Welcome to the first ever edition of the EVE Blog Challenge! The monthly EVE blogging extravaganza inspired by the “Blog Banter” and created by AnMiTh. The EVE Blog Challenge is about story telling, and relaying our experiences in EVE in new and exciting ways. The stories/posts that are created are both, long and short, detailed and not so detailed, but it is always fun to see everyone’s interpretation of the source materials.
Questions or comments should be directed here, and if you are interested in signing up to participate go here. Anyone can submit source materials, to do so email them to us here. And don’t forget to read the other EVE Blog Challenge posts that will be listed at the bottom of this post.
This months source materials were submitted up by AnMiTh from EVE Guru.
The sun glistens off the side of the Blade of Truth as she slowly glides through space towards the station orbiting Amarr. This has been the end of a long journey, Leaianti had to go through the fire and brimstone of hell, but you made it in one piece. Those Sansha pirates were right when they said it would be tough, they were also right when they said she would be rich.
The ship glides to a stop as the station’s docking computer takes over control of Blade of Truth. Before Leainati is even ready to exit her pod the request is sent to her computer… “They” are ready for you in the meeting hall, they are anxious to hear about the journey and the status of the mission that she was on.
Those Sansha pirates were supposed to meet with both her and Ga’len to finalize the payments for ’stolen loot’.
Ga’len, it had been so long since she had seen her half-brother Ga’len. Years had gone by and their paths always seemed to not be able to cross. There was the time in Hek when the Minmatar gate police were chasing around Ga’len or that time when she had recently castrated an Amarr bishop who was molesting those little boys.
There was always something getting in the way.
The shower was a blessing. It had been four months in space without a break. Leaianti did not mind spending time suspended in that Jovian goo, but it is always nice to get out and move about using your legs instead of a ship’s thrusters. The warm water flowed over her body, caressing away the stress of the past four months. If only all things in life we filled with the brief, bittersweet joys of cleaning one’s skin. If only all the troubles in life could simply be washed away into the drain in the floor.
Trogon was standing in the meeting hall. He was a short man, twisted back and grotesque features from years of abusing those narcotics that the Serpentis pirates sold him each week. He thought himself a giant, a gift to the women of the universe. Most people thought otherwise. He saw her and yelled, “Leaianti! It is good to see you again! That uniform does you no justice, take it off and I will show you…” He stopped short. A knife was at his throat and an evil smile was on Leaianti’s face.
“Don’t test me little man. I am not interested in you showing me your delusions of adequacy. I am not a plaything for you to fret about with your little tools. I have dropped off the last of the cargo into your storage area. I expect to be paid now. Pay me and answer my question, where is everyone?” Leaianti’s commanding voice made Trogon cower like the troll that he was.
“Don’t think that a free ‘Minnie-bitch’ can cut a man’s throat on an Amarr station,” he hissed. His eyes glaring at her body as if she was a piece of meat, “Now, where shall I put….” his voice seized in his throat as the knife pressed harder into his skin.
“You can put whatever trifles you are thinking about back into you dreams. I am not your toy; do not even try to play with me. Now give me my money and answer my question, where is everyone?” Leainati’s patience was wearing thin. This Sansha pirate needed to die but it would have to wait. She needed the money she was owed.
“Calm yourself, I meant no harm. If you would be so kind to put your knife away, we can conclude our business,” Trogan’s eyes were wide with fear. As Leainati sheathed her knife, he quickly typed away on his data pad. A sharp trilling from her data pad confirmed that the money had been transferred, “Now that our business is concluded, what is your price? You are simply too beautiful to not have me. Many a woman has wanted to lay with me. I can be your greatest adventure! How much to ride you like the ‘Minnie-bitch’ that you are!”
Silence.
There was just silence in the air. It hung thick as Trogon stopped talking. The silence held him upright as he stood in complete shock. It held him there as a spot of blood formed at the center of his neck and slowly spread in a thin horizontal line around his neck. The silence continued to hold his body firm as his head slowly tilted to the left and fell from his neck. His hands twitched slightly and then the whole of his frame slowly, silently, collapsed to the floor. The silence was only broken as the sound of blood dripping from Leainati’s knife slowly, patted upon the floor.
“His blood was simply not worth spilling, but alas, the deed is done. Good thing too, I wanted to shoot him. He should be nicer to my sister,” Ga’len’s voice rang out from the shadows as he slowly stepped into the light of the meeting hall.
“BROTHER,” Leainati yelled as she ran towards him. They embraced each other as she spoke, “I have missed you so much. Did you loose another Capsule? You have no hair!”
Ga’len smiled, “No. Being the pirate that I am, I cannot simply fly into the Amarr system. The gate police will shoot me on site. Fortunately, I still had a jump clone here. It was the easiest way to get into the station. As long as I behave myself, the police on the station will take no notice of me being here. Of course, still having my identification documents for Galen Grendalis the Fifth. That helps to distract their attention from my ‘Yarr-ish’ lifestyle.”
“So, since you always behave like yourself, I would guess you can answer my question as to where are all the other Sansha pirates I was supposed to meet,” Leainati grinned as she spoke. She knew her brother well.
Ga’len chuckled and smiled, “Over here, in the trash chute. The Fedoes are enjoying themselves. It’s a good thing they don’t care what they eat.”
Leainati and Ga’len worked quickly to clean up the mess that was left of Trogon and headed out of the meeting hall. Across the promenade they walked, towards a quiet bar. After ordering drinks and some food, they headed to a booth in the back where they could talk in private.
“So tell me ‘blue-eyes’, how the hell you managed to steal all that stuff and make it back from Venal,” Ga’len was looking at her with much interest.
Leainati smiled and spoke, “It took several trips as my Reaper’s cargo hold is not the largest in New Eden. I learned a lot about Warp Disruption bubbles and how to avoid them. I guess being blown up several times with an empty hold made the pirates think twice about shooting me. No point in trying to loot an empty wreck. After that, it was just a matter of making the trips to and from Empire Space,” she paused to take a drink of her ale, “So tell me, how is life in the Neo Spartans? Otou is a nice system I hear.”
“Life is good and yes, I like living in Otou,. It is a nice system with a lot to see. As for the Neo Spartans, their style of honorable pirating suits me well, but I feel the urge to wander about the universe more and more. I must say I was happy and shocked to receive your message. I thought you had been killed without a clone in Venal,” a tear forms in his eye and his voice breaks, “I thought you were gone.”
Leainati holds his hand, “Dear brother, we are bound to each other by more than this life. We will never loose each other. We are free, alive, and immortal Capsuleers. So, while we are here in Amarr, did you want to go down to Oris and see our old home? Perhaps visit our mother?”
Ga’len eyes closed for a moment as he collected himself. It had been years since they both had set foot on Oris and much had changed. “The manor is gone. My father’s rage and open rebellion against Empress Jamyl’s emancipation decree destroyed that great house. He would not free his slaves so the Amarr authorities seized the property. They killed him when the marines stormed the manor house.”
Leainati sat in shock, “Well, he was an evil man to the end. What about mother? I never learned what happened to her after we left.”
Ga’len continued sadly, “She passed away shortly after we left. Tanitel sent us both a message; I guess yours got lost while you were in Venal. She saw the pictures Seenan took of us on Tanitel’s data pad, smiled, fell into a deep sleep, and quietly passed away. Our mother’s ashes were spread among the stars. Tanitel and Seenan said it was her last wish, to travel among the stars with her children. It was the last thing they did before they headed to Rens.”
They both sat in silence for a long time. Leainati was the first to speak again, “So, that history is all that is left. I guess there is nothing left for us there.”
“No, it’s the past,” Ga’len affirmed, “Now, enough of sadness. We have our futures to see to. Let us eat, I am hungry. Tell me, what is this I hear about some ruffian in Tash-Murkon you have been flirting with. I hear stories….”