A formal response to the Scope article is warranted.
In the first place, let me express my amusement and pleasure that Lina Ambre considers the Arataka Research Consortium’s work on Drifters controversial. It is our view that the Drifters are widely regarded as a potential threat to cluster stability, and have demonstrated a willingness to and a capability of assassinating state leaders. To that end, in our desire to understand their capabilities and monitor developments in known locations of Drifter infrastructure, ARC and other organizations routinely engage Drifter forces and recover material for study.
More importantly, the Arataka Research Consortium coordination group feels it is necessary to respond to the unnamed Directive Intelligence Agency source, and his or her concerns about dangers implicit in this technology.
We as sovereign capsuleers can’t and won’t surrender our autonomy, not least of which in a matter of public interest such as this. We will however take all necessary steps to ensure the security and safety of our operations, and invite CONCORD to provide advisers and observers to minimize the risks involved in this venture.
These steps will be undertaken immediately: we will establish a hot lab facility for use in this research. The research centers will be operated behind an air gap, with strict controls on equipment present within the research center to prevent bridging from within the information quarantine zone. Further measures are being researched and will be implemented immediately, and we may delay research as necessary to ensure adequate security against memetic or infowar attacks.
What’s more, given that the CDIA source indicates that infowar or memetic elements are a probable threat, we will ensure that priority is given to analysis of this data for signs of infomorph or neuromemetic content, and will invite suitable experts to advise on this avenue of research.
We have had to defend installations against the usual trawlers before, and done so successfully, so as usual the question will be one of how dedicated and well-funded our attackers are. Against a concerted attack from a major power, there’s little we can do without outside support.
I thought it would take you longer to get Mittens’ permission to say that. Oh, and were is that retribution you promised us? Shouldn’t you do that before you go after another organization?
“…the Agency job calls for capsuleers to enter “warzones” that appear to have been the scene of fighting between Drifters and parties unknown.”
So like, what parties?
Is it the Quatermaster’s associates or someone else?
This stinks. The Drifters aren’t going to appreciate a mob of Capsuleers traipsing all over their space and digging into their stuff. Last time they got really irked, they ganked the Empress.
The Quartermaster is secretly an Ardishapur supporter and wants the Drifters to assassinate the Empress again so there is a new Succession tournament :tinfoil:
Awww, busted. Gosh, you can’t donate to clandestine Empress assassination “research” without someone coming along and making it obvious, can you? Tsk tsk.
… and this is where I resignedly have to point out this is in fact a joke, isn’t it?
We still don’t know HOW exactly the empress died, nobody saw it, to me, it seem that everybody is considering the titan blowing up as her death, but we know that her capsule warped off.
Secondly, I would add that the agency is not exactly asking people to give their artefact to the quatermaster…
the exact title is to complete the warzone extraction
but at no moment you need to give it to the QM to complete the objective.
Lastly I would ask if anyone know who or/and how those zones were named like this?