Skiks Alfotada, Commander of Security for Republic Security Services, today issued a statement implicating Amarr and Ammatar “infiltrators” in the recent Slave Farm scandal. The statement is the culmination of nearly two weeks of investigation by the RSS into the tragic discovery of an “illegal and immoral expatriation facility” in Minmatar space. The statement read, in part, “… there can now be little doubt that Ammatar and Amarr agents, masquerading as Minmatar citizens and taking advantage of the free borders between our sovereign spaces, have again conspired against the Minmatar people to further historical injustices enacted upon them.”
The slave processing compound was first uncovered by an agent in the Internal Security division of RSS, on a tip from an operative of Trust Partners, the lawful trading arm of the allegedly unlawful Thukker Mix corporation. Officials within both the RSS and Trust Partners declined to provide the identities of the agent or his informant, citing security and safety concerns.
Alfrald Enstulf, commander of Internal Security for Thukker Mix, said, “We’re indebted to the sharp eyes of this particular Trust Partner pilot. She noticed unusual activity in an otherwise forlorn region of space--numerous transport ships at regular intervals, and haulers of Minmatar registry being escorted by Amarr or Ammatar fighter vessels. She documented these flights and contacted my office, who then handed the information over to the RSS, as they are better capable of investigating and dealing with a crime of this nature.”
Within hours, fast attack and transport vessels descended on the compound, treating the captives with any necessary first aid and readying them for transport to medical facilities nearby, while detaining and imprisoning anyone suspected of “being on the wrong side of the wall,” as RSS Lieutenant Veteks Eska put it. “It was easy to tell who was who, at least in terms of victim and perpetrator. The captives were poorly clothed and malnourished, and glad to see us.”
Officials were shocked to learn the slavers held Minmatar identification papers and transit visas, which has been widely reported. Unreported until now is the fact that these documents were sophisticated forgeries or illegally altered copies of identification documents reported as stolen or missing from a variety of sources. RSS Lt. Eska explains, “We were stunned, obviously. Then one of our Corporals noticed something odd about these supposed Minmatar slavers: no tribal tattoos.” So began the investigation that would lead across three stellar regions and deep into the heart of an Empire now celebrating the ascension of its new Emperor.
Once the universal lack of tribal tattoos or initiation marks on the staff of the slave processing compound was discovered, the documentation these criminals presented came under closer scrutiny. Officers of Thukker Mix, acting as adjuncts to the larger RSS force, were instrumental in uncovering the counterfeits. Alfrald Enstulf said, “Due to the nature of our business, Thukker Mix employees are familiar with forged documents. Once you know what to look for, they are easier to spot. We were lucky to have an expert in counterfeiting on-hand during that operation.”
This unnamed expert identified many of the forgeries as the work of a known “document artist” in the Intelligence Division of the Ammatar Consulate. Armed with that information, RSS technicians began poring over the original holovid captured by the unnamed Trust Partners pilot. After closer examination, several of the escort vessels were traced back to the Imperial Chancellor organization, making them Amarr in registry and origin. “After that,” said Enstulf, “it was just a matter of connecting the dots.”
Which the RSS proceeded to do. Though lacking the sort of hard proof necessary for an official CONCORD board of inquiry, RSS has provided proof of identity for 15 of the 22 slavers captured at the unnamed location, conclusively showing them to be Ammatar citizens. The identities of the so-called Minmatar Slavers had been a mystery until the RSS statement. The RSS also presented clips of analyzed holovid showing identifying insignia on the escort vessels marking them as Imperial Chancellor craft. The RSS statement calls for both official inquiry into the slave scandal by the Republic Parliament and an unofficial investigation of the facts by the appropriate CONCORD committee, and condemns the continued silence of the Amarr Empire and its governing bodies. “Words of peace and conciliation mock the Minmatar people and dishonor the grave wrong-doings perpetrated against us over our history of struggle against the Amarr. Slavery not only continues under the rule of so-called peace loving Emperors as Heideran VII and Doriam Kor-Azor, but flourishes and expands into the heart of the Minmatar Republic. There are no words strong enough to communicate how exceedingly intolerable this state of affairs continues to be.”
Though the discovery of a slave compound in Minmatar space is still shocking to many, the idea that Minmatar citizens were complicit in its operation was more shocking still. Though Prime Minister Midular has yet to make an official statement, a representative of the Republic Parliament spoke briefly to reporters after the RSS statement. “The Prime Minister has been in contact with the RSS from the very first reports of this horrible crime, and she has continued to closely monitor developments. The PM feels she speaks for the entirety of the Republic Parliament when she says she has the utmost confidence in the RSS and their ability to quickly and adeptly handle issues of this nature.”
Republic Security Services is the de facto intelligence and espionage branch of the Republic government, with many contacts in the burgeoning black market and underworld communities in and around Minmatar space. It is widely thought that, of all official and semiofficial Republic agencies, the RSS has access to the most reliable and complete information regarding illicit trade or criminal activity in and around Republic space.
The location of the slave processing compound is being kept secret to aid in the ongoing investigation and to prevent throngs of curious sightseers, and space lanes in and around Minmatar and Ammatar borders offer no clue of increased intelligence gathering activity—no surprise to any who know the reputation of the RSS as being masters of stealth and discretion. Likewise, no reports of the enforced viral infection known as Vitoc addiction have come out of official sources.
Lt. Eska mirrors the feelings of many Minmatar when she says, “It was an incredible relief to learn that these slavers were not Minmatar after all—but that does precious little to offset the shock and outrage I feel at learning of this horror. I thought we would never see slavery from within the borders of the Republic. I guess I was wrong.”