Intergalactic Summit

1/19
I had a friendly debate with a good friend today over an issue near and dear to both our hearts. This was one circumstance where I missed the IGS as the issue is perfect for that venue. Both of us are abolitionist to the core but we differ greatly on the issue of abolitionists purchasing slaves to free them. I am against it; he is for it. I will try to represent his points as well as I can. He makes some valid points without convincing me of his position though.
Him (the other guy): Why don’t you guys buy slaves to set them free if you have the money to do so?
Ston (that’s me): DSTON forbids the purchase of slaves even to set them free because of the fundamental belief that it is always wrong to purchase a human being with money. People are not commodities. There are also issues that are related that make it a bad idea overall.
Him: Every life delivered from bondage is worth the price. Afterall, you guys basically bought 400000 slaves with two weeks of silence from the IGS. What’s the difference?
Ston: That is not the same. To make a sacrifice to receive former slaves into your care is something we do every day. It is different than a purchase and it does not treat the person as a market item. What if we bought every slave in the Galaxy? Would that end slavery? I think not. Slavers raid remote settlements for new slaves every day. It would not dry the market. In fact, as the price went up, slavers would be all the more eager to get more new slaves.
Him: Your argument is a double edged sword, Ston. Slavers are not gaining millions of new slaves by this means but relatively few. If every slave were bought and removed from the market, the price of slaves would be so high, that few could afford them. Those who could wouldn’t dream of dumping them into space at border crossings. The few remaining slaves would be so valuable, they certainly would not routinely be killed or abused for that matter.
Ston: Interesting speculation, but the fact remains that a human being is not an object for sale. If the Disciples bought slaves, those slaves would be a legal purchase. That just isn’t right.
Him: Fine, don’t buy slaves then, but remember, someone bought 400,000 slaves and then gave them to you. Do you have an issue with that?
Ston: We have an issue with slavery period. Every slave we rescue has been bought and sold who knows how many times. That ends with us. Never again should their dignity be so assaulted.
Him: I think on that we agree, but there are those who do not live in the philosophical ideal as you do. If people began to purchase slaves and gave them to you and to your Matriculation Centers, would you refuse them?
Ston: You know the answer to that. Of course not. But it remains that we will not ourselves buy slaves and that is quite appreciated by those in our Centers.
Him: I sure it is.
(This was pretty much the end of the discussion. I am sure I didn’t get it all verbatim, but I think I got close to the way it went. He feels just as passionate as I do against slavery. We just differ on this point.)

1/20
Rescued a group of former slaves, Slavers and hounds today. I need to make a trip to Korama. We have 14 slave traders at Center #1 that need to be taken to our detention facilities at HQ Korama. The 50 rescued former slaves are settling in and being introduced to the Elders, shown their new homes, orientated to the program, etc. Edaine says we’re neighbors now up in Egbinger. Apparently his new Corp HQ is in the same station as our office there.

I practically bit my lip off trying keep my mouth shut. My mistake was monitoring The Summit. Some fresh faced new Amarrian recruit was on there. My way of coping was to invite him (tongue and cheek) to join DSTON. The deception that slavery is somehow righteous and pleasing to God is so engrained in some. It is at these times, that one’s self-control is most challenged.

1/21
Rescued
1/22
Rescued a group this morning. I am reflecting again on the amazing stoicism of the Minmatar people in the face of death. They are brave, united, unselfish in their comfort of each other. They are teary or whiny. When rescued they are joyful, grateful, and undemanding. They are, noble. It makes me very proud to do what we are doing.

Others we rescue are not always so noble. That is another story.

1/23
Very odd rescue and an ensuing conversation came about today. A group of 20 freed slaves, a package of illegal drugs and several weapons were recovered from a jet can where we normally do the bulk of our rescues. I contacted the pilot. She claims that she was attacked and assumed that all was lost. Now she requests the return of the items we recovered. We will not return weapons as that would violate our pacifism. The drugs can be returned so long as we can do so at minimal risk of being caught by customs. The freed slaves are the big mystery. She claims that they requested transport but did not want anyone knowing where they were being brought. The Elders are trying to get the story from the passengers themselves. Hopefully we will know more today.

1/24
The 20 freed slaves that we rescued are not talking and have requested to be returned to the pilot for transport to their original location. This we will do for we have no reason to refuse their request. I have sent notice to the pilot to arrange a meeting to make the transfer. We will also return the illegal drugs that were in the jet can, but not the weapons.

1/25
Rescues continue on a daily basis. These will be reported on the IGS when we are back on next week. The transfer was made today of the freed slaves and drugs. We are wondering if Sansha has something to do with these people and their destination. Neither the pilot nor the people will tell us anything.

This is an appropriate thread to introduce Numenor Benevolent Holdings (NUVOS). The Disciples of Ston will be the first beneficiary of the corporation. Their account currently has 1.7 Million ISK. 10% of my mission earnings will go to support the Disciples and their continued good work in our cluster. I want to encourage capsuleer pilots to make me aware of worthy organizations that focus on abolition and humanitarian work.

I am proud to continue to be associate with the Disciples and hopefully become associated with other worthy groups.

DECEPTIVE IMPRESSIONS

Avatars can be so deceptive. In the rescue business, it is nearly impossible not to guess what will be in that jet can after looking at the avatar of the person to who it belongs. Today illustrated to me the constant deception of that practice. I came upon a can in a area of usual rescue activity. Looking up the pilot, I came to the conclusion that there were probably people on beard and maybe in need of serious help. WRONG, there only metal scraps. Now the avatar of the pilot looked like a really spooky Edaine Numenor. Sorry Edaine. This guy had white eyes and an empty ghost-like expression. Metal scraps...hmm.

I have also noted that the most innocent, beautiful, kind looking, gentle looking avatars have represented some of the most terrible things we have seen in the rescue business. One never really knows.

EMOTION, HUMAN EMOTION

Today, a human person, a daughter of lost parents, asked the Disciples to look for her parents among the thousands that we now serve in our centers. The daughter describes her mother using her own eye color and her father using his favorite food. How do you not weep? How do you not cling to hope that you can answer, "we have found them and they are well?" I forgot to ask the person if they wanted their name shared, so that is why I haven't said who's parents we are looking for.

It really hit me, when I expanded her portrait to get a good look at her eyes so that we would know what to look for in her mother. It was those eyes, that said, "My childhood was taken away by slavers. I want it back." That is what puts a lump in my chest.

We will search hard. We will look into many eyes to see what we hope for.

What feels more important now, more than ever? Individual rescues even of the smallest number. While our Centers are growing in numbers beyond what we ever thought, I sense that the individual in danger, in the face of death, is still the heart of Sankofa, the heart of DSTON. The single life is as sacred as thousands. As we find ourselves dealing with larger numbers, I find that the individual rescued gives even greater significance to the thousands. I didn't have time to do this today, but I did it anyway. I got out of the pod and visited with the people I rescued. One of the people rescued was a beautiful Vherokior woman named Iliullan. I told her, "I think you are beautiful." She smiled.

Edaine tells me that our numbers will be growing in about a week's time. We must prepare, but we must also continue to rescue the one or the two.

SEARCH FOR CAPSULEER'S PARENTS CONTINUES

A request by a capsuleer pilot to make a search for her parents among our Matriculant population continues. We face many challnges in this endeavor. Even if they are among the Center populations, we have no idea if they would have been kept together in slavery. Is one alive and not the other? Have both perished? Do they have the same names? Also, many of our residents have adopted a very private and quiet life. While some are very active and involved in community, others are not. Putting the information out publicly is no guarentee that the right people will receive the message.

How does one make a decision when to stop searching? When is hope a good motivator? When is false hope sustaining futility? I do not have the answers to these questions.

As I have been meditating and practicing my singing staff, I've been thinking about the people I need to thank recently:

Ston: for working his tail off going between patrol and working setting up the new Centers, I feel a little guilty as I have been up here working on my singing staff while you are hard at work mining the ship.

Edaine: What can I say? I appreciate your passion for what you believe is right and your willingness to pursue it. Thanks NUVOS and the new member of that corp Kentt Em'aseph. (Did I spell it right?) Ston says the first group of 150,000+ arrived in Fahruni today with more on the way in the next several days. P.s. Thanks Silas Vitalia for getting Edaine to think in bigger numbers. Thanks Pilot Tovil Hadras for liberating a small city's worth of lives. We all got inspired.

Ms. Adrelana: for letting me be a part of Amy's voluval and all the experiences leading up to it. This has been a remarkable time. I can't wait for the actual rite. I hope my marginal singing staff skills don't ruin it.

Verin: for taking good care of Amy and for answering all my questions. I am so glad you came along.

The Elders here in Eldulf. For showing so much grace, to one person at a time, and so generously.

I'm sure there is more, but that'll do for now.

DELUSIONS OF POWER

One of the most effective ways to limit the power of individuals is to feed their delusions of it.

Enter Sansha Kuvakei.

Would Sansha give the capsuleer the actual power to open wormholes at will? No, I doubt that very much. however, he does fuel the delusion through the clever ruse of feeding the capsuleer loyalist a tasty carrot now and then. I have heard Nation loyalist capsuleers make many a claim of their ability to do such things that Sansha himself has done on occasion, but I have seen no evidence that it can actually be done, only talk.

The capsuleer among humans is perhaps the most susceptible to delusions of power making him or her also the most susceptible to manipulation by those who truly possess power. Indeed, while Sansha himself possesses technology to utilize potential wormholes and to manipulate their opening where conditions favor it, the universe still holds that phenomenon in check. How much less does the capsuleer have any reign on such phenomena other than what is allowed by nature and those who understand nature.

Sansha is just an example of the kind of manipulation common among capsuleers. Tell someone that they are a Demi-God; convince them to believe it; give them sufficient resources to feed the delusion. What do you have? A very pliable source to move and bend in ways they will not even begin to see.

You do realize that we know your area of operations for slave rescue, and that this move will not stop us from preventing you doing your work. A few days of observation will reveal your subcontractors, and we are more than willing to violate CONCORD law to put them on the Path.

It might work better to engage in more reasonable negotiations of the demands I set before you.

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Dr. Tahrmal Nalthkh. I am Provost and Professor of Behavioral Psychology at the Disciples of Ston Academic Learning Center in Korama.

The DSTON Development Office recently appointed me as Chief Executive Officer and Administrator of DSTON.

All official contacts with the Disciples of Ston will be through EVE mail and addressed to Dr. Tahrmal Nalthkh.

Do not attempt FTL coms. I have neither the time nor inclination to "chat" with you.

The IGS forum is not where official communications should take place. I have neither time nor inclination to "play in the IGS sandbox" with you.

These forums will be monitored from time to time to enforce our stated policies regarding thread creation and activity reporting.

All current and future management decisions for DSTON will be through the DSTON Development Office

Sincerely,

Dr. Tahrmal Nalthkh
Disciples of Ston