There is no education like adversity.

searching a site of some past destruction

My initial investigations have been underway. I have been searching the route between Amarr Prime and the Araz constellations searching for evidence of the migration of the Takmahl. After several days I was finding much of the detritus of thousands of years of space travel but little of the signs I sought.

At that point I began to look at where I have been travelling. The realisation that I had been in high security space the entire survey struck me. The route was one that has been laid down for centuries and well traveled. Could it be the sites along that way had been picked over in the intervening years? I put down any doubt of the discovery to my original hypothesis that if it had been found there would be tell.

So I decided to take to low security space to conduct my search. This did begin to lift my spirits as I found two sites of archaeological note. One site held the ruins of some past conflict but evidence did not seem to indicate the period I was interested in. The second however turned out to be an ancient cryoship. I have scanned this and taken footage from camera drones sent through the wreckage. This will require some greater analysis but at first look, may have been a later diaspora of the Sani Sabik rather than the original Takmahl.

Alas in my enthusiasm for the search I let down my guard for a moment. In the cutthroat world of the lawless territories this was all that was needed. Another capsuleer had tracked me down and I was attacked. A fierce battle between a pirate Proteus and my Legion ensued but alas I my ship was rigged for exploration with limited self defence. Despite this the "Omid" held up well but was lost.

While the Strategic cruisers that have come from the exploration of Anoikis have been a great boon they have a significant drawback. There is something about mating the capsule with their interface that causes a great neural shock on the occasion of the ships destruction. This feedback has left me unsteady so the last day I spent quietly visiting the trade hubs of Amarr and Jita to obtain a replacement for my ship and her equipment. This I have achieved and taken her out for a shake down trip. I discovered a wormhole to distant Aridia. On passing through the wormhole the unease and slight discomfort from the loss of my ship passed and I felt myself once more. I do not know why but have taken it as a sign of the Lord of his satisfaction that I have begun my search once more.

Scanning the remains of an ancient cryoship for information

I shall take some days to review the data I have obtained and review what I have discovered so far. While there has been some adversity I can not but feel elated that the background research is paying out and the physical steps down this path has begun.

Inquiry is fatal to certainty

I have made it to Site One. Crossing the war zone in the Bleak Lands was a challenge in both directions but I was able to avoid both the tribalists and Pirates despite their gate camps.

There were no capsuleers present but a considerable baseliner staff. They were most helpful finding me quarters and facilitating my research. I ended up staying at the for three days going over their libraries and the results of the many research teams that had once been busy here. It seemed that use of the facilities and the large scale research had petered off. I can only speculate if this is the result of the Empyrean war or some other aspect has drawn capsuleers away. I have obtained copies of all the research which pertains to the Takmahl, and more besides. You never know how one thing may lead to another. 

While I have not discovered any significant breakthrough in my search things do seem to indicate the Takmahl were indeed highly proficient in cybernetics and bioengineering. These support the possibilities that they had access to the Ametat and Avetat and have built this in building their own civilization. That they seemed to have progressed from a group of settlers to a high technology multi star system civilization implies, to me at least, that they had something to guide them. From their abhorrent practices it could not have been God, but perverting the gifts of the Sefrim? We shall see. Something has propelled them beyond their means, even if I do not find what I seek mayhaps I will find something that will help against the Sani sabik.

It appears the next stage of my journey is in the Araz constellation, I am planning some small scale investigation but I may soon need seek the aid of the Society. 

leaving Site One