When nightmares turn reality: The Sansha invasion

For a time, Sansha's Nation was a tale used to scare children into obedience, claiming *Sansha would take you away in the night!* and to unnerve young capsuleers of what could be out there. Little did we realize that those tales would become reality in the year YC 112. That year, Sansha began raiding inhabited planets all over the cluster, taking people to serve in his twisted aberration of a Nation.

This is a report on how it all started and how all these events progressed to evolve into the Sansha incursions we all know today. An official summary report can be found here: The war on Nation's Resurgence.
You can find a technical analysis on the Sansha attacks here: The Sansha attacks, a benchmark for the future

Prelude

It began with a series of smaller incidents concerning a mysterious attack on the Ducia Foundry station in the Pure Blind region. After investigation it was found out to be a Nation raid that Concord tried covering up.
Despite the outrage, Concord refused to comment on this, claiming it was an isolated incident.

And then Nation attacked...

On the 11th may of YC 112 everything changed... Sansha fleets lead by Slave 32152 began raiding inhabited planets in empire space. In a single day, 6 systems in all 4 nations have been attacked, taking away people from the inhabited planets to reinforce Nation's population...
For the next 10 days Sansha's Nation would continue raiding the planets, only opposed by a small group of capsuleers who hastily organized themselves against the sudden rise of this threat.

Ships used by Nation as they raid planets

However, it seemed that Nation didn't account for capsuleer resistance either, as initially most attacks after the first wave were held back successfully. But as the attacks continue, the first few reports on what happened planetside start to pour in, and they don't show a pleasant image: Uplifting people. Despite valiant actions taken by capsuleer defenders, the first week was one marked by disinformation as Concord Official Sutola Endoma denied all allegations of increased Sansha activity, blaming the capsuleers for what happened: Official Concord response by Sutola Endoma.

This course of action caused capsuleers to turn their aggression not only against Sansha's Nation, but also against Concord who apparently helped Nation.

In the second attack on the Tama system, at 15 May, a first glimpse of Nations power and advanced technology was shown, when Slave Tama01 appeared in a capital ship. After she was defeated, she stuck around, explaining to capsuleers how Nation had 'saved' her two days ago and teached her knowledge beyond all. While her comments were initially taken with scepsis, Sansha's teaching methods were undeniably beyond that of what capsuleers could reach, as Slave Tama01 learned to pilot a supercarrier in a mere two days...

This exposition of Slave Tama01 at the second attack of the Tama system would later be known as the Tama Talks, due to the large amount of information shared by this True Slave, giving a deeper insight on how Nation worked and why they raided planets. They were after crew and biomass to man their massive fleet of warships, in preparation for even larger strikes in Empire space... Not to mention they were out to 'correct' our 'flawed' existence...

Sansha's fleet using a Wormhole to to attack anywhere, anytime across Eden

A day after, it was revealed why Concord did nothing to stop Nation. Concord Commander Sutola Endoma revealed herself as a Nation agent during the attack on Lustrevik where she called reinforcement from Sansha at her side...

With great effort this attack was pushed back. It also saw a change of Concord Stance as Commander Dorgiers was appointed, who actively fought Nation on many fronts, earning him the respect and trust of many capsuleers.

During all this, a strange True Slave was also encountered, Slave Heavenbound02. Of all the True Slaves that we would meet through all these attacks, she remains the most unique. She is the fused mind of Seriphyn Inhonores former wife and his son, a truly gruesome experiment. Of all the True Slaves she is the most emotional, prone to anger but also to playful moods.

And yet, despite this 'imperfection' among Nation, she is still one of the most dangerous True Slaves employed, that would abduct more people than any other True Slave would....

On top of all this, Sansha Kuvakei announced his return and demanded capsuleers to pledge their allegiance to him! At the end of the first wave of attacks, he was sighted in Maut, conferencing with Capsuleer Nation Loyalists...

With all these events and revelations happening in the first 10 days, capsuleers realized this was only the first wave of many more attacks to come... After these 10 days of continuous attacks, a silence arrived, no sightings, no attacks, just the silence before the storm...

Nation comes for our people... We are their first and last line of defense...

Nation forces obliterating a Capsuleer defender fleet

And then, a month later, on the 13th of June, Nation returned. Initially, capsuleers managed to fend off the first few attacks of this new wave of invasions. But the success wouldn't last.... Nation adapted to the capsuleer tactics, bringing larger fleets and staging multi-planet and multi-system attacks, dividing the capsuleer forces.
The result of this was grim, millions upon millions of people were taken from their world, their minds brainwashed by Nation nanoprobes to abandon their homes to serve Kuvakei's Nation....

A public intel report kept track of all the attacks & their losses: Strategic Intelligence Analysis Report (SAIR) Sadly more updated versions are no longer available, they are assumed destroyed during the massive attack on Yulai on a later date. More detail on how these intel maps came to be can be found here: Sansha's Nation Strategic Analysis, which gives an overview on how all these events and attacks unfolded.

A call for unity among capsuleers against the increasing power of Nation attacks

As a result of the setbacks, capsuleers improved their organisation, forming a variety of groups each focused on a certain task. From FCORD that organized large fleet engagements, to Bad Moon, a small, elite strike force that employed the latest in acquired Nation knowledge to halt the invasions.

And then, success was achieved. During a Nation raid in the Huttaken system, the Capsuleer Mouse Nell successfully managed to attach a probe to a Nation ship that retreated from battle through the Wormhole. The image it provided is now etched in the collective memory of the defenders. More detailed info on this can be found here: Wormhole reveals true power of Sansha's fleet

The iconic image of Sansha's capital fleet, provided by Mouse Nell

The station shown in the image was quickly identified as the Jove Prosper Vault Station.... Concord officials and Kuvakei did confirm it here: Eyes on Huttaken. This revelation put everything in a new light... Sansha using a Jovian system as staging location? There were previous signals pointing to that Jovian system, but they were initially dismissed, believing to be faulty readings as it was believed no-one could contest Jovian sovereignty. Turns out, Kuvakei could through the use of his Wormhole generator... For long the Jovian role in all this was unclear, had they been attacked and driven back? Or did they support Nation somehow?

Later, it would be revealed that Nation attacked the Jovian Directorate and occupied the system for a good time. After a while, the Jovians would manage to retake the system and drive out Nation. This info was provided by Concord at a much later date.

Meanwhile, more success was achieved, when capsuleers managed to locate a second staging system in the Stain region, Sansha's Nation space. Now that the defenders had located two staging systems, they were able to get a warning system up, alerting them when a True Slave appeared in those systems, as it meant an attack on Empire space was imminent!

Defending Deltole from a Nation raid

All the while, the attacks would continue. Despite capsuleer best efforts, almost 50 million people would be abducted by the end of this second wave of invasions. Nation employed many diversion tactics to split up capsuleer forces and deployed large amounts of ships to counter the defenders. And then they fell silent once more... Would this be the end? Or the start of an even greater threat...

And during this time of silence, Sansha Loyal Capsuleers used deception to lure the Capsuleer defenders into a trap. It was hinted a large Sansha force would invade Maut and we took the bait. But as the date grew closer, realisation dawned it would be a trap. However due to the amount of forces gathered, it was decided to go through with it, intending to overwhelm the trap by sheer numbers. In the end, it just turned out both sides fell for a trap set up by Morsis Mihi and Pandemic Legion to crush both sides when they heard of the trap laid out by the Sansha Loyalists.

This devastating defeat became known as The Battle of Maut.

Are you ready to witness True Power? For Master Kuvakei is coming for us....

After a month of silence, Kuvakei announced his presence to the universe in a dramatic holofeed. And this time, he would come after us, Capsuleers... This time, he would be focused on breaking us...

I have returned, and I know you better then you know yourself

Kuvakei's message to Capsuleers

Kuvakei held his word... He returned, and with him he brought a massive attack force, thousands upon thousands of ships that obeyed him and his True Slave minions without question.

In this third wave, the defending capsuleers had to face the full might of Sansha's Nation. They had to stand firm against nearly impossible odds. Should they fall, dark times would lie ahead for the people of the Eden cluster... On top of this, Nation unveiled their newest ship, the Revenant Supercarrier, a powerful and deadly ship, finetuned to Nation's tactics.

The Uedama attack, the first of many attacks that would display the full might of Sansha's Nation

Initially the meaning of this third wave attacks wasn't fully understood. Sansha's Nation attacked with massive fleets at capsuleers that rallied to defend, yet hardly any dropships were sent out. However in the cases they did send out dropships, they took millions upon millions with them, depopulating entire worlds.  Lucky, the Gallente Federation officials were glad to help them out, pointing out that Concord systems were compromised: Understanding the Sansha Threat .

It was realized soon that these massive attacks were just diversions, dragging away attention from the covert operations that Nation was running to hack the Concord networks.

Then a major breakthrough was achieved when a Sansha attack was stopped cold in the Antem system. Through a joint operation with Concord official Dorgiers, Red Frog freight delivered an Obelisk freighter packed with explosives to the Wormhole that was opened to initiate a large attack. Once arrived the pilot detonated the ship, the resulting blast travelled through the wormhole, shutting it down!

However, the euphoria of this succes was short lived, as more and more information poured in that Kuvakei was planning something big, and had to be stopped. Multiple Concord routers were already compromised in subsequent attacks, soon the Concord Headquarters in Yulai would be vulnerable to tampering...

After a successful attack in Monalaz, resulting in Sansha's Nation hacking the Concord database, the attacks stopped...

The Seylinn invasion, seeing the first deployment of the Revenant Supercarrier

But this time, capsuleers wouldn't be fooled, they knew something big was coming up, and it would be in Yulai. A month passed and then the final stage began, several systems were placed under heavy Nation attack, slaughtering hundreds of capsuleers in their wake.

And then Kuvakei broadcasted a cryptic message, that he would 'behead the king that lords over the four princes'. Instinctively, most capsuleers realized that Kuvakei was going after the Concord HQ in Yulai!

As people rallied in Yulai to defend the HQ, Nation poured in, deploying multiple wormholes at several planets. This time, the capsuleers would not just face another Nation commander, they faced Kuvakei himself, and his most deadly commander, Slave Heavenbound02. With thousands present, the capsuleers defended Yulai, trying to halt Nation. Alas... they failed and Kuvakei completed his objective.

Coupled with this was an attack on the Promised Land system, where Kuvakei later showed up and created a stable wormhole, leading directly into the Stain region, Sansha's Nation home.... But this wormhole could only be used to those who were part of Kuvakei's Nation. More info on this massive attack can be found here: Eve Tribune: Kuvakei attacks Yulai & Promised Land and Sansha Invasion in Yulai.

We failed...

A few days after the massive defense of Yulai, the full scale of our failure to stop Kuvakei was shown.

In 5 constellations, comchannels suddenly blacked out shortly after Nation fleets were reported in various systems. Sansha's Nation just had launched the largest attack in the recent history of Eden... Eve travel has an extensive report on this event, complete with background: Emergency Travel Advisory!
Initially people were not sure to handle this situation, causing the loss of hundreds of capsuleers as these constellation wide attacks saw the deployment of more advanced versions of the classic Nation ships.

But capsuleers are a creative sort when it comes to fights, and after a few days they managed to organize in strict & powerful fleets to take on this next step of Sansha's desire to bring the population of the Eden cluster under his control.

Within a week, most of the constellations were freed from Nations grasp. But at the same time, it was realized that this would be the new reality in Eden, a reality that endures to this day.

Nation can strike anywhere, anytime, taking on a whole constellation. The only force that stands between Sansha's Nation and total dominance is us, the capsuleer.

Intel operations lead to the creation of the Sanshadex, listing  the various advanced variants of ships used by Nation in these incursions.

To this day, fleets of dedicated capsuleers fight the Sansha incursions to this day, in the faint hope that one day, Nation will cease their attacks.... Until then, stay vigilant!

Over 11.000 refugees arrive at the Arcology

Despite the recent issues, people keep joining the Aurora Arcology project! To be given a new start in life is indeed an opportunity worth taking.

The security plan laid out by Pieter Tuulinen assures a bright future for the Arcology, setting up the framework to establish a good working security force for an ever-growing population. Many Caldari aboard the station are delighted to hear of  Tuulinen's assistance in the matter as they view him as a true Caldari hero.
Meanwhile, clearance documents have been sent, so that his forces can begin deployment soon. Head of Arcology security, Sheriff Tokari has been instructed to give his full cooperation to whoever Pieter Tuulinen sends as representative.
Coupled with this intervention will be a retraining of our security force, to be a more efficient and strict force, in order to stop problems before they grow larger.

Now onward to the census report of this week. With thanks to Rob McKenzie, plenty of folks received a new chance in their lives!

Regular Civilians

-310 Civilians
-219 Homeless
-2.990 Tourists
-2.818 Janitors
-10 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-71 Science Graduates
-9 Scientists
-20 Ship's Crew
-8 Stranded Pilots
-259 Freed Slaves
-1 Animal Medical Expert

Pets

-1 Miniature Hound
-48 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-15 Caldari Light Marines
-5 Army Recruiters
-2.530 Marines
-1.030 Militants
-13 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)
-1 Spy

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-91 Female Exotic Dancers
-936 Female exotic Dancers
-10 Prostitutes

Councilmembers

-1 Gallente Reporter
-1 Minmatar Emissary
-4 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)

Not allowed entry due to recruitment-stop policy for Amarr & Minmatar districts until month expires.

-144 Freedom Fighters
-212 Kameiras

The Kameiras will be redirected with many of their peers from the Arcology project to the PIE Kameira program. This reduces the tension aboard the station and will also raise our standings among the Amarr capsuleers.

The Animal Medical expert was provided by Rob McKenzie. With the large influx of Fedos recently, he'll be a great asset to our Arcology!

Bloodraiders thwarted!

During a routine assignment in Amarr space, a young capsuleer named Ariadnea was tasked to inspect and take out a small Blood Raider installation. As she arrived at the site, it turned out that the intel on the site was outdated!
A large Blood Raider fleet awaited her arrival. Quickly she realized her Drake wouldn't be a match against a combined fleet of numerous Blood Raider battleships, cruisers and frigates. As she frantically tried to escape with her Drake, lasers mercilessly hammered her shields but she managed to warp out on time towards a random belt in the system.

After this narrow escape, she docked up, assessed the damage & situation and decided to call out for help.
Two capsuleers, me & Gentlejohn accepted her plea for assistance. Due to the nature of the Blood Raider force, we decided to take our marauder class battleships into the fight. Gentlejohn deployed in his Golem while I flew the Paladin into battle

The Golem class Marauder Battleship, a formidable powerhouse

As Ariadnea lead the way, our marauder battleships flanked her ship, escorting her on this task. As we arrived on the field, the Blood Raiders once more focused on her Drake. But Gentlejohn and I responded in kind. each salvo of our weapons ended another Blood Raider ship.
Every barrage from the Golem's missiles meant a Blood Raider vessel met it's end. The salvos from my Paladin's laser-batteries were as efficient in taking out these cruel enemies. Meanwhile, Ariadnea's Drake focused on the nimbler ships who tried draining our energy. With our drones assisting, even these smaller ships stood no chance against the onslaught caused by 3 capsuleers.
And so the battle went on, the Blood Raiders losing ship after ship as they began focussing on the marauders. Their efforts in trying to take us down all end up in vain, as they are no match against the formidable defenses and power from a marauder battleship, commanded by capsuleers.

 

Eventually, the fight died down, the few remaining Blood Raiders who tried escaping got shot down as well. Letting these cruel cultists escape would only spell doom in the future. Once more, the people in the region could breathe easier, knowing another Blood Raider battlegroup was taken down.

Thanks to teamwork, Ariadnea's task turned from near impossible to easy to complete, helping her climb in approval of the Amarr Navy.

Aurora Arcology Crisis, Minmatar Divided: Security advice & assistance

As mentioned in our census-report 'Over 8.000 new arrivals at the Aurora Arcology' , the crisis in the Arcology station isn't over yet.
Minmatar hardliners have continued recruiting additional members for their factional milita despite the fact recruitment was forbidden due to the riot incident.

As management of the Aurora Project recognized they couldn't contain this crisis reliably by themselves, CEO J. Ymladris reached out for assistance to bring back peace & safety for all to the Arcology Station.

Agiri Falken & Pieter Tuulinen, both security experts, have offered their help in the matter. Their first step was a full analysis of the situation, locating problems and offering solutions on both short as long term.
Below is the detailed analysis offered by Pieter Tuulinen, who has expertise in managing mixed populations.

Part One: Analysis of the population and the risks aboard a closed environment (Station)

The current situation within the Arcology is perilous. Although there is no currently active insurgency, the Minmatar militia that is forming within that sub-culture is likely to transition to the status of an armed insurgency within a month or two if steps are not taken to counter its growth.

As soon as the Minmatar Insurgency begins taking action against the Amarrian population, they will quickly organise around their churches and religious leaders into similar groups and you will have what is, in effect, a civil war. At the point that the two populations are in open hostilities you are likely to see intervention on a clandestine level from Republic and Empire forces and openly by whichever Okusaiken has authority over the space that the Arcology is berthed in. If one of the Okusaiken becomes involved then the Arcology’s parent company will likely face criminal and civil proceedings aimed at recouping the cost of whatever police action is necessary to enforce order.

Currently there are several factors that are combining to make the situation untenable.

• Sealed environment
• Climate of security permissibility
• Uncontrolled ethnic populations
• Uncontrolled political activism

A sealed, artificial, environment operates according to very different public safety laws than a planetary population. Specifically the issues are those of protection of infrastructure and conservation of volume. Protection of infrastructure in a sealed environment is always the top of the Security Forces mandate. Everything needs to be assessed primarily from the point of view of ‘Does this threaten the viability of the station?’ A riot that might merely be contained and allowed to run its course in a planetary population centre may require immediate suppression (perhaps with lethal force) in a sealed environment, lest it threaten the viability of the entire biome or facility.

It is; therefore, quite self-evident that any act of civil disobedience with the goal of affecting station infrastructure must be punished using extreme methods.

The Arcology presents a number of specific security challenges that place its security establishment somewhat at odds with its general mission. Medical care, habitation assistance, nutrition and vocational assistance – all these programs are aimed at caring for and getting the refugee population on their feet, giving them a second chance. Security, on the other hand CANNOT EVER GIVE THEM EVEN ONE CHANCE.

Security must be run from a standpoint of ZERO permissibility, ZERO tolerance for deviation from regulations, and ZERO compromise. If it is allowed to run any other way, the door is opened for a catastrophic event that could kill everyone aboard the Arcology.

CEO comments:
This analysis already highlights a major problem in the Arcology: currently the internal security is very easy on the people, due to what they went through. However, as highlighted by security experts, this only leads to much larger problems later when it is not rooted out at the start. Being a refugee cannot be a reason to be excluded from security checks & regulations.

Part Two: Population control and the need for internal intelligence networks

I have spoken previously about the need to create encysted populations of ethnic minorities, to contain them and keep them manageable, whilst still giving them the necessary degree of self-determination and identity. Generally speaking, a population that has access to indigenous spiritual support and the correct ethnic food, housing and community is much easier to maintain and less likely to organise in protest.

That said, these ‘encysted’ populations must always be immersed in a sea of homogenous conformity and order. If the size of the ‘encysted’ population grows too large then it will begin pushing back against the baseline population culture. I believe that this has started to occur on the Arcology.

The ethnic controlled districts must be STRICTLY limited in size and self-dependency. Whilst they should be permitted to return to relax in ethnically familiar enclaves, every citizen must be forced to engage with the baseline culture population, to remind them what the rules are. Whilst ‘encysted’ populations should be allowed to adjudicate internal squabbles according to their own culture (there must be exceptions – see Security Forces primary mandate) they must be encouraged to avoid infractions outside of their own enclave. It is very important that large-scale populations are not allowed to develop and districts must be broken up and kept small and weak.

I have previously said that it is very important that you allow the ‘encysted’ populations to determine their own leadership – whether this be a Bishop, Shaman, Governor or Manager. A leader imposed upon the ‘encysted’ population from outside, even if that leader is nominally one of their own, will never enjoy their trust or respect. You should strictly stay out of the appointment process EXCEPT to indicate when a chosen representative is unacceptable to you.

Obviously the criteria for acceptability must be public, but essentially you are looking to weed out any undesirable extremists who have an agenda that is unsuitable for the Arcology. Client populations are NOT part of the management of the station and should have NO say on policy, save where it specifically affects their own ethnic grouping.

Note that you cannot afford to be reactive in this area. You must have extensive counter-intelligence operations within the ethnic enclaves. You should, ideally, already know the political leanings of any politically active members of the ‘encysted’ populations. You should also remember that if someone is unsuitable to be the leader of a population, he is also unsuitable to be a member of that population. Remove early and remove often. An Administrator must never be afraid of being accused of acts necessary to the security of the Arcology. You must take this maxim so much to heart that you do not fear to strike at those closest to you.
 

CEO comments:
Part of the reforms that are currently undergoing is to improve the communications & cooperation between different populations.
Also, to address the issue of unsuitable leaders, our intelligence network agents will undergo training to be able to handle internal security & intelligence operations better.
Once more it's repeated here: our security force must act much stricter in the future, with the idea of future stability in mind.

Part Three: Internal security divisions & Kameiras

“Who guards the guards?” – The first step is to perform a thorough vetting of your existing security troops. Anyone with dubious connections will be fired with cause and replaced. Regrettably, anyone recruited from the ethnic minority pool (Amarrian/Gallente/Matari) cannot be trusted. These people will be immediately moved to ‘Community Relations’ and surveilled as part of Counter-Insurgency.

I have a battalion of Marines who are trained in counter-insurgency. I suggest splitting the Security load between Public Order (which will be handled by my force) and Public Safety which will be handled by your existing security apparatus.

Public Order will be concerned with reacting to Civil Disobedience, patrolling, counter-insurgency and other similar tasks. My troops will deploy with full tactical loadout and will be on-call to assist with Public Safety when and where necessary, at the discretion of your Security Chief. They will answer to their own hierarchy only where Public Order is concerned.

Public Safety will be concerned with protection of the Station Infrastructure, immigration, policing and community relations. Your existing security troops have the local knowledge to succeed at these tasks and the continuity gained from allowing them to maintain their mandate in these areas will reap dividends.

My Troops deploy. Initially we focus on maintaining Public Order and Safety as we iron out the wrinkles. We publish new regulations and let people get used to the new enforcement paradigms – letting them get accustomed to search and seizure, carrying ID cards and so forth. We let the situation find a new plateau before taking any radical actions.

As part of Stage One we conduct Counter-Insurgency operations that are mostly directed towards establishing a robust Counter Intelligence organisation. We monitor galnet traffic, monitor communications, gather HUMINT and SIGINT and start to identify the size and capability of the Insurgent organisations to assess what we’re dealing with here. As we begin to establish our networks we take no overt action aimed at these organisations – the changes we impose as part of Stage One should generate LOTS of chatter to allow us to build our maps.

Once we have mapped out the Insurgent network maps, we begin to move against them. Initially we strike at the most dangerous elements, the Kameira, weapons stockpiles and leadership. The operation will then develop as required – hopefully the shock and dislocation will convince large swathes of the Insurgency membership to abandon their cause. It should be noted that the effect may be to initially stiffen resistance and galvanise them to violent action. This also works to our advantage – we should have the intelligence battle won already and it is unlikely that they will perceive the extent of our infiltration. If they become violent then we move to purge them quickly and efficiently. We should easily have the forces required.

The Kameira deserve special mention. I support your move to relocate them outside the Arcology by donating them to the PIE program for handling this situation. I would step up this commitment and aim to have ALL Kameira out by the time we move to Stage Three. If Kameira remain on the station then I would recommend assigning Agiri Falklen a small contingent of DUST mercs in addition to her TO&E. Dusties should be able to suppress and neutralise hostile Kameira swiftly and completely.

CEO Comments:
The plan laid out here is fully supported by the CEO. While parts of this plan can cause serious upheaval within the project, it will be good in the long run, allowing for a more consistent stability and a much more efficient security force once they are reformed and the foreign security troops have done their part.
On the Kameiras, in agreement with the Amarr administration aboard the Arcology, the majority of them will join the PIE Kameira Program, both as positive gesture towards the Empire as an effort to reduce tensions on the Arcology station, as Kameira presence is very troubling for the Minmatar.

Part Four: Actions to take once the situation has normalized again

Through counter intelligence it should be possible to identify potential troublemakers and neutralise them. By the end of this process we should be left with manageable leadership to negotiate with. It is vitally important to conduct negotiations in good faith – allow them to negotiate the end of special security regulations within their communities and normalise relations. Make it clear what your ‘red line’ requirements (such as the break-up of the larger districts) are and stick to your guns, however.

As part of the negotiations in Stage Four, you will likely negotiate to normalise security protocols. This will mean the phasing out of my troops and a return to Public Order duties of your own security forces. This is entirely natural and you should pursue this line yourself once things quieten down.

As relations normalise, my forces will retire and their deployment will end. I suggest you recruit some heavy formations for your own forces to keep in reserve. In addition you should probably recruit and train your own counter-intelligence establishment before mine withdraws. I can tender to provide this training, should you require it.

CEO Comments:
The transition period will be used to let people get used to a much stricter security. This should pave the way for an easier way to maintain stability & order on the Arcology in the long run.
The Intelligence Network will undergo training to be able to handle internal matters better. With the help of Agiri Falken & Pieter Tuulinen, this would be a great boost, due to their expertise in the field.

Conclusion of the security presentation

I like to thank Pieter Tuulinen for this detailed security presentation, giving me a better insight on how it all works, and the reasons of it all.
The first major part is the need for a much stricter security force, and an improved intelligence network, one that is focused on internal matters.
The Arcology Project has a large security force present, but most of them are aimed towards guarding against external threats, not internal ones. This is the same for our intel division.
With the assistance of Agiri Falken and Pieter Tuulinen, this shall be corrected, putting a much greater focus on internal security, allowing for a much improved stability and allowing people to feel much more secure under this new approach.

May the Aurora project endure, and continue to help much more people in the years to come! With an improved security that can truly guarantee their safety aboard!

Denak Kalamari, a Dust Mercenary with a vision

Recently, Denak Kalamari announced his leave from the Immortal Mercenary life in his latest publication: A Farewell.
And as I read it, realisation dawned that he would be missed, not only by me, but by many others as well.

I met this remarkable Dust soldier through ground comm channels and enjoyed reading the articles he published about the Dust life and his philosophical ponderings about it. His articles were well written & in many cases did also made me reflect on my life as capsuleer. Many things are different, and yet, some points are remarkably close, simply because we're both immortals, just through different means.

His vision was what appealed to me most, a closer cooperation between Dust Mercenaries and capsuleers. He wasn't alone in this, many others did their best as well. But as I attended events and celebrations, he was usually there as well. In many cases he was a lone representative of the immortal groundforces among a gathering filled with capsuleers.

We talked at times about his newsblog, and through it, he inspired me to start up the Aurora News blog. He made me realize you shouldn't wait for that perfect moment, but just do it, and see what comes out of it. Denak Kamalari, for this, you have my eternal thanks.
I also like to thank him for his spotlight on the Aurora Arcology project in this publication: New Year Entry. I feel honored to have featured in his blog.

But who was he as a Dust Merc? A man who, through his actions always fought for the good of many.
He fought for the people of the State in the Caldari Prime groundbattle, despite the manhunt that Tiberious Heth had organized on the Dust Mercenaries. Through his actions and that of his fellow Dust Mercs, they overcame impossible odds and secured Caldari Prime for the State, giving peace between the State and the Federation a chance.
The positive outcome of this fight, thanks to the Dust Mercenaries, the very targets of Tiberious Heth's manhunt would turn into one of the major reasons of Heth's ousting of power.

Later on, Denak Kalamari joined the Intaki Liberation Front, helping the people on his homeworld attain what the Federation promises the cluster, freedom to decide your own fate.
Through his fight for Intaki, he inspired others to do the same, to fight for a cause, not just isk. To fight not just for yourself, but for the greater good of many.

But in the end, the continued fighting and killing seem to have catched up on him, as he reports in Numbness. This article also serves as a warning to unchecked immortality, both for Dust mercenaries as Capsuleers, as apathy and lack of fear of death can lead to the birth of dark and cruel individuals.

And as this hommage to Denak Kalamari comes to a close, I wish him the best in whatever path he'll take. Perhaps we'll meet again, perhaps not, but I count myself lucky to have known him. May the winds guide him to peace and prosperity.

Over 8.000 new arrivals at the Aurora Arcology

Despite the upheaval the past few weeks, immigrants & refugees keep pouring into the Arcology, seeking a start to a new life. Thanks to the assistance of capsuleers, the Aurora project can keep on going!
The effect of the recent troubles are noticeable however, as the number of immigrants is lower than usual.

That said, the crisis isn't over yet... Negotiations have only been partially successful... The Amarr, who started the riots, did take their responsibility. They have accepted the recruitmentstop grudgingly but they also responded they'll assist the PIE Kameira program, in order to reduce Kameira presence onboard the Arcology station.
This should help alot in reducing tensions, if the Minmatar didn't blatantly ignore the recruitment stop...
The condition on supporting the PIE Kameira program was that the Minmatar would comply as well with the measures taken. But so far, they continued to ignore it. They tried to recruit thousands of new Freedom Fighters despite the recruitment stop being in effect...
Aurora Security has denied these minmatar militia access to the Arcology station. It is suspected however that certain Minmatar individuals are recruiting in secret among the current population. If this goes on unchecked, then the risk of a major escalation is a certainty.

With this in mind, the Arcology has accepted outside help to set up a security intervention plan to subdue these insurgents! Both Agiri Falken as Pieter Tuulinen have offered to assist us in this endeavour. To have such esteemed Caldari assist our project is a great boost to morale.

Now onward to the census report of this week! With thanks to capsuleer Jack Sly, people of varied background have joined this week, all ready to see a fresh start in their lives!

Regular Civilians

-33 Civilians
-140 Homeless
-2.062 Janitors
-180 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-40 Science Graduates
-9 Scientists
-20 Ship's Crew
-54 Stranded Pilots
-1.513 Tourists
-758 Freed Slaves

Law Enforcement

-1.118 Marines
-1.900 Militants

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-70 Female Exotic Dancers
-60 Male Exotic Dancers
-10 Prostitutes

Councilmembers

-1 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)
-14 VIPs

Not allowed entry due to recruitment stop policy for Amarr & Minmatar districts until month expires.

-1.238 Freedom Fighters

As noted, the Minmatar aren't complying to the Recruitment stop, so harsher measures will be taken. A meeting later this week with Caldari security Capsuleers will clarify what needs to be done to curb this insubordination.

Ganker ganked!

The Mackinaw, a common sight amongst mining operations across Eden's belts

Being a miner in the Eden cluster is a dangerous task. Many shady organisations are out there, looking for unsuspecting miners to gank or otherwise disrupt their activities for a variety of reasons, from eliminating competition to sheer 'fun'.
And this is the same in the Kamio system, where a capsuleer was flying his Catalyst, seeking an easy mining ship to blow up. As he continued checking belt after belt, he finally found a miner that didn't flee from him on arrival.
He began his approach, locking the Mackinaw and was about to fire when all of a sudden the miner broadcasts in local:

*Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were you, I got my resist modules up and running!*

Against all odds, the ganker broke off his attack run and replied back, complaining to the miner about these unfair tactics... Apparently, defending yourself is now unfair... The miner responded that the ganker is free to shoot at him, if he got the courage to pull the trigger...
This strange banter went on for a time, the miner teasing and poking the ganker into attacking him, while the ganker tried to respond with feeble excuses not to. At some points, people became confused on who was the ganker, causing some enjoyable mishaps in communications.
This culminated into a response from the ganker that gathered the comical attention of many in the Kamio system, namely;

*Screw this man, I'm not gonna risk my ship for a miner!*

After this, local exploded with chatter, laughter and comments about how the ganker lost his spine and the bravery of said miner to aggressively provoke the ganker. One of the locals responded that he would show how it is done!

The Catalyst destroyer, a favorite among the ganker community

And he kept his word, he arrived on the field with his Catalyst, obtained his target and opened fire, resulting into the destruction of the gankers Catalyst! Concord arrived shortly after and blew up the attacking Catalyst.
When asked why he blew up the ganker and not the miner, he responded simply;

*I kill carebears, it was obvious which one it was.*

For this, many capsuleers on local cheered him, including the miner. To add an explanation, the term 'carebear' is used in the capsuleer community as a slur towards risk-averse capsuleers.
After this, local quieted down and life went on in the Kamio system.

Riot aftermath leads to reforms of Arcology Workings

Prologue

A week ago, a small riot in the Arcology station exposed some flaws in management. Originally it was thought to be a pure Amarr/Minmatar issue, but after deeper investigations, it turns out the cure of the issue was deeper.
With thanks to capsuleers assisting us when we called for help to prevent future riots and improve Minmatar/Amarr relations, it was uncovered that our management of the project was outdated and created alot of tension.

To help us out, alot of good advice and help has been given to us, in order to smoothen the transition to a more suitable management style and to help boost the cooperation between factions. Below are listed all the measures taken & assistance given.

Temporary measures

These measures have been taken to prevent escalations & riots on a short term, but don't offer a long term solution. These actions will only last till the end of this month, and then they are lifted.

-Recruitment stop for Amarr/Minmatar;
To prevent recruitment leading to an arms race & to prevent relations between these two to worsen. They currently already have the largest faction militias.

-Faction Security budget assigned & frozen;
Security budget for amarr & Minmatar is frozen, any attempts to transfer funds from other budgets will be penalized. This is to remind them that the primary function of the budget is to help guiding the refugees, immigrants & rescuees in their district to a new start in their lives, not to spend it on arms & soldiers.

-Increased Arcology Miliita patrols;
To prevent future riots and other escalations, the Arcology militia will increase their patrols. This will also help in reminding all involved that ultimately, Aurora Arcology provides security for all, irrelevant of race or standing.

-Negotiator intervention;
A negotiator will soon arrive at the Aurora Arcology, in order to smoothen the tensions. In particular, he'll work to take away the fear that both sides have that the other wants to harass or provoke them into aggression.

District changes

Changes that affect the various districts and aim to improve services & workings of the Aurora Arcology project in general.

-Kameiras are restricted to the Amarr District at all times;
Due to their controversial nature, Kameira presence tends to make most people feel uneasy to outright hostile to them and their Amarr superiors.
In an effort to alleviate this, Kameiras must stay within Amarr District boundaries.

-District transfer zones are now manned by Arcology Militia
In order to reduce tensions, the transition zones between districts will no longer be manned by faction militia. Investigation has shown it leads to favoritism and unfair checks.
By manning these points by Arcology Militia, people will be subject to a much fairer control.

-Limiting the general security budget;
This is to remind each district that the funds are meant to assist the refugees and invest into programs to boost the profits, showing the success of the charity program, not make a private army for security.
The Aurora Arcology Project is a State approved charity organisation, which means that it must turn a profit to be taken serious as a charity. Investing large amounts of funds into internal security hampers the ability to create a profit in a humane way.

Modernizing Management

The core of the issue turned out to be outdated management methods. The population grew, causing shifts in needs and requirements. Sadly, our management methods did not evolve along with a growing population.
The basics of the Arcology operations was laid out when it was only a few thousand people. Now there's hundreds of thousands living here, leading to a very inefficient managing method. To combat this and prepare for the future, the Arcology management will be reformed to handle a growing population much better.
One of the major changes will be a shift from a trust-based system to a verification system

-Creation of a Verification Division;
This division's purpose will be to doublecheck budgets, decisions and various other important tasks that are best checked by a third party before going into effect.
This division replaced the old trust system, leading to a reduction of corruption & favoritism.
Previously, councilmembers were trusted to work for the good of many. This works for a small population, but in a large population, with more varied interests at work, it leads easily to corruption, favoritism and nepotism.

-Centralizing bureaucracy;
To increase efficiency and cooperation, the District Council Halls will be repurposed into assistance bureaus. All councilmembers are now required to meet at the Central Council Hall. This will improve communications between the various councilmembers, especially between different factions.

-Modernizing budget management;
During investigations, it was discovered that most budgets were spent inefficiently, due to rampant corruption. The cause of this corruption was a lack of control on budget spending. With the creation of the Verification Division, this has been resolved.
Further, budgets will no longer be a general funding, but will be split in clear divisions, like Security, housing, food, industry etc. This is in order to keep better track on how various factions spend their allowed budget.

Future plans

Thanks to the help we received, several plans for the future have been laid out, to boost the Aurora Arcology project.

-Internal Security training;
An offer was extended by the Ishukone Watch to train our troops to improve internal security. External security and policework is done by our Law Enforcement groups. However security focused on handling riots, identifying and controlling malign networks and underground movements is hardly existent.
To help alleviate this, an Ishukone Watch representative offered to train Arcology troops in identifying and neutralizing troublesome and hostile individuals and organisations.

-Sport Competitions
This was a very good and healthy tip, giving people a reason to compete in a peaceful manner through sports.
Currently, a variety of sports are being looked into for this. Ideal would be sports that are practised by all factions. Lacking that, a variety of sports practised by many different factions will also do. Hopefully something more concrete will follow soon on this!

Conclusion

Thanks to outside help, a variety of flaws has been identified and being corrected as we speak. With this in mind, the future looks bright once more for the Project now that it is ready to receive even larger populations.

I like to thank all those who helped in making this a reality, especially N'Maro Makari, Agiri Falken and the Disciples of Ston who have been a great help with their continued advice & assistance!

Over 22.000 immigrants arriving at the Arcology Station!

Due to internal issues, the immigration report got delayed once more, causing such a high number to be listed, as immigration doesn't stop when you delay their approvals... they just grow in number... giving you even more work!

The internal issue mentioned is the tense situation between the Amarr & Minmatar district after a riot occurred aboard the Arcology station.
So far, the recruitment stop for Amarr & Minmatar militia, combined with increased Arcology patrols has been a great help in keeping things under control. No further noteworthy incidents have been reported.

Thanks to assistance received from capsuleers after calling on their expertise in the Galactic Summit board, several issues have been identified that helped to deteriorate the Minmatar/Amarr relations aboard.
Part of it has to do with outdated Arcology management methods. A personal approach that relies on trust works for a population of a few thousand at most. But for a population numbering in hundreds of thousands it just asks for problems & rampant corruption & nepotism.
Due to this, the Arcology council will see a revamp of their workings, and the different districts will now receive a more strict guideline on what they can spend their allowed budget on.
One of these stricter guidelines has already been implemented, namely a limit on security spending.
The Aurora Arcology Project is a State approved charity organisation, which means that it must turn a profit to be taken serious as a charity. Investing large amounts of funds into internal security hampers the ability to create a profit in a humane way.

Undoubtedly, this stricter method will see some protest, but in the end it is done for the best. A more controlled approach with stricter guidelines and a more transparent authority system will lead to a much more efficient council to manage a growing population.

In regards to the tense relations between Amarr & Minmatar aboard the Arcology, CEO J. Ymladris is running talks with several capsuleers & organisations in order to provide a suitable negotiator to smoothen out the issues.
Note, to take away all tension between Amarr & Minmatar is an impossible task due to the history of both and is not the purpose of the Aurora Project. The negotiator's goal is to reduce tensions and remove the misconception on both sides that the other is arming themselves for conflict and tries to provoke the other into action to be blamed.

Further measures are also taken, most of them are directed to modernize Arcology management to deal with larger populations and a more centralized authority to provide a clearer insight on who runs the place and that it is still run under State law.

Onward now to the immigration census report. Many capsuleers have assisted the Arcology this week, showing that even with our recent troubles, they keep their trust in our organisation.
Among the capsuleers that assisted are: Satyriasis Gabrielle & Arista Shahni,long time supporters; Vincent Carlyle, who rescued a large group of exotic dancers and their fedo pets from being entertainment fodder on capsuleer combat ships; Argangtang Mulldan, who rescued folks from pirate hideouts and the Amarr Traders, chief amongst them are Boom Boom Longtime and Mizhrir, guiding refugees trapped in Amarr space to our project.

This week census report contains a large variety of immigrants, as you'll notice below.

Regular Civilians

-4 Blood Raider Scientists (Part of the Redemption Program)
-1.200 Civilians
-441 Homeless
-1.104 Janitors
-1 Port Rolette Resident
-12 Prisoners (Datafile: First large wave of Colonists arrive at Ayem!)
-40 Refugees
-11 Science Graduates
-10 Ship's Crew
-60 Stranded Pilots
-15.205 Tourists
-555 Freed Slaves

Pets

-71 Fedos (Datafile:A strange animal)
- 1 Miniature Hound
-76 Slaver Hounds

Law Enforcement

-20 Caldari Light Marines
-5 Army recruits
-940 Marines
-780 Militants
-56 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)
-2 Spies

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-786 Female Exotic Dancers
-762 Male Exotic Dancers
-2 Prostitutes

Councilmembers

-1 Fajah Ateshi
-2 Gallente Reporters
-3 Minmatar Emissaries
-15 Oura Madusaari (Patient suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)
-1 Tantima Areki
-1 VIP

Not allowed entry due to recruitment stop policy for Amarr & Minmatar districts until month expires.

-50 Amarr Light Marines
-212 Kameiras
-1535 Freedom Fighters

These Amarr & Minmatar security forces are temporary housed in the old hub station that was used prior to the Arcology moving to it's current homestation. This housing will last till the recruitment stop policy expires, which should be by the start of next month.

Also, the Arcology Council has expanded substantially, a direct result of the reform that is occurring. To better operate, the council needed a larger administrator force, allowing for a more efficient working and the ability to control and approve the different budgets for each district and division. This should improve the financial side and put a stop on malign uses of unchecked budgets, thus freeing up isk that would have slipped in someones pocket otherwise.

Dispute escalates into riot! Aurora Council fails to defuse the Amarr/Minmatar tensions!

Riot in the fringe of the Minmatar district!

Earlier this week at the Arcology Station, a dispute between a Minmatar shopkeeper and Amarr customer escalated into a riot!
After the Amarr customer was thrown out, he gathered his friends and raided the store, claiming the shopkeeper was demeaning to him and insulted his Faith. This in turn caused the Minmatar Militia to act, to safeguard the Minmatar district from these rioters.
But this only escalated the riot as Kameiras appeared to defend the Amarr rioters.

Just as the situationed was about to explode, Arcology Riot Teams appeared to subdue the rioters by non-lethal means.
Currently the situation is in control by the Arcology Law Enforcement troops, but only barely. Tension between the Amarr and Minmatar district are at an all time high, the smallest spark could initiate a full scale riot.

Due to this situation, the Arcology Council has taken a few short-time measures:

-A full recruit stop for the Amarr & Minmatar Militia.
 The reason is that these two factions already boast the largest self-serving militia forces of all districts. Any further buildup would be seen as an armaments race at this moment.

-A Show of Force to remind all that they are still in State space.
The Arcology Law Enforcement team has been tasked to increase patrols in both districts, and to include elite forces in these patrols. This is to remind all involved that the Aurora Arcology is ultimately meant to be a safe place for all. Not a place to give in to historical disputes and prejudices.
The MTAC Unit will also visibly be present, to remind all that they are still on State Territory and have to comply to State Laws.

-Seeking outside assistance for lowering tensions
In an effort to smoothen tensions to acceptable levels, outside advice is asked to help find ways to defuse the situation. Hopefully more level-headed people will be able to offer help or advice to assist the Arcology Project in continuing their efforts to offer a place of refuge for all in need.

It is the hope of the Council and the Aurora Arcology CEO that a more long term solution can be found to prevent another riot from occurring.

Background to the rising tensions

Ever since the Amarr delegation supported the PIE Kameira Program, tensions have been on the rise between the Minmatar and Amarr Districts aboard the Arcology Station. The subsequent arrival of a Tash Murkon Representative who approved the stationing of a large squadron of Kameiras only made things worse...

More can be read in these reports:
- Over 12.000 immigrants arrive this week at the Arcology Station!
This reports about the support to the PIE Kameira Program and the arrival of the Tash Murkon Representative to inspect our facilities as a result.
-Over 11.000 Refugees join the Arcology
At the end of the report, it mentions the result of the inspection by the Tash Murkon representative, approving the arrival of a large group of Kameiras. This decision caused the situation to spiral out of control as the Minmatar saw it as a military buildup, causing them to recruit Freedom Fighters in large numbers.
It was mentioned the Council would meet to find a solution before the situation escalates, but sadly, it was too late...