Intergalactic Summit

Yes. Unsuccessful. Still, we are able to contain their ships indefinetly - all it takes is around 5 ships and some time.

Willingly refusing to gather more information is short sighted. I'm happy to say that my vision is not impaired.

Yes, here it is. The hope was to prompt some, any sort of response based on the information that could be downloaded by them as I routinely sat there a couple of kilometers away from it. If I recall correct there were at least three of them, anchored close to Observatories, outside of their "protection" range.

I assumed with their level of technology they'd be able to download and run the digital contents if all the necessary software was provided. Some physical copies were stored in armored containers in case they'd like to dismantle the installation.

One curious incident happened on 23/03/YC117.

The "diplomatic shuttle" thing... may have been Caroline Grace and Khaprice, here.

Still, maybe we should just hold their ship for a day in one place and talk to it. I am almost positive they at least listen.

Alright let's try again.




Yes because warping in what I assume is their home turf with a whole fleet of known aggressors against their kind sure does sound like a great goddamn idea to convince them about a peaceful mission. Now I know you shouldn't be this stupid, so why even suggest this in the first place? Do you two think you're cute and clever?



If you don't know what it is for, why assume the worst? For all we know it might be the makings of the universes bestest microwave oven. We simply don't know.


A lot of you seem to think I'm naive or stupid, like I don't understand what kind of a threat they are. I know full well, having lost a ship and most of its crew unprovoked. It is exactly the reason why I want to seek a diplomatic solution, because an actual war against them would be nothing short of catastrophic.

Second of all, I never said anything of the sort that you can't play your wargames with them if you wish, I simply stated that they DO have a reason to react to us like they do, more than likely it is our fault, we should never completely forsake diplomacy in favour of war (especially against an enemy we know very little about) and that we should keep trying to communicate with them. That's literally all I said. I didn't say I want you to stop gathering intel - altough it would be nice if you don't doom us all in the process.

I will. However, I would appreciate not getting snide remarks and veiled insults thrown my way either.

Excuse me.
Little question:
What do you wish to achieve

It appears this discussion of doctrine has veered onto a discussion of the desirability or moral value of engaging the Vigilant Tyrannos in combat.

First, let me say this. The Arataka Research Consortium is not by design a war-fighting organization. Our purpose is in the name. That we have indeed engaged in defensive actions on behalf of the Amarr Empire, and that we penetrate Drifter Hive systems regularly, is a product of our unique positioning. We need to develop methods of defense and to understand the frankly remarkable technology the Drifters bring to bear. This is to say that while some of our associates and staff have deeply-held beliefs on the matter of the Vigilant Tyrannos, ARC is more an enemy by circumstance than by design.

Of course, were we in a position where the Drifters could safely be ignored as a benign presence in New Eden, then we would likely cease operating against the Hives. In the past, we’ve announced a temporary stay of operations when the Society implied that peace might be possible. Of course, the Society never elaborated, and the necessary preconditions for peace are considerable, so that is a discussion for another time.

Now, you might ask: what brought us to this point? Why do we consider the Drifters a threat and an aggressor? Aren’t we to blame?

I’ll try to address this from all possible angles.

In the first place, the Drifters appear to be staking claim on derelict equipment in all classes of known space. By establishing an exclusion zone around the Jove Observatories, the Drifters violate the sovereignty of all of the various Concord signatories. Were there diplomatic ties with the Drifter, this would be grounds for a diplomatic incident at the very least. Failing that, it would be grounds for a military response.

In the second place, the Drifters have in fact acted against infrastructure that was not simply the observatories. For a brief period after the deployment of the Entosis Link, we received reports of Drifters positioning themselves at gates in Amarr space and attempting to interdict the flow of Entosis Link-fit ships, or perhaps Antikythera Elements. Again, this constitutes an aggressive act.

In the third place, the Drifters have interfered with CRC equipment, per this news report and this broadcast. This, again, constitutes an aggressive act against Concord itself.

Lastly, after a certain point diplomatic overtures to an unresponsive, implacable foe become wasted energy. Even Concord’s intelligence analysts write in florid prose about the ruthlessness of the Drifter. As Jaret Victorian noted above, an effort to provide cultural touchstones as a means of communicating left him with a destroyed ship. One of the earliest losses was a diplomatic shuttle, which I point out is by definition unarmed. We are routinely asked if Zephyrs are able to observe Drifters without being destroyed, and must respond that Zephyrs are also summarily shot down. If you believe that we have not exhausted all conceivable options, then I entreat you to pursue those options as well. I’ll happily scout a path for you into a Hive system of your choosing, if necessary, even outside of our regular operations.

Certainly, we could keep trying, but in the meantime the Drifters have assassinated a head of state, waged war against one of the major powers of the cluster, and expanded their area of operations to core W-space systems.

While some are tempted to simply leave them alone, such inaction would amount to our using wishful thinking as a defense against future attacks and actions on the Drifters’ part, when the Drifters have already demonstrated the capability and the will to penetrate empire defenses when and where they please.

I, personally, would prefer to be prepared.

That said, I’ll now try to address several other small points.

On Mr. Biko’s question of attempting to secure sovereign space; unfortunately, the resources of ARC are limited. While we could attempt to blockade a hundred wormhole entrances and destroy Drifters as they emerge, it is beyond our ability. Similarly, attempting to secure the thousand or so widely-dispersed Jove observatories is well past the ability of very nearly every organization in the cluster. We prefer to take action against the logistical hub of the Hive, to which all their salvage operations lead.

On the matter of never knowing what will happen during the next test, well, certainly, it behooves us to periodically double-check. But if you’ve built a sufficient body of evidence or experience, to continue a constant effort despite failure becomes wasteful or even self-destructive.

To Teinhyr; I suspect part of the reaction to your posts here is because of Mr. Biko’s well-known propensity to recommend peace and diplomacy no matter the cost. While admirable in a way, some might consider it excessive. I remain of the view that to do anything other than to prepare for the eventuality of another Drifter invasion is to rely on wishful thinking as a defense against a known belligerent.

Also, speaking generally, I will take the liberty of apologizing for the sometimes brash statements of my compatriots; when one has been fighting the Drifters in various circumstances and for various reasons for the span of a year, it is easy to lose sight that to some others, the threat seems distant, perhaps even merely theoretical. Please understand that our strong words are because of the strong feelings we hold about this matter.

Actually, interestingly, we can harvest these directly from the Jove Observatories ourselves.

That said, certainly agreed that it isn't possible to completely whitewash our involvement.

We did fight an actual war with them and it was catastrophic. Millions of Amarr were killed defending the Throne Worlds.

Dogma and Phoenix efforts in the Defense of the Throne Worlds campaign showed that it didn't have to be catastrophic. In our final battles, there was no loss of life.

Our recent Hive penetration with ARC's Heavy Weasel doctrine showed that we can kill them in their hives with no loss of life.

I once said, in private, that I would choke the Drifter wormholes shut with bodies if that is what it took to defend Amarr. However, I am much happier--and eager--to choke their holes shut with Drifter wrecks. Which is what I intend to do. I am going to kill every Drifter I see and I am going to keep on killing them until they are all dead or so tired from being killed they leave us alone. I am going to murder those cloned bastards by the bushel. I don't go into Hives to teach them lessons in humanity. Drifters don't have humanity. They are an abomination before God, and that is why they have to be destroyed.

And now I can do that without losing anyone under my command. It's a great day.

Priano-haani, your talent for understatement is matched only by your organizational skills.

Thank you. This is the kind of dialogue we need, and cleared up most if not all questions I had on the matter.



I beg to differ, I feel that an actual war against the Drifters would be more like the TES Seraph scenario rather than isolated pockets of a few battleships popping up here and there. In fact, it seems, our best defence - not to detract the announcement of this very thread - still is that they only primarily appear in tiny expeditionary groups and not in formidable formations, which they have shown being capable of.