Monday 31 March 2014

Ducia Foundry profits on the decline due to Capsuleer competition!

The Ducia Foundry is an Imperial Amarr mining corporation, specialized in dangerous mining operations. They send out heavily armed mining expeditions to areas no other mining corporation would go.
For a long time this meant they had a near monopoly on rare minerals extracted from the edge of civilised space and even from deep space. The only noticeable competitor they had during this time was Outer Ring Excavations (ORE) , who laid claim on the resource rich region Outer Ring in lawless space.

However, in the last decade they received heavy competition from Capsuleers, causing a decline in revenue. These eggers often venture into dangerous areas to exploit these resources, becoming a direct & powerful competitor to Ducia Foundry. Adding to the competition was the fact many capsuleers switched more and more to the ORE line of mining ships, reinforcing their main competitor.
The mining expeditions of Ducia Foundry faced increasing difficulties in finding belts not yet claimed by capsuleers to mine.

When Wormholes opened up, they hoped to capitalize on these uncharted systems by being among the first to send out expedition teams into these unknown systems. However misfortune followed them, and their expedition team was attacked and destroyed by Sansha's Nation.
Further development on wormhole development cut them out fully, as capsuleers spearheaded the exploitation of these systems.

Due to the above mentioned reasons, it should come as no surprise that Ducia Foundry has encountered its first reduction in profits since half a decade, as published here: Imperial mining outfit posts first quarter slump in profit. In retrospect, it's surprising their profit remained up for so long despite heavy capsuleer competition, a testimony to this mining corporation's dedication.
Unfortunately, as they are in direct competition with capsuleers, it is expected this downturn of profits will continue, until they find a way to adapt to the shifting focus on capsuleers for dangerous mining operations

Thursday 27 March 2014

The Sleeper Desolation

When exploring wormhole systems, I can't help but feel desolation. Exploring systems of a dormant civilisation, sleeping in massive structures as they wait for something, but what?
As I pass by massive structures, with unknown functions and goals, I see their guardians, the sleeper drones come to live and give me chase, executing millennia old routines to safeguard their masters and their structures.

Damaged Sleeper Structure

And yet, we capsuleers raid these sites with near impunity, disregarding the damage we wreck upon this strange advanced civilisation. We plunder it for the data we can retrieve, for the advanced materials and technology we can salvage to keep building our strategic cruisers and improving Dust Merc technology.
And in our greed we leave behind a trail of destruction and desolation among the Sleeper civilisation, hundreds, even thousands of structures raided and plundered, their sleeper guardians perished as they were unable to overcome our aggression.

Capsuleers raiding a Sleeper Site

But what if they awake someday? What can we expect when Sleeper drones no longer stick to defend their own sites, but under the influence of their awakened masters start to cooperate, no longer defending sites, but entire systems?
In the end, we know nothing of the advanced technology an awakened Sleeper civilisation can field, but we do know they are much more advanced than us... Much of their technology is still a mystery to us and the little we can duplicate are merely crude versions of the original...
Should this day of Awakening come, then let the Winds be with us as then we'll see the full might and power of Sleeper technology and their wrath will be terrifying but justified.

Then desolation might visit us in return...

Sunday 23 March 2014

First year anniversary of the Caldari Prime battle was a success!

The gathering before the anniversary kickoff

Thanks to the mainstream media reporting on it (Capsuleers to commemorate on the Battle for Caldari Prime), many capsuleers caught wind of this anniversary & joined in the participation!
The gathering at Luminaire for the Battle of Caldari Prime Anniversary went smooth and people were excited to participate. Capsuleer Oddsodz did broadcast a reminder to all on why we were here, to remember the fallen on both sides, in space and on the surface; The Battle for Caldari Prime by Oddsodz.
During the gathering, people could observe the 'Missing Man' formations training and see the effort put in to properly honor the fallen at this battle a year ago.
The arrival of capsuleer Diana Kim did cause some disruption, as she is a dedicated Provist supporter. But it speaks volumes to the attendants that they didn't drag themselves down to her hatespeech but stayed respectful in their responses during the gathering.

As more and more capsuleers gathered, people marvelled at the rare ships who flew amongst them. The Nestor battleship caught everyone's attention, but other rare ships flew among the crowd, like the ApotheosisGnosis, a Nugoeihuvi Rokh, even a shimmering black Kador Abaddon and several Police Comets!

The Nestor Battleship 'Great White' piloted by capsuleer Kusk62

And then the event kicked off as DJ Daggaroth of New Eden Radio broadcasted 'We Are Eve' across the channels, reminding us that in the end, we all live together in this universe.

And the Anniversary Celebration starts!

And so it starts! Gathered at the Highlander Beacon, people cheered and shot firework into space, a truly spectacular sight to behold! The deployment of light emitting drones and partylasers just added to the festive mood.
After all, over the course of the year, thanks to the outcome of the Caldari Prime battle, two old arch-enemies, the State and Federation have grown closer than ever before! Thanks to those who gave their live in space, Gallente Prime was safe once more from a Titan Doomsday. But don't forget, thanks to the sacrifice brought by Caldari Forces, Caldari Prime was held against all odds, allowing Caldari today to visit Home freely.
During the celebration, a lively discussion emerged about the Caldari Prime battle between Diana Kim and several attendants who defended both the Caldari & Gallente right to be here and celebrate together.

The 'Rokh & Roll' engulfed in fireworks & showdrones!

The organizer of the event, Commander A9 assured that the celebration of the Caldari Prime Battle was a large & filled event, as the schedule shows!
The New Eden Radio took care of the music, taking requests, but also choose music fitting when required as during the Missing Man formation & the Flypast maneuvers. Their DJ's also alerted folks when the next show or event would occur, making sure all attendees were informed & the celebration ran smooth.

Tentative Schedule
*1700: Event Starts
*1800: Missing Man Formation
*1900: First Lightshow
*2000: Flypasts
*2100: Second Lightshow
*2200: Third Lightshow
*2215: Second Flypast
*2300: Fourth Lightshow
*2315: Third Flypast
*0000: DJ Daggaroth's Show Continues
*0015: Last Flypast

 The Hyperion of Commander A9 lighted up with fireworks!

During the event, the Gallente Navy was also present, providing security against Provist aggression. They successfully thwarted several attempts by Diana Kim by gunning down her ship before any harm could befall any of the guests.

The Missing Man Formation

Close to 18:00 hours, the music fell silent, and DJ Daggaroth reminded us why we all gathered here in a touching remembrance speech. As he spoke, lasers faded into darkness, launchers fell silent and showdrones docked up.
As he reminded us of the sacrifice the fallen had brought, so we could be here today, celebrating this together, people listened respectfully. In this strangely silent but respectful atmosphere the Missing Man formation flew by on the tones of music specially selected by  DJ Daggaroth and Commander A9 for this moment.
As one ship broke formation and flew away, to symbolize the fallen and the gap they leave behind for us to remember the sacrifices of war, all present saluted.

Remember the fallen, for they gave their lives so we could live on....

For a full 5 minutes, there was nothing but the quiet music and capsuleers saluting for the fallen on both sides as the Missing Man Formation flew by. This powerful moment was only broken briefly by a shouting Diana Kim, but the continued salutes and the deafening silence on this provocation speaks volumes for all those who attended.
While this happening was among the shortest of the event, it was also among the most powerful.

The Flypast Maneuvers

Several times during the celebration, people were asked to participate in a flyby of Caldari Prime in low orbit. Both to see the devastation wrought by the battle, but also to honor all those who gave their lives for Caldari Prime and peace for its citizens.

A moment of silence for the devastation wrought by the Caldari Prime Battle

The first low orbit flypast maneuver coincided with the celebration on the surface after the unveiling of the surface monument to memorialize the Battle of Caldari Prime. As people on the ground looked up, they could see shimmering stars floating across the sky, honoring the memorial alongside them.
These shimmering stars were the battleships, cruisers and frigates who participated in the flyby fleet. During that flypast, for a moment, people in space and on the ground felt connected, as they honored the same battle, celebrated the same outcome, peace for Caldari Prime.The music 'Bad World' that played during this Formation amplified this feeling.

Making sure the low orbit flyby can be seen from the ground!

The next flypast maneuvers later on the day didn't carry the same strong symbolism as the first one, but they still invoked respect and silence for the fallen, and a will to carry on their legacy as we all flew together over the craters of Caldari Prime. These flypast maneuvers did see an escort of Federation Navy ships as they wanted to assure our safety from Provist strikes.

Returning to high orbit after a flyby, a serene group picture

The Lightshows!

There was also plenty of time for fun times and being awed at the marvellous displays put forth by some capsuleers.
With the usage of fireworks, partylasers and showdrones, great lightshows were created that the audience could enjoy! At regular intervals, lightshow competitions were held in a nearby asteroid field. This allowed for some large scale showoffs from skilled capsuleers!
As people enjoyed and cheered for the wonderful firework explosions and lasershows, the jury had the hard task picking winners during each competition.
In total 4 lightshow competitions were held. All showmodules were allowed, as long as they could not harm anyone or trigger a Concord alert.

The list of the Lightshows and their winners!

19:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Cassiel Angelica  2)ODSTSNAKEZZ  3) Jandice Ymladris
21:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Fox Stonecypher  2) Jandice Ymladris  3) Aedna Niwdra
22:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Khaprice  2) Jandice Ymladris  3)Quickswipe Collier
23:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Kazza Raholan  2) Charles Surge  3) Death King -) Louis Hippolyte, Christopher West, QuickSwipe & Collier

As noticed, I usually ranked in the top 3, save for the last, were I didn't participate and only displayed a show without competing. The high ranking can be attributed to experience as I have participated in lightshow showoffs before. However, the winners all earned it, by displaying maneuvers & lightskills that were unmatched by others!

The prices won rank from a package of Damage Control Units, to Rokhs, Navy Vexors and even a Plex! At the last competition, everyone who participate won thousands of snowballs to toss at each other!
Note: I failed to take any good pictures of the Lightshow events, they are better viewed in motion rather then a still image. So if you want to have an idea how it looks like, join the next major event organized by Commander A9! You won't regret it!

Conclusion

All in all, it was a very successful anniversary, enjoyed by all participants. Some rogue elements tried to disrupt this event, but they failed, as hardly anyone reacted on their provocations.
New Eden Radio announcements were great and made sure all involved knew what was coming up and what was going on! Their music selection was also great, assuring fitting music for both the fun celebrations as the respectful honorings.
The joint event planetside that unveiled the Caldari Prime Battle monument added something more to this anniversary, as it is rare that planetside folks celebrate along with capsuleers. To know that at some point Mens Reppola, CEO of Ishukone and President Jacus Roden of the Federation looked up to see our ships cross the sky as glimmering stars fills us with pride and recognition.

A fine group image of many of the larger attending ships!

But in the end, everyone who participated enjoyed themselves but also got a glimpse on why the Caldari Prime battle was a defining moment to many who were involved in this conflict. The Dust Merc Denak Kalamari explains how the Caldari Prime battle was a turning point for him: Discovering Humanity

Addendum: Footage provided by capsuleers

Charles Surge: Released Image Feeds (example above)
Ninavask: Released Image Feeds (example above)
Holofeed view provided by Harry Forever

Thursday 20 March 2014

Over 23.000 refugees arrive at the Arcology!

Currently, many festivities are being planned aboard the Arcology to celebrate the historic treaty signed about a year ago between the State and the Federation, recognizing each other's sovereignty in the Luminaire system.
But in the capsuleer community, a much larger event is planned, The Battle of Caldari Prime Anniversary Gathering. This event aims to gather all capsuleers of good will for a great celebration of all the good that happened in the wake of that major battle for the Caldari Homeworld. All those who are able to come, are invited for this event!

Recently there has been some unrest concerning Ishukone's dealings with the Federation, due to their secrecy surrounding all their negotiations. Currently, not enough hard facts are known to make any good conclusion, but be assured that Aurora News Network (ANN) will keep track of this! If any facts come up, you'll see a publishment about it!

Onward to this week's refugee list. With thanks to the Ember capsuleer family and others, quite some refugees & rescuees have found a new home aboard the Arcology. Among these are also the rescuees from the recent Uedama tragedy who are now safe aboard the Arcology Station.

Regular Civilians

-183 Homeless
-1.258 Janitors
-19.476 Tourists (Datafile: Tragedy at Uedama)
-10 Refugees
-4 Scientists
-9 Stranded Pilots
-210 Freed Slaves

Pets

-3 Fedos (Datafile:A strange animal)
-60 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-318 Freedom Fighters
-2.125 Marines
-120 Militants
-4 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-175 Male Exotic Dancers

Councilmembers

-1 Corin Risia
-3 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)

The Arcology still receives patients with the Oura M. Syndrome, but regrettably, not much progress has been made in developing a better treatment for these people suffering from it.
So far our method of handling these patients remains the same, keep them isolated from each other and under surveillance and they can live a fairly normal life as long as they are not aware of each other.

Anyone who can assist or has experience with handling the Oura M. Syndrome is welcome to share it with us, in order to improve the quality of life for these people!

Monday 17 March 2014

Tragedy at Uedama

Introduction

Uedama is a dangerous system for most transport ships due to two reasons. One, it's a 0.5 security system, meaning Concord takes it's time to arrive after a capital offense is committed. Two, it lies on a crossroad of trade routes to various trade hubs. Combined, these two reasons mean that there's a high risk of pirates and thugs waiting at the gates, praying on defenseless transports carrying expensive goods to raid & plunder.
It's not the first time we report on this dangerous system, as can be seen in this report: 'The Uedama Tragedy' Sadly, this report tells about a similar event...
 
In the cold dark...
 
As my blockade-runner 'The Last Dance' entered Uedama, I noticed a freigher wreck nearby. Scans indicated there was still something or someone in the hold.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out one of the unbreached bulkheads of the destroyed freighter holds over 8000 civilians! As I don't know how long it's been drifting in the cold dark of space, a rescue-operation is immediately initiated!
As Concord berates us for 'stealing from someone's property', the first 3000 board our transport rapidly. As I set course for the nearest station, my crew asks the remaining survivors to prepare themselves for a very speedy boarding on our return.
 
Once docked, the civilians & refugees aboard disembark, along with a part of the crew. Unwilling to risk more lives than necessary, I decide to pick up the last 5000+ survivors with a minimal crew. Once undocked to commence the second part of the rescue, I activate the advanced covert cloak device and engage the warpdrive...
Upon approaching the wreck, the cloak is kept active as not to alert any thugs or pirates in the area as I'm flagged by Concord for 'stealing'. Once close enough to the wreck, the cloak is deactivated and a connection is made. As the crew assist the civilians on coming aboard as quickly as possible, I verify my alignment, making sure I can warp as soon as possible once all are aboard.
An exempt form the rescue-event:
  
*Captain, all are aboard! You are free to jump!*
*Roger that, engaging warp in 3..*
- Alert! Alert! Hostile ship is targeting us!-
*Dammit, 2 seconds! Go faster!*
-Warning! Hostile ship fired! Shields critical!-
*1 second to go, please hold on just a little longer...*
-Warp drive engaged! Jumping!-
  
That was close... Got out alive, with a mere 10% of my shields left. Not a professional pirate, else we'd be all dead. Undoubtedly the inertial stabs helped me in preventing the warpdrive being shut down. As my blockade-runner docks at the station, I use the free time to calm the rescuees as much as I can. The screeching sound of gunfire striking the shields did make the survivors panic. Quite understandable after what happened to their freighter-transport...
  
Once fully docked, a quick survey is held across the rescuees, to check if they're fine and if any are in need of immediate medical attention. As it turns out, they were immigrants coming from Amarr space, seeking a new life in the State. Upon this reveal, they've been offered a place to stay at the Arcology and to get their new lives a good start.
Overjoyed with this proposal on what was a dark day for them, they accept.
  
Conclusion
 
 In total 8012 civilians (Tourists) were saved from certain death in the cold dark of space! Sadly, it's doubtful they'll be the last...
So to all who read this, I urge you to take precautions when you cross Uedama in a transport ship, either tank it, or have someone gather intel for you before you jump in! Or just not carry enough valuable cargo to make it worthwhile for these thugs & pirates to raid & plunder your ship.
Always remember, Concord does not protect, Concord retaliates!

Saturday 15 March 2014

Preparations for the first year anniversary of the Battle for Caldari Prime

Introduction

Soon it'll be a year that the Gallente & Caldari engaged in conflict for Caldari Prime. To honor the fallen and to celebrate both sides their achievement, Commander A9 will host an event at the Highlander beacon above the planet. This event will be on 22 march at 17H Universal time, in the Luminaire system.
All are welcome to attend! More information can be found in this public announcement:

Battle of Caldari Prime Anniversary Gathering; MAR 22, 1700, Luminaire

The schedule for the event is the following:

Tentative Schedule
*1700: Event Starts
*1800: Missing Man Formation
*1900: First Lightshow
*2000: Second Lightshow
*2100: Flypasts
*2200: Third Lightshow
*2300: Fourth Lightshow
*0000: DJ Daggaroth's Show Continues

The Missing Man formations: Capsuleers will fly in formation across the gathering, on which one will break formation, as to honor those who fell during the conflict.

The Flypasts: Flying a capsuleer fleet in low orbit above Caldari Prime, so all those on the ground are reminded of the great sacrifices brought in space for their security, but also to honor those who fought bravely on the surface of Caldari Prime.

The Lightshows: Marvellous displays of art in the form of lasers and other light-emitting devices like targetpainters. A recurring theme with Commander A9's events and always a big hit with the crowd! The report 'The Luminaire Holiday Festival was a great success!' can give you an idea of what to expect at the lightshows.
One thing is assured: colorful and brilliant spectacles!

The DJ show: DJ's from New Eden Radio will host the music for the event, and even provide contests themselves in which you can win prizes!

All in all it looks like it'll be an enjoyable event for all those who want to participate in the first year anniversary of The Battle for Caldari Prime. But now we'll address two concerns, namely why should it be celebrated by both Caldari & Gallente?


Why should Gallente celebrate this event?

Some might point out that Caldari Prime is still governed by Caldari corporations. But in doing so, they forget that their operation was a success nontheless.
The Leviathan-Class Titan CN Shiigeru was the greatest threat the Gallente knew, a doomsday equipped Titan, a single warpflight away from their homeworld. And to top that, piloted by an Admiral personally appointed by Heth, giving the Gallente the impression that a single command of Heth would be enough to let the Titan unleash it's doom anywhere in the system. But thanks to the brave Gallente admirals who seized the opportunity when Concord lifted the cynojammers, the Titan and its supporting capital fleet were removed from the system in a colossal battle.
This act secured Luminaire once more and allowed the Gallente to dictate a full removal of military assets in the orbit of Caldari Prime, making sure their civilians would feel secure once more.


Why should Caldari celebrate this event?

People might think Caldari shouldn't celebrate, as they lost a capital fleet there, including a Titan.
While these fallen will be honored, not celebrating it would bring dishonor to those who fought till their dying breath to keep Caldari Prime in the State. It's thanks to their sacrifice, and the valiant and successful defense of our groundforces that we can still visit a Caldari Prime under State guidance.

Especially the efforts of the loyal Dust forces on our side should gain recognition from us, capsuleers. They fought against all odds, yet they managed to stand. Heth prosecuted and hunted them during his reign, yet they remained loyal, not to Heth nor the Provists, but to the State and their people.
During the ground offensive on the planet, the Gallente threw everything they had against them and yet, they failed to overwhelm our brave Caldari Dust forces. A remarkable feat, especially if you realize they were cut off from all support and logistics during this, as the Gallente controlled space.
Glory to the State, and the Dust forces who made it happen.


Conclusion: Why both should celebrate!

After the battle, a historic agreement was signed: The Caldari Prime DeMilitarisation Zone(the Caldari Prime DMZ treaty).
This treaty honored both sides their demands, and recognized both victories. Caldari Prime would be demilitarized, removing the threat of a military Caldari force in Luminaire. In exchange, Caldari Prime would be governed by Caldari corporations, their security assured by Mordu's Legion, a group with ties to both sides and hence seen as an acceptable security force.
In short, both sides have achieved their objectives, a secure space for Gallente and Caldari prime remains Caldari and agreed to honor this by an historic agreement. Let us celebrate this victory of common sense!

Thursday 13 March 2014

This week sees over 11.000 immigrants joining the Arcology Project!

This week has been a busy but good week for the Aurora Project. The Aurora News Agency received alot of good criticism lately for their published stories, the Aurora Project keeps welcoming refugees on a continuous basis and the Ayem colony project looks to be a great success!

The newsfeed 'Shrouded in mystery, the Jovian race' proves to be a phenomenal success to our readers and it's climbing to the top of our most read articles already! This article was published to give our readers more insight into the Jovians and give people a list of their activities the past few years. Looking at the skyrocketing views this publishment has seen, this information was in high demand!
Thanks to all readers who shared this article with their friends!

The Ayem Colony project is in full swing, and the reports we receive from management all sound very good. Due to the massive backing of 4TH District, it seems the Administration center and the planned infrastructure works will be done sooner than expected! A great show of Caldari efficiency!

This week we received alot of direct capsuleer support, with people being rescued from pirate bases and capsuleers transferring over the groups of civilians they had in their care, recognizing our skill in handling refugees & immigrants seeking a better life. We like to thank all those who trust the Aurora Arcology project. It's with your contribution that we can keep growing and make a positive change in the Eden cluster!

Now onward to this week's immigration roster!

Regular Civilians

-819 Homeless
-2069 Janitors
-216 Refugees
-10 Science Graduates
-4 Scientists (Datafile: Scientists rescued from Serpentis Pirates!)
-3475 Tourists
-589 Freed Slaves

Pets

-473 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-5 Caldari Light Marines
-389 Freedom Fighters
-3593 Marines
-90 Militants
-27 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)


Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-10 Female Exotic Dancers
-560 Male Exotic Dancers

Councilmember
-1 VIP

All in all, it's been a good week for us! With thanks to our supporters & contributors!

Monday 10 March 2014

Scientists rescued from Serpentis Pirates!

Several days ago, capsuleer Riyria Twinpeaks located and engaged a Serpentis research facility. As she was combating the pirates, a distress signal was received from the facility.
Once the area was cleared, she sent in a small boarding crew to inspect who sent the distress signal. After a short search, four scientists were discovered in hiding. They were captured and pressed into illegal booster-research by the Serpentis pirates. During the chaos of the battle they managed to successfully sent a distress signal to Capsuleer Twinpeaks to get her attention.

As it was likely more Serpentis would show up, no time was wasted in evacuating them. Once the scientists were safely aboard, she set course for the nearest station.
Once docked, contact was set up with  Aurora Arcology Project representatives in order to give the rescued scientists a safe shelter. Once our representatives guaranteed the safety of these scientists, all was setup to transfer them over, in order to help them recover from their ordeal. I thank capsuleer Twinpeaks for her trust in our refugee project

Due to the nature of their research, it's unlikely the Serpentis will just let them go, so our security forces and intel department are on alert.

Saturday 8 March 2014

Shrouded in mystery, the Jovian race

When talking about the major factions, the 5th one often gets overlooked, the mysterious and enigmatic Jovians. Not much is known about them, as they prefer to keep to themselves, to the point they shut down all gates that connected them to the other nations. This could be done as they are the most advanced race currently known.

Who are the Jovians?
Rare image of Jovians disembarking their ship

The Jovians are among the oldest and technologically most advanced nations in the Eden cluster, gifted with insatiable curiosity for information of any kind.
This insatiable curiosity is their main drive for most of their actions and the reason of their extremely well developed intelligence agency. Coupled with their technological superiority, it is assured that nothing happens in Eden without the Jovians knowing about it.
However, their curiosity also had a downside... in their eagerness to explore their DNA and modify it to remove imperfections, they went too far, creating the Jovian disease. This disease is a non-infectious genetic affliction and is a result of their heavy tampering with their own DNA. Jovians suffering from it become extremely depressed and die within weeks, losing their will to live.
This caused the fall of the original Jovian Empire that was located in the Heaven Constellation, their home system Utopia now an Angel base.

The current Jovians are emigrants who fled their dying relatives in massive Jovian Motherships in order to rebuild the Jovian Empire in another part of the cluster. Much of their efforts and actions are tied to finding a treatment and perhaps even a cure for the dreaded Jovian Disease.
Despite that this new Jove Empire is but a shadow of the original one, their technology still outclasses the four nations by a wide margin.
From this new location, they began meddling in the affairs of the four factions for purposes only they know.

Also, due to their far-reaching genetic experiments, they look very different from all the other races, sporting a greyish-yellow skin, visible veins, a large head and complete absence of body-hair. But their most eerie characteristic are their empty hollow black eyes...

A rare recent image of the Jovians; Source: Classified; Humour: non-existent

Jovians and their historic significance for the cluster

In the history of the Eden cluster, the Jovians are rarely mentioned, yet the few times they are involved, it is for events that changed the course of history. This has given rise to the reputation that you best don't mess with the Jovians.
But along with this, they also show that if you followed their sometimes odd demands for information of any kind, you would be rewarded greatly with advanced technology.


The Battle of Vak'Atioth

This is the most well known Jovian encounter in the history of the cluster and the only known direct confrontation of their military force.
The Amarrians pursued their Reclaiming Doctrine, under which they enslaved the Minmatar population and wanted to press on, enslaving the Jovians under their religious doctrine as well. The excellent Jovian intelligence network however allowed them to be prepared to the finest details, turning the defense against the Amarr invasion into a display of power and might of the Jovians.
Ever since this event, no other nation ever took up arms against them again.


The Minmatar Rebellion

Shortly after their defeat at the hands of the Jove, the Amarr were faced with a nation-wide slave revolt. Backed by the Jove Empire & Gallente Federation, the Minmatar rose to arms, throwing off the rule of their oppressors.
The Jove contributed to the success by undermining the Amarr command structure by subterfuge & spies, allowing the Minmatar to prepare for incoming Amarr battle fleets and successfully repel them. In the end, the Minmatar rebellion was victorious and so the Republic was founded, backed by the Gallente Federation.
The Jovians assisted the Rebellion in order to force the Amarr to halt any future attacks on their Empire, showcasing that anyone who opposed the Jove would not only have to face their powerful technology, but also their deeply integrated intelligence network that the Jove built up across the factions of New Eden!


The Gift of the Capsule

During the Caldari/Gallente secession war, the Jove contacted the Ishukone Corporation and traded to them the capsule-technology in exchange for information and unknown devices.
This trade helped the Caldari to counter their losing edge. For a long time, the Caldari could successfully stand against the might of the Gallente fleet thanks to their excellent one man fighters. But eventually, the Gallente managed to develop combat-drones to counter them, causing the State to lose its only advantage against the Gallente military.
However, thanks to the Jove trading capsule technology, the Caldari could turn their frigates into one-man ships, allowing the war to drone on. This allowed the Caldari to inflict massive losses on the Gallente in a direct conflict against their major fleets.


Society of Conscious Thought

There are various Jove-linked corporations and institutions spread across the four nations. The most well known is the Society of Conscious Thought. Once founded by the Jovian Ior Labron in an attempt to discover the meaning of Life, it now functions as a highly respected and qualified education center.
The rules for admission however are shrouded in mystery and are only know to the Jove and their placeholder administrators in the SoCT academies.
In the last few decades, non-SoCT members have been allowed to enter as well to enjoy this Jovian style education. Almost everyone that graduates at the SoCT academies attains high positions in society, becoming directors of interstellar corporations or highly successful politicians. It is due to this that the SoCT is seen as a place to educate & raise future leaders. They manage to instill this high grade of successful ambition through a method known as hyperconsciousness, a teaching method shrouded in mystery.
SoCT is also the only known Jove-linked organisation that holds sovereignty outside Jove space. The constellation N-K4Q0 in the Geminate region falls under their jurisdiction and lies close to the Jove Empire


CONCORD

Founded shortly after all 5 races made first contact with each other in order to maintain peace in the cluster. The Jove contributed technology to the DED division in order to allow them to police known space extremely efficiently.
Most capsuleers know them as the extremely lethal Concord Police ships, who arrive after unlawful aggression to punish the offender in Highsec. This is currently the only way to experience Jove technology directly, and is not considered a healthy way to experience it.
This lethal killbeam weapon was a recent addition to the Concord weapon arsenal, and the Jove allowed use of this devastating weapon after capsuleers managed to successfully oppose Concord in Yulai, their HQ system.


Fall of Sansha's Nation

When the true nature of Kuvakei's experiments became known, all 5 nations banded together against Sansha's Nation. Among them were the Jove, while not directly involved, it's suspected they managed to negotiate this Alliance of Empires into being through Concord. Further involvement was the sharing of intel they had on Nation allowing the 4 to strike efficiently into territories they hardly knew.
The reason on why the Jove got involved are speculation, but it's suspected it had to do with Kuvakei's experiments on Jove capsule technology, using it to create his True Slaves, beings unconditionally loyal to Kuvakei, yet with a will of their own.


The Armageddon Project

While many of the factions dream of developing a weapon so powerful & devastation that the mere threat of using it would make the others back down, they never succeeded in developing such weapon. The development of the Iapetan Titans was the latest such attempt, but as they eventually were developed by all four factions, they never achieved their original intent, namely to make the opponent back down by the mere threat of deploying them.
A well known recent super-weapon is of course Jamyl Sarum's Abaddon who fired a weapon of unknown design at the invading Elder fleet in Mekhios, decimating them fully in a single blast!

However, there is also the very disturbing rumour, backed up by scraps of intel gathered by the four nations that the Jovians themselves are developing a devastating super-weapon, capable of annihilating worlds. While the Jovians never responded to these allegations, it is feared they are just waiting for the right opportunity to test the weapon and display to the rest of the cluster their superiority, showcasing that any attempt to invade or attack the Jove would lead to terrible consequences!


Angel's Heaven

About a century ago, the original systems of the Old Jovians were discovered by scavengers and raiders. Eventually they banded together as the Angel Cartel, allowing them to use and develop these old Jovian artefacts and stations they found.
As a result of this, the Angel Cartel is one of the most powerful pirate organisations in known space. It's suspected this rise of power can be attributed to uncovered Jovian technology. One only has to look at the Angel ships to see the semblance with some of the sleek Jovian ships.


Recent Jovian encounters

In recent times the Jovians have become very quiet, especially after the death of the Jovian contact Veniel and his exiled brother Ouria. In fact, after those incidents, the Jovians have remained quiet in communications except for one last tour by their ambassador. After that, it is silence, save for a few rogue incidents.
Discoveries concerning the Jove the past few years do paint an image of a dying nation, unwilling to reveal itself.


The Immensea Incident

The Jovian that brokered deals with Capsuleers, Veniel

This tale is a good example of the Jovian thirst for information, making trades and exchanges that don't seem to make sense.
In this particular encounter, the Jovian Veniel offered a group of privateers a way out of a lethal situation in exchange for a corpse they found by calling in a Concord taskforce in nullsec. Veniel even went so far as to uncover the knowledge of dozens of stations and jumpgates in exchange for Concord's assistance in this matter.
To us, it just seems like an outrageous deal, just to get a corpse, but Jovian motivations are always shrouded in mystery, and any deal you make with them might be in their favor from their point of view.


The Jovian Mining Laser incident

The Jove fleet sent to retrieve the Jove mining laser 'Nibelungen Particle Bore Laser'

Early in the history of the first immortal capsuleers, a young Jovian explored empire space in his mining frigate. There he met a man, Beckull, who entertained him with talks and tales. For this, he gave the capsuleer one of his mining lasers, believing it to be of little value.
However, as this was a Jovian mining laser, it's technology surpassed anything the empires could produce. Once it was sold to a major capsuleer organisation it caused an outrage among the community, targeting the Jovians for providing an unfair advantage.
However, Veniel brokered a deal with the corporation in question, exchanging the Tech V mining laser for an original tech II mining laser blueprint.
While this was still more advanced than what the empires had, it was much closer to existing technology.


Rogue Jovian Ouria

Rogue Jove Admiral Ouria

Shortly after the Jovian Mining Laser incident, a rogue Jove admiral, displeased with the actions of the Directorate set out to the Stain region with his squadron and wanted to trade Tech II with the main competitors who lost out on the previous Tech II deal.
However, as word got out, many went there as well and it resulted into a massive manhunt. During this hunt, Veniel was mistaken for his brother and was killed.
Eventually the hunt for Admiral Ouria came to an end in a large battle. He and his squadron of Eidelon Battleships were destroyed, the tech II mining laser blueprints were looted by various factions in an intense fight for the precious cargo. During this, pieces of Trinary data were obtained.


The Grand Tour of Jovian Ambassador Misu Baniya

Jovian Ambassador Misu Baniya

The Jovians surprised all when they announced their Ambassador would go on a tour, visiting the four main factions within an hour! They unveiled they planned to do this with a matter transporter. However when initiating the device, something went horribly wrong and the ambassador and his ship got transported in little bits to hundreds of stations across the cluster.
In addition to this, due to the nature of the accident, they needed a large part of his original bodyparts to restore him. Immediately the four nations and various capsuleers went on collecting it all to help the Jovians.
However, the Bloodraiders had plans of their own and collected as many bloodsamples as they could. Despite being often raided by capsuleers as an 'easy source' for Jovian bodyparts, the Bloodraiders announced they accomplished their goal, whatever it may be.

In the end, enough biomatter was gathered to restore the unfortunate Ambassador. The fragments of the ship, who were also spread out were of seemingly no interest to the Jovians and were happily studied by scientists & capsuleers.
As a reward for their assistance, capsuleers received blueprints of a yet unknown technology at the time, cloaking devices!

Once restored, Misu Baniya continued his Grand Tour of the Eden cluster, visiting not only the four great factions, but also various nullsec capsuleer alliances. After it was revealed the Jovians saw them as sovereign states, adding them to the Jovian Registry as independant factions, the Amarr, Minmatar and Gallente protested in earnest, claiming these nullsec organisations are nothing more but organized lawless groups.
The Caldari State on the other hand supported the Jovian decision, stating that the Capsuleer Alliances in nullsec are indeed budding young nations, setting their first steps as a sovereign state.

A more detailed entry about this event can be found here:
Jovian go Boom! (Part 1) and Jovian go Boom! (Part 2)


Jovian Battleship disrupts a gatecamp

Not much is known about this encounter, only that during a routine gatecamp in nullsec an Eidolon Battleship appeared at the gate. Following standard NBSI procedure, the capsuleerfleet enganged the Jove battleship.
Despite this aggression, the Jovians did not return fire and after several minutes of sustained fire on this ship, they left the battle, leaving behind a bewildered capsuleerfleet. No known events are linked to this encounter.


Sansha Nation presence in Jove Space!

The famous image captured by Mouse Nell's camera probe

During the first waves of Nation attacks in known space after Kuvakei's announcement; capsuleers frantically tried to discover where the wormholes that launched Sansha's fleets originated from.
And then it happened! Capsuleer Mouse Nell managed to attach a camera drone to a returning Sansha ship. The imagefeed it returned was baffling. A massive Sansha fleet surrounding a Jove station. Later it was confirmed it was indeed snapped in Jove space itself...
No response came from the Jovians after this news became public. Currently, nothing is known between the Jove/Sansha relations.
To this day, it's not known if Jove granted Sansha's Nation access to their space and some of their tech, or that Kuvakei invaded and took it by force.
It's important to note that the last Jove message was related to this, as they used Concord as intermediate to relay info that they removed Sansha from their space.


The Sleepers

Research done by capsuleers on the Sleepers has supported a very interesting but also dark theory. It is suspected the Sleepers were the Jovians who were left behind when their more healthy people fled in massive motherships from their original homes to current Jove space.
Left behind, these Jove were doomed to die, unless hooked to virtual reality systems that delayed the fatality of the Jovian Disease. Desperately looking for a more permanent remedy or even a cure, they turned towards their neighbours, the Yan Jung.
The relics found point to forceful conquest and eventual genocide rather than asking for help with their condition. Seemingly unable to find a remedy, they turned to Wormhole space, chasing the other faction they knew, the Talocans.
In their drive to find a cure, the doomed Jovians destroyed the Talocan civilisation, turning them into nothing more but labrats for experiments in order to discover a remedy.
The current state of the Sleepers seems to indicate they haven't found a cure, but also that their research is seemingly continuing automated, while they rest in their virtual environments, awaiting the result of their experiments.
You can find more information in the Arek'Jalaan paper published: The Sleeper-Jovian Connection by Myyona


Conclusions

All in all, the Jovians are an enigmatic & reclusive race, valuing information above all else. In pursuit of this, they tend to trigger events that involve large parts of the cluster. This is due to their advanced technology and their apparent willingness to trade knowledge of said technology for sometimes seemingly insignificant information.

In short; if a Jovian shows up, expect trouble to follow suit!

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Wormholes, shattered dreams & lost hopes

We all know the stories of corporations and alliances who make the big money in wormhole systems. There's also plenty of tales from explorers who fly around in these systems, finding riches beyond belief. Some find fully fitted Starbases all ready to be torn down and sold for big bucks, others share their tales of finding faction fit battleships and tech 3 cruisers.

All these tales have the same origin. They begin with a group of capsuleers, organized in corporations or alliances who ventures into Wormhole space, with the greatest of dreams and the highest of hopes. And yet, for reasons unknown, they falter, leaving behind unpowered starbases and  abandoned ships as the legacy of their once mighty dreams and bold hopes...

Wormhole systems trigger a primal need in many, the need to explore the unknown, to boldly go where none have gone before. To be the first to go there, the first to see that asteroid, the first to walk on this moon, the first to settle on that planet, to be among the first....
Wormhole systems also contain alot of artifacts, advanced technology, rare materials and strange enemies.
All this attracts a varied crowd of capsuleers who want to chase their dreams of wealth and hopes of renown in this strange place. Some succeed beyond their wildest dreams and highest hopes, becoming wealthier than they could imagine. But for many.... it's the same old tale... their dreams turn out barren, their hopes; fruitless.

For every successful capsuleer corporation and alliance in wormhole space, making great wealth by selling remnants of advanced technology and rare materials to the empires, dozens of such organisations find only death and disillusion...

They fail as the isolation is too much to bear, or capsuleer-raiders shatter their belief of isolation, making them realize that even in the depths of Anoikis you cannot outrun hostilities. Others just slowly dwindle into nothingness, as one after the other capsuleer vanishes into the depths of space, or returns to civilization, until nothing remains but an abandoned starbase, shimmering in the light of alien stars, and only the broken dreams and abandoned hopes of its former masters to keep it company.

So next time any of you fly to the wormhole systems of Anoikis and find a lone starbase or a derelict ship, glowing under the eerie light of distant and unknown stars, pay homage to those who were before you, and then left, leaving behind their belongings along with their forgotten dreams and demolished hopes...

Sunday 2 March 2014

Over 14.000 refugees joined the Arcology this week!

This week has seen the start of the Ayem colony expansion. This also saw a migration from the Arcology to the new Ayem facilities in order to support this expansion. The migrants recruited among the Arcology population are volunteers who enjoy taking up their lives on the frontier, but now in a region where their security in space is mostly guaranteed.

It's important to remember that many refugees taken aboard by the Arcology project were inhabitants of deep space habitats & facilities. People that are used to living on the edge of civilisation.
Many who have been taken aboard now feel it itching to take up their old lives, pushing the frontiers of civilisation, and the Ayem colony project offers them this chance!
It's a dangerous life, but they know it, and prefer it above the secure & corporate life they can enjoy at the Aurora Arcology Station.

Now onward to this weeks immigration list! This week also saw a contribution once more from the Ember family, reinforcing our security force. But Capsuleer Jack Sly made a major contribution, boosting our security force by an additional few thousand personnel and several dozen scientists for our R&D departments and several other civilians.
Thanks to everyone's assistance to help refugees & immigrants to find their way to the Aurora Arcology project, we have a very varied immigration registry this week.

Regular Civilians

-25 Civilians
-96 Miners
-425 Homeless
-1590 Janitors
-200 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-19 Science Graduates
-36 Scientists
-20 Ship's Crew
-34 Stranded Pilots
-4408 Tourists
-1313 Freed Slaves

Pets

-32 Fedos (Datafile:A strange animal)
-66 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-300 Amarr Light Marines
-45 Caldari Light Marines
-459 Freedom Fighters
-1539 Marines
-3120 Militants
-131 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)
-18 Temko Mercenaries

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-120 Female Exotic Dancers
-748 Male Exotic Dancers
-1 Prostitute

Councilmembers

-3 Dari Akell
-8 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)
-16 VIPs

The Aurora Arcology population is growing nicely. With the Ayem colony project there is now also an outlet for more adventurous people who have recovered from their previous ordeals and want to go expanding the frontier of civilisation once more.

Also major thanks to all capsuleers who assist us in helping out refugees across the Eden cluster!