Revenge

Author: Isaac Neville

Original post: https://forums-archive.eveonline.com/message/6164946#post6164946

Entry for the YC118 Pod and Planet Contest in the Other Thing Just Make You Swear and Curse category.

I opened my eyes trying to focus against the bright lights. “It will take you a few minutes to acclimatize to the clone” A voice in the background said, groaning I struggled to rise. Hands grasped me on both sides as I was gently raised from what appeared to be a bath of gel like liquid. My mind began to function as memories flooded back, my head pounding like a church bell on a Sunday morning. My first rebirth and boy was it taking some getting used to? But hell I was alive and that’s what mattered.

Two hours later I was showered, dressed and sitting with a psychoanalyst, apparently it was all included in the price so I just rolled with it. He smiled at my confusion as he told me the disorientation was normal, an accepted part of clone life in New Eden. My case was a little different though. I had been a lifer, condemned for a crime I didn’t commit from a life I can’t remember. I was approached by some do-gooder who spent all their isk rehabilitating criminals, I had jumped at the chance, who wouldn’t? but there had been some strict conditions, I hadn’t cared as I would have done anything to get out of the ‘RL’ state penitentiary. Let’s face it, everyone wanted to escape RL.

I left the analyst’s office after a gruelling three hour session aimed at adjusting my mind to my new body. I had been a man, now I was a woman it was going to take some getting used to. It had been one of the conditions of my freedom, the Carebear had insisted on it. The logic being that as my conviction was a crime against a prominent woman I should learn to live as a member of the opposite sex.

I needed a drink, it was lucky that I was a Minmatar in the middle of Minmatar space; at least they knew how to party, not like those bloody Amarrians! I seemed to have a built in hatred of those people or was it that I had been an Amarrian in RL? The bar was noisy and full of smoke; I inhaled deeply, savouring the atmosphere. The barman smiled “What you want gal” my first thought was to slug him but was unsure if my new delicate hands would be up for it, anyway I might want to try him out on my new body later. I made a mental note to get me a pair of Brutor fighting gloves and a Caldari Civire laser blade at the earliest opportunity.

I woke with a pounding head that put church bells to shame. Staggering to the bathroom I looked in the mirror, well it hadn’t been a dream then. I quickly showered and got dressed; the note on the bedside cabinet had said 10 EST (Eve Standard Time). If the hoods that delivered it were anything to go by I better not be late. As strange as it was being free and among so many people I quickly acclimatised to it. I had the feeling I was being watched but couldn’t tell if it was because of my curves or was I being tailed? With the blade attached to my arm and my new gloves I couldn’t care less either way, I was ready.

The bouncer was so busy frisking the interesting bits that he missed the laser blade, dumbass! I was lead into a small office at the back of the building where I nearly wet myself, sitting right in front of me was the fattest, ugliest Amarrian I had ever seen, not that I had seen many, to be honest I couldn’t tell an Amarrian from a Minmatar space snake. My first thought was ‘do they make pods this big’? He was smeggin huge and he was enjoying my discomfort. He nodded to the chair, so I sat down.

“That will be all Shirley” The bouncer left. You could cut the atmosphere with a laser blade, “you will know me as Jane, nothing more nothing less, just Jane,” “Sure thing, Jane. What can I do for you?”

Standing outside in the middle of the space station and I was covered in sweat, smeg that was something else. Jane was one scary guy, how the smeg was I going to pull this off? The fat Amarrian had left me troubled; if that was a Carebear I didn’t fancy meeting some of the more dangerous characters. The large station sign flashed on and off, Hek it said in large letters, heck right enough.

Apparently I had a hanger in every station, must be the only capsuleer that this applies to as the stations are so small, maybe they work a hot bed system or some third dimensional technology that I hadn’t come across yet. The hanger was huge and filled with several ships; I had been assured by Jane that I would be able to fly them all as my new body had come from the Bazaar and had points to spare, wasn’t sure if that was just a sexist remark though.

Sitting back on the couch with a mug of hot Krusual dark and a copy of the Minmatar Cosmopolitan, I browsed the Alliance & Corporation Recruitment pages for my target. There it was, worded exactly as I had been told it would, all I had to do now was apply.

The recruitment office was down a dingy back lane on the west side of the station, washed out members of Brave lay mingled with drunken Goons, proving that all was not rosy in New Eden. Just before I was about to give it all up I saw the sign ‘Chaotic Change Pilgrims’. The place was just as bad inside with CCP hangers on lounging about, seemingly high on drugs and pontificating about how they were going to revolutionize New Eden. Some things never change!

Another back room, this time more opulent than the last, on the left of the table sat an old guy whose name was ‘Cyclops the seer’ yes you guessed it, he only had one eye. The other guy was more of a mystery, introduced as ‘Three fingers Pete’ but as far as I could see he had all his digits, all twelve of them. I didn’t wait to be told this time and sat down opposite them in the only other chair in the room.

The one eye never blinked and gazed upon me the whole time, it was unnerving to say the least, I nearly jumped out of my skin when ‘Three Fingers’ said “So you want to enlist babe.” I tore my gaze from the eye and looked over at him, I nodded. “We have to run a full background check, you ok with that,” I nodded again. Cyclops blinked, we both turned to look at him as he rose and left the room. “Looks like you passed the first test babe, now its Three Fingers turn”

Minmatar mythology has it that during the early Amarrian wars a Brutor princess was captured and enslaved by a powerful Baron. He refused all overtures from her family for her release. Her father understood rescue was impossible so went to visit Crielere Labs. Legend has it that shortly after; the princess received a beautiful gift of the most exquisite fingerless gloves made from a strange material. Two days later the Baron was found beaten to death. The assault had been so savage it was presumed that a wild beast had entered his quarters whilst he was sleeping. The princess was found hiding in a corner of the room covered in his blood. A week later the princess was returned to her family.

Several pairs of Brutor fighting gloves are said to still exist although very few people have ever seen them and it doesn’t turn out well for those who do. I now knew how that little slimy git had been called ‘Three Fingers’ and he now knew all about the legend that was Brutor fighting gloves. I hope it was a lesson well learned.

They found the battered and bruised body several hours later, Cyclops insisted that no retribution was to be taken, that the lesson was long overdue. No one laughed, especially ‘Fingerless Pete’. I later found out that Cyclops had his own Brutor skill that was thought to have been lost from Minmatar society since the great enslavement. The ability to see into the soul of any individual that came under the gaze of the one eye. What had he seen in mine?

The journey to Amarr had been largely incident free with the gankers concentrating on fat lazy carebears with way too much Isk and too little sense. Those I had met so far were so up themselves it would do them a power to feel some wrath. So here I was, Amarr VIII Emperor Family Academy. The opulence surrounding me was in stark contrast to the frugalness of Minmatar space. Overfed, over indulgent Amarrians crowded the station, how did these people ever manage to enslave anyone?

I was to meet Elvis Gorouyar, a bastard son of the famous security agent, one of many I had been told. I thought I would have to ask around to find him but there he was at the back of the bar, pompadour hair and a tight fitting one piece white and gold outfit that would have looked great on a slim capsuleer. As I moved towards him I was immediately flanked by guards and frisked lightly and again the gloves and blade were overlooked, I was beginning to wonder about that?

Elvis was a likeable guy who you took to right away, he was always bursting into song but being tone deaf, It was excruciating for his listeners. I don’t know what hurt most, my ears or my cheeks from trying to keep a smile off them. He stopped mid song and smiled at me “your coping well there princess, let’s get down to business.” I was feeling that I was getting the run-around and desperately wanted someone to get to the point.

‘Revenge’ was a strange name for an Opux luxury yacht. A rare and beautiful sight in the rest of New Eden, it seemed right at home among the riches of Amarr. I was introduced to the captain and shown to a suite of rooms that was to be my home for the next week.

I found it strange that I was confined to my quarters during the journey. I had been told that it was not only for my safety but the safety of the mission, so I just went along with it. Everything I needed was at my fingertips so I was quite content to relax and enjoy the flight.

On arrival at our destination I was transferred to a shuttle and taken planet side. It was all very clandestine and no one spoke to me. The shuttle landed in a vast inner courtyard of an immense building that looked like a country manor. It was the dead of night with the only light coming from the twin moons bright in the northern sky. I was taken to small but adequate quarters and informed by the servant that someone would come for me in the morning.

I woke early to find all my clothes and luggage gone; they had even taken the Brutor fighting gloves and the Civire laser blade, I would feel naked and defenceless without them. Two female servants entered the room carrying what I presumed were my new clothes, which were very similar to their own. I dressed quickly but felt uncomfortable.

I was taken through a maze of corridors and eventually found myself in a large opulent room. I was told to wait. As I walked around the room a large painting caught my attention, it was like looking in a mirror as the likeness was so striking. At that moment the door opened and a fat Amarrian walked into the room. “Recognise yourself princess? Or should I say Baron” he laughed. “Welcome to your new home” I was confused, what did he mean? The pain shot through my jaw as he slapped me and I fell to the floor. My immediate thought was to kill him but I found I couldn’t move. “You have a slave implant that activated as soon as you entered the constellation Baron, so you will be powerless to do anything other than what you are told, better get used to it” He walked over to the large bed in the centre of the room. “Come here princess, its time you started work for Nehrnah Gorouyar”

That had been six months ago and last night I had angered someone enough to kill me, the implants wouldn’t allow suicide but I had escaped at last. My eyes opened to the same bright lights that I remembered from the last time, I groaned as I struggled to rise, there was no one there to help me this time, no clothes, nothing. I staggered to the door and opened it “Come in princess, come in and get dressed, you’ll catch your death standing there naked” I stared at him. “Come on princess, don’t keep ole Nehrnah waiting” I started to scream…….

How had I lived so long? Mind you I suppose it didn’t really matter when you weren’t dead long. What a messed up place, even career criminals were brought back with the only deterrent being three smeggin hours with a bloody psychoanalyst! No wonder capsuleers kept disappearing into the so called ‘lost subscription triangle’.