Mythos Effect

Economic Woes

Torbel wasn't someone who normally drank, but he wanted, needed something stiff to take the edge off. Damn Sparatus and his fucking pride...

He sat down in one of the cornerbooths of the bar, gently tending his glass, when he heard the people at the next booth over yelling.

"I swear, I'm gonna fucking kill someone if this keeps up!"

"Calm down, Arella. I know it's bad right now, but as soon as the war-"

"As soon as it fucking WHAT, Lisanna?! Ends?! Fucking WHEN?! The company's bleeding money, and because of those fucking emergency laws the Hierarchy passed, I can't even get the merch back!"

Torbel lent over his table, trying to listen closer; while he was unlikely to miss whatever the worked up asari was yelling about, he wanted to hear the rest of the 'conversation' as well.

"How the fuck am I supposed to run a business when my fucking 'clients' decide that they're gonna pay me in IOUs, and refuse to return the merch they refuse to pay for?!"

"Lisanna's right, Arella. I get that you're angry, I am too, but yelling at US isn't gonna help."

Arella seemed to quiet down, before the crying started.

"I'm sorry, I just- I'm losing my business because of this stupid fucking war. The Hierarchy's just straight up stealing my wares and saying they'll pay for it after they've won. I- I just- how the fuck am I gonna make ends meet when they won't pay me, and won't return the product so I can at least find another customer?"

Torbel sighed. So much for a drink to take the edge off.

"You're not the only one who's suffering, Arella. HQ's downsizing at our Hierarchy branch too; says there's no way to make it financially feasible to keep the branch going with the Hierarchy's war economy, especially since they started seizing material for the 'war effort'."

"Not just the Hierarchy, either. The Vol Protectorate is closing its purse too. GNN says the knock-on from that might take down a whole bunch of finance institutions in the next month; Republics are already buying back a whole bunch of bonds to prop up their own economy."

"I know, I just- I fucking hate this stupid war so much..."

Torbel got up to leave, his drink still half-full. Making his way back to the presidium, he cursed under his breath. He had hoped this war wouldn't take so long, that the Hierarchy and the NEF would come to some form of white peace, but not only was Palaven refusing to realize it couldn't win, it seemed determined to drag the entire Citadel economy into recession with it.

Hopefully, Tevos might have an idea to help with that - he was getting tired of going out for drinks incognito: the last time he tried to leave through the front doors, the protesters had been so vicious they'd forced him to run back into the Citadel Tower.