I haven't slept well. Yesterday Luna told me about the Lux Invicta defeat in Pochven. The multi-national alliance, in which LUMEN participates to fight against the Triglavians, lost its staging Astrahus in Angymonne.
Smokey was the battled and battered fortress from where the allied fleets won the first Pochven war half a year ago, and stood as a symbol of collaboration between the four core Empires in the fight against the invader. The Kybernauts could not bring it down, and try hard they did.
Something far more insidious needed to happen to bring down Smokey.
The Amarr militia and crusade -as far as it falls under the Sarum military circuit- are effectively under the command of Lord-consort Aldrith Shutaq Newelle, as was recently made very clear by his excellence Lord Qatib Olacar xer Sarum. In particular, the militia group "Local is Primary" of sub-commander Mikal Vektor falls under the command of Newelle.
This militia group attacked Smokey, the EDENCOM staging station used by Amarrian loyalists to wage war in Pochven. Their force, combined with the Kybernauts, managed to overcome the station's defenders. The motivation for this attack is that Smokey's day-to-day operation is handled by the Republic, in particular Electus Matari. Indeed, Electus Matari are known terrorists, but facing a common enemy, lord Ardishapur speaking for the Throne has urged temporary collaboration. This has never been accepted by the militia, nor by the crusade. Rather than focusing on their mission in the war zone, they ventured into Pochven to sabotage the alliance of convenience between the Empire and the Republic. Their heinous act of agression has caused a major EDENCOM defeat in Angymonne.
I do not know how this will evolve, but I am very worried for a schism between Amarrian loyalist capsuleers. I also worry for the fallout on Lord-consort Newelle, whom I appreciate on a personal level. He is blinded by his hatred for the Minmatar, his soul still bleeding from Floseswin, and his heart condemning all of LUMEN for not following him in his bloodthirsty folly. Even if he did not order the attack, he condoned it and was complicit.
The only ones who gain from this schism are our enemies: the Triglavian sympathizers who feel victorious, and our enemies in the Republic who rejoice in seeing us divided and weakened.
