Incoming Transmission
Decoding signal in progress... please wait... Progress complete!
Sender identified:
Communication ID: [-=XTF=-]Alucard
Signal source: Cali Base - Tau 23 Signal stabilized
Receiving Transmission
Hola amigos!
This is Alucard, descendant of the XTF. This message you are just viewing is an offer and also a warning to all traders across Sirius. You've maybe noticed a higher pirate activity in Kusari space and the Tau systems, well, that's us. We have grown during the last period so that we can cover even larger spaces than before!
But, i'm not sending this to you just to scare you to death. No, i have something you traders surely are interested in. I'm offering you a solution how to save your goods, the lives of your passengers, your crew and your own! Yes, we are talking about credits!
Codeword: Protection money.
Instructions: If you want to be safe from us, you need to pay an amount of credits which depends of your ships cargo space and duration of protection. The money will be transfered to an full member XTF of your choice or the one you are ordered to. With full members i do not mean recruits. After the money is received, it's going to be reported into the HQ and stored into the database, so that it's almost impossible that you will be bothered by us until your, let's call it ticket, runs out.
The money counts only for one vessel/pilot! If you want to pay for an other ship or pilot, no problem, all you need to do is to tell his name, ship type and of course to pay the proper ticket for him.
Here comes the price list Incoming attachment Attachment received
Pilots who have ships with less than 3000 cargo doesn't count as ticket costumers and will be charged with normal fee which is leveled with their payment possibilities.
You are wondering about the prices? Well... a good trader with normal route can make above 50 million a day with a simple train. The ticket will actually save your money. Make calculations yourself!
Factions allied to Outcast, Junkers and smugglers don't have to pay anything, as usual.
That's it for now amigos. You will hear from us very soon with a new special offer for factions which is still in progress!
Riley leans back on the couch in his quarters within the top tower of his whale & props his feet up on the coffee table while watching the latest 'trader warning' on the media wall.
Taking a sip of his morning tea, he chuckles to himself with equal parts amusement & irritation as he plots an alternate route to his destination through his neural net.
'I at least give them credit for a touch of style' the man thinks to himself.
Remembering the old expression You can get further with a kind word & a gun than you can with just a kind word, Mr. Mackenzie begins doing the math in his head, calculating the amount being asked by the upstart group.
He adds the delusion of grandeur factor contained in the words, adds the amount asked by the multitudes of others during his daily runs, ponders the odds of this new group truly being able to keep in cheque all the others that also want 'protection money' & concludes that not only is ten million a day unreasonable, if he were to even bother to add in the universal 'give them an inch & they'll take a mile' factor & couple that figure with the equally universal 'monkey see-monkey do' variable, the grand total would run him out of business in two shakes of one lamb's tail.
With another shake of his head, he cracks a smile & takes another sip of his tea, muttering under his breath:
The grayed pale transmission receiver starts to blink a redish light, colouring the control panel with a diferent tone. The tall, dark skinned male turns to check the strengh of the signal.
"X... T... F..." he mumbles to himself "Right. Open the file."
He crosses his arms, and watches carefully as the white letters start to apear over the cabin, contrasting with the black, deep background.
"Protection money. Alright, why did I hope for this brickheads think different this time. Pfeh..."
Keeping the military pose, he shudders a smile by the pirate's math.
"Command. Speculate the dimension of this signal and broadcast targets. Send an anonymous request to not comply with such unfundable terms. I'm sure this kind of money is better suited for the bounty hunters."
"As for the origin of this signal. Answer with the following words: XTF. You are way of the chart. I have flown so far through many domains in Sirius and never met a police officer or a pirate I couldn't bribe. What you are asking is way past your league, and unless you want to get trouble real soon, stop drawing so much heat. It's this kind of attitude that doubles and triples police patrols."
"Right now I have on my scanners... About three... Four smugglers trying to find a way to disrupt this signal before it reaches the Navy ears. If it does, you'll not have provoked only the traders, but the smugglers, pirates and the Army alike. Well... You get my point."
"Try to have a nice day."
As the signal closes, Sebastian initiates cloning the media.
On Planet Baden Baden, retired RepEx transport pilot Brian Barnaby read the trader warning. A grin the size of his ego was spread across his face. He continued to read the message, the grin ever-increasing. Eventually his grin could grow no more, and he was only finished with the second paragraph.
Eventually he finished reading, and by then he had burst into a laughter so loud the entire beach crowd was staring at him, bewildered.
He summoned the bikini wearing waitress over and ordered a drink, something strong and would send him into a happy sleep.
Whilst he was waiting he read the message again, struggling to hold back his giggles. 'This guy has GOT to be high...' he thought to himself.
His drink arrive, and he downed it with one large gulp. And then he entered a deep sleep, the grin still spread across his face.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
Friedrich Hanz; onboard the Tanker Nuremberg supervised the movement of engine components into the cargo bay. An incoming long range transmission arrived into the screen.
- This doesnt concerns me, I dont operate in the Taus- He told to himself.
Anyways his curiousity won to his initial decision and decided to open the message. He began to smile as he read the message.
-Anna - He shouted - Get over here.
He made a sign with his hand as Anna, the communications officer took a look at the computer.
- Who would pay 10 million a day, when you could easily pay an escort for 1 or 2 millions - She said after the message was read - Anna said half smiling half worried.
-Dont you get it Anna? - Friedrich said -Its one of those Joke transmissions - He added laughing.
-Oh! - Anna replied.
Anna walked away laughing, while Friedrich took some time to read over and over the message. After some time he forwarded the message to rest of Daumann fleet.
***To: DHC fleet
***From : DHC-Tanker-Nuremberg
***Subject: Fw: Life in the taus (Very funny; dont break the chain:D)
He looked at the message for a few seconds more; he let a final laugh out and hit the send button.
- 10 million - He said to himself, as he switched to cargo bay cameras.
Lucky LeRoux involuntarily spat his morning toast out across the room when he read the latest greedy demand for so called "protection". Then shock turned to mirth as he realized the attempted extortion must be a joke.....
"Heh, Heh!" he thought to himself. "They had me going there for a moment."
"Well you can't blame them for trying it on. It reminds me of that time I tried to sell Manhatten to the Nomads, not the best idea I ever had...."
Lucky poured coffee and resumed his breakfast, occasionally shaking his head and smiling to himself....."Those were the days...." He mused.
Incoming transmission...
Sender: Captain Alicia Ibanez (retired)
Location: New Madrid, Malta
To: XTF
Subject: Protection Money
Oh, you've really brightened my day, you know that? Most new pirates make mistakes this dumb, but almost none of them are this funny!
But, you're an Outcast, so I guess it's my job to give you some advice.
This doesn't work, kid. I've seen it tried before. We did some research into the matter back when Notus was running low on money for that short time. Fencing gold and diamonds gets more money; almost no one actually pays for this.
Protection rackets just don't work in space. Planetside? Sure, they work fine there. A store or restaurant isn't going to fire up its engines and take off like a transport can. In space, people can escape in literally any direction, and according to my files (which are quite extensive), there are less XTF pilots than there are transports in the Taus.
And they don't ever work when they're done this impersonally. When you're standing in front of someone with a gun, they'll be scared. When you're sending a voice transmission from the safety of our base to someone on the other end of Sirius, they're going to laugh. If you want to go through with this protection money scheme, do it in person. Catch a transport and make the offer right there. It can work that way. It's not something to rely on, but it works a hell of a lot better than this.
Ha! *The sound of a laid back mans laugh, you hear him sip a drink and calm down."
I respect you, as an outcast... But this request, even in my opinion is obsurd. Traders don'tpay until there is a gun in their face.
Ok, Sometimes they do pay. *And unseen half smile*
But not to these sums, and most of the time for a request like this to ever be even considered by a right minded trader you would have to offer full protection. Against all pirates, and against anyone else who may harm them, not just yourself.
Good try amigos, but you will need to try harder than that, because while your here making threats that these cash cows will surely refuse, I'm down there Supernova to their hull getting what you so much desire.
*He laughs as he sips his drink and calls to his assistant for more Cardimine*
Well, I have to admit, this turned my head. With a general 4000u transport, well...no, scratch that. I'd rather have the pleasure of watching you cardi-suckin' Sabre saddlers make pretty fireworks.
I really hope one of yer overeager recruits in his shiny new Sabre get turned in to a nice sight for the refugees that hook up with me for transport.
Really, it's amazing...maybe I'll show them THIS for a good chuckle while I turn yer trainees to fireballs! It'll be a double feature!