***Broadcasting level: Sirius wide***
***Encryption Protocol: Public***
***Location: Synth Foods Stuttgart Headquarters***
Vincent and Thomas Morrow are seen standing on the podium in front of a sea of news reporters from all across Sirius.
Vincent turns to his brother Thomas. “Here we go dude, time’s wasting.”
he says before stepping up to the microphone.
He scans over the sea of reporters before saying:
Synth Foods has had a rough few years, the war between Liberty and Rheinland has taxed everyone, especially the corporations such as us who have operations in both houses.
We have been accused by Rheinland for years of acting as some sort of corporate warfare agent on behalf of Liberty. We have been treated as second rate citizens in Rheinland due to our ties back to Liberty.
We at Synth Foods have decided after many meetings, many conference calls and more debating then I personally care for; that the best course of action is to announce our resignation and independance from Liberty.
We will still maintain our operations on Planet Los Angeles, and many of our corporate offices will remain there. We are however dropping out of the Republic of Liberty, and will no longer concern ourselves with the laws that govern the house.
Along with this announcement we would also like to request that the Rheinland Federal Police and the Rheinland Military consider removing their restrictions upon us, however I will be sending a personal communication to them to privately discuss these matters.
He pauses, turning back to look at Thomas before turning back to the sea of reporters and flashing cameras.
We will now answer any questions.
A man closer to the front stands up, raising his microphone in an attempt to get the attention of the two men at the podium, and succeeding as one of them looked in his general direction.
"G'day, Jeffery Dixon of the Bretonian Broadcasting Channel." He stated into the small microphone, "As of this moment, Synth Foods has renounced it's affiliation with the Liberty Republic - partially due to Rheinland's police and military forces harassing it's operations here in Rheinland space."
He paused briefly, letting his statement sink in before actually getting to his question.
"Does this mean Synth Foods will become a Rheinland corporation or will your organization remain as a neutral unaffiliated company like Orbital Spa and Cruise? Secondly, how do you expect either Rheinland or now Liberty to react kindly to your sudden declaration of independence? Or do you expect Rheinland to continue seeing your company as a Liberty company?"
Vincent steps back up to the microphone saying:
To address your first question Mr. Dixon. We fully intend to remain a neutral party, much like orbital spa and cruise as you've mentioned. We offer food to the people of Sirius. If we affiliate ourselves with one house over the next that limits the people we can serve due to potential diplomatic choice of our chosen house government. As an independent neutral corporation, we can choose or own diplomacy, and not be tied to the wars of a house government.
He pauses for a moment before continuing.
As for your second question. We hope that Liberty understands that while we would not be where we are today, it is in the best interest of both the people of Sirius and Synth Foods, if we declare our independence. As for Rheinland, we hope they will see this as a change and accept that we have left the house of Liberty. I do not expect them to welcome us with open arms and suddenly change their policies in our favor. I expect there will be a period where they are still unsure of our intentions, but I hope it is a short lived one.
However time will only tell how the governments of both Rheinland and Liberty will react.
Does that answer your question Mr. Dixon?
"That it does, Mister Morrow, however, I do have another question." Dixon replied, looking over towards a few other reporters to his left, then to his right before bringing the microphone back in front of him. "Will Synth Foods continue supplying the men and women of the Bretonian Armed Forces with rationed synth paste in light of the recent outbreak of yet another war in the Tau region, with the new Gallic threat?"
Vincent smiles slightly before saying:
Mr. Dixon, the precise reason we have declared ourselves independent is so that we can supply whoever is in need of our pastes. So the short answer is, yes we will be supplying the Bretonian Armed Forces with paste. My secretary Miss Fiona Macguire is currently drafting a message to them now.
"Thank you, that'll be all." Dixon replied, returning the smile and lowering his microphone as the crowd of reporters roared back to life. After a few minutes, Dixon made his way through the crowd, rounding up his camera crew, deciding it was best to get back to Bretonia as soon as possible.
"Victor Chandler, Sirius Business Daily.
"Business are required to incorporate themselves under the laws of legally recognised entity, and their ships need to be registered at a legally recognised port.
"For example, OSC can incorporate themselves on Planet Curacao, outside Liberty's main legal jurisdiction. IC can incorporate themselves out in the Okinawa system, where they have a base outside House jurisdiction. Where will Synth Foods declare themselves to be incorporated, and at what port will Synth ships be registered?"
A black haired woman, clad in the hallmark dark blue dress uniform of a Liberty Navy officer, appeared on a small monitor, standing quietly once the Synth executives were finished speaking. Brushing some hair back under her visor cap she began to speak.
"Admiral Rachel Baker here, Liberty Navy Primary Fleet, I just have a couple questions. Firstly, When you say that you will no longer concern yourselves with the laws of the Republic of Liberty, what exactly do you mean? Your choice of words has left me...quite curious."
After a brief pause to adjust her cap again, she glanced to Vincent, raising a brow curiously.
"And, how do you imagine the government will react to your corporation trying to openly dissociate yourselves from our nation, in order to gain favor with our enemies?"
Having said her piece, she nodded sternly to the Synth executives before taking her seat once more.
*Vincent steps up to the microphone, he knew this question was coming.*
I misspoke when I said we were no longer going to concern ourselves with the laws of Liberty Admiral, Synth foods has no plans of doing illegal business in Liberty.
What I should have said, was we have no desire to be held accountable for your choices. I fully understand the reasoning behind the war with Rheinland, or as much as the next person anyway. I apologize for the way that sentence was worded and how it came out, you must understand we have spent any hours on this decision and I probably should have taken a few days rest before the announcement.
As for how we expect the Liberty Navy to react to our dissociation to, as you said "Gain favor with our enemies".
We hope the Liberty Navy will see it as what it is, a business move. It is no secret that Synth Foods has had operations in Rheinland for years, we have plans of eventually building a bio-dome construction site in orbit of Planet Stuttgart and we have slowly been moving some of our offices there as well.
We hope the Liberty Government sees that we are only trying to expand our abilities to provide all lawful groups in Sirius with our services to the best of our ability. I hope Liberty does not take this as a personal insult, as it is by no means such. Had we been located in Bretonia, Rheinland, or even Kusari, we would still be making the same choice to declare independence. It is a move we have decided is required to further expand our corporation, not one of malice against the Republic which for so many years we have called our home, our mother, our leader. A move towards a more humanitarian Synth Foods.
If we can produce paste and offer it to starving families, hungry from the taxes of war between the houses. We cannot sleep soundly at night knowing we are not doing everything in our power to provide a cheap source of food for them. We would like to think the Republic can understand this.