The logo of Telegron Rothani Shipworks appeared on the screen for a few seconds. The camera zoomed in on Kayl Olie sitting behind a desk. He smiled at the camera. "Good evening, I'm Kayl Olie for TRS news. Tonight's headlines: foiled assassination, the ship market begins to falter, and how household appliances can aid ship production."

The smile disappeared. "We have just received this video from our headquarters." The screen switched to the view from a security camera. The various data characters on it were blurred. After a few seconds, two men came out of a door beneath the camera. Their faces were blurred as well. Suddenly a red flash lit the screen and the two men looked around. Two more bursts of light flew across, and the larger of the two men pushed the other one onto the floor and pulled out a small pistol. He fired twice before being propelled back by one more laser shot. The man on the floor made a jump for the gun still in the other's hand, but was shot at again and had to roll away to cover. One more man advanced cautiously onto the screen and began to circle around the pillar the man was hiding behind. Just as he got him in sight, the downed bodyguard lifted his arm and pulled off a single shot before collapsing. The beam lanced through the assassin's chest, who then fell forward, and lay motionless on the ground. The screen went blank.

"As you can see, this assassination was unsuccessful. Mr. Selmur, head of TRS, has made a public statement condemning his attackers. I'm afraid the identities of the responsible organization is still unknown. One thing is certain though: it is a time of crisis. We must now pull together and prepare for the worst."

He paused. "After the break, how the ship market is plummeting towards the ground....."