Mysterious Rise and Destruction of Chikkin Koop

November 2nd, 2042:
The Mysterious Rise and Destruction of Chikkin Koop
A Newswire Exclusive
By: Terri Kopp
An interstellar restaurant chain. It sounds like something out of an old cartoon. Pull up to a window, order a bucket of chicken and have it tossed in your spaceship. Fly off to work at the sprocket factory. Yet, this very idea was what was proposed when the chain opened its first restaurant on the addition of the I.S.S. in 2028. Four years later and you could find a chain on stationary asteroids, in every space station and habitat... and beyond. They were there when Luna went live, and are active on Harmonium-1. They donate money to charity, offer training and education for people from poverty stricken areas on Earth and present a, while slightly mysterious, benevolent face to the world.
Despite this, there seems to be something slightly nefarious behind the whole operation. Casual observers noted there always seemed to be a fresh supply of meat and their patented Karrot NRG Drink, even at locations not having received a supply run in months. The chicken was delicious, stood up to all testing, and with the extensive philanthropic work the company did, no real investigation was ever held. 
While Chikkin Koop may have had a good run of things in the years following their establishment, critical eyes have noticed that their sales, stock and donations have significantly decreased in the last few years. Chains were closing down and there was rumor of extensive problems within upper management of the company... upper management which had always remained anonymous. No one has ever seen the "Chikkin Executive Officer" or the Board of Directors. They managed to employ a large PR firm which had handled all of their contact with the outside world. 
There has been much debate over the company's significant losses over the following few years. Some cited a drop in quality, others saying that the opening of many other interstellar chains caused the Chikkin Koop to flounder in the face of competition. Others noted that many locations simply closed down after years of successful service, with no reason given. 
Cut to two weeks ago. Only three Chikkin Koop restaurants remained. One on Luna, one on Mars and one on the Chikkin Koop Station that still saw a fair bit of traffic and popularity. It was at this franchise that a young child found a handgun in her Chikkin Meal. There was immediate outrage, and while an employee was fired over the incident (while also offering no explanations on how the handgun got into the box) it triggered a wave of investigation into the company. 
The reason for this scrutiny? The handgun in question was one of the 3D printed, highly distributed devices commonly used and sold by the Long Dragon Syndicate. Authorities did the math and realized the downswing of the company coincided almost perfectly with the fall of the LDS. A raid of the Chikkin Koop restaurants on Luna and Mars revealed underground basement "labs" which, while unused for some time, showed evidence of mass producing weapons.
It seems that Chikkin Koop was never about selling chicken. It was about selling weapons. Two days ago, on October 31, the Orbital Authorities and a delegation from the Consortium command vessel, Aether, blockaded the last standing Chikkin Koop Station. After its regular employees shuttled home, following a demand for surrender from the joint forces, the entire station exploded from the inside, apparently taking the C.E.O. and Board of Directors with it. No cryptic message, just a concussion that destroyed the station leaving thousands of tons of manufactured weapons, explosives, ammunition and... chicken, endless amounts of chicken, floating in space. 
Thus ended Chikkin Koop. Analysts and investigators are calling this the true end of the LDS, one of their last holdouts exposed and destroyed.
I have to ask though: If the LDS was able to hide as weapon dealers masquerading as a Chicken Chain, where else are they still lurking? Are they down the street in your local mom and pop store? Or a child's clothing shop?
Or are they really gone?
Time will tell.
Category:Global Newswire
Category:Long Dragon Syndicate
Category:Orbital Authorities
Category:Aether