Year 25 Day 304
Thanks everyone for their time. I am Zefa Xeed and welcome to our latest edition of the ECLIPSE Systems News Bureau Magazine. Today, we have the privilege of welcoming Siejo Kutol, the newly elected Secretary General of the Endor Pact (EP), to discuss key issues about the alliance. I was able to catch up with Mr. Kutol recently in between jobs the Sarrish System and he agreed to this interview. In this interview, I will guide the conversation as we explore the Endor Pact’s current priorities, strategies for galactic security, and the future of the government’s relations.
First, lets start with some background. The Endor Pact, founded in Year 19, is an alliance focused on nonaggression and mutual defense for its signatories in the galactic south-west region. The EP is managed between representatives on a Defense Council. The Secretary General is responsible for leading the council on all matters and will act as the chairperson for all decisions of the Defense Council. Every six months, a new secretary general is elected to help guide the alliance. Recently, Siejo Kutol of the Confederacy of Independent Systems was elected as the Security General, taking over for Nohv Schiller of the Trade Federation for the remainder of the year.
Since its founding, initially Between the Trade Federation (TF) and the former Avance Coalition, the pact has slowly grown to include other neutral powers in the region. The Confederacy of Independent Systems was the most recent government to sign the accords, joining the alliance in Year 24. Current Members include: Alpha Medical Corporation, Confederacy of Independent Systems, Czerka Corporation, Kolkpravis Krath Empire, Matukai Dragons and the Trade Federation.
As one of the leading figures in diplomacy for the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), Mr .Kutol has played a pivotal role in the application process for the CIS and now advancing cooperation and addressing the upcoming challenges for the EP as a whole.
Let’s begin this exclusive conversation with the Secretary General of the Endor Pact.
Xeed: Welcome Mr. Kutol. Can you tell us about your experience with the Endor Pact?
Kutol: Thank you Ms. Xeed for the time! Regarding the Endor pact, the CIS have been close allies with the Trade Federation for quite some time. I first heard of the Endor Pact through a press release announcing that Krath had joined the Endor Pact. While we were in the Galactic Concordiate at the time with several neutral governments, including the Trade Federation, it was quickly apparent that the Endor Pact was something my government would want to be a part of.
CIS was not immediately approved. There were issues with some of our colonies and their distance between the EP systems in the south and the realistic nature of a pledged mutual defense. Once this was rectified, things moved along well for us.
It took some time, but after the CIS was admitted to the EP, I was unsure where we would stand with our new found allies. Many of these factions were well established and we had never worked with some of them closely. The galactic Concordiate was crumbling and we were going through a large transition, moving most of our operations to the south. There was a lot of uncertainty in the air, and a chance for failure, but our team had confidence that we would make it through the transition stronger.
From my perspective, we were embraced immediately and our new found allies were instrumental in helping us get on our feet. We continue to see month after month of expedition growth in both the financial and production market and I feel we would not be where we are today in the CIS if not for them.
What were the key motivations behind forming this alliance? Who initiated the first talks, and how were negotiations conducted across such vast distances?
The CIS was not originally involved with the formation of the EP in Year 19. We did not become involved until much later. I believe the initial reason for the Endor Pact was to bring together members of the TF as well as members of the former Avance Coalition in a quest for mutual defense and support. The benefits became immediately apparent after the discovery of the Western Reaches Sector and the joint operation to secure the sector for the TF and several allies.
The Confederacy of Independent Systems was part of the Galactic Concordiate with the Trade Federation and it was announced that the Krath was joining with TF in the Endor Pact. Before this, we didn’t know the EP existed. Once we learned about the Alliance and what it entailed, we approached the TF to join.
CIS has a long standing relationship with the Krath and the TF. My career started with the Corporate Alliance and TF back in Year 7, and we have been close for some time. The Krath Empire helped us immensely when Zann killed Elm Aran and seized the Corporate Alliance years ago. (Want to know more ? Check out the Corporate Alliance Archives).
Outside of non aggression and mutual defense, what other benefits are there for a faction to join the EP?
Outside of good company? The CIS has consistently been neutral in the Galactic Civil War. Our citizens struggled enough in our battle with the Republic, and while I would not say that we are averse to conflict, we make it a priority to not seek it out.
Many alliances these days seem to center around either the galactic civil war or technology. It can feel clique, but it is also fair. Every corporation there is should be working to expand and reinforce their fleet. Technology sharing is not a requirement for membership in the Endor Pact, but many of our member states do openly share technology amongst the alliance for internal use. Other than that, most of our interaction with our allies involve mutual build projects, slabbing and production. The largest benefit though comes from the expertise of members of the council. Whether it be production or military planning, we seem to always have one of the leading minds in the field just a few clicks away.
What future challenges do you see for the Endor Pact?
The CIS has been in many neutral alliances: the Interstellar League, Galactic Concordiate and now the Endor Pact. The biggest adversary of these alliances is apathy. It can be hard at times to find mutual projects as many of the involved organizations are all very successful and independently stable. They don’t necessarily need anything from allies to continue to strive. Rivaling this is the biggest challenge.
I think that as long as we find a mutual goal to work towards, be it technology or a mixed support fleet, as long as we keep the lines of communication open, we will continue to progress.
You mention mutual projects. What is the EP Council currently working on?
While things in the Pact have been quite good, there is always room for improvement. I cannot discuss all the details of course, some of it is classified, but expansion of the response fleets as well as further development of response strategies are a priority for my 6 month term.
Is there a shared long-term vision for the alliance, such as a united governance structure, or is the cooperation meant to be temporary? How are decisions made within the alliance? Is there a joint council or leadership body?
The EP has a governing body made up of representatives from all organizations known as the Defense Council. There is also the Secretary General which is elected every 6 months. The Defense Council handles all discussions and negotiations and the Secretary General helps mediate these discussions.
Regarding long-term vision and a united structure, I think we favor the independent nature of all of our members. We will likely strive to support each other and not form a unified government.
Long term goals likely included ideas around shared technology and research as well as mutual support.
How does the alliance plan to handle a future expansion or encounters with other interstellar factions? What mechanisms are in place to handle disputes between the factions within the alliance?
The Endor Pact is a little exclusive. In order to be considered, a corporation or government would need to meet some criteria. It was founded to be a regional treaty but as more star systems join, the area of influence continues to spread. We are open to applications and if anyone has interest in additional information, they should reach out to my office.
Currently, handling disputes would be up to the Secretary General to mediate between contested factions. When these conflicts arise, we likely would have an open forum discussion in regards to these discussions where each side could bring their concerns.
Is there an overarching legal framework or constitution that governs the actions of the alliance members?
Yes. The Endor Pact does have a legal document that explains the premise of the Alliance, describes how the Alliance should be made up, responsibilities of each member of the Alliance as well as documentation in regards to how to handle day-to-day work in the Alliance.
What key resources or technologies does each faction bring to the table? Is there an economic framework in place to regulate trade, resource extraction, and technology sharing between the factions?
What each faction brings varies greatly. Some bring technology, some bring construction prowess, others bring experience. There is nothing written mandating what one offers, but this is an alliance of friendly organizations, so many of us freely give what we can spare
As mentioned before, sharing technologies is not a requirement of the Alliance but several of the organizations do offer access to their datacards and their technologies. I would suspect an effort for shared research will be something of interest in the near future.
How are shared resources, such as newly discovered planets or star systems, divided between the factions under the Endor Pact? How is power balanced between the factions? Is there a risk of one faction dominating the other?
This has happened before, when the Western Reaches was found, the Endor Pact responded to try to secure the sector and worked well as a team preventing too much chaos and it led to one of our member factions obtaining a system.
I think there is always a risk of something like this. We have equal representation on the Defense Council, but some fractions are larger or have more resources available and I am sure that this can be intimidating 2 smaller groups at the beginning.
Are there any joint military ventures, such as combined fleets or defense stations planned for the near future? How does the alliance plan to deal with external threats, such as criminal factions, rogue bandits, or unknown enemies?
Details in regards to this are classified, but I think it would be pretty short to assume that we do not have a mutual Support Fleet available or Defensive Strategies for the upcoming challenges of a galaxy with more and more systems under the fray.
Regarding conflict, We live in a dangerous galaxy and conflict is not something that can be avoided. We have very strict policies on how a faction brings a grievance. We would then discuss in the defense council and work on either a peaceful solution and/or a military response.
Well this will conclude our interview for the day! Thank you Mr. Kutol for your time and best of luck with your future endeavors.