Today we have a special interview one on one with @Henrik_Suzaku, Strike Commander of the State Protectorate and Watch Commander of Saitsuo Interstellar Security.
“Let’s get straight to it Commander, tell us a bit about where you’ve come from, what’s your history Commander Henrik?”
"I hail from Suroken, a proud product of the New Youth Initiative. My mother is Hyasyoda. In youth, my vocational scores were suited for military placement and my genopsych evaluation made me a capsule candidate. For this reason I eventually settled on a spaceborne career, but was turned down for capsuleer training due to an implant allergy.
Therefore I joined the War Academy on officer track. Those were good days for me, though turbulent for the State. I remember that was when I became completely fascinated by Raata history and reconstructionism. Traditional fencing, music, poetry, archeology. You can probably find a few of my pieces from the Academy periodical on the nets, but my highlight was a brief feature on This Is The State. I thought that might just be the peak of my career."
“You say you were turned down for capsuleer training initially due to implant complications, how did you get around that problem to find yourself a capsuleer today?”
"Thanks to the Osmon Values and Loyalty Grant. It was an experimental initative aimed at addressing concerns with the current crop of Caldari capsuleers. If you look at the state of the industry in New Eden today, it’s dreadful. Just dreadful. In my opinion, the majority of independent capsule pilots suffer from severe psychological and emotional damage after just a few years. Clearly we place far too much emphasis on physical compatibility and not enough on other factors. That’s what OVLG thought, too, [though] I digress.
I was serving as a Captain in the Navy and was very fortunate to receive an offer from the Grant. Naval officers and other high trust positions thought to hold more heiian personalities were the main place they looked for candidates. I had met Olaf Rezeki once during my career and perhaps that was one reason my name made it to the final list. It turned out that in the time since my first assessment, manufacturing advancements had made it possible to create the specific implant I needed with different materials. They believed this would allow me to survive the procedure. They were correct."
“Fascinating, lets move on to the next question. Is there any event or battle in particular you’d like to discuss from your past?”
“The most important one is probably the Battle of Fliet. I will ramble on for days about Fliet, though.” Laughs “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Can you summarize it a bit for us?”
"I’ve never seen carnage like it, before or since. I have been told it was the bloodiest single conflict in the history of the War Powers Act in terms of isk destroyed. By capsuleer numbers it was small: local transponders rarely registered over a hundred. But the intensity was fierce. Wave after wave after wave clashed around the clock for two weeks in a single system. Fliet, encircled capitol of Aideron Robotics.
All four militias participated as well as several notable pirate groups. In the end, Caldari-Amarr forces seized the infrastructure hub following a pitched final engagement. For a militia whose legacy included Hasmijaala, Asakai and Sujarento, Fliet was something of a turning point."
“Impressive!, so tell us a bit more about your corporation and alliance, what kind of impact has SPD had to the area nowadays?”
“SPD Task Force is a Protectorate military group administered by the State Public Defenders alliance. This can be confusing because ‘SPD’ can in fact refer to two things - the core alliance, which is currently the largest in Calmil - or the broader body of alliance, militia and independent pilots that fly under SPD comms and regulations. Not even all of our regular fleet commanders are in the alliance, you see. Most of our fleets are also open to any entity willing to work toward State objectives and take orders. In general, we do not discriminate on any basis besides operational security. For this reason some have made a limited comparison between us and ‘NPSI’ groups like ‘Spectre Fleet’ or ‘Bombers Bar’.”
“Much has changed, but our core mission remains the same since the founding days of Raven and Lugh. I’d say that includes: fostering cooperation between the various militia corps and alliances, providing an inclusive, public-facing organization for new pilots and small groups and a well moderated ‘public square’ for the militia to communicate, advertise and share intelligence.”
“What’s in the future for SPD?”
“As long as I remain at the helm we’ll stay the course. There’s growing concern the war between the State and Federation may be escalating. Who knows what the future holds? I believe in our eventual victory.”
“Building off that, my final question is, where do you see the warzone in six months based off current events?”
"The Protectorate as it stands is better organized, larger and better provisioned than the FDU. It is a hard won position we have gained by the blood, sweat and tears shed on a litany of sieges. While we are dominant, our victories are far from decisive. The warzone is so large no force can reliably hold any constellation past arm’s reach for long. Any number of factors could upend the situation in completely unpredictable ways - whether a new militia force, interference from the sovnull pirates or incursions by the Navy of either side. I hesitate to make any sweeping predictions.
Further, the true masters of the warzone remain the pirate cartel Snuffed Out and their web of associates. In this regard little has changed nor does change appear near. We are unlikely to see either militia consolidate gains past a certain level as long as we remain under their shadow.
Six months ago the entirety of the Gallente militia was under the control of a single kybernaught scoundrel. That seems to be finally changing, and with it the FDU’s relationship to the local pirate groups."
“It is an uncertain time.”
“Very true, do you have any closing statements you’d like to say before we go Commander?”
“Glory and honor to the State and Hyasyoda Okusaika.”
“Thank you for being with us today Commander Suzaku”
In additional news
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