22-09-YC123

How I wish I could overcome my innate sickness when it comes to reawakening in a new clone.  Alas, some people simply do not take to it.  My own foolish mistake in all honesty.  I should never have been so complacent!  Why would I ever think that the Raravath gate might not be the site of an ambush?  Well, it was, and I, and my ship, fell afoul of it.  Will we ever be free of these infidel pirates?

However, as frustrating as all that is, I cannot let a minor setback, if it can be called even that, dampen my mood for the recent positive events that have, through the Grace of God, come to pass.

 Firstly, Ishta returned from her mission into the Koval's home, and with more success than I ever could have hoped for.  Uncovering murder!  Such horrific tragedy for those young women, but this is something that cannot be ignored.  That the son of a noble would do such things!  Lord Osowiec has been informed and has already conducted an investigation.  We shall see what the outcome is soon enough, though I think with the addition of certain information found on Lord Koval's databank systems, that House shall not stand much longer.

Ishta's finding of Nara as an unexpected ally was indeed a Godsend.  Without that brave young slave planting a remote device in Lord Koval's own chambers we would never have gotten that information onto his systems.  Though she shall never know the part she has played, she shall be well rewarded.

Beyond that, of course, is the happiest news of all.  Celebrations for it have been occurring all over Nakri, as one might expect given the popularity of both the Praetorians and Khimi Harar.  Many will see our joining together as a bright beacon of hope for Amarr's future, and well they might.  I, too, greet this union with joyous heart.  I cannot even begin to list all the positive effect it shall have, but first and foremost to my mind is the closer co-operation that shall spring from it.  Such a natural evolution of our long-standing friendship and alliance was, I believe, inevitable, and I am grateful to see it come to pass.

One outcome I did not expect, though, was Lilya applying to become an Initiate.  She was accepted, of course, how could she not be?  But although I was surprised at her application, I am not unhappy at it.  Quite the opposite.  True, there is likely much that she and I must discuss on a personal level, but I know very well we shall benefit from her presence here.

I suppose I must look to replacing my ship.  We have been carrying out operations against blockades in Domain systems and I would not wish to miss the opportunity to again see the majesty of Praetorian ships alongside those of our brothers and sisters in the rest of Khimi Harar.

God and the Eternal Empress Bless Us All!

 27-08-YC123

Aldrith is leaving us.  I am not sure what I feel about that exactly.  It does not, in fact, surprise me, but something does seem rather ironic about it.  He finds himself, as ever, the darling of our Lord Sarum, so perhaps he feels he has outgrown the Praetorians.  It has been clear for some time that Aldrith's loyalties do not follow the same hierarchy as the Praetorians in general.

I am just curious as to where he places himself.

Doubtless the enemy within will try to make some sort of meaningless propaganda from it.  I could not care less.  I have every faith in Chapter Master Lok'ri leading us forward.  I expect Aldrith will manage to take one or two of the others with him into whatever Sarum levy he is establishing, but I shall be neither asking nor be asked to join.  Being accepted into the Order is still, and shall always be, my proudest achievement, and when I took my vows and swore my oaths, I meant them.

Someone has to.

 22-08-YC123

Going to the ball was exactly the correct decision.

Such a wonderful night, and I am quite sure everyone present had a delightful time.  The music was absolutely divine.  Firstly an orchestra, followed by Arline performing a very heartfelt and moving piano piece.  I fear she does not give herself the credit she deserves for her talent, but not only that, there was something very personal about the piece.  Quite brave of her to play it at such an event and I must make time to speak to her about it.

Arline was followed by a traditional ensemble, who played some very lively tunes.  I thought the waltz was enjoyable enough, but when the dancing became even more energetic, the night really came alive, and one of the highlights must surely have been the Chapter Master performing a sword dance!  I never would have dreamed of seeing such a sight, but I am very glad I did.

Utari and his dear Lady Lasairiona had some very happy news.  They are engaged! Not a surprise in the slightest, of course, as they have made such a handsome couple for as long as I can remember, but an excellent excuse for added joyfulness.

The Directrix and her husband were there also, as was Gah'Matar, amongst many others.  It is heart-warming to see our allies at these occasions for it speaks of the close bonds of Loyal and Faith we all share.  Ishta even brought Sasha along, and though I did not get to speak with them much, every time I looked over they seemed to be enjoying themselves, especially in the faster paced dances.

I am glad to say I did my own fair share of dancing, and I had the sweetest partner for the evening.  Dear Riccoda overcame his inherent shyness and I am very pleased he did.  He is quite the accomplished dancer and a most attentive gentlemen.  There are many who could learn from his example of how to properly treat a lady.

And now I know he has a hidden side and a far deeper quality.  If the Chapter Master's sword dance was unexpected, how then should I describe Riccoda's main action of the evening?  It quite took my breath away.  We had just sat down to eat and rest ourselves from a dance, when, without a word of warning, he presented to me the most beautiful little polished wooden box.  I thought, for a moment, he was going to propose!  But no, inside was, or rather is, for I have it here in front of me as I write, a small bottle, sealed tight, filled with the clearest, purest water.  It is, he told me, the last of the water from the well his family maintained for centuries - 2700 years old!  I still do not entirely understand why he has given such an important family artefact to me, but I know from what he told me that for him to do so is such a momentous, important act for him.  It came from his heart, and it symbolises so much more than a family legacy.  He spoke, just for a moment, of now being the only heir of his family name, but would say no more.  He also mentioned some very strange, something about how this well, that his family had protected for countless generations, had been destroyed by someone from Nakri!  At least, that is what it sounded like.  He would say nothing further and I do not wish to press him on such a delicate, perhaps painful, subject.  I may tell him of his own volition, in time.  I pray that he does.

So I shall hold this gift close to my heart and keep it safe from all possible danger.  A small kiss seems such a poor return for something of such pricelessness, and so I shall look for something I can give in return, to show dear Riccoda that I recognise the honour he does me.  Perhaps there is an ancient wrong that must be righted.

Or perhaps it is a sign of what the future should bring.

 20-08-YC123

Ishta is now inserted into the Koval household.  Not as her, of course.  Quite strange and wonderful the things that can be done with cloning technology.

I am not sure what she expects to find, though I suppose that if there is indeed anything to find, this will be the most likely method of doing so.  She is in constant contact with Control, though should anything go awry - and I pray to God and the Eternal Empress they do not - I do not, in all honesty, really know what we could do.  It is not as if we could suddenly storm the home of our rivals.  Rather foolishly we did not finalise Ishta's exit strategy, at least not to my satisfaction, but Ishta does have a rather wildly cavalier streak so I should not be so surprised.

The Tribals attempted some operation or other above Floseswin.  It seems to have caused something of a stir in the Imperial militia who, for some strange reason, accused Aldrith of all people of disloyalty and heresy!  Heresy.  Those idiots barely know the meaning of the word, they just throw it around whenever someone, anyone, does anything they dislike.  That jumped up gopnitsa Saronu Yassavi is the worst for it, although as one might expect her influence in this case is hidden in the background, manipulating others to do her bidding.  If anyone is a traitor it is her.  Fortunately, however, a rather strong comment from Olacar Xer Sarum has more than stopped any foolishness, even it no doubt has also inflated Aldrith's ego to near-dangerous proportions.

I tease.  That said, I am pleased Aldrith did stop whatever the Tribals were attempting.  Whilst Operation Snegovschina is still underway, I would rather there was as little activity as possible from the enemy.  The more the general population on Floseswin believe that their would-be liberators are seeing traitors and enemies everywhere and targeting even the innocent, the better.  How fortunate that human nature means their will always be someone willing to secure their position with the winning side.

It has not been all work and plotting.  The Directrix - Directrix Phonaga as she is now - gave a wonderful garden tour.  The children's garden in particular was delightful, and I have asked if we can meet for a talk about how such a thing might be created here in Nakri as a space for the many refugee children, some of whom are orphans, that fled here after the Raravoss disaster.  They deserve something to help them recover.  There is also the astounding environmental system that the Directrix developed to consider.  The dear Directrix was also kind enough to let me stay awhile in the reproduction of a Dam-Torsad garden, with it's beautiful statue of Saint Jamyl.  Miss Hennver accompanied me, and what an interesting young woman she is.  Most friendly, one has to say, and certain very open, but she seems a kind, caring soul.  She spoke of looking to work with the Praetorians, as she has worked with Khimi Harar.  I cannot make that sort of decision, of course, but if I am asked my opinion I shall say that I find her pleasant and positive.

There is also a ball tomorrow, held by ourselves.  In honesty, I am not sure, given past experiences, I am really suited to such functions, and I am tempted to make my excuses, but I suppose I should really attend, especially as we, the Praetorians that is, are the hosts.  After all, I cannot imagine there will be anyone there who is likely to sour my mood or make things difficult by their presence, so perhaps I should take the opportunity.  We have had some new Initiates too, including Lady Renaud, and perhaps Celeste and Amicia will be there.

I really should go.

 06-08-YC123

Foundation Day!

God Bless Amarr! God Bless Empress Catiz! God Bless Lord Sarum!

God and The Eternal Empress Bless us all!

 30-07-YC123

I am considering relocating again.  The warzone is, for the time being, in no danger from the Tribals, and my time here is spent largely assisting regular Imperial forces secure strategic sites with the absolute minimum of trouble.  Indeed, I have only seen one Tribal in this past week, and she scurried away as quickly as possible as soon as I appeared on her D-Scan.  It may be worth my time undertaking duties with the Navy again, and I am sure Papa's old colleagues have plenty of tasks.

Ishta appears to have had a change of heart.  Well, not exactly.  She still intends to eliminate the Kovals, but now she wishes to bring a case to the Speakers of Truth!  It seems she has finally not only listened to reason, but also recognised who the heir to this Family is.  I think she hopes to repair things between us, and I cannot deny I would rather that than live with a constant tension between us.  Perhaps we clash because, in reality, we are so similar in many ways.

I am not entirely convinced that the matter will be of interest to the Speakers, or of what, exactly, Ishta intends to bring before them.  There are cruel Holders across the Empire, and if it were considered a serious enough matter for the Speakers, then surely they would have become involved long before now.  Still, it can do no harm, so far as I can see, to allow Ishta to follow this idea, and if the Speakers reject it she may even give up on her crusade against the Kovals altogether.  I do not deny they are an unpleasant family, but there are more serious threats to contend with, threats that I think Ishta's energy and skills would be far better turned against.

I shall give her a call and speak to her.

 27-07-YC123

I find myself unable to care at the news about Nauplius' latest threatened atrocity.  I should care, I imagine, but I do not.  It is just another part of an endless, now meaningless, cycle.  The Unclean Force comes upon me once again and my mind is plagued with the bleakest of outlooks.  We, the Empire, ought to make use of this useful idiot, but we do not.  There shall undoubtedly be reprisals against anyone with even the vaguest connection to the Empire, and is there ever a better reason to secure the safety of Her Imperial Majesty's loyal subjects?  We could justify annexing the entire warzone, but every weak-willed pacifist would rather see such innocents murdered than dare to upset the status-quo.  They will cry out about Accords and CONCORD treaties and other empty nonsense, rather than allowing the heroes who have brought us such an glittering victory be fully unleashed against the enemy.

We cannot even deal properly with the enemy within.  Ishta obsesses about the Kovals, but they are nothing more that our rivals, not a symptom of the sickness that infects our Empire.  She ought to focus her energies on people like Yassavi, who belittle the achievements of our militia simply to further a bizarre personal vendetta against we Praetorians, and in so doing opens rifts that the Tribals leap at to exploit.  Of course, when I point this out, the fool bitch accuses me of "welcoming an enemy".  If anyone is working against the Empire it is her.

Yet, of course, nothing is done.  Little wonder I feel disheartened again.

Amicia has been one ray of light, however.  I hope that very soon we shall finalise the agreement with her family to import certain items that cannot be sourced in Nakri.  Clearly her family has had more than a lifetime of faithful service, but has not once been recognised properly.  I hope having my family at patrons will be accepted as a suitable first gesture.  There shall be so much more than that, of course.  Poor Amicia is most frustrated at Ishta meteoric rise in fortunes, and little wonder.  I think I shall have a firm ally there when the time arises.

Foundation Day celebrations shall be upon us very soon.  I pray this malaise passes before then.