6/13/2010

Out of Body Experience

Begin personal log, Sunday June 13th, 112.

A video feed begins rather abruptly. The view appears to be of a darkened hangar or cargo hold with the camera drone sitting on a table directly infront of a large glass tank filled with green fluid. It's possible to make out the remains of what presumably used to be a human through the murky fluid, however actually calling it 'human' at this point would be a misnomer. It's a mess of charred and ruptured flesh, undoubtably the result of what happens when a capsule is breached by heavy firepower and the occupant is exposed to vacuum. Kimochi is off-camera when she speaks but judging from the sound of her voice she must be sitting right next to the drone.

So, I found it.

Or more specifically Morwen found it. Then she, Kyoko and I raided the station where it was being held and Vince went onboard to actually retrieve it. I need to talk to Verone and get this thing looked at by Dr. Einmoch to see if he can get any useable samples from it...

Like with anything to do with this operation, I'm not getting my hopes up. But it's really hard not to feel as though I'm finally getting somewhere! Finding this was a huge stroke of luck and it makes me feel like there might actually be an end in sight... But like I said. Trying not to get my hopes up just incase.

I spoke to Celes Tenebrae again... Apparently she's come accross something similar to my ailment before and she thinks that even if we manage to grow new clones using a tissue sample from this thing it might come back. She expressed an interest in getting ahold of a sample of it at some point.

There is a short pause as Kimochi presumably just stares at the corpse for a moment, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

It's a strange feeling, looking at a dead copy of yourself. Even stranger when you realize that the dead body was the one you were born with and nurtured in. It's like... I don't know, a dream or something. It's just weird to think that this corpse, this... lump of biomatter, used to contain my soul - assuming such a thing even exists.

Shit, I need to learn how to not be so damn sentimental.

End log.

5/04/2010

Bunny Ears

Begin personal log, Tuesday May 4th, 112.

So I'm sitting in my new apartment in the Impro station, everything has been moved over and unpacked... It's taken a good couple of weeks to get everything moved over but it's finally done. I'm not sure why, but at the back of my mind I always expected there to be Jovians wandering around onboard... Heh. That's stupid of course, there are no more Jovians here than anywhere else in New Eden at least as far as anyone can tell. But still... Impro being a company native to the Jove Empire, you have to wonder...

The station is a Gallentean design, albeit one of the more eccentric ones. The apartment is nice though, similar to my previous one but somewhat bigger and with a better view.

...

There was a reason I started this entry... Ghost Festival has disbanded, at least for the forseeable future - and I played a part in it closing it's doors. If I'm honest, this has been coming for some time now... Poor Myrhial has been trying to run the corp on her own essentially since Yishal left. She appointed Jude as a Wraith to help her out, but he's been all but absent - It was only a matter of time before either she closed up shop or cracked completely from the stress. I guess I should probably elabourate here...

I had a development in 'Operation Artemis' some time ago - I discovered the name of a salvager who was operating in the area at the time of my original 'death'. Nobody special really, just a non-capsuleer vulture who made a living picking the battlefields clean after capsuleer fights. I wanted to question him but I no longer have the contacts I used to when I was a Wraith. I guess I could have spoken to Myrhial about it, but she had more than enough on her plate just keeping the corp afloat. So I turned to the only other person I know with the contacts and resources I needed: Ethan Verone.

Within a week we'd tracked him down and interrogated him - and I now know that he'd picked up my body and sold it to a Serpentis administrator. It was about then that I realized something... My loyalty doesn't lie with some Cartel overseer somewhere in Curse. It lies with my friends - the people who have been there for me when I've needed them the most. I never really recovered after having to step down from the directorate really... You can't just let go of something like that and not feel some level of failure. I needed a fresh start...

So I joined Veto.

I spoke to Myrhial about this shortly before doing it and I explained my reasons. Both Plumb and Morwen had come to similar conclusions as me, so we backed eachother up during the meeting. Since I wasn't the only one leaving, Myrhial decided it would be best to close Ghost Festival's doors for the time being. She was sad about the whole situation of course, but she understood my reasons and I like to think she respected us for coming out and telling her rather than just hopping over without saying anything.

There is the squeak of a champagne cork being popped and the sound of carbonated liquid being poured into a glass.

And well here I am. Most of us have joined Veto now, a few others have gone off to do their own things. I had some good times in Ghost Festival... The last two years have been full of ups and downs, but I regret nothing and I like to think I've made a lot of lifelong friends - not the kind of thing one expects when committing to a life of lowsec piracy!

So here's to friends, memories - and a bright future.

End log.

10/29/2009

Gifts

Begin personal log, Thursday October 29th, 111.

Kimochi can be seen walking slowly through a corridor in a starship. She is wearing an electronic eye patch and a long black leather coat, trailing her gloved fingers of her left hand over the wall as she walks. The corridor is narrow and metallic with a red line running along it at about waist height, betraying the ship's Carthum design. Occasionally she passes members of the crew who greet her with a respectful nod. She take an electronic clipboard from a passing crew member and glances over the contents.

I had a few surprises last weekend. I figured it had been too long since I'd jacked into my pod, so I decided to help a few of the Ghosts clear our a Rogue Drone nest that had appeared in Goinard. I felt energized after smashing apart a few of the disgusting creatures with my Retribution's lasers, so when the call in our intel channel for assistance in taking down a Myrmidon a few jumps away was raised, I jumped into the Seraphim's Tears once more to go help out. The Myrmidon was completely overwhealmed of course, and I headed back to base with that warm glow you get after a successful kill.

She hands the clipboard back to the crew member and continues walking through the corridor, passing by a few windows displaying a view of a Gallentean hangar.

I decided to head to The Last Gate to relax a bit.. Ethan and Demetri were there and we had an interesting discussion about the merits of Battlecruisers and Command Ships. Recently I've run a few test simulations using an Absolution-class as the subject and I've had mixed success... The ship handles very well. It has very efficient defenses and it's firepower is certainly impressive. But I've noticed that it's possible to get a Harbinger to perform almost as well for a fraction of the cost!

I explained this to Ethan and Demetri who generally agreed with my opinion. Ethan did explain though that he happened to have a spare Absolution-class sitting in his hangar, and that he would sell it to me if I decided I wanted one. I thanked him for the offer and told him I'd contact him about it when I was ready.

The following morning I woke up to discover that an Absolution had been delivered to my hangar along with a full crew compliment, as well as a lovely note from Ethan explaining that he wanted me to have something to to work towards in the short term - a get well soon gift of sorts.

She smiles to herself as she finishes that sentence.

She's a beautiful ship, and the crew all seem to be pleased to be under my command... I don't honestly know what to say, it's probably the most expensive gift I've ever recieved! As grateful as I am, I'm not ready to fly her yet. I've been studying how to interface with a Command Ship systems and it's... Well, it's rather complicated. More complicated than any other ship I've ever flown, moreso even than some battleships - or so I'm told. I will need some time to learn how to make the most efficient use of her subsystems before I will feel confident undocking her. In the meantime I have a few modifications I need to have completed and of course she needs a name...

She comes to a large squareish portal in the wall connected to a corridor which is clearly of a different design to the rest of the ship - a docking umbilical. She walks inside towards the other end and part of the red and golden exterior of the huge command ship can be seen through the umbilical's windows.

Oh, and that reminds me... That same night I paid a visit to the Hellcats Pub for their party. I've never seen so many capsuleers gathered all in one place, and from what I understand it was a huge success for Mynxee and the Hellcats. I had an absolutely fantastic time, made even better by the fact that I somehow managed to win a Gila-class Cruiser in the raffle! I've never flown a Caldari designed ship before so I have little understanding of how they work. I have heard a rumour that the Gila will be recieving a Guristas firmware update sometime soon which will make it a very deadly combat vessel... Maybe I'll dip my toes into the world of Caldari warships when I'm done with command ships...

She smiles wryly to herself as she reaches out to touch a button on the camera drone. The bulk of the Absolution can be seen through a window behind her as the video ends.

End log.

10/20/2009

Stepping Down

Begin personal log, Tuesday October 20th, 111. Audio Only.

I've had to resign my place on the directorate. The decision was not entirely my own but Myrhial is right, I can't continue like this... There is no point in me being a director if I can't do my job properly.

A heavy sigh.

Giving up my position has been hard, I've been a director for just under a year and a half and having to quit now makes me feel like a failure. The others have been supportive, telling me that I did the best I could and that they are grateful for the work I have done, but that doesn't stop me feeling like I've lost something. I know it's for the best really... But I miss it regardless.

This of course means that I've lost a lot of my contacts in the Cartel which means I might not be able to help Celia as much as I'd hoped I could. I'll have to think of another way.

More bad news, I lost the Nova Flow a few days ago. I was in a combined Veto and Ghost Festival fleet, tracking down a group of four Ferox-class battlecruisers in Nadire. Yishal and I were in Lermireve sitting on the gate we thought they would come by, and sure enough they dropped out of warp right ontop of us. I was the first to open fire, and all four Feroxes - along with the sentry turrets - responded by firing back. Yishal called primary, but I had some trouble switching targets which resulted in my firepower being spread over two vessels. The rest of our fleet started to arrive, but we were too strung out so they turned up in dribs and drabs, with our remote-repair Dominix being the last to arrive. He didn't have time to target and repair me before I had to give the order to abandon ship, but I managed to take one of them down with me.

The fleet tore apart the remaining three Feroxes with little other difficulty. I was feeling a little dejected at the loss of the Nova Flow and most of it's crew, despite it's sacrifice allowing us to nail three battlecruisers in a row. In retrospect though I'm pleased it went down the way it did, and not to some stupid blob or gate camp. I went out again that night with the rest of the corp in the Wraith as part of a forward scouting party. We managed two kills and only one minor loss due to an honest mistake. When we got back I discovered that Repentence had replaced Nova Flow for me too, so not a bad end to the night. I must remember to repay her for that.

There is a short, thoughtful pause.

I've still not really been outside my quarters since the mutation. Morwen and Repentence came over to try and convince me to go to the Three Sisters party, but I refused. Aside from that and a meeting with Ethan to discuss my thoughts about me stepping down from the directorate, I've had almost zero social contact since I left the VCS Lucifer. Maybe I'll pay a visit to The Last Gate or something tonight if I'm feeling better about myself.

End log.

10/08/2009

Needle in a Haystack

Begin personal log, Thursday October 8th, 111. Audio Only.

I'm currently staying on Vincent's carrier, the VCS Lucifer. I've never been on a Thanatos-class before and it's a lot bigger than I thought. You can see it's Gallentean heritage everywhere, all organic flowing curves and soft lighting. It's been modified too, a big section of the crew quarters has been converted into a representation of a mansion on Luminaire. He's even installed a holographic sky and climate control systems linked to weather satellites in orbit around the planet itself... Very sentimental of him.

I'm not sure how he heard about what happened to me, but he came barging into the ward where I was being held and practically swept me up into his arms to bring me here. He didn't feel the medics at the infirmary on the CONCORD station were treating me right... It was sweet, but I'm worried he's going to get himself into trouble over it.

Anyway... Apparently he's taken it upon himself to try and find my original body. He has an entire fully-staffed astrometrics suite and science lab onboard this ship which he is hoping to use to track it down... He's called it 'Project Artemis'. Cute.

Honestly though, I think he is wasting his time. There is no way he will be able to find the body and even if he does the chances of getting a workable sample from it are tiny. Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, the fact that he is even trying means the world to me... It just seems like such a huge waste of resources.

On the upside, the mutation seems to have slowed down. It's now covering the right side of my face and chest, and I've not noticed anything new for the last three days. It looks kind of like big ugly purple tendrils of scar tissue, a bit like stretch marks I guess. My right eye though is just... disgusting. No way am I going out in public with that on show. It's all swollen and misshapen, and it... it leaks. Ugh.

There is a party this weekend at the Three Sisters club. I really want to go but I can't - not like this. The theme is 'Elegance' and... well... I don't feel very elegant right now.

End log.

9/28/2009

Malignance

Begin personal log, Monday September 28th, 111. Audio only.

I'm updating this entry from the infirmary. My whole right arm is covered in bandages and it hurts like hell... It's all... malformed.

I came straight here after the incident on Wednesday, and I've been prodded and poked and had to provide a multitude of blood and skin cell samples... They think it's being caused by a defect in the genetic sample taken from my original body - the one used to grow my clones. I... I knew the sample was defective because... because of what happened before. But I had no idea the effects would be so far-reaching. I didn't even know it was possible for something like this to happen.

The worst thing is, it's spreading. It started in my right hand, but within a few days it's spread to cover my whole right arm... They don't know how far it'll spread or what other effects it might have, so they are keeping me here under 'observation'. Huh.. That's all these damn medics can do it seems, 'observe'. I'm sick of being treated like a fucking science project. They say they are working on a solution, but I already know they can't reverse it... They need a sample from my original body and God only knows where that is now.

I told Myrhial about it, and Repentence came to visit me the other night. They are the only two who know thus far... I'm trying to keep it as hidden as I can...

There is a pause as Kimochi's voice begins to tremble. She inhales deeply, trying to gether herself.

Oh God... What's happening to me?

End log.

9/23/2009

Old Wounds

Begin personal log, Wednesday September 23rd, 111.

Kimochi is sitting at her dressing table in a white silk dressing gown applying makeup to her face.

It's been quite some time since I last updated this... Not for want of anything worth reporting, I just havn't had the drive lately. Saw my little camera drone sitting in the corner over there and thought "What the hell."

So, there have been more than a few changes recently... Several members have left, and not all on good terms I might add. Vincent left for Veto too, although I still talk to him at least... He's changed a lot recently, I don't think he took breaking up with Kelsy too well. Despite everything, I thought they were actually very good for eachother... I guess I was wrong.

The Skyhook officially re-opened a couple of weeks back... That was one hell of a party. Myrhial managed to convince Andreus Ixiris to DJ live from the premises, and towards the end he announced quite suddenly that he was leaving the Federation. Brought on by the Federal Militia's sound defeat at the hands of the Caldari, no doubt. There are rumours he will be joining Veto, although I'm not sure where he is or what he is doing at the moment... I've been rather out of touch with current events recently.

Oh! And I've been attending Nobu's swordfighting classes... I'm not very good though, I'm not really built for that kind of thing. He says I need to learn to concentrate more, but his instructions are always so vague it's hard to follow him. Perhaps I should leave it for now and do it when I have less on my mind.

She finishes applying her makeup but continues to preen infront of the mirror, adjusting her hair, appearing to be deciding whether to wear it up or down.

Which reminds me, Celia approached me the other night with a rather interesting problem. Apparently she wants a gentleman tracked down and interrogated... He's an ex govener named Brond who knows something about Ms. DeKline's mother. I've sent out a few feelers to try and work out where he is hiding... Working for the Cartel certainly does have it's advantages when you want to find out where people's bolt holes are. I should hear back from them within a few da-OW!

Kimochi cradles her hand in pain as she catches one of her elegantly polished purple nails on the edge of an ornate wooden box when she reaches for a hair clip. She opens her hands and gasps in shock as she sees her fingers covered in blood - the nail appears to have come loose from her fingertip and is hanging on by a thread. She gingerly removes it, her face contorting in pain as she does so.

Ahhh Shit, I'll have to stop by the infirmary... What the hell..? Oh God...

Her expression changes from mild annoyance to horror as blood begins to slowly well up from around the other fingernails on her right hand. She lashes out with her left hand towards the camera drone and franticly switches it off.