A night to remember.

The camera flicks on showing Adrastus sitting in his chair behind his desk in his office. He is in his usual outfit, except his Nomex suit is clean and his hair is still wet from a recent shower. On his desk is a bottle that is so old the label has fallen off and finger marks are clearly visible in the layer of dust covering it. He takes a drink from a clear glass cup and puts it on his desk, and leans back in his chair.

He exhales deeply. “O where to begin? Tonight was one of the best nights of my life. That I can say for certain. What I can’t say for certain is what caused it. I guess I should say what made this night the best night of my life. This night started off pretty lousy actually. It was the end of a very long and tiring mining operation and as I was entering my office to finish some work when a fire alarm sounded in the hangar. I ran over to the source of the alarm to see the hulk I had used for the op covered in fire suppressant foam. When I pulled up the hangar video logs I saw one of the exhaust ports on the side had overheated and caught on fire. By this time the hulk was completely powered down and there was no hint of further fire danger. I didn’t want to make the crew work all night on something that could have been my fault so I sent them home. I do tend to push my equipment hard and I suspect that in this case I pushed it a little too hard. I swear that darn thing is trying to kill me to pay me back for pushing it. Any way, after they left I cleaned off all of the foam and began disassembling the exhaust port to find where the problem was, as a result I was covered head to toe in soot.

He pauses to finish off the contents of his cup and refills it with the bottle sitting on his desk. He leans back into his chair and takes another deep breath. A small smile starts to grow on his face. “About an hour after I started working on the vent, a Paladin-class marauder decides it wanted to park in my hangar. Again, this is where I am a little too paranoid but what would you do if a marauder came into your hangar unannounced? I hide as best I could inside the exhaust vent and watched the ship for any signs of weapons activity. After a minute, I noticed the ship was powering down and docking, that calmed me down and after a few seconds thought, I had a slight guess as to who the pilot was. I got down from my hulk and walked to the docking ring and my guess was confirmed. It was Selkie. When I saw the name on the docking control screen it was all I could do to keep from jumping up and down in celebration. It had been so long since I had seen or heard from her that I was beginning to worry if I had done something wrong. I stood at the control screen for what felt like hours but in reality it was only minutes. Had I thought about it I would have run and changed into something cleaner real quick but I was too excited to think about anything else but seeing Selkie.

The smile that had started to creep across his face is now ear to ear, very wide, and very deep. His eyes close slowly, like someone would do if they were trying to relive a memory. “I saw her come out of the ship and start walking towards the hulk I was working on. I tried to walk towards her but I think I did more of a light jog then an actual walk.” He laughs softly. “I also called her name out and waved my arms so she would know where I was. She saw me and ran up to me and hugged me. I was so happy to have her in my arms I just held her and lifted her off her feet. I had forgotten how dirty I was until she pulled her head back to look at me and the side of her head that had touched mine was black.” He laughs heartily. “The smile that was on her face was a lot wider then I had ever seen it and her tone was stress free. I apologized for getting soot all over her and she just laughed, and asked if I wanted to have some coffee. I instantly said yes and took her to my office.”

“When we got to my office I motioned for her to sit on the couch and I started up my coffee maker. While we waited for the coffee to brew we started talking.” Opens his eyes and looks at a part of the wall that is outside of the camera view. If it is actually possible his smile has gotten bigger. “In our conversation she talked about how she had made peace with her past and was ready to move onto something better. I was delighted to hear this. When I first meet her she was in her own world afraid to let anyone in. Now she had left her world behind and was ready to come back to the universe. After she said she was ready to move onto something better I asked her if there was anything I could do to help her.”

“After I said that she got up and walked over to me, unzipped the top part of my suit and said there was something I could do to help her find that something better. I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to do at that point.” He continues to look at something off camera and although he still has a very large smile on his face, he has a hint of confusion and curiosity as well. “Up until tonight the closest we had ever come to intimacy was a goodnight kiss at the end of a date. Whenever she thought we were going to have intercourse she would immediately shutdown the conversation and try to end the date. Now she is looking at me with a seductive smile and has her hands on my chest. Then she unzips the top part of her suit revealing her chest underneath.” Laughs heartedly again but still has the same look on his face and he takes drink of from his cup. “I may be slow on picking up signs from people but I’m not that slow. So after that prompting from her we went on to have fun on a much more personal level and that’s all I will say about that.”

Several minutes go bye as Adrastus just looks at something off screen occasionally taking a drink from his cup. When he finally drinks the cup empty he refills it and the large smile on his face fades to a smaller

smile, confusion and curiosity become readily apparent on his face. He takes a deep breath and looks back at the camera. “While I am extremely delighted to see Selkie this happy and carefree I can’t help but wonder what caused her sudden change in moods and attitudes. I would like to think I had something to do with her change in attitude but I didn’t think I had that big of a effect on her. I wanted to bring her out of her little world and show her that there is so much more to life then dwelling on bad memories’ and wondering what disaster tomorrow will bring. And judging by what happened tonight I would say she has, and that makes me happier than words can convey.”

Adrastus very large smile returns and he looks at the wall behind the camera. After several minutes of gazing at the wall he opens up a drawer in his desk and begins rummaging around until he finds what looks like a coin. He holds it up to the light revealing that it is actually a medallion. While the camera doesn’t zoom in on the medallion it is obvious that despite its shine the medallion is somewhat damaged. After he looks at the medallion for several minutes he puts it in one of his chest pockets, gets up, and walks towards the camera and eventually out of its view. A few seconds later the camera turns off.

Ouch

The camera flicks on showing Adrastus in a uncharacteristically clean green nomex fire suit. His left are is in a sling and where his hand and fingers should be there is just gauss. He is sitting at his desk, there are several empty bottles of whiskey on top of piles of paper and data pads.

Have you ever had one of those days? I think I had one of those yesterday. *Looks at his arm as if to confirm what he just said.* If you have known me for more than five minutes you would know I work just as hard if not harder then anyone I employ. That can be good and bad. Good in that I earn their respect bad in that I run the same risks of getting injured that they do.

Yesterday I had a critical failure in one of my hulks engine pods. I was in a hurry due to me having to make a quota. As a result all safety precautions went out the window, me and my crew where focused on getting that pod off as quick as we could. At one point I was standing underneath the pod hitting a retaining claw with a five pound sledge hammer.

*Looks down at his arm and then back at the camera* Evidently there was a slight miss communication. I thought the pod was hooked up to a hoist that would hold it up, the pod would drop a few inches and then we could swing it out. Well the crew hadn’t finished hooking up the hoist when I dislodge the retaining claw. As a result the damn thing fell on me. Because it was partaily hooked up it only fell on my arm. Now I say only because it could have been a lot worse. Had the pod been completely unhooked it would have crushed me like a bug.

Because I choose to ignore the safety regs I had put in place, instead of loosing a few hours of productivity I lost a entire day. So the morale of the story is follow safety guidelines. And now you may be wondering why there are so many empty bottles of whiskey. Well to make a long story short, let me just say make sure your first aid medications are up to date. *Smiles and laughs* I can’t remember the last time I was that drunk.

*Gets up and walks out from behind his desk over to the camera and turns it off.*

A tad paranoid

The camera flicks on showing Adrastus in his office. The paintings are still there and he is in his usual nomex fire suit. He has a coffee mug in his hand and he sighs deeply as he leans back in his chare and throws both of his legs up on the table, one on top of the other.

I have said it before I like to work. It allows me to do stuff with my hands, and makes the time go by. But there are times when you don’t want to much time to go by. Last is the perfect example.

I had a date with Selkie so I worked extra hard, I even turned off anything that might tell me the time so the day would fly by. That kind of backfired though. My employees had left for the day but I decided to stay late and keep working because I still had a few hours until we where going to meet. It seemed like only a hour had gone by but in reality several had gone by.

I was working on a engine mount on one of my hulks when a Amarr Vengeance comes flying into my hangar. I almost craped my self when I saw it hovering over all of my ships. The fact of the pilot having to have a access code given out only by me never dawned on me. The only thing that went though my head was “O SHIT HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO PROTECT MY SHIPS?” Then the ship landed, I hid and held onto a massive wrench I was using wondering how I was going to use it to protect myself if the assailants where armed. Then I saw Selkie walk down the enbarkment ramp.

I have never felt like a bigger idiot then at that point. At that point I realized I had worked past the time we agreed to meet. I also realized at that point how big of a idiot I was being when I remembered only ships that had my pass code could get through the security field that guarded the ship hangars entrance and exit point. *Sighs and smiles* I really need to stop being so paranoid.

Women are a Fickle Thing

The camera flicks on showing a massive turbine looking engine, with Adrastus leaning on the top of it. A glance at the engine shows that Adrastus is in the process of taking it apart. In one hand he is holding a very large wrench resting the end on his shoulder. In the other is a remote. He is completely covered with dirt and grime to the point that you can't tell his suit is green.

Women, are fickle things that will never be fully understood. The same can be said for men but if you go into percentages. The workings of a women’s mind can be guessed with about 20% accuracy while men can be guessed with 90%. That said there is one women in particular that I am not sure I can even put in the 20% of the time understood category.

Most women, you give them a complement and they ignore it, assuming you don't mean it and are just trying to get their cloths off. You do something nice for them and they also ignore you. Granted I am exaggerating a bit but still, you get my point *laughs at himself as he realizes hes having a conversation with himself*.

There is one women that I am dating that is no exception to the rule of being read. About 20% of the time I know what she is thinking. However when it comes to her ability to read men I don't know if I am the exception to the rule when it comes to men or if she can't read men. But either way she thinks im going to do stuff that I don't plan on. The most prominent is she thinks I always want to go to bed with her. When in reality all I want to do is walk her home so I know she is safe and to keep the pleasure of her company that much longer. Granted I have made a few off hand remarks but those are in jest, not request.

*Seems to be looking at the wall behind the camera absent mindedly, apparently thinking about something.* While on that thought, I like to work. It allows me to do stuff with my hands, but working also has a side effect. The busier you are the faster the day goes by, ever since I meet that women I have been working harder then ever before. Don’t get me wrong, I have always worked as hard as anyone that works for me has, but now I find my self working even harder so the day will go by that much faster. And what does she have to do with this you may ask? *laughs at himself when he again realizes hes talking to a camera as if it’s a person.* Because it allows me to talk with that women that much sooner. I know it won’t affect the time I physically get there but it certainly does effect what time I get there mentally.

*A loud siren goes off in the background causing Adrastus to jump slightly.* And with that I do believe it is quitting time. *Picks up the remote and hits a button causing the camera to turn off.

Why So Serious

A office flicks into view showing Tanker sitting in a chair leaning back with his feet up on the desk in front of him. On the wall to his left there is a old painting showing a man in ancient black armor on a white horse stabbing a black dragon that is on the ground with a lance. The wall on his right has a similar old painting though instead it has a women holding a ancient sword in her right hand and a ancient fortification in her left. Tanker is wearing his familiar dirty green nomex jump suit and black boots. Around his neck he has a yellow cord attached to a metal medallion that he is idly rubbing with his left hand. In his right hand rest a coffee mug.

O where to start, I guess I should probably start with my name, Adrastus Perturabo. I am 28 years old with a body that aches like a 40 year old and the maturity of a 14 year old. *chuckles softly* I am a pod pilot and have been for some time. I have lost friends and gained friends just like every other pod pilot I know. *Takes a sip of is coffee and looks at the painting of the man on horseback.* I don't know if it is me or if I just know a lot of depressed people but it seems like every pod pilot I have ever meet is depressed to the point that I want to put them on suicide watch.

When I ask them why they are depressed all they tell me is traumatic events that have happened to them in the past. On the occasions I have pressed for more detailed answers, I seem to always get a story about some friend or family member that they were very close to died. Now before I go any further let me set the record straight on one of my personal views. There is a heaven and a hell. That much I am certain about, now where am I or anyone else going when we die.........that remains to be seen. But from what the people I talk to tell me of their dead friends and loved ones they are most certainly going to heaven, so why aren't they happy? Most of my dead friends and loved ones are watching over me in heaven happy they died doing what they loved. Several of them died right next to me, and yet here I am with no hint of depression. Why? Because I saw them die the way they wanted to, not in a retirement home in a crippled body and a broken mind. But either in a blazing gun fight or apocalyptic explosion.

Am I sad they are gone and that is one less person I can talk to? Of course I am but I don't dwell on it. I remember them as they would want me to, full of youth and energy, I only hope that one day I can join them. Although that seems unlikely now that I am a pod pilot but one never knows.

I have one modo I try to live by. "Mourn the dead and live for the living." It is a very simple philosophy that I wish other pod pilots would follow.

*Takes his boots off the table and stands up tucking the medallion into his nomex suit and puts his coffee cup on the desk. He walks towards the camera and behind it, after a minute the camera turns around showing a wall covered in lettering. The wall is the only thing in the office that has no hint of dirt or debris on it and close inspection reveals that the writing is names in column and row format. On the top it reads "YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTON". Then the camera turns off.