Solid State Declaration

Fiction Portal Intergalactic Summit
1

Countless people just celebrated Federation day across New Eden under the auspices of freedom, democracy and diversity. Yet the citizens of this ‘only true democracy’ cannot shake the uneasy feeling that the ideals they profess to live under fail to produce the peace they so desire. They are left frustrated by the Federation’s inconsistent and ineffectual methods. The Caldari State, a fraction of the size and wealth of the Federation, has managed to compete with their rival and even make gains throughout low security space. How could this be? I hope to speak directly to the people of the Federation and address this and a few other concerns they may have.

I do not address you with contempt or hostility but rather a fraternal affection. Although I am a proud Caldari citizen, I am also Intaki. My family is spread out through the State, servants under Mordu’s Legion, Syndicate and the home system of Intaki itself. I have traveled throughout much of Federation space. I’ve sat down and eaten with the simple but determined people in Solitude. I’ve been mesmerized at the sight of the Crystal Boulevard of Caille as well as its less known ancient ruins. The truth is that wherever you go, people are occupied with their families, work, and aspirations and so on. Behind it all there is hope. The ideals that govern people’s lives exist so that this hope could bring to fruition their hopes. But if the ideals that govern are false, than all you can bring forth is hopelessness instead. That hopelessness is what has descended upon the subconscious of the Federation citizen.

Behind the flowery veil of so called freedom, the Federation citizen is overwhelmed with meaningless media stimuli. This “freedom to live as one wants” has become a prison. The citizen is disoriented but told that they have the choice of how to be governed through democracy. The current president of the Federation, Celes Aguard, whom I wish nothing but the best for, did not even have a majority vote. More importantly, even the citizen who does vote is merely reacting to the money that is funneled by special interests groups that represent corporate designs.

You may pause here and ask how could a Caldari citizen criticize the Federation for not having democracy or point out corporate interests ruling over everything? Does the Caldari State itself not have 8 Megacorporations running everything? One needs to discern the relationship between corporation and citizen in the Federation with that of the State. For the Caldari citizen, the corporation and the citizen are tied together in their fate working together like bone and sinew. Although excesses do occur, ultimately the two work together for mutual benefit. There is hierarchy, purpose, and responsibility between one and the other. A real flesh and blood fraternity binds us.

In the Federation this relationship does not exist. No consideration toward familial wellbeing matters more than profits. And although the Big 8 likewise compete, they rarely lose sense of what their ultimate purpose is: The good of the Caldari citizen. The Federation government, funded by these rootless elements in your society, must instead demonize the Caldari. They say our democracy is non-existent, when that of the Federation is merely theater. Or they say that we perpetuate racism both internally through our marriage policies and externally for our support toward our allies in the Amarr Empire. I will address both of these matters.

The original Caldari, the Civire and Deteis, were the main ethnicities that developed the State initially. Later on people such as my own Intaki, as well as Achura and even ethnic Gallente joined them. The policy for each group to marry within their own ethnic group is not one that is even necessary to enforce. Most people naturally gravitate toward their own people with similar values and histories. The State merely encourages something that already happens naturally. And although we are all Caldari and profess this proudly, we also have pride in our own ethnic lineages just as we have pride in our own families and so on. Every sail is made up of individual threads interlocked with one another. Every thread is made up of multiple fibers wrapped around one another. This is how identity is understood and preserved among the Caldari. Furthermore it also helps smaller ethnic groups from being wholly absorbed instead being preserved. True diversity is actually preserved in the State. Unlike the Federation which assimilates, we prefer to integrate. Ethnic identity is not displaced by Caldari identity, but instead strengthens it.

The few ethnic Gallente that left the Federation when the Caldari departed have preserved their original culture in many ways better than those in the Federation. Today the Federation cannot even define what an ethnic Gallente is. It is merely a word on a piece of paper used for identification. There are strong debates among your people even today what any of this means. The truth is that if everything can be Gallente, then nothing actually is Gallente. The fibers and threads of your sail are weak, thus your sail is full of holes and does not catch the wind it needs to travel. People lose their sense of self and group. Instead they gravitate toward identities of consumerism, media and intangible ideals composed of empty rhetoric and sophistry. The individual is free to do as they want without consideration for the collective to the point where they are left truly alone and must contend with the forces at the top of Federation identity. Those very same special interests that actually control your democracy.

As for the State’s support of the Empire, it emerged initially due to the necessity of survival. Although the Federation has been held off by our capable military forces, our much smaller size would make a war of attrition unfavorable for us. Truth of the matter is the Federation and Empire are more equally sized rivals while the State and the Republic by comparison are merely secessionist regions as far as the aforementioned entities are considered. It is true that the Amarr practice of slavery merits criticism. Although I have to pause and wonder if the mental prison built on illusionary freedom in the Federation is much better. There is a painful history between the Amarr and the Minmatar, but it is not an issue that is black and white. Nor do I claim to have a solution for it.

What you Federation citizen should concern yourselves with is what role your own government plays in this conflict. Under the guise of freedom and liberty, the Federation utilizes elements in the Republic as a cat’s paw to carry out a proxy war against the Empire. Those loyal to the Republic fighting the Empire vary in temperament from moderate to violently extreme. Peace has been avoided in large part due to the Federation’s material support for those more violent elements within the Republic. Those that truly rule the Federation do not want peace between the Republic and Empire. The war is simply too profitable for them. And if the Empire ever collapses, they will be able to expand and take over numerous assets. The “freed slaves” becoming cheap labor that will further fuel their profits.

Am I saying the Caldari are completely blameless? Of course not. The Caldari have had their excesses and regrettable behaviors as well. However these tend to be in retaliation to Federation actions. There is no Nouvelle Rouvenor attack without the Federation blockade. There is no Yakiya Tovil-Toba crash into Luminaire without the orbital bombardment of civilians by Federation forces. And there’s no Tibus Heth without the continued attempts by the Federation to subvert and absorb the Caldari people. In each instance innocent civilians had to perish. And in each instance it was provoked by a Federation action that preceded the Caldari reaction. Will the Federation continue on this path? Recent events suggest that they will. The connection between Gurista spy Esri Hakuzosu and Federation diplomat Leopold en Villari may be yet another provocation which could lead to another unfortunate retaliation.

Despite this I am hopeful for peace. The problem with the Federation is not its people, but the structure and how power ends up in the hands of groups who do not care about people in either society. When your end goal is profits rather than people, this is inevitable. When love for your people is demonized as backward and hateful the people are left vulnerable to have a vapid civic consumerist identity imposed instead. Can you not see that the ones posing the greatest threat are those leading their war against us at the cost of people on both sides?

I invite those who are interested in establishing peace to support the Solid State Initiative (SSI) even if you are currently a Federation citizen. The SSI can be understood as a movement to further develop ties between the Caldari State and the Intaki Syndicate with Placid as a bridge. This partnership will include economic development through trade, partnered manufacturing and R&D as well as security measures. Citadels and security fleets will begin to ensure stability with backing from elements within all partner entities. The goal is to establish a long lasting presence in the Placid region which has been under Federation control and dividing the Caldari State and Intaki Syndicate. Both entities have fiercely guarded against Federation machinations but now more than ever we must prepare ourselves. Due to the tenacity and success of Caldari Militia forces, we are now in a position where we can attain this goal. Placid will no longer be utilized as a springboard for Federation aggression. I hope that by taking these measures we can dissuade further escalation and that those in power will be brought to the negotiating table. I will leave it to the Federation citizens to work through their institutions in order to promote reform… or to consider other means if their government will not listen. I implore those who seek peace to break this cycle of provocation and retaliation and instead work with the State.

True freedom comes through discipline and devoting yourself to a higher purpose for the collective good of your people. The individual serves the collective and the collective serves the individual. Together we are greater than the sum of our individual selves. We Caldari will continue to live in this way even to the bitter end if need be. It is up to you, Federation citizen, to decide if the actions of your government truly reflect your will. If your beliefs are aligned with their aggressive acts, you will reap the consequences. If they do not, then you must realize the farce that is this deceitful so called democracy and join us in overthrowing it. We Caldari have waited and continued to wait in vain. Those who steer the Federation will now see that the love for one’s people is more powerful than their obsession for profits. And with this declaration for the Solid State Initiative, they will have no choice but to accept it.

6 Likes
2

This is a good speech, Mr. Trajanus!

However, one detail sets me off. I do understand that you direct this primarily to Federation citizens and that speaking with them using their language is crucial for getting into their hearts, but… you yourself told them that the ideals that govern them are false. On the other hand, you speak with them, offering them… “true freedom”.

Of course, the word “freedom” has been politicized by gallenteans a lot and you do hear it left and right from their speeches, like it is something important, like it is something good… I know a lot of people could start detesting this word just because of it. But first of all, if you want Federals to understand us, you need to show them what we think, what we feel about the freedom: becasue this word by itself, taken out of political context, wears the picture of “state of utter disarray and disorder”. It’s like trying to describe a garbage can filled with assorted trash - that’s one of associations that comes with the word ‘freedom’. Another, more physical - is a gas, where all molecules are free from every bond and just fly around chaotically.

I do also imagine a lot of “freedom cultists” living in the Federation and to make them good wholesome human beings you should help them open their eyes, let them think with their own heads instead of reciting gallentean propaganda, look deep into the things and see them as they are, without any subjective interpretations. Representation of freedom as something “good” is a core fault of all their ideology. It’s hard to even talk with them because of that, and it will eventually cause problems, even if you condone to that ideal of freedom.

Of course, by iteself, by the nature - the state of freedom is rather neutral. It is not a good or not an evil. There can be crystal with pure order, and there can be mix of everything in totaly disarray with pure, true freedom. There can be life and there can be death. And it all just exist as it is without caring what we think about it.

However, when freedom becomes a political topic, when freedom starts being applied to people, to the society, it becomes the true evil. (And that actually fits the viewpoint where good and kind aligns with being altruistic, and evil aligns with being egoistic).

The core idea of freedom is a separation of bonds.

But what are actually bonds that tie human society together? There are laws, there are morals, codes… friendship, love, dedication, loyalty, promises, obligations, duty, family and marriage. All these things and many others are holding us together, they are these bonds that make us not free. And to get a “true freedom” you have to cut them all.

Betray all your friends, break free from family and marriage, discard your loyalty… but if you do that, what will you become? Not a human being, but a literal trash that belongs to a garbage can, another mantel of a sort…

This is why it is a true evil, freedom puts people to live by themselves as they want disregarding others around them. It does have a smell of criminality as well, since breaking laws and doing as you wish disregarding them and people they protect - it is a freedom as well. Gurista tend to enjoy that.

And coming back to pure political arena, the ultimate freedom one can get is actually a despotism. Though that freedom is being enjoyed only by one person - the Despot himself, who can do absolutely anything with those he governs.

Other than that, I do welcome your initiative.

3

Mr. Trajanus’s impassioned plea warms my heart. It is too easy for us to forget that Placid is the home of more than just barbarians and malcontents. It is also the peak of Muriya’s storm bears.

I know there are more like Mr. Trajanus, who want true stability and progress for their war weary region. Perhaps this means they will be a little less silent.

2 Likes
4

Then they should advocate for the revocation of the treaty by which the State agreed to the invasion of certain of its systems by the Federation, and the reversion of all warzone territories to their original nations. After all, wouldn’t want to advocate for just the former, only to see an entity like Horde decide to put its thumb on the scales before implementation went in.

1 Like
5

First, welcome.

This seems like a long way of saying, “join us in overthrowing the Federation to make Placid more like the State or face The Consequences”.

What makes you think people from Syndicate would be onboard with that plan? The Syndicate is about as far removed from the State as a holo-dancer is to a Tetrimon confessor, just ask the Ishukone expats here (or the poor souls who moved Washi City, Kamokor IV).

1 Like
6

Because unlike the Federation, the State does not see the Syndicate as merely another break away region…the same way it sees us. Syndicate is a vital partner for the State against Federation designs. You should work with us or face the consequences of Federation designs.

7

So now you presume to speak for the State? To give assurances that Syndicate wouldn’t be a tool for the State to use in advancing an anti-Federal agenda?

8

Having read your speech with a modicum of interest, I feel compelled to concur with Captain Menkalinan in that this reads as an effort to present Placid with an ultimatum to support the Caldari State, or else suffer the consequences, whatever that should intimate.

This being said when in recent memory, there has been several major incidents of frightful abuse committed by Caldari State-aligned forces in the member states of Placid, most infamously the occupation of Intaki by Lai Dai and corporate raiding parties that have been operating throughout the entire Defence Cordon. I do not foresee any immediate scenario where Placid would willingly submit to the authority of the Caldari State in perpetuity, the ongoing success of the State Protectorate in the region notwithstanding.

I could of course have responded with an equally lengthy essay on the virtues of the Federation and refuting your points in succession, including the protection and preservation of cultural identity, the justification that one atrocity begets another atrocity or that our support for the Republic is without honest intentions, but quite frankly I’ve assessed that I would be merely screaming into the wind that is a forum dominated in recent times by State-loyalists. So I shall merely say this:

The region of Placid is not the plaything of the Caldari State to utilise in their designs, as unfortunate as the incorporation of much of it’s low-security sector into the current theatre of hostilities is. Placid itself is defined by it’s independence and management of their own affairs is very much their own business, in accordance with their obligations under the Charter, Constitution and Federal law, which in itself was never much of an issue in the first place. Placid alone has the right to determine it’s own destiny, and whilst I have my own perception and opinion of Syndicate and of Intaki separatism in the region that admittedly is negative, I would fully respect their will if it ever became a majority opinion and not as a fringe political initiative.

2 Likes
9

I would be all the more happy if Placid, under Intaki leadership, would form its own government free from Federation designs. The State does not want nor need territorial expansion. Our population is small and our economy is strong. I only made this appeal in light of continued Federation subversion particularly in what seems to be coordination with Gurista Pirates.

Regarding Lai Dai’s behavior, which I assume is in reference to the Onikanabo, it is unfortunate that the Federation utilizes the Intaki home system for military purposes and my people as shields when the counter attack naturally occurs.

If the Intaki desire for independence from federation control was such a fringe minority ideal, how does one explain the continued existence of the Syndicate? Questions to answer for yourselves.

10

It’s true, the Intaki are just a tool for the Federation. The Fed go on and on about Caldari aggressors and how unfortunate it is that the system is fought over, but do they really do anything about it? Couldn’t they have petitioned Concord to make it a high-sec pocket by now? No, it’s just convenient for the Federation to have something to rally people against the State with. Having such a populous system in low security serves the designs of the FIO.

And of course, the close ties between Intaki and the Syndicate, and the “pirate” Serpentis Corporation. The Fed doesn’t want the Intaki to get TOO rich, TOO powerful. All the masters of “democracy” want are to keep them all nicely under heel, always threatened to get squished, living at the mercy of the system.

11

Soooo… ‘If only the Federation didn’t have military assets in place to defend Intaki, Lai Dai wouldn’t have needed to loot and pillage cultural artifacts from places where Federal troops weren’t’?

12

if memory serves, the specifics here, was that part of Intaki Prime’s induction into the Federation was that it would be stipulated that the Federation would maintain a largely minimal military presence, as a way to ensure they could generally maintain their nominal self-determination. This of course came with the eventual consequence of low security status, as Security classifications tend to denote usually the amount of given military assets in an area of space, and thus, importance for things like CONCORD responses. The Intaki people in the Intaki system have remained generally leery of increased military activity from Federal entities even if it would in some cases, be helpful for the system to have a greater military contingent and thus higher Security Status.

Its a complex situation, generally, and one that in some ways the Gallente can’t exactly just put more bases and ships in to the scale necessary for a Security classification upgrade without stepping on the negotiated status of the Intaki system by the Intaki Assembly and its people in turn, which would be its own kettle of fish.

13

At risk of flogging a dead buffalo, there’s an obvious solution to at least some of this.

1 Like
14

President Aguard was elected with the laudable goal of diversifying and distributing power throughout the Federation, but instead of honouring the existing protocols that achieve this, such as the franchise system, much better to simply relocate the capital system of the Executive, for example, because that will distrbute power.

The President remains the President, and those with real influence, her closest advisors are core staff, are likely to have remained largely unchanged and relocated at the same time.

What has this actually achieved, really?

Perhaps I’m being unfair. Perhaps a new Press Officer with a Parchanier accent will help the people of Sinq Laison feel more represented and empowered.

A solution that is politically inconvenient for the Federation, and so of course cannot be allowed to happen, regardless of the policy contradictions such a position brings with it.

Rather than allow the tools available to the Intaki Assembly to resolve a long running issue for the people of Intaki, the Federation seems content to frustrate any potential for progress with years of deliberate interference and delay.

The Federation has done well to perpetuate the idea that it’s the stipulation for a minimal navy presence that is the root of Intaki’s security woes. A stipulation it’s worth pointing out is currently being ignored, and has been for over over two years.

If only the Federal Navy were permitted to operate (legitimately) within the Intaki system, all would be well in New Eden.

A little gaslighting can go a long way, but fortunately the long term neglect across the rest of the Placid region reveals the real value of Federal Navy “protection”.

And this is the contradiction: overlapping neglect and interference.

But should any of us argue against the latter, it’s become fashionable for some to cite the historic projection of Intaki influence, sometimes by military means, into Verge Vendor during the earliest years of the Federation. As if such a distraction of whataboutery actually contributes to the topic at hand.

The thing is, the pre-Yiona Reforms Intaki would have been capable of defending itself without the need of contractors and franchises.

Perhaps the people of Intaki would have pursued their own security and defence policies, distinct from that of the wider Federation.

Perhaps the people of Intaki would not have found themselves in the middle of a conflict zone, their home little more than a trophy for both sides to fight over.

Perhaps Intaki would actually be secure.

4 Likes
15

Perhaps, but that’s all in the past and nothing can be done to change it now. As for ‘the long term neglect across the rest of the Placid region’… I dunno, looking at the maps, there’s two types of systems in Placid:

Highsec systems, all of which appear to be perfectly secure parts of the Federation, and lowsec systems.

Thing about the lowsec systems—the real lowsec systems—that’s only 2-and-change constellations, and those systems do seem to have Fed Navy presence. They don’t, on the other hand, have CONCORD presence.

The rest of the region, 5 ‘lowsec’ constellations that are seeing all the fighting? That’s not neglect. That’s not neglect any more than the Republic is ‘neglecting’ contested systems like Floseswin. Neglect would mean ‘oh, they’re just not doing enough because they can’t be bothered’. No no, what you’re looking at isn’t negligence. It’s intentional.

All of those systems were actively committed to being fought over. The Federation, State, Empire, and Republic all got together and decided 'everyone on all these worlds? Screw ‘em, we’re gonna sign a treaty that says it’s totally ok for their lives to get disrupted, maybe even once a week, by all of the legal and security infrastructure of the system changing hands and being tossed into chaos, over and over again’.

In this, the State is no better than the Fed. None of them are. CONCORD sure as hell isn’t, they’re the ones that treaty was enacted through.

So, it’s not really ‘The Federation’ telling Intaki and Placid to go screw themselves… it’s literally the entire power structure of New Eden.

None of them give a rat’s ass about you. None of them want the fighting to stop. None of them want the worlds or people of Intaki to be safe, or at peace. Because they all chose this, and agreed to it.

If there’s gonna be a damned war, let there be a damned war. End all this pendulum crap that just consigns lives and worlds to the meatgrinder so the empires can rattle their sabers and tell their people ‘we are fighting the enemy’ while the whole time, their wealthiest worlds remain utterly safe by mutual agreement, and lives are lost in ‘wars’ none of the combatants will ever be allowed to win. Because the governments they’re fighting for don’t want them to win.

3 Likes
16

Part of me agrees but then I remember that’s a very ‘nearly immortal’ perspective on proper wars.

17

No, it’s not. Completely setting aside my personal belief that we are not immortal, we are simply disposable serial copies of dead capsule-program candidates, I have a lot of baseliner family, most of them working for the RSS. If we really go to war, I will lose kin at a prodigious rate, and I will mourn each and every one of them1.

Personally, I’d prefer we end the pendulum without open declarations of war. But let’s face it, the empires don’t want that. This continued kabuki just bleeds lives and treasure in all four nations, but it’s lives and treasure the empires believe gets them more benefit than it costs: it keeps a chunk of militia pilots ready-to-hand if they really need them, small special-forces fleets that the empires themselves don’t even need to recruit for, train, or finance, because the capsuleers take care of all of that themselves.

The ‘nearly immortal’ perspective here is the one shared by the true immortals in the equation: the national governments. Individuals come and go, but the states themselves will last until the stars go out, if this is the only way they fight. Nice and safe, with the only price one payed by people, not nations.

1. Or, a future Arrendis Culome of Clan Stjörnauga will. Odds are, I’ll be long dead. Still, maybe it’ll happen soon, or I’ll actually survive long enough to celebrate my First Birthday… for once. Current target date: Dec 5.

18

To be Caldari is to be a cell in a body. We do not live for ourselves. With every breath, we remember our ancestors, our way of life. Our State. Then, we die.

The State lives on. We can do this forever. We will not shirk from our duty. Honor lives in our bones and sinew.

You will not pay the price. That is why, in the end.

You will lose.

1 Like
19

Aside from whatever Federal Controlled Territories exist in Placid, each member state in the region has enormous flexibility in it’s day-to-day affairs. To them the Federation is nothing more than a distant entity, with minimal interference being exerted aside from the most exceptional of circumstances. It might be popular to present the Federation as an omnipotent, omnipresent and malevolent being that directly controls every single charter signatory through occupational armies and regimes, but the truth is far from that reality.

Your pitifully fragile excuse of Intaki being utilised ‘Federal military purposes’ for the conduct of Lai Dai and their henchmen in the Onikanabo Brigade falls apart rather quickly when one understands that there was not a Federal Marines, Army or Air Force garrison on the Intaki Homeworld until after the disgraceful occupation.

Although the Syndicate incorporates the Intaki identity into it’s name and various institutions, I do not consider it to be representative of the Intaki or the notion of Intaki Separatism wholesale as it’s origins stem from the exile of 5,000 Intaki, criminals and terrorists amongst them, to the region. I can understand how the Syndicate is romanticised as the ideal end result of a secession from the Federation for the Intaki and it’s prime example of feasibility - although I cannot agree with it being either of those things. The Syndicate continues to exist because they are a convenient neutral ground entreating with pirates and outlaws, enabling a thin veneer of legitimacy with their institutions founded on doing business with all without care for their lawfulness or criminality - see their dealings with True Creations as one of the most odious examples.

Summarising your miniscule knowledge of the Federation can be accomplished through your declaration being referred to as Gaseous, rather than Solid. That is, a large amount of hot air being blown without much substance to support it.

Ifs, buts and maybes - with what could have been based on an optimistic opinion should there have been a fragmentation of the Federation following the overthrow of the U-NAT administration.

You’ve known my stance on Intaki Separatism for a long time, Suresha Bataav. And you should know of my respect for your beliefs regardless of my staunch opposition to them. But to blame the Yiona Reforms and the necessary reforms to ensure the continued survival of the Federation for Intaki’s predicament is not entirely fair or accurate, and neither is the claim of ‘gaslighting’ in respect of the Federal Navy’s commitments to Placid or minimising the Assembly’s meddling in Verge Vendor in yesteryear.

Perhaps one should cast one’s blame to those that continue to assault the integrity of Placid, rather than solely holding the Federation to account (quite rightly that it should be held to account, I might add).

1 Like
20

Well if our counter parts in the Federation can assure us with their word that Intaki had not been used for military purposes by the Federation forces, who are we to question it. Perhaps if the Federation would have such a hardly-noticed-hand hovering over the Caldari as well, this entire situation could have been avoided generations ago.

As far as the Intaki Syndicate, fortunately we don’t require the opinion of an Ishukone drop out traitor to characterize our existence. But truly I am thankful everyone here was able to witness the sentiment of the Federation regarding the Intaki people that fled Federation persecution: Merely criminals and terrorists. They push our people out to the fringes and call what we were able to build on our own as mere criminality.

The Federation’s same attitude that forced the Caldari away is the same attitude that they hold toward the Syndicate. Both are mere fringe terrorist criminal entities that need to be brought back into the fold or destroyed. Create the conditions for conflict and then act indignant when conflict occurs. It is exactly this common animosity from the Federation that further proves the State’s need to work with the Syndicate.

4 Likes