Station Master (Part 2)

I headed further into Stain, and eventually entered a deserted system that contained a station with a wonderful medical bay. I quickly moved my clone there, and headed onwards into the night.Looking out of the little window in my shuttle, I watched in awe as the reflective particles of solar wind ripped across the space before me, twisting and twirling in a grand and mysterious symphony of delight.As I flew ever-deeper into the Stain region, heading westward towards my important appointment at the Mercenary Coalition, I was contacted by Seleene, whom I informed of my closely-avoided death at the hands of the evil podder from the "Silver Star Federation":There was an intriguing allure to the idea of hiring vicious mercenaries to destroy those who had previously harmed me, and I wondered if the slight desire for retribution that I was feeling was a natural characteristic, or if my experiences in 0.0 had changed me into a harder man.I was surprised to then learn that Mercenaries could be hired for as little as 1 billion per week for smaller operations, which meant that hiring groups such as the MC could certainly be a possibility in my future:I flew on, further and further into Stain, my thoughts turning to what exactly I was in this world. I had been to so many different places, and met such a large number of people now, that I was beginning to question who I really was, and what my role should be in this strange and fantastical land of opportunity.As I flew through the final systems to the Mercenary Coalition, I began to conclude that despite the occasional desire for revenge upon those who had attacked me, by my very nature I felt like I was a carebear.Despite my attempts to be neutral, there was something inherent inside of me that had caused me to reject the idea of violence, and to side with those who renounced it.Perhaps this was why I had stayed in my shuttles for so long, and had not wanted to become a "normal" player. Maybe this was also the reason that I liked the MC. In a world filled with violence and despair, at least they were loyal to their clients, even if their jobs often involved violently destroying others who had done them no harm. My label of "noble scum" seemed very appropriate.On the other hand, perhaps I had undergone a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of combat in EVE. What had particularly convinced me that I was missing something was the fact that when I had seen alliances fighting each other, the parties involved always seemed to enjoy it and were mostly very polite to each other.I wondered if the fact that I had not fought meant that I was missing a part of the EVE experience. I was undecided about it, because in thinking this I was measuring myself by "conventional" benchmarks.After all, my adventure had been something spectacularly different to how most players exist in EVE, and in a way I very much liked the fact that I had approached things in such a novel and unique way. Perhaps the truth of the matter was that I was terrified of the prospect of forming an alliance, and of developing a project to create and defend a n00b outpost.After safely arriving at the MC headquarters, and unexpectedly being on the receiving end of flattering romantic advances by one of the meaty mercenaries......I quickly grabbed a three-hour sleep (in my own bed), and awoke at 8am to take my place at the construction of their amazing new outpost. Maybe in helping to create it, I would in some small part gain a tiny glimpse into the future, and could imagine what it would feel like to build my own home.(to be continued...)