Dear Jarik Utoni,
It is with utmost pride that I inform you of your acceptance into the capsuleer program.
All relevant data has been to you and you are instructed to report to deck 5-a at 1400 hours tomorrow for implant insertion and cloning. Again, congratulations.
-Aunirad Fegill
-Chief Advisor
-Republic Military School
Jarik read over the message on his datapad for the umpteenth time. A capsuleer, an immortal, feared and respected galaxy wide. Yitri Ole, his professor, didn't seem as happy about his acceptance but darn it if it wasn't the best thing that had happened to him in since receiving his first starship post aboard a Cheetah. Jarik set the datapad down and dimmed the lights, "Tomorrow" he said aloud "I ascend to immortality."
The next day Jarik took the station transport further then he ever had before. "Deck 5-a" chirped the transport A.I., "Medical facilities, Clone Vat bay, transfer for shuttle 32k and 76b." Jarik disembarked and followed the flow of traffic to the Cloning facility. he was met by a AIMED which scanned his documentation and took a DNA sample. "Your clone will be ready for use within the hour please report to room 10d for implant integration." This is it, Jarik thought as he neared the surgery room, immortality awaits. The AIMED sat him down and put the breather over his face "Breath deeply and count back from 10" it instructed "Ten, Nine, Eight, seven, six..... f-five....." Jarik slumped into a dreamless sleep.
He awakened in the recovery room, his neck was really sore, but when he reached back to rub it he felt it, the capsule interface implant. for a split second he wondered how it worked but before the thought manifested itself his mind brought up a schematic of the implant and it's connection to his spinal column. he remembered things, that he didn't know before, how to pilot a Minmatar frigate with just his mind how to activate a projectile based ship mounted weapon with the neural pathways, how to control a camera drone with a thought. These memories weren't his own, but at the same time he couldn't tell them apart from his memories or ship based life.
He was shaken from his daydreams when the man laying in the gurney opposite suddenly woke up. Jarik watched as the same thoughts that had plagued him earlier registered in the man across from him. Jarik spoke up,
"Small 200mm autocannon I"
The man, startled, looks at Jarik and then said,
"Structure hitpoints: 40 HP, Mass: 15kg, Volume: 5m3, Capacity: 0.3m3"
He looked startled at his own words.
"We know stuff" Jarik said "That we didn't before."
The man smiled, "We've become immortals" they both grinned.
"I see you ladies are up!"
They both turned to see a huge Brutor, Sargent Keth Hawk, read his badge
"You, Jarik!" he turned to face Jarik "Pop quiz, how many high-power slots in a Slasher-class Frigate?"
Jarik though for a second, diving into the memories he had been given,
"Two" he finally said
Sgt Hawk turned to the other man,
"Shane, what type of hardpoints are available for use in those highslots?"
Shane seemed to think for a second before replying,
"One launcher hardpoint and two turret hardpoints. and only two may be used at the same time due to high-power connections restrictions"
"Very good Shane" Sgt. Hawk turned to Jarik again,
"Tell me about the Slasher's Capacitor and fitting restrictions Jarik"
It was getting easier to call up the information he needed
"The available powergrid on a Slasher is Exactly 20 MW, the available CPU is 100 tf. It's capacitor's capacity is exactly 156.25 GJ and when full depleted will recharge in precisely 117187.5 seconds unassisted."
The Sgt. nodded and turned back to Shane,
The quiz went on for at least 2 hours examining every detail of the slasher front and back from an implanted memory. Finally Sgt. Hawk seemed satisfied,
"One more question" the Sargent smiled
"What is the collective shield defence efficiency on an unfit Maelstrom against Angel Pirates?"
The two just-born capsuleers looked at each other dumbfounded.
Jarik spoke first, "I don't know sir..."
Hawk smiled, "Good," "Congratulations boys, you just passed the memory test, the real training begins tomorrow at 1400 hours at the pod gantries." Sgt. Hawk stepped out and Jarik and Shane got up.
"Gonna go talk to my parent's, they'll love to hear this!" Shane said "See ya around!"
"See ya!" Jarik replied as he gathered his clothes from the locker
So began the first day of the rest of his life, as an immortal, as a capsuleer.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Shadows of the past (part 3 of 3)
This mission wouldn't be easy, Celt Nurvalkin spared no expense on his personal Angel Cartel army. and his planet side compound deep in angel controlled space was evidence enough.
A Cheetah class covert ops ship aligned to the planet and a single cloaked Caldari-made dropship rocketed for the surface. Inside the dropship sat Kris and Jarik. Outfitted head to toe in rust brown heavy commando suits and flanked my military grade MTACs (Mechanized Torso-actuated Chassis) the two knew that what awaited them on the surface required strength over stealth.
"Jarik," said Kris "what's the plan?"
Jarik looked over at the eager Brutor sitting opposite him, armor gleaming red in the glow of the entry into the atmosphere.
"Secure the landing zone" he said, "Then set up the MTACs"
the intercom chirped,
"We're three minutes out, scopes are clean, we're going in silent."
"Thank you pilot."
The dropship landed 30km from the compound gates, hidden behind a hill.
they disembarked and rushed to the hill to set up their rifles. The gates were headily guarded, tanks, MTACs, and mounted autocannons had a deadly killzone set up in front.
"Kris, deploy the MTACs." Jarik said, "Set yours up for tactical sniper and artillery support" Jarik smiled, "I'll run with anti-infantry." Jarik jumped into his MTAC and felt the armor plates close around him and the specially designed capsuleer interface slip into his implant. Looking around he eyed the equipment he wanted for this op.
"Ready" he heard Kris say over the Comlink.
"Good, take out the autocannons first then drop as many mechanized units as possible."
"Aye Aye Jarik, Elders be with you."
Jarik urged his suit into a full sprint as Kris began firing at the autocannons.
There's the front lines, Jarik thought and began spinning the arm mounted 80mm Chaingun. the combined attack from two front's had the Angel soldiers caught offguard and they quickly fell to the withering fire from Jarik's chaingun. "Jarik, behind you!" Jarik dodged just as an Angel Cartel MTAC suit clobbered the ground where he stood before. Acting quickly he delivered a Crushing blow to the operator's cabin and the MTAC ceased moving. Suddenly the remaining Angel's retreated into the base and the loudspeakers came to life.
"Jarik, my old friend" it was Celt "So good of you to stop by." Jarik switched his feed to broadcast.
"Come out and fight Celt, unless you're as cowardly as I remember..."
"How DARE you call me a coward!" came the angry response "You think a coward could have built all this?"
"You think a coward would have the balls to join the Angels and make an empire?"
Jarik smirked, "Then why don't you face me now Celt? Pick your ass up and prove you're not a coward." Jarik's smile died the instant Celt's MTAC deployed, A full twelve feet taller than his and bristling with heavy weapons.
"How do ya like me now bitch!" Celt screamed as he fired a rocket directly at Jarik.
Kris couldn't believe what he saw, Fuck, that thing must be at least three times the size of Jarik's! He tore off the sniper rifle attached to his MTAC. I need something bigger! That's when he saw it, a 300mm howitzer artillery filled up the place where 4 other MTAC's would have been. It was a spare from the Cheetah and had one round pre-loaded in the barrel. Kris quickly dragged it out and awkwardly mounted it on the back of the MTAC. Aiming for the head of Celt's XHeavy MTAC braced himself for the inevitable destruction of his MTAC when he fired it. "I got your back Jarik" he yelled and activated the weapon.
The sound of the 300mm cannon was deafening, it took exactly .4 seconds to reach the target and when it hit, the small nuclear fission explosion sent all the Radiation alarms off inside Jarik's MTAC, the single shot leveled most of the mansion complex leaving Jarik miraculously preserved under the headless wreck of Celt's MTAC. Jark knew that the a shot that loud had to come from a 300mm howitzer. he sprinted as fast as his damaged MTAC would carry him to the top to discover that what he had feared had been true all that remained of Kris' MTAC were the legs, severed at the knee the rest of the crippled remains were buried in the side of the now defunct dropship. Jarik, tears welling in his eyes, tore the top off of the dropship and extracted the wreckage of an MTAC. Carefully cracking open the cockpit he discovered to his amazement that Kris was alive! "Hey boss" he said weakly "I think my back's broken"
"Nothing a few cloning sessions can't fix" Jarik said beaming, "Thanks for the assist by-the-way."
"I couldn't just let you sit there and die." he responded, "Besides now we don't have to carry all that expensive equipment back with us."
The former pilot of the dropship climbed out of the cockpit nursing a broken arm
"I've taken the liberty of calling the SOE for help, they're about 10 minutes away, and they'll be able to take care of Kris."
Jarik's Comlink chirped, It was from Yitri Ole:
I'm sure he'll be happier to hear it from you Jarik, Kris has been accepted into the Capsuleer program, he's to report directly to the Capsuleer representative at the Republic Military School as soon as possible.
Jarik turned turned the datapad towards Kris' prone form, "Looks like you've gotten what you wanted Kris" Kris' eyes grew wide.
Jarik's mind was on something else however, his past.
A Cheetah class covert ops ship aligned to the planet and a single cloaked Caldari-made dropship rocketed for the surface. Inside the dropship sat Kris and Jarik. Outfitted head to toe in rust brown heavy commando suits and flanked my military grade MTACs (Mechanized Torso-actuated Chassis) the two knew that what awaited them on the surface required strength over stealth.
"Jarik," said Kris "what's the plan?"
Jarik looked over at the eager Brutor sitting opposite him, armor gleaming red in the glow of the entry into the atmosphere.
"Secure the landing zone" he said, "Then set up the MTACs"
the intercom chirped,
"We're three minutes out, scopes are clean, we're going in silent."
"Thank you pilot."
The dropship landed 30km from the compound gates, hidden behind a hill.
they disembarked and rushed to the hill to set up their rifles. The gates were headily guarded, tanks, MTACs, and mounted autocannons had a deadly killzone set up in front.
"Kris, deploy the MTACs." Jarik said, "Set yours up for tactical sniper and artillery support" Jarik smiled, "I'll run with anti-infantry." Jarik jumped into his MTAC and felt the armor plates close around him and the specially designed capsuleer interface slip into his implant. Looking around he eyed the equipment he wanted for this op.
"Ready" he heard Kris say over the Comlink.
"Good, take out the autocannons first then drop as many mechanized units as possible."
"Aye Aye Jarik, Elders be with you."
Jarik urged his suit into a full sprint as Kris began firing at the autocannons.
There's the front lines, Jarik thought and began spinning the arm mounted 80mm Chaingun. the combined attack from two front's had the Angel soldiers caught offguard and they quickly fell to the withering fire from Jarik's chaingun. "Jarik, behind you!" Jarik dodged just as an Angel Cartel MTAC suit clobbered the ground where he stood before. Acting quickly he delivered a Crushing blow to the operator's cabin and the MTAC ceased moving. Suddenly the remaining Angel's retreated into the base and the loudspeakers came to life.
"Jarik, my old friend" it was Celt "So good of you to stop by." Jarik switched his feed to broadcast.
"Come out and fight Celt, unless you're as cowardly as I remember..."
"How DARE you call me a coward!" came the angry response "You think a coward could have built all this?"
"You think a coward would have the balls to join the Angels and make an empire?"
Jarik smirked, "Then why don't you face me now Celt? Pick your ass up and prove you're not a coward." Jarik's smile died the instant Celt's MTAC deployed, A full twelve feet taller than his and bristling with heavy weapons.
"How do ya like me now bitch!" Celt screamed as he fired a rocket directly at Jarik.
Kris couldn't believe what he saw, Fuck, that thing must be at least three times the size of Jarik's! He tore off the sniper rifle attached to his MTAC. I need something bigger! That's when he saw it, a 300mm howitzer artillery filled up the place where 4 other MTAC's would have been. It was a spare from the Cheetah and had one round pre-loaded in the barrel. Kris quickly dragged it out and awkwardly mounted it on the back of the MTAC. Aiming for the head of Celt's XHeavy MTAC braced himself for the inevitable destruction of his MTAC when he fired it. "I got your back Jarik" he yelled and activated the weapon.
The sound of the 300mm cannon was deafening, it took exactly .4 seconds to reach the target and when it hit, the small nuclear fission explosion sent all the Radiation alarms off inside Jarik's MTAC, the single shot leveled most of the mansion complex leaving Jarik miraculously preserved under the headless wreck of Celt's MTAC. Jark knew that the a shot that loud had to come from a 300mm howitzer. he sprinted as fast as his damaged MTAC would carry him to the top to discover that what he had feared had been true all that remained of Kris' MTAC were the legs, severed at the knee the rest of the crippled remains were buried in the side of the now defunct dropship. Jarik, tears welling in his eyes, tore the top off of the dropship and extracted the wreckage of an MTAC. Carefully cracking open the cockpit he discovered to his amazement that Kris was alive! "Hey boss" he said weakly "I think my back's broken"
"Nothing a few cloning sessions can't fix" Jarik said beaming, "Thanks for the assist by-the-way."
"I couldn't just let you sit there and die." he responded, "Besides now we don't have to carry all that expensive equipment back with us."
The former pilot of the dropship climbed out of the cockpit nursing a broken arm
"I've taken the liberty of calling the SOE for help, they're about 10 minutes away, and they'll be able to take care of Kris."
Jarik's Comlink chirped, It was from Yitri Ole:
I'm sure he'll be happier to hear it from you Jarik, Kris has been accepted into the Capsuleer program, he's to report directly to the Capsuleer representative at the Republic Military School as soon as possible.
Jarik turned turned the datapad towards Kris' prone form, "Looks like you've gotten what you wanted Kris" Kris' eyes grew wide.
Jarik's mind was on something else however, his past.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Shadows of the Past (Part 2 of 3)
Location: Ammold V -Republic Military School
Jarik Utoni disembarked the private shuttle in dock at the RMS Headquarters. A Sebiestor Private who's nametag read "Vahk" greeted him at the dock.
"I'm sorry sir but you'll need to surrender your weapons before entering the station proper."
Jarik flashed a look of annoyance, "Private Vahk, I'm looking for Yitri Ole, and I have permission to carry these weapons." He reached into his coat to obtain the writ of permission. "See for yourself, signed by the high commander." Vahk looked over the writ, "Everything seems to be in order then, Captain Ole is teaching a class at the moment in the third tier, sim room 194-6b." "Thank you private." Jarik saluted, Vahk returned the salute. "Have a good day sir."
Yitro Ole was pissed off, Most of these students didn't have enough patience. Even his best marksman had jumped the gun and missed by almost 6 meters. "No No NO!!" he yelled as another pair missed by almost half a kilometer, "You need to exhale then pull the trigger, if you can't hit a target at 8km in a vacuum what makes you think you'll be any use at all planet side!!"
Suddenly he heard an incredibly loud retort of a special forces issue Heavy Anti-Material Rifle. Yitri looked through his spotting scope, the simulated Amarrian labeled "Target" was clutching at a golfball sized hole in it's chest right before it exploded in a shower of simulated gore.
Firing post 15, Target Destroyed flashed on the overhead display showing a replay of the target being obliterated by the explosion.
"Firing post 15! Front and center!"
Jarik Utoni was cleaning the rifle when he heard Yitri's order. Grabbing the rifle center mass he double timed it to his mentor's spotting tower.
"Jarik Utoni, Graduate with Honors reporting as ordered sir!" He saluted.
Yitri slowly exited the tower, "Jarik Utoni? is it really you?"
Jarik smiled, "Yes sir"
"You were the best marksman we've had in a log time Jarik, I was sorry to hear you had applied to be a capsuleer."
Jarik revealed his Capsule interface implants, "The promise of riches is bait that no fish can ignore" Jarik took on a more serious tone, "Unfortunately this wasn't just a social visit, after your class we need to talk."
Yitri frowned, to the console he said "Load mountain run 447-522" he turned to the recruits as the simulation room morphed into a Mountain range "You are all required to make it through this course in a day, survival gear is provided in the box. Failure to complete the course will result in a washout." the student's groaned and started preparations.
"Now Jarik, let's go to my office."
Yitri Ole's office was clean and empty of all but the necessities, what looked like an Oak desk was in the middle of the room, filing cabinets surrounded it in the back and army recruitment posters adorned the wall opposite.
Yitri sat down and motioned for Jarik to take the seat opposite.
"You know I had a young man in here the other day Jarik" Yitri began, "He said you sent him, name's Kris."
"Ah, yes" Jarik smiled, "I'm glad to see he found you."
there was a pause and Yitri frowned
"He wants to be a capsuleer."
Jarik nodded "So did I, when the opportunity arose, and so did Celt."
Yitri's expression grew pained, "That boy became a monster after he was denied."
Yitri continued, "He terrorizes anyone foolish enough to walk alone on the streets in the lower levels."
"I'll be blunt" Jarik said,
"I need to kill him."
"Kill him?" Yitri's surprise was evident "Whatever for?"
"He attempted to assassinate me" Jarik said "I can't let him live after that."
Yitri nodded, "Well I can provide as much intel as you need if you do one thing for me."
"What's that?" Jarik asked,
"Take young Kris along with you. He's only 17 but he's the best marksman we have and needs a strong mentor to guide him"
"Alright I'll grab Kris and do a few rounds in the simulator."
Thanks Jarik, for everything."
"You too old friend, You to."
Jarik Utoni disembarked the private shuttle in dock at the RMS Headquarters. A Sebiestor Private who's nametag read "Vahk" greeted him at the dock.
"I'm sorry sir but you'll need to surrender your weapons before entering the station proper."
Jarik flashed a look of annoyance, "Private Vahk, I'm looking for Yitri Ole, and I have permission to carry these weapons." He reached into his coat to obtain the writ of permission. "See for yourself, signed by the high commander." Vahk looked over the writ, "Everything seems to be in order then, Captain Ole is teaching a class at the moment in the third tier, sim room 194-6b." "Thank you private." Jarik saluted, Vahk returned the salute. "Have a good day sir."
Yitro Ole was pissed off, Most of these students didn't have enough patience. Even his best marksman had jumped the gun and missed by almost 6 meters. "No No NO!!" he yelled as another pair missed by almost half a kilometer, "You need to exhale then pull the trigger, if you can't hit a target at 8km in a vacuum what makes you think you'll be any use at all planet side!!"
Suddenly he heard an incredibly loud retort of a special forces issue Heavy Anti-Material Rifle. Yitri looked through his spotting scope, the simulated Amarrian labeled "Target" was clutching at a golfball sized hole in it's chest right before it exploded in a shower of simulated gore.
Firing post 15, Target Destroyed flashed on the overhead display showing a replay of the target being obliterated by the explosion.
"Firing post 15! Front and center!"
Jarik Utoni was cleaning the rifle when he heard Yitri's order. Grabbing the rifle center mass he double timed it to his mentor's spotting tower.
"Jarik Utoni, Graduate with Honors reporting as ordered sir!" He saluted.
Yitri slowly exited the tower, "Jarik Utoni? is it really you?"
Jarik smiled, "Yes sir"
"You were the best marksman we've had in a log time Jarik, I was sorry to hear you had applied to be a capsuleer."
Jarik revealed his Capsule interface implants, "The promise of riches is bait that no fish can ignore" Jarik took on a more serious tone, "Unfortunately this wasn't just a social visit, after your class we need to talk."
Yitri frowned, to the console he said "Load mountain run 447-522" he turned to the recruits as the simulation room morphed into a Mountain range "You are all required to make it through this course in a day, survival gear is provided in the box. Failure to complete the course will result in a washout." the student's groaned and started preparations.
"Now Jarik, let's go to my office."
Yitri Ole's office was clean and empty of all but the necessities, what looked like an Oak desk was in the middle of the room, filing cabinets surrounded it in the back and army recruitment posters adorned the wall opposite.
Yitri sat down and motioned for Jarik to take the seat opposite.
"You know I had a young man in here the other day Jarik" Yitri began, "He said you sent him, name's Kris."
"Ah, yes" Jarik smiled, "I'm glad to see he found you."
there was a pause and Yitri frowned
"He wants to be a capsuleer."
Jarik nodded "So did I, when the opportunity arose, and so did Celt."
Yitri's expression grew pained, "That boy became a monster after he was denied."
Yitri continued, "He terrorizes anyone foolish enough to walk alone on the streets in the lower levels."
"I'll be blunt" Jarik said,
"I need to kill him."
"Kill him?" Yitri's surprise was evident "Whatever for?"
"He attempted to assassinate me" Jarik said "I can't let him live after that."
Yitri nodded, "Well I can provide as much intel as you need if you do one thing for me."
"What's that?" Jarik asked,
"Take young Kris along with you. He's only 17 but he's the best marksman we have and needs a strong mentor to guide him"
"Alright I'll grab Kris and do a few rounds in the simulator."
Thanks Jarik, for everything."
"You too old friend, You to."
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Shadows of the Past (Part 1 of 3)
The recent assassination attempt against Jarik had been bothering him for weeks. Who was responsible? Why did they want him dead? More importantly, how can he keep it from happening again?
He had already taken care of the first part; he had the name of the broker the assassins were hired from. Aradath Fortuni, Ethnic Amarrian, height 5"11, weight: 240 lbs Location: Jita V - Moon 17 - Caldari Constructions Production Plant. Aradath operated his "Business" out of an old storefront in the lowest levels of the station.
Jarik surveyed the security from a distance utilizing the scope of his high powered anti-material rifle making notes on the back of his hand. The matte grey corridors of the Caldari built station were going to make it impossible to approach on foot. He would have to use stealth and utilize the training recieved at the RMS. He reached into his pocket, clutching the cool and familiar shape of his lighter. "Just like old times" he whispered to himself.
Jarik hoisted himself into the rafters above the station floor and slowly made his way towards the entrance of Aradath's brothel. He pulled the detonator off of his belt and flipped open the cap. Jarik smiled as he remembered something his Mentor, Yitri Ole, used to say; "Plan B is always C4."
Jarik Pressed the detonator, in an instant the building to the opposite of Aradath's was gutted, the explosion instantly killed the two guards nearest and all but the two guards at the Brothel door ran over to investigate. Yitri ole's saying came to mind again as Jarik flipped the detonator over to reveal another button. "Time for plan B" he whispered as he pressed it. The second explosion tore apart the investigating mercs leaving only the two at the door frantically sweeping the room for something to shoot at. Jarik waited until one was directly below him before executing him with a kick to the neck. Then he quickly disarmed and subdued the remaining Merc. "How many mercs remain?" he asked, "Or do you wish to join your friend here?" The merc's eyes grew wide "Three more inside plus two unarmed bouncers." his eyes pleaded for mercy. "Where is Aradath? I need to have a word with him." Jarik waved his revolver in the man's face. "In the private room!" He squeaked. Jarik smiled, "Thank you." and knocked him out with the butt of the revolver.
The Main dance floor was sparsely lit; a ritzy Galliente holoreel was playing abandoned during the rush to get out. A fist materialized from the shadows, nailing Jarik directly in the jaw. Even in his dazed state Jarik was able to instinctively block and counter the next punch with a shoulder dislocating strike that sent the bouncer, screaming in agony, to the floor. The other bouncer had opted for the slower but more painful chair to the face. The blow sent Jarik tumbling through a glass display case containing various narcotic substances, grabbing a handful of vials he waited for the bouncer to investigate and smashed the vials in his face the man went down screaming and clutching his face having gotten a concentrated dose of over a dozen illegal drugs. Jarik wiped the blood from his face, three more armed guards.
He made his way to the thick wooden door behind the bar; "Hello?" he said to the door "Who are you and what do you want?" came the gruff response "Do you happen to be Amarrian" Jarik asked, "No..."Good" Jarik said and unloaded his revolver into the center of the door. He opened the door and stepped over the body and took a peek around the corner. Nice of them to bunch up like that he thought as he cooked a grenade and tossed it behind the fortifications. The resulting explosion blew off the door and the unmistakable twang of Amarrian cursing could be heard coming from inside. "Come and get me you son of a slave whore, come and get what's coming to you!!!" Jarik chuckled as he primed the flash grenade and tossed it through the hole. More cursing followed by screams as Jarik kneecapped him and smashed his face into a desk. "You hired assassins to kill me, WHY?" The Amarrian grimaced in pain "It was a job for a regular client, he offered ISK to kill you and make it look like some political bullshit." "I need a name." Aradath managed a grin, "Names are an expensive commodity." Jarik smashed Aradath's grin with his fist "So is your life it seems, speak quickly or die slowly." Aradath lost it "You want a name you cock-sucking heathen, how's this; I was hired by an old friend of yours, I think you might remember his name, Celt Nurvalkin." Jarik's eyes widened. "Yea," Aradath continued, "I see you remember him, classmate for years always second best after you, he has money now, Jarik, and sway here, and you would be wise to..." Jarik put a round in Aradath's head, the blood and gore painting the walls of the office.
Celt Nurvalkin, back at the RMS they were rivals, the only thing Celt could do better than Jarik was diplomacy, and he did that with bribes and promises he was planning on breaking. It didn't surprise him that Celt was a criminal now, what did surprise him was that he would come over 20 jumps into Caldari space to try and kill him. Looks like it was time to take down Celt, and to take down Celt he needed information. Information was the bread and butter of one man in particular; Yitri Ole, professor of covert operations at the Republic Military School deep in Minmatar space.
He had already taken care of the first part; he had the name of the broker the assassins were hired from. Aradath Fortuni, Ethnic Amarrian, height 5"11, weight: 240 lbs Location: Jita V - Moon 17 - Caldari Constructions Production Plant. Aradath operated his "Business" out of an old storefront in the lowest levels of the station.
Jarik surveyed the security from a distance utilizing the scope of his high powered anti-material rifle making notes on the back of his hand. The matte grey corridors of the Caldari built station were going to make it impossible to approach on foot. He would have to use stealth and utilize the training recieved at the RMS. He reached into his pocket, clutching the cool and familiar shape of his lighter. "Just like old times" he whispered to himself.
Jarik hoisted himself into the rafters above the station floor and slowly made his way towards the entrance of Aradath's brothel. He pulled the detonator off of his belt and flipped open the cap. Jarik smiled as he remembered something his Mentor, Yitri Ole, used to say; "Plan B is always C4."
Jarik Pressed the detonator, in an instant the building to the opposite of Aradath's was gutted, the explosion instantly killed the two guards nearest and all but the two guards at the Brothel door ran over to investigate. Yitri ole's saying came to mind again as Jarik flipped the detonator over to reveal another button. "Time for plan B" he whispered as he pressed it. The second explosion tore apart the investigating mercs leaving only the two at the door frantically sweeping the room for something to shoot at. Jarik waited until one was directly below him before executing him with a kick to the neck. Then he quickly disarmed and subdued the remaining Merc. "How many mercs remain?" he asked, "Or do you wish to join your friend here?" The merc's eyes grew wide "Three more inside plus two unarmed bouncers." his eyes pleaded for mercy. "Where is Aradath? I need to have a word with him." Jarik waved his revolver in the man's face. "In the private room!" He squeaked. Jarik smiled, "Thank you." and knocked him out with the butt of the revolver.
The Main dance floor was sparsely lit; a ritzy Galliente holoreel was playing abandoned during the rush to get out. A fist materialized from the shadows, nailing Jarik directly in the jaw. Even in his dazed state Jarik was able to instinctively block and counter the next punch with a shoulder dislocating strike that sent the bouncer, screaming in agony, to the floor. The other bouncer had opted for the slower but more painful chair to the face. The blow sent Jarik tumbling through a glass display case containing various narcotic substances, grabbing a handful of vials he waited for the bouncer to investigate and smashed the vials in his face the man went down screaming and clutching his face having gotten a concentrated dose of over a dozen illegal drugs. Jarik wiped the blood from his face, three more armed guards.
He made his way to the thick wooden door behind the bar; "Hello?" he said to the door "Who are you and what do you want?" came the gruff response "Do you happen to be Amarrian" Jarik asked, "No..."Good" Jarik said and unloaded his revolver into the center of the door. He opened the door and stepped over the body and took a peek around the corner. Nice of them to bunch up like that he thought as he cooked a grenade and tossed it behind the fortifications. The resulting explosion blew off the door and the unmistakable twang of Amarrian cursing could be heard coming from inside. "Come and get me you son of a slave whore, come and get what's coming to you!!!" Jarik chuckled as he primed the flash grenade and tossed it through the hole. More cursing followed by screams as Jarik kneecapped him and smashed his face into a desk. "You hired assassins to kill me, WHY?" The Amarrian grimaced in pain "It was a job for a regular client, he offered ISK to kill you and make it look like some political bullshit." "I need a name." Aradath managed a grin, "Names are an expensive commodity." Jarik smashed Aradath's grin with his fist "So is your life it seems, speak quickly or die slowly." Aradath lost it "You want a name you cock-sucking heathen, how's this; I was hired by an old friend of yours, I think you might remember his name, Celt Nurvalkin." Jarik's eyes widened. "Yea," Aradath continued, "I see you remember him, classmate for years always second best after you, he has money now, Jarik, and sway here, and you would be wise to..." Jarik put a round in Aradath's head, the blood and gore painting the walls of the office.
Celt Nurvalkin, back at the RMS they were rivals, the only thing Celt could do better than Jarik was diplomacy, and he did that with bribes and promises he was planning on breaking. It didn't surprise him that Celt was a criminal now, what did surprise him was that he would come over 20 jumps into Caldari space to try and kill him. Looks like it was time to take down Celt, and to take down Celt he needed information. Information was the bread and butter of one man in particular; Yitri Ole, professor of covert operations at the Republic Military School deep in Minmatar space.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
A God Among Men
It had been a while since Jarik Utoni had opted out of a trip to the bar, But then again this was his first chance to get a good view of the newest addition to his collection of ships. Clearly Compensating, his Maelstrom, sat in dock. This massive battleship was not yet ready for combat, he was still waiting on his order of 5 more 1200mm artillery pieces and despite the addition of some pricey rigs the cap was still not stable. his agents were working on acquiring them and until then all he could do is wait. Just then a Civire boy, no more then 12 standard years old, ran in and took cover behind the bench Jarik was sitting at. He was wielding a toy gun popular with the youth these days if wearing the proper suit it would freeze the limbs on contact. Jarik smiled, "Use the waste disposal unit over there, it gives better coverage of the entrance." The boy looked at him, nodded enthusiastically, and took up his new position. They waited for a minute before his friends arrived, first in was a teenage Brutor with a shotgun and following close behind was an Intaki no older than the first boy carrying a pistol. They had just enough time to throw Jarik a quizzing look before their friend unloaded on them from his position. "Game Over" flashed on their suits and they were released from rigor. "Gotcha Quinn!" The Civire boy said, reveling in his victory. "You're such a cheater Troy!" Replied the Intaki. While they bickered the Brutor boy walked over to the viewport, eyes getting wider as he approached. "Guys, look!" he said, "it's a Maelphoon!" "What are you talking about Kris?" Troy said walking over to join him. Jarik chucked "Actually it's a Maelstrom." he said "...and it's not finished yet." "Are you the pilot?" said the wide eyed Quinn, joining the others. "You could say that." Jarik said revealing his pod interface implants. "You're an egger too?" said Kris, "Is it true? Do you live forever? You can't be killed? you're richer than The Empress, Shakor and Heath combined?" Jarik laughed, "No, no, pod pilots can be killed and often are, the reason we're known as immortal is because every time we die our minds are transported to a clone and we are reborn." he continued "also I'm rather poor for a pod pilot, that ship out there drained most of my resources." "that's so cool!" squeaked Quinn as he activated his suit. To Troy he said, "It's my turn to hide!" and ran off. Turning he said "Thanks for the help mister!" and ran after Quinn. only Kris, the Brutor teen remained, watching Jarik's ship and all the information on the markets super-imposed on the window. "I want to be a pilot" Kris said, "To travel the galaxy in search of fame and fortune. To make my mark on New Eden." He turned to Jarik "To fly that ship." and pointed. Jarik looked upon the boy and saw raw determination in his eyes, that drive he remembered so well. "There's only one way to get all that you wish and more" he began, "Becoming an egger let alone a pilot is going to take every raw ounce of determination you have, and many years of your life..." "Are you prepared to make this sacrifice?" Kris nodded, eyes trained on the face of Jarik, a god among men. Jarik pulled out a card "Take a shuttle out of Caldari space, Call this number here and ask for professor Ole. tell him Utoni sent you and I'll guarantee that my name can get you at least a spot in the Republic Military School. Jarik put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Fly safe brother."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Assasins
Jarik Utoni piloted his Rupture class cruiser into Dock at the Caldari Navy Facility in Kak. He had just finished another mission in which his agent had him destroy a Galliente Navy stargate in the area and he had to refit and refuel before the long flight back to his home system.
He powered down the ships systems and exited the pod, pleased to find his clothes and equipment had already been delivered to the locker that connected the pod chamber to the rest of the ship. He never permitted anyone to access the pod chamber save through this locker, its magnetic locks were slaved to his neural signature and multiple passive scanners logged each time it was opened, by whom, and what they placed inside. This time it had been the Crew Chief's assistant who has placed his clothes inside, Jarik couldn't recall his face but then again he didn't converse with anyone save the Crew Chief himself regularly. He gave the crew leave to exit the ship and then made his way to the his weapons locker and retrieved his revolvers. Well oiled and loaded with fifty-caliber slugs these revolvers kicked hard, and hit harder. He registered the ship for a full inspection with his contacts and headed towards the nearest bar.
Once inside he took a seat at the bar and ordered whisky. He was just about to ask the Matari bartender where he got his tattoos when he saw them in the bar's mirror. Five Jin-Mei men each trying with some difficulty to hide sub-machine guns in their jackets, their eyes, trained on the back of his head. Aww shit he thought, assassins. Jarik fingered his lighter and made a scene about spilling his whisky on the counter.
He has twelve shots, and five targets. He lit the bar and swung around to meet the surprised gaze of his assailants. "Surprise." Their leader was the quickest to respond revealing his weapon just as Jarik was able to take cover behind the flaming bar. Bullets sprayed into and over the place that he was only 3 seconds prior. Jarik took a deep breath, the smell of smoke the screams of the wounded civies surrounded him.
Inhale, smoke... blood... sweat... Fear...
Exhale, death...
Jarik rose from behind the cover of the bar, his adrenaline pumping, everything seemed to be moving slower. He registered the gunmen shouldering their weapons, he reacted quickly raising his weapons he sighted and fired in a heartbeat, blood spurted from a hole in one man's neck another clutching a rapidly bleeding hole in his chest. The three remaining gunmen retreated to the entrance, two took cover behind a planter the other took cover in a recces in the wall. Jarik laughed as he took a three round burst to the chest, a lung punctured, easily replaced. He responded by dropping another man with a well placed shot to the head, venting that space of gray matter. Jarik spent the rest of one revolver's rounds shooting through the brick planter into the one remaining man that had hidden behind and dropped the weapon. He turned toward the final assassin, the leader of this group by the looks of it and said, "Do you know who i am?" the man responded "A traitor!" and spit. Jarik, clearly surprised at the answer, responded "I go where there is paying work, you clearly did the same." and with a final pull of the trigger he dropped the assassin.
He looked around the bar, flames licked at every burnable surface, leaving the metal gleaming underneath. bodies, of both the assassins and the civilians caught in the crossfire littered the floor. He laid down on the nearest bench as the AIMEDs arrived and began listing injuries. "damn" he said as the AIMED finished the list, "Just replace this body, it will be less expensive."
He powered down the ships systems and exited the pod, pleased to find his clothes and equipment had already been delivered to the locker that connected the pod chamber to the rest of the ship. He never permitted anyone to access the pod chamber save through this locker, its magnetic locks were slaved to his neural signature and multiple passive scanners logged each time it was opened, by whom, and what they placed inside. This time it had been the Crew Chief's assistant who has placed his clothes inside, Jarik couldn't recall his face but then again he didn't converse with anyone save the Crew Chief himself regularly. He gave the crew leave to exit the ship and then made his way to the his weapons locker and retrieved his revolvers. Well oiled and loaded with fifty-caliber slugs these revolvers kicked hard, and hit harder. He registered the ship for a full inspection with his contacts and headed towards the nearest bar.
Once inside he took a seat at the bar and ordered whisky. He was just about to ask the Matari bartender where he got his tattoos when he saw them in the bar's mirror. Five Jin-Mei men each trying with some difficulty to hide sub-machine guns in their jackets, their eyes, trained on the back of his head. Aww shit he thought, assassins. Jarik fingered his lighter and made a scene about spilling his whisky on the counter.
He has twelve shots, and five targets. He lit the bar and swung around to meet the surprised gaze of his assailants. "Surprise." Their leader was the quickest to respond revealing his weapon just as Jarik was able to take cover behind the flaming bar. Bullets sprayed into and over the place that he was only 3 seconds prior. Jarik took a deep breath, the smell of smoke the screams of the wounded civies surrounded him.
Inhale, smoke... blood... sweat... Fear...
Exhale, death...
Jarik rose from behind the cover of the bar, his adrenaline pumping, everything seemed to be moving slower. He registered the gunmen shouldering their weapons, he reacted quickly raising his weapons he sighted and fired in a heartbeat, blood spurted from a hole in one man's neck another clutching a rapidly bleeding hole in his chest. The three remaining gunmen retreated to the entrance, two took cover behind a planter the other took cover in a recces in the wall. Jarik laughed as he took a three round burst to the chest, a lung punctured, easily replaced. He responded by dropping another man with a well placed shot to the head, venting that space of gray matter. Jarik spent the rest of one revolver's rounds shooting through the brick planter into the one remaining man that had hidden behind and dropped the weapon. He turned toward the final assassin, the leader of this group by the looks of it and said, "Do you know who i am?" the man responded "A traitor!" and spit. Jarik, clearly surprised at the answer, responded "I go where there is paying work, you clearly did the same." and with a final pull of the trigger he dropped the assassin.
He looked around the bar, flames licked at every burnable surface, leaving the metal gleaming underneath. bodies, of both the assassins and the civilians caught in the crossfire littered the floor. He laid down on the nearest bench as the AIMEDs arrived and began listing injuries. "damn" he said as the AIMED finished the list, "Just replace this body, it will be less expensive."
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Bring the Rain
Jarik Utoni rubbed the new patch he now wore on his long black trenchcoat, Valhalla Industries. The CEO one, Seras Wolfebane, had been trying to get him to join for almost 2 months before he finally accepted. While working for the Cut-throat Caldari wasn't exactly a bad thing it made him feel slightly dirty.
His agent pinged him, "Kill some Minmatar terrorists.." was all he read before he rejected the mission and ignored his agent's angry response. You would think that after a month of working for the Caldari Navy that this agent would remember he disliked attacking Minmatar affiliated ships. While not in the best graces with his brothers in the Minmatar Republic he didn't want to make things much worse then they already were.
Another ping, he checked the message, it was Kil, a member of his corporation. Kil was requesting long range DPS support against some Angel pirates. Jarik quipped the affirmative to Kil's ship and sent another message to the dock manager and his crew chief. Ready the "Drache".
The Drache Was a Typhoon class battleship owned and operated by Jarik, his crew was still mostly minmatar but he had grudgingly accepted other races into the fold when minmatar bodies were scarce. Fit for long range combat she sported 5 cruise missile launchers and 3 heavy Artillery batteries deadly from 65-160 km she was a force to be reckoned with. He got the ping back from the crew chief, all were present and accounted for, and according to the Docking manager the ship was ready and loaded as he requested.
He gave the order to board the ship and he headed towards the center of the ship, and his pod. a few seconds later he was latched into the pod neural interfaces engaged biomed gel filled the pod he blinked as it covered his eyes and with a thought sent a message to Kil; *Drache is locked and loaded for long range ETA: 3 min* he received the reply as he powered up the ship; *Aye-Aye, Bring the Rain*
The sensation of controlling a ship as if it was your own body is unmistakably the greatest feeling he could remember. With a thought he could feel the space around him, with a flick of his finger he could launch his missiles or activate a sensor booster. He piloted his camera drone to face his ship, and activated his sensor and tracking boosters. after getting the all clear he activated warp to his Corp mate and fell into the comfortable routine of piloting his battleship. as soon as he warped in he realised Kil's problem, the target in question was a battleship at about 100km above his ship. with a few quick movements he had the ship locked and with a diabolical smile began firing on the unlucky target. 1400mm rounds pounded into the ships shield, Cruise missiles reached out and in a single volley he had the battleship's shields gone. with another volley he crumpled the armor on one side, an engine failed followed by one of the target's howitzers. Another warning from Kil; *Jarik, I've lost his lock, i think he's going to attack you!* *I'm going to be fine Kil, you just concentrate on those frigates.* He knew that he would win this battle, his DPS was superior even if his tank wasn't. The enemy was deep in armor when his first Volley slammed into the Drache's Shields. Heavy artillery and cruise missiles flew from the Angel Vessel like rain, the Drache responded in kind. When the Angel battleship was at 65km it started taking hull damage, but it kept coming directly into the withering fire spewing from the mouth of Drache. An engine detached from it's frame and flew off into space followed by other pieces of the hull. The Drache lost it's lock as the remains of the enemy ship imploded under the force of a final volley from his howitzers. Jarik smiled, and pinged *enemy destroyed* to Kil as his own detailed damage reports began flowing in. Half shields and no bleed into armor, shield recharging slowly ETA on full charge was just under two minutes. Another ping from Kil; *Let's head back to Umo 4 CN, this rounds on me =) * Jarik's wallet flashed. Things were looking up
His agent pinged him, "Kill some Minmatar terrorists.." was all he read before he rejected the mission and ignored his agent's angry response. You would think that after a month of working for the Caldari Navy that this agent would remember he disliked attacking Minmatar affiliated ships. While not in the best graces with his brothers in the Minmatar Republic he didn't want to make things much worse then they already were.
Another ping, he checked the message, it was Kil, a member of his corporation. Kil was requesting long range DPS support against some Angel pirates. Jarik quipped the affirmative to Kil's ship and sent another message to the dock manager and his crew chief. Ready the "Drache".
The Drache Was a Typhoon class battleship owned and operated by Jarik, his crew was still mostly minmatar but he had grudgingly accepted other races into the fold when minmatar bodies were scarce. Fit for long range combat she sported 5 cruise missile launchers and 3 heavy Artillery batteries deadly from 65-160 km she was a force to be reckoned with. He got the ping back from the crew chief, all were present and accounted for, and according to the Docking manager the ship was ready and loaded as he requested.
He gave the order to board the ship and he headed towards the center of the ship, and his pod. a few seconds later he was latched into the pod neural interfaces engaged biomed gel filled the pod he blinked as it covered his eyes and with a thought sent a message to Kil; *Drache is locked and loaded for long range ETA: 3 min* he received the reply as he powered up the ship; *Aye-Aye, Bring the Rain*
The sensation of controlling a ship as if it was your own body is unmistakably the greatest feeling he could remember. With a thought he could feel the space around him, with a flick of his finger he could launch his missiles or activate a sensor booster. He piloted his camera drone to face his ship, and activated his sensor and tracking boosters. after getting the all clear he activated warp to his Corp mate and fell into the comfortable routine of piloting his battleship. as soon as he warped in he realised Kil's problem, the target in question was a battleship at about 100km above his ship. with a few quick movements he had the ship locked and with a diabolical smile began firing on the unlucky target. 1400mm rounds pounded into the ships shield, Cruise missiles reached out and in a single volley he had the battleship's shields gone. with another volley he crumpled the armor on one side, an engine failed followed by one of the target's howitzers. Another warning from Kil; *Jarik, I've lost his lock, i think he's going to attack you!* *I'm going to be fine Kil, you just concentrate on those frigates.* He knew that he would win this battle, his DPS was superior even if his tank wasn't. The enemy was deep in armor when his first Volley slammed into the Drache's Shields. Heavy artillery and cruise missiles flew from the Angel Vessel like rain, the Drache responded in kind. When the Angel battleship was at 65km it started taking hull damage, but it kept coming directly into the withering fire spewing from the mouth of Drache. An engine detached from it's frame and flew off into space followed by other pieces of the hull. The Drache lost it's lock as the remains of the enemy ship imploded under the force of a final volley from his howitzers. Jarik smiled, and pinged *enemy destroyed* to Kil as his own detailed damage reports began flowing in. Half shields and no bleed into armor, shield recharging slowly ETA on full charge was just under two minutes. Another ping from Kil; *Let's head back to Umo 4 CN, this rounds on me =) * Jarik's wallet flashed. Things were looking up
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Bar
I dressed as I always did while on station, dark and dangerous. If I didn't have time I usually just threw on some light street clothes, Today, i had time. I cleaned and loaded my weapons. I had left my rifle and the C4 at the ship, it wasn't that kind of visit, but I brought my revolver, and with my black trenchcoat on the revolver was invisible. After talking with the agent I arranged for Mjolnir class Torpedoes to be loaded and stored aboard my Hound class stealth bomber and went to find a bar to spend the evening. It was a small place but it advertised the best whisky this side of the docks and damn I was thirsty. I sauntered in and ordered some shots. As I downed the remainder of the whisky the man behind me had begun a noisy recounting of some fight. Damn that guy was getting annoying. "Hey," I said to the burly Civere "Could you do me a favor and shut the fuck up?" I had begun fiddling with my lighter, an old habit when i begun to get the urge to set something ablaze. It had been a gift from my instructor at the University and I never went anywhere without it...I couldn't. The man behind me grabbed my shoulder roughly, "why don't you go someplace else?" he said. This guy was pissing me off, in one swift motion I shoved my elbow deep into the man's gut and twisting had him pinned against the bar his face towards the surprised barman. "You piss me off." I said to the man, now struggling against my grip. "People who piss me off have a tendency to die." I slipped my lighter into my pocket and pulled out my revolver, a 50-caliber monster that I'd had since Before I became a pod pilot. I placed the gun to the man's temple and said "Do you want to die?" The man's response was quiet and laced with fear "n-n-no." he managed to stammer. "Then you will leave, and not bother me again" I sighed and returned the revolver to it's place in my jacket and released the man. He limped to the exit clutching his gut. Fear and anger in his eyes. The bar was quiet now, all eyes were on me. I reached for my lighter again, to feel it's smooth tin surface, the slight roughness of the Minmatar logo. I thought life would be easier as a pod pilot. Fuck, was I wrong. I made a small isk transfer to the bar and left. I checked my neocom and sorted the messages, Hmm, a job offer. from another pilot, maybe life was about to get better.
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