Intergalactic Summit

Past time, I should say.

They called down the thunder -- now they should reap the whirlwind.

We can be sure of only one thing:

The loudest voices on these channels belong to those with the coldest guns.
Fear them the least.
I certainly do.

I have never claimed such a thing. In fact, the current situation is largely our fault, if you want to place blame. However, pointing fingers does little to solve the current crisis. To move forward one needs to sacrifice part of one's own self-interest to send a positive signal to one's enemy.

What positive gestures did you (or any other Minmatar 'freedom fighter') make? What answers have you given to the Amarr gestures of peace over the last generation. What counter-offers did the Republic make after Jamyl ordered the release of the 9th+ generation of slaves?

We have many Amarr loyalist here offering to assist in bringing to justice rogue Amarr slave traders. To help the Republic counter the threat so many here complain about. I see no supposed freedom fighter taking them up on that offer. We have Amarrians offer to return illegally captured slaves. I barely see Repbulic supporters respond to such initiatives. I certainly don't see any Republic supporter offering a similar friendly gesture in return.

I'm looking hard for any signs that the Republic our their capsuleer supporters are willing to move forward in peaceful relations, but I'm not seeing them. Amarrian gestures seem to be 'never enough' to them. It is really so hard for the Republic and their supporters to merely reciprocate peaceful offers? Know that if one side's peaceful offers are never returned, the war remains as the only feasible solution. If you don't want to talk until 'the very last slave has been freed', then what option remains except for violence?

If you continually have nothing to offer the moderates among the Amarr who wish peace, then they will have little choice but join the hardliners in war. That *is* political reality.

You can't be serious?! You want us to come crawling back to the Empire: 'Oh, you freed a few million slaves, I guess that makes up for seven hundred years of slavery, abuse and opression, yaaay!'?

You came to our home. You enslaved our entire race. And now, after seven hundred years under your leash, you expect us to forgive and forget?

You want peace? Release the Matari --all of them, right now, today -- and you might get our attention. Until that day, it's just more empty words.

I actually had just written a rather lengthy reply to Ms. Mithra, who rightly pointed out that my post was quite similar to an excuse along the lines of "look what you made me do" (I like her, even though I think she dislikes me). In that post, I was pointing out that both of our people need to start taking responsibility for our actions.

You are the first Amarrian I meet who does. Thank you.

And I fully agree that blame games are not useful. You will find myself having said repeatedly in the past that the "you started it!" game is useless - problems are not solved by figuring out who started it, but by finding out how to solve them.

Personally? I have worked towards peace while there was no war yet. I have argued repeatedly against starting the war. I have calmed people and tried to reassure them that the Empire is working from within to reform itself, and that it needs time to do so.

As the Republic? Let me see. From accepting slave trade in the Amarrian Empire under CONCORD regulations over concessions to allow Amarr corporations establish themselves within the Republic despite heavy suspicions that they are breaking regulations regarding slavery, to the banning of the Khumaak in diplomatic discussions with the Empire, multiple attempts at negotiating peace with the Ammatar, ignoring of many transgressions in good faith ... do you want a more extensive list? I'd need to compile one from older records.

Is there something that the Amarr particularly wanted the Republic to do that hasn't happened? I mean, something along the lines of "release our people"?


I'm afraid that your examples of Amarrian loyalists offering support in the Republic rings a bit hollow - we have a bit of a bad history with Amarrians here, you have to understand. For example, that one offer to help in the Republic that you refer to explains in his first post how he returned some of our people to their "appropriate holders" - you will understand that would rather not have such "help", all in all. (In general, I think the Amarr would help the Republic the most if you would simply stop trying to "help" us. Release our people - they don't need your "help" - and leave us alone. Thanks.)


The Empire?

They (grudgingly) recognized the Republic as a sovereign nation, released 15,000 slaves as a gesture of good will seven years ago and ... ?

Considering that the only thing the Republic ever really asked for beyond "leave us alone" was the release of our people, I'm not too impressed.

I'm afraid that gesture is a bit overshadowed by the Empire calling to reclaim the rest of the Minmatar.

Considering that the Empire already took our land and our souls, I'd consider that an even trade.

You offer us a hand -- after seven hundred years of slavery. Where was the hand when your people landed on our homeworld, so long ago? More to the point, where was it before Jamyl emancipated those slaves? If she hadn't come into power, would there have been any attempt at reconciliation?

You can extend as many 'hands' as you want, but when they're stained with seven hundred years of Matari blood and sweat, don't expect us to respond too readily.

*Rek appears in a short holovid taking place in his quarters. He wears a huge grin on his face; he is barely able to keep from laughing outright.*

The Lies of the Theology Council have been exposed!

*laughs*

But no, really. Where once Andreus and I disagreed on...just about everything...I find myself agreeing with his evidence and arguments.

The two situations certainly are mutually exclusive. You're either helping them or you're hindering them with such actions.

According to the information that is available to you, the latter seems to be the case.

This is the core of the problem, isn't it? The Empire and the Republic have tried for peace for a hundred years, and what we found was that the Empire talked peace, but lived war - the slave raids continued, our people were kept in captivity with no sign of change. And despite of all the talk about reforms within the Empire, they were rather quick to call for a new crusade to reclaim the free Minmatar.

With a history like that, how can we ever expect the Matari to trust the Empire again? To trust that they are changing, that they will do what they say this time around?

I am afraid - very afraid - of the consequences of not being able to do that again.

As I've quite clearly demonstrated, it did not. Calling Arkady a terrorist when it is in fact the Empire that's using terrorist tactics rings hollow in the ears of every moderately intelligent capsuleer and makes you look like an idiot (not, again, that you needed any help).



Numbers? What numbers? Do you have anything other than meaningless postulate to back that assertion up? Let me answer that for you - no, you don't.



I think, given the circumstances, such minor incursions are a ludicrously lenient reprisal for Imperially-sanctioned abduction of our citizenship.



Your help or your presence in our space are neither desireable nor neccessary, and as demonstrated before - evidence conveniently ignored by your selective blindness - the Empire is sanctioning these raids.



As previously demonstrated - and as flagrantly and desperately ignored by you - what we see are not rogue naval units, but fully-sanctioned taskforces.