The Maintenance of Merchandise RP

[Adm Garm Bel Iblis]

I just wanted to post this here ... to let everyone know what this is all about.

In a nutshell, Viscera is convinced that the New Republic stole a whole Imperial fleet. He is referring to the defection of Jyener Celchu, in which he brought us a whole buttload of Death Fleet ships that were under his command to Arcan IV gift wrapped.

1) He has no legal claim to these ships. They were owned and commanded by Jyener Celchu. Death Fleet has always been an independent mercenary group with alliances to the Dark Axis powers. And to top it off, their last affiliation was TSE, not TGE. And if you REALLY want to get technical, those ships originally belonged to URSF, under command of Scorpion waaaaay back when.

2) We did not steal them. They were flown to Arcan IV ... and that's the last anyone knows about them. Jyener Celchu no longer exists. All of the ships have been refitted with new friend/foe transponders and refitted. And no one has any justifiable IC knowledge of who our newest Navy Captain "Alec Lafayette" really is.

This is a transcript of a conversation I just had with Viscera. I'm posting it because the NR and TGE may very well go to war over this issue, and I want everyone to know why ... and about Viscera's IC and OOC state of mind over the subject.

Darth Viscera: Aha! Trying to lure us to Chandrila, eh? *murmurs*
Darth Viscera: and as soon as we're gone, your army of starship thieves will come and steal the silver out of our fillings!
Darth Viscera: you republic people and your sticky fingers when it comes to starships *trails off*
JediJabroni1: Uhm ... what?
Darth Viscera: just jiving you
JediJabroni1: Heh. Okay.
Darth Viscera: why would you forego diplomatic talks? over a shuttle?
JediJabroni1: Where did you get this shuttle idea from?
Darth Viscera: standard protocol when meeting with foreign diplomats is that the shuttles from two opposing sides dock and talk. X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, games made by LucasArts.
JediJabroni1: Never heard of it. And quite frankly, it sounds really stupid. ... Besides, we're not at war last I knew.
Darth Viscera: beg your pardon? when did I say we were at war?
Darth Viscera: and your own lack of knowledge in this case does not negate the precedent.
JediJabroni1: The protocol sounds like something used for truce talks between people at war.
JediJabroni1: It is an easily compromised floating target.
JediJabroni1: And ... Imperial protocols don't apply. As I said. You came to us.
Darth Viscera: well what do you call stealing ~50 imperial starships? sending us flowers?
JediJabroni1: I've been waiting for tat accusation to come to light IC to see how to handle it. I'm not going to get into an OOC debate over it.
Darth Viscera: And I haven't even mentioned imperial protocols. star wars protocols demand the two docked shuttles.
JediJabroni1: Oh so you are the writer behind Trevelan
Darth Viscera: you're already in an OOC debate over it. we wouldn't have come to demand the ships back if you hadn't stolen them.
Darth Viscera: and no, i'm not trevelan.
JediJabroni1: Oh. Okay.
Darth Viscera: you initiated hostilities. now you can expect make concessions in order to ease the situation. consider the two docked shuttles one such concession, if you must.
Darth Viscera: +to
JediJabroni1: We did? a warship shows up in our space and we went to defend it.
Darth Viscera: stop ignoring your previous hostilities. that's why we're all here.
Darth Viscera: it won't help anyone if you pretend that you did not in fact steal 2/3 of death fleet.
JediJabroni1: There have been no accusations given to Garm Bel Iblis.
Darth Viscera: what do you think the diplomatic conference is for?
Darth Viscera: besides, it's not a matter of accusations. you stole them, flat out! it's not a matter of us claiming that you stole them.
JediJabroni1: Normally over disputes ... But Garm has no idea what the dispute even is. We're only reacting to the ship showing up uninvited and unannounced for reasons unknown.
Darth Viscera: reasons unknown? massive republic hostility is the reason.
JediJabroni1: Garm has not been told anything about that.
Darth Viscera: we came to chandrila to negotiate for peace!
Darth Viscera: and we're answered by an SSD, promptly flanked, with more ships on the way.
JediJabroni1: Well you don't know about those IC ... And I am keeping them because Garm does not trust the Empire. He had to prepare for the contigency that this was a trap.
Darth Viscera: of course I don't know about those IC.
Darth Viscera: if you turn an imperial consular ship away after having commenced hostility against it, you won't like the consequences.
JediJabroni1: You have a really odd interpretation of events. No one fired on anyone.
Darth Viscera: stop twisting my words around!
Darth Viscera: like it or not, the actions of the republic navy are indeed hostile. flanked, targeted, you've done everything but fire starshells into our ion engines.
Darth Viscera: towards a vessel flying a flag of truce, no less.
Darth Viscera: don't turn us away.
JediJabroni1: I'm not twisting anything. Look ... I am responding in the most IC way I can figure. This is all Garm knows ... A Star Destroyer shows up uninvited in Chandrila. Sargast responded to defend the planet. But you said you came to talk ... So he went to talk. But the Empire came to us ... not the other way around. And I don't agree with the shuttle thing as a safe venue for those talks. He sees it as nothing but posturing ... and he doesn't even know what this is even about.
Darth Viscera: but the shuttle docking thing is standard procedure for diplomatic discussions in the star wars universe.
Darth Viscera: how else can you obtain neutral territory in space?
JediJabroni1: What game was this used in?
Darth Viscera: I told you before. It was used in:
X-Wing
TIE Fighter
X-Wing vs TIE Fighter
X-Wing Alliance
all games produced by LucasArts
JediJabroni1: Those were for brief rendezvous ... not for a freaking formal diplomatic conference.
Darth Viscera: what? no, you're wrong.
Darth Viscera: besides, this conference will only involve a few people. one COMPNOR officer and an Imperial Captain on the imperial side.
Darth Viscera: we're not talking about a "formal" diplomatic conference.
JediJabroni1: But it doesn't matter. Garm does not agree with that as a venue. It's easily compromised and he has no guarantee of safety. I offered to meet on the planet.
Darth Viscera: -_-
the empire cannot possibly accept that as an unhostile environment. Chandrila is not pacified, and the imperial peace commissioners could easily be assassinated.
JediJabroni1: Then let Trevelan make that argument and maybe we'll concede to it. But I need a more logical reason than "Imperial Protocol demands it" to agree. said like that, it just seems like the Empire trying to bully us.
Darth Viscera: Yes, when in fact the opposite is true.
JediJabroni1: Well you can think that all you want. We were just being cautious.
Darth Viscera: can the empire use the caution excuse if it wishes to capture 120 republic ships and avoid an incident?
JediJabroni1: I already told you I'm not having a debate over that accusation. Let Trevelan make that statement in the thread and we'll handle it IC.
JediJabroni1: Do I have your permission to repost this thread in NR High Command for everyone involved to review?
Darth Viscera: this convo?
JediJabroni1: Yes.
Darth Viscera: yes, you do.
JediJabroni1: Okay thank you. Just want to let everyone know what we might be getting into and why.

[Adm Garm Bel Iblis]

So that's where we are at. Viscera is writing the part of the the COMPNOR guy, fyi. After his last response where he has finally stated the accusation IC and shed some light on what the talk is all about ... I'm going to step aside and let Hera have the next say.

By the way, this is literally the first Garm is hearing this. He is taken aback by the blunt accusation and it definitely changes the tone of the meeting. At this point he's willing to meet in the shuttles. Hope this gives you something to work with as we work through this RP.

I hope we won't need to bring in Scorpion or Lafayette on this. But if it will do anything to destroy their claim on the ships and end this to avoid a war, I will appreciate if you guys could be available for it. Not yet, hopefully not at all, but just in case.

[Adm Garm Bel Iblis]

This is what Garm tells the Envoy and Jubei...

"For years there was an independent mercenary organization that called themselves Death Fleet. Their origins lie with the post-Palpatine neo-Sith movement. After the dissolution of the Unknown Regions Sith Fleet, the armada fell to the command of a man named Jyener Celchu. They since operated as a privateer task force for the Galactic Empire, and more recently the Sith Empire.

"When The Sith Empire abandoned their military holdings, there was a defection. Two full battle groups of Death Fleet showed up at Arcan IV led by Jyener Celchu and immediately surrendered. We naturally accepted.

"I think that is what all this is about. The remnants of Death Fleet must have crawled to TGE after the incident for help. The Empire has somehow translated this into "We stole their ships". It's an incredibly childish reaction, but none too surprising for the current regime.

"The trick will be in not telling them too much of this. I have no idea what the Empire thinks it knows. This accusation is so out of rim space I still don't know exactly what to make of it. We have to address their points as they come, and not give them any more propellant than they already think they have.

"But above all, we cannot give up those ships. They have no legal claim to them or right to ask us to hand them back to whoever is commanding Death Fleet now. It would be extortion, and we can't give in to that. Once we give them one concession, they will come back demanding more for the sake of peace. And you know where that hyperlane leads.

[Morgan Evanar]

*wacks visc for being a dolt*