Denak Kalamari, a Dust Mercenary with a vision

Recently, Denak Kalamari announced his leave from the Immortal Mercenary life in his latest publication: A Farewell.
And as I read it, realisation dawned that he would be missed, not only by me, but by many others as well.

I met this remarkable Dust soldier through ground comm channels and enjoyed reading the articles he published about the Dust life and his philosophical ponderings about it. His articles were well written & in many cases did also made me reflect on my life as capsuleer. Many things are different, and yet, some points are remarkably close, simply because we're both immortals, just through different means.

His vision was what appealed to me most, a closer cooperation between Dust Mercenaries and capsuleers. He wasn't alone in this, many others did their best as well. But as I attended events and celebrations, he was usually there as well. In many cases he was a lone representative of the immortal groundforces among a gathering filled with capsuleers.

We talked at times about his newsblog, and through it, he inspired me to start up the Aurora News blog. He made me realize you shouldn't wait for that perfect moment, but just do it, and see what comes out of it. Denak Kamalari, for this, you have my eternal thanks.
I also like to thank him for his spotlight on the Aurora Arcology project in this publication: New Year Entry. I feel honored to have featured in his blog.

But who was he as a Dust Merc? A man who, through his actions always fought for the good of many.
He fought for the people of the State in the Caldari Prime groundbattle, despite the manhunt that Tiberious Heth had organized on the Dust Mercenaries. Through his actions and that of his fellow Dust Mercs, they overcame impossible odds and secured Caldari Prime for the State, giving peace between the State and the Federation a chance.
The positive outcome of this fight, thanks to the Dust Mercenaries, the very targets of Tiberious Heth's manhunt would turn into one of the major reasons of Heth's ousting of power.

Later on, Denak Kalamari joined the Intaki Liberation Front, helping the people on his homeworld attain what the Federation promises the cluster, freedom to decide your own fate.
Through his fight for Intaki, he inspired others to do the same, to fight for a cause, not just isk. To fight not just for yourself, but for the greater good of many.

But in the end, the continued fighting and killing seem to have catched up on him, as he reports in Numbness. This article also serves as a warning to unchecked immortality, both for Dust mercenaries as Capsuleers, as apathy and lack of fear of death can lead to the birth of dark and cruel individuals.

And as this hommage to Denak Kalamari comes to a close, I wish him the best in whatever path he'll take. Perhaps we'll meet again, perhaps not, but I count myself lucky to have known him. May the winds guide him to peace and prosperity.