Hopefully there is no war though. I do enough fighting already haha.

I don't see how CONCORD could clear a strike by the Empire that would mean the destruction and enslavement of the entire Republic. This is a one sided arguement, the Amarr have no grounds for invasion.

The empires (or associated entities, such as the Minmatar Elders) have been known to either circumvent or outright attack CONCORD when there are sufficient interests at stake.

Nation states, in dealing among themselves, exist in a state of anarchy. This is as true for interstellar empires as it would have been for a planetary nation. Complying with international law is more a matter of public relations and keeping on good terms with one's neighbors than of crime and punishment the way we normally think of it, and CONCORD is more mediator than police officer, where the empires are concerned.

Actually, this is pretty much the way capsuleers relate to one another, as well-- as mini nation states-- though in their case CONCORD is a little bit more of a force to be reckoned with.

How can anyone act as moderator in this situation though? They can't authorize "just a little bit" of inquisition. You are either for a tyrannical foreign power invading a populous and enslaving them, or you chose to stand with those who oppose it. This appeasement towards the Amarr to stop the escalation of conflict is just... Just... Total bullshit frankly! We should be laying down sanctions on the Empire, not aiding their conquest.

... Inquisition? I ... do not think this word means quite what you seem to think.

Leaving that aside, there are many ways to play a neutral role-- notably, standing back and observing. The Sisters of Eve will be sending medical craft and supplies to both sides, for example. Most capsuleers will similarly take no side, busying themselves with their private affairs.

CONCORD will probably keep the peace for as long as it can, then stand back, cluck its tongue disapprovingly, and try to drag all concerned to some kind of truce as soon as anything that vaguely resembles a stalemate appears.

The interesting question is what the State will do. The Caldari don't approve of conquerors, generally (they tend to be willing to conquer more than just our enemies), but the Amarr are allies, however much some might wish it were otherwise. At most, I suspect that the State will continue its simmering conflict against the Gallente, and only involve itself to mirror and counteract Federal involvement. That, of course, could lead to quite a conflagration if the pattern escalates.

True. But it's not jst a random practice battle or regulr merc battle. This is somthing different.

Is that not the word? I was led to believe that the term in context to the Amarr was in reference to some form of tribunal in charge of investigating, uprooting, and punishing those guilty of heresy in the name of their scriptures. I didn't mean it literally of course, I am sure any execution of heretics at the hands of the Amarr during a Reclamation would be a bit more extrajudicial than that. I am no holy man and as you can imagine given our career choice memories can sometimes become horribly disjointed, so I could be wrong. It matters little, I suppose I should be happy that I am not drooling from the mouth and uttering a word salad right now from my old implants.

Semantics aside, you know my opinions on the Empire Ryeon-haani. No use flogging a dead horse. Were it up to me, I would see the current Empire leveled, the Khanid placed in power, and the Amarr Empire made into a nice little puppet state for us Caldari.

Ironic, I know.

An important distinction that you seem to be missing is the one between "heretic" (offshoots of the Amarrian faith such as the Sani Sabik and EoM), which are likely to be killed where possible (they have, as I understand the logic goes, turned away from heaven's door once and cannot, therefore, gain entry)

Perhaps you see the Amarr as monstrous and our association with them as unconscionable, but you forget too soon and too easily. You have swallowed the individualists' bait, forgetting how fine and subtle the hook is, and they have dragged you to their side, jaalan. The Gallente are no more monsters than the Amarr, but their way of life is antithetical to ours, and they, unlike the Amarr, actively and presently seek our cultures' destruction.

You have been played.

You need to look at this from a tactician's view. War with the Federation is a stalemate lost in a quagmire of political intrigue. Clearly whatever we are doing just isn't working, so why do we keep insisting on throwing resources into the meatgrinder over an extended period of time when we can throw in a game-changer and end it now? In organizing to place the Khanid in power, we could talk down a war with the Matari that would bleed resources from our little marionette empire, leaving the Republic to their own devices. We could then redirect the attention of the Amarr into aiding in the war against the Federation directly.

It wouldn't be the first time a move on that scale has succeeded.

My beef with the Gallente extends only to retaking Caldari Prime and the annexation of certain Intaki planets.

Is that not what the Matari have done though? The cornerstone of the Minmatar was the denial of the Amarr god and the unification of enslaved peoples into one Republic. "Heretic" fits them perfectly. I am sure some Matari would wear that title proudly.

The reason why they have not been declared as such is simply a matter of politics and effciency. There are far too many of them to wipe out without the entire universe taking notice, and without the slave labor that drove the Amarr their society begins to erode. It would be much more convenient to call the invasion a Reclamation and feed off the spoils it provides in not killing off the enemy. They need the Minmatar. Even if the age of slavery is coming to an end, the Amarr will still need a working man's social caste that the Republic will fill beautifully.

Not that it really makes a difference how many people they try to enslave, because a war with the Republic would be an outright slaughter. If the Minmatar are threatened by an all-out invasion, they would enter a state of total war. Every man, woman and child would fight and organize against the Amarr in the name of the Republic that they had worked so hard to form. As you said, suuolo, for them it is truely better to die on their feet than live on their knees.

War with the Federation is a stalemate lost in a quagmire of political intrigue. Clearly whatever we are doing just isn't working, so why do we keep insisting on throwing resources into the meatgrinder over an extended period of time when we can throw in a game-changer and end it now? In organizing to place the Khanid in power, we could talk down a war with the Matari that would bleed resources from our little marionette empire, leaving the Republic to their own devices. We could then redirect the attention of the Amarr into aiding in the war against the Federation directly.

It wouldn't be the first time a move on that scale has succeeded.

What planets are you exactly speaking of? Your goals might conflict with the ones of Intaki Liberation Front.

No doubt there are economic considerations and such at play. You don't get to be a great power by being blindly idealistic. That said, I don't see much sign that the Amarr are exactly dependent on slave labor for all purposes. They use it, certainly, but theirs is not a society lacking underclasses or tradespeople.

Do the Matari strike you as being close to despair?

They are not going to back the State against the Empire, nor would they side with the Matari. Even if they did, the resulting power would be no puppet of ours, would have fewer qualms about hybridizing Amarrian technology with less antique forms, and would likely be back on its feet and seeking vengeance within a generation or two.

Lest we also forget, the State has the lowest population of any empire. The Amarr have the largest. We are not likely to be able to hold what we take.

Then again... A coup would only require paramilitary support. Possibly without the direct involvement of any Caldari Navy ships in the first place.

This is why I love our debates, you help me think things through. Granted, I probably will never be able to put these plans into motion on my own, but it is nice to have plans. Before these talks, I just wanted to float around the universe and observe politics from the frontlines. Now I feel like maybe I can make a change.

Always a pleasure.