[Roanon]

Indeed, we did not inform the Amon'krie about our problems with the Federation. We apologize for this, we probably should have raised our voice earler. But this has begun as a conflict within the anti-MARZen alliance, openly discussed between President Hippocrates and us with the Aether Lords, Manticores, True Republic being informed simultaneously. We did not want to whine about our problems to other races, but were determined to solve them on our own. We just informed the Aether Lords in more intimate detail, they being one of the most active parts in this alliance, hoping they would be able to get words of wisdom to the Federation. Unfortunately it looks like words of unwisdom have been fed to them before, resulting in this regrettable war, making our efforts obsolete from the start. We did not know this.

While we have tried to maintain contacts to the Amon'krie in the past, informing them of the current problems and trying to involve them in our politics, we never received satisfactory responses, just short Messages more or less acknowledging that our message has been received and read, but no reaction or words about their own situation. We were not informed in any way about closer than normal relations to the Federation, we just suddenly saw a military alliance had quietly been formed. We never received announcments or reason for this. We had to assume this was just another step from the Federation in direction of forming an all-surrounding threat to our empire, totally in line with their current policy against us.

So, maybe there just has been a misunderstanding between our empires. Maybe we have not done the utmost to improve our relations, but we have tried, and we must point out that this is more than we can say from you. We also were never informed about the now revealed baneful relations to the Narn, and you did not attack until after they were totally crushed. Thousands of warships should have been able to attack earlier, especially when the Narn were involved in desparate fights at the other end of their empire. Only when the Narn were dead, massive aquisitions of territory have been made, more than by the victors and rightful inheritants of that territory. Therefore the term vulture which, we agree here, applies to more than one. Our wisdom has never led us to occupy planets from races that we did not attack ourselves.

If you are worried about our production, you may look at your own plus your trades especially from us - it is not very far from that, considering that we do not get that much in trade income ourself. Only recently a gap has opend. But this is at least partially your own fault - we have invested in peaceful development, increasing health, safety and productivity of our citizens. We did not construct thousands of warships. Rather, we are trying to build a ringworld in our home system as a monument for our peaceful expansion and to be admired for our technological achivements. This has been our main joy and pride up to now, not been the building of huge warfleets to threaten our neighbors or other wise peaceful empires.

If the Amon'krie force us to change this policy we will do, reluctantly. But we can do. Still, we will not unleash this power on the whole galaxy. We will still listen to all the smaller empires and their cries for help, and fight greed and pure aggression against minors who are unable to defend, wherever and whenever possible. It is an easy excuse to blame the former leader for atrocities done to the Narrewians, but was this a single man or just a representative of the peoples general attitude? While we are happy to hear your words about improved relations to the Narrewians, they can continue to trust in us as a reliable guardian of their most basic interests, guaranteeing their survival after even the tiniest traces of evil races like the Narn or MAR-Zen have vanished forever.