Sandro Sammarco said: No, because passengers are passengers, and slaves are slaves. And we don’t fit our cabins with manacles. So if you want to take slaves, do it like everyone else, don’t be silly about it, put them in the cryopods, that’s where they belong. Slavery is very bad, and you shouldn’t be slavers, I just want to put that out there as well. But if you’re going to do it, at least do it right, keep them in the pods. The passenger cabins are for free people. Click to expand...

until now

Michael Brookes said: In Imperial Society, you can trade slaves, although their rights remain. Just because you sold a slave to someone else, the person that bought them, they have to take the same care of them as you did. And that includes the transportation , which is something we’ll be looking into a little bit more in the game design. But within the Empire you can’t just stick them in a cargo pod, freeze them, and transport them. You have to transport them with a decent level of care. But as I say, that’s something that is going to be looked into more, and is actually a topic for the DDF sometime in the future. Click to expand...

David Braben said: Imperial slavery is not unlike signing up to the army. You do what they say for a fixed period of time - and how acceptable this is, is very much the equivalent of the particular army you sign up to. Click to expand...

Michael Brookes said: And of course we have slaves - probably one of the more famous things that the Empire from the previous games is that slavery is legal. Although that being said, slaves have rights , so if you own a slave - and owning slaves is a status in itself - but you have to look after them and, you know, you’ve got to take care good of them . So, very unlike the slave trade that most people associate with it - so the Europeans a few hundred years ago. Click to expand...

I'll start this thread with the note that I'm not desirous to be antagonistic with this post, and I hope that respondents are not either. Let's keep this light-hearted, folks.Regarding announcements made at GamesCom about 2.2, Federal Admiral Sandro Sammarco (yes, I'm teasing) answered the question:"Are we going to need some kind of passenger cabin for slave trading?"He answered:We forgive your Federal leanings, but treating slaves thus runs contra to Imperial Standards - something we Imperials have forgiven because current game mechanics have not permitted anything else. We reject the idea that slaves should be stuffed in cryopods, and require better accommodations for Imperial Slaves.As stated by Michael Brookes in the Elite: Dangerous Fiction Diary #4 David Braben made this statement regarding Imperial Slavery that is also worth mentioning here:I'm pretty sure the Federation doesn't freeze its military personnel in cryopods while in transit, and neither does the Empire. We treat our Imperial Slaves with a similar standard.Continuing with the Imperial "rights of slaves" schtick, Michael Brookes stated in the Elite: Dangerous Fiction Diary #1 Dear Admiral Sandy Don't continue to unfairly stigmatize Imperial Slavery or treat our people like cargo. We Imperials have far higher standards. Imperial Slavery is not like the unregulated slavery that most people associate it with.I echo the words of Senator Torval - "The barbarism of unregulated slavery in the Federation is unforgivable. The Federation needs to pass laws to regulate slavery rather than pretending the practice doesn't exist."Please let Imperials protect the rights of Imperial Slaves, look after them, and take good care of them. Don't make us stick them in cryopods any longer. Maybe even just a few missions that state the passengers are Imperial Slaves?Sincerely yours,The imperial Slavers Association