My name is Veekay Tehsu, and I hold 3,000 shares in the New Order of Highsec. I was an active freelancer in service of The New Order of HighSec from August 2013 to December 2013.
During my time as an Agent I punished Bot Aspirant Miners no less than SEVEN times.
However I have grown disillusioned with with the New Order. When I joined I was zealous in my work, punishing the Bot Aspirant player, and when not capable of confiscating their ships I was an evangelist, spreading the good news of James 315 and The Code. I had embraced The Code so wholeheartedly that I was willing to use my Main Account and Character for this task.
However I began to notice a pattern in my fellow agents, a certain mindset in the field. I began to see that many of my fellow agents did this difficult task not for the satisfaction of Justice being served to a Bot Aspirant, but for the Permit Fees, for the sadistic pleasure of destroying “Miners”.
I am compelled to Bring Forward 13 Theses, much like Martin Luther posted his 95 to the Vatican those many years ago. As The Code is a self proclaimed Living Document it stands to reason that it can discussed, be amended, and elaborated upon.
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“ - Mining indulgences may be purchased for 10 million isk per character, and are good for one year, subject to forfeiture.”
++ The Code speaks of Indulgence, as though the act of mining is some sort of “Sin”, a foul act that dirties one’s hands. That one can only be absolved from such a “Sin” by paying their ISK to a loose confederation of often authoritarian “Agents” that seemed to avoid being in any way the slightest bit empathetic to the plight of the shocked Miner. Is it not possible that the New Order could seek to foster a more proactive and communicative relationship with the many Miners of New Eden? Would it not be for the betterment of Hi-Sec that New Order Evangelists seek to calmly teach new players of what is expected of them rather than the heavy handed approach of “Single Strike to Suicide Gank”? -
“- Miners should strive not only to avoid botting, but to avoid even the appearance of botting.” & “- Bot-aspirant behavior is not permitted.”
++ These rules seem to be all too similar to justify separate notations in The Code. If the Miners of New Eden are to understand and adhere to the Code, brevity would be best, a singular statement that still provides a clear and encompassing message would serve best.
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“- No AFK mining allowed. All miners are expected to remain at their keyboards at all times, and are required to prove their presence by responding in local when requested by the Supreme Protector or one of his Agents.”
++ Far too often during my time in the field, I witnessed my fellow agents violate this rule. Choosing to strike first without warning, with no effort made for the Miner to repent their actions, to correct their ways. I have personally experienced the power of a simple warning to find those that are Bots or Aspirant. -
“- New Order territory is a safe space for suicide gankers. Miners are required to put aside their prejudices and treat gankers with respect.
++ This request of “Safe Space” flies in the face of The Code itself. Is not the purpose of punishing Bot Aspirant Players to teach them that Nowhere in New Eden is safe? Than how can we tell those that in violation of The Code, that they aren’t safe, but we Agents are?
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“- Upon being suicide ganked, a miner should congratulate the ganker on his success. A "good fight" or "gf" in local is customary.”
++ This requirement is flawed in its expectation of the shell shocked Capsuleer. I myself was too shocked when I was Suicide Ganked, those many years ago, to even respond with anything more than “What was that for?” Perhaps asking that one not abuse or berate a fellow Pilot for their act of Ganking would be more appropriate. -
“- No excessive mining. Miners should not fall into a routine of mining all day. I want well-rounded people in my system, not ice-mining machines.
++ I find nothing wrong with the requirement of moderation, as monotony can be the killer of aspiration to be more than just a miner in New Eden. However the use of “I want” makes this rule seem to be more about the Supreme Protector than the Message of The Code. Something that I feel causes an instinctive rejection by those that seek to remain independent.
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“- Keep local clean. Miners should be courteous in local and should refrain from the use of profanity.”
++ This smacks of Moral Majority, the silencing of Free Expression. Local is a public forum, so long as nothing is in violation of the EULA, then The Code has no authority over the expression of an individual in a public and unmoderated channel. -
“- Respect for elected officials. As Saviour of Highsec, I acted as proxy when electing myself Supreme Protector. Miners should respect the will exercised by the people when they made this choice.”
++ This screams vanity, While James 315 may have founded the movement and wrote the first draft of The Code, it does /NOT/ make him the ultimate authority in such matters, Pilots of New Eden should be free to find their own peace with destruction, to find their own way to salvation from Bot Aspirancy, not to have it dictated to them by a Man they know little about at the time. -
“- The New Order of Highsec continues to recognize The Mittani as the legitimate Chairman of the CSM. This determination remains the rule in all New Order territories.”
++ The Vanity continues, the very rule before this requires the Respect of Elected Officials, yet in this very rule denies the reality that the CSM is an elected Council, and thus they are Elected Officials that all must respect. -
“- Prejudice toward minorities is not permitted. For the sake of clarity, this cannot apply to all groups claiming minority status, but only discrete and insular minorities, which are defined as suicide gankers, Goons, and others who oppose highsec mining.”
++ The Code seems to no longer be for the betterment of Hi-Sec, but instead becomes commandments of the writer’s personal beliefs, their requirements. As this clearly singles out Goons, but doesn’t include them as ones who oppose highsec mining. This feels like Special Privileges being granted to the friends of James 315, as afterall Rule #10 of The Code demands the respect of The Mittani as if they were still an elected official of the CSM. -
“- If a miner does not wish to purchase a mining indulgence, he may still be granted a one-day reprieve, if he is able to correctly answer the Supreme Protector’s Questions Three.”
++ The Indulgence returns, and yet as an Agent in the Field I was never instructed to ask such questions, nor what would qualify as “The Supreme Protector’s Questions Three”. You demand too much of the humble Miner who has been sheltered by those that manipulate them. -
“- Red Pen. On my desk there is a sheet of paper. In my desk there is a drawer. Inside this drawer is a Red Pen. If a miner commits an egregious offense or series of offenses, his name will be written on the paper with the Red Pen. If your name is written in Red Pen, the cost of an indulgence will be trebled and you will be at increased risk of bumping.
++ Once again The Code seeks to prop up the opinions of an Individual rather than be a guiding document with which Pilots of New Eden might seek to embrace and follow. -
Failure of The Supreme Protector to monitor and discipline their wayward Agents.
++ The Agents are not held to any sort of accountability, they are not made to report their Suicide Ganks, their Permit Sales, or the Names of those who have been warned in the past. If I were today to return to active service as an Agent of the New Order I would be free to issue permits and collect the fees, but would never once be expected to report to so much as a supervisor that I had done so. Bot Aspirants that reject The Code can readily produce a counterfeit permit and none would be the wiser. While the Message of Active Participation is solid, the current environment and enforcement of the concept is fatally flawed.
So I ask of you James 315, and to you my fellow Agents of the Code, What do you plan to do about these matters? Will you remain in your ways as the organization rots from the inside out? Or will you strive for the betterment of Hi-Sec, allowing the Code and the manner with which it is enforced to change in a positive way?