Using Pirates: Privateers and Letters of Marque

[Eugen Aker]

Thank you all who have participated in the IC thread so far. Political threads like these are fun. <3

[member="Khyros Sunblade"] I dunno, I'm of the mind that we should try getting out of the hole instead of digging deeper. We're supposed to be set apart by our values and conduct, but if we let that get away from us, then we're no better than the Sith or Mandalorians. In fact, we're even worse, because at least they win stuff (usually at our expense).

The mere act of raiding can be seen as an egregious violation of sovereignty. Even in the best of circumstances where no one is killed, I can't think of any faction just sitting around and letting itself get rip-offed by agents sanctioned by the Republic.

Unless they plan on sacking entire planets and system, the privateers are never going to recover enough plunder to provide the Republic with any sort of significant revenue. We just look bad taking the money when we get caught. Meanwhile, it doesn't cost that much to go send a few guns and trainers out to ready up some resistance groups, Special Forces style.

OOCily, I think the ultimate solution is to do a better job at negotiating terms and objectives for skirmishes and invasions. Outside of a few hiccups here and there, we're decent in fleeting and macro objectives, but we fall apart when it comes to PvP centric objectives. We need to improve on the PvP front, and play to our strengths where possible. I'm of the mind that Invasions should be more about macro, and skirmishes more PvP focused.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

[member="Suravi"], OOC this is about providing roleplaying opportunities. Currency has never been an issue IC unless someone showed up and suddenly claimed to have enough resources to buy a planet or a buster for a planet. Or a Planet Buster Parfait from DQ. Man. Now I want ice cream.

Also, I agree with you on the fun part of politics thing. We need more of them. You, for example, should propose something big and daring and dangerous. Go! Do it!

 

[Khyros Sunblade]

[member="Suravi"]

It actually costs a significant amount of money to utilize special forces in any capacity, though such expenditures are usually kept under various clearances. Add to that the supplying of materiel and setting up intelligence and communication channels between the training nation-state and the resistance cells and you have a great deal to pay for.

The use of privateers, while underhanded in every time period, does the economy of the hosting nation-state for two reasons. Firstly, the goods the privateers steal costs the host nation nothing, the portion the hosting nation-state takes is free revenue. Second, the goods the privateers steal never reaches the enemy, this means that the enemy has spent money for no goods. That country's credit rating would eventually go down with those companies shipping to them because they cannot protect their supply lines. Does it make the hosting nation look bad when these privateers get caught? Yes. However, when a nation-state is in the position that the Republic is in, it can't make us look any worse.

Were the Republic to hand over Hadrix to the Mandalorians or even make her stand trial in the Republic it would help our image, but short of that, only time can make us look better, and we can't have time if the Republic falls.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

The poll here is 10 to 6 in favor of using privateers. [member="Lady Kay"], as interim faction head, does this vote suffice to pass it once discussions in the Private Hearing thread winds down, or do we need to add a voting poll to that thread as well and re-poll?

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

Normally the process for the Senate is that they hold the vote. Power of government and all that. I haven't caught up on that thread yet to see how it's going, but if it's moving along in the same direction as the poll here, then there wouldn't be a need for a polling vote.

But given that this is what the majority wants and if the Senate wants otherwise, Jack will have a lot of work to do to convince them to change their minds

 

[Jack Sparrow]

[member="Lady Kay"], my question was around the thread itself. It's set up as a private hearing rather than an official senate vote, so wanted to check where we should be tracking official support.

[member="Suravi"], as it's your thread, would you like to replicate the formal vote there, and if so, can you please add a poll? Otherwise, are you okay with tracking the official vote here?

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

Gotcha I'm sneaking on while at work, so I have to read quickly...lol

 

[Eugen Aker]

[member="Jack Sparrow"] OOCily, the votes already been made, which I will respect. I just wanted an IC thread because I wanted to roleplay.

I wasn't able to vote in the poll, but my answer would be no. Harassing the enemy should only be risked when you know you can deal with the consequences.

[member="Khyros Sunblade"] There is a precedence for the Sith's and the Mandalorian's use of overwhelming at even some minor offenses, and I don't think we can handle that at the moment. ICily, there's no monetary or strategic benefit to be had from privateering. You can't reliably predict the revenue that will be collected, or monitor the privateers to make sure they behave or cough up the credits. How are we going to sell stolen goods we can't use? Who's going to risk taking something hot like that off our hands? How are we going to keep the privateers from blackmailing us? They hold all the cards. They can jet and go back to their little criminal world and leave us alone to deal with the reprisals from the Sith and/or the others. Say they do commit some attrocities. We could take away their permission slip later, but that still doesn't change the fact that they were effectively under our control at the time.

"Sorry Sith, but we only wanted to steal this freighter, we didn't mean to vent everyone into space in the process. We told them expressely not to do that. It's written in our agreement. The one agreement about illegally seizing your assets in violation of our cease-fire arragement. We cool?"

By doing this, we're signalling to our enemies that we're ready for round two. To our own people, we will appear desperate by engaging in underhanded tactics to save a few credits. I know some of you are fine with us rolling through the mud being Sith-lite, but I'm not.

As a compromise, why not allow the resistence fighters or Mandalorians to raid on our behalf instead of private entities? Then at least we'd be working with people that share our interests beyond collecting a paycheck. They won't need any funding either.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Okay. [member="Lady Kay"], let's let the RP thread play itself out, but as far as the Republic is concerned, we are now authorized to offer letters of marque to interested privateers.

This is the law as it currently stands. [member="Khyros Sunblade"], as you were one of the most vocal supporters, do you see any needed amdendments, or do we publish as is? Everyone else, if you see something that looks specifically wrong, post, but let's not turn this into a semantics debate or a nitpicking session.

Privateers will be commissioned with raiding enemy cargo ships, supply bases and factories as well as similar targets owned by corporations associated with said enemies. Privateers will surrender 50% of the supplies and profits to the Republic and can do what they please with the remaining 50%. If they choose to sell, the Republic will purchase the remaining 50% as well. Captured slaves will be set free, while captured personnel are to be surrendered to the Republic for questioning and disposed of as circumstances warrant. Personally, I like the idea of ransom. I've always been a romantic. A reward will be given to privateers in the form of credits for captured personnel.

Privateers are expected to seize cargoes with minimal bloodshed and are not allowed to attack Republic or neutral ships or to take civilian hostages. Any such violation of the letter of marque will render the privateer fair game for the Republic to hunt. We will exercise the right to post observers aboard privateers' ships as desired.

In return for service, privateers will be allowed to use Republic safe ports, repair facilities, supplies, and given access intelligence as deemed necessary, subject to Faith's recommendation as Minister of Intelligence. They will also be offered amnesty and pardons if they were former criminals, if promising not to commit crimes again.

 

[Eugen Aker]

[member="Jack Sparrow"] I have no more objections to the plan, so I don't think I'll be revisiting the topic. Good luck.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

As a compromise, why not allow the resistence fighters or Mandalorians to raid on our behalf instead of private entities? Then at least we'd be working with people that share our interests beyond collecting a paycheck. They won't need any funding either.

[member="Suravi"], I'm fine with "in addition to." This can be discussed separately in our discussion with the Mandalorians and any resistance fighters anyone may be aware of.

 

[Khyros Sunblade]

[member="Suravi"] OOCly, this is just to get more role play with the Republic as more RP means more people and more interest. ICly, Khyros understands the objections you presented, but he sees this as a way to strike the enemy.

If the Sith or Mandalorians want to assault the GR, nothing we do or don't do will stop them. That is a simple fact. Having pirates be pirates won't change that. The way it is stated, as we do not have any specific enemies we won't be employing it, but when we do have enemies, we will. When we have enemies, having them see us as underhanded will matter little. To our populace it can be spun any way we want, specifically that we are doing everything in our power to defend the Republic and their sovereignty.

Khyros was serious in being willing to consider other options, but while OOC we know that Credits are words typed into a box, ICly it would matter a great deal.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

It looks good to me, the stipulation of enemy is in there, so as long as we do not have any listed enemies on our side (something we should make sure of) then it is a dormant thing and can't be used as provocation against us.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Okay