Ah Thorn - your passion obscures your point, you talk of unity in one breath, and point an accusing finger in another. Trafalgar has not experienced the frictions you talk about, but we go about our business quietly. I have seen a build up of smugglers using Leeds as a bridge to Liberty & Tau, but there has always been an ebb & flow in these parts. A few will get caught & the majority will learn - always happens, especially around Cricket season.
Some of your observations however need addressing.
Firstly, the only time I have seen trouble between a Junker & another was when a Congress member started using New London as a play ground. I told him we didnt need his protection - he said he was busy and did what he wanted. If your listening to this Tink, this is not good & I warned you that some would behave this way. Remember our discussions about parallel histories. Conflict effects our neutrality - lets not invite it, & especially where I operate.
Secondly, I agree that non-Junker smuggling operations are using our IFFs as a cover, & I will start to collate names in Bretonia for future review. Let the Guard deal with them on a case-by-case basis and lets look to make the odd example on those without friends. Id accept a payback on the rest. We certainly shouldnt use the authorities to police our business.
Thirdly, Ill trade whatever I want & you can trade whatever you want. Come now Thorn, this is the Junker way.
Lastly, dont shun non-affiliated Junkers. Im one (and with the greatest British respect) I seem to have less problems than your affiliated Union does.
I never mentioned trafalgar in the first place, bretonia is probably the safest place for any junker right now. Most of the issues I have laid out are taking place in liberty, and some side issues occur in omega 15 and sigma 13. The Junker's Union can handle problems in omega 15, as that is our station and area of responsibility, this conference was called to address issues elsewhere.
As for 'regulating' what other Junkers choose to trade, that is not my intent at all. The only time I will stop another Junker's business is if he attempts to move cardamine to kreuzberg or bornholme - this is the Union's area of influence and I will not allow the authorities to target us for drug smuggling operations. It is all in an effort to keep up good business within this area of space, if Junkers want to deal in contraband they can do it elsewhere.
I view each Junker station as it's own community. What happens there must be dealt with the Junkers on that station, I wont attempt to enforce any kind of laws or restrictions against junkers operating outside of kreuzberg and bornholme, but it is my responsibility to keep both of those stations safe for the communities that exist on them.
Trafalgar is my core operational base, but Im an itinerant Junker & I see a lot of Sirius for what it is. I am happy with the bulk of your reply and should you wander my way well have a feast & some dancing girls.
Im sorry to "but" in, but i got a question for you:
Isnt the Junker bases and hideouts for all Junkers? No Questions asked? I mean.. My family and me are Junkers? So let's say that the Junkers Union lay "claim" on a base. Are me and my family allowed to dock there? Or even stay there? I mean if a Junker goes smuggling that "card" and goes to your station, youl stop him or her? I mean, sure you can dictate policies if there was a real government of the Junker Community, but there isnt and shouldnt be either.
-Yawns-
Wow, that was a long rattle and im so tired.. Anyway. Yeah, well i must say i like the idea of the Union i do.
Yeah well bye bye, I'l go back to my nap, talk to you later.
We allow most individuals and their ships access to our stations, so long as they dont cause trouble. However, to respond to your cardamine example - that we do not allow. Vessels hauling cardamine, synthetic marijuana, or other high contraband goods will be denied docking access and told to take their cargo elsewhere.
We are trying to keep a nuetral-friendly stance with the local law, and the rheinland federal police and military do not tolerate contraband in the least. If they found out that we were actively allowing such contraband to move through our stations, they would not hesitate to send a fleet of bombers out to kreuzberg or bornholme and blast the station to space dust.
So, in the interest of the station and it's inhabitants, no contraband is allowed.
Our view on the Congress-
We respect them, but dont necessarily approve of many of their decisions. Simple as that. They dont impose on us or try to run our stations, so we have no reason to like or dislike them, they simply are.
Our view on the Harvesters-
They're useful allies and have helped protect our stations in the past, but lately they've become disorganized, disconnected, and a threat to even Junkers. Many harvesters seem to be "working on their own", which causes us some concern. As long as they dont attack us, we ignore them.
I'm unsure what you mean by my personal views, however. My opinion lies with that of the rest of the union, particularly since I lead it and speak for it.
Look what we have found here, a Junker diplomacy channel. Never thought we would need one.
Please excuse my rude behavior, but i wont transmit my name nor the vessel i'm commanding. Due to Junker union edicts and Mr. Thorns small horizon of looking at things i do not want to end at Vierlande for Mr.Thorns personal satisfaction of being a good Rheinland authorities servant.
Since when do we care about authorities. When i look at my customers for Artifacts and other "contraband", even Cardamine, well, a high ranking Liberty diplomat and a Rheinland admiral are among them plus some others of the high society. They depend on us to a certain level, because only we can deliver what they want. Ahh have i told about the bretonian polic inspector who requested slaves for his country house on Camebridge?
So Mr. Thorn. I do fly a former GMG vessel, why? I have "found" it in the Sigma 13 clouds. To be honest, only me was receiving a distress call. Curious as i am i did go there and what do i see? A shiny whale, nearly new. After some talks with the crew i did know, their life support system had a malfunction and they would suffocate. Then it was easy. I just did wait until they all died, moved over in a space suit, removed the dead bodies, deleted flight logs and changed transponder. Later i claimed it as abandoned ship and after paying a very small donation to GMG i got it. Now i shall give it up because of you? Never. I think the whale is causing lesser trouble than the Corsair GB.
I also will not give up the high profits i get from "contrabands" (rather call it exotics). Reasons are:
1. Old Junker spell: My business is my business and doesn't concern anyone else.
2. I have to satisfy my customers
3. I like credits
4. I'm sick of collecting scrap out there. Have done this for more than 10 years, until i did found the whale.
Next point is i do trade with OC and Corsairs and i do not keep it as a secret. Both sides are aware, that Junkers have business on both sides of the fense. To think anything else is foolish and is violating the honour of OC and Corsairs.
I'm a true Junker, because i live and let live. I'm not responsible for anyone else, as noone is responsible for me. Thats the Freedom i became a Junker for.
Multiple times i have provided badly needed goods to Bornholm to make life more comfortable there, but if JU still insist in their pitty limitations i have no problem to limit my exotics business to Liberty and Bretonia only. I'll give the Rheinland admiral your address to get his Cardamine from. Btw, he is heavily addicted.
Fortunately the regulations of JC are easier to handle, because i already do by taking great care in my business.
Gentlemen, if I may be so bold to ask: what is this disagreement about Bornholm? We all know Junker channels aren't hard to get into. Now I've been hearing rumours from various Hessians about them taking their business off of Junker stations and elsewhere, and when I asked them for the reason, they pointed me to that unsecure Bornholm channel, which steadily got me up to date on all the hubbub.
I really hope the Junker Union isn't trying to drive all our old contacts off of our stations in Rheinland in their unusual pursuit of legality. I heard the LWB weren't too pleased either about what happened with Kreuzberg. More specifically it getting fortified all of a sudden over a meeting which was supposed to be kept low profile. I'd suggest rethinking the entire doctrine behind "securing" the stations, or else Kreuzberg could very well become a ghost town soon.
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