Around came senor Jose El Nino and stood up for attention and approval. "The free traders guild might be supplying us be they are probably supplying houses aswell. For each engine component that reaches bretonia we are in deep trouble. I say we call their representative so they can report their activities in corsair space. If all they wish to do is resupply on our bases deliver food, pharmaceuticals, muh needed firearms and other farming supply then they are fine by me. If they wish to take away some of surplus artifacts, even finer. Should they want to peddle goods to house space through our teriotory then they should additionaly pay us 10milion per transport per month. That money would be well used in our many skrimishes. As one of our main sources of income is piracy we cannot allow traders to pass unbound and unchecked. Giving them a freepass through corsair space makes us look a bit weak doesn't it?"
*spits tobacco to the spittin bucket*
"They should present their operation here, let us sign a proper contract and than make a vote."
Donate to the Poor Pilot's Fundation via Sirius Bank /givecash GreenHawk 1000000 now, and support poor pilots sirius wide!
Skype: jure.grbec
My primary char: Jose El Nino - Corsair Elder captain of the SS Greenhawk
Currently Inactive due to pursuit of life long dreams, will be back...*edited* As promised am back.
"This is hardly much of an issue as i see it" he said quietly, "If these people are supplying us with Goods that we agree we need to be supplied with, why would they need protection in our space at all? - at least not from any Corsair ship which has an ounce of respect for their own people."
Looking to Jose El Nino he nodded and said "...but the Elder has made a good point, are these people supplying the houses with goods as well? - this is no small issue as we are in open conflict with Brettonia, we are in unspoken conflict with Liberty as they directly interdict our artifact shipments and so we all know our people have no issue with destroying Liberty shipping, and lets not even talk about Rhienland....." he nodded to Sephardi, recalling the not so distant conflict between the Corsairs and this house.
"So, if these people are supplying goods that we need, and are in our space, whats the issue? But i must point out the reverse, if they are supplying goods to houses, and they are not in our space... then as i see it they cannot have it both ways, and in that situation i would consider them open to our taxation policies, or the policies of the individual pilot in question."
There were a few murmurs and he held up his hand to gesture for a little more time. "I must point out here, that i myself employ certain parties in this exact capacity. One of them was "taxed" by one of our pilots in Omega 3 and a protest was launched. He was however supplying goods to Brettonia so he received no compensation from me, instead i made him aware of the risks he took. However, had that event taken place inside our space with a cargo we needed, i would consider a different response."
He picked up his data pad and transmitted a page to everyone assembled: "I bring this to your attention once again" he said. "This list was agreed upon by most of us some time ago, and i believe it should be amended again to address the current economic climate, it can serve as a basis for our taxing policies in our own space should it be so wished."
Miguel Sephardi stood. He had finally reached his boiling point.
"Hermanos, and I use that term loosely. We have obviously proved all those right who think we are just a bunch of old gasbags. We blow hot air at each other day after day and accomplish nothing. I have for too long sat in this chamber and watched personal feelings and long forgotten grudges get in the way of the actual business of the Corsair people. We serve no purpose anymore. We are not looked to as leaders, as heroes of the Corsairs, and why? Because we can't see beyond our noses."
Miguel stood, and with him so did Elder Gonzales and Elder Globalo.
"We will no longer stand by and wait for the senility of old age while waiting for this council to take it's collective heads out of it's collective asses. We will no longer lend legitimacy to this Council with the name of the Brotherhood. You can all sit hear and wait for death of old age to come to you. We Brotherhood, we will die in our titans, fighting for the Corsair people. Viva Los Corsairs!
With that the three men left the Council chambers.
As the men stormed out of the council Ben stood again. His frustration was written on his face but he kept his temper in control, instead, he took a deep breath and shook his head.
A few eyes turned to him as he pushed his chair behind the table and motioned for his aid to bring him his combat jacket.
"oh? me?" he said to the unspoken questions. He nodded to the door that the men had so recently left through. "That..." he said "Was what i would call an over-reaction, nevertheless all this has made me remember something my father told me many many years ago before he flew off to his death."
He put on his coat "Don't trust the Noble men, he told me.... ". He strapped on his belt and put his data pad in its pouch. "While i don't entirely agree with it, there is a certain truism to some of what he said, So many of us look only to their own Haciendas instead of the good of the people as a whole...."
He walked towards the door himself and as he strode out he said " I'll be between here and the Fes if anyone needs me, my Comm ID is known to all and should the chamber reconvene with some kind of unity you know where to call...."
He kicked open the door and kept walking "But until the vision of the council extends beyond their own noses I'll take heed of the precedent and be about my own affairs... which, Gentleman, are needing my attention."
He caught the holster and blaster that was tossed to him from the aid at the weapons check point before striding the last few paces to the main doors.
And as he stood outside in the bright Cretian sunshine he shook his head again.... Maybe he was just old fashioned, maybe the ideals passed to him were echoes from an age long gone and they remained now an anachronism in the face of modern greed, pride and ambition.
Taking another deep breathe, he headed for the bar.
Jose watched watched as first the Brotherhood delegates, and then Ben Laowai left the chamber. It had been a very long day, and he did not entirely understand exactly what the issue had been to cause people to storm out of the Council chamber.
As far as he understood, the Brotherhood had offered a trading group their protection and free use of all Corsair bases. This apparently extended even so far that any Corsairs pirating or demanding a tax of some sort from this trading group would run the risk of being attacked by the Brotherhood.... regardless of whether the goods had been destined for Crete or anywhere else.
The Council has always offered a limited level of protection to any traders bringing useful trade goods to Crete. It was evidenced by the fact that Corsairs who pirated or taxed any trade vessel carrying useful goods to Crete, or transporting Artifacts away, found themselves in trouble with the Council and knew they were likely to be taken to task.
Trading with the Corsair nation has always had some risks associated with it. A trader bringing goods that the Corsair people have need of should not be in danger from Corsairs, but is liable to be attacked by the many enemies of the Corsairs.
Regardless of whether the Trader has some sympathy with the plight of the Corsair people, or is simply too greedy to miss an opportunity to make money, their actions will cause the likes of the Hessians and their ilk to attack them.
Watching the doors swing closed as Ben left, Jose rose and walked across to the bar. Pouring himself a drink, he wondered how long it would be before things returned to some sort of normality.
The doors of the inner Council chamber flew open. The Council had been in session for many weeks, labouring over a matter important to every citizen of the empire. The work of representatives from the Omega Pirates Guild, Benitez Family and indipendant Corsair groups was about to be realised.
As the dust settled, torchlight revealed the figure of an averagely sized man, middle aged with slightly greying hair, dressed in a pilots uniform beneath an Elder's robes. He stormed down a long corridor as the doors to the Council Chamber swung on their hinges, towards a nearby room. Bookshelves covered the walls, surrounding a number of computer terminals, and, more to the interest of the man, an ornately carved lectern with a glass case.
The elder gently lifted the glass covering, and unrolled a piece of freshly inscribed parchment onto the pedestal. The glass was replaced, and the Elder returned to the chamber.
Meanwhile, on the landing pad of one of Crete's larger settlements, the cockpit of a Titan lit up. Nearby pilots turned as a rough voice emanated from it's comm system.
"Laws of the Corsair Empire, draft 2, has been submitted to the Library of the Council of Elders for review. All true and rightful Elders of the Empire are invited to view the historic document and pass judgement, criticism or offer suggestions, before enforcement of the directives therein come into force.
Message Terminated."
Agreed upon by the honourable Council of Corsair Elders, the following legislature is essential reading for all Corsairs and must be adhered to by all who are privileged to wear Corsair uniforms and fly Corsair ships. These laws are in place to promote the advancement of the Corsair Nation and promote prosperity of it's people.
The laws herein apply to all Corsair territory and beyond, and are enforced by the combined forces of all factions and pilots loyal to the Council of Elders, including but not limited to the Omega Pirates Guild, Benitez Family and _______________.
Offenders who breech the laws herein will be subject to trial by the Council of Elders. The Council reserves the right, upon conviction, to punish offenders with sanctions which include but are not limited to;
Financial penalties.
Punitive destruction of property and ships
Punitive confiscation of property and ships
Incarceration
Execution
Deportation to the custody of allies
Exile from Corsair territory.
The Council of Elders reserves the right to utilise the services of allies and mercenaries to hunt down fugitives.
In this document, terms "must", "must not" and "forbidden" are used to highlight sections of these guidelines which are enforced by law.
_____________________________ General Rules for Pilots
2) Corsairs must not commit acts of treason against the Empire. Acts of treason include, but are not limited to;
Fraternising with known enemies of the Empire. (does not include official negotiations)
Flying alongside enemies of the Empire. (with the exception of when in battle against a greater threat or common enemy)
Providing goods or services to enemies of the Empire.
Disclosing classified information to enemies of the Empire. Such information includes the co-ordinates of hidden bases, ship blueprints, Corsair technology schematics and more.
Threatening the liberty of the Corsair people through acts of terrorism.
Plotting or conspiring to overthrow the democratic Council of Elders. (does not include bids to win political power through legitimate processes)
3) Corsairs must not attack other Corsairs unless;
An order has been issued by a Corsair Council Elder.
The target is in violation of Corsair law AND is a threat to other pilots.
A warrant for the execution of the target has been issued by the Council of Elders.
The target has failed to comply with a sanction issued by the Council of Elders.
4) Corsairs must not attack allied ships unless;
An order has been issued by a Corsair Council Elder.
The target is a threat to other Corsair or allied pilots.
5) Corsairs must comply with bylaws of individual territories or colonies within the Corsair empire as long as these bylaws do not contravene Corsair Laws.
6) Corsairs should try to, when possible, follow instructions of experienced pilots and commanders, in particular Elders of the Council.
_________________________________ Rules for Piracy and Trade
7) Trafficking or possession of the drug Cardimine and Liquid Cardimine is forbidden. Those in possession of cardimine should be made to drop every unit or be executed. Confiscated cardimine should be destroyed immediately.
8) Transport of Tourists, VIPs, Passengers, Refugees or Vacationers to Corsair bases (especially Planet Crete) is forbidden. Transports found bringing these cargoes should be stopped, and sent out of Corsair territory or to offload their cargo on a nearby freeport. If the pilot refuses, Corsairs are authorised to destroy the offender, his ship and cargo.
9) Transport of Food Rations, Luxury Food, Synth Paste, Fertilizers and Pharmaceuticals to Corsair bases (especially Planet Crete) is to be encouraged.
Corsairs must not pirate transports bringing these goods to Corsair bases.
10) Transport of Alien Artefacts throughout Sirius space is to be encouraged. Corsairs must not pirate vessels carrying a majority cargo of Alien Artefacts.
11) Transport of useful materials to Corsair bases is to be encouraged. Piracy or taxation of these goods should be reasonable and non-prohibitive if these materials are being carried to Corsair bases.
"Useful materials" includes raw metals, fuel, ship components, weapons or weapon components etc.
12) Piracy of Corsair, Hogosha, Farmers Alliance, Gaian or Order vessels is forbidden.
__________________________________ Rules for Warship Captains
[i]Here the term "Warship" is used to refer to ships of Destroyer, Cruiser, Battle-cruiser, Battleship, Dreadnought and Carrier class.
13) Behaviour of a warship captain must be befitting of such a vessel. Appropriate behaviour for a warship captain excludes;
14) Warship captains must be responsible guardians of the Empire's asset that is in their keeping. Responsible guardianship excludes;
Unnecessarily placing their ship and crew in danger.
Entering battles that will almost certainly lead to their ships destruction unless the safety of Planet Crete is at stake.
15) Warship captains must not take their ship outside core Corsair territory* unless;
They are accompanied by a balanced fleet, with at least as many fighters and bombers as there are warships. ......or....
Their operation has received the approval of a Council Elder or one of their deputies.
16) Warship captains must not waste fuel on unworthy endeavours, such as chasing individual enemy fighters, or other tasks that could be done by a smaller craft. Warships should only be deployed when necessary.
[color=green]*Here, "core corsair territory" refers to the regions of Omicron Gamma, Omicron Theta, Omicron Kappa, Omicron Delta, Omicron Minor, Omicron 91, Omicron 93, Omicron 94, Omicron 96, Omega 41 and Omega 5.
Since the departure of the Omega Pirates Guild, the Council of Elders has been re-organised. The return of the Brotherhood to the Council was welcomed, and representation of individual groups has reduced to 2 Elders per faction.
As of the reorganisation, representation takes the form of 2 Elders per ancient participating faction, and 2 indipendant representatives.
In total, 6 Elders currently sit in the Council of Elders.
On universal date 18:12:009 817 A.S a revised version of the Corsair Laws Document was published by the Council of Elders, signed here and became the official Laws of the Empire.
_____________________________________________________________________
Summary of Meeting 23:12:009 817 A.S.
4 of the 6 Elders convened on 23:12:009 817 A.S to discuss a range of issues for the empire. A great number of ballots were taken.
1) Warship deployment to Omicron Eta
After concerns raised by a number of warship captains, and representatives from the Black|Sails organisation, a motion was proposed to extend the defined zone of "Core territory" to include the Southern region of Omicron-Eta. This would lead to capital ships being allowed to be stationed in this region for defence of Etna base without the attendance of a support fleet or an Elder.
A ballot was taken.
5 votes in favour. (1 vote taken by clan proxy)
0 votes against.
1 vote not taken. MOTION CARRIED.
The laws of the empire will be amended, so that the defined "Core Territory" will include South Eta.
2) Passage of Neutral Warships
After a question was presented to the Council regarding guidelines for our forces' response to the deployment of Neutral-faction warships to our territory, the Council of Elders discussed what kind of response might be appropriate.
It was suggested that Neutral foreign warships should be allowed to pass through, under supervision of Corsair ships whenever possible, and should not be allowed to remain in orbit of Corsair bases.
The following amendment was drafted;
Quote:Neutral warships may pass through Corsair space. They should be escorted/supervised by Corsair ships when possible, and must not sit stationary outside of Corsair bases or in orbit of Crete. Visiting warships should follow the instructions of Corsair pilots. Any that refuse should be reported to the Council of Elders"
A ballot was taken over the proposed amendment;
5 votes in favour. (1 vote taken by clan proxy)
0 votes against.
1 vote not taken. MOTION CARRIED.
The laws of the empire will be amended, to include the above guideline.
3) Treatment of Empty Ships
After a question posed by a pilot regarding the guidelines for our forces' treatment of empty vessels in our territory or approaching our ports, the Council of Elders discussed the matter.
It was suggested that empty vessels should be eligible for piracy, at a low level, and that they might be denied docking rights and asked to come back with useful cargo.
The following amendments was drafted;
Quote:"Non-allied vessels passing through Corsair territory empty, or not carrying significant levels of cargo may be taxed, though any tax imposed must be modest (preferably below 1 mill)
"Empty vessels may be denied docking clearance and sent to return with a useful cargo."
A ballot was taken over the proposed ammendment;
5 votes in favour. (1 vote taken by clan proxy)
0 votes against.
1 vote not taken. MOTION CARRIED.
The laws of the empire will be amended, to include the above guideline.
4) Hogosha vs. |Sails
After receiving concerns from the Hogosha that the |Sails organisation, operating in Sigma-13, were expanding their operations into the Honshu system of Kusari, the Council of Elders discussed how it might respond.
It was proposed that a mildly worded letter be written to the |Sails leadership to request that they consider the effect of their actions on Corsair diplomacy, and request that they do not expand into Kusari for the time being.
Elder Sephardi offered to draft the letter.
A ballot was taken regarding this letter being drafted and sent.;
5 votes in favour. (1 vote taken by clan proxy)
0 votes against.
1 vote not taken. MOTION CARRIED.
The letter will be sent to the Sails leadership.
5) Alliance with Samura?
The Council of Elders was recently contacted by a representative of the Kusari-based super-corporation Samura Industries. the talks were suspended while the Council discussed it's stance.
Support for the principle of a trade relationship with Samura was unanimous. However, concerns were raised that Samura's request of exemption from Corsair piracy could only be achieved by a change in legislation, or by a formal alliance with the corporation.
It was proposed that, representing the Council of Elders, Elder Carlos Benitez push for a formal trade alliance with Samura.
A ballot was taken on this proposition;
5 votes in favour. (1 vote taken by clan proxy)
0 votes against.
1 vote not taken. MOTION CARRIED.
It was suggested, however, that the offer of total exemption from Corsair piracy would be a very generous move on the part of the Council, and that, it would be prudent to demand a significant up-front contribution of resources to the Empire before any treaty would be signed.
Elder Carlos Benitez will continue to negotiate with Samura on the Council's behalf, and will offer a formal trade alliance in exchange for a significant up-front contribution of resources from the corporation.
Other discussions;
Preliminary discussions took place regarding the introduction of a new non-Elder "Magistrate" to manage and chair discussion in a new "Supreme Court" to discuss matters of lawbreaking.
The construction of a new "Supreme Court" Building on Crete was agreed.
Ivan, administrator of Cadiz Base, was proposed as a candidate for the position.
Preliminary discussions took place regarding the addition of HAF and |Sails representatives to the Council of Elders. It was agreed that each should be granted 1 Elder position for the time being, and that the selection of candidates to fill these seats be left, as always, up to the leaders of those individual factions.
Corsair LawsCorsair Court Our forces combined, no-one shall stand before us. Our enemies shall be burnt and cast to the wind, our troops marching forward over their mangled corpses. True we stand alone, with wolves circling, but our isolation lends us our strength, for we are one and they are divided.
The days of Darkness are no longer, for we are the Corsairs and we are fear incarnate! Viva los Corsairs, the Empire shall rise!
The blood of the Hispania runs in our veins. The blood of our enemies shall wet our hands.
After his nomination as Elder, representative of the Black Sails, Grimly left Etna for Crete with his escort.
Once at Crete, he came to the chamber of the Council of Elders. Here, only 2 of his mens could escort him into the chamber. Two of his strongest slaves then followed the new Elder.
The chamber was luxurious compared even to his desk in Etna. Grimly looked around and saw the other Elders on their seat. Then, he took place with the others Elders, his two slaves standing behind.
I'm impressed. I suppose el senor Adam will join soon enough.
"Nervous? Of course i'm nervous! It feels like the first day of school." Adam yells at Eva when she told him he looks nervous. "I'm sure you'll do great in the council Sir." Adam stands up and grabs his coat, he has to leave now, he doesn't want to risk to be late on his first day. "Wish me luck!" he shouts to Eva as he closes the door behind his back.
After a 10 minutes walk from Eva's home, the Cortez mansion, Adam arrives at his destination. He opens the door and walks into a magnificent room, in the center of the room ther's an oval table. Adam walks around the table and stops at one of the empty seats "Mariscal Adam, representive of HAF" the sign on the table said. "Well... I guess this is my seat then." He sits down and waits for the other elders to arrive.
One by one they entered the room, each time the door opened Adam jumped up to salute. At last all the elders had arrived. "We have two new faces among us, Grimly, representive of Sails and Adam, representive of HAF" The other elders applauded shortly.
Hours passed as the council negatiated.
"How did it go?" Eva asks as soon as Adam opens the door, apparently she had been waiting in the hall for him to return. "Good, it's actually an interesting privilege." he walks to the living room and walks to the fireplace, he stares into the fire "A new chapter has begun." he says. Eva had no idea what he was talking about, but she decided not to ask.
Elder Montezuma arrived in his shuttle directly from the great palace courtyard in Tenochtitlan. Acompanied by two elabourately garbed and armed Jaguar and Eagle Warrior guards, he walked briskly down the corridor that led to the council chambers. As he entered his large, green-feathered crown brushed the high lintel of the door, while his large guards stood either side of the entrance, holding their macuahuitl sword and tepoztopilli spear respectively, in a ready stance.
He moved to the large table in the centre of the room and sat down upon a intrecately carved and decorated grey granite stool, placing a large, feather-adorned ceremonial macuahuitl sword on the table. He then sat back with his arms crossed and looked around at the other parties assembled.
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