Royal mail

Do these people in the Vale all communicate with deep-space pigeons or horseback messengers? 

Today I received another message that took a very long time to get to me. This time it is a royal missive! From king Basil Vulpine, supreme ruler of the Grassbladians, no less. 

Hi Theodosius,

apologies for the tardy reply but life has been busy. For reasons I haven't had a chance to look up yet your alliance is red to us. Normally we wouldn't provide temporary blue standings anyway but I figured I'd make you aware of the additional wrinkle.

This being Null-Sec you are of course free to be a free spirited explorer anyway so long as you don't mind people potentially chasing you and sending you back to your clone bay.

Best Wishes,

Basil Vulpine

He is surprisingly informal with me. This shows the prestige one has, as an Amarrian cleric, in the outer worlds. So, apparently LUMEN is red to the Grassbladians. No wonder the peasants were afraid of me. Now, curiously, the Grassbladians appeared neutral to me, so I wondered where all this fear and trepidation comes from. I must ask Lord Pitoojee or Amicia Cora from the diplomatic corps if I see them. Meanwhile, I wanted to reassure king Vulpine that the Imperial fleet is not bearing down on his realm, so I started a letter,

Your Sublime Royal Highness, King of the Grassbladians, Illustrious sovereign of the 88G-M4 constellation, Lord of FMBR-8, Duke of FH-TTC and Khan of MQ-O27,

but then I remembered the other Grassbladians told me he prefered to be addressed as Basil. Perhaps he is an egalitarian, and this is the perverting result of being closer to the influence sphere of the Federation than that of the Empire. Or it is related to "Basileus", an ancient word for king. Anyhow, I decided to start with 

Dear Basil,

It sounds wrong to address a king, even a barbarian king, in this way. 

Thanks for your answer! I have already completed my exploration of 88G-M4. The view of the Jove nebula is very nice! I also enjoyed a few pleasant conversations while exploring, please give my greetings to Dr. Rebot.

I do hope this will be understood as I meant it: a compliment. Hopefully it is not interpreted as an act of treason by dr. Rebot, leading to him being hanged, drawn and quartered.

Members of your corporation showed as neutral to me, so I hope in the future relations between our alliances will improve! 

As a token of rapprochement, I have left a gift of Pax Amarrias (books) in a jetcan in front of your Astrahus in JZV-F4 when I returned back to the Empire now already a while ago. If you need more, let me know.

Kind regards,

Brother Theodosius Savnar

See? Proselytizing and diplomacy can go hand in hand.

Raiders in the ruin

How should we deal with the architectural legacy of an evil dictator, a mass murderer? Should it be dismantled and erased, should it be kept for historians to study, or should it be used to educate the public? 

For most of the mad emperor's legacy - his actions and writings, even his effigy - the first choice was made. He was erased and his name stricken from the Book of Records. His actions were undone.

Yet this option was not chosen for Mezagorm, the palace-city of the mad emperor. Perhaps it was too much effort to blast it to pieces, as it is a large and sprawling structure, with quarries and worker's housing at the perimeter. Or perhaps it served another purpose, as I hypothesized earlier... However, nowadays, it is just left to decay in space, all but ignored. No garrison protects it any more from prying eyes. 

In fact, it has become a playground for hoodlums and blood raiders to hang around. 

I went to visit the site today - Shastal is not very far from Mehatoor - and to my dismay found a small blood raider fleet ambling about, doing their dealings. The picture shows one above the main entrance leading to the inner part of the palace-city. I think it is an outrage that these blood raider ships are left alone!

Cryptic message or nonsense?

I am back from my Jove expedition already a little while now. To my surprise, another "contact", one of the people that allegedly went into Jove space, answered my mails from back then.

In gibberish. 

I already thought the first contact I talked to was very disconcerting, but now I am really at a loss how to respond. He wrote:

We put Inducer in because of the CCP robot problem. I think this is a BUG. After inducer, there is no communication inside. We can only go to 21-U. This BUG has been fixed and nobody can go anywhere anymore

That is it. That is the entire message. The message was in Amarrian, so I think he must have used the universal translator, which may have had severe problems finding the right words. What does he mean with Inducer ? And what is a CCP robot problem ? Probably a rogue drone infestation.

I checked out if Inducer could be a person. There are only five capsuleers with "Inducer" in their callsign. They are all quite colorful (one is called "Diarrhea Inducer") but none of them are part of a corporation related to that of my second contact. So Inducer might not be a person with whom they lost communications in TO21-U, but some piece of equipment to fight the rogue drones.

Another possibility is that there is some sort radiation out there in Jove space that corrupts capsuleers' minds. Something there that drives them to madness. This particular contact has been extremely active in TO21-U, with a large amount of kills to his name. Spending much time there might have exposed him to a larger dose of whatever radiation boils the mind...

A new hypothesis

A book I just read drew my attention back to this other theory about the Ametat and Avetat, a theory unrelated to the Takmahl.

A while ago, I looked into the possibility that the Ametat had been taken and hidden by the Tetrimon order who did this on behalf of the Council of apostles when things started to go bad for them during the Moral Reform wars. I visited the Tetrimon fortress Teakh Tak-Teakh on Ibani VI but did not get any useful information there, so I sort of put that lead on pause.

However, while recently reading Edilon Macke's new (massive) book on the history of the early Tetrimon, I was struck by the strange connection that they seemed to have with the palace of the mad emperor. This palace - a megalomaniac space structure called the 'city of God' - turned to ruin soon after Saint Tetrimon killed the mad emperor. 

The site was guarded by Tetrimon knights and placed under the supervision of the Council of Apostles, in order to prevent cultists or followers of the mad emperor to use it as a pilgrimage destination. This control lasted way longer that necessary - there was a garrison for about five centuries! Guarding these ruins ended after the Moral Reforms, when the Council of Apostles was disbanded, and the new councils took no interest in these ruins.

So, I am starting to think that this could have been a good hiding place for the Tetrimon or the Council of Apostles to stash anything they did not want Heideran V, the Reformer, to find. No-one would suspect that the Tetrimon hid their precious loot in the very place built by the enemy of Saint Tetrimon!

The difficulties of proper censorship

People don't quite realize the hard work that comes with being a librarian in the Empire. For example, the Theology Council or the Ministry of Internal Order decides to put a new author on the Index of forbidden works, Kámi Diá. She writes agitating essays and poetry about the Turnur incident, in a way is deemed a corrupting influence on the faithful. 

On the surface, what she writes appears as a critique of the Republic, but the Theology Council has seen through that.

To someone unacquainted with library work, the task of the librarian seems easy: just get rid of all the works authored by Kámi Diá. Hah! It is not that simple. Some of her work has become part of anthologies, or appeared in magazines, or as quotes in theses, ... so many different places, and of course these are not all properly indexed or searchable, and will not show up on a computer-generated list of her work. 

That is why for each and every item put on the Index, there is a separate study group at the TC collecting all references to secondary material which should be edited or partially censored, to remove all traces and mentions of Kámi Diá. 

Any librarian can send suggested items to the proper study group. Conversely, we can find on the website of the Index the list of secondary works affected by any particular ban, and the action required to censor or remove offensive parts of a given secondary work. For example, if one of my colleagues reads this public log entry and adds it as a suggestion, I might have to censor Kámi Diá's name from the entry.

This is a living list, which needs to be monitored regularly. Acting on the daily aggregated list is one of the first tasks every morning for the assistants, and one of the reasons why a large library like ours requires many assistant librarians.

Back to the flock

We are back in Mehatoor, and I have mixed feelings about this expeditions. As far as new leads go, there is not that much to show for; except maybe that strange story about using clone bays to get into an abandoned Jove system. Of course, there have been interesting encounters, and I have a newfound appreciation for the Astero.

I did not have much time to ponder all of this, as it has been very busy as soon as I got back. Several capsuleers were in need of confession or just spiritual advice. 

There is a particular capsuleer concern that comes up from time to time, especially among young ones. 

They do contract work for a good Amarr corporation or institute, say the Theology Council, and are tasked with getting rid of some horrible heretic sect. The heretics then start pleading for their lives and spreading lies in order to sow doubt in their executioner's heart. Being human, and having an unspoiled conscience, the pilots then start questioning whether the assessment of the Theology Council was really right. Luckily, most of them perform their duty. But afterwards, these doubts gnaw at them, and they need reassuring. This I gladly do.

The way into Jove space

The contacts all have strange callsigns; often just a list of meaningless symbols such as "DY HEII K", "jie11 jie", or "JFZY2". But in the end, one of them agreed to talk.

There was something out of place about the man, I could sense it as soon as he entered the little restaurant. He did not fit in, like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. He acted at the same time nonchalant, flattered, and paranoid. 

He spoke a language I have never heard before; not even among the Grassbladians. Somehow the universal translator seemed to manage, but it did slow down our conversation a lot and I think some things got lost in translation.

He told me his alliance had a secret way in; it was not any lost gate like the Deathless stumbled upon. Rather, they have managed to keep a cloning facility running in one of the abandoned stations in the system of TO21-U. 

Apparently, there are no Jove to be seen in the system. They have abandoned the system altogether. A capsuleer (or several, that was not clear) from his alliance is able to clone-jump to that abandoned station, and has access to a ship that can generate a cynosural field. That is how they bring in others.

There are no gates to other systems from TO21-U. There are no pirates, or any activity in the system. My contact did not see any wormhole appear, but could not exclude that some might open up, as he was not actively looking for them. So, what are they doing there? They are there because they can, he said. I think it is some show of power or prowess among the barbarians. 

I would certainly not be allowed in, unless I broke ties with the Empire and joined their alliance; a thing I most definitely will not do. They would probably force me to adopt a callsign like "Th3O 7r". 

And that's it. That is all he wanted to say. He did show me some concord combat logs to prove his presence in TO21-U; then he left.

I am not sure what to make of this strange tale. Are the Jove really gone?

Meeting place in Jita

The informant gave me a list of potential contacts who had traveled, according to her, into the restricted Jove space. I tried to get in touch with several of them over the last few days, but none of them responded yet.

Meanwhile, we traveled back to Jita 4-4 for supplies and crew rest. This vast station has sprawling districts for entertainment, shopping, food, services, and just about anything you can imagine. It offers plenty of opportunity for the crew to relax. 

I cannot decide between Avindya and Levular for the job of cloak technician. So I decided to keep them both on the payroll; they have proven their mettle during our long expedition, camping out of station in deep-space safes. Both are exhausted, they have been on edge for nearly a month now. I think they've been sleeping for the last 24 hours straight.

Jita 4-4 is also a good place to wait for any of my informant's contacts to get in touch and meet up. There are many places where one can meet discreetly. 

I have picked a small Ni-Kunni eatery hidden in a back alley of one of the less popular souks. They serve half-way decent baby eels, the kind of food that scares away the locals. The coffee is dark, unfiltered, and strong enough to dissolve tritanium. The place offers privacy: each table is in its own nook that can be closed off by a curtain, and is rather dimly lit by candles in copper Mishi lanterns. The owner is never seen without a cheap cigar in his mouth, in violation of several food and health laws I am sure. He serves the food, and makes a show of pouring the coffee. He calls me Baba Amarr. Other than his wife in the kitchen there are no other employees. In short, a place off the radar. 

I have let the contacts know that I'd be there every day around noontime.

The informant

I talked to the "informant" as she likes to call herself. Perhaps more of a conspiracy theorist. I do not quite know what to make of it.

Her story is that Fraternity - that is the overarching alliance that the Grassbladians are vassals of - found a way into the Jove systems, much north of where I am trying to probe. She could bring me in contact with someone who traveled there. 

Sounds interesting, but she also showed some signs of capsuleer dementia or perhaps just old-fashioned conspiracy theory. She believes there is some organisation, deeply involved with the Jove and in full control of the cluster, and that organisation could make any person that trespasses into Jove space disappear. 

Nevertheless, I will continue to follow this lead. But first, I must give some rest and relaxation time to the crew, and get new supplies for the Indagatrix.

Timeo Amarri et dona ferentes

With the crew being tired, and the Indagatrix scaring the locals, we decided to head back. I left a parting gift in front of the Grassbladian's fortizar: a crate full of Pax Amarrias.

I then abandoned ownership of the crate, so they can safely take it and its treasure inside, rather than blast it to smithereens. Which they may still do, fearful as they are of strangers bearing gifts.

I was inspired by our blesses Empress' speech. Although the speech focused on the latest Upwell cloning shenanigans, the Empress also exhorted us to spread the faith, quoting scripture that says "You will bring its message to every planet of every star in the heavens", and adding her own emphasis: "Not only the reaches of our holy Empire, but 'every planet'."  I have done my bit to heed the Empress by bringing the good word to JZV-F4 !

I was about to head out of the system when I was hailed by a Grassbladian who wants to remain anonymous. She wants to meet me, and tell me about a way into Jove space. She believes communications in space are being monitored by some sort of agency with vast powers, and will speak to me via secure communications of her own. 

She sounds paranoid to me. Perhaps she is some sort of conspiracy theory nutcase. But I will listen to her, and accept her gift of knowledge. For I do not fear the gifts of strangers.

The pirate witch of the Vale

Just as we were making preparations to return, I got an answer (in words not combat probes) to my daily message declaring my peaceful intentions! 

The Grassbladians must have grown a tiny bit accustomed to my continued presence, or perhaps they tire from going red alert every time I send a friendly message in local.

Theodosius Savnar > Greetings, Grassbladians.

Theodosius Savnar > I am an explorer, interested in the regions bordering Jove space; I am flying around in an unarmed anathema and my intentions are peaceful.

Theodosius Savnar > Have any of you observed any anomalies, perhaps abandoned gates, specifically related to the Jove? 

Dr Rebot > I have not sir, pardon the histeria but the unarmed exploration ships tend to be the most dangerous

Polite, even! 

Dr. Rebot must have recognized a fellow academic, or looked up my record, and that instilled trust in him. This could be either my academic record, or my 100% snuggly combat record. 

Dr. Rebot explained that the Grassbladian peasants have been tormented by a deadly gang of robber pirates. They are led by a devilish woman, only known by her mysterious callsign "Flight Deck". She pilots a buzzard-class exploration vessel, fitted with a cynosural field generator. 

She approaches unsuspecting travelers, peasants, miners or any other Grassbladians that she encounters, sometimes luring them with siren calls or false promises. When she is close enough, she paralyzes her prey's warp drive and then her associates jump over to her ship, and kill all those nearby. 

Flight Deck has been a real scourge all over the Grassbladian systems, and their King cannot deliver his subjects from this robber gang. The poor Grassbladians have been living in terror of this witch. Naturally, when I appeared in the Indagatrix, they assumed that it was a ruse, that she had used some witchcraft to disguise herself in a respectable Amarrian friar. That was the cause of their "hysteria" as Dr. Rebot diagnosed it. 

Ah, if only I were a valiant paladin! I would offer my sword to bring peace and justice to the Grassbladians. King Vulpine would offer his daughter in marriage, but I would refuse, contenting myself with the knowledge of having done a good work. Alas, I am but an unarmed friar, unskilled in combat. Moreover, I have a vow of celibacy.

Anyway, the good doctor offered a simple remedy to gain their trust:

Dr Rebot > perhaps an Astero might be a better choice as it cannot fit a cyno

Of course! I will remember this next time I explore barbarian lands in the outer rim. Soon, the other Grassbladians were chiming in with less useful tips:

Perfect Stance > explore with a drake next time

I think I will stick to the Astero. In fact, I have one, the Ratakh Hubrau. I consider it a gift of God at the start of my quest, even before I joined the Societas. Now I finally learned its purpose, and for that Dr. Rebot has my gratitude.

Exploring in inhospitable territory

Despite being hunted, we manage to do some exploration. When new anomalies appear and I am the first to scan them down, I know I can safely warp to them and explore as long as no other scanner probes appear on d-scan. This has proven quite successful to go through these sites, although I did not find any useful artifact.

Nevertheless, these relic site explorations are like poking a stick into a hornet's nest. Grassbladians will scramble to try and locate me, ignoring a message declaring my peaceful intentions that I keep repeating daily on local chat. Their time and their warp disruption probes are being wasted.

JZV-F4 is quite a large system, and I managed to set up a safe warp spot that is more than 15 AU away from any celestial object. Of course I remain cloaked, and make sure cloak stability is maintained. But the long expedition is taking its toll on the crew. 

Mr. Firth starts to venture out of his panic room (he has been camping in the escape pod of the emergency life support backup unit) from time to time to offer suggestions. The cloak techs are getting tired. Both these things are signs that it may be time to return home.

Not a Jove gate

On various occasions, I have investigated the wormhole connections from the 88G-M4 constellation,  and searched them several jumps deep into Anoikis. There are no links to the Jove regions. All sorts of shortcuts to get (near to) home quickly, sure, but not what I am looking for. The wormholes here just like all the others that appear in that they do not link to Jove space. This makes me wonder if there are any wormholes in the Jove regions.

After an extended search, I must also conclude there are no broken gates. Also no warp gates that look anything like the ancient Jove gates leading to Zarzakh. Perhaps they are still cloaked. I did however find that the Grassbladians have built a gate of their own, or rather, have bought one from Upwell. It is shown below, with their Fortizar and the Jove nebula in the background.

You may wonder to what wondrous and far-flung lands this gate leads. Perhaps another pocket of Grassbladian worlds, disconnected from 88G-M4, or could it be a gateway to Jove space? No! The gate must be an attestation to their lazy nature, since it leads to a system a mere three jumps away, 7G-H7D, in the same constellation. Or perhaps not their lazy nature, no, it must be their overly cautious nature. I bet they do not trust the usual jump gates, just as they do not trust strangers.

The King's answer

We have been camping out in space, as I do not have docking rights in any station in the constellation. Having two cloak technicians has proven especially handy, as they can take shifts maintaining cloak, and keeping cloak stabilization.

Today, there was a unique occasion! King Basil Vulpine was in the system, probably for an inspection of his domains. I tried to contact him on local system-wide chat:

Theodosius Savnar > Hi Grassbladians!

Theodosius Savnar > I am doing some exploring in these systems close to Jove space; they intrigue me. I'll be flying around in an unarmed anathema with peaceful intentions!

Theodosius Savnar > <url=showinfo:1376//648365165>Basil Vulpine</url>, greetings! I sent you a mail a couple of days ago, about me hanging around in your space. 

Theodosius Savnar > I have not yet had the pleasure and honor of an answer, I hope you do not mind me being here.

There was no answer. Or perhaps, there was an answer, but not in words. An ice mining fleet docked up, a gnosis and a heron undocked and sent out combat probes. 

I consider that rude. 

Perhaps there is a certain ceremonial way of addressing the King of the Grassbladians? Have I offended them? I used the servile tense of the verbs, but perhaps it is different in their language, and the universal translator made a mistake between the servile, polite, familiar and and imperious tenses? Anyway, they should have given me the benefit of the doubt.

Most barbarian tribes are known to be hostile to strangers, but if I compare the Grassbladians with the Zerg of Feythabolis, the latter eventually grew to trust me and started conversations. And let me use some stations.

When I get back to Mehatoor, I will write up a sermon to be handed out to our capsuleers in Syndicate, about hospitality and answering foreign explorers reaching out in local. Using words, not guns.