Caldari State
Founded on the tenets of patriotism and hard work that carried its ancestors through hardships on an inhospitable homeworld, the Caldari State is today a corporate dictatorship, led by rulers who are determined to see it return to the meritocratic ideals of old. Ruthless and efficient in the boardroom as well as on the battlefield, the Caldari are living emblems of strength, persistence, and dignity.
Overview
A state built on corporate capitalism, the Caldari State is run by a few mega-corporations which divide the state between them, controlling and ruling every aspect of society. Each corporation is made up of thousands of smaller companies, ranging from industrial companies to law firms. All land and real estate is owned by a company which leases it to the citizens, and government and policing are also handled by independent companies.
Although this gives the corporations dictatorial powers, they are just as bound by Caldari customs and laws as the individual, and the fierce, continual competition between the corporations ensures a healthy, consumer-based social environment, which benefits everyone.
While the Caldari State may not be nearly as big as that of the Gallente Federation, let alone the Amarr Empire, they are still universally feared and admired. Their economy is strong, and their military might parallel to that of the larger empires. Coupled with the fact that they are more unscrupulous than the Gallente and more combative than the Amarr, this makes them in many ways the most meddlesome of all the empires. As most Caldari trade is conducted by individual companies rather than the State itself, this makes it difficult for the other empires to deal with them at a political level. If a company is found guilty of unethical business dealings, it simply disappears into its parent corporation, and before long another one appears to take its place. But if a Caldari company is threatened, the whole corporation and often the whole State backs it up with full force.
Caldari society is steeped in military tradition. As a people, its members had to fight a long and bloody war to gain their independence, and even had to surrender their home planet to their hated enemies, the Gallente. It was at this time that the corporations established themselves as the driving force behind creating and maintaining the new Caldari State. Even if the Caldari have not engaged in war for many decades, they still strive to be at the cutting edge of military technology and their vessels, weapons and fighting methods are inferior to none but the enigmatic Jove.
To curb their aggressive tendencies, the Caldari actively pursue and sponsor a range of sporting activities. Many of these are bloody, gladiatorial-like competitions, while others are more like races. Whatever the sport, they love betting on the outcome, making gambling a massive industry in the State.
The State offers its citizens the best and the worst in living conditions. As long as you keep in line, do your job, uphold the laws and so forth, life can be fairly pleasant and productive. But for those who are not cut out for this strict, disciplined regime life quickly becomes intolerable. They lose their respect, family, status, everything, and the only options left to them are suicide or exile. Although not xenophobic as such, the Caldari are very protective of their way of life and tolerate only those foreigners that stick to the rules.
Megacorporations
The Caldari State stands for corporate capitalism in its purest form. There are eight great Corporations that together own more than 90% of all property within the State. Each of the corporation is made up of thousands of companies of various sizes and various sorts, ranging from simple mining companies to powerful police companies. There is no single, unified government as such, each corporation rules its territories like their own kingdom with little or nor interference from the other corporations. Competition, efficiency and market share is more important to the corporations than accumulation of wealth (although the latter is often a happy by-product of the former). Business for the good of the individual rather than the good of the many is something totally alien to the Caldari. In higher matters, such as in foreign policy towards the other empires, the Board of Directors, which consists of the CEOs of the eight major corporations, has the highest authority. The Board of Directors also makes sure that the social infrastructure of the State remains intact and settles all major quarrels between the corporations.
The corporations are divided into three major factions as follows:
Practicals
Sukuuvestaa Corporation Nugoeihuvi Corporation CBD Corporation
Liberals
Ishukone Corporation Hyasyoda Corporation
Patriots
Kaalakiota Corporation Wiyrkomi Corporation Lai Dai Corporation
Finances
More than any other faction, the Caldari State has a fixation on its finances and financial systems. The State has no central currency, with each megacorporation using its own scrip. Independent corporations use the scrip of a patron corporation or the ISK. Each megacorporation is then built around a massive investment bank, which forms a skeleton for each individual corporate empire.
Caldari Funds Unlimited serves as the closest Caldari equivalent to a central bank, in addition to performing many of the functions of a normal financial institution. Seaguard Financial was a competitor to the major Caldari banks until YC 29, when it was placed under “extreme sanction” by the Chief Executive Panel and destroyed through corporate warfare.
Military
The rule of the megacorporations extends not only to the financial system, but to the military branch of government as well. Each of the corporations runs their own military and police force.
Corporate police forces have legal authority to act as police proxies within corporate jurisdiction, though in cases where the regional police have a presence their authority supersedes corporate police. It should be noted that within the corporate security forces, police duty is considered a lower form of duty than military duty. Police work on stations in the State is an especially nightmarish task due to the red tape involved in numerous jurisdictions involved when various parts of the station and their owners come into play. While corporate police forces do not have the best reputation for dealing with lesser infractions, especially non-violent crimes, they can nonetheless quickly and efficiently deal with matters when circumstances require.
On the more overtly militaristic side, it's notable that the eight private militaries of the megacorporations match the Caldari Army in numbers and exceed it in training. The military branches of the megacorporations originate from shortly after the Gallente-Caldari War, when Kaalakiota and Sukuuvestaa established theirs as a result of a dispute over postwar development. Caldari corporate militaries have traditionally been used as a propaganda tool, using their successes and image to enhance the reputation of the parent corporation and vice versa. It's notable that some military functions, such as engineering work, appear to be outsourced to civilian personnel - including technicians in charge of setting up listening posts, who do not appear to hold Navy ranks.
Bloodlines
Deteis
The Deteis symbolize Caldari in every way; they're efficient, dutiful and hard-working. Deteis can commonly be found in positions of authority within military or political spheres, something that suits their temperament very well. Considered by some to be more cunning and underhanded than the Civre, they share the traits of duty, discipline, and sincerity. If anything they are slightly more inquisitive than the Civre. Their firm belief that the good of the whole must come before the needs of the individual has greatly influenced the shaping of the Caldari State since its foundation.
Civire
Civire are the backbone of the Caldari State. Their diligence and unselfish efforts have built it from the grounds up. The Civire are cool, level-headed and relentless in their approach to both trading and fighting; in business, their trademark lies in straightforward, above-board dealings where everything is planned and perfected. They are more comfortable acting than talking and are never happier than when embroiled in the midst of frenetic activity. They can handle pressure extremely well, an invaluable aid in combat and other stressful situations. Many of the best bounty hunters around are Civire.
Achura
The Achura have been part of the Caldari State for three centuries, joining and leaving the Federation at the same time as the State. Yet the Achura have always remained a mystery to others. Hailing from the inhospitable Saisio system in The Forge, the Achura are as reclusive and introverted as an entity can be while still participating in galactic affairs. Intensely spiritual, the average Achura has little interest in the material world's transitory doodads. Achura pilots have been few and far between in the past, but the recent sacrilege of their home world prompted them to take to the skies in greater numbers.
Recent Events
The State is riding high on a wave of jubilation: It has finally proved its undeniable superiority over the Gallente Federation, and the ancient homeland of Caldari Prime is once again sovereign Caldari territory.
Citizens
Despite past festivities, the majority of State workers are toiling harder than ever. Tibus Heth's exemplary leadership has given new meaning to their individual contributions, and they're eager to ensure that the State does not fail to capitalize on its recent successes through lack of effort on the part of its people. Productivity is up, morale is up, and there's a feeling of camaraderie between workers of all stripes. Where before they were working simply to keep their jobs (and to line the pockets of executives), today they are working for the glory of the State.
Most don't expect to understand the political maneuvering they know must occur at the highest levels of the State; while some murmur about the exact mode of Heth's rise to power, the fact that he now appears to be a true Caldari leader is enough for the vast majority of workers. When it comes to the Gallente, they're enthused by the State's demonstration that it truly is militarily, politically, and economically superior to the Federal model, and now that they've claimed their rightful place as the dominant power in this part of the cluster, they're keen to use the opportunity to correct other perceived inequities.
Military
The State militaries (i.e., both the Navy and the paramilitary bodies of the various megacorps) still have a lot of work to do in the wake of the State's surgical strike, but on the whole they're comfortable with the situation. Opinion is divided, though, over the merits of pre-emptive strikes in general and of this operation in particular: Some feel that the primary goal should have been simply to ensure the defense of the State and that taking major risks to secure non-military targets was foolish; others counter that a demonstration of superiority is often the strongest deterrent, and that the consequences of retaking Caldari Prime thus made it a worthy target.
These concerns aside, there's very little dissent over the execution and outcome of the invasion. Even those arguing that it was an ill-advised plan admit to feeling a renewed sense of worth and purpose, and they certainly wouldn't go so far as to criticize the civil administration for doing what it did, at least publicly. The State military defines itself by its professionalism, and every man and woman, from the lowest recruit to the highest-ranking admiral, knows that it is not the military's place to second-guess its political leadership. Thus, their opinion regarding Tibus Heth is often that it's not their place to have an opinion―at least, not while they're in uniform.
Leadership
Where the rest of the State is uncharacteristically united and calm, the upper levels of the megacorps are still divided and disoriented. Heth's combination of popular support and seemingly limitless financial backing has made him almost unassailable, but his victories have come at the expense of many of the most powerful individuals and cartels in the State. His reforms have fragmented the field of play, sending everyone else scrambling to secure political territory. While there are a few executives who wholeheartedly support Heth and his ideals, the majority see him as a threat and a menace to be controlled or removed as soon as the opportunity presents itself. While ideological positions still place many of the big players at odds with one another, shady alliances that would have been inconceivable a year ago are coming into being.
Players at this level, while they may be ideologically motivated, do not survive without the ability to be extremely pragmatic and realistic when required; they know they can't make a move right now, but they know they need to be absolutely ready when an opportunity presents itself. If military conflict provides that opportunity, they're all for it, but right now all it seems to be achieving is to strengthen Tibus Heth's position.
