Good morning. I will be speaking on behalf of those of us who fly under Gold Wing colors. Gold Wing is a collection of more experienced (but not necessarily 'better') pilots within the [LN].
As we have observed, the majority (not all) of the Flares have a habit of only appearing when the [LN] is already engaged with a force which would be a challenge to face without the Flares' interference.
We in gold wing appreciate the nature of opportunism, and have the experience to see that such behaviour is a highly effective method of making bounty claims, and scoring kills.
An excellent example of this behaviour would be the situation referred to by Total Absolution. This is not exclusive to that particular event, but is something which we have collectively witnessed on numerous occasions. This occurs mostly when a group of Flares appears at the same time as a Rheinland raid or a major pirate attack.
Again, those of us in Gold Wing can appreciate why this is done. However we cannot understand your claim that you only wish for a fair fight when your behaviour indicates otherwise. We will play the game however you wish for it to be played, we are capable of being both fair and unfair.
You create the rules by which we play:
Should you choose to only appear when you have a clear advantage and the [LN] is already engaged in a fight which would be tough, we will endeavor to find ways of making victory impossible for you.
If you wish to enjoy an evenly matched fight, then we can provide for that wish, and will fight on a completely even playing field... But it is purely your behaviour that dictates how we will respond.
Once your behaviour becomes a clear pattern, altering how you are perceived becomes near impossible.
I would also like to point to Yber's post, in which a member of the Flares complains about Yber lagging. This strikes us as highly amusing, considering the apparent obliviousness of the Flares' own members to exacty how hard they lag. One would imagine that they would have some degree of sympathy. Apparently not.
We would like to add, that in each of those situations the Flares appeared and engaged when the [LN] were already outnumbered and/or outgunned by ship class.