DireNecessity Goes Camping
Author: DireNecessity
Original post: https://casualevedotcom.wordpress.com/2017/11/02/direnecessity-goes-camping/
Entry for the YC119 Pod and Planet Fiction Contest in the Other Things Just Make You Sweat and Curse category.
To be formatted and added images!
When the uninvited Capsuleer attending the emergency meeting volunteered to be their next Daughters of EVE den mother none of the terrified mortal parents dared refuse and that explains how the very next evening DireNecessity found herself poking at genuine campfire surrounded by a baker’s dozen of beaming Brownies.
“The habitation tents are up, supper’s eaten, night’s here and we’ve lit a campfire. What now?” asked DireNecessity.
“We tell stories,” the girls instructed, “Scary stories.”
Unthinkingly, DireNecessity swatted a moth out of the air. It struck the ground in a small puff of dust.
“Scary eh,” replied DireNecessity waiving her hand to bring forth a flame infused holographic image from the tablet she’d surreptitiously stashed under the fire pit. “Perhaps story about Sansha’s Nation? He and his abduct entire populations turning them into cybernetically controlled True Slaves. I myself have witnessed their incursions.”
“No!!!,” the girls moaned, “Too scary!”
“Maybe story about Omir Sarikusa’s Blood Raider Covenant and their Sani Sabik bloodletting rituals? I’ve hands-on experience with the Crimson Harvest.”
“Still too scary!” the girls bawled.
“True story about theft?” asked DireNecessity.
“Does anybody die horribly?”
“Not a soul.”
“Well, OK.”
Girls Three and Five swatted at a moth of their own. Though it took both of them, they brought the insect down.
“As you ladies know,” explained DireNecessity, “I’m a Capsuleer and while we Capsuleers are powerful, we can’t just do anything like, say, be two places at once. Even so there are workarounds if you find a willing young Capsuleer to link minds with. Now mind linked Capsuleers don’t become one person but what one experiences the other experiences. My Jita Alt is DipsyDoodle and this is her story.”
Girl Thirteen, sitting crossed legged with open hands on her knees clenched her left fist crushing a moth landing there. Opening her fist, the carcass dropped to the ground beside her.
Soooo, continued DireNecessity, just the other day DipsyDoodle, burdened with small task but couple of gate jumps out of Jita, Impairored up to complete the chore. With undertaking undertook, we two linked Capsuleers ambled back to Jita via asteroid belt hops looking for pirate rat to stomp ‘cause Dipsy wants to learn combat. Belt 1, nothing. Belt 2, empty. Belt 3, vacant. Belt 4, no rats but we do see young Capsuleer Mena Khanid off in the distance mining in a Venture. We also see Mena Kahnid’s empty Bestower just a few meters away.
“I wonder if I can fly that?” asks DipsyDoodle.
“Best way to find out is to try and hop in,” I reply.
So she does.
“Looks like you can fly it. Now whatcha gonna do?” I ask.
“I wanna keep it,” she says.
So she does.
Leaning forward, Girl Seven struck down a moth drawn toward the flames.
Back in Jita, we examine Dipsy’s trophy.
“Here, see,” illustrated DireNecessity waiving her hands to bring up an image.
And that’s when the EVEmail from Mena Khanid arrived.
“No!!!” the girls gasped. “You said no one would die.”
“Patience,” counceled DireNecessity, “we haven’t read the mail yet.”
Re: Bestower From: Mena Khanid To: DipsyDoodle You just stole my ship!
“Busted!” cackled the girls.
“What should I do?” DipsyDoodle asks me.
“I suppose you ought to reply,” I say.
So she does.
Re: Bestower From: DipsyDoodle To: Mena Khanid ::giggle:: I’m awful! Forgive me?
And he did.
Re: Bestower From: Mena Khanid To: DipsyDoodle Are you kidding? It’s damn funny. I didn’t know it was possible to sit in another’s ship until this moment, so thank you for the answer.
Enjoy the Bestower, o7
“Forgiven!” the girls hollered.
Meanwhile, Girl Thirteen’s ambush approach succeeds again as another moth is crushed.
“But how did Mena know it was I who stole his Bestower?” asks DipsyDoodle.
“Leaving an empty boat named ‘DipsyDoodle’s Impairor’ at the scene of the crime probably gave Mena good clue,” I explain. “Next time, rename your boat first.”
“I see,” she replies.
So she does.
“Now, when not piloting Bestower, DipsyDoodle flies SuperMegaDeathRay,” said DireNecessity, “Here, see.”
“Too Scary?” asked DireNecessity.
“Just right,” the girls replied.
“Excellent,” said DireNecessity, “Now off to bed with you, we’ve long roam planned for tomorrow.”
Awash in the girls’ sleepy whispers (DipsyDoodle’s very brave . . . SuperMegaDeathRay’s a cool name . . . I bet Mena Khanid’s super cute), DireNecessity tabulated moth kills and updated the killboard. In the morning the ladies would discover Girl Nine in the lead. Quiet, contemplative Girl Nine – worth keeping an eye on that one.