To: Population of Andorra Haven

[Petitioner]

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---[[[ Incoming Datastream, Comms-Grade
---[[[ Sender ID: Mara Kulacz
---[[[ Message Source: LV Theta Heuristic
---[[[ Data Integrity: Data Integrity OK
---[[[ Processing Comm

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Kallisti! I hope this message finds you well.

My name is Mara Kulacz. My business partner Laz was recently passing thru the Tau-117—or Roussillon, whichever—system, and noticed that your station, Andorra Haven, is in pretty poor shape. Outer Tau can be a pretty brutal region of space, so out of thanks for not shooting outsiders on sight, and the goodness of his heart, he brought some hull components and other assorted repair materials to the base and had his crew drop off the cargo pods next to your storage depots, and while passing through a few days later noticed that it seemed like you've since made use of them. While we don't expect any recompense for that delivery, of course, since you didn't actually ask us for it, we're a little worried about your safety and well-being.

You'll pardon the snooping—like we said, Tau's not a friendly place, so we were a little wary of just docking and asking—but we did a bit of digging, a little asking around at the local Freeports, what have you, and learned about your ideals and who you are. Laz and I are the CEO and COO, respectively, of a new startup, Bessemer Logistics, trying to gain a foothold in the independent worlds while doing what we can to help out folks just like y'all. While we're obviously engaged in a profit-seeking enterprise, for better or worse that's just the way the sector works at present. We're not opposed to your anarchist vision, however, so what say we engage in some mutual aid?

Let Bessemer take over the administration of your station, and handle the importation of the necessary supplies to keep the place afloat. Give us permission to build a little manufacturing annex, set up the skeleton of a tiny shipyard, and use it to start bringing in the profit necessary to pay for the security and well-being of your people. All the living quarters, rec areas, and all of that—basically, the entire base as it is right now—remains under your control and y'all can keep living life just as you already are, but with someone else looking out for you. Since, as respectfully as possible, it seems like you've been struggling more than a bit with patching up the holes that've been accumulating in Andorra. We're not trying to butt heads with anyone, just make our way in the world same as you.

I realize this is a bit unorthodox of a proposal to put up at first contact, but I have a feeling this can benefit all of us.

Kulacz out.

[[[ Attachments

Null

[Goddess Astra]

$Solatra@NinthWind >> neuralnet comm priv "mkulacz@ThetaHeuristic"
Neural Net Protocol: Searching...
Neural Net Protocol: Channel located.
Neural Net Protocol: Initializing stream.

Hey there, Mara. Interesting proprosal y'got there. Short answer: no.

Longer answer: private enterprise is against our charter. Doesn't matter if y'wanna help people out, the way y'conduct business ain't how we work on Andorra. Even in the Exchange, we don't let any money change hands, don't allow any corporate business, nothing like that. What you're asking is to take over administration, which basically means the station's yours. This ain't what we're about. It ain't even the sort of thing we would vote on, 'cuz it's so obviously against the charter. Corporate hierarchy's a fundamentally unjust hierarchy, so unless you're planning on restructuring your whole organization, sorry kiddo, we ain't gonna spring for it.

Now, if y'do wanna help out, then we're happy to give your ships docking privileges, we're happy to patch you up where you need it, we're even happy to give you escort if you're planning on tryin'a help folks out around the Taus or wherever. That's the real meaning of mutual aid. If you're in it for the long haul, then we could talk about a shipyard and a manufacturing annex, 'cuz at that point you'd be as invested as we are. But that shipyard wouldn't be yours, it'd be for the station. You'd just be considered residents with the same rights to use it as anyone else. We obviously ain't gonna turn away help if that's what you're offering.

So that's our counter-offer: show us y'can play by our rules, and we'll treat you like anyone else. Bring in your expertise, and we'll give you the space to build something better for not just you, but everyone on board. There ain't gonna be much profit here for you, but you'd be able to use the space, and y'could do whatever y'want outside the station. And that'd mean we'd have a dedicated space to patch up our own transports and other large ships, instead of having to rely on the IMG for use of their shipyards.

Lemme know what y'think. If y'have the same goals as us like y'say, then I expect you'll find this a fair compromise.

$Solatra@TheNinthWind >> return
Neural Net Protocol: Process terminated.
$Solatra@TheNinthWind >> logout

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Freelancer Reimagined: Complete Music Overhaul

[Petitioner]

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---[[[ Incoming Datastream, Comms-Grade
---[[[ Sender ID: Mara Kulacz
---[[[ Message Source: LV Theta Heuristic
---[[[ Data Integrity: Data Integrity OK
---[[[ Processing Comm

---

Kallisti.

My apologies for the lack of a response until just now, but I was engaged in business far enough away that, without access to the transmission relays of any installations in between us, my message wouldn't have reached you regardless. However, now that I'm back up in the Taus, I flew by Foix only to see that there's not much left of Andorra but scrap. I'm sorry to see that you folks weren't able to get on without our help in the meanwhile, but hopefully you and your people are still alive and kickin' somewhere. If you need transportation to somewhere more hospitable than wherever you might've ended up, let us know and we can surely work something out. Laz and I's only hope is that you chose to abandon the station given its disrepair and found somewhere else to disperse to rather than things having come to blows with one of the more rambunctious groups in the area.

Mara out.

[[[ Attachments

Null

[Goddess Astra]

$Solatra@NinthWind >> neuralnet comm priv "mkulacz@ThetaHeuristic"
Neural Net Protocol: Searching...
Neural Net Protocol: Channel located.
Neural Net Protocol: Initializing stream.

Gone, not dead. We've got our own transport, we'll be fine. Who knows, maybe we'll even patch it back up again sometime, but for now we've gotta stay spaceworthy. Can't tell you more than that for now.

$Solatra@TheNinthWind >> return
Neural Net Protocol: Process terminated.
$Solatra@TheNinthWind >> logout

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Freelancer Reimagined: Complete Music Overhaul