Interview: Valerie Vynneve on the ongoing Intaki V crisis
Stacmon - Market Factory & Engineering Azbel
September 21st YC 121
Tensions are flaring on the surface of Intaki V as reports of a mercenary outfit backed by the Lai Dai Corporation plundering monasteries promoting Ida faith emerge from the system. In response to these events, a loose collectiveof Empyrean individuals and organizations have formed under the name the “Intaki Diaspora” to look out for the best interests of the Intaki populace.
ZANIE’s Kalto Moxin has reached out to one of the members of the collective named Valerie Vynneve who has been an active support of the group since its formation. The two met in her office aboard an Azbel in Stacmon simply called “Market Factory & Engineering” that’s owned by the Capsuleer corporation called Cristicorpus
The following is the transcript of their conversation
[Kalto]
“Today, I find myself in the Stacmon system, sitting across from Valerie Vynneve, an independent Capsuleer affiliated with the recently formed coalition of Intaki supporters called The Intaki Diaspora. Valerie, thank you for setting aside the time to speak with me. I know this first question is gonna be underwhelming, but how you doing?”[Valerie]
“I am fine, thank you, and thank you Kalto for your interest in the Intaki Diaspora.”[Kalto]
“Hard not to take some interest with the growing tensions on Intaki V these past few weeks…Before we unpack that however i wanna ask about you in one question. Who do you see yourself as? Tell me and the eventual readers of the transcript about yourself so we all get some context on how we’re talking too.”[Valerie]
“I guess what’s of interest to your audience is who I see myself as in relation with the events on Intaki V. Let’s start by saying that I am of mixed Intaki and Gallente ethnic heritage. Though I had no prior connection to Intaki Prime, I was raised in Ida and so news of the desecration of monasteries touched a nerve and moved me to get involved.”[Kalto]
“Well that both answers why you got involved with the Diaspora and serves as a good segway into the first real question to analyze of all this, which is the sacking of multiple monasteries across Intakii V…The start of this entire crisis as far as I know, where the mercenary organization called Onikanabo Brigade just…Waltz onto the surface of Intaki V and just start ripping apart Ida monasteries. Now that’s already bad as it is, but from my understanding this organization utilizes Warclones in its ranks…Litteral killing machines with more augmentations than you Capsuleers. Can you confirm whether or not the Brigade deployed Warclones to handle these sackings? And if so, just how much damage did these people cause?”[Valerie]
“I think the question of whether Onikanabo uses warclones is best asked to them, or to the PMCs that have faced them. What seems clear is that Onikanabo had relatively little trouble securing the Kainta Yavaat transorbital launching facility”[Kalto]
“Could you enlighten me and readers about what the significance of the Kainta Yavaat Transorbital launching facility is? I’m not a local, you see. So I’m unsure of how big of a feat that really is and how alarming it should be.”[Valerie]
Well, alarming. It’s obviously a strategic infrastructure close to major population centres. The significance is that it is one of the few ways if not the only way to get equipment and personnel on and off the planet safely and efficiently. Once Onikanabo secured the facility it acted as a beachhead for Lai Dai’s Protection Service[Kalto]
“I know it’s all most likely up to speculation currently, but what stakes does the Lai Dai Corporation have in all this? Why are they cooperating with a mercenary organization of questionable reputation to sack civilian targets? Even if it’s all just speculation, what can you tell me?”[Valerie]
“It is not just speculation. Onikanabo initially asserted they were extracting reparations under Caldari corporate law for an unnamed client. But eventually Lai Dai came clean and admitted Onikanabo was their contractor. LDPS later carried out its own plunder under cover of reparations”[Kalto]
“Reparations for what? And more importantly - why the hell is a Mega-corporation hiring a mercenary proxy to commit some pretty damnable crimes, owning up to it and proceeding with what the mercs were doing with their official forces? If I’m understanding this right.”[Valerie]
“So, let´s take this one question at a time. Reparations for what? Onikanabo itself stated… let me see… here it is: ‘well-founded claims to recover reparations from properties and resources linked to certain radical sects of the Ida movement.’ As to the second question, well, you’re asking me to speculate on the goals, strategy and tactics of a megacorporation. But here goes. My best guess is that Onikanabo provided plausible deniability in case the operation went badly wrong. Suppose LDPS attempts to carry out this splendid little punitive expedition and is repelled. Lai Dai would not only fail to achieve its goal but it would also lose face. So they send Onikanabo in. Once Onikanabo lands at Kainta Yavaat, secures the facility, and successfully launches raids to plunder the Ida monasteries, it is safe for Lai Dai to come in and finish the job. Lai Dai patently does not care whether little people like you or me believe their actions are damnable crimes.”[Kalto]
“Radical Ida sects? What does the Lai Dai corporation have to even do with such a thing? Either I’m a moron, or the Lai Dai corporation have just swerved way out of their lane and I’m curious if the Diaspora have any theories as to why this is.”[Valerie]
“I am not going to legitimise these criminals’ claims by hazarding a guess. I think your best chance of finding out is to research the ongoing court case against Lai Dai and its associates brought before the Caldari Business Tribunal by Ishukone. You could try to see how much Ishukone’s counsel is prepared to disclose of the arguments made before the Tribunal. I, for one, would be very interested to know.”[Kalto]
"In that case, let’s move on to what’s presently going on with the crisis. Recently Federal Marines have landed planetside to - I assume - help restore balance and stability…Now at a glance it looks like great news! But something tells me this is a lot more concerning than it let’s on to be… Would I be right in assuming that?”[Valerie]
“I’m afraid balance and stability on Intaki Prime is not what we have a right to expect in the short term. Let’s look at the situation into which the Federal Marines landed. The Intaki Assembly negotiated a ceasefire with LDPS which allowed the Onikanabo Brigade to depart Intaki V unchallenged. Then the Federal Defence Union wrested control of the Intaki system from Caldari militias, and a day later Lai Dai negotiated a lease for the Kainta Yavaat transorbital launch facility. LDPS has also declared a suborbital no-flight zone around the launch facility. It is hard to tell whether the Federal Marines landed on Intaki in response to Lai Dai declaring the no-fly zone, or the other way around, or whether the two moves just happened to take place at the same time. But this looks to me like an escalation, not like stability. Moreover, one has to wonder who the Federal Marines would be helping to restore stability, since the Intaki Assembly not only has signed these deals with Lai Dai but also faces popular protests over them. If the Federal Marines attempt to evict Lai Dai, will they be condemned by the Assembly? Will the Federal marines help the Assembly quash the protests? Or will they agree with the protestors that the Assembly has some explaining to do on its deals with Lai Dai? Let’s also not forget the uneasy relation of the Assembly with the Federation over the issue of sovereignty, and Federal Marines landing planet-side does not seem like a contribution to stability.”[Kalto]
"So this whole bureaucratic nightmare can swing absolutely anyway at anytime. And the situation is only getting heavier as capsuleer groups like Villore Accords are putting their hat in and criminal outfits like the Serpentis are finding ways to exploit the destabilization to for more narcotics. My question now is if you’re at liberty to speak about where the Diaspora fits into this situation? What is the Diaspora in support of right now?”[Valerie]
“As they say, it’s complicated. So long as it was Lai Dai vs the rest of the world, Diaspora could agree to demand the departure of the interlopers. But the best we could agree regarding the Intaki Assembly was not to challenge its sovereignty. As it turns out, that was the right stance to take given the questionable actions taken by the Assembly since. In the more complicated current situation, the Diaspora supports the people of Intaki who are trying to hold their Assembly accountable though public protests. We certainly do not wish to take sides in what looks like a brewing battle over sovereignty”[Kalto]
“Could you explain to me the relationship between the Intaki and the rest of the Federation? Because speaking as a clueless outsider of the Intaki AND Federation…I’d assume the Intaki were another Federal member like any other. Though I’m starting to see the relationship is a bit more complex than it appears.”[Valerie]
“The way I understand it, and I’m not an expert in any of this, Intaki retains additional autonomy harkening back to the founding of the Federation. After the first Gallente-Caldari war the Intaki Assembly lost its authority over other systems outside Intaki proper. On the other hand it was granted an opt-out from Federal Navy oversight in accordance with the foundational agreement. So, strictly speaking, the Federation Navy is overstepping its mandate by deploying on the surface of Intaki V if it is not being done with the consent of the Intaki Assembly”[Kalto]
“Well how does the militia layer factor into all of this? The Intaki system is literally smack-dab inside a sanctioned warzone for the State and Federation to wage a proxy war with Capsuleers. And if I’m not mistaken, the system flipped in favor of the Federation just recently.”[Valerie]
“Interestingly, the system flipped in favour of the Federation just a day before Lai Dai negotiated the agreement to lease the Kainta Yavaat transorbital launch facility from the Intaki Assembly. This may have been Lai Dai’s reaction to the impending Federation Navy presence, or else the timing was purely coincidental. As to the answer to your actual question, any military commander will tell you that control of space does not grant you political control unless you have boots on the ground. We saw that already when the Caldari conquest of Intaki under Tibus Heth led only to a shipping franchise for Ishukone while the political authority of the Intaki Assembly over Intaki V remained unchallenged. However, with the Gallente militias taking control of the system, Lai Dai can no longer assume it is free to get on and off the planet without interference. This only increases the strategic importance of Kainta Yavaat”[Kalto]
“I see…Now i think I’m nearing the end of my questions, so before we move onto final statements I gotta ask about one thing. Something I should’ve brought up earlier but…Our conversation flowed another direction and I just went with it. And that’s your stunt with hauling units upon units worth of toxic waste to multiple Lai Dai stations across Caldari space…Just…Just what was the goal in mind with doing that exactly? I’m trying my best not to imply anything it’s just…What was your plan with that stunt?”[Valerie]
“Oh Heavens, that. I’m never going to be able to live it down, am I? Okay. What was I thinking? Let’s start by saying that this little stunt pre-dates the forming of Diaspora. Now, the original idea was to try to pressure Lai Dai by causing them economic damage through a price war on some product or other. So I started looking for suitable targets which would have been items that Lai Dai sells which are relatively overpriced. But nothing jumped off the screen, so to speak. Until I found that LDPS advertised selling toxic waste. I did some market research and found that Lai Dai was not actually selling any, but on the other hand the Thukker Tribe was a major supplier of the stuff. And then I had an idea which is more in the nature of an adolescent prank than anything else, which is to buy up a lot of toxic waste from Thukker Tribe and move it to LDPS stations. As there are twelve of those it took a bit of a tour of Lonetrek and Black Rise to leave a little gift in each of them. The rest, as they say, is history. Now, I never abandoned the idea of a proper price war with Lai Dai and, after the Diaspora was formed, I did find some suitable items with excellent PR potential unlike toxic waste. Manufacturing these has been a major undertaking which my associates and I are very proud of. You should look out for a public announcement soon.”[Kalto]
“Fair enough…Now I think that’s all I needed to hear, but before I go I’d like to open the floor up to you to say…Whatever it is, as per tradition with these interviews we just wanna give our guest a chance to say or express something they wanted to say during our talks but didn’t get the chance…So the floor is yours to say literally anything, even insult my hairstyle if you want. Or if you prefer not to say anything at all? That’s perfectly fine.”[Valerie]
“Thank you Kalto. Your hairstyle is fine. For my final statement I would like to go back to the issue of reparations, speaking strictly in a personal capacity and not in the name of the Diaspora. I believe this incident illustrates the appallingly barbarous approach to justice practiced by the Caldari State. If this case is representative of that, it would appear that the accepted way to address a grievance among the Caldari is for the aggrieved party to decide for themselves who is guilty, and to exact punishment themselves including in the form of wanton violence and plunder. And then others may challenge that punishment before the Caldari Business Tribunal. Let’s assume that Ishukone prevails over Lai Dai there, let alone that Lai Dai’s claims that the Ida monasteries have anything to do with their grievance is found to be spurious. It is not a given that Lai Dai will be forced to repair the damage caused to the monasteries, or that repairing that damage is even possible. Like I said, this is a barbarous approach to justice. The Gallente way, based on due process, would be for the aggrieved party - Lai Dai in this case - to sue the so-called “radical Ida sects” for damages. And, assuming their claim is upheld and only in that case, the monasteries might have been compelled to compensate Lai Dai. But certainly the compensation would not have involved mercenary warclones raiding Intaki Prime. Now, we all know the Federation does not always live up to its own standards, but at least the standard it aspires to measure up to is civilised. Given the choice of being part of the Federation or the State, it should be evident which should be preferred by the Intaki.”[Kalto]
Well put…Well Valerie Vynneve, I thank you for your time and wish you and the Diaspora luck."