Prolog to my orginal fic

[Trogdor]

The following is two fake news articles that will serve as the prolog for my sci-fi story. I own neither the national enquirer or the new york times.

Dedication for this bit goes to Pablo Sanchez for suggesting the name of the Martian colony.


The National Enquirer, Aug. 15, 2055

Lies! Scandal! Conspiracy! The Enquirer’s Spy into the Forbidden Corporate State Tells All!

One of the National Enquirer’s top reporters, who shall remain nameless for his own protection, recently returned to Earth after spending several months on the only Martian colony currently in existence, Campus Martius. As readers no doubt are aware of, Campus Martius was built and is operated by Interstellar Space Systems, multibillionaire tycoon Stephen Nova’s corporation.
“It was a terrifying experience, living and working there,” Enquirer’s reporter said. “Despite the RUN flag flying overhead, the place is controlled entirely by triple S. People who try and start strikes or unions disappear mysteriously.”
But Nova isn’t using the absence of RUN influence just to shovel in profits at the cost of the average worker, the Enquirer discovered. ISS has more nefarious goals in mind: cession of Mars from RUN.
According to the Reformation Acts passed by the old UN in 2021, all the stellar bodies of the solar system are the territory of the people of Earth, and as such, RUN territory.
ISS’s CEO and majority stockholder seems to have other plans in mind. The Enquirer’s reporter discovered that ISS’s security forces on Campus Martius well exceed what is necessary to protect the colony from piracy. In fact, ISS’s space armada has grown to numbers rivaling the space forces of RUN itself!
Enquirer’s reporter even heard rumors of a secret military installation kept hidden from RUN inspectors called Mars Ultor. The base is supposedly buried far beneath the surface of Mars and miles from Campus Martius. It is there that ISS may train an extensive army. Genetic experimentation to create the perfect solider is also said to take place at Mars Ultor.
As if plots for treason were not enough, Stephen Nova is also said to have numerous mistresses at a time. Many women without any skills useful to Campus Martius are apparently allowed to travel to the colony simply because they arouse the sixty-two year old space baron.
When asked about this list of depravity and preparations for war, Stephen Nova refused to comment…

The New York Times, Jan. 3, 2058

Risky Gamble Pays Off for Younger Nova

(Nova City, Space)—Benjamin Nova, son of the well known Stephen Nova, has made history today and eased the fears of the people of Earth by selling his city sized space station, Nova City, to RUN. The young entrepreneur sold the territorial rights to the artificial island in space for a whopping $200 billion.
Nova City’s construction nearly ignited a crisis in the political world, as it was unclear whether RUN would assume control of it or if it would become a corporate state. The Reformation Acts make no mention of independently constructed and artificial space stations, an error which the RUN Council is likely to correct shortly. Nova’s cooperation with RUN came as a great relief to those who feared that he would attempt to create a state much like his father’s Campus Martius where RUN has virtually no control.
Many in the business world labeled Ben Nova a reckless fool doomed to failure, because he had no contract with RUN to sell the station and used mostly borrowed money in its construction. They are now proved wrong as the massive payoff Nova received places his company, Nova Enterprises, comfortably within the black.
The creation of Nova City may, in fact, prove the wisest business move made in the 21st century. While RUN may have territorial rights to the station, Ben Nova’s company, Nova Enterprises, retains property rights to the vast majority of it, especially the city’s industrial sector. The station provides the final link needed to start a supply chain from the asteroid belt and Jupiter to Earth, and Nova Enterprises is now poised to make the lion’s share of the profits from the new bonanza of resources.
When asked if Nova City is safe, Ben Nova said, “I plan to move my corporate headquarters here and reside here myself. I think that says enough about the safety precautions put into this station.”
While the other stops along the newly completed route to the Belt and back are mere outposts, with the exception of Campus Martius, Nova City is indeed, a true city. The residential section of the station boasts fully 1 g worth of gravity, while the industrial section has ¼ g. The residential section is capable of housing approximately ten million people permanently, while the industrial section can refine and process the raw resources that will soon be brought from the Belt and Jupiter. See Nova page A-6.


Questions? Comments? Flames? Should the second article be the Wall Street Journal instead of the times? Should I change the years or the amount of money Nova City is sold for? Should I name the nameless reporter?