The House Theodoulos

The Dilemma

2010-11-22T00:12:00.001-08:00

"So Uncle, what do you think?"

Onesimus was always my favorite nephew. Though he was a relatively young man, he performs his duties with love and conviction. There never was a time, I asked for his help, that the young Theodoulos would hesitate in giving.

Now, that he comes to me for advice... And on such a topic! How can I help him? I have been a monk all my life. A scholar and theologian. How can I answer my beloved nephew?

Onesimus thought for a moment longer, "maybe I should make a frontal assault! Show no fear, right?"

"Uh... Well... Maybe you...." was all I could get out.

"Or possibly I should lay low, and not do anything," the boy continued, with a worried look on his face.

"And what would the repercussions be, my lad?" I asked, hoping to delay this boy's realization that I am possibly the very last person to ask such questions.

Onesimus thought for a moment, and replied, "If I come straight forward I can show that I am no coward. I will show that I am brave, and can face any outcome that would result in ... well... you know."

Oh boy lad, I thought to myself. No I do not! It was many years ago, I made my vows to God, and dealing with this issue was on that list!

"Or I could remain silent," a sad look came across his face. "It would protect both of us from bad feelings... If it were not meant to be."

My heart went out to my dear nephew. He really did like this girl, but both he and I didn't quite know how to deal with it. Bah, I thought to myself, why couldn't be like the olden days, where families arranged for such matters? It would make life a whole lot easier for my young pod pilot.

"She is... so.... beautiful, Uncle Gabe!" Onesimus extold.

"Bah!" came my reply, "You never once saw her, just an image... and her voice on the commas."

The nephew looked shocked at his monk uncle. Then a little hurt. "True," came the slow and carefully worded reply, "but she sure does sound beautiful."

The situation was worse that I had imagined.

"My boy," I continued in my most fatherly manner, "I know the young lady myself. A fine and loyal Amarrian, yet she does has a reputation with Concord you know. And she does have a bounty out on her."

"Oh, that... That was Pred's sense of humor!" came the quick reply. "Besides, what does Concord know about Amarrian Loyalty?"

It's a habit of mine, really. When I catch something I didn't expect my right eyebrow twitches.

My right eyebrow twitched. "Be careful Onesimus," I replied. "We respect Concord and their laws until told otherwise by God or our Empress."

Where was Tobias when you needed him? He would be able to answer such dilemmas. Far better that this old monk is doing. But that fool of a Primus had to go off half-cocked and get himself kicked out of 1PG.... I sigh.

I look over to my beloved nephew, and a tear comes to my eye. I never had this problem.... Well, one time... But Onesimus must never find out. Never!

My heart went out to him, as the heart of a father. I wanted to drive all his doubts and sorrows away, but sometimes, such matters must be worked through.

"Onesimus my boy, give this matter time. She is a good girl, but God will work things out for what is best."

"You're right, Uncle Gabe," replied the young and naive Theodoulos. "I will focus on my duties, and let matters work themselves out."

A heavy sigh escaped my lips, as I realized that we just might have resolved a major dilemma. Then a thought ran across my mind, "My boy, would you kindly do me a favor?"

"What's that Uncle Gabe?"

I took a deep breath, "Please, stop referring to her as My Queen!"

Onesimus' face turned three shades of red, "Yes sir, I will try."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Orca Wreck on Auga Gate

2010-08-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight was a real "blood boiler"! It's not every day I get to fly a Sigil through enemy territory.

Tonight while working on one of my other blogs, my son makes an off-hand comment, "Hey Dad, there's an Orca wreck on the Auga gate".

"Poor slob," I responded. Who in their right mind would fly a hauler let alone an Orca through Minmatar space? They must have been a lunatic.

I turned to son and said, "It's probably picked clean huh?"

"Nope," came the reply, "It has 10 Punishers, a Hawk, and one of those funny named ships that just came out.

What is this??? I fully loaded wreck? "well Son," trying to hide my interest, "Grab yourself a hauler and go get it."

After about a minute, son replies that there are no haulers for sale that are close by. Now he has my attention. Knowing that I have my well-stabbed Sigil in Arzad, I do what I would consider totally retarded. I volunteer to go get the Hawk!

I dropped out of station and head immediately for the Ezzara Gate. All I could hear was my CEO Gangleri chewing my butt out by flying a hauler into Amamake. Ah well, I conclude, you only live once!

Once in Vard, I start picking up enemy signs in local. I thank God for my stabs and keep going. Then I get to the Amamake gate, I jump and immediately warp to a safe spot.

By this time, I get Gabe to fleet up with Onesimus Theodoulos (my son's character), and I have him to fly his punisher to the wreck. I'm still thinking how abjectly crazy this idea is, but once on the safe spot, I align to the Auga Gate.

After what seems to be an eternity, Son pipes up and says he is at the wreck. I punch the warp, and my "I turn like a pregnant yak" hauler takes off. Now, it's all or nothing!

I arrive at Onesimus' punisher and wreck with my cargo hold wide open, grab the Hawk, and ran like a scared school girl! W00t!!!! Success!!!

After a little zig-zagging through Siseide, I make it back to Arzad. All this time, my son is bragging how he saw Hawks go for 20Mil isk on the market. When I docked up, I opened the Market and to my horror, Hawks were only going for 11Mil in Devoid!

:sigh:

I then pulled up EVE-Central.com and saw that Hawks were only going for 10.3 in Amarr. Visions of iskies floating in my head quickly dissipated. I tossed the ship up on the market for 10Mil and gave Son 5.

Ah well. It was fun!

19th EVE Online Blog Banter: CSM and CCP

2010-07-20T05:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the nineteenth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

This months topic comes to us from @evepress, and he asks: The CSM: CCP's Meta Game? - The CSM, an eve player's voice to CCP. Right? In the grand scheme of things yes, the players bring up issues and the CSM presents them to CCP. But in its current iteration the CSM was supposed to be given small authority to assign CCP assets toprojects that the CSM thought needed work on. As it has not come out, this was not the case. So fellow bloggers, is the CSM worth it, has the CSM improved the game in any way, or is it just a well thought out scamby CCP to give us players a false sense of input in the game? What's your take?

In response to this question, allow me to preface my opinions by stating that I was not at any of the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) Meetings, and have never had an opportunity to speak directly with any of the CCP staff. Where my thoughts and opinions stem from are derived out of what I read on blogs and what I see happening (or not happening as the case might be) within the game itself. With that said….

I have been playing EVE Online for almost four years now. The first two years were as a blissful carebear, not knowing, nor caring about the politics that can easily run rampant within an MMO like EVE. When Factional War was introduced to the game, it gave me the chance to expand my horizons and become involved not only with PvP, but also with Player Corps. Opening my eyes to all of these new activities and events, I realized how important it is for the game to be balanced. Give one side an advantage, whether knowing or not, can quickly deplete the "fun factor".

According to EVElopedia,

The purpose of the CSM is to represent society interests to CCP. This requires active engagement with the player community to master EVE issue awareness, understanding, and evaluation in the context of the "greatest good for the greater player base". The scope of issues is restricted only to EVE, its ongoing development, and limited meta (out-of-game) issues which have direct relevance to the EVE universe. It is important to keep in mind that the CSM will not have formal powers within CCP, they will have a voice inside CCP.

Taking this definition, we can see that CSM's purpose is to focus the voices of thousands of players down to a handful of elected representatives, in order to communicate the concerns and desires of the players. In @evepress's original query, they make the following statement, "…CSM was supposed to be given small authority…." Looking at the EVElopedia statement, it clearly states, "It is important to keep in mind that the CSM will not have formal powers within CCP…" Therefore, even though CSM is the voice of the players, to consider them to be in any position of authority is a misnomer.

When players express their desires for certain changes to the game, it's usually because there are problems being faced. One example I can recall are the Factional Warfare Plexing bugs. Last year, the Amarr militia had been swarmed by pilots who were actively utilizing these bugs, and since CCP would not address this issue, the bugs were heavily exploited and FW turned into a horrendous mess. From my end of the keyboard, I really had the impression that my complaints, and those of my peers, were going unheeded. In the end, it destroyed the game for many of us, and full recovery didn't occur until May of this year. CSM was established to carry these concerns to CCP and make sure they were heard, with the hopes that corrections can be made.

Now that the recent CSM has returned from Iceland, and as a player, I am receiving third party information that CCP is continuing to disregard our concerns. Granted, CSM has no real power, but to not address the voices of the players is a grim matter. This continues to broadcast the idea that CCP is not serious about the wishes of the players, and that CSM is for appearances only. Once again, the Council itself bears no power, but if the issues they present are not responded to, it bears an unspoken reply that CSM is only for show. If this image of the Council of Stellar Management is not addressed, it does have the potential of pushing many players away from the game, which I honestly hope doesn't happen.

I realize that CCP has a bigger picture than I do as a player. They are forced to set priorities and make decisions based on the good of the game as a whole. Yet, to not publically acknowledge our concerns nor address the issues that are important to the players, allows a breakdown in communication. Though CCP has a heavy burden to keep the game with its entirety in perspective, they must also realize that when we send our CSM representatives in to voice our concerns, and they come back empty handed, this communicates a lack of respect for the paying subscriber.

I don't know what CCP's motives are, with regards to CSM. It's an extremely hot topic, that must be faced and rectified, or matters will only degrade even worse.

Re: Blessed are the Cursed

2010-07-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Throughout the game of EVE Online, CCP has provided a large scale virtual reality and a broad spectrum of opportunities. While one player can enter the game with a desire to mine ore, and build his empire on trade, another can enter this arena with no greater desire than to blow someone else up. This wide variety is the strong point of EVE Online, and CCP has wisely chosen to interfere as little as possible. As with so many other aspects of life, strong points always bring along some weak points as well, and one of the greatest weak points in EVE is its lack of clarity when it comes to culture and background.

This month, EVE Online A Ghost Blog put out an article entitled, Blessed Are the Cursed. In this article he portrays the capsuleer as both being blessed with an eternal lifespan, while being cursed with forever being imprisoned in a pod.

Though I greatly respect the perspectives of others, and regard their development in the realm of role playing, I am forced to point out that this is not entirely accurate, when it comes to what CCP has offered.

Over the past several years, CCP has officially announced their efforts to bring out what is code named: Incarna. For the longest time, it had been referred to as Walking in Station, but the gist of the matter is that capsuleers do have the ability to leave their pods and walk around as they did before their conversion into a capsuleer.

During the 2009 Fan Fest, CCP presented a video introducing their efforts to make Incarna a reality.

Now, I am not about to point out how these notions are incorrect, but as an opinionated pilot/ player, this perspective I must totally disagree with. And since this is in fact MY blog , I get to post my ideas!

w00t!!

First off, Capsuleers as a whole, do in fact can and will leave their pods. Speaking from the perspective of Gabby, he has been a normal person for quite some time. The first 4-5 decades had been normal, and this is what he is used to. Granted, being a Pod Pilot is a big rush. You are surrounded and integrated into vast amounts of power, it is only natural to feel more comfortable for a capsuleer to be in his pod than out, but like Gabriel, many other pilots have a life outside of the pod.

The Theodoulos home world is Khopa IV. It's a small system a couple of jumps from Amarr, and the family as a whole, are aristocratically comfortable. Gabriel has family, and in the virtual reality, it is only natural for him to interact, as he had all his life. For him to be forced to live his eternity in a pod, would be psychologically terrible (as pointed out in Ghost's blog).

Second, I must stand up to and address this video provided by CCP and disagree with it as well. This pilot is forcing himself to leave the pod because he must do something that he does not wish to show up on any network. The impression I am left with is that he finds it absolutely revolting to walk around as a normal human. From the psychological perspective, I also have to disagree with this as well. Gabe, is more used to being out of a pod than in it, because he has spent the most part of his life, being out of the pod, and interacting as a normal human being. Granted, the power and strength of a capsuleer is phenomenal, but as a human, he is still a bipedal creature, needing to interact.

Now, out of concern with ruffling a few feathers, allow me to say that with EVE Online, anyone can take the liberties to create any type of background and culture they want. But to paint all capsuleers as being cursed to live forever in a pod, is not the norm.

Hopefully, within this millennium, CCP will bless us with Incarna. When this happens, Ghost's curse will be lifted and he will be free to wander around in blissful freedom. But until then, we are forced to obtain our liberties through our imagination!

Fly Safe!

PLEX: Finally Undocking

2010-07-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

CCP Zulu, in his latest blog, has revealed CCP's plans to remove some of the limitations of PLEX (Pilot's License EXtention). In the past, PLEXes were not allowed to be removed from stations, because of CCPs fear of legal repercussions when an object of real value enters a game, and is subject to loss.

When PLEX was introduced into the game, CCP had some serious and legitimate concerns that this new item would be so volatile in the players mind that it had to have certain boundaries. So they implemented a few restrictions on this one item that made it behave differently from all the other items in-game. The biggest difference between the PLEX and other objects was the fact that you couldn't undock with PLEX in your cargohold. It was in fact bound to the station the pilot initially redeemed the PLEX in, only available to put on the market there (or use or whatever). PLEX was also restricted from courier contracts as they couldn't be couriered to anywhere anyway.

Because EVE Online is a complex game, and the players are habitually out-thinking the developers of EVE by taking the game much farther than the original intention, PLEXes were carefully guarded and monitored. Now, after careful deliberation, CCP is willing to take the Pilot's License EXtensions to the next level. The following is a list of changes made:

• CCP will remove the restriction on undocking from a station with a PLEX in your cargo hold

• CCP will remove the restriction that PLEX cannot be put into courier contracts

• CCP will remove the restriction that items (including PLEX) can only be redeemed into NPC stations

• CCP will remove the restriction that items (including PLEX) can only be reverse-redeemed from NPC stations

• CCP will remove the restriction that ETC can only be converted into PLEX while inside an NPC station.

I personally do not deal with PLEXes any more. Sure, there was a time when ole Gabby needed some serious iskies, but now, the brunt of my income is made through Factional Warfare. Yet, back when I did sell PLEXes (GTCs), I always found it a real bother to be hampered by the limitations placed upon them by CCP.

I am eager to see how these new changes pan out, and hope it is for the best, all around.

This is a Test

2010-07-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there folk!

One of the biggest problems I am faced with, in regards to blogging, is that all of the really great comments and thoughts come to me when I am not sitting at the computer. So, I decided to invest in an iPad, and see if this will help me work on many of my projects, including the zoo. Of blogs I run!

So, forgive me for posting this initial test blog. I am wanting to make sure everything works, before relying on it!

Amarr Victor!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cheaters Never Prosper

2009-12-08T01:47:00.000-08:00

[Out of Character Post]

If you play EVE Online long enough, you find "glitches" in the game. When used improperly, these exploits can be damaging. This is what is happening with regards to Factional Warfare.

Several Caldari pilots discovered that if they attack Gallente FW Plexes with Amarrian characters, the NPCs will not attempt to defend the plex. This is why all of the Gallente warzone has been captured by the Caldari.

From what I was told, these pilots attempted to notify CCP of this bug/ exploit and according to my sources, CCP has not responded. Therefore, what do these pilots do? They come over to the Minmatar warzone and start taking down plexes as Caldari, knowing that the NPCs will not attack them.

As of this writing 3 systems has fallen using this exploit: Isbrabata, Egmar, and Aset.

As a pilot involved in factional warfare, I will be the first to rejoice when we win, but not by cheating. Granted, it sounds like CCP has seriously dropped the ball on this issue, but it doesn't justify stepping in and ruining the game for others.

There is another bug we discovered earlier and attempted many time to draw CCP's attention on. When a FW pilot enters a plex, approaches a timer, and then warps off, the timer will continue by itself. We have personally found Minmatar pilots repeatedly abusing this exploit, with no repercussions from CCP.

Using these bugs/ exploits is nothing more than cheating.

Our corporation, 1st Praetorian Guard, held several meetings regarding this matter and we unanimously agreed that these bugs are egregious and cannot be sanctioned or promoted. Even though many of our opponents don't mind using such bugs, we have committed ourselves on taking a higher ground.

So, what's going to happen in Matari Space? I am not sure. I suspect that the systems will fall just as the Gallente systems fell. 1PG will not be a part of it, and CCP should be ashamed that they have not addressed the issue.

Star Fraction Loses POS

2009-10-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful day. Today in Kamela, Star Fraction (a notorious pirate corporation) lost their POS to the Amarr Militia.

If you were not one of the 445 individuals in Local at that time, here is what you would have seen:
I personally don't have any hard feelings against SF itself. It is a pirate corporation and as with all pirates, rapscallions, and other forms of nefarious cretins who shamelessly attack and steal from innocent lives, they deserve their ultimate end.

The only regret I have is that Jade Constantine was not there.

Shame.

Beginnings: The Enemy Revealed

2009-05-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

The Enemy Revealed

Thukker stations have a reputation for starkness. Since the Amarrians had invaded Matari Space, the Thukker Tribe has been on the forefront of the fight. And luxuries don’t have a place during time of war. JJ knew his way around the station. While being a young man, he has worked for Special Ops for almost two years now, ever since he graduated from the university. No longer having any family ties, the Brutor had found himself a capable agent. One who could infiltrate and kill without concern over the loss of loved ones.

The young Brutor knocked, and opened the door. He knew he was expected, so without hesitation he entered the small conference room and approached the two officers sitting at the table.

“Are you…”, began one officer.

“My friends call me JJ,” came the quick reply. “I’ve been told that you need my … um, … talents?”

Both officers stood, smiled, and shook his hand. “Yes, we’ve been expecting you. Please, have a seat.” The first officer said, “My name is Takkal, Captain of Special Operations in the 4th Thukker Division. This is Captain Sardis from the 3rd Division.”

“I’ve been told that we have an opportunity to infiltrate one of the houses,” said JJ. “How can I help?”

Takkal, turned and glanced at the second officer without saying a word. He then turned back to his guest, “It’s not the house we are after.” He paused and took a breath. “We need your help to get into the Theology Counsel.”

JJ didn’t say a word. Every Matari knew of the Theology Counsel. The Amarrian Empire was hated, yet it was the Theology Counsel that was despised the most. It was well acknowledged by every Minmatar that it’s their religion that drove the Amarrian to destroy and subjugate other worlds. It was their belief system that energized the enemy to commit such atrocities. And it was the Theology Counsel that promoted their vile faith.

“What can I do?” came the slow reply. “I’m no Amarrian priest!” JJ spat out the words as if they were coated with poison.

Sardis, who remained quiet so far, opened a folder and glanced through it. “I have a report here that your degree is in archaeology.”

The Brutor squirmed in his seat. His hatred for the Amarrian scum didn’t cloud his good judgment. JJ knew that to get too close to the Theology Counsel meant he would be scrutinized more closely than normal. “My degree is in Signal Analysis and Scan Probing,” JJ said. “I only minored in archaeology at the University just to fill in my credits.”

“That’s fine JJ,” came the first officer’s reply. “We need your skills and background to slip in and infiltrate a project the Counsel has been working on.” The lights went dim and the wall screen lit up showing the plans of an archaeological dig. Apparently an ancient building complex was discovered several years ago that contained an almost intact library. For well over a thousand years, this site had remained dormant and now with the expansion of nearby construction, the ruins were uncovered. “It has been found that many of the records translated so far have shown to contradict the current Amarrian religion. If we can get solid proof that the Empire has no foundation to their beliefs, it would go a long way to undermine their Manifest Destiny.”

“I’m not interested in religion!” shouted JJ, pounding his fist on the desk. “I want one thing! I want Amarrian blood!!!”

There was a long pause of silence. Captain Sardis took a breath and began, “JJ, we know how angry you are over the loss of your family. Many of your Matari brothers and sisters have lost family members to the Amarrians as well. You are no exception.” He leaned forward in his chair and continued, “We have an opportunity to strike against the empire, right where it will hurt them the most; in their precious beliefs.”

“JJ,” Takkal included, “We have the report on your home-world invasion.” He reached into the folder and removed several papers. Looking down at them, he continued, “Your father and brothers were killed defending your home, and your mother and both sisters were taken.” JJ bowed his head. He thought the years would have dulled the anger and bitterness over his loss, but the tears wouldn’t stop. The officer continued, “We also know who sponsored the raid.”

The Brutor looked up and glared into the eyes of his companion. “What does that have to do with me getting into the Theology Counsel?”

The two officers looked at each other and smiled. “The archaeological dig is headed by an unknown scholar by the name of Doctor Gabriel Theodoulos. His father, John Carl Theodoulos was the Amarrian who sponsored the raid that killed your family.”

For years the burning hatred and anger had sat in his belly, smoldering and festering in his very soul without having an outlet. He had tried to focus this hatred by volunteering for raids against the Empire. JJ believed that the only way to satiate this hatred was to find the murderers of his family and extinguish this inferno with the flow of their blood. Now he has a name. The name of his enemy. The name of the guilty who deserved nothing less than to die by his hand.

Theodoulos.

“When do I begin?” was his only response.

- -

For a Minmatar agent to infiltrate the Amarrian Empire took lots of training and lots of time. Training began on how to behave without giving away your identity. Though the Empire had harvested many of their slaves from the Matari worlds, it was not normal for such a proud race to bow the will to another. It took training. Immunizations also had to be slowly given to the agents in order to become immune to the Vitoc which was regularly used by the Amarrians in order to keep their slaves in subjection. Without this immunization, the agent would be lost.

And finally it took time: time to produce legitimate forgeries of documents and passports. Time was needed to establish viable alibis in order to cover the tracks of the agent. Time is essential to prepare the agent for what they were about to encounter. Normally, an agent was slipped in with a cargo of slaves heading toward a certain point. Body would be pressed against sweaty body, with each slave’s Vitoc collar clanking against another’s while the transport made its way deeper into Empire territory. Once at their destiny, the slaves would be herded off and allocated to their assigned tasks, depending on their menial skills.

JJ’s entry into the Domain Region was different. Unlike the normal route of a slave, JJ arrived from Sinq Laison on an Interbus transport. Though still a slave, he had come by way of a wealthy Gallentean. JJ’s papers showed that he was an educated slave with a degree in Archaeology. While still a slave, this made him more valuable. Unlike the normal bulky Vitoc collars that are commonly seen amongst most of the laborers, JJ wore a more discreet version that allowed him to move among others without drawing attention to himself.

After landing in Amarr, the Brutor walked off the transport and headed directly to the closest terminal. Inserting his passport, the computer directed him to where he could pick up his luggage and be assigned transport. He retrieved his passport and started to head downstairs for his luggage, when he heard a voice behind him.

“You! Slave boy!” came a cold order. JJ stopped and turned around, being very careful not to raise his head and look at his hated enemy in the eye. It was a Security Guard.

“Your papers, now!” the guard commanded. JJ brought out his papers and humbly handed them to the Amarrian. The guard looked them over, and carefully scrutinized the Brutor. “I’ve never seen Matari filth dressed as fine as you.” Amarrian security guards normally carried firearms. Many also carried what was called a pain stick, a device that could deliver a controlled burst of current. With only a twist of a gauge the weapon could produce a wide range of suffering from a mild sharp pain all the way up to death. This guard was no exception. He handled his pain stick deftly in one hand while holding JJ’s papers in another. The Matari waited quietly until his papers were returned and he was ordered to be on his way.

JJ continued down the escalators and arrived in time to grab his luggage. Heading out the spaceport, he moved toward the lesser transports. No slave was permitted to ride the public transports of the Empire. They were relegated to the crowded transports for lower class. Moving away from the crowd and toward the lesser transports, he heard a voice call his name. JJ turned and saw a frail figure of a monk walking toward him. “I am called JJ”, came his normal answer. “I am here to work for my new master, Doctor Theodoulos.”
The monk smiled, and explained that he was to bring the Matari to the monastery. The Matari was not used to such politeness offered by this monk. He was familiar with callous words and a cruel hand. This monk was different. Though the Amarrian still kept his distance from the Brutor, he didn’t have the harshness that JJ came to expect from his enemy. The monk directed him to an awaiting vehicle, and they quickly departed.

As the two sped along towards the archaeological site, the monk handed JJ a small round device. “Master Theodoulos does not care to have his servants wear Vitoc collars. Here is a key to remove yours.” JJ was shocked. Never has he ever taken a collar off while in Amarrian Space. He took the key, and placed it on the collar. There was a small click and the band unlocked without delivering the lethal drug used to keep slaves under submission. JJ knew that this treatment of slaves was not normal, and he was not sure how to react.

“May I ask you a question,” JJ quietly queried. “How does Master Theodoulos handle those who rebel?”

Without even turning to the Brutor, the monk smiled and replied, “No one rebels against the House Theodoulos, JJ. No one.”

An icy chill ran down his spine at the thought. How can Minmatar live in slavery without rebelling? What horror keeps brave Matari from turning against their slave-holders? A haunting fear crept over the Brutor’s soul, not knowing what he was about to face.

They continued on.

- -

The work at the archaeological site was more than Gabriel or anyone else could have imagined. At first only one floor of the library was discovered in the ruins. As more of the site was uncovered, three more floors of the library were found. Though much of the building had collapsed and disintegrated, thousands of books, manuscripts and tapes were recovered and much of them were still intact. It took a delicate and educated hand to recover and restore the material found.

Doctor Theodoulos discovered news on a Minmatar slave who specialized in archaeology. He was elated to find that while he only had a Minmatar education, he had experience in handling and recovering archaeological artifacts. This made him invaluable and the doctor had to have him!

It took him several months, and lots of paperwork, but Gabriel finally guaranteed his purchase. Many among the Theological Counsel were incensed by the idea of a slave being given such responsibility, but the House Theodoulos had close connections with the Counsel. When the dust settled and the nerves were calmed, Doctor Theodoulos won out, and the slave arrived.

Gabriel was beginning a new set of translations in his office when the Minmatar arrived. As the door to his office opened, Gabe could see his new manservant enter. He was tall and muscular, very much unlike the frail intellectual archaeologists that surrounded the doctor on a day-to-day basis. Despite the fact that he wore the wretched dreadlocks of a Brutor, he had a very clean appearance which pleased the scholar well.

“Come in, come in please,” invited the doctor. The slave cautiously entered the office, still uncomfortable over the treatment he was given by his new master. “How do you prefer to be called,” asked Gabriel.

“I am simply called JJ, Master,” came the quiet reply.

“Well JJ, welcome to your new home!”

- -

JJ didn’t know how to react. Standing before him was the heir to the man who wiped out his entire family. This frail elderly man could have been snapped in two before anyone had time to react. Yet JJ knew that he had to keep his anger and bitterness in check. The Brutor had to find the material needed to uncover the facts behind this archaeological dig and secure the truth before he could exact his revenge on his enemy. JJ bowed his head and replied, “Master, I am eager to fulfill my destiny.”

After the meeting, JJ was escorted to his quarters. Though they were Spartan, the small room was clean and comfortable. During the last mission he was on, JJ had to live in a single shed with other slaves. The floor was cold and wet, and the only way to stay warm was to huddle close to his fellow slaves. This was different.
The first two weeks were a time for orientation. JJ was evaluated and assigned duties that fit his experience. He was shown where he had access to and where he was forbidden to enter. The Minmatar was given a quick orientation on how to use the scanners and analyzers needed to document and recover the fragile texts. By the end of the month, JJ fit in just like everyone else. The one thing that he could not get over was the fact that none of the slaves wore collars. Each person, both free and slave did their task. Though one or two of the servants were critical over their situation, most of the slaves were very happy with their lives, especially those slaves who came directly from the House Theodoulos. The Brutor could not come to an answer over this dilemma.

The months rolled on and eventually, JJ celebrated a year at the site. A lot of material was recovered and much of the writings, though written in the archaic languages, had been translated and catalogued. The Brutor had quietly obtained a copy of the work without anyone noticing. He carefully encrypted the documents and stored them in a compressed file completely concealed from others. When he realized that he had enough evidence to provide for his allies, JJ started making plans for his revenge on the House that murdered his father and brothers. Although no one on the site carried weapons, he did find one firearm in the storage cabinet in his dorm. He quietly noted its location for when he would need it. He also noted that his master preferred to be alone in his study at night, long past the time when others went to bed. Everything seemed to line up perfectly.

The night of his plans, JJ moved the file from his computer to an archive crystal, and placed it in his pocket. Quietly, he left his room and retrieved the deadly weapon. Making sure it showed a charge, he slipped it in his pocket and made his way to the labs. The halls were dimmed, and everyone was gone for the night. The only person left in the building was Gabriel Theodoulos.

The closer JJ crept toward his master’s study the harder it was for him to control the rage within him. For months, the Brutor kept his anger in check, and even though Theodoulos was polite and kind to him, JJ could never erase the sight of his dead brothers. That night so long ago, as the slaver ships were leaving, laden down with fresh slaves, the young lad held his dying fathers in his arms. He wept as he promised his father that he would not give up until he found the one responsible. Revenge must be brought about. Atrocities must be paid for, and the payment would come with the shedding of Theodoulos blood.

JJ slowly crept up to the door to the study. He knew his master was in there. The door was cracked and light was pouring into the dark office where he hid. With the sweat of anticipation and the adrenalin flowing, he carefully, opened the door. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the light, he clearly saw the back of his enemy. With his right hand he raised the weapon to deliver the blow of vengeance on this man.

Then without turning away from his work, Gabriel spoke, “Hello JJ. I was waiting for you.”

--

Realizing that his plans were known, the Minmatar agent pulled the trigger. He knew now that he would never escape alive, yet he would at least die with the knowledge that his family’s murderer would die as well.

Nothing happened.

“I am sorry my friend, but the weapon is useless,” said the aged scholar. “Though it appears to be fully charged, it’s just a fake. Planted there for you.”

JJ was dumb-founded. He let his arm drop as if it had no strength left. “How did you know?”

Doctor Theodoulos turned around and faced his would-be assassin, “Your psycho-scans revealed you on the first day you arrived.” Gabriel activated a monitor, bringing up the reports on JJ’s brain scans. “We have monitoring scanners in each of the dorms. Though I detest those terrible Vitoc collars, it is important to retain proper security among the servants.”

Things started making sense for the Matari. He couldn’t understand why this Amarrian would live among slaves without the Vitoc collars to control the rebellious. Now it is clear. The House he was sold to, monitors all psychological activities of their slaves. But there was one more question he didn’t understand.

The lights came on behind him, and two armed guards entered the office. With all resistance gone, JJ asked, “How do you control the rebel?”

“Control the rebel?” Gabriel repeated the question. “We don’t control anyone. My dear boy, we cure them!”

- -

With the rage burning inside the Brutor and the horror of realization, the Minmatar assassin screams with all of his might as he is dragged away to the neighboring medical facilities. Neural surgery, though extremely expensive and potentially deadly has been considered more humane by the House Theodoulos. Their Amarrian surgeons are good. With a success rate of almost 85%, they are able to identify and redirect the cranial pathways that have been damaged by the hatred, pain, and bitterness. In most cases, a full recovery is expected.

Work continues on at the excavation site. More of the ancient library is uncovered, and the pieces are restored. Theodoulos wraps up another progress report for the Theology Counsel, and returns to his study. As he enters the office, he sees JJ sitting quietly to the side, waiting for him to return. Gabriel stops before the Matari and looks down at the seated figure, “Why JJ, it’s so good to see you back. How are you doing?”

The slave looks up at his Amarrian master, and tears fill his eyes. Though once, tears of rage flowed, now these are tears of joy and of love. “Master, I am so grateful for your help… so grateful.”

Gabe puts his hand on the Brutor’s broad shoulder, “That’s ok, my friend JJ. I am glad to help.”

“Master,” the Matari stammers, “Please, don’t call me JJ. That’s my old name.” The servant raises a sleeve to his face and wipes the tears from his eyes. “My father always called me by my full name, and I would be honored if you would too.”

“My name is not JJ, but Jom Jab.”

Rescuing All These Wayward Children

2009-03-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Blinding sacred laser's flash,
Amarrian armor's hardened crash;
Frigates run to the battlefield,
Fight those Minmatar till they yield.
Fleeting skirmishes and mechanized drone,
Battle to return what is our own;
Fulfilling as the special chosen,
Rescuing all these wayward children.

Follow orders as you're told,
Make their cowardly blood run cold;
Fight until you die or drop,
Our Empresses will shall not stop.
Close your mind to fear and pain,
Fight till you're no longer sane;
Sound the horn and call the action,
Rescuing all these wayward children.

Barbarian tide we push back,
The foolish rebel's vain attack;
Revealing to them the truth of war,
Civility shall be taught, we foreswore.
Dawn has broke, the time has come,
Move your fleet to a marching drum;
Fulfilling as the special chosen,
Rescuing all these wayward children.

Disclaimer: I discovered a poem written on another character's bio, and I used this as a foundation to this piece. If you want to see the original poem, look up Leoline. Personally, I like mine better! :)

Gabby's First Solo Kill, and It's Aftermath!

2009-03-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

Today was my very first solo kill. Though I wish I could say that my opponent was flying something grand, like a Wolf, or Ishkur, I must confess that the truth be told, it was a Gallente Shuttle.

XO Saul apparently was afk on the Ardar Gate in Floseswin, when I happened upon his shuttle. My FC gave me the go-ahead and I locked, fired, and popped his shuttle. When I saw that his pod wasn't moving, I shook my head realizing that the hapless chap was indeed afk! Well, always eager to provide some instruction, even to the enemy, I locked his pod, and popped it as well!

Several minutes later I received an invitation to chat with XO Saul, and the following is the (edited) result...

---------------------------------------------------------------
Channel ID: 2140960361 Channel Name: Private Chat (XO Saul)
Listener: Gabriel Theodoulos Session started: 2009.03.04 21:50:24
---------------------------------------------------------------
[ 2009.03.04 21:50:34 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > Hail and Greetings!
[ 2009.03.04 21:50:55 ] XO Saul > why you shoot my pod? it was 100 m for me
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:11 ] XO Saul > why didn'T you ask for money or something
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:15 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > You are flagged as a War Target Sir.
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:25 ] XO Saul > i was afk
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:29 ] XO Saul > didn'T you see?
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:31 ] XO Saul > it was fair
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:32 ] XO Saul > ?
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:36 ] XO Saul > honorable kill?
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:37 ] XO Saul > or what?
[ 2009.03.04 21:51:52 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > yes, apparently you were indeed afk!
[ 2009.03.04 21:52:17 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > though I am a noob myself, I have learned not to go afk in low sec space
[ 2009.03.04 21:52:34 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > nothing personal...
[ 2009.03.04 21:52:44 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > just following orders.
[ 2009.03.04 21:52:57 ] XO Saul > orders
[ 2009.03.04 21:53:18 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > please, excuse me... must get back to work!
[ 2009.03.04 21:53:23 ] Gabriel Theodoulos > Fly Safe!
[ 2009.03.04 21:53:26 ] XO Saul > put your orders into your [bleep!], and watch your back, next time we will kill you, and leave this sys

... and I was truly hoping he would have appreciated the learning experience!

Sad to say, I get the impression that he took it a bit personally.

-VV- Chronicles: Beginnings

2009-03-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

All eyes had been glued to the news feeds coming into the cruiser, ISS Defiance. A large Minmatar-Thukker armada had opened up in the Yulai System and to everyone's amazement began bombarding the CONCORD Bureau at Yulai IX. Tensions had been high since the first appearance of the mystery armada, but no one suspected that the Republic would strike against the one source of peace between the empires.

CONCORD (Consolidated Cooperation and Relations Command) was founded over a century ago, not long after the empires had established contact with each other. Relationships between the factions were strained right from the start and one of the main purposes of CONCORD was to ease the fragile tension and create a foundation for the empires to work their differences out in a peaceful manner. In this regard, the workings of CONCORD can be said to have been successful, since the empires have kept the peace over the last century.
Now, in one single move, this peace has been shattered.

Even though his attention was needed on matters regarding his ship, Aleczander Kerr of the 1st Praetorian Guard, also kept a wary ear on the development of the hostilities. "Lieutenant, any orders coming in from Command and Control?"

"Nothing more Sir, other than the standing orders to go to high alert," came the quick response of the comms officer. The entire fleet of the Vigilia Valeria Alliance had been called in from regular field duties and were en route to offer any aid needed in this attack. "Captain, we are being hailed by the Intrepid though."

"Patch him through Lieutenant," replied the captain. "Make sure the line is secured."

Alone, Kerr turned his attention to the screen. "Edarius, what's up?"

The captain of the Intrepid, Edarius K’Tol came into view. Though he had been experienced in the 1st Praetorian Guard for a while, Aleczander could see that he was visibly shaken. He didn't think anything could unnerve his colleague.

"Alec, Kor-Azor Prime is under attack," the Intrepid's captain answered.

"Where? When?"

"It began just moments ago, when we were pulling out of station here." Edarius was interrupted by his comms officer and he momentarily turned and gave him a quick command.
The screen changed. The view opened up and Aleczander could see the invading fleet hanging above the system’s main planet, Eclipticum. The markings on the sides of many of the vessels were clearly Thukker, while others carried emblems of an unknown type. "I don't think these are Republican Regulars," Edarius indicated. "Look at the markings on the ships. They’re Thukker markings. And besides, the Republic doesn't work with the Thukker Tribe." Dozens of small drop ships were already launched and beginning their decent to the surface. "Where is the Defiance right now?" he asked.

"I'm coming through Youl at the moment," forcing himself to remain calm. The Empire has never been invaded, and for the Minmatar to take such brash actions is just unthinkable. Without hesitation, Kerr called out to his navigations officer and quickly gave directions to change course for Kor-Azor Prime. "We're heading your way," he assured him.

They broke connection.

As the Defiance made its way through the jump gate, Aleczander Kerr wondered why would such a large Armada attack CONCORD headquarters, and Kor-Azor Prime? It was foolish to take on an entity that was funded by all five factions. CONCORD was established to keep the peace, not to be an offensive tool. They were designed to offset any force, and to work in tandem with Empires under attack.

Slowly a light started coming on in Kerr’s head. If an enemy of Amarr were to strike first, then they would be fighting both Amarrian as well as CONCORD forces. But if CONCORD was knocked out first… It finally coalesced that the true target wasn’t CONCORD. And with Kor-Azor Prime not being a major system of the Empire, the attack there must be a diversion. A diversion from their real objective.

Immediately, Kerr opened up channels to -VV- Headquarters. “Aura,” shouting directly to the ship’s computer, “patch me in to Legatus Vulpayne, immediately!”

“I am sorry, but Legatus A’rdan Vulpayne is not currently available”, came the non-emotional response of the ship’s computer.

The captain slammed his fist down in frustration of not being able to get through. “Sparks!” he shouted to his comms officer, “Get a hold of the Intrepid and tell K’Tol that Kor-Azor is not the primary!” He leaned over and checked the progress of their flight. “And by glory, hail me every combat ship around here!”

--

By the time the Defiance reached the Throne Worlds, the third and main front of the Matari armada struck.

Gazing out on the battle field from his Omen class cruiser, Aleczander felt that the gates of Hell had opened wide, vomiting the vile poison within its bowls. He could see the cynosural field still open, and row upon row of the barbarian fleet being cast out into the sacred skies above the planet Mekhios. Though he had been a seasoned warrior, and had experienced more battles than he could remember, Aleczander Kerr could not recall the time he saw so many ships in one place. The Naglfar, Matari dreadnaughts were so large, that they made the battleships beside them appear to be nothing more than toys. Gunships, cruisers, and drop ships filled the sky. All of them moving as a swarm of locusts, toward the primary planet of Sarum Prime.

“Sir,” cried out the comms officer, “Command and Control hailing us.” Immediately, the screen was filled with the image of Admiral Grr of the Epitoth Fleet Yards, one of the three high commanders of the Vigilia Valeria alliance.

“Captain,” came the voice of Grr, “A’rdan is caught up in the rescue efforts of Yulai. I’ve been asked to coordinate the defense of Mekhios with the alliances.”

“Where do you need us, Sir?” came Aleczander Kerr’s quick response. With Admiral Grr directing the front lines, he knew everybody’s chance of success greatly increased.

“We’re getting calls in from the Imperial Academy. They’re trying to evacuate the station, but the enemy is opening up on them.” The look on Grr’s face was hard. It’s one thing when an overwhelming force is firing on military targets. It’s totally different when the enemy target’s innocent lives. “I need you and the Victorious to do whatever it takes to get them to safety.”

“You can count on us, Sir!” Aleczander Kerr saluted.

The crew of the Defiance had been together for several years. While some capsuleer pilots remain enclosed in their pods, Kerr had learned that the secret of being a great captain is to include himself personally in the lives and activities of his officers and crew whenever possible. While piloting a craft inside the pod allows greater control, walking and working directly with his crew builds a greater bond that no capsule can offer. The bridge officers knew and loved their captain. Before he had the chance to relay the orders, his helms team and navigator had everything plotted and set. “Let’s go, Boys” came the captain’s voice, “We’ve got to save the day.”

The Omen turned and headed immediately to the station. The Imperial Academy was established as an institute of learning. Most of its residents were either faculty or students. As the Defiance approached, he could see the silhouette of the ISS Victorious joining him. The ship was hailed, and the image of Khal Sebrar came into focus.

“Alec,” the captain of the Victorious piped in, “we’re having troubles with these barbarians targeting evacuees. Give me a hand clearing the skies.” As they drew closer to the station, they could see several transports under attack by a squadron of Rifters. Without hesitation, the lasers opened up on both Amarrian ships, blowing away three, and scaring off a fourth. The Victorious came alongside the transport, dwarfing it with its Prophecy class hull. Aleczander Kerr turned his ship back to the station and found the next transport.

As he approached, a frightened female face appeared on the screen. “Please, help us Captain! We’ve got young children on board, and we are all terrified.”

“Don’t worry Madam,” replied the first officer, “we’ll make sure you will be safe.”

Another squad of enemy frigates attempted to come in, but were efficiently dispatched. After the first transport warped away to safety, Sebrar came back and placed his ship on the other side of the transport. It was at that moment that two Minmatar Tempest class battleships broke rank and started approaching the small convoy.

“Kerr, keep with this transport,” came Khal’s voice. “I’ll try to distract these guys.”

“Get some backup Khal!” shouted the captain. “There’s no way you’re going to stop them!”

“Everyone else is busy, my friend” came the reply.

With that the comms went silent. Both ships launched off their drones. The Defiance set theirs to coordinate with the Victorious, while Aleczander Kerr continued on course. All eight drones converged on the first battleship, tearing into its shields, and lighting the sky with their holy beams. All pilots within the alliance were devout to God and their empire. To dedicate their ships and crew into the providential care of their creator, set them apart for the sacred duty to defend their empire. While their engines sang the praises of God, the lasers purified the sinful and profane. The Prophecy turned its pulse canons on the second and flashes rippled across the barbarian’s plates. At the same time, both Tempests raged their hatred out through their artillery.

If the Minmatar’s fury could have been contained it would have rivaled the strength of a super nova, and after a while the damage done to the Victorious became more and more evident. One entire side of the warship was sliced open, with plasma and wreckage belching from its hull. The engines stopped firing and all that was left were a couple of its lasers. With one last effort, the Victorious charged its caps and fired an overheated salvo at the closest battleship, bursting its top dorsal fin in a single shot. It was then that a Minmatar shell found its target. Striking the central core, the ISS Victorious was engulfed in a single explosion, driving the two damaged battleships to the side.

Khal Sebrar’s efforts were not in vain. Aleczander Kerr and his crew were able to get the transport farther away. It was only a matter of seconds before the ship full of children would be safely out of harm’s reach. The far beams of the Defiance continued to fire on the battleships, while the Minmater vessels regrouped and continued their approach. But rather than locking on the Omen, both ships locked their guns on the transport.

“Helmsman!” barked the captain as he swiftly interfaced with the ship, “Get this hulk between the transport and those ships! Now!”

“Aye, aye Sir!” came the swift report. The Defiance maneuvered around, shielding the defenseless transport from the firing artillery.

--

Witnesses on the surface of the planet saw a sight that they would tell their children for generations to come. The sky, from horizon to horizon was lit up with the hurricane forces of battle. Exploding hulls, from both sides of the field, lit the darkness causing the night sky to come alive as if it were day. The citizens watched, knowing that the outcome if this conflict would determine their future.

--

Rounds slammed into the armor, shaking the entire ship to its core. Lights flickered momentarily as the computer rerouted power from the damaged area. Energy was diverted from secondary systems to the energized plating on the ship. Auto repair modules came to life, humming to restore full integrity to the armor.

As the two Tempests came closer, the Defiance changed their crystals to a more powerful set. The space between the ships lit up with fire from the Omen, ripping through the aft structure of the closest battleship. The Matari vessel tilted to one side and stopped, unable to coax its engines any further. The second battleship let fly her shells, striking the drone bay, almost ripping it from the ship.

“Seal off those lower decks!” commanded Aleczander Kerr. “I don’t want to lose pressure to the whole ship.” Another round hit the side of the cruiser, knocking out primary power to the bridge. Lights flickered again, and emergency backup was fed into the systems still active. Smoke started filling the control center, evident that life support had started to fail.

“Captain, banks two and four are down,” called out the weapons officer.

“Life Support is down Captain,” reported the first officer, “Hull breaches throughout the ship.”

Aleczander Kerr knew what needed to be done. He loved this crew as much as they loved him, but duty calls. When the helpless and innocent cry out for aid, every last sacrifice must be made to duty.

“Turn her into the Matari, helmsman,” ordered the captain. “change the crystals to multifrequencies, and start overheating the caps.” Each type of laser crystal has its benefits and drawbacks. Though multifrequency crystals have an extremely short range, they do the greatest damage. The Defiance, leaking plasma, poured everything it had into her engines in a struggle to close the gap between the Amarrian ship and the barbarian giant. Aleczander Kerr turned one last time to the transport and saw it slip smoothly into warp. He knew that the fight between his enemy and the Defiance would be soon over; cruisers just don’t survive a one-on-one with a battleship. But as he saw the flash of the Minmatar guns, he knew that the innocent and helpless entrusted to him would survive.

“Fire!” Aleczander Kerr raged above the explosions. The sky brightened before him with holy beams of wrath.

A Profitable Night

2009-02-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Getting to know you...

2009-02-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

Recently, a fellow EVE Blogger posted a series of questions in order for you, our readers to get to know us more. Personally, I think this is a wonderful idea, but John is still a bit hesitant. By nature, he is relatively shy and feels that there should be some facts that would be best kept to one-self.

My reply to him? "Balder Dash!"

So, rather than John answer these questions, I thought it might be a fine idea if I answered them instead!

1. Can you cook?

Why yes, I can cook, and pretty well too! While back at the monastery, our communal life required for some of our brethren to do the cooking, but after leaving I have learned how to program and use almost any replicator I have had access to. Though the Matari replicators are rather primitive and sometimes don't give you what you ask for, I have found the Gallente replicators to really need some practice to use. I am truly amazed what that machine can do! Just as long as you have the right ingredients, it will make literally any dish you can think of.

2. What was your dream growing up?

Oh, I'm not sure. Like all children, I had lots of dreams.

I remember on summer, while staying at my grandfather's estate, I watched his Syrikos Trainer working with the dogs. Even though these creatures have the ability to tear a man apart, he confidently handled 12-14 dogs with just his whistles and commands. You could see that these primitive creatures had great respect and love for their master, and I oh so wanted to have such authority, even if it were only over dumb beasts.

3. What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I were more of a warrior. Ever since I was 12 years old, I had been trained and cultivated to be a theology scholar. My focus has been literature and theology, not in fighting. Now, after being forced into the war by recent circumstances, I find myself in great need for ... oh, what does the Matari call it... ah, "Blood Pride!" I do very well in a team formation, and when I have a task to accomplish, but to willfully go after the destruction of another, is not in my nature.

This might change someday.

4. Favorite place?

When I want to be alone, there is a quiet spot on our family's estate where I like to go and sit. It's by a lake that have a small cluster of trees that have grown all the way to the water's edge. An old tree fell down creating a log seat, just perfect, allowing you to look out over the water and reflect on the issues of the heart.

5. Favorite vegetable?

I don't know if I have a favorite. I like almost all vegetables. There is one veggie, I had been introduced to recently that traditionally comes from the Hek System in Metropolis. It's a rather green/ dark-greenish pod that grows on a small bush. Inside are flat white seeds. It doesn't have much of an odor to it, but if you bite into it, especially with the seeds, it is rather spicy hot! My nephew introduced me to a recipe using these pods. You slice them open and remove all of the seeds. Then you fill the insides with a soft cheese and either roll them in breadcrumbs, or thin strips of smoked meat. After that you cook them for about 15-20 minutes. John calls them Poppers, but I call them wonderful!

6. What was the last book you read?

Skill books aside, there is one book, or set of books that I am translating. About 20 years ago, an ancient cathedral was found, with a large portion of it's library intact. I had been asked by the Theology Council to head up a team to try and recover much of the writings. Most of the library was in Ancient Amarrian, or what is also referred to as Vulgata, or High Latin. Yet there were also a section of books written in several unknown languages. Languages that I was at first, not familiar with. Over the next couple of decades, I had single-handedly learned these two languages and translated most of these writings. The main focus of this library appears to be a single collection of smaller books, written in what was called Hebrew and Greek texts. This collection is referred to as the Sacred/ Holy Books, and each of the 66 smaller books all point to an individual referred to as the Chosen or Anointed One.

This finding has incredible repercussions! The writings, we think, predate the wormhole itself. If this is true, then this alone makes the cathedral and library the most important archaeological site known to date. Second, which is a much more dangerous, is that if these texts are accurate, and I think they are, it shows that the Amarrian religion is not what it once was. Because I had taken the oath of Saint Michael's, I cannot be silenced when I have the truth, but the Theology Council has ... how can I word this ... "encouraged" me to be careful in my findings.

[Gabriel sighs and is silent for a moment.]

This is the book I am reading. It teaches that Salvation is not just for the Amarrian, but for all of mankind! If brought out into the public with all of its force, this would rock the very foundations of the Empire. [another pause] ... and I am not sure if I am ready for that.

7. What zodiac sign are you ?

Zodiac? What is a zodiac?

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?

No. None.

9. Worst Habit?

Oh my! Personally, I think I have too many bad habits.

If you ask my nephews, they will say it's my snoring. But actually, I think my very worst habit is my lack of patience with people.

But I am working on that.

10. Do we know each other outside of blogging?

I know John, but I guess that doesn't count. Several other bloggers, I have come to know through the use of a wonderful tool called, Twitter. I greatly enjoy listening to other people's "tweets". My username is GabbyTheodoulos. Please, please... feel free to tweet at me!

11. What is your favorite sport?

I'm not a sports enthusiast. I do enjoy watching the playoffs, but really, I don't have the time.

12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?

[Gabriel sits and ponders this one]
I am not quite sure how to answer this one. I believe that the highest culture and civilization offered to man is what is found in the Amarrian Empire. We have an excellent balance between secular and sacred, and a unity that is unmatched between the Empress and the common Amarrian.

My goal in life is to offer this gift to every living creature. Though they do not always understand or appreciate such a gift, I do believe that it is in their best interest and welfare if they are brought into the Empire. They are like little children who do not know how important it is to eat their vegetables. It is in their best interests that they learn to eat healthy, and sometimes, love demands discipline!

I am optimistic that we will prevail.

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

I'm not quite sure how to answer that question. Do you bite? Do you shower regularly? Most likely I would be working with you on attempting a way of escape or rescue.

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?

The loss of my brother Jed.

Jedadiah and I have been close all of our lives. Though I took the more secure and civilized course in life, Jed was always the more adventuresome. Many times, we would sit together and he would tell me of his escapades, and I would laugh at all the times he would find a way out of trouble. And I would be his anchor to reality, giving him a place to come back to the traditions and culture he loved most.

Recently, right as the war was breaking out, his transport was attacked by Matari barbarians. His pod was never found and his clone never activated.

[Gabe pauses a moment and as he looks up you notice the tears in his eyes.]

My goal is to find my brother and bring him home. One way or another.

15. Tell me one weird fact about you:

I'm sorry, I don't know how to answer that one. [Gabriel reaches down for a hankerchief to wipe his eyes] Is it not "weird" for a book-worm to be forced into the position of a warrior? If that is not weird, I don't know what is.

16. Do you have any pets?

No. No pets. My current state of affairs doesn't allow me pets.

17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?

The maca-what-a? I guess I don't!

18. What time is it where you are now?

At the station where I am assigned we are always on Eve Standard Time, or what others call Universal Time.

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

[Gabe gives a confused look] Clowns?

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

I never really thought of that!

I had not started my capsuleer training until later in life and though "in theory" I will physically live forever, I will have the appearance of an older man. I think I would enjoy looking a couple of decades younger.

It's not a priority, but you did ask.

21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

I would most assuredly be your conscience! Do right young man! Though the stars fall, and the mountains melt into the sea, DO RIGHT!

22. What color eyes do you have?

Hazel.

23. Ever been arrested?

Heavens, NO!

24. Favorite fictional character of all time?

I don't know. I don't read fiction.

25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?

I am currently given an allowance of 500 to 600 Million isk per month from our family estate. What need would I have for US currency?

26. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

[Gabe brightens up on this...]

To read people's minds!

[he leans back, with a big smile, and slaps his knee] What a hoot that would be!

[Gabe pauses, gets a more serious look on his face, and sits up]

Well, come to think of it, reading people's minds might not be all that it's cracked up to be. I think I would pass on this one.

27. What’s your favorite hangout?

The estate, with my beloved family.

28. Do you believe in ghosts?

No.

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

I enjoy reading, spending time with my family, and a good conversation with John. He's not the brightest, but I am learning to enjoy his company.

30. Do you swear a lot?

Heavens, NO!

31. Biggest pet peeve?

Stupid people. Ok, ok... I am learning to be patient, but there are a few who really crawl under my skin!

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?

Sincere. And friendly! Oh? That is two words, isn't it?

Sincere.

33. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Be glad to my boy! Be glad to. Thank you for the questions.

Promotion to Tribunus Colonel

2009-02-14T02:01:00.000-08:00

Incoming Message from the Amarr Empire:

To: Gabriel Theodoulos

2009.02.14 09:46
For your efforts in bringing Gods word to the heathens you have been promoted to the rank of Tribunus Colonel.

An Imbalance in Blogging

2009-02-11T09:19:00.001-08:00

Hello All. John here, stepping for a bit of monologue.

Recently I posted a story on Gabe's interactions with a sworn enemy and how a battle was won without weapons firing. After the post, we received a comment that struck me as a bit of a surprise. Though I knew that Amarrians are not well represented in the blog-o-sphere, it drove home that ole' Gabby is a true rarity amongst his social-networking peers. If you haunt the EVE blogs the way Gabe and I do, you'll notice that the vast majority of our fellow bloggers are either Pirates ("Yarr ye maties!") or Matari Freedom Fighters. Sure, there are a few carebears out there, but I have yet to find a fellow Amarrian Factional Warrior in the blogging realm! This revelation puts a bit more pressure on Gabe. The way he described it, it's like arriving to a tie and tails party dressed in denims and cardigan.

Please, don't get me wrong. Every single fellow-blogger has not only been gracious, but has demonstrated hospitality above and beyond what was expected. I guess the problem is that not enough Amarrians have the urge to blog!

Now, our work is cut out for us. Gabriel and I are going to focus on The House Theodoulos with the intent of showing that not all Amarrians are sinister dark overlords who wish to enslave the masses. There is another side to the Amarrian culture that too many do not see. Gabby has agreed to answer any questions posed to him, and in a civil and cultured manner. We both realize that the majority of stories out there come from those opposed to the Empire, and he has graciously committed himself to addressing many of the complaints as possible.

Now, my challenge to you! Please, feel free to ask either myself or Gabe questions you might have. We cannot gaurentee a complete answer, but we will try our best!

Addendum - Gabre reminded me... Please, no tactical questions from the blokes on the other side of the battlefield. It won't work!

A Wild Goose

2009-02-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

Looking at the daily reports, Gabriel could see that much of the region had been tagged as being contested. It had been a really long day. Earlier on duty, he and Imperial Major Condor Amarr evicted a Matari pilot out of Arayar, decontesting the system. That afternoon, VFOR had fleet ops bringing in more than a few successful raids. Now, shaking his head, Gabe could see that the night was going to be busy with defense operations. “Looks like the Minmatar have had quite a go at it today, my boy.”

Onesimus looked up from his studies, clearly relieved for the distraction. “What’s up Uncle?” Both he and his uncle were the only ones in the pilot’s lounge and he had been working on Mechanic V for some time. Anything would be a welcome sight; even a round of defense plexing.

Gabriel tossed him the reports, and said, “It appears that we have a bit of work to do.”

The nephew got up from the desk where he was sitting at and stretched. Onesimus knew that he needed to pass these exams before being issued a license to fly assault ships, but it didn’t take much effort, and he was quickly convinced to stop for a while in order to clean up some of the mess the barbarians made during the day.

Both capsuleers undocked their frigates and quickly made the jumps to the battle zone. Moving into Sosala the two spit up, each would take a planet to scan down for anomalies. With a little bit of effort, they would quickly find the breaches in Amarrian Security. It’s not the most glamorous job in the militia, but it had to get done.

After what seemed to be a short eternity, both met at Planet Five. “I think Sosala is dry tonight Uncle,” exclaimed the youth. “Scans are completely clean.” Gabriel sighed, and reluctantly agreed. They were both hoping to get this work done as quickly as possible, but it was looking like the night was going to drag on.

Just then, a sensor went off warning a change in Local. Onesimus looked over and read off the name, “Karin Katari.” He frowned a bit and continued, “Hey Uncle, she isn’t a militia war target, but a corporate. What do we do with her?” Both pilots pulled up the database and took a closer look. According to the records, Karin was a member of the Ushra’Kahn Alliance, renowned for their reputation for being unpleasant. Both her Bio Report and her negative Security Status showed evidence that this was not a nice person.

Gabe shook his head and commented, “She’s definitely not the type you’d want to take home to meet Momma, is she?” He imagined his nephew smiling at the thought of introducing a Matari Sebiestor to his mother. Both knew the reaction would be a clear fainting spell. “Let’s ignore her, and just move on,” the uncle suggested. “Maybe she has bigger fish to fry.”

Both ships, banked and warped off to the nearby jump-gate which led to Uusanen. There was enough work in the region, and Gabe never did like to engage unless necessary. Arriving at the gate, the two frigates jumped and once again started their dance, scanning down the complexes. Immediately, Gabriel got a hit, and both craft quickly moved to the breached complex and began the procedures. They met at the gate, and swiftly moved in on the bunker to begin their scans. It wasn’t hard work, and the night started giving the appearance of another quiet evening. Almost half-way into the scans, the Local sounded off again, and both were grieved to find that Karin Katari had just arrived. Gabe turned and activated the Directional Scanners. He knew that the vessel would have to come close to scan them, and he wanted to see what they were up against. Clearly, Miss Katari had too much time on her hands to be bothering the likes of the two Theodouloses. “Let’s stay on the button for now Onesimus. If she is going to come in, she still has a ways to travel.”

The next couple of minutes, were a bit tense. Directional Scanners didn’t show up anything, though Local clearly revealed her to still be in the system. Both ships continued their routines, and the base was starting to become more secure. It was just then when a Rapier showed up on the Scanner. “Stink!” exclaimed the older Theodoulos. “She’s in a Force Recon Ship.” There are many types of craft pilots can fly. The Force Recon vessel specialized in Electronic Warfare, drones, and cloaking. Each skill by themselves, can be reckoned with, but when combined, the ship becomes a deadly instrument, especially in trained hands. “Listen to me Onesimus, this gal can come in here cloaked. I’m not going to take the chance and have her pop one of us, so let’s change things a bit in our plans.” A smile came across Gabriel’s face, and he switched over to an encrypted comms channel. “This is what we’re going to do…”

Though the scanning was not complete, both frigates aligned to the Iesa Gate and warped off. Arriving at the gate, Gabe ran a quick scan, and ordered both to jump. The gate started its activation, and though sounds cannot penetrate the silent vacuum of space, it still gave the pilots a sense of a building hum. The ball of energy quickly grew in the center of the gate, the ships carefully scanned, dematerialized, and whisked light-years away, reappearing in the Iesa system. Immediately both nephew and uncle broke their post-jump cloak and quickly headed to the Anka Gate. After a minute of warping, the two arrived at the gate in time to see their new friend jumping in from Uusanen. “Wow! You’re good, Uncle” commented Onesimus. Gabe only smiled, and directed the next jump.

After both knew that Karin Katari was in hot pursuit, and they made it to the next system, did Gabriel Theodoulos initiate the next phase of his plan. “Roger,” came the quick reply of the nephew. Onesimus knew what to do, but he was a bit nervous. He was only in a small Executioner-class frigate and he clearly knew that one wrong move would mess up the whole plan and possibly get him into some really serious trouble.

The young Theodoulos ramped up his engines and headed off to Tannakan Gate. By the time he arrived, his heart was starting to pick up speed. Looking toward the Local Channel, all he could see was that he was alone. For a moment, he thought the plan wouldn’t work, but then Local lit up and sure enough, Katari popped into the system. The lad waited a couple more seconds and jumped into the next system. From Anka, he jumped to Tannakan. After Tannakan, he jumped to Sahtogas. Onesimus was careful not to allow the Matari to get close enough to see him, but not too far away to lose her. The next system was Oyonata. Once he knew the Rapier was in Local he jumped and moved to the next gate which led to Sosan. This fox and hound maneuvering was getting on his nerves. The sweat was glistening off of his brow, and a couple of times, Onesimus caught himself about to make a wrong move. But so far, everything was going according to plans.

After a couple of minutes, he got concerned that he lost his pursuer. “Hey Uncle Gabe, I think she lost me,” came his comment. “What do you want me to do?”

“Don’t worry my lad,” came the reply across the comms, “You’re doing great!” Onesimus took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. Gabriel came back and suggested that he start scanning down Oyonata, since that system is contested as well. That sounded like a good idea, so he warped off the gate and started his scanning. By the time he got half-way through his first scan, Local chimed. She arrived!

The young pilot quickly warped off to the Sosan Gate. Once there, he took a quick scan, confirming her flight, and jumped. Going from Oyonata to Sosan added a major chunk of distance, throwing the frigate into the neighboring region of Devoid. Once on the other side, his attention was drawn to a warning light on his console indicating a possible malfunction in the vessel. This wasn’t good, and he relayed the news to his uncle. “Not a problem Onesimus, just one more jump, OK?” Once again, the pilot checked his readings and confirmed that the alarm might not be too serious, so he decided to head to Asghed. Arriving at the gate, he waited. Sure enough, the Ushra’Kahn jumped into the system hot on the heels of her Amarrian prey. He quickly jumped.

“Well done, Onesimus lad! Well done!” commented Gabriel into the comms. He was well pleased how successful his nephew was in eluding his powerful enemy. The aged scholar sat back in his pod and couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Why is it that so many pirates, rascallions, and nefarious folk always think the only way to win a battle is through the use of guns and missiles?” he thought to himself. Gabe calmly reached over and toggled the link, “Please, my beloved nephew, kindly send Miss Katari my warmest of wishes.” He paused, and looked out at the secured Uusanen complex. “Let her know that Uusanen is decontested.”

Blog Banter

2009-01-30T12:34:00.001-08:00

Hi Guys!

Gabriel has agreed in allowing me to periodically post on his blog, as long as I allow him access to my email. Apparently GMail doesn't have any way to confirm Gabby's address as being in the Youl System, so to make life easier on the ole' boy, I just grant him access to my email.

The recent Blog Banter has come out and the question asked is, “How do we, EVE bloggers, adapt to changes as they are thrust upon us (speed changes, no more ghost training, all the dev blogs, etc), or as our lives make playing the game different (more time, less time)?”.

First off, as a "at-one-time" dedicated PvE'er, I can say that not all change is bad. Once you have rescued the Damsel in Distress a couple of thousand times, popped Zor's ship innumerable times, and have beaten off the EoM hordes in Gone Berserk for the ump-teenth time, you start to desire a little more of a challenge. This is what has driven me from Mission Running to Factional Warfare. So, with the various changes that are going to take place this year, I almost find my heart starting to beat a little faster in the knowledge that the game-play can only get better!

I had a chance to speak with Gabby about the matter, and he really hasn't shown his opinion either way. Gabe is so focused on the war that, as he would put it, “find working with agents (his way of what we call Mission Running) to be a distraction from what God has called him to do."

Now, the second part of the question is regarding time management. Unlike probably most EVE-Online game players, I have a distinct advantage. I am 44 years old (at the time of this post) and I am retired on disability. My primary duties entail, prepping for my classes that I teach, caring for my 78 year old mother, and house chores (paying bills, shopping, laundry {ugh!!}). This means, my schedule is relatively flexible! It's not uncommon for me to stay up until 2-3AM (Idaho Time) working with Gabe on FW plexing. If the corp. wants to schedule a 11:00AM mission ops, I don't have to be at a job, but can very easily fit my schedule around that. Through all of this I must confess that there are some things that I absolutely must discipline myself. From Monday thru Wednesday, I set aside time to work on my class preps. Any educator will tell you that for every hour of teaching, there is usually 3-4 hours of prep time. At the moment, I am teaching through the book of Genesis as well as the Life of King David. Sure, I could probably grab some pre-compiled Sunday School material, but my classes are geared more for the adult/ college level. So, to find me online during the first half of the week is a rarity, unless I am tweeking on a skill or something.

Blogging has also broadened my horizons a little. I've had The Bible Blogger for a couple of years now, but 99% of my posts are already online at Theology Online. My third blog, of which has just started up is the Online Astronomer. This reveals my interests in Astronomy.

As a whole, I am grateful for the life that I have been given. The stress is gone, and my blood-pressure is way down.

The Battle of Sahtogas

2009-01-24T03:12:00.000-08:00

Unlike the previous week, tonight started off to be rather boring. As per my schedule, I lifted off from base and slipped into Kamela. My orders for the past couple of weeks were to run careful security checks throughout the Bleak Lands and assist alerted Imperial bases in securing themselves from Minmatar attacks. If a system is considered to be contested, my team’s job is to secure the local bases, and thus decontesting the system. Over the past couple of weeks, a few of my colleagues and I were very busy. Each night we would secure an average of five complexes and decontest two to three systems. When my duty began, I discovered to my horror that Matari infiltrators set off multiple false alarms throughout many of our major systems. Nothing appeared to be contested from these particular systems, but the congestion of alerts was so great, we had to assuage the concerns of each complex before we could focus on the contested systems.

The members of my team were Reese Traint (New Light Corporation), Jonathan Theodoulos, of the 24th Imperial Crusade, and his brother Onesimus, a new member of VFOR. Both Jonathan and Onesimus are fine lads. Though I am proud to be their uncle, I have found these boys to be young, and in need of maturity.

I left Jonathan and Onesimus to continue their scanning of the Kurniainen and Saidusairos systems, while Reese and I worked to resolve the debacle in Iesa. Entering the system of Iesa, we discovered that there were about a dozen complexes that had gone on alert. Each one needed attention, and we knew we would not be able to close in on the more important systems until these were resolved, so Reese Traint focused on the Minor Complexes in his Punisher, while I took off in my Crusader to calm down the larger plexes.

It must have taken us a couple of hours, but in the end, the two of us were able to secure all twelve complexes, freeing us up to scan down the more important contested systems. Reese took off for Lamaa while I turned the other direction and headed for Kurniainen. So far, this evening was not going well. We were tired and I was looking forward to heading back to base, relaxing with some Mozart, and munch on some of those wonderful oatmeal raisin cookies my niece sent me from home.

I checked in with the two boys, and Onesimus reported that he couldn’t find any alerted bases in the two contested systems of Kurniainen and Saidusairos. “Ugh,” I thought to myself, “this is not going well at all!” I reached over my console and flipped on the Region Reports, showing me the contested systems within the war zone. Sure enough, both of those systems were RED, and then I noticed another RED appearing on the screen: Sahtogas.

I flipped on the comms, and said, “Boys, I’m making a quick stop in Sahtogas. It shows to be contested, and I am hoping to get that straightened out.” I thought for a while, and realized that this is turning out to be a bummer of a night. “Jonathan,” I continued, “How about heading back and completing the reports for us? Onesimus and I will do a quick run through Sahtogas and then head home.” I didn’t think I would find anything. My score so far tonight was ‘zip’ and I didn’t think anything could ruin my losing streak.

I continued on, and finally jumped into Sahtogas. To my delight, I found two complexes on alert and no war targets in system. “Wonderful,” I thought, “This was going to be easy.” I quickly ran a profile check on the neutral pilots in system, and all five of them checked out all positive, so I started relaxing a little more, thinking none of them were pirates. Being a member of VFOR, we do not deal with pirates unless it is a matter of life or death. Besides, though I was in an interceptor, it was currently fitted for speed. I had no scramblers or webbers installed, because I usually don’t run into trouble, especially on quiet nights like tonight. Checking the reports again, I confirmed that Sahtogas was still contested, so I popped the crusader into gear, and sped off for the closest complex.

Securing a complex is not hard. The empire has it setup where all you need to do is to move in on the primary bunker, and run and orbit scan for between 15 to 20 minutes. Once the scan is complete, the complex is secured and I can move on. Nice and simple!

I reached the acceleration gate of the first complex and jumped in. Once inside I saw the bunker, which was about 68km away. I punched my micro-warp drive and quickly reached a broad orbit around the bunker. My scans began and I sat back working on the scans. After about ten minutes I noticed my directional scanner picked up a Jaguar within 15 AUs of the complex. I looked at Local again, and didn’t see any pirate, but the Minmatar Assault Ship made me a bit nervous. I continued with my scans and suddenly alarms went off in my ship. The Jaguar had entered the complex and began an aggressive approach towards me! “Glory Honkers,” I caught myself saying out loud, “This was supposed to be a quiet night!”

I took a quick scan of the Assault Ship, and bugged out. Remember, I wasn’t prepared to go head-on with an opponent, so to stick around would have been foolish. I quickly slid my ship in on a local jump gate, banked around, and shot for a safe spot I had set up earlier that week. I came to a stop in the middle of ‘no where’, and flipped on my directional scanners. I tightened the beam to 30 degrees and scanned the second plex and found it to be empty. I then turned my scanner and low and behold there was the Jag, sitting real pretty in the first complex.

Running the name down, I found the owner to be Ghost Hunter. I pulled up his dossier, and it showed him to have a Security Standing of a 3.4. Pirates show up as a NEGATIVE number, so I was a bit taken back by this. I looked at his corporation: NAQAM. “Huh, never heard of it.” VFOR’s database are kept up pretty well, and this corp didn’t show up to be a pirate corp, so I was more than a bit confused. “Well, maybe it was a misunderstanding,” I thought. He didn’t lock me, so rather than panic, I’ll just move my attention to the second complex. I kicked on my warp drives and headed off. Arriving at the second acceleration gate, I jumped in and moved in on the bunker. The timer started and I watched my scans carefully. After about three minutes, in pops this Jaguar again, and starts to slowly move in on the timer with me. Now, if I had any doubts about this guys intentions, they were quickly dispelled. This neutral wanted to hurt me!!! Flipping on the drives, I kicked the crusader around and headed off to my safe spot. Now, I had the timers run down a bit on both complexes. I only needed one, but I soon realized that this was going to be a long night.

Scanners showed Ghost Hunter to be in the second plex, so I quickly warped to the first, hit the acceleration gate and sped quickly to the timer. Half way there, in jumps the Jag, and he slowly moves towards me. HA! The dude doesn’t have a micro-warp drive! I knew I immediately had an advantage on him. I was on the timer, and orbited it, while he was still 60km away. It took him a while to get to me, and by the time he was within targeting range, I added a few more seconds to the timer, and I sped out! Wa-Hoo! This was fun! This routine went on for a while. I would jump into the plex where he was not at, and head for the timer, he would follow me in and chase after me. By the time he reached me, I added more seconds to the timer, and as quick as a greased pig after a July rain, I shot out of there before he could get a lock on me.

By this time Onesimus arrived and we decided to collaborate. Ones (pronounced “owns”) took off for a complex and headed for the timer. This caused Ghost Hunter to jump after him. While he was chasing my nephew around, I took off for the other complex, and sat on the timer. Ones would get away in his executioner and the Jaguar would come huffing after me. By the time he arrived, I shot off, knowing that Ones was on the other timer. Oh what fun!!!

After a couple of cycles of this cat and mouse game, we had to stop. Ghost Hunter wasn’t a fool and he quickly learned our game. So we setup a safe spot directly in between the two complexes and while monitoring our antagonist, I directed Onesimus on which complex to hit. Now me, I tire easy. I am not a warrior, but a theology scholar. I am quite content with my books, and computers studying the latest archeological findings. My nephew on the other-hand was bubbling over with excitement and energy! He would zip in and out staying just ahead of our slower opponent, running the timer down each time. After a couple of passes, Ones stopped in on my safe spot to get his bearings. This was when I realized our advantage!

“Onesimus,” I said over the comm., “Notice how we are directly in line with the two complexes? Let’s wait here a minute and try something.” I realized that Ghost Hunter was scanning us also, and while doing so, he could see Onesimus’ executioner to be next to mine. The one thing he could not see is was depth!

We waited a couple of minutes, and the Jag quieted down, realizing that his ‘mouse’ was with me, in between the complexes. He didn’t have probes therefore he couldn’t get a lock on our exact position, so we were safely out of harm’s reach. Sure enough, the assault ship stopped and waited for Onesimus to make the next move.

“Now, Ones ole boy, just head carefully over to that other plex,” I said to my nephew. “If he is watching us, he might not know you have warped to the next complex, and think you are still with me!”

Onesimus deftly turned his executioner toward the empty complex, and slipped into warp. Sure enough, the Jaguar didn’t move! Ones jumped through the acceleration gate and quickly got on the timer. It was down to under three minutes! My nephew kept a tight orbit on the bunker, and for a while Ghost Hunter didn’t move.

“Two minutes,” Onesimus called out over the comm. System.

“One minute, forty seconds…. One minute, twenty seconds…” Still no move from Ghost Hunter.

“One minute!”

I turned my crusader and started slowly moving towards the complex where my nephew was riding the timer. This must have tipped off the Jaguar, because he immediately warped toward the other complex! My heart pounded! “He’s coming in! He’s coming in!” I shouted, “Be careful!!!”

“Forty seconds… thirty seconds… twenty seconds…”

“I see him Uncle.” Onesimus calmly commented. “He just entered the plex.”

“Ten, nine, eight… ,“ ticked off my nephew. I held my breath!

“Three, two, one!”

“Warp my Boy! Warp!” If I could have jumped up and down in my pod, I would have! My heart was racing and I could see this wicked person locking his scrams and webs on my poor nephew.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, and all I could hear was the thump, thump, thump of my heart. Then Onesimus’ voice came across the comms, “I’m out!”

“We turned our ships and warped to the nearest gate. I leaned over and checked the reports.

COMPLEX SECURED.
SYSTEM DECONTESTED.

Wa-Hoo!!!!! We did it!

We carefully headed back to base. I remember my nephew as a young lad, running around in his bare feet at the estate. Now, my view of him has started to change. Sure, he’s young, and yes, he still does things that makes me nervous, but now I have started seeing my nephew in another light. No longer, Onesimus the quirky child, but Onesimus the warrior.

My heart swelled with pride.

Factional War Rank Pins

2009-01-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today, John came online and was a bit excited. He told me that he received his pins from Dragonfire Laser Designs today and was all excited about them.

He explained to me how Lucas Amodio spent the holidays designing and molding the Amarr Faction Rank pins, and that the first five of the 10 piece set had arrived in the mail. John continued on to say that even though they are only$3.00 a piece, they are a good deal.

This truly amazes me. I do all the work, and take all of the risks, and my avatar thinks he can share in my achievements. Are all earthlings like this?

*Important Note: Though Lucas does not have them on his web site yet, go ahead and email him.

Matari on Twitter!

2009-01-15T15:33:00.001-08:00

Today, I finally broke away from John's Twitter account. While online, I discovered Twhirl, and created my own account. Bear in mind, I am attempting to expand my social network to others, and John had shown me how useful Twitter is in meeting other people. If you are interested, toss me a "tweet" at GabbyTheodoulos. I'll be glad to respond!

When I logged on for the first time, I discovered to my horror that several Matari had also infiltrated Twitter! I contacted both the Imperial Chancellor as well as the Ministry of War, but have yet to obtain a response.

So far, I have identified two, and think there might be several more.

Alexia_Morgan is a member of the Brutor tribe. While reading her bio information, it appears to me that she might just hold a grudge against the Amarrian people.

Wensley is even more nefarious! His Security Status is a -9.8 and has a 5 Million isk bounty on his head! Be careful with this one, he looks tough!

If you find any more Matari on Twitter, please contact me as soon as possible. I'll add them to this list and forward the information onto the appropriate authorities.

Agony Unleashed Downs an Archon

2009-01-12T00:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight, while sitting here in Tuomuta, I linked onto the Internet and attempted to catch up on my reading. My order of Punishers won't be in until tomorrow, and none of my corp mates seem to be available, so I kicked back in the Capsuleer's Lounge and logged on.

Recently, I stumbled across a really fine blog post on A Misguided Adventurer. In one of his recent posts, he writes how a rather overly confident carrier pilot attempted to have his friends and him for lunch. In the end, it was the carrier who had to eat humble pie, and at a cost of over 1.5 Billion isk!

I am a firm believer that humility is far better than humiliation.

Good work guys!

"Gabby"

2009-01-06T00:12:00.000-08:00

Today a group of us from VFOR decided to assist the Sarum Family in several of local problems. Together with my friends Mechbard and Amroh Bhank, I set off to right several wrongs.

While on one particular mission, I noticed that my friend Mechbard started calling me, "Gabby". Now, I am used to be calling Gabe or Gabriel, but this new nickname took me back a little. No one had ever called me "Gabby" before!

Where I come from "Gabby" was a nickname for someone who like to gab or talk all the time. I thought to myself, "Gabe ole boy, do you talk too much?"

I didn't think so. Hmmmm....

Anyways, after a couple of days dwelling on it, I have come to the conclusion that this new nickname is all right by me. It comes across in a comfortable friendly manner, and if my friends start referring to me as "Gabby" that is fine by me!

Frustrating the Enemy

2009-01-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

After spending the evening on Ops, I decided to call it a night. At the time, it was just after 10PM (Idaho Time), and we had an extremely successful night capturing enemy complexes deep in their territory.

Arriving back at our extended base, I decided to leave my EWAR Crucifier* behind and fly back in my capsule. It was relatively quiet, and I didn't think there would be a problem. Besides, all we saw was jBobj, who a single Matari militia, and I didn't think he would be interested in me.

I dropped off my ship and quietly slipped out of dock. No one was around, so I headed for the first gate. When I made it to the second gate, I noticed jBobj again. My initial reaction was just to wave to him, but we are under orders not to fraternize with the enemy. So I just moved on.

When I appeared from my next jump through a gate, I discovered to my horror that the system was full of Matari War Targets! Flying a capsule through low security space is much like running around in your "undies". There is not much between you and the outside. Needless to say, I made a run for it! While warping through the system, I noticed my buddy jBobj popped up on my Local Screen. Apparently he thought I would be an easy target to add to his kill board. I was betting that my pod's small signature and my ability to warp quickly would keep this sorry hide of mine safe. When I came sliding up to the next gate, there they were! All those war targets seen in Local. I don't recall exactly how many enemy ships were camping at the gate (mind you, I was quite busy getting my pod out of there before they would pop me), but from my small perspective, half of the Matari fleet was there and they were all staring down at my tiny little pod.

I jumped through the gate.

Have you ever heard the adage, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire?" That is exactly what happened to me! Thinking that I finally rid myself of all the nefarious cretins in the region, I jumped right into the lap of a bunch of pirates! This particular corporation of pirates had declared war against our corporation, but since we only consider Matari Militia as our enemy, we generally ignore them. Yet, keep in mind, I am only flying my capsule!

It's a good thing that when you come through a jump gate, you remain cloaked for about a minute. I needed that time to calm down a bit and assess my situation. Once a little calmer, I realized that most of these pirates were flying larger ships, so I knew they would not have an easy go at targeting me, so off I went again!

I only had a couple more jumps to go, so I was feeling rather confident of myself. Lo and behold, there was my good ole friend jBobj in local. One thing you have to hand it to him... he doesn't give up easily. Making it to the next gate, I jumped through, and once again found myself in the middle full of war targets.

Taking off, I noticed one of them, who goes by the name matt deamon toss of a little jib on local. "Run Gab [sic]. Run for your **** life." Now, if I were permitted to chat with the enemy, I would attempt to encourage him in two ways. First off, it's GABE, or actually my friends are starting to call me Gabby, not Gab. Second, I would strongly admonish him to kindly refrain from using foul language. You never quite know when there are ladies present, and to use such vulgar language in public is terribly inappropriate.

Well, I finally made it back home. Despite the rascallions in the poorer neighborhoods, I did not get my pod popped, and we captured five complexes. All in a night's work!

* An EWAR Crucifier is a small frigate fitted for Electronic Warfare. By itself it doesn't do much damage, but in a fleet, it really becomes a valuable asset.

Promotions

2008-12-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-02T01:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

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.