The fallacy of insult

I'm afraid our dear Directrix made a terrible mistake.

I realized this when I was studying background literature for my treatise on the history and customs of the Khanid. I came across a bulky tome, Tullius Ranin's famous "Heathens in heat: courtship rituals of the pre-reclaiming Khanid tribes". I read that it was common to impress potential partners by gifting cattle, to show off one's wealth and power. 

It seems this tradition still holds today, Nauplius apparently gifts livestock to those he deems worthy of his romantic affections. I also learned that Lunarisse was the recipient of thousands of head of cattle. She had the dung collected and delivered right into Nauplius' quarters in Mehatoor. However, dung was not without value in the ancestral homelands of the Khanid. It was dried and kept as fuel for stoves in the cold winter months. When a potential partner would send dried dung back, it meant not only that he/she had accepted the gift of cattle, but also conveyed the lewd message "I will keep you warm at night".

To me it comes as no suprise any more that Nauplius applied for membership of SFRIM.

A failed Reclaiming

A most remarkable event took place: a membership interview of Nauplius. In the past few months, he has sunk deep into heresy by promulgating sedevacantism, denying the authority of the Throne and of the Theology Council. That man had the temerity to come to Mehatoor and apply for membership of LUMEN. In PIE, he would have been vaporized before he could knock on the front door.

Instead, the LUMEN leadership decided to explore whether he could be reclaimed.

The interview was held in the tribunal room, rather than the bar. Nauplius appeared on stage proud and self-centered, and proceeded to brag about his merits. He proclaims himself a great scholar, but although he is prolific and fluent writer, his manuscripts do not pass peer review anywhere in the cluster. I still recall our conversation on archeology, where he acted more as a grave-robber than as a scholar. What a nightmare it would be, were he to reap the fruits of my meticulous and lengthy research and put them to ill use.

He proceeded then with accusations of moral degeneracy among our ranks. Board members dating criminals, heretics, even witches? I do not know what he means but the venom from his snake tongue had me somewhat shaken and worried.

Lastly, he refused to recant sedevacantism, penance was not even discussed. He esteems himself so highly that he thinks he can be the judge of the Empress. He cares not about uniform thought, worshiping the ramblings of his own free thought instead. Thus, he begets disorder and instigates sin.

The peaceful Reclaiming of Nauplius failed miserably. 

I am glad there was no violence. I tried to remember the lyrics of a song Ishta let me hear, “slow your roll”, so I could recite it to her to prevent the public evisceration of Nauplius. But she was in control of herself. It was one of the directors, Gah’Matar, who almost lost his calm.

Post scriptum: Lord Garion was present, and I used the opportunity to talk to him afterwards in his office. I wanted to get his opinion on the ethics of bringing a thousand-year-old mummified Takmahl cyborg back on-line. He cautiously agreed it might be in the interest of science to do so.

Sedevacantism

Heresy and treason pops up everywhere nowadays. Nauplius, whom I interviewed at the beginning of my quest because of his archeological expedition, has now openly rejected our Empress, the Theology Council, and in the Ministry of Internal Order in a pamphlet. He published it on the IGS, for all the cluster to see, and calls this heresy "Sedevacantism", the belief that the throne is empty.

I hope he will get an appropriate treatment in the mental asylum they will put him in.

Nauplius interview

Last evening, I waited till nocturns, reviewing my archives and reading. There is always a stack of “to read” papers ensuring that I do not lose time by idling. Aspenstar contacted me briefly to say that there was an emergency with one of her pilots requiring her attention. She did not return that evening before I went to sleep. 

Today, again Aspenstar seems busy. But, once again I saw Nauplius docked at the station. Today, I took the opportunity to talk to him. He kindly answered all my questions. Firstly, why Gamdis III? His only reason was that Aspenstar was digging there. He did not do research; he just picked the spot that others were investigating. And thus, he could give me no additional information that can explain why Gamdis III is of interest. I think he is an opportunist rather than a real archaeologist.

Then I asked him why his expedition was attacked. He tells of the official claim: Khimi Harar attacked him because the slaves doing the digging were illegally acquired. I don’t get it, why did they not use the official institutions for that? Why attack an expedition? His explanation is that they are after the relics themselves. Under the cover of a “family business” in sand sailing on Gamdis, Aspenstar continues the excavations.

I also wondered at him being in the same station that Lunarissa Aspenstar proposed to meet. He says it is coincidence, he lived here a long time. Finally, he accused not only Aspenstar but her entire corporation of heresy: wanting to free all the slaves, regardless of whether they are ready. He says she wants to use the Ametat and Avetat for that wicked purpose. But he also said: “She is pretty secret and equivocal about her abolitionism”. Yet another heretic on my path to Ametat and Avetat? But why then does she accuse Kernher of heresy? Maybe heretics accuse each other of heresy, just like madmen can call out the madness in each other but not recognise it in themselves?

Gamdis III and previous expeditions

 I learned that about a year ago, an expedition was sent to Gamdis III in the Kakol constellation, by a wealthy capsuleer and Khanid commoner that goes by the name of Nauplius. He built a research station, the Ametat Archaeology HQ, which was soon after destroyed by an alliance called Lumen. 

The reasons for this destruction are not clear, it appears Nauplius is in a race with Lunarisse Aspenstar (aka Lunarisse Daphiti) of LUMEN to find the artifacts. This lead points to Anath V, as is clear from this fragment on the background of Aspenstar:

Anath V is a storm planet known for an unusual population of indigenous wildlife colloquially named “Sefrim’s Veil” floating through its tulmultous skies. Killed during the attack were many colonists, administrators, soldiers, gas miners and their families, including Tertius Ausonius Bathana, a noted archeologist from Hedion University, known for his study of the ancient Takhmal and his quixotic pursuit of the Ametat and Avetat, and his Ni-Kunni wife Mairi Beaumonte, the-then heir to a Ni-Kunni trading clan. Perhaps the most famous survivor of the attack is the couple’s then four-year old daughter, now known by the call-sign of Lunarisse Aspenstar of the loyalist capsuleer alliance Khimi Harar, who later came to maturity on Mishi IV in the care of her mother’s extended family.[https://forums.eveonline.com/t/rumors-gossip-tabloids/130182/91]

Another explorer involved in the search is Lord Jude Benayahu Aslan, searching also in Gamdis III in the Araz constellation:

Lord Aslan’s expedition is rumoured to be visiting both the more well-known Araz constellation, known for many historical sites and ruins, as well its lesser-visited neighbors, such as the Kakol constellation, perhaps in the hopes of discovering sites overlooked by others. The expedition is well equipped, with specialists from Hedion University and the Royal Amarr Institute, teams of mechanics and technicians, as well as security, numbering close to a hundred souls.[https://forums.eveonline.com/t/rumors-gossip-tabloids/130182/93]

However, Lord Aslan’s expedition seems to have ended in disaster on 5-9-YC121, due “to catastrophic technical mishaps with excavation equipment and the site’s unstable geology.” It is interesting that he is also a suspected leader of the Purity of Throne cultists. And again, Lunarisse Aspenstar was close by the accident:

The MIO spokesperson expressed gratitude to Khimi Harar for their tireless Search and Recovery efforts, and other assistance in the aftermath of the disaster. The Executrix of Khimi Harar had been on vacation in the world and was among the first on the scene to render aid and mobilized response forces. [https://forums.eveonline.com/t/rumors-gossip-tabloids/130182/94]

Why is Gamdis III a candidate system for the relics? There is a mention of “local legends” for salespeople paddling false souvenir relics. And why does Aspenstar try to stop these expeditions? What did her father Bathana look for or find in Anath V ?

Aspenstar seems too dangerous to approach. I will start with the others.