The Solitaire
The giant vessel looms like a giant shadow out of its surrounding dust cloud.
Crews are vital to the running of just about any ship. Although us capsuleers tend to think of ourselves as the only people on a ship at any particular time, only the smallest of ships can operate with only a capsuleer onboard. Although a capsuleer can drastically reduce crew requirements for a ship, giving proportionally more room to strengthen and reinforce ship systems (the reason why capsuleer ships can generally destroy non-capsuleer ships of the same size and even bigger with relative ease), we cannot completely remove the human element. We still need crew to carry out our commands, keep an eye on ship systems, and repair and contain damage when possible. Given the turnover rates for most capsuleer ships, it’s surprising that people still sign up for capsuleer ship duty, yet when 1 isk could make most planetside families live comfortably for a year, crews are always willing to sign up as long as escape pods remain up to code.
Professor Science banks as it orbits the Solitaire, which was left adrift in space.
As could be expected, crew requirements increase substantially as the size of the ship increases. Although frigates may require only 1-2 crew members, capsuleer titans can require anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 crew to maintain basic systems. For non-capsuleer titans often found in Empire militaries, up to 10,000 may be required, enough crew to populate a small planetary colony, all told. The crew requirements for a titan are simply staggering. Then again, when titans are 14 kilometers long, just about anything that have to do with titans are simply staggering. They are hard things to destroy, be they capsuleer or not, and even harder to misplace. These valuable military assets are simply not something that can disappear or get misplaced, so to speak. And yet, oddly enough, that seems to be precisely what happened.
The engines alone for the vessel dwarf the Professor.
I was warping through Ienakkamon when I saw a strange reading on my sensors. If I was reading the Professor’s sensors correctly, the signature was massive. Instead of moving through Ienakkamon onto the next system in my route, I dropped out of warp and immediately headed for the source of the strange readings. As the warp tunnel collapsed around me, a massive structure seemed to zoom in from infinity. At first, I thought it was yet another abandoned structure, Caldari no doubt given my position near the outer fringes of Caldari space (though now Gallente space, I suspect that this wreck dates back well before the Federation conquered the system). And yet, as the first details of the massive structure became evident, the first thing that came into view were the cone shaped constructs of truly gargantuan engines, which alone dwarfed my poor Buzzard-class frigate. More details came into view, and a massive Ragnarok seemed to materialize in front of me. My stomach immediately dropped before realizing that the titanic ship was adrift in the void, tumbling slowly end over end. I checked to see if Aura had any information to shed some light on what this ship was doing here:
A ghost ship of enormous proportions, this Ragnarok-class Titan should be at the core of a Minmatar strike force or planetary defense, yet here it floats in silence. Its hull is airtight, yet all useful technology has been meticulously stripped from it, including weapons systems, propulsion, and electronics. There is no trace of its crew, despite all of its escape pods being present.
Parts of the hull have dissolved over time. Here, part of a massive cargo bay has been exposed to space.
The mysteries surrounding this ship, which some remaining paint on the ship identified (fittingly) as the Solitaire, were manifold. For one thing, Ienakkamon was almost as far as you could get from Republic space before entering capsuleer-controlled null sec space. Why the Republic would deploy a Titan class vessel so far from home, especially when the Republic has no particular grudge against the State except for their general dislike for any friends of the Amarr, is in no way clear. Nor is it clear what caused the ship’s obvious destruction. Although there were certainly holes in the ship’s superstructure now, sensor analysis made it clear that the breaches happened AFTER the ship’s destruction and were the normal wear and tear of any non-maintained structure left to the harsh vacuum of space. And, of course, there’s the mystery of the missing crew. Titans are massive vessels, almost impossible to vaporize in one blow. Though the ship may become broken beyond repair, it’s surprisingly difficult to destroy outright; indeed, with most titans much of the crew is able to make it to escape pods when it is clear that the ship is going down. Clearly, whatever caught the crew by surprise prevented the ship from launching any escape pods before whatever caused the ship’s destruction.
The barest outline of the cloaked Professor Science can be seen here, with Cloud Ring and the Solitaire looming in the background
Nor was it clear whether the ship was part of some horrific mistake during a Republic military maneuver or some capsuleer alliance being caught unprepared. Although normally such information would be readily available by analyzing the command and control systems, that part of the ship was heavily degraded to the point where I couldn’t tell if the ship was capsuleer based or not. If it was a Republic maneuver gone wrong, it was incredibly bizarre that the Republic wouldn’t try to hide evidence of this incursion into Caldari space. Military logic and common sense both dictate that they would want to cover their tracks or risk the Caldari opening a second front in the ongoing war… so why just leave this sitting here? Granted, the fact that this ship, now marked with a beacon, has clearly been discovered without particular backlash from the Caldari. And the Republic has remained notably silent on whether the Solitaire is even a military vessel, much less what it could be doing that far from home.
Cloud Ring seen through, well, the cloud
The ship itself, as with the other titans I’ve encountered, takes my breath away from the sheer size alone. Everything about the vessel is monstrously huge. Things that, from a distance, look like tiny specks end up dwarfing Professor Science, and I have to fly the ship practically next to the ship to get a true sense of scale, lest my human brain shrink the manmade object to a much more manageable size in my head. The turret ports, though of course stripped of technology, hinted at the massive damage that this should could deal. I found myself flying into some of the hull breaches just to get a look at the inside of this magnificent vessel. The inside was desolate, of course, at least the parts I was able to get into. Shockingly, there did seem to be some airtight compartments remaining in the ship, although sensors couldn’t say much of what was in them beyond the lack of crew members.
The front end of the massive vessel, with Ienakkamon shining in the background
I spent quite a bit of time just taking the ship in. There were so many mysteries surrounding this ship, and I wanted to get my mind around them, even if I couldn’t solve them. However, as I was preparing to leave, a disturbing thought struck me. While perhaps 10,000 missing people was certainly a tragedy, especially for their families, that was not the only thing taken. Beyond the standard technology found aboard any starship, titans have a singularly unique weapon: a doomsday weapon. These weapons of incomprehensible strength are normally found only within the bowels of a titan. But, like every other piece of technology on this ship, the vessel’s Gjallarhorn-class doomsday weapon was now in unknown hands. What they meant to do with it was yet another mystery, and I feared for what someone could do with that kind of power.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: The Solitaire
- System: Ienakkamon
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: Black Rise
- Potential Hazards: Iennakamon is located in low security space. Pirates and gate camps should be expected, and caution is advised. Further, Black Rise is part of the faction warfare battleground, and battles there may be ongoing. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Blog Banter 39: Home
In this vast universe, where is home?
Author’s note: This week’s EVE Travel will be a little different than normal, as I join into the discussion from Freebooted’s current Blog Banter. I don’t normally join the Banters as I keep EVE Travel focused on living up to its name as a travel blog, but this Banter’s prompt allows me to join in the discussions for once. The prompt is:
Some say a man’s home is his castle. For others it is wherever they lay their hat. The concept is just as nebulous in the New Eden sandbox.
In EVE Online, what does the concept of “home” mean to you?
Enjoy!
My homeworld nearly silhouetted against Luminaire.
Home. It’s an effusive concept that seems to vary depending on my mood. Home is where I grew up, in that small house on Luminaire with my parents and siblings. It’s the smell of fresh cookies coming straight out of the oven, ready and waiting for me at the end of a long day. It’s curling up in my bed with a good book as I wait to see what tomorrow brings me. It’s the one place in this hectic universe where I know I can return to, even when everyone and everything else seems out to get me. I may not have seen my parents in months, and may not have set foot on Luminaire since becoming a capsuleer, but that does not and will never stop me from considering that little house in Luminaire my home.
Professor Science warps through a planet on the way to its next adventure.
Home can also be where the heart is, as the old adage goes. Professor Science, my first true travel ship, is my home. I have more memories with her than I do any of my other ships. Be it running gate camps and hoping my cloak activates in time or seeing some of the wonders that space has to offer, I can recall nothing but fond memories from her. I remember the punch in the gut I felt the first time I lost her, and I remember the joy I felt when I managed to slip her through a heavy gate camp with no losses. In terms of sheer emotional attachment, and in terms of the ship that let me start doing the things I love, Professor Science and its successors have no equal in where I can call home.
My trusty Drake is another vessel I’m close to.
But home is also where I feel the safest. Where I feel the most secure. Having been a pod pilot for four and a half years now, home is my ship. Legacy, my Drake, has been my trusty ship for years now. I know her and her crew like I know the back of my hand. I know her strengths, and I know her weaknesses. I know her capabilities, and I know her limits. Legacy is my old, reliable workhorse. To put it colloquially, “she takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.” If I’m looking for the one place in the universe where I feel safe, where I feel like I can tackle anything, it’s my Drake. They say that capsuleers are hooked up to a ship to make it feel like a part of a pilot’s own body. Legacy takes that feeling to the extreme, so much so that I almost feel awkward in just about any other ship. Say what you will about the Drake, but Legacy has always been there for me.
My current base of operation.
In a more ‘traditional’ sense of where I primarily base out of, Pelkia is my home. For the better part of two years, now, the majority of my ships and belongings can be found in that lonely base in a fairly small system. It’s located conveniently near both Amarr for when I need to shop for new ships, as well as low security. It’s fairly equidistant from the other empires, making it easy should a new site pop up that requires investigation. But Pelkia is more than that. When I moved into Genesis for my research in Project Compass, it was Pelkia that I ended up yearning to return to. The familiar sights and sounds there are soothing, and I know I have no enemies nearby. Coming back after an extended excursion is like slipping into my favorite sweater. Something about it just feels right.
New Eden is my home.
But maybe I’ve gotten to the point where I can call no singular place home. Maybe “home” is not so much as a place, but a feeling. In that respect, New Eden is my home. I am not just a native of the Federation. I am not just from Luminaire. I am a citizen of the broader stellar community. Us pod pilots are 300,000 strong and growing by the day. We live together, we fight together, we die together. And then we wake up in our cloning vats and do it all again. From the depths of null security space to the heart of Yulai, each and every one of us are bound to each other, be it through ties of alliances, ties of friendship, or ties of the marketplace. Each pod pilot is my neighbor, and each system is just a part of my home that I have yet to thoroughly explore. For four and a half years now, the stars have been my home. It thrills me that there are still more wonders out there waiting for me, and I can’t wait to see what else my home has to offer.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Home
- System: All
- Security Rating: -1.0 to 1.0
- Region: All
- Potential Hazards: Some of the neighbors can be less than friendly
Other banterers:
- Home and Hearth by Parisma Calles @ Small Ships FTW
- I’m like the Gypsy Band by Drackarn @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships
- Somewhere I belong by Sugar Kyle @ Low Sec Lifestyle
- Home in the Stars by Lukas Rox @ Torchwood Archives
- Home is Where My Hole is… by TurAmarth ElRandir @ A Carbon Based Life
- A Sort of Homecoming by Rhavas @ Interstellar Privateer
- Home Is Where the Heart Is by Anshu Zephyran @ Structure Damage
- A Place to Hang your Hat by Rixx Javix @ EVEOGANDA
- A Question of Location by Druur Monakh @ Hazardous Goods
- A Long Time Ago in a Constellation Far Far Way… by Kirith Darkblade – EVE Pirate
- Home is where my Pod is by Emergent Patroller
- Sweet Home Alabama by Orea @ Notes From New Eden
- BB39: Home by Mabrick @ Mabrick’s Mumblings
- home…was it a random choice? by MinorFreak @ Ordoministorum
- Home is where your Family is… by Kuan Yida @ Random Posts from Auga
- Blogbanter 39 by splatus @ A Journey Through the Mind
- two kinds of places by Sered Woollahra @ Sered’s Lives
- Home by Kirith Kodachi @ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah
- Homeward Bound by Mike Azariah @ A Missioneer in EVE
- Where The Heart Is by Xander @ Crossing Zebras
- It’s not a house, it’s a home @ Morphisat’s Blog
- A Captain’s Quarters to call your own @ A Scientist’s Life in Eve
- The Funny Thing… by Orakkus @ 2nd Anomaly From the Left
- Where Familiarity Doesn’t Breed Contempt @ Diaries of a Space Noob
- Where is home? by Sunatzero
- Nebulosity by Helena Khan @ Aggressive Logistics
- Here by blastradius @ Blastrad’s Tales
- Home is where the Hulk is by Satyrwood @ Satyrwood Industries
- There and Back Again; An Ex-Capsuleer’s Tale* by Eelis Kiy @ Sand, Cider and Spaceships
- Homeward Bound by Adhar Khorin @ Margin Call
- Home is Where you Stage by Poetic Stanziel @ Poetic Discourse
- Broken Home by Marc Scaurus @ MALEFACTOR
- Home is Where the Alts Are by Kaeda Maxwell @ The Wild Rose of Molden Heath
- No place like it by Ripard Teg @ Jester’s Trek
- Home is where the hangar is by Jace Errata @ Year of the Snake
- An unpleasant truth @ EveHermit’s Blog
- Home is what you make of it by Anabaric @ Inside My Skull So Many Demons
Shady Acres
The entire colony sits ensconced in a cloud of dull gray dust
Capitalism works. At least, it does for us. Although the State is best known for its free-wheeling capitalistic ways, many non-capsuleers are unaware of just how cut-throat business deals can be amongst the demigods. The fury of the .01 isk battles is well-known to any trader in New Eden, and all-out wars have been started over broken contracts, be they for general services or even just simple courier contracts. And capitalism can even thrive in death, especially when bounties are placed to help effect a massive market-manipulation scheme. The SCC has been either unable or unwilling to impose much in the way of regulation on capsuleer markets outside of requiring truth in advertising (though it’s your fault if you can’t read it correctly). Indeed, CONCORD interventions in the market are incredibly few and far between, with most scams being completely ignored by regulators. Indeed, the New Eden market may be the closest that humanity has ever come to the archetype ideal of a capitalist system.
The exhaust from one of the colony’s industrial sections sits near the top of this photograph.
But, of course, it helps that capsuleers are rich beyond the dreams of planet-bound avarice. Even the poorest capsuleers can quickly earn more isk in an hour or two than the vast majority of humanity will see in their lifetimes, not to mention the lifetimes of their children and their children’s children and their children’s children’s children. Any retiring capsuleers of any worth will be able to retire in luxury for the rest of their natural born days. Unfortunately, if the capsuleers are the winners of the economic game, someone has to be the loser. And that “someone” is much of the rest of society, even if us capsuleers don’t often have to deal with the lower classes. The Caldari, in their market-oriented ways, allow much of the same freedom in capitalistic endeavors, but even they have imposed some fairly harsh rules on how their markets can operate.
Ihakana IV sits below the colony’s sole protector.
But these rules haven’t stopped the underlying Caldari realization that people like money. And they like having things. And if they can have things that are worth just about anything for free, someone is likely to take them up on their offer. So when confronted with the economic realities of settling a pirate-infested area of Okkelen, it’s fairly unsurprising that some government official took the logic to the next step and realize that they could offer financial incentives to settle in Okkelen. As long as the contracts had the proper fine print, the megacorps (and thus the State) could get all the benefits of a settled constellation, with the new colonists taking all of the risks and costs of driving the pirates out and settling the area. For the corporations and government, at least, it was a win-win deal. Appeal to a common State citizens sense of both patriotism and promise of future riches, and they would come running. And thus was born Shady Acres (the government official who came up with the name clearly wasn’t well-versed in the art of subtlety). As Aura explains:
Some genius working for the State had the idea that the best way to settle Okkelen was by handing out settling permits free of charge. The idea was for these hardy settlers to take care of business themselves, persuading the local banditos to leave the territories that has been theirs for years. Amazingly enough, there are individuals willing to take this on.
The only other ship that can be found in the area.
As might be expected given the harsh economic realities of colonization and my less-than-enthusiastic discussion of Shady Acres thus far, a posh condo in downtown Caille this is not. Little money was diverted to setting up living quarters for the colonists, and the lack of efforts show. Shady Acres is stuck in a sad little corner of Ihakana, a low-security system already, in an orbit high above Ihakana IV; appropriately enough, a barren planet. The “condos” are little more than your standard asteroid-based colonies, held together by a series of metal girders. Evidently, the State tried to diffuse costs even more by getting some corporate sponsorships, but the poor condition of the Quafe sign suggests that that particular advertising deal was never renewed. The State has seen fit to give the fledgling colony some protection though: a Caldari Navy Raven sits protectively over the colony, warding off all but the most brazen of pirate attacks, and offering missions to the enterprising capsuleer. The entire area sits within a cloud of dull gray dust, adding an even more depressing tone to the scene.
The entire area reeks of decay, but that hasn’t stopped some from trying to find their way out here.
Overall, it’s a rather dreary place and certainly nowhere I would seriously consider living. But the part that struck me was that people chose to be here. People looked at their lives, and decided that living in a hunk of rock in the middle of a pirate infested system that’s not even under CONCORD protection should something go awry was somehow better than what they currently had. That thought stuck with me as I viewed Shady Acres. Not only did it prove the age old adage of “if you build it, they will come,” but it proved that while capitalism may be one of the best socio-economic systems that we have, it was far from perfect. Some people will always be left in the metaphorical and literal dust. I took one last look around before left. As I warped off, I made a discreet donation to the Sisters of Eve’s anti-poverty programs and hoped against hope that that would sooth my conscience. Somehow, I wasn’t holding my breath.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Shady Acres
- System: Ihakana
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: The Forge
- Potential Hazards: Ihakana is located in low security space. Pirates and gate camps should be expected, and caution is advised. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
- Additional Notes: This also serves as a Caldari COSMOS site.
Celestial Navigation
A vision of the Vapor Sea.
Before the days of faster than light travel, before the days of space travel, before the days of even radio, humanity used to sail the seas of their respective homeworlds using only the stars as their guides. They say that history often goes full circle: in the modern day, with countless conveniences and methods of navigation, some are yearning for a return to that seemingly simpler time. With recent advances in camera drone optics, it has recently become possible to view these nebula anew, and indeed, even roughly navigate by them. In my continuing endeavors to provide travel resources, I have put together a listing of all visible nebula in New Eden for those who want to try their hand at navigating solely by these celestial beacons, available here, as well as at the top of this site.
Crielere Project
These structures are all that remains of one of the most prodigous research projects of modern times.
Editor’s note: Unbeknownst to me until recently, the Tyrannis expansion has apparently resulted in a move of the original Crielere Project to now becoming an Abandoned Research Outpost. To take this into account, here is a revamped Crielere Project entry. Like Ultra! Premiere, I will keep the old entry up in the archives, but all links will point to the new entry.
For all the recent success I’ve seen in my time out this way in Caldari-Gallente relations, not all of it has had a happy ending. And why should it? These are two bitter enemies, with innate and, at times, seemingly implacable cultural and innately psychological differences, all backed by a century of bloodshed. Regardless of the airs each side tries to put on, that kind of history cannot be erased after just a few years and a few mildly successful joint ventures. To their credit, though, given the history and the current state of affairs between the two governments, I would have expected to see many more failures on the lines of the Crielere Project than seem to have actually happened.
The central research center stands between the ruins of two stations.
The story surrounding the project is enough to make any holo director drool. Two bitter enemies make a desperate attempt at peace by setting up a joint research effort. The effort turns out to be wildly successful, producing a number of blueprints that are still in use even today. Popularity of the project soars on both sides, and it seems like the cold war between the two nations might finally be put to rest. Just as the team is resting on their laurels, however, disaster strikes when it becomes known that one side is stealing other blueprints for their own uses, claiming it as “compensation” for the contributions made. The other side backs out of the project in protest, cutting off all funding and project support. The project is left in free fall as both sides cut off all security teams and leave the project on its own in low security space. Then, just for fun, pirates show up and start killing everyone, and would have taken it all if not for the plucky and scrappy defense by capsuleer forces. Throw in Amarrian slavers and kidnappings, and you have the making of a blockbuster.
The run-down ruins of the Caldari support station.
Strangely, despite the eventual Gurista victory over the forces defending the Project, the Guristas seem to have all but ignored the project. Except for a few pirate vessels hanging out near the warp-in point for the complex, the entire structure appears to be all but abandoned. The twin Caldari and Gallente stations, built a few dozen kilometers apart from each other to provide yet more support for the research center proper, stand abandoned and clearly falling apart. The deteriorating ruins of the stations, swaddled in the gentle nebula around the entire site, stand almost as ghostly sentinels to the research center, perhaps guarding the memories of those who died here. Perhaps more surprisingly, the research station itself looked in far better condition. It stood between the two hulking stations, dwarfed in comparison. The various station rings still gently turn, and some kind of emanations can still be seen from the core of the structure, showing something was still active over there. Whatever it was, though, is clearly not all that important if it wasn’t stolen along with the rest of the valuable equipment in the area. Another surprising feature is that, despite the well-known history surrounding the area, someone still seemed bound and determined to keep the story hidden. Aura’s standard synopsis of the site made no mention of the specific history:
In-space research laboratories are often established to circumvent planetside laws and oversight. As a consequence, an entire research industry has slowly emerged among the stars, often leading the planetside economies in space-related research. One inevitable by-product of this relentless expansion has been the downfall of countless outposts and laboratories, whose empty, pilfered husks now lie discarded and forgotten.
Whoever is trying to cover up the history of this site obviously doesn’t know that, like technology itself, the genie can rarely be put back in the bottle.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Crielere Research Station
- System: Crielere
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: Sinq Laison
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Crielere from high sec space may require extensive low sec travel, and the system is just one jump from the well-known pirate haven of Rancer. Pirates (both pod and rat varieties) can be quite common on the route. A covops is recommended. Note, however, that cruiser and frigate rats can now be found at the site, so warping in at a distance from the beacon is recommended.
Ultra! Premiere
Editor’s note: Digging through the EVElopedia on a completely unrelated (though nearby) site lead me to the entry I’ve linked to below which demonstrates that my previous entry on Ultra Premier was, umm, entirely wrong. Rather than attempting to tweak the old version, I have decided to revamp it entirely to bring it in line with new information. The old entry will remain up, but all links will point to this entry.
The Professor moves in to investigate the small nebula
I suppose I was a bit of a fool for thinking that anything in New Eden could come about from anything other than violence. Either the violence of nature or the violence of my fellow man, it seems that most things of beauty are formed in the midst of violence. I had to wonder why that was. Perhaps it was the passion inherent in the violence that produced it. Be it planetary collisions or vast battles of ships of the line, there is an inherent and primal beauty in destruction, much as I hate to admit it. Even the most seemingly tranquil places today are often formed in the heat of battle.
The Elarel star glares down just offscreen
And so it was with the cryptically named Ultra Premiere. With little more than a beacon and some sparkly clouds, it’s unsurprising that the history surrounding this tragic site has been lost in the five years since the site was created. Indeed, but for a surprisingly well kept historical reference guide, the history of the site might have been lost forever. It was a tad odd that the beacon at the site had no accompanying information in the broadcast. CONCORD’s historical arm was usually fairly good on giving at least some hint to the history of the site. On this, however, CONCORD has decided to stay silent.
Elarel seen through the haze of the nebula
The origins of the site date back to early YC 106. Quafe, that omnipresent soft drink giant, had just released its newest product, Quafe Ultra, in the midst of a massive PR binge. Apparently Quafe does nothing halfheartedly. Instead of doing the standard PR of commercials and other standard advertisements (those billboards at stargates being a bit too low brow for this campaign, apparently) Quafe decided to up the bar. Beyond standard campaign materials, Quafe began a full frontal assault, using every power it had at its disposal as a central player in the Gallente cultural zeitgeist. Holo stars. Video games. Even an entire holo dedicated to how amazing the drink is. And the public ate it up (or drank it, as the case may be). Ultra! was a box office success the likes of which have rarely been seen.
Ultra Premier hangs against the inky backdrop of space.
To capitalize on the box office success (more so than it already had), Quafe decided that a gala was needed to celebrate. Why Quafe decided to put the gala in the Rent-a-Dream Gardens in Elarel – an out of the way and, more importantly, low security status system – is beyond me. Perhaps CONCORD could have prevented the tragedy (though given CONCORD’s more reactionary character, perhaps this is just wishful thinking). In any case, during the height of the gala, attended by not only the stars from the holo but President Foiritan himself, disaster struck in the form of a group named UDI- United against Decadence and Impurity. They raided the Gardens, and killed a number of famous celebrities, and barely missed killing President Foiritan himself. It was a galling and daring attack.
But this is not the first run in that Quafe or the Federation have had with UDI. Contact dates back at least two years prior, always the proverbial thorn in Quafe’s side. Apparently comprised of hardliner Caldari and Amarr patriots, the group seemed dedicated to wiping out consumerism and capitalism as we know it… a surprising perspective given the Caldari’s background. But it is not my job to wonder why on this sort of thing.
This is the only structure that remains at the site. The Rent-a-Dream Gardens are nowhere to be found
In any case, all that remains now is a slowly dissipating nebula surrounding the now-demolished Gardens. Presumably, Rent-a-Dream was unable to recover from the attacks and the building was quickly taken down. The nebula, surprisingly close to Elarel, creates a rather stunning backdrop, casting a gentle golden light around the entire area, diffusing Elarel’s shine. Professor Science had no trouble identifying the various remaining chemicals and debris surrounding the site. Given the beauty of the site, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn that it was born under fire.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Ultra Premier
- System: Elarel
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: Everyshore
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Elarel involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Violent Wormhole
An apparently stable wormhole.
Missiles and ammo flung themselves across the vastness of space at incomprehensible speeds. Lasers singed shields, armor buckled and collapsed, and ships exploded as their reactors went critical. My own drake, hardened as it was for battle, heaved violently as it took what evasive maneuvers it could to avoid the Sansha onslaught. An artificially generated wormhole had been discovered in Yulai mere moments ago, and the battle was just getting underway. About 100 kilometers out, a cloud of Sansha battleships, dark enough to block out the sun despite how close we were to it, began ever so slowly moving towards the fleet set up to defend the heart of civilized space. Suddenly, alarms blared at me as over 50 Sanshas locked on to me. Apparently, I was one of their first picks of the day. Ammunition bore down on me as the drake struggled valiantly to keep my shields up. Within moments, though my shields collapsed, and soon the armor did as well. My hull collapsing around me, I instructed the crew that remained alive to abandon ship and suddenly-
Professor Science can be seen through the spatial distortion of the wormhole
I shot upright in my bed, drenched in sweat. This hadn’t been the first time that I’d had nightmares in the aftermath of the battle of Yulai, but it was the first time that I had woken up in the middle of one of my dreams. After a few moments of confused disorientation, I realized that Aura’s incessant beeping was alerting me to a priority message. I quickly opened it up, and as I read it, my eyes widened in surprise. I quickly contacted my hanger to prep Professor Science for immediate departure. If what I was seeing was true… This I had to see with my own eyes.
I unsuccessfully attempt to take my Buzzard through the wormhole.
Within half an hour from waking up, I entered into the system of Promised Land. I have been in this system a number of times, as it was only one jump out from New Eden and the EVE Gate, but never before had I known of anything noteworthy in this system. The massive collapsed remnant of the fabled link to our home planet had always been this area’s primary attraction. Indeed, the Sisters of Eve spent countless hours attempting to study and even reopen the supposedly stable wormhole that had collapsed so long ago. This time around, though, my eyes were set in Promised Land. I vectored Professor Science towards Planet I, and the ship launched into warp. As I came out of warp near the planet, there it was as clear as day. Exactly as the message had described it. Sitting just a few kilometers from the warp in point sat a wormhole.
A storm rages below on Promised Land I while the wormhole sits... and doesn't collapse
But this wasn’t just any run of the mill wormhole that you could easily find in most systems throughout the cluster these days. This, at least from initial appearances, appeared to be another stable wormhole. Just like the infamous one just a system over. But this one also had the distinction of being of artificial construction (the current wormholes popping up throughout the cluster may or may not be naturally occurring, the academics have yet to come to a conclusion on that to my knowledge). And constructed by the Sansha no less. Prior to the current incursions of entire constellations, the Sansha had shown the ability to create artificial wormholes to invade particular systems. They had used their wormhole technology to directly invade Yulai, where a large capsuleer force had appeared to defend it. Directly after the Yulai event, however, Sansha forces regrouped in Promised Land and engaged in a much more limited battle with defense forces. The wormhole used to enter Promised Land was the one sitting in front of me today. More than a month later, it was still sitting here. Perhaps most surprisingly, no one seemed to have known or cared about this. Despite the obvious significance of this, there were no survey or science ships here to study this wormhole compared to the one in New Eden.
A second sun can be made out within the wormhole itself. What sun that is, however, remains a mystery.
I tried to take Professor Science through the wormhole to no avail. Like the other wormholes used by the Sansha, they had somehow keyed it to only allow only Sansha ships through. All I could do with the wormhole was see a very distorted image of the other side. I circled around the wormhole to see if there was anything I could see through it, but it remained as mysterious as ever. I could make out a star of some kind on the other side, but all attempts to identify it failed. I couldn’t even tell if it was just a strange reflection/refraction of Promised Land itself. It remained as mysterious as ever. All attempts to cross the event horizon boundary merely resulted in me getting bounced back by some kind of force.
After about 15 minutes I gave up. Professor Science simply could not get me the information I needed. I would have to do the only thing I knew how: advertise this bizarre wormhole to others, and hope that someone else could crack its secrets.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Violent Wormhole
- System: Promised Land, Planet I
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Genesis
- Potential Hazards: Low sec travel is needed to get to the landmark. Caution is advised.
EMERGENCY TRAVEL ADVISORY
A Sansha cruiser blocks out the sun.
The following is a Scope Special Report.
YULAI, Sanctum- Yulai stood aghast this week as, just days following an invasion into the heart of CONCORD-controlled space, five constellations went dark as the Sansha Nation initiated simultaneous incursions in what is believed to be the single largest offensive in the history of New Eden. Despite the shutdown of official means of communications, stories quickly spread as capsuleers, crews, and civilian vessels fled the scenes, causing mass chaos. Even CONCORD-patrolled space was not immune from the Nation’s reach, as Algintal, a constellation in the Gallente Federation, fell completely dark for several minutes before officials were able to re-establish contact through emergency channels.
The Sansha Nation has shown remarkable proficiency in establishing bases of operation soon after deployment.
CONCORD officials reacted swiftly to the news. After a hastily convened Inner Circle closed session, CONCORD quickly announced measures the peacekeeping force has taken, as well as new legislation authorizing capsuleer response to these so-called incursions. The quick turnaround time on the legislation, as well as immediate upgrades to capsuleer software in their ships, have lead some to believe that there were those in CONCORD who have been expecting this to come. Indeed, some Inner Circle observers have referred to the so-called “Operation Ishaeka” as evidence that CONCORD has had information regarding the Sansha movements for some time, and yet has taken little to no action before now. These observers have referenced CONCORD’s inability (or, at least to some observers, CONCORD’s unwillingness) to respond to prior Sansha invasions, even when concentrated to only one system, as proof of some kind of détente between Yulai and the Nation, while others argue that this simply shows how capsuleer forces are better able to handle the situation.
Fleets of capsuleer-piloted vessels have been quick to respond to Sansha incursions... so far.
Meanwhile, reports on the situation within Sansha-controlled space have been few and far between. Federation officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they are unauthorized to speak for the Federation, expressed surprise as the first reports from Sansha-affected space came in to Luminaire. Said one: “They’ve managed to infiltrate everything. All the various financial and administrative control systems we thought were secure have proven not to be. I don’t know where they managed to develop their hacking software, but its years ahead of anything either the Federation or the other empires have been able to produce.”
CONCORD-released imagery of what CONCORD has dubbed a Nation Propoganda Cluster
Initial reports indicate that after Nation forces move into a constellation, they quickly overwhelm many software safeguards in place around financial systems and protective measures. Gallente intelligence reports show that these Sansha forces are stronger than many other non-capsuleer forces that capsuleer forces have encountered before. Initial threat assessments show that even the weakest sites should not be handled by less than five to ten capsuleers. Reports also refer to money being diverted from CONCORD accounts traditionally paid for bounties on known criminals to Sansha bank accounts instead of capsuleer accounts, demonstrating an ability to hack into Secure Commerce Commission accounts. Similarly, the Sansha have been able to quickly establish cyno-jammers in null and low security systems, preventing capital ships from jumping in to join the fight. Early reports even indicate an ability to hamper, though not destroy, capsuleer-piloted vessels by reducing armor and shield resistances, as well as damage output. Strangely, these setbacks appear to affect at least some Sansha ships themselves, which some have suggested are indicative that the exploits that the Sansha are using are endemic to all capsuleer technology, and cannot be turned on and off at will by any particular ship.
CONCORD-released imagery of a Sansha logistics base
Despite early CONCORD reaction to the recent incursions, many have criticized what they see as non-action by the Directive Enforcement Division, the enforcement arm of CONCORD responsible for keeping the peace beyond planetary atmospheres. CONCORD spokesmen were quick to respond to the accusations. Said DED spokeswoman Ruera Penthe, “CONCORD is working closely with capsuleer forces. The DED has made the determination that capsuleer forces are better able to respond to fluid situations, while DED ships maintain their customary peacekeeping roles. However, recent legislation by the Inner Circle has authorized CONCORD to hand out ISK to capsuleers and open private CONCORD materiel stores to capsuleers who have worked with us to resist the Sansha threat. We thank all pilots for what they’ve done so far to ensure the safety and security of all citizens of New Eden, and we look forward to cooperating and planning offensive and defensive operations in the future.”
Capsuleers have responded to the Incursions with predictably mixed results.
There are at least some indications, however, that CONCORD’s trust in the capsuleer community is misplaced. Since the legislation authorizing capsuleer response to the Sansha incursions, reports have come to light that while many capsuleers have taken up arms against the Sansha, a number of capsuleer corporations and individuals are either sympathetic to Nation causes, or at least excited for the prospect of wreaking havoc. Some, mostly in the null security space beyond CONCORD jurisdiction, appear to not care about the incursions at all and are, so far, ignoring them, letting Nation forces fulfill their plans without resistance. Reports of outright defense of Sansha ships by capsuleer supporters are few and far between. However, there have been a number of reports of capsuleers joining fleets with so-called “logistics ships” (a capsuleer term to refer to ships that are able to support either shields or armor repairers to help other vessels) only to find that another logistics ship that they were trying to help will violate CONCORD rules, triggering CONCORD’s automatic threat elimination response. These responses will destroy not just the offender’s ship, but also those who were repairing the defender, meaning that even well-intentioned and dedicated capsuleers to lose their vessels. Questioned on this apparent defect, Penthe responded: “Since these incursions have begun, DED has begun re-evaluating it’s threat detection and response procedures in response to capsuleer concerns. However, due to the essential nature of these software changes, DED is unwilling to give any kind of time frame on when improved software may be deployed to prevent this situation in the future. In the meantime, DED strongly advises all capsuleers to only join fleets with others you know and trust.” Furthermore, in order to prompt capsuleer participation, DED has released the standard message sent to all capsuleers when entering an incursion constellation, giving some insights into CONCORD’s defensive strategy:
Attention all capsuleers: Sansha’s Nation forces have staged an incursion of the [] constellation. Local empire navies are standing by to protect against planetary abductions. Reinforcements are required to actively remove the threat.
CONCORD has created this channel to aid in the organization of capsuleer fleets willing to fight the Sansha. All pilots who offer assistance will be rewarded.
Authorized by Operation Ishaeka Commander Vieve Creston, DED Special Operations. CONCORD cannot guarantee the operational security of this channel. Attendants are advised to use caution when sharing intelligence.
A battleship-class Sansha vessel.
While this is by far the largest coordinated Sansha incursion, this is not the first time Sansha Kuvakei or his forces have invaded the cluster. The CONCORD Directive Intelligence Agency has released background information regarding Sansha Kuvakei and his history. Kuvakei’s motives are as of yet unclear, but ever since his return last year, his ire appears principally directed at the capsuleer community. However, in order to achieve his goals, he has been known to abduct planetary citizens. To date, such abductions number into the millions, despite heavy capsuleer resistance to any and all Sansha incursions even prior to the current breakout of hostilities. In recent weeks, however, Nation tactics appeared to change. In last weekend’s attack on Yulai, most Sansha forces appeared to ignore the inhabited planets in favor extracting plasma from Yulai itself. The Nation’s intentions with the solar plasma is as of yet unknown.
In the meantime, CONCORD advises all spacefaring and planet-bound citizens to be aware of their surroundings. CONCORD has already deployed new software to all capsuleer vessels to alert them when entering Sansha-controlled space, while planet-bound citizens are advised to keep watching newsfeeds to determine if a Sansha incursion is occurring nearby. Penthe, the DED spokeswoman appeared to acknowledge CONCORD’s limited ability to respond to the Nation threat, “All we can do is give out the information and alert as many people as possible. Watch your neocoms. Know where you’re going, and where the Sansha are currently active. The rest, unfortunately, is up to the citizens of the cluster.”
This has been a Scope Special Report.
Potential hazards:
- Sansha infested systems can be found anywhere, and at any time. It’s strongly encouraged to check whether your routes take you through Sansha space.
- As noted in the story, effects in Sansha controlled space can be severe. These include a halving of all damage outputs, as well as lower shield and armor resistances. NPC bounties of non-Incursion sites are cut in half while an incursion is active in the constellation. Null and low sec space will be cynojammed.
- There’ve been too many stories of people fleeting up with strangers only to have CONCORD’s aggression mechanics used against them. Beware of who you’re fleeting with. (UPDATE: With the release of the latest Incursion patch, CONCORD will no longer respond to remote repping issues, as you can no longer remote rep anyone with a GCC. Once a person triggers GCC, any reppers on him will shut off, and the GCC’d person will get CONCORDed, but the reppers will not).
- These are not for the solo players. These sites were specifically designed to be done in groups. Your journal can show recommended force sizes, as well as isk payouts from completed sites.
Roden Shipyards Manufacturing Center
A shipyard for building Gallente naval forces.
Out with the old and in with the new, as they always say. With an economy as complex as New Eden’s, you need a continuing source of matériel in order to remain even somewhat viable. This fundamental requirement is universal, regardless of the career you pursue: manufacturers always need new supplies to create their wares; traders need things to, well, trade; and combat pilots, of course, need a continuous supply of ammo and, despite how much you may try to avoid it, new ships. Of course, those whose job it is to protect the rest of the Cluster from us rabblerousing capsuleers have an even greater need for ships. I never really envied the various national navies for having to interpose themselves between capsuleers and the rest of society, but I always appreciated the job they did (and tried to interfere as little as possible). Of course, I’ve always wondered just where their seemingly endless supply of ships came from to begin with. Given the site I saw from Professor Science as I came out of warp, I had a small idea of the answer. As I came out of warp near the center, I received a standard message:
You are entering a fully licensed Roden Shipyards manufacturing area. All unauthorized non-capsuleers found trespassing will be persecuted to fullest extent of Federal Law.
An Occator docks with the shipyard in front of an Obelisk.
The message once again reminded me how essentially unchecked capsuleers were by any traditional political forces. Whoever managed to negotiate the kinds of freedoms that capsuleers enjoy was either a genius or a monster. Almost completely unaccountable to anyone but CONCORD and the occasional taxes from the various empires (and you can even avoid most of those if you go to null sec). But I digress…
Storage space for the variety of materials needed to build the Megathrons.
The shipyards themselves were bustling with activity. A variety of transport ships could be seen near the main storage silo, offloading the materials needed to continue producing the Megathron-class vessels needed to keep the Gallente Federation safe. At the time, an Obelisk and Occator could be seen docked at the silo, as well as a Thorax, acting as guard for the yards. Admittedly, it seemed a small guard force for something located in low-security space. Then again, Roden had never seemed all that wary of placing important manufacturing facilities away from the guards of CONCORD and the naval fleets. Maybe it was just fear of retribution that kept the pirates away, and more focused on us capsuleers.
A Megathron still in the early stages of production. Small clouds of hardware that need to be installed can be seen near each of the arms.
Then, of course, there were the rows of drydocks themselves. Each drydock seemed active, with Megathrons at a variety of stages of construction. Some were only mere superstructures, with barely more than the hull beams laid. Some had their hulls completed, but the majority of their armaments and other hardware sat nearby in a cloud, waiting to be installed. Others still were clearly near finished, and I’m pretty sure I saw one or two that were actually in the stages of being painted before being sent off on their assignments. All in all, it was precisely what I’d expect to see in a bustling shipyard for one of the largest naval forces in the Cluster. All in all, twenty-four vessels sat in various states of readiness. The one thing I wish I could know was exactly how long it took for the shipyard to go from laying the keel to sending the vessel on its way. I know capsuleer manufacturing centers could turn ships like the Megathron around in a day or so, but I suspected it was a bit longer for naval ships to ensure that the various high tech equipment still worked.
The internal support beams are still visible on this craft, still under construction at the Yard
I had no doubt that this was only one of many shipyards throughout high sec and low sec, continuously pumping out the ships needed to maintain order throughout the Federation. And I had no doubt, in unfortunately classic Gallente fashion, that Roden Shipyards (and thus the namesake of the company and President of the Federation) was making a good amount of isk off of the construction contracts for these ships. Still, it was a small price to pay for ensuring the safety of the Federation. They could be helping out a little more with some other enemies out there, but I realized the importance of maintaining the all-important status quo, and a multilateral effort to eradicate the Cluster of this evil (as much as it would make me feel good) would probably be disastrous at this time of, shall we say, interstellar disharmony.
A ship of the line, almost ready to be launched
And so, the shipyards continue to produce the ever-needed vessels of war. To replace the ones that have come before it, just as these ones will, probably all too soon, need to be replaced themselves. Around the Federation, these beautiful, massive vessels are converted to scrap metal and plasma every minute of the day. It certainly puts a new perspective on that phrase, “out with the old, in with the new.” Sometimes, you don’t get the chance to decide when the old exactly need to be put out.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Roden Shipyard
- System: Heluene
- Security Rating: 0.2
- Region: Solitude
- Potential Hazards: Low sec travel is needed to get to the landmark. Caution is advised.
Hangman’s Hill
A seemingly normal station.
What is that saying again? “All that glitters is not gold”? While I am normally all for shiny objects, sometimes things are simply not as they appear. I had been preparing to head back to my home base in Domain when I decided to dock up before the rush to take care of a few last minute items. Ihakana was the last system in my route, so I looked at my options. Two State-owned station and a mysterious one simply named “Hangman’s Hill”. I set a course and popped in a search query to Aura. She spit back some results almost instantaneously:
Harsh environment breeds harsh people and in a place where the most popular hobby is murder and mayhem, dying of old age is a feat few accomplish. In a place like Ihakana everything and everyone is somewhat good, somewhat bad and very, very ugly.
I attempt to take the Professor in for a landing near the so-called "Gallows" and the gambling hall.
My eyebrows went up a bit at that description. Heavens know that I had enjoyed my CONCORD protection, but I seriously wonder sometimes if they simply devoted too many resources to capsuleer enforcement. This wasn’t some two-bit drug market or gambling hall, but a full-on station of sin within the confines of CONCORD and State jurisdiction. And there wasn’t a single law enforcement officer to be seen! Maybe I could buy local State officials being paid off (it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch), but CONCORD as well? Something fishy was going on here. Regardless, I still needed those supplies, so I decided to attempt a docking. It seemed to be a fairly standard Gallente-designed station, with an extra landing pad attached near the bottom. I attempted to dock there, but Station control wouldn’t even deign to acknowledge my existence. Either they were passed out drunk or I was missing the code word…
Another view of the station
Clearly, I wasn’t going to get anywhere. I quickly realigned and docked with a formal State station to load up on the supplies I needed. As I came onto the gate out of the system, I noticed a CONCORD swarm, leftover from some poor capsuleer who had probably looked left instead of right in violation of CONCORD regulation 4321(c)(2)(i) or something like that. I shook my head in disgust, and jumped out of the system.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Hangman’s Hill
- System: Ihakana
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: The Forge
- Potential Hazards: Ihakana is a low security system. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended. Additionally, the following warning can be found on the system’s wiki site: “This system is currently the home base of Idle Empire, who were most notable for their exploits in the ‘Alliance Tournament’, and in the fanfest PVP tournament in Finland. Any travelers through this system should beware as they will shoot on sight.” I, however, did not notice any particular presence in system.
- Additional Notes: This additionally serves as a COSMOS site.
Alliance Barracks
The barracks complex
Things are changing out there. With the rise of capsuleers and advances in weaponry, warfare and tactics seem to be changing almost daily. For both us demi-gods and the more mortal empires among us. Apparently having a quick reaction force wasn’t quite enough for the Minmatar and their Gallente allies. Deeper into Audesder, Minmatar and Gallente forces have boldly set up a barracks and training ground for their soldiers in apparent preparation for a more drawn out war than the Quick Reaction Force might suggest. I say “boldly” because of how close to the border the site still sits. While recessed farther into the system, the tactical advantage of a site is slim to nil. While the Quick Reaction Force may have only 1-2 seconds to react to an incursion, the barracks will have a whopping 5-10. Not quite enough for a supposed training ground, at least in my mind. But I suppose there are reasons I’m a lowly explorer as opposed to a general. As I warped to the site, I did a bit of background research:
This hastily erected military base is the central staging point of the Minmatar Alliance’s operations, or in other words the Minmatar Republic, Gallente Federation, ORE and various other independant organizations such as the Freedom Fighters. It was set up to bolster Audesder’s defenses against the incursions by enemy forces from Kenobanala. With war looming over the horizon, the Minmatar people can only hope that their Navy along with the Gallente are able to muster enough firepower to withstand the might of the combined forces of the Amarr Empire, Khanid Kingdom, Ammatar and Caldari State.
A close up of one of the ground-combat training grounds.
I was once again struck by how openly the Alliance, as the Minmatar and Gallente styled themselves apparently, paraded their forces. This lead me to think that this is more of a show of force rather than an actual military base. Not to say that the Barracks didn’t perform a legitimate purpose, but I suspected that this site was more intended to show off and scare off combined Amarr/Caldari forces. Indeed, a concerted effort by the enemy could probably blow through Audesder fairly easily; neither the entrance gate nor the exit gate were guarded by any (visible) forces. I could only assume that there were further, better hidden stations farther down the line to the homeworlds.
The ORE Envoy headquarters
If I was surprised about the Caldari lending such blatant aid to the Amarr, I was even more surprised to see a 0.0 corporation, who theoretically had thrown off the reigns of empires a while ago, lending open support to the Alliance. ORE was not much seen in Empire space, even if this was just low sec. While I didn’t immediately notice any ORE flagged vessels, I could only assume that their envoy here meant that the corporation was providing substantial material support to the Alliance, perhaps enough to make the forces present in Audesder an acceptable loss.
A solitary Minmatar naval vessel orbits in front of half of the barracks complex.
Beyond the ORE envoy, the rest of the complex seemed fairly standard to military complexes. A number of command and control facilities could be found. Dug into two complexes of interlocking asteroids, an extensive soldiers quarters provided housing to the soldiers. As a rough estimate, I had to guess that at least 10,000 troops sat here, even before counting those stationed on the myriad of Alliance vessels found throughout the area. Some training facilities could also be seen. Whatever was going on within the complexes, however, were beyond the capabilities of the Professor’s scanners.
A Megathron-class hull orbits its rally point
After having explored all three complexes within the past few hours, I didn’t spend as much time at the Barracks as I probably should have. I was tired, and there was a mass of market orders for me to wade through when I got back to my home station. However, as I left Audesder, I once again thought about the strange places we choose to make stands sometimes. It almost seemed like the forgotten half of the war that could have been. War was raging across other parts of the cluster, yet here, in these two systems, time stood still, neither side willing to cross the lines they had drawn in the sand.
Basic Information:
- Attraction:Alliance Barracks
- System: Audesder
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Molden Heath
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Audesder involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Alliance Defense Brigade
The Professor flies past a Gallente contingent guarding the Amarr border
Unexpected financial problems meant I was stranded dirtside for a few days this week in order to sort things out. Unable to return to my pod for almost a week, I tried to stay up to date with events beyond the planet as best as I could. Thankfully, relatively new sites on GalNet made that easier than ever. I count myself lucky, however, that I can take these unexpected breaks in stride, with nothing worse for wear. People in the military are not so lucky, especially when your mortal enemy is a mere gate jump away. Indeed, it’s lucky when these poor souls even GET a break, much less a dirtside one.
Minmatar naval ships warily stand watch
For those reasons, I couldn’t really blame Alliance forces for being a little curt with me. It’s not exactly mentally healthy to be on alert 24 hours a day, yet that is precisely where the Alliance currently stands in the out-of-the-way system of Audesder. Ever since the Amarr coalition began building up forces in Kenobanala, Pator and her allies understandably followed suit. The outbreak of hostilities between the two factions has done nothing to ease the tensions. Oddly, despite the ongoing war between the two militias, neither side has seen it appropriate to breach the border, even here beyond CONCORD jurisdiction. Not that I was complaining; capsuleer wars were bloody enough, but non-capsuleer wars tend to be slaughters on one side or the other.
A small command bunker sits cocooned within a protective shield. Outside the shield, a listening post can be seen keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
Only a few million kilometers from the Kenobanala gate, the Alliance quick reaction force rallying point was a hub of activity. Minmatar “freedom force” ships could be found everywhere, ranging from frigates to battleships. Near one of the rallying points, a contingent of Gallente Navy ships orbited, obviously willing lend a hand should the Amarr coalition try anything. A small listening post sat nearby, keeping an eye on the Amarr gate and surrounding environment. Nestled deeply in a protective shield, a small command bunker sat as well, presumably where the brass sat while their subordinates sat exposed outside the shield. Typical military types.
A Gallente Navy Megathron-class ship sits, backlit by Audesder
As could also be predicted, the military contingents were less than keen to see me poking around. The fact that I had rather good standings with my native empire was counterbalanced by the fact that the Caldari had a grudging respect for me. However, I was allowed to observe naval maneuvers for some time before finally being asked to leave. At the same time, one of the Gallente ships released some spider drones. Whether the two acts were related was not, frankly, something I wanted to investigate, and I quickly set a new vector for the Professor and sailed into warp.
Basic Information:
- Attraction:Alliance Defense Brigade
- System: Audesder
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Molden Heath
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Audesder involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Fort Kumar
Interestingly, the Cathedral is in the center of the base, not the Fort itself
In an era where attacks can be launched with little to no warning at any time, conventional doctrine suggests that you should rely on a de-centralized defense command to ensure that an enemy couldn’t hit the basket with all your eggs, so to speak. Of course, Amarr-Minmatar relations are anything but “conventional”. While both navies do use the generally decentralized structure, both have deemed fit in recent years to build up their fleets on the border. This might make sense in a strategic location near the homeworlds (the Amarr-Pator route through Amamake comes to mind), but not so much in the relatively backwater systems of Kenobanala and Audesder. Still, here is where the standoff started, and here is where it shall remain. That being said, I took the Professor out for a spin and headed for the oddly named Fort Kumar in Kenobanala.
As I headed for the Fort, I looked up what information was put out by the Information Ministry:
Fort Kumar has been a bastion of Ammatar greatness ever since the Rebellion. It was erected shortly before the Minmatars rebelled against Amarr rule as a large mining outpost, but during the great conflict that ensued it was transformed into a military installation which stood firm against the large, albeit tired, rebel forces attempting to advance deeper into Amarr territory. This victory which some claim turned the tide of the war is largely credited to the massive kameira forces stationed in Kenobanala. The Amarr allowed the kameiras to become Ammatar citizens after the war, earning their freedom by their extraordinary bravery and loyalty to the Empire.
For many years Fort Kumar has stood largely empty, since the Ammatar government has not felt the need to maintain such an expensive military outpost in light of the calmer political situation. But all that changed with the ‘Tyrion’ incident. Now the Fort is again bustling with activity, filled to the brim with Amarr, Ammatar, Caldari and Khanid troops. Hastily erected personnel quarters litter the surrounding area around the outpost itself, due to insufficient accommodations. The men are tense beyond words, most of them have never been in an actual fleet battle, but that may soon change, as war seems almost inevitable.
The Caldari State has unexpectedly provided some rather overt support for the Empire and its allies
A little out of date, no doubt, but that’s to be expected from the Amarr. Truthfulness has never exactly been high on their list of importance. Regardless, I was determined to see as much as I could of the fortifications, if only because such things were so rare in today’s day and age, when strength lay mostly in what an empire could project, not massive fortifications that could be easily passed by as an invading force swept through the system.
The Professor banks near the Cathedral
The Empire certainly didn’t make an attempt to hide the Fort. My scanners had no problems identifying the multiple structures and warships within moments of me entering the system. As I came out of warp at the Fort, my attention was first drawn not to the bulky and dark-colored fort proper, but to the graceful and brightly-lit cathedral standing in the middle of the complex. I was amazed that even in dark times, the Amarr refused to lose their aesthetic sense. A way of keeping the faith, I suppose. After taking my eyes off of the cathedral, I examined the nearby fort. It was a dark and foreboding structure, standing as a counterweight to the Cathedral. I couldn’t help but feel that even the pairing of the two was a deliberate design choice.
The manufacturing area of the complex
Nearby, minor manufacturing plants could be seen, presumably providing ammunition for the assembled forces. Speaking of assembled forces, perhaps the biggest surprise of the compound was the rather overt support the Caldari were providing. A number of Raven-class battleships could be seen orbiting nearby, seemingly as ready to go as the other Ammar and Ammatar forces. I was surprised that Heth had allowed the fleet support to continue. I had always viewed the Empire/State alliance as more of an “the enemy of my enemy…” type of relationship, rather than wholesale support. Perhaps Heth knew that nothing was going to come of this build up at this point. Certainly, if this hasn’t opened up as a battleground by now in the Minmatar/Amarr war, it never was going to.
I spent a good amount of time looking at the Fort. Enough, I’m sure, to make the forces there nervous, even given my good standings with the State and Empire. After the warnings started to be backed up with more than a little bluster, I decided it was time to take my leave of the situation. Besides, I’ve heard that equally impressive fortifications sat just a jumpgate away…
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Fort Kumar
- System: Kenobanala
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Derelik
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Kenobanala involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
- Additional Notes: This site is a COSMOS site, and agents are available if you have the proper standing with the Ammar or Ammatar.
Myridian Strip
Solar Harvesters seemingly stand guard, for the long abandoned stations behind them.
Planning is an essential part to anyone’s success in New Eden. Be it a simple mining operation to earn a few million isk, or a full out assault on a neighboring alliance’s home systems, planning can often make or break the success of the operation. Good planning means taking account of all likely contingencies, which means looking not only at your objectives, but also who is likely to intervene to disrupt those objectives as much as possible.
The Observation Platform and the Vacation Resort sit, slowly decaying within the nebula
It seems that the Amarr forgot this basic tenet of planning when they decided to set up the Myridian Strip. Situated near the gorgeous plasma clouds of Ezzara, the Strip was placed in prime location to take advantage of all the scenic wonders that the system has to offer as a vacation destination. The clouds themselves float a fair distance out from the central star, giving everything a much more diffuse glow than they would have had if closer to Ezzara. It seems that the prime location of the Resort worked: in the first few years of operations, visitors flocked to the Strip to watch the almost-hypnotic oscillations of the plasma clouds.
Ezzara peeks over the top of the abandoned vacation resort.
And here is where the poor planning came in. Not only was Ezzara notable for the plasma clouds, but also because it was situated close, dangerously close, to Blood Raiders space. About five years after the Strip opened, the Raiders conducted a raid against the vacation resort. Despite the number of tourists present, protection was apparently light, though this is not all that surprising given the distance from high security space. Hundreds died as the Raiders swept through the station and nearby observation outposts. Within another year or two, the resort was shut down, and the Raiders took control of the area.
A small asteroid base floats nearby. Whether it was part of the original resort or an addition by the Blood Raiders is not known
Today, the entire area is sparse. The plasma clouds themselves are still as gorgeous as ever, and give a romantic backdrop to an otherwise depressing scene. Both the vacation resort and the nearby observation outposts sit abandoned, and have drifted even closer to the plasma clouds. The abandoned stations are clearly showing their age, with numerous fractures and hull breaches throughout them both. Nearby, solar harvesters sit, still absorbing the meager sunlight despite the fact that their main stations no longer need the additional power. Also nearby are a number of asteroid colonies. They still seem active to me: the Professor’s sensor detect power output and the plasma vents still burst plasma out every few seconds. I can’t tell if the bases were part of the original site or if the Blood Raiders added them after the fact.
The entirety of the Myridian Strip complex
As Professor Science maneuvered around the site, I took the opportunity to enjoy the nearby plasma clouds. It was a pity that the operation simply fell apart. Boosting protection of the site should have been more than enough to keep the Raiders at bay, but it was simply not to be. After a few minutes, it was time for me to head back. I took a point of carefully planning my route: more than anything else, the story of the Myridian Strip reminded me of the importance of planning to make sure disaster doesn’t strike.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Myridian Strip
- System: Ezzara
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: Devoid
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Ezzara involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
R55 Colonial Ruins
The Professor explores the ruins of an old colony
Space is a harsh place to live. Even beyond the obvious issues of possible explosive decompression, space is a dangerous place to live. There is a constant threat of possible stellar activity (though, as we’ve learned in recent years, that is not necessarily a danger to only those living in space), pirate raids, or just generally having the bulkhead next to you disappear. For humans to have colonized space as much as we have, though, there has to be something that keeps calling us out here. Something that makes all of the potential dangers worth it. For some, it’s the thrill of exploration. For others, it’s the idea of nearly unfettered freedom.
An overview of the R55 Colony Complex
For many, though, what draws them to space is not nearly as high-minded. Not that there’s anything wrong with being driven to earn money beyond most people’s wildest dreams, of course. While not everyone has what it takes to be a capsuleer, many people make their way out among the stars either through working on a naval or capsuleer ship, or through corporate sponsorship of a new station or colony. These massive stations are familiar to every capsuleer. They’re corporate havens, where the laws of planetary jurisdictions simply don’t apply. Many corporations and alliances rush to create these stations as soon as possible to more fully direct their own corporate endeavours.
The Professor flies past a still active plasma vent
Lai Dai, of course, has a number of these stations set up throughout Caldari space and beyond. One of their lesser-known stations today lies out in the dead end system of Isie, in a somewhat isolated area of Lonetrek. Lai Dai had decided to expand its operations into biotechnology, which even today is a hot field of research. They set up a massive colony complex, with not just a standard Caldari station, but a number of supporting research complexes bored into asteroids nearby. For a few years, it appeared that the R55 complex was going to be enough to catapult Lai Dai to the forefront of Caldari research in the field.
The station and nearby research platforms are surrounded by a toxic cloud, the remnants of biochemical research
A few years into operation, however, an accident crippled the station, resulting in a leak of a toxic combination of chemicals that forced Lai Dai to abandon the station. From what I could tell from GalNet and sensor readings, the chemicals corroded a number of critical environmental systems that would have been too costly to replace, forcing evacuation of the entire complex. I tried to find out exactly how many people died before and during the evacuation. Professor Science’s sensors were picking a potent combination of chemicals that would kill most people incredibly quickly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most attempts to delve into the deep background of the abandoned colony proved fruitless, as the information was hidden behind Lai Dai’s corporate firewalls.
Two of the nearby Asteroid Constructs that housed additional research platforms
Today, the R55 Complex stands in surprisingly good condition. The toxic stew of chemicals still hangs around everything, giving the entire area a rather ghastly green glow. Some of the equipment is still working, as evidenced by the fact that the plasma vent still shoots out puffs of the ionized gas every few seconds on one of the research labs, adding to the toxic soup surrounding the site. Indeed, except for the lack of any particular local traffic, I would have guessed that the site is still active.
I spent a few minutes looking around the site, taking it in. The toxic soup gives a hauntingly beautiful backdrop to the entire site, shrouding the massive station in its mists. As with so many things out here, the most captivating things are often the most dangerous.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: R55 Colonial Ruins
- System: Isie
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: Lonetrek
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Isie involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Golgothan Fields
Professor Science comes out of warp near the Fields
I have always considered the Minmatar Rebellion to be one of the great victories in New Eden, though I’m sure at least some Amarrians would disagree with me on this point. The idea that a subjugated race could rise together to throw off their oppressors, well, it gave me some hope for New Eden, which these days especially seem in all too short of supply. Because I loved this story so much, I have often tried to find ways that I could see the history of the uprising. Most of the small stories and little battles have been lost to time, of course. That’s inevitable. But the big stories, and the overall themes, have survived remarkably well.
The remains of one of the larger ships floats in the emptiness of space
The system of Ennur was the site of one of the most decisive battles in the war. A somewhat out of the way system, on the far outskirts of the present day Republic, Ennur doesn’t really appear to be in the direct line of fire between the Republic homeworlds and the Amarr Empire. It was only through a series of coincidences that this system became the site of one of the biggest battles in the war. The Amarr, at the time of the Rebellion, was also involved in a war against the Jovian Empire. The Amarrians apparently weren’t aware of the Jove technological advantage at the time, as the Jove delivered a number of crushing defeats. It just so happened that the remnants of the Amarr battle fleet passed through Ennur on their way to crush the Minmatar Rebellion. However, the Minmatar evidently learned of this fleet ahead of time, and met them in Ennur with everything they had.
An empty shell floats near the wreckage of the great battle
By all accounts, the battle was intense, lasting for hours as the fleets pounded away from each other. It seems apparent that if the Minmatar lost this battle, the Amarr fleet would have swept through the home worlds, so this was truly the Minmatar last stand. Indeed, for a time, it seemed that the Amarr actually won the battle, as the Minmatar were forced to withdraw from the battle. It was a bit of a pyrrhic victory, however. Most of the heavy hitters of the Amarr fleet, the top of the line combat ships, were either crippled or destroyed. The battle gave the Minmatar time to regroup and claim ultimate victory in the war.
A view of the battle field from afar shows the two major areas of debris.
Today, the Golgothan Fields stand in memory of the battle fought in Ennur. As with most things in New Eden, the shells of the great ships have long been picked clean by scavengers, and the low security status of the system means that pirates and other unseemly characters are not uncommon. Still, at least some hints of the great battle survive to present day. Two large ships of old design float in the ruins. From here, I can’t tell if the old designs are Amarr or Minmatar, as little survives other than the bare superstructure of the capital (?) ships. Pieces of debris, either from these behemoths or smaller ships, litter the area, ranging in size from small chunks to pieces a few times larger than the Professor. Most are clustered near the remnants of the two large ships, but pieces can be found throughout the area.
The Professor banks towards one of the larger fields of debris
I spend a while flying between the two major debris fields, as well as simply thinking back to this more violent time. The recent Sansha attacks, if nothing else, have reminded me that freedom is a precious thing. It would have to be if so many people are willing to not only fight, but die, in order to give it to others. The Minmatar were not just willing to fight individually, but as an entire civilization, to win back the freedom that they had lost. I would like to think that even the most hardcore Amarr traditionalists had to give the Minmatar credit for that.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Golgothan Fields
- System: Ennur
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: Molden Heath
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Ennur involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Hollow Asteroid
A large asteroid sits near the Antem gate in Djimame
My travels once again took me into the oldest region in New Eden: the rather aptly-named Genesis region. Ruins of stations and other structures left over from a time long since past could be found throughout the region. The ruins could often be found near the gates in that region, which makes given the long term stability of the gravitational resonances around the stars that are necessary for interstellar travel. However, even with the graceful and ancient Amarrian structures floating about, my eyes were instead drawn to a site of natural beauty.
The Professor approaches the strangely shaped asteroid
Near the Antem gate in Djimame stands a large asteroid. By no means the largest asteroid out there, it’s not even large enough to be spherical, but it’s a sizeable asteroid nonetheless. What makes the asteroid notable, however, is not its location but rather what it was missing. As I sat behind the asteroid relative to Djimame itself, I could easily see the star through the asteroid. A large hole bored almost straight through the thing to the other side. The hole was sizeable enough that I could have maneuvered the Professor through it if I had tried. Not that I wanted to try, of course. The fragile “bunny ears” of my ship wouldn’t take well to grazing the asteroid’s interior.
A sliver of Djimame can be seen through the hole in the asteroid.
The asteroid was by no means the grandest sight that I’ve seen in my travels. It wasn’t a sight that made me question my place and significance in the universe. It didn’t make me stare in awe at the fury of nature or man. It didn’t even make me feel particularly strong about, well, anything. But I guess not everything in New Eden had to inspire strong emotions. After all, sometimes, a rock with a hole in it is just a rock with a hole in it.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Hollow Asteroid
- System: Djimame
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Genesis
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Djimame involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Saidusairos-Kurniainen Gate
The gate floats amid the rust-red nebula
Dust. It gets everywhere. I am by no means a neat freak (though I certainly have friends that are), but I always at least tried to keep things presentably free of dust, even when I was by myself in Professor Science. But regardless of how hard I tried to scrub it away, within a few days there is always more. I guess dust is just one of those constants of the universe. Wherever I go, and whatever I see, there will always be some sort of dust there waiting for me. Ultimately, dust is the building blocks of stars and planets, and everything that comes from them. So I guess I shouldn’t complain too much about it. Still, even dust somehow manages to take me by surprise sometimes.
The clouds completely surrounded the gate out to Kurniainen
I was setting my sights on home and getting ready to finally finish my unplanned stop in Saidusairos, but the Powers That Be had one more surprise for me. As I came out of warp at the gate to Kurniainen, I was surprised to see not the normal inky blackness of space, but rather surrounded by a dull, rusty red. After a moment’s consideration, I realized that these appeared to be clouds of the same material that presumably gave the Crimson Cathedral its name. Strangely, the small nebula appeared to be centered on the gate itself, as if it were somehow providing an anchor for the clouds. It was odd to have the gate either deliberately placed in the middle of the nebula, or perhaps the nebula formed after the gate was placed. Perhaps it had something to do with the gravitational resonances that dictated gate placement within a system.
The Professor maneuvers through the rust red dust, earning a fine sheen over her recently washed hull.
Regardless of what caused the small nebula to form around the gate, I had to move on. Among other things, my poor (and previously clean) Buzzard needed a good washing from maneuvering through this buildup of dust. Still, it was a refreshing change from the ordinary dullness surrounding a gate. Part of me found it a little ironic that dust, that ever-present bane of neat freaks everywhere, actually made things interesting for a change. I quickly shoved that thought aside and sent an activation request to the gate.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Saidusairos-Kuriainen Gate
- System: Saidusairos
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: The Bleak Lands
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Saidusairos involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Blood Raider Crawler Mine
The Professor travels through the mine at high speeds.
The Professor soon came out of warp. I found myself surrounded by a surprising clash of things both new and old. Nearby, an ages old ship sat slowly decaying. A small cloud, presumably made of microscopic bits of the decaying ship, sat nearby. While any equipment or other treasures the old ship may have had were long since salvaged, either by other pod pilots or pirates, the sheer size of the ship suggested that it used to be a mining vessel of some kind. And given the sparse data that Aura was able to glean for me, it made sense. This appeared to be an older asteroid field, long since almost completely mined out. Unlike many of the more populous mining belts throughout New Eden, which seemed to have a near unlimited supply of ore day after day, this one finally seems to have met its end. Just as the ship sitting nearby.
The nearby blood raider base
Throughout my travels, I have often wondered who exactly ended up causing a particular wreck or landmark. This time around, however, I think I’m pretty much able to piece together the culprits. Granted, the nearby, and clearly labeled, Blood Raider mining base may have helped in my deductions. The base seemed to be of relatively recent construction. It appeared to be composed mostly of the remaining asteroids, or at least the shells of those asteroids. I suspected that the old mining vessel was simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time as the Blood Raiders made a push into the system. I shuddered and tried my best not to think of the fates of the mining crew.
An old ship slowly decays among the old asteroid field
Debris and other flotsam floated gently in space, either the remains of the main ship itself or other unfortunate visitors to the area. Remarkably, despite the fact that I was uncloaked, there wasn’t a ship present to react to my presence. Nor did the Professor’s sensors find any recent wrecks. It seems the Blood Raiders left this base undefended these days for reasons unknown. Not that that bothered me at all. If I wanted combat, I would have taken out my Drake for the day. I was perfectly content to let the residents of the mining base warily watch me.
Debris tumbles slowly in space, a few kilometers from the rest of the site.
I cast the Professor’s camera drones around the site a few more times, contrasting the age of the decaying miner with the relative youth of the nearby asteroid base. The two seemed to be a nice reminder to never become complacent in New Eden. I wondered if the nearby, undefended asteroid base was entering that age of complacency themselves. When they assumed that, since they’ve been here so long unchallenged, that they were destined to remain here unchallenged. I wondered if that was what ultimately doomed the miner. On that note, and a quick check of my d-scan to make sure I was alone in the system, I set course for my next stargate, intent on getting home.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Blood Raider Crawler Mine
- System: Saidusairos
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: The Bleak Lands
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Saidusairos involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Crimson Cathedral
The Professor drops out of warp a few kilometers from the site.
For all of the research that I do to find sites to visit throughout the New Eden cluster, sometimes the sites that you aren’t expecting to find are the most intriguing. As I was passing through on my way back from another visit, I happened to pass through the system of Saidusairos. I immediately noticed not one, but two beacons on my overview of the system. Intrigued, I immediately set course for the Crimson Cathedral. Little information could be found on the GalNet, making me wonder if this was one of the lesser known spots in New Eden.
Four pillars stood amidst the nebula
I came out of warp above the site. Laid out before me were four pillars, spaced in a square. Completely enshrouding the square was a dark red nebula, obviously from where the site derived its name. I quickly approached the nearest of the four pillars. Aura called them “rust pillars”, which seemed appropriate. Each pillar in reality was two asteroids bound together with structures of some kind, clearly man-made in origin. The lights from these pillars were still on, indicating some kind of power source was still present, but there were no active signatures to be seen. I tried opening communications a few times, with no response.
Saidusairos itself seen through the haze of the nebula
Who constructed this site? Why was it important? What prompted the building of the pillars? Given the location and name, I couldn’t help but think that the Blood Raiders were once again involved in this site’s creation, but I had no proof to back up my theories. I tried in vain to find some way of identifying the creators of this site, even someone walking past the myriad of viewports on the pillars would have made me happy, but there was simply no response to any of my attempts. I studied the site for a good ten minutes, taking in the creepy aura of the rusty nebula, before finally heading on my way. With one glance back, I set course for the second beacon in the system…
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Crimson Cathedral
- System: Saidusairos
- Security Rating: 0.1
- Region: The Bleak Lands
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Saidusairos involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Ancient Tomb
Oyeman shines behind an old and battered tomb
It’s often easy to be caught up in the here and now. With so many things happening in the present, it can be difficult to remember how we’ve gotten where we are today. Things that seemed of monumental importance at the time often tend to be swallowed up by the great tides of History, either through conscious decision or simply the passage of time. As a capsuleer, it is sometimes even more difficult to remind yourself that, eventually, your name will also fade into the background of history. So, when I heard that an old war hero was buried in orbit of Oyeman IV, Moon I, I quickly set course. Perhaps most indicative of how even the mighty can fall, this particular tomb wasn’t even marked with a current beacon. As I warped to the site, however, Aura pulled up information in her ever helpful manner:
This ancient tomb is dedicated to Barak Makdar. The Amarr Empire considers him a war hero who took part in the very first Amarr-Minmatar war. The Minmatar Republic on the other hand views him as a war-criminal who is held responsible for many atrocities committed during the early days of Amarr rule in the Matar regions.
The Tomb was abandoned by officials over a century ago due to financial constraints. The Blood Raiders have taken the opportunity to set up an outpost here, restoring the life support system inside the tomb to make use of it.
A Blood Raider battleship, part of the small fleet present, patrols the area
I was so absorbed with reading the information that Aura had pulled up for me that I didn’t hear the numerous locking alarms that rang soon after dropping out of warp. It was only when the first shots crossed my bow that I realized that the tomb, apparently the tomb of an old Amarrian war hero, was also the site of a substantial Blood Raider outpost. I quickly warped the Professor out of the area, and returned a few moments later. The Blood Raider fleet was still on high alert, but they were unable to see past the Professor’s covert ops cloak. I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my observations.
The Blood Raider Cathedral stood nearby
The tomb itself was old and pretty worn down. Unlike some of the other monuments of similar Amarrian design that I’ve seen, this one definitely showed its age. The sides were crumbling and the dome was dully reflecting the light of nearby Oyeman. Standing in stark contrast to the tomb, the nearby Blood Raider Cathedral gleamed red in the sunlight. The Raiders had clearly taken great care to erect the cathedral. I wasn’t quite sure why they chose to place their cathedral next to this run down Amarrian tomb. Perhaps they saw it as the ultimate spit in the eye to the Amarrian religion that threw them out ages ago. Perhaps it was a convenient source of cloned human DNA. Perhaps it was just a convenient gathering place. I suspected that I would never know, and given their probable reaction to me asking them, I was fairly content with that.
The Blood Raiders HQ for the system also sat nearby
Making sure that I kept a careful distance from anything that might interfere with the cloak, I did my best to take a tour of the area. Blood Raider ships ranging from frigates to battleships crawled over the area. For a supposedly small and fringe sect, they were able to field a surprisingly large number of ships out this far away from their main base of operations in Delve. It was a reminder of just how large this unnerving and frankly disturbing sect of the Sani Sabik really was. The Sani Sabik themselves left me distinctly uncomfortable, but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when it appeared that any bloodletting they did was purely voluntary.
A cloaked Professor Science skirts the edges of the burial site.
My skin crawled, though, as I thought about their fascination with human blood. I knew of many people who had a thirst for blood, indeed such a trait was fairly standard among capsuleers, but these were the only people who took that thirst quite literally. All capsuleers have heard horror stories of those who had wandered into the path of a Blood Raider, and it was nothing that I cared to experience first hand. Unlike the Sani Sabik, the Blood Raiders preferred to take blood by force, and through the most gruesome means possible, it seemed. As someone who saw death on a daily basis, the idea that someone could purposely torture another like that was alien even to me.
After spending a few minutes at the site, I figured it was time to move on. Part of me itched to take down these pirates, there was that metaphorical (for me, at least) thirst for blood again, but obviously the Professor was not exactly a combat ship. I gazed one more time at Barak Makdar’s tomb. A war hero, or a mass murderer depending on who you asked, lay there. I doubt he would approve of what his tomb was being used for today. More intriguingly, however, I wondered what he would say to his tomb, his story, being forgotten by his people. He was clearly a hero to the Amarr at the time he died, or he wouldn’t have warranted such an elaborate tomb. But here he was, thinking he would live forever in memory, another person lost in the sands of time.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Ancient Tomb
- System: Oyeman IV, Moon 1
- Security Rating: 0.2
- Region: Devoid
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Oyeman involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended. Also note that this site is apparently a static site for an old mission. As such, the site is filled with many Blood Raider spawns, ranging from frigates to a battleship spawn. Caution (or a fairly well tanked combat ship) is recommended.
Ultra Premier
The Professor moves in to investigate the small nebula
Editor’s note: Due to new information, this entry has been entirely revamped. Please see here.
As filled with death and destruction as New Eden is, it helps to be reminded now and then that not every sight in New Eden wasn’t created in violence. My recent visits had left me more than a little depressed and world-weary, and I figured that a sight or two unrelated to recent events could do me good. As such, I pulled out from Aura a list of astronomically noteworthy sites in New Eden. My eyes were immediately pulled to something called “Ultra Premier.” Aura couldn’t tell me any information beyond the name and the system, so it was with more than a bit of curiosity that I set course for the Elarel system. I quickly made my way over, and set a course for the beacon.
The Elarel star glares down just offscreen
As I dropped out of warp, I was surprised by just how close we were to Elarel herself. Most ships, capsuleer or not, tended to stay farther away from stars, probably dating back to the days when we needed to be more concerned with radiation from them. But even with today’s shielding technology making this point fairly moot, it was rare to find anything much closer to a system’s star than the first planet. As such, the star briefly blinded my camera drones before they adjusted, leaving me uncustomarily blind. Quickly, however, my vision returned, and I found myself looking at a small nebula. Not exactly what the name “Ultra Premier” suggests, and I wondered briefly where the nebula had gained its name from. I couldn’t help but think that it was the name of some new release from Quafe.
Elarel seen through the haze of the nebula
The nebula itself, though quite pretty, was fairly unremarkable from a scientific standpoint. The Professor’s scanners didn’t pick up any noteworthy substances within the nebulas, even the booster producers would be disappointed. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it was the sheer nearness of Elarel herself. A class G5 star, though certainly not the most massive star out there, was nothing to shake a stick at, and nebula are notoriously fragile things. It was surprising that any nebula could survive for any length time this close to the star, between the solar wind and gravitational pull of the star, but one look outside reminded me that nature often found a way even when “science” would suggest otherwise.
Ultra Premier hangs against the inky backdrop of space.
I spent a few more minutes watching the gas currents flow through the nebula. I enjoyed the undulating motions, it was incredibly peaceful to watch the constantly changing shape of the nebula. I flew the Professor into the nebula, and around it a few times, spending as much time as I wanted here. By the time I was ready to go, I felt rejuvenated. For as much destruction and death as there was in New Eden, there were also places of unparalleled beauty. I aligned the Professor for warp out of the system, eager to see what else was out there.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Ultra Premier
- System: Elarel
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: Everyshore
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Elarel involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended.
Shattered Planets
The remains of Seyllin I float in the distance
Five hundred million. A decent amount of isk for any capsuleer. A stockpile of ammo that would make any industrialist, pirate, or combat pilot leap for joy. A well fit battleship, with good fittings. Five hundred million of almost any item can be exchanged for great value and used to buy a capsuleer’s next ship, implant, or module. But five hundred million lives is a different calculus altogether. But that’s how many lives were lost March 10, YC 111 in the heretofore relatively unknown system of Seyllin. It was an inconceivable number of lives. It’s amazing how reasonable or even small five hundred million can seem when talking about the proper units, but talking about five hundred million people puts it well beyond any sense of comprehension.
Chunks of the planet remain in orbit around Seyllin I
If only we had had more warning, such a human disaster could have been averted. Alas, it was only hours between the first indication that something was amiss and the impact of the “large, superheated mass” (to put it in cold, scientific terms; perhaps the only way to even begin to think about such events) in Seyllin. All told, from a mining colony of five hundred million people, only 843,000, or 0.1%, were evacuated. I tried to remind myself that we should be grateful that these events didn’t take place in the heart of any of the empires, but it was cold comfort to think that in the midst of such tragedy.
A Thukker tribe was lost in SL-YBS. The remains of SL-YBS can be seen here through an ice field
No one is quite sure what caused the disaster at Seyllin, or the three other systems affected by strange solar occurrences that day. It is surely not coincidental that wormholes appeared the same day. Presumably whatever ripped spacetime apart enough to cause these temporary holes in space caused the outpouring of solar energy that led not only to Seyllin, but to the death of an entire Thukker tribe caravan. Such catastrophic energies were not to be taken lightly, but of course that hasn’t stopped some capsuleers from venturing through into the unknown. Despite the roiling energies that caused the wormholes in the first place, I found it almost heartening that the wormholes never lasted very long, as if space itself was trying to mend the harm done to it by these catastrophic events.
A cloaked Professor banks into the remains at 35-RK9 I.
With his background in mind, I made a point of visiting as many of these shattered planets as my schedule would allow. They were hauntingly breathtaking in their beauty. Rings of debris, or rather, chunks of the planet, formed an arc around the each planet, tumbling slowly in space. I couldn’t help but wonder if this debris would form smoother ring systems in the distant future. The planets themselves were red-hot, due to the massive amount of stress the planet interior had undergone. Even Seyllin’s nightside glowed with heat. Presumably, those that weren’t killed in the initial impact of the mass in Seyllin were baked to death as the planet’s surface melted. Nothing, even with our advanced technology, could survive that.
The Professor goes in to examine the debris in Seyllin
The idea that anything, natural or manmade, could create so much havoc was utterly terrifying. Planets were often one of the comforting constants of a changing universe. Always there, never changing. To see such destruction wrought on not one planet, but four, was startling. I wasn’t comfortable looking at these shattered planets, mere echoes of their former selves, but I forced myself to look at every one of them, not only to pay my respects to those lost, but to remind myself that even planets can die.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Shattered Planets
- System: Seyllin
- Security Rating: 0.4
- Region: Essence
- Potential Hazards: Some planets are deep in 0.0 space, involving jumps across a number of different alliance territories, many of which may be operating under “Not Blue, Shoot It” protocol. Gate camps can be found often in transitioning from 0.0 to high security space, as well as on other gates. Caution is advised. Seyllin is located in low security space, and you may run into gate camps here as well.
- Locations: Shattered planets can be found in T-IPZB (Delve); SL-YBS (Great Wildlands); Z8-81T (Immensea); 3HQC-6 (Outer Ring); EAWE-2 (Stain); 35-RK9 (Syndicate). Other shattered planets can be found in locus signatures J115422 (Class 5) and J164104 (Class 3) in wormhole space. Thanks to Arvash over at Interstellar Privateer for his putting this list together.
- Additional Note: Despite repeated search attempts, there are apparently no actual ruins of the Thukker Tribe caravan in SL-YBS, despite the EVE Online canon that states that a caravan disappeared here. Please contact me if you discover any debris.
Traumark Installation
A mysterious city
It seemed like deja vu. A golden city floated before me, clearly long abandoned. Graceful Amarrian structures floated eerily among the clouds of debris from centuries, and perhaps millenia, of exposure to the harshness of space. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that I was in Shastal again looking at the City of God. But no, Aura assured me that the City was 17 jumps distant, in another region entirely. More than a little intrigued, I sent the Professor in to investigate.
The Professor investigates the strange constructs
Aura did me the favor of at least identifying what I was looking at: she called it the Traumark Installation. I frowned, not having heard of it before. I quickly set up a query on GalNet, but the results were surprisingly sparse. The only solid lead I got from my initial search was that Sanshas seemed to use this area as some sort of staging area. Although that certainly put me on my guard, it gave me very little other information on the origins or history of this mysterious city.
The whole facility, along with the dust cloud
Why was this facility built? Why here? Was this some sort of secret project that simply fell out of disuse? Maybe it was a colony of some sort, obviously not a successful one, but on that had a story behind it nonetheless. Who lived here? Did they leave willingly, or does this facility’s story have a more grizzly ending? Did this installation’s story end in a whimper or a blaze of glory? What does “Traumark” even refer to? I was frustrated at the lack of answers I had available to me. Aura calmly and repeatedly told me that each new iteration of a search revealed no new information. Finally, I just gave up, and tried to enjoy the sight.
Although frustratingly lacking in information, the site had a quiet beauty about it.
Admittedly, that sight had a certain quiet beauty to it. Whatever else that could be said of the Amarrians, they knew how to build. From amidst the clouds (I hesitated to call it a nebula) rose graceful towers, gold still shining after all of these years. Saminer glowed gently down on the entire sight, glinting off of the wide domes and landing pads. Soon, perhaps too soon, it was time to go. I was still frustrated by the lack of available information, but I couldn’t let one little mystery stop me when there were so many others waiting for me to even ponder.
Basic Information:
- Attraction: Traumark Installation
- System: Saminer
- Security Rating: 0.3
- Region: Tash-Murkon
- Potential Hazards: Getting to Saminer involves low sec travel. Pirates and gate camps should be expected. A cov ops or other cloaking ship is recommended
