Tales of pilot Heine Westenfluss

Heine moved down the lower decks towards the docking bay, feeling much like a cat toying with a mouse as he did so. He held the future of his visitors in his hands and the prospect of changing their position, forcing them to see the truth, gave him a giddy feeling of absolute control and power. Still much could go wrong and he had to be sure the right words were said and the right ideas implanted before he could walk away happy.

++ Shuttles are arriving now, no movement from the Amarr fleet. ++ Talyn spoke through the neural link.

“Understood, continue to monitor their movements and transmissions.”

He entered the docking bay: a large area that held the same red and black hull colour as the rest of the ship, the light reflecting and giving a blood-red glow to the surface and deck. He looked up in time to see the shuttles entered the bay, guiding lights intruding on the darkened bulkheads as they settled down slowly.

As the shuttles docked, there bright golden hulls reflecting softly against the dark lighting, one by one the hatches unlocked and the Amarr Navy members exited. They looked around for a moment – condemning or agreeing, he could not tell – and then, as if linked of the same mind, moved towards him.

No salutes, no respect nods, nothing. Braca remained the only one he felt he could trust, the other two seemed distant.

“Heine,” Braca said as the room remained silent. “As per your request we came, but you have a lot to explain. Allying yourself with Sansha Nation, taking a neural interface, what are you thinking?”

“We should kill you were you stand, Westenfluss.” The older capsuleer said, he eyes a wealth of experience.

“You could, but Talyn wouldn’t take kindly to that. It’s taking all my control to keep him from activating the internal weapon systems.” Heine said knowingly and calmly.”Now, you came to hear, so I suggest you listen.”

Braca looked around. “Speak, Heine.”

“What I’m about to tell you must remain between us three,” He said turning towards the exit. “Come, Talyn has a galley we can use.”

He escorted them two levels up, watching their expressions and seeing if anything was betrayed on their faces. He knew maybe one of two would join his cause and that one would turn against them, it was to be expected.

The galley within Talyn was small, able to fit six people in, but as a Nation ship crew members were limited regardless. Since the ship and the people were all linked via neural interfaces, it defeated the purpose of large-scale crews, much like a POD did. They each sat around the single table at the centre of the room.

“The Empire is corrupt, gentleman.” Heine began strong, knowing what he was saying would both turn his and their stomachs. “The Empress has failed, we wage war against rebels and Minmatar and the Federation. Our defences are weak, our people divided. I predict the Empire won’t last another 100 years.”

“This is heresy!” The oldest of the group stated. “How can we sit here, aboard a vessel belonging to the corrupt Nation, and listen to such words?”

“Control yourself, Captain.” Heine said. “You are here as my guest. I am simply telling you the truth.”

“You slander everything the Holy Empire stands for, Heine. How dare you threaten me.”

“Perhaps if you listen instead of putting on a show of strength, you will understand.” He nodded. “Now, I have joined with the Nation under my own terms, taken the neural interface and linked with this ship and the Nation. I can tell you that despite years of propaganda, Sansha Nation holds a true utopia for humanity.”

“Heine…” Braca questioned. “The Nation was defeated years ago due to their experiments – experiments you have now endorsed by using the neural link.”

“Listen to me, imagine it! No war, no fighting. All linked towards a common goal. No more borders, or empires or governments serving themselves. One single purpose to serve all of Humanity.” Heine said, laying out the ground work. “Let me show you what I mean.”

A holographic display lit up on the desk and he exposed the Amarr capsuleers to the same images he had witnessed. He grinned slowly as the colour dropped from their faces – it was one thing to be a member of the Navy and know what was going off on the ground, but to witness it first hand, to watch ground forces beat, kill, rape, pillage slaves… it could change ones believes in a second.

He had them now.

Heine looked over the information flowing through his mind and the console in front of him, the bright red lights flashing against the black backdrop of the console’s colour. The images danced and moved in perfect harmony, like a beehive working towards one collective goal.

The Amarr fleet was still out there looking for the debris and, if his sensors read correctly, they would encounter upon it soon.

“Yes, Talyn.” Heine said. “I see them, closing slowly and carefully. Typical tactics and it won’t be long until they find the cruiser we destroyed.”

++ We should engage them before they harm us by surprise. ++ Talyn replied, the room echoing with the beeps and hums of the ship, translated through his neural link.

“Not yet, we are not yet strong enough to take on a battleship, let alone any escorts. We shall wait until my contacts arrive.”

++ Your contacts my turn on us, I won’t allow it. ++

“Perhaps. But you will do as I command.” Despite the hours passing and then a full day, he was beginning to take note that Talyn was more like a young demanding child than a full military persona ready to take orders.

++ Three ships approaching, grid epsilon-yanky-5. ++

“I see them, Talyn.” Through the scanners he saw the approaching ships: two cruisers and one frigate, they all had weapons armed and began locking onto Talyn.

“Talyn open a comm. Channel, I will address them.”

++ Channel open, arming forward weapons ++

“No Talyn, stand down until we solve this. These could be our allies.”

++ Very well… ++

“Attention unknowns, this is Captain Heine Westenfluss. My ship detects you have armed your weapons, please stand down. We mean you no harm.” He said calmly, knowing full well Talyn was but a breath away from arming weapon and firing.

A moment passed, a moment that seemed to reflect the full rotation of the local sun. It was both worrying and thrilling. A voice broke through the static: “This is Commander Braca of the Amarr Navy cruiser Forced Will. Captain Westenfluss, what you are doing on a Sansha ship?”

“I will explain all in due time. I invite you to come aboard, we have much to talk about.”

A moment of pause again, he knew full well that the three capsuleer’s would be communicating over a secure channel. “Very well, but we will be armed. For our own safety.”

“I will meet you in the hangar in 10mins.”

“Talyn – close channel and activated internal defence systems, just in case.”

++ Channel closed, internal defences armed and standing by. ++ Talyn replied coldly.

Heine moved towards the command deck exit, also holstering his pulse pistol. He trusted Braca, but the others he bought with him he knew only by name and reputation. Better safe than sorry, he had no intention of dying, not now the Nation needed him. “Talyn, prepare the hangar to receive shuttles. Monitor the Amarr fleet and let me know the moment something changes.”

++Understood. ++

There was a ghostly silence on the command deck, almost as if all thought, sound and process had vanished in the blink of an eye. The silence of the grave out in the depths of space with no one to communicate with or comfort him. He had betrayed his empire, his Empress and indeed God, had he been right?

Giving up his whole military career had not been easy but after learning of the truth, something deep down he had known since being young, and knowing a member his family servants who he was told had gone missing had actually been slated for execution by his own father, simply for failing a simple task.

No. He had done right and Heine would try to make others see the truth.

++ I detect a battleship, two cruisers and four frigates entering the asteroid field. ++ Talyn beeped and hummed around him. ++ They seem to be scanning and trying to open a communication channel with the cruiser we destroyed. ++

“Yes I sense them too, Talyn.” Over the course of a few hours he had begun to understand more the neural link with Talyn and how to view his sensor scans and combat readouts, much like a POD pilot did. “Activate engines and move us deeper into the asteroid field.”

++ I want to fight them. ++

“No, Talyn. We are not yet strong enough to combat a full Amarr fleet; avoiding detection is our best strategy right now.” Something else he had picked up since taking the link with Talyn was that the cruiser was eager to fight, had been bred and uploaded with combat protocols so strong, if it detected an enemy presence it wanted to charge and fight.

++ We should fight, they would then think twice before engaging us again. ++

“And they would come back with much larger forces. Talyn, you underestimate your enemy. We will fight on our terms, not theirs. You are brave enough to hide when the situation calls for it, are you not?”

++ Moving into the asteroid belt, location epsilon-kilo-2. ++

“Very good, Talyn.” Heine said as he moved to one of the four command consoles, reviewing the readouts. “Keep an active scan open, as low power as possible, to track their movements. It won’t be long before they discover the debris.”

Truth be told they had reacted far sooner than he had expected – the communication must have been intercepted by a ship passing close to the field. If the Amarr Empire were to learn this soon of his betrayal it could complicate things. Inside his mind he had already begun to put together a list of contacts whom might join his cause. He needed time.

On the scanners he could see the small fleet hover in space, there golden lined hulls reflecting sunlight in glorious ceremonial fashion. They looked more like display objects than formal military warships, and yet held on elegance to them that created a sense of both pride and strength.

“Talyn, despatch a wide-beam transmission for this system to the following Amarr Navy captains: Feltor Bracker, Juns Juno and Gibson Sarno. Provide them our position and tell them to meet here in four hours. They should all be in this system still.”

++ Giving our position to an Amarr officer is not a wise choice. ++ Talyn hummed and beeped in protest around him. ++ We should focus on other rebel elements first. ++

“I know what I am doing, Talyn. Now – send the message.”

++ Message sent. ++

He reviewed the console and sighed, this would either go well or not. He knew the people, had worked with them before they had become capsuleers, it was possible they would join him out of a sense of loyalty. Or they would fight him. Either way, with the Amarr search fleet patrolling the asteroid field now, he had little time to waste.

“He is beyond amazing,” Heine said, his eyes still closed, his breath still slow. It was like his eyes were, for the first time, opened to the universe around him. It was like seeing, smelling and touching all rolled into one – a brand new perception of the world around him, thanks to this neural link with Talyn. “So much feeling, so much thought. Is he even a ship?”

“Talyn is much more than just a ship, Heine.” She said, a grin formed as she crossed her arms almost showing a sense of victory over him. “He is both a ship and a biological entity, which is made manifest by your connection to him. You are now both his captain and biological CPU.”

He slowly opened his eyes and the room spun for a few moments before his eyes came into focus once more. Now the black and red colours of the command deck, indeed of the whole ship, no longer seemed offence. They seemed in perfect order, like the only colours needed in the galaxy. It was like someone painting a masterpiece; at first they think it is a failure, an abomination. But then, only after careful study, does it develop into something beloved.

“We have little time, Heine.” She said, her voice turning cold and serious once more. “Your old life, your old crew, on the cruiser out there won’t wait forever for your return. That ship is also your first test.”

“My test?”

“Yes, Heine.” She nodded as she spoke. “You may have taken the neural link and agreed to aid us, based on your past, but you still need to prove that you no longer follow the corrupted path of the Amarr Empire.”

His eyes widened as he understood what she was trying to say. “You want me to destroy my old command?”

She nodded her head and turned slowly, waving for him to follow. “I’ve shown you the truth and now you must take the next step. If you are to rally other to your cause, you must free yourself of the past and break its chains.”

They left the command deck and went down to decks until they hit the armoury. A small number of side-arms, planet exploration equipment and medium scale hand-weapons stood neatly in lockers along with jet-black uniforms lined with a red trim. She pulled one off.

“Put this on, you know longer serve the Amarr Navy. You will wear Talyn’s colours.”

With a small nod he discarded his old uniform, and in the process his old life, and put on the black uniform. Despite its look it fit well and allowed for much more free movement, his old Amarr uniform was bulky at best. It was odd to have so much freedom after spending years wearing the old suit.

“Better – now we’ll need to train you to use the neural link. Let’s proceed back to the command deck.”

***

Heine wondered how long it would take before he got used to the ghostly looking command deck, with only four consoles and no outside viewport – since he was linked with Talyn via a Sansha neural interface he could see through the ships sensors, negating the need for any sort of screen – it felt abandoned, made worse by the lack of a need for a POD.

“Now comes the hard part. You’ve been trained in a POD, so this will all be new to you. Open your mind and focus on the ship, try to feel a single voice, a single strong sound against the background noise.”

Heine closed his eyes and reached out with the interface. There was so much sound: sensor pings, communication hums, component movements. And yet beyond all that there was a strong sound, a sort of hum and beep combined. It pulsed and changed and he seemed to understand it. “I’ve found it.”

“Good – that is Talyn, that’s his voice. Keep that sound in your mind at all times, you’ll be able to have status reports and ship integrity by communicating directly with Talyn.”

Henie nodded and opened his eyes slowly, stepping back a bit as his senses returned to him.

“Now focus on a single point of the ship – say the command deck door. Can you see it through Talyn’s internal sensors?”

Again he closed his eyes and focused on the door, before he knew it he was floating around the room. And yet his body remained, it was like being inside a POD and looking around the outside of your ship, and yet this was inside using the sensors. It was almost a vertigo feeling as he moved towards the door and, with a thought to Talyn, opened it.

“You did it.” She said as Heine stumbled back slightly, causing her to grin.

“This is… beyond all description.”

“I would offer you a rest but now is not the time.” She looked up and moved to one of the consoles. “Talyn? I am transferring all control of to Heine now.”

There was a hum and a few beeps within the command deck and, due to the interface, Heine understood now that Talyn was speaking.

“Heine you have a mission, dare I say, a destiny now. You will avenge all those souls who died in the logs I showed you while creating a new peace between Amarr and Minmatar alike.”

“Just because I agreed to do this don’t go thinking I am an ally of Sansha Nation, Doctor.”

“I know, Heine.” She offered a true smile this time. “But perhaps, after you’ve been with Talyn longer, you’ll understand what we are trying to do. I will return to my ship now, but I will be watching you, Captain Westenfluss.”

“Until we meet again, Doctor Greggor.”

She offered a mock salute and moved toward the command deck exit. As Heine watched her go she paused and turned slightly. “Talyn’s bond with your implant and you will grow over time, you’ll learn more everyday. He has internal defences incase you encounter problems on the inside rather than out – remember that as you have no crew to help defend you.”

She left the command deck and, for the first time, Heine was left alone with his new goal and Talyn. It was like a young adult being given his first job – the overwhelming sensation of being part of something bigger, and the constant worry of failing, rolled through his mind like the wind on a summer day.

“Talyn,” He spoke loudly. A hum and beep followed as Talyn answered his call. “Track Doctor Greggor as she leaves the ship. I want to know if she cloaks or if she stays in our sensor shadow.”

++ Yes, Heine. But why do you want this? She is an ally. ++

“Maybe, Talyn. But right now I am unsure about many things. I’ve been thrust into this role and for all I know it’s a trap set-up by my own Empress to test my fate. If she cloaks, then she is indeed a member of Sansha and will not want to be seen by my old ship. But if she is working for the Empire, then she’ll stay visible and attempt to hide in our sensor shadow.”

++ A logical point of view, Heine. I will begin tracking now. She has just boarded her frigate and undocked from hatch B-2. ++

Heine watched through Talyn’s sensors, still not fully comprehended the technology and power behind this neural interface, it was like so many of his sensors had become one. She cloaked soon after undocking – true to her word.

“Talyn, bring forward cannons online. Target the cruiser for full salvo and open a communication channel to the ship.” As he spoke a chorus of beeps and hums from Talyn followed.

++ Channel open. Forward cannons are online, tracking target now. I am ready to fire, Heine. ++

The odd thing was he could sense Talyn’s eagerness to fire, like the ship was bred for war. But that did not surprise him; even now he knew Talyn was designed as a warrior – a cruiser / gunship aimed at engaging battle cruiser and below class of warships. Heavy combat and it showed in his eagerness when the cannons armed.

“Talyn hold your fire until I command it.” He said to the ship as he focused on the open comm.-channel. “Attention Amarr cruiser, this is Captain Heine Westenfluss. I will offer you one chance to surrender and for XO Op’thor to transfer over to my ship for negotiations.”

“Commander Westenfluss? What’s going on? You’ve been gone for hours, what’s happening over there and why are the Sansha ships cannons online?”

“I’ve had an awakening, Op’thor. A real insight to the true nature of our Empire. It is corrupt and ruled by a government that seeks to better itself and not the people.”

“Commander that is heresy!”

“Maybe, Op’Thor. Or is it the truth?” He crossed his arms; yes the black uniform suited him and fit well. Much more comfort and agility. “I have seen much – things I let myself forget, events I overlooked because they did not effect me. And now I see the truth. I offer it to you also and the chance to join me in uniting our people in the name of Freedom.”

++ They are arming their weapons. I am preparing to fire. ++

“No, Talyn. Not until I give the order.” He focused on the comm.-channel again. “Op’thor, don’t be a fool. I can destroy your ship faster than you can deploy your drones. Stand down and listen to me.”

++ Channel has been cut from their end. ++ Talyn beeped and humed, the tones seemed more desperate now. ++ Detecing Drone ports opening. They’ve also sent a distress signal. ++

“Damn. Talyn, can you jam the signal?”

++ No, it is to far ahead on its carrier wave. ++

“I gave them a chance; I thought Op’thor would be open to it. With no capsuleer to control all the systems they don’t stand much of a chance.” He nodded and focused on the cannons. “Talyn – fire all forward cannons.”

With brutal fury, and a sick satisfaction radiating from the ship, Talyn opened fire with heavy pulse lasers’. With no capsuleer and a limited crew, they could not activate the armour repair systems fast enough. Wave after wave of blasts ruptured the golden hull changing the colour into an unholy scoured black. The ship bulked, twisted on its axis and exploded.

Heine watched – his path now commited.

Pain. Suffering. Death and destruction. The images continued and, like a whirlpool ready to swallow an unsuspecting passenger ship, it continued for what seemed like sheer centuries. Hour after hour of intense experiences, recalling all he atrocities the Amarr Empire had conducted in the name of God or their leader’s divine will. It was all he could do to stop himself from falling to the ground and pull out his own eyes, to erase the images and memories he had just experienced.

“Do you still cling to misguided principles, Heine?” She said in such a calm tone that he wanted to reach out and hold her close, to calm his own troubled soul. “Do you still believe your Empire deserves the loyalty you give it?”

“Why are you doing this?” He asked, his voice but a crack. He found it hard to shallow; it almost felt like he had been travelling through a desert for days without water. The real question going through his mind however was if he believed what she was showing him. In truth he knew it was.

“I am trying to free you, Heine. We have an important mission for you, don’t we, Talyn?”

The ship beeped and the colours on the consoles changed slightly as if the ship was conveying its feelings and thoughts. He had long given up the belief that the ship couldn’t be alive – all evidence pointed towards the answer that it was. The Sansha Nation, despite their nature, are quite advanced so it was possible.

“What mission?”

She offered a cool smile, one of amusement and general acceptance, and took a step towards him. “To help me free the tormented souls that you witnessed only moments ago. I am here to offer you the chance to rebel against the Amarr Empire and aid the Minmatar slaves.”

He stood and laughed softly, coughing soon after due to his dry throat, but he forced himself to maintain some sort of dignity. “To rebel against the Empress? You must be insane, even if I felt something for the slaves, you can’t expect me to rebel.”

“Oh but I can and I do.” She shot back. “I will give you the tools and the means; you need only unite a force to do the work.”

“The tools?”

“I offer you Talyn.” She said with a cold smile. “With this gunship you’ll be able to attack Amarr targets and offer hope to those that need it. Heine, there are others like you that want an end to the cruelty the Amarr offer the galaxy.”

He knew full well there was, Amarr soldiers and naval officers that had expressed discontent with the stagnant nature of the Empire. Many had gone missing after making such claims, other had simply gone missing. So the Sansha Nation was offering him a chance to make a difference – but at what cost?

“You expect me to give up my career, my lifestyle? To turn against my friends and fellow soldiers for the Nation?” He glared at her, looking for any lies in her words or stance.

“I am not inviting you to join the Nation, Heine. Not yet. You must prove yourself for that honour. I know you, your history and private history…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Alexa Hen’Nor – the slave at your fathers compound who you fell in love with.” She crossed her arms and grinned. “I know all about your past.”

He took two steps towards her, hands forming into fists by themselves – how could she know? His father had killed Alexa soon after he had discovered the relationship. The bloodlines must remain pure, he had said. “How dare you! How could you have known?”

“Because she is one of us. One of the Nation, Heine. She escaped your father and our agents took her in.”

“You will take me to her – now.” Heine said, relaxing his fists. After all this time and guilt, she was alive.

“Not so fast, Commander.” She used his official rank and he felt a pang of disappointment over it. “Will you create a rebellion and usher in a new era for slaves and Amarr alike?”

“If it takes me to Alexa then I will burn the stars if needed.” He now had a chance to redeem himself in his former lovers eyes, and the Empire can be damned for now.

“Talyn – do you accept this man as your Captain?”

An opening in the floor appeared and a flexible pipe with a small black box with blinking lights soon followed. The pipe holding the device grew to it was his height and then waited there. Doctor Greggor remained focused on the event. “The Hand of Friendship, Heine. Talyn has chosen you to become his CPU, his captain and host.”

“What must I do?” Was he doing the right thing? He was about to betray the very Empire he had trained to defend, and yet the Sansha had manipulated things in the background for him to get here. Without their help would he even be a capsuleer?

“Expose your upper neck, the device is a neural chip that will link you directly to Talyn.”

He moved his hair and exposed his neck. In the moment it took to close his eyes, Talyn slammed the device onto his neck. The black box, the size of a small fist, connected to his neural pathways and began redesigning them. The pain was beyond all description and Heine dropped to his knees.

And then… the universe opened to him.

Heine stood before her locked in an eternal gaze of confusion and fury, the weapon in her hand did not move, did not falter at any point. The only constant against the powerful and cold gaze she held on him, as if her very eyes had locked around his body like a cobra ready to feed on its innocent pray. She wore no smile and gave no hint of why she held him at gunpoint; she stood there focused on him against the red and black backdrop of the hull.

“Doctor? What is this?” Heine said, desperate to break the tension and gain some understanding of the situation.

“It’s a test, Commander.” She replied. Her voice had turned completely cold, almost monotone. It was as if a great wind had swept through her body and taken away her personality, leaving only basic communication skills. “A test and a lesson.”

She took one step forward, the side-arm aimed at his chest, which forced Heine’s body to react and take a step back. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Tell me, Commander. Are you content? Are you happy? Are you truly loyal?”

“What type of question is that?” He felt his back meet the bulkhead and he knew he was now wrapped in its cold embrace. The hull might as well now grow arms and hold him there for he wasn’t moving from this spot, not with a weapon trained on him. “I am loyal to the Empire and my Empress.”

“So you are content with slavery? To hold millions against their will who perform the most mundane tasks, you are content to murder thousands of them should your Empress become upset with but a single slave?”

“I wouldn’t expect a Caldari to understand our ways.”

“I have not considered myself a Caldari in over ten years, Commander.” She replied, finally showing a grin. It seemed forced, as if the face refused to flex the muscles and it showed – a battle between what she wanted and what her brain commanded.

“But you said you worked for Caldari Intelligence, tracking this ship.”

“I lied. I was ordered to bring this ship here and seek you out. We’ve been tracking you since you first took command of that cruiser out there. Do you not find it out that this ship is named Talyn?”

“Who are you?” He said already knowing the answer. He had known since she had stepped on board and didn’t act surprised at the events surrounding them; at the advanced technology or empty corridors, at the constant questions. It all fell into place and, like a child being bullied in class, made him feel inferior for not realising sooner.

“I told you: Doctor Greggor. Though I admit I am not part of the Caldari.”

“Then who?” If he could move, distract her somehow, he might be able to get her weapon. His lay to far away on the console he had been investigating.

“Oh come, Commander!” She said loudly. “You know who I work for – ‘One Nation, One Voice’.”

“Sansha, that explains much.” He had to force the words out.

“Don’t allow the propaganda of your empire to cloud your judgement, Heine.” She used his voice for the first time; he ignored the feeling that presented when she said it. “The Nation is not as bad as it is made out to be.”

“You’ve abducted millions of people throughout empire space. How can this not be classed as ‘bad’?”

“The Master is liberating them, joining them all in a vast utopia. And the Master has chosen capsuleers throughout the galaxy to aid him. People who are honest and open to the events of the universe. You are one such person.” Despite her now calm voice she held the weapon at his chest and did not flinch, did not move.

“You’ve set all this up; my acceptance as a capsuleer, my family background, the cruiser outside also being called Talyn.”

She nodded in agreement. “We have many that support The Nation. Even within the governments of the different Empires. We desire peace and freedom for all, not just a select few.”

He crossed his arms slowly. “I will never aid you or the Nation.”

“Don’t be so quick to make your choice, Heine.” Again she said his name and he fought back the slight feeling of joy he felt from it. “Talyn: open holographic projector and display Nation record: 234-A1.”

As if alive the command deck – or was it the ship itself? – hummed and beeped around them, a small slit in the centre floor opened and a holographic projector, coloured red and black, showed itself like religious icon raising from the ground.

“Thank you, Talyn.” She said as images began to display on the screen around them. He tried to ignore what was shown but was greeted over and over with Amarr of elite status, military solders and second-class citizens beating and murdering and even worse to Minmatar slaves.

He had known what this was; afterall his father had been a slaver breeder and owner all his life. Serving as a Navy officer he knew all about the Mimatar slaves and their place in the Amarr Empire. He knew the beatings, the injustice but had accepted it all for one reason – God and Empress.

“You can’t expect me to simply abandon my God and Empire because you show me something I already know?”

“And you accept this? You accept that hundreds die hours apart because a noble commands it or your Empress demands it? You accept that the Minmatar Empire is struggling simply to have freedom, like yourself?” Her eyes remained locked with his, two different views and loyalty’s colliding with the fury of five hundred suns.

“They have their place as I have mine.”

“Talyn,” She said calmly, looking at the holographic display. “Display record: Nation 356-B45.”

The current image exploded into thousands of tiny dots and then suddenly came together like a reverse waterfall spraying droplets on an unsuspecting family and suddenly showed Amarr warships opening fire on what seemed like civilan convoys.

“This was last month. A convoy owned by a small shipping company with sympathies to the Minmatar slaves tried to escape the border. Without warning your forces opened fire, killing them all. Is this truly what you are loyal to?” 

Heine tried to respond, tried to protest, but all he could focus on was the golden hulls, bright against the darkness of space, opening fire against a pleading civilian convoy. The cries of the victims, the pleas of the ship captains, could not hold back the sound of death and destruction.

The images continued.

The footsteps of the pair echoed like a person walking in a sports stadium at night, the location devoid of all life and the tap-tap of their boots calling to the evil that lays in wait. An unsuspecting victim not knowing that their own basic movements, instincts and reaction were creating the herald of doom. Heine shook off such thoughts and tried to remain focused on the task at hand despite the constant echo of their movements against the red and black metallic hull of the ship.

So far the two had walked for what seemed like hours and all that they had encountered was empty rooms and hallow walkways – the only sign of life had been the ship captains’ quarters, which too had been empty.

A ship this size could have easily held a medium sized crew and yet there was none. No technicians running to stations, no armed security to meet them, no ship captain to warn them off. In truth he felt less like a navy officer exploring a derelict ship and more like a grave robber who was looking for an easy trinket in the bowels of a dark tomb.

“Heine,” Doctor Greggor called a few paces behind. “You’re very quiet what are you thinking?”

“This ship and how we have not located even a single person,” He paused in both thought and step for a long moment. “Not even any bodies or indications the ship was attacked. It’s just dead here with no logical reason as to why.”

She caught upto him and nodded as if her mind had been linked to his, the exact same thoughts and processes forming into a single idea. “I agree. This is strange. But I meant something else by my question: How does this ship make you feel?”

“Feel? What does that have to do with our current situation?”

“Heine…” She sighed and placed her hand on her hips. “This ship and the importance of it, it must hold some importance to you. Surely the Amarr Empire would greet such a prize with great envoy towards you?”

“I serve the Empire before my own interests. I won’t hand over a possible threat to the Empire. I’d destroy it first.”

“I see,” Her voice betrayed disappointment. “You worship your Empire more than your own fate?”

He paused for a second – what type of question was that? Of course he did, and yet here in the darkness of this ship, the blood red background fighting against the engulfing black, his mind actually paused before he answered. Did he really? “I do.”

She nodded and pointed behind him. “I see an access shaft there, let’s take it. I grow tired of walking through empty corridor after corridor.”

She paced on in front of him as if offended by his reply. It hit him suddenly – why was she walking onwards as if expecting nothing to happen? Standing he had held his side-arm close in case an automatic defence weapon came online or they did actually encounter the ships crew. And yet she walked confident, her pace that of a model walking down a catwalk, her step perfect and full of grace.

She entered the access shaft and was removed from his sight.

With more caution he followed on. The shaft was a ladder built into the hull, leading both up and down. The colour still did not change with pulsing red and black engaged in an ever-lasting battle for dominance. Looking up he sighted the Doctor climbing. He placed the black blaster on his hip, watching for the connection, and then climbed up.

Again the Doctor disappeared from his view – she seemed to exit into the upper level. Heine followed and entered the door. His eyes widened for a second at what he saw: a large dome-shaped room, the floor pure red and the sides and roof black. Four consoles were the only objects in the room which seemed devoid of emotion and life. It was a simple construction designed to serve a complex function.

He knew, even before he took his first step, that this was the command deck; The Bridge, the heart of any ship.

He moved forward slowly and was shocked at what happened. The actually blood-red floor below him changed colour as he walked from red to black. As he moved his footprints slowly returned to the colour red, as if showing a log of his steps throughout the deck. Surely Sansha Nation hadn’t developed such advanced physics and technology?

What caught his eye next was that there was no POD. Four consoles were the only occupants of the room and a POD would have been perfect here, and yet there was none. Then he remembered what the Doctor said – Sansha capsuleer pilots don’t use POD’s per say, they have neural chips implanted that link with the ship. A biological CPU she had said.

He moved to one of the consoles and run his hands along the crystal spiked controls. The result made him step back and suppress a smile – the controls produced the exact same result as the floor, the colour changing and moulding to his hand print.

“What are you?” He said out loud, directed to the ship more then anything.

“She’s a Phantasm class cruiser, Commander Heine.” He spun and saw the Doctor walk towards him holding a blaster. He uniform had changed from the Caldari white and blue scientist color to a jet-black body suit. “Welcome to Talyn, Commander. We’ve been expecting you.

The asteroid field came into range relatively quickly despite the fact it felt like years had passed, the idea of being so far away and not able to help causing time to slow down to a snail-pace. The concept of time is relevant to the person suddenly came to his mind.

The asteroid field was standard in its formation and depth: golden brown rocks, some the size of fists, others the size of battlecruiser hulls, drifted like fish in a pond. Some even big enough to generate their own gravity fields, which caused the rotation of associated asteroids to become unpredictable.

Flying through an asteroid field required careful navigation, even for the most seasoned pilot. One false move or course correction could end up with an impact.

The automatic distress signal was directly in front of him, needless to say Heine would have seen the distressed frigate without the signal – bright flashes of light and starship engine thrusters were an intruder upon the otherwise black-shadow cast of the asteroid field.

The communication tab opened up once more, and the static image of a woman with short brown hair and a face that seemed more build for planet-side living than the harshness of space. “This is Doctor Greggor, please help me! I can’t last much longer. Capacitor power if almost down to 12%.”

She seemed calm despite that fact, if her capacitor dropped to 0 and she had injection system, then all her defence and repair systems would shut down. “Understood, Doctor. On an intercept course now, can you tell me how many pirates?”

“Three – I believe they are Blood Raiders.”

Heine cleared the asteroid field and began targeting the three Blood Raider frigates, each one locking on with a pleasant “ping”. As if noticing his approach two of the red-hulled frigates broke of their current target and moved towards him. Acting more like pack animals smelling a more tempting meal than pilots, they flew with limited coordination, intent on getting a killing blow first.

“Deploy Hammerhead drones.” He said, his mind dancing through the controls that opened the Drone bay. The tiny craft, some 42m long, launched from the cruiser. They locked onto his targets and charged forward with little regard for their own welfare.

“Load X-ray power supply into medium pulse laser, target designation as omega-1 and 2.” The system reacted within a moment’s notice, the ship loading the required components and locking targets as oer his instructions. So this is the power of a capsuleer.

A chain of confirmations floated to him confirming the locking of weapons and the confirmation of fire control. “Target omega-1 and 2 – fire”

With the aid of the drones and his own weapons, the two pirate frigate shields, designed more for hit-and-run engagements against targets that had little defence rather than a fully armed cruisers, collapsed under the increased stress. With no shields their hulls buckled and began venting atmosphere before exploding, the scorched debris sending a clear message to the third pirate who activated their warp drive and fled the scene.

“Return drone wing to hangar. Maintenance team report to hangar one for drone inspection and repair.”

A quick string of confirmations from the maintenance crew came through most likely eager to check the status of the newly fitted and armed drones. He surprised a grin, they were all new at this job so all people, not just himself, were eager to see just how well the cruiser would perform. It was unique in the Amarr Navy – a drone carrier rather than a full-fledged combat cruiser.

“Doctor Greggor,” He said as he activated a comm-channel to her frigate. “Area is clear. May I ask what you are doing this far out?”

There was a long pause before an answer came. It could have been for any number of reasons, perhaps checking her ship status or reviewing situation reports, or maybe formulating a decent reply. The latter was the one Heine expected.

“I was investigating a local disturbance, a ship to be exact.” She seemed to formulate her reply quickly as if avoiding important details. “I am in the process of tracing a signal I’ve never seen before; when I got this far I was attacked.”

“A trap?”

“No I don’t think so,” She said with her ice-cold response. It was like she had no feelings or emotions or general conversation skills.  It was almost like the subject of this ship was so sensitive, so important, her personality shut down and her cold logic took over. “I believe it was just coincidence that I was attacked. An easy target for some pirates.”

“And yet your ship is equipped with a cloaking device.” Heine said, trying to gain a reaction so he might evaluate her better. Something didn’t add up. “Why did you not use it?”

“It was damaged during the exchange of fire, and a lack of capacitor to reengage it during my armour repair means it was useless.”

A lot of this did not add up, like the Doctor was mixed half truths with lies. A complex web being formed to prevent an outsider from knowing her true objectives. Tactics of this nature had been used over the years by many in politics to prevent potential enemies of knowing agendas of consequence.

“Doctor, I can escort you to a nearby Amarr Navy starbase that could help with your repairs.” He said, knowing already what her response would be. “It would be best to resupply rather than attempt to continue your mission damaged.”

“No, pilot.” Her response came even before he had finished his sentence. “I am so close I just need a little more time.”

“If I may ask: what is so important you would risk running into more pirates damaged?”

“I cannot say. Needless to say it’s a signal that I believe is leading me to some ship I’ve never seen before or at least something that’s need seen very often.”

“Doctor I must insist you come with me,” He tried to sound reasonable but his voice betrayed his impatience at her avoiding questions. “I cannot guarantee your safety with your ships current condition.”

“Then come with me,” She sounded more impatient then actually offering an olive branch. Like someone with their back against a wall with no other choice but to offer a small exchange for the chance of continuing. “I believe the signal is coming from within the centre of the asteroid field. If you come with me, then I won’t have to have pirate trouble again.”

“Doctor this ship is attached to the Amarr Navy, I cannot just follow you because you ask. If you would return to the starbase we could arrange something.”

“By then it may be too late. The signal is weak at best and it could be traced by someone else or lost.” She did sound sincere this time, like a child who was apologising after stealing and being caught. “It’s important to my mission, I have to go.”

Heine checked the status of his ship – the drones were back and his ship hadn’t sustained any damage, apart from some shield impacts. “Very well, Doctor. I shall escort you to your target… for now.”

***

The flight through the asteroid field made Heine think of a rat being run through a maze, like an experiment he was being tested. Plotting a curse that both followed the Doctor’s frigate and avoided the larger asteroids was quite a challenge – add to that fact that the Doctor kept sending course changers along based on the signal she was tracking.

“Doctor,” Heine transmitted in an attempt to gain a little more insight into her mission. “what makes you think this signal will lead to a ship?”

“A theory I have. Mostly because the signal showed up on the edge of Caldari space a few weeks ago, I was assigned to track it.” She paused as if thinking of her words carefully. “I followed as it moved and then it seemed to stop here.”

“That does not sound strange, why track a signal that showed up out of nowhere?”

“Long range scans did not show an IFF code nor a design easily recognisable to scanners. The State ordered me to fly interception.”

“You’re a Caldari Navy officer?” Heine questioned as some of the fog on this mission began to lift.

“Not exactly.”

Heine scanners pinged back an object in front of them, their distance closing quickly. He focused the scanner camera on what it had found. If he could his mouth would have dropped, this sort of ship had been broadcast of the Amarr military channels for weeks ever since the abductions had begun throughout Empire space.

“Is that what I think it is?”

The ship in front of them was clearly cruiser sized and armed to the teeth; three heavy pulse laser cannons lined the oddly designed hull with their deadly beam emitter’s glistening with a welcome glow reflected by the local sun. An odd-shaped cylinder with spikes reached out from its lower and upper segments, like greedy hands reaching for more fortune. The cylinder connected to a rear engine and deck area that housed a powerful afterburn and warpdrive device.

There was no question – as the ship rotated against the black of space looking more like an alien construction rather than a Human designed vessel, one name came to mind: Sansha.

“My database is not recognising any IFF. I think it is a Sansha cruiser. I’ll call it in.”

“No wait!” She protested over the comm, her voice sounding both inquisitive and cautious rolled into one. An unnatural partnership. “There is an opportunity here to better understand the functions of the ship, learn more about the implants between Human and Sansha ships.”

“Doctor… I’m not sure if we should. By the order of the Holy Empire all Sansha ships are to be destroyed on sight. Remember they have recently begun abducting millions of people.”

“All the more reason for us to board and investigate.” She protested, her voice taking on a firm tone. “We may find information as to where the civilians are being taken.”

She had him now and there was no question she knew it – by suggesting they may find information as to missing Amarr civilians, he was now obligated to investigate. “Very well, Doctor. But we will not stay longer than two hours.”

Two docking ports were located along the upper levels and his cruiser and the Caldari frigate easily docked, the ship or its crew made no attempt to stop them. Even with their approach and docking sequence, the ship remained a ghost. No reaction, movement or power spikes. Just a dead corpse floating in vacuum.

Heine shut down the link to his ship and exited the POD, the normal euphoria quickly passed and he used the time to change into his uniform. Equipping his sidearm he made his way from the command deck to the access port. The trip seemed like multiple lifetimes as he progressed through the corridors of his ship thinking about the situation.

Sansha Nation was the sixth empire that was defeated due to their merging with implants and computer technology to create a “utopia state”. The methods behind this had come to light and the other empires had banded together to defeat and outcast the rogue empire. Many knew some of Sansha’s fleet had escaped, but lately large waves of ships had been jumping into empire space and abducting masses of civilians. Could this ship be related to those events?

Pausing to check the monitor readouts he opened the door, a chill forced itself through the protective seals like a moth to light as the ships exchanged atmospheres.

The lighting of the ship was dim and the air stale, like the ship had not recycling its oxygen in some years. The port directly in front of him opened and the Caldari scientist entered, she wore an excited expression as he eyes took in all the slights. As if noticing he was there she approached.

“I never expected to meet my rescuer like this.” She said, extending her hand. “Doctor Lisa Greggor, Caldari Intelligence.”

“Heine offered a small salute in return then took the hand. “Commander Heine Westenfluss, Imperial Amarr Navy.”

“Well then, Commander. Shall we?”

Heine drew his side arm and nodded. “Let’s”

The Doctor carried a small side arm plus a flashlight that she used to light up the dim lighting of the hull. Their footsteps echoed across the creaking walkway, much like a ghost ship that had not been visited in years, the sounds awaking the creatures that lurked in the shadows.

“Narrow walkways,” The Doctor said, more to relieve tension then a general observation. “Perhaps a small crew or just a pilot?”

“For a cruiser? No, you’d need at least a large enough engineering team to carry out basic repairs or drone repair.”

In the dark, the only activity in an otherwise dead ship, the two of them moved for what seemed like hours. Unlike the Amarr ships he was used to, this ship held no golden bulkheads, no ancient text, only cold and perfectly crafted passage ways and junctions. A combination of black and red was the only colour on the floor, walls and roof.

And yet, walking along these passage ways, he couldn’t help but feel like this ship was truly unique… like it was almost calling to him, reaching for him.

“That looks like a room”

Heine followed the doctor into what was a medium sized room. A single bed, desk and computer console and sanitation area was the room’s occupants. The Doctor moved to the computer console and Heine followed her.

“Must be the POD pilot stateroom.” Heine said.

“No, Commander. Remember those of Sansha Nation don’t use POD’s like us. They use implants – a direct neural connection to the ship. A biological CPU, so to speak.”

“Well the biological CPU’s quarters, then.” He said grinning slightly. He nodded at the console. “It is active.”

She sat down in one fluid motion and began accessing the computer, a moment later she cursed. “It’s no good, no password but it won’t recognise me. You must need an implant to activate even the basic functions.”

“If it’s active then the pilot must be around.” The idea hadn’t crossed their mind until the last minute and the Doctor and Heine stood close as they exited the room, proceeding further into the heart of the beast.

“There’s something about this ship,” Heine said looking around the red and black hull as they walked. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s… different.”

“Now you see why I wanted to follow the signal.” She paused for a moment, looking at him directly. “Do you still want to destroy such a treasure?”

He did not answer; instead he picked up the pace with the Doctor following close behind.

The experience was beyond words, behold primitive thought or comprehension. Training could never have prepared Heine for what he was experiencing at this very moment. He had entered the POD roughly twenty minutes ago and had begun the process of charging the engines and activating the sensor networks.

His thoughts activated hundreds of processes that led to more processes activations within the ships mainframe. All this by a simple command of the brain. From here he could view the space around the ship, could arm weapons, deploy drones, scan targets – there was almost no limit. It was like being a part of a great machine, with each part working towards an ultimate goal.

A communication screen flashed with the tag of Dock Command. It was odd to think the bulk of his space flight communications would be done via tiny communication screens that flagged a persons unique ID – be it a ship or station.

“Space has been cleared around your launch vector – clear to go ahead, Commander Westenfluss.”

“Understood. Launching now.”

He focused forward and the ship moved, its engines sparked and ignited and he began moving towards the open docking ring. As the cruiser exited the space dock and the void began to surround him, Heine was amazed by how the ship reacted completely to his movements, much like a bird first learning to fly.

“Course clear, docking command” Heine stated in is message. “Setting navigation to the stargate now.”

He closed the message screen and locked onto the signal of the stargate. Like the tales of God reaching out and grasping his people, Heine reached out to the dark void and activated the warp drive, in response space became a blare as the ship reached faster than light speeds.

So this was it, a cruiser at his command, and now ready to seek his next assignment for the Navy. The choice of to expanding to a corporation or remain with the military fully was a tough choice and one he had not yet decided upon.

An urgent message flashed before him and he focused on it, opening the screen fully – a direct communication from a small frigate that classed itself as a survey vessel of the Caldari.

“Mayday! To anyone who can receive this message, this is the CNS Utopia under attack by a small pirate gang on the systems outer asteroid field. Shields are down and our armour repair cannot last much longer.” The voice sounded calm despite the urgency of her description, yet she betrayed panic.

Plotting an intercept course, Heine locked onto the origin of the signal and activated his afterburner. Checking his ships logs, he primed the two medium pulse lasers and armed five Hammerhead drones ready for quick deployment.

“So much for a simple shake-down cruise” He said to himself as he checked the status of the shields and armour. As an after thought he despatched a situation report to the Amarr Navy base he had just left – hopefully some medical teams could arrive to aid any harmed crew on this Caldari ship.

The airlock doors opened with a hiss that sounded more like a wild animal warning off a potential predator rather than a sophisticated starship component. However as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change of lighting, his eyes seemed to absorb a large amount of detail. Golden lined and inscription printed bulkheads awaited him, changed only by passing technicians and crew members.

Heine walked in and was guided by the technician to the command deck. Since this cruiser had been converted for capsuleer use the bulk of consoles and work stations had been reduced. A large POD sat resting within the centre of the deck, looking completely out of place among the other Amarr technology.

The green glow of the POD’s lighting system seemed to call to him and the urge to enter was almost overwhelming.

“How long until Talyn can launch?” He asked the technician who remained close.

“One solar day, sir. We still need to configure the engines and weapon systems and load the combat drones.”

Heine took one last look around the command deck, despite his new role within the military; he still missed the idea of having a full crew operate a ship rather than himself “merging” with it. Everything viewable through his eyes, a thought and he could fire the weapons.

Jovian technology… yet if the Empire used it, then there must be some Holy purpose behind it.

“Very well. I’d like to visit my quarters, please show me the way.”

The ship seemed to twist and turn like a maze, with one passageway leading to either a destination or a sealed bulk-head. It was hard to believe someone could remember where everything led to and where to turn and when not. And yet here were people coming and going like they knew the ship as well as their route home.

Heine dismissed the technician and entered his quarters. It was basic since it remained empty of his own belongings; a bed, desk, computer access terminal, clone access database, communication system, locker and shower area.

He noticed the access terminal was lit up with a waiting message. A quick scan of the FROM field made him grin:

>> Amarr Military Access Network

>> Log-Time Connection: 34.89.90.188

>> Message Origin: ANS Hawking

>> FROM: Captain Bayla Braker

>> Message Begins:

Hello Old Friend,

I hear you took the Oath and agreed to serve our Empire for all eternity? Welcome to the life of a capsuleer! It’s a big step and I can only imagine what you are going through as I went through the same when I first took the Oath. I’m away on assignment right now near the Caldari border for Naval Intelligence, though I hope to be back within a month.

Don’t get killed until then, we make tempting targets.

>> Message Ends.

He smiled. The Hawking was his old academy friend’s ship, a small covert-ops frigate that was build more for recon than combat. He remembered how proud his Bayla had been when he had been given command, though his choice of navy branches to work for was questionable.

Bayla and Heine had joined the Amarr military academy at roughly the same time and had formed a close friendship due to their liking of military history. And yet Bayla had opted to join as a Capsuleer almost right away, and Heine had taken a steady career route most of the time.

He sighed soft and rested on the bed a moment. So many changes and so many things to do. Right now he would rest and review the Navy corporation listings, as a Capsuleer he had a choice of remaining with the Navy or joined a Corporation as an attachment officer.

So much to do…