*Roberto* *an insignia flashes revealing an ornate greatsword upright against a plain grey background* *an audio record begins to play* I will make introductions brief. I am Roberto. I have a message regarding the fleet. A few days ago, an incident involving a Floran occured, in which the Floran (a known stockbroker by trade) wished to do no more than withdraw some funds from his account in Liberty mills. He was nearly killed by the fleet for this one desire. Before hostilities, I offered to escort him there myself should he cause any trouble, even allowing the guards to accompany us. The fleet opened fire anyway, wounding the stockbroker. I gave him my beacon, allowing him to escape and myself to be arrested, regrettably not before he was wounded again in the leg, for no other reason than his race. I was quickly led to the Fleet HQ, where I discovered several interesting facts. 1. When I was inside the HQ, I walked toward what I assumed would be my normal jail cell, when the floor opened up from under me, and I was transported to a secret dungeon that was... far less accomodating. With only a bale of hay and a bucket, I feel that this is not an appropriate way to treat your prisoners, of which I was not the only one. I heard voices coming from below me, as well. For proper prisoner treatment, please consult the human Geneva Convention. In addition, while they took my weapons away, which I understand to be standard and have no problems with, they also took away medicine I needed to stave off a degenerative disease that have been cursed with. Even after I explained what it was and offered it to them to test for dangerous substances, they confiscated it indefinitely, and the only reason I speak to you now is because the people who rescued me had spares on the ship. 2. When I was still not behind bars, I demanded that they allow the Floran to have his funds transferred out of the mills, to which they replied, much later, that the records of him owning money in this city did not exist. Now, we conducted an interview with this floran a long time ago, before the Fleet occupation, for other reasons, but nevertheless, that was what he claimed to be then, too. If he really was lying, as the Fleet said, then he must have predicted the fleet before it had even arrived at the mills. Now, how could he do that? Also, anyone reading this who can confirm the Floran's identity, please come forward. This information has led me to believe that the Fleet is falsifying or even outright destroying the financial and perhaps other records of any Florans who had lived here. 3. The family leaders and Mayor were present during my interrogation. Both denied the stockbroker had funds here. They are either being lied to or actively conspiring with the Fleet, I do not know which. That is my information. make of it what you will. *the greatsword with a grey background flashes up again, and the audio recording ends*
What did you expect from the fleet? Of course there was shitty prison cells. Of course they wouldn't let the Floran withdraw money. Can't change a leopards stripes. The Fleet will always have their racist attitude. - Crowliss
That's right. When people deny what you think is true. It's obviously a conspiracy. Also, I've seen the cells, if anything they're nicer than the standard liberty mills holding cells. They're cleaner AND have a bucket - Skarti
-Doc Moses If there's a freaking conspiracy in Mills, why you even bother trying? And for being a well-known stockbroker, his name seems to be... popular. Heh. Ye don't say the time, but it looks like he came when ban was already placed, and it's pretty much clear. Not to mention there are several ways to retrieve funds unless he hid them under the mattress, heh.
Amusement: Oh I have been in those cells before. Say what you will about them being clean, I distinctly remember having a hay pile to lay on, a bucket to shit in, and some cuff chains to be hung from for obvious reasons. Observation: They didn't seem to understand I wasn't on their precious bounty board, either. Amusement: Imbeciles. Statement: I have met this "Stockbroker" Floran before, and he had told me the exact same thing before this incident that he was a stockbroker. Query: Why is this so far-fetched? Observation: The USCM has Floran in their Militia. Query: Why can't a Floran be smart enough to be a stockbroker and want to make money? Amusement: You'd be surprised what folks are willing to do to get back what's their's. Statement: Just because we have the StarNet doesn't mean money isn't in an object form, along with receipts and other documents. Confirming: I'd rather have documents on paper, personally, as if they need to be removed, you just rip it apart. Curious: Now, there is a ban on Floran, understandable, but if you escort said Floran what is the problem? Observation: They can't harm anyone or do something illegal without being shot in the face by the ones escorting it, and everyone's happy. Amusement: You have to love extremist religious groups looking to blame a minority for all their problems. Observation: "Look a Floran! He obviously just stabbed that man over there without reason even though he doesn't have a knife! Let's kill it!" Statement: In a nutshell. Suggestion: Maybe next time, Fleeties, you should think before you act? Cynical: I still remember your visit to our Den... Your rudeness wasn't forgotten, I can promise you that. -Raoul
A few days ago... Lets break this down. So, you escorted a floran, which have been publicly banned from Liberty Mills under threat of death, to Liberty Mills to obtain money that they don't actually have there. You are surprised by the fact you are attacked by officials, while you are aiding at this point, a criminal. You become upset when arrested and make demands to the people enforcing the laws which you have broken. You are baffled by the fact you are stripped of items that can potentially cause harm to them, you, or someone else. You are horrified that a prison cell is uncomfortable. You, after obviously being released just a few days later, feel you have been wronged to such a degree you should stir up shit on StarNet. I also personally had a nice chuckle over my morning cup of coffee at the fact you apparently met all the big wigs in the Mills, get told the floran is a liar, and proceed to claim otherwise still. How exactly do you people think the universe works? Do you wake up in the morning, do outside to great the morning under imminent threat the Fleet will descend from the skies and peck your eyes out? As someone who travels alot, learning the local law and culture is pretty important if you are looking to stick around for any amount of time. Also, having lived in Tetanus Fields for awhile, I can't imagine the Fleet cells are nearly as bad as that place was when I first got there. I imagine this has been incredibly confusing to you especially, knowing that things behave outside your comfy box of the inner workings of law. Nice try though, I rate you a 3/5 on the StarNet Troll scale. - B00mb1rd
I feel like all of these issues could be fixed if the Florans on Taranis stopped being so brutal. We all know that's not gonna happen, though. This still is very discriminatory, banning an entire race from a planet. It shows a blatant disregard for a very basic idea; Other people's damn feelings. If I've learned anything from this, though, it's that I'm completely right in disliking the Fleet. They're a prime example of the major flaw with organized religion, and honestly, their casual supporters just legitimize their radicalism. -Corvus (( Note: these are not my beliefs on religion. They are Corvy's. <3 ))
Amusement: It's just that it's more complicated than it has to be. Query: If they have such a burning hatred for the Floran, why not go out and hunt them, instead of just banning them? Observation: It would cause war, yes, but in the eyes of these fanatic cultists, it would be just. Curious: Come to think of it, why not just taze the Floran instead of shooting it? Maybe put a shock collar on it so when it gets near the Mills it just shocks them and they twitch like crazy. Amusement: I have better things to do than troll. Observation: If I was, my programming would have caused me to say "Sarcasm" or "Jokingly". Disappointment: Rather sad we've argued yet again, but I have never seen your face. Pity. Nonchalant: None the less, I could careless what the Fleet does. Only conflicts I have had at our Den with Floran ever since the ban at the Mills was a man trying to shoot one. Amusement: Other than that, their business is appreciated. -Raoul
From the desk of Lazarus Q. Zelena: Annoyance. And here I had thought that dealings with this obvious lunatic were at an end. Of course, I find myself once more tasked with clearing up his misapprehensions just as I was required to while he languished (and lied) in a jail cell. Elaboration. This Floran may very well be a "stockbroker," however it most certainly does not have any funds stored anywhere on Liberty Mills. Nor would it be necessary to destroy any files or paperwork to attempt to cover this up. How can I say this with such confidence? My "associate", Hezekiah Solari, and I have no need for investors. Indeed, having to answer to shareholders would hamstring our efforts in a spectacularly terrible fashion! How a stockbroker would find employment in a duopoly of this scope is quite beyond me. The residents (by which I mean factory workers, miners, construction workers, and others actually employed by the town) are paid in a voucher system that negates the need for the facilities this man was claiming his friend was attempting to access. And, I can say with confidence, Solari and I don't exactly carry our funds down to a bank on the corner at the close of business every day. Amusement. But maybe I'm wasting my (figurative) breath. After all, it should be clear to see that this man's story has holes in it purely from the fact that he claims the floor opened up to deposit him into some form of "secret dungeon" (which, considering the construction of the building and the alley access beneath it, would require impressively impossible geometry) while simultaneously claiming to hear voices coming from below him. So either this dungeon is not a well-kept secret and borders on lilliputian in size, or he's talking about the cells below his which... also make such a dungeon an impossibility. Exhaustion. Lastly, there is no need to destroy the financial records of Florans living on Liberty Mills. There simply aren't any, and, even if there were, what records does a factory worker require to keep track of weekly vouchers for food, housing, and medical care? It has often been mentioned that the weather is inhospitable to Florans, which has gone largely ignored. I do not claim to know why the very few original Florans that prospectors attempted to bring to the colony (what feels like ages ago) showed such distress at it, but they did. After they were sent away for being next to useless in this climate, particularly after paving began and what little surface water there was was diverted, such an expensive and destined-for-failure labor experiment was not tried again. It is beyond even the parts of me that aren't shaking my head in wonderment at this tomfoolery that there now seems to be some sort of push for them to be allowed to run rampant here. As for the ban on Florans... while it should be laughably unnecessary, it apparently is not. After a string of break-ins, brawls, attempted murders, and worse, such a moratorium on contact with them has become a necessity. No more than a ban (and subsequent punitive measures for flouting said ban) is a necessity because the crimes they commit on other planets simply aren't our problem. Disbelief. Really. Out of all of the reasons one might possibly object to the presence of a foreign military, you people do concoct the most ridiculous ones. --- Lazarus Q. Zelena, Zelena Mining Co. ((Zelena doesn't have access to this information ICly, obviously, so all he has to go is the few examples he's witnessed himself, but here it is for reference's sake.))
This amuses me. Still saddening Florans were banned even though there are Florans who are peaceful like Flora. Exactly why I have fun with Fleet members, easy to deceive. -Varkun
My coffee cup is half full, and my team lost the game last night so I can spare some time to humor you. Florans caused a problem on Liberty Mills. Assaulting people, blowing up a chunk of the hospital, general mischief. The world is, as has been pointed out several times, also not hospitable for Florans. The sun rarely shines, the ground is paved over on the entire city for the most part. Not a wealth of green. Oh, there is also the raining fire from the sky. Why a Floran would want to go to Liberty Mills even before the Fleet and the ban is beyond me, but they did. Obviously the lowest common denominator of the Floran people, but they goofed and messed it up for the rest of them. I guess they will have to find another planet to do... whatever on. It certainly wasn't work. The ban on Floran is a measure, from what I can tell, to tell them to get lost so they don't need to be coddled. The burden of assimilation into a culture is placed on the person visiting, and they failed, thus they are no longer welcome. Your programming needs tweeking if you are this easily amused. I'd offer my services, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do with a malfuncioning Glitch outside of lead them quietly to a scrapyard for a sendoff. Then stop inserting yourself into these threads. If it wasn't painfully obvious you were a glitch, I'd have assumed you were some acne faced kid who got a lollipop stolen from them by the Fleet with the ridiculous way you tail behind them whining. - B00mb1rd
Observation: Would be rather difficult to scrap me, as there are still many functioning parts that would be of much value to some people. Resuming: I insert myself into these threads because it's interesting to see what other views people have of the fleet, whether correct or misguided. Observation: They will and always will be nothing but Cultists, in the end. That is the sad truth. Observation: My views are simply what they just portray themselves as. Query: Is that so wrong? Observation: It's obvious that a lot of people aren't happy about the ban, whether they are Floran or not. They come off as racists. Statement: I remember having to /almost/ pay a toll to a bunch of hoodlum thugs upon one of my visits to the Mills because they wanted to collect for charity. I did not wish to pay their toll to pass through a public door they did not own, and a gun was aimed at me. Amusement: They were never dealt with by Fleet personnel, sadly. Statement: I have no reason to respect these Cultists either, based on their actions outside of their territory. If they wish to treat one like shit in their own home, then I will ensure that they as well are treated similarly. Observation: One's actions will determine how they will look to the public. There is a mix of the Fleet trying to help the Mills, and another view of them just being racist. This can't be helped. Reassuring: I merely just these Cultists as fools who could have gone about this better. Statement: Too late now though. Curious: Wonder when they're going to tar and feather someone again. -Raoul
Are no cells in Tetanus. If do something bad, slap on wrist. Do bad again, exiled. Simple as that. - Crowliss
From the desk of Lazarus Q. Zelena: Response. Given that the individual that was tarred was smuggling tentacle spores onto the planet, it is my sincere hope that they move directly to execution should that problem arise again. Such knowingly and wantonly destructive actions should not be met with any degree of leniency. --- Lazarus Q. Zelena, Zelena Mining Co.
From the desk of Hazekiah C. Solari: As my "contemporary" has stated, there is neither a stock market, investment industry, or even a banking system upon Liberty Mills. Our colony does not operate in this way. Additionally, we do not have a local Floran population. The planet is too inhospitable to them (low moisture, high risk of fire) for anyone to recommend an extended stay, even prior to the ban. Imbeciles. ((I am willing to also add OOC that no, you do NOT get to be a stock broker on someone's colony without doing the research and getting consent. If you do not get employment sanctioned by the two Families, the Mayor, the Bounty Office, Gytha, or whoever else... YOU DO NOT WORK AT LIBERTY MILLS. Done.))
Stop going to Liberty Mills. I mean for fucks sake, why do you all need walls of text to solve these problems? Stop going to Liberty Mills and you will find that all of the problems that continue to spawn from that shit hole will not longer be things you have to deal with. It gets constant criticism, how long will it be before you people pull the plug? Edit: Pluck Starnet and their retarded censorship system as well. -TopTierEngineer
