I was walking the long narrow gantries of the hangers in Eygfe marveling at the sheer size of the mighty vessels I could pilot. I do it to remind myself that even as an immortal among the stars, there is always something bigger than myself. I must have walked for a few hours when I came upon an elderly man sitting in a chair, smoking a pipe, and seemed to be lost in the same train of thought as myself.
I asked if I could join him on the bench to enjoy the view of the Abaddon that was sitting nearby floating in the magnetic constrictors of the bay. He granted my request and together we sat in silence for about 10 minutes.
"Many years ago a young man not to different from yourself sat here with me." Said the old man. "He too was a Capsuleer. Handsome lad he was, smart, a bit full of himself. But he was ready to take on the world."
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"He died taking on the world. Thought the words of a tired old man meant nothing. He died while speaking his last words to me.
"'I should have listened to you old man.' He says, I could hear the fear in his voice. 'I never should have taken on the world so soon.'"
I sat silent, studying the man. That is when I noticed the many plugs a Capsuleer has upon one's body to allow the complex control of the ships we fly. I wondered why he was so old and why he never updated his clone to keep the youth so many crave.
The old man spoke again, "One day the boy came to me for advice, I gladly offered the answers he craved. He hung on my every word. He became quite the pilot. I tracked his missions and rewards. He was always more interested in combat than anything else. Occasionally he did some mining when his wallet began to get a little thin. He never did complain though."
I could see the the man's eyes a level of admiration for the "boy." I was no intrigued as to why the man was telling me this story but I felt I should hear him out. I was always raised to never interrupt your elders when they speak.
The man sat silent for a moment, as if remembering a long forgotten memory. He spoke again.
"As time went on he became skilled in bigger, better ships. He traveled farther away. Found friends and made enemies. He never did forget where he started though, always coming back to sit with me and tell his stories, share a drink or two, and sleep on my couch.
"Often did he bring home a lady friend for the night. But he never seemed tired the next day as he climbed into his pod and docked to his ship for the next journey across the stars."
I had at this point realized that the Abaddon had left and was replaced by a Rifter. It was barely bigger than an armor plate of the previous ship but was still much larger than myself and still had an aura of power around it. The man spoke after a few puffs of his pipe....
"We always kept in touch with each other. Even across the stars at three in the morning I would get a message from him regaling me with his tales of adventure with ISK counts and killboards. I told him to keep to his basics and perfect his new found skills.
"I was so proud of him. Sometimes I would receive a courier package with some war trophy that he acquired. Some a small container of DNA from another pilot he had killed or a ship he had found. It was quite impressive really. I sent back messages of thank you and small bits of advice."
It was at this moment I realized he was speaking about his son. This man had given up the power of gods for a family. It was the these very gods that would take his son from him. I couldn't stop what I said.
"You must have loved him very much. He had to feel the same way to you." I said under hushed tones.
The man looked at me with an approving nod. He had a look of pride when I said that. I could also see a tear building up in his real eye. The other being a synthetic replacement from a past fight of some kind.
"You can read me well, my boy." He said as he removed the pipe from his mouth.
"I guess so, Sir."
He repacked his pipe with tobacco, "I suppose you would like to continue listening to my story then.
"You can read me well, Sir." I said with a chuckle. We both began to chuckle.
He continued, "Well one day I got a disheartening message. He had lost his ship and pod to another Capsuleer. This particular pilot was a notorious pirate in the lower securities. A more evil man could not be found at the time. In his anger and cockiness he exited the Clone bay without prepping a new clone, not even the base model. He bought himself a new ship, fitted it with the best gear and took off to get his revenge.
"I sent him a message to return for a clone and to wait out this revenge. His chance would come. He said he was caught by surprise and it wouldn't happen again. He wont loose again. I told him to stop but he cut the comm line and I didn't hear from him again for three long hours. I keep a recording of our last conversation on me to remind me to never return to the stars."
He pulled out an old recording device. It must have been at least 100 years old. He pressed the playback button.
"Dad? You there?"
"I'm here. What's wrong, my boy?"
"Dad, do you know anybody out here? I called my Corp but they could only send a few pilots. I need help."
"I'm sorry but I don't know anybody over there anymore. How long until your friends show up?"
"I don't know. They are about ten jumps out. Aura says my ship won't last that long. He brought friends. I told him I wanted a fair fight, one on one."
"You knew from the start that wasn't gonna happen."
"I know. And now I'm scared. I'm scared Dad."
"I know, Son. I know."
"I should have listened to you old man. a faint chuckle. I never should have taken on the world so soon. And now the world wants me dead."
"Don't worry, soon things will be ok. Just calm yourself and stick to your basics."
"Dad?"
"Yeah?''
"I miss mom."
"I know you do. I miss her too."
"Dad, my corp just sent me a message. They say they aren't coming anymore. It's to hot for just the few ships they have."
"That's fine, son. Fight like you have never fought before."
"I will. I will."
"How are you doing?"
"I have destroyed the tackler, but I cant break the tank on the battleship. I'm gonna work on the battlecruiser."
"Well done. Kill what you can and move on."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Dad, I can't wait to see you again."
"Same here."
"I will be there before you can say Abaddo............."
And just like that the playback ended. I reached up to wipe the tears from my eyes. I felt my ring on my finger. I thought about my son. I thought about everyone I knew. I thought about this old man and what it was like to listen as his son died, unable to help. I looked at him and he was sitting perfectly still, like a statue. Tears streaming from his eye like the waterfalls I have seen on so many planets.
We sat in silence for about an hour. He broke the silence.
"Thanks for listening to an old man. Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to our stories."
"The honor was mine, Sir. You have given me much to think about. Would you mind if I made a copy of this audio?"
"You can have it. I don't want it anymore."
He placed the object in my hand, grabbed his cane beside him, and stood up. "I hope you and the other gods of the stars never make the mistake my son did. The world is doomed if you do."
I looked down at my hands where the device sat. I looked back up to tell the man thank you but he had somehow vanished. I quickly stood up and looked over the railing, hoping he hadn't jumped. I saw nothing. He disappeared leaving only the voices of two dying people. One of his son, the other of himself dying on the inside.
I knew from that moment, I may be a god to those not blessed enough to become a Capsuleer. But to each other we are only cannon fodder. This probably won't stop me from doing what I do. But I will do it with a new perspective now.
I looked across the hanger bays and saw the pilot who owned the Rifter. He was fresh out of training and visibly shaking from either excitement or fear about what awaited him outside the station. I called out to him and he turned.
"Don't forget your basics, boy! And perfect every new skill!"
He waved and climbed into his ship with a new found vigor. I watched him take off. I returned to my ship for another round of fighting with my fellow gods.
"Stick with the basics, perfect your new skills." I told my crew over the internal comms.
We are gonna live another day.
