Entry 132: The Contact

The Gallente quirked a brow as she slid an envelope across the desk filled with ISK.

"That should cover the resettlement of this last group," Shalee said as she settled back in her chair, lighting up a cigarette.

"You are generous." Blume smiled, showing off a row of crooked teeth.

The pair had met when she joined the Amity Project the previous year, on organization that helped relocate newly freed slaves deep into the heart of the Federation. Mostly the organization was legal, buying slaves off the markets. Slavers usually didn't care where there stock ended up as long as they were paid.

And sometimes they took it one step further by doing raids, rescuing slaves while they were being transported into Amarr space. It was dangerous, illegal, and could land her in a world of trouble if anyone ever found out, but she usually took the risk.

She shrugged as she blew out a mouthful of smoke, "Just doing my part. Anyhow I can acquire it easily enough."

"But still," he said as he started to tally the amount she'd given, entering it into the database under her alias, Red Angel. "This is more than enough."

"Then use it elsewhere."

"As you wish."

"Also, I've another deposit to make, but this isn't from me."

His brow quirked again, "Yeah? And who is our generous benefactor this time?"

"It's from the one who helped me free them. A capsuleer." She settled back in her chair, "A Minmatar Militia capsuleer."

"Oh. Another one, huh," he said, thinking of Kuan.

"His call sign is SilenceIKillYou." She grinned.

"Ah, right, I think I've heard of him."

"He helped us once before, in Auga, when the system was under lockdown and we were in Industrials. We were stuck, pretty much. There was already heavy fighting on the gates back home, and the rest were camped by pirates. It was like they knew we were coming.."

"You think we have a spy or something?" He asked, suddenly worried.

"In the organization? No, probably not. Auga is where most of the Minmatar Militia base, and next door in Amamake is where the pirates live. It was a risky move on our part anyhow. Our scouts reported the way clear but by the time we were able to make it in, the situation changed. Fleets were rolling out, etc. It happens."

"Ah okay. You had me worried. So. Your new patron..." He tapped his fingers against the desk, "Needs an alias. Any ideas?

"Crazyheart," she said as she gave him another envelope with unmarked ISK, "Because he is both crazy in the sky but has a heart of gold."

"Crazyheart it is," he said as he counted the ISK then entered it into the database under the new alias.

"Oh...so I have a new recruit, maybe." She handed him her datapad with the Imperial profile of Alexander Audaci.

"A Crownie?" Something he called the Knighthood pilots.

"Yeah. Do a background check first. He flew with 1PG and you know what kind of zealots they are. He disappeared for a few months and now all of a sudden he is back, and in our corp."

"Suspicious?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I want to trust him...I think I can. But. Well. It's hard to trust anyone in this line of work, right?"

"Yeah. No kidding. You don't know how many times we tested you before you got a real job."

"What?" She feigned outrage.

He laughed, "No offense. But here you were, a Crownie waltzing in off the spacelanes with kill board stats that made us believe you were some kind of plant. I mean really who flies with the militia, fights as hard as you do to preserve the Empire but in secret you're out freeing slaves. With Holder blood I might add. You're a walking contradiction."

"I still believe in God and Empire, Blume. I do. I just think it can be better. And it wont get better until people work to make it so."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard your spill before kid. 'Fighting not for what the Empire is, but what it can be'." He quoted her with a soft chuckle.

She grinned affectionately.

"So. Audaci. I'll run him through the system, see what we can come up with. If he checks out, maybe you can take him along on your next raid."

"Yeah okay."

"And what about Raphael?" he inquired.

"What about him?" she asked.

"He still snooping around?"

She shrugged. "Something is up with him...just don't know exactly what. I do think if he had half a chance he'd be the first to tie me to a pyre and watch me burn."

"...but weren't you engaged to him once?"

"A long time ago, yeah. But he's different now. He's changed. I guess we all have." She stood up and tipped her finger to her brow, giving him an informal salute. "I'll be in touch."

"Take care out there."

"Always."

Entry 131: Kathetel Returns

Moonlight fell through the windows, casting a soft glow across the room. A fire burned in the fireplace, occasionally crackling.

The door creaked open then closed quickly, followed by the sound of the lock clicking into place.

She continued to brush her hair as she waited for the intruder to reveal himself.

Kathetel stepped out of the shadows, coming up behind her. He smirked as he looked towards the mirror she sat in front of, his gaze meeting hers.

"And so we meet again."

"I had almost forgotten about you," she said airily. She hadn't seen the Imperial Agent since he'd met with her at the Opera.

"Tsk. I am almost offended. Almost."

"Why are you here?" she asked, dreading a new assignment. Anytime Kathetel came around it meant trouble in some form or fashion for her.

"Oh, you know. Checking up on you, and all of that. How are you?"

"Fine." she said, looking at him skeptically.

"And your last assignment? I trust it is completed?" He asked though he already knew the answer.

Her blue gaze locked on his, "...yes."

He took the brush from her hand and stroked it through her auburn hair slowly, "We knew we could count on you."

"Anything for the Empire," she said in a soft tone, trying not to remember the details, forcing herself to keep it locked deep away.

"Shalee..."

"Yes?"

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that it had to be by your hand...but you were the only one who could get close enough."

"Don't be. He deserved it. He deserved his fate," she said softly, her gaze breaking from his.

He laid the brush onto the gilded table in front of her, "It's been many weeks, how are you holding up?"

"Are you asking if I'm haunted by it?"

"I remember ...when you killed your brother. You were..." he said.

"Out of my mind?"

"Something like that, yes."

"I'm fine. He's not the first person to die by my hand, Kathetel."

"No, but he is your Father."

"Was."

"Yes. Was. Did you ever love him?"

"Once upon a time he was my whole world. He was greater than God in my eyes. He was...." A tear slid down her cheek as her body tensed. "He was a liar. A murderer. He killed my Mother."

His brow arched, "I didn't know."

She nodded very slowly as her thoughts drifted to the past, "She was so young, so beautiful. When he married her, he was already a widow with three sons. But he wanted her, despite her being Ni Kunni."

"Do you think he ever loved her?" he asked.

"Yes, in his own fucked up way. Or maybe it wasn't love. Maybe it was obsession. He wanted to possess her. She was only seventeen when they married. And she was twenty four when he killed her."

"Why do you think he did it if he loved her so much?"

"Because she didn't love him any longer, if she ever did. She must have known what he really was, I can only guess. I'm trying to piece together those years of her life, but I was so young. However, I do remember when I was betrothed to Charles... I was only six...but there was a grand house party to announce it." Her voice faded away as her brows furrowed. "I..."

"Go on," he urged.

She stared into the mirror, remembering. "I only vaguely remember it, I was so young. But...I remember how beautiful she was that weekend, how her face seemed to glow. She was so happy. I later found out exactly why."

"Why?"

"Because she met a young poet at the ball who swept her off her feet. He was barely eighteen at the time, or so. They must have fell in love and ...the natural course of events happened after that. I guess he never knew that he got her pregnant."

"Pregnant? What happened to her child?"

"My Father found some letters that the poet wrote to her...and...he was beyond furious. Her betrayal would shame him, shame the family. But I think it was also the fact that he lost control of her. She was going to leave him."

"How do you know all of this?" he asked.

"I found some of their letters, her journal, and my eldest step-brother filled in the rest."

Kathetel nodded, "So your Father murdered your mother in a jealous rage? And her unborn child?"

She whispered, "Yes."

"And the poet? Did you ever find out who he was?"

"...yes."

"Are you going to enlighten me?"

"It's my CEO. It's Aldrith..." She exhaled a soft breath, "Aldrith was my mother's true love, and she died because of it."

Entry 130: Kuvakeian Dreams

System: Lantorn
Constellation: Hed
Region: Heimatar
Security: 0.3


She was floating, suspended in a pod of ambotic fluid as she slept, safely docked up in the Expert Distribution station in Lantorn, still inside the ship she'd been fighting in the previous night.

It had been such a long, tiresome night that she couldn't even muster up the energy to fly back to Huola, the Amarr Militia home system, despite it only being a few jumps away.

Streams of data and intel flowed like a river across her subconscious mind as she had drifted off to sleep, too tired to even disconnect from her pod.

Floating...

Drifting...

Dreaming...

The familiar voices of militia and corp members melded together, joining the not-so-familiar ones, lost in the current of data. The constant chatter comforted her while she slept.

In the liquid flow of voices, one whispered to her.

"Do not be afraid. We are coming for you. I am coming for you."

Something inside her protested. I am dreaming.

"Follow me, children of New Eden, my chosen ones."

I...am...dreaming...not real...

"It is your time, your destiny. Do not fight it. Surrender yourselves so that you may be saved. Follow me..."

...dreaming.

A jarring, discordance of sound interrupted the soothing flow, forcing her awake. Klaxon alarms rang through the station, filling the corridors and docking bays, filtering through the station's comm channels. A constant, restless ringing. She recognized that alarm and knew that it could only mean one thing.

The Sansha had come. Attack imminent. The incursion was underway.

Sudden awareness unnerved her as she fully awoke, listening to the intel as it started to pour in.

System after system under attack, the entire Hed constellation.

A feeling of dread settled into the pit of her stomach as she thought of all the lives that were being stolen away in that moment.

"Shalee?" Eran commed her.

"Yes?"

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Lantorn..."

"Fuck. I thought so. I'm coming okay? You need eyes, you'll never make it through the gates alone, they have quick tackle on most of them. I'll scout you back to Huola."

"Alright. I'll give it five then undock. The system is mostly quiet, though I doubt that it will be for long." She hesitated a second. "Eran?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe, okay?"

"Yeah. See you soon."

Minutes later she undocked and waited for Eran as local started to swell. The capsuleers were out in full force, ready to retaliate against Kuvakei's army.

A new channel for Hed opened up, combining enemies and allies alike.

Lukka must have noticed her presence in the channel and initiated private comms with her. She accepted as she checked her d-scan, waiting for the go ahead to warp out. Lukka lived in Amamake along with the rest of the Heretic Army clan.

It occurred to her that Amamake was in the Hed constellation and was probably under Sansha attack as well.

"Yeah Lukka?"

"So...you think I'd be welcome in Huola were I to take a sudden vacation?"