Intergalactic Summit

And yet, we have not had any actual confrontations with each other. In fact, over the years, we've been very cooperative economically, socially, and even militarily.

The reason why the Golden Fleet didn't accompany Heth into Luminaire or Gallente special forces assisting the Elder fleet is because the Federation and Empire's foreign policy with each other can best be summed up as "Don't conflict with my interest, and I won't conflict with yours."

Admittedly, we both have expansionist ideals. Us Gallenteans want our culture to spread far and wide, and the Amarrians want everyone to follow their faith. However, this doesn't prevent coexistance. Both of our cultures and beliefs are often compatible with each other.

Then, there's the Mutually Assured Destruction bit. The reason the Amarrians didn't send a bunch of slave ships our way upon first contact was because we were the first nation they encountered that would be too costly, if impossible, to subjugate into slavery. At the end of the day, whether it looks like it or not, Gallenteans and Amarrians value human life. Gallenteans see life in a humanitarian way, whereas the Amarrians see life as a gift from God and should only be snuffed out in the most dire of circumstances.

The real problem we have with the Amarrians is slavery and reclaiming. Both of which are contradictory to our beliefs (and even to theirs in certain circumstances) and we simply cannot allow ourselves to associate with slavers. Human beings are worthy of independence, dignity, and respect. Slavery unjustly deprives someone of those things. Then there's that nasty reclaiming business. It's like being forced to sign a contract without knowing what's in it first. Reclaiming is an oppressive and destructive belief held by many Amarrians and needs to disappear before a serious alliance can be proposed. However the Empire is slowly but surely moving towards the lessening or even abolition of slavery and only the most conservative of Amarrians seem to really be fond of this reclaiming crap.

The Empire would be much better off adopting the Gallentean policy of expansion, cultural warfare. We typically show non-member states the benefits of what it means to be part of the Federation. We let them taste our exquisite food, listen to any genre of our vast repertoire of music and so on. We do the opposite of what the Amarrians do, we show them what's in the contract before they sign. There has never been any race or nation that was forced into the Federation. However I have to admit with some degree of sorrow that we have forced people to stay. It's very hard or even impossible to break from the Federation without violence erupting.

To sum things up, we both have proven to have the ability to cooperate and even collaborate with each other despite our differences and would likely be allies were it not for disagreements regarding slavery and reclaiming.

However, because we have an alliance with the Minmatar, I would not support becoming allies with the Amarr and most people in the Federation share this opinion. Unless the Minmatar go behind our backs and work with the Caldari, then I don't think we'll see a Gallente-Amarrian alliance.

You don't have to worry an awful lot about my involvement with the Caldari as a missionary or my loyalties, if it is any consolation. In all honesty, the Caldari are already our allies and don't precisely need their arms twisted to read available literature. I'll describe my Caldari operation, if you can call it that, if you'd like, but I do make sure I watch where I step wherever I go. Being a missionary in foreign space isn't as easy in jail or dodging legal hurdles to keep you out. In any case, I don't think that the community-based diocese I try to manage in Matari space would work in Caldari space. The approach in ministry changes from place to place and person to person. You can't reach everyone with one-size-fits-all teaching.

At the same time, the I.N.D. in my title doesn't mean I'm not subject to having my vestments withdrawn. Either way, this isn't a bad time to be an Amarrian. Even if I was tempted to leave the service of the Empire for one reason or another, I'm actually objectively pleased with the manner our Empire has largely conducted itself. It has maintained the Pax even when presented with the opportunity for gain in breaking it, has expanded our economic ties through the cluster, and the Empress' emancipation decree was not only something I welcomed, but something that made my work out here much easier. If I was going to suddenly bolt from the fold and go rogue, I certainly wouldn't do it now. I think we've much to be proud of lately, as Amarrians.

To the rest, if the Caldari have any qualms, don't. As Fred mentioned, we signed a peace deal with the Gallente once we met them and we have honored it. We honor our military alliance with the Caldari as well. Until the Elder Fleet's invasion broke the peace treaty we had signed with Midular, we were honoring the peace with the Republic. Even now, we honor the CEWPA and our limited role.

Even if we brought closer ties with the Gallente, as I very often promote, it wouldn't change our military alliance with the Caldari in the event that you are attacked en masse and call for aid. For better or worse, Amarrians are very often judged on being men and women of their stated word and their honor.

I do go to a Gallente tailor for my suits, though, and I would prefer if I didn't have to declare and pay tariffs on everything I buy in Gallente space. Just a convenience thing, really.

I believe I can explain this phenomenon. What someone would define as "Gallente" culture is really a conglomerate of all the various groups within our nation. We love to take in things from outside of the Federation and put a Gallentean twist to it. You'll find Caldari teashops with Gallentean nanites in the tea that accent the flavor and even offer medicinal qualities. Minmatar sports are competitive and aggressive, making them absolutely fantastic to watch and bring billions of isk into the economy a year. I'm sure you know the positive and negative things we've done to Amarrian Churches here.

On the topic of religion, it's something most Gallenteans find fascinating, despite the majority of us having no religious beliefs at all. Almost every Gallentean at least tries to dabble in a religion at one point. Of course, sometimes these religions are a lot less orthodox than they should be. A Gallentean practicing wayism is almost always going to butcher it and make it some hippie thing. You have people claiming to follow the Amarr faith yet can't even recite one line of scripture. Though there are positive sides. While still controversial and in many parts of the Federation, illegal, Sabik cultist often use synthetic or even donated blood for their rituals. They're still really creepy and gross, but to each his own. As long as they're not hurting anyone like "true" Sani Sabik then it's fine by me.



The real problem with slavery is that it isn't regulated well. For every Holder who works diligently to bring their slaves to redemption and cares deeply for them, there are ten others that use slaves like a Gallentean would use drones. Insignificant little workers who I can treat however I like and if one of them doesn't make it, so what? There's plenty more where that came from!

Slaves need to be treated like proper workers. Feel free to make them do labor, but don't work them to death, let them live comfortably while educating them on your beliefs, and hell, even pay them a little bit. This indentured servitude wouldn't be great, but it's still better than full slavery at least. Just make it mandatory for all Holders to treat their slaves well and use slavery for what the original purpose was intended to be.

On the topic of tech, we will certainly see a decline in slaves being used merely as a labor force as drones become more and more advanced and capable of doing a wide array of work. The Gallenteans don't even need to be the ones to do it, as the Empire has been investing more and more research and money into drone tech. Either to compete with us, alleviate their reliance of slaves, or both. Even Holders who wish to educate their slaves rather than whip them will have trouble. Even a slave who wants to become a full Amarrian would be a little reluctant to remain in servitude when so many others are being released.

Which leads to another subject that I feel needs to be addressed. Without slavery and violent reclaiming, will it be feasible or even possible for The Empire to convert the cluster?

We are at war now.

People seem to consistently want to believe that it's two separate wars even though this is blatantly untrue.

The Empire-State alliance is at war with the Federation-Republic alliance. One war, two fronts.

Oh good, some facts. I'm not surprised at the source being you, really, Father. Still, i think we can agree that a free trade agreement is a far cry from the "State crushing alliance" Marnian is daydreaming about.

In point of fact, I'd be perfectly happy to have free trade with Federal markets, provided there was oversight and enough compromise on both ends to make it a reasonably level field. Do I use Federal goods? Absolutely. If it's better, it gets my attention. CreoDron drones, Duvolle Labs weapons and body armor, among other things. Do I neglect what I find widely available in the State? Of course not. But frankly, with societies as starkly different as ours, anything closer than trade is a difficult prospect with voices calling loudly for intolerance on both ends. We are who we are. Anyone who can accept this and still come to the table is welcome.

Since we're on the subject of trade, our current economic upswing comes to mind... That will last as long as the drums of war are beating. Without some forethought, we'll be right back where we were at the beginning of YC110. You can't run markets as self contained loops for profit in any model that doesn't have outside movement of goods. Period. We tried. And that is why I support free trade. Not because of some soft spot for the Federation, but because it is a sound move for the State, and a means to exist, our way, without civilians left helpless in "cage match" wars being the losses on the balance sheet.

There, I don't think i can get much clearer on my core stance in the matter.

You've never been in the warzone, have you?

The Federal militias fight in both the Federation-State and the Amarr-Minmatar warzones. I myself was deploying with Pyre in the Federation-State warzone at the beginning of this month. Pyre and other Caldari militia organizations have also deployed to the Amarr-Minmatar warzone in the past.

Oh, and I am fired upon by the Federal Navy when I enter Federation space. So much for there being a 'non-aggression pact'.

Stop fooling yourself. Our navies are not engaging each other only because they are held back by CONCORD CEWPA policies. It is still a formal war, limited though it may be.

I do believe it is, though sometimes you might find even Amarrians to doubt the power of the faith. One thing we have going for us that you don't find elsewhere in the cluster is the depth of our collectivism. I suppose we simply see things differently. Slavery, you have to remember, didn't begin as a system to cut labor costs. It began as a humanitarian solution. We ended up winning a war and had a surrendered people on our hands. We weren't very well going to take the money and run, leaving them to fend for themselves with nothing, nor were we going to kill them (in the story that provides the account for this moment in history, both of those options were raised). In the end, the system of slavery was a way of integrating these prisoners of war into our society as citizens, if not in this generation but the next.

I'm not sure the intent was to keep slaves for eight or nine generations working in a mining colony with no education, but I think that sort of monstrous stereotype is a bit more common in media than practice. Still, that was really where the practice began. We thought it was the best we could do at the time. The point was that you didn't just leave people behind to suffer if you could help it. Life is precious and every single Amarrian is both the responsibility of, and is responsible for, the entire Empire. We recognize that our criminals are our fault and our responsibility to put to work and educate (I suppose forcibly, for full disclosure, they are sold into slavery). We recognize that it is a good cause to suffer and endure if it is for the better for one's family, one's lord, or one's Empire. It might simply be the de-emphasis on the importance of the self and the ever driving cultural pressure to live one's life "up the ladder" as it were.

I think that sort of thing is the future of the cluster simply because the Word isn't just a book of arbitrary rules, it's the compendium of the sum of Amarrian knowledge and very often helpful advice.

On the other hand, I wouldn't dare say that what comes in the future will be precisely what we have in the Empire now. Not only would that completely devalue what we could learn and adopt from other cultures that are good ideas, it would be the outright falsehood that the Amarr Empire is already perfect and cannot be improved. I'm actually somewhat interested in the Gallente democratic experiment, at least moreso than my peers, simply because it has such promise. The idea that everyone gets together and decides what works best is a great theory and agrees well with the Amarrian reliance on peer review. In fact, though I suppose candidates and votes are limited, we do select a leader by choosing the most worthy from a pool of candidates.

It isn't a far stretch, is what I'm saying. I think the larger problem with it is that it relies on knowledgeable and informed people making the decision, and freedoms in the Gallente Federation mean people are free to remain ignorant and uneducated while retaining their vote. Still, as we've discussed, it's worth keeping a system going that works well in theory but might need better regulation in practice. I'm at least interested to see if the kinks can ever be worked out of it.

The Amarr Empire does change, slowly, trying to make sure we don't absorb something that destabilizes society. We are mandated to, in fact, as not changing would be a tacit assertion that we are precisely what God wants us to be as a society. We obviously are not yet, or he would have approached us by now. We aren't close yet, but I think, if there is one thing in Amarrian society that could improve the life of anyone living anywhere, it's the Word. Whether you believe in our political models or our conquering (or peaceful) politics, I think the Scriptures provide valuable advice and knowledge that will surely form the basis of societies of the future.

I guess that's faith for you, but I like to teach the practical things. Discipline, charity, wisdom, and all the basics. I've always thought the core Amarrian approach to life and work is the sort of thing that pulls people out of the dredge of modern life and gives you a sense of purpose even in the small, seemingly insignificant parts of life.

We just need a bit of faith in our faith.

Apparently you have never heard of the Gallente-Amarr Free Trade Agreement?

Allow me to quote:

"Regardless of the negotiated restrictions, the agreement did serve as the foundation for a shaky peace between the two sides. It established a neutral border between the two sides which ships were allowed to enter unrestricted. While the two empires have never been friendly, they have also never entered into open warfare. With the first treaty signed, the Gallente appointed an official ambassador to the Empire, Yanou Lautere. The Empire sent several dignitaries of its own to the Federation, including a sizable missionary group to attempt a peaceful reclaiming. " (Emphasis mine)

I would like to finish by adding that this treaty had been in effect for over 140 years now. So I must express surprise that you have someone managed to remain unaware of it.

- These Skirmishes you speak of are Militia forces. They represent the Empire but are by no means taking direct orders from the Empire.

- We do indeed trade heavily with the Caldari. Quafe is even considered to be an honorary Megacorp. However, we do not have a free trade agreement. Once Heth took power and conflict and hostilities began again, trade restrictions were imposed heavily by the Caldari, while here in the Federation, the act of even trading with the State can be considered espionage.

The Free Trade Agreement we have with the Amarrians is not only a trade agreement, but a peace treaty, dictating that we shall never go to war along our shared border (at the very least). This has been honored without any issues by both sides for a long time.

Trade with the State and even our Republic allies is frequent and very successful. However, when the political scene gets messy, things slow down or even grind to a halt. That can't be said for the Amarrians.

- Oh trust me I'm fully aware of Gallente living in the State and Caldari living in the Federation. I am half Deteis afterall. However ever since Heth took power Caldari rarely show up in the Federation and Gallenteans who visit the State often find themselves being held in custody for half a day before they can enter the country again.

- There is more to what happened with Noir than we will ever know. His final horrifc act, be it an act of sudden madness or something in the works for many years, it didn't erase the century of progress he made for both our people.

- If the Amarr were truly as hostile or unfriendly with us as you believe, then why would they give him up? He knew our defense strategy and military doctrine inside and out. He knew codes to bypass security systems. He knew when patrol ships would have to change shift. Every possible weakness in our defense could of been revealed. If the Amarr were truly enemies of the Federation, they would of offered him political asylum in exchange for all his information. But they didn't. Not only did they give him up, but they let us launch a raid on an Amarrian Throne world in order to get him. Do you understand how significant that is? That would be like the Federation giving the Republic permission to attack say, Caille in order to get the assassin of Midular.

If it were in Amarrian interest to maintain an unfriendly or hostile attitude towards the Federation, they would have had plenty of opportunities to do so. And besides, most of what you said is honestly irrelevant to the topic. In order to prove that the Gallente and Amarr would never get along you...told me how the State and the Federation do? I don't see how anything you said, apart from the last point, disproves my historical fact about Amarr and Gallente relations

That is still an... infinite more past positive historical events between both of them than between the State and the "Republic".

Which is as far as I recall, zero, void. Which was my initial point, really.