TAMA

Space Detroit

Fee was watching the screens and instruments arranged in front of her. She pulled back the hair that had fallen loose into her face.

She muttered under her breath to no one in particular. "C'mon guys, don't you ever give up?"

Before her were images of spacecraft. Ships that were currently spewing fire and death at each other in an attempt to atomize their opponent. It was a free for all. There were no distinct side. Just an indiscriminate slaughter of whoever wandered into another's weapon sights.

She studied an overview of the space around her tiny capsule. There was a listing of objects surrounding the station she was tethered to. Major objects in the system, nearby vessels and objects were listed by name and distance. A color was assigned to the icon for each one. White indicated neutral items, like Space Detroit, the station which tractor field held her tiny craft or commercial and private spacecraft. Yellow was assigned to vessels piloted by suspected criminals. Icons in red showed the vessel had proven dangerous and was considered an immediate threat. Most of the time, Fee was reasonably safe, tethered as she was to the station. Still, she had to be careful. If she drifted too far from Space Detroit her and her ship were fair game.

Fioma "Fee" Keagan

It wasn't like this everywhere. In the systems controlled by New Edens security service Concorde, any hostile act triggered immediate and total annihilation for the perpetrator. Here in Tama, such was not the case. Tama had only a token Concorde presence to protect the multiple jump gates located here. The rest of the system could be considered a no mans land of blood thirsty cut throats and roving gangs intent on killing and robbing other pilots. Destroying a vessel and salvaging what ever had survived was their forte. Sometimes the crew got away. More often the corpses were left drifting in the cold void of space.

As Fee studied the instruments before her, her hand sub-consciously moved across the screen to the various icons. The jump gate she was assigned to watch, Nourvukainen, sat about 1400 klics from her current position. With few exceptions, the red and yellow icons were at about the same range. She narrowed the view on one screen to peer at the gate itself. Some of the colored markings were actually at other stations at the same distance. The balance were in the melee around Nourv'

She spoke to the screen. "Tama Spotter here, Nourv' gate is a negative. I repeat, Nourv' gate is a negative"

Thea "The" Caulder

A familiar face appeared on another screen. It was Thea Caulder. "Hey Fee...Thanks for the heads up. I'll sit here on the Nourv' side and wait if you don't mind" she laughed.
Fee laughed too, "Well The' You just do that. You've got nowhere to be anyway"
Thea laughed at the wise crack Fee had made. She was right. She had nothing to do until the spotter was sure the other side of the gate was clear. She would hove to near the company office in the Nourvukainen system. As captain of the transport YUKI ONNA. it was her responsibility to keep the vessel safe. A Miasmos class industrial, her hold was especially constructed to carry ice, thousands of cubic meters of it.

YUKI ONNA

Thea, her ship and crew worked out of the Oto system, one of Anest Iwata Corporation's most productive ice harvesting operations. YUKI ONNA regularly hauled the ice from there to the market in the Jita system. Each load brought in millions of ISK to the company coffers. It was a milk run for the most part. Tama was the only problem along the way. A huge problem, in fact. Until spotters like Fee had been deployed the company had suffered heavy losses in ships and crew. A market run could be almost suicidal, a death sentence. The gangs fighting in the system, particularly at the Nourvalkainen gate, were all too happy to reduce any vessel to fragments. "Ghouls" as some salvagers were called, then picked over the wreckage for equipment, the cargo, even the scrap metal from the wreck. Sometimes they even stole the ice, if it hadn't turned to a cloud of vapor in the explosion. Anest Iwata was barely hanging on, almost bankrupt any number of times. Then Fee and her ken came on board and things turned around. The company was now "in the black" as they say. Thea and her crew did alright with their share of the profit. Things were good.

Fee saw the screen was clear. No reds or yellows.in range of the gate. "Yuki Onna you are cleared to pass through Tama".

Thea didn't hestitate She snapped an order.The transport's warp engines spooled up and the made a run at the gate.Time was of the essence.The ship slowed up as she approached the jump gate, then Yuki Onna was catapaulted through a few light years of space.

Fee watched her displays. A yellow icon appeared, a frigate was approaching the gate. She held her breath as Yuki Onna appeared on her side of the gate. She waited anxiously as the warp drives spooled up. The frigate moved on the transport, firing a warp field disruptor at the slowly moving vessel. Fee crossed her fingers, it felt as if her heart had stopped. The moment seemed to last forever. Yuki Onna surged forward, multiple her warp stabilizers easily able to handle the frigates weapon. The transport warped away and Fee found she was able to breath again.

The screen showed another yellow, this one closing on Space Detroit. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she requested clearance to dock. "HVLKI here, request permission to dock" Gratefully she heard "Docking request accepted, HVLKI". Her capsule was towed into the hanger.

Self Isolation in New Eden.

Sisters of EVE Stratios class cruiser.

I found an unusual place to wait out the current pandemic. I'm assuming the fact that it's a gjillion light years and thousands of years in the future will be enough distance from sources of the current infection raging across the planet we call Earth.

I'm being facetious, of course. Hiding out in a virtual part of the universe will not protect me from the virus. Staying in front of the computer and off the street is the main idea. Keeps me busy and absorbs my attention while the real world news unfolds Armageddon before my eyes. I fire up the game, put on some tunes and grab a beverage. Good to go.

Ket leads an impromptu meeting with most of the associates

In the game my characters are all associate owners of a mining concern called Anest Iwata. They make their living harvesting a particular kind of ice, glare crust, and selling it at market. The price has dropped in recent months so their profits are cut, but they are managing to keep their heads above water. At present the corporations reserves hover around 2 billion ISK. Not much by New Eden standards, but a living none the less.

The stage of EVE Online is New Eden, a large star group in a remote corner of the universe. I believe there are seven thousand star systems in the game. It's imagined to be on the other side of a wormhole that collapsed thousands of years ago, leaving the colonists of New Eden cut off from Earth and explored space. Here, far in the future, a remote branch of humanity thrives despite their current trials and the hardships of their ancestors

Map of New Eden.

Those original colonists brought all the strengths and, unfortunately, the foibles of humanity with them. There are good solid citizens here who work hard to earn honest livings. There are entrepreneurs wealthy beyond imagination, both small and huge corporations competing for the same resources. You'll find explorers in every region, searching for that undiscovered place full of mystery and perhaps infinite riches. There are also murderous criminals that prey on all f these to steal the hard earned wealth. Like all previous human civilizations, the various populations have split into factions and battle with each other over territory and resources. Various wars form a backdrop to life here, affecting the general economy and quality of life for all regions of this part of the universe.

New Eden itself is divided by the actual physics of space itself. There's real space, the one we experience every day and an alternate space accessed via holes in the fabric of space-time. Wormhole space is mysterious and unexplored for the most part. It sometimes harbors alien lifeforms and/or nearly priceless treasures prompting fortune hunters to risk the terror and danger in search of tremendous wealth.

Wormhole.

But back to the folks of Anest Iwata corporation. The name is taken from a Japanese company that makes anasthesia equipment. At least I think that's what it does. I liked the way it sounds so I borrowed it. At this time the corp includes 37 or so men and women who hail from all corners of New Eden society. I'll let you know a secret. All 30 odd members are me. They're are a LOT of solo players who create small corporations out of the three alternate characters that come with every account.

EVE: One account, three characters.

Same here. I got this idea, however, that other players are familiar with this arrangement. In some cases they will actually make derogatory comments in chat about the three member corp. These folks believe that the true enjoyment of EVE requires the social interaction of multiple players. I myself am not convinced the interaction is always social. Having somebody telling me what to do is not my idea of joy. While I don't particularly like being derided for playing solo, I do find it convenient to have a bunch of characters. I've split the corp into several teams and deployed the various characters over a wide region of space to the many offices in or near systems where glare crust has been found. This allows me to mine several different areas. If one group sees an influx of bad guys, I can switch to another group in a quieter system. Each mining team is comprised of 2 mining barges, 1 transport vessel designed specifically for ice, 1 each security and exploration ships.

Mining barges in the ice fields, Oto system.

The barges are equipped with armed drones that defend them from the majority of NPC attacks. Their defence against more formidable hostiles is to "haul anchor and run like hell" as soon as a threat is detected. Typically they return to the local office, but any other shelter will do until the hostile(s) leave the system.

Nxteev Siab security frigate "XARLANGER".

The security ship is there to help protect the barges, although they often sweep local asteroid belts for NPC in seek and destroy missions. Since there are bounties on most every head of these hostiles, a tidy profit can be made. Security is handled by the affiliate corporation Ntxeev Siab, a group comprised of battle hardened Amarran Navy veterans. Nxteev Siab uses Magnate class frigates which are effective against most opponents, but not heavily armed. Sometimes they encounter an NPC beyond their weapons capability. In those situations there are warships that can be dispatched to deal with the threat.

Thorax class cruiser "CATH TUA".

The exploration ships survey systems for anomalies in space-time. They carry equipment that enables to pinpoint the locations of these anomalies. They can explore any wormholes they uncover or search for relics and technology from extant alien races. If necessary they can call in more specialized vessels to explore extremely dangerous locations.

Exploration frigate "VALANCY".

The more specialized vessel are built and sold by the SISTERS of EVE or SOE, a religious humanitarian aid organization. One of many classes of ship constructed by the group are the Astero frigates. Anest Iwata owns two, RUTAN and SHI'MET. These ships are equipped with cloaking devices that allow them to disappear if necessary. They are able to use their warp cores while cloaked and move about without being detected. They can be armed if necessary, but rarely are. Each ship carries a complement of fifteen scout drones for defense.

Astero class frigate "SHI'MET".

There are consistently dangerous systems the transports must travel on their route to and from markets. Rather than go around these trouble spots and waste time and resources, "spotter have been stationed to watch for hostile activity. Transports are not permitted to pass through unless approved by a spotter.

Ozma Haklar, spotter , Tannolen system.

Other characters remain in the "home system" of Niyabainen, which is where Anest Iwata is headquartered. They man sturdy small mining frigates that harvest mineral ores from local asteroid belts. There are transports stationed here that are dedicated to handle shipments from planet based installations in the surrounding systems. The bulk of fittings and equipment for the various teams is stored in the hangers at headquarters. The home system is directly adjacent to a star system with a major trade market.

Venture class mining frigate "GLOWR".

One character is rather unique. Evergreen Prime, known as EV to most people, is Anest Iwata's market manager. She is permently stationed at a major market hub and handles purchases and sales. What makes her unique is the fact that she is actually an artificially intelligent ship, a Velator class corvette docked in a hanger at the station. She communicates with customers and associates by way of holographic avatar that resembles a young woman. Ket and Aki felt that many humans relate better to female humans, hence EV's appearance.

The corvette Evergreen Prime.

EV, the ships "avatar".

Chief associate of the company is a redheaded woman named Ket Ama'Kel. She's the founder of Anest Iwata and all final decisions rest on her shoulders. She's tough and "strong willed" as her more polite associates refer to her stubborn nature.

Ket Ama'Kel, founder of Anest Iwata.

Her right hand man is a fellow named Akio Kanai. Aki, as he is know, has been at Ket's side for years and knows her better than anyone. He is the only person who can change Ket's mind once she's made a decision. He refers to her stubbornness as her "single minded" personality.

Aki Kanai, co-founder and Ket's right arm.

Mining in the less secure areas where glare crust is found is not easy. The Concorde law enforcement agency has minimum presence in these systems. Although the mining barges are equipped to defend themselves against most NPC attacks and some lightly armed player vessels, they stand little chance against the roving gangs of hostile players who roam through star systems destroying vessels and crews. Originally Anest Iwata suffered heavy losses at the hands of such brigands. Over time, however, Ket and Aki have developed strategies to reduce the number and expense of lost vessels and income.

Damaged mining barge "VISLA".

It took a lot of trial and error to fine tune the survival strategies to keep Anest Iwata in the black, with a lot of personnel, ships and money lost on the way. Records show the corp has lost over 200 vessels and crew. Anest Iwata has faced bankruptcy several times and lost an estimated 4.9 billion ISK in the last three years of operation. At one time the corporation was losing dozens of vessels monthly. Things have improved dramatically in recent times. The survival rate is higher, nearly 90% of the entire fleet return safely to their moorings.

Facilities on lava planet Oto I.

Anest Iwata tries to diversify beyond mining operations. While exploration ships recover valuable artifacts, said items are not an overly reliable source of income. The corporation has production facilities on four planets in the headquarters system of Niyabainen. An additional two installations are in the Oto system, which is also the most productive ice harvesting operation. Special transports of the Epithal class are stationed in both planetary systems to carry the products to market. These planetary production plants are totally automated and are rarely visited, except by transports.

Transport "XINGXING" orbits customs office, Oto I.

Making profit from planetary exploitation is a long term proposition. It takes quite a while to produce enough of anything to fill a Epithal class transport. The taxes at most customs offices average 7.5 percent. A load of planetary products might sell for $28 million ISK at the market hub in Jita system. Of that amount perhaps 7 to 8 mil goes to taxation. Fortunately, Anest Iwata has its own broker, a role that EV fulfills, and as result pays no additional broker fees.

Transport "MASIGRE" moored at the market, Jita IV system.

Of course, all of this is fictional and exists only in the electrons, circuits and processors of CCP, the developers of the MMORPG "game" EVE Online. They created this medium for my imagination to explore and exploit space. It can be hard to master due to its high learning curve, but can also be addictive. I've taken breaks from EVE several times, but then I start to miss the wonder and mystery that is New Eden. That name can be misleading. It's far from most peoples sense of what an Eden should be like. Far from the paradise the original colonists imagined, it's a harsh and dangerous place. A strange and terrifying area of the universe, full of unimaginable beauty.

"MAIGRE" leaving market, Caldari Naval station, Jita IV 

I can't tell you where the gang will go from here. The future is an unwritten book. While most of the characters are free, Alpha types with limited skills. two accounts are Omega. They're part of a subscription that costs $15 (real American greenbacks) a month each. The paid accounts can accomplish much much more than free ones. They can learn unlimited skills (which takes years in everyday real time) that allow them to expand their role in the game. The six characters represented by these two accounts are the only ones qualified to operate mining barges and mine ice. They are also the only ones capable of flying cloaked ships. Ket and Aki have "learned"so many skills they can pilot huge vessels armed to the teeth with awesome weaponry. With time and enough ISK they could learn to command and pilot the largest ships in New Eden. Not likely, however, as those ships and the skills required to operate them and their weapons cost trillions in game currency which translates to thousands in dollars in the real world.

THE AVATAR, LARGEST SHIP IN AMARRAN NAVY

Despite whats going in the world at this time I cancelled both subscriptions. didn't want to spend $30 a month if I only play occasionally. The characters will all remain, but the Omega's skills will be restricted until such time as I fork over some actual dinero. No more ice mining or flitting about space in invisible spacecraft. Depending on how long this pandemic keeps us all safely at home, I may decide to reactivate the Omegas and continue to exploit the treasures of New Eden. We shall have to wait and see.

In the meantime y'all stay well and as they say here in New Eden, "Fly Safe"

For those who want to try it, the game can be played for free and is available at Eve Online