Tag: epic arc

Metropolis region — Barvigrard constellation
Hek system — Planet IV
Krusual Tribe Bureau

30 August YC 127

In the end, I had to have a serious conversation with Aura. It was clear that Keita Eslin did not believe for a second that Aura’s software was unmodified. The agent let it slide because it was not in her best interest to kick up a stink, but next time we might not be that lucky. We agreed that in future any Aura’s actions which could be interpreted as a behaviour of a rogue AI should be explicitly approved by me with a certified command record on my commlink. Such an arrangement not only gave me better supervision over Aura’s riskier endeavours, but also protected her from persecution. It might look like I was taking a bullet for her, but in my experience, the powers that be had much more tolerance to capsuleers’ antics than to AI’s shenanigans, what with rogue drones being a constant reminder of the consequences of an uncontrolled AI evolution. Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part VIII”

Metropolis region — Barvigrard constellation
Hek system — Planet IV
Krusual Tribe Bureau

30 August YC 127

Keita Eslin put her commlink on the desk and dialled a number. A holo of a dishevelled Krusual guy appeared above the desk.

“Hi, Harkul. How are you doing?” Keita greeted him.

“If you are calling about the computer malfunction, I am already on it. It’s a Sev 1 incident, everything is down,” Harkul said without looking at us.

“Oh, right. Yes, I was calling about the array. I am glad that it’s your shift. We are in safe hands.”

The guy scoffed, “I wish I had your confidence,” and terminated the connection.

“Who was that?” I asked. Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part VII”

Metropolis region — Barvigrard constellation
Hek system — Planet IV
Krusual Tribe Bureau

30 August YC 127

Seeing that I was in a company of Keita Eslin, Aura assumed a blandly polite expression and said in a neutral tone, “Good morning, Captain. How can I be of service?”

Hiding my smile, I said, “You may be of great service if you help us understand how these files,” I pointed at the screen, “appeared in my combat logs.”

Without batting an eye, Aura said, “Unfortunately, I am not aware of the circumstances in which they were produced, Captain.”

I stared at her for a few moments and said, “And now answer this question as if we were talking privately.” Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part VI”

Valuable Cargo

Heimatar region — Sveipar constellation
Lustrevik system — Planet VII — Moon 9
Brutor Tribe Academy

29 August YC 127

My Hunting the Lieutenants mission didn’t take long yesterday, and I delivered Kirus to Tarak Erand well before 7 am. As the agent started an interrogation early, I expected a call from him in the afternoon or, in the worst case, late at night. Despite my misgivings, no one bothered me at all. Curious, I went to the agent’s office without an invitation. After exchanging greetings, I asked Tarak about the progress of Kirus’s interrogation.

“Oh, Kirus,” the agent said unenthusiastically, “I had to ship him to Keita.”

Surprised, I raised my eyebrows and chuckled, “Did he prove to be such a hard nut to crack?” Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part V”

Hunting the Lieutenants

Heimatar region — Sveipar constellation
Lustrevik system — Planet VII — Moon 9
Brutor Tribe Academy

28 August YC 127

Yesterday, when I tried to contact Tarak Erand after the mission, he said that he had no time for debriefing as he was busy interrogating a mercenary who was captured by the marines in the smuggling hub. This morning, at 5 am local time, the agent called me and invited to his office for an urgent assignment. Once again, the events unfolded with a frightening speed at the Brutor Tribe Academy.

“You can’t get good mercenaries anymore,” Tarak complained with mock disappointment. “They crack before you even get to the fun stuff.”

Then the agent grinned savagely and gave me a wink which made me shudder. I didn’t want to hear about the details of the interrogation, so I hastily steered the conversation to its outcome.

“What have you learned?” I asked. Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part IV”

Goading the Leader

Heimatar region — Sveipar constellation
Lustrevik system — Planet VII — Moon 9
Brutor Tribe Academy

27 August YC 127

It took Tarak Erand just a day to process the information I brought to him, organise surveillance and plan a mission. From my experience with Caldari Navy security agents, I expected to spend at least a week exploring the station before I got called, but here I was, sitting in Erand’s office and being briefed on the mission plan.

“First of all,” Tarak said, “I want to thank you for the intel you delivered. We had our suspicions about a few of those ships but didn’t have enough evidence to pursue the leads. Now that you have confirmed their association with the smugglers, we established surveillance and quickly identified locations of several smuggling hubs in the system.”

“How did you do that?” I asked curiously. “If it’s not a secret.” Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part III”

The Uses of Force

Metropolis region — Barvigrard constellation
Hek system — Planet IV
Krusual Tribe Bureau

26 August YC 127

I was sitting in the office of Keita Eslin who summoned me to discuss the results of my reconnaissance mission the day before.

“Thanks to you, Captain, we have detailed information about the composition of smuggler forces. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to use it. Krusual Tribe’s resources are currently allocated elsewhere, so I would have to contact the Republic Fleet. They, however, will not take kindly to my methods of information gathering,” here the agent gave me a pointed look and continued, “but I don’t want this info to go to waste. My only remaining option is to pass it to a friend of mine and let him deal with the smugglers. I need you, Captain Korff, to deliver the surveillance captures to Tarak Erand who is stationed at Brutor Tribe Academy in Lustrevik.”

“Why can’t you simply send the data over the net?” I asked. Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Shifting Foundations — Part II”

It’s Not Over Yet

Essense region – Peccanouette constellation
Arnon System – Planet IX – Moon 3
Sisters of EVE Bureau station

25 August YC 127

“Dagan was a commander of the fleet that the drones first destroyed. He was also a terrorist. After that drone attack, I really hoped that he was dead. Now that we know he is not, it is of utmost importance to ensure that he is made dead,” said the agent.

“But how is that Dagan related to our current investigation? And why do you believe he is alive?” I asked, still bewildered.

“Why, Dagan was the pilot who destroyed the Mysterious Drone.” Continue reading “The Blood-Stained Stars: Queens and Drones — Part VIII”