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
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