Major corporations make plea to Admiral Po for help as attacks intensify

By Sylie Diaz

Attacks throughout Antares have continued to intensify despite the efforts of Admiral Po and the GTA, and in particular, attacks on the shipping of the major corporations of Antares. Some of the major corporations of Antares have come together to voice their disapproval on the policy of the GTA essentially to leave the corporations to fend for themselves. Big names such as Arshad Advancements, Tachikawa Technologies and the Cromer Brothers have joined with Exxon-Beckham, the instigators of this movement. I sat down with their spokeswoman, Yue Fang, who was speaking on behalf of all the organizations in the group, to hear their side of the argument. The speech that she gave was obviously a well rehearsed one, but she spoke the words with passion and conviction. Below is the full transcript:

"This is Antares, Admiral Po. So I need to give you a little history lesson before we can get started. Antares is unique among all the systems both Terran and Vasudan. Why? Because Antares is the only system where the great multi-system corporate empires have been able to secure no more than a foothold. Every major industry has a corporation or group of corporations built in Antares, run in Antares and staffed by the people of Antares at the top."

"Now I know the reasoning behind the GTA’s current policy, that we are in a better position to take care of ourselves than most, I understand this. But that doesn't mean we can survive this with no help at all. The multi-system giants could survive with the loss of one system. We cannot. Times are hard even for us right now, and I don’t think you realise just how much we are struggling here, and what it will mean to Antares if we go under. Antares is the house we built together. With our own sweat. With our own hands. We are part of the very fabric of the system in a way you cannot understand, cannot truly understand and appreciate, unless you have lived here. And without us, the whole building will come crashing down."

"Yes, we can stand up to more punishment. Yes, we can put security forces and mercenaries in place on our operations, but what we can’t do is field the military grade cutting edge equipment that only the GTA can, and the enemies of Antares have picked up on that fact and the fact that our convoys will almost certainly be carrying richer pickings than the convoys protected by the GTA. The balance has been completely turned on its head, and they've adapted while the GTA have not. We are now being put under severe pressure. It’s hunting season out there, and the chosen quarry has changed."

"Like the continual stinging of a wasp, these attacks are becoming more and more damaging. If you are stung by a wasp enough times, you will drop to the ground dead. Whole branches of our organizations have been severed. The body count is ridiculous. Most civilian security forces refuse to fly certain routes where our enemies plunder and grow stronger with impunity thanks to the GTA's narrow-minded and inflexible policies. Many mercenary groups refuse to fly escort for us at all because of the heavy losses they've been taking. Our escorts are outgunned and being blown out of the sky left and right. We're being boxed in and attacked from all sides and we cannot deal with it. The GTA has allowed this."

"If the GTA were to commit substantial resources to trade sectors instead of hunting for enemies in desolate system regions, Antares would have a credible defense. If this continues, Antares will fall to ruin. The simple fact is that we need help and we need help now. Admiral Po, we are begging you to hear our call and make the right decision for the future of all Antares before it is too late."

So it's over to Admiral Po and the GTA now. How will they respond? We will be following the situation closely and keep you updated on any new developments.
