That still doesn't say it's the fate of all those people, and a debt could be so large that it enslaves your family and children too. There should be some further lore clarifications. Which is to say, if Senator Torval keeps seeing slave revolts, perhaps she's actually not honorably treating her slaves? That would be an act of great dishonor. You could spin your thoughts on this any way you like. If slaves are contented, why would they revolt? What are their living conditions actually like? Senators are, after all, above the law.
Why side with Torval in a slave revolt? The cruisers are more valuable to kill
- Thread starter Jeeves
- Start date
Sometimes ideologies are far stronger than the call of credits.
Well my pilot sees the slaves as the dishonorable ones since they are revolting.
I don't think everyone loses their moral compass in video games, but it is a playground in which to plunge the depths of evil where there are no real life consequences for doing so. Thankfully there are plenty of people who play their own way. Everyone being Good or all Bad, or all Indifferent would make for a boring game. Rather we have every conceivable CMDR playing their role of choice which leads to conflict. Topics like slavery serve as a lightning rod for attention. It draws the Good & Bad into conflict. If I was closer to this event I'd be fighting alongside the slave revolt, but since I'm far enough away my indifference to the situation has taken over. Count me as indifferent due to distance on this one.
Thanks for that link. Would be good to have more if you remember them. If the only way to enter slavery as a slave is by having an unpaid and unpayable debt, it doesn't go as far as explaining why there are thousands and thousands of tons of slaves available all over the place I guess. Seems a bit strange that there's THAT many slaves for sale.
Estimates suggest that 35-40% of the Roman Empire's Italian population were slaves ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome#Demography - yes, it's Wikipedia, and YES it has THREE reliable sources), and the Empire is allegedly influenced by ancient Rome. The supply figures on the commodities market seem to support the huge numbers, but it's hard to believe that 4 out of every 10 people are so bad with their finances that they end up with unpayable debts. Maybe by the year 3301, Wonga are really really popular? This is the future so wouldn't they have a really advanced version of "Microsoft Money" they can use to plan their finances or something?
Anyway, what I'm getting at is that above board, that's what slavery is, but what about the real picture? If you listen to the Empire's news commentary, the Emperor is in great health, but other, more independent reports say he's close to death.
In any case, interesting thread.
My lifetime bounty is exactly zero, playing since gamma and I actually made most of my money from slave trading. As for playing a psychopath in game: No.
The way imperial slavery is depicted actually implies better conditions than todays sweat shop workers who are basically forced to do what they do through poverty and debt in order to feed their families. We don't call it slavery because it's such an ugly word, but technically it is.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “Today as always, men fall into two groups: slaves and free men. Whoever does not have two-thirds of his day for himself, is a slave, whatever he may be: a statesman, a businessman, an official, or a scholar.”
Actually, I don't have that amount of spare time, so according to that definition, I am a slave.
In ingame terms, I'd call the Feds hypocrites and the Imps honourable enough to call things by their name.
What are you talking about? I'm friendly with the empire and neutral to anyone else - not even a single hostile subfaction for me.
It isn't scary - it's a big, fat cow that can be taken out in a couple of minutes in a sidewinder - but let's see - if I'm in need of cash, I trade - one 12 minute trade run nets me 600 k Profit. I'd have to drive off 12 of them to break even - doubt I can do it in 12 minutes.
Money isn't the issue here anyway - I join the conflict zones due to loyalty to the empire - if I was focused on making money, I'd do something else (see above).
Yes
That's all entirely wrong - there is no reputation loss, the Duvals are in charge and - except for a few degenerates - endorse slavery and you're contradicting yourself by firstly arguing how harmless the battleship is and now stating that it's dangerous.
Last edited:
"Slavery and the Empire
Generally speaking, An Imperial citizen cannot be forced into slavery; instead they sell themselves into servitude, often as a way of bettering their situation – slave owners have a burden of care for slaves, including resolving issues the person brings with them.
Slaves also have a pretty good chance of regaining their freedom, often returning to free society in a better situation then when they left it.
Finally, slavery of this nature is not looked down upon; in a society where honour is all important, selling yourself into slavery - to clear a debt for example – would be seen as a noble act.
That’s not to say that it’s all sweetness and roses; no one in the Empire wants to be a slave and treatment can vary tremendously from owner to owner. But for the most part, slavery acts as somewhat as a safety net in a society that in many ways is extremely uncaring for an individual’s plight."
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7158
Generally speaking, An Imperial citizen cannot be forced into slavery; instead they sell themselves into servitude, often as a way of bettering their situation – slave owners have a burden of care for slaves, including resolving issues the person brings with them.
Slaves also have a pretty good chance of regaining their freedom, often returning to free society in a better situation then when they left it.
Finally, slavery of this nature is not looked down upon; in a society where honour is all important, selling yourself into slavery - to clear a debt for example – would be seen as a noble act.
That’s not to say that it’s all sweetness and roses; no one in the Empire wants to be a slave and treatment can vary tremendously from owner to owner. But for the most part, slavery acts as somewhat as a safety net in a society that in many ways is extremely uncaring for an individual’s plight."
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7158
Hahaha you're all defending slavery now
Just admit you think the Imperial Clipper is cool, guys.
Just admit you think the Imperial Clipper is cool, guys.
If you think it isn't... there's that corner... and here's this cone hat - now, take it and go spend some time staring at the corner.
I really don't care about the ideology of slavery/anti-slavery, indentured status, any of that rubbish.
The Empire are my allies, I am honoured in their society. When I'm in their space, they watch my back, they are loyal to me and they back that up with action.
A churlish Baron I'd be to sell them out for money....sounds Federalist to me....
The Empire are my allies, I am honoured in their society. When I'm in their space, they watch my back, they are loyal to me and they back that up with action.
A churlish Baron I'd be to sell them out for money....sounds Federalist to me....
People always revolt for the oddest reasons. Maybe someone stepped on a puppy.
Why are the ones who revolt always in the right? How do you know the revolt isn't by some slave leader who has formed them into some kind of cult?
daan2002
Banned
why a puppy why not a kitten ?!?!?
Why are all the people who sold themselves into Imperial Slavery, due to debt, trying to revolt?
I never claimed that the revolting ones were always in the right. But in this scenario, I just find it unlikely that someone who went into slavery over a matter of honor would suddenly change their mind and revolt for no reason. With how little information they give us, there's no way to know for sure, but I think we're given more reasons to believe that slaves aren't handled as wonderfully as the Imperium likes to claim, than we are to think that slaves in two different star systems suddenly decide to revolt because, uh, some slave leader formed them into some kind of cult, as you suggest. I doubt "slave leaders" have access to the sort of communication devices required to do such a thing. How do you make an entire planet into a cult? I think it's much easier to imagine a planet full of maltreated slaves, than a whole planet in the clutches of a cult.
That's what I'm asking. Why?
Last edited: