True Spirit.

My collection of vessels comes back, systems reworked and large amounts rebuilt to include different hardpoints.
I smile, noting the curious looks of my crew stood beside my Gila class Cruiser. They must be thinking the same as me.
"Refit her and make ready for disembarcation, I have a good feeling about my ship," handing the dataslate to the lead engineer.

"Spirit of Korako, you're clear to undock," the docking crew affirm the undocking clearance. Automated undocking systems guiding the Gila class Guristas Cruiser to the exit tube.
A large crowd assembled in the viewing galleries as there always is when a rare vessel undocks. She stops, attitude thrusters firing, turning the vessel around.
The drone bay opens, and a group of Ogre Heavy Attack drones exit, their small wakes creating a firey aura around the mid-sized vessel as she aligns to some unknown destination, the Ogres rushing back into the bay as she warps off.

Shuddering as the Spirit of Korako decellerates from warp, landing atop an acceleration gate at the bookmark my agent gave.
I smile, the bigger drone bay encouraging me to further my drone control skills. I activate the gate, landing amongst several Serpentis ships.
Two Battleships, five Cruiser class and a small gathering of Frigates. The systems hardwired into my cranial implants screaming into life as all vessels begin locking onto my ship.
Excellent, I think, time to see if my rebuilt Gila is as good as I thought.
The drone bay opening, disgorging five Hobgoblin II Light Scout Drones who immediately make a bee-line for the nearest Frigate, my attention centered on the Cruisers.
Missiles firing, making short work of my targets, the drones tearing holes into the last Frigate. As the last Cruiser and Frigate explode, I recall the Hobgoblins.
Battleships, Hobbos wont tickle. I begin approching the closest Serpentis Vindicator class Battleship, my Ogre Heavy Attack Drones dropping from the drone bay.

A small part of my mind searching the market for Medium Core Defence Feild Purger II, viewing the prices. I begin orbitting the larger vessel at 10km, ordering up a sustained volley from my three heavy missile batteries, neural pathways subconsciously ordering the drones to engage it.
The enemy vessel's shields drop quickly, suprising myself with the damage I am unleashing, my own shield systems fluctuating between 78-75%. As soon as I can afford them, I'll be refitting to Tech 2 rigs.
My target slowly being torn apart under the onslaught, his repair systems not able to keep up with incoming damage. I begin to turn, approaching the last battleship...

I begin to approach the station, knowing there would still be a small crowd watching my ship from the viewports. "Spirit of Korako to control, requesting permission to dock," a reply from the docking team, "welcome back Miss Kielle, docking permission accepted, please procede to the docking tubes."
Slowly maneuvering the vessel to the docking tubes, my heart rate and metabolism slowing with the slowing velocity of the vessel.

Climbing out of the capsule as the medical staff help me out, I look over to the Gila, resolving to get better drone control skills and upgrade the rigs, I smile.
As much as I loved that and my Worm, they have grown even more on me. I never thought anyone could improve those vessels, but they have.
The mix of high shield resistance, missile range and drone damage has impressed me.
Beautiful, deadly in the right hands. Perfect.

A Memory - Ishomilken

Rocking herself slowly back and forth in the corner, a young girl was crying to herself. She had asked several times where her parents are, refusing to believe they were gone – or so the adults believed.

She was lucky, and so were the seven others that had escaped with her.

Adults, she thought as the sobs died down, they don’t understand. I am a Kielle, the last surviving member of my family. Dos Tu Mai got to her feet, swaying slightly as the sudden action made her dizzy. The young girl – no more than ten years old - left the quarters of the family that had taken her in, heading towards the ship hangars. Her father had taught her to fly in a shuttle, and she had always dreamt of the romance and adventure of the life of a capsuleer.

Maybe I can kill those bastards that destroyed my life, she said silently to herself as she watched the ships dock and undock from the station.

An opportunity presented itself, a shuttle ready for flight.

It looked like every other standard Caldari shuttle, but something was different. The ship was painted slightly different and there was the corporate logo of The Black Rabbits emblazoned on the side.

She slipped into the little ship and run through what her father had taught her. Engine systems were in optimal, life support and other systems looked fine, docking clamps were responding. She looked in the flight logs, searching for the ship’s call sign.

“Fajuula to control, requesting clearance to undock,” she said in the most adult voice she could. “Control to Fajuula, you are clear to undock. Fly safe.”

She had done it. Releasing the clamps and heading to the undocking tube, she left Ishomilken.

Warping to the Usi gate, she activated the jump gate as the warp coil shut down.

The rush and disorientation of making her first jump subsided.

Checking the systems again, she began to align to the next gate, Jeras – home.

Thirty AU until I hit the Jeras gate, then I’ll be safe, she thought. A great black shadow fell across the reflected light on the shuttle’s screen, fear gripping her heart. In his calm, lilting voice, Mr. Chopin spoke, “so, where do you think you’re going?”

She had to think fast, she saw a pistol next to the console. Whirling around with the pistol in her hands, she stared at him, “aim up a little more and just to your left. That way you’ll get a clean shot.” He smiled, holding his arms spread wide.

Hands shaking violently, she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened but the dry clack of an empty chamber. She screamed then threw the pistol at him, throwing herself against the console and began sobbing.

****

Waking suddenly, cold sweat dripping down my brow as a shiver ran down my spine. I blinked to get the stinging, salty liquid out of my eye, vision readjusting to the gloom of my personal chamber. It was a dream, another phantom memory surfacing.

Life will go on, it has to.

I haven’t got my revenge. Yet...

All in a Name - Mei 'Starkiller'

It was the darkness, thick and heavy like a great cloak surrounding her on every side. How long had she been unconscious? A message blinking on her screen: farewell, Starkiller...

Two days ago:
Something was following her ship - an aging Incursus-class Frigate named ‘Aeko’ - but nothing was visible.
Checking the overview and scanning the surrounding area with every system. Nothing out of the ordinary, a moon 2.9AU distant, and a lush, verdant green planet a little further.

Several unknown vessels de-cloaked 25km from her small ship, locking onto her. They looked like Kestrel-class Frigates – an even dozen all told – but the black coloration and Caldari Navy insignia on the side told her otherwise. She tried hailing the lead ship, “this is Xiao Mei in the civilian vessel ‘Aeko,’ we’re not hostile and just patrolling the area for low-ranking pirates. Please respond.”

All hell broke loose.

A thick accent came over the NeoComm system, “Gallente scum, prepare to die. Squad lead to all units, engage. Blow this ship to hell.”
There was no time to think. Taking the helm, she ordered her ship to align, swinging the little ship about. “Warp drive has been shut down,” engineering reported. Shit, she thought. Staring out of the view port in disbelief, she saw the first volley of missiles screaming toward her. Acting on instinct and beginning evasive manoeuvres, “engineering, gunnery, let’s get this show on the road. Load up the Antimatter into the guns, we’ll see if these Caldari scum like a taste of our Blasters.”
Gaining target lock with the nearest ship, she engaged.

Multiple impacts made the ship shudder, tearing the shields apart. Armor repair system on, she began to open fire. First volley missed, second volley... third hit, taking a large chunk out of her target’s shield. A few more volleys. The enemy vessel began to align. Heavy armor damage both being given and taken.
I’ll take at least one of you with me. Her mind racing as she moved to re-address, locking a second ship, nanobot armor assemblers straining to patch the incoming damage. Her basic training in the Gallente military had taught her many things, but this was a new tactic to her. Primary target warped off. Awaiting the cycle, she engaged the second ship. Alarm systems screaming for her attention as the capacitor begins to empty. Another sound, the ship’s sensors picking up another two vessels approaching – both Worm-class Frigates.

Guristas pirates, here? What are they doing so far into Gallente nullsec? The Caldari vessel she was attacking explodes. The shockwave of the explosion rocks her ship, capacitor stabilising.
“Civilian vessel, ‘Aeko,’ disengage, we’ll take care of these idiots,” a woman’s voice said over the NeoComm. Ignoring them, Mei turned her ship and locked another, opening fire. The Guristas pilots both engaging different targets, their warp disruptors keeping the vessels locked down and unable to warp.
The enemy fleet turns around. Mei thinking of nothing but blood locked and began to engage the lead ship. The unknown pilots joined her, locking down his warp drive. “Xiao Mei to lead vessel, call off your attack or my friends and I will litter the system with your wreckage.” No answer.
The same female voice speaking over the NeoComm system, “Caldari scum, this is Usagi Kielle of the Guristas Associates. I am here for blood, yours, to be precise, Aldo Saenz. You killed my parents – who were peaceful merchants - in Jita. Now it is time for your end.”
The three vessels – Mei and the Guristas pilots – opened fire, tearing the target apart in seconds. The warp core breached, sending a shockwave several kilometres out.

Aeko sat there, floating lazily in space, her slender lines reflecting the light of the twin stars.
The Guristas pilots both orbiting, and firing the occasional volley of missiles at each other. Why they decided to stay perplexed Mei as she watched the ships both make sudden manoeuvres, dog-fighting and kiting each other’s vessels.

Usagi spoke privately to her friend and Corp mate, “I have a bad feeling about this. Something is going to happen. We’ll stay here awhile then leave.”
There was no need for anything else to be said. She opened a comm channel with Mei, “align to the red star, I’ll warp us on my mark, they know you were in this belt.” Linking their systems into a fleet, Usagi warped the three Frigates to the star.

Yesterday, 01:54.
How they did it - Mei was never sure - but Usagi and her unknown friend flew for hours, hunting their rival Serpentis pilots, harrying them in the asteroid belts and chasing them around the system like the legendary wolves of ancient tales.
Try as she could, she was never able to keep up with the speed and precision of the two Guristas pilots. Warping back to the star, she retired to her cot.

The reverberating shudder of multiple impacts, and the sirens awoke her. The gawping faces of her crewmen told her of the dread sight that awaited her – Leviathan, Titan - the biggest class of ship in New Eden. She had heard reports, and seen images of the great monstrosities, but had never seen one in space.
She could only stare.
Those who saw an enemy Titan seldom lived to speak of it. A sound brought her out of her reverie, the sound of the Caldari Hornet Drones firing and slowly destroying her ship’s shields. Shouting orders to her stricken crewmen, she spoke into her comms channel. “Mei to fleet, I’m under attack. Enemy Titan – Leviathan-class – attacking me, I can’t warp.” She heard the acknowledgement and began to move her ship, heading straight towards the star. Quickly she gained distance, the Titan-class ship was far slower then she expected. With an exultant cry she left disruptor range and warped several thousand kilometres towards the sun, her new friends warping into her position. “What Titan?” Usagi’s friend asked, sounding bored.

An explosion tore the silence apart. The second Guristas ship breaching as a torpedo engulfed the small vessel in its massive corona. A smouldering wreck took the place of what had once been a nimble ship.
Usagi cursed as she threw her ship about and opened fire as the Leviathan sent out a wave of Hornet Light Drones. A switch clicked in place within Mei’s mind. “I have an idea, how many missiles do you have in your hold?”
“I have six thousand missiles left, why?” Usagi asked, confused. Following Mei’s instructions, she jettisoned 5,000 of her missiles into space, as a Hobgoblin Light Drone flew past and engaged the enemy drones. “Keep big boy there busy then run when I say.” Mei said as she turned around, warping to the star.

“It’s been an honour flying with you guys.” Mei said over the internal intercoms. It had been. They were the best two crewmen she had ever known and was considering raising their pay once she passed the tests to become a Capsuleer.
If her sensors were right, this little red dwarf star was unstable, and in theory, a big enough detonation would cause it to turn nova.
She hoped...

Her crew had left the frigate and were travelling home in their escape pods whilst she muttered a hopeful prayer to every God she could think of. This had to work, if it did, she’d be single-handedly striking a massive blow to the Caldari Navy in the destruction of one of their most powerful vessels.
The red glow and heat in the cockpit intensified as she drew closer, shield systems struggling to compensate.
She had to get closer. But the heat, the light, so intense...
She had to do this, her consciousness was slipping. Longing for the deep, cool darkness was awaited her. Shaking her head, she focused on her task. I must do this. If my life needs to be used like this to harm the State, then I shall do this, she thought.
“Run, now,” she managed to say over the fleet channel before the darkness engulfed her.

The star went nova.
Caught up in the sudden, violent explosion, the Leviathan was ripped open, spilling its pressurised guts into the void. It burst like a swollen balloon, spinning around under its shuddering impact and spewing its contents in a trail of fire behind itself. Then it was gone...

Recall

A new mail notifier blinks as I awake from my sleep cycle.
My toys are going to be recalled and rebuilt to the latest technology. As much as I'd love to see what changes the engineers will implement on my ship collection, I am worried.
The Worm, Gila and my other Factional ships are all perfectly fitted for my combat style. The whispers in the wind had come through to me: my favourite ships - Guristas ships - will gain a bay for drones.
I'm glad I trained up into drone control.

Here is to the winds of fate and engineering.

I hope they return my ships better then they were beforehand.