Comm ID :- Jose Benitez
Target ID :- Senor Dane Summers
Senor Summers,
I can only assume that you 'forgot' to send me the encryption key so that I could decode your original missive? My thanks to Senor Espi for sending me the encryption key.
I'm not sure how much the more recent actions by the Sails and other Corsairs have cost the citizens of your Freeport, but it seems to me that 20 million credits would be a small price to pay for the return of the miscreant called Dakun? I don't believe that the Sails are especially concerned whether he is returned dead or alive, but there are a few charges that seem to be outstanding against him. Perhaps you could issue a bounty for him?
With regard to the so called No Fire Zone it is not something that I have any intention of respecting. After the debacle in Omicron Theta and the 'No Fire at people unless they are Corsairs zone' there is a degree of scepticism about the whole issue of no fire zones.
However, I will offer to not deliberately shoot at any Freeport so long as they are continuing to be of some use and benefit to the Empire, and continue to provide a service to us. I don't even mind if that benefit is a mutual one which allows both parties to make the odd credit here and there on the back of it.
It would also be helpful if we could easily identify ships that are affiliated with this Freeport, and obviously it would be no bad thing if ships from your Freeport where seen to be making shipments of useful goods to planet Crete.
I apologize for not linking the Benitez family originally. Kind of a stupid mistake on my part.
As for your concerns on the No Fire Zone - Let me tell you - there isn't one. Not like it was before. As I've said, the Corsairs are free to tax and pillage all up one side of Omega 3 and down the other. It's not, and never was my job to enforce the law there. But I do have Freeport citizens who own ships, and a few transports that keep my people alive. Every stray energy bolt has the potential to strike something vital, decompress an entire deck, kill a handful in any manner of combinations. Oh yeah, and lets not forget the possibility of an antimatter cannon hitting our dome, and all the death that would cause.
As for the past, the Corsairs and Zoners have had messy relations, history I'm not ignorant of. I'm not going to bring up the bad blood, but I realize I stand on the shoulders of other men's choices in Zoner politics, and I have to be accountable for those choices as well. My negotiations here represent me and my people, there safety and well being, and no one else's. What we agree to, if we agree to anything, has no bearing on what other Zoners do or have done - and any person that isn't a Freeport 1 Citizen, Zoner or Not, knows that they have to take their chances within Omega 3.
I'm not going to ignore history. Nor ask that the Empire even put it behind them. But with that history, I still think it's possible to have some semblance of peace, between us at least. My citizens and yours.
I have no power to find Dakun, nor bring him back. Sirius is a large place, and he could literally be hiding anywhere. If I wanted to take the next forty years of my life to find him, that's always an option. But, I've accepted the job of running this station. These people and their lives are more important then one man. As well, I'm also smarter then that. It would be easy to send out the call for bounty hunters, and bring him back in chains. But I know he'll be coming back one way or another. I don't know how he feels about me personally, but I've always believed in planning for the worst.
But, I'm willing to pay if the Corsairs want him dealt with. Name a bounty price you find reasonable, and If I can pay it, I will. Not because I hate the man, or even dislike him - but If he has to die so that my people can live, then I can live with that guilt. Hopefully.
Now, on to business for mutual benefit. As I've said, the best I can do is a thousand cargo pallets of Food Rations and Medical Pharmaceuticals. As Mr Francesca pointed out, that's nowhere near sufficient. I wasn't expecting it would be. I'm not trying to cure Crete's food problems all by myself. I'm sharing what I have in hopes we can make a deal to keep my citizens safe from flaming debris or stray weapons fire. I'm not going to put a rag tag fighter militia in the air to keep my people safe, because escalating the violence wont make it stop - it will just get worse. Plus, any fighter jocks I send up wont be anywhere near as good behind the guns as the warriors of the Black Sails. I'd just be sending men and women to die pointlessly.
So food and med's is what I have to bring to the table and deal with. A thousand cargo pallets is as good as it's gonna get, and even then, that's a lot. Anymore over that number, and then my people start to starve, and I can't let that happen, anymore then you could let your own people suffer. We're both thinking of our own people first. From that, I think we can compromise.
Any transports I send with Food Supplies will either be Transmission marked with an appropriate tag, like "[FP1]" as Mr. Bergasa suggested - or we'll give you the names & shipment times of the transports so you can expect them.
In return - Please don't shoot my transports. Please don't kill my crews. Please don't fire heavy weapons around my Freeport. Please don't put my people in danger.
Quote:No one who is not a Corsair is innocent. Eight hundred years of my people's suffering and starvation on this god-forsaken rock while they cavort on their green and fertile planets lay at the feet of every man, woman and child of the Inner Houses.
I can't really agree or disagree with this. My parents were rich ageira executives from Los Angeles, and I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth. But I rebelled a long time ago, chose friends over family, and while the security officers took me home in handcuff's every night, I always left again anyway. I've lived amongst people who had everything and took it for granted. I've lived amongst the stars with people who had nothing, and cherished even the little they did have. A rich man could have everything, but nothing that truly matters, while a poor man has everything he needs to make his life happy. If so, whose really rich, and whose really poor? Ya know I gave up a good way of making money, just to be free? I haven't actually spoken to my parents in ages. I could've had everything, but none of it would have made me happy, or a good man. Now I have little, I'm content, and hopefully my choices make me a good person.
So, while you may be right, and the burden of every starving man, woman, and child of Crete, rests at the feet of every citizen in House space - We all might not have that which we need to be happy and content. Or maybe we do. That's up to each person to decide.
I'm sorry for the rambling - this is a business deal, not my personal feelings neural net show.
Mr. Benitez, I hope my suggestions meet with your agreement. And again, I apologize for not bringing you into this discussion sooner.
Change the deal?
You don't seem to understand. Elder Shepardi, Elder Benitez, Elder Espi, the Council, they tell you what the deal is, and you take it or get shot at. And if your scared of simple debris, hermano.......... Former Elder Ezio Della Francesca, The Brotherhood.
gone four years, first day back: Zoners still getting shot in Theta :|
*sounds of heavy lifter warning alarms - shouting by workmen - clanging of crates being moved quickly*
Mr. Francesca, sorry for being vague - details will be coming to you soon - what i mean is, what i can offer for this deal has changed dramatically - and what you stated as being not sufficient, may have just become sufficient. Im not trying to jerk anyone round, least of all the Corsairs - but the situation has got me moving fast and talking fast, and im getting everything sorted.
Hopefully, when you see what were offering, you'll understand what im talking about.
No Dakun yet ? You talk too much little man. All that time you wasted on telling us about your life and your people didn't bring anything useful to my people.
Quote:I have no power to find Dakun, nor bring him back
But you have power to run a station ? Now listen really careful little man, this can end up only in two ways. First : You prove us you're worthy of our time, and you do that by showing us warrior in you and finding that Dakun maggot.
Or the second : You live with the damage he has done, and help us train our men by shooting yours.
=ENCRYPTKEY:CORSAIRONLY=
[color=#66FFFF]Now now, signore Bergasa, let us not be too hasty.
If that slimy little rat is hiding on Malta, or Berlin, with other cowards and thieves, not even the might of our Empire could reach him yet.
This.....zoner....could yet prove useful.
At the very least we could work towards not perpetuating the damage done to our honour by taking it out on this sychophant. Former Elder Ezio Della Francesca, The Brotherhood.
gone four years, first day back: Zoners still getting shot in Theta :|
Could be hermano, its yet to be seen. But I like to keep him on his toes, he shall offer us a better deal. Other than that, I shall gather best Black Sails hunters so we can hunt that Dakun maggot, and I hereby invite you to the hunt. You are free to contribute to searching plans in any way, for now lets keep it out from this sub channel. Visit us at Cadiz with the ship you're best in.