Comm ID: Java Station
From: IMG Guildmaster David Masterson
To: Colonial Remnant Leaders
Sirs,
Some disturbing news has reached me here, while inspecting Java's mining facilities. It has come to my attention that your pilots have begun reffering to the Taus as "Colonial Space". We put up with this before, in regards to the Benitez delivery, but we will simply not have you turning away transports belonging to our associates.
Today it reached me that a Colonial Nyx demanded a Junker drop his cargo in the Taus, under Colonial law. Sirs, you do not have control over the Taus. You know this. We know this. Please, do not push us any further. We are already near breaking point.
My name is not important, as I speak solely for myself.
I will just say my piece here.
Since when are your associates Junkers who smuggle cardamine?
And if there's doubts there, Mr. Masterson, check your own evidence.
If you say you endorse cardamine trade and wish to let it pass uninterrupted through the Taus, by all means say so.
Until such a time, please hold off your territorial squabbling which only weakens your interests.
The territory of the Taus is not under anyone's wholesome control.
I do not think the Colonial Republic ever claimed ownership of the Taus.
However, I believe we have significant influence in there, and actually the Colonial Republic is what little stands between the current reality and the blooming of cardamine trade, slaving, and other filthy industries there are.
And what the President proclaimed in his ban on cardamine, slaves, and other illegal goods that support the very Outcasts which impede on both yours and Colonial interests can and will be enforced by Colonial patrols.
If you wish to oppose stopping cardamine and slave trade, by all means say so, Mr. Masterson.
<span style="font-familyalatino Linotype">
<span style="color:#000000">All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
Comm ID: Java Station
From: IMG Guildmaster David Masterson
To: Unknown
Sir,
We do not support the Cardamine trade, you know this. We do not endorse the Junker movement of Cardamine. However, the Junkers are associates of ours, as they supply Aland Shipyards with scrap metal and other vital commodities, without which it would cease to function.
From the logs of my pilot here, you can clearly see a Colonial ship claiming that the Taus belong to them, so don't attempt to tell me that this does not happen.
As someone in Colonial military service, I can also attest to the fact of certain IMG pilots doing the same.
Sadly, however, I lack the deviousness required to collect evidence on it and act on it insidiously, concealing it under logic, and actually attempting to undermine the people that we should stick friendly to the most.
And not to mention not giving a damn as long as my regular risking of my life to keep you and all other civilians in the Taus safely sitting in your cushy chairs.
I am frankly appalled to notice IMG pilots, who most likely know who they are, stating, while Colonial Nyxes protect the area from Outcast pirates and interdict smuggling which harms us all, how the Colonials "Should stick to Tau 44", "Mind their own business", "Not try to have any say in anything in IMG's territory", etc.
Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black indeed.
And frankly, as you cannot enforce universal opinion of all your forces, neither can the Colonial Republic.
I will await for the answer of the Quorum eagerly.
I just hope those politicians will act wisely, and I shall trust their wisdom and keep to my own line of work.
I just had to state my opinion, as I could not have let it go.
A pilot in the Colonial military service
<span style="font-familyalatino Linotype">
<span style="color:#000000">All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
Comm ID: Java Station
From: IMG Guildmaster David Masterson
To: Unknown
Sir,
There is a significant difference between owning bases in one system, and patrolling the surrounding systems, and owning bases in multiple adjacent systems, and maintaining a hold on them.
Yes, you protect the Taus, and we thank you for that. However, we, too, protect Tau space. As I'm sure you are aware, we have a defence force of our own, and it has been sufficient enough to hold the Outcasts back in the past.
Anyway, I await a reply from your Quorum on this matter. We do not wish to have hostilities with the Colonial Remnant, far from it, we wish for our relationship to better and come to fruition, however, this cannot happen while Colonial pilots regularly claim ownership over our facilities and our space.
Sir, it would appear someone of an unknown nature has hacked our comms channel, posing as a Colonial. I suggest we commence an immediate scan for any viruses inserted by the Outcasts and/or BMM, as this breach of security may run deeper than we know.
This is Lieutenant Archilles Coulibali, commander of the Colonial Remnant Hydra-class Gunboat Bujumbura.
The attack on our home system by the cardamine-crazed horde of Outcasts has kept me rather busy for the last hours. Casualties are still being counted and the search for survivors is ongoing, and I really dont have time for these ridiculous accusations. So I hope I will be able to control my tone in this circle.
Nontheless:
The 'evidence' presented by the guildmaster is innaccurate, incomplete, and willfully taken out of context. This becomes obvious on first sight:
-The Bujumbura is not a Nyx fighter
-Only a small and well chosen part of the communications log is presented (see scroll bar). Even then, a name has been blacked out to hide the identity of the sender of a personal message. If evidence is to be worth anything, the sender, the receiver, and the provider of the log have to be revealed.
-The Tau systems are within the zone of influence of the Colonial Remnants. Our agreements with the IMG are clear on this. Our military jurisdiciton and ID clearly state our right to uphold our laws for smugglers and pirates. The Bujumbura did NOT claim that any other Tau system than 44 was owned entirely by them, as it is made to appear, but was preventing the smuggling of cardamine through its zone of influence. How are we to protect the IMG if they prevent us from exacting our entire juristiction and agenda?
-This particular junker was carrying more than 3000 units of cardamine from Omicron Alpha, where it is produced using slave labor, to southern Sirius, where it used to control the addicts and create more addicts. The fact that the guildmaster called this ship his 'associate' makes my blood boil. The Bujumbura did, in fact, allow the 'guildmasters associate' to return to Omicron Alpha without even dropping his cargo, as he was begging to spare his life so that he may feed his familly.
-The junkers, or, your 'associates', how you call them, have pirated Colonial Remnant ships in the past, notably the freighter Tuareg, only 5 clicks away from plannet Berlin. I would politely request fro mthe guildmaster that he question his associates about this incident.
-On countless occasions, the Bujumbura and other Colonial Fighters have defended IMG Miners against pirates in the Tau systems. And on countless occasions have brave IMG pilots assisted the CR in stopping cardamine and slave traffickers.
This complaint and fabrications of the guildmaster angers me to an extent that only my code as a colonial officer stops me from expressing my feelings entirely. I can not imagine what could have driven him to do this.
In a closing statement let me say that as a Colonial Remnant I will never let ANYONE extend their cardamine warfare and slavery through my patrol routes.
Never!
If the guild wishes to bend over backward or forward for the Outcasts or their Empirialist allies, it is their choice.
I will not.
I can remember this confrontation, and the discussion i had with the Bujumbura afterwards.
First off all i would like to thank the guildmaster for his gratitude towards junkers, it is something that is seen far less these days.
On the note of the Colonials, you said you upheld the law of your people, but as far as i know there is only one system you can really claim as your own, and that is not the system i was moving through. I think you shouldn't try to worry so much about others and look more to your own defense and to the defense of your allies. What does it matter to you that outcasts use slaves to produce their cardemine, it's a way of living, and aslong as it doesn't happen to your people, you shouldn't concern yourself about it. This is one of the reasons I as a junker carry slaves to the outcasts, cause if i don't, they will look for additional laborers elsewhere, probably captured pilots, so in a way i am even covering the but of your own colonial pilots, by making sure that the outcast don't need to use prisoners as slaves.
As for the begging part, I never begged to be spared, and i rather die with my pride then to bow down to people who think they are better then me. i only told you that to me cardemine is a lifesaver, as it allows me to provide a good income for my family aswell as my fellow junkers. You would be surprised how much of the junker operations are funded by our so called smuggling. The scraptrade alone wouldn't have allowed us to develop our CSV's or CSF's, let alone build the fleet of them we currently have. we need to do other things to ensure our survival. If you or anyone else would be paying us better for the work we do, or the supplies we deliver, then i am pretty sure most of us wouldn't do things that you or the Houses consider illegal, but aslong as you rather keep your money to yourself, and profit on our behave of the resources we collect and sell, we will do whatever we must to ensure our survival, and the survival of our way of life.
Colonials do respect any Junker who carries any of legal and non dangerous supply's to any of the IMG stations, trough Tau systems and beyond. However, smugglers of cardamine will be stopped. Period.
Colonial vessels will continue patrolling the Tau systems in search of those smugglers. Their cargo will be confiscated and vessels who disobey orders to surrender illegal cargo will be destroyed whiteout prejudice. Affiliation of smuggler that carries illegal commodities is irrelevant.
If Junkers value associations with IMG so much, why to they support IMG's most dangerous enemies and so openly show disrespect to IMG laws, which are the same as Colonial in this case?
We do not see a point in discussing this further. Smuggler with illegal cargo has been stopped/destroyed. It will happen again no doubt.