Racial and class differences are starting to cause explosive rifts between the citizens of our galaxy again, as evidenced by last night's bitter arguments on the Market and Explorer comm nets. Rare and powerful equipment is, due to inflation and the ability to use rare components in multiple types of equipment, now priced out of the range of the majority of Jenquai Explorer budgets, resulting in those Explorers becoming extremely frustrated with the "status-quo".------------
A rare and powerful plasma beam weapon, the "Amah's Anger", was discovered in the destroyed hulk of a V'rix vessel in the Roc sector, and an auction notification was seen shortly afterwards on the market comm channels. The Amah's Anger is a beam that can be used only by the Jenquai Explorers, and is valued highly by them for its combat-enhancing benefits and unique firing signature, which oddly enough can be heard from several klicks away. This weapon, however, can be dismantled (unlike most V'rix weaponry) into its component parts, and rebuilt into a more superior quality. One of these parts, the "First Essence of Amah", is also the primary component in an equally powerful reactor, usable only by powerful Progen Proconsuls, the undisputed master warriors of our universe.
The rift comes into play here - Proconsuls are by nature the wealthiest class in the galaxy, and Jenquai Explorers are easily the poorest. When the Amah's Anger went up for auction, the lucky finder put a 300 million credit "reserve" on the auction - thereby setting the minimum price that he would accept for bids. This is a normal practice, and is seen quite commonly on the private auction comm channels. What isn't normal, however, is that this reserve of 300 million credits is far beyond what an average Jenquai Explorer will earn in his entire life, much less be in a position to dispense in one lump sum for a single weapon purchase. Upon questioning the individual who was holding the auction about why the price was so far out of an Explorer's price range, it was discovered that while this is a seeming piece of Jenquai Explorer equipment, it was in actuality being marketed towards Proconsuls and Tradesmen for dismantling and reassembly into a Proconsul reactor.
Upon hearing of this, the assembled Explorers went into a fury - disrupting the auction, and slandering everybody they could blame, but to little affect. The furor continued onto the general market nets, and then slowly moved onto the Explorer comm channel, where it continued for some time. I was unaware that my question about the high pricing would have any repercussions, but I was soon made aware of the continuing heated discussion on the Explorer nets, and switched one of my comm systems to that channel to see what was going on. The assembled Explorers were still in a heated debate - not with each other for the most part, but over what to do about the "disaster" that they had just learned had befallen them. The information that they were sharing was not pretty - there was talk of rebellion, allegations of Explorer slavery, and other unfortunate topics. This reporter logged out of the channel shortly after the furor was stirred by two unusually wealthy Explorers, who had logged into the channel to gloat that they either had gotten their "über" weaponry cheaply before inflation had set in as hard as it has, or had their equipment given to them by their guildmates.
The assembled (and now VERY angry) Explorers resolved to remedy the situtation, and make the Warriors and Traders of the galaxy pay for services that they had previously been getting inexpensively or without any cost at all - namely, the Explorers would stop "jumpstarting" Warriors and Tradesmen for free (and customarily at great personal risk, as Explorers are generally unprepared to deal with anything that can disable a Proconsul), nor would the current "Wormhole" rates stay where they were. The general consensus was to stop "jumpstarting" period, and that Wormhole prices would jump considerably - almost by 1000%, effective immediately. There was much debate about the jumpstarting ban, as Explorers are generally good-hearted folk, and didn't seem to like the concept of leaving injured parties in the way of harm, but the point was raised that "they don't care about us, so why should we care about them?" The raising of "Wormhole" rates was almost universally praised, and deemed a just reaction.
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Only time will tell, as they say - but this reporter is going to keep his ears open, and his foot on the accelerator.
