Intergalactic Summit

The SDII, the "Black Eagles", the intelligence agency set up following the Luminaire Incident of YC110, are no stranger to controversy.

The latest controversy surrounds an alleged "Culture of Secrecy" at the secret intelligence service, headed by the charismatic Mentas Blaque.

A Senate subcommittee investigating the value for Federal Taxpayers money of various budget programs for the next financial year has run into problems with the budget allocated to the Black Eagles.

"The main problem is that there is no budget. All details are classified." said one Senator.
"We are asked to vote on these budgets, and yet, for 'security reasons', we cannot even see what it is we are supposed to approve!" said another.
"We are in the farcical situation where the Caldari intelligence services know more about the SDII budget and operational capabilities than the Senate!", said a third Senator.

Outside of the sometimes insular Senate, Federation citizens expressed a number of concerns over the nature of the SDII.
"Those black ships they have, those didn't come out of nowhere. They cost taxpayers money, my money! and I want to know what I'm paying for!" said one concerned Intaki exotic dancer
"I don't think half the Black Eagles know they're actually the Black Eagles", said a Quafe vending machine technician.
"I voted for the other guy!", said a CreoDron drone whisperer.
"Black Eagles, whoah man, they're like, you know, real downers, dude, girl, hey, you know, like, there's this like, new drug thing, it's like whoah", said a Gallente pharmaceuticals enthusiast.

An SDII agent known to Gutter Press had this to say: "We're not really authorised to reveal details to media corporations. This meeting never happened, I was never here."

If there were a Senate subcommitee investigation into the SDII; why has it not been reported on by a more reputable news source than The Gutter Press? This article seems to be nothing more than a slight to stir up animosity and distrust against those in the security and intelligence fields.

The feigned concerns of an exotic dancer, a vending machine repair man, and a pharmaceuticals enthusiast, are hardly evidence of any want for an investigation, public or otherwise.

To those various agents seen and unseen who defend The Federation... I salute you.

Please don't judge so broadly. I, for instance, actually am worried about that. If an Intelligence Agency budget is being used to violate our people's own rights - which is also not uncommon - there should be enough transparency for it's budget to be regulated by the representatives of the people. Else we may just become like the State.



Yeah, Kim, but it's not different in the State.

Ms. Cairi is correct in her position on this matter. To expose the budget and activities of those within the clandestine services would only serve to tie the hands of the people who's very purpose it is to defend Federation interests through clandestine activities.

One of the reasons the average Federation citizen is able to live realitively free and secure lives is because of the efforts and activities of those within our Military and Intelligence communities.

Sensationalist articles such as this one by Gutter Press does no service to anyone by attempting to throw mud into the faces of so many who selflessly serve The Federation.

It is their one saving grace.

It's a tricky balance, keeping secrets while also maintaining accountability. I recall speaking casually with my father about the issue a few years back, and he proposed a solution I've always been fond of in theory (though I'm not qualified to make a claim about its practicality): A rotating subcommittee on the Senate overseeing all classified material, investigating questionable content, and pressing charges when necessary. Say the committee members are rotated out every year (just throwing out an arbitrary number); that way you don't have just another small group of people privy to secrets no one else is and a large enough set of individuals that it's unlikely all of them can be bought/coerced into letting infractions slide.

These people do things in your name that would make you very uncomfortable were you required to authorise them yourselves.

They murder and carry out acts that are only saved from being called terrorism because they have the loosest sponsorship by a nationstate. Do not think your ignorance of the precise actions they carry out will save you from bearing the cost of them, down the line. The universe has a way of sorting these things out, over time.

In short, the Federation is not the bastion of good and chivalry and tolerance and freedom and liberty and law and more good stuff and happy and yay that it was made out to be.

I think you fail to understand the nature of grey and black operations. If FIO felt the need to spy upon your friends and organization, they are not going to approach you and ask your permission or even inform you of the fact as it would compromise their informant/agent.

I personally have a great dislike for the organization known as Black Eagles as they are not actually under the umbrella of the FIO. We do not need the Eagles.

We do need a security/intelligence agency and that agency does need to have the flexibility to operate within the fringes. There does need to be oversight and accountability, but their operations and scope of power need not be made publicly known.

Can't say I much disagree with Pilot Tuulinen on this one.

Let's play a game where this 'news' wasn't deposited on GP's floor by a passing fedo: the DSC has plenty of skeletons of their own, some well worth keeping closeted. Senators affiliated with these 'oversight' bodies are generally known for their ties to defense contractors, who, from time to time, they've partnered with on some extra-governmental shenanigans within Federation territory.

The budget numbers are precisely where they should be, in limbo, and the subcommittee members know this, as does the DSC and the Senate at large. If this was news, it would be less about Federation ideals and more about one or more of Gilles Ranchel's cronies getting muscled out of a sweet deal which involved disregarding the Constitution in Federation space. Such unfortunate senators might then feel that a review of the money they wouldn't be pocketing might be in order. Ranchel would then have to start asking some tough questions of his colleagues, but let's come back to the point here.

This isn't news.