//Notice posted on the info board on Rochester, Beaumont, Trafalgar, Buffalo, Cali, and Mactan.
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Cardimine is the single most valuable thing you could have in Liberty. It is orange gold, imported from the Sirius north. Any smuggler who has managed to keep his job knows of the 'barrier Pass'. In recent months a group of institution case zoner's have taken up Baffin, a major system within the pass as their home. They intend to build a temple of some kind there. That means that the TAZ are digging in and calling Baffin theirs.
This poses an obvious problem for us all. There is some honor among thieves, but they are not one of us. They blab in the wrongs places about the cargo's they see and the law with smoother us. Chasing them out is a bad idea, they are zoners, we frak with TAZ, we frak with them all. If those freeports close their doors to our ships anyone trying to make a dishonest buck will be right royally screwed.
That is why I have risked the inevitable headache that comes from a conversation with a member of the TAZ and arranged a regular influx of 10 million credits per week to keep the crazy bastards blind. I strongly recommend others to also arrange occasional payments for passing through Baffin. TAZ goes about being TAZ, albeit richer, and we continue to haul our goods without having to worry about the sudden appearance of the Law.
I will not stand for this, and will not pay a penny to the TAZ, just to keep them quiet. I, for one, have kept the "lawful" types off my back numerous times without paying any Zoner, and will continue to do so.
Mr. Driskill is right. The TAZ is indeed "digging in", as he so quaintly put it. But at this point in time, this means one thing and one thing only: The Temporary Autonomous Zoners are now the rightful and legal owners of the Baffin System.
As such, we intend to build and to live there. We intend to worship our Goddess and to create an Autonomous Zone there, dedicated to the precepts of Discordianism and Ontological Anarchy. Nothing more.
I did receive comms from a Mr. Seth Driskill. The "Barrier Pass" is a phrase he coined to describe a trade route. The TAZ do not interfere with trade. There are pirates and law enforcement types to do that. We are neither.
I did not indicate at any time to Mr. Driskill that the TAZ would be making Baffin a "toll road". We have better and more important things to do than man toll booths or collect "taxes". I was a bit flabbergasted when Mr. Driskill related the exorbitant profits to be made on certain commodities his organization trades in, and in fact he offerred a weekly sum even higher than that which he qoutes in his broadside; but the TAZ are not interested in getting wealthy off the backs of Sirian traders, Zoner or otherwise.
We have accepted voluntary donations in the past, both for the purchase of Baffin for the Church of Eris Esoteric, and for our "Temple Fund". If Mr. Driskill's organization is interested in the furthering of Discordianism and the worship of Eris in Sirius, and wishes to make donations, then I would be remiss in my duties as Episkopos of our Church if I denied those donations. However, I stress again the voluntary nature of those donations. The blessings of Eris and her Followers do not have a price tag. I believe you will find many who have benefited from Her largesse, even though they are unbelievers; and, who have received those blessings even without requesting them.
I will simply say that this is a matter for each individual's conscience. Goddess may smile a bit more fondly on those who have helped Her Temple rises in its majesty; but She is not a possessive nor pecuniary Goddess.
Donations are not tax-deductible; so your Organization or Faction will only derive spiritual satisfaction from any donations made. If they also derive the friendship and good will of Temporary Autonomous Zoners throughout Sirius, then that is an unexpected benefit of your generous donations as well.
The TAZ are not, and never will be "for sale" to the highest bidder. And we will never limit access to Baffin. It is a Zoner Enclave, and will adhere to the open-door policies of other Zoner Freeports and planetary bases.
Well.. there is one slight caveat in that regard: Our Master Architect, Hiram Abiff, had some powerful mojo working back in ancient Egypt and Babylon, and apparently has not lost that power. When he constructed Shasta Outpost, he put some powerful wards in place which make it only accessible to the Zoner "pure-in-heart". I would caution anyone other than true Zoners to keep a healthy distance from Shasta. We will attempt to dissuade Hiram from casting the same spells on Pueblo Bonito and Sedona Station, so that they may be open to all.
So, set aside these worries of extortion and usury. They are baseless. Your donations to the Temple of Eris Esoteric will be accepted and appreciatated, but they will certainly not be mandatory for safe passage through our Home.