The boots were sturdy and heavy, reaching up to the shin. They walked with decisive steps. They walked on a metal floor, the kind that saw many steps and many cargo moving, the kind that gathered dirt in the corners.
Beside them, another pair of shoes appeared, different: refined, with heels, polished, stylish. The steps were those of one who knew they were on top, the one leading and commanding respect. The floor was different as well, perfectly shining, reflecting the lights from above.
Another set of boots appeared, utilitarian, not as heavy as the first kind but neither as stylish as the second. They walked with the quiet confidence of who knew how to do their work. The floor was cleaner and yet, utilitarian, just like the boots.
The shoes were different but so were the bottoms of each walker.
The first wore heavy duty cargo pants, lined with pockets, and with little space for anything but utility. They could work perfectly for a soldier as much as for a miner.
The second wore dark tights, fitting the refined legs up till they disappeared under a sharply cut black skirt. It was the fashion, sharp as a knife, closing around her knees.
The third once again tried to fit in between, not being as sharply cut as that skirt but without the heavy load of the first. They fit the figure, without excess, they had deep pockets but without the same array of the first.
The tops were also different.
The first wore a jacket, thick, lined with padding and protection layers. Below a thermo, neck high shirt. It was dark grey, with no frills. The kind of color that resisted dust and dirt as well as use.
The second wore a military styled blouse. Military only in style, but not in use. As black as the other garments, with breast pockets highlighted by a thin white line, shoulder pads and a high neck. A wide belt connected the skirt to the blue, as black as the other two, with a glossy finish.
The third wore another jacket, lighter, above a dark tank top. It was just as utilitarian as the rest, with pockets and a light protecting, but not heavy. It worked, without needing to resist the heavy duty of others.
The walkers were different.
The first had the build of the soldier, of the miner. Heavy, sturdy. Arms crossed across their chest. Their blonde hairs cut in a buzz, no space for fashion and style. Icy eyes set on a hardened jaw. They were the defenders of the State.
The second had a body built to look good, to look like perfection, with the right shapes in the right places. Sharp eyes with an undertone of steel. Her face was chiselled, perfectly cut just as her clothes were. They were the Corporations that kept the State up.
The third had the build of a woman running the world, where beauty was important but not so important as doing results. With long black hair pulled in a ponytail, her dark eyes were always evaluating. They were the merchants, the blood of the State.
A logo appeared superimposed: two concentric Cs, in the dark grey of hardened steel.
They were Caldari.
I would like to submit this to the YC 126 New Eden Capsuleer’s Writing Contest in the Prose category.
OOC Commentary
This piece came somewhat the same way as the We Are Gallente piece, as a kind of a video advertisement. I tried to touch different types of Caldari, the heavy duty worker and soldier, the corporate overseer and the trader.