Chapter III - Blockade Runner

0.0 Linguistics

My day was essentially done, but not before fate could dictate that I be given another tool to help me through the rigors of 0.0. No, I didn't come screaming out of port in a Battleship armed to the proverbial teeth, nor was my shuttle equiped with some fancy cloaking device... I was given the gift of language. 0.0 language.

Saying 'Hi' in 0.0ese:


It may further speed my journey to blend in with the denizens of lowspec space - anything to help keep my head from decorating some spear posted menacingly beside a stargate to ward off would-be adventurers. Happy with my progress, I retired for the evening.

DAY TWO

At the rate I was going I could fully appreciate IN's experience myself in a third of the time, and with that very thought happily etched on my mind and set off towards PF-QHK, the next stop on my journey.

"Onward!" - I cried in Local.

My shuttle danced through the abyss towards the first stargate of my 20-some jump journey. What sights would I see? What mysteries would be revealed to me?

Shortly both my shuttle and pod were plucked from the sky rather unceremoniosly, and I found myself sheepishly forking over more isk for another shuttle back in port.

Members of the ROADKILL alliance had apparantly set up a tea party at the gate - ostensibly to protect a brothel on the other side. What more, I was perceived as a very real and serious threat:

"Shuttles have been known to have DDD equipped, you can't be to carreful these days" - a Kriz Lupin pointed out knowingly.

I searched my mind for the acronym... Doomsday Device! If only I'd remembered to 0/ them! Perhaps they would not have thought me a possible scourge on their existance. Of course, now that they'd reduced my previous vessel to space dust I was sure they'd be satisfied now that I was in no way affiliated with any of the Horsemen of the Apocolypse (short of being a distant cousin).

The security regimine on my second attempt at the stargate was as invasive as the first. ROADKILL, it seems, doesn't take any chances with DDD-equipped shuttles. I attempted to negotiate and pass but made no headway:

Wrong gate time, wrong gate channel:


I was determined to continue making progress in my quest, however - I had to reason my way through. Alternate paths? Much too long and I wouldn't be following IN's path if I attempted that. But then I realized - a least one of these ROADKILL knew of INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE and yet would not let me pass.

Greetings from an Oppressed Follower:


It was obvious that he had to obey a higher power and could not conceivably allow me to pass so easily without facing dire consequences. How can I fault a follower of the Way who had to eke out an existance in the desolate expanse known as 0.0 space? Thankfully, I had an epiphany...

I remembered the South-West-Facing Cranes of Scrambled eggs Super-dee-Dooper-dee-Booper Special de luxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper fame. In guarding their eggs, these cranes face precisely one direction - the trick to procuring their unhatched offspring was to approach from the North-East!

So, I hatched my plan; undocking, I sent my ship off into the solar system to approach the ROADKILL tea party from the rear. Coming out of warp I noted the ROADKILL ships all oriented towards my port, but I sneakily snuck my ship close enough to warp onward. Success!

Kindred Spirits

A few jumps in and I encountered some members of The Mahkai having their own tea party, unfortunately also at a gate I was destined to go through. Without warning I was fired upon, causing me to quickly warp away, setting an intermediate bookmark. This appeared a prudent measure to have taken as another Makhai soon appeared at the waypoint I had warped to - was the threat of DDD-equiped shuttles so serious that I would be attacked everywhere I went? I alternated hiding at my bookmark and checking my exit while being entertained by a Makhai named Jedek and his peculiar squirrel-related delusions.

Shortly I learned that it was quite possible to be podded by a ship 105km distant. Amazing as my former self had never done damage further out than 30km.

Back in FDZ4-A, I encountered yet another delusional 0.0 spacer by the name of Dez Affinity... was this sort of thing endemic? How much longer until the madness enslaved me? Is this what had happened to INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE? I shuddered to picture finding IN at the end of this journey, feebly muttering about line dancing hors d'oeuvres and WMD-equipped pods while circling a golf-club shaped asteroid in some distant solar system of 0.0 space. The wilderness indeed...

Space Madness or Brothers from Different Mothers?

Chapter II - War and Pieces

My journey to B3QP-K was briefly sidetracked by an Intergalactic News flash; IN having made no mention of significant Caldari 'rumors' (as the were referenced) in this leg of his journey I decided investigating would be something He would do. If He'd do it, then so should I.

Sidetracked

To me it looked like a prehistoric fish skeleton suspended in the void, but my shuttle's computer decided we'd found a 'Giant Snake-Shaped Asteroid'.

Snakes on a (Temporal) Plane:



Either way, the number of red crosses crowding my HUD led to a decision to quickly jump to a friendly marker which itself was surrounded by menacing, nesting rings; perhaps constructed by a civilization fascinated with Matrioshka dolls.

Matrioshka Rings:



The lack of interstellar pegs halted any speculation that I might be subjected to some perverse Towers of Hanoi test by Gallente admirers of Edouard Lucas. Eerily I realized, Something had pulled me off course that IN had never mentioned; perhaps there were trials and tribulations he had spared us from. I bid the rings adieu and carried on, wondering how many temptations would draw me from the true path.

Domestic Violence Hurts Everyone

I arrived at B3QP-K and... nothing. I was alone in local and it had been awhile since I'd seen any other ships at all. What now? I knew that He had been podded in this very system and I wondered if I shouldn't have brought some livestock or a janitor to sacrifice in remembrance. I took a moment of silence and, dazed, randomly jumped through stargates until I found a station to dock at.

Having experienced a moment so momentuous even Hallmark has no card for it, reality came crashing down around me as my docking request was denied. Denied? I quickly scanned the Historical Documents and realized now was not yet the time; I had much to do before I would be allowed to dock in such places.

No skipping ahead:



I decided that I would explore a little more before returning the my current home in 0.0 space; IN had expediated this by getting himself podded but perhaps 0.0 space had been awash with a unprecedented peace since His time.

This is when Die Well made an appearance, quickly obliterating my shuttle before I could warp away. In shock at this turn of events, and with the prospect of a long journey in my cramped pod, I returned to the scene of the crime to inspect my once proud shuttle - now a steaming wreck of twisted metal suspended in space.

I understand and forgive you:




Die Well had scampered away, off-loading more rage on unsuspecting travellers, or at least I thought... no sooner had I began gawking at the debris he'd made of my shuttle did he return to quickly finish the job on my pod. I could only help smiling at the fortuitous homicide inflicted on me - I'd fallen in step with IN once again, thanks to a man and his abusive spouse...

Chapter I - No Present Like the Time

IM spent a good half a year building up the content of the Historical Documents. I've the luxury of foresight in following him, though this may be a dubious advantage - Eve is alive and I've no idea how much has changed in the short time since IM made his journey.

The trip to FDZ4-A was uneventful right up until my arrival. My formal welcome to 0.0 space was a battery of laser fire slicing across my bow courtesy MrTriggerHappy, prompting me to quickly dock. Trigger happy indeed...

Fully prepared for this turn of events I bravely confronted the brigand:



Faced with the prospect of a group so cohesive that they answered questions for one another, I briefly considered abandoning my quest altogether. My first test so soon?! The lucrative local opportunities in jam can consulting did catch my eye:



...of course I reconsidered. It is only natural for a man to stumble initially when starting out on such a momentous and important quest! Thankfully I don't recall IM citing flagellation as an effective way to attone for impropriety.

In due course I managed to secure safe passage - mention of IM brought some hazy remembrance; much less than what I'd expect considering this is where He began. This will change as the number of pilgrims making this trek grows.

I made the mistake of mentioning the slick sales pitch of the shuttle salesman who'd sold me my shuttle in preparing to depart. For a moment I forgot I was a guest in someone else's space making a dangerous pilgrimmage.

Here I not only tell them they're wrong, but I use numbers to do it:



I happily took leave of the denizens of the system with nary a shot fired in my direction, continuing on to B3QP-K where IM was first podded. Needless to say, my own fate was thus sealed but not in so inglorious a fashion as you might expect...

Prologue - Sequels are Pretenders

Greetings and salutations... my fellow Eve, er... players?

I began playing Eve less than a month ago - running agent missions in Domain in fervent anticipation of my first capital ship before months end. Needless to say, I underestimated the scope of the Eve Universe.

No better was this illustrated than my first significant foray into low sec space, hauling secure cargo containers into 0.4 space with my sparkling new Industrial in preparation for the vast mining empire sprung from merely my own undaunted ambition. So sure was I of the immediate returns that I scoffed heartily at the insurance man as I proudly marched from the dealership.

The Encounter

I'm sure the engagment has been played out innumerable times before, as it will be played out many times as Eve lives on; noob ventures into low sec space unarmed/unprepared/clueless, vet requests protection money, and...

Well, that's as far as I got. As I attempted to anchor my cargo containers just off the asteroid field this very same scenario began anew with a request for a private chat. An Elite Frigate pilot gave me the option of a 5m isk donation or the assured destruction of my new ship. Thankfully he went from roguish to downright charming when I truthfully explained I was a noob with barely 1m isk in the bank.

He inquired of my weapons and asked that I fire a shot at his ship so he could ascertain the strength of them. This seemed like a bad idea. He insisted - I thought it odd that he should ask when I told him which weapon it was and that stats were readily available. He asked about implants - I had some back at port, I shared.

He then gave me 4m isk and suggested I stay out of 0.4 space.

The Historical Documents

I took the scary pilot's suggestion to heart and set up operations where it was safe, where pitiful pirate NPCs would perish pitiously under the pulsating punishment of my drone cloud of protection while I alternatively mined Kernite and ran agent missions. I added salvaging to my activities after slavering after some multi-million isk upgrades that could be had for a cheap BPO and the right salvage.

But still... time seemed a factor; I didn't have it and I could never catch up. Time meant skill and skill meant an easier life of procuring isk and isk meant big ships and POS and the map.
My goals of universal pre-eminence faded and I resigned myself to the sordid fate of eternally climbing the ladder along with the rest. Always looking for strategies... always looking for that edge that would get me above the other guy who was born the same week as me.

Searching through some rather bland explanations of how to best exploit the skill building system I came across the Historical Documents of one INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE. I was enthralled, mystified... what adventure was to be had! Living vicariously through the many records, I only barely managed to warp my ship back to port - my defenses lay silent through a mercilious pounding by NPC pirates as I took in INNO's world.

The Historical Documents

This was the seed - I wanted to find him. I could be an excellent disciple if the adventures were to continue.

The Omega and the Alpha

Unceremoniously, the documents came to an end just a couple months before my own beginning. For what reason, I cannot fathom... I've lurked amongst INNO's fans to hear the speculation and theories; even seen advertisements for information about INNO for a price. Had I just missed him? And like Saul on the road to Damascus a blinding light... blinded me... but somehow revealed my future course to me.

I must follow in INNO's footsteps if I'm to really find INNO.

I'll follow IN's rules - a new character (OBTUSE DAYDREAM) funded with 1m isk, restricted from any but 0.4 space and lower. Of course, my journey is anything but random as I'll be following in IN's footsteps based on the HD (Historical Documents).

DAY ONE

The first step is obviously character creation. As my goal is to find IN, or at least, IN's spirit, I thought the best course was to create a 'younger brother' persona. Hopefully I'll encounter the very same characters that IN did and the familial resemblance might smooth such encounters; but I wanted IN's little brother to be friendlier... perhaps less jaded or crushed by the oppresive majesty of the universe of Eve.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the 'brothers':



INNO is on the left, so I've created a younger, more hip and tanned relation...? Part of me feels that copying the background and outfit creaply achieves the illusion of resemblance. But let's not dwell on it.

IN was honest in his bio about what he was doing so here is mine:

"Searching for INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE

I'm an absolute noob who was born February 24, 2007, bought a shuttle and set off in search of the messianic INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE.

I'm without cash, concerns or skill... I've only got my quest.

My search is to follow in the footsteps of INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE to either find him or his spirit.

"Wish me luck..."- INNOMINATE NIGHTMARE, c.July 23 2006"

And now I set off to FDZ4-A...