The following statement by TEST Head Diplomat Dran Arcana was received by Eve News 24 regarding the decision to forcefully remove Circle of Two from the Legacy Coalition.
The aftermath of WWB
A year ago our allies in the North consisted of two major players at the end of WWB: Darkness and Circle-Of-Two. When the dust settled and and the war allegiances had reset, the North was supposed to stand united if attacked. When that attack came for Circle-Of-Two by panfam we had a choice. Co2 had just committed one of the most public betrayals recent EVE had ever seen, but they had done it against goons, and at a time with goons memeing about installing Viceroys in every region of EVE to collect rent it seemed… justified. It was something all of EVE could unite behind; a picture had been painted of this great evil that needed to be stopped at all cost. Regardless, we had pledged our support to this northern defence and even when it was clear that Sort was going to turn on Circle-Of-Two and support panfam, we stood by our word with our fledgeling allies and we would have been evicted for our trouble.
Moving South
Moving south was no easy decision. We had money from WWB and an alliance hungry for content, but we could not afford to keep moving homes every 6 months if we wanted to grow a supercapital and dread force that rivaled all of the great powers of EVE. A lot of what happens behind closed doors never makes it to the public light; lines in the sand are negotiated for and are drawn in wars before the first shots are fired. The space that Circle-Of-Two received as spoils were holdings that were explicitly agreed upon by everyone involved with the eviction campaign (TEST, Co2, SOLAR, XIX, WALKA, FCON, TRI, the rest of Legacy, the rest of phoneix fed, the rest of vanguard, the rest of the DRF… you see where I’m going with this?). Those spoils, like with any other deal in EVE came with terms so that every entity involved would agree to them, terms like SOLAR keeping r64s in Feythabolis for a few months before handing them over (which they did without question when the time came) and keeping a few traditionally held systems, like R97.
The first Co2 / SOLAR war
A few months into settling down south, and at a time where PL and Goons were actively dropping and reinforcing allied structures in Catch, Circle-Of-Two attacked the SOLAR station unprovoked. The claim by Circle-Of-Two was that the station and towers was being used by SOLAR to attack Co2 renters, and rather than opening negotiations, they went straight to war. At this point most of you are wondering why you never heard about the first war between SOLAR and Circle-Of-Two. This is because the war had no major battles, and the station reinforcement timer was never contested. TEST, being the closest thing to an entity that both parties trusted stepped in to negotiate a treaty to end the war so everyone could go back to shooting PL and Goons. The terms of the treaty ended hostilities with SOLAR being allowed to keep the station, and both parties bluing each other’s renters so that neither of them would lose out on income or feel the need to go to war to protect their renters. The very public betrayal of World War Bee was still fresh in everyone’s mind and the only way the deal could be trusted by SOLAR was if TEST and Legacy put it’s name behind it, and we did. If Circle-Of-Two ever broke this agreement again, TEST was diplomatically obligated not to support them; and by the same token if SOLAR broke it, we would support Co2. This was stated very publicly, not public in the way that it hit Reddit for the consumption of all, but public in the manner that member alliance leadership was involved and understood the agreement.
Preludes to wars
Peacetime isn’t fun for anybody, and when all of EVE seemed content to watch the cold wars brew, TEST looked around the galaxy for content. Part of being allowed to stage in DRF held space included an agreement to support the DRF or FCON against TRI if they attacked (this was the information that Sort leaked very publically in an attempt to destabilize relations between TEST and the DRF). Nobody got bamboozled as Garst would have you believe, FCON were allies of both Legacy (including Co2) and DRF, and were explicitly included in the protection long before they officially joined the DRF. The very same week TEST blues SOLAR (a DRF entity) and moves North, Circle-Of-Two attacks the station again, unprovoked, and without informing any of their coalition allies.
After talking to both parties in an attempt to broker peace once again it became very clear that Circle-Of-Two wasn’t interested in peace. Citing SOLAR not turning over a station they were explicitly, and very publicly entitled to keep, Circle-Of-Two launched an all-in offensive against SOLAR and their renter alliance (WSHOT) triggering defensive pacts with the DRF, FCON, and starting the chain of events that are playing out today.
And today?
Even if we hadn’t agreed to support FCON, they have put more fleets in Catch defending our, and our allies’, borders more than anyone else and have honored every agreement they have ever made with us. We knew that we had to come home from the North to help our friends against TRI. Looking for allies to turn the tides of the war, Circle-Of-Two doubled down on their campaign in Feythabolis, bluing TRI with the knowledge that we were obligated to support FCON/DRF in a conflict against TRI and putting us in a diplomatically complicated position. They had left us with one ally and a set of agreements on the one side, and our coalition brother in arms on the other.
Our “Thing”
Every alliance in EVE seems to have a “thing” they will do no matter what the cost. Goons will have their fun no matter what the cost. TRI will gravitate toward content no matter what the cost. Co2 will take what they feel entitled to no matter what the cost. My mentor was Migui, a TEST diplomat of old that managed to take TEST’s reputation to the trustworthy reputation we have today; When I took the reigns I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t fuck that up so I guess that’s our thing; TEST will maintain it’s integrity and it’s word no matter what the cost. There is no longer a way to support Co2, even through inaction, without breaking our word. They have put us in this position intentionally knowing all of our diplomatic obligations, and that’s not the sort of thing that real allies do. With heavy hearts, the coalition has unanimously voted to forcefully expel Circle-Of-Two from Legacy, and will be resetting them as of 20:00 Sunday, declaring public support for FCON and the DRF in its campaign against TRI and their allies, which now includes our old brothers in arms. This isn’t the war anyone wants, but Circle-Of-Two has, despite our best efforts, sealed their fate and reputation in the eyes of the rest of EVE and we cannot support them any longer.
Prepare for war
