Coma: Toward Swords into Ploughshares, at the Senator's Direction
22 Feb 2018Misaniovent
"And the only way it stops? You beg. You beg for us to stop. You cry for us to leave you and your friends alone. And then we won't. Because you and your lot deserve all of this."February 9th marked one year since initial diplomatic contact between Newton's Fusiliers and Patreus Planning; I wonder now where this conflict began and why it refuses to end, as I try again to end it. In the interest of transparency, I will be publishing the full text of our official negotiations, as well as additional communication logs which I consider relevant. In the interest of brevity, I will provide only limited commentary. I encourage any CMDR who is familiar with this conflict but not familiar with our position to contact us directly, via inara, discord, or reddit.
Background:
- Coma is a profitable control system, conquered by Patreus in late June, 3302.
- Newton's Fusiliers is a native anarchy, settling in the system in January, 3303.
- Anarchy systems have detrimental effects on powerplay control systems.
In early April, Newton's made an attempt to seize control of the system, setting off a series of conflicts that continued until August, at which point they made a request for additional negotiations.
Second Round: This second round of negotiations opened with probing questions from Newton's on the potential for fortification of Coma to offset economic harm done to Patreus. We considered this to be a considerable offer to make and suggested that it might not be sustainable long-term. We expressed our concerns, and our interests, and were asked to put talks on hold for several days. We returned on the requested date with acceptance-in-principle of Newton's offer and a draft of a possible treaty. Hours later, a Patreus minor faction, Praetorian Curiate Assembly, was in lockdown.
When questioned about this, Newton's claimed it was in response to our draft and "onerous" offers. Yet Patreus made no offer; the offer accepted was initially tabled by Newton's representatives.
More importantly, the PCA lockdown began shortly after we returned to the table. System factions require one day to prepare a lockdown — Newton's had attacked during the recess they requested. Negotiations ended immediately and the conflict in Coma continued.
I went on hiatus for a period after this. During this period, the conflict in Coma waxed and waned and resulted in control of the system for approximately one month by Newton's forces. A public thread celebrating this victory resulted in a mediated negotiations.
Third Round: I was not involved in these negotiations, but the failure was immediate.
One month later, Coma was once again governed by a faction allied to Senator Patreus:
The Liberals of Coma has marked December 8th as a system-wide holiday, in celebration of their campaign against anarchist terrorists, Newton’s Fusiliers.
Announcing the holiday, Liberals representative Aide Ali Roth offered the following remarks: “We are pleased to have restored democracy to the 31 million citizens of Coma and we have Senator Denton Patreus to thank for it. His beneficence shows that a bright future of cooperation between the Federation and the Empire is not only possible, but necessary.”
Senator Patreus’s partnership with the Liberals of Coma is the result of a long campaign to restore order to the troubled system, where local assets have been heavily tied into the Senator’s expansive portfolio. Imperial analyst Rian Sevet remarked that “The Admiral’s involvement with Federal governments in Coma is unusual, but practical. Coma might be viewed as an experiment: will Federal democracy and Imperial institutions such as Imperial slavery bring prosperity and security to a system wracked by anarchy? Patreus seems to believe so.”
Conflict continues to rage in the system, and we remain eager to resolve the conflict, yet it appears to be intractable.
While we now consider a Newton's regime in Coma as a basic, guaranteed outcome of future negotiations, preparatory talks have stalled: Newton's Fusiliers has demanded to be allowed governance of the system before a fourth round of negotiations can begin, viewing a show of good faith by Patreus Planning as necessary.
We ask: why is it necessary for us to capitulate before talks begin to prove our intent, when past diplomatic failures lie at the Fusiliers' feet?
Direct communications from Phisto Sobanii have made it clear that a negotiated settlement is unlikely. The following communications logs were sent before our request for a fourth round:
Additional recorded communications can be viewed here. In the face of — and perhaps in response to — such hostility, we remain willing to negotiate toward a resolution that will serve both the interests of Newton's Fusiliers, and of Patreus in the region.
Additional reading:
Statement of Support for Newton's Fusiliers in Coma
Coma and her Sister Systems: A Declaration of Independence