Find the way to Thera thanks to EvE-Scout!

Locating Thera, the early days

Ever since the reveal of Thera's existence, capsuleers across New Eden tried their best to find their way into this Sister stronghold. At first they tried doing it individually, scanning out wormholes till they found one that lead to Thera. This method was not only time-intensive, it was also very inefficient.
But capsuleers are a creative sort when it comes to improve a tasks efficiency. They come together, form groups and set up systems & databanks to increase the efficiency of any task.

And so, under the impulse of G8keeper, EvE-Scout was born. They're a group of capsuleers sharing the same goal, namely scanning down entries into Thera and sharing it with the rest of the cluster, in order to improve traffic towards this oddball Sisters of Eve wormhole system with stations!

EvE-Scout, your guide to finding Thera!

As you can read in their announcement here: '[EvE-Scout]: Providing free Access to Thera', they're a group of capsuleers who actively seek out connecting wormholes in & out Thera. The resulting connections are then published on their site & placed on their public map.

Link to the Thera Connection Map!

So how does the map work? Fairly simple actually! Once on the map, you can spot all the regions. Regions with an active connection to Thera are listed with a number. This number is usually 1, sometimes 2, reflecting the number of active connections to Thera located in this region. More  is possible but uncommon, save for the 'wormhole' region listed, as it usually contains multiple connections to Thera due to it's nature.
Clicking on the numbers gives you the system name, along with the signature-code & estimated life-span of the connecting wormhole.

Do keep in mind, due to these connections being published that they might be camped. As at any time, the number of connections to Thera is high, it's unlikely that they're all heavily camped, but caution is advised. Most camping can be expected at highsec connections & during weekends.
The Sister Stations are open for all, but keep in mind that capsuleers can place them under lockdown as well, so do ask advice on safely undocking if you plan to make Thera your new home!

So for all those who want to use this knowledge, go ahead & take care! You can go to Thera for trade, combat & engagements of all kind, or simply for research into the various odd properties of this wormhole system.
For more info on Thera itself, Eve University made a good start on creating a database: 'Thera - Uniwiki'

Help EvE-Scout stay up to date!

For those who want to help out, good news! You don't need to be a member of their corp to assist, they also take info from those who have proven themselves to be reliable! If you got a nice probe-ship and wat to help out, check out the links below!
For more info, you can read this advertisement: 'Become an EvE-Scout today!' or on their corporation page: 'Eve-Scout: How to contribute'
You can also ask questions on their public channel: ' EvE-Scout ' (add to your channel list) where the channel moderators will assist you in answering questions you might have.

For those who wish to support EvE-Scout but don't have the time to scout out wormholes to locate Thera-connections, you can always support them financially by sending an isk donation to the corporation EvE-Scout! This assures their continued operation, as they do sacrifice their time in order to provide the New Eden cluster with updated info on the Thera wormhole connections!

Amarrian Loyalists of the Year - YC 116

The nominations for Amarrian loyalists of the year

The last few years, the Amarr capsuleer organisation Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris (PIE) has sponsored the Amarrian Loyalist of the Year Awards. This is an award that recognizes the capsuleer efforts on behalf of the Empire in many ways & forms. They include, but are not limited to: Fighting for the Amarr in the Milita wars; Supporting the Empire in the Sleeper research race; the securing of the nullsec region Providence for the Empire and many other projects & efforts that benefit the Empire.

In a first step, PIE asked the capsuleer community at large to nominate people in two categories for the Loyalist of the Year awards. The two categories are:

-Amarrian Capsuleer of the Year
The search for the Amarr-bound capsuleer whose actions benefit the Empire over the past year. To be accepted for this nomination you have to be born: Amarr, Ni-Kunni or Khanid.
The Award includes a PIE sponsored Navy Issue Apocalypse.

-Loyal Servant of the Year
The non-Amarrian pilots are not forgotten and can be nominated for this award for their actions that benefit the Empire the past year.
This Award includes a PIE sponsored Navy Issue Harbinger

To assure that this calling for nominations for the Awards goes orderly, PIE laid out some rules to provide clarity & to combat abuse. These rules are:

-PIE members may not nominate
-You cannot nominate a PIE member
-You may not nominate yourself or a member of your corporation
-Nominations may be published publicly in the Nomination thread or sent privately to Lord Shaikar or Admiral Ascentior
-Nominations should include the reason of nomination & the Nominee's name.
-Nominations must be sent before 7 December YC116, 12H

Once the Nomination date has passed, PIE High Command will then compose a shortlist of 6 names for each award, based on a variety of reasons & considerations. Once published on 19 december, the PIE members at large will decide on the winner of these Awards.
With this it is explained why PIE members cannot nominate or be nominated, as it would eschew the whole Awards.

The Shortlist and some controversy

At 19 december, Lord Shaikor of PIE published the shortlist, revealing the capsuleers PIE deems worthy for the Amarr Loyalist of the Year Awards.
The shortlist for both awards are:

Amarrian Capsuleer of the Year Shortlist

    Aenrea, of Terpene Conglomerate [TERP]

    ePIMP, of Space-Brewery-Association [S-B-A]

    Ibrahim Tash-Murkon, of Inter Vivos Trust Service [VIVOS]

    Lunarisse Aspenstar, of Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque [SFRIM]

    Nicoletta Mithra, of Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque [SFRIM]

    Reginald Sakakibara, of Death By Design [URGD]

Loyal Servant of the Year Shortlist

    Demion Samenel, of Caldari Independent Navy Reserve [CAIN]

    Jandice Ymladris, of Aurora Arcology [X101]

    Makoto Priano, of Priano Trans-Stellar State Services [PRIAN]

    Stalking Mantis, of Dirt 'n' Glitter [D-N-G]

    Tristan daCuhna, of Dirt 'n' Glitter [D-N-G]

The shortlist did spark controversy among the Amarr Militia members due to two reasons, one of them countered early. The one countered was the complaint on the lack of Militia pilots. PIE responded in kind to this criticism that 5 Militia members were nominated, occupying almost half of the Shortlists, a feat considering the Awards include all forms of actions that benefit the Empire, including many outside the Militia.

The second complains caused a greater controversy, as many active members of the Militia nominated Shalee Lianne of Imperial Outlaws. This is due to her actions the passing year in favour of the Empire, not only in the Militia wars but also beyond, as she was crucial in taking down the operations of the fanatic Nauplius.

However, PIE responded that they did consider her and recognize her efforts, she didn't make the list as they considered all her actions, revealing that they are aware of Shalee Lianne's controversial stance on certain policies.

After almost two weeks of jury duty by PIE members, a winner of each category was chosen, announced by Lord Shaikar. These Awarded capsuleers are:

Amarrian Capsuleer of the Year: Lunarisse Aspenstar

Capsuleer Lunarisse Aspenstar has done a great deal the past year in bringing the Empire into a more positive light. Especially the various events she organized & lead have shown that the Empire's deep roots in Traditions & Faith have a quality all of their own, not found in other nations.

However, her actions to promote the Empire were not only in organizing public Events like the Amarr Militia Auction, but also by taking part in combat operations against enemies of the Empire & Faith as shown by her participation in taking down the Nauplius' Blood Temples earlier this year!

The cheerful comments on Lunarisse Aspenstar winning this award shows the great support she had built up this year, as even several nominees congratulated her, proclaiming that she is the rightful receiver of the Amarrian Capsuleer of the Year Award.

She also thanked them for their recognition of her efforts.

Loyal Servant of the Year: Stalking Mantis

Originating from the Caldari Militia, Stalking Mantis was instrumental in the Amarr Militia victories in YC116 through his corporation Amarrian Vengeance.

As fellow Militia member, he did respond in a respectful manner regarding the Shalee Lianne controversy, recognizing her efforts, but also reminding people this is an annual award, seeking people that did remarkable things that year, not the previous years.

In this light, this winning nomination is less of a mystery, as Stalking Mantis laid the foundation upon which the Amarr Militia victories in YC116 in the conflictzone were built, resulting in  Amarr Victor: total control of the Amarr-Militia warzone!

The full thankword of Stalking Mantis can be read here: 'Dear Capsuleers'-Amarr Loyalists of the year YC116.

As he decided to retire form Capsuleer life for the time being, this Award is a crowning achievement for all his efforts the past year. As a temporary (?) goodbye note he did publish his memoires of his capsuleer life in the Amarr Militia and his efforts within them:  'The Avening Angels - The story of Amarrian Vengeance'

The Shortlist Nomination of Jandice Ymladris for the Loyal Servant of the Year

This nomination & my inclusion on the shortlist came as a total surprise for me. For this, I like to thank all those who supported me & nominated me. I also like to thank the PIE High Command for my inclusion in the shortlist. It means alot to me as Aurora News does its utmost best to maintain integrity & positive reporting on various subjects of the various factions in New Eden.

While my aim remains unchanged; bringing a more respectful & positive journalism, it's recognitions like this that remind me that I am doing a good job.

I like to remind my readers that I have ran positive articles not only on the Amarr, but also on the Minmatar (and others!) in recent times which should assure all of you that I will continue my course of bringing you news from all sides of New Eden, with a positive tone, ever vigilant to secure my journalistic integrity on matters!

Luminaire Snowball Festival turns out amazing!

Early arrivals

Early guests showing off their lightshow skills, image by Charles Surge

As time passed by, people arrived at the Luminaire Navy station to once again celebrate the start of the holidays in New Eden! Organized once again by Commander A9, the official start time would be 21H, but quite some folks arrived before that time, starting the firework show early!
With all the banter in local, folks wondered what was going on, but once they knew what it was for, many joined the fray with their festival launchers! Fireworks & snowballs got tossed left & right, lighting up many a ship!

Rock that party! Fireworks, snowballs, lasers! Image by Charles Surge

As time passed, the crowd grew, having alot of fun with all the fireworks & snowballs being flung around. The dazzling performances by various fast frigates added to the enjoyment of many. So by the time the event started officially, people were in the mood, with many more coming over as they heard of this fun firework shooting!

21 December, 21H; Lets PARTYYY!

Party Time! Image by Jaantrag

And so we're go for a whole evening of fun! From randomly pelting your fellow capsuleers with snowballs to professional firework teams dazzling the audience! Not to mention the many frigates trailing impressive missile-storms behind them, or the various holiday handouts by capsuleers! 

And all this performed with New Eden Radio as the soundtrack of the event, as DJ Tranze & DJ Dagaroth made sure they picked excellent music for the audience to enjoy! 

And for those folks who feared to run out of fireworks or snowballs, Commander A9 had them covered, thanks to generous donations by various groups across New Eden! For those who didn't had access to a party-ship, James Baboli surprised them with a Party-Talwar for leasing! This way, nobody had to miss out on all the fun!
Much hilarity was had when one of the attending capsuleers revealed he was supposed to be in the hospital, but managed to convince the nurses to let him attend, he only had to bring them along!

But what was all planned for this event? Lots of things, as the list below shows!

Event schedule

2100 Holiday Snowball fight starts! 

2130 First Lightshow

2230 Secret Santa Gift Exchange!

2325 Second Lightshow

0000 Third Lightshow

0030 Fourth Lightshow

 All evening: New Eden Radio Lottery by  DJ Tranze 

All Evening: Fireworks & Snowball fights at the Fed Navy Station undock

The DiscoRokh! Performing lasershows all evening! Image by Charles Surge

The Lightshows! Impressive displays for all to see!

The height of the evening are the wonderful Lightshows. But this year, competition was much more professional & dedicated then last year ( The Luminaire Holiday Festival was a great success! ) While last year had some great displays, they were blown out the water by what could be seen this year! The Lightshows had several teams working together in creating displays that were stunningly beautiful!

The four lightshows were all marvels of pyrotechnics & snowball tossing art. Thanks to the great donations of many, much more prizes could be handed out this year! The top 4 of every lightshow would win a prize, but even then it was often hard to pick winning entries due to the high quality of the performers!

Kueyen's Event Hyperion in action! Image by Jaantrag

But in the end, winners were picked, receiving a large variety of prizes, from a Quafe Edition Megathron to Fun Holiday packages!

Winner's list

First Lightshow

First prize: Loki, won by Jaantrag

Second prize: Christmas Turkey I, won by Kusk62 ( 2x Caldari Navy Hookbills)

Third prize: Christmas Laser Package, won by James Baboli (Medium & Large laser-crystals)

Fourth prize: Ship of Sin, won by Quickswipe Collier (A bestower with female Exotic dancers!)

Second Lightshow

First prize: Megathron Quafe Edition with Lance of MTACs, won by Foxicity

Second prize: 6% Surgical Strike Implant, won by Kueyen (gifted to Virion Stoneshard)

Third prize: Gnosis, won by Khaprice

Fourth prize: Party Wagon, won by Steve Atreides (A mammoth with male Exotic dancers!)

Honorary mention: Virion Stoneshard

Third Lightshow

First prize: Warp To Me Vindicator, won by Jaantrag (Incursion ready fitted Vindicator)

Second prize: Christmas Turkey II, won by LT CONEC (2x Crows)

Third prize: Torch Monocle & Sterling Shirts, won by Shalashaska Adam

Fourth prize: Christmas Drunk Package, won by scott magna (A rifter with launchers &  spirits aboard)

Fourth Lightshow

First prize: PLEX, won by Quickswipe Collier

Second price: Mordu's Legion Orthrus, won by Jandice Ymladris

Third prize: Flycatcher, won by Charles Surge

Fourth prize: Lonely Christmas package, won by Carla Malukker 

(package containing: Synthetic oil, X-rated Holoreel, prostitute, spirits & an ibis)

As you can see lots of variety in the prizes, not to mention some humour too! Not to mention that the shows given by the contestants were often of a dazzling & spectacular beauty! No image or video can do justice to these shows, the only way to enjoy them fully is to be there!

But with the many upcoming holiday events, you'll have a chance to see some of these stellar people & teams in action! But the Luminaire Snowball Festival was more then just the lightshows, as people had great fun & did their own things at the Luminaire Navy Station undock!

Holiday Cheer for everyone! Capsuleer style!

Bring on the snowball fights! Image by Charles Surge

As the evening progressed, people had fun shooting each other with fireworks & snowballs and handing out random gifts in blue cans. But shortly after the first lightshow, something went amiss. A whole lot of yellow cans were dropped, containing some very shiny blueprints, from Rorquals to Thanatos blueprints and even some tech II copies!

At first most people waited anxiously for the owner to release them as blue cans, but in the end, the desire grew to much and some started looting the cans! Virion Stoneshard retaliated immediately on these greedy capsuleers & punished them by blowing up their ship! A few more tried, but underwent the same fate! But at long last, the cans were released for the public and vanished in record-time, looted by the swarm of waiting capsuleers!

The turmoil did gained the attention of Concord, who came peeking with a lone Concord Police Commander battleship, who remained there for the rest of the evening, keeping the peace.

But being in a sportsmanship mood, Virion Stoneshard wanted to create a unique firework display, that everyone could enjoy! So he turned himself suspect and invited anyone who wanted to fire at him, creating a blinding explosion for all to see as his Typhoon got barraged by a few brave party-goers!

You are primary! Start running or get smothered under a barrage of fireworks & snowballs!

Image by Jaantrag

All along the evening, people often called a random capsuleer as primary for their fireworks & snowballs, usually ones with fast ships! This resulted in the famed Missile swarms appearing, giant clouds of firework missiles & snowballs chasing a fast frigate! A wonderful sight to behold, all those missiles chasing a lone ship.

And when they hit, it would create a massive & blinding explosion of fireworks & snow!

During these callouts, much fun was had by all, as people pelted each other with snowballs and launched fireworks in brilliant colorful blasts!

The Secret Santa handout was also a source of fun & cheer, as people received a ton of random gifts, from silly & goofy to shiny. Faction modules got handed out, sets of Large weapons, ships and festival packages! All in all, people enjoyed their random gifts! Some put them immediately to use as it fitted the Festival theme!

The many lightshows were also a source of entertainment, but of a different kind, as most folks had to hold back while the contestants showed off their skills in creating marvelous snowball & firework displays! This controlled method allowed the audience to fully enjoy some of the most beautiful & intense fireworks as some contestants worked in teams to deliver their best shows!

The fourth lightshow saw some panic & disturbance when a large fleet of Drakes suddenly warped in! Immediatly, the core group who assisted the organizers went into alert modus, investigating any possible threats & alerting caution against these strange newcomers.

Luckily, there was no need to worry, as the Drake Swarm turned out to be friendly, being a late joiner to the party.

As the Drake Swarm accompanied the Lightshow teams to the party-location at the Luminaire Navy Station, people were amazed at the sight of this large Drake fleet! people flew around them, pelted them with snowballs & tossed fireworks on them, lighting up the whole place!

Drakes invade the Snowball festival! Launch all Fireworks! Image by Jaantrag

A last word on this enjoyable holiday Snowball fight

All in all, it was great fun! Everyone enjoyed themselves shooting fireworks & snowballs and creating neat shows with their lasers & drones. Nobody had to miss out as Commander A9 & James Baboli made sure everyone had snowballs, fireworks and a ship to launch them from!

The lightshow events were also great, showing a formidable growth compared to last year's event. They were much more professional and team-based, not to mention alot more contestants as well! The show displays themselves amazing to see, but sadly you can't catch the feel & beauty well in still images. Video's give a better view, but it doesn't compare to seeing them yourself!

All in all, very high quality contest with impressive visuals!

This year did had a more rowdy section, where people shot each other in good spirits, leading to a few losses (but all in good nature). Luminaire Battle report shows what ships went lost. Check 21 December to see who got involved in fights on the Luminaire Snowball fights!

The arrival of the Drake fleet was an impressive sight and a great way to close the event on. Lots of people had fun with them, making the fleet their focal point for their lightshows, fireworks & snowballs.

Also, several folks made great images of the event. It also got recorded, but as recordings need editing before release, they'll be revealed later! Below, you'll find links to their galleries, along with an example-image!

YC116 Snowball Fight Luminaire Image Gallery by Charles Surge

Luminaire Snowball Fight Image Gallery by Jaantrag

If you want to know more about the first Snowball Fight Festival in Luminaire last year, you can read about it here: 'The Luminaire Holiday Festival was a great success!'

As a last note: a major thanks to all who donated to make this event a greater success! You can find the list of donators here: Luminaire Snowball Fight 2

Amarr conquer all Minmatar contested systems!

Amarr Victor!

For the first time since the start of the Amarr/Minmatar conflict, a faction managed to take control of the whole contested zone.
About a week ago, the last contested Minmatar system fell to the 24th Imperial Crusade, assuring total Victory for the Amarr Empire in this conflict.
This impressive push started several weeks ago, when Amarr forces pushed to break the Huola Minmatar system fortress. After nearly 3 years, it finally fell to the Amarr. From this moment onward, it was a long final push to take control of all the Amarr/Minmatar contested regions.
Capsuleer Sakakibara provided a good overview on this campaign here: 'Huola Liberated, Amarr claim Warzone'

Ever since, various Amarr groups have boasted about their achievements, hoping to receive official recognition from the Empress for their efforts. While the Faction conflict is sometimes mocked as a fake conflict, meant to keep capsuleers busy, there is precedent of official recognition by the authorities. It's also important to keep in mind that an extended occupation of the warzone by a single faction can have far-reaching consequences!

Previous full occupations & their results

In total, a warzone has been conquered in full only 3 times prior to the Amarr success. These previous full occupations were all in the Caldari/Gallente zone.

Glory to the State!

The first time full occupation happened was shortly after the conflict was approved by Concord. The Caldari conquered & held all contested territories in the Gallente/Caldari conflict for months. To this day, this absolute control in the Warzone has never been seen again!
On top of this, the long occupation by State Militia forces had far-reaching consequences! Due to its firm hold on the territories, the State auctioned off the development rights of the previously Gallente owned territories to various Megacorporations. Of these auctions, the most known one is the winning bid of Ishukone on the Intaki home system, as both parties respected each others rights, going so far that Intaki refused the Federation Navy 'liberating' them, preferring the Mordus Legion to secure their system.
The Caldari Militia members themselves were awarded the 'Distinguished Blade' by Executor Heth for their efforts!

This also had far-reaching consequences for the Gallente Federation, as the heavy handed attempt by President Foiritan to launch a counter-offensive to liberate these Gallente Territories by nationalizing the arms-industry led to his resignation!
While this all is in the past now, this lasting Caldari occupation of the Gallente territories had far-reaching consequences that echo to this day!

Hours of Full Gallente Control

In stark contrast to the long occupation by the Caldari are the times Gallente held full control. Unlike the State, they managed to do this at least twice! However, unlike the long occupation by the State, the Gallente only managed to hold on for a few hours to their total dominance before Caldari forces rallied to break the control over one of the systems.
These full occupations occurred in January YC 115 and September YC 116.
However, the Gallente Militia only received official recognition for the first full occupation. The second full control went by without any recognition from the authorities, albeit the Gallente Militia groups did make alot of ruckus about it.

Conclusions

It seems that for official recognition, only the first full occupation gets taken in account. Do note that the low amount of times full occupation has occurred means it's hard to draw conclusions.
However, the 24th Imperial Crusade now occupies the Amarr/Minmatar warzone completely for over a week now, the longest ever after the State. To hold it for more then a few days takes tremendous effort as many Minmatar Militia groups will be assaulting systems left & right in the whole warzone, in an effort to break the Amarr full occupation.

It is important to note that if a Medal is granted, it will only be given to those who are in the Militia during the handout. Anyone who left the Militia after full control but before the Medal handout will not get it, as they are considered deserters! This was the case both times when an official Medal was awarded for full control of the Caldari/Gallente warzone.

If you want to keep track of what happens in the Militia warzones, you can consult: Faction Warfare. This news-site is fully dedicated to both warzones, offering news on important developments & guides on how to act & operate to be a successful Militia member!

To keep an eye on the developments in the Militia warzones, you can check the map data provided by Dotlan:

-Map of the Amarr-Minmatar Warzone

-Map of the Caldari-Gallente Warzone

The Arek'Jaalan Prometheus Seminar

Prologue

A meeting was called to give a deeper insight on all the recent events & anomalies and how they tied in with older events and our knowledge. The Thera system, the newly emerged shattered wormholes, the Sansha wormhole systems and much more have shaken the foundations of what we know and made us realize the power of the ancient civilizations like the Sleepers & Talocan. With it came many new questions, and answers we didn't expect.
While the Arek'Jaalan project is still reforming, it was in everyone's best interest to call a meeting in the AJ spirit, as it was obvious current events caught up on us all!
This meeting, called Prometheus, aims to give people a deeper insight on what's going on, built upon what has been discovered so far and building on top of that. Do note that most findings must be verified by continued observation, research & investigations.
This Prometheus Seminar can also be seen as a small general repetition for the big 4th Seyllin Conference that's being planned: 'The Fourth Seyllin Conference"SeyCon YC116" '

The Prometheus Seminar

Julianus Soter called for the seminar, in order to highlight what has been discovered so far, possible theories involving recent events and to point out important questions to be investigated deeper. Most seminars revolve around a speaker & his subject, a few do involve more group discussions. The following list sums the various subjects of the Prometheus Seminar in chronological order along with their speaker, if applicable.

Isogen-5 parts I by Frenjo Borkstar

Capsuleer Frenjo Borkstar reminded us of the link between Isogen-5 and wormholes. It was determined during the investigation of the Seyllin disaster that during this time, various ancient Isogen-5 deposits exploded, leading to the appearance of the first wormholes & the discovery of the wormhole systems. While Isogen is a fairly common element, Isogen-5 is an extremely rare isotope of this element with exotic properties.
It's been theorized that when Isogen-5 explodes it forms exotic matter with the curious property of negative mass. While it has yet to be observed, it is plausible, as wormholes are inherently unstable and should collapse on creation, unless they're being stabilized by something with negative mass.

Shattered Wormholes, parts I: Epicenter Sites by Saede Riordan

Intact Talocan structure at the Epicenter site of a Shattered Wormhole system 

image by Saede Riordan

Capsuleer Saede Riordan is a seasoned wormhole dweller and has been observing the structures at the epicenter sites in shattered wormholes.
In the regular wormholes, most operational sites are built by Sleepers, with occasional derelict & stripped down Talocan structures. However, Saede observed that this was not the case at the epicenter siets in shattered wormholes! There one would find intact Talocan structures, a difference form the usual observations! These structures are a Disruption Tower, four Talocan static gates and an unidentified structure, seemingly tied to an untraversable rift.
Based upon the knowledge that Talocans have mastered the manipulation of the time/space continuum, it's believed they used these structures for travelling interstellar distances. Due to this, more research is needed in these newly discovered intact Talocan structures, as a better & deeper understanding of them can shed more light on their history, not to mention revolutionize interstellar transport!

Shattered Wormholes, part II: Silent Battlegrounds by Yadaryon Vondawn

During expeditions in the Shattered wormholes, curious battlefield remnants have been located. The ones with damaged & wrecked Revenants tend to attract the attention especially as they are accompanied by the remnants of unidentified vessels that remind observers of a Talocan destroyer ship.
This indicates & confirms that Sansha has been using wormholes for travel, but it also contains a deeper implication, namely someone was resisting Nation, perhaps the Talocans? But that would mean they're not entirely dead...

Thera, the Lakat-Hro Thukker Caravan remains Part I by Equ1nox

The wreckage of the Hel Carrier Matyrhan, part of the Lakat-Hro Caravan

image by Julianus Soter

The Lakat-Hro Caravan dissapeared 5 years ago, during the Seyllin incident, as it crossed the system LS-YBS the moment the star shattered it's inner planet. A search expedition was set up, but found nothing and the Caravan was presumed destroyed in the disaster.
However, after the Thera system was discovered & accessed by capsuleers, the remains of the Caravan were found! How they got there is a mystery, but it's summarized that during the SL-YBS shattering, a wormhole transported the caravan to it's location in Thera. What happened after this is unknown, as all data systems on the ships were systematically deleted by an unknown party.

Open discussion part I: Thera & the Seyllin incident 

The previous topic sparked a wide discussion tying various subjects together. In short it comes to this: an alternative explanation on the Seyllin disaster. Instead of the stars being the originator of the disaster, the origin of the shattering lies in Anoikis (Wormhole space) and whatever catastrophe happened there opened wormholes to known space, shattering planets in various systems or otherwise affecting them.
The discovery of the Lokat-Hro caravan offers merit, as the caravan must have seen the appearance of the wormhole as a last-ditch option to avoid destruction. However instead of salvation, they found only death there as the Caravan was destroyed by whatever they found in Thera.

Also, during the Seyllin incident, the Sisters must have found a way to way to travel to Thera by alternative means. How they did this is unclear, but they do have a deep interest in odd stellar phenomenons, coupled with their extended studies on the EVE gate, they might possess some knowledge that was very valuable in understanding wormhole travel before anyone else.
As to why the Sisters choose to colonize Thera, opinions are divided, but the ability to study Talocan structures without capsuleer interference must have been a great bonus for them.

Open Discussion Part II:  Stellar Engineering & Talocans

During the previous discussion, it was mentioned that the Seyllin incident had caused the affected stars to shift spectral type, from O1 to A0. The curious thing is that A0 stars are among the few types of stars that produce isogen-5 (the spectral type O1 does not!)
Related to this is Caroline's Star (the Bright Star), a possible artificial supernova due to the FTL component involved.
Currently, no known civilisation has the capacity, knowledge or technology to perform stellar engineering. However, as manipulation of the time/space continuum is a very powerful ability, it is not unlikely that the Talocans could do such feats on a limited scale with alot of effort. It's also likely an unknown powerful party or their relics are involved in this. More research is needed on this subject

Project Reassembly by Yadaryon Vondawn

Capsuleer Yadaryon Vodnawn highlighted an important project undertaken by Eve University, namely Project Reassembly which aims to collect & categorize all shattered systems . In this undertaking, an curious observation has been made, namely that all frigate sized wormholes lead to Wolf-Rayet stars, a rare type of stars. The significance of this has yet to be determined, but continued observations are needed.
Capsuleer Rhavas reminds us that the collapse of an O1 spectral type star into a Wolf-Rayet star is not an uncommon occurance.

Open discussion part III:  The colonization of Thera by the Sisters of Eve

A disturbing secret unveiled... Studying active sleeper drones.... Image by Eran Mintor

It was determined that the shattering of Thera happened after it's colonization, considering that there's a shattered world orbited by a station originally meant to co-ordinate colonization, along with geological samples that indicate there was once a barren or even temperate world present in Thera (none now present). On top of this, the various wrecked stations orbiting shattered worlds were ruined by debris from these planets.
Considering the other wreckage, the colonization was originally a very large undertaking, cut short by the shattering of Thera's worlds. This is supported by the Sanctuary Sister Takiya Akira's plea for assistance.
The fact that the Sisters were able to access Thera before it's shattering implies they had the knowledge to generate (on a limited scale?) wormholes, in order to be able to reach it.

The Lamat-Hro caravan Part II, tie in with older events, by N'maro Makari

After recapping most of what was told in the previous seminar about this missing caravan, capsuleer N'maro Makari also called attention to a leaked Republic Intel report earlier this year: 'Classified Republic Security Services Document surfaced, contents unknown' During this he called attention to the incident where Thukker strike forces used wormholes to surprise the renegade Angel fleet, just a few months after their discovery. This hints at a deeper understanding of wormholes by Thukkers then others, as they were able to integrate the finicky nature of Wormholes into their strike plan.
This lead to the idea that Thukkers, alongside with the Sisters knew about Thera and possibly other wormhole systems before capsuleers. It's even likely that the Thukkers did found the (remains?) Lamat-Hro caravan and kept this infomration hidden from others in order to preserve this unique knowledge as a tactical advantage over others.

Open Discussion: Who knew about the shattered Wormholes & Thera before capsuleers?

The above sparked a lively discussion about who all was able to visit the wormholes before capsuleers could. In the end, a fairly extensive list appeared.

From the Empire factions, at least 3-4 could have knowledge of Thera & the shattered wormhole systems:
-Sisters of Eve: they were the ones colonizing Thera for several years before it was discovered by capsuleers.
-Thukkers: They had extensive wormhole knowledge just a few months after their appearance, highly likely that this knowledge came from successfully locating the Lamat-Hro Caravan.
-The Elders: due to their close ties with the Thukkers, it's very likely they shared this knowledge with them.
-Ducia Foundry: This amarr mining corp had an exploration team & structures inside wormholes prior to them being attacked. This particular wormhole that they had settled was never found, except by the Sisters who did uncover that they were attacked by a non-sleeper force as the damage pattern didn't match any known Sleeper damage. However, outside this one incident, their involvement ended, indicating that their knowledge was limited compared to the others

Of the unlawful factions, only Sansha's Nation had access to these systems prior, as shown by their masteries of Wormholes as during their invasions & incursions. On top of this, various shattered wormholes bear evidence of long duration Sansha occupancy, lending credence that their staging systems inside wormholes has finally been located. The presence of a Sansha station in the epicenter of the shattered wormhole J005299 is a proof of this. You can read more about this in Rhavas' report here: 'J005299 - Sansha's Override'

There's rumour that Angels could have prior knowledge about these shattered wormholes as well, but no hard evidence exists, only indirect observations. One thing should be kept in mind; one of the stars that shattered a planet during the Seyllin incident was in Stain, Angel space. Concerning the Angel's advanced tech and their covert ways, it remains an option to be kept in mind.

The ancient factions that had access to these systems were of course the Sleepers & Talocan, no other ancient race seemed to be able to access these remote systems.

Isogen-5 part II by N'maro Makari

As informed previously, Isogen-5 is a crucial component in the creation of wormholes. But to be able to generate wormholes in a more controlled manner, another key component turned out to be Complex Fullerene Shards. What role they play in it is unknown, but perhaps a deeper investigation in the Talocan Static towers could prove a better insight.
It was also brought up that Empress Jamyl Sarum's superweapon that she used to decimate the invading Elder Fleet is powered by Isogen-5, a reflection of the destructive power of this exotic element.

Open discussion: The violent wormholes in the Epicenter

The violent wormholes in a Shattered wormhole system Epicenter site

 image by Zane Ziebold

Capsuleer EdXell was curious on other observations relating the violent wormholes in the epicenter of the Shattered wormhole systems. Through the observation of others, it's been noted they they seem to appear in groups of 5 and cannot be traversed. So far, no deviations of this have been found. What this might mean is unknown, but continued observation & research is needed to find out why they appear in groups of 5.
Speculation is rife that they would lead to the Pure Blind region, but as one can't fly through the violent wormholes, this is hard to verify.

Open Discussion: the search for Dr Hilen Tukoss

A remark about Wolf-Rayet stars lead people to think of Dr Tukoss fate, as he mentioned he was being held captive in a system where the sun shared similarities with Wolf-Rayet stars. While no trace of him has been found, it's advised to keep looking. Frigate wormholes often lead to such wormhole systems containing Wolf-Rayet stars, making this class of ship the best to continue the search.
It's likely that Dr Tukoss has been killed after he has been caught transmitting a warning for us, but keep looking for any structure that can house a group of people and seems out of place in any Wolf Rayet wormhole system you encounter.

Open Discussion: Circadian Seekers

A Circadian Seeker, image by Feu dAstres

The last seminar was also an open discussion, comparing the various observations people made about the strange new Sleeper ships that appeared; the Circadian Seekers.
The general consensus is that they don't seem to be dangerous nor aggressive, merely content with scanning everything they can find, from asteroids, structures to ships. Attacking them doesn't generate an alternative behaviour, they keep scanning till they die. What they scan for isn't known, either they look for something, or they're collecting information for an unknown purpose.
It is remarkable to note that these Sleeper ships do possess shields, something the regular Sleeper drones lack. The reason why these ships have shields unlike the ones in Wormhole space is a mystery for now. A call for continued investigation in their motives for scanning has been called. Anyone who managed to make them react different is encouraged to contact Arek'Jaalan (visit the commchannel ' Arek'Jaalan ' and describe what you did if you managed to alter their behaviour).

During the discussion, it's been theorized that they use the cloaked unknown structures that appeared with them in new Eden as a sort of homing beacon, as they seem to visit it more often then other objects in the systems they patrol. Further observation is needed to confirm this however.

Conclusion

All in all, a very informative meeting. Do keep in mind that all these findings are made by capsuleers and often require continued observation, research & investigation before being fully accepted. Do note that these findings are often based on known evidence & well-founded conclusions.
Aurora News will keep you informed on further developments & discoveries on these celestial events.
Other sites to keep an eye on for advances & changes related to the Shattered wormholes & their inhabitants are:

-Interstellar Privateer, by capsuleer Rhavas
A man with vast & deep knowledge of New Eden, he often can tie connections between various widespread events across history.

-Eve Travel, by capsuleer Mark726
An avid traveler, Mark726 often uncovers secret links & ties with various subjects of knowledge on his journeys. Keep an eye out for his articles if you enjoy unusual sights & strange places!

-Project Prometheus, a community effort overwatched by Julianus Soter
This project aims to collect as much as possible relevant info concerning Thera and the Shattered wormholes in order to share it with all those who want to know more & to expand our knowledge about them!

-The Seyllin Report by Raimus Amira
This report is required reading if you want to know the links between the Seyllin disaster & the shattering of worlds back then and today's events regarding Thera, shattered wormholes & the Sisters!

Unknown Structure appears close to the Aurora Arcology Station!

Cloaked Structure appears!

Recently, strange cloaked installations have appeared across various systems of New Eden. Now it turns out, one of these unidentified structures appeared close to the Irjunen station housing the Aurora Arcology Project!
As precaution, all immigration to the Arcology has been halted as an emergency procedure. Currently Aurora management is consulting security staff to assess proper measures to take & protocols to follow.
Until more information is released about these unknown cloaked installations, caution is advised in visiting the Arcology installations.

On top of this, the strange Circadian Seekers patrol the Irjunen system, scanning all those who pass by or visit the system. So far, they've been content with scanning various ships & structures, but as it's unclear what they scan for, caution remains advised in proximity of the Circadian Seeker ships.
No aggressive actions coming from these Seekers have been reported as of yet.

Until more information is uncovered related to the Circadian Seekers and the unidentified cloaked installations, the Irjunen Arcology Station remains closed for immigration, for the safety of all refugees & immigrants. The drastic measure has been taken due to the sudden appearance of one of these colossal unidentified structures just 300.000 km away from the station, in astronomical context that's just next door!
There is no direct reason for danger, but concerning the superior technology involved, caution is advised until more is known. Also, the Security staff is currently in a meeting with management to properly assess any possible threats and to check how safe it would be to resume immigration.

For now, the refugee camps managed by the Aurora Project have been supplied with additional material & goods. This assures their smooth operation as they take care of any refugees during their extended temporary stay in these camps. Aurora Management assures all supporters that everything will be done to resume the normal routine once it is considered safe enough by Security!

Update: Security Staff Meeting result

After consulting Security Advisor Pieter Tuulinen, measurements have been taken to secure the Aurora Arcology from hostile take-overs in case it would occur. While Sleepers never attempted to board previously, they also never entered our space so brazenly as these Circadian Seekers, so have to be prepared for anything. A bonus is that any attempt by pirates to board the station will be futile.

On top of this, the various docked transports under Arcology management will be crewed & active in their docks at all times, to provide a smooth evacuation if needed.

Do note, and I stress this, currently there is nothing hinting at an immediate threat from the Seekers & the cloaked structures, but concerning their sudden appearance & the involvement of advanced technology, preparation for the worst is a sensible route to take!

Strange structures and mysterious Sleepers appear all over New Eden!

Mysteries abound!

As one can notice from the busy chatter across the comm-channels, large structures have appeared all across New Eden, their function or purpose unknown. Along with this, strange new Sleeper ships appeared in force, looking for something!
Immediately, capsuleers went to work, doing their best to find out more about these strangers appearing seemingly overnight! Thanks to their efforts, a few things have already been discovered.

The strange cloaked structures

An unknown cloaked structure, image by Siegfried Tahl

So far, very little has been found out, as it's extremely hard to make out the shape of this installation, let alone find out it's purpose. However, these structures have been found all over New Eden! Whether their cloaking systems are beginning to fail simultaneously due to interference with Caroline's Star or have manifested themselves through some other means is so far not yet known.
However, the first observations indicate the structure is truly massive in scale, dwarfing space-ships that fly next to it!

The crystal structure revealed, notice how small the Megathrons are compared to the installation! 

Image by Rain6637

The Goonswarm Federation members did some heavy research into these installations and discovered some additional info about their shape (Images released for the public). They also uncovered that these structures are impervious to any known weapons and do not react on any form of interaction outside being able to target it.
Based on the research performed by others, a rudimentary model could be created, showcasing the strange crystal-like structure: Crystal Station. More research will be needed to unveil their purpose & function. Considering how numerous these installations are, it is only a matter of time that we'll find out more about them!
However, systems harbouring these structures also reported groups of strange sleeper ships flying on & off, indicating that the appearance of these structures and the arrival of these mysterious sleepers are related!
Eve travel did a great overview on these strange occurrences as well! Check the article 'Unidentified structures' for more info regarding them!

Unknown Sleeper ships

Strange Sleepers Seeking Something, image by Okst666

Along with the strange crystal structures, a new kind of Sleeper ships appeared. When targeted, the database refers to them as 'Circadian Seekers'. Digging deeper into the name, Circadian refers to biological processes that occur regularly at 24 hour intervals, even with absence of outside stimuli (like day/night) It's also referred to as the biological clock
Now the oddness is, why use a biological reference to identify a machine like the newly uncovered Sleeper Drones? Is there more behind their intelligence then mere digital code inputs? So far, not much progress has been made into understanding what drives the Seeker Ships.

Seekers scanning the various structures at Site One, Eram System, Image by Okst666

So far, they've been scanning stations, ships, and various other structures with their white beams. Among those sites, they took an interest on Arek'Jaalan's Site One as well (Images provided by Okst666) What they are looking for is unknown, perhaps certain cargo? Or collecting info through scanning these objects? Whatever they are doing, they don't seem to act aggressively, merely warping & scanning things, but no hostile actions.
True to their nature, various capsuleers already shot them, destroying several in the process. Their wreckage hasn't left any clues, except that they leave similar salvage as the Sleeper Drones in wormhole space. Curious to note is that these sleepers don't fight back so far and just let themselves be destroyed, a very different approach then their violent brethren in Wormhole space that defend Sleeper sites fiercely.

Close up of a Circadian Seeker, image by Feu dAstres

Currently, main focus should go out to find out what they are scanning for; items? data? Also, additional investigation is advised in determining if the sleepers are friendly or not. Considering how we've been ravaging their space, they've let us off light so far. But this might change in the future... a dreadful thought considering their advanced technologies...
Capsuleer Feu dAstres conducted a close-up visual scan of them, you can see the results in his image-gallery: Circadian Seekers
Recently, Scope News has reported on these events as well through their channel: The Scope; Shattered worlds

Concord announces upgrade on Clone Capsule Death system!

Current Clone Capsule Death system

When your pod gets blown up under the current system, you must immediately buy a new Clone upgrade, in order to assure its neural databanks can store your vast knowledge that you accumulated over time. Failiure to do so will result in the loss of knowledge upon a next podding, a very harrowing experience that has caused more then one capsuleer to quit the lifestyle.
As you accumulate more knowledge, this clone upgrade cost can get very hefty, exceeding the price of battleships for the oldest capsuleers!
Due to this, an old fear can return, namely the fear of death. Not because you would die permanently, but because dying gets too expensive to keep up, bankrupting you if you die too often, or stripping away too much knowledge when you choose not to keep your clone up-to-date.

As the age & number of capsuleers grew, the high cost for high-grade clone upgrades became a more prevalent problem in the community. Concord was aware of the increased complains and set out to invest in new technologies to remedy the situation, and they succeeded!

The new improved Clone Capsule Death program!

With the latest announcement by Concord official Terminus, this awful choice between losing knowledge or fork over a big sum or isk will be coming to an end!
In the announcement 'A new Era of Clones', CCP Terminus explains how the new system will work. In short, it's a serious upgrade from the old, thanks to recent breakthroughs allowing for a substantial upgrade, obsoleting the upgraded clones!

In short, you no longer need to pay to secure your stored knowledge for a future death! The new clone upgrades will be able to integrate & store all your accumulated knowledge safely, without the need to invest in clone upgrades!
There is one thing to keep in mind, loss of knowledge related to Tech 3 cruiser ship usage after you lost one will still be there. The possible reason is the deep integration of the capsuleers mind with the tech 3 cruiser interface, making it hard to fully prevent loss of knowledge upon the ship's destruction.

In exchange for this convenience, the price to relocate your home station will rise however, but compared to what the clone upgrades cost, it's pretty trivial, as the new price will be set on 100.000 isk.
All in all, a substantial upgrade! Especially capsuleers with a vast accumulation of knowledge will be pleased, as they no longer have to invest large sums of isk into a clone upgrade.
Remember! Implants are still lost upon podding and have to be rebought if you want your mind to retain the same efficiency on the tasks prior to your clone death!

The second Origin Landfall Festival

Prelude

Origin is a system in Anoikis (wormhole space) that's being colonized by the capsuleer organisation Alexylva Paradox. Last year they celebrated first landfall, and with it established Foundation City. You can read about the capsuleer gathering to celebrate this event here: 'Overview of the Foundation Celebration, the Colony in the wormhole system Origin'
Recently, the colonized system received recognition through the first message of Hilen Tukoss, where he praised the endeavours of various groups to settle in wormhole systems and colonize the planets!

As the year ran prosperous and people had good memories of the first Landfall festival, capsuleer Saede Riordan announced that a second Landfall festival would be held, to celebrate the success!
As reaching a wormhole system is not always trivial, the Alexylva Paradox organisation arranged shuttle transports that would shuttle people between Suroken VI Spacelane Patrol Assembly Plant and Foundation City in the Origin System
As the festival would last through the weekend, people are encouraged to come by any day they see fit and even stay & sleep at the Landfall Park camping site!

  Arrival at Landfall Park, Foundation City's green lung

Arriving at the Foundation City Starport is breathtaking, as it sits on top of a hill, giving a wonderful view of it's surroundings. The first thing that springs in view are the majestic Trees, native to the planet Renaissance. Even tho I had seen them on my first visit, their colossal size remains impressive, towering high in the sky above me!.
However, many things did have chance since last year! The city, dominating a part of the skyline is impressive, it's monorail networks linking the various areas like a spiderweb are rapidly noticed as they run through the Landfall park, allowing for rapid connections.

However, to remain true to it's first edition, the second Landfall festival would be held inside the forest as well, obscuring the newly built city from view. After a short walk, an open spot is revealed in the forest, a meadow criss-crossed by small streams and dotted with strange stone bone-like megaliths, a lovely place that would be perfect for a quiet and peaceful retreat.

But today it was the place for the festival! Where a soundstage was set up, playing music for the visitors and various stands offered food, drinks, various goods and other enjoyable offerings! This was clearly the heart of the event, where people gathered to enjoy the music and stroll along the many vendor stands to observe their curious and often exotic wares!

For those who prefer a more serene celebration, there is a path to the Grove of the Elder, a small clearing dominated by a massive tree, the Elder Tree, it's imposing presence reducing the other large trees around it to mere saplings in comparison. Here one could see how easily people are influenced by nature, despite our great technological advances. Candles and offerings could be seen near the base of the tree, as if it was the home of a great spirit. And as you gaze upon it's colossal size, it isn't hard to believe that this ancient Elder Tree does house a great and strong nature spirit, protecting its majesty through eons...

Everything in this place feels old, as if centuries are but a drop in time, yet the atmospheric feel of the place is wonderful, as if the boundaries between our world and the mystical is thinnest here.... The sounds of the drums that vibrate through this place just reinforce this feeling.

Another path stretched from the central meadow to the camping location, where you could stay during the weekend-long festival. This site was dominated by a large, crystal-clear pond, accompanied by a waterfall formed by one of the streams that crossed the central meadow. Various small campfires dotted the place, marking the location of people's tents.

For those willing, canoe trips were a possibility, to enjoy the beautiful view offered by the waterfall, campfires & forest.

It's also here most capsuleers were residing, happily chatting the evening away! Saede Riordan, host of the event was here as well, enjoying a good swim & dive in the pond, along with a few others!

The relaxed atmosphere was a great boost for all involved, leaving behind their worries and just have a good time!

Conclusion

I did enjoy the event greatly, despite quite some distractions provided by my capsuleer life. I wasn't as active as the others, mostly seeking out the Elder Grove as to enjoy the mystic feel of the place. I guess it's part of my upbringing with the spirits of the Way.

However, for those who prefer some good company with a relax attitude, just head to the Campsites, where you'l;l find others ready to share their experiences with you or just have a good time in general!

If you want to join in, just announce your intent in this thread: Announcing the Second Annual Landfall festival or sent a mail to Saede Riordan , informing her you want to attend!

The Achura, a history divided

The Achura Cultural Survey

Capsuleer Gwen Ikiryo has been running a successful survey among capsuleers about their knowledge on Achura culture & history on the IGS forums. (Achuran Cultural Survey) The survey received alot of response and is still ongoing!
However, from the survey came one major issue: Achura history. Ask 4 Achura about their history and you get 4 different replies! This is the result of a lack of a standardized history text. Due to this, it's hard to tell what is real, exaggerated or underplayed.

A divided history

The Achura history has never been well documented, leading to a very incomplete record that leaves alot of room for speculation & uncertainties. We'll analyze the known parts step by step, seeing the alternative variants or checking for different version of the same historic event.
Note; the official name of the Achura homeworld is Achura, but to avoid confusion, it will be mentioned here as Achura Prime.

History

The Achura hail from an inhospitable planet in the Saisio system, more exactly Saisio III, also known as Achura Prime. Originally they were an Empire, ruled by a Monarchy.
Caldari explorers stumbled upon their pre-industrial civilization during their search for new habitable worlds.

Up to this point, there's no major deviations between different historical texts. What happens after first contact is unclear however. From this point onward, there's many different versions of their history! From the ravaging of Achura Prime to their allegiances.

The ravaging of Achura Prime

Old view:

There exist a few old documents that claim that the planet was originally ravaged to an inhospitable state by an unknown pirate faction. The issue with this claim is that all old documents that referred to this are either no longer existent or are classified for unknown reasons.
This claim however does not abolish SuVee of their ravaging of Achura prime, it merely means they weren't the first one to do so.

Main View (with variations included):

There's several version of this malicious act and they all involve the Caldari Mega-corporation Sukuuvestaa. That they did turn the Achura homeworld upside down is without question, as part of the Client state position the Achura enjoy within the State, they had to give up their old cities, which SuVee razed and replaced by the Caldari city mega-structures. In exchange SuVee left the rural side alone and under control of the Elder Visionaries, the current governmental body of the Achura people.

The full scale of SuVee's exploitation of the homeworld is shrouded in mystery however. Most seem to indicate the ravaging was limited to the cities & a few resource-rich locations.
This is hard to reconcile however with the fact that this is SuVee we talk about, the most ruthless mega-corporation of the State! Their reputation among others is so great that very few dare to directly oppose them. The few that did, got beset by strange accidents and terrorist attacks out of nowhere...
In this light, it's more likely that originally, SuVee's hold on the planet was much greater in the past, but scaled back once they needed the Achura population on their side. Knowing the ruthlessness of SuVee it's likely they disrupted and exploited entire continents & oceans to further their corporate agenda, displacing the local population when needed.

Considering SuVee made Saisio III (Achura Prime) their HQ right after the Caldari secession from the Federation, it's likely that they began a campaign to reconcile with the people, in order to win them over, as the State was in dire need of people to work for them. This eventually resulted in the more positive light Achura have about SuVee and the State then their history would suggest.

A note must be placed here, if Achura was known to the Federation prior to the Caldari secession, then it is likely that the ravaging of Achura Prime by SuVee was indeed limited in scope, as not to attract any unwanted attention to the nearby secret Caldari colonies.


Federation member or not?

As strange as it may sound, there's no consensus over this. Both State and Federation historical archives are rife with contradictions about the Achura being part of the Federation/Union

Achura being part of the Federation/Union

Two parts indicate that the Achura were member of the Federation/Union and recognized as a separate entity from the State.
-State: The Achura joined & left the Federation at the same time as the State
-Federation: After the founding of the Union, other members, like the Achura, joined but lacked the power & influence of the Founding races

Both lines in these documents indicate that the Achura have been part of the young Union. Following this, the ravaging of their homeworld by SuVee must been limited, as not to generate any protest or investigation from the Union.
This is supported by the fact that there's a large minority group of Achura living in the Federation, often in remote areas where they set up their monasteries. One rarely hears of them as they don't mingle in the Federation's political struggle and in return, the Federation is often happy to leave them alone.

Once the Caldari State separate themselves form the Federation, the Achura supported the young State by joining the secession. Part of this behaviour can be explained by the Bombing of Caldari Prime, which generated alot of backlash within the other Federate member worlds. On top of this, the general Achura population prefers to be left alone, without outsiders mingling in. Unlike the Federation, SuVee proved they could do it, as they let the Achura outside the cities run things how they see fit. Keep in mind that the ravaging of their home planet must been within certain acceptable limits if the Federation/Union knew of their existence.

Achura never been part of the Federation

And yet, at the same time, there's offical documents that not even mention them ever being part of the Federation/Union, always been fully part of the State under their client state contract.
-State:  Achura joined the State as client state under Sukuuvestaa influence, only in the capsuleer era they gained interstellar recognition
-Federation: History: contact with the various races, no mention of the Achura

Both documents outline that Achura always have been firmly entrenched in the State, being discovered during the secret colonisation project, the Caldari hid their existence from the Federation/Union in order to protect their own hidden colonies.

With this mind mind, the ravaging of Achura Prime can have been taken to unprecedented levels, perhaps even creating the inhospitable planet we know today as their home. This could be done, as the Achura had no-one to turn to for complains.
Also, this can also serve as an explanation of the relative acceptance of the State practices by the Achura. They simply have been subjugated to 3 centuries of megacorp propaganda, with little opposition from powerful outsiders warning against said propaganda.

This info also indicates that the Achura only became known to the greater interstellar community during the capsuleer age.
How to explain the Achura communities within the Federation? One of the theories is that during the chaos of the secession of the Caldari State from the Federation, groups of Achura working for SuVee got stranded in Federation space, and due to the turmoil kept a hidden profile, supported by the locations they often choose to settle down; remote areas or Intaki communities, who have been sympathetic to the Caldari cause.

Change of Rule

From all the various tidbits of info, one thing comes forward. At some point after their discovery, SuVee arrives & claims the cities of  the Achura Empire, causing the fall of the Achura Monarchy. However the precise circumstances are unclear, as is the role the Elder Visionaries played in all this. What follows depends on the source, but either SuVee establishes Caldari rule, to be replaced later by the client state contract or the Elder Visionaries assume the power after the fall of the Monarchy with support from SuVee.
The period involving the fall of the Monarchy and the founding of the Achura client state under control of the Elder Visionaries and the Cities under SuVee rule is badly documented, with no known public archives giving more detail in the change of leadership, leaving the role of all involved parties shrouded in mystery.

The answers to a hidden history

All in all, Achura history is rife with incomplete documents & contradicting sources. Considering the State is known for its impeccable recording of events due to their love for contracts & analyzing the smallest print of these, it is rather surprising.
Part of this chaotic summary of contradicting historical files can be the result of a propaganda war between the Federation & the State, both trying to rewrite history in their favor, but in the end only seeding confusion for future generations on what is real and what not!
But if one wants to seek answers concerning Achura history, where should one search? So far there's 4 sources to consult to know more about Achura history.


-Sukuuvestaa 

The Mega that choose Achura Prime / Saisio II as their home and are the holders of the Achura client state contract. It's highly likely that their archives contain valuable info about the Achura history of the last 3 centuries.
However, they haven't been forthcoming about Achura historical details. The theroized reasons might be twofold:

One: to protect the details of their client-contract with the Achura. Such contract with a large population is very valuable in the State, and other Megas would surely love to find a way to break the bond between SuVee and the Achura, for their own profits.

Two: The ravaging of Ahura Prime. It's possible that the devastation wrought by SuVee has been on an extreme scale, turning the planet into the inhospitable place it is today. Uncovering such act would surely cause a wiespread protest and even rebellion among Achura, especially with the whole focus of the State on the importance of Home, a view that would also rub off on Achura Prime.


-The Monasteries of The Elder Visionaries

For reasons unknown, the Elders never did their best to release a cohesive overview of Achura history. Considering that Achura are more driven to discover the world spiritually rather then materially, this is a bit odd, as understanding of one's own history is also benefit in exploring spirituality, to know about the successes and failures of the past.
It is possible however that keeping historical records lies too close to the material world and therefor was never considered a serious occupation of their time.
As Achura are eager to observe & explore the world, to better the understanding of it, it is however likely that the Elder Vision monasteries do hold historic records of the last few centuries in their archives.
As with SuVee, they might have their motives to keep these history documents hidden.

One: Perhaps a deal had been made with SuVee to replace the Imperial Family government with the Elder Visionaries, if they turned over their cities to SuVee. Such act would surely put them in a bad light. Do note, if this would be the case, it's likely that the current Elder Visionaries disprove of this act, but still prefer to keep it hidden out of fear of a possible backlash.

Two: Historical archives might reveal less pleasant details about the client state contract or reveal the atrocities of SuVee. Considering such reveal would create alot of dissent, it's possible the Elder Visionaries keep it hidden, especially as revealing such act would hinder the State support they receive in retrieving the stolen sacred objects.


- The Federation Achura Monasteries

While there are not many of these, and their remote locations makes it hard to visit, they could shine a clear light on someof the history mysteries surrounding the Achura, namely: the origin of the Federation Achura & if the Achura were ever part of the Federation..
Their reasons for keeping these historic records hidden are less clear. Perhaps they simply didn't record their history. It can also be they keep it hidden out of loyalty to their Elders Visionaries on Achura Prime.
Their location in federation space could also mean they kept copies of historic archives that went lost during the ravaging of Achura Prime under SuVee


-Archaeology, find your own answers

And if all else fails, nothing stops people from funding archaeological expeditions to Achura Prime or other relevant planets to uncover more about Achura history and their place in State/Federation history.

Conclusion

As noticed, Achura history is rife with contradictions & uncertainties. A good cooperation between the Elder Visionaries, SuVee archive personnel, Achura Monastery record keepers and archaeological teams could help to dig up some answers or rule out some claims.
But even when such cooperation can be managed, it'll be a long road before the Achura historical archives are complete. Of all the races, Achura are the most mysterious, partly in thanks to their nearly non-existent public recording of history

Ready yourself! The second Luminaire Snowball Fight is coming!

Indeed people, Commander A9 organizes the Luminaire Snowball Fight for a second time, it'll be on 21 December starting at 21H! Last year, this event was a great success, seeing alot of people celebrating & having fun, alongside with massive amounts of snowballs & fireworks being fired at each other! All in all, it's a great event to have some fun & get to know more people.

Some details about it:

Where & When?
- 21 December at 21H near the Luminaire VII - Moon 6 - Federation Navy Assembly Plant
- Hour to be determined by the available schedule of the New Eden Radio DJ's

What kind of Events & Shows will be there?

- All evening: DJ Tranze from New Eden Radio will run a Holiday Lottery and play the music!

-Lightshows! These were a big hit last year, and are spectacular to behold! They also come with neat prizes!
To participate, fit your ship with a variety of light & effect enhancing modules like lasers, festival launchers, logistic drones, sensor-boosters and many more! (and keep safety on green!)
Prizes will include PLEX and even the yet-to-be released all new Tech 3 destroyer!

-Secret Santa!
Named after an archaic myth of a gift-bearing entity, this part is all about sharing!
To be able to receive something from the Secret Santa, you contract a gift to Commander A9 (preferably not worth more then 200 mill) This assures you of a gift in return, as everyone who sends out a gift will be assured in getting one too!

-More details to be revealed later!
More more info & details, you can contact Commander A9 in the Live Events channel, a great place to keep up with various events happening across New Eden!

If you like to know more on what kind of event this'll be, reading this article: 'The Luminaire Holiday Festival was a great success!' will be a great help. It's a report on how it went last year. Everyone had a good time & people had fun pelting each other with snowballs and the like, not to mention all the gifts handed out & the amazing lightshows to watch!

Or you can just watch this short video, a great compilation of last year's Luminaire Snowball Fight!

Have fun & blast away those fireworks & snowballs! Video by Thufir Bezloden