The writing on the wreck

To a looter, like to a grave robber of an ancient tomb, a thorougly salvaged wreck holds no interest any more. I think that is why the Sleepers let this Talocan frigate just float about. They have extracted everything of any use from it.

However, to the scientist curious about ancient cultures, even a looted wreck is a source of interesting information: We know very little about Talocan culture and writing, and even though the tomb is emptied of valuables, so to speak, there are still frescoes on the wall. 

Over the many years that the wreck has been exposed to solar winds and dust clouds, all markings seem to have faded away. However, even a small amount of pigment particles can still be made visible through (even weak) fluorescence rather than reflection or absorption of light. By sending in the right frequency, and monitoring the right frequency, even trace amounts can be made visible. 

That is how we see the frescoes on this tomb's walls. I have logged and added the symbols that we found. We do not understand them yet, they look blocky somewhat like Jovian glyphs (and some have posited a relation, although that is controversial). The Talocan language remains a long-standing mystery, and many academic works have been written trying to interpret the icons.

As you can see from the sample in the handbook above, these square pictographs look somewhat similar. There also seem to be too many different ones for them to be letters in an alphabet. We do not know if they break down into such smaller units, or perhaps they are ideograms representing words or concepts, like a pictogram for "emergency exit hatch". 

However, the more different ones we can add (including the context where they were found), the larger the body of knowledge about them grows and perhaps one day we have enough information to crack the code of the Talocan language! 

((ooc picture credit: Archaeological Museum of Zagreb; page of the Oedipus Aegyptiacus of Athanasius Kircher))

Cargo cults

The Talocan wreck was found in the vicinity of a sleeper listening post, and it appears at first sight to be stripped of any salvage, probably by the Sleepers. Our crews are still making certain that no nanite or other ancient traps are present.  

Meanwhile the exterior is also worth examining. The hull is an elongated ellipsoid, with a thicker band running around its circumference in the middle, and a band running along the long side's top edge. The front part has six forward facing spikey protrusions, probably scanning devices or some sort of weapon. The aft has exhausts from a propulsion module.

This type of shape is quite typical of Talocan structures, be it ships or even small outposts (these tend to be somewhat less prolate). It could be just the product of my imagination, but I do see a certain resemblance with the stalagmite asteroids, albeit turned on their side. 

This points to a very interesting hypothesis: the Takmahl (do not mix them with the Talocan) worship of the stalagmite asteroid is a cargo cult religion! 

The Takmahl might have been visited by the Talocan, and were so impressed by their gifts and help coming from that alien ship, that they made or modeled an asteroid to look like it, and to implore from that rock the gifts that they received from an actual alien visitor.

This is a known phenomenon: indigenous inhabitants of small islands, during the wars of reclamation, met with the technologically superior Amarr who used islands as temporary bases and brought in goods with airplanes. After the reclamation, the bases were removed and the army left, but the inhabitants made mock landing strips from sticks and stones in the hope that this would attract the divine visitors with their goods.

But the Takmahl empire is fairly young on the scale of things! If true, this hypothesis implies that (perhaps the last) Talocan would have wandered around the cluster much much after we now estimate that their civilization got extinct!

Virtues Party

Tonight I will sleep under the unfamiliar constellations of Anoikis. I have arrived in our wormhole system of Seclusion, but today I did not have much time for the Talocan frigate, just a quick visit. First, my presence was needed at a ceremony to celebrate that the planets have been given names, registered in the Amarr Planetary Society's atlas. The planets are named after important virtues: Obedience, Devotion, Charity, Temperance, Sacrifice, Honesty, Propriety and Justice. 

For this milestone we had a party at the "Two Shots Minimum" bar on station, where Baron Redwolfe first reviewed the history of LUMEN's wormhole, from the time when intrepid explorer Umar Ahmad announced that LUMEN had claimed their spot in Anoikis, to the present era. That was followed by a contest, for the best personification of a virtue through dress, word or performance. 

Charity (Lady Echo Ashland), Propriety (ms. Jenneth) and Justice (Lady Arline Kley) impressed the jury, and each of those winners will be immortalized by having one of the control towers at the corresponding planets named after them.

The winners are also given a planetary-industry fitted Epithal-class hauler (which paladin Kley could not accept due to her vows with the Praetorians). That in itself is not worth a great deal in terms of isk, but it is easy for new industrialists in that they do not have to bring it and the bulky planetary command centers to Seclusion themselves. 

It is part of a wider effort to attract new investment and industry to the resource-rich planets of Seclusion. They have hired a public relations firm from the State, who have printed and distributed brochures "Seclusion is Open for Business!" that tout the very low tax rates and absence of tariffs for exports from the newly named planets.

Converting for love

It is an interesting conundrum. What if someone wants to convert to our religion not because the fire of faith has taken hold of them, but out of love - love for a person that does find faith important? Is that a reason good enough? Should they be allowed the conversion rite if they are not convinced to their core of our creed?

I have given it some thought, and I think it should be allowed. God has many ways to call people to Him, and certainly the path that starts with love for another person is not a bad one to begin the journey of faith.

There is historical precedent, too. Back when Assimia was still a patchwork of pagan kingdoms, a mighty king fell in love with a common girl called Riasan. He was impressed by her beauty and wisdom and kindness. She was of the faith, and through her prayers and devout life, she succeeded in converting her husband the king. This did not happen overnight, and I can imagine that the king's heart was not quite convinced of Riasan's religion at first, and he may have converted (and converted his subjects as well) out of love for his wife. This shows that love is a fertile soil in which the seed of faith, once planted, can grow and flourish!

Miniature of queen Riasan in prayer

It is to be noted that Saint Riasan is nowadays invoked against sudden death and iniquitous husbands. I am not sure where the sudden death part comes from, but she has indeed proven that she is able to change a husband for the better.

(( ooc picture attribution: St. Clothilde from Gallica Digital Library, available under the digital ID btv1b84472995/f53 ))

Aguard

I was surprised by the news from the Federation today. The Federation, once an enemy, have steadily moved more towards a friendly relation. The Pashanai accords, brokered by house Kor-Azor, enacted a new era of (perhaps tense) peace between the Federation and our Empire. 

LUMEN has played a role in these thawing relations. We have opened an embassy, well before even the Pashanai accords, on Luminaire, in order to bring the Empire and the Federation closer, be it merely at the level of our capsuleer engagements. On the overall scale of things this is perhaps a small role, but still I believe it to be an important component of our improved relations. It was one of many moves that prepared the way towards Pashanai.

So to hear today that the leader of the Federation, President Celes Aguard, has been deposed from office, is shocking. 

I realise Presidents are nothing like an Empress, they are not chosen by God but by the people, people with all their sins and imperfections and callous judgments and selfish desires. They do not reflect the divine, they merely reflect the basest common denominator of wants. But still - presidents are imbued with authority. I do not know what will happen now, there are no heirs in their system, there is no Shathol'Syn, no divine guidance. Most likely they will again poll their people, who have no training nor guidance in selecting good leaders...

May the next President prove to be a reliable partner for the Empire and may he or she continue to follow the path of peace and collaboration.

Preparing for Seclusion

I am heading out to LUMEN's wormhole system of Seclusion this weekend. There is a naming celebration for the planets, as we are encouraging new industry and investment on those resource-rich worlds. 

Astronomers had named them Seclusion I, Seclusion II, and so on - scientific names. They will now be named after virtues, somewhat corresponding to the type of planets. So there will be a contest where people can represent virtues through poetry, clothing, dance, song, or any sort of performance. I will be on the jury for this. 

Mr. Firth very much approves of such celebrations, proclaiming them to be virtuous in their own right. But that is not his only motivation to join me to Seclusion, despite his strong dislike of wormholes (or, indeed, of any type of space that is not high-sec by concord standards).

We will also inspect a Talocan frigate that was retrieved by Baron Redwolfe's exploration fleets. It has been towed to station, and remains there, sealed and ready to be investigated. I will be bringing a team of engineers from our Gottin's Lamp headquarters to help us breach the hull or access parts of the ship that might still be closed off. Perhaps I should also bring one of these neural lace implants in case we need to hack a systems. Special drilling equipment, small scanning probes, a force field enclosure... the Indagatrix's cargo bay is filling up quickly. 

Preparations are indeed needed - this is much like opening an ancient tomb. Also this is not without danger! The Talocan possessed knowledge and skill far beyond what we have. However, the high risk comes with a high potential for reward as well. And even though prudence is a virtue, so is fortitude!

Mining permits and jobs

The mining permit is false. We found it in the Interbus shuttle that crashed on the asteroid where my old monastery is. 

It took a while, and a long tour along all sorts of instances, from the Amarr Civil Services and the Ducia Foundry to the Amarr Trade Registry. No-one recognizes this type permit, and there are no records that any mining permit has been granted. That is to be expected, as the land of a monastery is sacrosanct. 

I was told that most likely this is some sort of "permit" handed out by racketeers, who let miners in regular asteroid belts pay in order not to be attacked. After they pay and get the permit, they get attacked anyway. Probably the shuttle was some sort of automated escape pod which left the ship without any occupant.

In other mining related news, I have heard that the arch-heretic has announced his own freelance mining jobs, asking capsuleers to mine asteroids in Gamis and Zorozih, hoping to find the Ametat and Avetat on some rock. Firing mining lasers at relics expresses a total lack of respect for these delicate and holy items. In the case of the Ametat and Avetat - relics of such inconceivable power - it will probably result in the destruction of the mining craft. 

However, I do not worry too much, I cannot imagine that the Gamis asteroid belts are where these holiest of artefacts are. The belts in those system are too heavily mined and exploited for such a find to have gone unnoticed. The outer layers of moons and asteroids - where the deposits of the last few ten thousand years would be - must have been scraped off them already a while ago. 

Epikouria Chronicles VIII

Another handwritten missive was waiting for me, from Brother Hugo, reporting on the wormhole colony started by Publius.

Brother Hugo's plans to visit the Original's capital have taken an interesting turn. As it happens, an intercultural fair is going to take place at the Free Trade Friendship Zone - the designated area on Renaissance (planet VI) where Starborn and Originals can freely mix. 

Both groups are very cautious with strangers. It is said of wormhole dwellers in general that they are somewhat paranoid, and it seems that at least the Starborn are no exception to this. The first step to trust each other is to get to know each other better, and that is the goal of this two-week long event, organized jointly by the Starborn and the Origin Colonial Authority (I think it is the Original's equivalent of the Empress' Privy Council).

There will be different pavilions devoted to the various cultures, beliefs, and habits present among the Starborn and the Originals. Brother Hugo and his companions made it their task to construct a pavilion showcasing the Amarrian faith. 

Their plan is to build a pop-up church. 

They do not have the means to build a pavilion like that, but they have held a charity drive and went around the Ardishapur quarter in Ouranos station with a collection box. Their congregation gave generously, and contributed not only in terms of money, but also objects to display. Brother Hugo is very proud of a large oil-on-canvas painting depicting Empress Catiz. 

Also people not of the faith contributed items, as the brothers are well liked on most of the station. They got an old statue of Heideran VII, which had been used somewhat blasphemously as a mannequin in a high-end boutique for official ceremonial attire. Brother Hugo plans to repaint it with gold paint and put in on display along with copies of the Pax Amarria.

It may have been one of the first letters that gave me a sense that Brother Hugo is in a good mood and positively energized!

Links to keep track of the letters of Brother Hugo:
I. First Contact
II. Diplomatic Talks 
III. Refugee crisis
IV. Setting up a new home station
V. Epikouria under siege
VI. Prince Seraghis visit

VII. A suspicion of heresy

Second wreck

A message reached me from Baron Redwolfe, who is currently in Seclusion. Besides the shuttle from Interbus that we salvaged here at the Monastery, it appears that there's now a second salvaged spacecraft that is brought to my attention! Baron's Odysseus explorer found a Talocan wreck. 

image courtesy of Baron Redwolfe

He writes:

I have come across a perculiar item that you may wish to investigate more. I am unsure if you have obtained one or not. I have encountered in a sleeper data chace, a one Talocan Derelict Frigate. I had the teams in Seclusion II tow it back to be investigated. We have not opened it in case there is anything of danger inside. We await information from you if we should proceed with opening it or not.

I told him to be careful about nanites, and I am eager to go see this for myself. From the image it does look Talocan in nature, but closer inspection is needed to see if it is not some sort of replica.

Troubling salvage

We have searched through the remnants of the crashed Interbus shuttle, and found only a few items of interest. One is an Interbus public communications display of some safety instructions featuring a demon of sorts, and the other is a mining permit:

This document caused quite a stir among my brothers, and even the Abbot who struck me as an even-tempered man is in panic. They fear that someone wants to start mining on the very asteroid where the monastery is located. Needless to say this would be a huge disruption of the peace and quiet that is needed for transcribing scripture, prayers and meditation.

The paper is a weird thing. It seems that someone just states that from now on they own the land and can mine it, and the locals have nothing to say about it. I am not even sure to which land it refers to. Who could have issued such a permit? 

They do not think that the Ducia Foundry would do such a thing - Ducia is the main mining corporation in the constellation. But even if this is not issued by Ducia, then still it might be from some other organisation, perhaps a start-up, that seeks to drill into the asteroid. This is not even an asteroid that is valuable for its minerals - it is all basic regolith and silicate!

I promised the Abbot I would go and find out more about this, my first stop will be the Ducia corporation.