– by Sajarus

The elders are the keepers of knowledge. They told us stories when we were little, tell us stories now. They tell us stories they heard from their elders, and from their elders’ elders. They told us of the Original World, of Matar. They speak of lush fields, clear water, bright sky. They speak of wealth and prosperity. They speak of all this, until the First Invasion came. During the First Invasion, the sky was darkened by demons, and rained Minmatar blood. The waters turned brown and murky; the fields made fallow by death and pestilence. This was the Day of Darkness.

The Elders told us that these Sky Demons were known as Amarrians. The Amarrians enslaved us, made us work their mines, their fields. The Amarrians made us their oxen, made us work until we died. They tried to break us, but the elders kept us strong. The elders told storied of Matar, kept us free in mind and spirit. Eventually we threw out the Amarrians, reclaimed our honor as a people. We showed that the Minmatar were strong, that we would not be oppressed. That we would be free.

Now, the elders speak of the Second Invasion. They tell of our world, of home. They tell of green grass, blue water, white clouds. They tell of peace and serenity. They speak of new evil. The sky is darkened again, not with demons, but with gods. Immortal beings who command ships that stretch further than you can see. The sky rains, not with the blood of the Matari, but living, breathing men and women. The sky rains Matari. They come to steal, say the elders. They come to kill the planet. To destroy its beauty. They come with their machines, their factories, their guns. They come for our lives, say the elders. To make us as we were under the Amarrians.

We have never doubted the elders. Now, though, we know that they are wrong. The sky gods come not to enslave, but to seek our help. They come for our supplies, our resources. The sky gods want us to work, to produce implements of war to be used against the Amarrians, those that enslaved us, made us beasts of toil. They want us to work, and we answer the call. The work is hard. It is dangerous. We know, however, that it is nothing compared to those on the front line against Amarr. Our toil in the mines and the factories ensures their success, and for that, we work.

The elders have told us many things, but now we tell them. They tell us to admire the planet, to fight those traitors that would take the beauty from us. To revolt against the betrayers who would enslave their fellow Matari. We know that they are wrong, and we tell them. We tell them that, should we ever hope to defeat the true enslavers, the planet must reveal its treasures. The sky gods must come, we must work. We tell them to look beyond the planet, to look at the sky. We are not citizens of our planet, we tell them. We are citizens of The Minmatar Republic. We tell them that this is what must happen to defeat the enemy they have told stories about, but they do not listen. So we ignore them now, let them hold to their beliefs. They will be drowned by the truth, and then we will tell them. We will tell them that it is our duty as Matari.

We will tell them, and they will listen.