421.05 // Terrible Cargo Shuttle Crash!
A horrific tragedy occurred, earlier this cycle, in the KEF12 commercial district of Pols Anaxes, Anaxes. An automated cargo shuttle belonging to the logistics mega-corporation, Standiartha, erroneously landed in a plaza that was occupied by pedestrians. As of this report, twenty-three victims are reported deceased and another thirty were rushed to nearby med-centers with injuries ranging from severe to critical.
The shipping company was quick to blame outside interference with the shuttle’s guidance system, has stated an internal investigation is on-going, and expressed willingness to fully comply with Pols Anaxes Security. The plaza remains a restricted area and is abuzz with security and investigator activity. The company’s statements, and their damage control ad-campaign “I stand with Standiartha,” have done little to prevent backlash. In the Interstellar Stock Exchange, shares of the company have lost almost 40% of their value in the days after the accident. Barristers representing many families of the decedents and injured victims have already filed claims against Standiartha. Multiple activist groups and HoloNews outlets have compared this to the Ghorman Massacre, a war crime perpetrated by a high-ranking official of Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire wherein said official ordered a shuttle to deliberately land on a crowd of peaceful protestors. Executives of the company have reportedly been receiving death threats from around the Galaxy. The validity of those threats are also under investigation.
This incident is perhaps the most terrible example of growing pains in business. Standiartha amassed incredible wealth in some risky derivative bets on the outcome of the Coruscant-Duneeden negotiations. This play lead to the company securing a near monopoly on trade rights in the area after Duneeden affirmed its independence. To capitalize on this, Standiartha’s founder and CEO, Briggs Tannis, began to rapidly expand and supplement his shipping armada with automated and droid-brain shuttles.
It remains to be seen if the courts will hold that this method of expansion was negligent on the part of the company, or if this tragedy will prompt new bills being brought before legislative bodies around the Galaxy. Bills that bar the use of fully-automated cargo shuttles.
Update: Another two victims of this incident succumbed to their injuries at nearby med-centers, bringing the death toll to twenty-five.