Intergalactic Summit

Good day, fellow capsuleers. Some of you may already know of me from infrequent posting in this forum, or discussions in the Summit and other venues, but for those who do not, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aelisha Montenagre, capsuleer and Intaki.

As a trader and manufacturer, I have had the pleasure of being able to travel much of the cluster, from the core empires out to the fringes of capsuleer null-sec. The people, cultures and practices I have encountered are many and varied, but it is no secret that I hold the State in high regard, to the point of having sought citizenship in the past. Unfortunately, due to my capsuleer status and rigorous control of citizenship applications, I do not have the honour of calling myself a citizen of the State, but continue to work to incorporate State values into the environment and culture of my corporation and work with my peers in MITG to pursue such at an alliance level. I retain my Federation citizenship as a result, supporting the Sociocrat party and maintaining a low but tolerable standing with the Federation.

What has this got to do with any of you, you might ask? Is this capsuleer just looking for an avenue to talk about herself?

Not at all. Until I received my final permit to undock, entering the world of a licensed capsule pilot, I had mostly considered myself happy with my lot as a Federation citizen, though as any Federation inhabitant can probably attest there were always doubts and tensions. Such is part of a democratic life, a constant struggle for one's views to be represented and taken seriously among the trillions of others.

It was my first forays into null-sec with Ekliptika, then IRON that brought me into contact with State loyal capsuleers, many of whom I grew to respect deeply. After several years of deliberation and discussion, my opinion of the State had changed from viewing it as a homogenous entity of corporate capitalism, to a rich, supportive collective of individuals with unparalleled purpose and drive. I consider this to be a critical formative moment in my life.

The point of this thread, is to open up discussion on the topic of being brought into another culture, as a capsuleer. The transition from baseline to immortal (in a fashion) is jarring in itself, but the exposure to other cultures is beyond even the most rigorous documentary work one may access via an Egone. I would dearly like to hear from others who felt a change of heart, who might have found a home away from home, or new home entirely, as a result of becoming a capsuleer.

So, are you someone who feels they shed more than just their mortality upon entering the capsule? Have you found a culture more suited to you? It matters not if it is among the CONCORD signatory nations, satellite nations, pirate organisations or even self-made capsuleer empires. If you have experienced a profound change in your cultural preferences and choice of residence, I urge you to discuss it in this thread.

Diana. You need to be born inside the state to be considered a citizen, it cannot be earned by 'outsiders'. Surely you know that?

As a born Caldari I never had troubles with citizenship myself. But I believe it is not hard to get a citizenship for those, who wish to fight and die for Caldari like Caldari.

You must be confused, Bryen, that's OUR homeworld that you blockaded, bombed and stole.

Maybe that kind of cognitive dissonance helps bring you back home.

I did that? Sheesh, must have gotten more drunk this weekend than I thought...

Guh. Sorry about that.

That's a bit of a stretch, to argue that University of Caille courses advocate "imposing" things on others. Advocating freedom is not the same thing as advocating the rampant imposition of it.

An interesting thread, Aelisha-haani.

Unfortunately for the purposes of this thread, I cannot say I have ever had the desire to adopt a culture other than what I grew up with. I live, eat, and breathe Caldari, and I always will. My situation is a bit of an odd one, though. I suppose one could say my family and myself resided in the State as "minimum wage" workers for a large planetary corporation on Abagawa IV. My parents had no real recollection of their ancestral heritage, and thus, naturally, we simply adopted the cultural values of the society we lived in - Caldari. When the opportunity arose for us to return back to the lands of our bloodline, the Minmatar Republic, we opted to stay in the Caldari State.

Also, should you ever need assistance with acquiring State citizenship, I would be glad to help. Each megacorp, more or less, has their own rules and processes for acquiring citizenship. It wouldn't be difficult to pull a few strings here and there, or at least point you in the right direction to acquire citizenship from the mega you feel most aligned with. Moitte.

I'm not judging anything, I'm just describing something that happened in my time as a student.

Thank you to those of you who have replied with your experiences. Less of the pointless back and forth over minor issues that are off-topic would be appreciated, however.

Korsavius, your offer is generous, but I am at present happy to maintain my current status as capsuleer freedoms pretty much make up for any perceived lack of status in a cluster that tends to lock our kind out of the political machinery by and large. However, I would enjoy a discussion about your experiences as a State born Minmatar, if you don't mind talking about it?

Mr Lyserius, it was interesting to read your perspective and your candidness was appreciated. In this age of open travel and the many berths our crews may find themselves, children of mixed birth are a growing portion of the cluster. Experiences such as yours are likely to grow over time, and it will be interesting to see the boundaries of gene and race adapt to this fact of life in an increasingly connected, turbulent cluster.