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Guristas Sotiyo Spotted in Galmilistan

November 11, 2017

At any given time, there are two new Guristas forward operating bases in nullsec. Boasting advanced AI and a taste for pods, the FOBs center on Sotiyo platforms. Today capsuleers located one of these bases in XG-D1L, an obscure system in Cloud Ring. Pandemic Legion pilot Jebi Vjetar captured an image of the FOB.

Meanwhile, so far as can be determined, independent pilot Johnny Molotov bears the dubious honor of being the FOB fleet’s first pod kill. Otherwise, the Guristas presence in Cloud Ring has kept a low profile. XG-D1L is a quiet niche twenty jumps from Jita and Dodixie. It’s Gallente militia (‘GalMil’) territory; Federation Uprising [FEDUP] holds local sovereignty. This is the area known as ‘Galmilistan,’ a place whose influence has been featured on EveNews24 in past months. The story of how factional warfare (FW) wound up holding nullsec sovereignty is a convoluted one. Degnar Oskold, a GalMil diplomat, recently posted an in-depth breakdown of Galmilistan on the EVE op-ed website Crossing Zebras. Suffice it to say, the interaction between the worlds of FW and nullsec empire-building makes Galmilistan an anomaly. 

It’ll be interesting, then, to see who comes knocking. A Guristas FOB, one of only two in nullsec and only three in New Eden, is a unique and tempting target. More importantly, it’s a tough nut to crack, requiring heavy firepower and a high tolerance for potential bugs. It wasn’t too long ago that CCP ran its first mass tests of these encounters on the Singularity test server. Advanced artificial intelligence makes for a high-stakes system-wide encounter. (For example, the pod kill linked above took place at a gate.) In the words of CCP Paradox, the teams working on these encounters have a mandate to create ‘moments of crisis.’ It remains to be seen whether the Guristas presence in Galmilistan will draw that kind of attention.

On the other hand, FW alliances stake their reputation on collective effort and coordinated skill. Maybe the answer to the Guristas problem will be homegrown in Galmilistan.