Intergalactic Summit

Obsidian Front Press Release
Release – General
Rules of Engagement/Diplomacy

Ladies and gentlemen of the Galactic Summit. My name is Ynot Eyob, CEO of Nisroc Angels and Executor of the alliance Obsidian Front. I’m not a practiced public speaker so my apology in advance if my manner is overly blunt and overlooks certain nice ties of diplomatic cunning.

First a little history

My own corporation Nisroc Angels was born of a dream of freedom birthed in molten fire on the refinery planets in the Caldari State. My ancestors were miners and pressed labour, they toiled in back breaking work for the profits of the mega corps and they worked till their deaths for the company profit margin. Low caste Caldari, immigrant Matari, mongrels and drifters of a hundred worlds,and all bent in service to the executives in their ivory towers on pleasure worlds a hundred AU distant.

But it all changed with the capsuleer revolution. My comrades and I made plans to take our expertise to space and bring those of our families and kinsmen who would make the journey with us to freedom. Some of ushad the aptitude to command starships and Heth’s hunger for fighters meant the provosts would test and condition even scum like we, and the Caldari aristocracy made the mistake of putting the means of liberation in ourforge-scarred hands.

Ancient history though, the important thing is we left the State. We brought our ships and our families and our traditions to the Matarirepublic where we hoped to build a new life with hard work and honest courage. Today we establish industrial networks on mining planets and promote workers collectives with shared profits and mutual health. We train these workers as well as technology allows and we encourage those who can become capsuleers to take the next step and spread the wings of the Nisroc Angel to guard the freedom of all.

Electus Matari.

A year ago I made a terrible mistake. A bond of loyalty struck during our escape from the Caldari State was called in and I authorized my pilots to provide logistics assistance to a corporation named Apocalypse Legion who were at war with Electus Matari. I believed this a political dispute over territory but it was far more. Apocalypse Legion had demanded the right tore-establish the Slave Trade in the Matari Republic and made demands of Electus Matari to this effect. As it is, when we realized the full situation we were able to use diplomatic methods to talk to our allies into more peaceful resolutions, and change their hearts against the evils of slavery.

Let me make it plain. The Obsidian Front is violently opposed to the practise of slavery having suffered enough the economic chains of the Caldari State plutocrats. We condemn and deny any claim of the Amarrian Empire. We stand with the Matari people. We support the military endeavours of the Tribal Liberation Front. We have many blue allies in its number and we count Ushra’khan amongst our good friends.

We are not slavers and never have been.


NBSI, NRDS and piracy.


Again I stand up and take responsibility for mistakes that have been made. Obsidian Front have practised an engagement ideology which is neither NBSI or NRDS – we have shot first against neutrals both for military defence and (it must be admitted) because some of our members have sought the freedom to kill without question. Originally I believed that to hold rules of conduct sternly over my membership was an unwelcome reminder of the Provost’slash in State hell-mines. I believed a large degree of latitude was welcome. I felt individual choice was more important than rules of conduct in this regard.

But now I see the mistake in this thinking. There is no good reason for a free pilot to oppress the freedom of other neutrals. Only the desire to bully the weak and steal the effort of others – and truthfully the Nisroc Angel of Freedom pays no blessing to the braggart and the thief. We see ourselves as freedom-fighters and independents, not cheap thugs and roadblockers.

Only a tiny minority of our alliance have ever indulged in these dark practises but from today even this will end. We see the idealistic superiority of NRDS as an engagement methodology and concentrating our energieson opposing those who genuinely mean to do us arm makes as much tactical senseas it does innate justice.


Ongoing wars.

These statements I make proudly and publicly, not as part of any peace demand or concession forced upon us. I have reached these conclusions through our experience in New Eden and the examples of our friends. Currently we are facing a wave of third-party aggression from accomplished Mercenary groups hired (most likely) by the Pirates of Rancer and Crilere who have grown tired of our patrols against their gate-camping. All our energies are directed at maintaining our low-tax Customs Offices and planetary colonies against the deprivation of pirates and their hirelings and while I note a fresh wardec from Electus Matari joining the conflict at this time I believe it is purely coincidental and not part of any combined strategy by unlikely partners.

I assume EM are winning then?

But I'm glad to see you acting a little more magnanimously than in your previous IGS appearances.

For any capsuleer organization to make pledge for freedom and swear to oppose regressive corruption of Amarrian Imperialism is a matter of celebration. To go further and embrace the enlightened ideology of NRDS rules of engagement to provide example and opportunity for neutral pilots is doubly impressive.

I imagine there will be those who doubt the word or validity of this announcement but to those I'd say it is better to expect the best of others and be occassionally disappointed than it is to expect only the worst and create continual self-fulfilling prophesies of despair.

Obsidian Front as an NRDS entity committed to the prosperity and opportunity of the Matari people can be a powerful positive influence.

I would hope that the bold words and honest sacrifice offered in this press release will find appropriate hearing and honest reflection in the hearts of those that read it.

It's nice how political necessity can sober a proud man. I liked your tale at least, and hopeful for a positive resolution if you are honest with your intentions.

Bah, I'm in a difficult position here. As much as I'd love to help kick some pompous Electus teeth in; they are neutral. Sometimes NRDS really is a *****.

I was going rattle of some award earning speech about how Eyob is doing things wrong and how he could improve on his situation without having to keep his merry band of capsuleers under the wing of others, but then it struck me.

It doesn't matter. I really don't need to push the point, because at the end of the day no matter what Obsidian Front stands for and no matter what they claim that they want to do to assist the Minmatar Republic in their struggle against slavery, the core premise is laced with hypocrisy.

Evidently half of them don't give a **** no matter what is said. They are still dropping capitals on starbases and attempting to tear them down illegally. They are still pirating in the Aeman constellation and beyond. Hell, I bet their members would be working with agents in the Empire if they lived closer. It all comes together to form a beautiful picture when you look at it through Eyob's rose tinted glasses, but when you look from the outside you see a group of people who claim to stamping down on one thing, yet are continuing to do what they have done for however long, ensuring that nothing is going to progress to a "more peaceful" stage.

Why don't we let Eyob come out from under your wing Jade. Let him stand up and defend himself. We both know he's got the balls, even if they are fortified by alcohol.

Speaking in general Sofia one might well say the essence of warfare in New Eden is curently laced with hypocrisy of course. We all profess to seeking "good fights", "excitement" "honourable battles" the clash of arms and conflict and the lamentations of the foe. But in reality none of that really matters, its the bottom line, the efficiency, the reputation for cold calculus that wins out in the end. One has to see the funny side at advise from a paid mercenary to the victim as to how they might improve things though.



There you see, here comes the florid speech *grins*. Its pretty easy to run together a sequence of accusations some rooted in reality others pure fantasy and to allow ingrained animosity to fill in the blanks for the audience. I imagine the "illegal" tearing down of starbases would be any aggression against reds in lowsec without concord dec? Piracy I'll grant you, some FRONT pilots aggressed neutrals - but really - that is no more pirate behaviour than any NBSI organization your own included Sofia. As for agents in empire - well, weak sauce really but lets not stop the rhetorical flow.



Its been all of 18 hours since Ynot made the announcement. Front as an organization is under siege from two mercenary alliances, under threat from another - all NBSI aggressors combined with continuing animosity from other anti pirates in Matari lowsec. Could it be you are expecting too much immediacy in the change of methodology? Or perhaps its simply psychological warfare in part. Either way, does seem a slightly overreaching point.



Well truthfully speaking Ynot has never been sheltered under my (or any other) wing. His organization makes its own choices, its own mistakes, and chooses its own path. We in Star Fraction choose to fly with them against mutual pirate/nbsi foes because we saw in FRONT an example of independent-minded pilots prepared to take up arms in their own defense. They have taken many risks and made sacrifices - they now show good sense and practical idealism in the face of malign plotting from regressive powers.

The real question now is if these overtures will be answered and recipricated by others who see the creeping threat of NBSI roadblocking and pirate manipulations in Matari space.

Just putting my .02 isks worth in here. To my knowledge while I have been a member EM has never hired mercs. Why hire a dog when you can bite people yourselves.

And on the subject of Mercs. God Squad have decced EM. Which is cool. More blinky reds to shoot at is fine with me. But a bit strange that citizen Eyob talks of peace but also hires mercenaries to attack us. I'm sure he will deny that they're on his dime. Because you know that's just what he does.

I would be extremely surprised if Ynot hired Godsquad against anyone Johan. Having experienced the fiasco of Godsquad on our joint coms during a deployment against Fearless I think nobody would be impressed by their competance. In any event Godsquad are also wardecced against Star Fraction and if you guys ever need help blowing the heck out of them let us know!

Bottom line godsquad are attention seeking asshats and nobody really needs to put too much thought into their motivations.

Good evening ladies and gentleman.

I'm not usually one for words in this arena of communication. Among the few that know me outside of the corporations that fly with me I am known to stick to my word. Unfortunately, I fear that after reading back through posts made by some in the thread anything I say would get spun. That and the fact I have a dubious past in the eyes of those here and until recently was very much a pirate means little I say here will mean much to those that hold an opinion.

However as an alliance diplomat, newly appointed by my peers and also as a long time friend to Ynot and the obsidian front I find myself offering my take on this so you, the reader can get a view from one of the people in OF that would be held against the alliance as a whole as a poor example.

First, some of my history (my apologies if you don't care but it lends context I hope fleshes out my stance on OF).
I was born into conflict, much like many of us. Tasked to learn to destroy, to take that which was not mine and above all to ensure that I won. I was trained to hunt those weaker, avoid stronger forces and sow destruction as I flew a lonely path.

My targets were often of opportunity, as they are when you are a capsuleer without a cause, shooting for the next ISK blink in your wallet. Taking weapons and system modules from ships if they did not pay a ransom to end their destruction.

I continued like this, honing some degree of skill. At least enough to hold my head high against other pirates but I do remain humble that I am far from the best and have much to learn regarding ship combat.

Then I made a home for myself, I wanted a reason to fight beyond ISK so I started specifically to target Amarr militia at their weakest. Taking up residence in the Eugidi constellation preying upon the Amarr militia running missions for their superiors. I still attacked neutrals now and then, mostly due to reasons that I won't go into here however most of my personal operations were targeted at those that have enslaved my kind for so many years. If there is one thing I know hurts it's the damage to the wallet and I for my small part have inflicted heavy loss to the Amarr. I am proud of this, I may not be proud of what I did in my formative years but I accept those actions as part of who I am.

It was at this time I met the Obsidian Front, through a previous corporation contact they joined us on some joint operations against war targets and I very quickly realised the good nature they have and the honour they hold to each other. Granted, I often considered their combat operations unrefined but it was a joy to fly with them.

I then left my old corp, not because I wanted to.Aactivity in flight logs declined to a point that I was sure I wanted to try something new. I wanted a purpose beyond shooting capsuleers for the isk in their wallets and ships. The destruction of amarr was an example that I could actually satiate my desire to burn the skies with a temper of righteous purpose.

I joined obsidian front, one of the things I value is that to those I have befriended I trust my assets. it is hard to find a corp these days that is not a scam waiting to happen and I knew OF well. I knew Ynot and the members of the alliance were honourable to their word, if not perhaps naive and looking at this situation that stands before OF, definitely politically naive.

Ynot first mentioned to me the option of going NRDS with our ROE. I have a heavy negative security status and I knew what that means to me and my way of life. Granted my sec status stays low because of the attacks on Amarr. Why on earth CONCORD penalise me for destroying amarr targets attacking minmatar assets in Minmatar space who knows. However I am willing to live with that and lose my own ships to people that will shoot me regardless of my ROE.