by Adella Chatelaine, Investigative Reports

24/6- Ever since Triumvirate Authorities announced their plans to build a massive prison-ship in the Barrier Ocean earlier this month, people have wondered how exactly it will be paid for. A recent tax hike throughout Crowndon seemed to indicate that the common citizen would be the prime contributor, but the lack of a corresponding tax in NorEaster and Monteddor indicates other wise.

Many theorize that the Crowndon tax hike has less to do with the prison, and everything to do with the recent Tuna Heist perpetrated by Roderck La Pierre that left a large percentage of the nation’s gold reserves temporarily unusable thanks to the smell (which, if rumors are true, has created an economic destabilization that Crowndon has refused to publicly acknowledge.) It is likely some tax dollars will be used, but after plans for the prison were recently released, the questions only grew louder.

According to the plans, which were shown in a private showing at the recent Innovation and Industry Conference, the prison will consist of three retrofitted Crowndonian warships, welded together to create a single super-structure. The Crowndon Navy insists that using these three retired ships cuts down on a large percentage of the cost, but questions still remain. How much will the retrofits cost? What about the crew, and maintenance? And more importantly, how much Blackwood will it take to power and move the mass of such a large structure? None of these issues have been addressed, and to date, my inquiries have been met with a canned dismissal, or outright ignored.

The Gazette has been doing some digging, and thanks to some inside sources has followed a paper trail leading to evidence showing the prison is being funded by private investors. Among these investors, we have learned, are several Monteddorian crime lords, including the notorious Alejandro Julianos. Several wealthy industrialists in Crowndon and politicians in NorEaster were also named in our source.

This information, if true, raises several alarming issues. If the funding of the prison is as privatized as it appears, there is the possibility that it may not be used solely for the incarceration of criminals found guilty by the Triumvirate judiciary. One great fear is that investors could use their wealth to turn the prison into a place where “problems” go to disappear.

Whatever the truth, rest assured that the Gazette will maintain a watchful eye on this story.