New year's eve

New Year's eve. 

Bersirym will have to wait a bit - I've reported my findings back to officer Yazdegerd and promised him I would come back in the new year. 

I have returned to Mehatoor. The move of the library must take precedence at the moment. All seems to be packed, secured and ready to move. I do not have a lot of personal belongings but I do have a collection of artefacts in my hangar, the result of my first year's worth of exploration.

A new start is upon us. Not merely a new year, but a new home. My prayers and new year's wishes are for LUMEN and all its member to prosper. May the light of faith continue gaining terrain on the darkness, so help us God and Empress!

Blood Raider hidden outpost

I got the green light to track down the shuttle belonging to Boulette's organisation. There was an MIO raid on Boulette's hangars, but it did not yield any substantial proof, the place had been emptied. There were a few arrests "for impeding the MIO's operations". This means the guards of the hangar have been detained for serious questioning.

I undocked and waited for hours until the shuttle finally left Odra and appeared on my sensors. I didn't see where it took off from, I was not attentive enough during the long wait. I probed it down and followed it. It warped to what appears at first sight an abandoned mining station. Broken mining drills and equipment is scattered about, and there are still some precious ores in nearby asteroids. The mining station was built on one of the asteroids, and although the refinery part is clearly derelict, the landing pad and control tower were powered. Sensors also indicate the internal structure of the station, dug deep into the asteroid, is powered.

The shuttle docked at this outpost, and stayed there for about three hours, after it left again to Odra, making planetfall at the main spaceport of Odra Capital, rather than Boulette's private lauch pad.

Probably Boulette gets his materials from this outpost. But, I could not explore the "abandoned" outpost in more detail... I was not alone and was lucky that the Indigatrix was cloaked! A flotilla of Blood Raider ships patrols the outpost. I counted three battlecruisers and three destroyers. On the picture, you can see the outpost and a Blood Raider damnation class vessel in the foreground.

The Indigatrix, even if I would fit it for offense, is no match for this Blooder fleet. I need to ask for help from corp members. This help will not be easy to come by since LUMEN is again on the war path, dealing with the "Black Flag" pirates at the moment. Moreover it is in the middle of a move operation. And to make matters worse, Bersirym is in low-sec, and I've seen roaming gangs of "No Forks Given" hoodlums around...

A mission without a mission agent

The information they obtained from my murderer provided the Odra police inquisitors with the necessary missing pieces to connect the dots on their own surveillance of Boulette's gang. The gang has been the subject of surveillance for a long while before I showed up. Apparently, my appearance and subsequent murder has "stirred sh*t" as officer Yazdegerd formulates it. For better or for worse, the local authories feel they should make their move now.

Boulette controls a private shuttle landing pad in the industrial district of town, and his goods arrive by shuttle from an unknown off-planet location. The police inquisitors and the local MIO branch are still discussing who has the authority to set up a raid, and officer Yazdegerd thinks this bickering will give Boulette enough time to move all contraband away from his hangars.

Capturing the shuttle itself, that's another matter. Neither the local police, nor the local branch of the MIO has any jurisdiction off-planet. They also do not have space vessels in their fleet. Their interplanetary counterparts have been notified, but the matter is not high priority at the moment. Customs police that control the jump gates could confirm that the shuttle has not ever jumped out of system, but of course they cannot rule out that it uses wormholes.

Officer Yazdegerd agrees with me that this is typically a matter where capsuleers are contracted for help, and when I offered my help for free, he reluctantly agreed. He informed me of the shuttle's identification number. The Indigatrix's combat scan probes should have no problem locating and tracking a smuggler's shuttle given that it stays in-system. I was only asked to wait, to coordinate my actions with the raid on the ground.

An offer

Neither the shop manager nor Boulette are anywhere to be found - for the latter this seems to be normal. 

So, I decided to take initiative to meet the man.

I wrote a note and put it under the door of Tacky Parts. In my missive, I explain that I am just a simple friar and that I am not after his business whatever that might be. I only pursue academic knowledge, which ultimately benefits all of society, including monsieur Boulette himself, even if the returns are not immediately tangible. 

And, if contributing to historical research would not be enough of a reward to the man, I also kindly offered to take confessions and explained that this is necessary to get any chance of remission of his sins (after all, since he is Gallente, he might not know about the rite of confession). As a reference, I mentioned that I have had the honor of being confessor to the Duchess of the entire Fekhoya constellation, Lady Ithiria Deritan.

Officer Yazdegerd was not pleased with my initiative and forbade me to try and contact Boulette again. He did not explain to me why, as he was rather upset.

Thinking it through, I admit I should have provided another reference. Shortly after the confession, the Dutchess fell out of grace with King Farokh and vanished. I do not see how Boulette might think someone insignificant as myself can have anything to do with that. Boulette must be a very sensitive man and in the future I will refrain from writing him about powerful people that coincidentally vanished after I met them.

Indeed, I have not heard back from Boulette.

Boulette

The Tacky Parts shop is closed for now. A note on the door says the shop manager is on extended sick leave.  

I would have been stuck with investigating my death if it were not for the police inquisitor, officer Yazdegerd. He has been very helpful, and has taken me under his wings, allowing me to follow the investigation. 

The good man has heard of LUMEN and knows that it is a capsuleer alliance of "PIE and the other guys". He is a big fan of capsuleers and always plays LUMEN characters in some sort of hologame that is the current rage. I must remember to write a letter of commendation for him to his superiors.

Officer Yazdegerd explained to me the background of Boulette, the gangster who apparently corners the Takmahl biodrone and biofluids black market on Bersirym. He's a Gallente thug that started his career as a bouncer for a club frequented by notorious local Blooders. He took a bullet protecting one of these Blooders, and that got him noticed and earned him respect. With good connections for his supplies and the trust of the blood raiders, he became a local gangster boss.

He carries that bullet on a chain around his neck, and nicknamed himself "Bullet". When people take pride in talking about themselves as a third party object, you know something is amiss. Anyway, he was always a bulky man but after he became boss his muscles turned into fat. To make fun of that, and of his thick Gallentean accent, he is now called "Boulette" behind his back. It's a Gallentean word for "meatball". A gangster pun.

Seeing me dead

When I arrived back at Odra, my body had already been found. The dead body, I mean. I went to the police station to identify myself in the morgue. It is a very unsettling experience. 

They put the argicultural brochures and my "Udder Chaos" mug in a plastic bag next to me, but I wasn't allowed to take it back with me. It's evidence now for a murder case.

I've been shot!!

Unimaginable! Me, a cleric from the Empire, chaplain and librarian, the victim of cold-blooded murder? What manner of evil creature would do this and condemn their soul to the fiery pits of hell?

The police investigator told me it was Harry the Hulk.

He's a henchman working for a local gangster kingpin called Boulette. He shot me at point blank range in a dead-end alley close to the restaurant I was going to. He panicked when he realized that the man he shot was actually a capsuleer. He ran as fast as he could to collect his bug-out bag and get off planet. He was arrested using false papers at the spaceport, and after enhanced interrogation admitted the murder in exchange for protection.

He'd been ordered to take me out because had been showing too much interest in the source of the biodrone material at the Tacky Parts store. Apparently, it is common knowledge that the shop sells not only biodrone parts but also rare drugs based on Takmahl phrenic appendix fluids. There is too little hard evidence to prove the drug sales at the moment. Boulette feared I might be a scout for a competing gang trying to take over his market by going for his supply chain, and wanted to make a statement.

Rude awakening

This evening, I woke up in my backup clone, with no recollection of the past two days. At first it didn't dawn on me that I had lost two days, I thought something had gone wrong while making a backup clone in preparation for my trip to Bersyrim.

The technicians and medic explained to me that nothing had gone wrong, on the contrary, everything had worked perfectly, and I had been gone for two, almost three days. 

There can be only one conclusion: I have died.

I am glad I keep a logbook, it is proving its usefulness now to reconstruct the previous days. This led me to believe it must have been something I ate at this restaurant or pub I was going to, The Four Stomachs. I do react very badly to spicy food, but I've never died from it before.

I contacted the authorities on Odra and notified them of my death. 

I contacted the authorities on Odra a second time after they hung up on me the first time, thinking it was a prank. They don't deal with capsuleers often.

They had not received any reports of a dead capsuleer, but would look into it and send someone to my hotel. To be honest, I think I've only been dead for an hour or so. The officer got a bit nervous when I mentioned I was going to The Four Stomachs to dine with the store manager of Tacky Parts. Perhaps this restaurant has a reputation of kitchen hygiene problems that the police officer is not allowed to tell about due to privacy regulations. But they were going to look into that as well.

Meanwhile I think I'll take the interbus to go back there, the Indigatrix II is still docked in Bersyrim.

Sights of Odra Capital

Odra Capital is a city that grew slowly and sequentially and with very little planning. And so, it is a bit of a maze. I like to wander about in such cities, to get a sense of the place, and I don't mind getting pleasantly lost. 

I did get lost. 

I was searching for the implants market, instead I ended up at a trade fair for agricultural machinery and ditto vehicles. The connectors on my neck revealed to any onlooker that I was a capsuleer, and since we are known as rich folk, I attracted a crowd of salespeople. I should not have mentioned our yaks in Mehatoor station. They did not let me go after that. I've been shown the newest models of agribots for milking and dung cleanup. I witnessed a demonstration of how cheap cattle TCMCs can help with herding and also read out the status of the cattle. I was explained that herding drones can also do that, and are equipped with scanners to detect sick cattle. I've received more brochures than I could carry, as well as a coffee mug that says "Udder Chaos Milking Corp", two pens (one has a small flashlight) and a miniature 3D puzzle of a argibot.

I'll give this to Aria on my return.

After a morning spent learning about the latest in cattle tech, I was finally able to find the cyber implants market in the afternoon. I put the hood of my robe over my head so that I would not be immediately spotted as a capsuleer this time around. 

The implants market is situated in and around a large square hall with a high glass-paneled ceiling decorated with wrought iron flowers and foliage. There's a central plaza bordered by colonnades, like a cloister, but three levels tall. The walkways under the colonnades give access to the shops, while the central plaza is for the market, with stalls and merchants arguing loudly about the offer of the day. I was surprised to see that most traders and visitors were armed.

It did not take much time to locate the source of Takmahl biodrone salvage. There's an outlet store for them! It's called "Tacky Parts" and private clients can't buy there, it is where manufacturers of implants would get rare parts. After I made a generous donation to the store manager's pension fund, he took me aside and promised me he'd reveal the source of his valuable stock. He couldn't do it in the store, but he agreed to meet me tonight, alone, in a pub called "The Four Stomachs".

I dread there will be more cattle stories.

Bersyrim

Preparations for the move are now at full speed in Mehatoor. Many of the most precious items have been packed, and my instructions are being followed very professionally by the moving team. I even feel I'm standing a bit in the way.

There's not much to do in Nasreri yet, luckily the volatile ice storm there is subsiding somewhat. I'm not sure what this kind of space weather does to books, and must talk to the haulers to install additional armor plate on their ships.

Feeling a bit restless, I decided to leave for a trip to Bersyrim, the Kadorian system where the reports from Arek'Jalaan indicate a high density of Takmahl biodrone salvage, that is used to build rather rare cyber implants sold on the local technology markets. 

I reviewed the general information on the system. It is neither new nor really old: the system has been colonized over five centuries ago (note that by then the Takmahl empire had already collapsed). The largest ethnic group is Ni-Kunni. Bersyrim is now a rather backwater system, but it used to be an important Kador fiefdom due to its large agricultural exports. The exports suffered from the trade agreements between the Empire and the State, and from the resulting competition by Caldari traders. 

The second and third planets have a sizeable population. They are temperate worlds with large land masses consisting of alluvial plains and grassland. The center of imperial administration is on the second planet, Odra. Outside from the capital city, the land is divided up between large landowner Holder families. Towns are built close to the Holder citadels, and are rather far apart if one travels by land. However, I think the local peasant population doesn't travel much. There are nomadic brigands called the Chikra that sometimes make a nuisance, but apart from them these worlds are by and large peaceful.

I've booked lodgings in Odra Capital, in the district where the main technology markets are. The hotel room can be described as quaint.

Museum plans

I am positively impressed with the professionality of the movers who take care of the chapel. There's scaffolding now and slowly each piece is delicately removed and tagged and wrapped.

There was an opportunity to start discussing my museum plans with Lunarisse, and she pointed me to the architect for plans. Apparently, the LUMEN offices are much larger than I imagined. maybe the humble amount of space that I need can simply be incorporated in the offices. 

I knew the housing part was large, but there is also an immense cargo space down. And I don't mean the cargo containers in the hangars for the ship. No it is storage for more... sensitive cargo, old collections from previous wars and missions. Most of it off-limits.

I've also told Luna I would like to collaborate with prof. Valate on this, and investigate if we could give her free passage based on the scholarly nature of the visit. She didn't refuse flat out, but it is not going to be easy. There are a lot of tensions in the Amarr capsuleer community, and appearances and diplomacy matter. Well, that's okay. It will probably not be before late spring that I can really work to the fullest on that project.

Checking out the new home

I went to check out the new home station. It's in a volatile ice storm now, which makes it look quite nice and... luminous. 

This is our own structure, one jump away from where the trade bureau office station is that will house Gottin's Lamp library and chapel. I've also visited that station, and the office rental overseer tells me there is space for rent adjacent to where the library should come. I've taken an option to a 10000 square meter hall for my museum plans. There's possibilities to expand it, but for now it should be more than enough. The hall is completely empty now, but can be fitted walls to section it in exhibition rooms. It's got a high ceiling, so it will be able to display the three meter high gilded statue of Emperor Queron that I recently purchased.

Logistics and standings

Two weeks ago, I was bemoaning the dismal status of my capsuleer standings with the Empire, notwithstanding my lifelong devotion as a baseliner. God answered my prayers - yesterday our alliance has organised a day of missions for the Emperor Family, to boost standings! Well, they are not quite Amarr Imperial standings, rather they are those of the Empress, but still. 

I had to participate, even though I am not well versed in combat. I bought and fitted an Augoror class frigate for logistics service, and I managed not to have it blown up. And, on several occasions, I found myself giving armor reps to fleet members who would not have sustained the onslaught without me - that much was clear from the rate they were taking damage. The role of repairer feels good and right for me - it confirms the goal I set myself in fleet operations for our corporation.

Tomorrow, I will head to what is to become our new home system, to have a look at the space that was hired. I'll see if there is extra space that I can hire for my museum plans.

About our new home

It's official now, all LUMEN members got a notification by the directors, so everybody knows that the Chapel and the library are going to find a new home. And it has also been revealed where we are moving to!

I'm not too unhappy about our new destination. A Theology Council station would have been even better, but at least we're going to be near the record keepers of Amarr trade. This will facilitate research into old merchant ships and wrecks: whenever an identification number can be pulled off the wreck it can be traced. The trade records have been rather meticulously kept for at least two millennia, and there is also information that is older, although it is more patchy. It is conventient to request copies of these old records and have them scanned from central archives and forwarded to local offices.

Yes, I am quite sure the new home will be more conducive to an academic atmosphere than the old place, a station that we share with the 24th Imperial Crusade.

Another benefit is that the new place is much closer to historically interesting constellations! That means less travel time to get to places where I can investigate my favorite ancient races.

Opportunities

Maybe this move is also an opportunity. I've been thinking about the design of the Takmahl history museum. There is some office space available in Mehatoor's 24 Imperial Crusade station, space that I could transform into museum rooms, they are not quite connected to our library. Perhaps this could change when we move, as we could find space that allows for my little expansion. I'll have to talk to Lunarisse about it.

I'm seeing it as a complex with four large display halls, through which the visitors could wander, and one entry hall that also has a museum library - collecting the works on the Takmahl and allowing for lectures. The four rooms would center on Takmahl Origins, Talocan Influences, Takmahl Society and Customs, and The Downfall. 

One small problem I see is that it would be nice to involve the cluster's expert on this - actually I already have a Takmahl statue on loan from her. But, prof. Valate is a Sani Sabik. I must still think how to solve that issue...

Moving

So, I finally know why there are workmen taking measures in the chapel. Apparently, we're moving it. And the library too! Within... about three weeks. I fell of my chair when Luna told me. 

I don't know why this is necessary. Perhaps the recent falling out between LUMEN and the Amarr militia makes it hard to stay in a station of the 24th Imperial Crusade. Perhaps there's some other deep strategy being hatched out by the fine admirals and paladins of LUMEN - not my business, and that's all right.

Now, it is important to realize that our library holds some very rare and old books, scrolls and maps. The kind that one can only touch with immaculate gloves and watch under dimmed light in a room with environmental controls. To move them would require special casing and transport experts familiar with treating delicate works of art. I just can't see how it'll be done in three weeks. I was told that at least the library structure is modular, and the shelves and storage cabinets can be sealed off and the whole thing moved as a whole. Last time I heard of something that brutal was people using orbital mining lasers for archeological digs... I must hurry and work with Aria to make sure the most precious items in our collection are secured properly. In just three weeks. Madness.

The Chapel appears to be even more difficult to move. It is an architectural masterpiece made of wooden panels and beams that interlock into a magnificent and light-filled space that directs one's spirit upwards to God. It will have to be carefully dismantled plank by plank and moved. Altar and relics will probably move separately. 

To think all of it will be exposed to danger out there, in space full of gankers and pirates and Triglavians... it makes me shudder.

A deepening divide

Since the incident where the militia attacked a Lux Invicta structure, relations have been deteriorating between the militia on the one hand and LUMEN on the other hand.

Khimi Harar, with SFRIM and PIE at its core, is now by far the largest alliance of Amarrian loyalist capsuleers. The militia, in particular Local is Primary (LiP) under the command of House Newelle, opposes the cooperation between Khimi Harar and Electus Matari and Phoenix Naval Systems. The Throne supports limited collaboration in the context of EDENCOM - but for House Newelle, and house Yassavi, the collaboration is going too far and threatens their operations in the warzone. 

I think that's nonsense. Lord Lok'ri and our young Kor-Azor diplomat, Amicia Cora, have explained LUMEN's motives and refuted the allegations leveled against us thoroughly. To no avail.

The tone of the debate has become ever more harsh, and standings have been reset. It looks like we are heading for an Amarrian capsuleer civil war. Of course, the ones to benefit most from that are the Kybernauts and the radical Matari, and they are egging on the feud.

I pray the Empress or the privy council would intervene...

New cloak technician

In preparation of another expedition, I have advertised a vacancy for cloak technician. My previous cloaker, mr. Gerulf, passed away during the expedition Deklein, and having a technician around just saves a couple of precious seconds so it is well worth it in a dangerous environment.

I don't like taking job interviews. I never know what to ask. Most people that apply will have a decent CV and some solid references from people I don't know. I tell them a bit of how I like to work, and if they're ok with it then that's fine for me. I don't have them take tests, I prefer to trust my instinct, that's been fine thusfar. 

So, now mr. Idesbald Eggeward is my new cloak technician. He's worked with covert ops cloaks before and his previous employer stopped her business and retired, going planetside. He's familiar with the Anathema, the Helios and the Pilgrim, but not that much with Sisters of Eve ships. He enjoys Nakrian brandy. Hopefully not too much.

Pezarba constellation

I've been concatenating project Theseus' description of their Takmahl artefacts with my own growing collection. The cross-referencing allows me to catalogue and identify most items. I keep track of the location of the findings, too - even though my pentagram constellation theory seemed to fail.

So now, in my database, I can plot the density of finds by system and by type of artefact. Playing around with that, something interesting came up. 

Most relics have the highest density of findings in the Araz constellation. However, cyber implants derived from Takmahl technology like biodroid enhancements and biodroid controllers, are unusually prominent in the nearby Pezarba constellation, also in Kador, and in particular in the off-the-main-pipeline Bersyrim system. 

Maybe someone in system is a fervent but anonymous collector of Takmahlia, or there is an ancient connection with the Takmahl empire. Either way, it's worth exploring.

Remodeling

What is this? I go into our chapel, and I see workmen, taking measurements and climbing up some ladders to scan stuff? And no-one can tell me exactly what is going on, the workers tell me I should contact the contractor? Why, don't worry about me, I'm only the chaplain, no need to tell me if our chapel is going to be remodeled. I can hold mass in the gym, if needed.

On top of that, in Gottin's Lamp bar I saw a scrap of paper at the bottom of the vending machine. I bent down to look at it. I could only take in a glance before a draft swept it deeper under the vending machine, out of reach, but I am certain of what I saw: some pagan witchcraft symbols. I am being tested.

Standings

Not only the Cardari archeological dig sites require standings. Also here in the Empire, you need to have high standings with Amarr. To my dismay, these are capsuleer standings: no matter whether you spent a lifetime as baseliner in service of God and Empire, you start out with zero standings. That is horrible! My standings are too low... What a drudgery now to get them higher through capsuleer services, this will set me back months.

I will write a letter of complaint about this state of affairs to the Theology Council. At least they can take one's pre-capsuleer life somewhat into account! 

While I'm gaining "standing", I can try to calm my mind by focusing on a local project, long in the making: the museum of Takmahl history where I plan to show my collections and educate the masses about our past.

More Site One records

The other projects in Arek'Jalaan seem to focus strongly on either understanding Anoikis or understanding rogue drones and trying to communicate with them. Wormhole space is since then much better explored, even though there is as yet no regularity found in how the wormhole links appear. The discovery of such a regularity would make the wormhole routes predictable and be a true breakthrough. However, most scientists agree that the routes appear randomly, at least to a certain extent.

It would seem the Talocan were early masters of wormhole physics and established travel hubs. They interacted with the Jove - for the best or for the worst. I wanted to travel to the Okkelen constellation to look at the Talocan relics for myself, but I was told that this requires very good standings with the Caldari. I would have to do missions for them! Carry who knows what industrial things around. I'd better find myself some high echelon Caldari friend in the Society if I ever want to visit the Devil's Dig site.

Schism

I haven't slept well. Yesterday Luna told me about the Lux Invicta defeat in Pochven. The multi-national alliance, in which LUMEN participates to fight against the Triglavians, lost its staging Astrahus in Angymonne. 

Smokey was the battled and battered fortress from where the allied fleets won the first Pochven war half a year ago, and stood as a symbol of collaboration between the four core Empires in the fight against the invader. The Kybernauts could not bring it down, and try hard they did. 

Something far more insidious needed to happen to bring down Smokey. 

The Amarr militia and crusade -as far as it falls under the Sarum military circuit- are effectively under the command of Lord-consort Aldrith Shutaq Newelle, as was recently made very clear by his excellence Lord Qatib Olacar xer Sarum. In particular, the militia group "Local is Primary" of sub-commander Mikal Vektor falls under the command of Newelle. 

This militia group attacked Smokey, the EDENCOM staging station used by Amarrian loyalists to wage war in Pochven. Their force, combined with the Kybernauts, managed to overcome the station's defenders. The motivation for this attack is that Smokey's day-to-day operation is handled by the Republic, in particular Electus Matari. Indeed, Electus Matari are known terrorists, but facing a common enemy, lord Ardishapur speaking for the Throne has urged temporary collaboration. This has never been accepted by the militia, nor by the crusade. Rather than focusing on their mission in the war zone, they ventured into Pochven to sabotage the alliance of convenience between the Empire and the Republic. Their heinous act of agression has caused a major EDENCOM defeat in Angymonne.

I do not know how this will evolve, but I am very worried for a schism between Amarrian loyalist capsuleers. I also worry for the fallout on Lord-consort Newelle, whom I appreciate on a personal level. He is blinded by his hatred for the Minmatar, his soul still bleeding from Floseswin, and his heart condemning all of LUMEN for not following him in his bloodthirsty folly. Even if he did not order the attack, he condoned it and was complicit.

The only ones who gain from this schism are our enemies: the Triglavian sympathizers who feel victorious, and our enemies in the Republic who rejoice in seeing us divided and weakened.

Project Theseus

The Theseus project had as one of the goals something I planned to do myself, but have been unable to. There is a famous Takmahl ruin in the Aphi system, a labyrinth made with ancient jump portals. 

One of the more interesting parts of the Theseus project is that they planned to investigate the spatial layout of the labyrinth to see if that holds some clues, maybe to other hidden pockets or to the Talocan-Takmahl link in general. I am very hopeful that this may give useful clues.

The labyrinth is however heavily camped by rival collectors and pirates, and for a pacifist explorer as myself there is no getting through. At some point I'll need to ask the help of others in LUMEN to mount an expedition over there...

Project Infernal Spade

Here's an interesting passage in the files of Project Infernal Spade:

The appearance of Talocan ruins in w-space has put a renewed focus on this civilization. Very little was known about the Talocan before their ruins appeared in w-space besides that they once had a presence in the Okkelen constellation, an area now claimed by the Caldari State. Despite being overrun by rogue drones, the Devil's Dig Site deadspace complex in the Otitoh system held archaeologists' interest for some time, mostly due to its housing some of the only Talocan relic remnants still available.

As I mentioned before, Talocan ruins are also present in Aphi, in the Araz constellation, in the heartlands of the Takmahl empire. Their empire prospered many centuries in part because of the Talocan technology. 

The Talocan were using wormhole space to travel through the cluster and maybe beyond, but it is not clear whether the Takmahl deciphered or mastered that part of their technology. If they did, then they may have spread and created colonies in Anoikis, much as we do today.

Antiquus

I am visiting the Arek'Jalaan archives at the "Site One: Antiquus" facility in Eram. There are few (or no) capsuleers around, so there is no influx of new research from field work. The field work that has been done during dr. Tukoss' time is very well preserved and archived, and a lot of academic work on the materials collected from that time is still being done. There is probably enough material to analyse for scientists for decades to come.

The Antiquus research complex is impressive to behold. There are nice quarters for visiting scholars, close to the main spire but set apart from the main stations that are not accessible for visitors. Although there weren't any capsuleers visiting, there are many baseliner ships in and around the complex - it is bustling with activity.

The archives are accessed via the different storage platforms, one for each research division of Arek'Jalaan. Book copies of abstracts are automatically uploaded to the cargohold upon approaching the platform. 

Two projects in particular draw my attention. Project Infernal Spade, formerly led by a capsuleer named Myyona, investigates the Talocan. This ancient race is linked to the Takmahl - many believe that the meteoric rise of the Takmahl is due to the fact that they stumbled on Talocan artefacts and gate technology, and were able to reverse-engineer them to some extent.

Even more to the point is Project Theseus. It specifically investigates the Takmahl and their relics. Its lead researcher is a familiar person to all those interested in the Takmahl: prof. Valerie Valate. I talked to this Sani Sabik before, as she is maybe the cluster's leading expert on the Takmahl. Here I can dig deeper into these archives, and I am excited to compare my own limited findings to that of other field researchers.

Arek'Jalaan archives

I have been reviewing my expedition to Deklein and rethinking my theories on the exodus of the Sani Sabik during Queron's reign. I am still convinced that the key to finding ancient artifacts lies in understanding the pattern of their cryoship routes. But I have to admit that I was wrong about the pentagram symbolism driving their choice of destinations.

In the Imperial History Museum there is almost no information on the routes the Sani Sabik took. Talking to other scholars there and following up references in works on this topic, it seems some information can be found in the archives of the Arek'Jalaan in Eram, in the Republic. They investigated many subjects, and ancient cultures was one of their research topics. And, since the organisation was capsuleer driven, they could do field work that no-one else could before.

I've encountered that organisation earlier in my searches, and was told it is more or less defunct since the death of its director dr. Hilen Tukoss. However, the archives are still accessible in the "Site One" institute in Eram.

Logistics experience

I was happy to contribute, a couple of days ago, to LUMEN's efforts against the Blood Raiders. My vow of non-agression restricts me to logistics, but this is a valuable fleet role, and a while ago Lord Garion Avarr suggested I train these skills. Lord Utari Onzo helped me train logistics in practice rather than in theory. Not so long ago, I would never even have dreamt to be mentored by persons of such high station!

The operation against a Blood Raider station went unopposed, so I did not have to send remote repairs to anyone. Nevertheless it was a good exercise for one as inexperienced in fleets as I am.

Back home

I travelled back to Mehatoor, after a stopover in Amarr to sell off stuff that I found while exploring in Deklein. With the loss of the Indagatrix, I had to use my funds to replace the ship. The sell has helped me replenish my ship replacement fund.

Lately, there are too many wars and battles to follow. Having witnesses the eviction of RHP and the destruction of their magnificent Keepstar structure by the Volaens, I stumbled into yet another warzone on my way back from ROIR-Y. Two erstwhile allies, Brave and Test, were bashing eachother to death in the Black Rise region, a sad spectacle. Meanwhile, in the civilized world, LUMEN has been gloriously successful in defeating the Kybernauts in Eruka, and the Blood Raiders in Girani-Fa. 

It was nice to see Mittens again, who practically jumped on to me as she saw me. I think mr. Jensen is glad he could hand his charge back to me, he looked somewhat frayed.

Expedition's end

I have to admit failure. I find more Takmahl relics than here on a bad day in Araz by lifting a random stone and looking under it. I've been out here exploring now for a while, but the expedition has had no success. On top of that, the new local warlords associate me with the Ancien Regime, and I've escaped their attacks narrowly a few times.

Moreover, news has reached me from LUMEN headquarters that war broke out again with the Kybernauts. I'll be needed in the chapel in our Mehatoor, if not for the capsuleers then for their crew or their crew's family. And I plan to continue with the chronicles of our alliance's wars, and want to get first-hand witness reports.

I'll be heading back first the ROIR-Y, to tally up my relic and data site findings, and to pick up my crew. Then, we head back to Mehatoor. The expedition was no success, unfortunately. But I learned from it, and adjust my theories.

Doubt

Still no success. I deployed combat probes this time, hoping to find ancient ships or structures easier. Apart from some hidden modern infrastructure, there was nothing. Or rather, at some point I found a derelict unidentified ship.

Could it be a cryoship? I warped to it, and it looked like some ancient vessel, or at least something made with simpler technology. It had been shot to pieces, and there was nothing useful left to salvage. I analysed the hull remnants, and found that it had been attacked by Guristas. So, the timeframe is wrong. It is probably a recent vessel from some backward planet abandoned colonists that got blown up.

I am starting to think I may have been wrong.

The wheel of fortune

Another day of exploration without success. Perhaps I was wrong about Sabik cryoships heading here...

On my way back to RIOR-Y I stopped by the place where the RHP keepstar was. It is gone. Nothing left but small rubble, the larger pieces have been removed already, and of course any useful loot is long gone. It is humbling to see how such a large structure, that put me in awe of its large hangars and endless spires just a week ago, has so quickly been evacuated, abandoned, and destroyed. How quickly the new order brings down what the once-mighty built!

Hah, to think that I was offered ownership of the doomed edifice for 235 billion! I felt in my bones that it was a ripoff. It was partly an offer to involve Amarr in their lost war, and partly a way to get cash to help them rebuild in Impass, where they planned to flee too. Of course, I was protected against any foolishness by my vow of poverty, praise be to St. Tal-Romon.

Continued exploration

The nullifier device worked as a charm. The Blobbites has set up a camp in the 8S28-3 system, and plastered the gate grid with interdiction bubbles. I was able to go straight through and land on the gate without harm coming to me. The only drawback of the device is that it has a relatively long cooldown time before it can be reactivated. For that it is still nice to have a safe spot to park and hide while it gets ready to work again.

I have been able to continue my exploration unhindered. However, I still did not find any hoped-for trace of the Takmahl. I did find a Tetrimon base, and relayed my thanks for saving my crew. They answered along the lines of "you're welcome but now shut up and don't use covert frequencies." 

Interdiction nullifiers

Every capsuleer death is a teaching moment. The unfortunate incident getting caught by an interdiction bubble has taught me about a device on the market to counter the effect of bubbles: the interdiction nullifier. 

The Indigatrix II is now equipped with one. The salesperson who traded it to me extolled its virtues and explained its use. Basically, I should activate it before warp, and then the warp interdiction bubble can't stop my ship any more. The only difficulty is that I cannot activate it while cloaked (unless it is a gate cloak). So, the order to activate the modules is: interdiction nullifier, warp, and cloak. Even if the nullifier deactivates before I reach my destination, the salesperson assures me its effect will carry me through. I will continue my exploration, hoping that this device works fine.

I am not taking the crew along for my next round of exploration in the pentagram subconstellation. So, I'll be somewhat more sluggish and will need more time doing some tasks. A couple of the most loyal crewmembers want to go back to their posts and are pushing the others, but I also sense hesitation in some of these others. That is very understandable so short after surviving the attack and waiting for rescue in their escape pods. So I stood firm, I do not want to risk any more lives, I will go alone. 

The crew's tale

I arrived back at the Sisters of Eve bureau in ROIR-Y. I met up with the survivors, and we visited my injured crewmember who is still recovering in the Sister's medical facility on station. There is a "worship room" in the hospital, a neutral quiet space suitable for any religion to pray and meditate. We held a ceremony there for the crew that passed away. 

After that we went to the station's food court, to the noodle place where the RHP diplomat took me. Ah, that seems ages ago now, in stead of days - is that the effect of clone death? Anyhow, they ate and drank and we talked about what happened. They told me a remarkable story. 

Their escape pods were not picked up by a rescue vessel from the Sisters of Eve, as I had imagined. Rather, they were rescued by warships of the Order of Tetrimon, that detected the Amarrian-type distress signal from their escape pods. Warships? I couldn't quite believe it at first. But they were adamant: the Order has bases in this region of space now. God knows why they establish outposts all the way out here! 

Of course, it is not my place to ask or speculate, but the crew offered a possible explanation that they got from their rescuers. It seems the Order knows about the Blooder presence and is hunting them also out here, at least for the time being. The crew received first aid by the Tetrimon, and the rescued survivors were then dropped off at the Sisters' station by a Tetrimon knight posing as a miner.

The crew also told me that the victory of the Voltans and Blobbites over RHP is now complete. A large RHP evacuation fleet has set sail: they are moving far away to the south, to the Impass region, with all their belongings. They will try and resettle there. Probably their spiritual needs came forth from facing adversity. Barbarians only pray to God when they need him to help.

As for the remaining missionary that came along with us, he was gone and took the scripture datapads with him. He has checked out of his quarters. He must have left around the time that the news broke of the Indigatrix's destruction. Whether he boarded a ship to go back home, or whether he left with the RHP caravan to Impass to preach the faith to them, I do not know. 

Disaster strikes

I continued my exploration of the pentagram pocket. The Voltans and their "We form Blob" allies are busy destroying the RHP structures, and left me alone. I still did not find any traces of the Takmahl, but to my surprise I found a Blood Raider data network node that is active. This is far away from the Blood Raider bases in Delve, so I see it as an interesting clue. Indeed, their presence can point to a historical connection with this remote area, corroborating my theory that Sabik cryoships arrived here long ago. I dismantled the node and took the evidence with me to bring back to the attention of the MIO.

I could no longer use the RHP Keepstar freeport in E3UY-6, as it is under attack and being evacuated, so I decided to return to my original base of operations, the Sisters of Eve station in ROIR-Y.

The war fleets in their cat-and-mouse games place interdiction bubbles at the warp gates, in the direction from incoming warp gates. So I avoided coming in from a straight line, and took care to warp to a safe or a celestial first. But in E-9ORY, a mere two systems out from my destination, disaster struck. There were interdiction bubbles also at unlikely angles to the gate, and my ship was stopped dead amidst hostile forces. I could not use the cloak, as the electrical storm was still raging. It took them a bit of time to lock me up, time used to try and get the crew to eject in the escape pods. But for me and the ship it was too late.

Moments later, I woke up in a new clone, disoriented and worried for the survival of the crew. My death had set into motion a chain of events designed to get me back in a ship as fast as possible. The insurance money was paid, and a business representative on Amarr received the message to activate buy orders of a list of equipment to be installed in a new Anathema hull. I got on board of a shuttle and flew over to Amarr making best speed.

While in transit to Amarr, I received the news that six of the eight crewmembers survived, and were now in the care of the Sisters of Eve in their station in ROIR-Y. One of the survivors is badly injured, the other five are shaken and somewhat bruised but for the rest OK. The remaining two of my crew are confirmed dead. Gerulf, my cloak technician, stayed too long onboard trying to overcome the interference from the electrical storm, and his brother Arnulf, a hangar worker, would not leave without Gerulf. My prayers are with them and their family.

Having reached Amarr and boarded the Indigatrix II, I am now flying over to ROIR-Y to meet up with the survivors.

It is not clear to what warring faction, if any, our murderer was linked. From his name, I would suspect RHP, but from the region he was in, it could be Volta. Or, maybe it is more likely that he is an assassin working for the Blood Raiders. While I did not have the gifts of technology for the barbarian warlords on board, nor the missionary, I did have the evidence I gathered on Blooder presence in the Deklein region with me. That precious intelligence data has been destroyed.

Change of power

I have started the exploration of the pentagram constellation, from my forward base, the E3UY-6 keepstar. The pentagram pocket is quiet, so I could look around and make some safe spots for hiding. However, I did not find any traces of Takmahl today. None of the five systems showed signs of their presence. 

There are some stations, but they are not accessible to me. However, now that I am in their space, it has become more easy to converse to leading members of RHP. I was able to talk to a warlord called Nelson Higgins, who is part of the leadership cabal of RHP. 

He was open to my requests, but said that RHP is leaving the region. They are losing the war against Volta, and are keeping up resistance for the moment only in order to evacuate their assets. The stations are either under attack or being dismantled. I am free to use the keepstar, but according mr Higgins it would make no sense for me to stay around long in it, nor one of their other stations in Deklein. Moreover he cannot make promises of safe passage while armies of both sides are battling each other and many opportunistic brigand or vulture are waiting to strike anyone left in the power vacuum.

So, it seems I will soon have to negotiate with new warlords, who will no doubt see me as an infiltrator collaborating with their old enemies...

The Keepstar

Early this morning, I set off with my loyal crew and the one remaining missionary. There is a fifteen jump trek towards my destination and the idea was to scout out the route, and possibly create some safe spots along the way. These are not only good as hiding places, but also allow to jump towards the gate from an unexpected angle and thus hopefully avoid warp disruption bubbles and other traps by highwaymen.

Unfortunately, we hit stormy weather. The exotic matter storm is still raging, and a few systems out this was exacerbated by an electrical storm. This was what I feared: in the electrical storm, the Indigatrix's cloaking does not work. This was of course used by hunters in the system, there were combat probes everywhere on d-scan.

We made it unscathed trough the region affected by the storm. However, as we were getting closer to the border of "RHP", the  Respect Honor Passion alliance, there was a marked increase in mercenary gangs associated with their rivals, "Volta". A large troupe of their warriors, under the banner of "we form blob" (really, the names in these parts...) was in 8S28-3. One system onward, in E3UY-6, there was a fleet of RHP ready to face off the Volta's.

In that system, I saw one of the largest privately held structures I ever encountered. A "keepstar" station, owned by RHP. It is immense, two large towers with living quarters and offices connected to a base with large hangars. The thing would dwarf Farthest Shore. It is a freeport, so I could dock up - I wanted to meet the locals. It had been under recent attack, and was reinforced into armor.

The commander of this immense station is a capsuleer named Leutnant Odin. I had the pleasure to briefly meet him - we from the core worlds are certainly a curiosity here. He tried, and I cannot emphasize how weird this was, to sell me the station. Lock, stock and barrel. For a mere 235 billion isk, a good price according the the lieutenant. I think RHP is losing the war, and cannot hold their keepstar... It also may be another attempt to bring in the Amarr Empire on their side. 

These lands are ripe for the picking. If the Empire wants, they could reclaim these parts with just a bit of divide and conquer strategy. And they must be not completely devoid of industry, otherwise they could not have built the massive structure in E3UY-6.

Outer rim diplomacy

The meeting with the diplomat did not go as well as I'd hoped.

We met in the food court of the Sisters of Eve station. Their station in ROIR-Y is what you'd expect at the frontier: it is patched together from stuff that can be found locally and from whatever can be traded in these forlorn parts. It is not smooth and polished like the new AIR stations, but it consists of a collection of panels and machinery from all four empires that somehow got welded together and interfaced. Not always successfully, the hangars have loose cables and pipes and broken lighting here and there.

Walekh Hemanseh, the diplomat, is a jovial man of Amarrian ancestry. He has facial piercings and a wide mouth that from time to time opens up for a bellowing laugter. He speaks a Dekleinian dialect, but no standard Amarrian or any of the other Empire's languages. As they do not have universal translator devices, he brought a human translator with him. This translator is a henchman he calls Mike, and who speaks very rudimentary Amarrian. Mike also carries a gun and a large knife, and I think he was high on Frentix.

We sat down in a small diner, and were served steaming bowls of noodles with chunks of undefinable meat, and a piece of dried out bread. The conversation was not easy, Mike was not always able to understand what I said. And he cut his lip trying to use the big knife to eat pieces of meat out of his noodle bowl. 

It soon became clear that Walekh cannot represent the Federation of Honor Passion Respect Alliance as a whole. He works for the Honor Passion Respect coalition, which is a small part of the alliance. His chieftain, for which he works as a diplomat, rules one star system far away from where I need to be, and they also have a wormhole operation.

He wanted to hire me not as a priest but as a diplomat to the Empire. Their alliance is at war with "We Form Volta", yet another outer space independent barony that contests their sovereignty. He hoped I could get the Empire to come and help them to fight against Volta. He boasted that he had slaves and would give them to me as part of the deal. I had to disappoint him. Truly, these "diplomats" in the outer worlds are very naive and unrefined.

The only positive thing that came out of our conversation was that he assured me that indeed his people are in need of spiritual guidance, and he accepted a shipment of scripture datapads. Two of the missionaries will go with him, the third one wants to go deeper into the unknown. I am keeping the supercomputers, the nuclear reactor, most of the holoreels, and two crates of scripture datapads for later on. 

I will have to proceed without "laissez-passez" from the local warlords.

Travel to the frontier

Things have accelerated ever since I got a reply from the Dekleinian diplomat.

The Indagatrix was prepared and ready for take off a while ago, so I could leave immediately. Or almost: while she was loaded with gifts for the barbarians, I now took on board also a shipment of missionary material - datapads with scripture, books and holoreeds on the faith, a few relics for a starter chapel. I also picked up three guests at the Theology Council Law School in Gheth, missionaries that I got into contact with after my message to the Theology Council.

I am setting up a basecamp for my exploration in ROIR-Y in the Pure Blind region. The Sisters of Eve have a station orbiting the second planet, and it is open to the public. It is probably the last publicly accessible station before the empty wastelands of Fade and Deklein, a battered frontier outpost, peering into the dark beyond.

The flight over there went smoothly, except for the last part where we flew through a exotic matter storm. It fills space with a sickly greenish mist, and will make warp disruptors more effective. That's not as bad as an electrical storm which would deactivate my cloaking, but it was enough scare my passengers.

I've arranged a meeting with the diplomat here.

A reply

The spiritual needs in the outer worlds are far greater than I could anticipate.

Finally, I found a diplomat that has not yet been executed by his master, and he replied to my letter as follows:

you are the best guy in Eve I have ever met in the game!!!!
You've got it down with the roleplaying! chapeau!
I need guys like you.
Could you imagine offering your wonderful services to me?
I would be happy if you would at least think about it.
We can discuss details of your services in Teamspeak.
I remain in hopeful expectation of a positive answer

They are clearly overwhelmed, and overexcited. They must be unaccustomed to contact with the core worlds. 

Also it appears that they desperately need clerics, and ecclesiastical services. Missionary work tends to focus on more highly populated regions rather than the desolate edge of our cluster. The barren regions with not much souls to reclaim are neglected. I have written a letter about this to the Theology Council, and also contacted archbishop Constantin Baracca. He is famous for leading the missions in Minmatar space, and he knows how to preach to a rough crowd.

My expedition started purely as a scientific mission of exploration, but now it seems I must add a strong component of peaceful reclamation and promotion of our faith. The ground in Deklein is ready for sowing and yearning for the seed. May God help me and grant me that I can baptize some warlords there! 

But let me not get carried away. First, I must figure out this "Teamspeak". It is a communications program on Galnet. Phoenix Naval System uses it for their operation comms, so it is probably safe.

Family visit

I returned back to Mehatoor today, but not before visiting family here in Kothe.

That was not easy.

My elderly mother stays at a service flat that was funded by the Dulcia Foundry, but now that I'm a capsuleer I can provide for it. Dad died long ago. The Sisters of the Blessed Age help out with household work like cleaning and cooking, and with their help mother retains a lot of independence. However, she's never quite forgiven me for joining an asteroid monastery. Usually, a cleric is the pride of the family, but if you're an only son it is different. You get blamed for abandoning your mother, and for not providing any grandchildren. That makes a visit difficult. Even more so because I was not able to visit during my secluded stay at the monastery, and I postponed visiting as a capsuleer.

I am glad I finally visited. Even though I got scolded for being a bad son... 

I will try to go there more often.

Canonization and miracles

Among the brothers there is a hope that our dear abbot will be canonized. Unfortunately, this is more of an expression of our admiration and love for the abbot, and not a realistic short-term expectation.

Canonization is preceded by a long and difficult process. Many stages must be traversed, where sainthood is the last and highest level that can be attained. Indeed, just as our station in life is subject to hierarchies, our holiness after life is subject to hierarchies too. First one proceeds through the ranks of the venerable and then the blessed before reaching the ranks of the saints. In principle, each stage requires a petition and an investigation according to the Codex Iuris Canonici, and a subsequent approval by the Theology Council's office for the Causes of Saints. As a result, few new saints are nowadays added at the Empire-wide level, although locally everywhere there are people who are venerated as unofficial saints.

In particular, almost always there has to be a miracle which must be attributed to the intercession of the candidate-saint. But, just like our life and our afterlife, there is a hierarchy of miracles as well.

"Top" miracles, miracula quoad substantiam, achieve something that is completely impossible in nature, like the resurrection of the dead. Saint Jamyl's return constitutes a good example. Note that resurrections have become more difficult to prove, given cloning.

"Second tier" miracles, miracula quoad subjectum, do something that in principle does not go against natural law, but nevertheless cannot not be achieved by the subject. Regrowing a chopped off limb or shattered organ is now more difficult to prove as (second tier) miracle, since technology could have replaced the candidate-saint's intercession. However, the appearance of a speaking dog would still count.

"Lower tier" miracles, miracula quoad modum, do something that nature can do in principle, but simply not in that particular way. For example someone who heals from a disease that cannot be cured yet by modern medicine, after touching a relic.

Sometimes I think that we just miss many miracles happening around us, because we don't pay attention and attribute things that happen to alien technology or coincidence. We shrug off the miraculous, and in doing so have become somewhat deaf to God's direct messages.

Goodbye to my guide and teacher

Sad news has drawn me away from Mehatoor this week.

Abbot Bavo, my guide and my superior at the asteroid monastery where I spent most of my live, has passed away at the tender age of 223. He was a wise man, always caring for his monks and doing everything to lead them closer to God. His main character trait was compassion. Not the kind of compassion that goes along with pity and resignation. The kind of compassion that makes one get up and help.

This saintly man showed me monastic life, and it is because of his teachings that I decided all those years ago to renounce a worldly life and become a monk.

The order held a vigil and a ceremony in one of our main monasteries in Kador, on Kothe XI, rather than on the asteroid monastery where he was Abbot. I think they wanted to make it possible for members from systems farther away to go to a more accessible location. But I can't shake the feeling that abbot Bavo would have preferred his own secluded surroundings as a final resting place.

I went there, and participated in the three-days vigil at the cathedral where he was laid in state. After these days of prayer and contemplation, he was laid to rest in the cathedral's catacombs. 

Even though the past days have been marked by grief and sadness, there was also a good aspect. It brought me back in contact with many of my Brothers, whom I have not seen for almost two years. Joining them in prayer, sharing simple meals in communal fashion, and listening to the stories of what happened to them, brought great comfort and pleasure. 

Dear Abbot, I am grateful for this final gift of bringing us back together.

Still No News

Still no news from the Dekleinians, it is frustrating.

Perhaps they have been cut off from the core worlds for so long that Amarr has become a myth and they are stunned by a missive from within the Empire? Or think it is a trap? More likely the diplomat that I wrote to has already been strung up on the highest branch of some tree by a fickle and vicious chieftain and my letter arrived in a dead man's mailbox. I will send it to another diplomat on their list.

Surprisingly, it appears they still have access to galnet, and even a chat channel, no doubt tenuously relayed back to the core worlds. I can attempt to start a discussion there if the second letter does not elicit any response either.

If all else fails, I am of a mind to go out there anyway, permission or not. 

Thing is, now I have bought two nuclear reactors and two supercomputers for these barbarians. What will I do with this junk? Also, I bought a bunch of holoreels. Expensive ones! Educational ones. The Amarr News Network's much lauded 393rd remake of the "History of The Empire" series. It is the most recent version completely edited and approved by the MIO. And I also have all 220 episodes of the series "Scripture in Moving Pictures", in a collector's edition no less. 

Ingrates.

A day of remembrance

It has been one year since the Triglavian invaders formed Pochven. And, although we beat back the Kybernauts, the core Empires are still far from reconquering the lost systems. So, it was a day of remembrance, a day to renew our resolve.

The occasion was made even more special since our beloved Empress personally officiated prayers in the Grand Basilica of St. Gheinok! I put up a screen in the chapel to follow the memorial for our righteous martyrs live. It warms the heart and the soul to see the Empress and to hear the wisdom of her words.

There weren't many capsuleers present, though. Most of them are in Yulai tonight, for a kind of international remembrance event at the seat of power of EDENCOM, where a new monument was unveiled...

Meanwhile, I sent off  my missive to the diplomat of the wildling king of the north, and I'm eagerly awaiting their answer.

The wrong scratching pole

I've been looking for someone to take care of Mittens while I'm away on expedition. Mr. Jensen volunteered, and I was surprised. Mittens is fascinated by the slow movement of mr. Jensen. I think she first assumed that he was stalking prey, moving slowly so as to better pounce on, say, a library user with overdue books. She mimics him, sitting a crouched position, with her head outstretched and gaze fixed, moving slowly towards him, and enjoying the game.

While this is innocent, she has also been using his leg as a scratching pole at times, and I've had to scold her severely for that. But despite shredded legs, mr. Jensen seems to have bonded with the cat and I am grateful that he will take care of her during my absence.

Searching for their roots

Sometimes folks come to me in the library trying to get help researching their roots. 

I've had mr. Jason Statesman drop by, a merchant who is not often around but who tries to find his Amarrian father from the objects that were left to him. These objects reveal artwork and imagery that indeed points to a specific heritage, so I will be glad to give him some hints when he once again passes by Mehatoor.

More recently, Celeste asked me to look into who her parents were - she was apparently separated from them a long time ago. She's a free person now, but used to be held. So I've been tracing back her ownership records. Whenever slaves change Holder, the Amarr Civil Service keeps track and of course the necessary paperwork. I've been digging back to her first owner, and found the first transfer of ownership contract that mentions her. It turns out to be a forgery... maybe she was abducted as a child and sold? Or could there be another reason for the forged transfer of ownership contract? Why was it not detected as a forgery at the time? Anyway it reveals a specific date of her being transferred to a Holder for the first time, so that will allow me to search further into the missing persons records and maybe link this to her parents. 

 I do like good old fashioned mysteries.

The crew

The Indagatrix has a small but very dedicated crew. In principle I could fly her without a crew, but it is good to have some specialists on board. I usually travel with one medic, one scan probe expert, three other technicians for on-the-spot-repairs and maintenance of various modules, and three hangar workers with basic training in archeology. That's needed for them to recognise items of value from the salvage that gets pulled in, and handle any artifacts with the necessary care.

I suggested that they stay in Mehatoor while I am going on the expedition to Deklein. It's not safe in the outer rim, not like it is here in the Imperial worlds. They refused, even though I promised to keep paying them. I am touched, but worried, and ordered a thorough checkup and a readiness test of the crew escape pods. 

Celeste suggested I install an "interdiction nullifier". I'll have to go shop for that, and then read the manual...

Draft letter

I've prepared the letter, and will send it to Celeste for review. Because it might be useful for other occasions, I'm including a copy in template form in this log.

Dear [insert diplomat name],

Please accept my most humble salutations and well-wishes to your exalted leader [insert leader name], the great and just ruler of many stars. Greetings also to you, valued diplomat [insert diplomat name]. Please forgive me the audacity to write you with a personal request. 

I am an Amarrian friar and a scholar. That would be similar to your shamans and readers of entrails. 

I come from the core worlds in the densely starred center of our cluster. I reside in the vast and powerful Empire of Amarr, ruled by the God-chosen queen of all queens and kings, Empress Catiz I. The fame of your great leader has reached the core worlds and the Empress smiles with benevolence at [insert corp name].

I am on a quest to find scattered holy relics of our Empire. My search for some of these leads me to [insert constellation or star names of interest]. These systems now prosper under the wise rule of your exalted leader. Therefore, I would like to request safe passage through your lands (known as 'setting blue') to pursue my search. 

My research expedition shall not last longer than two weeks, and I will not be joined by anyone else (I do welcome your clansfolk to observe what I do and even assist if they wish). My vessel will be an Anathema class exploration ship, and it will not carry any offensive systems nor any cyno. I am not interested in most of the objects that I would find in ancient sites, and would gladly hand them over to your people at any station of your convenience. I would only keep objects related to the ancient races, especially the Takmahl and other offshoots of the Sani Sabik (that is an evil tribe that has been purged from Amarr and fled) for my study.

To show my gratitude, I will bring for your leader some marvels from the core worlds, like computers, nuclear devices, and holoreels - projecting three-dimensional moving images of people. I hope these gifts help you to scare other tribes around you into submission with your technological wonders.

Blessings to your leader, your clanspeople, and yourself,

Brother Theodosius Savnar

Safe passage into Deklein

It was nice to chat with Celeste again, I had not seen her in a while. She and lady Renaud are engaged! And they've asked me to officiate - I am so thrilled to be involved in their wedding.

I did have an opportunity to discuss another matter with Celeste. She's been working a lot with the savages beyond the edge of the civilized world. I do not mean the Gallente, but the people of the so-called "sovereign nullsec" stars. These are systems not claimed by any of the empires. Of course barbary and lawlessness are rife, and these stars are ruled by a hodgepodge collection of warlords constantly trying to assassinate each other. It's very brave of Celeste to try and educate these wildlings.

In order to be able to peacefully explore the pentragam constellation in Deklein, I would need to secure safe passage with the local chieftain. I have good hope of doing so. The local wildlings call themselves "Federation of Honor Respect Passion Alliance". This attests to their lack of literacy. No punctuation and then "the federation of an alliance". Anyway, I hope they will "Honor" their agreements and "Respect" peaceful explorers. 

Celeste kindly agreed to review my letter to them. She was not convinced that I would get safe passage. I think I will also request the help of our industrialist Drabar, I believe our polyglot miner foreman knows their language and can translate my missive once ready. 

For now, I will look into the historical records of the 51st Exploration Corps. We have a lot of their material at the Mehatoor library, thanks to our Directrix and to Jen Roku who recently shared absolutely stunning pictures of a Water Baron and his son. The 51st would have faced problems similar to mine, when they discovered the early-industrial civilization on Mishi IV. Namely: how to write a letter to a Water Baron?

Scary incident

There was an embarrassing incident yesterday. I was guiding a group of hard-to-convert Lunarists through the chapel as part of the deprogramming initiative. All went well until they spotted Luna sitting with Therese on one of the pews in the back. 

One of them, Odilo, started to run towards her, and for a brief moment I was struck with fear. The Lunarists are harmless by and large, but you never know, and seeing one of them just run towards her... I ran after him, and in my mind there were flashes of a scenario where he'd attack her... 

I mean, there was no chance. Not only because Odilo is peaceful, but there was also Therese, a fully trained captain, who could floor Odilo using only her pinky (left pinky even).

But still. If the Amarrian faithful "face the enemy as a solid wall", it is because Luna is the keystone and capstone of that wall. Bearing and redistributing the load. If, through my own failing, harm would come to her, I would never forgive myself, and that nightmare was flashing in front of my eyes as I saw Odilo running towards her.

Thank God he didn't attempt anything harmful, he just prostrated himself in front of her and started babbling nonsense. I could lead him away without using force, and we'll have to discuss his setback. But I still shudder thinking what could have happened.

ship choices

I'm still debating what ship I would need to explore the far reaches of the barbarian lands. I looked into a recon cruiser, as it is covert and more sturdy but it is hideously expensive. Also, it does not have bonuses for scanner probes and hacking. Reconnaissance without scanner probes? That's just strange.

There's the legion T3 cruises that could be bonused for covert ops, but it is still way out of my league, just like black ops battleships. Also I doubt it would be wise to bring those into such dangerous terrain, especially for a beginner like me.

So, it'll be either the good old anathema or one of the sisters of eve ships. Maybe I'll start saving for a stratios cruiser...

Deklein

Lord Lok'ri and Lady Emerita Mithra are organising a conference on “The Emperors’ Pax.” I have submitted an abstract a while ago, I want to present a talk on emperor Queron I. This is one of my favorite historical periods in the Empire.

It is also the period when the Sabik fled Amarr and went to Araz to start the Takmahl Empire, so it is a very useful period to study, for me. During my research for the preparation of the talk, I have been digging deeper in the Sani Sabik symbolism of that period. I have been collecting a lot of information on the Queronic purges and the exodus of the Sabik. 

It is clear that they had access to major relics, even those that were hidden away from the Imperial Palace and kept in the secret vaults of the Council of Apostles and the Speakers of Truth. They took these relics with them as they fled.

In the Sani Sabik symbolism of that time, the pentagram appears in many places. A pentagon, with an inscribed five-pointed star. Five points all linked to each other. As a seal of the Sabik order, as a secret sign to identify members working in the imperial admistration, as a symbol of protection. It is not surprising to me any more that they chose the Araz constellation for their destination - it has the form of a pentagram.

There is one other pentagram constellation in the entire cluster, in the Deklein region. From the data, and old records, I am getting more and more convinced that there was also a colony of Sabik cryoships heading for that particular constellation. The relics that they stole would have been divided between the colonies for the two pentagram constellations.

I want to go out there and explore. However, it will require some preparations. The systems are nowadays under control of a barbarian tribe called the "Federation of Respect Honor Passion Alliance". I will need to contact them and barter for safe passage through their realm. I'll try and talk to Amicia to get tips on diplomacy with the warlords outside the civilized worlds.

I think I might also need a more sturdy vessel than the Indagatrix. Maybe a reconnaissance ship? Or a Stratios covert exploration cruiser? That would require some additional funds... But let's take this one step at a time.

Autumn cleaning

The alliance is doing an autumn cleaning of Domain. It appears that capsuleer planetary industry can be blockaded when someone starts to build a customs office - for import and export of goods from the surface - but does not finish it.

As long as it is a gantry that is not yet an operational station, the company holding that has a monopoly, and no-one else can put a customs office there. So, by keeping the thing "in construction", one effectively blockades a planet for capsuleer trade. Whether that particular kind of trade is always beneficial is quite another discussion, but everyone agrees blockades are bad.

So the alliance has been sending out fleets to clear up abandoned and neglected gantries. After removal, they put up there own business offices, which should bring in a nice amount of cash through customs tax. 

These kind of operations are quite uneventful. They have allowed me to train support ships a little bit, offering remote repairs to fleet members. While last week I tried this on a frigate level (in the warzone), this week I could attempt using a cruiser for this task, much more comfortably. It will still take quite some getting used to, but I am starting to enjoy this support role, even though it is not spiritual support, a role much more familiar.

Tapeworm worries

I worry a bit about Ishta. I saw her last week, and she was not her usual self. She was troubled by nausea attacks, had a bit of swelling in the abdomen, and had strange sudden cravings for food. She ate banana icecream with spinach.

That sounds a lot like she might have contracted Mehatorian tropical tapeworm. Of course, one has to rule out pregnancy too, so I got her a self-test kit from the medbay. It came with a pack of condoms and a stern warning from the nurse, showing kindness in her misunderstanding of the situation. But when I gave it to Ishta to test herself, she disappeared. Probably just went off to ther quarters. Of course it's a private matter, I understand, but still, a bit of news would stop me from worrying...

Message from Sarachem

I was happy to receive a message from brother Sarachem today. I was relieved to hear that he and the other Goners are safe and sound.

They did not have any important assets in our station. But still they wish to express sorrow at the loss of the station, as - I quote - "your station was blessed home for us for long time".

It is not clear to me what they will do now, but they still have other holy places, and also the Grand Tour (a pilgrimage to circumnavigate the cluster).

Mittens was not his cat.

I think I am glad to hear that, I've grown fond of Mittens and her quirks. And I would be unhappy if I had to part with her.

The hardcore believers

Now, merely a week after they were brought in our care, many Lunarists show very clear signs of progress and recovery. Lunarisse came by and talked to them, confronting their beliefs that she is a prophet with reality. It is so much easier to deprogram cultists if the cult "leader" works along!

While the recovered now deal mostly with shame, there are some hardliners that do not accept what Lunarisse says, and prefer to believe they are being tricked by some evil entity. I found effigies of the "True Luna" in their quarters.

The True Luna has blonde hair, commands the Sefrim, has a decapitated Nauplius corpse at her feet, and will still come to deliver them and bring them back to the gas planet. She is called Aspenstar, not Phonaga. She is clad in gold and light emanates from her (the statuette has an opening for a small candle). She has helpers called Arias, who carry burlap bags and mallets to knock down unbelievers and drag them away.

Of course the True Luna is distinct from the Deceiver Luna, who wears a disguise to look and sound like the true one. They are convinced Phonaga is a word play on "Phony". Also, the Deceiver's helpers (that would be me and dr. Tekitsuno) are not Arias, we are false SFRIM. 

I think they hang on to their belief with increasing despair because the alternative is maybe too humiliating or too painful to consider. I continue with the strategy of having the recovered cultists talk to them, but often the discussions become heated and have to be aborted. It seems the hard-core believers will need a lot more time to adjust back, and maybe even another approach altogether.

War worries

Pochven seems to be heating up again. The Triglavians, loathe as ever to engage our forces themselves, have found new henchmen. Nullsec barbarians have replenished and complemented the defeated khybernauts. They attacked Smokey, the station where most of the fleets from the first war were staged.

The combined capsuleer fleets of the different empires assembled to defend Smokey once again, and the attackers were scared away.

This does not seem like much of a fight, but to me, it feels like a prelude. Poking around at our defenses, checking out what kind of fleet we bring up for these defenses. It does not seem unlikely to me that we will face war again in the Pochven domain...

New doc

The deprogramming is going well. Luckily, the new layer of cult was only seven years old, and there was still a strong, fertile layer of orthodox faith beneath.

Right before and also during this emergency, I met the new doctor at the medical facility, Jamika Tekitsuno. I discussed my cloning problem with her, and found her willing to help me! So I got my hopes up that she can provide me with a clone of the Takmahl corpse. She wanted to study the matter further, probably she was a bit taken aback by the strange nature of my request.

She's new. She still has to learn that strangeness is the capsuleer normal.

Deprogramming

I have to admit I don't know how to deprogram groups of cultists. I can't remember they ever taught us that at the Theology Council university. Or it must've been an elective I didn't take.

So, books to the rescue. 

The first few volumes I picked up were no help, really. Bishop Ainslie's "Breaking down Will" doesn't tell much about reconstructing a faith after the breakdown. "Exorcism for dummies", from the famous "for dummies"-series was not quite on topic. Hedion University Press's "Programming for Scientists and Engineers" did not say anything about deprogramming. It made me wonder though, why they make a distinction between scientists and engineers.

Finally I found what I needed in the Theology Council's "Short guide to deprogramming in six parts". Why is it that whenever a book title says "short introduction to..." these turn out to be massive tomes with at least 2000 pages? I think the authors want to brag that their subject is actually so difficult that even a short introduction will take you years to read. Or maybe academic handbook authors are all sarcastic.

Anyway, I could skip the first two parts, "Tome I. Kidnapping the Cultist" and "Tome II. Isolating and Breaking Down the Cultist". Those are better left to MIO professionals. And our cultists are already under guard in the Refugee Center.

Also, I skipped the third part, "Tome III. Discrediting the Cult Leader". I don't think it applied here, Luna is their "leader" against her will. She didn't try to take advantage of these people or lie to them, so I don't see why I have to discredit her. Also, applying Tome III's recipes will land me on the wrong side of an airlock with the book stapled to my chest.

I started with "Tome IV. Presenting contradictions". This is about confronting the false beliefs with reality that contradicts it. Or accounts that contradict it. The book says it is best done by former cult members, and I am glad to say there were some non-believers in the group. They didn't speak out before, because they didn't dare to. But now, encouraged by me, they help. We talk in small groups to the others and expose the nonsense and the contradiction. When Luna feels better, she can contribute to this, by telling people she's not a saint. If she tells it herself, this is much more powerful than when I tell it, and it keeps me on the right side of the airlock.

It's going well, and some groups have already moved on to "Tome V. Encouraging Confession", which is about the cultists themselves voicing their criticism about the cult. After that there's only "Tome VI. Crossing Back to Orthodoxy", which is about the cultists starting to identify themselves with the deprogrammers and seeing themselves as opponents to the cult rather than adherents of it. It is only at this stage that they are ready to see their sins and do penance to rejoin the True Faith.

Lunarism

The last couple of days have been very busy. I was called in for an emergency: a group of cultists arrived in the refugee center and they need to be "deprogrammed". Why this was an emergency -the cluster is full of heretics- was not clear to me, but I went down to the center as soon as I could.

There, it appeared that this particular cult worships our Directrix. Not in a figurative sense; not the benign  admiration that many corporation members have for her. No, they do so obsessively and they adhere to the delusion that she is a prophet of sorts. They were clamoring to see their "savior" and I had the greatest difficulty calming them down initially.

Now, the reader may wonder: what is the origin of Lunarism? 

Apparently, Lunarisse had an industrial plant, I think it was on a gas giant planet in Nibainkier. Seven years ago, she stopped planetary production orders. Probably she assumed that the Nibainkier colony would be simply disbanded, but there must have been a miscommunication. In stead of being evacuated, the colony was left to fend for itself, while colonists were waiting for new orders to come for what must have seemed an eternity.

During the long wait, the figure of Lunarisse as the bringer of goods from outside the colony started to get mythical proportions. Prayers for news from her became prayers to her. Folks were waiting for the coming of Luna like they were waiting for Sefrim to come down and bring deliverance. They adorned the landing pad with effigies of Luna. Megacorp CEO's in the State can only dream about this level of devotion (as I suspect they do).

Needless to say, it all went very wrong. There was a schism when some of them heard propaganda of Nauplius and turned Luna from a saint into a demon. Some sort of civil war ensued. Meanwhile, Luna, not knowing what had transpired, had remembered the planetary industry colony and wanted to check it out. As communications had broken down, she went over to find out what happed. What she found must have been a nasty surprise...

To cut a long story short, the colony is now really disbanded, and the Lunarists have been transported to Mehatoor, where I and lord Garion Avarr face the difficult task of deprogramming them...

War zone patrol

During the attack on Farthest Shore I regretted that I was not able to help more actively with the defense of this structure. I wished to do more.

I have taken a vow of non-agression, which forbids me to inflict damage ("dps") on other capsuleers. And frankly, I prefer peaceful exploration and research to any combat.

I fully intend to keep my vow, and so I must find a role in fleet that allows me to do just that. Logistics, repairing damage done to my fleet mates, fits for me and allows me to keep the vow. Yet I know nothing about fleets: even though I have the repair skills on paper, I have no experience. 

So I was happy that lord Gallus-Onzo organised a teaching fleet and patiently explained to me the basics of remote repairing in practice. That practice was actually a war zone patrol, where I did manage to briefly give repairs, before my little training frigate was primaried. Nevertheless, I was happy to join and experience the talent of lord Gallus-Onzo as a fleet commander and teacher.

Back in Mehatoor, I encountered lord-consort Newelle and lady Yassavi. They appeared congratulatory, content that even a scholar would contribute to the effort in the war zone. I think Lady Yassavi interpreted my participation as if I had finally laid down my fickle powerlessness, and have now embraced the power to harm others.

I'm afraid they have misread my motives. My goal is not the become a warzone soldier - it is to learn logi... I got the impression that lady Yassavi feels power only flows from the barrel of a weapon; this a fallacy all too common in military circles. It disregards the true power which is exerted by diplomats such as Amicia or Lunarisse. Making allies, friends, is what brings victory, in a way that a single pilot or terrorist blinded by the "power" of their gun can never match.

Cat flap

I started installing a cat flap in the door to my quarters, so Mittens can move from the library to my cell freely. 

Drama ensued. 

The station's quarters have a type of sliding doors full of electronics for proximity activation and breach detection. Little did I know I wasn't supposed to use a diamond blade jigsaw on that to make a hole for the cat flap. The breach had been detected, alarms were blaring in some control room, and half a brigade of armed security were moving in, stormtrooper formation.

Apparently there have been some security issues and attacks and such in the past at the Lamp and they're very very jittery. So when the alarms went off of someone sawing through a door they took no risks. But really, a stun grenade? Was that necessary?

And then you would think that they would be happy there was no real emergency this time (except for my eardrums), but no. I was told in a very impolite way to have the door replaced immediately and not to drill through it again.

To be honest, I was going to replace the door anyway. Turns out I hadn't thought it through very well: with the cat flap thing attached to it, the sliding door didn't manage to slide all the way any more, thunking the protruding cat flap against the side and going back and forth. 

Maybe I should make a hole in the wall next too the door?

Mittens settling in

The cat is adapting well to its new environment. My monk's cell is too small for it, so I let her go about in the SFRIM sections of the station, in particular the library. She's been given a tracking chip so I can find her when she would get lost. 

She's a brindle cat with an M on her forehead, and white paws. I've started to call it Mittens because of her paws, and she seems to agree with that name because she responds to it. I don't think she liked being called Saint Snuggles.

Unfortunately, Lunarisse is allergic to cats. It didn't take her long during one of her visits to the library to get full-fledged allergy symptoms... I'll put up a notice and get some extra vacuuming bots for the library, especially when Mittens is shedding fur.

Goodbye Farthest Shore

Farthest Shore is still on my mind today. I wonder why the pirates wanted to get rid of it soo much that they accepted great losses at the hands of our pilots.

The station did not have a flourishing market, being in a dead end system of an out-of the way constellation. It's significance as a reasearch outpost for the Gate has dried up since the coming of a brand new Kor-Azor research outpost. The scientists making observations of the gate prefer the new and state-of-the-art equipment at the new outpost.

Farthest shore did not have a military strategic significance. At least, not as long as Eve Gate doesn't miraculously re-opens, but only the Equilibrium of Mankind death cultists believe that, not the roadside brigands of White Sky.

Being highwaymen, they make a living of robbing and murdering pilgrims and visitors that travel the lonely path through Eve constellation towards New Eden. There are no public stations around for several systems around, so their victims can't dock up... unless they find Farthest Shore. It has a reputation of welcoming visitors. Of course, there are also some murderous psychopaths among the pirate capsuleers, who just wanted to murder for fun. 

But in the end I think that the station thwarted too many of their highway robbery attempts. And, I guess they had to strike now or never, before the Paladin fleet gets integrated in the alliance fleet... 

Anyhow, enough theorizing: I have to go get a litter box and cat litter. Farthest Cat chose a 300k ISK sister's core scanner probe as its favorite toilet substitute.

 

Battle at the Gate

What we feared has happened. Farthest Shore has been destroyed by the enemy, the brigands of White Sky and the pirates of No Forks Given.

Last night's evacuation went well, so the relics and the station clergy and personnel are safe and sound in highsec Empire space. Thank God, there are no civilian victims.

Lumen light brigade squadrons, helped by friends from Brave, stayed behind to face the enemy. And face them fiercely they did. Outnumbered and undershipped, our valiant fleet of assault frigates and harbingers nevertheless tore through the initial waves of attackers, forcing them to reship and bring ever larger vessels into the fray.

A dreadnought! They brought an Eater of Fleets. But Farthest Shore did not surrender. Its fighter pilots and station gunners pounded the dreadnought. The missile tubes of the station glowed red from the constant firing. Assisted by this barrage, the light brigade managed to destroy the dreadnought - making sure that any enemy victory would be pyrrhic at best.

At this point our enemies were out of their doctrine vessels, and were bringing in whatever kitchen sink ship they still had on hand at their barracks in Central Point. Another dreadnought and an Apostle capital ship were brought in. Ah, how close did the station gunners get to destroy it too! Alas, our fleet was getting whittled down from wave after wave of attack, and could achieve no additional miracle.

At 5:39, Farthest Shore's hull collapsed and the station exploded. 

Most of the light brigade fleet succeeded in retreating, using deep safe points that were made during all these years of observation in New Eden.