Its been a long time since i left the sanctuary of hi-sec. Days and nights have flown by, always looking for the next hit, the next mission to be thrown by. Anything to survive. By now i know many of my fellow peers from the Navy academy will be piloting their own ships within the fleet, some might even be able to kill me should we be msfortunate enough to meet. Luckily the fleet doesent go to low-sec much, as they have enough to secure their own borders these days. With the instability going on in Empire, chances are any encounter would rather be from me foolishly enter a hig-sec system rather than them coming to my lawless systems....However, i have noticed a strange rise in federation activity along the borders lately, my last one being quite the reunion...

So there we were roaming in one of the low-security systems near Jita, always looking for the unfortuate or foolish pilot whom we could bear down on like the hand of God, and render him moneyless, shipless, and screaming in agony while awakening in the clonepods at his home station. All while rendering us just a tad richer.
 This specific day we were hunting in a system where rumours had it the occational battlecruisers out for a high-paying federation mission would venture. Not particularly surprising as the Serpentis pirates have a strong presence here. To my knowledge they have both a drug manufacturing lab here, and a significant stronghold system. These are usually quite hidden from all but the best scanning devices, and only pilots featuring a rather high standing with the Federation get the chance to go in and reduce the Serpentis´numbers. Personally i profit from trade with these mercenaries so i and my friends stay on their good side by killing those wannabees who venture onto the Serpentis´ turf. Today was as such no different than others.

Me, Simon and Johan hang out in a safespot we made , some 5a.u away from anything, making us hard to be spotted by pilots without extra scanning modules. Within a few hours we have found, homed in on and disposed of 4 battlecruisers, 2 cruisers and some smaller support ships. Our ratings with the federation are dropping like rocks from the skies, but as our ratings with those who counts - the lawless pirating corporatings - rise, we arent notably concerned. It all seemed like a healty union, our little wolfpack.  

As i scan the system, i ask Simon for help in pinpointing location of a Vexor i had found.Simon went to work, making good use of his high-tech equipment. I have to give it to him, he is ideal for tracking down hidden ships. Apparantly this Vexor had found a hidden asteriod belt, and were sitting there mining his heart out. Simon locks on to the location, then give the command for a fleet jump to the unsuspecting prey. We descent upon the battlecruiser as a pack of wolf would do on a sleeping rabbit. And equally as cats do with mice, we took god time playing with our prey. Permanent warp and target jam while slowly picking the vessels shield and armor to shreds. To such an extent were our glee in torturing our prey we neglected the rise in local activity. 

As we are about to finish of our play with the Vexor, my tactical overlay goes haywire. A Navy Megathron jumps in on us, supported by a Thorax. I´ve never heard about a federation detail actively seeking out pirates in low-security. Something is absolutely not correct....
 Within seconds my own Megathron is targeted, so i release my defensive pack of drones to maximize my chances of survival. 2 Armor repair drones, 1 ECM drone and 2 heavy attack drones.
 - " Simon , permajam the Thorax - Johan - close in on it, put your energy neutralizers on, and release any offensives you have, drones, guns, whatever. I will blast it then we take on the Mega." My orders are clear and unmistakeable. E-war ships are invanluable and might just be what we need to see it through. I sure as hell would hate to lose my newly aquired Megathron.

What happens next nearly had me flattened by surprise...
" Sir, we are being hailed by the megathron!"
" WHAT ???  Federation never communicate with their tagets. At best one get the " You have violated Federation space and will be destroyed" before they permajam, lock and blast you to smitherines - usually all this before you have the time to soil your pants....
" -Keep focused fire on the Thorax, REMOVE it from my sight - -and put the navy commander onscreen!" i command. i gotta see what this is all about....

" Well hello there Jinko - You seem to have crawled your way up in the criminal worlds.."- LeMans ? ...
Its been ages since my last omnious run-in with LeMans. If it hadnt been for the Rokh attacking his Navy Mega back then, i would have been incarcerated, and LeMans would have been a medal hero for capturing a deserter - me. Questions formed faster than i could see them myself. How had he found me, Why had he been looking for me? Or maybe i should even ask why he was venturing into Low security flanked by only a cruiser? LeMans was too fond of his own self to take ANY risks. Low security space was an area i couldnt imagine LeMans entering without the support of a battlegroup. Yet he was here, almost alone.
" LeMans - how nice of you to drop by, hope you dont mind me squaring away some of the dirt you brought home! "  referring to the thorax we had under heavy fire.
" I was just Thinking of you, Lemmy, not in particularly good terms, but you know... it IS the thought that counts... So what can i do you for today?"
" You can surrender immediately and let me bring you back to your court marshall. Your time has been overdue for quite some time!"
 At least one thing hadn´t changed sincelast we met. LeMans arrogance still knew no borders. Outnumbered permajammed and with no place to go, he was still acting as if he was commanding a battlegroup against a frigate.  

LeMans himself had changed, i noticed. His lines were more stretched, as if he had been a drug addict. A thought accured in my head - perhaps me escaping had set in moting somehing regarding his career. Lemans had become a man driven not by ambition but revenge - anger, even hate. Yet it seemed to me the same drive, anger and hate had consumed him physically. Where once his skin had been fair and clean, pores were visible and a sickly pale colour defined his features. His eyes were still dark with arrogance and self rightousness, as if it was his given birthright to belittle those he found wanting, to use those he found weak and to enrich himself on the bounty of those he could skin alive. But till, he was a changed man. I had my doubts wether it was for the better thou.

The Thorax Lemans had brought with him was going under. A last volley from my neutron blasters tore through its last hulls, and everyne had a moment of silence as we saw the vessel implode onto itsef. I felt angry with LeMans. I knew him well enough to know he had probably tricked a careerminded lieutnant to follow him right into a losing situation. if for nothing but a chance toget himself out of a tricky situation. Now he had sacrificed this young commander without a second of remorse while still arrogantly assuming his target would succumb. Arrogance, a deadly sin LeMans was born with...What was he planning .. why was he here, now ?