Intergalactic Summit

Yep right now it seems that CONCORD uses their nearly absolute power to get everything they want

I don't think it is correct to reference Mr. Raish as jaijii (though technically he is). There are more suitable ways to show disrespect...

Hm.

With all due respect to CONCORD and Mr. Raish, the Upwell Consortium is in no way beholden to surrender materials without compensation to the DED, and its major components are based outside of secure space. Admittedly, many Upwell members are indeed scattered among the empires, but the core leadership is likely inaccessible.

I would advise Mr. Raish to consider the carrot instead of the stick, and attempt a more conciliatory approach.

After all, if engaged properly, Upwell has already done CONCORD's work. Angrily denouncing them for having done this work and demanding the spoils is not a constructive approach to this situation.

As a supporter of the Society and one who has been acting as a retailer for Astrahus' created by Upwell; I find this announcement unsettling. I wonder if the corruption of CONCORD has rubbed off on Matshi Raish or if I should invest my funds elsewhere.

Hmmm... which is the larger threat?

Hmm, that's interesting. Regional differences, perhaps--where I grew up, Jaijii meant an honorable or well-respected foreigner. Here I was thinking I was giving Raish-jaijii his due respect. Gallentean occupants who deserved the slur we called tyuui.

Meteoric rise to power. Economic dominance in a fast growing field. Deployment of military assets against potential non-combatants. Surreptitious seizure of blueprints and construction materials pertaining to superweapons.

I don't see why the DED would have any interest in this matter. Not at all.

No it isn't.

Competition is the only important thing. Sontoso. War. The angry clash between steel and steel to sharpen them both. They fight, but they respect each other. They spar, but they are brother.

Money is a result of winning the competition. By making money the aim and not the reward, you rob yourself of your profit--not of currency, but of spirit. This is corruption: Upwell seems intent to sell its soul to us, for what? Money alone?

It's not that Upwell isn't "playing by the rules", it's that they seem to want to crush all competition. Of course CONCORD isn't maintaining the balance out of some selfless motivation for Upwell's own good--no, they're looking out for themselves. Can't let anybody get too powerful or the game breaks and they can't play any more. So what? That's the way it should be. Everybody looks out for themselves, yet recognizes when compromises must be made for everybody's benefit. In the long term, everybody wins, money is made, and we all become better.

Upwell should submit, the materials should be distributed among the empires fairly, as DED is supposed to, and if they are as strong a corporation as they seem to be, they will find another product or line of research and succeed there, all the stronger for it. Get-rich-quick-and-eke-out-the-competition schemes don't build strength and resilience.

Dont be daft, why should Upwell kneecap themselves just to satisfy some nebulous principle? If the others want the tech that badly then work out a licensing agreement for it and you know, offer what they think its going to be worth to them. Upwell made the effort and took the risks so they should get to have the rewards and if other people want a piece of the pie when they did nothing to earn it then they can pay for a seat at the table.

And yet its not for the good of the whole is it, its the empires wanting to retain an advantage over everyone else and CONCORD is nothing more than their puppet. How many billions of people on thousands of planets throughout the cluster live their entire lives never seeing any of the safety the empires claim to provide yet constantly being squeezed by them for everything they can produce. They expect us to fight the Sansha incursions, us to fight drifters, us to fight in their stupid little proxy war and they never do anything to deserve that kind of service from us.

They certainly don't deserve it from Upwell either.

Upwell are doing what is best for everyone by withholding what they have found I am sure. You are all right in thinking it is simple greed that motivates CONCORD.