Delilah

*Audio feed begins*

How typical.
After finally finding myself a sense of peace and contentment, the universe decides to turn itself upside-down and inside-out.

Still, it would be foolish of me to see the Seyllin incident and the repercussions as a bad thing. A multitude of new possibilites, opportunites and horizons has opened and such events always bring out the best in people.

There was Serpentis, raising their PR by providing medical aid for the Seyllin evacuees. That'll open a few more lucrative contracts for them, I'll bet.

Then there's the shrewd marketeers, cashing in on sales of exploratory equipment. Milo has been looking very pleased with himself of late and I must admit I find myself pleased for him; within hours of the first anomalies being reported as consequence of the Seyllin event, he had devised a marketing strategy and set it into motion. That kind of quick, cool-heading thinking is admirable.

*sighs lightly*

As yet, I've heard no word from Dominations or the Directorate on how we should proceed in light of these incredible wormhole anomalies. I've only gathered scraps of information, rumours here, hushed whispers there. Some tell of extremely potent resources, others are becoming stranded, lost in uncharted systems, dooming themselves to the mercy of the self-destruct button.

Hah! Some are even talking of hostile beings...
Yeah, I've heard all that before - the tribal elders used to try to scare us as kids with their mystic bullshit to keep us from playing around the ganglands. Might've worked on some of those kids, but not me... Hah! Monsters indeed...

*allows herself a chuckle*

Still, I'm a smart girl with an eye for oportunity, so if Dominations or the Directorate order an expedition I'll certainly volunteer for escort duty.

Ah, that reminds me; my new cruiser is finished with its pre-flight checks and the crew roster completed. I was so glad Myhrial tipped me with some contacts for recruitment agencies - I was dreading having to interview the entire crew myself. I find capsuleers interesting company, but I really don't have the time or the patience to be talking to riff-raff. Once you've heard one, you've heard them all. Like those Gallentean adult holoreels, I guess - same dull plots, same dull motions, just different faces.

*a datapad chimes in the background*

Looking at the roster, I seem to have a mixed bag. Majority are Amarr; we're on an Imperial Crusade station after all. A few tribals, some Caldari freelancers, a dozen Gallente. Bah, why have the agency bothered with putting in their full names? Numbers will do.

*clatter of plastic on metal*

I suppose I'll give them a quick address before we leave dock later for the maiden flight.

I've named my new Rupture-class "Delilah", after a story I heard from the Scriptures. Not that I hold any faith in that work of fiction, but this one story struck a chord with me...

There was once a mighty paladin of Amarr, who won score after score of victories for the early Empire. The crusader, contrary to Amarr custom, had allowed his hair to grow long, claiming that he would only cut it when God had deemed his victories worthy and required him to fight no more. Delilah, a beautiful slave-girl in the pay of Amarr's enemies, used all her cunning and guile to seduce the noble warrior. As he lay sleeping in bed next to her, she took a blade and cut his hair. With his famous locks gone, the paladin had lost his own confidence and that of the Empire. Of course, the fool perished in the next battle he fought.

*laughs softly*

I hope my Delilah takes down her fair share of foolish warriors too!

*a creak of leather and the clicking of joints can be heard*

Physical training has been going very well. Beat my personal best running the station ring yesterday and knocked teeth out of a sparing partner on Monday. I'm going to need a new chamber-slave too, he's just not keeping up with me lately. My cough has cleared up and I haven't drank to excess or touched any drugs. This is good - when I want to focus, I know I can.

And focus I must; I have plenty to do and I've had quite enough prattling into the dictaphone for today.

*a click. Audio feed ends.*