WU-TANK

Excerpt retrieved from unknown journal entry
Hevrice solar system
Verge Vendor

We caught up with reclusive leader of Screaming Hayabusa, Miura Bull, as he took questions on his time in New Eden and his new alliance creation, a mysterious collaborative registered as WU-TANK.

Let's start with the name WU-TANK. What's the idea behind the name?

There's no real idea as such. We are the WU-TANK. That's all there is to it, honestly. I could maybe expand and add some romanticism to the name, the brand if you like, maybe I could tell you about a phase I went through where I'd name all my ships WU-TANK or a variation thereof. Yeah we'll go with that. I'd have the crews daub WU-TANK in bright white paint on the side of my ships and I would look at them and they'd be like, okay, whatever, and they'd pick up one of those massive industrial paint rollers. We got through a lot of paint back then.

Okay, the ticker. WUUUU. What's that all about?

It's the WUUUU man. You know, when you get in the zone and you ENTER THE WUUUU. I think that's where we are at in our eve life, we are entering the WUUUU, perhaps some of us are already there. The WUUUU is a place of intrigue, a feeling, it's somewhere between nowhere and that space behind the Red Door. If I'm warping an Enyo into a fight I know I maybe can't take but I want to see what mischief can be caused, red or green on the killroll who cares, as long as I'm warping in and in my head I'm saying to myself ENTER THE WUUUU. That's where I am at, that's where my boys and girls are at. When you ask what's the WUUUU all about, just know it's the WUUUU. 

What happened to the last alliance you fronted, the Neo-Bushido Movement?

Well, I never actually registered the movement in my name, let me just get that out there. I had a team pulling the strings and one of them one day forgets to pay a bill and you know how it is, suddenly we're an alliance no more. But we are still the Neo-Bushido Movement, we are still out there searching for the Red Door. I think also at the time a lot of us were away from combat duties, living out a lifestyle away from our ships, so not being in an alliance didn't really matter at that time. 

So it matters now to be in an alliance?

Nah, not really.

Can you talk a bit about the corporations under the WU-TANK banner?

I think in SKRMR we have a good bunch of pilots who have flown together, or at least worn the same colours, for a very long time. So I would say that SKRMR is a home for some who at various points in the timeline became lost. Something like that. We're coming up to nine years as a corp, but a lot of us have been together way before that, from the first days of our life in New Eden even.
Hayabusa Black Caste is an offshoot of SKRMR in the sense that the members in there have all flown as SKRMR pilots, and it's really just a couple of guys who I gave a bit of creative freedom to. 5KRMR has recruited some body-doubles as well who are happy to be used in my place at certain events. 

Are there any requirements expected of alliance members? Dress code or any rules to follow?

I wouldn't say we have rules as such. My pilots are free to do as they please. As for dress codes, well, I did put it out there that I expected everyone to paint their faces, warrior-like, and I wanted everyone to look terrifying. To turn up to battle and to have your face pasted on the killboards and billboards with a mask of war and wearing the clothes of those you have murdered in the spacelanes, all that has a kind of appeal to me around it. I know some took it on board and went wild with the facepaint and metal and tattoos. Then we have pilots like, well I can't really say any names but certain individuals who I have a lot of respect for just read the memo and laughed.

Have you noticed an increase in activity within your ranks?

I think so yes. We have a core of pilots who are always out there doing their thing. New Eden seems to be in the right place for us now in our story so yes, activity is good right now. Pilots are coming back and registering for duty after months and years off of the roll and flying again, which is always a good sign.

Take us through a typical day for a WU-TANK pilot?

I'd say we have a varied bunch who all play the game differently. One might be available for combat duties in the morning, he might wake up in Jita with not a single ship to his name, purchase whatever he feels like flying that day, undock and light a smoke and a filament and then roam wherever the stargates take him. Later that evening he might dress up as a gladiator and play in the arena if there's anything like that happening.
Another pilot might be out in some lowsec hellhole with his bucket of ships and he might be sporting the black flag and waiting for some content to come his way, not worrying about sec status and the fancy trappings of the Jita lifestyle.
Somebody else might start his day with a bubble camp in nullsec before he is chased away by the locals. We might have somebody lurking and watching in a wormhole.
We're all of the same mettle but we will all do different things. So a typical day could be anything, as long as pilots are out there and posting up kills and losses and sharing their battle reports then we're all happy.

Tell us more about Miura Bull? Where is he at in his New Eden story?

I'd say he is content right now. Life is good.

Do WU-TANK have a home base?

Not really in the sense that we lay down roots anywhere. We are more of a travelling circus, a combat freak show, a festival of tricksters and gypsies, of vagabonds wandering the skies looking for the next fix. A bunch of us like to keep on the correct side of the law and base out of Jita, it's just easier. Then we have hardened criminals who live by the skull and who would be asked to wash before setting foot in the capital and they enjoy that way of life and that's absolutely fine. 
I think a lot of guys have a spiritual base and some will say that will be Amamake or Molden Heath or Hevrice. 

We're conducting this interview in an office in Hevrice, is this a kind of home?

I think that's a fair assumption. Although it's more of an outpost for some of us. I enjoy it personally as I find it is a good location for roaming further afield and if I am coming back from a roam I can always point to Hevrice and know there will be black flags flying and company waiting. I'd say Hev has become an unofficial lowsec meeting point and some of the guys enjoy the content there. Also going back to the spiritual side of things and a bunch of us cut our teeth out this way.

Is WU-TANK recruiting corporations or pilots at the moment?

Pilots are always welcome to apply. We might not be quite what they expect though, we're more of a cult than a corp if I'm being honest. We're mainly solo social anti-socials who will band up at times but most of the time we're out there creating our own content. As for corporations joining, it's not really something we're looking to do, there might be a rare exemption for old SKRMR pilots coming back with a corp of their own and uniting under one banner but that's about it.  

Neo-Bushido Movement was famously statistically the MOST FUN alliance in all of New Eden, how did that come about?

Yeah that was a golden age. We had pilots in seemingly every corner of space and all I'd say the key ingredient to make that statistic come alive was our pilots out there flying frigates. At the core of everything 'fun' is a pilot out there in a frigate. I like to fly the heavier metal from time to time but I'm always drawn back to the frigate, it's my bread and butter and always will be.

Do you think you can recreate that with WU-TANK?

No.

What are the perks of flying with WU-TANK?

Perks? I don't know really. We have a full ship reimbursement policy where all costs are covered, terms and conditions apply. We have first class medical care and generous loot share schemes. Members of SKRMR can buy shares and become a shareholder, giving them a say in all matters going forward, terms and conditions apply. You get to be a part of a necromantic cult and you get to fly with a great bunch of people.

Where do you see WU-TANK in five years time?

If we remember to pay the bills I'd like to hope that we are doing exactly the same thing. Flying the same ships with the same style, the same swagger and ferocity, perhaps with a few more new faces and also with the return of some veterans. We'll still be here, that is for certain. 

End//