October

Minmatar and Ammatar

The troubled political situation in the Minmatar Republic seemed without a quick resolution as the Starkmanir and Nefantar tribes expressed concerns as whether they would be able to secure equal representation within Minmatar political structures. The Starkmanir in particular seemed to be finding the transition from life as an entirely-enslaved tribe to free citizens a difficult one. Certainly, with no chief appointed for either of the two returned tribes, the much-anticipated Tribal Assembly seemed likely to be further delayed.

In contrast, the fortunes of the Ammatar who had remained in the Ardishapur-controlled Mandate territories seemed to be on the rise. In a somewhat surprising move, Royal Heir Yonis Ardishapur appointed an Ammatar imperial civil servant, Ekroz Salaf, as new Governor of the Ammatar Mandate. Perhaps a shrewd choice, the selection of an ethnic Ammatar buoyed up the morale of an Ammatar population that had feared being totally sidelined in favor of True Amarr holders and officials. The security of the Ammatar Mandate also seemed to be much improved with the deployment of a new Ammatar Fleet security taskforce to the border with the Minmatar Republic, together with the assembly of a new penal brigade made up of disgraced Ammatar military personnel and pro-defection civilians.

Blast and Purge

In the Caldari State, a severe blast at a Deep Core Mining Inc. facility in Kaunokka system killed 25 workers. DCMI workers blamed the blast on 'unbearable' conditions and raised the possibility of a strike if conditions were not improved. Spacelane Patrol, the corporate security force of DCMI majority shareholder CBD Corporation, launched an investigation into the Kaunokka incident but took only a day to issue a report that was inconclusice and widely crticized. One aide to Provist Director Suvasemi Aikinen went so far as to condemn the Spacelane Patrol report as "ridiculous." Under pressure and clearly wishing to maintain its good relations with the Provists, the CBD Corporation embarked on wide-ranging reorganization within DCMI and Spacelane Patrol. One anonymous source described the reorganization as "a bloodbath" and told of how anyone connected with the DCMI facility and the Spacelane Patrol investigation was purged.

Election Season

The Gallente Federation's presidential election process began to get underway with various candidates announcing their campaigns for the presidency. Senator Vilar Garioss of the Nexus Constellation was the first to follow early candidate Jacus Roden with a late October declaration of intend. Initial reactions to Senator Garioss's candidacy were mixed but he was nonetheless a serious and credible candidate. Rumours concerning the Governor of the Mies system, Celes Aguard, were confirmed when the Jin-Mei politician announced her candidacy in a press conference at her residence. Aguard played on her Jin-Mei heritage at a political rally she held at the end of the month on the Chakaux planet in Lirsautton system.