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Docking request accepted
Canderous Nord pressed a flashing indicator button on his control console from within the cockpit of his Atron-class frigate, recalling his camera drones back to it’s very small drone bay. He felt the usual gravitational tug on his ship as the station’s tractor beam began to pull his ship towards the hangar bay behind a long line of ships also waiting to get inside. He looked out from his cockpit window, gazing at the vibrant nebulae thousands of light-years away. The gas and dust came together to form a beautifully vibrant shade of yellow and blue. He moved his gaze back towards the station, watching several freighters from multiple races and corporations slowly making their way out of the station.
“Just another day in Dodixie.” Canderous said with a sigh. Not much happened in the highly populated trade-hub system, but the system does get it’s fair share of the occasional "lemming" criminal. A poor, but stupid soul would come along and forget that they have been marked with a Global Criminal Flag, whereupon noticing this flag whatever police force that occupied the system would send an automated warning asking to the pilot to "politely" leave. The pilot, being about as smart and attentive as a concrete slab would have never noticed the warning, he and his ship getting blown to bits a few moments later.
Canderous took notice to a single Obelisk-class freighter sluggishly moving out of station, a fairly large escort party consisting of Brutix-class battlecruisers accompanying the steel whale of a ship. He pondered as to why a common freighter would need an escort party of that size for a simple freighter, until he noticed that the Obelisk and it’s escort party were making a wide turn to the left, moving away from the station and towards an even bigger ship of truly colossal size.
A Nyx-class supercarrier sat idly by about eighty kilometers away from the station, surrounded by a large defensive fleet consisting mostly of Megathron-class battleships belonging to the Federation Navy, their truck-sized ion blasters unsheathed from their holding places. To say that a Gallente battleship was armed to the teeth would be somewhat of an understatement. Canderous immediately recognized the titanic supercarrier as the FNS Iron Giant, the only capital-class vessel allowed in the crowded trade system. It was truly awe-inspiring to see a ship of such raw power at a simple trade hub and not at the front lines where it’s legions of fighters and fighter bombers can chew through the armor. Canderous kept his gaze upon the shining symbol of the Federation’s power for so long that he didn’t notice he was next in line to be pulled into the station. His ship lurched forward and entered the station’s gaping maw, snaking around several corridors and going down two levels until it entered the station’s central hangar bay, where it slowed down and came to a halt at an unoccupied hangar platform. The frigate was now hovering in place. This was possible by another tractor beam, one located at every hangar platform.
“Time for payday. Hope that bastard doesn’t get lazy this time.” Canderous stood up from the pilot’s seat and made his way to the back of the ship. He reached a small steel door and pressed a flashing button on the side, causing the door to shoot upward into the wall, revealing the ship’s escape pod, in which it’s name applies, is normally used for fleeing one’s ship should you ever get into a tough spot in a fight. However though, since stations in New Eden do not posses a simpler method of reaching the captain’s quarters other than being transported to and from your ship via your only means of escape, this was the only option.
Canderous climbed inside the cramped pod and strapped himself into the seat. He fiddled around with the control panel inside, programming the pod to take him down to his personal quarters. The pod doors closed and a circular escape hatch opened from below the ship. Not even a second later, the pod shot out of its holding place, and began making it's way to the clamping point on the quarter’s viewing deck.
~~~~~
The typical living areas of stations in Dodixie weren’t all that impressive, or good smelling either. Most pilot’s owned much larger ships, like battlecruisers, battleships and the like, so they have a place to eat, sleep, and (fortunately) bathe. The living quarters did however though give you a bed, long-distance communicator to talk to contract agents with, a Holo-TV, and a Quafe vending machine. Canderous never tried the strange green-ish soft drink, fearing it through rumors from other pilots saying that it causes brain damage and a mild case of diarrhea.
Canderous slumped lazily over the couch, waiting for his contract agent to call him. While waiting he decides to take a look at the Dodixie market prices for ships on his holo-tablet to pass the time. Turning it on, he scans through the listings of ships and modules, previewing assorted large weapons and ships, until a certain shiny length of steel catches his eye. A Hyperion-class battleship at it’s lowest-price was listed for the ludacris price of one-hundred and fifty million ISK. Much too expensive for him, or for anyone else.
Yet there was something about the Hyperion that made Canderous look back at all the previous ships he piloted with shame and disgust. Was it the sleek, majestic look of the ship’s hull, the bow and stern coming together at the middle where the engines were to form a streamline sheen of elegance and beauty? Or the destructive force of the ship, outfitting it with the best weapons and modules money can buy just so you can watch with pride as its eight forward gun batteries tear apart the ship of any unfortunate pilot who should ever dare cross it’s path? Canderous has always dreamed of commanding one of these powerful vessels himself, ever since he was a little boy. Yet the dream never seemed to come true, with the rising cost of ship components anyway.
Incoming conversation call: ID Tag unknown
“It’s about damn time he called” Canderous sighed with relief. He used his holo-tablet to accept and connect to the call. The face of a rugged, bold-faced man appeared on the screen. His face was covered with beads of sweat, and his hair was in a tattered, dirty mess.
“Hey Canderous, you sent that wormhole location yet? Me and my men have been waiting here for hours!”
“First things first Malak. You send the money, I send you the bookmark.” Canderous commanded in an impatient tone.
The rugged man sighed and picked up a holo-tablet next to him and began pressing buttons. Canderous saw that the wallet icon on his holo-tablet began to flash. His pressed the icon, displaying his current wallet balance. What used to be only a meager amount of five million ISK, bubbled up to twenty-five million ISK, nearly enough for a Tier two frigate.
“There, twenty-million ISK, as we agreed to. Now send me that bookmark!” Malak commanded while angrily pointing his finger at the screen. Canderous navigated through the tablet menu until he found the correct bookmark, which displayed the location of a wormhole he found earlier that day. By the simple press of a button, he sent the bookmark to Malak.
“There it is sent. I’ve already explored through the other side. Leads straight to the Dronelands, so you and your boys have plenty of things to blow up.”
Malak fiddled around with this holo-tablet once more, until a smile began to creep up on his face. “So, you actually kept your end of the deal this time huh? Good.” He twisted his head to the right and yelled out to some people in the background.
“Yo guys, get in your ships! We’re going hunting!” Loud cheering could be heard in the background. Malak turned back to the camera, “I’ll have more jobs for you soon. Right now though, me and my boys are going out for a little pirate killing. Go and buy yourself a lap dance or something.” The screen went black, ending the call. Canderous tossed the tablet to the side and slumped back on the couch. The money he was awarded didn’t amount to much as a freelance pilot in New Eden, but every pilot had to start somewhere.
“Might as well go grab a beer. It’s gonna be boring as hell for next few days anyway.” He got up from the couch and walked over to the door. He pressed a button on the right side of the door and the door flew up into the wall. Canderous started to walk out, only to bump into someone on his way out. “Hey buddy, watch where you’re go-.” He looked up to see who he bumped into, what he say, made his heart stop dead cold.
Standing before Canderous were three Federation Navy officials, an officer and two armed marines. The officer looking down at Canderous with an angry scowl beset on his grimaced face.
Canderous was forcefully shoved away from the officer by one of the marines. He slowly backed away, turned around, and began to walk back to his quarters, only to be stopped in his tracks by a loud, booming voice.
“Halt pilot!” Canderous slowly moved his head to face the source of the voice, “Are you the one known as Canderous Nord?”
“Y-yes...” Canderous replied.
The navy official extended his arm to Canderous, whom extended his own arm and shook hands with the uniformed man.
“Canderous, I am Markus Aran, commander of the Federation Navy fourty-seventh Marine Division, and I would like to speak to with you.”
Canderous’s face went from frightened to confused almost immediately. Why would a high-ranking Federation Navy lieutenant want to speak with a common pilot like him?
“Uh... alright I guess...”
“Good. Why don’t we find somewhere more...private to talk?”
Canderous thought about it before speaking, “Well, we could talk in my quarters. Or if you prefer another place...”
The commander shook his head impatiently, “Your quarters are fine.” He motioned the two marines to follow him, moving his hand in a passive, leading sway.
“Well Nord, lead the way.”
~~~~~
Twilight’s recent days spent in the Canterlot observatory seemed to have become much more tiring than she was used to. Ever since Celestia sent her a letter asking for her to come to Canterlot immediately, her days were filled with nothing but star charts and constant observations. Twilight became so hooked to her tasks that she rarely got any sleep, but with a good, and rather exciting, reason. One of Princess Celestia’s royal astronomers found a large, brightly lit magnetic storm, not to far from the planet, with a strange mass hidden inside. Whatever object this field surrounds though is unknown to anypony, and Twilight has been raring to find out what it is.
“And I think I have made a breakthrough.” said Twilight to Princess Celestia with a wide smile across her face.
“What did you find, my faithful student?” Celestia returned Twilight’s smile with one of her own.
“Actually princess, if you don’t mind, I think it would be better if I told you and the other astronomers at once so I won’t have to tell each one of them in person.”
“That is fine Twilight. How about... high-noon, here in the observatory, so we can see it for ourselves?”
Twilight’s smile grew wider. Not only would she get to tell about her discovery to some of the smartest ponies in all of Equestria, but she also gets to show it to them personally.“ That would be wonderful princess. Thank you.” Celestia and Twilight bowed to one another before Celestia left the room. Twilight turned back to a large star-chart spread across a table. A large red circle was drawn around a blank spot on the chart near the sun.
“This is gonna be so. Much. FUN!”