The Changing of the Guard At Eve University

One of the reasons I wanted to play Eve Online was the chance to join Eve University. To paraphrase a quote from someone's signature, in a game in a group of bastards competes to be the biggest bastard in a battle for wealth and power, the folks running Eve University are running a charity. Almost 6 years ago, one man had a vision that turned a help chat channel into an alliance of 1400 members. The man is Mental Mantis and this weekend marks the end of his time as the CEO of the Ivy League alliance. The announcement was made a week or two ago, but I think now is an appropriate time to post it again.

Official Eve University Press Statement - For Immediate Release

Many of you know Eve University as the new player training corporation which was founded almost six years ago by Morning Maniac. We have spent that time teaching new players in all aspects of Eve, and helping them on their way in New Eden to become successful pilots, freely providing information, skillbooks, ships, modules and various other resources.

On February 1st, Morning Maniac will officially step down as CEO, replaced by Kelduum Revaan, current Director of Operations.

Statement from Morning Maniac, Eve University Founder and CEO

Five years and 11 months ago I founded Eve University to create a place where new players could get together and be appreciated for who there were. Classes and doing things together were important but nothing was, and is, more important than the positive attitude towards new players.

In the first three years I clocked about 4000 hours logged-in in the service of the University. After some real life changes my available free time was greatly reduced but I could rely on a great team of directors and managers to run the Uni. In the last three years I was mainly concerned with extinguishing fires and the occasional directorship drama, but fortunately for me and everyone involved these issues have become less frequent and intense. The current leadership is stable and doing well, and they seem to share my vision of what the University should be and they work hard to shape it as such, with all the limitations of the game and the people in it.

More changes in my real life have resulted in even less Eve time and as a result I feel now removed from the game. Because of that I have decided that it is in the best interest of Eve University that I resign from my CEO position. I have asked Kelduum to succeed me and he has accepted the job.

What does this mean for the University and its members? Well, nothing. It means that now the formal power will be with the person who has already been in charge for a long time. I trust that Kelduum and the rest of the leadership will continue to run and build the University as they have done in the past. If they should decide to take another route then that's fine too.

As for me? I hope to stay a member of the University. If and when I have time I would like to log in and just join the chat with the new guys. The enthusiasm of new players is what I always enjoy most about EVE. Besides, there is always a lot to learn in Eve.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for putting your trust in me. When I founded the Uni I had no idea where it would go. Where we are today is far beyond anything I could have imagined. I have learned so much, I have met amazing people and had a great time. All thanks to you, members past and present of Eve University.

Statement from Kelduum Revaan, Current Eve University Director of Operations

About three and a half years ago, when I first found E-UNI, I knew it was something special - I had been hanging around in the public channel, asking questions before I joined, when I mentioned I was having trouble catching a rat in a mission. A few minutes later, one of the directors warped into my mission and helped me kill the rat, dropping me some loot and giving me some pointers.

Eve, after all, is about conquest and power, be it of the market, NPCs or, of course, space itself. In a harsh universe, someone helping out a new player with no tangible benefit to themselves is clearly unusual, and it didn't take me long to realise that this isn't uncommon amongst E-UNI members.

It was only a few months after I joined that I ended up getting involved in diplomacy for the Uni, managing to diffuse a situation with some neighbours, and ended up with the role of Diplomat. As things progressed, it became a directorship a few months later, and then at the end of 2008, I took on the role of Director of Operations, managing the day to day operations of the Uni.

After a bit of a shuffle, I had a great team of directors and managers, who put the Uni and its members first. This allowed me to make a few changes and improve things for the students, streamlining various processes, improving security, drastically reducing the impact of wardecs, and eventually completing the move The Forge to Metropolis, providing more opportunities for the members all round.

I am honoured that Morning Maniac trusts me with his vision. Eve University isn't just a corporation; it's not just the forums, killboard, wiki, assets sitting in hangars, or anything else tangible. Eve University is the community, and the spirit of helping each other out, for nothing other than the satisfaction.

As Morning Maniac steps down and I take over the formal title of CEO, he will still be the Founder of Eve University, the person who had that initial idea. The concept must have sounded crazy at the time but it worked, as thousands of members and alumni can attest to, and my priority as CEO will be to continue to improve the Eve experience for the corporations members, and provide the structure which makes Eve University and its community possible.

Thank you again, Morning Maniac for placing your trust in me, and thanks to all the members of Eve University, past, present and future, for making the E-UNI what it is.

Eve University Declaration of Principles

All capsuleers have an unrelenting desire for more; more strength, more space, more ISK, more power.

Many will take from others; without hesitation or mercy, without compassion or regret.

Every day new capsuleers are born. But New Eden is a harsh place, and many are unprepared.

In YC 105, one man recognised that 'more' did not have to be the only objective; that these new pilots are important, and enabling knowledge is worthwhile.

That man was Morning Maniac, and he founded a corporation, Eve University, under entirely altruistic principles.

He created a place to learn, a place to teach, a place where the person is more important than the skillpoints, and 'more' is not the driving force.

With its members freely teaching each other, they benefited from each other’s experience. Many moved on, but not before they imparted the knowledge they had gained.

And as the word spread and members passed through the corporations doors, it became something else.

What once was a small corporation has become a community, transcending all language, cultural and regional barriers, with alumni all over New Eden.

It had become something that will endure until the last of the stars goes dark.

Here, gathered under a common cause, we agree to recognise that together, as a community, we can teach those new generations of capsuleers.

Together, we can prepare them better than any guides or agents can.

Together, we can give them the best start possible, without limiting their options.

Together, we can instill in them the skills needed not only to survive, but to be successful.

We do this not for power, or influence, or money.

We do this because we too recognize that 'more' does not have to be the solitary goal.

We do this because we are Eve University.

About Eve University

Eve University was officially founded on March 15th 2004 after its early life as a public help channel. Since that time it has seen countless thousands of students pass though its doors, going on to become successful members of the community and some of Eve's best known names. With well over 1,300 members, it is one of the largest corporations in Eve, and by far the oldest player-run educational establishment.

The corporation is funded primarily from donations from the community and staffed entirely with volunteers, with recruitment always open for new players and experienced players looking to pass on their knowledge. The corporation provides mentoring, classes, hangar stocks, skillbooks, forums and wiki filled with information for new players and a number of sponsorship deals from third parties.

Eve University maintains a strict NRDS policy and welcomes Non Aggression Pacts from all groups, as well as providing a forum for third parties to recruit its graduates. To join, or for more information on Eve University, check the corporation info in-game, join the channel 'E-UNI', or see http://www.eve-ivy.com.

Kirith's In Paxton? Oh Noes!

I like following Kirith Kodachi's writings whether it is on his blog or the Eve Tribune. But after reading his latest post I realized I better not meet him in game anyplace outside of high-sec on my main. I didn't know he was in Paxton Federation. I don't know what Eve University did to get set to -10 with them, but we haven't set standings with them. Since Eve University is a NRDS (Not Red Don't Shoot) alliance, that means that anyone from Paxton gets to take the first shot at us. Fortunately the Eve University rules prohibit students from going to Providence so we shouldn't have any problems. But just in case, I'll keep my target painters running hot!

Podcast News

I haven't written about podcasts lately, but there is news about two of my favorite podcasts. Darren Love, host of Shut Up We're Talking, announced yesterday that he and Karen would resume recording on January 30 with the podcast released shortly afterwards. Yay Darren!

On a sad note, Jason from the Channel Massive podcast announced on episode 119 that he was leaving the podcast. I really enjoyed his take on games and humor (at least most of the time) and will miss him. I'll be looking forward to any guest appearances he may make in the future.

Dominion Patch 1.1 being deployed

Right about now Dominion patch 1.1 is close to being installed. The patch notes are here. I just want to point out a couple of features:

EVE Voice, Mail & Chat

Voice fonts have now been added to EVE Voice. This new feature will allow you to alter your voice during chat to increase or lower pitch or to change from male to female voices. This is certainly not going to be abused in any way.

Miscellaneous

CCP Tuxford can no longer shut down TQ on a whim.

Very important matters being addressed.

Security Status and Fighting Back

With the continued crying and nashing of teeth over Hulkageddon II, Helicity Bosun, the organizer of the event, has had enough and blew his top in a rather amusing and epic rant (hat tip Kirith). I've gotten to thinking: are miners and other residents really helpless against events like Hulkageddon? Can they really fight back?

Well, I'm not really sure, because it would require that the carebears who huddle in fear or rage in impotence would need to change the way they play. But I can't help but think that the next Hulkageddon or similar event would really offer me an opportunity for some role-play PvP combat.

Okay, I'm what you would call a carebear. I've been playing for 5 months and haven't been on a kill mail or received one. The only time I really go into harm's way is with Eve University fleets during wardecs, that rarely, and haven't managed a kill yet. I'm not really into mindless killing, but give me a situation where rampaging pirates, probably backed by the evil Amarr, attack the Minmatar homeland, and I've got a reason to get involved. I never thought about Hulkageddon in that light until yesterday. D'oh!

So since people on the forums are demanding even more events like Hulkageddon, I've started looking at ways to fight back. I think the security status rules hold one of the keys to a successful strategy. Here is a passage about security status and travel restrictions from the Evelopedia:

How does my security status affect my ability to travel?

Security status, or lack thereof, can have a big impact on your ability to travel through the EVE universe. Players with sufficiently low security status will be attacked by the empire navies if they enter high security systems.

Here is a brief list of your travelling options according to security status:

* Players with -2.0 or worse will be attacked in 1.0 systems
* Players with -2.5 or worse will be attacked in 0.9 systems
* Players with -3.0 or worse will be attacked in 0.8 systems
* Players with -3.5 or worse will be attacked in 0.7 systems
* Players with -4.0 or worse will be attacked in 0.6 systems
* Players with -4.5 or worse will be attacked in 0.5 systems

Once your security status reaches -5 you are considered an outlaw and can be attacked by players anywhere without CONCORD intervention.

Note that players with low security status can freely enter high security systems; They are not attacked by CONCORD, but by the much weaker (but still formidable) empire police forces. This will prevent them from operating effectively within high security space, but outlaw attacks in high security are still possible.

I've got a couple of ideas but I'll save them for now. Back to studying my maps.

The 10th DED CORPS Briefing

Although I've stopped trying to report on sovereignty changes, I'm still interested in what is going on in 0.0 space. CCP has released the 10th CONCORD Outer Region Political Summary (CORPS) briefing. It explains some of what I witnessed occurring last week.

CONCORD Outer Region Political Summary (CORPS) Briefing

>>DED CORPS BRIEFING Y111.12.10/Y112.01.15
>>TO: MEMBER NATIONS – CONCORD ASSEMBLY – DED WATCH COMMANDERS
>>STATUS: DECLASSIFIED
>>APPROVED FOR RELEASE
>>BEGIN

Updates

The past month has quite literally seen the outer regions of New Eden catch fire as several military campaigns began within days of each other in the first week of the new year. The final weeks of December saw null-sec diplomatic machinations reach a fever pitch as old allies formerly broke off ties and new political coalitions emerged to take advantage of the chaos.

Chief among these has been the seemingly unstoppable march of IT Alliance across the Fountain region. Internal issues in Pandemic Legion ally Sons of Tangra alliance led to sovereignty going neutral in the strategic outpost system of Y-2ANO. The morning of 3 January saw over 1300 capsuleers fighting for control of the system, with elements of Goonswarm, the Northern Coalition and Against ALL Authorities present, among others.

The battle ended heavily in IT and their allies favor, with over forty Goonswarm and Pandemic Legion capital ships destroyed. Most telling was the loss of four Pandemic Legion Titan-class ships. To put the scale of this battle in its proper perspective, it should be noted no less than fifteen IT Alliance Titans were accounted for on the battlefield alongside hundreds of other allied and enemy capital ships. While these numbers make any official report nearly fruitless, it can be estimated that both the loss of life and financial impact of this battle easily exceed any previously recorded in the history of New Eden.

The fall of Y-2ANO signaled the effective end of organized resistance in Fountain. IT Alliance now holds 10 outposts in the region and is currently taking control of all the region's lucrative moon mining locations. Additionally, reports coming in just last night indicate that IT has started to move into the Delve region with the intent of removing Goonswarm.

In the southeast, the Catch region has seen several battles as a territorial dispute has long-time neighbors Against ALL Authorities [AAA] and Curatores Veritatis Alliance [CVA] clashing repeatedly. CVA ally, Libertas Fidelitas Alliance, began dropping sovereignty claim markers in Catch just over a week ago in four strategic systems near the AAA-held gateway system of HED-GP. What started seemingly as a simple probing attack has now escalated into a full scale border war, with both sides calling in allies to bolster their already not-insignificant numbers.

AAA's efforts to counter attack have thus far focused on the system of SV5-8N, which was wrested back to AAA control just yesterday. With three more Catch systems still under Libertas Fidelitas control, it seems unlikely that this conflict will cease anytime soon. Public statements from CVA and their allies have been vague in terms of their actual territorial ambitions but very specific about AAA's friendly relationship with longtime CVA nemesis Ushra'Khan. Speculation is rampant as to what the long-term effects of the CVA-led incursion into what has traditionally been acknowledged as AAA space will be.

Catch is not the only area of space that has AAA's attention. Along with allies Systematic Chaos, C0ven and Ushra'Khan, AAA has begun an invasion of Querious starting with an attempt to take 49-U6U from Goonswarm. Fighting in the system has been very heavy but control of the system still remains firmly in Goonswarm's hands. It remains to be seen what effect IT Alliance's incursions into Delve and the CVA incursions into Catch will have on this particular front with respect to both Goons and AAA's commitment.

The northern region of Geminate continues to be a source of conflict as an invasion force led by Atlas Alliance and Solar Fleet. While Geminate's primary sovereignty holder is Wildly Inappropriate Alliance, they have seen massive backing from both Razor Alliance and Morsus Mihi of the Northern Coalition and neighbors Majesta Empire. Until recently, Goonswarm had also made appearances to assist against the invaders.

The primary focus of Atlas and Solar Fleet has been to gain a foothold in the region by attempting to take the outpost in Y8R-XZ. After nearly three weeks of fighting this was accomplished on the 9th of January, with Solar Fleet taking sovereignty of the system. Atlas and Solar Fleet's next move seems to be attempting to expand their beachhead in Geminate by taking the adjacent outpost system of 04-LQM.

Pure Blind, which has been the home of Mostly Harmless alliance for most of the past year has come under siege from a large coalition of alliances. Triumvirate, Evoke, Red Overlord, Cry Havoc, The Initiative and Circle of Two are the primary offensive arm of the invading forces. Mostly Harmless has seen heavy reinforcement on numerous occasions from the Northern Coalition but their headquarters station of P-2TTL finally fell into the hands of The Initiative. Mostly Harmless now only controls one of the four outposts in the region but fighting now seems to be focused on the 40+ valuable moons in the region.

>> END

Future Plans

I've decided I am not going to try to cover sovereignty in Eve Online anymore. Quite frankly, while putting the posts together was interesting, I don't really have that much time in real life to devote to it. If anyone really wants to know what is going on, they can always go to Dotlan and find out. That's what I did. I just put words to the facts.

I do have another project in mind though, one that isn't time sensitive so I can take a couple of days off working on it if real life gets in the way. I'd like to wade through Dotlan and make some posts describing the regions of New Eden. I haven't really figured out how detailed the posts will be yet, but I know it will take quite a bit of work. For example, I plan to describe constellations and Metropolis has 23 constellations.

I also have another reason for changing directions. On Friday I just missed a fleet call-up because I was working on what turned out to be the last post in the series. I've created a Bellicose CL-B based on Kirith's Eve Tribune article and I want to find out how well it works out. Yes, I know it's a friggin' Bellicose so the odds are it can't turn out well, but who knows? Training the skills to actually fly the ship decently may wind up helping me in the long run. I'll have to make a post with my fit and the success (or failure) I have with it. I've bought 3 of the EWAR cruisers and bought T1 fittings for them, so losing them won't be very painful.

I do have one other thing on my mind. Kirith put into my head the idea of writing something for the Eve Tribune. I'm going to try to find something that could put some isk in my wallet. I'm just not sure what it is yet.

Eve Sovereignty News from 15 January 2010

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - Friday proved to be a quiet day in two regions that saw major changes this week as Geminate saw no changes in sovereignty and Fountain only saw the taking of sovereignty away from Sons of Tanga of the V6-NY1 system by Black Star Alliance. The V6-NY1 system only added 3 R8 moons and 4 asteroid belts to the Black Star Alliance’s 0.0 space holdings and reduced the number of systems that Sons of Tanga claims down to 2.

The main region of volatility was in the galactic East. In Outer Passage, Legion of Death gained control over N-I024 while Shadow of xXDeathXx lost sovereignty over 2ULC-3. VooDoo Technologies gained sovereignty over 6-GRN7, adding 11 asteroid and 2 ice belts to its 4 system portfolio.

Red Alliance led all alliances Friday by gaining sovereignty over two systems, 1S-SU1 in The Kalevala Expanse and CYB-BZ in Etherium Reach. The two systems placed another 11 asteroid belts under the alliances control. In other sovereignty news from the regions, Shadow of xXDEATHXx lost sovereignty over 9-0QB7 in The Kalevala Expanse and in Etherium Reach the 142-member COASTAL BROTHERHOOD lost sovereignty over its only 0.0 space system QBZO-R. The news from the east concludes with the loss by SOLAR FLEET of The Spire's system 5LAJ-8.

In the galactic southeast, The Black Isle lost sovereignty over system 4-OS2A in Wicked Creek in the wake of having lost 2 corporations in the past three days. Two smaller alliances each claimed sovereignty over systems in the southeast. In Scalding Pass OMEGA. claimed its second 0.0 space system, 03-OR2. Not only did OMEGA. pick up another 8 asteroid belts, but 2 R32, 2 R16, 3 R8, and 7 gas moons. Finally, Clandestine Encounters claimed sovereignty over its first system in 0.0 space, the 1 asteroid belt RERZ-L system in Insmother.

Update: This is the last of the sovereignty posts. They are interesting to write, but take up too much time.

Eve Sovereignty News from 14 January 2010

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - Large scale fighting continued 14 January in the South as Against ALL Authorities claimed the sovereignty over SV5-8N in Catch, a system that Libertas Fidelitas had lost sovereignty over yesterday. At least 447 ships and 226 pods were destroyed in the second day of fighting between forces led by AAA and those from Providence like Curatores Veritatis Alliance (CVA) supporting Libertas Fidelitas. Nearly 1000 ships were destroyed in the two days of fighting.

Also in the South, IT Alliance and its allies conducted mopping up operations against Pandemic Legion Territorial Control Units, with PL losing control over 5 systems: U-SOH2, H-NPXW, EI-O0O, 9O-ORX, and Z9PP-H. IT Alliance gained control over two of those systems, H-NPXW and U-SOH2 along with the stations in those systems while Talos Coalition gained sovereignty over a system Pandemic Legion had lost control over yesterday, D2AH-Z. For the one month old Talos Coalition, the system with 1 R64, 1R32, 3R16 moons and 20 asteroid belts represents the alliance's first claim of sovereignty in 0.0 space.

Finally in the South, Shadow of xXDEATHXx reclaimed sovereignty over the H-EBQG system in Insmother. H-EBQG is another of the systems that Shadow of xXDEATHXx let sovereignty expire over on Tuesday.

In contrast, the North was relatively quiet, with only one system changing status. Freelancer Coalition gained sovereignty over UBX-CC in Geminate, although the 152 member alliance did lose a large control tower to Atlas Alliance on Thursday.

- Sovereignty changes and ship losses provided by Dotlan.

Eve Sovereignty News from 13 January 2010

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - The big news in the South of New Eden today was IT Alliance and their allies rampaging through Fountain and seizing three Pandemic Legion systems and forcing the reigning Alliance Tournament champions to lose sovereignty over three others. IT Alliance seized control over systems 6F-H3W, DBRN-Z, L-1SW8 and the outposts in those systems in the Unicorn constellation. Pandemic Legion also lost sovereignty over the D2AH-Z, E-BWUU, and Y-1W01 systems, reducing the number of systems Pandemic Legion currently controls down to 10.

The fighting in Fountain extended beyond the conflict between the main combatants as IT Alliance ally Aeternus. seized sovereignty of the XUW-3X system in the Mermaid constellation away from Sons of Tangra. And in a demonstration that the IT Alliance-led forces were looking for territorial control of Fountain and were not just looking for revenge against Goonswarm’s allies, Aeternus. also forced Emergence. to lose sovereignty over 7X-02R. Emergence. had held 7X-02R since 4 January and was the alliance’s sole holding in 0.0 space.

While the major players battled for control over Fountain, a small alliance, the 81 member Muppets Alliance, gained sovereignty over 006-L3. In addition to its 6 asteroid belts, the system contains 1 R64, 1 R16, and 6 R8 moons. Aeternus. had claimed the system from 30 December to 3 January and may decide to return to the system soon since it appears that SPLOT will be driven from Fountain in the very near future.

On the other side of Goonswarm-held space in the South, Against ALL Authorities returned its attention back to Catch after the four day battle in 49-U6U and forced Libertas Fidelitas to lose sovereignty over SV5-8N. The system was one of four abandoned systems in Catch that Libertas Fidelitas gained sovereignty over while AAA was battling with Goonswarm in Querious.

In the southeast, The Syndicate of Independant Nations picked up sovereignty in a second system in Scalding Pass, X9V15. Like its first acquisition in 0.0 space JMH-PT, the system is in the 51ZT-6 system and borders on the Wicked Creek region. Also in Scalding Pass, Primary. gained sovereignty over M9-MLR, making the alliance the holder of 3 of the 7 systems in the EMP-SH constellation.

Rounding out the news from the South, The Initiative. gained sovereignty over IJE6-J, a system that Atlas Alliance abandoned on Tuesday, and the one-month old alliance, Cha0s Theory, claimed sovereignty over its first 0.0 system, UR-HG4 in Insmother.

In the North, fierce fighting continued in the Geminate system of K25-XD, with the combined losses for Wildly Inappropriate. and the Atlas/Red Alliance/SOLAR FLEET coalition numbering 471 ships and 143 pods killed on 13 January according to figures on Dotlan. Atlas Alliance is known to have lost two Sovereignty Blockade Units in the fighting.

While the fighting continued in K25-XD, The Transcendent claimed sovereignty in another system in Geminate, B-F1MI. The 10 asteroid belt system is The Transcendent's first claimed system in 0.0 space.

In the Perrigen Falls region, both Shadow of xXDEATHXx and SOLAR FLEET lost sovereignty over a system. Shadow of xXDEATHXx lost sovereignty over Z-ENUD, a system in which the alliance has allowed sovereignty to lapse 6 previous times since first acquiring the system 7 October 2008. The same pattern is seen in SOLAR FLEET's hold on O-QKSM. This is the fifth time the alliance has released sovereignty over the system since first establishing sovereignty over the system on 2 July 2008.

Finally, two alliances reclaimed sovereignty over systems they allowed sovereignty to lapse over yesterday. In Malpais, Flame Bridge reclaimed system VVB-QH and in Outer Passage Legion of xXDEATHXx reclaimed systems 4O-ZRI and NEU-UD.

Eve Sovereignty News from 12 January 2010

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - The North of New Eden saw fierce fighting in Geminate yesterday as the Atlas/Red Alliance/SOLAR FLEET coalition moved in to challenge Wildly Inappropriate.'s control of K25-XD. According to Dotlan, 515 ships and 129 pods were destroyed in the fighting on 12 January. Atlas 3 destroyed three of Wildly Inappropriate.'s control towers while losing one Sovereignty Blockade Unit.

While the focus was on K25-XD, Get Off My Lawn acquired sovereignty over system RLSI-V, increasing the number of the alliances systems to six. RLSI-V also marks the first system that the alliance controls outside the NK-AOZ constellation.

In the Pure Blind region, intense combat raged in two systems between members of the Northern Coalition and Triumvirate. and Circle of Two. In system CXN1-Z, an Atlas/Morsus Mihi force destroyed a Triumvrate. control tower in action that saw 343 ships and 76 pods destroyed on 12 January. And in X-7OMU, the total ship losses for all causes in the system was 317 ships and 224 pods.

In other Northern news, Majesta Empire gained sovereignty over system 05R-7A in Vale of the Silent. The system containing 6 gas moons and 5 asteroid belts that had lain unclaimed since 9 July, completes Majesta Empire's control over the BUG6-X constellation.

Finally, SOLAR WING gained sovereignty of two systems; I-2705 in Cache and E-EFAM in Cobalt Edge. I-2705 was a system SOLAR WING had abandoned on 29 December and E-EFAM had been abandoned by Shadow of xXDEATHXx on 12 December.

In the South, the battle in Querious' 49-U6U system started to wind down after Goonswarm destroyed two more Against ALL Authorities Sovereignty Blockade Units. On the fourth day of the invasion, the system only saw 294 ships and 116 pods destroyed from all causes on 12 January.

Elsewhere in Querious, Daisho Syndicate claimed sovereignty over system A3-LOG, a system Goonswarm abandoned on 29 December. The system contains 4 R16 moons and 7 belts and marks the 5-day old alliance's entry into 0.0 space.

In Fountain the situation continued to deteriorate for SPLOT as IT Alliance seized sovereignty of system PXF-RF from Sons of Tonga. IT Alliance also captured the outpost in the system and renamed it PXF Xeliya's Toy Room.

In other news from the region, Aeternus. gained sovereignty over former Sons of Tonga system TEG-SD. However, SoT had abandoned the system on 24 December. Not much is known about the system but reportedly one of the moons contains dysprosium.

Finally, three corporations lost sovereignty over 3 systems in the South. In Immensea, The Initiative. lost control of Y-C4AL, Against ALL Authorities lost sovereignty over Tenerifis' B-6STA system and at the end of the day The Nephilim. lost sovereignty over GK5Z-T in Insmother.

Yesterday between 3:37 and 3:57, corporations throughout New Eden dropped their claims of sovereignty over a total of 52 system, led by Legion of xXDEATHXx (18) and Shadow of xXDEATHXx (11). Of special note is The Council. dropping sovereignty over its last two systems in 0.0 space. As recently as 15 December the alliance had sovereignty over 13 systems but The Council. suffered a failscade and now only contains 1 corporation plus the executor corp. A list of the dropped systems follows…

Cobalt Edge (2)
DK0-N8 SOLAR WING
E0DR-G SOLAR WING

Detorid (1)
XSUD-1 Atlas Alliance

Etherium Reach (5)
43-1TL Shadow of xXDEATHXx
5U-3PW Shadow of xXDEATHXx
8-MXHA Shadow of xXDEATHXx
KMH-J1 Shadow of xXDEATHXx
Z-FET0 Legion of xXDEATHXx

Fountain (5)
14YI-D Sons of Tangra
9R4-EJ Event Horizon.
NDH-NV Sons of Tangra
Q-XEB3 Event Horizon.
QV28-G Pandemic Legion

Immensea (1)
QN-6J2 Atlas Alliance

Impass (4)
6E-MOW AAA Citizens
M-9V5D Against ALL Authorities
M-VEJZ Against ALL Authorities
O2-39S Against ALL Authorities

Insmother (1)
EFM-C4 Atlas Alliance

Malpais (8)
4QY-NT Legion of xXDEATHXx
9NI-FW Shadow of xXDEATHXx
C-NMG9 Legion of xXDEATHXx
H-EBQG Shadow of xXDEATHXx
O7-RFZ Shadow of xXDEATHXx
VVB-QH 424 Flame Bridge
XTVZ-E Shadow of xXDEATHXx
Z0H2-4 Shadow of xXDEATHXx

Oasa (5)
21M1-B Legion of xXDEATHXx
91-KD8 Legion of xXDEATHXx
9G5J-1 Legion of xXDEATHXx
IAMJ-Q Legion of xXDEATHXx
U-RELP Legion of xXDEATHXx

Outer Passage (3)
4O-ZRI Legion of xXDEATHXx
N-I024 Legion of xXDEATHXx
ZJ-5IS Legion of xXDEATHXx

Perrigen Falls (2)
MS-RXH Shadow of xXDEATHXx
SR-10Z Legion of xXDEATHXx

Pure Blind (2)
BDV3-T The Council.
R-2R0G Lost 62 The Council.

Scalding Pass (1)
M9-MLR Atlas Alliance

Tenerifis (3)
D-9UEV AAA Citizens
EQWO-Y Against ALL Authorities
QI9-42 Against ALL Authorities

The Kalevala Expanse (7)
5-VFC6 Legion of xXDEATHXx
EPCD-D Legion of xXDEATHXx
IUU3-L Legion of xXDEATHXx
J-OAH2 Legion of xXDEATHXx
L-TLFU Legion of xXDEATHXx
O5-YNW Legion of xXDEATHXx
RAI-0E Shadow of xXDEATHXx

The Spire (1)
Y4B-BQ SOLAR WING

Wicked Creek (1)
X-ARMF Atlas Alliance

Eve Sovereignty News from 11 January 2010

I'm still working out the format for these reports. I've decided in the interest of my time (some of which I want to use to play Eve) to forgo putting in hyperlinks for every system that sees a change in sovereignty. I'll make sure I always include a link to Dotlan EveMaps, the source of my basic facts. Also, Dotlan does provide killmail information but when the killmails start reaching over 300, I haven't figured out a way to quickly tally them.

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - Major fighting continued in the Querious region's 49-U6U as Goonswarm continued to hold onto sovereignty in the face of a combined Systematic-Chaos/Against ALL Authorities fleet. While reports on actual ship losses remain confused, Dotlan reported that 674 ships and 193 pods were destroyed in the system from all causes on 11 January. During the fighting, Goonswarm managed to destroy two Against ALL Authorities Sovereignty Blockade Units. The Interstellar Correspondents are reporting that AAA may be distracted from their efforts against Goonswarm by the actions yesterday of Libertas Fidelitas in seizing sovereignty in four systems in Catch.

While the fierce fighting continued on Goonswarm's eastern border, Goon allies Pandemic Legion lost sovereignty in two systems to the northwest of Goonswarm's holdings. In Cloud Ring, Pandemic Legion lost sovereignty over QXW-PV and in Fountain lost control of A-HZYL.

In other news from the galactic South, former Shadow of xXDeathXx corporation Colonist of EvE gained control of B-T6BT in Cache for their new alliance, SOLAR WING. SOLAR WING had abandoned sovereignty over the system on 29 December.

In Wicked Creek alliances picked up three abandoned systems. G00DFELLAS picked up LKZ-CY, its fourth system in the region since 28 December. The second system was EIH-IU, aquired by INDUSTRIAL REV0LUTI0N and abandoned by Triumvirate. on 13 December. And death from above.. acquired 0FC-ZX, a system abandoned by Sc0rched Earth on 12 July.

Finally in Southern news, Consortium. gained sovereignty over system S0U-MO in Insmother. According to available records, this is the first time that any corporation has claimed the system with 3 asteroid belts and no moons worth mining.

In the North, fighting continued in Geminate with Ihatalo Cartel Navy losing sovereignty over B-F1MI, reducing the number of systems held by the 246 member alliance down to two. Eych Four Eks Zero Ahr managed to pick up its second system in 0.0, E-91FV, both in Geminate's F-ZNNG constellation.

In Pure Blind, The Initiative. completed its conquest of system P-2TTL from Mostly Harmless. Yesterday, the alliance seized control of the P2 outpost in the system from Mostly Harmless. Also in the region, Fear Th3 Vampires claimed sovereignty over S4GH-I and DT-TCD, its first two systems in 0.0 space. The alliance now claims systems with 8 R16 moons, 11 R8 moons, and 16 asteroid belts.

In Etherium Reach, two systems experienced sovereignty changes. Red Alliance lost sovereignty of system 3IK-7O while Shadow of xXDeathXx gained sovereignty over 1GH-48. Shadow of xXDeathXx continued to buck its trend of shedding systems by also regaining sovereignty over the Oasa region's system LA2-KV, a system it had abandoned on 22 December.

Finally, in Vale of the Silent, On the Rocks picked up its third system in 0.0 space, 6WW-28. All three systems are in the YUT3-U constellation.

What Happened to Sovereignty?

In breaking news, according to Dotlan, at 3:37:25 Eve time, corporations lost control over 45 systems. At 3:57:03, another 7 systems lost sovereignty. I'm not sure what happened.

Eve Sovereignty News from 10 January 2010

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - The big news Sunday came from the Southwest quadrant of New Eden where a major fleet battle occurred system 49-U6U in Querious between Goonswarm and an attacking force consisting of Systematic-Chaos and Against ALL Authorities. While actual losses for each side are confused due to massive spatial distortion in the battle space, Dotlan showed a total of 968 ships and 319 pods lost from all causes on 10 January. While Goonswarm maintains sovereignty, two members in the attacking force indicated that the Ihub was successfully placed into reinforced status by the SyS-K/AAA fleet.

In other news from the Southwest, Black Star Alliance succeeded in seizing the sovereignty of system 1-5GBW in Fountain away from Pandemic Legion. The capture of 1-5GBW completes Black Star Alliance's campaign to capture all of the systems in the Skaven constellation.

In other news from the South, Libertas Fidelitas secured sovereignty over 4 systems in the Catch region. The four systems, F9E-KX, SV5-8N, WD-VTV, and 9KOE-A, were systems that Against ALL Authorities had abandoned sovereignty over in mid-December. The four systems increases the number of systems Libertas Fidelitas controls from six to 10 and adds 37 mineral asteroid belts to the areas it controls. One source inside AAA stated that once the alliance's action against Goonswarm is complete that Libertas Fidelitas will be "dealt with."

In the Southeastern quadrant of New Eden, the Immensea region saw Initiative Mercenaries take sovereignty over system 08-N7Q, a system with 8 mineral and 1 ice asteroid belt. The system is the fourth system Initiative Mercenaries have taken control over since 11-12 December when 4 corporations left the alliance; two for Black Star Alliance. The turmoil continues within the alliance with the 16 member Trinity Council corporation leaving the alliance on 8 January.

Finally in the South, the 8 corporation Syndicate of Independent Nations claimed its first 0.0 system, X9V-15 in Scalding Pass. The 19 belt system had been unclaimed since Primary. relinquished sovereignty on 2 December.

In the North, the volatile Geminate region saw Wicked Nation lose sovereignty over V-MZW0. Wicked Nation had taken over sovereignty of the valuable system from Wildly Inappropriate. on 2 December.

The conflict over Geminate may be affecting sovereignty in other regions of the North. In Outer Passage, SOLAR FLEET lost sovereignty in four systems; 24I-FE, 4H-YJZ, U-FQ21, and V-SEE6. All four systems are in the IM-8S5 constellation and SOLAR FLEET still holds the gateway system into the constellation, Q0K-SX. This may be a move by SOLAR FLEET to free up resources to use in the fighting in Geminate.

In the adjacent Cobalt Edge region, SOLAR WING gained sovereignty in three of the systems in the 5ZAB-N constellation; 4GSZ-1, 9-7SRQ, and VEQ-3V. SOLAR WING apparently gained sovereignty over the three systems when former Shadow of xXDeathXx corporation Colonists of Eve joined SOLAR WING on 10 January. Colonists of Eve had left Shadow of xXDeathXx on 8 January.

The actions of Colonists of Eve highlight a growing problem for Shadow of xXDeathXx; the continuing hemorrhaging of systems. The alliance lost 3 more systems on Sunday; NHKO-4 and Y-UO9U in Outer Passage and GGMF-J in Oasa. Over the past 7 days, Shadow of xXDeathXx has lost sovereignty over 14 systems while gaining sovereignty in 3 others. Overall, the alliance has seen a net loss of 60 systems over the past 4 weeks.

Also in Cobalt Edge, Antaeus Combine gained sovereignty over E-BYOS. With the acquisition of E-BYOS, Antaeus Combine now has control of all but one system in the SI1-SF constellation.

In Cloud Ring, Bokhiuld Lomrek Ujjdja Egok lost its last system in 0.0 space, 8R-RTB. Following the loss of the system, the alliance suffered a major failscade with 4 corporations, All-In, Yarrbear Inc., Le Clan Pluie De Coups, and Genesis Fighter Corp leaving. Cry Havoc. gained sovereignty over one of the former Bokhiuld Lomrek Ujjdja Egok systems, Q-UA3C.

Finally, the Pure Blind region saw two changes in sovereignty. Mostly Harmless lost another system, P-2TTL, making it the 23rd system it had lost sovereignty over since 20 December. The fact that makes this loss stand out is that Mostly Harmless lost its station in the system to Initiative., the first time the alliance had lost a station during this time.

The second change in the Pure Blind region was Dark Pride Alliance gaining sovereignty over R-LW2I. This is Dark Pride Alliance's first claimed system in 0.0 space.

A Breakdown On The Fighting In Geminate

A couple of days ago the Interstellar Correspondents published two stories about the fighting in Geminate. I'll be keeping an eye on the sovereignty changes, but I thought I'd include the IC articles to help explain what is occurring in the region.

RAZOR Deploys to Geminate in Full Strength
reported by: ISD Falstaff Labron | 2010.01.08 00:13:37

Geminate [Interstellar Correspondents] – RAZOR Alliance [-RZR-] has deployed to Geminate in full strength to support allies Wildly Inappropriate. [WI.] in their ongoing conflict with ATLAS over the region’s resources.

The conflict has escalated over the past few weeks, with the Northern Coalition Alliances WI., -RZR- and Morsus Mihi [RAWR] actively defending the region against the combined assault of ATLAS, RED Alliance [RED] and SOLAR FLEET [SOLAR].

RAZOR forces are "dedicated to hold every system that we own and take back what we may have lost." URDEAD2ME reports that roughly three weeks ago "we had a full deployment to Geminate to support WI., we moved as fast as we could to get into the key staging systems around Geminate." Phreeze adds, "the entire Alliance is fully deployed, we have everyone here as per our norm when we go places."

Asked to comment on the size of their numbers, URDEAD2ME reports that "at this time we have 715 people in [this system] and 700 are blue I would say, we are defending [it] and [will] not let the station system go. We currently have 9 titans on line in a ‘V’ formation above one of the hostile [enemy structures] as V for victory."

Phreeze further comments "about two weeks before this conflict actually kicked off, ATLAS destroyed WI.'s cap fleet in a surprise attack. Before RAZOR deployed, ATLAS [then] soundly beat WI. and local Northern Coalition allies [on more than one occasion]. Since then, ATLAS has taken many high end moons, but has been repelled in every sovereignty assault."

"Since ATLAS enlisted the help of such entities as SOLAR, RED, Cult of War [-COW-], and Gentlemen's Club [STRPR], they have numerical advantage on early parts of their assaults, and generally lose when we are able to bring the rest of the Northern Coalition to assist... however, that rarely happens... and [this] has allowed ATLAS to gain moons... proportionally WI. has lost about two thirds of their money moons... [and] it’s not going well [since] they outnumber us in nearly every [period]."

Our upcoming report on the Geminate conflict with details of recent major engagements will be published soon, so keep your NeoCom's updated to get the latest developments.

War in Geminate Continues
reported by: ISD Falstaff Labron | 2010.01.08 23:56:39

Geminate [Interstellar Correspondents] - ATLAS and allies are successfully taking control of the strategic resources in the region while Widly Inappropriate. [WI] and the Northern Coalition forces strive to retain sovereignty.

The war in Geminate has had several hundred ship engagements taking place across the region, with two major engagements in systems K25-XD and Y8R-XZ.

Roughly two weeks ago in K25-XD, WI. reports that Solar Fleet [SOLAR] used a battleship heavy fleet to drop SBU's on gates in the system and incapacitate the K25-XD/Q-TBHW jump bridge and cyno jammer. Positioned on the Y8R-XZ/K25-XD jump bridge, the combined WI. and RAZOR fleets waited for the jump bridge on the other side to be clear and then moved inside the structure's shield. Meanwhile, Morsus Mihi [RAWR] staged from Akora and titan bridged into K25-XD, to combine with WI. and RAZOR and form up for sniper duels with SOLAR; multiple battles were fought around the SBU's and structures.

After several movements and engagements in the system the RAWR fleet was bubbled, at which point the WI. and RAZOR fleets started heavily damaging the SOLAR fleet that then proceeded for the U-L4KS gate to open several cyno fields and drop a capital fleet of carriers, dreadnoughts and motherships. Reports of spatial anomalies heavily affected the SOLAR capital fleet and allowed the Northern Coalition fleet to take down several of the opposing vessels. At this time ATLAS opened cyno fields dropping yet more carriers and dreadnoughts while at the same time trying to get away from the spatial distortions by warping out in random directions. [Around 30] dreadnought and carrier class vessels of SOLAR/Cult of War [-COW-]/ATLAS were destroyed, with no capital losses for WI./RAZOR/RAWR.

URDEAD2ME of RAZOR reports that "we were out numbered and we stayed and fought, then they escalated the fight to capitals, we stayed and still managed to still kill [several] of their capitals. We killed the battle ship fleet first, when the capitals cynoed in we killed what we could of them to hold the field and gather the wrecks."

An anonymous source close to ATLAS reports that the "K25 battle saw less than 30 losses in a fight which was [heavily affected by spatial anomalies interfering with our fleet operations]."

A week after in Y8R-XZ, WI. reports that initially they broke into the system and took control, with ATLAS and RED Alliance [RED] never making any effort to prevent the uncontested removal of their structures. When the only two WI. staging towers were coming out of reinforced and also the station was on its last reinforcement timer, "[a massive presence allowed taking] control of the system, [saving] the towers and also [destroying] the enemy SBU. A fleet of 700 allied pilots were on hand for the destruction of the SBU including multiple Northern Coalition titan class ships that flew in a 'V' formation over the hostile structure as a show of force."

Phreeze of RAZOR further adds that "we were able to easily brush aside the combined ATLAS/SOLAR/RED attempt on the station through mobilizing the entire Northern Coalition, they were unable to match our numbers and their SBU' were destroyed on the final reinforcement cycle."

An anonymous source close to ATLAS reports that "[in Y8R-XZ] Northern Coalition forces lost over 550 ships in a three day period to [ATLAS] less than 70 losses... K25-XD and Y8R-XZ were just sovereignty contests to draw out fights. WI. are still on the defensive, they are down to only 3 of 13 Technetium moons and their jump bridge infrastructure is either reinforced or destroyed. As originally intended we are here to provide [engagements] for our members, there is nothing at the moment going on in the South so we chose to seek alternate areas to engage hostiles. WI. is currently jamming all of its stations which has created an excessive sovereignty bill for them to maintain while currently running a deficit from having all of its Technetium moons either in hostile hands or in reinforced."

Asked to comment on the overall Geminate situation, Caladain Barton of WI. stated that "the spatial disruptions have [lead to the loss of] capital fleets and titans [in New Eden], it has boiled down to 'who is in system first holds the field'. WI. has not lost a single station system, nor suffered SBU's to live in our space thus far in the conflict. While we have lost a good number of Technetium moons, this has not significantly affected our income stream or our war fighting effort. Our morale is high, and we would like nothing more than to engage ATLAS in force. But due to the random spatial anomalies affecting the area, we have decided not to suicide our fleets by jumping into heavy numbers, thus the lost moons. The moons we have defended are the result of the Northern Coalition fleet getting in system before ATLAS. The ones we have lost are due to them getting in system first. We came to Geminate to get fights and we are liking the war. We came to fight and are very happy."

Eve Sovereignty News from 9 January 2010

I'm going to try my hand at tracking the sovereignty changes occuring in Eve Online. I found the Dotlan Eve Maps site so I'm going to try my hand at a little reporting. Here goes:

Aldrat [Nosy Gamer News] - In the North yesterday fighting continued in the Geminate region as SOLAR FLEET seized control of system Y8R-XZ from Wildly Inappropriate. Wildly Inappropriate. had held the system since 2 June when the alliance seized control of the system from United Freemen Alliance. This is the second system in Geminate that SOLAR FLEET has captured in the last 2 weeks and marks the third Geminate system that Wildly Inappropriate. has lost since 29 December.

In other Northern news, The United Front Alliance continued its offensive in the Branch region when it regained the sovereignty of system T-Q2DD. This is the UFA's second attempt at holding sovereignty in the region, having held it from 3-8 January. If UFA can maintain control of T-Q2DD, it would mark the ninth system in Branch the alliance has seized since 15 December.

Finally in Northern news, Bokhiuld Lomrek Ujjdja Egok lost sovereignty of system Q-UA3C in the Cloud Ring region. Bokhiuld Lomrek Ujjdja Egok first took control of the system containing an ice belt from Slammer's Republic on 23 November and had held sovereignty continuously since 1 December. The loss of Q-UA3C leaves the 7 corporation alliance holding just one system.

The South saw major sovereignty activity yesterday with the most changes taking place in the south-eastern part of New Eden. In Wicked Creek, Vivisection. gained control of 1-7BD6, a system Triumvirate. had controlled from 3 October to 8 January. Also in Wicked Creek, G00DFELLAS gained control of system JQU-KY which had laid unclaimed since 19 August and R-I-P picked up J-RXYN, a small system with 1 regular asteroid belt and one ice belt that had lain unclaimed since 22 February 2009. J-RXYN is R-I-P's only system over which it claims sovereignty.

In Insmother, H E L I C O N claimed sovereignty of a system with an ice belt, Q7-FZ8, that had been held by Atlas Alliance from 16 October to 29 December. Q7-FZ8 is the only system that the 18-month old alliance currently holds.

In Scalding Pass, Die Patrizier lost sovereignty of one of its three systems, 4E-EZS. The system had lain unclaimed from 26 June to 14 December when Die Patrizier laid claim to the system.

In Tenerifis, AAA Citizens reclaimed sovereignty of two systems it had lost control over on 13 December, MS1-KJ and 7M4C-F. Acquiring the two systems has been part of the massive activity happening within AAA Citizens since 13 December when the alliance lost sovereignty over 16 systems, 7 of them in Tenerifis.

Finally, in the south-west of New Eden, Rebellion Alliance gained control of system A-5F4A in Quellious. The previous owner, Goonswarm, gained control of the system during the offensive against the corporation formerly known as Band of Brothers and held the system from 8 June to 29 December.

Annaro Miners Rescued

Last Minute Annaro Mine Rescue Operation Successful, Survivors Recovered
reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2010.01.05 07:53:26

Annaro - A dangerous rescue operation aimed at recovering 176 Caldari miners trapped in an asteroid proved successful last night . The rescue was performed by an Amarr team from Ducia Foundry experienced on unstable asteroids.

Reports indicate that the miners themselves were not informed of the attempt and spent the evening writing final letters to their loved ones. One miner told reporters, "When I heard they were drilling just a few meters away, my first thought was that we were hallucinating from the lack of oxygen." The surprise rescue operation was executed, though, for reasons that remain unclear, only a select few knew about the operation. Their secrecy has aroused suspicions that Ducia Foundry was allowed to covertly transport and deploy its slave workers to the asteroid mine.

In a brief statement, Ducia Foundry's Steen Greimala said, "The operation went as smoothly as ever. Every member of my team performed admirably, and we were more than helped by the Deep Core Mining experts, who analyzed every aspect of the asteroid. I never had a point where I was seriously concerned."

CBD Corporation released a statement saying, "We welcome the successful rescue of our miners and thank Deep Core Mining and Ducia Foundry for their help." CBD would not comment on the safety procedures they had employed during the mining operation. Police commander Garr Diymir was not available for comment.

Caldari law expert Dimm Margo remarked, "I think it's obvious what's happened. They managed to sneak the slaves in and get the job done, but there will need to be legal accounting sooner or later. Luckily for them, they were successful."

Will this be the end of the story, or is there one more item to come?

Compromise on Mining Slave Rescue Team

Compromise Over Slave Rescue Team Offered by Amarr Holder
reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2010.01.04 05:08:43

Annaro [The Scope News Agency] - Aszhar Freimala, an Amarr Holder, has offered to purchase and release 16 elite slaves owned by Ducia Foundry for the task of rescuing trapped asteroid miners in Annaro system. Ducia Foundry has agreed to the proposal, but the corporation will not officially release the slaves until after the rescue, citing the need to maintain a solid command structure during the operation.

Annaro system police commander Garr Diymir told reporters, "It's a wonderful gesture, but unfortunately doesn't change much from the legal standpoint. [The rescuers] would still be slaves. Until they are officially released, my hands are tied." Since his statement, the police commander has received a barrage of angry letters from Caldari citizens.

Steen Greimala, director of the Ducia Foundry rescue team, told reporters, "I'm excited about this opportunity to help our allies and am thankful that my company is willing to make compromises. We can take this opportunity to show the public how well we can work with our slaves and what can be accomplished under our system. I'll lose some valuable teammates when it's over, but it will be worth it."

Evvlynne Deermin, spokesperson for CBD Corporation, told reporters, "We feel this is an excellent compromise and would like to extend our gratitude to Aszhar Freimala and Ducia Foundry for their continuing efforts in this situation." The 176 trapped miners currently have less than two days of air remaining.

So the morality choices get tougher. Do you potentially sacrifice 16 people to save 176? But what if those people have no choice in the matter? Is it moral to force them if you offer them their freedom in return? Two important points. The first is: if you were freed beforehand, would you really risk your neck to make your former slave master look good? The second is more important: can you really trust a stinking Amarr slaveholder in the first place?

A Mining Accident in Annaro

The lore in Eve Online continues to be written by both CCP and the players themselves every day. Currently SCOPE, the largest NPC news agency in New Eden, is reporting on a mining accident in Annaro, a system controlled by the Caldari State. Eve Online is a dark, dangerous place and CCP seems to delight in making players face moral dilemmas, both in game play and in the backstory. I'll have to find the RSS feed for these stories, but for now let me get everyone caught up to date. But before I do, I think I need to give a description of the four factions in Eve Online for those of you who don't play the game.

The Caldari State - Founded on the tenets of patriotism and hard work that carried its ancestors through hardships on an inhospitable homeworld, the Caldari State is today a corporate dictatorship, led by rulers who are determined to see it return to the meritocratic ideals of old. Ruthless and efficient in the boardroom as well as on the battlefield, the Caldari are living emblems of strength, persistence, and dignity.

The Amarr Empire - The Amarrians rule a vast Empire, the largest and oldest of the four empires. Ruled by a mighty Empress, this vast theocratic society is supported by a broad foundation of Minmatar slave labor. Amarrian citizens tend to be highly educated and fervent individuals, and as a culture adheres to the basic tenet that what others call slavery is in fact one step on a spiritual path towards fully embracing their faith. As a result, the Empire remains the most stable and militarily powerful nation-state in New Eden, despite several setbacks in recent history.

The Minmatar - Of the four major races of New Eden, none has endured more turmoil than the Minmatar. Once a thriving tribal civilization, the Minmatar were enslaved by the Amarr Empire for more than 700 years until a massive rebellion freed most, but not all, of those held in servitude. Modeling their recovery after the Federation's success, the Minmatar Republic was born. But despite rising to prominence on the world stage, more than one third of the present-day population remains enslaved. The Minmatar people today are resilient, ingenious, and hard-working. Many of them believe that democracy, though serving them well at first, will never restore what was taken from them so long ago. Instead, they long for a government truly reflective of their tribal culture, and remain deeply attached to their enslaved kindred. They will forever resent the Amarrians, and yearn for the days before their accursed ships ever reached their home skies.

The Gallente Federation - Champions of liberty and fierce guardians of the human spirit, the Gallente Federation is the only true democracy in New Eden. Some of the most progressive leaders, scientists, and businessmen of the era have emerged from its diverse peoples. Pioneers of artificial intelligence, the Federation once relied almost entirely on drone fleets to defend its beliefs and borders. But the limitations of this technology and the lack of a human element—both in terms of a military strategy, and as a means of spreading influence— eventually reached a critical point. Today, Gallentean starships are manned by some of the bravest men and women of New Eden.

Here is the story so far...

Mining Accident in Annaro System Traps 200 Miners
reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2009.12.29 17:51:24

Annaro -An asteroid in the Annaro system lost stability and collapsed on a team of nearly two hundred miners at a CBD Corporation mining facility. Thirty two miners are confirmed dead and the rest remain trapped below the surface. A dozen or more are reported to have serious injuries.

Evvlynne Deermin, spokesperson for CBD, explained the current situation in a press conference shortly after the accident. "We're holding out a lot of hope for the safe return of our miners. However, the situation is difficult. The asteroid is highly unstable, and the crew has limited oxygen."

Deermin would not comment when asked about the events leading up to the accident. One anonymous source near the scene claimed it started with a single misplaced explosive, causing a chain reaction of tunnel collapses in the hollowed-out asteroid. CBD Corporation is reported to be consulting urgently with their partner, Deep Core Mining.

Deep Core Mining 'Reluctant' to Commit Rescue Team, Ducia Foundry Offers Assistance

reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2009.12.30 22:08:18

Annaro - Deep Core Mining has stated that it is reluctant to commit a rescue team to an asteroid in the Annaro system, where nearly 200 CBD Corporation miners remain trapped. According to reports, six of the asteroid's eight backup oxygen tanks were destroyed in the accident, and estimations by officials predict that the miners have a little less than six days of breathable air.

"While we feel deeply for the workers and their families," said a spokesman for Deep Core Mining's Astro-surveying division, "we are reluctant to send a team to the surface because of the extreme volatility of the asteroid. We're currently working with CBD to re-map the internals and weak points of the asteroid, and we have not found a way to drill to the trapped miners without causing a total collapse."

In an unusual development, a Ducia Foundry astro-surveying team has pledged assistance and believe they can extract the miners without any loss of life. However, a third of the Ducia team are slaves and have been denied access due to Caldari anti-slavery laws. Steen Greimala, director of the Amarr team, said, "We're here to help. Our team is highly skilled, but we understand the cultural differences and laws that make it difficult to accept our help. Our offer will remain open."

System police commander Garr Diymir told reporters, "The reason the Amarr team has offered a rescue plan is that the only people sent to the surface will be slaves. As much as we want to see the workers get out alive, we have no intention of allowing innocent people to be forcefully sacrificed. I'm confident that a Caldari organization will step forward with a legal solution soon."

CBD Corporation Under Pressure to Organize Legal Mine Rescue Operation
reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2010.01.01 18:18:10

Annaro - CBD Corporation is under pressure to organize a legal rescue of trapped miners in the Annaro system. Numerous mining and surveying organizations have sent experts to analyze the situation, with only Amarr mining corporation Ducia Foundry offering a rescue team. However, this team is being refused access to the system because of its use of slaves.

Steen Greimala, director of the Ducia Foundry team, commented, "I would like to attempt this rescue because I see it as an opportunity for my team to use their skills to aid our Caldari friends. Our slaves, who we call the 'surface team,' are vital to our work and could not be replaced by simple volunteers "

Garr Diymir of the Annaro police said, "We've been in contact with the Ducia Foundry team leaders, but unfortunately they are not going to be able to help without violating Caldari law. Even if we make an exception, the asteroid is unstable and I'm told their rescue efforts could cause a further collapse and the death of both the miners and the rescuers."

Caldari law expert Dimm Margo explained, "Making an exception to the law in this case could set a dangerous precedent that would make it acceptable to break the law whenever we feel Caldari lives are in danger."

The miners remain in communication with the surface and have reported that three more workers have died in the last 24 hours from injuries sustained during the accident. The total number of stranded workers is now believed to be 176, with estimated air supplies at four days.

Debate Over Use of Slaves in Caldari Mine Rescue Continues
reported by: ISD Threff Geldarran | 2010.01.03 07:39:30

Annaro - Caldari law experts, police, and the families of buried miners continue to debate the possibility of allowing an Amarr team, many of whom are slaves, to attempt a rescue of almost two hundred miners at the collapsed CBD Corporation asteroid mine in the Annaro system.

In an interview today, Steen Greimala, director of the Ducia Foundry team, said, "At this point we've got all the data we're going to get about the situation. The longer we wait, the more difficult the extraction will be."

Amarrian Holder Aszhar Freimala, owner of a manufacturing firm and a customer of both CBD and Ducia Foundry, commented to reporters, "It's a shame that their distaste for one aspect of our culture would cause the Caldari to sacrifice their own people." Freimala is reported by sources at CBD Corporation to have been in private talks with CBD and members of Caldari law enforcement at CBD's Sell Division Retail Center in Annaro.

Several hundred family members of the trapped miners have organized a petition asking police to "look the other way," and are attempting to raise money to offer as payment to Ducia Foundry for the release of the slaves, despite the illegality of doing so. "I oppose slavery as much as any Caldari, but letting our children grow up without their fathers is not going to put an end to it," said a representative for the group. Time continues to run out for the trapped miners, with air supplies now estimated at three days.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have two Eve Online accounts and the main characters on both accounts are Minmatar, so I'm a bit partial to the Minmatar. I have an idea how this is going to turn out, but I'll be reading the news as I log in every day to find out if I'm right.