(At the request of Saxon, following a discussion he had with Seriphyn, I've come up with the following. I already submitted it to Milo for publication on ANN site, but I was also asked to post it here. Given everything I've been reading today on the intergalactic summit, I think this might be fuel for the fire, but here it is.)
(INTAKI PRIME — 7/6/113) A report released this week by the Intaki Assembly shows a variety of impacts — some good and some bad — that resulted from the period of Caldari occupation of Intaki Space.
Midyear 111, Caldari militia forces secured the contested systems of the Placid Region, including those under the authority of the Intaki Assembly. In the weeks following, Caldari megacorporations participated in an auction for the “economic development rights” to the various systems.
During the occupation an extensive communications blackout shielded much of the Caldari activity from scrutiny. However, after Gallente militia pilots retook the systems, the Assembly commissioned a study to determine what the effects the occupation had.
In the home system, the relationship with the Caldari appears to have been beneficial to both sides. The Assembly report indicates that Ishukone, the winner of the auction of the Intaki System, took a relatively hands-off approach to the planet.
As is widely known, the Assembly even contracted with Ishukone for the system’s shipping franchise when Federation forces returned. The copy of the report released to the media omitted specific financial data on the franchise, it does show that Ishukone’s operational efficiency is up more than 80 percent from previous shipping contracts.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Sajha Colony located in the Brarel System. That colony, known for its dedication to decentralized power and anarchist tendencies, clashed — sometimes violently — with auction winner Hyasyoda Corporation.
According to the Assembly report Hyasyoda’s attempt to assume control of Sajha’s crystal mining industry was immediately rejected at a special referendum vote of the people called for by the Sajhan Congress, the colony’s legislative body.
When security forces employed by Hyasyoda Corporation arrived in drop ships, armed resistance put up by the Hammer and Anvil Society, Sajha’s most notoriously anarchist group, met them. After days of street skirmishes, the security forces had essentially put down the resistance, but Hyasyoda’s operations were further hampered by industrial sabotage at key facilities.
The report states that at least 1,000 Sajhans were killed in the fighting and another 300 were detained in planetary holding facilities. As many as 200 more were taken off-world to be tried for crimes against the state. In addition to the human costs, damage to Sajhan facilities was placed at several billion isk. Potential earnings will continue to be lost for years as the facilities are repaired, bringing the final economic impacting into the trillions of isk.
The Rohaanar Colony on Frarie VI was the least impacted of all. Home to a religiously extreme rebirth cult, the colony is known for its isolationist policies. The minimalist colonists live an essentially subsistence lifestyle and Rohaanar has virtually no imports or exports. The assembly report states that aside from one survey team, Wiyrkomi Corporation had no interaction with the colony.
The same cannot be said of the neighboring Ud’har Colony on Frarie VII. According to the Assembly report, planetary sovereign Majamantra Jav’ri II initially tried to forge a working relationship with Wiyrkomi, but the results were apparently mixed.
Under the supervision of the Ud’har crown, colonial planetary corporations began to work with the Caldari megacorp. The Assembly report shows that several companies initially benefited from interaction, with Gridharan Medical Research being at the forefront.
GMR, one of the colony’s leading pharmaceutical companies received a large injection of cash and its researchers were given limited access to Wiyrkomi’s databases. With the influx of funds and information, several projects were put into an accelerated state and a few new ventures were started.
The partnership came to a crashing halt when it became clear that Gallente Militia pilots were going to reclaim the system. Wiyrkomi‘s “cleaner” teams descended on the Ud’har facilities scooping up as much research material as possible and then destroying everything else.
The end result was a net loss of billions of isk and setbacks of years to decades for some projects. The Assembly report also notes a number of research scientists disappeared during the Caldari evacuations. Ud’har authorities allege the men and women were kidnapped, but Wiyrkomi representatives say the only people evacuated were their own personnel and a handful of colonists who asked for political asylum.
For the 10 million residents of the Dubaana Colony on Agoze V, there was very little change in the day-to-day routine during Caldari occupation. Dubaana’s principal exports are ammonium perchlorate and aluminum, which are used in the production of fuel components for space weaponry like rockets, missiles and torpedoes.
The bulk of these products have actually been exported to locations within the Caldari State for nearly a century. In fact, pro-Caldari sentiment is known to be high among Dubaanans, who share a kindred work ethic.
The Assembly report shows that with a few exceptions, nearly all of the colony’s labor unions, including the powerful Miner’s Union, voted to continue working uninterrupted. During the period of occupation, all exports were sold to and distributed by Hyasyoda Corporation at virtually the same terms as the pre-existing contracts.
Making use of Hyasyoda Corporation’s efficiency experts, the colony actually saw a 27.7 percent increase in production. As a result the colony’s gross domestic product and per capita income both saw increases during the period of Caldari occupation.
Hyasyoda Corporation was also the auction winner of the Annancale System, home to Intaki’s other underwater colony: Lagaana. Hyasyoda’s assumption of operational control of the planet’s significant petroleum drilling and refining operations was peacefully negotiated, but resulted in ecological damage that may take centuries to repair.
According to the Assembly’s report, Hyasyoda officials suspended many of the Lagaana Colony’s strict protection protocols in an effort to increase production and improve operational efficiency. During the time of Caldari occupation, two separate incidents of petroleum leakage were reported. An estimated 1.5 million cubic meters of unrefined petroleum was released into Lagaana’s global ocean.
Clean-up and restoration efforts are on-going and have already cost more than 10 billion isk. The Assembly report notes that at least three large populations of marine fish and mammals were “significantly” impacted by the leaks and that one rare species of whale is now experiences a dramatic rise in stillbirths and genetic abnormalities.
Hyasyoda Corporation’s other auction win was the Vey System, home to the communist Maatrukaanan Colony. As ownership of property by a single entity is an entirely foreign concept to Maatrukaanans, residents of the colony responded to Hyasyoda’s assertion that it could develop the planet by establishing the corporation as a new Parivaar, the colony’s name for the loose governing bodies that settle disputes and allocate resources.
As was the case with the Lagaana Colony, the Hyasyoda Parivaar quickly abandoned local customs and environmental practices and began clear-cutting wide swaths of the planets old growth forests. An estimated 25 billion isk worth of valuable timber was cleared during the occupation, with the bulk of the lumber being sent into Caldari space.
The Assembly’s report cites local arborists who estimate that it will take at least 150 years for the forests to recover. However, the report indicates that an additional study into the deforestation’s long-term effects on local wildlife will be needed to determine what, if any, steps will be needed to taken in that regard.
The remaining Intaki colonies, Duureanta in the Harroule System and Kapda in the Onstingele System, were both auctioned to CBD Corporation. The report indicates that neither colony fared particularly well during the occupation.
The Kapdans are known to take a pro-Federation stance in intergalactic affairs and many openly protested the arrival of CBD officials. Within a week of CBD’s arrival, the members of the Shaastragya Vyavasthaapak (the local legistlature) and the Avatar (the religious head of state) were dismissed and replaced by a CBD appointed governor.
In protest, many of the colony’s famed textile markets including the largest in the capital city of Indradhanush were closed for weeks. In addition, the Gurus (a large an influential group of reborn clerics) staged a number of demonstrations, including a month-long hunger strike by some of the group’s senior members.
The Assembly report shows that after CBD re-instated the Avatar, markets did reopen and commerce did resume. However, various groups continued to protest and global productivity dropped by nearly 25 percent.
The effects were not permanent, however, and the colony has returned to normal levels of production since returning to Federation control. The total economic impact from the occupation is estimated at a loss of approximately two billion isk.
The Assembly report’s analysis of the Duureanta Colony finds that the total impact of Caldari Occupation may never be calculated.
Looking to capitalize on the colony’s native plant, the khuska, CBD officials suspended the normal application and permit process required to refine the plant. Seeds from the plant are traditionally used in Intaki cuisine, but can be refined to make pain-relieving medications and powerful narcotic drugs. For decades the number of refining permits has been limited to inhibit the illegal drug trade.
With the restrictions lifted, Duureanta began to see scores of khuska refineries spring up nearly overnight. While the facilities put thousands to work, crime rates in the area surrounding them skyrocketed.
The Assembly report includes statistics from local law enforcement agencies that show increases of as much as 400 percent in arrests for illegal gambling, prostitution and assault. Murder rates during the Caldari occupation were the highest in the colony’s history.
Because of the difficulty in quantifying the value of lost life the long-term effects caused by drug addiction and involvement in prostitution, the Assembly report does not include a financial impact assessment. The local law enforcement reports, however, indicate they anticipate increased costs of operation for years to come.
Author
Topic: Intaki Assembly release report on Caldari occupation (Read 1654 times)