Digital virus struck Aurora Arcology data-centers!

As many of you noticed, Aurora News went inactive for weeks. This was due to a digital virus that slipped past our network defenses.
Once inside, it immediately began encrypting files across the various civilian data centers, jeopardizing the Aurora Arcology workings. Due to the continuous encryption of random files, many systems had to run on backups or in limited safe mode, reducing their effectiveness.
Of the affected civilian data centers, Aurora News was struck the hardest. The digital encryption virus locked out many tools & search networks, required to maintain up to date information & fact-checking. It also prevented the publication of various news reports.

Only through the joint effort of our security department & the scientists specialized in digital encryption methods, we were able to overcome this virus.
However, the damage done is vast, as it took weeks to contain and eventually eliminate the ever-adapting virus.
However, as the main method of attack by this digital virus was encrypting random files, the after effects will last for a while. Currently, our digital security team is doing their best to decode the encrypted files.
Caution is needed however, as the virus sometimes places copies of itself in these encrypted files, requiring us to isolate any encrypted file before decoding it, to prevent any new copies of the virus to infect the system once again.

Usually, viruses like this are used to ransom the targeted organisation, corporation or individual. However, no claim was made & no ransom was issued. Either someone wanted to jeopardize the Arcology workings for a period, or the virus got into our system by accident. The latter is unlikely however, due to the security in place to prevent accidental tampering.
Due to the increased visibility of the Aurora Arcology through several very successful publications by Aurora News as of late, it's more likely it was a deliberate attempt to destabilize the Arcology workings.
In light of this, our digital security team will be beefed up, to avoid such digital attacks in the future.

Quite some files of Aurora News are still encrypted, among them various newsreports that should be published:

-The 4th Seyllin conference
Highly encrypted, decoding team faces a serious challenge in decoding it. Recovery chance mediocre

-The Aurora Arcology Introduction
Due to the extreme levels of encryption, it's unlikely that this old news report will be decoded anytime soon. Recovery chance: low
Likely, a new introduction will be written once the Aurora News team has worked away their backlog.

-Poetry Night at The Golden Masque
Lowly encrypted, shouldn't be too hard to unlock this file & make it available for publication. Recovery chance: high.

-Concord Ship Overview
Medium encryption, will take some time, but this will be recoverable, allowing people to have a more in-depth view of how Concord got their powerful ships. Recovery chance: high.

-The Drifters Evolve
Heavily encrypted. While this will be hard to rbeak, due to it's relevance, our digital security teams will do whatever lies in their power to unlock this data, to make it public for everyone. Recovery chance: medium.

-Hilen Tukoss Fourth message
While this newsreport is fairly outdated in light of recent events, it's publication would still be valuable, if only to provide people an insight into the latest messages of Hilen Tukoss. Recovery chance: high.

-Arek'Jaalan findings
The Arek'Jaalan science community invested alot in their research regarding wormholes, sleepers & drifters. This was meant to provide an overview of these findings, but alas, it's now heavily encrypted. Security is doing their best to recover the files. Recovery chance: low

As noted, a long list. Aurora News will do its best to decode the news-articles & put them up for publication. You can keep track of the decoding through this report or check in on the Aurora Arcology immigration reports, who will mention if a news-article has been successfully decoded.

I thank all my readers who stood by us in this dark hour. Aurora News will return, stronger & more resilient then ever! We shall not be held back on our mission to provide news from across the cluster to you!

President Jacus Roden begins his second term

The Presidential inauguration ceremony would occur at the Senate headquarters, in the Villore system. As the day of the inauguration came closer, extreme security measures were taken, under a veil of secrecy. This is uncommon as usually the inauguration ceremony is a very public event, followed by media across New Eden.

But now, even the President arrived unannounced in his Federation issue Megathron under a heavy escort composed of Federation Navy ships & Directive Enforcement Department ships.

The reason for all the secrecy & security measures is the appearance of the unknown structures & the ships that accompany them, causing major criticism by the Gallente citizens towards the Roden administration regarding Federation security & the failure of the Tripwire warning system. As not much is known about these strange intruders, security remains in an all time high alert state to assure the safety of the President & the attendees.

At 28 Februari, the inauguration ceremony began, preparing President Jacus Roden to swear in his second term as president.

Under the watchful eye of the Senate, lead by Head Senator Andon Gardieu & watched by trillions in the Federation & beyond through the holovision broadcasts, President Jacus Roden officiated his second term as he repeated the traditional Oath.

Flanked by Black Eagle Director Mentas Blaque and Gilles Ranchel, Head of the Senate Domestic Security Council, President Jacus Roden places his right hand on a leather-bound copy of the Federation Constitution and repeated the oath spoken by Head Senator Andon Gardieu, officially marking his second term as President of the Gallente Federation!

The oath recites as follows:

“I, Jacus Roden, do solemnly swear before the Federal Senate and Federal Supreme Court, that I will faithfully and honorably execute the office of President of the Federated Union of Gallente Prime, and will, to the best of my ability, ensure that my actions in office protect, preserve and defend the values and principles of the people, as laid out in the Constitution of the Federated Union of Gallente Prime.”

Immediately after this, President Jacus Roden addressed the people through the media, thanking them for their support in the elections. After his speech, he was bombarded by questions by the journalists present, mainly regarding to the supposed threat of the Seekers and Drifters & their mysterious structures that appeared.

He responded that there's an investigation ongoing on how they could circumvent the Tripwire warning system & how dangerous they really are, but that as long as there's nothing known for certain, the Federation Navy remains in high alert in order to secure the Gallente Federation from any possible threats that might arise.

With the ceremony coming to an end, President Jacus Roden does offer stability to the Federation in these tumultuous times. It's expected that his policy regarding Federation matters will continue the upcoming years, allowing more solid interstellar politics & treaties to be formed. This will be a good thing with the mysterious arrivals of the Drifters who have everyone on alert!

I-RED chases sabotage suspects across New Eden

Prelude

Ever since the sabotage that struck the Tsuruma Colony, I-RED has taken extreme measures to locate & arrest possible suspects. The raid last week gave a glimpse of this. But this week shows they don't shy away from seizing their own assets if a possible suspects hides there.
But as shown later, they don't shy away of locating possible leads deep in  the lawless space that is the Syndicate region.

The Silen raid

This second raid occurred in the Silen system on 22 February at 21H , and would take place at an I-RED mining complex. The mining facility itself is split up in 3 parts, linked together through large connector tubes. This split structure makes the boarding & securing easier.
Once again, a small strike force was gathered, but this time complemented with assistance ships. Lyn Farel flew a transport to help getting people of the facilities, Jaret Victorian's transport was fitted with medical bays, just in case there would be wounded.
Dust Mercenary Foley Aberas Jones joined once again with his warbarge in the strike fleet, providing ground support.

Once the fleet arrived at the I-RED mining installation in the asteroid belt, Katrina Oniseki broadcasted a clear message that left no room for interpretations. The facility personnel had to stand down and yield to the I-RED Internal Watch forces inbound. Do note, that Katrina Oniseki only revealed herself at the end of the raid. the first times the announcements was made, she did not reveal who she was.
The message was:

Attention Silen-Colony - This site has been designated for restructuring. Your right to authority has been rescinded. Stand down and prepare to be relieved of your duties.
Disengage your security systems and unsecure all sections. This site is now under the direct authority of Internal Affairs. Failure to comply will result in termination.
Use of deadly force authorized.

-Broadcasted by Katrina Oniseki, head of I-RED Internal Watch

After this announcement, Internal Watch ground forces boarded the facility, rounding up the surprised personnel. The one person that questioned this authority was handled brutally, leading to a broken arm.
Shortly after, Dust Mercenary Foley Jones arrived in the compound, coordinating the operation in name of Katrina Oniseki & Korsavius. All the personnel that was arrested were brought aboard the transports.
Meanwhile, Foley Jones investigated a signal beacon, in the hopes it would lead them to the important suspect. But the beacon turns out to be a fake, meaning they had to storm the second section of the facility in the hope to apprehend this suspect.

Once again, Katrina Oniseki player her message before they would storm the facility. But the personnel here was much more resistant, as they had seen through the commlinks how their colleagues were brutally arrested by the Internal Watch forces.
As the resistence proved to much to overcome without many casualties, Katrina Oniseki hacked into the mainframe, allowing her to use a painful but non-lethal sound suppression device. After this, most resistance was broken & the people could be rounded up easy by the Internal Watch security.
Using this opportunity, Foley Jones & a small team went to investigate the hangar for the suspect, only to fall in a trap.
Turns out the hangar defense mechanisms was rigged and turned against the team in the hangar. As they tried to find cover as best as they could, most perished before they managed to reach safety.
By deploying light drones inside, the heavy turrets were rapidly taken out. However, the side effect was that this heavy duty firepower practically took out the entire hangar, requiring the soldiers to find another way into the third section of the mining complex.
In the aftermath of this, the surviving & able troops boarded the dropships again, while the wounded got transported into the medical bays.

And so, once again Katrina Oniseki broadcasted her message to warn the I-RED personnel on the mining facility. Now there's only one section left to investigate, cut off from the rest after the hangar trap.
But as Foley Jones disembarks, a horrifying sight unveils before him... dozens of dead personnel, all in grotesque positions, as if they suffocated painfully. Lucky, the boarding troops were wearing their mercenary suits, protecting them from harmful environmental conditions.
As the troops made way to the final hangar, where hopefully the suspect resides, they hear the roaring of engines!
As Foley Jones storms the hangar, he watches an old Caldari dropship take off. Reacting instinctively, he fires a tracking chip at it, allowing the I-RED fleet to keep track of the escaping ship. The ship was revealed to be flown by  'J.Kruger', a name that also can be found in the Scope Internal Leaks article.
In the meantime, a survivor was found, Otiaj Rukerg. While he claimed he had nothing to do with it all & declared Kruger a madman, he was still arrested & sent into custody by Internal Watch forces.

As the operation ran to it's end, the wounded survivors were transported to the medbays, the arrested personnel were sent to the transports, along with classified crates.
During this, one of the floating secured storage holds in space caught the interest of Korsavius, as it emitted a rather strange ID. Upon request, Capsuleer Kithrus managed to hack the hold & retrieved it's content. It turns out it's sensitive I-RED data stored away. Upon request, Kithrus hands over the data, as it's I-RED property.
With this final bit, it's over & the fleet makes its way to the nearby Lai Dai station, carrying the arrested personnel, the injured people, the arrested suspect Otiaj Rukerg and the various unmarked but classified cargo & sensitive data.
The suspect they were after, Kruger, got away however, but it's expected that the tracker will allow I-RED to find his whereabouts.

Syndicate Search & Rescue

Several days after the raid, another development occurred. A custom office holding an important I-RED informant got in trouble in Syndicate & broadcasted an emergency signal for assistance.
With all the focus on I-RED lately, quite some capsuleers jumped on this opportunity to help out & perhaps get a glimpse on what was happening on a deeper level.
The custom office itself was located in system AK-QBU, at planet III and was attacked by Eve University. While most of the surviving personnel were handled by E-UNI, a group of refugees wanted to be transported to another location & E-UNI agreed to escort them out. Among them was Jordan Kaine, informant & ex-employee of I-RED.
During the flight, they encountered pirates & the escort was overwhelmed. the refugee ship managed to flee but the pirates pursued, causing them to send out a distress signal, in hopes that someone would help them out.

Report of the emergency situation, by Haria Haritimado

As the emergency happened in lawless space, most ships that raced to assist were small & nimble, allowing to bypass gate camps & bubbles easy. Interesting to note is the wide diversity of capsuleers that came to assist, from SFRIM to PYRE & many others. Thanks to the coordination under the guidance of Haria Haritimado, the refugees were quickly located & the rescue could commence.
But as they approached the escape-pod, they discovered a problem! The emergency lock procedure failed, locking the survivors inside their pod, unable to be rescued.

Lucky Eran Mintor showed off his hacking skills by breaching the data-locks & decrypted the emergency lockdown code.
This allowed him to retrieve the 4 survivors, among them the I-RED informant Jordan Kaine. 2 of them were badly injured, requiring immediate medical assistance Due to the rough handling of people in previous raids by I-RED security, Erin Mintor was unwilling to hand the survivors over directly to them. Instead, he contacted the Aurora Arcology CEO, in order to make sure the proper steps would be taken in securing them
Once handed over to the Arcology, I-RED repeated the request to hand the survivors over to them. As these people were (former) employees of I-RED, the Arcology couldn't legally hold them. The two injured survivors remained, in order for them to recover from their wounds. Jordan Kaine & the other survivor were transported by a fast Aurora courier frigate to the requested I-RED facility & were assigned a lawyer, to make sure they would be treated properly.

Sadly, later on news spread that I-RED tried transporting informant Jordan Kaine & his lawyer to another facility, but once again fell prey to a pirate raid... The informant survived, but the lawyer perished... In response, Aurora Arcology management sent in an Investigation team, but they found nothing that conflicted this attack.
I-RED then made a public announcement, assuring everyone that the informant is safe within I-RED custody & offered condolences to the lawyer's family.
To put the concern to rest that Jordan Kaine was mistreated, capsuleer Jennifer Starfall was allowed to interview him & record it. The interview itself is intriguing, as it gives a glimpse on the Killing Field leak & that Kruger is involved in this possible deception.

Conclusion

With all this, I-RED remains in the eye of the storm that followed in the wake of the two slanderous Scope articles that were published. As could be read in the reports about the raids, I-RED actions help little in dispelling all the rumours & speculations that go around as a result of it.
However, the published interview between Jennifer Starfall & Jordan Kaine shows that I-RED is indeed looking into the Killing Field accusations & that there's something not quite right with it all!

However, with the tracker on Kruger's dropship & the informant Jordan Kaine safely in I-RED hands, it seems the final steps have been taken to bring all this to a closure & finally have some answers regarding the uncovering of the Killing Fields & the sabotage of the Tsuruma colony.
We can only wait & see to what the answer will be, but with the help of capsuleers investigating these matters, the truth will hopefully surface & the culprits brought to justice!

Jovian structures delay Aurora Projects

Ever since the appearance of the cloaked structures, the Aurora Projects have suffered major delays through them. The Aurora Arcology Project put in a full immigration stop after one of these strange structures was found. this was on top of the spotting of the Circadian Seekers, who's aggression levels were unknown back then.
The other project, the Ayem Colony support also suffered through it, as it was deemed to unsafe to travel to Providence with these unknown entities around. On top of it, 4TH District also found a cloaked structure along with their own group of Circadian seekers patrolling & scanning in the  I-MGAB system.

However, the recent upheaval about the Jovian Drifters appearing in known space, along with the decloaking of the structures has led to a re-evaluation of the risks involved with these projects.

The Aurora Arcology Project

The refugee project is the most known of the two. Under normal circumstances, refugees & immigrants can join the Arcology to have a new & fresh start in their lives.
But as noted above, an immigration stop was called to assure the safety of it's population towards the unknown threat.
But the immigration stop proved to be unsustainable in the long run for the Arcology project, as the various Aurora immigration camps faced major overpopulation issues. To resolve this, a one-time Convoy operation was organized. As you can read in 'The Arcology Convoy is an overwhelming success!', the outcome of this operation was beyond expectations!

Currently, negotiations are ongoing with security to find a good compromise between security & immigration. Until an agreement can be reached, the immigration stop will remain in place, at minimum till end of this month.
The security of our population is of great concern, as the Arcology houses 1.3 million people from a wide variety of backgrounds. With the recent surge of mad capsuleers wanting to one-up each other in genocide, a good working & strong security is paramount.

The Ayem Colony Project

This project is a joint venture with the 4TH District alliance, in order to establish a large, populous colony in Providence. You can follow the development here: 'Ayem Colony development'. The development plans stalled when Providence saw a high number of attacks from other capsuleer organisations. Due to this, it was deemed too dangerous to transport new colonists to Ayem for the time being.
When things finally began to cool down, a cloaked structure appeared, delaying the development even further. While no new colonists were arriving from the Arcology, the earlier development by Aurora Arcology & 4TH District did cause the colony to grow slowly by attracting small groups of settlers from surrounding systems & stations. Currently, the Ayem Colony houses over 70.000 people, but with room to house much more, as the expansion plans were already set in motion before the colonist transports were halted in light of the events in providence & the appearance of unknown structures.

However, unlike the Aurora Arcology Project, the Ayem Colony project faces a more dire situation, as not only has the structure decloaked now, it is also accompanied by Drifter Battleships protecting it!
This development has put 4TH District on high alert, as by now, the Drifter damage reputation is well known. This also resulted in an emergency meeting by 4TH District, in order to discuss the best method of approach.
The outcome of this meeting was that the Drifters are not considered hostile and will not be engaged, but they will be monitored closely to make sure they pose no threat.

Based on this stance, the colonist transports to Ayem will resume in the near future, likely once the immigration stop is lifted or softened in the Arcology Project.

The Elysion Concerts

Introduction

Capsuleer Halcyon Ember has organized two performances by famous capsuleers in her venue & invited those who are interested to attend the event. The concerts would start at 21H on 16 February. First on stage would be Vincent Pryce with his band, The Swing Wing, who bring Achura influenced rock! After this, at 0H, Anslo would perform with his band, GACHE, bringing heavy rock to the crowd!

On the day itself, many capsuleers & even some duct mercenaries arrived at the Elysion. Once cleared by security, they were all free to have a good time. The bar was well stocked & the high number of attendees meant that people could find entertaining company easy.
looking at the attending crowd, it was easy to see how popular Halcyon Ember is with the capsuleer crowd, as people of a wide variety of backgrounds attended, Amarr & Minmatar, outlaws & law enforcers, and more of these eclectic mixes.
Close to the start-time, Halcyon Ember called attention through a short speech, before announcing the first performer of the evening, Vicnent Pryce!

On Stage, part I: Vincent Pryce & The Swing Wing

As Vincent Pryce gets on stage, in his stylish vest over his white shirt & black pvc pants, he kicks off the concert in style! With a strong riff from his electric guitar, he sendsoff a blast of pyrotechnic flames from the stage. And so he sets in the first song of the evening, a cover of 'Redemption'.
With his energetic performance, along with the show element of the pyrotechnics, his concert - show was a joy to watch.

The next song Vincent Pryce covered with his band was 'Metaporphoze' & he dedicated this play to his number 1 fan, Aurora Morgan. By now, the audience was clapping & moving along on the tunes of this song, clearly enjoying the concert. And so the next song sets in, 'Paranoid Doll', with a full blazing Vincent Pryce energizing the crowd!
After this powerful performance, the next song was tuned down a bit, to let the people catch a breath, as the band played 'PS I Love You', With this song as excuse, Vincent Pryce went off stage, while still singing and danced with capsuleer Lasairiona Raske on the tones of the music.
Once the song was running on it's last tunes, he left the dance & returned to stage, determined to pump up the audience once more, with the song 'Mizérable', followed after by 'Claymore'. By now, most people were commenting on the great singing voice of Vincent Pryce, a voice seldom heard in the cluster as his musical performances are rare.

And then he sets in the last song of the evening, dedicated to all the ladies in the audience; 'Vanilla'. With his phenomenal voice and his sensual & suggestive dance moves, he quickly catches the attention of the ladies, once again confirming his status as a ladies' magnet!
And so his show ends, in a fiery blast of pyrotechnics before it all turns black. When the lights slowly went back on, Vincent Pryce & his band, The Swing Wing thanked the audience for their wonderful participation.
But the crowd called for one lats performance from him before he would walk off, and so Vincent obliged with the song 'Episode 0', offering the people one last show of his singing & dancing talents under a thundering applause.

With the first concert over, Halcyon Ember announced a short break before the next performance, allowing people to have a rest & some drinks from the bar before the next concert.

On Stage, Part II: Anslo & GACHE

And then it started, the second concert of the evening, with star Anslo Tetua as lead singer. The drummer rapidly caught the audience interest as the opening song began. the reason for this, is that the drummer is his out-of-place white suit was none other then Foley Jones, the famous Dust Mercenary!
Quickly people started moving to the beat, enjoying the hard rock Anslo & his band brought. Not giving them time for a brief rest, a more powerful song followed, GREED, with a blazing colorful holoshow.
By now, the crowd noticed they were performing with blindfold, making their performance even more remarkable. And then, it all went dark after the last powerful notes, making the people wonder what would come next.
Slowly, sound returned, but this time the song sounded serene, reinforced by the holosystem displaying colors as if you were in a relaxing rain shower. As he performed the song ENVY, Anslo's strong, powerful voice echoed clearly across the Elysion ballroom, moving the audience with his performance.

After this, a short break was called by Anslo, as he seemed to have hurt his arm during the performance. Lucky nothing serious & he was back on stage fast, blasting away the crowd with his returning song DEVIL, the brutal powerful beats overwhelming the attendants.
And then it ended as sudden as it began, giving the crowd a breather before the grand finale. By now, people began commenting on the drummer & his habit to break his drumsticks at the end of a song, requiring him to pull out a new pair each time.

And then the last song was set in, by Anslo clapping his hands, a gesture quickly taken over by the audience. As the band instruments played & the crowd clapped their hands, a special guest came on stage, capsuleer Vizage. And so it began, a wonderful & beautiful duet sang by these two capsuleer artists.
Vizage's voice ringed clear & beautiful, even melodious in shart contrast to Anslo's deep & smoky voice, often turning in raw yells. Foley Jones played accordingly, from soft beats to hard drums, on the tune of the duet. As the song progressed, the duet became more energetic & powerful, moving the audience, who cheered at this excellent performance!
And so the duet ends, in a fantastic apotheosis! And so Anslo went off stage after he thanked all of the Elysion attendees.
As it ended, security did storm the stage, as Foley Jones had apparently set his suit on fire, causing them to douse him with a green flame-suffocating foam. Lucky it turned out to be fine, as the burning suit was merely a show-piece.

Shortly after the concert ended, many folks went home, but the performance by both artists & their bands did leave a great impression.

Conclusion

The Elysion Concerts was a great event, with enjoyable music & great shows by the singers & their bands. The large crowd attending added to the concert feel.

Both Vincent Pryce & Anslo Tetua performed greatly, each with their own styles & show-elements. Vincent had his great audio-system to boost the songs, while Anslo gave a wonderful duet performance with Vizage. 

I was glad I could attend these concerts, especially as capsuleers rarely perform on stage, outside giving speeches. It was a pleasant evening for me.

Imperial Navy honours the Amarr Militia

For the efforts made by the 24th Imperial Crusade, also known as the Amarr Militia, Imperial high command has awarded the members with a decoration. The award is in honour for the total control of all Amarr-Minmatar contested systems. This goal was achieved on 15 December, YC116.

The Grand Admiral Ketzi Sundara issued the decoration at the Royal Shipyard, where normally the Empress blesses the ships that become the powerful 'Imperial Issue' variants. In the speech he praised the 24th Imperial Crusade for their dedication in the warzone, to serve God and the Empire through these actions. On top of it, he boasted how they completed the Reclaiming in the contested systems, showing the might of the Empire to the cluster.

After this speech, all members of the Amarr Milita were awarded the Righteous Cross Medal for their service to the Empire.

This decoration will surely bolster the morale among the Militia capsuleers. A well timed boost even, as the Republic has been preparing to strike back at the Empire through the deployment of a new ship & advancements in their weapon technology!

Later, the Grand Admiral attended the ceremony to name the newest Imperial Issue Abaddon in honour of the 24th Imperial Crusade, the TES Righteous Cross.

What was remarkable in this ceremony & the previous one, was the attendance of Court Chamberlain Pomik Haromi instead of Empress Jamyl Sarum I.

Under normal circumstances, the Empress would lead both ceremonies as it is tradition in the Amarr Empire. However for unknown reasons, her Court Chamberlain is standing in for her in public appearances since September of YC116, giving rise to speculations on her absence.

Whatever they might be, seeing a Court Chamberlain appear so often in public makes the people feel uneasy. Keeping in mind that the previous Court Chamberlain was Dochuta Karsoth, a man who turned out to be a Blood Raider fanatic, the uneasy feel is understandable.

The official announcement can be read here: 'Ketzi Sundara awards Imperial Militia pilots with military distinction'

The Jove have returned and they have such sights to show us....

If you could only see what I have seen
 If you only knew what I know
So young you are, so innocent
 So full of your capacities
 You cannot see the gates of oblivion unfolding before you...

When ancients return

As you all know by now, a shocking revelation has occurred! The unidentified structures decloaked & turn out to be colossal Jovian structures! Often guarded by strange battleships along with the Seekers still patrolling the systems. There's even reports coming in of strange unidentified wormholes accompanied by odd structures. Even planetside, Dust mercenaries have been reporting odd things that tie in with current events!

But the Jove that are returning are not the Jove we know... They look different, both in looks as in their ships & structures... utilizing powerful technology unseen before & carrying strange insignia's... Their motives are a mystery for now, but so far they seem to have the same stance as their Circadian Seeker companions. Leave them alone, and they leave you alone. If you choose to attack them however, you'll soon regret it...

Massive Jovian structures decloak all over New Eden

Jovian structure to scale with a Naglfar Dreadnought (it's the tiny brown speck on bottom)

Image by Thebarticus

The first thing most people noticed was that the massive structures that were cloaked for so long finally showed their true shape! Initial investigations revealed they are of Jovian design. Regarding the function of these large installations it's still guessing, but its theorized that they might be Jove listening posts, possibly to observe & keep watch on us all... This would give an explanation on why the Jove always knew everything about us...
These structures are often guarded by a Drifter battleship, a formidable foe when aggressed!

To realize the scale of these structures, they dwarf any known capsuleer ship, even Titans look small next to it! Early measurements have put down the vertical size of the massive station around 160 - 195 Km in height. On most planets, such towering structure would reach above the atmosphere, into space.
What is also noticeable is the design, very rigid, unlike the more organic lines used by the Jove we know. These rigid design features will return in many of the other recent discoveries, hinting that these Jove are a different faction then the ones we know...

New strange structures appear everywhere...

In space & planetside, new structures appeared

 Image inspired by the one used on EN24

First to note is that the planetside structures have been around for some time now. They appeared around the time of the Caroline Star event. However, when the new strange structures in space started appearing, capsuleers & Dust mercenaries found similarities with these ground based structures. Seems when one structure is revealed (the Jovian listening posts) new mysterious ones appear to take their place...
It's suspected they are part of an unknown network used by these Jove to travel around. Supporting evidence lies in the space-bound structures being accompanied by unidentified wormholes & often being guarded by multiple Drifter battleships. Adding to this, are the various reports of capsuleers who have seen Drifter battleships coming in & out these wormholes.
Of note is that the space-bound structures are often situated far from any celestial object, requiring good scanning skills to pinpoint their location.

A warning however, the Drifter battleships will attack anyone that approaches the wormholes too close. It's advised to maintain distance when observing these sites. Considering multiple Drifters are usually spotted around these structures, it's best to heed this warning, as the Drifters are heavily armed & will pursue anyone they have engaged.

The Drifter Battleship, a powerful & ancient warship

The Jove Drifter battleship in all it's glory, image by Uriel Paradisi Anteovnuecci

And this is the 'new' ship being spotted across the New Eden cluster! From engagements made by capsuleers it's known to be very powerful, slaughtering the careless in seconds. However, investigations into this ship reveal it to be ancient, yet in very good condition. It is also equipped with advanced technologies, both offensive as defensive. What also comes into play is their scanning, the same way the Circadian Seekers do it, suggesting a link between these two as well! The ship design also adds to this, as it's reminiscent of the Sleepers in a way...
For now, indication seems to be they are the remnants of the Second Jove Empire, a period where the Jove were more advanced & powerful than the current Jove Directorate!
Lets have a look about what has been found out on their equipped technology so far.

Defensive technology

The Blue Shield

The first thing any capsuleer notices when he targets a drifter is the strange blue indicator for their shields. This is actually their top-shield. Drifter battleships come with a double-layered shield, so if you manage to breach the first shield, there's a second layer still to burn!
On top of this, breaching the top-shield activates their doomsday weapon! Which they can re-use after a cooldown!
Once the shields are breached, the armor & hull follow rapidly, a design feature shared with the modern Jove ships who also have a prime focus on shields.

The Gold-White Glow

Some capsuleers have reported that the ship sometimes glows gold-white. This could indicate they us a technology similar to the Reactive Armor Hardener, a module that actively shifts resistance when activated. More research is needed to confirm this however!

High speed

The Jove battleships can easily reach 1000+ m/s when orbiting their targets, making them hard to target by capital guns & other slow-tracking weapons

Electronic Counter Measure

This is deployed once you breach their blue shield. They jam your ship, allowing time to regenerate their shields & ready their doomsday to fire at you. Keep in mind, they seem only to use it when the blue shield is breached.

Immunity to ECM jams

In more recent months, Drifters have altered their sensors to become immune to our ECM technology, rendering it useless against them. This alteration eliminated a weak spot in their ships, making their Drifter battleships even more formidable to fight.


Offensive weaponry

Lux Kontos - Light Spear

The Drifter main armament, Lux Kontos, image by DXFunz

The Lux Kontos weapon is hard to classify, as it is a hybrid between a turret & sentry drone. The weapon is not fixed on the ship, but rather glides slightly above the hull. This allows it to assume the perfect firing position regardless of the ship's position and that of it's target. The result of this is that it's capable of dishing out massive damage, irrelevant of a ship's resistances!
It's observed that a regular Drifter Battleship carries around 7 of these Lux Kontos weapons.

The Doomsday (Aegis beam)

This is their most terrifying weapon. The range of this weapon is unparalleled as it can fire up to a range of 500 km, further then any other known weapon! And it does this without losing enery, causing it to deliver maximum damage potential at any range.
They only start using it after the blue shield has been breached. Once done, they fire upon the offending capsuleer, obliterating any non-capital ship with its powerful energy blast! After this display of might, it submits to a cooldown period before it can be used against other aggressors. It seems the Drifter only carries one of these powerful weapons, but considering they can re-use it in a fight, it's already lethal enough...

The similarities with the Concord killbeam, installed on the Concord Police Commander battleships do contribute to the fact that these Drifters are a faction of the Jove, but one far less hesitant to fly around in heavily armed & advanced battleships... And use them...

The Cybernetic Jove - The Vigilant Tyrannos

Cybernetic enhanced beyond compare, the Drifters

All the sightings of these new Jove indicate that they're part of another, older faction of the Jove, the 'Vigilant Tyrannos', meaning 'Watchful Rulers'. Signs seem to point they are the heirs of the Second Jove Empire, a period where the Jove were more advanced then the current third empire, the Jove Directorate.
What is worrying is that the Prosper Vault station (3-CE1R system) has fallen under Drifter command... This is a former Jove Directorate station, it was also the system & station Nation occupied for roughly 6 months during the initial Sansha invasions.

The Drifter faction icon, the triple integral symbol

It's curious to note that these Jove are much more into technology to enhance their bodies, unlike the Directorate who preferred genetic modification to enhance themselves. Of special note is that this faction seems to be split in two roles. The Drifters encountered are usually referred to as 'Artemis' - Hunter and 'Apollo' - Healer. So far the significance of these roles eludes us, but continued investigations will hopefully bring it to light!
However, observation of their behaviour has shown they are relentless, ruthless and extremely focused when performing their duties. Their high degree of cybernetic enhancement surely adds to this!

These Drifter Jove can usually be found flying their formidable Drifter warships alone or in group near the colossal Jove structures and the structures near the unidentified wormholes! Caution is advised when approaching them. So far they don't seem to be eager to start hostilities unless you approach the unidentified wormholes too closely. Also they gladly finish any hostilities capsuleers commence against them! When in trouble, it's often reported they call for backup, or when capsuleers arrive in force to battle them, they don't hesitate to call for support either! Keep in mind, withdrawing from a battle with Drifters won't do you much good as they've been known to pursue capsuleers up to the point of setting up station & gate-camps!

Whatever the future holds, the Drifters will surely be involved, for good or bad. This day, we are catching a glimpse of our own future as capsuleers... As the Jove were us, millennia ago... The tales they could tell us, the warnings of mistakes yet to happen... The guidance they could give us in exploring our boundaries as immortal capsuleers...

CONCORD on high alert & Capsuleers broadcasting warnings

In response to all this, Concord has put the DED Genesis fleet on high alert. In a public announcement, DED Dirtector of Operations Arve Vesren states this is a precautionary measure, as so far the newly appeared stations & ships have not initiated aggression outside self-defense.
The Director goes on, stating the structures pose no active threat at this point, however the ships accompanying the structures are extremely well armed & lethal when engaged.

The offical announcement can be read here:
 'Concord Assembly places Genesis Fleet & DED on high alert!'

On top of this, various capsuleers put out their own warnings regarding Drifters & their powerful offensive capacities, reminding the others that these new ships are not to be taken lightly!
Aurora Morgan was the first to warn the capsuleer community regarding the dangers of approaching their Unidentifed Wormholes. Doing so will cause them to attack you! For those unprepared, it means a swift end of their ship.
Later on, Frenjo Borkstar, Arek'Jaalan Coordinator also issued an emergency warning. Here more emphasis is put on the weaponry carried by these Drifters, pointing out the formidable Lux Kontos weapons, but also the pocket-sized doomsday device they carry & use.
Frenjo Borkstar reported how Arek'Jaalan's approach for communications with them failed as they were fired upon. A second attempt, using a show of force failed as well to establish communications but managed to down a Drifter, after they lost ships as well.
All in all, they don't seem that much interested in communications with us, content to remain passive as long as we stay away from them...

Other sources of information

Holovid overview of the Drifters by General Stargazer
 It offers a great summary of what we know about them! Check it out!

Image-Gallery revealing the size of the Jovian structure by Thebarticus (Images)

In the name of the Jove by Tarek Raimo (Article)

The Pathway to the Next by Rhavas (Article)

Drifters by Matterall (Article)

[HOLY COW] Sleepers, Jovians & the Other (Thread)

[OH MY!] Drifters, Tyrants, Jovians and more! (Thread)

Unidentifed Structures uncloaked, sightings of "Drifters" (Thread)