Former Ammatar Elite speak about defecting to the Republic

The invasion of the Ammatar Mandate by the Minmatar elders, an event which took place two years ago in YC110, is perhaps best known today for having allowed millions to reclaim their heritage as part of the Nefantar Tribe. Among those millions were thousands of the Mandate's elite; former overseers, planetary governors, and Holders in all but name.

The most difficult thing for those involved was making the move. "My family had been given a special station in the Mandate," said Rafin Chorda, a slave owner who defected along with his household and a large number of slaves. "An Amarrian would have never called us a Holder, but that's what we were. We had wealth, power, and status. I could have lived an opulent life, as could my children, and their children, and so on for generations. But it would have always been under the shadow of the Empire. I couldn't stomach it."

The sentiment is shared by many. "I was a leading member of the Mandate," said Ramius Throten, a former district governor. "But to the Empire, I was nothing. I had to bow my head to the lowest Holder, one whose only holdings were worthless patches of dirt in some dead-end low-sec system. It was a demeaning life, no matter how much power I supposedly held. The Republic is the true home of my people; I had to return there when given the chance."

Despite good reasons to defect, the decision was not easy for some. "It weighed heavily on me for months," said Omad Durgen, a former Vice-Admiral in the Ammatar Fleet. "I gave up much for an uncertain future. But what price is too great for a man's freedom? I was not called a slave, but I was one, no matter how hard I tried to pretend otherwise. Now I am free. I have come to terms."