Beyond the Asteroid Belts
"WILLA!", Happyjack was screaming at her over the fleet channel.
Fuzzy headed from sleep she snapped back, "What!"
"Pirates, are you going to shoot them?" Happyjack said excitedly.
Willa checked her overview, there were two belt rats firing on Happyjack and his shields were down fifty percent. "Stop panicking," she growled back. She was already in orbit around Happyjack's Iteron III hauler. She switched on the targeting computer, changed her flight path to approach the hostile ships and fired up the afterburners. In a matter of seconds she was on top of them, orbiting at close range and had target lock. A few burst of the auto-cannons and a volley from the missile launcher an the first pirate ship exploded. She went after the second one, it was over in a matter of seconds as the ship disappeared in a brilliant explosion. Willa checked her time code, it had been over four hours since the last rat attack, and it hadn't been any more difficult than this one.
She guided her ship towards the wrecks, checking to see if there was anything of value she could loot. All she found was an old mining laser and some hybrid ammo that was of no use to her. She took it anyway, she could always sell it, for a few extra isk. It seemed she always needed more money these days, most of her money that Ashihei had given her was gone, spent on skill books and ship equipment. With her expenses and the fact that she couldn't mine and get a paycheck, she was barely getting by.
"Target, Shoot, Loot, Repeat." she said to no one in particular over the corp channel.
"What took so long?" Happyjack demanded.
"I was washing my hair," Willa answered sarcastically. Sitting in a pod full of bio jell it would have been a worthless endeavor she mused to herself.
"One of these days, you are going to get jumped, while you are asleep at the helm," Happyjack scolded.
"Is this the voice of experience talking?" Willa retorted. She was extremely bored. She had been on this mining operation for over 20 hours, picking a fight with her corp mate was all she had to keep herself awake. Willa got a particular kick out of goading Happyjack, because it also pissed off his uppity Caldari bitch of a girl friend Asa.
"Will you two stop it," Baylen's broke in begging, he was in his Retriever mining barge and transferring the ore to the Iteron.
"Yes, stop it you two sound like a pack of hounds going at it," came the voice of Sunshine Sally, who was also flying a Retriever. At times Willa felt sorry for Baylen and Sally, they were always busy when the mining lasers were running. They had to keep track of their cargo holds, transfer the contents to the hauler before they filled, monitor the sentry drones and listen to her and Happyjack pick on each other.
"Where we at, Baylen?" Willa asked, "About done?"
"Yeah, finish off this rock and we can go back," he replied.
About an hour later Baylen finished off the final rock, transferred the load to the Iteron and aligned the fleet to the station. They all jumped to warped together and arrived at station together. Willa let the others dock, while she stood by, then she docked. Willa opened the hatch to her Rifter, not bothering to put on a pair of coveralls and walked naked across the hanger to the corp locker room. She had given up on modesty a few months before, when walking from her ship to the locker room. Her male corp mates were getting accustomed to her walking through the hanger naked and usually just ignored her. Only Asa seemed to care, she had a royal fit the first time she saw the tall naked Willa coming out of the locker room and getting in her ship. All the reason Willa needed to keep doing it. Sometimes she would have fun when someone other than a corp member was in the hanger, and gave them a devilish grin as they stared at her. She loved seeing some of the younger pilots and mechanics, blush red and turn away from her.
After a nice long hot shower to wash the pod goo from her body, Willa stepped out. Howard Taft her boss, was sitting on the bench near the showers. Willa acted like he wasn't there and began drying herself and getting dressed. "What can I do for you boss?" she asked.
"You do have a way of causing a stir, woman," he answered. "Happyjack was just in my office, complaining how you keep falling asleep out on mining operations. Asa is in particular fine form today, raising hell about you and some missing booze from the trade hanger. Then there is this whole walking around the hanger naked. It is beginning to cause a stir with the other corps that dock across the way from us. I guess a rookie over there dropped a tool case on a buddy when he saw you get out of your ship the other day. The guy had to be hauled off to the medical clinic."
Willa listened trying not to smile about the trouble she was causing, as she pulled on her pants, slipped into her shirt and buckled up her vest. Then it occurred to her that she may have gone too far and that is what had brought Howard out of his office this time. "Damn, " she though "so this is the point were I get fired." She buckled on her knife belt and put on her boots. Finished dressing she stood up straight in front of Howard and looked him straight in the eyes and asked, "So you want me to leave?"
"In a sense yes," he answered. "I want you to stay with McKennan Corp, but I think we can find you something to do where you would be happier, and a little less of a disturbance to the corp." Pausing a moment, "How would you feel about mission running for the corporation?" he asked. "We could use the improved security status that this kind of work will bring us. You can choose where you want to be, and still have the protection and assistance of this corporation and all that implies. I have already spoken to your aunt about this and she agrees with me that you are ready to start taking on some harder work than what you have been doing." Howard finished saying.
"Do I have time to think on this?" Willa asked. She was a little hesitant to jump on the offer, because of her last experience with agent missions. She needed time to think and get her head wrapped around the idea of being out there as a solo mission runner.
"Sure, take sometime off and think about it," Howard said, "I want you to know that I have contacts at Federation Customs, and I can get you some good jobs to start with through them. None of that low sec risky stuff, you did for the Brutor Tribe either, good work," he answered without her asking the question.
"I'll think it over," Willa said as she grabbed her gear bag out of her locker and walked out. By habit she walked to a small out of the way cafe that was near the hangers and sat down in her favorite booth, in a far dimly lit corner. Ordered a meat pie and beer and waited for the server to return with her food. Willa came to this cafe all the time. It was usually empty except for her and they served good Matari food, unlike some of the other Minmatar owned restaurants on the station, which seemed to bland down the food to appeal to a wider clientele.
The waiter returned with her pie and beer. Willa sat for a moment, inhaling the rich spicy aroma of her meat pie, then savored a sip of the dark strong flavored beer, suddenly she realized that she missed home. Willa missed her clan and fellow Minmatar, even though there were plenty in this system and many of her kin worked with her, it wasn't the same as feeling like she belonged to the place. She wanted friends that she understood and that understood her. She wanted a place where she didn't feel like she had to keep herself under control all the time. Willa sat and slowly consumed her meal savoring and enjoying each bite as she thought about home. When she finished she paid the waiter and went to her apartment. For the first time in months she laid down and went to sleep without first drinking herself into unconsciousness.
Howard Taft was surprised to see Willa sitting in his office when he came in the next morning. He settled his large body in his oversized leather office chair and studied Willa, there was something different about her this morning and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was pretty sure that she hadn't been drinking and that she wasn't hungover, which was a first for Howard. In all the months that he had known Willa he had never seen her when she wasn't either drunk or hungover. She also didn't look wrapped so tight but rather more relaxed and had a look of a sadness in her eyes.
"What can I do for you, Willa?" he asked.
Willa looked down at her hands folded in her lap, let out a sigh then looked at Howard and answered, "I want the job you offered."
"You don't seem entirely sure about this," he replied
"I'm sure, just ah... I don't know," Willa hesitated a moment then abruptly said, "I'm scared." Her words surprised Willa as much as Howard. She had never admitted to anyone that she was afraid of anything, yet here she had just said it to a man she barely knew. Willa looked away from Howard as she tried to keep him from seeing the fear she felt inside.
"Willa, I don't know what kind of trouble you got into before, but I assure you that if there is anyone that can handle this job, it is you," Howard said in a fatherly tone.
Willa looked back at Howard and smiled weakly, "Thanks, that means a lot coming from you," she said.
Howard reached over and connected his communication channel, "We will take care of this right now," he told her. He connected to someone on the other end and talked for a while. Willa ignored the conversation, she was too absorbed in her own thoughts.
"Willa," Howard said as he disconnected the com channel.
Her attention snapped back from abyss her mind had been staring into, "What?" she asked.
"It is all set up, you can start anytime. Just go down to the Federation Customs office and get your orders." He said.
"But what about the thing with CONCORD?" she asked.
"Taken care of," he replied with a little grin. "I have been around a long time and have a few good connections. So it wasn't too hard to have someone hit a delete command on that notation." he said with a little chuckle.
Willa smiled at Howard, she felt a little better. "Maybe this might work out after all." she thought to herself, without damn CONCORD looking over her shoulder and working for Gallente Customs she might just get the kind of work she needed to cover her expenses and get a little excitement in the process. She thanked Howard and left his office. She started walking aimless around the station, deep in her own thought and trying to get a hold of her fears.
After about an hour of walking she realized that she was in a part of the station she had never been before, an alley at took off from the main business center and went towards one of the secondary docking bays. About half way down the alley there was a door open and the sound of laughter coming from inside. Willa walked near the door and heard the voices of men and laughter, and something else, the voices all had Matari accents. She sat down on a crate near the door and listened.
"What's on everyone's plate for tonight?" asked the first man.
"Wasting away in Margarita-ville" sang a second man.
"Spaghetti and meatballs," answered a third, he continued "so, two Amarr priests walked into a bar..."
"What the hell are you talking about, Auk?" interrupted the second man, "Amarrian priests in a bar?"
"What did the slaver say before he was jettisoned into space?" the forth man asked.
"What Teddy?" asked fifth man.
"Don't know couldn't hear him over my music," the forth man said roaring with laughter.
The whole room broke out in laughter, as did Willa sitting on her crate outside the door. That was the first time in months that Willa had a good hearty laugh. She wasn't quite ready to join in the fun herself but she felt better, got up and returned to her apartment. She spent the rest of the day going over information on where Federation Customs operated and the recent news from COSMOS News Agency. She finished her day back at her favorite cafe, eating another savory meat pie and sipping on a glass of dark beer. Then she went home and went to bed. Willa fell asleep with a sense of peace that she hadn't had in a very long time.
As she slept, she had a dream of a flock of water birds landing on a large lake, and taking off again in a mass so large that they filled the sky. As she stood on the shore one swam toward her and looking at her. The look from this creature gave Willa a chill up her spine that was both exciting and terrifying. As she returned the creatures gaze, a demanding voice filled her mind, "Come fly with me Willa!"
A great pain filled her heart as she answered back, "I can't find you." She awoke with a start, her heart was racing and body was trembling. Willa tried to shake it off, but the feelings were too real, she laid awake for a long time trying to forget the look she had seen in her dream and feelings she couldn't shake off. Exhaustion finally won over her thoughts and brought sleep once again.