It is a pleasure for me as well! Yes, that would be in fact me - partly.
Me and my old friend and business partner Derek Silverthorne regulate our little organization. I am mostly responsible for internal logistics to make sure everyone here is aided properly within our possibilities, stays in line and, as you already might have guessed, diplomatic matters for the time being. Sometimes it feels more like being a town mayor than an actual CEO of a profit-oriented organization. But - things have to be done.
The answer to your question is pretty simple. Your base administrator never offered to engage in diplomatic discussions to any of our pilots and therefore we never received the needed data to find and access your diplomatic communication channel with our limited - to say the least - technical possibilities. As one would expect your people did a very good job on staying under the radar for common folks like us.
After you provided the needed data to our pilot I wasted no time to contact you.
I also hope you will be delighted to hear that since I heard about your conversation with Ms. Ohara our pilots were instructed to not enter Liberty core space as a sign of good will and that we respect the sovereignty of the Lane Hackers within Liberty space, although as you might imagine we'd like to change that state as soon as possible.
I am pleased to hear that you gave such instructions to your pilots, Mr Crowe. But I can assure you that this is caused from the conflicting information you are providing us.
• According to Ms Ohara, The Network is a revolutionary organization aiming to overthrow the Sirius' governments but now you are now telling me that you are a profit-oriented organization.
• Your pilots were extremely capable in locating our secret hideout but simultaneously unable to even consider asking from your Crimson Cross friends a LH contact link?
I would also be thankful Mr Crowe if you inform me of your business partners and the organizations that the Network maintains a neutral stance. It will help us create a better understanding of your organization.
Hm, a result of conflicting informations? Did one of our pilots not inform us and did encounter and talk to one of your group's members other than Ms. Ohara prior to you speaking out the - hopefully temporary - denial for us to enter Liberty space? If so, I would be thankful for knowing his or her name to ensure this doesn't happen again and I can actually lead diplomatic discussions with the correct and sufficient informations.
Either way, I can understand the -seemingly- conflicting informations. See, I am a business man, always was and probably always will be. However quite alot of our members focus on their "disapproval" of the current systems that run Sirius and rather see our fight against the corporations of Sirius as their prioritized goal - and I by no means discourage that. But as I mentioned earlier I have mostly to worry about things of logistical and organisatory nature. Therefore I have to worry about the commodities, my employees and in the end credits, because as you will understand making actual profit and having credits to pay for things of all kind advances other causes and goals and keeps a group of any nature functioning.
Extremly capable? I don't want down-talk my pilot's skills in any way, but as far as I am informed Leiden Base is not only a major harbor for goods going in and out of Liberty, but also is located right next to the jump hole locations connecting Shikoku and Galileo as well as Galileo and Kepler. Adding the fact that quite a few of my pilots used to smuggle artifacts and other goods into Liberty prior to their decision to join us it was hardly a task requiring extreme capabilities of any kind other than owning and being able to fly a ship to "find" Leiden Base for us.
Miss Espinosa seemed not to be very fond of having to deal with diplomatic relations in our very first conversation, so besides the fact that your base administrator's on Leiden Base did let our ships pass, signaling some sort of neutrality or tolerance towards us, I also didn't want to bother her for the time being to share her other contact infos. Instead we accepted being tolerated for the time being.
As for our business partners, all I can say is that we recently engaged in the already mentioned conversations and cooperations with The Crimson Cross and acquired official docking rights from the Golden Chrysantemums in the past.
The Unioners in Rheinland agreed to hunt our enemies in Rheinland for us and gave our AI a friendly stance towards us as information.
As for now we have at least a neutral stance towards all so-called "unlawfuls" across Sirius and try to help them in their efforts against house authorities with deliveries of commodities of all kinds as well as distributing whatever they might have to offer. Additionally we maintain an at least neutral stance towards Junkers, and independet Freelancers, Miners and Pirates.
I might mention that we doubt there will be any friendly relations with the Xenos any time soon, judging by their dislike towards foreigners and foreign products, which we as you probably know do in fact ship respectively are partly and employ as well.
While we are at the exchange of informations of that kind. May I ask who you consider business partners and who else you have a neutral stance towards? That would help us on our end as well to develop a better understanding of your organization.
So you are out for the profit? I can respect that. Afterall, I am also a businessman of sorts.
But that creates a possible issue Mr Crowe. Liberty Rogues are very sensitive with their territory and won't appreciate if your operations in Liberty involve extortion as well.
As for your question, the Maltese and Liberty Rogues are our closest allies. The Golden Chrysanthemums, Red Hessians and Unioners are also friends. On the other hand we have no love for corporate or military factions. Our archenemies are the Ageira Technologies, IND and Interspace Commerce. If you have dealings with any of these three organizations, I suggest you to close this channel now.
McScrap, please allow me to lend the words of Captain Bailey that you so adequately provided: "Trust is in bargains, in deeds."
John has a deed to accomplish in order to be trusted again. I have expectations from him and I'm certain Captain Bailey does also.
As for your base in Texas, I admit your offer is tempting but we will kindly refuse. It is located very close to Planet Houston and the nearby stationary battleship and this may put at risk the reputation of T&T, something that we would like to avoid.
On the contrary, our operators regularly come across valuable cargo drifting in space, previously in possession of Corporate transports. We'd like to be able to contact T&T in order to tractor the cargo and share the profits with us. Furthermore, we may need to have some cargo moved from time to time (from a friendly base).
Regarding the "tax excemption" as you call it, I made it clear to Captain Bailey that T&T is being excempted from our operations. That status will become permanent once John completes his task and thus our agreement goes online.
McScrap all my cards are now open. Do not bother me again until John completes his task.
...encryption.in.progress...hack.terminated...
This is a communication sent as a last effort to stop the seemingly escalating cycle of threats.
Respected members of the Lane Hackers, we have no strife with you and respect the ideology of fighting against corporate power. But we can not and will not see violence or threats as a legit and usefull tool to achieve any goals. Mr Yoshida and the pilot last contacting us from the LH~Cochrane.Traverser seem to be increasingly fixed on having John Kurt at his disposal.
Speaking of trust :
After the destruction of the T&T/BlackFeet how should we trust that our pilot will return safely ? We will not surrender one of our members to any threat, regardless of the consequences.
Code:
[28.01.2015 00:08:39] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: Ah. There you are.
[28.01.2015 00:08:48] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: Accept message? Y/N
[28.01.2015 00:09:07] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: Y
[28.01.2015 00:09:32] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: Well met, Yoshida-sama
[28.01.2015 00:10:16] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: "Tik tak, tik tak. The clock is ticking. And not much time is left. This is your last and only warning." Message end.
[28.01.2015 00:10:53] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: You told our Foreman not to contact you till we ... how did you place it ?
[28.01.2015 00:11:06] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: "do not waste your time" ?
[28.01.2015 00:11:28] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: Accept message? Y/N
[28.01.2015 00:11:44] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: Well : we can give you the remains you wish, but we will not send out a member to be you plaything
[28.01.2015 00:12:37] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: we are still communicating
[28.01.2015 00:12:52] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: == Error ==
[28.01.2015 00:12:57] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: Accept message? Y/N
[28.01.2015 00:13:06] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: Y
[28.01.2015 00:15:11] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: "I am not Goro Yoshida, but one who was instructed to remind you of John's task. If T&T/.Blackfeet doesn't fulfill
[28.01.2015 00:15:47] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: its obligations by contacting and delivering the items until Sunday, T&T will run out of time."
[28.01.2015 00:15:55] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: End message.
[28.01.2015 00:15:59] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: We will not :/ repeat : NOT / send a member out if threatend. And your tone is increasingly threatening
[28.01.2015 00:16:07] T&T/.Tinkers.Pride: Messae end
[28.01.2015 00:18:07] LH~Cochrane.Traverser: Accept message? Y/N
*** at this moment the log ends, the ship had an energy shortage and communication was disconnected ***
We have aquired the items you asked for, and are willing to hand them over,
to show that we value forthcoming contact and neutrality towards the Lane Hackers.
But we will not react to treats, regardless the consequences.
We are family. We care for and defend our members.
If this can be accepted and respected by the members of the Lane Hackers we will be happy about it. But our code is not for sale and not negotiable. That is the difference between us and certain major corporations, and we are proud about that.
I see, Mr. Yoshida.
We do not have the technological means nor the ressources to carry our cause into Liberty core systems anyways. The closest event to Liberty space, which happened in the past was the liberation and destruction of nearly 5000 units of platinum ore in the Cortez system carried by a Deep Space Engineering alligned vessel.
So, I don't see a problem to at least keep "extortions" to a bare minimum and only to the outer rim of Liberty if anything in case a safe opportunity arises. We prefer to focus on catching weakly equipped and carelessly escorted and convoys and single trading vessels leaving respectively entering the safety of the core house systems - the further away from any heavily patroled system the better and safer for us.
We usually "dip" into the houses to make deliveries and pick up commodities for further distribution or our own use.
As I reviewed our conversation and the conversation you had with Ms. Ohara, I thought I wouldn't have to stress who we view as not only our enemies, but also as enemies of every citizen in Sirius. That means - any - military forces of the five major houses, - any - police forces of the five major houses and last, but by no means least: - any - corporations belonging to one of the five major houses, that obviously includes as you mentioned Ageira Technologies and Interspace Commerce.
As for the Independent Neuralnet Divison: We don't see us engaging in any business relations with them as our prefered customers are those, who actually act against our common enemies and don't... "charm" them...
Good. As long as you don't extort in Liberty and the Independent Worlds, I believe we can have a fruitful relationship. I am also pleased to hear that you have no dealings with the three aforementioned corporations. Please inform your pilots that they can now operate in Liberty under this sole restriction.
Ms Ohara also proposed a potential business partnership with the Network. If this wasn't just her thoughts but yours too, I am willing to listen to what you are proposing, Mr Crowe.
That's good to hear, I'd say we have an agreement here then.
Ms. Ohara did say that?
That's interesting... Well, as our pilots come around quite a bit. We might be able to acquire items of interest for you...
Cardamine, ammunitions, weaponry. What do you and your people desire?
We can also offer assistance in the liberation of goods for interested parties at the outer rim of Liberty, who might need someone to carry the goods to a destination they desire - you could view it as a cooperative and supervised act of "extortion" if you will. As I mentioned we'd rather avoid the dangers, which lurk deeper within Liberty and let rather the brave people of your group and the Rogues deal with them directly. Otherwise we obviously will respect your request and do not such thing unless in defense of our very own lifes.
In return I have to ask... what exactly could the Lane Hackers have to offer what could be of interest for us, since a business relationship should of course be mutually profitable?
In case we come to a more detailed agreement related to the exchange of goods, I propose to potentially use an installation called "Poena" located in Kepler as transshipment center. I assume your group could "convince" the administration of said base, if needed.
Unless you plan on giving us direct access to Lane Hacker installations to do our business there and directly of course or have a completly different propsal.
Quote:NET|Hikari.Ohara.: That depends on what you value more. Privacy and security or making meeting new potential business partners.
You are asking what the Lane Hackers can provide for your services. Except Sirius Credits, I guess. Information is my trade, Mr Crowe. You need intel on a competitor of yours? Perhaps you want to convince the Rogues for something? Access in Lane Hacker hideouts? Everything is on the table. In good time and after you prove a longstanding determination on this partnership even greater perks can be offered.
But please excuse my thoughts. I have ventured so far in the future considering that The Network had proven its worth to the Lane Hackers. But that actually remains to be seen. Deliver 12,000 units of cardamine to Rochester Base and I will be convinced.
After discussing our conversation with Mr. Silverthorne and our Executive Staff we came to the conclusion that your proposal is acceptable.
One last question remains on our end: Do you have any preference in regards of the port of departure or do you and your group not necessarily care where the Cardamine exactly comes from?
Once that question is answered we will deliver the requested amount of Cardamine in a hopefully acceptable time frame and afterwards contact you on this channel again to inform you that your delivery is ready to be picked up - I assume it will be for The Lane Hacker's use ultimately - and about how everything went.
Until then I wish you and your people profitable and safe times.
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