Discovery Gaming Community

My name is Sarah O'Riley and I am honoured to introduce the Frumentarii to the Lane Hackers, one of our oldest secret friends.

The organisation I am representing goes back decades and consists of a network holding influence right up into the high echelons of the Independent Miners Guild. In its history, the Frumentarii have supported decisions of the Guildmastery, have swayed their decisions or have gone against it to achieve their goals.

The Guild keeps complete deniability and if you were to request information, I assume no intel would be provided. However, I can assure you that the society has the means to influence what is happening. For example, in 819 A.S the Frumentarii were instrumental in keeping a certain House influence out of the Coronado system, thereby securing its independence and preserving its function as a discreet passageway for those who need room outside of laws and police patrols.

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It is about recent Coronado events that I would like to talk to the Lane Hackers: a surprise Outcast raid that damaged or destroyed Crayterian orbital infrastructure, while Crayter forces were successfully pushing Gallia out of Tau 44. The Coronado confrontation resulted in heavy combat activities that left IMG assets damaged, and also saw Lane Hacker vessels damaged.

The Guild seems to have decided to bury the incident and not do a follow up. The official conclusion was that Lane Hackers and IMG vessels did not clash directly, and that the rules of engagement on IMG side were clear and kept blue-on-blue fire from happening.

For the Frumentarii, there are some questions that are raised by the Coronado events and some suggestions to be made.

For a pretext, I should add that the main purpose of the organisation I work for is to defeat Gallia and thereby free the Taus again from occupation. We aim at preserving its freedom from House rule afterwards. The military successes against Gallia in Tau 44 mark a beginning of this effort.

Furthermore, the Frumentarii are ready to defend the independence of every system that we have a stake in from House influence, but also from a growing influence of our enemies. In Coronado, this includes the Houses of Liberty and its corporations, as well as the Outcast.

We do not mind your deals with the Outcast, and the Frumentarii do not mind a certain degree of lawlessness in Coronado. It is essential to create the environment that is needed for some activities. However we require some clarification as to the nature of this cooperation in the Coronado incident.

Can you define the role of the Lane Hacker fighter craft in the early stages of the engagements near Planet Pecos?

What is the Lane Hacker's stance on the Outcast cooperation with alien entities of gigantic mass, as encountered in the attack against the Crayter forces at Pecos? At least two gigantic creatures labelled commonly as Marduk-class were spotted in the engagement. Reports also state that more of them were alongside Outcast forces in the destruction of Minerva Research Station.

What is the Outcast's game for Coronado? Was this just a raid to take out the research installation, or is this part of a plan for Coronado? How does it involve your organisation? Because if there was a major move by the Outcast, we should align our points of view and find a middle ground that serves our mutual interests for Coronado's future.

The Frumentarii would mind any threat of our core interests in Coronado, which obviously span wider than just Planet Pecos and planetary Deuterium mining and an absence of House influence. That's why it is essential for us to share information and come to a conclusion as to how we can cooperate in a way that ensures our interests are met.

If you are interested, the Frumentarii could offer to be a mediator between you and the Crayter Republic, if a decrease of hostility after the Coronado clash seems wise to you. From our perspective, we assess that there is little appetite in the Crayter Republic to make more enemies, now that their assets will focus on the Taus. So there is a chance, despite recent confrontation, to return to a more sustainable diplomatic stance - always depending that your mission in Coronado has been completed with the destruction of this piece of infrastructure.

Furthermore, the Guild has a certain measure of influence on Crayter Republic decisions and if we can agree to a path that seems worth following, the Frumentarii could prove to be an asset in influencing decisions that shape Coronado's future.

I am looking forward to any questions and I hope I will receive some answers to my questions.

Thank you for your reply and your explanations. I'll go through them one by one, so that we can cover all the relevant issues:

Firstly, you are right. There has never been direct contact between the Frumentarii and the Lane Hackers, however if you need sincerety about my claims, a careful look into a single transaction by the bank alias #L-423-AX-33315-OF37 will prove that we have always felt strongly about Coronado's independence.

Secondly, it will not come as a surprise to you if I tell you that joining the Orange Alliance is not an option, however the Guild has been able to cooperate in creative ways, and the Frumentarii are a lot more flexible than them in our actions. Needless to say, we accept that there are certain limits to our cooperation and sharing of intelligence.

Thirdly, I would like to focus on those you call Colonials and how you portray their actions in Coronado. As you know, the Guild has been in Camp Lister on Planet Pecos for a long time, and I think it can be claimed that a system like Coronado can accomodate a certain number of groups, even if they are enemies. In the past, the IMG has cooperated with the people of Barrier Gate and we have managed to maintain a balance.

This balance has been disturbed by the Crayter Republic moving to Coronado and their aggressive approach to what they call 'securing' of Coronado. You and me know that this is the wrong approach to make a place as heterogeneous as Coronado safer.

The Frumentarii are convinced that there is no need for further escalation of the conflicts in Coronado. Even though the Outcast managed to raid Yuma's space infrastructure, this came at a steep price, as they were beaten back and suffered losses the day before they inflicted great losses on the Crayter fleet. Lane Hacker fighters and an IMG Cruiser were also caught up in the conflict.

To sum it up: The Coronado fighting is a costly and ultimately useless endeavour in our opinion. Supply lines for the Outcast are too long and reach through Gallic space to ensure a sustainable large scale presence in Coronado.

Crayter commanders should focus on the Tau liberation, and not fight in Coronado.
Lane Hacker interceptors should not find themselves in large fleet engagements.
IMG Cruisers should survey planets for resources, and not be engaged in brutal fighting.

Based on my conviction that this conflict is not profitable to anybody in the long run, I have the following suggestion:

If the Crayter Republic backed down from their exaggerated territorial claims of the complete Coronado system, and if they limited the application of their laws to the parts of space they actually militarily control (the areas around Yuma and Pecos), would that change the stance of the Orange Alliance with regards to Coronado?

In the opinion of the Frumentarii, a quiet reduction of the Crayter claims on Coronado, which would encompass granting Barrier Gate a special status as a neutral entity, could restore the equilibrium of the past where Coronado was beyond control by any single entity.

We want the independent, wild Coronado that created a grey environment in which everything was possible and in which no power even tried to aim for hegemony. This is the best way to ensure stability in our opinion.

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Summed up: The Frumentarii are interested in whether a limitation of influence and law, combined with a special status of Barrier Gate would change anything for the Lane Hackers and the Orange Alliance. If our assessment of the situation is correct, the overly exaggerated claims were responsible to a great extent for the recent armed clashes.

In case such moves by the Crayter Republic would change the political landscape, the Frumentarii could start working inside the Guild's ranks to influence their Crayterian counterparts towards such a diplomatic solution.

I am a firm believer that we can be bridge builders to end the bloody conflict and restore the old order in Coronado from which we both profited. And from peace and stability, everybody profits. One just have to throw the naive black-white thinking over board and accept that the universe, and especially Coronado is and will always be grey.

Stubborn they might be, but in their situation it is somewhat understandable, and might be even seen as a strength by some. But we can agree that in the current diplomatic situation, it is a difficult trait of character to deal with.

You mentioned that I left out a party that the Colonials would also fight in the Taus, and you likely refer to the Outcast - who you openly refer to in here as your allies. I am convinced, however, that the Guild and the Lane Hackers are beyond the stage when you worried about what happens in the Taus as long as your own valid interests remain untouched - and I think that the understanding we managed to cultivate during the years is the best solution possible.

And, likely the most important point would be: If you agree to be the bridge builder towards the Orange Alliance, whereas I build the bridge towards the Crayter Republic, I would kindly ask you to adopt a more positive vocabulary when your political opponent is concerned.

I understand hostility, and I can understand why bitterness is present, but when we want to move forward, reduce tensions in Coronado, and turn the system grey again by convincing the Republic to withdraw some of their over-reaching claims, a partner in diplomacy is needed. And that's only the Lane Hackers who can do it.

I am ready to put the plan into motion if you signal to me that you think we are not wasting our time. If the Lane Hackers are not interested, I will wave the energy. However, if you give this effort a 30 % chance or higher, I would set the wheels into motion and keep you updated on the progress, and would ask you in return to contact the Orange Alliance and try to talk to them.

One last question, though: in case the Orange Alliance and Crayterians do not accept negotiations, I would be surprised if the Lane Hackers missed a chance to advance their interests by avoiding conflict in unnecessary places. Are you really saying that there has to be a deal between the Republic and the Alliance, or can there be a bi-lateral agreement facilitated by the Guild?

Just a very short status update: We have started contacting the Crayter Republic and we are trying to come to an understanding what their angle on relevant issues is. I will personally keep you informed on progress. I would ask you to do the same for any relevant developments.

Normally I am not a big fan of changing faces while already being invested in a diplomatic process, but it seems that the direct wishes of the Professorship will make it easy to work towards an angle that might result in a mutually interesting solution.

I agree that - even though the Guild and the Crayter Republic are most often seen as firmly allied - the Guild runs a certain danger of being sidelined if Coronado were fully under control of the Crayterians. Furthermore, it would make some of the operations (that the Guild likes to conduct discreetly) a lot harder. It is no secret that Barrier Gate is useful in many ways, something the Crayterians still have to learn. Therefore, I conclude that we agree that some form of "wild independence" without any party being able to strive for hegemony over the system is preferrable to the Guild, as well as to the Lane Hackers.

I will take your suggestion of withdrawing patrols and 'laws' - that only exist on paper in the vastness on Coronado anyway - from the parts that are most sensitive and I will see how much negotiation room there is on the side of the Republic.

I would not say that this is impossible to achieve some sort of compromise.

I'll keep you posted on any progress made.

Just letting you know there is an update on the situation:

The Crayter Republic is willing to reduce tensions in Coronado and to compromise on the issues of:


Slavery is a no-go, which also is a negotiation position that the IMG will support fully.

From what I can read between the lines, I would say there is a real chance of finding middle ground there. I suggest that at this point, bilateral talks would likely yield the best results. The Guild offers to be there as a neutral observing, or as a mediating party - just as required or requested by you and the Republic - if - this is the path you also think should be taken.

The chance is there, in my opinion.