As you can clearly see, the incident happened in the Ontario system. The timestamp, taken on the return trip while in Colorado, is only meant to show the date of the infraction. Now, this is the point at which I usually say that we're going to levy a fine of so-and-so mediocre amount of credits for this grave infraction of the law, and we part ways until your boys get caught again the next time.
Not so today! As it happens, we just issued a fine of one hundred and fifty million credits per ship, plus nearly two hundred million in extra sanctions, on an entity which decided to try their luck with smuggling. That's a total of almost five hundred million credits, since two ships were caught. Who it was isn't very important, but my question to you is, why should something similar not happen here? They were smuggling within Liberty, as is your ship here. In fact, he seems quite oblivious to the nature of his cargo.
I understand that the Republic of Liberty and the Junkers Congress have a working relationship, that is proceeding smoothly for all intents and purposes. Actions such as that shown above undermine this greatly, and is something that neither you nor us can afford.
****Incoming Transmission****
****Comm ID: Arbiter Jack Crow****
****location: Classified****
Looks like someone did something very foolish. I agree Commodore, why should this be any different than any other incident. I'm waiting to hear from the captain of this ship personally. What I can tell you at this point is this. Whatever you do end up deciding to do about this, it will pale in comparison to what will happen when I get hold of him.
Transmission; Start
Identification: Commodore Christina Robinson
Location: Fort Bragg, Planet Manhattan
Encryption: Secure
Arbiter Jack Crow;
That's all well and good, but your man was acting in the name of the Congress and this is the way that this instance is being treated. We do require a fine to be paid, but I would suggest you take it out of your man personally to make it clear to him how you don't tolerate such behaviour, and how we don't either. Frankly, I'd like to see him justify paying less than 150 million credits for being caught smuggling, as the other individuals who were fined did per head.
You might be wondering why the fine amounts have seen such a jump; we've found that you cannot provide a clear disincentive towards unlawful actions unless you make it clear that such actions are accompanied by a very heavy fine or equally uninviting options, such as getting chucked out of Liberty forever.
So right now, we expect a fine of 150 million credits to be paid to Ferris.Dufresne , preferably from the person who committed the infraction in the first place. If he, or you for that matter, can give me a good reason why the shipment of contraband should result in anything less than a prohibitive penalty, I'm all ears. However, it looks like we're thinking the same thing here, and I think we can both agree that such an expensive backhand will make him think twice before putting your reputation on the line again.
****Incoming Transmission****
****Comm ID: Arbiter Jack Crow****
****location: Classified****
Um, yeah'¦.somehow I have the feeling that you don't really want me to weigh in on this little affair. At any rate I'm still trying to get a response out of this individual. I'm not exactly hopeful however. You see, you can say that he was acting in the name of the Junker Congress. I can say that he was not. What I can promise is that he will not be doing ANYTHING in the name of the Junker Congress in the future. With that in mind, it may be difficult to persuade him to say anything on his own behalf. If he waits too long, it may become impossible for him to say anything to anyone.
It's getting really hard to make a living. Everywhere we fly we're getting chased by naval patrols is cruisers who tell us things like, "Oh you Junker, we must shoot you." We've been chased out of so many ports in Liberty with empty cargo holds it's just not very funny anymore. We haven't got much left to survive on. Recently, we even got chased away from our own home at Rochester. Two Liberty Dreds showed up and started shooting Junkers for no reason and laughing about it over the comms. Can you believe that? Chased away from our own home once again with an empty cargo hold for no reason. It's like they just don't want us to be able to earn an honest living at all. So, we're stuck hiding on the fringes because we've got next to nothing left and we're afraid to go home. A crew in a similar predicament contacts us and says they've got some old electronics that can be melted down at Culebra if we aren't willing to ask questions. They seem to be too afraid to make the trip themselves because they've been dealing with the same harassment that we have. It's a risk, but at this point we've got nothing left and unless we want to start eating the sludge in the engine we need to do this. Ok, so some navy transport comes along and apparently doesn't like what we're doing. After our last encounters we're not about to let it get near us.
Now I see that we are expected to pay 150 mil for this. Really? Really? Where are we supposed to get that. If you are that anxious to shut us down for good there are easier ways of going about it. I've been listening to everyone tell us how the navy isn't really all that bad and they really will give you a fair shake,....well I'm still waiting to see it. Looks like you just want to see us out of the sky pounding some scrap heap planetside.
Transmission; Start
Identification: Commodore Christina Robinson
Location: Fort Bragg, Planet Manhattan
Encryption: Secure
M.E. James;
Care to provide evidence of your accusations? I can't do anything about words that are flung about in a careless manner. In fact, I can't do anything at all about the secondary fleet on a permanent basis; something which is as much a problem for us in terms of regulating the behaviour of the Navy as it is for you in regulating who docks on your bases.
That's not to say that you are the victims here. Let me remind you of some of the things that the Junkers Congress have been caught doing in the past. And here, I'm going to back it up with some evidence:
Observe the first entry from Fleet Admiral Hale. You can ignore everything in it, except for the three incidences of violation of the law by the Congress. The rest of it simply makes for interesting reading. Let me summarise this for you: one instance moving a barge-full of cardamine into the Republic of Liberty, and two instances of breaking the embargo along with an infraction oriented around one of the choices of ship.
And for those infractions, you received a fine of the same I'm asking you for now. In terms of volume, that's three separate instances, and you managed to talk your way out of two-thirds of the requested figure to boot.
Our view is that we have been very tolerant, perhaps overly so, towards these ridiculous infractions, not just by the Junkers, but by everybody else as well. Yes, we are turning up the heat. I don't give a monkeys what kind of deal you were doing or what kind of financial situation you're in, it's up to you to check your cargo to make sure it passes muster. You say that they were sold on to you because the previous crew were too afraid to make the trip themselves? I wonder why?Certainly not because it's actually illegal goods, oh no, but because of harrassment by elements of the Liberty Navy? Call me what you like, but this sounds like a petty excuse to remove yourself from the responsibility of your actions. Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
It's not just the Junkers, or the Junkers Congress that can be problematic; it's others as well, and the fine amount is prohibitively high to reflect the seriousness of the offense, and the proficiency with which it is committed. A lower, fairer levy has had very little effect, so of course the price of this particular infraction will go up. You are not the first to feel the full force of such a levy, and nor I suspect will you be the last. In fact, the price for your failure is less, unless you'd like me to ask you to deliver an additional one hundred million credits worth of processing ore to the Liberty Navy Logistics corps.
If finding the means to pay such a fine is hard for you, you shouldn't have committed the crime in the first place. It may not be your fault, you may just be the middle-man, but that does not detract at all from the gravity of the infraction, or the lenient treatment that you have received in exchange for your cooperation in keeping the security situation in Liberty space under control. You are responsible for what is in your cargo hold, regardless of where it is from or where it is going. I would've thought that this would be obvious to you, and any other haulers for that matter.
As for not letting a Navy transport get close to you? That would've been the intelligent thing, having talked to the commander of the ship at the time, you continued on your course to the Ontario jump hole without deviating, which is where he happened to be taking his ship as well. He got close enough for a scan, which is pretty close, but lacked the means to stop the transport as the Bison does not support cruise disruptors.
If this were the first infraction by the Junkers Congress, I would be inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. As you can see, it's not, so no such inclination exists.
Believe it or not, we're not idiots here in Liberty Navy High Command. I don't doubt that there are people who are lacking in intelligence in the Navy, but I assure you they never make it this far in their career.
****Incoming Transmission****
****Comm ID: Arbiter Jack Crow****
****location: Classified****
There is in fact evidence of what he is saying Commodore. I have been ignoring most of the evidence that gets presented to me because it is ignored beyond me so why bother. Especially when you freely admit that you are powerless to deal with the secondary fleet. I am delighted that you are able to make such distinctions. We do not have the privilege of making distinctions between primary and secondary fleet when cannons are being pointed at us. Do not fret though, I shall make sure that in the future every complaint I receive about naval misconduct is sent to you.
Considering the value of his ship and what he was hauling, I personally consider 150 million credits to be well beyond outrageous. However, as you have already pointed out you are the one holding the cards and we will simply comply or Junkers throughout Liberty will be made to suffer for it.
This captain is hereby ordered by me to pay this fine and settle the matter once and for all. I am well aware that he is not able to pay the fine. He will therefore have to procure the financing to make this happen or his time in the Junker Congress will have come to an end.
Transmission; Start
Identification: Commodore Christina Robinson
Location: Fort Bragg, Planet Manhattan
Encryption: Secure
Arbiter Jack Crow;
I freely admit our inability to deal with the secondary fleet in any permanent manner in the same way that you've made it clear to us that it is outside of your power to regulate the actions of every individual who calls themselves a Junker. I think we came to an agreement on that, and hope that you and your men would as well.
Believe me, nobody is more frustrated about the lack of cohesion and discipline within some parts of the Liberty Navy than myself and the rest of Liberty Navy High Command.