Chapter II
The Drake slowed down and the Port screens showed the space before me. The planet of Sekulda was a safe house for the mercenaries of New Eden. Here was where I filed the documents to create my Corporation. I used to have several directors leading the group. I placed them around here, they may be stationed in a nearby moon.
I piloted the frigate to the orbiting station. I didn't change my FoF yet, and it was showing. Three ships came out cloak behind the warp gate. I tagged them as possible threats and for the computer to watch them. I traveled another AU's distance when a Destroyer-class contacted me.
"Caldari Frigate, Hunter, you are entering restricted space. Please divert course." A voice came in the comms.
"This is Skyfire CEO Axton Boone, I have no quarrel just requesting to dock for assistance." I replied.
Two scouts appeared in my screen, facing the direction I was going. "we'll take you in, follow tag D-six." The docking master ordered.
My aft screen updated the data and tags appeared for every ship in-system. D-6 was just one hundred kilometers from me, the lead of the scout ships that uncloaked at the warp gate. I tapped in the controls to orbit around the scout ship and the computers systems would automatically correct itself if I stray too far from orbit.
The scout ship directed me to a docking bay, it wasn't of one that I would normally dock in at. Because of my FoF tag they probably still didn't know if I was neutral or under control from the State Protectate.
"There you go, CEO." D-6 commed in.
My ship controlled itself into the bay and landed on the docking hangars, I got up from my seat and walked to the elevator that would soon attach itself to the station's oxygen held hallways. I heard the door hiss as the pressure equalized from both structures. I walked in when the door slid open. The walls for this box were glass, I could see the different ships of pilots that lived here. The ships were being refitted for different purposes. Some were unloading salvage from mining or wrecks. I could see the cabins of destroyed vessels, sympathizers for the dead would take the bodies burned in the wreckage for a proper burial.
The elevator climbed up several hundred stories when it stopped on the Bureau offices. The doors slid and I walked out. The armed guards had their weapons raised at me, "Don't move!" one of them ordered. He walked up to me and took the scrambler pistol I had on my belt and threw it on the floor.
"Move that way," He motioned the direction with the barrel of his gun then resumed aiming at me.
I walked down the hallway of what he pointed, these floors were metal, and my boots clicked and echoed down the corridor, the sound of equipment from the security detail was echoing behind me. The corridor opened up to several glass doors, each door read the owner of a district of this planet. Fortunately they were all in the same alliance. The security detail opened a door to my left and told me to go inside. I followed the order and went in.
Inside was a person sitting at an office desk, a hologram that showed the Molden heath region was glowing from the image. The Sekulda system flashed yellow and the image magnified itself. It showed a video transmission of my frigate warping in-system.
"So, why isn't it Axton Boone." The person said at the desk, she turned off the imagery and revealed her, not previously seen, face. She had black hair that ran to her shoulders, pale green eyes and a sickly green hue to her skin.
"Have I met you? You're the second person to who I am." I replied.
"We met on the Edbinger systems. You stowed away on our warbarge."
"Oh, Klana. Well, it's nice to see a friendly face again." I lied, her faceless expression when she killed me played back in my head. I started having shivers of that day, but I straightened up and grinned, "You owe me fifty thousand for that."
"Well, I heard what happened in the Asakai Systems. Though, it seems the in-warp transmission you sent cannot be fulfilled." She said, she interlaced her fingers with her other hand and rested her cheek on her hands.
"What's the issue, this isn't something that just can't go unnoticed. People were massacred." I answered in frustration.
"Well, the alliance navy can't go picking with the State Protectate. We have been at truce with them for some while; the alliance leader has received this and chose not to help. He needs more convincing. Believe me, if I were in charge I'd start war with them."
I was almost completely heart sunk; it was unbelievable a capsuleer wouldn't help another immortal.
"But," she started pointing her finger in the air, "I'll supply scouts to your aid. Gather intel on who is behind this and maybe, just maybe Mitauchi would help."
"Fine, since this place isn't as helpful as I thought you would be." I said, standing up, Klana stood up at the same time and reached out her hand to shake mine. I returned the gesture and walked out the offices. The security detail outside escorted me to the elevator where I was to be un-docked.
These people were little to no help, I expected more. But I still had to check the directors I had placed here, if they still existed they would help me organize this intel mission. "Ship, get coordinates to Sakulda IV Moon 6." I ordered.
Six orbital stations listed in the possible destinations. I selected the untagged one, it showed as an anomaly in the amount of data that was given. In the past when I set my corporation up I spent over sixty three million ISk into the Navy. It wasn't strong at the beginning, but at month five my terra-troops were among the feared in the universe. This helped the popularity of the corporation and pilots got interested. I set up a station in Sakulda for a bureau office; it was to be hidden from any threats that scanned the structure.
The ships warp systems hummed to life and the 'for screens encircled in tie dye swirl of the light of the heavens. The ship lurched forward and I was in a black void, technically I was traveling. Traveling at faster than the speed of light didn;'t allow photons to show. Since I am traveling faster it allows me to reach further destinations quicker. I was only in void for two minutes, light photons appeared and then the system came into view. Moon six has an icy surface. Temperatures reached below negative thirty degrees. The atmosphere was thin of oxygen supply, it mainly consisted of carbon dioxide from the Planetary mining pilots conducted.
The frigate turned to port and docked inside the stations planetary elevator. The door hissed opened and I stepped inside the twenty three mile long shaft.
"Welcome to the Sakulda system," The system keeper said on the comms, "Do you have an appointment?"
"Fredrick, it's me, Axton." I said.
"Ah, welcome back CEO, I have reports from the Molden Heath region you might be intrigued to see. I'll direct the drones to take you to the underground offices." Several drones later came along the shaft and carried the elevator faster than gravity would take.
The drones dropped me off on a platform at the base of a mountain. The air was so cold outside the glass started frosting and I could hear cracks. I reached on my lower back and pulled out a respirator. It had a catalyst that converts gasses with any oxygen element in the useful oxygen molecule.
I walked out of the elevator and traveled to the main door. "Open this door, Fredrick. It's too damn cold." My hands were stinging from the quick change in temperature. My face became numb when the door opened up.
The blast gate close behind me, Fredrick and his drones standing at the entrance waiting for me. Fredrick had blonde hair, short fellow. His eyes were completely white, for he was blind, the drones were programmed to use their sensors to send to Fredrick's mind.
"Welcome! Axton, right this way, The other two members have been dying to meet you." Fredrick turned around and led me to a small room. This room had hologram computers with two specialists working on them.
"Guys, this is our CEO. Axton these are the computer technicians you hired." He said pointing at them.
The techs got up from their work, waved and returned to their work. "Right this way Axton, I have something to show you. Two things actually, the reports and a prototype we've been working on."
Fredrick took me to a closet sized room. He typed in a code in the keypad and walked in, "Come in, light on computer." The lights flickered on and revealed the prototype. It was a stolen Caldari Dropsuit frame, it had a digital camo on the main armor plates and yellow markings for the logistics and commander sign.
"What does it do?" I asked.
Fredrick mentally sent his drones to lift parts of the suit that were featured, "Well, this suit carries over a sixty megawatt power supply. It can have Comms in over four different channels all at once without the suit over loading and It carries eighty five kilograms of equipment. I designed it based off the suit you used back in the Egbinger systems, which is where I come to the reports." A drone floated up to me and handed me a datapad. "I'm not liking on what's happening in Molden Heath, just read what's on it and you'll get what I'm saying."
I tapped the pad and the data came before me in a hologram.
Region:Molden Heath; System:Klingt[Start]
Journal Entry #1: This place is rather tedious and boring; I've become depressed in these passed months and have thought of suicide. These drones sent here to protect me don't watch everything I do, I like to find out what black outs have happened and what caused them. It was the Drones of course, they recorded multiple times of suicide. I never thought I could come to such low, but my mind has become a monster. I'm trying to escape but I wake up having no recollection, Anomalies show up every once in a while, but nothing significant.
Lizza Quartamin
Region:Molden Heath; System:Egbinger[Start]
Several state ships have been warped in-system, they seem to be of no threat at the moment. They've been marked for watch. The truce between us and the state have become very uneasy, pilots go missing in several null sections in space. Usually only capsuleers go there but that's what strange. The State Protectate has been spotted in that section.
{Pilots in space: 5
Tagged:60}
This data doesn't support what I've been told by the alliance leader. I think something will go down.
Region:Molden Heath; System:Illamur(Label 10-16)[start]
Voice transmission[Playback:START:]
"The state have warped in, they have a fleet too big to imagine. I see a Leviathan, this isn't good. Please send help as fast as you can to the Besateoden constellation. They have fleets in every system." There was a silence and then it started back up again. "I'll hold them off as long as I can, Dravick, get the railguns ready." The transmission cut off into white noise.
I put the pad down, I couldn't believe the stuff that was going down. I didn't know this much has happened. "How far is the Illamur system?" I asked.
"It's about four jumps from Sakulda I, why?"
"The Rise of Legion won't help without significant evidence. I think this system will be significant enough." I replied, "Is the suit ready?"
Then drones swirled around it and dissembled the suit into fit able parts, "well, it's missing the equiptment. But I think you know where to find that stuff. I'll leave it to you and the blueprints uploaded to your file in concord. This suit will be with you until termination." The drones came to me and put them on with ease. The suit comforters inside suctioned to my skin and read my vitals, the information was read in the bottom left of my helmet's heads up display.
"Sir, I haven't known you very well. But I wish you luck out there." He said.
I stopped at the door and turned, "It's been a hell of a lot fun to serve with my Corporation, I bid thee farewell."
Fredrick stood facing a wall and saluted, I returned the gesture and walked out. The two technicians working on the data core computer got up from their and escorted me out.
"Where you going with the prototype, sir?" One asked. "the testing for firearms wasn't completed against Amarr technology.
I looked at the one on the left, "I'm pretty sure I can handle myself. I'll keep good care of the blueprints and won't let them fall into the wrong hands." The main door to the facility opened up and the cold air from outside blasted inwards. The frost gathered on my suits armour, not effecting me the slightest. The two technicians stayed back and shielded their face. I stepped into the space elevator and I was rocketed up into the vacuum of space. The clouds of moon six soon faded on the glass and I could see the mountains and the blizzard that was rolling through.
The engines to my drake-class hummed to life, the AI aboard pointed the bow to Sakulda IV. The space swirled and I was shot out of system. The planet came into view and the scout ships that were camping the gate followed me to the station, I docked and opened a comm link with the CEO that offered support.
"CEO Klana, I have a lead. I'm here for my support, have the supplies into the bay and I'll be on my way." I said.
"Shipment is in, come back with significant evidence."
Region: Molden Heath
System: Illamur
Sovereignty: Contested
The system was rather vacant except for a vessel that stood by the station, "Scan the station, we need to see who's here." The ships computer ran a quick scan and the vessel was clarified as a raven-class blattleship. It contained over five hundred crew, so I knew I was in position for a quick look on the station.
"Kromstein, get the scouts ready. We're going to board the station." I said, "It's going to be close quarters so bring HMGs and shotguns."
Kromstein, turned around to the back of the cabin and headed to tell the scouts. I tapped into datapad and the computer put itself into autopilot to dock into the station.
I got up from my chair and followed Kromstein out. He waited for me on an LAV, it would drive straight to the hangar where we would be waiting in a dropship to get onto the platform. He looked at me, he had brown hair. His chin was scarred, showing some bone below. His eyes were green, they were worn of years of death that has been seen.
"We have five others with us," He started, "I'll run the HMG, stick behind me, I think most expenses that are costed in this are covered."
I nodded, he probably couldn't see my subtle gesture from my suits bulkiness. My face was completely hidden from the others. I believed unless we actually fight, a being does not see my identity, to keep my anonymity of course.
The LAV parked in front of a drop ship, it's seats were being torn up for room of evidence that could be salvaged from the station. I got out of the LAV and stepped onto the drop ship. Cromstien followed me in and set his hand on a handle bar that was set above in the ceiling. The scouts did the same and their IDENT tags showed in my HUD. The popped up in order George, Satori, and Kasumi. George wore a Black Eagle suit, probably stolen from a Gallente transport. Satori wore a grey suit, it was nickmaned the 'Skimweave', they were inefficient suits towards the amount of power the suit could give out. Kasumi was wearing a prototype suit. Most expensive of the suits, they carried enough powergrid to energize shield capacitors to about four hundred volts of power. More shield aloud the suit to carry less armor and be quick and swift. Cromestien carried the same suit I saw him use on the Edbinger system, heavy armor plating that augmented his strength to carry heavy weapons. It was of Amarr design, having two eyeslits and rather very advanced in design.
The dropship lifted as the Hunter docked into the outer part of the station, the doors to the side closed and the room became very dark. The only light sources seen through my visor were from Kasumi's and Geroge's eyeslits, Kasumi's glowed red as George's were a green. We waited in silence for the dropship to be in landing distance.
"What are we here for exactly?" Kasumi broke the silence.
"My people that I was stationed at were massacred, I'm not sure of my Mistress' whereabouts, but I need the alliances help to get back at them." I answered.
"You think it was the Caldari?" George asked this time.
"I've had history with them, the Battle of Asakai was where we clashed heads. Ever since that, matters of espionage have taken place. I've lost mysterious amounts of personnel and assets."
"Where's your alliance then, why the Rise of Legion?" Kasumi went on.
I never though about it, but I never did hear of Budsin Adar after he wanted me to find where his family went. He was my biggest asset for space command. "I think they're gong missing as well." I replied, "I don't know any other influential alliance in New Eden."
The drop ship slowed down, the side doors opened and we were suspended above the referenced 'Floor'. "Let's go," I ordered.
Cromstien jumped off the edge and landed on the floor, he scanned the area to see any objects that were nearby. "It's looks clear, jump down."
I looked over the edge and fell down. It was slightly illuminated I the station, George activated a headlight and was point lead. The light shined on the floor, a blood trail of where someone was crawling lead off into a hallway. It was wide enough for a MTAC to walk through, shell casing were on the floor.
"Lets start in that direction," I pointed to the blood trail. George went forward and we headed out.
Along the walls were several burn scars of concentrated magnetic plasma. Rail Rifles, the same weapons used on my old station. Blood splats were all over, but bodies were nowhere to be found, probably picked up from the cleanup crew. The trail soon ended at a door, where a keypad had several blood spots.
"well atleast we know the combination," Saotri said jokingly, he reached out his hand and opened the door.
I walked in first inside was several dead soldiers and a fallen civilian in the back, the lights inside here were flickering. Rail rounds left scorch marks every where, the ceiling had a turret torn from it holding and left in rubble at the floor. This room seemed to have the parts of the described voice transmission. The back had a perfect view of a warp gate and the Raven Battle Cruiser outside.
"Get that civilian body, that's our evidence." I called out. The civilian had multiple wounds to his chest. The rail rifle concentrated magnetic particles into a focused beam. It would tear through almost anything.
Cromestien lifted the lifeless body onto his shoulders and started walking out when five rail rounds struck Satori's shields. They flickered and popped, "Covering fire!" I ordered, George and Kasumi fired six rounds each from their shotgun and mutilated the mercenary shooting at us. His arm was nearly completely dislocated from the small tissue that held it together.
"Green-six down, Ahh!" He yelled. Satori was nearly out of it when they dropped, it was so sudden he got the wind knocked out him. I cupped his armpit and pulled him upright, George walked up to the dying merc and fired the last shot in the weapon. His screaming of pain was finished.
"Lets get out of here quick, Satori, carry the body Cromstein take point back to drops ship." I ordered.
Cromestien handed the body to Satori and hefted his HMG off of his strap and into position. "Keep close and don't lag behind." He said.
He walked through the door and sprayed a hundred rounds down the hallway. I could hear shields being chipped. I lifted my scrambler pistol at point and fired three rounds, a body fell as the laser burn through their armor. "Move up!"
Cromestien started walking forward, raining hell at any mercenary that decided to pop out. His gun soon started to click, out of ammo. A Mercenary popped out behind a pillar that was supporting the roof above from the vacuum of space. I fired three other rounds, the first two popped his shields and the last one went through his skull.
The dropship lowered down to the floor and opened it's doors, the system AI the automated its side turrets to spit Rail rounds at the on coming mercenaries trying to stop us. They took cover behind crates and hunkered down. I primed a Core Locus grenade on my waist and tossed it at them.
"Satori, lets move!" I yelled after him, he sprinted towards the gun ship when the Locus Grenade went off. It's power was more than I anticipated. The hull of the station was already weakened from the barrage of frigate firepower. The air that still resided in the station was sucked out into void. I hung on tight as the dropship lost it's pitch and tilted forward. The mercenaries behind crates smacked hard onto the wall. The crates soon took lift and hit the mercenaries, over a ton of weight crushing their bodies. Satori almost lost the small amount of evidence we had, he strapped the body to the gunship and heaved himself into the holding bay.
The side doors to the drop ship lifted up and closed of the hold for us. Screens appeared and offered a view of whats outside, scans were showing aggression from the stationed Raven-Class battleship. It moved six hundred kilometers and showing it's weapons starting to heat up.
"George, manually get this thing to the Hunter, AI is not going to get through this." I said. The raven fired a tri salvo of missiles, they swirled and tracked our drop ship. The sirens inside alarmed, red lights inside lit up. George opened a door that led to the cockpit, the ship jerked forward. Everyone nearly lost our balance, the missile salvo impacted behind us. The shockwave thundered through the cabin and almost depressurized the cabin. My ears popped, making me hear in muffled sounds.
"Commander, were docking into the Hunter." George called, "We need to do it now, activate the hangar doors to open or were dead."
I lifted my arm, a hologram data pad opened up. A chart that showed several actions appeared, I selected a middle circle. The Hunter's hangar doors opened on the top of the frigate. The drop ship settled down inside, the last missile impacted in magnetic field that created the Hunter's shields. The explosions force was disrupted.
The hatch doors opened up and I quickly ran out to the bridge. "Get the body to the medical bay and salvage any memories this body has, I'm going to get us out of system." I called out in the COMMS system.
The doors to the bridge slid open, I sat down in the captains chair and grabbed control of the frigate. I aligned the bow of the ship towards the Sakulda system, the warp engines hummed to life. The vertigo of space swirled before me and then the main hub of the Rise of Legion. I exited out of a stargate and headed towards the Sakulda station sitting in orbit.
"SKyfire CEO, you are denied permission to dock. You brought company." As soon as the dock master said that the Raven-Class ship that was shooting at us came out of warp and into system.
"Sir, more ships inbound to our vector." A capsuleer said, more vessels appeared in system, all sharing the IDENT tags as the Caldari Protectate. Their weapons heated up and aimed at the station in orbit.
"Dock master, get your ships into position." I turned the Hunter's topside facing the planet, "George get into the dropship. I need you guys to get off board."
"I got ya boss, were ready." He replied, the frigates hangar doors opened and the forward momentum of the Hunter flung the dropship towards the station. I turned the frigate back towards the on coming fleet. The Protectate fired a salvo of missiles, the trail could be seen as bright orange flickers in dark.
"Get the scouting ships to un cloak and hit them from the back." I quickly looked at the far end of the system, dreadnaughts were warping in system. They were armed for orbital support, they had small laser turrets hanging from the bottom. "Get your planetary troops ready for a fight." I called, the salvo hit me and ruptured my shields, they flickered then faded.
"Get planet side, Axton. Meet up with Subsonic Synthesis, you'll be second in command. I'll meet up with you guys in the Industrial District." General Klana said, "The capsuleers will handle the void, just get planet side ASAP."
A Dreadnaught came close to the Hunter, The lasers beamed bright green then fired into my hull. The missiles ripped through the exterior, flame erupted from inside. I blocked off the hallways leading to the depressurization occurred.
"I'll be there, just upload my DNA to your clone reserves." Without it I wouldn't be able to reanimate, the old station I was at had the AI ripped out and doesn't hold my conscious memory electronically.
"The brain mapping is being uploaded to our system, you need to stay alive for a couple hours before we have you DNA blueprints." The stations master said in the COMMS.
I got up from the bridge and got to the escape pods, They were only big enough for one person and were picked up if the landed on the planet. I pushed a few buttons by the hatch doors, the hissed shut and I was jettisoned into space. I strapped myself into a seat, the harness was supposed to protect up to eighty six G's. I could feel the gravity of Sakulda IV increasing, what felt like I was only twenty eight kilo grams was now feeling of one hundred sixteen Kilo grams. The pod reached maximum velocity, the cloud layer of Sakulda IV was getting thicker, flashes of light were illuminating the skies. I was entering a storm, storms get violent here. The wind was strong enough to throw any sort of aircraft out of position.
The ground became visible and I could see where my velocity was taking me, the pod hit the horizon of a mountain, skipped and landed still into a small valley. I was probably out for six hours until I woke up.
