Timeline: 2248

2248

PRIVATE CITIZENS VENTURE INTO SPACE, AEU FINDS METHOD TO FUND FUTURE EFFORTS

NEW PHOENIX, New Earth - The AEU awarded a small select group of young men and women today with the first private starship licenses. The group has been training for the past three months, and the citizens are now able to purchase their own starships with the help of a generous government loan.

Equipped with the latest scanners to locate the salvageable riches floating in empty space, the ships will spread across space searching for fortune. The excitement of private space travel isn't without a catch, however. In return for their licenses, the new pilots have permanently signed away a large portion of their income to the AEU government.

The arrangement is beneficial to both parties, of course. Private starship pilots are likely to become some of the richest citizens in the AEU. At the same time, they will provide a steady flow of incoming resources with which to fund all the myriad future projects planned by the AEU.

Experts suggest that if the arrangement is as successful as expected, other alliances will likely follow suit in offering private starship licenses. In the meantime, AEU citizens can apply for a place in the pilot training program at their local government office.