Discovery Gaming Community

Good evening.

I was informed by the captain of one of my civilian transports that there was an incident in the California system involving you, him, and a load of refined Niobium.

Clearly, not everything has changed in the past four years that we have been absent.

I know you know who we are. I know this because your organization is still doing the exact same thing as it was four years ago: waving around an air of superiority to scare Liberty's well-insured cushy corporations into forking over a pile of someone else's credits. This is something I could care less about, but since it's being done to my non-Libertonian, non-corporate, non-cushy, non-insured pilots, I have to take some exception. While extorting my people, you deride and mock us, yet we are on the same side. That of Malta. Consider this: Just because you hide your transponders does not mean we do not encounter you elsewhere in Sirius. Our ships have met in passing in Maltese space. We are both aware of each other's history and our... styles.

Let me lay my cards out on the table: We are Natio Octavarium. This is a name I know you are aware of. We are still descended from the original Vagrant Raiders. I am still Taskmaster Harold Kane, commander-in-chief of the Fourth Octavarium Fleet. You are still the Lane Hackers. Your personal alias is one unknown to me, but I am sure it was well-picked. You are still aligned to Malta. We are still aligned to Malta. You know this, I know this. I know you know this. Your attempt to lie your way through my transport captain is not very appreciated, but I understand. It's part of your business to sow discontent. We just would have rather you'd have offered dinner and a movie first.

I understand that your organization is seeing ghosts and has preconceived notions about our allegiances. I am sure you understand that hearing this from us is a bit hard to believe and that our civilian presence in Liberty appears to be a corporate conspiracy of some elaborate sort. But here's some new understanding to throw down: Liberty is effectively a transit zone for us. Our primary dealings are with Bretonia and Malta. Any operations passing through Liberty are not to benefit the local fat cats, but to benefit our mutual benefactors. The refined Niobium you're holding onto was intended for some friends down south, not for Libertonian corporate interests.

We can spend the rest of our lives wasting valuable time crafting verbiage to throw back and forth at each other. Or we can go back to the way things used to be, ten years ago. Two organizations, supporting Maltese interests. Except this time we'll leave the raising of Libertonian insurance rates solely to you.

Oh, and hey, while I've got you here: What's your deal with the Unioners? One of 'em namedropped your chaps the other day. They wanted help with a Spyglass not entirely unlike the Metropolis.

You remember her, right?

Regards,
Harold Kane
Minister of Relations, Natio Octavarium

The story only has holes if your eyes are unable to believe that organizations and people change, and sometimes realize their true allegiances. We came from Malta. We had a mid-life crisis. We have returned to Malta. Simple as that.

I must admit, I find it disappointing that your organization continues to spend most of its time spinning yarns and twisting words to threaten people who wish no ill will towards them. And on top of that, people who were previously partnered with your organization, so long ago. We shared your stations, your technology, your way of life. We supplied your people with the Cardamine they needed to live. We assisted your transports and combat operations. And yet, that never comes up when the Lane Hackers see the ghost of the Vagrant Raiders, no. It is all just the perceived injustices. Never the cooperation. Just hate.

I have looped in Harry Callahan of the Amalfi Directorate. He is a leading director of Maltese intelligence and will be able to confirm that we are in fact back to the original status quo.

Regards,
Harold Kane
Minister of Relations, Natio Octavarium

PS: Organizations and corporations without drive to live as free men and women are easily suborned. They were easily suborned back then, and they are still easily suborned now. It is easy to "convince" the big corporations that they should consider doing work for you for pennies on the dollar. Regrettably they deliver product of such low quality that I've seen the Junkers fire up wrecks that are more reliable without patching any holes in them. It amazes me the houses survive with that.

PPS: You should know was better than most anyone that you can hide a lot within an asteroid field, even in a high traffic border system.

My apologies if I offended you, Mr. Yoshida.

The actions of Taskmaster Escher in 817 were in direct response to hostilities between the Lane Hackers and the Vagrant Raiders as invoked by Professor Phate over disputed curatorship of the Vespucci system. The eventual result was the dispersal of the Vagrant Raiders to the Omega border worlds as pseudo-freelance pirates and the Hellfire Legion's acquisition of new AIS codes that no longer displayed the banner of the Lane Hackers. At the time, we were being shown the door from a world that we had shed blood and souls to keep safe. You have to understand our position at the time.

That all being said, a return to some semblance of form has been discussed among the officers and the civilian leadership and we do believe that the best way forward is to bury the hatchet and move on. We have in the past been good partners to mutual benefit; I fully believe we once again could be. Our direct involvement in the Orange Dream has been limited as of late due to our recent return and our... next-door neighbours we share a system with. Our logistical support for Malta recently has focused on materiel and construction supplies.

The Natio is not the troubled past you saw in the second and third generations of Vagrant Raiders, Mr. Yoshida. It is a much more open and amiable bunch.

Regards,
Harold Kane
Minister of Relations, Natio Octavarium