EVE:The Burning Life is available in several formats in bookstores near you as well as Amazon UK and the Macmillan store in the US.

“You died not when you expired, but when your life was neatly packed away.”

That’s at the start of the novel. Actually, a lot of people die very soon after, and not very neatly, either.

The novel is called EVE: The Burning Life, and it’s out now in the UK and very soon in the US (March 30th). As per the title it takes place in EVE, or New Eden rather, and tells the story of …

Well, in one way it’s the story of two people who go through a boatload of hurt, but it’s also a story about the empires, and the pirate factions, and how all of us reading this have come to dominate their world. It’s almost a travelogue: We get to see Gallentean bodymod conferences, Amarrian convents, Caldari Mind Clash games, and a strange Minmatar exodus. There are the Angels, all marching in step; and Guristas, living their crazy lives. There are the Sansha, in their quiet metal hell. And the Sisters of EVE, trying to save a few souls along the way. They’re important to the story.

It’s a novel about revenge and redemption, about putting away old things – or settling scores, depending on who you ask – and moving on. About change, really, which is a concept every EVE player will be intimately familiar with. We’re good at adapting to new circumstances. We’re also pretty good at revenge.

“They went in through the eyes”

That’s near the middle. It’s a creepy part, though not in the way you’d think. It’s fun to subvert the readers’ expectations, and the novel hopefully manages to do that a few times. As much as The Burning Life is science fiction and takes place in a dark, brutal future universe, it is, like fiction should be, about people. Spaceships come and go (and get blasted to pieces), and there’s terrific fun to be had from describing all the ways they can be destroyed, but it’s even more fun to write about the wonderful, terrifying, beautiful, awful, desperate and above all surprising things that people get up to when you put them in a bad situation, make that situation even worse, and then push and keep pushing until something gives way. I don’t believe in starting stories with action or crazy mad excitement; the reader has no emotional investment in the characters yet, and completely lacks the orientation to realize the full extent of what’s happening. Instead, I like to start stories right after something terrible has happened, and pay close attention to the aftermath. That’s when you see the truth. That’s when people show you what they’re really like.

I’m fascinated by good people who do bad things – for, I should add, reasons that they feel are entirely justified. Nobody’s a bad guy in their own mind. And even though I have a reputation for writing spooky stories, I keep returning to the idea of humanizing the horrors of EVE. One of the starting points for The Burning Life came out of my obsession with the Blood Raiders, a spacefaring part of the Sani Sabik. The Sani Sabik worship blood, and the Blood Raiders actively harvest it. Raiders are scary people who fly scary, red-mottled spaceships. But you can’t build an empire solely on scariness; people simply don’t work that way. Terror and oppression, certainly, those are tried and true ways of keeping your populace in order; but if every single inhabitant in your faction is eagerly engaging in the kind of balls-out craziness that drives them to kidnap spaceship crews and suck out their blood, something has gone rather spectacularly wrong. A nation of billions is not composed solely of bloodthirsty crazies.

So what do the rest of the Sani Sabik do? How do you, as a presumably sane and well-adjusted person in that faction, reconcile your normal (albeit religiously devout) life with the idea that somewhere out there, someone is kidnapping, mutilating and murdering innocent people in your name? What kind of stamp does that leave on your society? If a nation can adjust to that incredible, frightening peculiarity, where else will you see its effects?

In short: What if these are real people, trying to live their real lives? Same goes for the ones who reside on the space stations, and the planets, and on the fragile, unprotected, easily targeted asteroid colonies. What if it’s all real? What are their lives like, down there?

“I’m a capsuleer”

That’s right at the end.

In time we may tell many different stories, but in a way it’s always the same basic experience. I’ve published eighty short stories, had two plays performed at Fanfests, written a bunch of in-game text and other unpublished EVE stuff; and now there’s a novel with my name on it. Each time, you share what’s inside your head, but more than that, you share your experiences with the world: How you saw them, what you thought of them, and what happened next.

The Burning Life is the same novel as it was almost a year ago, but it’s been polished and fixed and rewritten and tweaked in countless ways. The editors – Simon Spanton at Orion/Gollancz and Eric Raab at TOR – deserve thanks, and thanks upon thanks, for all their hard work. I spent a weekend in the TOR offices going over the novel page by page by page with Eric, and believe me, when you’re a young editor living in New York and working in an office that overlooks the very heart of Manhattan, there are many things you could be doing over the weekend other than editing my book. It’s a joy to tell stories, but you need good people with sharp eyes to ensure it’s fit for others to enjoy. A story is not a proper story until it’s been heard.

Likewise, a book isn’t a book until it’s been read. A book – a novel – is a shared experience. This one has existed in my head for over a year, and now, at last, it’ll take on its own life. To me, the novel won’t properly exist until it belongs to others, much in the same way that EVE doesn’t exist unless it’s a shared experience. There isn’t just you: there’s the people in your corp or alliance, the ones you mine with, the ones you fight alongside and the ones you fight against, and everyone you see on local, doing their own thing.

And then there are all the people you didn’t see. The ones on the spacestations, making way for your passage. The ones on your ship, scrambling for their escape pods when you drop into hull and the bulkheads start smoking. The ones on the colonies, refineries, pleasure hubs and all those other places that exist only a as brief, bright explosion and loot drop site for the rest of us. Some of those people, they had a very definite experience because of us. Some of them very much want to share it. At least one of them wants vicious revenge. The Burning Life will tell you what he did, and why.

*Abraxas/Hjalti is a humble man. It is my solemn duty to help sell his dark mind’s work.  You can purchase it in bookstores, for sure, but also online via Amazon UK and the Macmillan store [US Version] in a several formats. Buy his book. You won’t regret it. – CCP Manifest

Pashanai – The Bloody Hands of Matar, one of the most notorious terrorist organizations in New Eden, has come forward to claim responsibility for the massive explosion on a Ministry of War station at Pashanai III earlier today which claimed the lives of just under 5600 people and destroyed several billion ISK’s worth of infrastructure.

In a prepared video statement released to several media outlets simultaneously, an unidentified man with a black cloth across his face speaks in a distorted voice, explaining intricate technical details of the operation that experts have now confirmed indicate a reliable level of involvement. The man then proceeds to direct scathing political rhetoric toward the Empire and the Ammatar Mandate, starkly berating them for their “centuries of unlawful subjugation and violence.”

The Minmatar Republic has moved swiftly to denounce the attack. In a nationally broadcast statement just minutes ago, Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor expressed his condolences to to the innocent people of Amarr, caught up in this brutal attack unawares, and pledged to assist with relief efforts in any measure the Empire requested.

The attack represents by orders of magnitude the biggest act of terrorism ever perpetrated by the Bloody Hands of Matar. The organization has kept largely out of the limelight since assassinating an Ammatar consulate ambassador just under three years ago. Their numbers, resources and the extent of their operational capacity are unknown at this point. 

Villore – President Jacus Roden has officially transmitted condolences to Empress Jamyl I following the deaths of several thousand people – including Theology Council head Mervan Moritok – in a devastating explosion at the Amarr Ministry of War station in Pashanai system. Although the explosion was initially believed to be an accident, the Amarr Ministry of Internal Order are now investigating it as an act of terrorism.

In a statement on behalf of the Gallente Federation government, the President’s office said, “The explosion and the thousands of deaths and injuries are a tragedy for the entire New Eden cluster. We note with regret the death of High Deacon Mervan Moritok and offer the condolences of the Gallente Federation for his and other deaths resulting from this terrible event.”

Commenting on public statements of Amarr security officials suggesting the station explosion was a deliberate act of terrorism rather than a tragic accident, the release urged caution: “The Gallente Federation stands ready to offer any and all assistance that may be required both for rescue workers and investigators. If this tragic event is confirmed to be an act of terrorism we respectfully urge caution so that the true perpetrators may be punished without any further unnecessary loss of life to innocents.”

The President’s office confirmed that Federation Navy units have been put on stand-by along the border with the Amarr Empire to serve as an aid and security task-force should any assistance be requested.

Ardishapur Prime – Royal Heir Yonis Ardishapur has just addressed the Amarr Empire in a widely telecast speech. Speaking from the steps of his palace on Ardishapur Prime, the heir outlined several strategies for dealing with the aftermath, offered words of comfort to those affected, and pledged to use his personal resources to ensure the tragedy was dealt with as completely as possible.

“You can never prepare for a day like this,” he said, “when the cruelty and evil of the world for one terrible moment reveal themselves in the heart of your home. A great blow has been dealt us this day, but to the brave and loyal souls of the Empire I say: you have faced worse before, and you have prevailed. You now stand faced with this, and now too will you prevail. As God is my witness, we shall weather this storm.”

“And make no mistake either that a great man has fallen today. His decades of contribution to the well-being of our nation will pass safe into the realm of history. But let us not forget the other thousands who rejoined our Lord today. Let their sacrifice, and all the pain it’s caused us, be the bedrock from which we launch our retribution against those who would harm us. And let no man, woman or child in New Eden think that the Empire will ever let itself be cowed by brutality. Not now, not forever. Amarr Victor.”

Several detachments from Ardishapur’s personal fleet have been scrambled and are en route to Pashanai bearing medical supplies and personnel. The casualty figures appear to have leveled off by this point, with the latest reported total standing at 5563.

“Merely Disassembled” is a new EVE Chronicle written by CCP Abraxas. Published every other Monday, Chronicles are intended to examine the various aspects of life in New Eden. The entire list is contained here, and a comment thread for this particular story may be found here.

Pynekastoh, Black Rise – Earlier this month, a Consortium. Alliance freighter, containing a Minmatar Service Outpost Platform, was destroyed by Advocated Destruction.

According to ship logs, the freighter was controlled by Shmak DatAsh, leader of Consortium. Sylem, diplomat for Advocated Destruction, confirmed the vessel was defended only by a small support fleet.

“We were in a small gang [when] we just happened to see the freighter warp to a gate. We then gave chase [and] finally one of our pilots caught it in [Pynekastoh],” he said.

Such a loss could not go unnoticed among members of Consortium. Alliance: “The loss caused a major fissure… some people wanted heads to roll, others wanted to pick up and build another [station platform],” said Shmak DatAsh.

The loss sparked an attempted coup by fellow alliance leader R0ck Muncher. The coup failed and R0ck Muncher left the alliance, taking four corporations with him.

Aen Gentarus, who recently left the alliance, explains: “we had worked pretty hard, as had the alliance as a whole to get the resources for the platform… so when that [egg] was lost, it was a devastating blow.”

The psychological blow and the subsequent political turmoil have caused Consortium.’s member count to drop from over one thousand to less than 600 capsuleers. However, Consortium.’s leader believes it is only a matter of time before the alliance recovers its full strength.

“Once we get back [on our feet], we’ll be back on the drawingboard working closer with Atlas,” Shmak DatAsh stated.

Are you affected by the events in this article? Do you have information regarding another event in New Eden? If so, please contact us with any information that you may have.

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G-5EN2, Providence – Amidst the ongoing conflict over the Providence region, the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of Saint Katherine [SHOSK], colloquially known as the “Space Nuns” have embarked on a mission of mercy to the area.

The Space Nuns first came to the attention of New Eden when they began saving stranded passengers ejected from capsuleer vessels or left in wreckage in the Domain region. According to Sister Louella Dougans, CEO of SHOSK, they have begun operations in Providence with the intent of being “a guiding light in the darkness” and saving those stranded by the misfortunes of this region-spanning war.

According to the Sister, the nuns use small fast ships (specifically the Executioner-class frigate) when conducting rescue operations in null-sec for their speed and maneuverability, but also for their minimal complement of non-capsuleer crew who would be at risk in larger vessels. Sister Dougans explained that her rescue missions are not without danger and admitted that she had lost “a couple” of such frigates while attempting to reach castaways.

There has been a mixed response to the nuns’ missions of mercy, ranging from remarks in the Local channel such as “God save us, it’s the Space Nuns!” to an offer to duel from an Ushra’Khan pilot, Cheif AutoParts of Universal Army. In general, however, Sister Dougans claims that local capsuleers from both sides of the Providence conflict have been receptive to her Order’s mission.

Sister Dougans stated that the nuns typically find abandoned passengers “at stargates and near stations” though sometimes they must use astrometric probes to locate them deeper into space. Such people have commonly been pulled from, or left in the wreckage of pirate structures such as casinos, brothels, slave compounds and hab units and left stranded to make room for more saleable commidities. To date the nuns have rescued “approximately 20 victims” which is dramatically less than previous their previous endeavours in the more populous Domain region. This may be a testament to the violence with which the Providence war is being conducted.

The nuns report that they have come across large numbers of capsuleer corpses, floating frozen in space, which Sister Dougans says the Sovereign Order incinerates with focused bursts of laser fire after “hearing the horror stories about what Sansha’s Nation pirates do with things they find.” She estimated that approximately 50 corpses have received this “cleansing by fire,” with the nuns stating “People might not like it to find out that their dead body is now piloting a Nightmare, or something like that.”

The members of SHOSK state that they will continue their work in the Providence region, taking no sides, hoping only to spare stranded individuals the perils of the vacuum.

The nuns averr that they show no prejudice amongst those they can help, who are often the cast-offs of the capsuleer community, be they dancers, janitors, homeless, slaves or slavers. Those they rescue are spoken to about the Amarr religious scriptures, then, through partnerships between the Sovereign Order and several humanitarian capsuleer organizations, taken to safe destinations where they can be returned home or gradually reintegrated into society if required.

GalNet References

The Second-Chance Express

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Mesybier, Essence – Noir. Mercanary Group [NMG.] and their “largest competitor” Gemeinschaft Interstellarer Soeldner corporation [G.I.S] have merged to become, in the words of Alekseyev Karrde, alliance head of NMG., the “largest mercenary  alliance in New Eden.” Privateer Alliance, Karrde stated “may technically have more members”, yet, he claimed “lack the coordination between member corps, damage potential and contract history of NMG.”

According to Karrde, the command structure within NMG. has remained essentially the same but “expanded to include our new partners.” G.I.S directors have been given access to all leadership level information within the alliance but, Alekseyev said, “The buck still stops with me.”

Despite the increase in size, Noir Mercenary Group plan to continue to focus on null-sec contracts but, Alekseyev explained, will also consider large-scale empire wars and wormhole work, which they deem “very enjoyable.” “We also get called on for a lot of control tower ‘takedowns’ and increasingly, control tower ‘saves,’” stated Karrde.

NMG. has seen recent action in the conflict between Against ALL Authorities and Curatores Veritatis Alliance in the War for Providence. NMG. also credited itself with saving a “significant portion of SI Radio Corporation’s class 6 wormhole assets” from a “besieging Rooks and Kings Alliance capital ship fleet”.

While most of their work calls for using sub-capital ships, NMG. does retain a capital and super-capital capability. “We rarely use them,” Alekseyev stated “as they are not generally the right tool for what we’re asked to do.”

The cost of an intervention by NMG. has inflated over the years of their operation. “With most week long stuff, at today’s prices, you’re probably looking at multiple billions flatrate.” When weighed against the potential losses of some conflicts, however, the price can be seen as affordable.

The Pitboss, CEO of the Interstellar Brotherhood of Gravediggers, Privateer Alliance, agreed with Karrde’s assessment. “[With mercenary corporations] being so far and few between… we all tend to have a working mutual respect for each other.” He added that while each mercenary group “has their own niche which keeps them in business” such groups have taken contracts on each other in the past. “Business is business,” he added.

The dissolution of Mercenary Coalition in 05.110 and KIA Alliance’s heavy loss of member corporations in late 111 left a void in the field of large, well-known “super-mercenary groups” (with the possible exception of Privateer, who could be considered more well-known for their own private campaign of uncontracted wars). With the admission of Gemeinschaft Interstellarer Soeldner into Noir. Mercenary Group, the alliance’s membership of over 150 pilots is still some measure short of the scale of the mercenary fleets of yesteryear, but the recent trend of mergers between forces of “soldiers for hire” opens the potential for their return.

GalNet References

NMG. Providence Campaign

NMG. Tower Rescue for Planet Risk

Are you affected by the events in this article? Do you have information regarding another event in New Eden? If so, please contact us with any information that you may have.

Want to become a news correspondent with IC? We are recruiting.

Mesybier, Essence – Noir. Mercanary Group [NMG.] and their “largest competitor” Gemeinschaft Interstellarer Soeldner corporation [G.I.S] have merged to become, in the words of Alekseyev Karrde, alliance head of NMG., the “largest mercenary  alliance in New Eden.” Privateer Alliance, Karrde stated “may technically have more members”, yet, he claimed “lack the coordination between member corps, damage potential and contract history of NMG.”

According to Karrde, the command structure within NMG. has remained essentially the same but “expanded to include our new partners.” G.I.S directors have been given access to all leadership level information within the alliance but, Alekseyev said, “The buck still stops with me.”

Despite the increase in size, Noir Mercenary Group plan to continue to focus on null-sec contracts but, Alekseyev explained, will also consider large-scale empire wars and wormhole work, which they deem “very enjoyable.” “We also get called on for a lot of control tower ‘takedowns’ and increasingly, control tower ‘saves,’” stated Karrde.

NMG. has seen recent action in the conflict between Against ALL Authorities and Curatores Veritatis Alliance in the War for Providence. NMG. also credited itself with saving a “significant portion of SI Radio Corporation’s class 6 wormhole assets” from a “besieging Rooks and Kings Alliance capital ship fleet”.

While most of their work calls for using sub-capital ships, NMG. does retain a capital and super-capital capability. “We rarely use them,” Alekseyev stated “as they are not generally the right tool for what we’re asked to do.”

The cost of an intervention by NMG. has inflated over the years of their operation. “With most week long stuff, at today’s prices, you’re probably looking at multiple billions flatrate.” When weighed against the potential losses of some conflicts, however, the price can be seen as affordable.

The Pitboss, CEO of the Interstellar Brotherhood of Gravediggers, Privateer Alliance, agreed with Karrde’s assessment. “[With mercenary corporations] being so far and few between… we all tend to have a working mutual respect for each other.” He added that while each mercenary group “has their own niche which keeps them in business” such groups have taken contracts on each other in the past. “Business is business,” he added.

The dissolution of Mercenary Coalition in 05.110 and KIA Alliance’s heavy loss of member corporations in late 111 left a void in the field of large, well-known “super-mercenary groups” (with the possible exception of Privateer, who could be considered more well-known for their own private campaign of uncontracted wars). With the admission of Gemeinschaft Interstellarer Soeldner into Noir. Mercenary Group, the alliance’s membership of over 150 pilots is still some measure short of the scale of the mercenary fleets of yesteryear, but the recent trend of mergers between forces of “soldiers for hire” opens the potential for their return.

GalNet References

NMG. Providence Campaign

NMG. Tower Rescue for Planet Risk

Are you affected by the events in this article? Do you have information regarding another event in New Eden? If so, please contact us with any information that you may have.

Want to become a news correspondent with IC? We are recruiting.