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=: Transmission from the Jacorn Alliance :=

The Jacorn Alliance is willing to accept new trade partners and/or increase trade with current trade partners, interested parties should respond on a private channel.

The High council has demanded that new security measures be effected on our borders with regard to trade convoys. With growing trade passing through the Empire, it is only prudent that take measures to safeguard our people. Starting today, all trade routes that pass through the Empire's borders must first ask permission from the High Council to transit our space. Until that time, any and all trade ships will be halted, turned around or impounded. If a ship fails to comply, it will be eliminated. Trade route permission will be granted individually on a case by case basis. Each empire must request permission for every trade route individually. They will be given a case number and response will be given once the council has decided.

THE THOLIAN EMPIRE HAS SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS.

FIRST, WE ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH PIRACY AND SMUGGLING IN THE REGION OF SPACE BOARDERING THE SHELIEK. WE ARE MOVING FORCES INTO THE AREA IN AN ATTEMPT TO DETER ONGOING PROBLEMS. WE SINCERELY HOPE THIS IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AND NOT ANOTHER GOVERNMENTS ATTEMPTS AT INTERNAL INFILTRATION OR SABATOGE.

OUR BUILDER CASTE HAS BEGUN WORK ON THE JOINT THOLIAN/KLINGON COLINIZATION PROJECT. WE BELIEVE THIS WILL WORK OUT RATHER WELL, AS THE SYSTEM HAS ONLY ONE PLANET THAT CAN SUPPORT KLINGON LIFE, AND ONE THAT CAN SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE. THE EMPEROR HIMSELF HAS ASSURED ME HE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO PRODUCTIVE RELATIONS WITH OUR NEW NEIGHBORS.

AND FINALLY, THE THOLIAN EMPIRE WILL, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY, BE OPENING ITS BOARDERS ON A LIMITED BASIS TO TRADE ROUTES. WE ARE WILLING TO PROVIDE CORRIDORS OF SAFE PASSAGE FOR MERCHANT VESSELS WISHING TO CARRY GOODS THROUGH OUR SPACE. A SMALL TARRIFF WILL BE IMPOSED.

Lighthawk wrote:MESSAGE TO THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS, PRIORITY 3
FROM THE SPEAKER, VOICE OF THE CONFEDERACY, REPRESENTATIVE OF HYLLUS GENERAL INTERESTS

We are aware that the war has ended, and we do not believe the Federation would reignite it for the sake of credits. That was not our concern. What does concern us is that while the Federation and Cardassian Union have put down their weapons, they have picked up their words with the same hands. You still attack each other and cause harm.

While a return to prewar conditions is a desirable goal, it is not something that can be forced. We spoke of putting aside the issue of money for the moment, because it is the least of things that must be put right. Most of all, all parties involved must want for things to return to how they were. The Cardassians are a proud people with a troubled history, they will not be forced, and they will push back against any who push against them.

Please, if you truly seek peace, then remove the venom from your words. Friends might be an unlikely future between your nations, but if simple civility can be attained, if each side can come to look at the other without ill thoughts, then the path towards mutually beneficial results might be found in soft loam, instead of solid rock.

The Federation has many proud people. The Klingon Empire has many proud people. In their own way the Ferengi have many proud people. To suggest that we let Cardassian pride dictate the terms for peace seems insluting to those who perished to contain their aggression.

Again, we do not ask for a victors peace. We do not ask for new territory or compensation for allied losses. We simply ask for the restoration of things to pre-war status. That is not an absurd position to hold. Some will say this is all about credits. Many of those encouraging a peace are undoubtedly doing so out of a sincer desire to see stability return to the region. That is a desire all the allies share. We desire to see economic stability retained as well. If it becomes a means to discharge a debt by simply making an accusation and declaring a war then the international financial system will grind to a halt.

Furthermore it seems quite odd to ask the Ferengi to take on considerable economic hardship so that others may prosper more quickly. For practical purposes the only thing not allowed to the Union is passage of trade vessels through Allied territory. So when one breaks the issue down to its most base elements pushing the Ferengi to accept this peace is to basically say that they should lose money so that others can make it.

AN INTERESTING QUANDRY FOR THE CARDASSIANS, AS THEY ARE EFFECTIVELY CUT OFF FROM ALL POTENTIAL TRADE PARTNERS.

If they cannot be trusted to make true on their financial agreements, then so much the better.

The Cardassian Union canceled our debts because we will not continue to pay money to those who conspired against us. We will not send a single credit to those who's scheming resulted in years of unrest on our border and millions of Cardassian dead. To think that we would pay those who have done this to us is madness. The Ferengi will not be getting a single credit from the Union. They may whine all they like but it will not change anything. They should consider the loss of their credits a small price to pay for their treachery as without Federation interference there wouldn't be a Ferengi Alliance at all.

The new Federation's policy of economic imperialism is in full swing. They entered a war to defend the Ferengi's territory but now find it convienent to try and expand the scope to cover another nation's debts. They claim to be concerned about international trade yet cut it off on their whim. They make territorial claims in an effort to choke off trade between other nations. First they expanded coreward to terminate any trade routes between the Breen and Romulans and now they attempt to do the same rimward between the Tholians and others. The Federation is fine with trade, so long as they maintain absolute control over it so they may use it like a weapon against any other power with the temerity to step out of line.

The Cardassian Union has dealt fairly and evenly with all our trade partners so long as that same consideration was shown to us. Ask the Federation. We owed a substantial debt to the Federation and it was repaid quickly and in full. With others when they encountered trade difficulties we allowed them to reduce shipments to the Union while maintaining our full exports so as not to deny needed funding. Even others we've offered discounted prices on anti-matter to keep commerce flowing. The Cardassian Union has more than held up our end of business arrangements, even at times holding up both ends. We will not be taken advantage of though. We will not allow another power to foment unrest in our nation for their own financial ends.

Relations are as normalized as they will ever be.

Your lies do not impress anyone. The only schemers here are you.

We did not force you to take on more debt from us. You could have gone to any power. YOU came to us. Do you really expect the whole galaxy to believe that we forced you to ask us for more money without saying a word?

Your claims against us fall apart when any sapient creature looks at them carefully.
Other than our initial offer for trade and a loan, in order for you to rebuild after the mess of the Dominion War, you initiated every contact. No possible scheming from us here.
The Ferengi you claim was involved with the weapon sale to the Breen could have come from anywhere. Ferengi do not all live in or are citizens of the Alliance.
The only ones who have trilithium weaponry in any form are the Romulans. While crude trilithium could come from most powers, only three powers have enough ships to produce the amount of resin needed for the test you claim occurred: the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Union. It would take us over 20 years of full activity to collect enough resin for any weapons test, and someone would surly have noticed by now if we were stockpiling trilitium resin.

Really, you have nothing that implicates us with any reasonable amount of certainty.

We will investigate with the Imperial Guard about any past sales of trilithium but as a government, we most certainly had no part in it. We have little time to devote to superweapons. Where is the honour in a star collapsing device? A victory should be fought and one on the battlefield, with men and arms and blood. Not via some particulate trickery.

stitch626 wrote:We did not force you to take on more debt from us. You could have gone to any power. YOU came to us. Do you really expect the whole galaxy to believe that we forced you to ask us for more money without saying a word?

Your claims against us fall apart when any sapient creature looks at them carefully.
Other than our initial offer for trade and a loan, in order for you to rebuild after the mess of the Dominion War, you initiated every contact. No possible scheming from us here.

You are either a simpleton who has managed to rise far beyond your station or believe everyone else to be.

Imagine the shock that when the Union was in need of financial assistance we would approach the quadrant's preeminent businessmen and a people actively advertising your lending capability. When looking for trade why would we approach such a people, truly this represents the true devious nature of the Cardassians. Further more, why would we return to these people when we had established a working relationship with them? Such a decision couldn't be the Union choosing to work with an established business partner? Why would we look to others for working capital when you had already proven to be a source of it, were a neighbor, and an established business partner? No scheming? You had a relationship with the Union and you sought to abuse it knowing full well of the economic ties between our nations and knowing that you would be the first nation we would contact for financial assistance.

By the gods the fact that would claim there was no possibility for scheming on your part is insulting.

The Ferengi you claim was involved with the weapon sale to the Breen could have come from anywhere. Ferengi do not all live in or are citizens of the Alliance.

My how convenient that you can disown your citizens when they become troublesome. I suppose your dead smugglers were a bit easier to disown than your other allies. Tell me, have you managed to rebuild that shipyard yet after the Orions took so poorly to being cast aside?

The only ones who have trilithium weaponry in any form are the Romulans. While crude trilithium could come from most powers, only three powers have enough ships to produce the amount of resin needed for the test you claim occurred: the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Union. It would take us over 20 years of full activity to collect enough resin for any weapons test, and someone would surly have noticed by now if we were stockpiling trilitium resin.

Really, the Ferringi don't posses a large fleet of cargo ships with anti-matter engines? You don't regularly remove trilithium resin build up? I do believe the Union's engineers would love to know how you've made that break through.

You would be far more convincing if you didn't insult your audience's intelligence every time you opened your mouth.

There are currently over four million known Ferengi who are no longer sole citizens of the Alliance. Unlike other powers, we do not force them to live in our space. They can move and reside where the profit takes them.

In one year, the amount of resin produced by our fleet, including cargo ships, is the same amount produced by the Federation in three months. And all of it is reprocessed as it is removed from the cores, making it useless for weapons production. There is no time at which the resin could be removed from the ships, unless they were serviced at a non-Ferengi station.

And our point that you could go to someone else for funds stands. You did not have to go to us. Likely to, yes. But it was still your choice.

Anyway, this line of discussion bores us. If you don't stop lying, then we will release to the public your scheme of Operation Wounded Dove. Please, be sensible.

I am stunned, I truly am. To think that the Federation could actually show more skill in blackmail and extortion than the Ferengi. What is the galaxy coming to? Release whatever fabrications you wish Ferengi, just make them at least slightly more entertaining than your ramblings to date.

Why would we waste our time to fabricate something when we have the genuine article?

Here for all to see is what we had gathered of Operation Wounded Dove a few years ago. Since it is incomplete, we were not sure at the time what it all meant. Now though, it is quite clear.

Subject: Operation Wounded Dove

… conqueror the … interrupted by the Breen … war prematurely. … attempts to bring the
former Confederation worlds into the fold … bloodshed is so far unsuccessful … rapidly
becoming politically, militarily, and diplomatically untenable to allow the Breen situation to
continue as it is. …

The Ferengi are a nearby power with significant wealth and a great number … obviously
counting upon their positions as traders and …the Federation … peaceful.

Prior to the start of the Breen war … to initiate a false …war … Union … Confederation that …
Federation on the …involved on either side. …continued.

Operation Wounded Dove is an initiative … war between the Cardassian Union and the …the
dual purpose of bring a … issue.

We will require Ferengi …subspace weapon …Cardassian freighter … suffer … warp coils
destroyed. Temporary repairs … Ferengi parts. …material will be "disposed of," and … future
use.

… public front encouraging peaceful integration of … worlds is … concerns on the
Federation's part … any terrorist incidents perpetrated by the Breen … considered …
population …rogue elements that do … a whole.

… second incident should come after the attack …forces will attempt to stop it. …will
trigger a "feedback loop" that … ship's destruction. … wreckage should be … body parts
as well as …rengi torpedo casings with a great deal of tri …nating them. … the crux of …
plan.

Believe it or not, your choice. We didn't want to release this, otherwise we would have when war was declared. But, since the Union wants to keep lying through their teeth, we see no reason to hide their skeletons.




On a side note, could the power whose ships we were constructing please contact us. It is unfortunate what happened, but since we did capture some of the Orion agents, it was in our eyes worth it. We would like to discuss a payment of reparation for losing your ships. And possibly, a new deal in which we would construct them and ship them directly.

THE RECORDING LOOKS DAMNING ENOUGH BUT IT FORCES US TO ASK TWO POINTED QUESTIONS.

ONE, HOW WAS THIS INFORMATION OBTAINED? YOUR OWN INTELLIGENCE, OR BY A THIRD POWER.

TWO, WHY ARE THERE SUCH SIGNIFICANT GAPS?

The source we would like to ascertain that is for sure but the gaps...Any number of reasons could attribute this. Stellar interference, distance of interception, encryption, poor understanding of cardassian language.