The IMG Question

[Volgograd]

'Fellow members of the Politburo,' Jeremy Porter began. The individual members of the Politburo had leisurely made their way to the Kremlin Dome on Volgograd over the course of the hours immediately following Porter's call for a meeting. The Premier had received a message from the IMG Guild Masters almost a week before and the recent events in Omega-3 and the XR Project setbacks had prevented a convening taking place sooner.

Porter still felt new to this entire process of decision making through discussion. He'd run a small business for almost forty years - he was the boss, he made the decisions alone. He felt it hard to accustom himself to not always getting what he wanted.

The only member of the Politburo not present was Doctor XiaoBei, which was hardly surprising. One of his new prototype ships had just exploded in the dock - his time was better spent elsewhere, which Porter was grateful for. He probably would've opposed what Porter was bringing to the discussion anyway.

'On June the 6th we met here to discuss the IMG Guild Masters proposition to grant our ships - by our I mean Volgograd Industrial - access to their stations and the establishment of trade relations in exchange for access to Omega-52 for IMG ships. We took a cautious stance and tried to counter-offer Volgograd Industrial becoming part of the Independent Miners Guild in exchange for access to Omega-52. This didn't work. The Guild Masters rejected the proposal. So I've brought their original offer back to the table for further discussion.

'Now that the Civil War is over, the Coalition is beginning to come out of its shell and initiate trade. That's the whole reason I'm here in the first place - I was put in this position because I was believed to be the man capable of this job. And we've made strives - we now deliver commodities to various groups across Sirius. But we've requested they deliver their goods to the Zoner-controlled stations of Omega-50.

'This is the first group to request access to our home in exchange for access to theirs - and I see no reason not to grant it. It's the next logical step in our foreign policy progression, and would help fulfil what I set out to achieve when I negotiate with others across the Sirius Sector. Profit and stability.

'A stable and long-lasting trade pact relies on trust. If neither side trust each other, any agreements quickly collapse. The IMG are prepared to offer us access to their homes. When I was given the key to the house when I was a child, it was the first time I'd truly felt trusted by my parents. If we do not return the courtesy and the trust that they give to us, then no trade agreements will work.'

He promptly sat down. Speaking to a crowd had always made him nervous, no matter the size of his audience. 'The floor is now open for any who wish to speak.'

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[mtjsmith]

[color=#FFFFFF]The Deputy Premier stood and delivered his small statement.

[color=#66FFFF]"There will be a long and fruitful debate on the subject, all avenues must be covered. Arguments must be met with counter-arguments and all the reasons for and against such a motion will be completely discussed.

My first reservation, as I think is all of the Politburo's - Is one of Military Security. We have suffered bombings, raids and almost complete annihilation from outsiders. We have taken steps to prevent this from ever happening again. Why now, should we go back on the promises we made to the people? To keep them safe, to protect them from those who wish us harm. *Whatever* They're affiliation, they are outsiders."

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