Intergalactic Summit

Our name is Jade, and we have barely been in Empire a decade, Emancipated for much less than that. At the keel-laying, we saw how small our ship was next to the Empress's Avatar, and how absolutely massive and safe it was, millions of tons of Tritanium wrapped around Jamyl I so that nothing could touch her. At the unveiling of Auctoritas, the Seraph was surrounded by loyalist guns facing outward in every direction, the Imperial Navy as its halo, and despite these precautions she was vaporized in mere seconds.

The Drifter attack was a headshot. Their game of chess never involved breaking down the pawns or rooks, all of whom were willing to lay down their life for the Empress, but to skip all the steps and reach checkmate. The attack was so devastating, the Seraph's Tritanium went white hot and the emanations seeped through our own bulkheads, as we were incredibly close. The goo in our Pod felt like it was boiling. This nuclear strike invalidates the thousands upon millions of ammunition rounds and crystals and hulls and bodies thrown at this war. We find ourself demoralized and hopeless.

There are Matari who may celebrate her death, but we find no insult in their jubilation. Let the vultures circle about as Champions and Successors. We find ourself perched precariously on the edge of the abyss. Our Faith melted away with the Seraph and in our kneeling position we have all but resigned to facing Drifter Prime and bowing our head to the floor in surrender.

This is the sort of attitude I expect was the reason the Matari people were enslaved in the first place.

The Drifters are not asking for quarter and will not accept your "surrender."

If they want anything, it's your corpse.

Conversely, all I want is their death.

No quarter.

They are legion, but they are nothing. The headshot you've witnessed is a drop in the bucket of what is to come.

If this shakes your faith in the Amarr, if it terrifies you then let it - don't hide from what you feel. But don't let fear rule you. That way lies only death.

Aww, everything will be fine. I mean we did sneak past them to their HQ Ring Thingy. We just need to find their real HQ and do the same.

It is difficult for me to put into words how I feel now, my heart knows well that fear you felt too. I can feel it now as I read your words ..but I cannot describe it. A story told by my people may help:

A man walks alone along the beach, below the cliffs.
The Sea draws in a mighty breath
And the water recedes from the beach.
The man looks out upon the ocean and sees a distant white line, the foaming crest of a deadly wave.
He is trapped between the cliffs and the tsunami, but he does not feel fear.

A man wanders alone in the darkness of the jungle.
He sees the flash of two pale dots in the darkness,
The eyes of the jaguar.
They vanish again, and there is only darkness.
A terrible fear takes him, for he knowns an agent of death lurks behind the black.

A Jaguar is a terrible foe for a lonesome soul in the dark depths of the jungle,
-but it is not the wrath of the Sea.

For when the man looks upon the wave, he feels not only his imminent death -but also, in equal measure, the insignificance of his life.
Fear and awe rise up together as one, in a way that only man can feel.
The beast will know only fear
For the beast has not forgotten his insignificance.

But man has forgotten
He has built monuments to his greatness, the his sovereignty over nature.
He has mistaken the beasts that roam the plains with nature herself. -He has conquered the lion, but his cleverness means nothing to the Sea.

Even the mightiest Emperor reigned over but stone
Stone that first belonged to the Stars
He forgets that the stone can be turned to ash on their whims.
He forgets that the Stars are nothing to the empty space between them.

But when the Sea bears upon him, he suddenly remembers it all.

Just before his body is flung against the cliffs, he is reduced to nothingness in his own mind. A terrible exultation overcomes him as the Sea returns him back to god, to nature, to insignificance. This is what we call the sublime

Man alone forgets his insignificance, man alone will rage against the sea before it engulfs him.

In this story the Drifter is the Jaguar, and you are right to fear it, right to feel hopelessness. There is no shame in surrender.

But the Drifter too is nothing to the universe; to God. Man first braved the Seas and their fury before he forgot them.

I hope that this time of great insignificance for you can bring about great peace.

We thank everyone for their words, especially Ms. Culome and Ayallah for their thoughtfulness.

Our legs are human legs and sometimes they fail and we fall. We gave an open and public statement of our doubt in Faith. We do not feel any shame in declaring our weakness when we feel it, because we felt that hiding it would be a graver sin.



In Safizon today we visited with Bishop Amalath, whom we call mother out of affection and respect. We also spoke via ship-to-ship communicator with Ms. Jennifer Starfall, our friend and confidant.

We realize that we have stepped over the line, and have reacted poorly to our feeling of helplessness. For our intransigence, we request that mother be the judge of any punishment we deserve. We offer no resistance to the judgment, and will submit to any physical and verbal chastisement that is deemed necessary.

We look to our heroes, like Lieutenant Kernher and Fleet Captain Shutaq, as an example of perseverance and defiance. We look to our friends, Ms. Starfall, Kaylie, Ms. Farel, Lord Ismaile, and others for their mercy and their understanding. We will fight, and the our time and the resources of House Rkard are available in support of the war against Legion.

Forgive this lost bird for her misstep.

Ms Goldfinch, it is not weakness you have demonstrated here but strength. As Arrendis wisely said "Everyone has dark moments. You reacted, you were honest about how you felt, and you faced your fears. Now you can step beyond them, and move forward."

To admit to ones own fears take great courage and then to face them shows strength of character.

For the State, I would like to communicate the following reply:

"**** off and die, you stupid c***s".

That is all.

Be strong, we all need to be strong.

The enslavement was called the day of darkness. But if the drifters turn their guns to us, it will be an eternal darkness. I am not a man of faith. I believe in action, in myself.

That said, when darkness comes, that is when we need people to shine their brightest.

Some bold capsuleers have attempted to engage the drifters. Some have even successfully infiltrated their outposts. That is how Tukoss was found after all. It still was at the cost of many lives. We know they can be defeated, but it will take an unshakable foundation. Crews that are willing to die to protect what they hold dear. There will be death. Lots of it if we need to stand against them.