[SoERR] Reports from On the Way Home evacuation base

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Update from Skarkon

After some maneuvering and co-ordinating and dancing around opsec, we have managed to drop a new beachhead, and pulled most of our surviving civilian(ish) staff out by using some well-known-but-generally-considered-a-terrible-idea ways to hack ground-to-POCO rocket transport into personnel traffic. (Kids, don’t try this in civilized space or in areas where your survival rate on ground is likely to not be worse than in an explosion-propelled cargo container.)

Most of the PMC are staying. For those concerned, I did put in an effort to argue, but as it is still a fact that EM as an independent capsuleer organization does not maintain ground armies, they are not on my chain of command.

Situation in system is bad. Svarog are advancing, slower than they’d have without the sacrifices made, but advancing still. I dare say some people on Skarkon would take a reservation, like those in Perun controlled systems according to news, in exchange to how Svarog handles populations in areas where they feel populations should not be.

I asked one of the rescued staff about the mention in the news that Svarog movements are bizarre, and he said this:

“Yea, I don’t get the Svarog. On the steppes, they seemed to hunt us, but some time after Aubaris went down, they just turned away and left us. Then later, when Stormwind arrived, they started dropping heavy stuff on our heads again. It makes no strategic sense; why wait till we have been reinforced before attacking? Some say it’s some kind of a ‘proving’ thing, but they definitely don’t only fight ‘worthy opponents’ or leave us alone because without the eggers we were civilians; they murder anyone who gets in their way all the time. Except then sometimes they don’t, but seem to lose interest in the middle of it. Same with the warclones, I heard it said; sometimes Svarog acts like there’s a pact of some kind between them, sometimes they show up to pick a fight. The commander of [WITHDRAWN] said sometimes if you did not know who’s on which side you could never tell from what you see going on.”

Update from Amo

Warzone is in full swing apparently. After a bit of a lull during the Triglavian invasions, we now are back to our regular programming of invaders, and refugee streams have gone back to what they were. Base is also rendering aid to Amo TLF re: wounded crew.

Everyone’s basically decent and helpful but if hospital beds are full, haggling around whose responsibility a 1) member of Clan Never-heard-of-them-must-be-out-of-system 2) who were on a indie capsuleer ship as 3) a member of Circle of Some-barely-legal-terrorist-paramilitary-from-the-outer-regions is exactly can get spicy. One cannot help but notice there’s tribal lines drawn there too; Starkmanir and Krusual have easier time getting access to the military hospital than anyone else, and we seem to be getting an overabundance of our own.

Not that I am not sure SoERR medical crew can match the quality of care of a TLF station any day or night.

^{(Spaceside view of a temporary beachhead on Skarkon II. Pictures by Venia Leez.)}

^{(EM Guardian in EDENCOM colors flies by some Triglavian structures on an asteroid in Pochven.)}

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Skarkon

The mutual open-traffic agreement has eased movement from certain areas of Skarkon and remaining civilians with affiliations to Electus Matari have been pulled out. Civilian evacuation traffic to Invaders Must Die has seen some increase but sadly not amounts in any way comparable to the early days. News some time ago reported ingoing military more than outgoing civilians and I believe that’s more because not that many people left on the planet to evacuate than anything else.

PMC reports some Svarog units staging and moving off planet. There’s reports from Senda about Svarog attacks on Veles, probably related.

Amo

Warzone is in full assault mode and as result there have been both many recently liberated places with people wanting off and people wanting to return to their homes from which they have been displaced earlier now that traffic is open again.

Don’t know why people want to return to the warzone for. The tide will turn again and they’ll just be displaced again and what with Sarum’s making noises it could be worse the next time. But I guess tradition and ancestral lands and all that. Not my place to question.

But as a result, the base is busy and burning through supplies; I understand we might put out an open call for donations soon. I am informed there is some issue with us collecting isk under the name of SoERR Roughriders as long as we are in the Militia - suspicions about humanitarian money used for ‘peddling guns and rebellion’, or something like that - so if we will, will have to do it it will be supplies only.

The station’s busy, the Republic is staging, there’s Fleet people everywhere. It’s the only place to sensibly run the base from at this point, as it has previously been at this point of the Tide of War, but it’s also a nuisance and pain to operate on a station with military on standby. Not only does it make docksides crowded, but there’s no going to have a quiet cup of tea without some ■■■■■■ recognizing me, and every time someone does it can range from a fan club member or an officer friend of Masim’s to someone with an old feud with him or with opinions on politics.

(And I realize the tone of these reports is drifting towards a personal diary. It’s still going to be only about the bases so if you came here hoping to read about notepads or the state of my marriage, you’re going to have to just ask me directly somewhere less public.)

At least on a TLF station volunteer warriors don’t come to me, they go to the Militia.

^{(One of the Amo TLF station city domes)}

[DrysonBennington]

You should really look into getting an EDI Escort Fleet to travel with you along the evacuation route. The Trigs might still try and attack the survivors.

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Triglavian interference to competent haulers is minimal as is. A combat wing would attract attention rather than make safety.

Should I need help at some point, though, I will definitely draw from Lux Invicta. (EDI as a whole is, sadly, not what it used to be.)

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Skarkon

After the mutual open-traffic agreement, we have been able to lift remnants of our staff off the planet, and organizations other than ours have been utilizing the chain of orbital station to outbound waystation for their own refugee work. Regardless - or maybe because of - this, refugee traffic is decidedly dwindling, and I expect this phase of the occupation to be basically over.

Republic Command is doing their thing in the areas they commandeered and apparently even mentioning the regiment name of 2nd Besateoden was too much intel for the liking of some. So while I wish I’d have something to report to the general public of what the hell they are up to thereabouts, I don’t. Kindly send inquiries to STRA General Kril Efrit or something.

At the same phase as the refugee work is winding down, scientific interest in conditions on the Triglavian occupied planets is picking up. We are glad to host Displaced Discoveries, now performing critical research on mutaplasmid activity.

Amo

Warzone, ever being the warzone, keeps the main base busy enough.

Still well-stocked, but as always, Medical would like me to correct my previous statements about having stocks for a year by reminding everyone that Vitoc’s self-life is abysmal, and we can always use more and fresher installments. (Arrange if necessary for a tradeover at Amo TLF, thank you kindly and may your ancestors smile when they meet you.)

Security wishes to restate that the base does not, in any case, give information about persons aboard to anyone. We release sought-after criminals to the custody of law enforcement with valid and confirmed jurisdiction claims only. Use of force to test the policy will be met with the same.

^{(Images from drafts for Displaced Discoveries promotional material)}

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Skarkon

No news. With the opening of the warclone controlled evac routes for co-operation, we saw a short burst of activity, but that seems to have been the last. No census exists that I know of about how many dead and how many out, but as it looks to me, it’s over.

All guns mostly point in the correct direction now, that direction being Svarog. We’ll see how long that holds.

There’s still Tribal forces on the planet and I gotta give it to Efrits, sometimes them not knowing when the ■■■■ to give up looks more like heroism (if heroism in vain) than bullying. Some of the Stormwinds are still assisting. Of capsuleers: Aloga accounted for; Aubaris still MIA.

Science expeditions are still going out. Some of those people are crazy.

Amo

Warzone’s been stalemated, more or less, for a while. The push we hoped for has not been progressing. I expect the tide will turn, unless something new happens soon.

People have started to leave Floseswin, some of them people who had already left their homes once and moved back in after the war. For now, they leave in peace, and prepared, and we refer them to their kin and work allocation offices and tribal relocation agencies and the like. Technically, they are not refugees before their reason to leave is real, and not expectation.

A lot of people do good work lifting off people from planets in the liberated systems while we still can. It’s slow work and dangerous. As we are not in the habit of starting full-out ground wars in the warzone, it is hit and miss raids under stealth of the night, under-cover agents posing as slave-traders, standoffs on capsuleer docksides daring the local authorities to cross the line to international jurisdiction, people risking all they have by keeping a stairway entrance open in their House or Hold, dropships shot down on approach. So dances Freedom, ever the vagabond, with Lady Luck, their steps lifting this life here, ending that one there.

It still brings people home.

Footage by a liberation landing crew.
^{((OOC art credits: Legionnaires , by Andrée Wallin. ))}

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Amo

After a relatively calm time perior, with the escalating fighting in Floseswin the past weeks and now rising international tensions, the base serving the immediate warzone and border regions has its hands full of work again. As most refugees are internally displaced clans seeking shelter from the storm in high security, the base is doing fine regarding Vitoc and medical supplies, but we find ourselves struggling with simple housing and feeding needs. Should individuals wish to help, stock levels can be monitored here and donations are always welcome.

Should it happen that we go to war, we expect a rise in individuals liberated from Empire regions, at which point maintaining good Vitoc stock levels also becomes of outmost importance.

Skarkon

Exploding mountains with antimatter does not tend to generate huge numbers of living refugees, and evacuations were mostly complete already in any case, so the refugee base is calm. We lost the Insorum team field lab, however, and the station has been busy with allied traffic: 2nd Besateoden has had to evacuate what remains of a base that was a tad too close to the disappeared mountain and they stage on the station while they set whatever it is they are doing back up, Stormwind PMC are leaving system on account of the escalation in Floseswin, and we have had the honor to help treat a small number of STRA wounded.

Guns that pointed in the same direction have started to point at random things again, and there’s been fighting between STRA and the warclones. As an upside some of the Veles seem to have turned their weapons away from human populations and towards Svarog. It’s getting messy again. I guess that’s Skarkon for you; the place has a special place in the heart of Fate.

^{Volunteer of the STRA on Skarkon II, caught on camera just as she sees from afar the sky lighting up with the antimatter explosion suspected of killing Kril Efrit. ((OOC credit: https://www.instagram.com/thiriumichor/))}

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Due to completely NOT unforeseen circumstances, the Skarkon structure has been put to battlestation ACLs until such time that it is no longer under immediate threat (one way or another). While all major operators on the station still have their access, we apologize for the inconvenience for operations we are unaware of.

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Skarkon

Allied operations, baseline crew and visitors are advised to evacuate immediately. Transport to the freeport Fortizar in system, tether to tether, should be risk-free. We advice sheltering in place at the freeport and waiting for escort before attempting to leave the system. We will advice separately if safe return becomes possible. Only skeleton crew essential to defense operations and support is to remain on the station.

^{(( OOC credit: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ZGoamw ))}

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

Skarkon

The station has been destroyed in a prolonged and expensive battle. Casualties are minimal after evacuations in preparation, but obviously not zero. Please inquire for names from the Amo office.

Our condolences and eternal thanks to the kin of the final gunnery crew who went down fighting.

Our thanks to all friends and allies, old and new, who showed to help, and honor to the enemy who fought well, may you die in a pure fire.

I saw some unfortunately personal arguments between station crew who were leaving and station crew who wanted to stay. Most of the support staff and remaining refugees decided to take the last Tayra out. A few had been holding out all this time hoping to see missing loved ones appear, and they had to make peace with the fact that that may not be in the cards for them. The missing board seemed to have every candle left onboard lit at its base today, and there was a long line of people saying their goodbyes to photos. – Description by an eyewitness to the last day of evacuation

[ISD_Drew]

Thread reopened due to polite request by thread originator.

[Elsebeth_Rhiannon]

The warzone

We have spent most part of the last year parked in Amo, receiving a steady and perfectly manageable inflow of refugees from the worlds threatened by Sarum invasions, sometimes seeing people head back to their homeworlds only to pass our docksides again some time later. Cannot fault them, really, not more than you can those who stayed back in Krirald or even Skarkon; home is home, even when monsters prowl its streets.

But when experts warn you that your star is about to explode, and you decide to stay because some shaman with an over-inflated ego tells you that it’s totally ok, your world is not going to be destroyed, it will be transformed?

Our dropships have clear policy. We are not raiders. We do not take people by force, and we help people to reach their freely-chosen destinations, even when such destinations are stupid as ■■■■. The policy holds. Free people are free, even to die.

Fate and Luck.

(Base is currently in Ammold, RMS. We’re well-stocked but as usual we go through Vitoc like candy, and can never have too much variety to food and textiles.)

[PorceIain]

They are certainly correct in their belief that their world will be transformed…