[X][BASE] Now directly neighboring your space with the exploitation of Tarramir, SO 31 is valuable, not merely for the outer-system gas giants suitable for drive discharges and easily accessible to incoming craft, not merely for the low-gravity inner-system planet ideal for ground-based shipyards for anything up to and including heavy cruisers, not merely for the fact that its crust is as hard as nature makes rock and is all but impervious to orbital bombardment -- it also serves as an iron-clad anchor for the SO 28 microcluster, which Virani has begun to finally exploit.
[X][FDO] While giving the FDO total authority over full colonies would be a horrid mangling of their mission, they have proven their talent at the colonist selection process, in their own operations and in your preparations to settle the prospect in Assilia. In addition to the above, also integrate the Office into the selection process for new colonies as a matter of course.
I would be in favor of making the FDO a cabinet level appointment. We can't do that because of mechanical constraints, I think, but it would still make sense for Virani to be in on a lot of our meetings.
The demand for reparations seems like a useful political cudgel more than anything else. We can negotiate it away in exchange for whatever foreign aid package the Citadel sends our way as thanks for our Rachni-fighting efforts ("we're building a wall of defensive platforms and the citadel is going to pay for it").
