The following transmission has been redacted by the Deterrence Office for Public Communications in order to protect Military and Commercial secrets.
The original document has been destroyed to prevent the leakage of possible information.
┝┅┅┅[Latest from the Newsroom!]┅┅┅┥
Outrageous Outcasts Organise Olive-Branch as Ravenna Nagash signs Mystery Agreement
by Petroula Carvos (Unofficial Corsair News Network)
The Unofficial Corsair News Network has been around for a long time. Sure, we're a two-bit gossip rag that started off talking about the the latest flings and fads of the great families of Crete, a tradition that we will no doubt carry on, but we have have always taken reporting seriously.
That is why I am proud to say that after our harrowing coverage of the recent fight with the Outcasts and the more humorous encounter with the Auxo, we have managed to get out hands on the scoop of a lifetime. Bear with me folks, as this is going to be a big one.
As everyone who hasn't lived under a rock for the past year would be aware, Deterrence is an up and coming force amongst the Corsairs. With a wide range of connections, vast military might and an employee benefits scheme to protect the families of fallen warriors; Deterrence has been making waves wherever they go.
Not everything has been a walk in the park for this quasi-military fleet though.
Deterrence has invested a large amount of time and money into mining and trade, with a focus on the Nomad Ruins in Planet Knossos atmosphere and the relics found within.
While other Corsair forces have long since abandoned the ruins, Deterrence has moved in. Building a forward base a mere stone's throw from the ruins. This reporter was actually given an early tour of the facility, but was forced to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. While this has never stopped me before in the past, it appears that Deterrence takes their agreements very seriously. No sooner was I going to publish my article, than I had special forces knocking on my door to confiscate my equipment and material.
Needless to say, the base has been opened to the public since then, but they never did return all the materials I had collected.
"But what about the headline?" I hear you ask. Well folks, I am working up to that.
It is now common knowledge that there has been a cold war in place around the Nomad Ruins, ever since a Deterrence vessel attacked an Outcast mining party tagged as █████████████████.
Corsairs shooting Outcasts is nothing new, different or newsworthy. So, what happened to make this situation?
The ████████████████ declared a siege on the Deterrence base, claiming it was a military threat.
Normally, this would be a "defend to the last man" situation where either the base is lost, or the Outcast force is completely annihilated.
Yet, purportedly while raiding Malta, Ravenna Nagash herself made some sort of business deal with ██████████████. These guys are a neutral, highly organised force of █████████████████████ who specialise in ███████████████████████.
Likewise, these █████████ also seem to have business dealings with the Outcasts.
As such, in order to prevent their own business interests from being affected, ██████████████ have mediated some form of temporary cease-fire treaty around Planet Knossos. To my thinking, this sounds very much like a thing the ever "diplomatic" Zoners would do.
Regardless of the reasons, this is first such treaty that this reporter can nominally find between the Corsairs and Outcasts in recent history. To date, most agreements of this nature are only verbal and soon forgotten once tensions rise.
Yet this agreement has been officially drafted, with copies kept by all three parties. This determined reporter managed to get a brief glimpse of the treaty and found a few of nuggets of interesting information.
The treaty is not a peace treaty. We are still at war with the Outcasts.
Deterrence will not attack specifically flagged Outcast vessels within the atmosphere of Knossos. Provided they, or their companions, are not shot at first.
Both the Outcasts and Deterrence have independantly signed this agreement with ██████████████ and very specifically, not with each other.
It seems this deal may have deprived us of the glorious battle that was to come, but has opened a new chapter of history. Is Deterrence trying to turn us into a nation of corporate weaklings?
For answers I turned to the leaders of Deterrence itself. After much determination, getting caught in the middle of some "investigative journalism" and sufficient monetary persuasion; I managed to score an interview with an unassuming woman who hid the lower half of her face behind a bandanna, but her dark and piercing eyes stared at me as she introduced herself as Ravenna Nagash.
While I initially doubted this fact, the precence of known DTR Commander Multannus Cerratus made it clear this was not a joke.
Hi! I'm Petroula Stavros from the Unofficial Corsair News Network. Do you have time to answer some questions? I don't normally talk to the media but yes, I suppose I can answer some questions. I trust you will understand that I can't provide information on anything sensitive or implicate our military.
What were your first thoughts when you heard that the Starfliers wanted you to make a treaty with the Outcasts? That of distrust naturally. We Corsairs are a proud people and we tend to keep to ourselves. However, I value the lives of my men and crew more than my pride. A full blown war with our hated enemy would have only weakened us at this time. Not to mention, the collateral damage could have destroyed the source of our relics. Given our location, we cannot afford to disrupt one of our most profitable business ventures. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, as the saying goes. It's also nice to have a look at your enemies - get the measure of them.
And here I always believed that dying on the battlefield is one of the greatest honours, for a corsair.
You mentioned the source of the relics, are you saying that the reason you opted to not go into glorious battle was primarily because of some money? Dying on the battlefield honorably is something that any Corsair can aspire to. In death, may we find wisdom. There's virtue in battle, that's true. But out here, we live through the ingenuity of our people, their unyielding determination. Every life is precious to me. One should have the providence to look into the future. That's why one of the chants is - Today, Tomorrow, Forever.
While it's true that a battle would have been glorious - the risks were too great. The potentiality of losing the main driver of our economy was too high. I am not going to gamble with the future of our people. As you are well aware, out here, we need every edge to survive. Unlike the inners, our money buys precious commodities without which we can't survive.
You recently had a battle with Outcasts in Omicron Delta, was your the loss in that battle part of a greater plan to extract favour from the Outcasts? As mentioned, I would never sacrifice lives needlessly, especially for cheap political gains from our hated enemy. Saving everyone only happens in the vids. There will be deaths. Being in charge means making sure they lead to the greater good, that they mean something. That's a reality shared by every Corsair. Anyone who gave their life that day was a hero - all of them. They paid the ultimate price for our continued survival. More importantly, that day wasn't about spite, it was about standing up and forging our own path. We took a tragic vacuum and created an opportunity. To change something, one must be prepared to pay the price of their convictions. Unless you are saying that DTR and our many partners don't deserve that chance. In war, many battles are fought - you can't win them all. However, our resolution has never been stronger.
How does this treaty affect the rest of the Corsairs, is everyone expected to put down their guns? Yes, and then we can invite the cardamine addicts for a party and crack open a bottle of whiskey. Before your viewers reach out for their guns and start shooting up the vid display, I am joking. A united Hispania is an interesting concept but let's get not ahead of ourselves. Similarly, while Deterrence holds considerable military power at this stage, we do not speak for every Corsair out there. Our partners and allies are free to do as they wish according to their own will. Unfortunately, I can't discuss the nature of the treaty and its contents due to security reasons. Naturally, my jurisdictions at this stage extends only to the Deterrence. As usual, I welcome any of our partners to speak to me directly should they have any concerns. However, I am happy to confirm that with the reduction of tensions and hostilities, our base would be resuming normal operations again. Xeno Relics are highly profitable and I encourage the trade. A lot of inners love them and they pay handsomely. The fruits of our investments speak for themselves.
Did you get to meet the leader of the Outcasts? If so, how did you manage to resist shooting them on sight? I can neither confirm nor deny.
What was your opinion of the Outcast "Diplomats", are they really as arrogant as people say? I can neither confirm nor deny.
You mentioned not attacking for fear of damaging the source of the relics. What if the Council of Elders orders Deterrence to attack the Outcasts in Knossos? I would trust that the Council of Elders, in their infinite wisdom, understand that potential destruction of the only currently known source of Xeno Relics is unacceptable. No military victory in Knossos is worth such risk, if it means losing our main source of acquiring funds and commodities. The survival and future of our people depends on it. We cannot afford to treat lightly with such realities, lest we endanger all Corsairs and threaten our self-sustainability.
What about continued hostilities in Omicron Beta and Alpha, is the Deterrence fleet going to stop fighting there just to please the Outcasts? While I generally prefer non-violent and more elegant solutions to any of our competitors, if it does come to conflict, the Deterrence fleet stands ready. Rest assured - every man and woman active in the Deterrence will engage any enemy that wants to challenge our path.
To those that choose violence upon us - we are going to fight them with all our strength and we won't rest until we have secured the safety our people and destroyed every single one of them.
While we believe in co-operation and negotiation - no nation will prevent our self-determination, our future, and the survival of our people as long as I stand.
----
As you can see from the interview and from our recent articles, this doesn't affect hostilities between the Outcasts and Corsairs. Yet it does show that the two sides are capable of... Well, ignoring each other while independently working with the same third party.
All we can do for now is wait and see. We’re in it for the long haul people.
Reported in 828AS by the Unofficial Corsair News Network
![[Image: vgcrvgj.jpg]](https://imgur.com/vgcrvgj.jpg)
![[Image: vpINu3d.png]](https://imgur.com/vpINu3d.png)
![[Image: TobltDP.png]](https://imgur.com/TobltDP.png)
![[Image: MXWlsLH.png]](https://imgur.com/MXWlsLH.png)
![[Image: jidXxcY.png]](https://imgur.com/jidXxcY.png)