Intergalactic Summit

The Jovians gave the pod to the Caldari. Maybe they knew something we don't. The horror that keeps me up at night is the idea the Drifters are not the worst threat out there.

I don't think I'm going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I've thought this too, especially since it's probably something I would do with that much free time and power. Also, I agree that the Drifters are probably just the tip of a more frightening iceberg that may have 'slipped the Jovians' minds' so to speak.

From what I've seen--this is purely anecdotal--capsuleers do have a certain shall we say...affinity for the dangerous unknown that I've always believed is somehow tied to the psycho-genetic rubric for choosing capsuleers. I don't know if it's ever been explicitly connected in such a way, but it does make me wonder.

Can you imagine, though, how the Sleepers could see us (if they are even capable of seeing in that way)? Manned craft with power individually exceeding the strength of themselves, driven by greed and emotions...
I'm not sure if and how the Sleepers and Drifters cooperate, but what if we are the "why" for the Drifters' existence?

...What if, in our efforts to "defend" New Eden...we're actually marking ourselves as a threat that needs to be eliminated?

Edits: I mean...

Statements like this...make me wonder, if we are indeed not such a threat, if you know what I mean.

Keyword there I suppose is was, seeing as all nations have the capsule now. Fortunately, capsuleers from the State remain extremely capable operators. If the original intent was to establish a balance of power, the last few years of stalemated warfare have arguably shown that the capsule has created just such a balance.

Ah-- that's not really what I meant, Des.

I mean in the concrete, socio-political strategic sense.

From an ordinary standpoint of laws and nation states, the legal scheme that protects us is absurd.

We're not an accident. We were made.

Why?

I might have accepted my role in this world, but I still want to know.



With very great respect, my lord, I suspect you might revise that view for a possibly carnivorous horse.

Let's say someone gives you a gift horse, and it's really a lovely horse, except every day it eats someone. Every day, one person. Let's say your domain is large enough to sustain it easily; actually, the additional death toll kind of disappears against the background violence of the time and place.

But, every day, one person. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow; sometimes it's quiet, sometimes the screams can be heard for a click in every direction; sometimes it's some old beggar or a sluggish servant, sometimes it's a high official or little child, or even one of your relatives; sometimes there's blood and bones, sometimes there's nothing at all, or maybe a spot on the wall that looks like it had been vacuumed clean. It just eats somebody, one person, every day.

Faced with something like that, you might turn to the person who gave you this horse, and say, "Why would you give me such a thing?"

Now, supposing, for whatever reason, you keep this horse, and one day there's an invading army at your borders, and it's huge and well-armed, and you're looking at a desperate fight. And then your horse just goes down onto the battlefield and eats the invaders, every single one, and you think, well! So that's why I have this horse! ... And maybe that was enough to satisfy it for a while, even?

And then it eats one of your soldiers. Right there. And it keeps right on eating people. One per day.

Is that us? I don't know. But you might be really tempted to keep a horse like that, right?

If you did, you'd probably have a lot of questions, though.

Me, too.



That will be sad, then.

The Sleepers should know about dangerous defensive systems, though. Their drones aren't exactly unarmed.

Soldiers are dangerous. Warlords are more so.

If you want dangerous people to go away, it helps to talk to them, even if all you have to say is, "Go away."

This is kind of basic.

Could they have made this kind of mistake anyway? Or might something be stopping them from talking to us?

Maybe. If so, that's a little sad. I don't think we can stop for that maybe kind of remote possibility, though. With the "herding cats" factor of capsuleer politics, I doubt it's even possible for us to stop without CONCORD instituting a Sleeper Preservation Program and a ruthless enforcement scheme or something.

In the meantime, and in the absence of something clear ... they assassinated a head of state, Che. If they understand us at all, it would be a little hard for them to make a clearer statement on just what they think of diplomacy.

As i'm not a religious man of any standing and at best am a reasonable capsuleer, my thoughts on this are very very simple. You can wonder and examine your destiny and your purpose but....

The most astute of us will find the niche that we fit perfectly and fulfil it to our full potential. We may not be the best at everything but what we do we do well.
The most ignorant of us will strive beyond our capabilities and then push beyond even that. Doing well but never to the full potential and occasionally horrifically failing.
The worst are as are those who don't try at all. We coast along on the glory of others and hide from our own paths.

So always try to find your niche and then realise you are in it before you pass beyond.

I know the answer, but I'm not telling.








A song would be better............

Capsuleers are the last gasp of Jovian hubris and machinations. Their attempt to control us and observe us in an attempt to stave off their final hours, failed. Now, like they, said plans are all dust in the wind. Whatever the true reasons for Capsuleer origins, it's no longer in the hands of the parents. It is the time of the children. The why's of the past are no longer material.

It's a question, Aria, I've thought on. But not very much as it seems no matter what the correct answer may be it doesn't change much if at all. Origin and purpose lacking the creators is merely an echo of an opinion. I know you don't care for this answer as it isn't very fulfilling, but it is down to us to create meaning out of the current state of things.

Honestly I think the question is kind of irrelevant. It doesn't really matter what we were originally intended to do, what matters is what we do now with the power we have.

If I did have to pick a theory to follow it would be the Jovian balance, keeping the factions of New Eden locked in perpetual stalemate so they stay busy fighting each other rather than looking into what the Jovians consider their business alone sounds like the kind of twisted **** Jovians would do. Of course it remains to be seen how competent the SOCT is at maintaining that, if its true at all.