The Long Road to Closure

System: HLW-HP
Constellation:Elysium
Region: Curse
Sovereignty: Angel Cartel
11-7 YC 116 0250

Ryven's ass ached from the uncomfortable storage trunk on which he sat, alone in the darkness of Katerina Tzestu's sparsely decorated quarters in the Archangels Assembly Plant station orbiting moon 3 of the third planet in the HLW-HP system of Curse.  It also ached from traveling 33 jumps through 7 different regions (The Bleak Lands, Heimatar, Metropolis, The Forge, Etherium Reach, Insmother, Scalding Pass, and finally Curse).  Only nine of those systems he passed through were technically friendly.  The vast majority were in fact null-sec systems in which he was simply an interloper, and as such, should probably be shot on sight.  He had made the trip in a Hound, hoping the cloaking device would be sufficient to keep him from destruction.  He had actually encountered no resistance.  As different colored nebulae light years away slowly shifted from gold to red to blue and eventually to the bright twin clouds of white, red, orange, and brown that you could see from HLW-HP in Curse.  This was a long journey for what amounted to an attempt at closure.  Simply put, he needed to say goodbye to Kat properly, or rather, to put the ghost of their relationship to rest.

When Ryven arrived in HLW-HP and evaded the local patrols, he warped to the Archangels Assembly Planet orbiting Planet III Moon 3 of the star simply designated HLW-HP.  Ryven had often wondered if the people who inhabited these systems for long enough ever named these unnamed stars.  Some personnel might spend their whole lives circling around a star no one cared about enough to refer to by anything other than some jumble of letters, always hyphenated, sometimes with numbers.  HLW-HP was just another orange K7 class star to Ryven, but to the people who live in such systems, perhaps HLW-HP was something more personal.  Or, perhaps they just named them something that took less time than HLW-HP to say.

Ryven's Hound decloaked as the warp bubble surrounding his ship collapsed and deposited him within the docking ring of the Assembly Plant.  He transmitted a docking request to the station and hoped that Leela had done her magic.  With only a momentary delay, his ship was allowed to dock, his capsule extracted, and he found himself standing inside of a space station. 

Leela had been kind enough to locate Kat's quarters inside the station, so, all that he needed to figure out was where he was in relation to her room and then make his way there.  That was a rather simple task since the station bulkhead told him which compartment he was in.  It had taken no more than ten minutes to make it to her room, with not so much as an inquisitive look from anyone he passed in the corridors.  The only real hurdle came when he had to hack the lock to her door.  That was accomplished easily enough, though, since door lock technology was essentially the same out in Curse as it was in most stations.  He had a tool for that.  It just required a few moments without interruption.  Thankfully, at this time of night, there wasn't much foot traffic.  He just stood and whistled to himself while his door hack did its work.  With a slight hiss, the door slid open of its own accord and Ryven let himself in.


The quarters were the standard capsuleer quarters for a Caldari station. The room was relatively austere, with  only a few personal effects around the room. There was also the trunk that Ryven took a seat on, a hand drawn picture of Kat wearing an In Exile. jacket, and a picture of what Ryven presumed were Kat's parents.  He hadn't been waiting long when he heard the door open and Kat entered the room.

Ryven stayed sitting quietly, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks, a black t-shirt, and sandals.  He had been twiddling his thumbs to pass the time.  Kat shed her jacket and started to toss it onto the bed.  She noticed Ryven and immediately let out a quick scream of fright. She recovered quickly and grabbed a gun she had laying nearby and trained it on him.

Ryven was amused at this reaction, since it wasn't unexpected, and also because, had he been there to harm her, sitting on her trunk was probably not the ideal way to go about it.  He spoke, humor in his voice. "It would put a quick end to a lot of trouble I took if you ended up shooting me.  It's not a very nice way to treat an old flame."
Kat took a minute to breathe, keeping the gun squarely on Ryven. "You're not exactly an old flame, are you, Mr. Krennel?"

That answered one of Ryven's questions for him.  She apparently didn't know he was back to his old self now.  Which made sense. He nodded slowly. "That would depend on which Mr. Krennel you think you're talking to." He gave her a warm smile. "It would be nice, though, Kat, if you'd lower the gun while we figure it out."


Kat's expression made it clear she was not convinced.  The gun didn't even quiver.  "No offense, but I highly doubt you're just here to talk. If I had to guess you're here to torture me or something, so I think I'll keep the gun where it is."

Trying to put her at ease as much as possible, Ryven simply shrugged and gave her a curt"Suit yourself." He looked around the room for a moment, appraising it. "Nice room." His eyes returned to  Kat. "Believe it or not, I did just come to talk.  A lot of things have been happening back home."

Kat's face made it clear she still wasn't buying any of it. "Like? Did you finally try killing Shalee or something?"

Ryven frowned reflexively.  His voice gained the slightest twinge of anger. "You really should check in more often.  You might have learned things, like Dark Ryven is gone, for instance.  Or, I threatened an MIO Inquisitor over your ass."

Kat's frown mirrored his own.  She let the muzzle of the gun drop a bit as she contemplated what he had just said. "The other you is...gone?"

Ryven grinned. "Well, he's certainly not in this thick ass head of mine anymore." He hedged with "What Leela did with him, I'm not sure. And she isn't talking about it."

Kat sighed, either from relief or maybe exhaustion. "You don't mind if I don't exactly take your word for it, do you?"

Ryven shook his head in response. "I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't in your position.  I also don't really have any way to prove it is me, since Dark Ryven and I share the same memories."  Providing any particular shared experience as evidence would be meaningless.

Kat seemed to really want to believe him. Seeking some external confirmation, she asked, "Are Leela or Shalee connected at the moment? Or who else would know?"

Ryven shook his head again. "Neither.  And neither of them know I'm here.  I'd prefer to keep it that way."  He sighed, not really wanting to bring up her new boyfriend, not with the memories of their relationship so fresh in his mind. "You could ask Regi, if you wanted." He suggested, surprised that it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.  Perhaps he was maturing, finally.

Kat pulled out her neocomm with one hand, careful to always keep sight picture on Ryven. Recognizing her wariness and wanting to keep putting her at ease, Ryven raised his hands up in the air and grinned meekly. He could wait patiently while she sought verification of his claims.

"So, if you are who you say you are, how are things at Cerra?

Ryven shrugged. "Depends who you ask."  He paused momentarily before continuing. "Things have been a bit messy, actually.  Seems my Dark persona wasn't the only troublemaker.  There was the mess with Vlad, an investigation or two, and of course, the Inquisitor who came looking for you."

Kat nodded, well aware of the sore point that was said inquisitor.  Her neocomm beeped and she glanced down at it.  She sighed, this time out of relief.  She set her neocomm down on a the desk and unloaded the gun.  She sat down at the desk and faced him. "Reginald said it was you."

Ryven nodded and lowered his hands, chuckling. "I'm glad you lowered the gun.  Means I can stand up and stretch without getting aerated."  He stood up and stretched, the aches from sitting on that trunk easing. "This trunk is unbelievably uncomfortable."

On impulse, Kat bounded up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Ryven in a sudden embrace that took Ryven by surprise. "It's good to see you again." Ryven hadn't expected this.  He returned the embrace, an unbidden tear welling up in his left eye.  He blinked it quickly away.

"It's even better for me, I promise." His voice wavered only slightly.

She sighed. "I'm sure." She drew back a bit. "Can I offer you anything?"

Ryven looked around again at the very sparse furnishings. "I don't know.  What have you got?" He asked, hoping it was something at least 80 proof.

Kat shrugged "Not much, but I have a bottle of something around here." She walked over to a counter and picked up a bottle of scotch, showing it to Ryven.

Ryven's eyes lingered on the drawing of Kat, wondering if that was Regi's handiwork.  He turned to see the bottle Kat held and nodded. "That will do." That will do quite nicely, actually. You can't say goodbye with anything less than 80 proof.

She poured a glass for him and one for herself. "So now, since I'm fairly certain you don't plan on killing me, what occasions the trip?"

He sighed, which, along with the shrug, was probably his most common action nowadays. "Several things, honestly, some more personal than others.  First and foremost, because I wanted to see you.  The last time I saw you while I was in control of myself, you had just left me."

She frowned. "I know. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "That's not why. I'm not looking for an apology.  I just missed you and wanted to be sure I got to see you at least one more time as myself."  That's the actual truth. "I don't blame you for what happened, and I'm not trying to get you back." Also, both true.  Am I growing up?

She nodded in understanding. "Well I'm glad you're not trying, to be honest."

Ryven took a sip of his scotch and then changed the subject. "The Inquisitor who was snooping around is the second reason."

"Yea...we've met."

Ryven continued. "Not a very charming individual, and I suspect he was not pleased to make my acquaintance either."

Kat smiled and Ryven felt the familiar sting of old longings arising in him, coupled with pangs of regret and no small amount of remorse. She asked, "What did you do to him?"

Ryven smiled and shook his head. "Oh, nothing so intense as all that. I just made it abundantly clear that his lifespan would be measurably longer if he didn't hang around for long."

Kat couldn't help but giggle. "You're too kind."

Ryven beamed and added, "Your boyfriend threatened him with mountains of paperwork and red tape.  I'm actually not sure which the Inquisitor was more afraid of." Truthfully, I'm really not sure which I'd be more afraid of.  I prefer a fight.

Kat giggled even harder, "Oh he so would too!" She added, more soberly, "I wish you were around a month ago."

Ryven nodded, every bit as soberly, perhaps even a little bit haunted. "I have many things to atone for.  That's not the least of them." His face grew serious and he asked, "Are you making trips to the Manor?"

"I did a few times. Trying to explain to Shalee. But I didn't stay for long, and I had a team ready in case they saw anything suspicious."

Ryven nodded, not surprised. "I think you should avoid the Manor for a while."

"I only went because I was hoping to save my friendship with Shalee, you know." She said, defensively. "I knew it was an insane risk, but I couldn't help it."

Ryven spoke calmly. "I understand.  I'm just saying it's probably a little too risky right now."  He smiled. "I don't want to interfere with blooming love, either." He winked at her. "So, I may have a safe spot you two can meet if you so choose."

Kat laughed. "I appreciate it, but I know a few places out of the reach of the Ministry, you know."

"I know. But, do they play good jazz?"

A smile slowly took over her face as she understood his meaning. "You know... I don't think so."

Ryven reached into his pocket and pulled out a small shiny metallic card.  He handed it to her. "I went to the trouble of having this made when I had the security at the bar upgraded last night. It will allow you access.  The bar is closed, otherwise."

She smiled. "You're the best, you know."

He frowned. "I'm not.  But, I appreciate it."  He looked away and took a sip of his drink. He changed the subject, uncomfortable with her praise. "You know, Regi seems like a nice enough guy.  He's a little uptight, and sometimes a little naive, but he seems right in the ways that count."

Kat smiled, clearly pleased to hear Ryven sing Regi's praises. "He is very sweet. And very proper."

Ryven chuckled. "So, nothing like me."

That made Kat laugh, "Well...you were never mean or anything. so he's like you in that way."

Ryven smiled, truly enjoying the opportunity to talk to her again after so long. "That's true, I guess."  He looked around some more. "How are you liking it in the Legion?"

Kat shrugged, "Well...to be honest I came here because I needed a safe home, and the ability to fight back. But they're nice people, believe it or not."

Ryven nodded. "I always suspected they were people."

She chuckled, "Well they're not bad people, unlike what I.law thinks."

"I think that's an oversimplification.  I mean, some people in I.LAW probably do think that. But, that's what war does.  The Legion is just as likely to kill us as hug us.  That doesn't make me hate them.  It's war."

She shrugged bitterly, "Well according to Shalee I'm a psychopath now, and everyone else I was friends with feels that way too so would I please get out of her house now?"

"Well, you're still alright in my book."

Kat smiled, "Thanks, but you and Regi are the only ones who think that apparently."

He countered her smile with one of his own. "That not enough?"

She shrugged again. "Well I'm hurt Shalee thought so little of me. You know."

Ryven nodded solemnly. "She had me shot and nearly tortured.  I can relate."

"Well, you kind of deserved it...' She let her voice trail off. Then she added, "And I believe she probably did it to help you, since she still valued you. Me? Well apparently not so much."

Ryven sighed, not really sure how to argue that. Although, he did find it odd that she felt slighted since Shalee hadn't shot her or tortured her. "Well, at least you still have two people willing to associate with you.  Hell, I even flew way too many jumps, snuck into an Archangels base, and sat on an uncomfortable trunk for far too long just to say hi." He was exaggerating a little.  It had been more tedious than difficult really.

Kat laughed, "That you did, and a good thing too, I'm glad you're back."

"To be honest, I also did it to see if I could."

Kat shrugged, "It's not a legion station, you know."

"I didn't know, actually."

Kat nodded, seeming unsurprised. "This system isn't owned by the legion, we don't own systems."

Ryven shrugged. "My experience with the Legion has been largely confined to fighting their capital ships."

"I've flown my new carrier in combat twice. The rest of my time is spent in subs actually."

He chuckled. "I'm not saying I don't think they do anything but fly capital ships around, I'm just saying I don't know much about them beyond my few run ins with them in space."

"Fair enough."

Ryven looked around one last time. "I think I should probably get going."

"Well I appreciate you coming out here to talk to me."

Ryven smiled at her. "How could I not?"

She laughed, "Rather easily, I'd imagine."

Ryven  simply shook his head. "That's not how friendship works.  Not for me."

"I'm glad you say so."

"Of course.  And enjoy the bar."

She smiled again. "I will. Thank you."

Ryven walked to the door and glanced both ways out in the passageway. He looked back at Kat. "Don't mention it."  Without another word, he stepped out into the passageway and closed the door behind him.

Kat took a seat at the desk, leaning back and crossing her ankles on the desk, feeling a lot better than usual since leaving In Exile.

Ryven began the long journey home, but had nearly finished his long journey toward closure.