Intergalactic Summit

Are you suggesting I am disloyal to the Tribes, Del Vikus? You'd do well to learn that we each serve in our own way.

The recent Tribal Council made them one and the same. Unification. I'm not so certain "Republic" is an accurate descriptor for this reborn government. But I do know which authority gave the EM-led fleet the order to engage in Colelie, and I'd certainly have called it Tribal before I'd have called it government, even if they are one and the same these days.

In fact, they are identical; weaseling apologists unable to grasp as much are why war criminals flourish to the present day. Well done, weaseling apologists! But after all that jurisdictional fairy tale blood nonsense, further evidence that you do not actually know what you are talking about is redundant.

On to the sublime:



and



Emphasis in the original oh dear Heavens it doesn't get better than that... all right, three of my Sebboi Plushies are better than that, but just barely. Tears of joy.

On to poor Witch Midular:

As James pointed out elsewhere more politely, in life, the Matari "civilization" reviled her for being a woman of peace. I believe bounties placed on her head by Tribalists have been mentioned, yes? Yes? "Unity!" Now, in death, you stupid savages have turned your people's greatest symbol of peace and cultural understanding into a lightning rod for ethnic hatred in... the Federation.

An entire lifetime's achievement overshadowed in a blink by a pack of obedient, order-following links in the chain of command.

Priceless!

House Sarum's preparations to invade the Republic now seem almost Divinely inspired. I do hope they don't play their hand too soon. There is also that boy Heth... a wild card, him. My apologies to the State in advance if our civilizations somehow end up sacrificing entire lifetimes of our respective symbols for peace and cultural understanding... well... we don't really have...

There it is. We can't be quite as stupid as the Matari have just been. Some comfort, there.

Pretty sure you can be, and in fact, routinely are.

Oh? Tell me little miss who put the "sham" in "shaman," what champion of peace and cultural outreach should the Empire sacrifice to pull even with your "civilization?" Poor Midular - born a religious leader among a people who more commonly measure spiritual depth by the ink splattered on their pretty little faces.

Is that so, doll?

Interesting. You mean that the higher top command was actually expecting independant capsuleers to obey blindly without much information ?

Ah, splendid! So let's see if I have the idiot perspective down correctly:

Little Ava Sweet Pea, "shaman" because she tells us so every five minutes.

Witch Midular, "secular politician?" Is that it, doll?

Right. So as I said, spiritual depth determined by ink splattered on pretty little faces. Oh, and a moron from... PIE. What is up with that, I wonder?

Facts are so terribly inconvenient when you're busy sketching ad hominem caricatures.

Midular was neither "secular" nor "religious", mostly because we Matari do not feel the need to make these distinctions in most circumstances. Our "religion" does not back us into a corner with dogmatism and the insane droolings of prophets. Our shamans -- of which Ava is an honoured member -- give us advice and guidance, but do not rule over us in the tyrannical way the citizens of the Empire seem to crave. The recently deceased Ray of Matar was a moderate in many ways, not the least of which was the spirituality of our people, an area of our life she respected but clearly did not feel the need to browbeat us with. It is this quality -- her respect and tolerance -- which we mourn most deeply now.

It is a wonder and a testament to her character that she did not turn to a more violent and zealous path. Having suffered in her youth as a slave to the Empire, she could have been forgiven for waving a fiery sword of religious hate. Instead, she turned to diplomacy and peace, and forged a legacy which history will no doubt show saved billions of lives.

I don't expect any of these realities to trouble you, however, Pilot Noh. I'm sure your mind is quite made up.

The message that one should rise above present circumstances and move beyond petty hatreds is a spiritual one, doll, and - incidentally - diametrically opposed to what the idiot Matari have just done to avenge Midular's assassination.

Did that go over your pretty little heads? Perhaps if you imagine "rise above move beyond" as a tattoo... in pretty little pictures? No? All right, why don't we substitute the word "execution" for "assassination?"

Do those with at least a meager historical perspective see any resemblances to past religious figures of significance *yet?*

I see. Fine. Imagine Midular played by Little Ava Sweet Pea, bouncing around the stage saying "I am the messiah, see, look at my tattoos!" I rather suspect that's how it will play out in a few hundred years, anyway...