Eveotorial: CVA

I tend to steer clear of in-game politics.  I don't read or troll the forums unless someone points me towards a topic that I might be interested in.  The only forum I stay current with is the Corp forum.  This attitude toward forums is relatively new for me.  I used to read them, comment on them and generally cause or react to drama.

That all changed with the fall of Libertas Fidelitas (LFA).  The amount of drama on both the CVA and LFA forums before and after the fall of D-GTMI and the collapse of the Alliance was enough for me.  I swore off politics and vowed never to get involved again.  And I haven't.  Much anyway.

I mention that as a precursor to the following Eveotorial about the CVA Alliance.  I would like to mention that the opinions expressed in this Eveotorial are mine and mine alone.  I am no longer a Director of anything for anyone.  I am simply a pilot these days, and I write this amazingly entertaining blog.

It has come to my attention however, that certain members of CVA don't appreciate some of the oblique and subtle things I've said about the Alliance here on the blog.  I apologize for being oblique and subtle.  This Eveotorial is intended to fix that issue and be as blunt and obvious as I can manage.  If you're reading this you should also know that nothing I am about to say has been a secret.  In fact, my opinions have been said both on forums and personally to many individuals in the past.  As is my policy here on Eveoganda I won't mention any names.  I just want it known that this isn't coming out of the blue.

My opinion about CVA is actually somewhat complicated.  As a noob moving into zero space I grew to appreciate what CVA had created in Providence, a space where I could grow as a pilot and experience all that zero offered without getting my ass handed to me every time I undocked.  As I learned more I began to even respect CVA and what they had accomplished in taking the space before I started playing, especially in the pre-dominion days, was an accomplishment worthy of respect.  As I became aware that CVA pilots were mostly Role-Players I even respected that aspect, even though I don't 'get' it, I can appreciate the dedication it takes to stick with it.

I didn't stay a noob however.  It wasn't long before I began flying in fleets with CVA pilots.  Much of this is tempered by the fact that I was in a Holder Alliance, but the fact is that CVA FCs and pilots are/were (speaking in generalization) arrogant pricks.  Oh sure, there were a few decent pilots in CVA and I respected those.  But I'm not talking about individuals, I'm talking about an Alliance.  The Alliance treated their Holders as second-class citizens and pranced around like they were the Empress' gift to the universe.  Now, this sort of arrogance might be appropriate if they were especially great pilots that rocked killboards and defended their space with honest zeal and dedication.  In fact, if that were so, I could even grudgingly give them respect for it.  We all know pilots and organizations like that, don't we?

As it turns out, that wasn't the case at all.

Twice now I've watched CVA fail and fail hard.  Twice?  That's being kind, I could easily count that differently and add bigger numbers to it, but what would be the point?  The fact is that CVA got their arrogance handed to them and shoved down their throats.  All the posturing and prancing was for nothing.  What exactly were they role-playing?  How to fail miserably?

I expected more.  I defended their space as loyally as I defended the other Holders space.  I spilt blood and invested my time in doing so.  I spent billions of isk on the belief that, despite their arrogance (or perhaps because of it), they must have something to back it up with.  It must have been based on something? They must understand the delicate balance on which they survive, mustn't they?  That when push came to shove, CVA would be able to shove back.  And shove back hard.

Honestly that would've been great.  I don't happen to believe in it myself, but if extremely talented people want to exhibit a bit of arrogance, then that is their prerogative.  On the other hand, arrogance without talent or ability... well that just makes you look stupid don't it?

That arrogance boiled down to one decision back in January.  You can think what you want about the details surrounding it, but it all boiled down to one decision.  CVA decided to stab the Holders in the back, to deny their own orders and leave LFA out to rot.  Instead of rallying together, this decision broke our backs.  Instead of mounting an effective retaliation, we spent weeks mired in internal politics, debate and inaction.  Instead of uniting the Holders in defense of our space, it became clear that it was never "our" space and it had always been their space.

Why?  Because there wasn't anything behind the curtain.  CVA spent more effort on building stations in systems they couldn't defend than they did on building their fleet to defend it.  They lined their pockets instead of lining the perimeter.  They fiddled while Rome burned.  And, in the final analysis, their arrogance destroyed them.  And it continues to destroy them.  Do you realize we had open conflict with CVA about the voice comms during the defense of Paxton held space?  Because they refused to use the voice software that Paxton was using.  I kid you not.  And that simple small tiny issue has been around for a very, very long time.

The proof is in the pudding as they say, and CVA is morally bankrupt in my humble opinion.  They may re-take space, they may even someday re-take Providence, but it won't erase the stink.  Heck, all of this is just one pilot's opinion, just me and my two cents worth.  Nothing I say should matter to anyone in CVA.  If I was them I'd probably shrug it off and move on.  Which is fine with me, I didn't write this to change anything.  I wrote it because I've waited months to write it, because I gave them a second chance and that didn't change anything.  I wrote this for me, to get it off my chest and move on.

You reap what you sow.  And the seeds that CVA planted have come to bear a bitter fruit.  I couldn't say this before, out of respect for leadership, my Alliance and Corporation mates and all those in LFA... there is so much more I could say.  But I won't.

CVA and their issues are in my rear-view mirror.  They are the past and the past is dead.  Nothing I say can change what has happened, or even  change the way an entire Alliance operates.  Nor would I expect it to.  Nor would I really want it to.  However, our past is where we learn the lessons that drive our future.  They are the experiences that make us who we are.  In that light I learned a lot from CVA about how NOT to operate an Alliance.  And for that, I'm a tiny bit grateful.