Epikouria Chronicles VIII

Another handwritten missive was waiting for me, from Brother Hugo, reporting on the wormhole colony started by Publius.

Brother Hugo's plans to visit the Original's capital have taken an interesting turn. As it happens, an intercultural fair is going to take place at the Free Trade Friendship Zone - the designated area on Renaissance (planet VI) where Starborn and Originals can freely mix. 

Both groups are very cautious with strangers. It is said of wormhole dwellers in general that they are somewhat paranoid, and it seems that at least the Starborn are no exception to this. The first step to trust each other is to get to know each other better, and that is the goal of this two-week long event, organized jointly by the Starborn and the Origin Colonial Authority (I think it is the Original's equivalent of the Empress' Privy Council).

There will be different pavilions devoted to the various cultures, beliefs, and habits present among the Starborn and the Originals. Brother Hugo and his companions made it their task to construct a pavilion showcasing the Amarrian faith. 

Their plan is to build a pop-up church. 

They do not have the means to build a pavilion like that, but they have held a charity drive and went around the Ardishapur quarter in Ouranos station with a collection box. Their congregation gave generously, and contributed not only in terms of money, but also objects to display. Brother Hugo is very proud of a large oil-on-canvas painting depicting Empress Catiz. 

Also people not of the faith contributed items, as the brothers are well liked on most of the station. They got an old statue of Heideran VII, which had been used somewhat blasphemously as a mannequin in a high-end boutique for official ceremonial attire. Brother Hugo plans to repaint it with gold paint and put in on display along with copies of the Pax Amarria.

It may have been one of the first letters that gave me a sense that Brother Hugo is in a good mood and positively energized!

Links to keep track of the letters of Brother Hugo:
I. First Contact
II. Diplomatic Talks 
III. Refugee crisis
IV. Setting up a new home station
V. Epikouria under siege
VI. Prince Seraghis visit

VII. A suspicion of heresy

Epikouria Chronicles VII

Brother Hugo's latest letter reveals that business is going about as usual in the Epikouria colony. Industry seems to have expanded, as do anti-piracy efforts against the ever-present roaming bands of wormhole miscreants. Mostly, folks have settled in and gotten into a comfortable routine in Publius' colony. 

Mining and resource extraction are booming after trade and sovereignty agreements were finalized with the Originals. In exchange for unfettered access to the bountiful deposits on the planets of Epikouria, system-wide space security as well as regular connections and transport to trade hubs are provided by the Starborn. Diplomatic missions and embassies have been established on most planets, and the Originals have a diplomatic mission on Ouranos, the main station and space-home of the Starborn. 

Stories about the Originals trickle down to the Ardishapur quarter in the lower decks. Although the Originals keep their own personnel inside their diplomatic zone, folks working in the station do see these foreigners going about, and stare. Although many of the Originals appear human, some are heavily augmented, and there are even cyborgs and biodroids. There is talk about sentient AI's walking among them. All in all, they seem to be a extremely heterogeneous group, exploring the limits of what they can do with their bodies and infomorphs.

Brother Hugo is collecting evidence of all sorts of heresies among the Originals. There are signs that some of them are Sani Sabik cultists. Of course, sentient AIs are also forbidden - by all four empires. And he has also found some proof, he writes, that the Originals flaunt the cloning laws, and allow the use of multiple clones simultaneously by a single person. He writes, "The more we get to know them, the more horrors and heresies we uncover". 

To find out more, Brother Hugo plans to go with some of his companions to planet VI. That is the home world of the Originals, which they call "Renaissance". It hosts their capital, "Foundation City" and has the largest population of all the planets in the system. Publius' colonists, such as the good brother, cannot just go about anywhere freely on the Original's home world, but there is a 220 square kilometer area designated for meeting, trading and cultural exchange. It is called the "Free Trade Friendship Zone", and has a spaceport where shuttles from the colonists can land. Brother Hugo has filed for a permit to visit.

Links to keep track of the letters of Brother Hugo:
I. First Contact
II. Diplomatic Talks 
III. Refugee crisis
IV. Setting up a new home station
V. Epikouria under siege
VI. Prince Seraghis visit

Epikouria Chronicles IV

During my absence, another letter from brother Hugo arrived. It is a few weeks old by now. Anyway, in it he seems to be in a bad mood again, this time because he and his companions had to move to new quarters.

With the influx of refugees from New Huola the old station orbiting Epikouria IX had become too cramped. In truth, it had never been meant as more than temporary quarters. A beachhead to secure initial control over space after the deep-space colony transports arrived. From brother Hugo's description it appears to have been not much more than a bunch of colony ships welded together in what sounds like a very Thukker-like approach. 

A proper station, a more permanent home, had been in the making above planet IX almost from the get-go. It was inaugurated a week before brother Hugo wrote his latest letter. He describes how an impressive capsuleer fleet stood guard during its final anchoring. 

It is of course a hassle to have to pack up everything, and move. Especially when everyone else is doing it at the same time. So I understand his grumpiness.

The new station is laid out in the same way as the temporary habitat was. Orthodox Amarrians including missionaries such as brother Hugo and his companions are to be housed in a new Ardishapur quarter, still lower-deck. 

They do get more space, and it is supposed to be more luxurious and have all modern amenities a commoner can want. However, at this point it is still suffering from teething problems. In brother Hugo's apartment, the climate controls have not been working properly making the rooms too hot. Cold water comes out of the hot water taps and vice versa. And one light fixture dropped and nearly fell on brother Hugo. The Starborn on the higher decks assure everyone that these problems will soon be resolved and some difficulties of this kind are always to be expected when deploying new structures.

PPS. Links to keep track of the letters of Brother Hugo:
I. First Contact
II. Diplomatic Talks 
III. Refugee crisis

Epikouria Chronicles III

While heading back to Mezagorm, I took a bit of time to go through my mails, and read the latest letter from Brother Hugo, keeping me informed about the Epikouria colony.

Although brother Hugo and his companions are restricted to the Ardishapur sector of the station orbiting Epikouria IX, they seem well aware of what is going on elsewhere. Their congregation consists almost entirely of lower-deck baseliners, doing basic maintenance or janitorial jobs - the underappreciated quiet workers who go unnoticed every day but whose hard work keeps the station running smoothly. They do not seek the spotlight, and yet they go everywhere and see and hear all that is going on. And this they share with their pastors.

In this week's letter, brother Hugo writes about an influx of refugees to the station, mostly baseliners but also some capsuleers. 

They call themselves "Ghosts of Aridia" and have been evicted from their wormhole system of New Huola, after a brutal war. The war started out with a surprise invasion of New Huola, that they struggled to repel. Out of the blue, a new ally in shining armor appeared. With the help of both these newcomers and a LUMEN relief force the siege was broken, and the war turned in the Ghosts' favor. An invader fleet of Loki-class cruisers worth tens of billions of ISK and several operating bases of the invaders were destroyed. 

But then, with the invaders retreating and victory seemingly within the Ghosts' grasp, the new "ally" betrayed them and turned against them. Having gained the trust of the Ghosts and having infiltrated their military channels and their stations, the ally-turned-enemy staged a coup and ousted the Ghosts from power. The Ghosts left New Huola, with many returning to the Empire, but some of them seeking refuge in Epikouria. They bring along many baseliner refugees from the various New Huola stations. Although in the lower decks the commoners grumble that the new immigrants will be taking their jobs, brother Hugo is happy with the influx of more orthodox Amarrians, mainly Aridians of Ni-Kunni descent. 

The refugee crisis delayed the ongoing diplomatic talks between the Starborn and the Originals. Nevertheless some progress was already made regarding the division of powers in the system. Current proposals have the Originals retain full authority on the planets (except for mining concessions) while the Starborn have authority in space. Brother Hugo writes "The more I learn about the Originals, the more I am dismayed about their perversions of the flesh!" He does not go into details, but promises to write more about them in a next letter.

PS. I am renaming the recurring logs on the colony from "Missionary Missive" to "Epikouria Chronicles"

PPS. Links to keep track of the letters of Brother Hugo:
I. First Contact
II. Diplomatic Talks 

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. 

Missionary Missive

As I reconnected to LUMEN's mail servers on my way back to Mehatoor, a bunch of messages flooded my mailbox. Mail always piles up so fast! 

I skimmed through and disregarded most messages, but I was happily surprised to see a letter from brother Hugo. We met during the transition of St. Vasrayi's relic to the chapel in Seclusion, and struck up a friendship. Seeing an opportunity to bring the Faith to new worlds, brother Hugo and fifteen missionary companions boarded one of the Deep Space Transports in Publius' wormhole colonization fleet.

He writes me that the fleet finally has arrived in a hospitable system, with no less than four temperate worlds orbiting a yellow-orange main sequence star. They decided that it was a good place to settle. Publius and his fellow adventurers have baptized this system "Epikouria". 

They have begun deploying in orbit of Epikouria IX, the outermost planet. Despite its distance to the star, it is one of the four temperate worlds. Nevertheless, it remains a cold world: a substantial portion of its land mass is covered in snow or ice during the current part of its orbit. Brother Hugo included a picture of the world in his letter, taken from the station's observation deck:

Brother Hugo writes that there is a civilization down below on IX. Publius' associates found that most worlds in Epikouria already have some inhabitants, capable of sending out probes to see who has appeared in their system. The inhabitants have been very reluctant to make contact - they seem not to trust outsiders easily, especially outsiders that fly Imperial battleships. 

Orbital observation has detected two separate settlements on IX. One is in a rather arid part near the equator, and the other, larger, is on an island. The population is estimated (again, from satellite observation) to run in the tens of thousands.

Brother Hugo and his companions took a shuttle down planetside, to the island city, bringing scripture and some material to build a mission church. They were pelted with overripe fruit and chased away. Not that they met savages: these people were modern, and clearly belonged to the various cultures of our own cluster. They must have come here on a previous wave of colonization of Anoikis. Either by their own volition, or by lack of interstellar ships, or perhaps after a raid, they remain severed from their Empires.

For the moment, Publius and his new colonists do not seem to be preoccupied by these inhabitants, and mostly ignore them, preferring to live in orbit. Isidorus and others have been putting down mineral extraction facilities in remote parts of most planets, and are starting to harvest planetary resources. I do hope there will be no clashes, and I will pray that brother Hugo receives a better reception on his next visit.