Intergalactic Summit

There are few enough Matari in the State that I'm not actually sure how it compares. I think Matari are just kind of lumped under the general "outsider/immigrant" heading. Actually, I think they'd blend in more easily than Amarr, especially any who still practice the Amarrian religion (which, like all foreign faiths, is outright banned except for Khanid Kingdom citizens, and even then must be kept private).

Being a half-breed is rough, though. The Caldari don't approve. The Achura don't approve. I'm a little surprised my predecessor was allowed to train as a capsuleer; I guess the qualities required are rare enough that they can't afford to turn up their noses at a qualified applicant.

I also have some reason to think her reason for doing so was to prove to her Achur family that she wasn't useless, to be something other than embarrassing proof of their inability to control their daughter.

(I'm half-Civire, the result of an unsanctioned pairing, if that wasn't clear.)

One other thing, though: pairings in the State are not based strictly on blood, but on appearance. I remember from somewhere that there actually used to be a whole lot more Caldari bloodlines, but that they kind of mostly got lost over time. Considering Caldari nostalgia for the Raata Empire, it seems possible that it's actually State policy to try to recreate them through selective pairings.

So-- since I seem to favor my mother's side in a bunch of ways, it's possible that if I lived on Achura under Caldari corporate rule I might get paired with a full-blooded Achur who happened to be on the pale side. The family of whoever it was would probably be horrified, though.

I'm tubeborn and I'm very proud of the fact, especially since my batch may be one of the last of the mass-produced tubeborn. According to the latest demographics report I read, we tubeborn form about 40% of the State's population - so we're not a true minority. In a society where traditional family roles are considered important in child-rearing and later life, there is some stigma, but I find that this tends to be compensated for by the feeling that tubeborn are genetically superior to naturally born Citizens.

Are we naturally superior? That's a question with an answer that comes in two halves. I have no allergies, no pre-dispositions to hereditary diseases and no little surprises hidden away in my biology. In that sense I am clearly superior to a natural-born person who submits to the Genetic Lottery that all naturally conceived children are heir to. On the other hand the gene-lines that I was formed from have a tendency to be good at certain types of tasks, and Suvee genengineered us specifically for orbital security, which involved further emphasis on certain qualities. I have good reflexes, I'm physically imposing, I thrive on pressure and am calm under stress.

So, the final answer is that I am superior when compared to a pool of candidates drawn from all walks of life, for this one particular role and perhaps other roles but also perhaps not for other roles - depending upon the qualities needed. Because of the fact that my vocational training commenced at age 5, the State was also able to start using me as a working cadet at age 15 - so I was qualified and productive earlier than someone who would only commence their vocational training as a teen.

The downside is that it isn't an exact science. There were a constant stream of washouts from my batch that weren't suited for Orbital Security forces and due to various factors. Most of those became productive in other disciplines (and some were more vital disciplines!) but they essentially lost many of the advantages that their genengineering gave them by entering fields that they weren't optimised for and hadn't trained for.

Tubing is a long-term investment that paid off when demand was predictable. Now that the State has grown beyond the point of being critically undermanned, that demand is no longer quite as predictable over the amount of time that Tubing requires - that's why it's fallen out of favour for mass-producing large batches of people, I think.

On the other hand, the fact that the State has evolved to accept some level of genetic manipulation as desirable is, I think, a positive development. Linked in with the focus on family and ancestors, it should allow for a general improvement of the Caldari races whilst not permitting sufficient experimentation to lead us down the path that the Jove took, in their folly.


Regarding natural breeding and bloodlines.


There can be a tendency, when listening to Diana Kim-haani, to believe that all of Caldari Society is as rules focused as the Navy that forms her background. It is not. When you hear Diana say something is 'absolutely forbidden' you should often mentally substitute 'frowned upon and may lead to social and professional consequences if pursued'. The State is often criticised for its lack of freedom, but I find that a State Citizen can do almost anything that isn't strictly illegal - provided they are willing to accept the consequences for their lack of heiian.

Said consequences can include being ostracised from social and professional peergroups, loss of employment opportunities, loss of discretionary benefits and funding. That sort of thing. None of this is official, but there is a strong sense that the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack. If you aren't acting as a good packmate, then why should the pack aid you? It is a covenant that you break at your own peril!

It is believed that The State prospers from maintaining the lines of Kivire and Deteas - and that it is the duty of Civire and Deteis Caldari to assist with this. For that reason marriages require the blessing of the company and MAY require genetic testing to ensure that the two parties are compatible. This is MORE likely to be observed the higher up the Company ladder that you travel - my wife and I had to submit to this ourselves.

This.

There is a tendency to believe that the State is governed by an iron-bound book of law, but we lost much of that during the evacuation of Caldari Prime. What replaced it was a survival-driven reliance on social norms and corporate contract.

In many cases, certain negotiated contracts have become so universal and so common as to be enforced as law in the conventional sense. Think of it this way: Caldari Basic Law was not necessarily established by the CEP by fiat, as the CEP isn't a traditional legislative body. Instead, the Megacorporations, in establishing State markets, negotiated contracts on standards of behavior to limit liability, and to establish rights and responsibilities in the public sphere. By signing these jointly-negotiated contracts (in a way, similar to international treaties), contract becomes a form of law, enforced by security and arbitration jointly by each Megacorporation's forces.

Of course, contract so often only really covers material damages and interests. In cases of more abstract interest, such as community welfare, there are no contractual obligations to contribute to charities, to volunteer for after-work projects, to gamble or compete with one's peers. After all, a contractual obligation defeats the purpose of having drive to be a productive citizen. In that place, social stigma is the key means of supporting the common welfare.

I don't think the State has an official position, for the same reason that the CEP isn't really a legislative body.

That said, I very much doubt the House of Records would record it...?

I don't know if it's part of Basic Law because it seems so silly to discuss as a legal matter, but I haven't bothered researching it. Certainly, there are some few who live abroad who choose alternative lifestyles, and they may be sufficiently merited that it's just sort of accepted as a flaw accompanying other greatness. But within the State proper, public behavior of that sort is so far from the norm that it's a quick path to being ostracized.

And that's about how it goes, I'd think? In Kim's view, "SEXUAL DEVIANTS MUST BE EXECUTED," but I think it's rather that strong social norms on what makes a productive citizen, combined with lack of legal recognition, tend to cause significant issues for those who wish to cut openly and publicly against the grain on a matter as foundational as family.

Mind, I tend to outspokenly Liberal views, so I really don't care what people do behind closed doors, and I do know several pilots who've engaged in same-sex relationships.

Personally, as a Practical view, I just stopped caring long ago.

It's not my place to comment on the personal life of someone I know nothing about outside of our professional spheres.

Hm. A bit more direct than I'd expect, but then that is SuVee for you.

I'd expect that it would end the careers of the assaulted as their proclivities are made public, and depending on their record the assaulted might be given one final chance to save face by rehabilitating. Mind, Ishukone can tend to being forgiving on these fronts, provided reeducation.

The one doing the assault would likely be charged with at least a misdemeanor. It's one thing to injure a disgraced coworker in a too-rough game of gravball; it's another to assault them without direct provocation.

Of course, I wasn't in security, so it might be that my views are idealistic.

I suppose this is to say that it's not necessarily viewed as criminal, just a disorder that might yet be corrected.

My comment was based on a pattern I noticed with other people I've been around

There's the old moral question: if a man steals bread to feed his starving family, is the crime as bad? Another, perhaps more Caldari one: A family is hoarding grain through a long, hard winter, and the community is starving. Is it wrong to raid their stores, or to exile them?

Well I guess that the whole justice is blind thing is more subjective for those crimes but for assault it is a little bit more objective but in my opinion who the victim is or what they do in private has nothing to do with anything if they were assaulted because of what they do behind closed doors.my point is that assault and stealing are different the former is more objective than the latter at least in my opinion.

Well I guess that is a main difference in our characters I would have made a stand even if I was taught to hate the victims I actually got in a similar situation when I saw a Caldari get assaulted and there were cameras recording the whole thing including me trying to help the Caldari and stop the attacker. I was told by the police that there was nothing they could do and if I pressed on I would likely be arrested by the Black Eagles but I still tried to help them I even got a petition to provide justice to the victims at a million signatures and eventually the perpetrator was prosecuted but on the day after the trial when I got home there was a group of black eagles who told me if I pulled anything like that they would kill me and the day I became a templar I left them a message telling them to go **** themselves.