Incoming Transmission
Comm ID: Aurelia Silvan
Recipient(s): Council Delegates
Unfortunately my first message to this Council after its new security procedures is an unhappy one. The first of two important issues is the actions taken by fellow Delegates of this council during, but not exclusive to, these past two days.
Delegate Furball was the first to raise a point concerning today's agreement with the Independent Miners Guild. While I have no qualms about said agreement, for I had been encouraging the IMG's request, I do however have an issue with how this Council conducted itself in regards to the matter. The problem is that the decision was made by only a few persons on behalf of the entire Council.. The entire Council did not have a choice in the matter and therefor the decision lacked the legitimacy it required and stripped our delegates of their right to voice their opinion on this agreement.
The discussion took place on a very private comm channel that not everyone in this Council has access to, and there was such a small gap of time between receiving the request and choosing to agree to it that many of those that do have access to those channels weren't able to take part. In an organization such as ours, democracy is our most important asset. But there is no democracy when the majority is ignored in favor of a decision made by only a few.
I'm not saying that every issue we are faced with must be put to a vote that could take days, but I do say we must give a brief summery of the situation and enough time for anyone to oppose our chairman's decision before it is put into effect. Only if we receive opposition should it be put to a vote, but it is imperative that we still give the chance for that opposition to be voiced. It would take little to simply summarize the situation, wait for twenty-four hours, and then proceed if we do not have more than two delegates in opposition.
I'd like to turn your attention to the situation we found ourselves in yesterday when Ms. Tate decided, without input from anyone on this Council, to abolish the No-Fire Zone around Freeport 11. Many of us were against this being done, and the decision could have, and could still, hurt us greatly. If Ms. Tate had taken the time to let Council to make a decision, we could have avoided the entire mess.
By following an established protocol, we can avoid it happening again in the future, and can assure that democracy reigns in this Council and that it is the only hand that directs our actions.
The second matter I wish to discuss involves the Corsairs. Specifically those found near Freeport 1. Today I received a message detailing the presence of several Corsairs.. I think you'll be disturbed to hear that these weren't simply a few fighters and bombers. No, what we had was a Corsair Dreadnought, two Gunboats, and a bomber. Whats worse? They blatantly violated Freeport 1's No-Fire Zone. A single badly-aimed Mortar blast could wreak havoc on Freeport 1, not to mention the many missiles and the explosive shockwave from so many high-powered energy weapons.
Among the Corsairs was the Santa Omega, a Dreadnought. The PFC had two Gunboats, the Leviathan and Spacekiller. Then the Omega Pirates Guild's (OPG) pilot Grimly was present in a Praetorian. But this is no an isolated incident. Yesterday I personally witnessed three Corsair cruisers present at Freeport 1 throughout the three hours I was on station in the Syros. There were also two Imperator Gunboats and worse yet, a Corsair who had apparently stolen one of our Gunboats and was using it to pirate in. He ran off before I could stop him. Then a Corsair bomber and Bounty Hunter fighter got into a battle inside the No-Fire Zone.
All of this has happened over the last twenty-four hours, and is quite common these days. The Syros cannot secure Freeport 1 all day, everyday. And that is why I bring this issue here today. The Omega Pirates Guild has been warned repeatedly, The Brotherhood has been informed, and Benitez has been told of this as well; We do not appreciate these actions taking place, nor this amount of military equipment using our Freeports for attacks on the Corsair's enemies. All it has done is draw the Armed Forces and Bounty Hunters Guild towards Freeport 1 in an attempt to stop the masses of Corsairs attacking Bretonia from it.
We have already received an official request from the Armed Forces for permission to fire upon Corsairs in range of Freeport 1. We refused that request for good reason; It'd increase the already-high amount of fights going on outside the station. But what we have not mentioned, and what we've tried to ignore, is the fact that despite our caution and efforts, tensions in Omega-3 are rising. The system is turning into as much a warzone as Leeds, and at this rate a full-blown clash between the Armed Forces and Corsairs is inevitable. I'm not talking about gunboats and fighters, I'm talking about battleships, dreadnoughts, and cruisers. And if that happens, don't think for a second that the Bounty Hunters Guild will stay quiet. What odds does Freeport 1 stand if such were to occur?
Therefor, in the interest of Freeport 1, I make a motion to forbid any Corsair capital ships, from Gunboats to Dreadnoughts, from docking or staying within a ten-K distance of the station. On top of that, I move to make a motion for all Corsairs of any ship class, excluding transports, be prohibited from docking Freeport 1 for a period of seven days, starting from the day this motion is put into effect, if agreed upon.
In addition, The Brotherhood must be notified of the situation regarding Omega-3. They must be made to know what is going on and I think it is not too far a stretch to say that they must be made to take action against our present situation. This cannot be solved simply by the Zoners, we need the cooperation of the Corsair Council. They must be made to see what is going on, and they must start taking action of their own to stop it, or hostilities between the two of us will come to be, no matter how hardly we fight against it.
-Aurelia Silvan
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