The Disappearance of Sketur Treveiwerni

The New Eden Underground News Agency [NEUNA] have issued an urgent appeal after one of its leading reporters disappeared whilst on a business trip reporting on feared pirate corporation the Tuskers. Sketur Treveiwerni, 36, a man of pure Gallente origin was last traced to the Mormelot 1 Concord Testing Facilities station in the Everyshore region.

An interview and snippets of recorded data from the interview with a blind capsuleer, a pilot with the Tuskers known as Valgore Meurte were the last transmissions sent from Sketur and the news agency is asking civilians and capsuleers in the area to remain alert and to report any sightings of the reporter or of Valgore immediately to a CONCORD officer or the Gallente militia.

[NEUNA] have released the full transmission in the hope that it may be a catalyst for either the release of Sketur or that more information will be revealed. The agency went on to say that no response has been received from the Tusker diplomats, despite many attempts to establish contact with them on the subject.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Accessing Data Feed.

Access Granted. 

Pass Code - 7700445

This interview will be held at the Concord Testing Facilities in Mormelot. The pilot I am interviewing today is called Valgore, a man of Sebiestor origin. A strange couple of requests were made and thus I have with me some 'goods' for my interviewee.

<subject include transmission with requests>

Dear Sketur Treveiwerni,
If you would like to have this proposed interview you will need to meet me at the Mormelot 1 Concord Testing Facilities station, take the main elevator to the top level and wait for one of my dancers next to Hangar 26, you will be escorted from there to a private room. Please do not bring any assistants or other guests with you.
Also please have with you 5 units of synthetic coffee and 10 units of Long-Limb Roes if you wish to find me in a good mode, some tobacco would be nice as well. Also, if you are skittish around small arms or hounds, please don't bother to show up.
Valgore Meurte

After arriving at the station I am directed to the private room. Here, under a dimly lit light swinging from the ceiling I am greeted by more dancers and a couple of slaver hounds are chained up in the far corner, their heads resting on their giant paws. Oddly I don't recall many men of Minmatar blood who keep slavers, I shall keep my thoughts to myself though on this occasion. Valgore is a fierce looking man with metal facial studs sticking out of his forehead, how very pleasant. 

<Begin interview>

Give us an insight into your first few weeks in New Eden as a pod pilot?

How should I start this story. Well there I was, a lonely Sebeistor, an orphan of Minmatar Rebels, blind as you can see. When some uppity mofo noticed my high apptitude. The next thing I know I am being rushed through the Republic Fleet Military school to become a Capsuleer. After that I was off and running, doing whatever jobs I could get around Rens, learning how to handle the different ships that were availible to me. Figuring out all the rules set out by Concord, and what the different Factions were all about. It was a nightmare. This was all back in the day before the war broke back out and everything was supposed to be peaceful. Capsuleering was still a new thing to most of New Eden. Everything was chaos, or at lest to me it was. I ended up joining a Corp called The Tal'Shair. A real good group of guys they were. All about trying different things to make the all mighty isk.
Ever since then I have kinda bounced around doing what ever to make the isk needed to make sure that my clone is up to date and that it will be activated in case I cant get my pod to safety in one of my endeavours.

Tell us about your background before becoming a pod pilot?

What else is there to tell? I am an orphan of rebels and a Wanderer by habit. I first became a capsuleer back in '04. That is all you need to know, so ask no more about it.

< What I mistook as the exotic dancers are now all tense and they have a bunch of small arms pointed at me >

What drew you to the dark profession of piracy?

You ask me what drew me to the dark profession of piracy, hmmm! I say it aint dark at all. These Factions here in New Eden grab up every person that shows any potential and they make them a Capsuleer and have them do their dirty work. They have you going around from system to system, wiping out whole fleets of non-capsuleer piloted ships so the powers that be stay in control of those systems. Or they have you fighting a war of their making, wiping out billions of people, and you say my profession is dark. What drew me to the noble profession of piracy was me wanting to escape that dark, rotten system of coruption that the Factions and Concord would have you believe is bringing order to New Eden. I hunt down and ambush other capsuleers to disrupt their lives enough to wake them up and bring them out of the trance they're in and to punish those that buy into the lies and will never see the truth.

What was your first experience of piracy in New Eden?

I really dont remember my first act of piracy, it's been so long. I can tell you about when I realized that it was my calling. I had joined this Corp out in the Sinq Liason region, The Ronin Syndicate, that had needed some willing pilots to fill their ranks. We went out on a roam to get some combat experience in together as a fleet because we were considering setting up some merc contracts, when we came across the rotten bastard of a CEO of a corp that was in a Navy Megathron, Meeko Gloom. They had me running tackle that day in a rifter and sicked me on him. I tackled and we started blowing him up, and during that fight I noticed that the rest of his corp were all in cheap ships for the most part and real young capsuleers, and it struck why he deserved to lose that ship. Him and those like him (the factions and their mega corps) feed off the weak and the young and it digusted me. I ended up getting the final shot on his ship. I think that shot is what led me to become a pirate.

How did you get involved with piracy?

Excuse me for a moment, and please pay no attention to my militant friends over there, I have some matters to attend to briefly.

< I notice several of them carrying filled body bags. Valgore gives one of the men some instructions under hushed tones and I fail to hear what was said >

Umm, yes where were we, oh yes you were asking how I got involed in piracy, I think I have already covered that. Other than those experiences and insight I have gained before becoming a pirate the only reason I can state is that I was bored and ran with all the right people in the right places. People like Tressin Khyine, Ivan and Graff the En'Vec brothers, Mane "The Honest Trader" Frehm. Seeing the freedom and respect that people like the Tuskers had. There are so many things that led me to become invovled with piracy.

Give us an insight into your first few weeks as a pirate.

Rifters, Rifters and more Rifters. Scouting and tackling for the gangs that I would run with. The thrill of catching my prey and winning the fight. The thrill of misjudging my prey and losing a fight. It was pretty much the same then as it is now for me, it was always something new. The only thing that has changed is the faces that I meet and the places that I see.

How did you come to hear about The Tuskers?

I had seen them around. Now if you are asking me what led me to join them, I will tell you. Well, I had just left the corporation I had been with that was tired of my way when a buddy of mine contacted me and asked me to go out on a roam with him. He had been a Tusker for a bit and I had fought a few of them before so I figured why not, it could be fun flying with some good pilots for a change instead of soloing it. We went on this long boring roam, up until we were about to spilt way, when I got this thrasher tackled in my rifter, so I called them to come and get in on the action, it went down too fast though. They warped in just as it popped. Then the next thing I know we are fighting a Cynabal and we have it killed. It was so fast and fun, I loved it. But it got me thinking, I would have never been able to take that Cynabal on by myself in the rifter. So the next day I put in my application and in the processes of doing so I got invited to join in on another fight with a Dominix. I knew then that I was doing the right thing by applying to join them.



From your employment history, which period of employment before becoming a Tusker pilot was your most enjoyable?

My time spent with The Ronin Syndicate. Gate Camping, ganking, failing as a corp to run a POS. Hunting Cadmia, but she is a whole other story. Having other pilots post warnings around the areas you hang out that your corp is known pirates and that we hang around there. Getting the first bounty on my head.

From your personal viewpoint, define a Tusker pilot.

A solid pilot, solid corp mate, fearsome opponent, enough said.

What does Hevrice mean to you?

What is it supposed to mean to me? It is one of my many homes.

< I notice a sudden shift in the tone, Valgore appears to be agitated about something as one of his advisers whispers in his ear >

Closing data feed. . . . . 

Error 467.

END OF TRANSMISSION.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


As part of the enquiries made by the agency it emerged that cctv footage from Hangar 26 was erased about the time of Sketur's visit. The agency are advising that any information provided will be dealt with in the utmost privacy.


Oxi.

Guest Writer #1 - Miura Bull -

Miura Bull is a freelance pilot who currently resides and operates exclusively in low-security space. He lists his profession as oil trader and he is the head of a one man corporation, 7 Tribes Gun Oil Company.

Here is his story.

There is one thing in this universe that really tickles me and that is oil. My pre-capsuleer days had me working in the heavy machinery factories planet-side in Molden Heath. Here we would work very long shifts, we'd spend our days assisting the robotics teams, it was tough and dirty work and only the strongest men made a good wage.

I'd never seen drilling platforms like this before, huge structures, really mind boggling. The platforms would eventually be shipped to various locations across New Eden for operations in null-security space. Most of the gear went out to the Outer Ring region for excavation and some went closer to home like to the Great Wildlands region or Curse or even Scalding Pass. I longed for adventure and these far off corners of space were just a dream to me.

During my time off from the factories, which I must admit were few and far between, I'd spend some of my wages I had saved up on tourist tickets to some of the shadier parts of New Eden. Drug dens, brothels, pirate safe havens, you name it and I've been there. One too many glugs of the infamous Thukker Fire Whiskey and it was easy to forget yourself in some downbeat and dirty drug riddled outpost, a few days of euphoria in the pleasure hubs could really take your mind off of work.

The grind was endless, I'd work twenty-one days solid, with little rest and then I'd spend four or five days away having the time of my life. Whiskey, women, guns, punch ups, narcotics . . . .
I had everything I needed during my time off from work but then one day after a heavy binge of Nerve Sticks and Crash (not a good mix, try it) I woke up in an Angel Cartel bar some two days after I was meant to report back for work. I had messed up big time, my flight home was long gone and I had a monster of a headache and no way out of what was, when sober, one hell of a scary place. To make matters worse my intercom was flashing up six messages which started with a polite asking of my current whereabouts to a simple - you're fired!

It took me a few days to get myself sorted after the comedown and I eventually hitched my way back to safety courtesy of a small salvage team who were returning to Ammold after a three month scrap metal tour. I was relieved and decided to go straight from then on.

Now back in Ammold I decided to sign up for a Capsuleer Program at the Republic Military School and it was here that I learnt to master the Rifter hull and the art of combat that went with it. My days would be spent learning barrel rolls and getting myself accustomed to the chatter and clanking of my autocannons, the only downside was I spent most of my days shooting at huge old and rusty floating warehouse containers that no matter how much I threw at them would never fight back. I longed for more, now I was a capsuleer I thought about the adventure and the hundreds of solar systems and outposts that I could visit. One morning I handed in my notice and boarded a shuttle to Rens.

Here in Rens I formed a corporation called the Black Rebel Rifter Club, we were more like a gang of frigate freaks who just enjoyed going out and having a blast in the Rifter, it was fun and we had at one time about seven capsuleers on the roster. Sadly, after a short period of inactivity on my part most of my mates left the gang for pastures new and I went back into the oil trading business with my new company. I haven't looked back since.

Don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that I'm now some mad industrialist, far from it. Oil is the lifeblood of New Eden, without my gun oil deliveries autocannons would break and firearms would jam. I'm obviously not delivering quantities on a grand scale like some of the mega corporations out there but even the small guy plays his part in the ever moving cog of New Eden.

Now the fun part. My deliveries take me into the darkest areas of space, lawless lands and lands frequented by the nastier bohemians of New Eden, I need to stay alert at all times and be strong of mind. My Rifter's are always fit for combat and quick escape, should the need arise. Sometimes I might be in a pocket of space that hasn't seen a wayfarer for days and then sometimes I'll be in the busiest faction warfare zones or pirate havens.

At the moment life is good, business is booming, my autocannons smoke on a regular basis and my drug and drink fuelled binges are now, shall we say, less frightening than they were.

Thanks for reading.
Miura Bull.

____________________


Want to share your background so far in New Eden? Have an interesting story to tell? Have a cool story or an idea you want me to work on? Send all correspondence to khanidoxi@hotmail.com

Paladin Crusader

Well, I guess we all have to start somewhere.




"I will not hesitate when the test of Faith finds me, for only the strongest conviction will open the gates of paradise. My Faith in you is absolute; my sword is Yours, My God, and Your will guides me now and for all eternity."


Oxi.

The Rumble of War and Bitterfly

The long term security of the Amarr Empire and its devout followers was the topic of discussion as I sat in conversation with Bitterfly in an Amarr outpost over in Roushzar.


"I will happily scoop every single corpse of the Gallente and Minmatar and then cut off every single ones head and keep it as a trophy." She barked.

Bitterfly was animated, she was eager to get started in this war, she sure as hell hated the Minmatar people but at the same time respected their technology and weapon systems, throughout her time in New Eden she had learned to master almost every single gunnery skill to a maximum level, including laser and projectile specialization skills. To me she was the perfect HAC pilot and I was extremely glad to have her on board.



Her icy stare scared me.

"Oxi, when are you going to get out of those damned Punishers and into something with more resists?" She grunted.

I shrugged back at her, desperately running some numbers through my head.

"A couple weeks, maybe?" Was my response.

"Well hurry because I think we'll make a good team if you can get into an Assault Frigate sometime soon."

This time tomorrow we would be officially fighting for the Amarr Empire. It was exciting to think of what was on the horizon. Inside my artificially created body my heart pumped, my thoughts drifting to the people of my homelands that I was about to serve, to protect.

"Stop daydreaming you fool!"

"Sorry." I whimpered back.

"Come on lets go take the Vagabond for a spin."

And off we went into the blackness of space, the last hours before the Rumble of War.



Oxi.

Coming Soon!

In Khanid . . . . Everything is dark for a reason.

The Cult of the Sun Thief.


A new Khanid loyalist pro-piracy corporation fighting for the Empire.

Sansha and the Amazing Technicoloured Battle Grounds

Just a quick update.

Lost my first Punisher after tackling a Thorax that was ratting, things were going swimmingly until two unaffiliated corp members warping in to spoil the party. Still, at least they managed to finish off the Thorax as well so technically managed to bag a kill.


Then tonight I paid a visit to the Sansha invasion and decided that a smart bombing Sansha Carrier actually hurts. Upon waking in the clone bays over in Sehmy I plugged in some new implants and a set of teeth and perused some of the pictures from my camera drones.

The Liquefier

The time had arrived, final preparations were complete and my ship was ready for the space lanes and asteroid belts of New Eden. I named my newly purchased Punisher - The Liquefier. 

The Amarr Imperial Navy has been upgrading many of its ships in recent years and adding new ones. The Punisher is one of the most recent ones and considered by many to be the best Amarr frigate in existence. As witnessed by its heavy armaments, the Punisher is mainly intended for large-scale military operations, acting in coordination with larger military vessels, but it is more than powerful enough for solo operations.

I had instructed my technicians to fit up the ship to my exact specifications, I had the best dual light pulse lasers my current knowledge base would allow me to fit and I had gone for a typical armor repair unit and 200mm rolled plate type set up - a small nosferatu unit an essential to help bleed some life into tight situations was also part of the fix.

I was happy that I was finally about to undock into the vastness of New Eden with something that was to me such an improvement from the very basic Impairor that had served me so well as my ferry to the stars. I waited with baited breath for the weathered undock light to turn to green . . . then, a sudden shrill of excitement coursed through me and the hairs on my body stood up in the slime of the pod goo that was encasing me.

GREEN

I was ejected into the bustle of this deeply cold Caldari controlled pocket of space. Freighters and transport ships jostled for room outside of the busiest station in all of New Eden with frigate hulls, cruisers and above. A formation of snipe battleships looked menacing and ready for action some way off the station.

BUMP

My tiny frigate hull creaked and the sound of metal on metal was unnerving to say the least, what looked like the side of an Iteron was a little too close for comfort, so close in fact that I could make out the frozen service lines of the mammoth ship.


I slammed into warp and made my way quickly to the exit gate . . . . 


- - - -


The plan was to roam around the high security systems in and around the busy Lonetrek and The Forge regions and then work my way onto the low-sec pipe around Egghelende and Amamake before heading up to Metropolis where hopefully I would dock up for the night still with a starship fit to serve and a healthy clone. Oh and maybe a drop in security status.


- - - -

AKIAINAVAS Solar System.
(Karnola) Constellation.
LONETREK Region.

It was quiet. I had hoped to flip some cans in the many asteroid fields and anger the local mining fleets. Instead I was met with the constant drone of the mining barges and their heavy drilling beams, no cans in sight. I switched tactics, dropped some cans of my own, looted some wrecks but it brought about no aggression.

Howling solar winds whisped at my hull as I orbited the nearby Rifter pilot, goading him to shoot back at me after I just stole some of his loot - nothing. I idled and the blue jet streams on the back of my Punisher slowly fizzled and popped as I sat motionless in the black and green space.

A new destination was set and I was soon making best speed to Egghelende solar system, albeit via an unplanned diversion - local intel in and around the Caldari Border Zone had reported a camp of smartbombing battleships blocking the gates in Tama. Certainly one to avoid.


Egghelende was again quiet. I warped into the belts and began testing out my lasers. To my surprise, as I landed in one of the belts a Shadow Serpentis spawn greeted me - I made short work of the small gang and scooped some nice loot, which I then safely deposited in storage in one of the local stations.

The next part of my journey took me through Metropolis and then Heimatar, targets along the route were not feasible and the main gangs in the area were camping gates, some faction warfare squads also patrolled the space lanes. I decided to turn off out of the low-sec pipe and made my way to the Ammold sytem where for the dwindling hours of the evening I danced around some cans with some Rifter pilots but never actually managed to grab any aggression.


I decided to dock up in the Republic Military School and after cleansing myself of pod goo made my way to rent out some sleeping quarters, it was going to be a brief stay. After all, the stench of unwashed Brutor hung in the recycled air.

As I lay awake in my bunk I thought back to my roam and the events and lack of any real action. It was great to finally get out there, so to speak. Next time I would crave to fill my need for blood lust. I closed my eyes and drifted to some other place . . . .



Oxi.

Introduction

My final days as a student at the Hedion University's Central Campus on planet Alpha were drawing to a close like a long and hot Amarrian summer. I could sense that a new adventure was about to begin, well made plans that had been mused over for months were about to be put into action. I looked up into the sky, the traffic was quiet for this time in the morning, a lone Bestower rumbled overhead like a lumbering beast. I looked over at my Impairor and smiled.

I was about to leave behind my fellow capsuleer students, friendships that were strong would soon be broken by the sheer distance of a billion stars and many, many jump gates. It was with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to one of the guest teachers here at Hedion. Romeo Blakstorm had taught me many things during my time here and he was the only teacher who knew my plans for the future. I had studied his dark and notorious background, taken in every detail of what life among the pirates would entail and I now felt that I was ready for a life of crime, a life away from the religious zeal that had been drilled into me.

I prepared myself for pod immersion and set my navigation systems to the fabled Jita solar system. This would be quite a shock to the system, after all I had never left the system of Hedion before today. I nervously approached the exit gate and requested permission to jump.

The journey was about to begin . . . .



Oxi.