Transportation

        As if it were at the flick of a switch, Knee Anderthal was suddenly an employee of a new corporation. He had never been part of a large corp before. Sure, the Pator Tech School housed hundreds of capsuleers, but it was artifically supported by the Republic. This was a living, breathing, self-sustained corporation at the edge of the known universe. It was a scary and exciting change.

        The first order of business was physically getting from Lonetrek to Deklein. He considered the capsuleer trick of having his medical clone regenerated in the corporation's main station and simply podding himself over, but that seemed cowardly. Matari aren't keen on suicide.

        No, the warrior's path is to charge headlong into the enemy. He would fly there to get the full experience of the journey. But what ship to use? "A true warrior can go into battle empty-handed and come out victorious." His grandfather's wisdom confirmed the decision. Knee headed to Medical.

        "I'd like to activate my jump clone in Sobaseki." he proclaimed to the administrator. It was the first time he had used one of these things. Medical clones were one thing - a necessary precaution in case of emergency. This was simply a matter of insurance; he had expensive implants in his head that he didn't want to waste should he fail to complete the trip.

        He was a bit nervous as he stepped into the clone vat. The attending nurse was telling him some of the things other capsuleers did to prepare for the consciousness transfer. Some took a deep breath. Others grit their teeth. They always seemed to brace for impact in some way. Knee wondered why.

        The operator's panel lit up with a bright green glow. Sobaseki was prepared to receive the transfer. The nurse checked the connections on Knee's skullcap and stepped back with a look of satifaction. "Ready?" she asked. Knee exhaled, closed his eyes, and relaxed. "Go."

        Pain!!!

        It felt like a lightning bolt struck behind his eyes. Knee reflexively jerked his head back and gasped, only to find himself submerged and breathing pod fluid. He flailed about and found his feet touching the smooth surface of the clone vat. He attempted to stand, but found no friction and flipped backward into the pod goo. He suddenly felt himself grasped by his arms and pulled up to a standing position. He coughed for a minute, expelling the pod fluid he had inhaled, then stood up straight, pulled the front of his skullcap up from his eyes and squinted. An unfamiliar face greeted him warmly. "Welcome to Sobaseki."

        Knee could feel himself aching from head to toe as he showered off. He hobbled out of the shower and was greeted by the same fellow, whom he found was the station's clone specialist.

        "Why does this hurt so much?" he implored the doctor.

        "This what?" he asked.

        "Everything!" Knee shouted.

        "You realize this is the first time you're using that body." the doctor replied. "It's getting used to being driven rather than sitting idly in a tank."

        Knee grunted as he rubbed his eyes. "How soon can I get in my pod?"

        "Anytime you like, though we prefer our capsuleers stay overnight for physical and psychiatric evaluations."

        "That won't be necessary. If I survive till the end of the day then I'll be all right."

        The doctor chuckled, thinking Knee was joking. He wasn't. Not where he was going.

        Knee checked out of Medical and headed to his assigned hangar. The attendant opened up a Market feed and asked, "So what's your pleasure? We have a wide assortment of frigates, cruisers, and battleships in every size and flavor, Matari and otherwise."

        "I'll take the Reaper."

        The attendant grimaced. "I can assure you that we offer competitive prices compared to Jita." Sobaseki's proximity to Jita frequently put them at odds, with only the regional separation preventing full market competition.

        "I'm not going to Jita. I'm flying to zero-zero."

        "What? In a Reaper? Are you-" the attendant caught himself.

        "Insane? Maybe. Call it a trial by fire."

        No implants, no assets, and the most meager ship he could find. Just the ISK in his wallet kept him from total poverty. He made the 16 jumps to the border almost absent-mindedly. Then the big jump. There was no low sec. This was jumping from empire space straight into null. He steeled his nerve and activated the gate.

        Keeping his senses aware, he continued the journey. Gate after gate yielded no resistance and led him closer to the edge of the universe. In the middle of it, he hit a single warp disruption bubble which flung him into preparedness, but there was nobody around. Just a leftover barricade on the battlefront.

        Another warp found him surrounded by a couple of hostiles at the gate, but his mini-frigate was much too quick for them to react. Another advantage of travelling light.

        As he got closer, he saw more and more allies light up in the comm channels. He felt at ease. He had made it safely. He made the final jump and docked into his new home.

        He lay in a new bed with a Market datapad in his hand. The prices were a bit higher than Empire, but not exorbitant. He bought a Dominix, a Hurricane, and five Rifters, plus fittings. Like Lonetrek, Deklein was Gurista territory. Knee smiled as he knew he could fall back upon battling a familiar rival, but his real focus was on a higher echelon of combat. It was simple for a capsuleer to outmaneuver a regular captain, but other capsuleers was the new challenge he faced. He would start from the ground up, beginning with the Rifters and going from there. His purchases complete, he managed to sleep despite his aching body and the sweet song of Astrometrics filling his head.