It is unsure how information about the wager was discovered, though it came to light when rival Holder, Iraj Darabi, confronted Miyan during a public meeting of holders in the Jatari constellation. Rather than deny the accusation, Miyan acknowledged that he placed the wager, rumored to be over ten billion ISK, on the Star Fraction to reach the Final Four of the alliance tournament.
"Quite frankly, they are a talented team who has proven their ability to compete," Miyan said. "I don't see why I shouldn't wager on them, just because I disagree with their policies. It's not like them doing well in the tournament hurts the Empire, after all."
While his critics agree that the Alliance Tournament will not have any impact on the Empire's power, they still charge that his wagering on the Star Fraction is tacit support of their philosophical viewpoint. "It's symbolic," said Holder Jata Temari. "By wagering on the Star Fraction, he's saying he hopes they win. And no civilized Amarrian... No civilized human being should be wagering on such dangerous barbarians."
Much of the controversy stems over the Star Fraction's radical politics, which advocate anti-governmental revolutions and frequently clash with empire loyalists. Their current targets, and one of their most frequent opponents, are the large, well-known Amarrian loyalist expansionist paramilitary the Curatores Veritatis Alliance.
"The CVA are exemplars of the Amarrian way of life," said Holder Zim Rahura. "We should not be supporting their enemies in any sense."
The Star Fraction are one of the early favorites to win the tournament, which lacks many of the big name alliances of tournaments past. Their primary claim to tournament fame is their exciting upset win over the Band of Brothers in last August's tournament, handing BoB its first ever tournament loss.
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