Thursday, May 8, 2014

What does your choice of race means about you? Caldari/Gallente

We have looked at Amarr/Minmatar. Now it is time to look to the galactic West, to Placid and Black Rise. In this post we will look at pilots from the Caldari State and the Gallente Federation. While the conflict between the Amarr and Minmatar is fairly black and white. Here in the West it tends to be very gray, and very ugly.  While I don't doubt that there is some hate in the Amarr/Minmatar war, the Caldari/Gallente war spreads true hatred among all that participate. While the Amarr/Minmatar war is a fight over a history of slavery; read "Good vs Evil," the Cal/Gallente war is a fight between conflicting ideologies; Democracy with all it's beauty and ugliness vs Hyper-Capitalist Oligarchism with its brutal efficiencies and straight up brutalities.

The Caldari State consists of three classes. The super wealthy Mega Corporation CEO and board members, the Capsuleer middle class and the poor worker. In the State Militia the same can be seen. There are the CEOs, the FCs and the common pilots. Like the State itself, the poor workers and the common pilots are not truly concerned with who is telling them what to do, as long as that person keeps telling them. But it is the CEO and FC whose competition often results in violent Civil Wars.
As history has shown us the rapid growth of a middle class is often met with resistance from the upper class. Old money after all wants to remain in charge. This has lead the Mega Corporations of the State to impose more restrictions on Caldari Capsuleers, which has led to more of them trying to strike it rich outside the State Corporation's fold.
Inside the Militia this is seen when over-zealous leaders join the movement and try their hands at being both the CEO and the Fleet Commander. As time goes on they get bogged down with one job or another and have to focus on either CEO or FC, most the time they choose to focus on being a CEO.  This lets a new person from the rank and file to take their shot at being the FC. Over time they prove to be a good leader and start a cult following inside the corp, more people start to look to them for guidance in more things than just FCing fleets. Once their gravitas reaches a critical mass they say "well I can run this donkey-punch party better", and they end up splintering off the original corporation to create their own while taking active members with them. Then the cycle repeats. Often between each cycle is a clash of one sort or another, which can at one extreme lead to a Militia wife civil war. I think of the first corp I was in. This is how it played out: Our CEO tried to be CEO/FC, then gave the FC job to a friend, then the friend became "not" a friend and stole active members to form his own corp. The second time this happened I left. While some will say that this is normal, and it may very will be, what it creates in the State Militia is a dog fight at the top. All the FC's are also CEO's. They also are all very charismatic guys that have very alpha personalities that want people to follow them, and only them.
And while the average pilot doesn't care who is calling the shots, the CEO's and FC's do. The State Militia is infamous for having alliances unwilling to work with other alliances because of these divisions. Whenever a new up-and-coming CEO/FC starts bringing the whole State under their singular banner, inevitability they are thrown under the bus and a Civil War breaks out because the old guard sees the uppity FC as a hemorrhoid that needs to go back up where it belongs, i.e. In the [old guard's] asshole.
But where does this spawn a hatred for the Gallente? Why does the State hate them? In the world of New Eden the Caldari used to be the best economy of the four nations. But after the second Caldari/Gallente war, the Gallente began to fight the State economically rather than militarily, and over time they took advantage of the State's corruption and surpassed its economy. In the War Zone it is much the same way. When Faction Warfare first came to be, the leaders of the Caldari State Militia were its masters, they had the best fleets, the best FCs, and the best chance to make a profit; and furthermore the added advantage of the largest "Zerg." Nowadays they barely hold onto the Zerg. Much like the real State, the Militia Old Guard hate the Gallente Militia because they remember what it was like to be on top, and now are struggling for a piece.
It you are a State Pilot you are either the FC looking to shine or the grunt content with following orders. While the grunt life is boring, it lacks drama for the most part. While as an FC, if you set out to be a Hero, it is likely you'll watch yourself be turned into the villain by the Old Guard.  (see Khan Farshatok)

We are the people New Eden loves to hate, or hates to love depending. Though it is said that they are descendant of Tau Ceti France, a more accurate picture would be 20th Century England and 21st Century America.  As a race the Gallente are strong willed, independent, and fierce defenders of their independence. You find all kinds in the Federations, because it accepts all kinds. From the religious to the hedonistic, you're likely to see it all in the Federation. But no matter where you stand politically, the major quality that is revered by all under the Federal banner is personally ability and freedom.  There is no better place to see this than in the Gallente Militia.
To understand why the Gallente forces what the are now, we have to look at what they were in the past. In 2008, with the start of the Empyrean Age, the first pilots flocked to Black Rise and Placid to engage in Faction Warfare. Through years of having better starting combat skills and more effective ships for this style of combat the Caldari seized control and by 2009 had total war zone control. These were dark days for the Gallente Militia, but as the Phoenix is reborn from its death so too the Gallente Militia would be.
Leading this charge was the QCATS, who began a terror campaign that led to the conquest of the Nisuwa star system. From there they began to spread influence and soon the systems of Nennemaila and Vlillier where taken. Since that time these three system have served as the homes for the Gallente Militia and, though they have been heavily contested, they have never fallen. They are the Fortress of the Gallente, beacons to the world that the Federal Militia will never see those dark days again.  Over time more groups began to raise up in the Federal Militia. Most came out the QCATS and the Villore Accords, but unlike the Caldari, there was no civil war. These Alliances had their splits and divisions, but this did not breed internal hatred as it did in other militias. This is because the Gallente Militia value personal freedom and ability.
This what brought the rise of the Gallente Militia. When fighting outnumbered, its better to have superior skill than your more numerous opponents. Not just in terms of skill points but it terms of  how well you fly your ship; your use of tactics. The Gallente Militia started a training campaign from the ground up, teach pilots how to fly smart. First you learn Solo Plex fighting, then small gang fighting, small gang Fleet Command, Fleet PvP, and finally, Fleet FCing. This grassroots movement of being overall overall better pilots, began to attract more experienced pilots to the Gallente Militia. Gallente Militia makes loyalty points differently from other militias. While it is possible to make a great deal of LP in missions, for the Gallente, you have to use a HAC or Tech3 to do the high level 4 missions. These are simple kill missions that, in other militias, you can use a stealth bomber, but due to the use of ECM by Caldari NPC rats a bomber does not have the tank or the sensor strength to fight inside the mission hub.  This means that most Gallente pilots make their LP and ISK by plexing. While you could plex systems and run from combat, it is better to use a plex as a means to train pilots how to fly ships.
Over time this bred a killer instinct in the Gallente Militia. Where other militia are often seen as places to farm LP; read "LP ATMs," the Gallente became hardened killers. They are not bogged down in size by hordes of farmers and alts. Instead they are mostly combat active pilots looking for a fight in the war zone. The comparison that I think is best is in 300, when asking the other Greeks what their jobs were, then asking the Spartans.
When TEST entered Caldari Militia last fall, they confirmed this when talking about the Gallente Militia. While they were just talking about one corp, JUSTK, it very well could have been the whole Militia. It is a Militia of FCs and Target Callers.  More than once in fights FC's have gone down in a Militia fleet and instead of bailing on the fight like often happens with the Caldari, a new FC simply started calling targets. I was once in a fight with the former Caldari Alliance Happy Endings. We were on our fifth caller and still fighting as if nothing had changed. It all comes from 2009, that total defeat.
Instead of staying down and dying, the Gallente Militia rose up. Though there have been hard days since, Gal Mil bends under the weight but never breaks. There was a time not too long ago when the Gallente Militia held only 6 systems and yet the Caldari, with 1500 more pilots, were not able to take the Great Fortresses. 
The biggest danger to the Gallente Militia at the moment is a sense of entitlement; real life parallels? Of all the militias it is the one that has to fight this off the most. It has to see that it remains at the top, it has to keep fighting and clawing to stay there. 
If you decide to become a Federation pilot, then you will not just be another cog in the machine. Your fellow pilots will require that you become independent and strong.  You will be expected to hold your own and know how to pilot your ship. You'll be judged by personal ability and willingness to take a fight.

Edited by Aureleos

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