Eyttyrmin Batiiv Pirates Depart Shadow Dominion After Unprompted Statement by Captain Rask on Malastare

MALASTARE — The Eyttyrmin Batiiv Pirates have separated from Shadow Dominion and resumed independent operations, according to remarks made by Captain Krodo Rask during a brief street interview in the city.

Rask was approached by a reporter and asked whether he was in Malastare for the ongoing podracing event, and which competitor he expected to win. He did not address the question directly.

Instead, he issued a statement confirming the Pirates’ departure.

“We left,” Rask said. “No ceremony. No announcement. Just turned the ships and left. It was either that or sit through another discussion about it. I chose efficiency.”

Rask described the decision as a return to the group’s founding principles rather than a reaction to any single event.

“This is what we were built on,” he said. “We joined Shadow Dominion when it made sense. It worked. For a while.”

“Then it didn’t. That tends to simplify the decision.”

He added that the structure inherent to large alliances does not align with how the Batiiv operate.

“Too many lines. Too many people deciding where those lines go,” Rask said. “Our crew doesn’t do well with lines. We cross them, ignore them, or forget they were there to begin with. Depends on the day.”

During the exchange, Rask also addressed the Eternal Empire, offering a pointed rejection of its governing model.

“We don’t do crowns,” he said. “Never have. The Eternal Empire is built on the idea that someone, somewhere, knows better than everyone else and should be in charge of it.”

“We’ve found that system works very well for the person in the chair,” he continued. “Which is a strong incentive for them to keep the chair.”

Observers noted that the substance of Rask’s remarks is consistent with long-standing Batiiv principles, including decentralized decision-making within the crew, open access to economic opportunity, and a preference for clearly defined, efficient agreements.

The organization has historically rejected hierarchical authority, often summarized internally as a refusal to operate under “crowns,” empires, or centralized rule.

Rask continued to expand on these themes without returning to the original question regarding the podrace.

“Straight dealing,” he said. “Clear terms. You know where the credits are going before they’re gone. If profits start disappearing, something’s wrong. Usually more than one thing.”

“Fixing one thing rarely fixes it. That’s why we prefer to notice early.”

Bystanders described Rask’s delivery as composed, if only loosely aligned with the conversation being held.

“He had the tone of a man answering the right question,” one onlooker said. “Just not the one anyone asked.”

Another noted that Rask appeared to be “maintaining a highly coordinated partnership with his glass,” while a third observed that his path down the street suggested “a navigation system operating on confidence rather than consensus.”

A fourth described the interaction more simply: “Everything around him kept adjusting. He didn’t.”

When asked again about the race and his expected winner, Rask considered the question briefly.

“The only race I’m in,” he said, “is the one between me and a bottle that’s been waiting for me.”

“It’s ahead. That seems like a correctable problem.”

Security forces assigned to the Malastare podrace later reported that Rask’s presence was, unexpectedly, more subdued and less disruptive than that of the average race attendee.

The race commission declined to comment on the attendance of Rask or the Eyttyrmin Batiiv Pirates.

Local taverns also declined to comment on Rask’s reported consumption of rum during his visit.