Are Red Dragons helping Psis leave Aganju? Along with crates of weapons grade Cygni ore? Several InfinitiCorp executives say that's exactly what's happening in this small system near Tau Ceti.
But a spokesman for the Red Dragons recently laughed off any speculation that the pirate group might be involved. The denial came after recent accusations by InfinitiCorp representatives who continue to hint that the Red Dragons might be implicated in the disappearance of both ore and Psionics.
"What a crazy idea!" said Shou Tzu, Lord of the Red Dragons and well-known outlaw in nearly all systems. "I'm sorry deWinter misplaces things, but does that mean some pirates stole them? Why would we? Moving Psionics would show utter contempt for InfinitiCorp's plans and rights to property in our galaxy. It would be an act of defiance to deWinter and to everything she represents. Does this sound like the Red Dragons to you?"
The InfinitiCorp allegations came to light after a secret security report linked stolen ore to the pirates. Other unsubstantiated reports have speculated that the Red Dragons might be surreptitiously encouraging Psionics to flee Aganju.
"Oh sure. The old pirate underground rumor," Tzu sighed. "I mean, come on. It's such an old Earth stereotype. Modern pirates don't steal or rob or terrorize or do any of those cool things. We don't hijack the Progen-bound freight of InfinitiCorp haulers. We don't plunder InfinitiCorp warehouses. We don't ridicule deWinter's destructive and incredibly stupid economic policies. We don't even offer the torch of freedom to those InfinitiCorp enslaves. The truth is we pirates just dress a little differently and so some people think we're suspicious. It's kind of disheartening, actually."
However, the brass at InfinitiCorp isn't convinced by the Red Dragon pleas of ignorance. The company's Public Affairs Office recently released a statement that made accusations aimed at the Red Dragons.
"Regardless of their claims to the contrary, everyone knows the Red Dragons are involved in blackmarket weapon sales," said the InfinitiCorp statement. "It doesn't take much imagination to see how a prolonged, exacerbated situation on Aganju could help illegal arms traffickers. If our Psis are disappearing, then we have fewer hands to mine ore. And if there is less weapons-grade ore, then the price of weapons will naturally rise. And there's also the matter of ore being stolen, which we are continuing to investigate.
"So, yes, the Red Dragons do have a vested interest in seeing the Aganju incident prolonged. Prolonged instability on Aganju could also have a detrimental effect on our business relationships with wholesale buyers, such as the Centuriata. But we assure all our customers and shareholders that InfinitiCorp is aggressively seeking a resolution to the situation, regardless of whomever might be behind the incident."
