Saffear looked over the railing at the old Tempest class battleship docked just beyond. Gazing along her length at the mass of girders and steel. She still showed signs of the old wounds healed during her time in the maintenance bay. Scorch marks and shell craters dotted the hull giving an almost camouflaged look though the rust colored red of the ship. Peering in the few windows Saffear could see her crew scurrying around like ants in an ant hill. She guessed they had heard of the pending mission by now and were prepping for departure. Can't blame them she thought, The Dark Horizons had been docked nearly a year after duty skirmishing with attack forces of a large alliance bent on destroying all in their path. The ensuing battles had left the old ship badly damaged and leaking air. Shortly after the engagement that had left most of the crew dead or dying, her brother decided to reassigned her to smaller ships and using hit and run tactics. She liked the smaller faster ships.....ships with less crew members on board. Still the Dark Horizons was a good solid ship.
Part of her was exited to get aboard. Still another part of her, a deep place in the back of her mind stiffeld her lungs with short baited breath. A dark dread came looming up in the front of her mind. Not for herself. Saffear was a resilient and immortal, a pod pilot. The thought caused her to looked down and stoke the newly cloned skin of her arm, the nanites were still working their magic recreating the tribal tattoos Saffear had earned. she often wondered how much of her self remained in the new clone each time she re awoke from death. Would her memories remain hunting her dreams be still feel as fresh as before? She closed her eyes taking herself back to a different time, a different ship, a ship and crew from her past. It was Saffears first real combat ship. That was named the same as her call sign "Fear Singer", well that was an accidental coincidence. Most of the crew on board at that time had been with her since her academy days.
Most of the seasoned Republic Fleet pilots scoffed at her and said it was bad luck to fly a ship named after you or to get to familiar with you crew. Pod Pilots can be a superstitious lot at times. It was a tough ship, and Fear Singer had a top notch precision crew. As with most capsuleers after a time Fear Singer was lost in a battle fighting pirates along some trade rout. So many ships lost. Fearsinger was lost at least over a just cause, ridding the world of some dirty slavers, She thought. and not over possession some dirty, empty, barren, piece of worthless, lifeless space. A tear slid slowly down her cheek as she heard in her mind once again the last few seconds of her crews screams as the ship was sliced apart by Amarrian laser fire. Her only salvation in that fight was her pod, and that too barley escaped. The audio recorder was damaged in the final seconds of the tough ships existence. It remained stuck in playback mode looping the last seconds of the ships life to her ears for nearly an hour until she could dock up and leave her pod. Many times during that horrific trip she came close to self destructing her pod during the journey. Other pod pilots had done so in similar circumstances. That would have been her first clone jump.
The memory faded as she turned and headed back into her quarters looking up the halo screen. It was filled with the family corp logo steaming words ordering her back to work for the Minmatar Republic until the corporation could regroup. “its only been three damn days” she murmured aloud. How can we pull out that fast she thought. But as she did so she already knew the answer. We are Vherkoior and her brother was a clan elder. As such he was privy to intelligence she would rather not know.
At the time the Non Aggression Pact whit her corporations allies was broken, She herself was leading a fleet to assist the turncoat bastards to help defend their space. It was a trap of course. She tapped a key in the air and the halo screen switch to a recording of her receiving a medal for saving the fleet she was leading. Looking down she spat “yes save a fleet and a whole lot of ships, only to have the pilots flee and hide like little dogs”. Suddenly she noticed breathing behind her. Saffear still unused to the fresh clone tensed all her muscles her eyes falling upon her sword in its decorative case just one click in front of her. Then she relaxed as she recognized the breathing of your younger brother Rysic. “yes you saved your fleet, then you rallied another one to defend our space, very admirable except that left you on your own” he spoke softly. Saffear cringed at the thought. Some fellow pilots had accused her of doing a suicide run, one last fit of defiance! and it fit is was her rep to never go down without a fight. With one notable omission, she would never put her crew in harms way for selfish reasons.
Truth be told she was scouting the enemy positions. She had found and successfully avoided the two large known fleets giving pilots names, the corporations involved, and even ship types. Current Intel at the time only spoke of two fleets. It was a big surprised when she jumped into the next system though a jump gate right smack into a merc gate camp. Sensing her anger Rysic put a firm hand on her sisters shoulder. "For someone with thick skin, you sure are letting things bother you a bit". before he could completely finish Saffear whirled around taking “Gunny’s” hand twisting him around with his are painfully behind his back.
To his credit Gunny did not cry out, or even wince at the maneuver but his baited breath told her it hurt. “Com’on sis I did not sell you out , Hell Nof won’t even let me near a ship with guns on it! you know I would always have your back” Saffear let a out little giggle before letting him go. “I need a drink and your are buying” she pointed a finger at Gunny who sheepishly followed her older sister out of her captain quarters.
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