Intergalactic Summit

As ever, a measured response to pressing issues. The greater involvement of a neutral entity such as Mordus Legion can only strengthen Intaki ownership of their own system, a fact that is not lost on me despite my loyalty to Sukuuvestaa.

Regardless of my current loyalties, Intaki is my birth world, and a world that filled many previous lives with purpose and direction. Our culture is under threat from the day to day regime change, now exacerbated by ground warfare, that we as a people experience. Our people are under threat from weapons of colossal scale, which threaten to pollute our ecosystems and burn our populations to ash if mishandled or wielded with indirect malice.

The slow crawl to independence on the cluster-wide stage will be painful, but it is necessary if we are to survive as a people. Look to the Mannar for an example of how far 'Federation protections' extend. Whether through malice or incompetence, the Federation will fail our people, and I am not so committed to the State to say that Intaki culture would fare better under us. Any parent-child relationship will result in one party having the power to mold the other, with the child in the relationship having little power beyond complaining about the dominant influence in their lives. If we want OUR culture to thrive, the proposed extension of Mordus Legion operations, with the option to 'release contracts as a sovereign Intaki navy is trained and formed', would provide a growth opportunity. Taking the burden of cost of such protection would educate our people in the financial realities of holding sovereign space.

We are a young people, technologically. We have been uplifted by the Federation, I will not lie. But we are not property to be bought with trinkets, nor are we a prize to be fought over. We are Intaki. We are proud, compassionate and enduring. Many of us have the benefit of rebirth, so we may quite literally carry the lessons of our previous mistakes with us, to teach and learn from vivid memory of times both better and worse.

We are more than mere integrated peoples or tour-guide fodder in our saris and traditional garb. We could be the first independent space faring nation to 'mature' from the Federation. If the policies of freedom and liberty run strong, and as the Federation has demonstrated it cannot protect our world, release us. Let your daughter, Intaki, leave your house and find a better life for herself. Prove your system truly is fair, just and capable of raising up other cultures to begin to be equals, if not in power, then in standing on the political stage.

Now I know that this will likely fall on deaf ears, but my target audience is you, IPI, Bataav, the Intaki people. You already know everything I have said, you have already likely said it yourself. The intent here is to let you know, that even we 'integrated peoples', of both the State and Federation, can boast members who wish for a free Intaki, regardless of where our homes are now. I will not comment on happenings in the State at present, but I can say that the changing climate of the cluster in general has strengthened my impression that our people would gain little by trading one master for another.

Fight the good fight, IPI.

Generally, the use of non-governmental military forces for local security is preferential due to the fact such mercenary outfits lack the baggage and commitments professional navies do. Employing Mordu's Legion is certainly within the rights of the Intaki member state, and in most scenarios I'd support that course-of-action due to the complex arguments in favour for and against Federation presence in that system.

However, an FDU presence is required in that system due to the lovely CONCORD Emergency Militia War Powers Act, no? Mordu's Legion are not a recognized combatant. CONCORD, unlike the Federation, is not democratic, and it appears any attempts to budge them on removing the Intaki system from the warzone will fall on deaf ears. By this point, it would seem the Federation's hands are tied short of defying CONCORD outright.

Either way, if I were a citizen of Intaki, I know which organization I'd be petitioning. Good luck, anyway. People aren't going to be happy with or without Federation military presence, so might as well put Mordu in.

We have no doubt that while the proxy war grinds on, the FDU will continue to operate throughout Placid regardless, but there is certainly no requirement for a permanent presence in the form of an orbital station such as Intaki II.

There's no precedence for such a requirement and the statistics actually suggest that the norm is for systems in the contested zone not to include a permanent FDU presence in this way.

Across the entire contested zone, of the 47 systems that fall on the Federation's side of the border, less than a quarter include an FDU station. This increases to almost a third if we include other FedMil groups such as Customs and the Navy Academy.

Therefore the IPI believes that the Intaki II station being officially reassigned to Mordu's Legion should have little or no impact on the FDU's operational capabilities throughout Placid.

The objective of our calls for the FDU to reassign their personnel currently stationed in Intaki to other parts of the contested zone, is not for a reduction in FDU activity in the system as an end result, though it would be welcome. We are not calling for FDU fleets to be turned away at the jump gates as the Intaki Assembly did with the Federation Navy.

We are requesting the FDU to transfer operational control of the station in orbit above Intaki II to Mordu's Legion, in recognition of their security mandate in the system.

My comments regarding outspoken capsuleers who fly under the FDU banner suggest that they only grudgingly operate in Intaki to deny their State counterparts and nothing more. Comments and public statements regarding the refusal to invest in Intaki's tier upgrade system, demands for a boycott of such upgrades, and calls for abandonment have come from within the FDU itself.

There are also remarks questioning what Intaki brings to the Federation in terms of strategic or economic value. Only yesterday a pilot claimed Intaki doesn't even have potential, saying that "...there are no significant development opportunities... ...and what little exists certainly isn't found on the homeworld itself."

I'm left wondering whether these comments, which have persisted for years, are a reflection of wider FDU opinion towards Intaki. Does it not make sense that they relocate their permanent presence to other areas, where they will be more willing and therefore effective, and allow Mordu's Legion to operate with permanent facilities in their wake, at Intaki II?

Recent news suggests that the Federation military, stationed in Placid, is suffering from low morale to the point that narcotics abuse has surfaced with catastrophic results for the general population. If such discontent can be mitigated by redeploying out of Intaki, and the statistics suggest this should have little or no impact on their operational capabilities in the region, then I don't see any reason not to proceed.

Ah, I see.

The decisions of the IPI has been noted.

I hope to hear of the Assembly's reply to your petition to fully instate the Legion complete with a station of their own. Should be interesting to know their views on this matter.

I would like however, to remind any and all members of the IPI that individual FEDEF members do not have any authority to speak on behalf of the Defence Union, unless they are official spokespersons or FEDEF CEO Corbolia Palmezine herself.

As such, while individual pilots can state whatever opinion or desire they wish and ignore individual systems if they so desire, asking the FEDEF in general to "make good on their word" to abandon the Intaki solar system is a waste of time - it is not official FEDEF policy to ignore the Intaki system - quite the oposite, the official FEDEF policy as far as I know remains the same; kill the enemy, patrol the war-zone and secure our space-superiority by any means. And so we will.

Petition the Assembly to instate the Legion. Send word to the Legion to reaffirm your support. Petition the Federal Defence Union and the Federation Navy if you wish, to vacate the FEDEF station in Intaki. And when their official responce returns to you, honor their choice and respect their decision, as I would hope you will respect the reply of the Assembly itself.

BloodBird,

You are certainly correct that attempting to understand the intended meaning behind some public statements, without clarification from those who make them, can be futile. Individuals such as Mr Ixiris are free to join in if they wish. If they do not, we can only judge them on their existing comments.

The remarks we've highlighted that reflect poorly on the FDU are not some recent development. These are long-standing, well-established public opinions from FDU capsuleers that have been repeated again and again.

Consider: the Gallente militia is essentially an auxiliary force that exists as an extension of the Federation Navy. It is a military organization and as such, there should be an expectation for its membership to comply with some form of communication protocol. That FDU's upper echelons have refrained from reprimanding their membership for speaking out of turn, preferring instead to sit idle, suggests passive agreement on their part. After all, if they did not agree, an official spokesperson would have long ago come forward to officially distance the organization overall from the inflammatory remarks of the few.

In contrast, I do speak on behalf of the Intaki Prosperity Initiative. I am willing to speak and be held accountable for it. It's what responsible people in authority do.

I can appreciate your position as a spokesperson for the IPI and ILF - if you tell me the official policy of the IPI, I would know for sure. However it appears that the FEDEF has not the luxury of any stance being official, or any norm being enforced. I wish they would, but they don't. That fact that they don't is something that a number of pirates and former enemies and indeed some traitors has enjoyed for a long time. In short, anyone in the militias can say whatever they wish and there will be no penalty to them.

I would advice you to seek out the opinions and stances of official alliances and corporations inside the FEDEF if you wish to know the "official" views of the Federal Defence Union, otherwise you will be far better served actively ignoring any claims or views voiced by your average FEDEF members. Again, due to the nature of the militia's, nothing coming from their member-base is "official" "standard" or "universal policy" in any way, an no one member speaks for everyone save the CEO of the FEDEF herself.

Bataav, claim whatever you wish about your own intentions, beliefs and practices, but any further attempt to twist my words to support your seperatist agenda will most likely precipitate a diplomatic incident between our organisations.

Thank you for clarifying. Personally it is my hope that this issue can be resolved without violence, but be warned that if our only remaining recourse is violence (which we do not presently forsee as being the case, but make preparations for regardless), the threat of I-RED intervention will not disuade us. Mixed Metaphor has been long-sufferingly patient and tolerant in the matter of Intaki but will not have its words misrepresented or misconstrued by seperatists, especially those who claim friendship with us.