The bearded man with the platinum-framed sunglasses bursted out laughing at the last few comments.
"Surely you cannot be serious! Do you honestly believe that the Mollies can pose a serious threat to us, should we choose to confront them? Some here would have us surrender to a cockroach, and then blame ourselves for having dared invade the cockroach's dominion! How many of you were here in Omega-49 when the Bretonians sent their privateers here for the exact same reasons? We absolutely demolished them and they gave up on their foolish, jingoistic venture. I suspect that most of you cowards were not present for that battle. I will further go on to question where your loyalty lies if your answer to terrorism is to bend over and give the terrorists what they want - the same terrorists who are attempting to choke off the lifeblood of one of our most important systems. If there is any reason to pursue peace, it will be to save us the time and energy it would take to exterminate those pirate vermin infidels from Sirius."
"The idea of handing over a Freeport to terrorists is laughable and deserves no further comment. My crew and I are going home through Dublin with our ship. It will be the Mollys' fault if they try to stop us - their blood will be on their own hands. I hope it does not come to that. Out of respect for this conference, I will gladly wait here with my crew on Gran Canaria until this issue either works itself out or Doctor Holliday no longer wishes to host us."
"We pose as much a threat to the Mollys as the Mollys pose to us, my dear Jonah. These claims that we have superior numbers are mere delusions of grandeur. Technology? I can agree with that. Though, if you want to rely on our technology, then the Mollys are a rather moot subject."
Tapping a few times on a datapad he slids it accross the table to Jonah.
"Jump drive technology. Cloaking technology." Victor said plainly. "Technology that many of us here have been developing for awhile now. While your family was........where exactly?"
"Need I remind of you the Zoner Philosphy, Jonah? The philosophy of not antagonizing anyone? The philosphy our community has lived and flourished by for far longer than you or I have been around."
"You choose to remember the debacle with the Bretonian privateers how you choose to remember it. We repeled a wing of fighters, they destroyed countless transports along with their security detachments throughout Bretonia, the Taus, and the Omegas. As I said, delusions of grandeur."
You call us cowards, yet you and your family vanish when life gets tough. You do nothing for the community at all, past call the rest of us cowards and talk about how big your guns are. You question our loyalty? I question your loyalty to our way of life. I question if you are even one of us any longer."
"And when, sir, was the last time you or any of your convoys were attacked by the Privateers? Or paid them a bribe? Pirates do not care about your words; they do not care about your feelings; they do not even care about what they say they care about. This venture is one of profit and attempted strong-arming of the Zoner community."
"Antagonizing an innocent party is wrong and contrary to our principles - we can agree on that. But to allow the plunder of innocent civilians, and to furthermore encourage the plunder by instructing the victims to pay a bribe and to shake our finger at the victims, telling them that "the piracy is your own fault" - well, I will gladly say that my crew and I are not, and will never be, one of "you"."
"Perhaps my presence would not be necessary if those who purport to represent our community grew a spine and at least one-half of a shriveled testicle. As it is, however, it seems that those who wield the most power among us would like to simply throw the rest of the community to the wolves."
"Now, if you have any further personal conflicts with either me or any of my crew, I would be more than happy to settle your differences with us elsewhere. I have said my piece and will speak no more of this issue at this meeting."
"Our transports and convoys are safe from privateer harassment because of our ability to not antagonize them; our ability to leverage a diplomatic tongue. Not because of something you think you did for us."
"Not antagonizing anyone is our philosophy, Jonah" Victor stresses his next statement, "Anyone. Innocence is a matter of perspective."
"No one here has encouraged nor 'shaken a finger' at anyone regarding the Molly's demands. You don't even bother listening when anyone else is speaking do you?"
"In your family's absence, one of many I might add, our community has prospered and flourished. We've seen very few conflicts and those conflicts were resolved quickly and by diplomatic measures." Making gestures at Jonh, Tristian, and the members of the Confederation, "By those of us with no spine; while you and your family were off hiding in some dark corner of space."
"Your presence wasn't necessary nor did many of us even wish you to be here. The invitation was extended to Zoners who actually make an effort to better our community. Jonh's good nature is the only reason you are here."
"Further irrelevant comments of a personal nature may be directed to my ship's Director of Public Relations," Jonah replied, pointing his thumb back at the mostly naked woman fanning him. She gives Victor a little wink and uses one hand to adjust her bejeweled brassiere while continuing the gentle fanning motion with the other.
I would be hard pressed to classify the Mollies attempt at barricading their back door against an invading force terrorism. Either by the spirit or literal meanin of term. Should we decide to gleefully apply the label as justification for future acts I would imagine our own recent past might come under uncomfortable scrutiny. More than one Zoner turret was turned in my own direction during the blockade of Omicron Gamma during that absurd altercation.
As to your disdain for a policy of cautious approach, Mr. Ah, Jonah. For a people whom seek to maintain ports open to all, free access you might even say, signaling that we're willing to muddy our feet over the inconveniences of a blockade in what many might consider a political matter in one time and region would doubtless carry the uncomfortable burden on our future selves when we beg I difference at a future time and date. Especially when you show such bravado in determining what is and is not allowed in space that does not belong to us.
There's little to nothing that we have to discuss on the matter until such a time comes, ideally soon, where a line of dialogue has been established with the administrators of the Coin. Until we've settled the, potentially, enormous burden of making a phone call mayhap the drums of war can be left to lay with the rest of the children's toys?
"This Blockade harms Gran Canarias economy, heck if you didact it further it even impacts freeport 5's position on the smuggling routes of just about anything in the omegas.
A fair bit of these supplies enter the omegas through Gran Canaria, through the Dublin hole. Dublin might be the mollies garden but we've never harmed or impacted molly operations in a negavite way. Before someone starts attempting to shoot his or her way out through Dublin we could just ask... Has anyone tried just asking nicely if we can have an assurance of non-hostile turrets when we jump in?"
There used to be pictures here
once known as Richard Farbridge, OBE and Ronaldo Benitez
"Our vessels pass without harm and the Mollys have added a number of our non Zoner customers to the weapons platform's access list so they could come to Nichols on request."
So is there a reason why we're here? Or are we doomed to spend eternity in this chamber, waiting on lunch, debating issues that arise as quickly as they resolve themselves?
Indeed I believe the first step...somehow... has been made... what should now be our goal is to proceed with actions like this and work together for Zoners out there. We might not agree on everything, we are diffrent and we might have set feelings about each others or we simply don't care about each other but over all WE ARE Zoners. It's high time we leave the selfish attitude of ignorance and hate and move into age of co-operation and friendship. I believe this meeting has proven that besides the diffrences we all still care about Zoners as a community. And as much as I am disapointed with some of us trying to use this meeting for pointing fingers and accusing others... I still think this meeting was a good step and it is a definitly a good start. Now if noone has anything else to add and Mr Holliday is also done - I say we can end this little meeting and hope this will be not the last one.