*** INCOMING MESSAGE***
Open Transmission, Low Encryption
From: Commander Rand Seith
To: Zoners Council
Greetings;
As of lately, we are tracking Bounty Hunters Guild ships carrying Order personnel as prisoners, taking cover and refuge near Freeport 11's No Firing Zones, preventing the Order craft from claiming back their personnel due to the Zoners' Freeport NFZs.
As Order, we have always shown great respect to the Zoners and tried to fulfill the alliance with the best output we can. However, we are deeply affected and having our doubts when we see such Hunter ships being allowed to take refuge near Freeports, Freeport 11 to be exact, and not being casted off or asked to drop their Order prisoners while they are hiding within the NFZ.
We are hoping to see that our good allies and friends, Zoners will prevent the usage of NFZs as Hunters' strategic refuge points and being seen as a tactical base.
As Order, we believe that this is flexing the applications of NFZ beyond "protective" terms of Freeports.
Awaiting the council's response and action towards this matter.
With regards;
Commander Rand Seith;
Order Primary Fleet
*** End of Message ***
Comm ID: [TAZ]Doc Holliday
To: Commander Randy Seith
Greetings, Commander,
I just want to respond to your concern over our NFZ's and how some use them as harboring points. I agree and have long felt that it is abused.....by many. It is also a hot button issue under discussion in the Council. It's not a new issue but it is a very delicate issue to address and resolve.
I would like to thank you for your restraint. I'm know its very difficult when your own pilots are held captive by someone who is hostile to you and there is little you can do about it.
This probably isn't the answer you're looking for but at least you know that the Council here's the complaint. I will forward it myself.
Thank You,
Dr. John Henry Holliday
[TAZ] Council Representative
from: E. Tate, board the Persephone-II
to: *****
"our laws originally included that each ship that is actually "retreating" to the NFZ is asked to dock and wait for the docking crew to finish their work in the stations docks, which usually takes up to four hours.
we do not appreciate ships that retreat from combat and just "hang around" in the NFZ. - so its either dock or leave the NFZ, cause staying there to "increase tensions" or even do mockery takes the station into peril.
additionally - it is asked to release prisoners of any kind when you dock. - the station personel will compensate any ship that releases those prisoners and will ensure a safe return to their own men.
all that applies not only to one side but to every ship that trades with freeport 11. - in the past year - there have been guildships using the station as a shield as well as order ships and corsair ships claiming the NFZ when it benefits them and spitting at it when it obstructed them.
keep in mind, the NFZ is a shield to protect primarily the ZONERS and the STATION. - if tensions grow too much and the weapons are powered up - we won t hesitate to ask every faction involved to leave the NFZ and proceed with their matters at a safe distance.
it is really not too hard to use the whole of omicron-delta as a playground, when we zoners only claim a little space around our own station.
sincerely E. Tate"
*** INCOMING MESSAGE***
Open Transmission, Low Encryption
From: Commander Rand Seith
To: Zoners Council
Greetings;
Thank you for your replies and thank you for considering our diplomatic envoy with paying attention and respecting its importance for us.
Freeport 11 is on Order's primary patrol route and Order wings have engaged and taken part of defending the Freeport 11 from alien threats many times. Therefore, it is usual for Order wings to stop there and await for a while to scan the system over Zoner satellites and respond to any and all emergency issues, rather than to complete the patrol with hastiness, overlooking things that may endanger both Order and Zoner installations.
However, Order primary fleet to tangle within the NFZ, endangering Zoner interests is not an aim and certainly not an application of resources.
As Order, we are always in concern of our Zoner neighbours' well being and safety. We are asking you to consider your NFZ applications and do not allow the Hunters to abuse the NFZ, violating the prisoner code as well as the NFZ itself.
Order being in pursuit and constant chase of such craft dramaticly disables our ability to respond to alien threats and wings showing up more and more in Delta.
We are hoping to hear an action taken towards the increase of applications of rules regarding the NFZ. We always believed and want to believe that NFZ is a rule that is regulated with utmost strictness to all sides, showing the neutral dialogue of Freeports.
With my best regards;
Commander Rand Seith
Order Primary Fleet
**Incoming Transmission
Open signal, low encryption
From: Commander Harold Mudd, BHG|Core-Cerberus
To: Zoner Council
CC: Commander Rand Seith, Order
My communications officer picked this transmission up and forwarded it to me, since it was sent as an open transmission with an encryption code that is already open source. As a part of the fleet which is stationed in Omicron Delta, it was my recent unpleasant duty to encounter the Osiris battleship Asar while on patrol. This Order battleship had just undocked from Freeport 11 as I was approaching the base to discuss with the Freeport commander the options available for either incarceration or prisoner exchange of several Order pilots, as my ship had recently been attacked by those Order pilots while I was engaged in regular anti-Nomad patrol activities.
The commander of the Asar, who refused to identify himself, rather imperiously ordered me to surrender these pilots to him or face his wrath. I was quite taken aback, and asked him if he was seriously going to consider violating Zoner law regarding No Fire Zones. He then attempted to give me a lesson in 3-dimensional physics, by stating that his ship was now 900 and some odd meters from the Freeport, and that any fire directed by his ship towards mine would not endanger the Freeport in any way. We engaged in a bit of further verbal sparring before some Corsair pilots that objected to the continued existance of my ship came flying in and opened fire on the Cerberus, necessitating an emergency dock.
Quite frankly, while I sympathize with the commander of the Asar - and I have communicated in the past with Commander Seith in the past regarding our mutual foes and have even assisted his pilots when they were in combat against the Nomad menace - this continual bickering regarding violations of Zoner territory grows tiresome. It has always been our priority as Guild pilots to insure the safety, security, and integrity of all humans operating in Omicron Delta. This is one reason we built our own base there, to help REDUCE the tensions that have been caused in the past by ALL of our pilots operating out of Zoner bases. The Order and the Guild have a common ground - the destruction of the Nomad menace. It is merely because the Order has allied itself with a nefarious criminal nation - and their lack of desire to share in or exploit captured technology for the good of humanity and instead merely destroy it - that seperates them from us.
If there are any ships of the BHG| or BHG|Core that threaten the safety and security of the Freeport, we wish to know so that we may deal with them. We are, after all, a organization built upon laws, and respecting your law of self-governance is part of our own beliefs. I honestly suspect the commader of the Asar is suffering from the Curse of Greyface and that his seeking of destructive order is not desirable, and that he needs to seek the Sacred Chao.
I remain your faithful servant -
Harold Mudd, BHG|Core-Cerberus
**Incoming Transmission**
Open signal, low encryption
Comms ID:- Chico Benitez
F.A.O:- Zoner Council
As has been pointed out, this signal is easily compromised and, with our own facilities in system, we monitor this for BH transmissions.
Senor Mudd, and many other BH servicemen, don't appear to be aware of your directive Senorina Tate (or don't want to be).
"it is asked to release prisoners of any kind when you dock. - the station personel will compensate any ship that releases those prisoners and will ensure a safe return to their own men" (Senora Tate)
They always succeed to spirit away their captives for god knows what nefarious acts of torture, right under the very noses of Zoner dock crews, as Senor Mudd confirms.
"either incarceration or prisoner exchange of several Order pilots" (BH commander)
Thats what they do with Order pilots. What they do with Corsairs is far worse. As such, regarding the Captain of the Asar, whilst what he did may be considered wrong, it is fully understandable. An inferior enemy ship standing off a few hundred metres with your friends aboard, awaiting a horrible fate and being goaded about it because of a NFZ.....
I wish only that you, the Council, take this into account next time Senor Mudd and his cronies request emergency docking clearance.....and deny it.
Regards,
Chico Benitez
*** INCOMING MESSAGE***
Open Transmission, Low Encryption
From: Commander Rand Seith
To: Zoners Council
Greetings;
It is true that the transmission is kept on low frequencies to be able to include certain... aspects of the initial subject's interested parties. And seems like it is working perfectly so far.
The problem is, I have withnessed myself on numerous occassions that while we were trying to protect the Delta from Keepers, we have been backstabbed by BHG|Core wings, zealous about acquiring alien technologies, forefitting human lives, set aside the lives of Order as their hostile relations, but also endangering the lives of those living at Freeport.
Order network is full of such "backstabbing" attack records. Perhaps not every captain of Core is in such hunger for credits, ignoring the lives of others but it is a majority within ranks for sure.
Which is also one of the supporting facts that our pilots are being mistreated and NFZ are used and abused for such ... abominated behaviour.
We have seen Hunters killing miners, we have seen hunters killing Order while they were battling with the aliens, we have seen Hunters doing unspeakable things to hostages and prisoners. There is of little belief in our hearts that the Guild Core is treating our people with kindness, fitting to legal prisoner codes as they so much love to state, being within "legal borders".
We cannot tolerate this behaviour to take place within an allied faction's safe space. Please, we urge you to take action.
With best regards;
Commander Rand Seith
Order Primary Fleet
--Transmission to: Commander Seith CC: CoZ, C. Benitez, Commander Mudd--
Dear Sirs/Madams,
While the Order, Corsairs and Bounty Hunters Guild may wish to conduct war with each other, we, who have chosen to affiliate ourselves with neither side, have no interest in being drawn into these conflicts. The no fire zones implemented in the vicinity of our bases are intended to safeguard our civilian population from any off-target weapons fire that may result from any engagements between these parties.
With regards to the concern of people "exploiting" the no fire zones to hold prisoners on board their vessels, the article on "Freeport Laws" contains a clause expressly prohibiting the holding of prisoners while within the no fire zones. Freeports are, by their very nature, open to all parties, and any captain wishing to land there in order to conduct prisoner exchange is welcome to do so, on the condition that he not disembark the station while still in possession of said prisoners.
The Zoner community cannot act without solid proof to back up any violations of our laws, as to do so would be to take sides in the aforementioned conflicts. Should you be able to provide evidence of violations, we will be happy to discuss repercussions on the instigators.
Pillaus, J, Diplomatic Officer, The Gremlyn.
--Transmission Ends--
**Incoming Transmission**
Open signal, low encryption
Comms ID:- Chico Benitez
F.A.O:- Snr. J Pillaus, D.O, The Gremlin.
I for one am glad to hear such firm words and will look forward to seeing you take your first steps along the line of supporting these fine words with action.
I point you to Senor Mudds own admission of "incarceration" so you have your proof.
You, as a Zoner can read into that what you wish but what isn't clear enough for my own understanding is, are you suggesting that holding facilities are to be allowed aboard the FP, as long as the perpertrator isn't carrying pilots off station?
If thats not the case, then I would obviously expect you take action forwith against Senor Mudd as per your earlier statement. If it is the case, please explain how you wish to take your alliance with the Order further?
Obviously, I would not presume upon the Zoner Councils perspective on this, being only a humble corsair, but I do feel it is in the interests of the corsairs and our allies and yours, the Order, to know the outcome of your deliberations 'pronto'.
I for one would be quite happy to see action taken against each individual perpertrator, in this case the so-called 'Senor' Mudd.
In anticipation,
Sincerely yours,
Chico Benitez
--Transmission to: C. Benitez, CC. CoZ (transcript of prior transmission enclosed)--
With regards to the activities of one Commander Mudd, he specifically stated that he was intending to "discuss with the Freeport commander the options available". Obviously, this indicates that he was un-aware of standard Freeport operating procedure, and was thus unaware that Freeports are not designed with prisoner detention in mind (after all, whom would we detain?). Had he discussed said options, he would have been confronted with the self-same rules which I have brought to your attention regarding treatment of captives, with no option for incarceration, the Freeport not being designed for said activity. Should you be capable of bringing any evidence to the contrary, it will be reviewed, and, if deemed necessary, passed on for further evaluation and possible action.
Pillaus, J, Diplomatic Officer, The Gremlyn.
--Transmission Ends--