Eve Gate

I flew out in a shuttle to New Eden, my heart racing as I had to make a long trek trough lawless regions of space.

The shuttle was small and fast to achieve warp, so I could hope to avoid pirates at the gates. Yet, it was far from careless travel. I followed the advice given to me not too long ago by a Minmatar trader who scoured the lowsec and nullsec regions for relics and remnants of data sites. He told me never to jump directly from one gate to the other, in systems with only two gates (so called "pipe" systems). Rather, make a detour via a celestial body, so when you next jump to your destination gate, you arrive from an unexpected direction. The man was clearly drunk when he told me this. On top of that, he was Minmatar. When drunk, the Minmatar will make outrageous claims with the greatest of certainty and then punch you in the face if you show even the slightest sign of doubt. Anyway, this time I did see some tactical merit in this idea and I even could leave without a bruised face.

Whether it was just a quiet day or whether the tactic helped, I do not know, but I reached New Eden safely. Ah, one is immediately greeted by the most wondrous sight the galaxy offers: Eve Gate! Its dancing whisps of plasma are mesmerizing like the flames in the hearth. The vastness of the phenomenon humbles the onlooker, and testifies to the presence of God in our universe.

 

Luck was indeed with me, as Goner Sarachem was still in the system. However, he did not grant me an audience, nor reply to my calls in local. He must be medating... I sent him a missive, not wanting to disturb him while he prays, and hope he will answer me.

I met a most remarkable scientist, professor Moriarty. He is investigating the system, but he did not tell much about that, as his "investigation is sensitive". However, as often the case with scientists, their pride in their achievements overcomes their discretion. He showed off some of his very fast craft - he must be an expert in speeding up vessels. His punisher, the "Paragate" reaches 13000 m/s, and he proudly whooshed it past the Farthest Shore station. He has developed another craft, a modified F-1A Pacifier, the "Blink", that can cross a good fraction of a light year in less than a second. Indeed, he warped out of d-scan range almost immediately. 

Lunarisse Aspenstar also happend to be at the Farthest Shore station, for upwell core maintenance. She must have jump cloned there. She confirmed that my eyes were not deceiving me when witnessing Moriarty's record-breaking spacecrafts. And she kindly showed me a location in deep space, a good way along the path that the Goners have followed.

 

Now I must be patient and gain the Goner's trust.

The search for Sarachem

I have tracked down one of the remaining Goners. His name is Goner Sarachem, and he was held in the greatest esteem by the Goners. 

 

He is a prophet to them, as he has authored their scriptures. These writings are certainly not part of our official and canonized scripture, and they are hard to read. They are written in an ancient language, and I have had a hard time translating it. Between all the bombastic declarations it reads like a sort of apocalypse where the Goners are the saved and exalted ones, and the other peoples of New Eden are cast into darkness because of their grievous bloodlust.

He was seen two weeks ago, in the New Eden system. I got this from the insurance records, publicly available at the Amarr Civil Service: he lost a ship in the New Eden system on December 16th. Now, browsing again over the insurance records, I see that he is there again today. 

 

Given his status in the Goner organization, and given the fact that he may go back into hiding at any time, I must make great haste. I cannot wait until I have mastered the art of cloaking, or until I can afford such fancy devices. I will not risk the Indagatrix and in stead fly over in a fast shuttle. 

I will take with me some Amarr wheat as a gift, as Aspenstar told me the Goners hand out water as a gift and I want something to reciprocate. I will propose to fly a while alongside with him towards the gate, perhaps that will entice him to a conversation. Oh, I must remember to take a translator device with me, although I think he must also understand common Amarrian, I'm not sure he has recently used it.

 

Lord, grant me success in my search.

Good advice and help

Yesterday, I saw Lord Garion Avarr passing through the library. He is consiliarius of the corporation, and has an office next to the library. 

 

He’s the first male SFRIM capsuleer I saw in the library, and he seemed not interested in books, just passing through. If one would not know better and only had library attendance to judge from, one would conclude that SFRIM is a warrior nun corporation. Well, the nun part of the analogy doesn’t apply, not with the way some are dressed, but I trust the reader will understand what I mean.

 

I see why Lord Garion Avarr was chosen as consiliar. He is a good listener, and a wise man. He looks somewhat stern at first but puts you at ease quickly. I liked his office, with the framed scripture quotes on the wall. I think he may have been a chaplain in the army. 

 

He gave me good advice on how to keep my soul safe when I must talk to heretics often. Not only by prayer, but also by ‘surrounding myself with faithful’, as in Book of Missions. I think I may align myself with SFRIM when my neutrality is no longer needed for my quest. Their goals and approach seem quite compatible with mine. 

 

Another good piece of advice was to train for logistics. Although my vows forbid me from hurting other capsuleers directly, nothing stands in the way of repairing and protecting ships of the fleet I serve in.

 

After our meeting, I found Ishta Maleto in the library, and soon after Lunarisse Aspenstar came in as well. I discussed my intention to find Goner Sarachem in the New Eden system. I was immediately offered help, invaluable help. They have a station in that system that does not show up on regular scan, and I can use it as a staging ground for my explorations. I had heard baseliners talk about this “farthest shore” but as it was hidden, I though it was something from the past.

 

And a received another good piece of advice: to train covert operations. This should allow me to avoid unpleasant encounters with the likes of CODE. The local hoodlums in the EVE constellation are called White Sky.

Interview with Lord Aldrith Shutaq Newelle

I had the honor of meeting Lord-Consort Aldrith Shutaq Newelle. It is the first time I ever met a man of such high status, a Lord and Divine Commodore.
 

Strangely, he chose to meet in a Gallente coffee bar.

 

Ishta Maleto happened to be at that bar. I think she has a tell-tale mannerism when she is on duty, and yesterday evening, it showed.

 

His Lordship arrived, impeccably groomed with refined taste, yet not effete. This impressed me, as he had just returned from war – he currently battles the Ushra’Khan terrorists in Kemala. 

 

His Lordship was generous with information beyond my wildest hopes. He gave me his opinion on why the Amarr loyalists of LUMEN and PIE have drifted apart. 

 

Firstly, his Lordship, and I think PIE as an organization, is allegiant to House Sarum. LUMEN filed a petition to the Empress to stop Lord Arrach Sarum from Reclaiming Floseswin. Directrix Aspenstar held the pen for that petition, and the number 2 signatory is none other than Arsia Elkin. The petition is seen as an attack on house Sarum.

 

Secondly, in the words of his Lordship, LUMEN has “barred all of their members from assisting with any offensive action the 24th Imperial Crusade may take in rebel held territory in the warzone”.

 

His Lordship gave me the impression that he looked down with disdain on the activities of LUMEN in the highsec areas. In that, he appears afflicted with that particular blindness common in military men: judging persons solely by the amount of blood on their swords. Personally, I see LUMEN and PIE representing the crown and the scepter, respectively. Their strength is unmatched but they must be wielded together.

 

We discussed other topics, such as the Goners and archeology (I should contact retired chapter masters Gaven Lok’ri and Shaikar, and the one they call their Archbishop). His Lordship found ARC mostly neutral, but not trustworthy. EDI it seems was composed of outright enemies, who agreed to collaborate temporarily to face a greater threat.  

 

I have much to mull over.

A time of change for the Empire

The Yoiul celebrations are usually a quiet time in the cluster, and I used it to complete a short summary of the history of Empire in its early space-faring era. This is a period of great change, and it is also the period in which, as we know, many relics were spirited away from Amarr and scattered over the cluster. It is not unlikely that the Ametat and Avetat were among them, especially given the struggles between the Emperor and the institutes enforcing checks and balances on the throne. So, let's have a closer look at the period between 21134 and 21930, the fateful 22nd millenium that changed our Empire so thoroughly.

It starts with the discovery of a stargate in the Amarr system in 21134 and the realization that other interstellar civilizations exist. This will be confirmed a few centuries later with the discovery of the first alien culture, the Ealurians in 21423. This is a massive change in how we see the universe, and it caused three major shifts in our Empire.

The first shift is one away from tolerance of sects and towards repression and orthodoxy. The religious zeal, which had lain dormant for nearly a thousand years after the completion of planetary conquest, was rekindled by the realization that we are not alone in the universe. This rise of a more fanatic kind of faith soon led to clashes and bloodshed between sects and cults initially tolerated, and the newfound orthodoxy.

A new religious movement, the Equilibrium of Mankind, had formed in the bosom of the established sect of the Followers of God. Soon branded heretic for their destructive views – calling Amarrians to depart “this universe” to save themselves from God's wrath – a civil war ensues. It is only after the brutal repression by emperor Queron I following his ascension in 21310 that orthodoxy prevails. The repression caused many sects and divergent congregations to flee the Empire and try settling in space themselves or looking for our ‘origin’, the place beyond Eve gate.

Not long after, by 21340, the Sani Sabik were the next targets for a religious catharsis. Many Sabik held positions of power within the empire. The church launched a massive inquisition, purging many Sabik and sending the survivors scattering to the winds. Many of the survivors stole cryo-ships and spread to the corners of the cluster.

The second shift is one away from checks and balances and towards more power to the Emperor. Queron I is succeeded by Zaragram II, the Mad Emperor, in 21346. He tries to curb the power of the Council of Apostles, and at first he is successful. But, he overplays his hand as he tried to glorify himself building Mezagorm, the City of God, to his honor. He is assassinated by his grandson, St. Tetrimon around 21450. The power swings back to the Council of Apostles and the new Order of St. Tetrimon, and the Zaragram heresies are purged.

The struggle for power between Emperors and Council continues for the next four centuries, until the ascension of Heideran V in 21870. The Empire had began handing out the newly conquered stellar systems to prominent holders in the early years of exploration, and Heideran V allied himself with these powerful colonial Holders to start the Moral Reforms. Between 21875 to 21930, the power of the Council of Apostles was methodically dismantled and shifted it towards the Emperor and the Privy Council, formed by these colonial Holder families that we know as Imperial Heirs. After a painful civil war, the Council of Apostles was no more. The Order of St. Tetrimon was subjected to the authority of the new Theology Council, but many of its writings and relics were hid away by its grand master Tetrimon IV before they could be purged.

The third shift is the start of the Second Reclaiming, or interstellar reclamation. The planetary reclamation had been complete in 20544, and since then the Udorian, Khanid, and others who were slaves in these early times had become free during the golden era when the Empire was without enemies. However, the Ealur were new souls not yet blessed by the faith, and after their discovery, the Mad Emperor declared that the Reclaiming was to be restarted, this time for the benefit of the alien races. Slavery, which had almost become extinct, was suddenly on the rise again. Pressure from the colonial holders for manpower only fueled the expansion of slavery further.

Of course, there was also a shift in technology. The early ships from were indeed cryoships: it cost 50 years to travel from Amarr to Hedion, cruising at 2% of light speed. The first gate was functional in 21190, and by that time already cryoships had became much more efficient. In a timespan of only 240 years, the gate network would already reach Ealur and Shastal.

Sedevacantism

Heresy and treason pops up everywhere nowadays. Nauplius, whom I interviewed at the beginning of my quest because of his archeological expedition, has now openly rejected our Empress, the Theology Council, and in the Ministry of Internal Order in a pamphlet. He published it on the IGS, for all the cluster to see, and calls this heresy "Sedevacantism", the belief that the throne is empty.

I hope he will get an appropriate treatment in the mental asylum they will put him in.

Arsia and Ishta

I had the pleasure of talking to many capsuleers over the last few days, but two of those encounters left a particularly strong impression. Neither of those two meetings was with another scholar! In both discussions young women with a great strength of character were my interlocutors. 

They not only share this inner strength, sadly they also share a history of hardship. But despite these similarities, one of them fell, whereas the other rose.

The fallen one is Arsia Elkin. She was for many years a loyal Amarrian capsuleer, a captain of the Praetoria. She exposed corruption amongst the militia working with the 24th Imperial Crusade. She decried war profiteering and was a whistleblower on agreements on the division of spoils between mercenaries of both sides of the war. And yet, these righteous actions were met with only lukewarm support from other Amarrian capsuleers, and with a lot of vitriol from detractors. In our discussion, she also fulminated about the meddling of House Sarum in the war, accusing the Sarumites of purposefully stoking the flames of an endless conflict.

This put a thick black veil of anger over Elkin's soul. She left the Empire and joined Electus Matari, a terrorist paramilitary group that was not involved in the corruption (the other large terror organisation, Ushra'Khan, appears to be involved). During our discussion she tried to taunt me like a child would, by mocking God and pretending she'd attack Him with a sword. And yet, I could also see shimmers of the light of kindness through her veil of anger. She has not closed herself fully to faith: she still listens to The Good Word, and talks to wandering Amarrian monks. And I am grateful she shared her thoughts on the Amarr capsuleer corporations, knowledgeable as a former insider and speaking frankly as an outsider.

The one who is rising is Ishta Maleto. She is a slave belonging to House Pitorjee, but she is given exceptional leeway in SFRIM. She can follow capsuleer training, and she is involved with  security tasks. Not only within the confines of the station, I guess. I suspect she went undercover as an employee of Native Freshfood corporation a while ago. To be granted this much responsibility and this much trust is exceptional. She must have completed a major part of the journey to God under Lord Esna Pitorjee's enlightened supervision.

She came to this high station from a dark past. Her previous Holder, now stricken from the book of records, was a blood bishop. He is still alive and sent an assassin after Maleto not long ago. The assassin gained access to the SFRIM offices, and was stopped and killed by Maleto herself. She does not have the looks of an amphetamine-pumped bouncer, but I bet she has the skills to kill me in an instant using only her pinky. Useful, of course, for undercover missions. Also, this assassination attempt explains the nervousness of security personnel around here.

I must conclude today's log with a caveat. As the past has taught me, first impressions can be misleading and one can never claim to truly know their discussion partners. All I can do is to try to sympathize and record without (too much) judgement what I think I learned.

More on the Goners

I have had the pleasure of conversing with many capsuleers in the past few days, from all over the cluster, including our Gallente and Minmatar adversaries. These discussions have been most helpful to get a better understanding of the LUMEN and PIE alliances and how they are perceived outside of Amarr. I will report on these discussions later, first I must summarize my research on the Goners.

I tried to locate these Goners, but thus far I have not found any of them. But, I did find quite some information on them and their beliefs. The Goners, also known as "The Foundation of Truth", are a pacifist congregation that believe in the existence of "Earth Mother", a heavenly planet on the other side of the Eve Gate. Their goal is to reach it.

They also believe that, when Amarr was not yet capable of space flight, a creature called "Goner Father" arrived in our cluster after having activated the Eve Gate from the other side. The key to activate Eve Gate is called the "Anticipator", an octagonal device the size of a room.  

After having arrived in New Eden, the Goner Father got into a fight with an unknown enemy. As a result, his fleet had to make a crash landing on Athra. They claim the Goner Father shared technology with us and taught us spaceflight. He then left Amarr, and they have reconstructed the route he has taken, leading through Citadel and Metropolis towards to Jovians. They are convinced he, and the Anticipator, are hidden in an asteroid belt in one of the Jovian systems. 

The curious beliefs of heretics never cease to surprise. And yet, they claim they have many unique records from around the early space age. If so, they may have useful information on Sabik cryoship expeditions.

In their bid to reach Earth Mother, they may have found what they think is the Anticipator, because they have set off towards Eve gate. In YC 115, a Republic fleet tried to catch up to them, but failed. I could not find any information on what happened to them after that.

Career agents

I have returned to Mehatoor, to the comfort of the library. Lord-consort Shutaq-Newelle has not returned my message yet. 

I made several stops on the way. I talked to a capsuleer from Gallente space who had heard about SFRIM, and who praised them for their engagement in the fight against the Triglavians. I was surprised to hear their fame had reached to the Federation, and they are respected there.

I also performed some more work for the so-called career agents, in order to obtain funds for my mission and for the repairs to the Indigatrix. Career agents! What kind of careers do they offer? Only ones that involve getting ISK or killing people. Are there theologian career agents? No. Are there teacher career agents, or medical career agents? No. Capsuleers seem to be thought of as mercenaries or industry magnates only.

The pirates of Code

During my return to Mehatoor, I attempted to take a shortcut via low secutiry systems but I was soon set upon by capsuleer pirates in Huola. The Indigatrix barely managed to escape, shields and armor depleted and well into hull.

From the safety of a station in the system I contacted my assailant to inquire about safe passage. I always carry trinkets with me, beads and glassware, to trade with barbarian warlords. The pirate was fully delusional, telling me that his corporation, Code, was the ruler of the cluster and he required unreasonable amounts of ISK for a mining permit. The fool was not even aware that I am exploring, not mining! The Indigatrix is a Magnate class frigate, not a Venture!

The folly went deeper than delusions of importance. He was convinced that I was not really a friar but I was merely an actor playing a role in a fake universe. I did hear about a philosophy that denies reality and claims we can never know whether it is all an elaborate dream, but the man was not making a philosophical point. 

With such homicidal nutcases allowed to roam freely in low security systems I must reroute and limp back through concord patrolled space. First, I have to wait for repairs to complete and for the psychopath to grow bored at waiting for me to undock.

Return to Mehatoor

After the very successful and useful discussions with professor Valate, I am making my way back to Mehatoor. On the way, I have sent a message to Lord-Consort Aldrith Shutaq Newelle, the contact person of Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris (PIE). I am curious of his opinion on the characters of Aspenstar and Nauplius and on his opinion of their quarrel. But most of all, I hope to find in PIE fellow archeologists. This corporation is amongst the oldest in the cluster, and their members must know about recent academic efforts and research on ancient cultures beyond just the Takmahl.

Prof.dr. Valate interview

Today I met with professor Valate, in Munory. She took the time to answer my questions and educate me about the Takmahl. She showed me her publications, containing a wealth of information on Takmahl history. I will carefully study it.

She dates the Takmahl departure somewhere between 21290 and 21450. I would argue for the end of that range. 

We discovered the Ealur in 21423, and before that time the Reclamation was a distant memory. Athra was fully conquered in 20544, so the planetary Reclamation was complete almost a millennium before we met the Ealur. Everything indicates that during this millennium, as we were the masters of the world with nothing left to reclaim, we became much more tolerant. Moderate Sani Sabik could do their thing relatively free of persecution. 

But the discovery of intelligent life outside of Athra changed all this: it revived the idea of a Reclamation, now on an interstellar level. We became much more zealous in our faith, and started to drive out sects. This must have been the moment when the sect members chose to leave in their cryoships. The religious zeal also led to internal turmoil in our own Empire, culminating in the Moral Reforms four centuries later.

The cryoships would travel at about 5 to 10% of light speed, and the gate network was not competely active (its status is not clear). Given the distance of 4.5 lightyears between Amarr and Aphi, as the photon flies, it means a trip of about half a century to a century. This is likely to be an indication of the extent of the diaspora of the Sabik. The Takmahl settled in Aphi and the surrounding systems, probaby around 21500. Their reach never extended out of the Araz constellation, so they most probably did not make it to Gamdis.

The Takmahl empire collapsed 800 to 1000 years after its foundation. We discovered the warp drive in 22821, and this kicked the expansion of the Empire into higher gear. My estimate is that the Empire would have reached the Takmahl heartlands three to five centuries after the collapse of their empire. Probably the Takmahl planets were still inhabited that long after the collapse, but the culture had reverted to a primitive form, like we did after the collapse of Eve gate.

I was also given the opportunity to inspect a statue of a Takmahl deity, a beautifully preserved relic. It is quite angular, and depicts a figure standing on an octagonal base. It has two carets or horns on its chest, and its head is pentagonal.

I am grateful and indebted to professor Valate. Although many in SFRIM frown upon her because she is Sabik, she is not the blooder caricature that some told me, but an academic mind trying to understand our history. Oh, and she confirmed the Aratake Research Consortium as the successor of the Arek'Jalaan, as a learned society with an archeology section.

From monk to friar

I have undocked the Indigatrix, and I am taking it to Munory in the Araz constellation. I plan to meet dr. Valate at the Ducia Foundry Mining Outpost there. I made a stop on the way, in Amarr, at the Theology Council Tribunal, to bring paperwork in order.

I have been given permission by my congregation to go leave the monastery and pursue my quest. However, this needs to be registered and ratified by the Theology Council Tribunal. The whole process takes a while, and to complete it I needed to do some administration at the Theology Council.

I am now officially a friar and no longer a monk. The subtle and theological difference is that a monk lives his scriptural counsels in the confines of a cloistered community, whereas a friar works among laypeople and is not bound to any particular place. To laypeople my new status is best described as a “wandering monk”.

To you who reads this, this change may seem a trifle. But to me, it is a momentous change. I have lived in the monastery, in the same cell, for over sixty years. The brothers, and father Abbot, have been my family, my anchor to humanity. I miss them so much. I have now, formally, by a stamp of some Theology Council clerk on a document, been severed from them. It affects me more than I ever thought possible. I am an orphan now. My new family will be the laypeople that choose to adopt me. I hope it will be the people of Aspenstar’s organization, they have reached out for me. I think they are fine people, and this would be my family of choice. But I am afraid they will not bond with me, because I am too old-fashioned, because I lack social skills and because I am too out-of-touch with what happened the past sixty years. And most of all, because I am investigating them.

The Goners

More encounters at the library! 

First, Lunarisse Aspenstar came by with two young children - Maria is a lot older, is she from another marriage? That would be unusual for an Amarrian woman. Anyway, I did grill her a little bit on Gamdis, as I get the feeling she is not completely truthful about this, but this was to no avail. I also informed on the possibility of making myself useful as either librarian or chaplain and she was open to that. She did require a kind of job interview. I think I will apply when I return to Mehatoor from some of my own investigations. I do feel at  home in both the chapel and the library, a job in either place would be nice.

Then I met two other corporation members that dropped by the library. There was Rebechia Goldwin - she was inquisitive, I think she does security. She had me valuate a vase and it felt like a test. She pretended it came from Molden Heath, but it was not a tribal artifact at all. Also Loai Qerl showed up, a miner, and a name I had encountered in the IGS forums. 

Loai gave me a piece of information of great value. Besides the Takmahl lead, I am still investigating the Ilash Toth lead. Kernher kindly gave me access to her records, and I can now see the close similary between Toth's writings and Kernher's manifesto. Both advocate the same things, holder accountability and renewing the push to place the spiritual above the material. I understand why Toth antagonized the powers that be. Besides these teachings, there are indications that Toth's expedition got lost somewhere between the New Eden star and the Eve gate. And Loai told me that there is a group of capsuleers called the Goners that travel subwarp between New Eden and the gate! I must contact the Goners and see what they know. Apparently, they have an office in the Theology Council Tribunal at Zorast.

But first things first. Dr. Valate has answered my mail and agreed to meet me in Araz. I will leave as soon as I can and try to set up a meeting in the Ducia Foundry Mining Outpost orbitiing Munory VII 9.

Encounters at the library

I have had some interesting meetings while studying in the library. First, Maria Daphiti solved the mystery of the Daphiti/Aspenstar dual names. It turns out Daphiti is the real family name - Maria is Lunarisse's daughter - and Aspenstar is the callsign. Also, the library and I guess the rest of SFRIM's offices have moved several times. This is why the ceiling depicts the sky over Bavaisi rather than Mehatoor where it is now. 

I was pointed to the "roll of honor", a listing of medals that were awarded at all the events that the corporation was involved with. It also contains a description of the events and represents a record of what happened. It will be most useful for me to learn about recent events.

It seems there may be a job opening for librarian. That sounds like music to my ears, if indeed it can be compatible with my quest. It is something I will have to take up with Aspenstar/Daphiti.

Next, I met Akali Sharisa, of Khanid descent. Like Maria, she is also a warrior. Moreover, she is a liason officer to the "bouncing bunnies", the alliance's industrial branch. She is rather inquisitive, I recognise an investigator.

Today, I sent a missive to dr. Valate to see if she agrees to meet me. Our religious beliefs cannot be further apart - Sanism is the worst heresy. I hope that we have a shared belief in academic discourse that is strong enough to overcome that which divides us.

Symbolism

Texts are good sources of information on ancient cultures, but one must not neglect the images that survived, through art or architecture. And within imagery, symbols take a special place: they are often the distilled essence of a civilization and the key to understand them.

Every culture has its important symbols and icons. We have the Imperial Seal, and its rich meaning is taught to children at a young age. The Triglavians have their triangle, which tells us much about how their society is organized. At a “lower” level, corporations have their logo’s and also these are attempts at summarizing meaning and conveying it.

I have been examining imagery archives to find the symbolism used by the Takmahl. Not much survived. In what remains of architecture, octagons are a theme – however, this may have been a Talocan influence rather than a Sabik heritage. There is also the skull and the pentagram. The skull symbolized power over death, whereas the five pointed star resembles man, strapped and spread-eagled to be bled. It’s meaning may be nurturing, or protection through blood. The double-horned skull appears to have prevailed as a symbol in the Blood Raider offshoot of the Sabik. It can also be found in failed Sabik colonies that somehow survived the millennia in a primitive state but remained isolated from the rest of the cluster.

Reinhart Novan

 I must try to summarize Reinhart Novan’s efforts. 

His search for the Ametat and Avetat took place six years ago. He had become rich and powerful, but unsatisfied with his life. He went on a spiritual retreat, and this was where he first started searching for God in his life, letting Him in. In doing so, he found his calling: to use his resources to find the Holy Relics. I am happy for him: God is always waiting to be invited in our lives, but most of us are too busy with ourselves to see that he is in waiting in the lobby of our heart.

He also first followed the Toth lead. His conclusions are that the Toth expedition was most likely attacked by the Jovians, or by some forgotten colony or outpost. The trail seems to have gone cold for him.

And, again mirroring my own journey into this mystery, he next focused on the Takmahl lead. He mentions a research society focusing on the Takmahl, called “Project Revelation”. They are part of a group called the Arek’Jaalan, based in a place they call “Site One” in the Eram system, Metropolis region. By the time Novan reached Site One, the group was already in decline. Nevertheless, he obtained many records, and decided to focus on the Araz constellation. He mentions finding cryoship remains in the lowsec worlds near Araz, but the location is not clearly revealed.

Next, he mentions dr. Valerie Valate as a source for information on the Takmahl and the archivist of the Arek’Jaalan. My frist impression was that she was just vain when she called herself the greatest expert on the Takmahl, but she indeed turns out to be a leading scholar on the matter. I will have to meet her in person, but she is a heretic of the worst kind: a Sani Sabik.  She has texts and lost pieces of the Sani Sabik text, the Apocryphon, that could prove invaluable. But a researcher must be strong and overcome his loathing of heretics, especially Sani Sabik. Sometimes, you must reach trough muck to unclog a drain.

This was more difficult for Novan, as his actions reflect on SFRIM. Throughout his records, I found that his obligations to the corporation – especially given his wealth and power – were hampering and delaying his research. I understand now much better why Tal-Romon made me take the triple vows of poverty, non-aggression and celibacy. Only “Devoid of distractions” will my soul be “free to soar and be close to God” (Missions 42:5).

Novan’s final entries concern his trips to the Museum Arcana in Zimse and and the Labyrinth in Aphi. I have already reported on these places of interest before, and I am glad to find this confirmed by a separate source. 

His final leads concern the links between the Takmahl and the Talocan, he surmises that the latter may have caused the end of the Takmahl empire and that the Takmahl rose to prominence because they found Talocan data. This seems to undercut the Takmahl lead, since it would mean they did not have to rely on the Avetat to give them their wisdom. 

The cluster was undergoing great changes at that point, as Catherine’s Star appeared. He then seems to have taken leave from the corporation. I guess he did this to focus more fully on the search. But, it also entails that the records that the corporation kept end there. I hope one day to meet this adventurer, I get a strong feeling that our paths will converge at some point.

New leads

 I was in the library, working through the records of Reinhart Novan’s search, when Aria Jenneth quietly approached me. She is Aspenstar’s assistant and retainer, and kindly inquired whether I needed anything. I am touched that SFRIM is treating me with such kindness and creates the perfect conditions for research. Ora et labora. 

I took the opportunity to ask ms. Jenneth some questions she might know the answer to, by virtue of her position in the corporation.

Unfortunately, she joined the corporation at about the same time as Novan left, so she did not know him well. As for a possible contact in PIE, she suggested Lord-Consort Aldrith Shutaq Newelle. I must first find out how to properly address him without causing offence.

The most interesting part of our discussion was about organizations devoted to the search of relics or to archeology. The Arek’Jaalan is one such organization, that rose to some fame a while ago. They are also mentioned by Novan. However, it went defunct. I will report more on them in the summary I am preparing on Novan’s search. 

The director of Arek’Jaalan, dr. Hilen Tukoss, was killed. It appears that an impersonator used Tukoss’ position to collect Jove DNA, and soon after Drifter battleships appeared and his corpse was found. Dr. Valate seems to have escaped this shocking incident. Although ms. Jenneth was apprehensive of dr. Valate, she still described her as “the least horrid Sabik” she knows now. 

The research work of the Arek’Jaalan was continued by the Arataka Research Consortium alliance. The name sounds familiar, I may have heard of them before, but I do not remember when. It is a multinational coalition – indeed, science is usually the first part of society that transcends borders between nations. The contact person there is Lasairona Raske and the research director is Haria Haritimado. The current research focuses on present threats – ah, now I remember: I did read several publications of the Arataka Research Consortium on the Triglavians. That war seems to be in some sort of strange stalemate, and I did not pay much attention to the matter. I should revisit these works.

I am grateful to have such an abundance of leads and a long list of persons of interest to investigate.

Kernher's reply

Joy! Kernher has replied to my message. She writes:

"Mr. Savnar,

I have been busy planetside and only seen this mail now. It is a pleasure to make your acquiantance. I appreciate that you have read my writings, and not dismissed them out of hand.

I cannot agree with you on the Ametat and Avetat, however. It is a common mistake in our culture, so obsessed with relics and trophies, to feel that some physical trinkets are out there still waiting to be found. And, so having found them, that we will be elevated among our peers, perceived as bastions of piety and enlightenment. Maybe the originals still exist out there, but whatever we find will be hollow, empty things, divorced of the divinity God bestowed on them and left as just what they are: a crown, and a scepter, fit only to sit on display in an Imperial palace. No amount of scouring worlds will find Ametat and Avetat until Amarr has been made right with God again. It is God that chooses when and how we will find them, and for Him to do so requires that we prove ourselves worthy of them. Do you believe we are worthy of them, today? 

I can share Toth's writings, such as I have been able to find, but little exists. Most of it has been removed from history by his detractors in court. But it is not his expedition that should be your focus, rather it should be his teachings. His quest was not successful, or if it were, only such that he and his followers were taken from this world to be reunited with God. It is a spiritual path that we must follow, not a physical one.

Regards,
Samira Kernher"

I have thanked her and expressed my gratitude for agreeing to share her archives. As for her question, I agree that the Amarr I see today is undeserving of God's gifts. The goal of being truly deserving, just as the goal of finding the artifacts, may be unreachable. But then maybe God meant us strive for these goals anyway: often the journey matters more than the destination.

More on the Aspenstar interview

I spent the day in the library, reviewing expedition logs. But I must also write down some notes on the interview with Lunarisse Aspenstar, now that it is still fresh in my head.

We met two days ago, in evening, when she was ready with her tasks. I was invited to the offices of SFRIM – as I learned, the corporation ticker refers to the Sefrim. It should have been obvious…

As tense as I was, I think at first Aspenstar was even more tense. I had to pass security screenings and these guards took their jobs very seriously. There is security personnel everywhere, and I think that was not a display just for me. 

We held our discussion in the corporation’s chapel, a most beautiful place that invites meditation. It turns out that, unfortunately, Bathana’s archives were lost during the attack that took his life. This is a setback. But, as I reported yesterday, I was offered a new lead, namely the research of Reinhart Novan. 

I asked about the attack on Nauplius’ expedition. She says she attacked him because he is a heretic who is wasting people’s lives on his expedition. She also mentioned that he has a case pending for the Theology Council, which Nauplius failed to mention to me. I did not press the matter, as it seemed to irritate her. Also, their personal conflict is not of interest to me in my quest. My gift to her, a holoreel copy of a lecture her father gave a long time ago, took away her irration and she graciously offered me the use of the corporation’s library.

Although I miss the expertise of the librarian at the Imperial History Museum, I can access most of its collections from the SFRIM library. And on top of that is has information that is not in the IHM, such as telemetry and flight records of Novan’s expeditions. But what I like most is the tranquility of the place, in sharp contrast to the hectic bustle in Amarr.

It is a good place to work.

Aspenstar meeting

I had it upside down.

Lunarisse Aspenstar is not against archeological investigations, on the contrary, she has been most helpful and even allowed me access to the research done by her corporation. They have not only done purely academic research: one of their capsuleers, Reinhart Novan, ventured out on a quest for the Ametat and Avetat and kept meticulous records. This treasure trove of information was shared freely, spontaneously and in the spirit of advancing science. On top of that, I can use their library, a hidden gem.

Grateful for all this openness I decided to reciprocate and share my own research with Aspenstar. This may be naive but I choose to trust my instinct after our meeting.

And let it be a lesson to me – distrust galnet forums and impressions gleaned from the press, even from IGS discussions. Meeting people in person is the only way to judge their character. I had thought Nauplius was the scientist and Aspenstar was only out to possess the artifacts, after my meeting I have come to believe it is the other way around.

I will write more about the meeting, but I am eager to spend the day in that library and study their records.

Nauplius interview

Last evening, I waited till nocturns, reviewing my archives and reading. There is always a stack of “to read” papers ensuring that I do not lose time by idling. Aspenstar contacted me briefly to say that there was an emergency with one of her pilots requiring her attention. She did not return that evening before I went to sleep. 

Today, again Aspenstar seems busy. But, once again I saw Nauplius docked at the station. Today, I took the opportunity to talk to him. He kindly answered all my questions. Firstly, why Gamdis III? His only reason was that Aspenstar was digging there. He did not do research; he just picked the spot that others were investigating. And thus, he could give me no additional information that can explain why Gamdis III is of interest. I think he is an opportunist rather than a real archaeologist.

Then I asked him why his expedition was attacked. He tells of the official claim: Khimi Harar attacked him because the slaves doing the digging were illegally acquired. I don’t get it, why did they not use the official institutions for that? Why attack an expedition? His explanation is that they are after the relics themselves. Under the cover of a “family business” in sand sailing on Gamdis, Aspenstar continues the excavations.

I also wondered at him being in the same station that Lunarissa Aspenstar proposed to meet. He says it is coincidence, he lived here a long time. Finally, he accused not only Aspenstar but her entire corporation of heresy: wanting to free all the slaves, regardless of whether they are ready. He says she wants to use the Ametat and Avetat for that wicked purpose. But he also said: “She is pretty secret and equivocal about her abolitionism”. Yet another heretic on my path to Ametat and Avetat? But why then does she accuse Kernher of heresy? Maybe heretics accuse each other of heresy, just like madmen can call out the madness in each other but not recognise it in themselves?

Mehatoor

I spend the last few days in libraries and archives expanding my research files. I did see on several occasions Valate mentioned (or mentioning herself) as a Takmahl expert.

It appears that Takmahl were not the only group of Sani Sabik fleeing Athra during the Reclamation, they are only the most famous ones and the most successful. It stands to reason that the other  groups will have made it out about as far as the Takmahl using the primitive technology of the time (cryo-ships). So, within the cluster they probably settled within about the same amount of light years from Athra. This somewhat narrows down the search to about 200 systems. That is still many.

I have left Amarr system for Mehatoor, to interview Aspenstar. I am nervous for the encounter.

I arrived shortly after vespers at the "24th Imperial Crusade Logistic Support" station in orbit around Mehatoor VI. It is quite provincial in comparison to the stations in Domain. To my surpise, I saw that Nauplius is one of the people in local, moreover he is also docked in the 24th Imperial Crusade station. Apart from him, there are quite a few Khimi Harar members in the system