-- Incoming Signal --
-- Video feed --
* ID: Sean Goodman, Freeport Administrator
* Location: Freeport 9, Omicron Theta
* Subject: The Initiative
* Priority : Medium
Signal coding complete
Message Beginning:
"I think its time we met to discuss some things. Voncloud is involved if that perks your interest. And if it doesn't, pretend I didn't say anything about him. "
Message Ended
-- Video feed terminated --
-- Secondary data log saved --
You might be confused about my previous message being merely a picture of a band-aid.
To explain this, this is the band-aid I just put on my finger because I just cut myself on the edginess of your transmission. In fact, I only stumbled over it because I was checking my spam box. To my very surprise, instead of another annoying ad from a certain Doctor Wu from Kusari who offers to increase the length of a body part I luckily don't have, or a sweaty invitation to a chat with a guy called Weisen who wants to sell me exactly that kind of body part as cybernetic add-on, I found your very unexpected communiqué.
If you didn't catch my drift: Be less vague and tell me what you want. And for god's sake, don't tell me IRG wants to offer me a cybernetic body part power with the IRG power cell. It's slightly depressing to see how the neural net seems to be all about the dick right now.
-- Incoming Signal --
-- Video feed --
* ID: Sean Goodman, Freeport Administrator
* Location: Freeport 9, Omicron Theta
* Subject: The Initiative
* Priority : Medium
Signal coding complete
Message Beginning:
"This has little to do with any sort of extension...er, corporation, but more of cooperation. With Omega 49 being left to flounder I would like something in place to prevent such an occurrence in our sector of space. Knowing who we have for neighbors at any rate. We're, that is Voncloud and I, interested in strengthening our position. Be it Freeport upgrades, new pacts, maybe even enforcement of our Laws that are so routinely trampled upon. But that starts with us forming some sort of agreement. And there the big sticking point. Who is willing to stand up and be put at risk for when the inevitable blow-back. And the answer is The Initiative. Backed by the authority of the Stations Administrator of course. We're looking to bring back the support structure of the Confederation, without the baggage."
Message Ended
-- Video feed terminated --
-- Secondary data log saved --
I see. The Initiative. Quite a generic name, and quite confident to pop up after Bretonia's invasion of Gran Canaria. And you say you and VonCloud are behind this?
What are your plans for the future? Short-term and long-term? How are you going to approach other factions and groups? Where will the funding come from? Where will the resources get invested into?
-- Incoming Signal --
-- Video feed --
* ID: Sean Goodman, Freeport Administrator
* Location: Freeport 9, Omicron Theta
* Subject: The Initiative
* Priority : Medium
Signal coding complete
Message Beginning:
"My confidence isn't based on false bravado. But built on fact. The resources are already in place. When the confederation dissolved those ships, those crews didn't simply cease to exist. 9's own force contribution was returned to Theta from their assignment in Delta. However your point about funding isn't without merit; funding will initially be provided by 9's credit flow from its agricultural production, and Livadia production. My hope, should 11 join our fold, is that a percentage of your credit flow from Iridium storage would be added as well. All being funneled into funding a joint task force. Our short term goal is a return to the enforcement of the NFZ across all member facilities. Long term the obvious goal is to ensure the mutual protection of member stations, but also the expansion of trade and travel between said stations. Not only will this generate a revenue stream that, with time, should sustain Initiative Efforts, but will also allow for a greater familiarity with all member groups across the sector. Now of course, not everyone gets to enjoy being alone in their little square of space such at those of us in Theta. But I can appreciate the need for formal relations between nearby groups. So I would like reach out to old friends across the sector, and renew those alliances. But of course before I can talk of the future I need to talk of the here and now. If we cannot align the Omicron Freeports under a joint banner a renewal in relations would be a moot point. Each of us alone lacks the resources to do this, but together we can accomplish anything."
Message Ended
-- Video feed terminated --
-- Secondary data log saved --
I'm all in for the protection of our freeports. We've finished the upgrades of Freeport 11 not too long ago, providing it with better armor and shields and a repair bay for destroyer-sized capital vessels.
We live in bad times for the Zoners, Goodman. After the Nomad War, we've lost just as many installations as we constructed new ones. We used to be very effective under the guiding hand of Finn McCool, but afterwards CoF went out of control, to the point where the freeports refused to support it any longer as unofficial leadership. Back then already, CoF was weak. They had the ships, yes, but they were commanded by a bunch of unorganized, untrained captains and pilots who thought big is good. Sirius never really paid respect to these people. What they had respect for was defense-focused neutrality.
The No-Fire-Zone is an utopian concept, just like our freeports. The last 25 years made pretty obvious that we are not living in an utopia. Sirius is dystopic. If it was up to me, I'd say to hell with the No-Fire-Zone, and to hell with static freeports. If it was up to me, I'd have replaced this makeshift space station with a mobile Nephilim-class Colony Ship, and whenever trouble arrised, I'd have just switched our locations. What we are currently representing, especially in Delta, is a concept of stubbornness and territorial annoyance. It leaves us with the choice: Go with the mainstream and remain stationary until the boiling point has been reached where factions no longer tolerate us where we are, or leave to explore the depths of Sirius to find new systems far away from the grip of Sirian civilization.
I am administrating Freeport 11, and thus have no choice but to stay here and focus our profits on the upgrades of the station, turning it into a fortress, following a plan that sees my freeport fully able to defend itself from a fleet while remaining self-sustaining in 831. Right now, we can defend ourselves but are more reliant on people pissing each other off and thus not focus us. We're better prepared than in 823, when the Core sieged us, and better prepared than at the Battle of Carthage, when the former administrator Akibara pushed for an alliance with the Core, which was a big mistake and it's a miracle we're still here.
And this is the core of the issue: Whenever Zoners stood up, getting attention under a name, they caused the exact opposite of what would be appreciated. Finn McCool did his best to have us stay away from everything. When Brettonias and Jerard represented us, they possibly did their best, but didn't achieve it. And now I'm facing your proposal, Goodman, of a probably mostly military task force of Zoners lead by two of the most petulant administrators the Zoner Community has to offer?
By all means, my answer is no. The less attention people pay to the Zoners, the better it is. I will not have self-proclaimed Freeport Militias sit around my station and draw attention by existing, or in the case of you two, by not watching their mouths. You two have a reputation, and especially Jerard does not know how much impact his chit-chatter can have when people are desperate to prey on someone who is barely able to defend themselves.
I will not have Freeport 11 join an organization represented by you two, especially when that organization uses the same weak assets CoF used. In my opinion, we should remain the mediators, not the executive.
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