Cleansing of an Eye

Take a seat, mr. Caine. Please.

The voice of the old man was silent. He was kneeling down at a standard khanid tea table in the middle of the room. Shoji sliding walls had been opened, casting a view at the golden hangar of the amarrian station they were in. Tiny frigate-sized vessels were dashing across the opening, transporting passengers from the saturated air of the metallic hangar to the frenzy of humanity regained for a few days... or a few hours. She followed inside behind Leopold and slided the door shut.

With dread attending when that fatal wound.
Shall be inflicted by the Seed of Eve.

His eyes lingered on the ephemeral remnant lights the unceasing ballet was engraving behind, drawing uncanny arabesques the fool only would gape at with naive wonder.

Where are you?

Leopold walked over towards the table, bowed lightly and knelt down. There was a plethora of ceramic pots on the table, simple shapes of black against the red tablecloth. He felt the smell of incense in his nostrils as he came closer. Incense and something... else. She knelt down as well, lightly leaning forward in her seat, as if stretching.

The old man cackled as Leopold sat down. It was a light and a benevolent laughter, yet there was still a veil of dread in it. The man's presence was captivating, yet his face hidden by a hood. His robe bore the patterns of amarrian design, with a few Jin-mei finishing touches. Or at least, what Leopold thought to be Jin-mei touches. During his stay, Leopold thought that there weren't many amarrians in Curse. Now he realized they're maybe just hiding their colours too well.

So, you are the white dove I've been hearing about... mr. Caine. Welcome to Curse, if I may say. Make yourself comfortable in the pools of blissful radiance here.. you'll find many wicked opportunities and covered eyes... speaking of which, do you know why you are here?

Leopold lightly nodded, looking at the man's hands. He had reached for his sleeves, pulling them back and exposing a wet cloth over one of them. With a steady motion, the old man removed the rag and dipped it into the black ceramic bowl in front of him.

From what she told me...

Leopold paused for a second, looking to his left at her. She smiled and nodded, and Leopold wondered if the man actually knew her name. She never told him. She was just 'a friend', 'a keeper', and he refrained from asking her for a name to call her by.

...we are here to talk about Akila.

The old man pulled the rag from the bowl, some of the thick liquid dripping down from it, and placed it back on his hand.

Yes, we are. The presence of the Augmented Ones is interesting there... you see, you are in the spotlight for a number of reasons... it is rare to find a High One with political threads and needles in... locations with pleasant conditions, such as Akila.. and you have the... I can see that in you. I am a Seer myself... but, back to the business at hand... you shall be given a package of holy merit. We need you to get it to Akila, and keep it safe there... mount a campaign against installations of the Augmented Ones in there... make them mount their steeds and fight back. Make a stamp of your presence there. Then... come back, and I'll tell you what shall we do next... any... questions?

Leopold frowned a bit, but shook his head. He understood there's something behind this plan. Just destroying the Nation's forces in the area was a setup for something. Something the man hadn't told him. Yet.
The hands of the old man moved again, reaching for the ceramic bowl and pushing it in Leopold's direction.

Don't worry, Mr. Caine. In time, you'll see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Black Pilgrimage

They walked down a catwalk, towards an opening in the distance. The architecture of the station seemed Caldari, but there was an ill mist around it, almost as if one was looking through a grain filter on one of those ancient holoreels. The large docking bay they were in seemed familiar to Leopold, but he didn't bother looking around. It was the same Caldari station, like thousands of others, just with the addition of that ill mist. It was where he would end up sooner or later, where she would bring him eventually. He wasn't in Caldari space.
He was in Curse.

The frail looking Achuran woman next to his side smiled as the echo of her footsteps against the metal catwalk dropped to a halt.

Why are you so anxious, Leopold?

Her eyes pierced inside the back of his skull, he could feel it. He must not show a sign of weakness... not now, not here.

I am alright... it's just the atmosphere of the station. Not used to it after being in the pod that long.

She raised an eyebrow, so slightly that it was barely noticeable and continued walking, the light chime of her boots ringing in the air.

I have talked with the Dominations about your performance so far. It hasn't been perfect, but you have proven yourself in defense of our assets. They liked that... however, you might be heading home sooner than you had anticipated.

What do you mean?

I mean that you will have to take a certain shipment from us, and bing it back to Akila. It will have to be in the cargobay, so clone jumping out won't be possible. This isn't a usual smuggling operation, so take care. Garett will fill you in on the details when we reach his office. So start writing a letter back to Kirsa that you'll be home soon.

Leopold stopped walking, letting her gain a few steps. She turned around and giggled.

Yes, we know.