Part 28 – Homicide: Life in Paragon Soul

Driving off with my Crow, I began a long journey after the great and fabled Steve, hoping to find that towering behemoth. Perhaps he would give me enough advice to choose a large craft of my own wisely. I drove well with two road maps already spread open. Reading while I drove (a perfectly safe activity), I planned to visit both Esoteria and Paragon Soul to find this great titan.

Listening to the sounds of my troops trying again to reclaim ownership of the rest stop, I knew they would do just fine. It was an easy task, and someone surely would be giving coherent orders over teamspeak. Surely.

I grew nervous and wondered if I’d see any of them again, or more importantly, my assets left in that station. Still, I had to swallow my fears and continue if I was to emerge victorious over 0.0. Esoteria would be the first stop, and I would hail those frontiersmen making their home here. Last I checked, they were a pacifist bunch, so called ‘carebears’ who would surely welcome me in open arms, and showers of gifts for a traveling guest. I drove down the offramp into the Esoteria region.

Apparently, my ASPN greeting was what the locals called a Scourge Heavy Missile.

Exploding along the ground in front of me, I spun out of control and found myself stuck in a small ditch as more of these ‘carebears’ advanced. Discretion is the better part of valour, so I bravely bailed out of that poor, beloved Crow and made a run for it on foot as the rest of those oh-so-caring people came after me, intending to ‘pod’ me.

It would seem this term of ‘podding’ meant something more like ‘killing you, then chopping each piece that survives into something about the size of a pea pod’. Such an experience did not really fit me, so I continued to run until at last, a station came into sight.

I ducked inside, and the homicidal rampcamp gave up, leaving me to my devices. But now, I was stuck in potentially hostile territory, seeking the great ‘Steve’ and without a single vehicle. I sighed.

A local however, greeted me. “Hey. You don’t have anything to drive?” he asked. He was a rather effeminate angry looking man, probably from the Amarrian District of town. Those were bad neighborhoods, where gangs walked around with their huge guns, and everyone wore huge slabs of bling on their cars.

I responded quietly. “Yeah. ASPN got my Crow.” I admitted, looking aside. He seemed delighted, and began to speak again.

“Then… may I interest you in this brand new, bright red, ’07 Ares? It’s much faster, and has… reputation.” He smiled aggressively. I looked up, and pondered. Yes, this seemed like a reasonable individual. He gave me a speech soon after at how the Ares was the new Shuttle, and how few possessed this magnificent craft. I happily surrendered the contents of my wallet for this amazing wonder-car, eager to see it in the garage.

As I turned however to see my new buy in the garage, he asked something under his breath. “What’reya doin’ out here anyway?”. I responded honestly once more. “I’m looking for Steve. Do you know where I could find him?”

“Steve’s dead.” He said bluntly. I turned and gawked. “Dead? How?!” came my reply, my mouth dropped open.

He shook his head grimly. “Bob shot him.”

My heart sank. Was this a sign that my adventure out here was in itself a great folly? I slumped over, and went to climb into my bright red Ares, moving to turn the key.

I still didn’t know what was worse of the two things I learned in that very minute. Hearing the news that Bob had killed Steve, or seeing how the Ares actually performed.

(to be continued)