Going Gallente
Essense region – Peccanouette constellation
Arnon System – Planet IX – Moon 3
Sisters of EVE Bureau station
27 April YC 127
In the end, it turned out neither of The Damsel survivors I brought to Sisters of Eve had a clue what had happened. After interrogating Sister Alitura’s greatest hope, engineer Tahaki Karin, we were none the wiser. Tahaki spent all her time in the engineering section and made a lucky escape in a pod when she heard an evacuation alarm. Otherwise, she had no idea who or what attacked The Damsel. Sister Alitura tried to track other survivors but to no avail. The days went by and there were no good news; any news, for that matter. Gradually, I came to believe that it was a cold case and returned to my usual pastime of harassing Guristas in Okela constellation. Imagine my surprise when more than a month after my last SOE mission I got a call from Alitura. I immediately jumped into Kaukokärki and flew to Arnon.
The agent looked pale and exhausted. She silently pointed at the visitor’s chair inviting me to sit down. When I was seated, she fiddled with her datapad for a while as if she was uncertain about what to say. Finally, she sighed and looked at me.
“Captain, I have no more leads,” she said in a tired voice.
Then why did you call me? I thought but remained silent. She was in such a state that goading her would give me no enjoyment.
“After your last mission, I was chasing the survivors from The Damsel day and night but I could not locate anyone. They either disappeared or,” she paused and swallowed, “they were found dead.”
She averted her eyes and was silent for some time. It appeared that the failure of the investigation weighed heavily on her.
She looked at me again and whispered urgently, “My supervisor told me to close this case as hopeless, but I can’t, I can’t. For the sake of all the victims of that tragedy I must carry on.”
“But what can you do, if you have no witnesses?” I asked.
“No, I don’t have witnesses, but there is a piece of evidence which can shed light on this mystery. Remember the datacore that you extracted from the site of the battle?”
“Yes, I do. Did you manage to decipher it?”
She shook her head, “I didn’t, but I know who can. Have you heard of CreoDron?”
I snorted, “The leading Gallentean manufacturer of drones? Unfortunately, yes.”
“Good,” said Alitura, oblivious to my sarcasm, “I know the daughter of their chief researcher. She is a scientist herself, and she agreed to help us analyse the datacore.”
“And what do you want from me? Deliver it?”
“No. I’ve already sent the datacore to her but she needs…” Alitura made a pause, as if looking for the right word.
“Money?”
“No, money is no object – I still have budget. Delphine wants… a favour.”
I looked at the agent suspiciously, “What kind of favour?”
“She needs a capsuleer for a mission. Don’t worry, she is ready to pay.”
I rolled my eyes – as if payment was the biggest concern in that shemozzle.
“But why does she ask you? Surely, a corporation like CreoDron has a pool of Gallente capsuleers who will be happy to run her mission.”
“I don’t know exactly, but I was given to understand that they didn’t want anyone who actually used their drones. And as far as I know, Cormorants have no drone bays,” she looked at me pointedly.
I sighed and shook my head, “No, I can’t do it. You have to find another capsuleer for this mission.”
Then Sister Alitura did something totally unexpected – she pleaded with me.
“Captain Korff, there is no one else whom I would trust to persevere in this investigation. We didn’t get off to a good start but, despite your unconventional methods, I’ve grown to appreciate your dedication. And I know you want to see this case through as much as I do, don’t you?”
“I do, but… I am Caldari!”
“Don’t worry, Delphine doesn’t mind.”
“But I do!” I cried in exasperation. “If I work for a Gallente corporation I will lose my standing with Caldari State.”
Alitura looked at me sceptically, “Standing? Why do you care about the standing?”
“Sister, I don’t know what you do about the capsuleers who displeased you, but Caldari State shoots them.”
The agent pursed her lips, “We are a charitable organisation and we denounce violence. If Caldari State makes you persona non grata, Sisters of Eve will always welcome you, Captain. For that matter, the rest of New Eden will still be open to you.”
“But I don’t want to become non grata in Caldari State! You may think that we, capsuleers, are cosmopolitans who are happy to live anywhere where money are to be made. I don’t know about others but becoming a capsuleer did not make me less Caldari. I enjoy travelling around New Eden but Caldari State is my home, and I won’t do anything that will jeopardise my connection to it!”
“I understand and respect your attachment to your State,” Alitura said earnestly, “but I still can’t believe that it can punish you for taking part in this investigation which is ultimately a noble and worthy cause.”
I smiled sadly, “You don’t believe me? Let’s ask your fellow agent.”
I dialled Ozanero Voiras’s number on my commlink and placed it on a table in a broadcast mode so that Alitura could participate in the conference. When we established the connection, I briefly explained the situation to Ozanero and asked her opinion about the reaction of Caldari State to my cooperation with a Gallente corp.
“Funny you should ask that,” said Ozanero, smiling enigmatically.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because just an hour ago I was given a mandate to continue this investigation as soon as Sisters of Eve dropped it.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked at Sister Alitura, “And you had your conversation with your supervisor?…”
“Three hours ago,” she whispered, astonished.
Ozanero Voiras was trying hard to conceal a smirk.
I gave Ozanero a reproachful look and said, “Alright, if you had to take over this case, what would be your next step?”
“Well, I would send that datacore to one of Caldari corps which produce drones, like Kaalakiota.”
I grimaced, “I dare say I am as much a Caldari patriot as you are, Ms Voiras, but Kaalakiota? Really?”
Ozanero stopped smiling, “I am a Caldari security agent, Mr Korff. I do what I can to advance the State’s interest.”
“And what if what you can do is not the best thing that can be done for the State? And what is exactly the State’s interest in this matter?”
“As to your second question, the answer is quite simple – our gilded friends lost a dreadnought in that incident, and we can do them a favour by finding out what actually happened there. You know, all alliances are based on the expectation of quid pro quo, and it’s a good opportunity to improve our brownie points balance.”
“Ah, thank you,” I said. “Now I see the predicament you’ve got your self into, Ms Voiras: you either take on this investigation with a really low chance of success and get all the blame, or you leave it to the third party who has better prospects,” I looked at Sister Alitura, “but you don’t get any credit. Am I right?”
“More or less,” said Ozanero drily.
“Right,” I nodded. “So here is the situation: if I take myself out of the equation, Sisters of Eve may continue the investigation but are likely to fail because they can’t find a contractor interested enough to persevere. Caldari Navy may pick up the slack but they can’t get access to the best experts in drone research field, and will probably fail too.”
I made a pause, giving the agents an opportunity to object. Silence was the answer. I continued.
“Now, if I decide to carry on with the party which has the best chances of uncovering the truth,” I nodded at Alitura, “we may succeed, but Caldari State doesn’t get the credit and I find myself in an awkward situation, working for the enemy of the State and losing my standing with it. So my question for you, ladies, is: what can be done to get the best outcome for all three parties?”
After a long pause, Sister Alitura was the first to speak.
“The fact that Caldari State and Am… their gilded friends still have a significant interest in this matter may change the Sisters’ attitude to it. I think I can get a mandate to continue my work. I also believe it may be possible to share the outcome of this investigation with Caldari Navy before it is released to public. This should enable Caldari State to present the findings to their friends as their own. However, I need to consult my supervisor on this matter before I can give you any assurances.”
Ozanero nodded, “This may be an acceptable solution. As to your involvement with a Gallente corporation, Mr Korff, I think allowances can be made but, like Sister Alitura, I have to defer to my superiors.”
I looked at Alitura, then at Ozanero, and said with a smile, “Well, I guess you’ve got your work cut out for you,” and stood up. “You can find me at The Lumen Spire bar when you are ready to talk to me.”
Ozanero Voiras rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t expect a personal visit from me,” and hung up.
I picked up my commlink, gave Alitura a wave and walked out.
Two hours later Sister Alitura asked me to come back to her office. When I returned she already had a connection with Ozanero established. Alitura told me that her management accepted the proposal with a condition that I would be the dedicated contractor for the rest of the case. I assented to the condition and looked at Ozanero.
The Caldari security agent gave me an amused smile and said, “You are very lucky, Captain Korff. It appears that I have underestimated the interest of the injured party in the successful resolution of this case. You are free to continue your work with Sisters of Eve and any other parties, including Gallente entities. You will not lose your standing with Caldari State unless you cross the red line.”
“And what that line might be?” I asked.
“Incurring any damage to Caldari ships, property or citizens.”
I snorted – standings or no standings, that was not something I would do anyway.
“Accepted,” I said curtly and turned to Alitura. “Send the coordinates of your CreoDron contact to my navigation AI. I am departing immediately.”
“You don’t need to hurry,” said Alitura. “It’s actually night time at CreoDron station. Delphine will not be available for a few hours.”
“Haven’t you said she is an agent?”
“She is.”
I raised my eyebrows, “So… does she want the work done or what?”
Alitura sighed and tapped something on her datapad. “Alright. Here you go. Good luck, Captain.”
“Thank you, Sister,” I replied and went to the dock.