Ok, I loaded Rebellion up real quick before posting this to check.
From a lore perspective, I actually wish the Vasari Rebels still had Enslaved Labor and here's why:
Alliances aren't always about international friendship and agreements and a shared vision for the future. Sometimes they are about expediency and survival. (BSG fans will do well to remember the final season). Sometimes, states have to play nice with people they hate, people whom they would destroy if they had the power. But they don't.
If the Vasari Rebels still had Enslaved Labor, that would give the TEC rebels a reason to break when the TEC Loyalists begin negotiations. In their eyes, it would give them the moral highground.
"How can we possibly ally with the Alien when it keeps our brothers in chains. How can we side with the Witch who enslaves our sisters' minds?", the Trader Rebels ask.
What I like about the original Sins lore is that no one was blameless. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys". Just a cold universe and a terrible war.
I've actually been rolling around a short story in my head that explores some of this. I may try to explain how the Vasari Rebels give up Enslaved Labor.
Edit: That said, the TEC Rebels can still feel some justification just because of the violent history. And to be fair, the TEC's sins were in the past as well (the exile of the Advent in my opinion), so this isn't a loss for the lore. This actually presents some new interesting issues for what I'm thinking about.
