Whesto Dwanian

[Whesto]

TO OMICRON RHO

DAGGER OUTPOST - OMEGA-55

The interaction with the local Core representatives at Dagger Outpost was short and non-personal. Whesto did however get instructions on how to send his request to the Core command. He went to his ship, an Osprey, and took a seat in the cockpit and started his recording. Whesto was clear and honest with his intents and history and as to why he sought to join their ranks.

He sent his transmission and a sense of emptiness and silence hit him. Only the Dagger Outpost control chatter could be heard on low volume over the open comms. Perhaps old memories and grief caught up with him, perhaps that is what he let go of. The good memories left a bittersweet aftertaste, seeing it was all gone now. Thus, the determination and hatred grew again.

Whesto took a while to reset and await a response on his transmission, if any.

BACK TO OMICRONS

Whesto - Dagger Outpost

Whesto woke up by a beep on his dashboard, new transmission received. It was a short one. Good or bad news?

Mr. Dwanian, we'll be delighted to have you. Your application is ACCEPTED. Expect your briefing very soon. - Jack Daniels, Guildmaster, The Core.

Whesto's pulse quickened and a grin covered his face for a moment, he then transitioned into seriousness and focus. The briefing instructed him to make his way to Durban Station in Omicron Rho as planned. There he would get the appropriate setups with callsign, ship, equipment and other necessities.

Seeing his history in the Edge Worlds, finding his way out there was not an issue. Whesto decided to make his way through Omicron Gamma, Kappa and Delta. Upon reaching Omicron Kappa he felt like a stranger, being away for so many years. He did wonder if any of his old wingmen had come back or were alive at all, not a certainty in edge space.

The Omicron Delta jump hole glowed with an indifferent silence in front of the ship. Whesto jumped with the same indifference, perhaps more skeptical than before. Setting course for Omicron Rho, Whesto spotted Freeport 11 in the distance. His skepticism became more noticeable. The events that took place were a complicated mess in his mind, even the ones occurring in his absence. Either way Whesto felt the Zoners stationed there had lost it, although understandable to some extent.

Whesto had heard rumors of them treating pilots just like himself, with paranoia about infection and rigorous testing of visitors, even of some of them disappearing. At least they had a similar level of determination as himself, he thought.

DURBAN STATION

Whesto's 'Sawback' fighter craft.

Exiting the Rho wormhole, the blue star covered the ship's back and the pale blue Planet Rio shone in the star's reflection in front of him. As the cruise went on, Durban's appearance made itself known. The docking request was granted and Whesto was received in the docking bay.

After some interviews, briefings and tests, Whesto traded in his Osprey and paid the equipment dealer to move some parts over to his new Sawback. It was a Core fighter that Whesto had never seen before and he was eager to test it with some g-force, perhaps against the Nomad threat.

It took a few hours to get everything in order with the registry, quarters and equipment. Whesto had some time to exhale. For a moment he felt uplifted by this new chapter, he then reminded himself of the constant danger of being out there, he got tempered and serious again.

GUARDIAN DWANIAN REPORTING FOR DUTY

Because of Whesto's history and years of experience, he was immediately promoted to the rank of Guardian. It may be the first rank after Initiate, but he appreciated it nonetheless. The internal comms beeped and a voice on the other side told Whesto he was needed on a patrol mission. No time to waste it seemed. Whesto put on his new Core pilot gear, started up his Sawback and left the station.

Knowing of all the various threats out there, Whesto entered space for the first time as a pilot of The Core.

---