Summary part 2

Continuing my summary of what I learned in the first year of search for the Ametat and Avetat.

Part II - The Theft

Several sources - including Lunarisse's archeologist father - point to the great purges under Queron I as a possible time when the relics could have left Amarr.

Queron I ruled not that long after we took to the stars. Our first jump gate, to Hedion, had been built only thirty years before he ascended to the throne. We had not yet met any other intelligent life in the universe. He had inherited from his uncle Armani I an empire rife with heresy. Equilibrium of Mankind was operating from its hidden lair in space, and the Imperial institutions had been infiltrated by Sani Sabik. Queron I cleaned up the Empire.

Those Sabik that survided Queron's inquisitions (21310-21346) fled Amarr in cryoships. They took important relics and artefacts with them and set course to distant lands. I conjecture that they took with them also the Avetat (and possibly the Ametat too, but more on that later). Their cryoships -such as the well-preserved wreck shown in the picture below- were slower than light, and traveled many decades in the hope of finding a good world to start new colonies.

Most of these attempts failed, but at least one colonist fleet succeeded. They made it to the Araz constellation, probably arriving around 21400. There, they flourished - perhaps with the help of the stolen Avetat and its wisdom-granting powers. Certainly the Talocan artefacts that they found in Aphi helped. They would become known as the Takmahl, and their civilization would last for a millennium before collapsing.

The theft of the Avetat by the Sabik runaways must have been known in the highest circles of the Council of Apostles and the Speakers of Truth. A young religious reformer, Ilash Toth, was working with these institutions in their role of curbing the growing powers of the Emperor and the Holders with planetary holdings. The Imperial and Holder power grew through the interstellar expansion, and this planted the first seeds for the conflict between the Throne and the Council. Ilash Toth found out what happened to the Avetat. He organised his famous expedition to retrieve the artefact(s) - bringing his followers along - and left Amarr with his fleet in 21432, in pursuit of the Sabik thieves.

The Sabik colony in Araz -that would become the Takmahl empire- was a mere 30 or 40 years old only when Toth set a course to them. At this point the theories branch: did Toth succeed or not?

Let's first explore the theory that Toth did succeed, and was able to wrest the Avetat and maybe also the Ametat from the budding Takmahl. He sent word of his success back to Amarr, but did not turn his fleet back to our holy homeland. Famously, his fleet disappeared and presumably hasn't been found since.

The Goners, founded by Brother Sarachem after he found his truth in old texts long forgotten in the Hedion archives, believe that Toth flew to Eve Gate. Early last year, I spent a good deal of time in the New Eden system to study this and to talk to the Goners. The Goners believe the relics can open the gate, and devote themselves to flying subwarp to the gate. Maybe one day they will find Toth's lost expedition somewhere between the New Eden star and the gate, but thusfar they have not succeeded. They also mention legends that the Jove or some other ancients stopped Toth from opening Eve Gate and hid the relics in an asteroid belt in the now inaccessible Jove systems.

It is fair to say the Toth trail has gone cold for now. So, next we must look at the alternative: Toth did not succeed in retaking the relic(s?), and they remained with the Takmahl.

Summary part 1

It has been over a year since I started my search. So, it is time to take stock, and review where my investigations stand, and summarize what I’ve learnt. The report is a bit long, so I'm going to break it up in parts for my logbook.

Part I – Early history

The Ametat and Avetat disappeared from the Imperial Palace roughly 400 years after Emperor Amash Akura’s death.

If God sent the Sefrim to retrieve these gifts and bring them back to Him, then my quest would be pointless. Yet, I am devoted to the vision that I received, and must continue.

So, I assume they were moved from the Imperial Palace. If one translates the oldest reports - from the Court Chamberlain - in a strictly literal way then the only things they say for sure is that the Ametat and Avetat were no longer in the hands of the Imperial Family. 

At the time, the only entities with the power to remove them from the Imperial Family, would be the Council of Apostles and the Speakers of Truth. Petty thieves would stand no chance on the long run. Back in these early millennia, the Apostles and the Speakers had as their main role to keep the power of the Emperor in check – the concentration of power in the Throne that we know today is fairly new as it dates from the Moral Reforms.

The Ametat - the Sceptre - gives power and vigor, and its natural extension would be the Council of Apostles. They wielded power and continuity then, and elected the Emperor from their ranks. The Avetat - the Crown - gives wisdom and acumen, and its natural place would be with the Speakers of Truth, who dealt with justice. It makes sense that the trinity of Throne - Scepter - Crown , which in Amash Akura was unified in the Emperor as it is today, used to be split among the Emperor, the Council and the Speakers. 

Ancient jewelry represented this as three interlocking gold rings - they interlock in such a way that if you remove one ring, the other two also fall apart. Before the moral reforms, such trinity rings were inscribed with IMP - SEN - IUS (for Emperor, Council, Justice), and "UNITAS" at the center. After the reforms, these rings still appear, but the three rings are inscribed with "Scripture", "Grace", and "Faith". The message that remains is: leave out one ingredient and all falls apart.

Ah, but I'm digressing, and this was meant as a review. So, I should simply state that it is my firm belief, not proven but corroborated, that the holy relics were still sound and safe in the halls of power, except not with the Imperial Family. 

However, all that changed when Amarr took to the stars.

Gamdis III

My visit to Gamdis III was in the end rather inconclusive for me. 

I did not find what I came looking for, and as potential archeological sites are not accessible any more, there was little in the way of artefacts or other hints that could be retrieved to help me on my quest.

However, the trip did help to answer questions that I had, and in doing so to close a loose end in the investigation, at least for now.

The sand sea

I'm working on an official report today that I promised to make for the reverend mother Sisyriana Kahoudi on the Gamdis trip. 

She won't be interested in the descriptions of local fauna and flora and sightseeing. So that is something I can share here. 

The interesting thing about the sand on Gamdis III is that acts like a liquid - you could not walk on it without sinking in. It forms a sand sea, and the rocky outcroppings are the only places accessible for settlement and exploitation. To travel accross the sand, you need a boat. Luna's family has a sand sailing business, and we got a sailing boat to travel to our destination, a mountainous ridge that rises out of the sand seas and is owned by Luna's family.

The sand sea is also home to some remarkable creatures. There are sand skates, which look like manta rays and can dip out of the sand. They followed the sail boat for a while. There is also a sand lion, it makes a kind of bowl in the sand, a funnel of huge proportions and with a web in the center. Our ship almost got dragged into it. I had a little moment of panic, but Luna and the sailors were able to steer clear from it.

Curiously, there are also places with water, and the usual fish, on 'land'. 

I wonder how the sand fish taste and if it's different from the usual fish like rockjaw....

Another first

Another first, but definitely less impressive that helping a baby into the world.

Lunarisse is enjoying motherhood leave for a few days, and there was a potential member for the Societas who needed an interview during my usual day cycle. So, Lunarisse asked me to do the membership interview.

I still remember my own interview, when I joined our corporation. But I've never been the interviewer, so that was something new. The interviewee is an interesting lad, Anjio Siwalin. A Gallente native, who joined Amarr and our faith long ago and did some spying for the Empire while he was still in the Federation. Those days seem over, so he is now joining as an Amarrian loyalist and faithful.

I was glad Therese showed up - she's a Preafecta (a high rank in our corporation), and she could keep an eye on how things went. I think I did well. And I think mr. Siwalin didn't notice it was my first interview. He was accepted as a member, in the end, and I hope that he will do well.

Miracle of birth

I have returned from Gamdis III. While there during the last several days, I was unable to update these logs. I traveled through rather inhospitable terrain with no good connection to galnet. So, I'm going to record the logs now.

I'll start today with the best news! During the very last day of our hike, Lunarisse went into labor and gave birth to a wonderful baby girl. I was there to help this beautiful baby arrive into our world. It was a bit of an emergency childbirth - certainly it was out of the hospital - and I had to muster all the knowledge I had from the field medic classes. Luckily, while this little miracle was being born, Aria and dr. Jamika and a medical team arrived and made sure everything was fine. Franco was also there, he was beaming.

I've never experienced anything like this - and I've investigated many miracles during my time in the Theology Council.

I will never be a father myself, that is something I came to accept. But Lord, I do feel connected to this child, down to the very roots of my soul. I want to make the universe a better place for her.

Preparations

Lunarisse has promised to bring me to Gamdis III in the next few days. It's a place that I really want to see. Various archeological expeditions have gone there and ended badly. In fact, these doomed searches on Gamdis were what first brought me to Lunarisse and it is how I got to SFRIM. Wars, Kybernauts, militia trouble, and other leads meant that our trip was often postponing, but it looks as if this time it  might actually work.

The MIO is also still investigating the lost expeditions. I've had a discussion with a representative of the ministry, on Amarr, a while ago. So there could be things I will not be allowed to disclose in these public logs. Hopefully there will be enough that I can still write down for future reference.

I need to go back to this shop for hiking and outdoors gear for clerics, the Missionary Adventures. I already got some gear there, but probably it is good to discuss with a professional what is necessary for a warm, arid climate. Gamdis III has sand seas with rocky outcroppings, I have not been to any place like it before.

Unfinished business

The "loot" of artefacts from Bersirym has now been catalogued and identified. It consists of objects all of more or less the same time period, and probably a common origin. So, I think they also have a common historical source in that system, rather than being gathered from all over and brought to a abandoned mining depot for storage by the Blood Raiders. What that source is, is not yet clear. I think I have to go back.

The assassin is captured

The snakewoman assassin got caught! I am glad that my mistake didn't derail Aria's plans to capture the killer. 

Maybe she let herself be captured? She knew there was a trap, but she was caught anyway. If I am right that she wants to be redeemed, then maybe this is a step she took voluntarily.

Lord Anderson seems keen on trying to help her. 

He cannot escape his true nature. 

Indeed, it is the nature of Holders to want to take charge of the wayward and the weak, to lead them to their redemption. This is accomplished through the Holy mutual compact between subject and master: those who are held are duty-bound to offer service and loyalty, and those who hold are duty-bound to offer protection and guidance. Although maybe in this case it may be the Holder who is in need of protection.

A mistake

Yesterday, I met a contortionist sex-crazed assassin, and lived. Of course I did not know she was an assassin: she had convincingly disguised herself as a janitor.

This creature is believed to be able to snake her way through small air vents and cat flaps, and paralyzes you during your sleep to have intercourse with you or to kill you. Or both. She was mentioned during the "welcome to Nasreri" party at Gottin's lamp bar. I was convinced it was a legend, a story about one of the Yoiul clones. They are fictitious demons and thieves that are right now used in the InterBus's newest campaign for safety on board ships. So, it did not cross my mind at first that a Chapel janitor could, in fact, be the killer snake-woman.

To me, this janitor seemed to have some mental problems - this is more common than most people think. I though she suffered from acute delusions. In trying to convince her that Yoiul clones are not real, I made a horrible mistake: I inadvertently spoke about plans Aria and Lord Anderson made to catch a snake-woman, which I thought was some sort of joke. I was slowly goading the conversation to a point where I could propose that she talk to some therapist, but I got derailed all the time and before I got to that point, something startled her and she vanished. 

Her last words matched with Lord Anderson's story, she had no way of knowing that. That's what made me suspicious, and I alerted Aria and Ishta came to help. By then the janitor had left.

I think she came to the chapel because she needs confession. And because she is trying to become a better person. I hope they can help her when they catch her. I'll do a proper confessional then.

Continued investigation

I have started sorting and studying the relics retrieved from the mining outpost in Bersirym. They appear authentic, and collected from various sources. The majority of the stash seems to be of a related origin, early Takmahl empire (although after the Talocan influx of technology). A scholar from Hedion is coming over to see my discovered treasure and help out. I'll allow him to ship most of it back to the university with him. But I do want to keep selected items for my museum.

Meanwhile, I've reported my find to officer Yazdegerd. He confirms that the investigation on the ground is still somewhat stalling, mostly because Boulette and his gang have gone into hiding. My personal effects have been released to me, also the stuff I collected on Odra Capital at the agricultural fair. 

I've been asked what should be done with my corpse. To be honest, I'm not sure. I'm leaning towards incineration but being a capsuleer is weird.

Inauguration

It has been busy over the weekend. There was a welcome ceremony to prepare, with a service in the Chapel to pray for God's blessing for our new home in Nasreri. 

The chapel has been completely re-assembled in the new location; it is the only part of the Lamp which is not modular and which therefore cannot be transported as a whole. The wooden structure had to be dismantled, plank by plank, then tagged and transported and put back together. Given the complexity of the task, a few glitches were expected and have indeed occurred, but the overall professionalism was amazing. Even small(ish) corrections right before the service were made, in time. Too bad Ishta cracked a wooden slat by accident.

After the service, there were ship blessings to attend to. I have to admit I really enjoyed this part. Seeing people's favorite ships pass by, hearing the names of the vessels, and doing the blessings using Imperial Crown fireworks. It is a habit that has gotten a bit out of use for capsuleer ships (these tend to last not very long), and I am glad we could re-instate it. It is also good for the morale of the ship crew.

The evening ended in the bar. That was fine, except that the story did the rounds that a contortionist sex-crazed assassin lady is prowling about in the station. Apparently, she can break in through cat flaps and kill men with her flexibility and grip. 

It did get me worried at first, I even closed Mitten's cat flap for the night. But now I think it's probably some sort of urban legend, like the Yoiul Clones. Probably imaginations are flaring up with all these raunchy sedevacantist movies and that "Sonic Sabik" music nowadays.

The artefact depot

I knew, of course, that LUMEN consists of magnificent people, but I didn't quite realize the extent to which this is true!

Ah, how the old principles of chivalry are upheld! The paladin knights of pre-spaceflight Amarr swore to take up good causes whenever the opportunity presented itself, and to protect the weak and defeat evil. Gaul Arel still possesses this nobility of soul! As soon as I had explained my plight to him, he took up his sword (nowadays that means buying and fitting a suitable ship in Amarr) and came to my aid, without accepting coin for it.

My investigation of the unusual concentration of Takmahl artefacts in Bersyrim had led me to a not-so abandoned mining outpost in the system. The outpost was guarded by a Blood Raider fleet. Even the Indigatrix, my exploration vessel, would not be able to sneak past them and enter the facility. It would be far less able to attack the Blooder fleet.

Gaun Arel, a valiant man who takes on fleets three times larger just for breakfast, had no problems taking out these guards. The journey to this lowsec system was the hardest part, apparently, as one has to be wary of highwaymen and pirates. Once there, the Blood Raiders were trounced in a matter of minutes.

I was able to dock at the outpost, while Gaun kept watch in case reinforcements would appear. As the sensors had shown, there was still a small part of the asteroid mining structure that was powered up and in use. Idesbald, my new cloak technician, came along and brought a gun from his collection (yes, he collects firearms, and usually I worry about that because he also likes Nakrean brandy). I had protested, but I am glad that he insisted, since we were fired upon almost immediately after disembarking.

Idesbald was able to take out the gangsters, but was wounded in the process. It is severe enough that he will be incapacitated for at least two weeks, but he'll recover fully. Several other blooders or gangsters that were in the facility took a shuttle and fled. 

The outpost turns out to be a depot for Takmahl stuff, there are containers full of it. I took as much as I could on board to investigate it further. I couldn't stay long enough to thoroughly search the place or ferry everything to a safe location. I had to bring Idesbald to a medical facility, and I was in constant fear of another attack. 

Gaul Arel, true to his chivalrous nature, offered to escort me back to Nasreri, granting his protection through the lowsec travel.

Many questions remain - why did Blood Raiders collect these artefacts and bring them together in this system? Is the outpost some sort of treasury or repository they have for this stuff? Do they sort their loot? This must represent more loot than can be found in relic sites in this system alone. Are they developing an academic interest in understanding the society and the lives of those that came before them in a blood cult? But then why disassemble these valuable witnesses of the past to make illegal implants and drugs with them?

Hopefully closer inspection of the artefacts I brought back (over 180 cubic metre of them...) should answer some of these questions.

Eyes in system

Just a few days ago, there was an announcement on Amarr Certified News that our Empire will continue to respond with deadly force against any incursion, as well as raid Triglavian held systems aggressively.

Yesterday, lord Gaven Lok'ri led LUMEN forces against Triglavian raiders that were operating in Patzsha. I think it is the start of a renewed campaign again the Triglavians and their Kybernaut lackeys, much in the spirit of what we heard on the news.

I was able to contribute, as well as to explore a new role in fleet. There are not many roles that are compatible with my vow of non-violence. I have already tried logistics, but yesterday I tried to make myself useful in another way. I used the Indigatrix's cloaking and scanning ability to be the "eyes in the system" for the fleet. This means tracking down the wormhole entrance to Pochven, and the movement of neutral fleets and of Triglavians in the system itself, calling out around which planet the Triglavians were hiding. 

Although my help was probably superfluous I do like to think it made the operation run somewhat more smoothly.

 

The fleet of Paladins and Apocalypse class battleships was magnificent, and obliterated the enemy invaders. The puny Triglavian vessels were disposed of so quickly that it must have appeared as a celestial fireworks for the inhabitants of the planets below.

Nasreri

I am so relieved the move operation went well. On the first day of the new year, both the library and the chapel (and the rest of Gottin's lamp) were shipped to our new home, the Amarr Trade Registry Bureau Offices station in Nasreri.

I've been walking around the station anxiously during the entire day, hoping and praying that nothing would go wrong, that pirates would not attack the transport freighters that would bring the modular structures of the Lamp. Scaffolding was ready and waiting to receive the modules in Nasreri, and to kill time I inspected that at least a dozen times. 

What a wonder of engineering! Not later than half a day after the freighters had docked, the basic structure was already up, and the movers and the library assistants were unpacking and placing valuable items back in their spot. It will take a bit longer for the Chapel, as it had to be dismantled more thoroughly, but a small army of carpenters is putting it together and soon it will be operational, with just the last detailed woodwork that still need to be placed back. The living quarters were the quickest to be functional again, and as I do not have much stuff I am already settled back in. Mittens has approved of our new home.

I hope these kind of moves won't happen any more for a long time, this has been somewhat nerve-wrecking.

Lunarisse showed me some new places close to Gottin's Lamp. Places where LUMEN members can mingle with capsuleers from all over the cluster. Given that we're close to concord space we'll have more international visitors. The wheels of diplomacy need to be greased by drinks offered in fancy bars, good food, and dancing. I do hope that the faithful will use the chapel as much as they will use the new party venue.

New year's eve

New Year's eve. 

Bersirym will have to wait a bit - I've reported my findings back to officer Yazdegerd and promised him I would come back in the new year. 

I have returned to Mehatoor. The move of the library must take precedence at the moment. All seems to be packed, secured and ready to move. I do not have a lot of personal belongings but I do have a collection of artefacts in my hangar, the result of my first year's worth of exploration.

A new start is upon us. Not merely a new year, but a new home. My prayers and new year's wishes are for LUMEN and all its member to prosper. May the light of faith continue gaining terrain on the darkness, so help us God and Empress!

Blood Raider hidden outpost

I got the green light to track down the shuttle belonging to Boulette's organisation. There was an MIO raid on Boulette's hangars, but it did not yield any substantial proof, the place had been emptied. There were a few arrests "for impeding the MIO's operations". This means the guards of the hangar have been detained for serious questioning.

I undocked and waited for hours until the shuttle finally left Odra and appeared on my sensors. I didn't see where it took off from, I was not attentive enough during the long wait. I probed it down and followed it. It warped to what appears at first sight an abandoned mining station. Broken mining drills and equipment is scattered about, and there are still some precious ores in nearby asteroids. The mining station was built on one of the asteroids, and although the refinery part is clearly derelict, the landing pad and control tower were powered. Sensors also indicate the internal structure of the station, dug deep into the asteroid, is powered.

The shuttle docked at this outpost, and stayed there for about three hours, after it left again to Odra, making planetfall at the main spaceport of Odra Capital, rather than Boulette's private lauch pad.

Probably Boulette gets his materials from this outpost. But, I could not explore the "abandoned" outpost in more detail... I was not alone and was lucky that the Indigatrix was cloaked! A flotilla of Blood Raider ships patrols the outpost. I counted three battlecruisers and three destroyers. On the picture, you can see the outpost and a Blood Raider damnation class vessel in the foreground.

The Indigatrix, even if I would fit it for offense, is no match for this Blooder fleet. I need to ask for help from corp members. This help will not be easy to come by since LUMEN is again on the war path, dealing with the "Black Flag" pirates at the moment. Moreover it is in the middle of a move operation. And to make matters worse, Bersirym is in low-sec, and I've seen roaming gangs of "No Forks Given" hoodlums around...

A mission without a mission agent

The information they obtained from my murderer provided the Odra police inquisitors with the necessary missing pieces to connect the dots on their own surveillance of Boulette's gang. The gang has been the subject of surveillance for a long while before I showed up. Apparently, my appearance and subsequent murder has "stirred sh*t" as officer Yazdegerd formulates it. For better or for worse, the local authories feel they should make their move now.

Boulette controls a private shuttle landing pad in the industrial district of town, and his goods arrive by shuttle from an unknown off-planet location. The police inquisitors and the local MIO branch are still discussing who has the authority to set up a raid, and officer Yazdegerd thinks this bickering will give Boulette enough time to move all contraband away from his hangars.

Capturing the shuttle itself, that's another matter. Neither the local police, nor the local branch of the MIO has any jurisdiction off-planet. They also do not have space vessels in their fleet. Their interplanetary counterparts have been notified, but the matter is not high priority at the moment. Customs police that control the jump gates could confirm that the shuttle has not ever jumped out of system, but of course they cannot rule out that it uses wormholes.

Officer Yazdegerd agrees with me that this is typically a matter where capsuleers are contracted for help, and when I offered my help for free, he reluctantly agreed. He informed me of the shuttle's identification number. The Indigatrix's combat scan probes should have no problem locating and tracking a smuggler's shuttle given that it stays in-system. I was only asked to wait, to coordinate my actions with the raid on the ground.

An offer

Neither the shop manager nor Boulette are anywhere to be found - for the latter this seems to be normal. 

So, I decided to take initiative to meet the man.

I wrote a note and put it under the door of Tacky Parts. In my missive, I explain that I am just a simple friar and that I am not after his business whatever that might be. I only pursue academic knowledge, which ultimately benefits all of society, including monsieur Boulette himself, even if the returns are not immediately tangible. 

And, if contributing to historical research would not be enough of a reward to the man, I also kindly offered to take confessions and explained that this is necessary to get any chance of remission of his sins (after all, since he is Gallente, he might not know about the rite of confession). As a reference, I mentioned that I have had the honor of being confessor to the Duchess of the entire Fekhoya constellation, Lady Ithiria Deritan.

Officer Yazdegerd was not pleased with my initiative and forbade me to try and contact Boulette again. He did not explain to me why, as he was rather upset.

Thinking it through, I admit I should have provided another reference. Shortly after the confession, the Dutchess fell out of grace with King Farokh and vanished. I do not see how Boulette might think someone insignificant as myself can have anything to do with that. Boulette must be a very sensitive man and in the future I will refrain from writing him about powerful people that coincidentally vanished after I met them.

Indeed, I have not heard back from Boulette.

Boulette

The Tacky Parts shop is closed for now. A note on the door says the shop manager is on extended sick leave.  

I would have been stuck with investigating my death if it were not for the police inquisitor, officer Yazdegerd. He has been very helpful, and has taken me under his wings, allowing me to follow the investigation. 

The good man has heard of LUMEN and knows that it is a capsuleer alliance of "PIE and the other guys". He is a big fan of capsuleers and always plays LUMEN characters in some sort of hologame that is the current rage. I must remember to write a letter of commendation for him to his superiors.

Officer Yazdegerd explained to me the background of Boulette, the gangster who apparently corners the Takmahl biodrone and biofluids black market on Bersirym. He's a Gallente thug that started his career as a bouncer for a club frequented by notorious local Blooders. He took a bullet protecting one of these Blooders, and that got him noticed and earned him respect. With good connections for his supplies and the trust of the blood raiders, he became a local gangster boss.

He carries that bullet on a chain around his neck, and nicknamed himself "Bullet". When people take pride in talking about themselves as a third party object, you know something is amiss. Anyway, he was always a bulky man but after he became boss his muscles turned into fat. To make fun of that, and of his thick Gallentean accent, he is now called "Boulette" behind his back. It's a Gallentean word for "meatball". A gangster pun.