Missionary Missive II

Heading back to Mehatoor, I again reconnected to LUMEN's servers and found that I received a second letter from brother Hugo. 

It is mostly a letter of complaint.

He and his companions are confined to the Ardishapur quarter of the colonists' space station. This is a sector on the lower decks, reserved for orthodox Amarrians. It is a measure to avoid disputes with the other colonists, who call themselves the "Starborn". Brother Hugo finds it unfair that the Starborn are free to go anywhere they please, while the missionaries in the Ardishapur quarter have to stay in their sector.

Brother Hugo also complains that the Starborn do not adhere to the Theology Council canon. They have a bad habit of questioning any House of Authority. They have the pretension to "think for themselves"! This he considers a malicious outgrowth of vanity and pride. He argues that ultimately such an attitude leads to a failed system of governance: a democracy where everyone's vote is equal. In such a system the opinion of any lowly mindless thug, shouted loudly in drunken moods on late nights in the pub, is deemed to be of equal weight as the voice of an Emperor anointed by God. Even a child can see the madness in this.

The final complaint in brother Hugo's letter is that for the moment they are forbidden to go proselytizing on IX. Apparently, there are negotiations taking place between Publius and the inhabitants of the planets, the "Originals" as they are called by most baseliners in the station. For the duration of the negotiations between the Starborn and the Originals, trips to their settlements are not allowed.

Despite this lockdown, more information is trickling in and reaching even the Ardishapur quarter. It is now confirmed that the Originals are not native but come from an earlier wave of colonists under the protection of a capsuleer corporation, the Alexylva Paradox, who are also involved in these negotiations. 

The Originals settled almost all of the planets in the system, including the inhospitable lava worlds. Most settlements are relatively small, like the one on IX. The sixth planet of the system is their capital planet, hosting a much larger settlement. Planet VI is a world with a mild and pleasant climate, where forests with giant trees alternate with grassland. 

Brother Hugo and his companions are eager to visit VI and see the Originals' capital in person. He hopes the negotiations are concluded swiftly, but fears it will take a lot of time because the Originals have democratic decision-making, which he claims will slows down things with endless meetings of countless sub-committees. Personally, I see it differently: the cultural similarities between the Starborn and the Originals should be helpful in reaching an agreement faster.