Note: The below post is in reply to this article posted on themittani.com earlier today.
Having read the article, it leaves an incredibly bitter taste in the mouth. Not because it’s a typical article you’d expect in some glossy magazine like Heat or Ok! but because the assertions in how the interviewee interprets certain events are accusation-ridden, and there’s also what I’ve concluded is padding of an article to hook angry nerds into writing about it. I’m going to cherry pick some quotes out and make responses to these. Some might be long so apologies in advance for these:
Disclaimer: My name is Bowkers. I am (an actual) former diplomat of Executive Outcomes a CFC alliance member, former Jabberlon 5 member (lawl) former line member of PL, former editor/writer/lazy fucker on TMC and one of the moderators that contributed to the downfall of K.com. (But srsly, blame Doink)
‘How an alliance can remain so arrogant after an embarrassment like B-R is beyond my comprehension.’
This is a particularly memorable quote but also troublesome, which I will try and tackle twofold.
B-R was a momentous occasion in Eve. It will not be repeated, if I was a gambling man (which of course I am) for another 18-24 months if not longer. The timeline of events leading up to the failed sov transfer and during the entire battle dictated that PL and Co. would be up against it and would ultimately lose. Throughout the battle, comms was calm and collected, and I recall marveling that people with their backs against the wall could be this calm. We’ve all heard the soundcloud clips of PL and NCdot leaders being angry, but the fact that these leaders, these FCs were encouraging us throughout the fight and motivating us despite the odds and despite the length of time we were on (I was on for around 14 hours, work was fun the next day) is something that will be with me for a long time as a memory.
You can claim that to go into the bloodbath as NCdot was folly and doomed from the onset, and in hindsight you are right. However up until the moment the order to focus on Sort Dragon was given, the fight was actually relatively back-and-forth. Added to this is ultimately PL and NCdot were in an alliance with each other or at the very least would help each other achieve strategic outcomes. Now, NCdot could have left PL out to dry. They could’ve turned their backs whilst PL was obliterated, and from your reckoning this is what they should’ve done. As a former diplomat ( I was a diplomat for .EXE before leaving for PL and ultimately returning to .EXE) I’m puzzled by this and rather bemused by your assertion that once this…obliteration of PL happened, that PL corps would suddenly jump ship and join NCdot. This happening after (well, in your theory), Ncdot not helping at B-R? I doubt this theory of yours has been that well thought out.
The steadfastness of both PL and NCdot in the face of overwhelming odds at B-R, the willingness to get people back into the fight, the comradeship on comms between the alliances as yet another titan went down is an everlasting memory for me. However I’ve been sidetracked by the actual B-R fight and not what the quote focuses on, which is post B-R.
What happened immediately post B-R was the polar opposite of what you can consider ‘arrogant’. I can only speak really as a line member at the time (of Sniggerdly), so if you can accept that version of events so be it. The decision to withdraw from B-R, to get back and mend the wounds, collectively assess the damage of B-R and get ourselves back together as a cohesive unit and build our morale up was completely the right thing to do. I can’t find the exact quote or the exact post from Grath regarding this move, but it was mentioning the cost of B-R to Sniggerdly as a corp and effectively the damage B-R had done and it’s not an insignificant amount (in fact from reading some CFC alliance finance reports, it’d be unlikely some CFC alliances would’ve coped with the losses Sniggerdly did during B-R).
For the next 3 months, the task of rebuilding corp and alliance assets was in full swing. What I can only assume as a painful task by Phalanx III and his heroic team at rebuilding all of this deserves special mention. The arrogance you see, certainly internally at the time was simply put, not there. If you are referring to the future battles PL have had, where they’ve caught titans off guard and dropped on unsuspecting fleets and done what PL have always done, then perhaps you can associate arrogance with this, because this is what they are good at and are honed to do.
You’ve mentioned Manny (or is it Mannie, I’m no longer sure anymore..) a few times in the article. The first few times, I have to take your word on that. I don’t know what happened with you and H A V O C, so maybe that did happen, so your anger towards him might be justified. To call Manny both arrogant and wanting to run PL into the ground is wrong. Whilst I’m associating this belief of yours to what happened before with Cascade Imminent, the article is specifically targeting Manny in PL. Manny in PL is quite possibly the chillest person I’ve heard. He is also one of the most open people to talk to within the alliance. When I first joined, you had all the luminaries of previous wars and alliances, as well as your vouch (thanks Bonnet) and at first you can feel completely out of depth. But Manny on the forums and on comms is methodical, calm and a down to earth guy. I don’t think he has the desire nor ability of running any alliance into the ground. Plus, I don’t think you fully understand the mechanics of PL. I myself only have a small understanding, but that’s because I was just a line member, but the basic fundamentals is a war campaign is led by a head FC. The war campaign that was happening at the time was Manny. All the decisions were made by him with the support of PL corp CEOS. There is no one head of PL. (PL dolts, if I’ve got these completely wrong, apologies) yet what happened to B-R and the sov transfer could and does frequently happen to anyone. It just so happened it was Manny. This seems to be the perfect fuel for your disdain for PL but really a veiled attack at Manny. You also mention Makalu. Makalu is legit crazy. Not like his soundclouds. I mean like he’ll cyno a titan into somewhere and just yolo something. He just doesn’t care. Which, after his stressful time FCing -A- can you really blame him anymore?
It seems that a lot of your beef really is with Manny. Your theories about how NCdot should’ve thrown PL under the bus seem misguided at best and at worst a simple cock slurping fest now that you are in the CFC. I’m also in the CFC, but I at least have an opinion, that is generally supported by evidence of my time with PL. As a former diplomat I’m saddened how a person that appeared to have many opinions in this article can now turn into one of the sheep.
