Hello fellow capsuleers and those who have access to the IGS.
14 years… time certainly races by. Upon extending my capsuleer license recently I noticed that it has now been more than 14 years since I’ve become a capsuleer. I’ve spend some time thinking about how much impact the capsuleer program has had in those years. Both on our Universe in general and on me specificly.
During those 14 years I have seen the rise and change of capsuleers and their position. Those who have come before me and made it possible to have the capsuleer program from which I graduated. I thank you for all you have given up to make it possible. You are those who I consider to be generation zero.
I consider myself to be of the 1st generation of capsuleer. We had to find our own way with a very limited infrastructure to support us. We had to make do mostly with refitted non-capsuleer ships and we were little more than prestige items for the Empires whom we strongly felt connected to. I remember reading in the news of how a new record was set with a little over 2,400 capsuleers being active at the same time. How far our numbers have grown…
Slowly the Empires started to see our potential and the benefits of integrating us. This has led to the rise of what I consider to be the 2nd generation of capsuleers. These felt welcome and needed and much like most of the 1st generation, they worked to help their empires grow and prosper. It certainly wasn’t without strife as the increasing integration and new technologies to support capsuleers also gave birth to those who wanted to create empires of their own.
As we capsuleers were given more and more permissions and access, we head out and started to truely claim previously unclaimed and unregulated space. With this 3rd generation we slowly started to be allowed to drift away from the Empires. This has resulted in increadible advancements and a growing dependancy of the Empires on regulations to keep us in check and to try and keep up. It is at this time that a growing sence of independence has started to show.
With the advancements that have been made I believe we are now seeing a 4th generation of capsuleers. The Empires are now learning and adapting their military based on how we capsuleers are doing combat. And this is something that capsuleers have become aware of. They often feel superiour and can’t wait to build their own kingdom in which they rule. I find them often inpatient and unthankfull as they seem to forget how far our technology has grown and how barren it was for those of the 1st and 2nd generation.
As for me personally… I no longer introduce me as a Brutor first, Minmatar second and capsuleer 3rd. I now consider myself a Minmtar capsuleer 1st and Brutor 2nd.
I have seen many things happen that deeply worry me:
The outcome of the Elder invasion and following failure to integrade those brothers and sisters into the tribes;
The ongoing fighting over the regions in which we are fighting the pendulum wars. It is a massive waste of life and resources and I truelly wish for it to end as it only makes the Empires drift apart;
The rise of the sleepers and their military strenght;
But maybe I’m just feeling a bit of melancholy after looking back. Regardless, feel free to ask my any questions.
I wouldn’t dismiss it as a complete failure but definetly a huge challenge. There is centuries of bad blood and indoctrination involved - and at a very fundamental level, at that. It would be foolish to even think that something like this would be resolved in just a few years. No, it will take decades, possibly centuries or millennia even. Depends on how willing people are to set aside old grudges, but if world history has taught me anything, people usually aren’t willing. Certain groups of people still hold grudges that can be several centuries old, left from people that only exist in legends and fables today.
One could say, why worry about something you have no control over? But I can understand the worry. If they ever kick into actual war footing, it will be a fight that will require all of us to stand together. I wonder though, and what actually worries me more than the Drifters themselves, is that can we set aside our differences long enough to beat them back?
In my case, I find myself curious what your thoughts are on solutions to the things you mentioned as worries. There’s all manner of issues in New Eden and we all complain about them on a regular basis - well, those of us with a slightly functional moral and ethical compass - but there’s a dearth of solutions. Skipping the first one, as I simply don’t see the problem there. Integration of an already indoctrinated population into what is pretty much an alien culture and society is something that can only be done over a significant period of time, with all the troubles that’ll cause in the mean time as the price we pay for it. It’s frankly gone as well as can be expected.
The second one though is kind of interesting. What do you see as the solution to the Pendulum Pretense and how would you retain the positive effects it has - things like corralling the bloodthirsty psychopaths into a ‘safe’ area for them to indulge in, a pressure vent for genuine animosities etc - while getting rid of the pointless waste of resources and lives that it is?
The third one… eh, they don’t seem particularly menacing to me. Their ‘hives’ are raided on a regular basis and they haven’t shown themselves to pose any real threat so far. The toll they’ve taken so far is matched in total in a single day of a capsuleer war.
Some grudges are continuously and perpetually refreshed by them being persistently continued to this very moment.
I genuinely can’t think of such a situation at this point. I can’t imagine that’s much of a problem in that case, compared to the ones that do require effort right now.
'fraid not. There’s no “everyone’s as bad as I am really” excuse out there for any of us. When we abandon said compass, it’s entirely by our own choice and responsibility, and no one had the power to force that on us.
I never stated that it was a complete failure. However the sad truth is that what has happend to these brothers and sisters when they were moved from Amarr to Minmatar is very comparable to what happend when our ancestors got enslaved.
They have found themselves in a society that tells them that everything they’ve known is wrong and that they should change their ways. They even get attacked when they keep their faith as it’s one of the few things stil familiar to them.
Integration takes time, yes. But we failed to understand their situation and be understanding. That is were it failed terribly. At the same time, what have happend to those who were not moved or left behind or still are enslaved…
We saved a very important part yes. But not all…
With the way that the Minmatar leader and Amarr Empress have been seen to interact. I have good hope that they can find a way to lay the fundation of ending the Minmatar and Amarr hostilities.
The Gallente and Caldari one I find a lot more complex, but I certainly wish that that front can also be cooled now that Heth now longer rules.
Hate will only result in hate and a vicous cycle of unending violence is what the Empires are heading towards. And when so many has ben lost and destroyed… how could we defend ourselves from rising threats such as the Sansha with their Incursions and the Sleepers that are rising…
As for the sleepers. Their ‘hives’ might get raided on a regular basis. But that’s only the ones that are found or known. I still shiver when I look at the last footage send by Hilen Tukoss and the death of the previous Empress.
We should start put an end to these wars between the Empires. It has lasted for more than a century and for many years since we capsuleers arose. So it certainly can be done.
You think they’d ever release our people willingly, before they are thoroughly broken and spiritless husks only carrying around their Rite within? The former is a rather unlikely scenario and the latter is a completely unacceptable one.
The Sansha threat has been utterly neutered. Kuvakei, the daft moron, has decided for some reason that capsuleers are the target to aim for which means all he does is throw his meat into the grinder and the capsuleers are all too happy to oblige in return for obscene amounts of wealth. He and his ilk are frankly evidence of this cluster being stark raving mad, because in any reasonable world he and his kind would exist only as cartoonish villains on some holoshow for kids, twirling mustaches and somehow foiled by their own ineptness in time for the advertisements to start rolling.
As for the Drifters, much the same deal. Every time these “big scary threats” pop up, they’re scary for about a week and then capsuleers find ways to entirely neuter and destroy them with minimal effort and great profit margins. It’s frankly kind of pathetic.
Our period of peace was ended by the Day of Darkness. Since then, the assault on our people has been on-going and perpetual. Sansha? Drifters? The greatest threats to our cluster and our people are the Empires within them, and our people in particular face the worst one of them all. The Empire’s slavers and their stated intent to ‘Reclaim’ the entire cluster under their boot heels.
You want peace? There is only one guaranteed path to peace and that is surrender. The Empire believes this is a possibility, much because of spineless weaklings so willing to abandon our blood and our kin in their chains, those that would rather kneel than stand firm against such atrocity.
There’s basically three potential avenues for these hostilities to end:
1)They can release all of our people, allowing those who wish to remain within the Empire the status of full citzens.
2)They can eradicate us in their zeal to Reclaim all of humanity.
3)They can all die.
At this point, the clock on (1) is counting down. You want to end the hate? End the reason for it. Free the Matari. Get the rest of the Gallente off of Caldari Prime. The expansionist, occupier powers bear the responsibility for curbing their excesses.
Your concerns are valid. Usually, I’d pen a long diatribe on how it all points to systemic malfeasance on the part of CONCORD…
But this is a cause for celebration. I was still in the Royal Khanid Navy while you were blazing a new trail across the stars. We’ve all come a long way and we all still have so much to learn from the Capsuleers of the first and second generations.
Enjoy the prestige and honor for the tremendous work you’ve accomplished.
This has actually been done for a vast amount of slaves by Royal decree of the previous Empress. I believe that it in effect freed hundreds of thousands if not milions of slaves.
And what about the state of living? It is a sad truth, but many of those who live as slaves have a better standard of living compared to many of those who have been brought or born into Minmatar or Federation space.
Our Ray of Matar Midular cared not just for the success of us as a sovereign people but also in living standard of those whom we consider to be kin. That means looking forward and not just looking at the past to justify once anger or hatred.
So a droplet of the ocean. You really fell for that blatant attack on the Tribes? She didn’t ‘release’ Matari, she launched an invasion force of countless indoctrinated and unprepared zealots upon the Tribes in what is to this day one of the most brilliant acts of combined public relations ploy and resource sapping attack in known history. The broken and spiritless. For this, you praise them? For successfully breaking and twisting so many of our kin and then using them as weapons against us?
Fool.
Ah, so the countless abused, suffering and broken men, women and children out there are merely worthwhile prices to pay for the comfort of those who are not? We should allow our blood and kin to be enslaved and indoctrinated because it’s easier? We should look forwards to them becoming more weapons to be used against us?
When the day comes that this conflict finally comes to a head, it’ll be because of people like you and Arrendis that we will have been weakened and softened up for that blow. Looking forwards? Not with that blindfold on, you’re not. The future is grim looking indeed with such cowardice and appeasement being preached by the weak.
Those that were released from slavery certainly seem small if you compare it to the whole slave population. However it is something that has never happend before.
As for those that were freed, they were not send anywere. They chose to go to their brothers and sisters and their welcome certainly can be found wanting.
You seem to consider these brothers and sisters to not be our kin with what you just stated. You seem to consider and treat them as enemies. It saddens me to witness indoctrination that would seperate us Minmatar from eachother. Looking at past wrongs will not benefit us. Mind you I do not say they should ever be forgotten or forgiven but we do have to move on with it and not let it keep us from moving forward as a united people.
Calling me weak and a coward is one thing. To go as far as to suggest that a Ray of Matar is weak or a coward is taking it to far. It’s not a sign of weakness to not get stuck on the past and try to rise above it. It is a sign of great strenght. Especially because of all the criticism you will receive from your own kin.
She was an appeaser and a coward. It is not a matter about the past but about the very real present which you seem rather hellbent on ignoring. A present where they break and twist our kin on a daily basis to the point where they become enemies who would love nothing more than to see the rest fall to the same fate.
