Intergalactic Summit

This time around, we have Vitoc (especially the devastating, euphoric strains of the last two decades) and we have transcranial microcontrollers. There ain't gonna be another Rebellion — ever.

The use of transcranial microcontrollers as a means of control and subjugation is a horrible perversion of their intent. They are palliative devices to help the victims of stroke, aneurysm and brain injury recover and lead normal, productive lives. Alternatively, they can improve the lives and efforts of otherwise normally gifted individuals. Using them to crush the human spirit and enforce a contract from an unwilling subject is inhumane and cruel.

You in one moment force a TCMC upon the unwilling to enforce your will, and then in another curse Sansha's Nation as monsters for doing the exact same thing. Hypocrites and equivocators.

not to mention their utility in automated decision-making system, control circuitry, biomechanical hybrid computer systems... The legitimate uses for TCMCs far outweigh their abuses.

It's not a secret that once Caldari prime was retaken the Gallente started to be treated little different than what we were rescuing Caldari from and Heth's position in a fair portion of his speeches could be boiled down to "Everything's all the Gallente's fault" and he even threatened to fire a doomsday device at a Gallente population.

Again, I agree that the the liberation of Caldari Prime wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and we have now seen a resolution (in spite of, not because of Heth I might add), but you're fooling yourself if you don't realize that it was also used as a convenient excuse to start open hostilities against the Federation as much as it was about reclaiming our homeworld. The state did its fair share to escalate this conflict.

The rumors that Heth was/is a Dragonaur are not Gallente propaganda (even though I am sure they probably spent plenty of time trying to prove that fact so they could use it as such)
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Let me also pose a philosophical question for you.
Is the right thing done for the wrong reason still the right thing?

I wouldn't worry an awful lot about Nauplius. Most of us aren't entirely sure he's even a real Amarrian, as he's what we might think of as a parody. I'm starting to think this is a sort of capsuleer performance art. If he's actually an Amarrian and is telling the truth, I don't think any of us would mind if he died. At least we'd be able to have discussions about peace and war between the empires without immediately being sidetracked into slavery. That's half the reason I think he's some sort of agent; every single discussion he arrives in turns into a sidetrack about slavery in the most offensive way possible.

In any case, Vitoxin is becoming increasingly rare not just because there's an antidote, but because the Vitoc serum creates a chemical dependency. Junkies don't learn the Word very well, which is the entire point of slavery. Most of the Holders who were relying on it and slave collars ran out of slaves when the emancipation order came through. They had a tendency to breed them quickly and not worry about their education. So most were more than nine generations in and their servants had little incentive to stay.

This is actually the first time I've even heard of using a TCMC, and my reaction is similar to everyone else's. If it's ever used for the purposes of slave control, it's undermining the very reason it is supposed to exist, re-education. If our only goal with slaves is to keep them in check doing manual labor, and not for the eventual goal of release into society, we'd just be the same as jailers in every other corner of the cluster.

Amarrian holders are meant to be better than mere prison wardens.

Back on the subject at hand, it's a bit depressing to know how far Heth's legacy outlives his administration. I can understand the Caldari reluctance to have a single central authority figure after his reign, but in the end I think the Caldari should have a better reputation having overthrown him forcibly once he'd begun to defy the principles of his rule. It certainly took us longer to overthrow a far more vicious tyrant in our history, so the Caldari should be commended for having the presence of mind to do it when they did.

With that said, it might benefit the Gallente and Caldari even more to draw themselves a line through the stars and call a border a border, though the caveat is that there now needs to be a way for the Gallente and Caldari to co-exist on worlds they co-inhabit. The settlement on Caldari Prime is a fairly good way forward, I think. At least the Gallente and Caldari seem to be trying to disentangle themselves from the mess that the war made to their relations.

There's really no one winning in the warfare besides military corporations. At best, its made most of the CEWPA warzones economic deserts whose economies are literally carried on the import of missiles and scout drones. At worst, its hampering both sides' ability to cross-market goods and services. As much hatred as there is, I almost thought the sheer economic weight of it all would have been a good reason to stop the war effort. As much money as they're making selling bullets, it would pale in comparison to the sort of construction and business interests that would accompany peaceful settlement of the region.

I heard that True Slave Foundations is hiring. You should send them an application.

I owned a Valklear at one time. I had him fitted with a TCMC and used the vitoc method. He was a wonderful conversation piece, but I never felt completely safe around him and sold him.
Sometimes extreme measures are necessary.

It reflects poorly upon my character to speak ill of the dead, especially a former member of the Chief Executive Panel but I feel that to elevate Otro Gariushi to the level of esteem that you hold him suuolo is to do yourself a great disservice. A cursory datamine on Gariushi's history reveals a man who was most certainly not driven by humanitarian ideals.

The man's advocacy for peace cannot be attributed to that; instead we most look at the precarious position of Ishukone near the time of his death. He had, as he'd done several times in the past, lead Ishukone to the edge of bankruptcy and weakened their position within the Executive Panel. War with the Federation would have damaged both their balance-sheet and their political clout even further.

In addition to frequently bringing Ishukone near to ruination, on several occasions Otro Gariushi gave a way vital technological secrets to the Federation in hopes that it would increase Ishukone's sales on related products. This resulted in far reaching and long lasting affects on the State's strategic and economic position in return for very minor and temporary bumps in Ishukone profits. I would argue that if he had not given them these weapons, we'd not be in a state of war right now and indeed may have never faced the economic crisis that lead to the rise of Tibius Heth.

I cannot find fault with a CEO who takes ruthless and practical actions to increase the power and prestige of his or her corporation. It is the duty of an executive to take the hardline when required, to make the difficult moral choices and if need be to sacrifice his or her own honor and integrity for the good of the company. However, while Gariushi's can be described as ruthless and at times merciless...given the results of his choices I cannot see him an as especially practical or wise leader nor would would I define him as a competent financial manager.

Reppola-haan is a significantly superior Chief Executive as evidenced by Ishukone finally achieving stable financial growth. I suspect that if the events of Malkalen had not changed the course of Ishukone we'd either have only seven members of the CEP today or else his peers on Panel or his own directors would have invited Gariushi to tea and found a replacement.

Grayson-haan... With all due respect, I think you need to re-examine recent history. Ishukone's departure from a stable growth trajectory coincided with the Malkalen incident, and its return has coincided with the Intaki and Caldari Prime agreements and the dissolution of the CPD. Prior to the FNS Wandering Saint's suicide-ram, Ishukone stock was trading at a 20 year high and the corporation had posted steady profits every quarter since the eviction of Les Akkilen in YC100.

The esteemed Otro Gariushi-haan was nothing but a good thing for Ishukone both fiscally and culturally. Reppola-haan has likewise demonstrated his competence as CEO, with his own leadership style. I refuse to commit to a stance on whether I would prefer to have Gariushi-haan back - that is impossible, and an insult to Reppola-haan, whom I respect. There's a middle ground available, where we can cheer on the new chief while honouring the old.

I must have missed that memo.