Rethinking my stance regarding Imperial slaves [Poll]

[Frank]

cant vote because they all take the notion that imperial slaves are bad.

imperial slaves are slaves in name only.... infact what they are are people who voluntarily sign up to get a protected standard of living, guaranteed employment so a fixed time, during which any debts will be paid off / or money sent to family - and at the end of it they get a clean slate, possibly with a new set of life skills to carry them forward.

So I say, trade in imperial slaves with a clean conscience, steer clear of "slaves" unless it is to rescue them from a cold hard death in space.****

of course an imp slave standard of life is going to be at the lower end of the scale, but if a person for what ever reason has gotten themselves into such a mess that they are facing homelessness/death and possible illegal slavery, then the imp slaves are the better alternative.

***taking my RP hat off for a minute, this is something FD need to fix, I want to be able to "rescue" these guys and then release to authorities on landing without facing a fine for smuggling.

My conscience is clear. Money is not the sole purpose of my existence in the galaxy, and I would rather have a good night's sleep than have a plush four-poster bed in which to lie awake at night. I do not trade in slaves.

*** I'll also remove my RPG hat. I wouldn't mind if we had to smuggle slaves to safety, just as long as it gave them a chance of a normal life. A railroad is something for which people have been asking on this forum for a very long time.

 

[Cynaqq]

Once, my normally Fed aligned CMDR alter ego was going through a rough patch. He was very depressed and needed some money quickly too because he had purchased his first conda and didn't exactly have the finances to furnish it fully to his liking.

This rough patch pushed him to an imperial system, he even bought a full haul of 436 slaves when he received the message that war broke out, and it would determine the fate of the system. It could very well fall into imperial hands if the war was lost (combat zone CG). Coming to his senses, he realized the gravity of what he was about to do, sold the slaves for a loss, took command of his trusty FAS and off to war it was. Feds won.

And this, my friends, is how CMDR Cynaqq turned from the brink of betrayal.

 

[_trent_]

Things my CMDR won't do:
Trade in slaves (inc Imperial)
Trade in lethal weapons.
Assasination missions
Kill civilian ships.

Things my CMDR will do:
Trade drugs
Smuggle illegal goods (except those listed above)
Kill wanted ships
Kill ships in CZs.

Because: Reasons.

If they ever bring in a second save (or I get a second account) my other CMDR may well have different standards.

 

[bigian12]

Welcome to the Dark side.

Spoiler

( Evil cackle )

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

, sold the slaves for a loss,

ahh but a real (wo)man would have set them free

(of which the only way you can do that is by abandoning them once docked).

you are still a slaver... just not a very good one

 

[Deleted member 115407]

Ah, now this I like... I recently had a similar discussion in another thread. An excerpt...

"For me this is most certainly a dystopian galaxy of suspicion, lies, and political controversy. You have tens of thousands of minor factions (some political, some commercial, some just want to watch the galaxy burn) encroaching on each others territory, starting wars with each other, ordering assassinations, requesting illicit blackbox pick-ups "...lost a contractor on his way to muck with a rival faction's interests, how embarrassing would it be if that black-box were found by the wrong people? We can't have that information showing up on the GalNet. Get somebody to find it and bring it back so we can destroy it."

I mean, sure, for some people on the ground it may be all peaches and rosebuds, but when the C&S Mining Corp pays me to do "sentry skimmer" missions against Labour of Pices, make no mistake, they are asking me to do violence against people and property in order to further their political/financial interests."

Link to the thread...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...the-Feds-want-me-to-donate-WHAT-(see-picture)

Elite: Dangerous, as it's currently designed, is all about perception and perspective -- it's an almost completely subjective game experience. Some folks go around trading and mining and making honest livings. Others leave humanity for the vastness of space, where morality almost ceases to exist. Some folks trade whatever comes their way, morals be-damned.

Others, like me, are perfectly willing to act as paid mercenaries and agents for the various conflicts and controversies flying around human space. Sure, I'll recover the blackbox for the failed strike mission you had targeted for Moon X. Sure, I'll hit that skimmer target on Moon Y. I mean, there are probably innocent miners working there, but we all choose sides now, don't we... Those "experimental chemicals" (i.e., chemical weapons) that have gone missing... yeah, I'll go get em for you.

In my opinion, how you get the best in-game experience is by my making the game fit your story, not the other way around....

• If Imperial Slaves are, indeed, indentured servants, then perhaps a common condition of their contract of servitude is to move in very neatly controlled, tracked groups, so that there is less likelihood of them skipping out on those contracts. All you are doing is providing sanctioned transport for them...
• Or, if it's OK with you, these people are just a commodity who have been yanked from their poorly defended homes, put into stasis pods, and are going to be quite surprised when they are woken up, wherever and for whatever purpose that may be.
• Or as the OP suggests in the linked thread, you could take a completely altruistic view -- helping to provide a path for asylum. An underground railroad, if you will.

Make the game fit your story, whatever that story may be.

I think a fifth option should be added to the poll, i.e. When faced with tough decisions, do as your moral compass dictates.

 

[Mikalus]

I am, and always have been against slavery in all its forms. Even in the original Elite, I only ever dealt in slaves after scooping the escape capsule of a pirate who was silly enough to attack me. Last year I went to Robigo after reading about how lucrative the missions there were, and was disappointed that nearly every mission was transporting slaves of one kind or another. I think I made about 4.5 million by delivering narcotics & weapons before I got fed up and did something else, because only slave missions were left.
I'm a Premium Beta kickstarter backer, been playing since way before the official release, with over 10 weeks in-game time.
I have a respectable fleet (Asp Explorer, Diamondback Explorer, Cobra Mk III, Cobra Mk IV, Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Viper Mk III, Viper Mk IV, Python, Keelback, T9) but it's nowhere near awesome, and I do get a wee bit peeved at all the n00bs strutting around in their Corvettes, Cutters, Anacondas etc. after playing for 2 weeks.
I just got back from DW after 6 months in the black and once I sell all my data, I'll be looking for something else to do for a while.
I hear lots of Imperial-slaver-scum types sayin things like "it's not like they're actual, real slaves: They chose to become Imperial slaves for a fixed-term contract rather than going to debtor's prison, right?"
But then, that's Imperial-slaver-scum talking. Can't trust 'em.

It's not just for the money. It's not just for the ships, it's not just for the trade rank (currently Entrepreneur)... You see, 2.2 is coming, and that means multi-crew, and I really want one of these for a co-pilot:

Spoiler

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ce/4d/22/ce4d22c260b1e6c0529a7733c0457bd6.jpg

Should my CMDR relax his moral standards and deal in Imperial slaves?

Whoops: typo. Option 2 should start "Partly", and I forgot to include the option "Do it for the co-pilot".

Embrace your dark side. Join the Archon and make lots of money trading all kinds of slaves Then have fun with your multi crew of pirates.

 

[Pumabear8]

You guys have a problem in transporting imperial slaves, on the other side you dont have a problem of being a mass murderer and killing thousands of ai ships, makes no sense.

I'd rather be dead than a slave, personal opinion.

 

[Deleted member 115407]

Embrace your dark side. Join the Archon and make lots of money trading all kinds of slaves Then have fun with your multi crew of pirates.

Sweet! Mikalus' tagline is exactly what I'm talking about. Remember, you're only the good-guy in your own eyes and the eyes of those who support you. In the eyes of others, you might very well be the biggest scumbag in the universe. Mikalus claims that he's fighting for freedom, but who's freedom, exactly, is he fighting for? The freedom of his people to live their lives independently? Does that run contrary to the freedom of whatever entity owns the land and/or space in which those people want to live? Does that entity have a freedom to own property that is safe from encroachment from Mikalus' folks and others like them? What about the right to impose legal sovereignty over people who do encroach on that property? If Mikalus conducts pirating raids against an entity who he considers "the bad guy", what do the seemingly innocent people who he is raiding think about that? And are they innocent? Maybe not so much in Mikalus' eyes.

It's not all black and white.

 

[Roger Roger]

What is the problem? They are just a commodity FD put into the game, why not trade them?

 

[Vandaahl]

Those slaves are slaves because they want to be slaves. What else do you need? They make a good profit and you don't have to feed or clean them. They are packed nicely in containers, and you can barely hear them, while flying cork screws... Get to work, I'd say.

 

[Cydramech]

What I don't like is the empire being technophobic. I like the idea of owning a slave or being able to take indentured servants, but not at the cost of less technological integration. It's in fact puzzling to see a "self-proclaimed" empire to be so technophobic in comparison to a "self-proclaimed" federation.

 

[Roybe]

I have always considered the Imperial Slave commodity to be a worker relocation program....the higher rewards were from the extra care we have to take to make sure these people are moved in a manner they have become accustomed to...low lights, soft music, the best of wines and foods, as well as proper entertainment. My crew loves to take care of these highly regarded Imperial Citizens.

 

[Howard o Pato]

ORDERS ARE ORDERS LORD!
the bad guy does not exist.
Freedom is being able to negotiate their servitude time someone more interesting than a Painal inanimate missions.
the currency has always had two sides, and will never see the side of the other.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

What I don't like is the empire being technophobic. I like the idea of owning a slave or being able to take indentured servants, but not at the cost of less technological integration. It's in fact puzzling to see a "self-proclaimed" empire to be so technophobic in comparison to a "self-proclaimed" federation.

maybe they use Egyptian technology. the most advanced of the time, based on slavery

 

[SMcA]

Should my CMDR relax his moral standards and deal in Imperial slaves?

You have answered your own question.
You think dealing in Imperial slaves is a relaxing of your standards. [yesnod] [yesnod] [yesnod]

 

[Becks]

Don't desert to the Imp scum. Help the Federation™ bring justice™, freedom™ and civilization™ into the galaxy(™)!
(Profits included/Megacorporations nonoptional/You have no right to resist against authorities if they should decide that your death is necessary for the great good™)

 

[HAL9OOO]

Imperial Slavery: Very low paid jobs for debtors to clear their obligations and society to have a means of labor and dealing with destitution. Not perfect but not as terrible as its made out to be perhaps.

Federal Slavery: Wage slave to a corporate scam, get in debt, stay in debt, work harder trying to repay, die poor. Also Solves the above issue with debt, labor and destitution.

Now if I had to choose what is the lesser of two evils I think I would go with option one

 

[cmdr_Havalok]

You just bring those "Slaves" to BlueSunCorp. We are running an Underground Railroad* and we will pay you good money to help us free these lost souls. I swears di is da truth on my Second Mother's 1st grave.


*Underground Railroad nightclub/brothel trademarked by BlueSun Corp.

 

[Bran Tse Mallory]

Everyone shows their true colours eventually... Sometimes it just takes the lure of cash that makes the week willed do immoral things...

Are you week? That's the real question

 

[Becks]

Everyone shows their true colours eventually... Sometimes it just takes the lure of cash that makes the week willed do immoral things...

Are you week? That's the real question

I'm not week willed! I'm month willed!