You know, if that's the case, I really wouldn't mind if our companies pull Shadowrun on them.
The government basically doesn't need to care about what happens unless something that the Companies can't afford to handle happens and the government takes control as it bails out. It'll be a bit messier, but it won't drain our resources and attention nearly as much. Might even be a good offering to get the conglomerates back on our side. Historically, thats exactly how all the European trading companies played out.
So... Economic Dependence -> Conglomerates wrestle influence from the Government -> (if) Shit happens -> Virmere takes control
As such, I believe we should set up our negotiations with these goals in mind:
- Plan A: Occupation, Direct Rule from Virmire
- Plan B: Vassalization, whole shebang with full military control and economic dependancy. Government change.
- Plan C: Technically independent, but with economic dependancy and with their military becoming suborned into ours. Have their officers trained in our military schools (American way of ensuring Coup supporters in Latin America). Government generally unchanged.
- Plan D: As with C, but economic dependancy delegated to Companies who will establish economic dominance more efficiently, but are not under direct control of our government
I'm unwilling to settle for simple Military subordination (March). Long-term compliance with Virmerean interests must be established, but actual Virmirean rule is negotiable.
Economic Dependence: Might not be an outright demand, but we can allow it to happen gradually by barring the Lystheni government from restricting our merchants, while also pushing our companies to also invest rather than exploit. Short term it'll prevent Lystheni economy from collapsing, medium term though is that our companies now hold much more influence over the Lystheni people, with the government disallowed from interfering.
As such:
-[]Demands
--[] Full disclosure of Lystheni history and society, including their origins and the nature of their animosity towards the Citadel (Lystheni forced to stop being cagey).
[MANDATORY]
--[] The resumption of trade, this time on Virmirean terms (resumed trade relations with an open market, economically subordinating the Lystheni to you and proving far more profitable than the previous, protectionist agreement).
[MANDATORY, Compromise negotiable, see Concessions]
--[] Full Lystheni commitment to the Rachni War effort (all Lystheni military assets placed under your command).
[MANDATORY]
--[] Full disclosure and surrender of the stations in Sikel in violation of the Virmire-Lystheni Border Treaty (get the artifacts and the stations on which they sit, along with experimental records).
[NEGOTIABLE]
--[] A network of your best observation posts throughout Lystheni space (become Big Sister).
[NEGOTIABLE]
-[] Leverage
--[] A continued complete trade embargo (what it says).
[THREATEN]
--[] The dissolution of the Virmire-Lystheni Border Treaty and a complete blockade of Lystheni space (claim the LBZ and put defense platforms in every system to make sure that nothing passes).
[THREATEN]
--[] War (make your implicit threat explicit).
[THREATEN]
-[] Concessions
--[] Economic support of Lystheni interests, i.e: companies pushed to reinvest part of their profits, Virmere guarantees economic security from crashes, but not economic independence.
[MAXIMUM COMPROMISE POSSIBLE]
--[] A commitment to maintaining the sovereignty of the Lystheni state as a priority of Virmirean foreign policy (guarantee the Lystheni's independence).
[DO NOT OFFER]
--[] Lystheni Education Support: Offer to support education of Lystheni in form of scholarships to Virmerean education institutions, keep the Lystheni people competitive
[PUSH FOR]
--[] A general withdrawal of military forces (stand down the 3rd RWF).
[NEGOTIABLE]
Basically, throw the kitchen sink at them, but at a minimum aim for an establishment of economic dependence, with long term in-roads to make sure that the best and brightest of Lystheni would be sympathetic to Virmere.
In exchange, we stop short of turning their nation into a surveilance state.
@PoptartProdigy , would a vote like this be acceptable?
).
