Kenzi Created, The Story of a Clone

I tucked my hair behind my ear as the soft, balmy breeze fluttered blonde strands about my face. I could feel salt clinging to my skin as I inhaled the sweet scent of the nearby ocean. I paused to savor the fresh, crisp air. Sunlight dappled the ground as it bled through the foliage overhead, casting Cerra gardens in a myriad of light and shadow. It was beautiful. I continued my walk through the lush landscape, pausing to admire a particular blue flower imported from Adia.

Memories of Adia, the planet of my birth, fluttered through my mind. Some deep, dark part of me longed for what I once knew, despite how when I lived there, all I wanted to do was leave it.

I laughed with scorn as the traitorous thoughts drifted through my mind. I couldn't believe I actually missed them. I thought of my father and brothers. My Father had been a Holder, a favorite among the royal court. His natural charm wove a spell over most anyone he came into contact with. My brothers were the epitome of noble elegance. We lived a beautiful, privileged life. On the outside, anyhow. Very few were privy to our immoral, Sani Sabik secrets.

Oppressive emotions swirled as I remembered my life- the life that was stolen away by another. My last original memory before awakening in a cloned body was of my Father, telling me that the medical scan wouldn't hurt, that it would be a quick and painless procedure. He squeezed my fingers and smiled indulgently. I wondered how it was possible to both love and hate someone with equal passion.

Little did I know in that moment that the procedure was to secure a brain scan for cloning purposes- a safeguard in light of my last suicide attempt. I would never be allowed to leave my family. Even dying wasn't an option.

The scan was tucked away somewhere safe by my Father and somehow along the timeline, was discovered (stolen?) by Tigerfish Torpedo, and activated. Five years had passed between that mindscan and when I was awakened.

Later I would learn that I was an illegal clone of Shalee Lianne- though in my mind, Shalee was a copy of me.

I was familiar with the details of Shalee's life. She ran away, and was taken in by some mercenaries. She became a capsuleer, then a spy. She found love in the Imperial Militia and stayed. Her career was impressive. She climbed her way through the ranks, and became a Divine Commodore. She flew with some of the best capsuleers in all of New Eden. She was fiercly loyal to Imperial Militia and those she loved and cared about.

Yes, I was familiar with the course of events that could have been my life, of all the choices the clone had made. I knew far too much about what had happened in the life of her. Our namesake. Shalee Lianne.

A name that had been my own with a history that was mine too.

Because of the choices Shalee had made, some noble, others horrific, I was brought into existence, born into the world-into a stolen clone of Shalee aboard the Indefatigable in the deep recesses of Null Sec. Brought to life by Shalee's then ex, who had obsessed over her so much that he couldn't bear to be apart from her.

And so he cloned her.

He secretly brought to life my scan- a seventeen year old Shalee, one that had been on the cusp of womanhood, living under her Father's rule. Tiger kept me hidden away in lawless space for months, filling my head with lies about what all had happened with my family- coaxing me into trusting him, building a relationship with me, and waiting for me to fall in love with him.

It almost happened.

He showered me with gifts, and spent an enormous amount of time with me each day. His seduction was slow and methodical. He kept me secluded in space, away from everyone that I had ever known, 'for my own safety'. I wasn't allowed contact with anyone, even his own crew.

Despite my seclusion, I was rarely lonely. I could sit for hours at the view-port and gaze out at the stars. Space agreed with me; the haunting beauty of planets and moons illuminated by colorful suns, nebulae and space dust utterly fascinated me.

I was happy, for once, living under the illusion of having 'freedom'. I was allowed to explore the ship to my heart's content- only I wasn't allowed access to the holonet or communications. For my own protection, he said, and that of the crew. We were cloaked, drifting aimlessly through space.

It was a peaceful and quiet sort of existence, until Lasairiona Raske, Tiger's mistress, had surprised him with a visit and found me instead. Illusions were shattered as I realized that Tiger had lied about everything.

Lasa had filled me in on the last five years. I was a copy of another. She told me how Shalee had became a capsuleer, and had met Tiger. The two eventually became engaged, though she had broken it off because she felt Tiger was keeping secrets. And her gut feeling had been right, Tiger had indeed been keeping the biggest secret of all- that he had a mistress whom he impregnated. With twins.

I made a rash decision in that moment and asked her to help me escape. When Tiger had returned to the Indefatigable, he found it empty, though he must have realized what had happened. There would have been a record of Lasa boarding.

She had been gracious enough to leave me with a bit of ISK and a warning to stay away from Concorded space. If I were found, Concord would be forced to eliminate both me and the other Shalee, because it was forbidden for two clones of the same person to be active at the same time.

I was left with nothing, lost in space and time. Drifting aimlessly, with no place to call home because she had claimed it. I couldn't contact the people from my past because they no longer belonged to me. I was an abomination, an unnatural thing created from the whim's of Tiger's twisted, dark obsession.

I ran and I hid until I had used the last bit of ISK Lasa had given me. In desperation, I tried to access funds that were left to me by my Grandmother. Of course access was denied; apparently Shalee had changed the access codes...but that one attempt was enough to pique the interest of someone who monitored all things digital in Shalee's life.

They called her Red.

Red, a childlike avatar of Shalee's subconscious, kept a watchful eye in the holographic realm. She haunted anything she had access to, constantly prying into Shalee's affairs, and those of the people she was close to. Red manifested in the real world too via holodrones. She projected herself as a child and carried on her own agendas, because as Shalee slept, Red would awaken. When Shalee awakened, she'd never remember what Red had done. But Red remembered everything.

Red found me in a boarder system near Empire after I tried to withdraw ISK that was rightfully mine. I can't even describe how utterly bizare it was to carry on a conversation with a hologram of my five year old self. She helped me, though. She gave me enough ISK to stay on the run, with a warning that I should never enter Concord space. If I tried, and was caught by Concord, it would be the end of all of us- no questions asked.

As I hid, Red informed some of Shalee's most trusted friends of my existence. Aldrith Shutak was the first to find me. He offered me an apartment and visited me frequently. He had planned to help me create a new identity. I was then entrusted into the care of Raphael Saint, another who had put me under lock and key with offers of a new identity.

Hide, they said. Be someone else, they said. Our lives depended on it, they said.

But it wasn't fair. It wasn't just.

I hated it and wanted no part of a new life. I wanted what was rightfully mine. Someone else had been living my life all of these years. An impostor. And yet, I realized I was just as much an impostor as she. None of it was fair, to either of us.

Yes, I'll admit it. Some dark part of me, that part honed by the Sani Sabik, thought about killing her. It would be too easy to murder her and take her place. I doubt anyone would have realized until it was too late, and then what could they do about it? Some nights I'd let the fantasy play out as I lie in my bed in my humble apartment hidden away from society. Kill her, and become the Cerra Holder. Claim everything- our past, everything that was rightfully mine, and everything that she has built afterwards. Take it all.

I almost did it. Once. I went to Cerra Manor as her. I knew she was away, and that there wouldn't be a chance of us being at the same place at the same time. I had it all down pat- her clothes, her hair. I interacted with her friends on the terrace easily enough...and then I saw him.

Tigerfish Torpedo.

The man who was responsible for everything. My very existence...and my utter misery.

I didn't go there with the intentions of killing him, but the opportunity presented itself. I lured him out onto the beach, pretending to be her. He followed like the lovesick puppy that he was. I got him into a compromised position and I did it. Just like that. I murdered him with a blade I had taken from the terrace. In that moment I unleashed months of fury as I drove the blade over and over into his chest. As his blood splattered my face and dripped down my wrists, I stared into his lifeless eyes and spit in his face.

I hated that man more than I hated anyone in my whole entire life.

Though he died, it gave me little relief or comfort. He was a capsuleer, after all. He would clone, and suffer little for all that he had done. In fact, he wouldn't even remember me killing him since he died out of a pod.

But the seed had been planted. I would destroy him. Somehow. Someday.

Shards of Glass

Her hologram roamed the terrace while she slept nearby, curled up on an outdoor sofa in the far corner. Rain splattered onto the retractable roof and puddled in the gardens. The occasional rumble of thunder reverberated in the distance.

Red, the name given to the holographic, child-like subconscious manifestation of Shalee, stood guard at the entrance, watching as Vlad Cetes exited the landing pad in the distance and made a brisk dash through the rain to the terrace. He gave her a quick smirk as he passed by, on his way to the bar. He pulled off his jacket and shook it, dripping water onto the flagstones.

The holographic girl followed after, giggling as she mimicked a robot, arms and legs stiff, her voice metallic, "I am Vlad."

"Oh, free entertainment," he looked to her as he settled down onto a bar-stool and ordered his usual. Vodka, straight up.

As Tigerfish Torpedo entered the terrace, the hologram froze, then frowned while rolling her eyes.

Vlad Cetes smirked. "Maybe she will do an impression of you," said to Tiger.

Tigerfish Torpedo frowned at her as he neared the bar, "I doubt it."

"I am Tigerfish," Red said, mocking his Civire accent. "I blood people." She ran her finger across her throat as if it were a knife. Blood spurted, and dripped from her small pale throat and splattered onto the lacy white dress she wore in her holographic form.

Tigerfish exchanged a glance with Vlad. "Seems she does a better impression of you then me." He grinned, and turned his attention back to Red. "I don't do that any more."

The little girl blinked. "I don't believe you," she announced in a sing-songy voice. "If it were so, you wouldn't block me out of your stuff."

"My stuff?" he asked, brow quirked. "What do you mean?"

"Your communications."

"My communications? When did you even try to access them?" Tiger asked.

The little girl rolled her piercing blue eyes again, "Lots and lots. You didn't want me to find out your secrets, but I did find out about Erica, didn't I? And I left it on her holo-pad." She pointed to Shalee's sleeping form, looking pretty smug about the whole thing. "And you got in trouble."

"Who is Erica?" Vlad asked.

"A girl," Red answered, while keeping her gaze glued to Tiger.

Tigerfish nodded. "So it was you? Well, you have my admiration, Red. You're more cunning than I ever imagined. But," he paused, "you need to face facts. That beautiful woman..." he gestured over to Shalee. "... is my wife."

Red lifted her gaze to the sky and gave a loud, exasperated sigh. "I know." She sulked, "She's even tried to lock me up cause of it and it is all YOUR fault!"

Tiger looked to Shalee's sleeping form and smiled at her. "Red, you and I don't have to be at loggerheads. I'm no more a Blooder than you."

"Says the other person who the Covenant recognized as a keeper of the faith," Vlad countered.

Red glanced down at her bloodied dress. "I get tired of her believing in you." She smoothed her hands down her dress, then flicked her gaze to Vlad. "Is that so?" Her interest was piqued.

"Of course it's not," Tiger said, turning his icy glare over from Vlad to Red. "Red, I'm not willing to argue with you over this matter. Shalee has every right to believe in me, for I'm a much better man than the one she first met."

Vlad clicked the holo emitter for Red, and uploaded the security footage from Silas Vitalia's party from over two years ago. Silas Vitalia, the beautiful Imperial-turned-Blooder. She had been a friend to Shalee long before she defected.

Red bunched up her brows and pursed her lips as her gaze settled upon Tiger. "Dunno why I should believe you. I know that you lie a lot."

"Then don't believe me. Frankly, as long as Shalee loves and believes me, I'm sure I'll be alright." He gave the girl a smile and turned away from her.

Red frowned and crossed her arms, her lips tugged into a full blown pout. "You know that I know what she thinks." She looked at him matter-of-factly, then grinned smugly as if she had a secret.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tiger asked with a hint of worry edging his voice.

The hologram smirked. "Not telling."

He shook his head, "You know nothing. She's my wife and she loves me."

Red dropped her head and lifted her blue gaze to him, her expression eerie, "Oh, I know everything."

Tiger glanced over to Shalee, her form peacefully resting on the sofa, deep in sleep. "Is that so? Then deliver the blow you crave and tell me."

"I don't have to tell you anything." She turned her back to him and swept her hand in front of her dress, instantly changing it into the crisp, white lace that it was. "Voila!"

"Red," Vlad spoke. "What is your goal?"

Tiger answered. "To split me and Shalee, obviously."

Red nodded, agreeing. "And maybe you could die too." She raised her chin imperiously and said, "I wanted her to marry Eran. Not you."

Tiger drummed his fingers on the surface of the bar, "Eran? What, Eran Mintor? You genuinely think he'd have been a better choice for her, then I?"

Red nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. He was always nice to me. Brought me things. Played with me. Took care of her. What do you do?"

"I could have been just as nice to you. But you're horrid; not a good little girl at all. In fact, you're a bad girl."

Red gasped and stomped her foot. Rage flashed across her face, her tiny hands balled into fists. "No I'm NOT!" She glared at him.

"Yes you are," he pushed. "Whereas I've changed myself for the better, you're still the same spiteful little girl you were when we first met." He shook his head softly from side to side, and added, "It's really very sad."

"Does Shalee know of this?" Vlad asked. "This desire for Mintor instead of Tigerfish?"

Red ignored Vlad as she darted her gaze around frantically, searching for something, anything, to hurt him with. Since it had been raining, the retractable roof had been pulled across the terrace, with several lights dangling down, illuminating the area. She focused on them, causing them to explode, one by one.

Tigerfish looked up as the first one exploded, ducking his head to avoid any debris. His mouth opened and he tried to speak, but his words were drowned out by the exploding bulbs.

Vlad flicked a bulb fragment out of his left arm. "Red, control yourself. Now."

Red found no satisfaction in the paltry display. She searched the terrace but nothing else was manipulatable. No doors to slam. No other electronics around that she could access. She glanced to the landing pad, her mind reeling with the possibility, until Vlad scolded her. She settled her angry hot gaze upon him. "Why should I?!"

Tigerfish looked over at Vlad. "Leave her be. She's angry that she's lost all control over me." With a somewhat smug grin - like the one Red had a little while ago - he looked back to the girl. "Admit it, you've lost. Shalee and I are married."

Time seemed to stand still for the little girl as Tiger looked at her with such smug satisfaction. "It's not over. You've won nothing..." she said in a very low, whispery voice. "Your wedding vows mean nothing because you've said them before."

"Shalee Lianne is the first person that I have seen actually control Tigerfish in a long time. The last one is presumed dead." Vlad said.

"And with Shalee, it'll be the last time I say them," he said, bowing his head to Vlad in response to his comment. "Red, I love that woman."

Predator Elite entered the terrace wearing his old beat up fleet commanders jacket in time for Red's temper tantrum. "And I HATE YOU!" she yelled at Tiger.

"Well isn't it lucky you're not married to me, then?!" he responded, his voice raising a little - unaware of Pred's arrival behind him.

"Maybe Red should be a fleet commander in Goonswarm with that display of anger," Vlad smirked.

Predator glanced over to Red and Tiger yelling, "What's going on?"

The holographic little girl noticed Pred's arrival and screamed at him, "WILL YOU JUST HIT HIM FOR ME!" she thrusted her finger in Tiger's direction. "Hard!"

Pred quirked a brow as he looked to the girl, "What is wrong?"

"She doesn't like me," Tiger said.

"Because I hate him and I want you to hurt him for me!"

"Why do you hate him?" he asked as he took a seat.

Tiger smirked. "Because Red's a big meanie!"

The child took a step back, annoyed that Pred didn't instantly do her bidding. She put him on 'The List Of Men To Hate', and turned her back to him while glancing up, frowning because there are no more light-bulbs to explode.

"These holo units do have power off switches, correct?" Vlad asked.

Red glared at Vlad. "Don't you dare."

Pred pulled a toy holo-ship and held it in his hand, stretching it towards Red. "If I remember right, you used to love these things."

The girl smiled, calming as she connected with the holo-ship. An eerie smile stretched across her mouth as her temper tantrum dissipated instantly. She focused on maneuvering the ship, "I bet I can make it fly," she said as it lifted into the air.

"So Red how have you been?" he ordered a drink from the waiter.

Tiger moved away from the bar as Red became distracted by the holo-ship, then approached Shalee's sleeping form on the sofa. Kneeling down by her side, he brushed a strand of hair from her brow and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Red shrugged her shoulders, "Fine." She swayed her finger in the air, causing the ship to fly towards the back of Tiger's head. But as Tiger kissed Shalee, she awoke, and the ship crashed to the floor before it reached him, and the holo-drone deactivated as Red disappeared.

Shalee sat up with a start, having a lingering feeling of hot rage coursing through her. She could never remember Red's explorations, and rarely knew what her digital avatar got herself into- unless Red specifically left her clues. But always, she'd feel the last remnants of emotions, though it surprised her how deep the rage simmered within. Unadulterated hate pulsed through every fiber of her being. She shook her head, trying to bring the emotions under control as she looked to Tiger.

Smile, she told herself. Play the part. Buying time, she yawned sleepily and glanced to Predator and Vlad. "Did I fall asleep?" She then noticed the broken glass, and glanced up to see all of the lights were out. "What happened?" she asked, though she had a pretty good idea judging by the tidal wave of emotions crashing through her.

Tiger placed his hand over hers, tapping it softly. "It's nothing, and yes, you've been asleep since I arrived. I didn't want to wake you though - you looked so peaceful."

She flicked her gaze back to Tiger and forced an adoring smile. Play the part, she told herself.

Another voice, a tiny child like voice echoed in the back of her mind, "Just kill him."

Dark Unions

She awoke with a gasp as forced memories flickered through her mind, quick flashes of a capsuleer's life being fed into her new body after her podding.

The last memory settled into place. There had been a fight to gain control over a military complex. They were overpowered, and lost their ships one by one, and then she warped out. She realized her mistake before she landed. She had accidentally chosen a star-gate, a mistake that would cost her her life. The smart-bombing pilot, Mystical Might, had been there waiting, like a leech clinging to a bloody animal.  Her pod was eviscerated, her corpse offered up to the darkness of space as her consciousness was ported into her new clone.

She settled her blue gaze upon her medical pod technician, staring blankly at him as she sorted her memories.

The past few years jumbled into a kaleidoscope of hazy moments of time. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she remembered her wedding. She had married Tigerfish Torpedo in an impromptu, spur-of-the-moment wedding at the cathedral he had built for her on her estate. Reginald Sakakibara married Katerina Tzestu at the same time.

Her honeymoon. A long stretch of time, of nothing but her and Tiger upon a luxury cruiser exploring star system after star system.

She blinked several times as the happy memories shifted. She shook her head as if she could force those horrible, dark memories away. Learning of the death of her daughter- a child she'd never held, or even acknowledged. A child no one should have known of, one that she tried to hide away from her enemies, and his.

Zenton Karvash. A sweet reprieve from her torturous memories. Zenton, once her corp mate when they were in PIE. And then he'd left to pirate, but that didn't stop their love. Not at first, anyhow.

Tears slid from the corners of her eyes as she remembered finding out she was pregnant. It was an impossible situation. She couldn't tell him, couldn't be with him, couldn't bare the thought of their child being used against them. She had cloned jumped out and adopted the child out, far away from their wars and troubles.

For five years she had stayed away, though she'd kept the child in the back of her mind. The little girl was always there, haunting her from afar. And apparently it became too much. A part of her, the part of her that manifested when she slept, the part that activated the holonet and holodrones in the form of a red headed child searched for her daughter.

...and that is how they found her.

The Aposi, a sect of Sani Sabik so secretive that very few even knew existed, found the child and used it against her. Her torture was slow and precise. And deadly. It was a reminder. They hadn't forgot the sins of her Father, nor the promises that were made in her behalf.

Their power was immense. Unfathomable.

She shook her head again as she sorted the memories. No. Her daughter died. She closed her alliance and corp, to stop them from using those pilots against her- or even infiltrating to get close to her. To stop them from using what little power she had within the war-zone.

She blinked again as the memories slid into place. Death. Closing. And then marriage.
But why? Why did she marry? The image of Tiger flashed through her mind. Her emotions swirled suddenly; a tempest of love, lust, and darkness. Betrayal.

He betrayed me?

She shook her head again, trying to make sense of what was falling into place inside of her mind, memories falling like rain.

Betrayal, the emotion pulsed hotly, smothering out all others.

She suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her pod tech neared her, "Lady Lianne?"

Her stormy gaze settled upon him and she nodded, "It's okay. I'm okay." She forced a smile to her mouth, one to hide the sea of emotion that was threatening to drown her. As she pulled herself from the clone vat, she inhaled deeply and exhaled, forcing herself to accept the one thing that kept forcing itself to the front of her mind.

Tiger was Aposi.

Trouble In Paradise

Subject: From the Front
From: Reginald Sakakibara
My lady, 
I am pleased to offer you, on the 1st of November, YC 116, the system of Frerstorn. 
Your humble servant, 
Reginald Sakakibara

"Is something the matter?" Dr Witwer asked as he noticed her frowning.

Shalee glanced up from her neocomm, the neon blue lettering flickering a soft glow across her face. "The push for Frestorn was successful. In fact, it was captured ahead of schedule."

"Isn't that good news?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. It's just that...I feel guilty for not being there," she admitted softly.

"You can't be everywhere at all times," he reasoned.

"I know. But that doesn't take away the guilt. Sometimes I feel that the bureaucracy of running a corporation takes away from my true purpose."

"And that is?" he prompted.

"To be on the front lines. I should have been there, fighting beside my men."

"From what I understand, there wasn't a lot of fighting involved. They more or less surrendered the system and fled with their tails between their legs to Auner." The news had been all over the holonet since the reclaiming.

"It feels selfish, to be here when so much is happening elsewhere."

"I have a feeling this isn't just about Frerstorn."

"No, I guess not."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She chewed her bottom lip, debating a moment, before saying, "Yeah, I guess. I'm just so worried about so many people right now that I can't ever seem to relax."

He gave her a knowing look, "And you claim not to trust people. You wouldn't worry about so many if you didn't care."

"I never claimed not to care. Caring and trusting aren't the same," she countered.

"They are very close. Both make you extremely vulnerable... and therein lies your problem. You wont let yourself be vulnerable to those you love and care for."

"Why should I?"

"Because you are human."

"That is debatable, according to some; being a capsuleer and all," she said wryly.

"Being a clone doesn't make you any less human."

"But it does complicate things. By all accounts I should be dead by now. Instead, I know I have lifetimes yet to live, to carry this burden of guilt."

"Then let us talk about it. What is weighing on your mind the most."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Ryven," Witwer supplied. "Tell me about his situation."

Shalee pursed her lips in displeasure. "I had him arrested the other night. I just couldn't ignore it anymore."

"Ignore what?" he asked.

"His new persona. I don't understand how it works, only that he is not himself. He is dark, twisted, and sick. He came to the terrace wearing a coat made of...human. And he was just so nonchalant about it! As if it were an ordinary thing! I called for the guards, but of course he wouldn't go down easily. It just so happened, Lunarisse's personal security guard, Alexa, was there doing some recon on the rooftop. She asked if I needed assistance. I told her to shoot, but that I wanted him alive. I didn't want Ryven to die. Dying would mean escape. I wanted to lock him up before he could do anymore harm."

She continued, "After the shots were fired, Vlad Cetes activated some sort of cloaking device and left the terrace. Minutes later, two of Reginald's men were found murdered at the new Cathedral's construction site. It was chaotic. Still is. Alexa was an enormous help, so I asked her to unofficially help out with the investigation."

"What did she come up with?"

Shalee forwarded the neo-comm message to Witwer:

Subject: Arrest Warrant
From: Alexa de'Crux
My investigation of the holotapes has provided evidence to support charges against two individuals.
With your permission, I will arrest both Reginald Sakakibara and Vlad Cetes on charges of murder in the first degree and criminal conspiracy.

Witwer looked surprised, "What would he have to gain by murdering two of his own men?"

"I wish I knew..."

The Last Light, part 5

She floated in an isolation clone vat, every sense deprived of stimulation. Mental layers of worry, stress, and endless to-do lists melted away as her entire being began to relax.

She floated for what seemed to be hours, though it was hard to have an accurate gauge of time- and that was the point of the exercise. To free herself of every exhausting thought until she was left with nothing but a relaxed, clear-headed state of being. Only then was she able to delve deep into the recesses of her mind and pull out the submerged memories that'd had been blocking.

It was an enormous task; to piece together the fragmented memories from several clone scans after various poddings over the previous years. Doctor Witwer was also able to incorporate other memories, ones that had been left behind on the mind-scans of her clones before coming a capsuleer, scans that her Sani Sabik Father had created and stored. Witwer was able to meld the pieces together in one clone, though it was up to Shalee to pull them out of her subconsciousness and then make sense of them.

It was easiest to do without distractions, without the constant stream of everyday thoughts combined with the incessant stream of chatter while in pod. She needed focus, and the sensory deprivation clone vat gave her that.

Witwer's voice pierced the darkness, "I want to take you back to where we left off. Two years ago."

"Alright."

"You said you were on a public transport ship to Jita?"

"Yes."

"Who were you with?"

"Scatha and Scorpion."

"Where were you going?"

"To Jita Four, to the Summer Blink Casinos."

"What do you remember next?"

She searched her memories, forcing herself to piece it together. It was there, just jumbled and out of focus.

"You can do this, Shalee. Focus on one thing only, and let the other parts fall into place. What do you see?"

"The exit ramp."

"Look in front of you."

The scene within her mind shifted. She stared ahead, into a sea of people, then latched onto the two Sebiestor teens who had departed the transporter in front of them.

"What do you feel?"

"Apprehension."

"Why? What is happening?"

"We are being watched. I don't know how I know, just a feeling."

"Let it come. Let the memory play out. What happens next?"

"Scatha buys me a red dress in one of the shops. I change out of my militia uniform. He has me drink something- it has a tracking agent in it. He says it is undetectable by scanners, though only lasts six hours."

"How do you feel now?"

"Scared. Pretty. I like the dress."

"Ah, the truth serum is working." Witwer chuckled, "Continue."

"We leave the shopping district. I go into the casino...I've never been here before in person, only in holo-form. I place a bet at one of the tables."

The memory played through her mind easily. The casino lights pulsed and sparkled. Holographic gambling boards suspend overhead, flashing a few times before disappearing, replaced with a new prize to bet upon. It was wildly beautiful, the overwhelming waves of colors and sounds engulfing her. Getting caught up in the collective excitement was too easy. She laughed as a Caldarian scooped her up and swung her around, bubbling with joy over the transport ship he'd just won. She placed a bet at the table he was playing at, then another. She blew through billions upon billions of ISK in the matter of minutes, all in an attempt to get their attention.

It worked. 

She smiled flirtatiously, trying to hide her nervousness as a BLINK employee lead her into a plain room with a long table covered in masks.  "Choose one, please," he requested.

She walked the length of the table, taking her time; admiring the quality of the masks, most were fairies and monsters from fables. Other's had more meaning. There were a few pirate bunnies and skulls. Some were pure gold, some emerald; the color reminding her of the Gallente space station.

Each of them worth more than most people acquired in a lifetime, no doubt.

Butterflies tumbled in her stomach. She knew this was some sort of test; but what kind? And then she figured it out...she hoped, at least. She lifted an ivory colored eye mask that resembled the one Faliin had worn. A Sani Sabik ritual mask. It would que the attendent to take her to the Blood Raider party.

He nodded to her as she placed the mask over her eyes. Her red hair tumbled about her shoulders in loose curls. The mask did little to hide her true identity, and that is precisely what she wanted.

She checked the time, just before being ushered into a lavishly decorated room of blood red and gold.  She had just under five hours to draw Faliin's attention.

"What happens next?" Witwer asked, prompting her to continue with the memory.

She sucked in a tremulous breath as she forced the memory to play out. "I enter the Blood Raider party. The music is loud, pulsing through my body. The-the room is red. All red."

"Pause."

"Alright."

"Focus on one thing."

"Alright," she said softly as she searched the memory, finding one person in the room to bring her entire focus onto. Normally the exercise would help her calm down, but this time it had the opposite effect. Her heart thudded wildly, "I'm afraid."

"What are you focusing on?"

"Him. It's him. He's here." She started to hyperventilate. "He hasn't seen me yet."

"Tell me about him again."

"His name is Faliin Oreen. He is their leader- the one who abducted us from our pods. He is a Blood Raider."

"Look around the room. What else do you see?"

"Lots of people- they all have on the white masks. They are laughing, drinking, and gambling. Some are..."

"Are what?"

"Having sex, I think. They are behind silk curtains but I can make out their silhouettes. The air smells like sex and blood."

"Do you feel you can continue or do you want to stop here?"

"I can go on."

"Very well. Take it slow. And remember, whatever you see can't hurt you now."

"I know," she said as she let the memory start to play once more. "He glances at me. He recognizes me. He moves through the crowd; he hasn't taken his eyes off of me."

His mouth twisted into a smirk, "Lady Lianne." His hand curled around hers and she allowed it, forcing herself to play the part.

"You know me?"

"Your beauty is renowned across the Bleaklands. Imperial, haughty, and deadly. Let's just say I am a fan." He pulled her closer and slid his hand along the small of her back. "And I knew your Father."

"You flatter me..." she waited for his name.

"Fal."

She smiled, "A pleasure."

"Oh, I promise you, it will be."

She laughed, as if flattered by his attention.

"Shall we go somewhere quieter where we can talk? I promise to behave," he whispered against her ear.

"I don't see why not."

Shalee groaned as she shifted in the water, forcing down the feeling of being trapped.

"Are you alright? Your pulse is elevated. Do you want to end the session?"

"No. I want to finish this. I want to remember."

"Where are you now?"

"He has taken me to a private room. We are talking. He buys it, or so I think. And then he hits me. I try to run, to escape, but he blocks the door. He grabs me by my hair. His hand is over my mouth and-and I can't breathe. I'm choking! I'm trying to fight him off but I can't! I pass out."

Witwer's tone was sympathetic. Soft. "We don't have to do this now, you've already recovered a lot today."

"No. I have to finish." She sniffled, "I wake up somewhere else. I don't know where. Oh God. Oh God, I am chained. He's going to kill me. He's going to drain me..."

"Pause. Look around. Describe it to me."

She forced herself to review the scene clinically, without any emotions. "I'm in a stark white room. Chained to the floor, but I can move some. There is a glass wall. I want to see what's out there. I crawl towards it...oh God. It is a blood farm. I can see...thousands of clone vats. And then there are bodies. Rows of them. Suspended by chains, being drained. Some ...some of them look like me."

"What happens next?" Witwer asks gently.

"I don't know how long I stay there, looking down. Hours, I think. And then Fal comes into the room.

He's not saying anything, just moving closer and closer. He-he has a c-ceremonial Sani Sabik blade. He's...oh no. He's going to cut me."

"You are safe, okay? It's just a memory. He can't hurt you now."

"He raises the knife..he's teasing me. He gets off on my fear. He wants me to scream. He wants me to beg for mercy but I wont. He kicks me. I wince, but I don't scream. I don't cry. And then he jabs the blade into my shoulder. I'm crouched, trapped between him and the glass wall. It hurts, the pain is streaking down my arm. He pulls the blade out and licks it- his tongue is split."

"Keep going."

"I lunge for the knife. I think it surprises him. I manage to slam my hand against it, forcing it against his face. It cuts his tongue and mouth, and my hand. Blood is dripping. He wraps his hand around my throat and ...I think I am going to pass out but then a violent explosion roars behind us. The glass shatters and the impact throws Fal away from me, slamming him against a wall."

"You survive. How?"

"The chains keep me in place."

"What caused the explosion?"

"Orbital bombardment. They found me. Scorpion is bombing the blood farm."

Glass littered the floor. Dust and debris floated in the smoky air. A cacophony of screams and explosions roared, but she couldn't hear it. The explosion jarred her hearing. She felt like she was watching a holo-reel in slow motion, with no volume.

Desperately she tugged at her chains, trying to free herself as another explosion rocked the building. She screamed out, the sound lost to her. Her body ached. Bruises covered her skin, pierced by shards of broken glass. She tried to crawl her way to Fal, who was passed out and bleeding from his nose and the cuts around his mouth.

The door pushed open; light and smoke flooded the room. Scatha was there, calling her name. He found the keys on Fal's slumped form, then released her from the chains. 

Fal groaned as he came to. Shalee grabbed the ceremonial blade from the floor and lunged at him, stabbing the metal into the side of his neck. He slumped to the floor. She pulled the blade out and ran it across his throat for good measure.

The blade fell from her hand, blood splattered across the broken glass. 

"He's dead. We have to go," Scatha came up beside her. "Can you walk?"

"Yes," she said stubbornly, just as she crumbled to the floor.

Scooping her up, he carried her through the fiery maze, and out a side door, into the fresh, night air. Coughing, she buried her face against his chest as he carried her to a waiting shuttle. "Breathe. Just breathe."

"How do you escape?"

"Scatha...he's there. He finds me. He saves me."

The Last Light, Part 4

Neon lights flashed from a billboard near the star gate they orbited, advertising the SOMER Blink casino and gambling den of Jita IV.

'Traffic Control,' the automated voice of the shuttle announced to the passengers.  Scatha glanced through the window, watching the congestion around the last star gate into Jita.

Shalee murmured in her sleep and rolled over, kicking Scorpion Venom's side.  The pair of militia pilots slept across a shuttle bench, tangled up among a pile of flight jackets and overnight bags used as pillows.  Scorpion grunted and slouched down, his head ending up against her leg.

They had been asleep the last eight star system changes.

Scatha side-glanced them and chuckled.

The public transport was nearly empty, shuttling the three militia pilots and two heavily tattooed Sebiestor teens, who were also asleep on the last bench near the back.

A bright light flashed as a holodrone whirled into activity.  The holographic image of a small red headed girl took shape in front of him.  She peered at him curiously.  He instantly recognized her, the avatar that Shalee's subconscious took when she was 'digitally sleepwalking', as was explained to him by his superior.  She could access anything digital, go into any holographic world, activate any holodrone to project herself.  She could take any form but chose a little girl; no one knew why.  She would 'dream' in the waking world, wandering wherever she pleased, carrying on conversations with people, and pry into anything digital that she had access to.  She was a restless dreamer.  The ironic part was that she never remembered anything she learned as the little girl.  It was like a fading dream as soon as she awoke.  However, the child remembered everything.

He smirked at her.

She frowned.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"How do you know about me?" the child asked.

"We've met before," he said.

She looked skeptical. "I would remember you."

"Actually you wouldn't.  It was during those two months she doesn't remember."

"Then what's my name?" she challenged.

"Red.  You say that Raphael calls you Red."

She tilted her head, "I've been watching you.  You aren't Scatha.  Scatha and Melisandre are both real girls...I've seen them.  So who are you?"

"Steve," he answered.

"Okay Steve, though I know that's probably not your real name either.  What are you really doing here.  Are you an agent?  You fight like one."

"Yes."

"For who?"

"The Empire, of course."

"What is your agenda?"

"To infiltrate Faliin Oreen's Sani Sabik covenant and destroy it along with the Jovian tech that he has acquired."

"Why should she trust you?" she asked.

"She has to trust someone, right?"

"You say that as if you know something...."

"I know lots of things," he assured her.

She paced along the floor in front of him, "She used to be an Imperial Agent."

"I know," he said.

Her brow lifted.

"I was her partner.  During those missing two months, we were assigned a couple of joint ops."

"Why didn't you tell her the truth about who you are."

"She's not ready to face that part of her past."

"Why?"

"Because the last mission we had was to kill her fiance for good."

"You were going to kill Tiger?"

He nodded, "She was.  He was an assignment, just like Eran Mintor had been."

"But Eran lived."

"Eran was converted and he fought for the Empire.  His betrayal to the Minmatar was a crushing blow to their morale at the time.  Tiger," he swayed his hand dismissively, "is mostly unimportant to the fate of the Empire.  She was to make an assessment about him, whether he was worth converting."

"And she chose to kill him instead?" she asked.

He nodded, "He, along with all of his clones would have been infected with some sort of poison that would drive him insane.  Granted, he wasn't a high priority.  But you know her, she has a grudge against the Sani Sabik."

"So she was going to end him...but before she could, her brother's hijacked her clones and brought her back with years of missing memories.  She didn't know the truth.  She thought she really loved Tiger.  She started seeing him for real instead of as an assignment..."

He nodded again, "Bingo."

"But her brothers didn't know Ethan had a clone of her, they didn't know Ethan could give her back all of the missing memories...except those two months."

"And those are the two months she knew me.  The two months where she met Tiger and started a fake relationship so she could get close enough to get access to his clones."

Her little brows furrowed, "And then she started a real one with him...because she didn't know any better."

"Yes.  And now she is in too deep with him, the Agency pretty much cut her off, though we check in on her from time to time."

"Why is Tiger still alive?  Why don't you kill him?"

He explained, "No point in killing a capsuleer, he will just resurrect out in null sec somewhere or other.  You have to get the clones too, and that is what she was going to do."

"And now she is going to marry him," she said gloomily.

"Yeah, something like that."

She tried to kick a crushed Quafe can across the floor, only to have her foot move through it. "She's not going to trust you once she finds out that you were going to help her kill Tiger."

"That's why I'm not telling her.  You'll keep my secret, right?"

She pouted, "You know I can't tell her anything.  I know everything she does but she doesn't know the things I do."

He smirked, "I know."

"How are you going to find Faliin?" she asked.

"I'm not.  He's going to find her."

"Docking permission requested,"  the automated voice announced. "Docking request accepted,"

"We're here..."

The Last Light: Part Three

They sat at a small table near the windows in a planetside restaurant in Egghelende.   Rain gushed outside, drenching the sidewalk, pooling in the streets.  She watched as a couple dashed across the street and slid into a hovercar, splattering water as it eased into the traffic.

After the waiter left their table, she turned her gaze to Scatha.  "So now are you going to explain what's going on?"

He nodded as he leaned back in his chair.  "If you think you are ready to hear the truth, sure."

"Stop being so mysterious, I'm stronger than I look," she said.

"I have no doubt about that, but goddamn Shalee, this is a total mindfuck, I'm not sure you want to know."

"It can't be anymore of a mindfuck than finding out you are a guy.  An assassin, to boot," she said.

"That's nothing.  People are rarely what they seem, you should know that.  Hell, even you aren't what you seem, right Miss Cerra?"

"So you know who my family is, so what," she said defensively.

"I know that you ran away from them.  I know that your Father was a Holder and was disgraced for not releasing part of his slave force after Empress Jamyl decreed that all slaves to the 9th generation should be freed.  I know that you have ...rather, had, three half brothers. Two who are presumed dead.  I also know that your Father was very high in the ranks of the Sani Sabik culture...."

She sat there in silence, listening to the rain pelt against the window.  "All of that is in the past, I don't know what it has to do with who I am now.  I live and die for the Empire, I am a loyal and obedient citizen."  Her chin jutted up stubbornly, "I am nothing like my family.  It is why I dropped his name."

"I'm not accusing you of anything."

"Then why do I feel like I'm on trial?"

"I'm no Inquisitor.  I'm merely a friend, if you will."

"A friend of who?"

"You, of course," he said.

"Obviously not, since I only just found out who you really are.  Which brings me to the question, why are you here?"

"In a round about way, I was hired to infiltrate your corp."

"By who?"

"Someone you don't know."

"Why?"

"To investigate the Bleaklands.  There's been a lot of strange activity popping up, things happening that cannot be explained.  Something to do with the Bloodraiders, it was thought, so I was sent out to have a look around.  Joining militia was the perfect ruse."

"Yes but why my corp?  You could have joined any militia corp or even the 24th itself."

"Because of you, Shalee."  He lit up a cigarette.  "Surely it makes sense to start with the obvious.  You have ties to the Sani Sabik both with your family and your fiance, Tigerfish Torpedo."

"I'm no Blooder, how could you even accuse me of that..."

"Hey calm down I'm not accusing you of anything.  I had to start with the obvious leads.  I know what you are."

"Not all Sani Sabik have ties to Blood Raiders," she said.

He nodded, "I know.  But all Blood Raiders have ties to the Sani Sabik.  They are a fractured cult of the Sani Sabik.  And I think that's where they do their recruiting.  So of course I was going to start within the ranks of I.LAW.  To find out more about you and him."

"So now you know about me.  What about him?"

He exhaled a ring of smoke, "He's not what you want him to be."

Dark brows furrowed.  "What do you mean by that?"

He regarded her for a moment, "I didn't bring you here to talk about your fiance.  I brought you here to show you this."  He slid a datapad across the table.

She picked it up and slid her finger over 'play + internal audio' which meant that her implants would absorb the sound and she would hear it within her mind.  The patrons of the restaurant would be oblivious.

The video started like her glitched memory.  The battle of Kamela roared over comms.  The sky was bright with explosions.  Pieces of shredded metal littered the battlefield.  An explosion lit the vid screen and then everything was dark.  


Seconds ticked by then the darkness was pierced with a blinding light.  The pod was being pulled from the battle, absorbed into the belly of some ship.  The capsule was split open, pod fluid splashed across the floor.  Neon red lights cast an eerie glow across Sani-Sabik masked men.


Scatha struggled against his attackers.  Boots pounded against the metal grating as another kidnapper neared him.

She hit pause on the recording, feeling as if her heart were about to beat its way out of her chest.  Fear coiled in the pit of her stomach.  "How is this possible?  You shouldn't be able to have any video feed once you left the pod.  You were disconnected from it."

He nodded his head towards the datapad, "Keep watching and then I will explain."

She hit 'resume'.

The camera jerked out of focus, no doubt where Scatha was hit in the back of the head.  The screen went dark though there was still audio.  She could hear far away screaming.


Suddenly he opened his eyes and the video came into focus once more.

"Oh my god..." she gasped, choking on a sudden sob that caught in her throat.  "What the hell is this?"

The camera panned around a Blood Raider torture chamber.  There were several people suspended from the ceiling, their bodies drained, sliced open, carved with ritual symbols to the point of being unrecognizable.


It went dark again with audio; scuffling noises, people pleading, screaming.


He blinked his eyes open.  A couple of new bodies hung nearby.

She started to tremble as she realized who he was looking at.

Her.

"Oh god.." she stammered, completely caught off guard, "How is this possible..."

She watched in horror as a masked Raider impaled her arms with  metallic rods.  He taunted and teased her, then left.


From the audio she could hear her conversation with Scorpion Venom.

"Scorpion was there?"

Scatha nodded.

And then she heard his voice.  He was talking to her, commanding her to breathe...breathe to die.


Her head slumped forward and then his must have as well.


The video blurred then blinked off.

She swiped away tears as she stared blankly at the datapad.  "How is this real?  How did this happen..."

"I promised I would tell you."

"Do you even know how long these pod clone abductions have been going on?"

He shook his head, "Not really, but we don't think too long."

"And how did you even record it?"

He tapped his fingertip to the corner of his eye.  "I have my own technology, it doesn't require being wired up to the capsule.  It's always recording."

She stared at his eye, "Even so, wouldn't they have found it?  Blocked any transmissions going off ship?"

He tugged at the corner of his eye and a silver stream of liquid dripped down his cheek. It fell to the table and congeled into a solid shape.  "Nanites."  She watched as it reformed into something with wings and flew upwards above their heads.  "It's programmed to find it's way home."

"Oh..."

It swirled around then landed at the side of his eye, changing into a silver liquid form.  He pulled back his skin and allowed it to seep in through the corner, then blinked several times.

Wincing, she looked away.  "If they perfected the perfect crime, then why send those Raiders to my apartment.   There's something about this that doesn't make sense.  Is there something else that you haven't told me?"

"Faliin Oreen, the one who took you, has a taste for you now.  He sent those thugs I'm sure.  I bet you really pissed him off when you died, he didn't have a chance to imprint you onto another clone."

She felt sick.  "What does that mean?"

"All Raiders prefer clone blood."

She nodded, having heard tales of vessels found in space with dry corpses, drained by Raiders.  The Raiders were notorious for their gruesome sadistic blood rituals, especially in the Bleaklands.

He continued, "And sometimes they will become attached to a particular taste of someone and they will do anything to keep that person alive, so that they can continuously feed off of them."

She winced again.

"You had the audacity to die before he could imprint your clone onto a new clone, so that he could keep you in the blood farms."

"And so he's going to try to capture me again?" she asked, her voice filled with dread.

He nodded, "I imagine so."

"Well that's fucked up."

Scatha flicked the tip of his cigarette against the ashtray.  "We have his name.  We can track him down.  Remember, he doesn't know we know."

****

Hours later the pair entered into a seedy bar somewhere deep within the Gallente Federation. The walls pulsed a dim green light to the beat of a strange mix of music.  The dancefloor was a mash of barely clothed bodies gyrating upon one another.

Shalee swept her gaze across the sea of people, "I don't think he is here."

"He's not going to be on the dancefloor," he chuckled.  "C'mon," he reached behind him and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her through the crush of people towards the back of the club.

Scorpion Venom sat with his back to the bar, a girl on each side hanging onto his massive arms.  He smirked as he pulled a cigar from his lips, "Didn't figure I'd find you in a place like this," he said to Shalee.  His shiney black eyes focused on Scatha.  "Gonna introduce me to your friend?"

"Actually...it's Scatha."

He looked to Shalee for confirmation.  She nodded.  He grinned even wider, "No shit?"

"Nope," said Scatha as he stuck his hand out to shake Scorpion's.  "Look.  We need your help."

"What can I do for you?"

"Doing what you do best.  We need to capture someone and with your considerable skills, you're our best chance at it."  Scorp was one of the better known inty pilots in the militia, if not the best.  He smirked again,  "Say when."

"Now."

He looked to the girl on his left then to his right, "Now now?  Not like half an hour from now?"  He grabbed the blonde's ass, "I mean, come on.  What's so important that can't wait a little so I can get a little."

Scatha gave Shalee a look, to which she shrugged.  "Fine.  Half an hour then we roll out."

Shalee watched the trio head for the stairwell.  "So."

"So," Scatha said as he nodded his head towards the dancefloor.  "Wanna dance?"

"For half an hour?"

He cracked a grin, "He'll be back in ten."

"I'm telling him you said that."

The Last Light- Part Two

Her eyes darted back and forth behind closed lids.  Her body trembled as the last memories of her previous life flashed through her mind.  She fought desperately to put all the pieces in place, to make sense of a massive information 'download' into her new clone.

She thrashed about in the clone bay hibernation unit, sloshing fluid as her fingers curled into tight fists.  She slammed them against the translucent lid of her container, beating frantically to draw someone's attention to her.

"I'm alive," the thought ran through her mind though she couldn't actually speak the words, her mouth was still melded around an artificial tube that connected to her lungs, a breathing apparatus that provided sterile, filtered air.

The dull thud of her hands smashing against the container startled Kobe Caglia, junior pod technician, assigned to Jonathan, chief pod technician- someone who had been working for Shalee since she'd become a capsuleer.

Groggily he glanced around, having fallen asleep at the station while his boss had taken a much-needed break.  The pair of them had been on duty the entire night as their employer fought her way across the Bleaklands.

Thus was the life of a pod technician.  They slept when their employer slept.  Their schedules mirrored hers so that they would be there to resurrect her should she die.

And with the Tribals putting up a relentless fight across the war zone, every Amarrian Militia capsuleer seemed to be pulling double shifts of patrols just to keep them at bay.  They barely slept, and neither did their grounded counterparts.

The Amarr were losing the war at a frightning pace.  Nerves were stretched, tempers were high, and everyone was exhausted.

Kobe hadn't meant to doze off but it had finally caught up with him.  Having been monitoring her patrol over comms, he had fallen asleep to the sound of the FC giving orders to jump and hold cloak.

He had started to dream of the fleet, of being in the midst of the battle.  He was there as the two fleets engaged, as ships exploded one by one.  He could hear the cries as thousands of crew members were blown to bits out into the unforgiving endlessness of space.  Debris surrounded the stargate, lights from it illuminated what was left of their ships.  So many pods hovered, suspended in an eerie light.

He jerked awake to the sound of 'Resurrection Imminent'.  A siren blazed, the display lit up with pale neon warning lights. 'Resurrection Imminent,' the automated warning system repeated.

"Fuck."  He dashed over to the hibernation unit and pushed the lid to the side.  He shoved one hand beneath her neck, pulling her up out of the shimmering fluids, his other hand pulled the tube from her mouth.

"Breathe," he said as he rubbed his thumb across her eyelids, wiping away the liquid that had gelled in the creases.  She blinked several times, clearing her vision, taking a few shallow breaths.

"Commodore Lianne?  You with me?" he asked in a soft voice, staring down into her confused eyes.

She nodded as he pulled her up out of the clone vat and wrapped her in a towel.  She took a few tentative steps then faltered.  He caught her, "Easy now."

"Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"I died," she said softly.

He nodded.  It wasn't uncommon to have confusion after awakening for the first time in a new body.  "You did."

She hesitated, "But ...something isn't right."  Memories flashed lightning fast through her mind.

"Tell me."

"I don't know."  Her brows furrowed as she tried to remember, "I can't remember."

"Maybe it will come to you later.  Here, let me help you Commodore."  He led her off to the showers so that she could get cleaned up.  After she went through a quick medical exam, she was released.

Wearing a drab medical jumpsuit, she entered into the medical station's cafeteria, in no hurry to make her way back to her captain's quarters.  She filled a tray and headed over to sit by the windows.  As soon as she took her seat, Scorpion Venom neared her table, "This chair taken?"

She nodded, as if to say sit down.  "So they got you too?"

"Yeah."  He sat down in front of her, his tray as full as hers, "Fucking bastards."

She studied his face, recognizing him after a moment. "Scorpion, right?"

"At your service."  He popped the lid off a bottle of water and took a long drink from it.

"This is the first time we've met?  Out of pod, I mean," she asked.  She leaned back in her chair and twisted her damp hair into a bun.

"Yeah, I think so."  He gave her a glance in between bites.  "Do you..." he seemed to hesitate.

"Do I remember how we died?" she prompted.

He nodded.  "Yeah.  One minute we were fighting and the next..."

She finished his sentence, "Everything was dark.  The pod wouldn't warp, it should have still been online.  But it wasn't, it was just dark and cold and no one could hear.  I could see outside, I could see there were others just sitting there..."  she whispered, remembering the last few moments of her last death.

His dark eyes bore down on here, lost in the memory, "And then suddenly there was so much light.  Like a blinding light and I couldn't get my pod out.  It should have responded, but it didn't. The light was from outside...and then it felt like it was being pulled by tractor beams?"

She nodded again, "Yes!  It makes no sense, right?  It couldn't have happened like that...it's impossible...you can't lock onto pods with tractor beams and that light..."  Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, "And then we were pulled into a loading bay and broken out of our pods, and that's when we died.  After the pods were split open manually."

"Right."  The stared at each other for a long moment.

"Well fuck."

She glanced down at her food tray, "Maybe it was just some...glitch... in the download."  She knew that it was very unlikely that they both experienced the same exact 'glitch' but there was no other way to explain it.

"Yeah.  A glitch," he said unconvincingly.

They both fell silent.

***
A stream of pale green lights glowed along the top of the dark corridor, simulating night in the 'second station' of Egghelende, a Gallente station that the Imperial Outlaws had claimed as their home for the last couple of months.  "Deck forty-seven," the automated voice announced as the doors slid open.

She exited the elevator and turned right, making her way towards her rented apartment.  One side of the corridor was transparent, giving a panoramic view of space, the other side was lined with doors that lead to I.LAW and TMFED captain's quarters.

Her thoughts lingered on the night's battles.  The Amarrian Militia had dominated the field hour after hour.  The Minmatar melted beneath their lasers, their missiles, their heavy artillery fire. The fleet had begun small, commanded by Almity and by the end of the night they had killed over four billion ISK worth of ships.

'Not a bad night at all', she thought as she neared her door, still high off the thrill of combat.  The apartment door next to hers, recently vacated by Jones Bones who had left corp to return to the Heretics, slid open.  A tallish man with blonde hair and startling blue eyes stepped out.

She gave pause, looking at him with curiosity.  "I thought those quarters were empty..." she said skeptically.

"Not anymore."

Shalee frowned, "They have been retained for the Imperial Outlaws, there must be a mistake."

"But I am an Imperial Outlaw," he smirked.

She mentally ran through a list of new recruits, they had been flooded with them over the last week or so, but he didn't match any of them.  "No you're not."

He nodded his head towards the corridor, "Take a walk with me?" He gave her a rather charming smile.

"Uh, no?"  Was he hitting on her?  She tilted her head, staring him down.  The nerve of some people, she thought irritability.  "Tell me what you are doing here."

He smirked again, "C'mon.  Take a walk and I will explain.  I promised you I would."

Her brow arched, "What?  You're making no sense.  I'm not going on a walk with you okay?  I don't even know you.  Tomorrow I will contact the station manager and get this sorted but right now I'm just going to go to bed, so if you will please excuse me."  She laid her hand against the palm scanner by her door.

"C'mon.  Take a walk.  What's it going to hurt?"  He continued to smile at her but something in his eyes pleaded with her.  "Please?"

She shook her head, growing alarmed at his insistence. "No, I'm tired and I  just..." her hand wrapped around the hilt of her sidearm as he closed the distance between them.

He was inches from her when he whispered, "Do not open that door."

Fear slithered through her, "Get away from me!"  She shoved him as she pulled the sidearm from its holster, her other hand taping in the security code.  The door slid open.

"Goddamnit you're hardheaded," he said as he followed her in, shoving her out of the way as he pulled his own sidearm, shooting it at point-blank range, downing one of the would-be assailants.  The other came at him, attempting to knock the sidearm from his grasp.

He grabbed the man by the wrist and jerked him forward, twisting his arm so that it bent, in which he used the leverage to turn the man around and force him down onto his knees.  "This is the best the Covenant can send?"  He placed the barrel of his sidearm against the man's temple and pulled the trigger.  The second assailant fell forward, dead.

Shalee stared at the two dead men then looked in horror at the one left standing.

"I told you not to open that door, next time could you listen?" He disappeared through her bedroom door and returned a minute later, carrying a handful of sheets.  He started to wrap the bodies up while all she could do was stand there, trembling.

When he was nearly done, she finally seemed to get ahold of herself, "Wha-what just happened?"  she stuttered out the question.

He stood at the sink, washing his bloodied hands, "I just saved your stubborn-assed life is 'what just happened'.  I said walk goddammit, why couldn't you just take a walk?" he sounded as if he were annoyed with her.

"I don't even know you!  I'm not going to take a walk with someone I don't even know!"

"You do know me.  Sort of.  I'm Melisandre.  Also, Scatha and a couple of other identities."

She stared at him blankly, as if still in shock.  "What?"

"Look, we don't have time for all the details right now.  What we are going to do is drag these two over to my apartment and lock it up then go for that walk that you should have taken.  We need to hurry because there are a few more raiders who will be checking up on these two any minute.  Got it?"

She gave a curt nod and helped him drag the bodies next door.  Once they were in the corridors, he shook his head, 'Not that way, this way."  He led her down to a service elevator and once they were inside, he seemed to relax.  "She listens for once."

"So are you going to tell me how you're not a girl?" she asked, watching the deck numbers flicker as the elevator descended.

He shook his head, his lips curled into a slight smile.  "Really?  That's your first question after everything that just happened?"

"It seems relevant."

"They are just a couple of identities, it keeps the DED off my back."

She gave him a look of disbelief.  It wasn't a simple act to just create a whole new identity for yourself, not with the DED involved- a police force and paramilitary of Concord.  They kept tight records on who was a capsuleer.  A pod-pilot simply didn't just buy a new identity, it was nearly impossible, or so she thought.

He noted her look.  "Anything can be bought for a price, haven't you learned that by now.  You can't be that naive."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, okay.  Let's say I'm buying this.  What's your real name?"

"Steve.  You can call me Steve."

"Fine, Steve. And now that we know who you are.  I want to know what you are.  You're obviously not just some random capsuleer.  You fought like ...some sort of assassin."

"Bingo."

The Last Light, Part One

Consciousness came slowly, a trickling of awareness that broke through the black smothering fog within her mind. A sliver of red light caught her attention and desperately she clung to it, focused on it as she forced herself to mentally fight her way out of the dark.

With awareness came pain, so much goddamned pain that it was tempting to let herself fall back into the sea of darkness once more, to pass out and eventually die.

No.

Sheer determination kept her eyes half parted.

Seconds turned into minutes as she hung there, forcing herself to stay focused on nothing but the red pulsing light, forcing her terror down into something more manageable. Her pounding heart slowed as she fought her way through the panic, the terror.

Breathe, just breathe.

She gathered her courage and forced her eyes open all the way, darting them from side to side. The room was long, cold, and filled with several bodies suspended from the ceiling like her, their wrists bound together above their heads, ankles shackled to the floor. All were clothed in the remnants of their pod suits, a thin material that capsuleers wore while piloting spacecraft. Most of them were unconscious, drugged so that they would offer no resistance when it was time to bleed them.
Her stomach lurched at the thought. Bleeding. She was about to be hooked up to some ungodly device and slowly drained of her blood until nothing remained but a dry corpse. She would die a slow agonizing death aboard this Blood Raider vessel, her blood a sacrifice to the disgusting 'religious' zealots who raided the Bleaklands, ghoulish twisted individuals who wore white animalistic masks and long robes. They preyed upon starships in search of the prized 'red', blood of the cloned.

She whimpered as she heard steps across the metal grating floor. They were coming. One stopped in front of her. He wore the white mask of the Raiders, tho parts of him were visible beyond it. His glossy dark eyes, thin lips. He was taller than her. His white robes were already stained with blood. She looked at the floor.

"Commodore Lianne, a pleasure to have you here." His tone was practically jovial.

"Fuck you."

"Are you really in a position to take such an attitude?" he laughed as he grabbed her by the chin, squeezing her face. "Look at me when I talk to you."

She lifted her blue gaze to his masked face and spit. She never was one to follow the rules and what did it matter now? She knew she was hours away from death regardless of her behavior.

"Fiesty. I bet your blood is spicy," he said as his split-tongue darted between the mouth-hole of his mask and licked at her cheek. "Maybe I'll have a little taste now hmmm?" He pricked her chin then suckled the droplets of blood away.

She struggled to no avail. With her wrists bound above her head and her ankles cuffed to the floor below, there was little she could do. "What's your name?" she whispered.

"Faliin Oreen," he replied as he pulled back, his dark eyes glistened beneath the mask, "Why do you want to know?" He sounded a bit startled, as if no one had ever asked him before. His masked head tilted, his eerie gaze bore down on her.

"Because I want to know who I'm coming for, Faliin Oreen. I want to know the name of the man I'm going to kill."

His body shook with laughter. "You're not going to remember this. You're a capusleer. Your last memory will be from the time you were taken from your pod. You wont remember how you were captured or how you died."

"How did you do it anyhow? How did you manage to abduct this many capsuleers at once?"

He smiled beneath the mask showing off blood-stained teeth. "You really want to know?" he asked, considering telling her. And why not?, he thought. She was marked for death and even as she awakes in a new clone tucked far away in Empire space, she wouldn't have these memories.

None of them would.

"Tell me."

"A couple of hours ago, we were there, cloaked, watching, knowing that one of your numerous battles were about to go down. You militia 'soldiers' are so predictable. And so we waited until the thick of the battle was over and as you lost your ships one by one, we simply stole your pods right out of the sky."

"Impossible. There is no way you could have taken this many capsuleers alive." Sure, they could have collected corpses after the battle but how did they manage to collect intact pods? How did so many not warp out?

"Jovian mechanics. A nice little mod that deploys a pulse of neutralizing energy within a 20KM radius. It shut down your pod's ability to warp- all of your pods." He swept his hand around motioning to the others. "It shuts everything down completely, matter of fact, so that you couldn't even send a distress signal. It was like you exploded but left behind no corpse. Whoever comes looking for your wrecks will assume you all died in the explosions. And somewhere in New Eden, another version of you is waking up in a clone vat, the last memory she will have is dying in a battle in the Bleaklands."

"You bastard."

"Your anger makes it that much more delicious." He pierced her skin with a metallic rod, "Scream for me. I want your blood to boil." Blood oozed around the open wound as he injected it deeper, thrusting it harshly beneath her skin. His serpent tongue wiggled around the rod, licking away any blood that escaped.

She bit down on her lip so hard it bled, but she would not give him the satisfaction of screaming.

Pain radiated in hot, nauseating waves. She felt sick. The contents of her stomach spewed across his blood-splattered robes. "Fucking bitch." He backhanded her, stinging her face though the pain was brief compared to the draining device protruding into her arm. He shoved the rod ruthlessly and she could see it bubble beneath her skin.

"You'll scream before it's over," he promised as he added a second device to her other arm. "I'll be back for you." They retreated, leaving her alone in the room with the other half-dead corpses. She could hear the doors sealing air tight, followed by the sounds of overhead vents pulling back, allowing the air to be perfumed by some sort of toxin, she presumed. She tried to hold her breath but knew it was pointless.

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks, her head dropped to the side, pressed against her upheld arm. She could feel her life fading away and she tried to fight it. "I don't want to die I don't want to die," she whispered to herself over and over. "I don't want to die like this," she said mindlessly.

"What the fuck..." someone screamed as his eyes shot open, his face twisted with terror. He jerked at the chains above his head, "What's going on, what's happening?"

Shalee rolled her head slightly to see who was screaming. "You're dead."

"The hell I am! Where the fuck are we?!" he demanded.

"Abducted."

"Sansha?"

"Bloodraiders."

"How the fuck did that happen? I was just fighting and then suddenly I couldn't warp out..." his voice quieted as he noticed the tubes wrapped around his arms, his blood dripping slowly out into a container beside him.

"Like I said, we are already dead."

He peered at her through the semi-darkness as he coughed, "Shalee?"

"Yeah. Scorp?" she whispered, feeling light-headed. She recognized Scorpion Venom though she'd never seen him out of pod. He was a new inty pilot in the Amarr militia. She'd been in countless fleets with him by this point and knew that if anyone should have gotten off field, it should have been. Fucking Bloodraiders. Godamned Jovians.

"Yeah. Where are...I mean. How? How did we even get here?"

"They came in as we exploded and had some goddamned Jovian device to suspend our pods, we couldn't warp out. The pods must have sent a signal back to the meds saying we are dead- I think we are already resurrected and no one even knows we are here."

"Fuck. So we are going to die right?" He jerked at the chains again.

"Yeah."

"Goddamnit."

"Yeah."

"What are they going to do with us?"

"Bleed us. They will drain every drop of blood from our bodies until we are completely dry." She sniffled as a few more tears streaked her cheeks. "It's all they care about. Clone blood."

He nudged his head at the tubes inserted into his arms, trying to push them out. He tensed, the movement causing blood to pour out beyond the tube, streaking his arm with dark red liquid.

"Might as well stop that, you're just going to make them come back," she whispered. "The worst part is over, all we have to do now is die."

Emotions flooded his face as his dark eyes filled with unshed tears. "So this is how we die?"

"We die all the time, don't we?"

"Yeah but not like this, not like some goddamned cocktail ingredient," he said weakly.

"It wont be long now," she whispered as her eyes closed, her lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she tried to fight to keep them open, to stay alert. "Talk to me, tell me something. Keep talking." she pleaded. "I don't want to die alone."

She sniffled, waiting for him to speak, to say anything. "Scorp?" It took every bit of her strength to glance in his direction, "Please..." But he was already dead.
"You're not alone." Another voice said nearby, one that she did not recognize. She forced herself to turn in the chains, her body swung to face him. He was tall, dark blonde hair, and had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. They almost glowed. She stared blankly at him.

"I don't know you."

"You do."

She blinked several times, fighting back the inevitable, "I don't," she protested. "What's your name?"

"I'll tell you when we are out of this place."

"How? You wont remember this. We wont remember any of it...it will be like it never happened." Through the vents they could hear the sounds of several people screaming at once.

"I'll remember, okay? I'll remember and I will tell you."

More screams added to the hellish sounds, "Oh god, they are torturing them." She closed her eyes for a brief moment, "God let me die before they come back."

"Look at me."

She blinked her eyes open and stared at him, "The worst is over," He said. "Take deep breaths, deep as you can. It will pull in more of the poison into your system. Breathe with me." He gulped in as much air as he could. "Do it!" he said as he exhaled.

Barely nodding, she whispered, "Okay." She forced the strange, fragrant air into her lungs.

"Breathe," he said again, once more swallowing as much air as he could, "Breathe." She focused on nothing but the sound of his voice, breathing deeply upon his commands.

The air seemed to get lighter, the sounds of the screaming faded, or maybe she just couldn't hear it anymore. The red light seemed to grow, filling her vision. Everything was a blur.

She forced herself to look at him one final time. His eyes were bright, as if lit by something within. An eye piece? No. She must be hallucinating, she thought. Something was wrong with his eyes, they weren't human, and something silver, the color of bright metal, was dripping down his cheeks from the corners of his eyes. It crawled down his face and fell to the floor, reshaping into a pool of silver before dripping through the grated floor.

She couldn't muster the strength to ask him about it. She inhaled her final breath and exhaled, dying to the sound of his last command, "Just let go..."

Entry 149: The Horrible Things We Have Done

"What do you dream of?"

She stared at the ceiling, watching the blades of an overhead fan bleed together as the cool air fluttered wispy strands of hair about her face.  She brushed them away as she spoke, "Sometimes I dream of being a child, of when my Mother was alive.  And sometimes I dream of flying, of battles that I've been in."

"I believe it is your memories trying to sort themselves while you sleep."

"Probably...but sometimes it's still hard to figure out what's real and what's not."

"Tell me what's real about the last five months."

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your corporation."

"We were deployed to Otosella for a while and then called back to the war zone.  We currently reside in Egghelende but were stationed in Arzad for a brief time."

"And the people you work with?  Tell me about them."

She furrowed her brows as she considered his question.  "There's a lot of them.  I guess I'll start with Eran. He is still a part of the corporation though for a while he wasn't.  They even said he was dead but we had a copy of his clone that no one knew about.  A precaution after what happened with me.  So we were able to bring him back without knowing who or what was responsible for it.  But he's different now."

"Different how?"

"Withdrawn.  It's as if he doesn't know what to say to me any longer.  We fly together but I never see him otherwise."

He nodded, "And the others?"

"There's Ryven.  He just got married to Leela- it was out of the blue.  At least to me.  But he seems happy, that's all that matters.  And I do like her.  Phione, well, he's sort of a guardian angel to us all.  I don't spend much time planet side with him but I trust him ."

She hesitated before continuing, "Almity..." She chewed the inside of her cheek, hesitating again.  She darted her blue gaze to the doctor.  "I feel like I'm betraying her trust by speaking of this."

"Anything you say here is confidential, you know that.  All I'm trying to do is help you, Commodore Lianne."

She nodded, "Almity is loyal to the Empire, I do not doubt that at all.  She's just...she has her own way of showing her loyalty.  Some do it on the battlefield, and some step outside the realms of militia and space combat. I know that she's killed Minmatar out of pod. Contract work.  It's as if she's some sort of thrill seeker...as if she enjoys it."

The doctor nodded, "That's not so uncommon for a capsuleer."

"I know.  She confided to me about her 'sidework' and then offered to introduce me to the one who provides her the contracts."

"Did you meet with him?"

"Yes.  I had to.  I had to know exactly what Almity was up to, who she associated with...how far she would go."

"What has she done?"

"Murder."

"Not so uncommon for a capusleer..." he repeated.

"Killing in space is vastly different than killing with your own two hands."

"How so?"

"I don't know, it just seems so...personnel."

"Did you take a contract?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"I met a man who supplied the Minmatar.  Being a merchant wasn't reason enough alone to kill him.  I investigated him a bit...he was a bad man...and well, he deserved to die."

"Have there been other contracts?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I prefer to use lasers and missiles not silver-tipped blades."

"Tell me more.  About the others. The more you speak of them, the more you will remember, it will reinforce those memories and override any confusion you may be having.  Tell me about the people you trust."

She shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, "Kato Aivoras.  He's fearless on the battlefield.  Wylona is too, though I didn't know either of them before the accident, I think.  Look, I don't know how this is going to help me, talking about work."

"Fine.  We will save it for later.  Let's talk about your personal life.  Are you still engaged?"

"Yes.  Very much so."

"And when will you marry him?"

"I don't know.  It's hard to have a relationship with someone who is half across New Eden most of the time. We see each other when we can but it's difficult."

"Have you asked him to join you?"

"I cannot ask that of him.  He has his own life, his own responsibilities to his corporation."

"Then join him."

"I will not leave the Empire, he knows that.  Maybe after the war.  Though...I don't know.  There are certain things that are not resolved."

"Such as?"

"There are still two months of memories unaccounted for- the two where I got involved with Tiger.  And I don't know why I did it.  I don't know if my feelings were genuine for him at the time or if I had an ulterior motive."

"Can that possibly matter now, over a year later?"

"Yes, if he was some sort of contract, if I was using him for whatever reason...if I was trying to destroy him, then he deserves to know, perhaps.  How can he love me if I wanted to hurt him?"

"If it were so, do you think he would be able to forgive you?"

"I don't know.  Perhaps. He loves me desperately but at the same time, I know what he is capable of, I know how truly dark he can be...how evil he has been.  I am afraid of turning him back to that, to that man he once was, when he was a part of the Sani Sabik."

"He has renounced his faith, hasn't he?  Before you two got involved?"

"I believe so...but I think if we were to part he would find comfort with them again.  And surely Revan would delight in having her control over him once more."

"I believe it would be best to be as truthful with him as possible, despite the consequences.  Otherwise you're living a false life and that will not help you clear up your memory issues."

She laughed, the irony not lost on her, "I've been living a false life my whole life.  But you're right.  I should probably tell him everything.  Tell him I might have become involved with him to murder him and every one of his clones.  And while I'm at it I might as well make confessions about Zenton."

"What would you confess?"

"That I...once..." she exhaled a soft breath while rubbing her hands across her face, "That I saw Zenton...slept with him, I mean.  Before I ever knew Tiger, he can't be angry about that.  Zenton and I have a past, but no one knows what happened...no one knows that we weren't careful and I became pregnant.  Zenton didn't even know.  Once I found out, I cloned jumped...I just needed time to sort it all out in my mind.  And then he joined the Minmatar and I couldn't dare tell him."

"And what happened to the child?"

"She's safe, far away from the war zone, a place where no one can find her to use against us.  She will never know about us, her true parents, or the things we have done...the horrible things we have done to one another in the name of duty and war."