“He wasn’t out to make a buck. He sold basically at cost, and would make as many as requested. We would have paid a lot more,” said Hebark Tooten, director of a mining colony in Postouvin. Another director from the same system, Freid Lefebre, said, “He was the only one protecting us from being victims. If Sansha comes for us – any of us – CONCORD can’t protect us, the Empires combined can’t protect us… who are we supposed to rely on? The capsuleers? They’re just as likely to kill us even if they do manage to stop a Sansha raid. What other options do we have?”

The prosecution asked for a short recess, which the judge denied. The string of witnesses speaking out in the accused’s defense continued. Said Gael Sorchine, director of still another colony that had contacted Allendreau to purchase the suicide pill: “The Nation promises the death of liberty, the capsuleers promise death. If we are the victims in this case, it is not Mr. Allendreau that made us so.”

“We may be the child brother of the Tribes, and people in our tribe may have beliefs that some find strange, but that does not mean we have to turn the other cheek. We have little in the way of culture, but we do have a way of life worth protecting, a way of life worth dying for,” said Milisi spokesman Jeoran Setul in the announcement. “Some of our tribe have decided to keep their beliefs despite living in an environment hostile to those beliefs, and we admire them for it and stand by their side, because they are our brothers. We are the Minmatar, we are the Tribe, and we are the Republic. Those who attack us are enemies of everything we are.”

Soger Neyd, representing the security forces of the Servant Sisters of EVE’s refugee camps in the region, spoke in support of the Milisi. “Though I fear this can lead to further escalation if left unchecked, I absolutely applaud this effort to protect the freedoms of a relatively small religious group.”

The Milisi has received statements of support from other Tribes in the Republic, especially the Brutor Tribe which has pledged to actively support the Milisi efforts with hardware and training. The Starkman Milisi consists mainly of ethnic Starkmanir who served in the Tribe’s various regional militias and police forces during their life in the Ammatar Mandate, and claims modern military training over the past two years.

As a cleric of the Amarr faith, Uldas Dreeter had been touring the Republic for several months. He had visited many refugee communities and was one of the most widely known religious figures in the Starkmanir tribe. His visit to Abudban yesterday was one of the last he had scheduled on his tour, after which he would have returned to his home on Rens III. Amarrian faithful throughout the Republic gave Dreeter a moment of silence out of respect for his work.

“He was one of our best bets for uniting the tribe,” said Fredivar Parch, a member of Dreeter’s tour staff.

Culturally motivated violence toward Minmatar adhering to the Amarr faith continues to ravage refugee settlements in the region.The Brutor Tribe has stated it will only implement complete segregation in the most extreme cases, calling the current process “a method of acclimatization.” The Sisters of EVE have decried the statement, saying it implies the Republic is trying to punish or eradicate faithful Minmatar. The Brutor Tribe has fiercely denied this accusation, instead blaming government-defined guidelines on refugee processing.

A group calling themselves Free Our Families has claimed responsibility with a statement issued to press. “The Amarrian slave holders in this play are cast as thinly disguised caricatures of Shakor and the other tribal chiefs. This goes beyond racism. If the MPT will not shut down this parliament-funded propaganda, we will shut it down for them.”

A tearful Jaken Lagos, the show’s director, said “We weren’t trying to make a political statement about slavery or Shakor or anything else. We were just trying to make beautiful art.” The play’s sets, costumes and props were destroyed in the blast. The MPT has said it will not restage ‘Plantation.’

The protest remained peaceful until the curtain closed. As the crowd exited the theatre, the protest shifted gears and became violent. The minimal police force present was briefly overwhelmed, but quickly regained control of the crowd. “This production is not racist, it’s traitorous,” exclaimed one protester as he was arrested.

Wentach Mennar, an ex-member of parliament for the Representative Party, said “It was a good show. An important show. We have been without a parliament for over a year and it is good that someone is asking these questions. People are becoming impatient.”

Once put in touch with company head Pierre Allendreau, authorities quickly moved to shut down the manufacturer. On-site they found over five million ‘Liberty’ pills, after which they swiftly arrested Allendreau, charging him with over 50 infractions. Six other employees were arrested and then released without charges. Officials say they have not ruled out the possibility of criminal charges being laid on employees and middle men, as well as prospective buyers.

Upon analysis of the pills it was discovered that each one contained a small cluster of nanobots, the function of which is still unknown. The crew was held for questioning, but none of them, nor anyone on the colony in Yvaeroure, has claimed any knowledge of how the cargo came to be on the ship, or what the pills’ purpose is.

Formerly nomadic, nearly half of the members of the Fuldis caravan opted to form a permanent settlement last fall, choosing Ryddinjorn as their new home. Since that time, the lukewarm welcome has turned to outright suspicion, culminating in today’s outbreak of widespread vandalism and protests.

Many residents are suspicious of the Thukkers’ motives for settling down. “Everyone knows that the Thukker will adopt anyone,” said Amadou Zoreya, a local Brutor man. “They come here, fill our kids’ heads full of wild stories about deep space, and lure them into their caravans. It’s not right.”

These Thukker maintain that their nomadic days are behind them, however. “We just want to fit in,” said Emmen Ulffsson, one of the resettled Thukker. “We want to live our lives and prosper just like everyone else.”

But the cultural divisions go deeper. During the Amarr occupation, the pragmatic Thukker viewed mobility as the best defense against enslavement. But to proud Brutor tribesmen, this same mobility was viewed as tantamount to cowardice. Raelan Kahoku, a Hrangsdor Brutor elder said simply, “I would rather die fighting than flee into space,” and it seems this sentiment is widely shared.

Authorities have brought the situation in Hrangsdor under control, but the violence has left many Thukker once again contemplating relocation. Lamented Ulffsson, “Maybe our nomadic days aren’t quite over yet.”