Article From Namas Lenoika, 1.8.YC124, Intaki V
After six hours of negotiations, Ishuk-Raata investment bank (IRED) and cryoprotectorant manufacturer Suroken National Cryonics (SNC) announced a deal today regarding customs duties and security in the Intaki system. The deal took place at a summit in the TNR Combine Intaki Prosperity Initiative Astrahus. IRED is a well-known Ishukone-aligned capsuleer group and founder of the TNR Combine Prosperity Initiative, while SNC is a new enterprise offering under Rezeki-Osmon Holdings and indirect Hyasyoda affiliate, a TNR member.
SNC exploded onto the Intaki stock exchange several weeks ago after rumors of multi-billion isk investments in Intaki surfaced as well as large property purchases planetside zoned for industrial use. At the time, officials in parent company Rezeki-Osmon repeatedly refused to comment, leading to wild speculation from some conspiracy theorists as to what the property purchases were for. One Navyii Akat city man was apprehended and released after scaling the fence of one such facility in an attempt to “Rescue the time-travelling non-human sapients from Caldari mad scientists”. Other observers speculated the factories represented “secret Caldari military bases” or even “death camps” for the population to be used after a supposed “invasion date”. This comes in the wake of the Intaki Assembly’s recent announcement of the closure of all aerospace traffic and mobilization of planetary defense units amid rising fear of violence from Caldari private armed forces, who currently hold space superiority.
Security was tight at the Hyasyoda-run summit, with admittance to the guest list granted only after an extensive background check. Press were asked to surrender all equipment for searches before boarding the shuttle to the station. On arrival, we were greeted by a strict cordon and yet more uniformed officers and assigned a personal escort courtesy of Saitsuo, SNC’s private security contractor and sister company.
Personalities spotted at the summit included Alexander Hinkelmann, Executor of Ishuk-Raata, Eiru Uyumi, venture capital investor and Rezeki-Osmon affiliate, Imawa Muutaras, fresh-faced CEO of SNC and Henrik Suzaku, CEO of Saitsuo and militia leader of the State Public Defenders task force.
Saitsuo featured prominently in the negotiations, both as SNC’s contractor and Ishuk-Raata’s close ally in the CEWPA warzone. Both have been involved in heavy fighting in the recent sieges of Ostingele and Dastryns, costly Caldari victories which have led some Federation observers worried about escalating conflict in the Placid region. Terms of the agreement involved Saitsuo being contracted as peacekeepers to supplement ongoing spaceborne security efforts, including anti-piracy and anti-smuggling patrols.
During the press release, Wing Commander Suzaku responded to questions concerning Saitsuo’s growing role in Intaki: “Neither Saitsuo Security, nor our employers in SNC, nor the SPD Task Force, nor to my knowledge any partner or investor in Rezeki-Osmon or Hyasyoda have any colonial aims in the Intaki system. Our presence here is legal under the CEWPA and we abide by all requirements requested by the sovereign authority of the Intaki Assembly.”
On concerns regarding ‘corporate raids’ in Intaki, Suzaku continued: “We intend to work closely with local authorities to keep people safe in the Intaki system. The security situation here is in a very sorry state thanks to repeated failures by the Federal administrative machine to uphold law and order.”
Asked directly for comment regarding whether his organization had the latitude to engage forces of other megas such as Lai Dai, Suzaku shrugged and stated it would “…[D]epend on the lawfulness of the actors…” and “We will not hesitate to engage any party that infringes on our contractual concerns.”
Imawa Muutaras, CEO of SNC, stated with bubbling enthusiasm that the new cryoprotectorant plants would be ready for “Full scale production following the completion of our first trial run”, and that the industrial network would create “thousands and thousands of jobs for Intaki workers - and that’s the real headline here, not the panic - it’s about prosperity for Intaki’s future.”