Life in Solitude: Martin Twotongues

The Dumping Ground for EVE's Rejects

I'm beginning to think that Solitude is cursed. It seems that once one weed is removed, another takes its place. I got rid of <STFU>, and was left dealing with [QUOKA] for months. [QUOKA] was dealt with, but then Padrick emerged as the newest malcontent that needed to be addressed - and ultimately, purged from the region, leaving his entire alliance in ruins. Solitude is only able to enjoy, at most, a month or two of quietude before some maladjusted and psychopathological nerd starts causing trouble, such as when Timoxa - AKA Timmy N-Bomb - began his invasion.

Martin Lockheart's Benefactor

If there's one thing these people have in common, it's ambition and delusions of grandeur. They all think they're clever, engaging in shady backchannel conversations, wheeling and dealing and pretending to be expert politicians. There's a second thing they all have in common, too: I see right through them.

Martin Twotongues
or
Padrick 2.0

That latest in a long series of people with ambitions beyond their competence is the leader of <-HC->, a man named Martin Lockheart - or as I like to call him, Martin Twotongues. The name is fitting; he says one thing, but it's really another thing in the background. Actually, in a lot of ways Martin reminds me of Padrick. I get the same sort of ambitious, disingenuous, and scheming vibe from him. By his own admission, his alliance needs lebensraum and resources, and he's willing to partner up with larger entities and plot in order to achieve that goal. As you read on, you will start to see Martin's game as well.

Now, don't get me wrong. His strategy is a good one; at least in the short term. It's just not the sort of thing I would do. I just prefer to be honest and straightforward. I prefer to lay my cards on the table from the start. At least when it comes to foreign policy; lies and subterfuge have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. Also, if you make a habit of telling the truth... you never have to remember what you said. The truth is a powerful weapon, but it is also a shield.

<-HC-> has been in Solitude for a few months now, but I never really paid them much mind until the latest fiasco with <GSC>. Before then, I was only peripherally aware of <-HC-> and their weird "sister alliance", <SLCO>. I think we might have chat once about some group Martin wanted me to wardec or something like that. Or maybe I was going to wardec <-HC->? I honestly can't remember; I wasn't logging in much during those months, and just showing up for fleet fights. Oh wait. I do seem to remember a fleet of about 10 <-HC-> Kikimoras running from my lone Hecate.

At any rate, one day Martin showed up in my DMs saying he had info that might be of interest to me concerning some of the things Padrick had been saying. Of course I'd be interested in that; it's a juicy worm, after all. But I had already been receiving a lot of information from multiple sources, so the chances of Martin giving me anything new were slim*. I already knew about Padrick's betrayal, but still, some extra screencaps for my blog couldn't hurt.

(*To be fair, he did give me one piece of novel intel.)

Martin told me about his grievances with Padrick. When <-HC-> first moved to Solitude, Padrick tried to sell Martin his "vision" for the region, and to try to get <-HC-> to join Padrick's blue donut. Under Padrick's leadership, of course. When that didn't work out, Padrick tried to hire mercenaries to evict <-HC->, and Martin found out about it (from the mercs, lel).

Martin told me about the upcoming attack the day the war started. However, <-HC-> was frustratingly late to the party. NOIR and myself did the bulk of the lifting when it came to creating armor timers. I had been wondering why Martin's group was holding back and pussyfooting it, but I think I've figured it out - when Martin told me that they were "keeping a low profile"... he was just waiting to see if Padrick had a bigger batphone. In which case, Martin would have turned coat and joined <GSC>, and since he hadn't committed to anything, he could easily concoct or buy into whatever narrative was convenient at the time. Because that's how Martin plays.

Or, maybe Martin was just waiting for Timmy N-Bomb's blessing.

A Hand Tipped Too Early

The war with <GSC> ended on March 14th and, for some reason, their structures were to be transferred to <-HC->. That seemed weirdly convenient for Martin; he shows up late to the drama, isn't even the most aggrieved party, but somehow gets all the spoils. Nobody really cared that much though; nobody wants <GSC>'s space, which is part of the reason why they've been able to have their structures there for so long. At any rate, the end of the war came as a bit of surprise; everyone expected Padrick's abdication of leadership to be a ploy, and for <GSC> to remain stubborn and entrenched. So when the war ended so early it left a lot of things up in the air. No one knew where it would all land and what the relationships would be, especially with <-HC-> now claiming stations and moons right next to <WHBOO>.

Martin made it very clear just two days later.

I woke up, groggy before my morning coffee, catching up on what I'd missed while sleeping. There was talking on Discord from the night before about how <-HC-> were shooting <WHBOO> structures along with Dishwater Alliance. Sure enough, the <WHBOO> Athanor and Raitaru that were being anchored were gone. As I was getting my senses together, I read messages from Martin on Discord making all sorts of weird demands. Essentially, Martin was saying that <WHBOO> needs to drop standings with <SPORK>, that said relationship would "continue to hurt them" and that this relationship was the only reason why Dishwasher's Alliance was harassing them. Of course, he framed this all as "friendly advice", but the subtext was very, very clear.

Again, I was largely AFK during the past few months, but this is how it seems to me: Dishwashers Alliance started harassing <WHBOO> and cheeseplaying months ago, before <SPORK> ever got involved. When Dishwashers started blobbing, <SPORK> were <WHBOO>'s biggest defenders, showing up primarily to even out numbers between <WHBOO> and the cheeseblob. So Martin is essentially telling <WHBOO> that they need to reset relations with their closest allies in order to be safe from their biggest enemies... right. Here's the truth: <WHBOO> lost some easily replacable structures, but they gave Dishwashers a bloody nose in the process, blowing up multiple capital ships (and even forcing Dishwashers to drop FAX support to save a Leshak that was being murdered by T1 fit Punishers) or blueballing and denying content to Dishwashers by design.

Yes, Dishwasher's was ISK positive. But they are also very skittish and loss averse. This is why they have so many FAXes on standby. Every loss they suffered hurt them much more than <WHBOO>'s own losses hurt them.

In short, <WHBOO> was a tougher nut to crack than Dishwater expected. Timmy N-Bomb would like nothing more than to see the alliance between <SPORK> and <WHBOO> broken. This way, his cheeseblob could easily deal with either group, which would now be divided. Martin would also like this; he could claim the conveniently now empty space after <WHBOO> was gone. Or rather, buy anchoring rights, as per rumor.

It's so painfully, blatantly, and transparently obvious.

I don't know if Martin's stupid, overconfident, or if things in the background moved faster than he intended them to, but he has tipped his hand. I made my position very clear to Martin: The moment he ordered his pilots to put guns on <WHBOO> structures, he ganked his own krabs.

Once I made my intentions to harass his linemembers clear, suddenly he wanted to have a voice chat. He's in "a very particular place politically", a place that requires "nuance". His hands are tied, you see. It's nothing personal, you see. It's unfortunate that he has to get involved in certain affairs and do certain things that benefit him, you see. He feels just awful about it. The crocodile tears are just oozing out of his eyes.

Skeevy Games

Martin and I had our voice chat over Discord. Or rather, I sat there while Martin rambled on about the entire life story of <-HC->. He's a fast talking hustler type of guy. I sat there patiently and let him ramble. I found him annoying to talk to. It was like having a conversation with a salesman.

This is what I was able to gather during our voice chat:

• Martin's ambition is to grow his alliance. In order to do so, they need lebensraum and resources. 
• <-HC-> was living out in the Providence area with some group called "Wrecking Crew". During this time, Martin kept trying to take <SPORK>'s space, but didn't have a big enough dick to do so. They were safe from reprisal, however, because they would attack <SPORK> and then go hide behind Wrecking Crew's skirt.
• <-HC-> moved to Solitude because the coalition they were in was so toxic and mistreated people that they were losing membership.
• Upon arrival in Solitude, Martin Twotongues made it clear to the locals that they weren't interested in any agreements or relationships. He was "playing it safe" and "staying neutral". <-HC-> wanted to stay independent.
• That is, of course, until he saw that Dishwashers was fielding big blobs and blowing stuff up, so naturally, he cozied up to them. Martin Twotongues wants to be on the winning side, after all.
• He had Dishwashers on standby in case he needed backup while taking <SPORK>'s moons, which were conveniently located nearby and a perfect target for them to go after since <SPORK> and <-HC-> don't get along (I wonder why?).
• After this "proof of concept", Martin approached <WHBOO> about joining his alliance. This would have worked out great for him; after absorbing the dominant power in the region into his alliance, that would make Martin the de facto "ruler" of the area and put him in charge. <WHBOO> declined. While <WHBOO> isn't interested in "ruling" Solitude, they also aren't interested in being Dishwater's vassal.
• After the war with <GSC>, supposedly, Padrick leaked a rumor that <WHBOO> and <-HC-> were splitting <GSC> assets. Timmy N-Bomb asked Martin if this was true, and when Martin said it wasn't, invited Martin to "prove himself" in some sort of weird gang initiation ritual that involved blowing up some anchoring <WHBOO> structures. Of course, despite the tsunami of screenshots that Martin has sent me, he never offered up any screenshots of Padrick spreading the rumor or Timmy N-Bomb questioning him about it.
• So Martin's guys blew up <WHBOO> assets and Martin is trying to blame it on Padrick (an easy scapegoat) and Dishwashers "making him".
• But don't worry! Martin is definitely not interested in taking <WHBOO>'s space. He's just friends with the group that keeps blowing up <WHBOO>'s structures, while he tells <WHBOO> to ditch their allies and join his alliance, and even though he helped to blow up two <WHBOO> structures, he didn't really waaaant to. He haaaad to do it. Mommy gave him a chore! He didn't want to get spanked. It's a very particular, nuanced thing, you see? It's not like he doesn't have an agreement with Dishwater Alliance to buy anchoring rights after they blow up Athanors or anything...

In short: Martin is a little twerp hiding behind mommy's skirt. He goes and picks a fight, but when it goes sideways for him, mommy is there to save him. I guess him and Dishwater are natural allies; all Martin needs is a FAX on standby. And I hear the best way to become independent is to hide behind mommy. What a genius strategy.

For me it's much simpler than all that nonsense. I don't care about the political manuerving and the favors owed to who for why. I made things very clear to Martin: I am watching. If <-HC-> makes any moves against <WHBOO> - either overtly or covertly, I will make it impossible for his USTZ players to live in the LowSec areas. He will have me to deal with for the rest of his time in Solitude. Dishwater FAXes and BLOPs fleets won't be able to save him; I don't field hard assets and I have no structures to leverage. And I'm very good at what I do.

Salty <-HC-> krab.

Tough Choices

Martin wants to grow his group and build a healthy community. To do this in 2022, a group needs access to LowSec. But LowSec is dangerous. So Martin has allied himself with Dishwater Alliance so that they'll hold his hand. But, his encroachment into LowSec comes at a cost: I told him to go read my blog if he wants to get an idea of what he'll have to deal with if he doesn't play nice. When our voice chat was over, he messaged me on Discord: He wanted the link to my blog so he could go over it again. I haven't heard from him since. He must be thinking deeply about it.

Or maybe his hands are just tied in "particular" and "nuanced" political positioning.

Either way.

I'm watching.

And I'm the salt that will be left on the fields.

A Statement Regarding SW-SS's Foreign Policy

Clearing Up Confusion Spin

Solar Winds Security Solutions was founded in June of 2021. It was originally intended to be the PvP division of Solar Winds Trade Conglomerate. The CEO of [SW-TC] and the CEO of [SW-SS] are different people. They're not just different characters; they're entirely different fleshbags that live in different parts of the world. When [SW-TC] decided to join <WHBOO>, it was decided that the two organizations ([SW-SS] and [SW-TC]) would split and become independent entities in order to avoid diplomatic confusion.

But some people are easily confused.

Although certain individuals are posting screenshots of the old [SW-SS] corp description, the current [SW-SS] corp description can be seen here, as well as verified in-game:

If one checks ZKillboard, it will become quickly apparent that both [SW-TC] and [SW-SS] pilots join <WHBOO> fleets. However, you'll also see, very obviously, that while [SW-SS] shoots people who are blue to <WHBOO>, [SW-TC] does not. This is because they are two entirely different organizations, with two entirely different people in charge.

[SW-SS] maintains it's independence. We are friends with <WHBOO>, and we value this relationship. However, at the end of the day we are not beholden to <WHBOO>, unless we agree to be so. <WHBOO> is free to sue for peace between [SW-SS] and another organization. [SW-SS] may accept the proposal, or it may not.

This is because [SW-SS] is not part of any alliance. We have friends, but are independent. We can do what we want.

I hope that clears up any confusion.

[SW-SS] takes it's agreements seriously. We say what we mean and we do what we say we will.  If you have a diplomatic issue regarding [SW-SS] and are seeking an agreement or treaty, contact Xuixien in-game.

Our current diplomatic stance is: Fuck you.

Life in Solitude: Peace in Our Time

The Greater Solitude Commonwealth Surrenders

How it Started

How it Ended

Life in Solitude: Events So Far

NOIR. is Recruiting!

A good bunch of dudes. Good PvPers, mature comms. Professional. They're rebuilding and fun to fly with!

Progress Report

  

Things are not going well for the <GSC> bloc. After an initial slow start, the campaign is picking up speed. Almost all of <GSC> structures are reinforced. Cruisers Crew showed up once for an armor timer, having to gate in after the <GSC> cyno got one shot when the pilot decided to light the cyno within optimal range of a fleet of Harbingers. <CR3W> fed half their fleet for an armor timer - and then died on the way home. They haven't been seen on grid since. <GSC> leadership has also been having communication trouble, leading to an Athanor loss when the defense fleet was given the wrong time. The defense fleet landed on the Athanor just as it exploded, losing their tether and feeding killmails helplessly before fleeing back to Yveve. This led to some heated words being exchanged on their comms.

 

Small gangs of stealth bombers and assorted T1 ships are running around the region constantly reinforcing <GSC> structures. One crew continuously makes timers while other crews follow up on them. If a defense fleet forms, the gangs switch to different structures in a campaign of incessant harassment. If a large enough defense fleet forms, it gets pinged and fights are had. <GSC> has stopped trying to push attackers off shields, forming primarily for armor timers.

<GSC>'s 'batphones' have yet to reveal themselves. Word is, batphones help those who help themselves, and <GSC>'s shadowy allies aren't willing to field hard assets to defend people who can barely form a T1 Cruiser gang, and who have lost every single battle since the war started.

Padrick's Mental State: Xuixien

How my enemies see me.

How my friends see me.

I've been waiting a little while to post this entry, because I needed permission from my sources. That permission has been given, and so I'm hitting the fire button.

Padrick has a long, established, and demonstrable obsession with me. Suffice it to say, he hates my guts. He seems to have this idea that I'm some sort of mastermind super villain, lurking in the background, pulling the strings, and exerting my influence over people to turn them against him. Him specifically, and that when he's gone, I'll turn around and do the same thing to them (that's how his mind works, because, well, that's how he works). In his mind, I'm running around Solitude, whispering in ears, and subtly manipulating everyone to hate him.

In reality, all I am is a shitty pilot who throws Catalysts at things without regard to loss or consequence. But while I've been AFK from the game, he has continued to plot and conspire and spread rumors and libel about me. For proof, just read any of my previous blog entries on the matter.

I don't really blame anyone who buys into the "evil mastermind psychopath" narrative; while I am pretty small and inconsequential, I'm a very noticeable presence due to the noise I create in Local and the attention I draw with my blog. I'm also very annoying and incessant in my pursuits, so people's dislike of me is understandable. The fact that I'm a magnet for intel from spies, information brokers, and disgruntled line members also creates a dark veneer over me that's so easy to hate. You never know what I'm gonna know about who and what. Also; when there's bad blood or you simply don't like someone, it's easy to believe negative things about the other person regardless of evidence to the contrary.

But I do blame Padrick, because he knows better. I reached out to him to try to get a solid assessment of his current mental state, and to ask him if he honestly thought the crap he was pulling wouldn't blow back on him. He's been burning his bridges, sending nasty messages to people and then blocking them. Once again I gave him a way out - a chance to be honest and to humble himself in the face of certain annihilation. We didn't get that far because he sent me an angry rant and blocked me. His response: There's no blowback and no one believes "Saif's narrative" and it's all Xui's fault anyway. That's right; I'm a central and indispensable part of the current events in Solitude. That's why when I went AFK for 3 months everything just fell apart (it didn't). And what's more: I pay for people to go to Fanfest! (???)

All I read was "Xui's the man." All hail Xui. -Piolp, 2022

There's nothing blowing back - except all the people blowing up his structures. Or rather, the structures that other people donated to the alliance that he was planning to steal. And the only people who believe Saif's "spin" are - well... everyone. Solitude is being wedged and chaos has been sewn - by me, of course. That is except for the fact that Solitude is pretty much united in solidarity against Padrick, and in a very orderly fashion. You really have to wonder if Padrick believes his nonsense or if it's all for the benefit of his line members.

I have to be honest with my readers though: as far as this particular conflict is concerned, I'm just a line member who's keeping a diary. I'll repeat that again:

I am just a line member who's keeping a diary.

Padrick continues to play his scheming little games. For example, pretending to "drop alliance" - for the sake of his alliance (that he conspired to steal from). Now, I wouldn't be surprised if Padrick did cut and run. It would fit the MO of manipulative narcissists; start a bunch of shit, and when everything blows up in their face, blame it on other people and run away, leaving their victims to pick up the mess while the narc moves on to greener pastures a new set of gullible fools to manipulate and destroy.

Can't steal the structures and sell them if they get blown up!

At least Padrick has some insight and is willing to accept some blame for the situation he got <GSC> into it. It's true; they're an indy alliance that minds it's own business. But it's not "my narrative" that is putting Padrick's alliance at risk. It's Padrick's own behavior. I just made it public. Of course, we all know this is a ploy; just posturing and impression management from the man. Unfortunately there's enough documentation of his toxic and manipulative behavior on record that it just falls flat.

Padrick's reasoning is really interesting here. For example, he holds <WHBOO> responsible for my actions, despite the fact that I'm not in their alliance. At the same time, he believes that leaving <GSC> will make everyone stop blowing structures up. Isn't that a sort of weird 180? There's only two problems with that: the blood is already in the water, and nobody believes that Padrick has really left <GSC>. He still has known alts in the executor corporation and is on <GSC> comms every day - and everyone knows it:

 Here's My Mess, Clean it Up

My words about narcs leaving their messes for other people to clean up proved prophetic. As I was writing this blog, I was approached by a man claiming to be the new leader of the <GSC> alliance. We spoke over voice (I wanted to confirm that it wasn't Padrick), and to my surprise learned that he was told that I was the point of contact, the coordinator, and the mind behind the coalition that's attacking <GSC>.

I had to explain that no, I'm just a line member right now, backing up my blues and my friends, and that if he wants to sort the situation out, his points of contact are <WHBOO> and <HC> leadership. I passed his name along to my contacts. He seemed like an honest, decent guy, and I sincerely felt bad that Padrick left him with a huge shitmess to clean up.

I have no idea what the ultimate outcome of that new development will be. My guess is <GSC> still burns, loses a lot of bodies, but manages to reform into a new group under new leadership, or gets absorbed into <WHBOO> or another alliance nearby. Either way, a lot of real estate is about to open up in that eastern section of Solitude. I have nothing personally against the man or (most) of <GSC> membership. As Frank Herbert wrote: "The problem with leadership is that leaders are human beings. And when they make mistakes, their mistakes are amplified by the numbers who follow without question."

And it's the every day bloke that has to suffer those mistakes. Such every day people like Adelaide Oberon.

Burned Bridges and Human Wreckage

I finally tracked down who hired NOIR. to attack <GSC>. It was a former <GSC> CEO. Ooof, that's a bad look for <GSC>. You have to be a really scummy person and really screw over your membership to get them to hire mercs to attack you. The screenshots, shared with permission, speak for themselves and tell the story better than my poor writing style ever could. But I will say one thing: Assuming Adelaide's innocence - and I am, as <GSC> doesn't really have any "intel" to leak that anyone would care about - I feel bad for Adelaide. They seem like the sort of prosocial, supportive person that should be in a leadership position. Instead, they were betrayed and their reputation tarred by Padrick.

And why? Because Padrick felt threatened by Adelaide's competence and growing popular. He was worried she would outshine him and that people would rally behind her, and that she would become the leader of <GSC> in all but roles. And Padrick can't have that. Padrick can't share power or be shown up. So he kicked her for alliance, telling her it was for "inactivity" while turning around and smearing her reputation and branding her as a spy and a traitor.

Here are the screenshots:

Charge your damn phone!

Padrick's response to being shown the bottom message (not by me) was that Adelaide "is playing a role" and playing it well. What a delusional and paranoid man... always working on his next narrative.

The "Acolyte" mentioned here, by the way, is none other than Lord Ghetto. Not only has he spent the last few months burning his relationships within Cruisers Crew by accusing their membership of being my spy alts, but apparently he makes it a habit of accusing people of being spies everywhere. Lord Ghetto has his own agenda, I'm sure, trying to move pieces on a chessboard. It's unfortunate for him that the board is going to be gone soon.

For what it's worth, I feel pretty bad about how things have panned out. A few shitty people in leadership positions, and now an entire alliance is suffering and good people are having their reputations smeared.

The Future

Solitude has been a content factory of tangled and messy human relationships, grudges, and schemes. It's a huge part of the reason I haven't moved all my stuff out yet; Solitude is a hard place to live, far from trade hubs, with a dearth of income generating activities. But it's the people; the flawed, fallible, and fascinating people that keep me around.

I have to say though that with <STFU> completely eliminated (the alliance is closed, with most of the former membership scattered to the winds), with [QUOKA] gone or at least maintaining a very low profile, and with <GSC> on the verge of utter erasure - or at least, with a very good probably of reforming under new leadership with Padrick completely out of the picture - there probably won't be anything more for me to write about in this series. Daily life in Solitude is pretty boring and not worth writing about.

So as the "Life in Solitude" docudrama comes to a close, what I will start to write about more is theory crafting, game balance, and mechanics, and gaming psychology. That's what I originally started this blog to be about anyway. So, I'll see you guys around. You can expect at least 2 posts a month from me, perhaps more as hypomania visits me and the bad ideas pour forth. Till next time.

Space cat out.

Life in Solitude: The Snake in the Grass

When I last left this series it had concluded with a bit of a cliffhanger regarding <GSC>. The ultimate outcome of that was a peace treaty struck and quietude returning to Solitude. Finally, the last vestiges of <STFU> had been pacified or rendered irrelevant, and the dust from interpersonal conflicts and drama had settled into a nice live-and-let-live status quo. <GSC> and [SW-SS] were able to resolve our differences and were finally blued again. Nature was beginning to heal, and the rightful order was restored.

There was a brief period where some group called Dishwasher Hooligans or something (I forget, but their executor is named Tim-something and throws the N word around) was blobbing Solitude with large fleets, outnumbering <WHBOO> by 40+ ships, with caps on standby. This was all done in the name of "good fights", so of course they started complaining about <WHBOO> bringing friends so that they'd be only slightly outnumbered. While they were complaining about nearly-even numbers, Dishwashers' standby fleet kept getting bigger and bigger, and they started jumping in FAX support once the fight wasn't going their way.  This lowbrow, cheesy, chestthumping "frat boy" style gameplay is something I find terribly boring and not engaging, and so it merits only a brief mention in my blog.

Dishwashers aside, Solitude has largely been at peace. But peace in EVE Online is short lived. War has once again returned to the region, the consequence of one man's scheming and backroom dealing, born of his own resentment and toxic narcissism.

And that man is Padrick Millar.

A Message From Our Sponsors

I hope my readers will forgive my long absence. Real life has gotten in the way of my playtime, and it turns out that playing EVE is leagues more interesting than writing about it. That is, when there's something to do. I'm a conflict-oriented player, and a peaceful Solitude - goal as it was of mine - was not conducive to my unwavering attention. With Solitude at rest, there wasn't much for me to do, and boredom led to a lapse in my logins.

All that recently changed when I was handed choice bits of intel from a contact I didn't even know I had within the <GSC> leadership structure. You see, once <GSC> was blued up again, I mostly ignored them and let them go about their business, and pretty much vanished from the game. I went about my life, banging strippers and snorting blow off my hot Asian professor's asscrack. (Just kidding. As you've probably heard from my enemies, I'm a basement dwelling neckbeard who never leaves my mom's house).

But then a DM opened on Discord, and someone was asking me if I wanted logs of Padrick - the executor of aforementioned <GSC> and subject of more than one blog post - planning on stealing his alliance's structures and having mercenaries attack <WHBOO>.

Why yes. Yes I would. 

Only Slightly Surprised

Now, Padrick has always seemed like a bit of a weasel to me, so it wasn't exactly shocking that he'd screw over the entire membership of <GSC> by removing their infrastructure to line his own pockets. While it wasn't a direct concern of mine - the internal affairs of other groups are not not something I get involved with - I always love a bit of gossip:

Forgive the sizing. I have no control over what I'm sent from contacts.

Being the manipulative weasel he is, Padrick wants to do it in such a way as to prevent any "blowback" (aka, to avoid the natural consequences of his actions), such as people blowing the structures up to prevent him from stealing them, or keeping them reinforced to prevent a transfer. His interlocutor gave him a firmly chastising response, pulling no punches to tell Paddy boy what a grimy course of action that would be. Padrick then tried to further justify himself:

"If anything, I'm owed." It's par for the course with Padrick; he is toxic entitlement personified.

The Snake: Revealed

What I was really interested in, however, was the accusation that Padrick has been plotting, for months, against <WHBOO> - his blues. I almost couldn't believe it, even as I was reading the logs. Padrick? Being dishonest and manipulative? The same Padrick who hates "low class" behavior such as smacktalk in Local, and then spent months posting nasty rants about what a "scumsucking bottom feeding psychopath" I am? Padrick - who got onto a soapbox about how much he hates "bluetanking" and "bluefucking" - would engage in bluetanking and bluefucking? No, it couldn't be!

Yes. It could:

"We're really sad that these entities (that we hired) are attacking you. However, it is our official stance to remain neutral in such affairs." You can't make this shit up.

There are dozens of screenshots, but for the sake of brevity, I only posted a few choice examples.

Despite what he says, "us" does mean <GSC>, as he is the plenipotentiary of that organization and his actions are, supposedly, on behalf of his organization's benefit. He wants <GSC>, and by extension himself, to be the dominant power in Solitude. But that will never be now.

Ironically, Padrick's double-dealing has led to his structures being attacked by a CalMil fleet that... included I-RED representation. I'm not sure what the story is there, so I can't speak to that.

I messaged Padrick to inform him that in light of information that had been made 'public', I would be resetting his group's standings. He warned me that my contact within <GSC> (interestingly, he already knew who it was) was an "information broker" and a "snake", and that it was important that I not fall prey to his "manipulation" and "misinformation" (typical narcissistic projection).

And maybe it's true. Maybe my contact is a snake.

It doesn't matter. Padrick still did what he did. He still made the plans he made.

At this point it's worthwhile to take a (brief) trip down memory lane to see how we got here:

• <GSC> and Solar Winds used to be blue. We were blue for many months and had a good relationship.
  
• [QUOKA] demanded that <GSC> reset my standings and drop my docking access because Cryin' Andy's feelings were hurt that his entire corporation was losing a shooting war against one dude that he started.
  
• Padrick maintained neutrality, but [QUOKA] started shooting <GSC>'s structures. Padrick, self-serving weasel that he is, created this narrative that I'm sort of racist, sexist, psychopathic super troll who just wants to burn everything down, and therefore, the at-fault party. This "justified" Padrick conceding to Cryin' Andy's demands, setting me red, and locking me out of his stations. Two weeks later, [QUOKA] conceded to me and left Solitude for NullSec.
• Being not blue now, I ran around Solitude farming <GSC> miners for content. Most of the old guard I remembered were gone and there were mostly randos who I never spoke to left, so it didn't phase me much. Naturally, they cried to Padrick about it and their activity levels fell off  a cliff.
  
• Padrick then proceeded to cry cry cry for weeks and weeks and weeks to anyone who would give him the time the day about what an awful person I was, that someone had to do something about me, and in his own mind created this fiction that everyone who wasn't jumping to his beck and call to "TaKe Me OuT" was not just complicit in the situation, but actively colluding with me and playing "shell games" with "bluetanking" to specificially screw him over.
• I was tired of hearing about it from everyone, so I tried to reach out to Padrick regarding terms of peace, but Padrick was refusing to answer my DMs or EVEMails, so I had to use intermediaries and "leafleting" to deliver my peace terms to the obstinate old fool.
• It was then that Padrick spun his narrative that I was attacking his alliance and making all sorts of demands. You can see those on a previous blog about him. The problem with his narrative is that he was the one whining about the situation and wanting peace - and I have the receipts.
  
• And here is where we are: Padrick finally conceded and we reset eachother blue. But during the entire affair, Padrick was plotting to destroy <WHBOO> and get them kicked out of Solitude because they wouldn't pander to his every wish and whim and stop being friends with me.
  

Giving Peace a Chance

A few days after resetting <GSC>, I noticed some new faces in his home system. I waved and said hello, and learned that they were there to attack <GSC>. Some of them had read my blog, and knew about the rocky relationship between <GSC> and myself. They invited me along. However, before I got involved, I decided I would indulge Padrick's offer to hear "his side" of the story and give him the opportunity to explain himself, to come clean, admit his mistakes, and apologize.

Naturally, he tried to lie to my face, directly contradicting his own statements made in the "privacy" of his Discord channels. He spent a while trying to tell me what a horrible person Saif is, how he stole a jump freighter, yadda yadda. What I was concerned with, however, was Padrick's actions. I pressed him, and he spun a narrative quite different from what I was shown. Where before he was actively reaching out to other groups and planning the fall of <WHBOO>, the story he tried to tell me was that he was just a passive observer willing to "look the other way" if <WHBOO> got attacked. I called Padrick out on his bullshitting, and posted the screenshots themselves. He was backed in a corner now.

What was Padrick's response to this when I confronted his bullshit with the truth?

It's someone else's fault! Of course, Padrick is completely innocent here. He is not in control of himself and his actions are the responsibility of third parties. It's not his fault because he was angry. It's not his fault because ExookiZ wouldn't do what he wanted him to do. It's not his fault because "context", and the final parting shot of every narcissist after getting caught out: "whatever, believe who you want to believe".

Sure. I will. I'll believe the cold hard screenshots.

I've never met a man with more flexible ethics and morals than Padrick. While most people are a bit flexible, they do feel a twinge of discomfort in the back of their mind when they act shitty or inconsistent. It's called their conscience. Padrick, unlike most people, instead has a little voice in the back of his head that justifies his actions.

And it's always someone else's fault.

Walls Closing In

In the coming days, the who's-who of the conflict began to reveal itself. Former allies of <GSC> began to reset them. Cruisers Crew showed up to defend <GSC> during the first round of attacks, but failed to prevent anything from getting reinforced. Manifesto - former <STFU> vassals - pledged for <GSC>. When I saw <.M.> sitting on the structures, I decided to reach out their leadership and figure out what was going on. Things went south very quickly. Such is life when you deal with idiots:

Poitr, short sighted child that he is, did not seem to care that the blues he was defending were actively plotting against mutual blues. "You today, me tomorrow." as the old saying goes. But some people can't think that far ahead, and Poitr is one of them. Poitr doesn't seem to have thought a lot about how his siding with <GSC> would affect the geopolitical situation in Solitude - including the longevity of his group's operating peacefully in the region. I understand his personal animosity towards me. But like I pointed out to him - one thing you can't say about me is that I'm a liar, a schemer, or an oathbreaker.

I notified him that the entirety of the peace treaty between our two groups was hereby null and void for the duration of the conflict. His response was "aight dude", and they began to green my killboard shortly afterwards.

But I saw other groups - people I'd never heard of - showing up to attack GSC structures. Padrick has shat in a lot of people's shoes. Not only is NOIR. involved (hired by someone, but I haven't been able to traingulate who), but so are random assorted CalMil and AmarrMil pilots. <HC> is also showing up to shoot <GSC> structures and miners, I'm assuming opportunistically, but with Padrick's reputation for fostering bad relationships with other groups, I wouldn't be surprised if they're now on campaign against him.

The ground has completedly collapsed beneath Padrick's feet. I messaged my contact in [-XXX] to tell them what a shitbag Padrick was and that they were free to call off the peace deal I'd brokered if they wanted - only to find out that they'd called it off already due to being tired of dealing with Padrick's nonsense and constant pestering and demanding.

So how are things going for the <GSC> bloc so far?

Not very good.

But my killboard's green.

More to come as more happens and more intel is passed my way.