Obstructions

Someone doesn't look favorably on my actions.

Got a report today that there was an attempt to ruin a good portion of my stored assets - during a routine inventory check it was discovered that a large cache of battleship-class antimatter hybrid rounds I had stored on site had mysteriously been set to active-load settings. That is, not only had the shells been primed for insertion into the turrets' loading mechanisms, but the they had also been set specifically to respond as if they had been loaded into a blaster - that is, the next time a signal reached the shell rack's system - say, from an automated inventory scanner - the shells would have responded by disgorging their load of antimatter into whatever, so that it could be processed and fired by the blaster.
Except in this case, the antimatter would have met atmosphere, and the anhiallation would probably have eventually breached all, oh, ten thousand shells I had stored.

That's a lot of antimatter. Not enough to blow the station apart, but enough to melt or badly irradiate a good portion of what I've got stored at that station. Thank God for automated pre-inventory diagnostics.

Anyhow, to do this requires a fair bit of tinkering, which means experience with shell rack systems. This also means that someone had to override the door locks to gain access to the secured hangar where all of my ammunition is stored. And finally, it also means someone who knew enough to tinker with the station's own systems, because otherwise there would have been an immediate lockdown of the area while someone went in and disabled the shells.


Which means I'm either dealing with one very, very knowledgable enemy, or a lot of very angry enemies. Not sure which I prefer more.

Which

Non-progress

It's about time my luck caught up with me.

Nothing this week is going the way I wanted it to.

First, there's been no progress on the acquiring of Insorum. I know Ciarente said she might not be able to produce results, but at least she could tell me if her requests were denied?
I'm not liking my other options, either way.

Second, I drifted into the Basilica again, and met a quite worried Aldrith. I hope nothing I said to his lady-friend worried her to much - last thing I need is her death on my consciounce. Or what's left of it, anyway.

And third, someone tried to kill me.
Yeah, yeah. I get shot at every day. I get blown up every month, and am podded every couple of months. But it's still not every day that someone goes into the single station where I am staying, attempts to hack into the station's mainframe, reverse the air ventilation system to the specific hab-block I am staying in, and deposit an aerosol neurotoxin into the reversed airflow.
She didn't get me. She got four of my security men, and the doctors say likely five before the week is out. She also wounded - *The rustling of papers can be heard in the background.* - nine station security personel with a projectile weapon, and attempted to shoot herself before being stunned and arrested. Bitch didn't want to go down.

So, I've got no progress on my projects, a possible Khanid woman worried sick over something I said, and a Verokhior who wants my neurons to stop pulsing. Permanently.

Great couple of days, huh?

Dead (wo)man walking

One, I'm in a new clone. This did give me a chance to get into a clone that had a... er... addition in it - a little something designed to prevent me from giving up anything if I were ever taken.

Taken. Captured.

Then a wierd bit of the past crawled out to meet me the other day.

Let me restart from the beginning - our pointless little war with some other capsuleer corporation has come to an end. While doing a replenishment run to Amarr for all those things that are used up in the course of a war. I've been hearing of something called a Basilica in some Amarr circles, so I took a shuttle down to Oris and found the place - it's a rather impressive complex, complete with a chapel, reading alcoves, and even a small juice bar.

Of course, it's always the people who are more interesting than the place. In addition to several members of PIE. hanging around the place - thank the Lord I didn't end up talking to one of them, I'd probably end up being thrown out of the place - I got a partial tour of the place by a pilot with the I.D. Letheeth Kayl, who I later found to be member of CVA. She got called out for some operation, so I just wandered around for bit, and the only person not already involved in a conversation was a Khanid woman... named Izanami Mikoto.

Izanami Mikoto I, actually. Her daughter was that nutjob who tried to yank Amaterasu from the Gate that first night I met her.

Daughter must have taken after her husband, because she is much, well, smarter. Rather more conservative in her beliefs than I, but then I haven't had my husband and daughter killed by pirates.

Anyhow, I let is slip talking to Aldrith Shutaq in the Basilica that I knew Amaterasu. He knew, of course, but she didn't.

So I sent her a personal communication, from W-space no less (hey, guess where I'm stationed now?) and found out that she already knew about her husband and daughters' fates, and that she is worried Amaterasu will turn into some kind of monster.

I'm a bit confused as well, to tell the truth - Ghost Festival was an odd choice indeed for Amaterasu - but I didn't let it show.

She doesn't deserve to die trying some half-assed plan to get Amaterasu back. So I told her that I couldn't see Ama turning into a monster, that she could never inflict the pain on others that she has had poured onto her - which was true - and that I doubted she would be affected by the people she is around - which I'm not to sure about.

One last thing - I gave a passing mention to Sabikannen when I first opened the comms channel. Said that it is resulting in my workload is heavy. She assumed I meant I was trying to stop the sacrifices - which I really should get around to trying to do - so I guess she doesn't share her husband's leanings.

Or she's got me fooled, in which case I am going to be quite angry.

Progress

It went better than I had expected. Not only was Ciarente willing to listen to my request, she stated that she would pass on the request to "Mr. Desher and Dr. Char." Dr. Char must mean Evanda Char - I don't believe I've had the chance to speak to her in more than passing, so no clue on how she will react. "Mr. Desher" is a complete unknown to me.

Two things concern me, however. One is the highly probable likelyhood that I will have to... prove myself somehow. I'd told Ciarente about my opinions regarding slavery... so they may demand I do something beyond releasing those who I've already stated I would allow to leave anyhow.

But what? I will not betray the Empire in any way - flawed as some of its leaders may be, it is still the Amarr Empire.

Maybe they would accept my assistance in tracking down rogue slavers? Certainly I could pull those networks apart to allow them to strike at the rotten core...

I will have to think of something later. When I find out how my request has been recieved.



Oddly, it is the second thing that troubles me more than the first, despite it being the smaller of the issues at the moment.

I lied to Ciarente.

I told her that I allow my slaves to leave any time they choose. But the battle-slaves...

Former Blooders, Angels, freedom fighters unlucky enough to be captured, even the odd Guristas agent or two, rabble of this and that... they were caught in the Empire, breaking the Empire's laws. Violently. I try my best to make them realise what they have done, but... they cannot be allowed to leave at any time. What would they do - all they know is crime and slavery, and they must support themselves somehow. To allow them the option of freedom at any time would be beyond stupid. It would be criminal on my own part, to place such a danger on others.

If Ciarente and her comrade find them without my knowing... it could be disasterous. Would be disasterous. Not only to my personal quest, but to the peace calls I've been sounding for years.