[Politics] Na’Hesit Politician Found Dead

Na’Hesit Politician Barok Hak-kar Found Dead

Cross-Posted from Confederate News Broadcasting

Erszbat, Kite’s Nest - Pro-slavery worlds within the batarian Confederation are accusing their anti-slavery opponents, the Ub’Hesit, of overlooking crimes against known supporters of the practice following the brutal murder of yet another politician on the Confederate world of Erszbat.

One of the few members of the former government to survive the Reaper War, Barok Hak-kar was the leader of the small but vocal Na’Hesit faction on the Erszbat council. Unlike other pro-slavery survivors, he refused to flee Erszbat after the war, insisting that “…the voice of tradition must be heard, else the batarian people lose themselves entirely.”

He was found badly beaten in his study earlier this week, the announcement of his death delayed only by problems confirming the identity of the body. Law enforcement on Erszbat reports no suspects and no leads, the politician’s home having burnt to the ground shortly after the body’s removal. Hak-kar joins the long list of politicians that have met grisly ends in the Confederation since the fall of the Hegemony, and will not be afforded a state funeral for security reasons.

And people doubted me when I said that releasing uneducated slave-castes was a recipe for instability.

4Eyes: No, justice is slaughtering anyone who steps on your rights and freedoms. Ours got stepped on and look what happened.

Steel: Well, considerin' I still got a death sentence on my head, yeah, that actually does seem to be about the way it goes. Ain't my fault you ain't caught me yet, is it?

Hope you're smart enough to not be on Ersz. Bins ain't usually keen on talking if they get wind that you're pro-slavery at all. Well, they'll 'talk,' but just tell you how they're gonna beat the living shit out've you and burn down everything you've got. Up to you to decide if they're bluffin' or not. Also, with the whole 'they'll be less legit because of this!' thing, Bins don't care. Look somewhere else if you want Ubs that might talk philosophy and long-term shit with you.


Well, if by release you mean 'masters were turned into Reaper goop' or 'ripped masters to pieces,' then yeah, I'd say your point stands. I'd say there wasn't shit the Nases could do about after the war, 'specially when Balak didn't start slobberin' over them when he came back with the fleet like they probably figured he would.

A sad day for followers of the Order. May his Soul pass swiftly through Urakh


This is what I don't understand about the rest of the galaxy. Slavery, to everyone opposes it, is about the loss of rights, of freedom. That's hardly the case. A law-abiding slave has all right to be properly treated, to be given food and shelter - they are still part of the Order, still a member of the People, still have a place in the Castes. They can, even under the old government (and especially now, under the Ascendancy, at least, on Khar'Shan) file petitions with caste elders who are authorized to complain to the owner if there is gross negligence, just like any other member of any other caste who feels there is severe, unnecessary mistreatment. We are hardly a lawless culture.

One of the Names - you might understand it as a 'Pillar' - is Honour. Under this, there are codes of ethics, and one of the key Principles is Duty. Every member of every Caste has a Duty to Protect their Lessers from harm and mistreatment. A man might spit at a member of the slave caste on the street, but such an act can be challenged - it's Honourless of the man who spit upon the slave, and insulting to the man or woman for whom the slave works for.

Perhaps you are confusing our treatment of our slaves with our treatment of our Casteless and Aliens?

I find slavery immoral because it's a loss of free will. I think the idea of 'owning' another sentient being is fucked up.

But to be honest I don't know much about how you treat your batarian slaves. What i do know is that Alliance colonies were raided for slaves. I've seen what's happened to those colonies, I've fought against those attacks (and it's fucking awful to know you have to retreat and leave those poor souls). So we are going to have a skewed idea of your...belief system when our own are forcibly taken and mistreated because someone wants to own another sentient being.

A loss of free will? I don't understand - they have free will, as much as you or I do. Yes, we own our slaves...but it is hardly a loss of free will. They can still make life decisions, provided they follow the proper structure, and live to the expectations that bind us all with Tradition.

A comparison (and I apologize, what I know of humans is what I Learn on the extranet):

A soldier in the Alliance signs a contract to give service to his or her commander. He or she is provided with food and shelter, a system of rules and regulations that must be followed, or else face legal consequences. Your commanders may change depending on where you are needed and what your skill-set is, regardless of whether you will it or not. Some give their entire lives to this service, for others, this is temporary.

Likewise, a slave is born into their 'contract', as every batarian - from noble to merchant to slave - is born into theirs. He or she is provided with food and shelter, a system of rules and regulations that must be followed, or else face legal consequences. Owners may change due to economic status and the slave's valuable skills, regardless whether the slave wills it or not. This will last their entire lives for many, but some have managed to rise higher in the caste system.

...I am sorry for your experiences with my race. Truly, I am - but one of the many joys of the Hegemony's fall is that the rest of the galaxy, and especially the Humans - can See what our people are really like. The batarian people used to be a Council race, once, with all the Respect and Honour given to such status by other races, before Corruption sundered us. The pirates, the slavers, the Terminus rabble that your kind have encountered since your First Contact? They were Casteless, criminals and exiles, for the most part.

The average batarian hasn't the faintest idea why anyone would want an alien slave.

The difference (in my mind) is that I chose to sign that contract. I wasn't born into the military. I had to make the decision to bind myself in that way. And while I'm in service I'm also getting paid, and when the contract's up, I can choose to leave. Staying is my own choice.

A slave doesn't have the choice of who they work for or whether to be a slave in the first place. The majority of slaves will never be able to change their lives. And I'm not sure you can tell me that all slaves are happy with their lot or obey because they choose to.

Now obviously I'm a product of my culture which outlawed slavery (it's seen as exploitation. It usually is, at least in human society, and is therefore considered immoral) and my experiences with these...Casteless, as you call them. If most batarians don't want alien slaves though, where did the demand come from?

And that is something I find fascinating - if incredibly Disorganized - about other cultures. By that definition of 'freedom', every batarian is 'oppressed'. The merchant was born a merchant, the nobles born into nobility, and priestesses - like myself - were born to be priestesses. Of course, there are always acceptable flows between the Castes, and it is possible to change one's status, but, for the majority of our lives, will we be who were born to be.


Batarian slaves are still part of a Caste. Casteless, by definition, have no Caste, and are thus lesser than slaves. The only thing lesser than a Casteless is an alien that lacks the Eyes of the Soul.

Beautifully said Ta'heri Chana, our people is lucky to have someone like you to remember our customs.

I do disagree that the aliens should be considered soulless just because they don't have the proper number of eyes though...

Yeah, turns out that don't matter much in the big scheme of things. The whole eyes and soullessness and inferior thing takes a hit when some alien's got you by the bits, or you gotta look up to see where they're at in the chain. Aria T'Loak bein' a good example. Though, bein' fair, she's soulless for a whole different reason.


Hohohohohoho! That's 'cause they ain't got half a clue of what it's like offworld, groper. There's a reason slaving in the Terminus brings in a lot of fuckin creds, and why the most successful guys that do it have some of the best damn business models in the galaxy. And it ain't powered by batarian slaves, that's for sure. Trust me, runnin with any decent slaving group teaches you a lot about how to run a business right, and a whole lot of other shit besides. Best six years I ever spent.