Freelance: Smuggling is alive and well on Rubi-Ka
Smuggling is alive and well on Rubi-Ka
October 13, 29481 - Ferrell [Atlantean]
IRRK Freelance - The recent influx of illegal armors tells us what we already know: smuggling is alive and well in Rubi-Ka. Despite the blockade by the alien invaders, or perhaps because of it, illegally imported goods are steadily rising on the black markets.
The armor pieces, reportedly a design by Miy based on the sturdy and efficient Nano Armor, have cropped up not only in the general public, but also in scattered caches in the untamed sectors of Rubi-Ka. It is thought that these caches in the wilderness are perhaps the wreckage of failed smuggling attempts. Some of the more secretive and mysterious denizens of Rubi-Ka, such as the Cyborgs and Medusa, have taken to wearing these armors in a piecemeal and ceremonial fashion.
The so-called Miy's armor is the latest addition to the growing number of illegal goods currently flooding the market, as reported before in July. All manner of illegal weaponry and armors are showing up on the public circuit, and are being touted by celebrities, fashionistas, and the affluent.
"What do you want us to do about it?" said Unicorn Lieutenant Maximillian Pfister. "There's a war going on out there, and we have barely enough troops to stem the tide as it is. Attacks occur on Rubi-Ka's cities on a daily basis. If I were to choose between flaming death by an alien raid or letting the occasional illegal shipment float by the blockade, I'm going to choose the latter."
Still, Omni-Pol states that it has several field agents dedicated to finding and intercepting smuggled shipments before these goods reach the underground black market. They have reported some success in capturing some of the goods before they hit the market, including a batch of stolen "Sangi" clothing by rising designer Lya and several large crates of prototype medical "Nano Assistants". Still, the perpetrators behind the smuggling operations on Rubi-Ka are still at large.
