your docked ship. If you undock with her on board you will be hunted down and destroyed. An enforcement team will also be tasked with tracking down your immediate family. At this point we do not know if you have a wife and children, siblings or other close family. However if you undock we will find them and they will suffer for your actions.

The sender's address was hidden and there was no way to reply. Ragnar's parents were dead and he had no siblings. They would have no family to go after. Just him and his crew.

"How many did we loose?" he asked.

"Most of them. Only Ergrad and Linger are onboard. Rest are taking their chance on the outpost." Mairanard replied

"Can we do this with just the five of us?" Ragnar asked Fanason.

There was no answer. He looked over and she was at the main console, sat with her hands on the metal casing and her eyes closed. She looked so out of place, still wearing the clothes from last night where he'd met her in the bar. Dressed to seduce. Finally she opened her eyes and pressed the button for the intercom.

"Ergrad. Warp-drive calibration is off point two three negative. Reactor is also suboptimal. Increase temperature 45.7 kelvin and increase polarization by 6.6 hertz."

"Captain?" Ergrad's unsure voice replied.

"Do it." Ragnar commanded.

It was twenty more agonising minutes before they undocked. Ragnar had been telling Ergrad what changes to make and now she was finally happy. The Captain looked at his terminal in disbelief. The power output was higher than he'd ever seen. The engine efficiency was through the roof and his shields were 30% stronger than before. All she did was rest her hands on the hull and she was able to do more than their own AI diagnostics tools. Capsuleers were not natural he concluded.

By the time they undocked the outside of the station was quiet. Everyone had already run. The Noctis slowly aligned to the distant stargate as the Captain's datapad vibrated. Another message.

Dear Captain.
It would appear that you have not heeded our last message. Serpentis warships have been dispatched to intercept you. I would advise you redock and throw the trash from your ship. Trust us. Your family will thank you for it.

The ship shuddered as it entered warp. The Captain hoping the incursion will put off any Serpentis fleet. The journey to the stargate took less time than it had done when they had first arrived two weeks ago. The warp drive now operating at peak efficiency. Ragnar heard Mairanard gasp as the warp tunnel collapsed. There in front of them was the huge stargate, buzzing around were several Nation warships. The menacing spikes making them look almost medieval.

"Distance to gate?" the Captain asked.

"5k" Fanason replied.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. Usually they dropped out of warp some 15km from the gate. The navicom unable to safely drop from warp any closer. He knew capsuleers could drop their ships out of warp less than 2000 metres from an active stargate. Fanason was not in a pod though. However she was still able to do better than any normal captain he'd ever heard of. Threat indicators sounded as the Sansha ships locked them up but it was too late. Within seconds they were close enough and the gate activated, opening a tear in space-time. A wormhole that swallowed the Noctis and deposited them in a solar system several light years away.

"Oh shit!" Mairanard exclaimed as the systems reactivated after the jump and the viewscreen revealed the space outside. The incursion was also covering this system and a number of Nation ships laid in wait. "Well, thats us dead!"

"Fanason?" the Captain asked worriedly, agreeing very much with his second-in-commands assessment. Even with Fanason at the helm there was no way they'd escape.

"Cloak will hold for 50 more seconds thats all we need." she replied looking intently at the console.

When jumping through a stargate, the receiving stargate projected a temporary cloaking field on the ship. This allowed for all ship systems to be online after the jump and give the crew a fighting chance if there was trouble waiting for them. The Captain glanced at the timer. 20 seconds. He didn't know what Fanason was planning but they were almost out of time.

Suddenly there were five flashes. Ships dropping out of warp. He looked at the scanner readout. Serpentis! Likely the squad dispatched to intercept them. They were slightly late, obviously not expecting the speed at which they could travel with Fanason at the helm. There was a few seconds pause before all hell broke lose as the Sansha ships engaged the pirates. Space lit up with focused laser fire and missiles.

"Eject a few escape pods!" Fanason ordered as the cloak dropped and she aligned the ship, banking hard.

The Captain didn't question and jettisoned half the pods. With only five crew they didn't need all of them. They slipped into warp as the Sansha ships decimated the larger Serpentis force.

-o0o-

The Captain gazed out of the window. Space appeared tinged with green. They were floating 100km from an asteroid belt. A small structure floated next to them. The bridge was in darkness with the ship running in low-power mode. Even if someone arrived at the asteroid belt, there was a low chance they'd be spotted unless they were a capsuleer or running active scans. In a system under incursion it was highly unlikely.

"So that thing out there is blocking scans?" Mairanard asked as she looked out along side the Captain.

"Yes." Fanason replied. "Its a capsuleer mobile scan disruptor. There was probably also a mobile warp disruptor structure here as well when the trap was manned. They would sit in here hidden from scanners. Miners would scan the system, assume space was empty and warp to the asteroid field. Only they'd get caught in a warp disruption bubble and land here into an ambush. I noticed the Serpentis were enroute and also there was this 'hole' in the scan when we jumped in. Its the best location to hide out for now. We got lucky last time, I don't think we'll have a Serpentis gang to distract the Sansha and rescue us next time".

"So we just wait?"

"Captain. Even if we escape the Serpentis will try to hunt us down. Our best bet is to hide away until the Sisters arrive and pronounce us dead."

"What?" Mairanard asked in shock. The Captain laughed.

"That's why you told me to eject the pods. After the incursion finishes the Sisters of Eve will arrive to provide humanitarian aid. The gates will be full of the remnants of ships. The Sisters will find our pods, assume we are one of the remnants of the wrecks and log us as lost. The Serpentis will see this, check the logs and find no one was recovered and assume we died when the ship was lost or were taken by the Sansha. Brilliant!"

They opened some bottles of beer and sat on the floor in the middle of the bridge. Mairanard asked how Fanason had gotten here. She recounted the story she had told the Captain the night before.

"Wow. What a bitch!" Mairanard muttered after she'd finished.

"I was sleeping with her man. I suppose it was an over-reaction, but she cannot be blamed for all of it."

"So who were your worst clients?" Mairanard asked drawing a moan from the Captain. Fanason laughed.

"Its OK Captain, I don't mind talking about it. Veldspar miners were the worst. Usually they couldn't afford me but once in awhile they'd strike a rich roid and come up to the Bumped Titan with a fistful of credits. I'd double my fee and even then, urrrghhhh!"

The Captain and Mairanard laughed.

"Best Clients?"

"Caldari businessmen. Not only do they have the cash to splash, they also feel they have something to prove. The old Caldari-Gallente animosity means they want this Gallente woman to know they make better lovers. Therefore they really work for it. I rarely get off when working, but these guys are more interested in my 'O' than theirs most the time."

"Most surprising Client?"

"The station owner's daughter."

"WHAT?" Mairanard said spitting drink.

"Don't look at me like that!" Fanason laughed "She was a grown woman in her 20's!"

"How did that happen?" Mairanard asked interested.

"Well I was at the Bumped Titan and about to call it a night when I saw her enter. She was dressed up so I thought she was meeting a guy. She came to the bar, had one drink, paid and went to leave. As she walked past she slipped me a bit of paper. It had a room number on it. I'd never spoken to her even though I knew who she was. I thought she might have overheard something and wanted to tip me off. You know, the Serps were bored keeping tabs on me and had decided they wanted me killed in an accident or something. Anyway I get to the room and she's there. She gives me a wad of money and says she was back on mid-term break. The weekend before there'd been a party near the university she goes to. A group of drunk college dudes had dared her and her friend to kiss. They were drunk so did it. She enjoyed it a bit too much and was worried. Confused even. So she wanted to know."

"Wow!" Mairanard remarked. "So you're bisexual?"

"No. I'm buy-sexual. If you are paying for my time then I'll be whatever you want me to be! I prefer men, but woman are welcome."

Mairanard laughed again. "So did you confirm anything for her?"

"Next morning she thanked me for a good time and that she really enjoyed herself, but it was definatly men she liked and left. I always smile when I hear Hronn in the Bumped Titan talking about his little princess away at university. If only he knew she'd spent most the night with her head between my thighs comparing sex with me to college-jock-cock!"

"Enough!" said the Captain "I'm going to have enough trouble sleeping tonight as it is!"

The two girls fell about laughing as he stood up, trying not to show how the stories had been affecting him.

"Ergrad. What's the situation back there?" Ragnar asked into the the comms unit. There was a few seconds of silence.

"All good Capt. Reactor is sleeping soundly but I can have it to 75% power in twenty seconds. 90 within a minute. With such a low output we shouldn't be seen unless someone nearly bumps into us."

"Good. Just make sure you are ready if the time comes. I'm on first watch up here, one of you get some sleep."

The Captain turned back to Mairanard and Fanason and suggested that they grab some mattresses and blankets from the quarters. With such a limited crew they would need to sleep on the bridge. Mairanard also said she'd bring up some food from the galley. In about half an hour they had a small camp site set up in the corner of the bridge.

"I'll take first watch. Then Mairanard then you Fanason. Four hours each. We'll then look at making a run for it. OK?"

"You OK for first watch Captain? The effects of story-time mean you are still alert?" Mairanard giggled making Fanason laugh. The Captain just glared at her through half opened eyes.

"Get some sleep! I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be fun!" the Captain sighed returning to the console.

-o0o-

"What is it?" the Captain asked.

"Its a capsuleer fleet I think. Probably here for the incursion." Fanson replied looking at the scanner. She had moved the ship just outside the mobile scan inhibitors range and was scanning towards the stargate.

"What's the plan?" Mairanard asked.

"Its safe to assume if there were any Sansha warships either side of the gate the eggers have destroyed them. Look, they are warping away. I'll plot a course for the gate." Fanson replied.

"No!" said the Captain "Plot a course for that!" He pointed at the screen.

"You cannot be serious?" Fanason sighed.

"Can you tell me 100% the Serpentis are going to fall for the escape pod trick?"

Fanason shook her head.

"So we go there and get what we need. Remember its not just the Sansha we are running from!"

Fanason shrugged her shoulders and adjusted the course. The ship shuddered as it entered warp.

"You know if Sansha reinforcements or more capsuleers show up we'll likely die in a fire."

The Captain nodded as the warp tunnel on the main viewer collapsed and the stargate loomed in the distance.

"You're kidding me!" Mairanard groaned.

"Stop moaning and activate the damn salvager!"

To be concluded....

BB72 - Is This the Way to Jove Space?

Welcome to the continuing monthly EVE Blog Banters and our 72nd edition! For more details about what the blog banters are please visit the Blog Banter page.

Blog Banter 72 - This is the Road (map) to.....

This month's suggestion comes from Jakob Anedalle. 

"What do you think about using Sugar's recent blog post as a kickoff for a Blog Banter. I think it's a great open-ended topic:

http://www.lowseclifestyle.com/2016/02/your-ideal-roadmap.html"

You know what? That's all it needs. A great open ended topic!

Banter on!

I've always liked the old "Future Vision" video. You know, this one!

I'd like CCP to still be aiming for it. OK it's been a bumpy ride and so far the only success story from the three elements is the flying in space bit.

Flying in Space

Should remain top priority and to be fair CCP Seagull's roadmap probably doesn't need many tweaks. Ship balancing and module tiericide should be an ongoing process. Milestones should be included on any five year road map but it should be like painting any steel bridge. Once you've reached the end and completed it, it's time to restart again.

Our new Space Houses are going to probably be a main feature for the first two years of any 2016 roadmap. Remember the launch of the Citadel expansion in May time (I'm guessing) will only introduce the first of seven types of "Space House". Drilling Platforms, Observation Arrays, Laboratories and more are yet to come. These will trickle out over the next year to 18 months at a guess.

Then at the same time we have the capital rebalance. Carriers sending fighters 100's of kilometres to engage. Dreadnoughts using grapples and high-angle guns to murder battleships. Titans carving sub-cap fleets in half with their slicing doomsday.

New space has been talked about for ages and I think this will be Jove Space. New space, new rules. I had been worried about this new space simply becoming Goon HQ however with themittani.com now a commertial enterprise I think we'll see Goons-Lite. They are already emerging. We Don't Want to Ruin THE Game - We Want to... Be Your Friend and Sell You Stuff.

Walking in Stations
I've said this many times. We wanted WiS. We were excited for it. The CCP dropped the ball. Well, that's a bit of an understatement. The aftermath, the newsletter, the email. It tainted WiS. However I do believe that to be a truly immersive sci-fi simulator we do need more WiS. You know what my sell it to the masses? Well, I don't know if you know but VR is a big deal right now. CCP have had huge investment in its VR labs. What if WiS went VR? Corporation and Alliance offices? The actual NEX store where you can walk around and see the goods? The bars where you can buy boosters (after they have been taken off the market) and gamble. Now that would be immersive!

Boots on the Ground
I like FPS games. Call of Duty, Titanfall. I bought a PS3 for Dust in Beta. Hated it. Every few months after a major patch I'd update it and try it again. I wanted to like it. I'm a Eve fan-boi! I should like it. No, I didn't and couldn't as much as I tried. CCP need to learn lessons from DUST514 and also from those that have been highly successful. The aforementioned CoD, Titanfall and other spunkgargleweewee games as Yahtzee calls them. Take their best bits! Remember copying from one is plagiarism, copying from many is research.

Expanding into the Unknown
This is likely to be the topic for Blog Banter 73. What other genres could CCP move into. I have one I'd love to see... but lets save that for next month!

Blog Banter 72 - This is the Road (map) to.....

Welcome to the continuing monthly EVE Blog Banters and our 72nd edition! For more details about what the blog banters are please visit the Blog Banter page.

Blog Banter 72 - This is the Road (map) to.....

This month's suggestion comes from Jakob Anedalle. 

"What do you think about using Sugar's recent blog post as a kickoff for a Blog Banter. I think it's a great open-ended topic:

http://www.lowseclifestyle.com/2016/02/your-ideal-roadmap.html"

You know what? That's all it needs. A great open ended topic!

Banter on!


Contributors:-

BB #72: What's Your Roadmap?
BB72 - Mapping The Way
BB72 Roadmaps are Best Written in Pencil

Blog Banter 72–Road to nowhere

Blog Banter 72 – This is the Road (map) to…..

BB 72: Roadmap for me; roadmap for Eve

BB72 - Is This the Way to Jove Space?
Blog Banter 72: The roadmap to…
Blog Banter 72: EVE's Road Map & Future Features [OOC]

SCASSSS - News in the CQ

A fellow Eve player has got me into doing a bit of mixing. Over the weekend I was writing a blog post whilst listening to the mix I had done the night before. Excellent tunes, however my mixing of them is the musical equivalent of B-R. Anyway I'm on SiSi needing some screenshots in the CQ and the mixing is particularly terrible at this point. Hang on.... someone is talking about the Endurance ice mining frigate? Does superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold play Eve? What the....?

It was then I realised not only does Eve have sound... the TV in your CQ has sound and was playing a Scope news broadcast!

The Worker

Fiction Friday. Escape pod here!

The Worker

Ragnar pulled back on the throttle and the aging Noctis industrial vibrated as it slowed. The inertial dampeners were failing. Another expense he didn't need. He sent the docking request to the station and left the ship on autopilot. He looked over his spreadsheet and double checked the numbers. Two weeks out and a share for this run was worth just under a thousand credits. He'd lose crew here he knew it. He would need to hold off transferring the wages until the salvage had been offloaded. Once they knew they were only getting a grand for two weeks in deep space many would just walk away. The salvage had been poor quality. He needed to find a wreck of a capsuleer strategic cruiser or even a black-ops. He'd moved to this area as there had been a capsuleer war raging. However neither side had been willing to risk any expensive ships.

The docking request was accepted and Ragnar took control of the ship. May be if he gave the crew a couple of days shore leave it might help. He looked up the station services. A standard Matari deep-space outpost. If you had ore to process this was your place. If you were looking for fun, not so much. There were a number of bars and clubs listed, a hotel and a zero-G sports arena. Yes, he was going to lose crew on this dock. However on the bright side it would probably be a good place to find replacements. People desperate to get off this outpost in the arse-end of nowhere. The ship shook again as the outpost's tractor beams locked onto the ship and pulled it through the atmosphere shield. Within a few minutes the ship was secured.

At the dock he could see three MTACs waiting to offload the cargo. The docking process was finalised and the cargo bay doors opened. 5 minutes later he saw a notification that the buyer had transferred the funds. He hit the button to release the crew wages before heading to the captain's exit that led direct to the station quarters each captain was granted on docking. He didn't want to be around when the crew came complaining about the meager wages from this run.

-o0o-

The Rust Rinse was cold and refreshing. Probably the only saving grace of this outpost was that it served good Matari ale. Ragnar was sat in the "Bumped Titan", a bar in the executive hotel on the station. On a Gallente station it wouldn't even be rated as a three-star. However by Matari standards it was expensive. He could have gone to one of the cheaper bars but no doubt he'd run into some of his crew. Explaining it wasn't his fault that they hadn't got any quality salvage this run would have been a futile task. He was the captain and it would be seen as his fault. Fights would start and he'd need to make an example. Not tonight. He needed a drink.

"Anyone sitting here?" the voice spoke in Matari but Ragnar knew it was a Gallente voice. He turned to find a woman stood there smiling.

"Nope." he said cautiously.

The woman smiled and sat on the bar stool, turning slightly away from Ragnar as she tried to attract the barmans attention. Ragnar glanced around the room. There were several places she could have sat but she chose the seat next to him. He appraised her discreetly as she continued to look down the bar in the opposite direction. She was a classic True-Gallente beauty. He'd have guessed mid-twenties. Her hair was the shade of a blackhole and shone in the bars harsh light. She wore a black jacket with a sheer black skin-tight top below it. The deep V of the jacket revealed the edges of her lace bra and a hint of cleavage. The skirt was short but tasteful. The heels were bright red with a stiletto. High and deadly. Why would an attractive woman, dressed to kill, come to sit next to him? He could guess. In fact the way he felt right now, some company, even the type you pay for by the hour, would be a welcome distraction.

"So, are you a Captain?" she asked after she received her drink.

"What makes you say that." he replied.

"You don't look like like the usual business man who stays at this hotel. I've never seen you on the outpost before and it's a small outpost. If you were crew you'd be drinking on one of the lower decks where the booze is cheaper. Therefore probably Captain or high-level ships officer with the creds to spend looking for what pretends to be a classier establishment in this middle-of-nowhere dump of an outpost. I doubt you're an officer though. I've seen there are a couple of Ventures docked along with a Badger and a Noctis. None of those ships usually have a command crew, just a captain. Therefore you are likely to be the Captain of one of those ships."

"Well done. The Noctis. She's mine." he said with a smile. "Bit of a rust-bucket but she does alright by me."

"So, you looking for some R&R tonight?" she said turning slightly to face him. He glanced down as she uncrossed and recrossed her legs.

"I could be." Ragnar replied guardedly unsure if she was meaning what he thought she was meaning. The flash of lace stocking tops as she purposely crossed her legs almost confirmed it.

"I'm Fanason," she said extending a hand "and its 600 chips."

Ragnar laughed shaking her hand. "You don't waste much time do you?"

"What's the point? We could waste an hour making small talk. With your reaction I can tell you are not surprised what I am. However you might have been, and we'd have both wasted our time when it came to the real business."

"No, I'm not surprised. However I am drinking in this bar mainly to avoid my crew who are probably more than a little upset that the share for the last run was so bad. Hence, whilst I am sure you're worth every cred, 600 is out of my league."

"OK what you got?"

"200"

"No you don't." she said smiling "400."

"250"

"300"

"OK, Lets go!" Fanason said sliding off the stool.

-o0o-

Ragnar pressed his his thumb onto her datapad which beeped signaling that the transfer of funds was authorised. Fanason smiled at him, placed the datapad back in her bag and walked to a counter and placed her bag down. She turned around to face him and unfastened the buttons on her jacket letting it fall open slightly.

"Well Captain. I'm all yours" she purred.

He move quickly, covering the distance between them in seconds, pushing her against the bulkhead. His hungry lips finding hers. She returned the kiss with passion sliding a hot, wet tongue into his mouth. Ragnar's hand dropped down pulling her leg up and over his hip. She wrapped it around him, pulling him into her as his hand slid up her silk clad legs, over the lace tops and to the hot flesh above. His hand moved higher, pushing the unbuttoned jacket off her shoulders whilst he kissed and nibbled on her neck. She gasped in pleasure as he playfully nipped her.

He pulled the see-through top over her head, breaking the kiss momentarily before pushing her bra up over her breasts and dipping his mouth to them. His hands snaked around her back to pull her in close as he took a rock-hard nipple into his mouth eliciting a gasp from his lover. He felt something with his fingers as they traced up her spine. Something metal. "No" he thought "It cannot be." As his mouth worked on her breasts he moved his hands higher up her back. There was another and another, metal disks with holes set into her spine. The realisation hit him. He suddenly pulled back in fear. She gave him a weak smile.

"Look...." she started.

"You're a capsuleer." he said pointing at her with a shaking finger. "You're an egger. An immortal." Real fear etched on his face.

She shook her head slowly. "Not any more." she said sadly pulling her bra back down to cover herself.

The fear in Ragnar's eyes subsided slightly but he kept his distance.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I don't understand. You have the implants, the sockets!"

"Let me explain." she said sitting on the small bed and patting it to indicate he should sit next to her.

-o0o-

"I always wanted to fly, so I joined the Navy after college. During the initial testing it was found I was capsule-compatible. The minimum term is a lot longer if they put you through capsuleer training but what's 10 more years if it'll make you immortal. Things were good for a few years. Then it all fell apart. It was the outbreak of hostilities at the start of the Empyrean war. That bastard Heth had launched against Caldari Prime in Luminaire. I was part of the defense fleet trying to stop the invasion. It was total confusion. Caldari dropships trying to get to the planet mixed with all the civilian traffic. Command lost it and our squadron was ordered to fire on anything trying to reach the planet. I never signed up to blast Gallente families out of the sky. So I disobeyed a direct order and was ordered to return to the carrier. I knew what would happen if I complied and I was having none of it. I headed straight for low-sec. The bastards even sent a couple of 'ceptors after me. One of the planets in our home system was being invaded and they were bothered about me skipping? Anyway I got to Old Man Star and then deeper into low-sec. I was low on ammo when I came across a Serpentis outpost. I was out of options. I contacted them and spoke to their commander. From then on I was no longer a Lieutenant in the Federal Navy. I was a smuggler. The Serpentis were happy. An 'Egger' running their product. It was all going well. Not the career I'd chosen and not one I was happy with. However running product for the Serpentis was better in my opinion than firing antimatter charges at civilians, the same civilians that I had sworn an oath to protect. The Feds had put a bounty on my head but the Serps provided protection for me. I wouldn't say it was going well at that time, but it was better than the alternative.

Then I fracked up, I fracked up massively. I got involved with someone I shouldn't have. Anyway his girlfriend was a local Serpentis commander. When she found out she went nuts. He was flushed out of an airlock. However she didn't want that fate for me. They used a stun baton to fry my implants. I have never felt so much pain. Two of her enforcers held me whilst a third one fried each in turn as she stared into my face smiling. Those sockets on my back are useless. I cannot jack into a capsule anymore. Fried beyond use. They then flew me out here to the arse-end of space and dumped me on this station. She knew exactly what she was doing. There are no real jobs here, it's a poor station. Only way to survive is to sell the only thing I have. This is my punishment, selling myself to salvagers and miners deep in null-sec."

Ragnar looked shell-shocked.

"Surely a captain would give you a ride back to low-sec for.... you know."

She laughed.

"Yes I'm sure they would. Unfortunately they thought of that. Before I was dumped here they implanted a small tracking device within whats left of my implants. If I step on any ship in the dock the Captain of that ship gets an automated message saying if he undocks with me still onboard they intercept him and destroy his ship. I could easily bater passage back to civilisation, but no Captain is going to risk going to war with the Serpentis over a good lay. The medical facilities here are laughable. No way of getting the tracker out of my back either without risking paralysis. My only chance is to save up, buy an old frigate and make a run for it myself. However, that bitch knew what she was doing when she left me here. With business as it is here I'll never save enough.

"But surely you could get one of the top jobs on the outpost here. The owners would kill to have an ex-capsuleer heading up their C&C surely? Must be better than..." Ragnar's voice trailed away.

"She thought of that too. The owners have been warned if they give me a proper job they'll get a visit from one of their enforcement teams. Not just them, their family too. Best job I can get on the outpost is a cleaner with one of the contractors which will just about cover rent and food in return for scrubbing toilets. Yeah, she won."

Ragnar shook his head.

"That's just...evil." he said pausing to find the right word.

"It is what it is. Now, if you're finished with my full background, I have to work for that frigate!"

She pushed him backwards and he fell onto the bed. Climbing on top of him she removed her bra and leaned forward, hovering her breasts just over his lips.

"So, where were we?" she said with a smile.

-o0o-

The buzzer woke Ragnar  with a start. Someone was furiously hammering on the door too. He glanced over and Fanason was still asleep. He slipped from the bed and groggily made his way over. He looked at the viewscreen set into the door controls. Mairanard was there. She was sort of his second in command on the Noctis. The ship didn't really need an XO but she was the closest he had. He opened the door.

"About fracking time!" she growled storming inside.

"Come on in!" he muttered sarcastically.

"Ah I see by your company not everyone was so poorly paid yesterday." Mairanard sneered looking at Fanason who had been woken by the commotion and was sat up holding the sheet to cover her naked body.

"Cut the shit Mairanard I'm not in the mood. You know the rules, the Captain should get two shares, you get one and a half, everyone else one. I took less than one in the end so you got more than me. I cannot believe you're storming in here at this hour to bitch about pay when you of all the crew should know how shit the last run was."

Mairanard turned to face him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not here to bitch about pay. I'm here because you're not answering your god-damn datapad!"

"Its on silent. I had, have, company! What's the fracking crisis? The bar run out of rum?"

"CRISIS?" Mairanard screamed! "You have no fracking idea!"

She stomped over to the desk and hit the control for the vid-screens. The room was bathed in red light almost instantly as the holographic screens appeared.

"Oh shit!" Ragnar exclaimed as he read the headlines. The word everyone feared in this day and age was plastered across the top of the main screen. 'Incursion'.

"Whilst you're doing your bit for Matari/Gallente relations, the fracking Nation have dropped in and are currently destroying anything in space as they systematically raid the planets! Has the blood transferred from your little head to the big one in sufficient volume that you can come up with some sort of plan to prevent us from all being turned into fracking space-zombies?"

Ragnar paused.

"We fly out of here!"

"Oh fracking great! Yeah, fly out of here in that slow-ass Noctis. The Sansha will have a field day on us! No way we can outfly them! A Reverent could catch us in that thing!"

"No, we can't outfly them. But a Capsuleer piloting at the helm might be able to!"

"Shit! You really do need a blood shunt between your heads! It's not even a capsuleer capable outpost. So where the frack are we going to find a capsuleer out here that wants to manually pilot our rust bucket?"

Ragnar turned and looked to Fanason. Mairanard turned too, wondering what he was looking out. She looked at the darked-haired Gallente woman in her Captain's bed.

"No way!" she exclaimed in shock.

"I'll get dressed." Fanason said quietly.

To be continued...

CSMeh

Firstly vote Joffy Aulx-Gao!

Secondly, I'm really not feeling the CSM elections this year. Not in the slightest. I don't know what it is. The last few CSM's have had their share of controversy. Whatever the reason I'm really meh about the whole thing. Lets have a look on the CSM Campaign Page.

Who?
Who?
Xenuria. Oh that guy who was asking the questions at fanfest. Next!
Who?
Bobmon of Eve News 24.
No idea.
No idea.
Who?
Who?
Who?
Blah, blah, blah.
VOTE JOFFY!
Who?
Who?
This one is so unknown they didn't even add their name to the thread title!
Rest of page 1 I have no idea and no inclination to read them.

Page 2 highlights I spot are Nashh Kadavr, Chiimera and Gorski Carr. Page 3 yields Steve Ronuken (ZOMG a CSM X going for re-election) and Gevlon Goblin before we reach the locked threads from October. I know these names from the community and/or sharing a pint in Heathrow Airport and/or trying the Morpheus headset group at Fanfest 2014.

2016 has been a crap start to the year for me. I've not been following the CSM lobbying very closely. However, where is Sugar Kyle? I think Mike Azariah said X would be his last which is a shame.

The candidacy period closes today with voting in ten days time. Voting for who? Apart from Joffy (VOTE JOFFY) I have no idea. Am I missing something? Where are the rest of CSM X?

I got to this point and really don't know what to say (other than vote Joffy). I know I've been out of it for last couple of months but seriously. What's going on here?

I'll keep this short and hope someone can fill me in on the comments! Anyone like to offer an explanation to what's going on?

SCASSSS - Black Hole?

Needed a screenshot on SiSi so logged on and was wondering what the hell was going on here! Planets aren't usually egg-shaped right?

It would appear the Tactical Camera can cause some interesting views! Don't know if its only with ultra-wide monitors or all screens make it look things at the edge are getting sucked into a black hole!

The Red Light - Part 3

Fiction Friday! Escape pod here!

Final part following on from last week.


The Red Light - Part 3

Ahka looked above the dance floor focusing on a pulsing red light. Suddenly he was no longer in a bar on the Gallente battleship that rescued him. He was back in that escape pod, freezing and waiting for death whilst staring at that warning indicator.

"There you go!"

Her voice broke Ahka out of his waking dream. A strange green cocktail was sat in front of him. He eyed it suspiciously.

"It's a Jovial Jovian.. Its nice! Try it." she smile.

Ahka picked up the drink and sipped it. His focus now back on the two Matari on the dance floor. Matari without glave collars or a Vitoc addiction. Free Matai. Dangerous Matari.

"You seem a bit preoccupied with Hrast and Vunstede."

"What? No. I'm just..." Ahka stuttered. Ashamed at where the conversation might go from here.

"Look, we might not approve of your culture's treatment of Matari but you don't have to worry about them."

He wasn't sure. Slaves were a part of life in the Amarrian Empire. His household had them, the ship he served on had them. Whilst he had not met his future wife, he knew she was the daughter of a farming family and had tens of thousands of slaves. However if he ever saw one of those slaves without their collar or the look of Vitoc addiction he would run. He'd heard too many stories about what had happened when his kind had got careless with slaves. No, he just needed to avoid them tonight. Tomorrow they were to dock in a station where he could get an InterBus shuttle back to the Empire. He'd been able to contact his family already. They would have a ship waiting for him. His funeral service had been cancelled and the wedding was back on. It was a time for celebration back home.

"Want to dance?"

Ahka at her looked in shock.

"I said want to dance not be flushed out of the airlock!"

He shook his head!

"I know you've never been kissed. Don't tell me you've never danced!"

"Not... not like this!" he protested gesturing to the dance floor where the crew writhed and grinded into each other. "And not with a... a... a..."

"With a what?" she smiled at his discomfort.

Ahka searched for the right word.

"Dances in my world are more formal." he said trying to explain. "The lightest of touch of hands and there must be a minimum of 30cm separation."

"We're not in the Empire now Amarrian!" she laughed jumping to her feet and dragging him up.

Ahka was sweating. All around him couples danced this strange Gallente way. No separation. No holding of hands. It was clearly sexual. However he wasn't horrified by what he saw, or what he was starting to do. May be it was the drink. May be it was the music. Ahka started to move. His companion smiled. She twisted and backed into him. Her hands moved behind and grabbed his wrists forcing his hands onto her hips. She pushed against him. In his 22 years Ahka had never been this close to a woman who wasn't a relative. He felt his body betraying him. She turned her head, he expected her to have a disapproving look. She didn't. She smiled and grinded harder into him keeping his hands pinned to her hips.

They danced like this for several songs before his partner indicated she wanted a drink. They weaved their way through the dancefloor back to the bar.

"You dance well to say you've never danced before." she smiled.

"I have danced before!" he protested. "Just not like that. On my planet that would get you arrested!" he said with a laugh.

The barman came over and she leaned over to speak to him over the noise of the thumping music. He heard only a couple of words. "Booth" and "bottle". The man nodded and walked away. A few seconds later a woman appeared with a silver bucket with a bottle in it and gestured them to follow her.

Ahka looked at his companion quizzically. She was busy tapping something out on her datapad as they walked. She looked up and saw him.

"Time for some chillout!" she responded.

He nodded but felt slightly disappointed. He'd been enjoying the Gallente dancing.

The woman with the bucket led them to a row of booths. There were no chairs, just thick rugs and cushions on the floor. He sat down and the woman placed the bucket on the floor along with a tray of glasses.. As she left she unhooked a chiffon curtain that fell across the front of the booth. His companion poured two glasses and passed one to him.

"To your last night on a Gallente ship!" she toasted.

He clinked his glass against hers.

"Its been an education." he smiled.

"Its not over yet!" she said returning the smile.

Ahka saw two figures approaching. Through the fine material he couldn't make out who they were. A hand appeared in the gap in the curtain and pulled it to one side. It was the two Matari women. He quickly scampered back away from the opening in fear. The three women started to laugh.

"Calm down Amarrian! They are here for a drink! Stop being so... well.... Amarrian!"

He slowly returned to the centre as the two Minmatar woman sat and grabbed a glass filling it with the clear spirit. One of the said something he didn't understand.

"What did she say?" he asked nervously.

"She said your fairly cute for an Amarrian." his companion replied before saying something back to the Matari woman. Whatever it was made the woman put on a comedy pout.

"What did you say to her!" Ahka said wanting to know why the Matari woman put the pout on.

"I said she was out of luck. You were promised in marriage to another woman and that she'd be disappointed anyway as you've not even kissed before."

Ahka looked horrified. The three women burst out laughing.

"Don't get upset Amarrian!" his companion said picking up the bottle and refilling his glass. We're only having fun with you."

Ahka nodded and drank. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

-o0o-

The next two hours flew by. It was difficult with his companion having to translate everything but he had to admit he was enjoying himself. The two Matari women really did not bear him any ill-will and seemed generally interested in him.

They were onto their second bottle and were having a good time when one of the Matari women asked something and his companion shook her head dismissively.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." she said dismissively.

"No. Want to know. Really. I won't be angry!" he said his curiosity getting the better of him.

"If you really want to know she was asking if I had been telling the truth about the kissing thing."

Ahka blushed.

"I told her to leave it alone. She said it was a great loss for women."

Ahka blushed even more.

"Tell her thank you. However its the custom on my planet and I don't make the rules." he said with a smile.

She translated and the Matari woman nodded. Leaning forward she went onto her hands and knees facing him. Ahka gulped. Her ass was in the air, the tight black leather pants were skin tight. She slowly started to crawl towards him. The other two women smiled and watched. Ahka froze as she approached with an agonising slowness. The look on her face was pure lust. He was sure the slow predatory approach was leaving him the opportunity to back off or move away. He knew he should but he couldn't. He gazed at her lips, full and red as she neared. Sweat appeared on his brow. His hands gripped his legs to hide the shaking. Closer she neared, he could see down her top. Her full breasts were pale. She first placed her left hand outside his right knee. Then her right hand the other side. He could smell her perfume. She looked up at him and licked her lips as she started to rise. A voice inside Ahka's head screamed at him to back off. To move away. He couldn't. She was face to face with him now. He was breathing heavily. Fear, expectation, lust. He couldn't tell which emotion was the strongest. He closed his eyes as he felt her hand caress his cheek. He felt her breath on his lips. Still he didn't move. Then he felt her her lips gently touch his. The briefest of touches. A second later he felt the contact again. Longer this time. He responded back. He felt her hot wet tongue dip into his mouth. He could taste the vodka. She pulled back and he opened his eyes. She was there smiling. The other two girls had moved in close. The one that had just kissed him, his first real kiss, spoke again. He wished he'd learnt some Gallente in school.

"What did she say?" he asked, croaking the words out.

"She said it's a travesty that such a good kisser should be exclusively for only one woman ever."

Ahka smiled at that. A second later the other Matari woman placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her. She moved in quick before he could react. This kiss was different. More forceful, more passionate. When she broke away he turned to his Gallente guide to ask her to translate something for him. Before he could speak she too was kissing him. As she did he felt lips on his neck. The four melted down into the cushions. He felt someone grab his wrist, pushing his hand under clothing. His hand felt warm flesh. Something soft. Hands were all over him, clothing being loosened. Sin.

-o0o-

Captain Setiges stood at the observation window at the front of the huge battleship. She watched the small yellow InterBus shuttle undock from the large Gallente station. Footsteps behind signalled someone was approaching.

"We've been flying in circles for a week. Some 100mm ISK down. I hope it was worth it Captain."

Nimestre was her Executive Officer and was never scared of speaking his mind. She always like that in her officers. 'Yes' men and women had no place on her crew.

"So do I. However look at the big picture here. Initially we find a nobody Amarrian almost dead in an escape pod. However a bit of digging reveals he is to marry into the Sirin family. On their planet, one of the biggest slavers there is. The Sirin family has no sons and he is marrying the eldest daughter. When his father-in-law-to-be dies, he'll be head of the house. Think about it Nim. Think what we have done here. Will Ahka view the Matari in the same light again? When he owns 50 thousand Matari slaves how will he feel? If he does the right thing will it set an example to others? What if his experiences here have changed him. What if we showed him his dogma is wrong. He broke so many rules last night and still enjoyed himself. What if that sets in motion what we hope it will?"

The XO stayed quiet. Mulling it over.

"And all it took was our ship to do nothing for a week, you pretending to be a nurse and, well, the sacrifice Hrast and Vunstede had to make last night! I hope its worth it."

"Hrast and Vunstede have been very well compensated for their sacrifice. I clearly told them the plan and what they would have to do. They might rightfully hate Amarrians, but double-teaming one for a single night that could lead to vastly improving the lives of fifty thousand of their brothers and sisters? I told them if they said no it would in no way reflect on them. They both agreed without hesitation after I explained what might happen. Plus I think they got an extra kick out of corrupting one of the pious Amarrian assholes! Yeah they went back to his quarters and screwed him senseless, but what they may have achieved cannot be measured."

The XO shrugged.

"Well, time will tell. Time will tell."