Of Fangs and Claws

Of Fangs and Claws is a storyline mission issued by Distribution and Mining division agents.

Level	1 Storyline
Type	Courier
Objective	Deliver 10x Hybrid Slaver Hounds (200m3)

Mission briefing

'm not sure how much you know about Amarr slave labor installations, such as mines, agricultural harvesting fields, moon mineral extraction zones, and the like. Well, I can tell you that these facilities are often of such size and complexity that they cannot always be wholly secured against slave escape attempts. Certainly, all but the most primitive and poorly administrated of these locations feature any and all manner of perimeter alarms, security cameras, remote sentry drones, microwave motion detectors, infrared barrier fences, you name it. As you can imagine, though, this can get quite expensive given not only the capital outlay for the equipment, but for the manpower needed to operate and maintain them year-round, 24 hours a day. It was during this search for lower cost alternatives to these technologies that the animals we call slaver hounds were introduced to the overall security plans of select slave labor facilities, used to detect, track, and interdict runaway slaves. Their acutely tuned senses coupled with their remarkable natural endurance and speed made them an ideal choice for many Amarr slave operations. However, it was not long before it was realized that the standard, purebred slaver hound was not suitable for all environments. This resulted in the creation of genetically modified breeds more at home in harsher environments such as swamps, frozen wastelands, jungles, and the like. Today, these more adaptable variants can be found on many such installations throughout the Empire, despite their comparatively high cost when compared to your usual slaver hounds. This brings us to the reason I contacted you. I need a large shipment of these hybrid slaver hounds delivered to a nearby station for transshipment to an Amarr desert planet. As long as the hounds remain sedated and don't find their way out of their cages, this should be a simple, trouble-free courier job.

The Origins of Hybrid Slaver Hounds

Amarr slavers on Syrikos V first learned to breed and train slaver hounds to provide an extra layer of low-cost security for their slave labor operations. These animals soon proved their worth, particularly as a last line of defense for any slave that managed to bypass a facility's security controls and escape into the whatever wilderness lay beyond the facility's walls. So keen are the senses of these animals, and so lethal their attacks, that most slaves will give up any hope of escape before even making the attempt. One problem that arose, however, was that many slave labor operations were located in some of the harshest imaginable environments, often so harsh that they were unsuitable for your average slaver hound. So, it was with tremendous satisfaction that Amarr veterinary scientists reported recently that they had managed to create stable, obedient hybrids of the breed, each type adapted for a different geographic or atmospheric condition. Thus, if you are a slave owner on an ice planet, for example, you can now purchase slaver hounds with thicker pelts, greater body fat, and higher overall tolerance to cold and freezing wind. These new hybrids have proven remarkably adaptable, and have long since spread to slave labor facilities throughout the Empire.