No match

I tried setting up a date for Loai Qerl with Gaun Arel. Gaun is a selfless and courageous paladin, a paragon of faith who is always looking to help people. A good match for any damsel. But it appears he has a vow of celibacy. Also, he is not of noble blood, and I had understood that to be a requirement. So that did not work out.

I also found out that lady Thea van Deilyx still has a nephew who is a bachelor, and she was initially interested in matching him with Loai. But then, Loai being a commoner looking to marry into a noble family did not sit well with lady Deilyx.

I talked to Franco about this when I met him at the Lamp's bar; and he explained a few things. As it turns out it is Loai's uncles who seem to be pressuring her to marry. And her own preferences are not that strict about nobility. Franco was going to adapt the advert he had placed to find bachelors, in order to clarify these points.

Living secluded in a asteroid monastery has not prepared me well for this a task. The library was not really a big help this time: we have Gallentean non-fiction books on relationships, written by various famous sexologists, but they focus strongly on the carnal aspect. So I think I'll give up on these matchmaking attempts. 

After one last attempt, I still have one LUMEN man in mind.

A home for the arm

I received some good news. The lost arm of St. Gennareus that I was able to recover in Aridia has been certified as genuine by the Theology Council's department of relics. It only took them four months.

Of course I do not get it back to use it for any of LUMEN's chapels or churches. It is not up to me to decide where the relic should go. 

Revered relics bestow a special honor to the cathedral or monastery that possess them. Historically, it is not unheard of that relics get stolen from one cathedral only to reappear in another one.

The arm will find a home in a cathedral on Kador prime, close to St. Gennareus' place of birth. What I get is my name on a plaque close to the relic. I think I will go visit. And bring along my political officer to show him this example of the benefits and good results of my explorations.

Matchmaking

I was surprised by Franco's question, whether I would know possible romantic matches for lady Loai Qerl. How did he see a matchmaker in me? I have absolutely no experience in that matter, and my first instinct was to dismiss his request.

Loai is a very fine person, and very knowledgeable about the history of the cluster and capsuleer social matters. She informed me about the Goners in the Eve Gate system, and I am very grateful for this and for her other pointers at the start of my research in the Lamp's library.

So, why not help? Moreover, Franco now posted the question publicly on galnet forums. There are some horrible figures, such as Nauplius, imposing themselves as possible suitors. I cannot let a friend face this kind of hazard! So, I have been mulling over possible candidates, considering the fine menfolk in our alliance, and made a shortlist of people I will try to poke discreetly about their interest, and then get back to Franco about that.

The only thing that has me a bit confused is... well what does Loai herself think about all this? I have not yet had the chance to talk to her about it. Why is Franco taking the initiative rather than Loai? Ah, I am afraid I do not understand how courtship works these days among youngsters in the Empire. I risk doing more bad than good.

Not to worry, the library has plenty of books (mostly Gallentean) about love, and I shall read up. And apparently, a Gallentean expert in the matter just anchored a station close to our own industrial park in Tanoo. Perhaps I should drop by and then this mr. Flavours can explain more about how capsuleer love works these days. I shall not mention Loai of course, and pretend to seek knowledge in general. Even though he is not without controversy and a big gossip, what harm could there be in hearing him out?

Imperial attention

The ink has not quite dried on the log entry where I express my disbelief of the Angel piracy in Mehatoor, and today I read in the "news in brief" that our most blessed Empress is asking the very same question as her loyal subjects are: how could this have happened? Holders of the border regions have been summoned.

I am reassured, now that the Empress herself is taking an interest in our situation. Everything will be all right and such error will not occur again. Deep down I hope that our humble alliance will receive a nod of appreciation from the Imperial court for helping to suppress the Angel Cartel's corruption of our home system.

One consequence of focusing our efforts on the emergency in Mehatoor is that the blessing of LUMEN's new station in the Dital system had to be postponed to an unspecified date. The station is a refinery named Anushia Ba-Qat or "companions of the truth". The name is a wink to the Curatores Veritatis Alliance in Providence. Indeed, Dital is a gateway system from the Devoid region to the Providence marshes. 

I cannot help but conclude that this station is meant not merely for mining, but also to assist and supply the Curatores in their work pacifying Providence. A glorious purpose that no doubt also pleases the Empress! 

Jove speculations

I keep wondering about the strong Jove presence in the Fabai constellation. That is to say, the presence of Jove corporations: it has been, I believe, almost a decade since the last contact with any Jovian. Their corporations are run by subjects of the four core powers, and it is not clear whether even at the highest level their directors still have any contact with the Jove themselves. However, at the time Genolution's stations were built in Fabai, they would certainly still have been around.

There are three major Jove corporations still active, all under the umbrella of the Society of Conscious Thought. The first and best known is Genolution, the clone supplier. There is also X-Sense, providing biotech and chemicals, and Impro, heavy industry and electronics. These are rather spread out, with different corporation never sharing the same constellations outside of Jove space. Except for one constellation: Sukanan in Tash-Murkon, and there only in the Ordat system two are present, Genolution and Impro. In Fabai, the stations belong to Genolution, which is suspicious because it is not particularly a hot commercial area for clones.

Perhaps it is worth speculating that the Jove too were searching after the Ametat and Avetat? Surely, they would have had curiosity towards those holy relics and the power that they hold. I have not investigated this link thusfar, although I did encounter a link with the Jove before. The Goner sect has a myth, saying that their prophet "Goner Father" has taken ancient relics from Athra and hid them in an asteroid belt in one of the Jovian systems. The pieces of this puzzle do not seem to fit.

Meanwhile in Mehatoor

The brave men and women of LUMEN, along with the Imperial Navy, have chased the Angel pirates out of Mehatoor. The insurgency has ended, although I think probably a lot of mopping up will still be needed. 

Reflection, too, about how things could have come to this point. Where was the failure in the system? Was it the closeness of the warzone, with piracy spilling over from the constellations brought down into chaos by the forces of the Republic? I am sure valuable lessons will be learned.

Traders as well as the local baseliners were rattled by this insurgency. But that was not the worst that happened! The treacherous back-stabbing forces of the Republic tried to take advantage of this momentary weakness and attacked LUMEN's station, Mikhimi Herart, bringing more hooligans and pirates along. 

The fools did not count on the resolve and courage of our capsuleers. Members of the congregation told me with pride and awe about the largest fleet of loyalists and allies they had ever seen to form in the system, routing our enemies. For this victory, we have held a service of thanks to God.

Location, location, location.

Our team performed admirably! We have made an excellent preliminary sorting of the salvaged materials, grouping and labeling them, much to the delight of the local record keeper. We have been digging in boxes of papers from recent ones to older ones, a bit like the archeologist who digs down the various strata to reach more ancient times.

Anath V indeed consists of many strata. As became clear a few days ago, the oldest one seems to predate the earliest known Amarrian settlement. We were able to reconstruct some basic topology of the site and how it evolved in time, although records still give conflicting data sometimes.

In the more recent records, we found information on professor Bathana. A (partial) deed to the plot of land and house that he owned. We aso found an announcement in a local newspaper of an evening lecture for a broad audience during a science festival. A picture of him and his family at the stage, and on it you can see a little girl looking a bit bored or a bit mischievous, probably both. That must be Lunarisse? I'll give her a copy of the picture as a present.

More interesting than the picture is the location of the land bought by professor Bathana - if we are correct it is right above the central structure of the most ancient layer. I doubt that this is a coincidence. 

I've learned all I could from these archives. The only way to learn more about this is via excavation on Anath V, or via the personal archives of professor Bathana. Either way, I will need our Directrix's help. So, it is time to return to Mehatoor.

Speculations

With the help from the Lamp's librarian team, we are making some headway in sifting through these archives to trace back the history of the attempts at colonization of Anath V.  

The oldest records of Amarrian colonists date back from about one thousand years ago, when the first Imperial exploration ships arrived in Aridia. This is also when the 51st Exploration Corps famously reached Mishi IV and encountered the Ni-Kunni civilization. 

However, these first colonists of Anath report the existence of ruins of an even older settlement on the auspicious spot they chose for their own town. These ruins predating the first Amarrian colony could conceivably be the deepest layer of construction, eight or nine levels below the latest. 

Perhaps a lost civilization existed on world of Anath V, predating the arrival of Amarr settlers?  It seems implausible that civilization arose on this inhospitable storm planet, and created just one town... 

I think it more plausible that this was some sort of colony or outpost from another civilization. Perhaps the Takmahl? That would certainly have piqued the interest of professor Bathana, but I doubt the Takmahl could (and would) venture this far from their home worlds in Araz. Are the Jove involved, whose influence is strangely and strongly present in the Fabai constellation through several Society of Conscious Thought stations? Again, implausible, as their downfall comes only in recent times. 

My best guess at this point is that there could have been a colony from another cryoship with fleeing Sabik. They scattered in all directions after Queron I's purges two thousand years go. The most famous group started the Takmahl civilization on Aphi, but it could be that another group reached this place and was forced to settle here, never reaching the grand heights of an own empire.

Reinforcements

It is an impossible job to sort trough all these records on my own. So, I'm bringing in reinforcements from the library at the Lamp. 

Mr. Jensen, despite a general relativistic disability due after a warp core incident, agreed to travel again and make the long trip from Mehatoor to Anath. In his condition, he experiences the flow of time different than we do, and his internal clock has suffered time dilatation. His movements appear slow, but his genius in cataloging science more than compensates. With the papers laid out in front of him, he seems to intuitively visualize the best possible mathematical map to a manifold whose coordinate parameters optimally classify these texts. This will be of invaluable help here. He is bringing two assistants along.

The local librarian is quite excited about the project of creating some order in the salvaged records, and he will also help us, with his assistants. We will have quite a team, and leave behind a historical reference library on the colonization efforts of the Anath system.

Arne Maleto asked to join, but I refused. Arne works at the Lamp's library as Third Overseer of the Shelves, a nice title for a very modest job, while he studies for promotion. Like any youth his age, he is keen for adventures in libraries of distant lands. But with the Angel Cartel in Mehatoor, and his sister Ishta's history with the Cartel, it seemed best to keep him safe at the 24th Imperial Crusade station. He'll sulk for a while and perhaps misshelf a book of two in rebellion (he takes after his sister, after all), but I'd rather have that than have harm come to him.

Unimaginable

What is this horrible news that reached me today? An insurgency in Mehatoor!? My first reaction was disbelief.

Mehatoor is a military hub and headquarters geared towards the warzone. The 24th Imperial Crusade projects its power from that system into the warzone, and that is also why there is a strong LUMEN presence. Gottin's Lamp is in Mehatoor! The system is also on a major trade route from Amarr to Jita in the State, perhaps even the main trade route after the fall of Niarja. 

So, it is simply unthinkable that it would fall in the hands of Angel Cartel pirates. 

Yet being at the edge of the warzone is also a weakness - especially now that the Cartel has been growing strong with the help of the Deathless and making use of the fog of war to exert its influence in the warzone. That influence, it appears, spilled over to the Empire proper.

I fear for our station there, Mikhimi Herart, and I worry about the Republic and other pirates exploiting this chaos. I shall pray for the swift restoration of law and order.

Life cycle of a colony

The pieces of information that I can find from extracts of the land register confused me at first. I tried to reconstruct a precise map of the settlement from the salvaged land register data, in addition to property deeds and transaction records. 

However, I could reconstruct different maps of the main settlement, and these maps did not agree at all. Similar incompatibilities can be found between various deeds outlining property limits and layout. It seemed there were several different buildings all sharing the same space.

The solution to this mystery turns out to be the difference in dates. The buildings are on the same plot of land, but one is newer and built on top of the ruins of the other, older building. 

Some time after the devastation of the old settlement in YC71, a new wave of colonists arrived and built their city on top of the ruins, only to have their new settlement destroyed fifty years later in YC121. However, this was just the latest reconstruction: there must have been many cycles of destruction and rebuilding. 

At this point, I do not yet have enough pieces of the puzzle to find out how many cycles there were exactly, and how many layers of buried settlements there are stacked on top of each other, but I think there are at the very least five or six. This has been going on for many centuries! On the rare oldest records that survived, dates appear to be missing, or written in some different calendar, or became unreadable, but I will cross-check names of the property owners with the Book of Records which has dates of birth and death.

One cannot but admire the tenaciousness of our colonists.

Un-Amarrian

As I continue searching through the mess of salvaged records, I was told by mr. Ivan Firth that a mausoleum to commemorate defeat of the Empire should be considered un-amarrian. So it should not be good to spend too much time here. I objected, pointing out the Elder Memorial in Kor-Azor, and he conceded the point.

Apparently, also the "glacial drift" skin for the Anathema is unamarrian. The original Khanid exterior is more acceptable, and imperial jubilee or celebratory gold would be even better. I told to him that this is camouflage, not only in ice belts but as many planetary rings and debris fields have a lot of ice particles it can also be used there. I'm afraid this rather stretches the truth, it is not how cloaking works, but I did not feel the urge to go into great detail, and mr. Firth seemed content with the answer.

Salvaged records

I returned once again to Anath, and I visited the memorial museum on Anath IV. It tells the tale of the devastating Blood Raider attack that laid the colony on Anath V to waste in YC71, in gruesome detail. It also recounts other raids and attacks. I learned from the exhibits also that LUMEN sent humanitarian aid and first responders following an relatively recent massive attack in YC121.

The exhibition rooms are ordered around a yard, open-air yard with large obsidian monoliths at its center. The names of the dead are carved in gold letters, and those of the missing in silver letters. There is still room on the massive slabs, a token of resignation about the inevitability of future attacks.

Below ground there is a hall with a library, which also holds whatever records could be salvaged from the ruins of the Anath V colony. However, most of it has not yet been catalogued or sorted, it is just stored in countless boxes. Deeds, police reports, marriage certificates, public announcements, news clippings, it is all thrown together, much of it moldy or partly charred, or both. 

The curator was happy that finally a scholar takes interest in this collection, and could help sort it out. He is perhaps the first person I met here who is happy to see a visitor from the core worlds. He allows me to search these records. However, finding information on what professor Bathana was looking for here feels a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The wait

I was getting impatient, but finally the political officer has arrived. 

It took mr. Ivan Firth almost a week to get to us from his previous assignment. He had to have a debriefing, travel, two days of holiday, travel time, a briefing, and then travel time again. Meanwhile, I was not able to undock or continue exploring. 

Together with the crew, I used the spare time to clean up the mess the Ministry made during the search, and do maintenance on the ship. It had been a while since I brought the Indigatrix in for technical control, and the warp drive was already way past the mandatory checkup after every 1000 jumps. I got charged an insane amount (plus a late fee) because the dock-master decided all sorts of parts that I had never heard of had to be replaced. I think he ripped me off and flux capacitors are not real parts of Anathema class ships.

Mr. Firth showed up at the hangar today, dressed immaculately in his uniform, boots and medals polished and shining. He brought several suitcases with books on proper procedure, printed, so they can be followed even if the electronic version cannot be accessed.

Even today, we could not leave again for Aridia, as mr. Firth insisting on interviewing the crew members, and by the time he was finished taking notes, it was already too late to start.

Broken mug

As expected, the Indigatrix was thoroughly searched by the Ministry of Internal Order. Ransacked, one might claim, if one were to be disrespectful to the Ministry. Of course, they were misled by Idesbald's lies, and quite in their right to check things out.

But still. 

During the search, my coffee mug which says "Udder Chaos Milking Corp" got broken. It was not valuable, but it was a souvenir from an agricultural fair on Odra in the Bersyrim system. It is in that city that I got murdered for the very first time. When I went back to identify my corpse, local police told me they found the mug on my body and I got it back eventually. So, naturally, I have some attachment to it. 

Somewhat distraught, I tried to find a complaints form on the Ministry's website. 

Strangely, the Ministry does not appear to have an on-line form for complaints.

Somewhere hidden in the labyrinthine website I did find a physical address where people can go to have their complaints heard, but it is in a penal colony on an ice world rather far away, with only one-way interbus connections, and I do not really want to do the detour with the Indigatrix.

For now, ceramic glue will have to do the trick.

New crew member

I should have thrown Idesbald out of the airlock in stead of banishing him. 

Probably at this very moment he also wishes I had done so. 

The Ministry of Internal Order has captured him - they must have some black ops in the Federation. Upon questioning the traitor accused me of his own crime! He claimed that I was the one peddling capsuleer blood wine on the black market! Reverend Mother Kahoudi was very concerned and payed me a visit in the library. Luckily, Idesbald's lies were rapidly unmasked. Tribunus Colonel Vleckson relayed the true nature of my mission: destroying the blood cellar. The other crew members confirmed my version of the facts. And a search of the Indigatrix revealed no contraband of any sort.

Even though I have been exonerated, the affair still has an unpleasant consequence. The Reverend Mother insisted that for the time being a political officer should join me during my explorations. As if I do not know orthodoxy myself! I wanted to strongly protest, but something in me told me this was probably not the good time to do so.

So, my crew will be joined by mr. Ivan Firth, who will provide us with ideological education and supervision and make sure my missions are in the interest of the Empire and in agreement with Imperial law. 

A new cloak technician would have been more useful.

The Anath colonies

I am continuing my expedition through the Blood Raider space corridor in Aridia, which links the old home worlds of the Takmahl to the current Blood Raider controlled region of Delve. I have gone trough most of the corridor and have reached its outermost endpoint, the Fabai constellation. 

Then I got distracted by the blood cellar hidden in the wreck of a colony ship - I took it upon myself to destroy that horror. That matter is settled now, and I am back to exploring the Anath system. Minus one cloak technician.

Anath has been repeatedly the subject of horrible incursions and massacres by the Blood Raiders, periodically curtailing the growth of the colonies there. The folk there focus on basic survival,  growing their crops and working their industry, while constantly on alert for attacks. These settlers do not have much time to spend on frivolities of high culture, and do not want tourists to come visit them. On the storm world of Anath V the conditions were even harsher than on Anath IV.

Nevertheless, in the main settlement on the temperature world of Anath IV there is a museum devoted to the history of the colonies. Or perhaps it would be more correct to describe it as a memorial to remember the raids and their devastation. It is said to house whatever was left of the historical records of the Anath V colonies, so that looks as good as any place to start my search.

Courtship at Tebu Amkhiman

Back in the days when I was young, boys and girls of important families could mingle only at formal dance events. These were held in large halls, resplendent with golden ornaments. There, the youngsters, dressed impeccably, would be allowed to dance with each other in well choreographed waltzes under the watchful eye of parents and chaperons observing the dance from the balconies while sipping champagne and eating pastries. Only in the fleeting moments that the dance brings lovers cheek to cheek could they whisper words of passion to each other. I believe this tradition is still upheld in Kador.

Things are different nowadays - all the more so for capsuleers. Word has reached me of a capsuleer "speed dating" event in Tebu Amkhiman. In speed dating, one also changes partner according to some choreography. However, there is no dancing, and even less supervision.

Gossip travels faster than light, among baseliners as well as capsuleers, and always reaches the ears of the pastor sooner rather than later. At first, I was surprised to hear of the presence of heretics and enemies of the Empire. I know Tebu Amkhiman is a freeport, but still ... Moreover, it appears there was misbehavior and even open flirtation with the arch-heretic Nauplius! 

The organizers, Maerrin and Haapsalu are not to be blamed, and I think should be lauded. After giving it some thought, I approve of the presence of heathens at this initiative as I believe that the fastest way to reclaim them peacefully is for them to date -and possibly fall in love- with someone of the faith. There are countless historical examples of pagan kings marrying Amarrian princesses and converting.

Nevertheless, I expect the confessional to be very busy in the coming days.

 

((ooc picture attribution : http://www.vienna-waltz-gala.at/))

Banishment

What to do with Idesbald? He tried to steal a bottle of blood with the intent of selling it to Blood Raider collectors. If I turn him in to the Ministry of Internal Order, he will face the cleansing pits for sure. The reverend mother will not take this sin lightly.

Part of me wants him to face punishment. But another part of me understands that if a commoner is faced with an object worth tens of billions of ISK, the temptation might be just too much to resist. On the one hand I think he should get another chance, but on the other hand I do not want the crew to think mutiny is just fine.

After long deliberation I decided to drop him off just beyond the Empire's borders, in Agaullores in Solitude, Federation Space. I will provide him with decent retirement funds. And after that, I will inform the MIO. This amounts to banishment from the Empire, which should be punishment enough I think.

Flush

Soon after the crisis of trust with Idesbald, we warped back to the site, cloaked, at 100 km. To our great satisfaction, we could confirm that the blood cellar has been destroyed in the antimatter blast. Metal shards and a fine mist of organic matter are all that is left from this cursed place.

There was some discussion with the crew on how to dispose of the bottle of Luna blood. Jettisoning is not an option, as it can be picked up by random passer-bys and the Indigatrix has no weapons to destoy it. In the end we decided to empty the bottle in one of the toilets and flush.

Idesbald begged to save the bottle, claiming that the profits from selling it could help us much more in the fight against the Blood Raiders. That is nonsense, of course. If we have to harvest the blood of our members and sell that to the Raiders, we just become part of the covenant even if we use to proceeds to fight them. The crew realized that and followed me. The blood was destroyed as proposed earlier: flushed to the waste container of the Indigatrix, which will be emptied and processed at the first station we dock.