Following the Elder Invasion over two years ago, thousands of the Ammatar Mandate's former elite defected to the Minmatar Republic. For many of them, the road to reintegration into the Minmatar tribal system has been lined with hardship.
Stripped of their former power and coming to a nation that views them with centuries of built-up suspicion and hatred, the Elite have been faced with challenges that many of them have not been able to overcome. "I oversaw an entire planet in the Mandate," said Ramius Throten, a former Mandate district governor. "I did what I could to assist my fellow Minmatar. I made sure the slaves kept in my district were well treated. I turned a blind eye to raiders whenever I could, which wasn't often enough for some. Despite my efforts, I have been ostracized in the Republic."
Throten is one of many who has been soured by the prejudice he has faced. Though he spent over a year living in the Republic, he has recently immigrated to the Gallente Federation. "In the Empire, I was derisively called 'minnie' and treated as inferior to any Amarrian. In the Republic, I was called slaver and always viewed as a traitor to my people, even though I'd come back." He added, "I had everything and now I have nothing. There are days I wish I had never defected. At least in the Federation, I can live in relative peace."
While some have taken Throten's path and left for the Federation, others have stuck with the Republic. "I can't run back to the Mandate," said Sadamang Suh, a former Ammatar Consulate official. "My family and I left most of our belongings behind. We had so little time to evacuate. We are penniless, so we cannot leave. I have a janitorial job with Eifyr and Co. It's better than nothing. Things will get better. They can't get any worse."