Its been a long time coming and the only person who ever reads these is my long time eve buddies
However I am feeling like a story just can't die a lonely death no matter how bad it is. We spend our entire lives each of us living our own stories some ending too soon and some continuing way past what we expect and thus my terrible writing skills come into play once again.
Check it here!
I just realized it's been nearly 2 years to the day since I returned to the universe of Harsh Worlds. Literally by a few days! So read and enjoy!
Explosions against my shields register down through my neural links keeping my pod in touch with the ships system as another victim tries with futile efforts to evade my advances on yet another easy kill. The small frigate class Punisher is unloading salvo after salvo into my Carrier class Thanatos with no effect. The shields shrugging off the laser beams with nothing more then a cursory beep to let me something hit them. To be honest I didn't have to kill him but I was having a bad day.
His hull fails as my fighters tear the last vestiges of hope from under him and I dispatch his pod with no issues. Warping off I initiate the glide into a safe spot I had previously marked on the star map to cool off. Its been a long day and I need to rest.
"WARNING! SUBSPACE TRANSMISSION DETECTED WARNING! SUBSPACE TRANSMISSION DETECTED"
I'm instantly awake and taking in all my visual and audio feeds along with the numerous data feeds thrumming into my skull as warnings flash everywhere. A very old code has been used to access my switched off comm link...I start sending commands to the ships systems to patch me in and find out who is trying to reach on a old Spec Ops command channel that's been dormant since I left the federation 2 and a half years ago.
"Akane pick up the damned comms you solitude loving asshole this is an emergency"
It sounds like it's one of my old team members from back in the day but I don't have time for this bullshit.. They were wiped out long ago and I haven't heard from them since.. Assuming the federation biomassed their main clone when our last mission went south on us.
"Whoever this is get off this channel. You shouldn't even be able to get on it the guy who programmed the security into it died a long time ago" I reply with a large sack of annoyance in my voice at being woken up by something so absurd.
"I haven't the time for your crap Akane. I need your help. Rands in trouble and it's more then even my skill set can manage. Access code Delta, Romeo, One, Nine, One. Access Dusty Meg. Computer reroute full visual feed and prepare for data sync" He calls over comms. My systems start going nuts as my ship responds to his commands and a visual comes up with him sat on a sofa.
I can't believe my eyes.. I'm staring at a potentially dead person asking for help for another dead person while sat on a sofa.. On a space ship. The scene is just so utterly absurd I can't help but laugh.. but that soon turns to sobbing.
"I thought you were dead you asshole. Why now?" I respond over over the communication link as I start processing all the data coming through. It seems pretty unreal by the looks of what I'm getting in the second comrade I lost Rand is currently engaging a Sansha fleet of massive proportions. That self righteous wanna be hero was always causing us hell back in the day and it seems things haven't changed at all.
"Akane we need to go. I need your help.. and the help of everyone you can get your hands on. I'm calling in THE favor. I need everything.. And I mean everything. His ships not going to hold much longer and if they get his pod he will never come back, ever. We need to move now or we risk losing him for good. I have a Cyno field ready to go but I need more people" Dusty face seems stricken as he types in commands faster then I can follow.
"Send me your fleet data right now also I've sent you a toy it should landing shortly, consider it a parting gift seeing as you're likely to die in the next 10 minutes" I start pouring through the data of his current fleet.. I can be a benevolent kinda guy when I wanna be.
"I should really just let him die. Left me in this shit heap of a low sec system for two god damned years..." I mutter as I start sending prepping to send out a ping. "Fine! Hold on. I'm sending you the comms details. Get connected.."
"SUBSPACE TRANSMISSION: CALLING ALL FLEET COMMANDERS. BALLS TO THE WALL BOYS WE HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE ASAP. CAPITALS ARE GO. I REPEAT CAPITALS ARE GO. BRING EVERYTHING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL TITANS GET OUT OF SAFE DOCK NOW. PREP FOR BRIDGE AND CYNO"
"Akane.. Um.. Please explain?" Dusty looks like someone dropped a bomb on him. But I'm not about to give away my secrets to this lazy ass, Taking gates with a Mackinaw in zero security scrub. Even if he is a old friend. "Oh that? It's just an old toy and I remember Rand saying once you two were having a race to see who could get one first. Guess he lost. That alone is worth letting you use it." The feed switches off for a moment as he switches into his little gift. The screen flickers back on and the look on his face is priceless. "Dusty I can see the sofa stuck between the bridge doors" I chuckle over comms.
"Where did you even get this?" He asks stunned.
"Oh yea.. I sort of found them. And for each one I found more kind of.. came along. You know how it is. Anyway yea.. Now I just use them for killing people I can't kill myself, But you know it gets kind of boring so it's about time the crews earn their pay." I love doing this to dusty.. it's always fun winding him up.
"We need to go now he's down to 10% Armor as soon as he hits structure he's gone. Its now or never. Good luck. Maybe we'll see each other again. And thanks" Dusty switches off visual and I return my focus to the fleet roster. I didn't realize I had some much stuff. I sigh as I consider the repair bills and send out the command.
"SUBSPACE TRANSMISSION: CYNO UP, I REPEAT CYNO UP! JUMP JUMP JUMP JUMP. FREE FIRE ON EVERYTHING. ALL REPS ON RANDUNIP. TITANS GO GO GO. DOOMSDAY ON LANDING. I REPEAT DOOMSDAY ARE GREEN. ANYONE LETS HIM DIE BEFORE I GET A CHANCE TO KILL THAT STUPID IDIOT YOU'RE ALL FIRED"
I fire up the jump drives and power through sub space blindly into the fray and quite likely financial ruin and certain death in my poor mans Thanatos. But at least I'm with friends.
