Promotions

Today, while on maneuvers with several of my colleagues, I received word that my promotion came through for Arch Lieutenant.
We were running scan-down ops for Minmatar complexes in the Metropolis Region. Normal routine is to toss someone into a system (usually me) and check out the neighborhood real quick. If the coast is relatively clear, the rest of the squad moves in and we start scanning for enemy bases. Once we get a hit, we move in, and go on the offensive.
The mission usually ends in a success. We have some really good leaders, and everyone knows pretty much what to do.
After taking down a couple of these enemy bases, I received my notice of promotion. I cannot speak for the others in my team, but I value these promotions probably more than getting a "kill" under my belt. I think I am more scholar than warrior, though this is changing.


Marshal Gangleri, who leads our team also received his promotion the other day. The Empire has awarded him the highest rank in the militia: Divine Commodore.
If you see him, please extend a well deserved congratulations.

EVE Blog Banter #3

This month's EVE Blog Banter comes to us from Roc Wieler of Roc's Ramblings. Roc's asks us to "write a story about a fellow EVE Blogger, or an EVE player whom has inspired you or affected you in some tangible way. After your story, describe why you chose them, and any Holiday wish you have specifically for them".

--
With patrols along the front lines, we have a lot of time on our hands between operations. Fortunately Edarius K'Tol, a colleague I have come to respect and appreciate a lot, we have been able to obtain an Internet feed into our capsules. Though Edarius isn't necessarily a blogger, it was his contributions that opened the world of blogging to me.

Now, with regards to specific bloggers, I would be amiss if I didn't point out that CrazyKinux has been the greatest encouragement. CK has been more than willing to answer my questions, and assist me in the problems I might have in setting up a blog. CK has also established a most excellent blog, where I have obtained many an idea to incorporate here.

One last mention must be made for the spirit of EVE blogging as a whole. Though there are many nefarious pirates who post their exploits online, I have to admit that they are extremely cordial and almost can be described as warm and friendly! Ah, but I know those cutlass toting rascalians... they must be planning another trap for us innocent and civilized folk!

Be on guard!

Purging An Evil

The capture of Chamberlain Karsoth brings an end to one of the most shameful periods of Amarr history. His ties with the Blood Raiders and the corruption that came from such a wicked relationship is finally put to an end, and Karsoth has gone on to his reward.

I have been studying the most ancient writings. Writings that the Amarrian people have long forgotten. In them it says,

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Karsoth was an extremely wicked man. His death clears the air, and allows our Empire to go on.

Faction Warfare Pins

Over the last couple of weeks, my avatar John, has had the opportunity to dialogue with Lucas at Dragonfire Laser Crafts. Apparently, John is so excited about my progress in the Amarr Militia, he wanted to find out if anyone was producing rank pins for him to wear on his EVE Online cap.

John contacted CCP, and according to Merry Luong (CCP North America), Dragon Fire Signs had introduced factional rank pins at the recent FanFest. This is what started the dialoguing.

According to Master Lucas, he is still in the development stage for these pins. He has already produced the top four ranks for each of the factions, and will be working over the Christmas Holidays to finish up the design of the rest. The following are a couple of photos Lucas sent John.

Master Lucas is working with the manufacturer to keep the final cost to be around $3.00 (US) for each pin.

Talking with John, he seems to be quite excited about the project. "I am going to order the Arch Lieutenant pin first, in order the celebrate when Gabe reaches the next rank", John commented. He also said, "I will also order additional pins for my two boys, and a pin for my oldest daughter, when they start going up in rank with their characters."

This first statement cause me to raise an eyebrow. I didn't think my avatar would be cheering for me so strongly. Well, even though John isn't as bright as an average Amarrian, as a friend, he'll do.

Greetings from Gabriel Theodoulos

Hello Human,

I was finally able to convince my avatar John Hall, to allow me access to his email account. Apparently he is rather "touchy" with regards to who can and cannot use his email, but I was able to assuage his fears and he has graciously allowed me access.

Allow me to welcome you to my new blog. We don't have such tools in the Empire, but I can see the benefits of being able to communicate effectively with others.

My name is Gabriel Theodoulos, but please, call me Gabe. I am a theological scholar who has somehow found himself turned into a warrior. Personally, I prefer peaceful negotiations between those who are in disagreement with my views, but there are times when dialogue breaks down and we are forced to take a stand for righteousness through the use of arms.

This war has cost me the life of my brother, Jedadiah Thedoulos*. The barbarian hordes of the Matari have attacked our Empire in a most unprovoked manner. It is the duty of every Amarrian to defend both Empire and Empress (may God save Empress Jamyl Sarum!).

Personally, my heart goes out to those poor wretches. We have done everything possible to lead the Matari out of their barbaric ways and establish them as a productive member of civilized society. Sad to say that the only way they show their graditude is to sack and pilage innocent bystandards! Nevertheless, we need to set all emotions aside and continue to rescue the Matari as well as all types of backwards people. Even if it means that we destroy those who oppose our philanthropic efforts.

But enough of this.

My blog here is to introduce you humans to my family and our Amarrian Empire. If God permits, I will post stories, comments, and thoughts here on... what do you humans call this.... ah, the Internet.

Please, feel free to post your questions or comments. If I cannot help you, I will direct my avatar John Calvin Hall to assist in any way possible.

Thank you for visiting here.

* With regards to my adventurous brother, we are not sure that he is dead, but he is missing. Last we heard, Jed was in the region of space called The Bleak Lands. He was attacked by Matari Raiders, and only his colleague Jonas Calvin made it back to civilization.

If you have any news or word from Jedadiah, please contact a family member as soon as possible. We are anxious for his welfare.

Thank you.

Networking with Other Bloggers

I received one of my very first emails today and I am elated that people are visiting my blog. This letter comes from someone by the name of CrazyKinux and this is what he posted.

Hey there!

Welcome to the EVE blogging community!

I added your blog to my EVE Player Blogroll. You'll also be featured in both next Friday's EVE Speedlinking post as well as the next Micro Warp Cast podcast.

...

Cheers
CrazyKinux

He seems to be a nice enough fellow and have visited his web on more than one occation, finding extremely useful tidbits of news and advice.

If you get an opportunity, stop by his website at http://www.crazykinux.com/ and send him my greetings.

A Promotion!

Last week, I received word from headquarters that I was to be promoted from Templar Lieutenant to Cardinal Lieutenant!

It is an honor for me to be used by the Empire to push back the darkness, but they graciously promoted me in rank.

I am not sure if you humans know about the Amarrian Ranking system. Please allow me to explain.

Ever since official war has broken out between the factions, the Empire has setup a branch of the military referred to as militia forces. Though officially a part of the Imperial Navy, the 24th Imperial Crusade (24IC) is established in order to allow Capsuleers to be involved with the Great Reclaimation.

When a pod pilot/ capsuleer demonstrates their loyalty to Amarr, they are free to enter the 24IC as the rank of Paladin Crusader. Our task is to defend our area of space from the enemy, support allied complexes from attack, as well as capture enemy complexes. After a short period, the pilot will earn his first promotion as Templar Lieutenant. The longer the pilot stays in the militia and the more victories he earns, the hugher his rank.

It is humbling to know that in a small way, I can help my Empire.

A Lost Brother, Part 3

I tried to tell Jed that it was not a good idea to make a stop at Kourmonen. The factions have been fighting there since earlier this year and no one was safe, especially haulers. We had consolidated most of Jedadiah's equipment, and he insisted on stopping off at Kourmonen V to pick up some stray materials.

"We'll be in and out before anyone knows we're there", Jed exclaimed confidently.

I just wished I shared his confidence.

The only station at Kourmonen V is a small facility orbiting one of the moons. The Theodoulos Family knew the corporation that owned the structure, and there were several crates that Jed had dropped off there earlier that he needed to grab before heading back to Netsalakka.

We docked both Bestowers and disembarked to find the hanger foremen. Once he verified our credentials, we were directed through the warehouse and assigned us local slaves to pull the crates. No sooner when we started that the station alarms sounded. A voice came over the speakers, ordering all non-employees off station. Three squads of Thukkers were in orbit heading for the station.

The Thukker Tribe is not known for their congeniality. An uncooperative off-shoot from the Minmatar Repulic, they have a reputation of being ruthless in their attacks. With the outbreak of war, more and more Thukker fighters have been seen on the front lines.

A look of worry came across my friend's face. Jed had more than a few run-ins with these barbarians, but never in a hauler.

The pounding on the station shields began. When autocanons rage against shielding, it has a distinct sound, much like distant thunder on a summer day. I'm sure calls went out to the milita near by in Kamela, but we never found out if there ever was an answer. The pounding continued and people were seen running to their ships to leave as quickly as possible.

I finished signing the paperwork, and found Jed speaking to someone on a video screen. He turned to me, and shouted above the noise of the attack, "Finish getting those crates on board. The shields aren't going to last, and we have to get out of here before the station falls!"

That's all he had to say. I turned my attention back to the crew and we continued to finish loading the equipment. Though the crates were not large, both ships were packed pretty full. After what seemed to be an eternity, everything was loaded and locked down. By then the station shields were failing and the attackers were digging into the armor.

I ran back and said, "Jed, we're packed and ready."

"OK Jonas, we're leaving now," Jedadiah shouted.

I jumped on board to my Bestower and began the undock sequencing. By now, the shields had fallen and the brunt of the Thukker attack was starting to dig into both the armor and structure of the station. Explosions could be heard near by and power outages started appearing throughout the docks.

"Jonas, you ready?" came the familure voice across the comms.

"Yes Sir," came my reply. "Just give the word and we will undock." Though we were both in unarmed haulers, we agreed that our best chances were to slip out and hope that the Matari were more interested in popping a station rather than a couple of civilian haulers.

As we exited the station, both Jed and I began to align ourselves with Huola Gate.

"I don't feel good about this Jonas," Jed began. "Let's get to a safe spot and scan the gate before warping right in." Since the safe spot was closer to alignment, we quickly vacated the area, and after a short time, both ships were sitting alone in a hidden location.

"Just as I thought," said Jedadiah. "There's a camp on Huola Gate. There is no way we're going to get out that way."

"We could try for Lamaa," came my suggestion.

"No, I don't like that," Jed said. "It would force us to fly through too many low security systems. Align to Kamela. We should be able to make it that way."

We aligned to Kamela Gate and warped.

When flying on autopilot, the warp in point is always 12 to 15 km away from your destination. Since we were flying in Low Security Space, every good pilot knows that you fly manually, so that you come in right on top of the gate and jump to the next system. Yet, every once in a while, the ship doesn't come right in, and you get dumped far enough away to have to fly closer to activate the gate. And it had to happen at this time!

Our ships came out of warp and we found ourselves over 5km away from the gate. Without saying a word, we both punched the acceleration and those last kilometers turned into light years. It was during this sprint, five Rifters came in on the gate. Matari preferred these light frigates over larger craft because of their speed. One of them locked onto Jed and launched missles.

We jumped.

Arriving on the other side, both Jed and I kept still. The after effects of jumping through a gate envelopes a ship in a static field, cloaking the vessel for about a minute. For the first few seconds, things were quiet, but then the Jump Gate activated, and we knew we were being followed. Four Rifters uncloaked and started slowly moving around, much like wolves trying to pick up the scent of their prey.

"Jonas," came Jed's voice, "what are you alighned to?"

I checked my scans and replied, "The closest alignment I have is with Sosala Gate."

"I'm aligned with Ohide, but scan says there are pirates sitting there."

"We're going to try something different here Jonas," Jedadiah said. "The best chances we have are to split up and hope one of us makes it through. I am going to break cloak and jump to a safe spot. Once I have their attention, head straight for Sosala and try to get through back to Netsalakka."

I didn't like this idea, and told Jed so. But it was too late. His Bestower started moving, breaking cloak. All four Rifters, immediately turned toward Jed. I then started up the engines and began the slow climb that a hauler makes to build up the speed for a warp. Three more Rifters came through the gate and started chasing me. I mashed the warp as hard as I could, and realized to my horror that all three Thukkers jumped ahead of me. Unable to alter my course, I knew what would be waiting for me at the Sosala Gate.

While in warp, both Jed and I were still in communication. "I am going to try and get through to Ohide," Jedadiah commented.

I didn't mention my troubles.

"Once back in High Security Space, I'll take the long route back to Sarum Prime and then to Netsalakka," Jedadiah was saying matter of factly.

"Very well Jed," was all I could say. Even though the capsule a pilot controls his ship from, maintains a comfortable temperature, an icy chill was slowly climbing up my spine. At first I thought the danger would be over, if we could just get out of the station without attracting attention. Now I was really afraid that I might not get back intact.

My ship came out of warp, right in the middle of three Rifters and the Sosala Jump Gate. Even before fully coming out of warp, I was pounding on the jump command, knowing that the Matari wouldn't be able to lock onto my hauler, despite its size. I jumped through and they followed.

Sosala is a key system in moving through this area of the Bleak Lands. It connects several High Security systems to the rest of the region, which makes it an ideal lurking point for pirates. With three Rifters on my tail, I had little concern for those low lifes who prey on the innocent.

This time I didn't wait for the cloaking to end, I hit the warp command and began to increase speed to jump. I wasn't aligned to Netsalakka, but I had a wonderful shot for Sasiekko.

Good enough. It was High Security and if I could just make it to the gate, I knew I was home free.

Two of the Rifters appeared and targeted me. Their warp scramblers started sizzling as soon as their lock on me was complete. I wasn't going anywhere!

The third Rifter locked and started tearing away at my ship with his missles. Even though my shields were gone and I knew my armor was soon to go, I kept mashing the warp. I would lose the ship, but when the hauler blew, my pod would be free and I could warp out. Right before the ship exploded one of the Rifters caught my attention. It was close. Too close.

There was a bright flash and my pod was loose. I think they knew they might loose my pod, because the moment my ship was gone, the Rifter closest to me started discharging a smart bomb.

Smart bombs don't need a target lock. They just rip into anything close enough to receive damage.

Jonas Calvin totally focused on mashing that warp command. When he finally warped, he was too exhausted to notice that his structure was down below 10%.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

General Roth Sar-kosis sat on the bridge of his Armageddon. Gate Security Detail was looked upon by most officers as a vacation, but Sar-kosis hated the job. A detail shift would last for 14 days, and during those 14 days, absolutely nothing would happen.

Reports were coming in on a Thukker raid a couple of jumps away, but even though Matari were rather simple in comparison to the superior intellect of an Amarrian, Roth knew that the Minmatar were not stupid enough to try and enter High Security Space.

Lieutenant Haddon turned from his station to face the general.

"Sir, probes show a fire fight in Sosala," came the junior officer's report.

Sar-kosis looked up and turned to the main screen, just in time to see the gate flash.

A minute later, the burning wreck of a pod uncloaked.

A Lost Brother, Part 2

The doorbell chimed.

"Go away!" shouted Gabriel. "Didn't I tell you I don't want to be disturbed?"

The monastery of Saint Michael's, nestled quietly in the backwater system of Ziona, was a place where the devout could hide, and study in peace. This day, he was not going to have his peace.

The doorbell chimed again.

Doctor Gabriel Theodoulos set down the stylus he was using, and with a deep breath turned his attention to his intruder.

"Come in", he said with controlled patience.

The door quietly slid open, an orderly stepped in, and quickly moved to Gabe's desk, where he sat.

"Master, forgive me for interrupting you", came his expletive, "but a vid-gram came in from Avair VII". The acolyte knew full well, that the senior archeologist to the order did not want to be interrupted, but when the Theology Council calls, even the good doctor would be willing to forgive the young novice.

Gabriel looked at him without saying anything, apparently surprised by the gram, and then replied, "Very well, connect them through."

The acolyte swiftly left and a moment later, the monitor at his desk lit up revealing the caller to be none other than Tuzilo Zhada. Zhada was the Chief Archivist for the Council, stationed in Arbaz VI. Both Tuzilo and Gabe had become close friends during his research in ancient manuscripts, and it was somewhat of a surprise to see his colleague calling from the main office.

"Tuzilo, good to see you. Why are you calling from Avair? I thought they had you chained to your desk", came the warm greeting.

Zhada was normally a friendly sort, especially to Gabriel, but this time there was a bit of nervousness in his appearance.

"Doctor Theodoulos", came the unexpected formal greeting. "I have just left milord Moritok's chambers. He wishes your ... um, attendance."

Even Gabriel knew that when the head of the Theology Council wishes your attendance, the invitation is not an option.

"Of course, of course", came his reply. "When does Lord Moritok wish to see me?"

"Immediately," came the cool reply.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"My son, come in, please come in."

To many people Lord Mervin Moritok was a powerful entity in the Amarrian Empire. But to the Theodoulos Family, he was a close and dear friend. As a young boy, Moritok had been a strong influence in Gabriel's life. It was Mervin's devotion to God that inspired Gabe to enter the ministry, and there was no one more beloved than the aged head of the Theology Council.

"Master, I came as quickly as possible," said the doctor to his lord. "Please, tell me how I may serve."

Moritok smiled. "Now, now. Sit down and relax. Tell me how your work is going."

Gabriel relaxed a bit and started explaining how the translations were progressing.

"Milord, the ancient texts are cumbersome. I have gotten a good handle on the Greek and Latin, but Ancient Hebrew is hard to wrap my head around. I am about 85% done, and am eager to present my material to the Council."

Gabriel had spent the last 20 years of his life digging into the origins of the Amarrian religion. Though there are many stories, none of them could be confirmed from the ancient archives. But to question such stories was dangerous, even for a senior archeologist.

15 years earlier, a construction crew unearthed the ruins of a long forgotten cathedral. Upon examining the remains, a library was discovered, partially intact. The Theology Council was excited. The surrounding area was placed under protection and a young scholar was assigned the task of recompiling the texts. That young scholar was Gabriel Theodoulos.

For years, the ancient records were restored and under the careful direction of Theodoulos, translations of the work began. Most of the archives were in Ancient Amarrian, but a collection of books were found to be in an even older language. Gabriel and his team worked feverishly on the texts, and after a short period of time, the first translations started to appear. The primary piece was entitled, "The Sacred Book". It was made up of 66 smaller books, with most of the writings centered around a single individual referred to at the Anointed or Chosen One. After translating most of the manuscripts, the order became excited. There was evidence that these writings predated that of the wormhole! All other work stopped. The Theology Council placed an order of silence on the research, and everyone was asked not to discuss their findings until the Council approved it.

"Master, our findings are unquestionable", Gabriel explained. "Here is strong evidence that early Amarrian Religion was much different than what we know now."

Moritok took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"You are correct my son", the master answered. "Do you not see a problem with this?"

Even though Mervin Moritok was a close and dear friend of the Theodoulos Family, Gabriel knew how wise it was to carefully choose his words.

"Milord, I realize that these findings can cause some strife among the devout, but Sir, do we not have an obligation before God Almighty to bring the truth to the masses?"

"Yes, you are right", came the elder's reply, "but we also have the moral duty to uphold civilization. If we bring out these findings to the public, there will be wide-spread chaos. Everything that the empire is founded on will be brought into question."

Lord Moritok looked his friend in the eye and said, "This cannot happen."

An icy chill went down Gabe's spine. He knew how strong religion can be, and to find yourself in conflict with the Theology Council is dangerous; mortally dangerous.

"Master," Gabriel said softly, "what must I do?"

At that question, the protector of the Amarrian faith let out the breath he was holding in. To him, a crisis had been averted, that would have forced him to condemn a soul he considered to be his own son.

"Gabriel, my son. The vows you have taken through your order forbids me to demand your silence. But if you allow me to counsel you, I would suggest you not talk about the findings you have made."

A smile crossed Moritok's face.

"Why not take a sabbatical?", he suggested. "Go and spend time with your family and relax. Your work has demanded a lot from you and I think it would do you good to take some time off."

Gabe nodded in agreement, "Yes Master. Your advice is good, as always."

Both friends stood, hugged each other, and Gabriel quietly departed. On the trip back, he couldn't help but feel grief over the meeting. Gabriel had the truth in his heart, but he knew the dangers of sharing such truth. With tears swelling in his eyes, he fell to his knees and prayed, "Dear Lord, help me. Please God, give me wisdom on what to do. Guide me, my true Master!"

Unbeknownst to him, Gabriel's prayer was answered. Just as the doctor entered the small cloister of the monastery, a call came in from a person he hadn't spoken to in years. It was his younger and adventurous brother: Jedadiah.

The screen came alive, and Jed was standing there, looking older than what Gabe remembered. Jed's tunic was covered in dust and there was background noises, much like thunder rumbling in the distance.

"Gabe, you there?" came the query.

"Brother, what's up? Where are you?" replied the older brother.

Another thunderous rumble came from behind Jedadiah. He was standing in what appeared to be a hanger, with many people rushing around in the back. Jed turned and said a couple of things to a Caldari. The man nodded to Jed and started redirecting slaves to start loading several Bestowers.

Jed turned back to his brother and said, "Gabe, I don't have time to go into details. Thukkers are attacking the station. Jonas and I have only minutes to get out before the whole place goes."

Gabe was shocked. He was not used to seeing violence. The thought of his brother being in danger numbed him to the bones.

"Jed, what can I do to help?"

"Listen. I'm trying to bring in some very important documents. Documents that cannot be transmitted. Do you remember the family's beacon frequency?"

Gabriel knew of the homing frequency. Theodouloses carried homing beacons, long before capsuleers flew in space.

"I know it Jed", Gabe answered.

"Listen", Jed quickly spoke, "I'm leaving Kourmonen now, and am going to do my level best to get my carcass back to Netsalakka!"

Another thunderous roar came across the vid-screen, and things appeared to shake around Gabriel's brother.

Jed continued, "If I don't make it through, I am going to need your help."

The Caldari returned and said, "Jed, we're packed and ready."

"OK Jonas, we're leaving now," Jedadiah shouted.

He turned back to Gabe and their eyes locked.

"Gabe, this information is important to the family. I'm trusting you, Brother to get it back home."

The look on Jedadiah's face communicated that his mortality was near.

"If you need help, look up Marshal Gangleri with VFOR," said Jedadiah. "He knows of you and he's a man of honor."

"Gangleri. VFOR. Right!" was all Gabe could say.

Jed looked at his brother and said, "Gabe, pray for me. I don't think I'll make this one!"

With that, another thunderous roar sounded and the vid-screen went dead.

"Jed!", shouted Gabriel thrashing out at the blank screen.

The connection was lost.

A Lost Brother, Part 1

Jed wasn't the same.

Normally, he is always focused on his work. Having served several years in the Imperial Navy as well as earning the rerspect of the Sarum Family, Jedadiah had developed a reputation for getting many an agent out of trouble. When the war broke out with the Minmatar, he didn't hesitate to seek out ways to serve his empire.

Oh, hello. My name is Jonas Calvin. I am a long time friend and confidant of Jedadiah Theodoulos, second in line to the patriarchal head of the House Theodoulos. The Theodoulos family has never been big, but their ties to both the Sarum Family as well as Ardishapuran Dynasty are strong. This strength has made them wealthy; quite wealthy.

Anyways, Jed really wanted to serve his empire. The Matari Invastion brought home the need to stop the barbaric onslaught, and Jedadiah never was the type to sit back when his help was needed.

At first I thought things were going well. Jed was always careful who he associated himself with. Through the help of several contacts in the Domain Region, he narrowed down the alliances he was interested in joining. He never wanted ties with pirate corps, and though Jed never had troubles working with "foreigners," like most Amarrians he preferred the companionship of his own people the most.

Jed had narrowed down the list to two alliances. The first was Curatores Veritatis Alliance. For years, CVA has had a strong reputation of being defenders of the Empire, as well as having little to no tolerance for pirates. They had pushed back the pirates South of Domain and had established the region of Providence for the Empire. The second alliance caught his attention even more. It wasn't as large as CVA, but their reputation was so strong, and Jedadiah was drawn to it almost instantly. This was the Vigilia Valeria, also known as VV. Like a Syrikos Hound, they have an undaunting reputation to lock onto a target and not allow anything to deter them from their mission. Jed didn't have to say anything. I knew his heart was with this group.

That morning I met up with Jed at the family's hanger in Irnin VII.

"Good morning, Sir", I greeted him. "How did things go with your interview?" I knew he had an interview with Marshal Gangleri of the Vigilia Valeria Expeditionary Forces, which is the VV branch for the Amarrian Navy.

"Fine, fine", he replied; appearing to be deep in thought.

I didn't notice it at first, but later on while thinking back on that moment, I realized that Jed wasn't fine. He appeared to be a bit sullen, and more introverted than he normally is. Yet, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary so I hadn't given it a second thought; until later.

After breakfast, Jed came into the Capsuleer's Lounge and announced that he had a rather large project for me to perform.

"Jonas, I need to consolidate much of my assets and I am going to need your help", he started off. "We're going to clear out all the hangers in both the Ebtesham as well as the Youl Clusters, and move them to a more secure location."

This was different. Jed had acquired a large amount of assets in these clusters serving both the Amarr Navy as well as the Sarum Family, and I knew that this was going to be no small feat.

"Very well Sir", I replied. "Where are we moving to?"

His answer almost made my heart stop.

"The Bleak Lands", came his response.

That was when I knew things were not fine.