Intergalactic Summit

Extra, Extra, Read all about it! Headline: "Scientists Discover De-evolution After Multiple Clone Deaths"

A multi-national consortium of informorph psychologists and human endo-biologists have discovered a disturbing trend. Over the span of repeated clonings, researches have detected cranial thickening that is reducing the size of the frontal cortex of capsuleers resulting in reduced evidence of higher brain function. Those effected are reported to lose the basic ability to speak or write or express themselves without resorting to profanity and sexual inuendo.

"This de-evolution of the capsuleer brain is a disturbing trend," commented one researcher. "We are at a loss as to how to curtail the trend short of lobotomizing the victims," commented another researcher. Could the immortality of the capsuleer finally be coming to an end?

Quick update on the post above:
4 slave traders were just transported from M-Center #1 to Jita 4-4 where they were transfered to a prisoner transport along with 19 clone corpses and taken to Corp HQ in Korama where the corpses were handed over to the Voc Center Administrators and trainers. The 4 slavers were admitted to the detention division and placed under guard. I will be addressing the slave trader issue at a future time as our M-Center Elders and Development center are working on a model for a rehabilitation plan. We have concluded that we cannot wait for concord to act as they seem to have no intention to address our concerns.

WHAT DOES 138 SLAVER HOUNDS SOUND LIKE?

They make hardly a sound. Part of my delivery to Korama today was another group of former Slaver hounds to our service dog training program in Korama. I am amazed at the skill and quietness of these majestic and beautiful animals. The only time they make a sound is when they are supposed to as a signal to their handler or trainer. This dog training center is an amazing place to see.

I also ran a couple delivery errands for Manwe and Edaine. I have not heard from Ta Pang if he has any passengers that need transport to Korama. He must be out of pod tending to other matters. Anyway, the exotic dancer that Edaine rescued a while ago, has taken up our offer. She is now training at our Voc Center and will be joining our Development Center as a Secretary. Nine more Slave Traders were processed into our Detention Center as well.

I had a conversation with them on com during the trip. Manwe had said that their can was separate from the can used to jettison the former slaves. I asked them about it. They said that the pilot told them that she would let them die with "their own kind" in stead of with slaves. Here is the riddle: In the time it took between jettisons, the pilot could have delivered all safe to a station instead of dumping either group. The level of sadism in some capsuleers never ceases to amaze me.

I miss the sounds of the station here in Korama. I spend little time now here in our Corporate HQ. I think I'll stay a few hours and relax before heading back to the fray.

The Disciples of Ston Bid You Peace

The Elders have sent me into a remote area of space and instructed me to explore 0.0 areas for a time and then return for the Voluval. The Matriculation Center Elders have given their blessing for me to participate and the Elders of Eldulf were contacted by those in the M-Center before I left for Eldulf. I will follow the directions of the Elders and have begun the exploration of the system adjacent to Egbinger. It is peaceful out here. I am mapping my first stellar core of a 0.0 system. There is a significant Vherokior presence in this area of space. Something tells me that the Elders know something about me that I do not. It is a strange feeling.

As per instructions from the Vherokior Elders, I have embarked on a short exploration of null space, including my first scanning, pinpointing and travel through a wormhole into unknown space.

I made a big mistake and revealed my inexperience. Sometime anxiety can be our worst enemy. I had been told to be careful when coming through a wormhole to get away fairly quick because there are often pirates and gankers ready to kill you upon exit. That I did. However, I failed to mark the wormhole for my return to known space. Oops.

The system was deserted and very peaceful. I thought to myself, “One could spend a long time just travelling and wandering through the unknown. How peaceful, how tranquil.” But, in the back of my soul, I felt that this was not my destiny. Something seemed to be calling me back to the mission of bringing freedom to others. I long for the solitude and separation, but in spite of the feeling of peace, there is no peace if I am not doing what I should do.

I need to speak to the Elders of this.

It took a long time to scan it back down. I kept getting real close but couldn’t hit 100%. Finally I did. I left that lonely system with some sadness. It was a beautiful place.

When I returned to Egbinger there was a message from the Elders to return to Eldulf at my convenience for counsel. I wonder what they will say.

I like what you are doing, but I suggest that you take extreme care about where you deploy your service hounds. Slaver hounds are an icon of oppression and terror for our people, and in many places in the Republic they may be ill-received even as helpers. Just imagine how horrible it might be for a recently freed slave who bears real scars from real encounters who ran into one of your helper hounds on a narrow street. I know that you engage with your resident Elders on many of your programs, but you will need to expand your outreach to the communities in question here, and be patient because I am sure that you will see a lot of skepticism. There are a great many Matari in need but you might actually want to start your placements with Amarrians first, as at least there the recipients will not suffer any additional social stigma from having such a companion.

Also - congratulations on your coming Voluval! You have my best wishes that your mark is a worthy one. It is a fairly standard practice to include your mark on your clones, and you can add a simple clause to your clone contract to have it copied. Some traditionalists may even question you if you do not. As far as I know the cloned version is merely a decorative copy of the final pattern - it's not like the shamans are about to share their closely-guarded formulas with the other Empires, and anyway most clones are sculpted from biomass and polymers and might react differently than your original body. I don't know the formulas myself so I can only guess about that.

I suppose that a few capsuleers might be able to use their connections and wealth to convince a shaman to give them a new injection in the hopes of getting a different mark or one in a different spot. Anyone who has would keep quiet about it - it would be quite shameful. I know one Minmatar capsuleer who had the mark moved while living outside the Republic but I am not about to tell you who that was. I have hopes that said pilot will return home someday.

I had read accounts of the Voluval before and witnessed but one. Tyrosine and ventril root injections were prepared but the first thing I really noticed was the smell of the cleansing anointment. The sounds of the humming and the rhythms were strange but intoxicating to the mind. The Voluval had begun. One went in the heart, the other in the lumbar. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain, but the adrenaline of the moment helped quite a bit. After the course of the ceremony, the conductor bid me rise.

I cannot see it! There is no mark! The Elders said, “there is indeed a mark. It is in the center of your back, exactly where it should be.” “You have received the Sankofa, just as we foresaw that you would in our visions.” “You were sent into the unknown, to test your feelings, Manwe.” “And you have confirmed to us what the visions reveal.” Let me see it! Let me see it! Mirrors were arranged so that I could see the symbol emblazed in melanin in the skin of my back. “I don’t like it!” “It isn’t masculine.” “My back looks like the back of a woman!” “It is shameful to receive your mark on the back.” I was distraught when I first saw what the Elders called the “Sankofa.” I thought the spirits had played a cruel joke on me. Then they explained it to me and I understood.

The Elders began, In our visions we saw your destiny calling you back to help your people, your forgotten, enslaved people. In our visions we saw your destiny as a Capsuleer going back to the knowledge you have gained and bringing it into the future for benevolent use and the good of others. We did not see warrior images, Manwe. Your strength is one of healer, rescuer, protector, not warrior.

The Sankofa is a sacred symbol of mission. The Spirit has called you from your wanderings to accomplish a divine purpose. You yearn for solitude, loneliness, and serenity. These are your natural longings as a Drifter. But this is not your destiny. Your testing confirmed what the visions revealed. You are called from your drifting to accomplish the Sankofa. “What is Sankofa?” I asked.

The Elders continued: It is the Sanko; “the going back.” And it is the Fa “to take.” “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi.” “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” In your testing, you were tempted to forsake your destiny of freeing your brethren, but your soul felt the destiny stronger than you felt the need to wander. Yes, usually a back mark is one of humiliation, but you have chosen the life of a man of peace, not the life of a warrior. For a warrior, a back mark is a mark of shame and cowardice. For a man of peace a back mark is a sign of humility, but that of his own choice and not of cowardice. Your choices are courage of their own right. Regret not your choices, Manwe. Don’t long for a warrior’s mark if you are not a warrior. Your war is a different one and your weapons are not those of killing but those of saving.

Now, fulfill your destiny. Keep the work you have begun as your foremost passion for you must fulfill the Sankofa; it is your mark. Don’t forsake your longings though, for in them and in your drive to explore the serene, you will find ways to accomplish the Sankofa. You will also find the refreshment needed to sustain you.

Sankofa: Go back and take. I will go back and take my brethren to places of freedom. I will go back and take the forgotten ones out of the places of death and into places of life. I must fulfill the Sankofa.

i can think on no better mark to be bestowed, todako-san

i think i understand now a blessing verin gave me once, though i do not believe i deserved it as much as you do now:
"makers-in-the-dream follow and protect you for all your days and all your nights"

congratulations!

ST

Our new office in Egbinger is now partially staffed. Since our Matriculants are now staffing most everything back here in high security space, we were able to transfer our outside hired security staff to the new office in 0.1 space. For now, each of the divisions just has a security superviser, 3 security officers, and 5 security patrolmen or women. We have not yet staffed the offices and the security will pull double duty until that happens. Some supplies such as food and research supplies have been brought in with the first transport. When we are satisfied that security is established, faculty, students, maintenance staff, secretarial staff, etc will be brought in on the second transport. Our hired security executive has also made the transfer as his skills are more needed in Egbinger.

The Devil is in the details, as they say. Many of our Matriculants were technical professionals on capsuleer and military ships before being rescued. As such, they posses unique skills. We hire many of them particularly to look after our computer systems aboard our covert transport ops. How important is it that the captain tells the tech crew all the details of what is happening on any particular trip? Vital!

On the trip out, I occupied a clone body that had two hardwire augmentations that included small bonuses to CPU performance. Because I wanted better training times, I switched to a clone with standard implants that was already in system. I did not let my crew know of the change. For transport of illegal cargo and for travel through low sec, our computer mechanics play the vital role of making sure that nothing goes wrong with the computers. While the cloaking operation is our priority, the default computer program may see otherwise.

Out of station we warped to the gate for our first jump when I noticed that the warp drive was offline. The crew acted very quickly in putting our probe launcher offline and putting cloak online the instant we were out of warp at the gate. Arriving at the other side, we now had cloak. My apology to the crew for not briefing them on the change. Though only minute, it was enough that the computer shut down the cloak module by default. That is an oops on my part that could have cost lives.

We have corrected the CPU problem by removing one warp core stabilizer and replacing it with a inertial stabilizer. Safety of our passengers is our priority while keeping our ships ready for 0.0 and wormhole space.

EVERYONE IS GUILTY

Let us posit this proposition as true: Everyone is guilty of wrongdoing of one sort or another. There is no human or capsuleer infomorphed corporeal being who has not or does not continue to ere morally and ethically to one degree or another.

No one can claim moral perfection. For the moral relativist, this is a rather meaningless statement, but this post is addressed more toward those who tend to claim a standard of ideals or religion. I recently was struck by the statement of a young ideologue (borrowing Edaine's language). This person made the statement that they had followed the right spiritual path without deviation. Without asking that person for clarification, I want to examine such a claim just by virtue of the claim itself, without the benefit of further context.

Those of you who accept a certain spiritual path might be able to see the path with greater clarity if you admitted that you cannot, in your imperfection, always walk on it. We are all guilty of straying, sometimes just a little, other times quite a bit. Combine this with the enormous power, influence and destructive ability of the capsuleer and we have potential for a conflagration of murderous hatred that is difficult to quench. "I am right and you are wrong and I will kill you to prove it." Hmm, I think thou dost protest too much.

I have found that the closer to "right" you are, the less extreme you become in argument and the less likely to strike the first blow.

If your spiritual path does not lead you to a self-awareness of your own sin, it isn't a path to truth.