Iris Selantar, a former lay preacher of the Ammatar Church now observing the Imperial rite, explained her decision to leave the traditional Ammatar sect for the orthodox church. "The invasion taught us many things – the incompetence of our nobles, the failures of our fleet and the spiritual poverty of so many Ammatar. I believe the destiny of the Ammatar people, and all Minmatar, lies in the holy embrace of Amarr and I feel that worshipping with the mother church of the Empire brings me closer to Amarr."

Subdeacon Ottoko Razirshz of the Theology Council mission in the Mandate confirmed that such feelings were typical of those Ammatar surveyed by his officials. "The Ammatar Church is a loyal and faithful branch of the great Amarr holy family," stated Subdeacon Razirshz. "However, it is clear that observance of the Imperial rite is growing in the Mandate. The Theology Council views this as in line with the goal of transforming the Mandate into a core domain of the Amarr Empire."

As head of the Ammatar Consulate, Governor Salaf will run the civil administration of the Mandate on behalf of House Ardishapur. The Ammatar Fleet, under Grand Admiral Hastar Jibril, will continue to report directly to Heir Ardishapur although the Governor will have the authority to directly request Ammatar Fleet deployments as necessary. The Ardishapur reorganization of the civil and military branches of the Mandate recasts each as separate centers of power answering to Yonis Ardishapur as Holder of Derelik region.

Morale among the Ammatar populace has risen considerably in the weeks since the announcement of Governor Salaf's appointment. As an ethnic Ammatar, his selection has allayed rising fears that the Ardishapur regime intended to permanently relegate the Ammatar people to a subservient role in the region. His years spent as a senior official at the Ministry of Assessment in Domain region have also attracted comment. Observers of imperial politics agree that the choice of Ekroz Salaf was a shrewd move by Yonis Ardishapur, given that the Governor represents an Ammatar figurehead untainted by the failings of the previous regime and of proven loyalty to the Amarr Empire.

In addition to the funds, the Ammatar Fleet has confirmed that at the order of the Heir, the 1st Mandate Redemptionist Brigade is to take up duties assisting in the reconstruction of vital infrastructure in Ezzara. Primarily a logistical and engineering brigade, the 1st Redemptionist is composed of three regiments of penal troopers drawn from the ranks of dishonored Ammatar Mandate forces and civilians convicted of aid or sympathy for defectors.

The 1st Mandate Redemptionist Brigade is comprised of the 1st and 2nd Tanoo Redemptionist Regiments and the 1st Sasta Redemptionist Regiment. These regiments have been assembled using dishonored Ammatar Fleet personnel together with many civilians suspected or convicted of support for defectors and offered service in penal battalions in lieu of the harsher punishment of full slavery. The brigade is primarily a logistics and engineering formation. The 1st and 2nd Tanoo comprise logistical troops along with the 1st Sasta, which possesses a high proportion of former Ammatar Fleet personnel, providing combat experience.

In other developments, it has emerged that several penal regiments are currently being raised within the Ammatar Mandate. Sources within the Ammatar Consulate indicate that dishonored men and officers of the Ammatar Fleet and Ammatar planetary defense forces are being offered the choice of service in penal regiments as an alternative to permanent slavery as punishment for their failings during the Elder Invasion.

It is also reported that failed defectors and the families of defectors who have come under suspicion are also being offered the chance to serve in penal units rather than being convicted of collusion with defectors and entering formal slavery. The appeal of these offers lies in the fact that formal enslavement would in most cases lead to the dependents and descendants of the enslaved joining them in slavery. Ardishapur authorities have declared their "hope that the mercy of Lord Ardishapur will lead to the redemption of these lost souls."

The appointment of a new governor has been the subject of intense speculation since Yonis Ardishapur was given the Mandate to rule as a personal fief by Empress Jamyl I. The policy of granting True Amarr Holders key planetary and system fiefs, together with a purge of the Ammatar nobility, had raised fears that the Ammatar people were being relegated to an entirely subservient position in the new order. Political scientists at the Ammatar Consular University in Tanoo suggest that the appointment of Governor Salaf will do much to allay concerns among the Ammatar populace.

House Ardishapur officials have confirmed that Yonis Ardishapur took a critical role in overseeing the search for the new governor, requiring that the personal histories of all candidates be presented for his personal review. Ekroz Salaf has been an official in the imperial civil service for 37 years and began his career as a liaison between the Ministry of Assessment and the Nefantar Miner Association in Derelik. His official biographical notes state that his talent for logistical administration was recognized by a Ministry review board that appointed him System Assessor in Tanoo in YC80. In YC87, Salaf was promoted to the rank of District Collector for San Matar before transferring to his posting in Domain in YC98. Governor Salaf will officially take up his duties in the next few weeks.

Designed for extended 'prestige patrol' duties on the Minmatar border, the 'Yonis variant,' named after Royal Heir Yonis Ardishapur, is understood to have modified energy plants and does not carry the energy-hungry and crew-intensive tachyon beam batteries often seen on Imperial Navy Abaddon variants. The decision of the Ammatar Fleet to deploy the formidable Abaddon-class on the border with the Minmatar Republic is regarded by observers as yet another signal from Royal Heir Yonis Ardishapur that he considers it vital that the Mandate be a major contributor to the strategic goals of the Amarr Empire.

The Elder Invasion of YC110 caused widespread damage to many agricultural plantations within the Ammatar Mandate, despite the invasion forces limiting their strikes to military infrastructure and strategic installations which posed a threat to their primary goal of recovering slaves. As slaves were seized by the Minmatar-Thukker forces, the holdings on which they worked were often heavily damaged during the initial assaults. Further incidental damage, up to and including the burning of some plantations, is associated with rioting and sporadic clashes with Amarr troops during the invasion and in its immediate aftermath.

Adreyi Ezion, the Chief Financial Officer of the Ardishapur Family and the architect of much of the Mandate's reconstruction, welcomed the assessement of the Amarr Trade Registry and stated that the ultimate goal of the Ardishapur administration was to make the Ammatar Mandate self-sufficient in food staples and, eventually, an export partner with the rest of the Amarr Empire.

In remarks transmitted from Fleet HQ in Sasta, Grand Admiral Hastar Jibril of the Ammatar Fleet expressed his "deep satisfaction that the reconstruction of these essential shipyards has been carried out on time thanks to the unstinting work of the Ammatar people." Since his appointment, Grand Admiral Jibril has been overseeing the integration of the Ammatar Fleet and those units of the Ardishapur forces assigned to his command. The reconstruction of these shipyards, all heavily damaged by Minmatar-Thukker strike forces during the Elder Invasion, was a major priority for the Grand Admiral as they will allow the necessary refitting and retasking of the Fleet's disparate units to proceed quickly.

In a related development, the Ammatar Fleet has announced that it intends to refit a line of 'Yonis variant' Abaddons for use on extended patrols of the Minmatar border. Usually reserved for important garrisons or major taskforces, the Abaddon-class has not been favoured by Amarr commanders as a patrol vessel due to its high energy requirements and large crew complement. It is speculated by naval architecture experts that the 'Yonis variant' will feature additional power plants and possibly reduced crew and firepower requirements to make it practical for prestige patrol duties.

Adreyi Ezion, the Chief Financial Officer of the Ardishapur Family, elaborated on the program in a press statement made during one of his regular visits to the Ammatar Consulate in Tanoo. "The Body and Soul Program is one of the next vital stages in the development of the Ammatar Mandate as a core domain of the Empire. My Lord Ardishapur sees it as an essential part of tending to the spiritual needs of the Ammatar people alongside their necessary physical needs. This program, in which we plan to construct fifty new hospitals and over one hundred religious buildings, is the concrete realization of his pledge to raise this domain to the standard of living seen throughout the Empire."

While the prime focus of this program is on the "physical and spiritual well-being" of the Ammatar, Ezion explained that many of the religious buildings would house free schools and religious colleges for the "education and enlightenment" of the Ammatar. Ezion also revealed that, at the personal order of Yonis Ardishapur, a major seminary planned for construction on the devastated planet of Halturzhan is to be named in honor of the "martyr Abel Jarek." Analysts suggest that, by naming a major religious teaching institution on Halturzhan after the Salvation Crusade leader recently killed on Matar, Yonis Ardishapur appears to be sending a pointed message to the Minmatar Republic that Jarek and other Minmatar converts will not be forgotten.

Since taking possession of the Mandate, Yonis Ardishapur has made large sums available to the Ammatar Consulate and the Ammatar Fleet. Civil and military reconstruction are proceeding at a rapid pace, with the recovery from the devastation wrought by the Elder Invasion largely complete in all but the most heavily damaged areas, such as the Jarizza system. While large slave workforce transfers have also been made from Ardishapur holdings into the Mandate, the amount of reconstruction work needed, combined with the fall in population due to the invasion and subsequent defections, has led to many jobs being created. With employment levels reaching an unprecedented 93% of able-bodied Ammatar (compared with 82% prior to the invasion), the overall prosperity and well-being of the Mandate population has increased significantly.

"The invasion seems like a terrible dream these days," said Eyfor Farel, a construction worker with the Ammatar Consulate civil reconstruction corps. "Of course, we see reminders that it was not a dream every day, but our lives are getting back to normal now. We have work, homes, food. God has provided these through the wisdom of the Empress and Lord Ardishapur." While these sentiments are shared by all Ammatar in public, some privately wonder if the Ammatar will be permanently relegated to a subservient status within the Mandate, following the appointment by Yonis Ardishapur of True Amarr Holders to most key positions.

Wracked by constant warfare between capsuleer alliances for the past two years, the regions have once again lapsed into relative tranquility. Doul Guribi, a manager for Carthum Conglomerate, explained, "When the Band of Brothers and their vassals held unchallenged sway over the regions, valuable high-end minerals flowed into our factories like water. With the coming of the 'Great War' in the south, that flow slowed to a trickle." Guribi posited that this reduction stemmed from capsuleer alliances' hoarding of the minerals for their own war production, as well as the disruption of mining operations due to constant inter-alliance raiding.

Khanid Works spokeswoman Urgiza Falant echoed this analysis. "As one side or the other needed a quick infusion of capital we'd see the sale of large mineral stocks, but that was an irregular occurrence." Ms. Falant pointed out that the situation is fertile ground for large-scale market manipulation, and that fluctuations in prices and volumes sold could swing wildly until things settle into a new equilibrium.

Now under the unified rule of GoonSwarm, Querious and Delve are once again poised to play a major role in supplying minerals to Amarr manufacturers. With key transport infrastructure only a few jumps from several high-security market and manufacturing hubs, GoonSwarm appears to be positioning itself to take advantage of this synergy.

Not all Amarr industrialists are pleased by this development, however. In particular, GoonSwarm's tendency to target miners with suicide attacks has drawn the ire of Ducia Foundry, a corporation extensively invested in mining operations throughout New Eden. "Without the distraction of a major war, we fear that these attacks will only grow more common," said Ducia spokesman Agadath Hejoul.