Intergalactic Summit

I suppose so, but only partially. You did say that capsuleers cannot change how things are, yet in nullsec that's exactly what we do on a regular basis. Things can change and they do very often, the map of nullsec say, three years ago is very different than it is now.

What I'm trying to get at is that I feel your second paragraph conflicts with your first one. Would you care to elaborate on this?

I'm going to ignore the rest because at this point you're just repeating assertions rather than supporting them. this at least is a philosophical point I can sink my teeth into.

What good are parts if not assembled into a machine? What good are ingredients if they don't result in a meal? A tower needs a top floor in order to BE a tower. How much value does a word have relative to the whole sentence?

While each component part may be important, interesting, useful or whatever, it's the structure they form overall that is actually worth a damn.

The relationship is symbiotic. you need the ground floor to hold the top floor where it is. you need the parts to make a machine. But if I pull an ordinary power conduit out of my ship then the ship itself contains spares, or my engineers can jury-rig a replacement, and the ship carries on flying. If I lost ALL my power conduits then I no longer have a functioning ship, it's true... but if I lose the ship, then all those conduits become useless by default. One is more important than the other, despite being composed of and dependent upon the other.

Collective need trumps individual need. That's heiian.

If this is what she is saying, then she would certainly be correct.

No 24th Crusader can bark on the doors of the Empress, no capsuleer has ever been allowed audience with Heth, no capsuleer has been able to defend Karin Midular (prior to her demise) and her envisioned Republic.

The matters voiced by our community via CSM to the Assembly dwell over affairs within capsuleer alliances, our warfare mechanics, and what goes on under the bulkheads of our fine ships. Never do our parties bring these squabbles forward, especially where attention is due over the state of our nations and the conflicts we're allowed to have voice in.

So... At the end of the day we play pawns in a constantly changing game that profits us more than any of the baseliners of faction warfare.

Any grander purpose falls on deaf ears. Your voice at the end of the day is powerless except in the audience of other capsuleers. While this you could argue is an element of power or difference, nothing you say or do will affect future moves/statements from any of the parties you claim to so defend.

Except for the occasional medal statement made to those who "win" their little game.

Nothing changes. No voice is heard, no difference is made, you all stand for or against eachother in different ways but all the same; powerless to change the face of any matter under CONCORD's jurisdiction.

Nothing (in present day) changes this reality. Rather than squabble further, you should turn your talking points into formal addresses to the actual figures to blame, co-signing where due and wish for answers from figures actually in power.

If you're auctioning to other capsuleers, I fail to see how you're impacting the four empires in the slightest.

In fact, if anything, you're expressing a lack of care for them in pursuit of your own wealth.

You clearly missed the point.

Were these parties capsuleers? Or were you speaking to "representatives" of the mega-corporations?

I'd still argue capsuleers did not orchestrate the deal with Ishukone, nor did we interact with representatives of Mordus Legion. Were there even Mordus vessels parked off the gates and locking down the system?

It feels like still, at the end of the day, we don't have a say.

Perhaps in time, such an act gives me hope that our actions carry some echo within the dealings of the four empires, despite how painful it is to watch presently from the sidelines (wanted so painfully to be more involved with Karin Midular prior to her death, enough to feel betrayed as times have changed and one takes into account how much they've been able to matter).

To see a claimed system do more than generate LP for parties involved would bring a small smile to the dark world that is presently my life, regardless of who stands to gain from it.

How many common Workers/Voters/Faithful/Tribesmen get an audience with the CEP/Senate/Empress/Sanmatar?
How many of those people affect the course of their nation with their day to day lives?
How many of them have a significant say in what happens and what gets done?

Not many, I'd wager.

How many of them can provide jobs for thousands of people by setting up a starbase or planetary colony?
How many of them can stimulate a local market by docking a multi-million ISK starship that needs fuel, supplies, maintenance, repairs, and loading/unloading?
How many of them can turn the tide of an occupational war by leading a fleet into battle at the right time?
How many of them can fight piracy gun-to-gun in the asteroid belts and deadspace pockets?

Not many, I'd wager.

We're not the right hand of any Head of State. We're not demigods, or the final solution to what needs to be done. We don't get to decide who's elected the next Federation President, or what Kaalakiota is going to invest in next. We don't get to whisper things to the ear of the Empress, or sit in the Tribal Council meetings.

But we are leaders and catalysts of industry and change.

We are far from powerless. I hope one day you can realize and be comfortable with the powers you have been given, and stop seeking those you do not need.

At this juncture, I would like to point out that you don't need to influence an entire empire to make a difference. My ministry is not, in even my extended lifetime, going to turn everyone in the cluster towards God. I would be lucky to even reach a handful of individuals. I may not be able to help all of the faithful. There have already been times where I have been too late, too slow, or not had the answers some sought. Acting on my own, I know for a fact that I will not change the entire universe.

Which doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

It isn't about making a universal difference. It's about making a small difference, sometimes a person at a time. In the grand scheme of things, it may be that this new line of work I've found myself in will grow into an even larger movement. I can't seem to bring myself to worry about that. All I know is that, even if I don't make a world of difference in the cluster, I'll make a difference to the few people I do get to help and save.

It might not be much, but it is my difference to make. Sometimes, we capsuleers forget that not being able to alter the events of governments does not mean our ability to do good and evil is not greatly magnified by how far we can travel and how much we can do. Our lives do matter, especially to those we touch.

It is something to keep in mind as we go about our business.

I fail to see what is so profound about having a love for Achuran shorthairs. They're quiet, intelligent and adorable creatures really. They also have such a pleasant method of purring when you provide them with the right amount of heavy petting.



I'd say once they've been reprocessed as Class 3 biological waste and into protein cubes, then they'd taste like protein cubes. Which is to say, taste not much like anything at all.