Pend Insurance Storage Bin

The rings of Fluekele IV fade spectacularly into the distance behind the insurance bin.

It’s surprisingly easy to forget that life exists beyond the realm of your capsule at times. Flying amongst the stars, looking down on planets like oh-so-insignificant smears against the blackness of space, it can become difficult to remember that there are things that demand your time that do not involve other spaceships. Of course, in my four years of experience as a capsuleer, the moment you forget about the importance of the other life is precisely the time that that other life decides to flare up, dragging you out of your capsule for weeks on end to deal with some pressing matter that simply can’t be ignored. Such was the case with me. Business planetside had called me away from the freedom among the stars that I loved so much. Yet with things finally resolved, it was time to get back to where I belonged.

The rings of Fluekele IV form an almost warp-like backdrop to the bin. To one side, hired security guards from Pend Insurance can be seen.

Unfortunately, planetside business had called me away at a point in my ever-fluid list that was not precisely the definition of “exciting.” At the time, I contented myself with the knowledge that I wasn’t missing anything special, but now it was hardly the “welcome back” gift to myself that I had been hoping for. But who was I to argue with the list? With a slight grimace to myself, I set course for the Fluekele system to what I’m sure was the entertainment capital of the cluster: the Pend Insurance Storage Bin. With but a thought to the proper commands, Professor Science flung herself into warp towards Fluekele.

A closeup of one of the hired hands for the local security arrangement.

It was times like this, as I looked over what precious little information I had on this site, that I wondered what, precisely, the DEDACNP was on, and if it was possible for me to talk to their supplier. The little-known DED Advisory Committee on Notable Places is tasked with designating sites throughout the Cluster as notable, and worthy of an official CONCORD beacon marking their place. Of course, not every site I visited had a beacon (Choonka’s Ship-wash being a notable example), but the vast majority of my cataloging work revolved around what they have deemed important. The name might suggest that as an advisory committee, they had no real power, but their decisions were often rubber stamped by the Directive Enforcement Department since, let’s face it, they don’t exactly have the most exciting job in the world and if they say something is important, it probably is. Normally I couldn’t fault them with what they deemed important (though what they DON’T deem important can be a point of contention at times), today, however…

A closer examination of the insurance bin itself.

In any case, I finally arrived at Fluekele. Frankly, the area was approximately as boring as I was afraid it would be. The best that could be said about the area was that it had a gorgeous backdrop in the form of Fluekele IV, a gas giant with an extensive ring system that provided a rather stunning background to the area. I actually had quite a bit of fun taking various pictures with the rings in the background. Other than that, the bin itself was rather large and foreboding. Given the fact that Pend apparently spent quite a bit of money bulking the Bin up, numerous fortifications could be seen. In addition, a number of hired security ships orbited nearby (including two cruisers and three frigates), keeping a watchful eye on the scene to ensure that no one tried to make a sudden move on whatever was stored in the Bin (for obvious reasons, Pend wasn’t exactly forthcoming on that tidbit of information).

One end of the monstrous structure. It easily dwarfed my small Buzzard-class frigate.

After playing around with the scenery for a bit, I knew it was time to move on. Regardless of what the DEDACNP thought, there just wasn’t a lot to be said about an insurance company’s storage area. Still, it was a nice way to ease myself back into piloting after so many weeks stranded on a planet. And it was was fantastic to be back amongst the stars.

Basic Information:

• Attraction: Pend Insurance Storage Bin
• System: Fluekele
• Security Rating: 0.6
• Region: Sinq Laison
• Potential Hazards: If you’re below a -4 in security status, or -5 standing with the Gallente, you’ll have to deal with some rather unpleasant policemen.
• Additional Notes: This is IN the Gallente COSMOS constellation, but my records don’t show their being any agents here, nor are there any drop off or pick up points, so frankly I have no idea what’s going on. (EDIT: Per a commenter below, apparently this poor place is the oft-blown-up target of a Caldari COSMOS mission).