Sources close to deWinter say that she is furious over the precipitous drop in production at the Kinshasa-Mbali Mining Station in 61 Cygni, especially at a time when there is a high demand for the ore from weapons manufacturers. There is also an unconfirmed report that deWinter recently sent an emissary to the Vega System to reassure Progen interests that weapons availability will not be affected by the situation on Aganju.

"Defense industries are getting many orders, and are worried that they may not be able to meet demand if the ore becomes scarce," said an anonymous source close to deWinter. "There is enough material on-hand for the short term, but if production on Aganju doesn’t improve soon, we could be looking at a severe shortage."

The quota increases are also an obvious attempt to reassure investors who have become increasingly alarmed at the decline in Aganju ore production. Production has fallen sharply after catastrophic cave-ins destroyed much of the mine complex.

The situation worsened when Psis who worked the mines began suffering from strange maladies, including anxiety, stress, and a profound distrust of almost everything around them. Many Psis now suffer from the inability to work, sleep, or eat, and some are reporting hallucinations. Those Psis who work deepest in the mines seem to be affected most severely.

In a seemingly related development, another detachment of Earthcorps combat engineers is en route to Aganju to assist in stabilizing the mine complex, as well as assist in humanitarian aid efforts for those Psis affected by the recent maladies.