The stars flickered outside of the cockpit of the Verite. A sleek Gallente built Asteroid frigate valley login enough for the lone pilot inside. Amelia Vaurenta fingers down across the console running diagnostics as a mind replay the events that had led her hair to the fringes of Federation face the brink of her own limits.
The nebula beyond stretched and indifferent, their radiance casting hues of green and gold over the hull. Her mind drifted back to Luminaire, to the towering skyscrapers that led the capital planet of Gallente Prime and the ideals of freedom that seems so distant now.
She was deep in syndicate space the lawless region where the Gallenteon Outkast known as the Intaki Syndicate ruled. The mission had been so simple on paper: intercept a Serpendis convoy, confirm the cargo, and eliminate any potential resistance. But out here far from the Federation oversight things rarely went as planned…
Sensors buzzed and a familiar voice crackle through the comms.
“Pilot Vaurent,” the cold clipped voice of agent LaRoux from her Federation Navy contract liaison “ do you understand your mission?”
Amelia’s jaw clenched. The question was insulting a reminder of her role as little little more than a pawn. “ perfectly,” she replied suppressing the bitterness that rose in her throat. She was Galentean through and through and the ideals of liberty and democracy had one driven her. But here they felt like a distant dream lost among the stars.
“ I need you to confirm it, Pilot” LaRoux pressed. His voice sharp. “ I expect compliance.”
She sighed and said. “ I am here to intercept the convoy. Confirm the cargo and terminate any interference.”
“ that’s correct and remember the syndicate and the serpentis have deep ties. Whatever the transporting could destabilise the region.”
Amelia Forster self debrief slowly. It wasn’t the syndicate or the serpentis that troubled her. The real gnawing at her was why this convoy now. Gallentean politics were murky at the best of times but something about this felt wrong, to secretive, too urgent. The Federation motives were no longer clear.
Her display flickered as a sensors picked up the convoy just a few thousand kilometres ahead coasting through the shadows of a distant astroid belt. Six ships. Three. Serpentis escort frigates and three unmarked transports. Amelia zoomed in on the transports, her heart sinking. They weren’t military vessels these were civilian haulers lightly armoured and vulnerable.
LaRouxs voice cuts through her thoughts “targets confirmed?”
“Confirmed” she replied through gritted teeth.
“Good,” LaRoux said, satisfaction seeping in his voice “process”
The Verites weapons hummed to life as she powered up her drones, her ship surging towards the convoy. The serpentis patrol frigate detected her approach breaking formation to intercept. Its warped disruptor locked onto her, but Amelia remained calm. Her sisters of eve tech could handle it cloaking stabs and advanced tracking disruptors. She deployed a flight of drones to deal with the frigate knowing it wouldn’t last long against the ships superior fire power. She targeted the next vessel her senses flared. A rogue transmission cuts through the comms static, a voice she hadn’t heard in years.
“ Amelia…”
Had her hand froze over the trigger. The voice was soft, familiar, impossible.
“ Amelia don’t do this”
It couldn’t be. But The Voice. The tone. It was unmistakable. Valen. Her former wing man presumed dead after defecting to the calderi several years ago. They had flown countless missions together for the Federation Navy before things went wrong. Before Valen had disappeared into empty space labelled as a traitor to Gallente ideals.
She swallowed hard. “Valen?” She whispered.
The Voice came again clearer this time. “ Amelia stop that convoy isn’t what you think. They lied to you.”
Her stomach twisted. The Federation had told her it was serpentis cargo, contraband weapons, illegal boosters. But Valens tone was urgent, pleading. He wouldn’t risk contacting her like this unless something was wrong.
“ I don’t have time for this,” she muttered, heart racing.
“ you have to listen. The Federation is using you like they used me.” Valen said, his voice sharp now. “ that convoy is full of political refugees. Civilian, she spoke out against the Senates secret policies. They trying to escape into syndicate space where the Federation can’t reach them.”
“ refugees?” Amelia hand trembled. That wasn’t possible. Halle the was the beacon of freedom, of democracy. They didn’t silence dissenters… did they?
“They’ve been targeting anyone who questions the government.” Valen continues. “ journalist activist…. people like us you think you’re stopping criminals but your silencing voices!”
Amelia’s mind spun. LaRoux had been unusually tight lipped about the mission. And the unmarked transports - civilian vessels not military suddenly made sense. Was she really here to kill innocents?
Her sensors flared again. The other serpentis ships had locked onto her. And her display lit up with warning signs. Weapons systems active. They were preparing to fire.
“I don’t have time for this Valen!” She barked. Feeling adrenaline flood her system. “ You expect me to believe the Federation would do something like this?”
“ you’ve seen it,” valen shot back. “ you know it’s not the Federation you signed up for.”
Before she could respond, the convoy altered course trying to break away. The escorts opened fire forcing her to defend herself. She deployed her drones to engage, but her mind was elsewhere conflicted.
Her Ship jolted as it took a glancing hit. She cursed under her breath rerouting power to her shields. Valens voice returned.
“ you need to choose Amelia. Stand by your orders or stand for something real. Help these people escape. Or hand them over to the Federation. Either way, they’re dead if you finish the job.”
Her heart pounded in a chest. She knew he was right but defying the federation meant becoming a fugitive and outcast. If she sided with him, she would be hunted for the rest of her life. If she didn’t, the civilians would die and she would be complicit in the slaughter.
The frigates closed in on her position. Their turrets glowing as they charged another volley. She had seconds to make her decision.
“ Amelia…” Valens voice softened “ you’ve always known what was right. Do it”
Her hand hovered over the weapons control. One volley would end this. Wipe out their transports complete her mission. But that wasn’t who she was anymore. She couldn’t be.
Amelia powered down her weapons.
She open a direct line to the convoy. “ This is Amelia Vaurent of the Gallente Federation Navy. I’m clearing a path. Get out of here while you can”
The pilot responded instantly, his voice shaky. “thank you pilot we won’t forget this.”
The transport shifted course speeding into the safety of syndicate space disappearing from her sensors one by one.
As a ship drifted into the silent aftermath. LaRouxs voice screamed through the comms, furious. “Vaurent! What the hell are you doing? You just committed treason!”
Amelia exhaled slowly, strange sense of calm washing over her. “ I’m doing what I should’ve done a long time ago. I’m done with your lies.”
She cut the transmission before he could respond and sat back in her seat watching as the stars drifted past.
There was no going back now.
Thank you for reading my fanfiction, I am not all too familiar with Eve online, but I tried my best to educate myself on as much as possible to be able to complete this bounty.
I drew a lot of similarities with what is going on today in the world, so there are undertones of real life scenarios that are happening in the world, I thought it was really important that I include a parallel to what’s happening and every single day life so thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to do so.