Journal: 113.01.31

Figures that the Drake would be resurfacing yet again as one of the best choices for Incursion work, especially handling Vanguard encounters. Damn things get everywhere. Cheap, solid, decent firepower... a heavily shielded coffin if you don't know what you're doing, one of the most reliable and rugged ships in the cluster if you do.

Of course, it's all about the support. Give seven drakes a command ship and a couple of basilisks backing them up and things get ugly fast for anything that stands in the way.

I've got the Drake, got the Basi... but the real value's in command ships. Especially if - as I do - you happen to have maxed out siege warfare leadership training.

Makes me wish I hadn't sold my Vulture. Oh well, I can afford a new one, no problem.

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.30

I'm considering what kind of ship to use for dealing with Incursions. Right now, if I get involved, it'll be as a pick-up member of any fleets, which carries a few challenges.

It's going to need to be something solid, of course. Something that can put up with the firepower. Or at least that can stay alive long enough to convince the Sansha to find a new primary target.

It needs to be cheap - I want to be able to afford losing it to Sansha tactics or to pod pilot treachery, as will inevitably happen.

And it needs to have some pretty heavy-duty firepower. The faster we can kill the bastards, the less they can bring to bear against our ships.

I'm leaning very strongly in favour of a Raven...

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.29

It's a testament to the quality of Cia's cooking that I can be witness to a blazing row between her and Camille that triggered one of Cia's episodes, and still have had a lovely time.

Would have been nicer if my shoulder hadn't wound up covered in dried tears and snot, of course.

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.28 Entry 2

Took Meera and Sinikka to a Splinterz game, leaving Atra in her dad's care for the evening. Still can't believe my brother-in-law doesn't like Splinterz. My opinion of the man is worsened (heh.)

I always drop some Ishukone scrip on the team with the longer odds. Quite a lot of scrip, in fact. About five ISK's-worth. Tonight, that money was riding on the Ichoriya Sentinels. After all, how well is a team from Black Rise going to do against the New Caldari Patriots? Loooong odds.

The fact that they hammered the Patriots down four places in the league table means that the bookmaker at that match... well, he's probably not crying because most everyone will have bet on New Caldari. But I bet the huge payout he had to give me stings a bit.

I put it into the fund for maintaining the Malkalen memorial. 

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.28

I was in Algintal when the supercarrier handling the incursion across the whole constellation was destroyed.

In fact, I'd only just warped out thanks to a pack of Sansha frigates engaging me, so I didn't witness the event itself.

Looks like there was a rush of activity on the local data channels as CONCORD deployed hunter-seeker algorithms into them to rip out the last vestiges of the Nation infiltration software the moment the supercarrier wasn't around to fight them off. My fluid router couldn't cope and had to reboot

And that was it. Normalcy restored, the system got back to business with admirable speed and efficiency. The all-clear was sounded,  traders started flying again, gate patrols were resumed.... Like nothing had happened.

But the whole of New Eden knows that Algintal couldn't have been freed without us Capsuleers. In one flurry of missiles and gunfire, we went from being the grisly engine of conflict that drives New Eden's economy, to being its avenging protectors. We're big damn heroes now, and they'll never forget it.

We have a constructive purpose now. So, neither will I.

Save. end.

Journal: 113.01.27 Entry 2

Okay... sober now.

Cia called last night. Didn't much feel like putting a shirt on, so it was a voice-only conversation, but it was good to hear from her. Bless her, she's worried sick about me.

I wish she wasn't. I'm... Well, I'd like to say that I'm fine. Which I'm sure would sound like a blatant lie, but I am. So I told her I'm "coping" instead.

Of course, I said this while lying half-naked on my bunk in the dark drinking whisky and smoking cigars, which probably didn't paint a good picture. But a man's allowed a few luxuries in my position. Like moping.

Self-pity is a luxury, and like all luxuries should be taken only occasionally and in moderation. I indulged in it last night, but today, and tomorrow, and the days to come - I won't. I'll get on with things. I'll adapt, overcome, thrive. Just like I always have, just like I always will.

I have purpose, and that's all I've ever needed.

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.27

Uaaargh...

...fuck...

...

..shit, is this thing on?

Fuck it. too hungover.

End. No, don't save you piece o-!

Journal: 113.01.25

The Sisters finally let me in to see Nicole

She barely recognized me, hardly remembered me. Just enough to give me hope, not enough to make me feel good.

In time her memories can come back, I know it. But until then, she's so close but so far away.

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.24

The arch-Bastard himself, Kuvakei hit Yulai. Three of those new Sansha's Nation supercarriers, "Revenants" got downed by the 1700-strong pod pilot response. The Nation harvested plasma samples from the core of the Yulai star.

And I don't give a flying fuck.

I've found her.

That picture they sent me is definitely her. She's lost weight - gone almost painfully thin in fact - but it's Nicole.

My rakkai.

Save. End.

Correspondence: YC113.01.23

Mr Hakatain,


Five Months ago an Achura woman came into our care at one of our remote operations in the Black Rise region. Our sisters there examined her it was clear that she was a Capsuleer. The woman has suffered from amnesia and couldn't remember how she got to where she was. The sisters kept her arrival a secret, for fear of bringing unwanted attention to both her and our facility.


The sisters contacted our main base in the region to apprise them of the situation. She stayed on our facilty for two months, untill our regular supply ship came and brought her to our regional head quarters. Since then she has been under our care as she, slowly, recovers parts of her memory. She recalled faces, ships and systems but nothing that gave us a clue as to who she was. That was untill three weeks ago, when she spoke what we hope is your name in her sleep. We researched this new lead and you are our strongest we've found.


We are unsure if this is your wife 'Nicole'. But she has given her consent for us to contact you and hopefully arrange a visit to find out one why or the other.


Our Best Wishes,
Kath Nastri,
Senior Sister.


ATTACHED FILE: Patient:Doe_Jane1138_BlackRise.img

Journal: 113.01.22

Something...

I've had the strangest feeling all day. Like there's a storm coming.

No... like TWO storms are.

Save. End.

Journal: YC113.01.18

Well, the swelling's gone down and the pain's finally subsided.

I have to hand it to Zainou, this is a hell of a piece of technology clamped to my knee. It's a mobile worn deep-injection med-nanite tissue repair collar. Which means, in layman's terms, a jointed block of metal worn around the injured joint, constantly scanning the tissue and bone within it and painlessly injecting precision packages of regenerative nanobots plus antiseptics, antiobiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to precisely where they are needed.

Result? An injury that should have required surgery and left me in bed for a week and limping for a good two or three months has all but healed in the space of three days. Give it two more and the knee should be good as new.

Pity, really. I think the walking stick and limp made me look quite distinguished.

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.14

I'm... a little surprised at myself.

I've not even spoken to Anneka properly since our... relationship... ended. No more than a few awkward words in passing.

But somebody insults her, and I instantly see red and weigh in to fight her corner.

It's amazing how resilient and persistent some emotions can be. It's been a long time, and a whole romance and marriage to somebody I... I don't know whether I should say that I "love" Nicole or that I "loved" her. I certainly don't know if either term applies to Anneka, we really weren't together long enough for the emotions to crystallize properly.

I'm just that kind of a man, I suppose. Heck, I've not had a civil conversation with Iadne since the divorce (or indeed since our wedding night) but if somebody insulted her in my presence like Myxx insulted Anneka, I know damn well I'd respond in exactly the same way. Not to mention if somebody insulted Suma's memory...

Heh. Women. They're like drugs - addictive, exciting, amazing, and bad for you. And once you're hooked...

Save. End.

Journal: 113.01.01

I think that sometimes it's easy to fall into the trap of letting New Eden turn you into a pessimist. After all from the perspective of a capsuleer, it's actually quite an ugly life out here. We're all amazingly wealthy and what do we do with it? Mostly we channel it into killing each other and as many poor collaterals as possible. Our energies seem to be 98% devoted to backstabbing, scheming, paranoia, conflict, sabotage, war and vicious competition.

Then you throw in stuff like Malkalen, Yulai, Mekhios, Seyllin, the Incursions... yes, you'd be forgiven for starting to think of the world as a crapsack after a few years. So it's important to rekindle a few happy feelings now and again.

For me, the place to do that used to be at home with my family. It still is, of course... but the Homeworld has increasingly come to be my second option.

So, I took them there. Dad, Sini, Meera, Veikko, Atra, Veikko's parents... all of us in Arcurio City for the New Year party. Being little, Atra wasn't really a fan of the big explosions in the sky, but she liked the Dragon. The adults, of course, got something more out of their first every visit to the Homeworld.

I, being the incredibly handsome man that I am, attracted my fair share of New Year kisses from the ladies in the crowd. I wound up wearing more lipstick than Sinikka was, all over my cheeks. 

Dad got his fair share too, and seemed quite proud of himself. It's good to know that pushing seventy years old is no obstacle to a Civire man.

The crowd was mixed Gallente and Caldari. Nobody seemed to give a damn, or if they did they didn't outwardly show it. They were just there to have a good time, and not to worry about things like ethnicity.

I looked up, during the night. You can just about see the Titan, as a bright star.

It really is always there, reminding people of its presence. I can see how that could  be intimidating... but I was watching throughout the night, and half the time, when somebody looked at that thing... they smiled.

It was a reminder that ordinary life, for ordinary people... isn't so bad. some days, in fact, it's damn good.

Save. End.