The Journey Home

Where is my place in the Empire, where can my service best be applied? I dedicated much time and thought to this question. Finally, I decided to seek a group that puts the Empire above all else, who dedicate themselves to the Crusade. I applied to join Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris, PIE.

While I miss the stone cold killers in G.Dip, with whom I related, it is a blessing to be among the faithful. There is a sense of purpose and order in PIE. I have never seen before. The application process is involved, and I feared that I would not be considered worthy. There are improprieties in my youth, and my bloodline is Ni-Kunni… my father is an indentured servant to this day. Perhaps they would not want a low born servant, freed only through an act of his Master’s kindness, among their ranks.

Then the communication arrived. Vaarun, my recruitment officer, informed me that my application was in order and to submit the signed paperwork at an office. With solemn gratitude, I donned the PIE. colors and assumed my new place in the Amarr Militia. I was returning home!

The welcome from PIE. was pleasant, much more so than the actual journey. When I left for Pure Blind with G.Dip, I moved resources to that area. While traveling out of Pure Blind, I decided to take a shortcut through Tribute. Unfortunately, Morsus Mihi disapproved. Why any group spend their days sitting under massive warp disruption spheres only to destroy passing travelers is beyond me.

But this traveler is battle-hardened, and my strike cuts deep! I knew there was no chance of survival. I was 20km from the gate in a slow-moving battlecruiser, inside multiple 50km disruption spheres. If death is my fate, then let me bring an enemy along!

I de-cloaked and trained overloaded guns on a nearby Zealot Heavy Assault Cruiser piloted by theWhiteKnight. His companions rained down fire upon me. My Harbinger’s shields evaporated, armor rented, and hull buckled. Time was short; I gritted my teeth, choking on the scorched pod fluid assaulting my lungs.

Seconds passed, an explosion, my pod came under fire, pain and a white light. Then it was over. I awoke gasping for breath in a cloning pod, safely back in Kumoi. Well, at least I didn’t have to fly back, though I’ll never get used to the way death feels. Leaning over to the computer monitor, I pulled the combat logs from my lost Harbinger and smiled at what I saw. theWhiteKnight’s ship fell with my own!

After paying for a new clone, I got dressed and headed out to reacquaint myself with Amamake. My Harbinger smoothly cut through familiar space, and a sense of nostalgic warmth filled my soul. The scanner brought my attention back to reality. A Sacrilage Heavy Assault Cruiser was detected in an asteroid belt. I decided to investigate.

Landing in the belt, I came out of warp 20km from Chien Fou. He was neutral to me, and I began aligning out. My ship leached as the propulsion system failed. Chien had train a warp disruptor on me! He claimed that his corporation, Bearn Security Ltd, had been at war with PIE. and felt the need to destroy me despite a cession of hostilities. Vaarun had warned me that PIE. had enemies… his words were not idle.

The first heavy assault missile volley crashed into my shields before my return lock could be established. This could be problematic, for if Chien holds his wide, fast orbit, I might not be able to overwhelm the active armor repairs one often finds on a hunting Sacrilege. Then Chien changed his tack, turning hard to port.

What was he doing?!

I watched incredulously as Chien turned into me, rapidly closing the distance. My scanners locked Chein and applied a disruptor of my own as the second missile volley collapsed my shields. Blinking at his utter stupidity, I activated my warp scrambler and stasis webifier. With his microwarp drive disengaged and engine webbed, Chein was dead in space. A third missile volley crashed into my armor, scaring it. But this time I answered with a full broadside of overheated heavy pulse lasers focused with my highest damage crystals.

This is what I lived for, the heat of honorable combat! The whining pitch of discharging lasers and the vibrating thump of missiles crashing upon armor filled my ears. Drones circled like carrion birds as we traded fire, but in the end Chein’s piloting error cost him this engagement. Burning, but intact, my Harbinger passed over the razed Sacrilege.

I collected the few modules of use from the burning hull and then fired the wreck. Returning to my home station, I reflected on how good it was to be home.

PIE. swatyy