User:Cecilia gazardiel/Story

This was the short story I entered the 650 million worth of isk Contest with, that was held by Jen loo in January 2010.

Feel free to leave a comment on my discussion page.

“The Void” by Cecilia Gazardiel

She could still not get used to the feeling of vulnerability that came with leaving the capsule. Pangs of regret leaving the comfort of the capsule continued to gnaw at her, long past her leaving the hangar.

“At least my legs are finally awake” she thought ruefully, pressing her thumb along the thigh in a sweeping motion while heading into her private quarters at Pator Tech School in Aldrat. It wasn't a physical reaction, she knew that; the capsule kept her body in good shape … but whenever she left the capsule her legs always felt sore and tingled for a while.

The quarters weren't cheap and she had been reluctant to even consider getting them, the capsule had been her world for many decades. But in the end, she had succumbed to the curiosity of life outside the capsule and quickly found the void, as she called it, a personal haven after longer periods of time aboard her ship. Whenever she entered her quarters she'd turn off all her implants, lie down on the couch and just close her eyes, letting her get swept away into nothingness – into her void. The stark contrast of acute awareness while in the capsule and the complete nothingness in her silent quarters, helped her refocus and find clarity before sorting out the day's mining operation.

Today was no different. She laid down and let the void consume her. Time was irrelevant in the void and she never really knew, or cared, how much time she spent in there. It took as long as it took for her to find peace. As she reluctantly pulled herself out of the void and back into reality, she turned on her memory implant and started recalling today's operation.

It had been only a handful of miners during the impromptu operation out in Wirdalen, but it had been fruitful, nonetheless. A large quantify of scordite had been mined, as well as some omber and plagioclase. She closed her eyes and recalled the moment the strip miners were initiated … fifteen strip miners being fired up simultaneously in a grid-like pattern to avoid doubling up on any of the asteroids. To see them being fired up like that, as if breathing life into dead space, was always the highlight of her day. The launch of twenty-five mining drones just moments later was just icing on the cake.

Due to the impromptu nature of the operation, they had been forced to hire extra hands for hauling the ore back to Aldrat, which had cut into the profits somewhat. A calculated loss however, the operation still netted them good money. Even slightly more than she had initially thought, as she found a manufacturer who was desperate for more tritanium and pyerite. Apparently he had taken quite a gamble on a huge order of Prophecy-hull battlecruisers, without making sure he had all the materials. After some haggling, the end result had been a few more million ISK than expected, which was more than welcomed.

On a trip to Eram last week, she had found a seller for a mining foreman mindlink implant, so she set aside most of her earnings as of late towards buying one. It would make the tedious work of overseeing the Orca that much easier during large scale operations.

Having completed the aftermath of today's operation she turned her attention towards a message from her research agent. Isantani had encountered yet another snag and required her help. “I guess the day isn't over yet” Cecilia thought and made her way out to the ship's hangar.

As much as she enjoyed her void, there was no comparison to the loving embrace of her capsule ...