Comm ID: Chairman Mal
Delegates, I thank you all for your excellent Agenda suggestions.
I am inclined personally to go with Delegate Silvan's version, as it captures the issues quite well.
If there are any further additions, please present them so we can get started.
**Incoming Transmission**
TO: The Council of Zoners
From: Samuel Nichols - CEO Omicron Supply Industries
Message reads:
The only thing we may also want to consider is a potentially dedicated group of Zoners who hunt these hostiles.
Personally I think we could gather folks from the Guard section. Several of us have stated, we need to handle these hostiles in house, and not rely on outside agencies or independents.
Sincerely
Samuel Nichols
CEO - OSI
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Incoming Transmission
Comm ID: Aurelia Silvan
Recipient(s): Sylvia Lytaron, Samuel Nichols, Council
Sylvia, regardless of whether you intended to use Aki Kimura's carrier for purposes of intimidation or not, your actions still strayed from Zoner policy. Your own words betray you. '... But that Order Carrier, captained by "Aki Kimura," just happened to show up during my slave interdiction.'
I emphasize the use of the word
interdiction. Zoners do not interdict. In fact, we avoid unnecessary hostilities whenever and wherever possible. Intentionally baiting the Outcasts by threatening and stopping their transports is not a benefit to us. Freeport 10's security and our trade agreements depend on the Outcast's good will.
They have proven themselves to be much more law-abiding and respecting trade partners than most other organizations, including the Corsairs. If you wish to stem the flow of slaves, please do so in a non-aggressive and diplomatic manner. Thank you.
The rest of this message is for the entire council; I'd be in favor of putting together a security team to handle dissidents. I would be willing to lend the Syros' abilities for the purpose, as well as a supply ship for smaller vessels. A carrier would be uniquely suited for this purpose of tracking down other ships, while the Jinkasu Juggernauts can provide the bulk of our station defenses. I'd also be available, or rather the technicians in my employ, to provide advice for properly outfitting vessels for the purpose and laying down training groundwork in the use of those ships.
-Aurelia Silvan
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*incoming transmission*
Comm ID: Doc Holliday
Considering the independent piracy problems we have been having, I support a security team as well. Commander Matok aboard the destroyer Vor'cha would be a good team member.
Delegate Silvan, just a quick thanks for making me think a bit more on the Gallia issue. It's quiet for now but I think it will be a hot button issue later on. I think just banning all Zoner products from being traded there is a big step. I wasn't so much concerned about the Gallic Royals as I was the misguided Junkers at Bourge-en-Bresse. Maybe the House governments will catch on and follow our example.
Doc
While I too support the creation of this group (and plan to be a part of it), I believe the Chair is still working on our agenda.
Mal, please feel free to contradict me.
Comm ID: Chairman Mal
Fellow Delegates,
I have taken the liberty of using Delegate Silvan's "template" for our Agenda, with the addition of the Freeport 7, Sprague, and "Internal Security" suggestions.
To wit:
Council Agenda:
1: Standardization of NFZ distances for all Freeports and facilities (High);
2: Whether to form a Council "Hostiles" list, or to use independent "contractors" to deal with those who break Zoner Law (High);
3: The issue of pirating, and our "agreement" with the Corsairs, in Omega 49 (High);
4: Establishing our own "Response Team" and/or using outside contractors (High);
5: Coriko Lameos' motion to ban members of the Slavers Union (Medium);
6: Actions of ZAS (Zoners Abolishing Slavery) vessels, primarily in Tau-37 (Medium);
7: Doc Holliday's suggestions regarding Gallia and a possible Iridium embargo (Low);
8: Adding a No-fly-zone around the ruins of Freeport 7 (Low-Medium);
9: Raising money for a Freeport 7 memorial beacon (Low);
10: Zoner colonization of Planet Sprague, Omega 3 (Low);
11: Relocation of Council Chambers from Corinth to Gran Canaria (Low).
Now, if certain items change unexpectedly in priority, we can juggle to suit. Thank you all again for your suggestions.
I would prefer to discuss and vote on the Agenda items separately, but if there are objections, I will entertain a motion to put all the items into "Yea/nay" form, and vote the whole slate at once.
If there are no objections, then the Chair hereby opens the Floor to discussion and motions on Agenda item 1, Standardization of all No Fire Zones.
I'll spare Doc the trouble of saying that the TAZ has declared the entire Bafflin' system a "No spittin' zone", as noted in our
Bafflin' Pentabarf.
The Floor is open.
Comm ID: Doc Holliday
To: All Council Delegates
Subject: Standardization of NFZ's.
I think the NFZ's that we have in place are sufficient in terms of distance. I think 5k is a good, sufficient distance as the range of most weapons expires before that. My problem with the NFZ is that it gets used as a safe haven, you know, a pirate who has killed some traders and uses it to hide when he himself is hunted. What to do when you have several angry hunters cornering him and blocking a trade lane or docking ring? We can tell them to leave until we are all blue in the face but often, they don't. They often wait us out to leave. We shouldn't have to sit and babysit.
A short list of ideas on how to deal with offenders:
-Give them an escort to a neighboring system.
-If they refuse to leave or re-offend, a Zoner and ONLY a Zoner ship can open fire upon them within that 5k zone.
I'm open to solutions on this. I'd rather not use violence to enforce our laws but it seems many a time that that's the only solution that some understand.
Doc
Incoming Transmission
Comm ID: Aurelia Silvan
Recipient(s): Malaclypse
I apologize for this, but I just remembered one other thing I had planned to add to the template I made. It concerns Zoner corporations in relation to votes in the Council. Currently each corporation gets a single vote, which is cast by that corporation's delegate. I have always viewed this as rather unbalanced, considering that a corporation holds the interests of several Zoners. Why should two of us 'independent' Zoners have more say than a corporation of say, eight, for example? Surely the opinions of eight outweigh the opinions of two. Therefor I'd like to add to that agenda the issue of the voting system.
My current plan for the motion would be to award organizations a vote count equal to half of their current personnel, up to a maximum of five. So a corporation with seven people working in it would gain four votes, for we round up on split votes. A corporation with twelve would receive five votes, not six, because of the cap. Obviously, we would need to ensure that all personnel organizations claim are active and not lounging around on some beach somewhere.
There probably needs to be a bit more detail-ironing done on this, but I think the current system ignores the opinions of a large portion of the Council's attendees.
On the matter of a 5K NFZ around all Zoner stations, I have already voiced my opinions. They should be in effect, and I would support any motions to make it so.
-Aurelia Silvan
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Comm ID: Chairman Mal
If there are no objections, I will add Delegate Silvan's item to the Agenda. I'm not sure if you would prefer to have this decided before the current Agenda is discussed, or afterwords, Sister Aurelia.. (priority..) Please indicate your preference.
Also, my Pineal just burped out another issue alluded to some time back, that of moving the "physical" Council Chambers from Corinth back to Gran Canaria. I will add it as a low-priority item, and I await your input on how critical the voting changes should be.
Incoming Transmission
Comm ID: Aurelia Silvan
Recipient(s): Malaclypse
I intended the voting issue to be of high priority, for we may need to vote on some or all of the upcoming matters. I feel that the voting system should be balanced before being used farther.
And as Malaclypse mentioned elsewhere in a bulletin announcement, both the Green Hawk and Tuco Pacifico have been destroyed. Tuco Pacifico sent a message shortly before the fight saying, and I quote; "Good, we will be targeting them-[Zoners] more often." Right afterwords, when we entered an asteroid field, both ships cut their cruise engines and opened fire on my Carrier, the Syros. We had known they were intending to move us into the field to hurt the ship's combat ability and allow them to beat it, but were not overly concerned. We were correct in assuming it would not hamper its abilities, for the Syros destroyed the Green Hawk in under a minute, with the Tuco Pacifico shortly after, with help from the TAZ destroyer, Vor'cha. We received the oft-used and incredibly predictable 'We will be back' from the Tuco as it exploded..
Due to this, I suggest all Zoner ships be cautious if either Gunboat is around, and to notify the security team via the S.K.Y.P.E. communication system we have set up. To anyone who wants them, I can provide the photos we had taken during the conversation and following fight.
On other matters; I see no reason to move the Council chambers.. None of us are ever there afterall. I don't care either way where the chambers are put. But if they are to be used as a physical meeting place in times of emergencies when normal communication isn't an option, why not keep it at Corinth? Its much more secure there than anywhere else.
-Aurelia Silvan
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