the Zoners

[bluntpencil2001]

Well, Blunt, at least we know where you stand, representing Bretonia. In Doc's failed effort of diplomacy with Bretonia, you told Doc he was insulting. I'll take being insulting, which Doc wasn't, over being a power hungry house system that is willing to draw an otherwise neutral group into a war. To invade a Zoner home planet, the only one they have, would draw more enemies against a house system than it would anything else. Zoners would rather not fight but I have no doubt that if provoked they would put one up.

And let's not forget, the deuterium trade isn't just with Kusari, Bretonia is in it too as South Shields also needs it for it's own fuel production. Zoners don't produce everything they need so they will go to house systems to gain what they need.

South Shields is IMG, not Bretonian, IMG being closer to the Zoners in ideology than they are to Bretonia. However, Bretonia is reasonably free compared to other houses (it also has historical connections), so it lets them operate within its borders.

This isn't about any perceived faction bias, so don't say that I, the player, called Doc, the character insulting. Stuart, the character, called Doc, the character, insulting. Of course, I do find the implication that I can't separate myself from a fictional pirate character at least a touch irritating.

This is about how politics work. Actions have consequences, and, yes, the houses are power-hungry for various reasons. I don't claim that anyone is altruistic. In the past, small groups have attempted to do what Zoners do in Sirius. Be it the Diggers in England's late middle ages, be it anarchists in civil war Spain, even Israeli settlers' kibbutzes... they, being small, outwith society to varying degrees, aren't immune to outside effects.

In effect, the Zoners show extreme mastery at the use of soft power in order to prevent the strands of their diplomatic web from breaking. Hard power, they lack, due to a lack of a disciplined organised governmental structure. Small, localised militias can be very capable, but only at certain tasks. The Zoners need to be very careful to avoid being crushed by those with so much more power, such as Liberty.

Now, I'm not going to get into a slagging match, since Jinx is looking for opinions on what the Zoners are or were.

Interestingly enough, they appear to be similar to various small groups in history with common goals, pioneers, settlers, explorers. They aren't big time traders. They are experts on deep space and ships, though, being permanently in the void, some never setting foot on dirt.

Also, can someone with more knowledge than me let me know where Zoner NPCs are spotted? Would I be right in saying that next to zero convoys actually fly through House space?

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