Lets start from the.. khm, start. What are artifacts?
Artifacts are, according to what's in info and in rumors, remains of some dunnow what a race that is long gone with no traces. For 99,9% artifacts are just some fancy crystals, stones and metal pieces of crap, but they are pretty rare so collectors and art-likers are up to pay much for having one. But here comes a question - why they are freaking contraband? Kusari - okay, they are not contraband there, but restricted to some IDs, kusari is well known of it's "own ways" so leaving it behind.
Rheinland and Bretonia are both having a pain in the butt area because of Corsairs - so it's understandable why they ban such stuff from market as a source of $$ for their hostiles.
But here comes a question - Liberty, why?
Blood Diamonds doesn't sound to be a problem, they are fully legal in Bretonia, Gallia (same as for artifacts) and Kusari. So what the different story about the artifacts for Liberty? From what i can tell there is no difference between a fancy looking diamond and fancy looking piece of stone and only thing that may change it is House being mad on it's exporters. Bretonia's system - Omega 3 - is being pirated by Hessians all the time but that not makes them to declare bDiamonds to be illegal. But in Liberty corsairs are not usually seen, I don't think Libertonians are running into Sairs at all so why they are banning artifacts (And Corsair equipment\ships)? This is hardly understandable part for me.
They're contraband because they're unknown items that might have powers beyond the comprehension of government officials. Governments don't like possible weapons or devices that can cause harm in the hands of ordinary citizens, they just don't.
The whole vanilla mess about artifacts was done by Nomads who were trying to capture that IMG guy with map crystal. Freeport 7 was blown up to return it as well. But in mission 13 you may also see a wonderful example of Liberty liking to research artifacts itself )
Anyway, they are a piece of stone, most of them, and all of them that are getting into market. Corsairs are the only producers and distributes and also the most experienced artifact researchers. They are not letting any interesting piece of knowledge to run from their hands so what is going off the bays is just a pile of fancy trinkets.
P.S. It was mentioned in some rumor if i remember well.
' Wrote:The whole vanilla mess about artifacts was done by Nomads who were trying to capture that IMG guy with map crystal. Freeport 7 was blown up to return it as well. But in mission 13 you may also see a wonderful example of Liberty liking to research artifacts itself )
Anyway, they are a piece of stone, most of them, and all of them that are getting into market. Corsairs are the only producers and distributes and also the most experienced artifact researchers. They are not letting any interesting piece of knowledge to run from their hands so what is going off the bays is just a pile of fancy trinkets.
I'm just sprouting my opinion on the Artifact saga so nothing is 100 % correct but hell, why not.
There's always the play that Liberty and other houses would want to get their hands on the artifacts themselves in order to extract whatever data or technology they can from them. Perfectly normal, but the INRP reason given by the governments, to the lawful peoples' of the houses, for the crackdown on the trade of Artifacts, is that they're dangerous to humans and shouldn't be touched and used by someone not 'knowledgeable' about Artifacts.
They cover their backsides over their own research into Artifacts by using the old 'protection of the people' line. At least in my opinion, that's why it is contraband in the houses.
My understand of the SP fiction is that Liberty was seizing the artifacts so that the nomads in the government could get them.
The MP fiction is set at the exact moment where the SP campaign ended, and those laws are still on the books (and the Order is still outlaw group, etc)
Another reason they are illegal is because the Artifact trade is one of the Corsair's main sources of revenue. Cut off the Articfact trade, and you cut into the 'Sair's funds.
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