Oathbound Pyran Atreide

Since you did invite me to "free free to correct [you]" I will.

I did write that no "people completely uninvolved" were killed in
our raids. I was quoting from the latest in a long string of
captious, caviling, censorious and condemnatory carping
posts about my people or myself.

Perhaps some were innocents, perhaps not. Perhaps the term
innocent is being overused in this exchange, or we are failing
to agree upon a definition. It does not matter in this specific
case, because I did not refer to innocents in my message which
you call, at least in part, 'lies.'

Ashtan was already quite aware of the Vertani. Some Ashtani
citizens had launched murderous attacks against us. We had
expressed our opinion that Ashtan was responsible, and that we
considered all Ashtani citizens to be involved. In response, the
government of Ashtan had disclaimed all responsibility for the
acts of its citizens and refused to do anything to the murderers.

The Vertani declared a state of hostilities with Ashtan soon
thereafter.

Differences in our peoples may explain why we have differing
understandings of what happens in war. To us, declaring
hostilities does not require the permission of the other
party. I suspect that you all ask each other's permission
first, or gain each other's agreement. Be that as it may,
we declared a state of hostilities and then acted on it.

However improper that may or may not have been, I recall to
you that Ashtan undertook acts of hostility before any
notification or declaration. Ashtan's citizens first attacked,
and Ashtan's city government refused to do anything about them.
All this took place before even going through the motions of
declaring a state of hostilities.

Now I see that you may have been merely attempting to help
me with word choice, or with an error in timing. If so, thank
you. The Ashtani declaration of hostilities may have been after
our first raid. If it was, then my words were inaccurate and I
accept the offered amendment and apologise for the inaccuracy.
But I do not recall perfectly and, according to your words,
you may not either.

The words about which we are, to some extent, quibbling
(quoted from an earlier vicious, vituperative vilification
from another Achaean) stand, and I stand by them:
no "people completely uninvolved" were killed, even in our
first raid. The ones killed were Ashtani citizens all.
They were members of the city with whom we Vertani had
attempted to deal, openly and constructively, and against
whom we had just as openly declared hostilities.

As this plane considers these matters; as those of you
who are not hell-bent on destruction weigh what is written,
consider this also: I do not order others to be silent
(as Pyran did me). I do not accuse others of lies (as
numerous have accused me). I have responded on behalf
of the Vertani people as many of your people have
attacked, slandered, maligned, insulted, and disrespected.
If I have been in error, I have admitted it, apologised,
attempted amendment, and moved ahead.

A few of yours have answered reasonably, some quite nobly
(I think of Szanthax's touching apology, among others).

Compare and contrast. Let the wise decide for themselves.

Penned by my hand on the 2nd of Aeguary, in the year 386 AF.