As a young Brutor slave under the care of Master Cho, I endured much, but I also learned a great deal. My daily tasks started early and often took me into the long hours of the night. Everything I did was to please my Master, to please the Emperor whom was revered as God, and to expunge all blasphemy from my soul, though I could never be pure and holy by simple virtue of being a Minmatar.

There was a small pond near our home, and I often would stop there during my work for a quick break. I had taken to putting tadpoles in a bucket and watching them develop over the season into frogs. It wasn’t that I had a particular fascination for frogs, it was just of utter interest to me to watch how something so small and simple could transform into something else so entirely complex.

I learned Amarr religion was paramount to their cultural existence; the two could not be separated. From top level politics to every bylaw, state and religion were one and the same, and still are to this day. I absorbed the beliefs of the Amarr like a sponge does water, always thirsty for more. I yearned to be whole, to have my soul cleansed and set free.

The key to the Amarr beliefs was their Saviour, whom the Emperor was the physical incarnation of. It was the Emperor who forgave sins, who led us into the destined future we were promised since the Saviour originally appeared to man and sacrificed himself to God on our behalf, washing away our sins. 

I don’t know why it struck me the way it did that fateful summer afternoon, but as I sat by the pond looking down into the bucket of maturing frogs I had collected, my heart went out of them. It had been drilled into my head that I myself was nothing more than a dumb animal, a subclass of humanity, and if it wasn’t for the Saviour’s sacrifice I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to embrace the truth. Well, frogs were animals too. I wondered if anyone had every told them about the Saviour’s grace.

I gathered them all up on the grass, and began to preach the truth at them. I was pretty sure they weren’t understanding, but being young and naive I assumed it was my inability to communicate at a level they understood.

God inspired me with an idea. My heart felt lifted as I set about fulfilling His calling. 

I picked up one of the frogs and crucified it, nailing it to a nearby tree. As it hung there, mangled and bleeding, I positioned the other frogs in front of it so they could visually reference the story of the Saviour. It was then that Master Cho came by, and I was keen to show him what I had done, not thinking of any potential trouble I could’ve been in; not aware of the time I had spent here this afternoon and how my duties had suffered for it.

Master Cho stared at my beaming face, then at the frog hanging on the tree. “What have you done, dog?” He snarled at me.

I felt my joy sucked away like stars into a blackhole. I was suddenly fearful, feeling foolish, and began crying. “Tell me what you have done, cur.” Master Cho repeated with impatience.

With a sobbing voice I began to explain my intentions with the frogs to Master Cho. I didn’t even see his first backhand coming, which caused a white flash in front of my vision. As I lay on the ground, tasting blood in my mouth, my Master physically taught me the mistake of my blasphemy. 

He broke my bones. He pierced my organs. I was numb from the pain, and don’t recall blacking out, but I do remember believing that I would die, and that I deserved to.

—

DAL SYSTEM
REPUBLIC FLEET LOGISTICS

“You’re a sick fuck, Wieler.” Sard Caid said, as I gave him a personal inspection of my newest Firetail. Sard and I had been discussing lately what possible virtue I could see in this ship class. We had debated it at length, each conceding points to the other, but eventually I figured you really just had to see it up close, to experience it personally to understand its appeal.

Sard stood there, shaking his head. 

We all have our own rituals I suppose. Many of us took pride in naming our ships. But more than that, many pod pilots, myself included, added our own little flare to our vessels. For me, I enjoyed nailing an Amarr corpse from a previous kill to the bow of my ship. It served as more than a visual deterrant to the enemy, it was a mockery of all they were. And it made me smile. The frogs would understand.

“To each their own.” Sard continued, as we turned and walked out of the hangar bay together towards the Black Hole Pub, continuing to discuss a great many engaging topics.