Eve by Tony Gonzales

Author:Tony Gonzales
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Little Brown
Published: 2008-06-18T22:00:00+00:00

40

Essence Region - Crux Constellation

The Algogille System - Planet XIII

Federation Navy Testing Facilities Station

Standing before a panel of Federation military officers, Lieutenant Korvin Lears was enduring the administrative equivalent of torture. While most mission debriefings were short, fact-gathering and performance-assessing sessions, this one had erupted into a spectacle involving dozens of personnel in the Navy bureaucracy. A fellow pilot - namely his wingman and captain - had been ‘killed’ during this mission, and although Captain Yana Marakova was already reanimated and recovering from her ordeal, the fallout of her ‘podding’ had reached the highest echelons of Navy Command. All of the questioners were sceptical of the events that Korvin had already described, in meticulous detail, for the better part of the last two hours. In particular, they remained unconvinced of who exactly it was that who had attacked them in the DE71-9 System shortly after leaving Skarkon. Korvin was well aware of the violence transpiring on Caldari Prime, and knew the panel was hoping that his testimony would differ from the truth.

‘Lieutenant, I’d like to re-verify the composition of the attackers,’ said lead questioner Vice Admiral Elan Jacobsen. ‘You say they were combined Thukker and Republic Fleet ships?’

‘For the second time, sir, yes,’ Korvin repeated, allowing his frustration to show. ‘When the task force ignored our hail, Captain Marakova closed range to get a better look. When she reached—’

‘When you say ‘‘task force’’, how exactly do you define that?’ Jacobsen interrupted.

‘A fleet composed of four dreadnoughts, with supporting assault frigates and heavy cruisers defines a ‘‘task force’’ to me, sir.’

‘And how do you know that those were Thukker warships?’

‘I was in the Great Wildlands Region for one, and because no one else in New Eden flies ships like those.’

‘Ships like what, Lieutenant?’

‘Minmatar-classes with modified hull structures? Unqualified hull designs somehow fulfilling combat roles?’ Korvin answered, trying his best to keep his cool. ‘More importantly, ‘‘Thukker’’ is what registered on my ship’s threat indicators. I saw them, plus Republic fleet warships.’

Jacobsen unleashed an obnoxious-sounding cough into the microphone, but didn’t bother to excuse himself. ‘You are aware that your flight recorder information was inconclusive . . .’

‘Sir, I crossed back into empire space with less than five per cent of my hull intact. I was lucky to survive the trip. There weren’t many systems left functioning on my Taranis at all when it docked.’

Murmurs spread out among the panel as Jacobsen covered his microphone for a moment before resuming.

‘Did it ever occur to you that these so-called ‘‘Republic’’ ships were capsuleers?’ he asked.

‘It’s quite possible that they were, sir, yes.’

‘Did you notice the race or names of any the ship captains you faced?’

‘No sir, I did not.’

Jacobsen’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, sir, I’m sure that I didn’t,’ Korvin snapped. ‘When we encountered the Republic ships, my instruments registered the group as ‘‘friendly’’, so there was no need to check pilot metrics on any of them, and there sure as hell wasn’t time after they shot at us.’

‘So what you’re saying is that you cannot confirm that the pilots were not Caldarian?’

Korvin lost control.

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