Chapter One

Four jumps out, now. James thought. I should let the crew know. James pinged the intercom system of the onboard computer, and opened up a channel.

"We're four jumps out from the Bika system now. Once we get on-station, be sure to unload the cargo we've got and update the manifest. I'll take care of the contracts and customs once I've finished my meeting." James announced to his crew. His Tayra class industrial ship, which was hauling a full load of cargo out to the fringes of Amarr space, crewed around one hundred men, give or take fifty depending upon his needs.

He cut the intercom channel and returned to his thoughts. The cargo he was carrying was just a side job. The real reason he was coming out here was to meet with the CEO of a corporation that was recommended to him by an old friend. He had been in touch with this CEO, who called himself Mr. Zero, a few times over the last few days and they agreed upon meeting in person to speak about James joining. Mr. Zero's corporation, Titanium Inc., was a sizable industrial corporation based in Amarr space that employed nearly two hundred capsuleers, and thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of non-capsuleers.

Three weeks earlier. Caldari Space, The Citadel Region, Tasen Constellation, Isikesu System.

James walked into the crowded bar, keeping his eyes peeled for his informant, Veronica. The bar was loud and extremely crowded, which kept his ocular implant busy with attempting to automatically identify every person in the room. With a quick thought he shut off the identification system in his implant, granting him sweet relief. If there was one thing James despised the most, it was large crowds packed into small spaces. Each of their conversations muffled together and filled the bar, which were accompanied by the clinking of bottles and glasses as waiters and waitresses scrambled to clean off empty tables for waiting customers. Raucous laughter could be heard somewhere within the crowd.

The bar was of typical Caldari design, grey steel panels lined the walls while the floor was made of a darker, almost blue, metal. On the left side of the room was the bar, a semi-circle counter jutting out from the wall, which was kept by a rather large Caldari man. Tall stools lined the outer edge of the bar, and most were occupied by bar patrons. Past the bar, on the far side of the room, was a set of a half-dozen small tables. The side of the tables closest to James were lined with chairs, while the far side was one large booth that lined the entire back wall. James quickly scanned it, and did not see Veronica. I'll head to the bar for a drink. I might as well while I wait.

He pushed his way past a group of highly intoxicated Minmitari crewmen, who didn't even seem to notice him, and finally got to the bar. "An old fashioned, please." James asked after getting the bartender's attention.

"You got it." replied the barkeep, who quickly mixed the drink and handed it to James. "Six credits." the bartender added.

"Paid." James moved the funds from his account to the bar's account in a flash of thought. Then added a few ISK as a tip for the bartender. He turned around and leaned against the bar, then took a sip from his glass, all while again scanning for Veronica. He opened up their message history to double check that he was in the correct place, which he was. The locale was of Veronica's choice; if it had been up to James, he would have picked a much classier establishment on a capsuleer only deck. It would have been much less crowded, and have better alcohol. Veronica insisted that they meet here, though, as it was her 'favorite joint in Caldari Space'. James didn't mind coming to these places, they merely put him on edge most of the time. As dangerous as capsuleers can be, they are calculated and logical. Capsuleers' movements and choices can be predicted. Non-capsuleers are random and unpredictable; they base their judgments solely on emotion ninety-nine percent of the time, and that is what makes them truly dangerous.

James took another swig from his glass, cherishing the taste. He leaned around to put his drink on the bar, and as he did, he received a message. He opened up his mail system and checked the message.

To: James Bolt

From: Veronica Mayaki

I'm in Isikesu now. I'll be on-station in five minutes.

-V

James remained where he was as he waited for Veronica to arrive. It would be easy to get her attention from here, since he assumed she would have the same difficulties with her ocular implant as he did upon first entering. A few minutes later, Veronica walked in. James immediately got her attention and she met him at the bar.

"Veronica." James said pleasantly.

"Good to see you, James." Veronica replied with a smile, she seemed happy to see James.

"So what did you find out?" James asked Veronica quickly. Veronica was a Gallentean who specialized in information gathering and espionage, whom he had met during a mission into Gallente space a few years back. She had dark blue hair, nearly black, with green eyes and fair skin. She was scrawny in appearance, and a whole head and shoulders shorter than James, but was surprisingly strong for her small stature. A strength which James had witnessed firsthand many times in the last few years.

"Hey now, let me get a drink first." Veronica responded, clearly surprised at James' directness. She motioned for the bartender. "Rum and Quafe, please." she continued. "We've got plenty of time here, James. Besides, this information isn't exactly sensitive." Veronica said jokingly.

"Of course." James said, embarrassed with his own impatience. It had been a long time since he had been a part of a capsuleer corporation, and he was eager to learn of this new prospect. James had spent the last few years working with the Caldari Navy in The Citadel region of Caldari space, fighting small Gallentean fleets and breaking up pirate and drone gangs that constantly pestered the people of the region. His specialty was industry, but he was no stranger to combat. During his time with the Navy, he had been approached by multiple capsuleers who were interested in recruiting him to their fleets in order to run more dangerous missions for the Caldari State. Sure, those gigs paid better, but he had trouble trusting most other capsuleers. For the time, he had been content with what little he was paid for flying solo. Recently, however, James had begun to long for something more; he wanted more ISK, and more companionship.

A few moments later, the bartender handed Veronica a glass of dark brown liquid, which she quickly paid for. "Let's go to a table?" Veronica suggested, motioning towards the back of the bar. James nodded and grabbed what was left of his drink. They then made their way to a table that was isolated from the crowd. James leaned back into his chair and relaxed.

"Alright, let's talk about this Titanium, Inc. a little bit, shall we?" James asked rhetorically. "What are their activities? How do they make their ISK?" he continued.

"Well, apparently they supply a large amount of arms and ammunition to a few null-security alliances. Ya know, the ones fighting the CFC for control of the Fountain region. Anyways, every two weeks or so they pack up a few jump freighters and send out a ton of sub-capital ships and equipment. Their ships make up a huge portion of the primary fleets." Veronica said.

"Really? That's quite interesting; it sounds like it'd be a good gig for me." James responded, clearly intrigued. He had spent most of his pilot career studying the ins and outs of industry and production. He had graduated from the Caldari School of Applied Knowledge with a degree in both Astrogeology and Mechanical Engineering, and was considered miles ahead of his classmates.

"I agree. You would definitely have the experience to immediately get into a mining foreman position. Hell, you could even shoot for mining director if you were feeling extra ambitious." Veronica said excitedly. Ever since James had met Veronica, he could feel a strong connection between them. Their personalities worked well together, even in tense or dangerous situations.

"My position within the corporation will depend upon the CEO's impression of me. If I'm charming enough, maybe he'll name me Chief Industrial Officer." James said jokingly. "Tell me," he continued. "What could you find out about the CEO?"

Veronica leaned back even further in her chair, outstretched her arms, and then crossed them behind her head, all the while balancing her chair on its back two legs.

"He goes by 'Mr. Zero,' which seems a bit weird to me. Either way, his real name is Neil Zeroska. He's Amarrian, and his official codename while he served in the Amarrian military was 'Zero Vigilant.'" Veronica said.

"I'm always amazed by your ability to find out information on people, Veronica." James replied. "Anything else worth mentioning about the guy?"

"Not really. He was surprisingly unremarkable for someone who runs a corporation of such a large size." responded Veronica.

"Everyone's got their secrets. Some people are just better at hiding them." James said. "Enough about this corporation. Let's have a few drinks." Before continuing, James double-checked to be sure no one was listening or paying the undue attention. "Tell me about your time in Gallente space." James said in a slightly softer voice. Veronica had spent the last few weeks working undercover for the Caldari navy, attempting to learn vital fleet movements from a select few Gallente navy officials.

"Well it's supposed to be top secret, James. I don't think I am at liberty to discuss it with you." Veronica replied teasingly.

"Oh please!" James joked. "I worked for those guys for years. They would trust me with their lives." He had finished what was left of his drink, and so he waved down a waitress. "Can I get another old fashioned, please?" he asked her. She nodded and left to the bar.

"You're right. I don't think they'd mind me telling you." Veronica admitted. She took another sip of her drink, and cleared her throat. "The Gallentean Navy has been setting up covert shipping routes through Caldari space for the last five months." she said confidently.

What? Really? Right under our noses for five months? What are they trying to accomplish? James thought. "How did you come across that sensitive intelligence?" he asked quizzically.

"Now that I really can't say." Veronica stated clearly. James examined her demeanor to determine if he could coax the information out of her, and the determined gaze he got back from her assured him that she would not be willing to shed any light on the subject.

"Well, then I'm assuming you've let the higher-ups know about it?" James said rhetorically.

"I wrote the report on my flight here." Veronica responded. "I waited until I got on-station to submit it, though. I wanted to make sure I was in a secure area. I figured a Caldari Navy station was secure enough."

James now knew why she wanted to talk here instead of on a capsuleer deck. The odds of someone important overhearing the conversation here were extremely slim. And even then, most of the people at this bar were too drunk to remember anything important tomorrow. The waitress returned with James' drink, handed it to him, and asked Veronica if she'd like another drink. "I'm okay for now, thanks." she said politely. James sipped from his glass, and pondered the information that Veronica had just divulged to him. What were the Gallente planning with these shipping routes? It'd been over one hundred years since there was any type of serious open aggression between the two nations, so there's no way they'd go that route. I wish I could know more about the situation.

"Let's go to the promenade." Veronica suggested. She seemed eager to leave now, like she was afraid that someone had overheard the conversation, even though clearly no one had.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea. Let me finish my drink and we can go." James replied, as he took another, slightly larger, swig of his beverage. Veronica nodded in acknowledgement and turned to look at a display monitor that was over the bar. The two sat in silence as James polished off his drink. He glanced up at the screen that Veronica was staring at, and saw that it was displaying some of New Eden's most wanted criminals, whose bounties ranged from a few million ISK to billions of ISK.

James took the last sip of his old fashioned, set the now empty glass on the table, and said "Alright, let's go." The two got up from the table and made their way out of the bar. They exited into a hallway that seemed to run for miles in both directions. Along both sides of the hallway were pipes that softly hissed and whistled, supplying oxygen and water to the entire deck. They turned left and walked for what seemed like miles, and eventually came out onto a balcony that overlooked a very large open room; they were looking at the promenade. The balcony they stood upon was on the highest floor of this deck, and was about one hundred feet above the promenade floor. Hundreds of people jostled and moved about each other on the main floor. The promenade served as the central hub of this deck of the station. Each deck consisted of ten or so floors, and there were thousands of decks on each station, each with their own promenade. Small shops and restaurants dotted the outer walls of each floor, and elevators rose and fell in the corners of the giant room; all the while they stayed constantly full. In the middle of the open room was an enormous statue of a Caldari man reaching up towards the stars, symbolizing the drive and determination of the Caldari people to become a spacefaring civilization. At its base was a fountain, encircling the statue. Water spouts jutted out from the surface, spewing streams of water back into the pool.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Veronica asked, mesmerized by the magnificence of the statue three hundred feet in front of her. She bent over and rested her elbow upon the railing of the balcony, and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. James walked up beside her and placed his hands upon the railing.

"Indeed, it is." he spoke.