Alerting Alitura
Genesis region – Sanctum constellation
Tar System – Tevis Jak’s Epithal
16 March YC 127
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a message from Sister Alitura,” said Tevis. “I sent her that weird datacore that you had found, but she was not able to decipher it.”
“We should have kept it,” mumbled Aura, who had a thing for mysterious memory devices.
“Anyway,” continued the agent, “she is very interested in consulting you.”
I raised an eyebrow, “About the datacore?”
Aura perked up.
“I don’t know,” said Tevis, “but you better visit her. The Sisters are good people.”
“Uh-huh,” I said noncommittally and bid my good-bye.
“Do you think Alitura can give us that datacore?” asked Aura, as soon as the connection ended.
“Don’t know,” I replied, “and, to be honest, don’t care.”
“But will you talk to her?”
I gave it a thought. I had no wish to see again that mean-spirited bitch who significantly undermined my respect to the Sisters. An hour ago, I would have abandoned this assignment without a second thought, just to avoid meeting Alitura. But things had changed since – I failed to save Red. It wasn’t rational. People who died in The Damsel explosion deserved justice as much as Red. And, for that matter, Red’s death was not really my fault – he was already dead when I received the mission from Tevis. Still, somehow I felt obliged to find those responsible for all these crimes. Stopping now just because I didn’t want to talk to an unpleasant person seemed petty and wrong.
Having made up my mind, I said, “Yes, I will.”
On hearing that, Aura lightened, “Ask her about the datacore.”
I clenched my teeth, “I am not asking anything of Alitura. Last thing I want is to be in her debt.”
“Alright, alright,” said Aura soothingly, “let’s just talk to her.”
She activated the drive and we warped to Manarq gate.
Jet-Canning a Janitor
Essense region – Peccanouette constellation
Arnon System – Planet IX – Moon 3
Sisters of EVE Bureau
“Sister,” I greeted the agent with the slightest of nods as I entered her office.
“Captain Korff,” replied Alitura, “please take a seat.”
“Thank you,” I said coldly, not moving from where I stood.
In my experience, all meetings went faster when people were standing, and I had no intention to stay in that room even a minute longer than needed. Alitura watched me for a few seconds, then realised that I was not going to accept her kind invitation, and frowned.
She took a deep breath and went straight to the business, “We have another crew member located. His name is Nebben Centrien; he was a janitor on The Damsel. He is now stationed at a small outpost.”
“What do you want with the janitor?” I snorted. “All he is going to say is ‘Things went boom, and I ran to the escape pod’.”
“For one thing, he may know where other personnel was sent for recuperation, but there is another consideration. The fact that Red shipped out on a new contract and was killed within a few hours by pirates may look like a coincidence. And it may be so, but if it’s not, then Centrien’s life is in danger too.”
I had to admit that Alitura had a point. If someone went for Red because he was a witness, they’d go for Nebben too.
“So, I need you to bring Centrien to me,” continued the agent, “but not like Red. I need him alive, you understand?”
Blood rushed to my face when I heard her last words – not only Alitura blamed me for Red’s death, but she also wanted to rub it in. It felt like she was deliberately provoking me. For a few heartbeats I stood there frozen to the floor, trying not to explode. If I lost my temper, it would be gross professional misconduct which would lead to my immediate removal from the investigation. However, my desire to deprive Alitura from having that pleasure was almost as strong as my motivation to see that case through, so I came to the table and pointed at her datapad with my chin. The agent gave me a penetrating look, then tapped something on the datapad and pushed it to me across the tabletop. The display showed the mission summary. I pressed my finger to the sensor. When a message popped up on the screen confirming my acceptance of the mission, I turned away and left the office.
Essense region – Peccanouette constellation
Arnon System – Mission location
The outpost was in the same system, and it took us just a few seconds to reach it after we undocked. There were three Coreli Agent frigates blockading the docking perimeter. I went into a wide, 85-km orbit around the control tower and called the outpost. They confirmed that there was a staff member called Nebben Centrien and put me through to him.
“Mr Centrien,” I greeted the janitor with a smile, “my name is Captain Korff. I was sent by Sisters of Eve to request your assistance in the investigation of The Damsel incident.”
“I was onboard but I don’t know anything about what happened there,” said Nebben. “I am sorry, Captain, but I am really busy. This station didn’t have a janitor for three months, and it’s a real mess. You better talk to someone else from The Damsel.”
“Well, we tried. Do you know a crew member called Red?”
“Yes, of course. Talk to him. He is a good guy. He will help you.”
“I can’t. Red is dead.”
Nebben looked at me incredulously, “Dead? How can he be dead? I know that he has survived. We were in the same escape pod.”
“He shipped out and in an hour or two after that his ship was attacked by a gang of Blood Raiders, and Red was killed. We have reasons to believe that the attack was targeted.”
“You mean, someone wanted to kill Red?”
I nodded, “Yes, and we have grave concern about the safety of other survivors, you including.”
Nebben looked surprised, “Me? But why me? I don’t know anything. I haven’t seen anything.” Then his eyes went wide and he muttered, “Oh no, oh no.”
He went off camera and after a few seconds reappeared holding a small object in his hand.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked.
I zoomed the image.
“Looks like a baggage tracker,” I said uncertainly. “A thing which helps you find your suitcase if it’s lost in transit.”
“Yes, that’s it. I found it when I was unpacking my bag. But the problem is – it’s not my tracker.”
That sounded bad.
“I didn’t give it much thought at the time,” Nebben continued. “You know, mistakes happen. But… but is it possible that someone is trying to track me? Is this why you said you had concerns?”
“Mr Centrien, please stay calm…” I started saying but it was too late – the janitor was now in full panic mode.
“I… I must get off this station,” he shrieked.
“Wait, there are pirates,” I shouted, but Nebben already ended the connection. “Damn it,” I swore. “Let’s hope that the pilot is not stupid enough to undock while Serpentis guard the entrance. Or maybe they have a frigate, but I doubt a janitor can afford such a ride.”
“Don’t know about the frigate,” said Aura, “but he definitely can afford a destroyer.” Seeing my confused expression, she smiled, “Sisters are paying.”
“Haha, that’s true. I don’t think I can actually dock there – the station hangar looks pretty small – but it will be my pleasure to secure the area.”
Having said that, I targeted the Coreli Agents. Two or three salvos were enough to pop each frigate. The reinforcements sent by the pirates, two Initiates and a Scout, were even crunchier. Soon six active threats became passive hazards, littering the approach to the station with their remains. We waited for a few minutes but no new hostiles appeared. I was about to raise the outpost when a small shuttle emerged from the dock.
“It must be him,” I said. “Aura, connect me with the shuttle before it warps away!”
Soon the shuttle pilot’s face appeared on my comms screen.
“Good day,” he said. “How can I help you, Captain?”
“Good day. Do you have Mr Nebben Centrien onboard?” I asked.
“Yes, he has chartered this flight.”
“Can you please connect me with Mr Centrien? I have an important message for him.”
The pilot shrugged his shoulders and switched me to his passenger.
“What do you you want?” squealed Nebben.
“I just want to ensure your safety, Mr Centrien.”
“I am already ensuring my safety by leaving this goddamn outpost! And you are not helping by holding up my flight!”
I started losing my patience, “You aren’t going anywhere in this eggshell, Mr Centrien. Whoever is pursuing you will have no trouble tracking down and destroying this shuttle. Please come aboard my ship and I will deliver you safely to Sisters of Eve. They can give you sanctuary.”
“I don’t know you. And I don’t trust you. Leave me alone!” cried Nebben and ended the connection.
The shuttle pilot’s face appeared on the screen again.
I sighed, “Captain, I need your assistance in delivering Mr Centrien to my ship.”
The pilot smirked, “That’s not the destination that my passenger paid for.”
I stared at the pilot coldly, “This is an order. Put Mr Centrien into an EVA suit and jettison him in my direction. Now.”
“What authority do you have to give me orders?” asked the pilot haughtily.
Giving Kaukokärki a mental command I acquired a target lock on the shuttle.
“Are seven 150-mm railguns enough authority for you?”
“Hey, what are you doing?” cried the pilot. “I thought you needed Centrien alive.”
“Listen, Captain,” I said earnestly, “your passenger has a target painted on his back, he is a dead man walking. Just before you undocked, I killed six pirate ships which were waiting for him. I won’t be able to protect you if you warp away. So to save the time I would spend searching for your corpses, I can just put you out of your misery here and now.”
The shuttle pilot swallowed hard, croaked, “Don’t shoot,” and disappeared from the screen.
Five minutes later a person in an EVA suit was expelled from an airlock by a burst of air. I picked the figure by a tractor beam and pulled it into my cargo hold. Having confirmed that it was Nebben Centrien, I aligned the Cormorant to the Sisters station and activated the warp drive.
While we were flying, Aura said, “Would you really shoot the shuttle if it tried to warp away?”
I chuckled, “Nah, I was bluffing. If they tried to run I would have to contact our good friend Tevis Jak and ask him to use the CONCORD logs to track the fugitives. But I was serious about the corpses – I wouldn’t give a kredit for their lives even if I escorted them. Given the forces our adversaries have been willing to commit so far, I am confident I could destroy whatever they would send our way. But if Centrien remained in a shuttle, it would take just one lucky shot to pop it.”
Essense region – Peccanouette constellation
Arnon System – Planet IX – Moon 3
Sisters of EVE Bureau
As we approached the station, I contacted Sister Alitura, briefly explained the situation, and asked her to organise armed escort for the janitor. She agreed and told me to visit her in an hour for debriefing. Having handed Centrien over to Sisters, I dined at a local restaurant, enjoying authentic Gallentean cuisine which, in Caldari space, was adulterated to cater for local tastes. After a successful mission and a delicious meal I was ready to face the cruel world, and even started feeling charitable toward Alitura. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn’t mutual.
I entered the agent’s office and, without invitation, made myself comfortable in a guest chair.
“How is the investigation going?” I asked good-naturedly. “Have you learned anything interesting from Centrien?”
“We did, indeed,” answered Alitura icily. “For example, we learned that you threatened to attack the shuttle on which Mr Centrien was flying. Do you admit it?”
Here we go again, I thought, my mood souring.
I shrugged my shoulders, “Yes, I did. But what does it matter? He has been safely delivered to your custody. Mission accomplished.”
“And what would you have done, Captain, if the pilot did not obey your unlawful order?”
“I thought I was here for the debrief, not for woulda, coulda, shoulda.”
“I insist, Captain,” said Alitura looking me in the eye.
I had had enough of her attitude.
Leaning forward over the table, I hissed, “I would have blown up the fucker. No one messes with capsuleers.”
Holding my gaze, Alitura smiled triumphantly and said, “This is all I need to know. Thank you, Captain. The debrief is over. Let me not detain you any longer.”
I leaned back and raised my eyebrows, “Don’t you need assistance with finding other witnesses?”
“We do, but not from you. I will find someone of a higher moral stature. Good-bye, Captain.”
I looked at the agent for a few seconds, giving her time to reconsider, but she was just patiently waiting for me to depart.
“Very well,” I said curtly and left her office.
Outside, I propped myself comfortably against the wall and started browsing Galnet. After a couple of minutes I got a call from Aura.
“Hey, Cap,” she said looking distressed, “I’ve got a request to clear the berth from the station control. They didn’t explain why but I can see plenty of vacant berths around. What’s going on?”
I rolled my eyes, “That was really petty of her.” Having taken a few moments to think, I smiled and said, “Aura, lodge a formal complaint with the station authorities and send a copy to Alitura’s supervisor.”
“Done,” confirmed Aura almost immediately. “But what’s this all about?”
I told Aura about my altercation with the agent.
Aura groaned, “Oh, Vlad! Did you really have to goad her so?”
“I am teaching her a lesson. Her behaviour is unprofessional, and she has to change her attitude, if she wants to become a good security agent.”
“I don’t see how she is supposed to learn anything. She kicked you out of the investigation and will go on her merry way.”
“Sister Alitura may have a beef with me, but her superiors are not stupid. They understand that having a Level 2 mission capsuleer on the job gives them a much better chance of success than engaging a baseliner, which is Alitura’s preference.”
Aura made a grimace, “Okay, you made your point. Let’s hope she’ll get the message. But what are you still doing there? Get to the docks before they have towed Kaukokärki away.”
“I am just saving time it would take me to get back here from the docks.”
“Do you really expect Alitura to offer you another mission after you cemented your image of a complete jerk? You must be joking.”
“Watch me,” I winked at Aura, and started a stopwatch.
The screen showed 7 minutes 32 seconds when I received a call from Sister Alitura.
“You see?” I told Aura, and declined the call.
Then there was another call which I also rejected. Finally, the door opened and flustered Sister Alitura burst out from her office, only to stop in her tracks when she saw me just two metres away.
I detached myself from the wall and smiled sweetly at her, “Shall we discuss the details of my new mission inside, Sister?”
A curious range of emotions appeared on the agent’s face – surprise, embarrassment, hatred… For a few moments she just stood there breathing heavily as if unsure what to do. Eventually, she brought her emotions under control and assumed a stony expression.
“Please come in, Captain,” said Alitura in a neutral tone, and pointed toward the entrance.