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...