Fueling the fires

Domain Region
Throne Worlds Constellation
Amarr Solar System - Emperor Family Academy (1.0)
21:14 EVE Time (Local System)

Shouting and calls from people moving back and forth echoed throughout the gigantic hangar, barely heard over the throbbing roar from the various pieces of machinery, engine tests and general noise that only a trade hub station could create. Hauler drones buzzed between hangar bays, delivering their carried items to the waiting occupants. Ships of every size and type flowed back and forth, some entering into the thousands of hangar bays inside the station, some leaving through the docking ring, but all of them on their own journeys across the stars. The heat from the engine trails washed over the other hangar bays like waves across an ocean, despite the fact they were supposed to be protected behind the flickering thermal shields.

Zendrak glanced up from the flashing datasheet in his hand as a skeletal crane lifted a freight container off the  nearby dock, setting it down lightly on one of the conveyor belts shifting numerous similar containers deep into the yawning maw that was the cargohold of his new jump freighter, the Origins of Salvation. This action was repeated dozens of times around the two kilometre structure of the Ark as hundreds of automated drones and cranes attempted to load the behemoth full of containers on schedule.

He shook his head slightly. None of this was for him. He wouldn't see a single ISK of profit from this move, and it was all his brother's fault. Not that he could truly blame him, Zendrak understood that his brother yearned for risk and excitement everyday, and a large part of that risk came from losing his ships in increasingly dangerous ways. And of course, when Seraph heard that he'd purchased an Ark, the first question out of his mouth had been,

"Can you move some things for me?"

And Zendrak, the ever-helpful younger brother had reluctantly agreed. In truth, he owed everything to Seraph. His brother has set him up with a some hundred million ISK after he'd become a capsuleer, and all of his wealth from trading and industry had stemmed from that seed money. Of course, Zendrak told himself, he could have done it anyway, it just would have taken longer. But he still felt he owed Seraph, so whenever his brother needed something, usually dangerous armaments moved into LowSec, he jumped to it.

But this time... This time he was feeling nervous as he watched a tightly packaged Thorax class cruiser placed down next to another freight container full of drones, ready for loading. Mainly it was the pure amount of weapons and ships he was moving for his brother, maybe it was the fact that Seraph had never lit a cyno beacon in his life, and maybe it was because he would soon be risking almost eight billion in ISK in dangerous space that was being torn apart in the war between the Amarr Empire and the Minmatar Republic. Zendrak swallowed.

He wasn't a coward. He could do this.

A loud clanking noise above his head made him glance up. Far above, fuel lines were descending towards his pride and joy, preparing to fill the bays hidden deep within the ship with volatile jump fuel. She was almost ready for her first flight, but all he could feel in his stomach was sickness, not the usual anticipation. He shook himself, told his brain to get a grip. Pre-flight anxiety. He'd had this before. Nothing new.

His datapad gave a double beep, barely audible over the sheer noise created from the activity echoing through the station. Zendrak glanced down, and tapped the comm request, turning away from his ship to help minimise the noise from the machinery. The datapad flashed twice before reforming into a perfect image of his brother's face, strangely hunched over as if he was still in his capsule. Odd, but not entirely surprising.

"Greetings brother, how can I help you?"

Seraph smiled, obviously noticing the massive Ark over Zendrak's shoulder.

"Well Zen, seems like you already are helping me. What's the ETA for your launch?"

Zendrak scowled slightly at his brother's hologram, knowing perfectly well Seraph had used his pet name just to annoy him.

"If these hauler drones keep on schedule, probably a few hours. Are you in position to light the beacon?"

"Ahhhm, I'm a little off course at the moment..."

An muted explosion came through the datapad's speakers. Zendrak stared at it in shock.

"Are you fighting something while talking to me?!"

"Was. Was fighting something. He's definitely dead now. And I'm in a fleet, don't worry, the guys are watching my back"

"Seraph I know we can't truly die, but this is getting ridiculous..."

"Have no fear brother, I know what I'm doing. Anyway, this shipment?"

Zendrak frowned again.

"A few hours, like I said. They're fueling her now. Besides, you need to get my beacon in place for the jump in."

"I'll be there, stop worrying so much. I'm looking forward to this cargo"

Zendrak rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. Stop worrying? Easy for his brother to say, he wasn't the one in a six and half billion ISK hull, with an explosive cargo worth another billion and a half on top.

"Very well. While we're on the subject of your cargo, why do you need so much? Are you planning to fight a whole war by yourself?"

A dangerous gleam lit Seraph's eyes.

"Something like that..."



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Thought I'd have some fun writing this short piece before my first jump with a capital ship in a couple of days. I quite enjoyed developing my characters and their relationship with each other through storytelling some more, and I'm definitely leaning towards portraying Zendrak as the younger, more sensible of the two, while Seraph runs around shooting stuff :D

Plus I wanted to try and give a sense of how I imagine inside a trade hub station to be, with the noise and the heat and constant activity. I think I've done okay, but of course you, the reader, can be the judge of that. These little story posts are going to stay fairly infrequent, but I'd like to write something longer one day. Maybe a book.

Any criticisms on my writing would be great, as always I'm looking to improve!


Good luck out there guys :)