Consequences of Life - Short Story

((Copied from EVE-Online Forums again!))

Of all the jobs I have done, the millions I have killed.... I never expected to have to do this ....


It had been about a week since the incident with the Scope Reporter, and following the leads he had been chasing it had led him here.
From the Federation, to the State and even through the Republic and back onto the Empire and the Mandate.


What cruel jest is this, me.... an Agent of ever-living death is sent on a mission of mercy


Taking with him the item the agent had given him, instead of placing it in the cargo hold like he would do with other objects for an agent mission, simply choosing to dump them in a container and leave the owners to retrieve it themselves.

No, this time he placed it securely in the captains chair of the bridge before suiting up and stepping into his Capsule.


I am used to taking lives... but going to the families of one I killed to give them their daughters last physical connection in the universe?
What sort of sick joke is this God?
Is this your way of keeping me human?
If it is, I have to say its working...


He slowly and carefully entered the capsule, immersing himself in the capsules nutrient fluid and making sure all the connections where in place and the mask securely attached.
Mentally sighing to himself the ran a gentle mental caress over the Amarr Navy Slicers systems, bringing them to life in the usual sequence and as always the ship responded with a warm buzz, telling him that everything was in perfect working in order and ready to be used for its deadly purpose


Not this time my friend, this time we are simply couriers for a greater being


Ejecting a camera drone so as to view his ship from the insides of the Matari designed station station, speaking briefly with the docking manager he gained permission to undock and guided his ship through the bowels of the station and out into space, greeted by a flash of the Red-Gold sun of the Ammatar system.


It's like the entire system is in mourning, glowing the colours of the Mandate....


Bringing up the co-ordinates to the mining station the woman's family lived in, an encoded message from the Agent sprung onto his display in front of him.

"Math'ra Hiede, as a capsuleer you are an agent of death.
It is time to show you people what you cause to billions of people out there, every time you murder someone a family mourns their loss.
It's time to show you the consequences of life."


Damn that man, he has the information I need and yet he insists on doing this to me
God you really are one cruel bastard


Sending the co-ordinates of the deadspace outpost to the warpdrive he threw the Slicer into warp with an unusual vengeance, simply venting a bit of his anger on the ship.
It groaned as he pushed the ship almost too hard and instantly regret ed doing the childish thing.


That's a rookies mistake, let their emotions get a hold of them when on a mission.
Come on Math, your better than that.
Calm and collected, like the Admiral always said


The flight was short, the system itself wasn't very large and it didn't take long for his ship to make the distance.
Coming out of the warp tunnel and into view of the Asteroid station a lump caught in his throat.


Is this how the Admiral felt when he came home to tell my family of fathers death?


Shaking the morose thought out of his mind the flew the twenty kilometres to the hangar bay at a sedate pace, at ten kilometres he was hailed by the station commander and asked to explain his presence.
Carefully explaining that he was on a mission for the Mandate and that he would not destroy anything he was granted permission to land, blessedly it was only a short distance from the habitat that the family resided in.


Here comes the hard part...

After docking the Slicer safely and shutting down all the systems he ejected himself from the Capsule and headed to the on board showers.
No matter how good the station side ones might have been it was still a risk he wasn't taking today.


I don't want to walk away with some rare disease that I might catch from these people


Dressing himself in his dark black outfit he decided to leave his two guns inboard, he wouldn't need them today.
Instead strapping the twelve inch blade that Hitome had given him for his birthday.
Checking himself in a mirror he pulled his long black hair into a ponytail behind his head, nodding to himself he walked to the bridge and retrieved the item.
A small doll that the woman he had murdered had with he since the day she entered into service with the Ammatar.

Making his way off the ship and through the bowels of the station, the men and women he passed stared in awe as his unhidden capsule implants shone in the dim light, a few bowed before him as they recognised the small rank badge on his shoulder as that of an Archon of the Ordo Magna.

Reaching the habitat that the family owned he pressed a button and checked to see if they where home.
They where and an elderly couple answered it, both with apprehensive faces.
The elder man spoke first.

"Who are you and what do you want?"


Oh lovely, he has an attitude as well.


"I am Archon Math'ra Hiede of the Ordo Magna, and I am here to deliver you some bad news... about your daughter."

He raised his hands and held the doll flat across his open palms so the elderly parents could see the item.
Almost as soon as it had come into view the woman burst into tears and the man's face went pale and shook, but didn't break.

"I think, Archon, you had best come inside."

Simply nodding Math'ra ducked his large frame through the doorway and followed the grieving couple through the simple habitats hallway and into their decent sized living room.

"How did you come by this Archon?"
"I was given it by your daughters master, he wanted to return to you the only physical remains of your daughter"

The man was obviously shaken, and hearing that his daughters body would never come home nearly broke him, although testament to the old mans strength he didn't cry and his voice barely tremored.

"What happened?"
"She was sent of a covert mission for the mandate, she was to infiltrate a smuggling ring and take over it so as to disrupt the Minmatar local system it operated in"
"And?"
"A Capsuleer, following a trail through Republic space bartered for some information and in return was told this Smuggling operation was the price if he wanted that information. In no uncertain terms he flew to the location provided and destroyed every single vessel in sight, along with most of the station housing the crews on board."

The mans face grew hard as he listened and the woman stopped crying, turning to look at Math'ra with a gaping mouth.
Math'ra ignored these changes and continued

"The only thing I ever knew about your daughter was how exceptionally well she flew her ship, It was one of the most difficult fights I had been in since beginning this chase and whatever I may have done, you should be proud of you daughter."
"I understand"

Math'ra nearly did a double take, he had been prepared for many things, but not for them to say they understood, and not only was it not the father, it was the mother who had spoken.

"Archon, I see that you may not understand my words, but hear me out.
Our daughter was born to a poor destitute family, we couldn't afford to raise her and maintain our place in this colony.
So we sent her to our master in the hope she would become something great. And she was, she was a captain of a starship and exceeded all our hopes and dreams, although she will never come home now we can take solace in the fact she was truly gifted and we can remember that of her"

Shocked Math'ra simply stood there, his face blank and still quite surprised'

"Please, would you like to say and have something?"

Regaining a measure of control he forced a smile

"I am sorry, but I cannot.
I am overdue all ready, but please take this as my own personal way of saying sorry"

He drew out his datapad and typed a few commands in, still smiling he placed it on the table infront of the couple.

"It isn't a gift of anything more than a new life, if you both choose I can raise you from this place you live in and give you a home on any planet inside the Mandate, Empire or even the Kingdom."

The couple simply looked at him and smiled, the elderly man turned to his wife and nodded, she nodded in return and turned to Math'ra

"Your offer is kind, and it shows you are a rare find in a capsuleer, you still have your heart.
But we cannot take this offer, we cannot take anything from you without being constantly reminded of our loss"
"As you wish, although if you have ever any need of anything.."

Math'ra tapped the datapad.

"Use that to contact me, and I will do whatever it is inside my power to help"
"Thank you"

With that Math'ra smiled at took his leave, wandering through the station untill he reached his Ship again, tipping the station about a thousand more ISK than they asked for he went aboard and found the captains chair on the bridge.
And there he sat crying for hours.

That was the consequence of life.