Message to all traders!

[Thexare]

Incoming transmission...
Sender: Captain Alicia Ibanez (retired)
Location: New Madrid, Malta
To: XTF
Subject: Protection Money

Oh, you've really brightened my day, you know that? Most new pirates make mistakes this dumb, but almost none of them are this funny!

But, you're an Outcast, so I guess it's my job to give you some advice.

This doesn't work, kid. I've seen it tried before. We did some research into the matter back when Notus was running low on money for that short time. Fencing gold and diamonds gets more money; almost no one actually pays for this.

Protection rackets just don't work in space. Planetside? Sure, they work fine there. A store or restaurant isn't going to fire up its engines and take off like a transport can. In space, people can escape in literally any direction, and according to my files (which are quite extensive), there are less XTF pilots than there are transports in the Taus.

And they don't ever work when they're done this impersonally. When you're standing in front of someone with a gun, they'll be scared. When you're sending a voice transmission from the safety of our base to someone on the other end of Sirius, they're going to laugh. If you want to go through with this protection money scheme, do it in person. Catch a transport and make the offer right there. It can work that way. It's not something to rely on, but it works a hell of a lot better than this.

End of transmission