Good evening. I’m Robert Seagull–
–and I’m Sacharissa Bock–
–and this is “Some Things Contemplated”, from CPR. Today, we’re exploring the civilian side of the Capricorn War, and its impact on the home front. We’ll be talking to people from the Privateer Bands, to a high commander in the Lizard Alliance, and to a former Cyborg operative who is now working for the Federation. But first, the news.

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This is CPR News; I’m Sacharissa Bock. Our top story this evening is today’s stock market jump, the biggest one-day rise in prices since the mid-90s. From Wall Street World, our market analyst Lon Greene. How are things going down there, Lon?

LG: It’s been a crazy day on Wall Street World, Sacharissa. There hasn’t been this much market movement in weeks.
SB: What’s caused this, Lon? Why all the activity?
LG: Well, as you know, there’s been next to no movement in the War, no real battles to speak of for weeks. At the same time, there have been unprecedented amounts of starbase construction, and all this is during a shipbuilder’s strike that has virtually shut down every starship yard in the entire sector. There’s bubble employment through the roof, but there’s only just so many starbases you can build, and a lot of the economic markers indicating a recession are showing up.
SB: “Recession”? Combined with a jump in stock prices?
LG: I know, right? But if you think about it, this really does make sense.
SB: Explain it to me.
LG: In any period of market uncertainty, you’ll see bond prices rise while stocks plummet; this is the standard reaction, as long-term investors move their savings into more stable assets. Normally, this is what we’d expect right now; there’s a war on and nobody really knows how and when the balance of power is going to shift. But THIS war is running so true to type that the smart money is already shifting.
SB: You mean, people have figured out the winner already?
LG: It’s not really that simple, but you can think of it that way. Right now, companies that specialize in making starbases — General Eclectic, Long Construction — and the support companies — Freightliner Interspace, Colonial Movers, Planets Express — are raking in the cash, but their stocks are peaking. The more aggressive funds are already moving into technology companies like Tesladyne and passenger conglomerates like Virgin InterGalactic. And everything that supports that sort of specialty company is booming too; even mining operations, long considered the dogs of the market, are jumping on the profit bandwagon.
SB: Even with a shipbuilders strike?
LG: Even with a strike. Before, quality was less important than quantity, but now, consumers are taking the time and trouble to make certain that every ship built is top of the line. That means technology; that means machine tools; that means freight — bottom line, that means jobs. It’s exciting times on Wall Street World, Sacharissa.
SB: It sounds it! Thanks, Lon!
LG: Thank you.

This is CPR: Capricorn Public Radio.
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This is Robert Seagull.

An atmospheric and space search is continuing for possible survivors of the “Rainbow Exploder”, a 729-ton passenger liner which apparently crashed and broke apart last night in the Capricorn Sector. The ship, its passengers, and its 29-man crew vanished in an ion storm with 129-volt potential and ion wave heights up to twelve meters. All that has been found is a radiation slick and some debris.

The vessel acted as the flagship for the Galactic Campaign To Ban Spacemines and was reportedly carrying eighty-eight celebrities and their retinues. The search began when the ship was reported overdue at its destination, the planet Cylon in the center of the Echo Cluster.

Famed intergalactic musician and composer Groton Lightyear is reportedly already hard at work on a song commemorating the disaster.

Stay tuned for Some Things Contemplated, coming up next on your local CPR station.
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