[Official Event] A Delicate Balance: The Arms Race

[Barrier]

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A Delicate Balance: The Arms Race
New Berlin | Omicron Alpha | Omicron Gamma
Trade Event (Part 1)

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(thanks to Bob and Grey for the screenshots)

OVERVIEW

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The neutrality of Freeport 9 was always a tenuously balanced affair, with any major push potentially sending it crashing down. With the aftermath of the Slave Revolt and the Corsair occupation, any remaining Zoners in the system have been put into a difficult situation - maintain neutrality, safeguard their oldest home, or regain what was rightfully theirs. With the occupation forces preparing for a long siege, many non-essential Freeport-9 residents have been expelled, further inflaming an already unstable mix of opinions. Those remaining on the station have settled into an uneasy routine as their role of civilian hostages, with the more radical elements already forming plans to chip away at their Corsair occupiers. With the bounty hunters who have regularly frequented the Freeport no longer in evidence, older residents have already been heard making threats on their behalf against the invaders, or anyone who would dare show their criminal face in Omicron Theta.

While the administration of Corfu continue to counsel calm, the dwindling stocks of food on the station is a cause for concern, as it isn't clear that the Corsair occupiers plan on fulfilling existing replenishment contracts. With the whole system in an uproar and both sides moving in their fleets for imminent action, negotiating any new food deals will necessarily be low in priority for any Corsair commanders. Siding with the Outcasts may offer a longer-term solution by retaking the Freeport, but the same course of action may just as well result in the destruction of the critical bio-dome infrastructure. While the Conclave back on Gran Canaria may continue coming up with alternative plans for providing food to the sector, the older local administrators already know that food convoys from Gran Canaria are unsustainable due to the danger and the cost of these shipments. Without the Freeport, Corfu and Pygar will turn into shadows of their former selves.

With Gran Canaria still deliberating on the best response to the situation, Zoners already in Omicron Theta will make their own decisions, as they have often done. With no peaceful solution in sight between the Corsairs and Outcasts, any choice made by the local Zoners will assist one of the sides, even if indirectly. Charismatic captains on either side will attempt to convince others that the Outcast strike fleet must be assisted despite the cost of civilian lives, or that the Corsair blocking force must be reinforced to stabilize the situation to allow for long-term negotiations. No one has yet counseled the destruction of their own neighbor, but this conflict will make a rift in the Omicron Zoner community which may take years to heal. Meanwhile, arms dealers closest to the action are ever grateful for the continued demand that another large conflict puts on their services, as both sides prepare for a prolonged offensive.

DETAILS

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Allowed IDs:

• Pirates
  
• Junkers
  
• Smugglers
  
• Corsairs
  
• Outcasts
  
• Zoners
  

Rule Changes:

• Corsairs have their ZOI extended to the Taus.
  
• Outcasts have their ZOI extended to the Omegas and Rheinland.
  
• Zoners have a new line added to their id: "Can demand Black Market Munitions."
  

Trade Bonuses:

• DEALS! Equipment vendors on Crete and Malta have increased the purchase price of Black Market Munitions by 75 SC per unit!
  
  
• Equipment dealers on Malta are sourcing from Trafalgar Base in New London due to the attractive deals offered via the cooperation of Bretonian and Rheinlander junkers.
  
  
• Equipment dealers on Crete are again sourcing from Kreuzberg Depot in New Berlin due to equipment shortages at Lagos and Madrid.
  
  
• Black Market Munitions are worth an additional 75 SC at the sale point - get them before the fly off the docks! (NOTE: Only eligible with original cargo manifest.)
  
  // Everyone gets the 75 SC price increase. Eligible ids buying at Kreuzberg get 75 SC bonus profit (97 total), while those buying at Trafalgar get 95 SC bonus profit (still 97 total).
  
  

DATES

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November 27, 20:00 UTC - Dec 1, 20:00 UTC.

Part 2, focusing on sieging Corsair picket lines in Omicron Theta, begins on Dec 1, 20:00 UTC.