I am but a Capsuleer. A nobody Capsuleer, from a small corporation, doing little of consequence to New Eden. But I see what may come, and you have too. We’ve all seen what’s coming: The Xordazh, a Triglavian ship of immense scale, greater than anything being fielded in open warfare today.
But it may not be coming for us. The one thing becoming clear to us all is exactly how little we understand about the Triglavians… how little they are able/willing to let us understand. So, here, I call you to action, Capsuleers of New Eden:
Reserve your judgements, but stand at the ready. It’s impossible to know what will occur when we finally see this colossus of a vessel, but we must act with restraint and conviction when it shows itself.
Get involved, Capsuleers. Follow the Semiosis interceptions. If you do not trust those who interpret them, feel free to make your own translations and interpretations. If you would amass a fleet, be certain of whom you’re willing to shoot at.
The day we see a Xordazh in New Eden will be the next turning point in its history. The way we conduct ourselves on that day will live in legend.
It’s not an invasion ‘till a shot is fired, Ms. Kim. I merely advise that we don’t take our shot until we know beyond reasonable doubt that they intend to shoot us… though I concede that we should have fleets prepared for that possibility.
Moving in machines of war into others territory without explicit approval is an invasion disregarding who makes first shot. A ship of that power might be enough to one-shot stations and wipe whole continents on the planets clean of life. Would you like to give them opportunity of first shot?
In the ancient times in Raata Empire honorable warriors would display the best skill if they will be able to draw a sword and decapitate an enemy so fast so they won’t be able even to touch handle of their sword.
If you can deal a first decapitating blow before they even start charging their weapons, show your Valor, overload your guns and unleash your fury! If you succeed, you will become a Hero, if you won’t - you will die as a Hero.
This is how Legends are born, not by staring at each other and shaking weapons threatingly.
Legends of war and valiant heroism, perhaps, but not legends of amicable peace. New Eden has far more of the former than the latter, I know… but is one, just one, too much to hope for? Can you bear to stave off your well-founded militant paranoia, Ms. Kim, for just a single chance at peace?
If a man should die as a hero, let him be an immortal fool who hoped for something better.
Capsuleers in the thousands regularly venture into their space and clean up the mess that is going on there with the drifters, drones and sleepers. Capsuleers help them all the time to advance whatever agenda they are advancing. And as thank you they receive their ships and weapons so that they can use and test them against other capsuleers and empire facilities, providing the trigs with valuable test data for free. I just hope all people who fly these ships get their brains fried beyond repair one day.
There are only Winners and Losers. Glorification of fit and mortification of unfit. Would you surrender to them to get an “amicable peace” on their terms or show them WHO will be dictating conditions of that peace?
I would lose a billion clones, a billion ships, and then more, before willingly surrendering to the Triglavians, or anyone else. You are wrong about peace, however… peace comes with victory because that’s when the gunfire stops. Peace can be found just as easily, without a winner or a loser, if the gunfire never begins.
Gunfire stops when you come to talk without guns. When you come with guns - the guns will speak for you. It’s a great misconception that if you bring guns to talk they won’t speak. They do, they may be even more alive than us.
Have you ever heard a legend about a perfect sword?
There are swords so sharp that can even cut spirits. But a smith can create only one in his lifetime, putting his whole soul into the weapon. All his crafted before weapons were only a way leading to this creation. And once he forges it, he won’t be able to craft even a simple sword, so great these weapons are. But for them to be alive they must drink blood, or they “die” and won’t be able to cut even thinniest armor. If you draw such a sword, you must spill blood. And if you can’t strike your opponent - you shall cut your own hand before sheathing the sword.
It might be just a fairytale, but it gives us a lesson: don’t show disrespect to weaponmakers by shaking their weapons in the air to threat someone instead of using them.
In this ignoble day and age, you shall find it a challenge to find a weapon so alive, but your parable has its merit. A weapon is a tool, but one worthy of respect, just like its maker… and its wielder. Tool and wielder work in tandem, however. One is useless without the other.
I agree, however, that even the thirstiest of blades, in loyal and skilled hands, will content itself with its wielder’s blood should the wielder wish for a day of peace. I am not afraid to feed my own blade, to carry on the metaphor, when I have the chance for a fellow swordsman to fight with me, and not against me.
Can you, or more importantly, The Triglavians, say the same?
… and then a goon sincerely begins to think they know enough to teach a commissioned officer about strategy …
But I don’t think it is really profitable if I will start explaining to a minmatar that starting the war is not about just trivial “who shot first”, especially when it involves direct invasion in your sovereign space with an army and combat ships.
I’ll just recommend you, that when you fall down your capsule head down first and hit it too much to lose ability for a reasoning, it is way better to visit a medbay (or at least your clone technicians) instead of posting your “suddenly genial ideas” you got from that on IGS.
Also, thinking about that, it sounds even MORE amusing when it comes from goons, who likely shoot anyone who are not “blue” to them if they trespass - not even THEIRS, but RENTED from CONCORD space where they live - without any warning and disregarding if they carry weapons or not.
Yes, we do shoot at people who trespass. However, trespassing is not an act of war. It is a matter of dispute, and it is a violation of sovereign territory, but it is not an act of war. We do not treat it as an act of war. We treat it as trespass, and we shoot trespassers.
That decision was made by the uppermost levels of our leadership. It is a standing order to our pilots. It is not a policy our pilots are empowered to decide on their own. Have the uppermost levels of State leadership decided to give a standing order to you to shoot trespassers? If so, why did you fail to shoot at the Drifter fleets that entered Semiki and opened fire on vessels legally transiting the system?
We also know roughly what those other capsuleers are capable of doing, and have made the decision to shoot at trespassers on the basis of that knowledge. Do you know everything the Triglavians are capable of doing?
If you open fire on a ship you cannot kill, and the response is to decide ‘the State will now be eliminated by exploding all of its stars’ you are not a hero of any stripe. You are a fool, and you are the person who got their people exterminated. Perhaps you should try addressing the actual substance of the statements, including providing evidence of your strategic-level capabilities?
Other than that, that post was filled with too many “brilliant” goon-grade ideas with every one of them being “so valuable” that it doesn’t deserve my time
Petty human conflicts aside… the Xordazh is still out there. We can reasonably conclude it’s headed to New Eden rather than Anoikis, and should plan for that scenario either way.
Accepting that fact, can we all agree that regardless of what happens when the Xordazh appears, regardless of what we actually do when they arrive, someone needs to be there to greet them?
