the Zoners

[Richter]

A short foreword: I am not a native english speaker and the following text will contain many mistakes. I hope it will not be a severe pain to read it. Please forgive this humble person.



I see the Zoners as an powerfull movement.

Many here stated that the Zoners would not organise themselves because it was their dislike for an organised community that made them leave the houses.

Well, I can not second that. The reasons for people to leave the, for the most part oppressive, houses are manifold. There may be the arnarchic tendencies, as shown in the TAZ and there may be the few Zoners that just want to be left alone. But as I see it, the most Zoners left their homes because their life was miserable there or their government oppressive. Take the miners of Dresden for example. Daumann makes their lifes miserable, some of the miners make the best of it and stay there. Some ohters rebell against the oppression and join with the Red Hessians. But I would bet there are also enough People who are unhappy but do not want to kill and pirate...and follow the thought that if Rheinland allows Daumann to destroy their lifes, than Rheinland might not be the right home for them. To such People, an "utopian" movement like the Zoners, peacefull and free, has great appeal.

The Zoner movement was born because people were unhappy about the houses, not because they were anarchic (Well...excluding the TAZ).


Many of you stated that the Zoners are not organised and are composed of many small groups. Well...that is true...or...was true. I do think there are more reasons for the collective tag of the Zoners, even in Vanilla. In the beginning of the Zoner movement, they sure were many small groups or individuals that independently decided to leave the houses and build up a new life in the Borderworlds. But many years and decades have passed since than and as you all stated, the Borderworlds are dangerous and threatening. These many independent groups eventually realised that they shared widely the same goals and ideals and that their lives would be a lot safer if they would band together. You are right, the powers of sirius are looking greedily upon the things, the Zoners created. The different zoner-groups need each other, to supply themselves, to watch each others back, to work to the benefit of the whole movement.

Therefore, I do think that the Zoners banded together under one Flag, the collective Zoner movement. The Zoner Council is actually a very good example for a Leadership of such an movement. Every Zoner stays a free being and can mostly do what he wants. Just in very important matters, mostly concerning the whole Zoner movement, the Zoners meet in the Council and decide about the subject. A true democratic Council, where every Zoner has equal rights and an equal voice.



Many of you said, that the Zoners need no Warships. Well, I disagree. It was stated many times in this thread, that there are many threats to the Zoners. Many factions throw a greedy eye on the Freeports in their neighborhood and in the case of bretonia, even the only planet that the Zoners call their own, is in danger. Yes, the Zoners use soft power and politics, but I do not take them for dumb. Of course they realise the risks and that one day, these soft power may fail and they get attacked by opporturnistic forces. On that day they will need their own fleet, to protect their homes and their lifes.



The Zoners are masters of technology and space travel. The Zoners have neutral status to the most factions. The Zoners have access to rare ressources and even a few monopols. The Zoners may not be as heavy organised as the houses, but they work together, I am sure of that, so....they really fullfill all the premises for a very successfull trading empire.

So, they have the money, they have the technology and the houses are getting more oppressive day by day, so I see the Zoner population increasing too.


That said, I also believe that the Zoners are not equal to a house or even near it, they did not have enough time and have not enough population. But they are getting stronger every day.

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