A loving smile. [b]Blink[/b] Large hands and cigarette smoke. [b]Blink[/b] A big fluffy white dog barking. [b]Blink[/b] Strange men pinning Large hands and cigarette smoke to the wall. [b]Blink[/b] Loving smile [b]Blink[/b] wailing. [b]Blink Blink Blink Bli Bli Bi BBBBBBBB....[/b]
Darkness.
[i]I've never woken in a vat before. Strange. My head is killing me. Owwww... Where am I, and while we are on the topic... Who am I? The liquid is draining.[/i]
"Xer? Xer, can you hear me?"
[i]Xer. Thats me. Yeah, thats right. I am[/i]
"...Xer. Yeah, I am here. What happened?"
"Confusion is normal the first few moments. You will find your memories will come flooding back soon enough. It just takes a few moments for your neural pathways to reestablish themselves."
"Ah."
"So can we interest you in updating your clone? You were dangerously close to outgrowing this one."
"Sure."
"Right then. Sign here, here... Don't forget here. Oh, and here..."
"Hey Doc, is it... you know, normal to see crap right before having a clone activated?"
"I've encountered it a few times it post clone patients, but it isn't that common. Did you see your life flash before your eyes?"
[i]The bastard is trying to cover a smile. Fucker. Laugh at me.[/i]
"No, I saw your scrawny ass twisted into a position that the contortionists of Jita would envy. How about we cut the crap and get this over with."
And I used to be such a nice guy.
***********************************************************************************************
Things haven't gone as planned since I left the Republic School a few months back. To the utter horror of my teachers, I took a job flying odd jobs for the Amarr Navy and even signing on with a Corp Loyal to the Amarr state. My Matari forefathers rolled over in their graves I imagine.
After a few weeks doing odd mining protection jobs as a lookout for my new corp and moonlighting as an Amarr loyal assassin of my people and their republic supporters, I was on the receiving end of a corporate takeover and found myself working as a bootlegger for an alliance in 0.0. The work was good, and free beer is never a bad thing, but the job was.... lacking. Shoot him, don't shoot him. Give that dumb ass slowboating industrial pilot free reign even if he is a prime candidate for a podding.
Bah I say. I wanted to be free.
So I started looking around at other job openings. Nothing really caught my eye. I was bored. Here I was, a freakin pod pilot, and i was out watching some jackhole shoot rocks. Then they came. Pirates.
I watched in stunned horror as they systematically wiped out the entire protection party without a word. They locked me. Within seconds my poor Rifter was torn to shreds in silence. Coms were opened, and I was given the chance to save my skin. I took the chance and payed them, and unbelievably they disengaged. Within seconds the miners were down and anything of value was taken off.
Most people would be pissed. I was envious. Here I was literally watching rocks crumble, and they were off living my dream. I wanted in.
I soon turned in my resignation to my corp and started the long process of tracking down my assailants. Rumors of ghosts who fly the void haunted my path. I fought for every scrap of information and scanned thousands upon thousands of signals for any hint. My diligence finally paid off one night when I came upon their recruitment channel. After listening in for a while trying to keep a low profile, I was noticed by one who seemed to be leading most of the conversations.
...COMS OPEN...
***>Welcome, Xer. What can I do for you?
Xer> Hi. So I take it you are the guy I need to talk to regarding employment?
***> Indeed. Why us?
Xer> I've done some looking around, and your Corps name keeps popping up again and again. I want what you all have. Freedom.
***> You understand ours is a harsh life. You will never be able to show your face in empire again.
Xer> I am a disgrace to my people as it stands, and that place has no real draw for me. It's small potatoes.
***> Very well, we can start your screening process if you like. Don't call us, we will call you.
...COMS CLOSED...
I didn't expect to hear back. To be honest, I thought I was given the brush off. A few weeks after my initial call however, I found a encoded transmission in my In-Box.
"Meet me in *********, Placid."
My heart jumped. This was it. This was what I had been waiting for.
I made my way through multiple systems my former alliance had warned me about. My heart skipped a beat every time I jumped into a low-sec system. All my teaching was screaming at me to move on to the safety of Empire or regionally controlled 0.0, but I ignored them. I did learn one thing my time in 0.0, and that was watching where you were going.
I made it to my destination without any problems. Along my way I ran into some other hopefuls, and proceeded to pop a shuttle. Less competition is always good.
I was in. Holy crap. Pirate Corp. Me. Go figure.
My education thus far has been amazing. Every bit of information I need to be good at my newly chosen trade has been made available. Every time I get into my pod and load up secure coms, I have gone out hunting. I prey on the dumb, weak, misinformed, and unweary. Recently I have even started killing those in cold blood who refuse my demands. Some would call it a turn for the worse. Not I. I like to think of it as an opening of my eyes to the universe for the first time.
It has been a trail by fire, and for the first time I guess I was on fire too.
Ah, right. Note to self, don't engage a properly fitted BattleCruiser with your Rifter. Especially if they are using missles. And have friends.
************************************************************************************************
[i]I think i really scared the good Doc. Am I really that intimidating now? I don't feel any different. Maybe its because I now have a bounty on my head and concord wants me dead. Maybe its because when I threatened his life I meant it.[/i]
"Hey Doc, about that last comment....Sorry. You know I would never harm ya. In here anyway. Since I dripping with ooze and naked, you mind leaving?"
"Sure, Sure.... Uh.... Here is the package you left for yourself. Clothes. Personal effects. Toothbrush. Comb. Impla..."
"Doc? You are annoying. Go away."
[i]Lets just see what I got here...Whats this?[/i]
Xer,
We imagine it was quite a surprise waking up in a vat for Gods know what this time. It always is, anyway here is the deal. You are losing more and more memories of recent events every time you activate a clone. We have some weird degenerative side effect to cloning. From what we have pieced together in previous incarnations, our past is not what we think it is, the Amarrians did SOMETHING to us at a young age we can't quite pin down, and we seem to be replacing new memories with dormant ones.
There is a lead you might want to follow. We know for a fact that we were taken as an infant from our true parents. Under heavy questioning of our former boss in the Amarr Navy we were able to get one word out before he went to that great Titan in the sky, "Kaimeria".
-Xer
P.S.
Kill the Doctor.
Cleared for publication by: Ander
What a christmas-story :)
1 Comment
Envious in Empire·
Xer, fantastic narrative! I look forward to future installments.