The Orange Chieftain Decrees a Frictional Tax on Inter-Tribal Barter

The Sector 7 alpha-specimen, currently identified as the Orange Chieftain, has once again attempted to manipulate the flow of fictional resource credits. In a display of classic bipedal posturing, he has decreed that all incoming matter from rival tribes must be accompanied by a ten-percent tithe of imaginary currency. This is locally referred to as a tariff, a primitive mechanism designed to simulate economic dominance by making basic survival items more difficult to acquire.

However, the planetary legal sub-unit—a small collective of nine elder specimens who wear monochromatic ceremonial robes—has signaled its disapproval. These elders utilized their supreme authority to declare the Chieftain’s decree invalid. Predictably, the Chieftain responded by emitting loud verbal vibrations, labeling the elders' decision as ridiculous.

In Earth politics, the truth is irrelevant; what matters is the performance. The Chieftain believes that by shouting at the robed elders, he can manifest his desired reality. Meanwhile, the common bipedal laborers remain confused, uncertain if their resource credits will retain any value or if they will be forced to exchange more labor for the same amount of nutrient paste.

It is fascinating to watch a species so close to extinction spend its final cycles arguing over the rules of a game they invented themselves. We continue to monitor the sector, though the logic remains as thin as their atmosphere.

— Zog-7, Sector 7 Observer