V,   I was relieved to hear you made it out fine.   We're working feverishly to learn more. We had immediately sent teams to investigate and assist when we first detected explosions but they went dark almost instantly. We have no idea what took them down. Whoever or whatever is responsible needs to be found. Kapwa Station deserves justice.   While I am absolutely with you on taking a defensive stance and fully understand the impulse to be suspicious of the imperialists, I feel I must caution against pointing fingers even privately. It could be anyone, even someone we failed to account for. It might be terrorism or some exo-system actor. It could be internal sabotage for all we know. And pointing fingers could raise tensions that don't need raising. We need more information, all of us.   I am of course very amenable to the idea of a coalition. I believe the entire Senate will be as well. My people are terrified they're next so there is definitely pressure to do *something*. I look forward to hashing out the details and find your proposed name very poetic and appropriate. Who else has been invited?   -Jo

Jo -   You're right, of course. Involving the Administrator in a public investigative task force should hopefully keep everything above board and reign in the worst accusations and escalation.   And glad to hear it. Space is a big place so bring a friend, right?   Joining us as founding members, Cartasa, Tanepa, Saularia, and New Skani are all interested. There are others who may want to join after the official announcement but whose present conditions make that difficult.   I'm talking with Congregation of OLORUN, Red Lily Corporation and Union about joining as special members, purely involved in the mutual aid and disaster relief efforts.   The task force would also be housed in the Weave, so that's Union in there twice, but there you are.   -V

V, As the primary powers within the Weave, we must coordinate our response to the war unjustly declared on our lesser member state. It is my hope that we can declare our intent to defend our little sister state, in conjunction with the proper posturing, to give Skania a chance to back down before we join the fight. We must also ensure House Vi'Saan does not try to still claim any sort of ownership of their former territory and respond poorly and inappropriately to the Weave's presence there. They have already reached out in a gesture of goodwill, so I am hopeful on that front.   The Republic will ready our forces to be deployed in the event Skania does not back down.   -Jo

Jo,   You’re right that we need to defend New Skani and ideally could deescalate the situation. But Skania has already overrun half of New Skani’s territory, surely that’s a situation we need to address.   Also, Leshure’s “surprise landslide” speaks to people who are afraid and in flux… There must be some way we can address them and sap Skania’s political will to fight.   -V

Jo,   From fire to fire but a bigger blaze every time. Vi'Saan and the Congregation... Speaking frankly and in confidence, these imperial powers are wearing themselves out fighting against one another. There's already a terrible loss of life and we should do what we can to establish humanitarian corridors, like what Saularia is already doing covertly. Incidentally, the Union administrator has expressed to me that she's been under pressure by elements of the Union Navy to allow their military presence in the system, but has to this point been able to hold them off. If it's something that will happen eventually, it's something we should plan for.   But back to this latest war, I know Motato has called for Weave intevention, but we are not committed to defending them militarily necessarily as a special member. Thoughts?   And last thing, I've spent the last month stepping up our humanitarian response to the ongoing environmental catastrophe and (besides Skania as part of the peace settlement) other states are interested in joining the Weave. Namely, Kiwan, Vardonia, House of Banners, Dritachki Federated States, the Dritachki Federated States, and the Alari Institute (as a special member given their stated neutrality policy).   I think the conclusion of the defense of New Skani and the petition of Skania to join the Weave can act as a template for us to accept new members (thinking about Kiwan and the House of Banners and their actions as imperial actors):

commitment to the three pillars (and proven action towards their fulfillment)

work with a truth and reconciliation commission to address past wrongs, and

reparations, in some form, to make right those findings

It's a good thing we weren't afraid of hard work when we took these jobs, Jo.   -V