Troubled Times For Fledgling Republic

Sebiestor tribal head Karin Midular at a press conference yesterday expressed disapproval on the Republic’s behalf towards the People’s Republic of Minmatar, an alliance of paramilitary groups which last Wednesday officially seceded from the Republic, proclaiming independence under a new constitution and claiming the constellation of Tartatven in the Molden Heath region as their sovereign territory.

Claiming “disappointment at the impertinence displayed by our brethren,” Midular then went on to state that the Minmatar Republic officially did not recognize the PRM’s claim to sovereignty over the Tartatven constellation.

In response, PRM High Council Member Bl3ach leveled harsh criticism at the current Republic administration, claiming Midular’s reaction had been expected from an administration known for its policy of “hiding one’s head in the sand and pretending that a third of our people are not still in the vile clutches of the Amarrians, degraded and treated as commodities.” The councilman added that the PRM had laid its claim upon Tartatven “so that the principles and ideologies of our people, which seem sorely absent from the bureaucracy of the old Republic, may be enforced.”

Diplomatic rows aren’t the only battles the PRM is fighting these days. The day before yesterday saw an incursion of ships from Amarr fundamentalist paramilitary organization CVA (Curatores Veritatis Alliance), on what appeared initially to have been a scouting patrol, but which escalated into a skirmish resulting in CVA forces retreating from Tartatven.

Questioned for comment, CVA Grand Inquisitor Gaius Kador stated, “The PIE Inquisition Wing entered so-called “claimed” space to obtain intel, and was successful in doing so before enemy presence forced a tactical retreat.”

Propagandists for both the CVA and the PRM have begun a fierce duel of words on the GalNet networks, and hostilities are expected to escalate in the coming days and weeks.

Meanwhile, down on the planets, a shift is taking place. Since last week’s declaration of independence, almost twenty thousand Matari have moved from planets in the Sveipar constellation and are taking up residence on Tartatven’s major centers of commerce and industry, the cities of Argrald and New Rixarn (located on Hrober II and Aedald VI, respectively). This migration is seen as indicative of the growing feeling, particularly among younger generation Matari, that the current Republic is growing soft in its policies.

Questioned at a press conference yesterday as to whether this recent trend was cause for worry for the Republic, Head of Parliament Malaetu Shakor replied: “The Republic does as it must, as, I am certain, does the PRM. I am not now, nor have I ever been, in a position to judge my fellow brothers and sisters for the paths they choose. Our struggle is, after all, a common one.”