Sender ID:Fiorella Arianna de Marco Recipient ID:Council of Dons Subject:New Trade Opportunities Location:MNS Amalfi Encryption:Medium
Caro Council of Dons,
I am Fiorella Arianna de Marco and some of you probably heard of me or met me in space, the rest of you did not.
I have been researching into our current distribution Network after a few talks with other Maltese in space to find out if anything changed for the better since the near destruction of Rochester. While some of our intermediaries proved to be helpful in the matter, the other were not as I had a difficulty in reaching for the Junkers and the Lane Hackers to find the proper answers.
Nevertheless, I have composed my report and had a discussion with others, yet there was an incident with the Rogues and the Legion which reaffirmed me in my findings - the is an ongoing reliability problem with some of our intermediares and the fact that there has been nothing done to secure Rochester from the further Xenos attacks.
As a result, I have continued searching for a solution for these issues and I had a meeting with the Xeno Alliance leader, where we have managed to formulate a preliminary trade deal between us.
It is a new ooportunity for us to expand upon and as they are more than willing to disrupt an artifact trade in Liberty, a help in our fight against the Corsairs, as the artifact trade is a source of income for them.
Any theoretical demand for the artifacts can be sated by the Malta Hyperspace Fleet with their own artifact dealings, bolstering our incomes even more.
While you may find this trade deal as a potentially risky venture, the benefits far outweight the risks involved as this will make our overall Cardamine business more robust as a result, disrupt the Corsair's source of income and make our trips to Liberty easier.
REPORT: THE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK AND ITS EXPANSION Author: Fiorella A. de Marco
1. Introduction
The purpose of this report is to map and evaluate the current state of our Network as of 05/829. The report contains mainly information based on communications from our Network's intermediaries and a few other individuals and does not contain hard economic data, and the economic side of things should be considered separately by more in-depth economic analyses.
2. Bretonia and Gallia
Bretonia and Gallia currently remain outside our Network primarily due to the absence of any credible local intermediaries. This is mainly due to the very low local demand for Cardamine, which gives little incentive to potential intermediaries to join our Network in there.
In Bretonia, our distribution network operates to a limited extent at Trafalgar in the hands of the Junkers. However, due to the low demand so far, the trade is of limited importance. Gen'an Chrysanthemums also conducts its limited trade as they have a limited access to Bretonia.
3. Kusari
The Cardamine trade in Kusari is entirely in the hands of Gen'an Chrysanthemums, who take over our product from Cali and also take care of the final distribution. The Kusarian society is very conservative and has an aversion to Cardamine as to any other foreign influences, however, Gen'an reports a steady increase in demand as well as their growing influence among the younger women population. Gen'an is also actively seeking other markets for their expansion, but except for their limited trips to Liberty, without a significant success.
The biggest obstacle for the Gen'an in Kusari is the local naval forces with large capital ships, against which our intermediaries have limited options, and so the Gen'an have expressed a desire for increased presence of Maltese capital ships in Kusari.
However, for all the problems with the local forces, at least according to our mediators, the distribution Network itself remains virtually untouched by the local forces.
4. Liberty
Liberty remains our most important and complicated market. Paradoxically, our obstacle in the region is not the police, who are easily bribed, but the Xenos and their hatred of the Junkers, the very end of our current Network in Liberty.
Our strongest intermediaries in Liberty are the Liberty Rogues, who have recently reinforced the line from Kusari with another station and increased their shipment volume through the Xeno infested Colorado. The Texas route has not experienced any major difficulties and Cardamine volume through it is increasing.
The biggest problem for us in here remains the vulnerable Rochester. The Xenos have grown stronger over the last two to three decades and have also acquired new weapons, as they demonstrated last year with their battleship.
In the words of Signor Hemlocke, the main problem is the Junkers' alignment with the forces of law and that is why Rochester cannot host a significant Rogues garrison. Unless the Junkers themselves have taken their own precautions, which they have not commented on as yet and I have observed no such thing around their base, it is very likely that the station may be disabled again or even destroyed.
The Lane Hackers have not been very helpful either. The Inner Circle seems to have lost a lot of its influence and it is getting harder and harder to contact them or track their influence in Liberty. Alongside them, a new group of hackers have emerged, calling themselves SIGNET, who seem to be in ideological conflict with the Inner Circle and pose as freedom fighters. They seem to be outside the main focus of Xenos and it is questionable to what extent they will be a hindrance to us in the future.
5. Expansion
5.1. The Mollys
The theoretical candidates for our expansion in Bretonia are the Mollys, who are at war with Bretonia for independence and could benefit from additional funding and influence through Cardamine in Bretonian society. They are also at odds with our ancient enemies, the Corsairs.
However, they are also known for their pride and bluntness, any successful contact with them should be done carefully and cautiously so that they do not feel that we are trying to use them unilaterally.
5.2. The Brigands
The least successful criminal elements in Gallia might also have a potential interest in distributing our product, but the problem remains the dominance of the Unione Corse in the Gallia black market and Brigands' theoretical dependence on our rival. There is also the chance that any distribution know-how could reach the Unione Corse and be used against us and our intermediaries.
5.3. The Xenos
Although the Xenos are one of our biggest obstacles in Liberty, they themselves have a strong interest in becoming members of our Network as they will need stable financial resources for their 'Liberty Free Republic', at least according to Cobra, and they do not care what happens to the rest of Liberty.
The Xenos have tried to negotiate a distribution deal with Malta in the past and negotiations have gone nowhere much further. They are currently offering a cease-fire once the official negotiations begin. They are also willing, once they become a part of our Network, to hunt and destroy any artifact and xeno relic smugglers in Liberty to further weaken income of our ancient enemies, the Corsairs. They could also hunt down the Junkers' carrying these goods as well.
The Xenos quite understandably skip the Junkers for distribution of their goods, so they could serve as an alternate flow for Cardamine to penetrate the places where the Junkers have no access.
6. Conclusion
Currently, our distribution Network is working, and is growing dynamically in areas like Liberty and Kusari as our intermediaries gain influence in Liberty and Kusari. Rather than law enforcement, our Network is being threatened by other criminal elements vying for their share of influence in the black market and by the various mercenaries.
It is through the steady efforts of the Liberty Rogues and the Gen'an Chrysanthemums that our Distribution Network is expanding, while the Junkers and the Lane Hackers may prove to be weaknesses, or in the case of SIGNET, outright problems in the future.
Expanding our Network to include the Mollys or the Xenos, in addition to increasing the flow of Cardamine and our revenue, could also directly help us in our fight against the Corsairs and their revenue. The Brigands remain our only, but not very reliable, option within Gallia.
AGREEMENT: THE KEPLER AGREEMENT, 829 Maltese Representative: Fiorella A. de Marco Xenos Representative: Damien Morreti
1. Introduction
The Kepler Agreement, 829, is a preliminary trade agreement dealing with the Cardamine trade and other related matters between the interested families and clans of Malta, represented by Fiorella Arianna de Marco, and the Xenos Alliance cell from the LFR, represented by Commander Damien Morreti.
The agreement was verbally concluded on 11th of May, 829 A.S., and later confirmed in writing.
2. Contents of the Agreement
2.1. Mutual Non-Aggression
Both Parties shall cease offensive actions against each other and shall open fire against each other only in self-defence.
2.2. Trade Route
The trade route itself will run through California and Ontario to Colorado, where the cargo will be unloaded and resold to the Xenos for the final distribution.
2.3. Base Access
The Xenos bases, with the exception of Fontana Freeport, will remain inaccessible to Maltese ships at this early stage of the trade. Maltese freighters and their escorts directly involved in trade with Cardamine will have the necessary access to the Xenos base in Colorado.
2.4. Cardamine Exclusivity
The Xenos pledge to be directly involved only in the distribution of Cardamine and not to serve as intermediaries for Malta's enemies, especially the Corsairs. This condition does not prohibit the Xenos from selling contraband obtained from destroyed or hijacked ships as this is not direct distribution, but a sale of the captured loot to fuel their further activities.
2.5. Dealing with Rivals
The Xenos pledge to disrupt the business activities of Malta's rivals, especially the Corsairs, and to suppress physical and economic influence in Liberty. The Xenos pledge to compete with their rivals so as not to disrupt the overall distribution and consumption of Cardamine.
3. Future of the Agreement
The Kepler Agreement is currently only a preliminary agreement establishing the first economic ties between Malta and the Xenos, and may be superseded or supplemented by other agreements regulating relations as the importance of mutual trade grows and relations become more cordial.
4. Termination of the Agreement
This Agreement may be cancelled by either or both parties and will terminate within seven days of notification.
5. Signatures
Fiorella Arianna de Marco, Maltese representative
Commander Damien Morreti, Xenos representative
TERMINATING TRANSMISSION / INTERRUZIONE DELLA TRASMISSIONE
Alarcón here. I will go straight to the point. I do not like this arrangement, not one bit of it.
I do not desire to extend this point more than necessary, as this discussion was already settled by our Observadora; but I would like to emphasize my personal opinion on this regard. It would be an understatement to say that the relations with the despicable Xenos have always been rough ones, as their continuous meddling on the Cardamine distribution and their audacity to engage our brethren do not bold any hopes for a mutual least consideration. Nevertheless, I can agree on the new opportunities created by this meeting, even if it is a blatant display of weakness from the Maltese side. The unforgiving necessity to implement an additional unreliable intermediary, for the Cardamine trade, speaks highly of these modern times, where drastic changes must be done so we can secure the Orange Dream in Sirius. Aforenoted prejudice aside, De Marco took a risk and I can appreciate that, as our organization vouches the actions of those who want to make our society to progress. The preliminary draft of the arrangement seems agreeable and our organization will honor it, for the time being.
While it is true that the rest of intermediaries have gone into a convenient hibernation state, and considering that Cardamine flowed constantly during the last months, the recent issues that have arisen are of a pressing concern to all of us. Without a clear full consensus of the Inner Circle, the Lane Hackers are losing the willingness and authority to decrypt and manage the shadowy trade lane network properly; meanwhile the silence of the Junkers and their indifference towards Rochester do not vaticinate healthy negotiations for the future. Moreover, the Rogues and their chaotic nature to deliberately trying to take more control, even if it does imply nothing in the grand scheme of the Orange Dream, does show that several outside elements need to be properly chastened so they can fulfill their purpose accordingly.
Our so-called allies are forgetting that they have no chance at all to prosper if they abandon their masters. Furthermore, a significant number of intermediaries are Cardamine users too, and their delusions of grandeur can be ceased as soon as they believe they have a mere glimpse of dissension. Time will tell if the Xenos will be as beneficial as the others have been during so many years. Although, I wonder why these people are ready to negotiate now, after all this time.
One more thing to Fiorella Arianna De Marco, self-proclaimed “Maltese Representative” in this agreement: Since you mainly orchestrated this, remember that if a Maltese fall because of Xenos treachery; it will not be only by his or her incompetence but also because you made this possible. It would be irresponsible of me to respond for all Dons here, but remember that the Council of Dons is always watching and it would be unfortunate for you, if undesirable consequences occur because of this.
¡Por el Sueño Naranja!
Audaz Alarcón
Alpha Explorer
Sender ID:Fiorella Arianna de Marco Recipient ID:Signor Audaz Alarcón Subject:New Trade Opportunity Location:MNS Amalfi Encryption:Medium
Caro Signor Alarcón,
I am well aware of the risks involved in this venture. My current plan is to risk only my clan's resources for it since we never truly recovered from the Rochester Incident, maybe join forces with someone else for the matter and see how well it will go.
This alternative trade route will be rather weak from the start and thus it would unadviseable for others to risk a bit too much in it.
Fortunately, this new deal changes very little for our current Network and you can continue trading as you are used to, well, aside from the fact that our transports and ship will not be shot by the Xenos first from now.
My apologies for getting ahead of myself and grazie for the support, Signor Alarcón.
COMM-ID: Arthuro Sforza V Subject: Re: New Trade Opportunity Priority: High
Good morning Fiorella,
It is my pleasure to meet a face I am not familiar with. I am Arthuro Sforza, the fifth head of the Sforza familia. I hope you are doing well.
Formalities aside, I will speak plainly with you, de Marco. I represent the Legión Maltesa as well as the Sforza family itself. I am certain you are aware of who the Legión is and have an idea of how we operate.
It is clear that such an idea seems almost outrageous to a number of other representatives considering our past with those Libertonians. I, of course, like my peers have doubts about the compatibility between our two groups in such business matters. I will be touching upon a few of the points you have made in your report.
First and foremost. It is an undeniable fact that our partnership with Rogues is showing cracks in the foundation. The new leadership has proven to be quite troublesome at times. Simply put, they are starting to bite the hand that feeds them. They have an overinflated idea of who they really are. They have fired upon one of the Legión's vessels seemingly without much of an idea of who they really are dealing with. I am not positive that it will end just at this. I cannot put my full trust in a rag-tag group of lowly individuals that do not possess the ability to see past themselves.
I am far from a spiteful individual. Any self-respecting Don should know that such a negative trait would be their downfall. However. Allowing the Xenos into our Cardamine network will be a reality check for them. Rogues should understand that they are not irreplaceable. I do not wish to cut out that group entirely, but, a lesson needs to be taught however harsh it may be. We should not be afraid to show our strength over them, if we remain as passive as we are with our tools, they will simply refuse to work for us out of arrogance later down the line.
Fiorella, did you consider asking them what they intend to do with Junker and Rogue transports that carry our product? I am not too well versed in their internal Libertonian strifes, it does not concern me much, however... the potential continuation of losing our shipments even during the partnership would be a grave... mistake, de Marco. I would find that out as soon as possible, if you were me, of course.
That aside. You may or may not be familiar with the fact that Legión has already attempted to negotiate such a deal with them before. A little over a year ago, if my memory serves right. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we could not establish their connection with us on such a scale.
Compatriota Fiorella Arianna de Marco, do you understand the consequences that you will face... should this venture of yours lead to a total failure? You look like a young smart woman with a long life ahead. The outcome of this is something that will impact your entire life. Are you able to answer me with confidence that you are prepared for everything that is to come your way should it all go wrong? Are you prepared to make sacrifices and compromises to make this partnership run smoothly?
If you can answer these questions truthfully and show us that you are competent, you can consider the Sforza Familia and Legión Maltesa as your allies. We will provide assistance to you and this investment every step of the way.
Sender ID:Fiorella Arianna de Marco Recipient ID:Don Arthuro "Muerte" Sforza V Subject:RE: RE: New Trade Opportunity Location:MNS Amalfi Encryption:Medium
Caro Don Sforza,
I am well aware about your previous attempts in negotiation with the Xenos and it was these attempts which prompted me to negotiate with them once again as it was as a natural solution to our vulnerability with the Junkers' station Rochester and the ongoing issues with the Rogues.
The Xenos are starved for credits to fuel their free splinter nation and even they understand that any major disruptions would damage even their own share of the market as the consumer's confidence in Cardamine must not be shattered. Surely, they will intercept and destroy some of these shipments as they did in the past, but they will try to hijack and re-distribute shipments from the rest of them as it means even more income and influence for them.
We have discussed this issue during my meeting with the Xeno Alliance commander. They would shoot themselves in their leg if they tried to sabotage our trade now, especially when they will start disrupting the artifact trade. They will be competing with the Rogues and the Junkers, but their competition should not be disruptive for us at large.
I have made several arrangements and the first product they will receive in the coming month or two will be a surplus product to test their capabilities. If they will succeed, then they can receive shares from our harvests to supply the rising demand and expand steadily. If it starts to bother us during these first few months or even a few harvests, we can always cut these ties and carry on with our primary Network as usual.
I know the risks and the implications that might follow if this business venture will backfire severely, Don Sforza. I am betting my name, my wealth, my future, my family ties and perhaps even my own life into this deal. I am well aware that there is a no escape from such consequences and I have a lot to lose.
I will be overseeing the alternative Network personally, at least for now.
Sender ID:Fiorella Arianna de Marco Recipient ID:Council of Dons Subject:First Success and Changes Location:MNS Amalfi Encryption:Medium
Caro Council of Dons,
It has been a while since I spoke with any of you through the communications about this new and controversial trade route, but I have some news to share with you.
First and foremost, the alternate trade route has achieved its first milestone and became operational and profitable on 22/05/829. While its current volume is practically non-existent in comparison to our main trade route, it is a success nonetheless.
While our freighter pilots are still perfecting their waypoints and schedules on this new trade route and effectiveness can still be considered a bit suboptimal than it should be, we are mostly limited by the Xenos' ability to handle larger volumes of Cardamine as they are still in middle of expanding their distribution operations. We can expect a sharp growth on this route as soon as these details will be sorted out.
However, it has not been without difficulties and the Xenos still have some ideological issues with our participation in a slavery. While they demanded that our ships will stop shipping slaves altogether, I have been able to negotiate a compromise and only ships participating in the alternate trade route will not be picking up any slaves on their route back to Malta.
While someone might point out my own opinions about the slavery and its is true that I consider it as a wasteful and outdated practice for a society like us, I have been approaching this issue pragmatically and I have concluded that Cardamine's distribution is more important than an ability or inability to import slaves to Malta, especially when it applies only to this new route.
I am well aware that this condition will mean that this new alternate route might be not as attractive for the more conservative plantation owners as the main route with the Rogues and the Junkers, it is still a viable route for those who do not need any new slaves at all like my clan, or they do not need as often at least.
After all, the cardamine trade expansion is more politically and economically important for us than a minor slave trade limitation.
That will be all from me now, Cari Dons and Donnas of Malta, and I will keep you informed if there are any other interesting developments.
Before I get to the main part of this comm, I would like to make the proper congratulations to Fiorella Arianna De Marco for achieving progress on the business with the Xenos. From our organization, brave Outcasts took the opportunity to reach Ouray base and they successfully docked and delivered the cargo. It is expected, in the coming weeks, a rise on these trips and we will continue to monitor this type of operation, that will open us whole new possibilities. I was reticent at first, and I am still; I believe this will not change the current paradigms of our society as De Marco could hope, but the numbers look promising.
Now, the reason why I am delivering you this message. I have received a transmission from the Lane Hackers that I would simply refer to as…funny:
Quote:Good day representative of the Malta Hyperspace Starfleet,
My name is Franz Oberhauser.
Usually I'm only contacting the Outcasts with a positive topic, but this time it's not the case.
I witnessed that a pilot of yours with the transponder labeled HS>Asesino-3 is using Lane Hacker technology. I double checked our database and sadly was not able to find any agreement from us that we allowed your pilots to use any of our weaponry.
Would you mind sharing with us the agreement that was made or giving us an explanation as to how this has happened?
That would be all for now. Have a nice day.
Is this the Lane Hackers nowadays? The real image of them? Silence to the Outcasts and, after many months, a sudden message appears only to whine about some cheap weapons? Where is the work in the shadows? Interdiction reports? Even some progress report regarding their own goals so we can help each other retroactively? Decadence has run amok among them on unacceptable levels, it seems.
Do we need “agreements” with these people every time we need to move a finger now?
What comes next? A codex of rules to follow with them? “Enforcing laws”? Are we talking with the Lane Hackers or with Ageira?
Maybe we are not a political-centered organization; we do not intend to make changes like Hispania Imperial wants, or try to incorporate ideals like De Marco that could transform our Maltese society as a whole…but we know this: Maltese should kneel to no one.
If this lazy behavior continues to grow on their members, we should start the according procedures to force them to a restructuration; renovating or dissolving the current Inner Circle, or to leave this intermediary behind, if no effective solution is found. To start, Cardamine supply can be thinned to them, and we can privilege those willing to collaborate better. Any distribution loopholes should be strictly and adequately controlled. Also, there are several intermediaries ready to offer us similar services at the moment. Other ways can be achieved, as De Marco has proved us. Still, we need to investigate further our possibilities before making a real decision on the matter at hand.
¡Por el Sueño Naranja!
Audaz Alarcón
Alpha Explorer
Sender ID: Fiorella Arianna de Marco Recipient ID: Audaz Alarcón Subject: Lane Hackers Caro Signor Alarcón
This is the very reason why I have been focusing on finding new ventures for us - both to expand our influence and to increase our profits. Our intermediaries are probably longing for their good old days when we have been allowing them to boss us around.
However, keep in mind that if you will decide to discipline them, it might cost us something. They can disrupt some of our shipments and make our raids more difficult - so I would keep that in mind, Signor Alarcón.
Do not take this advice as my attempt to dissuade you - al contrario - but I would like to be sure that you and others will be prepared for such possibilities and make necessary arrangements to mitigate any losses on our end. Reckless actions are not our way, we cannot afford to make such mistakes.
Feel free to contact me more privately, Signor Alarcón, If you would like advice on any of your plans or decisions in this matter or something else entirely.
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Attached Data: Report
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