Ruins

In space, it’s always night time, despite the nebulae that set the sky on fire. In the dark little corners of the Metropolis slums, some constellations just don’t see as much traffic as one might expect. Occasionally, a gang of thugs moves through, looking for honest pilots to assault. Or Local will show a small squadron of militia looking for complexes in the shifting tides of war. Even the occasional solo hauler flies through, trying to get through the dangerous rookery as quickly as possible on her way to taking care of business.

So when I spent some time looking for more data centers, I didn’t hesitate to dodge through some of the more dangerous crossroad systems and head right to where I could find the sort of action I wanted. After all, the Angel Cartel swarms all through Republic space. They inhabit the little deadspace crevices where the Fleet doesn’t look. Actually, I have an arrangement with some groups inside the Cartel, but that only goes so far. When I fly out to Curse, I play by their rules, but on my turf, anything can happen.

But a cosmic signature appeared in Arnstur, one that didn’t fit any of the “standard” templates for Cartel facilities. I spent a bit of time with my Cheetah cloaked up in a nice little intermediate safe, and it didn’t take long before the system just reported back “ruins“. I noted the exact location in my navigational systems and flew back to a nearby station where I’d stashed Asymptotic Security, a decent Drake battlecruiser that had served me well.

The crew moved my pod over to Asymptotic quickly. After a quick preflight check of all core systems and fitting, we undocked and headed back. A Hurricane on the Todifrauan gate in Evati didn’t bother us any, nor even hail us on local comms, so we pressed on. Once there, we warped quickly to the deadspace pocket and found an ancient Amarrian station, almost certainly pre-Rebellion.

Vented gas surrounded the site and debris floated nearby. I immediately noticed that we had company in the pocket, though: rogue drones swarmed everywhere, ranging from tiny frigate-sized creatures to behemoths that had captured and infested Dominix-class battleships.

Threat management systems didn’t detect any sort of sentience at all among this hive, so when they engaged us, I turned on the hardeners and set to work with my Scourge heavy missiles for the larger enemies and a flight of Hobgoblin II light drones for the smaller ones. At the same time, though, the local open communications channel would occasionally show the presence of other pilots coming through. I kept a close eye on the directional scanner, and when one of the other podders finally deployed some combat probes and got within 4 AU, I recalled my own drones and warped out. At the time, only my hunter and I showed up on Local, so I couldn’t have any doubts as to his quarry (not that I would have stuck around much longer to find out). This breather gave me the chance to go fetch the Cheetah back, and when I got back into Arnstur, I noticed he had a corpmate in system. The corpmate disappeared a few moments later and my hunter returned. Cat-and-mouse games only entertain me for a short bit, so after a few minutes I headed back to Helgatild where I’d left my crew and the battlecruiser.

The Republic Fleet stationmaster feigned an obsequious sort of politeness, but his charade didn’t really matter. As far as I care, the Fleet can go hang, for all that they’ve done (or not done, truth be told) over the last several years. Even after the Elder War, I don’t believe for a moment that the corruptive poison has left the Republic, and the Fleet represents some of the worst of it. So after a bit to recheck everything and attend to a few minor business matters, we launched back out and headed into Arnstur. No other podders showed up, so we finished off what remained of the drones.

One wrecked part of the station drew particular attention. My systems detected light activity inside. I couldn’t tell whether the drones had a hive inside, or whether some sort of devolved human society inhabited it, or something else entirely.

After pondering this for a few minutes (and salvaging what remained of the twisted wreckage from the drones themselves), I decided to obliterate this active section and let whatever souls might have breathed their last in this ancient graveyard rest.

Comfortable research

I’ve rejoined New Eden Research after building up Mundilfari Station in Vorsk, so if anyone needs highly-available research facilities of any sort, we can help. Corporations can join NER (including subsidiary corporations) and use the material research labs for 15k ISK/hour, or production efficiency labs for free. Copying and invention will require other arrangements. Send me a message and we can work them out.

Putting up a large tower, lots of labs, and requisite defense in case of war took a good bit of time and ISK. Fortunately, my trading efforts keep paying off well, and I have a good system in Heimatar so that I don’t have to spend too much time on it. Once NER gets going, I expect that the tower will at least pay for its own fuel costs. As an added benefit, I have copy slots available for my own use at all times, and all the research (including invention) goes a lot faster. Dedicated facilities really make a difference.

I also did a bit more exploration, primarily clearing out a few facilities hidden in cosmic anomalies near Vorsk as well as poking at some Angel Cartel datacenters and such. That actually reminds me, I need to jump back down to Curse so that I can visit with my research staff in the Cartel labs and keep our arrangements down there going. I know I have something of an inconsistent arrangement, so I’ll need to address that soon. Maybe.

Someone Else’s Terms (part 1)

The massive battlecruiser finally slid back into its hangar after its return voyage. The magnetic clamps engaged to hold it in place and prevent it from accidentally crushing any of the small maintenance drones that now swarmed over it for inspection and fueling. A gantry lifted out the piloting capsule through a small recess and hauled it to a disembarkation chamber for the captain to exit with at least a small bit of dignity.

Casiella hated this part: gasping for air as her lungs switched back to oxygen from the ambiotic fluid of the pod gave her a brief sensation of drowning. She knew, of course, that she wouldn’t drown and that the systems always worked. But something deep in the reptilian hindbrain just refused to learn the lesson. She didn’t enjoy the sensation of entering the pod and swallowing the fluid, either. Leaving the pod, though, felt much worse because it came accompanied by the disengaging of the neural connection to her ship.

Moments before, she could navigate among the stars as easily as any other human might turn their heads. She could see millions of kilometers to focus on a specific object. With the same effort usually required to gesture with a hand, she could sweep away enemies (or competitors, which amounted to the same thing) via volleys of missiles. Her drones acted to accomplish her whims. That structure there? Demolish it? She just needed to want it to happen, and it did. Back on her own two feet, in her “meatspace body,” all those advantages went away.

But flesh has its own advantages.

She quickly ducked into the nearby shower to rinse off the remaining fluid and don a dry jumpsuit. A light above the door turned green and one of her senior staff assistants entered: a Krusual woman whose splotchy facial birthmarks made her an outcast in most of Minmatar society.

Casiella addressed her assistant while the cosmetibots attended to her hair. “That part of the plan went well, Jorunn. The RSS agent seemed very pleased.”

Jorunn focused on her datapad for a moment before speaking. “Yes, the intel dataflows have already engaged. Nearly all their agents have requested your attention. I suppose those Angel Diamond tags went over well.”

Before responding, Casiella selected a facial tattoo type for the night and the cosmetibots went to work. “He didn’t even ask where I’d got them. I think he just assumed I’d gone out and found them myself. Enough ISK can get you anything, though.”

“These days, that’s true enough. The Republic has warmed to you somewhat since you returned from Syndicate space. By now, they’ve chosen to overlook some of the work we did out there.”

The hint of a cruel smile curled across Casiella’s lips. “So much the better for them. The RSS knows the value of a good informant when it finds one, and they’d rather have me working for them than against them.” Now that the cosmetibots finished their tasks and buzzed rapidly back into their receptacles, she stood and looked up at Jorunn, waiting for the inevitable.

“You’ll have a tough time balancing the internal factions, though. Outwardly, of course, they’ll have nothing for praise for you now that you’ve joined the Tribal Liberation Force, but internally they will prefer that you work with them.” Jorunn turned around the datapad and presented a few dossiers before explaining that her employer would need to choose an agent or two.

Casiella pondered for a few moments before tapping a thin finger against her chin. “So you just assumed I’d go right for contract work rather than patrolling or ‘plex security?”

This time, Jorunn smiled cruelly in an echo of her employer’s expression a few moments ago. “You wanted that starbase in high-security space. I told you that the TLF would put you on the fast track to it, and agent contracts will get you there fastest.”

“Fine, then.” The petite Sebiestor sighed. “But let’s get this done quickly. I’ve better things to do than fight this war on someone else’s terms.”

Exploratory screenshots

I added several new images today, primarily of Sansha facilities in the Derelik region but also a plasma planet and a gorgeous Angel research site in Curse. As always, you can see all my images on my Screenshots page.

Maspah I, composed of plasma.

Angel research facility in the Curse region.

From a Sansha watch site I found in Derelik. Transports docking to offload people for "processing" in the human containment facility? Or maybe picking up newly-converted True Slaves? Ugh.

From a Sansha watch site I found in Derelik

A lookout tower assists with facility security.

The bright red sun and the haze around the facility give it a foreboding glare.

There's a docked Bestower and a couple of towers to overlook the thing.

The God-tooth

Our most ancient legends from the remotest of time tell of an ancient sword forged from the tooth of a god that shone as fire and pierced any shield held against it. Constructed at great cost by skilled builders who served unwillingly, it became a curse upon those who possessed it even as it fulfilled its singular purpose as an instrument of war. Every time this weapon left its sheathe, a soul found its final destiny. And while men and women fought and schemed to grasp its power, few truly understood the terrible truth: the God-tooth knew only death and murder.

The development of the new fighter-bomber followed the pattern laid down by its namesake. A highly secret laboratory in the dark end of space housed a group of engineers and test pilots working for a shadowy corporation planning to sell the plans to the highest bidder. At the conclusion of negotiations with the Angel Cartel for the blueprints, test data, and personnel, the lab suffered a major hull integrity breach and an Einherji fighter launched towards distant deadspace just as the facility’s reactor exploded, destroying the entire test installation and datacenter.

The few surviving staff disappeared once more into the Molden Heath underworld, possibly to begin new projects or possibly to enjoy whatever gains they may have taken from the entire incident. But whispers in the officer lounges of the Republic Fleet units now flying the Tyrfing suggest that perhaps the Republic Security Services manipulated the whole project, allowing the Cartel or some other pirate faction to pay for the development while the Republic itself looked on carefully and ensured that it would keep the weapon for itself.

Whether or not this is true, the new Minmatar fighter-bomber has trailed death and fiery vengeance in its wake in the entire brief arc of its existence, including the fiery carnage brought down on its enemies on the battlefield.

Written for Flash Fiction 3.

EVE officer art

Thanks to CCP Dropbear and CCP Tallest, we now have art depicting some of the NPC officers (taken from the CCG). Surprisingly, I really like the three Blood Raider images for their cyberpunkness (plus two of the Guristas).

Note that they have an odd numbering order within the image. Names are:

1. Raysere Giant – Blood Raiders
2. Ahremen Arkah – Blood Raiders
3. Tairei Namazoth – Blood Raiders
4. Brynn Jerdola – Angel Cartel
5. Tuvan Orth – Serpentis
6. Hakim Stormare – Angel Cartel
7. Vepas Minimala – Guristas
8. Kaikka Peunato – Guristas
9. Thon Eney – Guristas

Sebiestor tribal corp concept

We frequently see corp or alliance identities in EVE revolving around larger factions. The Amarr have CVA, the Minmatar have Electus Matari and Ushra’khan, not to mention innumerable militias in factional warfare for all four of the primary factions. Smaller, interesting factions (Angels, Thukkers, Intaki, Sansha etc) also inspire a number of corporations and even alliances.

I know, we already have the NPC corporation, but nearly everybody in EVE knows why NPC corps stink. I don’t know whether bloodline NPC corps obviate any need for (or interest in) player-managed bloodline corps, and that could present an issue. But what would a player Sebiestor tribe corp look like? First, the bloodline description:

Widely respected as being among the most innovative thinkers of the cluster, the Sebiestor are an ingenious people with a natural fondness for engineering. For the last millennium, they have been pioneering advances in applied sciences despite laboring under chronic material shortages. Sebiestor engineers believe they can build anything, with anything, out of anything. Veritable masters of deriving solutions from impossible circumstances, they are most commonly found working in shipyards, assembly lines, terraforming projects, outpost construction, and aboard starships.

So maybe this hypothetical group could take the form of an industrial corp, based near Eram (the tribal HQ system)? Manufacturing and invention, in particular, make sense for Sebiestor pilots, and perhaps reverse engineering to support strategic cruiser production. Pilots could also participate in mission running, especially with the aim of gaining high standings with the tribe and perhaps the Minmatar Republic itself. The corp’s industrial focus could even turn to supporting the war effort by providing supplies and equipment to militia corps working with the Tribal Liberation Force in Metropolis. Alternately, salvaging, trading, and smuggling seem to fit the feel of a hard-scrabble, inventive group that turns junk into the most advances devices humanity has ever known…

This thinking doesn’t necessarily mean I’d leave the Back Alley Trading Company, of course. Right now, I’m just thinking out loud and musing on ideas, since I have always loved planning corp or guild concepts and organization in every MMOG I’ve ever played or even closely examined. This particular concept has a lot appeal for me, no doubt, but I have to weigh that against all the other concepts and game play that interest me. On the other hand, I wouldn’t quite rule it out, either.

Also, this marks my 200th post on Ecliptic Rift. My geek identity means I really look forward to the 256th post more, though…

Working for Stillwater

As I mentioned the other day, I’ve gone to work with the Stillwater Corporation. Probably some folks out there might ask themselves how somebody working with the Sansha loyalists in the White Rose Society fell in with this group.

Honestly, that’s not a bad question. Stillwater has connections to both the Thukker tribe and the Angel Cartel, a known enemy of the Sansha Nation. So you might think that either they would distrust me, or that the Sansha folks wouldn’t much like this.

To tell the truth, I suspect you’d think correctly. But I left WRS, not because I didn’t like the pilots there — I really did, Vikarion is great and Petra Bealer has all the makings of a great pilot — but because their political goals don’t align with my vision. I still believe that cybernetic enhancement and related technologies will change the world even more than they have. I still believe that New Eden sits on the edge of a new era that will bring benefits to humanity we can’t fully comprehend right now.

So with the recent explosion of interest in exploration, I had to find a group that I could stomach. The Thukker tribe has a great model as an intermediate step to a stateless society, so I support that. The Angel Cartel don’t exactly match my vision, true enough, but we don’t get too heavily involved with them. At least not with respect to the worst of their abuses, at any rate.

Besides, I’m flying again with some pilots I knew last year and I trust them. They wouldn’t steer me too far astray. Well, okay, that might not be strictly true, but anyway this bunch seems like a corp I can stick with for a long time.

Exploration Journal 111.03.11

I don’t think I need to say much more about Seyllin. Everyone else in the world has already said so much, and most of it ends up being pretentiously obvious stuff anyway.

However, these worm holes opening up everywhere really have grabbed my interest. I already spent quite a bit of time flying around in my Buzzard and probing out sites of various sorts, so when I got the word, I took off into space. Took me a bit, but Metropolis space evidently has a fairly high density of them, for whatever reason.

Some of them took me to places like Sota and Pakhshi from deep in Metropolis high-sec, but I did find several that led to this other new place (cluster? galaxy?) that has everyone up in arms. As I really just wanted to explore, I didn’t take along any sort of combat ship or armaments, so I did manage to bring back some imagery from the other side. (That sounds spookier than I intended. No, I lie, I did intend that.)

Wormhole Entrance

Sleeper Facility

Emergent Defender

Awakened Defender

However, that doesn’t pay the bills. I’ve heard a lot of stories about those drone-like Sleeper ships putting up quite a fight, more than I could handle. I fully intend on going back and gathering more data for later analysis, though.

So instead, I’ve tooled around looking for rogue drones to observe and abandoned (or not) data centers. Evidently those rogue drones defended the Minmatars from a Revelation construction site. Though I put a stop to that; scientific inquiry doesn’t mean I want to see drones flying a dreadnought near my home. And a few of the drones there identified themselves as “sentient”, though I didn’t see any behavior that matched that label. Maybe next time.

Drone Revelation site

Koronakesh and I discussed the relative merits of trying to decode the rogue drone transmissions. Personally, I think we should try to understand them a little more before just destroying them. This shouldn’t downplay the importance of self-defense or even saving other human life, but if we could maybe figure out what makes them tick or how to communicate reliably with them, who knows what we might learn? Or at least stop the attacks.

During my patrol tonight, I ran across a habitation under rogue drone attack, and I got the following transmission:

01001010010100100010010100100011100100100100101001001000100111010101001

That appears to translate to something like

JR%#’JH�)

which of course doesn’t mean much. Yesterday, my research team achieved some breakthroughs on our codebreaker modules, so we’re soldering some quantum microprocessors and other bits onto them for a much improved version. I’ll run this and my other scan data through them when the manufacturing facility finishes its work.

I tracked down a radar site, and Aura told me something interesting about it:

Half-broken remnants of technology drift aimlessly throughout the vacuum; the end result of infighting, CONCORD raids or one of a thousand other common fates suffered by pirate outfits across the cluster. A codebreaker module will be invaluable in uncovering the secrets that are likely hidden here, locked away inside data vaults and semi-functional computerized networks.

Well, that sounds familiar! Looked like an old Angel Cartel mainframe to me, and I know my way around them pretty well. They had some sort of operation handbook and a skill book on Minmatar encryption methods. Not much but not bad.

Angel Mainframe

Got caught

While looking for data storage facilities in Heimatar last night, I ended up tracking down an Angel Provisional Outpost, sort of a way station for their smaller craft. Frigates and cruisers buzzed all around but couldn’t provide a real threat to the Dark Perigee II, a well-equipped passive-tank Drake and my flights of drones. After I entered their complex, the Angels sent several flights of reinforcements who never returned. I picked up what I could from their wreckage and kept going.

However, they’d built this outpost in a pocket of deadspace in low-sec, meaning I needed to keep a close eye on my surroundings to stay safe. In this sort of situation, my directional scanner is maybe the best tool I have. The non-podder ships don’t provide much of a threat, so I set the range to 1 AU and 360 degrees to see what lands close by. If a probe or (worse!) a recon ship show up, I’ll align to some warpable object and leave as soon as somebody comes into the area. This assumes I’ve reached a safe distance from the warp-in point. I’ll also align the camera drone back in the direction of the original gate and bring down the range to 15k km, scanning from time to time.

After I’d reached the last section of the complex, however, and happily let my drones and missiles clear away a large chunk of the frigates there, the scanner showed a Brutix and a Lachesis and another battlecruiser in that 15k range. At this point, I didn’t want to stick around just for the chance of an escalation, I aligned and warped out with no trouble. I guess I left a few wrecks behind for their troubles.

But when I cleared the gate into the next system, Gusandall, I saw an Ishkar and a Megathron belonging to the Mean Coalition and KenZoku sitting about 12k km away. This didn’t look good, as the Dark Perigee II’s align time won’t break any records. They scrammed and webbed me pretty quickly after I started to align to the next gate, so I targeted the Ishkar who had already come under sentry gun fire and let my drones and missiles fly.

As you might expect, these didn’t do much more than scratch his armor, not even coming close to breaking his tank, and I lost the ship. I saved the pod, obviously (how do pilots lose these at low-sec gate camps?), issuing the warp command as the hull started to disintegrate around me. I made my way back to my forward operating base in Emolgranlan and informed Vikarion of the loss.

I just hope they picked up any surviving crew after I exchanged a few friendly words in the local podder comm channel with them. Sometimes you need to swallow your pride a little, even when it stings going down.