Arek'Jaalan needs YOU!

Leadership & organisation status

After the voting to reorganize the Arek'Jaalan organisation fell in an impasse despite the hard work of Joe Themachine, anr impulsive call was made to turn Arek'Jaalan into a more open ended platform for science & research regarding wormholes, with a coordinator to keep an eye on things. A flurry of positive responses followed this call.
All in all, the new & more open form should help bringing new people in & give them a voice as well! While there's still alot to be resolved, mainly a place to better document our findings, it has been more active again.
Once again people are contributing into sharing their findings & analyzing the outcomes, once again advancing our knowledge!
Do note, thanks to the effort put in by people, various findings & observations have already been made & have been shared with the public, you can find these here: The Arek'Jaalan Prometheus Seminar

In short, Arek'Jaalan is now a platform where scientists & explorers can share their findings on wormholes, Sleepers, Seekers and various (in)directly involved subjects in order to find correlations or exclude them.
Thanks to this shift in approach, alot more people can contribute easier to the Arek'Jaalan project! To be part of it, you can join the channel & mailinglist, both named Arek'Jaalan.
To read up on past achievements of Arek'Jaalan & all the data they gathered, you can start reading here: Arek'Jaalan archive. Lots of information to be found here regarding the ancient races & wormholes!

But how can you contribute? Well there's plenty of research left to do on various subjects & collecting info regarding wormholes & sleepers!

Experiments to run!

There's a few experiments to do in order to verify or denounce recent findings. For now, there's two experiments in the list!

-Energizing an unidentified cloaked structure

Capsuleer Feu dAstres wants to collect a fleet of ships to overload a cloaked structure by transferring energy to it. If no results occur, neuts will be deployed to deplete the structure of energy. While this has been done before, it was mainly on an individual level. Perhaps a fleet boosting/draining energy will have an effect!
You can read his announcement here: Unidentified structure: an attempt to cause a change in cloaking The event will occur on Sunday 25 January. Edit, experiment is conducted, results can be found here 'The Athinard Science Expedition'

-Testing drone behaviour against Seekers

Reports keep flooding in about drones behaving oddly around Seekers in combat but not much consistency in it.
In short, drones seem to stop attacking their assigned target at random intervals & then resume attacking on random Seeker targets. This makes it hard to make drones focus fire on a single Seeker.
As far as we know, this drone behaviour is unique when fighting Seekers.
Some things to try: ECM the Seekers: does it still jumble the drone targeting or can they keep on target if Seekers are jammed?
Note, sentries are not affected by this apparently!

-Other experiments

Got suggestions? Lets hear them! Join the Arek'Jaalan channel to discuss possibilities.

Research to be done!

There's always the ongoing search to verify or denounce assumptions & theories to advance our knowledge regarding wormholes, Sleepers & Seekers & anything related.

-The Search for Hilen Tukoss

This is still ongoing. From the last message we had from him (The third message) it has been derived he is/was being held captive in a Wolf-Rayet system, possibly in a wormhole. Wolf-Rayet systems are systems where the central star is a blue giant star.
For anyone travelling in such wormhole systems, keep an eye out for any oddities, from a derelict ship to an unusual site.
You can contact Trii Seo for more details regarding this search or if you found something that might be relevant (do document your findings, images help alot!)

-Hypothesis to be challenged

So far, all unidentified cloaked structures have been located within 300.000 km of a planet. To narrow it down, they are all within 200.000 to 300.000 km from the planet.
No other correlation has been found with the structures (planetary orbits, sun types, distance from star , none of those seem to matter)
The significance of this is unknown so far, but do keep looking. If you find an unidentified structure further away from the nearest planet then 300.000 Km or closer then 200.000 Km, report it. State it's location & share it so others can verify your find!

-Seekers in systems without Unidentified cloaked structures on overview

Lately, seekers are spotted more in systems without a cloaked structure in overview. Regarding their change in behaviour lately, it's important to find out what draws them there. Is it systems that had cloaked structures in the past (and are now cloaked, preventing us to see them on our overview)? Or do they have something else in common?

-Collect detailed information about the Sleeper cache sites, standard & superior version

 These sites might hold clues to many mysteries & secrets. There exists a detailed analysis of the small sleeper cache sites that gave us a deeper insight in sleeper tech.
Hopefully an equally detailed analysis of the larger sites can reveal some more answers. Images of the structures & their descriptions can be valuable!

-Continue to observe the Seekers & Unidentified cloaked structures

Stay alert to any changes of behaviour they might display, considering we know so little, every info is valuable! Make sure to document your findings if able, either through logs or images!

Science to do!

And there's the important task of collecting data in order to be able to do research, experiment, analyze & theorize about Wormholes, Jove, Sleeper, Seekers and more!
The list of things you could investigate for info is extensive, so hopefully there's a subject that picks your interest!

-Explore the Shattered wormholes, keep an eye out for any clues that might have ties to the various races & factions

-Explore Thera & document the various sites, stations & interesting ruins.
You can use the Eve scout map to find an easy access into Thera.
Capsuleer Aven Heleneto is the person to contact for assistance into Thera research & documentation

-Find out more about the Sisters of Eve and their link with wormholes; Also, try to determine what the purpose of the Thera colonization was, the various stations & their ruins have left behind curious hints.

-Observe the activity of the Society of Conscious Though. they have sov in Geminate with a Station in the FZD4-A system. They are one of the few organisations with a direct link to the Jove, whom we heared nothing from in years, not even a peep when their gate network got blasted into oblivion after the supernova that was Caroline's Star.
Perhaps activity or clues in SoCT space could give a hint, it's a far shot, but people who enjoy a nullsec challenge got something to work with.

-Find out more about Sansha's Nation's link to the shattered wormholes. Also investigate the wormholes they occupied, document what you find & share. Are these the wormhole staging systems people have sought after since the Nation attacks began?
Who attacked & drove out Nation from the shattered wormholes?

-Investigate the link between Sleepers & Seekers
While both use similar architecture for their ships, there's also alot that sets them apart. Seekers by example scan various objects, use shields but are fragile & have weak weapons.
On the other side you have the Sleepers, relentless guardians who possess great firepower & are resilient, yet don't use classic shield technology to protect them.
To better understand the link between these two would also assist us in knowing what we're dealing with regarding to the Seekers, are they merely Sleeper scouts, or are they something more, something new that they released on us?

-Re-evaluate the Sleeper-Talocan connection based on recent findings in shattered wormholes. There's apparently more intact Talocan structures there, along with less Sleeper presence, why? And what does it mean?

-Analyze old findings & structures in regular wormholes, recent developments might put a new light to old information retrieved.

-Jove, what happened to them?
Their silence is deafening, especially if you consider they just got their gate network shut down, presumably by the after-effects of Caroline's Star. There's many theories & even more speculation, but so far no hard evidence to what caused the Jove silence.
The last known Jove contact was a message relayed by Concord, informing the cluster that nation had been kicked out Jove space 4 years ago, ever since there has been silence...

-More things!
Of course there's more things to look into! If you stumble on something interesting or got an idea to share, feel free to join the Arek'Jaalan channel to share & discuss!

Making a note here!

As you can see, quite the vast undertaking, so any assistance you can provide is appreciated by the Arek'Jaalan project!
You can participate by joining the channel & mailinglist Arek'Jaalan.
There's also a list of contact persons who can assist you. They can preview your findings & observations if you like or just help you regarding questions you have.

Arek'Jaalan contact list
Coordinator Frenjo Borkstar
Arek'Jaalan Archivist Morwen Lagann
Public Relations Jandice Ymladris
Non-lawful Leopold Caine
Hilen Tukoss search Trii Seo
Thera assistance Aven Heleneto
Gallente representative Julianus Soter

This list will be updated with additional contacts, in order to offer people a better service regarding science & investigations in all matters regarding wormholes, sleepers, seekers & related!

Disaster strikes Black Rise colony!

 The iceworld Tsuruma VIII, location of the colony in distress

Emergency broadcast active!

With those words, an call for assistance shattered the silence in various channels. A colony in the remote Tsuruma system suffered a major reactor failure, threatening to erase the colony in a blazing thermonuclear explosion! Initially, a Charon freighter was sent to assist, but suffered a critical engine failure & crashed on the planet, causing them to seek outward help! Top top it all off, debris from the freighter had struck the colony, worsening their situation!

As the colony was Ishukone-Raata property, I-RED member Korsavius was quick on the premises, overseeing the deployment of several emergency low orbital structures to assist in a rapid evacuation & extraction of assets & personnel. At the same time, he co-ordinated the arriving capsuleers, assuring their assistance to help out was used to it's maximum potential. This was needed, as the lives of 145.000 people was on the line! It would be a race against time to save as many as they could!
Morwen Lagann was crucial in the early parts of this operation, as her ship was a Stratios, equipped to deal with rescue operations!

As more & more capsuleers arrived, the evacuation of assets & colonists went into full swing! During this part, wounded colonists were evacuated first, as they required medical assistance. The various deployed medical facilities were a great help in this.
The arrival of Lt. Samira Kernher with a transport loaded with medical supplies, water & planetary shuttles made a great difference for the workload of many of the personnel working hard to follow the commands of their capsuleer overlords.
Ground comms with the colony kept everyone in the loop, despite static interrupting it at times, attributed to an encroaching ice-storm in the area! This forced the assisting capsuleers to accelerate their evacuation, as the storm would make it impossible to reach the colony once it arrived.

Evacuation in full swing!

With the arrival of several more transports, the evacuation now picked up speed! Over 120.000 people still required evacuation before the storm arrived or the reactor collapsed, whatever happened first.
However, capsuleer Utari Onzo offered a way to push back the reactor failure long enough. While his combatship was unfit to assist directly, his engineer crew would go down to the planet, attempting to stabilize the situation long enough till the storm arrived.

As the engineers went planetside, the logistics in space expanded. As the Tsuruma system lacked the presence of a station, a ferry service was set up between the Onnamon system & the Emergency coordination center in space. This assured that the evacuation could keep going smooth, sending people & assets from the failing colony to the emergency facilities in orbit. From there, a transport would pick them up & move them to the I-RED offices aboard the station in Onnamon.

During this, it was noted that I-RED had prioritized certain colonial assets for evacuation, leaving behind people in favor of this cargo. While it caused some remarks from the assistance, the capsuleers understood that at this point any arguing would only cause the evacuation to slow down, making matters worse for those still left behind planetside!

During this, Lunarisse Aspenstar arrived, bringing with her a large contingent of shuttles! This pleasant surprise assisted greatly in speeding up the colonial evacuation.
However, a few incidents put a dent in the evacuation. One of the assisting capsuleers, Lyn Farel reported issues with handling a group of handcuffed people, forcing I-RED officials to sent additional security to assist her.
On top of this, two shuttles collided during the chaos of the evacuation, causing the loss of dozens of lives & a debris-field, making it harder for the remaining shuttles to maneuver! To avoid further incidents, Korsavius ordered the assisting capsuleer ships to space out more, allowing more room for the evacuation shuttles to fly.
The timely arrival of capsuleer Marrano Cardosa helped greatly in the coordination of the shuttle flightpads, as his Falcon made for an excellent emergency co-ordination platform.

Storm on the rise!

But the ice storm was still on the approach.... putting great pressure on the shuttle pilots & capsuleers alike to hasten their evacuation... During this, a planetary I-RED official broadcasted publicly that 'assets have been successfully evacuated & that there's more room for people on the transports'; This note sparked a few comments from capsuleers, questioning I-RED's priorities, but it was left at that due to the scarce time limit imposed by the encroaching storm!
The engineers who were deployed planetside did report they successfully delayed the reactor failure, but required their full attention to keep it stable enough to last...

Despite the increased speed & volume of the evacuation, it still went too slow... and the storm has reached the outskirts of the colony, forcing the evacuation shuttles to fly slower...
At this point, Foley Aberas Jones announced his intent to deploy dropships. While these ships are far less suited for civilian transport, their sturdy structure would allow them to fly through atmospheric conditions that would rip the weaker shuttles apart!

Landed Caldari dropship, no comfort, but it gets the job done!

As the storm raged, less & less shuttles were able to extract people form the ground. But thanks to the supplied dropships, the evacuation could go on longer then planned!
During this, two shuttles got caught in the storm! Upon hearing this, capsuleer Alexa de'Crux left orbit, diving into the atmosphere, ignoring direct commands from the co-ordinators to resume her task!
But as she re-emerged, people noticed her stunt worked! By disturbing the storm with her transport, she managed to assist the shuttles in breaking free from the storm, nearly at the cost of her own ship!

Reactor critical! Uncontrolled thermonuclear reaction imminent!

As people watched Alexa's stunt, a disturbing emergency broadcast emerged. The reactor was reaching critical status! No more time left!
In a desperate turn of events, all available dropships were ordered to commence a rocket-powered high speed drop, in order to retrieve as many people as they could before the reactor detonated!
Despite the heavy weather, the durable dropships managed to execute this dangerous maneuver without incident.

Shortly after this reckless dropship maneuver & Alexa's stunt, a blazing explosion lit the planetary surface, marking what was once the location of the unfortunate colony...
In assessing the situation, more tragic news arrived, at least 6 shuttles failed to lift off on time & got caught in the blast. On top of it, the engineer team provided by Utari Onzo had perished as well, staying on their post as long as they could in an attempt to stave off the inevitable explosion for as long as they could.

But the time for mourning wasn't long! A few scattered signals were found, indicating a few pockets of survivors still. Either through the use of an emergency evacuation service or by shelters did these lucky people made it!
With the storm still raging and the hazards of the reactor fallout, these last people were retrieved by the returning dropships, finalizing the evacuation of the colony.
Tsuruma VIII was once more a lifeless world of ice, a frozen tomb for those who didn't make it...

Epilogue

Of the initial 145.000 colonists, roughly 4.000 had perished in the disaster. A terrible tragedy, but it's thanks to the fast response of capsuleer ships that it hasn't been greater.
The deployment of emergency low orbital facilities, combined with the continued influx of additional shuttles for planetary evacuation helped in constantly speeding up the evacuation process. The addition of dropships allowed for an extension of the evacuation window, as these ships could fly through stormy weather.
The ultimate sacrifice brought by Utari Onzo's engineering team also bought enough time to rescue additional people.

Edit: Derived from the released I-RED investigation report: Total loss of human life is 4.720 people, of those, 3.968 dies as they couldn't be evacuated on time, 148 died in the shuttle-collisions during the evacuation. 58 died after evacuation due to their injuries being too severe.
The last tally of 546 deceased people is the part of the crew that didn't survive the crash of their Charon freighter. 438 crewmembers did manage to survive & have been retrieved.

One can criticize I-RED for prioritizing certain assets above people during the evacuation. While this does carry weight, the colony in the end was an I-RED investment, and thereby they carry the last word in who & what should be saved.
Hopefully I-RED management will be able to share more details in their decision in a future announcement.
The lack of protests of capsuleers when they caught wind of this prioritizing assets above people is commendable. While people can argue that it is inhuman to save assets rather then people, such arguments should be done after, not during an evacuation, as such discussions would only slow down the operation, endangering even more lives unnecessary.

All in all, thanks to the rapid response by capsuleers & their deployment of various assets, alot of people have been saved today!

Update: Internal investigation reveals sabotage!

I-RED released their investigation report regarding the incident of the destruction of the colony due to a faulty reactor & the failure of the Charon freighter to assist due to engine trouble, causing it to crash on the planet & worsen the situation.
It also lists the exact number of casualties & the cause of the loss of these lives.
The report also concluded that the destruction wrought by the reactor explosion was near total: 97% of the colony is flattened, with a few remaining structures too heavily damaged to rebuilt.

However, analysis of secured footage & the Charon's recorder revealed that malicious intent was at play, unknown persons sabotaged the colony,motives not yet revealed.
While investigation are still ongoing to identify the saboteur, I-RED has made clear the culprit will be punished 'to the fullest extent of the law'

It's also been revealed that a memorial service will be held at a later date, to remember & honour the people that lost their lives in this disaster.

Ishukone-Raata boosts Black Rise economy

Short summary of Black Rise region history

Originally, Black Rise was a 'wall' between the Federation & the State, a region that couldn't be developed due to a strange phenomenon causing the loss of a large amount of ships in an attempt to scout this tactically important region.
However, as technology marched on, the State patriot megacorps found ways to circumvent this dangerous anomaly in the region and began developing this region in secret through small scale development programs.
Despite the mineral richness of the area, it was barely exploited, as the it was being developed for it's tactical position, offering an excellent waypoint to flank the Federation in the weakly defended but strategic region of Placid that housed the Intaki home system should war ever re-emerge between the two warring states.

When the Militia wars began, the State was forced to reveal the development of Black Rise, taking the Federation by surprise. What happened next is predictable. Due to it's strategic location it became the hotbed of militia activity, offering an easy way into each other territories. He who controls Black Rise could dictate the militia conflict!

The constant struggle in Black Rise was detrimental to it's emerging development, causing many projects to be shut down or reduced. This in turn attracted pirate forces, exploiting the often weakly defended stations & installations in the region. The early report 'Recovered Colonial Task Force' tells the tale of such failed investment.
The remoteness combined with the low development made Black Rise an ideal place for covert Federation organisations to set up their clandestine prison facilities, on which Aurora News reported on several times, see 'Caldari rescued from Black Eagle Prison Camps!' for the latest report on this.
As the militia war raged on, the Black Rise economy collapsed entirely, making even militia items hard to acquire at times.

Black Rise Stability Initiative

In response to the deterioration of Black Rise, the capsuleer alliance Ishuk-Raata Enforcement Directive(I-RED) announced their relocation to this region, in an effort to stabilize it for the State & provide security for it's citizens.
As they deployed their assets in the region, they silently began their Black Rise Stability Initiative (BRSI). I-RED began developing the economy of 3 systems in tactical positions for both the Militia forces & the production industry. These 3 systems are Onnamon, Ichoriya and Samanuni. The shared properties of these systems make them a prime target for economic development & strategic locations to secure the area. These 3 systems all lie close to each other in highsec & all border the lowsec militia conflict areas. Onnamon is especially interesting in this regard due to it's high number of stargates, making it a crossroad for the region!

The first steps of the BRSI project was to increase security of the surrounding systems & to bolster the economy. This was done by enhancing the market for resident State militia forces, providing them with an affordable & stable supply of various required items.
Along with the strengthening of the market, I-RED also expanded the State production infrastructure, establishing several production colonies, offering job-opportunities for the colonial workers!
The development of the Onnamon - Ichoriya - Samanuni triangle offered the State Militia an excellent homebase to strike from against the invading Gallente forces! The only false note in this I-RED development success is Ichoriya, as its lowsec connection remains dominated by the Gallente Militia. Yet, despite this apparent drawback, it is also one of the larger & more stable supply-hubs of the 3 systems!

However, on overall, the development of this particular area of Black Rise by I-RED can be called a success. The stable supply of goods & expanded infrastructure offers the State militia a good base of operations to conduct their operations.
As the Black Rise Stability Initiative project was well received by the Militia, John Revenent of I-RED announced its success & offered a view into the future by revealing the plans to establish a second Free Trade Zone!

Black Rise Free Trade Zone

The next step in the Black Rise development, as envisioned by I-RED will be alot harder, but the pay-off will be equally rewarding!
I-RED first used the Free Trade Zone model in the Intaki system, developing it alongside the Intaki Liberation Front (ILF). This undertaking is marked by two major operations. One is the economic development of the system, providing a full-fledged market hub where one can buy a large variety of goods at competitive prices. Secondary is the securing of the area by suppressing pirate activity, allowing traders & customers to travel freely in the system.
The development of the Intaki Free Trade Zone became a major success, as can be read in this announcement by the ILF: 'All Traders Welcome!'

To repeat this success in Black Rise requires considerable economic & military investment. I-RED is aware of this and is planning accordingly. The assistance of PIE in the BRSI project and the upcoming Black Rise Free Trade Zone has been greatly appreciated by I-RED. Especially two PIE capsuleers, namely Captain Shutaq and Lieutenant Kernher have been crucial in their assistance & advise to establish a more stable economy & security in the area.

For anyone interested in assisting I-RED in the Black Rise Stability Initiative or even helping them in the future establishment of the Black Rise Free Trade Zone, you can either let them know through their announcement here: 'Ishukone-Raata Release [I-RED]: "Black Rise Stability Initiative" ' or contact I-RED representative Makoto Priano with your intent to assist in either the economic development or providing security for the region.

Circadian Seekers retaliate!

Prelude

About a month ago, the New Eden cluster was taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of cloaked unidentified structures in alot of systems, along with the mysterious Circadian seekers patrolling those systems, scanning everything they found.
Immediatly, people went into a frenzy, wondering who these strange intruders were, and what they were after! Despite intense investigations & research, from both Arek'Jaalan & independent groups, not much has been revealed about it so far.

One of the more recent obervations made on the Seeker scanning is the odd feature that when a Stargate is scanned, it glows an eerie shade of blue. So far, the reason for this odd behaviour is unknown. Continued research is needed to see if other scanned structures exhibit similar behaviour!

Stargate glowing faintly blue as it is scanned by Seekers, image by PlayerNikita

However, it was rapidly established that the strange structures were impervious to any known weapon & scanning device, making any form of direct research on these structures hard.
On the other hand, the mysterious Circadian Seekers proved to be harmless, capsuleers could engage them at will as the Seeker ships accepted their imminent demise.
As they left nothing interesting behind to analyze, most capsuleers left them alone, allowing the Seekers to scan & analyze anything they found. One feature of their scanning was disturbing however, they were able to locate & scan cloaked ships, a feature no capsuleer in New Eden can do, as they lack that technology!
On the other hand, some capsuleers continue to destroy these Seeker ships en masse. Some did because they were convinced the Seekers were a threat and they wanted to analyze our civilisation the best they could before launching a form of attack. Others just hunted the Seekers for sport, easy targets that didn't fight back.

Seekers retaliate!

We adapt... Progress is inevitable... Are you ready for our future?

Image by Caroline Grace

In a recent announcement: 'Circadian Seekers: DED Advisory', Concord warned for the Seekers, stating they could adapt to situations.
Originally, people argued what Concord meant and how they acquired this information, as the Seeklers seemed to accept their fate of destruction by capsuleers.
However, just a day after the announcement, reports flooded in about Circadian Seeker ships returning fire on their attackers! To top it off, some reports even told of Capsuleers being podded by these Seekers, an unique precedent!

Normally, capsuleers don't get podded by non-capsuleers. This is either due to law enforcement following procedures, or assailants fearing the personal retaliation by these space demi-gods too much. Normal people only live once, but a capsuleer can die as many times as he wants, especially since the announcement that Concord upgraded the Clone Death system!
But these Seekers aren't phased by the horrible fate one awaits for podding a capsuleer! This adds a whole new layer of risk when engaging these Seeker ships...

However, once the dust had cleared up a bit & the battle-reports had been analyzed in further detail, it was revealed there's no immediate need for panic.
So far, there's no confirmed report of a Circadian Seeker ship initiating an attack. All verified reports about Seekers attacking ships has been in response to said ship attacking them.
The Seeker ships don't do much damage, neither do they disrupt the warpdrive of your ship or pod. While a group of Seekers can be a threat to smaller soft ships, they aren't for larger combat ships fitted to engage them. In case you get destroyed by them, there's not much to fear, as the damage they do to your pod is tiny, allowing you plenty of time to warp out.

Do keep this in mind, the Seekers follow your ships in warp! So if you notice you can't win the fight against them, don't just warp to a safe spot! The Seekers will relentlessly pursue their aggressor, until he either leaves system or docks up. They do have a 60 second delay before they begin their chase through warp. Being cloaked won't stop them from following you. However, once they arrive, they won't attack as long as you remain cloaked.
Do keep in mind, undocking too soon or re-entering to soon, will cause the seekers to re-initiate their pursuit!
This relentless dedication to hunt their attackers is unseen in the cluster, so far only capsuleers have been this dedicated to hunt down targets!

As time passes on, more abilities of these evolving Seekers are revealed. More & more folks report that Circadian Seekers call for reinforcements when you eliminate their first group, causing a second wave of better armed Seekers to arrive.
It seems that Seekers have decided to act much stronger against those who jeopardize their mission of scanning everything!
The second wave does increased damage, but not significant enough to be a major threat to larger combat vessels

Capsuleers relying on drones for damage do have to keep a close eye on their drones! A few reports observed that their drones acted very unreliable, constantly switching targets instead of focusing fire on a single ship, despite said drones been given repeated commands to maintain focus fire!
So far, the source of this behaviour is unknown. Could be sleeper having the ability to scramble the target priority list, causing drones to constantly shift target, or could be a flight of drones with faulty target software.
For now, maintain observation when using drones, and attempt to find out if it's a recurring issue when drones engage Sleepers or just something that happens to a select few, indicating the issue is at the drone side. Note: Sentries don't exhibit this erratic behaviour.
In updated news, this drone behaviour is being reported fairly commonly, but oddly doesn't affect all capsuleers using drones against Seekers.

Close up of the Praedormitan missile launcher, the Seeker primary weapon

Image by Caroline Grace

One last note, the Seekers have been observed using two different weapon systems. Their primary weapon is a weak firing missile with good tracking, able to hit all sorts of targets efficiently. This missile is identified as a Praedormitan Missile, dealing Explosive & Kinetic damage only.
Their secondary weapon is a heavy hitting gun but with abysmal tracking, failing to hit frigates & capsules often & having troubles with other small ships. This secondary weapon deals EM & Thermal damage and is optimized for long range engagements against larger ships.
Do note, activating an MWD drive will eliminate this disadvantage, allowing this heavy damage weapon to hit your ship at full strength!
Recently, reports have come in that the Seeker advanced weapons have the ability to ignore POS shielding! This is a worrisome development & displays their technological advantage! No known weapon in our arsenal can ignore a POS shielding....

A warning

In short, a list of the changed Seeker behaviour:

-They defend themselves from attacks
-The Seekers follow the aggressor through warp in order to continue the attack
-They pod capsuleers, unique among non-capsuleer entities
-They possibly can scramble drone target priority lists, making them unreliable in a focus-fire situation (not consistent, but remain cautious when using drones!)
-Seekers call for reinforcements when the first group is eliminated
-They ignore POS shielding! A major display of their technological superiority!

This development, along with Concords announcement that Seekers can learn & adapt to circumstances is worrying. Utmost caution is advised as our actions in Sleeper territory, where the Seekers possibly herald from, is far from friendly towards them.
It is possible, they are attempting to ascertain how much of a threat we are to them & find ways to stop capsuleers raiding the Sleeper sites in the wormhole systems.
It is important to report any odd behaviour you encounter from either Seekers or Sleepers. The best location to do this would be theses thread on the capsuleer discussion forum: Cloaked "Unidentified Structure" mystery & [HOLY COW] Sleepers, Jovians and the 'Other' and 'Caroline's Star, Sansha Activity, unusual things - Compilation'. These threads are followed by people who will investigate the claims & try to connect the dots between all the strangeness & mysteries as of late.

Hopefully, continued research by either Arek'Jaalan or other groups will allow us to establish a more meaningful way to communicate, as currently, our inability to communicate directly will lead to severe aggressive escalation!
Considering how much trouble capsuleers have with the Sleeper drones in wormhole systems, a more aggressive stance of the Sleepers would be a disaster for the New Eden cluster if they choose to attack us in return...

Aurora Arcology still under lockdown

As reported roughly a month ago, immigration to the Aurora Arcology in Irjunen was halted due to the appearance of an unidentified structure in the system. This lockdown was called as the unidentified structure could be a threat to transports, along with the Seekers tied to it.
Initially it was expected that the Arek'Jaalan research into these structures & seekers would unveil more of their purpose.
Currently, the month long immigration halt has caused a major build-up of refugees in various temporary camps across the cluster. Normally these camps aren't meant to house such large numbers for so long.
Right now, a few emergency measurements have been taken, like increased budget, additional shelter, at the cost of personal space, etc. However, these are merely meant as a short-time solution!

However, with the recent announcement by Concord concerning the Seeker drones evolving, it is expected that the threat level won't go down anytime soon. This would cause a problem, as people need to be moved. The temporary refugee camps can't keep accepting people without consequences, many of them are already close to their limit!
Should the situation endure, Arcology Management will organize a Convoy operation by the end of this month.
The aim of this Convoy operation would be to pool together the waiting refugees at a collection point. Once the collection point camp is filled, a Convoy will transport these people to the Arcology, under the protection of a security escort.
The aim of this is to continue to provide refugees with the shelter & guidance of the Aurora Arcology in their search for a new start in their lives, instead of being trapped in a refugee camp.

For the Convoy & security escort, Aurora Arcology hopes to call on it's capsuleer supporters for assistance. The date for this escort & convoy would be 30 January, Friday-evening. The hour will be shared closer to the date along with a more detailed announcement. Edit! Delayed to February 7, Saturday due to unforeseen circumstances!
If you are interested in participating in the convoy, either as mover or escort: contact Jandice Ymladris!

Capsuleers deal a serious blow to 'De-Minmatarization' - program!

Prelude

Once again, Nauplius steps into the spotlights with a new inhuman idea, the 'De-Minmatarization Project'. The idea behind this is to remove any 'minmatar' marks, be they physical, genetic, cranial & psychological from his subjects.
As if this wasn't enough, Nauplius assured the procedures will be as agonizing as needed, to 'purify' them for his 'Red God',,, Sadly, in his goal, he received assistance in the form of capsuleer Wendrika Hydreiga who studies the removal of 'Minmatar' genetic markers through her research project 'Heart Ribbon'.

Bolstered by this nightmarish research, Nauplius announced that a new facility was erected, dedicated to 'de-minmatarizing' his subjects..., a true Terror Tower station...  Horrified by this, many capsuleers demanded action to be taken! And action followed swiftly, as capsuleer Spyra Gryra located this Terror Tower in the Sifilar system and shared it with the rest of the capsuleers!

The first attack on the Terror Tower

As capsuleers responded in horror to Nauplius' announcement, the capsuleer organisation Pyre Falcon Defense & Security (PYRE) silently launched a combat fleet to initiate the first strike on this terror facility.
Thanks to the publicly shared location and Pyre Falcon's reputation in battle, they had no difficulties reaching their destination. Once they arrived at the Tower's location, the Pyre Fleet opened fire and whittled down its shields.

However, as Sifilar is a warzone system in lowsec, hostiles were bound to arrive. Two capsuleers from the Minmatar militia arrived on grid, forcing the Pyre Falcon bombers to cloak up & radio for backup.
During this, Anyanka Funk arrived on grid and got promptly destroyed by the roaming Minmatar militia ships, creating a welcome distraction for the cloaked fleet.
A short time later, one of their allies in the Amarr militia arrived and chased off the two combat ships. Thanks to this intervention, Pyre could resume the bombardment of the Tower of Terror. No further disruptions occurred, allowing the Pyre bombers to finish their job efficiently, putting the Tower in reinforced mode.

Indeed, just a few hours after Nauplius' announcement, his 'De-Minmatarization'-facility was already put in reinforced by the battle hardened capsuleers of Pyre Falcon! Now it would only be a formality to destroy the tower when it comes out of reinforced.
Or it would have been... If not for the backlash Pyre received after it wads revealed that they put the tower in reinforced mode...

Concerns & reputation

It's a public secret that Pyre Falcon recruits capsuleers based on their value in combat, often ignoring the recruit's questionable background.
This is what caused the backlash against Pyre Falcon, despite their swift & decisive operation that put the Tower in reinforced mode. Many capsuleers expressed their concerns to what fate the rescued people would face if taken by Pyre Falcon. This concern was fueled by various high profile members in Pyre being former Sansha loyalists & Angel Cartel capsuleers.

The assurance that Pyre Falcon would turn over the rescuees to humanitarion organisations didn't calm down the commotion and eventually lead in an official announcement from Pyre that they would withdraw from further actions against Nauplius' Terror Tower.
In the end, the reputation of some of their high profile members was too much for most capsuleers. But who would take control now?

The second attack on the Tower of Terror

In the end, it is Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris (PIE) once again that saves the day. Under guidance of Luitenant Samira Kernher of PIE, she amassed a fleet composed of PIE members & supporters who wanted to see Nauplius' reign of terror end.
This final attack went along in much the same way as the first. The fleet engaged the Tower, slowly bringing it down with their firepower. No significant force showed up to thwart this attempt as well. However, capsuleer Anyanka Funk did arrive multiple times on the battlefield, sometimes with ships, sometimes just as a pod. Due to her Blood Raider history & her motive being unknown, the Fleet shot her down each time she arrived, assuring the safety of everyone involved, or almost everyone...
Despite these continued interventions, the Terror facility eventually exploded under the relentless attacks!

The PIE Fleet suffered one casualty, I-RED representative Makoto Priano got shot down during the operation by Pyre Falcon Pilots. While Makoto Priano tried to keep it quiet as she didn't want to create more drama then already existed, this action came to light nonetheless to the general audience through other members of her corporation, fueling the sentiment against Pyre Falcon.

Conclusions

Despite the successful destruction of previous towers, as reported in 'Blood Raider Temple taken down!', Nauplius continues his horrific practices of terrorizing his minmatar slaves.
While he is slowly gaining supporters, the outrage against his actions is still strong, assuring a swift takedown of his facilities once he announces them!
Especially the Amarr capsuleers are on the front row to grab a ship and blow his latest facilities to smithereens!

Check here for the latest Tower destruction: Terror Tower destruction confirmed

However, the backlash that Pyre Falcon received shows that attacking Nauplius' installations isn't an automatic goodwill token for people to forget about certain members with questionable allegiances.
The incident involving the loss of the I-RED bomber at the second attack will only reinforce the belief that Pyre Falcon cannot be trusted.
Do note that at no point, Pyre Falcon didn't do anything wrong following the letter of the law, as both had each other set to hostile standings & in lowsec, so by strict applying of rules, combat between the two was inevitable once they shared the same battlegrid.

In my view, the destruction of the I-RED bomber during the Tower engagement was unnecessary, as Pyre Falcon could have waited till either the Tower was down, or it had left the battlefield.
In the end, sometimes a situation requires a bending of the rules for a greater good. Stopping Nauplius from continuing his horrific rituals & experiments on innocent people ranks highly as one such situation.

However, a Pyre Falcon member did raise a good point among all the commotion, namely: 'I'm getting a whole lot of "We will be happy to aid with the refugees" and not enough "We will help you blow up the bad guy" here'
Capsuleers often tumble over each other, offering to take care of the refugees, but are much less forthcoming in lending combat assistance. This isn't a new observation either. This point was also brought up during the previous operations against Nauplius.
In the end, all fleets that were sent against Nauplius' towers always had some form of transport to help carry the rescued captives, assuring their survival. In all cases, PIE was involved in the destruction of these 3 towers & thereby took care of the people they rescued from his grasp.
Offering to help the refugees is a good thing, but often, the fleets sent against Nauplius are more helped by some extra capsuleers piloting combat ships, assuring less exposure to hostile fleets during the tower battle. Even if you only can fly small frigates, your help is more then welcome!

However, to think that Nauplius will back down on his 'De-Minmatarization' - program after this setback is naive, as he no longer is alone in his belief to purge the Minmatar from the cluster... The destruction of his previous temples didn't stop him either, so be ready for any future facilities that he'll construct. It is unknown what he has planned for the future, but caution is advised. Keep an eye on him and his corporation, if only to save as many slaves from his grasp and cruel torments as possible!

A big thanks to all who shared information about this attack on Nauplius' De-Minmatarization center!

Looking back on the news that shaped the year YC116

A thanks to all readers & supporters of Aurora News!

This is the second year of Aurora News, and thanks to you readers, it's been a most successful year! With every event that was reported, small & large, new readers were attracted, thanks to people sharing these publications to those who wanted to know more!
This lead to a rising audience, month after month! This both empowered me to improve but also humbled me, making sure any information published is as correct as it could be, knowing how many people followed Aurora News & it's publications!

And with a growing audience comes publicity but also increased criticism. However, the positive supportive messages I received vastly outnumbered the venomous comments.  My sincere thanks for this! This all wouldn't be possible without your continued support & readership!

But what are the articles people enjoyed the most? What caught the eye of the readers? You'll see it in the YC 116 top 10 Aurora Newsfeeds! It turns out to be a very diverse list, a reflection of the varied events that occurred across the New Eden cluster.
The reason for a top 10 this year contrary to the top 5 last year is simply because now we have our first full year of newsreports! Last year, Aurora News only had 4 months to look back, a vast difference of this year's 12 months!

Top 10 Aurora Newsfeeds of YC116

10) The Empire Titans, when big isn't big enough!

The first article in this top 10 is about the largest ships in New Eden, the Iapetan Titans, colossal ships that dwarf even the largest ships capsuleers can fly!
As info on these behemoths is hard to come by, this article gained renown among ship enthousiasts as it offered an easy overview on the various super-titans in service by a variety of factions.
To this day, the colossal Empire Titans continue to serve as the symbol of military might for their respective factions.

9) When nightmares turn reality: The Sansha invasion

This is a historical article, shining the spotlight on one of the darkest periods in recent history, namely the Sansha invasions of YC112-YC113. These attacks threw the New Eden cluster into chaos as Nation attempted to break the opposition. The outcome of this confrontation was mixed. While Nation supremacy was averted, Nation did succeed in compromising Concord, allowing them to launch continued large scale attacks to this day, known as incursions.
The popularity of this article lies in recalling a dangerous time for Capsuleers, where heroes were born and the division between good & bad was clear.

8) Ushra'Khan liberates slaves in Amarr!

In a joint effort with Pandora News, Aurora News reported on the daring Ushra'Khan raids on slave transports deep in Amarr space to liberate their enslaved kin and the Empire's response on this intrusion!
Despite this being among the smaller engagements reported on this year, it gained great renown nonetheless, as people enjoy reading about combatants taking on a much more powerful foe! Especially if said combatants visit the heart of this foe!

7) Shrouded in mystery, the Jovian race

This article aimed to collect all known information & reliable rumours & speculations on the Jove and their influence on the history of the various factions in Eden, directly & indirectly.
As compendiums & summaries on Jove knowledge are rare, this article slowly gained more & more recognition over the year, drawing in new readers who are interested in knowing more about the New Eden cluster & those who inhabit it.
A good read if you like to know more about Jovian influence on the various factions of New Eden.

6) Provist Taskforce succeeds at Taisy!

This battle was part of the Provist Manhunt organized by the Caldari Navy in April. In total, 7 major battles occurred between the Provist forces & the Capsuleer Fleets, You can read more about the Manhunt & the various battles in this article: 'The Provist Manhunt Summary',
While all the reports on these engagements saw a large readership, this article on the failure of the capsuleers to destroy the Provist capitals gathered alot more attention then all others. It seems people not only enjoy reading about the destructive capacities of capsuleers but also about their failures!

5) The result of the YC116 Sleeper data research race: Tech 3 destroyers unveiled!

The research race was the talk of the cluster while it ran, as he who would gather the most Sleeper tech for his side would see their supported side be the first to achieve a breakthrough in tech 3 ship designs, namely the development of high-tech versatile destroyers!
Our early report on the Tech 3 destroyers, among the first in existence, did draw in a large crowd of curious capsuleers wanting to know more about these enigmatic ships!
Following the announcement made in 'Empires seek capsuleer assistance in Sleeper research!', many gathered & delivered Sleeper Tech to their factions. Aurora News updated this article regularly to keep people informed on who was in the lead.
In the end, the Amarr Empire gained supremacy in the technology race. Our excellent reporting on this event however didn't go unnoticed and Concord even shared this news-article in their November newsletter! This resulted in a large influx of new readers from this point onward.

4) Strange structures and mysterious Sleepers appear all over New Eden!

Shortly after the discovery of Caroline's Star (which you can read more about in the top article linked below on spot 3!), unidentified structures appeared in numerous systems across the New Eden cluster, often accompanied by the mysterious Seekers.
While currently the Seekers seem harmless, very little has been uncovered about these strange sightings so far.

3) Strange bright star appears in the sky across New Eden!

Among the first articles that appeared on the discovery of Caroline's Star, a bright but strange supernova that had practically the whole cluster in a frenzy!
Thanks to people supporting me with unique images & up-to-date relevant information, people could keep track on this odd event that excited & frightened many in New Eden!
The article also reflected back on a previous Bright Star phenomenon, attempting to find links with this current phenomenon.
Right now, Caroline's Star has faded into a green nebulous celestial, visible to all. Many mysteries still surround it, despite great efforts of capsuleers & scientists alike.

2) Revenant Carrier destroyed as promotional stunt by Eve-Bet!

As noted earlier, everyone loves reading about mayhem & destruction! And the destruction of the Revenant Supercarrier in this promotional stunt was among the biggest fights of the year!
Following the arrest of Somer and the shutdown of his gambling venue Blink by Concord, many other gambling sites tried to attract the former SomerBlink crowd to their venues.
EvE-Bet successfully managed to generate large amounts of publicity through their Revenant destruction event, even attracting Concord Command Personnel attention, a hard feat! Many capsuleers flocked to their event, from rookies to battle-hardened veterans, a truly diverse crowd!
All in all, the colossal battle to destroy the Revenant didn't go by unnoticed and many people enjoyed reading about the shenanigans the participants got themselves in!

1) Newly discovered Sleeper sites contain advanced weapon blueprints!

Being among the first to give a detailed report on the new Sleeper sites in Empire space, people shared this one with countless friends who wanted to know more about these Sleeper sites appearing and what dangers & rewards could be found in there!
The detailed info, along with various detailed reports shared by people helped to make this report such a great success.
Even now, this news-article is up to date if you like to explore the smaller Sleeper sites in Empire space with knowledge to back you up in this endeavour.

Recognitions towards Aurora News & Jandice Ymladris

Over the year, Aurora News was recognized by others as a reliable source of information. On top of this, I earned a few nominations myself through my work in keeping Aurora News up to date.
I like to thank everyone who supported me & Aurora News in gaining wider recognition in the cluster!

Below is the list of support, accolades, recognitions & nominations acquired over the year, either under my name, Jandice Ymladris or as Aurora News.

Aurora News recognitions

- First sponsor: Eve Online Hold'Em Poker, an article on our first official sponsor can be read here: 'Eve Online Hold'Em; Play real poker for isk!'
If you're interested in some fun games & winning some isk, read up on EOH-Poker & have fun!

- Featured as one of the main news sources on Pandora News, informing people of events across the New Eden Cluster.

-Article featured in the Concord November newsletter sent to all capsuleers who are subscribed to their Concord Communication Publications (CCP) newsletter.
The article featured was: ' The result of the YC116 Sleeper data research race: Tech 3 destroyers unveiled!' due to it's detailed report on not only the tech 3 destroyers but also the research race leading up to it.

-Article featured in the renowned EvE News 24 site, one of the most popular news-sites in New Eden that keeps capsuleers informed on what's going on, bringing out new articles every few hours!
The article featured was 'Explode a Nyx for the Kids!' ; displaying the great charity capsuleers show when they can combined their favorite activities, helping people & blowing capitals up!

-The overwhelming support Aurora News received after it's journalistic integrity was questioned due to my involvement in taking down the Blood Temples erected by Nauplius: 'Blood Raider Temple taken down!' Thanks to all those who came to my defense, it meant alot!

- Everyone who doesn't shoot me in the large battles because they recognize me & like to read what I write on these fights! Thank you!

- Everyone who shared links of Aurora News articles to their friends or added a link to Aurora News on their blogs & sites! Big thanks from me!

Jandice Ymladris accolades

- Miss Federation Day : Awarded after winning the Federation Day Fashion show 'Celebrating Federation Day in Dodixie!' Thank you for your support!

- Shortlist Nomination for Loyalist of the Year (Amarr) : This recognition carries great value to me, as this nomination included capsuleers & Dust mercs of all ways of life, often dedicating their service to the Amarr Empire in some way. To be included in this list, despite my stance of  neutrality feels as a recognition from the Amarr Capsuleers for my respectful & positive journalism I display in Aurora News.
I thank those who nominated me & supported my nomination!

- Everyone who shares images, knowledge & news with me, allowing me to improve the various news-articles published in Aurora News! I'm grateful for your support!


And as closure:I wish you all a happy & great YC117!