Office of Alien Affairs
Public Statement, May 10, 2440
Communications between Earth and the V’ren fleet remain stable.
The V’ren arrived with considerably greater knowledge of Earth languages and culture than was understood during the initial contact period. Their existing translation systems include English and thirteen additional Earth languages. Human and V’ren personnel are now improving those systems through ordinary use rather than attempting to construct a translation framework from the beginning.
Movement between Earth and the surviving V’ren vessels is continuing.
There is presently no requirement for Amazon to control that traffic. V’ren spacecraft remain V’ren spacecraft, operated by V’ren crews under their own authority.
Amazon Alien Affairs is coordinating where Amazon facilities, personnel or contractual relationships are required. We are not establishing an Amazon customs regime around people who arrived here with their own ships.
Scientific, commercial and governmental requests for V’ren access are being logged. A request is not an invitation, and filing one does not entitle any organization to access a V’ren vessel, officer, scientist or civilian.
Please allow us to get people settled before everybody tries to sell them something.
Matthew J. B. Marmaduke
Director of Alien Affairs
Amazon Earth Division
Matt rejects Amazon control over V’ren spacecraft and access
Wired
Somebody Finally Said It: They Own Their Ships
The most reassuring sentence in Amazon’s latest first-contact update may be the most obvious:
“V’ren spacecraft remain V’ren spacecraft.”
It apparently needed saying.
Governments, corporations and universities across Earth are already competing for access to V’ren technology. Amazon, despite possessing the strongest institutional position in first contact, has now publicly stated that it does not control V’ren traffic and does not intend to build a customs regime around their spacecraft.
Marmaduke also reminded would-be researchers that submitting a request does not create a right to interview a V’ren scientist or board a V’ren vessel.
Good.
First contact is not a patent race with green people standing where the laboratory equipment ought to be.
Negative, New England Chronicle
Who Gave Matthew Marmaduke the Authority to Decide Who Gets Access?
Amazon Director of Alien Affairs Matthew Marmaduke says governments, universities and scientific organizations may submit requests to meet the V’ren, but that filing a request “does not entitle” anyone to access.
Technically, he is correct.
Politically, the situation is considerably more troubling.
Marmaduke is simultaneously the sovereign controlling the principal V’ren settlement area and the Amazon executive responsible for relations with them. He can insist that Amazon does not control V’ren spacecraft while still occupying the human position through which most meaningful access presently travels.
There is no need for a formal monopoly when geography, logistics and personal relationships create one for you.
The question is no longer whether Amazon owns first contact.
The question is whether Matthew Marmaduke does.
Response to New England Chronicle
“Who Gave Matthew Marmaduke the Authority to Decide Who Gets Access?”
This is the one Matt should barely have to answer himself.
@KremTall
We did.
On the first day of our arrival, I asked Matthew Marmaduke, as our host, whether he would also serve as our commercial liaison with Earth.
He agreed.
He does not determine whom we may speak with. He represents us when we ask him to, negotiates on matters we have authorized him to negotiate, and helps route requests to the appropriate people.
If you wish to know who authorized Matthew Marmaduke to represent V’ren commercial interests, you may stop asking humanity.
We did.
Then the V’ren Trust can make the commercial relationship explicit.
@VrenTrust
Director Marmaduke assisted in negotiating the settlement grant with Amazon.
In consideration for that arrangement and associated services, Amazon has received one year of distribution rights within Amazon-controlled territory for more than one hundred V’ren products currently being prepared for human markets.
The V’ren Trust and the individual V’ren creators retain their respective intellectual-property rights.
Amazon did not purchase those rights.
Matthew Marmaduke did not give those rights away.
He negotiated distribution.
And if Matt gets asked why they chose him, he can simply point back to them.
Matthew Marmaduke
You would have to ask the V’ren why they hired me.
They did.
@KremTall
Because while much of Earth was asking how contact with us could benefit them, Matthew Marmaduke said:
Welcome. How can I help you?
We remembered the difference.
