Intergalactic Summit

I suggest you step gently back away from the bong and dial down the hyperbole mr O'Donell. Lets not confuse the alleged act of hiring one mercenary group to fight another mercenary group with something called "treachery". You can certainly say you wouldn't find that beyond him, but describing an interaction with mercs (however useless they are) as "treacherous" is just silly.



Well, as I understand it Godsquad decced FRONT the moment Double Tap lapsed their dec (after SF had counter decced Double Tap) and the Godsquad chief dude wanted to get into the picture. Then you guys decced FRONT (for whatever reason) and I believe Godsquad dude told FRONT how much he hated you guys and offered to set you up "the bomb" in Lamadent. Now speaking personally I had never heard of Godsquad before that evening and after listening to their treatise on fleet tactics and successful capital "baiting" (which for the record NEVER involves 40 armour hacs) - I don't think I missed much.

But the point is its a tangled situation with mercs on mercs on mercs against mercs on mercs with a side order of mercs surprise. At this point it looks like somebody has spurted all their isk against the wall in a rage-contract for some reason and all the mercs are tripping over each other's feet like comedy clowns in an amateur theatrical production!

Still you are right in one way. Godsquad are awful.
Nobody should ever bother trying to hire those guys. Even free they are utter rubbish.

I respect fearless in battle, clearly you are a capable foe. It is a true shame that you personally do not show the same poise in this channel as your corp does in battle.

Without proof your words are just spurious claims I expect are to win some kind of propaganda agenda against OF or Ynot personally. I have no time for that, these public channels are often nothing more than an ego waving contest. Shoot at us fine, but don't think it's for nothing more than a good fight or a sum of ISK. Mercs have little ground to stand on when it comes to just cause. Fearless may be different, I hope your post is not the norm for your corp.

As I read it FRONT have declared their formal support to the Matari people and have made good on that position by providing low-tax Customs Offices in Matari lowsec and now adopting a progressive ROE that promotes neutral trade. They consider themselves friends of the Tribal Liberation Force, Ushra'khan, and opposed to Amarrian Imperialism. These are soild demonstrations of commitment to the Matari cause.

While I do not believe that FRONT would hire GODSQUAD against Electus Matari I will grant you that I do not have access to transcendent insight that would allow me the 100% certainty on the issue you claim to possess. Clearly you must have some proof in order to make such definitive statements and I believe now you must demonstrate that proof or retract your accusation through lack of credibility.

If it turns out you are correct I will apologize for doubting you.

Otherwise let the general IGS public note the balance of interaction and weight future reputations accordingly.

Always a little bit depressing to hear this sentiment expressed. To surrender the Summit to trolls and raving lunatics is to give up on many possibilities of persuasion and progressive example.

The tribe and other Minmatar militia corps have OF set red for acts of piracy against civilians and militia members.

So we have been assisting EM with dealing with known pirates.

During the defence of a EM POCO in Auner a fleet of 53 which included OF, Eve-union and Cloud 7 Nebulosa attacked the EM and allies defence fleet, So these alliances are now marked as helping known pirates.

All this talk is just talk and as Christine Peeveepeeski said the actions of OF must be the proof that they have changed their ways and now fight for the Republic and its citizens and not agaisnt it.

You use the word "pirates/piracy" three times in the space of a few lines Markius.

Indeed I notice that many involved in this argument between FRONT and Electus Matari are very keen to spread the term liberally. Of course FRONT have now admitted they have committed such acts in the past and agreed to reform into NRDS to prevent their "loose cannons" from dragging the organization into this reputation now.

But my question to you Markius, is do you not see a danger in overusing the term against political enemies and causing the real "pirates" to escape notice and counteraction?

I ask because I do not believe FRONT is or has ever been, an organized pirate alliance of the kind that Negative Ten/United/BSI/Heretics etc are still today. A genuine pirate alliance stakes a claim to a choke point and kills all passers by as an industrial process to the detriment of neutral trade and system traffic alike. If you want to see what a pirate looks like I suggest you take a hauler through Rancer one evening.

By overusing the term against mere political foes you risk devaluing it entirely and people will come to distrust your use of language. I for example, now read your use of the word pirate as "somebody I don't like" rather than as a genuine descriptor of activity.

If we held everyone to the standards you seem to be forcing at this point we'd all be pirates.

EM for engaging reds while GCC (pirate)
Star Fraction for engaging reds while GCC (pirate)
COA for engaging reds while GCC (pirate)

and so on.

Its meaningless.

For me a pirate sits on a gate with a group of sentry tanking fast locking ships and murders everything that passes through.

***

Case in point and example.

We're been told that one of the accusations against FRONT is that they have been fighting an alliance named Unknown and Beyond who are allies of certain declared anti-pirate organizations in Matari lowsec.

Ironically this organization is currently red to Star Fraction for an act of aggression that you chaps would probably consider to be "piracy." We have an aggression record against a corporation allied to Unknown and Beyond "Temple of The Black Light" that goes back the wars in Providence. A particular pilot "cargo raider" was a CVA aligned slaver enforcer who fired on our ships during the first liberation of Providence and was consequently set red.

When we attempted recently to assassinate this enemy of the matari people in lowsec Otou - members of Unknown and Beyond alliance fired on our vessels in his defense thus earning a -10 standing. When we then flew in defense of an endangered FRONT CO - Unknown and Beyond liberally GCC'ed against our vessels and dropped to near "pirate" standings in a single engagement.

Now. Some might go to the forums and declare Unknown and Beyond "PIRATE" and justify a lynch mob. I do not. I consider they are simply political hostiles whom we will engage as our organizational preference. I do not consider those who aid Unknown and Beyond to be pirates either.

As I said.

The true pirates live in Rancer, Amamake, Ardar and surrounding systems. That is the fight we all should choose to take.

And I find it foolish for Matari freedom fighters to waste time and effort labelling each other with this flimsily-justifed term "pirate" while ignoring the growing threat from those who may genuinely claim ownership of the word.

FRONT right now is under direct attack from piratico mercenary corps who have an agenda of replacing their lowtax customs offices with 100% tax customs offices. This practise will see the Matari citizenry of the planets affected chained to economic serfdom at the hands of protectionist bully boys and worked till they drop in virtual slavery.

I believe you should take a moment to properly inform yourself as to the stakes of the wider conflict Markius. Then revisit your commentary and consider the open hand you have been offered.

Because unless the various forces who consider themselves friends of Matari freedom are prepared to come together and make a collective effort against the tide of real piracy, economic protectionism and regressive roadblocking in Matari lowsec, then you are collectively betraying your brethen on the worlds below. This is a time to show vision and leadership and rise above petty-minded addiction to past feuds.

That is rather the point. We are not attempting to smear the whole entity Unknown and Beyond with the term "pirate" over it. It is simply a political red. I am arguing that you devalue the term "pirate" into meaningless rhetoric by trying to spread it too finely over everyone you have cause to fight.



So what do you need Markius?
Here is surely the ideal thread to discuss that.

I welcome the statements made in this thread by members of The OF. Being someone who, for better or worse, prefers to undertake discussions in more personal surroundings, I am then an infrequent user of the IGS and thus have found this thread late in proceedings.

My personal diplomatic preferences notwithstanding, I respect the value and importance that Ynot clearly places on his public reputation and welcome his words, which he has knowingly placed on record. Words which happen to specifically and honestly address the concerns I mentioned in the C&P section.

Regards,
Sparks

A COA fleet engaged and destroyed seven Negative Ten BS and a Loki in Mirotem yesterday, we also forced them to self destruct a triaged Archon.

Fearless came to the field late, but they also dropped their own capitals on the Negative 10 Archon, there was some dialogue in local from Negative Ten to Fearless which was neither friendly or respectful, this would seem to put pay to your theory that they are working together, or employer and employee.

I greet Ynot's announcement with cautious optimism, I would rather not spend my time or my security status shooting The Obsidian Front's ships and structures, there are corporations and alliances who I would much rather be shooting at instead.

Good to know and well done on the engagement. Nice to see it. Still if Negative Ten are not behind the current wave of piratico-mercenaries in the area it does tend to suggest that Unknown and Beyond are behind it - particularly because FEARLESS were active in defending their embattled starbase at the weekend. While such entities are of course free to hire mercs if they need the support I do think they cannot be entirely removed from the consequences - and in this case if it is proven that Unknown and Beyond are behind the merc involvement they should be seen as ultimately responsible for low tax customs offices being replaced by 100% tax offices in Matari lowsec.



Very sensible statement and I do hope both sides pay attention to this and come to the negotiating table to agreed a ceasefire and truce so that genuine pirate threats can be targetted hereafter.