So-- a concern, Mr. Menkalinan.
The author of all this, known originally as one Veikitamo Gesakaarin, has worn, shall we say, a lot of hats.
I didn’t actually realize this at the time but she was in fact the founder of the mercenary corp I first met her in, though no longer its leader. She spent quite a while (like, years) “undercover” as a KK Patriot (or perhaps more accurately Provist), in which role she was conspicuously and needlessly violent, boasting about purposely shooting for crew compartments and aiming to disable escape pods before a kill.
This was a boast made while active in the Amarr/Minmatar war zone, mind you, so it can’t even be justified as over-the-top “grr I hate Gallente” -ness. It was attention-grabbing in exactly the way you would NOT want if you were undercover. The only explanation I could, or can, come up with is that she did it because she liked it.
Since then, she’s tried on a lot of other hats-- various manifestations of consultant and businesswoman, Gurista partisan, and now apparently Federal sympathizer, which would be less disturbing if she didn’t switch hats every couple months while active.
A somewhat predictable pattern has emerged over time, where she proudly and very publicly adopts a certain role and position before undercutting that position by displaying a total lack of understanding of and interest in the nuances of her position. Her blanket denial of Federal atrocities is typical.
Veik has proudly and repeatedly self-identified as a psychopath, and I recommend taking the designation seriously. It’s the one aspect of her self-presentation I am nearly certain is consistently correct. The rest is a sort of shattered puzzle-box of glass, mirrors, and fog, and I’m not sure it’s solvable any more if it ever was. Mostly what I’m sure of is that if you try to discover the truth or if you rely on appearances in any way you are likely to get hurt.
This might, possibly, be a worthwhile initiative if someone else ran it. As it stands, it’s one more example of Veik making a game attempt at appearing to be a warm and caring human being which she then proceeds to ruin by doing stuff like denying wartime atrocities.
As for the realities on the ground, maybe it’s changed since I lived in the State, but traditionally those who wish to go are free to do so. Dissidents, “jaalan,” do suffer somewhat, usually having some trouble finding work and such rather than, like, getting shot at, but their power comes from their willingness to stay regardless. They’re tolerated and even somewhat grudgingly respected.
Generally their detractors are more than happy to see them go, since leaving effectively silences them. Those who surrender their place in the State lose also their voice.
But, not everyone should be forced to be a hero. I just don’t think leaving the State is actually very difficult to do, and with Veik at its head this seems likely to be at best a well-intentioned effort that’ll barely be remembered, never mind operational, in four months.
“Protecting The Innocent” isn’t historically something Veik more than toys with caring about.