It was a glorious mess and it had been a long time coming. Unity Station had been freed after years of fighting. Now came the push further into Providence. CVA had been defeated again and again. They would continue to push deeper into their space.

CVA will fall. The death blow had been delivered, the rest of the body did not know it yet.

Ga’len stood, as best as the many spirits he had consumed would allow him. It was a hard fight, but he was finally aboard Unity Station.

“So,” Ga’len began to speak to a recently freed slave, “What do you plan to do now?”

“Well, the man over there,” the freed slave spoke while gesturing towards Xious and his gaggle of love,” he said, or rather slurred heavily, that I should speak with you.”

“Oh, what about?” Ga’len was looking at this man’s very intense look on his face.

“Well,” continued the man,” I think you may know about my daughter.”

***

Moments later…

“Whoa. I must have had to drink than I thought,” Ga’len said slowly. He was lying on the floor of the hanger, looking up at this man, “I thought you just said something about your daughter.”

“I did, but, uhm, perhaps you should let me explain,” continued the man as he extends his hand down to Ga’len, “I am Karled. Xious tells me that you have been taking care of a young girl that may be my daughter.”

Karled shows Ga’len a photograph of a younger Breanne. “Please, have you seen her?”

Ga’len graciously takes Karled’s hand and is helped to his feet. “Good sir, yes, my sister and I have been taking care of her. I will take you to her at once.”

Karled exclaimed, “Oh thank the Gods!”

Ga’len and Karled made it quickly across the hanger decks to Ga’len’s Vagabond, An Bealach an Vaga. After securing Karled in the rarely used passengers section, Ga’len got into his pod, his “Jovian Spud” as he sometimes called it and engaged the loading mechanism.

Undocking from Unity Station in 9UY4-H was fast and simple, not a single slaver in sight. As Ga’len willed his ship into motion, he willed the internal ship comms into life and brought Karled up to speed on the event leading to the discovery of his missing daughter.

“I can’t thank you enough. My wife is in Z-RFE3, looking for Breanne at the station there,” continued Karled, “Is it possible to send her word as to where we are going?”

“The panel in front of you should be active now,” Ga’len spoke from his mind’s voice over the internal comms, “Let her know that we will be arriving at the station in 15 minutes. Breanne is with my sister at the station in D-GTMI. I will be happy to take you both there .”

Ten minutes later, Ga’len jumped into a gate camp. Several tackler ships and a few battle cruisers to provide the damage dealing needed to destroy a target.

“Sod it,” Ga’len mutters in his mind. He aligns to a planet and engages his micro warp drive. The local comms channels come alive as Ga’len yells in his mind, “SLAVERS REPENT! LEAVE NOW AND YOU SHALL LIVE!”

The panel in front of Karled displays the visuals outside the ship. He chuckles to himself as the entire Slyph gate camp simply flees into random directions away from the gate.

“So,” Karled speaks slowly, “They flee before a single ship?”

Ga’len chuckles in his mind as he engages the internal comms, “The slavers who held this space know that they are defeated.  It’s time for them to protect what they have left, tuck tail and run.  We shall be in Z-R soon, I am alerting my sister, Leainati, that we will be arriving in D-GTMI later today.”

A few minutes later, Ga’len had his vagabond docked in station safely.  Karled and Ga’len made their way from the hanger decks where they happened upon a very petite woman.  She had to be Breanne’s mother.  It was her eyes, they were so blue.  She was trembling and it had been obvious that she had been crying recently.  She tried to speak, but her voice failed her.

“Ma’am, I am Ga’len.  Breanne is safe, she’s with my sister in D-GTMI.  If you come this way, we will head there immediately.”

She said nothing, just smiled broadly as we turned back towards the hanger.

“Ga’len,” Karled spoke, “This is my wife Taren.”  Taren nodded as they quickly walked toward the hanger.

“Don’t you worry,” Ga’len said quickly, “We will be there soon.  My sister Leainati is expecting us.  If I know her, she’s already alerted our fellow warriors to help  secure our route, we should get there within the hour.”

“Is she….how is….,” Taren’s voice was very shaky, she could barely speak.

“She is safe and unharmed, ” Ga’len assured Taren, “She’s a beautiful child.  Yes, she has all her fingers and toes and none the worse for wear so to speak.  She does think that you two were killed when you were taken away, but that will all be over very soon.  Let’s get you two aboard and get going.”

***

The trip to D-GTMI was fast and fortunately, without incident.  Many Warriors of the Ushra’Khan who were in systems they had to travel through were actively providing intel on enemy movements.  Before Ga’len realized it, they were on final approach to the station in D-GTMI.

Docking was quick as everyone had been alerted by Leainati that Ga’len had VIP passengers for D-GTMI station.  She told everyone who the passengers were, but to keep things quiet around Breanne.

They were greeted by Leainati on the hanger deck, she spoke warmly as Karled and Taren were climbing down the embarkation ramp, “Breanne does not know you are here, I wanted to keep this a surprise.  She’s on her way to the hanger as the thinks that ‘Uncle Twig’ is here for a quick visit.”

Karled and Taren looked at each other and then towards Ga’len with a shared questioning look between them.

“Well, she took to me.  She’s a wonderful child, ” Ga’len smiled as he spoke, “everyone in Ushra’Khan has become her family these past few weeks.”

As they approached the corridor doors, they parted and out came running Breanne.  She looked at Ga’len and then stopped dead in her tracks.  Her eyes wide, she stood with her jaw agape.

Ga’len walked over to Breanne and knelt down on one knee and spoke, “My little acorn, look who I found.”

Breanne’s eyes filled with tears as she slowly began to walk.  Taren fell to her knees and she started to cry uncontrollably as Breanne started to run towards them.  They all knelt there on the floor, hugging each other and crying.

Leainati walked over to her brother as he stood up, “How in the world did you find them?”

Ga’len shrugged, “He found me, said he heard from Xious that we were taking care of a little girl.  He showed me a photograph of Breanne and I thought it would be best to get back here as soon as possible.”

They all gathered back together near the corridor door.  Taren had regained some of her composure, walked up to Ga’len and gently slapped him across the face.

Ga’len was slightly stunned and glared at her as she spoke, “I hate all of you Amarrian bastards.  Your people took us away from our daughter but you are not like your people are you?  You take that slap to your face and you return it to them ten fold.”

“No, I am not,” Ga’len continued, “I hated how my family kept and abused slaves.  It’s why I left that place.  Don’t you worry, that slap has been delivered to them time and time again.”

Karled spoke, “And now -A- and Ushra’Khan are freeing Providence from that slaver oppresion.”

“Yes, they have,” Ga’len agreed, “We came for our people and now, my work here is done.”

Ga’len smiled as Leainati looked at him, “I joined Ushra’Khan with the hope of helping them return to their home at Unity Station.  I joined them to help re-light the fires of hope, to light the beacons of truth.  That part of my work is finished now.”

“So, with the slavers in Providence all but completely dead,” Leainati asks, “What will you do now?”

“I shall return to that which I know best,” Ga’len replied, “I shall go back to being the rogue who wandered.  That was my home, it’s time I returned.”

Breanne looked up at Ga’len as he slowly knelt down to the ground, “My little acorn, oh my child, I must leave.  It is time for me to go. Don’t you worry, my friends in Hellfleet are expecting me.”

Karled spoke, “Well, we can’t stay here.  It’s still not that safe for us.  May we come with you?  We will find a way to pay you.”

Breanne threw her arms around Ga’len’s neck and hugged him, “Please take us with you!”

“If you wish, I will take you all with me,” Ga’len assured them, “but you need not worry about money.  Loving hugs are the best currency.  I must head back to Unity Station to say by goodbyes.

***

Back at Unity Station, the meeting hall was almost empty as Ga’len walked through the door.  He was wearing his old clothes and was carrying a satchel with his Ushra’Khan uniform.

There was no one from leadership there as he had hoped.  They were all called away for another battle.  There was a note left for him however.  It read simply, “We will miss you, Ga’len, take care.  Keep the uniform,  you may be back one day as the Ushra’Khan bug is not easily ‘cured’.  We would have been here to say goodbye, but we had to go…for our people.”

Ga’len smiled as he looked out the window.  He saw the massive fleet warp away to battle.  They would free Providence of the slavers, that was to be sure.

For him, it was time to head back to D-GTMI, collect his “family” and head to his new home in low security space.  The time for piracy had returned.

For many of the Ushra’Khan, it’s been a long time coming.  Unity Station was a place of honor and for these past years a taste of the bitterness of betrayal still lingered.  It was a beacon of freedom, a beacon that fell to treachery.  The time was upon them now, the time that had restlessly stirred in their hearts.

Everyone was in their hangars, preparing their ships.  Dreadnaughts, battleships, cruisers, we would need them all.  It had been many years and a long road, but the end was near.  It was time to come home.

“Uncle Twig, what’s going on?”

A small child was standing in the hanger, looking at an Amarrian man dressed in the uniform of a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan.

“My little acorn, you should be in bed sleeping,” Ga’len responded.  He walked over to the child and scooped her up in his arms, “It’s bed time for you.  We have much to do.”

“Are you leaving?” she spoke with a tearful voice, “I don’t want you to disappear!”

Ga’len walks over to her and kneels down as he speaks softly, “My little acorn, I will be back soon.  I have work to do,” he continued, “Do you see those people over there, the Capsuleers from -A-?  They are going with us too.  We have the honor of standing and fighting at their side.”

“I don’t understand what is going on,” she spoke as she buried her head against Ga’len’s chest.

“Breanne my child, tell me, what do you know of Unity Station?” Ga’len asked.

Breanne looked up at his face, her eyes grew wide with wonder, “My mommy used to tell me of it, tell me stories.  It was a beacon of hope for us, you know, the Minmatar.  It was a symbol she used to say.”

“Yes, my child,” Ga’len continued, “a symbol of strength, fellowship and defiance in the face of Amarrian oppression.”

“My dad said it was lost to the Amarr in a horrible defeat long ago,” she continued, “he used to cry when he talked about it.  He lost many friends who were trapped when everyone had to flee.”

“My little acorn, tonight we return to Unity Station, ” Ga’len lifts her chin so he can see her face, “Tonight we go and free our people.”

Breanne stands with a look of shock on her face.  Slowly a look of understanding crosses her face.  She smiles and raises her right arm, making a fist with her hand.

Ga’len smiles, leans forward and kisses her softly on her forehead, “I will return to you and Aunt Leainati soon,” he motions to his sister as she walks toward them, “but I must go and help my brothers and sisters tonight.”

“Be careful my brother, ” Leainati speaks with a smile, “Fight with courage, fight fierce, we will hold the line here.  Free our people.”

Many years ago, a strong few took it upon themselves to join together.  With fists raised high, they struck back at their oppressors.  With fists raised high, they beat back the storm.  With fists raised high, they planted the acorn in a field of hatred, a field that would reject them and try to push them into darkness, back into the storm.

Through blood and fire they fought.  Through humble honor, they sought friends in the storm.  Together with honor, together in strength they fought hard.  Never yielding, never waning, they took back what was theirs.

They were the ones who planted the acorn so long ago, the acorn that grew into a sapling of hope, the sapling that grew into a tree a freedom.  A tree that was hacked by axes of betrayal, a tree that bears the scars of oppression, a tree that now stands free in a Forest of Unity.

Oak and Ash, Birch and Yew, together they stand among the burned fields of hatred. Oak and Ash, Birch and Yew, together they now stand blinding the darkness with the light of freedom.  Oak and Ash, Birch and Yew, together they are the shelter against the storms of oppression.

At long last, the saplings grow free again.  At long last they stand under the branches of the Tree of Unity.  At long last, we have come….for our people.

And yet, those slaves who have been freed from their oppressors are not working to clean up the station.  They sit on the floor, huddled in clean blankets, clutching the warm cups of soup to their chests as if letting go would mean death.  They sit, sip, eat and watch others work to clean up the dead.  They have toiled enough, it was their time to rest, recover and begin their new lives of freedom.

There is a small child, sitting in a corner.  She is shaking as if freezing to death.  Her eyes are filled with horror filled days gone past these 7 years of her life.  She was born a slave and has known only Amarr oppression.  As her eyes look up at the warrior standing above her, the emblem she sees causes all those years to leave her small frame and joy fills her face.

She’s watching him closely.  This man, this warrior is ripping down the propaganda of their old oppressors from the walls.  Many of the posters are stained with blood.  He looks down from his work and sees this little girl.  To her shock, he is Amarrian.

“I thought they killed all you scum,” her voice shaking with fear but her eyes filled with a boldness of strength of a woman twice her size.

All movement in the hallway freezes as is the air had suddenly turned to ice.  Everyone’s eyes turn to look at this little girl and the man cleaning the walls.

Ga’len lowers himself onto one knee to look this little girl in the eyes.  He just looks at her for a moment and speaks with the soft kind voice of a father speaking to a beloved daughter, “My friend, I may be of Amarrian birth, but I know what my people have done to you is wrong,” Ga’len continues, “We are all human, all part of the same family and I will not sit by and let my brothers and sisters enslave you or anyone else.  What is your name child?”

Slowly she looks around and sees that everyone is staring at the two of them.  Everyone is smiling at her and Ga’len, “I am Breanne,” she says.

“Breanne, I am Ga’len.  My child, you saw this emblem on my shoulder?”, Ga’len looks deep in her eyes as he points to the markings on his clothing.  She looks at the emblem and holds up her small hands, making a fist with her right hand, mirroring the emblem.  Chuckles are heard in the hallway as everyone continues to watch this conversation unfold.

“You wear the mark of a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan,” Breanne says.

“That’s right Breanne,” Ga’len continues, “I am a Warrior of the Ushra’Khan.  We fight to free our brothers and sisters from slavery and oppression.  We fight to save you.”

Slowly thoughts cross Breanne’s face. With a confused look she asks, “But that would mean that you kill your own kind, doesn’t it?”

Ga’len smiles as he speaks, “My little acorn, I would fight and kill those who would harm other humans,” he points to a pile of dead Amarrians, “Those people stopped being human the day they raised an oppressive hand and str.uck you down to the ground.”

“Little acorn?” she asks, “What is a little acorn?”

“An acorn is a seed, it’s what you plant in the ground to grow tree,” Ga’len replies.

He glances up to see Leainati walking over.  She has huge grin on her face from watching her brother speaking with this child, “Think of it this way.  An acorn is the baby that becomes the sapling.  The sapling is the child that becomes the tree.  When you grow up, your branches mingle with the other trees in the forest, sheltering the acorns below that will one day begin to grow.”

Breanne looks up at Leainati as she too lowers herself onto her knees.

“Breanne, I am Leainati,” Leainati bows her head as she introduces herself, “I see you have met my brother.”

“Brother?  But he’s Amarrian and you are Minmatar, aren’t you?” Breanne asks.

“Actually, I am only half Minmatar.  Ga’len and I have the same mother but his father was Amarrian, mine was Minmatar.”, responds Leainati, “Half brother, part of our beloved family and fellow Warrior of the Ushra’Khan.”

“He’s your brother, wow.  That’s messed up,” comments Breanne.

Everyone looks at Ga’len intently.  Ga’len looks between Leainati and Breanne’s faces.  He smiles and a small chuckle grows in his chest.  He begins to shake slightly as the chuckle grows into a louder laugh.  As if he can’t contain it anymore, he roars into a very healthy laughter.  Slowly the laughter spreads around the hallway and everyone feels the tension become blissfully thin.

“Yes my little acorn, it is a bit messed up, but at least I get to have a wonderful sister,” Ga’len smirks at Leainati.

“Okay Twig, enough of that,” Leainati smack Ga’len on his shoulder.

“Twig?  I thought his name was Ga’len?” Breanne asks.

“I call him Twig when he’s being silly,” Leainati continues, “So Breanne, where is your family?  Are they here on the station?”

Breanne’s eye glaze over, a very distant sorrow fills her face and tears begin to flow from her eyes.  She is choked with tears as she tried to speak.  She motions with her hand at the pile of dead Amarrian soldiers.

“Oh my child!  I’m so sorry,” Leainati begins to hug Breanne, “They died in the battle did they?”

A weak tearful voice creeps from Breanne’s mouth, “No, they died a long time ago.  I think they died; they just disappeared with some soldiers.  I am all alone, I have no family.”

Leainati unfolds Breanne from her embrace, places her hands on these tiny shoulders of the sobbing child, “My child, you are not alone.  You are part of our family now.”

“But,” Breanne begins to speak, “You family is messed up.”

Ga’len roars with laughter again.  His face turns red and he hangs his head as he tried to catch his breath.  After several moments he begins to speak.

“Yes my acorn, our family is messed up,” Ga’len continues, “but we have what every family needs.  We look after each other; we stick together through the good times and the bad.”

“You do?’ Breanne asks, “You don’t just disappear one day without a word?”

“Not usually, no,” Leainati says, “Now, why don’t you stay here with Twig while I got get you some more food, okay?”  Breanne looks at Ga’len for a moment, then looks at Leainati and nods in agreement.

Leainati heads off and Ga’len begins to speak, “Breanne, would you like to help me for a moment?  I can’t quite reach high enough on this wall to put up this poster.”

“I am too small, you are taller,” Breanne says.

“That is true, alone we can’t reach, but together we can, “Ga’len places his hands on her shoulders, “If you sit on my shoulder, you can reach up higher than the both of us.”

Breanne moves behind Ga’len and with a jump and Ga’len’s guiding hands, she manages to sit on his right shoulder.  Together then manage to place a new poster on the wall.  When they are finished, they step back to look at what they have done.

“Looks good my acorn.  Forlorn has a talent that is to be sure, ” Ga’len says as he crouches beside Breanne, “Come, let’s go find our sister and see about your food.”

Breanne turns and faces Ga’len.  Without warning, she throws her arms around his neck and hugs him.

“Thank you Uncle Twig.  I like the poster,” Breanne says sleepily.

Ga’len laughs, returns the hug and stands up holding Breanne in his arms.  As he walks down the hallway towards the deck’s food court, he collects a blanket from a supply crate and wraps Breanne in it to keep her warm.  As they continue down the hall, Breanne lays her head on his shoulder and her eyes slowly close as she slips away into sleep.

Ga’len stops for a moment and turns his head to her sleeping face.  He places a gentle kiss upon her forehead and whispers softly, “Sleep well my little acorn.  You are not alone anymore; Uncle Twig and Aunt Leainati will take care of you now.  You are free”.

“We do, this one is artificial.  No fallen needles to clean up, no fire hazard,” Ga’len responds.  Slowly, he continues to place ornaments on the tree.  He takes the time to step back every so ofter to look at the work he has done.  Is the tree balanced?  Are there too many lights on the left or right?  Are there too few ornaments on the lower branches?  These things must be considered.

Decorating a tree is a very important thing.  If there are too many ornaments and not enough lights, the three will look dull.  If there are too many lights and not ornaments, the tree will be too bright.  And the worst of all, too many of both and it will just look like a wreck in the corner.  It’s a delicate balance.  It takes a great deal of time to learn how to balance the tree with the room, the lights and the ornaments.

Suddenly, a moment of enlightenment appears across Ga’len’s eyes.  He looks upon the fruit of his labors and realizes that moment of enlightenment strikes his brain with perfect clarity.  Apparently Ga’len has yet to master this art.

“Well, it looks like…..crap,” Ga’len says with disgust, “I never can get these bloody things to look nice.”

“Wait a moment,” Leainati speaks with conviction as she looses a switch kick to the tree stand.  Suddenly ornaments begin to rain down on the work cloth.

Ga’len’s eye shoot wide and suddenly, another moment of enlightenment visits his brain.  Apparently Leainati has mastered the art of decorating a tree, “Looks much better sis’, much better indeed.”

Leainati looked at the tree with a smile and a questioning in her eyes, “I still don’t get it, what’s the purpose of display a tree with light an ornaments? What’s this Christmas thing you were talking about earlier?”

Ga’len motioned for her to sit at one of the banquet tables.  “Well, it was a long time ago,” Ga’len pauses for a moment, ” When I was still a student at the university on Oris.  I was studying the histories from the very ancient times, the age before the collapse of the EVE gate.”

“But I thought all that knowledge was lost,” Leaianati askes, “When the civilizations almost died out, nothing survived.”

Ga’len smiled and continued, “Many things were lost, but there were pieces of old parchment, old data storage devices and other relics of our collective past that have survived the ages.  Some things are so old that no one really knows if they belong to the Amarr or Minmatar or possibly even the Jovians.  Records from before the rise of man in this age are almost impossible to find.  The few that do exist are either discarded as cleverly crafted fabrications meant for stirring up controversy or are simply beyond our understanding.  I was working in the archives and I came across an old metal box with a picture of a star on it.  When I opened the box, I found an old book written in a Terran dialect similar to the common language used today.   The book was very delicate but was strong enough to survive the digital capturing process.”

Leaniati gasped, “A book?!  A Terran book?  What was it, tell me!”

Ga’len pulled out a datapad from his pocket, “I still have a copy of it here.  It was a ’scrapbook’, a collection of research articles and piece of literature.  Here, read this poem, The Night Before Christmas.”

He hands the datapad to his sister.  After a few moments she places the datapad on the table, “So, some fat guy in a red suit breaks into your home at night and leaves you gifts as he flys around in some cart with ‘magical’ beasts of burden.  No wonder you Amarrians are so screwed up!”

Ga’len laughs so hard that he nearly falls out of his seat.  “Most Amarrians don’t believe in this old story, heck, I doubt that most of them have read this poem.  It was stored in the archives, I had to sneak this out of there as it was forbidden to take anything from the old vaults.”

Ga’len continues, “Christmas as I learned was an ancient religious holiday on Earth.  It celebrates the birth of a man who is supposed to be a son of their god.  This man was to bring peace to the world.  His presence was revered at the time and many people followed his teachings.  As time progressed on Earth, new traditions came to pass to celebrate this man’s birth.  Winter was harsh in ancient times and people would bring greenery into their homes to try to lighten the mood.  It began to decorate the greenery and on a day in a month called December, people would exchange gifts.”

Leainati nods her head, “Ah, so the tree was one of these pieces of greenery then?”

“Yes, in time, people started to decorate a tree they would bring into their homes,” Ga’len turned to look at the tree they had put up.

“Well, what happened to this man?  Did he succeed in teaching people to be nice to each other?” Leaniati asks.

Ga’len frowns a bit, “I’m not sure.  From what I was able to learn, he was eventually killed by his own people.”

“Figures, someone wanting to change the world would fail, no one can make a difference,” Leaniati spoke with bitter anger in her voice.

Ga’len took up his datapad and pulled up another story.  He began to read it aloud.

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His divine manhood.

While still a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial.

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying—and that was his coat. When he was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life. -Quoted

Leainati sat still with a tear rolling down here cheek, “One man changed the world.  Wait, I thought that Druids didn’t believe in the Amarrian god.”

“Well, I never said I didn’t believe in a god.  I just don’t believe in the Amarrian religion,” Ga’len smiled, “The divine is perfection.  Belief and faith are attempts to be one with that perfection, that truth of existence.  Druids seek that truth.  Religion is something made by man.  Things that are made by man can never be perfect as man will always be flawed.  To me at least, I don’t believe in religion.  I believe in truth.”

Leainati speaks slowly as she looks are more and more information on Ga’len’s datapad, “So regardless if you were religious, you could celebrate this holiday as well?’

Ga’len looks at Leainati with a big smile, “Most people did and it’s why I do.  The Druid holiday is around the same time, so why not?  Christmas celebrations were times that you spent with family and friends, exchanged gifts, ate great meals and reminded oneself of what was important in life.”

” Look at it this way.  It does not matter if you believe if this man, Jesus, was actually a son of a god nor if you are a religious person.  If you are a good person with a good heart and different beliefs, it does not matter what you believe.  It matter that you believe in something.  You believe in fighting to free your people from oppression, to be kind to those who need kindness and dispatch your wrath upon those who would do you and yours harm.  I believe in freeing the human race from slavery, both the slaves and those who call themselves their masters.  We both believe in what this man tried to teach our race many ages ago, don’t we?” Ga’len asks.

“We believe that we can be better than we are,” Leainati spoke soflly, “that we are not perfect, but we can try to be.”

“Yes”, Ga’len responds, “we can be better than we are.  We may never get there, but it’s the journey that allows us to find those perfect moments of truth.  It’s the belief that we can be better, that faith in that truth, that will get us there when we pass into the next life.”

Leainati asks more question, “So, what else did they do around Christmas?  Anything very strange?”

Ga’len thought for a moment, “Well, some people used to walk around and sing in front of the doors of people’s homes.  Young men sometimes would chase young ladies around, holding a twit above their heads, something called ‘mistletoe’.  Perhaps it was some game, who knows.  Oh yes, that Santa fellow you read about, the one who would break into your house.  People would leave food out for him.  Give a fat man a sugary, fat filled cookie.  Very strange indeed.  Oh, something about leaving a piece of carbon in a stocking, still trying to figure that one out….”

More of The Bleeding Rose

“I see that you like that dish”, the waitress said to her quiet customer, “I believe the old woman called it ‘Shepard’s Pie’”

Ga’len swallowed his last bite slowly, smiling as his stomach felt much better. Being a capsuleer had the benefits of nutrients being provided by the pod, but real food was always something that made him feel somewhat human again. Being a Demi-god like Capsuleer had it’s benefits, being able to walk among both the eternal and among the mortals.

“I do like this, please thank the cook for me”, Ga’len spoke with a relaxed voice, “It’s been some time since I’ve eaten real food.”

From behind the counter, the old woman rose to her feet. Slowly she walked towards Ga’len and the light beamed from her revealed her face. Her words fell through the air and landed squarely upon the counter before him.

“Rebellion against the Amarr suits you my Lord Grendalis.”

Ga’len froze. All the eyes in the room focused upon him and this old woman. He could not believe what he just heard nor what was before his eyes. The kind aged eyes, gentle friendly smile and a glow of timeless wisdom was again, standing before him. He could feel an ocean of joy fill his heart.

“You should know better Seenan, my name is Ga’len”, Ga’len spoke with a smile on his face, “You should know, you gave it to me so long ago. Lord Grendalis died as the coward that he was. His son was reborn, with your help, into truth long ago.”

Seenan chuckled lightly and hugged Ga’len, “So, you kept the name I see. Well, to me you will always be kin regardless of where you came from. Action defines the person, not the past”, her smile relaxed everyone in the room, “It is good to see you but I must ask, what happened to your hair?”

Ga’len slowly ran his hand over his head. He could feel the slight stubble that should have been his hair on his cool scalp. He was instantly reminded of the events of last week.

“Well, when one is fighting for freedom of his people, sacrifices have to be made”, Ga’len remarked.

“Lost your ship. That’s what I heard”, Seenan’s words stung as if she was a mother commenting on a child’s hard learned lesson.

“Lost it in battle I did, but self destructed my pod to get back here for another ship and to return to the battle. It was the quickest way.” Ga’len’s voice was filled with the teenage pride Seenan had heard so long ago.

“Many lost their ships last night my son”, Seenan patted him on the shoulder, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Ga’len smiled, “You could not upset me my friend. Loose a head of hair, free some more of our people. It’s worth it to me. Now, tell me, what brings you to our fair home in deep space?”

Seenan stared at Ga’len and very lightly smacked him on the side of his head. “I guess you have forgotten that today is a great moment in history you silly git.”

Ga’len sat there and thought for a moment. A wide smile spread across his face. “Ah yes, you are referring to one of the most important days if the life of a Warrior of the Ushra’khan, are you not?”

From a dark corner of the room, two voices rang through the room, “She is Ga’len, that she is.”

Everyone in the room turned their heads towards that dark corner. Tanitel and Leainati are standing there with huge smiles on their faces.

“Ah, everything is perfect, everyone is here now,” Ga’len cheerfully observes, “Lets begin the birthday celebration!”

Happy Birthday Ushra’Khan!!

Visit the birthday message thread on the EVE Forums:

[UNITY] A Half Decade of Struggle

The dark silence was deafening, eternal, whole. There was nothing, just the dark.

Movement did not seem to register, sound did not pervade consciousness, there was simply nothing.

This was not right. There was never nothing there, there was always something there. Something, something was missing.

Ga’len began to think that the nothing would remain. This was it, this was the end. His ship did not respond his thoughts. No systems status, no movement, not even a response to the pod interface. Nothing was working.

Silence, utter and complete lack of anything.

Then, in the distance a sound. A high pitched tone, very barley audible. Yes, it was there. Sound was registering, barely, but it was registering.

Finaly, something was piercing the void. The nothing gave way to sound, louder and louder the sound grew. It was becoming the focus of Ga’len’s consciousness.

In the darkness, the sound grew and grew until it was everything. There nothing was gone, everything was around him now. He could feel his body now, the sound pervaded ever fiber of his being.

Was this the end? Was this the song of the angels to take him into the next life?

Slowly, his eyes opened. Above him was a bright light. It was blinding like standing on the surface of a star. There was sound and light and everything was there now. He could feel his arms and legs. He could feel his toes wiggle and his fingers move slightly.

Then, a voice flowed into his ears.

“Sir, the cloning process is complete, you can get up now.”

Ga’len slowly sat up on the bed bewildered, “Huh? What….I thought….ahem. I heard angels singing.”

The nurse looked at Ga’len with a puzzled look, “Angels?”

“Yes”, Ga’len replied, “In fact I can still hear the music. Yes, I still hear it, don’t you?”

The nurse looked around and then faced Ga’len smiling. She spoke with a joking tone in her voice, “Ah, no worries love, it’s not angels. Look behind you, the music you are hearing is from our new marketing kiosk here in station.”

Ga’len slowly turned around and look where the nurse was pointing. A brand new Duvolle Laboratories sales kiosk was standing near the entrance to the cloning facility.

As Ga’len’s slowly turned back around, an expression of understanding and disappointment filled his face. There were no angels to take him to paradise.

“No worries love”, the nurse said to Ga’len as she patted him on the apologetically shoulder, “it happens all the time.”

Another person had jumped into system, perhaps to become the subject of violence.

Darkness surrounded the hull save for the gleam that should have been reflecting light from the system’s single star.  Being cloaked in a stealth bomber was one of Ga’len’s great joys.  Sitting there, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Soon the new traveler would become visible as the effects of travel would fade.  The energy surge from jumping between stargates would dissipate and his next victim would become visible.

The seconds passed slowly.  Ga’len willed his ship to begin to move, his bombing run had begun.

“Wait for it, wait for it”, Ga’len kept thinking to himself, “Soon they will become visible, then release the bomb and warp out.”

In a slight waver, the last of the energy surrounding the incoming traveler dissipated away and the ship became visible for a moment before it accelerated into warp.

“Damn, it’s a shuttle”, Ga’len’s thoughts began to wander, “Three shuttles in a row, this is simply not working today.” He willed his ship to a halt, turned around and moved back to his start position for a bombing run on the stargate.

Ga’len could hear the words his corpie spoke weeks ago, “Patience, wait for the moment, something worth killing will come soon.  All those shuttle pilots will come back in a vessel worth laying waste to.  Keep waiting, you will get your chance for battle soon enough.”

So, Ga’len continued to wait.  Hours passed and still nothing came through the gate.  As boredom began to creep into Ga’len and his lonely ship, the comms came alive.

“ATTENTION ALL HANDS, RALLY IN F4.  ALL HAND RALLY IN FAST ROAMING SHIPS IN F4 IMMEDIATELY.  LORD MAKK IS FORMING A FLEET, ALL HANDS RALLY IN F4 IMMEDIATELY!”

“Something happened“, Ga’len thought, “There were no planned operations for few more hours.  Something must have happened.”

Ga’len willed his ship to warp to the stargate at the other end of the system and he began the trip back to the rally point.  He activated his comms system to alert the hanger crew to ready his Taranis.  A Lord Makk roaming operation, he would need interceptors to get those targets tackled quickly.

Quickly Ga’len made his way to the station, docked, had his pod moved into the Taranis, undocked and warped to the stargate as Lord Makk and his gang were jumping through.

“ALL HANDS FORM UP ON THE NEXT GATE, DESTINATION HAS BEEN BROADCAST!”, the comms were screaming with orders from Lord Makk, “DISHONORED DUEL, HE MUST DIE!  WE WILL KILL EVERYTHING IN OUR PATH!”

Ga’len moved his ship as fast as he could, catching up with the gang on the next gate.  As they continued to move quickly towards their destination, Ga’len skimmed over the battle reports from earlier in the evening.

“Dishonored duel?“, Ga’len muttered to himself in his mind, “Cometeer again, eh?  Will these Sylph cowards never learn?  You act without honor and we shall lay our wrath upon you.  Funny how ‘their’ god accepts such scum.”

“Lord Makk, I am reading about the events from earlier this evening.  You engaged in a duel with a slaver pet, correct?” Ga’len asked his FC as they traveled faster now.

“Yes,” Lord Makk replied.

“And they dishonored the accord by bringing more combatants onto the field when things went badly for this scum, Cometeer, correct.”

Again Lord Makk replied, “Yes.”

“And this surprises you sir?”, Ga’len jokingly inquired.

There was a slight delay in his response, but Lord Makk was calm and focused, “No, it does not surprise me, but one can hope that a slaver pet will repent their ways and see the truth and light of fighting with dignity and honor.  Such lack of integrity of character continues to motivate me to lay waste to their ships and their space.  USHRA’KHAN!”

The comms filled with shouts from everyone in the gang chanting, responding to Lord Makk and his battle cry, “USHRA’KHAN!  USHRA’KHAN! USHRA’KHAN! WE COME FOR OUR PEOPLE!”

Lord Makk was beaten in what should have been a fair fight.  A contest between capsuleers was not to be taken lightly.  When you agree to engage in a duel, the terms must be honored.  Lord Makk wanted revenge and we all would lay waste upon these cowards.

A few moments later, we arrived at a stargate and a slaver pet in a Drake was waiting for us.  Without a moment’s notice, we engaged him.  Ga’len’s Taranis, The Bleeding Rose, screamed towards the doomed battlecruiser.  Guns firing, tackle gear engaged and drones released, the entire gang worked quickly and soon the ship was a fireball in space.

So fragile, so delicate, this poor soul’s pod was sitting there in the wreckage.  A moment later, Ga’len could be heard on the comms, “POINT ON POD!”  Before the static of the transmission cleared everyone’s ears, the hull of the pod cracked open, the Jovian goo evaporated away in a frozen cloud as a corpse flash froze in the hard vacuum.

“Recall drones and warp to the next gate, we are not done yet,” Lord Makk ordered the fleet, “We will continue through their space.  We will find Cometeer and lay justice upon the coward.”

And thus over the next few hours this was the way of things.  We roamed all over Sylph space, laying waste to all who crossed our path.  Cometter never came out of his station.  He stayed there, hiding in fear, hiding with the filth of his dishonor.

Ship after ship and pod after pod fell to our onslaught and in time a response was gathered.   The infamous “Provi-blob” attempted to show it’s dishonorable face.

Lord Makk spoke calmly, “Okay everyone, we are going to jump and hold postion until everyone is in system, then burn off towards the sun as fast as you can.  We will engage anyone who comes near us until they flee, then move in and kill them all.”

The fleet jumped into the next system, we held position, like the shuttle Ga’len encountered earlier that night, waiting for the energy of gate travel to dissipate.

Lord Makk’s order came, “Move now, towards the star.  Engage that inteceptor but keep moving.”

Ga’len deployed his drones and target locked the crusader as it quickly closed the distance.  As he cleared the interdictor bubble, the crusader sped past him.  Another interceptor was closing in as the first attacker’s hull exploded.

One after another slaver attempted to engage us and were destroyed.  Then they began to flee through the stargate.  Lord Makk gave chase and most of the gang followed.  Ga’len and a few others had to repair some damage before getting underway.

As Ga’len jumped into the system the gang had caught the curse in, the slaver died a proper death.

“Well, it seems that they still can not match us”, Lord Makk commented, “We have come for our people, laid waste to our enemies and not lost a single ship along the way. Okay everyone, it’s time to head home.  Set course and let’s go.  Do remember, we will kill anything we come across.”

Slowly we made our way back to the rally point, but this time, everyone fled before us.  Each time we jumped into a system, the slavers and their pets fled.  Each time they fled, the chanting of our honorable warriors could be heard, echoing through each system, “USHRA’KHAN!  USHRA’KHAN!”

We came for vengeance, we found cowardice and we laid waste upon them.  It was no longer Slyph space, it was our space now.  They acted with dishonor and it was their blood that was spilled this night.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you, thank you.  You are too kind.

I want to thank all you for asking me to speak before you today.  I am very grateful for this opportunity.  Now, I remember my days back in school and I must say, I hated sitting in a long, boring lecture.  I did however enjoy my philosophy class where we would have an open discussion.  We would be given a piece of truth to which we would debate for an hour.

That being said, I have a piece of truth to share with you all.  It’s a reality that simply had not been revealed to my eyes until most recently.

As many of you are aware, I have repented my ways as a pirate and made the choice to free humanity from the bonds of slavery.  Our brothers and sisters have been enslaved for far to long and now is the time to win their freedom.

Of course, with all justice, there are those that must be punished.  With punishing those who would choose to be slavers as we call them, you see more and more truth.

I have learned that there is a misconception concerning Minmatar ships.  They are in fact NOT covered in rust but rather in blood.

This the piece of truth we shall discuss here.

Ga’len continues to read his notes from the meeting.  He stops and begins the playback of the holoreel that one of the attendees sent him.  It begins with Ga’len continuing his point:

Minmatar ships, that isn’t rust on the hull. It simply can’t be rust.  It’s impossible.

With all the kills that Ushra’Khan obtains from dispensing justice and combating the scourge that corrupts the Amarr Empire, you can’t believe it’s rust.

It must be blood, it simply must be.   How can that reddish color on the ship hulls not be blood?

A member of the audience stands up and begins to speak:

It must be true! It must be blood!  When a corpse is released into the vacuum of space, it become very fragile.  When a ship hull impacts with said corpse, the simple thermal transfer would allow the blood and tissue to warm a bit as it boils away in the vacuum and deposit itself upon your ship’s hull!

Another audience member stands up and continues the debate:

It can’t be true.  I have seen many Ushra’Khan ships leaving Sylph Alliance space and they are always covered in yellow.  Blood is red, this can’t be true.

The first audience member is a smart one, a true Druid:

I see the flaw in your argument my friend, allow me to explain.  Ga’len, if I may have the floor?

Ga’len can been seen smiling widely, savoring the debate to come.  He motions for this young wonder to continue his thought:

Ushra’Khan has been fighting CVA for years now.  It seems to me that if you are an organization that is taking a lot of damage, you would find ways to mitigate that damage.  You would strenghten your defenses.  CVA has done this very well and we all must admit the genius of what they have done.  Why fight the Ushra’Khan when you can get someone else to do it.  It’s an ancient combat tactic known as ‘The Meat Shield’.

The second audience member sits down and everyone in the hall listens intently:

It’s a commonly known fact that cowards bleed yellow.  It’s something that has been known for thousands of years. Ushra’Khan ships leaving Sylph space are covered in yellow ‘blotches of cowardice’ because that is what is inside of those pitiful Sylph souls who fell in combat.  Why do you think most Amarr ships are a golden yellow?  They are covered in the cowardice of the ‘meat shields’ they use to fight their battles.

Ga’len holds can been seen to he holding up his hands.  He is chuckling slightly as he begins to speak:

My friend, well said.  Other than the obvious flaw in your argument, I enjoyed that.  Yes, your argument has a flaw.  In order for a Sylph to fall in combat, they have to un-dock from the station first!

Laughter fills the hall and the discussion continues on the holoreel. Ga’len turns off the holoreel projection and begins to write some more…

“Sir, all ships and cargo are loaded”, the hanger attendant stood close by, updating Ga’len on the loading process.

“Thank you”, Ga’len said with a cheer in his voice as he walked towards the capsule embarking station.  Soon he would be nestled inside his pod and loaded deep within the hull of the Blade of Truth.

“Hailing station master, this is Ga’len of the Blade of Truth, requesting clearance to disengage all moorings and undock from the station”, his voice mimicked by the neural interface within his pod echoed through the comms systems.

“Station master to Blade of Truth, you are all clear to undock.”

Slowly, the Blade of Truth made its way through the internal pathways of the station and was soon in space.  The Archon class carrier shudder slightly as the jump drive came online and the first step of the journey was underway as the Blade of Truth simply vanished from visible space outside the station.

Many in Otou were wondering where Ga’len had gone.  He had seemed distant over the past few days, reading messages from some woman from which he said he had lost touch.  Where did he go?

The only clue was a station container left behind in the corporate hangers.  It was labeled “A gift to all members of the Neo Spartans.  Inside they found many battleships, HAC’s, AF’s, cruisers and frigates fitted for the ways of piracy as well as ammunition, modules and various other items.  There was also an old wooden box, some bottles of Quafe and a letter.

My friends, it has come time for me to make a choice.

It is time to take the next step and become the man I have been growing to become.  My half-sister is alive and her struggle for her people, my people, our people is in need of my help.  Minmatar and Amarr have much they can learn from each other as I have learned over the years.  The Minmatar people have learned much, however, the Amarr still live in darkness.  Empress Jamyl I works to enlighten all those who live in darkness.  She has decreed that all the slaves are to be freed.

My father rebelled against this edict and was killed for it as he should have been.  He was a slayer of slaves and his fate is well deserved.  Unfortunately, there are many others that hold true to the cruelty my father thrived on and this injustice to the Minmater people as well as the human race must stop.

So drink to our friendship and the future, I wish you all the best Neo Spartans.  I go forth with honor.  I go forth with a mind for justice and fairness.  I go….for my people.

When the Neo Spartans opened the old wooden box, the painting found inside gave them a hint where their longtime friend had gone.

“We have made it into Tash-Murkon Prime”, Ga’len spoke with the sound of relief in his voice, “We need dock at a station here and refuel.  Do you have any preferences?”

“The station at Planet II, Moon 1, the Kaalakiota Corporation Factory?” asked Leainati, “That should do well.  The computer shows that there is a very active market there.  We can get fuel and anything else we need.”

As Ga’len read the status panel on the navigation display, the shuttle lurched violently.  Sparks flew out from the control panel, fire sprang forth from another panel to his left and the cabin was filled with alarm sounds.

Ga’len could barely hear himself above the din as he yelled, “WE NEED TO GET INTO THE EVA SUITS, THE HULL IS BREAKING OPEN!!!”"

As the hull tore open, there was nothing but silence.  The peaceful quiet of deep vacuum was all around as the wreckage of the shuttle flew apart.

***

Beep…….Beep…….Beep…..Beep….., the sound pierces the darkness.  Slowly, Ga’len opened his eyes.  The blurry world that surrounded him was dark, but things were coming into focus.  He could see blackness all around him.  In the distance, the stars were beginning to pierce the blackness that surrounded him.  He moved his arm to rub his eyes, but his hand hit the face glass of his helmet.

I am floating in space…, Ga’len thought.  Quickly, he checked the datapad on his sleeve, his suit was working properly.  The emergency locator beacon was working, signaling for any rescue ships to come retrieve him.  The scanner showed that he was near the stargate, debris was all around him.

Thoughts were racing through his mind, What happened?  Where was Leainati? Opening the comms array on the suit he yelled, “Leainati!  Are you there?!?!”

All Ga’len could hear was static.  He was alone, alone in the black.  Alone waiting for the Amarr Navy rescue ship to close the distance and bring him to safety.

The coms on his EVA suit sprang to life, “Attention pilot, this is TMP patrol ship 265.  We are moving in to retrieve you.  Are you injured?”

“I don’t think so,” Ga’len replied, “Do you have the woman who was aboard the shuttle with me?”

Ga’len’s heart sunk as he listened to the response from TMP patrol ship 265, “We are sorry, we have picked up numerous emergency beacons as there are several ships that were destroyed by the pirate attack near the stargate.  We are a bit overwhelmed at the moment and doing what we can.  We will retrieve you shortly, standby.”

As Ga’len waited his turn to be rescued, he began to survey the carnage that lay before him.  Floating in the emptiness were pieces of wreckage, pieces of what could only be bodies and almost 300 ships with the DED banner on their hulls.  Something had happened at the stargate that CONCORD sent a large presence to the location.

What could have loosed such destruction in Empire space?, Ga’len’s thoughts continued to wander, Leainati, where are you? Are you safe?  Why don’t you answer?

***

The room was darker now, the light of the Otou star no longer filled the window.  Ga’len was still sitting in his chair, still reading the datapad and his disbelief was turning to joy.

She was alive, Ga’len thought to himself, Alive and well.

“So my sister,” Ga’len whispered as he looked out at the stars, “So, you are alive. I need to find you.”

Ga’len put down his datapad and activated the console on the desk.  He began looking through the database and reading all the Scope news reports about the incident in Yulai as well as the new war between the Minmater and the Amarr.  Empress Jamyl I had abolished slavery, but the atrocities continue against the Minmater people.

The Neo Spartans have been good to me, but perhaps it’s time for a change, Ga’len’s thoughts spring to and fro, Perhaps it’s time to strike out on my own again.  Throw caution to the wind and wander as I once did.  I need to find Leainati.  It’s time…”