Sailing for Lower Tides

[RedEclipse]

Christian looked at glass of rum and listened thoughtfully to what the host was saying. There was truth in his words, as practice had shown how shaky the world could be because of the excitement of easy conquests over one's own partners. A Pyrrhic victory. The Deterrence can dream all they want about the Corsair Empire's tactical offensive and the security of the biodomes' food supply, but that's a pittance of rye compared to what the Zoners brought from all over the world to Freeport 9. No Zoners in their right mind would deal with hangmen and murderers. You'll never build a business on your slashers, unless you're a member of OSI or MFE. Christian took the graciously presented glass of rum and took a sip. His throat felt as if it curbed the flame for a second, but left a noble aftertaste in his mouth afterward.

As Voncloud began his tirade Christian smirked, Voncloud's emotional swings were inherent to him, something not common to people in Phoenix that made him a white crow among his own. Life in Omicrons is stressful and some people just can't get through it while maintaining their composure and sanity. Voncloud, along with the other new players in the Zoner society in Omicrons, are trying to bring their knowledge from other regions without having any idea how insidious their so-called allies will be. It is only because of the good manners of Massimo Voncloud are still alive.

Christian put the glass down on the table and folded his arms, leaned a little more heavily on his chair and relaxed. Voncloud is obviously trying to hurt me and Massimo with his jabs, even though he's nothing of the sort himself. "Voncloud, first of all, I'm glad you're alright. But don't think that luck can always be on your side. My life advice, don't offend your hosts in the edge worlds or you may find yourself on the other side of the airlock without a spacesuit, its just bad diplomacy." he smiled slightly seeing Voncloud's grimace "I find it extremely disturbing how a surrender agreement can carry the name treaty. You signed on as a losing party to a conflict without even thinking about the root causes of the conflict. Phoenix did not become a party to this agreement simply because we value our independence and reputation. Deterrence did not talk about consensus, you signed a document that was drafted by them. If you are willing to lay your head down in front of everyone, what good are you?" he spread his hands "This is the primary reason why you will no longer be the administrator of Pygar. Independence is not for sale." he took the glass in his hands and squinted at Voncloud. "Or do you dare to continue to trade with the enemies of Deterrence without looking for a treaty? How outrageous, I hope your masters are informed?" he said sarcastically.

"And that's the key root cause of why I came here. If there are Corsairs who don't speak the language of ultimatums and are willing to take a rational approach to solving problems." he turned to Massimo and crossed his eyes with him "Mr. Massimo, I would agree with you, we will have a much more constructive dialogue if we let Voncloud leave our nice company." he took a sip from his glass and squinted a little - this drink was really strong. "I have heard enough of Deterrence's propaganda and would like to hear your stance on the events that have occurred at Omicron Theta." he put the glass down, no longer paying attention to Voncloud as if he wasn't there.