Mahon Administration under pressure?

Alliance economic expansion has finally shown signs of slowing down. After the highly speculative investment in the systems of Hooriayan, Wolf 412 and MCC 684, these systems enjoy many new business opportunities. However, doubt about the soundness of the investment remains.

Yet there are silver linings for Edmund Mahon: The previously frosty relationship with key Imperial senators has thawed, with the Senate even dispatching a taskforce for joint strategic operations. Asked to comment on this recent change in Imperial policy, a spokesperson of the "Protectores Zemina Nostri" said:

"Within the Empire, Zemina Torval has always promoted the value of tradition, stability and peace. In the past, the Alliance was recognized as a threat due to border disputes. This stance was recently reevaluated by our strategists. Even if Mahon's academic vision depends on a vastly different societal model, he shares Senator Torval's goal in building lasting and functional societies.

"Where military competition is a wasteful way to resolve disputes, economic competition increases prosperity for both."

Commanders Gran Solo and Jemy Murphy

Allied News Service | Interstellar Press

Sidewinder Trust CFO arrested

After months of investigation, Interstellar Criminal Police Organization agents today arrested Anthony Ergot, CFO of Faulcon DeLacy's non profit "Sidewinder Trust".

A popular non-profit organization that seeks to provide affordable frameshift-capable starships to small business owners, the Sidewinder Trust has been crucial to many a pilot's career. The trust provides microcredits to Pilot Federation Members that are automatically repaid. Pilots would often not even notice they paid interest.

Sources close to Alliance Commissioner for Competition Graeme Argent claim that Mr. Ergot siphoned a substantial amount of money via the automatic interest deduction process that is part of every Sidewinder ship computer. With data migrating to other ships, these deductions continued long after the credit would have been repaid.

It is also possible that some pilots may not have paid any interest at all, with or without their knowledge. A possible distortion of competition is still under investigation by Mr. Argent's office.

According to recent polls, Faulcon-DeLacy remains one of the most popular shipbuilders for entry-level to high-end space craft. Critics point out that the Sidewinder Trust likely contributed significantly to their brand recognition.

Thomas Grantham-Solo

Jameson Memorial Review | Interstellar Press