The Rise and Fall of Caldari Providence Directorate
- Introduction.
Provists, so many feelings this word brings. From hatred to love, from admiration to dissension, from glory to failure. There are no Caldari without opinions on the Caldari Providence Directorate, even myriads of foreigners have something to say on the topic. Regardless of what we feel about them, we can all agree that they are an inalienable part of our history, and their influences on us are undeniable. They forged the modern State as we know today. Who were these brave men and women in dark blue uniform? How did they get this power? Where did they go? We will try to answer these questions today. But first, we need to review, how did the State look
- before YC110.
For the last two hundred years we have been manifesting the ideals of independence â mainly, from The Gallente Federation, who tried to subjugate us. This led to the great war, which lasted over a hundred of years with the peace finally being signed only in YC12 with the Tierijev treaty [1]. The war was over, and there was no reason to spill any more Caldari blood â we won our independence and survival for The Caldari State. There was, however, one controversial topic: our home planet, Caldari Prime, remained under Gallente occupation. Back then, it was decided that bargaining with Federation over it wasnât worth the cost of open warfare and resigning from the treaty. After the war, we began basking in our profits. In the following hundred of years the State grew from a tiny rebelling faction, barely fighting for survival, into an interstellar Empire with military might comparable to other CONCORD signatories. Back in the day, our ideals were governed by practicalities, by ways of obtaining profits. We slowly started to lose what we were as we were torn from our roots and tossed into space to become only machines of self-perfection. This made us strong, unbelievably so, compared to our former selves. Unfortunately, we were absorbing too much from others without thinking of our own fate. Soon, corporate leaders began accepting the very same depraved luxurious Gallentean way of life which we fought against so vigorously two hundred years ago.
Patriots, however, found a way to counter this infection of affluence; by utilizing the same method by which The Gallente were distributing their propaganda to the State citizenry: the tactical employment of the entertainment industry. The first attempt at reviving Caldari culture was with âRaata Productionsâ by Kaalakiota Corporation, which failed. However, on their remnants grew a new giant: Echelon Entertainment [2], which succeeded in popularizing ancient Caldari culture. Targeted, primarily, at the executive audience, in the end it was just common workers who began absorbing native ideals, while executives treated it mostly like a sort of leisure. Now, the word âCaldariâ started to mean not just âone who is from Caldari Stateâ, but also a descendant of an ancient, rich, proud and glorious culture. This could have had a lasting positive effect, if the changes were brought earlier, but before that the economy turned for the worse.
In early YC110 Caldari economics began rapidly sinking [3], Kaalakiota went down by 9%, Lai Dai â by 5%, Wiyrkomi by 6% - they all issued profit warning. The unnerving were problems with Rogue Drones[4], in which we were blaming their makers â the Federation [5]. While the economic crisis was hitting hard on wallets of executives, it was hitting even harder on lives of common State workers. For example, in the Yoma system Zumol Chemical construction workers went on a strike [6], protesting against working conditions. Corruption, bribery [7] and nepotism were thriving in the State, which was taking ill-effect on the citizens, most of whom were just simple workers.
The situation was getting hotter every day, threatening to erupt⌠with violence.
- To not spill Caldari blood.
It all began in the early May of YC110 with workerâs revolt in the Armor Forge facility of Caldari Constructions [8], where workers, led by Tibus Heth captured the facility, taking the management and guards as hostages [9]. Years after the incident, we learned already that the revolting workers were on a suicidal mission, doing that instead of a simple suicide just to show everyone that the status quo shall not be tolerated. During the takeover, surprisingly, they didnât kill any of the guards, preventing spilling of Caldari blood [10]. It was completely different than armed capture of the facility that professional military squads were taught to conduct. Moreover, the same former guards of the facility, spared by rioting workers, were the ones who joined Tibus Heth first.
Unfortunately, attempts to save Caldari blood from spilling were in vain, as the negotiator was shot by the Home Guard. He was evacuated by Tibus Heth himself, who with this display of courage became a national hero. This incident led to a massive riot from the workers, surrounding the facility, many of whom died during the confrontation with the Home Guard [11]. The riot initially took place only on three Caldari Construction facilities, but as soon as the feed of Hethâs heroism was broadcast, revolts began to break out through the whole State[12].
By all the predictions in this scenario rioters most likely would be killed in the end, yet we all know that history went different way: someone has bought all the Caldari Constructions actives and⌠transferred them to Tibus Heth [13]. Up to this date we donât know who exactly did that, despite transactions shows name of Xavier Black, it clearly was a marionette figure, probably an alias of an anonymous high-ranked Caldari trader, who did believe in the ideals, promoted by Echelon. Getting access to the steering wheel of one of Caldari corporations and airtime, Tibus Heth addressed the nation, calling for Caldari Spirit, denouncing gallentean influence, which was decomposing our State from inside, blaming corrupt management and promising fair management in the corporation [14].
Tibus Heth was gaining popularity in the State very rapidly [15]. Yet, at the same time we can see rise of heavy anti-Caldari sentiment from the Federation, starting unrest on Caldari Prime with Gallente citizens attacking Caldari and sites of historical significance [16]. Caldari rioted against Gallente racism, but met with deadly force [17], and eventually racial hatred spred from the Federation to the State [18]. It was stopped only by Otro Gairushiâs speech [19], in which he called troublemakers, who were attacking gallente, enemies of the State. Tibus Heth, actually, with all his hatred to Gallente, forgave Gairushiâs attack on his person and even agreed with him, that the situation shall be deescalated [20]. Unfortunately, the Malkalen Economic Summit[21] that Otro Gairushi had planned to improve State-Federation relations, ended with disaster, when Federal Navy Admiral Alexander Noir rammed his supercarrier into the station, killing Ishukone CEO with over four hundreds of thousands other people [22].
Both Otro Gairushi and Tibus Heth were trying to unite the State under one banner, and only with Otroâs death under hands of those, whom he tried to build good relations with, the State woke up. This tragic moment of death also signified a birth of something new, a new organization, named âCaldari Providence Directorateâ, nicknamed âProvistsâ, has risen. And the first corporation to stand under its banners was Ytiri [23].
- The Directorate
After the takeover of Caldari Cosntructions, the corporation was stripped of its management completely and the new CEO needed a new team to rule it. Tibus Heth began assembling it from the workers and former guards of Armor Forge, who were at first his opponents, but then were ready to follow him, who were eager to return back native ideals of Caldari to the State. This phenomenon was not localized to Caldari Constructions anymore, people were following him everywhere in the State, they wanted to join him even outside of Construstions. This was a sign of growing new brotherhood of people united by the same idea, not contained by one corporation or block. It was a nation-wide movement. Of course, at first they were only Construction workers, responsible for popularizing Hethâs ideals, men and women in dark blue military uniforms with the State emblems. It was them, who was spreading the news of Malkalen disaster and telling citizens of the State all the gritty details about the gallentean atrocity that the news channels were often omitting. And it were Provists, who first began Malkalen memorials [24].
Caldari Providence Directorate was the public face of patriotic ideology of Heth, that Echelon Entertainment tried to instill in State citizens. It was taking deeply more practical approach, not only by instilling the feeling of greatness in citizens, who were living in the poverty, but to change their lives accordingly and give them what they deserve. Every one of them were examples of a physically ideal Caldari with attractive athletic and charismatic personality, attracting now not just workers, but whole corporations. First of them were Ytiri, and soon the whole Kaalakiota, the flagman of patriotic thought and the curator of Echelon Entertainment themselves have joined the movement. The reception of Provists in Kaalakiotaâs board of directors was so good, that they have signed off the Corporation to Tibus Heth, making him instantly not just the most influential, but also the most powerful man in the State [25]. Itâs then he began inviting people into Provists brotherhood.
And it started the momentum. Soon all the Mega except the struck by disaster Ishukone have announced partnership with Caldari Providence Directorate, and Wyirkomi CEO Kuruta Irio openly said that âTibus Heth and Otro Gairushi stood for the same idealsâ [26]. And it was not just an ideological and propaganda move â unifying efforts of the whole State and restoring pride of the workforce, the collective effort was required to overcome the economical crisis that was destroying the State from inside. Eventually, of course, even Ishukone sided with Provists [27], starting the new era of the cooperation and reforms.