Monday 30 June 2014

The Minmatar Midsummer Festival

Prelude

Kyllsa had announced that she would celebrate the Ko'mak midsummer festival with her family tribe, and she invited others through a public announcement to join in as well, to enjoy some genuine fun & festivities. The event itself was held on the planet Matar, homeworld of the Minmatar.
It was clear from the start it wouldn't be as formal as other events I attended in the past. While Amarr, Caldari and Gallente events all are very distinct and different, they do share that feel of formality, especially for outsiders, the feel to be on your best behaviour for the others.
But nothing would prepare me on how open & fun this midsummer festival would be, hardly any formality. Also fighting, friendly fighting, but still, never seen that before without a legion of security-personnel slamming it down.

About a playful Tribal Shaman and water

Upon my arrival at the Festival grounds, it was immediately clear this wouldn't be like any other event previously attended. As I witnessed the watery chaos before me,there was a group of soaked wet but laughing people, children playing with their waterguns and playing alongside them adults. One of those was the tribal shaman Kyllsa Siikanen! It's so strange to see people whom you learned to know as high ranking within their own society to just play and have fun with children and water.
The whole watercombat was a hit for those who arrived early, as many were laughing and doing their best to soak others as payback.

As more guests arrived, the waterplay died down, albeit the children and few adults continued for a bit. One of the remarkable guests was renowned combat pilot Ava Starfire, who acted wholly different among this crowd then one would expect from the stories told about her. She was a warm and playful person, far from the rage-prone starship pilot some people say she is.

All in all, everyone did their best to make the guests feel comfortable and welcome. While it was primarily a minmatar event, the capsuleer guests were a mixed bunch, mainly Minmatar, but also Gallente and Caldari attended. and as the music played, the guests chatted, laughed, drank and ate, enjoying themselves freely.

For the hand of a Lady we shall fight!

As the Midsummer festival continued, music playing and people drinking, Ava Starfire did her best dragging people on the dancefloor, me among those. I set aside my typical Caldari reservation, and decided to just go with the flow, enjoying the party in full, dancing alongside the others on the rhythm of music and the clapping of hands.
The capsuleer N'maro Makari did a great job with his band on stage, picking the right music to keep the dancing up!

Outside the dancing, many guests had a good time enjoying the refreshments as they talked about various subjects, from children teasing elders to adults having an in-depth discussion about the various Matari brews.

Apparently, during this carefree joyful dancing, I had attracted the attention of one of the guests, Jaqel Aubaris, a Gallente capsuleer who was clearly at home with Matari customs, but shy.
When his friends noticed, they teased him to ask me out, yet he didn't take a step, until the challenge.
Vinh Trahn, a minmatar capsuleer; challenged his friend to a weapon's duel, that would end on first blood, with the stakes being that either Jaqel asked me out, or Vinh would do it for him!
At this point I was unaware it was about me, but as excitement rose for the upcoming fight I did join in the spectations, overhearing Ava yell *Finally! A Fight! Now it's a real Minmatar party!* So her hot-bloodedness mentioned in the stories weren't entirely exaggerated..

And so the duel begins, Jaqel with shield and hammer versus Vinh with a sword and shield, for a duel till first blood drawn. While Vinh seems to have an advantage with the sharp sword, lets not forget that a hammer can carry quite a punch and shields do have sharp edges!
As the duel began, people started betting as the combatants tested each others capacities with feigned strikes. As the combat intensified people cheered and yelled as they striked and blocked skillfully. But then, Jaqel shows what a hefty blow of a hammer can do, bringing Vinh out balance, allowing his shield to draw blood!

As Jaqel won, he followed through on the accepted challenge and asked a completely confused but very honored me for a date. After such display of primal secy manfight, how could I do nothing but accept!
However he had to leave shortly after for personal matters, but Vinh turned out to be a great fellow, being a great guide for me for the rest of the evening on various matters concerning the festival and Matari customs.

And so shall we continue!

Later on the evening, a second duel broke out, but this time a bare-hand fight between N'maro Makari and Sammi Oskonnur, in order for the latter to win back her bet she lost on the previous duel.
As these two began their duel, fighting with a certain grace as they exchanged blows, Vinh explained this particular part of Minmatar culture better to me.
It's mainly a way to resolve matters directly, as friends but also for sheer enjoyment. Most of such duels aim to have a good time, not to badly hurt the other. As matters are resolved quite fast through this, not allowing it to fester on as it can occur in other cultures, I can see the elegance of what appears to be a brutal way to settle matters.
This also comforted me, knowing there's usually reason behind such fights, and that duels occur only on the consent of both participants. As we chatter, the duel ends rather dramatically, when Makari miscalculates the force he puts in a kick, taking out Sammi quite harshly. As worried people gather, Kyllsa's quick on the scene, checking up on Sammi. In the end it turns all right, save for a hefty painful bruise for Sammi.

Using the momentum of this, Kyllsa Siikanen offers a training battle with practise swords along with Sanadras Riahn, to show the audience a proper way to fight and apply the right amount of force and movement in a duel. As the duel progresses, Kyllsa does show off some rather unconventional moves, teaching the audience to be flexible yet to be always on guard.
As the duel went on, I chatted with Vinh about the possible deeper meanings of this, as Matari as a whole always had to take that stance to the outside world, to be flexible in what they had, and to be on guard for others.
And then in a big applaud, the trainingduel ends, with a very suprise move from Sanandras, allowing him to claim victory over Kyllsa, by the very creative use of a watergun!

After this, the festivities went on, and people refocused on the dancing, food & drinks. By now, the various fights also gave the guests plenty of things to talk about and laugh.

A drunken end to a wonderful evening

And so it continues, people were slowly leaving now that it had gotten late, while the rest indulged themselves with the remaining drinks, having obviously drunken chatter among themselves. I was among those drunks... Does show how good a time I had, the reserved me, always watching not to drink too much just got drunk beyond belief.

This was a very great and very unconventional evening, with little formalities and alot of free-spirited fun. I truly enjoyed myself and got to know alot of people better.
I also learned more about Minmatar and their customs in a single evening then all the years prior to it. While I'm aware this was an exceptional event, as one of the Midsummer themes for minmatar is to drop all formality, I did gain the insight that even on more formal event, it's still fairly loose compared to what you are used to under Caldari or Amarr celebrations.

But the greatest insight I have gained was in the duelling. Previously I never understood why Matari enjoyed physical fighting so much, seeing it as just random brawls.But now I realized it's part of their culture, and that such 'brawls' tend to have deeper meanings, as a way to settle disputes before they fester, strengthen bonds or just to let off some steam without someone getting hurt, beyond some physical pain.

All in all, I can advise others to attend such events, even if only to learn more about the deeper nuances of Minmatar customs.

Sunday 29 June 2014

Celebrating Federation Day in Dodixie!

Prelude

This event aims to celebrate the founding of the Gallente Federation over 300 years ago. Back then, space was a chaotic grouping of smaller and larger powers, each with their own political structures. There existed a few interstellar organisations for co-operation, but most of these were outdated and powerless.

In an effort to bring more unity to this disorganized group of nation-states and power-structures, 4 nations joined together to found the Gallente Federation. The 4 founders were: the Gallente, Caldari, Intaki and Mannar worlds.
The new Federation obsoleted many of the old interstellar organisations and brought a stronger and more centralized unity in its place. This also had the positive effect of ending many prolonged conflicts, guiding the member-worlds into an era of peace. A peace that ended with the Caldari secession & the war that followed.  While the Caldari worlds seceeded shortly after the founding, many other worlds & races joined the young & growing Federation, chief among them the Verge Vendor worlds and the Jin-Mei nation.

Today, the founding of the Gallente Federation is celebrated as Federation Day, as it did manage to bring many races together in peace and uplifted many into the space-age without conquest, an achievement unique to the Gallente Federation.
This year, Federation Day was organized by capsuleer Alain Colcer: Federation Day YC116 to be held in Dodixie! The event was also co-sponsored by the Aliastra Retail Corporation and Inner Zone Shipping.

Federation day kicks off early!

The main event was scheduled to launch at 19h30 with the main events starting at 20h. However a group of enthusiasts took the initiative and launched a pre-celebration around the Dodixie trade-hub hours before the main event would start. Their ships flew above the docking lanes, lighting up the sky with showdrones & fireworks.
The early arrivals were Feu dAstres, Commander A9, Khaprice, Jandice Ymladris and the organizer of this years event himself, Alain Colcer!

The early arrivals showing off their celebration ships!

The early brigade served as an excellent group to kick off the festivities in Dodixie with their shenanigans. They attracted alot of attention as they engulfed as many freighters as they could in fireworks, showdrones & partylasers!

As time went by, more and more folks joined in the celebration of the Gallente Federation Founding. The colorful fireworks attracted alot of interested foreign capsuleers, wondering what was happening! The only minor inconvenience that occurred was the arrival of Diana Kim, attempting to disrupt the event. However, except for one obviously lunatic capsuleer, hardly anyone reacted aggressively on her provocations.

The main Federation Day event celebration!

And so it begins! The Federation Day Celebration! With dozens of ships involved to bring about spectacular shows, the event proved to be a success!
Many commented on the beautiful displays and the large number of ships circling the traffic docking lanes to get everyone in a festivite mood. Quite some folks explained a bit of the history of Federation Day to those who wondered what it was all about.

Lighting up the docking traffic lanes!

In a special note, the organizers had warned in advance to heavily tank your display ships, as they feared that the location would attract malicious capsuleers that wanted to disrupt the event. Luckily, this advice turned out to be a non-concern, as almost everyone joined it to celebrate, making it one great & fun day!

As the evening moved on, Alain Colcer unveiled the highlight of this years Federation day! A fashion show on which competitors would be judged and voted for by the audience. This show was open for all capsuleers, man and women irrelevant of race. This surely embraced the spirit of the Federation, a fashion event where anyone could participate & win by democratic voting.

As the show went on, competitors did their best in showing off their outfits and use their most heart-winning poses in an effort to lobby as many votes as they could to have a chance at the prizes! But in the end, only 3 could be winners.

The winners of the Federation Day Fashion Show are:
1st place: Jandice Ymladris ; Prize: Navy Brutix
2nd place: Christina Project; Prize: Thorax Aliastra Edition
3rd Place: Teinhyr; Prizes: Inner Zone Imicus & Aliastra Incursus

There was some criticism that that I merely won due to popularity, an accusation that does have some merit. But this does show the danger of a democratic voting system, if everyone can vote, you risk that the most popular gets elected, not the one with most merit.
However, all in all it was enjoyable, and we all got to enjoy the moves of some very attractive capsuleers, men and women alike.

After the fashionshow, people refocused on the abundant fireworks and lightshows. During this, a particular participant attracted alot of attention as he trailed an entire swarm of firework missiles behind him!

 Firework Missile Storm!

As this fast & skilled pilot kept up his speed, other capsuleers were speculating how long he could keep it up before he'd slip up, causing all those firework rockets to explode simultaneously in a bright flash of light!
Despite the pressure, this pilot managed to fly for over an hour until he finally made a slight error, causing a marvellous display of fireworks exploding all around his little ship!

Event closure; a fun day out in Dodixie!

As it grew late, more and more people had to leave, but many expressed their thanks for this celebration, remarking how they enjoyed this break up of Dodixie's usual trading atmosphere.
When more and more folks dispersed the celebration, the firework & droneshow experts decided to give one last handout of their skillful displays before leaving as well.

A final colorful showdown for Dodixie Trade Hub!

All in all, a very fun celebration that saw alot of attention from a large variety of capsuleers. The many comments during and after the event showed that they had a good time and enjoyed the historical aspects behind Federation Day.

Also, a big thanks to Alain Colcer who organized it, Commander A9 who supported it and everyone who showed up & contributed in one way or another!

Friday 27 June 2014

The Aurora Arcology receives over 13.000 immigrants once again

With thanks to many kind capsuleers, a wide variety of civilians and associated joined our project this week.
Thanks to you, these people will find a new start in their lives and enjoy it within the safety of the Arcology station.

Aboard the station, Pieter Tuulinen's security force has success mapping out the insurgent's workings in order to identify them. At this rate, the continued pressure on these troublemakers by the Tuulinen law enforces will lead to tactical victories over these troublemakers in the near future, ensuring a safer Aurora Arcology for everyone!
The deployment already seems to have an effect, as there's very few Freedom Fighters joining this week.

That said, this week sees alot of civilians joining with a criminal background. However, locals aboard the Arcology shouldn't fear for this however, as these former criminals will be part of the Redemption Program, assuring that they'll be under close surveillance as they do communal work in order to redeem themselves.

Also, alot of Kameiras joined our project once more.... shortly after we send a large detachment to the PIE Kameira Program... So far, every time we sent Kameiras to the PIE Kameira program, we received several groups of Kameiras in return from others. As usual, these Kameiras will receive a check-up, some time to recover, if needed and then given the choice to stay either aboard the Arcology or join the PIE Kameira program. Due to their nature, it's suspected that most will choose the latter.
At this point I suspect they just use the Aurora Arcology Project as a gateway to support the PIE Kameira Program indirectly, without compromising their stance on PIE.

Now onward to the census report of this week! A large variety of citizens this week, so it'll be a long list!

Regular Civilians

-4 Blood Raider Scientists (Part of the Redemption Program)
-630 Civilians
-210 Homeless
-1.205 Janitors
-14 Manel's Servants
-210 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-22 Refugees
-60 Science Graduates
-8 Scientists
-78 Stranded Pilots
-2.022 Tourists
-930 Freed Slaves

Pets

-4 Fedos (Datafile: A strange animal)
-4 Miniature Hounds
-309 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-55 Caldari Light Marines
-58 Freedom Fighters
-2 Gallente Light Marines
-20 Army Recruits
-2.100 Kameiras
-2.661 Marines
-1 Mercenary Pilot
-2.165 Militants
-130 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-380 Female Exotic Dancers
-931 Male Exotic Dancers

Councilmembers

-2 Jark Makon
-7 Minmatar Emissaries
-15 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)
-22 VIPs

With the recent deployment of Pieter Tuulinen's security force, the Gallente faction has lodged complains that they constrict their freedom too much. Attempts to clarify them that this was needed to ensure continued safety for all aboard the Arcology have only been partially successful. In response, they recruited 2 Gallente Light Marines to act as posing guards for the Gallente District house.

This reaction was expected, as previously, Aurora Arcology security was not strict in enforcing the law, letting things slip 'because many of these people faced enough hardships' Sadly, it has been proven that hostile elements abuse such situation to further their own agenda.

Monday 23 June 2014

Intaki system sees development of new genetically engineered livestock!

Prelude

Genetically engineered livestock is the result of the agricultural sector's demand for suitable livestock for various circumstances. This can vary from a cow that produces extra milk to a hybrid creature that can survive and even produce suitable food in harsh circumstances.
Due to this, it's an industry that's always in motion, at the forefront of colonisation, to develop suitable livestock for worlds that are unable to support the classic, unaltered livestock for a variety of reasons.

In this case, the Trimeryevaaryam pastures, owned by Richard Masseri, saw the unveiling of specifically tailored livestock. They were genetically enhanced for rapid growth, to supply milk & meat at an accelerated rate. Even their age has been genetically tailored so that they would pass away on the moment of their prime, providing prime meat without the need of the animal to suffer the stress of being slaughtered.

To celebrate the successful deployment of this new genetic livestock breed, capsuleer Masseri organized a celebration at his planetside mansion on Intaki V. People interested to attend were invited to come along and have a good time!

Having a party and a presentation!

Arriving early at the Masseri mansion allowed me to marvel at the beautiful Grand hall, where the party would be held. Being an excellent host, Capsuleer Masseri provided a wide selection of food, from fruit, to meat and anything in between. His staff was also present, carrying around refreshments and taking orders to accommodate the guests.
Shortly after the official start of the event, Mr Masseri held a short but good speech, reminding folks that the invitation they received also doubled as ticket for a ship-raffle later in the evening! Giving the attendees the possibility to win a Police Comet, or even a chance for the brand new Garmur frigate, all fitted for next week's Federation day!
As the evening passed, more guests arrived, giving way to a variety of talks & discussions! The discussions handled a variety of topics, ranging from discussions about the various media outlets to chatter about the different ways of trading, with enjoyable talks about cybernetic enhancements thrown in.

Then an announcement was made, a presentation would be held by a scientist from the genetic lab, explaining the enhanced qualities and altered characteristics of this newly developed breed. This genetically engineered livestock has been created with immunity to most common diseases, enhanced meat & milk production.
As everything comes with a trade-off, this particular breed had a short lifespan, but in this case it had been tailored to the point of the livestock dying on his prime, so it would never need to suffer the agonies of old age and also serve as an indication when the meat was ready to be processed without the animal suffering stress from the process of slaughter.

Afterwards, a tour was offered to visit the Trimeryevaaryam pastures and observe this genetically enhanced livestock in their natural environment. This proposal was gladly accepted by almost all attendees!
As people enjoyed the outdoors tour, it also served as an excellent opportunity to have your questions and concerns addressed about this enhanced livestock breed.

Once the crowd returned to the mansion, it was time for the ship raffle! Everyone had received a unique number on their invitation, and the winners would be selected through a drawing by an innocent hand. To eliminate any form of doubt, Masseri showcased the winning numbers on a screen.
Initially there were some technical difficulties concerning the lottery display, but they were resolved quickly by the technical staff.

First price up was the Police Comet. As a staff member slowly pulled a number out the bag, people watched in anticipation on who would win it!
And the winning number was owned by James Syagrius! His occupation as a free trader did spur quite some jokes about him winning the Police comet.

Then the main price went up, a party-fitted Garmur frigate! People waited in anticipation as a new number was drawn from the bag.
And as the winning number was displayed, belonging to Sanadras Riahn, a big applause broke out to celebrate the winner!

And with this the event was over, or so we thought. Capsuleer Masseri did had one last surprise for all of us! A firework display celebrating the event's success as people undocked!

Richard Masseri and Sanadras Riahn providing an excellent firework display!

As this show endured, marvelling the leaving guests, Sanadras Riahn decided to test his party-fit Garmur he just won!
And with this, the firework display went up a notch, turning it into a vibrant spectacle of color, with the planet Intaki V as a beautiful backdrop.
It also speaks to the professionality of Mordu's Legion that they kept the peace, allowing this firework display to continue unabated for a long time without hostile capsuleer intervention, despite that it lies in lowsec space.

Conclusion

A very enjoyable event, with a nice variety of talks and a good way to meet several new & friendly people. Despite that it was held in lowsec, many attendees did take the extra effort to be there in person instead of using a holographic presentation.
The celebration itself was very warm and friendly, open minded to newcomers, making them feel part of the event.

All in all, I had a good time, and undoubedtly the others as well!

In case the name Richard Masseri rings a bell, he was the generous capsuleer who was reported on in an earlier news article of ours: Helping Serpentis Civilians

Saturday 21 June 2014

Civilian aid programs by other groups, supported by the Aurora Arcology

While the Aurora Arcology project does aim to help as many civilians as possible, it cannot help all in certain cases. The Project aims to help people getting a new start in their lives, provided we can offer the appropriate expertise.
This article plans to highlight two programs run by other organisations that we support, namely the PIE Kameira Program and the Matriculation program by the Disciples of Ston.


In the case of slavery, the Aurora project lacks the expertise to help these people appropriately. To remedy this, we generally transfer these slaves to the Disciples of Ston. They are known for their good care and expertise in helping slaves get a better life.

As slavery is a traumatic experience, the Disciples of Ston offer guidance to these former slaves to learn and handle their newfound freedom. They also go to great lengths to assure their safety, in order to take away their fear that their former master will return to claim them.
Over the years, they've helped millions to be emancipated and enjoy their lives as free people.

However the Disciples do respect that not all want to be free. For a variety of reasons, some prefer to remain in slavery. In such cases, the Disciples respect their wishes and return them to their old lives. They do assist more than just slaves however, dealing with all manners of traumatized people.

The Disciples of Ston tend to patrol the Amarr borders, looking to rescues slaves and others that have been left behind in deathcans. These are cargo-cans jettisoned with live people inside and enough oxygen for about 2 hours.
Despite the fact that this cruel practise is condemned by many, it continues to this day. Lucky the Disciples keep watch, rescuing many from certain death. This experience leaves mny rescuees very distraught and distrusting of capsuleers, yet with the guidance provided by the various centers run by the Disciples, they'll recover.

May their works continue for a long time, offering a brighter world for many and a non-violent way out for slavery.


A more recent cause is the PIE Kameira Program. After it was found out the Kameira presence can cause major friction with the Minmatar, it's been decided to support this program to keep down Kameira numbers aboard the Arcology station.

Due to their background, Kameiras cause a great deal of unrest among the minmatar. After all, these men and women are taken from their parents as babies and raised to be warriors for the Amarr Empire through indoctrination.
Due to this, Kameiras only want to serve their Amarr Masters. Many have tried to undo the indoctrination process, but so far no reliable method has been found that improves their quality of life in a replicatable manner.

Due to this, the Aurora Arcology project prefers to keep them as they are, serving the Amarr elite aboard for various task concerning security.
However, for these tasks, only a minimum of Kameiras are needed. To help these men and women as much as possible, it's been decided to support the PIE Kameira Program.

The core of this program is to rescue Kameiras from the grasp of capsuleers and redeploy them under their Amarr masters. However, they would be used to do good, namely defending civilian populations from outside aggression. This has been an increased concern ever since the deployment of Dust Mercs by various groups.
Due to their rigorous combat training, a regiment of Kameiras should be able to stand against a few Dust mercs when needed, an accomplishment of it's own. This means that any Amarr settlement guarded by Kameiras guarantees an enduring battle, allowing civilians to retreat to safety when needed.

Civilians are usually the first casualties in war, it's good to see PIE doing their part to offer them some safety from the atrocities of war.


Final note

Do keep in mind that anyone who supports the Aurora Arcology and sends refugees, rescuees & immigrants our way is guaranteed that these people will receive the best support that we can offer. However in certain cases this means they'll be transferred to another organisation when we lack the expertise to assist them properly.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Over 13.000 refugees join the Arcology!


Once more, the Aurora Arcology Project success endures! The weekly influx of people is astonishing, almost weekly, over ten-thousand people join the Aurora project, seeking a new start after they have been recovered from conflict-zones.

In that regard, there's been good news! The continued talks between Ishukone and the Gallente Senate about Caldari Prime have lead to the historical capital of the Caldari people being placed under Ishukone's mandate soon. These are hopefully the first hints of a broader peace between the State and the Federation. And with that in mind, less conflict and less refugees originating from said conflicts!

Closer to home, there's also excellent news, Pieter Tuulinen's professional security force have been keeping the peace aboard the Arcology in an excellent manner. So far, things have been quiet, no unrest in any station sector or faction.
The foreign security force will continue their presence until they can locate and subdue the insurgents.
Meanwhile, our security force undergoes reformation, in order to be a more efficient and professional force that will deal much stricter with issues.

Now onward to the census report of this week! With thanks to capsuleer Richard Masseri and others, refugees with wildly varying backgrounds found their way to the Aurora Arcology station!

Regular Civilians

-96 Miners
-385 Homeless
-1.738 Janitors
-10 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-10 Refugees
-2 Science Graduates
-23 Scientists
-40 Ship's Crew
-9 Stranded Pilots
-3.748 Tourists
-1.649 Freed Slaves

Pets

-4 Fedos (Datafile:A strange animal)
-266 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-7 Counter-Boarding Amarr Marine
-236 Freedom Fighters
-4.350 Marines
-950 Militants
-97 Slavers (Part of the Redemption Program)

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-312 Female Exotic Dancers
-588 Male Exotic Dancers

Councilmembers

-23 Oura Madusaari (Patients suffering the Oura M. Syndrome)

The recruit-ban has been lifted, and both sides did make use of it. The Minmatar recruited their traditional Freedom Fighter Militia, while the Amarr decided on recruiting a small elite team to provide security.
Meanwhile, Kameira forces aboard the Arcology are being prepared to be part of the PIE Kameira Program later this week.

Thursday 12 June 2014

Caldari Prime, the road to peace

With thanks to Ishukone's relentless diplomatic efforts, the historical capital of the Caldari people will be returned to the Caldari on the first of july!
This is a historical move as the city of Arcurio not only served as the old capital of the Caldari people, but it is also the largest city on the planet. On top of that is the cultural significance, as this is where the Gallente made first contact with the Caldari.

Through this, Ishukone shows that the Federation can be reasoned with concerning Caldari Prime. While large area's are still under control of Material acquisitions, a subsidiary company of Quafe, the 3 largest cities are now under Ishukone's control, a major feat. This will surely boost the reconstruction & salvage operations to clean & rebuild the planet and its cities into a shining example of the Caldari ideals.

The city of Arcurio after the devastation wrought by the impact of the CN Shiigeru

With the addition of Arcurio, Ishukone also inherited a large & costly project to clean & salvage debris as this city was close to the impact site of the Titan 'CN Shiigeru'. More info on this salvage operation can be found here:
Shiigeru wreckage site will be salvaged & cleared in a joint Gallente/Caldari operation.
It is suspected that part of the cost that Ishukone payed to have Arcurio transferred to their control was the addition of the salvage & cleaning operation costs involved.
However the costs of this cleaning operation will be negligent compared to the prestige and opportunities that Ishukone gains in the State, especially among the Caldari people for their efforts to bring the large cities back under Caldari control!

However, let us not forget the Gallente side, after all Arcurio is not only the place where Gallente made first contact with the Caldari, it is also the place of the memorial monument that remembers all those that have fallen in the Battle for Caldari Prime, Gallente & Caldari alike.
This monument was unveiled during a heartwarming memorial remembrance event organized by Commander A9 and attended by many capsuleers to honor the fallen of both sides.

Let us hope these diplomatic endeavours by Ishukone and the Gallente Senate and many others will continue to pave the road of peace for Caldari Prime. In the end, only through diplomacy can we find a permanent solution for Caldari Prime's unique and fragile situation.

Monday 9 June 2014

Helping Serpentis civilians

Recently, a capsuleer by the name Richard Masseri contacted me to know more about the Aurora Arcology project. He had heard of the Arcology through a shared contact, Denak Kalamari. As we spoke, it came to light that he wanted to make sure that the civilians under his care would be treated well if he transferred them over to the Aurora project.

Part of the civilians under Richard Masseri's care are people he's looking after, but as he is part of the Intaki Liberation Front, he felt he couldn't give them the support they needed, hence the Aurora Arcology project grabbed his interest.
After assurance these civilians had a wide selection of job-opportunities and their security guaranteed, he grew convinced that the Arcology would give them a bright future.

There was also the case of the Serpentis civilians he rescued from the wreckage of demolished Serpentis structures. Capsuleer Richard Masseri wanted to know my stance on civilians under criminal employ.
After hearing about the Redemption program that runs in the Arcology, he was delighted to hear that such people get a second chance as well.
After all, most civilians working for a criminal organisation do it more to survive in the unlawful parts of the universe rather than idealism. Hence one shouldn't judge too harshly when it comes to rescuing people from any pirate complex .

I like to thank Richard Masseri for his trust in the Arcology Project and to give the people he rescued and looked after a new chance in life! Aboard the Arcology, these civilians will be able to share their lifestory with many others who have experienced similar things.
In a way to repay his gratitude & trust, I donated a part of the Antibiotics that are produced aboard the Arcology to the Intaki Liberation Front, because you can never have enough medicines in a region afflicted by a prolonged conflict.

Friday 6 June 2014

Mercenaries for peace: Mordu's Legion




Background

Mordu's Legion was formed at the end of the first Caldari-Gallente war by exiled Intaki who sympathized with the Caldari during this conflict. Despite that they only formed at the end of the war, by the time it was over, Mordu's Legion had achieved a legendary status due to their achievements during the war.

Despite this, they had trouble settling within Caldari society, resulting in an uprise by nationalists, targeting the Intaki from Mordu's Legion. With help from the Caldari Navy, the uprising was suppressed. Following this they decided to reside in a system of their own in the Pure Blind Region, but with support from the Caldari, as a favor for their successful military support.

During their stay in pure Blind, they became a strong and powerful mercenary corporation, mainly performing tasks for the various State Megacorps, but also doing jobs for less legal employers. This put them at odds with other nations as well, a mistake they would pay dearly for...

However, the rise of Capsuleer tech saw them competing with these immortals. Lacking the advantages capsuleers have, Mordu's Legion ships usually came out on the losing side when they had to face them... Add to this that due to their work with criminal organisations, Concord and the other nations branded them as pirates, to be hunted down in exchange for a bounty.

Yet, due to the unique nature of the members of Mordu's Legion, mainly Intaki who sympathized with the Caldari cause, they managed to be crucial in defusing explosive situations between the State and the Federation in recent times.
We'll highlight two of these mercenary contracts that helped to keep tensions between the State and the Federation in check.
For more official information you can look here: Mordu's Legion datafile


Intaki Prime

After the Concord Militia act, Intaki Prime fell into the designated warzone between the Federation and State.
During this 'regulated' war, the Federation failed to halt the occupation of the system by the Caldari State. However, Ishukone, who won the auction to oversee Intaki development, understood that letting the Caldari Navy occupy the system would only lead to uprise and fanatical Federation pilots opposing the Caldari.
In a deal struck with the Intaki authorities, Mordu's Legion was contracted to protect and defend the system and it's inhabitants from aggressors.

Initially, the Federation did not recognize this authority, and tried to fight off Mordu's Legion forces with help from capsuleers employed by the FDU.
However, the Intaki assembly confirmed Mordu's Legion was deployed on their request as well, even refusing the Federation Navy to enter the system to overtake security.

The deal with Mordu's Legion includes that neither the State nor the Federation is allowed to send military ships to the system as long as Mordu's Legion is under Intaki contract. They have been given full authority to police the system and have been given full military access. During this, Mordu's Legion only has to answer to the Intaki assembly for orders and reports concerning the security of the system.

Due to this contract, Intaki Prime enjoyed relative stability, despite Caldari and Federation forces regularly switching 'official' control of the system under Concord regulations. No matter who 'owns' the system, Mordu's Legion remains in control to police the system and assuring military security.


Caldari Prime

After the battle for Caldari Prime, it was quickly realized that neither the Caldari Navy nor the Federation Navy would be acceptable to provide orbital security for Caldari Prime. It had to be a third faction, but one accepted by both sides.
After their outstanding work in providing security at Intaki Prime amidst a warzone, Mordu's Legion was seen as a logical choice to take up this security contract. Mordu's Legion has been contracted to be the sole policing force in orbit of Caldari Prime. This means that no-one but Mordu's Legion has military jurisdiction rights in the Caldari Prime DMZ. This was found to be the most acceptable by the State and Federation, to prevent accusations of bias.
More info on this deal can be found here: Final details of Caldari Prime DMZ announced

Conclusion: Mordu's Legion maintains peace

It's thanks to contracts like these that tensions between the State and Federation haven't escalated into a full blown war. Mordu's Legion provides a good military alternative in places where stationing conventional military forces from either State or Federation Navy would cause a situation to escalate into a shooting conflict.

The current state of Mordu's Legion

In order to combat their diminishing relevance on the public mercenary market that's now overtaken by capsuleers, they have released entirely new ship designs. These new ships are remarkable as that they are designed from the ground up to be compatible with capsuleer technology!
This is a drastic change from their old stance, where they preferred ships with a bridge crew instead of a capsule.

It is believed this change was enforced on them by the realisation that capsuleers are just that more efficient in mercenary work. In order to keep up, they had to adopt this technology as well. Looking at these new ships, they succeeded beyond expectations, as these ships have been built with the capsule in mind!
More info on the new Mordu's Legion ships: Introducing The Revamped Mordu's Legion Fleet

With these new ships, Mordu's Legion hopes to retake their position on the mercenary market, helped with the deployment of the advanced technology they can access from both the State and the Federation.

Add on this their recent recruitment drive after Heth's ousting and the disbanding of the Providence Directorate, and it looks like the Legion plans to be one of the big players on the mercenary market again.

Moving back into the light: thwarting Gurista research

One of the ways to put out their name again is by thwarting Gurista research. Mordu's Legion has deployed ships everywhere in low sec to locate and retrieve Gurista research files in order to uncover what they are working on and to locate their main research facilities. In addition to this, the Legion also attempts to retrieve research-data the Guristas have stolen from them.
They have asked capsuleer assistance, rewarding them with advanced technology if they turn in any Gurista research data they find.
Through this, Mordu's Legion achieves two goals, one: they become known among the greater community again, making them visible for new contractors, and two: they thwart the Guristas in their research. This is important as the Guristas have been in the news more often concerning their covert research projects.
More information about this undertaking to foil Gurista plans can be found here: Sweeping Death and Chaos and here : Mordu's Legion puts out call for capsuleer assistance

Thursday 5 June 2014

The Arcology welcomes over 12.000 immigrants

Now that things have been stabilizing, the Aurora Arcology Project can refocus on it's original goal: assisting immigrants, refugees, rescuees and others into a new and successful start in their lives.

Under Pieter Tuulinen's command, the first few foreign security forces have arrived. Currently, they are familiarizing themselves with the Arcology layout and checking in with local security on the matters ahead.
Alongside this is also a training of our local security forces to be more strict, to prevent a repeat of the riot incident. The foreign security deployment will serve as a transition period, making people more acceptable to a new and more rigid security force.

Thanks to the increased security, the recruitment stop can be lifted. However, all factions will be monitored on their recruitment to prevent security being compromised by over-recruitment.
Now onward to this week's census-report. The Council-reforms are still underway, which means there's several new members. This will allow for a better monitoring of all council activities and assist in regulating the budgets more efficiently, preventing abuse of funds.

Regular civilians

-556 Homeless
-1.987 Janitors
-10 Prisoners (Part of the Prison Lend-Lease Program)
-31 Refugees
-10 Science Graduates
-20 Ship's Crew
-5.321 Tourists
-849 Freed Slaves

Pets

-1 Fedo (Datafile:A strange animal)
-192 Hounds

Law Enforcement

-10 Caldari Light Marines
-281 Freedom Fighters
-2.976 Marines
-510 Militants

Employees for the Nightclub L'Etoile Rouge

-300 Female Exotic Dancers
-1.049 Male Exotic Dancers

Councilmembers

-1 Corin Risia
-1 Dari Akell
-1 Minmatar Emissary
-4 VIPs

Aurora Arcology Management thanks all capsuleers who offered the people they rescued a new chance in life aboard the Arcology station!

Sunday 1 June 2014

Sansha Aeon Supercarrier engaged in Haras System!

Prelude

A while back, Raisa SRP reported that one of their pilots, who used to be a staunch enemy of Nation, had been taken, and her loyalty rewritten to serve Nation without question through the use of True Slave implants.
On top of this, she managed to use her newly gained influence as Sansha capsuleer to steal an Aeon supercarrier, with the intend to raid a system in the future.

To assure sufficient people would rally to help, Raisa SVP put up an impressive list of rewards for those who assisted in taking down the Sansha Carrier and destroy Xilia Otsu's pod to free her from Nation influence.

However, Xilia Otsu offered rewards of her own, promoting the destruction of capsuleers, to advocate Sansha's goal of eliminating capsuleers-assets from space.With this response, a high turnout of people was expected, from those who fight nation to Nation loyalists intending to defend the carrier and pirates who are just out there for profit and gain, no matter which side they supported through their actions.

The fleets gather

As soon as the Sansha Aeon Supercarrier was spotted in haras, word spread fast across the Eden cluster. Over a dozen fleets set course for Haras, all intending to claim parts of the prizes awarded!

The initial fleets that arrived were a mixed russian fleet using Talwars, RAZOR Alliance, Nulli Secunda, Scope, Caldari Militia and the Shadow Cartel. Upon arrival at the Aeon Supercarrier they immediately started attacking each other, causing a massive chaotic fight.
As the fighting continued, fleets warping in & out, often launching 4 to 5 way attacks, more and more fleets poured into the system.

And then, Pandemic Legion arrived with their dreaded Navy Apoc fleet, flanked with a variety of other ships to secure these battleships. Rightaway they went to work to secure the battlefield for themselves.
Rapidly in their wake, a few other powerful fleets arrived, The Gorgons, The Brothers of Tangra, Spectre fleet. and the RedvsBlue fleet. Now over 600 capsuleers were present in local...
 
 
And so it begins, the Battle of Haras

With the arrival of all these powerful and organized fleets, the battle quickly changed. As PL asserted their dominion over the Supercarrier, causing mayhem in various smaller fleets, others used this chaos for their own good.
Using the chaos of the battle, The Gorgons; Shadow Cartel and RvB drove all the others temporary from the battlefield. As they were driven off, the Russian Talwar fleet, Scope, Razor Alliance and the Brothers of Tangra suffered heavy losses as they withdraw temporary from battle. All this took place in only 10 minutes...

Now these 3 organized and strong fleets were the ones left on the battlefield, staying at range from the PL battleship fleet. But this stand-off only lasted for a short time as these 3 fleets began fighting PL and themselves in a massive 4 way battle. Using the chaos of this bloodbath a 5th unidentified fleet warped and and caused severe havoc on all sides. To make things even more mind-warping chaotical, Spectre jumped in as well, making the chaos complete.
Initially the disruption caused by these two new fleets worked successfully, wrecking ships from many fleets.

But as testament to their strict organisation and experience, the big 4 (PL, Gorgons, RvB and Shadow Cartel) quickly recovered and drove these two fleets from the field by wrecking a large number of their ships.
But during this, yet another new fleet warped in Red Alliance (Don't confuse with RvB!) together with a renewed attack from Spectre. Alas, their bravery would not be rewarded as they get slaughtered under combined PL/Gorgon fire. The repeated attacks from other fleets start to take their toll on RvB and Shadow Cartel that now starts to suffer heavy losses as well from PL & Gorgons.  Now don't mistake this as co-operation as the Gorgons and PL were still happily shooting each other as well!

As the dust cleared, the two remaining large fleets are the Gorgons and PL, who continued to attack each other.
But this fleet-duel would regularly be interrupted by smaller fleets like Winmatar and E-Uni warping in & out, but these did nothing but provide fodder for these two powerful fleets.
For a while, there was no serious attempt to break the hegemony of these two fleets, PL's Navy Apocs and the Gorgon Naga's.

And then, Nulli Secunda returned... focusing their firepower initially on the Gorgons while they were also battered down by PL. But as they shifted firepower to PL as well, Nulli Secunda remained on the field as the new third fleet!

 Attack ships on fire off the Aeon of Xilia Otsu, laserbeams glitter in the dark near the Haras Gate
 
Bolstered by the success of Nulli Secunda, a whole bunch of fleets returned to the battlefield, Red Alliance, Scope and Goonswarm warped on field and began immediate attacks on the 3 major fleets. Alas, their action would be fruitless as they got rapidly removed from the battlefield.
Only Goonswarm would keep returning, harassing them.

But as the battle raged on and smaller fleets kept warping in & out, the battering of PL firepower put heavy pressure on the two other fleets, Gorgons and Nulli Secunda, but they managed to hold.
This all changed when two new and fresh fleets arrived... Waffles, who came and support their PL friends, and Circle-of-Two, that disrupted the balance. While Circle-of-Two was easly dispatched of, it also broke the balance, forcing Nulli Secunda and the Gorgons into retreat.

And amidst the massive field of wreckage, combat fell briefly silent for the first time as Waffles & PL claimed total control over the Sansha Aeon Supercarrier.

Circle-of-Two, Goonswarm, Red Alliance, Brothers of Tangra and Shadow Cartel would launch several attacks to disrupt PL/Waffle operations during the final stages of battle. But alas, due to the fighting amongst the fleets, PL/Waffle remained in control.
During these final stages, PL focused on downing the Aeon supercarrier while Waffles kept them safe from small marauding fleets trying to disrupt their attack. And then, finally the newest Sansha threat, Xilia Otsu's Aeon Supercarrier went down, and her along with it...

Time to end this

And so ends the Battle for Haras, a Sansha Nation threat removed amidst a large and chaotical fight.. PL once more claimed the majority of rewards due to their organisation and power.
However it wasn't made easy for them this time, as there were several strong & long lasting fleets on the field, forcing PL to call in backup in the form of spider-tanking carriers, Battle-Rorquals and calling out for Waffle support at the end.

While the peak of activity was between 600 to 700 capsuleers, plenty more in absolute numbers have joined this fight as the fight took roughly 3 hours.
The Haras battle-report can be found here: The Fight for Haras

With the destruction of her True Slave implants, Xilia Otsu is now free from Nation influence, albeit closely monitoring her is advised. While capsuleers struck victory against Nation at Haras, it is a bittersweet one due to the massive scale of destruction committed there due to all the fighting between fleets to claim the rewards

Full videofootage of the whole duration of the battle, provided by Russian Eve Radio

Celebration of Cardinal Graelyn's Decennial as Capsuleer

Introduction

Cardinal Graelyn is held in high regard among most Imperial Capsuleers, but he also has earned alot of respect among those outside the Amarr Empire.
Remarkable is that during his decade as capsuleer, his loyalty was always with the Amarr Empire, a rare occurence in the capsuleer community. For a long time he was a very active forerunner in Amarr capsuleer affairs, managing to unite many capsuleer organisations with different viewpoints on the Faith and Empire into one. This feat is an excellent example of his impressive diplomatic skills and one of the reasons he has gained alot of respect from friend and foe alike.
More background information can be found here : Concord Datafile: Cardinal Graelyn

To celebrate his 10 years as capsuleer, Cardinal Graelyn organized a poker tournament in association with EoH Poker, followed by an afterparty!
Several capsuleers expressed their interests to attend both the Poker tournament as the after-party.

Poker Tournament: The Cardinal's Table

The people that gathered for Graelyn's poker tournament were a mixed bunch, from total beginners to professional players. It would be a very interesting match to observe with such varied skill-levels and playstyles deployed!
The first few rounds saw people playing with little risk, testing and seeing how their opponents played. Once a few games were played, certain capsuleers started to play more aggressively, causing the knockout of the first group of attendees.
Now the stakes grew higher, as several tried to knock out Cardinal Graelyn to claim the knockout prize attached to it. But as more and more players got knocked out, the cunning and skill of Graelyn showed, as he kept in, despite that he had far less chips than those on the lead.
Eventually Makoto Priani successfully knocked out Graelyn, claiming the knockout prize (100 mill isk) as she kept leading the tournament in number of chips held.
When Avio Yaken got knocked out, and winning the prize money for third place (400 mill isk), it would be a duel between two master poker players, Makoto Priano with around 33K chips and the outnumbered Jurou Yuan with around 11K chips.

But now the game really turned interesting, the duel between these two capsuleers became a game of matching skill, luck and bluff. In a rapid series of fast games, chips went back and forth . Jurou Yuan managed to win a few crucial high stake game, turning the tables around.
As people watched and commented on some of the odd community card combinations, the excitement of the game kept everyone's attention.
And then it occurred, in a thrilling endmatch, the stakes soared up! The chipstacks piled up high and then, Makoto Priani went all in!
And in this climax, the cards were revealed:
-Jurou Yuan shows a Full House, Eights full of Fives
-Makoto Priano shows a Full House, Fives full of Eights

So close, yet so far, but the winners were known! Jurou Yuan won the first prize! 2 billion isk! Runner up at second place, Makoto Priani won 600 mill isk.
After this thrilling conclusion, people were invited to attend the after-party at Cerra Manor Terrace in the Huola system.
Graelyn however announced there were some things planetside he had to resolve before attention the after-party.

The after party

Initially, the after party subject was the thrilling duel between Makoto Priani and Jurou Yuan, where people congratulated both on the exciting game, and analyzed some of their moves and strange community card combinations.
Other parts of the tournament were also discussed, but at lesser detail, by example certain bluff winnings or odd card compositions.

Later on, the varied crowd had several discussions about sensitive subjects. It speaks to Graelyn's skill in selecting people that all these discussions were kept civil, despite that very different and even opposing viewpoints were presented in the arguments & talks.
The subjects ranged from the Amarr Faith to Slavery with Sansha workings and Amarrian ages thrown in. As you see a variety of subjects, many of those fueled by Amarrian expertise.
It is commendable that attendees wanted to learn more about the ways of the Empire and the Amarrians inhabiting it without resorting to stereotypes and black & white views. It is important to note that it wasn't about what was being right or wrong, but more about the why and how, giving people a deeper insight in various Amarr related subjects.

As the central guest of the party didn't show up, the subject of presents also came up, several had bought a gift for Graelyn's 10th year as capsuleer, but wanted to give it to him personally. Sadly, circumstances prohibited Graelyn to show up at the party, so it was decided to give him these gifts later in person.
 
Conclusion

It was an enjoyable celebration with a varied mix of people that respected each other.
The poker tournament was also a pleasant experience and a fun introduction for me in the poker game. The thrilling duel between the finalists was certainly fun to observe due to it's speed & skill of these capsuleers.
The after party turned out to be a very educational experience on various things Amarr, learning alot of new things, not to mention the ability to discuss certain sensitive subjects in a civil manner. For this I like to thank all attendees for their respectful and civil behaviour.