THE FORMIDINE RIFT MYSTERY (Part 4)

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

In all of Reclamation, Dalk, and I guess Luko, where the only people I considered 'good guys (or gals)'

Dalk?
DALK?
If you consider megalomania and naked self-interest to be 'good' then I'm surprised you didn't put Salome in the 'good guys' team.

The only person in Reclamation who did ANYTHING altruistic was Hassan - and that brought him no end of trouble.

 

[Ozric]

The corp is like a linglang. Don't get between it and it's food and you will be fine.

Unless you are the food.

Everyone and everything is food to them

 

[Saool]

Dalk?
DALK?
If you consider megalomania and naked self-interest to be 'good' then I'm surprised you didn't put Salome in the 'good guys' team.

The only person in Reclamation who did ANYTHING altruistic was Hassan - and that brought him no end of trouble.

Reclamation spoilers

Spoiler

This is Hassan who willingly took part in piracy and murder?

Also most of the main cast were megalomaniacs. And I read Dalk as having the interests of the down trodden people at heart. He was sick of other powers just walzing in and oppressing people so decided to work within the system to try to topple them.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

…
The only person in Reclamation who did ANYTHING altruistic was Hassan - and that brought him no end of trouble.

The only person who I would considered "good" is that space-italian guy. He helped without demanding anything and constantly tried to talk some sense into that spoiled brat - not really successfully, but he tired.

A bit to much Han Solo as trader, but lets put that away as a nice nod to Star Wars.

 

[Matzov]

Surely no one is perfect. None of them have totally clean consciences. Sometimes people make mistakes, errors of judgments, do things they regret. Sometimes people do naughty things with the aim of a good end - history judges them.
Each of us decides who we see as 'good' or 'bad'. What we forgive, what actions we overlook.
As an example, I wrote a Uni paper looking at why Nelson Mandela was/is viewed as a heroic freedom fighter, and yet Winnie was/is viewed with far, far less reverence or forgiveness for her actions in pursuit of the abolishment of apartheid.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

The only person who I would considered "good" is that space-italian guy. He helped without demanding anything and constantly tried to talk some sense into that spoiled brat - not really successfully, but he tired.

A bit to much Han Solo as trader, but lets put that away as a nice nod to Star Wars.

Luko does a very good Han Solo impression for sure, but...

Spoiler

If you start to ask how he was conveniently on hand to rescue Salome and how he spent 20 years on a planet with nothing but religious nutjobs for company without going crazy himself, then you realize that it REALLY doesn't add up. Luko is not who he claims to be.

Reclamation spoilers

Spoiler

This is Hassan who willingly took part in piracy and murder?

Also most of the main cast were megalomaniacs. And I read Dalk as having the interests of the down trodden people at heart. He was sick of other powers just walzing in and oppressing people so decided to work within the system to try to topple them.

Reclamation spoilers

Spoiler

Yes, Hassan the idiot who got in over his head.
However if you make a list of the main characters in Reclamation:

Dalk
Luko
Octavia
Hassan
Salome

And ask yourself this question:

What would they do if, in the course of their criminal activities, they found themselves with an escape pod containing an amnesiac?

4 out of 5 of those are gonna space them.

 

[eadghe]

Luko does a very good Han Solo impression for sure, but...

Spoiler

If you start to ask how he was conveniently on hand to rescue Salome and how he spent 20 years on a planet with nothing but religious nutjobs for company without going crazy himself, then you realize that it REALLY doesn't add up. Luko is not who he claims to be.

I also think that Luko is the good guy in the story and I blame the fact that his character is a little bit too convenient to bad writing. I think Drew had not the time or liberty to build every character the way he wanted and I also don't think he would write a story with only a**h*** and idiots.

 

[Thatchinho]

My fellow commanders, I have been thinking.

We face before us a situation which may have drastic consequences for the galaxy.

I, like many of you trust none of the protagonists involved.

Salome may have something genuine to reveal, or she may not. Whether what she has to reveal is true or not, her intention to reveal it may be purely altruistic or it may be for her own personal machinations.

Even if there is a truth to reveal and Salome intends to do so out of altruism, has she shown herself to have the wisdom to be able to decide whether revealing it is truly for the greater good? Does she believe that a truth should be revealed no matter the cost? What if the cost is several trillion lives? Has she shown the regard for life to be trusted with a decision of such potential magnitude? And is it fair for her to face the burden of the decision and its consequences alone?

The Children of Raxxla, for all the calibre of individuals involved, appear to be committed blindly to Salome regardless of whether she is truly worthy of such devotion.

And what of the other players? The Empire, the Federation, the Alliance, the Pilots Federation. Are any of them trustworthy? Some may balk at my mention of the Pilots Federation, but is it not that very same Pilots Federation that blocks us, the Pilots, from travelling to areas where we know they have allowed access to other organisations and people?

And what of the other, far less public, forces which I, along with many of you, suspect are at play behind the scenes?

I ask you my fellow commanders, who can we trust in this situation?

I say the only people we can trust are ourselves.

I propose that the only reasonable course of action is for us to form a Council. A Council of Independent Commanders.

We will form a round table. And we will bring to the table Salome and representatives of all the other parties involved. And we will hear what they have to say. And together we will decide what shall happen. And together we shall bear the consequences.

What say you, my fellow commanders?

/rp off

 

[crushdepth]

Yeah ... I refused that mission and waited for one that better fit my own personal ethos. I've never carried a slave aboard any of my ships and I'm not about to start just because it's a shortcut.

The Feds asked me to steal clothing for a rank up mission. I told them that was the kind of behaviour I expected from drunken Alliance rock hermits.

 

[ungineer]

I thought I'd look into Fi(0) being phonetic of Phi, and 0 possibly meaning 'no planet'. The main star of Phi Eridani has no planet, but has 11 asteroid clusters. I tried exploring Clusters 10, 7, 5, and 3 for hidden beacons or asteroid bases recently added that might give more data when combined (SUM). Found no beacons or bases, but the Clusters are very sparsely populated.
They are brightly illuminated by the star. If you put the star to your back, its easy to count the individual asteroids. Hopefully I counted correctly.
Cluster 10 - 6 Asteroids
Cluster 7 - 10 Asteroids
Cluster 5 - 11 Asteroids
Cluster 3 - 5 Asteroids
The Sum of that doesn't tell me much either though.

 

[Baton]

What say you, my fellow commanders?

I do not know you and I don't trust strangers.

 

[Vacendak]

The Feds asked me to steal clothing for a rank up mission. I told them that was the kind of behaviour I expected from drunken Alliance rock hermits.

Feds asked me to murder a bunch of civilians on a transport ship. Told them to pound sand.

 

[Jaiotu]

Dalk?
DALK?
If you consider megalomania and naked self-interest to be 'good' then I'm surprised you didn't put Salome in the 'good guys' team.

The only person in Reclamation who did ANYTHING altruistic was Hassan - and that brought him no end of trouble.

I think that, at the core, what Dalk claimed to be working for was honorable. In the end though he was simply trying to grab power for himself. Returning Prism to the hands of the Reclamists is only a pretense for his own plans seize power. He had no intentions of letting the Reclamists succeed ... which is why he arranged for Kahina's survival.

His plan all along was to rule through Kahina as a puppet master.

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

My fellow commanders, I have been thinking.

We face before us a situation which may have drastic consequences for the galaxy.

I, like many of you trust none of the protagonists involved.

Salome may have something genuine to reveal, or she may not. Whether what she has to reveal is true or not, her intention to reveal it may be purely altruistic or it may be for her own personal machinations.

Even if there is a truth to reveal and Salome intends to do so out of altruism, has she shown herself to have the wisdom to be able to decide whether revealing it is truly for the greater good? Does she believe that a truth should be revealed no matter the cost? What if the cost is several trillion lives? Has she shown the regard for life to be trusted with a decision of such potential magnitude? And is it fair for her to face the burden of the decision and its consequences alone?

The Children of Raxxla, for all the calibre of individuals involved, appear to be committed blindly to Salome regardless of whether she is truly worthy of such devotion.

And what of the other players? The Empire, the Federation, the Alliance, the Pilots Federation. Are any of them trustworthy? Some may balk at my mention of the Pilots Federation, but is it not that very same Pilots Federation that blocks us, the Pilots, from travelling to areas where we know they have allowed access to other organisations and people?

And what of the other, far less public, forces which I, along with many of you, suspect are at play behind the scenes?

I ask you my fellow commanders, who can we trust in this situation?

I say the only people we can trust are ourselves.

I propose that the only reasonable course of action is for us to form a Council. A Council of Independent Commanders.

We will form a round table. And we will bring to the table Salome and representatives of all the other parties involved. And we will hear what they have to say. And together we will decide what shall happen. And together we shall bear the consequences.

What say you, my fellow commanders?

/rp off

+1

Just to pick up on a point....
Not all of the Children of Raxxla blindly trust Salome. I know there's a popular belief on here that she's some sort of cult leader with a flock of unthinking followers, but they couldn't be more wrong. From RP PoV my character has always held a deep mistrust of her, but has a bound loyalty to his fellow CoR pilots, and that means working alongside Salome, often reluctantly. He seeks vindication for past actions, and hopes Salome's ultimate 'worth' will be worth all the blood that's been shed, and still to be shed, on her behalf.

There are dozens of RP stories regarding individuals within CoR and how they perceive Salome. Some quite complex. Nothing is as black and white as its perceived to be where Salome and her associates are concerned.

But it's amusing actually, seeing how CoR are perceived by people who have no clue about the group.

I do agree with you on the Council idea. It's a good idea. I'm surprised it's never been discussed or set up before to be honest.

 

[ShadowWolf Kell]

+1

Just to pick up on a point....
Not all of the Children of Raxxla blindly trust Salome. I know there's a popular belief on here that she's some sort of cult leader with a flock of unthinking followers, but they couldn't be more wrong. From RP PoV my character has always held a deep mistrust of her, but has a bound loyalty to his fellow CoR pilots, and that means working alongside Salome, often reluctantly. He seeks vindication for past actions, and hopes Salome's ultimate 'worth' will be worth all the blood that's been shed, and still to be shed, on her behalf.

There are dozens of RP stories regarding individuals within CoR and how they perceive Salome. Some quite complex. Nothing is as black and white as its perceived to be where Salome and her associates are concerned.

But it's amusing actually, seeing how CoR are perceived by people who have no clue about the group.

I do agree with you on the Council idea. It's a good idea. I'm surprised it's never been discussed or set up before to be honest.

I'm not even involved with CoR or Salome directly. I just keep finding myself inadvertently mired in the conflict at various points of my pilot's career. Being Imperial, I'm often put in a position where I question what's happening in the galaxy. I'm sure a great many other people are in a similar situation. Elite Dangerous is is many things... but it is not black and white.

 

[lorrad]

+1

Just to pick up on a point....
Not all of the Children of Raxxla blindly trust Salome. I know there's a popular belief on here that she's some sort of cult leader with a flock of unthinking followers, but they couldn't be more wrong. From RP PoV my character has always held a deep mistrust of her, but has a bound loyalty to his fellow CoR pilots, and that means working alongside Salome, often reluctantly. He seeks vindication for past actions, and hopes Salome's ultimate 'worth' will be worth all the blood that's been shed, and still to be shed, on her behalf.

There are dozens of RP stories regarding individuals within CoR and how they perceive Salome. Some quite complex. Nothing is as black and white as its perceived to be where Salome and her associates are concerned.

But it's amusing actually, seeing how CoR are perceived by people who have no clue about the group.

I do agree with you on the Council idea. It's a good idea. I'm surprised it's never been discussed or set up before to be honest.

O pleeeezzze.

You just want to squeeze her for what she's got and toss her away like a dead dish rag when you're done just like the rest of us.

Hope she dies before telling anyone anything, it would serve us rights.

Just two more week of this waiting for godot bit.

run Kahina RUN!

 

[lunch_box]

I'm not even involved with CoR or Salome directly. I just keep finding myself inadvertently mired in the conflict at various points of my pilot's career. Being Imperial, I'm often put in a position where I question what's happening in the galaxy. I'm sure a great many other people are in a similar situation. Elite Dangerous is is many things... but it is not black and white.

ACK. Salome for sure has some colourful history. And as of now I'm supporting her because she is our best shot. In this galaxy there are no white-hats. And for Salome: At the moment she is not engaged in genocide. And 'the powers' (who are engaged in various atrocities right now) are wanting her dead. Therefore I'm picking her side.
And as a sidenote: She is an ingame-character. If there is any foul play going on, I have at least the remote chance to hold her responsible at point-blank range. Heh, I even got allied with the CoR-Minor faction, even if I don't share their ethos (and I did that by selling exploration data and ferrying tourists). So - for the event unfolding until the end of April i 'pledged' to Salome. I even registered on discord for that. And I'm even willing to interact with other Commanders. That's how serious I'm about that.

Yes, If my support of Salome means, that there are millions die: my CMDR Zett will hold himself responsible, and very likely perish. But If Im' to pick sides in this event, then the underdog side, the side which is hunted by hired guns. The persons who have been assaulted in the recent months. The side which was tried to be silenced by any means. I will for sure not support the cheap Patreus/Duval plot both came up with while they were engaged in some private action.
I couldn't support the Imperial or Federation side in this part of the Story because It would feel cheap. And dirty. SO dirty, no soap in the galaxy qould be able to wash the stink away.

 

[Jaiotu]

You just want to squeeze her for what she's got and toss her away like a dead dish rag when you're done just like the rest of us.

Kahina is a tool to be wielded. CoR knows this and allows themselves to be a weapon in Kahina's hands in exchange for the privilege of doing the same to her. Me? I need to keep her alive long enough to achieve my own goals. Once she's revealed everything she knows about Metadrive and Sirius Corp. she can be discarded ... I really don't care what happens to her at that point. Oh ... and if she can spread some light on the Formidine Rift that would be good too. Considering how long she's been running around the galaxy with this supposed "hidden knowledge" I doubt she really knows anything more than we've already learned.

 

[Ozric]

But it's amusing actually, seeing how CoR are perceived by people who have no clue about the group.

Terrorists

 

[Saool]

My fellow commanders, I have been thinking.

We face before us a situation which may have drastic consequences for the galaxy.

I, like many of you trust none of the protagonists involved.

Salome may have something genuine to reveal, or she may not. Whether what she has to reveal is true or not, her intention to reveal it may be purely altruistic or it may be for her own personal machinations.

Even if there is a truth to reveal and Salome intends to do so out of altruism, has she shown herself to have the wisdom to be able to decide whether revealing it is truly for the greater good? Does she believe that a truth should be revealed no matter the cost? What if the cost is several trillion lives? Has she shown the regard for life to be trusted with a decision of such potential magnitude? And is it fair for her to face the burden of the decision and its consequences alone?

The Children of Raxxla, for all the calibre of individuals involved, appear to be committed blindly to Salome regardless of whether she is truly worthy of such devotion.

And what of the other players? The Empire, the Federation, the Alliance, the Pilots Federation. Are any of them trustworthy? Some may balk at my mention of the Pilots Federation, but is it not that very same Pilots Federation that blocks us, the Pilots, from travelling to areas where we know they have allowed access to other organisations and people?

And what of the other, far less public, forces which I, along with many of you, suspect are at play behind the scenes?

I ask you my fellow commanders, who can we trust in this situation?

I say the only people we can trust are ourselves.

I propose that the only reasonable course of action is for us to form a Council. A Council of Independent Commanders.

We will form a round table. And we will bring to the table Salome and representatives of all the other parties involved. And we will hear what they have to say. And together we will decide what shall happen. And together we shall bear the consequences.

What say you, my fellow commanders?

/rp off

My question would be: what could such a council actually do, within the boundaries of the game? It would not have any more power to go to places or uncover anything, or change what is going on outside of the mechanics already in play. So beyond being a nice IC thing, I don't see how it would change anything.