Anguis In Herba
Posted by: Mikel von Bianchi - Faction: Galactic Empire
Date: Year 15 Day 176 From the Sith Temple The Dark Temple in Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban (283, 314).
PERMA (INB) - The Imperial nationalised corporation Kuat Systems Engineering [KSE] was the target of a haphazard act of industrial theft early this week when a long-serving employee of the Ministry betrayed his loyalties and co-workers for mere credits and the hope to launch into a lucrative criminal career.
Disgraced employee Vussek Kaos stole a handsome sum of credits and what he believed to be valuable titles to KSE produced equipment, and offered these to the small-time criminal syndicate of the Zann Consortium. Sources within the Imperial government have stated that losses to the Empire were negligible, thanks to the robust security policies and monitoring regime enacted by the galactic superpower. Such procedures were developed to prevent significant damage to the Imperial assets in the event of embezzlement, infiltration, and theft. These precautions are reported to have worked exceptionally well in preventing Kaos from stealing much from the Empire, or causing anything but minor disruptions to the nationalized corporation's operations.
On his way to a regular staff meeting, Minister of Industry Tyris Elensar responded to questions from journalists regarding the financial viability of KSE following last night's announcement from the Zann Consortium. "The damage caused was negligible because our security procedures were followed and have been shown to work", he was quoted as saying. "When Vussek Kaos was briefly granted administrative control of Kuat Systems Engineering, he transferred around 30 million credits to an account that has been traced to the Zann Consortium, but that's a tiny amount for a corporation like KSE. Oddly another 150 million credits went missing from KSE's records, but was sent back by Kaos; investigators are unsure of why this much larger sum was returned to the Ministry rather than handed over to Zann."
In addition to the credits, a Ministry of Industry press release indicated the theft of titles to some of the vehicles produced by KSE, with the Ministry reinforcing that the majority of these titles were for non-military vehicles pending private sale. As evidence of the rushed nature of the theft and mistakes made by the self-titled 'criminal masterminds', Imperial investigators pointed out the fact that whilst the titles for the vehicles were stolen, Vussek had failed to arrange for access to or transport of the vehicles in question.
Nearing the end of his discussion with reporters, Minister Elensar expanded upon the prior press release. "All vehicles remain stored in Imperial warehouses, and in line with our long-standing security procedures all non-essential access will be denied. The reports from Imperial Intelligence and the Imperial Security Bureau that I have received strongly indicate that this wasn't a well-planned or thought out operation, and the banal claims and rhetoric published by the Zann Consortium are absolute fabrications to try and elevate their egos into the realms of Eidola who recently obtained billions worth of medical supplies through infiltration and theft. Our investigations show that Zann did little more than simply receive 30 million credits and vehicle titles with little to no warning from Kaos, and no actual involvement on Zann's behalf."
Reports from the Drall system on this situation took a humorous turn when claimed legal representatives from the Outer Rim firm of Holter & Finch Attorneys stated that they had been hired by the Zann Consortium and were there to collect the vehicles they held the titles for. Official statements say that the small group dressed in suits and carrying briefcases were promptly turned away by local security without further incident. An unidentified guard, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the matter, told of several men with rough accents, dressed in suits, and with large tattoos and wielding datapads had claimed to own a handful of Imperial military assets, but were promptly laughed away by security and asked to leave the premises.
It is not yet fully understood why Vussek Kaos alienated himself from the trust and respect he had earned during a years-long career in the Ministry of Industry, where he had served as an Operations Manager for one of the most noted vehicle manufacturers in the galaxy. Continuing the saga, the Imperial Trade Commission has issued a warning today, advising traders to avoid purchasing vehicles located in Imperial sectors from Vussek Kaos, the Zann Consortium, or other parties. The warning stated that no individual or organization would receive access to Imperial warehouses to claim the vehicles with the stolen titles, and the Empire will not offer reimbursement for compensation of stolen property. The Ministry of Industry is happy to answer any and all questions regarding the validity of purchase of any vehicle on an Imperial planet.
