Disclaimer: This fan-fiction story continues from “Depths of Alsavoinon: A High-Risk Rescue.” While it can be read on its own, I highly recommend reading the first part for a broader perspective. All names, locations, ships, and modules are inspired by real gameplay events from Eve Online, providing a creative reimagining within its universe.
Chapter 1: A Legacy Fading
The engine’s rhythmic beat was calming, a familiar echo from days long gone. Back then, my family was a powerful corporation Isuuaya Tactical, a gem in Caldari’s Crown. For 500 years, we were the Navy’s primary supplier of mines — who could’ve imagined that we’d become obsolete? Now, all that’s left of our former glory is this Phoenix-class Dreadnought, which I use like a mercenary, just to make a living.
The Admiral had given me vague orders: “Take a few ships from the militia and head to Alsavoinon. Check what’s happening there.” At least they provided a few Covert scouts and a full bay of fuel. I even managed to stow away some haulers filled with ammunition and supplies in the Dreadnought’s hangar. This “check” could mean anything, so I ordered to fit Rapid Torpedo Launchers.
For three days, I’d kept my ship in warp, hidden on the nearby system’s outskirts, away from any scanners. The intel from my Buzzard pilot — what was her name again? Tomoko Aruki? — was promising. A talented navigator; I’ll keep an eye on her. She found a small Gallente gang, a couple of battleships with support ships, and the usual border guards at the gates. Nothing unbearable.
It seemed my Dreadnought was the biggest fish in this pond. But there were also a few Drifters. We still didn’t know their intentions, but scans showed at least one Drifter battleship among them. Deadly, thanks to their Doomsday weapon. How they managed to squeeze it onto a ship that small and power it — we needed that tech!
Chapter 2: The Ambush
A short buzz signaled that the time had come. My officers on the command deck were ready. I called to my communication officer to confirm the operation status and connect me to our scout.
“Scout Aruki, status report.”
“Sir, they’ve arrived at Alsavoinon III as expected. Like the last three times, they’re cruising around for about 60 minutes before moving on. No indicators suggesting they’ll change the pattern.”
“Thank you, Miss Tomoko.” I softened my tone since we weren’t yet in combat. “Stay cloaked and keep an eye on them.”
“Affirmative!”
We’d been watching this patrol for days. They were too lazy to alter their route — amateurs! A Falcon-class Force Recon ship was hidden nearby to avoid needing to warp. The success of the whole operation depended on perfect synchronization between the tackle wing and us. I called to my navigation commander:
“Mr. Alfred, are we ready?”
Alfred was the most meticulous person I’d ever met — the crew joked he even counted the strokes of his toothbrush. But I appreciated his precision; it made him ideal for navigation.
“Yes, sir. H-hour in three minutes, forty-five seconds. I’ll light the countdown on the main screen, if you wish.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
The plan was simple: the tackle wing, made up of eight Raptors, would warp in sync with a Cynosural beacon. Once the Raptors scrambled their targets, my Dreadnought would jump in to finish the job. I was only worried about the Falcon; we couldn’t afford to lose it. But I hoped our surprise attack would keep the enemy occupied long enough for the Falcon to escape.
Despite the militia status of my fleet, I trusted these pilots. They were exceptionally disciplined, and thanks to Miss Tomoko’s intel, each interceptor already knew their target’s name. It was just a matter of seconds to seize the entire Gallente patrol.
Combat would focus first on smaller ships — the frigates and destroyers, then the cruisers. There were two battleships: a Megathron and a Hyperion, with the latter likely carrying their commander. I planned to grapple and scramble it. Neither posed a real threat to my Dreadnought, but the smaller ships could counter-attack our Raptors, so eliminating them first was critical to reduce casualties.
Alfred’s polite “H-hour in 10 seconds, sir” brought me back from my combat visualisation. I thought about giving an inspirational speech, but nothing came to mind other than a vague “Let’s do this, people,” so I remained silent.
As the timer hit zero, I gave the single command: “Jump!” The universe around us folded, then unfolded moments later as my Dreadnought covered the distance of 1.2ly and appeared in Alsavoinon star system, near planet III.
As we materialized, there was a brief moment of serene silence before the sensors picked up incoming data, rendering it to my overview and scanners. Miss Tomoko had done an excellent job, marking enemy ships and preparing broadcast orders — all I had to do was confirm them.
After checking the status, I saw all targets were scrambled, except for one unexpected ship — an Oneiros-class cruiser belonging to the Reserve Frontier Safeguard. It likely just lifted off from the planet’s surface.
“Should we grab it, sir?” the tactical officer asked, waiting for my command. Damn, it was a tough decision — a DED ship meant dealing with CONCORD Assembly, but it was still in the middle of our operation. I was about to order it tackled, but before I could speak, it slipped away into warp.
“Miss Tomoko, did you notice where that RFS ship headed?”
“Affirmative, sir!”
“Follow it and track if it stays in the system.”
“Copy that!” Her Buzzard disappeared into warp, cloaked.
Everyone was waiting for me to say the next powerful word, one that often meant life or death. With all the confidence I could muster, I said, “Siege.”
A light shudder signalled the ship’s transition to its tactical configuration — stationary but vastly more powerful. The gunnery crews were now drawing on all internal resources, maximizing the potential of their torpedoes. The damage control teams were boosting shield generators, drastically improving our resilience. For the next 600 seconds, we’d be sitting ducks, I reminded myself.
The battlefield looked promising. Our Falcon had escaped, and after re-warping to a safe distance, began jamming enemy sensors with its powerful ECM, protecting our Raptor pilots from Gallente blasters and railguns.
One Incursus frigate managed to slip away — it would likely call for reinforcements from the gates, but it wouldn’t matter. By the time they arrived, we’d have wrapped this up.
On my overview, we had both battleships tackled, along with three cruisers and two destroyers. They were the biggest threat to my interceptors. I gave my first attack command: “Primary Algos, secondary Catalyst, and we need Target Painter assistance to increase their signature.” And I added, “Leave the escape pods alive. We’re not pirates here to slaughter capsuleers.”
As I expected, thanks to target painters and the Stasis Webifier module, we nearly volleyed those destroyers and cruisers.
But that FRS Oneiros wouldn’t leave my mind. Why had it escaped so quickly? Something was definitely off! Then, alarms blared, marking a change in the directional scanner readings.
“Sensor Officer, report!”
“Drifter ship signatures detected, sir. Location: near the sun, approximately 13 AU away, and they are moving.” After another agonizing second of updated data, he continued, “Sir, they are moving towards us and are about to exit warp in 52 seconds.”
“Mr. Alfred, how quickly can we pull out of here?”
“Captain, our engines are not currently scrambled, and tactical overview indicates no remaining ships capable of scrambling us. However, the Siege module cycle has two minutes and three seconds left, plus another 32.09 seconds to align and warp.”
“Command to all ships, hold your fire and disengage. I repeat, hold your fire and disengage.” It was a tough decision, but I was running out of options. “Comms, patch me through to that Gallente Hyperion.”
Chapter 3: Unlikely Allies
“Sir, we are receiving an incoming transmission from the Gallente ship.”
“Accept!” A moment later, the Gallente captain appeared on my main screen.
“Captain Isuuaya, I’m Lieutenant Commander John Serewer of the Gallente militia. We don’t have much time. I see you’ve freed my ships from tackle — thank you for that.”
“Lieutenant Commander, I don’t want Drifter scumbags collecting any extra prizes. Your ships are free to leave the grid.”
“Appreciated, Captain. I’ll be direct — are you sieged?”
“Yes, and we can’t withdraw in time.”
“Then let’s join forces. We’ll help fight the Drifters in exchange for all their loot and wrecks.”
“Agreed. It’s a reasonable plan in these circumstances. I’m sending a fleet invite now.”
“Invite accepted, Captain. My people have new instructions, given your higher rank and superior firepower — we’re following your lead.”
Chapter 4: Against All Odds
As we both entered tactical mode, new enemies began arriving in the grid, 40 clicks away from my flagship. Once again, I was fascinated by the professionalism of my pilots. I didn’t need to explain the situation — they instantly adapted to the new combat conditions, now ready to face new threats alongside our former enemies.
As the tactical overview updated, I saw Artemis Tyrannos and Arithmos on Drifter battleships, along with 12 Drifter cruisers and a dozen Autothysian Lancers.
“Mr. Alfred, it’s us or them now. Set the Siege module to repeat until further notice. All forces, primary target: Artemis Tyrannos Battleship! Falcon, I know the chances are slim, but try to break their lock when they start spooling up their Doomsday. Let’s do this, people!”
While both battleships began to approach and lock onto my Dreadnought, the rest of the enemy switched to targeting our support ships. Within the first 60 seconds, I lost two Raptors and the remaining Gallente Thorax. None of us had logistical support — everyone was on their own. As the blue light on Artemis’s battleship grew brighter, it was clear we were about to be hit. I overheated the shield resistance module, hoping its cycle would complete before the strike — and then everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes, the entire command deck was filled with emergency lights and the sound of buzzing alarms. “Damage control, status report!” I ordered, but the answer was a hissing sound of silence. Moments later, I received a response. “Captain, Chief Engineer is injured. This is Engineer Talia reporting. We’ve sustained damage in the fuel bay and the main engine room. Our shields are down, and we’re at 34% armor integrity.”
“Check the logs — did the shield hardeners’ overheat effect apply before the strike?”
“Negative, sir.”
I started to calculate: If we recover back our shields and time better hardeners, we might survive the second strike.
“Engineer Talia, due to the Chief Engineer’s injury, I am temporarily promoting you to Acting Chief Engineer. You are now in charge of all engineering operations until further notice. Overheat the shield booster; we need to get the shields back before the second strike.”
I turned my attention back to the battlefield. Artemis Tyrannos was deep into structure when the first Gallente battleship launched its escape pods just before the explosion. I broadcasted the Arithmos Battleship as the secondary target; it hadn’t fired its superweapon yet but was applying heavy capacitor warfare against my Phoenix to disrupt shield recovery. He didn’t know that I was literally filled with cap chargers, including my ship hangars.
The next torpedo volley finished off the first Drifter battleship, but it was too early to celebrate. The Arithmos battleship was halfway through its armor when I lost the Falcon. More and more smaller ships began targeting me, disrupting shield regeneration. I was gaining 18k shields every 4.3 seconds, but overheating was damaging the ship’s modules — we could run two more cycles before switching it off.
Then, I saw a blue light on the Drifter’s ship. Luckily, this time my shield hardeners were preheated. I broadcasted locally: “Everyone, get ready for another strike!” The whole ship shook violently. I think I lost consciousness, and when I opened my eyes, the entire deck was filled with red emergency lights and sparks. The good news was — we survived.
“Acting Chief Engineer Talia, status report.”
“Sir, we are at 12% structure and still taking incoming damage. Integrity of the ship is compromised; we’ve lost most of the port side and the shield generator.”
As I checked the overview, we took down the second Drifter battleship, but the swarm of their cruisers was still present. We did everything we could. I saw no reason to sacrifice the crew and ordered everyone to abandon the ship. At least some might escape.
The directional scan showed a dozen escape pods, and the Gallente fleet was also about to disappear. I opened a comm channel with Lieutenant Commander John Serewer, and he responded almost instantly.
“Captain, your ship is on my watch list, and I saw both strikes.”
“Yes, but we’re losing the ship. I’ve initiated the evacuation protocol and am waiting for my crew to abandon the ship. It was a short but pleasant unity. If you’re not scrambled, I urge you to leave the battlefield with all.”
“Kairo, I understand. Rest assured your personnel will be rescued and treated as best as we can, given our complex factional relationships.”
With that being said, we saluted each other and I ended the transmission. The ship was agonizing and shaken by explosions. I barely made it to the escape pod deck, hoping to undock before my ship exploded, thus keeping the target lock of all nearby ships. On the run, I already planned a short microjump to a nearby asteroid belt. It was important to route a short jump, as escape capsule warp speed is lower than most combat ships, and on long warps, I might end up landing into hostile ships as they arrive at the destination faster than me.
As my capsule undocked from the Dreadnought, I had a few seconds to watch my beloved Phoenix breaking into two parts and then disappearing in a blue flash of atomic explosion. “Did you insure it, Kairo?” An ironic question appeared in my mind. But I put everything aside and focused on a series of next jumps and safespot creation above the star system ecliptic, so I could drift and have time to plan my next steps. I also enabled the S.O.S. transponder, as my communication antenna and directional scanner apparently got damaged from the Dreadnought’s explosion.
Chapter 5: Rescue and New Beginnings
Meanwhile, somewhere in vast space:
“Captain?”
“What is it, Betty”? — Dunno why, but my ship’s AI always starts her speech with a question, it’s so weird.
“My sensors just registered a massive Electromagnetic Radiation wave. According to the strength and broad spectrum of this emission, there is a 98.4% chance it was caused by a Dreadnought-class ship’s destruction.”
“Woah! And we know of one recent Dreadnought nearby, right?”
“Yes, Captain, it could possibly be that Caldari Dreadnought we escaped earlier.”
“But what killed that thing?! Drifters?”
“Plausible.”
“Let’s run a fast directional scan and see what’s going on. Start with a 1 AU range and increase by 0.5 AU until you find something. Oh, and keep us aligned to the next warp spot.”
“Roger that.”
Was this Dreadnought on a solo mission? Initially, I thought it was a Caldari full-scale invasion, but now I doubt it. In this case, the gate is still controlled by the Gallente, but it’ll still be problematic to carry out my delicate Vanguard ‘cargo’.
“Captain, I think I found something.”
“What is it, Beth?”
“It’s an escape pod, a capsule, drifting about 6 AU away from us.”
“Is it military?”
“Unknown, but it’s broadcasting an S.O.S. loud and clear.”
“Ok, ignore it and continue scanning.”
“Let me remind you, Captain, of RFS codex obligations. P23, section A(II), citation: Escape pods…”
“Ok ok, stop it. Darn, send a communication request.”
“I cannot, Captain. Apparently, the communication module of that pod is either damaged or turned off.”
“Then how are we supposed to land on it to pick up? I don’t carry combat probes on my Oneiros, you know.”
“I can triangulate its location and make a series of microwarp jumps between two points until we land on it. Should I proceed with this maneuvering?”
“Fine!”
“I’m sorry, Captain, is that a yes?”
“Gosh, Beth, yes! You’re such a bore.”
For the next few hours, we were jumping back and forth between two coordinates, slowly getting closer to the mysteriously silent escape pod. I still wasn’t sure about the right decision, as our life support system was already stretched thin thanks to three illegal warclones, who decided to awaken and gain self-consciousness or whatever it is. But Betty was right, ignoring the distress signal in space is against the fundamentals of the Reserve Frontier Safeguard.
“Captain, we did it. The capsule is within our grid, and we have visual contact.”
“Alright, let’s pull it in and find the story of its dweller.”
After a few minutes of mutual maneuvering, it was apparent someone was inside the pod, and as they saw us, they started to approach. Yet they remained silent and weren’t responding to any of my audiovisual signals, likely due to damaged equipment or something else. For a second, I thought maybe it’s not so bad that I have three fully functional Vanguards on board, to prevent any surprises.
I got on the drone deck, which I had rebuilt for situations like this, and initiated the sequence to pressurize the airlock. I pressed the button to open the door and stepped in. Grips were holding the escape pod, and the passenger was getting out. A quick glance was enough to identify the Caldari officer uniform, a captain rank to be precise. Unbelievable, what company I got! The person turned around, smiled, and said:
“Greetings, Captain, my name is Kairo Isuuaya. I’m very thankful to you for my rescue!”
“Hey, my name is Mel, and I’m the director of this zoo. Welcome aboard!”
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