Mordu's Legion Command Announces Departure from Caldari Prime

Caldari Prime, Luminaire – Mordu's Legion Command leadership on Caldari Prime announced today that they plan to withdraw forces from the Caldari homeworld over the next 12 months. The news sparked concerns as to the future of the security situation on the disputed planet in the Caldari State and Gallente Federation.

The process of renegotiating the Caldari Prime planetary security contract has been notably marked by Brigadier General Majima Akuras of Mordu's Legion expressing doubt that the contract's renewal would be possible, apparently due to increasing commitments to the Upwell Consortium.

During the final hours of attempts by Ishukone Corporation and Material Acquisition to re-secure the services of the Legion, General Akuras offered a compromise in the form of a gradual reduction in the Legion's presence on Caldari Prime. He is reported as having advised the corporations, and State and Federation representatives, to begin investigating their own replacements for the Legion's role in planetary security.

General Akuras's decision to recall forces from the planet came as little surprise to the representatives of the Material Acquisition and Ishukone corporations. Preliminary plans for withdrawal preparations had already been shared with participants in the renegotiation proceedings. Some representatives openly speculated to journalists that the decision not to renew the contract had already been made prior to the final conference.

During a post-summit interview in Arcurio City, General Akuras said, "Mordu's Legion is committed to conducting our affairs without disrupting the safety or economic security of our clients. To affirm this good faith philosophy, even as we prepare to withdraw Legion assets from the planet, we will conduct joint exercises and handover operations with whoever has the honor to take up the important task of securing Caldari Prime for all its citizens. Nevertheless, Mordu's Legion has responsibilities to other clients and our departure from this security theater is going to happen."

Polls within Caldari and Gallente administrative districts on the planet show that there are very mixed opinions regarding the Legion's decision to withdraw from Caldari Prime. Some citizens fear that hostilities may flare up again without a neutral entity overseeing security. Many worry that the presence of increased numbers of military forces from the Caldari or Gallente side will rekindle ultra-nationalist agitation or even terrorism.

Others believe that the lessons learned over the last few years, combined with changes to the contemporary political atmosphere, may have finally brought the two empires to a tentative understanding regarding the status of Caldari Prime. The polling shows that the levels of concern or optimism are roughly equal across communities, though the nature of the concerns vary among State citizens as compared with Federation citizens.

The speculation now focuses on how Material Acquisition and Ishukone Corporation will address the vacuum left by the failure to renew the Legion contract. Unconfirmed reports from employees of Material Acquisition suggest the corporation may have already secretly invited selected private military corporations to tender for a contract covering the territory they administer. Rumors in the Caldari State are swirling around the role of the Caldari Executive Panel in the matter. Many believe that, while the majority of megacorporations were content to allow the trusted Mordu's Legion to occupy Caldari Prime, the balance of opinion on the CEP could change if other forces became involved.