The Sisters of Eve

From the standpoint of the general public, the Sisters of Eve (SOE) are a force for good.  Formed as a neutral humanitarian aid organization to provide aid to those in need during the century-long Gallente-Caldari War, the Sisters saw further action in the subsequent Amarr-Jove conflict and in the Minmatar Rebellion.  The respect they earned during those formative events in New Eden’s history earned them near universal appreciation and unhindered access to all regions of the Cluster at all times.  Wearing an SOE badge on your shoulder is, for all intents and purposes, a pass through even the most dangerous regions of space.

At its core, however, the Sisters are a religious organization centered around the Eve Gate.  Adherents to their monotheistic philosophy believe that the Gate is a sacred relic; a gateway to their God that, when opened, will bring everlasting peace and enlightenment to New Eden.  While they unlock the mysteries of this artifact, they feel compelled to engage in humanitarian efforts and their faith and benevolence has attracted followers from Gallente, Caldari, Minmatar, and Amarr space.

Administratively, the Sisters of Eve consist of three internal divisions.  The first is the eponymous Sisters of Eve.  Consisting of highly trained rescue workers and aid specialists, the Sisters division provides the bulk of the organization’s manpower and is the high-profile, forward facing arm that is most likely responsible for the familiar “face” of the SOE.  While their activities in times of war and in search and rescue operations are legendary, they are also renowned for their stations outside of Empire space which provide refuge for all those in need.

The second division is Food Relief.  As a logistics and administrative division, they are responsible for the delivery of resources like food and medical supplies to parties in need.  At least two Chronicle sources suggest that while Food Relief has never withheld or otherwise denied deliveries, they may have a tendency to…drag their feet a little if it should further the SOE’s agenda in a given scenario.  Regardless of how much Food Relief may or may not dabble in the milieu of New Eden politics, they are clearly an indispensable part of this SOE organization and a welcome sight to all those in need.

The third division is the most complicated and the most secretive.  Generally hidden from the prying eyes of the public is one of the most cryptic organizations in New Eden: the Sanctuary.  While the rest of the SOE ostensibly operates under the strict tenets of their faith, the Sanctuary appears to be far more secular and far more open to ideas and operations that might even be said to border on heresy.  Their official function is to serve as the scientific arm of the Sisters (an R&D department with a mandate to study the Eve Gate) but that is only part of their purpose.  The Sanctuary also conducts indispensable research on capsuleer behavior, troop movements, combat stress avoidance, modes of transportation (i.e. Stratios cryptic warp technology), etc.  Though all this can be framed in the context of keeping the Sisters safe, it can also be perceived as preparing the Sisters for war.

Not that the Sisters aren’t ready for combat.  The SOE training syllabus emphasizes self defense and all three of their ships, the Sanctuary-developed Astero frigate, Stratios cruiser, and Nestor battlehip, are robust vessels capable of considerable firepower and stamina.  In the case of the Astero and Stratios, they are also capable of traveling great distances entirely unseen (even at warp).  This means that the Sisters are able to transport large amounts of personnel, equipment, and firepower throughout the Cluster without ever being noticed.  To date, the Sisters have presumably used this immense tactical advantage responsibly for benevolent reasons, but no one can really say for sure.

Aside from research and development, the Sanctuary also operates a secret highly-trained paramilitary wing that appears to be reserved for high-stakes special operations, such as the recovery of dangerous artifacts.  While the exact motivations for behind these operations and operatives are unknown, there have been rumours of theo-technological occultism and an intense anti-capsuleer agenda driving these strange endeavors and pushing the Sanctuary away from its SOE cohorts.  Conversely, the very same activities and their participants could be framed from the standpoint of efforts to save the cluster from itself by removing cataclysmic objects from the environment.

It is also worth noting that, while the Sanctuary may be the most overtly-critical and distrusting of capsuleers, all members of the SOE typically don’t look too kindly on them.  From their standpoint, capsuleers are an unruly and unethical lot.  They wreak havoc on the cluster and leave their own ship crews for dead every time they eject their pods into space and save themselves from a losing firefight.  They are pain and mayhem, fire and destruction, incarnate.  To the Sisters, the capsuleers are obsessed with their own misguided and insatiable bloodlust and that may not be far from the truth.

This series continues with Part 3 – The Society of Conscious Thought.