The Battle at Abudban II

Nofearion scanned the archives of matters in the ether of the communications net as he often did while for waiting departure from a major trade hub. This one had the most traffic in New Eden. Jita 4-4 always had lots of everything and was the major crossroads of all trade. He looking for tidbits of information or trends that may, or may not, tip him in the direction of Isk. Hints of conflict in any outlying area where the price of ammo or weapons my increase enough to prove profitable.

A little DED report caught his attention. An old report from long ago back when Sansha first started testing his technology that would open a man made wormhole into a solar system with the purpose of enslaving populaces living on planets below. How times have changed Nofearion thought. Admittedly in the time since this report Sansha incursions were becoming profitable to the point of being welcomed by the capsuleer community. Gazing over the report his suspicion was being confirmed that the incursions were becoming perhaps a little too profitable.

A result of specialized defense tactics, and ships used by capsuleer fleets in current defense fleets, general industry and production was down and the price of ore was increasing. Not due to an increase in demand, but to the decrease in ore production. Simply miners were no longer mining. They had found more profit in shooting at Sansha ships and reaping the bounties offered by Concord.

Having just left a tavern on the station where some pilots who used to trade the raw unrefined ore to him had switched from the dull drudgery of sitting in a roid belt to fighting the now predicable battle with Sansha forces. The talk was that as always Sansha had become predictable.

Predictable to the point where the incursions where be drawn out to increase the overall bounty take. As immortals they seemed to forget the cost in human lives. While the pilots were getting fat with Isk, Sansha was able to harvest more slaves as incursions that initially were repelled in hours where now lasting days sometimes even weeks.

The capsuleer community had new found wealth easily obtained and Sansha ships seeming as endless as Concords wallet. Most were not mindful that the recent drops in production across the board had a cost. The cost was increased prices associated with dropping availability or ships and the equipment that kept them running. With a half formed thought the holoscreen switched from the Sansha  DED report to ORE financials of the past month showing telltales of economic slowdown. After confirming his thoughts he switched back to the DED report. Nofearion had to admit that he and his Corporation were profiting from his foresight of the market trends. However this report was chilling. Was this a foretelling of a bigger strategy? A trap set by Sansha, one so subtle and complex as to be missed by intelligence communities in all four empires?

Nofearion had risen to where he was because he had the knack to see the whole picture and read the cause and effects of events and trends. Some of the Vherkior council members had even accused him of being more mystic than drifter with predictions that gave the impression he could see the future. In truth, a careful study of events and market trends combined with historical records that allowed him to make uncanny accurate predictions.

The report itself was filled as part of DED investigations into the effectiveness of involving Capsuleers in the defense of secure space. The DED as a division of Concord were developing strategies to best encourage Capsuleers to defend empire space. This report was a stark reminder that the current incursions may be a little too easy, a little too rewarding. What was Sansha's end game?

DED report 02.568gd. 002 xx

The Battle at Abudban II

Sansha incursion forces into Abudban system, Ortner Constellation Heimatar region

Pilot interview

Saffear Stormrage "Fear Singer"

Squad leader Minmatar Defense Union

Was a Mad house, I am telling you, a mad house.

No organization, Hell, I imagine that is what the Sansha was hoping for, a free for all. Thousands of them, Silent not a word except for the slave. Planet side must have been worse, whole communities ripped up, captured and enslaved by those inhuman demons.

The Amarrians enslaved my people long ago. We always maintained our individual identities. Keeping hope alive eventually broke free of their chains.

The Sansha, rotten bastards, all they do not simply imprison you, they take your soul and everything that makes you human. They take everyone Minmatar, Amarr, Gallente, Caldari. All are given the same reprogramming treatment.

The battle? Yes the battle. My nerves are still shot and that is no small matter.

Friendlies, or at least as friendly as capsuleer privateers can be, locked my ship up twice by accident. Some others Pilots were not as lucky as I, they lost their ships to friendly fire.

Fuck! It was hair raising, Silonneri Balginia was the there, her voice ringing on the comms rallying all the clans, then that Amarrian bastard showed up. Dasirel! Things did not get much better after that. For as many as we destroyed we were taking major losses, We, The Capsuleers! Can you imagine losing our advanced ships to inferior antiquated technology! Their numbers were huge, our organization, was very poor but what can you expect out of a bunch of privateers. Whoever dreamed to organize a completely volunteer capsuleer fleet had to be insane!

At one point Minmatar and Amarrians started shooting at each other forgetting of the menace stealing our life blood from the planet below. Then the slave showed up in her battleship. A ship aptly named the nightmare; sure I had plenty of them fall below the fire of my guns. This one was different. She was a capsuleer herself. Now I understood the gravity of the situation, these demon machines were not just chemical clockworks. Half human half machine and controlled by one of us, one of the immortals! I was not the only one to reach this epiphany. Soon all forgot about what now seemed trifling differences, all forgot about rivalries, all focused fire on that one ship, that one threat to our existence! Of life as we know it. If the Sansha can take one of us! One of us! A captive, enslaved, take away our immortality and make it their own.

A Living hell awaits us, they will return, when they do, Capsuleers will be leading them.