A return

It has been some many months since I posted I addressed the public through this medium. My abduction by Serpentis forces and a protracted war with Moira. gave me reason to curtail my public presence.

The time has come, however, to resume public discourse on the matters affecting Intaki. I am pleased to share the details of two events that have transpired in the last few months.

First, the Intaki Liberation Front has banded together with a number of other corporations to create an alliance dedicated to improving the condition of Intaki Space and the lives of those who live there. The Intaki Prosperity Initiative currently has six member corps with two additional applications under review. The group is increasing its abilities to fight piracy and has also created a market hub in Intaki. All manner of capsuleer goods are now available there and the hub is a one-stop shopping experience for pilots of small and medium vessels.

Secondly, the Intaki Cultural Center destroyed by Serpentis terrorists has been replaced by a bigger and better facility. The grand opening ceremony was a wonderful event, attended by many of our friends and supporters. During the ceremony I was afforded the opportunity to offer the following speech:

This center is a testimony to the tenacity of the Intaki spirit. Despite her beauty, no one ever said Intaki was an easy place to survive. But survive we do and not only survive but thrive.

This center will serve as a means for us to preserve our cultural heritage for future generations, but also a means to educate visitors about what makes Intaki special and why we fight to defend her.

Federation forces have gained the upper hand in the current factional conflict, but the threat of war still looms overhead. I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is independence. Independence in spite of all terrors - Independence, however long and hard the road may be, for without independence there is no survival of the Intaki culture.

There are people who ask me whether I am the same man that I was three years ago, or whether there has been any change in me. You are right in asking that question. Let me, however, hasten to assure that I am the same as I was three years ago. I have not changed in any fundamental respect. I attach the same importance to non-violence that I did then. If at all, my emphasis on it has grown stronger. There is no real contradiction between the present resolution and my previous writings and utterances.

Ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for Intaki’s independence. In a violent struggle, a successful general has been often known to effect a military coup and to set up a dictatorship. But a non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his people. The Intaki Prosperity Initiative is unconcerned as to who will rule, when independence is attained. The power, when it comes, will belong to the people of Intaki, and it will be for them to decide to whom it placed in the entrusted.

[During this part of the speech a single voice rose above the rest. It called out clearly for “death to the Gallente.”]

This is not the first time I have noticed that there is hatred towards the Gallente among the people. The people say they are disgusted with their behavior. The people make no distinction between Gallente imperialism and the Gallente people. To them, the two are one. This hatred would even make them welcome the Caldari. It is most dangerous. It means that they will exchange one slavery for another. We must get rid of this feeling. Our quarrel is not with the Gallente people, we fight their imperialism. The proposal for the withdrawal of Gallente power did not come out of anger. It came to enable Intaki to play its due part at the present critical juncture.

I know the Gallente Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have never felt any hatred. As a matter of fact, I feel myself to be a greater friend of the Gallente now than ever before. One reason is that they are today in distress. My very friendship, therefore, demands that I should try to save them from their mistakes. As I view the situation, they are on the brink of an abyss. It, therefore, becomes my duty to warn them of their danger even though it may, for the time being, anger them to the point of cutting off the friendly hand that is stretched out to help them. People may laugh, nevertheless that is my claim. At a time when I may have to launch the biggest struggle of my life, I may not harbor hatred against anybody.