Space.......... It's big you know. Sometimes it hard to comprehend, other times, when the only time you communicate with others is through the channels, and you don't see another soul for weeks, months on end, it easy to see.
But then you dock up, and you see it all. The Jita sellers. The Providence CVA guards, making sure you follow their rules while you are in their space. The quiet, but determinedly there Phoebe Freeport. All totally different, but all just carrying on with their lives.
Then there me. Minmatar. Ex-slave. Free explorer. Member of the Signal Cartel. Like everyone in this universe, I have my simple needs, with complexities. Daneo Mistry. A true JOAT MON. Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None. At one time I had nothing. Now, I have the wherewithal to go where I want, and get what I want.
But all people must have something. Call it a destiny. Call it a life goal. Call it your damn teddy bear for all I care. I had a good life in Saisio, with Bloodstone Industries. However, as people went their separate ways, all with their own goals, you suddenly find, you are on your own again. And this, this is my problem. I cannot bear to be alone. As a Minmatar slave, you are never alone. From the Creche as a child, to the job you are assigned once grown, as a slave you are never alone. Because the basic space that free people take for granted, is not for a slave. No. The more people you can fit in a smaller space, the easier it is to control them and their movements. I escaped from the slave life, but truth be told, certain aspects of it has formed my core personality and I will never be totally free of that life.
So what is a person to do? Find a new home. I searched, I fought, I mined and I did everything I thought would get me that new home. But eventually, each one of my new family would ask me to do something. Something that was against my nature. I would understand then. It was not my new home. It was a waystation, a chance to learn new skills on the way to my new home. Eventually, I drifted from the highly populated space. People out in these space were more suspicious. So I moved even further out. Eventually I learned new skills. How to find wormholes. to find new salvage opportunities. To find long forgotten relics of a long forgotten age.
There were others out there that did this. But they also had no qualms about killing anyone else that stood in their way. As an Amarrian dog soldier, I learned a lot about killing. Enough that I never really wanted to do it again on command. In defense of my life, or a friend life sure. But as orders, no.
So I drifted out in the space alone. Then one day, I saw an advert. For a exploration corp that promoted peace. It had a Credo.
Signal Cartel is a service corporation to all of New Eden. In this role, members are encouraged to treat all players with respect regardless of affiliation. In challenging situations, our goal is to look for a graceful resolution and set an example of dignity and friendship through our actions.
We embrace the attitude of a true explorer: we are friendly to others in our travels, neutral and never initiating aggression, and endeavoring at all times be perceived by the New Eden community as a non-threat. Although we never intentionally seek to harm, we may defend our friends and our ships. In suffering losses, we respond with good cheer and shed no tears. In this way, we aim to be recognized and respected by all across the cluster and left in peace to do our work.
Among our own ranks and with others, we are patient and generous with knowledge, ideas, and experiences. We foster a mentoring culture by answering questions, freely sharing experiences and learning resources, and when possible offering rookies one-on-one tutoring.
This...... This could be what I am looking for! But...... There have been so many others, who had made similar promises..... My thoughts conflicted, I froze in an agonising tableau, my arm outstretched towards acceptance, and my face grimacing. What to do...... What to do?
Choice. As a slave, you do have some choices. Dying is one of them. When you are a free man, You have many more choices. Dying was still one of them. Out here, on my own, in the coldness of space, I was slowly dying. Inside if nothing else. I hit accept. Better to make a choice, that could lead to better choices down the road.
So I came. I joined. I am a signaller. I am guided. and in turn, I guide. I shine a light into the darkest of places. I light a beacon for others when they are lost. Most importantly, when I am lost, I can call, and someone will come and find me. For I am a signaller, and i am no longer alone and lost. This reminds me of that long ago tale, that I was told, by a drunken Caldari in a bar, in a station somewhere, that he claimed was one of the old tales of earth.
This guy walking down a street, when he falls into a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. a doctor passes by and the guy shouts up 'hey doc, can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it in and walks off. Then a priest walks by and the guy shouts up 'hey father, can you help me out?" The priest writes a out a prayer, throws it in and walks off. Then a friend walks by and the man says, hey Joe, I down here, can you help me out? The guy says 'sure and jumps in the hole. ' are you stupid? Now we both stuck down here!' The friends says, 'yeah, but I been down here before, and I know the way out.'
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Topic: Musing of an Explorer, finding a new home. (Read 730 times)